Fox Sports RadioJonas Knox talks about NFL coaching, Nick Sirianni, Sam Darnold, and more!
Jonas Knox talks about why coaching matters in the NFL, why the NFL owes us all a favor, why Eagles HC Nick Sirianni is a coaching version of a wide receiver, the historical comparison of the Bears and the Cubs, a simple solution to a possible Vikings QB controversy, and more! Plus, Do You Care & another edition of Knox Locks!
Jonas Knocks.
You thought you knew me, You didn't know a thing about me.
He's crazier than a else. Wrecked that guy, Jonas Knocks.
You heard men, brit in some darkness is lighting up your speakers to establish an alibi for the day. From the tirag dot com Fox Sports Radio Studios, here's Jonas Knox.
Yep, Okay, I'll be part of this world.
You know.
Imagine that something that seems so obvious yet there's always been a little pushback. We'll get into that for you coming up here in the NFL and just a couple of moments from now, Jonas Knox Fox Sports Radio. You can listen of the show is always on the iHeartRadio app. You can find us on hundreds of affiliates all across the country and wherever you are making us a part of your Saturday morning into the afternoon.
We appreciate you doing so.
We're gonna take you all the way up until four pm Eastern time one o'clock Pacific, and we're doing it all live for me. Tire rack dot Com Studios, tire rack dot Com help you get there an unmatched election, fast reshipping, free road hazard protection and over ten thousand recommended installers tire rack dot com the way tire buying should be. So another touchdown throw from Justin Herbert and the LA Chargers have a seventeen to nothing lead over the New England Patriots right now, this game and NFL Network game a Saturday edition here to close out twenty twenty four for the NFL. They've got three games coming up later on. So congratulations to ladmcconkie fantasy owners. He just scored a touchdown, a touchdown reception from Justin Herbert, and with just under three minutes left to go in the first half, the Chargers have a seventeen nothing lead, and you know it's you know, it's hilarious about this whole discussion when it comes to the Chargers, Like it's a discussion that surrounds Jim Harbaugh because people can look at the Chargers now and say, well, you got Justin Herbert. He's one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He got no Like this just confirms what we've thought, or at least people that aren't haters have thought for several years now. Coaching matters in the NFL. It just does, and in fact, good coaching matters the most. And Jim Harbaugh is a good coach, and it has worked everywhere he's gone. It worked at Michigan, it worked at Stanford, he turned around San Diego, it worked with the forty nine Ers, and now it's working with the Chargers. And I'm not saying that the Chargers are going to go on to win a Super Bowl this year. I'm not saying the Chargers would ever maybe ever win a Super Bowl with Jim Harbaughs coach there. But the point is the discussion here in La where we are doing this show live from the tirak dot com studios, the discussion around the Chargers was always potential. Yeah, there's a ton of potential there. They got a ton of talent, but you know what just always seemed to come up short. The discussion was always about, yeah, but Brandon Staley, is he ever going to be able to get the most out of this guy? I mean, christ Justin Herbert didn't get his first start in the NFL until a trainer accidentally stabbed Tyrod Taylor.
He punctioned as lung.
Like.
It was always about potential, this, potential that, and then you realize, okay, well there's an opportunity to upgrade and to add a coach to this team who has worked and gotten the most out of every place he's ever been, to, NFL, college, you name it. They make the move, and the conversation surrounding the Chargers is completely different. You're not worried about dysfunction. You're not worried about even when they do have injuries. You're not overly concerned by it like there have been in years past with the Chargers. If they get into late game situations, you're not worried about whether or not Brandon Staley is going to make a ridiculous call or decision. Like even the ones that didn't burn them, which were few and far between, you look back at and you go, wait what, Like you decide in Cleveland to go for it on fourth down with under a minute left at midfield up by two to give the brown and if not for the Browns missing that kick, like that's another two. But you don't have any of that discussion when it comes to Jim Marvaud, no thing, Like there's this feeling that no matter what, they're going to be okay, no matter what, And that hasn't been the case here with this franchise in this organization in years, maybe ever, even when they did have good coaching, like they had a really good coach. We're talking like a Hall of Fame caliber coach. We're talking a guy who's on the short list of two hundred career wins. Even when they had him, they fired him after he went fourteen and two. That's mind boggling. That already shot in. Ieber was fired because it was, well, it was a disappointing playoff loss, and it was okay, well, there was you know, a lot going on there and that game was a little wild against the Patriots, and by the way, it was the Patriots. But now Harbaugh's there, and all of those concerns, all of the expecting and impending doom that you were so used to in this town when it comes.
To the Chargers.
Even when they were in San Diego playing at that outhouse Qualcomm, which is basically a porta John with no urinal cakes, even when they were there, you always were like, oh my god, something's gonna go wrong. Okay, there's I mean, there's gonna be a catastrophic injury, or there's good. With Harbaugh, everything's kind of cool. The guy will do a postgame press conference and talk about Justin Herbert being able to survive in a broken elevator and how it inspired the team. Justin Herbert's all these weird, quirky things that he said. All anybody's doing is paying attention to that. And now you look and you go, oh, well, wait a second. They're about to be ten and six after they take care of business here at Foxborough, and then you know, depending on what's on the line, you know, maybe they'll play their starters like this is going to be an eleven win team that presents a problem with whoever they meet in the first round of the postseason and the first round of the playoffs. So if anybody was wondering whether or not a you know, is coaching that important in the NFL level, It's all about talent. With this situation, Harball was the perfect fit, the perfect guy for the job because all of the stuff in the past nobody talks about. They're just focused on the fact that they've got hope now and Jim Harbaugh is here to save the day and it's already working. Jonas Knox here Fox Sports Radio, So I was thinking about this. We love football, right like you and I listening right now having a conversation. Like if you're driving around in the car, you're just you know, you got your air pods in. You're just trying to ignore the screaming downstairs because you know somebody can't find like the key piece to the toy you got them three days ago that they've already ruined. Like, we love football, all right, you got this show on, you're watching that game. There's some bowl games on. We love football, specifically the NFL.
We love the NFL.
But I'll be honest with you, the NFL owes us one. You know what that one is? They owe us a good game. That's what they owe us. Because the NFL this week has proceeded to roll out bag of vomit after bag of vomit after bag of vomit, and we've just taken it all and been like, sweet, got any more for us? We are owed a decent game by the NFL. Now, I love the NFL. You love the NFL. We all acknowledge that even though you got listen, Lebron James is talking to Christmas is our day? Okay, Okay, you're right. You know what about that extra twenty million viewers in all, but who cares. Don't don't get caught up in the numbers. Like we love football, and we thought, man, what if there was a way to where the NFL could be like almost every single day? And then you start to look around and you go, well, that was kind of like this week. You had Monday Night. You know, Monday Night was there? You had that one that was going on and that was cool and all, and it was a holiday week and you're like, all right, so listen, we got a game on Monday night. Big deal. We always have a game on Monday night. Okay, what about two on Wednesday? What about one on Thursday? What about three on Saturday? What about more tomorrow? What about another one on Monday? That's a lot. I don't know if I can recall the last time we've had that much NFL and a short span of time, maybe during COVID. I have no idea. I think I was too busy listening to lies being told by people about having to wipe down your groceries when you bring them home. But the point is that's a lot of football. The problem is it's been a lot of bad football, Like find me the good game that we've seen during this inundated NFL schedule we've gotten during the holidays. Find me the good game please, Packers Saints. Awful football game New Orleans stinks. That game wasn't competitive. The Christmas games, those games were competitive, great performances, fun performances. MVP worthy performed. Got it not competitive? Thursday Night football? Good God literally set back the NFL thirty years easy, to the point to where Al Michaels made the tired joke of yeah, I believe there was a White Sox Mariners game that was scored six ' three and he was right. It we've got and then just to start off, we've got a game that opened up seventeen to nothing. New England has scored.
They've tried.
But the point is, while we sit here and clamor for more NFL and the NFL will never get tired. I'm just saying, Look, it's not so much a complaint, it's just a request. But it is a request that we have earned. We have been fed garbage NFL games for several days in a row during an overloaded NFL schedule. To start out the week, at least give us a decent game. That's all we're asking. Give us a couple of decent games Lions Niners on Monday Night football is probably going to be a good game. I have no idea how this game is going to finish up between the Chargers and the Patriots. It's probably going to be a wipeout. But Denver, since he come on, can you help us out a little bit here? We're not asking for a lot, We're just asking for a little because we've gotten a lot of bad NFL games lately. And while we appreciate having the NFL and we're gonna miss it when it's gone in about a month and a half or two two months, it hasn't exactly been spectacular football that we've gotten over the past several weeks. Jonas Knox here Fox Sports Radio at the Jonas Knox on X at the Jonas Knox on X where, by the way, the positive feedback has already come in. I have reached out via X and wished a police Navidad to one of our Hispanic listeners who had some nice things to say. You can go check that out for yourself. If you know Spanish, you can, you know, maybe ask somebody out loud if you don't. But I wouldn't do it in front of children, so that would just be my recommendation, do you But you can't check that out at the Jonas Knox where you could see the fun commentary Here on a holiday weekend, Here on a Saturday, late in December, here on Fox Sports Radio, we are going to have the usuals coming up later on, We're going to hand out an award. Listen, I mean you know that or you know whatever elsesech I said, but we are going to hand out an award coming up later on this hour. It is our TGFG game of the week. That'll be yours here bottom of this hour, and then we're gonna have another edition of Do You Care? Because we like positive sports talk radio, so we're just gonna be brutally honest about things you've been force fed throughout the course of the week. We've also got Knox locks for Week seventeen in the NFL coming up later on to closeup shop. It's all yours here on this two hour extravaganza.
Up next here.
Though apparently diva behavior is not just for wide receivers. Somebody has managed to pull it off in the most unlikely position in the NFL. I'll explain next Boom touch us for Jonas.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio dot Com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to listen live.
Jonas Knox Fox Sports Radio. Coming up a little over ten minutes from now from the Tirak dot com studios. We are going to hand out an award here on this show. There's only two of these left, all right, We've got two awards left our TGFG Game of the Week in the National Football League for Week seventeen, So we hand out that award coming up here for you a little over ten minutes from now. By the way, I mentioned the pleasantries which you can see on my social media at the Jonas Knocks on x where somebody said all sorts of raunchy things to me in Spanish. I only know like exactly what he said because a the in laws are Mexican and BFC narcos, so I know exactly what was being said. So you can go check that out for yourself if you'd like to. Also, I wanted to address this t longtime loyal listener to the program and Fox Sports Radio in general reached out and asked if I've already taken down the Christmas lights and if that happened on December twenty sixth per tradition that I've talked about on the show. Oh yeah, like Santa's fat ass wasn't even out the window before the lights were down.
Up and vanished like a fart in the wind.
Wife and son weren't even awake on the twenty sixth, and I had everything down, boxed up and gone, swept up, everything gone, and we had a lot everything gone. So yeah, no, no, no, no, this isn't one of those keep it up until February or keep it up until the middle of January. Now, all the inside stuff, my wife loves Christmas, so she'll hold on to that for as long as possible. She'll have, you know, everything done because it's got to be on this certain day in January. And it's got it like all of the I mean, it's it. And also there's way too much of it, so it takes her a long time to have to put it all away. But as far as the outside stuff goes, my jurisdiction gone like it never existed, literally gone. And it's so fast that my wife and son don't even know how to respond to it, like it's not even like they're and they catch me in the middle of taking it down and it's a slow process, and it's like, hey, are you sure about that?
I mean, you got he loves the lights. No, you don't have a say in the matter. It's over. It is over.
December twenty sixth gone, just like the Christmas music being played on this network. The second the twenty six hit, it's over. Same with the lights at the house. Strong belief in that and conviction, right, Jonas Knox here Fox Sports Radio. Now they I would like, I don't want to defend a position group, all right, this is not necessarily a defense of a position group. But I think now we're starting to understand that it's not just isolated to a position group. Like there's this term that gets thrown around diva wide receiver, and a lot of it is warranted because you will see wide receivers act in a way that you go, oh, it's just a wide receiver. I mean, we'd like it, you know, we know that we've we've heard all the stories, you've heard all the different wide receivers, the issues they bat or whatever, and it's like, well, that's just how wide receivers are.
You know, they're away from the football, they're.
On an island, which you know, they got a me first personality. So that's why we celebrate non diva wide receivers whenever they come along. Perfect example, Mike Evans, Mike Evans, no diva, no issues, no like the only issue he's ever had is when he throws down with Marshaun Latimer when he was with the Saints. That's it, like, no issue, like you just like and it's just high level production every single year. It doesn't matter if it's Jamis Winston throwing to him, Tom Brady, Baker Mayfield, doesn't matter. Guys just gonna produce. You know what you get, No drama, no bs, nothing, just a good dude, great player. You know what you get. And then you'll get other wide receivers like right, need listen. You know, George Pickens is in the news because you know, sometimes he wants to run the route and then sometimes he's like in the middle of the route, not into this, just not not my thing. So like you hear that, and you know, like some guys maybe will unfairly get labeled diva widers. But the point is when this stuff comes along and you see sort of, hey, this guy, you know, it's not working out here, but he ends up somewhere else. You look at the production and you go, well, why would you want to move on from them? Well, it's the behavior. It's not the numbers. The production is there on the field, it's the other stuff off the field. Antonio Brown all that you know, believe it or not, that is not just a wide receiver thing. Apparently, to where the production on the field is now outweighed by the other stuff off the field. Apparently that's not just a wide receiver. And in fact, apparently that's not even just a player thing. It's a coach thing too. I have been on record as saying one of the more bizarre things that we have going into the season, that if you followed along last year, or one of the most bizarre things, is the fact that Nick Sirianni was on the hot seat. I didn't get it.
It doesn't make any sense to me.
All the guy does is win games, like you can go back to when he got to Philly. First off, they've gotten to the playoffs every year, they went to a super Bowl, nearly won it. He's twenty six games over five hundred. We're talking like high level. You don't see this almost ever, if ever, in the NFL. When it comes to the first four years as a coach with the team, you go back to twenty twenty one, there's two teams that have more wins than the Eagles, Buffalo and Kansas City. Like you don't hear anything about Andy Reid's job security, You don't hear anything about Sean McDermott.
You wondered, ay, what's this year? Nothing?
Well, you don't hear anything. But with Sirianni you do. And then you start to realize, Oh, it's kind of like being.
A diva wide receiver.
Like you're willing to put up with all the stuff off the field as long as the production is there on the field. But the second there's a slip up, gotta go, Like his latest altercation with Zach Ertz that both of them are downplaying afterwards, you look at and you go, where else does that happen? And where else does that happen? When you've had other stuff happen this year, like yelling at the fans or the reported issues with Jalen Hurtz that may or may not be there the other stuff that went on last year, he was yelling at, you know, obscenities across the sideline all the then you start to realize, oh, so that's why his name was even floated out there as far as potentially being on the hook and being on the outs, and up until like maybe three four weeks ago, I thought to myself, man, there's no chance, no way that they move off from him. They're going to the playoffs. They're probably gonna win a game in the playoffs, at least you would assume. And with all the injuries Detroit Scott, if Jalen Hurts comes back and he's healthy, like I mean, I'm looking at it, going, man, Philly's got a real shot to go to another super Bowl. And now with the latest issue that came out and you start to pile that on to all the other stuff that goes on there with the team and AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts, he just starts to look at it and go, oh so, that's why that's why all of this stuff is even a conversation like, why would you, if you were the Pittsburgh Steelers, ever move off of Antonio Brown?
Why why would you have ever done it.
Antonio Brown for a time was the best, best wide receiver, one of the best players on the planet for a time. We're talking Hall of Fame guy was on his way to the Hall of Fame. Why'd you move on? Oh?
Got it?
Now?
What he's done, you know, post career and CTESPN. You know, he also had had an award show yesterday on social media, which you know, I'm a little disappointed. I wasn't up for. I was really hoping to win that award. You can go look at it yourself. Was really hoping I could be at least nominated for the award. But the point is, you needed all the other intel off the field to start to come out before you went, oh yeah, okay, we get it. Like it's now gotten to that. And I wonder if the Eagles are at the point now it's where they're like, you know what, this now supersedes all of the wins, Like now he said, like who has ever had an altercation with zach Ertz?
Like who's ever had an issue with s?
And Nick Sirianni had one. It had to be separated post game? Why like why are you yelling at the fans? Like why is any of this stuff happened, and then you realize, no, that's just him. Now I love it. I think it's great. Like I love the fact that Nick Sirianni's like this because it's entertaining as hell. But I can understand why the Eagles maybe after the season would be like, hey, dude, like we're we've really kind of loaded, Like this roster is really good. We like, we don't need all of it. We just need to, like somebody to stabilize and calm things down. And when all the other stuff starts to come out, like the hurts and aj Brown, the awkward thing, Brandon Graham speaking on it publicly and them trying to go afterwards, Oh no, it's not you just start to wonder if maybe players there feel like, well, we can do whatever the hell he wants. Why can I? Why not? Like Jalen Carter bashes some guy in the side of the head and Nick Sirianni's the first guy to go over there and talk to him, and him and the defensive line coach are like having words, and it's like the d line coach is probably like, dude, you know what you do? Like You're like, yeah, it's a teachable moment, So I now understand why the conversation is as loud as it is like, and now I get it because if it's not about production, it can't be about wins. Because all he does is win games at like almost a record pace. It can't be about wins. So it's got to be about something else. And the conversation sounds really similar to a DIVA wide receiver or a DIVA player, or a player whose production is at such a high level that makes you wonder why would you ever want to move on from him? And then you find out, oh, it's the other stuff that led to the decision. Jonas Knox here Fox Sports Radio at the Jonas Knox on X at the Jonas Knock on X. By the way, Rapid Radios are the official communication device of Fox Sports Radio. In an emergency. You want Rapid Radio's instant push to talk walkie talkies for clear national LTE coverage in one touch communication, peace of mind for connecting with family in an emergency. Go to Rapid radios dot com now for up to sixty percent off and free shipping. So we are going to hand out an award here on the show. It's our TGFG game of the week that'll be yours here, But first for all the latest from around the world of sports, including what the story is at halftime at Foxborough.
He's the one and only Martin wise Well.
Story is twenty to seven, the score of the Chargers with the lead at the half. Thirteen second quarter points for the Chargers, Cameron Dicker with a couple of field goals, lab Aconki with the touchdown catch, and Darius Davis the kick returner. Mostly you got to cuch on the first quarter to Mario Douglas with the touchdown off a thirty six yards strike from Drake May Drake, who.
Was knocked out of this game earlier.
He was evaluated for her head injury, went in to the tent, went into the locker room, and then went back into the game.
So he was cleared and came back finished the half.
Patriots cornerback Christian Zales will not he knocked out of the.
Game and is ruled out.
Speaking of other people ruled out, there's a pluthor of guys that got knocked out. Just a couple hours ago, Panthers put running back to a Hubbard on injury reserve with the cap strain. Dolphins downgrade to a Tonguobai loa to doubtful with the hip injury if he can't go to be Tyler Huntley against the Browns. The Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson ruled out with the foot and back sore. On this Joe Flacco gets to start for the Giants. Tony Pollard, Titans running back, didn't travel to the team with the team because he has the flu. His status is in jeopardy for Sunday's game of Jacksonville. He's also has an ankle injury that he had on the injury report. Jalen Hurts didn't clear concussion protocol and enough time to play it against Dallas on Sunday. Kenny Pickett's going to be your guy for that you're talking about. Antonio Brown likely would have been in Hall of Famer, and honestly, I still think he's got a pretty good shot. We are looking at the twenty twenty five class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It was the Modern era.
Finalists were announced for induction today and the five players who can be selected in their first year of eligibility would be Eli Manning, Derel Suggs, Luke Keighley, Marshall Yonda and Adam Vinetteri Steve Smith former wide receiver. He's the first time finalist in his fourth year of eligibility. Antonio Gay, Sharry Evans, Jared Allen, Reggie Wayne, Fred Taylor, Tory Ol Willy Anderson, Darren Woodson, quarnerback Eric Allen also all returning finalists. Yukon beat North Carolina twenty seven to fourteen in the Fenway Bowl. Nebraska leads Boston College twenty to two at the start of the fourth quarter ten minutes left in the first and start of the fourth quarter of.
The Pinch Strike Bowl.
Excuse me, TCU with a seven nothing lead with eleven minutes left in the first quarter. In the New Mexico Bowl, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck declared for the NFL Draft. He also had Tommy John surgery on a storing arm last week. Foxspoint guard Damian Lillard said to play today against the Bulls.
He's missed the last four games. Jonas, back to you.
Thanks Martin. Jonas Knox here on Fox Sports Radio. Coming up in we will call it about twelve minutes from now here from the Tirak dot Com studios. We are going to have another edition of Do You Care? This is just upbeat, positive stuff. It's the final Do You Care of the year for twenty twenty four, So that'll be a good conversation to have here. If you'd like to hear the brutal truth about several storylines that have been foresped to you throughout the course of the week in the world of sports, that'll be yours here again twelve minutes from now here on Fox Sports Radio. But right now it is time to hand out an award for the second to last time this year. It is our TGFG Game of the Week, and this might be the easiest of the entire year.
Titans at Jaguars.
Oh baby, Look, when you think TGFG Game of the Week, you think of, all right, what can we get here?
Can we get like a couple.
Of teams that are bottom feeders in the league, teams that are like you know, not good at all and also not all that entertaining, And step right up in week seventeen to the AFC South Donnybrook, which is the Titans and the Jags six and twenty four a combined record between these two and that'll be going on at Trevor Banks stadium there in Jacksonville. The Titans and Jaguars, both awful football teams. You know, it's hilarious though. This is my favorite part about Tennessee. So report comes out from Tom Pellisera which is the Titans are expected to bring back Brian Callahan as head coach. Why would they fire him? Got like you just walked away from Mike Rable, Who's the hottest coaching candidate on the market. Everybody misses him. He was the guy, the face of the franchise. You bring in Brian Callahan, you gotta give him at least a year, like you gotta give me at least a year to see whether or not they can find a quarterback, whether or not they can draft a quarterback, depending on where they pick in the draft. But nonetheless, all that being said, it does lead you up to this week, seventeen Sunday, one pm Eastern time. They're in Jacksonville to close out twenty twenty four Titans Jags. Your TGFG game of the week, Thank God for gambling. Game of the week is if not for gambling, who the f is watching this? Jonas Knox here Fox Sports Radio again at the Jonas Knox on X at the Jonas Knox on X coming up next here. Though this is a show tradition, we basically take all the things that you've been forced to hear about and listen to people talk about throughout the course of the week, and we do something different. We give you the brutally honest truth on all of them, and it's yours next year in another edition of Do You Care right here on Fox Sports Radio Jonas Knox, Fox Sports Radio coming up top of next hour. There's a really really really good thing in the world of sports, good thing in the NFL, but there's like a key ingredient that's missing, you know what I mean, Like there's something that's really lacking about this one thing other than that it's great. Other than that is great. We will get into that for you coming up here in a little over fifteen minutes from now from the tire Raq dot Com studios. Quick update for you on the NFL game currently taking place in New England. It is the Chargers of twenty to seven over the Patriots early on in the third quarter, so the Bolts looking to get win number ten of the years. We'll keep you posted on that throughout the course of the show. By the way, a reminder, if you've missed any of this show, you can check out the podcast. Just search Fox Sports Radio wherevery podcast. Be sure to also follow, rate and review it again. Just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get you podcast. You'll see this show posted right after we get off the air.
There are so many stories in the world of sports, and most of them are a complete waste.
Of time DMG reports.
Let's get kinky.
Here's some of the big stories from the last week. But Jonas, the real question is do you care?
And for that we turn it over to a man he must have pissed somebody off because he's working this show again, the one and only Bo Benson Bow. What's happening?
Always a pleasure, Always a pleasure. I want to start with, h know what the sick bess is going to do next?
That's right.
I want to start with probably the most important story in sports over the last weeks or so. Chess great hand icon Magnus Carlson quit the World Rapid World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York on Friday after the governing body of Chess barred him from participating in a round of the tournament for the horrific crime of wearing jeans. Oh Jonas, do you care?
Yeah? Yeah, I'm good for you a stand you know what I mean? Like, look, I wear jeans, Like, who doesn't like a pair of jeans? Like, it doesn't matter if they're blue jeans, jeans with holes in them, black jeans, like whatever you need, Like, listen, they're good for everything. You can wear them with a sport code, you can wear them with a T shirt. You can wear them with like really messed up holy shirt that's you know, like some old band's T shirt. You got a nice pair of shoes, Like, listen, who does like a pair of jeans? And if this guy wants to be a little bit more relatable, like that's the problem. Look, I'm never I'm not really a chess guy. I'm more of a Checkers Connect four type of guy myself personally. Not that that's surprising here, but I do find it kind of odd that anybody would find entertainment and like, hey, what do you want to do today? Hey, let's go down to the park and play chess. You ever seen those guys sitting around playing chess at the park? Wait? What dude, Like, why do you play with ball at least like go play, go play corn hole, play some beer pong, like like be like like have like a personality. So the fact that this guy tried to add a little personality to a chess tournament and stood on his beliefs and his conviction, I'm happy for him.
Next Rams running back. Former Rams running back Eric Dickerson told the La Times this week that he does not want to see Eagles running back Saquon Barkley break his single season rushing yarded record.
Jonas, do you care, Yeah, I cant. It's awesome.
I love it.
I love it.
I love Eric Dickerson. You know, we have an opportunity to talk with Eric Dickerson a couple of times throughout the course of the year.
Whatever.
I'm filling in on the blowtorch A five seventy LA Sports, and Eric Dickerson's great, Like he will he is not like, not ashamed, he will be brutally honest. Like he was part of the reason why the falling out with Jeff Fisher and the Rams started to happen because he was like, yeah, listen, I wanted tickets. Jeff Fisher wouldn't hook me up with some good tickets so and went public and complained about it. He's going to call it as it is, and that's his record that if he wants to hold on to it for as long as he can, good for him.
Next after being ruled out of the College fotball playoff, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has declared for the NFL draft.
Jonas, do you care?
Yeah, not really.
I'll be honest with you, because, look, I don't know where he's going to fall in line when it comes to the draft. Like you know, there's going to be a run on quarterbacks. I was talking to Brady Quinn about it. He thinks maybe he'll be the second quarterback off the board. Cam Ward's going to be an interesting breakdown. But as far as what's next for him at the next level, I think we've already seen it doesn't matter where you get drafted in the NFL. If you don't have a structure around you, you can't succeed as a QB. Next.
Sixer center Joel Embiid was fined seventy five grand by the NBA for making obscene gestures during the Sixers win over these Celtics on Christmas Day, Jonas, do you care.
No, I don't care about this. I mean, well, look, I'll say this though, it's better than the punishment, the flag and potential fine that Travis Kelsey got for dunk in a bat for Duncan and football in honor of Tony Gonzalez. Like that I didn't understand. Like, he passes Tony Gonzalez, he jumps up and dunks a football, and all of a sudden, it's like, oh, listen, we've got.
To punish this guy.
Have you seen some of the other celebrations in the NFL throughout the course of the year. I mean, Jamiir Gibbs against the Bears, scored, went to the goal post, was grinding on the goalpost with two other teammates around him dancing. It got called back for a holding penalty. Then he scored again and did the exact same grinding celebration with two teammates celebrating around him, and nobody thought anything of it. They're just like, oh, whatever, listen, you know, who's ever grinded on a goalpost before? What's wrong with that? So some of these punishments what they decide. And also like people are like, oh, you know, he brandished a firearm? Did he really though, I mean, did he really like you ever looked at a buddy of year say, hey, baby, you and me today and you do you like a little finger gun at him? Is that brandishing a firearm? Are you just trying to be cheesy? I don't get it.
Next, Nuggets coach Mike Malone told the media that the Kings showed no class in how they handled the firing of coach Mike Brown. Yesterday, Jonas, do you care? Yeah, I actually do, because you got screwed. So apparently Mike Brown. They're in the midst of a losing street. The Sacramento Kings. By the way, the Sacramento Kings are an NBA team For people that aren't familiar.
NBA is a basketball league.
They shoot a round ball, goes into a hoop there that's on both sides of the court. It's got a net on the bottom of the basketball. You probably haven't seen it based on the numbers, you probably haven't watched much of it this year. But so Mike Brown's coaching the Kings. They've been disappointing this year. I think they're like five games under five hundred. And he goes to practice, he has a media session he's in his car on his way to the airport to fly out with them on a road trip and then gets called and they tell them that you're fired, Like wait what? And so not only is Mike Malone burying the Sacramento Kings for the decision, Steve Kerrz chimed in on it, obviously because that's somebody who coached with him in Golden State for a long time. Tom Thibodeau has talked about it like he's gotten completely screwed by the Sacramento Kings. Then it's not the first time. I mean, look what happened to Darvin Ham and the Lakers, Like they win this quote unquote in Season Cup. In the next year, it's like he's got to go. Like the NBA, the players run that league, and if a player doesn't like you or they're not getting along with you, you're on the hook and you're gonna be gone. And that's the way it goes. And coaches around the NBA realize it and now they're speak it out about it. So good for them. Next.
The much famed New Jersey drone sightings have continued to fall as the holidays come to a close. Following an early December surge. I'm assuming there might be less flights in the air. I don't know, Jonas. Do you care?
Yeah?
I care. Let me tell you why.
Look, I have no idea whether or not it's a drone looking for nuke parts, or whether or not it's you know, like some kid who got a drone for you know, his bot mitz fun. He's like firing it up into the sky to like look at people, or maybe he's like a peeping tom.
Like I have no.
Idea, like what the hell these things are for. But the point is it does open up conversation. Like there's a new UFO documentary from James Fox. It's out on Amazon. I watched it last night. There's, I mean, just a great encounter with the UFO. So at least it adds a little spice here. And let's be truthful, it's not like the NFL has given us a lot of good content to break down this week. So if we can talk a little bit more about drones, if we can work in a UFO siding or two, if we can confuse Santa Sleigh with some sort of a you know, an unidentified or aerial phenomenon, a UAP or whatever, they're calling them now because they come out of the water. Sometimes at least it adds some interesting content to what's been a really mediocre NFL week. So let the drones fly. As long as they don't peep on me. I'm good with everything involved. You know, there's something missing from a place in the NFL, and all they got to do is look across town and they can see it like it's very obvious. We will get into that for you coming up here in just a couple of moments from now. Jonas Knox, Fox Sports Radio. You can listen to this show as always on the iHeartRadio app. You can find us on hundreds of affiliates all across the country and wherever you are making us a part of your Saturday afternoon. We appreciate you doing so. We are going to take you all the way up until the end of this hour four pm Eastern time, one o'clock Pacific, and we're doing it all live. We'll do you tire rack dot com Studios tire rack dot Com. We'll help you get there, an unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free road as a protection, and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tire rack dot Com, The way tire buying should be. So I was opening up the show talking about the situation with the LA Chargers, who, by the way, the chart Argers do have a twenty seven to seven lead over the New England Patriots. Another touchdown for lab mcconkeye. He's got two on the day from Justin Herbert. So the Chargers are running away with this game. As expected, the Patriots are not a very good football team, and so the situation there looks just about how we all expected it to be. Was the Chargers going into Foxborough taking care of businesses. The Patriots are just limping towards the finish line. So that said, you look at the decision by the LA Chargers to bring in Jim Harbaugh, and my point earlier was look coaching matters, and yeah, he's got a quarterback there, and there's some talent there, but it's not like everybody came into the season going, man oh man, the Chargers have the most talented team in the league. You haven't years past. But the difference is they have a coach who you look at and go, man, this is going to work, because it's worked everywhere he's gone. And what's so funny about that is that this was like a coach who wanted to be elsewhere, believe it or not, Like this coach had like two preferred places Jim Harbaugh did. Like he did two places like he wanted to go to, like he preferred to go to, you know, like one of them was the Raiders and you know they went with Antonio Peers because you know, the players there really liked him and all that. And then the other one was last year he reached out and was interested in the Bears head coaching job. Jim Harbaugh. You know that guy, this guy who like has changed the optimism with the Chargers unlike we've seen in a long time. There.
Like he wanted to be in Chicago because that was the team that drafted him.
He played for the Bears for a long time and you know, like he's still very fond of that and he wanted to be there. But the Bears were, like Kevin Warren said, Nan.
And I, We're not interested.
We're not We're you know, we're just gonna we're gonna go with Matt Eberflus again this year. We're gonna give him a chance. All good, listen, all good, gonna give him a chance. And then after he gets fired, then we're gonna turn the keys over to an offensive coordinator passing game coordinator who just became the offensive coordinator because we've already fired the offensive coordinator. And as you've seen how that's all played out, like you've seen it. And you know what's so funny about this, I was thinking about it. The Bears are like the Cubs without Wrigley Field, which without Wrigley Field, the Cubs are just an underwhelming, historically bad franchise.
Who's won one.
World Series that's gonna keep them afloat and keep everybody into the team for decades. Upon deck aides, and it kind of sounds similar because the Bears have been living off the eighty five season for ever now ever since then, it's almost like, hey, that's good. That'll that'll just carry, that'll carry the optimism, that'll carry like everything we look back on this and that, And I've talked about it before. Since that eighty five season, they've got six playoff wins. Like they've been bad, they've had some good teams, Like they've had some really good players. They've listened in the two thousands, they had some really good players. Devin Hester is a Hall of Famer, er Lackers, a Hall of Famer, Olden Krutz, borderline Hall of Famer. Like they've had really really good players, like good team Lovey Smith was a good coach. You know what they did after he went ten and six one year he fired him. Yeah, you know, why not. But it's literally the Cubs, but without like the awesome venue that they play at. It's like a restaurant that's got mediocre food, but there's something else about the restaurant that you go to be a part of. Like I don't want to name the place, but there's this place in town. It's an Italian place, and the food's like, you know not, I mean it's okay, Like you order chicken palm and like, you know, you're hoping that it's not burnt, Like the sauce isn't all that flavorful, Like you know, occasionally you'll get an espresso at the end of the meal. Maybe it's hop maybe it's not. You know, you're just hoping there's you know, enough caffeine in it to like overcome the food coming. But like the point is, like you go to this place and the venue feels festive.
The waiters sing.
To you, like as you're waiting for your meal, they'll just start singing opera and they're really really good, Like they're singing Italian opera. Like it is like that place is awesome because of that, Like they recognize, hey, you know what, food's not all that great, all right, and it's hit or miss on on exactly what you're gonna get from one meal to the next.
But you know what, though, here's some entertainment.
We've got waiters who are like professional singers, and the whole place it feels like you're in Italy. Like it feels Italian. You know, it's like going to a Mexican restaurant. Look, the food's not all that great, but man, they got the best mariachi band that comes to your tables. They're making your guacamole. Like it's if you were to take away the singing waiters and the mariachi band, you just got a mediocre restaurant to bad restaurant. That's it. But they recognize, hey, at least you've got something to offer you. The Cubs are historically a bad franchise, a nickel and dime franchise, but Wrigley Fields awesome. People go there when it's not baseball season, just to be in the neighborhood because they look at it and go, this is history. This has been here for you know, a century. This like you got the it's it's right next to all these cool spots, and there's a vibe there and Wrigleyville's fun. Like you like, you go there and you don't even care that the team sucks. I was there two years ago, Like you're walking around the place looking at it. I remember some guy stop me and he goes, hey, man, you think they were actually good. I'm like, yeah, right, Like you know, like there's people everywhere, like it's a tourist attraction. You gotta go when they take when you look up like things to do in Chicago, Wrigley Field's one of them. You know, it's not a Bears game. It's not like they don't even want to be in that stadium anymore. They can't even find a place to put the new stadium in. They're still arguing over us that Arlington is it? Here is it? They're like, we're not quite sure, but here's a new drawing of the stadium. Look at this. It's all like, ah, this is what it's going to look like, yeah, where people supposed to park? Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Like they're the restaurant with bad food and no entertainment. Like how many times do they have to be presented on national TV or a big spotlight game where you go, this team is not good at all, Like if you were to look across town, at least, at the very least, the Cubs.
Can give you Wrigley Field.
Like you remember Mark Cuban was trying to buy the Cubs years ago, and they tried to say, well, listen enough, if you want to buy the Cubs, Wrigley Field is a separate thing altogether. That's a set, And Mark Cuban said, now, I'm good, thanks, Like why would I want to buy this team if I can't have Wrigley Field. That's the attraction, that's the singing waiter, that's the mariachi band. Other than that, this is below average food. The Bears don't even have that. They know that. So I'm looking at this on Thursday and you look back to all of the ten game losing streak and all, and it's like.
Oh, okay, all right, we're just gonna wow.
Let's let's mercifully get get to the end of the season and they but we've got no like, there's not as much hope as you think that there is. And what's playing out that everybody's just now tuning into has been going on for decades. They've been living off one season. They've been living off some great players at certain points of time, and other than that, they've been floundering trying to figure out what direction to go. And you're watching a team like the Chargers, who's got Jim Harbaughs show up to town and all of their historical dysfunction and issues and late game mismanagement and injury, all of that isn't even just we're not even talking about anymore, because there's actual hope there. Okay, even if they don't win a Super Bowl this year, and they probably won't, at least you know they've got the guy who's gonna send him in the right direction. With the Bears, you don't have that, and you don't have a bunch else. Jonas Knox here, Fox Sports Radio at the Jonas Knox at the Jonas Knox and X By the way, thirty to seven is the score there. The Chargers over the Patriots third quarter, four minutes and change left to go in. Hey, what do you know? Another wipe out in the NFL this week? Awesome? So another bad game that the NFL has given us here. But maybe who knows, maybe Drake Mail starts slinging it around a little bit and get him.
Back into this game. We'll keep you posting.
By the way, a lot of positive feedback here on social media, A big fans of the program thus far. On what we're doing here on a Saturday. By the final Saturday show of the twenty twenty four years, you would expect all the classics, Derek writes in glad to see that unwatchable NFL is now catering to these bleeps like Jonas so they can entertain you bleepwads with Beyonce instead of the actual sport. Next to you and your pack of bleeps can beg bleep ass Goodell to book t Swift to perform you bleep gobbler. Aaron wrights In figures that Jonas's show because if it wasn't for uh D, I can't even read that never mind. That's yeah, that's that's inappropriate. Tony writes in Bleep, Sirianni should whoop Joni Jayoff's pasty ass instead of feuding with bleeps in the media, fans or loser bum ass Eagles you soy boy, bleep so happy holidays from everybody on social media here on a Saturday, an hour two of this two hour extravaganza. Coming up next here though, from the tire rack dot com studios, We're going to tell you how one team in the NFL has got a really interesting decision to make really interesting but apparently they're not taking any chances.
We'll get into that for you here on FSR.
Jonas Knox Fox Sports Radio, by the way, coming up a little over ten minutes from now here from the tire Raq dot com studios. I believe that maybe the greatest of all time might be the greatest of all time. I believe he's wrong. I believe he took the wrong approach when it comes to something in the world of football here that he has said recently. We'll get into that for you again a little over ten minutes from now.
Here on FSR.
A quick update for you from the game currently taking place at Foxborough.
It is the Chargers with a thirty.
To seven lead over the New England Patriots. A minute twenty left to go on the third quarter, it's been all la.
New England's trying, man.
I mean they're going forward on fourth down from their own territory. They're doing whatever they can and it's not enough at all or even close. So it looks like New England's on their way to four to a three and thirteen record. With one game remaining, the Chargers are going to be ten and six. What is interesting about the Chargers situation when it comes to the playoffs. If you're the Chargers in the Broncos like, you're looking around going, dude, is there any possibility or any hope for us to get into the five seed? Like, is there any hope for you to get in the five seat? Because whoever gets in the five seed, because right now the Pittsburgh Steelers have the five spot, whoever gets there. I mean, you're looking at Houston in the first round. Of all the teams in the AFC playoffs, especially the division leaders, anybody in the five spot I look at as being a team that can beat Houston any of them. Other than that, you're gonna end up with either Buffalo or Baltimore. So if Baltimore is sitting there and maintains that three spot, and you're the sixth seed, whether it be Denver, whether it be the Chargers. I actually think it might be more difficult to go in and beat Baltimore right now than it would be Buffalo, because I'll say this, man, I've been pounding the table for Josh Allen as MVP for weeks and weeks and weeks. I think I might be wrong. Lamar Jackson's unbelievable. We were talking about this on the show this week, that he was already an MVP last year and he's gotten better, significantly better. And I don't know that there's another quarterback in the league who's had as good of a year as Lamar Jackson. He's unbelievable, and Josh Allen's had a great year. And whoever wins, there's going to be a debate, because of course there is at sports. There's always going to be a debate. But I think Lamar Jackson's got a real opportunity to steal this thing, which three four weeks ago, I thought it was a done deal. I thought Josh Allen was a slam dunk MVP. I thought it was over. I thought, listen, it's the store it's you know, he's never wonted. He's never man. I don't care how many times Lamar Jackson has won it. He's better this year than any of his MVP seasons before, Like he's gotten that much better. And so if you just look at the Baltimore Ravens right now, I don't know that they're not the most dangerous team in the AFC or in the NFL period, based on what they have figured out and what they're putting together. And then it becomes the conversation of, well, listen, we see what happens in the postseason with them, because they've come up short every single time. But I just I thought it was a done deal. I thought Josh Allen had this whole thing wrapped up. I was wrong. Lamar Jackson should be the MVP. Whether or not he wins it, who knows, that's a whole nother discussion. But he's been the best quarterback in the NFL. And I don't even think it's close. At the Jonas Knocks on X. At the Jonas Knocks and X, and you can hang out with us as always on the iHeartRadio app. There was a report from Diana Versine of the Athletic earlier that was discussing the situation in Minnesota at quarterback, because you know, the Vikings find themselves in a really interesting spot. So apparently the Minnesota Vikings, who have Sam Darnald as their quarterback for ten million dollars a year, apparently there is some discussion about what they will do moving forward, and that they'd like to bring him back at least for another year so they can either franchise tag and which is going to be over forty million dollars, they could give him a shorter term deal, whatever the case may be.
But what makes this interesting is.
That JJ McCarthy was drafted just this past year in the top ten, and you would assume that that would be their franchise quarterback. And if I'm the Minnesota Vikings and I'm looking around at this, I don't know that I even risk or take a chance at moving on from Sam Darnold. I think I try and lock him up long term. And you could say, well, it's just because he's with Kevin O'Connell. Okay, Well, if Kevin O'Connell's not going anywhere, what does it matter? Like who cares that it's the system? If it's working, go with it. And if they make a deep run, which they've got an opportunity to based on the injuries and what's happening in the NFC. If they make a deep run and Sam Darnold continues to play the way that he's playing, how the hell do you move off of that? Like, how the hell do you just bring him back for a one year deal? Like if you could lock him up long term and you see, hey, this works, this has got staying power here. We've already got Justin Jefferson, We've got Jordan Adison, and look, Addison's a really good player. I mean, I wouldn't let him pick me up from the airport, but he's a really good player, you know, like just you know some of the other stuff he's gonna work on. But point is, Minnesota's got talent. And if you can have that talent in place around to Sam Donald, even though you've already drafted a quarterback.
Why would you take the chance?
Like like why go in a different direction just because you want to play kate to the move that you already made, Like you didn't expect this from Sam darna You were optimistic, like Justin Jefferson was optimistic. You know, obviously knew JJ McCarthy was injured, He knew that Kirk Cousins was gone, but you were you were hoping like there was some hope there that then and some optimism that Sam Donald was going to be able to get it done for you. But I think he's performed at a level that is way beyond anything that they thought.
Now.
I think it's completely opened the door for them to want to make him their long term answer quarterback. Now what you do with JJ McCarthy. Pete Prisco and I were kind of throwing it around during the week. Look, there's gonna be some teams on the outside looking in, some teams that wanted a quarterback in last year's draft that weren't able to get one. Do you entertain the idea of maybe trading JJ McCarthy, even though he's never played, even though he's coming off this injury. Do you entertain the idea of trading him if you believe Sam Donald your guy, and one of those teams that's going to be out there that's going to be looking for a quarterback that's going to be on the outside looking in at one of these top quarterbacks in this draft that was on the outside looking in at one of the top quarterbacks in last year's draft is the Raiders. And I just wonder, if you're the Minnesota Vikings, do you call up the Raiders and say, are you interested in JJ McCarthy, because if he was there and available last year, they would have drafted him. I think Sam Donald's completely changed the conversation for the Vikings. I think he's completely changed it. And if you want to do the Michigan connection and say, hey, Tom Brady's going to have personnel say there and JJ McCarthy is a Michigan guy, like, maybe maybe there's some But if I'm Minnesota, I'm looking around going, man, this isn't just a one year deal for me. I'm not franchising him to see what I got in JJ McCarthy, Why take the chance at all? Like, if it's me, I'm locking him up long term. And if I've got to move on from JJ McCarthy, so be it. But I think I found my quarterback of the future. And if anybody wants to say, well, no, he's gonna regress. It's the Sam Donald of old. I don't know, man, Like this looks pretty good and all the key ingredients are there. Kevin O'Connell's going to be locked up long term. They're not letting him go justin Jefferson has locked up long term. Why would you not lock up a guy who's having the best year of his career and one of the best quarterback seasons in the NFL just because you drafted an unknown in the top ten last year. To me see what maybe you could potentially get for JJ McCarthy. I think the Raiders make a ton of sense, and I would go with Sam Donald long term. So the theory and the info put out from Diana Rassinia that the Vikings are thinking we want to keep him long term there in Minnesota. What that looks like, we'll see. I think it makes a ton of sense. He's been fantastic this year. Jonas Knox Fox Sports Radio at the Jonas Knocks on X at the Jonas Knox on X. By the way, Countdown to Kickoff ten am Eastern Time, seven am Pacific every single Sunday, So football fans be sure to tune in to Fox Sports Radio because Countdown to Kickoff is presented by BETMGM, Brian know, George, Jeff schwartzcuse me, and professional better Bill Krakenberger will have you covered three hours before every kickoff Sunday morning. Listen to Countdown to Kickoff, presented by BETMGM right here on Fox Sports Radio and on the iHeartRadio app.
By the way, they do parlay parties on that show.
As well too. I do like the fact that Jeff Schwartz has become a degenerate gambler. Good for him, good friend, Like I think I was kind of there when he started his journey down this road. And Brian Knows always been a degenerate gambler. So it's good to see those guys are getting a little bit of love. And they do a great job on that show. So check it out here every single Sunday morning. By the way, we are going to get into a discussion about somebody, maybe the greatest of all time, who apparently is taking the wrong approach when it comes to one of the great things we get every single football season. We'll get into that for you here on FSR, but for all the latest from around the world of sports, including the most recent scoring touchdown for the La Chargers at Boxborough. He's the one and only Martin.
Wise, that'd be JK.
Dobbins right through the a gap, one touchdown on the ground for him, seventy six yards rushing, one touchdown total.
For the New England Patriots.
Right now, it's not been pretty doing thirty seven to seven score with twelve minutes left in the fourth quarter.
You were talking earlier about this.
How you know you would just you know, all we wanted for Christmas was a good game.
Yeah, still haven't gotten one.
Nope.
Right now we're looking at the winnings. Teams have scored one hundred and three points. If this margin of third seven and seven between the Chargers and the Patriots Holls, that means the teams that have won from Christmas to now will have scored one hundred and three the losing teams will score twenty two. So one hundred and three to twenty two scoring margin there wins and losses. That's exactly the way they drew it up. Yeah, jeez man, Justin Herbert putting people's fantasy teams on his back. Three touchdowns, two hundred and eighty one yards through the air, Lad McConkey, ninety four yards on the ground.
I'm perceiving. I'm sorry.
Two touchdowns as well to Mario Douglass got that touchdown. Drake May leading the Patriots and passing in rushing one oh seven through the air thirty two on the ground tells you how the day's been going for New England.
He has a touchdown pass.
He was knocked out of the game in the first half, evaluated for a head injury. He came back in the game, obviously, Christian Gonzalez did not. He also had a head injury. He's ruled out. Panthers put running back chu Bu Hubbard on ir with the CAF strained. Dolphins downgrade quarterback to a tongue by Loa to doubtful with the hip injury.
Can't play. Tyler Huntley will start against the Browns.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson ruled out for Indianapolis. He's got foot in back soreness. Joe Flacco starting against the Giants. Titans running back Tony Poler didn't travel with the team.
He's got the flu.
The status in jeopardy for Sunday's game at Jacksonville. Jalen Hurts, Eagles quarterback did not clear concussion protocol. Kenny Pickett gets the start Sunday. Pro Football Hall of Fame First time finalist for the class of twenty twenty five are Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Luke Keigley, Marshall, Yonda, and Adam Vinetteri. In college football, Yukon beat North Carolina twenty seven and fourteen in the Fenway Bowl and the New Mexico Bowl. TCU has a twenty dozering lead over at Louisiana with three minutes left in the first half. Nebraska beat Boston College twenty to fifteen in the Pinstripe Bowl. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck declared for the NFL Draft. He had UCL surgery in his throwing arm last week. Bucks point guard Damian Lillard set to play today against the Bulls. He's missed the last four games. Right now, with one forty two left in the first quarter, the Atlanta Hawks lead the Miami Heat twenty eight to twenty six.
Jonas back to.
You, Thanks Martin Jonas. Knox here on Fox Sports Radio. Coming up in about fifteen minutes from now, we are going to have the week seventeen edition of Knox Locks that will be yours here on FSR. I wait, look, last week, we're kind of we find ourselves in the same spot, all right, But it all comes down to the final two weeks, trying to get over the hump, trying to do something we haven't done I think all year long, if if my memory serves me correct. So we will get into the details on that for you again, coming up here at about twelve minutes from now from the tiraq dot com studio. So I love me some Nick Saban, all right. I love the fact that he is forever a red ass. I love the fact that he got pissed off at Shane Gillis and it became really, really awkward. I love it. I got to disagree with Nick Saban on something. He was on the Pat McAfee show this week and he was talking about Ohio State fans, and he was talking about Ohio State fans who were really caught up in this Michigan rivalry so much so that it feels like it supersedes even them going after a national championship. Let's take a listen.
These are high state fans. You know, they got a psychotic obsession with Michigan and they need to go get therapy or something to try to get it bit because they have a chance to win the national championship, and here you are. You know, nobody's excited about their opportunity to play because they lost to Michigan, which was a tough game.
So I totally disagree with him. And here's why.
When the expansion of the college football playoffs happened, one of the things that people were worried about is, well, you're going to diminish the regular season. You know, you're you're going to diminish some of these other games that are out there. And to a certain extent, I could understand the logic, but my point on it was always this, there are certain rivalries in sports that you don't need a record or a ranking attached to to make it worthwhile. You just don't. There are certain rivalries in sports that you don't need a bunch on the line as far as a chance to win a conference championship or a chance to go to a national championship. You don't need all that for it to matter and mean a lot to a lot of people. And Michigan and Ohio State is one of those. And it feels like the pressure and the heat has gotten ratcheted up in that rivalry over the past several years. Maybe more so than in years past. And if you talk to enough people there, they try and explain it to you as no, you don't understand, this is a big deal. Like Brady Quinn grew up in the area and he would tell me stories about it. I was like, wait, really, Albert Breer, who's a guest here on Fox Sports Radio. You hear him on Two Pros and a Cup of Joe. You hear him with Colin Coward. Albert's fantastic. Albert is a Ohio State alum. Remember, Like we asked him one time, Hey, would you rather beat Michigan but lose a national title or vice versa, win a national title and lose to Michigan, And he said, I'd rather beat Michigan and lose a national title, which is bizarre, which doesn't make any sense at any level in the NFL, like it doesn't matter, Like you can't even you can't even comprehend it. Like if you're an NFL team and you lost to your arch rival twice during the season, but you ended up winning a super Bowl, nobody cares. You're the super Bowl champion Ohio State. And it was part of the reason why I kind of liked Tennessee last week because I wasn't sure what I was going to get from Ohio State because they completely melted down in that game to Michigan. They completely unraveled in that game. And you could feel the intensity and the pressure ratchet up as that game got late, because they were like, oh god, we were supposed to run away with this game, and now we find ourselves trailing and it's the fourth quarter with five minutes left, or it's the fourth quarter with two minutes left, or oh my god, the clocks winding down, we're actually gonna lose. You could feel it. It was palpable while you watch the game. We were on the air what was happening, Like, you don't ever want to lose that. So when Nick Saban says, well, they need, you know, to get some sort of therapy and that no, no, no, no, they got it right, Like that is proof that some of these expansions don't diminish what that game means. And the second it does, that's when I think college football's got a problem. That's when I think sports has got a problem when all of a sudden, the rivalries start to go away because and the intensity of the rivalries, because one team did this and the other team went in direction. No, no, no, that game still got a matter and what we saw between those two teams a month ago and just sort of the fallout ever since to where look, Michigan is nowhere in the conversation of a national title this year, and they're running around like they won the national title because they beat Ohio State. But the two different conversations, Ohio State looked maybe like the best team of the opening round of the college football playoffs last weekend.
Yet they'll never.
Get the taste out of their mouth of oh my god, but we lost to Michigan. Like I'm telling you, they're the seniors that came back to beat Michigan because they hadn't done it in their career. If they were to go on and win a national title, they'll walk around with that ring and celebrate being a national champion, and they'll never be able to say, yeah, but I beat Michigan, like it's gonna haunt them the rest of their life.
So when Nick Saban was all they need, no they don't. This is what.
College football has to have, otherwise it just becomes the same as the NFL and the same as everywhere else where. Hey, we only put a premium on you winning a national title, and if you don't win a championship, then nothing else matters. No, no, no, This is proof that those teams could be bottom feeders. They could be national championship considerations. They get the fact that they care that much and they're this depressed about it tells you everything you need to know. Let's go live to our I have a thought on depression inside of Christophe for the latest.
Quell I do, I do do depression. But either way, I grew up in Toledo, which is for those who don't know where, Toledo is just right on the border with Michigan and Ohio state. In fact, in history, Ohio and Michigan fought a war over Toledo, and the game is usually seen as an extension of that. But I think to your point, Jonas, I've been talking with people back home who are still rooting against Ryan Day in these playoffs just because they want a better.
Excuse to fire him.
And you know, you know the name comparison that comes up to and it's a dming name, J Cooper, John Cooper, who went I believe two ten and one against Michigan in his tenure there, and that's all you will ever know John Cooper for is that he could not beat Michigan. But this is this is what hangs over Ryan Day's head and should hang over.
His head and bo John Cooper won like over one hundred games or something, yes the time.
Yeah, I just want to say real like real quick from Nick Saban to say this, like it's really rich because like you would have needed he would have needed like secret service protection to go grocery shopping in Alabama if Bama ever lost like three straight to Auburn.
Or Yeah, I was gonna say, like you you played the Iron Bowl and you're talking like.
This, come on, yeah, yeah, and uh it's that's why I'm like, dude, like this is like Ohio State fans being so miserable and still great is hilarious.
That's that's the point, Martin, what's going on?
Jonas c The thing you said, Michigan fans are walking around like they won the national championship as a result of this. What you're missing is we did win the national championship last year and then the entirety of the program left, like eighteen seniors, Jim Harpen the team, right now that's up thirty on the Patriots is being coached by the coach, and the defensive coordinator is the same defensive coordinator that was coaching in the National Championship Game last year and still undefeated against their rivals, and got the quarterback that everybody wanted in the port like got Bryce Underwood. Yeah, this is the best possible scenario for Michigan, cause we're never gonna be just bad again and still will be in Ryan Day's head.
That's why this is amazing. It is a super Bowl.
It's also the best result for college football.
The fact that this is even a conversation, like the fact that Michigan actually pulled it off, went into Ohiowa State. I'm telling you, man, we were on the air what was happening, And I'm like, dude, they thought it was going to be a coronation, like this is going to be three years for four years pent up frustration they were going to take out on Michigan. And the second they started trailing, I thought, oh god, you can feel them start.
To stress out.
The highest paid roster in the history of college football and you only scored ten points at home.
But damn they look good last week I'll say they.
Really did it.
Is a Jonas Knox here Fox Sports Radio at the Jonasknox coming up next here though, we will close up shop on this Saturday with another edition of Knox Locks right here on FSR. Jonas Knox Fox Sports Radio coming up top of next hour a little over ten minutes from now here from the Tireraq dot Com studios, and we'll be Alex Curry and Carmen Vitally. They'll be taking over the airwaves here. Make sure you stick around. We've got NFL games going on, we got Bowl games, we got all sorts of discussion and conversation to be had, So Alex and Carma will have you covered here in a little over ten minutes from now A quick update on the blowout at Foxborough. The Chargers have a thirty seven to seven lead four and a half minutes left to go in the fourth quarter.
Justin Herbert has.
Been taken out of the game, like why would you need him in there? Taylor Heineke is in at quarterback for the Chargers and they're looking to put together the finishing touches on this one there and move to ten and six on the season. While New England will drop to three and thirteen. So congratulations to the Bolts. They get it done on the road again and Jim Harbaugh continues and impress it for a season with the LA Chargers. A reminder, if you've missed any of this show before we get to our Knox Locks for Week seventeen, you can check out the podcast just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcast. Be sure to also follow rate and review it again. Just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcast. You'll see this show posted right after we get off the air, and I will tweet out a link to it as well too at the Jonas Knox. At the Jonas Knox. But right now it is time for this lock it.
Let's lock it Knox Locks, all right.
So we go back to last week, and last week we were sitting at five hundred looking to get over the hump. Haven't been over five hundred the entire season. Fought Claude to get back to five hundred, and so we decided, you know what, We're gonna ride on the Pittsburgh Steelers plus seven at Baltimore. They've had Lamar Jackson's number. Oops. Thankfully we kept it in the AFC North and we took the Bengals minus eight and a half over the Browns. Cincinnati gets it done for us there, and then we had the Vikings and the Seahawks, with Seattle getting three points at home. If you watch that game, you know that was exactly the score. So that was a push which gave us a one one and one week a week ago, which keeps us at twenty three twenty three and two. We will try this week to finally get over five.
Hundred thought Broncos at Bengals, and we're gonna do it with old Faithful the Cincinnati Bank.
I will take the Bengals minus the three at home. This game is kicking off a little over a half hour from now on NFL Network. Look, Denver's been a great story, but Cincinnati is alive. They are alive thanks to that Denver loss to the LA Chargers.
If you remember, this was actually a flex game.
Sean Payton was okay with this because he thought, listen, I'm gonna go ahead and flex out. We will accept the short week because it'll give us extra time for this game on the back end and getting ready for the Cincinnati Bengals. But I think the way the Cincinnati Bengals have been playing. I'm gonna roll with Cincy at home here, and I think they get it done. I think it also would be who the NFL. I'm not saying he pull any Shenanigans. As great of a story as Denver is. We'd love to see Cincinnati and Joe Burrow in the postseason.
We would love to that is.
A live dog if they were to get in there against either team they meet in the first round, with the way Joe Burrows playing quarterback. But I like Cincinnati in this spot. Give me the Bengals minus three.
Boodeta Cold said Giants.
So Anthony Richardson is out, Joe Flacco is in. I'm gonna go with the Giants here against my better judgment. I'll take the Giants plus seven and a half at home. Listen, Indianapolis is not a good team. If you're the Giants, can you just not suck out loud for another week?
At least keep it within a touchdown.
If you can do that, you would give us a win here against Joe Flacco.
I'm gonna roll with New York here plus the seven.
And a half book deta Packers and Vikings.
I nearly took the Commanders minus three and a half, but something smelled fishy about the lines. I'm gonna take the Minnesota Vikings and Sam Darnold minus a point against Green Bay. I think they're the better team. I think they get it done in a tight one against the Packers. All go with Minnesota and that is your Week seventeen edition of Knoxious.
Knocks.
It's been a fun year.
I want to thank Bo Benson and Chris Purfett, Martin Wise, everybody who was a part of it, enjoyed it, Appreciate all that you hanging out with us listening here and even the insults, they're hilarious. Alex and Carmen are next year on FSR
Shonas Son of a Bitch,
