Divisional Round Saturday Recap: Bills-Broncos Classic, Nix's Injury, Seattle's Dominance and Latest Coaching News!

22:59And which, you know, you can obviously understand. And they're the first team also to not even make the Super Bowl in that run. But they're the first one to even win because to win a playoff game in six straight seasons is so difficult. and they've done it and they haven't even made the Super Bowl in that run. It had McDermott very unhappy, like a lot of Bills fans, and apparently like a lot of people in our comments right now, mad at the officials. To not even slow it down. And that's why I had to call a timeout. It's not what I wanted to do,

23:34Nick Shook:but I had to do it in order to make sure that I understood what was going on and that they did take a look at it. and it's hard for me to, and I've had a chance to look at it, it's hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled. And if it is ruled that way, then why wasn't it slowed down? Just to make sure that we have this right. That would have made a lot of sense to me.

24:04I disagree because I don't think taking longer was going to change the call. I've seen a couple reporters talk about this. And actually, I hate it when people blindly say, oh, reporters are saying this. I saw Albert Breer point out, how could they not at least look at the call longer? And I saw Tyler Dunn do it too. And they're getting on the NFL for this. And when I see that, what I see is that they both agree with the call because they want to rip the NFL so bad. And I get it. I'll rip them for obviously bad calls. They want to rip the NFL so bad, but they kind of know actually like that call was probably right.

24:47And so you just want to be mad at something. I think even McDermott saying it that way, like we just wish they looked at it longer. It's like they got we got three replays in there. They did look at it like this. And like they looked at it. They were overturning that call. What do you want? Yeah. They just want to complain about something. And I get it. We can talk about the DPIs on the next possession and everything. But I just think in the end, it was a bang, bang call. But actually, they got it right.

25:12Nick Shook:And McDermott called timeout to buy them more time to look at it. But look, we live in a world in which expedited review exists. And nobody ever complains about that when they slide in and correct something quickly when they're looking at it in New York. You know that they're following the same protocol on a play like that. And they don't see anything that's worthy of overturning the call. So I think that you agree. You're right that they probably agree with the call, but it's also there's probably an element to it where it's like, ah, but I want to be 100 % sure. I really want to make sure they do their due diligence.

25:41Nick Shook:So I don't feel guilty about it. If they wanted to rip the call, they would rip the call, but they're saying, why didn't they look at it again? Anyways, the crazy thing is after that, you know, they get the ball back. And at this point, Bo Nix has done a little bit of everything in this game. Like I said, I thought a really good first half. We'll almost forget about this first half, but they only had four possessions in the first half. I thought this was going to be a time of possession complimentary football game. And it was. Both teams really held the ball in the first half. They score 17 points, which is unreal in only four possessions.

26:18They go 50 % on third down conversions in the first half. Very few mistakes, basically, on offense in the first half. and then they steal three points at the end of the half. Really good first half. And then they kind of do the Kevin Petulo offense for about four drives to start the second half and get nothing. And I thought McDermott's play calling where he gets more aggressive, it looked like his play calling was maybe going to win the game for them. But because, for instance, that one hopper to Shakira, they don't get the two possession lead, they let the Bills come all the way back from 23 to 10.

26:55They take a 27 to 23 lead. So that's 17 unanswered. But Bo then does get the great fourth quarter drive. Then he starts overtime and he, they don't do anything in the first overtime drive, but in the second overtime drive, ultimately like they hit enough big plays and Sean Payton gets, get, you know, it's a check down to RJ Harvey is one of the biggest plays in that drive. And then a couple pass interference calls. What did you think about that entire kind of end sequence or anything you want to go there for how that second half like flow of offense went yeah it talks about like

27:30Nick Shook:the copycat nature of this game i also felt the chess match was visible in real time and the broncos had the early advantage um they get a little bit more of an advantage by forcing the josh allen fumble and stealing the three points but john or sean mcdermott essentially dominated defensively in the second half from there outside of the the early possession where they you know they get the ball the broncos get the ball back and convert that into points and it was because you're right what happened even that was off of a josh allen turnover i think that's a short field 20 yard drive for a field goal or something exactly but they still cash that in right for seven yards sorry what the theme of the second half to me was we are playing for our lives there is no reason to not dial up the aggression it was mcdermott sending pressure relentlessly sending different looks dropping guys back into coverage while sending blitzes from other sides bow trying to keep up by getting the line to slide in the proper area but still not having much time to throw, checking it down to running backs who get blasted immediately by Matt Milano or Cole Bishop, whoever might be there to cut them down in the flat.

28:26Nick Shook:And then the Broncos kind of accepted as the game got late. We have to go for broke. Forget trying to check it down and just getting the ball out. Let's go deep. If they're blitzing, we're going to get man coverage. Let's trust our receivers to make a play and just throw it up there. Now, unfortunately for those in the viewing audience who don't like the officials involvement, oftentimes when you're in a one-on-one coverage and the blitz is coming and you throw the ball up, pass interference tends to get called. But it didn't get called initially. There was a ball to Cortland Sutton where it was really good hand fighting and there was contact, no flag.

28:57Nick Shook:And you thought, I can see a flag going there, but I'm glad that they kept that in their pockets there. Well, the Broncos keep doing it and eventually they get the flag. And it's not necessarily, I wouldn't view it as like them trying to buy a flag or just throwing up there into a flag. I thought that the first pass interference, while questionable, you can see it going both ways. Joey Bosa also gets hit with a roughing the passer on that play. Yep. Just a boneheaded play by Bosa. Yeah, at the worst time. Frankly, that was going to be too hard. Just disappointing playoff run for Joey Bosa, where he was one of their worst players the last couple games, where they were running at him.

29:35He made some mistakes in this game and really struggled last week and hurt them in this game. And ultimately, yeah, they couldn't get that final stop. I think the first pass interference call on the overtime game winning drive was like a no brain. I can't even believe anyone's arguing about that. The second one, the Tredavious White call, which set up it being a chip shot instead of a longer field goal. That was close. It was close. I'm on the other side of this.

30:00Nick Shook:I'm on the other side of this because I think the first one you could see them not throwing the flag, but I also think it was P.I. The second one, Tredavious White is cooked by Marvin Mims by like a step and a half. And if Nix doesn't under throw the ball, it's a touchdown. So it's either going to be a touchdown or pass interference. And it ends up being pass interference because the ball is under thrown. And those who claim that, oh, he just under threw it trying to draw a PI. The receiver was going to catch a touchdown if he puts it on him. So either way, it's going to be a negative outcome for the Bills in that instance.

30:29Nick Shook:And yes, I think back to Super Bowl, what was it? 57, right? 57 in Arizona. Great. I thought I was watching the greatest Super Bowl of my life. And it came down to a holding penalty that set the Chiefs up for the game winning field goal. Right. And that was kind of a bummer for it to end in that fashion. You could say that, you know, apply that similarly to this game, but it really doesn't because it's just kind of, the game was trending in that direction where the Broncos were making the plays that the Bills weren't in the biggest moment. Yeah. I mean, it's just back and forth. The RJ Harvey catch and run for 25 yards on that drive.

31:02I think it was a second down. He picked up 15 extra on his own work. Ultimately sets them up at midfield. And I'm thinking, okay, they're probably winning this game. And for anyone that's going conspiracy theory that the all PI offense was enacted for the last drive, that last throw to Marvin Mims was made one play after Bo Nix broke his ankle that ended his season. It's like, what are we even talking about here? I guess it's time to talk about the broken ankle. Because I have a few more things from this game, but... Sean Payton comes to the press conference after the initial press conference is already over.

31:47Credit to him for doing this and the Broncos. Let's actually listen to Sean Payton. And again, this is after the press conference is over. Everyone goes back. And then they call the media back to the press conference room just a bit later. Here's what Sean Payton. Not good news. on the second to last play in overtime. Bo fractured a bone in his right ankle.

32:18He's scheduled to have surgery Tuesday of this week, which will put him out for the rest of the season. Stiddy's ready to go.

32:32Later on, Sean Payton asked about Jarrett Stidham. I think it might have even been going off the podium. I'm not sure because I didn't see it. Like he in the ass about sit him and he just said, just watch more thoughts on that in a second. But I wanted to go over the play that happened. Like it was them. I think it was like a what he was. It was a design. It was a design sweep. Yeah, it was a design sweep where he's I thought maybe had an option to run. I mean, option to pass, but maybe it was a design just sweep for Bo Nix. and he loses a couple yards on the play. And the thing is, they didn't show a replay on it during the game because it didn't seem like he got hurt.

33:15Now, when you go back and watch it, you can see his foot get bent awkwardly and him limping slightly, but not crazy. He pretty much goes right back to the huddle, throws that Mims pass, and then the next play sets up for the game-winning field goal with the kneel down. Sean Payton kind of confused some people by saying second to last play of overtime because technically the kneel down was the second to last play of overtime. But he did clarify if that clip was, you know, a little longer that it was the throw, the play on the throw, you know, the play before the throw. Yeah.

33:48Nick Shook:And it's tough because when they ran the play, I thought, why did you call that there? That it just didn't make a lot of sense. It's really unfortunate that that is the result of it. They ran to the short side of the field. It was one of those plays where you send a receiver in motion before it's a lot of eye candy and window dressing to try to get the defense moving toward the receiver and the flat as if he's going to dump it off. And then he runs the opposite way. You're trying to catch them by surprise to the short side of the field. And, and it ends up, you know, producing nothing, but the worst possible outcome.

34:18Nick Shook:And yeah, then you have the pass interference on the throat of Marvin Mims, the next play. And then they set up for the, you know, the kneel down and the game winning field goal. And it's just like, man, this is how cruel life can be in sports can be that you have this great game. and that the Broncos, you know, win this game in such thrilling fashion. And then you lose your starting. Like, it just takes the wind out of your sails, which is why I'm curious. I like that Sean Payton just said, just watch. Now, I'm getting some Cody Kessler, Hugh Jackson vibes where he's like, hey, don't worry, trust me.

34:49Nick Shook:Just watch. Just watch. But this is the same guy that he replaced Russell Wilson with to end the season a couple of years ago when they benched Russ. So maybe he does know something. Okay. We got a comment that says Stidi is not ready to go. That was rah-rah stuff, obviously. Okay, a couple thoughts here. Number one, Sean Payton's been in Denver for, what, three years? You know how I'm always big on statements of intent, like first plays of the game. How about the first day of free agency, of Sean Payton's entire tenure? We knew he didn't like Russell Wilson. He was inheriting Russell Wilson. What did he do to my shock while covering it on around the NFL back then?

35:33Like, what was the big Denver move on the first day of Sean Payton's first? It was signed Jared Stidham. It was signing Jared Stidham. What? That's really what happened. That's one thing. I don't think that means, OK, he's going to be great. The reason I give him a chance in this next game, and it's obviously going to be harder if it's Houston, but it'll be harder either way. They gave him another contract two years after that first one. He's been in that building for three years. And so that second contract, and they gave him a good backup quarterback contract, one of the best pure backup quarterback contracts to bring him back this year and clearly backup pro Nick.

36:18It's like, OK, I mean, Sean Payton knows quarterbacks. And I've seen Sean Payton run up an awesome record in New Orleans with quarterbacks not named Drew Brees. Like, this is not Bill Belichick's tenure, although Belichick had Castle and Jacoby Brissett. He had some moments, Jimmy G and whatnot. But overall, it's not great. Sean Payton, he won when Taysom Hill's out there. He won when Teddy's out there. He won when Winston's out there. Like he's done it and he's had this guy in the building three years and for what it's worth. And this is the part of the argument I care about least. He balled out in the preseason this year for what it's worth.

36:55Like he balled out in the preseason this year. Like he put up great numbers for three straight games in the preseason. I was like, did I remember that correctly? I think he did. And I went and checked and like he was pretty great in this preseason. So like they have a backup quarterback that they like.

37:08Nick Shook:It's funny because you said, did I remember that correctly? I'm thinking about Stidham's career. I'm like, did I remember a Raiders tenure? and I looked it up and there was indeed a Raiders tenure. Yeah, that's where he got. Peyton must have seen something in one of those games. I think he had one great NFL start. He started about five games. He hasn't played for the Broncos meaningful snaps since 2013. When you're right, he came in for Russell Wilson at the end of the year. Had one really good start, I think, and one really bad start. But even that was three years ago. It's funny, though, too, because I just did a QB index this past week in which I looked at eight free agent quarterbacks that teams can't afford to let go.

37:41Nick Shook:and all of them almost all of them are backups because a valuable backup that you can trust is incredibly worth like it's it's incredibly valuable like to have a quarterback that you know knows your system and you can trust to go in there and keep the ship afloat it is you pay them you make sure that they don't leave the jacoby persets of the world uh and giving them the second contract like you just described uh i i think that that proves that they believe in him now we'll see in the results. It's going to be the AFC Championship game. Said if only they had Nick Foles. That's where I hesitate because I do remember some old podcasts when Nick Foles took over and we all just said, oh, their season's over.

38:21I remember even trying to make the case back then. I'm like, well, maybe they could win a playoff game. It's not that crazy. You can go out there and win a playoff game maybe. And all Nick Foles did was outplay Tom Brady in one of Tom Brady's best performances in the Super Bowl. I don't think Jared Stidham's going to do that, but But he has a defense that's pretty great and a great play caller. And in a one-game tournament, we'll see. We'll see. Let's get a few other odds at ends, and then let's get on to the 49ers game. How about Nick Benito? Stealing six points here. There were two turnovers that he forced back-to-back.

38:58And I think this is one of the biggest plays of the game and one of the reasons why the Josh Allen haters will be out. They get the ball back 17 to 10 with under 20 seconds to go in the first half. And Josh Allen goes on a scramble to absolutely nowhere. Benito forces the fumble. And then on the first third down, and that's Benito showing incredible athleticism, you know, running down Josh Allen from behind on that first one. Then you go to the start of the third quarter. It's the second offensive play, and he gets a strip sack from behind where it's just one of those classic Benito sacks. They end up settling for three.

39:41They don't even get a first down. But in a game this close, Shook, there's Nick Benito taking out his aggression on all the all-pro voters who didn't put him in. If I had a vote, get me a vote. I would have had him second team. We did our all-pro teams, and I had him second team, but he did not get the votes. But two awesome plays there.

40:00Nick Shook:I'm glad that you described it like that. A classic Benito rush, because so often this season, you've seen him come off the edge, fly around a guy who, you know, tries to block him in vain and just blast a quarterback from his blind sight and cause something like that. I mean, it doesn't, it's not just the bills is the number of different opponents he's done it to this season. I think it also kind of points to the fact that like Khalil Shakir tries to block him and just barely puts a hand on him kind of points to the fact that you're working with a thin receiving group. Also, why would you try to put Khalil Shakir in that position to block a guy who's deserving of all pro consideration, right?

40:29Nick Shook:Congrats to him. He really broke out last year. And I think everybody's very familiar with who he is now. But this is a guy who's been a top player and a top prospect as he was in high school. And to see him deliver on a huge stage like this game, it's just fun to watch. It's fun to see somebody, you know, come through. Yeah, and in a game where they got out gained and there were tricky margins, they had to get big plays out of their defense. So I think their defense can be a little overrated against good quality offenses. And yet they are a big play defense and forcing five turnovers is as big a play defense as you can get.

41:08There's a comment here that says you don't have to be a hater to think that's a horrible fumble on Josh Allen. I think you are a hater. No, the first one, the first one, not the strip sack, the first one

41:17Nick Shook:where he's out running. Yeah, tuck the ball away. First off, can we dive into that real quick? That's what? That's true. That's a ghastly time management situation. They don't even have any timeouts. I thought you meant the blindside sack on that Benito had. That is completely just a great defensive play. Two of the four Allen turnovers are just great defensive plays where I don't think he's really at fault. And the other two are pretty brutal, especially. I want to dive into this play because this is, I had this thought at halftime right after this happened. I thought the pressure of the Bills repeated playoff failures, I think motivated this decision and this approach.

41:52Nick Shook:the ghost of 13 seconds influenced Sean McDermott and their approach here because there's 16 seconds left in the clock. They have no timeouts. They're deep in their own territory. What could you possibly get out of this other than a deep shot that happens to land in the arms of Brandon cooks and sets up a field goal? Yeah, but that's on Allen. It's on Allen. It's on the coaches for calling a play to try to push the ball downfield when you had no timeouts, but it's on Allen for mismanaging it by trying to scramble nowhere near out of bounds. Even if you pick up the first down, you're not going to have time to run another play.

42:19Nick Shook:Just, just get down, get to halftime. And this is where interviews before halftime can be useful because they got McDermott right out of that. And I'm glad Tracy Wolfson asked about it. And he said, look, we, you know, they were calling a play, hoping to get a play going towards the sideline down the field. And, and otherwise we got to, you know, not turn the ball over. And it's like, yeah, like that's a coaching point that Josh Allen, of course he gets it that like, you know, you got to either if the throw is not there, throw it out of bounds or and he's just trying to make something happen. And it made no sense.

42:55It was brutal. The other interception, which came right after Bo Nix's interception, which which wasn't even a horrible play by Nix. It was like a defensive lineman dropping into coverage. Josh Allen kind of predetermined that throw. And, you know, that's a point in the game where they're on a roll. And I know they end up scoring another 10 straight points after that. But ultimately, and now that I kind of look back at the game, like he predetermined that he has the pump fake. He thinks it's going to work to get the safety off. It doesn't. He throws an interception. I think the game was lost more than anywhere.

43:31shook in this scenario where the bills defense stopped buffalo five straight drives but in those five drives like alan turned it over yeah two more and these these plays you had to be close to perfect and they just they just didn't if you at least needed punts there you know what i mean like the fact that in those five straight drives they turned it over twice in the middle of these

43:56Nick Shook:These plays kind of inform why Josh, an emotional Josh after the game, said he let his team down. Because in a game in which you lose by three points in overtime, you gave the other team a free three points by fumbling it just before halftime, and you didn't capitalize on a great defensive play when you threw that interception. And in the playoffs, the margin is so slim. And he knows that. He knows it's not the interception he throws in overtime that loses in the game. That's not even probably what he's thinking about. it's it's the fumble right before halftime and it's that interception to pj lock because you got to cash in the the the immediate sudden change the takeaway uh in in a big spot there and then you can't afford to give the other team three points when you end up losing by three points ah it's a he giveth and taketh away though because he yes that's the tough part he good plays i mean like like the flip that he made like he was under siege uh at various points uh in the game in just Steven on that overtime drive alone.

44:56He was so calm, like, you know, right near the goal line. I'm thinking like the game could end right here, bro. And he's just so calm with pressure around him. And he ends up hitting a third and five where they only rushed to and stayed calm. He was well protected on that. And then there's another third and seven where he audibles to a screen to pick it up. And I'm thinking like, oh, that's all the next level, like, growth that Josh Allen has showed to hit that play. and then in the end he's not rewarded and the Bills aren't rewarded for, yeah, game. I think if you can outgain the Broncos considering the talent disadvantage, they did a lot of things, right?

45:31Their offensive line actually I think played great. The Broncos, and we will move off this, but it's crazy. They blitzed almost half the time. Shook, when they blitzed, I couldn't believe this. When they blitzed five or six rushers, they had a 20 % pressure rate. Like their blitz and like the offensive line was awesome. This is the unit that would have carried them to the Super Bowl. So when you say Josh Allen doesn't have nothing, I mean, he has James Cook going for over 140 yards from scrimmage in this game. He has his offensive line mashing in the run game and he has his offensive line protecting their ass off tonight.

46:12So it's not like they're without talent. And that's kind of the last thing is like they did do a lot of good things.

46:17Nick Shook:And you know what that points toward? and because look when games like this happen it's the reaction is overly reductive um you know you're going to point to the flags people are going to want to call for a coach's head or whatever the bills coaching staff did a great job they did a great job this entire postseason way better than i ever thought they would i thought joe brady called a great game they did a great job of adjusting in game to regain an advantage and that's why it's so painful because you did pretty much everything right except your quarterback who is your superstar that you can always count on turned the ball over too many times and found, and those, those small errors really cost you the game, but it wasn't one of those instances where you're like, it's the coaching staff's fault.

46:56Nick Shook:No, no, they did a great job. And that's just why it's so painful for this team to lose again. Wow. They went 10 of 15 on third down and the, and the Broncos went eight of 16. I mean, it was, there was a lot going on. I mean, Mims steps up Sutton who's goose egg through most of the game ends up having a huge stretch in the fourth quarter in overtime with four big catches. late. Alex Singleton forces two different fumbles. Fumble luck was a little bit of the story here. Five fumbles in this game. No, six fumbles in this game total. The Bills only recovered two of the six. Then there was also a Broncos fumble that was overturned by penalty early in the game because Larry Ogunjobi was offside.

47:45So that's really like seven fumbles where like five of the times the Broncos ended up on the better side, but they made their luck. They were the best in the biggest of spots. We've said enough of this game, but I know I've said it before, but I think that's the game of the year. You know what wasn't the game of the year? Come on, the biggest of stakes we've had so far. Come on, Chuck. I'm a prisoner of the moment.

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51:17you know it wasn't the game of the year but one of the best performances of the year uh happened in seattle today and it was by the seattle seahawks defense let's go to seattle

51:27Nick Shook:tees it up looks downfield drives forward and we're off and running end over end Shahid at his own 5 across the 10, 15, 20 cuts straight upfield has a gap across the 40 midfield 50 trying to keep him back in flag it down Shahid to the end zone holy catfish open the game with a 95 yard touchdown Seahawks

51:58Rashid Shahid part of a ridiculously productive and effective year of player acquisition by the pit master himself, John Schneider. Mina Kimes called him that on Blue Sky. I'm like, I'm stealing that. That's so good. Yeah, he was pitting out again, but you can sweat John Schneider in your shirt because you weren't sweating out this game. Oh my goodness. this the Seahawks beat the 49ers 41 to 6 it's rare that we open with the first play of the game but by the time they went up two scores I was like I think this game's over I don't I don't like I don't think they're getting up off the mat and I'm usually not that guy I'm always like no teams could come back this one just the way that place was rocking and the way this defense has feasted on the 49ers offense the last uh three weeks I just it felt over right yeah it did um I mean

52:59Nick Shook:there's no better way let's let's go back in real time real quick okay so we just watched this crazy game in overtime between denver and buffalo in which denver wins in a game-winning field goal and i'm not kidding you all you gotta do is flip to fox you'll barely catch any of kevin burkhart and tom brady because rashid shahid's too busy taking the kickback the opening kickback for a touchdown in which niners kicker eddie pinheiro desperately tries to slide tackle shahid and misses and draws a tripping flag that doesn't matter. It's seven, nothing already. Doug Baldwin was just raising the 12 flag 60 seconds earlier, and they're already up seven, nothing.

53:34Nick Shook:And the place that's notorious for being one of the loudest in the NFL is going crazy. And you're right. I think by the time they went up 17, nothing, it was the fashion in which they did it. They get a takeaway off of a fumble. Sam Donald rips a seed to Jackson Smith and Jigba because who else would catch a great pass for a touchdown other than JSN in the corner of the end zone. It's 17, nothing. And it's like the Niners just got bludgeoned. They just absolutely blindsided. And unfortunately looked a lot like their week 18 game in which their offense had no answer for what Seattle's defense was doing.

54:02Nick Shook:It's another example of how great of a defense Seattle owns. And it's a beautiful sight in the year 2026 that two of the remaining playoff teams as of Saturday night into Sunday morning have some two of the best defenses that we've seen in quite a while. Oh, I love the comment in the chat right now saying that the Seahawks defense was sick of hearing how great the Texans are and they got a match. And I've been careful this whole season and even during the Texan celebration over the Steelers to always include the Seahawks there. Because to me, these are two of the best defenses we've seen in a long time.

54:41full stop. Like I think they each and I'd have to go through it, but they each have a case to be made for like the best defense of this decade so far. But they're both that good and they do it in different ways. And this is from each and every level of the defense. Just swarming. Demarcus Lawrence is all over the place today. Byron Murphy, I think, has been so underrated nationally and was making plays in this game. And the thing that stands out to me more than anything was Brock Purdy's time to throw was over 4.2 seconds. It was the biggest time to throw of any game in the next gen stats era.

55:23So that's through 2016. And that's why it's tough to just point out one person, Shook, because you got an entire secondary just plastering these guys in their zone coverage where they just communicate and they match you're the x's and o's guru what is it about what they do sort of from a back to front um method that that you like best because obviously the front is great too and we could talk all about that but to me like the secondary is probably the biggest reason why he's holding

55:57Nick Shook:on to the ball yeah it's complimentary i think what you start with is like this kind of umbrella like you think about it coming from like a quarters perspective, but like you see a lot of two looks, but they're still kind of getting that shell over the top. Right. But the beauty of it is how complimentary it is, which is that you can trust that backend to, to play sticky coverage. And you can trust the front four to get pressure without needing to send extra guys. Not that they're afraid to do it because they like to send extra guys, but they don't have to do it. They, they, they actually blitz it.

56:21Nick Shook:10 % in the NFL. And that was the big key going into this game was Brock Purdy is pretty good against the blitz, but the, he's not going to get here. He's, he's pretty good when he's not being blitzed and he's not good against the blitz, but the Seahawks don't really blitz, but they also generate one of the highest pressure rates organically with their front four of anybody in the NFL. So maybe the blitz won't even matter. And maybe that's what tips the scales. If they do decide to blitz, they didn't have to because that's how good their defense is. So they complicate the picture. They play sticky coverage and that rush consistently causes enough pressure without sending any extra guys that there's just no windows to throw to.

56:52Nick Shook:How many times do we see in this game where Brock Purdy sat back, sat back, couldn't find anybody. Obviously George kill, not part of the equation. And Jake Tungus ends up playing a big part of this offense because they still need to go to their tight end. That's part of their offense. But he ends up checking it down to Christian McCaffrey repeatedly because there's nobody else open. And when everybody else is covered, you got to find your check down. And that was the sign right then and there where it's like, they're never going to be able to keep up. They didn't even matter what Seattle was doing offensively.

57:15Nick Shook:The fact that they had a 17-0 lead, it felt like enough because you just knew they weren't going to be able to keep up because nobody was ever open for them. And the Niners offense, which has been predicated by the pass in this hot stretch down the stretch, the back end of the season, if they can't throw the football down the field, they're never getting anywhere. The in-breakers that Purdy loves to throw, they were not there for most of this game. He had nowhere to go. Yeah, they know this offense so well. I thought it was really telling when Kyle Shanahan said there's not a lot of secrets between these two teams coming into the game.

57:46I think that's true. And I think that's unfortunately true for him because I think he's overmatched. This is a defense that McDonald has spent his life building in a way in terms of I think he's at the peak like schematically in the NFL right now of what he wants to do but also he's been building for a couple seasons to this moment he inherited a lot of really good players they've added more good players and it's a great combination of depth and talent for instance like five different pass rushers with multiple pressures But I really think it's the back end where they essentially have six DBs on the field so often.

58:24And it's it's these little guys, these guys coming back from injury that don't get huge headlines. But Julian Love really helps them coming back because at certain points, Nick Amonwari was getting picked on in coverage a little bit, even though he's a bit of a Jenga piece where he can take he can guard almost anyone. But now you have Julian Love and Kobe Bryant, who's had some injuries this year. He's back there, too. and, you know, Reek Woolen doesn't even have to play every step, but he's back there too. And suddenly you're very deep and you have an all-pro cornerback in Witherspoon and just like there's really no big weakness.

58:58Don't forget about Josh Jobe. We can't forget about Josh Jobe. Right. Deploy the right guy in the right matchup and then let the offense be complimentary. You mentioned that touchdown early. It was a quiet night for Jackson, Smith, and Jigba. What did he end up with? Only three catches for 19 yards, but he did get that score And this was a great moment for Sam Darnold in his first playoff win.

59:20Nick Shook:Walker, the single setback. Play fake to him. Sam is going to roll left. Looking, looking. Sam throws. Back of the end zone. Is it caught inbounds? It is! Touchdown! Seahawks! Far back corner of the end zone. Guess who? It is number 11, Jackson Smith in Jigba. Smooth touchdown celebration. very well choreographed. Like we've totally been here before. We're ready for it. That put them up 17, nothing in the first quarter. And yeah, it felt over there. I thought, I thought Darnold, look, he's the quarterback. So you're going to discuss him. He goes 12 for 17 for 124 yards in a touchdown. He did what he needed to do.

1:00:07There's all the pregame stuff about the oblique injury and he didn't come out until the last second. A lot of speculation is even going to play like maybe he got it shot up who knows but he did what he needed to do uh in this game what did you think about the performance from i think you don't need much from sam jarnold when you can

1:00:23Nick Shook:run the ball with authority which is what they did throughout this game just like they did in week 18 kenny walker goes 19 for 116 and three touchdowns you didn't even really need much from charbonnet you got shaheed twice for 27 like you you ran as a team for 175 you don't need your quarterback to do much when your defense is playing that good of football and stopping the opposing offense everywhere the entire game, forcing two field goals. And there wasn't a real threat from the 49ers offense. All you have to do is play ball control. Oh, and by the way, their running attack has been excellent over the second half of the season, dominated the same team a couple of weeks ago.

1:00:54Nick Shook:Why not lean on it again? It just felt like the, unfortunately for the 49ers, it became a mismatch. The, the, the matchup of these two teams that produced such a thrilling week one game was not the same by week 18. And it was not the same in this, in this instance, you know, the divisional round and that's that's what happens sometimes but seattle is a machine and you can't stand up to a machine when you're as banged up and just as limited as the niners are so tom brady said in the second half if they don't turn the ball over like i don't see this team like like if they don't turn the ball over it is going to be really hard for this team to lose it's probably true but But I would just tweak it slightly, which is that if they can run the ball.

1:01:42The less you have to put it in Darnold's. And they had a fifth. Like, yeah, I guess there's a scenario where they run it great and Darnold Fritz is out. But I just feel like they had a 54 % success rate on a night where they were playing with a lead and running the whole time. I said it all year when they run the ball well and it hasn't been every week, but it pretty much has been every week for the last month. they're the best team in football full stop uh in general and we've said it on nfl daily for three months now i i think the seahawks and the rams have been a tier above the rest of the nfl the whole season where one rams went away from from getting that matchup yeah and i think that

1:02:20Nick Shook:that the two times they've played have been very indicative of the method of success for the seahawks that's available the route to a championship for the seahawks is exactly as you described because let's think about the first time those two teams played and yes the rams still have to beat the bears and i'm not counting the bears out by any means but since we oh not many people are i i saw in good morning football yeah because they're the darling they're the darling right now right but if we're putting the rams and the seahawks in the same tier that's who we're comparing them to a tier above the rest and in that first game the theme that we took away from it was sam darnold's interceptions doom the seahawks they still only lost that game by a slim margin then you go to the seattle game where he has a similarly nightmarish first half then wakes up, figures it out and throws them back into the game.

1:03:01Nick Shook:And it's a thriller. That's the formula that you don't want to follow in the playoffs, but you create, you end up with that formula because you don't run the ball well, because you have to throw your way back into the game because of turnovers. So again, if you can limit them and just ride Kenneth Walker, ride Charbonnet, control time of possession, lean on that defense, you could win low scoring games all the way to a Lombardi trophy. Yeah, I look at a few plays in this game that make me feel good about Darnold. And some of the stats are crazy. I kept updating it throughout the game. They were up 24 to 6 at that point.

1:03:36That was the half. They had 56 net yards passing. Not bad when you can be up 24 to 6, 54 net yards passing. But you know what's even better than that? How about Sam Darnold left the game? I wrote this down somewhere. I'm trying to find it now. Sam Darnold left the game with a 41-6 lead. Drew Locke played most of the fourth quarter. At the time that he left the game, they only had 106 net yards passing. You put a 40-burger on him with 106 net yard passing, and that includes some big sacks that Darnold took. But actually, one of the three really good throws Darnold had in this game, look, he only had 12 completions, was after he took kind of a ghastly...

1:04:21classic Darnold sack where you're like, why did you just, you know, take a 12 yard sack? And then he rips a deep out to Cooper. It was second and 18 or second and 22 or something. And then he rips a deep out to Cooper Cup to either pick up the first down or make a third one. I forget which, but it was an awesome throw. And I was just like, okay, like the obliques not bothering him. And he had that touchdown throw was great. And the couple of times where he let go and threw it like it wasn't perfect but he had enough good throws in this game that i wasn't

1:04:52Nick Shook:worried now he has a week yeah numbers can be deceiving too because the seahawks outside of the kick return touchdown to start the game they had nine possessions nearly half of them four of them started in san francisco territory those are extra opportunities given to you by your defense the results of those four possessions touchdown field goal touchdown touchdown that's how you blow out a team without racking up a ton of numbers offensively But right, that's not their fault that it was on short fields. It's a great point, and that's what great teams do. It really felt like it was over. I agree with the comment in 13 seconds in this game.

1:05:29What the heck? Let's hear Steve Rabel. It's K-I-R-O. We've been using their calls throughout the game. You mentioned how Ken Walker got three touchdowns. I'd like to hear how that place was sounding when they put the 40-burger on the Niners.

1:05:44Nick Shook:The handoff Walker, he's coming back to the right side. He is going to score! Touchdown Seahawks! Ken Walker III skips in around the right side. Great blocking, the Niners haven't stopped it yet. His third touchdown of the night. Ken Walker, I think, might get a game ball by the time this is over, and knowing K-9, he'll give it to his offensive line. what a job they did i mean just huge gaps in that 49er defense that play there grace able getting to second level on the back side and then your center your front side blocker gets out in front and just sits down on the remaining defender a beauty just art art in in in execution when it comes to the running game but you know what greg i think back because this is a classic matchup and we always think about the 2013 nfc championship game and there was that quote that richard Sherman had after he, one of the great bards of our time, Richard Sherman said, don't you talk about the best or I'm a shut up on you real quick.

1:06:46Nick Shook:The Seahawks did that as a team to the 49ers tonight. I felt bad for the 49ers. Look, they overachieved this season, not just because of the injuries, but because of the roster turnover, even that touchdown to JSN, you know, who got lost in coverage. there was Marcus Sigley, like a fifth round rookie who was replacing Jair Brown, who got hurt just last week. In this game, Christian McCaffrey gets hurt, came back in, but like he wasn't healthy in the game. He had a stinger and missed a couple of drives to start the second half. Like Tan just gets hurt in this game. They do get Dee Winters back in this game, but I'm just thinking like they were just so shorthanded.

1:07:31So many 49er seasons have ended this way, but I think they were up for the fight. It was a great moment that they had last week. I think they can look at this offseason as one to push forward and have a lot of pieces in place. Unfortunately, you know, Kittle's coming off that Achilles, but they're not far away. They're just stuck in the NFC West, which is absolutely loaded. And so they're going to have to load up and get healthy. Ricky Pearsall was supposed to play in this game. I mean, he did play in this game, but you really didn't feel his impact at all. And there, you know, there's not much good that you can say here.

1:08:12I didn't love that Kyle Shanahan like kicked a couple of times for the six points came on fourth and six and fourth and three fairly deep into Seattle's end on a day where you were trailing a lot early. Yeah.

1:08:26Nick Shook:But here's the thing. How demoralizing is it? If you get down there and you don't get any points twice. You know, it's demoralizing losing 41 to six. yeah i know you're you're the end of you it didn't matter that's why i hate even bringing it up because yeah i just meant like the only way that they were ever like he kicked the field goal down 17-3 and and 17 nothing and i'm just thinking like they're gonna need four touchdowns in this game like you gotta get you gotta get one of them here um man uh what a team this seattle seahawks uh do you think they want to play the rams or the bears tomorrow i would imagine they probably want Well, I don't know.

1:09:04Nick Shook:Familiarity. That's one-one split there. They might want to play the Rams. I would think they'd want to play the Bears because the Bears' defense is very average if they don't get takeaways. Don't try to be heroes. I think the Bears very clearly have bigger weaknesses on defense. The Rams and the Seahawks are so familiar with each other. The Rams are the one team that has made Seattle's defense look mortal. Actually, Tampa really did, too, in that one game way back in Week 6. But since they really got rolling even better down the stretch. It really was just that Rams game in Seattle for three quarters where let's be honest, Seattle stole that game just like kind of the Rams stole the first game.

1:09:45And I, I do have a feeling we're going to get a rubber match, but maybe the bears fans can point out how wrong I am. Later Sunday night, we'll be doing that show me, you and Patrick, but before we get out of here, okay, because that's, that's it for the, for the CR for adults with Crohn's,

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1:12:39Nick Shook:Hey, it's Carissa Thompson. Everything these days is fighting for your attention. Work, family, social media, and it makes it tough to figure out what should really come first. But here's something that absolutely deserves to be at the top of your list, your breast health. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. And the rates are still rising. More women under 50 are being diagnosed too. But here's a stat that really hits home. One in two women who qualify for annual breast screenings aren't getting them. That's half.

1:13:13Nick Shook:And yet when breast cancer is caught early, the survival rate is over 99%, nearly 100 % for stage one before it spreads. If you're 40 or older, you should be getting screened every year. And if you're under 40, it is never too early to understand your risk. So come on now, pay the girls some attention, head to yourattentionplease.com to learn your breast cancer risk and what screenings you might need. Trust me, your future self will thank you. Brought to you by Novartis. Let's announce some news. Where do we even want to start? How about the Atlanta Falcons hiring a new coach? And yes, we appreciate everyone that is staying up late with us on the East Coast.

1:13:55Wherever you are, by the way, let us know. Like we're seeing New Zealand. I saw some Australia. Certainly we saw some of our Canadian friends. Let us know where you're watching from. Please like if you're watching us live. Go ahead and give us a subscribe. We've been juicing up the numbers lately. We love you. And if you're listening in your ears, too, like we could use some comments. Give us some five-star reviews. We love you. We're working hard on these Saturday nights. I'm glad we're doing this as an extra this season on NFL Daily. And once we turn this off, by the way, I'm not going to be watching New Zealand, but I will be watching the Australian Open very soon.

1:14:34A little tennis on my Saturday night to wrap things up. Let's talk about your Browns coach, Kevin Stefanski, taking the Atlanta Falcons job. I will give you the floor. Stefanski to the Falcons. What do you think?

1:14:48Nick Shook:I think it represents an upgrade and it's not a surprise at all because not an upgrade necessarily over Raheem Morris as much as an offensive upgrade for a team that has desperately needed it. Even back to the Arthur Smith days when they were rolling with Mariota and Desmond Ritter. They have a quarterback that they believe in, in Michael Penix, that needs to demonstrate progress in year three. I think Kevin Stefanski marries well with him and he also has Kirk Cousins, a guy he's very familiar with, to work with. And if you're going to get anybody acclimated who's young to a Stefanski offense, why not use the quarterback who thrived in the one year that year and a half Stefanski was his offensive coordinator to help out with Michael Penick.

1:15:24Nick Shook:So it makes a lot of sense. I also think that Bijan back there is going to thrive with Stefanski's offense in a fashion similar to what Nick Chubb enjoyed. If you're able to build a staff that includes some of the other, you know, former standout assistants that were in Cleveland, like a Bill Callahan, for example, in the offensive line, that could really elevate this team. And it's interesting that, you know, the new president of football, Matt Ryan, follows Arthur Blank's demands or suggestions, recommendations that you find leadership. Kevin Savancy is a two-time coach of the year. You know, he piloted the Browns their most consistent stretch of success since they've been back since since 99.

1:15:59Nick Shook:And yes, the bar is low for that. But the guy's proven he can coach when he has a competent roster and the Falcons believe they have a competent roster. I'm very curious to see who he fills out his staff with on the defensive side. but I think that it's a great move for them and it's kind of a no brainer. I thought he was the best remaining coach available after Harbaugh went to the giants and, and congratulations to the Falcons for getting it done so quickly. Yeah. I think the timing is really interesting. I think they just, they're trying to beat everyone to the punch. Yeah. And Stefanski would have been a strong candidate in a number of places like Tennessee.

1:16:32And I think if you're going to give Arthur blank credit for the Matt Ryan hire like i think matt ryan helps to get this done you know stefanski and ryan and look i wouldn't have known this until this happened until like he got this second interview and there was some buzz building that you know they were close that they both grew up in the philadelphia area area playing high school football like nearby they played college football near each other i didn't really ever I didn't even know Kevin Stefanski played college football but he was at Penn while Ryan was at BC but I think that the key not only that they had a relationship going back all that way but the key to me that was pointed out by Josh Kendall in The Athletic earlier this week was you know Ryan's coached under or played under who was it Bill Musgrave and who coached Matt Ryan, who Kevin Stefanski also coached under.

1:17:33And because I was like, what is the connection here? Because it's always about connections. And so these are two men who actually did know each other pretty well, even though it's not like a guy who worked for each other. And obviously he's a quarterback's guy. And so there are the connections there. There's like the familiarity. And if I'm a Falcons fan, I'm really excited. I'm shocked. I saw a lot of Falcons fans like very unhappy with this move, which I was like, I think they're just at the point where they're unhappy with anything. Who did they want? I don't know. I don't know who they wanted.

1:18:08Apparently like the Raheem hire at the time was more popular and Arthur Smith, who were kind of buzzy candidates at the time. And Stefanski feels like a retread, but I think it's, I think it's a really good hire. Raheem was a retread.

1:18:22Nick Shook:Right. And that's the problem with the coaching cycle is that. fan bases fall in love with candidates because of name recognition. And they look at Stefanski and associated him with the Browns that went three and 14 and five and 12 in the last two years. And they think, Oh, we're going to get this guy who was terrible and just got fired. I'm telling you the fit makes a ton of sense. Just give it time. I think it'll work out. It's a good hire for them. Yeah. Um, just to clarify that Stefanski was the assistant quarterbacks coach in Minnesota under bill Musgrave, who was also Ryan's quarterbacks coach, uh, in the first five seasons of Matt Ryan's career.

1:18:54year. So an interesting connection there.

1:18:55Nick Shook:I think Musgrave was a consultant with the Browns in recent years as well. I agree with our buddy Amon here from the Philippines. The Falcons are lucky to get Stefanski too, because I just think for what they need, it'll be interesting if this does impact the Kirk Cousins decision or not. Look, they just restructured his contract in a way that made it really seem like they were going to cut him. It was a type of contract restructure that makes it easier to cut him, but it's not a guarantee that he has to get cut. Stefanski was the quarterback's coach for Kirk Cousins for Minnesota for one season.

1:19:29In that season, he actually got elevated to offensive coordinator, and then he was the offensive coordinator for Cousins for one more season as well. So there's a connection there that it's not crazy at all in my mind. if you really believe in Michael Penix to think of Kirk as the best you're going to do for a bridge. You know?

1:19:54Nick Shook:Yeah. At minimum, he's your mentor. At minimum, he's your mentor. Bridge, for now, he just did that job under a different staff this year. And then he can mentor Penix through the Stefanski offense and get him acclimated and increases his chances of success. Well, you're going to need someone to play. He's not going to be playing week one or, you know, he's probably not playing. saying like increases chances of success earlier in his tenure under Stefanski. And then in terms of the timing of it in that, and then we'll move on. Not only does they get ahead of everyone hiring Stefanski and here's the key part.

1:20:26They get ahead of everyone for hiring the rest of Stefanski staff. And we'll see, it's going to be competitive out there. Varying reports indicate the first one from Ian Rappaport that Jeff Ulbrich, who was there and did great work last year with Raheem Morris, is likely to stay with him. So that's huge. I mean, like knowing you can keep Albrecht if you're getting Stefanski out enough, there's a relationship there or just Atlanta's going to pay him enough money and he's comfortable, his family's been there for a couple of years, whatever it is, that's huge. And then Diana Rossini of The Athletic says, don't be surprised slash kind of expect that they're going to bring Brian Callahan, I mean, rather Bill Callahan, not Brian Callahan, Bill Callahan, the offensive line coach from the Browns, who's done awesome work as an offensive line coach.

1:21:17And Tommy Reese would probably come in as the offensive coordinator under Stefanski. And suddenly you're like, OK, that's a pretty that's a pretty good looking staff. And believe me, Jeff Ulbrich, if he's not going to get a head coaching chance, and I don't think he's going to like would be almost at the very top of the defensive coordinator hire in this market. where like 10 teams are looking for it. So you're beating everyone to the puck.

1:21:43Nick Shook:Yeah, it has a domino effect too on the remaining defensive coordinator market. If you want to tie it back to Cleveland, that Schwartz is interviewing, getting second interviews with the Browns. If he's not going to go follow Stefanski to Atlanta, then that's a candidate that's still going to be out there for somebody to hire as well. True. So that's really interesting. I think it's a good move for Atlanta. We'll see how it plays out. I had my concerns of like, what did Matt Ryan really do to like earn this? But then you hear him speak and you're like, well, I believe in this man. Like he does seem smart.

1:22:17I would follow you anywhere, Matt Ryan. So I'm rooting for you. And unlike Tom Brady, you're not doing it as your sixth or seventh, you know, different job. Like on the side, you're doing it. So I respect that. The other news tonight, there's been a couple. But the bigger news tonight was that Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst have reached agreement, according to, again, Diana Rossini and Ian Rappaport had it, for long-term extensions for the Green Bay Packers. Still waiting for details. There was some scuttlebutt behind the scenes of, like, how is this deal going to work? Like, is it short? Is it long?

1:22:56We'll see. But either way, barring any huge last second turn, it sounds like the contracts are agreed to. Matt LaFleur will be staying in Green Bay.

1:23:06Nick Shook:It's interesting because the fashion in which the Bears beat the Packers and was very reminiscent of the way the Packers lost to the Bears late in the regular season kind of led some of us to believe that, oh, maybe this might be the end of the LaFleur era. And instead they do the opposite and they double down on their commitment to Matt LaFleur. And it is very Packers of them. This is not a franchise that quickly can somebody for underperforming or failing to reach their sky-high expectations. And ultimately, I do think it's the right move for right now. Because if you weigh the pros versus the cons, he's done a lot more good than he's done bad.

1:23:41Nick Shook:It's just that they've run into some disappointing endings over the last few years. Some of it involving the fact that their quarterback hasn't stayed healthy. And they were kind of turning over to being one of the youngest teams in the NFL over the last couple of years. You lose Micah Parsons, that has a big impact in your defensive performance this year. I think it's smart to run it back as opposed to getting rid of him and making a knee-jerk decision. Okay, so I want to be clear with my wording. It's a multi-year extension, according to Tom Pelissero, with LaFleur. Multi-year could just be two, by the way.

1:24:11And then that would make it a three-year total. We don't know. Gutekunst is working on an extension, but he is expected back. But that has not been reported as agreed to. Just wanted to clarify that. I, based on everything I've learned, which is all secondhand, and just based on reading all the reporting, I think there was a world where this could have ended differently and cooler heads prevailed and maybe the opportunity for LaFleur to move on, the timing, it just didn't make sense for anyone, for him, for the Packers, for anything. Was there a world where some team came in with like a godfather offer of like some picks and they thought about it?

1:24:56Like, I think I think that might have been possible, but I don't think I don't think that ever happened. And, you know, the Packers met with him and had dinner on Thursday night. Like, I think everyone just watched the situation played out and like the best option for everyone once he got away from the emotion of it all was him returning. And the thing that is crazy to me is how upset Packers fans are about it. I can't believe it. Come on, man. The entitlement. So good. Yeah. And he is really frustrating. And he does have a little bit of late Ravens, John Harbaugh to him, that you keep losing games in similar fashion.

1:25:34You lose games with a lead. I wouldn't say, like, game management is Jordan Love's biggest strength or Matt LaFleur's biggest strength with is a bad combo.

1:25:44Nick Shook:Not with the way they lost that wildcard game, especially. But just in general, I agree. but this team is not far away like and you have a great offense and a great thing going and um i listened to a podcast he does great work it's called blue 52 right it's called blue 52 the packers podcast and he did a poll with his fans and by far the biggest you know when he asked like who do you want as your next coach like do you want lafleur fired or not like they wanted LaFleur out. I couldn't believe it. And then if you go on to Twitter or Blue Sky Tonight, it's the same thing. The people wanted LaFleur out.

1:26:24I think you're wrong. But actually, NFL history would say that usually the coach doesn't get, if they're going to get their Super Bowl, they're going to get it in the first five or six years. So to be fair, it would break precedent.

1:26:38Nick Shook:But it's also a greener grass situation where, first off, who are you going to replace him with? who is out there that you're really targeting that you think is going to get you over the hump without wrecking a lot of the continuity that you've had. And also look at the coach that you want fired and look at how quickly he would get a job somewhere else. He could go directly to Tennessee and get whatever he wanted from the Titans and they would be thrilled to have him. You don't let guys like that go. I know he has his drawbacks. Like you said, late stage Harbaugh and Baltimore is a good comparison, but it's not one of those things where they just grow on trees.

1:27:12Nick Shook:like if you're pretty close maybe make some small adjustments let him learn from some of those mistakes and hope for the best and if you don't produce that you know somewhere in the middle of this extension a two years from now you know you're running into the same problem then you you end up with a harbaugh or a tomlin departure where it's like all right you know what maybe it's best we go our separate ways but it's too early i think right now and if you were lafleur who might have who knows had interested in in like the right job maybe that job just wasn't out there for him either. Like, would you want to go to Tennessee?

1:27:41Like, no, you got Jordan Love and Micah Parsons and these young, talented skilled position guys, including Tucker Craft, who are coming back that you've already coached up. It sounds like you're probably going to lose your defensive coordinator, Jeff Halfley. It sounds like the next announcement could be him to Miami. We'll talk about that if and when it actually happens. But you have a pretty good thing going with a quarterback in his prime. And if you're a Packers fan, like keep in mind, like there was an article from Justice Mosqueda this week. It was really good about how the Packers, you know, are infamous for paying way less for their assistant coaches and they have way less experience on LeFleur's staff than almost any staff on the league.

1:28:26And that's usually by design. So he is making up for some things that is kind of systematic with that organization and making it look good with some good offense. And oh, by the way, they were missing like four of their best seven players in that playoff game.

1:28:40Nick Shook:So I didn't go watch, watch the interest that Malik Willis attracts this off season too. That is a direct product of Matt LaFleur. Right. He wasn't, he wasn't getting that done with Mike Rabel, who's a great coach, but he was not a fan of a fan of Malik Willis back in the day. And then finally, just cause I find it funny. Let's just dot the eye on John, John Harbaugh being announced as New York Giants head coach. Where were you on Friday night, Nick Shook, if you even saw this, when you started seeing the reports that Giants reporters weren't really totally sure actually is John Harbaugh actually going to be the coach, even though we all announced it and had back page headlines for two straight days and talked about what a great thing it was and what he ordered at the restaurant and everything great that John Harbaugh is going to be for the Giants for two straight days.

1:29:28And then for like a handful full of hours, it felt like it was on a knife's edge. And I don't think it was even a made-up knife's edge. It sounds like it was pretty real knife's edge.

1:29:38Nick Shook:To answer your question, stereotypically for me, I was on my way to the gym and I was at a stoplight. You know, you shouldn't be on your phone when you're at a stoplight, but I was at a stoplight. And I saw that all pop up and I was like, oh God, all those write-ups about that restaurant are really going to age poorly if this doesn't work out. Shout out to Connor Orr. He did good work. You know, it's not his fault. And I saw and even our, you know, our producer believes maybe the information went out public too quickly. You know, maybe it's on like Schefter was the first one. Well, the owners out there saying Harbaugh told me he'd be back.

1:30:10Nick Shook:You got a leak there. I put it more on the agent and the team and maybe even it's the agent more than anything. Why did everyone have to know the play by play of every single part of this negotiation the whole time? I don't know I guess the purpose was for John Harbaugh to gain as much leverage as possible not only against other teams but against the Giants and Joe Shane because the most telling thing I saw of all the texts and tweets and everything else is one from Ian O 'Connor who was on it this whole time who was at the Athletic who's covered the Giants for a long time and he revealed today I'm wondering if John Harbaugh is okay with him revealing this today he revealed today that he sent John Harbaugh a text at 9 o 'clock Eastern last night.

1:30:57I think it was like 9.19 saying, are you still confident you're going to be coach, the next coach of the New York Giants? And John Harbaugh sent back the hands to the side, I don't know emoji.

1:31:11Nick Shook:I love that. I mean... I don't know, dog. You got to come with the proper offer here. Tell them. And you know what happened? In the end, it got reported everywhere. that John Harbaugh is reporting directly to ownership and not to Joe Shane, the GM, which is a change from different setups in the Giants organization. And to that I say, didn't you talk about this before, like when you were at the dinner? Like, what are we doing here if we're negotiating for a week? Didn't you talk about this way before? They must have. And maybe they didn't. And maybe they just assumed that they would get their way in the end.

1:31:57John Harbaugh did. And John Harbaugh was right. And the Giants would have been foolish to let Joe Shane get in the way of anything.

1:32:03Nick Shook:Here's my very brief psychological analysis of this. I think John Harbaugh has spent such a long time in Baltimore and was not unfairly fired, but was unceremoniously fired over the phone on his way out of the facility that he may have just been basking in the love and the ego boost of being taken to dinner and being like adored by a team that so desperately wants him to coach that he was like oh i'm in i'm soaking it all up without hammering out the details remember this is a guy who hasn't had to you know uh negotiate for a job in almost 20 years so yeah but who do the giants think they're hiring they think they're hiring a guy who's going to report to joe shane like that's on that's on the giants and maybe that's it speaks a lot about the giants and where they are maybe that's on new ownership because look john mara is involved according to john harbaugh that he's he's going to the office and everything, but he has a cancer battle right now.

1:32:53His son, Chris Mara, has been really involved in this, and maybe that's part of it. And I think the quotes coming from John Harbaugh today have been really interesting and telling. And he talked about how we're going to really be beefing up the analytics department. That was something that was really important to get in there. So he basically was saying that was part of the negotiation too, that he was getting And all that in writing that like we're going to pay for an entire analytics department where we didn't have anything before because we're kind of operating in like 1995. And I want to bring it up to the present because, oh, by the way, the Ravens have been as analytics forward as basically any team for 20 years.

1:33:37And it's just like not talked about that much. And so that was part of it, too. And it's just setting up all the things to be a successful organization, which ultimately, if you're the Giants and certainly a Giants fan, you're happy that John Harbaugh is dragging your team into the present and not reporting to Joe Shane, because let's be real. Joe Shane's not making decisions anymore. It's John Harbaugh time. And get familiar with the idea of compensatory picks, Giants fans. Yes, yes. Football is back, baby. Look, we will be back on Sunday night. Great staying up with you, Shook. We've been doing this all season long.

1:34:11And look, we got more recaps to go. We got tomorrow. We got the championship games. We got the Super Bowl. But this is our last like live on YouTube. And I really appreciate everything you've given to all of our viewers and listeners this year. It's been a lot of fun.

1:34:27Nick Shook:I appreciate being here. And I want you to know what I came to the realization of today, which is after tonight's games, which were now passed. There are only five games left in this calendar year. Oh, my gosh. You're not counting the Black football game? No, I'm not counting that. Games of significance. I don't know. That is crazy. We are down to six teams. Hit that music. Five games, six teams, and many shows. It's in the name. It's NFL Daily. So if you're just watching us on YouTube for the first time, appreciate everyone. Check us out daily. We'll be back on Sunday night recapping the two big divisional round games, Texans Patriots and Bears Rams.

1:35:12We'll see you then.

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