- 8 months ago
Howard Simon joins Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase for his weekly "Howard Picks the Bills" segment.
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00:00Only Josh Allen gets treated like, the percentage of the yards, it's going to be too much for him.
00:05You're always angry about something. Be more like Joe. Joe's happy.
00:08Just cool, calm, collected.
00:10You haven't been doing this long.
00:11Just don't ask me about the kneel down.
00:14I feel like Allen just gets treated a little bit differently.
00:17When he does a lot, they say, he's just doing too much.
00:21Meanwhile, other quarterbacks do that much, and no one ever says that they're doing too much.
00:26Every quarterback worth his salt runs.
00:29Bo Nix had over 300 rushing yards this season.
00:31Trevor Lawrence had over 300.
00:32What has Lamar Jackson done in his career?
00:35If you don't run, you're the wrong quarterback.
00:38Nix might be good to look up on that, because he had 300 yards rushing, and he also led the NFL in pass attempts.
00:43He probably was an enormous percentage.
00:45He's well with Dobbins out now.
00:46He's their second leading rusher.
00:48Yeah, that's crazy.
00:50How we doing, boys?
00:50We're doing good.
00:51Drake May had 374 total yards of offense.
00:55Out of?
00:56Out of.
00:56All right, let me find the team stats for the Patriots.
00:59They couldn't have had much.
01:00That's all.
01:00They had 381.
01:02Yeah.
01:02He had 374 out of 381?
01:04I think that's kind of...
01:05No.
01:05I can't be right.
01:06I can't be right.
01:06Stevenson, Travion Henderson.
01:08Sack yards goes backwards.
01:10Yeah, yeah.
01:10Right.
01:11Whatever.
01:11Still.
01:12He had 384.
01:13Amandre Stevenson at 53.
01:15Okay.
01:15This is not a shot at Allen in any way.
01:17It's just...
01:18This is the game.
01:18The game.
01:19Right?
01:19If you make passing yards, all the quarterback and act like the players that caught passes
01:24didn't exist, it's kind of weird.
01:26Yeah.
01:26Hey, Howard, sorry.
01:26How we doing?
01:27Small little pet peeve.
01:28How about those bills?
01:29I think my heart rate has finally got back to its...
01:31It took that long?
01:31Yeah.
01:32Resting heart place.
01:33Yeah.
01:33It took a day.
01:34Would you have kneeled on first and goal to one?
01:38I would not have.
01:40Okay.
01:41I did think about it.
01:43I did get a look.
01:44I was like, well, you know, you could run some clock.
01:46But I'm more, get the touchdown, you never know what could happen.
01:49Sure.
01:49So I'm okay.
01:50And I knew Trey White was going to break up a pass and Cole Bishop was going to pick
01:54it off.
01:54I knew it.
01:55That helps.
01:55So...
01:56That helps.
01:56I already had that insight, but that was pretty cool, huh?
02:00That was intense.
02:01It was intense.
02:01Because I...
02:02You know, we talked about this, right?
02:04I think...
02:04Or maybe it was the TV show.
02:05I don't remember.
02:06Like the last however many wildcard games, there was never a legit threat in my mind
02:11they could actually lose.
02:12This game, there was.
02:13Like Pittsburgh, Miami, Denver.
02:16Name a wildcard game.
02:17They were never...
02:18You never really thought, oh my God, they could actually...
02:20Even though some of them were close.
02:21Miami was close.
02:22This game was freaking stressful.
02:24Oh my God.
02:25I mean, that fourth quarter with the lead changes, I was a banana case.
02:29It felt like, okay, someone's pulling away here.
02:31Like, I don't know who...
02:32Never could.
02:32But no one...
02:33Yeah, right.
02:33I mean...
02:34It was a great game.
02:35I mean, my friends, my family, everybody's texting me, what a great game.
02:38And I texted them back and said, great, how could I enjoy it?
02:42Like, I'm stressed out, but that was a great win.
02:46Please tell me you spent at least a full hour on the throw to Cooks against the Free Blitzer.
02:51It's pretty good.
02:52It's one of the greatest throws I've ever seen.
02:55There's a couple underrated things about it.
02:56I saw...
02:57I liked Bulldog's comment.
02:57I did your...
02:58I watched your...
02:59The Chase Daniel thing you said to watch.
03:01Oh, yeah, yeah.
03:01Bulldog pointed out that if you watch it from the sideline angle, it looks like the linebacker
03:06hits Allen out of the frame like he's Wile E. Coyote.
03:09But I think the more impressive thing is he got hit on that play, and I don't think he
03:13went down.
03:14Like, if you watch it, he gets popped.
03:17Yeah.
03:17But stays up.
03:18I didn't realize that.
03:19Because he's hard to knock down.
03:21The ball is out.
03:22Cooks still hasn't even split the two defenders.
03:25Like, he's still running the route and hasn't cleared those guys.
03:28And the ball is out.
03:29I mean, free play.
03:30In a playoff game, on the road, close game, on the line, fourth quarter, and you make that
03:37play?
03:37Have they talked to...
03:39Maybe Brady did yesterday about that play, because that play is not what they intended
03:45on.
03:45At least not the protection.
03:46Maybe the routes were, because they were a little late.
03:49And the play clock is running down.
03:50They probably don't want to use the timeout that late.
03:53And Shakir is in pass protection.
03:55Yeah.
03:55And he doesn't know what to do.
03:56He's off on the right, and there's nobody over there.
03:59And Allen probably knew, I would guess, like, I don't have time to get us into the right
04:03protection.
04:04I've got to snap it.
04:04And he's going to know I've got a guy free, and that almost makes it even more impressive.
04:08I mean, it was just...
04:09Like I said, it's one of the...
04:11I know we're biased, but it's one of the greatest throws I've ever seen a quarterback make
04:15in a playoff game.
04:16It's one of the reasons...
04:17What's the down and distance on that?
04:19I don't even really know.
04:20The down and distance there, I can find it.
04:22It was...
04:24I'm on the wrong drive.
04:28It would have been...
04:28I think it was second and 10 off the top of my head.
04:30Okay.
04:31Gotcha.
04:32Because, like, watching that throw, again, like, he gets the free runner.
04:35It was first and 10.
04:37First and 10 at the Bills 40...
04:40Or at the Bills 44 yard.
04:41How much time left?
04:42225.
04:43Man.
04:44225.
04:44That's why, again, like, you don't want to call your time out.
04:48Thank you for not calling a handoff into the guards.
04:50I guess I'm wrong.
04:50They had 15 seconds left on the...
04:52I mean, your game clock is running.
04:54Yeah.
04:54So you were trying to preserve that.
04:56So maybe you just made...
04:57They made a mistake on protection and realized it right away.
05:00Either way, the throw is insane.
05:02He's not open yet when he throws it.
05:03He's throwing to a spot.
05:04He's just reading the safety that comes down.
05:07Incredible.
05:07He is.
05:09He is amazing.
05:10Yep.
05:11I mean, it's just...
05:12I don't...
05:12Look, I thought, obviously, other guys made big plays.
05:16The defense came up huge.
05:17Shaq Thompson.
05:19Shaq Thompson and Trey White, who I both looked at and thought,
05:21okay, Thompson, yeah, whatever.
05:23Yeah.
05:23Trey, I don't know how much Trey's got left in the tank.
05:25These two...
05:26And even Poyer.
05:27Although, you know, Poyer got hurt.
05:28But the signings they made of bringing in the veteran guys
05:31have really helped that defense.
05:33And so they made great plays.
05:35But, man, Josh...
05:36Josh is just...
05:38I don't think we ever take him for granted.
05:41We're very...
05:42I think...
05:42I know any time I watch another NFL game,
05:44I realize how lucky we are to have him here.
05:48But, man, every now and then, you just look at him and you go,
05:51oh, yeah, he's that guy.
05:52Like, he makes all those plays.
05:55You know, a tush...
05:55That had to be the longest tush push ever recorded, right?
05:58Oh, it's gotta be.
05:59When was a tush push that's gone?
06:00What, 10 yards?
06:0110 yards.
06:01Maybe we don't take his play for granted.
06:04I wonder if we take his toughness for granted.
06:08Like, in playing...
06:08Oh, my God.
06:08He got...
06:09Playing through injuries like he does.
06:10Like, there's just never...
06:12There is never a doubt that he's coming off the field.
06:14His leg was backwards, almost.
06:16And we're all like, oh, he'll be back in next drive.
06:19I was worried about the play where the guy fell on his head.
06:23Because his head and neck got twisted.
06:24You can see it on the replay.
06:26He injured three separate body parts in the same half.
06:28Right.
06:29And he never missed a snap.
06:31Anyway, sorry.
06:32I just had to wax poetic about him.
06:34Did you watch last night's game?
06:36I did.
06:36I watched the first half.
06:38Aaron Rod...
06:39And then I knew what was coming, so...
06:41Aaron Rodgers in postgame said, criticism of Mike Tomlin.
06:44He also threw in Matt LaFleur here.
06:45Yeah, I know.
06:46I saw he was backing him.
06:47He said that any idea that they would be on the hot seat is apropos for the state of our society.
06:52It's good stuff.
06:55I think it's a different discussion.
06:58I think it's a bigger discussion.
07:00Pittsburgh, what are you in business for?
07:01If you're in business to win 10 games, make the playoffs, and get blown out in your first game,
07:06then you keep Tomlin.
07:07If you're in business to do more than that, what's the point of keeping him around?
07:10I mean, I've got a lot to say.
07:12We'll get you picking the bills.
07:13Here's the Tomlin point.
07:15Who's on his coaching tree?
07:18Oh, my goodness.
07:19Wow, that's a great question.
07:21I can't even name a failed guy.
07:22No one.
07:23I know.
07:24That's what I'm trying to think.
07:24The reason the Steelers are endlessly a joke and always living the same exact life
07:30is because they will never develop a young quarterback.
07:33They will never have a bright play caller.
07:35They went with Matt Canada for 50 games, never had 400 yards of offense.
07:39They always go to the quarterbacks that are just kind of washed up or like,
07:43oh, we'll find a guy and make that work.
07:45Mason Rudolph.
07:46They finally draft.
07:47The guy was Kenny Pickett in the 20th overall pick.
07:49The Bills and the Chiefs.
07:51How do they get to where they are?
07:52They took teams that had made the playoffs and said it's time to go get better at this position.
07:57Right.
07:58And the Steelers will never do that.
08:00He's had one coach on his staff in the entire time he's been there go on to get another head coaching job.
08:07Who's that?
08:07Bruce Arians.
08:08Wow.
08:09And he was good.
08:09That's a good one.
08:10He did all right in Arizona, yeah.
08:12Did Bruce Arians start with the Steelers under Mike Tomlin, or was he a coward guy?
08:15He was an Indy coach.
08:17Also, he didn't get hired directly from the Steelers.
08:19He went to the Colts.
08:19He was an Indy.
08:21But still, he's in 18 or 19 years?
08:25That's ridiculous.
08:25There's no coaching tree.
08:27Wow.
08:27There's no coaching tree.
08:28How about that?
08:29Not defense.
08:30Not offense.
08:31Wow.
08:31There's no coaching tree.
08:32You would think, the years they had great defenses, a coordinator never got a hire.
08:36No one gets hired.
08:37That's incredible.
08:38But go ahead and tell us how it's absurd to say someone else might be better.
08:43No, you know what?
08:43This is one of those things where you're like, you keep doing what you're doing, then we don't
08:46have to worry about Pittsburgh ever being a legitimate threat in the conference.
08:49So, they can keep them.
08:50I don't mind.
08:51Wow.
08:51I'm all good with that.
08:53That's like when Miami was going to bring back Mike McDaniel.
08:55I thought, go ahead.
08:57Run it back.
08:58Yeah.
08:58Fine.
08:58Keep two if you want.
09:00Anyway, we should probably make the pick.
09:02Pick the Bills.
09:03A tradition unlike any other.
09:06Fly!
09:07It's time for Howard to pick the Bills!
09:13I do like the matchup of the Bills offense against their defense.
09:16You know, the Bills defense, I think, was playing better.
09:19I don't, I mean, I'm not concerned that Travis, I like Travis Etienne.
09:23I don't think he would go and have a crazy game against them.
09:26When all is said and done, I will take, in a one possession game, the Bills to win.
09:31On WGR Sports Radio 550.
09:34He knows everything, folks.
09:35He nailed it.
09:36Bill's in a one possession game.
09:37Yeah, that took a lot of work.
09:39Bills, Broncos.
09:41I'll ask you the question I have posted at Twitter.
09:43Are you more or less confident than last week?
09:48Okay, so, strangely enough, first off, I underappreciated Jacksonville.
09:54They're good.
09:55I mean, I thought they were very good, especially their run defense.
09:57It was like running into a wall.
09:59So, having said that, I'm actually more confident in this game than I was against Jacksonville.
10:05Same.
10:06Because I do think, we had this debate last night, and we had differing opinions.
10:10If you take overall team, like the entire offense, defense, special teams, coaching, put everything together,
10:15I think Jacksonville is actually the toughest matchup the Bills will have faced in this conference.
10:20So, that's exactly what I thought.
10:22They're good on both sides.
10:24Yes.
10:24And I think...
10:25And I'm not convinced the Broncos are that good offensively.
10:28Bingo.
10:28They're great defensively.
10:30Find a defensive stat, they're in the top five or top ten for sure.
10:33No. 1 red zone, No. 1 sacks, No. 3 points, No. 2 total yards.
10:37They do everything well.
10:39No. 2 third down.
10:40They don't have a weakness defensively.
10:44But, they don't have a great rushing attack.
10:47They do have Cortland Sutton and then pieces around him in terms of targets in the passing game.
10:53And Bo Nix, to me, I just, I hope this doesn't go back to burn me.
10:58But, the Denver Broncos are a little bit of a reminder of Kansas City last year.
11:04But, here's Denver's season.
11:05Great defense, close games.
11:07Bo Nix, fourth quarter, make a couple throws.
11:09We win one possession game.
11:11They're 11-2 in one-score games.
11:14And he's got five fourth quarter comebacks.
11:16It's a close game in the fourth.
11:17He leads a couple drives, they win.
11:20So, I'm not sold on their offense.
11:22I think the Bills' defense can really hold up in that matchup.
11:26I really do.
11:27It all comes down to how does the Bills' offense do against that freaking defense.
11:31It's that good.
11:32And injuries.
11:33Injuries are big.
11:34Injuries are a big mess right now.
11:36Having said all of that, it's Josh Allen.
11:39The X factor in any playoff game is guess which team has the best quarterback in the playoffs,
11:44especially in this conference.
11:45And it's not even close.
11:47It's the Bills.
11:48Bills win.
11:48Bills win in one possession game.
11:50We'll pick the other games.
11:51You can keep picking the Bills.
11:54New England?
11:54I think New England wins.
11:55New England.
11:57I think it is.
11:58Stroud will kill them.
11:59He was not good.
12:01Terrible.
12:02Last night.
12:02I think he'll hurt them.
12:04And I think New England will win that game.
12:06Setting up Bills, Patriots, and the AFC Championship game.
12:10Which is juicy.
12:11Should we pick the NFC just in case he...
12:13Of course.
12:14You want to wait?
12:15He's not going to pick the Bills to lose to New England.
12:17He wouldn't do it.
12:18You know what?
12:18He wouldn't get out of this building alive.
12:20Then we're going to have to pick the Bills.
12:21I've already been threatened by neighbors that I'd have to leave the neighborhood if
12:24I picked the Bills to lose in the playoffs.
12:26So I do think that game actually would stress me out more than any other matchup because
12:30if the Bills don't win, that's the last team in the world and the fan base you want
12:34to hear about if the Bills lose that game.
12:37I just can't do that.
12:38We have brothers-in-law that are Patriots fans.
12:41This is a family affair for us.
12:43I actually think that's a good matchup.
12:45I love the Bills going into Foxborough.
12:47I think they'll have such a chip on their shoulder.
12:50And I think it'll be the whole Drake May coronation.
12:53Here's the new kings of the conference.
12:54He's going to win the MVP, right?
12:55Yeah, he ain't.
12:57Excuse me, he isn't.
12:58And the Bills will win that game.
13:00They'll beat New England.
13:01All right.
13:03So they're in the Super Bowl.
13:05NFC.
13:05You guys are going to Santa Clara for the morning show.
13:07Woo!
13:07It'll be 2 a.m. local time.
13:112 a.m. Santa Clara time.
13:12Yeah.
13:13Rams, Bears.
13:15Rams.
13:16Rams.
13:17I agree.
13:19And then Seahawks, Niners.
13:21Seattle?
13:22I think Seattle.
13:24How big of a loss is Kittle?
13:24You worried about Darnold?
13:26No, not against San Francisco.
13:27Everybody scores against San Francisco, except for Philadelphia.
13:29Except for Philadelphia.
13:31Then everybody gets points on the Niners.
13:33I think the Seahawks will be fine.
13:35Setting up Rams, Seahawks.
13:37In Seattle.
13:38And I think that is, I mean, that was maybe the game of the year in the regular season
13:41this year.
13:42It was amazing.
13:43And it was a miracle that Seattle got out with the win.
13:45But they did.
13:46Yeah.
13:46I would pick the Rams to get it right this time.
13:48Yeah, I would too.
13:48It took a punt return touchdown and a bunch of other crazy stuff.
13:51Listen, I'll be guilty.
13:52The Rams will be eliminated.
13:53They almost lost to Carolina.
13:54And the next week, I will pick them to win a game.
13:57Carolina, they should win.
13:58They got rid of their biggest threat, because for some reason, they just can't play in Carolina.
14:03That was odd.
14:03Their biggest threat is their own special teams.
14:05Their special teams are a disaster.
14:06They already fired their coach.
14:07They had another special teams gap against the Panthers.
14:11They had one good Seattle.
14:12The punt return.
14:13I'd rather they play Seattle.
14:15But whatever.
14:16I'll take the storybook ending.
14:17I don't like the matchup against the Rams, quite honestly, because their quarterback,
14:21he's really, really good.
14:22The other thing the Rams do, these are two teams that use tight ends a lot.
14:25The Rams are one of these heavy personnel.
14:28Like three tight ends sets?
14:28Where you run heavy, and the Bills sometimes can be a lighter defense.
14:32It would be a challenge.
14:34Puka and Adams.
14:35I don't like the matchup, but as long as they're in the Super Bowl, if I pick and lose,
14:38I'll have to leave Western New York.
14:39But I would prefer not.
14:41I'd prefer any other team in the NFC other than the Rams and Stafford.
14:46Same situation against the Jags, but against the Rams in the Super Bowl.
14:49Are you kneeling it or sneaking it?
14:51I'm sneaking it.
14:52Even with Stafford?
14:53Yeah.
14:53You're going to give them a full minute?
14:54You're going to have a minute.
14:56I want to score.
14:57I want to score.
14:58I want to take the lead, and I'll have to trust me.
14:59Do people know things could go wrong on defense, too, though?
15:02Yeah, no, they can't.
15:03I've seen the Bills' defense.
15:04You're telling me you're not afraid of Harrison Mevis or whatever his name is?
15:07Who's Harrison Mevis?
15:09That's the Rams kicker.
15:10Oh.
15:11I was worried about Cam Little, but ironically, he misses the 54-yarder at halftime,
15:16and Bills win by three.
15:18Did you also say, ball, don't lie out loud when that happened?
15:20No, I didn't, but I saw it all over social media.
15:22The Rams kicker is 6'2", 245.
15:25Ooh, that's a big kicker.
15:26What is it?
15:27Holy moly.
15:28Yeah, just 6 foot?
15:29He's 6 foot.
15:30He's a bowling ball.
15:312'45".
15:32He's one of those thicker kickers.
15:33Wow.
15:34As opposed to Dicker the kicker.
15:36Right.
15:36Not Dicker the kicker, but he's the thicker kicker.
15:39The thick kicker.
15:41It's 8.53.
15:42You should probably get a break in before 9 o'clock.
15:45All right, fine.
15:48What else?
15:48Anything else?
15:49Is there something else going on in the world other than Bills playoff football?
15:53Sabres look good.
15:53They're fun now?
15:54Yeah, I caught some in the game last night.
15:56It's nice to see.
15:57I know they lost, but hey.
15:59Going to a 5-0-6 night?
16:00No, I should, but that's okay.
16:03Here's how you know it's fun again.
16:05Like when the Sabres, I said this the other night, the Sabres win their game,
16:08and the first thing you do is, when do they play again?
16:10Yeah.
16:10You actually can't wait to see the next game again.
16:13That's cool that that is back, that feeling about the Sabres.
16:17I might have to designate Wednesday as somewhat of an important game, by the way.
16:22Must win?
16:23They play Montreal, a good team on a back-to-back.
16:26People are going to say, that's an important one.
16:27I've got to get the one before it.
16:29I'll think about it.
16:30Maybe tomorrow.
16:30Is it Philly, then Montreal?
16:31Maybe tomorrow.
16:32It's Philly, and then Montreal.
16:33It's got to be Philly.
16:34Well, you can't lose 0-5-0-6 night.
16:36It's back-to-back.
16:37It's Montreal.
16:38Montreal's really good.
16:38Is it Finneganoff coming back?
16:41Can he dress?
16:41Yeah, he is.
16:41Everybody but Breer, Drury, and Greer, because they're all GMs.
16:44Can they all play still?
16:45And for some reason, they didn't schedule it when Breer would be here on Wednesday.
16:49And again, when you think of the 0-5-0-6 team, you do think the Flyers.
16:53They beat them in the playoffs.
16:54Yeah, they beat them in Breer's goal was what?
16:56Game one or game two?
16:57Game one.
16:57Game one.
16:58Double overtime?
16:58Daddy Breer.
16:59Everyone else scored in game two.
17:00I can hear Rick's call in my head.
17:02Two hat tricks in game two, right?
17:04Pommenville and Dumont?
17:05Yeah.
17:06All right.
17:07Nice to see you, boys.
17:08Nice to see you, too.
17:08Hopefully we'll do this again next week.
17:10Go Bills.
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