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Boomer Between The Games: Week 9 Preview With Bill Cowher

By DJ Sixsmith

In Week 8 of the NFL season, we had another tie between the Washington Redskins & the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr proved why he is an MVP candidate. This season, NFL fans will be able to hear even more about their favorite teams in a brand new digital show called Boomer Between the Games. Hosted by NFL on CBS analyst and WFAN radio host Boomer Esiason, the former NFL quarterback gives his thoughts on the week that was in the National Football League and chats with an all-star roster of guests about the upcoming week of games.

This week on Boomer Between the Games, former NFL Head Coach Bill Cowher joined the program. Cowher played in the league with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns and coached the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1992-2006. Cowher won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers, was inducted into the Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and is an NFL on CBS analyst.

This week's episode started off with a conversation about the New England Patriots' win over the Buffalo Bills. Coach Cowher discussed why Buffalo had such difficulty stopping New England's big plays and containing their offensive weapons. Boomer added on to the conversation by saying that Tom Brady is on a mission this season and is playing some of the best football of his career. Both of the NFL on CBS analysts agree the only way to stop the Patriots is by getting pressure on Brady and forcing the 4x Super Bowl champ to throw short passes. The Patriots haven't lost a game with Brady under center this season and New England's signal caller has yet to throw an interception in 2016.

Additionally, the two former NFL players discussed Dallas's overtime victory over Philadelphia. While Boomer was the first to point out that Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott struggled against the Eagles defense, the host of Boomer Between the Games loved Prescott's poise in overtime. Cowher admired Prescott's resilience throughout the entire contest and believes the rookie deserves to be Dallas's quarterback going forward even when Tony Romo gets cleared. Meanwhile, the former NFL head coach called on Eagles head coach Doug Pederson to open up the offense for quarterback Carson Wentz. While Cowher loves the Eagles pass friendly offense, both Bill and Boomer feel the Eagles need to trust their rookie quarterback more.

The biggest storyline heading into Week 9 is the matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. Coach Cowher has a ton of experience in this department and said that Ravens week always had a different feel to it. In fact, he didn't even have his guys wear pads during practice that week because he knew this game would be the most physical of the year. Boomer is also familiar with this matchup, as he's called many of these rivalry games on radio for Westwood One. Esiason acknowledged the desperation both clubs are facing with multiple game losing streaks and stated the Ravens need the win the most. A win for Baltimore would get Joe Flacco and the Ravens right back in the hunt for an AFC North title.

Finally, Boomer and Bill grabbed a fan question from Twitter. The former NFL MVP and former NFL coach discussed the biggest issues for the Pittsburgh Steelers aside from Ben Roethlisberger's injuries. Coach Cowher hit on the lack of consistency with the offensive line and specifically mentioned how getting Marcus Gilbert back in the lineup is of the utmost importance. Boomer went to the other side of the ball and called out the Steelers defense for having the fewest sacks in the NFL. While getting Cam Heyward healthy will bolster the Steelers front seven, Esiason says the Steelers need to find a way to avoid giving up the big play.

Boomer Between the Games will be available every week here on CBS Local Sports. Throughout the entire season, Boomer will be joined by guests like former Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Quick and 2x Super Bowl champ Phil Simms. Former NFL QB Chris Simms will stop by next week to look back at Week 9 and look ahead to the great games in Week 10. Join the conversation with Boomer each week by using #BoomerBTG and one of your tweets could be included in next week's show.

DJ Sixsmith hosts CBS Sports Radio Roundup from 2-6pm. DJ is also a play-by-play announcer who has called games on Fox Sports, ESPN 3 and the Big East Digital Network. Follow DJ on Twitter @DJ_Sixsmith.

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