NFL: Move the Sticks with Daniel Jeremiah & Bucky BrooksOn the latest episode of Move the Sticks, Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks, and Rhett Lewis recap all the action from the Wild Card games and preview the upcoming Vikings vs. Lions matchup. Tune in for their insights and predictions!
And now move the sticks with Daniel, Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
What's up?
Everybody? Walk up to move the sticks? DJ, Bucky, Rhett with you on the on the heels. I guess I can't see the heels. We still got one more game.
We did.
We got one more playoff game to go. But it's been fun to have playoff football back. First of all, Buck, I got to ask you and Rhet how are you guys hanging in there? You know, I know those wildfires gotten close to both of you. Buck, I'll start with you, how's everything going on the home front?
Yeah, no, everything is okay. The wildfires have been Banana's just gonna watch. They got close but not quite to the neighborhood. But look, man, my heart goes out to all of the communities that have been affected. You started with the Pacific Palisades community, just knowing so many people there. My daughter said friends, her friends have lost houses in those things. And then you think about the other cities in the air at Alta, Dina and up in the valley.
Is heartbreaking, his question.
So you just hope that everyone is there able to find the help that they need. As you try and make this a better place in repairing.
Yeah, I echo those sentiments, Buck, And just you know, I don't think there's any amount of gratitude that is too much to heap onto the shoulders of the incredible firefighting effort done by so many agencies, LA f the La County Fire Department, the countless number of firefighters who have come in from around the state, around the country, around the world to help with this unprecedented effort in extinguishing, containing, and preparing for another round of wins that threaten this area once again. So yeah, neighborhood, family okay right now, but nobody really resting easy just yet with this not quite out of the clear. But thankful for all the help and support and thoughts and prayers that everybody has given us so over the course of the last week.
Yeah, I'd echo all those words in terms of the great work everyone involved responding to such a horrible situation. So can he to pray for you guys, for your families and homes and uh and everybody up in the area. But it's been affected, but we did have some football guys. I want to start and kind of go through the games we've seen thus far and start backwards here. Let's let's start with the latest playoff game. We saw that last night, and uh buck, I'm I'll get with you, but I mean, I think we got to start first and foremost is two guys who cover the draft and or really three guys here who cover the draft and spend a lot of time focused on these kids in the spring. Jane Daniels thought he had a chance to be good. I'll be straight up honest. He has blown me away. And last night was another example.
Yeah, another example.
Like DJ, this dude is, man, he's knocking on the door of being an eleak quarterback.
Just what he is able to do.
We've always talked about on a mood of sticks, trucks and trailers and breaking quarterbacks down, and he is truck all day every day. Just the way that he is able to put this team on his back, the plays that he makes under pressure. And I'll say this, I don't think dan Quinn did any any favors in terms of the way they were constantly going for it on fourth down really put a lot on him.
To make plays.
But look, man, he built his head coach out because he's so calm and cool under pressure and he just gets it. We can't talk enough about the importance of being able to be clutch in those moments.
Man, Jayden James is as clutch as they come, and he showed it in their first wildcard game.
Yeah, and I mean, I don't think there's anything I could add to that. I mean, the adjectives have been, you know, used a plethora of different ways to describe Jaydon Daniels his I mean, the fact that he was the first rookie quarterback to win a playoff game on the road since Russell Wilson did it in twenty twelve, I mean tells you just how difficult it is to be in this spot at all as a rookie leading a team like you know, you're talking about a team that's drafting one or two. You're not expecting him to be in the playoffs, you know what I mean. I think that speaks to the impact that he has had in the playmaking ability because look, you know, Todd Bowles is gonna throw the sink at you, you right, and they got guys to win and you know, one on ones against some of the best offensive linemen you know in the league, and the Commanders are still trying to figure that part of it out. But Jane Daniels bails them out in a number of ways that way. And look when DJ when it come for me, when it comes down to this game. I think you also got to give a lot of credit to Washington's defense. They got off the field. Tampa did not have opportunities. Hey, twenty four plays in the first half, twenty two in the second half. That's not enough to win a playoff game and to have, you know, to find yourself extending drive. They just didn't have those opportunities to use the Bucky Irvings more than seventeen times when he that's you know what he ended up getting the ball. We needed more more, Mike Evans, right, You just wanted more from those talented skill players. But Washington's defense just limited the opportunities in my in my opinion.
Yeah, and you had some you know, look, they turned the ball over.
Tampa did well.
That's a part of the ball of ball handling issue there that that got them. But I want to give our buddy Adam Peters a lot of credit his first year there. I think a lot of people, you know, looked at the that they'd made and thought, okay, some of these guys are way past their days. I don't understand why they're bringing in a Bobby Wagner, why they're bringing in an Ertz. You know, when you look at you all of a sudden in this game, you go, Okay, do you think this stage was too big for Bobby Wagner, who's been the leader of one of the best defenses we've seen in the last twenty years? I think do you think Zach Ertz felt the pressure when he's caught a game winning ball in a Super Bowl the knockoff Tom Brady the New England Patriots, Like that moment was not big at all for those guys, an even like Andrew Wiley's been, you know, a champion, Like, They've got guys who have that experience and now you mix them together with some talented young players. And the scary part for the rest of the league, in the NFC particular, is this is going to be this is the floor, Like this is only going to go up from here as Adam and company get to continue to add young pieces in some more impact players to this roster. And this quarterback is this good already?
Oh cow?
That's that's an exciting thing to think about. If you're a fan of the Washington Commanders, Eagles Packers, I'll give you my first thought on this one. On Draft night, I remember saying, I can't believe the league is going to let Nolan Smith fall into the lap of the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the first round. And after his first year, you didn't have a ton of production, and people kind of he was overrated and everybody just looks at sacks. This year he has six and a half sacks, And if you watch them each and every game, you saw someone who plays as they As Nick Sirianni said after the game, he doesn't know anybody who plays with more passion, energy and physicality than he does. And rehtt there was a play early on in that game, and to me, it was like, Okay, this set the tone for the whole game. Elton Jenkins, their best offensive lineman, is pulling and Nolan Smith instead of catching and bracing, he is a missile and attacks him. And I don't want to see anybody get hurt. Yeah, but he took him out of the game. He hit him so hard on his shoulder he was done. And then and again, I always want to be careful. I don't want to see aybody hurt? Did you see how many guys they were taking off the field for the Green Bay pack For whatever issues the Philadelphi Eagles might have offensively, defensively, that was as physical game as I can ever remember. They were dropping like flies.
It started from the first play. Bucky and I were on the desk NFL Game Day highlights for NFL Networking. I like talking about it, Keishaan Nixon, I mean just felt.
That fall force of Orient Burkes, who probably had a little something minim after being a third round pick of the Green Bay Packers and with the roles reversed here a little bit.
Boy, did he set the tone for that game with that hit? And you did see it left it right. This was one of the most physical defensive efforts that I can remember, Like going back to maybe Saints forty nine ers in that NFC Championship game or the NFC playoff game a while back, man, this one stood out. I mean they were down obviously, Christian Watson coming into the game, Jayden Reid left the game, but you know, before it was all said and done, Dobbs left the game, and look, Jordan Love did not play his best game and I think that's clear. And you know that's something that kind of popped up after a sterling second half of his first full year as a starter. Really kind of saw this year some of those turnover problems popping up. Thought maybe he'd gotten rid of it towards the second half, Bucky, but then they popped up in a bad way here. He definitely wants some of those throws back, especially that one to Bond left, that one a little underthrown that Darius Slay down the right sideline ended up getting. But that was a really good play by Sleigh. I just lovedn't have needed to be at his best when you're short handed that way, and he wasn't.
No, he wasn't.
And it's unfortunate for the Packers that they weren't good enough in other areas to make up for The Philadelphia Eagles are the most complete team in football when you look at the way this team is constructed edeline of scrimmage on both lines offense and defensive line. You look at the offense that they had the perimeter playmakers they're running back in Saquon Barkley, but then defensively the second and third levels, how they've stock pouted.
It allows him to.
Play with the quarterback not playing with his A game, not showing up and bringing his best.
And that is why you should be fearful love to Eagles.
If they do find their rhythm on offense, Sakuon Barkley is destabilizing force to that offense, but the passing game is up or down. If they're able to kind of find a groove in the passing game for three games, this is a team that can win a Super Bowl title, but it's imperative they must find a rhythm in the passing game.
They're not going to be able to beat people one.
Dimensional with the one dimension approach on offense despite the defense's efforts to keep the score down.
Yeah, look, you're not going to have it's very rare. You're going to have your A game every week in the postseason. You've got to find a way to win one of these kind of ugly games. I think back to the think about the Tom Brady Super Bowl with Tampa against Washington where they did not play great and almost got but they survived. And when they survived and they eventually found their footing and they got all the way to the end of the game. So to the end of the journey there. So that's something to keep an eye on in that one. All right, let's keep it a roll here. Man, I was watching I was watching Broncos Bills full transparency. This is an interesting way to consume this game. I watched the first drive of Denver, right, I mean, just couldn't script it any better. Right down the field buck boomom, boom, boom boom, home run ball, the Oregon connection next to Franklin and that that. No, that ended. True story. I went to church because I'm home. The Chargers played on a Saturday. I'm home, a rare time in the fall, so I'm like, take the whole family or going to church. So my surprise when I got out of church and clicked the score, I was like, man, well that must have been it. That must have been all. That was all they had left. Ended up going back and watching the game. But you get what I'm saying. Back after that drive, Buffalo said, nope, no more.
No, this really looked like the varsity versus the jv like a like a scrimmage at your local high school.
In terms of the experience, the physicality and.
The way that the Buffalo Bills took over the game and dominated from that point on. The thing that we've see from the Bills, I would say is an evolution in terms of how they play. So much of what they used to be was big play after big play, leaning heavily on Josh Allen and the players that they had on the outside.
Well, this is a different team.
They've evolved into being really a blue collar offense that can do it with Josh Allen doing his heroics, but really they're able to run the football James could going over one hundred yards, being able to control the game with their offense, and then their defense stepping up with timely plays. Just a very I would say, mature professional effort from a team that is very comfortable playing in the postseason.
Yeah. I say it was a great call. I mean I too, Like when I watched that first series, I was like, holy smoked, Bonnix is gonna hit the balls in this game? Like WHOA, Like okay, you have my attention. First game of the of the Sunday Slate here, right. Yeah. And then I think, as Bucky you know, pointed out, and I think it's a great point. I mean, that's what Buffalo is this year is the ability to run the football fairly dominant as they did in this game twenty three carries buck twenty for James Cook and then the way in which they did it Dragon defenders right, the Bills offensive line just piling on, pushing the pile down. And you talked about the Nolan Smith hit on Elton Jenkins. How about the Dion Dawkins hit on Ellis like just I mean crumbled him. Unfortunately again he has to leave the game. But those that physicality that Buffalo plays with, with the way this offense is constructed this year, and then you have those just kind of ripped the heart out of your chest plays that Josh Allen has made a career making like that fourth and one where he's all over the place, finds enough time as he always does, and then fires a laser to Tye Johnson in the back of the end zone. Right, I mean, you know, not to say he's an unlikely hero. He's been making some plays for them this year, but didn't envision it in that scenario at the back of the end zone kind of toe tap and at the end line there, and that's when I felt like the game was done. At that point, they at full control.
Dej Yeah, but I also think Denver's ahead of schedule. Yes, yeah, Like there's there's some of these teams and we're gonna get to one here next. But some of these teams that the season ends and you're like, oh, where is this the you know, do we need to you know, reshape this thing? And then there's teams that are at the very beginning of their journey and it's like, hey, this is disappointing the way this ended, but wildly successful season for the Denver Broncos playing with the rookie quarterback in bo Nicks. This next one, though, Buck, there is something to talk about on the losing side of this, But before we do that, let's get to the winning side of it. The Baltimore Ravens just I mean, they did not mess around. They once upon a time lost the game because they got a little two pass happy and forgot who they were in the playoffs. I was there, and I was against the Chargers many years ago, I think twenty eighteen. That on't happened in this one. They came out and it was I mean, it was like a Mike Tyson fight. Sprint to the middle of the ring and just throwing Haymakers on the ground.
Yeah, yeah, DJ.
This was a stick to the script performance from the Baltimore Ravens. They know where they are, they know where their identity is. They built their offensive identity on Lamar Jackson and Derrick Kearney.
They're running the football. Look between the tackles.
They're punishing people with their overwhelming physicality. And that's what they did to the Pittsburgh Stellers. And the reason why so jarring is no one pushes the Stellers around, but the way that the Baltimore Ravens pushed them around, particularly in the first half, it was eye opening. And what I liked from the Baltimore Ravens, particularly after hearing the conversation the entire week where Lamar Jackson talked about what he learned last year is he's too antsy in these moments. The nerves, the emotions overwhelmed him. To me, very mature performance from the Baltimore Ravens. They took care of business, they got it done. Look, it certainly helps to have the King playing alongside of you if you're Lamar Jackson, But that one two punch, were they able to run the football.
It just kind of steadied.
The flow of everything, and the Baltimore Ravens jumped on the Stillers never let up.
You know.
I think one thing that that kind of strikes me with the Ravens, you know, in the way that they went out to improve this team by getting Derrick Henry and and now operate on offense. It brings the Philadelphia Eagles back into focus for me. It even brought to maybe a little bit of a lesser extent, the Green Bay Packers back into focus for me. I think there's times where, you know, running backs at a previous destination have proven their worth as you know, in Henry's case as a superstar, as Saquon Barkley's case is rookie year as a superstar, and then we get a little disenchanted with them as their team falters, right is their team struggles kind of bring them down. Not to say that they're not, you know, one hundred percent effort, one hundred percent trying to you know, lift the team up. But man, seeing what Josh Jacobs did in Green Bay, seeing now what say Quon Barkley is again capable of with Philadelphia brings that into focus for me. With with Derek Henry, because I don't know that there was a lot of people that thought that when he was leaving Tennessee that there was this going to be a guy who in the playoffs, you know, in the fourth quarter, is rattling off explosive play runs and going for one hundred and eighty six yards, you know, as a as a thirty thirty year old running back. So again, credit to those guys, Credit to those teams for understanding that and utilizing it when it matters most. And then on the flip side, DJ, to your point, nobody pushes the Steelers around and the Steelers can run the ball, except no, like that was not the case, and now we have to figure out what's what I mean. Steelers, you know, have been the most patient and consistent organization in football right and now, like the it's getting restless there in Pittsburgh.
So this was my thought, and Buck, I'm not going to spend long on it because I want to get you on it real quick as well. But if you follow baseball, then the Dodgers ended up winning the World Series this year, but they had a they went through gosh a dozen starting pitchers. They had a bunch of injuries, and it was said at the end of the season that we're going to do a deep dive on why this keeps happening, Like we're going to do. You know, they're getting as many minds together they're gonna try and figure this. The Pittsburgh Steelers need to figure out why they keep collapsing every single year late in the year. They need to have and I'm not what does that result in. Maybe a coach here, coach there. It sounds like coach Toma's not going anywhere. But maybe you've got to change the approach of how you attack training camp. I've been there at training camp. It is a bloodbath and I praised them for it because they get off to such hot starts because they bang. They absolutely bang and practice. Now I'm sitting here saying, I know this is who we are and it's what we've been, but we can't keep doing the same thing over and over again. We've got to figure out what's wrong and we've got to change it. Buck.
Yeah, So, whether it's the approach, and you talk about training camp and practices, and part of their identity has been their physicality and those things, but dj the really the main issue that existed in Pittsburgh is the.
Same one that's plagued a bunch of teams.
They haven't fixed a quarterback situation since Ben Roeth's retired. The Pittsburgh Steelers are lacking at quarterback compared to the peers in the AFC. We have said it on this podcast multiple times. The road the gauntlet through the AFC is a tough one if you do not have a superstar quarterback. When you look at the ones that are still standing in the postseason, all of them are knocking on the door of elite. If not in that club. When it comes to being elite, the Pittsburgh Steelers don't have that. And we can go back, and this was a controversy when he made the decision to.
Go with Russell Wilson over Justin Fields. He wanted the experience.
The expertise that Russell Wilson provided as a Super Bowl winner. But what he didn't get is the dynamic athleticism that Justin Fields could bring. And we can talk about whether he could throw it well enough or whatever. I just know when I'm looking at the landscape, if you do not have the ability to create extra plays and big play opportunities with your legs, you don't really have a chance. Just look at every quarterback that is remaining in the tournament. They have the ability to do it. And so they have some tough decisions to make when it comes to what did they want their offensive identity to be going forward.
Yeah, this number felt like a future play, you know, to meet with Russell Wilson, this was like a hey, low risk move here, We're not paying the freight on this. Maybe we've got some upside here with a with a veteran, experienced guy who's been to the top of the mountain, and let's see what we can get. And you know, look, I just in an Arthur Smith offense in Pittsburgh. I never envisioned Najie Harris having six carries in a playoff game. And I know you got down early fourteen nothing. I know you got down twenty one, nothing. But man, it just didn't feel like the way to operate again, you know, in this in this version of Russell Wilson, in this version of the Steelers, was to throw it around twenty nine times. But when you find yourself down like that, and you know, maybe I didn't expect that defensively either, but Ravens are really dang good. And they're gonna be a force here as we get to the divisional.
Ru Yeah, last thought on the Steelers. The good thing is next year they get Troy Fatanu back to put in with McCormick, who did a nice job as a rookie. Fraser did a nice job as a rookie. And you've still got a talented tackle that's still you know, figuring things out and trying to get better. Yeah, at the at what he's playing, right, he's gonna end up playing left tackle next year, right Sotana will play on the right, and then Georgia give me the name Roddy Jones left.
Ye.
So they have a they have a makings of a really good young offens line, but that they don't have the quarterback. So that's that's their challenge going into the offseason is trying to figure that out. On the raven side of things, Ravens Bills, I mean, I guess technically, because it's not an AFC championship game or a super Bowl, it's technically considered the undercard. But that's going to be better than any main event we're going to get in the super Bowl. This is the game of the playoffs. I don't care who plays who in the conference championships. I don't care who matches up in the super Bowl. This these are that this is the heavyweight fight that everybody wants to see Buck.
Yeah at evyweight fight.
Everyone wants to see two quarterback come in at the same time. They've always been the conversation about the two. They are squarely in the center of the MVP debate. This year is exactly what you want to see. And I'm gonna say this, Josh Allen has played at his best. He's been I would say the best that he's ever been when it comes to sharing the load and distributing the.
Ball in this thing.
This game ain't gonna be one of those games. He's going to have to put on the cape to do it. We saw in the regular season, and the regular season doesn't mean anything thirty five to ten to Baltimore Ravens, but right now he's on the short end of the stick when it comes to the supporting cast. He is going to have to play at a level that is look the highest of the highs when it comes to this. I can't wait to see it, because if he takes it to that level, I'm certain that Lamar Jackson will also take it. This is the one where you want to get the popcorn ready, don't blink, because this is gonna be fun.
Yeah, And just to double down on that fact there. I mean, you talk about the issues that Lamar Jackson has had in previous postseasons, talked about mayb getting a little bit of anser about, you know, finding a way to make plays he can get the points on the board and not you know, necessarily operating within the confines of what they need him to do. I think both. That's the interesting part of this thing with me. Both guys are gonna put their capes on Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen and make plays. That's going to happen. They're gonna make jaw dropping plays. But to me, the winner of this game is decided by which one makes the fewest mistakes and which one of these guys does not turn the ball over and give extra opportunities to the other superhero over there. So that's obviously that's one of the one of the things I'll be watching this one. Yeah.
The weird thing is is that Baltimore is gonna be trying to take the ball out of Josh Allen's hands. When you flip it over, Buffalo is going to try and put the ball in Lamar's hands. They're not going to let Derrick Henry beat them. They can't. They got to try and take it away. Yeah, the game be over, so they have to put their focus there, so that again, I think is an advantage for Baltimore. All Right, the game, I was at the Texans and the Chargers. Look, it's a lopsided final score, thirty two to twelve. The Chargers had a chance in this game, up six nothing, there's two turning points for me. Six nothing. They get an interception, an athletic interception on the sideline. They get the ball at the forty, the chance to get five yards kick a field goal. It's nine to nothing. That's the worst case scenario, at least as I'm looking at this from the Chargers perspective. Maybe you go down there and score it's thirteen to nothing and Houston doesn't have anything going. Unfortunately, right after that interception, the very next play, they try and dial up a shot to Quentin Johnston. It's a little bit underthrown. And Lassiter, who has played lights out as a rookie and is another reminder to throw the forties out. Don't I let it impact me.
I do it every year.
It's just so dumb. Just keep the grade on him. He's a great player. Don't let that assway you. But anyways, that changed it right there. Then you get a one hundred and ten I believe it's one hundred and ten yard drive. Where the ball started at the one, there's a ten yard penalty in there. They march the length of the field third and sixteen. It's a snap that's mishandled by C. J. Stroud. He still gets outside of containment, makes an unbelievable throw and h you know, Buck.
Was on the other side of yes, Slavior Hutchinson.
Working left to right. When you have a rhythm quarterback. It was like seeing the ball go through the hoop for the first time. And then once he got and he found something there, he never he never let it go. And it was Nico Collins, who is an elite. I mean, I don't know if he gets everybody knows he's good. I don't know if people know he's There're not four or five receivers better than him in the NFL. He's unbelievable. And then four minute offense, Joe Mixon polished it off.
Look and speaking of that, because Red talked about the running backs and he talked about Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs and Saguon Barkley refinding their success when they got the new destinations. Joe Mixon also deserves to be in that conversation. He was left for dead in Cincinnati in terms of like we thought it was over. Maybe he will give them some middling production before he fades away, but he's really been a focal point of this offense and he's stabilized the offense while CJ.
Stroud was finding his way.
The run game part of what the Texans were able to do kept them in the game. And then when the Charges didn't take advantage of what I thought was a dominant quarter and a half at the beginning, they kept they didn't separate like they needed to, and that allowed the Texans to creep back into the game. And really the score is lopsided, but it was one where man, the Charges had to kick themselves when they're look at the tape because the game was there for them to win.
Yeah, a couple of things on that front. Joe Mixon kept the ship afloat early like the passing offense was not there. They relied heavily on the run game, and then he got that for them, and then he kind of docked the thing here in this playoff victory, as DJ said, with the four minute offense game flow wise with that, when that Lad Maconkey touchdown pass like had me going okay, hold on a second, and then the block extra point. I'm telling you right now what a momentum shift. A play that turns into only plus four for the LA Chargers as opposed to plus seven. Major swing brings things right back, reignites the crowd. That was such a huge play. And then just overall, biggest takeaway for me is that we talk so much, and rightly so about stars on the edge for Houston, Will Anderson uh and Daniel Hunter. How about den he go Autry in the dude, I mean that that guy reeks out. He has been a really really good player everywhere he's been, you know, and he is an unsung hero. It feels like in this in kind of that landscape of interior player players who can play on the interior h He's been really good there and was massive in this game beating up on Jamari Sawyer in that interior Chargers offensive line.
Yeah, that is a good I mean those edge rushers are dynamic, now ya.
Dude.
Yeah, and he has got power. He will test your breaks those corners. Stingley was fantastic. Like that is a good appair of corners as you're gonna see. I wish Petrie was healthy for him going forward because he's such a great player. But then Al Shaier off the ball is a difference making linebacker. He has really really good Christian Harris is a really good player. Henry to to Oh is out there making some plays. They got a good defense, And I talked to Nick Cassario before the game and just told them, hey, man, you've put together a lot of talent here. Now I think that there are warts. There are warts on the offensive side of the ball. You don't you you're missing those two stud receivers, which would be nice. But to me, like the interior of the offensive line is not great. And and Chris Jones, that's going to be a chore trying to solve that one in that next matchup. But I hat tip them. I know everybody's going to bury Justin Herbert on this the four interceptions. He did not play well, and he'd be the first one to admit that was not the game he wanted to have. But again, if we're gonna spin it positive on the Broncos, they'll do the same thing here. H this was a reset year, year one of a new coach. This is the worst offense he's going to play in for the next five to ten years. I mean, they're going to get out and they're going to upgrade a lot of these positions that they frankly didn't couldn't do, and they had to clean some salary cap stuff up. They got the offensive line squared away. Buck. I joked with Ortiz on the plane on the way home. I said, Joe, you guys spent the last year shopping in the hardware section. You get to go to the toy section. That's fun. You know, you got some bigs. Now you need to go get some school guys. So that's going to be their challenge in the offseason.
Bucke, Well, no, I mean.
Look, I think for some of the teams at the bottom of the tournament, that's what we saw. We saw that the lack of firepower finally caught up with them, and for the Charges. They were leaning heavily on Lab mccakey, but didn't have another compliment to really help him out, nor someone that Justin Herbert could trust him relying on in a pinch if McConkey was not available, the Chargers can go and address that. And what I will say about this when I'm looking at these games and I'm looking how coaches handled their team, the way that Jim Harbaugh addressed the media and talked about this being his favorite team, and the way that he always has a knack of spinning it positively forward for his team. Man, when you read all the articles about how he built the culture and all those things, I understand why his players go to battle for him. He never throws them under the bus. He holds him accountable. But man, I think if you're a Charges fan, you have to be excited about but the future get old.
Yep, no doubt. All right, let's take a quick break. We went along on that segment. We've got a little bit more work here before we're going to wrap this someone up. We'll get to some hot or not as well as a quick preview of the game coming up tonight. Right after this, it's time for hot or Not brought to you by Wassabi Hot cloud Storage. Guys, if we're going to go hot or not, I guess I could give you the floor for what was the most impressive thing you saw, the hottest thing you saw that you think buck has a chance to carry over into the to the rest of the playoffs. Here, what stands out to you?
AJ Brown reading a book on the sideline.
I think that was the hottest thing you saw.
I think that was the hottest thing that I think. I think A Brown taking the time to read inter excellence in the midst of a game. We'll do if you read that.
For I have not read it, but I look, I need to go get it now, because if it's that interesting that can keep you locked in and focused in the midst of sixty five thousand screaming people, it must be a great read. I think he has done with every high school teacher, every high school English teacher that wanted to see a pro athlete reading.
In the middle of the game. If he can do it, you can do it.
So to me, that's the hottest trend because academics are they're laughing, they're flourishing.
Everywhere because of what Aj Brown has added to the game.
Yeah, I mean that was fantastic. Just I'm not gonna what's better than that from what we actually saw, you know, pseudo on the field here. There was a local Philadelphia television station that began their morning show with the reading the books. Yeah, that was that was good. And you know, and DJ, you mentioned this to me, so I'll I'll just tee you up for it. The way that the broadcast crew Kevin Burkhard and Tom Brady talked about the impact that aj Brown made beyond the statuet I thought was important in this one too.
So I don't know if you saw this, Buck. I had called Rhett on it and we were talking about stuff and I make sure he was okay, and this came up in the conversation. But did you see Tom Brady talking about the difference between a star and a champion. It's a clip that's out there.
It was so this is the best thing said.
It was incredible and I made a note of it and you can find that if you suit it search it on Socials the exact clip will come up. But the gist of it was this, he said, this league is full of stars. There's lots of star players who make you know, impact plays and highlight plays. He said, it's a difference between a star and a champion. A champion will do whatever is needed to win the game. And it talked about aj Brown making that play, and so you start thinking this in your mind. You're like, Okay, I'm not going to out them, but there's some players I think of off the top of my head. I go, yeah, that's a star player, but he's not a champion. He's not doing what he needs to do to win that game. He's going to show up on the highlights because he made a couple unbelievable plays, But those selfless moments, those that are required in order to go win the ultimate price, that's different. There's a difference between those two things. And I thought Brady him articulating that, to me, that might be the hottest thing I saw this week because that was an excellent point by Tom Brady.
Yeah, excellent point.
And it's one of the things that we have to look at because the margin era is so thin in these games going forward. Now that we've reached a divisional round, all the teams are nearly even, it's going to take some sacrifices going to take some unhroded players stepping up in their roles in flourishing is also going to take some star of sacrificing some of their individual numbers for the sake of the team.
We saw that.
We saw those guys talk about Saquon Barkley taking knee at the end as opposed to.
Go in and score.
All of that matters. But great observation from Tom Brady. I'm glad he shared a little bit of that insight in wisdom.
Yeah, I think that's something you can definitely clip and throw it in your little notebook there for anybody that's a coach out there. Free of charge, you can definitely add that to the mix. All right. That was this week's Hot or Not segment, brought to you by Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage. Store more and do more with your data. Try them for free at wassabi dot com. All right, rhtt the one game left here. It's going to take place in Arizona. Do the wildfires, vikings rams. The winner gets a trip to Philadelphia. What do you think?
Yeah, like, I just like you know, I we a couple of couple of things here. The Rams, like so many of us, have been impacted families and have been impacted with all that's gone on. Obviously the game was impacted now being played on Monday. You know, we've had a chance over the last year and a half to get to know the Rams offensive coordinator Mike Lafleur. His son is friends with our oldest son and they go to the same elementary school together, so we get a chance to spend some time every now and then. Even them, in the face of their own evacuations, have been so generous to us and asking, you know, if we're okay, if there's anything that they can do for us, and and they're off you know, doing you know, obviously trying to prepare to win a Super Bowl year, and and so I just I wanted to get you know, our appreciation out for for all of them and so many situations like that that these Rams coaches had to deal with, worrying about their families while they're still trying to do their job. And there's obviously so many others around the county and around the city and the region that have felt a similar you know, predicament, right with trying to keep the day to day going and worrying about what's going on back on the Homestead. So with that said, I think the Rams are gonna, you know, obviously have the support of this community with them here in this game. I think it's going to be an emotional one. I think it is a game that the Rams are ready for and they are arrested for. And I think that goes back to Sean mcvay's strategy, you know, in shutting everybody down despite the ability to move up and seating, and I think it's going to pay off for them. They've got they've got everything they need to win this game, and we saw him do it earlier in the season. I do believe they're going to find a way to get done in this one.
Yeah, that's the interesting observation bred in terms of them having everything they need, the fact that they won the game early in the year thirty to twenty. I feel like that's been kind of dismissed, but it gives you a lot of confidence when you face a team that you're beating and maybe you didn't have your a game and you didn't play and there are always adjustments that take place in a rematch. But the Rams walking through the field knowing that they can beat the vis because despite their fourteen wins of their shiny record.
This is one that, look, it's gonna come down to quarterback.
Play is going to come down to Matthew Stafford making plays versus Sam Donald making plays. And even though he comes in on the heels of one of his worst performances that we've seen, Sam Donald has a supporting cast around him that can make it right. And I think it's really important early for Kevin O'Connell to get Sam Donald into a groove, to find a way to get some easy completions to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, because like DJ saw with CJ. Stroud, the rhythm is everything in these games, and if you can see the ball go through the hoop a couple times early, it would change the way that he finishes the rest of the game. I'm still going with the Minnesota Vikings despite the emotional support.
Of the Rams.
I think they're the better team, but they're gonna have to play at a high level.
To get it done.
Well.
We mentioned him just a minute ago, but if I could watch this game with one person, I would love to watch this game with Tom Brady because this is how I imagine it going. I imagine let's just say there's a world where Sam Donald comes out there and Sam Donald dose five touchdowns and right before the end of the fourth quarter, just texts QUESSI, man, looks like you guys got your guy. Congratulations Sam. I'd lock him up long term. Can we talk earlier this week about JJ? Question mark? And then I would fire off the text. Let's say, if I can't get my Michigan Man franchise that I'm in charge of, who is There's always it's always, it's always thinking, well, I mean, look, I know we got draft stuff, we have plenty of time to get into. We've got the Senior Bowl roster reveal show. You can check that one out that's out there. But early early returns, I don't. I won't put words in your guys mouth early returns. I take JJ McCarthy over any quarterback in this draft. That's my that's my return. So I feel I think there will be some I think there will be some interesting parties because I think if Sam Donald, you know, stumbles and doesn't play well and they're one and done, I think then Minnesota would be more likely to say, well, okay, maybe we'll franchise him and we keep JJ, and we'll just kind of play this thing out. Sam Donald takes him on a little magic carpet ride. I think they're more likely to say, maybe we strike while the Irons hot bad quarterback draft. Let's take JJ. Let's see what we can get in return. We've got careful now, Jacks.
Jaggs tried to do that with Nick Foles after his magical run, remember with the with the Eagles, and it didn't didn't quite rekindle you know, you got it didn't.
It didn't go right, I know, but I I.
I understand your point of view. I would agree with you on that.
Nick Foles was not a top five picked to not have the skill set of Sam Darts, so that's all right. But anyways, it'll be interesting. It'll be interesting parties is what I'm getting to there, and we will be interesting to see what happens in this game as well. All Right, that was a fun one today breaking down those games again. I would encourage you guys. We've got the Senior Bowl show that's out this week. We've got lots more coming your wife, so we be going to look out for that and we'll see you next time. Right here on, Move the sticks
