Dan Orlovsky: Brock Purdy has proven he's pretty good

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Find out how to bring your ideas to life at dell.com slash welcome to now. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Drop, drop, drop a beat, a beat. There's a new phrase, grip, for one team that's left in the NFL. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. There's one team in these playoffs that's never won a Super Bowl, never been to a Super Bowl.

And the phrase for them, two words, why not? Just because of the Detroit Lions. Today's guests, ESPN NFL analyst, Dan Orlovsky, senior writer for the MMQB, Albert Breer, Prime Video TNF analyst, Andrew Whitworth. And now, it's Rich Eisen.

Yes, indeed. It is time for the Rich Eisen Show. Live on the Roku channel in this Rich Eisen Show terrestrial radio affiliate, Sirius XM, Odyssey and more.

It is a fun day in our neighborhood. Dan Orlovsky is going to be first up 20 minutes from now. Can't wait to chat with him about everything going on in the divisional round and then previewing a little bit about what's going down for all of us to watch on Championship Sunday. Breer, we're going to call Albert Breer to the Zoom machine on Sports Illustrated and ask him why did the Tennessee Titans land on Brian Callahan, the offensive coordinator for Zach Taylor in his nice run as coach so far with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Mike Vrabel out, Brian Callahan in, and the Titans now join the Patriots in the coaching hiring column. While we're all waiting for second interviews to be done and find out what Atlanta is going to do, what the Los Angeles Chargers are going to do, particularly all of us in Michigan Wolverine land on those two spots because those are the spots that have interviewed to Jim Harbaugh.

Not just once, but soon to be twice as Harbaugh is making his way out to Los Angeles and already here for a second interview with the Chargers. So Breer, we will call Albert to the Zoom machine and then in studio, first ever car wash in the history of the Rich Eisen Show and Rich Eisen Productions. Andrew Whitworth is going to be joining us here in studio. Hour number three, Amazon Prime's Andrew Whitworth.

Walter Payton Man of the Year, Super Bowl champion Andrew Whitworth. And then he's going to stay after class and record What the Football in studio with Suzy Schuster and Amy Trask. And Amy will be talking about what she said on last week's show and how it was received by Niner fans.

And then Brock Purdy went out and played a choppy football game, but did advance. So that'll be on Tuesday's What the Football. Keep an ear out and an eye out for that.

Wherever you get your podcasts or on our YouTube page. This show also includes overreaction Monday on a Tuesday. And also, I don't know how you guys think I look today, but I think I look pretty fresh after having scored 40 points in the NBA last night. Yeah, I mean, that's the way it all went.

Something in the water. The NBA best decided to celebrate the anniversary of Kobe's 81 point game with damn near taking it out. That was awesome. So that was quite a night in the association, which we will discuss on this program.

And then with you, 844204 Rich being the number to dial. How are you doing over there, Chris Brockman? What's going on, sir? I'm great. I'm great.

Celtics 13 10. But DJ Mikey D is in these nuts. How are you doing? What's going on? OK, very good. And hey, T.J. Jefferson, good to see you, sir.

Joe MB had 70 in last night. That's right. And we're just living. Excellent. And in honor of that, we're going to take the rest of the show off. Oh, really?

No, we're not. I had some stuff to do. We're going to load manage. We're going to load manage. Do you need your do you need your management? Do we need to manage your time? OK, do you? Oh, I'm not going there, T.J. No, my time is OK. I like this time.

OK, very good. Congrats. Embiid looks great, man. And so do your Sixers. And it was a great night in hoops.

So you know what we're going to do here to start this program? We're going to take one last look back at divisional playoff weekend in which, by the way. We saw NBC have a record number of people watch a divisional playoff game for the Peacock Network and Peacock. Over 40 million people watched the Lions and the Bucks have added a peaked at 40 million. And the number that I was saying on this program that would watch the Chiefs and the Bills. 50 million confirmed today. CBS coverage of Bill's Chiefs peaked at over 50 million people watching.

Many of them to go out and see is Taylor Swift there. And in turn, instead, we saw Jason Kelsey being shirtless, just part and parcel of the circus that played out in western New York for 50 some million people to watch on the network. That's going to be watching, showing us Super Bowl 58. In between all of that, there's so much to discuss as you've got legacy franchises going at it. The Niners hosting the Lions.

It's the 17th. Conference championship game appearance for the 49ers and the Lions have not appeared in the conference championship since Mark Rippon. And Washington boat raced him in the old RFK Stadium back in the old day. And then you've got the Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions, after bouncing the Buffalo Bills trying to make sure the Ravens don't make the Super Bowl, while the Ravens would love to take the crown off of Kansas City's head and bring it to Las Vegas, flash it in front of whoever wins the NFC championship game and put it on their heads. It's going to be pretty sweet this weekend's action. But before we start looking at all that, I've got a top five.

Top five mind-blowing moments from divisional playoff weekend. Hit it. Hit it. High five. One, two, three, four, five. Richest top five.

That is correct. I need my music and I need it all to start with the way it started on divisional playoff weekend. We start in Baltimore, where the Ravens were up 10 to three, four minutes and 17 seconds left in the half. The Houston Texans couldn't move it a lick on offense, so Stephen Sims had to move it on special teams. A 67-yard dash from Stephen Sims of the Houston Texans, that was mind-blowing because the Texans had tied the Ravens in Baltimore in a game that the Ravens appeared to be dominating. Up 10 to three, right before halftime, they tied it at 10 apiece and it was a sight that we had not seen in quite some time.

It was mind-blowing. The first playoff punt return for a touchdown since Trinden Holliday, remember him? Of the Denver Broncos, returned one 90 yards in the 2012 divisional round contest. We had not seen a punt return for a touchdown in any playoff game since he did it for the Broncos. A record 90-yard punt return that still remains to this day not broken in the playoffs.

That's how rare it was. Stephen Sims is number five. Number four on this list is the first four snaps in Buffalo.

This was a mind-blowing sequence. First snap of the game is a pass out to Stefan Diggs and the ball is loose. Ripped loose and it's free and Dalton Kincaid bats it out of bounds. I know in the Super Bowl you can apparently wager on what the first play is or what the first score is.

That's what I've heard. I don't know, can you wager on a forced fumble and illegal batting penalty to start a divisional playoff game? That was the first snap of the game. And then the second snap of the game was when Mike Edwards collided over the middle on Stefan Diggs.

And Edwards, one of the most important players in the back end of the defense for Kansas City, got knocked out of the game with a concussion. So stop play and then the Bills have to call a timeout because the clock is winding down even after that stoppage of play. And then on third and 17, Josh Allen scrambles up the middle. And I don't know, do you have on your bingo card a lateral past the line of scrimmage like Kelsey did in a way to Kadarius Toney? The last time these two teams met, Ty Johnson grabs it and damn near gets a first down. And it was apparent to me a forward lateral and Andy Reid didn't even challenge it. So you've got even controversy about whether this was the right call and whether a coach should challenge.

And Andy Reid has to be like three snaps in the game. You were telling me from upstairs I should throw a red challenge flag because, yeah, the Bills on the fourth snap of the game went for it on fourth down from their own 40. And I'm sitting there going, what the hell is going on? That's the way this game started.

It's like what Stefan Diggs said. The hell going on? Back in the day, number three on the mind blowing moment. That's it.

I was wondering the same thing. Top five mind blowing moments from the divisional round number three. His season was unbelievable. Everyone wondering, can he do it? Is he the real deal?

You actually in a way alienated your Hall of Fame quarterback by trading up to draft him and then sat him for a couple of years and then finally started him. When you're wondering, is this Jordan Love's season? Is this his job? Can he do it? And then he not only proves that he can do it, he wins a playoff. He makes the playoffs, wins a playoff game in Dallas and then puts it puts the scare. I mean, downright frightening moments for the San Francisco 49ers faithful watching him go up 21-14.

But now he's down by three. And this is mind blowing that the last throw, the final throw of Jordan Love's breakout season may have been his worst. What was he doing throwing it across the middle late into triple coverage when all he needed was a field goal to force overtime. And this kid, all he did was the right moves, was playing with his neck up with his remarkable neck down ability. And also the heart that beats in his chest and the fortitude in his gut that he would just turn into some green quarterback and flip it over the middle.

He even referred to it as a mortal sin. That's mind blowing to me that Jordan Love's final throw of his season was quite possibly his worst. Number two on my mind blowing moments from divisional playoff weekend was the Buffalo Bills fake punting it in the second half of a game. Because the Chiefs not only had 10 men on the field, but Sean McDermott said afterwards, he thought that maybe just maybe they were having trouble stopping an offense that everyone was wondering if it could ever flip a switch.

And sure enough, they did. And it was Damar Hamlin of all people with the ball in his hands. And he stopped short and they turn it over on downs only to have two snaps later, getting it back because the Chiefs turn it over by handing it to Mikko Hardman of all people to hand it on the goal line and put it in his hands after he had fumbled earlier in the game. And he fumbles it through the end zone and no blood. That was unbelievable. I mean, talk about mind blowing. So the Bills are going to do this.

Really? And then they don't get it and then they get it back because of the fumble through the end zone rule, because the Chiefs give it to Mikko Hardman. And you know, I hate this rule so much. And I actually came as close as I possibly have ever come to agreeing with you, Brockman, that it's it's just right in terms of being punitive only because they gave it to Mikko Hardman of all people.

What are they doing? I mean, too cute. You can't even call it too cute. But Andy Reid and Mahomes survived. Number one is just three to three words. Three words.

It's simple. Another wide right. You've got to be kidding me. I mean, for Buffalo to lose in the manner in which they lost. I mean, Tyler Bass's field goal couldn't be just short tipped and short. Couldn't go wide left. Couldn't even just go over an upright so damn high that we're having some sort of an argument over it. Was it good?

Was it not? No, it's got to go wide right of all places for the Buffalo Bills and for them to lose that way. That is unbelievable and easily the most mind blowing moment from divisional playoff weekend, for sure. You think we need one more? All right, George. All right, we'll get one more. I'll do this because we haven't talked about the Lions or the Bucks game in any of my top five. So my one more is every Jameer Gibbs touch of the football. Every single time he touched the football. This kid had a 31 yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Detroit the game eventual winning touchdown 24 17 to go up and lead the game. Gibbs is the youngest player in NFL history with a go ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter or overtime of a playoff game ever at 21 years, 307 days old when he did it.

And you want to talk about what a remarkable season he's had. 13 scrimmage touchdowns now in 2023, including playoffs. He has put himself in the mix third all time, most by a rookie in Detroit history, only behind Barry Sanders in 89 with 14 and the great Billy Sims in 1980 with 16. And when when he was drafted, by the way, you know, he's going to be we'll be well, he'll be in the same breath as Barry Sanders and Billy Sims.

Get out of here. And 100 percent is one of the guys on the Lions offense that this weekend, if he touches the football as much as he should and has the ability to flip a field like he can or go the distance and hit home runs. Like he's what? Miggie Cabrera and Cecil Fielder combined.

I'm just trying to get, you know, some big heavy hitters for Detroit Tigers baseball. If he can hit home runs like that, he can absolutely be a main reason why the Lions are going to upset the forty niners and go to the Super Bowl. So every Jameer Gibbs touch is my final one more moment of top five divisional playoff mind blowing moments. Don't you think?

You know what I mean? Like it's entirely possible. Why not? And everyone's like, whoa, you drafted him at 12. Right. But they said they would have taken him earlier.

I heard they had him ahead of Bijan. I heard that the Lions, when they drafted Gibbs 12, beat several teams that have dynamic running backs already to the punch. And is exactly the type of play I thought Tony Pollard would give your Cowboys. And I'm not doing this to troll.

I'm not doing it to troll. But that's exactly the sort of home run ability that we saw from Pollard the last couple of years that we didn't see. And I'm wondering if it was a knee injury and he's coming back or whatever. It was the third down back coming in and then he had to be the workhorse. Jameer Gibbs, who I drafted on my fans team, isn't the workhorse. Montgomery is the workhorse.

Jameer Gibbs is that change of pace and he comes in and he puts you to sleep. Like, so I think that may have been the difference. That's true, too. And also, if you if you ever questioned it, just watch Detroit's draft coverage. Do you see how happy they were when they knew that they were going to draft this kid?

Yeah. Like that should tell you something right there. They were all on him. They knew they knew they knew they were going to get him.

And and it was a head scratcher. It's just like, oh, OK, so we're going to choose this kid 12th overall with all the help you need. Well, he helped wrap it up or take the lead in a divisional playoff game. And I'm telling you, you know, let's just see what he can do against San Francisco, because he's tough. He is tough to put put on the ground.

All right. It's yes, it's like asses and elbows as soon as he gets through the line of scrimmage. That's all you're seeing. See, you also said the Chiefs tried to be too cute.

Isn't that part of their DNA? They're always doing trick plays. And when it went around the rosy pocketful of posy. I know. And then when it works, it's just like play last year.

That's from the 1918 Bluebonnet Bowl. Unbelievable how they knew that. And they're using it back, you know, and then that's what they do.

And then other times it's just like, what are they thinking? Yeah, I just I don't know where that came from. I've given you a trending holiday.

I love it. And a Bluebonnet Bowl. They did do that, right?

They pulled a play from an old Rose Bowl in the Super Bowl against the 49ers. Correct. All right. Let's take a let's take a break. Dan Orlovsky will be joining us next right here on the Rich Eisen Show.

You at 844204 Rich. Albert Breer after Dan in the shoot on this busy Tuesday. So I was in good hands with John.

Jump in now or catch up on any of the past seasons of Talkville on YouTube or wherever you listen. So I I not only scored 40 in the NBA last night, I had 20 and 10. I triple doubled. Wow. Yeah.

It was a good day. Yeah. All while watching all while watching Coco Gauff win on ESPN 2. Oh, sorry.

That's that's what I did last night. Aussie Open. Right. What's going on right now?

The Australian Open. Yeah. Well, I mean, that it's being repeated right now as we as we talk.

But watch this match with the kids. Susan, the kids last night. Nice. It's it's I'm telling you. What's the what round are they in?

She Coco advanced to the semis. Oh, oh, wow. So we're almost at the end. Yeah, man. This is it coming up this weekend. Love it. It is great.

It is great. You know, Jokovic is still alive. Oh, yes. Quite. Although you could see it because Gauff's match took three hours.

Yeah. And when three sets, it took three hours and Jokovic was coming up next. They kept on cutting away to him.

He looked like a caged animal. Seriously, like just like when are we getting out? Can we get out there now? But it was it's great.

I just I just love watching Grand Slam tennis. Yeah, for sure. And by the way, I I'm watching Alcaraz play and he looks gettable. Yeah, exactly. Oh, here we go. Rich going back and forth again. I mean, he looks gettable for a point.

I was just completely like laughing. Oh, you mean you mean you. Yeah.

Rich, you know, I have no idea. Fletcher Cox was commenting on that. He's got thoughts on. Yes, he does.

Does he? Deep thoughts. This is completely BS. This is shame. Wow. Darko is chiming in now.

That's just how they feel. Am I reading this right? Interesting. No, I'm watching Alcaraz.

He's got he's got some holes. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

So I'm looking at it in his game. Come on. No, no. Enough for me. Enough for me to get one point.

One point. I'm I am I feel like I'm in good shape. Back on the Rich Eisen Show radio network, sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk, furnished by Grange with supplies and solutions for every industry. Granger has the right product for you.

Call click Granger dot com or just stop by. One of my highlights of the entire NFL season was to be in Germany in the booth for Dolphins Chiefs, the first of two such battles this year in Frankfurt, Germany. And it was awesome.

And part of the reason why is who I was calling the game with. It was Jason McCordie, my colleague from NFL Network. And joining us from ESPN, the great Dan Orlovsky back here in the Rich Eisen Show. Good to see you, Dan. How are you, bud? Good to connect.

I share the same sentiments, man. That was that was fun. We got to do it again.

That was good. And and, you know, while we were there, that was deep in the narrative of the Chiefs having issues on offense that they had just lost a divisional game, which is like, you know, a comet flying in the sky for for Mahomes. And and we were wondering about what is with the offense. And sure enough, they got a defensive score and and couldn't score in the second half. And so I ask you is that's the big long winded setup is is the switch flipped? We if we finally found the switch and if they flipped it on offense, Dan?

As long as they play clean, I think that answer is yes. And, you know, this is one of these moments when a lot of us who cover the game and talk about the game on a consistent daily basis. One part we were dead on about the Chiefs offense and in the way that we saw it and the way that we talked about it.

And in the same aspect, there is that level of tip your hat and appreciation, acknowledgement to Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Matt Nagy. The reason why I reaches this when we talked about the Chiefs, it was, hey, you know, the drops are bad. The there there is a lack of focus on their offense. Patrick's trying to do too much. Their tackles are not playing well. They're trying to find out who is that second reliable pass catching option.

Those were all real things in the moment. And as this season's gone on, especially as you got into December, that started to show itself, they started to figure out how to help their tackles with some of the chips with tight ends. Patrick started to kind of settle into who he could both trust when it comes to catching the ball and seeing it the same way with some of the nuance of pass catching stuff where she writes absolutely emerged, both in his performance and the way that they used him. And I just remember almost on a weekly basis, Patrick, Andy Reid and Matt Nagy all saying, you know, we got to stop beating ourselves. We got to stop beating ourselves. We got to stop beating ourselves with the penalties and the drops. And it got to a point where at least I know I said at some point that has to actually happen, though.

It can't just be like the coach speak. They were right. I think what's happened is some of those things have gone away, at least when it's mattered the most in the last week of the season and certainly over the first two weeks of the playoffs. And they've started to figure out who they can rely on and who they can trust. And obviously a daunting task this week.

But I think it's one of those rare things in the league, you know, where our view of them was accurate, while you have to credit them for staying the course and not panicking and and figuring it out through the bumps. So before we turn the page to this week, then let me ask you about the bills. Your two cents of advice about where do they go from here after they lost to the Chiefs again?

This one at home. I understand the defense, though. I mean, was they lost one guy after another, after another and they're playing client linebacker when he was going on vacation a week before, you know. So but what would you say about Josh Allen and the two cents of advice about what to do there?

Josh Allen was absolutely fantastic in that football game. And I get sick and tired of people killing a guy that makes one decision that we sit there and say, I wish it would have thrown the underneath throw. Number one, they're not in the divisional playoffs. If Josh played like that over the last six, seven, eight weeks.

Number two, they're they're not in a situation to win that game, if not for the third in thirteen or third and goal from the thirteen throw to Shaqir that Josh, Lamar and Patrick probably are the guys that can make. So I'm for everybody that wants me to stop, you know, making excuses for Josh. I'm not I'm giving reasons and I'm not going to stop for Josh or any other quarterback because we sit here and say it gets me in.

And I've been this way since I got into this business. I'm not going to stop defending quarterbacks in the end result without giving the context of the journey of play. It's impossibly hard and we're judging a dude because he's not perfect when he plays against the best quarterback that we've seen over the last 10 years and maybe ever.

So I think that's my viewpoint on that game and it's not going to stop in totality for a team rich. I think Sean McDermott was fantastic this year. Do I think that they have to reassess how they want to play defensive football? You know, because in that game, rich Kansas City decided to play with three tight ends on the field and they were going to run right at Taron Johnson, who's a tremendous nickel.

He's awesome, but he's outmatched. You know, I think Sean is going to have to adjust as teams personnel adjust in the next couple of years in the NFL. And offensively, I think it's fair to say that they have to figure out what they view as Steph Diggs as. I think they have to see if they believe he's a bona fide number one receiver still and what they're going to do with Gabe Davis. That's going to be one of their biggest question marks in this offseason. Last thing, stop asking me if the Bills window has closed. They have one of the three best players on planet Earth on their team.

Their window is open as long as that guy's playing. OK, Dan Orlovsky right here on the Rich Eisen show. So how do you see the Ravens performing right now? It does look like Mark Andrews is right around the corner as well. The second half different than the first. What did you make of the Ravens performance and how they match up against that chief's defense? Yeah, it's going to be a great challenge for Kansas City defensively.

I think Spag, Steve Spagnole, the defense coordinator, will have to have one of those wow plans and executions to stop this offense. I think what we saw in that game was the biggest difference in this Baltimore Ravens offense this year. In comparison to the one that we've seen in the first five or six years in Lamar's career. This is not a shot at all to Greg Roman, who was there as their offensive coordinator previously.

I think he was fantastic in many ways. Got them a one seed Lamar MVP, all that. One of the issues was in game, they would consistently struggle to adjust, adjust. I remember Rich doing a breakdown on NFL Live, I think two or three years ago in a post game after they played the Steelers, where Lamar said we had become predictable and the Steelers knew our plays. And they ran the first play. The second half was the first play of the game. And the first third down to the second half was the first third down the game. If you go watch the Houston game, the halftime adjustment that their new offensive coordinator Todd Monken made was awesome. Simply put, Houston was playing a lot of what we call match coverage, which is like zone defense until a person on the offense gets in your area and then you match them like it's man to man. And he said, OK, if you're going to keep doing that, what we're going to do is create design quarterback runs for Lamar. Or we're going to create kind of rub or mesh concepts to flood an area and give you too many people to cover.

That didn't happen in the past. And I think you you sit back and you sit there and go, that's exactly what was the needed change for this offense. I love Kansas City.

I think the story is awesome. I think the resurrection of Matt Nagy is their play caller host. Chicago has been really impactful. Andy Reid's awesome.

I think their defense made some big stops. Rich, one of my jobs, as you know, this is like you got to figure out like you've got to figure out how teams are going to get beat. Or you've got to anticipate what teams are going to do. Yeah. I don't know what you do with this Baltimore defense.

I don't know. Like I I sit here and I say, you got to get big and pound the football against them. You can't. You got to spread them out and make them tackle in space. Hamilton's unbelievable. You got to take shots down the field.

Sounds good. You got to be great on third down or simulated blitzes are ridiculous. So I think that's the huge challenge in the game as well. Dan Orlovsky here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's get to the Niners. Your assessment of Brock Purdy's performance is. He was bad for the first three quarters until he needed to be great.

And he was. And I think that's going to bode them well in this game. I think that both them bodes them well, if they can get to the Super Bowl. And it's certainly going to bode him and them well in his future.

He hasn't been in that moment. He was a little bit in the Cleveland game, you know, and he leads them to the field goal and they miss it. But this was a hey, if you lose this game, you go home type of feeling. This isn't well, we'll learn from it and move on. And he was bad.

Now, I don't know how much of it was the weather, Rich. I think that certainly plays its part, but more than like the missed throws, because that's not who he is. He almost throws the early on pick six to Savage. And if you watch in that game, there's moments when you go, why don't you throw that ball? Like I have I have clips.

You know me, I'm this weird note taker. You have clips where I sit there and I go, why didn't on the third quarter, nine twenty seven, you didn't you didn't take the shot down the field when it was there. I've seen you do that. Third quarter, eight forty four.

You didn't take the shot with the rail. I've seen you do that. Third quarter, forty seconds. You don't throw it to McCaffrey when he's wide open. I've seen that fourth quarter, ten thirty eight.

And so I think that is something that they're talking about, you know, post film and and he's giving them answers is like, hey, did you hesitate a little bit and not want to make a mistake after that? Pick six again. I have to be fair with the weather conversation and some of the misses. But when they needed him to be great on that final drive, he was you can't take that from him and he makes him big time throws.

So I do believe that bodes them well. So, yeah, again, you know, I said I know you said, hey, this is winter go home time. It's not like, well, we'll learn from it. But maybe he did learn from it because you're right.

I mean, in the playoff game last year at home against Seattle, I mean, Seattle definitely was in in the grill of the 49ers until they started, you know, slipping away and the Niners survived in somewhat of a rocking chair towards the end of that game. And then, as we all know, the the the the game against Philadelphia, he was knocked out darn near right from jump. So this is kind of the first time he's going through this crucible. And and you could say that he's still growing. I mean, he's still he's still a pup, basically. And that's I think the the issue here is that you had the vet in Jimmy G. Right. And now you're you're you're going to go through some growing pains that he's not like Big Ben, just right out of the box and he's going to take you to a championship game, although this is his second year in a row doing that.

He's kind of a conundrum in a way, Brock Perdue. And I think, you know, Rich, again, we get to these points, part of our jobs, certainly part of mine and one that I take a ton of pride on. You get to this point, you're trying to nitpick both players and teams. You're trying to figure out and educate the fan and talk about the game of not only what just happened in that game, but also like the foreshadowing aspect of it. One of my like pet peeves when I watch a game is too often we as announcers, we go backwards and just explain to everybody what just happened.

They have eyeballs. So part of the things that I take pride in is trying to foreshadow what might happen or why it might happen. And so, yes, for the 49ers fans, like we're nitpicking Brock Purdy here. Of course we are, just like we do with Josh. And just like we're going to do with Lamar and just like we're going to do with Jared, that's part of the game. And, you know, I think Brock has proven over the course of two years, he's a really good quarterback. I very rarely, if ever, try to hold who he's playing with or what offense he's playing in against a quarterback. I know you need them.

What do you do when you get them? And I think there's I think there's two like groups of quarterbacks when we're talking about the top 12, rich top 15. Hey, when things aren't ideal, either play caller, you lose a guy. We're not completely healthy.

We give up 30. Can you carry us? Can you win for us?

Type of thing. And then, hey, when things are really good, when it's ideal, can we go win a championship with you? I think Brock is firmly in that second grouping of, hey, when things are really good, we can go win the whole dang thing with you. And so this is a little bit I you know, I mentioned before when I got into it, I blame Patrick in a good way. You know, it's I blamed Tom Brady in years past. Man, you knew it like if you weren't Tom Brady, it's like, well, you're not good.

You know, it's it's a little bit of Patrick's fault because Patrick is so ridiculous that if you're not Patrick Holmes, you stink in many people's eyes. Well, and I kind of am seeing down the pike our conversation for the Super Bowl when we're, you know, bored next week and there's no games. Right. And then we're ready at Super Bowl week, just parsing everything out. The conversation is going to be, you know, you've got an alien at quarterback for the AFC and then you've got in the NFC quarterback spot an efficiency expert and somebody that when the game's going well, can you win a championship? Yes.

Can they carry the day if the alien starts landing the spaceship, you know, in Vegas in a way that he can? I mean, I think that's we're kind of seeing that right now. So for the NFC champion game, give me give me the Lions key to victory here. Yeah.

Yeah. So I don't know who's calling that game. I don't I don't know what guy gets the privilege of calling that game, but I would bet a ton of cash.

You are going to hear the phrase pin pull 20 times in that game. I think the Lions and that's a blocking scheme where a person from the outside pins like the edge defender and then they pull people around. I think the Lions have a pretty solid advantage in that.

I think they could run the ball on the perimeter one. That's a flaw for San Francisco. Everybody who's had success against them this year has done exactly that. Green Bay did it. Arizona did it. So I think that's an advantage for them.

Baltimore did it. So I think Detroit's got a big advantage to that. I think if Jared can, you know, Jared's got to walk that fine line, rich of like, hey, when am I proactive and when am I reactive with my eyes? Because when Jared is proactive, he tries to move guys and trusts his eyes like sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. He's I've said this when you protect him, he could throw with anybody. That's Jared's superpower.

He doesn't have a memory, whether good or bad. So like Jerry, just being in that ideal state of proactive versus reactive is a big deal. You're going to hear the phrase choice concept a thousand times for both of these teams. I think the Lions have an advantage because they have three guys who can do it.

Both Laporta or excuse me, Laporta, Gibbs and I'm on rock and do it. So there's a lot of good for Detroit. I said this yesterday as I sit here today, I think I'm leaning Detroit in this game. I think it'll come down to how well in part Brian Branch plays, you know, their nickel. Branch is going to have to have the game of the season in garbage and in space. So it's going to be an awesome matchup. And then what do you think about the AFC championship game where you're leaning there? Ravens, you know, Kansas City is the fact that they're here speaks volumes. They've got to catch Baltimore on a subpar day. You know, if I'm just being candid, I don't I don't know if Baltimore plays their nine out of ten game or a game.

I think they're relatively tough and or impossible to beat. So they got to catch them on a little bit of an off day. Patrick is going to have to have the game of the season when it comes to second reaction plays. Some of the scramble plays down the field he's going to have to have. And then I think defensively they are going to have to come after Lamar and hope that he makes a mistake or two.

That's and that's the blueprint. The difference is Lamar has been prepared for pressure a little bit more over the last two months. They're going to have to come after him and hope he makes a mistake or two.

All right. One last one for you out of left field before I let you go. The hiring of Shane Waldron as the offensive coordinator in Chicago, does that inform you in any way of where they're leaning about their quarterback decision to stick with Justin Fields and flip the number one overall pick or maybe even cash it in for Marvin Harrison Jr. potentially or or you think it's this means Caleb? What do you think? Yeah, I still think that they're going to end up drafting Caleb Williams. I go back to Ryan polls, their general manager, end of the season press conference when he said, I think Justin developed a lot and I think Justin can lead us. But whenever he said, but I was like, oh, it's done.

You know, and I just I think that's the mind was made up. I think Caleb's got a chance to be a super, super talented young player. I think Waldron's signing is twofold that I like.

Excuse me, Rich. Number one, he was in L.A. when Sean was there developing Jared when he was a younger player. He watched Sean develop him and Zach Taylor develop on Matt Leflore development.

So I do think there is value in that. And then also he comes from a little bit of the McShannahan tree Harbaugh coined that the McVeigh-Shannahan tree. I think today, nowadays in the NFL, man, like if you're not if your play caller doesn't have a background in multiple personnel groupings, multiple formation groupings, motion and play action passes, the foundation of their offense.

I think it's really hard to consistently be good. And as Will Levis high five and whoever's near him because Brian Callahan got hired in Tennessee. Brings his dad. I think if he brings his dad, man, that's a big one. I was I was with Cali in Detroit.

I think I'll give you a real quick on Cali. He's been part of like three pretty good offenses. You know, he's he's been a part of Zach Taylor's offense with Joe Burrow. He obviously knows the the Shanahan tree offense because his dad Cleveland and his dad has been in it for a long time.

And then he's in a little bit of like the Indy Peyton Manning offense with being in Detroit with Jim Bob Cooter and Matthew Stafford and whatnot. So I think there's you know, you love the fact that he's been a part of that. He's a great listener. I think he's he's got a great ability to understand, hey, like I'd like this. I don't like this from his players. They got to go do for Will Levis what, you know, they did for Brock and Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco or what they did with two in Miami.

They got to get a lot better on the outside for him. Dan, you're the man. Greatly appreciate it. Appreciate you, bud. Right back at you at D Orlovsky seven out there and he's a must follow as well as watching on ESPN whenever he talks. Dan Orlovsky here on the Rich Eisen Show.

Sounds like he loves Kyle Hamilton as much as I do. And then how about that? He looks at the Ravens defense, goes, I don't know how you attack. Good luck.

Well, I guess the way to attack it is with 15. This can be great game, man. I'm really looking forward to that one. How about he's leaning towards Detroit?

Interesting. Eight four four two oh four rich number to dial phone calls. Our number two is Albert Breer giving us the update on everything else going on in the NFL with coaching searches and whatnot. Still to come.

This is what I love about fandom, football fandom. You're a sweet person. You are known generally as just a sweet, nice person who likes meeting people and just likes human life. Yes.

You love making people's lives better through either your music or your words or your essence. I understand. And when it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, to hell with everybody. Exactly. That's the way I say that. I say it right now.

By the way, I don't mean to tell you like, you know, an all time great lyricist, how to how to speak or communicate. But I'm the one that I will wear the I have a Kansas City Chiefs guitar strap. And when I play Oakland or Denver or Boston, I will I will come out and I will start. Believe me, there's my my audience will love, especially in New England, my audience will love me, love me. They're cheering and I'll go and I'll see you in the playoffs. And then it's all of a sudden boos. It's horrible.

It's just it will ruin a show. My wife says, don't talk football. I can't help it.

But you got to do it. You got the passion for it. Who is your chief growing up? Who is your who is the person that you're like, OK, this is making me fall in love with football?

Oh, it was my father. OK. And it was you know, it was Lenny Dawson and Hank Stram and the 1969 1970 Chiefs. I watched the Super Bowl.

I saw my hometown and everyone go crazy. And it just it it of course, as last time we were in the Super Bowl. But, you know, you since then, every year you're like, we could do that again. It never goes away.

It never goes away. I know. You know, the draft is coming in a couple of years to the Kansas City.

I'm really excited. I was so excited because it's such a Kansas City is a beautiful city. That whole area is is they love their chiefs. They are chiefs. They guess they are. It's a beautiful city that's grown and has so much to offer. And I love that they've got that.

And people can actually see them. All of our famous Chiefs fans are sitting on our YouTube page. Check out eight four four two or four rich number to dial here on the rich as your Christopher in Los Angeles. Let's take your phone call. What's up, Christopher?

Hello, Christopher. You there. I got to put him back on. I can't can't can't can't have it.

Won't have it. So we can maybe have Adam hop back on there. So the the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, we just found out who is going to be the official and the biggest job in officiating period. End of story, because at least the NBA rotates officials, not the same officials throughout the entire NBA finals. Although maybe they should do that.

Yeah, why not? Right. Don't you think the NBA final should have the same official for each game? Why do they rotate officials in the in the NBA final? Interesting.

Really interesting concept. You kind of figure out someone calls a game. That's a lot of running for these older guys. What are you talking about? It's every so take the next two days off and usually goes Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.

I'm just saying you have to get in shape to have 70 year old Dick Bavetta out there running seven miles. I don't know. I I would think the NBA finals should have the same officials for each one. Because they remember I called it this way in game one.

I'll make it. I'll make it I'll make it consistent in game two and make it consistent in game three. And, you know, it's easier to get a seven game series when you have different refs with different. Oh, is that why things are being told? Well, in any rate, it would be like having the same umpire behind the plate, you know, where that strike zone is consistently just like.

That's an interesting thing. I mean, the World Series, they they rotate umpire. But it's the same crew, though, for all seven games if it goes seven games. Yeah, right. And unless Enrico Palazzo sneaks in there to get the queen. But the Super Bowl, it's just one guy, it's one guy with one white hat and the crew and it's one white hat.

You know, the white hat better be on it on his p's and q's. And in this in this season where the officiating has been tarred and feathered. We mentioned the other day when we were talking off air. That we hoped this guy would be the ref for the Super Bowl because I think he is the best at it. I really do.

The games just don't seem to be weird. He seems to have a certain air about him where he's on it. And his name is Bill Venavich Bill. He is the Super Bowl referee. He is the official. By the way, I should also mention at this point in time, Brad Allen did not get a playoff game. Correct. OK, it's his third Super Bowl.

Been there, done that. And that's the officiating crew. It's up on the screen on our Roku channel. I won't run through it, but the line judge, Mark Perlman, this is his third Super Bowl as well, or fourth, actually. All right, so there you go. Congratulations to those officials.

They got through the toughest gauntlet of the entire season. And the NFL has done its grading and this is it. I like it.

I like it. You know, and plus, Bill's got this look on his face. You know, whenever he makes a call and he scrunches his face, kind of like, you know, what's going on? But no, he's just kind of like, what's going on here?

I got this. You know, I mean, you know, I mean, I got this funny couple officials with that land Clark fellas at his name. He's he's he kind of has like this look on his face, like, look, I know I'm a buzzkill, but it's holding, you know, but Bill's got it.

Somebody who dealt it around here. Do I smell something? This is the pass interference. Let's keep this moving. Who is your boy, Clete Blakeman, who the Patriot fans love.

He's he's in the NFC Championship game. OK. And Sean Smith is the referee for the AFC Championship. OK. Yeah.

Yeah. What does that inform everybody about how? Well, our buddy Warren Sharp has an interesting thread that he just threw out there. Not going to do anything to quell the script. People who think everything's rigged.

Apparently, Sean Smith, everything's right favors road teams with his calls. Why? Why? Why? Because he likes he likes. What is he like? Hotels? Is that what he likes? A lot of interesting things being thrown out here.

The local chambers of commerce from a road. I mean, I don't in the last three seasons, all refs, the home team, it wins 56 percent of the time. When Sean Smith is the ref, the home team wins 41 percent of the time. False start penalties, Rich. In the last three seasons, according to Warren Sharp, the NFL average four point six more penalties for false start on the road team.

In the last three years with Sean Smith, 35 percent more false start penalties on the home team. So what does that mean? Like they're there. I honestly don't understand.

That's what I thought was really interesting. Roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness penalties. League wide, they are called with a slight degree more for road teams, seven to 12 percent more.

Yes. But with Sean Smith as the head referee, 37 to 71 percent more of those penalties on home teams. I don't I mean, I guess the numbers are what they are. But what does that mean? He's he's always had something against he had a bad home life.

Is that what it is? So I have no idea. He's got things against home. These are the numbers. I don't know. These are the numbers. Maybe his family were real estate brokers.

He's always he's always been more hard on the homes. I would say if you're a Ravens player, honestly, I'm trying I'm grasping at straws here. Come close here. Take care of business. Whatever.

How about he calls it as he sees it and people just might be a little more jumpy around him. I don't know. I don't buy it.

Any of that stuff. Apparently, Sean Swift Smith, also a Swifty. Oh, really? Oh, wait a minute. I'm just kidding.

OK, Albert Breer joining us in our number two with all the latest in the NFL. I don't know. It's funny that someone goes to the depths to like, look at this information. I don't know. Susie and I need to have a conversation about Cooper, because we might be raising a conspiracy theorist in our house.

Oh, no. He is all over the color scheme of Super Bowl 58. Can you put up the graphic one more time that we just showed for Bill Vinovich being the head ref and the rest of the crew? Because this is the official from the NFL and it's the colors of the Super Bowl are purple and red. Which means it's going to be Ravens versus 49ers because the Ravens are purple and the 49ers are red. What's been the last three Super Bowls where the color scheme that they come up with.

At least a year in advance. I mean, when the Super Bowl logo came out for Vegas, it's when they announced Vegas, I think. Which is like. Right. So.

So it's been in the making for years. Right. So I turned to Cooper and he goes, the Chiefs are definitely making it.

I'm like, Coop. So then what happened when Mecole Hardman fumbled the ball on the one yard line to go up two scores on the Bills, which would have definitely sealed it. What happened?

He mumbled it. And what? And so it just happened to go through the end zone because. Because what? You know, like that.

Don't you think the NFL would make sure they ruled it after further review a touchdown? I'm like, do I have to get you a hat made of tinfoil? And he kind of looks at me.

What does that mean? I'm like, I'll teach you the wire. Honestly, he totally believes in this thing. My son, the conspiracy theorist.

I'm never taking him to Dallas. How wrestling really works and how you get the ratings. Eric Bischoff and Conrad Thompson explain on eighty three weeks. I mean, I dig Jay Uso because he's born out of great storytelling and he lived up to the opportunity and exceeded it. The LA Knight. He's way up on my list because here's a guy that's been around for almost ever should have probably quit a half a dozen times. And he just forced his way into their life. And now he's making money hand over fist. That is a story I love. Eighty three weeks on YouTube or wherever you listen.