01-06-25 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST Hour 2
41:01 Share

Ah, can't you see it? A glistening 100 megawatt solar field begging to be built. It's photovoltaic modules and balance of system powering a renewable energy tomorrow that's squeaky clean. We know that unless you have the right supplier, that world might just be a fantasy. But here at Graybar, with years of renewables experience, we live in that world. Get in touch to see for yourself. We are now ready to depart. Book your visit at graybar.com. Yep, Graybar does that.

Oh, it's such a clutch off-season pickup, Dave. I know, right? I was worried we'd bring back the same team. Oh, no, I meant those blackout motorized shades. MVP of the room. Blinds.com made it crazy affordable to replace our old blinds. Hard to install? No, it's easy. Even you could do it. Nice. I installed these and then got some for my mom, too. You fly across the country to do the install? Nope. Blinds.com can do it all. All she had to do was pick what she wanted.

She talked to a design consultant for free and scheduled a professional measure and install. Look at you, a Hall of Fame son. Oh, I just picked the winning team. They're the number one online retailer of custom window coverings in the world. Oh, blinds.com is the GOAT. The GOAT.

Shop Blinds.com right now and get up to 40% off select styles, plus a free professional measure and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Save up to 40% at Blinds.com. Blinds.com. Rules and restrictions may apply.

The National Sales Event is on at your Toyota dealer, making now the perfect time to get a great deal on a dependable new SUV, like an Adventure Ready RAV4. Available with all-wheel drive, your new RAV4 is built for performance on any terrain, from the road to the trails.

And with plenty of passenger and cargo space, plus available tech like wireless charging, you and your entire crew can stay connected. Or check out a stylish and comfortable Highlander with three spacious rows of seating for up to eight passengers. And with available features like the panoramic moonroof, you can sit back and enjoy the wide open views with your whole family. Plus, both RAV4s and Highlanders are available in hybrid models, so no matter your style, you can drive efficiently and save on gas.

So visit your local Toyota dealer and check out amazing national sales event deals on RAVs, Highlanders, and more when you visit buyatoyota.com. Toyota, let's go places.

It's on. We are there. We've reached the NFL postseason. And you know that applies to 14 teams, but it doesn't apply to the other half of the NFL, a little more than half of the NFL. They're already on to business, off-season business, which means we've got questions that have been answered, but more questions that still require answers. Will it be a Black Monday?

As we head into January 6th, put the first full weekend of the new year behind us. Oh, my gosh. By the time we look up after this run of NFL and college football craziness that takes over the next two weeks, we'll be into and beyond late January. Isn't the national championship on January 20th?

This wave of the NFL just kind of consumes us for the next few weeks. And then you throw in the mix of college football as well. And yeah, I think the national championship is on Monday, the 20th, which by the way is also inauguration day. And it's, it's just a, a blitz until then. And you look up and you're in the end of January.

Oh my gosh. It comes so fast and so furious, but this is why I do what I do. I love this time of the year. We have more people tuning into sports radio across the board in these next five weeks than in any other point during the calendar year because the NFL drives the bus, baby. The schedule is out. The seeds are done. The matchups we can salivate over. And yes, there are teams that are already talking about

2025 and not the playoffs, the 2025 regular season. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence. I'd love to connect with you online at a law radio. And then also on our Facebook page after hours with Amy Lawrence. So many of you said,

Amazing messages. I was overwhelmed by your response to my walk down memory lane, sort of. It was a brief walk down memory lane on Saturday, but it dawned on me, and believe it or not, this is while my husband and I are driving from, let's see, on Saturday we did Bristol, Virginia, back to New Jersey. So that was the final leg of our trip.

This time, this year, meaning not a year ago, right after the wedding, we had two vehicles, a trailer, and two dogs. That was in 2024. This year, to start the new year, 25, we had just one vehicle, Princess Leia. She was loaded to the max, but had also two dogs. Ha!

And two people. And so we made the trip in two and a half days from Houston and got back on Saturday evening. But while we were driving on Saturday during the day, I realized, holy cow, it was exactly 12 years ago.

that I hosted my first show on what was the fledgling CBS Sports Radio. It's obviously changed names now. We've changed employers and parent companies multiple times. Same network that you listen to, though. And I would have to say not the same host, same person, not even the same name anymore, for heaven's sakes. Same person, same voice, maybe a little bit raspier because it's had a lot more use. But...

just a style and an identity that we love here on After Hours. And despite multiple opportunities to move and change time slots over the course of the 12 years, I've stayed here. I've stayed on overnight and I,

12 years is quite a run. There's no way that I ever thought I would still be here at the network 12 years after it started, after it launched. I'm not sure I gave a whole lot of thought to it, but 12 years is just unheard of in one time slot in my business. And I know when I moved to, so I was on Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights when I first started here on the network and then was doing other stuff during the week.

When I took over five nights a week after hours, we named it after hours, then I thought five years. I'll do five years on overnights plus the two years that started with the network in which I was doing the overnights and the weekends, and that's it. I'll do something different after that. Okay, well, here we are.

Another five years beyond that, actually. And the show has been such a blessing to me. I am glad it's also been a blessing to you in many ways. We've changed a lot as a show. We're not straight sports. Not that we ever really were.

I think the 2020 year, the pandemic really changed my philosophy on radio. Now, I still have the motto of when people talk, good things happen. I appreciate that so much that we can have communication. I do not take sports seriously. I take a lot of other things in life seriously. For instance, covering what happened in New Orleans on Saturday.

the New Year's Eve, going into New Year's Day, the night before the Sugar Bowl. I take that very seriously. And if you know me, you know that I can talk about serious topics as well. But when it comes to sports and games and entertainment, I tend not to take them very seriously because they're not life or death. No, they're entertainment, they're games. Now, they're a big business and there's a lot of money involved. But for the most part, for you and I,

They're supposed to be fun. They're supposed to be entertaining. We're emotionally connected to our teams. I also realize that people, most of you, I won't say all of you because there are still the occasional posts that I get that tell me to stick to sports or can I just talk about sports? Well, the answer is no. No, I can't just talk about sports. I'm not one-dimensional. You're not one-dimensional. And...

I could talk until I'm blue in the face about the Lions and Vikings, but if I tell you one story about my new dog, Flower, that's what I'll be remembered for, and that's what people will remember, and that's the majority of the interaction that I get on social media is not about sports. The vast majority of the interaction I get on social after I tell a story about my grandmother or...

doing a 3,500-mile road trip over the holidays or getting married for the first and only time or adopting a new dog after saying goodbye to my beloved dog, Penny. We can talk about cheese, our favorite cheeses on the show, or we can talk about the neighbor's light, which, by the way, is still shining very brightly. Not a thing has changed in the two weeks that we are away. These are...

The topics, these are the stories that you relate to because we're all humans and we all have similar stories. Names are different. Locations are different. Maybe the times are different, but we live very similar lives in many ways. And we're not just one dimensional and solo sports fans. If all you want is a show that breaks down the lines Vikings game, you can find that option in a million different places. You do not need me for that.

What you get with me is a little bit of sass, a little bit of personality, and a lot of stories. And of course, yes, we talk about sports too. But so many of you have reached out over the last weekend, the last couple of days, and that means a lot to me. If you missed the post, it's up there at ALawRadio. It's kind of neat to hear from so many of my colleagues in the industry as well, those who've appeared on the show as well as those who have worked with me in previous places before.

It's been 12 years as we head into year 13. I can't promise you there won't be changes because there will be, but here's something that I think is pretty incredible is that there are people out there who've listened the entire 12 years. That is commitment. You guys are awesome. That is commitment. Uh,

And many of you have stories and moments that you either found the show or moments that you'll remember about the show. And all of that means a lot to me. So thank you. Thank you for caring. Thank you for investing. Thank you for listening.

night in and night out because that's the reason I do it. It's not to get recognition. It's not to get a paycheck, although I do have to pay the bills. But if you're in radio to get rich, you're in the wrong industry. Now it's because I love the connection. I love knowing that we can have conversation, that we can have this type of

Not just communication, but also relationship across the miles and through your radios or your devices, your phones, however it is that you choose to listen. It's pretty incredible the network that we've developed with After Hours over the last 12 years. So thank you again for all your kind words. Our phone number, 855-212-4227. Talking about the Lions and the Vikings as Detroit earns its first ever top seed this

Before we move on and talk about some of the other storylines making headlines in the NFL, let's welcome Barry from California who wants to weigh in. Hi, Barry. Hi. How are you, Amy? I'm good, sir. Thank you. Thanks for taking my call. Yeah, I'm a big Lions fan. Also, I know Jared personally. We just saw him from Novato. So my nephew grew up with him. Cool. Yeah, they went to school together and all that. We just saw Jared after the 49ers game.

So that was kind of cool. We got to see him a little after the game before he took off. Neat. So he signed a hat for us, for me and my wife. And I just want to, you know, I hope, you know, he gets to the Super Bowl. I'd love to see him win. You know, he deserves it for a Novato kid and all that. He's a good kid. You know, he's got a good heart and all that. And I know he's done a lot for the community and, you know,

in Detroit and all that. I want to see him get that Man of the Year award, too. I think he deserved that, too. He does a lot in Detroit, so he's up for that Walter Payton award, too. Yeah, it would be really neat for... Yeah, it would be neat, yeah. It would be neat to see him get some redemption after going with the Rams. Yeah, with the Rams, exactly.

Right, and not winning there. Yep, and then getting traded away. Yes, that's correct. Blindsided, that's correct. Blindsided by the Los Angeles Rams, only to find a new home in Detroit where the fans love him. So I agree with that.

I love him too. You know, Dan Campbell, I love Dan Campbell. I mean, I think he's the greatest coach. Yeah, how do you not love Dan Campbell? You don't have to be a Lions fan to love Dan Campbell. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, he's a cool guy. I would love to meet him too, yeah. This coming weekend, what are you going to do with yourself? No Lions football. I know no Lions football. I'm going to have to wait. I have to wait until the next game. Yeah, hopefully we'll get some rest and all that, get some players back and

You know, it was good that Anzalone was back tonight. He was huge tonight. He stepped up big time. Yeah, and to have Alex Anzalone back, especially so quickly after he broke a bone in his arm, right? And he wreaked havoc. It was awesome to watch him break through the line a couple of times. Had, I wrote it down, oh, had seven tackles.

and one quarterback hit, so he was making a difference right away. Yes, he was. Yes, he was. Yep. Yep. It was nice to see. Very good. Well, happy new year to you, sir. Good to talk to you. Happy new year, Amy. Okay, you have a good one. Okay, bye-bye. Go Lions. Go Lions. Ryan. Ryan's in there cackling behind the double-paint glass. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like when he said correct. Yeah, yeah, correct. It's a good thing that I got it correct.

So you can call too if you'd like to rave about the Lions or any other team in the NFL postseason.

855-212-4227. That's 855-212-4227. And also you can weigh in on our Facebook page. Put a post up there about my first night in studio since mid-December. Wow, it's amazing how quickly the time passes. And I agree. Some of you are pointing out that the season flew by. Yeah, it definitely flew by in a blur. Though it also felt long at times too. At ALS.

And yes, 855-212-4227. Now, we know one coach has already been fired in the wake of a Sunday night win. Actually, it wasn't Sunday night. Sunday afternoon win. That was a stunner to me to hear about Gerard Mayo getting fired. I did not expect that. I know that there had been rumblings about it coming out of New England, but I mostly believed that it was...

More the fans being disgruntled than it was actual truth or actual momentum. That's not the right word. Actual traction, I guess, would be the right word. I didn't think that Bob Kraft, after he handpicked Gerard Mayo, remember he picked, he appointed to be the successor to Bill Belichick after 20 years. He believed that Mayo was groomed and ready finally to step up and

him to other teams that were looking for head coaches last year so he hired him he promoted him essentially they end up without the number one overall draft pick because they beat the bills who who didn't use a lot of their starters I mean Josh Allen extended his streak and he was out there for a little bit but Patriots end up winning this game they finished with a 4 and 13 mark

But his one-year tenure matches the shortest in franchise history. I don't know how many of you remember Rod Rust. He had one season in 1990. I do not remember him. I was on the planet, of course. Duh. Where was I? Gosh, was I still in New England? Yeah, I was, actually. I do not remember Rod Rust. It was long before I was working in the business.

Bob Kraft issues a statement. For me personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. I've known Gerard for 17 years. He earned my respect and admiration as a rookie in 2008 and throughout his career for his play on the field, his leadership in the locker room, and the way he conducted himself in our community.

When he joined our coaching staff, his leadership was even more evident as I saw how the players responded to him. When other teams started requesting to interview him, I feared I would lose him and committed to making him our next head coach. Winning our season opener on the road at Cincinnati only strengthened my convictions. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team's performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped. And he goes on and on.

Now, what I've seen and read is that Bob Kraft ultimately made this move because of how the Patriots finished the season. Only made this move because of how they came out of their bye. You could easily argue Mayo had very little to work with, and you would be right. Drake May, rookie quarterback, takes over a few weeks into the season. He made great strides. They have their franchise QB, it seems.

But who is he throwing the ball to? Not a whole lot. They need to add wide receivers specifically around him. The defense has been depleted by injuries, trades, defections. And so the roster is not one that's going to compete with a whole lot of other teams in the NFL. But Mayo's expertise is defense.

And according to insiders, Kraft didn't like how the defense actually went downhill toward the end of the year. Last in the NFL in making contact with opposing quarterbacks. Only a dozen takeaways this season. And for Gerrard, as a leader, as a guy who played himself, as one who was supposed to be able to connect with

the Patriots roster and the guys in the locker room who would now play for him, a different voice than a Bill Belichick, a different connection, obviously. It seemed as though, I don't want to say he lost the locker room because that's not fair, but it seemed as though they were a little bit listless in terms of effort, in terms of discipline, lots of stupid penalties, lots of miscues. They didn't finish strong. That's a major reason why.

This move was made. And also, and I think this is more just about acclimating to head coach speak. Maybe if he had taken Bill Belichick's approach to media, some of these things wouldn't have happened. But Gerard certainly had a couple of gaffes with the media that he had to walk back or correct.

I don't know that calling his team soft was a mistake because the team actually responded after that. But there were a number of times this year where he kind of put his foot in his mouth and either gave incorrect information or kind of embarrassed his team a little bit. So there were some abrasive moments with the media. Again, completely the opposite of Bill Belichick. But this is more about what happened on the field, the way they finished.

And how about this? Half-empty stadiums. Foxborough calling for him to be fired. The fans chanting, which I hate, for him to be fired. Bob Kraft, don't want to say that he caved to fan pressure, but he does pay attention to the fan base, especially one as passionate as the Patriots, who've been treated to 20, well, not all 20, but 20,

the majority of the past two decades, great success and are used to it now. And let's be honest, a bit spoiled. Welcome back to earth Patriots fans. Now in the, in the NFL, you can have a team go from worst to first. You can't have a team turn things around in one year. Think about the teams that we've got in the playoffs this season. The Broncos have been getting closer, but hadn't had a loose, hadn't had a winning season, hadn't made the playoffs in nearly a decade.

Same division, the Chargers. What a difference Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff have made in this first year. You can turn a team around. Washington's another incredible example with Dan Quinn and his new group, his coaching staff, not to mention the new owners, plus putting a rookie quarterback in there who gets it.

So yeah, it is possible, which means that Patriots with a really high draft pick can put either an offensive lineman, that's been a great weakness for them all season, either an offensive lineman or a receiver on the field with Drake May, and it was already going to get better. So I'm really stunned by this. It doesn't seem like a move that Bob Kraft would make, but he explains it, says he's wrestled with this decision, and now Gerard Mayo is out.

A lot of people pointing to Mike Vrabel. We talked about it with Mike Golick. Vrabel being maybe an obvious choice because of his history with New England, but he could have other suitors as well. Of course, he has coaching experience, which is a big difference between him and Mayo. What about the Dallas Cowboys and Mike McCarthy? Oh, okay, we'll get to that coming up. And the other teams that punched their tickets to the playoffs on Sunday.

at ALawRadio to find me online, also on our Facebook page. We'll get back to your calls to 855-212-4227. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. First, the goal at the five. Eckler to the left of Mariota, trying to retake the lead. Play action he keeps. Gets away from Marshall Nealon. Dive! Touchdown, Washington! He broke the tackle of Nealon in the backfield!

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. It was kind of a theme, Marcus Mariota.

Play as well as he did for the Commanders in this game on Sunday between two division rivals, NFC East, Commanders on the road at the Cowboys. And once again, they end up with a dramatic finish and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. So Jaden Daniels didn't even play in the second half instead because the Commanders already knew they were into the postseason. Deal.

Dealing with a little bit of leg soreness, Dan Quinn decided to put Mariota in the game and he throws this five-yard touchdown strike to Terry McLaurin with just a few seconds left. Washington stuns Dallas, although maybe not so stunning considering what's happened with these two teams in 2024. And the 6-6

seed is where the commanders find themselves in the NFC. But Mariota not only threw for a couple of touchdowns, he ran for one as well. And I think it's neat that he had his moments out there. It didn't go as well for a guy like, say, Carson Wentz when the Chiefs did not score at all against the Broncos. But it's nice for these guys to get out there after a season of working to be ready just in case the number is called.

Of course, helping to prepare the starting quarterback. They have the opportunity to do what they love. 855-212-4227. 855-212-4227. Commanders will play in the wild card round Sunday night.

at Tampa Bay. So the Bucs end up winning the NFC South. We'll talk about them following the update. So it's a three seed versus the six seed. And I'm, I don't know if you guys remember, but going back to 2020, the last time the commanders played in the post season, they were the NFC East champs, but they hosted Tom Brady in the Buccaneers. So that this is a rematch of the last time that they weren't the commanders then, but they,

this franchise was in the playoffs. They actually took on the Buccaneers though, very different look for the Bucs who ultimately would go on to win the Superbowl as a wild card on the other side of the field.

Yet another disappointing loss to leave the Cowboys at 7-10. And the audio is a little bit rough for Mike McCarthy. It's like he's eating the microphone. But yeah, he was talking about another loss that put him in double digits.

I felt in some ways that game was a little bit of a microcosm of our season. It goes all the way down to the last play. A lot of good things happened in the game for young players, but the little things that we didn't do was part of the reason why we didn't win the game.

Of course, McCarthy was asked the question of whether or not he should remain the coach in Dallas. I'm a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. So, at the end of the day, it is about winning. And you have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. He didn't answer the question. He's Bob the Builder, and he did not answer the question.

I in no way, not even an iota of surprise will emanate from me if he ends up remaining as the head coach. I think it's probably likely to happen. I don't think I'll be surprised if he's let go either. But more and more, what I've heard from Jerry Jones, what we've heard from Jerry following games in the last month of the season makes me think that he's not anxious to make a change.

Maybe if he thought he could get Bill Belichick, but Belichick is now spoken for. Jerry spent 40 minutes surrounded by the media scrum. Happens every post game for him. And...

Mike's one of the best coaches that I think there is. He was made the coach here because I thought that, and he's done absolutely nothing to diminish my opinion of him as a coach.

And I am really impressed with the way the players identify, look, or are with it. They're inside with it. And that's important. That's important because he's had some times when each one of those players individually, as well as as a team, have not been fun times.

I would agree with what Jerry Jones has to say. You may think he's kind of a clownish type of a character or just a clown at all. But the point that he makes is a valid one. These players have not stopped playing hard for Mike McCarthy. That's evident. Whether it's personal pride or whether they're trying to help him keep his job, I don't know that they feel...

that heavy a responsibility when it comes to that. They're probably trying to earn themselves contracts and worried about their own futures. But how often do we hear players say after a coach gets fired, it happened this season three times, this is on me. I feel some responsibility for the fact that our coaches got fired. It happened in New York with Robert Sala. It happened in New Orleans with Dennis Allen. We've seen it happen multiple times in Chicago when they fired Matt Eberflus. Players...

Take ownership of that often. So maybe it works the other way around too. Dak Prescott has come out publicly and stumped for him. Micah Parsons has done the same thing. That has to resonate with Jerry. There were a bunch of interviews, interviews. There were a bunch of injuries this year. That's every team. But the fact that the team did not quit, did not give up, kept working. It's a really painful losses, of course, and it's a losing season and that leaves a bad taste.

But you hear Micah Parsons talk about it, and not all hope is lost, right? There are some positives to take away from 24. I'm really proud. I know it's not suddenly prouder to have a losing record than not being in playoffs, but how we finish and how we carry ourselves as men and as teammates, I'm proud of that.

Also, he's wanting to get his next deal done. He wants to get that free agent. Well, he's not a free agent. He wants to get his contract extension done so he doesn't become a free agent. It's indicated that he wants to stay in Dallas. One more with Jerry Jones.

He was asked whether or not he's already made the decision about Mike McCarthy. Have you made up your mind on Mike McCarthy? No. Well, the point is that all that I'm going to look at that I was asked, I was answering that question, and that was does the outcome of this game really impact his future? And I said no. All of the things I'll consider are a haze in the box.

That's kind of funny. All of, I've not heard anyone put it that way before. All of the things that I will consider the haze in the barn. That's the Jerry Sandusky call on Ravens radio. The hay is in the barn when the Ravens win. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if Ryan pulled up for me, the final call of the Ravens victory on Saturday, as they were clinching the AFC North title, that in fact, we might hear Jerry Sandusky saying that,

Darn! I can hear it in my head right now because that's what he does. So for Jerry Jones, the hay is in the barn. He's going to be asked those questions again and again until he comes out with some type of an announcement, either validation and confirmation that McCarthy will remain as the head coach or not. He makes a change. And just as a side note, 29 years since the Cowboys won a Super Bowl. It's been a while.

Although, to be fair, the Lions, the Vikings, the Bills, they've never won a Super Bowl. Let's talk to Bill who's in Vegas. Bill, welcome to After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Hey, Amy. I am one of those faithful that's been listening to you for like the whole 12 years. I'm a Vegas fan.

about 12 and a half years ago, and I did a lot of driving back and forth to the Central Valley of California and Las Vegas, and listening to you on the radio kept me going through the night, so I appreciate you for that. Now, to be honest with you, all these haters that, or old sports and only sports, sports, only sports, forget that noise.

Brie cheese, baby. I'll tell you what, as a teenager and a college student, that was a panty dropper back in the day. I'll tell you straight up. Brie cheese with a girl on a date, a little bit of sliced apple and a bottle of wine. Oh, man, come on. Now that was a classy date.

I like it. Very good. And I love hearing about your grandma and congratulations on the big move and all the change and everything. I don't drive as often deep into the night as I used to, but every time I do and I get to listen to you, it's always a treat. I'm a wayward cheese head from, I grew up in Wisconsin. I'm out here on the West Coast now and

Go Pack Go. You know, we're a couple years ahead of schedule, and I'll tell you what, one of the things a lot of my generation, I'm in my 60s, that we talk about is, you know, these young, spoiled, pampered athletes. And I want to tell you, I'm really proud of the way a lot of these teams that could have tanked

and gone for that number one overall pick. They really seriously played their hearts out. I watched Raiders in Vegas. Even the Giants worked hard. And they played. They won games that, you know, they probably could have just let it go and gotten a better draft pick. But you were talking about the Cowboys. They didn't give up for Mike. You know, they just kept playing because they're professionals. That's the thing. They are professionals. They play for a paycheck, yeah. But, you know, they've been doing this since they were five, seven, nine years old. And, you know,

They get on that field, and they get between the hash marks, and they knuckle down in the dirt and the grass, and the helmets are on, and the air is steaming in the cold. They want to crack some skulls. They want to maybe bleed a little bit, and they want to get out there and play some ball. There's no talk about tanking. There's talk about trying to score some points and stop some scoring, and that's what football is about, and I'm proud of these kids for doing that.

And for those spoiled Patriots fans, I'll tell you what, their dynasty is coming to an end. They better savor what they had. Because the last time the Lions were a dynasty is also the last time the Browns were a dynasty. And Otto Graham was the best quarterback in the NFL at the time when that happened.

And, oh, yeah. So don't be whining about that because it's – remember, the Browns and the Lions are the only two teams that were in the NFL pre-merger that have never even been to a Super Bowl. So congratulations from the Lions for a good game. I hope my Packers beat you in the NFC Championship. Go Pack Go. Let's get them because all we need is love. Thank you, A-Law. I love you, baby. Thank you, Bill.

Quite the tribute to the Packers and certainly stumping for Lions fans. And you're right. You don't know how good you've got it if you're a franchise like New England, the Patriots, that fan base, or even thinking about the Packers and how good they had it for years with Brett Favre and then Aaron Rodgers. Jordan Love has picked up that baton pretty seamlessly, though they're a wild card here again.

For a franchise like the Lions that suffered for so long, the Bengals that suffered for so long. Oh, gosh, the Eagles that suffered for so long before they ended up winning their Super Bowl. Going back, what was it, 17? Gosh, now the years all blend together. But these are my favorite storylines is franchises and teams who've never won. And we've got a potential for an actual Super Bowl between teams that have never won, which is incredible. All right, we'll get back to your calls, April.

5, 5, 2, 1, 2, 4, 2, 2, 7. And then also on our Facebook page after hours with Amy Lawrence and at a law radio on Twix, you can weigh in about these playoffs wildcard weekend is next weekend, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, but before then to college,

college football semifinals, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Can't miss TV or can't miss radio, depending upon which medium is your choice. But these five days of football games, they might cause my head to explode. But that is generally how January goes. It's just that it's supersized this year in both colleges.

And the NFL. Here's our latest sports update. Do you believe you were wrongfully terminated for speaking up against your employer? Wilshire Law Firm isn't afraid to go up against corporate giants and will protect you every step of the way. Get justice and feel safe. Call the experts at Wilshire Law Firm at 1-800-800-3333.

Want to tell you about Raised Right Human Grade Pet Food. They're a family-owned company that works with world-renowned veterinarians to make fresh, home-cooked-style whole food recipes for dogs and cats. Their recipes are high in protein, low in carbs, with simple ingredients, as many of their recipes have just 10 ingredients or less. With Raised Right, you can enjoy peace of mind with every bite, since each batch gets lab safety tested. Order yours today at RaisedRightPets.com.

Website again, RaisedRightPets.com.

Good snap. Felt high. Looking upfield. Looking. Flushed out of the pocket. Dances outside. Throws the ball off. He's got to receive it. Open. Caught. Touchdown Tampa Bay. Touchdown Tampa Bay. Jalen McGo. He's come up with a touchdown. Fire the cannon. Here's the snap. Dropping back to the throw. Sorry, Shepard. Baker Mayfield runs. Runs for it. Comes the ball. It's Bucky Irving. Outside the 10. To the 5. 3, 2, 1. Touchdown Tampa Bay. Baker Mayfield shotgun. They know what we're going to do. Baker Mayfield looks. Throws the ball to. Caught by Evans. He's got it.

To the 40-yard line. 1,000-plus Mike Evans. 11 seasons in a row. Buccaneers at number 13. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. I got to tell you, this is one of my favorite storylines to come out of the 24th season and this final weekend of the NFL campaign. I love Mike Evans. He is a badass. And now 11 straight years of at least 1,000 receiving yards.

But this one is neat and dramatic. It comes on the very last play of the Bucs win over the Saints. They had to get a stop on defense and then try to get the ball in his hands again. And it speaks so highly of Mike that the team would care, not just about the win, not just about the NFC North, NFC South, sorry, NFC South title, but about Mike and

extending his streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons, tying Jerry Rice for the most ever, and making sure that he reached his incentives. $3 million in incentives built into his contract because he goes over 1,000 yards.

So as you can imagine, on the sidelines, as well as in the mind of Mike, there's a lot of buildup to this and wondering what was going to happen before he actually caught that ball. I was hoping we'd get a stop because I can't pass up history. And Coach Bowles didn't want to let it pass up or Liam. So I'm happy that they had me go out there and get that because it's been hard to do for 11 straight years and to be tied with one of the

If not the greatest receiver of all time, it means a lot to me and my family. It was awfully close. It was a matter of what kind of pass we were going to throw, and I didn't want an interception. We talked about screens and slants and knew they were going to double them and motion them over, getting them open, and did a good job getting them. He's earned it. He's done everything for this organization and this team, and we're happy for him.

If you have not seen the catch, again, the final play of the game for the Buccaneers instead of the kneel downs, you heard it there with Gene Deckerhoff on Bucs radio. But maybe, right, if you wouldn't mind retweeting that moment from our show account at Amy After Hours. And it's not so much the catch itself.

It is the way that the sideline responded, the way that Mike Evans and his teammates celebrated, the way that the fans in the stands went nutso, the roar that went up when Evans caught that last ball. 1,005 receiving yards. Maybe it was 1,003. He just barely got over. For the 11th straight year, tying Jerry Rice's record.

And he does it on the Bucs final play of the regular season. We know how hard he works. Now think about this too. He was injured for a few games this season. Remember he got hurt and he was out through their bye week. He and Chris Godwin got hurt almost the same weekend. And so, I mean, he had been dealing with an injury anyway, but to see him come back and still achieve this plateau and reach this milestone, incredible and speaks to how

how hard he works and how much effort he puts into it and also how tough he is. My faith, my work ethic, you know, my family, the teammates that I've had around me, the coaching staff, the front office, you know, making moves to change this franchise around, become a winning franchise. So it's a lot of those things. And just, I love the game of football. I love the game and I love to compete. So anytime the ball comes my way, I try to make a play.

Really neat, too. And a lot of people talk about the relationship between him and the rookie receiver, Jalen McMillan, and how Evans is now passing along tricks of the trade. The wisdom and experience that he's gleaned from his years in the NFL. He's the guy who's been with the Bucs the longest on their roster. And I think it's funny, too, what Baker Mayfield said afterwards about

He was joking, of course, but he said, hey, we won the game. Great. But now I'm going to be the guy that didn't get Mike his 1,000 yards. So now Mike is going to have to play 11 more years. So cool. Awesome. They won the division. They are the four-seat, three-seat. I take it back to the three-seat, which kind of blows me away considering

the middle portion of the season where they had dropped four in a row and they had these injuries to finish up 10-7 and win the South for a fourth straight year. Congratulations to Todd Bowles. Feels great. We went through a lot of ups and downs this year. A lot of injuries. Guys fought hard. We went through a hurricane, by the way, and put a lot of guys missing on both sides of the ball. It's even more gratifying throughout the year for us to come out on top this way.

Yeah, pretty amazing what Todd Bowles has been able to do with change at quarterback and a lot of turnover on both sides of the ball since they won the Super Bowl. And yet here they are, and they will host a playoff game come next weekend. In fact, they've got the night game against the Commanders that'll be on Sunday, NBC and Peacock. We've got the schedule. It's out there. We'll get back to your calls coming up next. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence.