Radio Row Day 3: Super Bowl Preview; Derrick Henry; Sandwiches; Jordan Mailata

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Speaker 1: Yea from the Los Angeles Convention Center site of Radio Row. It's the Around the NFL podcast. I'm Dan Hansas. I'm gonna set filled with heroes, Mark Sessler, Greg Rosenthal, Ricky Hollywood now deep into her thirties. Am I right? Sean Payton's walking by with the whole crew, a walking talk, A walking talk with Peyton, free agent coach, and you know what, perfect timing for the other man on the couch, Ian Rappaport, who just came by. We're gonna get into the whole. This is the game preview show, so get excited. We're gonna dig deeper. Also gonna have Derrick Henry on the show. That's gonna be awesome. But Ian Rappaport's a great rap sheet buddy. What's going on is that the next coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Let's start there like literally next year. Sean Payton, Yeah, I hadn't heard of those rumors. Off it feels to me. I don't know, but it feels to me a little too like on the nose. But a lot of times when those those things, it's like everyone assumed for so long that Aaron Rodgers is gonna get traded to the Broncos that it almost feels to me like it's not gonna happen because everyone has just assumed, you know, like that everyone has named him the coach of the Cowboys. I'm sure Rosen Dalston not a snarky tweet about it right after. It's like, it's like Ian just assumed he could come onto our podcast. We were just about to start. He walks up and he's like, where's my invite? Where it was correct? Essentially just walked onto the set, forced his way on and has been texting for the last five minutes. Ever said, that's not brand. He's he's not the only guy that's allowed to do that, so you gotta take advantage of it. Is weird though, because like I am generally not that polite. I think that's fair to say. And it's almost like I have license to be not polite because I'll be in a conversation and I'll hold on, I got a text and it could be literally my wife and people like, oh, dear thing, my dear thing. Like if if Pallisero tried to pull the same move that you just did, he would not be on the podcast right now. Wow, you know that I've and I've said this before, like I knew Ian before he was rap sheet and Ian was always like this, there's a there's a demeanor. So you've always kept it real. It's not like fame and incredible wealth from being an NFL insider has changed you. This is who you are. Respect that. I was built for this. I've been kind of like rude, slash dismissive really since I can Cecily, you said you had a follow up. No, I mean we've had We've had Ian on a number of times. Calmed down there, it could be a professional. You're thirty now, Oh, I guess he actually doesn't look that imposing like we had justin Herbert on the show and he looked like an actual god amongst men. Right, No, you can go Ian whenever you feel comfortable. But like no one's ever been like, oh, Mac Jones physical specimen, Like it's crazy to be in the room with that guy. What I mean, the best the best Jones picture was him right with the shirt off smoking I think a cigar, right, yeah, something, isn't it? And Patriots fans like remember Brady's combined photos, So you know number two, it's not gonna happen again. That's just what is Hey, what is the following? I mean I always check in with this situation. You're a you're an UM internationally known news breaker. I think you're one of the recognizable football faces on the planet. Where are we with like the the groupie the female groupie scenario? I mean, is it? I always like just to see where we are. Um. I don't get a lot of d m s from females. Um the same with these boys. You should see our live shows. It's a sausage factory. Know that. Actually that's on brand UM. Not a lot, but some right, I've had not a lot of Mark's response to them, Like the rate is very high. It's like say yeah one literally. UM. I will sometimes go through my uh you know, there's the three there's the categories. There's like the categories of the people I know. Then there's the categories people I kind of know. Then there's the randoms. Sometimes I would go through the raindos just to see and uh, really nothing is there ever? Like you get maybe one of every once in a while. Oh and Adam Schefter couldn't even carry your cell phone charger. Yeah, I like that. I get some of that yeah, I like it, and then move on hurrying favor with you. Yep, your guys ms are a lot different than mine. What yours like? Mine are bad? Mine are like bad meaning good like bad yeah, yeah, yeah, alright, know what I mean. But like like bad or like you've shown us something. Some of them are pretty pretty crazy. Some of them are like just like you're hot. Some of them are like shows. I would say with you, certain people go from zero to sixty very quickly with the Yeah. I feel like everyone should be subjected at some point to what women in the media have to deal with. It would all lose their damn minds. It's so true, just like do nothing and get random insults for no reason. It's just I've been told him, like too fat for an audio podcast? What the you're a woman? Really forceful peace signs? He's like, yeah, that was me, waved as they were going by. Is a lot going on here, and I know you're a busy man and we have a lot to get to but I want to ask you this. You have been the insider and you gotta answer this. Honestly, this is gonna be hard hitting question. You've been doing this now for years about two thirteen or so at NFL bec as the insider. That is a job that ages you and what the hair dye obviously has kept it from showing. But why do people think? But I'm just saying, at what point do you walk away from the insider role and find something else? Because I imagine that the stress level, despite being a high visibility gig, it has to be immense to the point where maybe I want to put down my phone at some point, maybe I want to hold my son who I've never met before. May me there's these things like does this go through your mind now that you've done this so long? I try to hold my son he's eight, and he doesn't like it very much. If I get like one hug a week, then it's it's very lucky as long as I don't mess up. But didn't think it's cool what you do? It takes after the old man. Uh yeah, his hair is amazing. No, Uh do they think it's cool? No? We My wife ended up talking to my oldest son, Max's teacher yesterday and she was like, oh, yeah, into the super Bowl and the teacher was like, oh, that's cool, Like is this his first one? And She's like oh no, but he's you know, on TV, and she's like, oh really, Max had never mentioned it at one time and he's been in school for five that never came up. And it says a lot though that you think that surprising, like that you would have assumed he has told all of his friends, you know, the names of our two cats. But it goes like you'll you'll hear Tom Hanks say the same thing, like my kids do not care. It just it filters all the way down. They care if they care if they are on TV, like when I'm doing like the Mac if you show or something, I forget to lock the door and they wander in. They're like, how many people are watching? Like, oh my god, it's a good it's a good name to bring up, because I think when you think like two of the most you know, premier American everyman, you think Tom Hanks and then rap Sheet like those guys, I think that's probably true together, all right, anything else? Do you want to share anything with our huge Don't you have any news? The only thing I had I put out this morning, you know, But it's like the dregs of the assistant coach world, you know, like coach well You've saved a real gym for us. Thank you, Tom capers has. Do you have anything planned though for Sunday? You try to save some bomb drops for Super Bowls? I don't know if it would be a bomb drop. It's tough. Supero week. We've got some stuff. Did you ever get you ever come up with it? Like they have the woad bombs in the NBA? Do we have a we have a term? I kind of don't like that, you know, okay? I rap sheet is your version of the wold. You've got a brand. Well and you said it all. Are you looking forward to the halftime show? Yeah, it's gonna be awesome. The only the only thing I'm really looking forward to. I don't get stressed. I get stressed a little bit about work, but not a ton. By now I am nervous. I'm not going to get any good pregame selfies. I have a really good streak going. Me and Gaga got a great selfie usher, great one, Steph Curry, great one. If I don't get like snoop or something, I'm gonna be like really bumped. Um like chef, I could not hold your cell phone charge here, um, Steph Curry knew who I was sure? I think? Did he did? I met? I had a good moment. Did he was? Because he was trying to buy the Panthers when they really remember that like story little storyline though that did not happen though, no alright, picked the game before we take by uh Bengals win with the Joe Burrow drive at the end. Uh Ricky Hollywood was on the red carpet of the Honors yesterday and I couldn't even get Mac Jones, Patriots quarterback, to pick a winner of the game. My least favorite trope in any sports. I was just talking to Kevin Clark, who had Herbert, and he said, D asked Herbert, who's gonna win? He said, the City of California. I'm glad we didn't ask. We had Herbert too. It was a much better interview with us, but he said the city of California. Oh, we gotta scrub that from the public record. Alright. In best of luck to you, buddy, good seeing you, Thanks for letting me come on guys, goodbye. All right, there he goes the Great rap Sheet, A busy man, always in demand. And now we turn our attention. Let's get around applause, and there he goes, Alright, great show today, we're gonna get to the breakdown Bengals Ram Super Bowl fifty six. Mark. What you've been with the NFL for well over a decade? Now, what's your level of excitement going into the the big game? Because I have to say one of the reasons why I love my job is that I still love I love the season, I love the the the story of it all, and the story ends on Sunday night. I think this is the most um that I've been looking forward to the actual game in years and years, and it's because of the Bengals and because of everything that we've been through with that journey. I think it's just one of the more intriguing NFL plot line slash narrative, slash team ways to get here of any club I've I can think back to. I mean, so, I'm my excitement level is high. I don't need to be um. When I leave downtown l A today will not be returning to downtown l A for roughly seven and a half years. Wow, Downtown in l A, great restaurants, Koreatown taking like a big fire here. I think your players say it's like it's like, once the love of the game is gone, that's when I'll know it's time to walk away. I think if you allowed to play, that's another one. Sunday's super Moore. Sunday to me is never is never remotely disappointing. The exciting, the excitement of being at the stadium building up and the goose bumps you get, and then once the game starts that's always amazing. The week leading up to it, that's where our jaded side shows somewhat, and you always find skipping ahead to the game if you could, or if they just let us fly in on Saturdays. I personally would do that, but everyone is different. I've liked the home Super Bowl. I like sleeping in my uh at home and seeing my kids and stuff. It's made I didn't sleep not in my bed because Emma has had him on the couch for two years. You get home too late. It's like now you're staying out there, stay together for the kids. I like, I don't know, it's like I I it's gone by faster at home, which I like it has. I we don't need to do all this because it is minusha ultimately, but I do. I love the whole vibe of Super Bowl blo week. It's a little different when like Daddy has to go coach the Gators on Wednesday in the first baseball practice, Like it's a little it's a little tricky to thread the needle. But we have Ricky happy birthday once again. Thank you. You you look wonderful. You're glowing for someone the morning after their thirtieth birthday celebrated. I know, I feel like I've let my personal sort of reputation slash brand down. So I got many texts justin next to me, Aaron over there, I was like, hey, are you okay? How are you feeling? Like everyone's calling the local more. Everyone's like, oh, Erica definitely did not make it through the night, or she's going to be looking like a hot mess this morning. Like I feel really great. I kept it to just wine last night. I had a great dinner. My little baby brothers in town, U me Jett and him and my friend Sarah, just the four of us went to dinner. And because you know, I we had a big show today and you look sharp. M I sense a higher level of maturity emanating from you. Thank you. Yeah, I feel just you had a Princess Leah style dress on the red carpet, which umla oh the white Wait a second, Wait a second, Princess when she's fighting the Jaba monster, I know that outfit that wasn't white, the job monster. That's me. Thus you I am Leah like that scene that's not on, that's not she was like a brown outfit. This was white. I don't know how to move Dan off this because we we discussed it prior and he cannot hear. You guys have been talking about my Princess lea outfit like since yesterday. I don't know. The honors is amazing. We started Connie was wearing a wild outfit. Everyone was really dressed to the tease. Did you guys go? I was at the NFL experience with my two sons, my wife, my buddy Bob. They had a great time. Again, usually on a Thursday night to be getting loose somewhere at a super Bowl city, maybe I'd be out to dinner with you, but I mean maybe certainly. Yeah, it was very strange. I was at work because we taped our show there and then I had a couple of things after that, leaving and everyone from work like putting up makeup in that like at their desk, and everyone that you are normally working with wearing like beautiful gowns and suits. And as I'm walking to my parking lot and parked my car in the parking lot, like Zeke Elliott is being dropped off looking all nice and everything. It's very strange that was our workplace. But no, I went to I got out of there. Well we went. I like how gred he describes it as my parking lot. It feels like I know, but there's there's people that have access to that office, which is across the street from Sofy Stadium, was certainly bustling. At one point I went, I went into the like the dressing room area, and there's baldy like looking literally like a Hercules character changing. You have Nate burleson around the corners, Kyle Brand like that's the shirt didn't come off around these gentlemen. These were this. This was like a go change in shame in the local laboratory. I'd be happy to I'd be happy to go topless in the in that I'm very proud of what I'm presenting. We all know, okay, just lathering yourself up like that would be your number two. Option Number one would be wearing the Princess Leia outfit. You know, that would be like your biggest dream. What was it? Like, really gotta get going, but I've always wondered what's what's It was very um, it was very empowering. Yeah, I felt pretty cool. I really liked it. I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. It was a little bit I needed a couple of confidence boots. I was in the hair and makeup chair and the girls were really gassing me up, being like you like bomb af you gotta wear now NFL Honors that was you were on that red carpet and we're gonna get to all the award winners and the games, and our sandwich props are game picks, uh, guest galore. It's a it's a big show. Um. They did do a in memorium section of the show and it was very nice and also still surreal. H that Chris Westling um our man who should be sitting next to Mark right now. Uh, beautiful photo of him from the super Bowl in Minnesota. I still remember for that photo when it was taken. And also are great friend Tara Deaker, who we also lost to cancer this year, so to see them as part of that uh, goose bumps moment and still yeah, still very strange, really is it was a surprise. I was. I always think of, like, what would Chris think in these scenarios, because it was like all these players that he knew better than all of us. It was, you know, these guys from the sixties and seventies. It was like Marty Schottenheimer and certain in all these different players, and I was thinking like, and then up comes Chris in Tara. It was it was uncanny. And when things like that happened, you just realize that it's just it's bigger than just our friend that we lost our friend, that he's had this sort of impact. I ran into someone on the way into radio Road today. He's from Iceland. He's his name is uh. I don't even know how to say this name, but Irker Askas, and he works for a television station. He works for a television station in Iceland. He said he's here because of Chris, that he's a die hard fan of the show, a die hard fan of Chris. He's a fan of the Bengals. Normally, Iceland would not be sending any coverage to the Super Bowl, and when Bengals made it, he he's been following us. He was a little emotional too and just saying that, like I just felt like he'd the call, like if ever I should be at a super Bowl, I need to be at this super Bowl. So he started emailing the people that he knew within the NFL offices. He started pushing all the people at his icelandic TV station, and he said he is here today because of because of Chris. How cool is that? It's amazing? And we get questions all the time, like how do you get into sports? How do you get into football? And like I think if anyone that looks at the journey that West took from beginning to end, um, there's no one way. And his way was as unique as anyone I've ever met. Absolutely, we got to we celebrated Chris. This past weekend. We were at Hanano's, the famous burger joint there in Venice, where we spent many days and had many pictures and great greasy burgers on that griddle. Sometimes if you use a griddle enough at the griddle itself, I wish you could taste this mark. I know you're not a meat guy, but the flavor of those patties, um, it's just special. But that was that was where we had so many great moments with West. Also Deaker, who was such a great woman and we miss her a lot too. That was the last time we ever saw Deeker was at Colleen's uh Dad's summit. Post the boat trip. We went to Hanano's last spring and that ended up being the last time we saw Deer. So that was It's been an emotional roller coaster obviously, as we've talked about on the show, and it was just nice to see both of those special people remembered in such a public way. I would add that I've had the grilled cheese there and I'm sure it's not cooked on a pure um that's basically a cheese burger exactly, So you know I've been there to some degree. All right, let's uh speaking of honors, that is the uh platform, that's the delivery advice device, I should say, for the awards now, And they moved at from Saturday, where it's always been as long as we've been doing the show, to Thursday, which helps us because I've always been a little frustrated as the host of the show that they give out all the awards on Saturday, the night before the Super Bowl. We're talking Super Bowl Sunday, that we're taking a few days off, and somehow these awards fall through the cracks on the show. Not this year and hopefully not uh any longer. So let's go through it. Not a lot of surprises, Greggy, but let's I'm gonna tick through it. Aaron Rodgers one easily, m v p um. I believe he got thirty nine votes. Yeah, Tom Brady got ten, which actually was more. Thank you to those ten people. I think that was the right vote. That was more than I expected. And Cooper Cup got the other vote. Cooper Cup was not shut out, though he got Offensive Player of the Year, not a surprise. And the rest there's no real surprise to be found here. We have t J. Watt Defensive Player of the Year, Jamaar Chase took Offensive Rookie of the Year, of course. Mika Parsons, Mica Mika Micah Parsons took Defensive Rookie of the Year. Are a grave digger, grave digger, you've been laying low ever since that Titans playoff loss. Let's be honest. He's on the couch right now. We didn't set up a microphone for him, but the digger comes. He is. This is the first time he's on Mike since you know, the middle of the playoffs, your boy, Mike Rabel. I thought they did a good job at this because Rabel took that team to another division time. I know it's a soft division, but you know they won eleven games and had so many injuries that they dealt with. Uh and he just got a contract extension, so that's well, it's well earned right for the Titans. I think he was the the obvious candidate to win. Erica made a nice bet with William mc ginnis as we were walking over to the red carpet that he wouldn't win, and then got to talk to Rabel about her bet on the red carpet. That's cool. Yeah, where can we hear all that stuff? Um? I don't know, Actually it's something some of it will be on Greg show game debut. There there um something there and it'll it'll be all over. But yeah, I bet Willie mcginnist my West Hollywood house for his Long Beach mansion. That but you don't own the house in West HOLLI but right, so he's but he's getting my rental now, so he has to acquire that monthly. Where where are you going to be relocating to turn Willia into a slum lord? Yeah? Um? And how are you justin that that that was a bitter playoff loss to the Bengals? Uh? Did that one? That must have hit your herd right in the belly. It was a disappointing game when your team gets nine sacks and loses. It's just how's that? Even Jeffrey Simmons was a god and all those performances will just be lost to like the ether. No one's ever going to talk about Jeffrey Simmons getting three sacks in a playoff game, like who cares they lost? It doesn't matter. Are the Titans properly respected at this point by the football people out there? I think, like the thing is like they weren't that bad because they played a pretty good game outside of the quarterback like three. I don't know that when I rewatched that, and then I didn't think it was as much on Tannehill as I did the first time around. And they probably should have won that game to Derrick Henry in forty minutes, right, But they didn't. I think giving you know, I won't say this to Derrick Henry because I'm afraid of him, but giving the ball to Derrick Henry over and over and over and over and over again. Uh, and not having any success. That was a pretty big part of the game, especially when the backup running back had three runs that look better than any of those runs. You're putting Tannehill in a bad There was a lot of problems. There's a lot of problems. We don't need to relitting that this game. But he threw three picks. One was on the first throw of the game that's set up the initial points, the second ones when they're going in for a touchdown that would have changed the game. And the third was that basically sealed their fate. He was he was late, it was rough. It was a terrible offensive performance. Is everything is OK? Go ahead? I want you to share that point. I just want to say that if you're gonna lose to a team, the Bengals were the team, I'm glad. I'm like, as a fan, I'm glad to have lost to that team because I feel like there's something really special about the Bengals and it's just good very noble of you. Now, strict parameters were laid out privately or publicly. I believe by Grave Digger about his personal life and what we can and cannot talk about it. So I won't ask about you know, the thing I saw her last night at honors, that tible rider as a date I did do I have to redact that she's moving into her own apartment. This is apartment of the future. This is rapidly moving forward here. Well, we're not allowed to talk about it, but it seems like not everything is bad for grave Digger. Not everything all right? There he goes play him out, Ricky. That'll help a playoff plus. But she was all dressed up to she looked nice. She looked real nice, real good. It's a good job, I Grave Digger. They listen. There's some hurdles, there's some barbed wire, but you just you throw an old coat over the barbed wire and you get over the fence. All right, Anyway, what is this show about today? Coach of the Year, Frable, Comeback Player of the Year, Joe Burrow beats Stack. Some people a little bit surprised, but everybody calmed down. Deck was okay this year. That was clear that was that was the one chance for injustice happening, and I'm glad that's good. And then the Walter Walter Payton Man of the Year award went to Andrew Whitworthy, left tackle that his speech, by the way, I thought was one of the best moments of the night where he talked about Derek Barnes from the Lions ran up to him after they played Detroit and was like he threw Andrew witt Worth with Worth off after the game. He's like, I just want to know that You'll let you know that when I was a kid at the Boys and Girls Club, you used to sit down and talk to me and tell me that anything was possible. And I'm here because of you. And like, Whitworth is one of the best dudes in the league. And I thought he nailed that speech. Very oldest tackle in NFL history, still one of the best players in the league at his position. That that was an an awesome moment. And you do realize, like how much these awards do mean to the guys like you. You think it's a team game and it's all about inins and losses. No, like you could tell how much Amentum Mike raable. You can definitely tell how much it means to Aaron Rodgers to win a fourth m v P. I think that was a goal for him. Wash his hair, that's how important that right. You definitely are getting the vibe. But from his postgame the post speech press conference too, that he's going to be back in Green Bay. At least, that's the vibe I got. And I think it's funny that there's a post speech press conference, right, but it's good that it's good it's been available, and I think t J Watt was rightly rewarded for this three year run. I don't know if this was even his best year, but he's kind of been outshine because he's going up, going up against Aaron Donald every year, who's at the peak of an all time greatest player every career. Chris was so mad in nineteen that t J Watt did not win. He thought that t J Watt should have. I remember me and him going back and forth. I thought it was Donald and this three year run is is about as great as a pass rushers as anyone's had. So he's a Donalds, a total stud. But this wasn't one of those Donald work with they had twelve and a half sacks um his usual assortment of knockdowns of the quarterback, but it wasn't one of those otherworldly Donald DearS, at least statistically um. And it should be just historical context before we start digging into the game. For Rogers, he's won the m v P now two thousand eleven, two thousand fourteen, two thousand twenty, two thousand twenty one. He's gone back to back, and I know the bloom is off. The Rodgers rose because of some of the assinine comments he made during the year and all the appearances and then of course another one and done playoff oustair. But at the same time, I don't know how you can get furious that he won MVP. He was awesome again this year. You know, he was great and and it is a regular season award. Ultimately, I think the three guys that got the votes were all legitimate options, Brady, Cup and Rogers. I would have voted Brady, but you can minus Brady. But I with you that Rogers deserved and they also a non SD the Hall of Fame just quickly, guys, happy for Tony BASSELLI, Leroy Butler, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Bryant, Young, Cliff Branch. They put an official in the Hall of Fame, Art McNally, I didn't know that was coming. And then Dick ver Meal Seymour was literally the best player on a Patriots team. That was Joe Cleco in the Hall of Fame before we put in a referee, and all due respect to that zebra, But how don't we get Joe Cleco the only defender to ever be All Pro at three different positions. So my high school locker room outside where the football coach resided, how did Joe Cleco letter? Joe Cleco had written the type written um. I think was actually like one of those tapped out things like a transmission for some reason from George. Yeah, it was all it was. It seemed almost military like, but I used to look at it all the time. Joe clecka was a dominating force. Don't forget Andrew beck Salute to Service award. I don't even know what what's going on there, but nice job by him. Oh, I'm sure it's certainly worthy of I know you're trying to make light of it, but I'm not. I'm looking at the winners. We didn't mention that Andrew Beck won thet You didn't mention the Fan of the Year or like the ground and Pound FedEx Player, So it's you know, there are some awards that get a little less. The military matters to me, Greg, and that's why I mentioned it. You can certainly find other areas in the NFL media breakdowns of the FedEx Ground and Air Player of the Year. We steer if you must, unless they pay us, if fed Excellence to cut a check, we will play that up harder than the m v P. That would be the only thing we talk about. Jonathan Taylor, what a winner? All right, let us um get into the overall discussion of the big game. It is the Bengals, it is the Rams. It is a matchup of two number four seeds. I don't know if that's ever happened before, has it? Of all the data, no, Greg Digger shaking his head. No. Uh So, this has been an unlikely journey, obviously more so with Cincinnati. And I think one thing that's been lost uh here, Greggy, is the Bengals are an incredible store. I think they are going to be. In fact, we know it to be true. They are I think the team that most people want to win this game. Uh, but the Rams. It's a great story in Los Angeles to the Matthew Stafford angle. Um, this the rise of Cooper Cup, a guy like Andrew Whitworth getting another crack, the guy that played forever in Cincinnati by the way, um Odell Beckham, Sean McVeigh getting a chance to, um, you know, exercise some demons after he kind of had a letdown game in his first Super Bowl appearance. Like these are major figures of the modern NFL on the l A side of things. So it's just a great set up for a game, right, I think it In terms of your rooting interests, it's like you could either root for the fan base and the story and the magic of sports and underdogs and and that the Bengals have all that, or or you can you're a fan of the sport and you root for greatness. And the Rams have three first ballot Hall of famers on their defense alone, name of I mean, Von Miller is a Super Bowl m VP, Aaron Donald is maybe the greatest player of all time. And Jalen Ramsey I think is gonna get there. I mean he has to keep keep knocking those out. But there's only three cornerbacks in the history of the game that have made first team All Pro three times in their first six years, and he is He's one of those three. So so he's on his way and a coach that took us by storm when he came into the league. And I think, even though I pick on his game management, sometime doesn't get enough credit for all the stuff you don't see behind the seams in terms of building that organization, coaching up coaches, coaching up players, actually being a teacher. Like they are one of the defining teams of the last five years. So yeah, you don't have to root for the owner or the fan base, but in terms of just like greatness and the players, and certainly throw oh b J and Cooper Cup into that mix too, Like there there's a lot to love and their their approach to how they built this roster. I mean, the Rams do things differently, and I think that they were a team that entered this season with as much pressure on them and around them and on Sean McVeigh and less sneat as any team in the league because more on themselves in the middle of the season with those moves. Absolutely, I mean but they jelled, they've worked out, and I think it's like instructive that there are a lot of different ways to um construct a roster. And there's was about his wild West gun slinging as you could find and here they are. I think that's well put. I think the if you are somebody who has been following our league for years and watches NFL films properties like all or nothing, they all are nothing season on the RAMS um when Jeff Fisher was fired and he was waved holding a little white dog and waving goodbye to the team. But first ever, like emo NFL Films season, it was just kind of sad and that and that and that was a dreadful RAMS team. And the last episode of that particular series was the introduction of Sean McVeigh and he's going, you know, being introduced um around on the team complex and he you know, he seemed very sharp in that in that brief cameo, and then he turned out to be everything they could have ever wanted. And he has built that program with less sneed there as well. Their team building has been unorthodox but effective. And then yeah, it's just like what we saw from Sean Payton in New Orleans. How you could change that culture just by having a really smart, dedicated football dude on the sideline and behind the scenes. And I think McVeigh is such a powerful figure, and yet Mark the Rams are not the biggest story here. One of his disciples, Zach Taylor, is the head coach of the Bengals, And on some level, if you have to like talk about how this game is gonna play out, you could see this as in forty eight hours a coronation of Joe Burrow is one of the biggest stars in America. Yeah, because Joe Burrow is magic. He's magically there's something about him that you look at the way these two teams sit right now and kind of everything logically points to the Rams. They have the better roster. I mean, the Bengals don't even I would say the Bengals have like the fourth best roster in the a f C, fifth or something. It's like that, it's not what stands out about them. And they've gotten here in a in a wonderfully um story driven way, and they do have that angle to them. But Joe Burrow kind of everything that you would say against the Bengals, Joe Burrow kind of wipes it all away because you just believe and what he what's capable and Joe Burrow has not had the greatest games to get here. They hasn't been They've been more of a field goal offense in many ways, they have not completed drives. I mean, we've talked as much about their field goal kicker. I think Zach Taylor is under for eleven in the red zone in the postseason. Yeah, I mean, it's just that it hasn't been the explosive version of this offense that they unfurled against a number of teams like the Ravens and the Steelers in the regular season. I really want to see what happens on early downs in this game because I think that they've really pressed Zach Taylor with you know, running the ball on first down. And I don't think you can be a Bengals team in this game against the Rams where you're into obvious third and long passing situations. This is a team that probably is gonna have to go for it on fourth down in some situations where others would not um pedal, foot on the pedal, hyper aggressive and that's on Zach Taylor, who you know, Sean mcveighs under an think more pressure in this game. We don't really know that much about Zach Taylor. Still at this point, he's gonna have to show us that he can basically put this offense into hyper drive. I I really wonder. I think that's the question of the game of how aggressive they'll be, because it's funny they come from the same coaching tree and yet neither of these teams look like Rams at all. Like how much are the Bengal Is gonna go out of empty because that's what Joe Burrow does best, and that's where he's most comfortable. Against the Titans, they did at the whole game, and he got sacked nine times. Against the Chiefs, they barely did it at all. It was hyper conservative, six seven man offensive lines that didn't work that well either. Now you're going against the best pass rush that you've face. I think the Rams are even better than than the Titans, that they're good throughout, and there there's like no right answer. But when you think of like the outside zone of what Todd Gurley was doing in eighteen and in CJ. Anderson, and then you think of the play action and and Zach Taylor's on that steps like that's not here for either one of these teams. It's very different. And I think ultimately the Bengals, to your point, Mark, are gonna have to kind of just put the ball into Burrows hands because I don't think they're gonna be able to run that well against the Rams. Anyways. The Rams just shut down the forty niners in that outside zone, so they've seen a much better version of it. They just shut down the Buccaneers, and they're running game like as good as von Miller and Leonard Floyd are rushing the pastor they're better stopping the run. I think it's gonna have to be creative, but it's also gonna have to be very past first, and that's like a high risk reward scenario, and I think that's where they're at. But in their you could say, well, Angles have this potential generational quarterback. He's like the new name of just let him throw it forty times and carry the victory. I don't know, that's not what you're saying. It's not that simple, but it's almost like the big mismatch in this game and how the game gets wrecked potentially for everyone that wants a Cincinnati fairytale is that they're not gonna be able to protect Burrow. And if you it would take another worldly performance by an offensive line that is not very good. It is especially um vulnerable in the middle and you and you just wonder if as much as they want to say, let Joe cook here, they're gonna know, like, we need to mix things up. We can't have these We can have Von Miller and Leonard Florid Aaron Donald pinning back their ears knowing that this team is just going to be a pass happy offense for four quarters. I wonder if that has to be more balanced game plan. And maybe that's why it was against the Chiefs, because they don't trust their offensive line to pass protect right. And they were I don'tn't even say they were balanced against the Chiefs. They were conservative. They were set sometimes eight man on eight guys on the offensive line. They were so afraid. And yeah, they they don't think they could protect Burrow. But I think you can throw the ball quickly and that's it. I mean, he also only got sacked one times against the Chiefs. I think both of these defensive coordinators are gonna play as conservative as humanly possible. They're gonna back up and they're gonna give up five yard throws to some a J. P. Ryan and mixing and slants over the middle, assuming Zama can play in this game to Azama and Tyler Boyd. And it's a lot of Joe Burrow just getting rid of the ball and maybe that's not really that fun and at some point he's gonna hold the ball and make the first guy or two miss, But I think it's a lot of short passing and that that's the way that they can do this. Yeah, I think, like to Greg to your point, like this rams front versus the line, because it's like we typically spend um two days preparing and talking about sixteen games, but it's like all this this has been two weeks talking about one and the Bengals offensive line seems to be the huge X factors. There's just no way around it. I mean, I know the Titans game happened in this gape that the nine sacks scenario, but in the five other games where teams compiled five or more sacks against the Bengals, they were one and four, and it did change what Burrow was able to do and and how quickly is to get rid of the ball and like a chemo Dnity and Isaiah Prince on the right side. I mean, you could just stack Aaron Donald von Miller, Greg Gaines on that side and n Robinson. I know, it's like completely different. We're all supposed to like love Zach Taylor and he's done a good job. But if you wanted to criticize Active, the number one thing is they haven't fixed the offensive line. It's not really any better than a year ago. And a lot of it I think it is game planning and coaching that they haven't come up with ways like that, the same sort of communication problems. When you watch the coaches film and stuff, a lot of it is just guys don't know what to do, that they're not cohesive. Two guys are blocking one while another guy's just coming in free. And we talked about and we've talked about the nine sex in the divisional round and he was only sack Burrow one time in the a f C title game. But that doesn't mean like he was sitting back there all day. He the reason, one of the main reasons they pulled off that incredible comeback was his escapability. That he was able to dodge pressure, pick up huge first downs with his legs. Now Here's here's one thing. The Chiefs weren't known as a pass rushing team. Is he gonna be able to scrambles effectively an escape when you have Aaron Donald prominently involved, that von Miller who's playing at a prime level, he's crankked back the clock. And Leonard Floyd who hasn't done as much in the playoffs but still as a presence, who's had two weeks off to get his body right. I mean that is it's that's the game to me, Like, how does Burrow handle that? Now, these teams don't Neither team is gonna be blitzing a lot, as we understand if you look at like their traits and the fact that Stafford, Stafford and Burrow both light up the blitz. So this is gonna be like does the natural pass rush of the Rams rec havoc on the game? It's the only way, Greg, I think the Rams this turns into everyone is everyone's predict ding. You know, a game that's anywhere between a one and four point finish in terms of margin. The only way this thing's go sideways If Cincinnati has a wretched game and Burrow starts throwing it up for grabs and bad things happen. Right, It's testing Joe burrows superpower to the end degree. His superpower is his pocket movement. It was the first game of his career and it is now. It's him not worrying about that first pass rusher, moving subtly and making it happen. I sort of disagree. I either think the Bengals are gonna win this game in a come back and it'll be close, or the Rams win convincingly. I I sort of t I kind of trusted, right, That's what I I mean in terms of like predicting the game being one to four, it wouldn't surprise me. Those feel like the two outcomes. I I like the Bengals in a spot where they keep it close enough and it ends up coming down to the end. And you and you do have some mismatches. You have Jamaar Chase can beat Jalen Ramsey on a go ball, Like if if Jalen Ramsey has a weakness that it like Tee Higgins against Darius Wims, that's a huge size of mismatch. Like this secondary for the Rams has has been good, but I think you can still go after their safeties and like it could happen or or what you're saying, it's true and it's there, just overwhelming and it looks like last year's Super Bowl, except that's what playing the role the chief because when we were sitting well, we weren't on radio role last year because there was a like a disease that ruled um. But that was as much as we were talking about how injuries were a thing for the Chiefs on their line, and their line was a question mark. Nobody could have predicted what would happen when the when the stakes were at their highest. The Bucks just took over that game in the trenches and turned it into just they just abused Patrick Mahomes. That can happen here, and I think the I think with the Rams, that's where I see obviously the mismatch, you have it there and uh, if they can win that battle, things are very different now on the offensive side of the ball for the Rams, they're they're arry interesting team. I think they are. They ranked in the league uh in the regular season from a rushing perspective that has not gotten better in the playoffs. In fact, cam Akers came back from the Achilles and it's a great story, but he's averaging two point seven yards per carry. He had two wretched fumbles that almost ruined their season the divisional playoffs. Um, maybe Darryl Henderson and Sony Michelle give them something the super Bowl. But a lot is gonna be on Stafford's shoulders here. And there's nothing mark that we've seen in the last three weeks of football to tell us that he won't answer the bell. But he's also throwing some balls up for grabs. Jaquis Tart, how are you doing? But literally, how are you pale? If you're listening? Um, So there will be opportunities for Cincinnati even if Stafford continues to play at this level. Yeah, I mean the Bengals have only lost two games all year. Wasn't we keep on? Like I was on Sky Sports this morning and they had the Tart replay and starts like driving down the I five today to go get a coffee. The hair you know it's sunny out that you know, climate change is made eighty degrees in the Bay Area. And then he's listened to his favorite podcast and suddenly Dan just drops a hammer on him and his very he has never listened to this show in his life, the climate change a little you know, dig in there too interesting, getting political? Mark, I know you threw your arms up. Listen. It's a conversational show sometimes what things happen. I did, Yes, you did. I I apologize. I want I thought I wanted to extend the Tart conversation a little bit more. Be my guest. I mean I I'm at the point now where like if this has felt like a four hundred day week, I want to be taken out of here by ambulance. Um uh yeah. I think that the Stafford mistakes. Stafford mistakes are a key because I mean, when they've melted down and it's been a while, because he's been rather pristine in the playoffs, and I kind of believe that this Rams team that you know, you added pieces, you added O b J. They've gone through some ups and downs in terms of jelling, but now they're here and the only thing that concerns me about the Rams is, you know, Sean McBey talked about the two week period before that Patriots Super Bowl that he started to get into a mode of overthinking that they got way too tight preparing for that game. In that game itself, and what concerns me is that if they had one of these scenarios where Stafford makes early mistakes and the Bengals are loose and feeling themselves, do you get the tight version of the Rams, which we've seen a couple of times they've been blown out in the in those scenarios. They absolutely have And so it's like, I, I, you know, the Bengals. What I was going to mention was they've only lost two games by seven or more points, so they're not a team that, um, I think will get blown out. I just don't see that in this situation. I mean, other than the game they didn't play their starters as much as we see. It's a talent mismatch in theory. The Bengals just beat the Chiefs twice in the biggest two games of the year in a row, and they beat the Titans. Like, I don't care how I'm just saying, like this is a bit different. I'm just saying, uh, in their biggest games of the year, here's what they did. They put a forty burger on the Ravens. They beat the Chiefs to win the division, and then they just rolled through the a f C. And I know they haven't won these games, like incredibly convincingly, but they beat the one seed, they beat the Chiefs two times. It's like I at this point, whatever it is that they're doing, it's working, and I think it's defensively. It can start on the outside of their pass rush Hendrickson and Hubbard against Whitworth and Havenstein, and that actually is the strength on strength. It's the strength of the Rams offensive lines certainly. But Whitworth was coming back from an injury. He's now gotten a couple of weeks to rest. I think that's a plus. He was not the same in the NFC Championship. He had a rough game of it, and he was playing against a great opponent in Fort nick Bos forty. But this if if Hubbard and Hendrickson can have a game and they don't come off the field, So I think the extra week is good for them to they just stay on the field. They're gonna play every single down and it's gonna be up to those two guys if they can get some pressure on Stafford. Because you're right, Dan, to your point about Stafford versus the Blitz. Staff it's good right now versus any everything. But he's especially good versus the Blitz. They're gonna need this. He is the highest grade against the blitz of anyone in the next gen stats era. So I don't think that's you know, that's not a deficiency on any level. It's the opposite. I want to dig in a little bit deeper on the matchups here um and talk about the number two, number two wide receiver on ball teams, the number two cornerbacks on ball teams, because I think, obviously and I think it's gonna be so exciting to see it. Cooper Cup having an all time season, He's over two thousand yards now regular season in playoffs, I think he's closing on like two hundred yards or something insane like that. And then on the other side, Jamaar Chase and those guys are gonna eat. We know they are. But what does te Higgins do, especially if he is lined up against Darius Williams, who is a guy who is surrendered a passer rating near one hundred and it's not at an interception all season. Then you look on the other side of the field and there's Odell Beckham, and Odell Beckham is coming off his best game as a RAM and guess what Odell Beckham could see a lot of coverage against Eli Apple, who is the very definition of a journeyman cornerback. These are mismatches now. Jalen Ramsey is an interesting guy in this all this too. He's the best defensive player uh in either secondary and who does Jalen Ramsey cover. He could end up covering both the top two receivers for the Bengals. But either way, one of those guys is going to have a matchup advantage, and if the qbs on each side have a chance to tear up those mismatches, that could change the game as well. It's been interesting to see how they've used Ramsey in the playoffs. It's been totally different than the rest of the time he's been with the Rams. He's been an outside corner again, he's been what he was in Jacksonville. The whole idea with Ramsey and l A was like, we're gonna play him in the slot and that way he impacts the running game and he's in the mix and and everyone who was getting all worried worked up about that. That That hasn't been the case in the playoffs. He traveled with Mike Evans, but he was also on the outside against the Bucks and the Cardinals, it's kind of been a sea change. I think it's Rheem Morris, who's had a great playoff run, by the way, he hasn't gotten a lot of pop for it like that, and if Championship he was great. Yeah, I think it's really it's like, hey, let's just use Ramsey for the thing he's best at. And to me, that's just following Jamar Chase around. It's not being in the middle and trying to stop seven yard catches by Tyler Boyd. I think I think you'll see that sort of matchup and you'll see Stafford lean on what I think he's done so well here, which is make the whole read go through his progressions, get to his second and third guy, get to oh b J. It's weird because Stafford I felt was like overrated compared to his numbers throughout the course of the regular season and in the playoffs, he's been almost underrated. He's been the best quarterback in the playoffs, um along with Josh Allen. Like I guess he's not like at that that that insane level, but his three game stretch is easily better than any three games stretch that he had during the course of the regular season. I think the next factor is Joe Mixon in the receiving game, because if you've got this scenario with Jalen Ramsey, I mean, first of all, pressure on Burrow, the results of that could take away the chance for deep shot. It might be more than We've seen a lot of yards after the catch from Bengals receivers number one, but mixing has you know, the run game has not been dominant on any level, but he has been very effective catching the ball, and I think you can match him up against some of these Rams linebackers and make some hay there. Um. I want to talk also about the Cincinnati strategy here on defense because they were able to save their season. I think Lua and a Rumo guy who started uh this season all back in the summer. You know, we had some fun with lou and we had some fun with the Bengals in a lot of ways. Um, just as they were kind of a no name, no name staff and Zach Taylor, what is he gonna show something? Well, all these guys have showed something. Their ability to transition and find a way to slow down Kansas City is to me like the craziest thing that happened in these playoffs. I still can't believe it happened, uh, even a couple of weeks later. And will they will they try to replicate that formula against Stafford, which is a lot of three man rushes. You drop a ton of guys into coverage, and you try to close up the lanes for Stafford, because again, Stafford, even in this great playoff run, he's gonna throw the ball up every once in a while. There is there's a scenario I could see where he could struggle with that type of defense. And look how they got here because they had that big interception against Derek Carr in the wild card game. Obviously they unspooled the Titans with the three interceptions. I thought that to stop against the Chiefs right before halftime, cause psychological damage to that offense and put Patrick Mahomes into a strange place. I mean, we keep talking about Joe Burrow. They've won three playoff games by thirteen points and it's been the turnover, so you almost offense, it's been the defense. You almost have to project a Bengals win including a Matthew Stafford interception or fumble recovery or something. They play so hard on defense. I think that's they play a pretty simplified defense where they're not going to try to confuse you, and and you get guys who are cohesive who communicate that play at the end of the first half you mentioned Mark, When I rewatched that, I realized, like, actually, that wasn't a bad read by Mahomes at all. Tyreek Hill had leverage when he threw the ball. Eli Apple just made a play. Eli Apple made a play. Jesse Bates made a play on that interception, and overtime their defense has been stepping up. And I think to what I mentioned sort of when we started this talk that Zach Taylor knowing Sean McVeigh and just watching how the Ram, he's gonna just beg the Rams to run. And I don't know in that in that place to the Bengals weakness. They're a bad run defense and they're a good past defense. And yet I think they are going to do some of that which light boxes and all that stuff, and just say, if you want to beat us trying to, you know, run six yards at a time, you probably could do it. And that's what we'll ask you to do. And I think Sean McVeigh will be very tempted because that's sort of what he is. Uh. And I think the Bengals want to just get to keep that game close, and I think that's like the way they can win. All right, So there you go, there's a deep dive on the game. We got so much more to get to here. But why don't we take a little break from chopping up Super Bowl fifty six to welcome in a big time guest. Let's do it. Ricky alright joining us now. I said we had big guests, and we got a superstar in our Mythsty is the running back for the Tennessee Titans, Derrick Henry. Welcome to the Around the NFL podcast. Thank you for having me. Good good. Derrick Henry joins us today reminding you to try new Old Spice Gentleman's Blend deodorance and body washes crafted to be gentle on skin with ridiculously long lasting freshness. You could buy Old Spice Gentleman's Blend in stores. Now did you get all that really things coming from out of your mouth? I I'm an old spiceman going back to my father, Derrick Henry, how are you sorry, we know we Uh coming off season, that was another division title. You had the unfortunate foot injury. You made it back for the playoffs. Uh didn't go the way you wanted. And now that team is in the super Bowl. You're gonna watch the game. Yeah, I'll watch the game. Is it is there more of a frustration when you see the team that took you out in January playing or is it you're kind of really frustration with the team, but you know, frustration with how we played in and yourself. I mean, they were just a better team. You can't be frustrated with him. You're watching from home or you go you go into the game. I'll watch him home. Ain't go into the game when you're watching the game with like just regular citizens and you see and know so much more about what you're observing. Is that? How is that? Do you know? It's just hard not to un unleashed tons of knowledge on people about what you're watching. Yeah, sometimes you might have to because this get outrageous sometimes, but most of the time you just sit there and laughing. You're still in tuning with the game. You just just watch the game. But if you hear something outrageous, is like, what, well I was gonna say, because then there's the other thing, like sometimes you have to educate people who might not know what they're talking about, but then they're like, oh, there's Derrick Henry. I'm gonna try to sound like I know what I'm talking about, and then they don't. Do you just keep that to yourself, you'd be like, actually, bro, check yourself. That was a zone. You're not even plugged in on the game at all. On the bank, Do you feel guilty at all just for outshining us so much with your sneakers? I just it's hard for me to not just stare at these Louis Vuitton sneakers. I've never seen anything quite Greg. Greg fancies himself no, not now, not not at all compared to that. His nickname is sneaker Head. Okay, what is that you got, like the crazy closet with seven thousand pairs of shoes? Do you do? Is this like a week where you're going around I don't know if you're going to any No, that's where I'm going nightlife and everything. And you've seen a lot of other players around where it's a little bit of you checking out what the other guys have you're trying to outshine them, well not really all shine him, that feel like I so, um, let's see what they what they're coming with, you know, if I need to stuff about game a little bit. But but yeah, I'm always checking out fashion. A love fashion and love shoes and I've got a lot of them. What about Joe Burrow? Because usually quarterbacks, you know, a lot of them are a little buttoned up and they they don't like, like you said, drippy, They don't like to do the swag thing. And yet he he's all about it. Now Tannehill your quarterback, Maybe maybe I'm missing it. He doesn't seem to go down that same path. Is there is there a drippiness to Bryan Tannehill? Uh? Yeah, Tannehill be dripping Sometimes you come in to lock around and like, okay, I see you. How important is that? Like is the guys really uh is everyone really plugged in in terms of like trying to one up each other? Like how big a part of that is that within the NFL sphere? Um? Uh, It's It's funny because you know some guys, you know, they really you know, like like to look good and um, you know pull it to the game fresh, and some guys are like, man, put some sweat song, let's go play football. But you you usually know the guys who usually bringing each and every week and you look look forward to seeing what they what they have on when you so, Mike Rabel wins Coach of the Year. Very deserving. He was definitely someone that we thought was did an incredible job with that roster that went through so much. Do you do you like, do you have text threads with him? And are you texting him or do you do you feel pressure to call him up on the phone when he does that or do you guys a little more radio silence in the off season? Oh no, I text him last night and UM, total congratulations. I was actually sitting in front of him, UM during the show. I text him last night and UM, total congrats. Um. He definitely deserved it, like you said, with everything that went on this year and what what what he was able to do. Um, with him and the coaching staff and with everything how and how they played, and um, you know, it was definitely cool and to see him get the award. Is he funny behind the scenes or is he very serious? Man can be funny, but he could be serious, but he's funny too. I wouldn't want to make him mad. He feels like he would be funny, but when he'd be funny, he might be kind of cutting. Like he does. He ever take people down a little bit when he's showing, uh, maybe players that weren't so great from Sunday and he's just making fun of the players in front of everyone. Uh No, I mean that they're not a circle. Greg. You don't get that answer. That just comes with the territory. I mean, when you play a game on Monday, you gotta go watch the film and um, you know, see what you did and what you need to do, what you need, what you need to do better. But I always tell him, I'm like, man, I wish you put them past him. Yeah. Yeah, I just assumed, like Rabel, you know, he's a Patriots guy at heart, And I always assumed, like anybody that comes out of that building, they have a sense of humor just scrubbed out of them until there's just no personality anymore. Back Jones, their quarterback, was on the red carpet for honors yesterday, and our producer Erica asked him who wins the game? And he goes as I don't want to say we personality is important, Derrick Henry. We need more of that, don't we. Yeah, I mean you you gotta have a personality. I feel like that brings you more opportunities. You know, and people see old school you really are old spice and things like that. But you know that that patriot, that patriotarch can sneak up, you know a little bit, you know, if you're being around it for a long time. One old spice question, like do players put on deodorant before a game or do you want do you want to maybe smell as bad as possible to keep up keep people away from you. I know I want to smell good before a game, But some people have different strategies, you know. It makes it so funny, Like some players take a whole shower for a game. I'm like, you've been a shower to get right, What is the point of that? I agree? Also, if they go down this road, let's just go down the road, because you like, like Tony Saragosa tells stories about guys that like, don't even go to the bathroom. They gotta go to the bathroom. They just right there. They don't even go back to the locker room. Is that the thing in your ut I really don't know. I don't want to know if you Pete or getting the betune yourself at all. You keep that between yourself and who who are we playing against? But Olde can save that. Everybody has crazy. I mean you, you would be surprised in the crazy stories that you hear. What guys do this strategy wise? As far as game days, everybody's different, Derek. We've been on a journey with Titans fans this year just in general, and we've appreciated the team, but there were so many injuries there there was times when there was certainly doubt of like whether the Titans could keep winning. We we have a big time Titans fan here. He actually has a podcast. He's also a producer at the NFL Network, justin Graver here, and he he represents a group that I think come came after a lot of national media that they weren't getting enough respect throughout the year, and I feel like the Titans fans they almost became a little annoying. What what is your relationship with the Titans fans? Do you think they they come too hard at us or you like them having your back that much. Yeah. Man, they just they profited about the team and it wanted to get the recognition. You know. You know usually we really we don't. I guess this is a small market. But and in the day, we love the unendowed mentality. You know, we don't need a recognition. We just try to go out there and play on Sundays or whatever day wherever other day it is, and let that speak for ourselves. But you know, Titans really much recognitions. Y'all know that you should we should share. Great for the nickname that you came up with for the Titans defense with Derek. Yeah, oh yes. What do you think of the Tennessee tickle monsters as the nickname for the defensive line? I don't think nobody on the even line laughing at all at home. Yeah, just you gotta drop that. It doesn't seem to resonate with it with the You gotta read the rooms at the Big Jeff and Bud you called them tickle monsters. Don't see that? Gave it a shout out on Instagram. Big Jeff was very anti Jeff was so mad he nearly killed Joe Burrow in the playoffs. Jeff, before we let you go dark. I need to say, um, we love watching you play. You just turned twenty eight, you have prime years ahead of you. Do you think maybe the Gravers Titans are giving you the ball too much? I know running back loves the rock, but these three hundred carry seasons, these four hundred touch seasons, should we just dial it back so you have the juice in your mid thirties or are you different than everyone else anyway? Um? I mean I had a fortune unfortunate injury this year. UM. I think it comes with the style of play, you know, And um, I feel like as a game goes on, um, I just get stronger and I and I get into better rhythm, whether that's two carries or running backs, just like come up to and be like, how do you do this? Man? Because there aren't really a lot of running back There aren't any running backs literally in the last fifteen years. It's done anything like that. Yeah, they always be they always say something, um about about the areas you know, which you know in NFL. I mean, you're gonna be sorry, your body's gonna be bande up a little bit. But it's about the recovery process each week to get your body filing right. So you can go out there performing. You just tell him like I'm tougher than you. Sorry, man, you just tell them asking like I'm just tougher than you. I guess I tell him it's all in the I don't know. I don't know if you're happy with your representation or not. But I just want to say I don't have any experience in the agent realm, but if I was your agent, I would build in massive escalators for every game that was over thirty touches, like you want him to touch about thirty times. Million dollars in week seven, two million in week eight. I'm just from there and there. What do you think that's not too bad, Derrick Henry, we'll talk business off, Mike. Thank you so much for joining us, and enjoy the rest of the radio road journey. Yes, sir, thank you, Derrick Henry. Give it up right up there, he goes Derrick Henry. They got a little weird, and uh, I don't have a problem with it. I think sometimes you have to hit the hard hitting questions and I like, I like getting weird with the you know, in these interviews, it's been good. How did you did you feel a connection there? Um not? The same way I did with Justin Herbert. It was just special. There was a special occurrence. I mean, it was a delightful guest and I'm glad that you know, Grave Digger could yeah, pashed out with a bit, comported himself. Well there and you got a photo his eye. Henry's eyes lit up when I mentioned that you had the podcast and suddenly he was he was much happier to be here that. I think that's where the correction was. It was between you two, so you can't we can't be greedy about the connection stuff. It's I'm a little bit. It was, and I appreciate you guys for greg thanks for saying all that, making it known to the king who I was. I guess, yeah, although then you had to do them up on that. Yeah, I wanted to know what a Titans player would think of he actually was. He almost had a visceral reaction. I think I think that should to be the ultimate decider. I know he's not on the defensive side of the ball, but I agree. I think even my incredible video promoting the nickname is not enough to overcome down on this podcast in a big spot, in a big spot, all right, let's get into Oh yes, it's a tradition. Sandwich props. Go get my lunch. Your monster, you tickle monster? What is it? Yeah, tennessee tacko monster. Oh listen to that, uh marker, miso miso. Phony must be really triggered. I do not like that sound. I never have. I still do not. Okay, let's work through it. We're gonna each make two propositions connected to Super Bowl fifty six and see how it all pays out. I will get us going. I have like a more traditional one here, but I really want to hit it again. Boys that it is tremendous that we get two put chill. Both have a long way to go, but they have Hall of Fame potential. And Cooper Cup and Jamaar Chase and both coming off just spectacular seasons. The star um playmakers on each side of this game. So it's two parts. Both Jamar Chase and Cooper Cup go over a hundred yards receiving. I feel very confidentbo, both those guys are gonna eat. But I've gotta I know it's a super Bowl, so you gotta raise the steaks. One of those two men will get there by halftime. I love it. I love it. That is, um, you know, a field full of illegally grown onions, like they're putting h h into these onions. Um, there you go. Onions are sitting on top of the right, on top of the ground. Put them on the ground and it's like then it's like the size of the convention Center because that's big. You try to use onions, you'll like them, the real sweet onions. So I definitely taken. I wonder if that farmer knows that he's part of the show. I wonder if he's with us at this point. Found that clip, um, because even I might have even taken they both get over a hundred. Football is hard. I think it's gonna be a defensive game. And wouldn't surprise me if one of them is eight five yards in this game? You know, well, Dan is the ultimate showman. So I loved the the adam there and I'll take you on it because it's that's how you do that. I also wanted to set the bar here. This is the super Bowl, so now I need let's go big. Do you want to break? Do you want me to throw it to Mark first? No? Alright, it's fine, um Joe and have at least eight, Karen, Let's do right, Let's do something more creative. It's more like I was doing like over unders and you know, reasonable ones. How about to be more creative, Jamaar Chase will deliver a meaningful block in this game that people talk about. Have we moved on to Sessler? How many? A little? A little? No? I mean, not like it's gonna make the news. You know, it's a cheerleader, you know, being in the news. For instance, Actually in the a f C Championship game, one of their touchdowns, Jamaar Chase, it was on the p Ryan touchdown, made the key block to get him into the end zone. Now, maybe not everyone's talking about that after the game, but I would show it to you and say, like, Jamar Chase made the key block. He does that often. He's been known for a couple of monster blocks down the field throughout the course of the season that would have qualified for me. Uh and I would then point it out. So it's a little tricky in terms of how you judge this, but Jamaar Chase makes a memorable block in this game. That's crucial. I am not taking you on this. It's far too it's far too vague. It's like it's unprovable that it's um swept the nation as you say, it's not going well. No, you guys. First of all, First of all, you act like street when I do that, and it's like, I, I don't know how to judge this. It's two. It's hurting my mind. I like the concept. Take you up on it, because I think that. I mean, he is a very good football player. He's just not a playmaker. But the chances that he makes a big tangible impact in the game will be remembered as making a play with the ball in his hands. I would think, right, I'm saying a block like either on a touchdown or a decisive like a block, it could be they're done or where's the onion? Guy? With this one, it's not an onion that is it is I was trying to block. I was trying to yes, because how many times the wide receivers make memorable blocks. Not too often, but he he is one of the best blocking wide receivers. And one thing about him is like he has always I love for a superstar receiver. Ball to the wall, a hundred miles an hour, always the first guy celebrated, always the first guy like running after your I wish the best for you on this, Greg, I hope it's an exciting journey for you. All right up next? Oh okay, Mark Cecil, I'm trying to decide what to do here. Um, I'm just gonna start with this one. A non QB will complete a massive pass in this game that is talked about, Well, then we're then we can make a tag team on that to learn your thirties are filled with disappointment. Seriously, I would literally just slack down being like, oh I got a really good one. That's it. I'm keeping that nice and simple. I mean, it's and it's one that we will be talking about tangibly pass. It would be like it could be as like earth shaking, um like chain moving first down or potentially even a score. I'm not seeing a has to be one of those. But it's not gonna be a three yard completion or something that's to be like that's not like a little wildcat. I think we're talking like a surprise play to some degree, a trick play to some degree. But I would imagine on like a fourth a fourth down type thing. Well, it's a non QB completing a pass that we think is a pivotal I'll take it. I'll take you out of just because that's the way to win this game. But that's what the NFL is now, like the offenses have changed and trick plays aren't so tricky anymore. It's part of the basic playbook. You at some point these teams both have it in their playbook. They want to try that, want me to replace it with a different one. Tyler Boyd. Tyler Boyd's good at it. O v J is good at it. It's one of the most popular props to bed on. Actually is is non qbs either complete a pass or completely a touch. I'm going for mass appeals. So I'm not I'm I'm not taking on or trying to take out your prop. I'm just saying, like, if that happens, it wouldn't be one of those like that's a strain on this on the sandwich, Greg. No, it is not like the wide receiver is gonna block someone. I mean, what are we doing here? But that that is that is when when is anyone talking about a wide receiver block? That is fairly rare. It's fairly rad All right, there we go. So you you took I'm taking you on. Yeah, I'll take you up on as well. All right, one more round, I will move move. I like to talk about the halftime show, So let's let's hit the halftime show here. Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige. It's the first hip hop, the true first hip hop halftime show. And um, I was going through the list of songs right that that should be in the playlist, and it's crazy because it is. It really is hip hop, especially in nineties two thousands of hip hop is the new classic rock of of our generation. There's just so many memorable hits that it's gonna be hard. It's a twelve minute halftime show. So what I'm gonna do is I came up with like twelve songs that everyone would know as soon as they started playing Uh Jin and Juice, Drop it like It's hot the next episode, The Real Slim Shady Forgot about Dre, Lose Yourself, Humble, Family Affair, and nothing but a g Thing, Like all songs that I think would make sense. Hit that again, Ricky, but I'm gonna say the opener and the closer I'm gonna predict I'm gonna nail it. This is one of the most memorable, instantly recognizable musical cues in the history of hip hop. It is still Dre off his chronic two thousand one comeback album. This is how it opens. Place blows up as soon as you hear this. Okay, So this is the opener, and then I think it closes. I think it closes with California Love because I think it's it's one of the great hip hop songs ever. It's the super Bowl first Super Bowl and Southern California in thirty years. It's all about West Coast hip hop. Open still Dre close California Love. Maybe we get a little Tupac hologram action. That's just speculation on California Love. But we'll see. I think nailed out. I'll take you up on it. The California Love things tricky, of course, because no Tupac Um. I mean, I'm just saying you're playing, you're closing with the song where the key the key member is no longer alive. So that that that's why I think there's some shenanigans a foot potentially. Um, I'll take you up on it. I agree with the opener I if I had to pick a closer and we could do some side sandwiches under I'm gonna go all right by Kendrick Lamar. I think I know that closing. First of all, Kendrick Lamar is the biggest and most relevant person there. I think, well, Greg likes wrap, so you have to. I'm just saying, but I'm saying of this crew of who's on top, now, who's the who's the kid of the most recent big hit with I mean, come on, uh, the Legacy Acts, he's the guy. My point is that was like the anthem of the Black Protests from two years ago. It's the most meaningful song maybe from any of their catalogs. It's also instantly recognizable and gets everyone singing, and I think it goes um with everything that's been happening in this country and and what they're wont might want to leave you with. So I'm going all right his family though everyone altogether. Family affair might close it to everybody would like a medley. They're not closing with Mary. We're getting the headshake, and he's not into my points. I like, I like my point. I think they're be a social justice component to the show. I'd be surprised if there wasn't Um. However, to make it the closer, I think they want to close with like even like Listen. I don't think Eminem would close the show. I Thinkdrey is closing it, but like lose Yourself. That could be like a song that they closed. That's like become a sports anthem with its own right, It's very can't wait, we're gonna will there be a surprise performer? Well, I either Tupacs still alive or I mean Warren g came out and did regulate at the playoff game, right, and he's had a wild card. I appreciated that was there. It was great. I will take you um minus commentary. Okay, um, you're more in the Chris Russo Vayne you have you have nothing to say just now. I just I see the um. We have the fantasy show trailing us in there. It's starting to get their faces are starting to grow red. So I don't need to add part of our career where we were like, well, Damna, check, get off the stage. It's our time now, like he's going forty minutes late. Yeah, that alright? This episode all right, here we go one more for each of you boys. See, I had another Marcus type one which was like the noise will create a key offensive penalty, because I think noise will be a big effect. I don't want to go with that as a standard. I'm gonna go Joe Burrow. It's is sacked less than three times, so two or I love it. I'm taking you to two and a half. Yeah, two and a half is the number, so you has to be under that. Oh yeah, I think Donald love to himself, So I'm giving some love to the Bengals game planning and Joe Burrow. It's a good one. I'll definitely take it. Okay, it's a good one though. That's a lot of I really recovered from the block that you guys didn't make. I think it was good. I think happened. You know what, You're gonna have justice because I think it's going to occur. I think it's gonna occur in the gaming. You're gonna you misunderstanding me then, because it probably would have only occurred three times in this season that that like twice. I'm trying to tell you that I think this is and the one you were just about to go there is like the crowd noise that the Super Bowl is gonna cause a false start. It's like, all right, we're back on track. That's a compliment to you, buddy, Mark. All right, I want to take you back to a date in time, February seven, the Saints called Super Bowl. Remember how they came out of after the halftime show, forty minute long halftime scenario on side kick. I was there. Sean Payton, who we just saw walk by us all week long before the game, said we're calling it ambush, and we're gonna do it. If the situation is right, We're gonna do it. I'm telling you right now, the second whoever kicks off in the second half is going on side kick ambush. The sequel, Okay, I mean it. I'll definitely take you on and put it in the books. It'd be funny that if they named it after I'm calling it that play from the Saints, then they have no connection. But it's it is a sequel to that. I'll take a terrible special teams um group with the Rams definitely their weakest part of their game, uh in their team all year long. So maybe the Bengals take advantage of that and catch them by sues. I like that. All right, there you go. Those are the sandwich props for Super Bowl. Make sure you check out. Go get my lunched up. Do you have? I was gonna do the past, but then I was also thinking that with the Acres news and everything, that Sony Michelle will score a touchdown. Oh that's good. I like that because Henderson is also playing in this game. It's definitely some onions there, but I like that. I think they would trust him. I'll take you up on it, just for the spirit of the game. I like it. Before we get to the all important locks, you guys gotta decide whether you're taking her. I will take it. I mean, I think it's a Sonny Michelle. Nice nice operations, Sony Michelle. What is it. I'm not gonna take you on. I'm not taking you on it. I don't know why. I just I just don't want to take it. You gotta feeling in the onions about it, Yeah, deep in the onions. All right. Before we get to the all important uh lock and game picks a special guest here, especially for our international listeners. We know you're out there, loud and proud. Jordan my Latta, one of the great success stories of the International Pathway program for the NFL. Sat down on the couch with us, very large man star for the Philadelphia Eagles. Here's that conversation, all right, very excited to have this man with us. He is Jordans my Latta. He is a star tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles. But with a different type of journey, you know. Jordan's first of all, welcome to the Round the NFL podcast. Everyone talks about on and on about Tom Brady on nine overall pick in two thousand. You went to thirty three in two thousand eighteen, and now you are a star offensive lineman in the NFL. Had already I would say you've had a better career, but it's if people are not aware. This is one of the great success stories, um for when you look at the league from an international perspective. Jordan is Australian. He came to the league via the International Player Pathway program, which are a man handsome Hank Henry Hodson. There is a major figure, UH with that. And you went from playing rugby in Australia and not even playing a down of American football to four years later signing a massive extension with the Eagles. How did you do it? How did you manage this the way you have? Ah? Man, it was it was a long journey. It was a long journey. Wasn't easy. Um, But with handsome Hank's help. Funny, I mean in Australia you call him handsome too. I'm gonna now I have not a choice to now. I didn't know that he is handsome. You were saying, yeah, he looks like in Hollywood. Yeah, people don't know. Henry actually spends the entire offseason walking up and down the streets in various countries and he just saw you in Australia and he is the one that that really discovered you. But how did how does it happen? Because I don't think any of us sitting here could can speak with um real knowledge of the Australian the rugby. But how did you learn? We hear all the time about office. Fine, it's a tacticians game. You have to know how to use your hands, how to use leverage, how to how to play the play the position. How did you pick it up so quickly? Was there a connection to the previous sport that you excelled in? Um? Now that you confently translate anything over from rugby. I think it's just a whole different skill set, two different sports. Um. I think the one thing I did carry over from rugby, it was probably my my aggression. Um yeah, but that that came after I learned how to play. I'd like to think that I had some sort of i Q before I came to the sport in order to learn the sport. You know, like you just said it's a tactician's position. It wasn't. You're in a cave when you just said the word aggression. Mark actually like started to lean back because you guys are next to each other. It's quite a picture, I I personally, I mean, just you could destroy where we going. No, you know, I just I just like to think that I had some sort of street smart and book smarts, you know, to allow me to to learn the game. It had to be the intellectual element of it had to be huge to kind of getting ramped up. Yeah. I think the more repetitions I got reading over the place, um, and then going out on the field just learning the technique, it's kind of just excelled my learning. And that's really how I liked learning, was just doing it physically that you talked like the playbook you said was just like picking up a completely foreign language. I mean what an NFL playbook is dense, it's thick, it's um involved. Like, how how do you even begin to pick that up coming in as an adult versus starting, you know, youth football. Yeah, it's basically like a dictionary. Dictionary and the source all one. It's like, when I first saw the playbook, can they open the binder folder? Well, this is a bind a fold of the I don't know. I think the Eagles had like a little folder. And when I saw how thick it was, I was I was like, come on, this is a joke. This is come on, man, Like I think this is not some university. I didn't go to college. Guys, Come on, man, what does what they have? Is there like something similar like playbooks or like how does it work? Oh? Yeah, but probably like three pages three pages just showing where the backs are, just so you line up and show which hole you want to hit. What were those first days like in Philadelphia You're suddenly on a team with you know, future Hall of Famer like Jason Peters. You're going up against some of the best pass rushers and defensive ends and practice. Like when you're actually starting to play football and there you are like, here's this guy, uh, you know hasn't played basically ever and you're going up against the best in the game. Yeah. I think my first couple of days there had Jason Kelsey and Lane Johnson hit me up just letting me know that I'm going to be in safe hands. And then JP I saw him in the Luca introduced himself. He's like, I know who you are, you know and you okay, we just dropped it from Australia. I was like, cool, that's cool. It's cool environments get into until the til the ball started rolling we actually went on field and just being able to see the Vets do their thing, I still had no idea what the hell they were doing because I was like, what is that technique? So I still had to learn on the on the role and learn on the ball. So I was just thankful that I had those veteran leadership in the room and that you would be to use a football parlance, here a project. I mean you you have the size, obviously, the strength and the intent bowles, but I don't imagine they thought it would come together as quickly as it did. You followed, you followed PFF. By the way the Pro Football Focus the grades they do in the trenches, you were graded as the third highest graded tackle in the in your second season in the league, you jumped up in and again that's these are all arbitrary rankings, but it's more to illustrate the point that you, your star has ascended year after year. So it's just like, what are you twenty four now? Right? So it's saying I imagine the Eagles are pinching themselves and they're as much as you were happy with that contract, they're probably saying, damn, we're happy we locked him up because he's just getting warmed up and he's already this good. I don't know what the thing they probably are. I don't know, um, but that was a question. I was just it's wild. Yes, it's just been a crazy journey man, Like I think I wouldn't have gotten here, you know, with the people in my count and my girlfriend supports me so much off the field. Girlfriend from rugby days, No, like three weeks when was that Philly? She's not She's not from Philly, alright, it's Anchorage girl from Alaska. You know what I don't think I've ever met an Anchorage girl. Yeah exactly, I never. I didn't even know Anchorage was a place. Into elk, what is Like? What is it? What's what's an Anchorage girl? Like? Into? I want to see she does. She's like brought up animals before. I was like, there's no way you guys eat that. That's some movie stuff. Come on, now, this ain't the Revnant. Come on, come on, it's a movie. Speaking of food, have you eaten meals bigger than Greg? We're talking calories or we're just saying like plates, which how many of me do you think you could bench press? I suppose like how many? I almost saying I'm a say three? Okay? Can you bench press Greg right now? Three times? I don't want to do this, probably could? Can you put can you put your hand next to Mark's? Like just put it up to his crazy? Okay? So large man. I want to hear more about Henry. I know that sounds weird, but you're like about the international because we who knows when we're going to get to talk to you again. Henry is one of our great friends. Sounds like he's one of your great friends. Act like what what what was that like, Um, the process of getting to know the NFL and the international player pathway and what Henry like, what's that? What's that relationship been? That's been an awesome relationship. Um, well, I think the word it's kind of like home, like a home feeling. You know, you come here, foreign land, here American excellents, and then you hear a British accent, You're like, oh, that's it's close to home for me. So and then meeting Henry, the topic guy that he is, you just care so much for the program and the plays in it, and he doesn't care that you're a player. He cares that you're a good person first. And that's one thing for me that resonates with me as my character, like I don't give, I don't get here. You are as as long as you're you're a good person, you have good morals. That's all I care about. He did warn us you swore a lot in front of his son, a moment. That was the first. That was the first one you dropped. That's a plus plus, Like he's a he's a handsome guy. The the eyes they bring you in come down before exactly before before we say goodbye, so we know you're a busy man um now that you are established as a star offensive lineman in the NFL, and you've been around the Eagles for seven several years, and you you're obviously a very affable, nice guy, but also an imposing presence. At what point do other Eagles players know, don't try to do an Australian accent. Don't you dare make fun of the way I talk. I will eat you, keep you live hot off the field. Many and they can do all that stuff. Lane does it all the time. Lane does it all the time. Does it? Henry hates at the office when people talking to faux British accent. But you're much more, I guess Henry Hodgson like that. Oh my god, if I close my eyes right, oh my god, if I close my eyes, I can hear him. Go have some fish and chips, okay them anyway, Jordan's thank you so much for coming on. We have we are so blessed to have a thriving international audience ourselves, like in Australia from England. All we met some people from Brazil today and took a photo and they were big pants like it's it's one of the great honors for us, and so we're connected to you because we want to see the International Pathway program continue to thrive. And you're like the shining sun of the program. So no pressure, but keep going to you know, the Pro Bowl and getting high PF grades. Thank you. That's what it's all about. Jordan my lotta. Everybody snap snap snaps. We only use foul language, not bad, not bad. That was great, nice man, that my latta. That's another scenario where in about an hour they're gonna put these photos out of us standing next to them, you know, in a group out and Greg and I look like um, toddlers and adult clothing next to this man. So it's you know, well, you can't you can't feel bad about that because he is six eight three seventy or something. He's like one of the biggest NFL players, not just regularly. I mean it sits with me. I don't like being my height necessarily. I don't feel that at all in the NFL scenario. Um, you know when we see NFL players. I feel it every day when I'm walking home with my kids from school and I passed the middle school and there's many young men and women that's who are bigger than me. And that's when I that's like high eleven year old girl and you know, waving up to her. Women. The men there, they're well, I guess they're not allowing. They're more like grade. But yes, there are Yeah, those girls I walked by the every day. I had a sixth great girlfriend who was like, legit, like thirteen inches taller than me at that time. No, not not, It wouldn't have been later in life. But I was like the one that was just worried about the fantasy guys. Oh yeah, let's go that is and I would like to see a photo of that er To Erica's point, they developed quicker those girls. All right, now it's getting weird. I don't even the word developed. I don't know if you need it. It's time to lock it up. It's and everyone knows if you follow this podcast, that there's something. There's some serious drama foot. I had a nice cushion exiting the regular season in our locks competition, and it just got whittled away because I tried to. I tried to get behind the favorites, as I think it's a smart play when you have a lead and try to just run out the clock essentially. But I got burned because this was the year, this was the year the underdog four seed verse four seed, and I picked the wrong horses. I picked Aaron Rodgers in the divisional round. I then picked Patrick Mahomes in the championship round, and somehow both those guys blew it. So it is now a tie between Mark and I and we should get you should get maybe the opening I'm the opening act here out of the way first, Yes, I think it's time now. And I did say uh and again, and this is just a showing of character for me. But uh, I don't want to just go into a lock with Mark necessarily and ride it to a tie. And I'm not interested in that. If if I'm gonna go down three Falcon style, I'll do it. I'll do it, and I'll take my I'll take the medicine, okay, uh you know on the other side of the dime. Listen, if I could somehow escape with the title in my first solo trophy after a near meltdown, allah the rams, that will feel all the more rewarding. But yes, let's start with the appetizer, the shrimp cocktail. Yeah, hey, I've had a good playoff run here for the most part. I had that those rams in the first round. That trophy, by the way, is sitting on your desk. I brought it in and I tried to put it in a neutral ground and mark Um encourage me to put it on your desk. Is a lintal warfare and said, Dan, we we have these glass pubicles. He attempted to rest it on the edge of it between It's like in the like uh eight six World Series, where the Red Sox had already tarped up their lockers to celebrate with champagne. That's what this feels like. I don't like it, Yeah, I I do like how I felt this week, and how I felt since the Bengals won that Divisional round game is when I started to believe, and I am taking the Bengals to win this game. I think it's gonna be a more of a defensive game than people expect. I like the under. I have a twenty three to one Bengals with McPherson hitting the kick at the end, and I do believe it, not just because of what I just said about what they've done the last five or six weeks against really good opponents, and not just because there's something more a foot, uh with the Wesleyan brothers and and everything. I think they will play this game like another game, that they they will play this game loose, uh, and that they Football isn't about like who has the best resume, who did this, who did that? It's how you play in that one game, that one performance. And I worry about Sean McVeigh a little bit, having some game management situations that Rams fans remember forever. And I just believe in this team. I'm not just doing this with my heart, although it's certainly with my heart. I truly believe this game is gonna end, and we're gonna go find those Westley brothers in whatever section they're in, and we're gonna give him a great big hug. And that's how this season ends. Okay, I like that, all right? Speaking to the Westling brothers, you know, Aaron Rodgers received a regular season m VT. I guess Joe Burrow will just have to settle for the Super Bowl MVP. And I'm lucking you know. Nick here, you three podcast bosos have been talking trash about the Westling brothers all year long. Say we're at each other's throat. We can't agree on anything. Well, guess what We're all in unison this week. The Bengals win the super Bowl. Lock it up. The Bengals are gonna win the super Bowl, and I'm gonna lock it Wow. That was awesome and I love that Tim definitely had a few drinks before he cut a dog in the back. All Right. As I said, Mark, I am uh due to my collapse in the playoffs. I am letting fate do to me what it will. So I will be blocking up against you, and I give you right of first choice here, all right. And I'm not gonna go where logic would take me here because I think that would guide me towards the Rams. Um. I'm going to lock up the Bengals. I've seen my mind in nineteen to sixteen win in overtime, and I think this is the beginning of Joe Burrow being in our life for the next fift seventeen eighteen years as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. It gives me kind of like Tom Brady Um Patriots Rams vibes, where it's there the clear underdog, but they just don't know what they don't know, and I worry about the Rams getting a little tight, a little tight butt in the second half. If if Sean McVeigh, you know, things aren't going well. It just seems like they're susceptible to that where the Bengals are riding this dream wave and I am taking Cincinnati to take this game in the Super Bowl title, You're gonna lock it up. I am locking it up, all right. And I think this is the way it should have played out, because it maybe there would be a little bit it would feel a little weird if I didn't believe what I was about to say. But I am going to pick the Rams. I loved the Bengals story. I'm gonna lock up those Rams. I love the obviously the Westling brother component to it. Um. But you know, talking to Lakisha last week and this this gave me some peace of mind as well, And I asked her, what do you want? How do you want Sunday the playoffs? She says, I don't care no matter what happens, just the two teams getting here. The fact that we had this amazing run, the fact that it led to Chris's brothers being in town for the game, which is such a beautiful thing. Um, it's okay with her whoever wins, and I got a feeling you can never know. I think West is cool with that too. Chris, I know he would love his brothers to be happy, but his wife being happy if the Rams win the Super Bowl. Link is not old enough to really pick a side at this point. So I feel like I'm in the clear and just saying I think the Rams have a better roster. I think they are battle tested. I think, yes, they've gotten tight butts, but remember what happened in Tampa Bay when the world was caving in three they found a way to stay alive and take that game. I don't like the idea of mc fearless being involved in a close game, so I'm gonna say it won't be that situation. I think it's gonna be a four point game. They'll need to get a stop, and Aaron Donald, like he did in the NFC title Game, is gonna make sure it happens. Rams get that Super Bowl in their building. Lock it up. I'm gonna channel what I believe Nick Wessling would say in this situation, which is, thank you. You know you've picked against the Bengals for three straight weeks. Why change the mojo? It's treat the stank on their opponent. And absolutely that could be. That could be how it played out. But like I said, I have I have failed throughout the off season the postseason. Let's see if things change. I don't know, but I'm at peace with it either way. If I lose and collapse and the Bengals are one of the great stories of all time. Hey, that's all right, that's all right too. I will be piste. It is the greater thing that has happened to our show this entire time, that we've gone through this really rough year plus after losing West, that the Bengals, who were two and fourteen in a lost cause just a couple of seasons ago, are here, and so I just I don't know. Life is very strange. Ricky's here crying. I feel for you, Ricky. There's a lot of emotions. It's gonna be funny because it's West of Us and I if the Bengals lose, I can picture West laughing his ass off. Right, we still don't know what he thinks. And we're a year removed from the worst show in our podcast history that that was our super Bowl show, and now we're a couple of days about doing a very different post super Bowl show, but still still strange, still feeling every emotion possible that his brothers will be there, that he won't be But we're gonna we're gonna find joying it. I know it'll be a special special Sunday. We tried to celebrate West one year ago at the Super Bowl and the most tragic of circumstances two days after he passed away. Now we get to celebrate him again after this Super Bowl um and uh look forward to it. So thank you to everybody for following our shows all week and check out are around the NFL broadcast Super Bowl Preview on Saturday on NFL Network, check your local listings, and then of course, yes Sunday Night, the flagship program, we recap everything from the big Game. Thank you to everybody, Thanks to our guest today and our guests all week and until Sunday night. Super Bowl fifty six is decided and there was a champion and there's a trophy being hoisted. Both it's so far and inside our building he the call M. S.