After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST 4

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Visit Carvana.com or download the app to get an instant offer today. Given Nick Saban's retirement, is Alabama now the most attractive head coaching job on the planet? In the football world, is Alabama tops on your list now?

Man, what a difference 24 hours makes, huh? I honestly never saw Seattle coming. We'll hear from Pete Carroll momentarily. I say this to you whenever we start Black Monday and the silly season, that there's always one surprise. At least one surprise.

But this is not one that I ever considered possible. I know some of you had told me that you thought it was time the Seahawks moved on after missing the playoffs for the second time in three years. But they were above 500 and they were still in the mix until week 18. They'd had a quarterback who was injured and I know that's not the only factor. There seemed to be a disconnect between the identity that Pete Carroll wanted and the personnel he had or the identity that Pete Carroll wanted and their ability to establish that identity on a consistent basis. This was not the same team that went to the Super Bowls a couple years ago. And it's not just about the defection of Russell Wilson. Pete Carroll had seen the Seahawks through a couple of different rebuild slash reloading periods.

And that includes post Russell Wilson, where last year he was able to guide them to a wildcard spot despite the belief that they'd end up as a basement team in the NFC West. By a lot of analysts, a lot of insiders, that was one of his best coaching jobs ever. And now a year later, he's no longer coaching, though it was his expressed desire to remain the coach. It was only two days ago that he told us he had plenty of enthusiasm and energy, a desire to continue coaching the Seahawks. But this was not his choice.

This was not his decision to make. As it turns out, it's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS porch radio. Good morning to you. It's a Thursday, which means we're going to be doing a little bit of coaching. Good morning to you, it's a Thursday, which means we are now just over 48 hours away from the kickoff to supersized wildcard weekend.

It's funny because I saw one listener post on our social media, and I am going to assume he was being somewhat tongue in cheek. But in response to the bombshells dropping, the news from both Seattle and Tuscaloosa, his post was just when you thought there was nothing going on in sports. Honestly, this time of the year, and it happens every year because all the teams that are not involved in the playoffs are already working on 2024. They're cleaning house. They're purging, if you will. And I liken that those are the examples that come to mind because of what I'm doing in my house right now, purging, making piles to donate, throwing other things out, constantly taking out the trash, deciding what to keep, what not to keep, what do I need, what can I live without, what makes my house better now that there's a second person and all his stuff in it.

So yeah, I kind of feel like I'm going through the same process that some of these owners and front offices are going through. Where do we purge? Where do we clean house?

How can we upgrade? Where can we make a change that's for the better? What a metaphor. No one likes to move. No one likes to purge.

It's a complete crap. But this is the NFL's version of spring cleaning, if you will. And so sometimes it takes a little longer. Now Marco was mentioning earlier that he was a little taken aback that it was Wednesday before this news came out from the Seahawks. And I actually think that makes sense because first of all, the dust was settling. Second of all, this was no way an easy decision for the Allen family. There's no way that after everything Pete meant to that organization or means, not even past tense, everything Pete means to the organization that this was easy for them.

You're talking about factors that are non-linear and factors that can be measured by stats. It's not just about missing the playoffs this year. That wasn't a final nail in the coffin, so to speak. This is Pete Carroll. He's the best coach this franchise has ever seen.

May ever see. Although I hope that's not the case for the Seahawks and their fan base. They're very passionate. He's left them in a much better place, similar to Nick Saban. Nick Saban has built a powerhouse in every way possible. The next coach will have every opportunity to succeed and to continue that tradition. You don't have to be Nick Saban. You just have to win. You don't even have to win at the same rate, but I tend to think of it differently than what a lot of you are.

I think Alabama is attractive for that reason because it's already a winning tradition. You don't need to build one. It's there. How often do coaches take over reclamation projects or they're starting from the bottom? It's a complete crap. Everything has fallen apart.

You take over and it's rubble. Think about some of the coaching jobs that are open in the NFL right now. The Carolina Panthers, it's a shambles. Sure, they have a couple of veteran players and they have a very young, raw quarterback. Has he shown some signs?

Absolutely. Our friend Mark Ross, who joined us earlier in the show from LA and NFL Network, he's a longtime scout and talent evaluator. In fact, won a couple rings with the New York Giants in that capacity. He said what impressed him the most about Bryce is that he survived the season. Who knew he missed? Was it one game that he missed or two? But for the most part, he's a relatively slight guy.

He's not real big. And with a horrific offensive line performance in front of him, he still survived. And he was making plays. But for the most part, he felt like Bryce was on his own in a vast wasteland in Carolina. Not to mention you have an owner who is, if not the biggest issue there, he's definitely part of the problem. And so when you go to Carolina, you're starting over again.

Whether or not you can make the Bryce Young experiment work, well, that may be up to you, but you're going to be evaluated on it. They do not have a winning culture in Charlotte. In Washington, I love Ron Rivera.

I love who he is as a man and who he is as a leader. And I do agree with him that he left the commanders in a better place than when he found them. But if you take over as the head coach there, you're starting fresh with new ownership that is essentially beginning again. You take over a lot of times in the NFL and you're walking into a situation where you're expected to build a winning tradition. That is not the case at Alabama.

You don't have to build anything. It's built for you. World-class facilities, a passionate fan base, though that comes with high expectations as well, a brand that's nationwide, if not worldwide, the highest profile in college football, all the support and the resources that you could possibly need. And if you come from Alabama, then you're already one of theirs. And I appreciate that about a tradition like the Tide. If you are with the Tide, if you came from the Tide, if you played there or you previously coached there, they already love you.

You're already someone special. You're already part of the club or you're part of the family. And so that's one reason why I agree with AJ McCarron that it needs to be someone who either grew up there at Alabama or who coached under Saban. You don't have to be an alum necessarily, but if you coach under Saban, well, then you're part of the family. But yeah, you don't have to do anything except figure out a way to continue these traditions, the culture, of course, your own work ethic and your own voice, yes, but you're not walking into a situation that's devoid of culture.

Now, the culture is already there. You just have to keep it going. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio, Derek Henry, the Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama, just turned 30, played for Nick Saban, talking about his former head coach in Tuscaloosa. Well, Saban never quits on his kids, you know, he always gives them above and beyond opportunities, you know, just to help them, you know, just so they can graduate, have education, and possibly make it to the NFL. But if it's not, you know, their destination, then he definitely wants them to graduate. He never gives up on kids. You have to be really, really, really, you know, undisciplined to not stick with them. He never gives up on kids. You have to be really, really, really undisciplined to not stick at Alabama.

And he mentions multiple times the graduation, the education. Yeah, Nick Saban raised the bar really high, but he brought Alabama football and he brought college football with him. If you wanted to beat the best, well, you had to figure out how to compete with Alabama. He made college football better for that reason. I used this analogy earlier, but it's a little bit like UConn women's basketball. Well, if he can't figure out a way to compete at their level, you were never going to be relevant and college football is deeper and stronger and more competitive because of Nick Saban, because of the standard and the bar that he set. So again, I think Alabama is really attractive for that reason.

Everything you possibly want or need to succeed is already in place. And if you come from that tradition and you're part of the family, they already love you. So it's not like they're expecting you to be Nick Saban.

No, they're expecting you to be you. So that job is very attractive, but so is Seattle. Granted, they've got to address their quarterback position, but the culture is there. The fan base is there.

The tradition, the consistency, it's there. Pete Carroll was the coach for 14 years. We're not talking about a team that's changed coaches every 10 minutes like the Panthers. And for Pete Carroll, he did express going back to Sunday and even Monday that he wanted to coach. He expected to be the coach moving forward.

So this was certainly a disappointment. And since our last game, I had a couple of chances to talk and first I shared my feelings about our team and about the organization and representing the 12 and my intentions of staying with the Hawks, man. And that was true to the bone.

And I want to make sure that that's clear as things have shifted so quickly in most people's perspective. According to Pete, he competed really hard to keep the job. He didn't go down without a fight, so to speak. He wanted to keep coaching. And so two things, I think the Seahawks did him justice by allowing him to address questions, to address his exit as the head coach on his own terms, right?

Rather than release a statement and say, we've decided to part ways, blah, blah, blah, blah. No, allow Pete to speak. He's earned that. And the room was full of team employees. The room was full of players. The room was full of people who appreciated Pete Carroll. And the other thing that I think is interesting is that at his age, and age is just a number, but you have to be able to communicate.

You have to be able to relate and to get the best out of guys, in some cases, who are 50 years younger than you. It's not an easy feat. I always marveled at the fact that Pete Carroll could do that. And I marveled at the fact that, say, an Andy Reid can do that, right? We know that Andy Reid is beloved by his players, but we know that Andy Reid can do that.

Most of them, I'm sure there are some who don't like him, but whatever. That's what happens when you have a group of 100 people. But Pete and Nick Saban are the same age. They're 72 years old. He's got guys on his roster who are in their early 20s. That's a gift, but it's also a challenge. And so the fact that at some point your age means maybe that your message is lost, or the way that you communicate is so different that the message gets lost in the mode of communication.

There's always those things to consider. And there had been some rumblings. I don't love this phrase that Pete had lost the locker room. I think it's an easy cop-out way to talk about a coach when he's on the way out. But the Seahawks didn't kick him to the curb. And maybe if he really wanted to coach, he could have gone somewhere else. But it seems as though after all this time and everything he's invested into the Seahawks, as much as he still wanted to coach, he wanted to leave the franchise even less. So they came to a different agreement, and he's still going to be very much part of the team. Following our season-ending meetings with ownership and the planning sessions, it's clear that, and for a variety of reasons, we have mutually agreed to set a new course and for the club to take on new leadership. And that's just a decision that's been made, and there's a lot that went into that and a lot that went behind that. And for all my guys, I think you know how much I probably competed for our perspective and our standpoint and all of that.

I freaking didn't back off for an instant. What's going to happen now is the process will start to get new leadership here, and that will be on Johnny's docket, he's going to get after that and make that happen with help of ownership and all that. And we'll be supporting them as much as possibly can happen. I'm so grateful to the coaches that have been with us for so many years. Also, all of the coaches that have been here for the years before that put up with my stuff and found a way to bring it to life daily. And I have a great gratitude for that. Really, it's not just the dedication and the loyalty, it's the freaking juice.

It's bringing it. And I asked a lot of them, and they were good at it, and I appreciate that a lot. So in the first part of that Pete Carroll cut, you hear him say to my guys, and he's talking about his assistant coaches, his staff, I fought really hard so that we could continue what we started here, so that we could continue with what we were doing. I didn't give up on that.

I tried. But then ultimately recognizing, okay, to be with the team, to be with the franchise is better than to not. And that speaks volumes, doesn't it, about the relationship that he has with them, but also how much they respect him, that they're going to bring in a new head coach, and it's going to be okay that Pete Carroll's in the building. It's going to be okay that whatever advisory role Pete fills, and maybe it's not one that has anything to do with coaching.

Maybe it's more of an ambassador role, whatever it is. It speaks volumes of their trust in Pete Carroll and their appreciation for what he's built there, that they still want him around, and that he's willing to do it. So how many fired head coaches do you know give a press conference in the team facility before they're out the door? And this is a different kind of a relationship between Pete and the Seahawks. I'm surprised.

In fact, I was stunned. I'm not sure who they're going to get, who can continue what he started. But life comes at you fast in the NFL, and he had 14 seasons, and that is longer than anyone but who. Mike Tomlin and Bill Belichick, right?

Wait, how? Yeah, Tomlin's 16, 17? So now we're waiting on Belichick. Speaking of that, or maybe another bombshell somewhere else, wouldn't you die?

Well, don't do that. It's hyperbole. Wouldn't you be blown away if today it was Jim Harbaugh going to the Raiders? Or, now Naseed, we talked about the Alabama tradition, but I can imagine there are a bunch of really high-profile coaches who may throw their hat in the ring for Alabama, just to see if they can turn over that rock. Just want to say, here in the New York area, I've already heard Brian Dabol's name being mentioned, because he was an offensive coordinator there in 18, I think it was, or 17, so I've already heard his name linked. Well, Brian Dabol will go to Alabama, is he interested? Oh, heavens. So it begins. So it begins. Jim Harbaugh is the national championship winner right now, so he's high on the hog.

I've heard, according to Jordan Schultz's Bleacher Report, he and the Raiders have mutual interest. Don't do it. John, don't do it. I mean, Jim, sorry. Jim, don't do it. You either, John.

Just don't do it. It's an interesting question, though. What's the most attractive job? Is it Alabama now? We were asking you about NFL head coaching jobs, then there were seven. Could there be eight?

Chicago will not be one of them. Ryan Polz explains why. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Around New Year's, we get a little obsessed with changing ourselves and forgetting the things we're already doing right, like taking our supplements every morning or scheduling me time into our day. Therapy helps you recognize those victories and keep up the good work in the new year without changing everything. BetterHelp offers affordable online therapy so you can try New Year's Same You with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash grow today to get 10% off your first month.

That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash grow. Selling your car to Carvana is as easy as? As easy as pie? Sure. All you have to do is enter your license plate or bin. As easy as a stroll in the park.

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This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Matt Eberfluss on Sunday. The Chicago Bears won seven games this season. I guess depending upon your perspective, your expectations, I actually think they succeeded more than I expected them to. I wasn't sure how much had changed this season. I know that they brought in a few more weapons around Justin and Justin Fields did stay healthy. But I don't know that I had huge expectations for them.

I felt like the NFC North was wide open, but to me, it didn't feel like the Bears had taken too many steps forward other than to trade away that number one overall pick last year and get a hole from Carolina in return. But not all of it was going to pay dividends right away. D.J. Moore did. I like that that piece of it. Now, Justin ended up missing some time, of course, for what was it, Tyson Bajant. So good.

What a good story. And there's the big challenge, right, is how do you keep him healthy? But they rave about the progress that he's made. Matt himself on Wednesday was talking about the growth in Justin Fields. But has it been a consistent learning curve or has he been hampered by the fact that, well, now they fired their offensive coordinator in Chicago and about to bring in another one.

A lot of change, different voices, different ideas, different styles. Remember earlier in the year when he actually said, I want to play free. I want to use my instincts. I want to be able to do what comes naturally. But coaching is holding me back. I am paraphrasing. But he was asked why things look so disjointed out there. And he said, I think it's coaching. I mean, we remember that.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Justin, by the way, did say goodbye on Sunday in his press conference just in case. Just in case this was the last time that he addressed the media or had to make public comments as a member of the Bears.

He wasn't sure. Well, we don't know about that yet because the Bears do have the number one overall pick this season and Caleb Williams is available. But we do know now, courtesy of GM Ryan Polls, that the Bears are sticking with Eberfluss. Just in terms of his leadership and stability, I really think that the head coach needs to be able to captain the ship when the seas have storms and really keep everything settled. When you go through hard times and you can keep everyone together, to me, that's like the critical piece in a market like this that you have to be strong. I mean, if he's jumping off the boat and everyone else starts jumping off the boat, it's a hot mess.

So the stability was a big piece of it. At least Ryan gets that part of it. Constant change equals constant losing in sports.

So at least he got that part of it. Yeah, you change everything all the time, every year. It's detrimental and there is something to be said for consistency at the head coaching spot. There is something to be said for stability there and they like his leadership.

It's a hot mess. No, that's not about Eberfluss. It's if you would change Eberfluss.

The Bears pick number one and number nine overall. Ryan Polls had said in the past that he'd have to be blown away to move on from Justin Fields. So that was a year ago, but he was asked about that on Wednesday.

And what he said is essentially we're in the same position. I'd have to be blown away. Caleb Williams does blow a lot of people away. There are some who would call him a generational talent. Isn't that what people said about the Bears? Isn't that what people said about Trevor Lawrence? I mean, he is an NFL quarterback.

Would you put him in the top 10 right now? Oh, that's a question. That's a good one.

I'd have to think about that one. I feel like raw talent and skills. Yes, he's really smart. But the way he finished up, how many multiple interception games did he have? Poor decision making. I didn't love what I saw from Trevor Lawrence in the last, say, six games of the season. I know he was banged up a little bit, but I guess most guys are at that point of the season.

So I would say going into the season, if you ask me if Lawrence is a top 10 quarterback, I'd say he's either right there or he will be by the end of the season. But now at the end, I lean towards he's not. But see, Justin Fields is also a unique talent, physically gifted. He's big. He's physical. I mean, it's hard to say he's tough because of the various injuries that we've seen.

But he is. He's so athletic. He's explosive. I mean, the kind of plays that he makes, very few quarterbacks can. I don't know if you would call him a generational talent, but he's certainly a unique talent. And he was raved about when the Bears got him.

They were thrilled. So, yeah, again, the constant change. But how do you pass on Caleb Williams? Do you want to be the team that passes on Caleb Williams? I don't know if the Jaguars are picking number one overall. Do you think they would pass on Caleb? I do. I think they would.

Yeah, absolutely. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. Yeah, so they don't they're not tipping their hand. If they do know what they're doing at the number one overall pick, they're not tipping their hand. But this actually made me laugh because right after Ryan Paul says they're keeping Matt Eberfluss, no joke, this is later in the press conference. We're keeping Matt. Here's why we're keeping Matt. Oh, but have you had any conversations with Jim Harbaugh? I haven't talked to Jim. Ryan, why is this?

He goes to Michigan. Sorry. Ryan, he was not a consideration. You didn't have to see him as a- No, like I said, we're going with Matt.

And I gave you the reasons why. I think go through, I didn't go talk to anybody. Duh, I didn't talk to Jim. He's the coach at Michigan.

That's what he says. It'll be worse if he says, oh, yeah, I did talk to Jim. He wanted to come here, but we decided to go with Matt anyway. But his the voice, the tone of voice is I didn't talk to Jim. I haven't talked to Jim. He's the coach at Michigan.

So funny. Why is this the coach at Michigan? Like, as in, why would I talk to Jim? You dummy.

Right? He wouldn't say that. Jerk. I haven't talked to Jim. I mean, his voice, he's so dejected. He was all pepped up and fired up about Matt.

This is the direction we're going and here's why. And then someone asked him about Jim. He's like, I haven't. Instantly question the decision. But if, if he wasn't the coach at Michigan, if he said he was, I haven't talked to Jim.

I haven't talked to Jim. It is a complete crap. That's what we think. He should have said that actually. Crap.

Thank you, Darko. I'm hungry. Complete crap. Complete. It is a complete crap. I love how he enunciates. That's my favorite part.

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Yeah, Graybar does that. I'm Tony Kornheiser and this is my show. My friends come on and you know them. We talk about the sports you care about. Football, now basketball, too, though we don't really pay attention until later in the year and the absurdity that is our lives.

Line etiquette at your local pharmacy, the current phase of the moon, the importance of talking to a human being on the phone, and most importantly, the power of a box of that. Listen on the Odyssey, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. It's time for QB news on after hours. A little prelim, prelim, AFC style. If you missed the NFC preview, pre-preview for Supersize Wildcard Weekend. Well, you got to hear Jared Goff talk about facing the team that unceremoniously dumped him in Detroit. We're back in the dumpers again.

I didn't know it was a poor man's anything. And also Matthew Stafford on his return to Ford Field and what that could be like. So NFC, that was a couple hours ago, now we're talking AFC through the eyes of the quarterbacks and what dawned on us. I'm not sure I've seen it this way in a long time, or at least I don't recall, that the three AFC games are the first three games of the weekend, including the game on Peacock on Saturday night, which I'm still trying to decide about the NFL's strategy. So let's go in order, CJ Stroud, man of the hour in Houston, and does he know, does he recognize how challenging it is as a rookie quarterback, especially when he looks around the other rookie QBs and young QBs?

Does he know what a big deal it is for them to win the AFC South this season? I really haven't put no thought to it. Um, I've kind of just gone week to week, so I don't really, I don't think I really can, to be honest. I mean, it's been cool. It's been a long, long year for me. Been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of growing, a lot of learning, not only as a fore player, but as a man and as a person.

And I mean, I'm, I'm truly just grateful and blessed to be in the position I am. But I'll probably start reminiscing whenever February comes around or whenever our season ends, you know. He should have said whenever we win the Super Bowl. So the Texans as the South champions are hosting the five seed in the Cleveland Browns. And we did not see Joe Flacco in week 18, but he was there. 38-year-old Joe Flacco rides again. This has got to be, if not the best story of 2023. Oh, it's the top three because this is crazy. As Mark Ross said to us earlier, he was on his couch.

I don't know, three months ago. And he was out of the NFL. I hope he wasn't eating too many lime chips.

That would be what I'd be doing on the couch and, and chocolate. Now he's got his team into another playoff game. And Amari Cooper was talking about Joe Flacco's playoff experience. He, you know, alluded to the fact earlier in the week that this was his, you know, probably his 16th playoff game.

He wasn't quite sure, but around that, around that number. So, I mean, experience is the best teacher. So, you know, with that said, I think it's going to help a lot, but nothing really matters. Like you have to live in a moment, have to be where your feet are, you know, past the future. It's all about the present.

So, you know, it's any given Sunday in this league. So I can't really say, but, you know, obviously, hopefully. Obviously, hopefully that experience makes a difference.

Yeah, jury's out. I think experience matters, but not everybody would tell you that. And certainly there are young players and young teams that perform at the highest level in the postseason. But I do think if you have an experienced team, it can give them an edge.

If your leadership is experienced, it can give them an edge. And that's what you've got with Joe Flacco. He's a former Super Bowl MVP.

He's got a ring already. That counts for something. So that's your game to start off Super Size Wild Card Weekend. It is, in fact, Houston hosting Cleveland. Raise your hand if you thought that would be the first game of the NFL playoffs. Yeah, stop it.

None of you, as in none of you. And even if you got half of it right, meaning the Cleveland part, there's got to be very few of you that thought Houston would end up winning the AFC South. That's such a cool matchup of cool surprises. Second game is the Dolphins that have Tua healthy, ready to go. His first playoff game with the Dolphins, right? Because last year he didn't play. He was getting healed and getting healthy from the multiple concussions. And so this time he comes in as the leader in the NFL in passing yards in 23. Individual accolades.

Super cool. I mean, they're awesome. But I mean, if we could have won all our games, I would have traded that for that. If I would have threw for 200 yards the entire season and we would have been 17 and 0, I think anybody would have done the same. So yeah, it's cool, but that doesn't mean you won or you accomplished what you wanted to accomplish as a team.

Number two played at Alabama. Not a cold weather state. And certainly Miami, not a cold weather locale.

So people are making a lot of the fact that it's going to be bitter. And I mean, brutal, bone chilling cold in Kansas City on Saturday night. So what's the coldest temp he's ever been in? I think maybe 20, but like a little lower than 20. That's not cold. Nothing lower than I would say 15.

So probably like in between there. It was in Seattle. We played an All-Star game in high school and it was like raining and it was bad. It was at night too and it was like it was very windy.

Terrible. No heaters on the sideline. That is not cold.

I keep telling the new hubs that when I let him know the temperatures are dropping, it'll be below freezing and it's in the 20s and he makes a face and burr. That's not even cold. The 20s is not cold. No, it's not cold.

No. In fact, the 20s is kind of balmy for the winter time. That's like normal January. My coldest dog walk ever. I'm not sure if Moose would even go out in this weather. Penny and I once did a dog walk.

I'm not joking. Minus 27 wind chills. She was dancing around like it was the middle of spring. I'm wearing seven layers and she's dancing around like it's the middle of spring. Yeah, she's so happy. She loves the cold. Anyway, sorry Tua.

That is not cold and you are in for it. That is the big storyline around Saturday night's game. Also, how many people will actually see it since it'll be carried on Peacock? I get the feeling that the NFL is, this is what I think about the strategy. I could be wrong, but I believe the NFL is hoping that the lure of Patrick Mahomes will drive people to sign up for Peacock.

And I believe you can pay a flat fee just to have it for one month or to have it just for this game. So the NFL is taking the money, of course, and hoping that it's Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, the Chiefs, maybe it's Taylor Swift for heaven's sakes, I have no idea, that will attract people to purchase this Peacock and then maybe not cancel it or stick with it or look or say, oh, look what else we can get on Peacock. But I think they're hoping that Mahomes as the reigning NFL MVP and the Chiefs as the champions will attract more people to buy Peacock. Do you think the Taylor Swift aspect had anything to do with them putting the Chiefs on Peacock?

I hadn't until you just brought it up. Really? Do you think, see, I hope that the NFL is not that strategic, but what do I know? They're very careful and calculated. I bet you there will be Swifties if they find out that she's at the game. Absolutely. People will sign up for Peacock just for that.

It's a whole other audience that wouldn't have watched the game that might just because to get into. Yeah. And they're obviously extremely passionate. Interesting. Brand loyal, if you will. And if she's on Peacock, they might be on Peacock, too.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. The Chiefs are not starting this season with a buy and will likely have to go on the road if, well, we'll see how the dominoes drop, but they've not played a home post-season or not played a road post-season game in the Mahomes tenure. So this is all different. We played wildcard wreaking a couple of years ago against the Steelers and we were able to win that game. But you just got to be prepared to go. I mean, now it's everybody's records.

There's no record. Everybody's going out there to play and win games. And everybody believes they can win the Super Bowl. So this is when the best football is played. And it's all the mistakes are magnified, but all the successes are magnified. And so you just go out there with the mentality.

I'm taking one play at a time, put my best effort forward and see what happens. See, I don't in any way think that the Chiefs are intimidated by being on the road. Is it great to be at Arrowhead?

Absolutely. I mean, it's intimidating for other teams, but this is a championship team that has won their titles, not at Arrowhead. I mean, it's nice to have five straight AFC championship games there, but this is a group of guys, maybe not on the receiving core, though a bunch of them were in the Super Bowl last year. It's a group of guys that should be impervious to pressure. At the very least, their key guys should be impervious to pressure. Mason Rudolph is getting a big opportunity as the Steelers go into Buffalo, though they are also enormous underdogs. They're a great team. And I guess we're playing on the road, but I don't pay attention to the spread of not a gambler, but we know we got a lot of confidence in ourselves. That is music to the NFL's ears. He is not a gambler, because if you are a gambler, Mason, they will find you. They will.

They will find you. If I am correct in this, well, he spent his entire career in Pittsburgh. He's not ever played in a postseason game, so this would be the first for him, too. So first for both him and Tua.

So that's cool. For Josh Allen, Bills are peaking at the right time. Five straight wins. The AFC East title, they're on a roll. You want to peek at the right time?

I said that already. I think this football team, we've still got our best ball to play, but we're trending in the right direction. You know, and we're very fortunate to be playing another game. There's a lot of teams that aren't in the playoffs. A lot of guys that are not practicing today. So this is a very inspired group right now.

We just love that we're able to come in here and do what we love to do. All right. I'm just about ready. I'm not ready yet.

I'm just about ready. It is a weekend that's full of not just the reunions that we've talked about, which really will maybe add a pregame element, but once they're on the field, not as much. Though, man, I cannot wait to see the Matthew Stafford reception there at Ford Field. And it just intrigues me that Matthew was entrenched in the dubious playoff streak and the Bears, Bears, sorry, the Lions not having a home playoff game in 30 years. How often he heard that every single season, multiple times about how long it's been, how long it's been.

And now he goes in with another team to extend that streak of utility. Oh, does that feel bad at all? If you don't root for this guy, something's wrong with you. Something's wrong with you. I just I wonder if he's going to feel like a bit of a gut check over it. All right, we'll talk more tonight.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. Boom! Around New Year's, we get a little obsessed with changing ourselves and forgetting the things we're already doing right, like taking our supplements every morning or scheduling me time into our day. Therapy helps you recognize those victories and keep up the good work in the New Year without changing everything. BetterHelp offers affordable online therapy so you can try New Year's Same You with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash grow today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp.

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