After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 4

The NFL playoffs live on Odyssey, and Westwood One brings you the AFC and NFC Championship games, streaming live for free this Sunday on the Odyssey app. The 49ers visit the Eagles. And then it's a rematch between the Bengals and the Chiefs. Catch all the action from Westwood One. Your playoffs, your Odyssey.

Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. The NFL playoffs live on Odyssey, and Westwood One brings you the AFC and NFC Championship games, streaming live for free this Sunday on the Odyssey app. The 49ers visit the Eagles. And then it's a rematch between the Bengals and the Chiefs. Wide open, Jamar Chase takes it in. Touchdown Chiefs. Catch all the action from Westwood One. Your playoffs, your Odyssey.

Get in the game and download the free Odyssey app today. Yeah it is. Although we're also mixing in tennis down under because we have an American in the semi-finals. Tommy Paul, unseated, pushed Novak Djokovic to the brink there in the first set, actually coming back to tie him 5-5 and then losing that first set 7-5. But right now has a break point against Novak Djokovic in the second set. So he's game. He started out spraying tennis balls all over the place. Shots everywhere. You could imagine there was a ton of adrenaline, a little bit of extra edge, and this is the first time on the stage.

So your heart rate, your pulse, they are higher than normal. But as I watch, and I'm watching while I'm doing the show, but he's painting lines now and winning four games in a row in the first set to get that back to 5-5. That was a huge confidence boost for him.

So I love this. Love that we've got an American. But obviously Novak Djokovic is a tough out and is clearly the favorite.

Has been since Rafael Nadal was ousted. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We'll keep you updated on that semi-final down under. But Avi, we are also getting you set for what's to come on Championship Sunday. Hear the Niners radio calls with Greg Papa and then also the Eagles calls with Merrill Reese. One and two are still standing in the NFC.

One and three are still standing in the AFC. So this is flex your muscles weekend, baby. That's it. Patrick Mahomes' ankle appears to be in really good shape. He was doing spin moves at practice.

I wonder if he was doing that for the camera's sake. But he says it's no longer if he will play. It's just about how much he can do.

And the mobility will definitely be a question mark. The Bengals' offensive line, as well as they played against those Buffalo Bills, they do have three guys who are replacing injured starters. Can they have as strong a performance in the trenches? Now they dominated Buffalo on both sides. Offensive line, defensive line. Can they have that same dominant performance in the trenches?

And honestly, that's the question for Nick Sirianni when it comes to the Eagles and the Niners and their NFC Championship battle. I've been taught from very young that it's O-line, D-line. O-line, D-line. O-line, D-line. O-line, D-line.

It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if it's my son's Pee-wee game. It doesn't matter if it's a high school game. It doesn't matter if it's a college game.

It doesn't matter if it's a program. The O-line, D-line wins games and it sets the tone. And we got a great defensive line. We got a great offensive line. And not only do we have these pieces in place there, we also understand that we have backups and we have rotations and guys ready to step in and make plays and guys that have stepped in to make plays. So Nick Sirianni, not commenting about AFC, but understanding the significance of winning those battles in the trenches. That's exactly why the Bengals had such a massive advantage, strangely enough, in the snow against that raucous crowd in Orchard Park. Because from the jump, they were able to dominate and win their individual matchups along the O-line and along the D-line. But can they do that against the Kansas City Chiefs?

And if you know that Patrick Mahomes isn't as mobile, isn't likely to elude the pressure as well. Maybe can he push off on that foot? We'll see. I mean, for right now, they're keeping that under wraps.

But that's going to be a huge deal. Can you collapse the pocket and force him to move around? Make him as uncomfortable as possible? Maybe by the second quarter, he's feeling it. Maybe his foot is throbbing.

Maybe he's not able to get that same explosion and that same push. So those are some huge questions, obviously. And then thinking about the NFC, man, power versus power, strength versus strength. What about takeaways? We saw how critical they were for the Niners against the Cowboys, though their offense wasn't able to do anything, right?

So you got to produce something after you grab those takeaways. Your defense worked so hard for them, you need to come up with more than a pair of field goals. Even with those two takeaways, it was nine to nine in the third quarter and the Cowboys and the Niners were dead even. So many weapons on both sides of the ball.

When I think about, and that applies to the AFC too, these are the four best teams, clearly. But when I think about the work that has been done on the offensive side of the ball, the rosters, the way that we've seen them add pieces, Christian McCaffrey in the mid-season and clearly having Brock Purdy, I know that it seems like he came out of nowhere for a lot of people who are outside the San Francisco locker room and away from their practice facility. But what did Kyle Shanahan tell us just yesterday or this week? They had no choice but to keep Brock Purdy on their 53-man roster because he was too good to lose.

There was no way they were going to put him on the practice squad and watch another team come in and grab him, right? So he forced them to keep three quarterbacks until Trent obviously got hurt and, wait did I, Trent, why do I, why does that feel like that's not right? Jimmy Garoppolo and what's his first name? Trey. Trey, thank you.

The second I said it, I don't know why I was thinking Trent, I apologize for that. See, I can never make fun of anybody else who gets a name wrong because, now I would never call Roger Goodell Roger Goodall, so that's where I draw the line, but now and then. I'd like to thank Roger Goodall. Here's your CEO, you just paid 4.6 billion or whatever they paid for the Broncos, the Walton Penner family. Do you think that made Roger Goodall feel really small?

Like there's the Walmart world, there's the Walmart fortune, and then there's the NFL. Yeah, welcome. This is how it feels, Roger. Definitely gonna make him feel good. Sorry about that, Trey Lance, but I'm telling you, the second I said it, it did not feel right, so please forgive me. Good name is Jason Taylor.

I'm in good company. Okay, I'm not even gonna tell you the mistake I made earlier. I'm hoping no one goes and listens to the podcast, that's all I'm saying. Jay just cocked his head like, what? No, we need more people to hear that.

I was gonna try to play it off like it never happened, but I couldn't do it with a straight face, so at least I own up to my mistakes. Charles Barkley has people all around him who correct him instantly or laugh at him and then correct him instantly. Jason Taylor, yes for sure. Jason Taylor. His name is Trent Lance.

It is now. No, stop it. Here's the deal, when it comes to the Niners, maybe it's a brain fart with me because I don't know if it was, it might have been pre-U, but for the first like four months of George Kittle emerging on the scene, I just kept calling him Greg.

No idea why. Greg Kittle. Greg Kittle.

I mean people were laughing at me on social. You dumbass, it's George and I know it's George. Well hug him and squeeze him and call him George, right? So I knew his name was George.

It just sometimes doesn't come out right, but like I say, I own it and I call a dodo a dodo when I'm in fact being a dodo. I will name him George and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him. I'll never again forget that his name is George or give him the wrong name. I didn't forget. I knew. We're trying to be serious around here, producer J.

What is happening? Hey, Jason Kelsey, we know you're locked in, but did you hear what's happening with your brother? If you guys haven't heard this, this is hysterical.

I'm not sure if it's whiteboard material, but it did definitely catch Jason off guard when Travis Kelsey told him what Bengals fans are calling his home stadium. Getting everybody fired up. We are the loudest stadium in the world on record.

42, 142 decibels. Did you guys break the record this week? I don't know.

I don't know. Maybe we're gonna have to break it this week because a lot of Cincinnati Bengals fans are calling it Burrowhead instead of Arrowhead. Whoa, the disrespect to Arrowhead continues. They're throwing a lot of bulletin board material out there.

I don't root, but I would be overjoyed for these two guys to continue playing all the way through the Super Bowl because they're such great personalities. Obviously incredible at what they do, but also such great personalities. We've got, I'm telling you, my newest guilty pleasure is the newest Heights.

I'm sorry, the new Heights show with the Kelsey brothers. It's amazing. You guys should check it out. I mean, is it sacrilegious if I tell you it's better than Aaron Rodgers on Pat McAfee? What if I tell you that it's better than Tom Brady on Let's Go? I'm offended. I knew it. Jay was looking for it.

The second I mentioned Aaron Rodgers, he's like looking for his drop. Do you need me to keep talking until you find it? Now it's ruined. No, it's not ruined.

Play it so people know exactly what you're doing back there. You're like a mad scientist searching for things on the internet. I'm offended. How could you possibly say that? I mean, you're right. It would have been a lot better if you had it ready. You missed your cue, Jay.

You missed your cue. Just have it in the cue. Just always have it on deck. Just on deck. There you go. On the tweet deck.

Always have it on the tweet deck. All right. We'll get back to football, I promise. Part of my conversation with Amy Trask of that other pregame show CBS Sports. Of course, longtime CEO and member of the Raiders front office. We talked about the new hire in Carolina where Frank Reich gets picked up. I don't want to say off the scrap heat, but he's not.

He gets picked up off the unemployment line. He's not there for very long. We know that in Dallas, Mike McCarthy is staying.

I mean, I try to tell you guys that. Dan Quinn is not going anywhere. He says there's unfinished business and Dallas wants to win a championship with the Cowboys. No definitive word yet on Kellen Moore, but six other coaches gone in Dallas. I wouldn't say it's a house cleaning, but they're definitely making changes. Maybe some philosophy a little bit too. And so there's plenty of positions open, but little by little there are a few getting filled. Nathaniel Hackett, the new offensive coordinator in New York. And obviously the narrative.

I mean, it's cute, right? That they hired him just so it would be a more attractive trade destination for Aaron Rodgers. But here's why I debunk that.

This is why it doesn't make any sense. Because Aaron Rodgers doesn't get a say in where he goes. I suppose he could put up a stink. Maybe the Packers would ask him, but if they send him to the AFC, there's only so many destinations. And remember, Rodgers doesn't have the leverage unless he's going to retire.

That's his option. But if he doesn't retire and the Packers decide to pivot to Jordan Love, well, they can send him wherever they would like. He doesn't have a no trade clause.

So that's weird to me. I don't know why then would the Jets be more attractive, quote unquote, if they hired Nathaniel Hackett, who does have a pre-existing relationship with Aaron. But it doesn't matter, because Aaron doesn't really have a say. He's not going to pick the Jets. He can't pick anyone. He's going to go where the team sends him, I think. Do you think he could threaten to retire or sit out if he doesn't get to go there? I guess he could put up a stink. Oh, do you think he's going to be a diva? He might. He's been there so long.

I'm offended. Do you think maybe they'd do the right thing by him if he'd help him go somewhere he wants to go? I don't know. They don't know. They don't have to. What if he wants to go to Minnesota like Brett Favre did?

Yeah, he eventually got there. They won't take him in Detroit. Detroit's happy. They got their quarterback. Oh, that's sacrilegious.

The Lions beat them twice this season, and they would rather have Jared Goff than Aaron Rodgers. I don't know what it says. I'm just rambling right now. I am not.

What are you talking about? All right, we'll get back to the football. We'll let you hear from Amy Trask about some of the coaching moves and Sean Payton.

Is he worth the wait? But there was quite a battle down the stretch in Boston between the Knicks and the Celtics. Working on Tatum across the lane to Brunson. Five to shoot. Pull up at the foul lines.

Good. Jaylen Brunson with 29. Knicks leading by 12 again. 6-40 left. Jaylen ducks the shoulder.

Drive strong. Gets to the cup and lays it in. He just, he went. Draw play third and long. Tatum attacking Sims.

Goes in deep. Lays it up with the right hand and scores. Tatum now starting to go into overdrive.

He's up to 28 now. Tatum will walk it across half court where he entered minute 48. Boston down by two. They trail by 13 earlier in the fourth. Tatum against Randall.

Down the right side. Elevates. Lays it up and in, and we've got a brand new ballgame. Wow.

What makes you laugh, though, makes you cry. That last cut there, last bite with Sean Grandy and Cedric Maxwell on Celtics radio. Before that, Ed Cohen on Knicks radio, and yeah, it was a 26-8 run that erased a Knicks double figure lead in the fourth quarter. Before I move on, I want to say this, and I didn't know this, so Dale Arnold, long time play-by-play announcer for the Bruins as well as a radio personality in Boston, radio and TV. He posted this after the Celtics game. Again, I know this is a tangent, but congratulations to Sean Grandy for reaching the 2000 game plateau, and then Dale goes on to say one of the best play-by-play announcers ever in Boston. So I was texting with Sean earlier, but said to him, congratulations, and he writes back, who counted all of those games? Sean's awesome, and he raises the bar with the Celtics and their play-by-play. He's doing some TV now as well on the road, but night after night, he sets the standard for NBA play-by-play.

I'm so proud to call him my friend and to learn from him. We always love having him on the show, so congratulations to Sean Grandy. Oh, and yes, the game did go into overtime, so on his 2000th game anniversary or his 2000 game milestone, he ends up having to work a little longer at the Garden. Up by one, the Knicks fouled Jalen Brown. Now he had been five for five at the line before he heads there with about seven seconds to go in OT. Jalen's 79% of the year, five for five tonight.

First one, no. Pressure bust tight. And it mounts heavily here as Jalen needs the second one to tie it with 7.6 to go. The Knicks do have one timeout left. Brown lines up the second, dips and ease, spins it on the way, and no good short. Barrett the rebound, six seconds. Barrett's fouled by Horford with 5.7 to go. Jalen Brown not just missing the first two free throws but short on both and Barrett's gonna shoot two with the Knicks up 118-117 with 5.7 to go in OT. Those two missed free throws kind of embodied like the whole game, you know, for me.

Didn't really get it going, didn't give my team enough energy to win and that's what happens when you don't come out and give your best. Jalen lamenting his late game struggles and there was a stretch there where he wasn't involved in the game at all. Hadn't touched the ball and this is as the Celtics are falling behind by first six, then eight, then double figures and ultimately 13 points before they rallied.

He goes one of eight from beyond the arc but yeah had been perfect at the stripe until those two misses. Once again Sean Grandy, Cedric Maxwell, Ed Cohen on the different radio network. So the Celtics have now dropped three in a row, huge victory for the Knicks obviously. Julius Randle, he had someone on his mind post game.

If you remember, he was a teammate of Kobe Bryant's late in his career. It was on my heart heavy, you know, just texting on my wife back and forth before the game. It's a tough day. Vanessa, you know, the whole family, I'll say my prayers for you guys today.

I love you guys dearly, man. So it's a tough day but you know hopefully he's looking down and he's proud on the way the game is played because you know he's an anchor, he's a pioneer of this game. Three years Thursday, it feels like an eternity obviously because he's been gone and he left such a void and so I honestly when I was thinking about it, three years just didn't seem right. But yeah, three years and I can remember every moment of that day like it happened yesterday. I appreciate what Julius Randle had to say on TNT and then if you look over social media, a lot of tributes, videos and photos and I think my favorites are the ones with he and his daughter and the gigantic smiles and he called her a mini me.

So they had such a great relationship and he had turned into an incredible husband and daddy after his career was over. We're going to turn our attention back to football. A little bit of time with Amy Trask, our whole conversation available on our podcast when the show is done and then a little more on these championship games coming up on Sunday, though I promise no more trash talk. I mean, I can't promise for Willie Gaye. What exactly impresses you about the Bengals offense? Nothing.

And he didn't just say it once. He doubled down. Nothing. And so so Jamar Chase, what about Willie Gaye and his trash talking? You're not going to play it, Jay. I'm looking at you.

You're not going to play it. Willie, the linebacker. Yeah, I got no response to him.

I got no response. I got no response, but he's a linebacker. Wait, who?

Willie Willie, the linebacker. It's so good. I'm going to miss this one.

Football is done. Although, Joel Embiid is a pretty good trash talker himself. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch. He is bad vibes. He is the weirdest. He is the weirdest. He's the weirdest. He's the weirdest.

And I know what the weirdest is. He's the weirdest. He's the weirdest. He's the weirdest. He's the weirdest. He is the weirdest. I'm Larry Mullins. Host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch.

He is bad vibe. We talked to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split. I have one tattoo that covers my entire body.

Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch.

He is bad vibe. We talked to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. I think our foundation is clearly stronger. It's stronger than today than when we were last year just because we have more experience. We have younger guys that clearly improved. I'm looking for this draft class.

This draft class is clearly the best of the three. I think that gives us a chance. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. That is the voice of Mike McCarthy on Thursday, not only confirming that Dan Quinn would be sticking around as defensive coordinator, forsaking other head coaching jobs, but also saying he never believed his job was in jeopardy because he speaks to Jerry Jones on a regular basis.

A couple of notes and then we'll let you hear from Amy Trask. Did you know that Mike McCarthy as the head coach has guided the Cowboys to their first back-to-back playoff appearances since the late 90s in Chan Gailey? Nothing to sneeze at and did you also know back-to-back 12 win seasons and with Dan Quinn led the NFL in takeaways for that defense.

First time a team has done that going back to the early 70s and the steel curtain. There's a lot to like about these Cowboys even as they do now replace six coaches and we await word on their offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. I did talk to Amy about the Cowboys and some of the other movement in this kind of slowly winding coaching carousel, but we started with Frank Reich. He is the former quarterback of the Carolina Panthers and now full circle as their new head coach and I asked Amy Trask, CBS Sports Analyst, longtime Raiders CEO, what Frank brings to the table. Well certainly as you noted he has a history with the organization, was their quarterback many many many years ago and he is a very very well respected coach throughout the league and it's not mutually exclusive to say that Steve Wilks did a tremendous job there and had the absolute support of the locker room. Players spoke out saying they wanted to play for Steve and he may well have gone on to do terrific things with that team.

So too may Frank. Those two comments are not mutually exclusive and I hope Steve gets another chance somewhere else, but it'll be interesting to see how Frank does and by the way how exciting is this for Frank and for Panthers fans and Colts fans. I think the Colts go to Carolina next year so that should be an interesting matchup. The Panthers are an example of a franchise in recent memory who have just continued to change. That's really been the constant for the Panthers, for the Colts, for the Browns, even for the Giants before this year with Brian Deball.

How does it affect the players and the coaches in a locker room? Well you know it's interesting you mentioned that about the Panthers because since Ron Rivera was terminated they've been through, if you count interim head coaches, you know they had Ron Rivera who they fired, they've had two interim head coaches, they've had Matt Rule who they fired, they have been changing coaches a lot since Ron was terminated and you know Ron was there for a while but then they haven't been able to find someone that they were satisfied with although again I'll note that Steve did a tremendous job really without a lot of assets in various positions on the team and boy if you look at the list of quarterbacks Carolina has been through since Cam Newton it just goes on and on and on and on so you're right there hasn't been stability there at coach or at quarterback. I have this phrase that I use on the radio about sports in general but it certainly does apply to several NFL franchises constant change equals constant losing there is a correlation between the two when all you're doing is pulling out the plants that you've put down they never have a chance to grow roots and everybody else is in constant flux as well. You know it's an interesting conundrum because if something really really isn't right and you absolutely know it's not right and can't work a very strong argument can always be made that consistency simply for the sake of consistency doesn't work well at times but to your point you're absolutely right if you don't give a plant a chance to grow its roots by the way great analogy to bring plants into this I love that and by the way I do not have a green sun so while we're on the plant concept I'll just let you know that when I put plants in the ground I explain to them that it's going to be the Darwin theory in my garden only the strongest plants are going to survive. Survival of the fittest. Right listen plants I'm putting you in the ground and only the strong plants are going to be able to live here.

My lack of a green sun aside you know it's a great analogy because you really do need plants to take root in order to survive but again you don't want consistency for the sake only of consistency and I think that's a very fine line between those two. It does seem to happen that when one team hires a particular type of coach offensive coordinator comes from Sean McVay's staff something along those lines a lot of the other teams will try that pattern. Who are a couple of other names out there that you think will make solid head coaches or at least should get shots and opportunities? Well D'Amico Ryans is obviously a name that is and should be atop the list of many teams but another name is David Shaw. David Shaw most recently the head coach at Stanford and you know I can't say enough good things about David and by the way I went to Cal so here's this Cal girl raving about a Stanford head coach but I had the opportunity to work with David when he was with the Raiders and I just think the world of him.

I actually loved him in college because if I had a son or a daughter who was a collegiate athlete he is precisely the man I would want coaching them so I loved that he was in college the only day I rooted against him during the year was when Stanford played Cal but I think he would also be a tremendous head coach in the National Football League. I gotta ask you this question because I asked my audience and we got a pretty diverse reaction which team suffered the more disappointing end to its season? Buffalo or Dallas? Yes the answer is yes I'll go with option C tremendously disappointing for both you know I guess the only thing that would push me a bit to the Buffalo side of that equation is Buffalo was home for that playoff game Dallas was on the road Buffalo has one of the most magnificent home field environments those fans are cacophonous very very hard place to go and by the way as I talk about this I think I'm having you know PTSD about us going there in the playoffs and losing 51 to 3 and we lost there another time in the playoffs and I raise that because it is a hard hard place for a visiting team to win team to win so you know my answer is tremendously disappointing for both teams but I guess I would give the edge to Buffalo simply because they were at home. And the snow it was tailor-made for Buffalo winning the snow except the Bengals didn't get that memo I could you call it I was trying to come up with some way to do the burrow play like burrow head but something to do with Buffalo I mean leave it to the fans that are much more creative than me it's a burlow Joe Joe fellow okay no I tried I'm offended I don't blame you it's after hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS sports radio Novak Djokovic now into the third set and is attempting to break Tommy Paul to start this set if you missed it earlier man it was an incredible rally by Tommy he was trailing 5-1 in the first set and Novak had some issue with the chair umpire we're not watching with sound on I don't know what the problem was but he's arguing with the chair umpire and it clearly got him out of his rhythm mentally kind of affected him impacted him because Tommy Paul then rattled off four games in a row and they were tied at five he did have an opportunity there before that first set was done Novak ended up pulling it out 7-5 and then he had a couple break points in the second set but couldn't quite grab the momentum back so 6-1 Djokovic in the second set and now here they are beginning the third set this is for a spot in the Australian Open final I mean my goodness Brad Heller I make your job so easy sometimes thank you you're welcome I was just gonna say I don't need to say it now you took care of that cross that off cross off tennis it is kind of cool when we have live events even as we're on the air it's my favorite but it's hard to keep up right yeah that doesn't happen so often so it's nice when you can actually like you know sit in the studio and see like wow there's actually something real going on it's not highlights from like 12 hours ago yeah exactly no it's cool it's international stuff so World Cup and tennis and some of the golf events too but yeah you're welcome no problem it's a Friday I'm feeling good on a Friday I always appreciate it anything else you want to get in there no no I'm done okay all right I mean unless you're going to give me your paycheck well we can negotiate off the air sweet all right you are listening to the after hours podcast I'm Larry Mullins host of the podcast your weirdest fears the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop I am so scared of the Grinch he is bad vibes we talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split I have one tattoo that covers my entire body listen and subscribe on the odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from I'm Larry Mullins host of the podcast your weirdest fears the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop I am so scared of the Grinch he is bad vibes we talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split I have one tattoo that covers my entire body listen and subscribe on the odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from I'm Larry Mullins host of the podcast your weirdest fears the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop I am so scared of the Grinch he is bad vibes we talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split I have one tattoo that covers my entire body listen and subscribe on the odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from with classes in crisis communication influence and data presentation Gonzaga University's online masters in communication and leadership equips you with the tools you need to communicate clearly and encourage creativity in any industry concentrations in digital media strategic communication and global leadership allow you to customize your degree visit gonzaga.edu communication and learn why a master's degree from gonzaga can help you take your career to the next level that's gonzaga.edu slash communication and mcglor can't find the handle those suspect hands and look at whoa Joe Austin and look at whoa Joe what is he doing here what is he doing whoa Joe is hurt well mcglor wouldn't let him go that was crazy whoa Joe trying to straighten out his back here stretch it out yeah I don't know why mcglor just didn't relax and he had him twisted up inside now here you see Padgett didn't want to throw that ball in there Jim because he knows mcglor doesn't have good hands or the move that he's going to make oh he has him right here all he has to do is relax and let him alone it's ridiculous this is after hours with Amy Lawrence many of you recognize that familiar voice the one of Billy Packer along with Jim Nance an elite eight game going back to 1998 between Duke and Kentucky and a skirmish breaking out and Billy Packer providing the analysis if you hadn't heard sad news to pass along Packer died on Thursday night according to his family at 82 years old ultimately passed away because of kidney failure he'd been hospitalized in Charlotte for the past three weeks and was dealing with several medical challenges but ultimately it was kidney failure that got him there are some really amazing photos posted by his son of the family on Twitter if you wanted to check it out so widely renowned for the work he did during the NCAA tournament more than 30 years he was a staple in our homes for 30 plus marches and so to hear his voice brings back so many memories this is a guy who said he never wanted to be a broadcaster and yet when he stepped into the chair in the early 70s he didn't give it up again until 2008 so sad to hear that news thinking of the family this morning it's really a lot of college basketball fans feeling his loss it's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio just a few minutes before we hit the top of the hour so we're keeping you updated on what's happening down under in Melbourne right now Novak Djokovic is on cruise control so he's regained all his stability and his dominance and I'd love to see Tommy Paul out there fighting and getting his first taste of a Grand Slam semi but they're into the third set now and Paul has yet to win a game here so Novak's serving to make it for love in the third set and of course three sets then would end up being the end Novak would move on to the championship where by the way he's chasing his 10th Australian Open Final and we know it means a little more to him because of what happened last year where he was deported from the country over his vaccination status and also keeping an eye on his heavily taped left thigh there are a few times where he has bent over on his racket to stretch it out that and his hamstring which are a little bulky earlier in the tournament I'm just so happy to see an American on the stage again and and playing in this match it's been such a long time back since 2009 that we've had an American in the semi-finals of the Australian Open so I think it speaks of good things to come this year in 2023 for the red white and blue on both sides actually the men's and the women's draws all right turning our attention to a little more of the NFL for those uh for those of you who think the Dallas Cowboys never had a shot against the San Francisco 49ers really was the defense that kept him in it and the defense that made that a tough win for the Niners and actually Brock Purdy has a thank you of sorts because as he gets ready to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship he believes that the Cowboys help prepare him real world experience I do think it was one of the best defenses that I've seen that our team has seen this year and obviously you know this week's going to be a great challenge with the front that you know Philadelphia has so I thought it was a good game to have and you know to work through and learn from you know for this week's matchup anytime you play a team with good players in a good scheme it's just sound defense and when you play sound defenses there's not a lot of holes schematically so you try to put guys in position to beat their players and they got pretty good players too and on top of it when you have a real good pass rush with good back end with all seven of those guys it just combines for making everything more difficult and that's usually what you see this time of year I think that's exactly how our defense is and um they'll come after you they'll do what's needed to keep you off but anytime you have a team that doesn't have to do that because they can cover with good players have seven guys versus four guys keep people in the help protection then you have seven guys versus three guys all that stuff becomes a factor and just makes allows teams to be more sound which makes it a lot harder to get big explosives the eagles will definitely get to the quarterback they had four guys with 10 plus sacks this season I mean that you want to talk about balance but also that's what Kyle Shanahan is referring to is that they can get to you without bringing extra pressure they can get to you simply because they're that damn good and because their push is that bold up front so the Eagles defense overall was second in the NFL against the rush they were tied for 16th but against the pass Eagles defense against the pass number one in the league as for the 49ers we know their defense is uh real good as well and they're a team that makes you pay for mistakes I mean both these teams do what I love about the Niners though is they're brash they're bold they'll batter you they'll bruise you they obviously understand the importance of the lines which is something Nick Sirianni was talking about this week too and they'll make you pay for those mistakes that you make I love the ball hawking ability of both of these defenses so I don't there's this debate going on about whether or not we're going to see a bunch of points in this game is it going to be more along the lines of field goal season uh like it was for Cowboys Niners or will we see these two offenses break out in a different way they both have so many weapons I mean if it's a low scoring game AJ Brown would like you to remember that he is happy for you to throw the ball his direction I'm never the receiver to to go on the sideline or to try to cause like problems on the sideline I'm not that guy I think I think that's what you can describe as a diva or whatever the case may be but I'm not that person you know I'm the guy who goes and talks to the quarterback or talks to the OC and uh do it do it that way you know I'm not gonna I'm not gonna try to cause commotion on the sidelines I'm not that's not why I'll never be that guy if you throw the ball to me 100 times I'm gonna want it 101 times me personally I just feel like I can change the game you know in a moment you know and uh you know getting the ball often you know keeps you going keeps you in a rhythm you know definitely just put you in the zone you're locked in and and of course you know of course I want the ball AJ Brown a big move for Howie Roseman and the Eagles this season their number one guy and yes he wants the ball 101 times but I dare say that's not going to happen against the Niners the Niners are first in the league in being stingy their tops in stinginess they only allow 16.3 points per game were you guys listening yesterday morning when our friend John Kincaid boldly predicted that the Eagles would have 17 points at halftime they give up 16.3 points per game now he had all these reasons why their stats and their their wins are built against teams with losing records yada yada yada I say that defense matches up and stands up against pretty much anyone but man it could be strength on strength and power on power so that one should be a lot of fun one of the crazier things I heard on Thursday the Bengals are going to go into arrowhead and blow out the Chiefs I guess anything is possible anything is possible sounds like a rooster I know AJ Brown reminding us that he has a sense of humor uh Joe Burrow knows they gotta take care of that football if you're gonna want to win you can't can't really turn the ball over especially in games like this if if you want to go win the game and as a defense you're always trying to cause turnovers and so you try to find the balance of taking your shots and taking risks and pushing the ball down the field and also you know taking care of the ball especially when your defense is playing so well they know us and we know them and you know we're all searching for that little extra thing that you can throw at them so we've played each other enough to you know we're I'm sure both sides feel that way I don't think there's going to be a real limitation with Patrick Holmes except that his mobility may not be the same we know the Jaguars were trying to force him to move around he got hit a lot against the Jacksonville Jaguars can the Bengals do that too it's just here's my only thing when people start pointing out that the Bengals have a 10 game win streak I do think that that's critical obviously it's a big deal to win two games in a row in the NFL and to have 10 in a row which is a franchise record they've got a ton of momentum but and here's my but they blew out the bills they did not do that against the Ravens I mean they were at home against Baltimore and they if not for 98 yard fumble return for a touchdown by Sam Hubbard if not for Tyler Huntley trying to reach the ball over the top that could have looked a whole lot different too so yeah they blew out the Bengals and or sorry the bills and that was one hell of a performance and the bills were not ready they were flat-footed they were beat in every phase of the game but the Bengals were pretty close to being upset themselves in the wild card game so I don't know I don't think you can just look at momentum and say okay or or this idea that the Bengals have the Chiefs number that also doesn't matter when you're talking about playoffs when you're talking about a stage as big as this one with everything on the line and so all these guys now know they're one step away from the Super Bowl and I think about this a lot numbers analytics stats formulas they can tell you some things they can maybe help you make decisions but when it comes to games like this you do not know how the human brain how the human heart how the human body how the team will react that kind of stuff can't be measured heart soul blood sweat and tears let's go it's championship weekend only the strong survive no that's not true only the best teams will survive to tee it off in Arizona I can't believe we're down to this three games how is that whoa it's coming to an end we better enjoy it talk to you Sunday night it's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio boom I'm Larry Mullins host of the podcast your weirdest fears the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop I am so scared of the Grinch he is bad vibes we talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split I have one tattoo that covers my entire body listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from I'm Larry Mullins host of the podcast your weirdest fears the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop I am so scared of the Grinch he is bad vibes we talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split I have one tattoo that covers my entire body listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from I'm Larry Mullins host of the podcast your weirdest fears the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop I am so scared of the Grinch he is bad vibes we talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split I have one tattoo that covers my entire body listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from with classes in crisis communication influence and data presentation gonzaga university's online masters in communication and leadership equips you with the tools you need to communicate clearly and encourage creativity in any industry concentrations in digital media strategic communication and global leadership allow you to customize your degree visit gonzaga.edu communication and learn why a master's degree from gonzaga can help you take your career to the next level that's gonzaga.edu communication