for them. It's not showboating there's a fine line between
showboating, you know, in a way that sticks your opponent's
face in it and just having fun. They like to have fun. That's
what
coach read, explain to you last week and the people we had on
our pregame right there just having fun. They're making it
fun in the showing people what you can do within the confines
of the rules to have a little fun and do things a little bit
different. That's right.
It did there. They're a team that enjoys this Sport and
the coaches empowered them because he knows how hard Hard, they
work and how much they love the sport. And like,
you know, it's one of those places when you're there. Like,
I told you at dinner and Friday night and it's, they were, they
were working hard as hell, and flying around the field, and
they all had Smiles on their face
and coaches were yelling at him and do it better and do it
faster and they were just smiling loving it. So
that's given Randy read the you know, the confidence to trust
his players. Let alone. Hey, it's not a just about fun,
it's effective, it's hard.
Scored touchdowns on the 5-yard line. And the NFL now,
there's four freaky defensive linemen and the linebackers and
safeties are all greatest. You can't just go. Oh, we're going
to run it up the middle like it's 1987 anymore. You can't do
that. So, you got to find different ways to do it. And
that's where, you know, there, there are, you know, another
pain in the butt for you. It's their offense in the middle of
the field,
and then you get down on the 5 and the 8 yard line, you got to
worry about a whole new list of plays, and that's where Kansas
City become very excited and a pain in the butt trip. Repair
for for Lou in a room. Oh,
And his point, no matter what they do Ring Around The Rosy or
whatever. Just let's cover. Kelsey coverage was the key
last year they used eight or more defenders in coverage
on multiple occasions during the AFC Championship game. Last
year. Patrick Mahomes was 7 for 13, 59 yards and
an interception and two sacks. When there were guys, flooding
the zones covering, the receivers making Patrick
Mahomes, work
to find someone open. That's the key. If you can pull that
off, courtesy of next-gen stats there, Passing EPA - 14.4. I'd
be lying if I told you I knew exactly what that was but name
time. It's - it's not
good.
There are there are some contexts where - is good?
I think in this one it ain't so.
Do we think we're going to see some of that same stuff? I mean
see this is where the cat and mouse game comes into play
because what are the Chiefs expect versus what are
the Bengals going to do?
And if the Chiefs expect one thing in the Bengals, do
something else. That's effective in the Chiefs aren't
ready. D for it, then that becomes more effective than
what they did last year. That was effective. Sure, sure. Well
you know, I think the thing is when
you prepare for the Cincinnati Bengals and you see here, I mean
they brought every defense in the world that's kind of
the greatness of what Lou in a room was doing right now. You know,
usually like we talked about last year during this time you
rush, you rush three, you drop eight teams. Usually just
played covered three or Tampa to with an extra guy kind of
floating
around. They were playing all coverages
you know like you're seeing here
It's man-to-man with a spy and then another guy looking up
crossers and they got two guys looking up crossers. So there
they had tons of people, flooding the area, and they
never
let the quarterback feel comfortable,
that's what they did. The Josh Outland to last week,
you never can get in a rhythm against Luanne, aruma, unless
you can run the ball a little bit and then you can kind of
simplify them a little, but if you're just dropping back and
throwing and he gets you in a game like the AFC Championship
game or Buffalo last week
and he Goes wait, it's
passing four out of five times.
Well you're not going to get in a rhythm or a feel for what he
does and that's the tough thing about him but that's what's
different about Kansas City than Buffalo
or Kansas City the last three times Mike.
We saw they don't it doesn't have to be Mahomes magic with
this team anymore. They can run the ball, they can do that.
There are pretty good screen team to
and I think they're going to have to rely on some of that
stuff to maybe get. Ooh in a room out of some of those
defenses to then where they can get back to some of their
basic offensive plays and have that be effective. At least
that's you know one of my thoughts are things. I'll be
looking for on Sunday.
the
and the reality is they're going to have to be ready for
Mahomes who can still run around all over the place and
make things happen and by time with his legs and throw that
crossbody past sure while he's sprinting hard right to his
left, versus
the guy who's in the pocket, like whatever it is, they need
to adapt and adjust continuously throughout
the game, and on a room, who's got to be ready for everything and
that defense has to be ready for everything and
I could see them
just Just on the Fly. We got to do this. We got to do that.
He's moving well today. Let's do this. Oh, he's not moving
very well. Let's keep doing that and
yeah, that's it. That's why he's really good when it be
one. Play at a time, one snap at a time. And, you know, we're
talking about last year's AFC Championship game is if
the Bengals came out and beat
the crap out of them, it still was 21 to 30
wasn't working. No
early and I know this is for the Bengals. They didn't they
didn't freak out, they didn't get desperate, they didn't give
up, they kept their
their heads. I'm selves and they kept doing
what they were supposed to do. And it eventually worked out
the offense, eventually did their part. And at the end of
the day, mission accomplished, we scored more points in
the other. That's right. These games have been razor-thin
the regular season matchup last year. I mean, it was 34-31, it
came down to the wire and I'll you said, the AFC Championship
game. We know, when it over time this year, 27:24 Kansas
City's in control of the game their kind of driving Kelsey
fumbles.
So you know, Kansas He's gonna be able to sell to themselves
that. Hey, we met some things up here. We could have won
these games if we didn't do this. And this
and of course, there are Championship caliber type of
football team, they're still Kings of the AFC, you know, and
least in my opinion, I'm not ready to call
Cincinnati. The king yet they're knocking on the door
and they're trying to be,
but that's where I think this game is going to get chippy and
personal. But you're right about this, Bangles defense.
I mean again,
you know, the other thing is Kansas City of course a way
better pass protecting offensive. And then Buffalo, so
that's another element as well.
And the Pacheco influence
is real and they had trouble stopping the Run game. A little
bit in the first matchup earlier this year and also,
those screens were effective, you know. But yeah, it was
their meat and potatoes, drop back pass offense. That never
really took off if you really watch the
week 13, football game.
And that's where Lou in a room has got a beat on the Chiefs
and their offense there. And that's where it's going to be
on. Andy Reid and be enemy too. I think come up with a few
plays of like, hey, he thinks
We're gonna Zig. So we get a zag a little bit
and I'll but there there's nothing they don't like they
got place in that class game. They're playing cover three.
Its three-man rush
and then seven guys are playing cover three of them. They got
one guy playing man-to-man on Travis Kelce, so
they really got it all and that's where they've been
problematic for the Chiefs and back to your original Point.
Mike, I don't freaking get it, I really don't lose the loo in
a room. O thing to me almost seems a little bit like
the Eric be enemy thing. Like he's a little
little too much of a coach.
It's a little too real and he's going to tell you too many real
answers and it's not always political hay, make the owner
feel good. And I feel like that's the reason,
you know, guys like him and Wink Martindale and Eric me
enemy aren't getting a fair Shake because they're just not
political BS others. And you know, I hate that aspect of it
because
I think they've got a lot of potential to be special if they
were head coaches.
Kind of like what happened with Mike Zimmer, why he had to wait
so long to exactly which he would go in there. Tell it like
it is right. Everybody off and they wouldn't hire but at least
be enemy gets interviews. Wink Martindale getting
an interview. I only know of you
four-eyed
Oromo, that's stupid snow doesn't even come up it
and and it almost reminds me of what happened with Frank Reich,
five years ago, where his name didn't even come up, as
a potential head coaching, candidate until Josh. McDaniels
jilted, the Cults left him at the altar and the Colts had to
scramble. Able and they,
they discovered Reich
who they hadn't even interviewed
during the weeks before the Super Bowl. But the Eagles had
that great offensive game. Plan against the Patriots and one in
the shootout
to get the Super Bowl championship with Nick Foles at
quarterback all of a sudden, hey, maybe Frank Reich is
a pretty good coach and I say all the time, the awards
and we're going to talk later in the show about the finalists
were announced. As its first time, the NFL has done that,
the awards that come out the night before the Super Bowl are
all based on regular She's an only here. Feels like
the coaching searches are based on regular season only
and everybody ignores the stuff
that these teams do
you're right, when it counts, right the most, right?
Why aren't you revising
your list of potential candidates? As you see
an impressive performance
in a high-pressure game?
Why aren't you saying well you know what? We're going to pause
everything here, until we get an opportunity to talk to Lou
on Aroma, we haven't done
it yet. We're going to wait until after. And a if
the Bengals lose we're going to talk to him if they make it to
the Super Bowl will wait until
after the Super Bowl to make a higher.
Why rush it? If the best guy for the job is out there and we
haven't spoken to him yet, it really is amazing. To me you're
talking about the guy who is the football, CEO of
a multi-billion Dollar business
and you're going to rush to make the decision
because of what,
because of why. It makes no sense, Chris. No, it doesn't.
And then like, what you said, not the regular season results
are good and then you go into it and you go, oh wait.
This is the guy that stopped Derrick Henry and the Titans.
Oh, stop Patrick Mahomes, right?
Had Sean McVeigh and Cooper cup and
Matthew Stafford. I mean,
sweating it out and having to fight for their lives to pull
out a Super Bowl, win. And then, Here We Go. Again, part
2. I mean, that's just it. I don't understand it. Sometimes
it's, that's where it's again. That's where
the, the coaching thing becomes annoying.
And I know it becomes annoying to coaches like, Lou in
a ruined because it becomes about politics. And Bs and having to
sell yourself and real football, coaches don't want to
do that,
they're not those kind of people.
So that's where I feel for him. And hopefully someone will
open their eyes or get in the ear of an owner and go.
Hey, you know, the guy that's like,
you know, knocking on the door of like
having
the best playoff defense, the last few years have but we hire
him and the you know, his ability to come up with game
plan specific attacks on the defensive side of the ball.
Very special. We haven't seen. Anybody do this to the Chiefs
and five years.
That's where the game is awesome.
And we haven't seen any that we know the Patriots gave him
a tussle early on sure and the early on in the Mahomes era,
but it's been the Mahomes Chief Sarah here for the last five
years
and now we're seeing a team here
that. Whoa, they got answers and
made mean Mahomes is only thrown for 223 yards in week,
13 and only 16 completions and we haven't seen a team do this
like this consistently and then they got a quarterback on
the other side that we're all going.
Wait, Mahomes has been The guy but
I don't know, is burro maybe the guy, which is a fair
conversation, I get that. I mean Mahomes is still the man
in totality of my opinion but
burrow is knocking at the door,
you know, and certainly in that conversation
From the moment that we saw Pat from homes walking off of
the little stage. They set up for the
press conference and
we talked about how he's moving van. We saw the video, I start
thinking, maybe I'm going to abandon what I said on Monday.
Oh no, no, no, no, no,
no. You're going with the kitty cats are going with the Bangles
but but now we talked about when the Bengals have the ball,
that's when it's going to come back. I mean between yeah. The
defense can do. And oh, by the way, no Tyree. Killed worry
about this year in the AFC Championship. Well mean, they
did all that stuff last
year to neutralize that team with Tyree kill this year.
There's no one on that team. That is going to make you say,
holy crap, he can run right bias? That little before we
switch over, let's let's talk about that real quick. I'm
because I missed,
I wanted to say that and because you're right. Mike,
that's 100% a great point. And one of those things that I kind
of talked about on my podcast yesterday that I noticed when
I went back,
Back and watch the week, 13 game,
you know, the non Tyreke Hill Factor embolden. The Bengals
defense, a little bit more
than the two games last year, right?
Where there was a few plays where I went, oh,
they're just playing to stop, like the 10 and 12 yard,
intermediate pass. Right. There's some plays where I go
through and some passing situations and I go, you look
at this,
The Bangles safeties are playing 10 yards, deep nine
yards, deep against the Chiefs. As they were, just looking for
the crossers and kelsier, JuJu Smith Schuster in the middle,
right? Mike.
I do think that's an aspect of the game.
He had two big passes to mark his Valdez scantling and work
and week, three, because they were basically just going. We
dare you.
And I think it's really one of the worst things. The Chiefs do
is throw the ball deep, it's because it's like everybody
took away the Deep pass and they were so good at it, early
in the career, they don't get to do it anymore
and they're not as good at it
and I do think that's an element of the game of them.
Finding a few shots to back the Bangles off a little bit,
to open up some of the
again, the meat and potatoes part of their intermediate
short passing game, or it's going to be tough sledding
because they're going to condense the field.
Who would you trust to do that, though? Who did I have that?
You can rely upon to run past guy,
get open, stay open, make the catch ya. Now
and again they've been great without Tyree killed in
totality but for a game like this, exactly, and you really
need that guy right to
to compliment, Travis Kelce because they're just going to
swarm. Travis Kelce like you're saying earlier, put a guy on
calcium Play Zone, otherwise you can maybe neutralize
Kelsey, you have Tyree killing the mix harder to do without
Tyree kill easy.
For the defense to do what it needs to do. So another reason
I'm feeling better about my pick for Monday, see I can't
I can't. Hey, I made the pick Monday. I said, alright not my
fault. The game is so awesome.
I pre-picked The Bangles. Yeah,
the guy was wish we couldn't, I must wish we could just enjoy
this without picking. Anyway, I hear you. I hear it's one of
those where I don't think. I'll be disappointed with. You know,
whoever wins and whoever loses. It's going to be good,
we're going to get it
two teams that got
supreme confidence
and really believe, you know, that
They're they're the team
I think that's what's awesome. And Mike, you're the question,
you know Valdez scantling is a guy they could use to go deep
the other guy that was not a part of the first matchup. That
makes them a little different.
Is number 19 could Darius Tony him being a part of the offense
and I think them having a role for him
is going to be another element that Cincinnati didn't have to
deal with at least the first time around. So we will see
where that goes. But the one thing that's different about
Kansas
City and they were just kind of start in that in week 13.
It is a real Run game this year.
It is the first time Cincinnati's not going to have to go.
Wait a second and seven,
usually that's Mahomes drop back and throw.
But not this year we actually might have to play a run
defense because they might Smash It Up The Middle With The
Pacheco. And I do think that favors you know, Kansas City
a little bit to give them another element to attack Lou in a room
alone that Bengals defense.
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