NFL Cover Zero: Super Bowl Recap!

Summary

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NFL Cover Zero: Super Bowl Recap!

Podcast: KSR (NFL Cover Zero)
Hosts: Matt Jones, Drew Franklin, Billy R. Sports
Date: February 10, 2026
Episode Focus: In-depth review of Super Bowl LX, a Seattle Seahawks victory, the nature of the season, memorable off-field moments, and the direction of key NFL franchises.

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Episode Overview

This special Super Bowl recap delivers lively post-game analysis, a candid Seattle celebration, and sharp takes on Patriots woes. The hosts blend X’s and O’s with stories from Media Row and pop culture, reflecting on a transformative NFL season and forecasting future league trends. Expect a spirited, detailed breakdown of why this Super Bowl may not be remembered for its drama, but for defining a changing of the guard in the NFL.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Seattle’s Dominant Super Bowl Triumph

• Game Recap
  • Seahawks win decisively, 29-13, controlling the entire game.
  • Patriots failed to score until the fourth quarter; Seahawks defense was impenetrable.
  • "That game could have been 50 to nothing. I mean, it really could have." (Matt Jones, 02:32)
  • Seattle racked up six sacks, forcing constant Patriots errors.
• Defensive Masterclass
  • Constant pressure with only four rushing, mixing in effective blitzes.
  • Patriots’ rookie LT Will Campbell struggled intensely.
  • "He was a rookie trying to play left tackle against Lawrence. One of the best linemen in the league. But it didn’t go well for Will." (Matt Jones, 04:04)
• Seattle’s Historic Season
  • Finished 14-3 regular season, dominant playoff run (17-3).
  • Per DVOA (advanced analytics), ranked third-best Super Bowl champion ever behind only the ’91 Redskins and ’85 Bears (07:09-07:15).

Patriots’ Offensive Implosion

• O-line Nightmares
  • Will Campbell—fourth pick in the draft—sets a dubious record for most pressures allowed in a postseason game and postseason history (17:13, 17:28).
  • Team allowed 21 postseason sacks, tying the record for fumbles (16:24).
  • Frequent ridicule online due to Campbell’s pre-draft “Amazon” sack quote (04:39-05:15).
    • "If you’re a defensive player and you average one sack a game, you’re a top pick. If you’re an offensive lineman and you give up one sack a game, you’re going to Amazon." (Drew Franklin, 04:39)
• Drake May’s Legacy-Defining Struggles
  • "Drake May was awful...his throws looked like a parade of horribles." (Matt Jones, 15:31)
  • Missed key passes, seven postseason fumbles—set new record.
  • Worst playoff QB rating for any player who played four games.
  • Hosts debate if May can recover or if he’s “headed for infamy” (25:10).
  • “Now, Peyton and Gannon were at the end of their career. Grossman and Collins were towards the beginning...If you play this bad, you are headed for infamy.” (Matt Jones, 25:10)

Seahawks’ Under-the-Radar Greatness & Future Outlook

• The roster is “balanced” rather than star-studded and “a little bit boring,” but defensively suffocating (08:23).
• Young head coach McDonald: 3rd youngest to win the Super Bowl, described as “anonymous” before this postseason (11:11-11:29).

Media Row & Fan Moments

• Hosts reminisce about their week in San Francisco, mingling with coaches, players, and fans.
• Noted the strong Seattle fan presence in the city: "We heard from Sean Alexander...Twelfth Man traveled this time!" (12:59)
• Puzzled by Seattle fans leaving before the game ended: "How do you fly during the Super Bowl when you’re in the city where the Super Bowl is?" (13:34)

The Halftime Show & Pop Culture

• Discussion of Bad Bunny’s halftime show: rich in Hispanic culture references, highly visual, story-driven.
  • “He told like a story, right?...the story of Hispanic people in America.” (Matt Jones, 33:04)
  • Performers as sugarcane (shrub) props, crowd-pleasing choreography for $1,000/week.
  • “I would have done it for free.” (Drew Franklin, 39:48)
• Super Bowl celebrity moments—quick camera cuts: Cardi B, Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, and (disproportionately noticed) influencer Alex Earl.
• Lighthearted Cane’s chicken sponsorship stories intertwined with media presence.

Season Reflections & NFL’s Changing Guard

• Host perspective: NFL could be undergoing a generational shift, or this season might be an “anomaly” due to injuries and weird breaks.
• “You could have a change in the guards. You could have this new generation of Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, Drake May, the Seahawks pick...So I don’t know.” (Matt Jones, 44:58)
• Favorite games, wild comebacks—emphasis on the Bears’ season.

Looking Forward — Offseason & Teams to Watch

• Seahawks: Well-positioned to “run it back,” most stars under contract (47:16).
• Patriots: Face a brutally tougher schedule next year, must invest in O-line and receivers; uncertainty about future ceiling (48:11-49:17).
• Best Long-Term Outlook: Consensus leans toward Bears due to young, talented roster; Patriots top ten. Worst: Jets, Browns at the bottom due to lack of QB or foundational pieces (52:00–54:11).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments by Timestamp

• “[Seattle] controlled the game. That game could have been 50 to nothing.” (Matt Jones, 02:32)
• "Six sacks, though, by Seattle. I mean, they were unstoppable." (Billy R., 05:46)
• “If you’re an offensive lineman and you give up one sack a game, you’re going to Amazon.” (Drew Franklin, 04:39)
• “Drake May was awful…his throws looked like a parade of horribles.” (Matt Jones, 15:31)
• “Will Campbell just allowed the most pressures in a playoff game since 2018... single postseason is the most ever.” (Drew Franklin, 17:28)
• "I think the Bears have the best future." (Matt Jones, 53:04)
• “Music’s a universal language.” (Matt Jones quoting his mom, 35:39)
• "Of all the things we've done...the NFL is just. It doesn't get bigger. It really was a dream to cover it..." (Drew Franklin, 58:36)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Super Bowl Recap, Seattle’s Dominance: 01:00–08:41
• Will Campbell’s O-Line Doom/Patriots’ Struggles: 04:01–17:42
• Seattle Historical Context, Balanced Roster: 07:18–10:04
• Media Row Stories & Fan Culture: 10:10–14:35
• Patriots’ Offense, Drake May’s Implosion: 14:35–28:32
• Reflecting on the Season, Changing of the Guard: 44:27–46:23
• Halftime Show Breakdown, Bad Bunny & Pop Moments: 29:34–43:36
• Next Year, Team Future Power Rankings: 47:04–54:11

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Final Thoughts

Despite a lopsided, forgettable Super Bowl, the episode is a compelling, personality-rich autopsy of the game and season. The hosts honor Seattle’s quietly historic defense, dissect Patriots heartbreak, and look ahead to a rapidly evolving NFL landscape—with trademark humor and “fan-in-the-bar” accessibility. If you missed the game or the episode, this summary gives you all the sharp analysis, banter, and pop culture color you need—minus the commercials and intros.

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Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Matt Jones]

Hey, guys.

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[Matt Jones]

NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and iHeart podcast. It is a Super bowl episode of NFL Cover 0. Back in Kentucky, Matt Jones, Drew Franklin, Billy R. Sports on a flight all night last night. Got to sit back, get to the airport in Atlanta, watch this, the super bowl and an airport bar and see The Seahawks win 29 to 13. It was an excellent week in San Francisco. The most fun I've had in forever. Enjoyed the city, enjoyed the environment, enjoyed media row, all that stuff. The game itself. But that's okay. You know what? Not everything can be perfect. And congrats, the Seattle Seahawks. Who are your champs? We are both wearing super bowl gear.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Got our merch.

[Matt Jones]

I got my. My pale, my sort of Chapel Hill blue. You got a little rainbow super bowl hat.

[Drew Franklin]

Very, very, very, very, very fun weekend. When we started doing this cover Zero, I thought, like, just recapping NFL games would be the fun, which it is fun. Never dreamed we would have a week like we just got back from in San Francisco. I mean, there's like 50 individual moments that could carry the trip by themselves, but things just kept happening one after another every day we were there. I'm still really in disbelief that we got to do all of that.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I am too. I'm really surprised that we got to do it and we had a blast and then the game started. We're going, We're Playing football, we're going to review the whole day. We're going to, you know, the, the whole enterprise, but the game itself, you know, I mean, they can't all be the best super bowl of all time. Seahawks, I mean, pagers did not score through the first three quarters, but Seahawks controlled the game. That game could have been 50 to nothing. I mean, it really could have. Like if. If Darnold hits that long pass to Shahid, you know, if. If there's one or two. If the. On that in Jigba play, if. If Darnold just hit gets him just a little bit closer, it could have been a route. So in some ways, it was fortunate that it was even that close.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, if you just woke up and looked at the score, you might be like, oh, okay, not bad game. But no, it was. It was over from the beginning. Seattle had four straight scoring drives, all in field goals, though just two of those have been a touchdown. We're talking about this being nasty. I mean, New England doesn't even have a point till the fourth quarter. I know people love a good defense, and Seattle's defense deserves all the accolades they're getting and the trophy, but for a exciting, entertaining product, to the fans, great defense and shutting out a team in the super bowl, isn't that fun to watch?

[Matt Jones]

I mean, Seattle was unbelievable on defense, just absolutely destroying the offensive line of the Patriots. They basically rush for most of the game, then occasionally would throw in a blitz, and New England almost never could pick it up.

[Drew Franklin]

Poor Will Campbell. Don't search his name on Twitter.

[Matt Jones]

So here's the thing about Will Campbell. Will Campbell, rookie. See a rookie, rookie, offensive lineman, fourth pick in the draft. I don't know, man. Kind of feel bad for him because, like, if you're like my mom and you don't watch the NFL and you turn only that game on, which she always watches the super bowl, she might think he's the worst player to ever play sports. And I feel bad for him in that regard. I mean, he's. He's a rookie trying to play left tackle against Lawrence. One of the best, One of the best, you know, linemen in the, in the league. But it didn't go well for Will. No.

[Drew Franklin]

And the two things worked against him. You know, normally, offensive line, especially, rookie, kind of anonymous. But he already had a reputation before the draft of having the little T. Rex arms that, you know, he was kind of mocked a little bit in the combine, still got drafted, got to a good team. But then also he has that comment about if you Give up a sack, you're going to work for Amazon. So if you search Will Campbell, Amazon, he said that it was something along the lines of, if you're a defensive player and you average one sack a game, you're a top pick. If you're for an offensive lineman and you give up one sack a game, you're going to Amazon. And that has been thrown at his face the last 24 hours.

[Matt Jones]

He needs, I think. I think to save his reputation, he's got to, like, do one day at Amazon.

[Drew Franklin]

You might not have a choice.

[Matt Jones]

No, I mean, he's got to go. He's got to lean into it. You got to go for one day. Handle the packages like you're going to have to. You got to do Amazon stuff because you can't. You, you, you. That performance I'm trying to think of when there's been a worse one. Again, no offense. It's got to be hard. I'm not trying to like Bart, man. The guy.

[Billy R.]

Well, it wasn't just him. I mean, the pace, mostly all of them.

[Matt Jones]

He was. He was at the core.

[Billy R.]

Six sacks, though, by Seattle. I mean, they were unstoppable.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, so. So, I mean, I think a lot of the conversation is going to be about the Patriots, in part because, you know, they're a team that a lot of people, like me, you like to hate. But the Seahawks dominate the game. So the question is, like, where do we. How do we look at this team? They finished 14 and three in a regular season. They win three playoff games. They're 17 and three there. I saw DVOA, which I don't know how you come up with that lot of math. I think it's Doug's very official analysis.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, Doug's good.

[Matt Jones]

Doug's very official analysis. I don't know you. Can you read to me? How do you come up with dvo?

[Billy R.]

Our defense, adjusted value over average breaks down every play and compares the team's performance to the league average. So I don't know how do they make it, but.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, so whatever that is. And then they call the. Is. Is the offensive version O V, O.

[Billy R.]

A. I'm going to guess so.

[Matt Jones]

But okay, so whatever it is, if you rank all the super bowl winners and there have been 60, just take a guess where you think the Seahawks would rank on or I may have already.

[Drew Franklin]

Their defense? No, I don't know. The. Just.

[Matt Jones]

No, it's an overall team. Where do you think they rank amongst the 60 Super bowl winners overall? When you combine offense, defense, etc.

[Drew Franklin]

I will just give a random number and say fourth.

[Matt Jones]

What about you?

[Billy R.]

I'll go fifth.

[Matt Jones]

See, I would have said like 28th. It's third. That feels crazy. No, but I mean for the season.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, for the season. I'm sorry.

[Matt Jones]

For the season.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, that defense all year was shutting down teams.

[Matt Jones]

That's crazy to me to think about all the history of the NFL and by stats, the only two teams better are the 91 Washington Redskins and the 85 Bears.

[Billy R.]

It didn't feel like that this year.

[Matt Jones]

It doesn't feel like it. By defense only, the only two team. Two teams better are the 2000 Ravens and the 85 Bears. I don't feel like this is the third best team of all time, but when you look at their numbers versus the league, how much better than they were the rest of the league numbers say what they say. Should I just accept it or can I fight this? Because it doesn't feel like they're the third best team.

[Drew Franklin]

I think you just got accepted. I mean, they played the rams and the 49ers three times each.

[Matt Jones]

I think they were like, what, five and one in those games held the.

[Drew Franklin]

49Ers to like three in a game, six in another. Really completely shut out the Vikings.

[Matt Jones]

Well, nobody really scored against them except the Rams. The Rams were the only team really all year that scored on.

[Drew Franklin]

So, yeah, that's why I'm not that surprised. They feel like an anonymous team outside of Jackson, Smith and Jigba, because the defense, like, everyone's good. It's just. It's just a great defense. And then Darnold's. Darnold. So it doesn't feel like when you have a great team when there's just stars across the board. Obviously they're great players, but I think they're more of a balanced team, too. That makes them just a little bit boring.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. And the running back's name is Kenneth Walker Jr. He sounds like a realtor.

[Drew Franklin]

Third.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Third. Oh, Kenneth Walker, the third. Well, then he sounds like a lacrosse.

[Drew Franklin]

But even that.

[Matt Jones]

It's.

[Drew Franklin]

It's. It's. There's three Kenneth Walkers. I mean, they're just.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, he's not even the biggest Kenneth Walker. But I do what they. I. Part of it is it's all the way. You know, if you look at a map, I don't know if you've seen one recently. Billy. Seattle's all the way at the top left. So it's not even like you got to want to go up there. We've been. Got to want it you got to want it. So all that makes it. But. But they were dominant and you know they'll open the season next year at home. Have you seen like the teams that it could be? It's amazing. They play at home next year. The Rams, the 49ers, Patriots, Chiefs, Bears.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, wow.

[Matt Jones]

So it could be any of what a run. If you were the NFL, who you open, you're not going to pick The Rams and 49. You're going to. You're going to pick a team on this side of the country. Would you send the Patriots for a Super bowl rematch? The Bears, Caleb Williams or the Chiefs? Mahomes.

[Drew Franklin]

Tough most years, I'd think Super bowl rematch. But we all agree that wasn't the best super bowl ever.

[Matt Jones]

You'd hate to do that again if.

[Drew Franklin]

The Chiefs have that excitement going. And I think they will. I lean Chiefs.

[Matt Jones]

I think it's a lot of sense to send the Chiefs kind of a.

[Drew Franklin]

New era versus this one. Still have some life.

[Billy R.]

I can talk myself into the Bears, though. I. I mean a whole season of Caleb Williams hype versus that defense.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, there's a decent argument that going into next year, if you're ranking like stars in the NFL, I think Mahomes is one, Allen's two. But you could make maybe Burrows three. But you could make an argument Caleb's next, right?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. And just the whole offense there being so young and how fun they are. I agree. That would be an exciting option to kind of looking at. We had got used to the same teams over and over. Now we're looking at Seahawks, Bears and some new, new eras that are starting to open the door like they could be doing something for a long time.

[Matt Jones]

The Coach McDonald, mean, do you think anyone in the United States knew what he looked like until last night? Not like I saw him. A lot of people know. I saw him walking down the street in San Francisco. Okay. Yeah. He's just walking down the street and he was like. He had a sign that says, who wants to talk?

[Drew Franklin]

Nobody wants to. He walked around Radio Row.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Just doing the laps.

[Matt Jones]

He walked around the media thing and no one stopped him. They thought he was there like hawking orange juice. And no one stopped him the whole time.

[Billy R.]

3Rd youngest coach ever to win the Super Bowl.

[Drew Franklin]

That's what's weird for me. I'm not. It comes for everybody, but I'm not used to this life of being a sports fan where champions are younger than me. I'm turned 40 recently. I'm just now accepting that there are people that are younger than me, that are winning Lombardi trophies and all that.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. And he. I mean, the Ravens had him. So if they were going to lose Harbaugh a year or two later, part of he knows, like, why didn't you.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, yeah. What if they knew what they had.

[Matt Jones]

In the moment they had and then they. Then they let him go, you know?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. It's a SEC guy. Georgia. I thought it was pretty neat, he and Maria Taylor on the stage having gone to the same high school. You know, I don't know where they. Their ages aren't too far apart. I wonder how much they really knew each other in high school. But imagine someone you grew up with playing kickball at recess with the next.

[Matt Jones]

Time they grew up together.

[Drew Franklin]

I don't know how close they were, but based on age and going to the same high school, they had known each other a little bit. So I wonder, regardless, just the odds of two people from the same high school making it to that stage.

[Matt Jones]

My friend Bobob ends up becoming an NFL coach. I mean, right now he doesn't coach and never has, but, like, that'd make it even crazier. It would be even. Imagine in five years, if he wins the Super Bowl. And I'm interviewing and we got the.

[Drew Franklin]

Photo of Mike holding up his son. Remember, there was talk all season. Does he even know? Yeah, he, like, bragged about hanging out with his son for 15 minutes a week.

[Matt Jones]

That was. By the way, that was the 15 minutes his kid got last night. Last night's the only 15 minutes he's going to spend with his son all year.

[Drew Franklin]

He had that assistant with a stopwatch.

[Matt Jones]

Right at the bottom of the pick up the other kid. The Seattle had the most fans there. You know, Patriots are always. Now, granted, it's not as far as way. But Patriot Nation. Not really. Not really out there like. Like the Seattle fans were.

[Drew Franklin]

We heard that from our new friend, Sean Alexander. He said that the first Seattle super bowl, they admitted they didn't travel very well, the Twelves didn't bring their best stuff, and they said they won't ever happen again. He spoke. He knew what he was talking about. Because as we got closer and closer to Sunday, you just saw more and more Seattle taking over San Francisco.

[Matt Jones]

We had four Seattle fans on our flight from. From. Well, we had two on our flight from. From Atlanta to Louisville, and there were four on our flight from San Francisco to Atlanta. So. And two of them were like. One of them was wearing a jersey.

[Billy R.]

In a jersey.

[Matt Jones]

So here's my question for you. I understand why we left before the game was over, but if you are a Seattle fan, how do you fly during the super bowl when you're in the city where the super bowl is?

[Drew Franklin]

I wouldn't do it. I don't care what's on the other side of that flight. My team is in the super bowl and I'm in the city. I'm not going anywhere. Maybe I can't afford a ticket, but I'm at least going to be around for that.

[Matt Jones]

Just a coincidence. They were in San Francisco. Or do you think they went to San Francisco for the Super Bowl? Well, then why would they fly back to Atlanta? I don't know, but I did find it weird that they were flying away from San Francisco while their team is about to kick off.

[Drew Franklin]

And luckily, I mean, it was pretty clear the game was over in the first half. But imagine that flight we had where, you know, we missed the last two minutes. Imagine your team is, like, tired or something. I wouldn't get on the flight. I would. I have to figure it out wherever I'm going. That's a tomorrow problem. This is the super bowl of my team, so it's pretty surprising to see people on the flight. Couldn't do it.

[Matt Jones]

Brutal to. To. To not know. So. So that's Seattle. Now we got Tucker with the Patriots. Drake May was awful. I mean, his offensive line deserves a lot of criticism, too, but he was awful. Even though his offensive line wasn't good. There were four or five plays that if he makes the throw, they have maybe not a chance to win, but the game would have been much more competitive and he missed. And a few times, I mean, NBC and Chris Collinsworth did an amazing job of showing. It was kind of like a parade of horribles. By the way, when I was a kid, I would hear the phrase parade of horribles, and I would literally try to think about what a parade of horribles would be like.

[Drew Franklin]

Like you're sitting on the sidewalk and they're just coming by.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, imagine if you went in a parade. There's Genghis Khan.

[Drew Franklin]

Never looked at it that way.

[Matt Jones]

There's Brussels sprouts.

[Drew Franklin]

So it's a wide range of horribles. Oh, look, here comes traffic at 5 o'. Clock.

[Matt Jones]

Here's Hagar. Like, there would be all of these Parade of horribles. He, his, his, his throws look like a parade of horribles. And they were awful. And, you know, Collins Worth was like, look, he could have made that one. He could have made that one. Were you surprised? He was as bad as he was.

[Drew Franklin]

I was. And I mean, I can think, seeing some of my mind right now. There's the one late. I mean, they were. It was probably over, but when they're backed up against the go and he had a guy break wide open towards the sideline, just completely overthrew him. I mean, it would probably have been too late, but that would at least given you a little bit of hope and some life. And, you know, that's late in the game just to miss something that bad. Show how off he was all day.

[Matt Jones]

And even his interception at the end, I mean, they were still in it. 19 7. Momentum's all on their side. And it was like he was trying to score all 14 points on that throw.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Billy R.]

He had seven fumbles in the entire postseason, which tied a record, set a.

[Matt Jones]

Record for most fumbles in the postseason and most sacks.

[Billy R.]

21 times he was sacked.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, some of those are not his fault, but. But the fumbles are his fault.

[Drew Franklin]

And early they were. Running Witherspoon on that blitz got to him a couple of times. Think on Will Campbell's side. Will Campbell, most pressure allowed ever in a postseason game.

[Matt Jones]

So maybe he might not even get like.

[Drew Franklin]

It was like number 29. He set a record.

[Matt Jones]

He might have to go to temu.

[Drew Franklin]

All the postseason games ever played. Think about this beautiful league and all the postseason football.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, wow. Not. Not over the whole postseason. The worst in one game. Yeah. Oh, my goodness. So he had the worst game of any offensive lineman of all time.

[Drew Franklin]

Let me pull up the exact stat. I want to say it was like 29 pressures allowed or something.

[Matt Jones]

Let me be clear. In the history of playoff football, Drew is saying, per the tweet I'm about to read, was the worst player to ever play on the offensive line.

[Drew Franklin]

Will Campbell just allowed the most pressures in a playoff game since 2018. His. In a single postseason is the most ever.

[Matt Jones]

So.

[Drew Franklin]

The postseason.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. So, yeah. So he's the worst postseason before and the worst of any kind since 2018.

[Drew Franklin]

Correct.

[Matt Jones]

Wow.

[Drew Franklin]

That is per. So you're not saying it to me.

[Matt Jones]

If you're Will Campbell, underdog.

[Billy R.]

Get back to work.

[Matt Jones]

Get back to work.

[Drew Franklin]

You're.

[Billy R.]

You're the number four pick. I mean, you can't. You can't cry investment there.

[Matt Jones]

Somebody was going to keep going to try to play some more.

[Drew Franklin]

Big investment. He's a likable guy. Good heart.

[Matt Jones]

What makes him likable?

[Drew Franklin]

He's a good sound bite.

[Billy R.]

Yeah. He's got a personality. He's tough.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, I haven't heard what's, you know.

[Drew Franklin]

He put up with the T Rex arm stuff a lot. And he had, you know, he's better than he was on Sunday to the.

[Matt Jones]

Fact that he was a T Rexer.

[Drew Franklin]

That was his worst game of the year and it happened at the worst moment. But Billy's right. When he was talking about just that whole line was getting wrecked.

[Billy R.]

Well, it's the first team ever to have two rookies start on the offensive line in the Super Bowl.

[Matt Jones]

Well, they said it shouldn't happen again.

[Drew Franklin]

And how about on the Seattle side? Walker and Jigba were drafted together. Same both first rounders. Think about Seahawks. You're looking back on that draft. That worked out all right.

[Billy R.]

John Schneider's, I mean, another victory lap for him. Built the Legion of boom.

[Drew Franklin]

And now the guy from Papa John's.

[Matt Jones]

That's John Schneider. John Schneider is from the Dukes of Hazzard. I didn't realize that. So the guy that was in the Dukes of Hazzard ended up owning the Seahawks.

[Billy R.]

I don't, I don't know if that's the same one.

[Matt Jones]

What's Tom Wolf?

[Billy R.]

There's three.

[Matt Jones]

Does Tom Walpat have a team?

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[Matt Jones]

But yeah, Drake Bay was awful. Does this change? I mean, everybody was ready to crown him. I mean, first of all, it's good he lost the mvp. If he had won the MVP and then played like that, they might have just gotten rid of the award.

[Drew Franklin]

We Messed up. If they were taking it back. You know what? We were a little ahead of ourselves.

[Matt Jones]

You would have had to take it back if that had happened.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I mean, that was a terrible game for him and Pat's fans, I'm sure. Very disappointed this morning. I would still like Drake May as my quarterback. He had a good year. I think there's more than what he showed last night. I really. A lot of it is on him, but he was just getting wrecked all night long. I don't think he ever really stood a chance.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, no, he didn't. But I'm still saying it's on him. A lot of it. I mean, he had a horrible.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm saying like big picture. I wouldn't, I'm not. Wouldn't throw away Drake May because of.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I would say just sitting there and thinking. He now is competing with Jake Delome for the worst performance in a Super bowl of all time. Jake Delome, I think fumbled like what he throw four interceptions or five interceptions in his game.

[Billy R.]

I remember him playing in it. I don't remember what he did in the game.

[Matt Jones]

I may have just made five turnovers.

[Drew Franklin]

Let's see what kind of game.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean this could be completely made up, but I feel like Jake Delome did something like terrible in the Super Bowl.

[Billy R.]

16 of 33 for 323 yards and three touchdowns.

[Matt Jones]

How many interceptions though?

[Billy R.]

Let's see.

[Matt Jones]

If you say none, then we're going.

[Drew Franklin]

To 16 of 33.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, but what about the other 17?

[Billy R.]

That's under zero interceptions.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, so it was a different guy.

[Drew Franklin]

Matt's talking about when he played on Madden.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, not the real one. It was Jake Plummer.

[Drew Franklin]

Jake the Snake.

[Matt Jones]

All right, so this is the worst game.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm going to. I'm going to look up worst QB performances in a Super Bowl.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, but this, this.

[Drew Franklin]

I would think Drake's in the conversation.

[Matt Jones]

Well, all right. I think he's it.

[Drew Franklin]

Now here's the five worst Super bowl performances of the 21st century.

[Matt Jones]

Go for it.

[Drew Franklin]

Number five, Ben Roethlisberger against the Seahawks.

[Matt Jones]

I remember that didn't play great.

[Drew Franklin]

This was worse for Rex Grossman, for the Bears.

[Matt Jones]

He was bad in that game. I think I saw Drake May had a lower. So they had the lowest quarterback ratings in all of the playoffs for any player that had played, I think four games. Rex Grossman was the second worst and Drake May was the worst for the whole playoffs. Ouch. Who's third?

[Drew Franklin]

Someone we saw on every street corner. Rich Gannon. I think Rich Gannon was just everywhere. In San Francisco.

[Billy R.]

Against the Bucks.

[Matt Jones]

Against the Bucks. Okay, what's second?

[Drew Franklin]

Second, Peyton Manning against the Panthers. I remember he had a bad pick 6 the Panthers. I mean, the Seahawks.

[Matt Jones]

Talk about the one he won, though, with. You're talking about the one he won with Denver.

[Drew Franklin]

No, against the Panthers.

[Billy R.]

The Panthers.

[Drew Franklin]

This is what this says.

[Matt Jones]

Didn't Denver. Who did? Denver. He won a Super Bowl.

[Drew Franklin]

This is the one where.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, we could look it up.

[Billy R.]

Oh, yeah. It was Vaughn Miller's mvp.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Billy R.]

Strip set.

[Matt Jones]

Peyton was bad that game.

[Billy R.]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

He had a big six, two fumbles.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. He can't be the worst if he won. And who's the. Who's number one man?

[Drew Franklin]

And he only completed 13 passes. These Manning stats are crazy.

[Matt Jones]

He was bad as last year in Denver. But they won the Super Bowl.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Number one, Kerry Collins.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, so that's who I was thinking about 15 of 39.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, there you go. Yeah. Yeah. This is easily the one. He was 15 of 39 for 112 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, so he's a pretty bad game. And that was with the Panthers, right?

[Drew Franklin]

No, Giants. Giants, Ravens.

[Matt Jones]

You got me confused, Billy.

[Drew Franklin]

Giants, Ravens, Super Bowl, 35, four interceptions.

[Matt Jones]

Against a great defense. Correct. So Kerry Collins. I think Drake May joins Kerry Collins. Now, that list of guys you. You read with the bad ones, you have some dudes who are known for not being good. Rex Grossman.

[Drew Franklin]

Terry Collins had a great year with the Titans.

[Matt Jones]

Terry Collins played for a lot of things. You also have Peyton Manning. And Rich Gannon was very good. So is Drake May more Kerry Collins?

[Drew Franklin]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

And Rex Grossman, or is he more Peyton Manning and Rich Ganton?

[Drew Franklin]

Peyton gets bonus points for getting it done. I'm with you. I think you're removed from the conversation if you walked away with a ring on. Yeah, I mean, the Patriots had zero points until the fourth quarter, so.

[Matt Jones]

But I'm saying.

[Drew Franklin]

Do you think. Yeah, I'm saying he's.

[Matt Jones]

Which ones. His career going towards. Now, Peyton and Gannon. Manning and Gannon were at the end of their career. Grossman and Collins were towards the beginning of their careers. So history would say if you play this bad, you are headed for infamy. But he also had a great season.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, we were talking about him being the mvp. Just.

[Matt Jones]

I just don't know. I don't know how you rate this. This Patriots team, they didn't play anybody in the regular season. Right. In the AFC Championship Game, they had to play a dude who'd been, like, selling cars. A few weeks before. So. So are they good?

[Drew Franklin]

When you think about having played Jared Situm, they did go. It's the run of like the toughest defenses you could possibly face.

[Matt Jones]

But it was Jared Stidham, C.J. stroud and Justin Herbert with it freezing at home.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. I'm just saying on the May conversation, he did face pretty much all elite defenses to get to the Super Bowl. I would. I still think May. I mean, I'm not going to say Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger from that list.

[Matt Jones]

He was on the list, but way.

[Drew Franklin]

Ahead of Kerry Collins and Rex.

[Matt Jones]

You can put him in the middle.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I would.

[Billy R.]

I would think that the Patriots are set up to be good for the next 10 years, though. Like, I don't think they're going to go anywhere.

[Drew Franklin]

New coach, rookie running back.

[Matt Jones]

On what?

[Billy R.]

Like I've Rabel.

[Matt Jones]

All right, so give me the receiver that they're going to have for the future that gets you excited.

[Billy R.]

Well, that can be replaced more.

[Matt Jones]

Give me the offensive line that you're going to be excited.

[Billy R.]

Well, Will Campbell will never let this.

[Drew Franklin]

We're going to stretch those arms out. He'll be just fine.

[Matt Jones]

I'm just saying to you, what made them good this year was their record was excellent and it seemed like Drake May was great. Now again, maybe this is just a. But it's not a one off game. He was terrible the whole playoffs. They won, but he was awful the entire playoffs. It's at least plausible that he's not as good as everyone has acted like. Isn't that at least plausible?

[Billy R.]

It is from the second youngest quarterback in the super bowl of all time.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, but there were people ready to say like he's passing Joe Burrow already now.

[Billy R.]

Yeah, you got to pump the brakes on that.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. No, I have him in the. He will be a longtime starter in New England and they will love him. I don't know if that will lead to one ring or any rings.

[Matt Jones]

I'm just going to remind you that over the Last couple years, C.J. stroud and Jane Daniels have both been crowned and have both at least taken a step back off the throne.

[Drew Franklin]

True.

[Matt Jones]

Is it possible that that happened with Drake May too?

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, yeah. He very much could.

[Matt Jones]

And as. As. As cousin Sal would say, could he be Drake? Maybe.

[Drew Franklin]

And if that's what Will Campbell is really going to be. I don't mean to put it on him, but that's your fourth round pick at left tackle. That. I mean, fourth pick. Yeah, that's. You pay that and pick him to Protect Drake May. And if he's not going to pan out on that spot, that's going to have an impact on what May does. You. There's no way it won't.

[Matt Jones]

I'm just saying you could make. You can, of course, make the case that, oh, this was a bad game, but you could also make the case that this Patriots team beat no one good. Except the Bills once lost to the Raiders. And we're not a good team. That fortune shown its bright light on.

[Billy R.]

Another nickname for Drake May was the schedule.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, that's what they're calling them. The schedule.

[Billy R.]

The schedule.

[Matt Jones]

Not a great name, but it makes sense.

[Billy R.]

It could be one of the worst teams ever playing a Super Bowl.

[Matt Jones]

It could be. All right, we already, again, not trying to be mean, but let me be me. We have definitively the worst offensive line performance in the history of the super bowl, in the history of the playoffs. We have definitively the worst playoff run in terms of turnovers and sacks in the history of the playoffs. And we have one of the more uncompetitive Super Bowls in many years. Your Honor, I rest my case.

[Billy R.]

It's all lining up.

[Drew Franklin]

And that's why it will be one of the Super Bowls that I won't bring up again in years from now. Like we have the ones we remember. This one will not get talked about again a few weeks from now.

[Matt Jones]

All right, let's talk about some of the others. All right, let's start with the music. Green Day. They started played well, right?

[Billy R.]

I didn't see them.

[Matt Jones]

I didn't either.

[Billy R.]

Did you get them on the plane?

[Matt Jones]

Okay, but I'm just like, boom, we like them.

[Drew Franklin]

So we're going to.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I like Green Day. What's your favorite Green Day song?

[Billy R.]

Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, look at you, Mr. Emotional.

[Billy R.]

Well, that was a young Billy. Our sports.

[Matt Jones]

Would you just sit and cry listening.

[Billy R.]

To Green Day cd? Time of my Life Basket Case.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. Everybody would say, like, time of my life is the one that, like you say to be like.

[Billy R.]

You know, I'm a thinker.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. I mean, it's a Seinfeld thing. You could play it in front of your mom. What was the basket case?

[Drew Franklin]

Is that come from Dookie is on Dookie. That's the one that had the hot air balloon, I think. I believe I had that album.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. And then there's I Don't want to be an American Idiot. My favorite is actually one of their lesser hits, minority. You know that one? Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

I want to be a minority.

[Matt Jones]

I don't need your Authority. I like that one. They should have played that. Why? Why are you looking at Mario?

[Drew Franklin]

Maybe they did. Mario, have you ever heard of Green Day?

[Matt Jones]

Wait a minute. Hang on. You've never heard of Green Day? What? They were just playing the Super Bowl. You never heard of Green Day? You never had. I hope you had the time of your life. My goodness, these kids today with their rock and roll. Apparently not the rock and roll with a rap and roll.

[Drew Franklin]

Look up Mario.

[Matt Jones]

I thought they were good. Then you had. What was the name of the guy that sang the national anthem? Corey.

[Billy R.]

Charlie.

[Drew Franklin]

Charlie.

[Matt Jones]

Charlie Puth. He seemed fine, right?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. I saw people debating his pitch. Was it auto tune or not? I wasn't getting auto tune vibes.

[Billy R.]

Not from him.

[Drew Franklin]

He's like.

[Billy R.]

He's a really good singer.

[Drew Franklin]

Don't they say he has, like, the perfect pitch? Isn't that, like, a thing?

[Billy R.]

Yeah. Yeah, it is.

[Drew Franklin]

Like, he can.

[Matt Jones]

My middle school band teacher said I had perfect pitch.

[Drew Franklin]

Why didn't you do the Super Bowl?

[Matt Jones]

Because he can't sing. But, like, my middle school band teacher said to me that I was one of the few people he knew who could tell immediately if something was on key or not, which always made me wonder, how's he know? Can he get in my brain?

[Drew Franklin]

You don't know me.

[Matt Jones]

You don't know me, Mr. Simpson. I like Charlie, though.

[Drew Franklin]

Puth. Or Charlie Simpson, whatever your guy's name.

[Matt Jones]

Then. Then you got to halftime. There's all this controversy around halftime. What's going to happen? It was Bad Bunny going to come out in a dress on Tim Walls, his shoulders.

[Drew Franklin]

I lost that bet.

[Matt Jones]

What were the odds you got on that? 60 to 1.

[Drew Franklin]

It was like, plus 5,000.

[Matt Jones]

I thought he was good. I mean, I don't speak Spanish, so I didn't really know what he was saying, but I thought it was. I thought the visuals were good. He told, like, a story, right? It was like the story of Hispanic people in America. You know, the sugar cane fields and, like, they had the. The. The dominoes and the boxing and salsa dancing and, like, people got married. It was just a lot going on. And he seemed like a nice fellow. He's wearing shoulder pads in case he needed to check in and help block for Drake May.

[Drew Franklin]

Yep. I read that. Honored maybe. I think an uncle that played football and that 64 was his uncle's number. Like, everything.

[Matt Jones]

Used to be in the tournament.

[Drew Franklin]

I just thought he wanted to wear some shoulder pads. They look good.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

There was like. There's things we'll never even know. There was A nod to. But so many little Easter eggs there.

[Matt Jones]

Well, there's the woman I liked that.

[Drew Franklin]

I looked her up.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I looked her up. She, like, owns the. The la, One of the last social clubs. So they have. In New York, they used to have social clubs back when, you know, some places wouldn't allow black people or Hispanic people or Jewish people and things, so they would create social clubs for themselves. And over time, those have kind of gone away. And this woman, like, owns one of the last Puerto Rican social clubs in America, and he flew her out to be there to. When he bought the little drink or whatever from the little bodega thing.

[Drew Franklin]

La Marquetta, I think it said it had the name of it.

[Matt Jones]

That's kind of neat, isn't it?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Billy R.]

And, you know, there were people playing dominoes at one point. Drew's boxer was in the background.

[Matt Jones]

I know I said both those things. Yeah, they were both.

[Billy R.]

Oh, I didn't hear. I didn't hear the dominoes one.

[Drew Franklin]

There was a nod to, like, an la. Some kind of food truck. They pretty much remade that and put it there. I went back and looked at all these things, which is the point, to open your mind and learn a few things.

[Matt Jones]

What's the free. I think it was in vogue that said, free your mind and the rest will follow. Be colorblind. Billy, don't be so shallow. Oh, that's what they used to. That's.

[Drew Franklin]

That's a Mario Instagram caption. Why he's writing it down.

[Matt Jones]

I could see that.

[Drew Franklin]

I enjoyed it, though. I'm with you. I mean, I. I took Spanish.

[Matt Jones]

He talks.

[Drew Franklin]

If he lost that.

[Matt Jones]

If I knew Spanish, he was going to need to speak a lot slower.

[Drew Franklin]

But I. Yeah, and I also may.

[Matt Jones]

Pregunta donde esta la bibliotheca? He goes so fast. I couldn't really understand.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, that's the thing. Sometimes the music, it doesn't matter. I grew up listening to Bone Thugs in Harmony. Two of my favorite songs. I still don't know what they say, and I love them when people say.

[Matt Jones]

It shouldn't be in. It needed to be in English. I know that my parents love the Three Tenors and they sing in Italian. Like, if you go to an opera, you don't know anything they're saying. Right. Like, people like it. That was my opera. Did you enjoy that?

[Billy R.]

Did you get the camera on him for that part, Mario?

[Matt Jones]

Okay, good. Thank you. So, I. I don't.

[Drew Franklin]

There's a lot of Pearl Jam songs. I don't know what they're saying, my.

[Matt Jones]

Mom texted me during the to during the other radio show today and said, music is the universal language.

[Drew Franklin]

Exactly right.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Music's a universal language. And so. So there you go. Now the stage had all these famous people. They bring all these famous people, but then they get like a millisecond of camera time, right? So it was like Cardi B. Pedro Pascal, Ronald Acuna, Jessica Alba, Jessica Al.

[Drew Franklin]

I saw her real quick.

[Matt Jones]

Was on there for like a half a second.

[Drew Franklin]

These are like a listers are like, yeah, I would love to be a background extra for a split second millisecond. And then shows how important it is to be a part of that.

[Matt Jones]

That's right. And then Alex Earl stuck right in. Don't know how she got in there. I like her. She seems like a nice person. I don't think she's of Hispanic heritage.

[Drew Franklin]

I thought the theme was Latin America.

[Matt Jones]

And I also don't know that she's quite on the level of the rest of those people. But she was there and I was like. I hated the fact that I was like, hey, there's Alex Hurdle. Like, I didn't notice Pedro Pascal.

[Billy R.]

That's why she was there.

[Matt Jones]

Or Jessica Alba. The first time I didn't see. But I did notice Alex Earl. So maybe that's exactly right. Maybe that's why she was there.

[Drew Franklin]

I guess when you're. What do you. Are they socialites when they're famous just for, like, existing and going to things. She's influencer. Well, you know, she just goes everywhere. Maybe they thought they needed a social influencer on that little set there. But it did seem. It was like, as you're going across left to right, like, oh, yeah, yeah, that's cool. That was Alex there.

[Matt Jones]

I did like this. I want to see if I can play this for a second. Not that Alex Earl, you know, she, she. She goes places and her thing, like, the whole reason she exists is to, like, show what she's doing. She'll be like, come with me as I go to blah, blah, blah.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, she's big on the get ready.

[Matt Jones]

With me, get ready with me as I go to the blah, blah. And I saw her first one and I, I enjoyed this. All right, so I want you to listen.

[Podcast Host]

Came over to my apartment and it was a disaster. All of us packing and, like, rushing out the door. I was just not ready. Ashton wasn't feeling good, but we got in the car and headed to the airport. We are going to San Francisco, which I'm really excited about because I've Never been there before. And we're going with raising canes this weekend. We're flying a bunch of people from LA straight there. We have a big weekend. Parties and events.

[Matt Jones]

She was going to the super bowl with raising canes. And if you look at her video, everywhere she went, there were just buckets of chicken fingers.

[Drew Franklin]

Sounds amazing. I didn't know this was an option.

[Matt Jones]

If you look at her hotel room full of chicken fingers. Every party she'd go to, she'd walk the red carpet, but first get a big old hand of chicken fingers.

[Drew Franklin]

Did she get the cane sauce too?

[Matt Jones]

She'd get the cane sauce. Canes followed her around and just gave her chicken fingers. Everywhere she'd go.

[Drew Franklin]

What a life.

[Matt Jones]

I feel like that's a pretty good gig, right?

[Drew Franklin]

Can I. Can I tell them to leave the slaw? Can I get extra bread also? As they follow me around. Two breads, no slaw, please. Extra cane sauce. Of all people. That seems like a weird. Like, if you had said what company sent Alex. Earl followed around. We'd had a long time before I got to the chicken fingers.

[Matt Jones]

But she did not have a cane's on stage with Bad buddy. I think it would have been funny if all the people on stage were also eating cane.

[Drew Franklin]

So we needed a few more ads in there. It could be the case. She was a shrub and just snuck out to join the stage. The shrub thing is my favorite part.

[Matt Jones]

Of all of them were sugarcane, sugar cane. Excuse me. Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

That was my favorite part of all of it. Because in the moment, we didn't know they were humans till they all ran off. I just love the idea of people getting so excited.

[Matt Jones]

Hey, I'm in.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm in the Super Bowl.

[Goldbelly Advertiser]

Halftime.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Mario planted the shrubs into the field, but it was actually people.

[Drew Franklin]

It's kind of genius. You're on a quick clock there to set that up.

[Matt Jones]

Get it away. Video of everybody running out.

[Drew Franklin]

Running out.

[Matt Jones]

Huh?

[Drew Franklin]

And they got paid. Did you see what they made?

[Matt Jones]

Oh, no. What did they make?

[Drew Franklin]

I think they. It was roughly. I won't get it to the exact cent, but it was roughly $18 an hour. And after all the auditions and everything. It was a little audition to be a show. Not auditions. Rehearsals.

[Matt Jones]

They had.

[Drew Franklin]

They had to rehearse the whole bit. It ended up being a little over thousand dollars for the week.

[Matt Jones]

I do that.

[Drew Franklin]

I would. I would have done it for free.

[Matt Jones]

Did you see the party in the parking lot? When it was over, everybody that was in it, you know, they didn't have tickets for these people. Get Out. Gotta go.

[Drew Franklin]

Give me your. Give me the sugar cane back.

[Matt Jones]

No, literally, they made them leave. Get out of here. So they were all in the parking lot, and they all had a dance party, including Pedro Pascal and Jessica Albert. Like, everyone that was part of that went outside and had a dance party. Alex Earl's just throwing canes in her mouth.

[Drew Franklin]

Bad bunny spoke to all of them.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, Bad bunny.

[Drew Franklin]

I don't know what he said, but spoke to all of them.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

As Alex Earl took.

[Matt Jones]

Took another bite of toast.

[Drew Franklin]

And then as Alex Earl said, chicken. Chicken. Chicken. What combo you picking?

[Matt Jones]

Looks like fun to me. And you tell me I get $1,000 for that. Billy, I'm in.

[Billy R.]

I'm 100% in. You've got a story that you were in the super bowl halftime show. I mean, that would be pretty awesome.

[Matt Jones]

And got all the canes you wanted.

[Drew Franklin]

This woman kept feeding me canes, giving me canes. Alex Earl, if Saturday night somebody come up to us, you know, we had the early flight on Sunday. If someone had said, look, guys, we had four dropouts. Can you all please. Will we have moved our flight and changed everything?

[Matt Jones]

She would have.

[Drew Franklin]

Good. Because I would have done it.

[Matt Jones]

One of the great experiences of all time, to run out there as a sugar cane and, like, were they told.

[Drew Franklin]

Not to peek out? Because I would have wanted this one person.

[Matt Jones]

Girl who, I don't know if her thing broke her head is just sitting out of it.

[Drew Franklin]

I would have had a hard time. I'm not sticking my head out, looking around. They'd just be completely behind there. I wouldn't be able to do that. You would have known I was a part of it.

[Matt Jones]

So I enjoyed the. I enjoyed the halftime performance. Thought it was good. Billy put on the other one because he's not a company man.

[Billy R.]

Oh, please. I am a company man. I need. I need to see how you get mad watching the airport.

[Matt Jones]

You know, people think I'm making this up, but the airport bar broke into applause at the end of it, which I thought. I've never been. I don't think I've ever been that excited about anything to applaud in the middle of an airport bar. Have you?

[Billy R.]

No. There were some people that were really excited.

[Matt Jones]

They were really excited. Yeah. And there was one girl who then, during the game, kept that excitement. She was cheering hard for the Patriots. And then halfway through the third quarter, I heard her ask the woman next to him, who are they playing?

[Billy R.]

That's a fan right there. You don't even care who they're playing.

[Matt Jones]

Or no yelling at the screen, doesn't know who they're playing.

[Drew Franklin]

Sorry. She was excited about Bad Bunny. She was the most watched halftime show of all time.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I don't know if. Is that true?

[Drew Franklin]

Graphic. I don't want to be. I don't want to be those people that's just falling for random.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, it might be true, but I think it came out. I think we were put. I think we were putting graphics out saying it was the most watched and the least watched just to get.

[Drew Franklin]

I saw one that had actual numbers, and they could have been made up numbers, but it just. Kendrick Lamar last year. Let me check my source.

[Matt Jones]

Well, you may be right. I hope. I hope it would. I have no idea. And by the time people listen to this, it probably will be out.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, we're reporting that it is.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, we're. NFL Cover Zero is reporting it's the highest in the history of humankind.

[Billy R.]

That's why they did it, right? International outreach, another audience. Makes sense.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I mean, the reason they did it was because the halftime show is not for the football fan. When are people going to get that? They're already watching the game. The point is to get the woman at the airport. That's the whole point. And then secondarily to grow the game in other places. You know, they're playing, what, nine international games last year or next year, you know, so that's what they're doing.

[Drew Franklin]

So.

[Matt Jones]

Having Brantley Gilbert doesn't do anything but get his family to watch. The point is to get new people. So I totally understand.

[Drew Franklin]

They've already won America. You're going to watch the NFL. We've proven that they win everything. You cannot go against the NFL because America's already watching America.

[Matt Jones]

What do you want? You got Alex Earl eating chicken. She had all the chicken. So overall, an entertaining Super Bowl. And, you know, we're gonna. We are go. We're gonna have another show later this week. But overall, kind of. What's your view of the season now that it's wrapped up? Did you enjoy this. This NFL season? I did.

[Drew Franklin]

It's hard to compare to past years because obviously this is very unique, coming to meet you guys at midnight every Sunday and paying attention to other games more than I normally would. But overall, I thought it was a fun year. It was weird just looking at it, aside from our own experiences watching it, just to be at the beginning of the year and we had that Bills Ravens game that was so crazy. And even though the Chiefs lost week one, we still expected them to be in the conversation to have the teams we did at the end of the year compared to what we thought we would. I thought it was a very unique year of maybe even a changing of guard in a lot of places.

[Matt Jones]

I do wonder if we'll look back at this as a changing of guard or is like a temporary weird blip because of injuries and just people kind of not. I mean, be interesting to see, like next year, are these same teams good or even newer teams, or do we kind of go back and the Chiefs are good again and the Ravens are good again and, you know, I don't know. I mean, who knows? But you could have a change in the guards. You could have this new generation of Caleb Williams, Bo Nicks, Drake, May the Seahawks pick, pick, pick your team. So I don't know. I thought it was a wildly entertaining season. I mean, part of it is because of this podcast, to be quite frank with you. I paid a lot more attention than I did. And so we had to. Yeah, we had to. So now, like, I know the intricacies of it sort of the minute details became more. And then there were just so many good games. I mean, I went to. You mentioned Bills, Ravens. I went to Bears, Bengals, which was an insane game. This year. We went to Buffalo, was Tampa Bay, which was an insane game. Some of these playoff games were insane. I mean, think about the Bears packers game.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, your own team. It felt like every week the Bears were in a comeback.

[Matt Jones]

The Bears were in an insane game, like every single week of the season. So overall, Billy, I think, like as entertaining of a season as they've had in a long time.

[Billy R.]

And not just the football. I mean, we had Brown spider and the first lady on one of our first episodes. I mean, there was a whole thing about Meow Mix, the podcast, and then we sang. We serenaded Bryce Young at the Super Bowl Radio Row. Like, I had a ton of fun with you guys. And this season was definitely memorable, not just for the football.

[Matt Jones]

And see, this is where you would play. I hope you had the time of your life.

[Billy R.]

Mario wouldn't get that.

[Matt Jones]

Right. Yeah. So you don't have perfect pitch.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm not Charlie Pith.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. So now you go into next year. Are you going to the draft? It's in Pittsburgh, right?

[Drew Franklin]

Easy drive.

[Matt Jones]

Easy drive. Of the. Of the teams that played in the super bowl, you can probably bring this Seattle team basically back in total, Right? Don't you just run it back if you're them?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Right. I think they're very excited about everybody importance under contract. I Mean, they basically get to run the whole thing back.

[Billy R.]

Yeah, you're going to have to pay Jackson, Smith, Jigba.

[Matt Jones]

Is it this year? I don't think it's this year.

[Billy R.]

I think he's got maybe one more year.

[Matt Jones]

One more year and eventually you're going to have to pay him and then you'll lose other guys. But I think they basically get to run this back next year.

[Billy R.]

Well, you bet on Sam Darnold and it worked, right. He was thrown away by another team. This was his fifth NFL team. And now you have the head coach and the quarterback and now you could set up a run for multiple years.

[Matt Jones]

Now, if you're the Patriots, I think it's much more of an unsure. Did you see their schedule pull up, Billy, pull up 20, 26 Patriots schedule. I think you want to see pull up their. Just read their road games when you see it. There's they go from the hard. The easiest schedule in history to listen to the teams they have to go to this year.

[Billy R.]

All right, let's see. Patriots schedule. They have the Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Packers, Vikings, Steelers, Bills, Dolphins again, Jets, Bears, Lions, Chiefs, Chargers, Seahawks, Jacks.

[Matt Jones]

That's a lot harder.

[Drew Franklin]

Heck yeah.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, you take out the two. The two games against the jets and Dolphins, those four games, everybody's good because they end up getting. They get the AFC west, which is arguably the best division, and they get the NFC north, which is arguably the best of it. So they get. And then they have the Bills. And because they have the number one schedule, they also end up getting. Or the number one team. They end up playing the Chiefs. You know, I mean, they get the hardest team. So, like, it's going to be a tough road for them.

[Drew Franklin]

It will. And even though they had one of the top offenses, I think in points per game this season, they're still going to have to get May some help. I mean, Diggs will be what, like year 11 next year?

[Matt Jones]

Well, I mean, so you have the digs issue. Offensive line got to be a huge.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, got to develop though. They have a pretty young line. They got to pan out.

[Matt Jones]

Just think about that, though. You got to keep this dude healthy. Drake maybe. I mean, if you really believe in him, you can't have him getting beat up again for another year. Right. I think they got to go put money in their offensive line. That's their number one priority.

[Billy R.]

Based on the 2025 records, the Patriots have the sixth toughest schedule next year.

[Matt Jones]

Toughest.

[Billy R.]

The Bears.

[Matt Jones]

You didn't have to tell me that.

[Billy R.]

Toughest schedule next year.

[Matt Jones]

That's okay. We had a tough schedule this year. I remember looking at the schedule this year. This was. If you look at who they ended.

[Billy R.]

Up having to play but your expectations weren't this high.

[Matt Jones]

I think the Bears and I think this is true of the Patriots too. I think they both were a year ahead of schedule.

[Billy R.]

I agree with that.

[Matt Jones]

Like I think the Bears wanted to be good next year and I think definitely the Patriots did not think they were going to be in the Super Bowl. So even though I've been down in the Patriots, they're a year ahead of schedule. So are the Bears. So next year is my super bowl year for the Bears is two years from now. That's two years. Two years from now. And probably that was what the Patriots were thinking Drew before they went on this run and had had the season. They did.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I'm. I'm watching a free agency move or we'll see how it looks. But there's a clip when variable was the Titans when they let A.J. brown go. It's a kind of famous variables like visibly mad that they would trade A.J. brown. We know A.J. brown situation in Philadelphia and we know the Patriots need help watch that there now. I don't know what you would get. You don't want the head case A.J. brown.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

But that could be someone that could really help that offense with his head on straight motivated because they are going to have to get more targets for May. He's got a good rookie running back that looks like he'll be the future there but he still needs help even though they had a pretty good year statistically.

[Matt Jones]

Let me ask you a question. What team do you think if you were a fan you would say I'd like to have this team for the next decade over any of the the.

[Billy R.]

Same roster for the next 10 years. Oh.

[Matt Jones]

Situation they're in now.

[Billy R.]

Okay.

[Matt Jones]

And what it looks to be in the future because can I make a case for the Bears?

[Drew Franklin]

I was about to say your Bears are might be my number one.

[Matt Jones]

I mean I think you can. All their offensive weapons are very young. I think you could make a case for the Bears. You know, I don't know.

[Billy R.]

I mean New England's up there as well to be fair.

[Matt Jones]

But I. I don't have any stars I feel good about except the quarterback for the future. Maybe the running back.

[Billy R.]

But that's important. That's the one you need.

[Matt Jones]

It is. So I mean they're definitely in the top 10 but they're going to have to rebuild Everything else, they'll always be.

[Billy R.]

A free agent receiver. You can go get like a Stefan Davis.

[Matt Jones]

That's probably true. I mean, yes. Top 10. But is there any you would take over the Bears? I mean maybe, maybe you say, look, I've got Patrick Mahomes so give me him for the next decade and I'll just. And we'll put somebody around him because.

[Drew Franklin]

He has some young.

[Matt Jones]

And they're getting a top. They get a top 10 pick this.

[Drew Franklin]

Year and the receivers they got in the drafts the last couple of years wasn't fair that they got those guys in those spots.

[Billy R.]

They're not. It's not up there with the Bears. But the Giants could find something with Jackson. Dart could.

[Matt Jones]

But you got to see him actually win. I mean if you think Jaden Daniels is good, you just say, well, you get him back from injury, you know.

[Drew Franklin]

We'Ll see if the Bengals had half a defense.

[Matt Jones]

How about the Broncos with Bo Nicks?

[Drew Franklin]

Well, yeah, I mean they're good answers.

[Matt Jones]

If you believe in the. In Bo Nick.

[Billy R.]

And there's been some drama with Sean Payton and Bo Nix. Beau called his own press conference to correct something that Sean Payton said about his injury.

[Drew Franklin]

Ankle maybe. The Titans. We're gonna have a lot of first. First picks for a while.

[Billy R.]

Yeah, a lot of draft cap.

[Matt Jones]

I'm gonna say the Bears have the best future. Who has the worst future?

[Drew Franklin]

Titans at least have Cam Ward excitement. So it's not us.

[Matt Jones]

Browns, Jets, Jets.

[Billy R.]

Jets.

[Drew Franklin]

And I mean the Raiders are going to be excited about Mendoza, but who.

[Matt Jones]

Knows they have no quarterback. They at least. I mean Aaron Glenn hasn't shown. He can be a great coach. Browns new. New coach though.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, but that jersey with all the names, the 43 names. It's just going to keep adding more names for.

[Matt Jones]

The problem is with. The problem with the Browns and Jets is we could have had this conversation anytime over the last decade and that would still have been the choice, which is Miles Garrett.

[Drew Franklin]

He won't be there forever.

[Matt Jones]

Well, you least have Miles Garrett and you have Denzel Ward. So you have two stars in Cleveland. You actually have a really good defense in Cleveland.

[Drew Franklin]

Look where that's gotten you to date.

[Matt Jones]

I know. I mean what do you have in with the Jets? They're the worst. Yeah, there's nothing to be excited about if you're a Jets fan. It's even. I mean it's Cold Breeze.

[Drew Franklin]

Hall probably won't even be there.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I think that's the worst one. So I'd say the Bears have the best.

[Drew Franklin]

You Mean the team with the longest playoff drought in any major sport.

[Matt Jones]

I know I'm going out.

[Drew Franklin]

Poor Jets. You're right, though. I mean, it just shows how that could just be the answer almost any year.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. All right. Last thing. Sam Darnold gets picked. You know, out of nowhere, they win the Super Bowl. Is there any quarterback out there that you think they could. That could be turned into Sam Darnold during this off season?

[Billy R.]

Kyler Murray.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm watching the Jaguars to Jaguars to keep getting better.

[Matt Jones]

So you're taking a guy that's already there and he gets better.

[Drew Franklin]

What they did with Cohen already, that.

[Matt Jones]

Might be an answer for a franchise. You're excited.

[Drew Franklin]

They were on my list.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Think about it. Their top draft pick didn't even contribute. He was hurt.

[Matt Jones]

Didn't even contribute. Josh Allen, still young. Their defensive line is good. Yeah. They're probably top five.

[Drew Franklin]

So I'd watch another jump with Trevor Lawrence. I was switching teams.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I think the answer would be if you believe in Tua and you were to send him to Minnesota. Right. Because they got a lot. They have the core of a good team and he were to play well. If you got the two of three years ago in Minnesota. Because Minnesota to me is the team that has the best chance to make that move. The question is, can they find the right guy to do it?

[Drew Franklin]

I love that we're playing the. Who can find the next Sam Darnold? And the answer is Minnesota.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, what.

[Drew Franklin]

It just slapped Minnesota here. The answer, you know, if you're Minnesota.

[Matt Jones]

You have to sit there and go, that could have been us.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Billy R.]

And don't overlook Davis Mills as somebody that could.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I like it. Well, third best quarterback in Stanford history. But I am a little disappointed we.

[Drew Franklin]

Didn'T get to go to the Davis Mills statue at Stanford while we were in the area. Yeah, it was cool seeing Cal Berkeley.

[Matt Jones]

I will say though, in that Sports Illustrated picture, Billy, your neck looked like Davis Mills in that picture. How did it get so long? Just did you just.

[Drew Franklin]

Were you.

[Billy R.]

Well, you just saw more of the neck because it was. The shirt was open, so it was just much more visible than you're used to.

[Drew Franklin]

Only button. And the one above the belly button is why his net neck looks so long. Also a quarterback to watch just because he sounds motivated. We ran into Will Levis and he seems pumped up to whatever's next for him.

[Matt Jones]

Cover 0 can report Will Levis healthy. Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

And motivated.

[Matt Jones]

Cleared this week. He said cleared this week to throw.

[Drew Franklin]

We'll find out what's next steps for him? But he's a guy eager to get another opportunity to show that he can hang in the lead. Yeah. Shout out to Will.

[Matt Jones]

All right, so. So this is, for all intents and purposes, the final show of the regular season. We're going to have a special of other interviews we did on press row, including Denzel Ward and who else was there?

[Drew Franklin]

I liked Oliver Brown with the bingo.

[Matt Jones]

Talking about Orlando Brown Jr. Not Oliver.

[Drew Franklin]

Talking about Burrow off the field was the highlight.

[Matt Jones]

They're really good. So we'll have that episode, and then we're going to take a little time off. We're gonna. We're gonna see our families. I may try to find a family.

[Drew Franklin]

My family doesn't know that Sunday nights are a thing. We kind of haven't had any of those.

[Matt Jones]

And then we're going to come back a couple weeks before the draft and start our draft preview. I've. I've been. I've been crunching tape.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I'm getting caught up. Have you had any luck finding tape on the tight ends? Like, I got plenty of lineman tape. I've seen more running backs than.

[Matt Jones]

I really had a hard time because there's this defensive tackle out of South Carolina State. I'm going to the pro day. Yeah, I got a stopwatch problem with this.

[Drew Franklin]

The other schools he played, it's hard to get in touch with them and get their tape. But we're doing our best.

[Matt Jones]

We're doing our best, but then we're going to hopefully go to the draft in Pittsburgh. Now, Drew may have had a child, or at least we hope. And so then. So, Billy, you and I will. We'll probably get our inner Mel Kuiper along with Mario and do a little drafting.

[Billy R.]

Well, I like how these drafts are at the different cities now. I mean, it's just chaos.

[Matt Jones]

Pittsburgh in.

[Billy R.]

In Pittsburgh, I mean, you got to think the terrible towels will be out.

[Matt Jones]

So that'd be a good time, and it'll be great. So I want to thank everybody that was involved in the show this year. Billy done a great job producing. Mario, great job with the social media and just overall swag. And Drew, it's been a lot of fun with you. We've done various things over the 18 years. We've almost covered every sport. All we need is now skiing and then we can retire. But had a great time.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Of all the things we've done. As I'm looking at the shield behind you on the wall, the NFL is just. It doesn't get bigger than the NFL. So it really was a. I'm still kind of in shock that we did that we're able to do this, to work with them, but to cover the NFL is a dream, and it was a fun first season.

[Matt Jones]

Yes, it was. So thank you all very much for listening. Enjoy the extra episode, and then we will see you on the road to the draft. This has been NFL Cover Zero. NFL Cover 0 with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and I Heart Podcast. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.