Calls of the Year and Super Bowl LVIII with Baldy

00:00:00
Speaker 1: The Around the NFL podcast, otherwise known as Connie Fox and the Bozo Brigade.

00:00:09
Speaker 2: In the Chris Westling podcast studio, it is Around the NFL.

00:00:16
Speaker 3: I'm Dan Hansis.

00:00:18
Speaker 2: I got heroes, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler, and yes, the aforementioned Colleen Wolf leader of the Bozo Brigade.

00:00:26
Speaker 4: I'm a bozo too, So like that's fine.

00:00:29
Speaker 3: I like that.

00:00:29
Speaker 4: That's camaraderie and we're all bozos together.

00:00:33
Speaker 2: It is super Bowl Week. It's official. Yeah, and we could say that again after Greg went pretty deep in the whole. Financially, it's got many mentions in Twitter that we didn't catch everything. Eric, you might have to funnel those misses onto your account. I think that's only fair. We'll work that out financially. From our don't say super Bowl episode on Thursday, and it's been a very super rainy Sunday into now Monday. So I'm glad that everybody got got here today.

00:01:08
Speaker 3: From various points, it was dicey.

00:01:11
Speaker 5: I'm glad I'm not living in the hallway or control room right next to our studio, which is just right now, well hold on it.

00:01:19
Speaker 6: So they yeah, they like literally opened the floor outside the studio and they're fishing around with like a broom to mop up batter and something. This is a low level, hollowed out death star about to be shot into. Like this building has always felt slightly fraudulent, and it's being completely exposed, like we're three levels below the roof.

00:01:38
Speaker 7: And it's leaking that what is happening concerning Also the fact that water was coming through lights and there were like dumpster sized containers catching the water and tarps everywhere concerning reminded me a little bit of the Titanic when the Titanic started to spring leaks.

00:01:54
Speaker 3: But yeah, another monument to humanity that turned out to be.

00:01:58
Speaker 6: A little like the most concerning element is that in the very hard working people that you know deal with maintenance and things here in their work seem to have zero Like they seem to be in awe of what is happening to the building.

00:02:10
Speaker 4: But this is everywhere.

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Speaker 2: Right when you hit the iceberg, everybody's like, yeah, we're fine, Wait a minute, what we went We never thought this would have on single Molly Brown was like a we're cool, let's go dansing soaculator, there's.

00:02:22
Speaker 8: Slides by me, There's there's a lot going on in La like everyone everyone's calmed down with oh, it's just raining, what a little rain, and like the whole city shuts down. Yeah, because this area can't handle all of the water.

00:02:36
Speaker 3: Gang So yeah, well I was accused of that. Well that is and my wife on Sunday, Oh, I said, I looked on my window and it didn't seem to be.

00:02:45
Speaker 5: That does depend where you are in some areas. It's totally fine.

00:02:47
Speaker 3: Think about this. They got this. This is sobering.

00:02:50
Speaker 2: My pool is getting very close to overflowing the coma.

00:02:55
Speaker 3: Like they're thinking about Just think about that. What happens at the happens though, by the way, and that's what we're dealing with here.

00:03:03
Speaker 4: You should be draining your pool before a big storm.

00:03:06
Speaker 3: But Aquaman, I don't know. All right. This is also hard to believe.

00:03:21
Speaker 2: But is the been three years since Chris Westling left us. This is the Chris Westling podcast studio. Chris was one of the founding members of this podcast and our good friend and passed away from cancer three years ago on this very day. It's it's still hard to believe, greg that that that he's gone at all, and that three years have passed and yet here we are.

00:03:48
Speaker 5: It's it's it's a tough time of year, I think, with the super Bowl coming up every year when this this date happens. But unlike you know a lot of people, we have these these video recordings of our time with Wes, and not that the podcast was our only great times with Wes, but it is crazy to go back and to listen to those at times like this.

00:04:10
Speaker 3: I have an idea, well it was kind of Greg's idea, but well take it as you're right. Yes, I think Wes would appreciate it.

00:04:18
Speaker 2: This is this is fun because yes, it sucks that he's not with us, but it is great that we have these memories that we could listen to and it is super Bowl weak and it is Wes, you know, from I guess it would have been about the twenty fourteen super Bowl and the next five or six years after it was it was the four of us doing all those shows together. And and we are coming up on an anniversary.

00:04:46
Speaker 3: Is it the ten year anniversary of this? Well, this occurred after the twenty fourteen season.

00:04:52
Speaker 5: So this would be yeah, nine years right now.

00:04:54
Speaker 3: Yeah. So Chris famously had this.

00:04:58
Speaker 2: He was an avid softball player both in at Tybee Island, where he lived before relocating to Los Angeles to take the NFL job, and then of course here in LA where the Shield of the Company softball team went to three straight title games, winning two Chips. Trophies are in my attic every year when I go up there to get the Christmas decorations. There they are staring right back at me. It's very nice. Makes me think of Chris also, And so Chris, there was a two part situation one year on the podcast. He said it was something about the Raiders and how many wins they would get to or something.

00:05:35
Speaker 3: He was very down on the Raiders, as I recall.

00:05:37
Speaker 5: The Dennis Allen Raiders that he did not believe could get to eight wins. And now that you mentioned it, that would have been our very first season as the round the NFL makes sense. That would have been the twenty thirteen season. This super Bowl is capping our second full season. That was c X Patriots.

00:05:51
Speaker 3: There you go.

00:05:52
Speaker 2: So Wes said, if the Raiders reached that benchmark, he'll eat his own softball fans. And it came down to the wire, but he actually ended up winning that wager. He looked it right in the face and and ended up not having a Then he doubled down Chris and the following year after your boy, Johnny Manziel Mark enters the league as a first round pick and all the hype around him, Wes said, I again will eat my softball pants if Johnny manziel is not the weak one starter for the Cleveland Browns, which at the time, what Wes didn't know and what we didn't have clear idea about, was like how much madness was going on beyond the scenes with Manziel, which and they end up going with Brian Hoyer to start that season. Anyway, so Wes loses the wager. Cut to the Super Bowl Media Center in where would.

00:06:39
Speaker 3: This have been? New Orleans?

00:06:41
Speaker 2: No, Arizona, Arizona, And guess what it was time to pay the piper at that media center.

00:06:48
Speaker 3: I'll never forget it.

00:06:49
Speaker 2: They had a random we didn't know it was going to be there, but a random hot dog stand in the middle of the media center.

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Speaker 3: And it was a twenty dollars hot dog.

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Speaker 6: It was like a gourmet Well, although I thought I thought our producer had to go find it out on the town, it was no.

00:07:04
Speaker 2: True, No, it was literally in the Media Center. It was a twenty dollars. What we needed to do was get the NFL to clear paying for the hot dog, which was a chore back, like, oh my god, they didn't want us do in the podcast, it was like, now, all of a sudden, here we go, they get the clearance.

00:07:19
Speaker 3: Here comes. I think it was like a three foot hot dog.

00:07:22
Speaker 6: It was in that realm outrageous with all the pictures hot dog.

00:07:25
Speaker 2: So we decided the move would be to cut up the softball pants and sprinkle it over the dog and West because he was always a man that was good, uh you know for his word ate up.

00:07:38
Speaker 3: Let's listen to a clip from that show.

00:07:41
Speaker 2: We will find out will Chris Westling eat his softball?

00:07:46
Speaker 9: First time I've ever had heartburn before I ate something.

00:07:48
Speaker 5: Wesling was seriously nervous. Later, we were doing some preparations behind the scene with the softball pants. West is getting a little I'm a little.

00:07:56
Speaker 2: I mean he's eating polyester, zipper and other composite parts.

00:08:01
Speaker 3: So we're just get ready. Wes's it could be dangerous. I'm concerned for my friend and this openly sugar Wes softball pants. It's literally minutes away. Now where's your where's your where's your mind?

00:08:11
Speaker 9: I think of everything I've consumed this week, softball pants are not high.

00:08:14
Speaker 3: On the list of most harmful my mind. It's really fair. And he did true to his word. He took a couple of bites.

00:08:21
Speaker 2: He took down the polyester, he took down the composite parts, some zipper, and then I remember about still about eighty seven percent of the hot dog left behind when we just we were like do we throw it out to somebody else?

00:08:31
Speaker 3: That we just walked away.

00:08:31
Speaker 2: And there's a photo if you're watching on the Fast channel of Wes at the moment of truth. A great one of a million great memories with Wes, and that's in terms of the Super Bowl.

00:08:40
Speaker 3: That one's at the top.

00:08:41
Speaker 6: We had Connor Or with us, and that was the when they would do the radio row where we were sitting up on a bigger set than they tend to have these days for our show. But like there were like sixty to seventy people standing there watching with no context clues of what was happening other than Wes eating a three foot long hot dog with composing parts in softball pants cloth on.

00:09:02
Speaker 5: It, including Keith and Keith ANSAs.

00:09:05
Speaker 2: My brother. Yeah, yep, they were right. If you look at that photo, if you bring it up again, that was they're right there, there there, They're there. It's uh, it's incredible and uh the other fun part and this was also part of the West experience. Obviously, if anyone listens to the show, you know something like this, I would be hyper invested in and be excited about the bit. And I asked Wes like ten times. I said, Wes, you got to make sure you bring the softball pans. Can't forget to bring him? We need the softball pants. And then what happens once we get to Arizona?

00:09:34
Speaker 3: I forgot him.

00:09:37
Speaker 5: That was a.

00:09:37
Speaker 3: Different version of Wes back then on someone.

00:09:40
Speaker 2: I think that's a good segue, and we did eventually get them. But Greg, you pulled another clip too that it connects a little bit.

00:09:45
Speaker 3: Of what you were saying.

00:09:46
Speaker 7: Mark.

00:09:46
Speaker 5: The whole show is fun to listen to it. It's much different. We're much more concise. Maybe we had to get out of there, but that show is under thirty five minutes. We did like four segments. I brought up to him because he suddenly was big on Dan Quinn. I believe or maybe with Patriots, And I was getting on him for falling in love basically with whatever team that he covered for the week. Then he suddenly thought like the people that that team was were the greatest things.

00:10:15
Speaker 3: Ever, that's a fair point I credit.

00:10:19
Speaker 9: I credit Pete Peril because I think he made a lot of mistakes early in his coaching career. And I don't know how good of a person he was, but he seems like a more self actualized individual.

00:10:28
Speaker 3: We learned it from his mistakes. You see a little of yourself in Pek.

00:10:32
Speaker 9: Now, I have never learned anything, and I'm not good at evolving.

00:10:35
Speaker 2: I wish I would to say I'm not getting dizzy right now because Wes conceded a point. Now, what you said Mark connects for me is that Wes before he died, absolutely evolved. A lot of that went back to Lakeisha in my mind, and what a transformational effect she had. But also it's not just a person entering his life. Wes kind of made a concerned effort to evolve change. Not that that Wes was bad, but it was different than the one that we knew before he got.

00:11:01
Speaker 3: So there were multiple Weses.

00:11:02
Speaker 6: And I also think like that so Greg, like what that clip you displayed was because that was the version of our show where I got tagged tracking the Patriots all week and Wes had the Seahawks.

00:11:15
Speaker 3: And so but there was a day we won't We.

00:11:17
Speaker 6: Both bent went to Seattle like media media session and sat and talked to dan Quinn for like twenty five minutes, and like both just fell in love with dan Quinn. So I think that's where that was coming from. It's like dan Quinn, I know today it's like, oh, it's a bit of a boring hire by the command. It's like dan Quinn dazzled in this like one on one, like hanging out with a couple of reporters and Wes fell. Wes is not a hardcore journalist and in terms of like a reporter person, and like he just fell for dan Quint.

00:11:42
Speaker 5: You know what I think listening to this, which I never would have remember, dan Quinn had read something Wes wrote and told him, oh it's nice to meet you and mentioned how he had read. And so now I'm rooting for dan Quinn.

00:11:55
Speaker 3: Now all right, Yeah we're all back in what a higher Yeah, we love it.

00:12:00
Speaker 7: When we were talking yesterday about things that we could potentially do for Wes today. The softball pants for me was like such a pivotal moment in like my friendship with you guys, how much I wanted to be friends with you guys. That was my first season at NFL. And I'll never forget when he ate his softball pants and I remember specifically the zippers. Will just like stay with you talking about the zippers, and.

00:12:29
Speaker 4: It never left my mind.

00:12:31
Speaker 7: It still lives in the recesses of my mind somehow. But it was like when Wes' is Toaster the softball pants episode, when Wes was in Tybee and he.

00:12:42
Speaker 4: Called in from the bar. We called the bar and he was, he was there.

00:12:46
Speaker 2: It wasn't We always called him because part of the fund was tracking him. You would get you would get him. You would obviously get him at the bar huckapoos more often than not. But if you didn't get him at the bar, he was at the garage with Wayne and Rosie. Really one of those two spots, yes specifically, and.

00:13:04
Speaker 4: He was in such his element.

00:13:06
Speaker 7: And in those early days we were taping all of those like random segments for NFL now and I didn't get a chance to like truly see what Wes was until we would go and hang out off site and things like that. But that on those episodes, the TYPEE episodes, he really was able to show all of the listeners like who he was, his true spirit and it was so beautiful to see and it was just so fun to be around him, and I just missed him so much.

00:13:31
Speaker 5: Yeah, we all do. Like today I was thinking about, like the best way we can honor him, Like he always when there was a good time to be had anywhere he was, he was going to make sure he had it. So I think that that's the best way to try to honor him today. Yes see that.

00:13:45
Speaker 2: Yes, I was on this Pro Football Ireland did a live show last week and they were at a bar and as often as the case, I was in on zooms and I was talking to a bunch of Irish people holding guinnesses and always asked about Wes Love getting asked about West and he said, what is it that you remember about Wes And it was That's what I thought of. It was like, I am personally someone who likes to keep a smaller, tighter circle people. I have people that are comfortable with, I have people that I like, which all you guys are included in that group, as was Wes and.

00:14:15
Speaker 10: Lakeisha and I, yeah, I just got in Wes. Wes was the opposite. Wes was like the more the merrier. Oh, he was always comfortable no matter the gathering. So obviously to lose somebody like that is unbelievable. You never kind of you never kind of get over it because it's he was like one of those one in a million type people. And then when you have that person at your life and then go the the immense, the immense nature of the loss never really dissipates. But getting to talk about him this way is it helps.

00:14:50
Speaker 7: I'll never forget When I first started listening to the ATM podcast, it was I was on the flight to take the job to move out here to LA and I started just like downloading as many NFL podcasts as possible, and I just like list blew through all of your episodes, and I remember thinking to myself, Okay, Dan is going to be probably the easiest.

00:15:12
Speaker 4: One to become friends with.

00:15:14
Speaker 7: And and then I wasn't sure where Mark and Greg fell yet, but I thought that Wes was going to be the most difficult one to win over. And it could not have been more of the opposite. When I met you, guys, well, and we had a we had.

00:15:30
Speaker 6: A like a truly if you'd write a book about the whole thing of fortuitous encounter at the the Whaler where it was just a random off season Sunday and I was out with Wes, which you know the minute football would end. I know he was the hardcore football head and we missed his analysis. But like when the football season went in, Wes would declare it, like make a declarative statement of like football, check you later for a little bit.

00:15:51
Speaker 3: Of time here.

00:15:52
Speaker 6: Oh, And he loved to go looking around LA for something that felt like Tybee Island, and the Whaler, which was an upstairs bar overlooking the sea, felt close to it.

00:16:01
Speaker 3: And we were out there.

00:16:02
Speaker 6: Having beers and you were there with Christ and your friend and your dad and your mom.

00:16:06
Speaker 4: Huh.

00:16:07
Speaker 6: And we didn't really know you at all, We had never hung out and we I think that started this idea of like, wait a minute, we should all be friends. And like a week or two later, Dan was there, Greg was there, like everyone was there, and it just like grew from that moment and Wes I think showed you how easy. It was, oh my god, like, there's the West the football person that everyone listened to, and then there's the West, the hangout person that's like, wait a minute, this is a whole different universe.

00:16:27
Speaker 7: Less and my mom were like beck as thieves immediately. My mom was just like crushing Pete Carroll for some reason hated him, and Wes absolutely loved that.

00:16:37
Speaker 2: I guess I kind of forgot about the Carol Westling beef. But now this has all been brought back up. And speaking of Wes program, note we had been taping these over the course of the season, and now they're starting to roll out on NFL Plus, where we watched each of the last five Super Bowls leading up to, of course this upcoming Sunday's Super Bowl fifty eight.

00:17:01
Speaker 4: Too many Roman numerals, well's it's enough already.

00:17:04
Speaker 6: We're done with ro never talked to a bunch of so many people agree with your Roman.

00:17:08
Speaker 5: Thank you, We're done with it. We're not gonna yeah, we don't know.

00:17:11
Speaker 3: The NFL's not there. We'll lead them.

00:17:13
Speaker 2: So if the NFL is not done with it, we're not done with We're back. Fortunately, we're back in. But we go through Yeah, each of the last five Super Bowls. You know, like we said three years ago today we lost Wes. That also happened to be two days before the Chiefs Bucks Super Bowl that year, So when we go through that game, you'll see that on NFL Plus if you want to check it out.

00:17:33
Speaker 3: We actually talk about West. We play some.

00:17:37
Speaker 2: A clip that Lakeisha produced about you know, the loss and the life that they shared together.

00:17:42
Speaker 3: So check that out an NFL Plus. All right, what do we got going on today?

00:17:47
Speaker 2: Yes, the Super Bowls this week, and it's a it's a two it's a two week ramp up. We don't need two weeks. Like in terms of breaking down the game. The game is the game. There are teams that we've been watching all season long. We got the deep dive all through the playoffs. The two weeks is really about the NFL as the machine getting on the Death Star in place in Las Vegas. So I don't feel bad if this show, for instance, doesn't hit it too hard because we're going to Vegas on Wednesday, and just so everyone knows, we're gonna have a big lineup of three shows at Radio Row with a bunch of great guests. So that's and We're gonna continue to dig into the game a little later. Today we're gonna get Brian Baldinger, the Great Balding on the show. Yes, and we're gonna start digging into the game. But before that, we only have a finite amount of time with Colleen because Connie Fox Listen, she's.

00:18:38
Speaker 3: One of the faces of the network. And the fact that.

00:18:41
Speaker 2: We got her booked her today, the clock's already ticking as a matter of fact. So why don't we move some things around and get into our first big subject, which is something we've teased for.

00:18:55
Speaker 3: A while, the Top ten.

00:18:59
Speaker 2: Radio Hall of the twenty twenty three hyphen twenty four season.

00:19:05
Speaker 3: Now, this is a this is a big one for.

00:19:08
Speaker 5: I'm getting rid of hyphens too. Is this twenty three? I don't care if it's not.

00:19:11
Speaker 3: It's like we're deep into.

00:19:12
Speaker 5: Now, to just make a choice.

00:19:16
Speaker 3: Eric, the producer who does great work. How are you Eric?

00:19:20
Speaker 5: I'm doing good, guys, How are you? Eric? Are you packed for Vegas yet?

00:19:24
Speaker 2: Well, I'm worrying about my pool swallowing up the rest of my house right now, So that's kind of set me back a little.

00:19:30
Speaker 6: Right I'm driving, so I just throw it in the back of a car and I'm leaving to park it underneath the l in the basement hotel.

00:19:38
Speaker 2: That's a long drive for the sess DOAG and it's got me a little noivous, I gotta say I did.

00:19:42
Speaker 11: I was partially surprised, but Mark is Mark's an outlier, so when they when I heard about this, I was like, I could see it happening.

00:19:49
Speaker 6: I think there's some fair concern on the part of the league, but I don't think this should be I don't understand where they're coming from.

00:19:54
Speaker 2: There's meetings, Eric, so you know the don't say super Bowl show. Notwithstanding, I guess I messed up too. But yeah, I guess I'll blew it. But if you could tally up, because I still have to share what we're going to do with with that slush fund, but I want to wait for some Randy Chevez to be right not here today.

00:20:17
Speaker 3: We need you.

00:20:18
Speaker 2: We ask you all season to collect the calls that we hear in real time on Sundays that really resonate with us and connect and we did some. It took some time and made our own lists, and then it was up to Eric the producer to put it together in a top ten calls of the twenty twenty three season.

00:20:42
Speaker 3: Season. So let's get into it, Colleen, How what do you.

00:20:45
Speaker 4: Think I'm ready for it. I feel like there's a lot of pressure though for Eric always.

00:20:50
Speaker 2: Never it's it's a lot of heat in that chair. It's a hot seat, it is. I mean, it's like spinal tap. They tend to disappear after a while, one way or the other. We hope Eric will be the one that sticks around.

00:21:03
Speaker 11: Well, see how Vegas goes, guys, I might just stay in the desert.

00:21:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, you know, you know what they say. All right, here we go.

00:21:09
Speaker 2: Any other anybody have comments before we move into this conversation.

00:21:12
Speaker 3: I can relate to the staying in the desert comment by him. So that's why we're concerned. That's why the league is a concern about this Vegas trip.

00:21:19
Speaker 12: For you.

00:21:19
Speaker 3: That's a long drive for the Sustar.

00:21:21
Speaker 4: Can I put a tracker on your car?

00:21:22
Speaker 3: I know you've been driving more I haven't driving.

00:21:25
Speaker 5: About how much is he actually driving?

00:21:26
Speaker 4: He's a really good driver?

00:21:28
Speaker 3: Right? Very Wait are you are you a front seat driver?

00:21:32
Speaker 2: You're like the passenger in a two car journey with the significant other.

00:21:37
Speaker 6: No drive in the same car. I'll drive as much behind the wheel. Sure, a bunch of the time.

00:21:42
Speaker 5: Split it up.

00:21:43
Speaker 3: That's how you do it. I think I don't split it up.

00:21:46
Speaker 5: Wow, I mean I live with them.

00:21:50
Speaker 6: I should drive the entire way, absolutely, I know, but I'm also preparing for a show and taking, you know, throw notes and researching.

00:21:57
Speaker 5: I mean, my lovely uh emic a wife doesn't literally doesn't drive. I have to just drive to the grocery.

00:22:03
Speaker 4: I live in my car.

00:22:06
Speaker 2: Greg's wife is still mad that they moved to California. So her way of getting back, I'm never getting a driver's license in Los Angeles to make your life twenty nine percent.

00:22:15
Speaker 6: That's a pretty like fantastic yes or no, piece of revenge.

00:22:19
Speaker 4: What a plan by her.

00:22:21
Speaker 5: Yeah, she definitely would rather be in New York for Tokyo.

00:22:25
Speaker 2: All right, here we go, New York or Tokyo, not Los Angeles. Problematic. The number ten call of this season belongs to should I just should I set these up? I have the top ten here?

00:22:40
Speaker 11: Yeah, you have the top ten, so I just want to toss to and then you give them credit after the end.

00:22:43
Speaker 2: Okay, The number ten call goes back to the playoffs.

00:22:48
Speaker 3: And it was the dagger throw by Jordan Love.

00:22:52
Speaker 13: First in ten football at the thirty eight of Dallas play action of bootleg left half, boot legs.

00:23:00
Speaker 14: Right up but down the right side, must turns out, touchdown, touchdown.

00:23:06
Speaker 3: Blue Mush Gray been a dagger, Hey, dagger like you off Heart of the Cowboys. Great call by Wayne Laravie.

00:23:17
Speaker 2: Of course a w R n W and credit to Fox too, because we're seeing if you're watching this on Fast, you're seeing a woman in Arlington at Jerald World just throwing her arms up like I can't believe this is happening.

00:23:31
Speaker 3: The dagger just cutting through everyone in the in the town through the heart. Stunner.

00:23:35
Speaker 4: That woman makes this call so much better.

00:23:38
Speaker 7: The cutaway shot of her, It all kind of like plays together and makes it perfect.

00:23:43
Speaker 2: Do we ding Laravie because he's not seeing that necessarily do anything overthinking?

00:23:48
Speaker 5: This dagger through the heart is great and it was the last dagger of the season. I felt like the last two months every Sunday was some version of a different dagger, and this was the logical conclusion.

00:23:59
Speaker 3: I like it. I need a little bit more in general from these calls, so let's see what comes up. Next.

00:24:04
Speaker 2: That's why I came in at number ten. And remember, if some of these feel underwhelming, it's not because it's not Eric's fault. It's because in the moment he said, we said to Eric, right, No, we want to make it clear. We say to Eric, put that in the folder. So if Mark you're underwhelmed, maybe you should have said something in the moment, like don't put that in the fold.

00:24:24
Speaker 3: I add point the biler it myself. Number nine.

00:24:28
Speaker 2: Let's go to uh Tennessee, where the new kid quarterback finishes off a masterpiece of a week eight performance.

00:24:38
Speaker 1: My second and eleven play fake let us rolling to the right, looking looking firing deep that field, going for Westbrook, Akita in the intel taxstod tight Will Levis on his.

00:24:53
Speaker 15: His back, gets to watch has he has just thrown his fourth tych Dad ass.

00:25:01
Speaker 3: I'm visited, bel Did you hey?

00:25:04
Speaker 5: That dude has got an arm?

00:25:06
Speaker 3: WHOA what a big time throw there?

00:25:08
Speaker 2: It is for TDS, for Levis, Mike Keith with it called Dave McGinnis. I think part of the reason, maybe on that one, Greg, that we were like put it in the folder is because you were expecting, oh, this Levis is the start of an every week occurrence. He never did that again, but it was pretty awesome in the moment.

00:25:24
Speaker 5: I think just having Mike, if we went back and listened to this year after year, like had a all time power ring because I feel like Mike, you just get a Mike Keith Collin every year.

00:25:31
Speaker 3: You gotta get Keith in there.

00:25:32
Speaker 4: Mike Keith is awesome, all right?

00:25:34
Speaker 3: Number eight? Okay, So Cowboys had a big year.

00:25:37
Speaker 2: Deron Bland had a big year, setting an NFL record for pick six's.

00:25:41
Speaker 13: Uh.

00:25:42
Speaker 2: This was the point of the season where you began expecting it and just saying when will it happen?

00:25:46
Speaker 3: I believe this might have been the last one, but it was a memorable.

00:25:49
Speaker 2: One second and ten Jones is back plenty of time, rolls right, boggled up, throws back to that and intercepting groan Blend call the.

00:25:59
Speaker 3: House, Hello house, Hello house. Touchdown for the plane.

00:26:09
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's my favorite.

00:26:10
Speaker 2: I was on the points because Mark. We were at Cowboys camp this summer. We met with Brad Sham, the sham god, who has a close relationship with Oliver Stone, or at least was in a film of his, and we had a long conversation with the sham God, so to hear him and and.

00:26:25
Speaker 3: And and that call. I like that one well, And that happens so often for him to cover, and he found a new way to do it.

00:26:31
Speaker 5: I don't think I don't think that was pre planned. That's why I love it.

00:26:34
Speaker 4: He's an innovator.

00:26:35
Speaker 3: Hello house, all right? Number seven?

00:26:38
Speaker 2: Okay, this one's a little bit controversial because you would say, oh, it should always be some type of exciting call.

00:26:44
Speaker 3: But this was a call that took place in the second.

00:26:47
Speaker 2: Half of one of the most grizzly blowouts in NFL history, and it happens to involve in the booth Matt Money Smith and Bucky Brooks's podcast partner that they just launched.

00:27:00
Speaker 4: A shows his name God.

00:27:03
Speaker 2: I wish I could remember something looked that up at and with the Raiders at the goal line, here's the call from Money.

00:27:11
Speaker 3: Have you decided whether you want to stand up or sit down yet? I didn't want to lay down under the desk and I was looking for a blindfold, but apparently you can't do this shot with a born.

00:27:20
Speaker 16: No, we have to watch do our best to bring you some entertaining play by play and analysis of what has been wildly disappointing. Here's a double pass to the end zone, and hey, why not just humiliated.

00:27:41
Speaker 5: I didn't know this was eligible for some reason. I thought it was in some separate category. This might be my number one, but that's an Alzheimer. I want to save that for future youth.

00:27:51
Speaker 6: I am the nerd that drives around listening to AM sports radio in Los Angeles and Matt money Smith and Petros like Hope, like they have a show that ranges from like one hour to four hours depending on when the Dodgers player or someone else, but like Matt money Smith is ready for anything, and like I think he's got an underrated sense of humor, h sort of sarcasm. And it played out right there, and it's like I love that kind of thing. I like when our play by play, Like when play by play people are not just robots.

00:28:17
Speaker 3: There are a lot of robots. He's not a robot.

00:28:20
Speaker 2: That's funny because I'm listening to that call. And did you know power Rings for a couple of years of Matt and got to know him, and he just sounds mad. He sounds like like it's embarrassing for everyone. Like it's so it's so he's using it. Yeah, that type of zone there. But that is a team, Yes, that is.

00:28:38
Speaker 5: At level they're they're a part of the team. They get, they get a super Bowl ring if they win the Super Bowl. And let's not they're mad. Do you get points to critique, then it's not.

00:28:44
Speaker 2: It's not Jameis Winston, Uh, you know, and the running play with Jamal Williams, but Antonio appires calling a double pass to get to Ponta Adams a touchdown up forty two.

00:28:54
Speaker 3: Nothing. Uh, kind of flew.

00:28:55
Speaker 2: Under the radar a little bit in terms of Dick moves. But listen, but it got him a head coach job in some bar.

00:29:01
Speaker 4: Honey, just being like, yeah, why not?

00:29:03
Speaker 5: Just so just sated, he said.

00:29:05
Speaker 2: Just humiliate them. I think he's talking about the booth as well. Just tough one, tough one. All right, all right, let's do something more positive for the Raiders. The Patriots pop up a couple times here, Greg and negative ways.

00:29:17
Speaker 5: But that's yeah, this is mac Jones's second total blunder to set up an opponent.

00:29:22
Speaker 3: All right, here we go. How about we finished the song with the safety?

00:29:25
Speaker 12: Shall we.

00:29:29
Speaker 3: Anything but a deep bowl?

00:29:33
Speaker 10: Bourd out Territory obviously, Jones standing in his own ends on to.

00:29:37
Speaker 3: Our right, snap back to pass pressure again.

00:29:41
Speaker 5: Off the edge, shack for the safety cross the Nichols.

00:29:46
Speaker 14: They note in the end they school stood.

00:29:49
Speaker 3: To the turf. Have the Raiders defense?

00:29:52
Speaker 17: How's that safe thing?

00:29:54
Speaker 3: Jason?

00:29:54
Speaker 12: Did you predicted it?

00:29:55
Speaker 3: How about you give me a lot of numbers for that kid?

00:29:57
Speaker 2: David Harrowitz and Lincoln Kennedy with the call of a KRLV. You think, based on the first half of this top ten that the Raiders are playing on Sunday, But that's not exactly what happened.

00:30:09
Speaker 3: But they had some exciting moments. Connie, any thoughts there.

00:30:12
Speaker 4: I just like how clairvoyant he was in the moment.

00:30:15
Speaker 3: Bonus points for that.

00:30:16
Speaker 5: I just like throughout the course of the season you could feel a catastrophic Mac Jones play coming, and then it always came. It's truly one of the worst quarterback seasons from a quarterback. I feel like that we've seen be okay. Ever, I mean that that was an all time bad quarterback.

00:30:34
Speaker 3: There. Is he going to be next year?

00:30:36
Speaker 12: Like?

00:30:36
Speaker 3: What kind of market will he come out if he's not with Is he going to be with the Patriots?

00:30:39
Speaker 5: I mean he has a contract under contract. Someone will someone give up a seventh round conditional pick and just to have a new start, I would think so like that drafted all right?

00:30:51
Speaker 2: This next one I had slightly higher, but in the average weight it ended at number five.

00:30:57
Speaker 3: The Texans and the Titans. And this one was on my radar and a lot of people.

00:31:04
Speaker 2: I liked this one because I just the Titans had the gall the gall yes, after ownership abandoned the city of Houston.

00:31:19
Speaker 3: Abandoned them and went to Nashville, Okay, to then.

00:31:24
Speaker 2: Have the absolute audacity to then wear a Houston Oilers throwback jersey for their throwback week when they're playing against the Texans, the team that replaced the Oilers after to borrow assessrism. They ripped the Oilers out of the belly right to Houston. Terrible manners and they pay for it, disgraceful to the highlight. Sixteen sixteen, two seconds to go in overtime, fifty four yard a tip left hash Mark.

00:31:59
Speaker 3: Here's the snap.

00:31:59
Speaker 5: Here here's the spot.

00:32:00
Speaker 12: Here's the kick by.

00:32:01
Speaker 6: Fair bearsod the Tuxads win.

00:32:07
Speaker 15: Legendary fair Bear knocks it through from four.

00:32:12
Speaker 14: As the texaids defeat.

00:32:14
Speaker 3: Just farmer oilers. Put those uniforms back in the trunk.

00:32:18
Speaker 6: In the trunk, I think you want the voices of your nineteen sixteen five to feel the same anger and fire and joy that you feel, and like they speak for the fans right there, and that one, I think.

00:32:30
Speaker 2: I had it ranked higher because of the Mark Vanderbier and Andre Ware with the call for kilt.

00:32:35
Speaker 4: That's what you get.

00:32:36
Speaker 3: That's what you get.

00:32:38
Speaker 5: Are on the list because of the tag from the color analyst to cap it in the winter.

00:32:42
Speaker 2: You're always gonna get bonus points when the color analyst goes full fan and just starts screaming. Celebration Number four all was a special second half for Cleveland Browns fans. Is Joe Flacco stepped in and took the team to the playoffs. Here was one of his many plays that season.

00:33:01
Speaker 3: This Flaco on fourth down and three, play clock is in five. I don't know if they're gonna snap it. Play clock is at two. They do. He rolls right, he throws the middle.

00:33:10
Speaker 1: Its fine open down at the twenty five.

00:33:12
Speaker 15: At the twenty fifteen ten five touchdown hits David Bell.

00:33:19
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, they forgotten to cover David Bell.

00:33:24
Speaker 17: It was the parting of the Red Sea Jim David Bell who has been searching, yearning, desire to get into the end zone in the National Football League, Well desire no more.

00:33:35
Speaker 2: My friend Jim Donovan and Nathan Scarro, the calm great Jim Donovan.

00:33:40
Speaker 3: Was that the game where we went with the on side kick play call on Sunday?

00:33:46
Speaker 6: Oh no, I'm not sure about that one. Uh, well you're doing Dave Njoku that day.

00:33:53
Speaker 5: Yeah, it was on site.

00:33:54
Speaker 11: I almost there was a slight part of me where I thought about sneaking that into this lists for you, but I know on a time here, But yeah, that was the plan. And then we also played a Nijoku highlight later in the week two your multiple times.

00:34:06
Speaker 3: I like Jim Donovan. We all know he struggled a lot.

00:34:09
Speaker 6: He's been through a lot of health battles and come back and just I think of all these guys, he's got to be in a top three of enthusiasm that when something good happens to the Browns, like he cannot control themselves and there are incredible him and the girls.

00:34:25
Speaker 3: The girl also is like a ball of energy.

00:34:26
Speaker 6: But like they have like video shots of these guys up in the boot that you think like they're sitting down with like notes, like they're standing up going crazy, and like Jim Donovan is.

00:34:34
Speaker 3: Right at the top of the list. So I like that.

00:34:35
Speaker 2: And a special shout out even though not on the list but easily could have been on the list. Andrew Siciliano, who who stepped in uh for Jim when he was dealing with health issues. Add some really great calls Chris too ye during that those some of those unlikely Browns wins throughout throughout the season. All right, number three, all right, we're on this. We're on to the metal stand Connie, Okay, here we go. Oh you knew Wolfley was gonna be on the list? Oh heck.

00:35:05
Speaker 3: Cardinals Steelers, Week thirteen.

00:35:07
Speaker 18: Third down on a yard on the nine, Three tight ends Murray under center, Connor behind him, one receiver to the right. They hand it off Connor to the laft, first down, Connor dies for the end zone touchdown. James Connor with two scores and the welcome back party in Pittsburgh.

00:35:27
Speaker 14: All the Cardinals just broke out black and blue Brigade, Baby, light up and suck the beating hearts speaking of your.

00:35:40
Speaker 2: Speaking of course, wow, as opposed to literally murdering your opponent by sticking your hand into the chest Temple of Doom style.

00:35:49
Speaker 5: I mean it was to just goes oh started.

00:35:53
Speaker 4: That just comes from such a deep place within himself.

00:35:56
Speaker 3: I love it is he talk like that when he's at the deli counter, Like, I like who he is. He's just sort of like a strange he's won this before.

00:36:05
Speaker 12: Like.

00:36:07
Speaker 3: We're gonna go with a half pound of the turkey, all right? Number two?

00:36:17
Speaker 4: The silver?

00:36:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, the silver? You would you rather be two or three? Ultimately? Two? What because you're so close to one at that point.

00:36:23
Speaker 4: Yeah, but three you're so much farther from one.

00:36:27
Speaker 2: You recently celebrated your birthday, Connie, I did, and you sent a clip of doing an incredible Was it a triple axle?

00:36:32
Speaker 4: No, it's just a little scratch spin.

00:36:35
Speaker 3: Pretty damn impressive. Thank you, I have to say. But you're saying silver metal beats.

00:36:40
Speaker 4: Yeah, Michelle Kwan always getting that silver?

00:36:43
Speaker 3: How about Karrigan getting edged?

00:36:46
Speaker 5: The Olympians always say silver hurt points because then you just wish you won, whereas Browns are kind of happy to be there.

00:36:51
Speaker 3: Kragan went through a lot.

00:36:52
Speaker 2: Karrigan gets whacked in the knee, yeah, you know, and then I think it was Kwan maybe or no katterine a vit maybe.

00:36:59
Speaker 6: I refused to watch the event after Kerrigan was whacked.

00:37:03
Speaker 3: I thought that it lost all integrity.

00:37:05
Speaker 2: Eric the producer, please look up who defeated Nancy Kerrigan in the Olympics.

00:37:08
Speaker 3: By fractions of a point?

00:37:10
Speaker 7: It wasn't Lipinski yet, I don't think it is definitely after I think it was maybe Katerinovich. He was definitely in the mix.

00:37:17
Speaker 3: I don't think so either. But number two silver medal goes to our buddy at the barbershop.

00:37:24
Speaker 18: Second down and goal from the five has a snap helmet high looking left now middle pressure.

00:37:29
Speaker 3: He steps up, He froze.

00:37:30
Speaker 15: Right side end zone cut cut back right pylon. De Marcus Robinson with the go ahead score. Matthew Stafford play like an Ellipsis, Dots after dots after dot, touchdown Las.

00:37:50
Speaker 3: The Great JB along with the call KSPN just I love A.

00:37:56
Speaker 2: JB's style because he's he's economical but also vivid in his descriptions, and that's truly an original call an Ellipsis.

00:38:05
Speaker 3: Half the people might need to look up what is that?

00:38:08
Speaker 2: And then you see it, Oh, DoD DoD dotton And that was Stafford all season, right in a time when Grammar has you know, been thrown out of the side of the car.

00:38:15
Speaker 3: It goes car like he is a technical assassin.

00:38:17
Speaker 5: And it was one of like the literally the best drives by any quarterback all season because he's right like Stafford on that drive made like three or four ridiculous throws. I don't know if it's going to make it awkward when we see JB next that he was so close to the mountaintop and he's like, well you couldn't just dn't just give it to me, guys, or if it is motivation, something to strive for for our friend for next year so he doesn't rest on.

00:38:42
Speaker 3: His life, that's good. A little bit of both, a little bit about and I think I think it a little bit of it will be like as disappoint as he may be, Oh wow, those guys are crazy amounts of integrity.

00:38:53
Speaker 4: I'm sure that's what he's going to think.

00:38:55
Speaker 3: Do we know, by the way, who beat who beat? And a big on a big spot just a massive yon to her all right, number one, here we.

00:39:05
Speaker 5: Go, Miss Barry Connecticut resident, give.

00:39:07
Speaker 2: Me a give me a little timpany drum, because there can only be one, There can only be one, the greatest call. And maybe the super Bowl will bring a great calls out, but the one that from all these games that was better than any other. For the wild Card playoff, round we go, Ford Field, Here we go.

00:39:28
Speaker 19: Golf works out of the gun, second down, and nine two minutes ago, there's golf back looking looking throws.

00:39:35
Speaker 12: It is caught Havin ross S grown first down.

00:39:37
Speaker 3: Not gonna do it, gonna do it, not gonna do it.

00:39:41
Speaker 12: Turn Golf delivers against this former team.

00:39:44
Speaker 3: Now all they have to do is take a knee three times and this game will be over.

00:39:51
Speaker 2: For the second time since nineteen fifty seven, for the first time since January fifth, nineteen ninety two, the Detroit Lions are gonna.

00:39:59
Speaker 3: Win a playoff.

00:40:00
Speaker 2: Whoa of course, that is the voice of Dan Miller w x YT, a man who's been calling Lions games for a long time now and doing an incredible job at it, and so happy now to see Dan calling a big time team. And with that said, oh what fortuity that now Joining us in the Chris Wesley podcast studio, The integrity is off the charts.

00:40:27
Speaker 3: There is Dan Miller. Welcome to it.

00:40:31
Speaker 12: What's up, guys.

00:40:32
Speaker 3: How you doing better now?

00:40:34
Speaker 6: Dan?

00:40:35
Speaker 12: Well, that was very nice. I appreciate that. That was very kind.

00:40:39
Speaker 3: You earned it.

00:40:39
Speaker 2: You're the Oxana Bayoule of this particular competition. Dan, about what it would have been, It would have been about eight years ago now, when I was writing the pain rankings. I wanted to talk to someone who truly understood what the Lions have been through over these years. And it was you who I thought of. And you were so nice to talk with me on the phone. And here is the first question. And this is a tough way to open an interview, but listen, what did I know? Not a real journalist?

00:41:07
Speaker 3: Dan, here we go.

00:41:08
Speaker 2: In your first six years on the job as the play by play guy, the Lions went twenty three and seventy four, And I asked how that made your job more difficult? And you spoke expressively, and it's very interesting now we're on the other side of it. What a fun season that you just went through with the lines and early two years of Dan Campbell.

00:41:27
Speaker 12: Yeah, I like this is much better. I will tell you that.

00:41:30
Speaker 19: And that call and that emotion was just really just everything that I think we've all been through, and believe me, I've done this for nineteen years. There's a lot of people out there that felt the release of that victory and that moment that have been arounded a lot longer than I have, cacades longer than I have, and and have known really nothing but heartache and disappointment, and just that was just so important for so many people, so many reasons for the franchise, for the city, for the moment, and it was just I think you know, it was just it was relief, it was being thrilled beyond belief, and it was just a million emotions that went into one and just an electric night downtown at Detroit.

00:42:13
Speaker 12: It was just amazing.

00:42:15
Speaker 6: It's I some of my earliest football memories are like driving around with my dad to go do like various chores on a Sunday, and like listening to football on the radio, and it's it's such a different visceral experience than television for obvious reasons, like you've got to paint this picture. And it's weird that my memories of listening to radio I are still visual in some way just by looking out the window at the same time, but like, how do you like attack a radio broadcast verse, Like when you're so connected to these lines fans and you're painting the picture of this historic, incredible game and moment, Like, how do you even just go into it and just bring that energy. I think it's like instructed to people because it's not a job that very many people could do well.

00:42:58
Speaker 19: I think there is something magic about RAID. I mean, I grew up in Washington, d C. In Maryland and Virginia, and I was a Washington fan growing up. And I still can in my mind's eye see John Riggins going around a left side to win the Super Bowl. And although I watch that game on TV, in my mind it's Frank Herzog, the radio voice of Washington at the time that I always hear his call, even though I didn't hear that until later, but I've heard it so many times since that that is kind of the.

00:43:28
Speaker 12: Soundtrack of my mind. You know.

00:43:30
Speaker 19: I think I don't operate with a restrictor plate. I just kind of go and I just let my emotions go, and I am emotionally involved. I make no bones about the fact. And I think every person that's doing play by play for a team is rooting for that team to win. It's a little different than when you're covering it as beat writer or something like that. You're fair, you say when it's bad, you say when it's good. But at the end of the day, you want to see that team do well. And I tell people all the time, there's nothing better in my job than seeing the fans happy. And in that moment, they have not been that happy in a long, long time, more than thirty years, and I knew what that was going to mean to them, and I knew what that was going to mean to this team. And I'll tell you flat out, in my forty three years in this business, I've never wanted to see an athlete win a game more than I wanted to see Jared Goff win that game. And there was just, I think, just so many things that went into that, but just generality, Look, you're trying to bring the game to them, and I think if anything probably resonates with fans at least what I hope it is, it's that I'm as excited about what.

00:44:35
Speaker 12: I'm seeing as they are. I mean, I love it.

00:44:37
Speaker 19: I love the fact that I get to bring it to them. But it's real because it comes from a real place and it's just you know, that's the expression you get and I think you know, that's what I hear from them most is you feel our pain and you feel when things go well, just the same way we do.

00:44:52
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:44:53
Speaker 5: I love that you mentioned golf because you got that angle in there on that call right away within all the emotion. That's that's what I'm gonna break down. I think it had to be the call of the year, you know, other than us showing our integrity that we chose you over our bottom, our friend JB. Long because it had I.

00:45:12
Speaker 12: Appreciated that so because I was like.

00:45:16
Speaker 18: Like.

00:45:18
Speaker 5: You had you had the emotion obviously, which that that's like the most important thing. You knew the moment, but you also understood before getting that first down exactly the scenario of everything that you need. You needed to get that first down, but you immediately followed it up with the nuts and bolts of that they're gonna have to kneel here, but that they've won the game. And so sometimes that's all difficult to keep tracking the moment. You got the golf angle in there right away, and then after that you got in the historical context of it all all in like very quick succession, all sort of different things that you have to serve. Are you thinking as that's all happening. I know the emotion is just coming out. That's the emotional part. But those any sort of points that you're getting in that quick call, are you thinking about that ahead of time? Are you just thinking about I want to get all of this in in the moment.

00:46:09
Speaker 19: So I'll kind of take you inside our booth. When they went to time out with two minutes to go, and my guys t J. Lange, lums Proud are both saying throw it, throw it, throw it, so we were kind of expecting they were going to throw it. We know Dan Campbell and he's a throw it guy. And then when we went to that two minute time out, I'm looking at my spot, I'm looking at my stack, and I'm going, if we get a first down, they have one time out, the game's over.

00:46:35
Speaker 12: It's over.

00:46:35
Speaker 19: And I'm doing math and it's actually very simple. I just want to make sure that we got it right. I mean, even if they called a time out, you get the first down, you run first down forty, you run second down forty, you run third down.

00:46:46
Speaker 12: Forty that's two minutes right there, so it's going to be over.

00:46:49
Speaker 19: So once I got the mechanics of the clock in my head and knew that I could sell out if they got the first down, then you knew that you could just kind of let it go.

00:46:57
Speaker 12: I did throw in the have to take three knees thing.

00:46:59
Speaker 19: Because because I didn't want to say it's over and then they mess it up and then I have to come back and say, Okay, guys, sorry about that.

00:47:06
Speaker 12: So I wanted to spell out the.

00:47:07
Speaker 19: Fact that yes, they do have to execute that, and I did ask Frank Ragnow about that later.

00:47:11
Speaker 12: I said, is that an easy play?

00:47:13
Speaker 3: And he goes?

00:47:14
Speaker 19: Not always he goes the first one you want to make sure of and then you relax a little bit. But no, I look, the golf angle was so embedded in my head all week long, knowing what in my mind this meant to him and what this meant to this team that I think that just came out. That was just natural, And I do honestly believe that that was a closure moment for Jared was a you know what, this thing is finally behind me now because I've been in the front row to watch everything that Jared has been through since he's come here and everything he's endured and everything that he has handled like an absolute pro.

00:47:50
Speaker 12: And I just think, if you lose that.

00:47:52
Speaker 19: Game, and you lose to that coach, that team, that quarterback again and nothing personally against any event, but it's just the way that this business works.

00:48:03
Speaker 12: I think, Man, you got to live with that.

00:48:04
Speaker 19: And then when you win, even though yeah, they got their super Bowl, but you know what, you knocked them out.

00:48:10
Speaker 12: There's peace in that.

00:48:11
Speaker 19: You move forward into playoffs. You did your job, and in my mind that just meant so much. And I think that's why that came out in that moment.

00:48:21
Speaker 2: Kind of a follow on this one, and then we'll let you go Dan twenty four to seven at halftime, you know, like at the Grammys for instance, which just occurred, Taylor Swift's going, there's no She's probably gonna pick up some hardware. So she could act like she doesn't have anything pre prepared, but she does. And I'm just thinking, as the play by play guy, once you get to that point in that game in the NFC title game, which of course ended up not working out for Detroit, but knowing that once you get to the end of that game that becomes potentially one of the most famous play calls in the history of Detroit Detroit sports. Did you have something kind of in mind to weave in if it got to that point and they did close that game out.

00:49:04
Speaker 19: Yes, And I've had it and I've done it many many times driving down the road.

00:49:11
Speaker 12: Yeah. No, I absolutely had it, and I've still got it to my back pocket.

00:49:15
Speaker 3: I hope to use it.

00:49:16
Speaker 12: I hope to use it next year. But yeah, that was that's as high as you.

00:49:23
Speaker 19: Know, you get winning two playoff games. There's the gut punch of being that close to a super Bowl and not getting there. And you know, Brad Holmes at his press conference today and talked about expecting to be there again next year.

00:49:35
Speaker 12: So the answer is yes.

00:49:38
Speaker 19: And those moments are are hard sometimes to prepare for because you never know how it's going to happen. Is it going to be a thirty one to seven game and it's kind of anti climactic, or is it going to be an interception that ices it or a touchdown that happens.

00:49:51
Speaker 12: But I think I did have something.

00:49:54
Speaker 19: Of a historical perspective of what it would mean to Detroit, because I think we know what that would mean would be incredible, because it's something that everybody there is dreamed about for a long time and has never happened.

00:50:04
Speaker 12: So I think that's ultimately what you want to capture.

00:50:06
Speaker 5: Well, this makes up for it, though, right like you finishing number one on Radio College.

00:50:12
Speaker 12: I appreciate that. No, I appreciate that.

00:50:16
Speaker 19: That's uh, listen, we're just checking boxes in Detroit this year. So won a division, won a whole playoff game, won another playoff game, I won this.

00:50:25
Speaker 12: So just just one by one, we're just checking box this year.

00:50:29
Speaker 7: And Dan, it doesn't feel like it's so ol anymore. Like it feels like things have really changed and turned around. I was lucky enough to be in Detroit for the game against the Bucks. I learned all about Better Made and FAGO and so like, I didn't know what Same Old Lions was until I got there, and I feel like I got there after the fact, which is a good thing.

00:50:55
Speaker 19: Yeah, I think I think you have to retire that. I mean, that's that's been around for a long time, and you know what, they did figure out ways to lose things and do things that just kind of defied logic and you just never thought could happen, and you would just kind of throw up and say, same old Liones. But look, if they truly were, there's so many times this season where they would have found a way to lose a game, be it laid against Minnesota when you're trying to clinch the division, or even that Rams game with Matthew Stafford driving down the field.

00:51:25
Speaker 12: You know, you don't get the play that makes.

00:51:27
Speaker 19: It fourth and fourteen, and you know Aiden Hutchinson doesn't draw the holding penalty. You know, so many things have happened where the old Lions would have figured out a way to lose the game. So I think, you know, in fairness to these guys who have changed the conversation and done so many things that haven't happened before that, I think you have to say, you know, let's put those three letters away. Let's let these guys say that they changed it.

00:51:49
Speaker 4: What's your dog's name?

00:51:50
Speaker 12: Even my dog.

00:51:51
Speaker 3: Agrees, dogs like I want to hear the speech that you have.

00:51:56
Speaker 1: Dan.

00:51:56
Speaker 3: Thank you so much, buddy, You're the best, and we can't wait to hear you again.

00:52:00
Speaker 12: Thanks Dan, thank you, I appreciate it. Thank you very much, guys.

00:52:03
Speaker 3: That's fun. All right, there, he goes, I.

00:52:06
Speaker 7: Still want to know what his dog's name is. We're gonna have to take that offline.

00:52:10
Speaker 3: Take it off line. That's a follow up.

00:52:12
Speaker 2: Yeah, classic CONDI follow up interviewing a class announcers.

00:52:16
Speaker 3: I think we should do it more often.

00:52:17
Speaker 2: I think there's anybody who listens to the show knows we have a level of fascination with the craft. And I don't know too many other podcasts in general that I've ever really focused in on that side of the game, which really connects with the fans in such a more direct level than the national calls. Not that there aren't great calls by all these guys that do the national games, but it's.

00:52:39
Speaker 4: Those local Wolflly. You have to get Wolflly on.

00:52:42
Speaker 13: You know.

00:52:43
Speaker 5: I think we did.

00:52:44
Speaker 3: No, I don't do it again. I'm a little bit familiar. Did it not go well? I think it would go well? Is he on the hit it and quit it list?

00:52:52
Speaker 7: Now?

00:52:52
Speaker 12: No?

00:52:52
Speaker 14: No?

00:52:53
Speaker 3: No, gone? Well. I think it was the season when he did the like the dusty the flower, the sunlit moves.

00:53:02
Speaker 5: I think we thought we did.

00:53:04
Speaker 6: But you know what, I think it's funny because we don't remember who's been on the show. But then someone will remind us.

00:53:08
Speaker 3: And then, by the way, huge.

00:53:13
Speaker 7: His dog's name is Murphy. For anyone that's wondering, just connect with that. I just like, yeah, my energy kind of locked in.

00:53:21
Speaker 3: If that's right.

00:53:21
Speaker 2: Shout out to Madison there. All right, Connie, you've said it all, and here's the good news for everyone. Connie's got to get to a meeting. She's part of the Opening night festivities. Yep uh for NFL Networks.

00:53:34
Speaker 4: Tomorrow's my sixteen flight.

00:53:36
Speaker 5: Well, you're flying a Vegas tonight, right, yeah, oh, so you're doing Opening Night from Vegas.

00:53:41
Speaker 7: No, I'm doing Opening Night here from LA and then flying to Vegas for some reason.

00:53:46
Speaker 3: But be careful with the light. I will. Don't. We worry about you. But I have fun.

00:53:52
Speaker 2: Okay, okay, all right, I'm not going to pass out. And here's the good news for all that before him. The day after that flight, although we learned that women are better than or better than men, better than men generally, yeah, and we keep learning. We're continually learning that.

00:54:10
Speaker 7: But certainly when it comes to theologically the g's, yes, they are better built to handle the g's for some reason, except.

00:54:18
Speaker 3: For the slang term Greg.

00:54:21
Speaker 5: Sixty. Yes on this, you don't need to explain to me.

00:54:26
Speaker 2: I'm surprised. I'm surprised you said g force me. Yeah, you should have just said.

00:54:30
Speaker 4: Yeah, g Force should be your nickname?

00:54:33
Speaker 7: Ye?

00:54:34
Speaker 5: Any nicknames?

00:54:34
Speaker 3: Yeah? What do you think?

00:54:35
Speaker 5: I got too many names?

00:54:37
Speaker 3: But Colleen after he should like his own nickname.

00:54:40
Speaker 2: After Opening Night, after Geez Wednesday at Radio Row.

00:54:47
Speaker 3: You'll be with us, so we could talk. We could talk about everything that happened.

00:54:50
Speaker 4: I can't believe we're all going to be in Vegas.

00:54:51
Speaker 3: Oh father, it's gonna be great, right, so excited.

00:54:54
Speaker 2: All right, Connie, we're gonna say by Connie, we're gonna take a break and then we're gonna do some news and then talk about our talk with Brian Baldinger about you know, this super Bowl game.

00:55:07
Speaker 3: Love it. We'll be right back. Welcome back.

00:55:18
Speaker 2: What a show so far, our last show here in Los Angeles. Before we jump on the bird. We don't get Geez up there, but we were pretty quick on that plane. A quick little jump over to Vegas, about a forty five minute flight. No one's complaining, and then we are touching down and then we are going straight from mccaren Airport two Radio Row, where we will meet with Colleen and do the first of four shows from Las Vegas, culminating, of course with the Super Bowl fifty eight recap Flagship show.

00:55:55
Speaker 5: That's the show. We have a special big time guest. Mark will be very excit for Wednesday.

00:56:02
Speaker 3: I mean, Mark knows who the guest is, but you're right Ill.

00:56:05
Speaker 5: The listeners don't. And maybe that this person will cancel and we don't want to put them in a bed.

00:56:09
Speaker 3: But or maybe they was good. It's a good showman, don't over promise. Could be anyone.

00:56:17
Speaker 5: I'm just happy we're not there now. It's I'm showing my age. But I am loving that we get there Wednesday versus I saw everyone there yesterday afternoon at radio.

00:56:25
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a lot.

00:56:27
Speaker 2: I remember being on a boat in New York Harbor or something for the Peyton Manning press conference on a Saturday the week before the Super Bowl.

00:56:38
Speaker 6: You were sent there because Wes was a day late because of some sort of flight issues and showed up in New York with no coat, and he and I were down in like hack and Sack, New Jersey, while the two of you were up in.

00:56:51
Speaker 3: About me I believe you were in Hoboken. Well, no, it was actually Jersey City, and we ran in.

00:56:57
Speaker 5: The process of him trying to get winter code expens. That was like the subject of way too many conversations.

00:57:04
Speaker 3: He because he yeah, did was the luggage lost?

00:57:07
Speaker 12: Is that?

00:57:08
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:57:08
Speaker 6: His entire fleet of luggage was completely lost. And he showed up to Jersey City and it was that Super Bowl was lucky because the temperature and you know, it started snowing after the game, but it was fine. But the days leading up where he and I went to a like a Chili's three nights in a row down in this like Russian landscape was freezing, absolute dead winter, and he had no coat and you guys were up in Manhattan, you know, having like you know, bubbly with unbelievable I don't know how that how that came to be caviare every night for Greg and I on top of the Chrysler Building.

00:57:42
Speaker 2: Not quite, but yes, because what happened was I get a little more shading on that one. The year before, weirdly was the Niners Raven Super Bowl and we were in the top rafters of the Superdome and it was so cold up there. The air conditioning. This is before the power outage. Maybe this caused the power outage was so freezingly cold, like shooting down and everyone worked in NFL media that they actually greenlit people going to the concession stands to get jackets and hoodies to wear for the game. I didn't do on myself, but a lot of people did so. I think Wes in the back of his mind said, oh, we were able to do that. Last year he did the same thing and bought like a one hundred and seventy five dollars Super Bowl winner jacket, And then the expense report came back with a big old he gall They reacted sharply to that. And Greg, as his boss at the time, did you get him the money?

00:58:42
Speaker 5: I don't remember. I remember, actually, I believe a promise was made to him that it would be okay from my boss at the time. I'm not going to throw him under the bus, friend of ours. But and then I think it got He was kind of talking out of his butt like he often did.

00:58:57
Speaker 3: Oh that could be so many people.

00:59:00
Speaker 2: All right, let's we have Baldy coming up to break down some interesting uh plotlines heading into Niners Chiefs on Sunday.

00:59:08
Speaker 3: But first, let's get caught up on some news. Tick tack toe.

00:59:16
Speaker 20: Right and has a chance to win.

00:59:17
Speaker 3: Here the crowd goes wild. Congratulations with Justin Tucker. That was awesome.

00:59:33
Speaker 14: Man.

00:59:39
Speaker 2: Listen, you know I love kickers and I love me Brandon Aubrey. I mean, what a what a season he had. Justin Tucker's maybe my favorite player who's ever lived in our league.

00:59:50
Speaker 3: I just some notes for that.

00:59:52
Speaker 2: If we're gonna have a kicker tic tac toe, let's get let's get some bodies in there. Let's get some crowd in there. Let's get some audience there was.

01:00:00
Speaker 5: It's weird because the rest of the stuff they did indoors and then certainly on Sunday with the games and then the extra stuff where they had amazingly sixty thousand people there, like had an audience. I don't know why the kicker think.

01:00:09
Speaker 2: That's funnel some of that sixty k into the field house for the kicker game, or go judge judy it and pay some people to be there, and then let's put some music underneath it. If we're looking to change how the kicking game is viewed. M I mean, that was a little we could do better, that's all.

01:00:26
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm free reach out to me and I'm happy to help.

01:00:29
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's continued, you know, enthusiastic disrespect for a position that I think could have had a lot of people cheering.

01:00:40
Speaker 5: Or that also, they don't even they literally don't allow kicking in the flag football game, which is our disrespect, though the kickers have no rule.

01:00:51
Speaker 2: By the way, when I was doing the speaking, we were talking about the West thing, the Brian Hoyer wager with Johnny Manziel, Just to refresh my memory of that moment in time, because obviously, and if we talked about that Johnny Manzel documentary recently, that was really obviously illuminating and how messed up he was behind the scenes. It came down to a exhibition game against Washington. Mike Petten was trying to figure out who am I going to go with and he wanted somebody to win the battle. And obviously Manziel was a wreck, but Hoyer was playing terribly. He'd missed most of the previous season, and they both played really poorly in that game. But what gave Hoyer the edge was, in addition to Manzel struggling, he gave the finger to the Redskins sideline during the game, which is outrageous.

01:01:41
Speaker 20: Like that.

01:01:44
Speaker 6: He did, and like that it's it was a moment in Brown's history where their preseason games were like watched by way more people than you'd ever imagine. But I will say one thing about Wes that around week seven or eight, because I think they started that season around six and three or seven and three before they lost all the rest of their games. But Hoyer under Kyle Shanahan, who was the one year offensive coordinator, was because of play action and the way that Shanahan like does what he does with quarterbacks, was having this pretty great season. And what this was back when we could kind of write whatever we wanted as articles, It was just like, if you're fascinated by this, go write an article like Wes wrote this Brian Hoyer Kyle Shanahan article that I think predates a lot of other people's Shanahan analysis in general. And despite the fact that he was losing, he lost that sandwich bet he turned around and made this incredible written piece about it.

01:02:31
Speaker 3: And that was kind of Wes in a nutshell.

01:02:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, well said and Manzel then also said in that documentary, like the one place I couldn't go was Cleveland.

01:02:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, a young Kyle Shanahan there, if you just would add your head on straight. But he did not. All right. I think Shanahan left because of Manze.

01:02:48
Speaker 6: Well, there were yeah, there were a lot of issues with ownership. He'd asked to leave his contract.

01:02:53
Speaker 5: All right, here's the news because the ownership made them play Manziel.

01:02:56
Speaker 6: Yes, and then am got suspended for using you know the cell Hawkins that you know when Mike Petton called him to tell him about that. He thought Mike Petton was joking as like a veteran leaver leader, like, hey, how do you think everyone will handle this? And he literally laughed, thought he was being sarcastic.

01:03:12
Speaker 3: Let's start with the Washington commanders.

01:03:14
Speaker 2: We are all absolutely thrilled about the dan Quinn hiring now, and they have also filled their offensive coordinator position hiring Cardinals coach Cliff former excuse me, Cardinals coach Cliff Kingsbury. The team announced that on Monday, Kingsbury, some palace intrigue here, had been very close to joining the Raiders as their OC until contract talks broke down on Saturday. Washington talked to Kingsbury that day the deal completed the day after that.

01:03:42
Speaker 3: I don't know, Greg, I don't know how this works.

01:03:45
Speaker 2: And I saw some percolations on Twitter around something you sent out that Cliff Kingsbury could be so hot in demand after you know, quite frankly disastrous tenure, certainly the end of it with Arizona, and yet here we are two.

01:03:58
Speaker 3: Teams fighting over kings very only one gets them and it's the Commanders.

01:04:02
Speaker 5: It's crazy to me because, like, what about their run offensively? Did anyone like like they underachieved in terms of what he had, And it just sounds like he was gonna sign with the Raiders, and then the Washington became interested, and since he hadn't signed on the dotted line yet, they said contract negotiations broke broke down, and he just decided this was a better spot for him. And I'm rooting for Dan Quinn. I don't know. I don't know if I'm excited for Cliff Kingsbury to have the number two overall draft pick.

01:04:36
Speaker 6: And he's you know, obviously with USC ties a year ago, he's tied to Killer Williams, and you wonder if Chicago goes in a different direction like that could be his quarterback.

01:04:46
Speaker 5: They could trade trade their assets up just to go one.

01:04:48
Speaker 3: To two short. They could trade up.

01:04:49
Speaker 6: I guess i'm I'm I'm with you in the sense that like I never I came out of that Cliff Kingsbury experience because I went into it like this could be one of these sort of fascinating turning points in the NFL and was kind of marked by chaos and like increasing disorganization and upset players by the very static offense.

01:05:08
Speaker 5: Like yeah, uncreative, just the same thing over and over, and Yeah, the thing you were referring to that I mentioned was like, I still think some coaches really play the media game hard and the agents obviously do too, so it's like a combination. And I do actually one of the things covering the league for twenty years, I wouldn't have thought that it mattered so much, and now you realize, like it only matters so much. You have to have some goods, but it can matter. And some coaches I think, really have a way of befriending a ton of media. And it's usually not just one or two guys in women, it's everyone. It's like they're friends with everyone, and the agent is too, and they get a lot of good press because of it. I thought Jeff Fisher was like the old king of it, like Cliff Kingsbury is one of the new kings of it. And I think that helped him get a job and helped him be like a hot commodity. The opposite is whatever happened with Ben Johnson, who turned down this Washington job apparently, and now Washington and some of the same people are pumping up Cliff are giving this smear campaign against Ben Johnson because he turned them down.

01:06:10
Speaker 2: So this is an ESPN report that Johnson had issues with Commander's ownership after interviewing to be their new head coach in the wake of Ronriver's firing. Johnson, according to this report, considered the ownership group led by owner Josh Harris, seventy six ers owner also as well as Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, one of the great basketball players of all time. He saw them as quote, basketball guys, and that's not gonna work.

01:06:36
Speaker 3: You know, it's not gonna work. Football is completely different than basketball.

01:06:40
Speaker 2: And he believed that they were, according to this report, overly confident about their football knowledge. The report then also throughout there that Johnson fared poorly in his interview.

01:06:50
Speaker 3: So back and forth they go.

01:06:52
Speaker 5: Well, it's but here's the thing Washington started and then I don't love you started it that Ben Johnson's agent very likely is the one that comes back with this basketball guy stuff. But they started it immediately saying like he didn't interview. Well, now there's this report in the Athletic that he he seems not really like a leader, that he's more just a guy in a lab, you know, cooking up schemes and doesn't deal with But you were going to hire him, and no one was denying that. They were literally on the plane to hire him. First of all, that's completely disrespectful to Aaron Glenn, who they were also going to interview. It makes it obvious that that was a sham interview that they were just doing to check a Rooney real box. So you're saying like, oh, how is this going to make you?

01:07:32
Speaker 12: Know?

01:07:32
Speaker 5: Ben Johnson? Look around? Like, how does it make how does it make you look?

01:07:36
Speaker 11: Uh?

01:07:37
Speaker 5: I don't know. This stuff drives me crazy.

01:07:40
Speaker 3: There it does.

01:07:40
Speaker 6: I think you're if you're a Commander's fan, like you just exited a completely darkest Night's great with Dan happened?

01:07:49
Speaker 3: Okay, leadership.

01:07:50
Speaker 5: I remember what I was trying to think of was part of that athletic report was they were going to hire Mike McDonald too. They wanted to hire Mike McDonald and McDonald make Quinn the fourth the third choice, and McDonald chose the Seahawks over him because, according to Washington, and I don't necessarily believe this, but that Seattle outspent him. My guess is the money was good in both places, and McDonald picked the place that just seemed like the better.

01:08:13
Speaker 6: It's like, I guess if you're Ben Johnson, like I why Burn Bridges, Like I know that Wash, I know that the Washington Organization started a lot of this, but it's like Ben Johnson's camp has responded a couple different times, like you're back in the coaching search mix a year from now, and it's like, all we we now think different things about you than we did well.

01:08:32
Speaker 5: I think well when he kept turning people down to and he still got.

01:08:35
Speaker 6: If you said that, yeah, but chip Kelly also became well. Chip Kelly was a pretty difficult person to work with by the end.

01:08:41
Speaker 2: Too sure, and was the commanders who leaked at first that he interviewed poorly.

01:08:45
Speaker 5: He's it really started that way.

01:08:47
Speaker 2: Yes, so you can kind of understand that if Johnson's camp wants to say, wait a second, I it's just it's.

01:08:54
Speaker 6: All soiled now. We're like, like literally a fortnight ago, Ben Johnson was like the bell.

01:08:58
Speaker 3: Of the ball.

01:08:59
Speaker 5: I just think though the idea though that oh he turned us down while we were in the plane. That's not how you do things. I think it's just like these billionaires not liking getting looking bad and getting turned down and having like a commoner like say no, we're actually you're not good.

01:09:16
Speaker 3: What if common what.

01:09:18
Speaker 5: If how they look at the coach mark?

01:09:20
Speaker 2: What if Stu Gotts came out and said I don't think Sessler had a good show today. Would you come out publicly and return fire or would you let that sit untouched? I think my history is unmolested. My history suggests what I've what I've done with.

01:09:33
Speaker 6: You know Stu Gotts's initial slash at my identity, which was kind of play ball with it in a playful way. Not I didn't reach out to him personally. It's like he doesn't really know anything about me. But if he if he if he dug in, if he dug in, like, you know, as a trenchant listener and thought I had a bad show, I'd have to think about that a little differently, right, But then I'll go, I'll go listen to his show and I'll you know, I'll see what I think. I'm not trying to start a feud there. I'm sure is a capable, nice person. Why don't make don't ask me this question? Is then I just go down that road.

01:10:04
Speaker 3: That's not helping. I mean, how about that guy? Who is that guy? You set the table for personal chaos and I don't need it. The whole key is just to just keep your mouth shut and let the talking continue, all right, to know, all right? In other news and other news.

01:10:22
Speaker 2: News news, let's get on the coaching carousel. That was merely illuminating. Like the idea that if somebody comes after you.

01:10:32
Speaker 6: I know, but you know, anybody, I'll just walk right into the lions den on the on those situation.

01:10:37
Speaker 2: That's that's all Ben did. Ben was like, whoa, you're making me look bad. I'm still going to get a job down the line, Like, yeah, I'm not gonna.

01:10:43
Speaker 3: Stand for this. We have agents.

01:10:46
Speaker 2: You could leak something, Oh you should leak something I will try that. That's perfect because then you don't have to be out front.

01:10:53
Speaker 3: But I will. I'll just do it on the on the slide before we get to Veggas, let's get involved with some mediationun at it?

01:10:59
Speaker 2: Okay, that would be fun. Like right here, there's this article I was about to click on, but I didn't. Greg that connects with you. I would feel like in a personal way headline Mike Florio rips Adam Schefter's irresponsible reporting as he reveals broken friendship.

01:11:15
Speaker 5: WHOA like, let's get I got a bit. I'd click.

01:11:19
Speaker 2: I know I'm going to, but Rose thought O leak a couple of things, Grosan. I mean, I thought, great, can like an old buick. Let's start a fire, all right? In other news, Yeah, let's spin the carousel.

01:11:33
Speaker 3: Here we go.

01:11:34
Speaker 2: Uh, Saints hire Clint Kubiak as OC Raiders hire Luke Getzi as their OC after Cliff says I gon Liam Cohen, he's the bucks OC.

01:11:44
Speaker 3: The Patriots hire Alex van pilt as OC.

01:11:48
Speaker 2: Steve Belichick, one time thought to be a potential heir to the throne in New England, he gown he goes to Washington to be their DC, So he's going off on his own now the Dolphins Hire Ravens assistant Anthony Weaver is there DC. The Seahawks. There's a guy that's bounced around. In fact, he was in our building this past season, Leslie Frasier. I never saw him once, by the way.

01:12:10
Speaker 3: I did, you know what's funny, He's gone down in the locker room.

01:12:14
Speaker 6: I saw him having a very hushed conversation with one member of our media team, and I was thinking, like, something's going on there, and then bang, this happening.

01:12:22
Speaker 2: He is now the assistant head coach of the Seahawks. So that's cool, and there you go. Anything on those appointments, fellas.

01:12:32
Speaker 6: I would say one thing I know, like Liam Cohen has been a kind of hot and cold guy. He was with Kentucky, but like he was Baker Mayfield's offensive coordinator when Mayfield was with the Rams and executed the Raiders after that like two day stay with the Rams, and so I wonder if that helps or hurts or what like he knows Baker.

01:12:51
Speaker 5: May I think it helped. But he is one of the only guys that's kind of come into working with McVeigh and then McVeigh count Let's go very quick getsy felt like a little bit of a backup choice. He loved Justin Fields, so you do wonder like, is there a connection there that the Raiders might go get justin Fields? And then Alex van Pelt just feels like the Patriots are just kind of getting scraps scraps here. Eric enemy doesn't have a job either right now. Like that, that would have been a totally different direction for, for instance, the Patriots to go or even the Saints Clint Kobiak just because the last name he assume is going to be good, but you don't really.

01:13:28
Speaker 2: Know God point about the enemy, it's that's there is. I admire him his decision he made because he wanted to try to ascend and eventually get a head coaching job, so he left the nest in Kansas City, which was a nice nest to be in. But now we can backfires. You end up on a coaching staff where it doesn't work out, and now he's floats.

01:13:51
Speaker 5: You can always go back, though, And it's crazy to think Mike McDonald gets hired as a head coach right three of his assistants are now defensive core. That's outrageous for one offseason. Weaver is in Miami, right, Dinnard Wilson is in Tennessee, and then Connor Orr's buddy Zach is taking over.

01:14:11
Speaker 2: And also a reminder that the NFL is painfully unoriginal. Everyone just copies each other. And this year it's like we want the Ravens defense all right, quickly developing tree. Finally, in the news, it is time Greg to say so so long to really one of your old all time favorites. Before Gino Smith, it was Teddy Bridgewater, who is your guy? And he is announced, after a final year of holding a clipboard in Detroit, that he is retiring from professional football. He's going into coaching at the high school level. So never again, Greg, can you tell us that Teddy Bridgewater would be a great sign for a team looking for a quarterback?

01:14:49
Speaker 3: Well, never again.

01:14:51
Speaker 5: Way to pitch it as you, No.

01:14:54
Speaker 3: We can take him out of a high school coaching game.

01:14:57
Speaker 5: I will miss what a career he's had. Sean Payton said to Peter King in Monday Morning Quarterback this year that he was an all time leader and that those kids were lucky that he was like Ferris Bueller. He compared it to didn't matter where he goes, everyone follows Teddy Bridgewater one of the best leaders he's ever been around.

01:15:19
Speaker 7: It.

01:15:19
Speaker 3: Well, you never heard Mark or I ever disputing his character, not at all.

01:15:25
Speaker 5: I don't.

01:15:25
Speaker 2: That's that's for damn sure. What he came back from. And in general, old career, a good guy, olid career.

01:15:31
Speaker 6: Solid is as far as you can go win. In terms of the career though, like to be fair, Greg right, he's.

01:15:36
Speaker 5: I would say a good career. I mean better than the average first round out. Yeah, better than the first round draft average first round draft pick. Considering the injury, that's pretty good.

01:15:47
Speaker 3: All right.

01:15:47
Speaker 2: That's a certain bar cut you butter knife that one a little bit. But yes, and it's a shame what in the injury and how that impacted the trajectory of his career.

01:15:56
Speaker 3: I still remember doing that show.

01:15:58
Speaker 2: It was at the end of the summer and it was like, oh my god, all right, here we go, let's welcome in as we now, it's official. Now we're going to turn our attention to the big game at Super Bowl fifty eight coming up. Who do you want to talk to when you want to get into the x's and o's and what makes these teams tick Well. Of course you pick up the phone and you ask for Brian Baldinger, and Baldy was there for us. Here was a conversation that we had.

01:16:39
Speaker 3: Welcome back. Our next guest is Listen.

01:16:43
Speaker 2: He's in the Hall of Fame for guests for around the NFL, one of our very favorites. Noan tape dogs quite like Brian Baldinger. And now we welcome back to atn Baldy.

01:16:56
Speaker 3: What's up, bud.

01:16:57
Speaker 20: Well, nice to join you guys. Thanks for the invitation.

01:17:01
Speaker 13: You know, we're at the finish line. You know, we're counting down days here, you know, like ten days left until this thing's gonna come to a close. Everybody I know, most of people I know, I should say, are like they're sad that there's just one game left and there's not gonna be anything after a Super Bowl Sunday for a while.

01:17:19
Speaker 20: So you know, let's soak it all up right now.

01:17:22
Speaker 3: Is are there weird parallels?

01:17:23
Speaker 2: Because once you hit off season, Baldy, and you're doing your tropical vacations and you got the women everywhere around you. In some ways there's a parallel here, but instead of women all around you, you're doing podcasts, with doe pale whites such as ourselves.

01:17:38
Speaker 20: That's true. That's true.

01:17:39
Speaker 13: So whoever wants to, you know, invite me in and talk about this great American game of ours. Like I try to make the time. I never really get tired of doing it because it's just so interesting on so many different levels. But yes, when it's over, like I always say, like the bet, the only thing better than working is not working, you know, if I'm diving with reef sharks in Belize two weeks from today, like I'm not gonna I'm not going to miss any of this, you know, but while I'm here, I'm gonna give it everything I got.

01:18:11
Speaker 3: All right, let's get into the game.

01:18:12
Speaker 2: Then the game, because I know, and Baldy you heard it and maybe you felt the same way too. The way Championship Sunday set up, there was this idea that Super Bowl Sunday could be really unique, and then instead what we get as Chiefs Niners, which from one point of view is a little redundant. From another, I mean, doesn't this feel like we're set up for You can never guarantee classics or games that are going to go down to the wire, but you look at these teams, you see them as pretty even.

01:18:42
Speaker 20: Yep, I do. I see them pretty even.

01:18:44
Speaker 3: I see.

01:18:45
Speaker 13: I mean, you can pitch a case for both teams. It's at this stage of this dynasty that the Chiefs are in the middle of kind of hard to root against or just think that anybody has a chance against Mahomes and Andy Reid and Spags and Travis Kelsey. It just seems hard that anybody's gonna beat him. But if there's one team that is set up that can do it, that has the coaching, the personnel, the talent, like it's San Francisco and so I feel like we got a good matchup. But I think any one of the four we could literally without even thinking, draw up twenty storylines and we could just like feed off of those storylines that would just be there. Obviously, if Detroit was here and said, you know, we'd have a field day just you know, see him another shot at Barry Sanders, you know, on the sideline, just doing anything, just being Barry Sanders is fun.

01:19:36
Speaker 20: But but this is what we got. So I think it's it's fascinating and it's repeating.

01:19:43
Speaker 13: You know, can this uh this kid at quarterback named Brock Purdy that nobody seems to really want to respect at this stage.

01:19:52
Speaker 20: Can he rise up and slay you know?

01:19:55
Speaker 13: Can he slay mahomes here? And like all those things are out there, it's gonna be fantast Baldy.

01:20:01
Speaker 6: You you have called this week rock party, you titled and I love this the Silent Assassin and I there is this discourse and it's been going on all year and last year. It's like it's too good to be true because of his draft stock, where he came from. It's simply he's supported by the team around him. But it's clear that you see something else. So for the people out there that believe in brock Purty, what is it you see? Why is he the silent Assassin?

01:20:26
Speaker 13: Because first of all, he plays the game with no fear. And you can put up any bad play that he's had. We've seen a few of them, especially down stretch. It never affects him in the next series, like he can flush it the way you have to, and he doesn't. He doesn't need a psychiatry a sideline to get him out of any kind of a fure. He doesn't go into a funk like you know, and and that he can make every single throw. You can say, like they love to attack the middle of the field. That's what Shanahan does. That's what Mike March did with Kurt Warner. They attacked the middle of the middle of the field is dangerous. Balls get tipped, balls get intercepted. You have to layer throws in the middle of the field. You have to layer them over linebackers and dropping defensive linemen sometimes all that stuff. And yet he makes those throws routine. He made a throw to Deebo Samuel. We all saw it at the start of the third quarter, and like he just hit his fifth step and let it rip like the way you have to throw it with no fear, right in the middle of a four man zone. Detroit's sitting there, and he hit Deebo like it was t ball. You know, he just like he just took it right off the tee and just kept going. And you know that sort of ability to do that, I mean, I didn't think Jimmy Garoppolo could do that on with regularity the way this kid does.

01:21:40
Speaker 20: And so I just think whatever they ask him to do, he can do.

01:21:43
Speaker 13: And he's got to scramble for fifty two yards and three runs in the second half, or whether he's got to you know, roll out of the pocket and avoid pressure. He does that, and whether he's got to understand the situation where just get rid of the ball is better and to go to the next down.

01:21:57
Speaker 1: He does that.

01:21:59
Speaker 13: And then you know, somebody has to feed all of these talented players that the forty nine ers have, and he feeds them all. They're all having good seasons. None of them are not eating it and not feeding off of this, and so it starts with him.

01:22:13
Speaker 5: Yeah, I do want to get to the forty nine Ers defense, which to me is so different than the last time these teams played in the Super Bowl. While we're on Brocket just thinking of this matchup with Spagnolo and the Chiefs defense, just how do you think Purdy and Shanahan will react to all the different looks that Spagnolo throws at him because Lamar Jackson obviously didn't handle that very well. And one thing we've seen with this Chiefs defense, also different than the four or five years ago, is man, they can change a lot throughout a game, throughout a week to week, throughout a series. They just never show you the same thing twice. How do you think like Perdy and Shanahan deal with that.

01:22:54
Speaker 13: I remember one time, I'll just I ask your question, Greg, but I remember one time Spags was on Jim john Staff and Philly and they went up to play Tom Brady and the Patriots. And to your point about versatility and changing fronts and all that stuff, literally, Jim Johnson gave Brady a different defense each quarter he started because they knew he would adjust. At halftime. He goes, we can't wait to have time to change. So literally, Jim Johnson came up with this idea, Let's give him four different defenses. We'll play a different one each quarter, and let's see if Brady and the Patriots adjust. So, I mean even in the playoffs. Now, Spaggs played a totally different defense against Buffalo in the playoffs, and he did week fourteen, and so last week he said, well, we'll play three big linebackers. We'll play Bolton and Tranquil and Chanal, and we'll stuff to run, but we'll leave our corners exposed. And if lamar Cot beat you know, Lugerius or you know Trent or Jalen or Joshua whoever out there, then they beat him and they couldn't beat him. You know, they got one deep ball down the field and one for a touchdown on a scramble driw. Other than that, like they were oh for eight on some of those deep shots. So what's I think Spags will start by saying, Okay, McCaffrey is a guy you got to stop. Like I feel like and how now, how are they going to do that? What front are they going to play? Their their mind is noddy, their minu is a man who they're down numbers, Like, what is this going to be their method to basically stop and McCaffrey from getting going and discouraging Shanahan from just feeding him the way they have all year long? So I mean that's just one take, Greg. But the good thing is, you know they had the six rookies a year ago, they all got in the field. They started four rookies in the Super Bowl. Like all these kids now are very experienced players. And you know, I saw this t shirt down the field in Baltimore the other day. Spags hates it, but they all have a T shirt that says in Spags we trust. And I really feel like they're all like they're all like they're in the classroom, and they all want to be in the front row.

01:24:56
Speaker 20: They all like, what's he going to do this week? How are we going to do this? What's what's the plan? And I think he's just got them all buying in right now to whatever that plan is.

01:25:04
Speaker 2: I have an idea, by the way, because everybody knows one of Baldi's greatest hits is and what he regularly it goes off on social media and virals the hashtag Baldise breakdowns. We have some very talented people that listen to this show. In terms of artistic merit. Can we get someone in the vein of the ins bags we trust, but in Baldi we trust, and then make sure he gets the the laser eyes also study like tape dogging. If we can get some type of T shirt design, maybe we can make a T shirt.

01:25:39
Speaker 20: Let's just get the clicker ya the clicker involved.

01:25:43
Speaker 2: Actually, you know, I have a great idea, Baldi. Can you can we get like an action shot of you with the clicker. We'll screen grab it and people could use that as the basis for the T shirt. That would be very helpful.

01:25:53
Speaker 20: Absolutely, we'll get that done.

01:25:55
Speaker 2: All right now, My question to you back to the game. We're always trying to build the Baldy brand because it can almost be bigger. The Kansas City offense is a subject of fascination to me and confusion quite frankly, based on how much they struggle and just thinking about where they were Christmas Day and that horrific performance against I think against the Raiders, and then once they get to the playoffs they turn it on and now here they are on the super Bowl and they took care of business against Miami and the Cold in the first round. It was a pretty vintage performance against the Bills in divisional play. The initial game script was flawless in the AFC Title Game, two touchdowns on the first two drives, and then things obviously dried up a little bit for them. When you look at the team that went to the Super Bowl against the Eagles last year and the team now that's going to go to the Super Bowl against the forty nine ers, do you think they have another vintage performance in them against the San Francisco defense or this or is this who more or less the Chiefs are this year where they do enough grind it out and its spags in the that takes things home, like is there Is there a huge game left in the tank for this team in this core?

01:27:05
Speaker 20: Oh for sure.

01:27:06
Speaker 13: I remember I had Andy Reid on my podcast like mid season, and I've known Andy since he came to Philadelphia nineteen ninety nine. So I told him, I said, you know, a big red. For the first time since I've known you, I'm talking more about your defense than your offense. And he didn't disagree. He didn't disagree with it. The way they were kind of struggling. Quite frankly, I feel like they're bored. During the regular season. They look bored sometimes it's just because they know what it's all about. They know all that matters is how you play in January and February. And I feel like and some of them have just been through it for so long now. Maybe Create Humphrey doesn't feel that way, or Tray Smith, but I feel in Rashid Rice. But to a certain extent, there is a little bit of fatigue that we got to get through this thing to where it really counts, and we just and so now the ball doesn't hit the ground when it goes to Travis Kelcey. It hit the ground a bunch, you know, during a regular season, the ball hit the ground like the game plan was brilliant, Like how like if we had a stopwatch and how long the ball was in Mahomes hands for most of his throws, it was less than a second and a half, Like, because they know Ravens are his own defense, they're just sitting there waiting. Well, but they'll took all the four yard throws that you can get and then we'll turn those four yard throws into four yards or six or maybe eight yards and we'll just stay on schedule of March. So that's where they did. Baltimore tightened things up in the second half, didn't get much, but I think they to answer your question, yeah, I think they have another venture's performance left in him.

01:28:34
Speaker 6: I thought you had an interesting tweet because you'd have a perspective that, you know, if you outside of youth sports, you don't know what's happening with a lot of these teams where they're not on the field plane. You talked about the way that the Chiefs pregame warm up, how they practice in general, that there's something about them that stands out to you, and it's like, whether they were bored or not, they're very consistent, and like, is that different than the Niners. To you, is that different than other teams in general?

01:29:01
Speaker 13: I've watched Rock Party warm up and he's the kind of an amazing guy in warm ups because you could like literally go out there to Brock Purdy and pregame warm ups and you could ask him about that ice cream shop in ames, Iowa and what his favorite flavor was, and he's like he's giving you an answer.

01:29:17
Speaker 14: You know.

01:29:17
Speaker 13: But this routine of the Chiefs looks different to me. It looks very Peyton Manning. Like from the moment that Mahomes takes the field, it's like I've done I don't know this Mahomes has been. I've probably done twenty Chief games for national radio over the seven years. Like literally, his routine, it doesn't matter if it's twenty five below zero like a couple of weeks ago, or if it was Sunday in a misty rain. He comes out in his warm ups three hours for kickoff. He sits on a bench, he talks to the trainers, he talks to equipment guys, and then about an hour and a half before kickoff, he starts. He starts winding that arm up, and literally, you could take that game versus the game against Buffalo versus the game on Week two against Jacksonville. It's almost identical. And he must get at least one hundred throws in, and I just think like to throw obviously, you know, to Kelsey for the touchdown against Kyle Hamilton. We've all watched it. It's an amazing throw. But I felt like he threw that with just the exact same amount of ease as what you just showed right there. And that throw to Travis Kelcey, it feels like it isn't anything different in the mechanics or how he throws it or anything else in that pregame warm up versus the game.

01:30:33
Speaker 20: And I don't know that other guys that warm up treat it the same way.

01:30:39
Speaker 5: My favorite warm up I ever saw, and we don't get on the field anymore at the Super Bowls was Colin Kaepernick just throwing fastballs as fast as he humanly could, like forty straight times. I don't know what the purpose of that was, but it was very exciting to watch before that Super Bowl. Last one I have for you ball they just watching these last three games from the forty nine ers that mattered for them. The Ravens game and then these two playoff games. I'm just struck with it. And you know, what you're seeing better on tape than any of us do. But what I'm seeing is kind of shocking to me, is a team that's like maybe not that physical that if you only watched these three weeks, you would say for those three weeks, both playoff games, the Raven games, they got pushed around a little and they didn't play very well. And that's very surprising to me.

01:31:27
Speaker 12: Could.

01:31:27
Speaker 5: I know they have some weak spots, but they also have some great players. Do you think the Chiefs offense could could out tough this forty nine Ers defense?

01:31:36
Speaker 20: Definitely?

01:31:37
Speaker 13: I mean the only guy that looked like he played good on Sunday was Bosa. I mean I didn't think Armstead, Hargrave, Givens, Chase. I didn't think you everyt played good.

01:31:46
Speaker 5: Surprising.

01:31:47
Speaker 13: I didn't think they had good run fits in the run game. I mean, Fred Warner's going this way and there's you know, Arng Burks is going this way and like to leave in the middle open for David Montgomery. I'm like, that's not good defense, you know. And I thought they got pushed around. I didn't think the effort was great, it wasn't championship effort by a number of players. And so while Fred Warner does cover up some of the mistakes because of how fast he plays and how aggressive he is, along with Dre Greenlaw like, I didn't see a great defense on Sunday. And so the one thing the Chiefs have leaned on though, is they've become a good power running football team. Even with you know, you know, Nick Allegretti in the left guard, they still did a good job of pushing Baltimore round at times on Sunday. And but Checko got some good runs, and I feel like they've they've leaned on that power run game a little bit. Donova Smith's a better run blocker than one Way Morse. So I mean, I just think if they need to, they'll lean on it. And I think based on what we just saw, why wouldn't you?

01:32:51
Speaker 2: M all right Brian Baldinger, who you, of course can check. He's all over social media at Baldy NFL. He's got a couple of podcast All City Sports and on Odyssey.

01:33:03
Speaker 3: Check those out.

01:33:04
Speaker 5: You have a daily podcast, Baldi, like, how do you have time for a date too? Daily podcast?

01:33:09
Speaker 20: Daily podcast?

01:33:10
Speaker 13: People should that Best Football Show with Brian Balding podcasts from two different networks.

01:33:16
Speaker 3: The room that you're sitting in.

01:33:17
Speaker 13: Honestly, I'm just a football whore and whoever wants to pay me a check like I'm going to work for Like you know, I like that. I've never read one of my contracts ever. I'm just like people want me, You got me.

01:33:29
Speaker 2: You're normalizing football promiscuity, and I think that's healthy, by the way, just because I like to live vicariously through you. So once the season's over and you're going to belieze, are you more a sniping some mako sharks in the crow's nests with bikini babes around you? Or are you more like swimming with the dolphins with the bikini babes around you?

01:33:50
Speaker 19: Like?

01:33:50
Speaker 3: Where do you go on that?

01:33:52
Speaker 12: Well?

01:33:52
Speaker 13: I I like both species, actually all three species, all three of all it be honest with you.

01:34:01
Speaker 20: I mean I could elaborate, but I think I'll just leave it right there.

01:34:04
Speaker 2: I think everybody knows where Baldy's coming out. And finally, Eric, can we go to full screen on Baldi Baldy. It's time to get out the clicker. We're going to get the screenshot. That are talented people. Let's go with Let's make sure it's in the shot. Everyone to do some type of take us back to your playing days. You're focused and intense.

01:34:22
Speaker 20: Well, here we go.

01:34:23
Speaker 13: Let's like, let's just take a look right here at Trent Williams and his backside cut off block. And nobody can emulate this. Nobody knows how to do it. It's strictly the Trent Williams block. How he could just take somebody's head and just ram it right into the ground and McCaffrey cut right off like that.

01:34:41
Speaker 20: It's just a beautiful piece of film right there.

01:34:44
Speaker 2: Beautiful and all the all the uh, all of the proceeds of this T shirt will go to repopulate the mako shark population.

01:34:53
Speaker 3: On the ocean.

01:34:54
Speaker 20: There's way too many sharks that aren't.

01:34:55
Speaker 2: Making all right, Baldy, thank you so much, buddy, appreciate the time. You're such an busy man this time of year, and we really do appreciate you doing this with us.

01:35:03
Speaker 3: Until next time.

01:35:04
Speaker 5: Thanks Baldy, Thank you guys.

01:35:06
Speaker 2: All right, there he goes Baldy. We spoke with him late last week. He's a very busy guy. As we alluded to, and he gave us some time. Really happy to talk with him and get dig into this game, which is going to be so great And I'm really excited about this. Not in spags we trust and Baldy we trust.

01:35:24
Speaker 3: Merch.

01:35:24
Speaker 2: People always asking about that merch mark, and I feel like this one could be a big time winner.

01:35:29
Speaker 6: He is the perfect candidate for a wide variety of creative input from people listeners that see the different aspects to Baldy. You know, there was one thing about him like I think we've come into this Super Bowl week a little bit like, oh it's Niners Chiefs again, Like is it the same old thing.

01:35:44
Speaker 3: Well, it's obviously not.

01:35:45
Speaker 6: But he elevates your interest in any matchup and whether it's the merch, it's the game itself.

01:35:52
Speaker 3: There's only one Baldy.

01:35:53
Speaker 2: Cool And just to give you an idea of like what you're up against Big Funk who's not in today. But here is a design that he together. You can check this out on a fast Channel Baldy's breakdowns. I mean that is I mean, that's what we're looking for. If you are a creative person and you want to design a T shirt around Baldy and his greatness, and look at that finger in the shit.

01:36:14
Speaker 3: You gotta get the pinky in the shot.

01:36:15
Speaker 2: Eric does that as someone that has a thumb as you to see the pinky a skew like that?

01:36:20
Speaker 20: Is that?

01:36:20
Speaker 3: Are you guys part of a club that no one talks about.

01:36:22
Speaker 11: I did think about it when we were recording that interview. I was like, there are a handful of people here and several people with faulty digits.

01:36:30
Speaker 3: I mean, I mean his came on the battlefield of you know, the grid, iroon, how did you hurt your finger? Battlefield of the kitchen?

01:36:37
Speaker 6: I don't remember slice of potatoes. Okay, well it's not the same origin story.

01:36:41
Speaker 2: Also, Eric calling it a faulty digit, I don't believe you have a faulty Well, sometimes when you're get slow on the hit, that is a little faulty.

01:36:48
Speaker 3: Yeah, I agree with you.

01:36:49
Speaker 11: It's hard picking up things sometimes that little extra you can need, that little extra.

01:36:52
Speaker 3: It's too real. It's weird. Yeah, too real.

01:36:55
Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm sure we're going to end our eleven year strikeout out filled the attempts at making merch now and somehow going to be about Baldy.

01:37:04
Speaker 3: Right, and he gets all the money, all right.

01:37:07
Speaker 2: That was a action packed full show on Monday before we get on the plane, and so we gave you a lot to chew on and just want to before we go one more thing, and we mentioned Chris at the top of the show and again three years without him, and it's hard to believe, you know, we've been at this company for so long now and you get to know people on a personal level beyond just professional. And we were shocked to learn yesterday that Larry Campbell, who known by everyone in the office here as LC, who was like just like a great dude and someone that was always you know, friendly and great at his job, he passed away suddenly this week, this past week. So really a Paul and a gray and rainy time in Los Angeles, Like that's hanging over this building right now because Larry was a mainstay in that newsroom and in terms of our NFL network team to so we lose Larry and we really send our thoughts and our prayers out to his family.

01:38:11
Speaker 5: And yeah, it's a big loss. Such a kind soul, such a kind guy, and a big part of when we were first going on the network, working with him on all those old NFL now hits and whatever the name of it around the league, when it was around the league, then around the NFL, and just a great guy. He will be missed.

01:38:31
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's like he was a real supporter of what we were trying to do. But I also know that like particularly West down to Marina del Rey would see Larry out a lot, and like they had a special friendship. And it's like someone that you just saw like a week ago, and then you find out, you know, and it's terrible these days you find overtext that this person is gone and it's like I can't, I don't.

01:38:52
Speaker 3: It brings up a lot of stuff for all of us.

01:38:54
Speaker 6: And it's like he was a genuinely kind, fun person and like there's really no one like him, and it's just another loss.

01:39:01
Speaker 2: And and I'll I implore you because we I say it not in jest, because I mean it. But when when Steve Weisch is on the show, I call him the conscience of the newsroom. Check out on his on his feed Twitter feed, Andrew and Steve talking about Larry because he can say it more eloquently than any of us. So yeah, we'll be in Las Vegas in two days. Join us for another ride to the super Bowl. Till then he need to call