Felger and Mazz: January 17, 2014
Felger, Mazz and Beetle broadcast live from Hurricane O'Reilly's down by the TD Garden ahead of this weekend's AFC Championship game Between the Patriots and the Denver Broncos. The guys shot right out of the gate to give their predictions for the outcome of the big game. Felger and Mazz both came in with predictions in favor of the New England Patriots, and outlined why they think the Pats will advance to Super Bowl XLVIII. Mike and Tony also did their weekly check-in with Jerry Thornton of Barstool Sports to get his take on the Patriots as they get set for AFC Championship game.
In the second hour of the show live from Hurricane O'Reilly's, Felger, Mazz and Beetle opened the floor for callers, who weighed in with their predictions- many of whom are predicting the Broncos to win over the Patriots on Sunday. So the guys started the hour by going over the ways they can see the Broncos losing this game, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of elements like the weather and the referees making calls.
Later in the hour the discussion turned to Broncos WR and ex-Patriot Wes Welker. Felger and Mazz talked about whether or not this game is the end of the discussion of which side won- either Welker or the Patriots, when the two sides were unable to agree on a contract. Felger went on to argue that the real match up has to do with coach vs. QB rather than the quarterbacks going against each other. It is a fact that Peyton Manning is going up against a tougher coach in Bill Belichick than Tom Brady is by facing John Fox.
In the third hour, Felger revisited his bold prediction that while he believed the Patriots would win, something in this game would happen in an unconventional manner. The guys also touched on Peyton Manning and the fact that he hasn't taken big risks and has been pretty safe in playoff games as of late, citing the double-OT loss to Baltimore in the Divisional round last year. If the game falls on Brady's shoulders, will he be able to make plays in order to help this team win? Mazz argues that he does not have confidence in that, not because of Brady, but rather the weapons around him.
In the final hour of Friday's show, Felger, Mazz and Beetle capped off the weeks worth of talk leading up to the AFC Championship game. Leading off the discussion, they talked about the Broncos WR's once again, and how they would match up the Pats defense to defend them. We also hear the last installment of "Great Moments in Peyton Playoff History". They wrapped up the week with final thoughts as the Pats head to Denver as well as touching on the NFC Championship game as well. And of course, The Final Word with Marc Bertrand, featuring "Mad Mike" and "Squeaky Mazz".
