Patriots/Seahawks in Super Bowl & Belichick Not a First Ballot Hall of Famer

Nick (00:00)
You ready? is the height differential. That's the 6'6'' nil on the 410. We are back. I said Nick this week. Make sure you are following us on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, however you do your podcast. Hit the subscribe button. You can also watch the full video on YouTube. Follow us on social media. You can see all the shorts.

Been stuck inside all week because we didn't get the big snow that everybody was talking about, but still enough.

Neil (00:35)
Yeah, once again, you know, the meteorologists get it wrong, as they usually do. They get you all hyped up. think, you know, they get you all hyped up. They make you think that the city's gonna shut down, so everybody has to go to the grocery and get their milk and eggs and bread and form a line that's about two miles long just to check out, all to come home for nothing. You think like the Kroger's and the Walmarts of the world are like in cahoots with the weather people?

Nick (01:04)
Well, I just, don't understand why everybody needs milk and bread so bad. Why are those the things? Why can we not survive without milk and bread?

Neil (01:09)
What is that?

Because

a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk will last you several days. know, it's not something that's going to go bad quickly.

Nick (01:21)
So will frozen vegetables

that you can already have in your freezer and be ready for this. Well, you're gonna lose your milk too there, Neil, if you lose power.

Neil (01:25)
Yeah, but what if you lose power? What if you lose power?

Nah, you just sit the milk

outside. You can just sit the milk outside in the snow.

Nick (01:34)
So you can't put your frozen vegetables outside in the snow?

Neil (01:37)
How are you gonna cook them? You gonna eat frozen vegetables?

Nick (01:41)
Make a fire! Make a fire! Make a fire, get it?

Neil (01:42)
You know, make up, oh, now we're cavemen, huh? We're gonna go chop down

a tree? We're gonna go chop down a tree and just start a fire in the backyard and roast a bag of vegetables? Like, come on, bro.

Nick (01:49)
Look, just, I don't understand. I

can't tell you the last time I bought a gallon of milk. Obviously you buy bread, but if I don't have bread for a week, I can survive. I can survive. And I know for a fact, I know for a fact, I am not messing with the crowds and standing in those lines as we wait for the snowstorm that.

Neil (02:04)
on your frozen vegetables that you're not gonna cook on your frozen raw vegetables.

Nick (02:17)
What we we end up getting officially six inches?

Neil (02:20)
think it was a little less than that. Five nine or something.

Nick (02:23)
They did that

competition for charity. I think the lowest prediction was like 12 inches.

Neil (02:30)
Yeah, no, they all got it wrong. Again, it's...

I don't know, they get paid to be wrong. That's what it is. What? What? There is none.

Nick (02:38)
Well, there's no repercussions. It's just like we talked about,

we talked earlier in the year, we talked about that referee in Russia getting canned because he did his job wrong. We said, should there be more implications on screwing up being an official? Should there be more implications for meteorologist?

Neil (02:55)
100 %! Absolutely! You keep getting this stuff wrong, you should get fired!

Nick (02:59)
I I get it. It's hard. would have no idea how to do it. But they studied it. let's do better than, like, not one person was close to six inches. Not one person. And who knows if we even got six? I haven't got out and measured it. But it's not that much. I do know one thing. It's not going away because it's too dang cold outside.

Neil (03:17)
It's like this every time.

It is cold. It is cold. I mean, we're back to work tomorrow. How you going get to work?

Nick (03:27)
get in that car and go.

Neil (03:30)
So you could have left your house if you wanted to. You just chose not to.

Nick (03:32)
Yeah, for sure.

Yeah, there's no reason to. I did not.

Neil (03:35)
Do you even

own a snow shovel?

Nick (03:39)
I'm not gonna use it. I will just drive back

Neil (03:41)
I know you're not gonna use

it, that's what I'm asking. I know you're not getting out there shoveling, I know that.

Nick (03:44)
I will just drive

back and forth with my car, create tire tracks. Yeah. My car is sitting in the garage, so when it's time to go.

Neil (03:48)
I mean that's what I do normally. I did shovel this morning, but

As long as you can

get your car in and out of the garage and you can just enter in and out of that door from the garage to the house, there's not really not a reason to shovel your driveway. But you don't own a snow shovel, do you?

Nick (04:04)
We good, we good.

No, no, no.

Neil (04:11)
I knew it. I knew it. Okay.

Nick (04:12)
No, the kids in

the neighborhood, I missed them on my ring cam, they would have done it. I don't know what they're charging, but I missed them on their ring cam. They did, they did, they did.

Neil (04:21)
Oh, they come door to door, they ring the doorbell and ask to do it?

What do you think they should, what would be the going rate right there? 100 bucks? 50 bucks? You throw in an extra 50 if they do your, do you have a sidewalk?

Nick (04:29)
Fitty Box?

Aruna.

Neil (04:38)
Alright, so throw in an extra 50 if they do your steps in your porch.

Nick (04:42)
But we definitely wasn't the snowmageddon that everybody said it was gonna be 1994, wasn't even close. I I met the cards game on Saturday and everybody's freaking out at the men's game. When do I need to leave? I need to leave, it's coming down, it's coming down. I mean, no, wasn't that big a deal. It was a bigger deal in the second half in Denver on Sunday.

Neil (05:10)
Yeah, mean, the mouth is, I mean, that came down quick, quick.

Nick (05:16)
Well, it's just like the first half, it was completely clear. Like midway through the third quarter, still clear. And then by the six minute mark of the third quarter, it's completely gone.

And not a lot of offense to be had. think it was to be expected in that game even without the snow. With those two defenses, with those two offenses, you didn't expect there to be a ton of points. Denver has a chance to go up 10-0 early. They pass, they go for it on fourth and one, don't get it. And they don't score again the rest of the game. If you go up 10-0 in that game where points are that hard to come by.

Neil (05:43)
Correct.

video.

Nick (05:59)
You're feeling pretty dang good and I think Peyton is definitely regretting not getting those three there.

Neil (06:07)
Yeah, do you like... Was there snow in the forecast? Like did they know this snow was going to come in the second half?

Nick (06:16)
would assume that you would know that there's a very good chance that there's going to be some snow. Now we see how tough it is to predict snow accumulation.

Neil (06:21)
I'm thinking if you're Sean Payton...

I mean, correct. if they knew ahead of time that this was a possibility, that the second half could get little dicey with the weather, I don't understand why you don't kick. I would have kicked. So that's why say maybe Sean Payton didn't expect, maybe he didn't expect this weather to come in like he did, but.

Nick (06:39)
in that game regardless.

I mean,

the snow plays a bigger role, but even without the snow. With those two defenses, if I've got a chance to get some points.

Neil (06:55)
Yeah, when your quarterback's a Jared Spillum. When your quarterback's yeah, no, I agree. And especially the play call, he threw the ball on fourth and one instead of time. Yeah. I think you take the points, you go up the 10, you have all the momentum, you're at home, you're up two scores with.

Nick (06:55)
⁓ I'm taking them. I'm taking them.

Neil (07:11)
one of the league's best defenses that the Broncos have. And you got a quarterback that, you know, he played pretty well in those, I mean, the opening drive was a disaster, but he came back on that second drive through a couple of nice dimes, through a deep ball that looked pretty good, through that touchdown pass that was on the money. And you know, he actually looked like a competent quarterback that, you know, maybe the Broncos have something here. They moved the ball and then like I said, they moved the ball and that's that's that third drive where they ended up not kicking the field goal. But at some point you thought,

that was going to run out. So I think you just take the points, try to get as many points as you can and not roll the dice with Jared Stidham.

Nick (07:47)
Well, it ran

out. I don't think they had a bigger play than 12 yards the rest of the way.

Neil (07:52)
Yeah.

Nick (07:53)
And it's not like the Patriots were lighting up the scoreboard. mean, they were handed a touchdown. They were handed a touchdown.

Neil (08:00)
Well, I mean,

yeah, the only touchdown they got was because Jared Stidham lost his mind and two hands shovel passed it backwards.

Nick (08:08)
And I still don't really understand what that play was. Like what the call was, any of it.

Neil (08:16)
I mean, just throw the ball away, my guy.

Nick (08:18)
Did he clearly

throw was he clearly throwing it backwards? Did it get flipped and then it backwards?

Neil (08:22)
I mean he was trying to throw it forwards,

no he was trying to throw it forwards, which there was nobody over there so it was going to be an intentional grounding anyway and you would take that over a fumble six but he was just trying to get, yeah he was trying to get rid of it but his momentum was going so far backwards that what he thought was a forward pass ended up actually going backwards. ⁓ that's weird.

Nick (08:33)
Yeah, and they announced that.

And then they

blow it dead. even though they picked it up and took it to the house, it doesn't count. So then they've got to score offensively and. Drake may ends up scrambling and getting in the end zone, but. The rest of the way, neither offense did anything and then the snow starts coming down and then yards even are more difficult to come by and the Patriots in the fourth quarter were just like, we're just gonna run it.

Neil (08:49)
Yeah.

Nick (09:13)
three times in a row and give you the ball back. If we get a first down, we get a first down, one more trying to eat the clock. And they just knew that Denver wasn't gonna be able to move the football and score.

Neil (09:28)
No, then when Denver had a chance to kick the tying field goal, it's almost like they were complacent with just trying to kick that field goal. They're like, we're just going to try to, we're just going to kick it. Instead of trying to move the ball closer, they just kind of just ran some vanilla plays and like, all right, let's try this. I mean, what, how long was it? Do you remember how long that kick was? Which yeah, which in though that snow, that's, that's asking a lot. That's asking a lot of your kicker, ⁓ will lot. So.

Nick (09:45)
think it was like 45, 46 yards.

Yeah,

but it looked like the kick was online. He's got tipped.

Neil (09:59)
There was one that got tipped, there was another one he actually just missed, yes. ⁓

Nick (10:03)
But it just, you go back to Vinatieri making that kick in the snow at the beginning of Brady's tenure with the Patriots. it makes you realize how good of a kicker he was, being able to withstand those elements. But I don't know, we knew that this was not gonna be very many points scored. I think the over under was close to 40, which was easy, easy, easy under. I got hot this week, I actually hit some.

Neil (10:15)
yeah. yeah.

Yeah.

It's about time.

Nick (10:33)
got hot. ⁓

But yeah, you just if you get a chance to get points in a game like that, I feel like you got to take them. And that just changed the whole perplex the whole, you know, notion of that whole game and they're not going for it really in any game. If you're up 7-0 and you get a stop on fourth and wanted now you've got the momentum on your side that kind of completely changes the complexity of the game.

Neil (10:59)
Yeah, no, I mean, it comes down to two plays. It comes down to that, not kicking, and then it just comes down to that fumble, whatever shovel pass. I mean, he doesn't just do that. If he just throws the ball away like normal, the Broncos probably will still win that game.

Nick (11:15)
Well, if you just, yeah, you just go down. You just go down and punt it.

Neil (11:17)
Like, just anything. Anything

that what you did, I mean, cause then...

Nick (11:21)
And

obviously the miss miss Phil Goat attempts they had chances to tie the game and it didn't do it But it's brought in a lot of talk about the fact that the elements really played a huge role in that game so It's been discussed just like the Super Bowl where it's in controlled elements mostly domes should

Neil (11:25)
Yeah.

And it did. They did.

Nick (11:49)
the ASC and ASC championships be played in more controlled environments. So the snow and all that is not playing such a big role in who goes to the Super

Neil (12:00)
You can make a case for it and I wouldn't be mad at you if that was the decision of let's play this thing at a neutral site in a dome so we get the best brain of football. It's truly the best team wins and you're not relying on the rain and the snow and all that comes into play and it's a 10-7 game because honestly I'm not sure that the Patriots were the better team. I don't think they were the better team. They're not.

Nick (12:22)
I still don't think either team is very good.

Neil (12:26)
But I don't think that the Patriots were a better team. think if the conditions were fine, I don't know. We would see. But then, so I mean, you would get a pure brain of football of offense and defense. Who's better? The best team would probably win in that situation if you were indoors and away from the snow and stuff. But then you're just taking away that home field advantage that the number one season, the number two seeds have earned. I mean, you earned it. What? No, on record, I'm going to say I'm not for it.

Nick (12:50)
So you forward or not? Are you forward or not?

Neil (12:56)
I'm not for it. Yeah, no, I said you could make the case. No, like.

Nick (12:56)
Well, this is on record. We're not doing off the records on the height differential.

Neil (13:03)
You can make the case, like I said, to play it in a neutral side indoors and I'd be fine with it. But on record, no, I like having the home field advantage. If you're the number one seed, you've earned that. Like that's part of what comes along with having such a great season. You get to play in your own building. And if your own building is outside, then so be it. know, mean, snow games aren't that common. I don't mean, when's the last time you saw a snow game in the AFC championship? It's been a while. I feel like it's been a while.

Nick (13:29)
I don't know off the top of my head. The freezer bowl and

the Bengals beating the Chargers in the freezer bowl in the early 80s. ⁓

Neil (13:37)
And the tuck rule game, was a divisional game, I believe, wasn't it? Yeah. So I mean, it's been a while. They're not common. They're not common enough to where I think you need to go away from getting rid of home field advantage to play indoors. So I think you keep it. Number one seeds have earned it. Let them play in their own buildings.

Nick (13:41)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Well,

you were the one that wanted to talk about it, I thought maybe you would be in favor of moving it.

Neil (14:03)
I mean I can see why people would want that but I know they've earned it but plus like you like these snow games are going away all these all the new stadiums being built Buffalo is gonna have a dome Tennessee is gonna have a dome Kansas City is gonna have a dome Chicago when they get their new stadium is gonna be indoors I mean all these cities want to host Super Bowls and you're not gonna host the Super Bowl unless you have a dome stadium so any new stadium so by in 10-15 years it's gonna be very rare unless you're in southern

Miami or if you're in No, it's it's we'll put a bubble up before we build a new stadium Unless you're Miami or Cincinnati or somewhere down south where the weather is warm You're building a dome. So all these stadium like Minnesota. I mean everything is just gonna be a dome So in in 15 years, don't even have to worry about it

Nick (14:33)
or Cincinnati because they're not getting a stay.

But to me, absolutely not. No. You played the whole season to get the top seed. You deserve to have home field advantage in the AFC or NSC championship. And for everybody who's like, this is unwatchable. I don't want to watch a 10-7 game in the snow. To me, you get 34, 31 games all the time in the regular season. If I've got a 10-7 game in the snow,

You think that's not gonna make me wanna watch? Snowgates, I'm absolutely, like I was gonna watch anyways. But there's something intriguing about these weather element games. When you're playing on Madden, like when they first started having the elements on Madden, you weren't going in and putting the snow just to play on it. Like playing outside when there was snow on the ground, playing football in the snow. I don't, like why would we wanna get away from that? Just because.

Neil (15:42)
yeah, mean of course you will.

Nick (15:50)
We had a 10-7 game when we had two teams that was probably going to be 10-7 anyways because neither offense is very good.

Neil (15:58)
No, I love snow games. I prefer snow games in the regular season when, you know, ⁓ a championship is not on the line because I do want to see, I want to see good football in a championship game. And that was bad football. It was almost unwatchable football. It was three and outs, three and outs, three and outs. It was boring football because the elements had something to do with it.

I it would be better if it was Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning in the snow because I think they had actually put up points. I mean, I think that how bad the offensive were, offenses are in general played a large role by it was six seven, but.

Nick (16:19)
So.

But to you, defensive

football games, it's bad football?

Neil (16:36)
It's not fun.

Nick (16:38)
So it goes like this goes to baseball a lot of times too. Like, would you rather watch like a six to five game or a one to nothing game in baseball?

Neil (16:47)
A 1-0 game in baseball doesn't mean it's bad baseball though.

Nick (16:51)
But that's the same thing for football. Why does it not apply to football if it applies to baseball?

Neil (16:53)
No, that means it's bad football.

that's bad football.

Nick (17:02)
You're talking about two of the best defenses in the league.

That's why they are where they are. They eat in the AFC Championship because they're offenses. Bo Nix or Jared Stidham is not why the Broncos were in the AFC Championship. Drake May played a role, he's an MVP candidate. But for the most part, it's their defenses that got them there. And you got to see their defenses perform in the AFC Championship game. What did you expect? This to just turn into a 42 to 35 game?

Neil (17:12)
Cause their outfits are suck.

I mean, you could have a good defense, but

no, I don't want that. I'm saying you could have a good defensive performance in the game be 21 17 or 20 to seven. There's like a one score game where we at least we see at least, I mean, that's still pretty good. I mean, you give up 20 points. It's not, mean, still that's a better football game than what we watched. Like you can have a good defense and defense plays a role, but give me a little bit of offense here. Give me some.

Nick (17:44)
Not as good a defensive performance. Not as good. Not as good.

I think that's

That's an opinion

though, that's not a fact. There's gotta be some people that enjoy defensive football, just like you enjoy 1-0 baseball games.

Neil (18:09)
Most people are nerds.

Nick (18:10)
But most people aren't going to agree with you and I who are baseball enthusiasts. Most people are going to like watching 11 to 9 game more than a 1 to nothing game in baseball. But I like a 1 to nothing game.

Neil (18:15)
No, I'm not, I got... ⁓

I don't want either. want like a nice

five to four game, a six to five game. I don't want an 11 to 10 game or a one nothing game. Give me a little bit of offense and give me some good pitching. Give me both. I'm in the middle. That's what makes a good game is you get balance on both sides. We are fair and balanced over here.

Nick (18:31)
So you're just in the middle of both.

But these back and forth football

games where it's 49 to 42, you don't want to see that. Exactly, exactly, exactly.

Neil (18:44)
Those are fun though. If it's back and forth, are fun. It's a lot of fun.

But no, I want somebody to get a stop at some point.

Nick (18:52)
Well, if they don't, the game's never gonna end.

Neil (18:56)
No, give me that nice, give me that middle ground. I'm in the middle. I'm a middle ground kind of guy. I'm a fair and balanced guy.

Nick (19:01)
Middle ground is weak.

Like take take a side. That is a that's a cop-out

Neil (19:05)
Alright,

take a side. what side are you taking? You want one nothing games, 10-7 games, or you want the shootouts?

Nick (19:14)
I

appreciate both. You can appreciate both. No, I don't want the middle ground, but there's nothing wrong with a 10 to 7 AFC Championship game between two really good defensive teams.

Neil (19:17)
Pick a side Nick, a side. Pick a side. Pick a side.

It was a snoozefest!

Nick (19:30)
They were great defenses. would have, what was the score going to be if it wasn't snow? What was it going to be 16 to 10? It would have been 16 to 10 maybe if it wasn't for the snow. If the elements were not, were a play to roll, but it wasn't the biggest part.

Neil (19:32)
It was bad offense more than it was good defense. It was a snoozefest. ⁓

No, they'd be throwing the- they'd throw the-

They would throw the p- Drake May would have more than, how many passing yards do you have? 60 something passing yards over here? 86 passing yards.

Nick (19:54)
Well, they didn't even try to throw it.

Neil (19:56)
Exactly, because of the snow.

Nick (19:58)
Well, they had to hold almost three quarters of football before there was snow.

Neil (20:01)
⁓ It was a snooze fest It was born. It was probably one of the worst that Conference championship games I've ever seen maybe of all time

Nick (20:10)
which is because the teams aren't that good.

Neil (20:15)
Don't disagree with me.

Nick (20:15)
not because

of the snow.

Neil (20:18)
But, but they, did you see their records though? You say they're not good. I mean, they're 14 and three. Patriots are 14 and three. They're both 14 and three.

Nick (20:24)
Right. It's right. I know I know

I know and the Patriots in the Super Bowl and I still don't think they're that good Their defenses are good puts them in position. I give the Patriots all kinds of credit They went out and spent a ton of money in free agency fix their defense put them in this position. I give them credit They got an upcoming quarterback Need whoever won that game is gonna get beat by the NFC

Neil (20:52)
They lost, the Patriots lost to the worst team in football this year and they're in the super.

Nick (20:56)
in the first game of the season.

Neil (20:58)
Yeah, I know it's the first game of season, but they still lost to the worst team in football. At home.

Nick (21:03)
You're allowed to lose into that Raiders team. just... I was gonna say you're allowed to have a slip up, but that Raiders team...

Neil (21:07)
should disqualify. ⁓ If you lose,

you should get disqualified from the Super Bowl if you lose to the worst team in football.

Nick (21:15)
Brutal,

brutal. So I guess you enjoyed the other game a little more.

Neil (21:21)
⁓ didn't everybody? That game was amazing. That was the Super Bowl. Like if that was the Super Bowl, it'd be talked about for a long time. That was a great game. I guess probably you would agree with this. Probably that game featured the two best teams in the league.

Nick (21:22)
Yes.

You you

Neil (21:41)
I mean, they were at the top of our power rankings on this show, week in and week out. I was a Seahawks guy, you were a Rams guy. We had them at the top two almost all the way through.

Nick (21:52)
I agree with that. I agree with that.

Neil (21:53)
Yeah, so I mean

it was a great game. ⁓ if that was the Super Bowl, if the Rams were in the AFC, or if the Rams were, sorry, if the Rams were in the AFC and that was the Super Bowl, like I said, it would be talked about for a long time about how good of a game that was.

Nick (22:10)
But unfortunately, one of those teams had to lose. You had text me during the game. You didn't agree with some of McVay's strategies.

Neil (22:17)
Yeah.

Well, it's been a couple days. I did not. That is true. We go back here.

Nick (22:27)
Well, you had talked about going for two.

Neil (22:31)
Yes,

yes, yes. So they're down four. They scored the touchdown. It was somewhere in the third quarter. Let go back and see when they had scored these touchdowns. Game cast. So yeah, they're down four. They cut it to 24-20 with 9.41 in the third.

I understand maybe it's little too early on that one to go for two to try to cut it to one score. That's fine. But then you give up the touchdown again to the Seahawks. Now you're down 31-20. And then you get down to that two minute mark in the third quarter and you get down four again. That to me is the time, all right, we're getting into the fourth quarter. I want to be down three points going into that. I want to be down a field goal going into that last quarter. And he didn't. He kicked the extra point again.

Nick (22:57)
I think 100 % is.

Yeah, and really, what is the difference if you don't get it between being down five and four?

Neil (23:28)
nothing. Zero. There is a, the only difference is if you go and score, the only difference is if you go and score the touchdown, then in the extra point you're up three instead of two. But you would probably still go for two in that situation to try to make...

Nick (23:30)
I think eventually down the line, could play a role.

But

regardless if you're down five or four at that moment, if you get a touchdown, you're taking a.

I agree with you on the second one. I'm gonna go for two, I'm gonna try to get it to three. They don't do that, they're down four, they get it inside the 15, they end up having to go on fourth down and really don't even get close to scoring. If you go for two there, you can kick a field goal and tie it. Obviously they didn't have that, wasn't an option at that point.

Neil (23:54)
Yes.

Nick (24:17)
Are you are you you're going there though, right? You you're not going to kick to cut it to one

Neil (24:20)
Yes.

No, you're going. You're going. Because that was late in the fourth, wasn't it?

Yeah, you're going.

Nick (24:32)
No, but yeah, I think the second one to get it to three, so at least take a chance. The being down five, being down four is not that big a difference. ⁓ But you're right, I mean, was ⁓ just a great game. The muff punt, Seattle pounces on it, scores almost right away. And then the Rams, they answered every single time they got down. And the taunting penalty played a role in them allowing to respond.

Neil (25:00)
mean,

that was almost game over if he doesn't get that taunting penalty. You've got the ball back up 11, chance to go down and make it a three score game. That taunting penalty, ⁓ would have haunted him for a long time if they would have lost that game. ⁓

Nick (25:15)
And then immediately they went to Puka down the sideline, what, on like the next play.

Neil (25:25)
Which driver are you talking about? The one that ended the game? ⁓ yeah, right. Yeah, it was first play after that, it?

Nick (25:27)
After the tawny the 34 yard touchdown passed a poker

And

that was the, was that the last points of the game?

Neil (25:35)
they went deep. Yes, that was the last points of the game.

Nick (25:37)
That wasn't so

it was it wasn't super late. It was still in the third quarter when they scored the last points in the game.

Neil (25:43)
Yeah, the both teams got shut out in the fourth. But they had the drive where they went forward on fourth down, I mean that was a 14 play, 84 yard drive that took up seven and a half minutes. So it took up more than half the quarter. And by the time that they went for it, I mean there was four minutes and 54 seconds on the clock. Yeah, so you had to go for it. But then, you you gave up a couple first downs. ⁓

Nick (25:59)
Yeah, lesson five. Lesson five.

Neil (26:10)
to the Seahawks after that. Like your defense had a chance to get the ball back, just get a three and out, you would have had plenty of time, but you give up 11 plays and they took five minutes off the clock. So I mean, your defense had a chance and they just couldn't get the stop when they needed it.

Nick (26:23)
But we had talked about Donald, what he did last year as the one seed with the Vikings. Give this dude some credit, man. The first quarterback ever in back to back seasons with two different teams to win 14 games. he throws for 350 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. Stafford 370 yards, three touchdowns, no picks. And the Rams do end up getting the ball back with no timeouts left.

with 30 seconds, we gotta go the length of the football field. And they get like a 30 yard pass on first down to get them down to what about the 30, 35. And then they kill it, stop the clock. And then they hit Puka towards the sideline. Looks like they're gonna have a chance to throw it to the end zone from about a little bit across midfield. And he's down in bounds.

Neil (27:05)
Yeah.

Nick (27:23)
and the clock and the clock's ticking and the game's over. I wanted to see that throw to the end zone.

Neil (27:23)
Which he was. He was. That was the right call.

I did too. But then there was a play in that game that you would mention that you still can't figure out why that was a catch.

Nick (27:38)
the Cooper Cup across the middle. I have no, I don't know what it catches. I don't know what it catches.

Neil (27:40)
Yeah, Cooper Cup. Cooper Cup, yeah.

You're supposed to survive.

I don't think he made a foot like he caught it. Took maybe a half a step. Was the foot even down yet before he hits the ground and the ball popped out? I mean, Des Bryant would like a word with the league on why that's a catch and his back in the game against Green Bay in the playoffs. What 10-15 years ago wasn't a catch. I mean, what is it?

Nick (28:06)
Was it just me

or was I the only one thinking it wasn't a catch? I didn't feel like anybody talked about it.

Neil (28:10)
No, I was with you.

Terry McCauley didn't have anything to say on that one? Gene? Where was Gene? Where was Gene when you need him?

Nick (28:16)
Like, nobody would say anything.

I don't know. He definitely didn't land. And the ball came out of his hands before he finished.

Neil (28:29)
Yeah, you're supposed to survive the ground. And that to me, I don't think he took enough steps to make it look like it was a catch and run, because it wasn't. He was hit almost immediately. He lunged forward trying to get that first down, and the ball popped out. I mean, to me, it was all one motion. To me, it looked like it was all catch, turn, lunge, one motion that when the ball popped out, should have been incomplete. I'm with you on that.

Nick (28:54)
100 % and the ball was on his fingertips. He had he did have possession. I just I don't think he finished the play

Neil (29:02)
There are plays that have been called incomplete that look very similar to that.

Nick (29:07)
If that's a big play for the Bengals and that's T Higgins and that's what happens to the ball, I guarantee to you they're not calling it a catch. I just guarantee it.

Neil (29:16)
The league's against the Bengals.

Nick (29:18)
I don't

think that's the case, but I just know the way my life works.

Neil (29:22)
The way my life works.

Nick (29:26)
But it also like say Pook is out of bounds so we get a last second throw To see who goes to the suit It was close enough. It was close enough. You know Yeah, they were a little cross midfield, but it was close enough, you know what they're trying to do give them a chance

Neil (29:34)
I mean, would have been, what yard line was it? What, about the 40 on the other side? Yeah.

Yeah.

But I mean it was the right he was tackled inbounds. We're not gonna we're not gonna argue that one because that was the right call

Nick (29:53)
It was close, but I do think it was the right call.

Neil (29:56)
But let's just, I'm here to give Sam Darnold his credit. I mean, the way that he bounced back, like he's had the rap of, you know, he can fall apart in these big situations like he did last year with the one seed in Minnesota. But you know, against the team that he struggled with this year, I sent you the text and like, man, regular season against the Rams, he had two touchdowns and six picks. And then in the game the other night, three touchdowns, no picks. So.

Nick (30:01)
You have to.

Yeah, he was great.

Neil (30:24)
He probably played one of the best, and on that stage, he probably played the best game of his career. And for a guy that was written off in New York, written off, and he was terrible in New York, written off in Carolina, because he was terrible there. He was the backup, I'm pretty sure, to Brock Purdy in San Francisco for a year. Like, this guy's dead. And for him to come back like he did last year in Minnesota, and then to cap it off with an NFC championship this year, like, what a comeback story.

Nick (30:51)
No, look, how many Jets quarterbacks have we seen that have had great careers with being drafted by the Jets?

Neil (30:59)
Is Zach Wilson gonna pop up somewhere and lead some team to the playoffs in the Super Bowl next year? Probably not.

Nick (31:03)
that.

Mark Sanchez is the last one to really have some success that was drafted there, right?

⁓ So yeah, you should get a second chance after not succeeding with the Jets. But he sat behind some people at the Panthers, sat behind, ⁓ who was he sitting? I don't remember who he was sitting behind in Carolina. But yeah, he went to, huh?

Neil (31:21)
He didn't succeed with the Panthers either.

way.

Was he behind Baker?

Was he behind Baker?

Nick (31:35)
I'm not 100 % sure. I didn't know we were gonna go into Sam Darnold's whole career. But you're right, it's 100 credit. And now you're a four and a half point favorite in the Super Bowl, and that team's defense is incredible. Their coach is a maniac, which I think that's kind of what you want. We've talked about that several times. You just watch his postgame.

Neil (32:00)
Yeah.

Nick (32:05)
on the stand, the dude just is a nut. And you want that.

Neil (32:12)
I mean,

we talked about that in Chicago with Ben Johnson.

Nick (32:15)
Yeah.

Neil (32:17)
It's the kind of guys that we want.

Nick (32:18)
mean, and Jigba has turned into one of the top wide receivers in the league. Kenneth Walker's a beast. Yeah, this game will probably be closer, I think it's gonna be, but Seattle's just.

four and a half I'm probably taking that.

Neil (32:39)
Yeah, I mean, it's out west. So it's up in the northwest kind of where I mean, in a building that Seattle plays in twice a year, like they're familiar with and they don't have to go very far. I mean, I know that teams get out there week in advance. So, know, New England will be acclimated before the game, but.

I mean, it's kind of home out there for Seattle on the coast. So I mean, it'll be business as usual for them. I think they're the better team. We've sat here and pounded the fact that we don't think the Patriots are very good. But Patriots are 14 and 3, and Mike are in the regular season when Mike Vrabel is one of the better coaches in the league. So I think it will be a good game, but I still think that the Seahawks come out on top.

Nick (33:25)
Yeah, we can get into that more next week too, as we have. We can break down the Pro Bowl this week if you want, as the Pro Bowl is coming up this weekend. ⁓

Neil (33:32)
There's zero talk. We can talk about how pointless the Pro Bowl is when Shador

Sanders is a Pro Bowler. Like why do we even have that? Like this shouldn't even be a thing.

Nick (33:42)
It makes zero sense.

Neil (33:46)
Just cancel it. Cancel it.

Nick (33:48)
Shadour

Sanders. Dude didn't start till what? Week 13? And then when he started, wasn't great? Had more picks than he has touchdowns? And he's a Pro Bowler?

Neil (33:53)
and has more interceptions, had more interceptions than touch girls, and he's a Pro Bowler.

I mean, that to me just says that every other starter in the AFC said no, they don't want to go to the Pro Bowl, and half the backups in the AFC probably said no, we don't want to go to the Pro Bowl either. And they're like, well, I guess Shador Sanders is 35th on our list. Let's see if he wants to go. And of course, he's going to say yes.

Nick (34:17)
Yeah, just... Just

cancel it. Just cancel it.

Neil (34:20)
I mean it's just,

it's what is it? Dodgeball and tug of war and... Have you even watched it in the last couple years? I used to watch it when it was an actual game.

Nick (34:24)
Flag and flag.

No. No.

Yeah, but it still wasn't great.

Neil (34:34)
But then there was just no D, it was just, yeah, boring.

Nick (34:37)
still

wasn't great. It's and look doing a exhibition football game is not the easiest thing because you don't want to people to get hurt. The NBA All-Star game sucks now too. Like baseball is still the only awesome.

Neil (34:50)
Baseball is

the only one that actually is good.

Nick (34:53)
But it's the easiest one to do because you're not as worried about people getting hurt. They could play in the NBA, they just don't want to guard. But we now have a Super Bowl. Have you seen, with Drake May and Sam Darnold, have you seen the painting or the portrait that they did at the beginning of the year where it's got all these players from the NFL, like Saquon's at the front, or not, he's at the back, but he's at the front of the picture.

Neil (35:14)
Yeah, and all the players. Yep.

Nick (35:22)
like Burroughs there, Mahomes, and all the way at the front standing right next to each other, Drake May and Sam Darnall.

Neil (35:29)
They are the front of the line looking, yes, at the stadium, right next to each other. The conspiracy theorists are running wild with that one.

Nick (35:35)
So.

Yes, and when you have a Drake May, Sam Darnold, Super Bowl, it's not the, it's not to Hall of Famers. It's not the guys that have won Super Bowls. It's not, yeah, not the sexiest matchup. Let's do a little team tall versus team small, little draft where we draft the worst quarterback matchups in the Super Bowl. And let's keep it our

Neil (35:50)
It's not the sexiest night, Joe.

Okay. Okay.

Nick (36:09)
era so let's go 90.

as recent as 1990 to where we are now.

Neil (36:14)
now okay

okay who's picking first

Nick (36:21)
You can pick first.

Neil (36:23)
How many pics did we get?

Nick (36:24)
You get one pick to start, we can do four, four each, then we'll do Snake.

Neil (36:27)
Alright.

Okay. My number one pick in worst quarterback Super Bowl matchups is going to come from the 2002 Super Bowl where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders and that game was started by Brad Johnson of the Buccaneers and Rich Gannon of the Oakland Raiders. A Brad Johnson, Rich Gannon Super Bowl is probably to me the worst quarterback matchup.

that I've seen.

Nick (36:59)
Not a great one and then it wasn't a great game either. I think Rich Gannon threw like three picks in that game. The Bucks were known for their defense and they scored 48 points. ⁓ So now I gotta pick two. Well, just two years before that.

Neil (37:08)
They were. Yeah.

Yeah.

Nick (37:16)
You've got... Who was it? Trent Dilfer!

Neil (37:22)
Trent Dofer of the Ravens, yup.

Nick (37:25)
And then the quarterback for the Giants was Kerry Collins.

Neil (37:32)
Kerry

Collins. That's bad.

Nick (37:37)
So I'm going that ⁓ another and just another bad game the Ravens dominated and they had one of the best. I mean, it was the Bucks to one of the better defenses in history. But yeah, that Ravens defense was was unbelievable. So I'll go Kerry Collins versus Trent Dilfer as my second pick. And then as my third pick.

Neil (37:44)
I mean, that defense of the Ravens ⁓

Yeah.

Yup. Yup.

Nick (38:03)
gets a little tougher.

Neil (38:05)
It does get tougher.

Nick (38:06)
but I'm gonna go.

the Harbaulbo Flacco Kaepernick.

Neil (38:15)
Yeah, yeah, mean, Flacco had some good years in Baltimore. And he's been a good quarterback over his career. But when you look at some of the other names that are Super Bowl quality quarterbacks, he's not in the same.

Nick (38:29)
And you just look at

so many of the Super Bowls, have Tom Brady, have Peyton Manning, have Patrick Mahomes. It's hard to pick those because you've got surefire Hall of Famers.

Neil (38:40)
Yes, no, you're right.

Nick (38:41)
Alright,

your fourth and fifth picks.

Neil (38:46)
Like you said, it's hard because there's some bad quarterbacks that have played in the Super Bowl, but on the other side of it are some Hall of Famers. You're looking at, and this is not going be my pick, but just for instance in like 94 you had Steve Young who's a Hall of Famer, one of the best quarterbacks of all time against Stan Humphries of the chart. So you almost can't pick the match up because one's a Hall of Famer.

Nick (39:04)
the quarterback matchup is Stan Humphries.

Neil (39:12)
But I'm gonna go probably with my next pick, the 2005 Super Bowl. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger and the Seattle Seahawks, Matt Hasselback.

Nick (39:23)
Okay. That was the one I was deciding between Flacco and Kaepernick.

Neil (39:31)
Yeah, I mean you could flip flop either way. Yeah, no, you're right. But then you've got like, there's so many Mahomes and so many Brady's.

Nick (39:39)
It gets tougher.

Neil (39:43)
I'm gonna go 1999.

And even though he is a Hall of Famer, Kurt Warner and the Rams and Steve McNair of the Titan.

Nick (39:54)
Ooh, ooh,

I think that one's a little early. Yeah, you got a pure fire hall of famer. Steve McNair was good,

Neil (39:59)
You think it's too early?

I Warner is a Hall of Famer,

but... Warner's a Hall of Famer, but... I don't know. He's a fringe Hall of Famer to me. I don't know.

Nick (40:10)
All right.

You gotta go 1994, 95 Super Bowl, Steve Young and Stan Humphries. It's Stan Humphries. The game was terrible.

Neil (40:22)
St. Humphrey's that bad?

Nick (40:28)
and

Neil (40:29)
I mean it was a complete blowout. Yeah, that was that was a bad game.

Nick (40:33)
And then you've got a Chris Chandler game against Elway. You got a Jake DeLonge game against Brady. Or you got a Rex Grossman game against Peyton Manning.

Neil (40:44)
We have a Neil O'Donnell vs. Aikman in there if you want one of those two.

Nick (40:49)
Yeah, you do have that one too.

⁓ wow. ⁓ who is the worst of those three? Chandler, DeLome, or Grossman?

Neil (41:02)
It's gotta be sexy regsie, doesn't it?

Nick (41:05)
I think it does. think I'm going Peyton Manning and Rex Grossman as my last pick.

So you got one more.

Neil (41:15)
Yeah.

My last pick.

going to be...

Nick (41:22)
I am mad that I didn't pick Ralph Asperger Assleback instead of Flacco Capperdick.

Neil (41:26)
I'm gonna sneeze. ⁓

Nick (41:29)
Don't you have a cough button?

Neil (41:31)
Yeah, but I don't have my studio thing pulled up. I'm looking at the list of Super Bowl quarterbacks debating which is the worst. ⁓

Nick (41:39)
It's gotta be.

Neil (41:43)
I'm gonna go Aikman. To me it's between the DeLone Brady or the Aikman and an O'Donnell but since Brady is the GOAT I'm gonna go Troy Aikman vs Neil O'Donnell in 1995.

Nick (41:43)
I feel like it's...

Will

L.A. Chris Chandler just not in the thought process?

Neil (42:00)
No, because Chandler's better than O'Donnell and Elway's better than Aikman.

Nick (42:02)
Is he?

Neil (42:06)
Always better than Eggman. I'm gonna go Chandler over O'Donnell. I I'm going 19, my last pick's gonna be Eggman and Neil O'Donnell. He just sucked when he was a bangle too.

Nick (42:09)
I'm not sure how I better to make

Where does this year's matchup, how many is it worse than?

Neil (42:23)
I would put this in the top four.

Nick (42:27)
It's better than Gannon Johnson and Collins-Dilford, but I don't know if it's better than anything else.

Neil (42:33)
You're putting above Gannon and Johnson and Collins and Dilfer.

Nick (42:37)
And I think that's it.

Neil (42:39)
Yeah, cuz neither one of these, mean, Drake May's career is still to be written. He could be a Hall of Famer. And we could be looking back at this in ten years and be like, that Drake May was awesome. But it's highly doubtful. So yeah, no, you're right, you're probably right. It is probably the third worst QB matchup since 1990. I agree with you there.

Nick (42:51)
That's why the paint is good.

But definitely not what we predicted unless you were doing that painting or whatever it is and you knew all along that these were gonna be the guys. We now know who the guys are gonna be leading the AFC North teams. As Zach Taylor is the only coach returning the AFC North. The Steelers are bringing in Mike McCarthy. The Ravens are bringing in Jesse Minter.

Neil (43:07)
Yeah, there.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Nick (43:30)
It was just announced today that the Browns are bringing in Todd Monkin. And Jim Swartz is not happy about it. And I think they just lost their defense coordinator as well because he wanted the job. And even though he's still under contract, I think he walked out of that building pretty upset when he realized he didn't get the job.

How do you rank AFC North coaches, one to four?

Neil (43:54)
I mean, just by overall success, I mean, and I think it's, don't think that it was a great hire by the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Mike McCarthy has had success in the past as a head coach in both Green Bay and a little bit of he had up and down. He had mixed results in Dallas. He had mixed results. I mean, he's been, he went to the playoffs, then he went to division title down there. Yeah. I, I would say that Mike McCarthy is probably just.

Nick (44:10)
I wouldn't say he had success in Dallas.

Maybe,

That's not the expectation of Dallas.

Neil (44:24)
based on his career is probably.

Nick (44:24)
mean, winning division titles

ran Mike Tomlin out.

Neil (44:29)
I don't know, out of the four head coaches that are in the division, think Mike McCarthy, based on his resume, is probably the top. ⁓

Nick (44:38)
Yeah, and you can't put Jesse Minner at the top because he's never coached. You can't put Todd Monkin at the top because he's never been a head coach. So I agree with you, McCarthy's won. If I'm a Steelers fan, am I excited about it?

Neil (44:42)
Correct.

No. No. I mean the team that I think should be most excited about their head coach and the prospects would probably be Baltimore. But you just don't know yet. So you can't put a guy that's never been a head coach at the top of a head coaching ranking because he's never done it. But first.

Nick (44:59)
I agree.

So I know how bad you want

Zack Taylor out of there. Where does he rank?

Neil (45:13)
Fifth.

Nick (45:15)
You

What is he writing? One to four.

Neil (45:19)
There's the top, there's those other three, then there's some unknown fourth, and then Zach Taylor's fifth. I mean, just based on that logic, he's probably number two, somehow.

Nick (45:28)
which

is.

Neil (45:31)
At the end of next season, I'm gonna tell you he will not be number two, he'll probably be three or four. I mean, I think he's a bum. When all said done, if I had to actually rank him, would even with or without experience, like I said, I think Baltimore has the most to be excited about and they're higher. I would put that higher at number one. I would put the.

Steelers higher Mike McCarthy at number two, then I would put the Browns higher of Monkin at number three So I'm pretty sure Baltimore wasn't happy with Monkin and like that's what ended up getting Harbaugh fired as his loyalty to Monkin and Baltimore wanted to make a change there when he and Lamar Monkin and L'Oreal didn't get along was the rumor and

And it's just the Browns. The Browns just somehow screw everything up. So I would put Munkin third among those new hires. So I would go Mentor, McCarthy, and then Munkin in that order of those three new hires. It's nice.

Nick (46:21)
as far as excitedness. Yeah, I would agree with that order.

But if you're ranking coaches in the AFC North, I think you got to go McCarthy, Zach, Mentor, Monkett.

Neil (46:27)
Zach Taylor's too.

Yeah, that's the right order. That is the correct order. But only because Menter and Munkin haven't really done anything yet.

Nick (46:39)
Also,

if you don't take advantage of this next year, the schedule next year where you're facing, I mean, 10 coaches, and I think the Bengals are facing a lot of these teams next year, you're gonna get a lot of teams with the first, you're getting six games in division with the first year head coach. If you don't take advantage of this and get to the playoffs, you go to fourth. You, right away, to fourth. You're behind, you're behind Monk, if you can't get to the playoffs next year.

I guess one more thing before we get off the NFL. The news yesterday, somehow, Bill Belichick is not a first ballot hall offender.

Neil (47:16)
It makes no sense. He's the greatest NFL coach of all time. Six Super Bowls as a head coach. Six.

Nick (47:19)
Is it just?

Six Superboats!

Where's he rank all time winning percentage? He's up there.

⁓ I had it pulled up. This is the wrong one. ⁓

I just, I don't understand how he needed 40 out of 50 and he doesn't.

Neil (47:43)
So

who votes on this? They are riders, all of them are riders. I mean, I think this is just the riders trying to send a message. It's just the riders sending a message to Belichick that he was kind of a...

Nick (47:46)
Riders? I don't know.

When there's committee members, think, too.

Neil (47:59)
an a-hole maybe for a little bit of his career, most of his career. And then the two scandals, if you will, with the deflate gate, the spy gate, and whatever other gate you want to call it. I think it's just a mess, just kind of like, you know, like we're going to put your ego in check here. Like we know you're the greatest of all time. You are a Hall of Famer, but we're going to make this little, we're going to make you wait a little more because you were such an a-hole to us for 20 years.

Nick (48:25)
It's

not the way that's, it's not the way this should work.

Neil (48:27)
I know it's not the

way it's supposed to go. How else is there an explanation of why he's not in the Hall of Fame?

Nick (48:32)
Dude has six Super Bowls and ranked second all time and wins to Don Chula. If that's not a first ballot head coach, look, I don't like him either. I don't like him either. But if that's not a first ballot head coach, then there's no such thing.

Neil (48:36)
So what's your explanation into why he's not in?

He's the greatest coach

of all time. He's the greatest NFL coach of all time. He's absolutely, no doubt it should be 50 out of 50 votes get him in. First ballot 50 out of 50. But he did it. So what's your explanation for it? I just gave you mine. What's yours?

Nick (49:00)
Well, the fact that when Brady left, they weren't very good? Does that play a role? I don't think it should, because you already did what you did.

Neil (49:06)
No. No.

Nick (49:11)
But when he didn't have Tom Brady as his quarterback, he was not that great of a coach.

Neil (49:19)
So you're gonna punish Jimmy Johnson because he had Troy Aitman, Emmett Smith and Michael Orvin?

Nick (49:22)
I, look, ⁓

you're asking me to try to figure this out. I think it's absurd.

Neil (49:27)
Because he had one or one year without Brady or two years without Brady and they weren't very good

Nick (49:30)
Well, before that, before

he wasn't a great head coach either before he got Brady.

It's absurd. Like I said, if he's not a first ballot Hall of Fame coach, then they don't exist and they should never exist again.

Dude won six supes and is second on the all time win list. Yeah, he's a nut. Yeah, but you see the highlights of the Malcolm Butler pick against Russell Wilson in the Super Bowl. And they run like that, the five minute where they're kind of doing behind the scenes and just watching him talk about that play and how everything that was going on and they're all like, should we call time out, call time out? He's just over, we got this, we got this.

Neil (50:01)
Yes.

Yeah,

Nick (50:14)
We got this.

Neil (50:15)
yeah, there was more than just Tom Brady that won those Super Bowls. I mean, Tom Brady was a main factor, but Bill Belichick knows how to coach football.

Nick (50:23)
Well, no kidding. But evidently there's 10 writers or 10 committee members that don't think that he should be a first ballot Hall of Famer. And they should all have to explain what they think a first ballot Hall of Famer is because I don't care if you don't like him. Dude's numbers look at numbers matter. Success on the field matters.

Neil (50:45)
they didn't

If you're, I guess if you're trying to make sense of it, which it makes no sense at all, but if you're trying to make any little bit of sense, I think that like I said, those two scandals, the deflate gates and the spy gates, ⁓ probably played a role in that, why he's not a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Nick (51:04)
And I just think he rubs people the wrong way.

Neil (51:08)
Yeah, he does that too.

Nick (51:09)
The whole 23 year old girlfriend, the whole thing in North Carolina, the deflate gates. The combination of all that maybe plays a role. And be honest with you.

Neil (51:18)
Or you think if he doesn't take

the head coaching job at North Carolina and dates a 23 year old girlfriend, he's in the Hall of Fame right now?

Nick (51:28)
I would hope that it doesn't change it, but I'm just trying to figure out why these writers are being as petty as they are, because it's with pettiness.

Neil (51:36)
I mean, guess,

do these ballots, will these ballots become public? Like the baseball writers are?

Nick (51:42)
They should, if they're not.

Neil (51:44)
They need to show these guys ballots and give me the people that did not vote for him and we need answers. We need answers as to why. Because it doesn't make any sense.

Nick (51:45)
Stay sure.

Like it's just,

yeah, it makes if he's not a first ballot, then you explain to me what is because I don't know how you do much more than what he did as a head coach.

You guys getting a little college hoops?

Neil (52:07)
Sure.

Nick (52:09)
Now that college football is over, the Hoosiers are national champions, now we can talk a little more college hoops.

Neil (52:16)
B-ball? Okay.

Nick (52:18)
⁓ I guess we can start.

in Ann Arbor yesterday. Nebraska, they're down two guys. Mast was out, he was sick, and then Braden Frager's been out the last couple games with sprained ankle. So they were out without their second and third leading scorers. They completely control the first half. They hit like 10 three-pointers in the first half, got up double digits, ended up going to the halftime only up two. It was 50 to 48 at half. You're like,

Neil (52:26)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Nick (52:54)
And then the second half, the script flipped completely as they put a lid on the basket for both teams. After hitting 10 threes in the first half, I think they only made one three from behind the arc. In the second half, Michigan gets a late bucket on what I thought maybe was a charge. ⁓ But this is my takeaway from the game. We already knew Michigan is really good.

And there were questions about Nebraska, even though they had started 20 and 0 and had won their last 24 games because they won the college basketball crown or whatever that tournament was at the end of the year last year. So they were, they had won 24 straight games. I'll be honest with you. I'm more impressed with Nebraska at 20 and one than I was with Nebraska at 20 and 0. They showed me that much in at Michigan last night.

Neil (53:49)
Yeah, yesterday was

a big test. Like Michigan, it's no secret they've been one of the better teams all year. They had that hiccup against Wisconsin at home. But before that, they were just beating the tar out of teams. I they were winning games by 20, 30, some even over 40 points. For Nebraska to go into Michigan, their toughest test of the year, and they led for 91 % of that game. They led for 91%. The largest lead for Michigan was the final score, three.

They won by three points, and that was their largest lead of the game. Nebraska controlled that game. They led, like I said, 91 % of it. Down a couple guys. Nebraska's there for real. They answered the question of, can they compete with those top echelon teams? And last night showed them that yes, yes they can.

Nick (54:35)
The first half, didn't know if Jermarcus Lawrence was gonna miss a shot. And he calmed down in the second half just like the rest of the Nebraska team did. But Jacobson, who doesn't normally start, came off the bench and had some big buckets for him when they were struggling to score there in the second half. Michigan can win the whole dang thing. But honestly, I think Nebraska's in that conversation too. And I think if you can go on the road when you're down your second and third best scores and

You build a lead like that against a team like Michigan and you've got a chance there at the end to win it. It turned me into a believer. Both these teams are national title contenders and you gotta give ⁓ Michigan credit too for figuring out a way to win. It was freshman McKinney that had that bucket late and he had a couple big threes too there in the second half. ⁓

Neil (55:32)
Yeah, I mean, we like we said, we're giving Nebraska their credit. We agree that we think they're for real and they have another opportunity to their next three games to prove us right. Like they've got Illinois number nine, Illinois coming in this weekend on Sunday. And then they have Rutgers, which will be an easy test. But then right after that, they've got Purdue coming in.

Nick (55:52)
Well, Michigan

State should have lost a record yesterday.

Neil (55:56)
Yeah, but I mean, Indiana just beat the crap out of Rutgers right before that. Rutgers isn't very good. number nine Illinois coming to Nebraska on Sunday. And then 10 days later on February 10th, you've got Purdue. I know Purdue's lost three straight. They're kind of on a slide right now. But still a pretty good team. I don't know.

Nick (56:02)
No, they're not very good.

Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with that team.

Neil (56:18)
They're still a pretty good team. So you've got Illinois and Purdue two out your next three after that tough loss at Michigan. So this is where you make everybody a believer if you're Nebraska.

Nick (56:27)
Well,

and like I said, they kind of made me a believer in a loss, which...

Neil (56:31)
No, yeah,

same, same, but now you have a chance to really go back it up.

Nick (56:36)
And the other big game last night was Kentucky at Vanderbilt and was not a game at all. Was nothing. Vanderbilt's playing without Duke Miles because we just talked about Nebraska playing without their second and third leading scores. They're playing without Duke Miles, their second leading score, and it did not matter even a little bit.

I told you Tyler Tanner is one of my favorite guards to watch in college basketball. And he had that ball and a string and could do get wherever he wanted the entire game could do whatever he wanted the entire game. And I know Kentucky's came back from these deficits and you're like, I've watched them come back against LSU. I watched them come back against Tennessee. They were not coming back in this game.

Neil (57:32)
No, was, I mean, was, mean, Vandy got up, what, 11 right off the bat almost, like very early. And it was just kind of lights out from there. And, know, it's kind of a, it's a tough setback if you're a Kentucky fan. mean, you, you got some momentum going. I think they'd won what five straight, four or five straight. You know, they'd be, they beat a good Tennessee team on the road at Tennessee. ⁓ you know, they, they.

Nick (57:49)
That's right.

Neil (57:56)
They have come back from these large deficits, they won the game. They found a way to win. So you strung these wins together against some against some pretty good teams and you've got some momentum going and then just to go into to Vandy and get drugged by 25. That's yeah, kind of Kind of set you back.

Nick (58:11)
Well, a couple weeks ago,

I had talked about how think Vanderbilt is a legit national title contender. And they went on right away to lose three in a row. They lost at Texas, they lost to Florida, and then they lost to Arkansas. I still think this team is really good.

Neil (58:18)
and they lost the copyright right? Yeah, I see that. Yeah.

Nick (58:28)
The opposite of that, Kentucky's just not very good. And you can't make a habit of going down 17 and 18 and expecting to win. Vanderbilt's just better than LSU and they're better than Tennessee. You're not going to have the ability to come back against them like you did against those teams. And Vanderbilt got out the big, big weapons on social media.

Neil (58:42)
Yeah. Yeah.

Nick (58:57)
tweeting after the game, they just tased Ryan. This ball game is over.

Neil (59:06)
I saw the high school video from where part of Kentucky was that, that high school game.

Nick (59:10)
We need to research it, but that video was incredible. It's a middle school game. I think it was a middle school game. I think it was a middle school game. But the people are all over the court, and they're doing play-by-play the whole thing. They're like, we gotta get out of here. We gotta end this broadcast.

Neil (59:14)
I saw that bit. It just tasted. Was, that was a high school day. Middle school.

you

What was I like, Ryan? What

would Ryan a coach? One of the coaches assistant coach?

Nick (59:33)
I don't even know who Ryan was,

they were just like, they just tazed Ryan. So Vanderbilt on their social media, that was their tweet after the game with the score. They just tazed Ryan, this ball game is over. And that the ball game was over, it was over pretty early. ⁓ Pope's teams have trailed by 15 or more points at halftime and nearly a quarter of their matchups against Power 4 competition.

Neil (59:38)
This game is over. That's all I have.

That's pretty good.

Nick (1:00:02)
in his two years. including power four plus Gonzaga in nine of 40 games they have trailed by 15 or more at halftime.

and I'm putting you to sleep with those numbers.

Neil (1:00:13)
Yeah,

I mean, that's not gonna be good enough for those fans at Lexington. I they expect better. So like I said, I thought they maybe started turning a corner. They strung some wins together. And then this just kind of undid the last two weeks worth of work.

Nick (1:00:24)
They just, I don't, you watch?

It definitely did. ⁓ Monday night, you had Arizona undefeated going into BYU.

and

Neil (1:00:48)
That's the team, think that's, Arizona to me, I think is the best team in the country. They're ranked number one, but they're playing unbelievable basketball.

Nick (1:00:56)
Look, and we've talked a lot about a little bit about Co-op Pete being one of the better freshmen in the country. But dude, their backcourt with Jayden Bradley who came back, he was there last year. And the freshmen who also, this kid's on my list, Braden Burys, just an absolute stud. Their backcourt is incredible. And BYU makes that late rally, which I kind of turned it off thinking it was over.

Neil (1:01:23)
I did

too. I did too. Yeah.

Nick (1:01:25)
And then you

turn it on and they're getting AJ DeBots is going to the line and they end up tying it.

And but two really good teams, Richie Saunders is fun to watch, but I'm telling you, Braden Burris, I know he's a freshman to do that kid's a stone cold killer and was a big reason why they were able to pull it out even though BYU made that crazy run there late.

Neil (1:01:55)
Yeah, no, mean, they're playing the best ball. They've got, like you said, a couple of stud friends. We co-op Pete's the one that everybody talks about. But they're sitting there undefeated at 20 and 0, 21 and 0, with some big wins already. This is another one at BYU. I I would put them and probably Duke at the top of the list as far as top teams in college basketball.

Nick (1:02:23)
Yeah, think you gotta, UConn's gotta be up there as well.

Neil (1:02:27)
You got it. Yeah.

Nick (1:02:31)
Michigan.

I think those are probably the three best teams. But the story of this year to me is the freshmen. And on Saturday, we had three freshmen that scored 40 plus points. And seven freshmen went for 30 plus points. Keaton Wogler for Illinois and just, Purdue's lost three in a row, but they played well on Saturday and just couldn't figure out a way to.

Neil (1:02:46)
That's all that.

Nick (1:03:02)
to stop Wogler, guy who is from Kansas, was not heavily recruited, gets 46 points on 9-11 from three. The most points scored in a road win over a top 10 opponent in AP history. His 46 points were the most against the top 10 team since Malik Monk at 47 against North Carolina. He was incredible. And then DeBonsa also on Saturday had 43 points in their win over

over Utah he was 15 to 24 and then Kingston Fleming in the loss against Texas Tech for Houston had 42 points and and then you had what Boozer had 32 Acuff had 30 just

Neil (1:03:33)
Yeah.

Nick (1:03:48)
might be one of the better freshman classes in the history of college basketball.

Neil (1:03:52)
yeah, we've talked about this freshman class before. I think it probably is the best freshman class in the history of college basketball. And you even got the freshman up at Stanford who coming into the...

He's the third leading score freshman in the country right now. But coming into this season, he was ranked in the ESPN, he was number 175 or high 100s. Nobody's ever talked about this guy. And he's come in right away at Stanford and just dominated. Dom putting up big performances against Louisville and against Carolina and against other good teams. mean, top to bottom, this freshman class, even guys that weren't even on the radar before the season are having spectacular seasons.

⁓

Nick (1:04:35)
Well,

and just to add to that, Wagler was 261 in his class. And the only other Power 4 school to offer him was Minnesota. And just to kind of add to this game's lore, Purdue lost. They had 82 points, shot 57 % and had three turnovers, and they lost.

just kind of adds even more to the job that Wagler did to figure out a way to win that game. But in an era where we're seeing the portal and we're seeing NIL and more and more coaches are going towards filling their rosters with upperclassmen and guys that have been around. Now we're kind of seeing it go the other way the way it used to be where all these freshmen are really the best players in a lot of these teams.

Neil (1:05:22)
Yeah, and to John Calipari's concern is now when you're gonna start letting G League guys back in and you're gonna start letting...

You know, some guys that had former NBA contracts back in to play college basketball. You said like the guy from, like the kid from Illinois that was ranked 246 in his class might not be going to Illinois. He might not be on this stage. Like he might not get the opportunity, you know, if things go the way that they're going. And, you know, there's like the legal issue going on in Alabama on if their kids should be eligible or not. So.

You know, I love to see the freshmen succeed. I think it's good for college basketball when the freshmen succeed. ⁓ Because they're college kids. It's good to see that. They're getting their opportunities. They're making the most of their opportunities. And the whole issue of ⁓ eligibility of former professional athletes coming back is a whole separate issue. But I'd rather see these college kids succeed than a 27-year-old coming out of the G League.

Nick (1:06:23)
No, yeah, we got to figure this out. What's going on in Alabama right now? It's all a mess. ⁓ But yeah, it's fun to watch. These freshmen are fun to watch. It's going to make for a really fun February and March as we get into the heat of college basketball season. We can't move on from college basketball without mentioning the Miami, Ohio Redhawks who remain undefeated. They beat UMass last night.

Neil (1:06:51)
They still find their way. They're

really finding their way.

Nick (1:06:54)
They beat UMass last night and they are what 21 and 0 now. ⁓ And to be honest with you, they're going to be favored in the rest of their games.

Neil (1:07:06)
mean, last three games, overtime win against Buffalo, overtime win against Kent State, two point win against UMass. They're flirting with that first loss, but they're finding ways to get it done.

Nick (1:07:16)
which is all that matters.

Neil (1:07:19)
Which is good for Travis Steele. I mean, gets let go from Xavier. And then comes right into Miami of Ohio, gets a second chance and started around and he's proven he can coach. He's gonna be one of those names at end of the season. If this keeps up, he's gonna be in line for another big time job.

Nick (1:07:37)
Their lone win against a top hunter and adjust of efficiency is Akron. But they're undefeated.

They're undefeated. And like I said, they'll be favored in the rest of their games. I think who was the one team it was? Toledo. ⁓ Looks like probably gonna be their toughest test. But anytime, road games in Mac play are tough. So I would say they're probably not gonna finish the season undefeated. But to get this far and still not have a number on that second column is pretty impressive.

Neil (1:07:47)
are unavoidable.

Yeah, I mean when you're 20 and 0, 21 and 0, you've got things going the right direction. Like I said, they probably won't finish undefeated, but you know, they're in line to where, I mean, let's say that they go whatever and two and get knocked off in their conference championship game. You still gotta put them in as an at large, right?

No? Not even in the Mac? Macs not gonna be a 2-bit league?

Nick (1:08:44)
not with that non-conference schedule.

Neil (1:08:46)
Maybe. Kinda such.

Nick (1:08:47)
One of

the worst non-conference schedules in 362 out of 365.

Neil (1:08:54)
Alright, yeah, you're not getting in there. You better win your conference championship.

Nick (1:08:58)
Yeah, they're still gonna have to win.

Last week we talked about Brooks Koepka leaving live and come to the PGA Tour Said would anybody follow Patrick Greed's following it's gonna take him a little longer because he didn't get that little exemption He's got a he's got to get it the hard way and he's gonna play full-time with the DP World Tour and try to get on Qualify that way

Neil (1:09:16)
Yeah. ⁓

Nick (1:09:25)
Is this the end of lift? Like are we slowly seeing the end of lift?

Neil (1:09:26)
I mean...

It's brick by brick, it's starting to collapse. Yes, and the big domino that I think could really, the wrecking ball that could knock the whole building down would be a Bryson coming back and maybe a John Rahm. But Bryson would be the big domino that I think could really put the wrecking ball into the wall and knock the whole building down. So, Reed, Liv can keep them if they want them, but.

Nick (1:09:40)
All right.

Neil (1:09:57)
Good for him, you know, I mean, if he wants to try to do it the hard way, you know, good for him. I know he doesn't have another option. But the other option would be like, you know what, I don't want, like, I'll just keep collecting this large paycheck, not have to do anything, not have to really put in any work and just live a comfortable life. But he doesn't want that. He wants to earn his way back. You know, props to him for going out and trying to earn it. Like, he wants to earn it, that's fine.

Nick (1:10:01)
Well, he didn't get the other option. He didn't get option the other way.

I ain't giving it

like his quote. I'm a traditionalist at heart and I was born to play on the PGA Tour Well three years ago when they threw you the bag you you were really quickly leaving the PGA Tour and

Neil (1:10:29)
mean, we all know that's good. There was, there's no, you weren't a traditionalist.

Yeah,

him calling himself a traditionalist is just absurd, but...

Nick (1:10:42)
It's all absurd. And look, and all these PGA guys are saying the right things. But you're telling me there's not going to be a little bit about you that's upset that these guys went and got the bag where they're getting hundreds of millions of dollars and they just collect their check. And then three years later, like, I'm a traditionalist. I belong in the PGA. No, if you were a traditionalist, you would have said no to the money.

Neil (1:11:08)
Thanks.

Nick (1:11:11)
Like the real traditionalists on the PGA tour did, but you didn't do that.

Neil (1:11:14)
And you would have played a golf tournament that requires 72 holes instead of 54.

Nick (1:11:21)
I just look, but I will say, no, I am not a Patrick Green guy. But just like any sport, you do need villains. And he is a villain to a lot of people. But I just think they took the money. And now they're getting back in. And Liv gave away all this money. And they're going to have nothing to show for it here in a couple of years.

Neil (1:11:21)
A traditionalist.

Yeah. No, it's, it's, it's a fail. To me, it's going to be a failed product. Nobody watches it. Nobody talks about it. You go to live, you get forgotten about. Kepco has been forgotten about for the last couple of years. Rom, Cam Smith, Dustin Johnson, especially like all of these guys, nobody talks about you. Nobody watches you. I know you're collecting a big paycheck, but at end of the day, nobody cares.

Nick (1:11:51)
Cheers.

There's very few guys on LivTour that people do care about. ⁓

Neil (1:12:24)
Yeah, don't think when Liv started out on this venture, I don't think that they accomplished what they expected to accomplish, which was to be as good or better than the PGA Tour.

Nick (1:12:33)
I think

they accomplished what they did by getting some of the guys, but it was so expensive and it's not sustainable. You can't do it.

Neil (1:12:41)
but they got those guys,

but they had to get those guys to be successful. They don't have those guys, then you're really not gonna be successful. That was the only way that they had a chance.

Nick (1:12:46)
Right, but they threw him so much money

and you can't do that again. You can't give Brooks $400 million again.

Neil (1:12:53)
comments.

You could, mean it's Saudi money, I think they have it. I they can just reach it in their pockets and give it to them.

Nick (1:12:58)
I think you both,

they run out of money at some point. ⁓ I don't know. I don't know. But it's failed and now it's slowly collapsing and all these guys that left and took money and now they're coming back into PGA and everybody's applauding them. Like you still went and took the money. Like I'm not going to pull for those guys.

Neil (1:13:03)
Do they? Do they?

Nick (1:13:23)
I wouldn't pull for Patrick Greig to order Brooks Koepka anyways, but... And the PGA has their first...

Neil (1:13:28)
I don't hate Brooks. I can see a scenario

where I would cheer for Brooks.

Nick (1:13:32)
But PGA has their first event of the year, the American Express, they're out in La Quinta, California, and Scotty, just doing what Scotty does.

Just three clear, three clear all day on Sunday.

Neil (1:13:43)
what he does.

Was Rick in this tournament? How'd Rick end up? That's not bad. Good for Rick.

Nick (1:13:51)
Time for 18.

I'll

take, you take a top 20 in the first time of the year. But Scotty just doing Scotty things. And I guess to close, the name of the show is The Height Differential.

Neil (1:14:02)
he does.

sure is.

Nick (1:14:11)
We got a little high differential between one person.

Diego Pavia's listed height during his college football career at six foot. And Diego Pavia's measurement at the senior bowl, which was not quite six foot. It was not quite 5'11". It was not quite 5'10". He came in at 5'9", 7'8". And look, dude, I ain't making fun of you, because I would love to be 5'9", 7'8".

Neil (1:14:16)
person.

Nick (1:14:42)
But close to three inches, that's a big deal.

Neil (1:14:43)
Yeah.

Yeah, you want to try to shave an inch or two, not even two, if you want to try to up an inch, you might give away with that. You may get away with three inches or over three inches. And I mean, that's one thing that you can't lie about and get away with is your height. When you go to the combine, when you go to the senior bowl, when you go to work out for teams, they're going to take your measurements. if...

You're three inches different than what you were listed at in college? Like, you're not gonna be able to get away with it. There are gonna be some questions. like, bro, this ain't just an inch. What are you doing?

Nick (1:15:20)
Well, I will say like working in the industry and working for a college basketball team, like there never is a time when they get on campus to where you're measuring them and you're seeing what their height is. For the most part, you trust what their number was when they get there. So they're listed at a height when they come and that's usually what you roll with. You don't adjust it, but do three not.

Neil (1:15:44)
But did

he not expect to get measured again before the NFL?

Nick (1:15:46)
Three inches.

I mean, I think I need to start putting like five, four on the dating apps.

It's gonna give me more looks.

Neil (1:15:55)
I mean, to be honest, you think a girl's gonna notice the difference between 5'4 and 5'2? 5'1?

Nick (1:16:01)
5'4 and 4'10, yeah, that's half a foot, surprisingly enough.

Neil (1:16:04)
It

depends on if you get a well educated girl or not educated girl.

Nick (1:16:13)
I'm not going to be a little educated.

Neil (1:16:16)
You want to be able to tell the difference of six inches, huh?

Nick (1:16:19)
Yeah,

six inches. ⁓ But yeah, I just, it's going to affect, I don't know how high he was going to get drafted anyways. I just, he's got a little Napoleon complex, I think the way that he's kind of acted after the season and.

Neil (1:16:38)
Yeah.

Was he asked about this discrepancy in his height? Do they do interviews down there?

Nick (1:16:46)
Let's see. Yeah, my size, let's see. He said, yeah, my size has been down in my whole life. I feel like the only thing the NFL cares about is can you win? And I view myself as a winner. I've been fortunate with all these great teams that I've had. We've never had a losing season, so that's something to look forward to. I hope for the rest of my career, that's how it's going to be. I feel like God blessed me in so many ways to be a connector, and I feel like that's one of my superpowers that I've got. I can connect. We unite.

And then once you unite, you want to play for one another. And once you give 120 % effort, there's no one that can stop your team. That's basically what I said.

Neil (1:17:26)
Okay. Good answer.

Nick (1:17:29)
So he didn't say, I'm three inches shorter, I'm just gonna quit. He didn't do that. He's gonna plug on and try to make it.

Neil (1:17:37)
He wasn't

like, yeah guys, I'm sorry I lied in college. I wanted to be taller than I was. You got me. you got me.

Nick (1:17:40)
You're right. You're right. I wanted that six in the front. I wanted that six in the front.

I feel

him dude, I wanted the five in the front, I just never got there.

Neil (1:17:52)
Yeah.

Nick (1:17:54)
Well, I don't know if I've got anything else for you. I was gonna talk a little bit about how ESPN has ruined the NBA pregame show. But I think we can get in that next week. It's just, you never know when it's on. Like when it was on TNT, you knew exactly when it was on every single week. Now they just sprinkle it. They take weeks off. They're ruining what was one of the better things in sports.

Neil (1:18:20)
I mean, nothing will be better than NBA on TNT Studio Show.

Nick (1:18:24)
But they brought all those guys with

them. That's why they brought them to ESPN. They wanted to continue that and they've killed it. It's not killed because when it's on, it's still good. There's no consistency. They take times off. With TNT, you knew exactly when it was gonna be on every single week. You tuned in to watch it, regardless of what the games were after. Now around Wednesday sometimes, sometimes they're on that, sometimes they're not on at all. Even Charles Barkley's complaining about it.

Neil (1:18:40)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Nick (1:18:50)
I said

we'd hold off till next week and now we've pretty much said everything I wanted to say next week.

Neil (1:18:56)
Rants with Nick. Got it.

Nick (1:18:57)
It's all I got.

is, because it is one of the staples in sports. And we don't talk a ton of NBA here, but it is the best free game show for sport. Yeah, and everybody thought ESPN was gonna get it, they're gonna run it, and they have.

Neil (1:19:09)
It has been for a while. Yeah.

How much has your boy MJ been on the NBC studio?

Nick (1:19:21)
He

did one interview. He did one interview. They paid him like $40 million and they're going to sprinkle that one interview throughout the whole season.

Neil (1:19:28)
but they were talking about him being a part of it.

Nick (1:19:31)
Right, they did that one interview and they're just gonna show bits and pieces. Yeah.

Neil (1:19:33)
And that's it. And he

has like he's not live in studio at all like ever.

Nick (1:19:39)
I don't think that's the plan.

Neil (1:19:41)
That sucks.

Nick (1:19:44)
I don't know. I'd be honest, I have not watched the 10 NBA, other than Bulls games.

Neil (1:19:45)
that.

I mean I'll start watching it more now that football's over, NFL's over, you know, when there's not much to watch on a Wednesday, Friday night, NBA will be on.

Nick (1:19:59)
But LeBron went to Cleveland tonight and a lot of people saying it might be the last time he's in Cleveland. So ESPN was there and they actually had the pregame show, which I'm just flipping channels and happened to see that Chuck and Kenny Smith and Shaq and Ernie are on. And I'm like, didn't even know, didn't even know. And that's what made me think wanted to talk about it.

Neil (1:20:06)
and the pace were stuck.

Alright. Glad you could get that off your chest before you went to bed tonight. I understand what you're saying.

Nick (1:20:27)
I mean you understand what I'm

Yeah. Okay. Well, if you haven't already, make sure you're subscribing. Hit the like button on however you listen. Watch us on YouTube if you want to. Follow us on social media so you can see all the shorts. We cut all this stuff up so you don't have to watch the whole thing.

Neil (1:20:47)
Yeah. Good luck getting out of your driveway tomorrow.

Nick (1:20:49)
But

we're going to figure it out. We're going to figure it out. Because it is never going to be warm enough for this stuff to melt. We got a while to go before that.

Neil (1:21:00)
You got about enough about as much snow in your driveway as Diego Pavia missing height inches.

Nick (1:21:08)
For the 660, I'm the 410 Nick, give us an Hi Jeff Rancho, we'll talk to you next week.

Yup!