From 30 for 30 podcasts. Brian Pata, senior defensive lineman from Miami, gunned down. The key to this case, it's Brian. An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing what's about. This might be a hit. You want the truth. They just want a conviction. They're placing the arrest. We had a killer amongst us. Murder at the U. Listen now. Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. Jarrett Stenum isn't the only backup popping up on your TV. Now entering the game, Phil and Frank folks. So you and Stenum, you don't have a commercial, do you? No. That backup thing, that backup series of commercials, you come in for a family member. I think that's a brilliant series of commercials. And because I'm the backup, we're going to go for the early points. Oh, are you sure? We got a coach who's gonna not lose his mind. We're gonna think. We're gonna have that? You know, I'm glad. Welcome to PTI. Tony apparently has better things to do. So I am joined happily by our great friend from the starting lineup on Sirius XM, Mr. Frank Isola. I got cheered twice. Twice. There must be Seahawks in the Patriots. Ha, ha, ha. Let's begin with the Seahawks beating the Rams in the NFC Championship game 31-27. Sam Darnold threw for 346 yards, three touchdowns, and no picks for Seattle. The Rams, meanwhile, muffed a punt that led to a score, and in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead, were stopped on fourth down from the Seattle Six. Frank, what did you make of what the Seahawks did and how they did it? I thought they were terrific. I think Sam Darnold answered a lot of questions. You mentioned the numbers that he put up. I also thought when the Seahawks got the ball back after they stopped the Rams on fourth down, he threw for three first downs. So they were aggressive. He was smart. And it didn't kill the clock completely, but essentially ended the game. So I think for Sam Darnold, the guy that was a high draft pick in New York, bounced around in Carolina, did go to the Super Bowl as a backup with San Francisco, had a great year last year with Minnesota. You have a quarterback like that. Why are you letting the guy go? And now he entered in Seattle. I agree with that. How about the year that he had, the game that he had, and that wide receiver for Seattle, Jackson Smith and Jigba, how good is he? And how about some of the hits that he took? If you had to pick a receiver to save your own life between him and Puka, who would you take? You wouldn't know. They're the two greatest things you've ever seen, with all due respect to Jerry Rice. They take big hits. They make catches. So Nakua catches a touchdown and makes it 31-26. I understand it's late in the third quarter. But the one thing about Sean McVay, what about going for it, going for a two-point conversion there? If you miss, you still need a touchdown. I think there was enough time. I don't believe. But, Mike, if you make it, now you're only down three. They did reach a point where maybe it was something I'm sure he did consider. We're going to get to real second-guessing of a coach in the next story. But let's stay on Seattle for a second. I feel pretty good about this because the day, the trade deadline, when the dust settled, I thought that Seattle was the best team in the league, and they approved to do that. This had to be on the quarterback. This was a referendum on Sam Darnold, a guy who was just turned loose from multiple places. And last year it had to be sort of an indignity. He had two bad games, but he also led the Vikings to something they couldn't reproduce this year. He was so humble. And he took the high road yesterday, interview after interview, and asked how he felt about his journey having to take this winding road. And the way he handled himself. But I just thought, I kept waiting. I'm going to be honest about it. I was waiting to say, okay, is he going to go Sam Darnold? Is he going to go New York Jets Sam Darnold? It's almost an unfair question to ask. He answered it anyway. And so Seattle's just – can we say Seattle's the best team? Seattle's the best team in the NFC. I think you're right. And, you know, we had the stat on Friday about when the number one scoring offense faces the number one scoring defense in a conference final Super Bowl, the defense always wins. That's right. And it's the same thing when it's the leading passer in the NFL plays the number one scoring defense. The defense always wins. And Seattle's defense in the moment of truth came up big, especially on that second-to-last series by the Rams. When Stafford, give him credit, he drove them right down the field. He's got those downs in. You think he's going to put the ball in the end of one of those throws. You do not think that he's going to come up empty, that Matt Stafford's going to come up empty. And by the way, going back to Seattle, when Los Angeles answered with a scoring drive, Darnold goes right down the field and Seattle scores as if he'd been doing this all his life. Yeah. So how about this, too? USC, who's had all those great tailbacks, obviously, over the years. Sam Darnold, the first USC quarterback that's going to start a Super Bowl. That's a stunning, not believable stat, which I heard an hour or so ago. I think of all those great players, Marcus Allen, back in the day, Charles White. But at tailback. Yep. And not all of those guys made Super Bowls either. No. The college game was a completely different game from the pro game back then. They've had so many great players. Never a quarterback, start a Super Bowl. Hard to believe It is And so and by the way this notion is somehow Matthew Stafford his future is in question What He coming What He the MVP What a great player Where he going What a great and so tough Totally great player That why they shouldn have run the ball in second down late in the game Over in the AFC the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl without anyone named Belichick or Brady Head coach Mike Vrabel quarterback Drake May and a tough defense helped the Pats edge the Broncos in the mile high snow 10 Denver head coach Sean Payton said he regretted his decision to pass on a field goal in the first half that would have put the Broncos up 10-0. So, Michael, what stands out to you about this result? The snow and Sean Payton. That's it. That's all. I'm not going to go with a backup quarterback. I'm not going to go with Stenum. That's just almost unfair. I mean, we knew he was going to struggle. If you didn't think he was going to struggle against a defense as sophisticated as New England's, even if it was dry out, You're not paying attention. No, no, no. It's the weather and it's Sean Payton. Sean Payton's a great coach. Who wouldn't want to have Sean Payton? He is also as arrogant as a summer day in Alaska is long. Okay? He doesn't have the stones, apparently, to just say, I am to blame. I didn't kick the field. It was my call. I got to live with the decision. No, no. It. Like it's a third person. Sorry, dude. And I think about all the times he made Russell Wilson look bad. He went after him. And he's got a bully. He's got that Parcells bully gene somewhere in him. And then he blew it. You got a backup quarterback who's been doing a pass in 11 years. You got weather. You know what the conditions are. And you're a damn good coach. But, no, your arrogance took you there. That's what took Sean Payton there. And I'm glad he's got to live with this. Yeah, so we all on the East Coast, most of the country, We spent a couple of days knowing that a snowstorm was coming, so we prepare in advance. Shouldn't the head coach of the Broncos know that a storm might be rolling it to Denver? It's a little different. It's a little different. You say it's a little bit different. Comes quick. Comes faster in Denver over those mountains with the Rockies. You have to consider something like that, and the fact it's a backup quarterback. Yes. Up to that point, the Patriots hadn't done anything. I could hear Bill Cowher take the points. You take the points. You go up 10-0. Does it mean you're going to win? Maybe not. But Drake May didn't have a great game pass. No, he didn't. You gave the Patriots their opening. And after that, after they didn't convert on fourth down, they had three field goals the rest of the game. I'm talking about Denver. Yeah. And 54 yards. Their offense didn't do anything. So then the weather comes in. Three first downs. Three first downs. Three first downs. Then if you look at what happened to the Patriots, Drake May, the biggest plays that he made, Mike, were. His feet. Exactly. And his hands. He scored a touchdown after, which would have been a crime if they didn't score, because why are the referees blowing the play dead? Let the play play out. What is that? That's ridiculous. Not enough discussion about that. He scored on that either. He converted a fourth and one. He had the 28-yard scramble. And then how about the bootleg at the end of the game? And yet, if you kick the field goal, Sean Payton, you've got the points and you don't give them a short field to score. They're only touchdown on. So Sean Payton's got to live with this. He was chasing that field goal the rest of the game. Of course he was. Just kick it right there. Go up 10-0 with it. But you know what the problem, too, is in today's NFL, everyone goes from fourth down, which is fine. Yeah, because everybody's got some analytics monkey on speed dial that's telling them what to do instead of sometimes using common sense. The analytics can't take into account whether you've got Stidham, ninth-string quarterback, or Joe Montana. The analytics can't tell you that. And Stidham, he hung in there, but the turnover in that first half was a killer. You can't. I don't want to blame him. that. But you can't do that. Mike, just take the sack. There's one person to blame and we've done it. At least I have. So in two weeks, we'll have the Seahawks and Patriots facing each other in the Super Bowl. Super Bowl 60. The same two teams have met in the Patriots dramatic win in 2015. Frank, what are your first blush thoughts on this matchup? Well, the number 60 certainly applies because both teams went into the season as 60 to one favorites. Or that with their odds to win a Super Bowl for both of these teams. So it's a great story for both of them. I think when you look at Seattle, you tend to always go with the defense, and their defense has been outstanding. Mike McDonald, you look at him, you know, the two years in Seattle, they've ranked first in points allowed. Last year they were 11th. Last two teams in Baltimore were both in the top five in terms of points. So defensively, they're terrific. And you still are dealing – I like the Drake May story. It's unbelievable that the Panthers are back in the Super Bowl with a new head coach and a new quarterback, but he's still a little unproven. I like his toughness. I think he has a chance to be great, but it wasn't like he was throwing the ball all over the field during the playoffs. I don't know whether it has something to do with it. We had two weather games. All right, but Mike. That's why I'm reluctant to go crazy on the defense. If Seattle has a lead, especially late, you're going to side with Seattle. I'm siding with Seattle already. I've been siding with them since October. Yeah. Because I just think that Seattle has the goods. And if, okay, so now, I guess it could go the other way. That's why these games are so great. But Sam Darnold, if you feel that all these questions are behind you, and you can just go in with a clear head, and you've got these two weeks, and let these coaches let this staff that you praised you know so I thought it was very genuine when he talked yesterday postgame about the teammates and the staff of coaches that sort of propped him back up given his journey and given the bumps in the road So if you're Sam Darnold, do you ever go into a game more confident than you go into the Super Bowl, given what you've just come off of to get your team there? I don't think so. And you have that defense. How about New England? 9-0 on the road. The schedule was that hard. You still had to go to Buffalo to win. He still had to go to Denver to win the AFC Championship game. On the road, wins are big no matter what. And I know quarterbacks, it's not baseball pitchers, but Drake May, he's played in three playoff wins. That's as many as Lamar Jackson. It's one more than Dak Prescott. He's accomplished a lot in just his second year in the NFL. We're taking a break. When we come back, what's the word for the Steelers hiring of Mike McCarthy as their next head coach? And will injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, and Jonathan Kaminga keep them from being traded. Sean Payton just texted. He wants to talk to you. Yeah, let him. Let him. I'd like to. He should have kicked. He's not calling too many people. Okay? Because he knows he's wrong. He's wrong. He knows it. He's a great coach. He's a great coach. Sean Payton is on every level. But he blew it. . . Time for the viewers to honor us with their emails. Let's get the first one, Frank. I'm gonna read it to you if I can get it open. Mail time! Mail time. First email. It's on McCarthy. The Steelers McCarthy. What's the word to describe the Steelers? Hiring of Mike McCarthy. I think it's smart, and I understand that some fans don't like it. I guess on social media, it's being panned. Look at the two coaches in the Super Bowl. One is a first-time head coach in Mike McDonald, and then you have Mike Vrabel, who obviously got experience. There's nothing wrong with the Steelers hiring an experienced coach, who, by the way, is 174 and 112 in his 111 playoff games. If he was some dude, that'd be one thing, but he's not. And let me ask you this. Have the Pittsburgh Steelers done a pretty good job hiring coaches? They have. You would think that family would get the benefit of the doubt over anybody hiring a head coach in the league, considering they've only had now, what, four in the last, you know, 50-some years. Yeah. Joe Starkey in the Pittsburgh Tribune, it was pretty interesting. He said it's kind of similar. Mike McCarthy, Mike Tomlin are kind of similar. Earlier in their careers, you give them an A-plus for what they accomplished, Super Bowl. Maybe the latter years, a C-plus, which is fine. But, you know, Mike McCarthy had some good years in Dallas. Yes, he did. He got a little unlucky in the playoffs. I thought he did a pretty good job developing the quarterback. Now, he did have Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. But Aaron Rodgers, he might not even be on the team next year. I'd have another word if Mike McCarthy hooks up with Aaron Rodgers again, this time in Pittsburgh. That I don't care to see. Mike McCarthy, first of all, he's very deserving. He's a worthy coach in this cycle of NFL coaches in terms of what he has done in a couple of different places, not just one, where he rode only one quarterback, that quarterback, whose name shall not be mentioned, but he had the good years in Dallas as well. Won 12 a couple of times. You know, the Rooney and the Mara families are connected through marriage, the Steelers and the Giants. And the way they went about their coaching hire is pretty similar. The Giants went with the experienced coach and John Hawbar and obviously Pittsburgh, Mike McCarthy. I like the hiring. I like the hiring a lot. And I bet you like it a lot more because social media doesn't like it. You think I'm paying attention to social media? With the injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, and Jonathan Kaminga, what has it done to the trade deadline? It eliminated the trade deadline. The trade deadline is irrelevant. Because if you're not talking about at least two of these dudes, what are you talking about? You're talking about some minor trades that will still go down. And also, you're talking about a season that has been reduced. I mean, Kaminga, I realize that Kaminga, it hasn't worked at Golden State, but it can work somewhere. Kaminga's too talented a player, and he's only, what, 23? He wears a championship ring? Don't tell me that Kaminga's not worthy of someone's time. He was their leading scorer when Steph Curry went down against Minnesota. He was their leading scorer in that team. And so now he's just going to what, just going to sit? And Giannis, like, they need Giannis in Milwaukee? No, no, Giannis needs to be gone from Milwaukee. I'm not saying he needs to demand a trade. That's not his way. Good for him. But the Milwaukee Bucks are going nowhere with Giannis. Yeah, so Kaminga's got a bone bruise. They're saying he's out indefinitely. A bone bruise, that could take a while. Giannis is saying himself like he's a doctor. He said four to six. He said four to six weeks, which not only makes him unhealthy for the trade deadline, he will not be available for the All-Star game where they're going to have U.S. team or two U.S. teams playing their national team. That's another story. Yeah. Then the injury to John Morant is an elbow, which doesn't appear to be as serious. My thing about John Morant would be this, though, Mike. The Washington Wizards essentially stole Trey Young from Atlanta. They didn't give up a lot to get him. Would a team now with Ja injured, with all the issues that he's had, would you try to lowball Memphis and think, you know what, we'll take him now when he gets healthy, he'll be good on our program. I'm not giving a personal picture. You want Ja Morant in the DMV. Really? No no I didn mean Washington I meant what Washington did Oh what Washington did Another team doing that Another team There are certain places I not bringing Ja Morant into Okay We got to be honest about Ja Morant and the influence that he susceptible to and that he has. And so the fact that Ja's become irrelevant is sad. That's why you could steal him. It really is. That's why maybe you could steal him. I mean, for very different reasons, he and Zion, who should be two of the faces of the league, Poof. I know. They're not relevant. Unbelievable. And I think Giannis will get traded, but I think Milwaukee waits until after the season. They know which teams, like where they're drafting, what position they're going to draft in. Because you're trading Giannis. You better get young players and draft picks back. They got to wait. Yep. It's a trade deadline. What happened? Next week, next Thursday. Yeah, we're in. Thanks for your email. Let's take one last break. When we come back, the impressive freshman, A.J. DeBansa gets a huge test tonight. And will react to the latest highlight from Lamine Yamal. Going to be a big star at the World Cup. Arizona worthy number one team? Yes. Yes, very much so. I've watched them only three to four times, though. I want to see them some more. Tonight will be a good test. Yes. Against BYU. Time to get happy, people. Happy 65th birthday, Wayne Gretzky. The great one no longer holds the NHL goals record. That was broken by Alex Ovechkin, of course, last April. But Gretzky's points mark will never be approached. He finished with 2,800 points. More than 900 more than second-place Yaramir Yager. In fact, you can subtract every goal Gretzky ever scored, and he'd still have the most points in the NHL's history, Bob Ryan. Gretzky put up 215 in his best season. To give you some context, Conor McDavid, who currently leads the league with 90, is on pace for 139. Wayne Gretzky reached 200 points four times in his career. The rest of the NHL, zero. Lemieux did get to 199 in that same year. Yeah. Gretzky had 168. Slacker. 168. Not good enough. You really don't want to go. Just say, you covered sports at a time when Michael Jordan was playing and Wayne Gretzky. Got to see them both. By the way, Wilt Gretzky when it comes to record books. Yeah, it's nuts. Happy anniversary, Chicago Bears. Bow your head, Frank. On this day 40 years ago, the Monsters pummeled the Patriots in Super Bowl 20, 46 to 10. My Bears dominated the entire season, thanks largely to their 46 defense. They lost just once all season in a December Monday night game in Miami, but still thought highly enough of themselves to record the now infamous Super Bowl shuffle the day after the loss. These Bears were filled with so many great characters, and I'm lucky enough to watch this season's games, many of them, with guys including Otis Wilson and the Hall of Famer Richard Dent. Okay, in my lifetime, I think that is the best defense I've ever seen. They were dominant. We showed the highlight in the Super Bowl, and Mike Dicker talks about it all the time, handing the ball off to William Refrigerator Perry. I know, instead of Walter. And not giving it to 34. Walter Payton's got to get it. We don't want to talk about that in Chicago. Oh, and now that the Patriots are in the Super Bowl, the Bears have been back to the Super Bowl once, Patriots, like 20 times. 11 times since then. I know. We could get there next year. We'll see. We'll see. We'll rub it in just a little. Happy trails to any wait for Scottie Scheffler's first win of the season. He already got it. Yesterday, in the first tournament he entered, the American Express at La Quinta, Scheffler birdied half his holes in going from a two-shot deficit to a six-stroke lead before winning by four. It's Scheffler's 20th career win on the PGA Tour, all in the last four years, Frank. He joins Tiger and Jack as the only players in history to have 20 wins in four majors before turning 30. Though it took Scheffler 56 more starts than Tiger and 24 more than Jack to do it. 18-year-old Blades Brown, by the way, started the day tied for second, but finished tied for 18. Scheffler also joined an exclusive club. Career earnings, $100 million. Would you say he's the most underrated big-time player? I mean, everyone knows who Mahomes is. Everyone knows who. I'll answer tomorrow. The San Diego Union as we go to the big finish. Let's get to it real quickly. San Diego Union-Tribune reports Hugh Darvish plans to retire, though he says he's yet to make a final decision. Are you surprised? He's going to have elbow surgeries out for the whole season anyway. Aussie Open defending champ Madison Keys got knocked out by Jess Fagula. Your reaction? We'll see it over and over all summer. Two of the top ten players in the world. Men's College Hoops, number one Arizona versus number 13 BYU and AJ DeFantse tonight. I know you're going to watch this. I'm looking for a chance. A.J. DeBanz had 43 the other night against Utah. Greg Poppich appeared at a Spurs G League game. Your thoughts? Just hoping that Popp is doing well. Last one. Barcelona's Luminium all had a scissor kick goal Sunday. You were impressed by that. I don't know. I'm impressed by everything that he does. How about Man United beating Arsenal? Back-to-back weeks, they beat Man City and Arsenal. I know you were locked in for that. We're out of time. Thanks for watching. I'm Frank Isolo. I'm Mike Wilbon. Same time tomorrow. I'm Knuckleheads. Lakers-Vuls tonight in Chicago. Don't miss it. Here's SportsCenter. PTI.
