With Super Bowl 60 approaching, CJ and Chad Brown go deep on Patriots vs. Seahawks, breaking down matchups, coaching, quarterback pressure, and why this game may be far closer than the public narrative suggests. The conversation moves beyond X’s and O’s into the cultural weight of the Super Bowl, from halftime controversy and media narratives to the NFL’s ongoing struggles with hiring Black head coaches. Chad also reflects on his own Super Bowl experience, locker room brotherhood, and what truly decides championship games when talent is nearly even. A wide-ranging, thoughtful, and honest Super Bowl week conversation.
CJ and Chad Brown open Super Bowl week reflecting on why football holds such a powerful place in American culture and why the Super Bowl magnifies both the best and worst parts of fandom. From there, the focus shifts to Super Bowl 60, where the Seahawks enter as favorites but the Patriots loom as a dangerous opponent built for close, situational football. Chad explains why execution, coaching, and late-game composure may matter more than raw talent, while CJ argues the Patriots’ self-awareness and discipline make them especially dangerous if the game stays tight.
The discussion expands into quarterback pressure, including the spotlight on Sam Darnold and Drake Maye, and how a handful of critical plays will likely decide the outcome. Chad shares insight from his time playing in a Super Bowl with the Steelers, describing the emotional weight, preparation, and distractions that come with the biggest stage in football.
Beyond the game, CJ and Chad tackle major league-wide issues, including the Hall of Fame process, the flawed structure that delayed Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft’s induction, and the ongoing lack of Black head coaches in the NFL. They speak candidly about systemic barriers, performative hiring practices, and why real progress requires more than rules on paper.
The episode closes with thoughts on Super Bowl culture, the Bad Bunny halftime show, public backlash, and why the event continues to reflect broader social conversations. A thoughtful, layered episode that blends football analysis with perspective earned through decades in the game.
00:00 – Super Bowl week reflections and why football holds such cultural power
03:00 – Football as America’s shared obsession and cultural mirror
07:00 – Fan behavior, tribalism, and the emotional extremes of the sport
13:25 – Transition to Super Bowl 60 matchup: Patriots vs. Seahawks
15:40 – Why this game is closer than the narrative suggests
17:45 – Talent vs. execution: how the Patriots stay competitive
20:55 – Quarterback pressure and what Sam Darnold must prove
23:25 – Patriots’ identity, discipline, and situational football edge
26:00 – Seahawks atmosphere, crowd impact, and in-stadium experience
30:50 – Super Bowl location, stadium aesthetics, and media spectacle
31:20 – Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft Hall of Fame discussion
36:15 – NFL coaching cycle and lack of Black head coaches
39:00 – Play-calling, offensive opportunities, and systemic barriers
44:05 – Football’s responsibility in reflecting society
48:20 – Super Bowl halftime show, Bad Bunny, and cultural backlash
52:00 – Pro Bowl changes and modern fan expectations
55:15 – Chad Brown’s Super Bowl experience with the Steelers
57:30 – What truly decides championship games
01:02:45 – Final Super Bowl thoughts and closing reflections
00;00;02;16 - 00;00;17;00
CJ
Damn, it's Super Bowl week and I may already need a mulligan, given what I said a week ago. We'll talk more about it.
00;00;17;02 - 00;00;40;18
CJ
Welcome to the show. It's your boy, C.J., and my main man, Chadwick Everett Brown. One of the great names in all of podcast Land and all of professional sports in all of whatever the many hats you wear. I love that Chadwick Everett Brown I don't know why you just. Why do you allow people to just call you Chad?
00;00;40;20 - 00;01;02;12
Chad Brown
You know, first day of school, it was always Chadwick and then. So of course, the whole class would giggle and laugh. So, I was shamed out of going with the full name. Just shorten it to Chad. It's. It's okay. You, my special friends, you being one of them. Call me Chadwick. Some of my friends back home even call me Wick, so I'm not afraid of it.
00;01;02;12 - 00;01;11;05
Chad Brown
As a grown man at 55 years old, but growing up in elementary school, I was terrified. The first day of school, every single year. Wow. Wow.
00;01;11;08 - 00;01;27;02
CJ
I tell you what. We all got the little school, you know, the elementary school stories. But what those kids didn't know is that the name that they teased all those years ago would be one of the coolest names in the business. Black Panther. Right. Chadwick. Watts. Bozeman.
00;01;27;07 - 00;01;28;11
Chad Brown
Bozeman. Yes.
00;01;28;13 - 00;01;39;05
CJ
That's exactly right. Right. So, you know, it's one of the cool names and and like everything and over time, you know, it changes, right. The world evolves like like skin was back was back was quite cool.
00;01;39;05 - 00;01;51;22
Chad Brown
Back in the day. I'll close the gap for you, bro. What else? Oh, light skinned brothers, as soft as they pulled out, went back out. I heard that one my whole life, too.
00;01;51;22 - 00;02;10;06
CJ
Well, let me tell you, when I. When I got to Colorado, the I came in. You got to keep in mind this is back in 1987. I came in with that as a mindset until I met Chadwick Everett Brown. I was like, hey, man, that Brown, whatever that thought was going in, that brother broke the mold.
00;02;10;08 - 00;02;11;21
Chad Brown
So, no, no, no, we.
00;02;11;21 - 00;02;25;25
CJ
Know like skins, black Skin Brothers went soft. But, you know, the preference among the ladies did evolve over time a little bit, at least. A brother like me had a had a shot by the mid 90s.
00;02;25;28 - 00;02;38;03
Chad Brown
It's good for you that that tastes evolved. So you got you. I knew I knew your time would come, my friend. I knew your time would come I couldn't. Hey, hey hey, man, look.
00;02;38;09 - 00;03;11;05
CJ
It's Superbowl week, homeboy. And sad so much. We got to get into here, man. You know what is so much about not just the game itself. It's the thing I love most about the Super Bowl is one. It does reflect sort of our maybe even call it dependency on what is now America's game. And there's almost this somewhat sort of subtle depression, despite the fact that soon as the Super Bowl is over, attention is turned to basketball and hockey, of course, spring training shortly thereafter.
00;03;11;05 - 00;03;35;23
CJ
And you get into the baseball season. But it's not the same, right? There's something there's a collective need in this country for football. That's one I think it just essentially weights that. It is also sort of, a it's kind of reflective of our culture at large. There's so much about football, how we relate to it that I think illuminates cultural issues as well.
00;03;35;23 - 00;04;02;00
CJ
We'll talk about, you know, Bad Bunny, the halftime show. Right. And, and how that breaks, we'll talk about the situation with respect to, African-American coaches in the hiring cycle. There's something about this game that doesn't allow I mean, it doesn't allow us as much as we depend on sports to break us out of our, sort of normal daily challenges that we have to face in culture.
00;04;02;02 - 00;04;17;05
CJ
Something about football and more specifically, the Super Bowl that brings that all to bear. And we, you know, it forces the conversations in a way that no other event, I think, that we share collectively as a nation can do.
00;04;17;07 - 00;04;38;16
Chad Brown
I think you've said that. Well, football is a weird force because it galvanizes us in support of our our teams, even folks who probably would not be together under circumstances. Yet, as we're finding out with Bad Bunny and other things, it also points out some of the clear and stark differences that we operate within in our country. So it's a football game.
00;04;38;18 - 00;04;56;24
Chad Brown
But to America, it's more than just a game. It's more than just a pastime. I would say it is on par. Maybe not even on par. Surpasses most religions in our country. I imagine the football viewership versus the folks who have a butt in the pews on a on a Sunday. It's probably more folks watching football.
00;04;57;00 - 00;05;16;23
Chad Brown
So it is become our religion and we consume it and we digest it. And to your point, C.J., when it's over, we miss it. There's a bit of a hangover there. And football's different in that regard because you ask anybody if they watched the football game, they say, yes. Did you catch this hockey match? Did you catch this basketball game?
00;05;16;25 - 00;05;58;17
Chad Brown
Maybe, maybe but football, the answer's always yes. So, yeah, I, I find it so fascinating this game that you and I grew up playing. Just because I loved being with my friends. And this was a way for me as this kid who was quiet and shy and a little bit reserved to be able to find some kind of camaraderie and go out there and play this game, that this thing that there's been a a, you know, a straight line throughout my entire life, since the time I was probably five years old, has now grown into a not just a American religion in some place, a worldwide phenomenon that, illuminates, illustrates,
00;05;58;23 - 00;06;04;22
Chad Brown
and brings out cultural issues in ways that other sporting events just simply can't do. What?
00;06;04;25 - 00;06;33;20
CJ
What is it about what, the game show. And again, I promise you all up there, we're going to get to the Super Bowl itself. And so many issues, or questions around it. But to me, I've always been fascinated with this. Ted, I remember to the point where I remember the first time I realized that this game we play is it means so much to to the spectator, to our culture.
00;06;33;22 - 00;06;53;14
CJ
That it kind of confused me. I was I was in a moment, just confused about what I was doing here and my contribution to this madness. And it was it was the we played at Nebraska. It was our the national championship year, and we're coming out on the field before the game. And I'll never forget, it was a horrible weather game.
00;06;53;17 - 00;07;16;21
CJ
And you know, coming from under the the bleachers at the old Lincoln Stadium, I don't know if it's the same way when Nebraska plays their home games. You kind of come from under the stands and their fans kind of over you as you come from, come out of the locker room area onto the field. And there were a group of like, I mean, these women had to be at least 65, 70 years old.
00;07;16;21 - 00;07;39;17
CJ
And it was a pack of brothers, a pack of blue hairs, man. And they were coming. Attaboy, man. At all of us. And I remember catching them for a second. I was probably at zoned away from the game and locked in on this. These older women just berating us like you. Sorry. So BS. And I'm thinking to myself, grandma.
00;07;39;20 - 00;07;43;16
Chad Brown
Bake some cookies. Damn, give me a break. And that and.
00;07;43;16 - 00;07;58;11
CJ
And I'm thinking something's not connecting here. And in my mind for a second. It was a Saturday night. And I'm saying, damn, if I could just go up and hug that lady and say, hey, I have a test next Tuesday, too. It's not.
00;07;58;18 - 00;07;59;26
Chad Brown
I me, I'm just.
00;07;59;26 - 00;08;20;07
CJ
A student athlete. But there's something about it. In a culture that takes us to that point, it's one thing to be a fan, and I get that, but I think football does something different to us, and to some degree it may be just a mirror reflection of who we are, the best of who we are, and in many cases, the worst of who we are.
00;08;20;09 - 00;08;42;07
Chad Brown
Yes, the worst of who we are comes out in things like you just talked about. So there is this, I think within all humans, because we come from a tribal society. So we have modern societies now. We're all tribal inside. And so, yes, for those blue haired ladies, you were not part of their tribe. Therefore, you know, a couple hundred years ago, you would have deserved to die.
00;08;42;14 - 00;09;04;17
Chad Brown
But in this case, you deserve their slings and arrows and verbal insults in those cases, when my grandmother was still alive, I'm a Southern California guy, and the Raiders once upon a time played in Southern California. And so my grandmother came to a game and I bought my grandmother as any good grandson. I bought her a Steeler cardigan because this is my grandmother.
00;09;04;17 - 00;09;07;04
Chad Brown
So she wore her sweater to the game. Wait, wait, wait, you bought.
00;09;07;04 - 00;09;10;16
CJ
Your grandmother a Steeler cardigan to wear to a Raiders game?
00;09;10;19 - 00;09;13;16
Chad Brown
Yes, it was you.
00;09;13;16 - 00;09;16;16
CJ
You are a horrible grandson.
00;09;16;19 - 00;09;32;27
Chad Brown
Well, come to find out after the game, people were threatening to kick grandma ass because she was wearing this deep blue sweater. It's like my grandma was in her mid 70s. She could barely make it up and down the stairs. Knock off, threaten to kick grandma. This.
00;09;33;00 - 00;09;33;04
Chad Brown
Is.
00;09;33;09 - 00;09;35;14
CJ
It's not funny, but it's hilarious.
00;09;35;14 - 00;09;37;03
Chad Brown
Because I know.
00;09;37;05 - 00;10;03;20
CJ
It. But it's true, man. It's just, it's the nature of the sport. There's a psychological sort of, you know, test and evaluation that we should be taken to unpack this because, again, while it's fun and it galvanizes people in a number of different ways, the opposite, the flip side of that coin is true as well, man. It brings out the it brings out the demons in us sometimes.
00;10;03;20 - 00;10;25;25
CJ
And it makes us, you know, separates us from our own reality. And perhaps that's the point. So many people are dealing with so much that anything that can, can still us away from sometimes our own, our own challenges and in many cases, sometimes invisible realities. Then we hold on to that like it's life itself.
00;10;25;27 - 00;10;41;23
Chad Brown
And then, of course, there's always going to be a flip side. There's two sides of this coin. And part of that is this brotherhood, that you and I share from, you know, we were on campus together for four years. I did five, I did my five. I think you did your five. But we were on campus together for four years.
00;10;41;26 - 00;11;07;11
Chad Brown
And, you know, if I hear something about you, now, 30 plus years, 35 years later about that. Well, I'm gonna pick up my phone, you know, sorry to hear about this. Congratulations on that. There's this amazing brotherhood that brings us all together. You want to see grown men cry, bring a high school football team together and let them flip through the yearbook.
00;11;07;14 - 00;11;44;11
Chad Brown
Let them watch some old tape of 40 years ago. You want to see grown men cry? They will do that. I can't watch the 30 for 30, but I call a lot of buffaloes without tearing up. I got it on DVR. I can watch any time I want yet. It's been on a number of times this week, and whether my ass gets stuck every time thinking about those amazing times that came because of this game, football and all the things we were able to accomplish, all the things we were able to overcome because football brought us together and galvanized us into a unit where we knew we had each other's backs.
00;11;44;17 - 00;12;07;16
Chad Brown
So it's beautiful. It's this beautiful game that does all these amazing things, but also appeals to our inner demons, because there were also times when you and I were on opposite sides in the spring game within CJ's got to go down, he's got to go down hard, and if he doesn't get up, well, that's just too bad for him.
00;12;07;18 - 00;12;29;16
CJ
You know, it was the it was the second part of that statement that I always had trouble with. Like the job was to get me down. I don't know why you had to do so in a way that, you know, with with you and you and Greg Thomas, I mean, you you guys would you know, there was always like Big Al and McGee, you know, they they the job was for me anyway.
00;12;29;16 - 00;12;46;28
CJ
It wasn't personal. They wanted to get me down. But you guys wanted to leave a mark, like, you know, you wanted me to know. And I'm thinking, wasn't it good enough to just get me down? Why did Chad go flying over me? And I was within an inch of perhaps losing a limb, if not my life, if I didn't duck quick enough.
00;12;46;28 - 00;13;01;22
CJ
Like, what was that all about? I didn't you like me before practice? I was your homeboy with dabbing it up. You know, kicking it. I'm thinking. I'm buttering you up, getting you good. Nothing could be further from the truth. Same with a number of guys. I'm like, you're right. But that's the nature and the beauty of the sport.
00;13;01;22 - 00;13;25;19
CJ
It's, It's, it's, you know, mortal Kombat, and then it's, you know, let's go kick it in and, and, you know, hang out at, at pasta days or whatever thereafter. And so that's the beauty of it, man. So I forgive you after all these years because you've explained your, your psychological shortcoming. Let's talk about the Super Bowl.
00;13;25;22 - 00;13;26;28
CJ
Can we talk about Super Bowl?
00;13;27;05 - 00;13;28;06
Chad Brown
Chorus. Let's do it.
00;13;28;09 - 00;13;49;22
CJ
Tell you what I love about this game. And it you know, I was like, Ted is the perfect person to chop it up with because these are your two teams. Now there's a third team and the Pittsburgh Steelers of course. But you've played and in fact set the record for me on this. I know you played in a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.
00;13;49;24 - 00;13;51;04
Chad Brown
No.
00;13;51;07 - 00;13;55;13
CJ
With the New England Patriots. Who the hell did correct the record, man.
00;13;55;20 - 00;14;33;13
Chad Brown
Okay, so I played in the 1995 Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Dallas Cowboys. And we lost that game. And so I also was on the Patriots 2015, I'm sorry, 2017. That was the perfect season until the season did not end so perfectly. And that lost to the Giants. And just real quick, the year that I left the Seahawks, I had an opportunity to stay with the Seahawks, go to Pittsburgh and play with Pittsburgh, play with the Broncos or go to New England.
00;14;33;16 - 00;14;53;06
Chad Brown
So I choose New England. They're coming off back to back Super Bowls going for the first Super Bowl three peat ever. Well, I choose New England. Who do we lose to in the playoffs? We come to Denver. We lose to the Broncos. That's the game where Champ Bailey takes it. The interception almost all the way back for a touchdown should have been a touchback.
00;14;53;08 - 00;15;12;28
Chad Brown
We lose to the Broncos the next week. The Broncos play the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. The Steelers beat the Broncos, the Steelers go to the Super Bowl and play the Seahawks. So, of the four teams I had a possibility of choosing for the 13th year of my career, I chose the Patriots and I actually chose wrong.
00;15;12;28 - 00;15;24;21
Chad Brown
They were the lowest finishing team that season. If I had stayed, if I would've chose Pittsburgh or stayed in Seattle, I would have had probably a Super Bowl winning trophy. So how about that?
00;15;24;23 - 00;15;43;16
CJ
How about that? Hey, not that I feel sorry you got your fair share of trophies over the course of a very storied college and, professional career, but, yeah, let's, let's talk about this game. This, the Hawks, the Seahawks. Four and a half, at least to date. A four and a half point favorite in this game.
00;15;43;19 - 00;16;06;08
CJ
And you look at it statistically and you kind of get the feel when you hear people talk, leading up to the Super Bowl, it almost feels like this is a lopsided game. The way the conversations are being had. Then you take a little bit of a deeper look into these two teams. You will see that offensively and defensively, statistically over the course of the season.
00;16;06;10 - 00;16;28;24
CJ
They're right there. The Patriots are slightly better team. Statistically. Offensively the Seahawks are slightly better team statistically. Defensively both teams are in the top ten in both of those categories. The the Patriots do have a plus three turnover advantage where the Seahawks has a minus three, which surprised me given how great that defensive end, defense is.
00;16;28;24 - 00;16;53;05
CJ
But a minus three on a turnover. In a turnover category. That all said, this thing is, I think as even as a game can get and just like the AFC Championship game, how a game unfolds will kind of dictate an outcome. I believe this, I believe the pressure is being I believe the Seahawks are being set up.
00;16;53;08 - 00;17;26;27
CJ
Your old Seahawks team is being set up, and just perfectly for your Patriots team. And I say that for this reason, increasingly it feels like the pressure is on Seattle to win the game. They should win the game. That's kind of what the narrative is. That's it. I see this game being and if it's a one score game, ten minutes left in it, I think that's that's a perfect set up for Mike Vrabel and the team that he put together in New England.
00;17;26;27 - 00;17;46;23
CJ
I just think if it's a close game, that's the team that believes, hey listen, this is this is how we eat. We are comfortable in uncomfortable situations. And I kind of see this thing unfold in that way. Chad, from a micro or from a macro perspective, how do you see the game? How would you handicap it from 30,000ft?
00;17;46;25 - 00;18;11;08
Chad Brown
I think the Seahawks are a more talented football team. But there's, as you're alluding to, there's lots of ways to win football games. You can overwhelm people with your talent level and blow people off the field. I think the Patriots are a better executing football team, and so you don't need great players to do that, and you just need guys who are well-trained, know the situation and know what the right play is for every situation.
00;18;11;08 - 00;18;45;23
Chad Brown
So in this scenario that you, throughout a one score game with ten minutes left, then yes, the advantage slides for the Patriots because Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels and that Patriots staff they have trained those players for these tight game moments, for these situational moments which we saw in the AFC Championship game. But if the Seahawks can play to their level and don't allow the Patriots to do things like shorten the game, go on a nine minute and 31 second drive as the Broncos allowed the Patriots to do to start the second half.
00;18;45;28 - 00;19;07;26
Chad Brown
If they can play their game, that lends it to them, because to your point, I think these teams are fairly evenly matched. I think the initial reaction after the championship games, because the Patriots offense has been, what, sacked 15 times in the in the playoffs, five times each game because that the close scores in their playoff games, they did play some pretty good defenses.
00;19;07;29 - 00;19;26;22
Chad Brown
I think it was easy just to say, oh, the Steelers are going to blow them off the field. But once you start examining this thing and going a little bit deeper, you can see some of these nuances and you can see some of the oh, I won't call it genius, but schematic excellence that the Mike Vrabel led Patriots play with.
00;19;26;29 - 00;19;51;00
Chad Brown
And it's not going back to Bill Belichick. It's not always going to be about winning the beauty contest. It's about figure out a way to win the game. And each game has its own complexion as it rolls out. And it's going to have it's had its own way that it unveils itself. And so you as a coaching staff, need to be able to understand the way that this game is going to play and find a way to tilt that to your advantage.
00;19;51;03 - 00;20;08;09
Chad Brown
And in close games against good teams and good defenses, the Patriots have found ways to do that despite their offense being underperforming. I believe you give them two weeks, their offense will be much better. Drake Maye will be better. Their offense line will be better. They'll maybe not run the ball explosively, but they'll be consistent with it.
00;20;08;11 - 00;20;30;09
Chad Brown
So really it boils down to probably as much as I hate to say it, I would like to put this in the defensive lens, as a former linebacker, but as a nod to you and you and all your damn quarterback stuff. Which Sam Darnold shows up in which Drake Maye shows up. Because if Sam Darnold can be the good Sam Darnold we saw in the championship game.
00;20;30;09 - 00;20;57;04
Chad Brown
The NFC Championship game. The Seahawks probably can win if Drake make and be better performing and more explosive than he was throughout the playoffs and hit some of the strides that he had during the season when they were one of the highest scoring offenses in the league. Maybe the Patriots win this thing. But this is why we love this game, because it's such evenly matched teams in the biggest game of the year, where I don't think anyone that has an absolute clear vision of what's going to happen out there.
00;20;57;07 - 00;21;15;21
CJ
No, no. And I agree and I think you I think couch that perfectly right. Is this a Sam Darnold game. And I have in my notes. Is this a is this about Sam Darnold I think if you are a Patriots fan in a way you kind of hope. So you kind of hope the this game is about Sam Darnold.
00;21;15;21 - 00;21;37;21
CJ
And if Sam Darnold is the best that we've seen of Sam Darnold it can be a long a long night. I don't think schematically and even with the defensive talent that New England has, Sam Darnold isn't going to have, you know a record breaking game. I think the you know my guess is he he'll be solid is solid enough to make this a two plus score game for Seattle.
00;21;37;24 - 00;22;03;19
CJ
If not then I think it's Wings to Seattle. I think I think schematically what I'm convinced of watching these playoffs and watching this, this Patriots team over the course of the year. They're the team that know themselves better than any other team. Right. And you and you will almost never see them play out of character. To your point, they're not going to dazzle you.
00;22;03;20 - 00;22;27;17
CJ
You're not going to see, you know, ESPN highlight plays all over the field. But they'll just draw you into the deep water. They'll just, you know, they'll draw you in. It's kind of like the old saying, styles make fights, right? And, so a great win, a great fight this week and secure. Stevenson. I don't know if you saw the fight, beat up on Teofimo Lopez, right.
00;22;27;19 - 00;22;45;22
CJ
Lopez was the champion, secure was the young, you know, brilliant fighter. Styles makes fights. Beat the dude up. Right. It was an even match going into it. I do see New England men and I picked them last week. I said maybe I'll need a mulligan. But the more I talk to you more, I'm convinced that I may.
00;22;45;22 - 00;23;01;06
CJ
I may have this. Right now we have but another 40 minutes or so, however long this podcast last to, for me to evolve in that pick. But I'm kind of feeling good about New England, in part because I do think.
00;23;01;09 - 00;23;09;17
CJ
I think the sports world gets consumed with with flash and numbers and what we've seen from Seattle.
00;23;09;20 - 00;23;10;15
Chad Brown
00;23;10;15 - 00;23;28;14
CJ
In the championship game against the Rams and over the course, throughout the playoffs when they are good, they are fun to watch. A lot like the Rams offensively. I don't know that the Patriots have ever been fun to watch at all this year. Over the course of this year, it's not a team that's fun to watch.
00;23;28;16 - 00;23;49;27
CJ
And in fact, you look at the end of the season, you say, well, how the hell they didn't win that many games. They just know who they are and they play within the scheme of what this let me rephrase that. This coaching staff knows who their personnel is probably better than any other coaching staff in the National Football League, and they play to the strength of their personnel.
00;23;49;29 - 00;24;00;07
CJ
Seattle is a team that I think if Sam Darnold's not on his at least big game, that's a team that could stop.
00;24;00;09 - 00;24;19;24
Chad Brown
Seahawks are going to run the ball again. They're probably not going to be super explosive because the run game has had some fits and starts this year. Kenneth Walker, certainly physical. But Charbonnet he's out for the year with the ACL. They don't have a dependable number two that they can count on throughout the game to give Kenneth Walker some rest.
00;24;19;26 - 00;24;37;16
Chad Brown
That defense can be really effective. They don't have great sack numbers as the Broncos defense did, but they generate a lot of pressure. Therefore, they don't necessarily always get the turnovers. They get the pressure, but they don't get the sacks and strip sacks and things like that. So to your point, that's where these points going to come from.
00;24;37;19 - 00;24;58;21
Chad Brown
Well, Jackson almost had a 2000 yard receiving season. Because they were able to take advantage of Sam Darnold and throw the ball all around the yard. But if Sam Darnold is off his game, as he has been more than a few times over the last two years, despite putting together some amazing seasons with the Vikings last year and now with the Seahawks this year.
00;24;58;23 - 00;25;21;11
Chad Brown
It would not be a unusual if he were to be off. Even in that Rams game on Thursday night. I was out in Seattle. I was raising the 12th man flag for that game, and I was sitting in the Seahawks suite. So it's Seahawks employees, Seahawks staffers, Seahawks alumni like myself. You know, Seahawks sponsors and all that.
00;25;21;11 - 00;25;42;19
Chad Brown
So the Seahawks suite and after the second Sam Donald turnover literally the entire suite was like oh man, here we go again. So even Seahawks people have that concern about him now. Was he able to get it together in the fourth quarter in overtime. He was. And it made for an amazing finish to that game. But there is still this narrative about Sam Darnold.
00;25;42;22 - 00;26;00;24
Chad Brown
Even going back to when he said I'm seeing ghost. So here's a guy who said it on the sideline. I'm seeing ghosts out there. I'm pretty sure Mike Vrabel and that defensive staff in New England were like, well, let's do everything we can to make sure this dude sees ghost again. Yeah.
00;26;00;26 - 00;26;16;00
CJ
He had a man, by the way man. And that not to take a shot at you and an amazing job you did out there. But the flag is kind of it's kind of goofy man who who beats the drum? Who beats the drum is the Kansas is a Kansas who has the big drum that they boom before the game.
00;26;16;00 - 00;26;17;00
CJ
And.
00;26;17;03 - 00;26;18;08
Chad Brown
I think that's kind of.
00;26;18;10 - 00;26;29;07
CJ
That's way cooler than the damn. Yeah, he's just the flag, man. I mean, I'm just just personal opinion, bro. No, don't take it personal, man. Smile.
00;26;29;09 - 00;26;39;16
Chad Brown
Just to give you a little bit more context, you go up on this parapet. How many times in life can you go up on the parapet? The tallest point in the stadium.
00;26;39;18 - 00;26;43;28
CJ
Oh, man. What a is that? By definition, with a parapet. Is that what it means?
00;26;44;01 - 00;26;51;12
Chad Brown
I think it's from a. That's what it is. Oh. Medieval perspectives. The tallest point in the castle, I believe.
00;26;51;15 - 00;27;03;09
CJ
It's not a way. It's not the end of the stadium that has that. Like it kind of looks like a like an egg at the it's on one of the ends of the stadium. Where where the. I don't know, man. It's it's a cool stadium.
00;27;03;12 - 00;27;21;11
Chad Brown
Yeah, but go ahead with the parapet. You go up on the top of the parapet. You're at the highest point in the stadium. Seattle is already an incredibly loud stadium. You raise the flag, the people go wild, you lean over the edge, you wave the 12 man tower, which I know was a bit off the terrible tower from the Steelers.
00;27;21;14 - 00;27;48;24
Chad Brown
And then, right as you're doing this, the flyover happened right over your head. Right over your head. The biggest damn military helicopters I have ever seen or felt in my entire life. And then the kick off happens literally seconds after that. It is as, you know, goose bump and chilling, inducing about two minutes as you could ever have in your life.
00;27;48;26 - 00;27;51;16
Chad Brown
Really? At that. Take that. Hey, listen.
00;27;51;16 - 00;27;56;23
CJ
Listen, man, I've never had the honor of waving a flag on a parapet, so I wouldn't know.
00;27;56;26 - 00;27;59;04
Chad Brown
But.
00;27;59;07 - 00;27;59;26
Chad Brown
It's,
00;27;59;28 - 00;28;17;16
CJ
You got me hype. Just explaining what that is to not listen. All right, there will be no parapet. Will there be a flag at the super Superbowl? Will they have their version of the the what Chad Brown did on a Thursday night? Was it a Thursday night when you had that, that that honor?
00;28;17;18 - 00;28;37;16
Chad Brown
It was a Thursday night game. Yes. You see here's a he goes to clip me coming up. Here we go back. Yes. Okay. Darryl Jackson, teammate of mine in Seattle. Look, the crowd is hyped and. Wow, I've 68,000 eyes on you. Okay. On into your terrible your towel wave. Are you kidding me, man?
00;28;37;19 - 00;28;38;19
CJ
That's awesome.
00;28;38;22 - 00;28;39;02
Chad Brown
Yes.
00;28;39;02 - 00;28;39;24
CJ
That's awesome.
00;28;39;24 - 00;28;46;18
Chad Brown
And there's a great there you go helicopter I've ever seen in my entire life going to right over my head. Yeah, man.
00;28;46;19 - 00;28;52;25
CJ
That looks cool, man. I got to give it to you, Chad. That looks cool. And you got the fireworks.
00;28;52;27 - 00;29;10;01
Chad Brown
Awesome. Wow. That's hype. Yeah, I'm sure they have some 12th man flags on the field. That, you know, they run out behind. Kind of like a college flag. Guys. But, I don't think anyone will be honored with getting onto the parapets up there at, You know what stadium is? It's the. No, it's the Santa Clara.
00;29;10;01 - 00;29;16;09
Chad Brown
What's that stadium called? Levi Levi Stadium. Yeah. I don't believe is a parapet there.
00;29;16;11 - 00;29;31;15
CJ
By the way. I think at least I've never been in that stadium. I've been in Seattle. Seattle Stadium is outstanding. It's. I love how tight it is. It's it's it's. And here's the crazy thing. I've never been there for a football game. I went to the Kendrick Lamar concert there.
00;29;31;15 - 00;29;32;12
Chad Brown
Oh, okay.
00;29;32;14 - 00;29;47;05
CJ
And it was, it was I mean, but you know, when you're in a stadium, you could feel it, right? It was off the charts. The concourse. It's. I just really like the stadium. Never been in Levi Stadium, but esthetically, it's a ugly stadium to me. On the outside.
00;29;47;07 - 00;30;06;27
Chad Brown
It's a weird look because one the it's not symmetrical. The two sides are very different. They perhaps have the best press box in the league. So that's that flat side versus the round side. So once I've dominated by the press box, the other side is dominated with that press box of sweet. The other side is dominated by the stands.
00;30;06;29 - 00;30;24;26
Chad Brown
So it is a weird stadium. But I did the internship, but the 40 niners not. So that's where the 29 to play. And the 49 facility is really connected to that stadium. So I spent a lot of time in that stadium. The Pac 12 championships used to be there when it was a Pac 12.
00;30;24;29 - 00;30;34;26
Chad Brown
So I, I've done a lot of those Pac 12 championship events there. It makes for a pretty good environment. But to your point, esthetically, it is not a good looking stadium.
00;30;35;03 - 00;30;53;18
CJ
Yeah. From from the outside in particular. That's a view of the inside of the stadium. But for now it's just the, the I don't know if it's white or it's a light colored. I don't know, it's just it is what it is this the part again personal preference there tab man before we get off. And by the way but at the end of the show I want to get your prediction for this game.
00;30;53;18 - 00;31;17;24
CJ
I noticed you've been running from that, but time's up. So by the end of the show I'll get that. But I did want to ask you about both Bill Belichick. And, Mr. Craft. Yeah. Kraft, Robert Kraft Jr, both being some put it snubbed from with respect to being a first ballot Hall of Famer, certainly in the case of Bill Belichick.
00;31;17;27 - 00;31;20;25
CJ
Wanted to get your thoughts opinions on that?
00;31;20;27 - 00;31;46;15
Chad Brown
Certainly. Bill Belichick deserves to be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Mr. Kraft does as well. Their tenure in New England. Bill going back to his Super Bowl wins with the Giants as an assistant coach. It speaks for itself. Their success, their dominance. The way they've pushed the league forward, the amount of football ripples across the pond that they have caused is off the charts.
00;31;46;17 - 00;32;14;06
Chad Brown
But it says less this snub, quote unquote, about them. And more about the, terrible way in which the process has drawn up. The Hall of Fame committee is asked to vote, for a senior player, a contributor, which would be an owner or a, coach. And so they're these three competing categories are lumped into one vote process.
00;32;14;08 - 00;32;34;09
Chad Brown
And so for some of these Hall of Fame voters who wanted to see some of these older players who have been kind of experiencing a, a logjam to get in and would love to get these guys in, why they can still actually be alive for a Hall of Fame ceremony. They voted for those former players, and they assumed that Bill would just get in, or Mr. Kraft would just get in.
00;32;34;11 - 00;32;58;24
Chad Brown
And so this process is flawed. Again, I don't think it was as purposeful of a snub as it seemed to be when it initially came out. Now that I've learned more and more about this process, the Hall of Fame process needs to be revamped. I think we need far more than 50 voters. I think the former players or the guys who are in the Hall of Fame should have a voting stake in this.
00;32;58;27 - 00;33;23;29
Chad Brown
Maybe not every year. Maybe it's a rotating, position that happens for 50 former players who are on the Hall of Fame. But this process needs to be redone because we've got guys who get in who probably don't deserve it. From a modern player perspective, sometimes I have certain agreements with Coach Prime. But when he said sometimes we're bordered on the Hall of Good, I believe that to be the case.
00;33;23;29 - 00;33;55;08
Chad Brown
We've put guys in who don't necessarily deserve it, and then guys who clearly deserve it, like Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick get it, don't get admitted because of this flaw in the process. So, hopefully in this offseason after this Hall of Fame, vote comes out here during the NFL honor ceremony on Thursday, that we can take a look at this and revamp it to where it makes sense and maybe something, along the lines, more like baseball is doing, because baseball doesn't have to put in five guys every year as the NFL does.
00;33;55;13 - 00;34;09;01
Chad Brown
If no one meets the threshold, baseball can have no one go to the Hall of Fame. I think it should be like that where you are not just put in because we got to put five guys in, that you are truly one of the greatest to ever play this game.
00;34;09;04 - 00;34;35;29
CJ
You know, that's a good explanation, Chad. I didn't realize that, you know, how categories can be cannibalizing, if you will. And so, I think you're right. You know, just open it. Whoever does, whoever's deserving, you know, there's a threshold of, you know, a minimum threshold of votes that you get, but whoever's deserving gets in. And if you're not, if you didn't make the cut, you just don't get in.
00;34;35;29 - 00;34;59;11
CJ
And I don't know why. It's not like that. I think each sport has its own sort of quirky rules on how they do things. I don't know, in some cases. I think uniformity on things like this would make, a lot more sense because, you know, I don't think it. And the other thing that you've explained away is this sort of thought on behalf of some, that this was sort of maybe intentional.
00;34;59;13 - 00;35;24;15
CJ
Bill Belichick has been known as being, a little bit withdrawn, a bit, you know, short and curse when it comes to the media and to the outside world. Very strange guy in a lot of ways. I mean, he's down in North Carolina, has his 22 year old girlfriend, I think is the coach, offensive coordinator, whatever she does down there for them, let's,
00;35;24;17 - 00;35;37;05
Chad Brown
She's 24, doll. Come on. 24 damn. 50 years apart. I mean, my my bad, my bad. Two years apart. You know, he's got, standards. It got some standard. And by the way.
00;35;37;13 - 00;35;40;25
CJ
She clearly has playcalling experience elsewhere.
00;35;40;27 - 00;35;43;06
Chad Brown
So.
00;35;43;08 - 00;36;14;04
CJ
She's qualified. But, But the point is, it's it's probably not as obvious a snub or as much a snub as most people think or thought. But, you know, in this case, Belichick perhaps a victim of, to the extent that he's a victim of anything of the, process. And, you know, with respect to, Kraft, you know, that's a whole interesting story that we'll get into on a, on a different level or at some other time.
00;36;14;04 - 00;36;38;06
CJ
We got Super Bowl stuff to talk about here. Changing up when you real quick, man. We talked about it a little bit. This is something that is a serious topic for you and I. I'm not certain how serious it is for a lot of the people who just love the game of football, who love sports. And that is this challenge we seem to have year over year with the hiring of black coaches.
00;36;38;08 - 00;37;06;15
CJ
Tim, openings ten up, ten down, no black coaches hired. And I think to the vast majority of people, okay, you know, it's, it's it's just circumstantial. We'll see how it goes. Next year. I don't look at it that way. And I think, you know, the history of this game and not just the history of the game, but football in a lot of ways, as we talked about at the beginning of the show, can be a bit of a microcosm.
00;37;06;15 - 00;37;29;24
CJ
It's a reflection of who we are in our society. And because it's a game that everyone, it's everyone's eye is on and we value so much, it puts things like this front and center unavoidable to at least recognize, even if we see the reasoning behind it differently, you have to recognize it. And I look at things.
00;37;29;28 - 00;38;08;21
CJ
Let me let me just cut to the chase, because here's the deal. You and I will have time beyond the Super Bowl to kind of really get into this. I just want to throw this one thing out there. I think there is a different criteria that has to be met for black coaches. And I, and I say that for this reason, I remember this reason and other reasons that, well, again, we'll get into it some other some later date one of the big knocks against Eric Bieniemy when he was being considered for a head coaching job and others, was that they did that.
00;38;08;25 - 00;38;38;21
CJ
He wasn't a play caller. Andy Reid was the play caller. And I remember, you know, me calling B.S. on that because there was a history of some guys who weren't play callers, but they get elevated to the job. But this was a hard criteria. It's not a play call. Anyone who's ever coached in the hottest coaching candidates seems to come out of, the Rams system and the San Francisco 49 ERS system.
00;38;38;24 - 00;39;07;08
CJ
What I know about those two systems is that the head coach calls plays. The head coach is the play caller. Now I guess there's an a feeling or a thought that there's that magic does that. If you're around him you'll get it. You know Mike McDaniel who came out of the, the Shanahan tree. And there's a number of guys, if you look at McVay and Shanahan, Hill at some point in the next two years, every coach in the league will have played well.
00;39;07;10 - 00;39;36;06
CJ
I've coached on one of those two staffs it seems like. But it I think is something that we have to be honest about and take a hard look at, because there's no way that this problem now, with three black head coaches in the national Football League down one of the lowest, I think that we've had in a number of years, we we we can't just to shade over it and say, just by chance.
00;39;36;12 - 00;39;54;06
CJ
Nothing to see here. I think that is personally a slap in the face and being, disingenuous, with the issue that we should be able to at least address openly to, to try and make some progress in that area.
00;39;54;09 - 00;40;21;25
Chad Brown
Obviously, this is a very deep topic. And so to your point, we'll do a deep dive later on. But I was talking to a friend of ours, and we were talking about Vijay and he said, you know, maybe, maybe, maybe Vijay's just too nice of a guy. And I thought, well, damn if EB was too confrontational in two in your face and too hard on the players.
00;40;21;28 - 00;40;41;01
Chad Brown
Now. VJs. Too nice of a guy. What the hell are they supposed to do? What do we. You know, you got to be a play caller. LaFleur wasn't calling plays in LA. He just got the Arizona job. You know, so this Zach Taylor wasn't calling plays when he was with the Rams. He got the the Cincinnati job.
00;40;41;01 - 00;41;09;02
Chad Brown
So it's just so fascinating the excuses that are put out there that just don't line up with the reality of of the situation. And so, having dabbled around coaching now for a bit, not only is there a reluctance to hire black head coaches, there's also a reluctance to call black play callers. Offensively, you can be a black defensive coordinator.
00;41;09;03 - 00;41;31;09
Chad Brown
That's fine. That's cool. No, no no issues it but to be a black offensive play caller man I don't know if that's going to work out. So that's also a position that is restricted. And as you as a quarterback can recognize the evolution of thoughts on black quarterbacks. Yeah. And it was a long time before that was accepted in college football.
00;41;31;11 - 00;41;58;25
Chad Brown
And they became it was even a longer window of time before it was accepted in the NFL. And often black quarterbacks were asked to change positions, because they didn't not because of their lack of arm talent. Because it was thought that they didn't have the mental ability to play the damn position. So we've now moved past that, and I look forward to the day we move past this from a playcalling perspective and from a head coaching perspective.
00;41;58;27 - 00;42;24;04
Chad Brown
But there are a number of issues surrounding this that need to be discussed. And as we started this show off, talking about the Super Bowl and how it is a reflection of society, there's definitely some societal themes that play into this lack of opportunity for African-American head coaches in the NFL. And even if they get the opportunity, they don't get the same opportunity.
00;42;24;06 - 00;42;55;10
Chad Brown
They don't get the same say so. They don't get the same, ability to hire their own coaches, the same ability to play the players they want to play. And so I'm not just talking from a media perspective. I have been inside these teams in, in these rooms. And it is fascinating the amount of, we'll call it, subtle or unseen racism that goes over everyone's head except for the black coaches who are in the room.
00;42;55;12 - 00;43;14;10
Chad Brown
And what they are forced to swallow in pursuit because no one, no black guy who's up for a coaching job wants to get the job because he is black, wants to get it because, you're a Rooney Rule hire or an affirmative action hire. No one wants it that they want to get it because they're great football coaches.
00;43;14;13 - 00;43;29;22
Chad Brown
And Bieniemy is a great football coach. Vance Joseph is a great football coach. So they don't want the opportunity because they're black. They want to because they're great. But unfortunately their skin color is a factor. That is limited their opportunities.
00;43;29;25 - 00;43;41;06
CJ
I think that's well said. And I think of well, I don't know why his name escapes me at this point. The he was the offensive coordinator for and quarterbacks coach for the Buccaneers when they won.
00;43;41;08 - 00;43;44;24
Chad Brown
Which Byron left. Which one of these is the.
00;43;44;25 - 00;44;06;00
CJ
Sort of disappeared? I don't know exactly what what's going on with Byron left which at this point. But when you see it anyway that's this is something we are definitely going to, dig into. And, Chad, I can't think of a better person to have that conversation with. We'll get other voices in on this because I think it's too important.
00;44;06;03 - 00;44;27;01
CJ
You know, there's so much, Chad, as you mentioned earlier in the show, that we got out of the great game of football. The football is special. I think we should say that, of you both you and I played multiple sports. There's nothing quite like football that galvanizes individuals that are participate on the team, galvanizes the community that surrounds it.
00;44;27;01 - 00;44;57;21
CJ
Faculty and staff, faculty and staff in the college setting. But staff in a professional setting. The fan base is nothing like football. And I do think there's nothing like football that will allow us to come out of some of the cultural challenges as well that we face, and that's why I am I am going to continue to raise these challenges that I think the great sport can actually lead our culture out of.
00;44;57;21 - 00;45;22;21
CJ
If we just show the courage to say, yes, we're going, it's going to call is discomfort is uncomfortable, it causes discomfort. These aren't easy subjects to talk about, but I think all that football is given and it's its place in our society. There is a requirement then to to be reflective of what could be the best of our society.
00;45;22;27 - 00;45;37;27
CJ
And I think football is fallen short in that regard as it relates to this subject, something that it and the ownership of each team has absolute control over it. We've just not been willing to go there yet, and that is woefully disappointing to me.
00;45;38;00 - 00;46;11;06
Chad Brown
Well, said my friend, and, you know, there are things like the Rooney Rule that is in place where teams have to give the opportunity to interview for, African-American coaches or people, coaches of color for head coaching positions or coordinator positions or GM positions for office positions. So that is out there. At the same time, if the New York Giants, you know, honed in on Harbaugh as their coach or, you know, to lead them, after firing Brian Daboll, and that's the guy they want, I don't think they should have to do these performative interviews.
00;46;11;08 - 00;46;42;18
Chad Brown
So I see both I see both sides of it. I see, you know, where the Giants go. That's the best coach in the cycle. This guy's won multiple Super Bowls. We're going to go after him. No one. Everyone else falls short of what he's accomplished. They should be able to do that. At the same time, I still want ways to give Vance, Joseph and Eric being in this environment, which is as much opportunity and access to the owners and ability to interview and learn that process and show themselves to these people, as Mike Tomlin did to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where they were like, this is a great coach.
00;46;42;23 - 00;46;57;28
Chad Brown
We gotta hire this guy. I want that to happen as well. So I'm not sure what that process looks like. But maybe next time we do a roundtable about all this and we can formulate something that would accomplish all necessary parts of this very complex puzzle.
00;46;58;01 - 00;47;28;10
CJ
Yeah, because I got some thoughts on the Rooney Rule. And, you know, the rule itself doesn't doesn't make or break the situation, right? The rule is there because I think there are some preconceived thoughts of what? Of why there's such a shortage of black coaches in NFL. And I think the preconceived thoughts promoted or or wasn't the outcome of those preconceived thoughts was the the Rooney Rule in of itself that all black coaches needed was access and exposure and proximity to decision makers, and that would be the difference.
00;47;28;12 - 00;48;02;21
CJ
I never thought that was true. And I think that's bearing out now. I think it's more about the will to step out of our comfort zones and actually empower, people that we are quite frankly, unfamiliar with at that level. And, until we're willing to just sort of break that glass ceiling, you know, no rule can, overcome the lack of will, leadership to actually do things that, that that may feel or seem a little bit unfamiliar to them.
00;48;02;23 - 00;48;20;20
CJ
But this is something we'll, we'll dig, you know, deeper into obviously, at a later date. I do want to ask you a couple of more things, man, before we get out of here. Speaking of culture, again, everything about the Super Bowl that's not the game has some sort of cultural impact. Don't want to get into that necessarily.
00;48;20;20 - 00;48;31;16
CJ
On this subject, but a year ago, I, I remember when I was height, I was hype for the Super Bowl who played in the Super Bowl last year.
00;48;31;18 - 00;48;33;06
Chad Brown
And we don't.
00;48;33;08 - 00;48;36;17
CJ
The Eagles and.
00;48;36;19 - 00;48;37;03
Chad Brown
Chiefs.
00;48;37;03 - 00;48;41;01
CJ
It was a it was a it was a dud of a game. The Eagles blew who they blew out.
00;48;41;04 - 00;48;42;25
Chad Brown
The Chiefs right.
00;48;42;27 - 00;48;43;25
CJ
It was the team. Was it the.
00;48;43;25 - 00;48;44;27
Chad Brown
Chiefs.
00;48;45;00 - 00;49;07;07
CJ
Okay. It was. That's right. Here's the deal. I didn't give a damn about the game. Don't even remember the game cadence. Halftime performance was all it was bruh. It was all it was. Here we are. Fast forward I didn't know who Bad Bunny was before. A couple of months ago, when it was announced that Bad Bunny was going to perform at the halftime show.
00;49;07;09 - 00;49;34;14
CJ
Like who? And honestly, Chad, had it just been that that would have been my I took a break, probably visited my my bathroom, whatever, business I had to take care of during the halftime because I was not I didn't know who Bad Bunny was. Given all that's been said and the controversy around Bad Bunny being the halftime entertainment, like a lot of Americans, I'm guessing I'm just I'm leaning in.
00;49;34;14 - 00;49;52;04
CJ
I'm like, what is this all about? I want to see Bad Bunny. Not because I love Bad Bunny's music. Don't know that I would know one Bad Bunny song, but because I want to get a feel for what? What is what is being reflected in society, you know that that makes this such a such a.
00;49;52;04 - 00;49;53;00
Chad Brown
Hot topic.
00;49;53;00 - 00;49;58;19
CJ
Such a controversial topic for half time. So I'm looking forward to Bad Bunny, man.
00;49;58;21 - 00;50;25;01
Chad Brown
I'm looking forward to Bad Bunny as well. The fact that he did such a great job or got such, acknowledgment at the Grammys. I think that only adds to the hype here. The fact that he, let some of his political thoughts about, ice, in one of his speeches, that also adds to it the fact that there are folks putting together alternative halftime shows because they're upset that Bad Bunny gets the honor of doing the halftime show.
00;50;25;07 - 00;50;34;22
Chad Brown
It is mind blowing to me. This dude is from Puerto Rico. He's an American citizen. I don't know if everyone actually realizes Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans are Americans.
00;50;34;24 - 00;50;36;16
CJ
So not everyone realizes that?
00;50;36;16 - 00;51;05;19
Chad Brown
No. So while they want to sit up and celebrate the Rolling Stones having a halftime show, them dudes aren't Americans. Coldplay having a halftime show. Them dudes ain't Americans. They push back on an American get an opportunity to do the halftime show. So, yeah, football culture, who we are, a society where society is right now, today, all that gets reflected in this event that we call the Super Bowl.
00;51;05;25 - 00;51;25;04
Chad Brown
And again, the game is the main point of it. But all these other things that surround it, I think are great conversations in needed conversations to have, because I would love to talk to somebody who says, you know, I'm not going to I'm going to boycott the halftime show. And I would have to say, why give me your reason?
00;51;25;06 - 00;51;48;00
Chad Brown
Why does it line up with some actual factual thing? Or is it just something else that you have a difficult time explaining, which means you're probably a little ashamed and you don't want to say publicly, why? Is it because his music is in Spanish? You can't enjoy Spanish? Hell, you probably sing Feliz Navidad every damn Christmas. So you do know Spanish songs.
00;51;48;00 - 00;51;55;18
Chad Brown
You do sing Spanish all the time, you know. So, it's just again, it's such a fascinating cultural thing to me.
00;51;55;20 - 00;52;15;15
CJ
Indeed. Well said, man, is I don't think there's any more to add to that. But I am like you, looking forward to that. Hey, man, before we get out of here, and before I get to your prediction, I got to tell you tonight, man, is one of the highlights of my year so far. Again, I celebrated a birthday, this past Saturday, so that was certainly a highlight.
00;52;15;16 - 00;52;19;09
CJ
Turn 4747.
00;52;19;12 - 00;52;27;17
Chad Brown
No, 57 well, I high 57. Yo, you catch your man, at any rate.
00;52;27;20 - 00;52;30;01
CJ
And tonight, guess what's happening tonight?
00;52;30;04 - 00;52;30;15
Chad Brown
Tell me.
00;52;30;15 - 00;52;51;16
CJ
I mean, I grew up I grew up in this tradition, man. And I mean, I, I used to get so excited to just tune in to it. I get to actually do it before the game, because when I was a kid, I used to have, I think a week after the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl is tonight in a convention center somewhere in San Francisco, at Santa Clara, somewhere in the Bay area.
00;52;51;24 - 00;53;16;04
CJ
But it's tonight, man. And not only do I get to see the Pro Bowl flag football game, but I get to see my main man, Shadow Sanders, do his thing once again. Listen, man, this thing is made for. I can't wait to get home and pop me some popcorn. Give me a call. And, man, I'm going to enjoy this.
00;53;16;07 - 00;53;28;06
Chad Brown
The Pro Bowl is obviously different than what I played in it. And so, I don't want to be portrayed as hating on a door Sanders, because he had nothing to do with the fact that he's happy.
00;53;28;06 - 00;53;45;08
CJ
To be here. And I happen to be serious, by the way, man, I I'm looking forward to seeing my man play. I'm not hating on him. But I'm giving him props. I know the world is hating on him. In fact, we're talking about the Pro Bowl and I'm here and everyone has an opinion on it now, as if it hasn't been garbage for the last decade.
00;53;45;08 - 00;53;59;08
CJ
Plus, there's no different this year. But I think because there isn't any such a he's such a, controversial figure that now everyone's talking about how stupid the Pro Bowl is, been stupid and just didn't get stupid.
00;53;59;10 - 00;54;17;14
Chad Brown
Chance to the Pro Bowl has been not what it once was. I'll leave it there. And again, I'm sure somebody offers you an invitation to the Pro Bowl. Are you going to turn it down? Hell, Joe Flacco is playing in the Pro Bowl. So they both were on Cleveland together before Joe Flacco got cut and went to a different team.
00;54;17;19 - 00;54;47;29
Chad Brown
So those two dudes are playing other Pro Bowl quarterbacks. So this is where we are. You know schedule is certainly going to cause more eyeballs to pay attention to this game. I'm looking forward to social media because there's going to be a very polarizing view of his involvement and maybe even some kind of breathtaking analysis of every single pass that he throws in a flag football game in the damn Mosconi Center, and even a real football field.
00;54;48;02 - 00;54;56;03
CJ
Now you're right, man. But having said that, you don't think you're going to win it, at least for a little bit of it. Tuning in for at least a little bit of attack.
00;54;56;04 - 00;54;58;05
Chad Brown
Yeah. Me too. I'll be there to listen.
00;54;58;07 - 00;55;15;14
CJ
Before your prediction. I keep saying before I sound like a Baptist preacher. Before I let you out, we got one more offering that I need y'all to put some money in. Is Plato. No, no. But before I get to your, to to your prediction, you said earlier you participated. You. I know that you participate in the Super Bowl.
00;55;15;14 - 00;55;41;23
CJ
Pittsburgh. Back in 95. Here we are. What, five days out? Four days out from kickoff? Take me back to what that experience was like for Chad leading up to, you know, you get into game week, AFC championship game over. You have a week off where I would imagine there's a lot of, you know, healing up. And you know, you know, you know, just resting your body, getting the game week.
00;55;41;23 - 00;55;49;19
CJ
You get back into, you know, game planning etc.. What's this week like once you get to the destination? Where was your Super Bowl play that by the way.
00;55;49;21 - 00;55;51;02
Chad Brown
Phoenix.
00;55;51;04 - 00;55;52;19
CJ
It was in Phoenix. Yeah. Wow.
00;55;52;19 - 00;55;53;24
Chad Brown
Okay. It was what was.
00;55;53;24 - 00;55;57;20
CJ
That experience like for you, Chad, if you recall leading up.
00;55;57;20 - 00;56;19;02
Chad Brown
To this, it was great. I was confident we were going to win. You know, I won championships in high school. Obviously, we won championships, at Colorado. So I was fully expecting this to win. I thought the media was disrespectful so that the chip on my shoulder was growing. With each passing day. Everyone was talking about what the Cowboys are going to do to us.
00;56;19;04 - 00;56;41;29
Chad Brown
Obviously, the triplets were at their prime in with Aikman and Emmett and Michael Irvin. Deion Sanders was a dual threat player on offense and defense on that team. So they had certainly the star power. But we knew we were tough and we were gritty and we were going to find a way to win. And so just as you know, I did at the University of Colorado, looked around the locker room, looked at my teammates.
00;56;41;29 - 00;57;02;02
Chad Brown
I could do the same thing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, would be on Sanders and Ariel Solomon and Charles Johnson and Kordell Stewart and all the buffs who were in that locker room. So, I was extremely confident. I believe we were going to find a way to, to get it done. Unfortunately, we did fall short. Our quarterback threw two second half interceptions.
00;57;02;02 - 00;57;20;17
Chad Brown
That kind of sealed it for the Cowboys. But we did shut the triplets down. I think Michael Irvin had 50 yards receiving. We had Emmitt Smith under 60 yards rushing. Troy Aikman I think was under 220 yards passing. It was a really great defensive performance. We were let down by our offense. But five days out I was confident I was believing.
00;57;20;24 - 00;57;29;07
Chad Brown
And by this point, I was not trying to head out to any parties. I was locked in. We're trying to bring a championship to Pittsburgh on my watch.
00;57;29;09 - 00;57;33;17
CJ
Now that was deal or nil. O'Donnell was your quarterback at the time, correct?
00;57;33;20 - 00;57;34;01
Chad Brown
That's right.
00;57;34;02 - 00;57;39;20
CJ
Okay. And Kordell became more of a quarterback presence the following year, if I'm not mistaken.
00;57;39;22 - 00;58;00;29
Chad Brown
Yes, correct. But Kordell was slash. That was his rookie year. That's where Bill Cowher said, you know, screw traditional football thinking I got this guy who's used to having the ball in his hands every play. Let's find a way to get the ball in his hands. Option. Quarterback. Reverses, played receiver. He was amazing in that slash role.
00;58;01;02 - 00;58;18;28
CJ
Now that's exactly right I remember that like it was yesterday. Okay Chad, here's the moment of truth man. You played for the Seahawks. You played for the Patriots. I know your loyalties are split. I got a feeling that that little flag. There's what your defense did, by the way, against, the Cowboys in that game.
00;58;19;00 - 00;58;22;03
Chad Brown
So my recollection of correct outside of Michael Irvin okay.
00;58;22;06 - 00;58;26;26
CJ
Did you get one of them. Did you get one of those two sacks against, Troy Aikman?
00;58;26;29 - 00;58;46;12
Chad Brown
I did not. That was, Lavon Kirkland got one. I don't know who got the second one. I was coming off a really bad high ankle sprain, so I was not at my full capabilities in that game, which really, really bother me. You know, I like to show up and show out on national TV. Oh, yeah.
00;58;46;15 - 00;58;55;15
Chad Brown
Oh, give me time to prepare. You know, bowl game, something like that. This is, you know, it's just this wrap. It's a wrap. It's a wrap. Hey, back by.
00;58;55;15 - 00;59;06;14
CJ
The name, by the way, those names Kirkland. I mean, you guys had some dogs, man. I mean, that Steelers team on defense was nasty, bro.
00;59;06;17 - 00;59;33;21
Chad Brown
That linebacker corps. Greg Lloyd, Kevin Green, Lavon Kirkland and myself, we are rated as the seventh best linebacker crew of all time. And we were only together for three years if we could have, you know, put together a longer run together, we probably would be top, top three. Wow. No ballers. All tremendous players, you know, all a little bit crazy as well as you have pointed out many times about linebackers.
00;59;33;24 - 00;59;35;13
Chad Brown
It was a great crew for sure.
00;59;35;15 - 00;59;41;12
CJ
And I tell you what, man, that guy who anchored the middle there, Joe Dante.
00;59;41;14 - 00;59;44;00
Chad Brown
Over either. Yes.
00;59;44;06 - 00;59;59;23
CJ
Jones, the great Colorado buff, Aurora, Colorado Hinckley High School, was a stablemate of yours in a in a in an anchor on the in the middle of that defense. Yes. That that went to that Super Bowl. All right, Chad, give it to me man. Who wins this game.
00;59;59;25 - 01;00;26;21
Chad Brown
All right man. As much as I believe the Patriots are awesome at situational football, structuring the game so they can find a way to win where they're probably not the best team. I think the Seahawks and Sam Darnold find a way to to get it done. The good Sam Darnold shows up. It may be a turnover but I think he was able to quickly move on to the next play.
01;00;26;23 - 01;00;50;21
Chad Brown
Patriots make it a great game. Make it a close game. Make it the fourth quarter game. But in the end the superior talents of the Patriots and the experience of Sam Darnold versus Drake Maye, whose hasn't been exactly like hitting it up on all cylinders here in the playoffs. Get the Seahawks to win I'm going to go 2421 Hawks.
01;00;50;24 - 01;01;12;17
CJ
Okay. You know I like it. And here's what you know I made a prediction last week I said New England. And I thought about it. They had a week off. If the Super Bowl were if the Super Bowl was a game that was played, I think back in the day would be there was a time when there was not a week in between the end of the season and the Super Bowl, maybe going way, way back.
01;01;12;17 - 01;01;45;14
CJ
But there was a time when that was the case. If that was the case today, Seattle hands down I trust this Patriots coaching staff. There's something about Mike Vrabel that I just I trust. And for that reason, if it's a 21, if it's a 24, 21 game, I'm going with the New England Patriots. Now, if it's, if it's a 3517 game, then I'm going that's a Seattle Seahawks game.
01;01;45;16 - 01;02;08;06
CJ
But I'm like you, I think it's going to be a close game somewhere in the neighborhood of 2421, maybe 28, 24, 28, 20, something like that. A field goal difference, I think in this game because of that and because of the pressure, if that's the case late in the game, I'm going with the team that who I think.
01;02;08;08 - 01;02;27;16
CJ
Oddly, with a young quarterback, a team that I think given two weeks to prepare will be best prepared for that kind of dog fight. And that's New England and Chad, I like to score. I think 21, 24, 21 is right in there about what we'll see in this game. In a close game, in my opinion, favors the Pat the Patriots.
01;02;27;18 - 01;02;31;12
CJ
So I'm going with that former team of yours, not the other one.
01;02;31;14 - 01;02;47;05
Chad Brown
Fair enough. And I can make an argument why. You are absolutely correct. That's how close I think this game is going to be. Again, like all close games, it's gonna hinge on 3 to 5 plays. And I think those plays will be coming through Sam Darnold or Drake. Meh. Obviously the defense will have a Billy effect.
01;02;47;05 - 01;03;02;12
Chad Brown
Those quarterbacks, those plays that they make. But that's going to be the deciding factor is those 3 to 5 plays which which quarterback can be the better in those 3 to 5 plays. Who who who has more plays. Tilting the favor to them.
01;03;02;14 - 01;03;05;14
CJ
All right, Chad, I know you're heading out to the Bay area I think tomorrow.
01;03;05;17 - 01;03;06;10
Chad Brown
Yes, sir.
01;03;06;13 - 01;03;17;22
CJ
Tell me what you looking forward to. Are there any assignments that you have locked in now that you know you're going to do? Are you just going to get out there, get on on, media row and just do your thing?
01;03;17;24 - 01;03;18;16
Chad Brown
Oh. Wait.
01;03;18;19 - 01;03;41;25
CJ
Before I even go there. And what product are you pushing? Everybody. Every former player in the his y'all person. You guys are shameless, man. You guys will push any damn thing on media Row during the super Bowl, man. So what do you got planned? You know, do you have any assigned anything that you have assigned? And I know you pushing some damn products.
01;03;41;25 - 01;03;44;21
CJ
He may as well get a jump on it. And tell us what it is. Now.
01;03;44;23 - 01;04;07;15
Chad Brown
I do not have my, assignments just yet. I believe I will get that tomorrow when I get down there. Yes, it is. That is an unexpected thing. You sit down and you do your 12 minute segment with the radio station in Utah or Houston who are in Virginia Beach, and you talk ten minutes about the game, and then the host turns to you and says, all right, Chad, why are you here?
01;04;07;18 - 01;04;24;18
Chad Brown
And you tell him about your spiel and sometimes it's something awesome. I went around once as a spokesman for the, Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, which is I'm one of the directors of. And so it's the largest health study ever done on former players. So I thought that was that was a very cool thing to do.
01;04;24;20 - 01;04;47;24
Chad Brown
I've also done one where we were raising funds for service dogs for disabled veterans. That was also great. And I went around with a service dog, and so that was a pretty cool experience. I've had others where I felt like I was just pushing the product. So, I'm a little bit more in the, what can I do for humanity standpoint rather than what can I do to line my pockets at this phase of life?
01;04;47;26 - 01;05;12;25
Chad Brown
So, hopefully my assignment reflects that. But, yeah, there'll be some radio real time, obviously. Great time to catch up with, friends and former teammates and all that. The NFLPA party on Saturday night. Dougie Fresh is the featured performer. DJ Jazzy Jeff will be on the ones and two for Night Game. Okay. So I'm looking forward to that.
01;05;12;27 - 01;05;24;17
Chad Brown
Kristen Brown is walking in the wise fashion Show on Friday, which is also a charity event, so lots of things to do. It will be a very bang, bang, bang, bang a few days down there in the Bay area.
01;05;24;20 - 01;05;47;13
CJ
I love it man. And by the way, I do. I was I think the last, may have been the last Super Bowl I attended and I'm on. I was in, in radio and, you know, and like you said, because everyone's pushing product, everyone, they'll talk to whoever, right? There's you got these megastars, they're going to talk to you because they they want to push the product.
01;05;47;16 - 01;06;05;29
CJ
And so Cam Newton comes through man I put him at the producer gets brings him over. Cam sits down man with chopping it up. And I said okay cam what you got man. He he forgot. He looked round. It was like he said damn. And then whoever was his handler was like.
01;06;06;02 - 01;06;11;12
Chad Brown
It was bounty. It was, it was like, oh yeah.
01;06;11;12 - 01;06;12;11
CJ
Yeah. Bounty man.
01;06;12;11 - 01;06;16;15
Chad Brown
You know, I'm like, hey, bruh, I wish we could,
01;06;16;17 - 01;06;23;00
CJ
We can start over. But he forgot what he was at. He probably had about eight different, products that he was pushing.
01;06;23;04 - 01;06;23;25
Chad Brown
That pro.
01;06;23;27 - 01;06;30;14
CJ
Right in his mind. Which one? Which money is supposed to be blessed, but that. That was funny as hell, man. One of my one of my.
01;06;30;14 - 01;06;32;11
Chad Brown
Highlight Super Bowl.
01;06;32;14 - 01;06;49;16
CJ
Moments. Hey, man, looking forward to doing it again. You have a blast down there and or out there on the West coast, in the Bay area for the Super Bowl. Looking forward to getting into the post after we see who won. This damn game is going to be. I think it's going to be a damn good game.
01;06;49;18 - 01;06;54;12
CJ
Chad. Enjoy it. Give Chris my best man. And, we'll do it again next week, my friend.
01;06;54;14 - 01;07;17;13
Chad Brown
Now, we did a little bit of a different camera angle during this show, so, I know what the new Furniture Row chair is. Your feet do touch the ground. So thank you, Furniture Row, for giving C.J. a seat. A lower seat can be on the ground wrangling like my six year old. When my son was six.
01;07;17;15 - 01;07;27;06
CJ
I thought for sure you were going to say the different camera angles. And he's gone. But you know what? We just take it as it. Whatever, Brad. Doesn't matter.
01;07;27;08 - 01;07;30;04
Chad Brown
I'm just give my guy a row. Shout, that's all. Amen.
01;07;30;10 - 01;07;43;09
CJ
Shout out to Furniture Row for this incredible furniture we got in here. You got a if you need shorter chairs at the crib in order to for your safety, check the ground, go see my peeps over at Furniture Row and have a blast out there. We'll do it again next week.
01;07;43;11 - 01;07;44;07
Chad Brown
See you buddy.
01;07;44;10 - 01;07;45;05
CJ
All right. That.