Jason Avant, Former Eagles WR and Michigan Sideline Reporter

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What a song. So I told Samter today, I go, I know Jason Avant pretty well through my good friend Josh Weinfeld. So I go, we got to bring on Jason Avant, sideline reporter from Michigan, former Michigan football player, played with the Eagles, the Chiefs as well.

They're always in the news. And he goes, Jason Avant. He goes, when I used to produce Jim Rome or was working with the Jim Rome show, they would play this Jason Avant song. And I had no damn clue that Jason Avant actually had a song about him that a fan made up.

And Jason Avant joins us right now. Jason, I think that's the best introduction you're ever going to get. And I didn't have to say a damn word. I just had to play the song. Oh my gosh, this song, man. I got ridiculed by my teammates so badly because that song over the years. Shout out to the fan that made it, but it is annoying for sure.

What did you like first find out about it? What was that? 2013, 2012, something like that? Yeah. Derek Boyko. He's the guy. He's the former PR guy. Yeah. The PR guy for the Eagles. Now he's with Buffalo Bills. He told me about it and he played it for me.

And I was like, are you serious right now? And Rome would faithfully play that song. I don't know what it was, but he loved that song. Who was the teammate that gave you the most crap for the song in the locker room? Oh my gosh, probably Jeremy Maclin or Deshaun. Oh, Jason Avant. That's absolutely great.

So I know you're real happy. I was at the game. I actually, in my drunk state tailgating in the parking lot, I thought I saw Jason Avant like quickly, maybe showing up a little bit late to the stadium. I thought it was you from afar. When did you end up getting into the stadium?

Just wondering? Well, I ended up getting the stadium at 10. So I don't know how late that was, but it was at 10. And then I had to go and do some appearances and then head to the field. Oh, so you were out of the stadium. Then you went in the stadium, you went out of the stadium, then came back in and came back into the stadium. So if you saw me and if I was on a golf cart, that could have been me for sure. I'm pretty sure it was you.

And I was like, oh, Jason, and the golf cart just kept cruising. So I'm glad you came on today. I heard your interview after the game of Chris Jenkins. The emotion was awesome, but you being on the sideline for that one, how did you process Michigan up against Ohio State where your Wolverines take care of the Buckeyes for the third straight season? Well, you know what is pretty dynamic because when you really consider it, Ohio State has been stockpiling talent for so many years and they are, you know, three deep at every position I would say Michigan is about one and a half deep and we're going to have struggles after this year when it comes to replacing all this NFL talent. So you know that you're kind of undermanned from my professional opinion when it comes to just talent, but the grittiness of this team the mindset that they have after their coach they believe that they can beat Ohio State, and they win in the trenches and for some reason Ryan Day wanted to play Michigan's game. When he's not built for that Ohio State has been known for having wide receivers and quarterbacks and they play the game on the edge, accumulating and scoring a lot of points this year they wanted to be Michigan and try to bully Michigan at their own game which wasted opportunities to get the ball to Marvin Harrison so thank you, Ryan Day for doing that trying to be Michigan instead of being Ohio State, which you could have scored a lot of points because we do have some weaknesses in our secondary but he wasn't able to expose it because he wanted to be like Michigan instead of being Ohio State, and that was the only chance that they had because Marvin Harrison Jr. Even though he only had four or five catches he still goes for over 100 yards, and he's their best player we all know that he's going to be a top three pick in the draft but it's amazing how they didn't get him more involved in the offense they should have lived and died by him and, and they waited too long to get him really going. Yeah, it seemed like both coaches at the beginning of the game for sure were hesitant to make mistakes because you know you want to win the rushing yard is you want to win the turnover battle, and at some point you have to open up the game plan you have to go to your weapons, you have, you know, Buka you have Marvin Harrison you have Fleming who made some outstanding catches. These guys are going to play on Sunday and Marvin Harrison is literally top 10 receivers in the NFL.

As soon as he arrives there, especially in the right system. So with that being said, I'm throwing him the ball at least 20 times now game, that's just how is going to be if I'm the offensive coordinator, I'm going to make sure that my best player is spotlighted but that's the danger of having your best player in a secondary position. What do I mean by that, the quarterback has to play well in order to get the receiver the ball the offensive line has to block well in order to get the receiver the ball the running back has to protect so many people have to protect so you can as like Ryan data isolate or just freeze him out of the game plan because he's secondary position so I'm glad it wasn't a quarterback as the best player or running back because we've been in world trouble, and all throughout the year that's why I thought Michigan was going to beat Ohio State, even though JJ McCarthy isn't the greatest quarterback in the world. He's a damn good quarterback he's experienced and he's gotten better through time at Michigan and I believed he was going to make the big throws were McCord even look back at that Notre Dame game he should have thrown a pick, and then Notre Dame dropped it and then with the game on the line he throws the interception and when you have an experienced team like Michigan, they're just not going to drop that football.

Yeah, 100% of the time and JJ, you know what, JJ is efficient. He's a very underrated athlete and check and check this out. He has NFL arm talent, I do a show, you know podcast with Greg co sale who does take break down every week, and he asked me about him and he said he watched him this offseason he's like oh he's going to be a first day pick because of his arm talent so JJ is definitely an upper echelon quarterback. Does he have this, the weapons that you know, Ohio State has he doesn't have those weapons but Roman Wilson Cornelius Johnson are definitely NFL wide receiver so yes the difference.

That's one of the differences, Kyle McCord. I think that he can throw the ball I just think that he's young and young teams don't know how to win, and it's hard to be a young quarterback and win in a game of that magnitude not experiencing it for the first time, he may have better luck next year in the following years but that first time, and that environment, you saw how the big houses right, it was electric from an hour before the game there was so much build up so many people on the sideline Derek Jeter Charles would send so many people out there, and I don't necessarily know if he were, he was built for that moment. The other thing too, and I thought JJ, who I do believe still has another level to get to, but he made a great throw to Roman Wilson on that third down for the touchdown. Now the throw is great, and you're a wide receiver and I have no clue what it catches but a lot of people are saying up that was a touchdown other people thought it should have been a fumble that Ohio State recovered, take the Michigan side out of it. How did you look at that one and what did you think about it not only in the moment but then once the game did did end. College, college or NFL rules that would have been a touchdown college or NFL rules right because there's no surviving a ground element when it comes to the, the goal line.

When it comes breaking the plane there is no surviving the ground element to that right. So once you break the plane with possession, right, he hit the ball the guy the defender hit the ball, he re established possession over to go line and when they went out he was able to get it out right. So, and I don't know if any person that really investigates football or watches football can say that that wasn't a touchdown. There was other questionable calls in the game but I won't put my hat on that particular call in and of itself. Every game is going to go, you know, this way or that way. But when it comes to out rushing a team Michigan did that when it came to turnover margin, Michigan did that when it came to the environment needed in order to beat Ohio State which I believe was the more talented team, Michigan was able to check that box and hats off to Jim Harbaugh, all of this scrutiny, all of the things that everybody else does in the country right when it comes to scouting and figuring out signals, it's hard as hell to decode the signal, let me just tell you that right now, because being an NFL and being in college.

If I hear a guy, I go back to the sidelines say hey you know what he has our slant signal the coach said okay let's keep the signal the same, but on the next play let's run slug go. It's so hard slant go, let it's so hard to decode and all those things so Michigan was prepared for the game, and you can say a call here, there, whatever. At the end of the day, Ohio State had the ball with a minute ago which is an eternity in college football because the first down stops on the clock stops on the first down, they had an opportunity to win a game, they didn't do it Michigan prevail. And the other thing was, I never thought Michigan was going to lose the game until that pass was completed that it was fumbled and it was recovered and I'm like, man, Michigan may lose this game, and the next thing you know it's an interception and that to me is the most demoralizing part of this loss for Ohio State is Michigan, I thought could have played better and Ohio State still wasn't good enough to beat Michigan in this contest. Well that's the that's the truth Michigan over the last, I would say three games hadn't played up to their standard.

And partly. Well, the reason is, we haven't been able to protect. So in a Penn State game chop Robinson a decent there to defensive ends kind of expose this, and the game plan we scrapped the game plan and just start running the ball, and we've kind of stuck with that over the last couple weeks because in Maryland our pass protection is kind of broken down. And I believe that when when Zach Zinner went out of the game, actually, they actually blocked better for some reason because Carson Barnhart with most NFL scouts that I talked to on the sideline is more geared to play guard and Trent Jones is better at pass protection.

So I thought that kind of even them out. So, with all that being said, Michigan hasn't played their best football yet this season. But what hardball comes back we're 10 points better than we are without him. So I believe that that's going to be a solidifying factor, and I can't wait for the moment when Michigan is hoisting the big 10 trophy and Tony. And there's going to be a big f you for a lot of booze are going to be happening there.

Oh, yeah. Hey, my NFL team the Patriots I was there for 28 to three when Goodell after the comeback at the hand the trophy over to the Patriots. It's one of the best things and I can't wait to see that one more on the game with Jason Yvonne here with us. There's a great job on the sidelines for Michigan former Michigan player played in the NFL with the Eagles and also the Kansas City Chiefs. We talked about Ryan Day earlier, and his lack of aggressiveness with what you just pointed out with how Jim Harbaugh was in the silence that allowed to be there during the week but not on game day.

Sharon Moore who's done a nice job he should be head coach somewhere one day. That's what's even more inconceivable to me is that more was more aggressive than Ryan Day, who already lost two games and had a chance to really throw it back in the Michigan his face for and basically take the week way out and go up. It was just a sign stealing scan to the last two years, and the guy still was pretty much a coward and coaching and had no aggressiveness in the game. You know what he was so hell bent on the stat that the last you know whoever wins the rushing battle in the Ohio State Michigan game. That was the team that was going to win in the team that protected the ball so I just think that he deviated from his game plan and who the team is and how he's built the team. Like I said, this team has had so many first round receivers you know Olave and Jigba, you know Marvin Harrison, there are so many guys in, you know, in history that that they built the program around, and I believe that if you can pass the ball successfully McCord is super accurate, and that's the one thing that I came away saying is that oh Michigan has some competition in these next few years, because McCord is accurate you know he he threw some dimes in that game. And so I just thought that he deviated from the game plan and he kind of lost his identity somewhere and it could have been talking to Urban Meyer because Urban Meyer had Zeke Elliott and they were able to run the ball and be successful and throw it and run and have this balance but the truth of the matter is that you have to know your personnel that's like the number one rule in football every coach, every player will tell you kyp know your personnel know what we're built for we're built to throw the football because of what we have on the outside, do that and do it better than the most and don't worry about the history and the stats, let's do what we do best and I think they just lost his mind when it came to that game. How about your Eagles Jason Avant ten and one, another game where, man, they didn't show up in the first half, and they're going up against a solid team and Buffalo's not playing up to their abilities, and then Jalen hurts just gets in his bag and he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL that was unbelievable last night.

What a game, and I had to go in, you know I do CBS, you know local television I had to go in and I had to be there by nine and I'm like, looking at the clock and trying to figure it out but I wanted to see the whole overtime game. Jalen hurts man is he's on. He's unflappable, that's just who he is. There's always an adjustment when you're playing in the rain, because the rain is very very scary for the offensive coordinator is scary for the team because you can't execute your office the way that you want to execute it, because if you make a mistake and you turn the football over, you're down and it's very very hard to come back in the rain, and I believe that Josh Allen and playing in Buffalo and playing an inclement whether you know what it's like being in that region right, it's always bad weather and Philadelphia misses a lot of that so I thought that the Buffalo Bills were more prepared to play in that situation but in the second half, when they made adjustments they started to go to the outside alone and Jalen begin to realize that it doesn't matter if it's raining snowing. If there's a hurricane Devante Smith has excellent hands. He was the only receiver the entire day catching the ball with his hands and a torrential downpour the entire day so I believe that Jalen just put on his Superman cape, and everyone believes in him. That's the thing that you know about this team the entire team believes in Jalen hurts, and he does it week after week and you can say it's luck, you can say he's dropped the ball, the, the bills didn't get this call but the one thing that you cannot say this team doesn't fight, and that Jalen hurts is not a winner he that's what he does he's built for these moments. Last thing I'll ask you, I don't know if you could tell, but when you look back at the Josh Allen to Gabe Davis play. Was that on the quarterback or was that on the wide receiver which forced Buffalo to take the field goal is 100% on the quarterback 100% So here's what happened in that play.

So Sean decide the defensive coordinator for the Eagles through an all out pressure. Right, that's a zero blitz that's man to man, it's off man is going to be inside leverage for the cornerbacks and gave Davis had a corner out. Josh Allen knew that the pressure would get there and he just threw it to a spot, rather than throwing it to the spot that matters the most the receiver can adjust in that situation. You can say all he beat him off the line or whatever it is no the receiver can adjust. That's a corner out, and you throw it to the corner so Josh Allen could have made a critical timely throw, all you have to do is lay it up in the back of the end zone in the direction of Gabe Davis, and they would have won the football game but he didn't show up in that moment, and I get so tired of the quarterback being the one that gets all of the, the end, like, getting out of jail free cards right.

This one was on the quarterback gave Davis was right and you can see how right he was when he slammed his helmet down guys are not you know that angry when, when they, you know, are the one that made the mistake. You gotta get rid of this old Backstreet Boys t shirt. Because it stinks boys, tell me why I've watched it so many times with the owner will come out, tell me why. No, you tell me why I can't get rid of this owner, have you tried down here with some refresh doesn't just cover up. It helps remove them. Wow, it worked guys yeah Downey rinse and refresh removes more odor and one wash than the leading value detergent and three washes, find it wherever you buy laundry products.