The Best of The Dan Patrick Show

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Speaker 1: You are listening to the Dan Patrick Show on Fox Sports Radio.

00:00:04
Speaker 2: Hope you got a great weekend. Everybody gangsol here ready to discuss everything that happened over the weekend. We got a game coming up tonight the Texans in Pittsburgh. Could this be Mike Tomlins last game as the Steeler head coach? Could it be Aaron Rodgers last game in the NFL? Ross Tucker, our good buddy, will join us. We'll discuss all of this eight seven seven three DP shows we always do every Monday. You give us your best and worst of the weekend. What you saw that you liked, you didn't like. Operator Tyler sitting by to take your phone call.

00:00:37
Speaker 3: Good morning.

00:00:37
Speaker 2: If you're watching on Peacock, Thank you for downloading the app. Stat of the Day is always brought to you by Benini America, the official trading cards of the program. In this first down, we're brought to you by tire rack dot Com Prover forty years. They've been helping you find the right tires for how and what and where you drive, ship fast and free back by free road hazard protection, convenient installation options like mobile tire installation. Tyrack dot Com the way tire buying should be have a poll question, play of the day, stat of the day, all of that forthcoming. Let me start with the Niners in the Eagles, because I thought Philadelphia maybe can flip the switch and make a run. They still have the talent, might be the most balanced team in the playoffs. And then all of a sudden, I kept watching, and I kept waiting and then waiting, and the Niners didn't go away, and I said that this might be Kyle Shanahan's best coaching job because they're depleted. You know, when Kyle Uscheck is your go to wide receiver, boy, that tells you a whole lot about your weapons. You lose Kittle, there's no Brandon Ayyuk, no Ricky Piersoll. The defense is banged up. And this was about rock Perty making plays in tough conditions, Kristy McCaffery still proving that how do you need me to get this done? Or get it done somehow? And you know, I use the expression or term or phrase game manager, and it's not a negative because the great quarterbacks manage a game like what do I need to do? When do I need to do it? Tom Brady was a game manager, so the greatest player in NFL history, the most decorated, was a game manager. It's a compliment because you know how to It's like Greg Maddick's pitching. He knew how to manage a game when he was pitching. You know a lot of great players, a lot of great pitchers do this, a lot of great quarterbacks do this. And I watched rock Perty. He did what he needed to do when he needed to do it. It's not always pretty, but I don't care. It's playoff football. I need a win, that's it. Just ask the Green Bay Packers you need a win, you know, just ask Josh Allen doing what he did or Matthew Stafford doing what he did. It's managing the moment. And that's what playoff football is all about. And rock Perty, you know, you're trying to live up to a two hundred and sixty five million dollar contract and he's not paid for box score bravado. It's you got to make, you know, something memorable. You got to make something happen when you lose Kittle, you know, kind of the heart and soul of this team out with an achilles injury, and somehow you win on the road in Philadelphia. Now did Philadelphia contribute to this? Absolutely kind of mind boggling where Saquon looks like he's going to rush for two hundred yards and then all of a sudden he's not doing much After that got banged up. AJ Brown got pick up a white courtesy phone. You'll be on a different team next year. You'll get your wish. You can play someplace else. I don't know if Nick Siriani's on the hot seat. I will say if he's not on the hot seat now, he'll be on the hot seat next year. Jalen Hurts is not a guy you say, let's beat them through the air and not running that much. That was kind of eye opening there that they have the talent, but it felt like the Niners had an understand It's almost like they lost everybody but those that they have collectively won a game, whereas the Eagles have all of this talent, but it didn't feel collected. Give credit to the forty nine ers amazing. I kept saying, if you leave them in this game, if you let them stay, they'll win this game. I trust Kyle Shanahan over Nick Sirianni. If it's going to come down to a drive, a play a call a moment. I'd love Jalen Hurts in the playoffs, but I can't have Jalen Hurts be the hey just beat him through the air, because that's not who he is. I'm looking at the point spreads. The Niners are getting seven at Seattle. The Bills are going to be favored in Denver. They went from a slight favorite in Jacksonville to an under. But Josh Allen did it again. Uh in the Rams. The Rams are three and a half point favorites against the Bears. But you got the game coming up tonight the Texans and the Steelers. There was an interesting moment and uh, Matthew Stafford and the Rams, they're heading down they need to go ahead touchdown. And I love what DeVante Adams said that Matthew Stafford said to his team in the huddle before that game winning touchdown.

00:05:32
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think you said, let's go snatch these guys' hearts. That was pretty cold. That was pretty cold just to hear that. And I actually like literally smiled in the moment because I thought that that was like one of the most gangster things you can say in that moment, honestly, and to hear him say that and looking his on his face and then throw the touchdown and then to look on his face after that was just like MVP S though.

00:05:50
Speaker 3: Pretty good. Let's go rip their heart up, go snatch these guys hard.

00:05:55
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:05:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, And Carolina, if I know, having a lot in the playoffs, it's hard to say that was a good loss. But of all the teams that lost, if I'm Carolina, I feel pretty good today. You know, you went toe to toe. That's a team you beat before, and you had some moments you had the ball, last thirty seconds to go for incompletions. And look, I'm not the biggest Bryce young fan from the standpoint of a franchise quarterback, but maybe you get a team friendly deal. Maybe he's a thirty million dollars a year quarterback. You don't want to put him into that to a tongue of Iola stratosphere and then you know, have to bail in a couple of years. But they played hard, they played with passion, played with emotion. Secondary was really good and you had him, you had a chance, you had the ball. So I would say now there, if I'm a Packer fan today, I don't feel good at all. Because I have no idea what's going on. You got the other teams that are going to be pilfering, you know, coaches on your staff, front office people, and you're not quite sure if you're going to have your head coach back Matt Lafleur.

00:07:07
Speaker 3: This is why it was so seismic.

00:07:10
Speaker 2: Then the Ravens decided to move on from John Harbaugh that had an impact on almost every team in the NFL in some way, shape or form, because you're going to interview him, or if you didn't get him, you're going to get somebody else. Somebody else might be losing their coach because you're going to bring in John Harbaugh. I mean, it's connect the dots and there's a game of dominoes going on here and Harball, I guess he's entertaining the Cleveland Browns, but he's going to start interviewing this week. The Giants would be up top on the list. And is Green Bay going to be open for business? What's going to happen if Pittsburgh loses tonight? And that's another thing where we go, Man, that's the guy you want to put you over the top. I don't know if John Harbaugh puts you over the top in Green Bay. I don't know if Mike Tomlin. If they don't do that for their own team, then how do I expect them to. Well, that's the guy you need to put us over the top. And I'm not a cheerleader for Matt Lafleur. I like him, but it felt like there's a glass ceiling there Ben Johnson. Ben Johnson's not afraid to be a jerk or the bad guy or kind of push the envelope a little bit. And Matt Lafleur's a nice a nice guy, and maybe that's part of the problem. Now Ben Johnson has he gives zero you know what. He doesn't apologize for anything, and you know, give credit to him and the Bears when they were down at halftime, and I think Bears fans probably started, you know, up in the ante on drinking because it was like, this is going to be painful. It's twenty one to three. Let's ease the pain. And Caleb Williams giveth he taketh away. You talk about splash plays, you talk about those Wow. He might lead the league in wow plays in the fourth quarter, and that includes Josh Allen because there are some throws that Caleb makes where you go. There are not many people in the world who can make those throws. It's him being consistent. And the analogy I used was, I want Caleb to be Jared Goff through three quarters. He can be Caleb Williams in the fourth quarter. But the Bears, you know, they grabbed it, they had it, they wanted it, they took it and did not look back. Here is Ben Johnson, the Bears head coach, on the fourth quarter comeback.

00:09:34
Speaker 6: It's our identity here at this point, and some people say it's not sustainable. I don't know. You know, it's the takeaways. You know, that's who we are on defense, and you know on offense, it's explosive plays. That's kind of what we've done all year long and coming up in big moments and as a team, it's just just resiliency and knowing that late in the fourth quarter, that's that's really when we're at our best as a football team.

00:10:02
Speaker 2: And Brandon McManus, mister McManus, that one hurt. He missed extra point two field goals. There here is the Bears radio network, Caleb Williams to DJ Moore.

00:10:15
Speaker 7: Caleb and a gun swipped to his left snap back four man Ross Caleb with a double wolf drug down left.

00:10:21
Speaker 3: Side like DJ Barnes.

00:10:22
Speaker 7: Are the five heads one touchdown touchdown Bears.

00:10:26
Speaker 1: They've taken the lead on the Packers.

00:10:28
Speaker 8: Put one thirty three to go twenty five yards the same connection week sixteen, he walk off win this connection HU three pointly.

00:10:39
Speaker 1: Wow.

00:10:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, those who stayed had a lot to cheer about there in the fourth quarter because that offense was pretty dry in the first half. But Green Bay losing again to the Bears. These double digit fourth quarter leads, that's rough. That's rough, all right, Seaton. Let's poll question for the first hour the program. I got a couple options here for you. Winning team that should be worried worried? Yes, Rams, Bears, Bills, forty nine ers, Patriots forty nine ers should probably be worried. I don't think they're at a point where they worry like the Rams, Like, if you're supposed to win, I got the Niners are seven point underdogs, so I don't know if they would worry. Uh yeah, that's tricky.

00:11:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, Paulin.

00:11:40
Speaker 7: As a Bears fan, I'm perpetually worried.

00:11:42
Speaker 3: You go into the game.

00:11:43
Speaker 7: Completely worried and nervous because you know your team probably isn't going to do much in the second half and you got to steal it, so you go in worried no matter who you're facing.

00:11:52
Speaker 9: Yeah.

00:11:52
Speaker 2: I just don't see the Niners worried because I don't think they're supposed to be here.

00:11:58
Speaker 3: And they just took a pretty big hit with losing Kittle. Oh yeah, so their chances.

00:12:02
Speaker 9: Of advancing to you know, the next game after this one is took a massive hit.

00:12:09
Speaker 8: Yeah, Todd, I think the Rams have some angst because everyone was so high on them.

00:12:12
Speaker 3: They still are some that they're the best team.

00:12:14
Speaker 8: This guy's going to get the MVP, and now that they barely just got past the Panthers, that's you know, a little scary. Seeing what the Bears just did with that comeback against Green Bay.

00:12:23
Speaker 2: Well, I think if you look, and I'm just going off memory, most of your teams that win a Super Bowl have one of those games, one of those games where it kind of hangs in the balance, and that might be the game for the Rams, that that was a game they could have lost.

00:12:40
Speaker 10: You can probably say the same thing for the Bills too. Actually, yeah, that might have been. I don't know if wake Up calls the right.

00:12:46
Speaker 2: But that was that Jacksonville was they were favored by one and a half. Then Jacksonville was favored by one and a half. The Rams were favored by ten and a half. That's the difference. That that's where you're like nervous. Now you face the Bears and I have no idea you know what Bears team you're gonna face, at least in the first three quarters, or if you know, the Rams defensively look a little bit better than they did with Carolina. But man, give Carolina a lot of credit. Even Jacksonville. Jacksonville with the season that they had, and you had the ball and you had a chance, and I think you can come away from that saying, you know, we should have won that game. But man, they have Josh Allen. Here is the game winning touchdown by Josh Allen.

00:13:36
Speaker 11: There's the snat, there's the surge, and I think they largely let him store on purpose. There was not much impedance there as Josh Allen is in for the one yard touchdown run to give the Bills the lead with one.

00:13:51
Speaker 3: On two left in the gate.

00:13:53
Speaker 2: I didn't think the Buffalo bills like the toushbush. They voted against it. They didn't want the toushpush and ball, and then all of a sudden, the tush push pushes them to the next round. But yeah, Jacksonville let them score, so they'd have a little bit of time there. And I think going into next season, we'll look at Jacksonville differently than we have before. And it's been a long time since we looked at them. That's why I when Jacksonville fans they would, you know, email the show, you know that you didn't.

00:14:23
Speaker 3: I didn't believe.

00:14:23
Speaker 2: No, I didn't believe because they didn't give me a reason to believe before, you know, yeah, And I said, look, you got a forces to believe that. And they played great, you know, the second half of the season, played great and should be very proud of what they did.

00:14:40
Speaker 3: And they should have won the game. You're at home, you should win those games.

00:14:46
Speaker 2: But it's weird how it comes down quarterback play to get a big moment. And you had that, you know, some of the Matthew Stafford big moment, Caleb Williams big moment, Josh Allen big moment. Now Drake May didn't need big moments he's going to need him. He didn't look that good, but that defense looked great. And the Chargers offensive line, I know it's banged up, but so is Justin Herbert as a result. Man, And you know, you saw all these great games, and Paulie made the analogy it's like having this great meal and then dessert is just okay. So you had all of this great these this great meal of all these other games, and then dessert was the Patriots against the Chargers, and you know, the Teremi sioux was burnt, but everything else was pretty good.

00:15:36
Speaker 7: Yeah, Pauli, the Chargers hit I'm sorry, the Patriots hit the Chargers quarterback eleven times. You mentioned how Super Bowl teams sometimes have hiccups. I just went back and picked a random Super Bowl team, the one Patriots. The first year with Bledsoe and Brady, they had three playoff games. They were down in half at halftime in all three playoff games.

00:15:54
Speaker 3: Yeah, it happens.

00:15:56
Speaker 2: And then we always talk about a wake up call, and it all happened to somebody this next week as well.

00:16:02
Speaker 1: Be sure to catch the live edition of The Dan Patrick Show weekdays at nine am Eastern six am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app. Fox Sports Radio is taking over YouTube and you can be a part of it, j J. Just go to YouTube and search Fox Sports Radio, hit that subscribe button and smash that notification bell and catch all the videos from your favorite shows. Due Pros and a cup of Joe, Dan Patrick, Colin Coward, Doug Gottlieb Cavino and Rich The Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington, The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon, and The Ben Maller Show. Fox Sports Radio on YouTube. Subscribe, hit that thumbs up icon and comment away.

00:16:42
Speaker 2: Age seven to seven three DP show email address Dpadanpatrick dot com, Twitter handle at dpshow Ah. Look at who's going to be on the sidelines tonight in Pittsburgh, The Texans and the Steelers working for Westwood One Radio. It's Ross Tucker, CBS Sports, College Football, NFL analyst and host of the Ross Tucker Football Podcast. What do you expect to happen tonight?

00:17:10
Speaker 12: I expect to be really cold, Dan. I think it's a high of thirty seven. I am planning and plotting out how many layers I'm gonna be wearing right now?

00:17:20
Speaker 2: Is there a chance you have a jacket or coat that's similar to what Aaron Andrews was wearing yesterday.

00:17:28
Speaker 5: No, I don't, and in fact, I haven't even talked to my wife yet about what I'm gonna wear.

00:17:34
Speaker 12: I usually wear this like bright orange ski jacket because I try to get as.

00:17:40
Speaker 5: Much TV time as possible.

00:17:42
Speaker 12: Yeah, it's I'm trying to amuse myself Dan, right, So anytime everybody needs to follow me on social media at Ross Tucker NFL. So you see what I'm wearing because anytime a player goes out of bounds, I.

00:17:56
Speaker 5: Immediately go over there try to help them up to get as much TV time as possible.

00:18:03
Speaker 3: Dan.

00:18:03
Speaker 5: For the brand, it's important, you know.

00:18:07
Speaker 2: Is Mike Tomlin I don't want to say is he coaching for his job because it feels like if he wants to continue to coach, he can in Pittsburgh.

00:18:14
Speaker 3: Do you get that?

00:18:15
Speaker 12: Since thousand percent? Okay, I think that win against the Ravens was massive. I think if Mike Tomlin wants to be in Pittsburgh, he'll be in Pittsburgh. If tonight's a disaster, I think that there's a chance maybe he'll think.

00:18:32
Speaker 5: It's time to move on. I tend to doubt it.

00:18:34
Speaker 12: I feel like they're going to probably bring back Aaron Rodgers, and I think that they believe, no matter what happens tonight, that they're close enough that maybe with Rogers next year, they could win a couple of playoff games and go on a run. I think Tomlin knows he can wait some other time to do TV, but I do think that'll be the transition. I think he'll do a Sean Payton sabbatical year at some point, where he does television for a year and then goes back to another team at some point.

00:19:06
Speaker 2: Well, your Eagles at home, with all of that talent, are staying at home for the playoffs. How surprised were you?

00:19:17
Speaker 12: You know, it's funny that you ask it in that way, because I am surprised specifically in that game, But if you watched every snap they played all year, you shouldn't be overly surprised because it's kind of how they played all.

00:19:32
Speaker 5: Year, you know.

00:19:33
Speaker 12: I guess I thought Dan they had rested their guys. They were very healthy going into that one. Really, with the exception of Lane Johnson, the Niners were so beat up. The Niners had to play Seattle last week, and really, let's be honest, Seattle beat the.

00:19:50
Speaker 5: Crap out of them up front, both sides of the ball.

00:19:54
Speaker 12: It just kind of felt like the Eagles with that defense would be able to turn it on.

00:20:00
Speaker 5: I thought they'd win the game.

00:20:00
Speaker 12: I thought there was a chance they would kind of pull away in the fourth quarter. It's truly remarkable if you think about it. I mean, brock Perty had two bad interceptions to Quinnon Mitchell, the Eagles didn't turn it over once. The Eagles sa Juan Barkley ran for over one hundred yards.

00:20:18
Speaker 5: And they still lost the game.

00:20:20
Speaker 12: And I'm sitting there calling the game with Iron Eagle wondering how many guys for the forty nine ers right now would even start for the Eagles. I mean, it's it's like a handful, you know. I mean, Diamodor Lenore would probably start at the one.

00:20:34
Speaker 5: I'm not gonna go through all of them, but it's less than five. Maybe it's five, I don't know.

00:20:39
Speaker 12: It's not many guys for the forty nine ers would start for the Eagles, which is why I would say that game yesterday and the season in particular, are really a massive missed opportunity.

00:20:53
Speaker 5: For the Eagles. You know, Dan, you've been doing this a long time. Windows are small.

00:20:58
Speaker 12: The Eagles have the best roster in the NFL probably again, and most of them are in their prime, and to not even win a playoff game, and in particular to lose at home to that beat up team, that's one that you know, people will look back on and say, how did that happen when we had that roster and that group of guys that they didn't go on any type of run in the postseason.

00:21:27
Speaker 3: Any fallout in Philadelphia.

00:21:31
Speaker 5: I think there will be a decent amount of changes. Yeah.

00:21:33
Speaker 12: I mean, if you think about it, a couple of years ago, when they had the disappointing ending, they moved on from both coordinators. They brought in Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio, and those were big factors in them going ahead and winning the Super Bowl last year. They also were aggressive getting guys like Sapuan Barkley and others. You know, certainly, it feels like they'll probably have a new offensive coordinator right or you know, I think the perception is such that I'd be surprised if Kevin Patulo kept his job.

00:22:06
Speaker 5: It feels like it's run its course, with aj Brown, maybe not. We'll see.

00:22:10
Speaker 12: It's a pretty big dead cap hit if they trade him before June first, But there's certainly some significant changes along the way because they know this. They're very smart. They know that this was a big, big, missed opportunity and that they only have a couple more years here with this core group being in their prime and having a chance to really make a run it this thing.

00:22:36
Speaker 3: What do you think happens in Green Bay?

00:22:40
Speaker 12: Well, so, what's so interesting about that is, you know, I saw where Chefty tweeted that the Packers are hopeful to work out a deal with Lafleur, you know over the next couple of days. I've never understood this, Dan, This absolute people being terrified of a coach going in the last year of his contract. Why why is that such a big deal? Because it's a talking point. I mean, it's a talking point about whether or not the guy is gonna keep his job. Like if Lafleur gets a new contract and the Packers struggle, it's still going to be a talking point.

00:23:21
Speaker 5: I don't know.

00:23:22
Speaker 12: I've never understood why players going to last year their contract all the time, and by the way, they have injury risk. But these organizations are so afraid. It's pretty clear that there's a little bit of consternation there with Lafleur's lack of playoff success, and so to give him some new deal for fifteen to twenty million dollars a year for four years, that doesn't really make sense to me. I mean, it's pretty clear that they want to see more results. Let him coach out the last year. Let him coach out the last year. When's the last time a coach was on a last year of his contract it went unbelievably well, he was a free agent, and then he went somewhere else.

00:24:06
Speaker 5: That doesn't happen. That's not a thing.

00:24:11
Speaker 2: But you got the John Harbaugh question. So that's the curveball. With all of these openings and even openings that aren't open, potential openings, where do you think John Harball is going to end up?

00:24:27
Speaker 12: Ooh, you know, I think there's it's very it was very intentional that he wanted to see wait till this week to take any interviews because I think he believed that if Buffalo lost, maybe that one would have opened up, and that if Green Bay, you know, there would be the potential there.

00:24:50
Speaker 5: It doesn't sound like that's.

00:24:51
Speaker 12: Gonna happen, but you know, there still could be a mutual parting of the ways there between the Packers and Matt Lafleur, where if those contract discussions don't go as well as they would like.

00:25:03
Speaker 5: So, I think those would have been the two.

00:25:06
Speaker 12: That he would have strongly considered the most, just because you know, he's in this thing now to try to win Super Bowls.

00:25:15
Speaker 5: I mean, he's made a ton of money.

00:25:17
Speaker 12: He's been doing it a long time, and those are the two that would give him the best chance to do that.

00:25:23
Speaker 5: Other than that, it becomes fascinating.

00:25:26
Speaker 12: How does he feel about Jackson Dart, How does he feel about cam Ward? I mean, how's he feel about the Cleveland situation. I guess if he went to Cleveland, that would give him the opportunity to I don't know, stick it to the Ravens, if that's something he wants.

00:25:41
Speaker 5: To do, I don't know.

00:25:42
Speaker 12: You know, it's a big difference between where he's been and where he's going to go because he's going to go to a team that it's going to be kind of like a rebuild for hardball, and he never really had that when he went to Baltimore. They had Ray lu and Ed Reid and all these guys, and they made.

00:26:03
Speaker 5: The playoffs that first year.

00:26:04
Speaker 12: We've never really seen John Harball have to take a bad team, you know, from the bottom, and grow them up to being a playoff caliber team.

00:26:16
Speaker 5: I don't even know.

00:26:16
Speaker 12: I guess we'll find out if that's where he lands with one of them, whether or not he can even do it.

00:26:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's why I brought up you know, do you go to Tennessee because you have a franchise quarterback and you got cap room. But as you said, you know that's a process, that's a couple of years. And does he have the patience to build something? You know, when when Jim Harball was in the NFL, he had the Niners with a lot of talent, took him to a super Bowl even with the Chargers. You don't jump to another or go to another job unless you go can I succeed? How long will it take to be formidable? Can we win a Super Bowl? And you bring up something great? He would love to add another super Bowl there or at least compete for it. But I go back to, and I keep saying this over and over, is is he the kind of coach who gets you over the hump, Like how many coaches get a two time MVP but don't do much with them.

00:27:22
Speaker 12: Well, and what's so wild about that is that if Lamar won the MVP last year, like a lot of people thought he should, he'd be.

00:27:30
Speaker 5: A three time MVP with three playoff wins.

00:27:34
Speaker 12: That's the thing that I think is puzzling about Harball Dan he won ten playoff games with Joe Flacco. Now they had a really good defense. Okay, multiple Hall of famers, we know, especially those first couple of years for Flaco, not as much, you know, when they won the Super Bowl. So Harpball has proven that he can win at the highest level when he won the Super Bowl.

00:28:00
Speaker 3: But I mean, he's not gonna feel so it feels like Lamar gets the blame, not John Harbaugh.

00:28:09
Speaker 12: I think you're right, and there's a reason for that. It's because Harball had already won a Super Bowl.

00:28:14
Speaker 3: Okay.

00:28:14
Speaker 5: It's like we all have these boxes we check.

00:28:17
Speaker 2: So if Toland doesn't have a Super Bowl, he's probably not the coach in Pittsburgh.

00:28:25
Speaker 12: I think that's probably true. Although they've had three coaches since nineteen sixty nine. You know they operate different than any other franchise.

00:28:35
Speaker 2: But if I say to a Steeler fan base, hey, you're not going to win playoff games, but you're going to be in the playoffs the next ten years with Mike Tomlin, the farthest you'll go is you'll win one playoff game a year a couple of times. Do you think that Steeler fans are signing up for another ten and seven ninety eight barely make the playoffs and you're non threatening in the host season?

00:29:01
Speaker 3: Absolutely not okay, But they have I live.

00:29:07
Speaker 12: In central Pennsylvania. I'm close friends with a bunch of Steelers fans. Then there were Steelers fans that wanted them to lose to Baltimore because they're.

00:29:16
Speaker 5: So fatigued with Tomlin.

00:29:19
Speaker 12: They're so sick of this a little bit better than mediocrity. They they they're they're ready for a change. There's no question.

00:29:30
Speaker 2: Patriots and the Chargers. Patriots, you know, did just enough. You know, justin Herbert As if he didn't know that he didn't have a good offensive line, he was reminded that he doesn't have a good offensive line. But the Patriots are doing it with a defense that is kind of nondescript. It doesn't mean that they didn't they don't have talent there or they didn't spend money. It's just they don't have those big names that we've seen before.

00:29:59
Speaker 3: So they how do they go to the Super Bowl?

00:30:05
Speaker 12: Probably somewhat similar to what they did last night, you know. And then they got to get Christian Zalas back because he's their best defensive player. And I thought Milton Williams stepped up, which they really needed. But it's gonna be Drake May ultimately, not just his arm, but his legs. I thought Collinsworth made a really good point early in the game last night when he talked about the quarterback that ran it better, you know, would ultimately be the team that won. That was a major factor in the game. And by the way, Dan very surprised that Jalen Hurts did not run it more for Philadelphia.

00:30:40
Speaker 2: But that's been the whole year. I mean, he's he averaged like ten attempts this year, just over six. That seems by design or by choice.

00:30:52
Speaker 12: Yeah no, And think about like think about watching the Bills Jags, and think about Josh Allen when it really comes down to it, and what he does with his legs and the immense.

00:31:07
Speaker 5: Advantage that is for the bills and you don't see that. It's funny.

00:31:11
Speaker 12: I was struck watching Herbert last night that he's sort of like he's like a poor man's Josh Allen. He's big, strong arm, can run. And I love Justin Herbert, but Dan, Josh Allen makes the plays in the critical games more often than not.

00:31:33
Speaker 5: Herbert doesn't. It's like he's what are the kids called.

00:31:37
Speaker 12: He's like store brand Josh Allen. You know, it's like he's there. They're very, very similar, except Allen comes through and makes the plays at a much higher percentage than Herbert when physically they're.

00:31:52
Speaker 5: Almost mirror images of each other. It's fascinating.

00:31:54
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I asked Jim Harball this year and I asked Justin Herbert, are you going to run more? Because we saw that at Oregon, we saw that in the Rose Bowl. He does have that ability. It's almost it feels like Josh Allen knows when he's going to run. Justin Herbert is kind of in the moment ready to run.

00:32:16
Speaker 5: That's a terrific point.

00:32:18
Speaker 12: It feels like Josh Allen sometimes decides before the play, and it feels like Josh Allen wills him stuff. I think he's a little heavier than Herbert, a little bit more agile, and I think he's a little bit faster. But it's just that little difference that is the difference. Josh Allen can put on Superman's cape more off than Herbert can.

00:32:43
Speaker 2: What happens at halftime with the Packers and the Bears that changes that game.

00:32:48
Speaker 5: I don't know, and I still can't figure out how that happened. I really can't.

00:32:52
Speaker 12: I mean, think, like, say this out loud. The Bears defense is not very good. They're really opportunistic. They got zero turnovers. Kayleb boys, they were one for four in the first half. On fourth down, Kayleb Williams threw two picks in the red zone for the Bears, and the Bears won the game.

00:33:13
Speaker 5: I mean, if you just right down, like if you do bullet points.

00:33:16
Speaker 12: Or say it out loud, there is no way the Bear should have won that game. And yet the miskicks and whatever and they did. It's it's just remarkable what they did. I cannot wait for that Rams Bears game.

00:33:29
Speaker 2: Be careful on the sidelines, okay, because I know you're working the sidelines tonight. Don't get too close to the action where you get wiped out.

00:33:38
Speaker 5: Oh, I get way back as soon as they got to the numbers. I'm out of there.

00:33:42
Speaker 12: I'm actually coming back in to try to get my TV time while all the people that are clueless are backing up at the last second.

00:33:48
Speaker 2: Ah right, So you're gonna have a big yellow parka on tonight.

00:33:52
Speaker 5: I don't know. I don't know.

00:33:53
Speaker 12: My wife thinks it's unprofessional to wear my orange ski jacket, So you got you gotta follow me on social media. Ross Tucker, NFL. I might wear like a pea coat or something. Oh that makes me more professional.

00:34:05
Speaker 3: I don't know. Are you gonna wear a hat?

00:34:08
Speaker 5: No? No, like a newspaper delivery boy hat. No.

00:34:10
Speaker 3: No, like Tom Landry, a Tom Landry hat.

00:34:13
Speaker 5: No.

00:34:14
Speaker 12: No, it's too cold. I gotta cover my ears. I'm gonna have like a you know, like a skull cap on.

00:34:20
Speaker 3: All right? Maybe a scarf.

00:34:22
Speaker 5: No, I'm anti scarf.

00:34:24
Speaker 12: Scarf guys are trying too hard. Scarf guys are like fancy you know what I mean? Like a scarf guy. You only put a scarf on if you think you're really cool. And I'm not that type of person.

00:34:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, but you're from the Ivy League. Ivy League, that's Scarfey.

00:34:39
Speaker 12: I'm from reading Pennsylvania way before us from the Ivy League.

00:34:44
Speaker 2: Thank you, Ross Ross Tucker, Ross Tucker Football Podcast. Follow him on social media at Ross Tucker NFL. He's working for Westwood One. Tonight he'll be on the sidelines for the Texans and the Steelers.

00:34:57
Speaker 3: Take a break. Our best and worst of the weekend after this.

00:35:01
Speaker 1: Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live. Lane Kiffin has his quarterback. This just in from on three. Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Levitt is committed to LSU. This is kind of declaration week where you're going to have schools who are going to announce that somebody is actually staying. But Friday is the last day for that.

00:35:35
Speaker 3: UH.

00:35:36
Speaker 2: Nebraska transfer Dylan Ryola has committed to Oregon.

00:35:40
Speaker 3: Ow Right, that's.

00:35:44
Speaker 7: A guy who needs a refresher for his prayer.

00:35:46
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, I think we move on from the I look like Patrick Mahomes, play like Patrick Mahomes.

00:35:55
Speaker 3: Let's see also.

00:35:56
Speaker 2: On three reporting that Ohio it's a five star true freshman wide receiver, Quincy Porter has committed to Notre Dame. That is a big deal. That's a big deal. You're not leaving Ohio State to go to Notre Dame. Certainly those wide receivers, but they get a great wide receiver that Notre Dame. Okay, here's the story. I'm not sure why it's a story, but it's a big story, or at least it's being talked about on social media. So the reporter for Jacksonville Jaguars is named Lynn Jones. She works for the Jacksonville Free Press, and following the loss by the Jags to the Buffalo Bills, Jones the reporter offered support and some positive words to head coach Liam Cohen.

00:36:57
Speaker 13: Titta, you congratulations on your success, young man. You hold your head up, all right. You guys have had a most magnificent season. He did a great job out there today. So you just hold your head up, okay. And ladies and gentlemen, duvall you don't want all right, you keep it going. We got another season, okay, take care and much continued success to you and the entire team.

00:37:15
Speaker 5: Thank you.

00:37:15
Speaker 8: Mam.

00:37:16
Speaker 2: She's been in broadcasting broadcast journalism for over three decades. She is the associate editor and sales team manager for the Jacksonville Free Press. I think she's also done some hosting and TV as well. I don't know her. I don't think that I've met her. But here is the point that is being made by a lot of either host former players, analysts. A lot of debate with this. Should you be saying this in a press conference. You're a member of the media, and yes, Jacksonville just lost. You're a hometown reporter, but you're still a journalist. Your job is to ask questions, to get answers from Liam Cohen, and then you put it in your article. That's what your job is. You're not a former player who plays for Jacksonville played for It's not like Tony Vasselli if he went there and said that in a press conference, no one would have a problem with that. But if you're a reporter and you're saying this, you can say it in a way that you almost want Liam Cohen to tell you what he accomplished this year. If you just put it in question form coach tough loss. Can you put it into words you know what you've done this year. So now you've let him kind of tell you what you are already telling him in that clip that I just played for you. And this is this is different than if Tony Dungeee says something about Mike Tomlin or to Mike Tomlin, or Rodney Harrison says something about the New England Patriot. They're former players. This is a press conference and you're a journalist. Now, look, I don't root. I don't root. I didn't like it when Stuart's got rooted, openly rooted, or Chris Berman openly rooted.

00:39:09
Speaker 3: I didn't like it. But hey, they had.

00:39:13
Speaker 2: Their own agenda, and I'm sure there are things that they didn't like of my approach here, but it shouldn't be a big deal. I think this reporter was very compassionate and it was a tough loss and she said it and she's been there in the community for over thirty years. Okay, it's not what we should be doing, but it's not the end of the world. And now you've got people who are, you know, saying, oh, you old journalist, and you guys, you know your days are numbered and polar credit you know, you know there We need journalism, We need people asking questions. I've admitted I got too close to players before paid the price. You know you can't do it because you you know, I got too close to Jason Johnby and Mark maguire, and then when I had to report on them, then all of a sudden, I lost friendships.

00:40:09
Speaker 3: But that's on me. That's on me.

00:40:11
Speaker 2: So I've done this firsthand. But I'm not openly rooting for you. I mean, Kurt Warner went to the Super Bowl with Arizona and I did an interview with him that season. I said, if you take them to the super Bowl, you're going to go to the Hall of Fame. And that's exactly what happened. But you know what I did after that Super Bowl. I went to Kurt Warner privately and told him that was an incredible job, and you are going to the Hall of Fame. Not at the press conference. You could still pull him aside if you want to talk to the coach. Hey, coach, I just want you to know what you've meant to this community. But this isn't hey, you know, the old school journalist. Oh, we still need people who ask questions. Not everybody has to be a cheerleader and former players are not journalist. Don't expect them to be. You know, people would pile on Pat mcavie. You got to ask, you know, Aaron Rodgers tough questions. Pat's an entertainer. I'm not expecting him to ask the questions that I would ask, and vice versa. It gets a paid interview. You have him, come on, you talk, Let him talk. Okay, there's a reason why he wanted to keep going back on those shows. At that show, he got freedom to say what he wanted to say. But that's Pat's show. I don't have any problem with that.

00:41:38
Speaker 9: Yeah, it's kind of ironic too, because Lynn Jones probably did and got one of the realest things to happen in a postgame press conference in years, where like actual human emotion and interaction rather than the same robotic answers that every journalist in the room is going to.

00:41:58
Speaker 3: Coach, how does this what does it feel like? Coach?

00:42:00
Speaker 5: Coach?

00:42:01
Speaker 10: Looking forward to next year? Coach, what's the what's the planned coach?

00:42:03
Speaker 3: Coach?

00:42:04
Speaker 9: What are you going to do in the other all the same crap that people ask every single press conference.

00:42:09
Speaker 10: It's a totally different thing.

00:42:10
Speaker 2: And the approach in these press conferences to so called journalism has changed dramatically. I don't know if it's for the good. I mean, that's for you the consumer. My approach will be my approach for the next at least the next two years. But that's what I teach at my broadcasting school. Whatever you do after that, I want to give you the foundation of what you should do when you go to a press conference. You're not there to be cheering in the press box. You're not there to be cheering in a press conference. But it became like this back and forth on social media. And that's what was surprising is I think it came from a good place with her that yes she was proud, and yes it was a local reporter. But that's where you know, I pull you aside and say, I hope you understand exactly what you did for this community and be proud and hold your head up. But you know, to make it like this is Nixon Frost debate. Yeah, Polin.

00:43:16
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:43:16
Speaker 7: When I heard it yesterday and I saw how I was posted, I'll get to that, but like I both thought that, wow, it was really sweet what she said, and also that journalists are not supposed to do that in press conferences, that's and everyone knows that it's not even the debate that you're not supposed to handle questions or statements that way.

00:43:31
Speaker 3: But what she said was really sweet.

00:43:32
Speaker 7: I didn't think Adam Schefter did her any favors when he posted this is an awesome postgame exchange between a reporter and head coach Liam Cohen. He gave no context to the person asking how old they were, how long they've been there? And people came after this reporter. Yeah, and it took me a while to look up how long she'd been there. I took a minute. But Schefter did her no favors and posting it that way.

00:43:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, And.

00:43:56
Speaker 2: This isn't a I got my show and I get to to, you know, treat my guests this way. This is a reporter. It's different. We have to play by different rules. We're not cheerleaders. It's not like Teddy Bruski's on the Mothership and he's saying nice things about the Patriots. He's a former Patriot. You have to approach this as fair as you possibly can. Because I always thought, when you're watching Sports Center, I want to make sure you know that I don't have a bias. I don't have a bias against your team or you know, for your team.

00:44:32
Speaker 3: I don't.

00:44:33
Speaker 2: I don't want you to ever think that because when somebody says, oh, who you want to win? I go it doesn't matter, it doesn't ye know. Case in point, when we're at Notre Dame, you can't help it, like Marcus Freeman. But if USC won that game, it's content. If Miami wins the national title, I don't care. I mean, Indiana's a great story, but if Miami wins, it's it's still a great story. That's what I'm in the storytelling business. But you're not in the business of rooting. And I'm guilty of this. It's hard not to do it, and people want access. How do you get access by being nice to people? By saying nice things about people? I mean, there are people won't come on this show, but you know, there are reasons. And it's not that I didn't.

00:45:31
Speaker 3: Do my job.

00:45:32
Speaker 2: It's that I do my job at least what I think is my job, and this is my show. My approach is different than throw out other hosts how Jim Rome or Colin does him his or you know the ESPN Morning Show. I mean everybody that's your territory.

00:45:50
Speaker 3: Do what you want.

00:45:52
Speaker 8: Yes, Ton, I appreciate what you had to say, and I understand the form isn't the best place. What if you were a journalist covering the team and you had a tough question that you were ready to ask right after she said that.

00:46:02
Speaker 5: You would look like such a jerk.

00:46:03
Speaker 8: How'd you guys blow that you could have beat the Bills? What happened after she just gave the flowers to him? You almost can't ask the question there.

00:46:09
Speaker 2: That's tough, no, But I don't know what tough question you'd be asking that, you know. I mean, this is a team that probably felt a year ahead of schedule. There they It's a great story, great story, and nobody's going to take Jacksonville lightly next year. But I mean, you want to ask tough questions the Packers after they lost, that would be the place where you're asking some tough questions. Here is Matt Lafleur, Green Bay head coach.

00:46:39
Speaker 14: Well, obviously this one is going to hurt for a really, really long time. You know, when you are in complete control of a football game and the flip the script gets flipped in the second half and it was a lot of self inflicted things, and you know, give credit to them. We knew they were a team that could come back and and fight that. I mean, they've proved it all season long, and we had opportunities to kind of put them away, and we didn't get it done.

00:47:08
Speaker 2: He got asked quite a few times about coming back next year. He's going to be in the final year of his contract. But you know, these are tough questions. But this is big boy business. They get paid to answer these questions. You got to ask the questions. And you know how you ask it. I mean, you may dress it up a little bit so it doesn't sound as penetrating, but you still have to ask these questions. And yes, it is uncomfortable and I've you know, I got yelled at by Don Shula one time, the Great Don Shula, because I asked a question and he didn't like the way I asked it, almost as if to say, who were you to ask me that question? And he's probably right. I mean, I was young in the business. But you know, you got to ask questions because you've got to serve your audience.

00:48:04
Speaker 3: You're readers. Remember when they used to read newspapers. God the Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Post Gazette is folding.

00:48:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's unbelievable in that town, as valuable as that newspaper was.

00:48:19
Speaker 3: Yes, Marvin, Yeah, I remember growing up the sports reporters.

00:48:23
Speaker 5: They were big.

00:48:23
Speaker 3: I know, I.

00:48:24
Speaker 8: Remember being starstrug when I met Bob Ryan, and my cousin was like, you're such a geek, it's pathetic.

00:48:29
Speaker 5: I was like, oh my god, Bob Ryan from the Boston Glow.

00:48:31
Speaker 2: He was like, yeah, he's a writer. Chad in Salt Lake. He types for a living.

00:48:38
Speaker 3: Hey Chad, Hey, how you doing, guys? Good?

00:48:42
Speaker 15: So when you read her job description, she and maybe started out as a reporter, but is now in the sales side. She's there. You know, she's there as a fan that just happened to have a press credential. I'm assuming maybe I shouldn't assue that, but it feels that way. I'd get in that boat. I work in sports radio on the sales side. I would love to do what you guys do, but I saw who drives the nicer cars, so I moved to the sales site years ago. You know, it's it just like she was.

00:49:12
Speaker 3: There, accurate, accurate, thank you.

00:49:17
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, are there moments where you know a reporter is hugging somebody after a game or whatever.

00:49:27
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, there's yes, all of these.

00:49:29
Speaker 2: I just think you have to have there have to be lines here, like there has to be you know, guardrails where you're able to ask these questions.

00:49:40
Speaker 3: But I'm not gonna you know, I don't have any problem.

00:49:44
Speaker 2: If she's that emotional and invested and you know she let those emotions out, it's okay.

00:49:52
Speaker 3: But now this is a referendum on old school news.

00:49:56
Speaker 1: School.

00:49:57
Speaker 2: This is no you know, nobody cares about you, old journalist.

00:50:01
Speaker 3: And maybe that's true. But I came in this way, I'm going out this way.