00:00NFC Championship game could be really a prelude to what could be the champion of the Super Bowl this season.
00:07And make no mistake about it, going to Seattle is one of the toughest places to play.
00:13Going to Denver is one of the tougher places to play.
00:17Adam Kaplan joins us here for the NFC Championship game.
00:20Adam, I do see this game breaking out here.
00:22This is really going to be potentially the winner of this game.
00:25It's got to be your favorite going into Super Bowl 60.
00:28They would be either team.
00:29So you know what's interesting, Dan, about Seattle?
00:31They're the best road team in National Football League over the last two seasons.
00:34When you think Seattle, think about the 12s, right?
00:37But no, they've been the best road team at home.
00:40Look, you're right.
00:40It's the toughest place to play.
00:43It's really loud there.
00:44It's a very unique stadium, very unique configuration.
00:48But I want to pick up on something you talked about before I was on.
00:51So Puka Nakua, right?
00:53Puka Nakua, this is just going inside football.
00:55I know you played and talking to coaches about this and scouting people.
01:00Puka Nakua, first of all, he had a big injury history coming out of school.
01:04And, you know, 6'1 1⁄2-ish.
01:07Is he an X receiver?
01:08Do you play him inside?
01:10But what?
01:11This is what one of the former Rams coaches told me.
01:13When they got Puka Nakua specifically, obviously, Sean McVay, because it's his offense as the head coach, and he calls the plays, and it's his scheme.
01:20He decided, you know what?
01:21I'm going to reduce him.
01:23He's not going to be a true outside receiver.
01:25I'm going to move him inside.
01:27It is really, really, as one coach told me, it's not impossible, but it's very difficult to double an inside receiver.
01:34And that's why he wins.
01:35You don't find guys who play inside that big.
01:38You know, he's got an interesting configuration.
01:40He's put together very, very well.
01:42He wins, seemingly, all the time, Dan.
01:44And he's great, but I'll just say this.
01:47He would not be nearly as good without them playing him the way that they do.
01:53I thought it was a really interesting point you made about Nakua.
01:57And, look, if you look at the prop numbers, the passing game doesn't go through Devontae Adams.
02:03It goes through Puka.
02:04How he goes is how their offense most likely will go.
02:06It's Sean McVay, isn't it, in the way that he's constructed that offense to put the personnel in the right position.
02:14I mean, look at Devontae Adams.
02:16I mean, not a lot of targets this year, but the guys, he ended up leading the NFL to miss some weeks in touchdown catches.
02:23I mean, look at his resume.
02:25Yesterday was his 40th birthday, Adam.
02:28This guy's now going for his third NFC championship game, his 11th playoff game.
02:34You've got to go back to Curly Lambeau and George Halas for a guy that's won that amount of ball games at an early age.
02:40I mean, he's 40 years old.
02:43Phillip Rivers was 44 years old playing Matthew Stafford's 37.
02:48How crazy is that number that this guy's this great putting his resume up?
02:53Rodgers is 42.
02:54Joe Flacco is 40.
02:56I've got to give you a quick story about Sean McVay.
02:58So, when he became the Rams head coach, okay, and Jay Gruen was the one who he worked for in Washington, he had not turned 31 until after he signed his contract.
03:07People were like, why are you hiring this guy?
03:09Look, Jeff Fischer was fired, but why are you hiring this guy?
03:12He's too young.
03:13No one in the NFL could win at that age.
03:17And he got the last laugh.
03:18And I just remember them bringing him, I think it was after his first season, they brought, or it may have been after he signed his contract, they brought him to Radio Row at the Super Bowl.
03:26No one really knew who he was because, you know, he's a shorter guy, like 5'8", 5'9".
03:32He was just inconspicuous.
03:34And you're like, who is this guy?
03:36And now he's a lead, obviously, and he might go into the Hall of Fame someday.
03:40I give Kevin Dumhoff and Stan Kroenke credit for hiring him.
03:46I'll admit it.
03:47I was like, this is crazy, 31 years old.
03:49And by the way, Grant Udinski from Doylestown, PA, near where I grew up, who's going to turn 31, who's the Jaguars offense coordinator, he's got a real shot to be the Browns head coach, 31 years old.
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