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- [00:00]
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- [00:36]
Adnan Virk
What's up, everybody? Ad nan ver to tell you about a new podcast. It's NHL Unscripted with Vir and Demers.
- [00:41]
Jason Demers
Jason Demers here, And after playing 700 NHL games, I got a lot of dirty laundry to air out.
- [00:47]
Adnan Virk
Hey, I got a lot to say here too, okay? Each week we'll get together, chat about the sport that we love.
- [00:51]
Jason Demers
Tons of guests are going to join into, but we're not just going to be talking hockey, folks. We're talking movies, we're talking tv, food, and Nat's favorite wrestling. It's all on le table.
- [01:00]
Adnan Virk
Listen to NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers in the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:08]
Bobby Bones
Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle. Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers, and one mirrorball trophy from Dancing with a Star. So where else you going to find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit of everything. Listen to Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:40]
Richard Sherman
The volume. You know this, sir. You fall for this joke. You don't. Super bowl championship. That should always be the expectation. I ain't mad at you. Go ahead. Welcome back to the Rich Sherman podcast. And it's that time of the year, the playoffs. You win or you go home. Mitchell, your team got a buy this week. But not everybody was so lucky and some team season ended today and yesterday.
- [02:12]
Mitchell
Man, you saw the heartbreak tonight, too. I mean, Tampa Bay. Let's start from the top here. Tampa Bay hosts the Washington Commanders. The most thrilling game of the weekend by far and away, this one came down to the wire and we saw the heartbreak on Mike Evans face after the loss, Washington Commanders, I mean, they're 12 and 5 on the season, they come in here, Jaden Daniels is playing like a seasoned veteran and he goes on the road and steals a victory from Tampa Bay's grasp. I mean, how impressed are you with this Washington Commanders team and specifically with the play of Jaden Daniels?
- [02:47]
Richard Sherman
I'm really impressed with Jaden Daniels. His poise throughout the game, his decision making, took a number of hits throughout the game, didn't let it bother him. His demeanor throughout the game, his body language, and I think all that kind of exudes confidence and really is infectious and rubs off on the rest of his teammates. And you can see that. You can see guys playing with more confidence. The defense continued to believe Tampa would get things going or they create a turnover or they do something. And then Washington's defense, Bobby Wagner, you know, the all pro, second team, all pro, friend of the program, friend of mine, one of my best friends, it continues to play at a high level. Zach Ertz, these veterans, Austin Ekeler, they all made plays down the stretch in critical moments when they had to have it. And that is why Dan Quinn got him. And I think people get confused in this game and people are like, oh man, they're too old or they're over the heel or man, we could do better, we could do, but you can't. You know, sometimes having vets that know the situation that have played in Super Bowls, won Super Bowls, Zach Hurts won a Super Bowl, Bobby Wagner won a Super bowl, these moments won't be too big and they can understand how to, how to, how to express that to the other guys and have them understand how important these moments are and how to navigate through them. And they did a great job, man, they did a great job battling through. When it was four minutes left and the Washington Commanders got the ball back, I figured it would be a situation where they never, you know, the, the, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would never see it again because of the control and the command he had. You know, there were a couple third and sixes that I was like, these are close, but again, no risk, no reward. They went for a number of fourth downs and they didn't get all of them. They got most of them and the ones they got were usually touchdowns or game breaking plays. And I think again, it goes back to what Dan Campbell has done. This is going to be the battle of fourth downs next weekend on Saturday night. It goes to show that maybe this strategy does work. Maybe being risky and going for things and taking a shot at it, even when it's not just fourth and one and it's not just a tush push situation. You can have success and really impact the game in a positive way. And that's what Dan Quinn did. I'm really happy for him, man. He went to a team that hadn't had a lot of success, hadn't had a 12 win season since 1991, and he turned that program around with veterans and coaches that believe in him and coaches that he believes in. Love to see it.
- [05:11]
Mitchell
You get, you love to see it. I mean, then how quickly the tables turn in the NFL. This team was picking two overall last year in the draft and they got their player of the future and Jaden Daniels and now they're moving on to the divisional round in the playoffs. It's just wild to see. But Tampa Bay looked like they had, you know, the upper hand in this game prior to that Baker Mayfield turnover. And then you see Dan Quinn getting aggressive and like you say, he brought the guys in there that he thought were going to change that program around. Specifically Bobby Wagner. You see that veteran presence. As a Detroit Lions fan, they got me a little nervous. I mean, mobile quarterbacks are not the Detroit Lions best friend by any means. And when you got a team like the Washington Commanders coming in with a young quarterback with nothing to lose, that's going to go out there and leave it all on the field. We'll see. The environment in Ford Field against the Washington Commanders is certainly going to be buzzing next Saturday night. Next game of the weekend is down in Philadelphia. I mean, they host the Green Bay packers and you want to talk about an underwhelming performance by Green Bay and this packers team? I, I don't get what we're going to see in the future with Jordan Love. And I know, I know you critiqued him. You've critiqued the Green Bay packers team. You've taken heat from packers fans. But I mean, Richard, I mean, you were proved right. And this game got so boring that even A.J. brown, who only had one catch for 10 yards, was caught reading a book, inner excellence on the sideline during the fourth quarter. I mean, Richard, what gives here? Is it more impressive with Philly just. Just draining Green Bay or is Green Bay just one of those frauds that, that we often talk about in the league?
- [06:49]
Richard Sherman
Well, they're the seven seed and the only seven seed to ever win was last year and them against Dallas, which was, you know, the, the. I think that's one out of 10. The one team out of the 10 games that they've had in the wild card round with a seven seed. Involved in it. And I don't. You know what I mean? I didn't. They played well and Jordan Love played well, but it's Dallas. And Dallas, you know, has historically choked in those situations, and this time they're running into a true contender. It's a true team, a full team, one of the most talented teams in the National Football League. And again, I try to articulate this to the fans and to educate. They're like, oh, you hate Green Bay. I don't hate it. I just recognize what they are as a team. I recognize that they're improving. They're a. They're a young team. You know, guys are getting better defensively. Jeff Halfley has got those guys playing really well. I think Leflore has drawn it up well offensively, both with Malik Willis and Jordan Love. I don't think Jordan Love has shown me anything that really made me feel like, oh, my God. Like, this is the. He's one of those. He's one of the guys. He's a guy that can. Can win it all. I said it early in the season. I said, oh, that's why they got Josh Jacobs. They don't trust the quarterback. They're going to treat him like a rookie, a $55 million rookie, but a rookie. They're going to run the ball well. They're going to limit his pass attempts because they don't want him to throw the game away. And they think if they have to lean on his arm, he'll throw the game away. So they're going to keep it between 20 and 25 passes and they're going to run the heck out of the football and they're going to win games. But if somebody's able to stop the run, like the Philadelphia Eagles, then they're going to have a big issue because they're going to all the. They're going to have to take the training wheels off and they're going to have to let him throw the ball. And he hasn't shown that he can take care of the ball at a high level. He's a. He's a hater. He hates Green Bay. Keyshawn Nixon, one of my good friends, unfortunately had a tough game today. Good friend of mine, when Preston Smith and Zadarius Smith were there. Friends of the program. Love those guys. Love Jeff Halfley. Text with him all the time. Like Robert Salas there now. Huge friend of Salas, like, but the truth is the truth, whether you want to believe it or not. And I told them, I said it. The tape will speak Louder than I can ever speak. Like, you will have to see it and it's going to be a rude awakening when you see it. Like I'm trying to soften the blow. I'm trying to let you know, hey, it's not that. It's not yet. And they're like, well, he's made the playoffs twice as a, you know, as a first time starter, as the seventh seed. This seed didn't even exist a couple years ago. Like this team wouldn't even be in the playoffs a few years ago until this new collective bargaining agreement. His team will be on the outside looking in and watching the playoffs. So I think, you know, I just wanted him to take a step back and be like, hey, you know, great job, great job by the team. Great growth, you know, way to have Malik Willis step up when he got injured. Great season for Josh Jacobs and what he was able to do. Really effective runner Rashawn Gary improved, you know, their defense improved. Xavier McKinney, All Pro season, like friend of the program. Love what he was able to do this season. But on the opposite side, there are some concerns for Philadelphia that again I express, because Jalen Hurts looked rusty and he hadn't played for a while. We talked about that he was going to be rusty. 131 yards, two touchdowns, five rushes for 37 yards. There were times he was running and you're like, hey, wasn't he just in concussion protocol because he's, he running like he, like he was, you know, like he had an arm injury or like he had a, you know, something other than a concussion. But you know, respect, respect what he was able to do. He's putting it all out on the line. It's the playoffs. You win or go home. Saquon Barkley had 25 for 119. It could have had a lot more. Look like he was going to break off a 60 yard run late in the game. He decided to slide and you know, be, be very classy about that. There were a lot of people who ripped up parlay tickets because they had a Saquon touchdown and they feel like Saquon let him down. I'm sure he's getting a lot of dms and, and, and texts and stuff. That's the dirty part of the game right now because it's like he kind of did what's right, you know what I mean? Because imagine he pulls his hamstring on an unnecessary run all the way down there. But you know, but he did what he felt was right and people are going to Be like, it's fixed and. And he knew what was on the line and he knew I had money. He didn't know nothing about that. He didn't care about that. He knew the game was won. It was decided. He showed mercy. He seemed to be that kind of guy that he got a good heart, good spirit, has a lot of respect for the game and a respect for people who came before him. And he wasn't trying to add insult to injury to the Green Bay Packers. He wasn't trying to disrespect that franchise or anything like that. He said, hey, damage is done. This game is won. Hey, I'm going to take a knee and I'm not going to put more points on y'all than needs to be. And that's his, his decision. But defensively, they played a really good game. They took the ball from Jordan Love three times. They got the fumble early on in the game on special teams. That was a big difference in the game. And they kept being relentless. Nolan Smith, one of his best games as a pro came at the time they needed it most in the playoffs. He played a really, really good game. Lot of pressure, couple TFLs, two sacks. Dallas Goddard made some unbelievable catches that they had to have one hand catch in traffic. Great catch. We talked about. A.J. brown didn't, didn't have a touchdown, but he had a crucial block on the Dallas Goddard touchdown run. And so, you know he's making an impact in other ways even when he's not getting the ball. You didn't see the same frustration on the sideline. You didn't see the frowning, you didn't see the, the, the selfishness. You saw a guy that understands, hey, in the playoffs, you do whatever is necessary to win this game. And that's what he did, and I respect that. Great win for the Philadelphia Eagles. They're going to probably host the winner of the game tomorrow or they're not probably. They're going to host the winner of the Vikings Rams game, which will be a very interesting game. You know, you won't get Stafford, you won't get Stafford in Detroit right now, but if you get Stafford in Philly or, or even Minnesota in Philly, I think that's going to be a real, real dog fight for them. And I think they'll have some answers. It'll be a much tougher game than they just faced.
- [12:57]
Mitchell
Well, shout out also to friend of the program, Darius Slay with getting an interception. 34 years old, he's still playing the game like a young man. And then also credit to the Philadelphia Eagles. Quinion Mitchell looks like a superstar, you know as a as a rookie right now and they doubled down at the cornerback position in the draft by also drafting Cooper De Jean. That's one thing I realized this offseason, Richard, with the Detroit Lions finally being a good team. Good teams stay good by having good off seasons, winning off seasons and you don't need to be drafting top five in the draft. Have a great off season. They're targeting best player available and they got two stars in this past draft in Quinion Mitchell and Cooper De Jean. So you know, credit to the Philadelphia Eagles this test it next week. It's going to be a challenge for them, either the Vikings or the Rams coming to town. It should be a very, very interesting matchup next Sunday NFL Playoffs we're talking NFL playoffs. You bet we are. Get in on the action at DraftKings sportsbook and a few Official sports Betting partner of the NFL Scoring touchdowns is key to winning in the playoffs, and the key to you scoring big is betting on them at DraftKings, the number one place to bet touchdowns. Ready to place your first bet? Try betting on something simple like a player to score six. Go to the DraftKings sportsbook app and make your pick. Here's another reason to watch some of your favorite players crush it in the playoffs. New customers bet five bucks to get 200 in bonus bets instantly. Score big during the NFL playoffs with DraftKings Sportsbook. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app today and use code Richard. That's code Richard for new customers to get 200 in bonus bets instantly when you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings Sportsbook. The crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.1-800gambler.net and in New York, call 877-8-Hopeny or text hopeny467-369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort licensee partner Golden Nugget, Lake Charles 21/ Age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. See sportsbook.draftkings.com Football terms for eligibility and DEP terms and responsible gaming resources.
- [15:22]
Richard Sherman
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- [16:25]
Mitchell
Let'S take it to Buffalo Storyline all off or off all season for you at least of recent is Josh Allen and I know we've had this MVP conversation time and time and time again, but you know he had a heck of a performance and all. They absolutely demolished Denver. Denver came out gunning Bonix, threw it to Troy Franklin first, first possession of the game for a touchdown and everyone's kind of sitting on the edge of their seats and oh boy, Denver might, might be in this thing. Not so fast. Buffalo walks away with this 31 to 7. How good is this Buffalo Bills team Rich? Because they certainly look great today.
- [17:02]
Richard Sherman
They're great team and it's the reason they got the 2 seed. You know, Josh Allen played a really impressive game, 2220 of 26 for 272 and two touchdowns, eight rushes, 46 yards. But their defense also played a really, really, really sound game. You know, after that first drive they didn't really give up much. You know, they stopped them, held him in check, held him to seven points throughout the rest of the ball, held him to zero throughout the rest. After the first drive they didn't score another point. James Cook looks really good. He's starting to look like obviously had 16 touchdowns on a season and had another touchdown today and just looks like he's coming to his own, looks like he's dominant. Their offensive line was imposing their will on a really good Denver Broncos team that's maybe a little light on the edges and you got to give them credit. They they found a game plan. They found Joe Brady, found what worked and they stuck to it. You know, and they Khalil Shakir looked really good. Curtis Samuel had a long touchdown in there and they're finding ways to be very versatile and very dynamic and putting guys in different spots, guys playing different positions. Curtis Samuels in the backfield Then he's in a slot. Khalil Shakur running, you know, jet sweeps and things like that, screens. And they're finding ways to get guys in space and doing the things that they do well. Matt Milano comes back and Greg Rousseau, they both look really good. That that's going to be something that's different from the game in which they played the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the season. He was injured, he was out. Now he's back. What. What would that mean for the. The result of this next ball game? I don't know. But their defense is playing really, really well and they deserve to be praised. Josh Allen played a fantastic ball game, deserves to be praised. It's going to be a freaking that. That's going to be the Sunday Night Football matchup of the week next week, I guarantee it. Because that's going to be a game that everybody, including the coaches for both teams want to see. I want to see what that's going to look like. I think that's going to be the game of the. Definitely the game of the week and maybe the game of the year that.
- [19:11]
Mitchell
Life comes at you fast in the AFC this divisional round. Bill's hosting the Ravens. Like you said, this has got game of the year potential and ultimately Rich. This is the MVP battle everyone wants and needs. We'll see who the better man is, Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson. But before we leave this game, we got to talk a little bit about the Denver Broncos. You know, they were projected five and a half wins over under by Vegas entering this season, and ultimately they. They left with 10 wins led by the rookie Bo Nix. Like, how much promise do you see with this buff or with this Denver Broncos organization? Mind you, they had $53 million in dead cap hit with Russell Wilson still on their books. Like, how bright is the future with the Broncos?
- [19:55]
Richard Sherman
It's super bright. What's crazy is Mitchell, they still, I think they still got another $30 million cap hit for me for next year. The gift that keeps on giving. But the future is really bright. You know, Patrick Certain might be the defensive player of the year this year. Riley Moss on the opposite side got a little banged up, but looks like he has a bright future. The D line, Bonito and Cooper look really, really good. DJ Reed in the middle, Allen in the middle. All Pro, both of them second team all pro guys. And I think offensively, Cortland Sutton has gotten to showcase what he can do. Marvin Mims has been dynamic. I think they got to figure out what they want to do at the running back. Spot. They were doing it by committee. Javante Williams, it was his spot for a really long time and then they started to rotate all these guys. I think they're going to have to find a guy that can just be their workhorse and maybe a third down back. But I think the future is super bright. Their offensive line played well. They're going to continue to improve those things as the, as the cap hits wipe away. They're going to be able to continue to stack that roster. I think they'll put another dynamic receiver outside of Sutton. I think they'll continue to inject talent into that defense. And then hopefully Vance Joseph isn't going anywhere because he did a great job with those guys. And I think next year, I mean, you always want to say it, but I think they're going to give the Chiefs and the Chargers a run for their money next season. You know what time it is? It's time to look at this week's tastiest matchup in a segment we call Sunday Night Food Ball brought to you by Uber Eats. It's the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Baltimore Ravens. The AFC north battle. Physicality. Physical, physical. And it was physical, Mitchell, at least in the second half because in the first half Pittsburgh was sleepwalking through the game. Baltimore was physical. Derrick Henry was physical. Lamar Jackson remembered, hey, I'm going to run at this playoffs. And that's what he showed. He showed, hey, I'm not going to forget my legs in this playoffs. I'm going to let you guys know I'm using everything at my disposal to get these wins. Obviously he was without Zay Flowers, didn't end up end up mattering. He used Isaiah likely consistently. He used Mark Andrews. He used, he used obviously Derek Henry to a degree. He used his own legs. They ran for 300 yards, 299 yards. And he just continued to get it done for a second. It was 21 nothing at the half. He had an incredible drive right before the half. And you thought, hey man, this game is getting out of hand. Russell Wilson responds in the second half, puts together a really good drive to take him down for a touchdown. Puts together another good drive after Derek Henry breaks through the defense and does things that only Derek Henry can do, especially in, in December and January. And then Russell Wilson responds again and throws a touchdown to George Pickens. And you're like, wait a minute, is this about to be a game? Because look like it's about to be a game. But that was it. That Baltimore defense figured it out, kept getting stops. Now Pittsburgh has some tough questions to answer. You know, there are people calling for Mike Tomlin's job. I don't think that's the right call. I just get frustrated with fans saying that, you know, because it's always like, man, new is better, like, something else is better. And. And I think you run into that with franchises like. Like the Seattle Seahawks. You run into. You run into the New England Patriots. Have run into that, where it's like, hey, new is better. It's going to improve. It's going to be better because we don't have this guy. And it's like, no, new is not going to be better. You don't have a great team. You don't have a lot of talent on that team. So you guys won three games, maybe you win five next year. And are you going to keep firing guys? Because you're not going to Super Bowls? And you know what I mean? You had the greatest two decades that a franchise could have. You won't see that kind of success again for a really long time, if ever. That's a rare thing. And I think people get spoiled with things because it seems common. And even they were sitting there like, tom's getting too old, man. It's time to find another young quarterback. Like, when I heard that, I said, man, people are insatiable. Like, you're. And you're insufferable because you're looking to replace the greatest quarterback of all time. And I understand time waits for no man. And, you know, Father Tom is undefeated, but you watch and enjoy regardless. That man played for less than what he. What he had to play for. And now you guys think everybody should be Tom Brady when they put a Patriots jersey on and they're under center for the Patriots, and that's not going to happen again. And it's hard for anybody to follow in Bill Belichick's shoes or Tom Brady shoes or being the New England Patriots with this fan base because they've seen so much success that anything else seems like failure. And so I'm interested. I knew they would run. I knew that he wasn't going to last very long. I didn't think they would. Would put him out after one year, but I don't think they'll put Variable out after one year. But again, you won't see the success that they're used to. They won't be competing for Super Bowls. And so especially in that. Even in that division, you know, that division is getting tougher. I'm sure next year Miami will be back together, and they'll probably be a 10 win team, but Buffalo's only getting better with time. And so they're so used to being so dominant that they don't even know how to rationalize not being relevant. Like, hey, maybe you're just in a rebuilding phase that's going to take five, six years. Like, and you need to just sit there and trust the process. That's what it's going to have to take. And I'm sorry I ranted. I totally digressed from where we were supposed to be going.
- [25:30]
Mitchell
No, you, Richard, I hear you loud and clear. Mike Tomlin, if he was, if he was let go by Pittsburgh Steelers, would be without a doubt the most sought after head coaching candidate for all these vacancies. But yeah, I got a level with you, man. They haven't won a game in the playoffs since 2016. And I get it, you know, they're always in it, they're always in contention. But like the showing was just, how do you show up against a division, division, foe, a team you see twice a year and have had, you know, relative success against the Baltimore Ravens over the last few years and only put up two first downs and 59 total yards in the first half? Like, that falls on, on coaching, that falls on energy out of the gates, you know, not to mention, I mean, the Steelers, they're a tough in your face defense and in your face offense, they pound the rock. How does a team like that end up with only 29 rush yards in a game? So, Richard, I hear you. I like Mike Tom, and I think he's a legend. I mean, future hall of Famer. But I, I don't know, man. I mean, at some point the fan base is going to look and say above average just isn't good enough. Like, when are we going to be great again? Because I don't see it in the near future. I mean, they've got an absolute bargain at quarterback all year long. And Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and I think we're still faced with the same question next year, what are they going to do at quarterback? Is it Russell? Is it Justin Fields? I don't know. I mean, I just think the Pittsburgh Steelers are ultimately going to be running back exactly what we saw this year, again next year. And at what point, as a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, you just say, hey, maybe we shake things up here and see if there's better options, right?
- [27:15]
Richard Sherman
But, but then you have like, in order to get what you want to get, you have to lose. And he's never going to lose. He's never going to lose. And, and you're going to get a coach in there. The next coach has to lose in order for you guys to get a elite quarterback or get a, get a top quarterback or a top draft pick. And this fan base isn't willing to sit through three years of losing to revamp a roster to be competitive again. So it's like you speak out of both sides of your mouth when you say that. Because getting rid of Tomlin, you'll get a worse coach, you'll lose, you'll get a better, you'll get better roster, you'll get better players, and maybe you'll win, but you'll be ready to fire that coach because you were losing. And then this franchise has had what, five coaches in their whole history of the organization? Five or six. And so they're not a team that really gives up on coaches like that. So who's going to be the next long term coach of the Steelers? And he has some big shoes to fill because if he goes three years without winning, he won't be there 18 years like Tomlin was, because Tomlin was able to stay, because he keeps it afloat even when he has a bad quarterback, even when his top players are injured, even when the circumstances say the team shouldn't be competitive, they're competitive. This was supposed to be a down year for Pittsburgh, supposed to be a down year and they were winning the division. And it's almost like everybody got brainwashed into thinking, oh man, this is, we're, we're contender now. Oh, you were, you, you were, you weren't supposed to be here, you know, so enjoy the, enjoy the ride, enjoy the dance, but don't get ahead of yourself. And I think that's what happens. You get so far ahead of yourself that you think that we should be somewhere and we should be doing some things that we're not. They're the high, they are the highest paid defense in the National Football League and they've been a little banged up. They've, you know, had their issues. But offensively, you got to find some offensive linemen. And that's the case for just about every team. And I think until they do that, like, I don't think getting rid of Tomlin is the answer. I don't think that's going to solve anything. I think it's just going to make the problem worse. It'll be like a band aid on a broken leg. It's like, oh, yeah, let me, let me appease you. Let me make it look like something but at the end of the day, you got bigger problems than Tomlin. And if you get rid of him, the problems are going to magnify and they're going to be exponentially worse. But on the flip side, let's talk about the Baltimore Ravens and what they were able to do because they look like the best team in football at times in this game. And they look like an unstoppable force running for 300 yards. Lamar Jackson running, using his legs looked so dynamic. Even when they had a guy for him, they had, they had Patrick Queen form and they went on one and he'd make it a miss in space and he's getting more yards. And then you got Derek Henry, you know, you got to pick your poison. And I look forward to watching this game in Buffalo and seeing how they play him because they played him and played him well earlier in the year. But a lot of things have changed since then. Again, Matt Milano is healthy, Greg Russo's healthy. The secondary is playing better. They got more experience. I think Josh Allen and these receivers have better rapport. James Cook is running the ball as well as he ever has. And on the other side there, Baltimore's defense is playing as good as they've ever played. You know, Marlon Humphries is all pro. They're using Kyle Hamilton at safety exclusively. Ardarius Washington has been a godsend. He's been a diamond in the rough that they found. Nate Wiggins is playing well. Kyle Vanoy, o way these guys are playing Matabki. These guys are playing some of their best football right now. So that's going to be, that's going to be a dog fight, no question.
- [30:45]
Mitchell
I mean the way this roster is constructed, it's a masterclass. I mean truly like Richard. Derrick Henry coming over is the perfect fit for this Baltimore Ravens team. It was straight up knockout blow in the first half. The way, the way Derek Hunter was one on the football against the Steelers in that first half of the game. If you get him and Lamar Jackson, who's now, he said he's going to be more mobile this off season. I mean, how do you stop this team? It's going to be an absolute shootout, I would assume in Buffalo. How are you game planning to contain Lamar Jackson? Richard, I know I remember distinctly you guys when you were with the San Francisco 49ers in Baltimore. I'm pretty sure they were undefeated. That was the match of the century with you, with you and the Niners against, against a red hot young Lamar Jackson. What did you guys do? Do like what, what did the coaching staff say? How, as you approach that game, how did you guys contain him?
- [31:38]
Richard Sherman
Well, it takes 11, you know, it takes all 11 to. To contain him. And he didn't have Derrick Henry then, so, you know, you're really only just worried about him. I think he had justice heel at running back. He might have had somebody else, but, you know, you're, you're. It takes all 11. And everybody's effort and everybody's like containment and everybody's eyes got to know where he is at all times. And you gotta, you gotta tackle as a swarm, you. Nobody's alone in tackling because nobody's going to be able to tackle him by themselves. You know, he can, he can shake one, he can shake two, he can spin off the third. And if everybody's not swarming and there's not enough pursuit, you're not going to beat him. When he has Derrick Henry, you could send two people for him, but you better send five to Derek. And so, you know, it creates so many more issues because you have to respect what Lamar does in a huge way, but you also have to respect Derek Henry. And that's what the situation of Pittsburgh Steelers were getting put in repeatedly. They're picking their poison, and either way, you're going to die. You pick your poison. No matter which one you pick, you're about to be in for a bad day, a bad time. This is not going to be fun. And Derek Henry had boys turning down drinks like they saw somebody put something in it. Mitchell. And that's, that's the thing that Derrick Henry does, especially in December and January, he has guys making business decisions. And we're in a business. Football is a physical business. And if you're not physical and you're not willing to go nose to nose with him, you're going to have an issue. And he has people in the third and fourth quarters of these ball games turning down hits. And I think that's because of how physical he runs the football. That's because of his reputation, but his reputation precedes him. But he also lives up to it each and every week. And I think this game, it's a bad matchup for Buffalo, but on the flip side, it's not a great matchup for Baltimore. So especially defensively, you know, Josh Allen presents a lot of problems, a lot of the same problems Lamar presents. And James Cook presents a lot of interesting issues, different issues than what Derek Henry presents, but the speed he has dynamic in this system. Like, you have to be aware of where he is and he can break it open at any time. Khalil Shakir is a good one. Coleman is starting to find his way in this offense. Dalton Kincaid is, is always a factor in this. So I can't wait. I can't wait. I think this is going to be the best matchup of the week. This is the one. And everybody's going to say it's for the mvp. I think Lamar already won it, but we'll see if they were right or not. You know, you see if you got it right. If, if Josh Allen wins, they'll say, Josh Allen should have been the MVP this season. He showed it. He beat. He beat him for it. And if Lamar Jackson and, and Derek Henry win and they'll be sitting there like they got it right, MV3 or MV83 or, you know, they kind of do it a whole different way. But he had a heck of a year.
- [34:26]
Mitchell
It's going to be a matchup to watch. No question about it. That's this week's Sunday night Food Ball brought to you by UberEats, the official on demand delivery partner of the NFL. Uber Eats is the best game day deals all season long. Order now for game day.
- [34:43]
Adnan Virk
What's up, everybody? Adnan Burke here to tell you about a new podcast from iHeart podcast in the National Hockey League. It's NHL Unscripted with Virgin Demers.
- [34:51]
Jason Demers
Hey, I'm Jason Demers, former 700 game NHL defenseman turned NHL Network analyst. And boy, oh boy, does daddy have a lot to say.
- [35:00]
Adnan Virk
I love you, by the way on NHL Network. We're looking forward to getting together each week to chat and chirp about the sport and all the other things. Things to running it that we love, right?
- [35:08]
Jason Demers
Yeah, I just met you today, but we're going to have a ton of guests from the colliding worlds of hockey, entertainment and pop culture. And you know what? Tons of back and forth on all things NHL.
- [35:19]
Adnan Virk
Yeah, you're soon going to find out we're not just hockey talk. We get all kinds of random stuff on this podcast. Movies, television, food, wrestling, even the stuff that you wear on NHL.
- [35:28]
Jason Demers
Now you wish you could pull off my short shorts. Ferky.
- [35:31]
Adnan Virk
That shirt of cosmic. Listen to NHL Unscripted with Burkin Demers, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [35:44]
Bobby Bones
Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Cassel every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle. Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers and one mirrorball trophy from Dancing with a Star. So where else you can find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? Based in Nashville, we're more than just your basic NFL show. We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit of everything because we got lots to say. I, I texted you and you texted me back. Now, I don't know if you have the update, but like all the little thumbs up and heart and stuff, like it's all colored.
- [36:22]
Richard Sherman
The change is.
- [36:23]
Bobby Bones
And the heart's a little pink. It felt like I told you I loved you. I'm going to be honest, it was a little pink.
- [36:27]
Mitchell
There was something sentimental when you, when you send it. It was like, do I send the heart?
- [36:33]
Bobby Bones
Now I don't like the color edition.
- [36:35]
Mitchell
It's extremely pink.
- [36:37]
Bobby Bones
Listen to Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [36:44]
Mitchell
Richard let's take it to Houston. Everyone wrote the Houston Texans off. They didn't write back, though. Richard the, the la, the LA Chargers come in here. Three point favorites. I think most folks, especially all, all media folks that I saw, everyone was picking the Chargers and they thought it was Justin Herbert's time to shine. You know, we talked about it leading into this game, impressed by the way Jim Harbaugh has changed the culture culture and the way the Chargers are playing football, but wouldn't have known any difference when you saw them play in Houston this weekend. I mean, Houston dominated in every facet of that game with about five minutes left in the second quarter and beyond the first 20 minutes of the game. You're wondering, does either team realize they are in a postseason NFL game? Do they think they're in possibly the preseason here? Because neither team looks like they wanted to even be in that game, let alone win it. Are you impressed with Houston right now, leaving this game with a 3212 win?
- [37:47]
Richard Sherman
I'm impressed with them defensively because they did what they have done all season, which is take the football away. They were second in the league in interceptions and they took four interceptions from Justin Herbert. And they pressured him all night long. They were getting to him. They were putting pressure on him. It was great to see my guy, Ziz Al Shair back on the field. He was moving around, making a number of stops. They had another clip of him punching at the ball and they're like, oh, he's so dirty. He tried to punch him in the head first. He got a helmet on. Second off he's punching at the ball. Understand a lot of stuff happens real fast out there. Again, you guys have never played. Shut up, because I'm tired of that. But CJ Stroud looked really rusty early on, and he looked. He looked really timid, and that was concerning. He's obviously shown a bit of regression in year two, but it just didn't feel right. And then there was like a slant to Nico Collins where he caught it, got out of there. It was a tight window throw, and it seemed like it gave CJ Stroud a little bit of confidence, a little bit of momentum. Then he got the bad snap, picked it up, hit the receiver down the field, and then he started to wake up and it seemed like. Like the. The jitters were out, the cobwebs were gone, and he was Back to the C.J. stroud of old. But they're going to need that much, much earlier against the Kansas City Chiefs if they're going to even have a chance. Now, offensively, the Kansas City Chiefs aren't what they've been in the past, when they're just a super juggernaut. They're still considered defensive team, but you're going against Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. They're going to have some things drawing up. They're going to know what you don't do well. They're going to keep Tooney at tackle, they're going to keep the lineup the way it's. It's been, and they're going to make it tougher for these DNS to get pressure on Patrick Mahomes. But if the Houston Texans can create turnovers like they have all season, this is going to be a much more interesting game than people are making it out to be, because interceptions and turnovers can change it. And they just have not been shown the ability to really, like, get after teams in the way they have in the past. They've only scored 30, I think, twice this season. They haven't scored more than 30 at all this season. This is the Kansas City Chiefs, but their defense is as advertised. And Spags is going to put a lot of pressure on C.J. stroud. He's. He's probably not going to just let Joe Mixon have his way. You know, if Joe Mixon can get going, that'll be a big. A big boost for them. But with how rested Kansas City is, how well they're playing, all the pieces, they. All the championship pedigree, it's going to be, you know, I feel like they're going to feel comfortable and I. They're going to probably give him a lot of points, but Houston has a chance. They just have to get up early and they have to create some turnovers and create some, some, some chaos for the Kansas City Chiefs to make this game.
- [40:35]
Mitchell
Well, if they play defensively like this weekend against the Chiefs, they'll certainly have a chance. Derek Stingley Jr. Credit to him, man. I mean, he's really come along this year. Two interceptions, you know, Eric Murray, Kamari Lassiter looks like a steal in the draft. Another interception for him. If there's a way for them to win, it starts with the defense. Jalen Petrie is another stud with the teens. And then offensively, they got to get Nico Collins involved, plain and simple. I mean, Houston gave, gave Kansas City a run a couple years back in the playoffs, getting out to a 24 to nothing lead or something like that. So it's been done previously, but we'll see if CJ Stroud can take that next step. You know, in terms of the Chargers, Richard, do you view this season as a success for them, going 116 and getting bounced in the wild card round?
- [41:20]
Richard Sherman
I believe it's a success, but I just don't like the way the fans are talking about it in the, in the post. You know, they're, they're acting like they were projected to be a great team this season, and all of a sudden now you're saying, oh my God, Greg Roman, so terrible. And it's like, wait, you guys didn't have the most talented roster in the world. They're cleaning up some things. They're getting the cap where it needs to be. They had to get rid of a number of guys. They had to get rid of Mike Williams, they had to get rid of Keenan Allen because of the cap hits and the amount of money they made. So it left the cupboard pretty bare. And so they did the best they could with the pieces that they had. And they got this team to a playoff and they had them really competitive. Guys like J.K. dobbins were able to shine. Quentin Johnston was having a pretty solid season compared to they were considering no bus. He had a really bad game in the playoffs. But Vlad McConkey had nine catches for 197 yards and a touchdown, even though he had a few drops that led to some interceptions, led to a pick six. I think there's promise. And defensively they were one of the best defenses in the National Football League. Those are all positive things that you can take and build on. To sit there and say, hey, we went 11 and 6. And those were all Justin Herbert. And now we get to the playoffs and we lose. And now it's, now it's because Greg Roman, like, what? So, so, so he didn't have anything to do with the wins. He just got something to do with the loss in the playoffs. And like, now he's bad. Like, and they're like, well, he did the same thing to, to, to Lamar. Well, last I checked, lamar won an MVP in 19. And you know, again, who. I don't know who said it. Who said it? Josh Allen said it. Like, in the playoffs, it stops being about the X's and the O's and it's the Jimmies and the Joes. Like, they can put you in a position. They can call the plays, and it could be the perfect play or it could be the worst play. And we can go out there and make it the right play because the Jimmies and the Joes got to make it come to life. And that's what happens. That's what championships teams do. Stop blaming offensive coordinators because Greg Roman did a fine job. He didn't have a lot to work with at receiver. I'm sure they're going to go for T. Higgins and a lot of these other receivers that come up in free agency. They're going to probably draft a couple. They're going to, they're going to stock the cupboard for Justin Herbert. But also understand Justin Herbert showed issues in this game. There was. There were plays that were drawn up that would have been touchdowns. If Justin Herbert delivered an accurate ball. He missed on a, on a touchdown in the first half, might have been the first quarter up the post, overthrew him by five yards. And then, of course, Will Disley drop the pass. That should have been an automatic first down, easy first down. Yes, there was. There were drops by the receivers and there were misses by Justin Herbert. The difference in this is Justin Herbert's getting paid elite money. He's. Will Disley is not getting paid elite money, lad. McConkey is a rookie. I'm going to expect him to drop a pass or two. You know what I mean? I expect you got to be the guy that elevates your team. And so when fans are getting mad because we're sitting there saying, hey, he's not living up to what we need him to live up to, that's okay. Like maybe he does in the future. But don't, don't get upset at us. Like, he threw four interceptions. Now, two of them were off the receiver, but one of them was A ridiculous pass. You half rolled to the right and throw all the way across the field. And then Lassiter picks it off because you're throwing opposite numbers. Like, who do you think you are? I understand arm talent and all that, but it's a national football league. That's a book. And they're like, Quinyan Mitchell should. Quinn Johnson should have knocked that down. Yeah, but he also shouldn't have threw it. It was covered. And so you gotta, like, you gotta. There's two sides of the coin. And the interior offensive line got abused like Mario Edwards had a sack and a half. Will Anderson, a sack and a half. We, we can talk about. They did. They had a tough day. The tackles are really good. They gotta replace that interior offensive line again. Great quarterbacks are able to overcome that. We watched Joe Burrow take a team with plumbers in the offensive line to a Super Bowl. He got killed. I think he got sacked the most in the history of the playoffs while on his way to a Super Bowl. And yes, he has good receivers, but he didn't have an offensive line worth anything. And so again, if you're going to pay the guy this kind of money, then the criticism comes with the money. It comes with it. Like, hey, top five money. You get top five criticism. Like, you know what criticism Joe Burrow get? We will criticize Joe Burrow if he don't win, don't make the playoffs. We are on his scout, hey, your defense gave up 44 points. Why didn't you score 45? Joe, you're getting, you're getting 55 million. Like we have said that. We, we do criticize. We criticize Mahomes, but you just cannot criticize Mahomes much because he's gotten three Super Bowls out of the last five. He's gotten multiple MVPs. He's get. He gets leeway. Josh Allen gets criticized if he doesn't play well or he struggles. Whoever loses between Lamar and Josh is going to get criticized to all. To the cows. Come on. So don't think Justin Herbert is above reproach. They treated him like a rookie the same way Jordan Love was treated like a rookie. Hey, we're going to run the ball. We're not going to let you throw it a lot because we don't want you to throw the game away. And then when they needed him to throw it a lot, guess what he did? Threw the game away. He threw the game away. And his playoff stats and his playoff numbers and the narratives that are associated with them aren't good because against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had a 27 point lead. His defense fed him four turnovers in the first half. And now you gotta bring it home, elite quarterback. And you didn't, you gave up a 27 point lead. You lost. And in this game your defense gives you what, three, four turnovers, you don't get any points out of it. They give you the ball like the 25, you get three. Like at some point you have to take accountability to say, hey, elite quarterbacks, get that done. Regardless of the play call, regardless of the circumstance, regardless of everything going around, they find a way. And when he starts to find a way, he'll get the credit that Joe Burrow and Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson and those guys get. But if he doesn't and he plays like this in these situations, we will stop calling him elite. Not that he doesn't have elite talent. He's not playing that way though. He had three interceptions on the season. He had four in a game. I got you, like at some point results have to matter. And if we can't judge him by the results, then are we judging him off the potential results? If he had something else like we're playing the if game. If, if, if, if, if he was doing this, if he was on this team, if he had these receivers. No, we playing a reality game. And the reality is he threw four interceptions.
- [48:28]
Mitchell
Man, you're spot on, Rich. I mean the talent's there, the arm strength's there. You see moments of greatness from him, you see what everyone thinks he is and can be. But then you see a game like this and it leaves you scratching your head. Reality is for the Chargers this offseason, they need more playmakers, especially at the wide receiver position. Lad McConkey looks like a stud for them. They also got Joe Alt, so I mean they had a great draft, but I just don't know if Quentin Johnson's a guy he's not sure handed enough. He's a good player, but they need somebody else in addition to Quentin Johnson and lad McConkey to take that next step. We shall see. That concludes, we got one more game tomorrow night. The Rams against the Minnesota Vikings. Who do you like in that game before wrap things up here?
- [49:15]
Richard Sherman
That's a tough one. I think Stafford is hard to bet against. He played him well. He beat him. We were there. It was a Thursday night game. Minnesota lost in LA and Stanford had answers for Flores's defense, for their pressures. Puka Nukua had a really good game. Their defense made a number of plays they put a lot of pressure on Sam Bradford and I think Chris Shula is going to look and look at what Detroit was able to do and he's going to do that again. He's going to try to replicate that, put pressure on him. Send, send, send more than they can block play man to man coverage and trust his DBs that they can play with these elite receivers and we'll see. But so I guess with all that said, I got, I got, I got the Rams.
- [49:57]
Mitchell
It's going to be a great game. And if the Rams do go on to win, I mean, look out for that matchup in Philly next week. And then finally, before we wrap, to no shock whatsoever, the Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel. Richard, your thoughts on the hire of Mike Vrabel to the New England Patriots?
- [50:12]
Richard Sherman
I like Mike Vrabel and I think he's going to be a good, he's been a good coach in this league. He's been in some really tough situations with not great quarterbacks and not a lot of talent, and that's kind of what he's walking into right now. But I think they'll, you know, learn from what they did to Jared Mayo and they'll give him more time to build and give him more time and patience, understanding that they don't have the talent, they don't have a lot in the cupboard and he'll maximize it. You know, he'll have all the New England Patriot way. You know, he'll have him tough in the media, he'll have him disciplined. You know, they'll do things right. But at the end of the day, if they don't win ball games, what, what are they going to do? So we'll see. We'll see what they do in this off season. If anybody wants to come play for him, if you, if he. They can get some free agents, get this team back to some sort of relevance and glory. But I think it's still a few.
- [51:09]
Mitchell
Years away, which, that. That concludes this podcast. I will let you sign us off, my friend.
- [51:16]
Richard Sherman
Well, I appreciate you, Mitchell. This has been a great wild card weekend. We got one more game. I'm looking forward to it. I am looking forward to next week, too. This is the best time of the year, win or go home. You see, if all these predictions and premonitions come to fruition, we'll see who wins the mvp, we'll see who wins the Super Bowl. We'll see all the things we've been looking to see all year. This is what we've been waiting for. I appreciate you guys joining us, whether it was for a minute, an hour, a second. You guys are appreciated. Hit that sub button if you're new. Foreign the volume.
- [52:10]
Adnan Virk
What's up, everybody? Adnan Burke here to tell you about a new podcast. It's NHL Unscripted with Vir and Demers.
- [52:15]
Jason Demers
Jason Immers here, And after playing 700 NHL games, I got a lot of dirty laundry to air out.
- [52:20]
Adnan Virk
Hey, I got a lot to say here, too, okay? Each week we'll get together to chat about the sport that we love.
- [52:24]
Jason Demers
Tons of guests are going to join in, too, but we're not just going to be talking hockey, folks. We're talking movies, we're talking tv, food, and Adnan's favorite wrestling. It's all on le table.
- [52:34]
Adnan Virk
Listen to NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [52:42]
Bobby Bones
Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle. Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers, and one mirrorball trophy from Dancing with the Star. So where else are you gonna find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit of everything. Listen to Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.