SCOTT SIMON, Host:
Time for sports.
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SIMON: Morning, Howard.
HOWARD BRYANT: Good morning, Scott. You're in all of your glory playing a team that doesn't have a winning record in the playoffs. I hope you're happy.
SIMON: Seattle - actually, I'm very happy about that part. But, you know, Seattle looked good next(ph) week. But first, let's not talk about my obsessions but about yours.
BRYANT: Fine.
SIMON: In the AFC, the Jets and the New England Patriots - these are two teams who know each other, don't like each other. I just got a good tweet from Scott Edward Anderson, who asked: Does Rex Ryan have Tom Brady's number?
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BRYANT: Well...
SIMON: I don't think he means his cell phone number.
BRYANT: And even when you've got this blowout game the last time, you're thinking that, OK, it's not going to end here. Of course there's going to be round three in the playoffs. And it will be a great culmination for either team. One team loves to shut the other one up.
HBO: If you like rivalries like I do - I'm not a big Cinderella guy; I like teams that have been beating each other up for years going at it for the big prize - it's your weekend. Not a Cinderella guy at all.
SIMON: Oh, I can tell. Well, listen, Captain Bligh, over at the NFC we've got Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who have the best record, obviously; Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Those seem to be surging. They're on a roll.
BRYANT: And then, of course, there's...
SIMON: But that was before Jay Cutler was playing.
BRYANT: And then, of course, there's the Chicago Bears. There's Jay Cutler, where everyone looks at their defense. They look at the Bears. They look at the wins.
SIMON: Devin Hester. I'm naming my daughters Devin and Hester for the weekend.
BRYANT: So it's a really great contrast. AFC - old school rivalries. NFC - you've got somebody trying to say, hey, look at us, we deserve to be here, we're the best team.
SIMON: Thanks so much.
BRYANT: Scott, you've got to win this weekend.
SIMON: Oh, yeah. You bet. I'm trying. I'm doing my part.