you know, we had to make our picks yesterday.
I procrastinated as long as I could because I really could
see this game going either way and not just well, you know,
the Bengals could win 3 out of 10 times. I think the Bengals
could win five out of ten time. Me, too.
I think what makes this game so hard to predict is that
everybody originally will say, well, you know, Burgett SEC,
nine times against Tennessee and they still won the game.
Well, they got a lot of help from Ryan Tannehill,
you know, they got three picks
and plus Tennessee, just didn't play well at all.
And so
I don't think you're going to be able to take that kind of
that kind of punishment on Borough.
But Mike today, before I came over here. I was talking to
a head coach in the NFL.
Who has played
Sanford's or played the Rams multiple times?
And he said, the most important thing that you can do
is to make absolutely sure
that you get the running game going and not just throw
the running game every time even if you only get one year at, okay,
we're running it. We're running it. No,
you have to make yards in the running game because
the
Rams defense, especially the back end is so fungible. So
changeable,
so different. That burrow is not going to see in the third
quarter, what he saw at the end of the second quarter.
So in my opinion, I think this becomes a heavily Reliant. Joe
Mixon power running game for, at least part of it
for, at least part of it.
And then again, obviously,
they're going to have
Rely on burrow to make some throws
the problem with him. Making the throws
is having enough time to make them
and is it as simple as and Sims. And I have talked about
and I don't think that Zack Taylor the coach of the Bengals
will ultimately do it,
but just go back and look at what the 49ers due to the Rams,
how they overpower them. Now the Rams brought it with
a level of physicality against the 49ers in the NFC
Championship that we didn't
see. Well, they got steamrolled on that Monday night.
The first night for obj and Von Miller, I don't think was
playing yet. But that, was that Monday night where we felt like
the Rams are going next level and they got the crap kicked
out of me by the 49ers.
Wouldn't you if you're Zach Taylor at least consider
studying everything that Kyle Shanahan has done that his
work? Well against that Rams defense. Keep the offense on
the sidelines. See, I will
power. The defense, take the steam out of it and
try to win that way. I agree Mike, but I'm not sure that
they have the level of physicality that the 49ers have
I think defensively, they 2K.
But offensive ly,
I don't know that that line
can serve and in this is the wrong way to put it can like
beat up are in Donald Wright and and can push me around
really be physical with a very physical front, you know,
Sebastian day and gains
and Donald man. That is one Trio right there.
But on the other side,
a lot of people seem to be sort of oh, they're very surprised
that how That he's been competent on defense.
I'm really not. Because you've been seeing it for much of
the year. If you look at, if you look at reader, if you look at
Hill to me, Mike,
I've been talking about this that
the trade of
Billy price by the Bangles for BJ Hill, especially now that
Larry Okeechobee is out for the year with his broken foot,
a horrible injury for the Bengals,
but they've got BJ Hilda. Plug in there.
And he, that to me, was the most underrated move,
the Bangles made all year before this year, everybody expected,
Trey Hendrickson to get after the pasta. Right? But the BJ,
he'll move makes it positive. Now
that they're going to be able to play really physical
up front against that Rams running game. See, I would be
tempted.
You think of how
Motivated and driven and focused. And Aaron. Donald is
going to be. I would want to use that against him. We see
those plays from time to time where he technically gets a bad
grade for the play because
he's overpowered as blocker. Yeah,
so immediately that there's all kind of overwrapped play and
there goes the running back. I'd want to try to deliberately
induce those kinds of moments and get the Rams on their heels
that way. Maybe if you can't overpower them
run where they're not
go in the, in the wash, Of Aaron Donald as he tries to get
to the quarterback. It's gonna require a level of creativity
and execution for the been. You
know, Mike is gonna be a real challenge me say something
about Aaron. Donald somebody, you know, Zarin, Donald very
well, was telling me this week, something that I didn't really
think about very much. But if you look at a lot of
the players who were playing
in this game, a lot of the young Stars. Jamar, Chase
jobber, oh, you know, a bunch of the Rams to but a lot of
the young guys, Guys
man were in the Super Bowl. This is fantastic
for Aaron Donald.
He's got his defensive players of the year.
He is already right now. If he never plays another snap in
the NFL, he's a walk-in Hall of Famer.
What is the one thing he's missing? And he knows and he
did, he's missing it that after the after the win over
the 49ers. He wants to rank. He he is missing that for his legacy
and his meaning to the
Of pro football because
whatever you say about Joe Greene,
greatest defensive tackle.
Whatever you say about Bob Lilley. I mean
those guys have championships
and whatever you will say about how great are and Donald was
against all the defensive tackles have his day.
If he never wins that ring. There will be a little Scar
and a little bit of a black mark, on his resume,
fairly or unfairly, but that's how players are judge takes him
out. He knows. It makes him Alan. A page, he knows it and
he knows it. And that's one of the reasons why I was told
Wednesday
by somebody who saw him. He's ready to play right now.
Well, and that's why you've got this Confluence of guys on
the Rams who
they all want to win for Donald, but you've got Matthew
Stafford. Yeah. He's trying to get him thing. You got Jalen
Ramsey was trying to get his. You got obj who I think is
a student of the game, and he's made for this moment and he's
been waiting. He's been through so much crappy at the yeah ACL
last year and then he gets out of Cleveland. And who knows
what's going to happen? I think all this. Guys
coalesce. And I feel like that overpowers the Bengals and
I don't want to write off Joe Barbaro because he's the one
guy who would flip that all around on you.
And I think he's capable of flipping it around on the Rams,
but he's going to have
we think a lot more chances. I mean, Dan Marino, thought he
would have a lot more chances after gallon Super Bowl in his
second season 2 and burrow may need to be aware of that. But
that's what makes this one and we say it every year,
somebody's got to lose and it sucks
but But there's no guarantee. You're ever coming back and
Aaron Donald's. Got to look at it and say,
hey, I was here three years ago
and look at everything. We've had to do to get to the point
where we're back in it. And this may be it. This may be his
last chance. It may, you know, three years, never know,
three years from now, maybe done,
you know that three years from now, the decline may be on
three years now, the Cap May blow up on them and given up
all their first-round picks and and it's just not going to
sustain. This is it.
The time is now for the Rams, very rare is the player Sam
Mills. Got into the Hall of Fame last.
And very rare, is the player
who at age, 38 can lead his team in tackles by forty seven,
tackles
and Lead his team to the playoffs. That doesn't happen
a lot
with defensive players at all ever.
So, I think you're right. I think
Aaron Donald looks at this.
We may never pass this way again.