2 Pros and a Cup of JoeBrian Noe & Geoff Schwartz are in for the guys as they discuss the College Football Playoff Format, Thanksgiving props & Geoff discusses the worst injury he’s ever gone through in his playing career.
This is the best of two pros and a couple Joe with lamar Arias rating Win and Jonas Knots on radio.
Oh, good morning, Welcome in here as we get you all prepared for a Thanksgiving ball feath. We are broadcasting live from the tierrack dot com studios ti irack dot com. We'll help get you there an unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection, and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tierrack dot com The way tire buying should be. Good morning to you, Jeff Schwartz, huh tag teaming it up on a Thanksgiving Thursday. How are things with you?
H fantastic? I was thinking last night as there was no football on, which was very unfortunate. First time in like a month. Brian, no Max or just nothing about how I'm looking forward to frogging my turkey today. I also throw in some extra legs and wings and just eating turkey form multiple days in a row. I like turkey. I know people think like Thanksgiving is you know, turkey's mad? Whatever I find my turkey is delicious. I eat it for sandwiches for days to come, and just watching ball uninterrupted for hours on end Man and Thursday through basically Monday night, and how excited and how prepare my body is for that experience.
Well, first off, I love that you are pro Turkey, because the anti Turkey crowd has just been gaining momentum. We talk about steam in the betting world, you know, like, let's tick last Monday night, right, Like the total in Ravens V chargers open at about forty seven and it's steamed up to fifty one. It's a lot of steam on the over There's been a lot of steam on being anti Turkey, and I'm not down for it. Just not me at all.
Not me. Yeah, no, you're not gonna happen. I love it, dude.
I know.
Maybe because people don't know how to make turkey. It's also possible that there's there's a problem with people that are that are not good around you know, around the turkey. But I fry my turkey. I just I checked this morning before I came upstairs to my office. I have do a cold brine overnight, so I do it in the I injected with a creole butter last night, and then I salt the skin and with I put a little obviously some kosher sea salt and then I put some larries on there too, get a little little little, a little flavor on it, and the skin's fried. I mean, it's gonna be fine no matter what. It's fried in peanut oil. It doesn't it doesn't need salt. But the salt pulls the water obviously out of the bird a little bit. So I have to drain a little bit of the pan. I mean, like you just have to. You have to prepare correctly. And I also go I do. I do lunch Thanksgiving, so I do so that that that knocks the meals out for the rest of the day. You eat like I do, the first meal at lunch, and then the rest of the day. I don't have to make dinner, don't have to make lunch tomorrow, don't make lunch on Saturday. It just it's a great system we have here in this Shorts household.
You got it. You got it set up correctly right there. That's nice, and that's true. Anybody who's it, we've all had. I would assume some dry turkey not prepared correctly. And if that's the only thing you've ever had, I get why someone would. Ah, No, not me, It's stright. No, you just haven't had it prepared correctly. That's what it really comes down to. But what I want to know is how many hours of football between today on Thanksgiving and when the Monday night game wraps up. We're talking Thursday Friday. There are a ton of college games on Friday, the full slate, Saturday, full NFL Sunday. How many hours would you estimate you're gonna watch of the ball buffet here, all of it.
I mean, I'm going to take So my parents are in town, wife is actually go out of town tomorrow night to visit a friend in California. So it's gonna be my parents and my kids and today obviously ball buffet. Tomorrow I have radio three separate times, so I'll be watching that. That allows me to isolate myself in my office. And what I can do is one of the shows that I do, we do our Wonderful Show on Sundays, and then I do a show afterwards where we're watching football. So I have a setup in my in my office where I have a TV like a regular TV with correct the direct TV that I have basically just like a cheaper TV like ad dollars TV. It just has like the YouTube TV on it right, and it's right above my computer screens. I can just look right above four box any football right I want above my computer. So I kind of the setup go where I can watch ball in many different ways, Brian. And so I will spend tomorrow, especially now in the morning. Obviously no, but starting at noon tomorrow, we have very important college football games. Boise Stay plays in new tomorrow, Colorado plays noon tomorrow, and then the Chiefs play at three o'clock tomorrow, and then I got postgame radio. Uh. And so I'm just I'm just gonna live the dream. And Saturday morning we're gonna see Wicked. Okay, kids want to see Wickeed. It's a little bit long. I looked at tune out. It's like two forty, I like. And then I'll be home in time watching Michigan, Ohio State and the Buffetan teams all the way through the night. Oregon plays at Saturn thirty on Saturday night. So I'm I'm spiritually prepared for this. It's it's a it's a mental it's a little TAXI watched this much football, but I also thinking about how we're not going to have this, Brian, after this weekend for college football.
This is it.
It's the last regular seas the weekend for college football.
It's here ready, Yeah, it's the last full weekend of the regular season. That's crazy. How does this happen every single year? I look up and I'm like, it's nearing its end? How how is it nearing its end?
Like?
But we're here, man, this is the last Saturday of a full slate to college ball.
Man.
Only one team is undefeated, Brian.
Works, Yeah, I know it.
I know it.
That's Organ. By the way, for those who don't know, Organ is undefeated. My alba monn Organ undefeated?
What happens if you know between us, is our friendship going to be on? You know, on thin?
I sufficient washings the points. I don't disagree.
I'm just saying, if it's ducks Irish in the layoffs here, yeah.
That would be something weird would have to happen, right because we would not when will we meet?
Well? Well, that's true, right, Like by.
Weird, I mean you would have to win a lot of games.
Well, can I get on my soapbox for a second on that? Do you want to hear this? Now? This I'm from South Bend. For everybody out there that might not know this. Okay, full disclosure. I'm from the same town that Notre Dame is located in. I've been a Notre Dame huge football fan my entire life. So just make sure you understand that I need to preface it, but I really do think this. This isn't just my Notre Dame fandom, Jeff. It's garbage that Notre Dame is not eligible for a first round by. It's ridiculous. And here's the reason why. When it was a four team college football playoff, Notre Dame made it twice. There was no issue then that they weren't in a conference, they didn't play a conference championship game. If they were one of the top four teams, they were in the college football Playoff. Now it's expanded to twelve teams, and now it's an issue whereas, oh, you don't play a conference championship game, you're not in a conference, therefore you can't have a first round by. It's bs. If you are one of the top ranked teams, why shouldn't you have a first round by. That makes no sense to me at all.
Okay, so this was obviously a push you get No Dame to join a conference, right. That was part of the of the push for this to write make this way. But this goes to a larger discussion that we we certainly have now of automatic qualifiers. Are we sure that automatic qualifiers basically saying that I'll so you win your conference, you're in and obviously you get a playoff a bye. Are we concerned that this is the best system, Brian, because I don't know if it is. And look, this is look, I'm gonna come on, I know I'm a I'm now an elitist snob. It's a big ten school, the organ is. But a system that has Boise State having a bye is probably not the best playoff system. It's right, like and I and I understand Boise State, you guys have won your games. I think you're gonna win tomorrow. I think you might cover tomorrow. I might have that in my in my in my account right now. But that's not the same as Notre Dame schedule. It's not the same for to be fair of the Georgia's schedule that they have two losses and you can reward them with the playoff spot. I'm not against that idea, Like I think they're one of the twelve best, especially this given season. Well, the Twelvest seems the country. But a playoff by I mean if they were to play right now, you know they would host, they would host. The five host would be a neutral site, but they would play with the five seed right in their in their first game, which would be a quarter final.
Year.
If the five seed beats essentially the Big twelve champion, well, right now, the five seed is going to be either organ of Ohio State. I feel pretty confident saying that, right Brian, Like, the loser of the Big the chanplegonship game is probably the five seed. The winner is number one in the country. Well, the number five seed would then get the Big twelve champion. Right now, it's Ohio State. Right in the rankings, they'd be twenty one point favorites over Arizona State in the first game, and then the second game they'd be twenty one point favorites again against Boise States. I feel like the best system right like, the five seed is twenty one point favorites over the four seed. Oh No, I feel like the best system now in this year, and I'm I have mostly been anti IF playoff expansion because I don't think it matters, like I don't think it's funny we went we entered this season, Brian entered the season with basically a playoff bubble of teams that could win the championship. In my opinion, I see ivery this has changed for everyone, But it was Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon in Texas for me, those are the four teams. Guess who are the three teams now? They could win a championship? In my opinion, Georgia, Ohio State, organ It hasn't changed its entire season. Yeah, could Bama win if they're not a bipolar in a given week? Sure, Brian? Could Texas do it? I guess? I don't trust their offense. Don't think they're gona win this weekend? You know? Can can Old Miss do it? Yeah? They might not be a playoff team though, so they might. It might not matter Notre Dame. Look are they better than I think? They play against Northern Illinois that one loss? Absolutely? Are they winning a championship? I don't know, Brian, maybe if you feel differently, but like they're part of that bubble. I guess they'll be a playoff team. That's like it. No one else winning the championship. It's the same three teams that I thought would be the same three teams to start the season.
I'll say this, it's it's more open than it normally, is right. I don't think multimately though, Yeah, it is. It's a little more open than normal because I mean, look at a team like Georgia. Georgia has been towering above the rest for a few years now, and they're in the middle of the pack right now. Of these playoff teams. You know, they might be on the lower end right now if we're talking about it, I hear you. But look at the top. Look at the top three teams. You know, Oregon, I hate to bring us up, but they just survived against Wisconsin. I know, a lot of travel, they were worn out, that sort of thing. But Texas, Texas isn't world beaters, you know, Miami is the three seed right now. They've played nobody, you know. So is it a recipe for some upsets and for a lower ranked team or lower seeded team to have a deep run and challenge for a championship. Absolutely compared to other years. Other years it was Bama, Georgia, Ohio State, wake me up. When they're in the Final four. That's all it was. And this year it's it's a lot different than it has been, I'll say that much.
So there is the difference I think this year, Brian, is there is no elite team, right, there are teams like I think we agree like Oregon is a team that that when everything's clicking, can win a championships. And with Ohio State, I'm very curious obviously sort of see oregan this weekend with a full weekend of rest, right, full week of rest, they really late by, see how they played, because to alleviate some of those questions about whether or not you know, it's a little you know, the Wisconsin game was a flute. But then look we go from the Wisconsin game was was two weeks ago, right, then you go last weekend, Brian, and look how many teams struggled to win road games. They all lost except Penn State. So I don't put much into again the idea that like winning road games the end of the culturable season is hard. Winning world conference games, it just always is. It's always a problem, even you're Irish. This weekend, I think they're gonna beat USC and I think they're gonna beat them quite handily, but it won't surprise me if it was a tough matchup. I mean, there are seven halfway favorites, but usc Is is feisty enough. It's a rivalry game. It's on the road for No. Dame and another road game but us. He's been a home for weeks like this sets up for well for this game to be much harder I think than No. Dame fans would like. It doesn't mean that it's gonna they're gonna lose, but that's college football. I I if you, if you do it multiple weeks in a row, then I think I look at you and say, Okay, that's a little bit of a problem. You know you but Oregon, that wasn't the case for Orgon, wasn't These are other teams that, you know, Penn State didn't have that problem. So that's that's where I go with this.
Yeah, well that's where I think the path that's what's really difficult. Could I see a lot of these teams winning one, maybe two games, yes, yes, But to win three or four if you don't have a first round by you got to win four games against the best teams in college football. That's really difficult. So that's where I look at again my Irish not being eligible for a first round by and it's like, that's a huge difference between winning three games to win a title in four games to win a title. That's just a lot of attrition. You get tired, that's the whole thing.
No, you're not wrong on that. It makes it a lot more difficult, absolutely right. But you know the system they agreed to, I don't know. Yeah, that's sort of the way it means. It's not their fault per se, but this is the system, and they try to use their leverage get no name joining a conference. And I do wonder after this year if there's going to be talk immediate talk about creating a different system, especially if and what's interesting is a fourteen playoff would have left SEC champion maybe out this year, which would have changed all these things anyways, man, But I am curious to see sort of the difference in how we approach this moving forward. If those SEC and Big ten powers aren't happy with how this turns out for them.
Yeah, we can revisit this, because it's very similar with the NFL. If you win your trash division, I'm for you getting a playoff, Berth, But I'm not for you getting a home playoff game on top of that. That's never made sense to me. And it's similar to what we have in college football, where I'm not against Boise State being in the college football playoff, but I'm against them having a first round by if there are teams ranked higher than they are. So I think it's very similar to the NFL. I haven't gotten the home playoff game. You can't be four wins. Worse, right, you're a division champion, you know, quote unquote, there have been division champions that were eight and eight. They're hosting twelve and four teams back when we played sixteen games. That should never be the case.
No that I think I'm moving to a more agreement, even though the NFL. It's funny, man, the NFL and college are obviously two different games, but they're sort of becoming this same playoff structure and a little bit of the parody because of the NIL it's turning them into. You know, there's just there's just there's more parody, right, there's more there's more losses, there's more question about who's gonna win. It sort of feels like the NFL a lot more than than we've seen in recent years. Obviously.
Yeah, no, I agree with that. I think NIL has a lot to do with that, for sure. It's it's much different, and I think that's good. That's been the secret sauce of the NFL for so long, parody, and we're saying at least more of it in college football than we're used to think.
I agreed, And that actually makes it, I think more fun because as you as we mentioned, there's not there's not a team right now who we think is an elite like going to win the championship. I think there's teams again, they're in that bubble for me, but I I like, again where a couple of these teams are at. But this weekend, next weekend, the weekend after Man, some of these playoff games are to be fun because the spreads are going to be seven points or less. That's you know that, that's in college football. That's god of prime upset territory.
No, it's gonna be a lot of fun, all right, Uh, football front and center. You know, the ball buffet. We got a lot to talk about. That's not the only thing.
I know.
You're all over this NBA Cup, Jeff. You got some some hot takes. You want to get out there, can't you?
I can't deal with the floors. What do we look? I am an organ guy. I understand our basketball court. Yeah sure, yeah, frustrated. We've actually changed it this year though. Looks a little better this year. But but Brian, it's too much.
It's a little aggressive, man, it is it's it is aggressive, there's no doubt. But we'll have some a few non football things to say. I'd say a strong like seven percent of the show, maybe, Jeff, non football. Maybe I don't know, maybe maybe five percent of that is Thanksgiving.
Really there's a little bit aggressive.
Butts, is there is there a Is there NBA today on the on the rundown here? No?
No, not is there NBA like in like today, like in in uh in on the schedule on the football.
Oh okay, just like just games on the on the calendar on a Friday, on a Thursday. No, there's nothing on Thanksgiving.
There is some NFL today.
Yeah, you get some black friends. It's the NFL has just moved in, like will take this and Thanksgiving will take that. Christmas Day.
Christmas Day is even the coultortable playoff put themselves up against a Chiefs game. Yeah, it just seems like in crazy because the NFL can start doing Saturdays next week and the NFL just just rules all you No NBA today, I'm surprised they don't put like the Lakers and Celtics today, like right at four thirty pm Eastern.
Yeah, now, the Commissioner Silver is like that, will sit this one out. We'll eat turkey at home and watch the NFL because that's that's what the most of the public's it'll be doing as well. All right, we got a lot to do here. Jeff coming up next. The conversation about this team is about as different as it possibly could be. We'll lay that out for you. I'm Brian know, he's Jeff Schwartz. We're in for two pros and a cup of Joe right here on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, happy Thanksgiving to you. Hope you have a fantastic day and you're starting it off in the early morning hours on the right foot. Huh. Hopefully it's good right now and gets even better going forward. We are broadcasting live from the tire rack dot Com studios. Tire rack dot Com will help get you there an unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free road hazard protection and over ten thousand recommended installers tire rack dot com the way tire buying should be. You know, Jeff, I haven't been to sleep. I just want to let you know that right now, you haven't been to sleep. Just the way the day worked out over here in Vegas right now. Yeah, So we uh made the trip in a day basically like a little more than a day from a cleaned out a storage unit in Portland where I used to live, and you know, we made it down here to Vegas. And so it's just the way the work the week played out. And then today it was like the first day we were here. So it's like, let's go to the strip. I hit up my guy, our guy crack and Bill Krackenberger. He's a sports handycapper. He's a professional sports handicapper. He's like, I suggest you get these apps. It's weird in Vegas, man, you got to go there in person, Jeff, I don't know why. It's as as difficult as it possibly can be in Vegas to get some like mobile sports books. It's crazy.
Yeah, they make it hard. Oh yeah, Bill, Bill Krackenberger by with a scammer. Bill Krackenberger. So the little little Twitter extra as he had with a fellow enthusiasts, a gambling enthusiast. Bill's the best person ever. Anyone who who makes fun or mocks Bill has to talk to me.
That's right. I feel the same way. He's awesome. But yeah, that set me back a little bit where I'm going from book to book, and then all of a sudden, I'm like, I got a prep for a show and I've just been driving, you know, across the country throughout the beginning of this week, and so I just started putting my NFL stuff together, my college football stuff together, and I'm like, it's like one thirty and the show starts at three here Pacific time. So I'm like, I'm not going to bed, which is fine, you know, I'll catch a cat nap before the early games. But I'm not missing ball, Jeff, I'll miss all the sleep. I'm not missing ball.
I have to sleep. I'm as one of those people that likes enjoys sleep.
No, I say, I have two switches, you know, I have awake, I have sleep, and then I have ball mode, you know, and ball mode will override sleep mode if need be. Okay, that's the way it works with me.
Yeah, fair enough. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it's been a little I will admit it has been a struggle at times the last couple of weeks to stay up for that late game. I may or may not have fallen asleep in the last seven in a row. Really, yeah, it's been it's been difficult. But what's funny. You know, if MOSTLY know, if I don't have any money on it, I will fall asleep. If I got a good amount of money on it, I managed to stay awake. But we'll see tonight, we'll see all that all that turkey when eat today. If I can stay away from the end of that game tonight.
Yeah, yeah, it's funny. I'll tell you real fast. This is a Thanksgiving tradition for a long long time. My sister was so proud of knowing the fact that I think it's an amino acid. But the the myth is yeah, yeah, it's like what makes you tired is And so every year I did this for like five six years straight because I knew she was so proud of knowing this, and I would just be like outn of know where, I'd be like, hey, what is it in Turkey. That makes you tired again, and she just jumping trip to fan. It's tripped to fan. That's that's what it is. It's tripped to fan to make And I told her, like years afterward, she just laughed.
What a great sibling thing. Yeah, just just just just to just to make her angry, just the thing she had whent on you. That's fantastic.
Yeah, it was great. It was awesome. Well so well. One thing that I could bridge what we were talking about to this topic is one of the nights I was driving. It must have been my days are all mixed up, but maybe it was Monday night. It was late Monday night and it was a college basketball game on. It was, uh, North Carolina, I think was playing Dayton and I'm looking at the radio. I'm like, it's like two am on the East Coast. I'm like, what are they doing. There's the Maui Invitational rate Oh yeah.
And they play in a high school gym. It's kind of crazy.
Yeah, it's wild. And but I thought about that. So you bringing up some of these games super late in the Eastern time zone. It's true they are, but it got me thinking Yukon is one of the teams playing in this Maui Invitational, right, they've lost three straight games, Jeff, they're the number two ranked team. They've lost three straight. And it got me thinking because Yukon is trying to three peat here, yes, and the Kansas City Chiefs are trying to three peat. So the first part I'm thinking is it shows you how remarkable it is that the Chiefs have as good of a record as they do right now they're trying to three peat. I know, the NFL isn't the exact same thing as college basketball, and Yukon is missing two lottery players and it's Deefon Castle and Donovan Klingen, and that makes life difficult early in a college basketball season. I get it. It's not like the Chiefs have lost whatever the equivalent would be, like Travis Kelcey and Mahomes or whoever it would be, like premier players. They lost Trent McDuffie or whatever it happens to be. It's not apples to apples, But with both of those teams, Yukon and men's basketball, the Chiefs in the NFL trying to three peat. Look where Yukon is right now, and look where the Chiefs are right now, it's remarkable that the Chiefs have had this much success and they're just beginning this uphill like Mount Everest type climb to a three peat.
Yeah. Look what the Chiefs have done this year is I know people want to knock it because it's not it doesn't look like it should sometimes. But their job is to win games, Brian, That's what they keep doing. They keep winning games, and with all the pressure of getting everyone's best shot. After this Panthers game, I don't know if you saw a couple of the postgame comments, so Andy Reid was, you know, their head coach was in the locker room after the game, telling the guys like, hey, guys, like, keep your heads up, which is crazy thing to say after a win. Yeah, keep your head up, keep your head up, which is again, it's it's wild that that part I'd say after a win. But you know, they expect so much of themselves that this game felt like a loss because of how close. It was. But he said in there like you get everyone's best shots, which is true. Like the Panthers, who were not good this season, use this game as a measuring stick opportunity, right, This is a measuring stick game for the franchise, and even though they were down that game twenty to six in the first half, score three points, going a halftime, get the ball out of halftime, all of a sudden, you score again, and now it's a three point game. And teams play the Chiefs every week like it's their super Bowl. And for the Chiefs to continue to play well and win games. It's not always against wells on the right word to use, but to continue to show up each week and win games when you get everyone's best shot. There is positives in that, Brian. Now when you project them out for the playoffs and then it's like, okay, well, how do they play against Buffalo, how they match up against the Ravens. Yeah, you would like to see the thing a little bit more of blowouts per se. But I think what they're doing right now is fine. That they're goal is to have the one seed and they're on track to do that.
Yeah, No, they are on track to do that. And man, that's the thing is at the end of the day, there's still ten and one and think about some of these injuries. Losing Rashie Rice was a big deal. Yeah, and they made a move to get DeAndre Hopkins, who's fit in. Well, he's given them a boost, and they just find ways to get value in so many different areas, whether it's special teams or it's just situationally, it's instead of running the ball here, let's do a little bit of a jet sweep, and it's just a smart play call. They just do a great job of putting themselves in positions to win games. And yeah, it's not a work of art. They didn't blow out the Panthers by twenty one points and they're not putting up gaudy offensive numbers, but they're ten and one. And so the next thing I thought of Jeff, was this, if the Chiefs are able to three peat, would this be the best team accomplishment in NFL history? And so I started thinking. Initially, my gut reaction is yes, and I'm like, well, let me check my work. What else would be on the short list of best team accomplishments in NFL history. You'd have to throw the seventy two Dolphins on there.
Right.
Of course, undefeated season, you'd have to throw the Super Bowl three Jets on there. Right, they beat the Baltimore Colts. It was thought to be the inferior AFL, you can't beat a team, they always get punked at That upset directly led to the merger of an You're like, that can't be undersold. So what you know the history of the league. I don't need to bore you with it. But knowing all of that, would you still put the Chiefs unprecedented? Nobody is three peeted before? Would that be the best team accomplishment ever?
What?
As you mentioned, like, no one's done this before, right, So like that that has to be part of the equation here, right, that this has never been done before. I mean, look the the you know the Patriots won three and four years.
I think it was, right, yep, yeah, the.
Cowboys won three and four years. I mean we've had these runs, but not never never three in a row, Brian, right, run three in a row. So I think that's up there. Yeah, I think it has to be up there as one of the best, especially considering that again, and we were texting about this earlier. Mahomes and Kelsey obviously are are fantastic as we know and do they do, but they don't have any anyone else a wide receiver like in all these instances we mentioned, all these teams had special players of those positions at running back. I mean, and the Chiefs are doing this and I get Kelsey, but Kelsey's in and you know he's in year. You know, he's thirty four, like he and you watch him play and he's had a lot of snaps this season, and you know he he doesn't look quite the same player now in big moments. I think he is, but you know that's it's certainly true. He's played a lot of football. So considering the weapons around them and how Mahomes has had to do this, and also too, they've had different versions of the same team. Right, They've had one year Awards defense, one year, Whard's offense, one year, where's both one year where special teams this year is number in the NFL. Like they're doing different ways every week, and that to me is super impressive. Brian.
Yeah, I also think Jeff, it's like in this era of the NFL when you're talking about free agency, Yeah, that's a big deal because you just you can't keep teams to gather the same way you once were able to correct. This isn't like the old school Steelers who won four and six years, right, Right, it's a completely different deal. So when you have a hard salary cap and you have NFL free agency and yet the Chiefs are still remaining on top. And listen, this is a big if. This is a big projection of if they're able to threepeat, would that be the best team accomplishment in NFL history? I think it would be. And that's a large reason why is look at the other Super Bowl winners. In this era of free agency and a hard salary cap, there have been some great teams. Think of the Seahawks and their legion of boom defense. They won one Super Bowl. They should have won two in a row, but that's not they didn't win two in a row. Like, they're not close to winning three in a row. And you look at some of these other teams, the Saints. The Saints were really really good team for a lot of years won Super Bowl like, so to three peat unprecedented in the history of the league, and in this era of a hard salary cap and free agency. I would put that at the top of the list. If they're able to pull it off.
Yeah, you know, I know last year they did it, and because of the way it went with their offense and the winning the road games, we sort of, at least in my mind, I think most people that kind of cover the sport. I'm sure you feel the same way, Like we sort of just default to it's going to be okay this season. But I do think this team does have a lot of holes, Brian, and I'm not sure it's going to be okay this season. I look, if you get the one seed, which is certainly possible with their schedule compared to like what Buffalo schedule is down the stretch here, the one seed is certainly manageable, and then you have to win one less game, obviously, like it it feels easier to do if you get the one seed then the kind of the way they did last year. You know, you win one game against the four seed and all of a sudden you're in the change the game again. You know, like it's not unconceivable, but it does feel. We look around the NFL, the Lions and the Eagles and Buffalo and even Baltimore to an extent, like those teams are just playing better as a team right now than Kansas City is.
Yeah, I still do wonder, I hear you, trust me, I do, but I wonder about these teams the Bills, the Ravens that will sometimes look all world in the regular season and they will just yeah, wet themselves come playoff time. You know what I mean, it's a Tyler Bass missed field goal. It's the Ravens like, yeah, we'll have our running backs with six rushes against the Chiefs, Like no, how does that happen? Like when will these teams get out of their own way? Because I'll tell you who doesn't get in their own way, that's the Chiefs. And that's one of the main reasons they've still remained on top.
And that's a huge thing, right, is when you get these moments of stress in a game, high leverage situations, and this is what they've done this The Chiefs have always won these moments, right, and that's why they win these games. Like even like take last week, right, I was I was at that game, right, so I can sort of feel it in the crowd. The Panthers roared all the way back in down twenty six, then twenty nine, then twenty seventeen, and the Chiefs scored touchdown here you know, here, come here come the Panthers again, and they the field goal, and all of a sudden, the game is tied at twenty seven and you know, un a minute left and the Chiefs are like, oh, all right, I guess we'll score touchdown and win the game. Like our field goal and win the game. But it was like there was no panic.
They just went out and did it.
Yeahmes after the game was like, yes, they would love to blow teams out. It would be easier on the team if they were to do that. But again, in those moments, like there was no I tweet out like I'm looking forward to Mahomes winning this game for the Chiefs I got to watch in person. Now there's there's no there's no thought they're going to lose any of these games. And that is important, I think when it comes to the postseason, high leveled situations and just the confidence of the team in those moments. And Buffalo at your point has not had those, right, they haven't had those. Baltimore hasn't had those in the postseason. And the reason why is is Kansas City and this season again if they go to Arrowhead, I don't trust them as much if they if again the kids has to go on the road. Last year to me is not indicative of what this year could be. If they have to go on the road. But the Chiefs have the one seed right now and they're gonna win on Friday, They're gonna be still again the game up on Buffalo.
Yeah.
And I also think once you get to playoff time, there's just such a mystique with Mahomes. Like think about last season in overtime against the Niners in the Super Bowl. The Niners kicked the field goal and then Mahomes let the touchdown drive. And so how's that gonna feel when the playoffs roll around? There are gonna be some teams that psyche themselves out where they think, don't settle for three correct, you know, don't let Mahomes have a shot. You know what will happen? Right, Like remember the coin toss when they beat Tampa in overtime and Baker Mayfield is like, ah no, we lost the toss, like I might not even see the field and he didn't. And so that's a it's a real thing come playoff time. The teams that, man, they psyche themselves out and they think, don't don't do this, don't do that, don't let my Homes And it's like, just do your job, man. It's the old Belichick thing and they get away from that come playoff time.
I know, but it's easier said than done. Like we can sit here and talk about like how you but when you're in that moment and I've you know again, I've been in this spot a couple of times as a player where you're just like you're playing a team, You're like, that's not good, Like no matter what, like do you just know you feel it feels inevitable what's gonna happen, and then it happens, and that there's a possibility of that every time you play Kansas City, and I think that's why teams game plan certain ways against them. Look, Buffalo has learned to be aggressive against Kansasity, like, no matter what, we're going for a fourth. Then it paid off and they win this in the win this year. I imagine in the postseason they'll do the same thing. Will it pay off? I don't. I don't know what we'll find out, but you have to I think you have to be aggressive, Like you change your entire game plan to play then because you're always afraid of Patrick Mahomes.
Yeah, maybe just don't quite be Dan Campbell aggressive, you know, like against the Niners. It can be a little much, but I agree with you. I think aggressive is the better way to to lean than, you know, than to be conservative. I would definitely agree with that on the surface. But there is such a thing as going you know, like Dan one eight hundred Gambler Campbell correct, Yeah, and it blows up in your face, you know, like yeah.
But dude, I'm always like, pro be aggressive if that's your ethos, and yeah, and I know that it's sometimes it gets teams in trouble, but I'd rather that than conservative coaching.
Yeah, listen, I gambling wise, if you want to go money line underdog, I'm for it. If you want to go five leg all under like money line underdog, that's a bit much. That's a that's a bit much, all right. Coming up next on Two Pros and a Cup of Joe Live from the IRAQ dot Com Studios, Jeff, we not only have Thanksgiving matchups, we have Thanksgiving props to dissect as well. Okay, we will do that. Coming up. He's Jeff Schwartz, I'm Brian know. Keep it locked right here on Fox Sports Radio. He's Jeff Schwartz. I'm Brian Know. We're in for the guys here on Fox Sports Radio. Shortly after the show, our podcast will be going up. If you miss anything on today's show, be sure to check it out. Just search two Pros wherever you get your podcasts, and be sure to follow, rate and review it again. Just search two pros wherever you get your podcasts, and you'll see the show posted right after we get off the air. All right, story time with mister Schwartz. Yes, made me think about this because you mentioned forty nine Ers linebacker Fred Warner. He's got a fractured ankle and he keeps playing and he's just you know, getting it shot up, he's getting it numbed, and he's going out there right, And so it made me think, you're playing days. Okay, I know you had to numb up injuries. What is the injury that you were in the most pain after a game after the shot wore off? Right, Like break it down for us? Yeah, how bad was the pain? Well?
I have two instances. One I I this kated my big toe one year. It's a lot worse than you think it sounds. And I was out for for three months. And you know, oddly enough, my first game back, by the way, that season. The twenty fourteen year was Odell Catch game. I played all season and you know I'm a big fella that injury. Hell, you don't realize how much your big toe matters to you until you get hurt. So I played that game and it was it was painful, like afterwards.
It was.
It was a rough, a rough Sunday night, Monday. I couldn't practice Wednesday, barely practice Thursday. And then I broke my leg the next game anyways, but that was that was that was pretty bad. And then when I froct justiciicated my ankle. That was the next game. When I did that to my ankle, it didn't hurt Brian until about Tuesday. So we were so I hurt it Saturday, excuse me, Sunday, faction, fraction just got my ankle Saturday, excuse me Sunday at two thirty Eastern and didn't hurt really. Sunday didn't hurt Monday because we were talking about second opinions like do I get by the team doctor or surgery, do I go somewhere else? And by I think it was Tuesday morning, I was like, I told my agent, like it's I'm not kidding. Second opinion. I want this fixed now. It was it was bad. It hurt it. I mean it hurt a lot. And then so that next season was twenty fifteen for me, and you know, I recover heard mostly And there was a game that's the Niners. We played SA Football. We actually had a game winning catch by Larry Donnell or tight end to win the game. And that entire game, I got bull rushed all game for the bull Rushes, when guys basically run down the middle of you and try to push you back, and you know, probably not best on a bad trying to anchor on a bad ankle. We went, you know, when someone's trying to bull rush you all game. It wasn't ideal. And I remember after that game my ankle was just it wasn't bad. It was a bad shape. It wasn't good. Uh. And then you just start, you know, trying to survive the next couple of weeks and trying to get it better, which it never got better. So yeah, I mean, you just you just deal with it, though I mean I don't there's no way to to put in the words. I think, like, how how much of the pain you just your job is to play through it. And find a way to play through it, and then you have to. And Fred Warner obviously the example showed he did, I did. I mean, that's part of life in the big Yeah.
It made me think of Deon Sanders his playing days. He had turf toe really bad. And at first you're thinking turf toe and dude, everything every move you make, you can't stop, you can't do anything coming up next. We think big picture
