Detroit Lions Are Headed To The NFC Championship Game [FULL EPISODE] | Necessary Roughness #lions

The Detroit Lions are headed to the NFC Championship game for the first time since the 1991-1992 season. Jon and TJ talk about the locker room postgame, how Ford Field is a top stadium in the NFL for home field advantage and of course talking x’s and o’s from the win over the Buccaneers. All of this and so much more on this episode of Necessary Roughness. Download and subscribe today.

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Well TJ uh two playoff games both of them at Ford Field both of them wins for the Detroit Lions they’re heading out to San Francisco for the NFC championship game wait what I know I I can’t hard you and I have been um a little bit Bolder

With our predictions than most but I don’t think even you or I thought at the beginning of the year or even halfway through the year certainly not after Thanksgiving thought that we would be talking about a team in the NFC Championship Game what I mean tell us a little bit about

The experience at Ford Field what’s it what was it like after the game um I mean all season long Ford Field has really turned into um one of the best places to play in the league it’s a it’s such a fun atmosphere it’s a Rowdy atmosphere it’s probably intimidating

For the other teams to come in and U because you know the one thing about our fans too is like we don’t allow other teams to take over our Stadium you know I mean them tickets you didn’t see many red much red in the stands yesterday if

It was red they were probably wearing red wings uh guard because they were going to go to the LCA after the game all season long um you know I’ve I i’ I’ve known this for a long time you know I’ve playing in eight years in Green Bay

And com to Ford Field uh you knew what kind of potential that place had and I played a couple games where we like man this place is kind of intimidating like it feels like a dungeon almost like just a concrete jungle down there and uh you

Know you saw what kind of potential it had but this season man the these fans have taken it to a new level and it’s been consistent week in week out um you know the co Campbell yesterday after the game talked about it uh you know a bunch

Of players talked about just what it was like playing a forward field this year um really done something special man you know they’ve changed expectations and look I think it helps too when the players tell the fans exactly how much of a difference it makes you know what I

Mean because as a fan you don’t really know you know are we really making a difference H you know I don’t know but when you hear the the players uh confirm that you are you know that obviously gives you more uh motivation more Pride to you know do that week in week out

Yesterday was um it was awesome it was a fitting send out you know for this team um last game at home for this season at least and you know the great part was even after the game you know watching how many people were still in their

Seats and uh you know they did a couple onfield interviews with the players over the loud system and just hearing the Roars and the Jared Goff chance and um it’s if I was a free agent like Detroit would be high up on my list it it just looks like such a fun

Place to play and it is a fun place to play these guys love it here and they love playing for Dan Campbell and um yesterday was uh it was incredible man it was incredible we knew it was probably going to be a bit of a dog fight uh right which what it was

Especially in the first half you know 1010 going in the half and you know got to make some adjustments hey defense just keep keep holding them keep holding them man into give our offense a little bit more time to get something going you know and once we get going we’ll be all

Right right and they did they went on three straight scoring drives there at the end of the third start of the fourth uh which made the difference but um I mean you take pride in it you know what I mean like there’s so much pride going around whether it’s fans whether it’s

Players whether it’s you know I I got to play here for two years um but you know for the former players the alumni John you played here um you know you feel like what these guys are doing is is not just for them or not just for the

Coaches and we’re not taking any credit when I say this but like I think for the first time in a long time there’s a lot of alumni like us out there that are proud to be you know Detroit Lions alumni we’re proud to play that we played for

This team now we know we didn’t have the success that these guys had but this is what we all wanted to do right so we all feel like we’re kind of a a small part of it as well and um you know that’s what I that’s what I respect a lot and

Appreciate from these players is is they’re they’re they’re changing the narrative uh around this city around this team and it’s been great to for me to be on the sideline and and watch and and get another chance this week to go to San Fran and just uh just keep

Believing man just keep hoping I mean there’s there’s four teams that get to work today right and there’s 28 teams that are planning some golf trips right getting out of town and uh Detroit Lions are still working man that’s it’s incredible and we are at this point in

January normally talking about our you know third mock draft and you know who do we want who is going to be the key for who’s going to be there at 18 for us to get this year I mean and so now it is hey you know you’re going to be picking

29 30 31 or 32 yeah and at this point you might as well be picking 32 and we’ll talk about the matchup with San Francisco a little bit later in the program and later this week I I’ll get a chance to talk more about it but let’s

Talk more about what happened at Ford Field yesterday and that was and and I I’ve I’ve said this before I’ve always wanted to watch a Lions team or a local team be in a heavyweight bout and and at least be in the game now we’ve had two

Heavyweight bouts and when when La when the Rams came in here they came in with their aame they came in flying high thinking that hey Matthew Stafford that passing game they were going to come out with a win and a lot of people were picking the Rams to win Detroit said no

And then Tampa coming in here Baker Mayfield He’s a winner he’s scr happy Mike Evans Chris Godwin they were coming in here on a high you know with with great Rhythm and and rightfully so they had won some games at the end of the year they earned the right to be you

Know coming to Detroit to play us yeah in in in you know the divisional round but the Lions have always responded I want to ask you this in the 60 Minutes of playing so it’s not in know any moments after nothing leading up to it but in the 60 minut

Minutes in your opinion what was the key moment of that game if you could just if you had to you know put it in in in one play or in one moment what was the key moment of that game I think the first key was getting a

Stop coming out of halftime yeah um because Tampa had just got a little bit of momentum going into half they went on a 90 playay Drive uh in that two-minute situation to tie the game up um right there you felt like I I I think there

Was no point in the first half where you felt like oh man like I’m kind of nervous about the way that games going but that was the moment that was like oh we go to we got to wake up we got to go now right um and Tampa coming out of the

Half getting the ball started moving it a little bit went six plays um you know 20 some yards and then you know third down I think it was right about Midfield you know Hutchinson comes up with a huge sack oh and it’s like my goodness like

That is that was massive to make sure you never gave the lead up um later in the game I think it might have been uh I think on the second touchdown Drive of the second half the one that had the long run on yeah maybe it was uh here

Let me look at it actually it was the last touchdown I’m sorry third 15 third and 15 where extremely low percentage play right I mean a lot of times we’ve seen him hey let’s just run a draw right or hey let’s get a quick screen out there um for Ben

Johnson to stay aggressive and say you know what get it to our guy like get it to 14 let him try to make something special and uh you know for them to convert that at that moment of the game because that was still nine minutes left

In the fourth quarter you had a one- scored lead um you know like I said right about Midfield again uh that was a massive play because that allowed them to go up uh I think it was 317 at that time and that’s where you started feeling oh man like this this game might

Be this game might be ours you know what I mean now we know Tampa obviously fought back but those two those two plays for me the Hutchinson sack coming out out of halftime uh and then amanra that third and long that he picked up later in the game were were two plays

That that just stood out as being kind of those okay we’re good we can take a deep breath these these guys are ready to go uh these guys are ready to keep battling type moments yeah I I would say that am man Ross say brown one too

Because that that you know at that point you’re only up a touchdown that drive kept everything alive you go up two scores because later on it was Aman rosin Brown for you know a touchdown which was a great catch in the you know back corner of the end zone but to be

Able to you know and we always talk about hey if if you know where the first down marker is you’ve got to run your route to the first down well if if Aman Ros Brown runs his route to the first down marker catches the ball there one

It’s it’s too it takes too long yeah and he’s not gonna be there and you allow that safety to try and jump in front of you he takes it to where he knew he could be open but then knew exactly how far he had to get for the first down and

Carri three Tampa Bay Buccaneer Defenders with him he didn’t get it by much no he didn’t get by much he knew where he had to get to and he was and and you know he was not going down until he got to that first uh first down yardage yeah I mean that’s determination

And that’s who Am R Brown is right he had a play earlier in that game where you don’t see him drop many balls and I know it was a little bit if you want a nitpick okay it was a little bit of a high throw but that’s a catch that I’m

And Ros Brown makes literally 499 out of 500 you know what I mean like so after that moment you’re like damn that’s a big drop but I’m kind of glad it happened because we’re gonna see h r like take his game to a new level that’s gonna piss him off and and

Hopefully drive him to make some bigger plays the rest of this game which it did yeah and and I think not only I mean it when you have a play like that and you and I see this a lot when hey there’s got to be a first down you hand the ball

Off at the end of the game and you know a running back just keeps churning his legs right and the offensive linemen jump in they’re pushing them forward you pick up a first down it energizes a team yeah that seemed to energize that team and it’s it’s something that this team

Whether it’s am man Ross Brown or it’s it’s any other player that has a moment like that and that’s I think that’s to me that’s been the big thing it’s not just Dean rosing Brown he is the bcow of this team he’s a leader he’s the guy

That makes a majority of those plays but when other guys are called upon jir Gibbs in the second uh touchdown of the second half he’s he’s going up on you know on an all pro pro bowl you know safety and just simply makes a move and runs away from him in Antoine Winfield

Jr that to me was the personification of what how he’s developed throughout the course of this year and now he’s finally a gamechanging player and and it could happen anytime he touches the ball we saw David Montgomery when we were uh when you guys were out um playing the

Chargers hey he gets the ball it’s it’s you know first and 10 at the 25 yard line he goes 75 yards like at at any point during a course of a game and throughout the course course of this season Craig Reynolds fourth and one guys step up when their number is called

To make plays yeah and I think that you know a guy like jir Gibbs um he’s he’s spectacular you know we saw that on the on the long touchdown run yesterday and setting it up and making a move and and just seeing the speed and what I really

Loved about that play was you know when he got down to about the two yard line instead of diving in like he was looking for contact he threw the arm out and just threw a hellacious stiff arm to finish that play on Winfield and it was

Like oh my good that is an attitude play right there right um but for jir I think he’s really benefited having a guy like David Montgomery too I think David Montgomery has allowed uh Gibbs to kind of mature a little bit and not throw too much of a heavy workload on jir Gibbs

But to let him know what it takes to be successful in this league what it takes to uh you know find ways to get better every single week I think da Dave Montgomery has had a huge influence uh on him and you know the I think another

Great part about this team is we we know there’s going to be mistakes every game yeah John you played 12 years I played 10 years not once did you anybody that I’ve ever played with play a perfect game where it’s just mistake free and oh yep just went out there did whatever

Ever I wanted and boom we were great you know perfect game never seen it in in you know 20 years of being around the NFL um but if you can keep the your mistakes to small mistakes you know what I mean and not devastating mistakes um like am inra right the third down

Earlier in the game where drops it right massive you know mistake probably for alen ra but in the course of things no okay we still got a chante we’ll punt it back let our defense go out there play team football right um early in the game

Right when you got the ball at the you know inside the five and oh man we got tackled for a two yard loss there on the goal line like okay yeah mistake let’s take a field goal out of it let’s not compound these mistakes into you know

Missing out on points take the field goal Okay small mistake right happens um later in the game right fourth and 14 kind of stunk you saw you sent pressure Baker Mayfield make a hell of a play with Mike Evans um mistake yeah mistake but devastating blow no I mean they still

Had to drive the rest of the length of the field which they ended up doing but you know what I mean you’re not make you’re not making the oh oh man I blew an assignment and it’s a sack fumble or or man I I got down on the goal line you

Got I will say gared G got a little bit lucky there yesterday with the dropped interception right that could have been a mass mistake cuz that could have been maybe a 10-point swing who knows um but I think the biggest thing is when you’re still making mistakes but you find a way

To to limit them and find a way to make sure that they’re not going to be these devastating blows they don’t compound this team is good enough to go out there and compete with anybody and have a chance to win so that’s obviously been the key for you know the last two

Playoff games at least and that’s going to be another massive key going into San Francisco you want a chance to win you’re going to have to play clean football right and you’re going to have to we know that San Fran is going to have some chunk plays they’ve got some

Dudes over there that’s just how it goes in the NFL but if you can limit the big mistakes um that have hurt you this season when we’ve seen a couple turnovers and a couple guys missed assignments you got a chance to beat anybody and that’s the great part about

This team so let’s talk o line um and let’s start with Frank ragn now a a an unbelievable job and a tough task V vea that’s a big dude and K canany in there as well at times like you got you got two different worlds you got a guy who

Is a massive powerful individual and you got another guy that is I mean what is he 61 you know 280 pounds and can playing a completely different style of game in kija KY yeah but Frank and Frank got dinged up right before halftime but he battled the entire day yeah and you

Know so let’s start there your thoughts on on Frank and his ability to you know handle pain but also play at a high level yeah Frank is is as consistent as they come and some kind sometimes guys like that are underappreciated just because you’re used to it you know what

I mean like a couple really special players I played with you know when you talk about Charles Woodson and Aaron roders and Julius Peppers and Kay Matthews like they’re just so consistent that I think you get used to it and maybe you take that for granted a little

Bit I think Frank fits into that category that hey it’s just Frank man like he’s just out there doing his thing man we know what we got with him he’s Mr consistent we know where you know he’s going to be we know he’s going to get his job done right um

He’s so undervalued in my opinion because it is so important to have an offensive line that is not only good physically but great mentally right if you can get to the line of scrimmage and I was a guy that you know I’ll tell you John I’m not bragging but I didn’t have

The best physical abilities right but I had to find ways to create advantages and that was on the mental side and you know when you’re in the Huddle everybody’s looking at the quarterback I used to look out at the defense because you can pick up some small tips hey

Right the two defensive tack are talking to each other hey watch for a stunt here watch for a pressure something something weird is going on you know Frank has that ability to dissect what teams are going to do before the ball is snapped and I think that a guy like that is the

Quarterback’s best friend and Ben Johnson called him his secret weapon it’s a play caller’s best friend because you’re not now loading everything onto the quarterback where the quarterback’s got to come and figure out the Personnel figure out the front right figure out the rotation figure out this figure out

If you can have Frank a guy up there and a smart off offive line that says hey we’re good under front boom watch this okay what do you want to do it it makes the quarterback’s job so much easier and trying to get you into a more efficient

Play not a perfect play but a more efficient play and I think that’s what Frank does and I think that’s the undervalued part uh of his game is the mental side of it and how he’s able to dissect things and read blitzes and and watches so much film that hey I know

Exactly what you’re doing before the ball is snapped you have that kind of Advantage but you’re never going to get beat right and I think that’s why uh Frank is such a highlevel player but talk about the toughness I mean he was in a lot of pain and I didn’t see the

Replay I saw it live when it happened on the sack and he got rolled into I think it was on the third and one yeah um empty didn’t like the play call first of all that’s why I that I didn’t like the play call but you know it looked pretty bad

At the moment and that I think was I think that was right pretty shortly after Jonah had exited the game if if I’m not mistaken I think Jonah Jonah went out early in the second quarter and and I think it War yeah it was about a drive or two

Away but uh you’re sitting there looking Jonah goes out it’s like man like not ideal this is obviously our worst nightmare and then Frank rolled up on him was like oh no like oh boy please be okay and I was actually sitting behind the bench and I walked him kind of

Limber off to the sideline and bunch of people coming up to him and you just saw him nodding like yeah I’m I’m good I’m good you know when you get hold up on your knees I think sometimes you’re a little bit more scared than you are you

Know in pain so I think when he got up and you know okay like guys I’m gonna be good right he’s been a guy that he’s battled through you know all season long um with his his injuries but he’s the guy man he is the leader of not only

That offense I think the entire team I think guys have so much appreciation for what he does um the the new bars that he raises when it comes to like you mentioned toughing things out and and pain management and hey if I can go I got to go that’s going to be contagious

To the rest of the group when you see a guy like that that’s in a lot that’s in a lot of pain going out there and still battling his ass off he’s doing it for his teammates and I think an attitude like that a guy like that um like I said

Man that wears off on the rest of the team so I think he can’t say enough good things about him man he sets a tremendous example for the rest of that team so let’s talk about the guards um you know Jonah Jackson went down uh Ela

Goes in at left guard Graham Glasgow at Right Guard and I thought so the standards different for both of those guys I don’t expect Wasa to go in there and play like Jonah Jackson I thought he played fine Graham glasow glaring right yeah nothing glaring uh Glasgow in the

First half I thought he underperformed played better in the second half um but I was I gotta be honest with you I was a little bit disappointed in Graham some of the Run blocks it felt like he got beat across his face in the pass block

He just it just kind of seemed out of place you know that’s I’ll preface it by saying that is a that is a very very very difficult defense U to play against by that but with that being said I I think you’re right when you talk about

The expectations of our guys it’s like I don’t care who you’re playing man like you guys are good enough to go out there and dominate um Tampa did some things that were really difficult I’ll just be like John you know this too if you’re running a Zone play and you get any

Movement across your face and you don’t have the perfect double team called you’re going to be vulnerable you know what I mean like it’s just it’s really really difficult to block or hey I got a I got a down block on this guy and he crosses my face sometimes you just like

It it’s it’s almost a perfect play call against what you’re doing right and you still got to find ways to adjust and figure things out on the Fly um look I’ll say man the I think the sack that Graham L up I didn’t go back and really

Watch the replay yet it felt like it was kind of a quick move yeah um kija KY I’m telling you man that kid is a good player I know we talked about it all last year you know on our draft PR draft draft prep I was excited about that kid

And he’s he didn’t really come along until late in the season either the first time they played him he was dealing with a calf injury and he missed a ton of time in training camp but you watch his last like four games I mean the guy’s a Difference Maker he’s really

Good and I maybe I don’t know if I’m saying they underestimated him but really the first chance you got to see a guy like that where it’s like oh man like I’m gonna have my hands full today however I will say and we talk about all the time and you even mentioned right

The ability to bounce back the ability to man my first half sucked I hate the way I’m playing right now the lights got to go on I got to figure this out because it’s going to be a long day right and especially in in if you’re in

Graham shoes you have to know hey when Jonah goes out every pass play guess which way that Center sliding he’s going to help the backup I’m gonna be one-on-one I got to figure it out and he did figure it out and it was really really obvious on jir gibbs’s Long

Touchdown run Graham did an amazing job with pen next to him of handling the movement wiping his guys completely off the side of the field and allowing that you know gigantic crease to open up for jir Gibbs to get up to that third level untouched um so that’s what I look for

In offensive line that’s what I appreciate about guys like that is that you know what hey they don’t let the bad plays trickle into more and just Man by the fourth quarter I’m just completely out of my game I’m mentally screwed up like I can’t figure it out today you

Find a way to put a stop to it get back on track and that’s what Graham does that’s what this whole off defensive line does and it sounds like they’re going to probably have the same lineup that they finished the game with yesterday and I know we’ll get more

Updates as the week goes on but talking to coach after the game yesterday he didn’t sound very uh hopeful that Jonah will be available uh this week at least for for San Francisco so um but the good part is man like we’ve seen a lot of musical chairs through that offensive

Line and for the most part you know with the expectations and the standards that they have in that room uh I’m sure they can find ways to to go out there and and not let one injury just completely deplete them and um you know change the

Game plan of what they want to do offensively um so let’s talk about the tackles now because I thought Decker played a really good game but Penny Su every time I watch him play he’s so athletic he’s so powerful he’s so well balanced that I thought he was literally

Just toying with you know the the the defender whoever was across from him he set his sets were consistent he was in good position position he was balanced he was low if he got out of position at all he’s got that that great ability to recover whether it’s with his feet his

Body his hands I thought he was absolutely dominant did you see him smoke the oh yeah defensive back to on one of those counter bles I tell you what I love watching him play and if you know for those that are listening or if you’re watching on

YouTube go back and watch pen Su against Tampa because he literally I tweeted this out during the game in the first quarter like he is literally a liing playing with his food yeah because he was just to and at times he looks bored he makes it look easy he does make it

Look easy and I’m like God damn if it was that easy for me it would have been I’m in the same boat I played with a couple Josh sitting a guy played with it pro bowler for a long time and and same type of player just looked like he was

Given minimum effort in just you know completely mauling people every single play and it’s like man I’m over here freaking scrapping with one foot on the ground and my arms all wav like I’m over here scrapping for every win this guy’s over here just like another day at the

Office like man I’m so jealous cuz how do you make it look that easy but pan you know he is um I’ll tell you man I think that they like kind of the same thing with Frank where he’s just doing it so consistent at a high level right

Now that nothing really surprises you anymore you’re just like y yep that’s 58 man yep that’s suol for you like you know what you’re gonna get from him um he is just I mean he’s an absolute done he just is he he’s fun to watch uh big

Part of obviously the Run game and look Jared gof I think uh how comfortable has he looked this year you know just based off of you could just tell he knows the offensive Line’s going to take care of him you know what I mean you can tell he

Just doesn’t panic it’s just yep my guy’s got me hey they want to bring pressure over here I know I know they’re goingon to pick it up like we’re good let’s go you know and um don’t take it for granted man because These Guys these guys are special players these guys are

Special players man especially when you talk about Frank and and Decker a guy that’s been around a long time uh pen will doing it on the on the right side uh it’s a fun group to watch I might be uh usually what what it’s it Monday morning normally by Tuesday morning I

Think the film starts to come out where we can access it I I can’t wait to go go back and watch some of this plays that the offensive line had in that game especially late in that game right we know the Run game kind of not not not

Great early in that game they actually had to get away from it for a large chunk of that game but fourth quarter when it’s our time right man they they really start to come through and and get some big plays there so it’s going to be

A game I’m excited to go back and just watch the the offensive line and how they finish the game man it was impressive yeah so let’s talk a little bit more about the defense now um because you know we know Hutch is an impactful player I think a lot of what

He does goes unseen but it seems like every play he is he’s in on we see him making plays you know and I know he was dropping into coverage um but he’s making plays on Chris Godwin um on a wide receiver screen he’s makinging plays down field

When when it’s just a matter of not giving up in Pursuit he’s making plays in The Run game he got a sack in that game was a big sack big time at the of the game but I really think Aaron Glenn deserves a lot of credit since that

Denver game he has adjusted I think his Concepts to and adapted to what he’s got he knows what he’s got and he’s trying to maximize every single opportunity that he has and whether it’s Brian Branch coming off the edge uh melaan who who had a sack and a half but finding

Ways to pressure opposing quarterbacks when you know you’ve really only got one legitimate pass rusher up front yeah and not really changed their identity but just kind of morphed a little bit into one of those and I wish I can remember the show but we were kind of begging for

This you know a couple months ago man just H just give me some exotic blitzes give me something that nobody like week to week right the hardest teams are hey what are they going to do this week on third down what’s the package they’re going to have for us how fast can we

Adjust to it the Lions really didn’t do that the first half of the Season then probably starting the Denver game it was like oh my goodness like they’re sending safeties they’re sending they’re sending everybody like my I’ve never seen them do that you know and so he’s kind of morphed into having

That you know kind of exotic look to him a little bit right yesterday was a little bit different I think yesterday normally with this team uh you know the past four weeks we saw a lot of you know first and second down hey we’re just going to play our base defense let’s try

To get him to third down and then we’re going to send the pressure yesterday was kind of the opposite they were bringing a lot of pressure on early downs and then a lot of the third Downs at least to start the game was hey we’re going to

Make it look like Blitz and then we’re dropping eight guys right and you started confusing Baker a little bit you know and he started kind of launching some balls and you know so I think the plan yesterday was really really well balanced and a probably a good time to

To change it up you’ve had four games now of where hey this is our ID this is what we’re doing third down we’re bringing a ton of pressure well guess what this week maybe we’re going to cover a little bit more on some third Downs right and which they didn’t they

Had a lot of success doing that um but I just think when you talk about guys like like Hutchinson right he is the one guy that you’re saying if you’re Aon Glenn and I’m calling fourman rush like I got I need 97 to get home right because

There and I’m not trying to be negative here but there’s still a lot of times where if they’re sending four guys it’s like oh boy like he’s got a lot of quarterbacks got a lot of time back there you know I don’t like our secondary having a cover for five six s

Seconds um so that’s why I think he has kind of forced himself into you know sparking that pressure and and generating pressure based off of some some of those looks because he wants to help a guy like Aiden Hutchinson out he doesn’t want to put that much pressure

On one player to say if you’re not getting home today man we’re screwed right we need you man like no I’m gonna help you out I’m gonna take some of the pressure off of you and then as soon as they think hey now we got to go double

Uh 97 that’s where you send the pressure from the other side and you drop 97 back into coverage and you find a free runner because you throw the offense out right so I think what Aaron Glenn has done the last month and a half with this defense

Has been incredible and look we all know that they still give up some big plays right we know that especially in the passing game we we know that there’s times and even happened yesterday where if you send pressure and it doesn’t get home you got a chance for a big play but

I thought yesterday for the most part they kept everything in front of them and the black and white bottom line thing for me is you hold teams to 23 points you hold team what last week was 23 points right you held Minnesota to 20 you held Denver to like 17 you held

Dallas to 20 point that’s that’s winning winning football that is winning football especially with the offense that you have I think this offense knows just hold them to around 20 20 23 points we gotta you know what I mean and that’s what this defense has been doing and

That’s the bottom line for me I said it last week I don’t care if Stafford throws for 500 yards if you can keep them to around that 20 23 point mark that’s good enough to win and especially in the playoffs when I don’t care like

Coach said if it’s two nothing 3 to2 or we got to go out there and win 60 to 59 I don’t care what it looks like we just got to find a way to win and that’s what they’ve been doing man and it’s this defense has been a major major part of

That because we’ve still seen the offense go through spurts now even the last couple games right last week was the second half three points defense we need you got the job done this week right offense kind of in that second third quarter disappeared a little bit

Right defense hey just keep us in this game we’re going to figure it out eventually they did that that’s that’s that’s good team football that’s all three phases you know doing their job and this defense has been incredible man and Aron Glen has been a major major

Part of that well and I’m one of the guys that’s taken a lot of heat um and I understand it if you’re just looking at numbers but cam Sutton when you gamble up front when you’re bringing Branch you’re bringing melaan Wu right you’re playing man coverage on the back end a

Lot of times or at least somebody’s playing man coverage it’s Ben cam Sutton he’s your best cover corner but then you look and you say well okay against DJ Moore you gave up a lot of yards against Justin Jefferson twice gave up a lot of yards CD lamb uh pukaa and now Mike

Evans so people are looking at that and and I we heard this in the morning show quite a bit hey give him a plane ticket send him out of town hold on a second here yeah he is he’s your best cover guy he is being exposed he’s being asked to

Cover some of the NFL’s best receivers Mike Evans gufferson probably the best receiver in the NFL and he’s going to give up yards those guys are going to make some plays even against the best corners in this league then you put them one-on-one then you gamble up front

There’s that risk reward and every once in a while the the the risk is you got a guy on an island and he gives up a play to Mike Evans yeah like it’s again you’re gonna have a quarterback like uh uh Matthew Stepford that may throw for

400 yards or 350 yards but it all comes down to how many times times do you get home how many times you put a hit on how many times you get him off his Mark and now all of a sudden that that play is incomplete because you got to take some

Gambles yeah and cam suton has been through a gauntlet man like this is the hardest stretch I think for any defensive back I’ve seen in a long time right just Justin Jefferson we know missed a ton of games this year but that that is a perenni all All Pro Player CD

Lamb all pro pro B career puka AA all pro pro bowl right like Mike Evans yeah Pro Bowl like 10 straight years of you know Pro Bowl and all you know what I mean like that is a freaking Gauntlet like I I I can imagine sometimes as a

Player where you’re like when do I get a break man like God damn right but look I think cam Sutton the thing that I’m learning about him is this guy’s a scrapper like this guy is is he as good as a jayen Ramsay no right but guess

What there’s one Jaylen Ramsey in the freaking leag is he a SAU Gardner no he’s not right but you know what this guy does he’s he battles man and sure when you’re looking at the the stat sheet you’re saying oh another 140 yard receiver man we can’t cover anybody like

That’s why I go back to the black and white what do you do in the Red Zone when it really matters what do you do on third down when it really matters right and and I that’s no tough task man I’m not trying to let him off on of the hook

By any means I think there was really one drive in there that kind of bothered me and that was the end of the first half right that two-minute drive and cam started getting a little bit aggressive right he’s trying to cheat the coverage a little bit but look that’s also the

Other other end of the sword that you play with you ask these defensive backs to go out there and try to generate takeaways and to generate turnovers and uh you know get an interception well the other end of that is man if if I’m playing aggressive and I turn my head

And I go to make a play on the ball there’s a chance I could lose the guy right so that’s that’s what people a lot of people don’t understand and that’s what I thought he did a little bit yesterday I will say the thing with this about cam Sutton is

That he he’s just got to make sure mentally that he stays in a consistent spot you know because there was a long stretch of the Season where we weren’t calling his name at all right I think there was a couple plays yesterday where I’m looking and one of them you know he

Was on I think it was I think it was Mike Evans and Mike Evans kind of looked like he was streaking up the field but he ran like a 20- yard comeback was wide open um and you could see behind cam Sutton with CJ Gardner Johnson and even

CJ one up to him and we kind of gave him the hey I got you man you know calm down I got you so I think cam Sutton uh look he’s been through a gauntlet you know certainly some receivers have had some big days on us but the thing I

Appreciate about him is he’s going to to battle you know what I mean he’s going to continue to battle and look we all still know that there’s there’s probably still a few holes on this team right we know that could you use some help could you use some help on the defensive line

Sure could you use some help in the secondary sure you know and that’s the thing that’s going to make everybody better when they get to that point but um you know I think cam Su look this week I don’t know Debo’s status is going to be they’re being pretty hush about it

In San Francisco but BR Brandon auk’s pretty damn good receiver too I think this is going to be a good opportunity for cam Sutton to have one of those games where you get in playoffs and we talked about earlier you need some of the unsung heroes you need some of these

Role players to step up and do something special like yesterday we saw it with Derrik Barnes coming out and and closing that game with the interception right you feel like cam Sutton’s probably due for one of those plays one of those gamechanging plays if not one of those

Games where it’s like man yep like that’s what this team needed so hopefully that comes this week well uh as we wrap things up one game away minutes away I mean my goodness and like said we were uh you know we were probably a little bit higher on this

Team I think I had about 12 wins you had them about 11 I want to say uh did any of us really think you know NFC Championship chance to win the Super Bowl um probably not but you know what the one thing is and we both know this

Get your foot in the door anything can happen and this team I think they still have that attitude about them where and this confidence about them where uh it doesn’t matter who we’re playing it’s all about us if we continue to do things that that you know we’ve built

Throughout the last 19 games now this season um it doesn’t matter who’s standing on the other sideline it’s all about us and it’s going to be all about them again this week it’s goingon to be a tough challenge out in San Fran I can’t wait to see what it looks like uh

When we get out there uh to Levi Stadium but um what this team has done just not only this year three years I mean is is absolutely spectacular it’s great for us to get a chance to keep talking about it and it’s great to be one of the four

Teams that you know you get to show up to work again on Monday man it’s it’s a hell of an opportunity and gosh damn man got a chance got a chance so close got a man we got a chance so hopefully we get a chance to bring you more in

Season um playoff talk uh the Detroit Lions heading out to San Francisco to take on the San Francisco 49ers uh we’ll talk to you a little bit later in the week on Necessary Roughness