Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast.

And I just want to say I appreciate you guys.

You can be getting your NFL content from anywhere, but you're here with me.

I'm thankful for you.

So hit that sub button so you can get the notifications when I'm dropping a new episode.

All love.

Hope you guys are having a great New Year's accomplishing all your New Year's resolutions and staying healthy.

Welcome back to the Richard Sherman Podcast.

It's Championship week, Mitchell.

These are the games that matter, the games that will send you to the Super Bowl and crush your team's dreams.

Which one will it be?

We'll find out soon enough.

I can't wait.

The Seattle Seahawks play the Los Angeles Rams in another NFC West showdown.

It's been They split the two games during the season.

The last one was a shootout.

It ended up thirty eight thirty seven.

Sea Yawk Sam Donald drives down the field in a Valian effort to win that game.

They go for the two point conversion.

They convert in overtime walk off win.

Beautiful game.

The first game, not as beautiful, Not as beautiful.

Struggle by Sam donald for interceptions, but his defense kept standing up for him, held Matthew Stafford to one hundred and thirty yards passing, and they had a chance at the end.

Two more yards and they they would have had two wins this season versus the Rams.

And I'm sure the Rams fans are like, yeah, but if it went different, we would have had two wins.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, But I'm not talking about y'all right now.

The Rams defense is incredible.

They're riding high.

Cam Curl interception sends them to the championship game.

They played fantastic and tough conditions against a very good Chicago Bears offense, and I know that that gives them confidence.

This was a game that Matthew Stafford didn't throw a touchdown pass, he didn't play his best football.

His his offense didn't play their best, but they still came away with the win.

It was a cool game.

This is a game that I'm sure Mike McDonald is gonna is gonna be incredibly prepared for.

He's gonna have this defense incredibly prepared at their confidence level is through the roof.

But I know that Chris Shula is looking at last year's UH playoff game against the Vikings when they sacked Sam Donald nine times in the game, when they got after him, they picked him off once.

And there he's looking at that trying to see what disguises, what things he can take from that game play to put into this one.

I'm sure he's looking at things that he did in the matchup early on in the first matchup, the disguises, the way they forced him into mistakes.

But if i'm if I'm Sam Donald, like I said before, I'm watching that fourth quarter in that overtime where he played great football.

If I'm K nine, I'm feeling really good.

He had one hundred yards on the eleven carries in that second matchup.

The offensive line found their rhythm.

He's played his best football when it's been required.

And that's what makes me excited about the Seattle Seahawks team.

And again, Mitchell, I'm wearing his hat for a reason because Super Bowl, Mitchell.

We went to that Super Bowl and we wanted they gotta go again.

This is gonna be a fantastic matchup, and I think they have everything they need.

This is where legends are made.

This is the game where legends and legacies are created and upheld.

You got guys like Leonard Williams and.

Julian Love who were in New York and hadn't really had much success at all, much success, they never really played meaningful football in this way, they're playing in their first championship game.

It's great to see those guys were ready for the moment.

I just saw a clip today where Leonard Williams was talking to grey Zabel on the sideline after halftime and grey Zabel gave him a little advice.

You talk about a ten year vet taking taking advice from a rookie in a playoff game, and he takes that advice, goes on the field and it creates a sack for his team, and it was a huge play in the ball game.

And it just talks to the camaraderie and the togetherness, the brotherhood that has been built in Seattle.

And that's what Those are the things that you need in games like this.

Those are the things that make teams special when you win championships, when you when you've built this brotherhood and everybody's talking about this mob mission over bullshit, and that's the way they've been living, Mitchell all season long.

They have been on a mission from day one.

A training camp until now, they knew what they had in the building.

And if you came to training camp and you got to watch that team, if you spent any time in that building, you knew what they had.

That was a big reason I felt good about them coming into the season, having those conversations with Sam Darnold and JSN and the defense Tarik Wooling and Mike McDonald, because it just felt different.

You know what a special championship locker rooms sounds like.

You know what it feels like, and that's what it looked like.

Could I have predicted them making it all the way this year, and and and and playing as well as they did in the divisional game, I couldn't have seen it be in a forty one to six blowout.

But a defense finding its rhythm at the right time is a dangerous thing.

And they're finding their confidence, their rhythm, and the rookie nick Emmin Worri is playing as good as he's ever played in his career.

And that's a big reason why I feel like the Seattle Seahawks are gonna pull this one off in a comfortable fashion.

I don't know if it's not gonna be the blowout that it was against a I don't think it can be that, but I think they're gonna feel good.

I think they're gonna be in control of this game.

They just are such an incredible team, complete team.

The special teams are amongst the best in the National Football League.

The defense, the offense, and even with Sam Darnold's injury, the way the offensive line has been blocking.

It's it's gonna be different than you expect from the Seattle Seahawks team.

I still think their passing game is gonna be necessary.

They're gonna have to push the ball down the field.

I think Rashid Shaheit is gonna have to factor in, no question about that.

Richard.

I have to admit I've been wildly impressed with the Seattle Seahawks team even before their dominant performance against the forty nine ers.

Mike McDonald what an incredible hire for this organization.

You want to talk about transitioning from Pete Carroll to the next guy, and that next guy, Mike McDonald has stamped his imprint on this team.

You saw his vision, you saw his scheme in Baltimore, just a wild defense getting after the football, wreaking havoc on quarterbacks, causing turnovers.

Baltimore was a ferocious defense.

He has got the personnel to absolutely wreak havoc on whoever they go up against.

And for that reason, I love the Seattle Seahawks team.

I don't even care about the offensive side of the ball because what I saw this past weekend against the forty nine ers.

If this defense shows up like that, good luck to the Rams.

I think Seattle, if they put twenty one on the board, they walk away with a win because you can see it in their eyes, man, and like you said, mission over bullshit.

You can see that model playing out on the field.

And you know you want to talk about absolutely dominating an offseason, killing it with the drafty drafting guys like you said, like Gray's Able, like Nick Amnwari.

These are guys that are going to be culture changers here in Seattle for years to come.

And Richard switching to the offensive side of the ball.

It's my boy.

Canine's time to shine.

The Michigan State graduate.

You saw him tail and Tom Brady go green in that broadcast.

After the win, Zach Sharbonnay unfortunately goes out with an ACL injury, which is brutal, but you know what.

I've seen it firsthand at Michigan State when Kenneth Walker absolutely dominated the Michigan Wolverines and carried this team back from multiple scores down.

I think we see that same caneine this upcoming weekend against the Rams.

He's somebody that can the rock.

He's he can be a lone ranger in that backfield.

I promise you guys in Seattle, I think this is his moment to shine, not to mention, he's got all the moment, all of a motivation in the world.

He's gonna be a free agent after this year, so you know he's going to be highly motivated to prove himself in this game.

You gotta love what you've seen from the Seattle's running attack over the last handful of weeks.

The question becomes, cam Sam Darnold cure those demons against Chris Shula.

He's had not so much success over the last couple of years, five touchdowns to seven interceptions, been sacked sixteen times.

So that question becomes, can Sam Donald manage this offense well enough to bring home the victory?

Do you think Sam has it in him?

Yeah?

I think he has it in him, And I think again you don't have to save the world.

He doesn't have to be a world conqueror in this game.

You don't have to throw for five six touchdowns.

When we won the Super Bowl, it didn't take a ton.

It didn't take a ton of touchdowns from a quarterback.

Take it.

Marshawn Lynch consistent.

Marshan Lynch running the football.

Our run game was consistent.

He scored, He took over that NFC championship game.

Russell Wilson threw a critical clutch touchdown to Jermaine Curse on a on a on a free play where they got the defense to jump off sides on a fourth down.

Critical play, clutch moment.

But it's not like you have to to go out there and score forty points and make it a shootout.

This defense is gonna do their part.

They're gonna do their job.

Can they hold Matthew Stafford in check like they did in the first game.

That's gonna be another big question in the game.

Matthew Stafford the MVP of the league this year is what I'm assuming he's gonna be named at some point.

Is is not gonna go quietly into the night.

He's a Super Bowl champion, for a reason.

Him and Sean McVeigh have been through dark moments, they've been through these big games, they've been through these these critical games before.

But what they haven't been is in these critical games against this aggressive Mike McDonald coach defense.

And again, John Snyder deserves a ton of credit, and you got to give credit where it's due.

He's built this team from the bottom up.

And you talk about guys like Charles Cross, Byron Murphy from the last class, JSN from the last class, Uh, Devin Witherspoon.

You got guys like Ernest Jones that they brought in that they that they brought in uh middle of the season and and and made him their guy, and now he's a he's a foundational piece of this defense.

Uh.

Guys like DeMarcus Lawrence they brought in who said he wanted to go up pursue a championship.

Guys like Greek Wooland who he brought in, Kobe Bryant, who they've developed.

These are home A lot of these guys are home grown talents.

And then you talk about Gray's Abel and K nine and all the rest of the guys.

It's not like they're just picking a ton of guys off other teams that most of his team in its core has been home grown.

Jared Reed.

Jared Reed was drafted to the Seattle Seahawks.

He went and played other places, but he's back home and he's playing fantastic football.

There's so many guys that they've got that that they've done developed and coached and really nurtured.

This this incredible culture that they have now and you can see it the way they talk about each other in these interviews, the way they talk in press conferences.

That's the chemistry.

Now.

On the other side, the Rams aren't again not going quietly into the night.

They feel good.

About how they were able to attack Sam Donold in this offense, but I think again K nine is gonna have a huge impact.

They can feel as good as they want.

They gave up thirty eight points and the last time they played, But I think this is gonna be a different game.

It's gonna be a mix of the first two games.

But Sam's gonna obviously be wary of being careful, being cautious with the football, doing what he needs to do to get the ball down the field and get his team a win, not putting it at Harm's way K nine, consistent running game.

I don't think they're gonna try to be cute.

I don't think Kubiak is gonna try to get too cute in this game.

They're gonna hand the football out, football off and try to live in the way you win championship football games and the way it's it's a proven formula that has stood at the test of time.

You run the football, you play great defense, and you walk off for the win.

Obviously they get this win.

I think the winner of this game wins the Super Bowl.

I think the the.

Denver Broncos without bow knicks.

It's a great story, you know, it's a It's a fantastic story that what they've been able to do this season, what Sean Payton's done.

They were the number one seed.

Any time you lose your starting quarterback, it's a heartbreak and a and a gut punch.

I think the same thing about the New England Patriots.

Young quarterback that's been an MVP candidate all season long, played fantastic, elevated his team and his teammates, Mike Rabel and the way he's he's he's created that culture and injected life and energy into these guys.

But you're running into a bus all in this NFC.

These these aren't guys that are playing around.

These aren't guys that are are feel good stories.

That these are big dogs, and I I think the big dogs eat first and I think they they going to win.

But you know the NFL, that's why everybody watches the game because you never know how things will shake out.

But that's what I feel.

Well, the Rams, you know, they've been road warriors these first two games of this playoffs, going on the road to beat Carolina and a thriller in the same way against the Bears, So they're battle tested on the road.

I know they're going in into lumen Field against these crazy twelves.

Richard hard Rock Bett has this is a two and a half point spread in favor of the Seahawks.

I know you said you spect a mix of the two games.

Well, I think that's what the hard Rock Bett expects too.

I mean these two teams and they're two matchups.

Fifty eight to fifty seven.

The Rams have outscored the Seahawks by one point.

The two teams have put up one hundred, eight hundred and thirty yards and eight hundred and twenty nine yards, respectfully.

See that shows you how evenly balanced these two teams really are.

Obviously they know themselves, they know each other very very well.

Walk me through, what's your score prediction here in this game?

Oh, that's tough.

That's tough, because I have to expect the Seattle Seahawks are going to have a better plan for poking Nicola, who had twelve catches for two hundred and twenty five yards in their last matchup, even with Davante Adams out of that game.

Obviously, Davante Adams is is gonna be well and good and in Seattle present with his pats on ready to play in this game.

So how they defended him isn't the way?

There?

A lot of it was dig routes and crossers and allowing him to catch and run through the defense.

Uh, I'm sure Mike McDonald is gonna do what a lot of teams have done and crowd that middle of that field with his safeties and linebackers and and kind of just keep everything in front of them.

Make them check the.

Ball down, make them check it down to Kolby Parkinson and Kyen williams Uh and Blake Korum and and and allow them to to Hey, if Blake Korum and and Kyen Williams have twelve and thirteen catches between them, you feel good about that.

You don't want Poking the Cool and Davante to to get out there and beat you.

You want to be able to containing those guys.

You want to allow your pass rush to get home, and you want to allow them to live.

And he let ten eleven play drives because when you have teams taking ten eleven plays drives, it gives your defense opportunity to force turnovers.

In a game against the San Francisco forty nine ers, those were a lot of those turnovers were effort turnovers.

They weren't necessarily mistakes by the San Francisco forty nine ers.

You look at the DeMarcus Lowrence fumble that he forced on brock Party when brock Party was scrambling.

That was just pure effort.

That was just what DeMarcus Lawrence has put on tape weekend and week out this season, and why this team has so much love and respect for him and what he's brought because he's done that.

He came in, he came around and chopped it, and Rock Purty gave the football.

You look at the fumble they forced on Jake Tongs again, just an effort play, just guys going after the football.

They were out there hungry wolves.

They're hungry, they are attacking.

They are finding immense play in running and hitting and causing chaos.

And when you get to that point, Mitchell, you get to the point where your defense is just enjoying causing chaos.

Atchally, it don't matter who you play the trout.

It sounds, it sounds familiar to twenty thirteen, twenty fourteen, twenty fifteen, when you were playing with the league in the Boom.

I know you guys took pride in the way you played and the energy you brought to that defense.

Richard, what is it like?

You've played in three three NFC championship games, obviously three Super Bowls.

You know, what is it like this moment?

I know the next one's the biggest one, but what is it like playing in an NFC championship game?

You know, it was one of the things, and everybody's gonna be max so cliche, but every game is a championship game.

And I'm sure Mike McDonald is given them the same conversation like that don't treat this game any different than the one before.

I mean, all of them are big games, all of them matter, all of them are relevant.

You've been locked in.

You had to win against the San Francisco for nineers to get the one seat.

You had to win to continue the season.

You got to keep winning to continue your season.

But nothing changes.

The field of the same size.

You're at home, you're wearing the same jerseys, putting the same pads on, and he's the same guy as your face before.

You got a point to prove you beat him before you can beat him again.

And uh, it's it's gonna take every man just doing their job.

It's gonna take every phase just doing their job.

And that's what they understand.

On defense, it's about being detailed, stopping pooping the cools, stopping Matthew Stafford, getting pressure on the quarterback, getting this pass rush, getting home, giving them exotic looks and and and being smart about when you send the fire zones.

I think Mike McDonald is gonna be a little bit more cautious with with sending those five men simulated pressures because Matthew Stafford was finding those those those lanes.

That's when a lot of their explosive plays happened.

They had ten explosive plays in that last game against the Seattle Seahawks, and and I know Mike McDonald was pulling his hair out because it some of them are or just hey, they had answers for the pressures that you were bringing and that there's nothing the players can do at that point, you know you They they found plays where the dns dropping in the fire zone where he's the hook dropper, and that's where they're attacking.

And Matthew Stafford a smart enough quarterback.

If he can diagnose it and the blitz doesn't get home, he's gonna make you pay.

And I think that's an important lesson going into this game, is knowing when and where the pressure and when and where to just trust that your four man fine men, your four man rush is gonna be able to get home and trust in your back end can be disciplined and get these guys covered up.

I think there's an incredible chemistry in the back end between guys that have played a lot of football together now, and I think you gotta trust that.

So I think it is what it is when you when you're flying high and you're playing with confidence and you you you've been through as many battles as this team has been through, you feel like you're you're invincible.

You feel like nobody can beat you.

And a lot of times that's what you need going into this game.

They're gonna need to twelves to be loud, and they're gonna need the crowd to be rackets so that the Rams understand that this ain't no walking the park.

It is not sweet out here, and I think that's what it's going to come down to once they it's just like against the San Francisco forty nineers.

Once there was blood in the water, and they felt there was blood in the water Metell.

It was like Piranhas.

It was Piranhas everywhere you at, Mitchell, and you don't want to be in that water when the Piranhas is eating, when they feasting and there's blood in the water.

And that's what it.

Was like for the San Francisco forty nine ers, and I think that's what it's going to be like for the Rams.

It started from play one and it'll start from play one with the Rams and a lot of our NFC Championship games, Mitchell, both games we started we were down ten points early in these games.

We were down in both games double digits and we were able to come back and win.

So it's not always perfect, and that's what battle tests your team.

You know.

Sometimes you have some adversity in these games not going the way you want them to go, and you have to persevere.

You have to overcome that if you really want to become champions and you deserve and if you are who you think you are, And sometimes that's what allowed us to be the legendary defense that we were because we were against the eight ball.

You're putting difficult situations.

In both NFC Championship games.

We started off in our own territory.

The first game, they our offense fumbled the first or second play.

We're at in the red zoner at the twenty five or something, and you got to stand up.

You got to hold them to a field goal.

I think in the Green Bay game there was a pick and Hah returned it to the to the three or four yard line and you got to stand up.

We held them able to hold them to field goals.

That's when you really are able to showcase what makes you special.

And I know there will be a moment in this game for this defense to show why they are who they say they are, and I can't wait to watch.

I'm right there with you, hard Rocks two and a half point line.

I personally like the Seahawks as well.

I think that they're just riding too much of a They're riding too high of a wave right now with their momentum and having this game at home, seeing how the Rams have just kind of squeaked by the last couple of games, you know, albeit impressive wins, when you're facing the Seattle Seahawks team that's clicking on all cylinders, I feel like they've figured some things out and they're ready to take care of the Rams this game.

I got them winning by a touchdown.

I think we're looking at like a twenty seven to twenty game and I expect Sam Darnold to clean things up as well.

You know, again, he's gonna have to be more of a game manager this this time.

Get JSN involved.

Give the ball to my boy K nine.

I like the Seattle Seahawks to go on to the Super Bowl and face the winner of the next game.

Richard, let's talk a little bit about the AFC.

Well, this game predict addiction because you you go ask me, and I never gave you an actual number, Mitchell, and I feel bad about that.

I got Settle winning twenty seven to seventeen in this ball game, scoring, and they'll get a defensive score somewhere in there, Mitchell, I need a defensive score.

I feel like I can feel it in my bones.

Defense.

Give me a give me a player, dude, you extend this one layer more?

One layer more?

Is it?

NICKI?

Is it Witherspoon?

I wanted to be Nick?

Is it Tyreek Woolin?

Yeah, he's not.

He's not gonna get caught the Mark Lawrence.

Gimme Kobe Bryants got two touchdowns in the game.

Give me Kobe.

He already got okay.

Twenty seven to twenty seven to seventeen, Seattle, per Richard Sherman.

Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, hard Rock Bet.

And you know what I love doing in these big standalone playoff games, same game parlays, lock in one matchup at a time, and stack your picks.

Maybe the QB throws for two fifty, the running back hits one hundred, and the tighty end punches in the first touchdown.

Hard Rock Bet gives you tons of to build your same game parlay, turning big game days into bigger paydays.

And if you miss kickoff, don't worry.

Hard rock Bet has live in game betting, so you're never too late to the action.

Find a winner or grab that player prop you meant to play, and live bet between snaps and just a few easy taps.

If you haven't tried your first bet on hard rock Bet, there's still time to get one hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if you win.

Just place a five dollars bet and if it hits, you not only get your winnings, but you get one hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets.

And look, I played Corner my whole life, and even I can't stop what hard rock bet is doing.

They're letting promos run wild.

You'll find new ones on the app every single day.

So just because your team may be out of it, that doesn't mean you have to sit on the sidelines this postseason.

Between the same game parlays, live betting, I can't miss welcome off in daily promos, hard rock Bet has you covered all postseason loan, download the hard Rock Bet app and make your first deposit today.

All right, let's turn the page over to the AFC.

This game was supposed to be magnificent until Bonnicks took a knee and broke his ankle.

Now the storyline has totally shifted.

The number one seed.

Denver Broncos welcome the New England Patriots, who are a five and a half point favorite per hard Rock Bet.

Richard, I did a little research prying to jumping on the podcast with you today.

Did you know that, prior to the injury of Bonicks, Denver was actually a one and a half point favorite going into this matchup against the New England Patriots.

So you see a.

Seven point swing with one guy going out.

Obviously, it's a big deal losing Bonix, But how big of a deal is it for the Denver Broncos.

It's it's huge, it's colossal, it's monumental, it's enormous, whatever you want to use.

It's big, and it's the difference between winning and losing in this in this league, that's why the quarterback position is so valued and why they pay them all the big bucks and why every team is looking for one.

Every single year that can put them in this position to win the football game.

I'm not saying anything bad about Jared Stidham, but he didn't get them here, and and and it's going to be a tough task.

It's going to be a tall mountain to climb to expect him to come in this game and play impactful football.

But the Broncos have the defense to give them a chance.

They've been fantastic, they've been dynamic, they've been making plays all year.

They're battle testing, no question about it.

And on the flip side, the Patriots.

Patriots are battle tested.

But Drake May was sacked five times against the Chargers and he was sacked five times against the Houston Texans.

He fumbled multiple times in both of these games.

Put the ball on the ground.

There were multitude of opportunities for the Houston Texans to scoop and score and and and really changed the outcome of this game defensively.

And I think the same is going to be true for the Denver Broncos.

Will Campbell struggled with some of the pressure from from O way Uh with the Chargers and and Khalil Mack, and he struggled a little bit with with He struggled a lot a bit with Will Anderson.

But who doesn't struggle with Will Anderson and daneil Hunter.

And I think Edrin Cooper and and Nick Ponito are going to cause issues for this, for this uh, for this offense of the the New England Patriots, and and unlike the Houston Texans defense that that struggled a little bit in mandon Man coverage, no question about it.

And I think they would admit that these guys do not.

They got Derek sten Stingley Kashawan Boody on a critical touchdown pass late in the game one on one coverage he beat Singley and and that was a huge play, not a place Thingley gives up very often, one of the best corners of the National Football League.

And again you go to the next week and you're playing the reigning defensive player of the Year and Patrick certain and he does play man to man.

He is a tough outfit.

And you ask any receiver in AFC, any receiver that has faced him, He's gonna be there.

He's gonna be in your your pocket.

Can you deal with him?

Can they deal with that?

Uh?

Is he gonna be shadowing or falling following anybody.

But then on the other side, you got our guy Riley Moss for Endo the program, uh, who also plays a lot of man and man coverage.

And you know, the hardest job in the NFL is playing corner opposite of Patrick's certain So what does Vance Joseph do in those situations?

Is he gonna give him help?

Are they gonna stack the box?

Are they gonna are they gonna be able to compensate for for the issues that they have in certain situations?

This defense plays aggressive man to man defense about thirty percent of the time.

They mix in different coverages, but most of the time, when the game's on the line, those guys are gonna be in man and man and they're gonna be able to that.

That's gonna be the the tail of the game.

Can the Denver Broncos offense overcome the loss of bone I mean bone knicks by running the football and not asking a ton from Jared's did him?

You cannot ask him to win you this game.

I think that's unfair and that's unrealistic to think he's gonna throw it twenty five thirty times and they're gonna walk away with a winning This game.

They're gonna have to get the lead early and then just nurture it throughout the game.

You're just gonna have to to milk the clock.

You're gonna have to win the time of possession, win the turnover battle.

Everything's gonna have to go right in order for the Denver Broncos to get a win this week.

Well, Jared Sidham is sitting behind the broncos number one ranked offensive line per PFF, so you know they've got that going for him.

And R.

J.

Harvey's really come on late here in this year, so they clearly was a good, good rookie draft pick for them.

The question is, obviously, Ken Devers defense rise to the occasion and make it uncomfortable for Drake May.

They're gonna have to cause turnovers like you talked about the other game.

They're gonna probably have to get a defensive score.

You know, Drake May will be the first QB to face a top five defense in each of his first three playoff games in a season since Cam Newton at twenty fifteen.

You know, so that's another story line here.

But obviously the NFL and everyone talking football did not expect that they have a bow Nichless Denver Broncos team as the opponent, so unfortunately the storyline is dramatically shifted.

Can this Denver Broncos defense keep things competitive?

And like you said, I like how you termed it nurture Homill win when Denver takes a lead.

Jared Stidham has been around this league enough times, man, but he has not taken a stamp in several years.

You know, so the Patriots have got to be chopping at the bit defensively too.

You know.

They caused absolute havoc and made life so uncomfortable for CJ.

Stroud.

I can only imagine what's going on with Jared Stidham right now.

That being said, if you are Sean Payton, knowing the circumstances, what offensive game plan are you rolling out there to try to combat New England.

I'm keeping it simple.

Obviously, This New England defense is very variable.

They do a great job to and you heard the conversation after the Chargers game that the Chargers offense didn't know what they were in majority of the time.

You don't want to put a young, inexperienced quarterback behind center and say hey, I want you to go up back there and diagnose this defense and and and deal out passes.

You don't want to do that.

He's gonna keep it simple.

He's gonna run the football.

It's gonna be simple, play actions, keep the game right in front of him.

Simple reads that he can say, hey, his own side, man side, figure it out, you know, get guys crossing, get guys in motion, so he can diagnose and know what he's seeing.

Early on, Stidham is just gonna have to use his legs at times, like, use everything that's at your disposal to win this game.

Now.

I know the Patriots have to be feeling good.

There aren't many times you get such a gift in the playoffs in the NFL whe where you say, hey, you're going against a really tough opponent, but hey, they just lost the starting quarterback that put him in this position.

Can you go out and beat him.

I know Mike Rabel is doing everything to tell his team not to take this team lightly.

Do not take this quarterback lightly.

This is this is this is a situation.

They can come in here and beat us if we if we don't do what we're supposed to do.

Like sometimes the biggest part of winning a championship is being who you're supposed to be, not letting your opponent down.

Mitchell.

When when people would come in to see our defense, you didn't want to let him down.

They knew, hey, this is gonna be an ice bag game.

And I guess what, Mitchell.

We are not going to disappoint him.

We are going to be exactly what they expect us to be when they when they expect to get hit.

We're gonna be there laying punishment on them when they expected to get intercepted.

I'll be back there, you know.

Just combining and I'll be I'll be there type type deal, Mitchell.

You got to get a little singing in here.

It's that kind of deal.

But the Patriots deal.

I'll just our background dance with you, man, anytime you want to sing, I'll just be over here, you know, do whatever you need me to do.

We'll do some choreography off air, though.

No question, no question, Mitch.

Well, I've seen your dance moves and I must say they're fantastic.

The Patriots defense is underrated.

Though they're underrated.

They're six against the rush, nine against the past, they're eight in total total yards and their number four scoring defense.

So we don't talk about them a ton because they don't have a ton of the big names, but the names they do play really high level football.

We got Christian Gonzalez at the corner.

We got our guy Carlton Banks, who I got to play with, play on the same.

Field with Carlton Davis Richard.

Carlton Banks is doing my dance.

You're right, hell yeah, hell yeah, No, carl Carlton Davis, but I need I think everyone knows where you're getting at.

Carlton Davis Ballard.

By the way, Carlton Davis c CD had two interceptions last game.

Played fantastic.

Again, they play a lot of man and man covers because he and Christian Gonzalez are fantastic man and man cover corners, but they're also great and zone.

Marcus Jones is a fantastic play acre on that defense.

He's He's had multiple touchdowns.

Sometimes you'll see him on the offensive side of the ball.

He's also a punt returner.

He had a pick six in the last game that was a huge impact play that really broke the backs of the Houston Texans.

So look for him to continue to make plays.

Then you got guys like Splaine in the middle of that defense.

Uh Clavon Chase on guys that that aren't necessarily the biggest names.

He was drafted high.

He just seems like he's in a great spot and a great rhythm playing where he's supposed to be playing.

Milton Williams Barmore in the middle of that defense, so stout against the run, they're you're not just moving those guys up out of there.

These guys were highly touted, highly paid free agents that are making tremendous impact.

And that's why this defense has been so fantastic.

They're well coached, they're disciplined, they're ball aware, they have great ball skills in the secondary.

They have big time playmakers, they have a great defensive line, have everything.

That's that's why they're here.

So with that being a hard rock bat five and a half point favorite New England Patriots, how do you see this playing out?

Do you think they cover that well?

Mitchell?

Everybody, everybody, and I mean everybody.

That's why the movies do so well.

Loves the fairy tale.

They love a happy ending.

They love when Cinderella, the abuse young lady stepsister gets to be with the prince at the end, and it's happily.

Ever, at this ain't one of them stories.

Mitchell.

I got the New England Patriots coming into Denver and winning comfortably.

They will impose their will on the Denver Broncos offense.

The lack of quarterback play is gonna be the difference in this game.

In my humble opinion, I think the Denver Broncos defense does everything they can, just like the Houston Texans did, does everything they can to keep their offense in it, but eventually they are getting worn down.

Too many possessions, too many three and outs for this offense.

I think Mike Rabel is gonna stack the box.

He's gonna have eight and nine people in this box to stop this run.

He's going to Sean Payton to drop back and throw and punish this defense with Jared Stidham.

Will Will he be willing to do that?

Will he be.

Willing to play a straight shootout game with Jared Stidham?

I don't think he will.

And I know that's what Brable is going to be expecting, is that they're going to run this ball early and often.

I don't think that Denver is gonna have enough to win this game.

I got the New England Patriots winning this game twenty one to fifteen.

You and I see eyed.

I too think that New England is going to be too tough a task for them.

I think, listen, Denver is going to be lively.

It's going to be a very hype environment with all those fans.

Everyone's gonna be a US against the World mentality with Jared Stidham at the helm.

But I think it's just too much to overcome.

You know, defense is probably gonna make a handful of big plays, but Water is gonna find his level and New England Patriots are going to be marching out of the Super Bowl.

Look for Hunter Henry to have a big game this weekend.

That's a weak spot in this Denver defense.

I've a lot almost sixty yards a game to opposing tight ends.

We saw Dalton Kincaid go off for six catches in eighty three yards in a score last weekend.

So you know, Hunter Henry a seasoned veteran for the New England Patriots.

I like him a lot.

And then that tanem At running back, Travion Henderson and ramondre Stevenson.

They've been clicking of late.

So I think this offense and We've seen the growth of Drake May over the last you know, second half of the season.

It's time to put to rest the claim that the Patriots only good because their schedules soft.

I think they're actually really good and I wouldn't overlook them in a matchup what we're calling right now is a Seattle Seahawks against New England Patriots super Bowl.

I would not overlook them as a worthy opponent for the Seattle Seahawks.

You got a young Drake May.

This would be an awesome story for the Seattle Seahawks to overcome the New England Patriots.

Again, Richard, it's just giving me flashbacks, and you know, it's great memories, but then it's trauma, you know what I mean.

You're talking about the New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks, and an NFC West opponent's field.

Mitchell.

We were in Arizona, they're in Levi Stadium, they're in Oh Oh.

But this is this is we talked about exercise and Demons.

Mitchell.

That will be a super Bowl that Demons would be exercise Mitchell, that would be at exodus, Mitchell, bring it back, Avenge us Avenge what okay?

Sorry, Mitchell got carried away.

I'm gonna say one thing, Richard, and I want you to react.

You know, jive with me here, you can react, you know facial expression.

You give me a one word answer, You can give me a paragraph, you give me a full chapter of a book.

I don't care what goes through.

Your nagging when I say, run the damn I don't want to talk about I don't want.

To talk about it.

I don't want to talk about Mitchell.

I don't want to talk about it.

Mitchell, Mitchell, I got a hat.

They made me get a hat.

Run the ball, Mitchell.

I'm make sure our wedders have to run the ball.

Kenneth Walker.

You know what I'm calling it right now, Kenneth Walker.

Super Bowl MVP done.

You want to talk about exercising demons, Richard, Kenneth Walker should have been at the Heisman ceremony man, and he wasn't.

That was bullshit.

He's gonna win the Super Bowl MVP.

Jot it down now.

We're gonna timestap this for later.

But run the damn ball.

You heard it.

I need one of those hats.

Thank you guys for joining us.

We know you could be anywhere in the world, but you hear with us and we surely do appreciate it.

On this a championship week in the National Football League, we appreciate you guys joining us.

Love you.

See you next time.

For the Super Bowl preview, actually for the Championship recamp because we're gonna figure out who going to the big game.

We'll see you next time and again, as always, hit that up button if you don't

H