After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 3

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One year upgrade requires Go 5G Next plan, financing new qualifying device, and upgrading in good condition after six months with half paid off. Hey, hey! I did that on purpose, but it wasn't even planned. It is After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We're midway through our Monday night show.

Whew! Time to take a breath. We had a game seven and Monday night football in which there was an upset and now we get another game seven coming up on Tuesday.

First winner take all games of these playoffs. I hope you believe they were worth the wait. Can the Phillies protect their home field the way the Astros could not? And it was a no doubter. I actually had a friend, her boyfriend works for the Rangers, so they were in Houston for game number seven. I didn't realize they were going, but I posted at some point, seventh inning maybe, about how happy I am for the Texas Rangers and she responds with, no it's not over.

Yes, yes it was. And Hattie Garcia is the reason why. Pitch and Adolis hits a high drive to deep left field. Going back is Brantley.

He turns, he looks, that is off the wall. It's in play. Carter heading home. Adolis thought it was a home run. He only gets the first base and the Rangers lead two to nothing. And the pitch swung on and a high fly ball hit to left field.

This is deep. Back is Brantley at the wall. He's looking up and that ball is history. It just barely makes it into the Crawford boxes. A two home run game for Adolis Garcia.

That was a moon shot. He's one of our guys. I'll start with that and we're not surprised about what he did. I've seen him do it during the year. This guy's an incredible talent and what he did and really we had contribution from everybody, but what he did is truly amazing and how he recovered with that incident and came in here and just had great at bats. He's just a talented guy that I'm not surprised by anything.

Defensively, offensively, we're lucky to have him. And now a brand new record for 15 RBI in a single postseason series, 20 RBI in helping the Rangers get to their first world series since 2011. The calls there on Rangers radio along with Bruce Bochy and Jared Sandler is a part of Rangers radio. Does the pre in the post and is joining us now that the plane has landed back in Dallas. Is that where you are, Jared?

Yeah, no, we've landed and now in the car on the way home and get a few hours of sleep and get to celebrate a game seven win. Really exciting times, obviously. Well, let's talk first about Adolis Garcia. How would you describe the season that he's had?

Well, I guess up and down. I mean, if we're being honest, you know, he's one of these guys who, you know, he he's streaky, he gets white hot and then he does what he's done this season. You know, just collecting RBI is like they're going out of style. You know, for a long time, he was the major league and then American League RBI leader, then got hurt and ultimately didn't win the American League RBI crown, losing out to Kyle Tucker. But, you know, he is despite the streakiness with the bat every single day, the personality and the energy. I mean, people describe him as the heartbeat of this team. And I think that's that's a pretty appropriate description for him. He is the guy who fans cheer the loudest for, even if he's not necessarily the team's best player. He represents, I think, a lot of what is great about our game, but the joy with which he plays and then the excitement that his play provides others.

And he is he's a lightning rod in this series. You know, he was the guy that stirred the drink. And I mean, it was you felt really good when he was in the box.

And that certainly played out tonight. I am not saying that he was hit intentionally by you, but I'll tell you he was. OK, there you go.

Well, fine. In that in that situation or any other, I can possibly understand why a pitcher might target his rear end or plunk him because he does have a tendency to posture. And I laughed my butt off and I would if it wasn't Garcia, I would laugh at any athlete who did this when he's standing there admiring his early hit, his blast that bounces off the wall and isn't actually a home run.

And then instead of being at second, he's at first base. I mean, that's a little infuriating. Yeah. You know, now he did feel second to business later for it.

Yeah. You know, Amy, at that part of the game, it wasn't you know, we didn't know it was going to be a blowout. So that that could have been critical.

Thankfully, it didn't, you know, it didn't prove to be costly. But, you know, he was also a few feet away from hitting three home runs tonight because of that. I mean, it just he. Yeah. I mean, he watched that one. He probably shouldn't have.

But, you know, he's he's consistent. And I get there are people that the third generation and they believe things to be a certain way. And, you know, who are we to, you know, say that you're wrong in the way that you, you know, you think. But I don't know. I just I think that it's so important in any sport to remember it's a game and you should be able you should have the freedom to play with that, that joy, that energy. And, you know, if Adolis would have taunted in game five, if Adolis would have talked to Justin Verlander or looked into the Astros dugout while trotting around the bases. All right.

You know, you're asking for it. He did nothing like that. You know, he celebrated with himself.

He celebrated with his teammates. And, you know, what was the maybe the most critical moment of the postseason run at the time for the Rangers? And, you know, there's history between Adolis and Martin Maldonado and Adolis and the Astros. And that honestly, I mean, at that moment, that's when the rivalry really came to life. I mean, this is this is a rivalry. Dallas and the DFW Metroplex in Houston, they don't like each other, not the sports towns, just the town.

Right. People from Houston don't like people from Dallas and vice versa. And the Astros and Rangers don't like one another.

And, you know, that sparked the rivalry and that's going to make it more exciting for next year. So be it. But Adolis, you know, poetic dust is getting to win the, you know, the series, but also the ALCS MVP trophy at Minute Maid Park.

Agreed. And I hope that he does enjoy every second, considering where he came from, his family history and the journey it took to get to this point. And now onto a world series that's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Jared Sandler back in the Dallas Metroplex after the Game 7 in Houston. So what have the last few hours been like for you? It's been awesome.

Amy, I grew up in Dallas. I grew up a diehard Rangers fan and I'm so fortunate to get the broadcast of the Rangers. But, you know, I think I can speak not only as someone in broadcasting, but as a Rangers fan growing up and understanding what it's like to be a Rangers fan.

I mean, all your friends, I heard your little lead in, you know, your friend saying, hey, it's not over yet. Well, that's the curse of a Rangers fan. You know, Rangers fans have not experienced getting that, you know, that final moment of satisfaction.

And, you know, the last six years have been really rough. And, you know, I just think this has been such a special run for Rangers fans. And to go through the Astros to do it, you know, I think that was big. You know, there were a lot of people that didn't want to play the Astros. They were nervous and I get it.

But to exercise that demon was huge. But, you know, this is an organization that's been around for more than 50 years and they've never, you know, they've never quite sealed the deal. Obviously, a lot of people know about 2011 and how close, you know, how close the team was. But, you know, another opportunity to get back. And the crazy thing is, you know, this was not the year to do it. You know, this was supposed to be that first year where it was supposed to be that first year where, hey, let's play competitive baseball into September and the team makes the playoffs great.

Anything can happen. But, you know, this was a team that led the division in terms of the season, lost it the last day of the year. You know, there was that bit of heartache because of it. You go up 2-0 Houston, lose three straight, heartache again. I mean, this team has been, you know, knocked down.

They keep getting back up. It's an easy team to perform. And it's just a really exciting moment, I think, for Rangers fans because the Rangers have never won a World Series. And it's another chance to get back there and try and take care of some unfinished business. So, the last few hours, Amy, it's been awesome.

And to see the joy on people's faces, you really get a sense for how much this means to these guys and gals and the families. You know, all that goes into, you know, the long grind of a Major League season. And to land back in Dallas with some fans there waiting, get a few days to recharge, and host game one of the World Series on Friday. Well, then let's talk about the fact that they have won every road game. I know you mentioned that they are going to have the home field to start out the Fall Classic, but they've won every road game. And I think it's significant considering the last series that they had in the regular season. And as you say, it was, you know, it was devastating for them to lose that AL West title in the tiebreak to Houston. But the way we saw them bounce back. And then in a microcosm, the ALCS, where they lose all three games in their own park and have to bounce back again.

So, what is it about this team that makes it so resilient, that makes it a team that can continue to bounce back? Yeah, and Amy, too, you know, it's the Rangers' last nine home playoff games dating back to 2015, one and eight. So, winning those road games.

Oh my gosh. Yeah, pretty significant. They're going to have to win some home games coming up.

I mean, that's the billion dollar question, I guess. You know, the resolve and resiliency, the character. I mean, you know, people now that the spotlight is on the Rangers, you know, they think of the big moments. But I mean, this is a team the last two months of the regular season, the bullpen struggles, then stretches the lineup to sort of, you know, they went through normal streakiness.

And there were a number of times when, you know, you drive home from a game and think, you know, is this team done? And, you know, they keep getting back up and answering the call. I think, Amy, I don't know for sure the answer. You know, I've asked a ton of people, got a lot of different responses.

But, you know, the prevailing thing, you know, I think Bruce Bocci deserves a lot of credit. You know, his demeanor every single day is the exact same. You know, you would never know the next. You might know in the moment, right?

You might look in the dugout in the eighth inning when the Rangers are giving up a lead in, you know, early September, you might see it then. But when he shows up to the park the next day, he doesn't, you know, there aren't like rules that are changing. It's not like, you know, we're going to go to panic mode.

And now all of a sudden, you know, you can't listen to music and none of that. He's the same exact guy. And then I think that carries over to their two best players, their middle infielders, Marcus Simeone and Corey Seager. These guys are about as stoic as can be when they're in between the lines. And I just think all these things rub off on people. They got the right mix of veterans and young guys.

And it's not just the stars. It's guys like Robbie Grossman. You know, Robbie basically only plays versus lefties now. But, you know, he's a veteran and he carries that demeanor. And I think they got guys who they want to be there because they want to win. And even if there are, you know, there are guys who they were playing more earlier in the year, not playing much now. There are guys who, you know, it's not that they're not playing much. They're not playing at all. But, you know, there isn't a lot of talking, you know, behind people's backs like this guy. I can't believe I'm not playing over this guy. I mean, these guys are all lockstep. Hey, you know what?

Yeah, I do want to play more, but we're winning and I want to win and I'll do whatever it takes to win. There's just a lot of that messaging. And I just think that stuff's real. You can't quantify it.

It might sound corny or fairy tale, hallmark-y, but that stuff's real. And that sometimes is a separator for teams that, you know, allow them to maybe overcome some deficiencies and make a run like the Rangers have made. Well, leadership is a huge part of it, of course. And you point to Bruce Bocci. He's got all that championship experience. I also think, and you mentioned Cory Seeger as part of the tandem with Marcus Simeon, but the fact that Seeger is also a champion and came from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won their title on the new field there, right? Like before the Rangers ever got to host a World Series game, they were hosting a World Series game, but for other teams going back to the pandemic, right?

So Cory brings that as well because he came from an organization that has perennially high standards. And so I think it's a good mix of veterans as well as guys who've obviously not been there before, but certainly can hit the snot out of the ball. Jared Sandler is with us from the Rangers Radio Network, and now they are headed to the World Series, first time since 2011.

He's in his car just fresh off the plane, so we appreciate a couple of minutes here after our CBS Sports Radio. How does their pitching line up for the World Series? Yeah, so the Rangers, the big question going into the playoffs was about the depth or maybe lack thereof with their bullpen. But their starting pitchers, and really Jordan Montgomery and Nathan Evaldi specifically, have done such a good job of not just pitching effectively, but going deep in the games. And as they've been able to do that, you know, understandably, it limits the need for the bullpen. And so they've really been able to ride the trio of Josh Boers, Aroldis Chapman, and Jose Leclerc.

They have not needed to really expand beyond that a ton. And the times they have, with the exception of one game, they've had, you know, a decent amount of success. Now in a seven-game series, that can get exposed, and that's where they got into a little bit of trouble in games three, four, and five in the series against the Astros. You know, if they face the Phillies, a team with guys who will draw walks, a team that can hit the ball out of the yard, you know, that's going to test them. Not that the Diamondbacks won't, but the Diamondbacks just go about things a little bit of a different way. I think that you can ride a playoff run with some great relievers and maybe aggressive bullpen usage, but that's not how this team's made up.

It's kind of more traditional. They're riding their starters, getting those guys through six into the seventh inning, and limiting the exposure of their bullpen. So I think a lot of it hinges on their starters. If Nathan Evaldi and Jordan Montgomery are taken out of the game in the fourth, fifth innings, well, you're not playing to your strengths. You're now asking your bullpen, a group that's been shaky for a lot of the year, to try and carry you. So that's, I mean, it sounds so simple, but you know, if you really follow teams in the postseason, I mean, heck, the Diamondbacks in a game seven tomorrow or tonight, however you want to look at it, they're going to go with Brandon Fodd, and you know, he might go four innings, maybe five innings, I don't know, and then they're going to try piece it together.

That's just not how the Rangers are wired and made up, and it's worked for them so far, but that is going to be the big question going into the World Series, how their starters can hold up, and can they continue to bridge the gap and support their bullpen by going deep. Well, I tell you what, I mean, I'm not a huge believer in Max Scherzer at the stage in his career. I know what he's done in the past, but I've, we've seen him in the last couple of playoff runs be unreliable, so not a huge fan of using him, but at the same time, Jordan Montgomery comes in out of the bullpen and gets another win between him and Evaldi.

They win all four games in the series. Yeah, and I mean, those two guys, Evaldi, a free agent signing who probably was available at a little bit of a discount because of the help stuff, and maybe not having a, you know, a super sexy last season, and Jordan Montgomery, a guy who, you know, probably to some degree undervalued to the trade deadline, and he's earning himself a boatload of money. He's a free agent to be, and a lot of Rangers fans are asking, can we sign him?

Can we sign him? And the Rangers would love to, but with every outing like this, that, you know, that asking price is going up, but, you know, those are two moves that have been made within the last eight months that have played such a pivotal role in this team's run, and, you know, Nathan Evaldi is, you know, he's won four games this postseason. He's the first player in franchise history to win four games in a single postseason.

I mean, he's quickly developing a reputation of being a big game hunter, and Jordan Montgomery doing much of the same. Before I let you go, Jared, you mentioned their home record in the last nine playoff games. It's not great.

Obviously, didn't win one in the ALCS, but they do have home field advantage for the World Series. What do you expect for game one on Friday evening? Well, I expect Nathan Evaldi to start, and, you know, I hope, I don't hope, I expect a great crowd.

You know, I will tell you, Amy, it sounds crazy. Friday nights in Texas are tough. It will be sold out, but there are a lot of people who would otherwise be there who, you know, they got high school football that night.

It will be sold out. We'll probably have some Creed playing, and, you know, I just, the energy in game three against the Orioles was unlike anything else. Now, the Astros took the wind out of people's sails in games three and four of this series, but, you know, this is a fan base that is hungry for a World Series.

The team has never won one, and I, you know, I can't wait for the atmosphere Friday and Saturday night. Has your adrenaline worn off yet? Amy, not yet. No, there's no shot.

Three, it's 320 here locally. There's no way. I got a meeting at eight, and there's no way I'm going to sleep anytime in the next.

Amy, I'm still drenched, or I reek of alcohol, champagne. You know, I got to shower and unpack, and there's no way I'm going to bed the next time. Well, it's a good thing you're not getting pulled over, because that would not play well with a police officer. Yeah, better hope that that cop is a Rangers fan.

Otherwise, I'd have a lot of explaining to do. Yes, well, we're glad that you are safe, but I can certainly understand. So, you can find Jared on Twitter at Jared Sandler, and he does not just studio for Rangers, but on our Dallas affiliate, 105.3 The Fan, you're going to hear him because the Rangers are headed to the World Series. Well, I'm sure it was a blast. Thank you so much for making a few minutes for us. Amy, thanks so much for having me. Have a wonderful rest of your morning. Thank you. Morning.

A lot of Gary talks about that. He just landed there in Dallas, Fort Worth, not that long ago, and he's talking about morning, which I suppose it technically is, but gosh, what a night. Oh, what a night for the Texas Rangers. Pretty sweet, and I don't want to put words in his mouth, but it does sound like he was saying that the Rangers pitching would match up better with the Diamondbacks than with the Phillies, only because they test you from top to bottom, though at this point, every lineup is going to do that, and how about this? For the second straight year, we're talking about a wildcard coming out of the National League, and now you've got a wildcard for the American League as well.

What's with these wildcards, these upstart wildcards? I wonder if that makes the commissioner happy or not, that all these 100-win teams are golfing, well, on vacation with their golf club somewhere, and that it's wildcards, but you think about the fan bases, Dallas, Fort Worth area, Philadelphia, Phoenix, fan bases have done themselves proud to this point. Once again, our Dallas affiliate is 105.3 The Fan and Jared Sandler from the pre and post game of Rangers Radio, as well as just working with the Rangers and inside their clubhouse, and got some great photos and videos up on his Twitter, so check them out.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. retention. Employees want to feel secure in their jobs and their finances. At Principal, we help you invest in your people, because investing in your people is investing in your business. Learn more at principal.com slash benefits. Products and services offered by member companies of the Principal Financial Group, Des Moines, Iowa.

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Actual range will vary with options, driving conditions and habits, vehicle and batteries condition and other factors. Available in limited quantities and select states only. Clay spins, fires on the way. He baked it in! He baked in a three from the right corner!

You've got to be kidding me. 96-94. Or was that a two? It was a two. They call it a two.

Either way, he baked it in from the corner. This is Clay Thompson, four-time champion with the Golden State Warriors. You're listening to one of the best shows in America.

After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Oh my gosh, what a surprise. Thank you again to Ray with Warriors PR.

That was not my idea. That was all Warriors PR. That was all Ray and his staff and I am blown away. Thank you, Clay Thompson. Thank you to Ray. Thank you to the Warriors.

We're going to see if we can put that in a clip and throw it up on our social media so that we can share with people. I don't want to go so far as to believe that Clay Thompson had any idea who he was reading that for, who he was recording that for, but I do not care. I have been a huge fan of Clay Thompson since he got into the league and now considering what he's gone through over the past few years, the blown, well the torn ACL, the blown Achilles, two and a half years away from basketball and how honest and authentic he's been about the the difficulty of the journey, how dark it was at times and then the joy like none other when the Warriors were able to win the NBA title two seasons ago.

Makes me really good. He just says he's been more open, I would say vulnerable, just kind of sharing his feelings and and talking about the process and it means more to him. He would never take it for granted again but also an incredibly dynamic talent and once he gets hot, watch out. I mean even when when when Clay Thompson is on, I mean we know he was always going back to before the injuries, one of the game's best two-way guards, both defense and offense. So he's always assigned to the other team's best guard on defense. So he was putting out so much energy and effort on the defensive end of the floor and yet still would have everything he needed on the offensive end to light it up and when he is on, when he's locked in, even Steph is deferring to him right because there is no shot sweeter when Clay Thompson is in a groove.

So that's super cool. Excited about the start of the NBA season which by the way begins in mere hours and does include the Golden State Warriors of course. The NBA is not dumb. Four west coast or western conference teams. The defending champion Denver Nuggets. That sounds weird to say. The defending champion Denver Nuggets hosting the Lakers. I almost called them wannabes. They do wannabe champions again but Lakers at Nuggets.

You put that in your pipe, you smoke it. And Suns on the road at Golden State. So Kevin Durant in a rematch or a reunion shall we say with the Warriors and his former teammates. Do know that Draymond Green will not be playing in this one. I don't recall what the injury is but he's out. Maybe it's an ankle, a foot, something along those lines but these are two high-profile games that will be on TNT up against a game seven by the way in Philadelphia.

So it'll be interesting to see the the viewership numbers and who chooses what. But welcome back to the NBA and once again thank you to Clay Thompson. Speaking of the NBA if you hadn't seen the big news maybe it was lost in game seven and Monday Night Football but Giannis is now tied to Damian Lillard in Milwaukee. Giannis gets a brand new contract, extension, an extension but it's for three years and 100 shoot three years 186, 186 million dollars you guys. That's insane. Three years, 186 million.

I did the math quickly in my head. That is 62 million dollars a year. Sixty-two million dollars a year and I'm not saying he isn't worth it to the NBA or to the Milwaukee Bucks.

He makes them a lot of money. He's one of the most marketable superstars in the league. Obviously a perennial MVP candidate. He's won a couple of those defensive player of the year candidate and he's he's phenomenal and he's unique. There is no one in the NBA or in sports like Giannis and Tenecumpo. Not even his brother who's on the roster. So the deal has a player option for 27-28 but right now he's tied to Damian Lillard's contract and the contract that will keep him in Milwaukee for the same length of time.

So he will not be a free agent in 2025 and Giannis himself is the one who announced it on social media so we know it's legit and he also had special signature shoes as a gift to teammates and staff members. Yeah man hey man I appreciate it man. I really appreciate it. Make sure you give me one of your suits.

I got you man. Hey I need mine signed. Your good signature.

I got the free five. What size is this? What's that 10-16-16? 16 B-naught.

Size 16 B-naught. If you haven't seen the video it's out there on social all you have to do is google it but he's got a a cart and he wheels in stacks of shoe boxes and his teammates are practicing and they're all excited because it's essentially Christmas from Giannis in October and at one point he moves the cart a little awkwardly and they all fall off onto the court. Damian Lillard gets his own shoe box from Giannis and he calls them freak fives.

They're actually very colorful so make sure that you check out the video. I don't know if Jay you want to share it on our twitter account after our CBS but yeah I really need of Giannis to give to all of his teammates and coaches staff members with brand new shoes. Our show twitter is after our CBS. We're starting to see your votes for TD of the week. We'll let you hear those candidates again in our final hour.

Had a couple of game winners even a walk-off. Monday MVP that one goes through oh gosh another 45 minutes I say. Bottom of the hour.

Next hour. That was awkward. It was awkward hour. It is awkward hour. So we've got three polls up and they all continue through the next hour.

I'm sorry what did Clay Thompson say about this is one of the best shows in America. Not right now. Not this hour. Which team has got you a little bit worried. Worthy of worried. Worthy of worry. See what I mean. Which team is worthy of worry.

The Niners or the Bills. So yeah we got all kinds of polls up. You're listening to one of the best shows in America. I mean stop it.

After hours with Amy Lawrence. Now you're just taunting me. Now you're just taunting me. Okay we've got some news from the NFL.

Of course when do we not. Some injury news. A little bit from Kevin Stefanski on Deshaun Watson and why he was kept out on Sunday. Desmond Ritter. Turnovers. A bunch of turnovers for some of these younger quarterbacks who are trying to find a consistency. Is it time to.

I can't even say it out loud. Is it time to bench Jordan Love. The reason I laugh is because the Packers actually got rid of a Hall of Fame quarterback for Jordan Love so they could see what they have. They're not getting rid of Jordan Love.

I know it's frustrating but they've got to go through at least one season with Jordan so they know what they have. But Packers too. So we'll get to some of the QB news and other coming out of week seven. You guys we're nearly two months into the NFL season.

It's crazy. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Touchdown Kansas City. No, Herbert keeps it in. Touchdown charges. Herbert with his second of the day.

Here's the snap. Josh gonna keep it himself and run it again inside the five into the end zone. Touchdown Buffalo. Josh Allen nine yard touchdown run.

The Bills respond and then some. It's time for QB news on After Hours. For Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings the season is not lost. In fact they're in second place right now in a weaker NFC North and as much as they do not have Justin Jefferson maybe that's opening up opportunities for the rest of the receivers and the rest of the targets on that Vikings offense. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio nearly 400 passing yards for Kirk Cousins as he and the Vikings take out the Niners on Monday Night Football.

I've always just viewed it as being a point guard and distributing and whoever the other players are out there I'll just be the distributor and that's kind of way I've always played going back to high school so I've been fortunate to play with a lot of talented skill players through my years and and I'll keep doing that but really it's just my thought is I'm the point guard distribute into whoever it may be and then Kevin's kind of the coach drawn it up and and I just got to go execute it. Kevin O'Connell fired up after this game essentially giving the locker room his version of I told you so. Yes the Vikings with a couple of big wins now can they keep it going.

First one at home by the way I'm sure the fans and many were thrilled. As for Brock Purdy first game in which he has thrown at least two interceptions they came at the worst possible times last two of their offensive possession so last two chances for the Niners to rally from five points down and he ends up throwing the ball away so what went wrong with the Niners offense that only scored 17 points. We felt good just in terms of you know moving the ball um you know their defense did a good job with just different looks and switching things up and trying to make us high trying to drop eight um and so we're still moving the ball and then we just got in the red zone and stuff and you know sort of sort of folded at times and so going into the second half we felt good just in terms of you know hey we get down we just got to execute and be better we got to play our way of ball um so we felt good going in the second half but um yeah that's just sort of how it went. His completion percentage was high for the most part and that doesn't include the ones he threw to the Vikings uh he only got sacked once and didn't get hit a lot but they did bring pressure and Kurt Warner said it this way on the Westwood One broadcast on Monday Night Football they confused him they brought different looks at him and they confused him and at least that last interception it was bad he's completely missed his receiver it's after hours with Amy Lawrence week seven is in the books and yeah there's lots of question marks around some of the younger quarterbacks in the NFL like say a Desmond Ritter now the Atlanta Falcons are first place in the south division so like the north it's wide open in the NFC but some really tough turnovers and moments for Desmond Ritter he had three of them three fumbles in this victory. A huge road win uh you know one thing you got to do better from my standpoint is obviously take care of the ball be able to protect the ball um and not even have to put us in these crucial situations uh you know whether it's the one down in the the red zone on the one yard line or you know the run in there um you know those should be touchdowns that we should get put up on the board and never even have to be in a too many draws. Yeah so it ends up a situation where they've got to rely on Yung Wei Ku to be able to kick the walk off field goal they do that on the road in Tampa but yeah the three fumbles and the defense of Arthur Smith is hey we won it doesn't matter but of course they wanted to be making better decisions and taking better care of the football.

Desmond on Sirius XM NFL radio so yeah now they're in first place and they are above 500 so there's progress. Any division game is huge um no matter whether it's played at home or away but then obviously to get a division win on the road um against against the guys who won our division last year um is obviously huge um you know we talked to the team just knowing that we got to come in here and you know take what they have um and if we want something we got to take it and so that was really the message um and I feel like we did a great job of that. You may have noticed in week seven in the NFL we had some strange odd and unexpected matchups between quarterbacks so thinking about the Raiders in Chicago for instance and it was Brian Hoyer and then Aiden O'Connell late against a Bears team that was starting Tyson Bajet man what a great story for him an undrafted free agent out of a division two school. We also ended up in the Browns Colts game with Gardner Minshew. Gardner Minshew who had four touchdowns but four turnovers again against a Browns team that started with Deshaun Watson they ended up declaring him ready to go on the weekend but he did not last through the first half a couple of nasty hits he had to go through concussion protocol and then Kevin Stavanski decided that he would not put him back out there on the field. As you can imagine all all hits are are tough but yeah I thought that was a a big hit uh I saw it up on the big screen um when they showed the replay of it um you know no obviously the hit on the shoulder taking him in checking for a concussion so I just I just felt like the right thing for the team was to protect him. And the Browns are right in the mix in the AFC North one of the tougher divisions in football if you haven't checked the standings lately believe it or not they are tied with the Steelers in second place just a half game behind the Baltimore Ravens who have five wins to to the four for the Steelers and Browns. And P.J. Walker has started the last few weeks so Coach Stavanski is that the direction you're heading for Sunday?

I'm really day to day as you can imagine that's probably sick of me saying that but I just got to take the information every single day as we make decisions. Browns have won three of four including now back-to-back wins one against the Niners who knocked them from the ranks of the undefeated and this game on the road at the Colts in which they get the game winning score in the final 15 seconds 39-38 your final I mean it was gritty it was gutsy I'll give the Browns credit for that I'm not sure they can win any other way except to fight scratch claw and kind of scrape it together but if that's their identity and they own it well so be it they've already survived a bunch of injuries. In that same AFC North mention the Ravens they're on top of the division Lamar Jackson with a huge game one of our candidates for Monday MVP four for four in the red zone four touchdowns in their first four drives and the Ravens nearly skunk the Lions and again Lamar Jackson with the ball in his hands dynamic. I've been working real hard with him on that myself personally with his his his running and then throwing late and seeing guys so I'm really glad it's been I'm kind of taking a lot of pride in that myself as a coach that's that's just Lamar that's Lamar you know being Lamar I think it's one of his just some of his innate talent how he sees the game is pretty special. It's kind of cool to see how this offense is unfolding for the Ravens now their biggest challenge has been they're not capitalizing on the opportunities in the red zone they have left way too many points out there on the field but maybe this is a jumping off point for them over 500 yards of offense and they're now five and two it's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS sports radio I don't know whether or not you're still on board with Mac Jones getting benched in New England that was a pretty popular refrain the last couple weeks maybe it's now Jordan Love who is under the microscope and Packers fans are not sure that this was the right choice are you having trade remorse want Aaron Rogers back it's gonna be hard to cancel me Matt Lafleur he doesn't want to hear it they are on board with the love there's gonna be some plays you want back there's no doubt about it there's there's no such thing as a perfect game and um you know there was a lot of things that I thought he did really well that's just part of it um you know I think for him just the feel that you have in the pocket when to move how much you have to move it's it's gonna be it's part of our journey together but he's done enough for me to show me that he's it's all right there the Packers were able to rally and take the lead against the Broncos on Sunday remember the Broncos had dropped 10 straight games that they led at halftime they had it one at home this season and and Jordan Love and the Packers were able to put together a 17 point second half um so that's a big deal but to to not have any points in the first half put you behind the eight ball right they had a miss field goal in the first half so that's it's part of the issue after you control the ball for six minutes and then to have a late interception when you have an opportunity similar to what we talked about with the San Francisco 49ers when you have an opportunity to drive the field and whether it's a touchdown or whether it's a field goal maybe you know just to be able to capitalize on that chance and kind of boost your confidence in this era with a new quarterback and he throws a pick so yeah best of times and worst of times for quarterbacks around the NFL good morning to you it's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio this episode is brought to you by FX's A Murder at the End of the World starring Emma Corin Clive Owen and Britt Marling Emma plays Darby Hart a sleuth and tech savvy hacker she joins an exclusive group invited to a retreat when one of the guests is found dead Darby must prove it was murder before the killer takes another life FX's A Murder at the End of the World now streaming only on Hulu