 Tom Brady and Dak Prescott tonight. I wonder where Sean Payton's watching the game up and Adam starts now. To get to you, so let's get right into it. The weekend was pretty wild, wasn't it? Four or five games coming down to the final possession. I had an argument with my older brother who said, there's too much priority in the league. I don't like this new playoff system. We're letting bad teams in, blah, blah, blah. Are you kidding? It was like the best wild card weekend ever. We'll dig into it shortly. But as always, we look ahead. So let's pop up next weekend's divisional round schedule. Of course, we got the Cowboys and the look of the years playing tonight. But this is what it looks like. Three of those four matchups are set in the AFC. It's the Jags, as you see going to Arrowhead, Tyric Hill. Return game to the Chiefs. I'm loving that 430 Eastern on NBC. The Bengals go to Buffalo. Oh, no coin flip on that. No neutral site, was that not a thing? No, that game is at three on CBS. Oh, the shade is real this morning. And in the NFC, as you can see, the final matchup set tonight. But we do know that the Giants headed too philly to take on the top-seeded Eagles on Saturday night, 8.15 on Fox. No teams in the NFC North represented in the playoff picture, potentially three from the NFC East. And that is the world that we're living in here on a Monday. So the winner of tonight's game, of course, is going to head out to the Bay to take on the Niners. That one would be on Fox. And at 630 Eastern, I don't know why I said Tyrico was excited about that because I was thinking, Florida teams, there's been three, but that's not true. And yes, there was a chance that that would have been true and I would have been excited about that. But the delay of game of Palooza, with the Dolphin Slot yesterday, is not allowing for that to happen. So sorry, I was wrong on that. Okay, but let's get into this. Last night, AFC North battle for the ages. The Ravens had the Bengals on the ropes, Sands, Lamar Jackson, which was crazy, but since he somehow found a way to survive and advance with what is an infamous and unforgettable 24 to 17 wild card weekend when the biggest difference being this third uncle. Guys, what happened here with Logan Wilson? I was on the couch, jumping up and down. He knocks the ball away from Tyler Huntley on his dive into the end zone. And he's still running the Sinsi kid, Sam Hubbard, a hero taking it 98 yards. Oh my gosh, Mark Andrews tried so hard. Game-winning score, the longest game-winning score in NFL playoff history. This play is going to be so famous. This play needs a whiskey sponsorship. It needs a billboard, it needs CAA to represent it. This play needs a TikTok trending dance. It's the next big thing it will live on in infamy and it's a legend already. So we'll get into that in the many layers of it later on in the show and shout out to Von Bell with whom without this play on the play before this happened, it would not have gone down the way that it did. And the Bengals might be home with the Ravens going up to Buffalo. Now Zach Taylor, after the game, he's at a local bar. We'll show you that in a bit. I imagine, I don't know this, but I imagine there were some cigars dancing going on the locker room. But the truth is the Bengals, they have a lot of work to do. They already had a raw deal. The Bengals had no shot at the one seed. They win their division but almost didn't get to play at home. Now they have to go to Buffalo instead of a coin flip or a neutral site which seems fair and the other teams got at least were considered as far as tops and the AFC Ravens included. They are on the road now. They're in their smoking cigars and packing up. It was already a tough road. Ways wasn't working, you're turning signals out, you can't figure out where to go. You're printing out seven pages of map quests to try to figure out how to get to Buffalo. And the road just got even harder after losing left tackle Jonah Williams last night. Ruled out with the knee injury. And then we all saw the camera follow him into the locker room but there's also reports that he was on crutches after the game. So if things are as bad as they are feared to be and they seem pretty bad, the Bengals are going to be down three of their starting five offensive linemen when they head to Buffalo. There's offensive line that at the point this year through this winning stretch was better than what it was last year on the road to a Super Bowl against the Rams. And Joe Burrow, I gotta love him but I'm not, not unconcerned but steps up for his guys isn't flinching and here he is by the way, they asked him like one question and they got right away to what about the offensive line and here's Joe. We have a lot of faith in those guys. You know, Max stepped up today, Keem stepped up today and then Jackson stepped up when he got his, got in there after Jonah got hurt. So we have a lot of faith in those guys they're going to get their job done. Joe has to be physically hurting after this game. He got hit around so much still doesn't flinch, supports his guys, I commend it but this is going to be rough even without Von Miller up in Buffalo. So my question is Andrew Ritworth, what time exactly are you getting to Cincinnati? Do you need someone to pick you up? I know a few people in the area that might want to help. I right away went to Andrew Ritworth's timeline and said, what's going on here? And he responded to Dan Rolofsky and talking about the O-line saying the biggest question mark to their post season success just got bigger, not good. Hmm, if only there was a simple Super Bowl winning solution to this newfound problem. Andrew, get to Cincinnati. It is not a cute storyline by the way. The bat signal is lit atop the PNC building there in downtown Cincinnati. Zach Taylor comes from the McVeigh tree. Now I'm no former player like Dan Rolofsky and I'm just a fan here but I'm guessing that means the vocab book, the terminology, the glossary might be similar enough to light this sucker. Like, let's light this candle. You, Andrew, I'm talking to you and Zach Taylor were together in LA. So I found you a flight, Delta 442. We looked, there's one first class seat available, just one, this is Kismet 4A. I don't know if we gotta do the go fund, I'll go fund the whole thing. I'll go fund the entire thing, it departs today. Let me tell you, it is not easy to find a direct fight. They don't exist from LA to Cincinnati. It's why I wasn't at that game last night. I would be. That there is a flight available, that there's one seat left for you, big fella. Let's get you, let's get you to Cincinnati and in all seriousness, Borough can say what he wants. He was sacked four times. He was hit eight times. Run game, depleted. They averaged 2.8 yards per carry on the ground. Basham and Rousseau are no picknicks. So while I don't lose faith, of course, and while I think we can do this and I think Buffalo has issues of their own, I just, you're welcome, I solved the problem. Whitworth, Delta, 442, seat 4A, 2, Cincinnati. All right, let's move to the afternoon slate here. God, there's so much fun games to get into and we still have one tonight. And I'm excited to preview that. Are we gonna see Brady like the last time as a buccaneer last time ever? Are they losing to the Cowboy? Are the Cowboys gonna get into this thing? What does it mean for Sean Payton and Michael McCarthy? Okay, well let's get into the Giants. So the Giants, they go into Minnesota and if you didn't see this coming, I don't know what you've been watching all year because it just seemed like it was going to happen. Upset City turned into Minneapolis and it was the Vikings that fall, 31 to 24. The Giants, things are so fun. They are in their first playoff spot since knocking off the Patriots in Super Bowl 46. That was 11 years ago. I walked into the studio here at six in the morning. How about them Giants? I'm hearing yes from everybody here. Daniel Jones, and this cannot be understated. He was brilliant. This was his first career playoff start. He threw for over 300 yards. He threw for two touchdowns. He added 78 on the ground. And most importantly, how many times did he turn the ball over? Zero, not once, okay? So he was so sharp from the first snap of the game. Guys, all the way through the game winning drive. And we talked about it on the show last week and I'm glad we did. This group of unheralded receivers stepped it up. Isaiah Hodgins, I said welcome to the conversation. And how? In the playoffs, big stage, 105 and a score. Darius Slate, and he had 88 yards and of course he could have had more. There was that, you know, that drop. And luckily, gosh, I'm so glad they didn't come back to divide them in the end of this game. But I was impressed with the whole team. They seemed to step it up, the game progressed. You pay your coaches, write the check. Get the big guys in there. The experienced guys, the good ones. They turned teams around in a hurry. And here's Coach Jable after the game echoing, not the sentiment about getting paid, but echoing the sentiment of in team effort after a win. Consistency, passion, toughness, and most importantly, you made the plays you needed to make to win the game, okay? Everybody, everybody in this room. But I am proud of you. I am proud of everybody in this room. But that's what it takes. What does it take? Everybody. Let's come back ready to work. Jaws out three, one, two, three, Jaws! There was a lot, I was in New York when the signing happened. There was a lot of what's Josh Allen gonna look like without Jable, but how good is Jable really? Is he the answer? No one was given, I mean, he was gonna be an improvement, of course, on what they've had, but no one has really given this team a chance to sniff a playoff spot when he took the job. Everybody was talking about a slow, steady, three-year plan, right? Get to rebuild, it's whatever. And, you know, I was at a Good Morning Football and said, Giants fans, this is a great move. We need to preach patience. Daniel Jones, probably not the guy you gotta give Jable time here. I mean, this is insane what's going on. No matter what happens in Philly next week and it's not gonna be easy, this season has been an incredible success, resoundingly so. And it's clear the Giants landed themselves one of the best coaches in the league. So I'll just say this, ride it out, enjoy it. New York, this one's for you, just enjoy it. That's all I gotta say. And on the Viking side, more heartbreak for a fan base that I'm telling you, and I've said this, people don't, people like to argue, man, who's the most tortured fan base? It's the Vikings. Look at what's going on here. 31 playoff appearances. 31 playoff appearance. Their last Super Bowl appearance was 1975, zero Super Bowl wins. 31 trips without a Lombardi trophy, okay? It has been 46 years since they made it to a Super Bowl. And then you go 11 and 0 in one score games in the regular season with Kirk Cousins rallying the squad for a league leading eight fourth quarter comeback wins. And they couldn't get this one in their first playoff action. And I'm telling you, like with this fan base, I would rather be a Bears fan. And I am, I'm from Chicago, but Bear, with, if you're a Bears fan, you're riding through Wild Car Weekend, just eating Giordano's pizza, like I was all, you know, watching these games. You know what you're getting. You're not competing. The Vikings, they lure you in, they get you excited. You're wearing chains on the jet airplane on the way home from these games. And they find new ways to let you down. And they have the most thrilling moments, the mini miracles to find, and it never amounts to anything. And I'm so sorry for Minnesota fans that you have to go through this every year. It's like my parlays. I always get two of three right. Always get one. I would rather just be, oh for, oh for through the fourth quarter. So I'm like, you know what, I blew it. I don't have to worry about this. I'm always waiting for that Devon single Terry touch. It sucks. I'd rather not be in it. It probably says a lot about me in my loser mentality in life. But I just feel for Vikings fans and I apologize for you guys and better luck in the next 46 years. I don't know what else to say. And there's obviously a lot of good there. I'm just joking, but I feel for you Vikings fans and would love to hear from you. All right, let's get to this Dolphins at Bill situation. 17, 17 was the number of the weekend. 17, if you're at 17, things can get really scary. There was an early lead. The bills then had to grid it out and squeak by 34, 31 over a Dolphin squad that was Sam's Tua and shorthanded it all around. So I give Miami a lot of credit for hanging in there. Third string quarterback, Skyler Thompson. They stacked Josh Allen seven times, three mega turnovers to keep it close and stay in this thing. So I think Dolphins fans, I'm talking to you, you and coach McDaniel should be incredibly proud of the way the team fought. And ultimately the bills were more talented and it was too much for Miami to keep up with. But it's like, did they want to win the game? Do they not want to win the game? Buffalo fans, there's a little relief, but there's also has to be equal amounts of concern with these turnovers that just happened too much. Two interceptions, a lost fumble yesterday. Josh leads the league in interceptions, fumbles and giveaways this season. Even with the win, this has to be the conversation this week. And I don't want to overreact. I love the bills. It seems like the team of destiny. The bills have managed to win eight straight games. You're not taking that away for them. And the Bengals having a banged up offensive line and the bills get to play at home. But you know, whether it's the Bengals next week or the Chiefs down the line at Arrowhead, you can't be loose with the ball. And these three teams at the top are so close to each other. They've all got weaknesses. They're imperfect. Maybe not the Chiefs who knows, but the talent level is through the roof. Turnovers are what will break the bill season. And Josh Allen knows it. The turnovers, they heard us, you know, really let them back in the game. Up 17, nothing with chances. And I give them the ball, you know, two times and give them a touchdown. So it's just things you can't do. And you can't expect to win like that. So some stuff to clean up. They won by threes, wearing that three, of course. What an emotional season ups and downs. And I so appreciate and recognize this team's resilience. Their ability to bounce back when things were on the verge of absolutely spiraling Buffalo fans. Let's enjoy this win. But we got to clean it up this week. If we want to circle the wagons in Arizona, and I think if you're an NFL fan, if you're a fan of anything, then you wouldn't be bummed to see the Buffalo Bills representing the AFC and the Super Bowl. But we'll have more to come on that in all day. But today we'll take a break and get to other storylines. But it's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We're here at work, but we're celebrating his life and his legacy and his lasting impact. This was a man of change, one of our great heroes. And today I would just say, this is what I thought about going to work. It's a brilliant opportunity. If you are out of school, if you are home from work, to sort of take a moment and reevaluate where we are and how we get even further than we are. So there's a chance for maybe some time today to think about it, to recommit to what we can do by ourselves and together, of course, to bring his dream of what was love, be love. That was Martin Luther King, Jr. Be love, his dream of equality. How can we further that? Teams across the league, certainly doing some of that this morning. Some beautiful messages. And there were some really nice tape messages. I also saw from veteran leaderships, leadership types like DeMario Davis, I would encourage you guys to find those and check out some of that stuff on social and check in with some of those teams are doing. We'll be back. Before we get out of here, we gotta get at least one. You ready? Go ahead. One, two, three. Two! It's fun to say, is that the coach of the year talking? I know Dabel's got a case here, but so does Super Bowl winning coach Doug Peterson. Let's get to some of these games from the weekend. It was so fun. I want your tweets at up and Adam show. Are the Vikings the most tortured fan base in the NFL? Full stop. Let us know. Okay, let's talk about these Jags. People might say the Jags are tortured, but not right now. They pulled off a stunning comeback. One of the most stunning comebacks in NFL history on Saturday night, 27-0 hole. And they come up with an epic 31 to 30 win over the Chargers. Here is Trevor Lawrence talking about resiliency. That's the thing, I mean, just the belief in this team. It's kind of, I mean, it's really cool to see what can happen when everybody believes. And, you know, I wouldn't have been able to do what I did today and what the offense was able to do in the second half to bounce back. Also the defense, if we didn't believe in one another. And that was, you know, through four picks in the first half and those guys beside me on offense and the guys on the other side of the ball didn't ever lose faith in me. And that's one thing that makes it easier when you know you got guys that believe in you no matter what the circumstances are. This was stunning. I was at, I was in Chicago for my best friend, get this, from first grade, her mom's 70th birthday party. There's belly dancers, there's hoopla, there's all this stuff going on. And I just kept going to the TV at the bar, like outside of the banquet hall and being like, what? And then I was like, oh, it's done. Four interceptions, it's absolute. And then I could not believe what I was seeing. And of course then you have more drinks as the night goes on and you're like, what am I actually seeing? But he follows up those four interceptions with four touchdown passes. And then in the second half, I went back and watched it all. He barely misses. He lived out the nightmare scenario for a highly touted young quarterback in his first career playoff start. And then to compose yourself and finish as strongly as he did, that would have been impressive enough, right? But then you pull a complete 180. You crush the Chargers defense, absolutely smash them and put together what's gonna be looked at, I hope, and what it should be as a legendary performance. And this is one of those things where, I was literally with my brother after this party and we're arguing about the playoffs and he's like, Trevor Lawrence is good. Yes, Trevor Lawrence is good. And this is one of those games that's gonna tell all those casual fans that don't watch every game of the NFL. It shows you what he's made of. They are made of something truly special and hello to my brother who's watching us, I'm sure right now, my parents' house. We'll see if Trevor can keep it going. Tough game against Kansas City, but would you be surprised? Would you be surprised if he showed you that he could do that, that he could do anything, even up against Andy Reed and Company? Unbelievable. The Chargers side, not as unbelievable. I mean, run defense. It's all I talked about last week. The run defense let them down in the biggest of moments. This fourth and one, Travis Etn, I tried to warn you. I tried to warn you this was gonna happen. When they needed a stop, could they get it? No, they couldn't and they didn't. And then there was the play calling. I'm sorry, 22 passes to seven runs in the second half when you have a 20 point lead and Austin Eckler. What are we doing? What are we doing? Then there's the trickle down effect of last week, the Chargers playing their starters in a meaningless, meaningless, impactless, you can't move, you can't move, you're stuck and cemented into the place you are in the seeding system. Week 18, you lose Mike Williams to a fractured back. All week I'm trying to make good with it, like he's gonna play, he's gonna be fine. You really think that Mike Williams couldn't have been the difference in a 31 to 30 game? What are we doing here? And now there's a decision to make. Seven runs for this team, Austin Eckler comes out after the game and still says, no, Brandon Staley's the guy. He turned this franchise around, he did all these things. The decision the Spandos family has to make, do we keep Staley, who does deserve a lot of credit for what he's done, mentality, years and years of psychology and did a team thinking that it's all gonna go wrong? He has expelled that, he has gotten rid of that and he got them to the playoffs in the face of a lot of injuries and a lot of adversity this season. But you have a ton of talent on this roster and you are in a window. This is your chance to get the best, to make an upgrade. Sean Payton's out there, he's gonna watch this game tonight. We'll see what happens to McCarthy if the Cowboys cannot get out of this first round but Sean Payton's a proven Super Bowl winning coach sitting out there. The Chargers, they do what they do and they consistently hire first time head coaches for sure, but coaches that maybe aren't the big swing. They're not the bell of the ball. And they say, all right, let's do this and let's see, let's let them grow into the role. But just time wise, window wise, it might be time for them to go get the guy who's ready to get the most out of the team right now. That's Sean Payton. Landing with Sean Payton can completely change the identity of this organization. And I don't know, I know the trade picks are gonna be a lot to have to deal with and I know that that price tag for Sean Payton, he is not looking for a deal anywhere. I'm sure he's enjoying his time in Los Angeles area working for Fox and I'm sure he's gonna have his pick of where to go. Strong contender, great team, lots of talent. Price tag is gonna have to be up there. Something that I don't think that is synonymous with what the Spanos family has done historically. So something to consider, what do you do? Keep things as is or try to make a change and improvement and really compete. What other story line should we talk about? Oh, the Seahawks. They hung around on Conrad Singh Womp Womp in my ear. 17 to 16, that was the score at the half. But then the Niners just flexed on them. The second half, 25 straight points. They ran away with 41 to 23 win over their division rivals. And I just talked about Trevor Lawrence overcoming adversity and while it wasn't in the same ballpark as to what he went through. Brock Purdy, there were some struggles for the first time in his very young seventh round, Mr. Last Pick in the Draft career. The first half wasn't gorgeous, right? But he kept it together. He's got confidence. I think that's what separates him from other guys who are thrown into this situation. Oh, and Shanahan, and yes, Christian McAfrey and Debo who looked so Debo. He looked so Debo yesterday and Kittle and all that. He's the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to put up four total touchdowns in a playoff game. And he put up the highest passer rating, I think, of any of the quarterbacks who played this weekend. So sure there's credit to him and he can hang in those moments somehow. But it's also Shanahan and these Niners weapons. They're outstanding and we're getting to the point as we look here and what they were able to do. I mean, you can put this collection of skilled players up against any group to ever play this game. And I'm not saying this year, I'm not saying since I was, I'm saying ever. It is absurd and everyone got a little piece of the pie. Everyone had a moment on Saturday and we've been waiting to see the best show in town which would be a healthy Debo and a fully integrated Christian McAfrey. What would they look like together with this absolute madman calling the shots on the sideline? They combined for over 300 yards alone, guys. They got huge third down conversions from Ayuk as well. I know Ayuk, not the best game for him but Eli Mitchell, you got to touchdown, two point conversion, you know, some crushing blocks from Kittle as well. This group is so special and it's not only that we need to appreciate it but like should we even play the rest of the playoffs? That's where I'm at. I know the Eagles are gonna say whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. They would have to come here and that would be tough. And maybe Brock Purdy is a human and melts down as a rookie in a crazy situation in that environment. But that is 11 straight wins for the Niners and they've got it all. They've got the gauntlet, they've got the superpowers. They're made of adamantium, like use any Marvel or DC metaphor. I don't know how they break the streak. Who beats them? I don't see it happening. And I have to give credit to John Lynch who was drafted so well, was super aggressive in making the trade for CMC. And let's not pretend that everyone was a fan of that move when he made it. I said he's gonna switch the balance and tilt the balance in their favor in the NFC but there's a lot of people saying it wasn't a good move. It was too aggressive, it was hasty, whatever. And Shanahan is the creative mastermind who gets to use all of these pieces. It's all working, don't you understand? It's all working. He's gotten the best out of Brock Purdy and he's always adapting that Shanahan. He's always keeping the team in contention every year. So the Niners, what are they waiting for? They wanna see who wins tonight, Bucks Cowboys. And it's hard to come out of this weekend without thinking I don't care who wins. Even if it's Brady, I'm gonna say it, if it's Brady and he has to go to the Bay Area and take on Brock Purdy for round two, I think it's another Tom Brady hugging Brock Purdy at the end of the game as they are destined for a trip to Philly and then maybe Arizona. All right, we'll have more on this game tonight because some of you think it matters, I kinda don't, we'll break it down. Wild card weekend is not over. The Cowboys taken on the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay tonight closing out what was an incredible super wild card weekend. So we wanna preview this thing, get you all the best information. And for that, we bring in a couple of folks who cover the team inside and out from both Tampa and Dallas. First up, our good friend, Rick Stroud, who is going to give us the latest, I hope, on what has been an up and down, I don't even care anymore. Ryan Jensen, year-long watch. Yeah, it's been pretty fascinating, Kay. And finally, we have some resolution. Ryan Jensen is going to be active tonight with this Dallas Cowboys. My information is that he will start the game at center. He took reps during the week with Tom Brady. It's been 357 days since he's played in an NFL football game of any kind. That was a playoff game last year in 172 days since he was injured. So he had a couple of knee ligaments that he partially tore. He's worked his way back and Big Red's gonna give them a big lift just because of his snarl as much as snapping the ball with Tom Brady. Let's talk about the offensive line a little bit further. There's other injuries, of course. And then you've got Micah Parsons to deal with. You've got to Marcus Lawrence to deal with. The Cowboys are third in the NFL with 55 sacks this season. How are we feeling about that going into this action, especially after what we saw all weekend? Well, that's a tough group to handle for sure. And then you add to the fact that Robert Hainsey, who was gonna be the starting center, is battling a hamstring injury. He's questionable tonight. And Nick Leverett, who's there starting left guard, is doubtful. He's got a knee and a shoulder injury. So we're not sure about those two guys. It could be Rookie Luke Getiky, who struggled his first six games, but he did start against the Dallas Cowboys in week one when Leonard Fournette ran for 127 yards. And he's gotten better just through the process of practicing and being in a couple of games. I really don't know who they're gonna start at guard. I'll be honest with you. And this is a tough thing because you really don't know what to expect from Jensen either. He has not played. They're gonna test the middle of that defensive, offensive line K with Micah Parsons, moving guys around trying to get pressure inside. And that's what Tom Brady was good at getting the ball out to the perimeter in the first game. He'll be trying to avoid that pressure inside tonight. I don't know that I've ever been able to say this, but I don't know where I'm at with Tom Brady. Like I don't know, do I think he's going to go in there at his home and light it up? Of course I do, but I've never really associated inconsistency with Tom Brady. And but it's been a struggle and it's been the offensive line. And then I'm like, are you friends with Mike Evans? Do you two hate each other and Mike Evans? I mean, I'm looking even at the numbers, 11 straight games that a touchdown, 11 straight for Mike Evans. And then he passed 207 yards and three touchdowns in that win over the Panthers. They've been inconsistent. They look better now, but it was against the Panthers in Atlanta. Where am I at with Tom Brady going into this? Okay, I think Tom Brady's in a pretty good place right now. Obviously he'll feel better about his protection. He didn't during the year. You know, he only took 22 sacks. It was the fewest in the NFL. And he had the most past attempts. That's not because his offensive line is good. That's because he got rid of the ball so quickly. I think we saw in the Carolina Game K that knowing that everything was on the line, they had to win that game really to make the playoffs. He was willing to stand in there and look down field a little bit more than he has been doing. And they got the right coverage. You got a lot of man coverage. They may get some of that tonight and a lot of single safety. And so he took shots to Mike Evans. And you're right. You go 11 games without a touchdown pass to Mike Evans. Just doesn't make any sense at all. But Mike is where the passing game starts. He'll draw some double teams, but they have to get him in the ball. And I think they feel pretty good about where they're at. They also had a first drive for a touchdown against Atlanta before Tom left that game. So I think offensively they feel pretty good. I think the last time we spoke, Rick, I said, can we run the ball more? Can we get that to happen? And last week I said, can we please see playoff Lenny? Any chance, especially with the improved protection that we see a heavy dose of Fornette tonight? Absolutely you could. And I think you have to look back at the Arizona Cardinals game, which they also had to win. And in crunch time, they really went to Leonard Fornette an awful lot. He had his best overall game. He rushed for 75 yards. He had nine catches for 90 yards, including a 42 yarder, I think to get the final drive going. Now that doesn't mean that you won't see Rashad White. He may actually start the game and he scored a touchdown on that drive against the Cardinals. But Tom Brady trusts Leonard Fornette in these big situations, these big moments. He trusts him in protection. He trusts him to catch the ball, make people miss, make big yards and big plays. And I think it comes down in the playoffs to trust. So playoff Lenny might be back. We'll have to wait and see if there's any Lombardi Lenny this year. Yeah, I mean, Gronk was on our show last week. He joins us every week. And I said, well, we see him and he goes, he just steps up in those plays. Something changes and maybe it is the trust from Brady. But if you look at his career, not only with the Bucks, but in general, as a playoff resume, six and two averaging over a hundred rushing yards a game. He's got 10 touchdowns and eight playoff games. So hopefully he can get it going for them tonight. We appreciate you, Rick. Enjoy the game. And I mean, it's going to be wild as always. I can't imagine. Thanks, Kate. Enjoy, I enjoy. We appreciate you so much. Tampa Bay Times, you can check out Rick Straub's work there. And a busy day for him. So we were very grateful here on a Monday. Let's go to the Dallas side of things. They want to wreck shop. They want to be that third NFC East team that stays in this thing. We bring in Cowboys reporter for the Fort Worth Star Telegram, Clarence Hill Jr. How are you? I assume you're also in Tampa. I am in Tampa. How are you doing? I appreciate you having me. I'm good. I appreciate you taking the time on a busy day. What did you make of the weekend? Crazy, huh? Yeah. This is, you know, I tweeted last night that everybody gets excited about college football and the pass of the college football, but nothing beats the NFL playoff. So what a super wild card weekend. And hopefully we'll have a great game tonight. It all ends tonight. Listen, let's talk about these boys. They finished the season with not very inspiring performance against these commanders in their division. One of the bigger concerns seems to be Dak Prescott. Career high, 15 interceptions this season, and at least one interception in each of Dallas' last seven games. So what can you point to, to why Dak has been so prone to the turnover? You know, it's all over the place. It's, you know, it's receivers. It's impressing, certainly against Washington. It was a case of impressing in other games. Receivers dropping passes, not being what they're supposed to be, and I'm trusting to be there. It's a number of things, the offensive line, you know, not trusting the offensive line and trying to do too much, you know. But again, the interceptions have to stop. You're showing the pick against Washington. You know, he did not read the defense. He did not understand the quarterback. There was no reason he should have thrown that ball in that Washington game. But, you know, the regular season over playoff start. Dak Prescott historically is not a mistake. He doesn't throw a lot of deception out of his career. That's the quarterback they need going forward in the playoffs. He wants to be aggressive. He is the reason why that offense is successful. Because if you look at, you know, we get caught up in the interceptions, but just look at the difference between the offense as he's been back. You know, they're among the league leaders in points and third down conversions. You know, his completion percentage is among the highest of his career, you know, this year. It's just that bugaboo, this ratchet of interceptions that makes everybody go crazy right now. But CD Lamb has had one of the best receivers of any cowboy in history because of Dak Prescott. Yeah, they need him out there, no doubt. And I, you know, when we say these 15 interceptions, it's important to note that that's in 12 games. So it's a lot of picks in a short time. He, of course, missed five games with a thumb injury. And I'm not a doctor and I'm not in that locker room and around that team like you are, Claire. And so I'm asking you, is it crazy to think that that thumb might be contributing to some of that struggle? No, no, not at all. Not at all. You go back to the Jacksonville game, the interception in the game, hit the receiver in both hands and popped up. You know, another interception, another game, you know, hit a, the tight end in his chest and went to the cornerback. I mean, they had nothing to do with his thumb. The thumb injury is not a problem at all. Okay, love to hear that. But I do, I would love to see them lean on the run game a little bit. Maybe just take the pressure off Dak a little bit. They've got Zeke, they've got Tony Pollard tonight. And I think any of the year I'd be like, don't even try to run up against Tampa Bay. They're insane, but this year they're just 15th against the run. You know, they, they, they want to run the ball. They will try to run the ball against Tampa. This is not, you know, that Tampa Bay rush defense a few years ago. And certainly they need to, the issue they've had, which has contributed to some problems in the past. The game is the offensive line, you know, has struggled a little bit. They're not opening holds. Look at the last few weeks. There are not a lot of holds in the offensive line. And they, they lost Terrence Still and they, and Tyler, Tyler Smith has replaced him in right tackle. And he has not played well. Eight-time pro bowl miss the book of the season with the hamstring injury has come out and not been what they thought he was going to be. He's not been better than what they had with Terrence Still. And that's a problem. But they're, Tyler Beattis, their center was injured in the Tennessee game. He should be back. He's going to start interesting enough. They're not going to go back to the original office line. Looks like they're going to go with Tyler Smith, the rookie at left guard and Jason Peters at left tackle. This is the information we can only get from you. We appreciate it so much. Micah Parsons, I think it's a lazy take, but that he'll be the one to wreck shop. If the Cowboys win, maybe it won't be about deck. It won't be about Zeke or Pollard. It will be because this is the guy who's an all pro and he's sacks on sacks up against an offensive line that hasn't been great, but hasn't allowed a lot of sacks of Tom Brady this season as well. Is he the guy in this game to get this done? Oh, no doubt. No doubt. He's fresh. He's recharged. We only had one half sacks of the last six games. But, you know, he's seen a lot of double teams. He's seen a lot of chips. He's played evens in majority of the first time in his career as opposed to playing linebacker. So it is taking a toll on him. But, you know, the extra day, you know, with this Monday night game, he's ready to go. And you saw last week, he still had some juice and ladies against Washington. He had two sacks in the first game against Tom. So yeah, Tom gets to ball out quick, but Micah Parsons has gotten to him. He got to him twice. He got to him twice in the first game and they're going to rush him all over the line. I saw Rick talking about the issues that guard. There's issues inside. You want to rush Tom from up the middle, okay? And so look for them to blitz him and stunt in different things to get pressure on him in Tom's face. We'll see if it'll work. I mean, either way, for you, it's always busy. Whether you guys win tonight in advance, you got lots to talk about. If you lose, then you're probably talking about Champagne in tomorrow morning, potentially, huh? Champagne's not already signed with the Chargers or all these other places. Look like the Chargers are the best place for him. But it's always something. Mike McCarthy, back-to-back, 12-and-5 season with the Cowboys. He's done a great job managing this team without deck. Prescott, they lost him in five games. And in the back of the quarterback comes in, he's done a great job managing this team and getting them ready for the playoffs. But we've all talked before the season. It didn't matter what the Cowboys did during the record season. It mattered what they did in the postseason. And he certainly knows that. He was not brought here to do the same thing as Jason Garrett. He was brought here to do Jimmy Johnson-like things, take them to the next level, take them to potentially a Super Bowl. That's what he's going to be judged on. And obviously, they have a dud of a game like they did last week. If they go into the game nervous like they did last year, I don't know if you remember him saying they were nervous going into the 49ers game last year. They're all better off. Certainly, Jerry Jones has said that nothing can happen tonight that's going to impact Mike McCarthy's job. But we all know just because Jerry said that it don't make it so. We do have certainly have a big collection of evidence that that is true. And I like McCarthy. I forgot about that nervous quote. I'm glad you're reminding me. I do like his confidence this year where they were asking about the extra day and he said, I didn't need it. We're ready to go. I liked that. Yeah, so we'll say that they believe, you know, they've been pointing at his game and pointing at his playoffs all season after what happened last year. You know, that's been their motivation. That's, you know, their whole model this year was resiliency and handling all the issues. And they've done a good job at that. Now they need to play the best football. This is, again, this is a legacy game for Dak Prescott. Clarence, I cannot appreciate your words enough. You've got to get that typewriter ready. Get it charged up for tonight. We can check out Clarence Hill Jr. over at the Fort Worth Star Telegram. And thank you for the work and thank you for being on the show. Thank you. Thank you, I appreciate it. Thank you. Next up we've got some local heroes. First time playoff tutors, no problem. First, St. Kwan Barkley in the Giants big win. There's not a person that I'm more happy for. Right now, St. Kwan Barkley. We've got to give some love to some performances and some players that stand out in the midst of insanity all around the league in the playoff picture. So we'll do one for the NFC and one for the AFC. And we'll start with St. Kwan Barkley, who had his first career playoff appearance waiting for five years, five years. And he did not disappoint. In fact, he looks like he does it every day. He looks better than ever. Game-winning score in the fourth quarter. This is a local hero finishing with 109 total yards, two touchdowns to help lead the Giants to that win. And this was the moment he and these fans have been dreaming of anticipating. Like when you're watching him walk across the stage at the NFL Draft in 2018, taking second overall, this is the moment. And it has to feel sweet for fans, for the team, for all of that. But for him, because he has dealt with so many injuries and I've interviewed so many NFL players in my career and his always sticks out to me because I have a normal negative perspective on things. I like to wallow, I like to... He, when I interviewed him, after missing all of that time early in his career, and he's never dealt with anything like that, right? Penn State's dad, he told me it was the best, I think it was 20 after 2019, best year of his life. Best year of his career. And I stopped him and was like, what are you talking, it didn't play. And he said, it taught me so much. The adversity, the sitting down and seeing things a different way, that just they having to get... He was had such a positive outlook on it and he's so young that I've always, I always rooted for him even before that I've always rooted from after that conversation. So think about that, injury after injury, the hype, the obnoxious weight of the New York fan base and having him do that and there, he gets it done. It had to be, that moment had to be so gratifying and I'm loving it for him. And I also love seeing this last night. His teammate, Ward, tries to get Saquon's attention on the plane as they all like to go on Instagram Live. What is he doing? What is Saquon Barclay doing there? He's not watching Toy Story, everybody. He is watching film, completely oblivious to the celebration going around. He's so focused and dialed in and he so knows the importance of this moment, not really maybe for his giants and all that's true in the preparations for Philly and stuff, but for him, his legacy, the stamp he wants to leave on this league and I just love this. I don't love this for anybody more than I love it for Saquon Barclay and it makes me want to root for them up against Philly, which Marissa McBride will have take Umbridge to. Okay, over in the AFC, local heroes, if you have anybody that we're missing, please hit us up at Up an Adam Show, but we can't not give it to Bangles, Lionback or Lowland Wilson. I know, give it to Sam Hubbard, we get it. But remember, his last playoff game was Super Bowl 56 and it was defined, marred, if you will, by a holding penalty, which was so goofy, in the red zone and this of course leads to the Rams clinching the Lombardi off a touchdown. Mike Pereira, many other officiating experts admitted this was not the right call, but it didn't change the ruling and it doesn't change, I bet, how Lowland Wilson feels about that considering how the rest of the game played out and I don't think anyone blames Lowland Wilson for what happened. It was a bad call objectively and it wasn't his fault, but I do assume that that's something that maybe stuck with him just in his head and that's why I loved that he added this new, legendary, iconic chapter to his legacy last night in the face of another crucial third and goal. I mean, look at this. This is what he's gonna be remembered by. This is one of the clutches plays in absolute NFL history. Smackin' the ball out of Tyler Huntley's hands into the arms in the warm embrace of Sincey Boy, Sam Hubbard, who takes it back for those 98 yards and a touchdown. So Hubbard, yes, he's gonna get lots of love today and we already gave love to Von Bell and all of that, but I wanna make sure that what Logan did is not lost on all of it. The awareness, just the sheer execution of it. You cannot make a bigger play in a bigger spot than this and this is the type of moment that a player of his caliber deserves to be remembered for. This is a replay that we were looking at. I mean, of him having a great career. You don't wanna be remembered for what happened in this Super Bowl. This is generational. This is gonna be on the list with the Immaculate Reception. I already saw my Floreo said that he, which should be called the Immaculate Rejection, which I appreciate, I like it. This is mini-miracle level tier stuff and I couldn't be happier for him. I thought he was handed a raw deal in the Super Bowl last year and now it's so fun because we didn't get the game between him and Josh Allen. He doesn't wanna get hurtled by Josh Allen. They're gonna go right up to Buffalo and we're gonna see if Logan Wilson can continue this run for the Bengals in the AFC. So there we have it. Those are my local heroes. I'm sure I miss, who else deserves it? Not Devin Singletary for being the only person to not score touchdown on Buffalo. Who? Oh, James Cooke deserves a local hero more than Logan Wilson. I mean, I know I'm not objective, but that is, who else? Who are we missing? Let us know. Obviously Brock Purdy could have gotten it in the NFC but we'll break some of that down. Did Mike McDaniel have a vape on the sideline? Stay tuned. Let's bring in Matthew Hamilton, who won a parlay yesterday. Your time is parlay. I don't think I wasn't gonna mention it. Don't think I'm not jealous and hate you and presenting you, but here you did it, kid. Yeah. Daniel Jones really came through. Those receivers really stepped up for the Giants. Like you talked about last week, Isaiah Hodges had a monster day. We really helped him out there and Saquon broke a couple of big runs to get him over to the 50 yards. The Giants pulled it out. So we got a parlay on the show. Did you pick Devin Singletary to be a K-maker and did you pick Devin Singletary? Like I put that in my parlay based off research about him scoring chunks of touchdowns late in the season. I don't know if we wanna pull, yeah, I don't know if we wanna pull back the current on that entire conversation, but there were some advice and some advice that may not have been followed. Yeah, he texted me back and said, just do yards, you do yards for Devin Singletary. And I said, no, I think he's gonna score a touchdown and here I am, here I am again. Okay, we have to get to some steps, but congratulations on that and that and somebody had to win. So it feels good. Thank you. We'll get another one soon. Let's go to the delay of game Palooza. That was Mike Daniels and this Dolphin situation, Skyler Thompson, weird huddle stuff, weird timing stuff, but then also viral moment we have to discuss. Is he vaping on the sideline and doesn't really matter? Is he trying to keep his hands warm? Maybe? That's what I was thinking at first too, is he just trying to, is he inhaling or exhaling? He's inhaling. That's what I'm trying to, yeah. Cause you see it a lot, like especially with pitchers and baseball they'll blow into the hands like this. You don't go like terrified, he's like trying to be cool. He's trying to be cool. I don't know if this isn't allowed or if he's in trouble for this. I don't know. There's cigars and stuff in locker rooms after, like what if he's just whatever? I cannot get into the health of it. We saw Len Dalson in the locker room with a beer and a cigarette, so maybe this is just the 2023 version of Len Dalson. We have Len Dalson right over there doing that in that jersey. It kind of doesn't matter. The game was a, this was a tough one. Yeah, I don't think we can blame the loss on the, on the big, but yeah, as you said before, I give a lot of credit to the Dolphins for making this a game with all the challenges. I know there's some stuff and I'm sure we'll go through it throughout the week. The Dolphin side of this, because there were a lot of opportunities as well for them to make something happen and that delay a game. Maybe we'll dissect that delay a game tomorrow because- Or we'll dissect the seventh round of the draft when you're talking about these opportunities where they had the opportunity to take Brock Purdy and they did not. They then took Skyler Thompson, who looked a little less ready for the moment. Granted, he doesn't have some of those weapons around him. All right, let's talk about this other one really quick. Aaron Donald, should I care about, do I need to know about this this week? I know there was two photos taken, one of his Twitter bio saying he is a ram. What am I looking at here? Yeah, no one's saying former NFL DD linemen, so you have to wonder if that's a hint at things to come. He quickly changed it, I guess, once it was pointed out. But we know he was considering a retirement last year after that Super Bowl win. You have to think it's going through his mind again and maybe that is foreshadowing. So he, J.J. Watt, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers all retiring. We'll see. Brady will come back. Brady's coming back. All right, get back in your parley lair of winning parlays, goodbye.