1-4-24 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 4

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I really appreciate it. Lots of questions still. I'll do my absolute best to answer those on Twitter and Facebook throughout the course of the day on Thursday. Before we kick off the football weekend, which actually does not start on Thursday. We don't have games in the NFL. Week 18 gets to Saturday doubleheader and then on into Sunday. And then also on Monday, we've got the college football national championship. So our next four hours. Well, next five hours will be dedicated to football, including this next hour, as well as the four that come up tomorrow night into Friday morning. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. For those of you who care.

Great. It's all podcasted. The wedding show took over the last two hours. It's all podcasted and it's available for you. We post the link on our show Twitter after hours, CBS, as well as on our Facebook page within minutes of the show being done. And so if you want to listen to it or listen to it again, it'll be there for you coming up when this one is done. Thank you again for all of your kind words, your support, as well as your joy and your excitement.

It means the world to me. Our phone number 855-212-4227. That's 855-212-4CBS coming up in, we'll say, 20 minutes. We're going to head to Charlotte, where David Tepper, of course, the owner of the Panthers, is under fire. But also, they're not any closer to where they want to be. In fact, they may be further away after a year.

That was with a lot of the promise. They don't have a head coach. They have a rookie as a quarterback who's really struggled.

What are they going to do? We'll ask what the Charlotte perspective is in 20 minutes here on CBS Sports Radio. It's time for QB News on After Hours. You know, you know that QBs drive the bus, baby, and we're obsessed with our quarterbacks. And there is a bunch of news heading into Week 18 in the NFL. A lot of it revolving around injuries, but others we now know about those who will play versus those who will not play. As it turns out, the quarterbacks for the top seeds in both the NFC and the AFC will not be on the field for Week 18. Brock Purdy, though he was recently named a Pro Bowler among the nine selected from the San Francisco 49ers, he will not play on Sunday. Neither will Lamar Jackson. Now, his game, well, his team's game against the Steelers, so it's Raven Steelers. It kicks off the weekend.

It's Saturday afternoon. Lamar will not be on the field, and John Harbaugh shares the reason why. I just think you just kind of consider all things. There's really not any one thing that goes into it. Just all things considered, it seemed to be the right thing to do. We had conversations with Lamar and others and made the decision. Yeah, I'm cool with it. Me and Coach talked about it.

I felt like it was best suitable to sit in and stuff like that. The question becomes, will he have enough on his resume to earn the votes for MVP? So does sitting out Week 18 hurt him? Probably not, but the decision to sit him out is clearly made with the bye week in mind, health in mind, and the fact that he will be off for more than two weeks before he plays in a game again that matters.

So we'll see. Ultimately, we won't know until divisional weekend whether or not it has affected Lamar and the passing game. But right now, he's sitting on 3,678 passing yards, another 821 rushing yards, 24 touchdowns through the air, five of them on the ground. He has seven interceptions, if I remember correctly, a couple lost fumbles, so not even ten turnovers this season, a quarterback rating of 102.7, and then a completion rate that's better than 67 percent.

His coach has seen him for years now, right? John Harbaugh talked about the new lease on life and coaching when Lamar got into the locker room. So what has impressed him about this season particularly? His ability to improve across the board, I think his ability over the course of the season to assimilate the offense that we're in now.

A lot of things are very similar to what we've done in the past, but a lot of things aren't. Operating at the last scrimmage and making certain decisions that showed up even in this last game are a big part of it too. He's throwing the ball well, he's moving in the pocket, he's seeing the field, he's protecting the ball, all the run game checks that he makes.

I mean, it's just a lot of things. John Harbaugh raves about his quarterback. Of course, he has got a great one. Will he end up as a two-time NFL MVP? That remains to be seen, but he will not be on the field for Week 18. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio sticking in the AFC North since the Browns are already locked in to their playoff seating.

38-year-old Joe Flacco will not play on Sunday. And he likes to joke about the fact that he is the elder statesman of the Browns. The fact that I've played, this is the 16th year that I've been in this league. And you can tell that guys look at you a little bit differently just because of that. I mean, I'm feeling, you know, I always say that if I messed up in high school, I mean, I could be these kids' dads.

If I messed up in high school, meaning an oops, I could be their dad. Isn't that what we heard from Tom Brady, too, when he was in his last couple years as the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Yeah, Joe Flacco, one of the great stories and redemption stories of 2023. I actually think he should be eligible for comeback player of the year. I can't imagine who's got a better path back than him other than, say, Demar Hamlin, who we talked about earlier in the show. But at 38 years old, he will get the weekend off. All right, how about other quarterbacks who will not play this weekend?

In the AFC West, there will be no Patrick Mahomes, but there will be Blaine Gabbert for the Chiefs. I told the young guys at a walkthrough, just have fun. A lot of guys are going to have a great opportunity to go play for the first time, make a start for the first time, right? I've been fortunate to start quite a few games in the NFL, and these opportunities don't come around very often. Just make the most of them, have fun, cut it loose, and just go play ball.

Yeah, no doubt. Really neat for a lot of these guys to get on the field, and whether it's an opportunity to earn a job for next year, whether it's just the chance to play the game that they love, because some teams are actually locked into their seeds and can't improve or change their position. Well, it's a chance for these other guys to experience NFL 2024 now that we're into the new year. So no Patrick Mahomes, but Blaine Gabbert, as well as a bunch of the Chiefs backups. We know that Zach Wilson will not play for the New York Jets, so this is an interesting one. Obviously not part of the playoff picture, even as Aaron Rodgers is making headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier in the week. Robert Salah and the Jets have chosen to keep Zach on the sidelines. Now, the last I knew he was still in concussion protocol, but they're not rushing him to come out.

I thought he had great OTAs, great training camp. I thought he battled. He fought. He's a fighter.

He really is. Obviously there's things that I know he wishes he could have back. I know there's a lot of things that he improved on.

Some things weren't out of his control, but I've said it, and I'll say it again. I think he's going to have a long career in this league. Robert Salah, the head coach of the Jets. He's going to have a long career in this league. Certainly doesn't sound like it's going to be with the Jets.

Now, we're exactly where we were a year ago. I thought he was done with the Jets last season, but he ended up staying. It was supposed to be the backup to Aaron Rodgers.

We know how that played out. Trevor Simeon will start this weekend against the Patriots instead. Wilson is under contract for next year, but I cannot imagine they bring him back again. So his season is done. Potentially his tenure with the Jets is done.

Though Robert Salah was wriggling out of those questions. We'll see. It's all things that we're going to have to talk about once the season's over. But whether it's here or somewhere else, I believe he's going to have a hell of a career.

Okay. Thank you, Robert Salah. Moving on to the AFC South, which is still very much up for grabs. If the Jaguars win at the Titans or they tie at the Titans or the Colts and the Texans tie, just win and take care of your business. They are the repeat AFC South champions. Now, last weekend, C.J. Beathard started for the Jags against the Panthers, right? Was it the Panthers?

No. Who did they play? I forgot who they played. Okay. It was the Panthers.

Always go with your first answer. Anyway, C.J. Beathard and Trevor Lawrence dealing with a shoulder joint sprain. So how is he doing at this moment? It's feeling better.

Obviously, missing last week's game is a little slower than I would have liked it to be progressing. But, you know, it actually feels pretty decent today. You know, it's getting better every day. So I'm just trying to be cautious but also, I guess, aggressive in how I'm trying to treat it and just everything I can to get back as quick as possible but also be smart.

So it's a fine line. But, yeah, I'm feeling better. Well, what about this weekend?

That's the million-dollar question, right? With a division title and a playoff spot hanging in the balance. We'll just have to kind of see how I'm feeling. I'm going to try to do some stuff and then see how it feels. And I need to move around, though, and kind of get back in the flow because I didn't do a lot of that last week. So, yeah, I'll be out there just as the week goes on. Depending on how it's feeling, you know, we'll see how much I end up doing.

But, hopefully, every day I do a little bit more and get ready for the game. The AFC South could be won by three different teams. The Jaguars have the nose in front. With a win, they are the division champions.

But what incredible seasons. I would say revelations for both the Colts and the Texans. Gardner Minshew as the quarterback for the Colts for the majority of this season. C.J. Stroud, if he doesn't win Offensive Rookie of the Year, well, it's only because Puka Nakua edged him out for it.

Or maybe Kyron Williams. I'm not sure yet. All right, let's look at the NFC South, where the Bucks missed a chance last week to improve their position to continue their win streak. And Baker Mayfield, well, you know, he doesn't hold back when he's unhappy about things. We're moving on to Carolina. Just, we have to. This is for the division.

And it doesn't change. Win, loss, it's been the one game at a time mentality. And like we said after the game, we didn't show up and didn't play our best by any means. And so, got to come back with everything on the line.

We have one opportunity to do it, and that's it. Baker left early in their loss to the Saints last week. He got, he absorbed a pretty hard hit. He got some bruised ribs for his troubles, but there's not a chance he won't be a part of Week 18. I'll do everything I can to be out there, that's for sure. Division on the line, playoff hopes on the line, going back to Carolina, yeah, I'll do everything I can.

Forgot about that part. So, remember last year he started out as the quarterback of the Panthers against the Browns, and he ends up. I think Baker's our quarterback. He ends up this season as the quarterback of the Saints, and will face the Panthers with a chance to win the NFC South title. So, here's the deal, if the Buccaneers beat the Panthers in Carolina, they are champions of that division. If they don't win that game, then it's the winner of either Saints and Falcons.

It's a little convoluted, but that's how it goes. The Saints and Falcons are playing each other this weekend. So, the NFC South, the AFC South still very much up for grabs. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. We know that Green Bay, once again two years in a row, sits in a win-and-get-in scenario for Week 18.

No joke. And they're hosting a different NFC North club. Remember, it was the Lions who beat them last year to eliminate them from playoff contention.

This year, it's the Bears. And, oh yeah, Lambeau Field will be waiting for one Justin Fields. I know their fans are going to be loud because there's not much to do in Green Bay except watch football, but... Oh, is that why? Because there's not much to do in Green Bay besides watch football. Wow.

All right. I would definitely take that as bulletin board material from the Bears quarterback. So, you've got the Green Bay Packers sitting on this opportunity. This time, it's Jordan Love, not Aaron Rodgers.

They could not get it done a year ago. What irony, what juicy irony there would be if they end up winning this season against the Bears and they get in even though they've got a different QB. Carson Wentz rides again, by the way. The Rams are already in as a wild card in the NFC West.

So, Matthew Stafford will sit and Wentz will start at QB. Obviously knew there was a chance once we saw what happened Sunday and sitting on the plane, seeing the Steelers pick up the win against Seattle. Everybody's pretty excited after that, you can say. So, I thought there was a chance, whether it was starting or just playing some or whatever, but I've been preparing to be ready in whatever capacity I can help this team anyway.

So, I'm excited for it. There are still some remote possibilities for teams like the Seahawks as well as the Steelers to get in as wild cards. Actually, the Seahawks can get no better than a seven, but they were in last year as a wild card and they still are clinging to those hopes. Same thing with the Minnesota Vikings. If they win at Detroit and the Packers lose to the Bears and the Seahawks lose to the Cardinals and the Saints lose to the Falcons, oh my gosh, what was it three, four years ago that the Steelers had like five different conditions that had to be met and they got in because all of them were, it was something crazy like that.

I remember that, yeah. So, this is the Vikings. They are the last-ditch option. In other words, the NFL does not want them in the playoffs. And as it turns out, they're playing that revolving door at starter again. We're going to start Nick Mullins. To me, Nick is like what went into the decision last week. Nick has been a very effective move in the team. We've been very explosive as an offense when he's been in there. Nick knows that the one area that we must focus on is possession of the football and not giving the football away. Really on some of those weighty type downs, third down, two-minute, where we're kind of in that throw mode, he's got to be a great decision maker, trusting the other ten guys to do their jobs at a really high level and try to overcome being on the road in a great atmosphere and against a defense that's playing really, really good football.

So, you're saying there's a chance. Yeah, the Vikings' story of 2023 will be turnovers. I mean, it will be turnovers and obviously turnover at quarterback as well because Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles. People – not people – one person asked me on social media this week who will be the most high-profile, talked about free agent of 2024. I actually said Kirk Cousins. I'm not sure if there will be a bidding war, but I think considering the situation at quarterback around the NFL and how many backups, the problem is, of course, he's not going to be available more than likely to start the year, so I'm not sure how that changes things. And he's indicated he wants to stay in Minnesota, but they may have other plans. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio and on Facebook.

Twitter for me is ALawRadio. Coming up, we're going to head to Charlotte. We'll be right back.

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Get six times longer lasting freshness plus odor protection with Downy Unstoppables in wash scent beads. The situation may not have improved from a year ago. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. I do have patience. I'm just not... My reputation away from this game is one for extreme patience. You know, there's no reason why that doesn't come here too. It does.

Now, that patience comes with good performance and things that you want to see progress be made on different aspects. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. The voice of Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper who was fined $300,000 for throwing his drink on a fan last weekend. Got upset. Has admitted his actions were unacceptable. NFL stepped in and, once again, David Tepper's in the spotlight for the wrong reasons including firing another coach in season.

And those were his comments about extreme patience after Frank Reich was let go. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. We're pleased to say Happy New Year and good morning to our friend Chris McLean who is co-host of the Mac and Bone show on our Charlotte affiliate, WFNC.

Chris, big picture this season. How would you describe the year that David Tepper's had? First of all, Happy New Year, Amy.

Thank you. He did not have a happy year. And I hope 2024 somehow is happier for him and Panther fans. It's been miserable.

I can't imagine... It's hard to imagine an owner having a worse year. This one's got to rank in the top three or four years.

For an owner. I mean, it's the sixth straight losing season and I think we've all been able to deduce now that he is the biggest problem on this football team. We have a mini Daniel Snyder situation. Obviously, some of the stuff away from football with Snyder, David Tepper hasn't gotten anywhere near there yet. But just in terms of just not being able to stay out of things.

I mean, I just... It's crazy for someone who you know in his line of work where he's immensely successful, has accumulated a worth of over $20 billion. You know he wouldn't listen to just anybody in that line of work. But yet, that's what he does with his football guys. He wants them to do what he wants and it's so frustrating and I just feel like everybody in Charlotte associated with the Panthers has been frustrated all year and it just felt like it came to a head in Jacksonville on Sunday. Any chance that he can read the room now and recognize that he's a detriment to his team winning? Do you get any sense of that?

That's the big question. I mean, as a Panther fan, I like to be an optimist, Amy. I have had the optimist beaten out of me here over the last six years.

It's been hard. But I like to have some belief as a fan. So you kind of cling to that. You know, we've seen other owners do it in the past. I know a lot of Boston media has talked about Robert Kraft and kind of initially he had to learn that lesson in terms of, hey, step back. Obviously, he hires Bill Belichick, steps back, and they went on their run. But I would like to think how smart he is that eventually he can figure out, okay, I've got to just put the right people in place, which he hasn't been able to do that either in fairness, and then step back. But if you're asking me, would I bet a paycheck or two that I believe fully David Tepper is going to read the room, look in the mirror, and step back, I don't know. I don't think I'd be doing that.

Okay, so other than him, someone who's actually either on the coaching staff or on the field, where do you point the fingers for how this has gone horribly wrong? I mean, I don't have enough fingers. I only got ten. I have fingers.

I need 30 more of these things. First of all, you've got to go to Scott Fitterer next, and that's why many of us here wonder, is Scott Fitterer in his final week of working over there too? Could the Panthers be searching for a coach and GM simultaneously here in about a week? Because the personnel moves that this team has made have just been troubling for a few years now. You know, trades up in the draft to get Matt Corral, and Matt Corral's gone a year later, and they draft Bryce Young. You know, McCaffrey and Moore trades, and they've already used all but one of the McCaffrey draft picks, and we're wondering if there's really a return on those picks as well. It's just decision after decision that's been made. Again, some of them I'm sure Tepper's getting his hands in. Some of them Matt Ruhl was involved in in the past.

But again, who hired those people? It was David Tepper. So to me, it all comes back to Tepper, but I don't think Frank Reich was doing things that didn't make sense to any football people, no motion in the offense at all in 2024, when the best offense was in the NFL run motion. Bryce never under center. I mean, he refused to have Bryce run a quarterback sneak, and all of a sudden a week and a half ago against Green Bay, Bryce runs a quarterback sneak, and he gets two yards and a first down, and we're wondering if this is the Christmas miracle we've been waiting for. Like, Frank Reich had us thinking this little fella just can't run a quarterback sneak.

He brought in Andy Dalton to run a quarterback sneak early in the season. So I mean, the free agent signings, other than that I'm feeling, have been brutal. So it's ugly. It's ugly. And again, I could, man, can you tell?

I could go on forever about the issues here, my lord. Yeah, I actually have to apologize because the last few times we've had you on the show, it's all been for negative and really just some tough storylines. Baker Mayfield and everything that happened with him last year, I'm sure you heard him say he's really looking forward to this game at Carolina. There's no way that he misses that one. It's just been a comedy of errors, but also it's been disheartening, I'm sure, for Panthers fans who want to be hopeful.

Chris McLean is with us here from WFNZ, our Charlotte affiliate, after hours on CBS Sports Radio. Let's accentuate the positive then. What are a few moments or player performances or highlights that you can take from this year? Well, the highlight of the season is going to happen Sunday when the clock hits 0-0-0.

I just want to make that clear. That would be the highlight when this damn nightmare ends. I think the defense, I think what Ajiro Vero, the first-year defensive coordinator, has done with this defense has been pretty remarkable considering all the injuries they've had on that side of the ball. They've got no help from the offense outside of maybe like two games.

And they've kind of pieced it together. Derek Brown has had an unbelievable season. The fact that he did not make the Pro Bowl is a joke, and I blame it 100% on the fans across America, many of whom might be listening right now that did not have him in the top ten as an interior defensive lineman. He's two tackles away from the all-time record for a lineman in the NFL. He's going to have 100 tackles at defensive tackle. He's been an absolute beast, but because he plays on a 2-4 team, I get it. People weren't in a hurry to vote for Carolina Panthers to the Pro Bowl, but he's taken his game to another level.

So I would focus on that side of the ball. Bryce Young had a really nice two-week stretch recently with the Atlanta game where they had the game-winning drive and the horrendous rain, and then he came back and played his best game of the season against Green Bay, and they almost came from two touchdowns back in the fourth to win that. But then, as this season has gone, Amy, just when you think you might have turned a corner, you realize you have not, and Bryce and the offense had probably their worst game against Jacksonville. I don't know, man. This is a huge offseason for this team, but the fact that David Tepper is picking the new coach and might be picking the new GM who is going to lead this huge offseason, it all comes back to that.

Why should we believe David Tepper is all of a sudden going to figure out who to hire? Let me give you an example, Amy, as I continue to prove I can ramble. You're like my therapist, by the way. I'm in a production room laying on a couch right now. This is literally like therapy.

You're welcome. But let me give you two examples about David Tepper's ability to conduct interviews and hire people. One is Brian Dayballs, as good of an offensive guy as he is, his agent reached out during the Matt Rule, like the search that ended in Matt Rule, and his agent reached out from what I've been told to Tepper and company, hey, give my client an interview, and the Panthers said, no, we're good. We don't need to talk to him, and they hired Matt Rule instead. And then last year I was told that Shane Steichen just had a bad interview. He interviewed with the Panthers, but, man, he kind of bombed that interview. And look at Shane Steichen and the job he's doing now. Those are two coaches that I think that have this offense a bit more competent than this, and they weren't good enough for Tepper and the Panthers. It's just, ugh, you know? And, again, you know it. If you have a bad owner in pro sports, it doesn't matter, you know what I mean?

Everything else is not going to function, not going to work. It's almost impossible to succeed when you have that type of a situation at the top. So then, just out of curiosity, what direction would you go in the search for the new head coach? I'm kind of intrigued by Harbaugh. I am kind of intrigued, which is ironic, which is weird because as a college fan, I can't say I'm Jim Harbaugh. I'm a Penn State fan, and the guy makes me angry. But I can at least put that aside and realize everywhere he's going, college and then in the NFL, he makes that program better, you know? He improves a program. So I love the work he did with Alex Smith and Kaepernick both in San Francisco, so I'm kind of intrigued by him. How can you not be intrigued by Ben Johnson and what he's done with that Detroit offense? But, again, and my goodness, here we go again.

It all comes back to a theme. Who's going to want to work for David Tepper? He is considered, you know, the meddlesome, impulsive, drink-throwing owner.

And if you have options, other than him throwing all his Teppy Bucks, you know, throwing this huge money at a coach, I find it hard if someone has options that this is the place they're going to want to come, you know? Your co-host thinks that I should throw a drink on you. I just want you to know that. I need one.

He's undermining you. No, you need to drink one, not throw one. Yeah, I need to drink a bunch. It's too early for that, Amy. No, I know. It is.

And you have a show coming up on our Charlotte affiliate. All right, so before I let you go, Chris, obviously the jury's still out on Bryce Young, not to the point yet where we know if he's going to be a viable option. So if you're not going that direction, and actually to add insult to injury, the number one pick is Chicago's. It's not even the Panthers. What else do they need? All right, so if you're not talking about quarterback, because we don't know yet, what else do the Panthers need to focus on in the offseason? To me, it's all about getting Bryce more help so you can have a legit evaluation of him. It's really hard to evaluate a quarterback when his offensive line has allowed him to be sacked 59 times, and he's had 30 other that he has escaped. There's been pressure on him constantly. The line needs to be improved.

Then you look at the weaponry around him. You know, Adam Phelan had a really solid year. But other than that, I mean, DJ Chark had one good game. Other than that, he's let us down. Jonathan Mingo with a quiet rookie season, Hayden Hurst, and I hated for him that he got hurt with a serious concussion.

I hope he is getting better. But he and Miles Sanders were disappointing in terms of productionist free agent signings. They completely whiffed, which is another reason why the GM could be gone in a few days.

They completely whiffed on putting the weapons around them. So I think they need to focus and put every egg in the basket on how do we help this quarterback. And then it goes back to the coaching hire, too. Whoever's running this offense, man, that's a critical hire as well.

But I haven't given up faith in Bryce, but I acknowledge it's hard to evaluate him. It's hard to know one way or the other right now. It certainly is. Do you believe the rumors out there that the coaching staff wanted C.J.

Stratton's head? I've heard mixed things on that around here. I mean, I know that's that's definitely the national narrative that's taken off. I do think that Tepper was from what I've heard. I do think Tepper was kind of so gung ho on Bryce that maybe there might have been, you know, some coaches that just kind of didn't really speak up and jump on the table first round the way maybe they would. I'm not saying they didn't like Bryce, but I feel like David Tepper might have made it clear. This is the guy we like the most, you know, which again is a problem, I guess. So many.

There's so many. But I hope that you feel better getting all of this off your chest and plus you have a show coming up. So you do have the daily option of being able to unload and vent where many other fans just kind of they yell in the mirror. You actually get to talk to people. Thank God for that.

I will send you a check for these hours. It's on the house. Congratulations, Amy, on your nuptials. I'm happy for you. At least somebody has happiness and joy in their heart. Stop it.

We're still searching for it. It's just football. Come on now. You got this.

You can do it. You can find Chris on Twitter at MacWFNZ. Mac and Bone show coming up on 92.7 in Charlotte. Always appreciate the chance to connect. I hope you feel better. We'll talk soon.

See you, Amy. Oh my gosh. Remember when that used to be Cleveland fans? Goodness. Used to be.

I'm trying to think. Well, it still is Detroit fans. Let's be fair when it comes to some of their other teams.

Not the Lions, of course, but some of their other teams. So every fan base goes through it at some point. It just, unfortunately, the doldrums, the dumpers, as Dan Campbell likes to say, they last a little longer. Those stretches in the dumpers last a little longer for some franchises. You're back in the dumpers again.

I mean, there's plenty of empathy from around the country for what the Panthers fans are experiencing right now. On the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Amy, all right. I finally got through to you. I love you, by the way. You sound fantastic.

I hope I'm on that list of love because I love you guys. Hi, Amy. Thanks for taking my call.

I love the show. You could be a singer if you wanted to. First time calling and I enjoyed listening to your voice. You have a beautiful voice. It's an honor to speak with you, Miss Lawrence. I was to imagine the angels in heaven singing.

It would be exactly what your voice sounds like. Right. Call Amy at 855-212-4CBS. This is for you, Chris McClain. You can't drink those Panthers away.

Please don't try. It's a morning show and we need you to be in full possession of your senses. Our thanks to Chris.

And he's got his own show to do, so more therapy to come. And I'm sure there are plenty of Panthers fans who need that. Though they aren't the only ones. I mean, there have been some fairly surprising misses this season, if you will. For instance, the Cincinnati Bengals. Now I know Joe Burrow getting hurt again really derailed what they were doing.

But after their slow start, just for the sake of argument, what if they had not started as slowly as they did? We know they were still alive in week 17 for a playoff spot, but what if they didn't start out by losing three of their first four? Maybe if they don't lose to the Titans, maybe if they take care of their business in some of the other games, well, even without Joe Burrow, they sneak in as a wild card.

Every game counts the same, right? And so for these teams that kind of look at the landscape and think, man, how did we screw that up? The Buffalo Bills, they can win the AFC East. They could also miss the playoffs entirely. It's been the year of way too many backup quarterbacks, as in way too many. But we've also seen some high profile QBs get benched, like Russell Wilson. That will be one of the major stories of the offseason, to be sure.

The Raiders, by the way, not in the playoffs. And I know we mentioned him briefly last night, but Antonio Pierce, will he or won't he be considered for the full-time head coaching job there in Las Vegas, home of Super Bowl 58? Devontae Adams, he's stumping for Antonio Pierce to keep that job.

It's obviously who I wanted. That's my vote, and I've been vocal about that. And that's basically how the whole locker room feels, and with good reason. I mean, he's come in and done a great job, and he's continued to win us over.

It's not just the comfortable thing. I think having AP here will be good for this organization. He kind of embodies what it means to be a Raider, and that mentality, that swag, and all the things that he endorses is the things that I believe in. So it's easy for a guy like me, especially having dealt with him a little bit this year now, and gotten to know him and see his evolution in front of the team, and all those things, all the different fields of being a head coach.

So definitely rooting for him. Devontae Adams' future, what does that hold? After he parted ways with the Packers, and it was his choice, the Packers wanted him back. They actually offered him more money than the Raiders, but they let him go because they wanted him to be happy. He's been through how many quarterbacks? Derek Carr, his BFF, but then Jarrett Stidham at the end of last season. Jimmy Garoppolo to start this year, then Aiden O'Connell, then shoot, who started after Aiden?

There was somebody else. Yeah, yeah, it was Aiden, and then it was... They've gone back and forth from quarterback to quarterback.

Jimmy G ended up getting benched eventually when Antonio Pierce took over. And so Aiden's been starting most of the second half of the season. Brian Hoyer got in there for Aiden. That's right, Brian Hoyer, I forgot. That was a Josh McDaniel special. So yeah, they've had a bazillion different things go wrong for them yet again, Josh McDaniel's being the big part of that.

So what do they do moving forward, and what about Devontae Adams? Speaking of coaches and players, A.J. Brown's trying to set the record straight about Nick Sirianni.

Despite his visible frustration, this is not on coach. People say I'm beefing with Nick. I'm not mad at Nick. I'm not mad at nobody. We have a great relationship.

Like I said, I got a ton of respect for Nick. Like I said, he take off for us when it be us, you know? And I even said, for example, I'm going to get detailed. For example, I know that's what y'all want anyway.

I'm going to get detailed. Like for the Seattle game, that was on us. We messed that up.

We improvised, and we went on our own, and Nick came out and said, I wanted to try to get a flag or something crazy like that. He really made himself look like a fool for us. I have nothing but respect for him. You know what I'm saying?

Because not all coaches do that. All you see is A.J. Brown frustrated with the Eagles. A.J. this, A.J.

that. But everybody in this locker room is frustrated. So why are you singing to me out because I'm frustrated? Just because I'm shaking my head, I'm showing emotion. You can look at everybody in the stadium has bad body language. They're frustrated. Yeah, they should be, but you can't have the bad body language. That's the deal.

You got to get out there and continue to press through and figure it out until you figure it out. And for the Eagles, who obviously started out as the best record or best team in the NFL. They've lost four or five. They're not going into the playoffs the way they wanted. They've lost their grip on control of the NFC East, though it's still a possibility. But yeah, I mean, everything they want is still ahead of them.

So I understand it's frustrating, but it's only failure if you give up and their story is not done. On our last show of the week, which will be Thursday night into Friday morning, we will go extensive deep dive into some of these matchups that matter. I could go into all the crazy playoff scenarios, the ifs, the buts, the whens, the hows, the how nots and whys.

That would make for good radio. But we will look at the key matchups coming up in week 18, which is crazy. We have now reached week 18.

How is that possible? Oh, my gosh. You can find me on Twitter, ALawRadio, also on our Facebook page. Many of you weighing in to say how much you enjoyed the wedding stories. I'm glad it actually helped me, a little bit of therapy to get some of that off my chest. If you missed it, hours two and three were dedicated to my favorite moments, everything that went wrong, some of the wedding secrets revealed, answering your questions, all of that. So get the podcast.

It's available on our Facebook page as well as our show Twitter minutes after you hear me say boom. All right, so we'll talk to you tonight. Enjoy your Thursday. Crush your Thursday.

You got this. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. Boom! Blue Link Plus at HyundaiUSA.com. Call 562-314-4603 for complete details. Join the thousands of professionals who rely on Graybar to help keep them up and running. Graybar does that. You get your podcasts.