Talking Grit: A Detroit Lions Podcast
Talking Grit: A Detroit Lions Podcast
E21: "Biting Re-Caps" - Week 1: LA Rams - All Grit No Quit
Jason Harwood and Jacob Litton discuss the Detroit Lions' 26-20 win against the Los Angeles Rams in their first regular season recap. Jason, who attended the game, and Jacob, who watched from home, offer varied perspectives. They analyze Jared Goff's performance, David Montgomery's crucial drives in overtime, and key defensive plays by Alex Anzalone and Brian Branch. The hosts also critique game strategy, fan behavior, and reflect on their predictions, while looking forward to previewing the Lions' Week 2 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Welcome to talking grit. I'm Jason Harwood. And with me is Jacob Litton. Week one is in the books. Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26 to 20. Jacob and I are going to give our views on that. It's our first, recap of a regular season game. So I'm super excited about it. I know Jacob is too. He's had a long day of working. I've had a long day of not working. no, I did a lot of stat research.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:at all.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Before we get started, I want to think, actually one of my old college roommates, I haven't talked to him a reached out to me on Facebook to. Um, tell me that we were doing a good job on the podcast. So, uh, his name's Jason and I just wanted to, thank you for that. He said that his son is in, IU hockey and he like they're doing lion square. He like, referenced our podcast and put our name out there. So I want him to thank him for that. That was cool. And, uh, Yeah. So I, it's always good to hear from someone you haven't talked to in a while. And especially nice to hear good things about your podcast. I, I really appreciated that. Made me happy. Now we're going to get back to the game. So we thought we'd start out with, our thoughts from different perspectives. I was inside the stadium, Jacob was at home. I think each perspective gives you a different view of the game Jacob's listening to the commentators at home. I'm just, you know, kind of viewing it in the stadium. So it's kind of an interesting thing as Jacob and I are texting back and forth. We're both garnering information about what they're saying. I'm getting from what he's hearing at home. I'm looking at, you know, injured players are on the sideline. He's texting me, you know, what's going on.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:We got a good thing going, man. I like
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:forth. I have intel inside. let you know what the announcers are saying, what's going on. You let me know who's got helmets on, who's being carted, where they're at.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:yeah, there was the JMO one was a scary one, right? you're in commercial break. So I get to see him walk. So I text him. I'm like, he's walking under his own power. And then my wife, you know, Who's awesome at the game. She's great with the binoculars. She's lookinG at the sideline. I'm asking her, does he have his helmet? She's like, he's got his helmet. He's bouncing around. I'm like, okay, well, that's a good thing. He's not like limping. She says he's putting his gloves back on. I text Jacob. I'm like, he's good to go. And then he was back in, a couple of plays later. So it was, it's a really kind of neat. Thing that you and I have going on. I really liked that, that low back and forth that we have in the game.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:That was terrible for me though. He, you know, obviously that would have been a worst case scenario. He goes down, they cut right to commercial break. And I texted you immediately. Please tell me he got back up.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:You know, he was down for quite a while, even like in the commercial breaks. I don't know how fast on the TV I watched the condensed version. So they kind of didn't really show the whole broadcast. I didn't see that part, but it felt like forever in the stadium too. But then when he got up, I was like, okay, thank God. Cause he was walking ahead of the trainers. And that's what I text her. I'm like, he's walking ahead of the trainers. I think he's okay. As far as, like, my thoughts from inside the game, my last game that I went to was the Rams playoff game. And so I was used to like this level of loudness and I was kind of anticipating it to reach that level. I don't think it quite got there. Um, it was still really loud and rambunctious and still really intense, but it just didn't get up to the playoff level. Stakes weren't as high, obviously, but, um, Stakes were at the highest last year, win or go home, it was good, but it wasn't as intense. I thought so it was, I was preparing for something louder. I thought we might break the decibel record. I know St. Brown said something about that. We're going to break the record. But as far as I know, we didn't, um, at least the numbers they showed on the screen where they were in the, like the highest I saw was get like one 20,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Which is pretty loud.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Oh, it was loud. There's no doubt about it. Another thought that I had just, you know, watching the game as it was going on, Sean McVay showed why he's an offensive genius. He knew the limitations on his team and, you know, just took advantage of a quick passing. You could just see that Stafford was getting one read and getting it out. So inside the stadium, you could see that and you can just see Stafford just, you know, Make an amazing play after amazing play. I'm glad with our boy, Jared golf, but Stafford still showed that he's, he's got it for sure. What did you get from the home version? I mean, could you tell it was loud? I mean, what, what was the feeling there?
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Yeah, you definitely, I mean, when you're watching home, you can still tell it's loud. Even when the referees are trying to make calls, you can, you know, the Ram start off the game with the ball. It's loud. It's funny because then, you know, they go three and out and flip it over the lions and then you can tell, okay, it's actually, it's quieter now. Now you can actually hear everything. The crowd actually, you know, calm down a little bit when the lions were on offense. So that was cool because then you really can tell, uh, you know, that the noise level is making an impact,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:It made me think of something like, um, fake lions fans in general are just getting smarter about when to cheer and when not to cheer last year, it seemed like People would start like, let's go lion's chance right in the middle when the lions have the ball or I'm thinking of a couple of years ago where they were doing the wave, why the lions have the ball, not smart things to do in general. And there was a lot of times and people start making some noise. People were just shushing them and it got fairly quiet. Why the lions had the ball. So I was really happy with that difference between last year and this year. Is there any other thoughts that you had from that You
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:kind of like what I was saying before though, where You know, because I'm watching at home, I kind of get the stats in real time, some of the analysis, some of the things like that. And obviously it jumped off right away, how quick staffer was getting rid of the ball. And they came up with that statistic pretty quick. You know, I think it was before the end of the first half that it was like 2. 6 seconds or something like that from snap to throw, which was the fastest that has ever been in his career. And I don't know, they might've listed like, if that was like top five, you know, fastest for a half of all time or something like that. But I mean, it, It felt like it, which was exactly what they needed to happen because they did not have any time at all. And they knew they weren't gonna have any time.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Right. I think, you know, people that are frustrated that we didn't get a ton of sacks or anything like that. I mean, it was evident that they weren't gonna hold on to the ball in Stafford, you know, 16 year vet knew what to do. He didn't hold the ball. He got rid of it as quick as possible. Um, you get a younger quarterback in there. They would not have done that. They would have fell down the ball and got a lot more sacks.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:They had a few times, let some plays develop and they really, it felt like only had maybe 3 or 4 clean pocket, clean plays and they, you know, didn't execute a whole lot on those either. had 11 quarterback pressures that game, which was actually first, uh, tied for first in the league. And, just outside of him, the other defensive line also, showed up, we talked about that with the questions in the game is where are we going to be able to exploit their offensive line? We definitely did. I know maybe this, you know, the actual sacks didn't jump out, but that 1 of the keys to the game. And I think we executed that.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah. I mean, we'll get into the defense later on in our breakdown, but you're exactly right. It may not show in the statistical sense, but if you watch that game, I mean, the line did affect that they had to get the ball out really quickly and they weren't allowed. They did not get their deep passing game going. So the next, section that we want to go through is just some general game stats. Jacob already dropped 1 and just some thoughts about the game. Just overall general before we get into the offense and then the defense, is there any general game thoughts that you had or stats that you, you know, thought were interesting for the game?
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Um, outside of the defensive line stats, I mean, was really apparent to me pretty early on is that offense was rusty it kind of made me change my stance about, you know, should they have played in the preseason? didn't think it was very necessary, but after seeing how the game came, you know, how the first half, the first couple of drives went. I don't think it was necessarily the Rams defense that was preventing us from working those plays. It just felt like the timing or something was off. Maybe it was kind of the first game nerves or something like that. But I, I feel like maybe if they did have a drive or two in the preseason, maybe some of those things could have been worked out a little bit earlier.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I know you're working today, so you might not have seen it. Campbell was asked that exact same exact question today, and in the press conference, did he regret not having, you know, played his starters in the preseason? And he said, no, he said we would have what got 20 extra plays. We got 60 in our preseason scrimmage. So he goes, I'd rather have them play. Those 60 plays and you know, he basically allude to it's week one. There's always going to be things that don't run perfect. Yes, I think you could have some benefit from playing. In the preseason, but even in the preseason, you're playing, you know, we wouldn't necessarily be playing against the other team starters. What are we going to gain from that?
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:They could have with Casey, Kansas city,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:True. And that's true. You're a hundred percent right in Kansas city, they play their starters and, and they won week one, but we also won week one. We can second guess all day, I'm going to side with Dan Campbell on this, if that's what he truly believes, but I think it's a good point. It's a good thought, you know, and obviously the reporter thought it was a good, good question to ask. One of the things that was very evident in the game was there's a lot of motion. And, uh, when their receiver going back and forth, mostly Cooper cup. And so, uh, per NFL pro, it was, this was an amazing statistic. Cooper cup at 42 snaps and 12 touches when he was in motion. It was the most by any player in the last seven seasons. Which, you know, just shows they were trying to get Cooper cup any, which way he's open. Cause they knew that they were not going to have time and they just had to try to get him any degree of separation. And then going to the whole game, counting the lions out of the 125 plays in the game, 116 had a player in motion. It was the most, uh, again, um, in seven years, I believe. I know motion's a big thing in the NFL right now, but you could, Say last night, both teams were using it, trying to use it to their best advantage.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:which is interesting because obviously from the Rams perspective, you know, what you're dealing with, uh, you know, that you're not going to have time to throw the ball. You've got to try to make sure that you. You have to know the defense. You have to read that defense ahead of time because Stafford only has one read. He's got one option that he's going to, he's got a check down option, but from the lion's perspective, it's different. We didn't necessarily have to do that. So that's interesting to see, is that going to be the case going forward? Are we always going to be using the motion like that? It's not a bad idea. I'm actually surprised that more teams aren't doing that, that it was, you know, as high as it was, or I guess that that was a uncommon thing to be using motion that much.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:My own thought about it is in week one, you know, we didn't see any of the Rams play their starters. They didn't see any of us play our starters. So they're trying to figure things out on the fly. And one of the best ways to read that coverage is move them around. Right. So you could kind of see how the defense shifts and stuff like that. And I think as the season gets later on, there's more tape out there. You're going to use motion. In certain instances when you need to, figure it out, they're trying to disguise something or, you're trying to isolate a player and try to get them wide open, but, you know, it's going to be, it, it was just interesting. And I mean, that's, you think about the player, how much they're moving. In week one, that's going to tire them out even more, that's a lot of. Extra movement for a player
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:right, but that's also why, especially early on, you would use someone like Jamo or Kalief Raymond to try to, uh, start the motion. Or, you know, they're rotating around. I know Amon Ra plays in the slot a lot, so he was in motion. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but he was moving in motion as well, so. that's a good point. You don't want to tire him out doing stuff like that But
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I mean, it just shows you how good, uh, Cooper Cuppa, especially after Nakua went out, he's in motion, in 42 snaps. So he's, running before the play even goes 42 times. That's, that's crazy.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:he looked like it at the end of the game too by overtime. He he gave it everything he had
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Well, I think, you know, over time. Um, I guess we can get that later on, but over time, you know, I'm just really glad that we won that coin toss
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Yeah, right.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:both teams were gassed. I think, you know, especially on the defensive side.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:in the post game Dan Campbell, you know, he's giving out he said However, he worded it. He's like we won the coin toss. Good job golf. Good job Jared or whatever. He'd said.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah, I just, they showed a, a funny thing was like when they won the toss, they panned over to Dan Campbell and he had the biggest smile on his face.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Yes I
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:It was awesome. That's.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:That was great.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:That's going to be a meme forever because it was just, it was perfect.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:over Twitter.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:So, uh, the only other thing that I general thought that I have on the game was the footing. Was weird. Like it was weird to see the lion, players fall so many times, I was really baffled by that. I was both on the offensive and defensive side and you know, we're on home field. It's obviously a turf field and as opposed to what we saw on Thursday night, where. It was just a bad field in general, and that's why people were losing their footing. So, I was, um, baffled by that, and Dan Campbell, uh, address that in his press conference today, too. They asked if they, anything happened with the field or were we trying to some different spikes and he couldn't come up with anything, but, um, maybe it's cause the field hadn't been played on a while. I I'm not sure. It was just, it was weird to see our players slip so many times on an artificial surface like that.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:did. It happened too frequently. Way more than what you would want. We kind of
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:And I think.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:for our field anyway, so that didn't help.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:We got a new field, like not this season, but last season to kind of like had more cushion or whatever, supposed to prevent some of those injuries and, they're going to need multiple years to figure out if that's truly, the data there to support that we don't have, as many injuries, but yeah, if that's the case, They have, they have the players slip like that. Not, not ideal. And it had the potential to cost us huge.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Right.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I didn't notice the ramps player switch slipping as much.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:I actually didn't either. And I mean, that was something that really jumped out watching it on TV, it's like, man, it just seemed like we kept losing our footing. I don't know what the reason that would be either, if they're able to handle it, but we're not, I don't know.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah. No, it
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:make sense.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:doesn't make sense at all. Cause do you think we would know exactly what type of cleats to use on our own field? We've played on there plenty of times. All right, let's get down into our offense and defense breakdown. We're going to start with the offense. Uh, first thing I'm gonna talk about the, every breakdown that we have, I'm gonna start with these three statistics. So. third down efficiency and turnovers. Those things will affect every game. And those are the things that I'm going to look at first. So, uh, for our offense, we got in the red zone four times, we scored two touchdowns and two field goals. So we scored each time we got down there. Obviously you want more touchdowns. Um, but at least we, you know, we're able to put points on the board. Our third down efficiency, we went six for 13 and on fourth down, we went one and we only went for it once this game and we, and we got it and we had one turnover in the game. Um, any thoughts on any of that Jacob,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:no, I mean, obviously, have a reputation of going for it on 4th down, but I just don't think, I don't think very many of those opportunities came up in this one. It was too far away, the timing wasn't right, there just wasn't a need to go for it on 4th down. Unnecessarily. Unnecessarily.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I agree.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:the third down conversion is kind of, you know, middle of the pack. It's not exactly where you want it to be. We got to do better, but I mean, the offense as a whole kind of fell flat. We'll talk about that in a minute.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah, I agree. The third down efficiency did concern me. Some of that was just the inability to get it to Amun Ra and Laporta and what, you know, whatever the Rams were doing to stop them. That was pretty big because obviously this was one of Amun Ra's worst games as a professional, probably the worst game that he's had.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Yeah,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:That all affected it and whether it's just week one, again, you know, this is week one. All teams, like even throughout September, you're going to have wonky things that happen because, you're just working all these things out. You want to prepare yourself to October. You're playing better football, and you're peaking and, in late November into December into the playoff. I'm very grateful for the win and I take everything with a grain of salt because what happens now is not necessarily what's going to happen in four or five weeks.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:for
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Um, uh, when we talk about general statistics, Goff was 18 for 28 for 217, had a TD and a pick. Gibbs ran 11 times for 40 yards. He averaged 3. 6 yards per carry. He got a touchdown. He also added on six targets. He got four receptions for 34 yards. And then, Demo just, you know, dominated the overtime period. Uh, very glad that he's on our team. A lot of people kind of forgot about him. You know, Gibbs is the guy, um, we've been talking about Demo and I, I'm Glad that he's on our team, 17 carries for 91 yards, 5. 4 yards per carry, uh, obviously touchdown and, uh, caught one for two yards receiving. So,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Right.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:limited in the receiving just like it was last year, but yeah. Um, you want to speak on Demo?
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Well, you didn't mention Jared Goff's rushing statistics.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Ah, yes, I, you know, that is hilarious. you didn't see this, but they interviewed Zeitler today and they said, um, were you confused, uh, that maybe Lamar Jackson was back behind you again?
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:That's
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Uh, yeah, it was hilarious. I thought that was whoever said that. I don't know what reporter said. I wish I could give him credit because it was, that it was hilarious.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Yeah, right. Hey, it was a good run. Got a first down.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Jacob probably knows this. Well, I mean, if I do like a long five or six thing parlay, I always throw in golf for under two yards rushing to just kind of, cause I know it's not going to happen. I didn't do one this time. I didn't do one this time and I was like, oh, I'd be so pissed if you got there. I wouldn't be mad. I'd be so happy for the first time, but afterwards I'd be like, Oh yeah, of course he rushes now.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Uh, no, but I mean, the offense as a whole, I mean, the statistics actually don't look terrible. Um, that doesn't really show how the whole game went though. Really, the offense was slow. They weren't clicking. We weren't doing enough. Um, we really did the defense no favors because we were not holding on to the ball long enough and they kept having to go out there. David Montgomery just refused to lose. He refused, uh, to walk out of there without the win in that overtime period. About half of those yards were gained on that overtime drive.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:he just the Rams defense was tired and he just seemed, you know, he was just hard to break. Right? That's what they said. Dan Campbell said. we're hard to break.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah. And that's exactly right. And I think that's why you have this different dynamic in the backfield. Um, one thing I will say, you know, they're switching people out and be like, Oh, you know, why, you know, why are there long stretches without demo? Why are there long stretches without Gibbs in the overtime period was for me was exactly why that is Montgomery seemed fresh on that overtime period. Whereas if you've got a back. Taken 25, 30 carries throughout that whole game. It's not going to seem fresh. Now I know the offensive line was just doing their job, making DEMO's job easier, but DEMO also was making, after first contact was making additional yards on that. So he was doing his job too, but the offensive line was given the first three yards and then DEMO was just, you know, taking it from there. As much as we want to see. Gibbs on the field as much as, you know, as Monty's doing his job, there's a benefit for them to be splitting carries like this, along with being healthy, you know, you've got less chance of injury. You got time, more time to recover. And I, you know, just that package of those two lightning and thunders, it's very, it's a very good way of building the team. I'm really happy with this combination.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Yes. And it was really, really good. And that overtime drive. The thing that kind of sucked about it is I feel like that's how most of the game should have gone. Right? I feel like we should have been able to do that for the majority of the game. And it just for whatever reason wasn't happening. We're getting maybe 2 or 3 yards here. Right. You know, we're breaking out a little bit there and then, you know, just nothing clicked through until that overtime period.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah, well, I think it was a battle of wills at that point, and I think once the Lions got rolling, and once they got that first, you know, carry, it was just like we had taken the will away from the Rams. That's just the way I felt, just being in the stadium.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Obviously I'm not there. I can tell, you can hear the noise level reaching. And then, uh, yeah, that was when Montgomery broke that one off, broke those tackles, they're trying to drag him down. It was like the 20 yard gain.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Maybe I think that probably it was what broke their will because then, you know, we're just steamrolling them after that.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Right. Eventually it got Gibbs in there to give Montgomery a breather. And then we just went right back to Montgomery and he just, he did his thing. The only thing that was going to stop us at that one yard line was, you know, a screw up with the snap or anything like that. I knew that if they got the ball to Montgomery cleanly, and we had four shots from the one, they were not going to stop them. And the way the offensive line was going, and you saw that last play, Rag now and Sewell just pushed their guys like two yards deep into the end zone. And Montgomery just, you know, was able to batter his way through. There wasn't really much stopping them. So it was, I felt like we just took the will of that team away. You made the argument. It was like, we should have been doing that the whole game. Right. I think part of it is that we've wore that we wore them down for that point. By the time they hit the overtime period, they're gassed because our guys have been hitting them and hitting them and hitting them. And that what, that's what made it. You know, easier. I'd like to see them break out a little bit earlier next time, but even at the end of the fourth quarter, our offense, you know, got right down the field. So, you know, I felt like we got down there real easier than the rest of the game. So I felt like we were the more conditioned team at that point.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Uh, I don't know who it was, but it was kind of an exclamation point. Whoever, I think it was Ragnar blocking. I don't know who the defender was, but it was like Deemo was already pretty much in the end zone. But he was like, you know, full speed ahead, just ran him over. Just icing on the cake.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah, no, it like it was a clinic and that right side you knew they were running, right? You're right. You got you know, he has Zyler over there. You got Sewell. You got Ragnarow and I Didn't think Zyler necessarily played his best game yesterday. I noticed him whiff on a couple blocks mostly in the passing game
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:hmm.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:But you know, he's getting used to those guys, but Ragnarow and Sewell and especially in that late in that game They just dominated and it was You know, like Detroit Lions football, you know, the engine, the engine was roaring at that point. Let's talk about Amin Ra, yeah, three catches on six targets for 13 yards. Are you worried about Amin Ra, Jacob?
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:I'm not worried about Amun Ra. It seems like maybe he wasn't that big of the game plan. They really seem to be pushing the ball to Jamo. And I don't know, you know, his deep touchdown that he had was against Tredavis white. Sometimes they pick on one of the cornerbacks or they like the matchup, they see what they like. It seemed like they were trying to feed the ball to Jameson Williams. Obviously he had the really long catch. He had some nice catches and it just didn't seem, you know, I texted you in the middle of the game too. Like we, we should be getting, I'm on Rama ball and they weren't really doing it. And it seemed like when a couple of those targets. Where after Goff, kind of the first read wasn't there, he kind of went back to Amun Ra. And that was when he threw the interception, he almost threw a second interception when Amun Ra fell. It just didn't seem like he was, uh, you know, a focal point of the offense.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:They asked Dan Campbell about that today too. And he said that Amin Ra was, and they called his number quite a few times, but for whatever reason, it just didn't work out. So. I'm not worried about Amun Ra, he's the hardest worker. He's going to come back. It was just one of those games I went back and watched the video on the JMO, the JMO 52 yard touchdown, and that's called a mirror route. And if you look at that play, I'm in, I was running the same, same thing that JMO is on the other side of the field. And I think JMO might've references like whoever's more open. Um, was going to get the ball. Amin Ra had beat his guy too, not maybe by as much as Jamo, but definitely he had him by a yard or at least, but the safety rotated over to help on Amin Ra. So that took the safety off that side of the field. So that's why Jamo was just wide open. I mean, he got held too on that play and he was still five yards behind the cornerback.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Kinda underthrown too, cause he could've walked in there.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Well, I mean, if I'm golf, that's, I mean, they scored the touchdown. So it's.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Right.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:know what? I've liked it in stride. Yeah. To me, I'd rather have him make that catch then, overshoot them. And then all of a sudden we didn't score anything he kind of had to wait on it and that caused him to have some contact going into the end zone, but we still scored. So I, I'm okay with all that.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Yeah.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Jmo, talking about him, five catches on, six targets, 121 yards of the td. Just amazing. He's had a little less than 500 yards receiving before this game, so he almost had like 25%, you know, increase in his receiving yards just from this one game, which was exactly what we wanted to see. So we talked about all. You know, training camp and everything, how well he's looked. It was really nice to see him come out and just show his speed and, you know, and just put that on tape because now teams have to pay attention to that. And anytime you take focus away from Amon Ra or Laporta or Gibbs or Montgomery, that's, you know, that's great. Just another weapon.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Exactly. No, you're right, we've talked about it all along. This is what we wanted, this is what we brought him here for. For him to execute like that in week one was awesome. And you know, maybe that does open up Amon Ramor. I obviously didn't get to watch the replays and everything like that to see, you know, up close, whether they were paying extra attention to St. Brown, if that's what really took him out, but You know, Jamo having a game like this, he's definitely going to be on more teams radar now. And, you know, if they've got one safety in a play like that, he's going to have to think twice. He might get froze in the middle.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah. I mean, it was a great play design and just GMO did a, I mean, that guy. Bit so hard and basically just grabbed him. I think Collinsworth said on the broadcast, you might as well just tackle him right there and just make the spot foul. Cause he was done, but you know, it was amazing how wide open he was. Going back to Amin Ra. Just because statistically he didn't have a good game. I will say that he had the best stiff arm in the game. He just like, just wiped out the defender and that, but then he kind of got tackled pretty good too. The guy got him squared him up pretty good, but I'm gonna I had an awesome, you know, Derek Henry ask a stiff arm. And also when he slipped and then still had the Wilworth all to basically crawl and then knock down the ball. So it didn't get intercepted. That was amazing.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Yeah. Very, very good. Crucial play because that would have, that would have been a killer if it would have happened again right there.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah, it would have been game ender for sure. Third quarter again, on offense starts three and out. We saw that a lot at the beginning of the year last year, but then we went on to score in the third quarter and had a pretty good drive,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:yep.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:had two touchdowns score lead. Um, so it was nice to see them score, uh, in the third quarter. I would like them to just keep that momentum, especially after how we ended Half, you know, with the interception, um, it would have been nice to just see him go down and score and, you know, right away the momentum would have been even more in our favor, but I'm happy that, uh,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:uh, the possession time for the third quarter? I
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:no, I didn't see it.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:I don't have it in front of me right now, but,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Okay.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:quarter was, um, when JMo scored that touchdown, right?
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Mm hmm.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:outside of that, the first drive, three and out, took a minute fourteen. Our second drive, we scored the touchdown with JMo, the drive took a minute thirty two. Then the Rams had that long drive, then we come out there again, the drive takes a minute fifty one. And we give it right back. We, don't have the ball very long at all in the third quarter.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Four and a half, a third of the time.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:So, I mean, outside of that one play, at JMO is
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:you ask Ben Johnson though, he's going to be like, well, we scored that touchdown on that long play. I'd rather have.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:that matters for sure. Cause I mean, that could have been our long drive right there, but it didn't need to be
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:No, you did get the job done. I mean, there are benefits to have a long drive and score a touchdown, but it's almost like if you're going to give it for sure. Touchdown like that. You're obviously not going to pass that up.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Switch to the defense What were your thoughts on the interception that Jared Goff through watching it live during the drive and everything? We're driving down, you know, the energy is up high and then it kind of just deflates really quick
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah, he just missed him. He came back over. Um, I think he thought there was single high safety. Didn't see, didn't see the defender sitting there right next to Amiran. I mean, It was amazing that he held onto that ball from in the stands, you know, on the replay and the screen, it looked like it maybe have hit the ground. But when I watched the replay, I don't think it ever hit the ground. Um, and, uh, you know, I'm an audit as Beth, Beth just try to catch that ball, but yeah, it was, was not golf's best game, um, for sure. Um, but for the most part, he held onto the ball and, you know, took care of the ball. It was just, that one was, was a throw. I'm sure he wants back.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Yeah, that was you know, obviously an interception. It's always like worst case scenario outside of like, you know Pick six or something like that, but especially, you know, for what was going on in the game and what we were doing in that certain time, it's like, man, what are we doing? It was not a good throw. One of the, you know, he drops back. He's looking around kind of a last resort. I'm on Ross camping out right there. You're right. I don't think he saw him back there or he just was feeling the pressure. He had to get rid of it really quick. And you know, I'm on Ross kind of leaning the other way and it's just not able to get to it as quick as their corner was. Yeah. And, you know, shouts out to him, because it was still, it was not an easy catch to make, it wasn't an easy pick, I mean, he still, he got his hand underneath there, definitely, I mean, you can see, obviously, when I'm watching at home on TV, it was a little bit more clear, his hands underneath the ball, it was a good pick.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah, it's just a matter of him not seeing him and I think, you know,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Trying to make
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:not exactly and it wasn't a matter of being pressured. I don't think either. I think it was just, he just thought I was open and just missed him. We can kind of quickly mentioned Jake Bates. Uh, you know, he's 2 for 2, 25 yarder and a 32 yarder. I know those are short, but the last one tied the game up. And so that was pressure packed. So in my head before he makes this, I'm like, Oh, man. You know, this could make or break, you know, talk radio all this week is going to be about Brad Holmes, not getting another kicker. If he misses this kick, that's the thoughts that's going through my head before he made me before he makes it and he boomed it. It was easy kick when it was, you know, pretty much right down the middle.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Were you nervous though when we started that drive? Cause obviously it's in the back of all of our minds. Especially how much we've been following the team and how much we've been inside and we know maybe a certain level of inconsistency. And now here we go week 1 and potentially, you know, we have the rookie trying to kick a field goal to send it in overtime. Obviously, you know, it ended up being a closer one, which is, you know, not as difficult. How are you feeling though?
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:When it was. deeper, when we were not as close as we were, I was like, I know this is in his range, but I don't want to test it out this early. Um, and then I went back.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:range, right?
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah. Well, yeah, I went back to when we were interviewing Sheriff, um, You know, the Rams podcaster from Ram showcase, he basically said the last, it's going to come down to the, the last team is going to kick a field goal. Right? I mean, he said that he called it and it wasn't. So that was on my mind too. I'm like, darn it. He's right. You know, and then we get down there, uh, you know, both had rookie kickers, um, both made all their kicks. He quelled a lot of fears, I think, by making those kicks. Hopefully he continues doing that. I was glad for just his sake that he made those kicks. And then I was, you know, also I had two young boys next to me and I was really happy when he made that kick because it, it, I was like, all right, the ride home, you know, we, as long as we take care of business and overtime, the ride home will be good.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:You know, most of the time it's hard to read, you know, how players are feeling or what they look like on the sidelines. looks like Bates was nervous. They showed him a couple of times, obviously, because, you know, that's just what they do, no matter who the kicker is. He looked nervous on the sideline, which made me a little more nervous.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:yeah, no, he, he slammed it through. He says that he quotes a scripture before each kick to just kind of calm himself and, you know, whatever, keep doing it because he made those kicks. So I'm, I'm happy with it. All right, let's get onto the defense here. The general overall thought I've heard a lot of things. People are worried about this defense. You know, I was encouraged by this defense. Um, I just think Sean McVay knew what he had to do, and he had the quarterback to do it and the receiver to do it. Not all teams are going to have that combination, and I don't expect, I expect the Lions to grow, um, and, you know, I like what I saw from our secondary, even though we gave up, you know, uh, second most quarterback passing yards we're recording this Monday night games going on, I'm not really paying attention to the stats there, but as of right now, it was the second most up to, um, gave up like 317 yards of Stafford, but, you know, you called it. You know, that we were going to stop the running game, right? We stopped Kyron Williams. Those yards have got to come from somewhere. They basically de facto got Cooper a cup out there and that was their run game, the short passing game. And you know, those guys are really good and about breaking, um, you know, breaking tackles, getting yards after catch. I will, um, start out again. As I started out on the offense, our red zone defense was very good. Uh, five total drives, two, only two touchdowns in one vehicle. There was a turnover and downs and an interception in that. So critical. Um, when we talked about our keys to winning, that was the one thing I harped on. That was the difference in the playoff game last year. We held them to field goals, not touchdowns. We don't win this game if we don't intercept that ball down there. Um, down in that, uh, in that end zone at the end of the half. And we're going to break down that whole drive because I think that that's critical too. To this game. I've watched, rewatched that drive and looked at what happened, play to play the thought process, the Rams changed, and I, I'll talk about that a little bit later on. As far as our defense on third down. Um, I was really surprised by this, this statistics. I, they had 12. Third downs, Jacob, how many first downs do you think that the Rams got out of 12? Because I could tell you that I, I did not, I didn't think that this was right, but this is what the statistic was
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Six,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:is five. And I was surprised by that because I felt like they were getting every third down when I'm in the stadium. I'm like, they're getting every third down, you know, cause we're standing up screaming at the top of our lungs. And then it's, it's really deflating in the stadium when they get the third down, you know, it takes a little bit for the volume to get back up. Yeah. Um, and then as far as fourth down, they were one for two and they had, you know, one interception for the turnover. And they also had the turnover on downs. It's Jacob and I had this argument. We'll bring it up right here. You know, they don't mark a turnover on downs as a turnover, even though it's right in the name, right? Turnover on downs. It should be counted as a turnover. I. You're, you're giving the ball to the other team. Um, I don't know why they don't consider it in the team statistics. All right, Jacob, who do you want to highlight first in the defense? Is there a player or is there, you know, a play or, you know, how do you want to, how do you want to break this one down?
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:You know, obviously there's a couple of different guys, uh, worth mentioning that stood out. Um, first right away, uh, Anzalone, you know, definitely the heat, had some huge hits, um, you know, was stopping the outside game when they were trying to get those quick passes and quick shots out, I thought he played a really good game. uh, you know, Brian branch really impressed me. You know, he had quite a few like diving past breakups, like full extension diving out. I know, uh, the one he just, just missed the ball. I don't remember who caught that one was if it was copper who he just missed the ball and they kind of got outside. But
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:he hit every single other one that he went for. And you know, that's something that I see a lot, or I wonder a lot, I guess, is, you know, you see these NFL players and you see these close passes, it's like, why didn't he just dive in front of that ball? If he knows that, you know, he's got safety help or something, why didn't that corner dive or make an effort to stop the ball from getting there? And Branch was going all out trying to stop the ball. So I, I was really impressed by his play. you? Who stood out to you?
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Um, well, obviously Alex. Amazing. So he had three tackles for loss in the game. Two were on the very first drive. Like he started the game right off with, you know, we made them go through it out, two of the three plays were Alex Ancelone, just get them tackles for loss. Just put it in perspective. Alex has Ancelone had seven tackles for loss all of last year. So he's almost halfway there from this year, just in the first game, his game has Improved from year to year. Um, you know, his first year with the lions was not very impressive. They basically have him playing out of position at middle linebacker. He has more versatility and. He just, he looks like, just like a totally different player. Um, as far as Brian branch. It was an enigma to me because he had some missed tackles, which I found was really interesting. He's actually when the bottom five and the PFF graded. Um, and so I'm with you, like he made some plays. I think he gets downgraded because he dropped that interception. Like that was one that was right over the middle. He, he could have came down with that. Like you said, he almost picked six that ball. That was caught on the sidelines. In the stadium, I have a different view than you and I'm sitting up top. I'm in the second level. So I have a good bird's eye view and I could see it happening. You're just anticipating this, but, he'll get his chance on those. Brian branch will learn from this and still was very instinctive. Had the tackle for loss. He. Is perfect for that safety position. I could see what they're using him for. He's all over the field and he can use his instincts. This is his first time playing full safety for, you know, the game. Of course, we're going to have some issues if you look back on, you know, on that 63 yard play that, um, they had is that the end of the third quarter, it's like basically that short route, they were on like the 12 yard line. That was their long play that Rams had that 63 yarder, lots of missed tackles. Well, if you look at that, um, Brian branch goes to the outside towards the sidelines and he cuts up middle. If Brian branch would have played. Pushed him towards the sidelines. He would have never got to where he's at. So I think part of it is Brian branch over pursuit.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Who had coverage on that play?
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:it was Carlton Davis. He was just out of position and then Brian branches wait, looked way out of position. And then, like I said, there was missed tackles up the field and then, you know, that gave them, that 60 yards.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Was that the longest play they had, right?
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:It was the longest play and it was a short pass. I mean, it was like a 5 yard pass and it turned into 63 yards because they were not really chucking it deep at all because Stafford didn't have time to do that. You know, we were in his face. They didn't.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:in the air was that one to Cooper Cup on the sideline. That was a hell of a catch.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah, that was from, um, our perspective in the stand. They, like, You know, they fast played and we thought for sure that he looked way out of bounds, but, and I asked you,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Yeah,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:you know, text you. I'm like, did he catch that? Cause they didn't even the play went so fast. They didn't even show a replay in the stadium. And so I did, I had no clue, but you know, we're all screaming to throw the challenge flag. Cause it just looks so obvious from, you know, where my vantage point, but
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:yeah.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:he double tapped his toes. He really got like three foot in on that play. It was, it was, it was a heck of a catch. It was amazing. Obviously Hutch, you mentioned him earlier, 11 pressures. He had the highest PFF grade. I didn't get to see all the holding and the face mask and stuff like that. You saw it at home. You thought it was egregious. I didn't get to see it as much in the stadium. I did watch the replay you showed actually in the stadium. You showed me the one where he got face masks on the goal line. That was bad, real bad. That should have been called.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Well, and the thing about that too, which is worse, is that they did, they called a holding penalty. So they actually did throw the flag that time, but they called a hold. So if you see that, you have to see the face mask. What did, you know, that's really weird. How do you make that call? Because it wasn't a hold, but you threw the flag and called it a hold.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah, it, yeah, it, it was really, really bad. Um, you know, I think Hutchinson doesn't help his case because he's always flailing his arms and everything like that. I don't think he really helps this case so much for some of that stuff, because I think he's trying to garner a call and he just, he doesn't seem to get them, but it's very obvious that he's being held on some of these plays. I don't want to get into a thing where we're complaining about referees. That's not what this is about, but you know, getting a face mask like that, I mean, I don't know how much more obvious you get than that.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:He got tripped a few times, too. Did you see the, in the replays?
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I did not see that in the, I didn't, um, I just did the condensed replay. So I didn't do any film study on it yet. Other than a few select plays that I wanted to talk about, you know, for the podcast, Yeah, I know you mentioned about him getting tripped and stuff like that, which,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:showed the replay of it once. the actual broadcast, but it was, you know, it is what it is. These are the Rams backup offensive linemen, and they lost more offensive linemen when they start the game.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I was also impressed with Davenport with his, I mean, he is so strong and he know, I, um, I know Levi got the sack on that play and he may, he had basically, they just like destroyed the left. Yeah, the half sack, they split it up because they originally gave it to Levi. I look today. That's what I was about to mention. They split it up. So they gave Davenport half and Levi half. They both deserved it because Davenport just crushed that side of the line. And then Levi comes screaming up, beat his man and just, you know, got the basically beat Davenport to him and why is Davenport's pushing the lineman right into Stafford.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Honestly, the Rams, like for, for what it was, they had the perfect game plan. You know, they put them in motion. They see, are they playing zone? Are they playing man this time? And I think they're looking, okay, you know, where's Cooper? Where's Puka? Where's our first read? And, you know, where's the check down going to be? you're right, I know you said that earlier, but I mean, they have the quarterback. They had the players to pull something off like that because Stafford also knows where it's going, what's happening. Stafford in his head knows plan A, B, and C. And. for him to be able to execute like he did in 2. 6 seconds on average, they played a really good game for what they had. They did a really good job.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:and I know Samford had some, he had some pretty amazing throws it just, you know, there's not very many quarterbacks that may, I mean, yeah, he had a, that was going to say that that play when I watched that on replay was just, I mean, I don't get that in the stadium. I don't really see that part of it. I could see that the pressure is bearing down on them and then it gets a completion, but on the replay, it was amazing that he completed that and it was like, perfect. It was a perfect pass. there's not as many quarterbacks can make that type of throw. And for Stafford, how deflating is it that you've went into this place twice and a place you desperately, I know he desperately wants to win. And he just plays, you know, really good games and he just, you know, comes out in the losing end. So I'm glad that we're on the winning end of that. But for him, it's gotta be, it's gotta be heartbreaking. Yeah. Someone asked him, Carlos, one of the writers, I think he writes for the free press, uh, he asked him, he's like, are you tired of, are you over the Jared golf chance and, you know, Stafford, I wasn't, didn't really appreciate the question and, uh, you know, he's like basically, yeah, I'm, I'm tired of it,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Why would you ask? I don't know if he's just trying to get a rise out of him or,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Well, I think Carlos, if you read his stuff is very like, I want to say trolley and, and just like, and, and so like, I think he has that reputation. And I think you can ask that question, but not after you just lose, like you're never, never going to get a good response. Right. I mean, that's just, you know, I don't know.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:No, there was
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:But, uh,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:there.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:no, any, what about Terry on, what'd you think of Terry on, you know, that's, you know, obviously rookie first game. What'd you think of him?
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:I liked what I saw out of Tarion. I know, obviously, he had those two, uh, past interference penalties, which didn't help our case. I thought the first one was kind of a little on the fence about whether that was actually past interference or not. second one definitely, you know, he's not turn around. He kind of smacks his hand away. That the second one was definitely worse than the first one. First one was maybe debatable, but you know, they called it, you know, those are some growing pains, but you know, as a Ricky cornerback for his first game, I thought he did a heck of a job.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I think he was great in the run game. His tackling, even. Uh, so Bradley, my nine year old comes over. He's like, he is a really good tackler. And there was multiple times that he was. Yeah, he, you know, he was bringing his man down and even in the run game, he was coming up and making his presence felt like Carlton Davis did the same thing to
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Right,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:his presence felt in that run game, which is, you know, what the lines are about grit. Those guys come in and lines expect that from their corners. And that's why our run defense is so good because those guys will come in and do their job. So I, I was impressed with our corners. I thought. There was that one, the fourth down play that, um, Cooper Cup dropped that pass. I know he could have caught that. And I know Carlton Davis didn't get. His hand on the ball, but he, he was really sticky in those coverage and made that throw be out where it was make it harder for Cooper. So, um, I don't think, uh, cam Sutton makes that play last year, um, is like right next to him like that. So I, I was happy with CD. I thought that he played a pretty good game, uh, outside of that dropped, interception rate,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:that could've been, could've been huge. But it would've robbed us of that overtime drive, so, you know, it worked out in the
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I know how, man, how sweet would it have been to have a Stafford pick right there and think about this. Like we would have got it right around the 40 yard line that could have lined up baits for like this monster kick to win it. Oh, that would have been, that would have been crazy. Yeah, that'd have been crazy. And then if he misses it, you know, we're still tied and we're going to overtime and we go to. We dominated anyways, uh, anything else on defense before I get to this drive breakdown? Is there any other player you want to highlight or any thoughts that you have? Um,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:wanted to see how Levi looked, and I, what I saw, he was getting pressure like he was supposed to, um, know, for stepping into the DJ reader role, I guess, you know, he's trying to carve out his own role here too. And I thought he did a really good job. Didn't see a whole lot out of Aleem. you know, back to the whole replay thing, a lot of what Aleem does is not something that you're going to look at the stat sheet and say whether or not he had a good game. Um, so I have not seen, did you, when you were looking at the replays, did you see anything out of Aleem?
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I didn't, I mean, they held the run game and check, you know, that's big time Aleem, especially with DJ reader out. Um, I think most, it's going to be hard to evaluate the defensive line on any of this cause they were getting the ball out so fast and those, especially those interior guys didn't have any time to like generate, you know, sacks or anything like that. And we basically shut down their run game. However, Levi did have that pressure. I, I felt like, obviously we got pressure because they would not have had to get rid of it in 2. 6 seconds if we were not getting pressure, right? I mean, if we, if they were learning, like if they started at a 2. 6 seconds, but then learning that we weren't getting in there, they're going to extend that and start doing some deep shots or, you know, they didn't even try play action pass. I don't. Remember seeing and can play action pass, to be honest with you.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:no
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:So,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:action,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:To me, that tells me that they respected our line and the line was doing what it was supposed to do. It's a week one. We don't have like, you know, don't have a history. Of course the stats aren't there to back it up. My feeling is based on how the game went. I'm happy with the way the line plays. We'll, we'll reassess it as a, as we get more information, more games and all that stuff. And we get DJ reader in here. Who's going to be a huge difference maker here. Hopefully this upcoming week we get them. All those things are going to add up.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:For sure. I mean, obviously the yardage, the passing yardage that you see doesn't look like the defense, you know, had a great game, but I'm okay. I think that they did a good job. Um, I just think the Rams had a good, good game plan and they, you know, for the most part executed the way that they wanted to, um,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I'm not a houses burning down type guy. Um, especially in week one, uh, you know, we won the game. So honestly, that's. That's number one. We won the game. Everyone's gonna feel better about everything, but I am not I'm not worried about this defense. I will see we'll reassess like I said,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:It's a long season, but it's a good start.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:So I just want to talk about the drive right before the half. I just want to quickly I'm not gonna like it's not gonna be like a lengthy review I just want to quickly go through this because I think If this drive doesn't break down the way it is, I don't think we win this game. I think this was crucial. So we're talking about the drive right before half, the Rams get the ball with 157 left. So when they got the ball, I think their first inclination is to just run the clock out. Um, the first play got three yards. They ran the clock all the way down to a minute 15. And then that's Davenport jumps off sides. They run again. They get a first down. It gives it to 55 seconds. They throw an incomplete pass. The time stops on the next incomplete pass. That's when Hutchinson was hit with that. Roughing the passer. Cause he hit Stafford too low. It was that that's a penalty that really do. I think Hutchinson intended to do that? No, but it's a penalty. Hit it. You can't hit a quarterback in the knees like that. It looks like Stafford's backpedaling, you know, Hutch is just landing and that's just where he happened to land. Hit a moving target, give them the yardage and then Colby Parkinson had a big game. There was another eight yard play cup, got a first down there, you know, first and goal at the eight, they, you know, Stafford throws one out the outside, the back of the end zone, 21 seconds left, throws it basically in the same spot, but this time Kirby's there. And just takes him down, you know, just takes the pick down. And I was so happy for Kirby that he knelt it down because Kirby's usually so happy with that. I, he could have ran out, but he got tackled at the two. And then all of a sudden we got a different problem where we're, you know, worried about a safety or something like that. So I was just happy. He knelt it and we got out of there.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Definitely massive massive monumental play towards the drive kind of take the wind out of them right before we go into the half Um, Twitter thinks of that interception as because our uniforms match the end zone in the back of the wall so well, and based on Stafford's reaction afterward, he's a little bit aggravated, he's a little bit upset. Stafford actually did, though. I mean, he looked shocked for a minute. Like, he just, like, how did that happen? Where did he come from?
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Well, also it could be that he called Kirby Joseph a dirty player at the end of last year. And then it was Kirby Joseph that intercepted him. So, uh, you know, might've been some of that too, but I saw that. And you know, on the replay, it is the, I mean, the end zone's also that color. So like, obviously it's going to master uniform, but it matched it so perfectly that, yeah, he kind of just blended in and it was like, Sephir didn't see him. Cause I mean, Kirby was right there. It wasn't like he was shooting across the field. He was pretty much standing there. Kirby had no responsibility on that. So basically he's playing center field at that point and just, you know, either baited Stafford into it or just, you know,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:I mean,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:just happened.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:it wasn't like that was their last chance. I mean, he, Stafford could have just chucked it out the back of the end zone if he was feeling pressure or something like that. I mean, he,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:seemed like he didn't see him or something.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I just wanted to break that down because it looked like the Rams were just going to be content with running out the clock. You know, I think they also didn't want to get the ball back to the Lions right before the half,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:yeah. Right, right. I, uh, I do not like when, you know, obviously Aaron Rodgers is notorious for it. I do not like when the quarterback in the middle of being tackled or like in the middle because you know There were a couple of close calls after that too, but it's like before it's like Stafford as soon as he's on the ground He's rolling around looking at the referee yelling at him pointing at him like to throw the flag Which obviously I mean that By rule is roughing the passer. You're not supposed to go low. Stafford's ankle, I think was already banged up at that point. Right.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I mean, Stafford's like pointing at his knee while he's getting tackled, which I,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:right. Real quick though, because we didn't mention this earlier, but, you know, Cause we talked about offense, defense, we talked about Jake Bates, Jack Fox, you know, special teams. He had a couple really nice puns. And the one outside of Enes Reykstra being a little too, like, uh, I don't know if he was just running too fast or what was going on. Like why, I didn't look at the replay. of that, but
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Oh, I looked at the replay
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:it just was like, he, I don't know. He just didn't, he got there too quick. I don't know what he was expecting.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I don't know what happened because the momentum of the ball was away from the goal line.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:The punt was perfect.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Yeah, he basically rolled into the ball and pushed it into the end zone. So I think as a rookie, just being overzealous is how I took it. You know, first game, you know, he, cause that would have been awesome to get it down to like, it would have been, the ball was out around the three yard line, two or three yard line when I watched the replay. So. It, you know, it wouldn't have been on the one, but I mean, darn close, right. And we've been stopping the run game. So
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:And the pressure we're bringing that. yeah,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:it would have been nice. You're right. Jack Fox worth every penny that we're paying him. He, he does amazing things. So I'm happy that he's on our team.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:for sure.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:One thing that we want to do before we get out of here is we're gonna, we had great guarantees from the last episode, we're going to review those. We want to, give props where props are due and, take them away where they're not due. So first we're going to start out with you, Jacob. Um, your prediction was that Kyren Williams would be held under 80 yards. Nice job. Nice job. Now he's held way under 80 yards. Now they, they, they. You know, did what they needed to do there.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:That was the betting line that I, saw and I should have put money on that.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:I'm glad you didn't because it would have probably the karma would have changed. So don't do that. Um, mine was, uh, two picks with one being a pick six could have had two picks because Carlton Davis and branch both dropped one, you know, along with the one that, you know, Kirby Joseph did have, and. I know I, I didn't win this, so I'm not going to make the argument, but I'm going to make the argument that taking it in the red zone is almost as good as a pick six, because we took seven points off the board, a potential seven points off the board for them. I know it's not the same. I'm not arguing that I won, but I'm just saying it wasn't, it wasn't a very important pick. Yeah. Out of the two of us, obviously I went more on, I was further out on the limb than you, and I'm not saying that you should have been, that's not a judgment on my part. I'm just saying, obviously mine was harder to get than yours, but you were right. And so now I'm going to learn
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:It was week one, you know, I had to see how I wanted to play this thing,
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:dude, I was jacked, uh, for doing this review podcast. I mean, luckily I had a lot of time to, look at film and stuff throughout the day. I think it, made for a better podcast episode.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:For
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Uh, it was, I like. That you and I have different, um, doing angles on these home games. I think I bring something from seeing in the stadium, the stadium perspective, and then, you know, it, and like you said, if we have a good thing going where we're texting back and forth in the game and don't think that I'm texting Jacob during a play, I am. Texting Jacob, you know, when there's a break and just like, he's doing the same for me, we're fully invested in this thing, we started that last year, right? We got a good thing going and I can ease your fears on, uh,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Sometimes you
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:injuries. Yeah.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:you like to mess with me or like he'll send me, it'll just say yes or something. knows that he's seeing it a minute or two ahead of time. So then I'm looking at the TV like, what's about to happen? What's about to happen? got a
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Uh, speaking of, this is funny. This happened in the game. Speaking of seeing things ahead of time, you know, we're so used to, you know, the streaming delay or whatever like that. I had my phone out and I was telling Preston, I was like, Oh man, we lost yards on the next play and Preston's like, I don't want to be ruined. And I'm like, yeah. Dude, we're watching the game live. There's no way that I'm ahead, but it was just funny that the initial thought was that I spoiled it for him and that had to remind that, yes, we are, you know, at the live event that
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:ones
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:no way, yeah, so that, that was a, that was a fun trick that I played on Preston, my boys got to see their first fight in a game, the people, the couple of people in front of us were jawing back and forth, um, and it was over like some guy standing,
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Were they both Lions fans?
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:they were all Lions fans. Yeah, there was no Rams, the Rams fans that were sitting behind us were very disrespectful. And when we got down to the one yard line, they walked out.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Of
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:They, they walked out before we even scored the touchdown, but like before they were crapping on all our players, like golf and like all this stuff. And, uh, there's so much so that the guy that was sitting next to my wife, Sarah was like, Hey guys, we're going to be respectful to you. Don't, don't, don't, don't be this way, you know? But anyways, to get back, but the guy in front of us, he's standing up with three minutes left. He's the only guy in the section standing up. And there was like a shorter gentleman in front of me. So he just taps the guy on the shoulder. And he's like, Hey man, can you just sit down? There was no one standing in front of the guy. So like his view was like perfectly in line and it wasn't like even a huge play. It was like a second noun play or something like that. And then, you know, they had like some words and then friends get involved, you know, there's alcohol involved. And then all of a sudden, like the guy that's sitting two sections over starts. starts jawing. He's like, let's meet outside. And my meanwhile, Preston's like, what is going on? And I was like, don't worry about it. It's just people jawing. And then all of a sudden I have a mom that's next to me and like my mom, but all mom next to me. And all of a sudden she just chimes in and she goes, There's kids down here. You need to shut your mouth. And I was like, Oh my God, this is insane. Meanwhile, afterwards, Sarah's like got the number in the phone. You can call, you know, if something goes down
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:fans.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:she's like, she like has this number. She tells me, I don't know that she's doing this, but she has us going in. Cause she's like a worry that someone's just going to get pushed. She wasn't worried that we were going to get involved directly. It was just worried that some people are going to be dumb, but you know, it was just an interesting thing. So we get back to the car, right. And the lines just had an awesome victory right there over time, first thing, the boys talked about that fight. They were like, they're like, dad, who was they, you know, my. Oldest wants to rank everything. And he based, he didn't say rank the people, but he was like, dad, who are you most scared of, of all the guys? So it was hilarious. And, uh, you know, and the boys just got their first, like we, our last section was pretty, that we were in last year. It was pretty normal. I think, uh, the combination of this being late night, week one, that people are bent.
jacob_1_09-09-2024_214610:Prime time.
jason-harwood_1_09-09-2024_214611:Drinking all day, you know, cause it was a late game instead of a one o'clock game. And so I think people were more primed for, uh, uh, you know, controversy, but, and the lions being down at that time probably, um, you know, made it worse. So, um, look forward to doing this in a couple of days. Uh, Thursday, we're going to have our Tampa Bay week two preview. We have, a podcaster from Tampa. We'd like really liked last week, how last week went kind of doing the same thing. We're going to interview a, Tampa Bay podcaster and just get insights from their team. Um, Tampa Bay is going to be dealing with a couple injuries, um, huge injuries. So that'll be interesting talk that when we have them, so that'll be out on Thursday so anything else you want to add, Jacob? All right. Well, for Jacob, I'm Jason, uh, I'm going to edit this thing. Jacob's going to go to sleep and, uh, you know. Go lions.\
