1-8-24 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 4

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Visit Carvana.com or download the app to get an instant offer today. We now know the playoff schedule. We've got it hot off the presses and there's so much to talk about. Who's in, who's out, who stunned us, who shocked us, and the matchups that we've got on the horizon. Super size wildcard weekend in the NFL is also reunion weekend. And wait until you hear some of these matchups if you're just waking up on this Monday morning.

Good morning to you. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Maybe you did not stay awake for the end of the Bills and the Dolphins. Yes, there was Tyreke Hill.

Yes, there was Tua Technovoloa. Yes, there was Devon Achan. And yes, there were three interceptions by or three turnovers by Josh Allen, including a pair of early interceptions. But ultimately, not only did Josh and his offense find that rhythm and man, they're so physical, they're so aggressive. But the defense for the Bills pitches a shutout in South Florida in the second half. Three receivers to the left. Cedric Wilson to the right.

Two in the shotgun with Achan to his right. Back to pass as the Bills fans get into it. Fires out to the left sideline and it's intercepted by Taylor Rapp! Picked off at the 23-yard line. Rapp is shaken up on the play as he goes down, but he made the INT.

The pass was off the mark and Rapp picked it off. Josh Allen kneels it down as the clock will continue to run. They will only have to do that one more time.

No, two more times here. Based on where the play clock and the game clock are as the Buffalo Bills come from three games back in the loss column with five games left in the season to steal the division title from the Miami Dolphins for their fourth consecutive division title in the AFC East. There's the kneel down and that will do it. Chris Brown, the play-by-play voice on the Bills radio network along with Eric Wood, his analyst, former Bill himself, and Sal Cappaccio on the sidelines. And he joins us now after landing back in Western New York with the team. I expect it was quite a raucous locker room, Sal? I don't know, but if you can hear outside my window right now, it is five o'clock in the morning. Can you hear the fans? This is crazy. At the Buffalo airport right now.

So forget the locker room. There are thousands of people waiting for you in Buffalo. That's amazing. Well, we've been waiting for you too. Yeah, thank you. No, I appreciate it. Thanks for having me.

As always, Amy, it's always good to talk to you, especially on a night like tonight. What a special night for these fans, for this team, for this city. To be where they were, 6-6, to be where they are now, I mean, it's pretty remarkable.

You heard Chris say it there, there were three games back with five to play. And they did it. It's pretty unbelievable. The way they did it tonight, with starters going down and guys filling in and defense pitching a shutout, like you said, in the second half overcoming some adversity.

Little special teams magic. I mean, it was just pretty poetic down in South Florida in front of thousands and thousands of Bills Mafia at Hard Rock Stadium. So I can hear that on your radio broadcast, and I also heard you talk to not just Hardy, but also Sean McDermott. Why was he so emotional after this win? You know, I just think that everything that's gone into this season, if you remember about a month ago, the article that came out that was really damaging and he felt was a really character assassination on him, and the way that this team has rallied since. You know, Sean's a really prideful man. And he cares about his work, obviously, like all people do, I would say, but I think he cares about what this means to his team and his organization and his players and his city and his fans. The Bills fans, so I mean by Sean, but the Bills fans, and I think that that hurt him deeply, and I don't think it's just that. I think for this team to show the resiliency of the kind of football he preaches, come back and do this and be here tonight, I think it's just special. And when I asked him in that interview that you heard to turn around, we were facing like kind of the field, and I said, you know, coach, turn around and see this.

Look at the scene. And I mean, Amy, it was I'm getting chills thinking about the emotion in his voice was, I'd say almost unmatched with Sean. I've seen Sean pretty emotional, but he's normally pretty stoic guy, and that was pretty special to hear and see. I know that we could watch it on TV and get a taste of it, but how big a spark and a turning point that Deontay Hardy, 96 yard punt return touchdown. I mean, it was really to me like an incredibly big exhale, right? Like this team was so that they were dominating playing the game, just not on the scoreboard. They were moving the ball down the field, and Miami wasn't to be quite honest. Miami had a very nice first half running the ball. They were really chewing up the yardage running the ball, but the Bills did a nice job on them overall in big offense and weren't allowing the big play. And the Bills, they were moving the ball down the field and had two interceptions and, you know, they just couldn't score.

They couldn't score. And then the end of the half, the way it ended, you were just like, oh my gosh, it's gonna be one of those nights. We've seen these nights against the Jets, against the Bengals, against the Patriots, all the losses they've had here.

They've lost so many close games. I think there was this feeling of here we go again. I think, excuse me, when Deontay got loose and everybody knew he was going to score. Well, first thing I'm doing is making sure there's no flags and I'm looking on the field and then, you know, I mean, I think it was a big exhale. I think, Amy, that when he scored, there was a feeling on that sideline and behind me by the thousands of red, white and blue that was there that this team's going to win this game. I think that's really like, okay, now they're 14-14, they're going to shut them down and they're going to score and win the game.

That's exactly what happened. Sal Capaccio is fresh off the team plane and thousands of people waiting at the airport in Buffalo for the Bills to return home as AFC East champions. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. So what changed in the last five weeks as they rattle off these five wins in a row at Kansas City? They beat the Cowboys, which was a big deal. They go to Los Angeles and take out the Chargers by a couple of points. The Patriots in division matchup and then against the Dolphins last night. How did they rattle off those five straight?

Well, I think a couple of different things, you know. Let's start with the offensive coordinator change. It's mattered. You know, I mean, Ken Dorsey had his moments for sure. I mean, they put 48 against Miami in week four with Ken Dorsey, but I really think Joe Brady's been good for this offense and good for Josh Allen and the energy that he's brought and just his scheme, leaning on the run game a little bit more.

You know, allowing Josh to be Josh a little bit more. I think that's mattered. The players have responded. But I think what's gone unnoticed here more than anything, Amy, is the Bills defense. They have a great defensive mind and head coach Sean McDermott.

He's a play caller. But when they lost in one game in London, Daquan Jones and Matt Milano, the week before they lost to Devious White, you know, it was a bit uneven there for a good four or five weeks. They were giving up, you know, late game drives to Mac Jones. They were giving up second half, you know, against the Philadelphia Eagles. They gave up, you know, they should have had the win there and they didn't.

And there were a couple other times where that happened. So what I think happened was the coaches had to learn exactly who the guys that were filling in, what their strengths and weaknesses were. And those guys had to learn their role. And it really was great coaching, I think, from McDermott, his coaching staff, Bobby Babich at linebackers, John Butler at DBs. They traded for Russell Douglas.

I think that was the third piece to fit in. And this guy's been amazing. He got hurt tonight. Let's hope he's okay for the playoffs.

But I think all those things happened. I think the under talked about story of the turnaround of the season is what Sean McDermott was able to do with this defense and let it come together over the last six, seven weeks. How confident are you in the run game?

You and I have had this conversation before. I do not like it when Josh Allen is the leading rusher. I know they're not all designed runs, but I still don't love him taking a ton of hits and I wish they had more consistent run game.

How do you feel about it moving forward? Well, it's there. They can do it. They did it against Dallas.

Just pounded them. James Cook had this amazing game. But it's not there consistently enough. I didn't have it last week against the Patriots. Not that much against the Chargers today.

A little bit here and there. Again, not enough. They have to get more out of it.

But I think what you're going to see, though, is when the chips are down, they still get Josh. He's their best goal line back. Look at that first down he had with third down 15.

That's what he is. He's their best short yardage goal line back. But you'd love to let James Cook do his thing a little bit.

I stopped short of saying let James Cook, but you want to let James do his thing. You want to have a more consistent running game on a week-to-week basis. It's not a bad running game whatsoever. But it's got to get a little bit more consistent on a week-to-week, like I said. They've been missing, but at times they've been a really, really good run team.

It's kind of like feast or famine at some times, though. Tonight there was a little bit of famine, and that's when you had to see Josh Allen come to life a little bit with his legs. Joe Brady's not afraid to call that. Listen, Amy, nobody wants to see Josh Allen take those hits. You're right. I agree with Bill's fans.

But I'm telling you this. Halfway through the year, Bill's fans are like, why is Josh Allen not running? We need him to. Can you imagine being in Baltimore and not letting Lamar Jackson run? That's part of the offense. He's going to get some bumps and bruises. Everybody understands that.

You'd love to keep him clean. But he's a big part of what they do, and it's going to be a part going forward, too. What do you make of Staphon Diggs not having a touchdown catch over the course of this five-game win streak and only having one going back to early November? I don't read into all of it as much as people want to. I do think that there's something going on with his connection with Josh and the timing of it or a little thing here or there.

I don't think it's anything personal, and I don't think there's any sort of conspiracy. Staphon is 30 years old. He's played a whole heck of a lot of football over the last whatever years. Bill has gone deep into the playoffs, and he's always available, by the way. He's always playing.

At some point, I'm sure his body takes a little bit of wear and tear. That might be it. But also, Josh Allen has missed him three consecutive weeks on huge deep balls, including tonight.

What you saw tonight missed out an 88-yarder, maybe it was, would have been a touchdown. Amy, that has happened for the last three weeks. Now, can you imagine if even two of those three? You aren't asking me this. No one's asking this.

We're not talking about this. If just two of those three hit, and there's some sort of timing issue that's been going on with them, and I think last week it was Josh had people at his feet, blitzes, Belichick did a good job. The week before that, to be honest with you, I think Josh was just off. First play of the game, he was a bit off.

That series, he was a bit off, and he never seemed to connect. Tonight, it was there. Tonight, it was there, except for that one shot. I just looked at the stats. He had eight balls thrown his way.

He caught seven of them. So I think that timing was corrected tonight, and unfortunately they didn't connect to that big deep ball. Sal Capaccio of the Bills Radio Network, and a great insider with the team, is with us here after hours, a couple of minutes, even though it's been a long night and now a long morning. What time do you have to be on your own? Are Buffalo Philly your own station, WGR?

Well, they were gracious enough to allow me to go on at 8 o'clock this morning instead of 7 o'clock this morning for my normal Monday morning hit, and then I have my own show from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. That's right. Oh, you're not sleeping right. If you sleep, it might get worse, though. Don't do it. Let me tell you the best part about what's going to happen here in the next 20 minutes. Now, three times this year, I have a 10-year-old who just loves the Bills so much, and him and my wife have season tickets, and they're just behind the bench, and they sit right up there. And three times this year, I've come home really late at night. I go up, I give him a kiss goodnight, and he wakes up and says, Did the Bills win?

And I've had to say no. Guess what's going to happen in 10 minutes? Oh, I love it. I'm going to say, Yes, they did, buddy.

They're division champions again. Oh, that's awesome. And what will he do? Will he be half asleep? Oh, yeah, but he'll give me a big hug and kiss, and he'll have a smile and go back to sleep for a little while, and then we'll wake up, and he'll want to watch all the highlights before he goes to school.

Best part of the morning. I love it. Sal the dad, also the Bills' sideline reporter. Okay, so they haven't seen the Steelers since the preseason. How do you like the matchup initially? Well, I really like the matchup, simply because I just don't think, I think Mike Tomlin is one hell of a coach, and I think he's squeezed absolutely every ounce out of that team so far this year that you could give and get, and that's why they're in that position. I think the Bills are the better football team, and I don't know. What's the line? I'm guessing it's going to be a touchdown.

I mean, it's got to be something like that, right? I'm not really sure, but there's probably a reason, and there's a reason why. It's because the Bills, to me, are the better football team, and they're going to be home, and as much as Mike Tomlin is a great coach, I think they're probably going to be without T.J. Watt. I like this matchup for the Bills. What I don't like is the Steelers have that extra night, extra day, I should say, to prepare. They played Saturday night. The Bills are getting home here late on a Sunday night going into Monday morning.

They'll have a little less time for those bumps and bruises, those guys that got hurt, but I do like the initial matchup, and you know, whether it's Mason Rudolph or Kenny Pickett, this defense is playing really, really well right now, and they're going to have a challenge on their hands. As we talked about, shutting out the Miami Dolphins in the second half of a game for the AFC East title on Sunday night. One more thing before I let you go, Sal, it's completely off of this topic, but I was just reflecting last week about how it had been a year since Damar Hamlin had to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati, and that we had gotten the incredible news, and he was awake in the hospital about 48 hours later, but that, to me, the most significant memorable sports story of 2023. How is Damar these days? You know, Damar, he's such a happy, fun guy to be around, and you know, for what he went through, for him to every day have a smile on his face and be at practice and doing what he loves, it's just awesome to see. And, you know, we've all, I think, in the media, gotten to know Damar more because of what happened, obviously, but I think even for me personally, you know, and I've had a couple conversations with him and his family about that night, and you know, I'm just really grateful and thankful that, you know, he's a part of all our lives, and here in Buffalo and a part of this team, he's doing great. He's doing great, and I got to brag about my Syracuse orange beating his pit panthers to him last week, actually, in basketball, so that was even better.

Good. I'm so glad. Every time he opens his mouth or receive him in front of a microphone, I'm so impressed with the impact that he's making. Certainly, it's very evident that he's not going to waste this opportunity that he's been given, and the money that people invested in his foundation to make just incredible changes and incredible improvements around the world. And Amy, can I say this too about him is that, you know, a lot of times things happen to people and they put their name to something and they say donate or help out and I'm a part of this cause. You know, what's the most impressive part about this young man is he's a true agent for change. He goes to places. He goes around the country, goes to these cities.

His foundation is literally like helping to save lives through supplying AEDs and training through CPR training, and he goes there and he's a part of it. And I think that's what's the super cool part of, you know, DeMar's story and the legacy that he's leaving. Even as Sal is saying those last few words, I'm watching Hardy's punt return touchdown, nobody anywhere close to him once he hit the 50-yard line. He was gone. I think having dialed it down around the 40, I mean, he knew it, right?

He's been waiting for that one. Yeah, I don't think he got a hand on him, so it was a really, really big play. It might go down, I mean, as the signature play to get this team to the playoffs when it's all said and done here at the end of the season. Sideline going crazy, understanding the significance and the impact. Sal Cappaccio has been with the Bills all night on the team plane after doing the interviews on the sidelines. They are AFC East champions, a fourth straight year, most unlikely, most improbable. The number two seed in the AFC will host the Steelers coming up next Sunday.

On Twitter, at SalSports, poor guy, well, gets to be a dad and tell Max about the Bills, but then it's got a lot of work to do today. So thank you for a few minutes. I really appreciate it, as always. Anytime for you. Thanks a lot. Have a great morning, a great year, and we'll talk to you guys.

All right. He's got his own show coming up in not even five hours, and it has to do a hit on our Buffalo affiliate WGR AM 550 in under three hours. But he is game and certainly has a lot of adrenaline after his night on the sidelines in Miami. So that's one of the matchups coming up, and yet not even one of the juicier ones.

As much as I hate to say, Steelers, Bills, of course, it's great. But man, the reunions for this weekend who it's after hours with Amy Lawrence on Facebook. You can find us on Twitter, a law radio or show Twitter or early impressions of the NFL playoff picture, as well as the vote. Says here that Graybar is a distributor. Yeah, we support electrical and data com projects all over the country. So you can get me the products I need where and when I need them. Yeah. Thanks to our national logistics network. Any industry? Yeah.

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Love looking. Looking for more than a first down. Touchdown! Don Tavian Weks in the right side of the end zone.

They beat Terrell Smith and the Packers have the lead. Six to three. Love up to the line of scrimmage.

Changing the play. Plenty of time to go on the play clock. Now they're down to five. Down to two. Here's the snap. Love throws over the middle.

Got his man. Inside the five. Reaching for the end zone. Touchdown! Don Tavian Weks beating Kyler Gordon out of slant off the left side. And the Packers have a 13 to 6 lead.

Hits, misses, and messes. Time to talk football After Hours with Amy Lawrence. I am all about full circle moments. And this Green Bay Packers team is celebrating a full circle moment on this Monday morning.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Do you remember where we were a year ago? Of course, Pack Nation does. Because a year ago at this time, we were talking about how Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers failed on Sunday Night Football against the Detroit Lions to win a game at home and get into the playoffs. That's what they had to do. They had to win a game at Lambeau Field with one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever wear a Packers uniform. To ever wear an NFL uniform? What is he, a four-time NFL MVP? They couldn't get it done. And that was the last game that Aaron Rodgers played for the Packers.

Now, it was a two-fold type of... A two-fold type of, what would you call it, a premonition? Where we found out the Lions were a force to be reckoned with by the way they finished the season. And yes, look at them now. They're NFC North champions. But it also served notice that the Aaron Rodgers era was done. They missed out on the playoffs and he had to answer questions about it. Now, a year later, Aaron Rodgers hasn't seen a football field in a Jets uniform since week one. But the Packers, they're in the postseason. And because of the time it took them to get acclimated and get adjusted and get through some injuries early on, as they were seeing a departure of a bunch of older players from their roster specifically on the offensive side.

Yeah, it took a while. Jordan loved stepping into this role for the first time. But man, when it caught fire, when he caught fire, he put up some of the best numbers in the NFL this season. You may not know it, but he's top three among all quarterbacks for touchdown passes. And again, think about who he's throwing to. We're not talking Allen Lazard. We're not talking about the old familiar. We're talking about new guys, new kids on the block. That's what he is in Green Bay.

But they are a playoff team. Wayne Larrivee on the Packers radio network. They finish up nine and eight.

They take care of their business on Sunday. Aaron Jones, another huge game for him. And in fact, it was his first down run that slammed the door on the Bears at Lambeau.

It's worth playing just because of the noise at Lambeau Field and the appreciation of the fans who, again, remember where this team was last year. Love under center. And here's a handoff to Showtime. Left side, breaks a tackle, cutting left outside the numbers to another first down inside the 35 to the 31 yard line of Chicago.

And there is your dagger. Eddie Jackson made the tackle downfield, 10 yard gain. Stevenson missed the initial tackle. Time winding down. Bears are powerless to stop the clock. The Packers have first and 10 at the Chicago 31.

You talk about sorting this thing away. When did they get the ball? They have, like, six minutes and some? The Packers have driven 63 yards in 10 plays, taken 4.08 off the clock. Victory formation and dropping to a knee.

Jordan Love. They'll have to snap it again. But wow, everybody in Lambeau Field on their feet. You get in this game right here and it's, you know, it's a playoff game. You know, it comes down to execution, lack of mistakes. And obviously, I think we made a couple mistakes. But for the most part, I think we played pretty clean football and it found a way to win.

It stepped up, held them to nine points. So, you know, it's a total team effort right there. We've been getting better every game. Every week we're finding ways to improve and get better. And, you know, now we're just, we're in the dance. So, you know, we're going to continue doing the same thing we've been doing and trying to find ways to get better. But I like where our offense is moving. I'm really happy for our football team. Just the ability to persevere throughout the course of the season. You know, to prove a lot of people wrong.

But it's really ultimately about their ability to stay together and continue to fight. 432 yards of offense. But the defense also did its part.

Five sacks of Justin Fields, another five QB hits. And it's easy to dismiss it and say, oh, it's just the Bears. But last year they were facing a team that wasn't in the playoffs in the Lions and they couldn't get the job done.

So to me, it's significant to go a full circle, come back to the same point in week 18 as they were a year ago with a division opponent at Lambeau Field for a playoff spot. And this year they get it done. Now, Quay Walker, the linebacker for the Packers, takes it one step further and makes a startling comparison to a year ago. I've been on this team for two years now. And the team chemistry is way better than it was a year before. And so once it's like that, man, it's easy to win football games when a lot of guys love to enjoy to play with each other.

Doesn't specifically mention Aaron Rodgers, but he does make the stark comparison between last year and this year and the team chemistry in that it's way better and that guys love to play for each other. Bums. Are you jealous? Just admit it. You are a little jealous. That's two seasons in a row with no playoffs for Aaron Rodgers. Just pointing out the facts.

OK. You can't cancel me. But this is why we know that the Jets are very unlikely to make any type of coaching changes because they set this season up for Aaron. But this is what happens when you sell your soul for a quarterback.

Now, well, I guess it happened with Tom Brady in Tampa and they ended up winning a Super Bowl. So the Jets were all in. But this is the Jets.

It's always different with the Jets. And while they have so many former Packers on their roster, they don't have Aaron. Didn't have Aaron to finish out the regular season. So that derailed everything. So they were in limbo for another year. Packers moved on. They had to.

But man, you're not going to have my number. It worked out pretty darn well. I don't know if they end up winning a playoff game.

It's certainly a very, very tough. Ask for them to go into Dallas, where the Cowboys are undefeated this season. But the juicy reunion that awaits. Mike McCarthy against his former team, the team with whom he won a Super Bowl himself. Now experiencing a ton of success in Dallas, just needs the postseason to cap it off. And as the NFC East champions, the Cowboys get to host the seven seed. So number two versus number seven just happens to be the Mike McCarthy game. We're excited. I mean, that's not even the best reunion of Wild Card Weekend. You guys, I know the NFL does not rig Jack, although they did try to make us believe it was scripted to begin the season.

If it were scripted, I'm not sure you could come up with a better screenplay. Wait until you hear. But yeah, congratulations to the Packers. I find such glee in this one. I can't help it.

I'm not even going to hide it. It's not really about my family's affiliation with the Packers either, or the fact that they're all from Wisconsin. Nah, it's more just about the fact that Aaron Rodgers decided he was done. He wanted to go play for the Jets. I'm going to my darkness retreat. Maybe you need another one.

And the Packers got back to the exact same place and actually got the job done. I sound so... Hmm, do I sound witchy? I'm offended. Well, that's okay.

I might sound a little witchy. It's just Aaron Rodgers is a lot the last couple years. He's a lot. And there is life after the Hall of Famer. There is. Look it. I don't think so. You would be wrong. Just admit it.

You would be wrong. You, and Ellen Lazard, and Randall Cobb, and who else? They brought in all these former Packers guys that Aaron wanted. Dalvin Cook. He's not even on the roster anymore. He held them hostage. The Packers had to move on.

I mean, look. There's sunshine in Green Bay. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Third and goal. And Prescott in the gun. Dowdle to his left. Surrays the defense. Changes the play. Raises arm.

Snap his back. Looking right. Throwing it right.

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This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Jack Prescott finishes the regular season with the most touchdowns in the NFL. Thirty six T.D. 's, only nine picks, more than forty five hundred passing yards. I know it seems like the tide has shifted and it's Lamar Jackson who's the front runner for the MVP. But and even Micah Parsons has changed his tune. But the way that Dak has played and the fact that the Cowboys have now extended this division's dubious record.

Nineteen straight seasons without a repeat champion. And even as I say dubious for the NFC East, it actually just means it's delicious and dramatic and certainly competitive from top to bottom. Brad Sham on Cowboys radio, it's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Yeah, the Eagles laid a brutal, I mean a stinky egg in MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Different guys getting injured, dislocated finger for Jalen Hurts and then A.J.

Brown with a knee. They had some other guys who left, but the Cowboys made it a moot point because they took care of business on Sunday. And they now have a 12 win season third straight under Mike McCarthy.

He's the only Cowboys coach ever to lead the team to three straight 12 win seasons. And they are the two seed for the first time in a long time. That's the way we wanted it. And I think you just you know, we understand all the narratives around the game. But, you know, frankly, it's still a division game.

And that's really was our approach. The team should be proud of a two seed in the division championship and because I'm proud of them. But most importantly, it's playoff time and we need to play our best football. It doesn't matter who we play, where we play them. Does it matter who we play? But I think it matters where we play them. The Cowboys are a better team at home, though they played extremely well against the commanders yesterday in the nation's capital. They are a better team at home. There are so many ways that this Cowboys team is set up now. They're not the top seed, which means they would ultimately or could potentially have to go on the road if the Niners are hosting.

Let's say NFC Championship, just for the sake of argument. But the Cowboys are in a better position than they were. And the fact that they look so good and they were playing with something on the line on Sunday is a big deal, because that's some momentum and some confidence, an extra confidence boost they can take heading into the postseason. As for Dak Prescott, he's a guy that has been branded with the regular season quarterback or fades in the playoffs or just part of the fact that the Cowboys haven't been past the divisional round.

And right now that's marked his playoff appearances. I know they haven't won since blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and they haven't been to the Super Bowl since blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But they certainly feel good heading into this postseason. Very ready. Obviously, coming off of the past years, I'm understanding the team we have, knowing that knowing we're coming into the season, that we had a team that could compete, wanting to put ourselves in this position, wanting to stay in the moment each and every week and not look forward to this. But now it's upon us.

And I think most importantly, we've got to take it one game at a time. When Mike McCarthy found out that the Cowboys were hosting the Packers, he didn't say a whole lot other than, well, that's exciting. Meant a lot to me there. His wife's family is from there. I have no doubt they spend time there during holidays and when he gets break, maybe not holidays, but when he gets breaks. His kids were born there. Right. That was home to him for a long time. He won a Super Bowl there. And now the Packers have to head to Dallas.

But all he said is, I really haven't had a lot of chance to watch them. Just so intriguing. What a matchup. And then you've got Matthew Stafford and the Lions heading into Detroit. You want to talk about playoff utility? One victory since the 50s.

And it's Matthew Stafford who was part of enough of that playoff utility, who will try to extend that playoff utility as a member of the Rams. What the hell's going on right now? Seriously, these are some good games. Some compelling storylines that we will talk about all of this week. It's a doubleheader on Saturday. Cleveland at Houston. Miami at Kansas City.

Then you got the tripleheader Sunday. Pittsburgh at Buffalo. Green Bay at Dallas. LA at Detroit. And then finally Monday, the Eagles as the five seed in the NFC on the road at Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers with Baker Mayfield and Todd Bowles. They beat the Panthers 9-0. Oi, please stick a fork in my eye. But they are above.500 and they are division champions.

And you are what your record says you are. We have a lot more to talk about as we head through this week and get set for Super Size Wild Card Weekend with all of its reunions. In case you hadn't heard, the Falcons have already fired Arthur Smith.

So he becomes the first even before Black Monday, which is officially underway now. I wouldn't be surprised if we heard about Ron Rivera with the commanders today. Maybe Mike Rabel in Tennessee, though they finished on a high note.

Thinking about some of the other openings, of course. Antonio Pierce was auditioning with the Raiders. We know Brandon Staley already gone with the Chargers. The Panthers need a quarterback as well in the NFC South.

So yeah, there could be a bunch of movement on this day, this Black Monday. But Arthur Smith is the first one post-season. What else? Oh, Sam LaPorta, thinking about that injury, one to keep an eye on. There's just a lot of different storylines that will come to a head for next wild card weekend. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence asking you to vote on Monday MVP.

That's on Twitter, ALawRadio or also on our Facebook page. And then your early impressions of the playoffs and some of these juicy matchups. We've got Monday football not from the NFL because all 272 games of the regular season are now in the books. But we've got another college game, one more college game to wrap up this season. The college football national championship takes place tonight in Houston.

And of course, we know that the number one versus number two matchup is scintillating but also strange, right? It's Michigan versus Washington and Jim Harbaugh, of course, knowing they have a tough task ahead. At least we'll comment on what it would feel like to win. It would mean so much. I mean, for our players, for them to know what it's like to be champions. You know, just be simply referred to as national champions.

And for their parents, for their parents to have their son be a champion. Make sure we just stay locked in this week. You know, the hay is never in the barn. And just make sure we watch as much film as we can over these next couple of days and make sure we're prepared for Monday. But this is everything, you know, I dreamed of. It's everything I came back for and, you know, I'm just blessed to be here. That's Blake Corum.

The hay is in the barn. Isn't that Jerry Sandusky of the Ravens? That's his call. I don't actually know if this is Blake, a Baltimore guy, or he just happens to love Jerry Sandusky. Or that's a phrase that he uses.

Anyway. Oh, there you go. From Virginia. So maybe he does know about the Jerry Sandusky call. So yeah, Blake Corum and of course, JJ McCarthy, the quarterback for the Wolverines. Michael Pennix coming off that brilliant performance in the semifinals for the Huskies against the Longhorns. And now you've got this quarterback matchup, which is really interesting. He had my Heisman vote.

I'm not going to lie. Michael Pennix, everything that he's been through, all the adversities, battled through his injuries. And, you know, just continuing to stick to the process and keep pressing on. You know, that's something that Coach Herb always talks about. A future favors votes who press on.

And he's a perfect epitome of that. It's a dream come true, to be honest. You know, I'm still wrapping my head around it. You know, just super blessed to be in this position.

You know, this is something that, you know, you dream of as kids. You know, coming to play for the national championship. You know, for us to be here right now. You know, all the hard work and dedication that it took to get here. You know, it definitely showing that it's paid off.

That's the voice of Michael Pennix. And I love that JJ McCarthy says he had my vote for the Heisman. So this will be fun. Of course, the Michigan Wolverines fan base.

The tradition stretches far and wide. I'm trying to think who I saw. Oh, Tracy Wolfson, who was, of course, working NFL weekend with CBS. And then got to Houston and said she was going to be a total Michigan fangirl. And it's just an extensive alumni fan base.

And this is an opportunity. Backing Jim Harbaugh feeling like it's some vindication. But here is the Pac-12 about to break up as we know it. Including Washington headed to the Big Ten.

But the Huskies have a chance to win the first Pac-12 college football national championship under this format. So we'll talk to you tonight after that game. Have a great Monday.

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