JR SportBrief Hour 2

The Sultan of Sizzle. The Titan of Toastiness. The Kingpin of Kindling.

These are the admired ones. Those who've created the prime place to gather. They don't just have a backyard. They have the backyard because they know a Solo Stove Fire Pit is more than just the ultimate smokeless fire pit. It's a place where friendships are forged, football is revered, and food is enjoyed.

Solo Stove, the perfect flame for the big game. Your fever is high and the pressure to log in at work is too. But when you finally decide to take care of you, there's Instacart. Just because that one perfect coworker of yours is attending all meetings, camera on while she's sneezing, coughing, and aching doesn't mean you have to do the same. Take it from us.

Trying to stay on top of things will only get you further behind. Instead, get everything from tissues and teas to cough suppressants and comforting soups delivered through Instacart in as fast as 30 minutes. If anyone needs anything, they can just redirect their questions to that one perfect coworker of yours. It is! The JR Sport Brief Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. I'm coming to you live from Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you so much to our producer holding it down for us on the boards of New York City, Ryan Botcher. And I appreciate you, yes you, everybody listening all across North America. Getting ready for the weekend, getting ready to call it a wrap for Friday, getting ready for Saturday, getting ready for Sunday, making money, trying to make money, whatever you're doing. Thank you for tuning in. You got options, and you're here with me.

Thank you so much. This show gets started every weekday at 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 Pacific. I'm pulling up on a month, how about that? Time flies when you have in front. New time slot, same fun, same me.

Just even more fun, dammit, how about that? You can always listen to the show on the free Audacy app that's A-U-D-A-C-Y. You can tune in on your local CBS Sports Radio affiliate, Sirius XM Channel 158. And if you got a smart speaker, ask it to play CBS Sports Radio. You missed the first hour of the show, you already missed a lot.

Get the app and hit rewind. Thank you so much to Sam McDowell for joining us to talk about the Kansas City Chiefs. Sam covers all things Kansas City for the Kansas City Star.

And then how about this? In about 20 minutes from now, I do want to get a Detroit perspective on this NFC championship game between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers. And before we talk to Tim 20men about those Lions, I'm going to give you my thoughts. I'm going to give you my first prediction of the week between the 49ers and the Lions. Sorry, a little bit of a spoiler if I can call it one.

This one is not all that difficult of a choice for me to make. And so I'll share that with you momentarily. Last hour, yes, again, we had a conversation with Sam McDowell from the Kansas City Star. Next hour, I want to spend some more time talking a little bit more in depth about the Ravens and Chiefs.

I want to give you my prediction there. And then we can get into some of the pressure that these quarterbacks are feeling. You know, this is different reasons for everybody to feel a little fire underneath their backsides right now. Whether you happen to be Lamar Jackson or Jared Goff, we could think about Patrick Mahomes.

There's a reason for everybody to feel something right before we went to break. You know, we talked about Brock Purdy. The phone number, if you want to contact us and feel free to do so, is 855-212-4CBS. That's 855-212-4CBS. I'm on the Internet. You can hit me up. You know, feel free to do whatever you got to say publicly. I'm there.

You know, waste your time. All that good stuff online. I am at JR Sport Brief. We got a bunch of callers here.

I want to go ahead and get them on. And then I want to give you a little bit more in depth of my thoughts on what will take place in the NFC Championship game. And then we'll also hear some of the recent comments from some of the participants. Dan Campbell, Shanahan spoke. We're going to see what the hell is going on with Deebo Samuel. So let's hit the phone lines.

First of all, 855-212-4CBS. Ramon is calling up from Indianapolis. You're tuned into the JR Sport Brief Show. What's up, Ramon? Hey, what's up, JR? How are you doing? Thanks for taking my call. I really enjoy you at this time right now because when I get off and I have to run around and coach a little bit, I can catch you. Maybe miss that first hour, but I catch you and I'm telling you, you're on fire.

You're on fire. Belicheck, I think the tenor has just changed. NFL owners are starting to act a little bit like baseball NBA owners now. And so four years he had in New England, and they looked at that because he had his feet. That was an audition, honestly, without the great Tom Brady. And it didn't work out too well. And I think that kind of shied a lot of them. I'm not going to ever put anything on age or anything like that.

I don't believe in doing that. I just think his audition without Brady probably did him in with most of them. And then, as far as the Super Bowl is concerned, I think the most pressure is on Purdy and Lamar, of course, for different reasons.

One with Lamar. It's Baltimore history there. They've won two. He hasn't yet, and there's other reasons that you know.

Purdy, the great San Francisco organization, they've got five trophies. They haven't won since 1994, people. Everybody keeps acting like Shanahan has won a Super Bowl. He has not. He lost with Garoppolo.

They have not won since 1994. I think Purdy is under immense pressure. I think Jared Goff is playing with House Money there ahead of schedule. And of course Mahomes, the great Mahomes, already got two. So it's a coin flip in my opinion. But I think those two got the most pressure.

I think Purdy got more than anybody. We're talking about the great San Francisco 49ers, people. Don't discount that. Thank you, Mahomes, Jared. Thank you, Ramon, for calling up from Indianapolis.

I appreciate you. This is one thing Ramon said, and he didn't want to get into talking about age. He didn't believe in it. You don't got to believe in it. You don't have to not want to talk about it or ignore it or throw it out the window.

It's a factor. The oldest head coach in NFL history was Romeo Cornell. OK, he was 73 years old. He was the oldest coach that we have ever seen in NFL history. And we know he was babysitting the Texans back in a covid year. Seventy three years old.

We haven't seen anybody past that. Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll at 72 and 71. They also happen to be some of the oldest coaches that we have ever seen in NFL history. So to say that, you know, maybe there's age or ageism or age might be a factor.

It absolutely is a factor. You think about some of these these coordinators who are being hired as new head coaches. These dudes are in their late 30s. They are in their 40s.

They're not mincing words. I mean, here's the deal. If you hire an NFL quarterback, first of all, it is strenuous. You know, we all are probably at certain points have seen what being the president of the United States of America does to an individual. Unless you're slapping on spray paint and doing nonsense to your hair, you can see a four year evolution and how someone ages.

Also, unless you're already old as dirt, it may not matter too much. But we see what the four years and the stress and the long days and the late nights and the early mornings can do to someone. And at the same time, man, it's tough being an NFL head coach, getting to the facility early, running everything.

It is ridiculously stressful. You're going to trust Bill Belichick to continue to do this. But how many more years is he just going to break the record?

Is he going to go past 73 and stick around until he's 80? I don't think that's realistic. Not in the NFL. I mean, it's one thing to get busted in first class and get off a plane and sit down and do a television broadcast.

It's a complete different animal. To have to put in all the work all year long yelling at people who are 22, 23, 24, 25, dealing with the nonsense, the headaches, being CEO of football, you. Age does play a factor because it's not to say that for right now there's anything wrong with Bill Belichick or his motivation isn't there, or he's fallen asleep taking a nap in a dugout like he's Tony La Russa. There is an example of age getting you. But the fact is, how much longer would you have expected? And would it be worth it?

And that's why the Falcons didn't high end. 855-212-4CBS. Christopher is calling up from Tennessee. You're on the JR Sport Brief Show here on CBS Sports Radio. What's up, Chris? How are you doing today, man? I'm very well. How are you?

I'm doing well. You know, me being in Tennessee, you know, I cheer for the hometown team, the Titans. And it's one of those cases where, you know, it's been said Derek Henry is not going to be staying on with them for another year. My question to you is, do you think Derek Henry would go to one of these four teams that's left standing in this week's conference championships?

Well, I mean, there's a couple of teams that I would already throw out of the window. And thank you for calling up, Chris, from Tennessee. San Francisco don't need no running back. Have you seen Christian McCaffrey? Christian McCaffrey is a candidate for MVP.

I don't think he's going to win the award. Christian McCaffrey is also a candidate for AP Offensive Player of the Year. And so we know San Francisco does not need a running back. If we go ahead and take a look at Detroit, they've added David Montgomery.

They drafted Jameer Gibbs, which was a shock to everybody when they went out there and added him to the team. And so if you do want to look at either of the two teams, is it a possibility that Baltimore adds him? We know that they just added Dalvin Cook, who don't be surprised if he gets in on some of the action.

And Kansas City, yes, is looking for weapons. But I mean, at running back, are they necessarily going to pay this man what he might want? We know Christian McCaffrey makes more money than any other running back in the NFL right now at about 16 million dollars per year. Derrick Henry just left the Tennessee Titans and they were giving him 13. Is Derrick Henry going to take the approach of pay me pennies and I will show up and contribute to a team? Or is he going to look to say, hey, I was making 13.

I don't want to settle now for less than 10. We know the running back market is tough, but for the NFC side, I don't think it makes any sense for Derrick Henry to hook up with Detroit or San Francisco in the off season. And in the case of Kansas City and Baltimore, there might be a little bit more of a possibility. But I do believe if there is any team that may need him could actually use them. It's Buffalo, where Josh Allen is just Superman doing everything. A matter of fact, Josh Allen does more than everything. He's just quote unquote does too much.

He needs help. I think that might be a better fit for Derrick Henry. Speaking of those two teams in the NFC, we know Detroit and San Francisco, they're going to be at it. They're going to get after it in San Francisco. NFC title on the line. A spot in the Super Bowl on the line. And the 49ers are used to being here at this point under Shanahan. We know it took them towards the end to go out there and beat Green Bay.

Twenty four to twenty one Brock Purdy helped get the job done late after stinking and join up the majority of the game in the rain. This is their third straight appearance in the NFC championship game. This is their fourth appearance in five years. And do I need to rehash how terrible the lines have been? The last time we saw them in an NFC championship game, the last time we saw them this far along was 32 years ago against Washington and they lost.

And so there's a lot at stake here. But let me get some of the injuries out of the way. The biggest injury that people have been talking about leading up to this game has to deal with Debo Samuel. Debo popped his shoulder early in that game against Green Bay. People were concerned about whether or not he was going to be able to participate in this game. And Kyle Shanahan, he spoke to the media a couple of hours ago and he pretty much said, oh, yeah, Debo is ready to go. And this is what he said about his status.

It's huge. I mean, a little scary at the beginning of the week, but to be able to go full go today and no restrictions on them is definitely a good thing for us. Good thing for us. We know Debo Samuel is a Swiss Army knife. Is he going to run the ball on a pitch? Is he going to run up the slot? Is he going to return punts and kicks? You have no idea as Debo Samuel is one of the most just interesting weapons that we have here in the NFL.

And to have those weapons where you don't know who's going where or how they're going to operate certainly works in the favor of the San Francisco 49ers. And we spent the past couple of days looking at Brock Purdy. We know that he was in the NFC Championship game last year against the Philadelphia Eagles.

He had the exit with that torn UCL, couldn't throw the ball, couldn't grip the ball, had no power to move the ball. Brock Purdy is getting a second chance. Brock Purdy is getting another opportunity.

And let's be real. They barely got here and beating Green Bay last week when Brock Purdy spoke to the media. He said, yeah, this is a new week, new team, and new time to learn.

And it doesn't matter if you play good or bad like you can't, I don't think, take really any of that with you the next week. It's a new game. It's a new scheme. It's new environment. Everything, everything about it is new. So it's almost like you got to clean the slate, learn from the mistakes, build off of, you know, the good things that you've done.

But it's going to be, it's a new game. So that's the mental battle that I feel like all the NFL quarterbacks go through. And I think that's where the great ones really, you know, separate themselves from the others. Well, you want to talk about the quarterback on the opposite side? It's Jared Goff. Jared Goff has been to a Super Bowl with the Rams. We know he had to beat the Rams to even get to the spot in this position.

The Lions, man, second best passing offense in the NFL this season. That's why Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator, is being talked about so much everywhere. Jared Goff threw for forty five hundred yards.

Amman Ra's St. Brown and Sam Laporta, pro bowlers, all pros here early on in their careers. And even though people haven't talked about them, Jared Goff knows that, hey, we got the horses, we got the guns here to make it happen. Even Kyle Shanahan, he had positive words for Jared Goff.

Take a listen. You go with Jared, I mean, for a number of years, especially, you know, I think 17, 18, really 18. He played at MVP type level when Jared's when they give him a good scheme, when he's got good people around him. Jared's going to always find the spot. He's as accurate as any quarterback I've seen.

He can play at a very top level. If you sit and make things easy for him, he will gas you. I've seen it over and over, whether it's with the Rams, whether it's with Detroit.

And that's why you challenge it. You better be on your stuff or you can embarrass you fast. Yeah, there's a high possibility of an embarrassment coming. It's the JR Sport Brief Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. I want to break in with some let's just say breaking news. OK, Michigan officially hiring Sharone Moore as their next head coach, replacing Jim Harbaugh, who we know has moved on and is moving on to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. We're going to talk about this hire from Michigan in this next hour in this next break. On the other side, we're going to continue this conversation about the Lions getting ready to take on these San Francisco 49ers. Ten twenty men is going to come through and join us covers all things Detroit Lions will get his thoughts on the Lions chances of actually advancing to their first Super Bowl. We're going to give you more of an update on what's going to happen with Michigan. Sharone Moore is their new head coach, replacing Jim Harbaugh.

We got so much to do. You're locked into the JR Sport Brief Show on CBS Sports Radio. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief on CBS Sports Radio. It is the JR Sport Brief Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. Man, this is news breaking all week.

What a busy week it's been. We know about Michigan and we just heard the news not too long ago. Looks like the Wolverines officially are going to keep Sharone Moore.

He is going to be the next head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan in a prominent space in football right now. As we also know, the Detroit Lions are going to be in action. NFC Championship game. A chance to go to their first Super Bowl on the line. A lot to discuss from the injury report and their defense and their offense and what they need to do to go ahead and get past those 49ers.

Joining us right now is Tim 20 men. Detroit Lions senior writer and insider knows everything about the Lions and the D. Tim, thank you for taking the time to hop on. Yeah, no problem. Anytime. Appreciate it. So I guess first things first, out of the box. Are there any injury concerns that we need to pay attention to with the Detroit Lions?

Yeah, a couple. Left guard Jonah Jackson suffered a knee injury last game in the division round in the first half. He's not going to be able to go. They're hopeful if they advance past this and can get to the Super Bowl, he'll be back. But they're not going to have the starting left guard. And so, you know, that's been the strength of Detroit all year long as their offensive line. So we'll kind of have to see how that shakes out. San Francisco's got a really nice trio of defensive tackles in there.

So something to watch. And then Kalief Raymond, their punt returner. He's been out the last couple games. But Donovan Peoples-Jones, a player that they traded for at the trade deadline, has handled that the last couple weeks.

Done a good job. So all in all, Detroit's pretty healthy for this point in season. When you think about what the team needs to do moving forward on Sunday against the 49ers.

What are some of the real points of emphasis? We know, as you just mentioned, the offensive line is a strength. Their pass offense was one of the best in the NFL last year. What adjustments do they need to make, if any, to try to get past these Niners? Yeah, you know, I think they want to establish a run, which they've been really good at. You know, they threw for 4,000 yards this year. They rushed for 2,000 yards. They were top five in the NFL in both passing and rushing. So they've been really balanced.

And so I think they obviously want to continue that. You know, get David Montgomery, get Jameer Gibbs rolling a little bit early. I don't think it's a good plan to be one-dimensional against this 49ers defense, especially with the guys that they have on the edges and their defensive line. And then the other thing, I think defensively, the big emphasis has been tackle, right? You've got to be good at tackling the San Francisco 49er team.

When you're talking about guys like Deebo Samual and Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Iuke and George Kittle. I mean, they're so good at making guys miss in space and turn those short little plays. Those quick wide receiver screens, a lot of the stuff that San Francisco does, they're so good at taking those small plays and turning them into big ones. And so that's really been the emphasis for Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator, and all those guys on defenses. They got to rally to the football and they've got to tackle really well in this game. 1020 minutes here with us, covers the Detroit Lions, knows everything about them. When you talk about the weapons that the 49ers have, you just went through the weapons.

Yes, Deebo Samual, he will be available. We know about McCaffrey and Iuke and Kittle, and the list goes on and on. Why has the Detroit Lions, why has their past defense been so poor this year? Well, you know, they've shaped some stuff up in the secondary. They've suffered some injuries. You know, they played most of the year without C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

He's just come back, you know, late in the season and for the playoffs. And this has, you know, been a good move for them because now they've got three safeties that they really like in Kirby Joseph, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Efatu Melafonwu really came out strong at the end of the season. They can throw some different packages. But look, they've suffered some injuries at cornerback. And, you know, they've given up some plays and they've given up some yards.

You go back to, I think, all the way back to week 16 when they played Justin Jefferson. I mean, they've given up a 140-yard receiver in every game since week 16, but they're 5-1 over that stretch. And they're 5-1 because, yeah, they give up some yards, they give up some plays, but they've been really good in the red zone. You know, they're forcing teams to kick field goals. You know, they've been opportunistic with some takeaways. You know, they're top five in the league over the last five games and takeaways. So, yeah, they've given up yards, they've given up plays, but when it really matters when they needed a play in the red zone or get that key takeaway like we saw to end the game in the divisional round versus Tampa Bay with Derek Barnes' interception, they've been able to find a way to make those plays, and that's been the biggest difference on defense.

Detroit Lions senior writer Tim 20min is joining us as the JR Sportbree Show on CBS Sports Radio. We know that Dan Campbell is the face of this organization, from his quotes to his press conferences. And you can obviously look at the talent that the Lions have brought in over the past few years, whether it's trading for a golf or drafting a Gibbs or a Laporta with the trade.

We can look at all of that. Does Brad Holmes get the credit that he deserves knowing that he's a little bit more in the background? Yeah, well, you know, he was just named the Pro Football Writers of America Executive of the Year, so I think we're starting to see, you know, some of that credit roll in. And, yeah, you look at some of the moves he's made, you just look at the draft classes that he's had over the last three years. I mean, guys like Penny Sewell, guys like Ahmaan Ra, St. Brown, Aiden Hutchinson, I mean, the list goes on and on. Gibbs, Laporta, you mentioned those guys. And even some guys they took later in rounds, like Derek Barnes, like Efatu Melafonu, now guys that are stepping to the forefront being key contributors. And then, you know, free agency this year, a guy like C.J.

Gardner-Johnson, even though he missed a lot of the year, now he's back and making plays. You know, getting to David Montgomery, who's just a perfect complement to Jameer Gibbs. So, you know, he's a really savvy executive. He's really, you know, pulled all the right strings in terms of the draft and free agency. And he is a big, big reason why this team is in this spot.

Both him and Dan Campbell, they're on the same page. When your GM and your coach are on the same page, you get talented guys in here, and then you have a coaching staff that can develop them. That's why Detroit is where they're at right now and have been able to turn this thing around in three quick years.

Well, Tim, we know everybody in Detroit certainly appreciates the turnaround. You could feel the energy when you hear interviews or watch some of the videos, and I can feel the energy that has been surrounding Ford Field. What is the overall vibe heading into this game? Is there cautious optimism from the fan base in Detroit?

Is there David versus Goliath? We have the little ones. What is the overall vibe from the fan base? You know, the vibe I get, and I give Detroit fans a lot of credit, is we're going to go to San Francisco where it went.

I mean, that's a vibe that I get. I mean, Ford Field was completely electric. I'm sure if you watched the football games over the last two weeks when they played the Rams and Bucks and the playoffs in one, I'm sure you could hear it off the TV.

I'm sure you could feel the energy just off the TV. And look, this is a franchise that hadn't won a division in 30 years. They did that. This is a franchise that hadn't won a playoff game in 32 years. They did that.

And so you never know when your window is going to appear. And if there are one of four teams left, they can punch their first ticket to the Super Bowl. And I think Detroit is behind this team. You know, yeah, they're underdogs. They're going on the road, and they've got nine Pro Bowlers in San Francisco. This is the number one seed, as they should. But this is a very, very confident Detroit Lions football team. It's a very confident city who's really behind this squad.

Let me ask you this in finality, Tim. Yeah, they're going into San Francisco. They are the underdogs. When it's all said and done, do you see the Detroit Lions moving on to the Super Bowl this year? Wow.

Hit me with that one right to end, huh? You know, I think it's going to be a great game. I think it's going to be a close game. And I think the biggest difference between these two teams, obviously you love what San Francisco brings defensively. That's the better unit than Detroit's. But offensively, these teams are very similar if you look at the weapons.

And the one advantage to me is the offensive line and then the quarterback. You know, Jared Goff has been in this game. He's won this game.

This isn't going to be too big for him. And when you have a little bit of an advantage at quarterback, which I think the Lions do, I think that gives you an edge in a game like this even on the road. I like Detroit in a really close game. And this kind of Cinderella story continues on for two weeks.

That would be absolutely amazing. And I know we got a lot of fans in Michigan and Detroit right now who love what you just said. Tim, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to hop on.

Where can people follow you in your work? Yeah, you know, DetroitLions.com, senior writer there. And then you can follow me on Twitter at T20man. And I do the 20-minute in the huddle podcast, and I got a great episode up this week previewing everything championship game in San Francisco on Sunday. It should be a fun one. Do you have your bags packed for Vegas already, Tim? What's going on?

Not quite yet. You know, I get to buy in between there to kind of get things straight. But look, I think it's going to be fun. I'm just going to enjoy the atmosphere. I'm going to enjoy being in the first NFC Championship game since 1991.

I know everyone in Detroit is too. And then we'll just see what comes next on Monday. Okay, one step at a time. Okay, I got you, Tim. Thank you so much. Enjoy the game. Have a wonderful weekend. I appreciate you taking the time to join us, okay?

Yeah, no problem anytime, guys. Thank you so much to Tim T20man. That is the Detroit Lions senior writer and insider. Tim is looking at the Detroit Lions and he sees an upset. He sees the Detroit Lions moving on to their very first Super Bowl.

And one of the key reasons that he's drawn that conclusion. Well, he's looking at the quarterback. And he's looking at someone like Jared Goff who has been here in this position. Jared Goff going into the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in early 2019. And going out there and taking on the New England Patriots. I know it feels and seems so long ago, especially for a quarterback like Jared Goff who, let's be real, when he was traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Detroit Lions, it really came across like he was being punished.

Like they were jettisoning him out to Siberia. Like they were telling Jared Goff, we don't need you. And so one of the big rallying cries from Dan Campbell has been after every playoff victory is to let everybody know. We wanted you here. You're good enough for us here in Detroit. And I guess if you want a cheerleader, it's no better cheerleader, right, than Dan Campbell.

Not too bad of a dude to have in your corner. It's the JR Sport Brief Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. The phone number is 855-212-4CBS.

That's 855-212-4CBS. If you got a prediction on the NFC Championship game, feel free to share it. Who do you think will win? Is it the 49ers?

Is it the Detroit Lions? I'm going to share with you my prediction on the other side of the break. We're going to ask producer Ryan for his prediction as well. It's the JR Sport Brief Show on CBS Sports Radio. And how about this?

We've also learned that the Michigan Wolverines have a new football coach. The Sultan of Sizzle. The Titan of Toastiness.

The Kingpin of Kindling. These are the admired ones. Those who've created the prime place together. They don't just have a backyard. They have the backyard because they know a Solo Stove Fire Pit is more than just the ultimate smokeless fire pit. It's a place where friendships are forged. Football is revered. And food is enjoyed. Solo Stove, the perfect flame for the big game.

A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing. One retired cop returns. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. That's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter.

But you're on a roll. The Ring of Comfort. Coming soon to a Super Bowl new you. Hey, Mel. Bri here. Gotta work from home today because the whole family caught a nasty... Daddy.

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Just use Instacart, Brian. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief on CBS Sports Radio. It is the JR Sport Brief show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. Thank you so much to Tim Twentiman, Detroit Lions senior writer, for joining us in our last break as we took a look at what might happen between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers as they battle it out in San Francisco for a chance at the Super Bowl. We also know that Sharron Moore, he is now going to be the next head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. We know that he took over for head coach Jim Harbaugh when he was suspended twice throughout this past season.

And so we can finally put to rest some of the, I don't want to say ridiculous, because you're always gonna have rumors, you're always gonna have speculation. But the thought that somebody like Brian Kelly was gonna come through and leave LSU and go to Michigan where people pretty much hate his guts because of his affiliation formerly with Notre Dame, I found that to be a lot of crap. And so Michigan stays in a straight line. We talked about this yesterday with Jake Butt, former tight end for the Michigan Wolverines, also coached under Sharron Moore and then now also Jim Harbaugh. And continuity is important. And when you want to maintain continuity for someone that you had in a building in regards to trying to keep recruits, if Jim Harbaugh stayed, the roster was going to be different. If he left, we know the roster is going to be different.

And so there's going to be an adjustment period for Michigan and the Wolverines to try to move on forward. But to keep on Sharron Moore I think is a great idea. And I think everything else was just a bunch of Internet nonsense. 855-212-4CBS. That's 855-212-4CBS. I can tell you one thing that is not nonsense. You probably heard it in the break here.

And now I've got this game on in the studio. The Phoenix Suns are currently leading the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis 47 to 35. Devin Booker had 29 points in the first quarter.

Let me say that again. Devin Booker had 29 points in the first quarter. If you thought Joel Embiid dropping 70 on Monday night was a big deal, there's a lot of people watching and paying attention to see what Devin Booker does the rest of this game. As of right now, he has 31 points. About 3 minutes have gone by in the second quarter. He is 10 of 15 overall from the field. He is 4 of 6 from deep. The next highest scorer for the Phoenix Suns happens to be Bradley Beal with 7 points. Devin Booker, 29 points in the first quarter, 31 points overall.

He has completely lost his mind. I just tweeted this out. Well, I don't know if I tweeted it or X'd it out.

Whatever the hell you call it. Devin Booker can expect a drug test regardless of how this game ends. And you never know with these performances. Does Devin Booker continue on at this pace and move towards 50 points or 60 points?

Or does he flatline the rest of the game and finish with, I don't know, only 40? And so we'll keep you up to date on what could be another historic night scoring wise in the NBA where just everybody is scoring at a nutty rate right now. 8-5-5, 2-1-2 for CBS. That's 8-5-5, 2-1-2 for CBS. We do have some callers here who have some thoughts on the NFC Championship game. I do want us to hear from Dan Campbell.

I am also going to share my prediction. Let's go ahead and talk to Kingfish calling from Arkansas. You're on CBS Sports Radio, the JR Sportbreeze show. Yes. Hey, good evening, JR. How are you doing? I'm excellent. Thank you. Go ahead. Okay.

I've got three quick predictions or prognostications. Number one, Taylor and Travis will not attend this year's Las Vegas Super Bowl, number one. Thank you. Number two, Andy Reid will open a nationwide fast food chain named Reid's Tasty Cheeseburgers and more. Well, thank you.

And then number three, and lastly, the Detroit Mallions will play in this year's Super Bowl in Vegas. Okay. Well, thank you. Thank you.

Do you have anything else you'd like to add as to why? Well, I think it's just a weird year, election year, 29 days in February. I think everybody's pulling for the underdog with Detroit, but I do believe it's Lamar's time. So I think it's Lamar against Detroit. And I'll go ahead and throw out. Let's see if we can get 82 points out of Booker. Okay. Let's see.

Maybe you can go ahead and pass that up. Thank you, Kingfish, for calling from Arkansas. Today, we also know, unfortunately, it's wild to think about it. It's four years to the day that Kobe Bryant passed away. And so, yeah, maybe Devin Booker is feeling something. Man, if Devin Booker ends up with 82 points, I have no idea. You know, the world is just a funny place. And, you know, Kingfish just called from Arkansas and he talked about how it's a funny year, election year, 29 days in February, which I didn't know.

I don't pay attention. And yeah, I'll be damned if Devin Booker has 82 points tonight on the unfortunate anniversary of Kobe Bryant's passing. That that'd be kind of freaky.

There'd be no other word for that. Eight five five two one two four CBS. That's eight five five two one two four CBS. Dan is here from Wisconsin. You're on the J.R. sport show. Please go ahead, Dan. Hey, a lot of the Packer fans I know are really rooting for Detroit. It's kind of weird.

I'll do some brief history. I mean, I've been a Packer fan for 50 years. I remember when Tampa Bay was in our division and it was always between Chicago, Green Bay and the Vikings. And Detroit and Tampa Bay were just too easy to beat every year, you know, to get your playoff playoff picture in line.

And with that said, I do believe the Packers helped Detroit this week because I do believe that team thinks and probably is better than Green Bay. And, you know, Devo Samuels taking him out aside, they're going to watch this film and they're going to be motivated. And, you know, I am really rooting for Detroit. OK, I mean, I guess this is a little bit like little brother maybe finally getting a little bit of love. Is that kind of the feeling?

Yeah, that is totally the feeling. You know, if it was the Packers Detroit, I'm 100 percent Packers, but I'd say I'm like 25 percent. You know, I'm going to be really disappointed if Detroit doesn't do this. I just like I always said for years, yeah, the Packers, for whatever reason, don't go. God, I'd like to see Detroit.

That would be cool. You got a you got a nice, warm heart. You're a con man, Dan. Thank you so much for calling from Wisconsin. You enjoy the game, OK? I will.

OK, thank you, Dan, for calling from Wisconsin. Yeah, there's a lot of folks rooting for the Lions, man. People tend to root for the underdogs. It's more of a relatable story.

I think just the human experience is to feel like you're always coming from behind, even if you happen to be somebody, you know, sitting at the top of the totem pole. You know, you're always looking for an added motivation and us against the world mentality, a you against the world mentality, so you can go out there and try to conquer your dreams, whatever they might be. And we know these are some big dreams here for the Detroit Lions, as as we all know, having been to an NFC championship game in 32 years.

And this would be a huge move because they have never, ever been to a Super Bowl. And so Dan Campbell and talking to the media, he was asked about this and knowing that you're going to take on the Niners. Do you take a different approach? Like, how do you prepare for this team?

And he's pretty much like, man, we do the same crap. Listen to this. We're right where we need to be. And the minute you start trying to make this greater than it really is, which is another football game right in front of you, and you prepare the same way, you practice the same way, you put your socks on the same way.

That's that's when you I think you run into problems. It's the next game. And, you know, and they've done this all year. Our guys have done it all year. We've done things right. We understand what it's going to take. And we we respect the opponent, know what they're capable of.

And we know exactly what we're capable of. No, David, that's a confident man. Now, is he? That's why I like Dan Campbell. Sounds like a complete lunatic. I love him.

He continued on. He gave his thoughts specifically on taking on the Niners. This will be an outstanding test for us, but it's one we're ready for. So we're built to handle this. And this is going to be just be an outstanding game on the road. Our guys can be ready to roll. You would imagine that they would be. And there's been a lot of talk about Brock Purdy and the weapons that he has to work with.

And, you know, people, I don't think, still give the lines their due. You can take a look at what they do offensively. But there's still a lot of folks who aren't familiar with their their young players, a rookie like Sam Porter, a man, Ron St. Brown, like people aren't familiar with their young talent because they are so young. I mean, there was even a reporter who asked Jared Goff about the lack of superstars or the lack of recognition. And he kind of laughed with the reporter. He thanked him for saying, yeah, our young players are great. And then he took back what he said and then he corrected them or corrected him on their accomplishments.

Listen to this interaction. Yeah, he pretty much told everybody, like, man, we got all pros over here, we got pro bowlers over here. Now, this is the part where I give you my prediction. Unlike Mr. 20 men who just joined us from the Detroit Lions, their reporter, I'm going with the San Francisco 49ers.

I do agree with him. When you take a look at at Jared Goff and you compare him to Brock Purdy, Brock Purdy does not have the Super Bowl experience. You know, Jared Goff is is going to be comfortable. I don't think he's necessarily going to be rattled when it comes down to the actual moment. But I would be kind of threatened and worried and rattled if I had to think about Nick Bosa trying to chase me down, if I had to think about Fred Warner trying to chase me down or stop my tight end and Sam Laporta.

Fred Warner is one of the best coverage tight ends or excuse me, linebackers that we have in the game. And so I'm going to go with the 49ers because this game certainly might be a shootout. But I believe in the 49ers and their defense a little bit more.

I also will lean on their experience. And who knows? I think there might be a possibility where we see old gambling Dan Campbell. We know he is not afraid to go for it.

He is not afraid to be aggressive. And that actually might be a difference in this game. It might help them win or it might help them lose. I just believe in the 49ers and their experience. And sure, yes, Brock Purdy, he has an advance past an NFC championship game.

Last year, he didn't even get an opportunity to go out there and complete it. But with the experience of this team and their players, Samuel and Kittle going going to Super Bowls, losing Super Bowls. I think they are primed and ready for this moment, especially on what might be another terrible field out in San Francisco.

Or at least Santa Clara. My apologies. It's the J.R. sport re-show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. I got the 49ers going to the Super Bowl again.

It's the J.R. sport re-show, CBS Sports Radio. We're going to take a break. When we come back on the other side, we're going to talk about the Ravens and the Chiefs. I'm going to get Ryan's perspective on these games as well. Don't move. It's J.R. on a Friday night getting you ready for the championship games.

A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns... That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter.

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