Live updates and analysis of the NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions.
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00:00 I like covering you. I respect your game. I like watching you play. I really didn't like watching
00:05 your predecessor. So I really appreciate what you do. And I think for whatever reason,
00:13 the conversation about the conversation about you has taken on a bigger life than the conversation
00:21 about whether the team's going to win the Super Bowl. Everyone wants to talk about it,
00:24 whether you get enough credit. And I think you feed into it a little bit.
00:29 You don't need credit. Stop trying to prove that you're a gunslinger because that's the thing
00:33 that's going to end the season early. You can prove that down the line. But let me remind you
00:37 of a stat, Brock. Even though you want to prove that you can layer throws into the intermediate
00:43 area of the field, tight window throws, over linebackers, over the meadow, through the woods,
00:50 to grandmother's house, the ball goes. Yeah, you can do that. But you also get pretty lucky
00:55 with some of these drop picks. And when you throw one interception in the game, at least one,
01:00 this team, this juggernaut, is two and four. When you don't throw a pick in a game,
01:08 they're 11 and 0. So your job in this game, Brock, is to not lose it.
01:13 I know you want to prove that you can be a factor in winning the game, that you're part of the
01:20 engine and not just the caboose. Your job against the Lions is to not lose the game. Because if you
01:29 do lose the game, people are going to look at you differently. You haven't won an NFC Championship
01:33 game. Jimmy Garoppolo did. He won his first one. If the Niners lose and you throw a pick or two,
01:39 people are going to be talking about, "Hey, is Kirk Cousins coming to this team next year?"
01:48 Kirk Cousins coming to this team next year? Don't give the 49ers or anyone a reason to look
01:53 at you differently. All you have to do is be safe. And so here's what's going to happen.
01:56 The Lions have done their homework. They know everyone knows what you do.
01:59 You say it. You're a gunslinger. You push the ball down the field, that intermediate area of
02:06 the field, 10 to 20 yards down the field, sideline to sideline. You dominate that area. That's your
02:11 happy zone. It's your happy place. 10 to 20 yards down the field. And so if teams try to pack the
02:19 underneath area of the field, that's not a good idea. You got to take away that 10 to 20 yard
02:24 area for you. And that's what the Lions are going to try to do. They're going to put a whole lot of
02:30 defenders in that 10 to 20 yard range and just bank on you forcing passes in there.
02:38 Because you did against the Packers. And you talked about it this week that
02:41 really you were overly aggressive and that you have to hit the check down. So that's the truth.
02:47 Brock, it's good to hear you say the right thing. You understand what you did wrong and what you
02:52 need to do, but then you go out there and do it anyway because you have a little bit of a
02:55 Napoleonic complex. No offense. But it's like you heard people call you a Dinkin Dunk quarterback
03:02 and it offended you and you're trying to prove that that's not who you are. You have to channel
03:05 your inner Dinkin Dunker in this game. Now, the Lions, as you know, Brock, are very susceptible
03:16 to the long pass. So on play action, you need to look to take those shots down the field deep.
03:22 You saw what Mike Evans did against Detroit. Brandon Iyuk is even better. So Brandon Iyuk
03:29 should have big, big gains down the sideline. A few. Take those shots. If it's not there,
03:36 you check the ball down. Your progression is deep to short. Don't force passes in the intermediate
03:43 area. The Lions are waiting for it. Everyone's waiting for it. If it's wide open, sure. But if
03:49 there's a bunch of zone defenders there just waiting, check it down. Check it down. If the
03:55 deep shot is available, take it. If not, check it down. You'll win this game checking the ball down.
04:02 You can hit three or four shots down the field. And as long as you're disciplined
04:06 and conservative and you check the ball down to Christian McCaffrey and Debo, you'll win.
04:14 You won't throw a pick. You'll win. That's your job. Look at me, Brock. Check it down.
04:23 This is not the game for you to show everyone that you can layer passes 15 yards downfield.
04:30 We know you can. Check it down. That's your job. If you don't, if you have one of these
04:39 interceptions like the first one against Baltimore in the end zone or the one that
04:45 should have been a pick six against Green Bay, everyone's going to blame you for the loss.
04:51 Because even though people have been gassing you up, calling you an MVP candidate, everyone knows
04:54 your job is to not lose the game. And if the Niners lose to the Lions, you probably will be
05:00 the biggest reason why. If the Niners lose to the Lions, you probably will throw an interception.
05:05 I can't see a world where the Niners lose this game and you play a clean game with no picks,
05:10 no turnovers. Only way an underdog like the Lions, seven and a half point dog on the road,
05:16 wins is if you mess up. And the only way you mess up is if you're overly aggressive.
05:22 And you talked about it this week, Brock. You talked about it on Wednesday. You talked about
05:26 it on Friday. You said you were overly aggressive against the Packers and it took you the whole
05:31 game to sort of settle down and do your job. Okay. Well, it's good to hear you say it. Now
05:38 you have to actually do it for the whole game. You come out amped up. You threw a pick on the
05:45 first possession against the Ravens and you should have thrown a pick on the third pass of the game
05:48 against the Packers. Calm down. Get yourself in the flow of the game. Hand off. Chuck it down.
05:53 Because again, this season isn't about you, Brock. It's not about whether you get enough respect
06:00 or if you're a gunslinger or a game manager, it doesn't matter. All this season's about is
06:05 whether you win the Super Bowl or not. If you win the Super Bowl, you'll be one of the youngest
06:09 Super Bowl winning quarterbacks of all time. If you don't, if you lose the NFC Championship game,
06:13 all off season, people be questioning, is he really the guy?
06:16 Because on the biggest stage, he didn't come through. He's great in the regular season,
06:22 but does he choke? All those questions will come up. All you have to do is not throw a pick in
06:26 this game. Check it the hell down, Brock. Thank you for listening to me. I appreciate you.