The Grant Napear Show - January 26, 2012
After an embarrassing home defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in which Denver made all but four field goals inside the paint, Grant opened the show with a heated response to the uninspiring play of the Kings. As a result, the phone lines were packed for the first two hours with callers ready to vent about everything from the players to Geoff Petrie and the Maloofs.
Grant's rant centered around the team's inability to defend the rim and called for more accountability and pride on that side of the ball.
In the five o'clock hour, Keith Smart explained why the Kings allowed 92 points in the paint to Denver last night, and the fundamental breakdowns defensively that led to a blowout in front of the home crowd. Coach Smart lined out some of the positives but spends more time addressing the negatives and how he plans to resolve the problems. He says the biggest key right now for his players is to understand the concept of playing together as a team and that most of the young guys are still learning how to grow into that culture.
Later, Buffalo Bills' wide receiver and Fairfield product Stevie Johnson checked in with the show to shed some light on who he is off the field and how he stays in shape in the offseason. Johnson tried to explain the Bills' poor finish to the season, but wasn't able to pinpoint one solitary reason why the team hit such a rough patch after a strong start. Stevie will be in Indianapolis next week for the Super Bowl and gives his take on how the game might play out. He then emphasized that Darrelle Revis is as good as advertised, if not better, and that playing against him twice a year is a big help to his development as a receiver.
In the final hour, Brian Baldinger of NFL Network took a look at the NFC Championship game, saying that the 49ers' defense is every bit as good as the '85 Bears and some of the great Ravens' defenses and it's a shame that they weren't able to make it to the Super Bowl. Baldinger said the way that team played this year was a once-in-a-generation defensive unit, and can't possibly match that type of production next year (nor could any other team). He then went on to break down the Super Bowl matchup, how the Patriots' defense has improved throughout the course of the season, and what the Giants will have to do to matchup with Tom Brady and New England.
