Draft Episode Gridiron Chaos: Wildcard Shockwaves, Eagles Collapse, and Hoosier's Football

Summary

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PTI: “Gridiron Chaos: Wildcard Shockwaves, Eagles Collapse, and Hoosier's Football”

Hosts: Tony Kornheiser & Michael Wilbon
Date: January 12, 2026

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Episode Overview

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon bring their trademark banter and sharp sports commentary to a high-stakes postseason. This episode dissects a wild NFL Wild Card weekend, focusing on the shocking collapse of the Philadelphia Eagles against the underdog 49ers, Josh Allen’s heroic effort for the Bills, and the resilience of Wilbon’s Chicago Bears. They also marvel at Indiana’s historic football surge and break down the Cubs’ big off-season move. The tone is feisty, opinionated, and playful, classic PTI.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NFL Wild Card: 49ers Upset Eagles in Philadelphia

• Setting the Scene: The 49ers defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles in Philadelphia, 23-19, breaking Philly’s five-game home playoff win streak. San Francisco lost star TE George Kittle to injury yet scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to secure the win. The Eagles faltered on a key fourth-and-11 late in the game.
• Tony’s Take (00:26): Tony frames the discussion: “What is the focus? 49ers win or Eagles lose?”
• Wilbon’s Response (01:05): Wilbon aims more ire at the Eagles, tired of their “drama” and hailing the injury-ridden 49ers:
  “I’m tired of them. I grew tired of them two or three weeks ago… No, the 49ers are to be admired... Shanahan is coach of the year.” (01:05)
• Tony’s Analysis (02:03):
  “I had this completely wrong. I thought the Eagles were going to win comfortably… In the second half they got nothing. Like every week.”
• Eagles’ Second-Half Collapse: Tony notes Philly averages just 9.5 second-half points and again struggled, only scoring 6.
• The Trick Play (02:45): Tony credits the 49ers for a creative Jauan Jennings-to-McCaffrey option pass, which Wilbon likens to Willie Mays: “If he had a glove, it would have been Willie Mays.” (03:14)
• Eagles’ Wideout Failures: Both hosts pile on AJ Brown (“get out already... you can’t win with him, no more with him, not this year,” Wilbon, 03:37) and other receivers for critical drops.

Notable Stat:

• Christian McCaffrey has scored a TD in all eight of his playoff games, a new NFL record to start a career (03:51).

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2. Bills Over Jaguars: Josh Allen’s Heroics

• The Game: Bills beat the streaking Jaguars 27-24 for Allen’s first road playoff win.
• Tony’s Admiration (04:37):
  “Yesterday, the Bills had nothing other than Josh Allen... He willed them to win and then he executed that. He put his body on the line.”
• Allen’s Grit (05:10): Describes Allen battling through injuries and running a key 10-yard QB sneak:
  “Who makes 10 yards on a quarterback sneak?”
• Historic Context: Tony recalls the last Bills road playoff win was against Dan Marino in ’92 (05:21).
• Wilbon’s Credit (06:10):
  “Josh Allen was a beast... The Jaguars did not play poorly… but Josh Allen, man, all praise.”
• Patriots-Chargers: Hosts agree Patriots’ win was expected; Herbert and the Chargers again flop in playoffs, raising doubts about Herbert’s clutch potential.
• Justin Herbert Playoff Stats: Now 0-3 with 2 TDs, 4 INTs (05:44).
• Wilbon’s Judgment:
  “I’m not throwing Justin Herbert out. Right. I mean, there’s some teams that would.” (07:04)

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3. Miracle Bears vs. Rams: Who’s For Real?

• Rams' Narrow Win & Stafford’s MVP Case: Rams outlast Panthers with a last-minute Stafford TD to tight end Colby Parkinson.
• Wilbon’s Bears (07:48): Despite trailing 21-3, the Bears rally again—marking their seventh win this season after trailing in the last minute.
• Wilbon’s Marvel (09:01):
  “It’s the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen... Every week, it’s something where... now we gotta go further this week, a bigger margin of deficit and we’re going to win it that way.”
• Rams’ Credentials: Stafford as MVP candidate, Puka Nakua as offensive player of the year, but doubts about “concentration level” against weaker teams.
• Tony’s Reality Check:
  “All things being equal, I am more impressed with the Rams... but in the fourth quarter, I thought they were going to lose in Carolina… and then Matthew Stafford, who, yes, I think is the MVP this year, acted like the MVP.” (09:38)
• Stafford’s Last Drive: 6 of 7, 71 yards, game-winner with 38 seconds left; motivational quote to teammates:
  “Let’s go snatch these guys' hearts.” (09:38)
• Weather Factor: Bears may wrest an edge from freezing home conditions (10:20).

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4. Indiana’s “Unbelievable” Football Surges

• Tony’s Word: Unbelievable (13:08):
  “They went over 100 years, loss after loss after loss… This year, they rolled. You want to talk about roll tide? They rolled Alabama 38-3… Then they rolled Oregon 56-22.”
• “Movie Script” Season: Wilbon calls it “fictional and cinematic” (14:22), stressing how Indiana—not Notre Dame—are the “ones pounding people.”
• Stat of the Year: Indiana’s plus-minus in 15 games is “plus 473. That’s not possible... It’s unbelievable.” (13:44)
• Mendoza’s Efficiency: IU’s Fernando Mendoza has more playoff TDs (8) than incompletions (5).
• Big Ten Perspective: Wilbon roots for IU, given their historical futility:
  “There’s only now officially one school that has more losses.” (15:37)

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5. MLB Free Agency: Bregman to Cubs, Sox Shorthanded

• Wilbon’s Reaction (15:57):
  “Cubs going to get Bregman, I was angry... but now we have an infield of Bregman, Swanson, Horner and Michael Bush, which is probably the best defensive infield in baseball and may just be the best infield...”
• Tony’s Take (17:13):
  “This feels sort of like a promise… When you say to Craig Counsel, you leave Milwaukee and you come to the Cubs and we will make sure... Bregman is the real deal. He’s got rings and this is an important thing.”
• Wilbon, Excited:
  “I’m not going to turn my nose at Bregman, who apparently is a massive influence on the field and in the clubhouse… Very excited.” (17:46)

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6. Rapid Fire: Other Sports Tidbits

• Brooks Koepka Returns: Golfer re-enters PGA Tour after LIV stint (22:03).
• Quarterbacks Carousel: LSU expected to land Arizona State QB Sam Levitt; Dylan Raiola to Oregon (23:13).
• Notable College Football Lawsuit: Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambers sues NCAA for sixth year of eligibility (23:35).
• Vanderbilt Basketball Futility: Both men’s and women’s teams are winless (23:45).
• Wildcard Preview: Split picks—Tony likes the Texans, Wilbon the Steelers, but acknowledges Rodgers wants to prove himself at age 42 (23:59).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Wilbon: “I’m tired of [the Eagles]... Just get out of our lives and let a team go out there who has one injured player after another… the 49ers are to be admired.” (01:05)

Tony: “They [Eagles] are averaging not 9.5 points in the second half and this time they only got six.” (02:45)

Tony: “Christian McCaffrey… has scored in all eight of his playoff games… the longest streak of anybody to start their career in the NFL in history.” (03:51)

Wilbon: “It’s the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen. It is. It’s amazing. They win every week, every week...” (09:01)

Tony: “Indiana… This year they rolled. You want to talk about roll tide? They rolled Alabama 38–3… plus-minus in 15 games for Indiana this year is plus 473. That’s not possible... It’s unbelievable.” (13:44)

Wilbon: “I’m not going to turn my nose at Bregman, who apparently is a massive influence on the field and in the clubhouse. Very excited.” (17:46)

Tony: “This feels sort of like a promise… Bregman is the real deal. He’s got rings and this is an important thing.” (17:13)

Stafford’s Leadership: “Let’s go snatch these guys’ hearts.” — Matthew Stafford, relayed by Tony (09:38)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening/Eagles-49ers: 00:26–04:13
• Bills, Patriots, Chargers: 04:13–07:14
• Bears & Rams, Comebacks: 07:48–11:12
• Indiana Football “Unbelievable”: 13:08–15:51
• Baseball: Cubs, Sox, Bregman: 15:57–18:28
• Quick Hits/Happy Time/Miscellaneous: 20:13–24:15
• Wildcard Game Preview: 23:58–24:15

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Tone & Style

Classic PTI interplay: sharp, candid, and laced with humor and nostalgia. Wilbon is hopeful but critical of long-suffering teams (his Bears, the Cubs), Tony is analytical yet quick with dry jokes. Both hosts escalate their passion when discussing favorite teams, viral plays, and historic moments.

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This recap delivers the full flavor and detail of a heated NFL playoff weekend, captures the unlikely magic of Indiana football’s run, and lets fans ride along for every emotional swing—from a “damnedest” Bears comeback to the hope of a rebuilt Cubs infield. If you missed the episode, you’ve got all the storylines, context, critiques, and the best PTI zingers right here.

Transcript

[A]

Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. Tony. They tell me it's National Hot Tea Day.

[B]

I'm Tony Kornheiser. Hot tea. That's what the ladies used to call me back in college.

[A]

All right.

[B]

A long time ago when I had hair.

[C]

Hot tea.

[B]

Not like now.

[A]

You don't have to. You can be hot without hair.

[B]

I can't be. Maybe you can be.

[A]

You haven't given it the full shot. The full Monty have not.

[B]

Welcome to pti, boys and girls. In today's episode, Wilbon's Bears beat the packers. And the Bills topped the Jaguars. And the Patriots stuffed the Chargers. But we begin today with the biggest surprise of the weekend's NFL wild card playoff games. San Francisco beating defending super bowl champion Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, where the Eagles had won five straight home playoff games, the 49ers lost tight end George Kittle to an Achilles tear in the second quarter. Still won 23 to 19. 49ers scored 13 points in the third quarter and and stop the Eagles on a fourth and 11 on the last real play of the game. Wilbon, what is the focus? 49ers win or Eagles lose. I think they scored that in the fourth quarter, right? Not the third quarter.

[A]

Yeah, fourth quarter. I don't know where to start this because I want to. I can't help myself but to take a shot at the Eagles in this way. I'm tired of them. I grew tired of them two or three weeks ago. You know, they had just drama. Just every week starting at like week four drama. And AJ Brown. I don't want to get out. Just get out of our lives and let a team go out there who has one injured player after another. Not just injured player, like role players, really good players. Stars with. With like Fred Warner's been out, it seems like the entire year. I know it hasn't been. Then they lose Kittle yesterday. No, the 49ers are to be admired. By the way, I think the Shanahan is coach of the year regular season. I know yesterday doesn't count, but for how he kept that team but going in the proper direction without drama all season long. So I guess I've come to praise the Niners more than I've come to just heap criticism on the Eagles.

[B]

I had this completely wrong. I thought the Eagles were going to win comfortably. I thought they were going to do to the 49ers what the Seahawks had done to them the week before. Just grind them down. That's what I thought would happen. The 49ers scored first as incidentally every winning team in the NFL scored first and then won the game. But I thought that their defense would not hold up. And for a while I think I was right. Philadelphia was up 13 to 10 by the end of the first half. They had two long sustained drives. They held the ball 19 minutes out of the 30 minutes. Right. Which is a long time. But in the second half they got nothing. Like every week.

[A]

They get nothing every week.

[B]

That's right. They are averaging not 9.5 points in the second half and this time they only got six. Look, I give the 49ers a lot of credit here and I give them special credit for that trick play at the beginning of the fourth quarter where the wide receiver. Help me out here. Juwan Jennings, who used to be a quarterback. Okay. So he does the option pass to Christian McCaffrey who makes a great catch on a pass that is a little bit too long and a little bit too far. Right? Right. And they end up.

[A]

If he had a glove, it would have been Willie Mays, the San Francisco reference.

[B]

And then looking at what the Eagles are going to do, and maybe you are referring to this as well, AJ Brown drops passes, runs his mouth, doesn't perform. Devonte Smith drops a pass. The Eagles dropped four third down passes. I don't think you can blame Kaylin Hurts.

[A]

I don't blame Jaylen Herz. A.J. brown, get out already. You know who was it with? Mike Singletary was talking about somebody else. You can't win with him. You can't. You can't. No more with him. Not this year.

[B]

Can I give you a small note?

[A]

I know he did last year.

[B]

Small Note on Christian McCaffrey.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay. He had 114 yards from scrimmage and scored two receiving touchdowns. He has now gone his last five playoff games with over 100 yards from scrimmage. And all eight of his playoff games, all eight, he has scored at least one touchdown. It's the longest streak of anybody to start their career in the NFL in history. You think Carolina feels bad trading him now? Because they should.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They didn't exactly know how to use them, apparently. Let's move to Sunday's two other games. Josh Allen earned his first road playoff win by powering his Bills past the white hot Jaguars 2724. And the Patriots stifled Justin Herbert. And the Chargers allowed just 207 yards of offense and a 16, 3 win tone. Which win did you find more impressive?

[B]

I think it's the Bills. They were facing a hotter team. Jacksonville. I think had won eight in a row and the Bills were on the road. And can we be honest here? Yesterday, the Bills had nothing other than Josh Allen. They had nothing else. He willed them to win and then he executed that. He put his body on the line. Every single position was out there. He went to the blue tent twice. Once because they thought he might have had a concussion and once because he had a knee. He came back out, he leads them down the field. That last drive. Who makes 10 yards on a quarterback sneak? I mean, he was.

[A]

Well, if you have a guy carrying you, six of them.

[B]

So tough.

[A]

He was so tough.

[B]

And as you said, he had been.04 in road playoff games. And you know, the last time the Bills won a road playoff game, I was there.

[A]

It was. It was against Miami and, and Dan.

[B]

Marino in the 1992 season. That's a long time ago. So that's a long time. Let me shift to the other thing.

[A]

For a second ago.

[B]

You know, I mean, New England was very impressive. They were very solid. They had very good defense. But they were playing at home. And as I told you the other day, I don't think the Chargers are as Jacksonville.

[A]

Everybody thought New England Patriots would win that game.

[B]

So, you know, is Justin Herbert all that? Do you know what he is in the playoffs? He's now 03 with two touchdown passes and four interceptions.

[A]

He had one bad game. Of those three, he threw four picks last year in a game, Tony, they.

[B]

Lost a 27 nothing lead at one point.

[A]

That means somebody defensively needs to be on the hook.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Okay. But Justin Herbert thought. I. I didn't think that was their fault. I thought the Patriots did. They were who we thought they'd be. Let's go back to Josh Allen.

[B]

He was something.

[A]

Josh Allen was a beast.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

He was not going to let his team loose. J. The Jaguars did not play poorly at all. No, they didn't play quite well. Enough chance to win, put that game away and they had a chance to win, to get the tip pass at the end.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

But Josh Allen, man, I mean, for people who want to say, look, I. I don't think Josh Allen's team is good enough to get them past Denver in mile high circumstances.

[B]

Well, you didn't think they were going to be Jacksonville.

[A]

No, I thought Jacksonville would win.

[B]

I did. That's right.

[A]

But Josh Allen. All praise to Josh Allen. So he's the most impressive to me. The Patriots were who we thought they were. Would be. I thought they would be.

[B]

I also thought they played a team that is not okay. Jim Harbaugh has been there two years, got to the playoffs both years. Lots of applause for that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know what? They've gone out by two years. You know the total combined score, 48 15. They have only had one offensive touchdown in 22 possessions over those two years.

[A]

They got some work to do in building that thing before. But I don't want to blame Justin. I'm not throwing Justin Herbert out. Right. I mean, there's some teams that would.

[B]

So if I were to say to you that in the playoffs he's sort of like Lamar Jackson, you would say.

[A]

No, he's sort of like it.

[B]

That's what I'm. And he doesn't have the two MVPs. He doesn't have the two MVPs. All right, Wilbon. We have waited until now to get to the Bears game and the Rams game from Saturday. The Rams beat Carolina in Carolina on a last minute touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to tight end Colby Parkinson. And your Bears spotted The Packers a 213 lead in the first half and miraculously, as usual, came back to win. In which of Saturday's winners do you have more belief in the Rams or in the Bears?

[A]

The Rams have the mvp. You and others have declared that.

[B]

I would.

[A]

Stafford.

[B]

I'd vote for him.

[A]

They got the offensive player of the year in Puka Nukua.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

They got this tight end who's a beast who caught that game winning touchdown pass right at the pylon on Saturday. He's a big. The Rams have everything. I'm told the Rams have everything. And yet they can barely survive Carolina after losing the Carolina one.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

So if I have a hope going into Sunday's game in Soldier Field, it's that the Rams either there's something up with their concentration level and they've lost three games. They shouldn't have lost. They got beat at Carolina. But they're the more impressive team.

[B]

Are you just saying that they're the more impressive team. Are you saying that because you want the Bears to win so badly that you don't want to put them on the spotlight?

[A]

I don't have any problem saying how badly I want the Bears to win. Los Angeles has been more impressive, which is why they're a favorite in Vegas, which is why everybody's picking them. Do we have an MVP on our team for the season?

[B]

Well, if we do, has Los Angeles won seven different games while trailing in the last minute? Who has done that?

[A]

We have.

[B]

I think the Chicago Bears have done that. Is that not the most impressive thing of the whole season, Tony?

[A]

It's the damnedest thing I've ever seen. It is. It's amazing. They win every week, every week. It's a, it's something where you just. It's as if they set it up and say, okay, now we got, we're going to go further this week. We got to go deeper into the game with a bigger margin of deficit and we're going to win it that way. And, and you just go, oh my God, how do they keep doing this?

[B]

I would say that all things being equal, I am more impressed with the Rams. If you remember a few weeks back we were asked to pick super bowl teams. I picked the Rams and you picked Seattle.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

All things being equal, I would say that. But I will also tell you, in the fourth quarter on Saturday, I thought they were going to lose in Carolina, like they lost six weeks ago.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

I thought they were. And then Matthew Stafford, who, yes, I think is the MVP this year, acted like the MVP. Here is his last drive, 6 of 7, 71 yards. The pass that was incomplete was dropped and he closed it out with 38 seconds to go. And prior to the drive he had said to devonte Adams, quote, let's go snatch these guys hearts. And he did.

[A]

That's another guy.

[B]

So all things being equal, here's what I don't think is equal. What I don't think is equal is that the Bears pull off miracles every single week again. Seven times this year they have won while trailing in the last minute. They're going to play in Chicago against a Southern California team. The advanced weather says there could be a low of eight. Oh, it's down to seven.

[A]

Seven.

[B]

Okay, do I hear six? Southern California, three below. So that's what I'm saying to you, that all things are not equal.

[A]

Tony, you're right about that. All things are not equal. Let me say this in praise about my team. They must have hellacious belief in each other and their coach. Seems that way at this point.

[B]

Seems that way.

[A]

Cause they go in there at halftime and they have nothing. I turned the gamble you like millions.

[B]

Of others, I turned it, went to bed. They said the game is over.

[A]

Listen, listen. I was close to despair. Not all the way there yet, but they come out and defensively they put together enough of an effort. They gave up one long touchdown drive and they somehow. Tony, they cobbled together these possessions. Where Caleb Williams goes from being eh for three quarters to Joe Montana in the fourth.

[B]

You could not have thought.

[A]

Unbelievable.

[B]

You could not have thought at 213 that you were going to win that game against the packers in a stadium they're familiar with against a team they're familiar with. No, he couldn't. Let's take a break. Coming up, what is the word for what Indiana did to Oregon on Friday night?

[A]

And where does the signing of Alex Bregman put the Cubbies and leave the socks?

[B]

It's a miracle season for the Bears so far.

[A]

It's magical.

[B]

You had them owing five at the beginning of the year.

[A]

Completely magical.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm gonna go freeze to honor them on Sunday.

[B]

You should go free, take your shirt.

[A]

Off while you of course, I might be inside a suite. Yeah, well, I might be.

[D]

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[E]

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[B]

That's with Richard Dent and others. Let's find out what's popping with the pizza Mail time. What's first?

[A]

I'm not going to read the first one. I'm going to scare the mailbox. Now you'll read Come off the Moorings. What's the word for Indiana's win over Oregon?

[B]

My word is unbelievable. My word for everything that has happened since they've gotten Kurt Signetti is unbelievable. They went over 100 years, loss after loss after loss after loss. Kurt Signetti is now 262 and 150 this year they rolled. You want to talk about roll tide? They rolled Alabama 38 3. They were the only by team in two years to win. Then they rolled Oregon 56 to 22. Okay. Their combined scores against Oregon, Ohio State and Alabama this year, I believe that's four games total is 107 to 36. Right. The Indiana defense cost the Oregon quarterback Dante Moore about $100 million. First play pick six and then two bad fumbles after that. It's meanwhile Fernando Mendoza. That guy now has. In the two games he's played in the playoffs, he has more touchdowns eight than he has incompletions five. I'm going to give you a number now that is impossible to believe. The plus minus in 15 games for Indiana this year is plus 473. Let me repeat that. 473. That's not possible. Right. You know why? Cuz it's unbelievable.

[A]

There are other words and they are in that line fictional and cinematic. This is a movie script. You don't have this. We're Indiana, not the other football program in the state. Notre Dame. Indiana. They are pounding people, Tony. The only thing I wonder. I'm going back to 1983 season. I think it was January 1st or 2nd of 84 when we had Nebraska, which was all powerful and they played the U and the U won that game on a Nebraska missed two pointer. Irving Fryer dropped a passing.

[B]

Nebraska had a history of winning national championships.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

It's not, it's. These people cannot ever let their foot off the gas because they've never won anything.

[A]

Yeah, but I'm just talking about the one game.

[B]

So you're predicting Miami?

[A]

No, I'm not predicting. I'm just saying when it's too good to be true. Maybe it is.

[B]

It hasn't been so far.

[A]

Has pummeled people plus 4, 7. I'll give you another one. Maybe it's Ali Liston. I mean, you know, where you just go. These people have no chance.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Except they have a chance.

[B]

So you're in the Big Ten. You pay attention to the Big Ten?

[A]

I do. I watch Indiana every snap.

[B]

And how terrible have they been your whole life?

[A]

There's only now officially one school that has more losses.

[B]

I believe it's the Purple.

[A]

I don't want to say it out loud.

[B]

I believe it's the Purple.

[A]

But you know, unlike other regions of the country where people hate their rivals and they won't.

[B]

You don't hate.

[A]

I'm rooting for Indiana.

[B]

You should.

[A]

I am.

[B]

It's a Big Ten school. What does Alex Bregman's signing say about the Cubs? And where does it leave the Sox?

[A]

Leaves the Sox with plenty of money to spend on somebody else. I don't know whether they want Bellinger or Tucker. The Red Sox go out and spend and they do what they want to spend. So I'm wasting no time on that. The Cubs going to get Bregman. I was angry. I'm one of those Cub fans who said, if you people don't do something in this off season, that's major.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You let Kyle Tucker walk. And I wouldn't have paid Kyle Tucker 300 million or whatever, it's going to be either. So I don't blame the Cubs for that. But they went and got Bregman, who they flirted with last year. And now we have an infield of Bregman, Swanson, Horner and Michael Bush, which is probably the best defensive infield in baseball and may just be the best infield. That's a big deal for the Cubs, which made the playoffs, lost a five game series to Milwaukee last year in the playoffs. This is a big deal.

[B]

So, I mean, I was thinking that the Red Sox could always go back to Rafael Devers a third. But you know why they can't? Because he was poisoned and they traded him away.

[A]

Maybe they didn't go back and get him. He wasn't that great there.

[B]

I don't think he. I think that's a bridge too far.

[A]

For him to come back.

[B]

So they went from two third basemen to no third baseman. They are the, I think the only team in the major leagues that has not signed a free agent so far.

[A]

They'll do it together.

[B]

The A's have done it. The Marlins have done it. The Pirates have done it. Yeah. Yeah. They have money. They have money and they can do it.

[A]

They have resource.

[B]

I'm going to yield all the things on the Cubs to you. Except to say this, that from an outsider's point of view, this feels sort of like a promise that was made in this regard. When you say to Craig Counsel, you leave Milwaukee and you come to the Cubs and we will make sure that we put a team out there and you take us home. It feels to me like Bregman is part of that because Bregman is the real deal. Bregman has rings and this is an important thing. He's an all star. He's got rings. He's supposedly great in the clubhouse. That to me feels like a very big addition.

[A]

It's a huge addition.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I would have been okay if we wound up with Bo Bichette as well, who's four years younger. But I'm not going to turn my nose at Bregman, who apparently is a massive influence on the field and in the clubhouse. And of course, most teams need that, particularly the Cubs. They haven't won anything. Very excited.

[B]

Well, they won a few years ago. They hadn't won anything in 100 years.

[A]

That's 10 years.

[B]

That's 10 years, not 100 years. Close enough. Email. Let's take one last break. Still to come, Lane Kiffin. Your boy reportedly lands his quarterback for.

[A]

Lsu and who has the answer tonight between the Texans and the Steelers, The Bears have everybody's heart. Cubs had to do something and they did.

[B]

They did.

[A]

At the same time.

[B]

They did at the same time.

[A]

Caleb is throwing fourth and nine. The Cubs are getting Breckman.

[C]

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[B]

Happy time people. Happy 44th birthday. Dontrell Willis, the left handed starter whose delivery was a cacophony of arms and legs, was Rookie of the year in 2003 when he was 14 and 6 with a 330-era for the Marlins, who beat the Yankees in the World series. In his third season. The D train was 22:10 with a 263 ERA, the most wins in the National League. But after winning 46 games his first three seasons, Willis won only 26 his next six seasons and was more of a shooting star than a lasting one. After two All Star appearances in his five seasons with the Marlins, Willis went to Detroit, Arizona and Cincinnati, finished up 7269 with a 417 ERA his career. You can see and hear him now on the Dodgers broadcast and on Fox and Apple tv.

[A]

He's great on television. He's just completely fun to listen to. I know he wished he'd squeeze out a few more wins or rings or whatever, but another career. He's great at this one too.

[B]

Happy anniversary, Sean McVay on this day nine years ago, the Rams surprisingly named the 30 year old offensive coordinator of the Washington football team as their new head coach. McVay was the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. Less than a month later, McVay signed 37 year old Matt LaFleur as his offensive coordinator. McVay has won four NFC west titles and a Super Bowl. In his first 100 games, McVay had a notable 6139 record. McVay's NFL roots go back to his grandfather John, who was a head coach in college and the pros, ultimately becoming the general manager of the 49ers. You could see McVeigh on Saturday afternoon pumping his fist into the air when Matt Stafford threw the winning touchdown pass in Carolina with just 38 seconds to go.

[A]

LaFleur's not going to become suddenly available, is he?

[B]

I don't know. Could be. That's a bad loss. It seems unlikely it's a bad loss.

[A]

You know, we've both described it as impossible game to win.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Happy trails to golfing limbo from Brooks Koepka. The five time major champions champion has been reinstated to the PGA Tour as part of a new returning member program. Just weeks after leaving the Live Tour, Koepka will pay a $5 million charitable contribution and miss out on an estimated 50 to $85 million in potential bonuses from the player equity program and FedEx bonus pool kept a received a reported $125 million signing bonus for defecting to the live tour in 2022. And now we will see whether big names like Bryson DeChambeau and John Rom will follow golf.

[A]

Namely, the PGA Tour needs a steady diet of Koepka, dechambeau, Rahm and others. They need them. Scotty Scheffler, as great as he is on the golf course, is not a guy that the tour feels it can sell. He's not that sort of international ambassador. And so they need Scotty Scheffler as an ensemble with these other guys, let's see what happens.

[B]

I don't think they need them. I think they'd like them. I don't think they need them. Let's go to the big finish. LSU is expected to land Arizona State quarterback Sam Levitt. Is that a big deal?

[A]

You know, I'd like to have him, but I don't know how. Big deal all these quarterbacks is a million quarterbacks. Speaking of which, Dylan Raiola is joining Oregon. What does that mean?

[B]

It probably means that Dante Moore is going pro and it's a bad game to leave on the game that he just had. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambers plans to file suit against the NCAA and state court in an attempt to get a sixth year of eligibility. Your thoughts?

[A]

I like watching him. I wish the kid well. Easy to root for. But again, quarterbacks. There's another one coming through a portal every six or seven minutes.

[B]

How many years in Colin? Come on. Six. How many years?

[A]

Vanderbilt's men and women's basketball programs are a combined 33.

[B]

0.

[A]

I know you're impressed.

[B]

I'm very impressed. And I also like Vanderbilt. It's a really good academy. I root for them. Yeah. Last one. Wild card game tonight. Texans and Steelers.

[A]

Who you got?

[B]

Texans.

[A]

The Steelers are at home. It's not that cold.

[B]

Cold enough.

[A]

Aaron Rodgers wants to show people he can still do this at 42. I'm gonna still take the Texans. Another guy you don't like?

[B]

We're out of time. We'll try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Cornhot, the Cheesehead.

[A]

I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow, knuckleheads. And now to get yourself a Texas Steelers, here's Scott Van Pelt and the Countdown Crew.

[D]

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