Mike DeVito, Former Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Lineman

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And did we mention it's all free? Download the Odyssey app today. Mike, always appreciate the time. How you been? Zach, man. It's great to be on.

Thank you, brother. Listen, I know I was a former D-lineman, but I didn't do much hitting the quarterback. So when you watch Chris Jones, you watch also Grady Jarrett, I don't know how you hit the quarterback anymore because they did nothing wrong. You know what's so funny too, Zach, is I'm thinking about it back from when I played, right? So I played from 2007 to 2000.

I retired in 2016. Like, the game has gotten exponentially faster since then. I mean, just every year it seems to get faster and faster and faster. Like, I'm thinking back to when, you know, it was much more run, but the game was still fast. But even then, when I think of these rules, it's just you're 100 miles an hour. You know, if you're talking about a defensive lineman getting past their offensive line, they're already two or three yards in the backfield. Hit a good move, and now you have to bend in or bend out and make your way to the quarterback. And now you have the added element of not only attacking the quarterback, getting around your guy, doing all that stuff, the techniques and everything, but now aiming for what seems to be shrinking target on this quarterback from what is legal to what is illegal. And you have a split second to make that transition or change how you're going in there, your aim and your point of attack.

And it's just, it's nearly impossible to do. And so, you take a guy like Chris Jones yesterday, I mean, there's just, I don't, and that was as clean as it gets. That was a beautiful sack. In fact, if there's going to be a play, it's going to be that he didn't hit him harder. I know back when I was playing him, if you would have, you know, if you would have lightly put him down the way Chris did, the coaches would have given you a minus. What the hell? You know, pound him.

You finally get a chance. So it's just, it's incredibly weird, Zach. And so just to finish up this rant, I don't, I don't, you know, as crazy as this, I don't think I see it changing. Because when you look at the NFL and the way the league is, the NFL is first and foremost about making money. That's what the owners care about.

That's the most important thing. And what's going to hurt your, you know, what's going to stop people from watching football and getting, you know, invested in the game? It's going to be if you're starting quarterbacks, it gets hurt.

It's not going to be if you're throwing personal penalty flags on the defensive line. And so I'm sure the NFL is looking at this and saying, great, you know, let's, let's keep that guy healthy because that's the guy that's bringing in the views. That's the guy that people want to see. And that's the guy that's putting up all the points. And you know, when a backup quarterback gets in there, these teams go to crap. Usually, I mean, that's the key. The key in the NFL is that, is that starting quarterback.

So again, that's the moneymaker. And I just don't, I don't see the NFL being too upset about how these flags have been thrown given, you know, what's most important. I love what Chris Jones said after the game last night, Mike DeVito, because a lot of times people would just blast the league, but they don't offer a solution to kind of fix the problem.

He thinks that it should be reviewable, roughing the passer. Do you agree with that? That's an interesting point. Why not?

Why not? Certainly. I mean, especially if it's getting to this point where what, you know, what is the sack and what is roughing the passer is becoming, you know, it's becoming really hard to tell the boundaries there.

Sure. You know, certainly make it, make it reviewable. And you know, that's going to clear up a lot of stuff because when you look at that play from last night on film, it is obvious to anybody who sees it. Now, I think that ref doubled down, but still when you look at it on the replay, it's just, it's obvious that that wasn't a roughing, you know, that just clearly wasn't a roughing the passer. And so if you have an opportunity to review that on film, obviously you get things straight and these can be big game changing plays, especially down the stretch.

Some of these sacks are incredibly important. And so, yeah, no, I like that idea. I didn't hear Chris say that. That's good.

That's really good. I just wonder though, how effective that would be, because if you remember the whole Saints game and then the next year or two years later, they had past interference reviewed. We didn't really see many of those calls change.

It was kind of like the league saying, we're only going to do it if it's in a big time spot because we don't want to kill the officials too much. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, again, there's that tension, but I guess I would, I guess I'd rather have it.

Yeah. Let it, yeah, let them have the option. Let them have the option to do it again, especially if this is going to be, you know, a hard play to diagnose. I mean, it seems like what is considered an actual sack compared to what is roughing the passer is becoming less and less clear. And so, yeah, I think that's a really, I think that's a really good idea.

How much is this Mike DeVito? Because you brought it up protecting the quarterback, not that they could have avoided it to a situation on the field, but they just allowed him back on the field. I know roughing the passer is down this year, but this past week, you then see all of a sudden two crazy calls. Is that the NFL behind the scenes telling the officials to maybe keep an eye out on protecting the quarterbacks even more now?

That's really interesting that I didn't, I didn't put those two things together, but that, that's certainly, I mean, if that was the case, I wouldn't be surprised. Again, and it makes sense for the NFL to worry about losing that, that guy. I mean, look at Miami now. Miami looks like, you know, the Miami of old. Now with those two quarterbacks down, it's just not the same team. And if they continue to do that week in and week out, what was looking like a promising season is now, you know, could turn out to be really bad for them. And now you've got people that are watching, the Dolphins fans aren't into it.

Those games don't sell as much and you lose money. And so, and I'm sure there's a, like, listen, I'm sure that there is a player safety element to this as well. But, you know, ultimately the quarterback, again, it's the, that's the money making position. That's good. That's the position that's going to win the game. That's, that's the guy that's going to make the difference on Sundays.

And so I, this is what gives me some sort of more of a pessimistic outlook on this that I just, I don't see a change in for those reasons. You say player safety, let's just call it how it is. And you even alluded to it. It's really quarterback safety. I don't think the NFL cares about player safety. They just care about quarterback safety. Yeah. Well, no, I mean, yeah, that's certainly right.

And I was talking to somebody today and I want to get your thoughts. I mean, did it seem like prior to these rules, quarterbacks, and maybe I was, maybe I just missed it, but it didn't seem like quarterbacks were getting injured more frequently before these rules were put in place. And now, now all of a sudden they're getting less injured.

I mean, I don't know, I don't know the stats or how that actually, you know, if that's true or not, but I, it doesn't seem to me like it's even, it's made that much of a difference. No, because here's the thing, you can't avoid an ACL tear and you can't avoid getting a concussion. You could put rules in place where, yes, you put the quarterback in less of a spot to get hit and you don't want people diving at the knees or slapping their head. But most of the times you see these injuries, a quarterback tears an ACL, there's nothing you could do about it. Exactly.

No, that's exactly right. I mean, I just, it doesn't seem, again, it seems to be a rule that doesn't have much effect outside of these really bad calls that, well, you saw, I mean the Tampa gay game that changed that, that changed the game, you know, that, that call. So I think, and my friend, Jeff Allen, offensive blood, former line for the chiefs brought this up to me today. He said, I think that was good for the chiefs because they got fired up after that. You saw Andy Reid, you saw Mahomes, they were fired up. Mahomes is going berserk. Yeah.

And that kind of, I mean, I, I've never seen Andy Reid that mad. And so I think that that sort of kicked them out of the slump they were in and then they got going and just put, you know, put it to it, but put the, put the pedal to the floor there. But, uh, so in their, in their case, I think it worked in their favor. I think that's a good point that Jeff brought up, but you're right.

It could change games and, and it doesn't seem to be, you know, at least from an outsider's perspective, I don't know the stats, but doesn't seem to make that big of a difference as far as player safety is concerned. Mike DeVito here with us. Does it surprise you that the chiefs are once again rolling? Cause a lot of people were doubting them this off season. And right now it's either them or Buffalo as, as the best team in the AFC again.

I guess I, I, it's, this seems to be the case all the time. I feel like every year we go into the season, especially in this Pat Mahomes era and people doubt the chiefs. I always see them put second, third, fourth in the AFC West for finishing, you know, predictive predictions. I don't understand why, I mean, you know, you lost Tyree Hill. Do you lose your, you know, one of your big studs going into the season, but they have a ton of players and Andy Reid's track record for being able to focus in on, you know, the talents of his guys and maximize those talents, especially on offense, get guys in the positions to utilize what makes them good.

And to, to take advantage of a defense. I mean, there's, there's no better than Andy Reid. And so, uh, I'm not sure why I didn't think that at all that going into the season, like, Oh no, this could be, this could be a problem. I mean, you have the number one, look, you have the number one offensive line in the NFL. You have some, you know, you have Frank Clark, you have Chris Jones on the, I mean, you have all these studs on defense. Um, I, you know, and you brought in a lot of good players that wide receiver and, and I, so I, I'm not sure why all the hate, but I'm, I'm not surprised that can't, in fact, what I am surprised about Kansas city is that they lost to Indy. Such a tough time with the Raiders.

Uh, Mike DeVito, wrap it up with him. Everyone can't wait for this game already on Sunday. We know how it ended last year chiefs and the bills that are going to meet up again in arrowhead this weekend. What do you think decides that game is just, who has the ball last? I think that that that's, you know, if you, that that's exactly right.

I think that that that's a fair bet. They, whoever has the ball last in this game, that's the, that's the team that's going to win. And again, my buddy Jeff brought this up and I think it's a good point to remember this really is a playoff game because these are the two teams that for all intents and purposes are going to be fighting for that one and two spots. Exactly.

And for Buffalo, like we know Kansas city go win anywhere and I bet Buffalo can too, but imagine a home AFC championship game for the bills. Like I can't even begin to think what that would be like. Oh my, it's like saying that almost sounds like you can't put those words in that sentence. You know what I mean?

It's like one, but, uh, but no, I know it's incredible. And so, and now you, and you also got to remember there's only one by weeks, right? So that number one position is important. And if it's going to come down to a tiebreaker, you know, it's probably going to be between these two teams. And so the winner of this game really puts themselves in good place going into the playoffs. And so, uh, I'm glad at that arrowhead and not in Buffalo. I think that that's the sort of, uh, one of those deciding factors that's in, you know, in Kansas city's favor.

That's at home and arrowheads hard to play at, uh, but this is going to be an incredible game. Uh, just absolutely incredible. Give me your thoughts on the jets. They're three and two. What do you kind of think of what Joe Douglas and then also Robert Salah are doing?

Oh, I love what those guys are doing. Listen, if you're going to do well in New York, you've got to have a tough GM. You've got to have a tough head coach and you've got to have a tough quarterback. And you've got those two guys in GM and head coach.

Definitely. I love Salah. Salah is a guy that I like a Rex Ryan. You want to play for that guy? I think Wilson is looking good.

Looking the parts. Um, he's, you know, I've come back from injury. He's doing, you know, he's doing what he needs to do. I'm fired up to that fan base.

I love New York. I, they deserve it. I'm so glad that the jets are back on track. And, uh, and, uh, and again, I like the prospect of the direction that they're going given the people that they have in charge. Yeah. They have a ton of young talent and it feels like you just wonder where are they going to be next year? Cause my expectations this year, and you know, you could go get big victories like they've had early on, you know, with the way they took care of Miami, but I feel this is a big foundation year to set up next year. Yeah, no doubt. No doubt. But you know what?

Do you remember the first year that Rex Ryan came in in 2009? Yeah. I mean, that's, that's what we were thinking.

And then all of a sudden the tips fall a certain way. And here you are going into the AFC championship game. So, but I'm with you, I'm with you. And I think that you're right.

The young talent that they have and you couple that with the momentum, uh, that's dangerous. Mike DeVito. Always great to catch up with you. Thanks so much.

Thanks Zach. Appreciate you brother. The Odyssey app is NFL football live and on demand wherever you are, whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free download the Odyssey app today football season is here. The new Odyssey app lets you stay connected to your NFL team, your station, your shows, follow your favorite stations and come back again and again, get real time updates on everything you care about. Miss your show? Jump back to their awesome rewind feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football live and on demand wherever you are, whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free download the Odyssey app today.