12-5-23 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 3

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Tell them big Snoop Dogg sent you. Have you heard the latest around Shohei Ohtani? He reportedly, allegedly, met with the Blue Jays at the winter meetings on Monday. How about that? Jay, on a scale of one to ten, what are the chances that Shohei ends up with the Blue Jays? Three.

Three. Not even sure I would put it that high. Well I think honestly it'd be a great fit in terms of just baseball.

I think they're a great team and adding Shohei would put them maybe over the top in the AO. But I don't know. I just don't see him going there.

So I'll say a three. So believed to have met with the Blue Jays at their spring training complex in Florida on Monday. That report is out there from multiple baseball insiders.

And I'm going to have to find it. But what I read earlier on, and this is on Twitter so I take everything with a grain of salt, is that there is a large segment of the baseball administrative population, meaning general managers, front office dudes, and dudettes. There's a large swap of that group of people who actually believe he's going back to the Angels. And the reason is, and this is not something that is atypical of Japanese players, if you follow a lot of the progression of the Japanese players in Major League Baseball, one thing that's very important to them is a routine.

And whether it's cultural or whether it just helps them to feel more comfortable, to feel like they're not completely overwhelmed in a world that's so different, that's so new. Not that Shohei Ohtani isn't a superstar in Japan, but he's become a global phenomenon since he joined Major League Baseball. He does speak English, but it's obviously not his first language, and he's not home. He's away from home. But the report indicated that one reason he is strongly considering returning to the Angels is because he likes the routine and the niche that he's carved out for himself. He's familiar with the facilities. They let him stick to his routine. They're not forcing him to do anything other than what he thinks works for him. And because we've never seen a player like Shohei Ohtani, not in this day and age where everything is under scrutiny, think about it. To manage all the circus atmosphere around him, everything that comes with that, he's got a routine. How he prepares to pitch, how he prepares to hit, the team essentially lets him do what he wants. If he wants to hit, he does. If he wants to hit on the same day he pitches, he does.

And they allow him to stick with the routine that works for him. But again, there's a familiarity there with Anaheim, with the area. He picked Anaheim once is what we were told. I think it was by our friend Scott Miller, who is a longtime baseball insider.

Think about it. He picked the Angels the first time. He could have gone anywhere and he picked the Angels. And there's also something to be said, now it's not a quick flight, but there is something to be said that he can get back to Japan more easily if he's on the Pacific Coast. And so now I'm starting to understand why the Angels reportedly have confidence that they can re-sign him.

So Ron Washington is the new manager of the Angels. And there was this quote floating around about Ron, again at the winter meetings that are taking place. And it was, I'm paraphrasing, he was asked about Shohei Ohtani. And what he said was, I can't comment on that because I don't want to give away what's happening. I don't want to let you know what we're working on.

I don't want you to know how we're navigating the situation. It was something along those lines. I'll see if I can find the quote so I can give it to you directly. Oh here we go, here we go, here we go, found it.

Ready? Ron Washington, when asked if he's been following Shohei Ohtani's free agency. Quote, I don't have much to say about that yet because I don't want to let anything out of the bag. Huh. Alrighty then.

Our whole focus is going to be to run the West down and you can take that to the bank and deposit it. Producer J, the quote is out there if you check out, there's actually a video of it in case we want to use it. It might be prophetic.

I don't want to let anything out of the bag. It's on Ben Verlander's Twitter as well as others. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We'd love for you to vote for TD of the Week on our Twitter After Hours CBS or on our Facebook page. I haven't actually voted yet. I can't decide.

Is it Deebo? Is it a couple of game winners? Javison Williams for the Lions, Michael Pittman for the Colts in OT.

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Very close. Specific answer. Two things for this time tomorrow, J.

You ready? Two things. We need to know about Survivor Island because I have heard from multiple people on our social media that they are the last one standing on their own individual islands. Which means we may already have two or three winners. We have one winner.

I know that. On island three. Another guy wrote in in the last 24 hours and said the only other person left on his island did not make a pick this week. How can you get this far and not make a pick? That's horrible. Come on.

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Ask Amy walks down the aisle at Christmas. That's the title of our latest video. It combines all of your favorites. Yes there's a hippo.

Like an actual hippo in the video. But there's more. There's all kinds of Christmas theme in the video too. Ask Amy walks down the aisle at Christmas. It's a combo holiday edition with your final wedding questions answered. And do you remember for those of you who watched our last Ask Amy walks down the aisle videos, you may remember we ended on a cliffhanger. We had a huge tease of a cliffhanger. We actually answered the burning question. I told you I wouldn't leave you hanging for too long. It's been a couple of months. We're ready to calm your fears.

Ask Amy walks down the aisle at Christmas. We'll actually have that posted on YouTube within a couple of hours. Jane, I've been working hard on it.

Well, we've been working hard in different ways. Just wait. You won't believe it. You'll be stunned by what you say. I'm telling you.

Our phone number is eight five five two one two four two two seven eight five five two one two four CBS. Yeah, it's just the beginning. Or maybe it's somewhere in the middle of the Shohei Ohtani rumors. But I'm starting to believe more and more that he might actually end up. Back with the Angels. They certainly can throw money at him. And what are the chances that in order to resign him?

They don't. Take any money off of the offer. Even though he won't pitch next year, so I could see the Angels because this is kind of how their their owner is already Marino.

I could see the Angels. Outbidding every other team and saying we will pay you as a pitcher and a hitter, even though you're not pitching in 2024. I could see them doing that as a signing bonus just to make sure that you know how much we care about you. Just so you know, we want you back and we're going to do everything we can to put together a playoff team. We're going to outbid the next highest offer.

Buy a lot more than you can imagine, so you don't even need to worry about or question if you could make more money elsewhere. The answer is no. That's what I think the Angels are going to do. Throw buku bucks at him.

No money taken off the offer, even though he's got the injury that will keep him off the mound in 2024. And remind him about the routine. He's got autonomy.

He already knows the area. We've got a new manager. We've got a new plan. If I'm the Angels, that's what I'm emphasizing.

I don't know if it'll happen. There's a lot of talk about the Dodgers for sure. But I wouldn't be surprised anymore if he resigned with the Angels.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Jim Duquette is a guest on Sirius XM MLB Radio. Remember, he's a former GM and front office exec in the league. And he doesn't want you to get too excited about those Otani to the Blue Jays rumors. I do not believe, and I'm not the only one on this, but that Mark Shapiro is going to be the highest bidder on Shohei Otani. I mean, record-breaking.

That's never been in his DNA, ever. So, I get why they're in it for now, but I just don't see them spending that kind of dough. That's the thing. Because of the skills of Otani, he's now got a second MVP. Even without the ability to pitch next season, this is going to be an extremely expensive signing. Let's see. Raise your hand if you think Otani will cost more than the Mike Trout contract. Yeah, right. Jay and I both, well, Jay, raise your hand.

We both raised our hands. If that's the case, then there's only so many teams that can afford him. That's kind of the deal. And the Mets have bowed out. They say, even if they can't afford him, which, of course, Steve Cohen can, they've bowed out and said, we're not interested. I suppose they could be just throwing it out there. Maybe leaking that so they can do an end around.

They can sneak around the edge. But it's down to a handful of teams already. And the price tag alone, my gosh, it could be just the Otani contract that's responsible for forcing a team into not just the luxury tax threshold, but to the second tier where the taxes become exponentially more punitive. So Otani and the hot stove speculation at just warm it up.

It'll be part of your Christmas dinner. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. So if not Otani, then how about Juan Soto?

All right. So here's A.J. Preller, who is the president and GM of the Padres. It's not not often where there's, you know, there's there's a lane players that are out there in any way, whether it's free agency or trade. You know, and I think from our standpoint, when you get to a situation where any player, but especially an alien talent comes to us, you know, a year left on the deal, teams are going to call.

They're going to ask questions, especially when they start seeing reports that are out there that, you know, that we would consider talking about. Juan, he's an unbelievable player. You know, I mean, I think we made the big deal for him two years ago. It's a big part of us getting, you know, getting to the LCS in twenty two. And, you know, this year, I think you look up and, you know, it's he's an offensive force and we understand that. I think we're, you know, continue to look at all different paths and about how to improve our team and what we need to do. You know, a lot of them contain one in our lineup right in the middle of it next year on a free agent year or potentially looking at something in the long term. But we're always a team that will listen if teams want to call. There's been a lot of those calls here lately.

So AJ Prowler certainly is fielding the calls about Juan Soto. It sounds like in the middle of that, I know he said a-line talent. In fact, I think he said a-line talent, but it sounded as though he said alien talent. Whenever I hear a sports figure, whether athlete or front office exec or coach or manager say something, and we know what they've said, but it sounds like something different. I think, oh, my gosh, what do people hear when I speak? Because I know I can speak too fast sometimes. And so I wonder what people come away with. What do they actually hear me say?

I say one thing and they hear me say something completely different. I like alien talent. It's a good description. He comes from the planet Mars. Alien talent. Juan Soto.

An alien talent. If I'm the Padres, this hurts so badly. Letting go of guys that you brought in for the express purpose of making your club elite. And then even after the 2022 spending spree, right, and not having Fernando Tatis, you add Tatis back to the mix. You bring in more guys. You're hoping that this is going to be your core group. You kind of pulled the stars from everywhere.

And yet it goes so horribly wrong. I know they had a surge at the end. I mean, think about this collection of talent. Tatis, Soto, Manny Machado, Xander Bogart. Those guys alone. But there are others that. They would be attractive free agents elsewhere.

For whatever they bring to the table, but that collection of talent. Was supposed to propel this franchise. To heights unseen before with San Diego and how painful it must be now. To be admitting publicly that it didn't work and you have to. I don't want to blow it up because that's not maybe entirely true, but that you have to cut your losses. It didn't work.

It failed miserably. They're going to lose Blake Snell, who just won the Cy Young. Right. Blake Snell was another one I meant to to point out.

Yeah, it's I'm sure it's really painful. I don't know why they it's probably a money thing. They could only do it for a couple of years without having the pay dividends. But they got so close.

Right. It's so close to a World Series. And then instead of moving forward, they backpedaled gloriously and they've decided that's it. It's like when the stock market crashes and people get freaked out because they see their their money in stocks and bonds or 401ks or whatever investment there is, because that's what the Padres were doing. They were investing. And so they see their investment start to go up in smoke as though they're setting money on fire. Now, you know, if you're patient, it's likely to come around again. Right.

Those those losses that you incurred, you're going to get that money back if you can just not touch it, not freak out and react by withdrawing all your money or investing it somewhere else and paying the penalties, blah, blah, blah. This collection of talent will likely stabilize. I could see them having a much better season in twenty four, but they're freaked out and they just can't fathom spending the money it would require to keep the group together and then having nothing to show for it in twenty four either. Those damn Dodgers. If only we weren't in the same division as the Dodgers.

On Twitter, a law radio, also on our Facebook page, some of you very kind to encourage me and just remind me to breathe the boxes out there, the boxes out there. All right, coming up back of the hour following the update, little QB news straight ahead, the. Hmm. The Washington commanders are not just playing out the string. They actually have some pride. Even though their days are numbered.

Oh, that sounds so fatalistic. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. We all know cats are intelligent. Felix Cat Insurance was able to secretly record two cats on a hidden microphone.

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And he weaved his way back. Another bomb to a to-hill touchdown. When you spot 21 points to a very good football team, you're not going to, you're going to struggle to win a game.

And you can't do the things that we did and expect to win. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. That's the voice of Ron Rivera. Lame duck head coach of the Washington commanders. I think that's fairly widely accepted. I hope he finds another job.

I'm a huge fan of Ron. And maybe people are jumping the gun. But the reports are out there that Josh Harris, this new ownership group that features Magic Johnson for the commanders, that they're planning on cleaning house. They're going to start fresh. So no doubt everyone in that organization is playing for his or her job. And they do actually have females, not just in the front office, but on the coaching staff.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Right now, the commanders are dead last in the league in points allowed per game. They're allowing more than 30 points per game. That's dead last in the NFL. Well, that's what happens when you trade away guys like Chase Young and Montez Sweat.

The Niners and Bears are grateful. I mean, they got Chase Young for pennies on the dollar, essentially. They're bottom third of the NFL in points per game themselves. So just over 20 points per game, meaning that right now they're averaging losses by 10 points per game.

So double figure losses. They're twenty third in the league in rushing yards per game, not over 100, which is crazy, considering that Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson were a great one to punch last year. Thought they were going to get better this year. Robinson actually was, he got injured in this pass game and was out.

They are in the top 12 in passing yards per game, but that's yay with Sam Howell. Ron Rayer keeps fielding. I'm sure he's feeling them, too. He keeps fielding questions about how to navigate the locker room. How do you talk to guys as they go through this stretch with all the rumor and all the speculation, but really that sense of dread that has to be building that the job security is essentially nil.

Four and nine with new ownership. Yeah. What do you tell your guys? First and foremost, make sure you all understand that you're not the only ones frustrated. You know, there's a lot of people out there that are working hard, trying to get better. It is difficult. It is hard. But you also have to look at the circumstances that we are in. And I'm talking about you guys. I'm talking about us as a group, as a unit. You know, this has not been easy. It's been hard, and it's going to be hard.

That's just the way it is. And eventually, you know, if things continue to work and people get better, then you see the improvement. And we're coming up to a four-game stretch, you know, four weeks left after this bye. And that's where you need to see it.

You really do. And it's about going out there and executing, about us making sure we've given them every opportunity to be successful. And that's what it's truly about. But does that play with guys like Jonathan Allen, who have been through this year after year after year? I don't know. What does he say to his teammates as they enter the bye week? What are you playing for? You playing for your pride?

It's up to every guy. I know what I'm playing for, and that's all I'm going to do, continue to do. Are you playing for your pride? He doesn't want to hear anything like, hey, adversity builds character. Hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, Jonathan Allen.

I've been dealing with this for seven years. I'm tired of trying to build character. My character's built well enough. I'm trying to win.

I play to win, so I'm not winning right now. Oh, gosh, how many times I've said that in the past, where people will say to you, oh, this is so good for you. It'll build character.

All these challenges that you face in your career, you'll be better for them. Oh, there were times when I responded with, I don't care. I don't want any more character building. I understand where he's coming from. At some point, you feel like you're ready. I'm ready.

I'm ready for whatever comes my way. The losing and the frustration can seem interminable, and he's been pretty vocal. We didn't actually put him in the after hours Hall of Flame, did we? I voted for him.

It was classic Hall of Flame, Philadelphia. OK, that's not the gist of what he said. But do you not have the whole thing? I mean, he's relatively calm here when he says I'm done building character. I don't care anymore. It was plain and simple. Got to be better.

Anything they did that surprised you guys early on? No, I want to say so. I think it's just a lack of focus on our part, a lack of attention to detail, not starting fast and creating holes that are too big for us to overcome in the second half. Does it get frustrating when that? I'm tired of this. It's been seven years of the same tired of this. What can you do now going forward to get it turned around? Get our minds right and get ready to play Philadelphia. Yeah, so much for character building.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Same question was asked of Terry McLaurin. What about you? You frustrated?

No, I ran a lot of cardio, so it happens. You know, it comes with it when it's when it's tough. But yeah, it's frustrating. But I'm going to keep coming in and practicing and playing hard.

You know, I mean, as long as I turn on the film and I'm making extra blocks down the field, I'm trying to clear it out for guys. I'm going to continue to run my routes hard. So that's what I'm going to do at the end of the day. I'm not going to quit.

But yeah, it's frustrating. Basically what the talk was about was, you know, I told you guys that yesterday in the press conference that that's what I told the guys. You know, we've got four left.

I expect everybody to be a professional, show up and do their job. Dead man walking. That's dramatic. But they know the end is coming. That coaching staff does. And Ron Rivera is such a good guy. He cares so much about his people. It's family. It's family to him.

That's why all this stuff with Daniel Snyder, he would get so upset about. We've made changes. It's not the same locker room culture or atmosphere that it was when I first got here.

It's different now. And I do believe he's a character guy. But yeah, ultimately the name of the game is winning. And if you're not winning.

Character only takes you so far. On Twitter, vote for the TD of the week. On our Facebook page, you can do the same. Coming up. Are you kidding me with the latest Zach Wilson crap? Oh, my gosh.

I actually am on the same side as Robert Sala this time. Although I still don't believe that Aaron Rodgers close in the dark. It's after hours. CBS Sports Radio, you are listening to the ready to start talking to your kids about financial literacy. Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app that teaches kids and teens how to earn, save, spend wisely and invest with your guardrails in place.

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Blinds dot com. Rules and restrictions may apply. After hours podcast. All right, back to throw and it is his boss.

Oh, my goodness. The Andre Hopkins called it. That was another set of steps back through the faith Cooper. Touchdown L.A. back to throw. Looking firing deeper chase in the end zone. The home fires the end zone. Touchdown Kansas City. Off the back door again. No, Herbert keeps it.

It's all touched up charges. Herbert with his second of the day. Here's the snap shot going to keep it himself and run it again inside the five into the end zone. Touchdown Buffalo. Josh Allen nine yard touchdown run. It's time for QB news on after hours. The most significant QB news right now revolves around injuries. I regret to inform you that Trevor Lawrence is the latest quarterback to go down with an injury and have to be carted off. Well, carted.

The Jacksonville cart was apparently out of gas. He had to be helped off the field and to the locker room. He had to be propped up, supported by two other members of the medical and training staff just so he could get to the locker room. The reports in the locker room from fellow members of the Jaguars following Monday Night Football is that he was using the crutches for support, but that he was OK.

He was smiling. He felt a lot better, though it wasn't putting a lot of weight on the ankle. Right now, that's all we know. The reports are ankle. And we certainly know C.J.

Bethard had to step in and finish out Monday Night Football, which resulted in an overtime loss for Jacksonville. Got a lot of confidence in C.J. and, you know, he's he's a veteran player. He's played a lot of football. And if he happens to be the guy, then then, you know, we get behind him and support him.

So C.J. also spoke to Trevor and talking about the the idea that it's kind of jarring when you're starting QB goes down. But your initial thoughts are for him as a teammate and someone that you see work so hard.

He just said, good job coming in there and, you know, moving the ball and stuff like that. You know, he's doing all right. You know, we'll see only him and the doctors know, I guess, what what what's going on there. Let's just say it's an ankle sprain.

They're on a short work week. It's not impossible that he would be back on the field for week 14, but it could be a tough ask. So right now, I could imagine C.J. 's to be taking the snaps as QB one.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS porch radio. We knew that Joe Burrow was already out for the rest of the year, though. He was on the sidelines with the Bengals, not only working with Jake Browning, but also encouraging his backup QB and rooting for his team into overtime as they pull out a victory on a game winning field goal. So, yeah, Jake Browning, it is the rest of the way for a Bengals team that's not out of the playoff picture. I felt like we were in rhythm. I think the stats kind of show that and just overall top to bottom. Good offensive performance.

He did good today, honestly. You know, it was real loud. He was screaming.

So, I mean, that's not for real, man. It gets so loud in there you really can't hear. And Jake was screaming and that's what we needed.

You know what I'm saying? He picked his voice up and was checking, just making sure the huddle was tight, too. So, you know, he showed a lot of poise today. Jake Browning had really impressive numbers. 32 of 37, 354 yards.

Oh, my gosh. 354 yards, most of any passing game for the Bengals this season, along with not just a passing touchdown but a rushing touchdown. His QB rating, or his passer rating, was 115.5. He went toe to toe with Trevor Lawrence, even as the two teams went into overtime. They combined for more than 800 yards. In fact, closer to 900 total yards. They were combined six for six in the red zone. I mean, we're talking about some eye-popping offensive numbers, especially for Monday Night Football. Ultimately, the Bengals were able to pull out this win. They're now six and six, and Jacksonville fails to take advantage of the chance to move into the top seed in the AFC. This portion of the show is brought to you by Wesley Financial.

If you're stuck in a timeshare and want out, contact Wesley Financial Group now and get a free timeshare exit information kit at wesleyfinancialgroup.com. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, a little QB news, as we shove you forward into a terrific Tuesday. These latest rumors around Zach Wilson really annoy me. The reports are out there from The Athletic that he's actually...

Okay. I'm going to take that back. The reports are out there from The Athletic that he is telling teammates that he doesn't want to play again for the Jets. That he doesn't want to be pressed back into service because he's worried about injuries. I cannot believe... I cannot believe it.

I do not believe it. I would have to hear Zach Wilson say it himself. He would be done in the NFL.

That's it. He would be done. If anybody actually heard him say, I don't want to play because I'm worried about getting hurt, he's done. There's no way.

And then attack on to that. The other report from The Athletic is that Aaron Rodgers had to call him up and encourage him to go back on the field. Are you kidding me? No, it's a league that's based on toughness.

And honestly, how often do these guys play hurt? He would be done. His reputation would be ruined. He would never get another shot in the NFL if he even breathed a word. Or showed hesitation when the starting job was offered to him. So I do not believe it. I don't believe it. Because I still see that Zach so desperately wants to play.

It's like Mac Jones. He really wants to play. It's just not happening for him this year. And maybe it's a change of scenery that's required for Zach.

Okay. There's no way. No team would touch him if he had any, any thought that he shared openly about getting hurt. Because you cannot play the most important position on the field if you're worried about getting hurt. He's already got a hard enough time reading defenses. He's got a hard enough time processing everything that's happening at the speed of the game. If he's worried about getting hurt, he can't play. Period.

According to Robert Sala, these reports are not true. If he was reluctant to play guys, he wouldn't be here. Alright. I actually coincidentally just got done speaking with him. He came in about a half hour ago and we had a really good conversation. The young man wants the ball. He wants to start. He believes he's the best quarterback in the room and best quarterback for this team. And the guy who gives us the best chance to win. And I'll tell you guys the same thing I told him. I appreciate it. I appreciate the fact that he wants to play.

I'm just not there yet. Robert Sala's got a decision to make. And right now he says there isn't a clear choice for Sunday's starter against the Texans.

They've lost five games in a row. He can choose Zach or Tim Boyle or Trevor Simeon. But not Aaron Rodgers because Aaron Rodgers is probably not starting in week 14. I'm going to piggyback on what he told you guys and that anything's possible. But don't hold your breath.

How about that? When I hear Robert Sala laugh, I think if he doesn't laugh, he'll cry. Yeah, Aaron Rodgers is not coming back in week 14. Stop it.

The guy glows in the dark. I will get rid of my cell phone for a week if Aaron Rodgers comes back in week 14. Right in town. Hold up your number.

You're not going to have my number. I might even get rid of my cell phone for a week if he comes back in week 15. I think he's blowing smoke.

Honestly, I do. I think he wants to come back and he's working toward that end. But I don't think it's possible at Christmas Eve. But even so, that's not week 14. It's not week 15. I think it's mostly about keeping peeps hanging on.

It's mostly about giving his team hope. I might even eat my cell phone if it comes back in week 14. No, no, no. I'll just stick with I will get rid of my cell phone for a week. I'll go dark for a week. Do you know how hard it would be to get rid of my cell phone a week before I get married?

Very true. The number of calls and text messages that I receive on an hourly basis is asinine. I can't wait till my life is boring again.

They might call it the wedding. I wouldn't even be able to talk to Bob if I didn't have my cell phone for a week. So that's how much I am sure he's not coming back in week 14 to play. OK. OK. All right. Glad we got that settled.

It's going to be hard to cancel me. Kenny Pickett is also not playing in week 14. Kenny has a high ankle sprain. He had it surgically repaired this morning in an effort to accelerate the healing process.

Don't have a lot of information on the status of that yet. Just rest assured that he is out this week. Mike Tomlin sharing the news about Kenny Pickett. I've seen some people who are trying to start a groundswell of support for Mason Rudolph. But it will be Mitch Trubisky for Mike Tomlin. He gets the most work. You know, you can't give work to three guys, to be quite honest with you. Most of Mason Rudolph's work comes on scout team offense. And so Mitch has been positioned to get the work.

That answers that question. Gosh, these injuries, they really are going to separate the contenders from the pretenders. As we get toward the end of the season into the playoffs, there is a clear line of demarcation between the teams that still have their starting quarterbacks and the ones that do not.

Especially if we're talking about elite level, right? So the Bengals, as much as they might make the playoffs, they're not going to win anything without Joe Burrow. I'm sorry, Jake Browning.

They're not. They're not going to win a Super Bowl without him. Right?

So the fact that the Jaguars are looking at time now without Trevor Lawrence certainly has got to give them pause because they believe they were a Super Bowl contender in 2023. One more, Christian Watson. He loves having his starting quarterback, Jordan Love. How would you describe his play on this three-game win streak? The only word I can think of is extraordinary. I think that his comfortability, his confidence, and his ability to make plays, we're just seeing more and more every single week. I mean, we knew he was special when he first got the job and we saw what he was about, but he has continued to show the world. Extraordinary, if you couldn't hear it with the background noise, Christian Watson after Sunday Night Football. And if you missed my conversation with Andy Herman of the Pack-a-Day podcast, he joined us in the second hour burning the midnight oil. But we were talking about why we're seeing the best of Jordan Love over the last three weeks.

What is it? How did he turn a corner? But not just that, how did the Packers turn a corner and become a wild card? Actually, they're in the playoffs if they started today, which they do not. But they're the seventh seed right now in the NFC if the playoffs begin today.

How did they get from where they were to where they are with the youngest team in football? Really good stuff from Andy Herman. It will be part of our podcast, of course, posted every weekday morning. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

Yep, Graybar does that. I'm Kate Abdo, the host of Kicking It, a new weekly show from the CBS Sports Galasso Network, where Clint Dempsey, Charlie Davies, Mo Adoo and I connect with the biggest personalities from global soccer and beyond to learn about their journeys and what makes them tick. This is the place for football fans to hear unfiltered conversations with the game's most familiar faces. So what are you waiting for? Follow and listen to Kicking It on the Odyssey app or wherever you get it. Kicking It on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.