Lots to Say: 2x Super Bowl Champion Logan Ryan on NFL Playoffs and NIL Future

Summary

The Bobby Bones Show

Episode: Lots to Say – 2x Super Bowl Champion Logan Ryan on NFL Playoffs and NIL Future

Date: January 8, 2026

Host: Bobby Bones
Co-host: Matt Cassel
Guest: Logan Ryan (Former NFL defensive back, CBS analyst, Co-founder of Ryan Animal Rescue Foundation)

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation with two-time Super Bowl champion Logan Ryan about current NFL playoff matchups, coaching mentalities, and the "us against the world" team dynamic. The discussion also explores Logan’s transition to broadcasting, playoff predictions, and the transformative world of college athlete compensation and the transfer portal. The episode closes with personal stories about family, sports parenting, and Logan’s passion for animal rescue.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Logan Ryan’s Media Career & Personal Life

Timestamps: 01:09 – 06:59

• Introduction to Logan: Bobby highlights Logan’s career with the Patriots, Titans, Giants, Bucks, and Niners, plus his two Super Bowl rings.

• Logan’s Transition to Broadcasting:

  • Logan credits Bobby for encouragement, "I hopped on your show a few years ago and you told me, you know, I would be okay at this one day." (04:45)
  • Discusses “turning into a butterfly” in the media world (04:12).
  • Matt notes Logan’s professionalism and leadership on and off the field (02:16).

• Family & Parenting Young Athletes:

  • Bobby and Matt share humor about raising athletic children. Matt jokes, “They better be or… they’re getting water in their cereal. Don’t come home with a loss.” (02:39)
  • Logan reflects on his young son’s soccer prowess and the importance of work ethic over parentage:

    “A lot of people think he’s just good because he’s my son…he works really hard at it and he has big dreams to play for Team USA one day.” (05:51)

2. Life as a Football Analyst

Timestamps: 07:10 – 09:35

• Explaining the Game:
  • Logan enjoys serving as a “bridge” between players and media, especially given recent experience and changes in offensive/defensive play.
  • Cites the importance of capturing iconic moments, such as calling Myles Garrett’s sack record on CBS (07:22).
  • Details behind-the-scenes on how networks prepare for on-field milestones and disputes over in-game celebrations (08:05–09:35).

3. Coaching Mentality: The Patriot & Vrabel Way

Timestamps: 10:14 – 14:14

• Playoff Preparation:
  • “The playoffs aren’t out of reach when Mike Vrabel is your coach. He’s making that a true possibility. Similar to New England… the season doesn’t start till after Thanksgiving.” (10:24)
  • Matt and Logan discuss the New England method: coaching habits, not results, and holding players accountable after wins as much as losses.
  • Logan: “He doesn’t coach the results, he coaches the habits.” (13:15)
  • The intensity and pressure amplify during the playoffs—“It’s truly a whole new season.” (14:14)

4. NFL Playoff Matchups – In-depth Analysis & Predictions

Timestamps: 14:14 – 24:07

• Chargers vs. Patriots (15:21–16:57):

  • Logan comfortably favors the Patriots due to their defensive matchups and Chargers' injuries.
  • “Drake May’s been so good all year… he’ll be comfortable picking apart the zone defense the Chargers run.” (16:44)

• Bills vs. Jaguars (16:57–20:32):

  • Logan recounts his time on an underdog Titans squad with an “us against the world” mindset and likens it to the current Jags.
  • Matt highlights Jags' strong offense and defense.
  • Logan says if Jags control possession early, they can win, but leans toward the Bills due to Josh Allen’s elite playoff presence:

    “If Josh Allen doesn’t get it done this year, he’s not going to have many years without Mahomes in it… this is the easiest path for him.” (19:46)

• Packers vs. Bears (20:32–22:13):

  • Explores the amplified intensity of divisional rivalries in playoff settings.
  • Logan gives a slight edge to the Packers based on experience:

    “It’s going to come down to one of those final plays and I just think LaFleur and Jordan Love have more time together…” (21:29)

• 49ers vs. Eagles (22:13–24:07):

  • Logan draws on personal experience with both teams, revealing insider strategy on containing Jalen Hurts.
  • Leans 49ers for their comfort with the Eagles’ style and coaching matchup, admits outcome is a true coin flip.

5. MVP Debate: Stafford vs. Drake May

Timestamps: 24:07 – 25:07

• Logan advocates for Drake May, given his consistency, efficiency, and success with a new team and less experienced roster.
  • “No real bad games from Drake May all year. 14 wins with Mike Vrabel… I think he’s been more valuable of a player.” (24:55)

6. Behind the Scenes of Broadcasting & NFL Analysis

Timestamps: 25:07 – 28:51

• Logan receives game assignments roughly 3 weeks in advance during the season.
• He puts in 15–20 hours of film study per game, watching both teams’ offense and defense—much more intensive than when he played.
  • “It’s literally like double or triple the amount of film… I try to bring [my playing memory] on air, but it’s definitely double the amount of prep I did as a player.” (27:27)

7. College Football: NIL & the Transfer Portal

Timestamps: 28:51 – 35:52

• Logan, Matt, and Bobby discuss the explosion of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals and rampant transfer activity.
• Logan on athlete compensation:
  • “I’m okay with players getting paid… If Nike’s going to pay you, then you’re going to be a 13-year-old Nike soccer player. So I’m not against that part of it.” (29:11)
• Concerns raised over the long-term effects of frequent transfers (loss of degree, no alma mater, short careers).
• Logan points out NFL teams scrutinize transfer histories:
  • “If you’re just running from adversity, that ain't going to always steer clear… answering the why is a big reason.” (34:46)

8. Animal Rescue & Personal Passions

Timestamps: 35:52 – 37:38

• Logan discusses the founding of his animal rescue nonprofit (RARF), inspired by his wife’s hands-on shelter work.
  • “I always try to combine my sports platform to animals… since I had a platform, I try to shine light on… the people and the pets.” (36:16)
• Friendly banter about both hosts’ animals and rural lifestyles.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Matt Castle, joking about parenting young athletes:

  “They better be or… they’re getting water in their cereal. Don’t come home with a loss.” (02:39)

• Logan Ryan on coaching habits over results:

  “He doesn’t coach the results, he coaches the habits.” (13:15)

• Logan Ryan, on playoff mindset:

  “It’s truly a whole new season. Like it literally does not matter what you did.” (14:14)

• On Myles Garrett’s sack celebration and the Bengals:

  “There’s not 12 men on the field. There’s 37 men on the field, right? ... So they felt like it really messed up their flow.” (08:05)

• Logan Ryan on NIL realities:

  “I’m okay with players getting paid if you got that… If Nike’s going to pay you, then you’re going to be a 13-year-old Nike soccer player.” (29:11)

• Bobby Bones on transfer culture:

  “I think it’s poisonous to most because… they’re not going to have a home, they’re not going to have a degree and they’re not going to have a career in professional sports.” (33:23)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:09 – Introduction of Logan Ryan, career highlights
• 05:07 – Logan’s move into broadcasting, early mentorship from Bobby
• 07:10 – Explaining football analysis through a player’s eyes
• 09:18 – Analysis of Myles Garrett’s milestone moment
• 10:24 – Coaching culture: learning from Vrabel and Belichick
• 14:14 – Playoff mentality, “whole new season” comparison
• 15:39 – Chargers vs. Patriots playoff analysis
• 16:57 – Jaguars’ “us vs the world” mentality, playoff insights
• 18:39 – Trevor Lawrence’s development and Jags coaching
• 20:32 – The meaning of rivalry playoff matchups: Packers vs. Bears
• 22:19 – Deep dive: 49ers at Eagles, insights from Ryan’s 49ers tenure
• 24:13 – MVP debate: Matt Stafford vs. Drake May
• 27:27 – Film prep and transition to analyst work
• 28:51 – NIL and the transfer portal: pros, cons, and culture
• 31:00 – Dylan Raiola, loyalty, and the transfer debate
• 35:59 – Logan’s animal rescue passion and the story behind RARF

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Summary

This episode offers a robust blend of football strategy, playoff analysis, personal stories, and commentary on the evolving nature of college sports. Logan Ryan’s insights bring listeners directly into the mindsets of elite NFL locker rooms, while his candor about family life and off-the-field passions round out a conversation both football fans and general listeners can savor.

For more on Logan Ryan’s animal rescue work, visit rarf.org, and for full episodes, catch The Bobby Bones Show on your favorite podcast platform.

Transcript

[Bobby Bones]

This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.

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[Bobby Bones]

Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a production of the NFL and iHeart podcasts.

[Wasabi Advertiser]

We got lots to say. We got lots to say.

[Logan Ryan]

We're glad you're here and we hope you stay.

[Wasabi Advertiser]

Cause we got lots to say. Yeah, we got locks to say.

[Bobby Bones]

Now here's Bobby and Mad, everybody. We're going to talk with Logan Ryan in a second. Logan played the Patriots, the Titans, Giants, the Bucks and the Niners before he ended. He's got two super bowl rings, which we got to wear them.

[Logan Ryan]

We went to his house.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, it was really nice. I put one on my toe.

[Bobby Bones]

Have you met him?

[Matt Castle]

He was on my team with the Titans.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm playing.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, okay, good.

[Bobby Bones]

You guys did not cross over, the Patriots?

[Matt Castle]

No, we didn't cross over. He came in after me. I think he was drafted in 13, I want to say, or something like that.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you guys. Are you around each other at all if you're on the offense and he's a defensive player?

[Matt Castle]

Not as much as you think. Cause offense kind of does their own thing, defense does their own thing. But when you come into the locker room, you've got team meetings, all that stuff, and you're eating. We're pretty much around each other. And so I got to know Logan and he is an exceptional person.

[Bobby Bones]

Great guy, huh?

[Matt Castle]

Great. Great dude. And then when you see him as a player, I mean, he was the true definition of professionalism. He'd come in, he'd be prepared, he'd work hard in practice. He had a great motivational voice for that defense. You saw him always communicating, doing all those things. So I just always had the utmost of respect for him and loved him as a guy.

[Bobby Bones]

Both of you guys have baller kid kids, athlete kids.

[Matt Castle]

I mean, they better be or they're not. They're getting water in their cereal. Don't come home with a loss.

[Bobby Bones]

Is that a thing? Water and cereal as a punishment?

[Matt Castle]

No, I've never heard that.

[Bobby Bones]

If you just came up with that, that's nice.

[Matt Castle]

No, I did hear somebody say that one time, and I was like, that's actually pretty good.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, he should have taken credit for it.

[Matt Castle]

I came up with it.

[Bobby Bones]

Drafted in third round, went to ruggers. Won two Super Bowls. Led all NFL rookies and interceptions with five in 2013. Yeah, super great guy. And if you go onto YouTube, you can look for an episode we did at his house. I got to know Logan a little bit because he was back here doing some stuff and he came into the show and we talk about all this, but we went to his house and he's such an athlete.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, he's a freak athlete.

[Bobby Bones]

We played pickleball, though, and I would go back and replay him because we played pickleball. It was super windy on his court.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, are you making excuses? Did he beat you?

[Bobby Bones]

I wasn't in my pickleball game yet. I hadn't really focused. He has a court. I hadn't really started to be the player that I am now.

[Matt Castle]

Right, so you've evolved.

[Bobby Bones]

It would be like playing defense against you in high school and claiming that you were way better than Matt Castle. You didn't get to who you were.

[Matt Castle]

Okay, that's fair. Yeah, that's fair.

[Bobby Bones]

So he played high school me. Now I'm Matt Castle.

[Matt Castle]

So you would go out there, you think if you went back?

[Bobby Bones]

I think I would take head to head.

[Matt Castle]

You'd take him down?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

I feel pretty. I mean, I kind of want to watch this. Can we set this up?

[Bobby Bones]

Well, man, I'm still, you know, nursing the ankle, but I'll be back soon anyway.

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We love him.

[Bobby Bones]

And let's go over to him now. It's like I've watched him turn into a butterfly. He was a. He was a little caterpillar when I met him in.

[Logan Ryan]

In the.

[Bobby Bones]

In the world of broadcast. And he said, I'm going to be somebody someday. And I've watched him be somebody. He's now an analyst for cbs and he's also the co founder of Ryan Animal Rescue foundation, which supports shelters and rescues through funding, education and adoption focused initiatives. If you want more information about that. R A R F.org Here he is. Logan.

[Logan Ryan]

Ryan.

[Bobby Bones]

Logan. What's up, buddy?

[Logan Ryan]

What's up guys?

[Bobby Bones]

You know, the first time we met, it was you going, I think I'm retired and I think I'm going to try to do broadcast. And now you're killing it. Look at, look at this. It's awesome.

[Logan Ryan]

Dude, I don't know about killing it. I'm trying, but I would say you put me on Bobby. I hopped on your show a few years ago and you told me, you know, I would be okay at this one day. And you know, you were taking PJs to your comedy shows and whatnot. One day. That's what I want to be when I grow up. I want to be Bobby Bones.

[Matt Castle]

So how did you guys meet? You guys did a show together?

[Bobby Bones]

He was in Nashville. He just came by the show. We hung out, but then we stayed in touch and he's done the show and I went to his house and worked out with him. He wants to like worked out together. He wants a flex on me.

[Logan Ryan]

That's a bond. And he came to the barn. People know about the, the Ryan family ranch we have here in Tampa. And Bobby came to the barn. He came to the weight room. We did some one on one routes out there. That's something on the Internet. You can imagine how that went down. I think I was just quarterbacking though.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, you're quarterbacking and giving us tips. Yeah. I want to say this before we talk about ball. Is that. Is there a single seven year old that can touch your kid on the. Playing soccer? I watched this whole highlight tape last night. Watch the whole thing is he heads and shoulders above everybody.

[Logan Ryan]

We, we don't know. Right? I don't know all the seven year olds ranked. I think there's people that like literally ranked seven year old teams. That's. That's pretty sad. But we did take him out to LA because we heard that's where the best 7 year olds are. And my son doesn't really play his age. He usually plays up with 8, 9 and 10 year olds. But he had a chance to go with the top seven year olds, they say in la. And he was head and shoulders better than them. So he did his thing. I'm happy for him. He works really hard and a lot of people think he's just good cause he's my son. I'm not that good at soccer. Two different sports. And he works really hard at it and he has big dreams to play for Team USA one day. So he. Matt, as you know, I know you got A bunch of those kiddos.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah.

[Logan Ryan]

Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

None of them are ranked right now either. I'm not taking my kids out of state to go get ranked, though. I promise you that. But, yeah, we got a bunch of them.

[Logan Ryan]

Yeah. Nah, we just put up to see what the competition was like.

[Matt Castle]

A hundred percent.

[Logan Ryan]

He went and did his thing, so it's cool. And, you know, he's. You learn a lot from being an athlete, and he. He knows. He knows. He's learning what that's like. And if you want your dreams, I'm gonna support it, but I'm gonna show you what it takes to be those things, which, you know, is a lot of hard work.

[Matt Castle]

You know, now that you're in media and come over to the dark side a little bit. But what's been the most rewarding part of being able to explain the game through your eyes now that you're in the media?

[Logan Ryan]

I mean, I think that's it right there. Right. I just try to be a bridge, I guess, from the players to maybe some guys in media that haven't been around the game in a long time. I think the game has changed, Matt. As you know, a lot of offense has changed, a lot of defense have changed. And being recently retired, like, from two seasons ago, I'm able to kind of tell that story and, you know, fortunate to be able to call Miles Garrett. Yeah. You know, sack there the other day and explain what that's like. I mean, I don't know what that's like as a player, but the best I could, I think, was a really cool moment in my media career to be able to be on that call for a historic call like that.

[Bobby Bones]

Let's talk about that specifically, since you brought that up, Zach Taylor, after the game. A little upset that they stopped the game. Although I didn't feel like it was like a LeBron type stop where they stop and throw confetti. It was quick, and then they celebrate on the sideline. Did you feel like that stoppage. Because it was a very pivotal part of the game. Did you feel like that was too much then?

[Logan Ryan]

I don't know what Zach Taylor was. Was told by the refs. We were told from cbs, from the production, that if Miles were. Get the sack early in the game or in the first half, they would. They would stop the game. But if the game was competitive or down the stretch, they wouldn't. That's what we were told. Because we have to know how much time to talk about it, replay it. That was in the fourth quarter of a one score. Game. And, you know, I don't know if the Bengals were expecting the Browns have to call timeout, use a timeout to have it. But when it happened, the Bengals were in tempo, and the Browns all rushed the field. So they all the. I mean, there's not 12 men on the field. There's 37 men on the field. Right? And the Bengals are lined up like, hey, like, we're in tempo. We're trying to keep the tempo going. So they felt like it really messed up their flow. But that's such a historical, historical play, and the game had no meaning other than draft order and whatnot. So I think it's a very unique, unique situation. But I see both sides. I see the Bengals side of it because they weren't told that that was going to happen. And I see the refs, the NFL, saying, hey, man, like, we got to honor this. So there was not. It was not clearly explained. We were told something differently on TV that didn't play out.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, but I agree with you. It wasn't for a division title. This is a record that's been standing for, what, 20 years, and miles Garrett just did something that was extraordinary. I think that the game needed to be stopped at that point just to recognize the moment. True.

[Logan Ryan]

I definitely feel like that moment needed to happen. But on Zach Taylor's defense, he don't know if he's getting fired. Maybe he does or doesn't. You don't know if these last games matter in terms of your job security and whatnot, and you want to win the game as well. I think the Browns should have been used a timeout. Okay, stop the game, but call timeout for the Browns to give Mile Garrett his moment. So I feel like that's what it is. Call a timeout for that moment. But regardless, the game should have been stopped. And I'm happy for Miles Garrett. He's really deserving. When you get to know the guy, he's obviously a freak of nature, but he works really hard at it, and he's a historian of the game. He's a really good, good person. So I think he's deserving.

[Bobby Bones]

You played for Vrabel as he was coaching in a playoff game, I believe. What. What does he say to you guys and what does he say to his team in New England? Can you give me a little background on that?

[Logan Ryan]

Well, I think Rabel, like, the playoffs aren't out of reach when Mike Rabe was your coach. He's making that a true possibility. Similar to New England, Matt, where, you know, the Season doesn't start to after Thanksgiving, we got to still getting better. And you know, New England won a lot of games this year, probably more than they, maybe some of these players thought. But Mike, you know, always says, like, I'm going to coach the wins as hard as I coach the loss. So it doesn't catch up to us. And I think that's why the Patriots haven't been caught up on because although they're succeeding and people aren't expecting it, they're expecting it and they're also getting coached hard after their wins, which prepare you for this. So I think he takes it game by game and he makes you believe like, yo, if we win the next game, oh man, we're in a divisional round. Oh, we're a game away from the Super Bowl. Who would have thought? Mike Rabel truly believes he can coach to win every single game. And he's literally good enough to give his team a chance to win every single game just by coaching alone. Because he's as good as any coach. I played.

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[Logan Ryan]

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[Logan Ryan]

Their faculty was really involved with their students and care about your personal journey.

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[Matt Castle]

Talk a little bit about that mentality because a lot of people don't understand how they hold you accountable and like the New England system that we grew up in and now Mike Vrabel and what that exactly means, because I feel like it almost was harder during wins versus losses.

[Logan Ryan]

Yeah. So if you lost a game in New England, it's almost like it caught up to us, right? These habits of not closing out games. Right. Say we're up by three touchdowns and you're on defense and the coaches say, hey, we're up three touchdowns. But don't let your guard down. Close the game out and you let the team, the other team, score a meaningless touchdown and you win by 14 instead of 21. Well then when you're in a tight game and they score that meaningful touchdown, it's like we've told you guys for three weeks. And that's how Mike Vrabel is like, you never know when that mistake's going to cost us. You fumble when you're up, you're like, oh, whatever, who cares? But then you fumble in the final two minutes of a game, right? So he's coaching in the winds equally as hard. So when you lose, it's almost like, see, this is a habit that we let go and a lot of other teams or some teams just coach the result. Oh, we won, we're not going to watch the tape. Oh, we won. The fumble doesn't matter. He's kind of coaching the habits the same, if not harder in the win. So that when you're in the tight game, when you're in the playoffs, you're not making these careless mistakes that end up costing you your season. So I just think he coaches ahead of it. He doesn't coach the results, he coaches the habits. And that's something you got to get used to as a player because you're always judged on your results. You won the game, everybody's great. You lost the game, you're the worst player in the world. I think Rabel stays much more level headed than that. And that's what you need in the playoffs because there's that much pressure in those moments of, you know, your season ending.

[Bobby Bones]

Does it amplify? How much does it amplify as you're going into week one of the playoffs, from regular season to, you know, starting.

[Logan Ryan]

The tournament, it's March Madness. It's truly a whole new season. Like it literally does not matter what you did. Obviously seating matters, but you know, on the season you're going to pull from the players, you know, that made plays that you can trust. Like, who can I trust to win the game? I think you got to understand that both coaching staffs are normally good. You know, that coach on the other side had a really good year too. That quarterback on the other side had some comeback wins as well. So that team's used to winning as well. You're not sometimes in the NFL you play teams that once they start doing bad, they can't bounce back. Where just because you're up against the Chiefs doesn't mean they're not going to come back. Right. So everything's amplified because the person on the other side of the ball is equally as good as you. And I think it's going to come down to little things and those practice habits and all that stuff pays off. But it's completely a whole new season. Bobby I think with the NFL being as wide open as it is this year, not having the big dog quarterbacks in the race, not having Mahomes and Burrow and Lamar Jackson is completely wide open and you're going to have the most upsets or I would say lower seeds winning games, in my opinion, that we've had in the playoffs in a long time.

[Matt Castle]

Well, look at this matchup that's coming up between the Chargers and the Patriots. When you look at the Chargers and Herbert, the explosive nature of it, what does the Pats defense need to do? Is it contain him in the pocket? Is it to limit explosives pressure? Like what's your key for the defensive unit for the Patriots to slow down this Chargers offense?

[Logan Ryan]

I'm comfortable with this matchup. I really am for the Patriots. I think the Patriots pull this off. They got to limit the explosive plays. I look at the Chargers, Herbert's been beat up. They obviously rested him so you could think he's going to feel a little fresher. But their offensive line has been decimated. They don't have their tackles and that's been a huge part. So the Patriots don't have elite edge rushers, but they have a really good team pass rush and I think against a banged up O line, that's going to work really well. I look at their receivers, they have keenan Allen and Lad McConkey, elite route runners, but possession guys. And I look at the Patriots, they have Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez. These guys stay square, they put hands. They're not going to create a lot of separation against those corners. So I really like the Patriots DBs matching up in this. I really like the D line. So I feel as if defensively they match up really well against the Chargers. Chargers are going to try to run the ball, but as long as they don't let up the big plays, I don't see how the Chargers put up enough points on the other side of the ball. Drake May's so good against man and zone defense. The Chargers live in zone defense. He's been so good all year. Drake May, that is. So I think he'll be comfortable back there picking apart the zone defense at the Chargers run. And as long as they don't like turn the ball over or give up crazy, fluky explosive plays, I think the Patriots methodically run away from the Chargers.

[Bobby Bones]

The Bills and Jags are super interesting to me because it's Josh Allen. Can he finally do it versus the Jags? Nobody really expected them to be here and they have developed the US against the world Mentality. Did you ever play on a team that was a we're not getting respect, us against the world mentality?

[Logan Ryan]

That's literally the Tennessee Titans. I mean, that's. I left the Patriots to the Titans in free agency and we got Mike Vrabel and Bobby. You know, we end up being like a six seed going on the run. We beat. We beat Tom Brady in his last game, which is hard to do. We beat, you know, the 14 and two Baltimore Ravens. I had MVP Lamar Jackson and we were literally called the hyenas. Like Tom Brady put out a video before our first game, before the wild card game, how he was the king of the jungle and it was like a lion. And Vrabel took the video, put it in our meeting and was like, well, if he's a lion, we're a pack of hyenas. So he had like a bloody hyena picture up of a hyenas hunting a pack. And they're like the disrespect. You know, they live in the shadow realm in Lion King. I don't know if you saw. They're not allowed to touch the light. So we literally rode the whole hyena wave. And we're, you know, a famous old tall tale, a half away from beating Patrick Mahomes and going to the super bowl as a sixth seed. So I literally felt that exact thing that the Jags are feeling when I was on a. A Tennessee Titan in 2019.

[Matt Castle]

You know, the more I watch Jacksonville too, offensively, I think Trevor Lawrence is playing the best football of his career. He's got, what, 39 touchdowns, threw for over 4,000 yards. He's. He's on a roll. But also Defensively, they're number one rush defense in the league. 31 takeaways. Do you feel like Jacksonville could absolutely run away with this game or do you think this is going to be a four quarter game all the way down to the wire?

[Logan Ryan]

I think the first quarter is going to tell the story. And the first game I called NFL game of my career this year was Jacksonville at Cincy when Joe Burrow got hurt and I sat down with the production meetings behind the scenes, Liam Cohen's legit. Like Jacksonville found their coach for a long time. He had so much. You talk about accountability. I mean, he was on Trevor Lawrence early in that game on the sideline, yelling at Trevor Lawrence talked about how much untapped potential there was there. He's, you know, he comes from that RAM system, Matt, where the running game is really complex and a lot of checks to the line of scrimmage. He wanted to get rid of Trevor Lawrence's wristband and make Trevor Lawrence learn the plays and the in the checks. So I felt like accountability was similar to V. Rabel on the defensive side. Anthony Campanelli, their DC coached me at Rutgers. Crazy Italian dude. So Jersey Italian as it gets. So he's fiery. They, they got turnovers a lot this year. They have a really good defensive team and they're going to run the ball. They can run the ball in the Bills and if they can run away from the Bills and run the ball and keep Josh Allen on the bench, that's how they get it done. I do think that the Bills are a sleeping giant. I don't think the Bills, I don't think it's the best Bills team Josh Allen's had, but he is the big dog in the playoffs. And if Josh Allen doesn't get it done this year, he's not going to have years without Mahomes in it. He's not going to have many years without Burrow or Lamar Jackson. And this is the easiest path for him. So I don't think Josh Allen's MVP this year, but I think he's the best player in football in terms of size, speed, arm talent, running ability, created creatability. I think he's the best player in football and I think that if the game is close, Josh Allen's going to have too many possessions down the stretch to be Josh Allen. So I think that the Bills do get it done. But if Jacksonville gets up early and is able to keep the ball away from him with that running game and Etienne and all that, then maybe don't give Josh Allen the chance.

[Bobby Bones]

We talked about the playoffs being amplified for everybody, but also when it comes to a rivalry game in the playoffs, packers and Bears, that's a rivalry game. They've played two of the last three weeks anyway. Whenever you're playing a rival in the playoffs again, does it elevate even higher or is the rivalry kind of off because it's all playoffs.

[Logan Ryan]

It elevates higher. I mean, you don't like your division teams as much. You see them so much. Both teams are very in tune with what each other's calling and whatnot. So strategy goes. Are they going to do what they did last time? Are they going to try something different? You probably can overthink that. You know, I know both those games were thrillers like one. You know, the Bears could have won and the packers get a pick to end the game the other One the Packers could have won an onside kick in the Bears win the game. So it's truly a coin flip, I do think, and there's no Michael Parsons in this one, but the Bears have been very turnover based. A lot of turnovers have led to their wins. Whether or not I would get the turnovers, obviously they don't win as much and I just, I'm going to lean on experience again and go with Jordan Love and LaFleur here and this might be an upset. This is an under seed. I told you lower seeds are going to win. I have the Bills winning as a lower seed. I have the packers winning. But it's going to come down to one of those final plays and I just think LaFleur and Jordan love have more time together with that. I think the future's bright. I think Chicago's had a great year. I think they got a great head coach with Ben Johnson, but I just think that Jeff Halfley is going to be a head coach next year and I think he's going to do a defensive masterpiece here and it's going to be a tight one down the stretch. But I'm going to think Josh Jacobs might be the best player in the game and I think he's going to have a big game against the Bears.

[Matt Castle]

49Ers at the Eagles. I mean, I'm excited for this game, but what's your thoughts on this one?

[Logan Ryan]

Yeah, you know, I say this sometimes on CBS and whatnot on my podcast that, you know, football is not as a 12v12 sport, not 11v11. It's your 11 plus your play caller and it's Robert Salah and the defense who's banged up versus the Eagles 11. But their play caller is not that great offensively obviously this year they've had some woes and then Obviously Vic Fangio vs Kyle Shanahan is like hall of Fame play calling on both sides there. So look, if the Niners won last week, then they're the 1 seed and people might have called them super bowl favorite. Then they lose the game and now they got to go to Philly on the road as an underdog. It's crazy how the NFL works. Christian McCaffrey special offense play of the year. Saquon I played with as well. Really special. I just feel like a little insider here. I was a 49er my last season. The 49ers feel comfortable playing against Jalen Hurts. They truly have a game plan Rush that I'm not going to tip too much, but you'll See where they feel comfortable playing against Jalen hurts. They've always felt comfortable playing the Eagles. They felt as if if Perry doesn't get hurt, they win that MC championship a couple years ago and obviously that's a big if and who. Who knows. So I'm gonna go with the Niners and the coaching. I truly do. I think that's a big upset. But this is true. 50 50. I could see why the Eagles win it. They're healthier. I don't think Sirianni resting his starters was smart. I think it's going to bite him. I think the inconsistency on play calling all year from the Eagles, I think they lose this game, it's not good for Sirianni. So I think the decision to not play your guys when you have something to gain has something where the Niners had a lot to play for and lost. I think the Niners can rally here and hopefully hold on to Fred Warner gets back. But I have the Niners pulling off a close one and this is truly a coin flip. I'm going to go with the Niners.

[Bobby Bones]

MVP Stafford, Drake May, Drake May, both great years.

[Logan Ryan]

I can't believe Matt Stafford's never had MVP vote or one MVP before. That's kind of surreal. But I look at, you know, Matt Stafford's throwing to Devontae Adams and Puka Nakua, which is as good as it gets. A lot of red zone touchdowns that pad those stats. Can't knock it. It's what Peyton Manning used to do. But I'm gonna go with Drake May to see that Drake May's been as efficient as he has every single game. No real bad games from Drake May all year. 14 wins with Mike Rabel, 14 wins. And Matt, you can maybe talk to first year in a new system how hard it is for a quarterback. Stafford's been with McVay for a few years. When you're throwing a Stephon Diggs and Mack Hollins as opposed to Puka Nakua, Devontae Adams, no shade on anybody. I'm gonna go with Drake May the consistency, how hard that is to do with this roster. The Patriots have. I think he's been more valuable of a player.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you in season, how early do you get told what game you're going to?

[Logan Ryan]

It's typically in season, maybe maybe three weeks out. You know, obviously they're going to send Romo and the A crew to the top game. They know about three weeks out when it gets toward like week 18. And some games had no meaning, some games had Tons of meaning. Miles Garrett's game had a little bit of meaning because of that sack record that was like six days out. Like I knew on Monday Night Tuesday that my game was Cleveland and I was excited about that. Joe Burrow's angle, Cleveland's angle, Myles Garrett, the future Shador. Obviously it could have been Kansas City Raiders, which don't have a lot, but that's Travis Kelce's last game. I came in, potentially I came in with Travis Kelce, played him in college for four years. So it's like, wow, how crazy is it that I came in with this guy in the draft, knew him and covered him in college and now I'm potentially calling Travis Kelce's last game his hall of Fame career. So I try to find meaning in everything I'm calling. But I think I got that assignment like six days before the game.

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[Matt Castle]

Is your prep work for these games. More film study and interviews and stuff like that. More so than what you ever went through when you played.

[Logan Ryan]

Yeah, I don't know everyone. There's no like here's how you, here's how you become an analyst, here's how you prepare for a game. I think everybody's different, Matt, but I just kept my NFL prep work so you know, I watch the last three games of both teams, you know, on Monday and then, you know, Tuesday I start breaking down a side of the ball. The problem is when I'm playing I just watch the other team's offense. Now that I'm calling the game, I have to watch both teams offenses and both teams defenses. So it's literally like double or triple the amount of film Because I'm just too young and novice to not put in the work yet. Like, I haven't figured out how to like go wing it yet. You know, maybe body go out there and do a show just off of the muscle. I, I'm not comfortable yet to do that. So it is about, you know, 15 to 20 hours of watching film. The, the good thing with me is I either played for or against everybody covered everybody still like, oh, I played against Miles Garrett. I know how good Denzel. I played against Joe Burrow, I covered Jamar Chase. So I have a lot of my memory bank of what that's like and I try to bring that on air, but it's definitely double the amount of prep I did as a player. Maybe I'll get more efficient when my, my, my contract goes up money wise and guaranteed I'm more, a little more comfortable. But right now I'm putting those rookie, those rookie hours, that rookie season hours.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm going to give you one more question and let's go to college for a second. When you watch in the past couple days, specifically it's, the portal is open and yeah, the portal is jammed. Everybody jumps in. Some, some guys don't jump in until like today because they know how much money is now being offered to them. What do you think about the portal and Nil as a whole?

[Logan Ryan]

That's a great question. You know, Bobby, obviously it's good and bad and you know, I think, I don't know how Matt feels, but we all support players getting paid like we wish we had it. And people ask me, would you have left Rutgers? You know, if the portal was. I would have transferred three times. You know, because the money is so big and that stuff you can't just, when you come from not a lot of money, you can't just say a million dollars isn't worth it or 2 million isn't worth it. If you're an all American player at a smaller school and I look at, you know, the top quarterbacks in college football, they all transferred last year and Mendoza made himself some money by transferring. So you can't argue the transfer. Do they have any control of it? No, absolutely not. So obviously they need more control. But I do, I do like the fact that talented players are getting compensated for what they're, what they're bringing. I, I guarantee you the schools are still making good money and they're not taking too much of the pie. It's just a wild, wild west. I'm sure there's agents taking advantage. I'm sure. There's a lot of people still taking advantage of these athletes that I don't know enough about. But I am a fan of it. I don't like the timing and all that stuff. I don't think anybody does. But I'm okay with players getting paid if, if you got that. You know, I know if I was a tennis player and I was 15, I know if my son can make money at 13 playing soccer, he's going to make money at 13 playing soccer. Like, I'm not going to be like, you don't need that. Like, no, if you're going to be. If Nike's going to pay you, then you're going to be a 13 year old Nike soccer player. So I'm not against that part of it.

[Matt Castle]

The only issue I have with it right now is now that they're putting out these social media clips. We just resigned.

[Bobby Bones]

So you like the resigning announcements?

[Matt Castle]

Like you're resigning? I was like, you already commit. Committed to go to school there. You played a whole season. What the hell are you talking about, resigning? You're just going to back to school?

[Bobby Bones]

You're just going back to class? Yeah.

[Matt Castle]

You're just not going in the portal.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm back.

[Logan Ryan]

Can I ask you guys a question real quick?

[Bobby Bones]

Sure.

[Logan Ryan]

So Dylan Raiola, right. He's obviously transferring. And I saw they said Dylan Raiola has loyalty problems and this guy has transferred every year since eighth grade.

[Matt Castle]

Yes.

[Logan Ryan]

He went to four different high schools and now he committed to like Georgia. Then he went to Nebraska. Now he's leaving Nebraska. Now I think in a year or two, Dylan Raiola will probably be what, the top quarterback drafted.

[Matt Castle]

He'd be in the, he'd be in the conversation potentially.

[Logan Ryan]

Right. So you're looking at 30, 40 million dollars. So do you have a loyalty issue if you got your kid in position or he's in position to make $40 million when it's all said and done, transferring every year since eighth grade or what is your thoughts on it of how Dylan Rayola's family or him has been moving around so much and is in his, you know, livelihood?

[Bobby Bones]

You can go first.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, I think it's a unique situation. I don't think that's for every player because I cover college football. And you go around, you see a lot of these guys have been to different high schools just from a competitive standpoint, but not in different states. We're talking about different states. He was in Arizona, he was in Texas, he was in Georgia and then ended up going to Nebraska. Nebraska made Sense because his uncle was the O line coach. His father went, there was a legendary player, he's up there on the wall. And then I can see, even when we talked to him at the media days and he, we, we asked these obscure questions like if you could go anywhere, where to go? And he without a hesitation went Ohio State. And I was like, wow. I mean, he immediately said it like that, right? And so what you start to understand is he's got the mentality where he wants to go beyond a team that's going to be able to compete and put him in a position to be successful. And whereas Matt Rule told us when we were in the production meeting when he was recruiting Raola, he said, the reason I told you to come here was because you have the talent, but we can develop you to be ready for the NFL. We're not there yet, but you're going to go through some struggles early on as we develop this program and make it into something that's going to become a powerhouse and we're going to put you into difficult situations, but we're also going to prepare you in a pro style offense. And that's what resonated with him and that's why I went there. But obviously after last season, the struggles that they had as a team, he's moving on to the next best, best thing.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, I think the culture of that too. And to me it's not even the Raiola issue. It's he is an outlier in the world of college athletics, meaning he has a ton of untapped potential. What's going to happen is, and again, I grew up in a frigging trailer park, so I would be going where the money was. However, you're going to have these guys that are transferring 1, 2, 3, 4 times, they're not going to have their degree, they are not going to have a home base to go back to, meaning they're not going to have the relationships in order to have a career outside of athletics afterward or even an alma mater to go back to, that really appreciates them. You played one year, you're not going to stand on the sidelines and be celebrated unless you won a national championship. So I think the culture of all the moving around and as dominant as it is right now, it's good for a few if they're continuing to look for a bigger opportunity. But I think it's poisonous to most because what's going to happen long term is they're not going to have a home, they're not going to have a degree and they're not going to have a career in professional sports because they really were never going to anyway.

[Matt Castle]

Well, I think also the other caveat to that is once he does get drafted to the NFL, Logan, as you well know, guess what? There's no transferring. You're now going to have a contract for four years. So if you go through some adversity early in your career, which we all do, you're going to have to look yourself in the mirror and say, how do I get better? And there's no running from that. You're on the team that you're on.

[Logan Ryan]

Yeah, and I will follow up with this. I know NFL scouts, the first question, you know, when I call college game, the first thing I look at is like, okay, this guy, the quarterback via this school, like everyone's transferred. So NFL scouts, the first question is, well, why'd you transfer? You gotta be able to answer that. If you said, I transferred from Alabama because I wasn't playing there, then you're probably not gonna be playing at the next spot. Or you might not be good enough to play in the NFL if you're not playing at the first spot. So Dylan Raiola might say, you know, I'm transferring for the better opportunity. I want a better quarterback coach, I want to get a pro style offense, whatever. He might have his reasons, but he's gonna have to answer those questions of why, if you're just running from adversity, that ain't going to always steer clear. Now, if you're like a great player at Delaware and you want to go to Alabama because you're to get better competition to get ready for the pros, that's understandable. They're going to be like, okay, we can understand that. But if you're like transferring three times because you're not playing, then guess what, you're probably not going to be playing in the NFL if you're not going up to play in college at one of your schools. So I think answering the why is a big reason. And it's obviously different, you know, from case to case basis.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, Logan, we really appreciate the time. And hey, what are you doing? Your animal foundation that I mentioned earlier, like, that's a passion for you. Why?

[Logan Ryan]

So, you know, I've always grew up with animals, but it really is. My wife, you know, we, we were dating and she moved, you know, as my girlfriend moved to me in New England and she was a college softball player. She was trying to figure out what life was like post sports and she started volunteering at animal Shelter, working, cleaning, kennels, like dirty jobs, like making very little money, but did it for the passion. And I started getting around it and not only seeing the animals that needed help, but seeing the people. I was like, man, it'd be really cool to bring a platform. This. I always try to combine my sports platform to animals. And, you know, we all, we all know our dog lovers and cat lovers usually have a good heart and have empathy. So they're like my type of people. I usually like people that have pets. I don't know, that's how it times up works out to be. So I've always tried to use my platform to shine light to adoptable pets and help with those type of things. So it just aligned really well. But my wife Ashley worked it and lived it. I love animals. I'm not saying I'm going to get a job at a kennel. Many times my wife did. So I definitely support her. Support everybody in that field. And, you know, always since I had a platform, I try to shine light on, on the people and the pets.

[Matt Castle]

Did you know that he adopted a hyena too?

[Bobby Bones]

Did you know that you have a pig? Does he know you have a pig?

[Matt Castle]

I've got a pig, dude. So you're. I'm an animal lover too. Even though I don't. I hardly, hardly mess with the pig. Yeah, Chickens, everything.

[Logan Ryan]

I bet you do, bro. I know you got a ranch out.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, yeah. Don't let him play.

[Logan Ryan]

Yeah, I used to drive a sprinter van. He had so many kids.

[Matt Castle]

I still got.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, yeah.

[Logan Ryan]

Raf was real.

[Bobby Bones]

Rarf.org hey, Logan, great to talk to you. Super happy for your success. It's been really cool to watch you, like start to blow up in this world. So congratulations and hopefully I'll talk to you soon. And Matt, I'll talk to you soon.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, congrats, buddy.

[Logan Ryan]

Appreciate you guys. Keep crushing it.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, that's it. Thank you, guys. Thanks to Logan Ryan. Thanks to my friend Matt Castle.

[Matt Castle]

Thank you. You're my friend too.

[Bobby Bones]

Great job. Your beard looks great.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, I've been, I mean, growing this thing out. It's getting scruffy.

[Bobby Bones]

It looks not scruffy, though. It looks like an elevated you. I like. I like it. You have the boots on today.

[Matt Castle]

Oh, I did. You know, these boots is funny story. My wife bought these boots for my son for Christmas.

[Bobby Bones]

My 12 year old, by the way, same size.

[Matt Castle]

He didn't fit into the 13s. We had to get him a 13 and a half, so she still hadn't sent these back. Yet. I just tried them on today. Fit perfectly.

[Bobby Bones]

You wear the hand me downs of your way, younger son.

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, he's 12. He's wearing a 13 and a half. I've got a 13 on, but I felt pretty good. I don't even know what hey dude.

[Bobby Bones]

I haven't heard of hey dudes are super comfortable.

[Matt Castle]

Super comfortable.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. No free ads. But they're so.

[Matt Castle]

No.

[Bobby Bones]

No free ads.

[Matt Castle]

But I mean, I didn't even know what this brand was. I was like, are people gonna make fun of me when I wear it?

[Lowe's Advertiser]

No.

[Matt Castle]

Super comfy.

[Bobby Bones]

I have the same brand on right now.

[Logan Ryan]

Huh?

[Matt Castle]

Yeah, the Louis Vuitton. Hey dudes. Didn't know they did a collab.

[Logan Ryan]

Pretty impressive.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, thank you guys. We will see you guys next week.

[Logan Ryan]

Bye, everybody.

[Bobby Bones]

Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle is a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcast. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast, guaranteed.