Best of the Week: 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe

This week on 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe, ‘The Game’ steals the show this weekend despite sloppy play and Penn State secures a spot in the Big Ten Championship. The NFL hands down the suspension on Azeez Al-Shaair but it the criticism too harsh? Plus, NFL Insider for TheMMQB, Albert Breer stops by for his weekly visit. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Is the best of two pros and a couple Joe
with Lamar Airings rating win and Jonas Knox on radio.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
I gotta tell you, man college football this weekend, in particular,
what happened in Columbus. No offense to anybody listening in
Columbus right now, that was wonderful television.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Oh man, that was riveting. No offense would be an offense?

Speaker 4 (00:30):
Was it wonderful?

Speaker 5 (00:31):
Though?

Speaker 4 (00:31):
I mean, my perspective obviously is different because I was
down there in the field for it, and the second
half there's only three points scored. So the thought in
my head was, I wonder if this is really entertaining
for people to watch. I mean, LeVar, you're a defensive guy,
so maybe you're like, man, that's a good defense. There
are some moments where you're like, yeah, that's probably true,

(00:53):
but then you're like, just bad offense. That being said, though,
what I thought was most entertaining or interesting being there,
And I don't know, LeVar, if you can relate to
this or Jonas when you've been to, you know, different
games where you felt this. But the second half it

(01:14):
felt like even that home field crowd almost turned And
it was probably because that two minute drive before half
when Ohio State kind of just went on bing bing
bing bing bing touchdown, it was like, yeah, there, it is,
like just do that, Like, just just throw to the
best wide receiver corps in college football and then it's

(01:34):
a big mismatch. They're not gonna be able to stop
you if you want a two minute drive like that, right,
you didn't see it the rest of second half. And
that's obviously one of the many questions I think Buckey's
fans have is why do you keep trying to run
between the tackles against a team that's got probably two
first round picks in Kenneth Grand Mason Graham head scratcher.

(01:54):
How do you only get Jeremiah Smith, who would probably
be a top five pick and this year's draft was
seven targets, They had five catches. He also drew two
defensive pass interferences, so tack on another thirty yards for
whatever that was, Like, how do you not get him
more involved in the game plan? And maybe it's because
they lost trust in their quarterback, you know, maybe had

(02:16):
everything to do with that. And if that's the case,
I would argue, then for you you don't have the
right guy in there in the first place. And I
said this way back in the spring, the most talented
quarterbacks on that Ohio State team are guys who are freshmen.
It's Julian Sand and Hair Nolan, and none of those
guys whos be going to sniff the field. And now
here we are with an Ohio State team with now

(02:37):
two losses, still playing the playoff. But I would imagine
if either one of Air Nolan or Julian Sand would
have started this season for the Buckeyes, probably would still
be at a minimum the same spot, if not maybe
a little bit better. And especially the future looks a
little bit brighter because you have a younger guy who's
gonna be doing it. But that's for another time another day.

(03:00):
I just felt like it felt like the crowd turned,
and that's what I wanted to get to, is like
you could feel it. You could feel the frustration. You
could feel this, Oh no, here it go, here we
go again for a fourth straight year. I don't know
if you guys felt that, well, I was gonna ask you.
I don't know if you could feel that on television.
You could feel it in the stadium, and it was

(03:20):
almost like Michigan just had to kind of keep doing
what they've been doing the last four years and they
were gonna come away with a win.

Speaker 6 (03:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
When I was watching it, I just I came to
the conclusion I can relate to this because I lost
to Michigan every single year. I can't relate to it
on the level that that Ohio State you know what
they're dealing with, but somewhat, And I was talking. I
was talking to a couple guys because I was in

(03:48):
I was in state college while we were watching it.
And you know the idea that coaches get nervous or
they pucker up, and they don't want to make mistakes.
They don't want to have a mistake that costs the game.
They don't want to be in a situation where it
was like that was the play right there?

Speaker 6 (04:09):
Why did you call that?

Speaker 3 (04:10):
And And I think teams coaches fall into and in
this game in particular, I think that that Ohio State
they fell into the trap of what Penn State falls
into when they play Michigan in Ohio State, which is
I think there there has now become an inferiority complex

(04:32):
going into the Michigan game. If you're an Ohio State
player or an Ohio State coach. More specifically, if you're
not going to be aggressive in the biggest games of
the year, what is it all about, Like, let it
all hang out. If you're going to make a mistake,
make a mistake. If the kid's not going to be

(04:52):
able to deliver it, let him show he's not going
to deliver it. Don't make don't try to mitigate any
type of mistakes that could place a turnover. Oh my gosh,
a turnover. Whatever it is that you're thinking when you
go into such a conservative approach to what you're doing,
don't do it like fight against it.

Speaker 6 (05:12):
I see it.

Speaker 3 (05:13):
I see it every single year. The one thing that
I came away with when Penn State played Ohio State
is like, we did not push the ball downfield. It
was it was way too it was way too conservative
of an approach to what you're doing. And then it
ultimately allows for a team to basically find a comfort

(05:34):
zone in how they want to play against you. And
that's what I saw take place. And the longer they
allowed Michigan to stay close and the closer that game was,
the further got into it. I was like, Man, Michigan's
going to win this game. Michigan is going to that.
They started running the ball pretty effectively, probably a little
bit more effectively than I've seen against Ohio State this season.

(05:57):
And an Ohio State wasn't They weren't stressing Michigan's defense out.
They just weren't. They allowed Michigan's defense to find a rhythm,
to find the comfort zone, and then once that happened,
they found the confidence. And what took place, I think
it's more of a mental emotional game that we saw

(06:17):
take place against those two teams versus a real matchup game.
Let it hang out. Why y'all nervous? You got you
have the players, you have the coach, you got Chip
Kelly call in the place. What are y'all getting so
conservative for? It's just it's strange to me, And I
wonder because I asked this question. I was like, do

(06:40):
when you have an offensive coordinator, does the head coach?
How much does the head coach dictate what plays are
being called? Because that could be that could be a
major part of it.

Speaker 4 (06:50):
Yeah, I mean the interesting thing about the play calling,
and I guess my frustration with it it is like
the sun zoo, you know, the art of war. For
anyone who's read it right, fight them where they're not.
And it's like, why would you Why do you keep
trying to bang out with your patched up offensive line
versus again, two first round picks, a team that has
been constructed to beat you, like they're constructed to be

(07:14):
able to run the football, stop the run, because that's
what's one of this rivalry. Yet you're like stubbornly pounding
your head against the ball ouh the wall, trying to
do this. And so it goes back to you know, well,
Chip Kelly was the mentor to Ryan Day, and they
both probably have similar thought. But at some point you
have to say, we paid and brought in a transfer

(07:36):
quarterback and they must have lost confidence, they must have
lost faith in him. I mean, I'll be honest too.
The last two drives I saw him in he looked nervous.
It looked like and here's the thing. Is like, at
some point time when I was probably a true freshman,
like people probably looked at me and felt that way.
You know, you get in those situations. And I was

(07:58):
thinking back to you will have to Day's Kansas State,
and I couldn't really think of like a memorable two
minute drive or something where he was able to bring
them back, and I thought, like, this is going to
be really tough for him in this moment if he
doesn't have a bunch of things to hang his hat on.
I mean, for people who don't know that, the history
and the road of Will Howard, you know, started early,
got the play probably before he was ready, but played

(08:20):
well enough where it might be gave him more of
an opportunity. And then it was a combination of guys
coming in who replaced him where he didn't get to
play quite as much. Adrian Martinez, for example, was one
of them. And you know, I think Will Howard's used
how Adrian came to Kansas State in regards to how
he approached going to Ohio State. But one of the
reasons why he left Kansas State was because they went

(08:41):
to play Avery Johnson, the quarterback who's there now, that
was who was going to be the starter for Kansas
State this season, even if Will Howard came back. So
think about that. I also think that when you think
about kids who and you're young men who go to
some of these other schools, when you're playing Kansas State,
it doesn't feel this when you're playing for Ohio State.

(09:01):
I knew it might be staying the obvious for some,
but I want to drive home this point because I
do see instances where we see quarterbacks on these bigger
stages and they don't know how to handle they don't
know how to approach it, and they do look nervous
and they don't play as well in those big moments.
And part of that's because when they when they chose

(09:22):
to go to Kansas State, you know, the magnitude of
some of the games are playing, We're never going to
be as big unless they found their way somewhere else.
And once you go to those other places, it's an
entirely different feel. It's entirely different challenge for you as
a quarterback. I think that plays a role too, for
a lot of these guys who you know, didn't necessarily

(09:43):
pick to go there. They haven't played big games like
this before, a rivalry like this. I mean no disrespect
to Kansas. Kansas State not.

Speaker 3 (09:49):
As big of a rivaly, just no, it's not even close.

Speaker 4 (09:54):
So I think that plays a role too, where once
you get into it, then it's like, oh, oh, sa,
this is a lot bigger than I've ever felt before
my life. And in those moments, it's like you can't
become overwhelmed by it. But I think I was most
What disappoints me the most about the outcome of the game,

(10:15):
not because like I kind of, you know, predicted of
how State to win. It's more of the fact that
because I thought Michigan was gonna score about ten or
thirteen points, that's what I thought. I just thought of
how State would go to score more. And to me,
it's wasted talent. You have all this talent. You have
all these guys like Jack Sawyer and j. T. Tuymol
Law and Denzel Burke and all these players who could

(10:37):
have went to the draft who came back for it.
And if I'm a defensive player, I'm frustrated. And that's
why I think. You saw Jack sorry with the flag
after the game, so they're not planning it and everything else.
And you know, he did everything he could when he
was on the field, but the reality is you had
sixty minutes on the field to do your part and
once that's over, man like it's it's tough to hear this,

(10:59):
but it's their moment.

Speaker 3 (11:01):
Now you should have had that fight. Don't let them
plant that flag. You should have had enough flight, enough
fight in you, and listen, it's probably going to get outlawed,
it's going to get banned from from college sports like
you're not going to be.

Speaker 6 (11:15):
There's going to be something that's done moving forward.

Speaker 2 (11:18):
Did anybody successfully get it in the ground or it's
not about success, You're never going to.

Speaker 6 (11:26):
No, it's not. Actually it's not. It's not dumb.

Speaker 7 (11:30):
It doesn't work.

Speaker 3 (11:32):
You've planted your flag in their field. It's the it's
the action of it. It's not it's not the literal
sense of it, Jonas, it's the act.

Speaker 2 (11:43):
Now we dec I need to see it in the
turf standing out there. That's we're playing golf. Otherwise it
doesn't count. All right, I'll leave that one alone. That's
that's crazy to me.

Speaker 3 (11:55):
It's the act of we took we we walked in
your trap and we took over your trap. We came
into your house with with some used up ankle tape,
a jockstrap on, some some some wrist tape. Didn't wipe
off our eye black, no towel, no nothing, just your
midnight package out and we're going to your refrigerator. We're

(12:18):
gonna get some food. Oh there's some kool aid right there.
We're gonna drink that kool aid. What what is that
right there? That's what's that? I don't know what it is,
but we're going to eat that up. Where's Oh, there's
the microwave right there. Oh yeah, there's Yeah, you want
to heat up the stove. Let's heat up the stove.
It looks like there's some some good leftovers. And there
were checked to check the freezer. They walked into your house.

(12:40):
They walked into your house and did what they wanted
to do. That's the idea of it, if you're looking
at it from from like you know, football is generally
connected to military. It's connected to to how that that works,
game planning, coming in, deploying, doing what you need to do,

(13:01):
executing game plan missions, those different things. And when Michigan won,
Michigan basically said we've conquered the horseshoe and now we're
putting our flag in the ground. This is Michigan's place.
Now this is ann arbor. Uh Ohio.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
I'm telling you man, that was if you just went
drive chart in the second half, I mean, it's terrible.
It's you know, punt interception, interception, miss field goal intert
like you just like looked at that and you say, oh,
this is an ugly gets not good. The part, the
part I enjoyed about it was that as the game
went on, a story was being told, and the story was, Oh, God,

(13:44):
Michigan is okay with what the situation is. They're okay
with the circumstances and the pressure, and Ohio States now lose.
You could feel it watching television that that play is
starting to tighten up, Like you could feel the crowd,
you could feel the energy. It was just beautifully done

(14:05):
by Michigan to go into that place and to take
that from them, because look, let's be honest here, they
were over a three touchdown favorite. Ohio State was going
into the game. People looked at this as a coronation. Oh,
you know, we're going to get our opportunity, like Michigan's
going to get their come up ins.

Speaker 6 (14:23):
Their Ohio rematch against Oregon.

Speaker 2 (14:26):
And then to Brady's point, this is the part when
I thought, oh, something's going on here. When Ohio State
goes down before halftime and scores, I think the feeling
was like easy quickly, all right, like this this is big.
This is going to go quickly, and they get the
ball to start the second half, they're driving and then
they punt it. When they came away with no points

(14:46):
to start the second half, I thought, oh no, man
like that fan base is probably thinking of themselves. Wait
a second, it should be so much easier than this.
What's going on? And then it felt like the panics
started to set in.

Speaker 3 (14:56):
It was brilliant. Well, like you say, because they changed
the play calling. They changed they should have tempoed Michigan
right on back to Michigan.

Speaker 4 (15:04):
Dude, spread them outh and and not and maybe make
sense some tempo, but spread the mount and throw the
football fifty times. People are like that, Well, well, he's
known for a lot of you know, different types of scheme.
I think that's the impression of Chip Kelly. But if
you go through his years, even had Oregon and Philly
and all that, like, he runs the ball too, I mean,

(15:26):
and even during his time in UCLI most recently, that
means almost stubbornly. And so I think here's here's what
Michigan's defensive style was. If you go back to the
first half and you look at the scoring drives for
Ohio State or even or I should say it attempts
to because obviously the field goal kicking was was atrocious.

(15:48):
Nine plays at a field goal, ten plays miss field goal,
nine plays touchdown like. That's that's what it was. So
Michigan very clearly wasn't playing necessarily bend but break. But
they oftentimes doubled Jeremiah Smith, which Ohio State was fine with,
just letting them sit in the same spot and be doubled,
and they really didn't want to let anyone get by them,

(16:09):
and if they did, they just grabbed them and it
was a defensive pi like which what happened twice on
Jeremiah Smith. And so they were very intent on making
Ohio State earn it the long, hard way, and they
knew at some point they would falter. They knew at
some point there'd be a miskick, or they'd throw an interception,
or be a turnover on downs or be a punt like.

(16:31):
That was essentially what the game plan was. And they
knew by doing that they would lengthen the game and
it would play to their advantage because it's less touches
for those playmakers to get. Even though Ohio State essentially
took some of those playmakers out of you know out
of the game in their own way by not targeting
them or get them the football enough. So that was

(16:52):
part of that. I think the crazy thing is Michigan
scored ten points in the first half, and this is
what those plays looked like. Those drives look like six
total plays five yards and they got a touchdown and
a field goal out of that. Think about that for
a second. How frustrating you have to be as a defense. Now,

(17:12):
I'm not saying that Michigan didn't find their way in
the second half of running the football where they clearly
outrushed Ohio State. The debate of Ryan Day teams and
if they're physical enough and tough. I mean, the one
thing that became very apparent to me before the game
on the field, and I'd said this. I don't know
if I've said this on our show, but back in
twenty twenty one, when Michigan and really Jim Harball was

(17:33):
having a hard time beating Ohio State, I was there
in Ann Arbor and I remember watching that team come
out of the tunnel and looking at their demeanor and
I'm like, this is different. It's not like the weight
of the world is on them, and they look to
me like they're about ready to get in a fight
and whoop someone's ass. That's what it looked like. And

(17:56):
for the last four years now, that is the same
look their O line, their D line has had the
entire time. They go out and warm ups, they bang
around a little bit, and when you compare it to
Ohio State, it doesn't look anything close. It's like I
almost feel like like Michigan has been like hardened over

(18:18):
the last four years, where Ohio State in some ways
it has been running a program that is elite and
is this and it's that, but it's like not gritty,
it's not where they're like scrapping and tough. I mean,
I talked to a couple of the coaches. They were
kind of coming out in second half, and I was
just kind of like, what's the sense of urgency? Like

(18:40):
this game shouldn't even be close, shouldn't even be close,
Like you gou just beat the crap out of Indiana,
who struggled with Michigan but still beat Michigan. Like this
game shouldn't even be close. And there was just no
sense of urgency and there's no sense of having that
same physicality and toughness that Michigan has. That's really the difference.

(19:03):
Michigan's program. Their football program is just a tougher, more
physical program, and they're gonna make it ugly and they're
gonna fight you and at least versus Ohio State, they're
gonna find a way winning.

Speaker 6 (19:19):
Yeah, that's great, man, it was great. It was great.
Great question amazing.

Speaker 4 (19:25):
The question becomes what do you do now if you're
a high of state With Ryan Day?

Speaker 6 (19:29):
It's good.

Speaker 4 (19:30):
Well, like he has been, He's sixty six and ten
in six seasons. He coming into it. No one had
won more games in the last fifty years in their
first seventy five games than Chris Peterson and Ryan Day
and college football I think about that the last five decades.
And unfortunately, of his ten losses, forty percent or four

(19:53):
of those have come to Michigan, the team up north.

Speaker 6 (19:55):
That's crazy, man, It's it's nuts.

Speaker 4 (19:58):
And if and if you look at like a lot
of losses, this is this is the most painful because
it's the largest upset in the Ohio State Michigan Roberry.
And on top of that, it's it's one in which
like it wasn't one of those top five matchups which
we've seen in years past, and so it's a little
harder to swallow. Like LeVar and you said, like, well,
I relate, you know, with you know, being a Penn

(20:20):
State Michigan I beat him. I can relate to a degree.
When I was playing USC, here's the difference. USC maybe
lost a total of what four games the entire four
years I was at Notre Dame, Like, that's how good
that program was. They actually were going for a three
peep for my freshman year to my junior year. And
so we can talk about that robbery and that debate

(20:40):
and everyone's like, oh, it's a big win. I'm like,
well it was. It was a scary win because outside
of two pick six is that's an even ball game,
Like if we really want to be real about it,
But it's tough, man. It's tough to have to come
back and then you leave and you don't end up
beating that team. But even more disappointing this year because
I think this Ohio State team feels like they're one

(21:00):
of the most talented teams and they are. They are,
and I thought their coaching staff did not do them
at least offensively. Defensively, you can't blame Jim Knowles and
what they did. I thought they did. He did a
tremendous job. It was more about offensively letting down that
side of the ball.

Speaker 7 (21:14):
M Yeah, well listen, congratulations to.

Speaker 6 (21:18):
Uh we are Yeah, yeah, we get it. We get
a shot at shift.

Speaker 3 (21:22):
Hey, and that's not Ohio State or Michigan, So don't
be shocked if we beat the hell out of them.
Don't be shocked. I'm just telling y'all, it's not Ohio
State and it's not Michigan. We don't have we don't
have mental blocks against anybody else.

Speaker 8 (21:35):
You know.

Speaker 6 (21:35):
There you go. I'm just being honest with I was
so happy.

Speaker 3 (21:39):
I'm like, all right, we ain't got to play Ohio
State or Michigan and the Big Ten champions.

Speaker 6 (21:45):
What's that?

Speaker 4 (21:46):
Are you gonna go to Indianapolis for?

Speaker 6 (21:47):
I don't know what.

Speaker 3 (21:49):
It was too cold, this game was too cold.

Speaker 6 (21:52):
I don't want to.

Speaker 7 (21:53):
Yeah, but there's always that. I gotta walk to the place.

Speaker 4 (21:57):
No, you can walk under yeah, you can walk under ground.

Speaker 6 (22:00):
No, let's see.

Speaker 3 (22:01):
The last time I went, I was outside and I
was walking and I don't know, I don't know. It
was so cold this weekend there I didn't. I just yeah, man,
I know, I'm thinking about having all the time. It's
a beautiful venue and they do such a good job.
I'll say this about the Big Ten for that matchup,
it feels really really big. It's awesome, like the Big

(22:23):
Ten does a tremendous job with the presentation of the
Big Ten Championships.

Speaker 4 (22:27):
So if you're thinking about going, I would go. I'm
telling you will not regret it. Give you some good stakes.
I've gone. I just I don't you know, I don't know. Well,
if you win. It's been eight year, it's.

Speaker 6 (22:37):
Been a while.

Speaker 3 (22:38):
I went to another one though. I went to I
went to another one not too long ago. I think
you should go in twenty two too. I went in
twenty two.

Speaker 6 (22:47):
I don't know. We'll see.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn, LeVar Arrington and
Jonas Knox weekdays at six am Eastern three am Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 6 (23:03):
We'd like the new odd couple.

Speaker 5 (23:07):
Stop it?

Speaker 6 (23:09):
What do you mean? What do you mean?

Speaker 7 (23:10):
Rob? Listen man? Rob loves him some Rob.

Speaker 2 (23:15):
You know you want to now you know you're on
Rob's friend list when you just get random clips.

Speaker 7 (23:21):
Of Rob and it could.

Speaker 2 (23:24):
Be stuff from his day's back East. It could be
stuff from his days at espn Uh.

Speaker 7 (23:30):
It could be.

Speaker 2 (23:31):
Stuff from the odd couple with kelvin Washington. It could
it could there could be stuff from TV like whatever
he'd like. If you get something from Rob about Rob,
consider yourself lucky because that means you're.

Speaker 6 (23:44):
On the friend list.

Speaker 3 (23:44):
Or if you get something from from me, because I
like making things about me as well, Like yesterday's text
message that I sent out. Did you like that somebody
somebody could get Burdo?

Speaker 8 (23:57):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (23:57):
I didn't.

Speaker 6 (23:59):
Oh you got to look at it. Yeah, you gotta
go look at it.

Speaker 2 (24:03):
By the way, those the comments about berdo hit a
little bit too close to home.

Speaker 7 (24:08):
Yeah, you know, you know.

Speaker 6 (24:10):
It's all done and and good good nature.

Speaker 7 (24:12):
But nonetheless, what wasn't done in good nature is the.

Speaker 6 (24:19):
Somebody get.

Speaker 7 (24:23):
And by the way, you're not lying. No, I'll see
a few of those on Christmas Eve.

Speaker 6 (24:29):
Is a picture of a.

Speaker 3 (24:30):
Dude that looks just like Burdo, and the caption is
when you're recently divorced, t O shows up to Thanksgiving
dinner and his shirt is button. He he only has
one button above the belt. That is his button.

Speaker 7 (24:46):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 6 (24:47):
And he's got a what.

Speaker 3 (24:49):
Would look like a rosary, you know, around his neck
and beats and then the gold one with the cross
up top and that patented uh you know that caterpillar
across the front the upper lip. Oh yeah, listen the
in laws. Uh, I mean every single get together, it's

(25:11):
that that with a pair of cowboy boots, like a cowboy.

Speaker 9 (25:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (25:16):
If you go further down, oh yeah, yeah, it doesn't
even do.

Speaker 3 (25:20):
They have the spurs? Did they have the spurs on
the ball. No, they don't go down.

Speaker 2 (25:23):
I mean that's after two am. And then you know,
from there on out, you just kind of, you know,
you realize.

Speaker 6 (25:28):
What it was.

Speaker 3 (25:29):
In a while, we'll see a dude walking his jackasses
around his burrows, his blows and and riding riding horses
like where I'm at, Like on the street, hitting towards
the trail.

Speaker 7 (25:44):
Welcome to southern California, where you just pee.

Speaker 6 (25:46):
There's all sorts of weird stuff here.

Speaker 5 (25:48):
Man.

Speaker 3 (25:49):
You know, I could take it a little deeper, but
I ain't going. I'm gonna stay right right on. Then on,
you know, I'm just tip it right there.

Speaker 5 (25:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (25:56):
Well, well let's get a little bit deeper into this
conversation here. Because Aziz al Shahir, the Texans linebasher who
lit up Trevor Lawrence on the play that caused the
fight and the ejection, over the weekend, he was suspended
by the NFL three games, and so there was a

(26:20):
statement that was released by the NFL.

Speaker 7 (26:22):
It was VP of.

Speaker 2 (26:23):
Football Ops John Runyon who released the statement, and amongst
the things that he said in the statement, he said, quote,
after the illegal hit, you proceeded to engage in a brawl,
which you escalated when you pulled an opponent down to
the ground by his face mask. After the referee announced
that you were disqualified for the hit and you are

(26:45):
on sportsmanlike act, you removed your helmet and re engage
with your opponent while walking down across the field, which
started another physical confrontation.

Speaker 7 (26:53):
Near the end zone.

Speaker 2 (26:54):
He went on to say, your lack of sportsmanship and
respect for the game of football and all all of
those who play, coach and enjoy watching it is troubling.
It does not reflect the core values of the NFL.
Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules, puts the health
and saved you both you and your opponents in jeopardy,
and will not be tolerated.

Speaker 6 (27:14):
End quote.

Speaker 7 (27:14):
Now pretty strong statement.

Speaker 3 (27:16):
You never want your employer. Yeah, that's just not a
statement you would want to have released.

Speaker 2 (27:26):
Nick Cassario, the GM for the Texans, he was not
pleased with that comment, decided to stick up for his
guy yesterday.

Speaker 7 (27:35):
Look, it is what it is.

Speaker 9 (27:37):
I think the big thing from our standpoint and all
teams want there's just some level of consistency, and we've
talked to the league quite frankly, but we don't have
a good explanation.

Speaker 5 (27:45):
Demiko talked to him yesterday.

Speaker 6 (27:47):
So I mean, it is what it is.

Speaker 9 (27:48):
I'm sure Azz will go through whatever process he's going
to go through, and then we'll deal with it accordingly.
But I think what we take umbrage is is just
the picture that's been painted about his ease, his intentions,
who he is as a person. I mean, it's quite frankly,
it's bull and it's unfair to the individual. It's unfair
of the organization. I mean, we love everything about as
he's all Shai here, what he means to this team,

(28:10):
what he brings to this to this team and for
the league to make some of the commentary that he
made about lack of sportsmanship, lack of coachability, lack of
paying attention to the rules. Quite frankly, it's embarrassing. So
I think the big thing from our andy're talking about
a player who's never been suspended, never been ejected, So
now we're saying that he's going to be suspended for
three games.

Speaker 7 (28:32):
Look, I can understand why they're going to stick up
for their guy.

Speaker 2 (28:38):
But that's a pretty brutal hit man and to see
I actually, and I was thinking about this yesterday, do
you believe if Trevor Lawrence hadn't posted up with the
clear sign of being concussed like we've seen two have
when he do you think if he would have just
kind of gotten up and kind of thrown his hands

(28:58):
up and been like, what the hell was that?

Speaker 7 (29:00):
There's no way it's a three game suspension. I think No, No,
I think it's the same you think, so, yeah, I think.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
I think the optics of Trevor Lawrence on the ground,
you know, throwing his hands up, that just.

Speaker 3 (29:11):
Made it worse. And it made it worse, and that's
what the fans are consuming. So while I believe the
results would have been the same, there still would have
been a fight. He still would have got ejected, he
still would have got a three game suspension. He's still
going to get fine. What he's going to get fined.
John Runyon still would have seen what he is going

(29:32):
to say about you know, uh asiase Uh. It's just
that Trevor would have got up. I really think that
this is it's it's so interesting. You gotta you gotta
take this at what the face value of it represents,
which is this is the direction that the league it's

(29:52):
taking the game. You don't want to have? How much
does Trevor Lawrence make? Oh god, two hundred something million dollar?

Speaker 7 (30:00):
You don't names on the stadium for christ say.

Speaker 6 (30:02):
You don't want And this is it comes down to.

Speaker 3 (30:07):
There's the dilemma I'm faced with when I look at
these types of situations play out, because that was you know,
in my playing day, that was par for the course,
Like you could see a hit like that happen every
other play again.

Speaker 6 (30:25):
It was funny.

Speaker 3 (30:25):
I had a group group group chat going with with
some other guys that played defense in the lead.

Speaker 6 (30:32):
We we have a group chat.

Speaker 3 (30:34):
And we were chiming in, I'll leave the names out
because it's not not worth being a name dropper. But
it was like guys were like, we're really kind of
laughing about it because it's it's it was so commonplace
too to like try to take dudes out, like that
was part of the game.

Speaker 6 (30:55):
Take take dudes out.

Speaker 3 (30:57):
So we're talking about it, and and if you really
think about it, what would be the percentage if you
were to go through all the names that rest in
the Hall of Fame on the defensive side of the ball,
what do you think the percentage would be of players
that would have never been able to make it into
the league because of.

Speaker 6 (31:17):
Their style of play?

Speaker 3 (31:18):
Oh god, I mean, and let's take it a step further, because,
like again, when it's one thing to keep it on
the field and how it happens on the field, but
then you start to kind of look at, okay, when
you hear criticism like what runying statement represented, and at
times Runying was a dirty player.

Speaker 6 (31:39):
I played against John Runyon for many years.

Speaker 2 (31:42):
I don't even think it's just defensive players. You remember
all the highlights of Walter Payton.

Speaker 10 (31:46):
And Earl Campbell lowering their helmet well, that's a whole
that's a whole nother conversation what offensive players are, because
I still don't understand how an offensive player is able
to stiff arm a person in his face mask and
push him by his face mask.

Speaker 3 (32:03):
But if you were to do the same exact thing,
like he can grab and shove you down, and if
you do it back, if you touch his face, if
you touch his face mask, grab on his face mask
the same way he's grabbing on yours, it's a flag.
They're like, there's a lot of things that offensive guys
get get away with. But my point, my point is,

(32:24):
is then you start to kind of attack the young
man's character. Now I don't know him. I don't know
him to defend his character. But what I will say
is is probably John Runyon doesn't know him either. And
I will say my dilemma here is I know you're
trying to clean up the league, and I know that

(32:47):
there's the idea of making sure that player safety is
a priority because of all of the concerns that arose
from the movie Concussion and CTE and all these players
that have, you know, these issues with their brains and
guys taking their own lives I understand all of that.

(33:08):
I think the dilemma I find myself in is are
you really are you really going this hard on it
based upon the safety aspect of it, or are you
going hard on it based upon the investment part of it?
Like for instance, for instance, if a running back was

(33:30):
running and he got hit like that, right, is that
man getting the three mats? Is he getting a three
game suspension? First off? Maybe he's And let's take away
the sliding element of it. Right, a running back is running,
a defensive player comes in and hits him violently and

(33:51):
makes contact with him. We've seen it happen a few
times this year. They get a personal foul. It's a
fifteen penalty automatic first down. This is your first infraction.
I mean, I don't know that we've even seen a
guy get actually kicked out for a malicious hit on

(34:12):
any other position on the field. I mean, is there
do we know of any that have taken place this year? Uh?

Speaker 2 (34:21):
Not that I can think of, Which is why I
think Running was pretty specific about the stuff that happened
afterwards being part of the punishment.

Speaker 6 (34:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (34:29):
Well, again, if you want to throw the melees that
took place after like didn't. We just see a game
where every single play for about an entire two or
three series between the Ravens and the Steelers, they were fighting.
They were fighting literally after every play. No, I don't

(34:52):
think anybody even got kicked out. I don't even think
anybody got kicked out.

Speaker 7 (34:56):
Yeah, probably not.

Speaker 3 (34:57):
So when I look at how they handle this and
the way they approached it, I feel like, as somebody
who played a physical style in the physical brand of
football when I played, I look at it and I say,
it's more about protecting the investment of the quarterback's position

(35:18):
than it is about the total health and safety of
the game, because it's it's actually it's it's to me,
it's impossible to sit there and create a fine line
black and white in terms of how things are being
regulated in terms of the safety of a full contact
sport of football, because all intensive purposes, the defenders are

(35:43):
in a position where it has to be a physical
and considerably brutal, brutal sport on your body and who
it is you're playing against. You know, the shelf life
on a running back is three and a half seasons,
three and a half years. You know why, it's three
and a half years because of the brutality that takes

(36:03):
place and the toll in the tear wear, a tear
on their body, offensive lineman, defensive linemen, the brutality that
takes place every single play. So and I get, look,
you put in rules, you take away head slap, you
take away clothes lines, you take away chop blocks, you take.

Speaker 6 (36:21):
Away high lows.

Speaker 3 (36:24):
I mean, but the amount of attention that has been
paid to the quarterback position in particular, I think it's
and I hate to say it because it wasn't ugly hit, like,
I don't want to diminish and take away from what
the hit represented, but I think you still have to
follow the money on this situation.

Speaker 6 (36:45):
Jonas.

Speaker 3 (36:45):
I really think that if it's anyone else on that field,
it's not blown out of proportion to this level. It's
really not. I think some way, somehow we have placed
this halo or this protective covering over quarterbacks, and now
there's this whole deal of quarterbacks are just more important

(37:10):
than any other person that's on that field, and the
way it's handled, the way it's legislated, the way that
it is monitored, it's all based around the protection and
the benefits of what the quarterback represents to the game.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
It's like the and I always argue this the gambling
stuff when it comes to the NFL. If you like,
when a player gets accused or caught gambling or they're
betting on games or whatever, they're betting on college football games.

Speaker 7 (37:40):
In the case of the Lions, who had some guys and.

Speaker 2 (37:43):
The NFL goes out and it's Calvin Ridley and he
gets suspended for an entire season. The punishment doesn't fit
the crime, but the optics of it do. And I
think that when the NFL hands down some of these
punishments like this one, I think this is a hey,
we we understand, but do you understand why we have to.

Speaker 3 (38:08):
Make this move? Do not hit the quarterback? I mean,
do not hit the quarterback. That's what this say is
to me is as ugly as that hit looks is Again,
and I may come across the sounding insensitive, but I
just understand the game and how the game has been
played and how many how many players have.

Speaker 6 (38:29):
Played this game at the level they played it at.

Speaker 3 (38:32):
That is not the most egregious hit you're going to
see take place in football games. It's just not it's
who it happened to it's who got hit, it's how
that who got hit, And that to me is what
the outrage is is about. And that's why there's been

(38:53):
this whole age old, you know, kind of debate on
even turning it into because I don't think it's a
race thing at all. But when you think about when,
when you know they've made comparisons where Cam Newton is
able to be hit late, or Lamar Jackson or Robert Griffin,
you see the theme that I'm going with here. They're

(39:13):
able to be hit late, but there's no flags or
there's nothing that takes place when they get hit when
they're running because they're virtually or in that essence, they're
viewed as a running back. So apparently the refs aren't
able to manage their running the same way they would
manage the other quarterbacks that are are running when they run.

(39:35):
So to me, when I look at what's taking place
right here, right now, this is this is a line
in the sand, a further a further confirmation that you
are not to touch, you're not to hit the quarterback.

Speaker 2 (39:53):
But isn't this about the like in those cases, like
if Trevor Lawrence is trying to run and dive for
a first down and gets lit up and knocked out.
Completely different discussion. It's the fact that he was going
into a slide and and look, I also think, and
this is why I can't stand targeting. I can't stand
some of the penalties that are called because you're asking

(40:16):
a player in real time, in full speed.

Speaker 3 (40:21):
Like they have to really digest a whole lot like
at a like. And I think that's what the point
you're making is a good point.

Speaker 2 (40:29):
Well, it's like it's like in baseball, imagine if all
of a sudden, the strike zone was moving to where
all it's it's it's going around in a circle, and
you got to throw a strike. If you have the picture,
you're like, hold on a second, like where like where
do I throw to to get a strike call? And
you're asking defenders like where can I hit in real
time with everything moving, where can I go to get
a strike call? That's not going to get flagged for

(40:51):
a penalty. I think it's the fact that he was sliding,
And I'm telling you, I think it's the way that
he looked after the hit that really scared people.

Speaker 3 (41:01):
It did scare people, punish it did I don't think
it scared him into the punishment. I think it the
reality of it is that you do not want your
highest paid superstar, marquis marquee talent on the field on

(41:21):
the sideline. Like to me, I feel like that's what
this ultimately comes down to, because guys getting knocked out.
I would be curious to know how many concussions have
taken place on Sundays or Saturdays this year. How many
times do we see it turn into the Only time

(41:42):
we see it turn into really a big story is
when it's a quarterback.

Speaker 2 (41:46):
I look, why do you think I argue about Ja
Kwan Brisker like it's a great example. I mean, he
still has yet to play, and he's on IR and
that happened in October, and they put him back in
the game.

Speaker 7 (41:58):
And that was a play that was a brutal hit. Yes,
And that was a.

Speaker 2 (42:01):
Play where the receiver, the tight end, Tommy Tremble, lowered
his helmet and hit Jakwan Brisker, and Tommy Tremble got
fined after the game good and and and yet for
some reason Kwan Brisker was allowed to stay in the
game and not evaluate it.

Speaker 3 (42:19):
And but that's a great. It's a great example of
what I'm saying. So the bottom line here is John Runyon,
that's mock outrage and and you should choose your words
more carefully because you don't you don't know I'm I'm
I'm pretty pretty certain you don't know Azase well enough
to call his character in the question to that degree.

(42:42):
We've all had our moments where we get caught up
in in a game. If you're a competitor and if
something doesn't go go completely right and you get into
a scuffle or whatever, it may be that you may
have handled things in a way that you may regret.
The man came out and apologize for what took play.
I just think that the approach of it, you know,

(43:04):
I don't know. I you're protecting quarterbacks, that's fine. Tell
them not to run, tell them not to run. The
blow I keep saying it blow the play did when
you get closer to the quarterback, make it touch, give
them a flag, whatever it is. But you don't have
to keep dancing around the fact that you're protecting. This
is all about protection of the quarterback. That's really what

(43:26):
this comes down to. Like we could talk about the
brawl and that is what it is. But the idea
of it, it really comes down to the fact that
you're protecting quarterbacks. And that's to me, that's all is
not justifying the hit at all, not justifying the hit.
And the rules are the rules about about the rules,
but this is all about protecting the quarterback.

Speaker 6 (43:46):
That's my dilemma here.

Speaker 3 (43:47):
Is it safety or is it you're protecting a certain
skill group because everybody's subject to the same type of
brutality on that football field.

Speaker 1 (43:57):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn, LeVar Errington, and
Jonas Knox weekdays at six am Eastern, three am Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 2 (44:11):
This is a Thursday tradition here on the show, except
last week was a Friday tradition when Labar and I
were filling in on the herd. He is Albert Breer
Amazon NFL on Prime Insider. We call him the Star
of Amazon on NFL, Amazon NFL on Thursday, Senior NFL Reporter,
Lead content strategist MQB and AB.

Speaker 7 (44:33):
We'll just let you have.

Speaker 2 (44:34):
It first, what the hell happened in Columbus? Because we
do have it on good authority that you were being
harassed by one Brady Quinn before the game.

Speaker 6 (44:43):
Said you were to mush.

Speaker 8 (44:45):
Yeah he did.

Speaker 7 (44:46):
What are you saying, said you were to mush.

Speaker 8 (44:49):
I'm not sure what that means.

Speaker 7 (44:52):
He was blaming you. You're the reason that they were struggling.

Speaker 8 (44:54):
Oh oh yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5 (44:56):
He gave me increasing attention.

Speaker 8 (44:59):
Over the or of the game. I don't know if
he was I don't know if he was trying to, uh,
to rub it in or if he was trying to
come to my aid. It was kind of hard.

Speaker 5 (45:08):
I was in a fog there in the fourth quarter. Yeah,
that was awful.

Speaker 8 (45:11):
That was awful. That was had a great I had
had a great day, you know, to begin with, flew
in flight, was on time. Buddy picks me up at
the airport, My buddy Reagan.

Speaker 2 (45:22):
Uh.

Speaker 8 (45:22):
We go back to his house. His lovely wife, Kelly,
gives us a ride over. Get to see his son Chase.
Kelly gets ride over to the tailgate, shout out of
a tailgate and performed pretty well there for a couple
of hours. Get to the stadium. Seats are great and
uh and then the game started. So yeah, where somehow

(45:43):
and somehow Michigan probably has two players on their on
that Like, on that field, Michigan probably had two players
who would start at Ohio State, right, probably two players
that would start at Ohio State, And somehow the game
plan was to run right at those two guys. So yeah,
I trust me. I've had to reckon with it.

Speaker 7 (46:01):
Over the last Where where does that run?

Speaker 2 (46:03):
Where does that rank for most difficult or frustrating losses?

Speaker 7 (46:07):
As an Ohio State a Lumber fan.

Speaker 8 (46:11):
You know, I like it's just so weird now because
we're still going to the playoff, you know, like I
don't know, I mean, I don't know, LeVar, like you
probably like relate with this too, like it's it just
it doesn't it's like still sucks the same way in
the moment, and this one sucked for a couple of
days after. I've just got too many Michigan people in
my life, like my family. You know, I'm in Detroit now.

(46:33):
You know, I went to my cousin's house last last night,
and you know, like last week, I would have told
you it would have been like I would have been
like having a parade over there, and uh, it wasn't
that way. So I would say, like it still hurts
in the moment, but then it's like, well, you know,
now you get another chance to redeem yourself, which in
the past, and college football wasn't the case, right, Like

(46:55):
in the past in college football, like you was one
game and there's no guarantee of anything after that. It's
not that way anymore.

Speaker 6 (47:01):
It could be the best thing that happened to you. Guys.
Get your loss out of the way. Now. You know.

Speaker 8 (47:05):
That's weird, right, But like I think it like can
sometimes can be a wake up call, like we can't
play that way, you know what I mean. I don't know,
you know, it's like it's like the strength of the
team is the receivers and you need to throw it
to him, and maybe if you win that game, it's weird,
but like maybe if you win that game seventeen thirteen.

Speaker 7 (47:22):
You still you don't learn that, right, you don't learn that.

Speaker 8 (47:24):
Lot, you know what I mean. And it's like, oh,
well we were just tougher, Like well yeah, but you
still have like three first round picks of receivers, So
why ain't throwing to him now? Like you sort of
have to face that question, you.

Speaker 2 (47:34):
Know, Abe, I got to know So when we spoke
to you last Friday, it was right as the move
was being made the Bears firing Matt Ebraflues. Yep, what
are you hearing about their pursuit of potential coaches. It
feels like Thomas Brown is going to get a real shot.
But what are you hearing about who they may be targeting.

Speaker 8 (47:53):
Well, they're impressed with the job that Thomas Brown did
you know it's Calevin with the offenses.

Speaker 5 (47:58):
They do want to give.

Speaker 8 (47:59):
Him some real line and then that you know the
reality of that, like that doesn't really cost him anything, right,
Like they can just they just like see how that
goes and see how he adapts. And it's a big
challenge for him. Of course if you if you look
like over the last month, he's gone from past game coordinator,
which you know, if you're the passing coordinator, you don't

(48:19):
even really have your own position group that you're that
you that you're running you know what I mean, Like
you're important, but you're not you're not really in charge
of much and like as far as just people. And
then you go to being offensive coordinator now to head coach.
So you know, that's a that's a that's a that's
a big jump from one to the next to the next,
and so like they'll get a very real look at

(48:40):
how he handles it. And you know, I think one
thing that the one thing that like I think is
interesting about him is just like he everybody's been around
him says he's got the personality to be a head coach, right,
and so like the question is is he ready to
do it? And now he's being thrust into that role
where he's going to have to manage all those things.
So it'll be interesting to see. And I do think

(49:00):
like he has some qualities that you would want in
your head coach, Like I think the Bears, you know,
as much as there's going to be like a focus
on like yeah, like let's find somebody to coach Caleb Williams.

Speaker 5 (49:12):
I don't know. I look at that.

Speaker 8 (49:13):
Franchise over the last fifteen years and it's like I
almost feel like that's the last thing they should be
focused on, you know what I mean. Like I think
it's not to say it's not important. Obviously it's important
to develop the quarterback, but it's like when you've got
like these deep rooted problems, like you should not be
focused on developing one player. You know, you need to
be looking at.

Speaker 5 (49:31):
The big picture of things.

Speaker 8 (49:33):
At least that's the way that I see it, you know,
And if you can find a guy who can do both, great,
But yeah, Thomas Brown's going to get a look at it,
and you know, I think then the next question is like,
how much are they willing to change or adapt the
way they're set up now to sit whoever the next
head coach is, because I do think that that's going
to have an effect on which type of a head
coach they can attract to that job because they're not

(49:54):
there's a perception about the way that organization runs it
has run for the last ten to fifteen years that
they're going to be battling. So if they're not willing
to make some concessions on the way they're set up, well,
then that's going to drive you some coaching candidates away.

Speaker 6 (50:09):
Abe.

Speaker 3 (50:09):
As the season begins to wind down and the games
continue to matter the most to those teams that are
pushing for the playoffs, there's a team in particular that's
trending up positively, which is the Eagles.

Speaker 6 (50:23):
But yet you.

Speaker 3 (50:24):
Look around and all of the media outlets are leaning
into this narrative of the conversations of Nick Sirianni. Why
is he such a hot button topic in terms of
his job security when for me, seemingly, I mean, he
should be in consideration for Coach of the Year, let
alone be wondering if he's going to get fire from

(50:46):
his job, because.

Speaker 8 (50:48):
The NFC East is like the SEC when it comes
to the coaching shot security, Like, it's unbelievable if you
think about it, right like, and not to say like
that Mike McCarthy deserves to be cut like a huge
break here, but he did win twelve games three years
in a row, right like, And coming into this year
his job was on the line. Like how many places
would you say that that would be the case other

(51:10):
than Dallas, right, New York obviously, like we know where
you know Dave Ball is and you know the temperature
rising there. And then Philly. I mean, if you look
at Siriani's resume, he inherited a four win team, right,
so he inherit the four win team he's making. He's
he's leading a change of quarterbacks. So they're trading Carson Wentz.
They're bringing in jail On Hurts, which we didn't know

(51:31):
what that was going to become of that at that
point in time. In twenty one, he makes the playoffs.
In year one, he gets the super Bowl in year two.
In year three, they start out what was at nine
and one, and then like things sort of come undone
on him at the end and all of a sudden,
his jobs on the line. He made the playoffs three
years in a row, got to the super Bowl, developed
a quarterback. Like you know, it's just it's crazy to

(51:53):
sort of think, like how many cities would would would
a guy like that was his job be on the
line going into year four? Here they are here they
were coming into.

Speaker 5 (52:02):
The year, and I think he's done a great job
handling it.

Speaker 8 (52:05):
Like I think one of the things that like, like
I even like admit that I probably got wrong was
like some people question, like, you know, is he right
for Philly? And you know, you had the press conference
at the beginning, yelling at the fan earlier this year
and all of that.

Speaker 5 (52:19):
Well, like I.

Speaker 8 (52:20):
Actually have come to think that he's perfect for Philly
because he doesn't give a crap, you know what I mean. Like,
and like I think that there's this like kind of
like defiant, like I am who I am, you know,
and that's it. And I sort of think you like
need that hard shell to coach in a place like that,
you know what I mean, like where you really don't
you really.

Speaker 5 (52:39):
Don't care what what what what? What? What the outside
world thinks?

Speaker 8 (52:42):
You know? So I think, you know, I've sort of
gone from like is he the right guy to coach
in that city? Now like I think he's sort of
got the perfect mentality for it.

Speaker 2 (52:51):
Just it's almost like now winning doesn't matter. Wait what,
like like that's the whole goal and all he does
is win games there. That's why the whole convent stations
was weird to me before the season, and it's weird
to me now, Like there he's like twenty five games
over five hundred, Like that's got to count or something.

Speaker 7 (53:10):
Yeah, like what do we like?

Speaker 2 (53:12):
And it's like, well, if we're not talking like he's
been one and done in the playoffs. You could argue
they should have beaten the Chiefs in that super Bowl,
like they went to a super Bowl, Like I just
that one's that one.

Speaker 8 (53:22):
You look at that it's like you have to beat
by an all time great, you know what I mean,
Like that's like that's like losing the Brady.

Speaker 5 (53:28):
Back in the day.

Speaker 8 (53:28):
It's like, you obviously would rather win than lose, But
if your loss is coming to that guy in the
super Bowl, sometimes it's just like, well that's just the
lake couse, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (53:38):
Albert Brier joining us here on Fox Sports Radio on
the subject of McCarthy, Like, we were kind of kicking
this around yesterday because Jerry Jones threw this out there, Well,
it wouldn't be the craziest idea to get him an extension.
Do you think he's back, because I hope he's back.
I love the way he's handled this year to where
he's just kind of laughed off all the Jerry Jones
interviews and comments about the offense. But like if if

(53:59):
say Belichick doesn't want to be a part of it,
and you start, you know, narrowing down candidates because they
want to go elsewhere, I find it hard to believe
that you would find somebody better than Mike McCarthy to
take that job.

Speaker 8 (54:13):
Yeah, and I mean that's always that That's always what's
going to be the question coming into the year when
they decided not to extend him.

Speaker 5 (54:21):
And that's what's tricky about it.

Speaker 8 (54:22):
You know, is that like if you're them, you can't
just like say like okay, like let's try it for
another year. You have to negotiate a whole new contract
with him, which means you're recommitting to him, right, and
which means is like this isn't just for the here
and the now, It's for two or three years. Because
I think like if he had if he hadn't, I
would look at this differently if he had, like a
if he was if he had been extended like a

(54:45):
couple of years ago, like let's say they extend him
after the twenty two season and now he's under contract
to like twenty twenty seven, I'd probably look at this
a lot differently. I'd be like, yeah, he's handled this
really well, and like it's like a horrific situation just
as far as like the the injuries and then the
adjustment on defense, and like he's like sort of managed

(55:08):
this to a point where like I mean, you look
at like against this against like some other teams in
the way that some other teams have circle the drain,
like these guys are still fighting, you know, so like
I'm with you like that, Like if he was on
an existing contract, in the next year, Like I think
it would be like fifty to fifty maybe better than
that that he's back, and you know what complicates it

(55:31):
now is like having to do a whole new contract
with him and and you're right, like I don't know,
like when they moved on from Wade Phillips in two
thousand and in twenty ten, like they knew who the
next head coach was going to be, you know what
I mean, Like they knew, like we've groomed Jason Garrett,
like this is our guy.

Speaker 5 (55:49):
We're going with Jason Garrett, right.

Speaker 8 (55:51):
Like they it's not like there's somebody there for them
this time around, where it's like, yeah, there's the obvious tick,
go get them, you know, unless maybe a Pelichick. But
I I just I don't know, I'm what feeling that
like this thing I think has gotten a little bit
more complicated because I do think McCarthy has done like
an admirable job getting the team where it needs to
be in a really weird situation.

Speaker 3 (56:13):
There's going to be quite a few coaching I think
it might be a pretty high level or a pretty
high number of coaching opportunities, including possibly in Dallas. But
when you hear a person a high up in an

(56:34):
organization like the Bears come out and say their job
will be the most coveted job to get as as
a head coach.

Speaker 6 (56:44):
Is that Do you buy that?

Speaker 7 (56:46):
Like, yeah, I didn't either, But give me your perspective
on it.

Speaker 8 (56:50):
I mean I think LeVar right, I just think like so,
I mean, like part of the issue to me is
like is like you look at like and again, like
I think like it's easy to look at a roster
and say, like, yeah, there's a lot to work with there,
and I think there there is, there's a good based
account in Chicago. But then I think you got to
look at the history of ownership because that's the one

(57:12):
thing you can't change, and like where have coaches there
before had trouble? And like, okay, like am I going
to be able to set it up the way that
I want to set it up? And you know, I
think like you can judge the attractiveness of these jobs
by like like are you turning off certain factions of
coaches but with some element of your operation And like

(57:32):
I do think for the Bears, the trouble is like
if you're a mic Vrabel or you're a Bill Belichick,
who I both think like would be would would would
have interest in that job? Like do you look at
it and say, well, like do I have to come
in and work for Ryan Poles? Is the is the
reporting structure going to be the same? How much of us, say,
am I going to have in personnel? Like there are

(57:54):
all of these unanswered questions where it's just you know,
you're are you are you going in with a chance
to build something the way you want to build it?
Or are you inheriting the old problems that Matt Eberflus
had to deal with, you know what I mean? Like
so like I think that that's the one thing that's difficult.
It's like when when you when you go through these
half measures and you're you're firing one guy but not

(58:15):
the other guy, and then like a lot of like
other FA's the organization are staying the same, Like what
are you really doing? Are you confirming that like what
you were doing before was right and this one person
was the problem. And then if you're a coach looking
at different jobs, is it attractive to walk into that
where it's like all right, these people already think they

(58:36):
were right about what they were doing the last few years,
even though they haven't made the playoffs, you know in
the last four years, Like is there like like like
am I going to be able to overcome the problems
of the coach before me?

Speaker 5 (58:51):
Face? Like, I think that's the trouble with it.

Speaker 2 (58:54):
Albert Brier with us here on Fox Sports Radio, AB
do you because I've seen some people kind of kick
this around. And then obviously Florio started back up when
he was talking about, you know, should the Bears call
the Niners about, you know, a trade for Kyle Shanahan.
But there was you know, there's stuff that was out
there about you know, has it run its course? So
on and so forth. Do you buy that that maybe

(59:17):
we could see a change when it comes to the
head coach in San Francisco one way or the other.

Speaker 8 (59:25):
Not really. I think the Niners really like the way
they're set up. I think there's like a lot of
smart people in place. I think Kyle has the run
of the place, has like things like in a way
where he can have a major say in personnel, where
the team's gonna be shaped in the way that he

(59:46):
wants it shaped. He's got smart people there that he respects,
that he works with that are outside the coaching staff,
So I just I have a hard time seeing where
like San Francisco would move on from that, or like
where where Kyle would say, yeah, like I want to
pull up stakes and get the hell out of here,

(01:00:07):
And there's there's greener grass somewhere else. Now, maybe it's
you know, like if you look in Chicago, his dad's
from there, you know, like he it's it's an iconic franchise,
there's a quarterback there, Maybe there'd be some interest, But
I think overall, like San Francisco's got a lot of
the things that like and remember, Chicago to get him
would also probably have to blow up a lot of things,

(01:00:28):
just as far as the way they're structured. But I
think overall, like San Francisco, it's probably still like the
best situation for him. But that doesn't mean if I'm
not if I'm another team, I wouldn't I wouldn't be
calling like I think it's I think it makes all
the sense in the world, especially for these teams, the Bears,
the Saints, the Jets like who have like given themselves

(01:00:50):
like this extra runway to look. I think it makes
all the sense in the world for those teams to
call anyone. I mean, shoot, called the Steelers. I'mike Tomlin,
you know what I mean, Like like I like I
would I like I I call the call the Ravens
on John Harbaugh, you know, like I I I I
don't see the harm in doing that if you're if
you're a team that's looking, you know, because you never.

Speaker 3 (01:01:09):
Think it can harm the relationship though, Like to me, yeah,
you do that with the Ravens or or like some
of the names you just mentioned, but they're having success,
so it's like it's like we threw it out there,
like it's no Like I know, I'm secure, you know,
if I'm if I'm a horrball.

Speaker 6 (01:01:25):
But but if it is Kyle.

Speaker 3 (01:01:27):
Shanahan, you know, after a season like this, I need
to feel supported, right, Like I need to know like hey, John, like,
hey guys, we're we're still on the same page, right, Like.

Speaker 4 (01:01:38):
What do you mean there?

Speaker 8 (01:01:40):
Know what I'm saying, But I'm saying, if you're one
of those other teams.

Speaker 7 (01:01:42):
Okay, okay, if.

Speaker 8 (01:01:46):
You're one of those other teams calling.

Speaker 3 (01:01:47):
About them, Okay, I get calling about that, calling about that,
like call call the owner owner, you know what I mean,
the owner calls their owner like, hey.

Speaker 8 (01:01:56):
Like, we know this is out of last field. We
know this is probably a no, but would you have
any interest, like would there be any interest in doing it? Coach?
I mean, I just think like I you know, I
think like it's just you have to look at some
of the guys who've been in single places for a
long time, where it's like would you ever need a
change team? And these questions have come up with Harbaugh

(01:02:18):
and Tomlin because those guys have been in those places
for so long. Harbaugh's what in seventeen years in Baltimore
and Tomlin's at eighteen years in Pittsburgh. You know, like
so like it can't harm that, It can't doesn't harm
anything for an owner to call another owner to make
that call and say like, look like like we know
this is probably a no, but like I kicked myself,

(01:02:39):
I didn't ask, and so like would this at all
be possible? And all likelihood it would probably be a
know and hang up the phone and that's that. But
what happens if something happens in three or four weeks,
like where you know, maybe they changed their perspective. Well, now,
like if there were a conversation to have they would
call you back, you know. So, I don't think that

(01:03:00):
there's any harm in that, and I think that that
should be a part of just being very thorough and
what you're doing when you're looking for a new coach.

Speaker 2 (01:03:07):
Ab we got less than thirty seconds. Are you going
to throw your support behind Penn State? Just do it
for the old big ten as opposed to.

Speaker 5 (01:03:14):
Yeah big, I'm a big tempire. Yeah you got me.

Speaker 8 (01:03:20):
I do like Dan Landing a lot. But yeah, but
but yeah, but yeah, I think uh, I'll be interested
to see how you guys. But you got an Ohio
boy out there, a quarterback. We'll see how Alan plays
in that.

Speaker 6 (01:03:32):
Oh there you are. So there's the sneak take credit. Okay,
with you.

Speaker 7 (01:03:38):
Albert Brer.

Speaker 2 (01:03:38):
You'll see him later on tonight on Amazon's NFL on
Prime coverage.

Speaker 8 (01:03:42):
Hey A LeVar, the best best Ten State teams have
always had Ohio guys.

Speaker 3 (01:03:46):
I mean John Carter diced them boys up the last
time we saw them.

Speaker 8 (01:03:51):
So with you there, I've had I've had to hear
those revenge storylines a lot. Trust me. I thought I
thought Alan might be dishing on of them out too.
He hasn't yet, but we'll see what happens on Saturday A. B.

Speaker 2 (01:04:02):
We appreciate it, and we'll watch you later on tonight.
All right, there is Albert Breer, senior NFL reporter, lead
content strategist at the mm QB and part of Amazon's
NFL on Prime coverage, which we'll feature the Lions and
the Packers later on tonight.

Speaker 7 (01:04:17):
Get them on ex at Albert Brier