Super Bowl LX Preview with Liam Coen, Garett Bolles and 'Mad Dog' Christopher Russo

00:00:05
Speaker 1: Welcome to NFL Daily, where no one's hit us in the head with a YETI can today or whatever. I'm Greg Rosenthal. The omens are better. We're in Radio Row. I'm joined by Nick Schook and Jordan rod Ree gets the preview show.

00:00:22
Speaker 2: We're here, We're here.

00:00:24
Speaker 3: We've been here.

00:00:25
Speaker 1: We've been out and about in the San Francisco streets and nights.

00:00:30
Speaker 3: A little bit of a dive bar, yeah right afterwards.

00:00:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, a little like a place that somehow knew of Adam Rank and had like fed him free food. I was like, Adam Rank gets over in San Francisco every I don't I don't know why I'm made in the show with this, but I was impressed. It's a big show. Liam Cohen is on the show. It is our preview show, but we're gonna structure it a little differently. We had the chance to talk to one of the finalists for the NFL Coach of the Year. We're taking this Thursday afternoon. It'll go up probably a little before honors happened, so you'll probably know the result by the time you hear this. But one of the best coaches in the league. So we're gonna put that center stage, and then we're gonna get to our preview and a couple interviews, including Garrett Bowles of the Denver Broncos.

00:01:19
Speaker 4: A very honest Garrett Bowles, who's brought the.

00:01:22
Speaker 1: Heat, has not gotten over the Patriots' victory and doesn't believe it was deserved.

00:01:29
Speaker 3: Oh appreciate that.

00:01:30
Speaker 1: And then we're also gonna have Chris mad Dog Russo on the show and help us preview Seahawks Patriots.

00:01:37
Speaker 3: I'm already ready to get to the game.

00:01:39
Speaker 4: Get it, let's go, it's time.

00:01:41
Speaker 3: Let's get to the interview.

00:01:42
Speaker 1: So we're gonna hear Jordan and I talking to Liam Cohen, and then after that we'll take a break and we'll come back with our big preview. But this was a really fun conversation with Liam Cohen after his first year as Jaguars head coach.

00:02:01
Speaker 3: Welcoming in Liam Cohen, the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach and most importantly friend of the show, and by that I mean friend of Jordan Rodrick.

00:02:12
Speaker 5: I mean I'm stoked. I think we're all stoked this.

00:02:15
Speaker 6: It feels like what a joy ride you guys went on ever since you got that job. Liam, and then started building with James and Tony and the organization. And I guess looking back at it the first week's, the first month, what were a couple of pivotal moments for you that you look back at now and think, I can't believe I was there at one point to where we are now.

00:02:37
Speaker 7: First of all, thank you guys so much for having me on.

00:02:39
Speaker 8: You know, it's been so cool to see your journey, especially specifically, and just to see how much.

00:02:43
Speaker 7: You've come and grown.

00:02:45
Speaker 8: And you asked always the best questions when I was in LA hands down, how much? But seriously, you've done a phonology. I'll make this stuff really fun, and so I appreciate that. And look, there's been there was multiple times where you kind of have to vent yourself a little bit to realize, all right, man, I have to go make maybe this decision. But when you're with a leadership group like Tony and James, you're able to go make decisions collaboratively and know that, man, this isn't the best interest of the Jacksonville Jaguars. And so man, we looked at the buy where we really came off with two struggle games, got our butts beat by the Seahawks, and by the Rams, and that was a personal loss for us, you know, in a lot of ways. And so that was a tough one and we really had to evaluate look at ourselves both, you know, really in all three phases, made some tweaks, credit to staff to be able to do some of those things. And then really when we lost to Houston and blew a twenty point lead in the fourth quarter, allowed us to go have some real open, honest, real conversations with both coaches, staff, players, the team, and we're able to use some of that information, use some of that knowledge that we gained after some of those conversations, apply it and go see some better results.

00:03:54
Speaker 1: So when those results start coming and yeah, I remember that Texans game, so well, yeah, the big Davis Mills moment.

00:04:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, she gives she gives me grief for loving me some.

00:04:02
Speaker 4: David, I've been high on the Jaguars.

00:04:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, so we were.

00:04:06
Speaker 1: I wanted to give you our story because that's what's really important, you know. Early we did a whole episode Jordan and I on the Jaguars kind of like we're put planting our flag. This is our messy, fun team of the season that we just love watching this team. It's all not perfect, it's a little messy. There's some fun stuff on the field. Off it's all happening, but at some point you kind of just had to like cross out the messy and it was just fun. And you guys are putting up big points. You're winning games in different sorts of ways. It's the reason why you're up for Coach of the Year at Honors and in Trevor Lawrence is getting recognized and everything. During that stretch where where you do start winning games in different type of ways and and looking like like one of the best teams in the league, what were some like moments or something that stands out to you where you think, okay, that the kind of foundation we're trying to set, it's actually starting to click.

00:04:54
Speaker 8: Yeah, So that's a great question, right, I'll I go back to that Houston game so many times, because look, you jump out. We jumped out fast and really had an opportunity to kind of put a division opponent almost away in some ways, right, to beat them twice, and it would have obviously structured the league the standings a little bit differently. But look, we didn't get it done, and it was it was a quiet locker room, guys. I mean it was dead quiet after that game and we had those conversations. We rebound the next week and beat the Chargers pretty handedly and actually played one of our more you know, like all purpose games to where it was cleaner, Like you said, the discipline, the detail, the fundamentals, the techniques that game after we lost to Houston, that way to bounce back and beat a quality opponent in the NFL like that, that's when we looked at it and said, Okay, we've now changed. We've elevated the standard. This is a new standard of how we are supposed to play every week, whether we get the result or not, whether we win or lose the game, but this has got to be our new standard of play every week in terms of the detail and practice, the way that we prepare, and then the way the guys went out and played, win or lose.

00:06:09
Speaker 7: We can live with those results, you guys.

00:06:11
Speaker 6: You know, obviously health was part of a factor here in sort of that late stretcher, that second half stretch. But after the trade deadline, what I thought was so cool was how you started putting different layers to your offense together in different ways and testing theories and figured out what works and what really fits these guys, and you had the personnel also at that point to do it, because again you got a couple guys back, and then also Jacoby Meyers came over.

00:06:36
Speaker 4: Can you explain to us just like what it was.

00:06:39
Speaker 6: Like putting together those layers, particularly in your passing game. I always it's gross description, but I always described it as like you build. You built the spine first because you clear out that middle of the field and you love the middle of the field, and then you build all the ribs around it, all the different concepts, and like it really felt like that by the end of the.

00:06:59
Speaker 8: Year, I thought I completely agree with you. Specifically is early on in the season, we were kind of off of a Tampa formula. Like you know, you're calling it based on some of the success you had, Right you're running the football, you're trying to control the clock with a good defense, screens, high percentage throws, getting trying to get the ball in your playmaker's hands. Right, Well, we ended up being crappy at screens all right, and we weren't stretching the field vertically, we weren't making the defense defend every blade of grass and so at the buy that's when we had some of those layered conversations about, man, we need to go back to the foundation of our day one install Like day one install pass caame what does Trevor and these guys do best? Day two vat install pass game, what do these guys do best? Because the meat and potatoes of your offense is really in the first three installs of training camp OTAs whatever it is, and then you're just you know, picking and choosing. We really went back to that foundation, those three installs and said, what does our quarterback dot, what are our receivers in each player, what routes do they do best.

00:08:04
Speaker 7: And where do they have the most success.

00:08:06
Speaker 8: And that's where you saw Jakobe really come alive in the middle of the field. We were finally able to stretch the field vertically with BT to allow him to do what he did best. And then Parker Washington has a huge ascension and really did what he did all through training camp, which was make contested plays, run after catch, you know, works on the option choice routes.

00:08:24
Speaker 7: So it all did.

00:08:26
Speaker 8: Come to life, but it was a learning experience that, man, not what you did last year is always going to be you have to truly figure out what's best for these players.

00:08:34
Speaker 6: Well, it was fun for us because we were on the charts with you guys, like we were charting all of the because at first you had certain guys running those inbreakers that I know you love, and then and then and then you switched it when Jacobe came over, and then you let guys maximize, like as you know less you know, I was just saying, I know, James.

00:08:49
Speaker 5: Says it too.

00:08:49
Speaker 6: It's like the superpowers, like finding guys superpowers. But you did it like yeah while continuing to win, right, yeah, which is I know, you know, because you've been through a lot in this league, Like you you know how hard it is to do and to keep winning that you're doing.

00:09:03
Speaker 8: We're getting the turnovers obviously defensively was so helpful. You go from being last in the NFL and earning turnovers and ball disruption to second, right, Campy, those guys did a phenomenal job of getting us more ops offensively, and when you got more at bats, it.

00:09:18
Speaker 7: Definitely helps your ability to be more creative.

00:09:21
Speaker 8: Right when you know you're gonna get extra possessions, you know you got more at bats. Well, man, let's let's try to tweak with that one, right, Let's just run the same concepts a little bit differently, dress them up. I thought grand Inski, Shane Waldron, those guys, John Van dam Our offensive coaches did a phenomenal job building a pass game that marries our run game each week, and we became a better, you know, depth of target team right where we were actually pushing the ball down the field more. Trevor's comfortable doing those things, so it definitely clicked at the right time.

00:09:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, Parker Washington, I feel like was like the unofficial player of the NFL Daily podcast.

00:09:57
Speaker 3: We just watched, love watching that.

00:09:59
Speaker 1: The you talked about, you know, your play calling and adjusting and trying to figure out things on the fly for for someone that hasn't done it from the outside described sort of. I guess it's a two part thing, like one as a as a play caller, because one thing I like watching about you, not that I'm some expert, but you know how things are sequenced, how you're setting up plays for later in the game. How how it you know, I think when when it's going well, I'm wondering how that feels.

00:10:26
Speaker 3: Is it like you did?

00:10:30
Speaker 7: I like you did that because you actually, you know, you do.

00:10:33
Speaker 8: Like one thing I learned, you know when I called that at Main, it's no different when you're calling you guys right, like calm plays, your calm plays, whether your calm plays and D three your calm plays in the NFL.

00:10:43
Speaker 7: Like calm plays.

00:10:44
Speaker 8: Is fun when you're in a flow, when you're plays off of plays, when your runs and your actions and your keepers are in game marrying right, that's when.

00:10:54
Speaker 7: It's really fun.

00:10:56
Speaker 8: You're not looking at your call sheet. You're not just calm plays. And it's the study, it's the preparation. It's calling, it's scripting during the week is getting that muscle memory. It's calling it during the week of practice, that's getting that muscle memory. And in between drives you're gonna have some thoughts with your staff and maybe write some things down. But when you're really going to flow, you're not looking at your call sheets too much.

00:11:19
Speaker 3: That's amazing.

00:11:19
Speaker 1: Also, by the way, Liam Cohen spent some time at UMass So West Western mass Representation.

00:11:24
Speaker 3: That's right here.

00:11:25
Speaker 1: There's there's not a lot of us out there there, but that's that's that's my that's my part of the world. I wanted to kind of ask a follow up with that, though, what are the things that opposing defensive coaches do during the game obviously without giving you know, needing to give away too much that that get in the way of that.

00:11:43
Speaker 3: Flow state that that come that up that make it the hardest on you.

00:11:46
Speaker 8: Yeah, I think especially with how dynamics some of these third down defenses are, with the blitz packages, the coverage packages of where people are now willing to send coverage from right, Like obviously PAULA Motley at one point in the Steelers was right, he was spinning down, you know, spinning back from like way down the line of scrimage. Well, that's becoming so much more the norm. And whereas on first and second down you're getting these shell defenses at right, we're seeing so much shell defense, a little bit more single high because the run game this year I think in the NFL is really jumping up. Well, those third down known passing downs is really where it gets challenging. If you're a second and eight, which we call a g bot, right, get back on track second and eight plus if yeah, if you're if a defense is playing.

00:12:34
Speaker 7: That like first and second down, I like it.

00:12:36
Speaker 9: I love it.

00:12:37
Speaker 7: I want to throw it. I want to be able to run it. Still, mix it up.

00:12:40
Speaker 8: If you come out in your third down defense, now on second and eight, and now I've got to ask my offensive line, quarterback and running back to go pick up double a's double mug overload pressures.

00:12:50
Speaker 7: Man, that's a lot. That's a lot.

00:12:52
Speaker 8: I'm not giving our quarterback the best chance to be successful. That's gonna drop back a million times versus that. So that's the hard thing is that defenses, I think are so creative with where these guys, these spots on the field are coming from. Uh, and it's so different than first and second down.

00:13:09
Speaker 6: What how do you, aside from getting a better down distance, how do you force the defense out of that if they're if they're spinning in ways that on early downs that your quarterback or that yourself is a play caller, don't necessarily want to see.

00:13:21
Speaker 7: Jump the ball.

00:13:23
Speaker 9: Jump the ball. Yeah.

00:13:24
Speaker 5: I was gonna say, what's the turbo package?

00:13:26
Speaker 7: Yeah, there you go jump the ball. And I will say, Trevor explain that.

00:13:31
Speaker 3: To explain that to the listener, go no huddle.

00:13:33
Speaker 8: You know a lot of ways where you know, if you're trying to trap them maybe in in base defense and you've got a favorable personnel grouping out on the field, or you don't want to see their dime package maybe on third down that you'll go and jump the field, you know, jump the ball to keep them in nickel and things like that that allow your personnel to be favorable. And then when you go no huddle, oftentimes you're going to limit maybe the calls that the defensive coordinator can make, and so you only have so many turbo calls maybe as a defensive coach and really as an offensive coach as well. So that's something obviously learned early on in this profession to if you want to limit some of that junk, you know, get.

00:14:13
Speaker 9: On the ball.

00:14:14
Speaker 6: One thing that I think we both noticed and we talked about on our show too, was like Liam, like, I mean I covered you in twenty two and then before that obviously, but like.

00:14:23
Speaker 5: You like you came out of your shell too.

00:14:25
Speaker 6: Not that you were in a show necessarily, because I think people who know you and talk to you, they think you're really personable and all of that, but it wasn't just that the team was winning. Like I don't know if you've gone back and watched broadcast copies.

00:14:37
Speaker 4: Or anything like that.

00:14:38
Speaker 6: But you're in it, like you're living and dying in it. But you're showing that kind of personality. And I think that within reason obviously, coaches now, especially this like generation of coaches that are so connected with the team, that's like kind of okay to do. And did you feel the fans And I know, Ashley your wife is very connected with the fan base, So did you feel the fans sort of respond to you being like full on, like I am Jacksonville, like f you we are going to like get that kind of a thing.

00:15:09
Speaker 7: Then you know, maybe like who is this psychopath? At first?

00:15:12
Speaker 9: Right?

00:15:13
Speaker 8: And look, I appreciate and understand I actually did a phenomenal job incorporating the community and our organization with the fan base.

00:15:20
Speaker 7: But you know, I think that if.

00:15:23
Speaker 8: Players know, because it's really all about them, right, Like I care so much obviously, I want our fans.

00:15:28
Speaker 7: Our fans are amazing.

00:15:29
Speaker 8: I want them as involved in as engaged as we can have them. As long as your players, I think, don't feel like they're aligned on a.

00:15:36
Speaker 7: Piece of paper.

00:15:38
Speaker 8: Like if if you are just I'm here, you're here, you need to go do this route, on this piece of paper, on this playbook, on this past picture like.

00:15:48
Speaker 7: This, well, like, I don't know that that takes.

00:15:52
Speaker 8: Away some of their their creativity. The are the the art of which some of this stuff is done. And when I feel like I'm maybe in it with them and have a little bit more like in the fourth quarter when you have nothing else rightah, man, I want to play for my name, I want to play for the next contract, I want to play for my family, whatever those whys are right, Well, in the fourth quarter when you got nothing left in the tank. I do want our players to ultimately look over the sideline and say, like, I want to play for him, Yeah, I don't want to lose for him too, because we are all in it together. And so I think when you can have that relationship, you can have that connection with the players, maybe it maybe goes a little bit further.

00:16:28
Speaker 1: Jaguars fans one of the most underrated fan bases in the league in terms of knowledge, in terms of passam yeah, passion.

00:16:36
Speaker 3: Like, in terms of the coverage.

00:16:37
Speaker 1: It's just one of those I've been writing and talking about football for twenty years, just one of those fan base you always hear from yea, and but but they're smart about it too. Yeah, and they love a good rivalry and an underrated rivalry. Tight is tightened fags. Oh yeah for sure. Oh yeah, you got Salad now coming into the division. I know the fans are now going to be a little fired about. Yeah, of course I grow between you guys.

00:17:01
Speaker 7: We've see plenty of times after that.

00:17:03
Speaker 1: Let's let's bring a little back between the coaches, just fun in a fun way.

00:17:08
Speaker 7: How you feeling about that? No, it'll be great.

00:17:10
Speaker 8: Honestly, with Houston and the division prior it was like almost having that feeling of not saying because we had not built to the rams degree. I'm not saying that, but it felt when we were getting ready to play then was how we were getting ready to play San fran every year, every twice a week year because of the structure, the way they play, the way that they come to play every single game.

00:17:30
Speaker 9: You're like, that's right.

00:17:32
Speaker 8: And so now you've got coach Sala coming in You're like, damn, all right, So we got another one we got to buckle up for, which is just so good for our league.

00:17:40
Speaker 9: It is.

00:17:40
Speaker 8: It's so good for our division. I know what kind of football coach he is, I know what he's going to have that defense ready to go do.

00:17:47
Speaker 7: Specifically, and so it's a great test for us.

00:17:49
Speaker 8: I mean, look, you want to be able to compete and play against the best in every week in the NFL.

00:17:55
Speaker 7: That's why it's the best game in the world.

00:17:57
Speaker 8: Uh, that's the same for us as coaches, right, Like our plays have a lot of pride in beating their peers, right, but they're also then they go off camera, you know, and go hang out with them, they switch jerseys like it's all it is love, Like we all want to see each other thrive, but it's competitive and we all want to win.

00:18:13
Speaker 6: And that well, what we're talking about you coming out of your shelf, that kind of energy though, like your players seem to really respond to you kind of you know, You're like, I'm not going to take where the Jaguars, We're not going to take any crap from anybody kind of a thing, and players really seem to to respond to that.

00:18:29
Speaker 5: I know the community definitely responded to it.

00:18:32
Speaker 6: And I guess I wonder like you carrying this forward into year two as a coach. I know you guys are approaching the off season differently, well, I know we're familiar with but differently than I think a lot of teams will totally. I know that you guys are thinking about how to keep building this and how to keep pushing this word. What are a couple of my like key cornerstones.

00:18:51
Speaker 4: That stick out to you there?

00:18:52
Speaker 8: I mean so much I think of success, like this year was great, right, but everything is so much about your I think in this your evolution, your Hey, are we kind of for real or not?

00:19:06
Speaker 9: Right?

00:19:06
Speaker 7: Like having that.

00:19:06
Speaker 8: Those conversations of sustainability, wanting to take the next step.

00:19:11
Speaker 7: I mean, at the end of the day, that was a great year.

00:19:14
Speaker 8: We won the division, awesome, we fell short of our ultimate goals, right, that's the reality. Thirty one teams in this NFL league will say the same thing, right, But that's the beauty of it is we have an opportunity to keep getting better.

00:19:28
Speaker 7: We built off some great energy.

00:19:30
Speaker 8: Guys played their tails off for us as a staff, in which we really appreciate. But we can get better. We need to get better. And it's those details that you mentioned earlier. It's that sloppiness. And I thought we did a great job in the second half of the season, cleaning that football up. Well, now we got both our coordinators, all three of our coordinators coming back, so.

00:19:49
Speaker 3: Nice little feather in your cap. That's great. Yeah, it didn't go huge.

00:19:53
Speaker 6: I mean I would love to know a little more about the recruiting, the self recruiting and saying like, hey, please you know, because I know you guys have built a lot of camaraderie over the last year.

00:20:02
Speaker 9: Yeah, it was hard.

00:20:03
Speaker 8: I mean you're going through you hire a couple of young, first time coaches, to give opportunity to that you really believe in and trust, and then to see them get some early exposure into the head coaching lenses.

00:20:16
Speaker 7: It's something that you feel.

00:20:17
Speaker 8: So you know, there's pride, there's excitement, there's frustration, there's you know, anxiety, but really proud and glad that those guys ended up being able to come back. And Heath Farwell, our special teams coordinator, is one of the best in the NFL, hands down. And to have that continuity and now be able to go into a real off season, right this is Trevor Lawrence. Is one of his first off seasons without dealing with an injury. So what does that look like like? We need to get better at this spring and have every opportunity to do so. And so that's the that's the goal is, man, how do we build off of it? What the results are, I can't tell you. But this process in which we go about it the off season OTAs phase one being with our feet are and winning each phase, I think we can continue to get better.

00:21:06
Speaker 1: I'll get some tips from you too, because I'm gonna have to do some self recruiting when they start coming after Jordan's own show under that and I'm.

00:21:14
Speaker 3: Like, I'm.

00:21:16
Speaker 4: The entire way.

00:21:18
Speaker 5: Strategy in the system a.

00:21:20
Speaker 7: Couple more years and when you got something that works, don't don't fix it.

00:21:23
Speaker 3: But before we let you go, we're wrapping up here.

00:21:26
Speaker 1: But I'm I'm currently buying up all the Travis Hunter stock that if anyone is selling, because I felt how your front office felt. I'm sure how you felt too before the draft, right that there's only so many players, not just the both sides of the ball thing.

00:21:41
Speaker 3: More of that the game seems so slow to him.

00:21:45
Speaker 1: We had a guy on the show yesterday justin Jefferson, where I know they're very different in many ways, in the ways that they just moved differently there's only a few types of guys that moved differently he made. He made me feel something that I think you made your front office feel too, And I still believe in all of that. So I guess I haven't seen him on the field in the practice field every day, Like what did you see out of him and how he was moving it, especially on defense.

00:22:09
Speaker 8: But either way you hit the nail on the head. Is like when you just say, without a lot of coaching, you just say, like go play and just go watch.

00:22:18
Speaker 7: Yeah, it's different, for sure.

00:22:20
Speaker 8: It is like the way he moves, the way he anticipates, the way that he feels coverage on offense where he just kind of like feels zones and has a He's a football player, he is, and it was so unfortunate to get hurt like that on a bye week practice that he had just come off of having a hundred yard game, and man, that made us obviously have to pivot in some ways and it was super frustrating. But he is the type of human being, the type of dude that will get better from this. A minor setback for a major comeback. He will come back from this. He will be great, one step at a time, one day at a time, and what that looks.

00:22:59
Speaker 9: Like moving forward.

00:23:01
Speaker 7: I'm shoot, I can't tell you.

00:23:02
Speaker 8: We were evolving as we went right time at practice on offense defense this like we were pretty fluid with it, and so it'll give us a great opportunity to evaluate it again this spring, and I do expect him to return to form them.

00:23:15
Speaker 1: Well, I think that's it for Liam Cohane, because I got to give you guys time to just talk off camera before we started. Like, there's a lot of good stuff going on here, and I can see our producer Eric Roberts not saying get this stuff on the show because I know that everything is not for air. More like, let's get the show going so we can have more time with Liam cohen. But you're very generous with you and we'll have to talk about you mass the show too.

00:23:39
Speaker 5: I don't really need to be there for that, zoo.

00:23:45
Speaker 8: That's why I first coordinator job. Yeah, yeah, orn O Maine. I was my first time can Plays was up there. So thank you guys so much for having me on.

00:23:54
Speaker 3: Good luck with the Coach of the Year and everything, and good luck for the twenty twenty six season.

00:23:59
Speaker 9: Thanks appreciate it.

00:24:13
Speaker 3: Back on NFL Daily.

00:24:16
Speaker 1: We got a mon Ross Saint Brown walking by, we got Brian Urlocker walking by, we got Bo Jackson walking by.

00:24:26
Speaker 3: All the luminaries, who has made you the most excited you've seen?

00:24:32
Speaker 2: I saw Matt Castle with it.

00:24:33
Speaker 3: I mean, come on, do better. He's just one of our podcasts co hosts college. I mean, it's great.

00:24:39
Speaker 4: Bo Wolf of PHL.

00:24:42
Speaker 2: Greg is disappointed.

00:24:43
Speaker 6: I'm making up for no, It's It's cool. It's like such a scene here. It's a great environment. Like what I like is you see people who you haven't seen in a while, You catch up with friends. You do that like drive by catch up.

00:24:56
Speaker 4: Kind of thing where you're like, great to see you. I'm running late. I'm grabbing Greg's and then rushing to the set stuff.

00:25:01
Speaker 3: And then I kind of.

00:25:02
Speaker 1: Hate that because you see you see people that you haven't seen in five years. Like I just thought Ed Lewis will be, yeah, delighted to know that he's mentioned in the show, But I'll never find out who we used to work with in the news room.

00:25:16
Speaker 3: But I haven't seen him like seven years. But we're running to a hit.

00:25:19
Speaker 1: For another show, and and I'm like, oh, I gotta I gotta go, like immediately, and it seems like you're big timing them, like it's just like we're all.

00:25:27
Speaker 3: In a hurry.

00:25:28
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I don't like that feeling where I'm like, yes.

00:25:31
Speaker 3: Gotta go.

00:25:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm sorry, it's a Jhi.

00:25:33
Speaker 3: Hello, I'm in a hurry. I'm running late.

00:25:34
Speaker 2: But I did see somebody that I haven't seen since college who is a producer for.

00:25:38
Speaker 1: Esp Let's go all right, So, speaking of in a hurry, I just, you know, wasted three minutes blabbing when we're putting a clock on our Super Bowl preview.

00:25:47
Speaker 3: Here's what we're gonna do.

00:25:49
Speaker 1: We're gonna put thirteen minutes on the clock to talk about the Patriots when they have the ball, Patriots offense versus Seahawks defense. We're gonna we're gonna put limitations on us, like Kyle Shanahan put limitations on Mac Jones, the bumpers. He Mac Jones would rather be bumper bowling a little bit, I feel like because it helped free up his mind to play looser.

00:26:14
Speaker 3: So we're gonna do that. We're not gonna give us a chance.

00:26:16
Speaker 1: It's gonna keep us moving and then we're gonna talk thirteen minutes about the Seahawks offense against the Patriots defense, and then we're gonna throw to a couple of great interviews with Garrett Bowles and and Chris mad Dog Russo talking about the game and get out of here. So let's let's start with let's actually start with the Seahawks offense. Start the clock, it's happening, And I'll start with you shook, like the number one thing you're looking for from the Seahawks offense, to know that they're that they're gonna be in good hands and put their team in position to.

00:26:55
Speaker 3: Win this game.

00:26:56
Speaker 10: I mean, it's gonna sound yeah, that was great the way fantastic. It makes you feel like I'm back at practice. It's gonna sound cliche, but it's gonna start on the ground game because that's been the basis of their offense, especially late this season. Now, of course, Sam threw for a ton of yards in the NFC Championship game, but prior to that, the story was Keneth Walker. The story was their backfield. We know they lost Zach Sharboney, but it was their ability to control the game on the ground. Because if they can do that against this Patriots defense. Then they can work out of their run action. Mike Rabel talked about it at length yesterday, how good Clint Kubiak is a building out of.

00:27:25
Speaker 2: The run action.

00:27:26
Speaker 10: If they can do that, they can dominate possession, they can put points on the board, and they can really flip the game in their favor.

00:27:32
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:27:32
Speaker 6: Well, Sam Darnold is like the fourth best play action passer an explosive pass rate off of play action in the NFL, and has been all season, even when the offense dipped or got less explosive, he stayed pretty consistent there and it does predicate off of how well they can run the ball. And what I really like about this matchup isn't.

00:27:52
Speaker 4: Just you know, the good on good of it or the front on front of it.

00:27:56
Speaker 6: It's the little nuances within even that, which is the Pats our strongest in the against the run on the interior, Well, Ken Walker is such a creative runner.

00:28:07
Speaker 4: The way that he can see the perimeter so well.

00:28:10
Speaker 6: We saw it, you know, two weeks ago in the in the NFC Championship game, where he would be so patient and he would see exactly where to kick. I would always say, it's to keep away from Huna Ford plan kind of thing. It's the same thing keep away from Milton Williams plan. That kind of a situation where Ken Walker can can really see it so well and they are just as comfortable running variations of wide and middle zone as they are.

00:28:36
Speaker 4: You know, if he sees something right up the middle, then he can take a couple of guys down with them.

00:28:39
Speaker 1: I think they're gonna miss sharbon Ala a little more, especially in this game. They didn't really run it that well against the Rams. They're one of the worst teams in the NFL statistically in third and long. Yeah, Like they are a team that needs to stay on schedule, and they generally do that with their passing game.

00:28:53
Speaker 3: I mean they throw plenty on first down.

00:28:55
Speaker 1: You talked about the play action, and I think they'll be aggressive, but Walker and Darnold are kind of symbolic of this offense.

00:29:03
Speaker 3: Which is a little boom or bust.

00:29:04
Speaker 10: Yeah.

00:29:05
Speaker 3: You know, the running game has been great.

00:29:07
Speaker 1: Sometimes it's you know, that's a matchup, and there aren't a ton in this game where I think if you go by what they do in an average week, the Patriots actually have to have to feel good because they love their edge guys in terms of stopping the run too, like Anthrety Jennings, And it's probably the number one takeaway I had going back. I went through all the coaches film with these these guys in the playoffs, and it was it was all the other guys for the Patriots that stood out to me, Afrety Jennings and Dirden and Elijah Ponder actually rushed in the passer a little bit. And it's just like team defense running the ball. And then if you get Darnold into you know, tough down distant situations, I think we'll know early.

00:29:46
Speaker 3: I think we'll know in the first driver too.

00:29:49
Speaker 1: If he's moving through his reads quick, if he's getting to like the backside of his reads like so fast like he was in the NFC Championship, Patriots are gonna be in trouble.

00:29:59
Speaker 3: But like I think we're gonna find out pretty fast.

00:30:01
Speaker 10: And that's why I point to the run game because how much of the game and the pressure do you want to put on Sam Darnald's shoulders. You don't want to be a pass first, primary passing offense in the first quarter, like ideally, you don't want to have to put everything on Sam's arm in the first quarter, because that means that you've realized, oh God, maybe we can't run the football, or maybe we're going to reverse it and we're going to try to run it later. But it's not a situation in which I want to have him throw thirty five times, even though he did well against the Rams.

00:30:25
Speaker 2: If I want to limit the possibility for mistakes.

00:30:28
Speaker 6: In Jurney, I kind of I might push back on you like a little bit there, Shook, because I don't think they want to be everything on Sam's arm team.

00:30:36
Speaker 4: I certainly agree with you there.

00:30:37
Speaker 6: I do think they want to pass early and explore and create explosives early against this Patriots defense because then they can put their own defense in their own A plus A plus plan, and that's kind of been their formula. I think you could really like set your watches and clocks on the amount of deeper strikes or explosive plays they try.

00:30:58
Speaker 4: To manufacture or create early as early as.

00:31:01
Speaker 6: They possibly can in this game, because even going ahead three points, that's enough for Mike McDonald to stay in his A plus defensive plan. I know we're not talking about the defense yet, not for eleven more minutes, but I'm just saying that's why I think you might see them. Yes, they want to run the ball throughout the game, obviously, and they did. I think that's a credit to them that they did again against the Rams, where some of those perimeters runs were working, but Ken Walker only averaged three point three yards per carry and the success rate was very low in that game. And so you know, but they kept chopping at it, and they kept chopping at it because they have to keep selling that play action. I don't think that predit cads are like prevents them from actually taking those shots early, especially trying to design up some things to try to stay in that eight plus plan.

00:31:51
Speaker 1: I think the Patriots just have to be worried about them out athleting, like the Seahawks out athleting the Patriots. It's if we put so much on x's and o's, but it's like whose players are better. The Seahawks players are better overall. The Patriots have a lot of talent on the defensive side, but JSN and Walker, like, I think a J Barner is a really important part of their offense. Like, can the Patriots continue to be one of, if not the best tackling teams in the league, like prevent yards after catch, prevent the Rashid Jaheed big play, and just like they make them really work for it, because it does feel a little old schoolish Patriots of like the sound fundamental, sometimes a little boring, although they've been blitzing a lot type of defense, and just like, are you gonna get a situation where it's one on one against Splaine or as much as I love him, Christian Els, you know, like Jack Gibbons like it, Carlton Davis is not as fast as what what he once was. Like I don't think I've heard the words Jalen Hawkins or Craig Woodson yet, but he's there. They're there starting safeties and they were put conflict and conflict at different times of the season. So can you just like out athlete this Patriots too. I think that's possible and that that would be trouble for it.

00:33:08
Speaker 10: And that's why I think that that stopping the run still matters because it at least takes away or reduces one of those elements. Because even in the passing game, it's not it doesn't just have to be deep shots. You have to be worried about that with guys like you heat on the field in JSN as we know what he's done. But you also have to consider how well they use Kenneth Walker in the passing game. But if you can reduce them down to throwing, then it makes it just a little bit easier and also increases the chances, maybe only slightly, like Calevon Chason gets home forces a fumble, because if they're going to get out athleted, then they need a couple of things to go their way to level the playing field.

00:33:36
Speaker 2: And you do that by getting after Sam Darnald.

00:33:38
Speaker 6: Yeah. But and on the Seahawks side, though, I think they can create these disadvantageous matchups against those players that you that you just pointed to Greg, because we saw it, We saw it start happening where you know, they weren't necessarily sure. I think they would say now that they were sure that Sam Darnald was gonna play, well, of course they have it. Yeah, but in the moment you saw klink, Kubik brought more scheme like he's he's sing JSN up in the backfield to try to get him in advantageous matchups against.

00:34:04
Speaker 4: Players who are maybe weak spots.

00:34:06
Speaker 6: He's doing the same thing with Kenneth Walker, who is such a threat to your point nick in the passing game as well, especially if they're looking at this as a game where if your linebackers and safeties are potentially weaker spots on the field as well as you are as good as you are as a tackling defense, if you're the Patriots, you still are not trying to have those guys schemed up against you know, an extension of your run game, that that short screen game, or that like wide perimeter passing game with the running back, because it is still a mismatch, and so I really feel like you're going to see a lot of guys moving in different positions or pre snap then, especially to try to get their best athlete against you know.

00:34:46
Speaker 3: Patriots'll test the communication.

00:34:48
Speaker 1: But I do think that's probably like one of the strengths of the Patriots defense, which look, they've been on fire in terms of EPA pro play for their best five games of the season are the last, which is you know, it's like in a row. It includes an insane Week eighteen game that didn't matter at all that the weather was involved, like we've been through all this, but they are playing their best, which is why like, I haven't thought this was as big a mismatches as people think, like in weighted Dboa, which is waiting the end of the season more than the beginning. These are the best two teams in the NFL. There's a decent gap between the two, but they actually have the Patriots. Second, I think ken Walker in pass pro could be an issue. All the fantasy heads and everyone on Twitter and Blue Sky's like, why why aren't they playing Kenneth Walker every snap even in the championship game, And you know it's it's because they.

00:35:37
Speaker 3: Don't totally trust him.

00:35:39
Speaker 1: So like that matchup against like Jack Gibbons or someone could work out so well with Walker as a receiver, but could work out really poorly if the Patriots are blitzing. So that that's just like one little game inside the game. Thing I'm walking is could Ken Walker get his quarterback hit?

00:35:56
Speaker 10: I think about what I've seen that these Patriots media availabilities this week, and you know, they have all their personnel walking around and they're all wearing Patriots Brandon stuff, and I keep seeing this one guy with this jacket and on the back it says bring the fight.

00:36:07
Speaker 2: And if the Patriots are going to bring the fight to the Seahawks.

00:36:09
Speaker 10: I think it's going to be dialing up the blitz, getting after them, knocking them out of their rhythm early, trying to tilt the game in your favor so that you can capitalize, because, like you said, Jordan, the last place you want to be is trailing to the Seahawks and letting Mike McDonald's defense.

00:36:22
Speaker 9: Go to work.

00:36:23
Speaker 2: So I think that starts on the defensive side of the football.

00:36:25
Speaker 1: There are so many games of watching the Seahawks this year where he really didn't look great for like a hot minute, like the Panthers game Kids this, and then suddenly it's an avalanche or suddenly the avale or the avalanche is in the first half.

00:36:37
Speaker 11: Yep.

00:36:38
Speaker 1: What I mean to say is like it sort of happens all at once, and then it's overwhelming and the game's over and they can do it in the first, the second, the fourth.

00:36:47
Speaker 3: Let's worried.

00:36:47
Speaker 6: So I like what you guys have said about the blitz, because if I'm calling the blitz at what the forty percent right according to the next Gen since Week fourteen that they have been doing and even I would say even higher through the Poe season as well, just eye testing that.

00:37:02
Speaker 4: Do it whenever you have a poor, past.

00:37:05
Speaker 6: Pro guy on the field, do it whenever you're afraid that there even if even if Kenn Walker ends up.

00:37:10
Speaker 5: Being the hot on that play, I take it every time.

00:37:14
Speaker 2: Because then you just make a one on one tackle and open space and they're a great tackling Yes.

00:37:17
Speaker 6: Exactly, exactly, And I just think that this is Mike Rabel and him just like he's just plotting, you know, and he's just got the you know what I mean, Like you just feel like and you kind of heard it. Like Mike Donald was talking earlier this week, I read in some of the quotes which just like, yeah, you know, it's a lot of time, it's a lot of time to think about stuff.

00:37:36
Speaker 4: And that's exactly what I just there's something in the works. I just know it.

00:37:41
Speaker 6: I feel it in my bones with Rabel, some little wrinkle, whether it's situationally or whether it is his defense against this offense that is full of.

00:37:49
Speaker 4: You know, mom stars when they're at their best.

00:37:51
Speaker 6: Maybe mine is like the right side of the line or the interior right side of the line, and like really trying to flip their.

00:37:58
Speaker 4: Own math against them and that's exactly one way to do it.

00:38:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'll e. Connolly pointed out on Monday.

00:38:05
Speaker 1: So I don't want to just keep repeating it, but they're gonna they're gonna be have a big ex on Anthony Bradford rate guards back in Jake Sundell the Center. So I did a little Patriots Radio like the team Radio today that felt good coming home, and one of the hosts there was like, I am putting all my money on you know, Milton Williams Super Bowl MVP plus sixteen hundred or whatever it is play, and I was like, that's not bad.

00:38:27
Speaker 4: Aaron Donald couldn't even win Super Bowl MVP.

00:38:30
Speaker 3: I mean, Malcolm Smith could do it, so you never know, it can happen. That would be fun, but they're not back. Last little note, Bill Barnwell.

00:38:42
Speaker 1: Had this in his Super Bowl preview that you know when the Seahawks used two tight ends when they when they get heavy, teams almost always match it with their base defense. And when that happens, the Seahawks performed like the best offense in the league essentially, and that probably is what the Patriots are going to do. But when teams like keep their all their defensive backs on the field. The Seahawks have struggled a little bit there, so so what will the Patriots do there?

00:39:08
Speaker 9: We'll see.

00:39:09
Speaker 6: That was a huge talking point, like by Greg Olsen too through the course of the season, because teams were staying in base so rigidly against the Seahawks.

00:39:20
Speaker 3: Twelve personnel, staying heavy.

00:39:22
Speaker 6: Yeah, and and so that's and that's that's what's interesting to me is like where are their wrinkles to be found?

00:39:28
Speaker 4: Right, because you have to think that might be one of them.

00:39:30
Speaker 6: If you know they're going to pass out of that formation, why wouldn't you put your best pass defense on the field.

00:39:36
Speaker 2: J Barner Super Bowl MVP.

00:39:38
Speaker 1: Aj aj Barner. Watch him, watch him in motion. He he is kind of the skeleton key that unlocks a lot of it. All right, I think we've done it and under our time. Barnwell, by the way, we got a little time a delightful dinner with him last night.

00:39:52
Speaker 3: Oh, Nate Tyson, the mix.

00:39:55
Speaker 2: Will Gavin meeting a football mind.

00:39:57
Speaker 3: It was what a crew. It was quite a crew.

00:40:00
Speaker 4: That's like everyone's in a shacket.

00:40:04
Speaker 3: I was in an oatmeal sweater.

00:40:07
Speaker 1: Oh Patriots, Look, I'll have you start Jordan, what do you think is the most important thing for this Patriots offense to survive Seattle, especially early in the game. I'm really thinking about the first half and before all the adjustments they're coming.

00:40:27
Speaker 4: In past pro.

00:40:29
Speaker 6: I mean, we're looking at an offensive line that I think we had measured expectations over. Certainly you were quite measured in your expectations, but your prediction has sort of come true. They've they've really struggled and keeping. It's not just about like because I don't have any doubt that Drake maked like come back from getting hit or adversity or whatever. And the shoulder is something to think about in this case. I know they say that it's fine and all of that, but when you are getting hit like that, you just have to think about it. But it's and it's not so much like him battling back from pressure, right, it's more so like the rhythm.

00:41:07
Speaker 4: Of the offense and the timing of the offense, and.

00:41:10
Speaker 6: Some one of its biggest weapons is how they use the timing, how they get to the ball quickly, when they mix up tempo and not when they do the quick strike passes when they don't, when they choose to run, when.

00:41:20
Speaker 4: They don't all of its rhythm and sequencing.

00:41:22
Speaker 6: And Josh McDaniel we talked to a bunch of guys this week about this, that he's one of the best there is at sequencing these types of things together. If you're getting to him to mess up that timing and those play sequencing enough, you are in trouble right out of the game.

00:41:37
Speaker 1: One thing I liked it goes off what you said earlier. McDonald was saying, that's a long time to be Yeah, these two weeks. I like that the Patriots kind of talked about Babel said how McDaniels convinced them don't don't install the game plan last week, Like that's sort of a first couple of times in the Super Bowl mistake. Keep a lot in your pocket to show the players so that there's some fresh stuff at you know, the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday practice late, like add some things late in the mix.

00:42:03
Speaker 3: So he's like, Okay, that's good, I'll keep it in my pocket. So maybe it's that kind of Wiley experience.

00:42:09
Speaker 2: So I like that a lot, like not to go back to the running game again.

00:42:12
Speaker 10: But I think about the Patriots offense, how much they've struggled in the playoffs, and then I just came across a very useful note from our NFL research team, which is that since two thousand and only five teams have won the Super Bowl with the running back averaging fewer than eighty five playoff rushing yards per game. Three of those teams were the Patriots with Tom Brady. So all due respect for Drake May, but if he's dealing with any sort of solder thing, so.

00:42:36
Speaker 3: What is it, Antoine Smith, year has to be won? I would guess, as Sony Michelle, does it? Does it show?

00:42:42
Speaker 9: Okay?

00:42:43
Speaker 2: Yes, I have years?

00:42:44
Speaker 10: I have there, give me the years two thousand and one, twenty fourteen, twenty sixteen.

00:42:48
Speaker 3: Yea, and one of them was the end of the Lagarrett one. Yeah, year too.

00:42:52
Speaker 1: Their running game is stunk in the playoffs, just not as much as the passing game, so it's kind of stun guy. Yeah, I mean their EPA per play it's really crazy. Went from first they were the best offense in the league. Yeah, that's not adjusting for opponent, but they were the best offensive league in the regular season.

00:43:07
Speaker 3: If you take their.

00:43:08
Speaker 1: Playoff number, they would be thirty rushing it's twenty fifth, twenty six they've just stayed mediocre. A lot of that is because Traveon henderson snaps have been incredibly negative. Not just negative plays, but his pass word has been a little iffy. He has fifty seven yards in twenty four snaps. They just took him off the field essentially. I don't think that's gonna be the case. I think it was a little bit of a weather situation that they like what was happening when it's really started snowing against Houston and then against Denver was like they did not trust him anymore and he wasn't productive as bad as Rimandre's numbers. Kind of look, he's under four yards per carried, but he's like three and a half.

00:43:47
Speaker 3: I mean Travion's under two. It's like two to two and a half. Like it's tough. But I think they need him. I think they need his explosive ability.

00:43:55
Speaker 1: I think he will be like a part of this game because I think the only way that they're gonna win against Seattle is getting some chunk plays.

00:44:02
Speaker 3: They're not gonna slowly move that.

00:44:03
Speaker 4: Bume, no, and you know what, and chunk plays are able to be gotten.

00:44:08
Speaker 6: Surprisingly because the Seahawks defense is the best in the NFL, maybe minus the Houston Texans, but the Texans are obviously not playing right now, like this Seahawks defense is so se has seemed so infallible and stout all season, but explosive plays in the playoffs have been possible, especially two weeks ago against this team, and you really need to like have those field flipping especially if they get a lead on Seattle early, you really need to have those field flipping explosives that Trayvon Henderson maybe he's like really not consistent in getting you doubles right now, but he still can hit the home run, and especially to take some of the teeth out of that pass rush, help Drake may might be the one getting you a scramble explosive early on in the game. To try to like set a tone for this offense.

00:45:01
Speaker 3: It's been the best thing he's done.

00:45:02
Speaker 4: It's on early down.

00:45:04
Speaker 1: It's two best rushing games of the year, just yardage wise, Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:45:08
Speaker 3: And so and so.

00:45:08
Speaker 6: For me, it's like you can't think about the shoulder right like you're you're thinking about it, but you can't think about it like you gotta like let him cut him loose.

00:45:15
Speaker 4: It's like the Josh Allen button right, like you've just got to go.

00:45:17
Speaker 9: Yeah.

00:45:18
Speaker 10: I feel like Mike Rabel's pregame speeches is gonna be going into the locker room being like there is no tomorrow, Like I don't care what injury you're dealing with.

00:45:24
Speaker 2: You have, Yes, I'm gonna bloody myself to make you realize that you gotta.

00:45:29
Speaker 10: Lay it all out there on the field, which don't think they're gonna have a problem with, but that that's where I think it does come back to the offensive line.

00:45:33
Speaker 2: It's been a storyline with this team all year.

00:45:35
Speaker 10: You have a young left side with two rookies, you had the three veterans starting at the center going to the right. Obviously be focused a lot on Will Campbell and his strolls against premier edge rushers.

00:45:44
Speaker 2: He is going to be targeted in this game by the Seahawks defense.

00:45:47
Speaker 10: But what's gonna make it so much harder for this Patriots offense is the way the Seahawks play their defense. Robert Mays did a great video on this like a week or two ago that I checked out last week, in which he explained why the Seahawks defense is on the cutting edge because they can stay in Nickels so much. They have this not unique but close to unique personnel grouping that allows them to be stout against the run despite being in subpackaged the entire time.

00:46:07
Speaker 2: So then you must find the wrinkle and where is the wrinkle. If it's nowhere else, then your.

00:46:10
Speaker 10: Quarterback running, which is why I think that's a key part of it, which is why he could be the X factor beyond the traditional idea of a quarterback playing well in the Super Bowl.

00:46:17
Speaker 6: I would add too that the things that the Patriots do well when things are going well for their offense includes like utilizing their tight ends effectively in those crossers and in the middle of the field, and also against Seattle, you know, being a personnel neutralizer, heavier light whatever the Patriots want to do like Seattle normally would be able to defend that extremely well and stay and not have to sub. And it doesn't matter if you go tempo on them, because they don't have to sub. A lot of that is because of nick emm and Worri, who pulled up with a limp in practice this week and he is expected to play according to Mike McDonald. There are also videos of him, however, walking out of a car into the hotel with a very visible limp. So it's like he is your X factor and being able to what we've talked a lot about on this show, staying as a personnel neutralizing defense where it does not matter if they think they're gonna disguise runner pass.

00:47:13
Speaker 4: You don't care.

00:47:14
Speaker 6: You can play light on big or big on light and it doesn't matter because you have the speed and size either way. But this might be a case where you're very very much watching him during pregame warm ups.

00:47:25
Speaker 4: If you are Josh McDaniels.

00:47:26
Speaker 3: You're shooting that thing up. He's got to feeling no pain. But yeah, that's not what you want.

00:47:32
Speaker 1: If you're the Seahawks in super Bowl week, when you get that pool report, I think it's Kayla Kaylor. It was right in it this week for this my girl, you know the Pro Football writers, and yeah, that nick him Ben worried that he was during practice. It's not great that the most important thinking the entire game to me for the Patriots is Drake May's in turn o'clock. I actually think this playoff run in his struggles is more on him than actually people are being a little kid Glovey with him, like the offensive line has not been great. When they've lost, they've lost like catastrophic means so quickly. But three four of his fumbles were on him being un indecisive. It was that on him being too unaware of what's going on, of him resetting after there was initial press pressure and then trying to like cock the the arm back again and then losing the ball. His pressure to sack rate is all the sacks, that's the three now, it's for real, It's insane. It's fifteen sacks out of thirty three per like the pressure, right, isn't even that that crazy? Partly because you know in the Denver snow like yeah, so that they've been like he just his eyes have been fast. He's been a little bit of what Sam Donald is when Sam Donald's not playing well, where he's going through those reads fast. It's just a little it's a little frennetic. And you can almost see the moment in the Chargers game where it happens, because, like I said, I went back and watched these the Charges.

00:49:00
Speaker 3: He was a normal game. He had a couple of fumbles in the game, but that was the Patriots offense.

00:49:04
Speaker 1: We've seen all year, and he was being patient and that's a similar type of defense that he's going to go against, you know, most similar maybe in the NFL that Jesse Minner is running with the charges to what McDonald's doing. And he was patient in that game, and I think played pretty well, but then there were a couple of those quick pressures. He loses the ball a couple of times, and it's like he never he hasn't really gotten out of that.

00:49:25
Speaker 3: And I'm just hoping that a little sunshines.

00:49:27
Speaker 1: And dry hair will help out both him and Trayvion because I feel like they're not bad weather players right now.

00:49:33
Speaker 6: Yeah, And that's also that's also what I meant about the timing, like messing with their timing because it's a drake. It is a drake may question too of like if you can quick pressure him, even some of the delayed pressure stuff that like makes you think about or like double pump or something like that can lead to some of these types of issues that we see.

00:49:49
Speaker 2: And that's what makes him such a this game such a perplexing prediction.

00:49:53
Speaker 10: Yeah, because you don't know which version of drake may you get because you've seen both in the same game, because for all of his struggles with his internal clock, he's also hit the d pass, you know, against the Texans to put them away as sleet as falling. And then you can take into account the bad weather that they played in throughout the playoffs.

00:50:07
Speaker 2: Is that a factor?

00:50:08
Speaker 10: Is he going to be, you know, more on time and more confident in the Super Bowl or is the pressure of the moment and only a second year going to play a part.

00:50:14
Speaker 2: And I'm glad Jordan that you.

00:50:15
Speaker 10: Brought up tight ends a few minutes ago, because I love our research team, but I did come across a mildly disrespectful note, which was that the headline was which non star pass catcher will step up to help their Super Bowl debutante quarterback? And it dives into Hunter Henry Hunter Henry, who was Drake Bay's number one target last year, I mean punter Henry, who caught a touchdown pass against the Chargers in the playoffs. He said it was his favorite touchdown catch up the entire season. Today he said that.

00:50:42
Speaker 2: That might be the biggest spot.

00:50:44
Speaker 3: Don't I don't think he's a star, though I think he's on.

00:50:48
Speaker 6: This Stefan Digg scale. You're definitely the no lesser. No, Yeah, but he's been doing at a high level for a long long time.

00:50:55
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:50:56
Speaker 1: Look, they could use they could use more out of Diggs, who's not really been a factor in the playoffs. You talked about like Winnie in the middle of the field. Sometimes it comes down to just the players have to play their best. They have six drops the Patriots in the playoffs. Henry has a couple of them. They've been one of the most sure handed teams, one of the best contested catch teams all year. They haven't been in the playoffs like they've They've dropped some open passes and they haven't been coming down with the one on ones, like boy Booty has been their number one receiver in the playoffs.

00:51:26
Speaker 3: But they need they need a gain. You know, they need just.

00:51:28
Speaker 1: These guys to step up because they're not going to be that open. They're one of the least open teams in the league. Like Drake may like throwing it into tight windows and look Booty in a tight window.

00:51:40
Speaker 6: You know.

00:51:40
Speaker 10: Look, all I want is for when Pop Douglas scores a touchdown, I want Zolac to say, not to say that he's came out of nowhere, that he's been completely absent for the last month.

00:51:49
Speaker 1: He did in the playoffs, and you know what, I also took away watching that, Like May has tried so many he kept us going to those care an over and during the season out. But if he sees a one on one, like, he's gonna throw in, so take your shots.

00:52:04
Speaker 3: Yeah, you got to get an advantage. Give me some, he give me some. Kyle Williams snaps, got a stack for you.

00:52:09
Speaker 6: Thanks thanks to Bill Smith for putting these together to next gen fearless throws. Drake May led the NFL and tight window completion rate this season nearly fifty percent completion rate in tight window throw otherwise known sometimes.

00:52:24
Speaker 4: As big time flows, big time fos. But yeah, he doesn't care. He is fearless.

00:52:29
Speaker 6: We've talked to quarterbacks this week on this set talking about staying fearless even if you make mistakes.

00:52:34
Speaker 4: Drake May totally embodies that. I do want to just say, I think we've got an even match on special teams.

00:52:41
Speaker 6: Because I love how both of these coaches you get in there use their special teams units as a function of the offense.

00:52:47
Speaker 1: That is one of the you know, the numbers would say the Seattle is one of the best special teams units in the league yees top two or three.

00:52:52
Speaker 3: The Patriots are not like as as a like a as.

00:52:54
Speaker 4: A situationally as like a coverage the.

00:52:56
Speaker 6: Situation though the Patriots special teams unit and like just the coaching thoroughly across like, I do think.

00:53:02
Speaker 1: That this is the punter kind of stinks. The kickers and so far Rookie the coverage you, they're fine, They're fine.

00:53:09
Speaker 10: You know what, despite my my saying that he was going to cost them, you know, a playoff game or something in the playoffs.

00:53:14
Speaker 2: I think I think Porgalos is in better than we think.

00:53:15
Speaker 3: He's been fine.

00:53:16
Speaker 1: He's been fine, hasn't been tested. We did it, we got we got it in and under the time. I already did my picks because we wanted to get it out with Cynthia early. Of course, I'm taking the Patriots to win.

00:53:27
Speaker 4: It would be silly not to do, you guys, it's high scoring or low scoring.

00:53:31
Speaker 1: I said with Cynthia, and I know we're counting down here, but we will let them pick the game.

00:53:37
Speaker 3: We're done with the offense and the defense.

00:53:39
Speaker 1: And actually, I think this is the perfect part of the show to make it time for charging into the weekend, presented by Apple Card for all your game day purchases. Yes, they get the meat of the show when you guys make a pick. I said with Cynthia to answer your question, and she completely agreed with me. I felt better about it going over the number in terms of the over under then I did about either team, you know, covering the point.

00:54:08
Speaker 3: Spread or winning.

00:54:09
Speaker 1: I do think it's going to be a higher scoring game than expected. Happens a lot in the Super Bowl where the game is just it just feels longer for some reason.

00:54:18
Speaker 3: In the super Bowl, I think we're going to have points.

00:54:21
Speaker 1: I don't trust the Patriots to keep a big lead, and I think if the Patriots fall down, like they're just going to keep swinging, I think we get points.

00:54:27
Speaker 6: That's interesting because I'm actually taking the opposite tack both in pick and in situation. I really can see this being kind of a rock fight in some places, and I could see this being a relatively low scoring game. I am picking the Seahawks to win by three points seventeen fourteen. I know that is outlandish to hear, but every so often we've seen a couple of them every so often that really surprising, ugly fun game happens.

00:54:57
Speaker 4: And this is ripe for it to me.

00:54:59
Speaker 6: With two coaches at the peak of their powers, two defenses that are playing as well as they as they have been, and it's better than any almost anybody in the league, if not everybody, and two offenses that are going to try a bunch of different types of things over the course of a game to find these little creases, these little advantages.

00:55:17
Speaker 2: We're gonna get. Like a first half, it's just a big feel out half.

00:55:20
Speaker 4: Can't wait.

00:55:20
Speaker 1: I mean, that's the exact final score of Super Bowl forty two, the first Super Bowl I attended, where the Giants defeated the Patriots with the helmet catch game with every everyone remembers it's like a great game, but there was like no points in the fourth quarter where they each got a touchdowns.

00:55:35
Speaker 10: Back when we appreciated defensive games, that would be a disappointing real ball.

00:55:41
Speaker 2: Yeah ball, we appreciate real ball. I am actually kind of along for the ride with Jordan here.

00:55:47
Speaker 10: I do think that it's going to be a lower scoring game for many of the reasons that she just listed, and all the time that we just spent breaking all of this down because it's just really hard to find the edge for the Patriots in this matchup unless they create a couple of turnovers.

00:55:59
Speaker 2: To bring it closer.

00:56:00
Speaker 10: I had the Seahawks winning twenty four to thirteen, and it becomes twenty four to thirteen because the Seahawks had a fourth quarter takeaway that becomes points.

00:56:08
Speaker 2: That is the deck.

00:56:09
Speaker 5: Nice.

00:56:09
Speaker 3: I appreciate you had the guts creativity to have.

00:56:14
Speaker 1: Like almost a blowout, and because I think that's how Jordan feels it's gonna happen.

00:56:19
Speaker 3: But she's too nice and doesn't want to hurt.

00:56:21
Speaker 1: My feelings, you know, and it wouldn't it wouldn't I respect to be, you know, speaking your truth.

00:56:28
Speaker 3: Turnovers.

00:56:29
Speaker 1: You have two teams that have been a little sloppy with the ball for yet they made it all the way here. That's charging into the Weekend presented by Apple Card. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app today and start earning daily cash back on all your game day purchases, from tickets to tailgate munchies to merch subject to credit approval.

00:56:49
Speaker 3: Let's take a break.

00:56:50
Speaker 1: When we come back, you're going to hear our interviews with Garrett Bowles, All Pro Protector of the Year finals left tackle of the Denver Broncos. He was great on the Broncos about playing offensive line, and then also a little bit on the Patriots we talked about too. He has not let go of that that loss whatsoever. I will also talk to Chris Matt Doctor Brusso, and then we'll say goodbye on the very end.

00:57:17
Speaker 3: First, little brand all right, we are so thrilled to.

00:57:28
Speaker 1: Be welcoming in Garrett Bowles, the All Pro tackle of the Denver Broncos and also a finalist for the inaugural NFL Protector of the Year award. And yeah, that's just a handful of offensive linemen. One of the best to do it in the league. Right now, Garrett, you got to you got a chance to make history as the first Protector of the Year award winner.

00:57:52
Speaker 9: Yeah, it's it's pretty amazing.

00:57:54
Speaker 11: I'm just grateful to be even the finalists, to be nominated by my peers and obviously the the that selects it. And I got great teammates and great coaches that pushed me every single day to be the best version of myself. And I couldn't have done it without them. I have a great team around me and my agent and my beautiful wife, my uncle that runs my foundation and runs my day to day things, and then obviously my mom. But my wife is the ride and die soldier for me, and she pushes me to be the best version of myself every day.

00:58:24
Speaker 6: Was she the one kind of encouraging the touchdown catch and the like I feel like I had her written all over it.

00:58:29
Speaker 5: I feel like she's drawing that one up.

00:58:31
Speaker 11: Besides, I wanted to win MVP. I'm not going to lie to you. I was striving for that. When they told us that the big guys can play, I was like, Oh, I'm definitely gonna do it. And then we went out to practice and they're like, can you really catch the ball? And so I was catching some passes from Shador and obviously.

00:58:46
Speaker 9: You know, they let me do it. So I was like, why not play the game and have some fun with it.

00:58:50
Speaker 3: You got to score.

00:58:51
Speaker 1: I think you got a two point conversion or some sort of conversion. And I heard you say you wanted to show how the offensive linemen are the best athletes. How about like, did you feel like not keeping your feet after that first score with not.

00:59:05
Speaker 3: Making your case for it?

00:59:07
Speaker 9: Listen. I really was.

00:59:09
Speaker 11: Well, I caught my toae on the ground, so I was like, I'm just gonna roll with it and have some fun with it, you know, try to like make it look like even the cool Liert catch. But I caught the one they it wasn't supposed to be a touchdown, but they took it away. So then I caught the touchdown. Then I caught the you know, the other two catches for the two point conversions. But so I had three catches total should have been four. But I was just trying to get as many tries as I can. So I was trying to let the big man eat. And you know, just like what Jason Kelsey said on his on his thing on the A span, let give him the ball. They can't be stopped. And you know, I was feeling good. But it was so much fun. I mean, scoring a touchdown in the Pro Bowl game at three hundred plus pounds as a left tackle was pretty cool.

00:59:48
Speaker 4: It's incredible.

00:59:49
Speaker 6: And you know, Greg and I always say on our show, like we want to be the change, right, Like Protector of the Year is great, but envyp.

00:59:55
Speaker 5: Come on, we want to talk.

00:59:56
Speaker 9: I was trying. I was trying my best.

00:59:58
Speaker 11: So now my team gives me a hard time to like, oh, what's better winning the Super Bowl or the MVP of the Pro Bowl. I'm like, oh, come on, guys, so but it's been fun. It's been fun. It was fun to watch my wife. My son was probably the most excited of me scoring a touchdown. He was going crazy up there. But it was a good time for all of me.

01:00:15
Speaker 3: We had you on at dinner.

01:00:17
Speaker 1: You know, people who say, like the Pro Bowls debt Pro Bowl games, like you know, adults are like, come on, we want the old game. There are people that care, and there are kids because my son loves loves that game, and we were watching you enjoying it. I was thinking about, you know, we were talking about you want to be the change of like right, be the in our mind, like be the coverage that we want to hear, like know and ball. And one thing I think that's tough for people who didn't play the game, like myself or fans watching me watching is knowing what to watch for with offensive line play. So I was thinking I would ask you if you were telling a fan what to watch for in terms of basics of like how to tell who's good who's not or even like what what should they look for when they're watching offensive line plays so that they can be smart and know who to vote for for Protector of the Year, not that they're voting.

01:01:13
Speaker 9: That's a that's a great question.

01:01:15
Speaker 11: I'm glad you asked me that because a lot of people don't know about offensive play and what we do and they just see, you know, the big names, and they just vote for those guys even though you know, yeah, they're good players and they have their name because they've been in the league for a long time, but they may not, you know, be the best. And that's just reality is every year, everyone you never know who's going to be the best, and you never know who's gonna, you know, go from you know, you got stack a year. You got to earn your credits, and it's like what you do what you can do for me now league, And that's really what the NFL is and being a great offensive linement. It's all about moving your feet. How how you can stay in front of somebody. Yeah, it's cool to make big time blocks and put guys in the ground, like that's cool and all, but like I think the most cool thing is like how can a big guy three hundred plus pounds move their feet, stay in front of their guy, mirror a defender like a Miles Gear, you know, Joey Bosa, all these freaks at avatars that I call them, I call them avatars and stay in front of them, move their feet and block them and push them, push them off the edge. And that's that's really what it is is how can you stay in front of your guy, move them around and make sure that your ball care opening up holes for your run game and then protecting you for your quarterback.

01:02:22
Speaker 1: I just think, just just watching them, that's the start. Don't watch the ball, watch them. If you watch them play to play, you start learning and then watch a feet.

01:02:28
Speaker 3: I love that.

01:02:29
Speaker 6: The most valuable lesson I ever learned was when I was shadowing scouts the Senior Bowl and they were watching O line drills and everyone's face is pointed down toward the ground and I'm like, Okay, well, what are you guys watching? And they said, ankles, ankles and feet, that's where we're watching. Mobility and how you know the joints flex and change and how fluid and agile a player can be at that size. I mean, you gotta line full of them, Garrett, Like, this is the Denver Broncos offensive line. This is one of our favorite groups in football to watch of any position this season and full of like big personalities and camaraderie. It seems like from Afar being in the room not just finding like complimentary skills, right, First of all, how that works when you're an offensive line and you're building out what a room looks like on the field, but personalities too, Like you guys have to be so mentally nonverbally locked in all the time.

01:03:21
Speaker 4: How do you build that? And how does like a team go about building a roster like that?

01:03:25
Speaker 9: Yeah, I mean I've been in Denver for a long time, so I've been on some good lines, and.

01:03:29
Speaker 11: I've been on some I'm not going to say not bad lines, but not the best atmosphere or the culture or what you put into it, you know, because we've had so many changes of coaching staffs, and what a lot of people don't realize is, like this is the second time in my NFL career that I've had the same old line coaches for three straight years.

01:03:48
Speaker 9: You know.

01:03:49
Speaker 11: I had Mike Munchek from nineteen twenty twenty one and then I had Zach Street from what was it twenty three, twenty four to twenty five, So if.

01:03:58
Speaker 9: You really look at it like that, it's crazy to really look at it.

01:04:01
Speaker 11: And in between, I've had so many different on line coaches, so many different change that can hurt a team, and you it starts from the trenches, and you know, technically over you know, the last couple of years, Denver's had the best defensive line in football, you know, arguably with Von Miller earlier days, to Marcus Square to now you know, Nick Benito and Cooper and you know Zach Allen and DJ Jones and Malcolm Roach like freaks and natures that we have to block every single day. Hopefully we get JFM back, and you know, all those guys that I love dearly and appreciate them for pushing me to be the best version of myself. But the old line that's five guys working together is one. It's a very cohesive unit. And we have a lot of good people on our O line and from Mike McGlinchey to bringing him in from San France and having that coach that he's had over there to coming in here, and we got Quinn miners where the freaking nature he is. We got Luke Waltenberg with great center, and then you know Ben Powers, my ride and Die Soldier on the O line. Love him dearly, so grateful for him and all the things that he does for me. Pushes me to be the best left tackle in football, and you know obviously and then me on the left side. So we have a really solid five guys. You know, we played so many games together. I mean when we played the Eagles this year and then after that, you know, Ben went down. We need to skip a beat, you know, Matt Perk came in, Alex Pachow came in, So we have a lot of guys that are depth in our old line. And I truly believe that if we're not the best SO line, we're one of the best O lines. And you know, I think we're the best. And I think, you know, more people are going to start to realize that.

01:05:30
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's part of Sean Payton's secret sauce. I want to get some of your thoughts on the game coming up this part of our preview show. So you're gonna put on Nickla's hat and give us a little bit of a scouting reports and since he just played these Patriots. But I think one thing the average fan misses with with Sean Payton, and it goes back to his time with the Saints, And I thought Zach Street was kind of a creative pick because he didn't have a lot of experience to be your offensive line coach. What what is it about like a Peyton team and offense that a great offensive line follows? Like, is there something specific that he has his whether it's the system or the way that he has his line coaches coach, because whether it's Drew Brees or bow knicks like that, that's the through line. And I think that's been maybe the key to why Sean Payton's had these great offenses over there.

01:06:23
Speaker 11: Yeah, he loves super athletic tackles and he loves big monsters in the middle. I mean, I mean that's just that's just reality. And and I think what separates us from every single old line in football is our pass plot win rate.

01:06:38
Speaker 9: And it's not just me, it's everybody across the board.

01:06:40
Speaker 11: And you know, the garden center has to protect the you know, the depth of the pocket, create the pocket, and we got to create you know, the edges and make sure that bow's comfortable. I mean, we gave up the fewest amount of sacks in all of football. And when you can pass the ball in this league, which is becoming a passing league, I know every old lineman wants to run the ball, but we we love running the ball to We wish we can run the ball more, but Sean wants to call the pass and we're ready for that. We embrace that. It's the moment of truth block that we talk about all the time. You know, what are you gonna do in the What is your mind and your body gonna do in the final moments and the biggest state, on the biggest stage, in front of the brightest lights, in front of the most fans. And we practice those moments day in and day out, and it's those two minute drives. It's those crucial moments of the games that we practice so that when we get in those situations in the game, we don't skip a beat and everyone can say, hey, you know, we won twelve games and one score games this year and that's the reason why we were fourteen to three well wins the winning this league. It doesn't matter how you win, it matters how you finish, and we finished the games how we want to. But it came down to us creating a turnover or stopping them on defense, which is what we praise, and us going down there and putting points on the scoreboard if it's a game winning field goal or if it's seven points like we did against you know, coming back score thirty points in the fourth quarter against the Giants. So great pass bokers, We're great listeners. We've got great detail, and the sky's the limit for this whole line.

01:08:05
Speaker 6: I know we want to get your thoughts on this challenge with the Patriots and especially that defensive front, and I know you know it very well, but something you said there really sparked for me because I feel like the offensive line has such a role to play in situational football. Like you know, on the outside, yes, winning that many close games, that many one score games, people can say that's good situational football is winning those games, that is creating an edge in that phase of the strategy of football. But you guys, as an offensive line are so crucial to that, whether it's getting to the ball with the right timing, some of the cadences that bo is going to throw out behind it. Can you kind of open the door a little bit further about the role that you guys specifically play in creating that edge with like Evan Rostina and those guys.

01:08:53
Speaker 11: Yeah, I mean obviously were Like I said, it's the cohesive unit that we have and the love that we have for one another. And this is the closest group I've ever been around. And yeah, we dog each other and make fun of each other and tease each other. Not even make fun of each other, it's more like teasing each other and making you know, seeing who we can get the most sensitive or you know, just funny little jokes that we play. But at the end of the day, like, I love these dudes, and I truly do. And you know, I want to up said that five years ago, and I probably want to have said that three years ago, But I truly love these dudes.

01:09:29
Speaker 9: They mean the world to me.

01:09:30
Speaker 11: I love how they just let me be myself and be the best version of myself. And you know, obviously, you know, I can be difficult sometimes, you know, just with who I am in person and being loud, and a lot of people don't realize how loud I am, but I.

01:09:44
Speaker 3: Am, and the pipes.

01:09:46
Speaker 6: We like it.

01:09:47
Speaker 5: We encourage it on my podcasts.

01:09:49
Speaker 9: Broadcasting here, That's what I did in school.

01:09:52
Speaker 11: I went to radio and communication radio broadcasting in school, Utah, so something I love to do. So who knows, maybe I have a future in but friend of the show the boys. The boys are great and we have we have a great on line coach that pushes us to be the best version of ourselves, you know, spending time with each other, going to O line dinners. We have a spot where we always go Lostos, which is a Mexican joint right across you know, right around the corner from our facility where we go every Thursday. We all eat the same meal. We all, you know, some people get dye coachs. We all have our same signature drink. We love each other and it's all about that camaraderie, spending time together in the off season, check in with each other, making sure we're good. You know, this is the first old line group that I've had where we have multiple dads, you know, because most O line groups are young, and you know, I've been the only dad in the room for so long. So you know, Mike has had is having two kids, Ben's having two kids. Luke has his first, and you know, you know, four sides having a child. So all these people are having babies, and I really think it just grows up a man when they when they have a child, and you know they're prior already change of like what can I do to be a better person, better version of myself?

01:11:03
Speaker 9: I need to be that better person so that my child knows what their dad is. And I just speak.

01:11:08
Speaker 11: I think that just speaks volumes of our group and where we're going and how we're approaching every single day and what we're about to become. And we want to show the whole world what we're about. And you know, we're a tough group to play.

01:11:21
Speaker 1: So this Patriots team has been sending a lot more pressure in the postseason, having having.

01:11:26
Speaker 9: Just had the pressure of us. If not, they weren't going to win.

01:11:29
Speaker 3: Okay, I love it. I love it.

01:11:33
Speaker 4: Yeah, this is uh, this is such valuable insight.

01:11:37
Speaker 5: I mean I want to we don't want to. We don't want to baitch into anything.

01:11:41
Speaker 3: If they're just rushing for you.

01:11:44
Speaker 9: I'll tell you this, if we had bo Nicks, it'd be a different ball game.

01:11:48
Speaker 3: I love it.

01:11:49
Speaker 11: That's all I'm saying how they can say what they want, whatever they want, but we lost by three points. Wasn't the snowstorm, wasn't anything. Steady did everything. You can love that dude. I'm so grateful you came in and handle the business he did. But it'd be a different ball game if we had our quarterback.

01:12:09
Speaker 6: How would you attack this, especially the interior defensive line of this Patriots.

01:12:13
Speaker 11: True whether the twenty eighth rank defense when it comes to shortyardage, that's just reality. Stats don't lie twenty eighth or twenty six. So they had the bottom of the polls in reality, and I mean that's just the truth. Stats don't lie. They struggle in shortyardage, especially short, very short, you know, anywhere from three to four yards. You gotta run the ball. You got to run the ball, and third down you gotta punch him in the mouth. You gotta stick on your double teams. You're gonna drive your double teams up. They're gonna pressure, they're gonna turn, they're gonna slant, they're gonna you know, outcharge, and they're gonna do all those things. But you have to run the ball. Do I wish we ran the ball when it was fourth and one. Yeah, go back in time. Sure, but you know, coach made the play call. We got to execute it. We didn't, and that was a difference in the game. If not, we were going up fourteen to zero. And now it's a different story. I want to be here talking to.

01:13:00
Speaker 9: You, all right.

01:13:01
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a mixed bag. We're glad you're here, but we would love to keep watching it.

01:13:04
Speaker 9: Yeah.

01:13:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm cool that you're here.

01:13:06
Speaker 12: I like it just like now.

01:13:08
Speaker 1: No, I feel I feel for you because what what like were they doing in terms of a one on one matchup? If you got any scouting part, like you match up a little bit against Chase On. They have a young guy Ponder who is out on the edge against you. Obviously Harold Landry was not in that game anything that that you saw when you're going up against these guys one on one.

01:13:28
Speaker 11: Well, Chase On didn't. I think I played him three players or four plays, so I wanted him more.

01:13:34
Speaker 9: Trust me.

01:13:35
Speaker 5: Oh, they were moving him away from me a little bit.

01:13:37
Speaker 11: They were pushing him over to the right side. But we don't we won't need to say anything like that. But no, he he's a great player. You can attack him, get get underneath this skin. Get him talking a little bit. He gets frustrated, which is okay. You know, I like when people talk, but I also like to get you frustrated. So because if I get you frustrated, I can drive you off the ball and do things. But no, they have two monsters in the middle, and I respect both of them. I think they're great players, and I'm excited to see what happens. But Seattle has a great line. I mean, you got Abe Lucas, you got ze Ball, you got Gray, you got all those guys that can bring it. I think the left tackles back. If I believe he's signed a big deal this offseasons, cross can can can dominate the run. What makes Seattle special is play action passes. I wish we did more of those in our game. Get them running, and uh, they got freaking nature receivers, so they're gonna be chasing the tails off trying to chance those guys be an uphill battle.

01:14:37
Speaker 3: We'll never do you guy, You'll never find out. I mean, what if you had bo would you have won?

01:14:41
Speaker 9: Yeah?

01:14:43
Speaker 5: I mean I picked you guys to be in the super Bowl.

01:14:44
Speaker 1: I'm just that was that's went And even even Withted, and I thought, yeah, I think that's we're on the record on that. It's hard to play those because then the whole game, the whole game is different then.

01:14:55
Speaker 3: But yeah, like you guys have been the favorite reason if what about this game?

01:15:00
Speaker 9: Who wins this game?

01:15:02
Speaker 4: That's a great question.

01:15:03
Speaker 1: Don't spoil the rest of our content. No, but I grew up in Massachusetts. My cards on the table to you, So I'm going to pick the Patriots because I'm gonna.

01:15:10
Speaker 3: I'm just gonna. I hope it sounds like you do. It sounds like you don't think they really should be there.

01:15:17
Speaker 11: No, not that they don't shouldn't be there, That's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying it would be a different outcome if if we had our starting quarterback. I think it was, you know, devastating for all of us when that happened. I thought it wasn't true. And then you know Bo took us there and he had a phenomenal year. And when you lose a guy like that, that's a leader of your group, not just the on line, but your team, and his confidence, lever is swagger and his ability to run and see the open field in different ways like it's a tough piece to lose, and obviously we were right there what we needed to do, but we just didn't get it done. But I'm excited to see what the future holds for us.

01:15:58
Speaker 1: And it's been really cool. I've watched your career. It's been nine seasons now. Vance Joseph, who's now your defensive coordinator, was your head coach when you came in. You've been You've been in Denver long enough that you've seen two different extended Vance Joseph eras. You were there for the Vic Fangio era, and we've seen how you've improved and improved, and I think you're a great player. Development story of a guy who came in, you know, as a pro, but kept like raising his level and raising his level and raising his level, and it's like it doesn't have to stop raising after four or five, six years. And you kind of alluded to the fact that now, you know, maybe the longer people have gotten to watch you, they're recognizing what a great player you are and what a great man. Because you are one of the finalists for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award that's gonna be on Thursday night you're the NFLPA Alan Page Community Award winner, so we really appreciate like everything that you do off the field. And yeah, you got a chance to be this inaugural NFL Protector.

01:16:59
Speaker 3: Of the Year one. It's a very cool and very pleased that you could join us on NFL Daily.

01:17:04
Speaker 9: Thanks Garrett, thank you guys so much.

01:17:06
Speaker 11: Truly me it's thank you so much for your support and I have mad respect for both of you, so thank.

01:17:12
Speaker 9: You appreciate it.

01:17:16
Speaker 1: We are here with one of my all time favorites, Chris mad Dog Russo from Serious XM mad Dog Radio. From first take I was on, I was in the flight over here and I saw him honking about James Harden.

01:17:32
Speaker 3: Trade, like, get you a man that can do both.

01:17:34
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna put you on the spot about why did they take Anthony Simons away from my Celtics. I love Anthony Simons the Inferno, but really great to have you back.

01:17:44
Speaker 3: Nice to be here. Preview show.

01:17:46
Speaker 1: We're gonna we're gonna get right to it because frankly, I've I've already seen and I don't like to do this, but I've already kind of seen some of the things you've said about this Super Bowl, and frankly, it's a little disrespectful to the Patriots.

01:17:57
Speaker 3: Two of the people that I respect them most.

01:18:00
Speaker 1: You and a friend of the show, Nick Westling, are both saying this thing's not going to be close.

01:18:05
Speaker 3: Well, I'm not gonna say that. I'll say this.

01:18:07
Speaker 13: I think the Patriots to have a good chance to win the game. And I have all the respect in the world for Vrabel and I love may. I think they need a little help from the Seattle offense. They need a Donald thorn An interception, they need to fumble. They got the help with the Chargers. Herbert was bad, offensive line shout obviously, four interceptions, and stiddred two turnovers, and they didn't kick a field goal when they should have kicked a field goal. If Seattle plays a at seven to nothing, got to kick that field If Seattle goes out there and plays a clean game and you know, doesn't like they did against the Rams for instance, I don't think this Patriots can beat them. You know, I like Seattle getting out of the NFC West. I think Seattle's strength of schedule much better than the Patriots. I think the NFC better than the AFC. So from that standpoint, eaven it up. I do think that the Patriots and this point the schedule, well, I mean, I think it's just one game.

01:19:05
Speaker 3: I agree, but I agree with that you never know one game.

01:19:08
Speaker 13: But if they played a ten game series, Seattle will win at least six.

01:19:12
Speaker 3: I would give you seven, that's fair. I would give you that, you know, maybe seven.

01:19:16
Speaker 13: So from that standpoint, it's only one, but you'd like to see they would win seventy percent of the time.

01:19:21
Speaker 3: To spread is four and a half. So as so the Patriots, this has gotta.

01:19:24
Speaker 12: Be one of the three or four times they'd win this kind of spot well, And that's the beauty of it, right, because like these teams share a lot of similarities, and they've also demonstrated some consistency in that Seattle has been excellent offensively through their two playoff games they have.

01:19:36
Speaker 10: The Patriots have not been excellent offensively, but have made some key plays when they had to.

01:19:39
Speaker 3: They may yep, but.

01:19:40
Speaker 10: Their defense is playing the best it has all year. So one thing is gonna have to meet another. You can't be consistent again through this game, especially when you don't play a series and you play one game, and that's that's the avenue. I think where like you said, Seahawks can make some mistakes and the Patriots can capitalize, because that is what they have done that run.

01:19:56
Speaker 3: And I think you made a great point. The Rams defense is bad. Okay, they did not play well.

01:20:01
Speaker 13: The Niner defense, although patchwork and solid did a very good job, it wasn't a great defense all year.

01:20:08
Speaker 3: The Patriot defense is very underrated.

01:20:11
Speaker 13: So and Rabel's a good coach, Belichick, he'd do a good job devising something. I would think that the receiver, you know, Belichick used to think, let me take away your number one option, So I think that receiver won't go crazy. So I do agree this is the best defense that the Seattle offense is going to go up against in a long time. So that is an un that is an unhelded advantage that the Seattle's going up The Patriot's gone up against good defenses. Houston good defense, Denver good defense, Chargers good defense.

01:20:43
Speaker 3: Seattle really hasn't gone up against a lot of good defenses. That could be something to watch.

01:20:48
Speaker 1: On any unfamiliar one to them too, after playing two division opponents in the playoffs.

01:20:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, so you you know you live in the in the New York area. I believe you're in Connecticut, Connecticut.

01:20:58
Speaker 1: You know, see you've watched Sam Donald up close in personal for a long time, and I know you know this, but you know, weeks ten to eighteen this year, after a great start, you know he was okay. I wouldn't say you saw the Jets Sam Donald, but you know he wasn't necessarily seeing the field as clearly in the second half of the season.

01:21:19
Speaker 3: Do you think that old Sam Donald? Why he's in there somewhere and they try to get him out. I thought it would show up in the RAM game and it didn't.

01:21:28
Speaker 13: But he also played very well second half, especially the fourth quarter on December eighteenth, when they were down thirty to fourteen, and he brought his team back. That was significant. He didn't do anything in week eighteen against San Francisco. They didn't need him too. He's thirteen to three. In the playoff game against San Francisco, he threw seventeen times one hundred and twenty four yards.

01:21:47
Speaker 3: Now, he didn't make a mistake, but he didn't do much in the game.

01:21:50
Speaker 13: So I agree with all that, but he is He's played so well against La albeit not a great defense, that I'm gonna basically think going in he'll played pretty well. So but I still think he can turn and anybody can turn the ball over, stripsack, fumble, whatever, interception, deflected pass.

01:22:08
Speaker 3: I think the Patriots are gonna need a play or two like that to win the game. Now, tay someing else. Don't let this Shaheed kid make a big play.

01:22:16
Speaker 13: He ran to punt back against the Rams, he ran to kick going back against San Francisco. First play last week against the Rams, he had that fifty one yard catch down the right sideline. Don't let him make a big play because he's one of those guys. He touched the ball five times. He makes two big plays. I mean that makes a big difference in the game.

01:22:34
Speaker 10: And that Leoni and at that leads you into the question of what matters more familiarity or lack thereof, or experience. And you look at this Patriots defense and it's a blend of young guys and veterans. But who gets taken advantage of in plays like that? Who gets caught, you know, on a double move and sheheat ends up going deep and makes a big play.

01:22:50
Speaker 3: Good.

01:22:50
Speaker 10: But at the same time, does the familiarity lend itself to walking Sam Darnold into a situation in which he's not familiar with the Patriots defense.

01:22:58
Speaker 2: He sees some things that he hasn't seen before.

01:22:59
Speaker 10: Maybe he hasn't been able to prepare for because he has not gotten the onfield reps against.

01:23:03
Speaker 2: That right, Ivey, that's the even factory.

01:23:06
Speaker 3: I think you hit him on and I think that you made a next one point. I think that Patriot defense that's two for such chance. I'll tell you one in a second.

01:23:18
Speaker 13: But I do think that Patriot defense is the best defense that Seattle has played in a while, and I think that is something to keep.

01:23:25
Speaker 3: An eye on.

01:23:26
Speaker 13: And again, Seattle's playing. The Patriots have played great defenses here for four or five weeks.

01:23:30
Speaker 3: Houston was a.

01:23:30
Speaker 13: Great defense that Broncos Patriots scored three points.

01:23:34
Speaker 3: It's a very good defense.

01:23:36
Speaker 13: So that is something that I think is something that maybe if you're a Patriot fan, you hope that Donald now deep into the pool. Wow, that better than I think they're not the Rams, and that something something could happen to help the Patriots get that extra possession or two.

01:23:51
Speaker 3: We've only got you for a few minutes. More so, there's only one person in the world.

01:23:54
Speaker 1: I want to ask this question about because like me, you love football, but you also love a little professional tennis. Yes, And to bring it back around to that, as I always want to do and never am able to do so, where Alcarez is in his career, Carlos Alcarez right now, Oh here we go. Do you think he's a comparison as almost like a tennis Mahomes, Because to me, Mahomes helped us are in this era of NFL football if he sort of pushed the sport forward of what a quarterback could do at the highest level. And to me that that's kind of where Alcarez is right now. And like Mahomes, I think is going to have a chance to go down more or near the top of it.

01:24:40
Speaker 3: I think he will. I definitely think he will.

01:24:42
Speaker 13: The thing about Alcorez that you're not sure of is the motivation level. He's already won all four majors, he's won seven, He's twenty two years of age.

01:24:52
Speaker 3: You know, Federer was motivated, Djokovic is still motivated. Nadal loved to play, you know, loved it.

01:25:00
Speaker 13: I don't know Alcarez well enough where you know he gets a little bored so I mean that can happen. I think Sinner will always have Alcarez to push him, so that would help center.

01:25:10
Speaker 3: Al Qurez, who's gonna push him?

01:25:12
Speaker 13: So I mean, I think that would be the one thing I'd ask about al Quarez.

01:25:16
Speaker 3: But he's already got seven.

01:25:18
Speaker 13: He's twenty two years of age. He's equally excellent on all the surfaces. He's beaten Djokovic at Wimbledon. He now has won three hard courts titles, and we all know he's great in the French at the clay, and to think about.

01:25:31
Speaker 3: A quest that you like the best. He's fearless. He plays better when his backs to the wall match points.

01:25:36
Speaker 13: Last year against Center down two sets down obviously a four to two, and a fifth set to ze Era.

01:25:44
Speaker 10: Of the other day.

01:25:46
Speaker 3: He responds very well in those situations.

01:25:49
Speaker 13: So if he stays motivated and is into it, he's twenty two, he's got fifteen more years of plan.

01:25:54
Speaker 3: I mean, he can win. You know, he can win thirty majors. Maybe can't Drake.

01:25:57
Speaker 1: Maybe May as a comparison, because I feel like May, I think the best players in big moments, and I know he hasn't had a great playoffs don't play any differently in the big moments, and Alchorist to me is a very can't be afraid to lose loose player, And if anything, I feel like Drake may sometimes a little too loose. He he is not afraid when the pass rush is around him. He's almost unaware sometimes, but he's gonna go for the if they lose. I think he's gonna go down swinging, and he's gonna go down, maybe making big mistakes, but he's gonna be doing it playing loose, not playing tight.

01:26:28
Speaker 13: He's not not a lot of score tissue right now. For may you know, he doesn't have a lot of he doesn't have a bad loss. He doesn't have a game defining interception, you know, which helps him, and so he has that, you don't know how he's gonna respond.

01:26:39
Speaker 3: I could see me playing very well in this game. I definitely can, you know.

01:26:42
Speaker 10: I also like that comparison though, because scar tissue Alcarez doesn't have a lot either, and it doesn't the beautiful thing about complacency, the sneaky, beautiful thing. All you gotta do is get caught, slip in one time, get beat one time, and that fire comes right back.

01:26:54
Speaker 13: I Alchimiz does not have you know, he lost to you know, he lost to obviously Djokovic shit to you at the Olympics. See you know he lost to him that one year in Cincinnati and was one hundred and twenty degrees. He's lost a couple, but for the most part, he's excellent in finals. He's played very well against Center. You know, he lost Wimbledon to him, but he's played very well.

01:27:14
Speaker 3: And may hasn't you know, last year you throw it out it was a rookie, they were bad, and this year it's been a it's.

01:27:20
Speaker 13: Been a cake walk, easy schedule, hasn't had a hole head of a lot to do so and he might go into this game a little care free, which is what you wanted to do.

01:27:28
Speaker 3: You don't want him to be tight.

01:27:29
Speaker 1: Our producers are gonna kill us for all this tennis talk. In the middle of the Super Bowl preview, last question for you, longevity, You got the juice dog, like, how do you keep the juice? You talk about like trying to be the greatest of all time. You've been on air, you've been talking for the last six hours, you've been talking for the last thirty years.

01:27:50
Speaker 3: What is the key forty forty What is the key? I didn't want to age, Yeah, what is the key to keep in that? Jew love it? If you love it, that's the You can't fake it if you love sports. And now I was just a kid.

01:28:03
Speaker 13: I was an only child then, you know, so from and sports was sort of my brother and I z on. My father was not a huge sports fan. Loved the Yankees, but he wasn't a huge sports sports fan. And my mother's English, so she wasn't a sports fan. But I grew up in a sports loved area in Long Island. I grew up in a period where the Knicks won a championship, the Rangers are pretty good, the Mets won a sixty nine World Series.

01:28:24
Speaker 3: Name it with the Jets. So I had all that going on.

01:28:28
Speaker 13: It was it surrounded you, and it was just one of those things that you know, I always got a kick out of it, and I gifted the gamp and I always had a kick out of it. So you're right, there's gonna be a point where the fuel is gonna run out, But right now.

01:28:41
Speaker 3: The tank is still there's still gas in the tank. Let's put it that way.

01:28:45
Speaker 1: More more than just gassing the tank. I love having mad Dog on the show. Of course from Serious XM Radio mad Dog Radio. Uh and first take on ESPN. Thanks again, you.

01:28:56
Speaker 3: Guys are the best. Keep it up, appreciation it, Thank you.

01:29:00
Speaker 9: All right.

01:29:01
Speaker 3: That was mad Dog. Great job with him, Nick, great job with Garat Bowles.

01:29:07
Speaker 1: Jordan, we're getting out of here, and we're getting out of here with our heads intact, which your dream indicated was not gonna happened.

01:29:16
Speaker 3: What a dark dream, Jordan happened?

01:29:18
Speaker 5: Oh it was horrible. I woke up in a cold sweat. It's one of those things. I mean, I know you guys are the same way.

01:29:22
Speaker 4: Where were you panic Like before flight, for example, and you just jolt awake thinking I'm gonna miss the flight. I'm gonna miss the flight.

01:29:28
Speaker 5: Well, you know, got a.

01:29:29
Speaker 4: Really reasonable bedtime after the first night we were here.

01:29:33
Speaker 6: Kept jolting awake, first because I was worried I was gonna be late to something, and then once I finally got back to sleep, I had this vivid, horrible dream that anytime either of us would repeat each other's answer or say something that we'd already said, even on another show previous week, we would be injured and like it just it maimed.

01:29:57
Speaker 3: And I'm like, I thought you said we took a headshot. How there it is?

01:30:01
Speaker 6: No, I took a headshot with the from the hydro flask. But first the first nights fascinating. No, and it's and it was vivid, and I woke up in a cold sweat and it was.

01:30:14
Speaker 4: It was awful. Yeah, it was to know how I was injured.

01:30:16
Speaker 3: Although you know what me caps, I like the story was like incredibly dark.

01:30:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that pales in comparison to my book to Nightmare.

01:30:25
Speaker 10: My first year working in the newsroom in LA I woke up in the in the hallucination dream thinking my bed was in the newsroom.

01:30:31
Speaker 2: And Eally was yelling at Oh.

01:30:33
Speaker 6: Isn't that the worst when you have like a vivid dream like that and you spend like five minutes thinking that it was actually real and then being horrified by it getting you know.

01:30:41
Speaker 3: Working with you guys, that's the real dream. We're here is this? Can you even call us work? It's like, hey, we're just talking about football?

01:30:48
Speaker 2: Else would you rather be?

01:30:49
Speaker 3: Great? Show? Really enjoyed.

01:30:51
Speaker 1: All our guests are going to have some big names coming up on Friday, including Kyle Hamilton is going to be on the show, Christian Watson of the Green Bay Packers and many more, so looking.

01:31:03
Speaker 3: Forward to that. We'll also talk a little bit about the Honors winners.

01:31:07
Speaker 1: We'll find out who the MVP and all the awards, who gets him tonight at Honors. But until then, let's get out of here from Radio Row, where the buzz has not died down.

01:31:22
Speaker 6: But you know what positive progress today as you're not saying something incredibly serious as the dog is doing flips behind you, I'm.

01:31:30
Speaker 1: Not, but you reminded me rip Chris Westley. We had a show in the feed me talking about Chris. But five years to the day, we remember you, we love you.

01:31:38
Speaker 3: We'll see you next night.