January 28, 2025 • 56 mins
It's Fox Sports Radio's official fantasy football podcast! Dan Beyer and Ian Roddy (in for an under-the-weather Mike Harmon) open the show with their biggest thoughts and takeaways coming out of the AFC Championship between the Chiefs and Bills. Whose feet does the blame lie at for the Bills? Then they hop over to the NFC side of things, breaking down the Eagles' victory over the Commanders and looking back on an all-time rookie season from Jayden Daniels. Later, Dan and Ian react to all of the latest head coaching hires from across the NFL... Is Aaron Glenn the guy to finally fix the Jets' culture? How about Pete Carroll to the Raiders? Is there any chance Schottenheimer actually pans out as a good hire for the Cowboys?
Host: Dan Beyer
Producer: Ian Roddy
#fsrweekends #jss #douggottliebshow
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ladies, and you want experience during your football season, Well,
buckle up, sweet cheeks. We've got all the experience in
the world. This is I Want your Flex with Dan
Byer and Mike Harmon. Mike and Dan break down everything
you need to set your lineups, from position rankings to
(00:23):
starts and sits. The guys help you make those hard decisions.
And now let's get your flex sod. Here's Dan Bayer
and Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Welcome man. It is I want your Flex. I am
Dan Byer. You can find me at Dan Byer on
Fox on X. You can find me at Dan Byer
on Blue Sky. Ian Roddy is our executive producer. You
can find him on ex at Ian Roddy Underscore and
on Blue Sky at Ian desh Roddy.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Is that correct? All right? One hundred percent?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I usually introduce Mike first, but Mike's not here tonight. Unfortunately,
at the taping of this podcast, Mike lost his voice.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
He has no voice whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
He tried to gut it out on his show with
Jason Smith with Mike Sharp with Mike Harmon that you
can hear weeknights on Fox Sports Radio. Mike tried to
give it a go. Thirty minutes in, had to throw
in the white towel. The guy probably needs yeah, just
see you later. He got booted, but I give him
an a for effort and he probably needs to rest
(01:26):
because he's usually awake like twenty one out of the
twenty four hours of the day, so hopefully he can
get some rest.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
But Mike is not going to be with us.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
I know he's kicking himself because Ian it's championship weekend
or it just was in the NFL, and there's so
much to talk about as we've got the.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Super Bowl matchup that is set.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
It is the Eagles and Chiefs, a matchup that I
must say, you predicted on our last podcast that you
thought that we would see. I had Eagles bills and
Mike had Eagles bills, and I was trying to figure
out what my prediction was going to be for what
my heart said, what my head said. Then to Mike's point,
Mike had Philadelphia in the Super Bowl from the beginning
(02:06):
of the year. I had the Bills in the Super Bowl.
I think he may have had the Bills as well,
so his Super Bowl pick was still alive. I only
had the Bills on that side, so I went with
the Bills. It's also where my heart was. But it
was a weekend, quite honestly, on Sunday of disappointment. I
was disappointed that the Eagles game became such a blow up,
(02:28):
and I was honestly just disappointed that the Bills lost
to the Chiefs won.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
That basically sums up.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I didn't have a dog in the fight in the
NFC Championship game, and I felt if the team really
did deserve to get the Super Bowl, it.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Was probably Philadelphia.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
But I wanted to see then Philadelphia against Buffalo for
that matchup, and instead we get a rematch that we
got from two years ago.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I don't know if I'm in the minority.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I don't think so unless everybody that I'm following on
social media.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Is the only people that are like me.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
But I'm a little bit disappointed from a matchup even
though we've got two of the best teams in the
National football.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah, everyone's disappointed.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
It's like I said it last week on the show,
before I made that prediction that it would be Eagles Chiefs,
I said, I would prefer that it's you know, Commander's Bills.
That would be the best case scenario, and instead we
literally got the worst case scenario. Brandon, you know are
editor Brandon Deutsch's he's been calling it Hitler versus Mussolini.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
Is this cheese Chiefs Eagles matchup?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
There is a tough choice to root for. People will
usually root for a Super Bowl if they're a sports
fan like you am like you are, and I am Ian.
You're a Jets fan. I'm a Seahawks fan. I wouldn't
cheer for a team from the NFC West. Just wouldn't happen.
I don't know if you have any sentimental feelings towards
(03:46):
the Buffalo Bills, like so many do, considering they're a
division rival.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
But yeah, I'll say, personally, I'm not. I'm not rooting
for them. I can't, like you said, I can't root
for a division rival. So I'm, you know, unfortunately, going
to kind of be pulling for the Chiefs here. Although
again give back to the Hitler mussol anything.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
It is just there's no winning this one.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
The funny thing with the Buffalo Kansas City game, and
we'll just start there. We'll get to the Eagles and
Commanders a little bit later of the podcast. The thing
about the Buffalo Kansas City game was we knew this
is how it was going to play out. We knew
this is what was going to happen. And even during
(04:29):
the game, my Sunday co host Carrie Rhodes, the show
that you produce for us on Sunday afternoons on Fox
Sports Radio, Carrie sends me a text and I'll even
read it verbatim because I think we were both pulling
for the for the Bills in this scenario. Carrie ends
(04:52):
up texting me, got a ballgame, and ill right, I
keep thinking the more the Bills get close, the more
it will end heartbreak for them. And he texts me back,
heartbreak again and the toughest the toughest part of the
game on Sunday for the Bills to me, wasn't that
(05:12):
Josh Allen fourth and five Dalton Kincaid drop. It was
the missed call. What I feel was a missed call
on the fourth.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
And one, yeah, where he was short well because one
line judge literally had him as making it and the
other one was no. So I mean, yeah, it comes
down to it. It's always with the Chiefs. It's these
refs and the questionable calls and stuff.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
I thought this one was a little less fishy compared
to the Texans game last week. I like, really that
that fourth down call there with Josh Allen being short,
it was really the only you know call that It
really seemed like the refs really messed up.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Is a big oney in it.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
I mean it was, it was.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
A big one.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
But I will say that there's plenty of other things
that went into it as opposed, Like if if the
game comes down to literal inches like that, then did
the Bills really deserve to win?
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Well, did the Chiefs deserve to win if it came
down to that and in that close of a call?
I think is the other side of the coin with this.
Speaker 5 (06:12):
If that was the game, I would agree more. But
the fact that the game didn't come down to that
exact play, it's hard to legitimately say that, Oh, here
we go.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
All hypotheticals.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I get it. It is all hypotheticals.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
And if you just go to the scenario, there's about
eleven minutes left in the game, It's twenty two to
twenty one at that point. What ends up happening after
the no call is the Chiefs go down and score.
Bills go down and answer, Chiefs go down and kick
field goal. Bills then end end up turning it over
on fourth and five. The stop on the fourth down
(06:47):
had so many different ramifications. Number One, the Bills are
up by one at that point. If you go down
and score a touchdown, it is a two score game
with about nine minutes left.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
So the Chiefs then have.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
To be absolutely perfect with how they end up playing out,
and they were perfect from that point on in terms
of scoring the touchdown and scoring the field goal. But
I think it's it's completely different if the Bills end
up having a twenty nine to twenty one lead. I
think in that scenario, honestly, they probably go for two
(07:23):
and try to make that nine point lead if you
can make it thirty to twenty one, to try to
make it that two score game, if you can get
it with nine minutes left.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
And that's why I.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Think it was such a big deal, as yeah, it
was only on one point lead. But if they go
down and score a touchdown, I think they go for
two and they try to make it a two possession game,
and now Kansas City is in complete makeup mode and
Buffalo is in the driver's seat instead of them just
trading punches back and forth.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
I guess I'm with you.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
It's just that there still is no guarantee that Buffalo
then would have gone down the field and scored. And
it's just Kansas City has gotten so good at closing
out these these close games, and it just the whole
fourth quarter you just kind of knew because this game
is so close.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
It's at least I felt this way.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Is that because it's so close, you just kind of
know that the Chiefs are going to pull this one out.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Kansas City is so good in late game situations, in
how they handle the clock, how they work the clock
with a lead, totally, they're very good. I've always said
they're very good at getting eleven yards on three plays.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
So when it's six minutes left in the game.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
I've talked about it on the podcast a bunch, they'll
just get eleven yards fresh seted downs and another one
hundred and twenty seconds comes off the clock and the
next thing you know, it's the two minute warning and
you're like, wait a second here, now we have to
stop them if we even want to get the ball back.
They're very good in those situations. I was shocked shocked
when Kansas City didn't score a touchdown when it was
(08:51):
tied at twenty nine. I was I was amazed. I
was like, wow, they actually because Buffalo got pressure on
my homes, ended up getting the sad. They ended up
settling for three, which I thought then was the ultimate
win and then a path for Josh Allen to go
down and score and have the Bills get that miraculous win.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
But it did not happen that way.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
I just think that the Bills in terms of the
way that they came back in the first half, It's
difficult to do that twice.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
In a game.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And that's why I feel the fourth down call was
so crucial, was because.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
They had the lead at that time.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
And I just don't I don't understand on how a
call like that gets made in the National Football League.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
And when you start push no, just.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
No, the actual referee officials call that in that case
in how you have an official where the ball carrier
has his back to that official and that's the side.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
That the official.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
The southelnds that the Chiefs were on, that's the sideline
that the official is at. He's the one that has
the worst angle of it. And even though at one
point he sees the football. If you look at the
other camera angle from the Buffalo sideline where Josh Allen
is actually looking at the pylon to make sure that
he gets to that point, and while you can't see
(10:14):
the football, you know the football's in his arms, you
know what's there. His arms are folded. At one point
his torso does touch the line. And how that is
how that's not conclusive enough? I have no idea. And
that's the part of where the NFL is. And it
goes back to the other calls last week, and it's
(10:35):
the Chiefs and Texans game. It's how these rules are
written ian that I have the biggest problem with, because
the officials then have to implement the rules the way
that they are written in the rule book and for
replay to not be able to get a look at
the football because there was so much congestion and everything
that went with it for them to be able to
(10:57):
not get a look at the football. I think that's
the reason why they said the call stood, because you
couldn't see the football with Josh Allen from the angle
that showed that he crossed the line. But just physics
or just normal thinking would tell you that the football
is in Josh Allen's arms, wrapped up under his two
arms because he's protecting it for dear life, because he
(11:17):
just fumbled on the previous fourth and one that he
dove over the top like that's that tells you that
he got the first down. And for some reason the
NFL in the rule book is written in a way
where that sort of play cannot be said, Well, we
didn't see the football, but we assume the football was
in his grasp at that point and crossed the line
and is a first down.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
Well, it's also with the you know how the refs
with the call. The call on the field holds so
much weight because because of the fact that the ref
who you know, like you say, had the worst view,
he got the call on the field. It means that
then there has to be clear evidence to overturn that,
as opposed to had the other guy got it, there
wouldn't need to be clear evidence to overturn the fact
(11:55):
that he didn't get.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
The first down.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Yes, so, very good point.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
It really doesn't make a lot of sense that they
that they went with the ref who had the worst view.
So that's a good point on your partner.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
There's there's just a lot of frustration and no no
Chiefs fans probably don't want to hear about it, and
they're sick about it and sick of hearing people like
me complain about it.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
But I do think it's a big deal.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
I don't know if they're going to their third Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Yeah, you're probably right. They don't don't care what I say.
They've got a bigger fish to fry. It's just it
was frustrating. I can't imagine being a Bills fan because
here's the other portion of this. I was thinking about this.
Here you're Josh Allen, you're taking in the twenty eighteen
NFL Draft, and here we are twenty twenty four. He's
(12:41):
going to be twenty nine years old in May, so
he's not even thirty yet, so probably another decade in
his career of playing football. But he's not gonna be
the same quarterback as he is when he's thirty eight,
as he is when he's twenty eight, right, But taking
Patrick Mahomes out of the equation, if he has ten
more years that he plays, I think it's an enormous
(13:05):
stretch for Josh Allen to be in five AFC championship
games over the next ten years. That is, that would
be that would be stuff that you would dream of entering.
If I were to say you have five AFC championship
games over the next ten years, would you agree with that?
If I would to say the Bills were to make
it back five times over the next ten years, yeah,
(13:27):
that is that.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
You're a Jets fan, right, like I mean.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
I hope not.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I mean, you know, the Seahawks they went to back
to back NFC championship games where they ended up going
to the Super Bowl and.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Then haven't been back to one since.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
They've made it to the wild card, they've made it
to the divisional playoffs, but they have not been back
to the conference championship game. So if he's not going
to make five, I think four would still be a lot.
So let's just settle on three. Sure, so you only
has three more chances, and then you have to think
how many times does the Buffalo curse come into play?
(14:02):
And so that's where we start getting down to the
all right, how many opportunities and oh maybe they'll be back,
not like you look at it next year, Like I
think Buffalo is not a complete disadvantage for making it
back to the title game.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
I think Baltimore is in prime.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Position to make it back next year because guess what,
they were knocked out this past year.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
So now there's a little extra motivation.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Maybe Baltimore ends up being able to make that move
and Kansas City's not going anywhere. It's just the point
of when you look at what happens in the future
and how things can play out, it's just it's such
a missed opportunity for Buffalo, it really is.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
I mean, I it's just that if you if you
look at it in a vacuum, it feels like Buffalo
should easily be able to get back because they were
just there.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Like it's it's always what it feels like.
Speaker 5 (14:50):
It's why when the Bengals made it to the Super Bowl,
it felt like they were playing with house money.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
You know.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
It feels like, oh, they'll just make it back Burro,
so ye, yep. The point is you can't always bank
on that in a vacuum.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Though.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
This was sort of like a down year for the Bills. Though,
as weird as it is to think about, you know,
Keon Coleman's a rookie. Khalil Shakir was Josh Allen's number
one target.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Great point.
Speaker 5 (15:10):
Dalton kin Paid was a first rounder last year. He's
kind of disappointed. It's just the point is, this has
kind of been a year where they weren't supposed to
have gone to the AFC Championship and they still did.
So if you were to, you know, theoretically, add a
number one target to their offense next year, I really
like their odds, but again, it's just so hard to
guarantee it. And they were just there and they came
(15:32):
up short. And I'm sure that they know that too,
so they're feeling pretty bad.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I think that you can.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
I think you can, like as you said, Keon Coleman
can get better and maybe he can develop into that
number one wide receiver.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
I mean, he better. They took him with the first
drop pick of the second.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
Round, and they traded their pick that they ended up
giving the Chiefs Xavier.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Worthy yep, exactly, So so you better turn into something.
But there's also the fact of I actually think that
this team needs to get better on defense. They need
to make it so Josh Allen doesn't have to bring
them back from a twenty to ten deficit and to
make it back and continue on like they need. They
need that defense to get better. They've got a couple
(16:13):
of good players. They've got Ed Oliver, Who's I mean,
but you know, von Miller's playing pass rushing downs. Their
secondaries banged up and they moved through different pieces. No
disrespect to Damar Hamlin, but Damorrow Hamlin last year in
his comeback when he did return, was inactive for many games.
And now Damar Hamlin's ending up starting at points because
(16:34):
and played significantly this year because the thinness of their secondary,
They've had to make moves from other years and letting
other guys go. They have to get better on defense,
and if that happens, I think then everything else falls
in place.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
With Buffalo.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
That's a good point.
Speaker 5 (16:51):
That's a good point, Dan, actually, because I actually when
I was watching the game Chief Spills, I had the thought,
you know, if one of these teams is going to
be playing the Eagles, how the heck are the Bills
defense gonna deal with Saquon Barkley. They were having so
much trouble stopping the Chiefs with you know, the corpse
of Durham Hunt.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
How do you think they're gonna do against you?
Speaker 5 (17:12):
Know, one of the best running backs we've ever seen,
you know, in one of the best seasons we've ever seen.
Not good, but the Chiefs I feel like at least
their defense has a chance to not shut down Barkley.
That's a tall ask, but at least, you know, stifle
them a little bit.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
We shall see. We'll find out in two weeks.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
We'll talk more about what's going to happen in Super
Bowl fifty nine on next week's episode. Hopefully Mike is
back in action and gets that voice back he is, Ian, Roddy,
I'm Dan Byer it is. I want your flags, and
don't worry Chiefs fans. I know there was a lot
of Bills talk and a lot of Bills favor and
sorry about that. We try to split it down the middle,
but we're not. I'm not gonna lie. I really wanted
(17:50):
the Bills to win this past weekend. But we'll talk
about more about the Chiefs and egles coming up in
the Super Bowl preview coming up next. Ian mentioned Saquon
Barkley and the type of running back that he is
and the great season that he's had, and it continued
in the NFC Championship game. Will break down that, and
do I actually give the commanders some credit. I've been
(18:11):
getting some flak on social media about not get giving
Washington their flowers. You'll find out if they'll receive those
flowers next here. And I want your flex. It is
I want your flex. I'm Dan Byer, Mike Harmon is out,
ill Ian Roddy, our executive producer, is with me.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
You know. It's funny.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
I do have to say, because Mike talks about it
when we talk about going back to places and going
back to AFC Championship games like.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
We were with the Buffalo Bills.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Mike what left the lasting impression on him was when
he was leaving Sofi Stadium after Super Bowl fifty six
when the Rams beat the Bengals, as the Bengals felt
that they were always going to be back. And it's
a tail, you know, as long as time in the
NFL of guys that you thought would end up being
back and getting a second chance and having another opt
our tunity, and it doesn't happen as often as you think.
(19:02):
And we're not even talking about the Super Bowl in
those scenarios, we're just talking about getting to the AFC
Championship game.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
But I still think it's going to be difficult.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
When you see the you see the type of players,
you see the type of quarterbacks that are in the AFC,
it's it's.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Gonna be tough.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
And that actually makes what the Kansas City Chiefs have
done even more amazing. But moving off from the AFC
to the NFC, now, maybe we have a new contender
in the NFC. Because it seemed ian that we were
entering a season where it was going to be the Lions,
and we thought the Eagles could be good, But I
don't think we thought they were going to be that
good and this good in advancing the Super Bowl fifty
(19:40):
nine and the forty nine ers disappointed everybody this year
and having a complete letdown and not making the postseason.
But maybe the Washington Commanders are a team that steps
up to the window. I am kicking myself because I
know I've discredited Washington through out the way because I
haven't given them credit for their wins, and I need
(20:00):
to probably move off of that. Because if you beat
the Eagles in a regular season game like they did,
no matter how it happened, if you go on the
road and beat Detroit, I don't care if Detroit's missing
half their defense in a playoff game where their crowd
is jacked up. I have to give them credit. So
it's my bad in the previous episodes of not giving
(20:23):
Washington maybe the flowers that they were do. I still
believe in my Jaden Daniels take, and it's not meant
to be disrespectful to Jayden Daniels. It's just the fact
of I think that this year was a charmed year,
and I think that there's a lot of things that
went right and everything was new. Now it's up to
Dan Quinn and Cliff Kingsbury, if he's still there next year,
(20:45):
to be able to build off of that energy and
not have this new found winning and this new found
feel be the reason why you're carrying momentum through the season.
You're doing it because you're a good to great football team,
and I think that's going to be the biggest challenge.
I should have seen it coming from a mile away
that the Eagles were gonna run over the Commanders. When
(21:06):
you look back and think about it home game in Philadelphia,
emotional win that Washington had on the road. So you
go back to back road games, you go to Tampa,
you get that late win, you go to Detroit, you
knockoff Number one. It's difficult to have your your gas
tank full and then to have Philadelphia have a reason
(21:29):
to be motivated because of how you lost in the
regular season game. I don't know if I should have
seen fifty five to twenty three. I thought the Commanders
would cover, but unfortunately, unfortunately, now hindsight's twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
I should have seen this coming from a mile away.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
I think you're right. It's when you go back to
the regular season. Both the AFC and NFC championship contenders,
but both both teams faced each other during the regular season,
and both teams ended up having the opposite result. Because
you know, the Bills beat the Chiefs in the regular
sea and the Commanders managed to beat the Eagles in
the regular season. It's just that kind of differentiator, though,
(22:06):
that that at the margin, when when it's two teams
that in theory are so evenly matched. To me, it's
just like if one of them managed to get the
best of the other last time, I'm just gonna always
give the edge to the to the one who lost.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
And then in the Eagles, let's be honest, there the
better team they're the better team than Washington, and that's
not meant to be disrespectful to Washington. There are many
who say that the Eagles have the best roster in the.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
National Football League from top to bottom.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
There's no roster that's better than Philadelphia, and they've been
able to channel it in a way. I heard Nick
Siriani CEO over the last forty eight hours. Yeah, me too,
and I was I was surprised with that, and I
would I would say this, Nick Siriani, m I A
(22:55):
and what I mean by that, And it's not Miami.
I'm talking about missing an action in the fact of
you now have Kellen Moore running your offense and you
have Vic Fangio running your defense. And I feel that
last year, because of the new coordinators that you had,
you had to if you're Nick Siriani, put your nose
(23:16):
in the things, dive into things. Why is Jalen Hurts
not having a successful season? What is going on with
our run game? Why is their dysfunction? Even though they're
winning games, we're not doing it in a great fashion.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
And I feel that when you.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Hire two capable assistants, more than capable assistants, one who
was a longtime veteran NFL assistant who was a consultant
for you two years ago and actually has head coaching experience.
Vic Fangio doesn't need guidance from everyone. You just let
Vic Fangio run the defense and Kellen Moore could come
in and Nick Sirianni can give him his thoughts. But
(23:53):
it's like, we need to get our running game going.
We haven't been able to do it over the last
couple of years with our running back We now have
this supreme talent. Make it work. How did you do
it in Dallas? How did you do it with the
running backs that you had there? And Tony Pollard and
Ezekiel Elliott do your thing and he did. And when
you have Saquon Barkley and you make it work. Jalen
(24:15):
Hurts has been hurt and hasn't been great this year,
but the Philadelphia Egos have an offense right now that
looks unstoppable. And I think it's because Nick Sirianni isn't
isn't a part of possibly mixing things up.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
Yeah, that's a good indicator that maybe you don't have
the right head coach. Is the fact that things are
working when he's not touching it. But to that point, though, Dan,
I just feel like he it feels unfair to not
give him credit for this because he's going to his
second Super Bowl. And also, you know who else is
a CEO head coach who gets credit for being a
(24:49):
great head coach is Dan Campbell, and he's someone who
also had two great coordinators, and it was never his
job to get too involved with the offense or too
involved with the defense. The difference though, is I feel
like with Dan Campbell there's he's giving speeches. It just
feels like he's much more involved with both parts of
the team as opposed to neither parts of.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
The team, which is what it feels like with Sirianni.
Does that make sense?
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Yeah, yeah, Well Dan Campbell built a culture.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
Right, and then he can't feels like just kind of
have an autopilot culture.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
It's just because.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Their roster, yeah, and because their roster is so good yeah.
And the other the other thing that you have with
it and why I think you've actually seen some dysfunction
maybe on the offensive side, and there was something going
on last year even when Jason Kelsey was there. But
you do have veteran guys on defense I know Brandon
Graham is hurt now, but Brandon Graham was still in
(25:43):
that locker room for a decent amount of the season,
and so you have a player like that being able
to keep players in check. Jalen Carter's played out of
his mind. They've done really well. Quinnon Mitchell's great all year.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
No one's super.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Yeah, the Degene's been great, you know, and so they've
got They've had guys that really step up, that are
top quality guys. And on offense with that offensive line,
I mean, it's amazing for how good they've been and
for how long they've been with pieces coming in and
(26:20):
out at times. We mentioned Kelsey retiring, Jason Peters was
there forever, and they still continually have a great offensive line,
and now you put Saquon Barkley behind it, which I
think then lessons the Jalen Hurts responsibility of being a
leader on that team, even though he's the quarterback and
his voices, like, when you have the supreme talent of
(26:41):
Saquon Barkley, it all kind of defaults to that, and
I think that's helped Philadelphia this year definitely.
Speaker 5 (26:47):
And to that point about about Saquon taking some of
the leadership responsibilities off of Jalen. I think Jalen actually
is a great leader. That's something he really does have
going for him. So it's not necessarily something he needs
is someone to help him take some of that off
his plate. But it doesn't hurt and Saquon, it's just
he doesn't get enough credit for some of the dirty
(27:08):
stuff he does. You see him picking up blocks. It's
like he's that's such a nerdy thing to talk about,
but it's like you literally see this guy meeting linebackers
in the hole and you just don't see it. Usually
we talk about guys like, you know, for the Chiefs,
that's what you have a samajp Ryan four on your roster,
is you know, to pick up the dirty work, show
up at the.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Late in the fourth quarter of the game, ceiling first down. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
But for Saquon to be doing all that stuff on
top of being the best running back in the NFL,
it's just remarkable, Like he deserves so much credit.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Yeah, I agree with you that think that Jalen Hurts
is a leader, and I agree with you that Jalen
Hurts is probably a top ten person for what we
know in the National Football League. But there's no denying
that there was friction between him and Nick Sirianni. There's
no denying that he and AJ Brown have not been
on the ste page at various times throughout the ten
(28:03):
year in Philadelphia. And you know how I've been critical
of AJ Brown and those in those scenarios. So it's
difficult to be the leader that like Patrick Mahomes is
and that Josh Allen is, or heck, I'll even dare
to say it, Jayden Daniels is in his rookie season
for the Commanders when you have other guys pushing against it.
(28:24):
And that's one of the great things about the Commanders,
and at least with Jayden Daniels is you've had someone
like Bobby Wagner, who's leading the defense, who's won a
Super Bowl, who's been in the trenches, kind of taking
him under his wing, but also then allowing him to
be the leader that he needs to be.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
As the quarterback.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Terry mclaurin's on that offense, Zach Ertz is on that offense.
They're all fully capable of being the leader, but they
also can defer to all, right, our quarterback is going
to be our guy. And they've done that in Washington
and it's worked. I don't think that Jalen Hurts gets
that from his other teammates, specifically a guy like AJ Brown.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
So it's the only difference.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Shouldn'tay other teammates that should just say basically AJ Brown.
But with Saquan now there, it's it's hard to deny
that talent in a little way that's maybe comparable to Washington,
And you can't deny Jane Daniel's talent.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
So let him run with it and let him be
the leader that he is.
Speaker 5 (29:16):
So yeah, that's a good point. And like you said,
it's winning cures all. So not only DoD Saquon help
the leadership aspect and help the Eagles culture just from
being a good guy in a locker room presence, he
also helps them because he helps them actually win games,
so he indirectly influences their culture in that way too.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
So I mentioned Washington and how things were crazy at
the end of the season. It's funny on Washington's road
in how things changed in week eighteen with the Packers
losing to the Bears and the Commanders ending up beating
the Cowboys. The Rams lost to the Seahawks, So there
was seeding, and there was changing. There was a bunch
of different stuff, but as it plays out, Commanders ended
(29:55):
up getting the six seed. They were second in the
NFC East this year. You want to know who their
opponents are for next year. I've got it in.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Front of me.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Sure, so you have to say yes, So you want
to know, yes, Okay, we know there are three NFC
East opponents.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
We know them home and away.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
They've also got Bears at home, Lions at home, Broncos
at home, Seahawks at home, Raiders at home.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
So check this, yeah, yeah, tough.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Check out this on the road, Packers on the road,
Chiefs on the road, Chargers on the road, Vikings on
the road, Dolphins on the road, Falcons on the road.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
It gets tougher.
Speaker 4 (30:38):
Yes, I don't know if it's the same sophomore season.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
And so it's one you know, those are those are
just some of the things that can happen. They had
a last place schedule this year. When you look at
the record and the winds that they had, that's what
I would point to and say, not only who did
they beat, but how many times did they escape? We
talked about the Bears, Hail Mary. We've talked about Week
two with the Giants, when the Giants don't have a
(31:03):
kicker and Washington kicks seven field goals to win a game.
That stuff doesn't follow up and happen the next year.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
Look at Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Remember Minnesota in the year a couple of years ago,
where we're like, man, how does Minnesota win all these games?
They took a step back. Well, Kirk Cousins leaves, they
bring in Sam Donald, but guess what, Kevin O'Connell's your
head coach. They go back this year. They have an
amazing season, and while it ended earlier than they would
have hoped, I think we feel that Minnesota has reached
(31:32):
a level where we expect them to be a competitor.
That's all I'm saying about Washington. I'm not saying they're
going to be erased from the NFL picture. But for
the last two weeks, we've had Jane Daniels top five
quarterback in the NFL, and I mean, there are five
(31:52):
quarterbacks that I think are better than I'm in the AFC.
And that's my whole point in gis of trying to
determine who'd where are we on this And it's not
meant to be any disrespect, but now you go from
one season where you're the hunter and now guess what,
now you're the hunted, and those things can change. And
it's the only thing that I'm warning about, and I
(32:14):
will be I will gladly, gladly admit that I'm wrong.
If the Commanders go thirteen and four next year and
win the division, I just think it's a different it's
a different road for them, and with Jayden Daniels, we
just have to play the long game. But a stellar,
stellar rookie season. I wish it wouldn't have ended as
poorly for them in that championship game, but I don't
(32:34):
think it takes away anything that they've done because that
win in Detroit, the win in Tampa, and the playoffs,
that think are the things that are going to carry
over when we remember this season.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
I'm with you, Dan.
Speaker 5 (32:43):
And one more thing to remember too is also the
fact that that Saints head coaching job is still opening,
are still open, And yeah, Cliff Kingsbury, I mean, obviously
it's no guarantee, but if he's gone, I would probably
hurt Jayden as well.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Yeah, absolutely, those things happen. Most things happened every single
year in the NFL, and it's it's just bound to
and by the way, if it doesn't happen this year,
it very well could happen next year. It's theirs and hey,
and while I name those opponents, the same thing can
be said is we don't know if Detroit's going to
(33:16):
be the same team. We don't know if Kansas City
is going to be the same team. We don't know
if Green Bay is gonna I mentioned Minnesota, We don't.
I mean, you know, there's questions with everybody, but it's
different than the schedule that we saw them navigate this past.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
Year, which was a last place schedule.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Yeah, so kudos to the commanders on what was a
magnificent rookie season with Jayden Daniels. And imagine him with
maybe more of a running game or trying to develop
that or even a few more weapons on the outside
with Terry McLaurin. Yeah, it could be could be fun
times in Washington and hopefully they move back to the
(33:55):
RFK Stadium location. All Right, that's our NFC Championship recap
coming out next Ian Roddy and myself, Dan Byer will
take a look at what happened in the NFL coaching carousel,
because four NFL head coaches were introduced on Monday, will
break down who actually has an opportunity to succeed in
their first year with their new team. Mike Carmon's out sick,
(34:18):
but don't leave us. We'll be back for more next year.
And I want your flex. Welcome back to I want
your flex again. Mike Harmon is ill. So you got me,
Dan Byer and our executive producer Ian Roddy hanging out
with me as we just recap championship weekend and then
we deal with some of the other things in the
(34:38):
NFL before we get to the head coaches. One point
that was brought up not a shocker in Pittsburgh that
arn't runny the second the team owners said that he
believes they'll bring back either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson
next year, but wouldn't bring back both. That makes total sense.
The question is if you bring back Fields, is he
(34:59):
your starter? And if you bring back Russell Wilson, is
Russell Wilson going to have to compete with anybody else?
And I would think that if you bring back Russell Wilson,
he'd be your starter. And if you brought back Justin
Fields that there may be a competition, but we'll see.
I don't think you could just give Justin Fields the
starting job right now, but we'll see how things play
(35:19):
out in Pittsburgh because it was a rough end to
their campaign. The Jets, Aaron Glenn introduced as the head
coach of the Jets and not closing the door. Ian
on your team bringing back Aaron Rodgers for next season,
Glenn did say that the team would consider it, talk
about it.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
They've communicated with.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Rogers, but they want to get a look at the
whole picture before deciding. As it stands right now, do
you have a lean on if you think Rogers will
return next year or not?
Speaker 5 (35:50):
In terms of if I think he'll return, I'm a
full disclosure. I have no idea, and I really feel
like Rogers has no idea. Aaron Gwent has no idea.
Just the Jets in general have no idea. That's something
they're gonna have to figure out over the next few
weeks as Aaron Rodgers himself comes to that decision. But
in terms of do I want him back, I might
(36:12):
be in the minority here because I know a lot
of Jets fans are ready to have him back, especially
with how the season ended.
Speaker 4 (36:17):
You know, he was pretty strong to end the year.
Speaker 5 (36:19):
But I just for me, I just I just want
him gone, not because I don't think, like I don't
think there's a better quarterback option out there, which which
I guess is kind of a bad thing there to
let him go in that in that case, but but
he's Uh, the culture that they had last year was
so centered on just finger pointing. And it wasn't just him,
it was just other teammates too. It was Sauce Gardener,
(36:41):
it was Garrett Wilson, it was you know, Quincy Williams,
other players on the team, just pointing finger fingers, deflecting
blame from themselves. And that starts at the top with
Aaron Rodgers in my opinion, and to me, I just
I just want to get that out of there. You know,
it's it's even if he's the best quarterback option, I'm
fine with rolling with Tyrod Taylor and maybe you know,
(37:02):
a rookie second rounder or something. Obviously you're not gonna,
you know, have as much hype going into the season.
You can't really expect them to make the playoffs in
that case. But it's Aaron Glenn's first year. There's not
exactly gonna be a playoff mandate, but you know, who knows,
Maybe they sneak in.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
But I'm kind of rambling at this point. No, I
don't want Rogers back.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
Yeah, and that's I think that I think that is
the more than likely outcome. I actually have a feeling
Rogers is going to call it quits himself.
Speaker 4 (37:34):
You know, I've thought that too.
Speaker 5 (37:36):
And it's funny because it doesn't seem like that's being
discussed very much. No, it just kind of seems like
he needs to decide if he's playing for the Jets.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
But I don't know.
Speaker 5 (37:44):
He finished finished the season with a four touchdown game,
had a touchdown pass to Devonte Adams through his five
hundred career touchdown. It wouldn't be the worst way for
him to walk out.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Yeah, that seems like hitting those milestones and just of
what we saw with him at the end of the year.
And there were injuries too at the end of the
the at the end of the season that he was
dealing with.
Speaker 5 (38:07):
And injuries for a forty one year old are not
the same for injuries for a twenty one year old.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Yeah, correct, and I honestly like with Aaron Glenn being
brought in in how that is. I think that you're
taking Aaron Glenn and it is imperative for him to
change that culture that has been there.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
So to change the culture, there's also.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
Got to be a lot of change in personnel to
what you're saying of You just want it to get
rid of it, and I think that's step one. I
don't think that Ben Johnson was brought in for his mind.
Aaron Glenn, I think was brought in to change everything.
Speaker 3 (38:45):
That was around it.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
That's right, Like Ben Johnson isn't going to Chicago to
change the culture. You're trying to make sure that Caleb
Williams works, where Aaron Glenn is trying to do what
Dan Campbell kind of did in Detroit.
Speaker 4 (38:59):
Yeah, I think that's totally right.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
And I mean he kind of you know, that came
across pretty clearly in his press conference, his introductory press
conference today.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
There's something a quote you know where the Jets were
built for this bleep?
Speaker 5 (39:13):
It's yeah, good stuff, man. He knows how to pander
to the fans. It doesn't mean he's going to be successful,
but you know, he at least won the press conference.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
No, but there is also something too when you spend
a majority of your career with a team, right, Like
I actually, I don't think that's going to pay off
in Week eight, in the third quarter of a game,
but I do think that it helps in this scenario
and does help in your passion. I don't think you're
gonna work any less because you didn't play for a team,
(39:42):
But I do think that when he says something like that,
it's different than another coach you just came in who's
not familiar with anything, right, and says those sort of things.
Speaker 5 (39:54):
And he was part of a Jets turnaround as a
player when he was, you know, playing under Bill Parcells.
That sure they were a dumpster, dumpster fire franchise going
into the two thousands, and he was He was on
that team when it when it turned around, and you know,
they kept a strong culture all the way through the
Rex Ryan years and then obviously since then it's fallen apart.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
But he was one of the fore head coaches that
was introduced the Monday. Pete Carroll was another with the
Raiders on John in John Spytech coming over from the Buccaneers,
introduced as the general manager. One thing has changed. Pete
Carroll does not shut up. He does not shut up
at all, just keeps talking and talking and talking. And
(40:35):
that was the case still with all the energy in
the world. It's the same Pete Carroll that goes on
and on. And there was a point where a reporter
actually asked John spy Tech a question and Pete was like, sorry,
I didn't see where you were.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
What was the question?
Speaker 2 (40:50):
And the reporter goes John, and then he's talking about yea, Pete,
guess what. They actually may want to talk to somebody else.
There was nothing different about Pete Carroll except that maybe
he was a year older since we last saw him
as the Seahawks head coach talking the way that he
was with the Raiders. Just a long way to go
in terms of roster building there. You know, your Jets
(41:13):
pick seventh, the Raiders pick ahead of them at six,
and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing for
either team because just of the questions that we have
about this quarterback class with cam Ward and Shador Sanders,
I actually think for these teams in the long haul,
they probably need better picks in the top ten, more
(41:36):
foundation picks as opposed to drafting the future quarterback right now.
I think that the Raiders and Jets, while it may
not be identical, at least for they pick in the draft,
if you have Pete Carroll, they're trying to change the culture.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Same thing with Aaron Glenn.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
I don't know if youd necessarily do that with a quarterback,
and so at least they have I think they have.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
That going for them. I know you'd love it.
Speaker 2 (41:57):
Maybe a one, two or top three pick six or
seven right now. I think they could get a solid player.
And what is a draft that may only be top
eight or you know, top nine or ten in terms
of real true first round prospects. I think the Jets
and Raiders are sitting in decent spots to rebuild teams
like they need to be rebuilt.
Speaker 4 (42:17):
They are.
Speaker 5 (42:17):
But that's also I think it's so interesting that that
Pete Carroll is, you know, it's only a three year contract.
It's three years, right, yep, Okay, that it's only a
three year thing, so it's pretty short term. And then
he himself, like you mentioned, he said at the press conference,
you know we're going for it right away. This isn't
some slow rebuild so I guess in that sense, it's
not the ideal year to not be able to grab
(42:41):
your quarterback when you need one, because the Raiders don't
have it. You know, it's aid O, Aidan O'Connell and
Gardner Minshew right now. So I don't know how quickly
Pete's going to be able to turn around the franchise
if he's not able to get a young rookie quarterback
in there.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
It was in Seattle and Pete actually made this comment
in the press conference on Monday, saying, we are going
to go through a lot of guys. There are a
lot of we we go through the roster and this
is this is who we're going to go through. We're
going to be They're going to leave the league in
transactions like there is there's no doubt about that. And
(43:17):
so there's gonna be a lot of guys that are
in and out and they're going to try to find
their right guys. It sounds very cliche, but it was
a system that allowed that team to turn around and
be good and you know the two or three years
and then compete for a Super Bowl when Carol was there. Granted,
they had you know, Earl Thomas, and Russell o'coon were
(43:40):
first round picks in a year where you know, Seattle
had two first round picks. He had two cornerstone guys
that were a part of that. Raiders are going to
have to find that. Jets may have to find something
like that as well. But I think that I don't
know how quickly it's going to be within that division
you're going to be able to turn it around, but
they'll win some games. It's just a tough task, I
(44:00):
think overall for them to turn it completely around.
Speaker 5 (44:03):
Yeah, how do you feel Dan about Pete Carroll seeing
him coach another team?
Speaker 3 (44:07):
Does that?
Speaker 4 (44:08):
I don't know? Are you? Are you rooting for him
at all?
Speaker 2 (44:10):
Or I I've been a Seahawks fan long enough that
I am not.
Speaker 3 (44:17):
I am not tied to him only being a.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Seahawks head coach, gotcha. Plus there's the USC years, yep,
I remember though.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
I remember a lot of Seahawks eras.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
The home Gren era, which was great, the Dennis Eriksson era,
which was just basically eight and eight, the Tom Flora's era,
which was atrocious, the Chuck Knox era, which was great
at times and fluctuating. And so I feel like I've run
the Gamut did. Jim mora Era only lasted one season.
So while it was well, Pete Carroll has been such
(44:52):
a fixed uere with Seattle and the Seahawks in the NFL,
and I think one of the reasons why they became
one of the marquee teams in the NFL. It doesn't
have the effect on me that it may have with
other Seahawk fans, just because I just feel like I've
I followed the team for forty years and he's been
a big part of it. But I also remember him
at usc heck, I remembered him. I remembered him with
(45:13):
the Patriots and the Jets, and I remember him even
as the assistant was when he did the choke call
on the kick like against the Dolphins when Pete Stoyanovitch,
I think it was missed kick. Like I remember those
things about Pete Carroll. So it's not necessarily as weird
as it would seem to be that he was in
(45:34):
that he's coaching again. It was a little different to
see him in the black instead of just like a
gray or blue longsleeve shirt.
Speaker 3 (45:39):
But yeah, a.
Speaker 4 (45:41):
Little off pudding for sure, But yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:43):
It was weirder honestly, to see Mike McDonald on the
sideline as the head coach for a game than it
was to see Pete, Like it was weirder to see
Pete not there than it was to see Pete in
different colors, if that makes anything.
Speaker 4 (45:56):
Yeah, it's not interesting way of putting it, for sure.
Speaker 2 (45:59):
The headline we'll say for last, Brian Schottenheimer at the Cowboys.
I'll tell you what, I think Liam Cohen's going to
do really well with the Jaguars because I don't think
that the press conference or at least the social media
efforts could have gone any worse.
Speaker 3 (46:17):
That was really good. Ian, that was really good.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
I felt so bad for him because all and honestly,
if I'm a Jaguars fan, I'm like, I don't care.
Speaker 3 (46:26):
I just want him to coach football.
Speaker 2 (46:27):
I want him to make sure that Trevor Lawrence is right,
and I want him to get the football to Brian
Thomas and get it to Travis Etn And I want
to score a bunch of points and that's what he's
there to do. So I don't care if he says duval,
I do not think it's an Adam Gase eyes, Yeah,
crazy eyes sort of thing. I'm actually glad that my
(46:48):
offensive minded coach may not be as well suited into
the cool social media stuff.
Speaker 5 (46:55):
So you think it's closer to the Dan Campbell biting
kneecaps version of a press opposed to the gase.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
In the possibilities of how it could turn out, Yeah,
I think it would lean more towards the Campbell than
it would the gay scenario.
Speaker 5 (47:09):
I'm sure Jaguars fans will be happy to hear that.
Speaker 2 (47:12):
That would be the least of my worries that he
knows how to say do all. They had him doing
a bunch of stuff too. I saw him do I
think it may have been a thing with maybe members
of the staff, or if it was.
Speaker 5 (47:26):
I did see that, yeah, where it was the auditorium
behind it.
Speaker 4 (47:29):
Yet one he had.
Speaker 2 (47:30):
A cell phone. You know that he's trying to do
a selfie. It's tough enough to do a selfie like that,
and then he's got to do it in front of
like one hundred people and turn around.
Speaker 5 (47:39):
But at least he said it correctly that time, did
he Yeah? I mean, I mean maybe he did, because
it was a whole crowd. You heard it as like
a wave of you know an audience saying it, but still.
Speaker 3 (47:50):
I would not be worried about that. I would.
Speaker 2 (47:52):
I'm actually glad that, if I'm a Jaguars fan, that
my head coach does it poorly, because that means he's
focused on the right things. And then we finally we
get to Brian Schottenheimer, who I actually feel bad for,
and I said this on my I think I said
this on the Sunday Show.
Speaker 3 (48:08):
Ian.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
If not, it was in my notes, and you can
vouch for me. He can look at my notes. Schottenheimer's
fifty one years old, has a last name that is
may not be royalty in the NFL, but it is
very highly thought of carry and cashe yes, absolutely with
his dad, the late great Marty Schottenheimer. And he's getting
(48:28):
his chance at fifty one to coach the Dallas Cowboys
and it should be a feel good story and it
is anything but. And that's because of Jerry Jones. That's
because of what Jerry Jones says, and Jerry Jones even
said it was it was not a glamorous higher I
think it was his phrase that.
Speaker 4 (48:47):
He used as he's sitting right there, yeah, Like, I.
Speaker 2 (48:50):
Like, how can you say that when he's sitting right there.
Speaker 5 (48:53):
Yeah, but I think Brian, Yeah, he's saying how he's
out of his comfort zone making this higher and stuff.
Speaker 4 (48:58):
It's like he's sitting right there, Jerry.
Speaker 3 (49:00):
Yes, yes, read the room. But that's Jerry. I hope.
Speaker 2 (49:04):
I actually hope he succeeds, like in a way that
I hope Mike McCarthy succeeds. People want Jerry Jones to fail,
and so then they mock the hires, and I end
up rooting for these guys to succeed because people said
that they can't do it, or that they're dumb, or
it's just a bad hire.
Speaker 3 (49:24):
I hope Brian Schottenheimer does have.
Speaker 2 (49:27):
Some success and the Cowboys can continue their ways because
I'll tell you this, he's going to be their coach
for the next four years, oh however long that contract is.
So I hope it at least works out for him.
Otherwise we're going to see the complete downfall of the
Dallas Cowboys because Jerry Jones is not going to fire
him if he just gave him a new contracts.
Speaker 5 (49:45):
It's true, but also I'm going to say hearing Carrie Rhodes,
who played under him, say that he doesn't think he'll
make a good head coach. That to me was all
I needed to hear, you know, someone who actually played
under him saying he doesn't believe it's good. Yeah, because
at least the coaches who don't end up working out
at least going into it, there's optimism around it. But
this is it just feels like from the start people
(50:05):
are just doubting it, including people like Carry who played
under him. So and I don't think that's unfair to Shotenheim.
I think it's they know better than we do. And yeah,
I'm going to listen to them.
Speaker 2 (50:16):
Yeah, And I wasn't even thinking of Kerry's opinion. And
I'm glad that Kerry gave his opinion because he was
an honest opinion and was from his experience of playing
under a staff that included Brian Schottenheimer. I will say
that if Schottenheimer isn't going to have that sort of
ability to have that role, I'd be a little worried
(50:38):
on you would have to fill out a staff that
would be able to carry that role. And considering Matt
Eberfluss is expected to be the guy of defensive coordinator,
that does not vode great for Dallas, but Iberflus's defense
at times, the bar defense was really good, and hopefully
he can do it with Dallas once to get everything straight.
(51:00):
Schottenheimer's obviously got the offense. It's the reason why he's
the head coach. But yeah, we shall see. I am
actually rooting for Brian Schottenheimer though in the to at
least succeed to prove some people wrong.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
We'll see.
Speaker 2 (51:15):
Those were the head coach hirings that we had obviously,
Mike Vrabel introduced with the Patriots previously, Ben Johnson introduced
last week as the Bears head coach. Those were the
two biggest names Ian mentioned earlier on the podcast.
Speaker 3 (51:30):
There's just one left to go and that's the New
Orleans Saints.
Speaker 2 (51:33):
And I just actually I just had some odds sent
to me on the Saints hire of the Let me
see if I can quick bring this up.
Speaker 4 (51:46):
Well, who would you hire if you were if you
were the Saints?
Speaker 2 (51:49):
Well, Mike McCarthy was the odds on leader of having
of having the best odds.
Speaker 5 (51:58):
I feel like that's who I would go with, just
because I mean not that I view him as some
end all, be all incredible coach, but he's someone with
where the Saints are at, especially because they're the last
ones to hire a coach. I think they just need
someone with experience who knows how to win games, and
that's something both stops. McCarthy's been at. He's won games,
So that's where I'm that's where my head space would
(52:19):
be at.
Speaker 2 (52:20):
Of on the Saints, Kellen Moore is gonna interview with them.
This This is the This is the odds list that
was said to me vssports Betting dot AG Mike McCarthy
minus three hundred so the clear favorite right now, one
to three odds. Kellen Moore, who will interview with the
Saints plus two fifty, Darren Rizzy who is the inner
(52:42):
interim head coach seven to one, Anthony Weaver nine to one,
Mike Kafka nine to one, and Cliff Kingsbury ten to one.
Speaker 5 (52:52):
It's interesting, I mean, I Mike Kafka being on there's
interesting because, like I remember him being a hot head
coaching name or offensive coordinator name, because he was the
quarterbacks coach for the Chiefs when they kind of when
Mahomes was having his ascension. But since then, what's he
really done? You know, he failed Daniel Jones.
Speaker 4 (53:09):
I don't know. I don't want to make this a
Mike Kafka piling on.
Speaker 2 (53:13):
Well, I like how you do it with Harmon's out
because he's a Northwestern guy Kafka is, and so you
did it in a safe place where Carmon wouldn't get
after you. That Kafka I think was in conversations last year,
even with the Seahawks as a possibility.
Speaker 4 (53:30):
Well, you're right, I remember that.
Speaker 3 (53:31):
So yeah, but.
Speaker 2 (53:34):
The McCarthy odds are tough to turn away from. But
the fact that all these teams, the fact that we
had four introductory press conferences on Monday, Yeah, just tells
me that maybe teams were just itching to make hires
and go. And now with the late, the late Super
Bowl stuff that we have, if the Saints are the
(53:55):
only one out there, why rush as a wait to
hear from everybody you can. And if it's going to
be Kellen Moore, fine, wait for Cliff Kingsbury. His season's
now over. Talk to him. You've got nobody else to
compete with, so you might as well just take your time.
The only thing that you would have a disadvantage of
is maybe figuring out who that person's.
Speaker 3 (54:13):
Going to have as a staff.
Speaker 2 (54:15):
Yeah, when you bring them in because of the hirings
that are made, but you're not running up against anybody
competing to make any hires.
Speaker 4 (54:22):
It's the staff.
Speaker 5 (54:22):
And then I would also say you're at a disadvantage
because you can't go to like draft events like the
Senior Bowl. Because the Senior Bowl is going on right now,
and that's sure that tons of NFL teams like to go,
and every year there's a few prospects who rise significantly
because they get good tape in front of NFL scouts.
So for the Saints to not be able to go
(54:43):
because they don't have a I mean, well, actually Mickey
Loomis is still there, so I guess they do have
a scouting staff going scratch that.
Speaker 3 (54:49):
Yeah, you can get you can get a look in
plus some.
Speaker 4 (54:51):
Of your head coach, though still hurts.
Speaker 2 (54:53):
I would say, I think I think it's I think
it's I think it's minimal for what we've what we've
got right now. I would not want to wait this song.
Seahawks said they waited the second the longest last year
to name a head coach. I don't I don't think
it's great, but at least if you're in the situation,
(55:13):
take the advantages of it and use it to your advantage,
and we'll find we'll find out soon enough, just who
knows if we'll find out before Super Bowl Sunday. Speaking
of which, we'll have our another normal episode next week
where we will preview super Bowl fifty nine and also
talk about the other.
Speaker 3 (55:30):
News that it's gone on in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (55:32):
For the week post super Bowl, we'll have a post
super Bowl episode, and then we'll have another episode where
we will do our first draft of the twenty twenty
five fantasy football season. We draft the top sixty players,
something we do preseason going into the season, and then
something we do at the end of the season on
who we would take if the draft was held. Those
(55:54):
are going to be our upcoming episodes. It'll give Mike
enough time to rest his voice. We hope he feels better.
I'll be in New Orleans for the super Bowl for
a few days, so I'll be able to report back
and tell you how things went in the Big Easy
and Ian You'll be holding it down at the studios
at the Fox Sports Radio Network.
Speaker 3 (56:11):
Yes, I will looking forward to it, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (56:13):
Get them on Blue Sky at ian Dash Roddy and
on Exit Ian Roddy Underscore, and you can find me
on Exit dan Byer on Fox and at dan Byer
on Blue Skuy. So for Ian Roddy and the sick
Mike Carmen, wish him well by the way at Swollen
Dome and at my Karmen on Blue Sky.
Speaker 3 (56:31):
I am dan Byer. Thanks for listening to I Want
Your Flex
Ladies, and you want experience during your football season, Well,
buckle up, sweet cheeks. We've got all the experience in
the world. This is I Want your Flex with Dan
Byer and Mike Harmon. Mike and Dan break down everything
you need to set your lineups, from position rankings to
(00:23):
starts and sits. The guys help you make those hard decisions.
And now let's get your flex sod. Here's Dan Bayer
and Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Welcome man. It is I want your Flex. I am
Dan Byer. You can find me at Dan Byer on
Fox on X. You can find me at Dan Byer
on Blue Sky. Ian Roddy is our executive producer. You
can find him on ex at Ian Roddy Underscore and
on Blue Sky at Ian desh Roddy.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Is that correct? All right? One hundred percent?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I usually introduce Mike first, but Mike's not here tonight. Unfortunately,
at the taping of this podcast, Mike lost his voice.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
He has no voice whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
He tried to gut it out on his show with
Jason Smith with Mike Sharp with Mike Harmon that you
can hear weeknights on Fox Sports Radio. Mike tried to
give it a go. Thirty minutes in, had to throw
in the white towel. The guy probably needs yeah, just
see you later. He got booted, but I give him
an a for effort and he probably needs to rest
(01:26):
because he's usually awake like twenty one out of the
twenty four hours of the day, so hopefully he can
get some rest.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
But Mike is not going to be with us.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
I know he's kicking himself because Ian it's championship weekend
or it just was in the NFL, and there's so
much to talk about as we've got the.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Super Bowl matchup that is set.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
It is the Eagles and Chiefs, a matchup that I
must say, you predicted on our last podcast that you
thought that we would see. I had Eagles bills and
Mike had Eagles bills, and I was trying to figure
out what my prediction was going to be for what
my heart said, what my head said. Then to Mike's point,
Mike had Philadelphia in the Super Bowl from the beginning
(02:06):
of the year. I had the Bills in the Super Bowl.
I think he may have had the Bills as well,
so his Super Bowl pick was still alive. I only
had the Bills on that side, so I went with
the Bills. It's also where my heart was. But it
was a weekend, quite honestly, on Sunday of disappointment. I
was disappointed that the Eagles game became such a blow up,
(02:28):
and I was honestly just disappointed that the Bills lost
to the Chiefs won.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
That basically sums up.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I didn't have a dog in the fight in the
NFC Championship game, and I felt if the team really
did deserve to get the Super Bowl, it.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Was probably Philadelphia.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
But I wanted to see then Philadelphia against Buffalo for
that matchup, and instead we get a rematch that we
got from two years ago.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I don't know if I'm in the minority.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I don't think so unless everybody that I'm following on
social media.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Is the only people that are like me.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
But I'm a little bit disappointed from a matchup even
though we've got two of the best teams in the
National football.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah, everyone's disappointed.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
It's like I said it last week on the show,
before I made that prediction that it would be Eagles Chiefs,
I said, I would prefer that it's you know, Commander's Bills.
That would be the best case scenario, and instead we
literally got the worst case scenario. Brandon, you know are
editor Brandon Deutsch's he's been calling it Hitler versus Mussolini.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
Is this cheese Chiefs Eagles matchup?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
There is a tough choice to root for. People will
usually root for a Super Bowl if they're a sports
fan like you am like you are, and I am Ian.
You're a Jets fan. I'm a Seahawks fan. I wouldn't
cheer for a team from the NFC West. Just wouldn't happen.
I don't know if you have any sentimental feelings towards
(03:46):
the Buffalo Bills, like so many do, considering they're a
division rival.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
But yeah, I'll say, personally, I'm not. I'm not rooting
for them. I can't, like you said, I can't root
for a division rival. So I'm, you know, unfortunately, going
to kind of be pulling for the Chiefs here. Although
again give back to the Hitler mussol anything.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
It is just there's no winning this one.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
The funny thing with the Buffalo Kansas City game, and
we'll just start there. We'll get to the Eagles and
Commanders a little bit later of the podcast. The thing
about the Buffalo Kansas City game was we knew this
is how it was going to play out. We knew
this is what was going to happen. And even during
(04:29):
the game, my Sunday co host Carrie Rhodes, the show
that you produce for us on Sunday afternoons on Fox
Sports Radio, Carrie sends me a text and I'll even
read it verbatim because I think we were both pulling
for the for the Bills in this scenario. Carrie ends
(04:52):
up texting me, got a ballgame, and ill right, I
keep thinking the more the Bills get close, the more
it will end heartbreak for them. And he texts me back,
heartbreak again and the toughest the toughest part of the
game on Sunday for the Bills to me, wasn't that
(05:12):
Josh Allen fourth and five Dalton Kincaid drop. It was
the missed call. What I feel was a missed call
on the fourth.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
And one, yeah, where he was short well because one
line judge literally had him as making it and the
other one was no. So I mean, yeah, it comes
down to it. It's always with the Chiefs. It's these
refs and the questionable calls and stuff.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
I thought this one was a little less fishy compared
to the Texans game last week. I like, really that
that fourth down call there with Josh Allen being short,
it was really the only you know call that It
really seemed like the refs really messed up.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Is a big oney in it.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
I mean it was, it was.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
A big one.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
But I will say that there's plenty of other things
that went into it as opposed, Like if if the
game comes down to literal inches like that, then did
the Bills really deserve to win?
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Well, did the Chiefs deserve to win if it came
down to that and in that close of a call?
I think is the other side of the coin with this.
Speaker 5 (06:12):
If that was the game, I would agree more. But
the fact that the game didn't come down to that
exact play, it's hard to legitimately say that, Oh, here
we go.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
All hypotheticals.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I get it. It is all hypotheticals.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
And if you just go to the scenario, there's about
eleven minutes left in the game, It's twenty two to
twenty one at that point. What ends up happening after
the no call is the Chiefs go down and score.
Bills go down and answer, Chiefs go down and kick
field goal. Bills then end end up turning it over
on fourth and five. The stop on the fourth down
(06:47):
had so many different ramifications. Number One, the Bills are
up by one at that point. If you go down
and score a touchdown, it is a two score game
with about nine minutes left.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
So the Chiefs then have.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
To be absolutely perfect with how they end up playing out,
and they were perfect from that point on in terms
of scoring the touchdown and scoring the field goal. But
I think it's it's completely different if the Bills end
up having a twenty nine to twenty one lead. I
think in that scenario, honestly, they probably go for two
(07:23):
and try to make that nine point lead if you
can make it thirty to twenty one, to try to
make it that two score game, if you can get
it with nine minutes left.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
And that's why I.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Think it was such a big deal, as yeah, it
was only on one point lead. But if they go
down and score a touchdown, I think they go for
two and they try to make it a two possession game,
and now Kansas City is in complete makeup mode and
Buffalo is in the driver's seat instead of them just
trading punches back and forth.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
I guess I'm with you.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
It's just that there still is no guarantee that Buffalo
then would have gone down the field and scored. And
it's just Kansas City has gotten so good at closing
out these these close games, and it just the whole
fourth quarter you just kind of knew because this game
is so close.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
It's at least I felt this way.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Is that because it's so close, you just kind of
know that the Chiefs are going to pull this one out.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Kansas City is so good in late game situations, in
how they handle the clock, how they work the clock
with a lead, totally, they're very good. I've always said
they're very good at getting eleven yards on three plays.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
So when it's six minutes left in the game.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
I've talked about it on the podcast a bunch, they'll
just get eleven yards fresh seted downs and another one
hundred and twenty seconds comes off the clock and the
next thing you know, it's the two minute warning and
you're like, wait a second here, now we have to
stop them if we even want to get the ball back.
They're very good in those situations. I was shocked shocked
when Kansas City didn't score a touchdown when it was
(08:51):
tied at twenty nine. I was I was amazed. I
was like, wow, they actually because Buffalo got pressure on
my homes, ended up getting the sad. They ended up
settling for three, which I thought then was the ultimate
win and then a path for Josh Allen to go
down and score and have the Bills get that miraculous win.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
But it did not happen that way.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
I just think that the Bills in terms of the
way that they came back in the first half, It's
difficult to do that twice.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
In a game.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And that's why I feel the fourth down call was
so crucial, was because.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
They had the lead at that time.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
And I just don't I don't understand on how a
call like that gets made in the National Football League.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
And when you start push no, just.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
No, the actual referee officials call that in that case
in how you have an official where the ball carrier
has his back to that official and that's the side.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
That the official.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
The southelnds that the Chiefs were on, that's the sideline
that the official is at. He's the one that has
the worst angle of it. And even though at one
point he sees the football. If you look at the
other camera angle from the Buffalo sideline where Josh Allen
is actually looking at the pylon to make sure that
he gets to that point, and while you can't see
(10:14):
the football, you know the football's in his arms, you
know what's there. His arms are folded. At one point
his torso does touch the line. And how that is
how that's not conclusive enough? I have no idea. And
that's the part of where the NFL is. And it
goes back to the other calls last week, and it's
(10:35):
the Chiefs and Texans game. It's how these rules are
written ian that I have the biggest problem with, because
the officials then have to implement the rules the way
that they are written in the rule book and for
replay to not be able to get a look at
the football because there was so much congestion and everything
that went with it for them to be able to
(10:57):
not get a look at the football. I think that's
the reason why they said the call stood, because you
couldn't see the football with Josh Allen from the angle
that showed that he crossed the line. But just physics
or just normal thinking would tell you that the football
is in Josh Allen's arms, wrapped up under his two
arms because he's protecting it for dear life, because he
(11:17):
just fumbled on the previous fourth and one that he
dove over the top like that's that tells you that
he got the first down. And for some reason the
NFL in the rule book is written in a way
where that sort of play cannot be said, Well, we
didn't see the football, but we assume the football was
in his grasp at that point and crossed the line
and is a first down.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
Well, it's also with the you know how the refs
with the call. The call on the field holds so
much weight because because of the fact that the ref
who you know, like you say, had the worst view,
he got the call on the field. It means that
then there has to be clear evidence to overturn that,
as opposed to had the other guy got it, there
wouldn't need to be clear evidence to overturn the fact
(11:55):
that he didn't get.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
The first down.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Yes, so, very good point.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
It really doesn't make a lot of sense that they
that they went with the ref who had the worst view.
So that's a good point on your partner.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
There's there's just a lot of frustration and no no
Chiefs fans probably don't want to hear about it, and
they're sick about it and sick of hearing people like
me complain about it.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
But I do think it's a big deal.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
I don't know if they're going to their third Super Bowl.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Yeah, you're probably right. They don't don't care what I say.
They've got a bigger fish to fry. It's just it
was frustrating. I can't imagine being a Bills fan because
here's the other portion of this. I was thinking about this.
Here you're Josh Allen, you're taking in the twenty eighteen
NFL Draft, and here we are twenty twenty four. He's
(12:41):
going to be twenty nine years old in May, so
he's not even thirty yet, so probably another decade in
his career of playing football. But he's not gonna be
the same quarterback as he is when he's thirty eight,
as he is when he's twenty eight, right, But taking
Patrick Mahomes out of the equation, if he has ten
more years that he plays, I think it's an enormous
(13:05):
stretch for Josh Allen to be in five AFC championship
games over the next ten years. That is, that would
be that would be stuff that you would dream of entering.
If I were to say you have five AFC championship
games over the next ten years, would you agree with that?
If I would to say the Bills were to make
it back five times over the next ten years, yeah,
(13:27):
that is that.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
You're a Jets fan, right, like I mean.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
I hope not.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I mean, you know, the Seahawks they went to back
to back NFC championship games where they ended up going
to the Super Bowl and.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Then haven't been back to one since.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
They've made it to the wild card, they've made it
to the divisional playoffs, but they have not been back
to the conference championship game. So if he's not going
to make five, I think four would still be a lot.
So let's just settle on three. Sure, so you only
has three more chances, and then you have to think
how many times does the Buffalo curse come into play?
(14:02):
And so that's where we start getting down to the
all right, how many opportunities and oh maybe they'll be back,
not like you look at it next year, Like I
think Buffalo is not a complete disadvantage for making it
back to the title game.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
I think Baltimore is in prime.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Position to make it back next year because guess what,
they were knocked out this past year.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
So now there's a little extra motivation.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Maybe Baltimore ends up being able to make that move
and Kansas City's not going anywhere. It's just the point
of when you look at what happens in the future
and how things can play out, it's just it's such
a missed opportunity for Buffalo, it really is.
Speaker 5 (14:40):
I mean, I it's just that if you if you
look at it in a vacuum, it feels like Buffalo
should easily be able to get back because they were
just there.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Like it's it's always what it feels like.
Speaker 5 (14:50):
It's why when the Bengals made it to the Super Bowl,
it felt like they were playing with house money.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
You know.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
It feels like, oh, they'll just make it back Burro,
so ye, yep. The point is you can't always bank
on that in a vacuum.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Though.
Speaker 5 (15:00):
This was sort of like a down year for the Bills. Though,
as weird as it is to think about, you know,
Keon Coleman's a rookie. Khalil Shakir was Josh Allen's number
one target.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Great point.
Speaker 5 (15:10):
Dalton kin Paid was a first rounder last year. He's
kind of disappointed. It's just the point is, this has
kind of been a year where they weren't supposed to
have gone to the AFC Championship and they still did.
So if you were to, you know, theoretically, add a
number one target to their offense next year, I really
like their odds, but again, it's just so hard to
guarantee it. And they were just there and they came
(15:32):
up short. And I'm sure that they know that too,
so they're feeling pretty bad.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I think that you can.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
I think you can, like as you said, Keon Coleman
can get better and maybe he can develop into that
number one wide receiver.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
I mean, he better. They took him with the first
drop pick of the second.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
Round, and they traded their pick that they ended up
giving the Chiefs Xavier.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Worthy yep, exactly, So so you better turn into something.
But there's also the fact of I actually think that
this team needs to get better on defense. They need
to make it so Josh Allen doesn't have to bring
them back from a twenty to ten deficit and to
make it back and continue on like they need. They
need that defense to get better. They've got a couple
(16:13):
of good players. They've got Ed Oliver, Who's I mean,
but you know, von Miller's playing pass rushing downs. Their
secondaries banged up and they moved through different pieces. No
disrespect to Damar Hamlin, but Damorrow Hamlin last year in
his comeback when he did return, was inactive for many games.
And now Damar Hamlin's ending up starting at points because
(16:34):
and played significantly this year because the thinness of their secondary,
They've had to make moves from other years and letting
other guys go. They have to get better on defense,
and if that happens, I think then everything else falls
in place.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
With Buffalo.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
That's a good point.
Speaker 5 (16:51):
That's a good point, Dan, actually, because I actually when
I was watching the game Chief Spills, I had the thought,
you know, if one of these teams is going to
be playing the Eagles, how the heck are the Bills
defense gonna deal with Saquon Barkley. They were having so
much trouble stopping the Chiefs with you know, the corpse
of Durham Hunt.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
How do you think they're gonna do against you?
Speaker 5 (17:12):
Know, one of the best running backs we've ever seen,
you know, in one of the best seasons we've ever seen.
Not good, but the Chiefs I feel like at least
their defense has a chance to not shut down Barkley.
That's a tall ask, but at least, you know, stifle
them a little bit.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
We shall see. We'll find out in two weeks.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
We'll talk more about what's going to happen in Super
Bowl fifty nine on next week's episode. Hopefully Mike is
back in action and gets that voice back he is, Ian, Roddy,
I'm Dan Byer it is. I want your flags, and
don't worry Chiefs fans. I know there was a lot
of Bills talk and a lot of Bills favor and
sorry about that. We try to split it down the middle,
but we're not. I'm not gonna lie. I really wanted
(17:50):
the Bills to win this past weekend. But we'll talk
about more about the Chiefs and egles coming up in
the Super Bowl preview coming up next. Ian mentioned Saquon
Barkley and the type of running back that he is
and the great season that he's had, and it continued
in the NFC Championship game. Will break down that, and
do I actually give the commanders some credit. I've been
(18:11):
getting some flak on social media about not get giving
Washington their flowers. You'll find out if they'll receive those
flowers next here. And I want your flex. It is
I want your flex. I'm Dan Byer, Mike Harmon is out,
ill Ian Roddy, our executive producer, is with me.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
You know. It's funny.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
I do have to say, because Mike talks about it
when we talk about going back to places and going
back to AFC Championship games like.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
We were with the Buffalo Bills.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Mike what left the lasting impression on him was when
he was leaving Sofi Stadium after Super Bowl fifty six
when the Rams beat the Bengals, as the Bengals felt
that they were always going to be back. And it's
a tail, you know, as long as time in the
NFL of guys that you thought would end up being
back and getting a second chance and having another opt
our tunity, and it doesn't happen as often as you think.
(19:02):
And we're not even talking about the Super Bowl in
those scenarios, we're just talking about getting to the AFC
Championship game.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
But I still think it's going to be difficult.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
When you see the you see the type of players,
you see the type of quarterbacks that are in the AFC,
it's it's.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Gonna be tough.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
And that actually makes what the Kansas City Chiefs have
done even more amazing. But moving off from the AFC
to the NFC, now, maybe we have a new contender
in the NFC. Because it seemed ian that we were
entering a season where it was going to be the Lions,
and we thought the Eagles could be good, But I
don't think we thought they were going to be that
good and this good in advancing the Super Bowl fifty
(19:40):
nine and the forty nine ers disappointed everybody this year
and having a complete letdown and not making the postseason.
But maybe the Washington Commanders are a team that steps
up to the window. I am kicking myself because I
know I've discredited Washington through out the way because I
haven't given them credit for their wins, and I need
(20:00):
to probably move off of that. Because if you beat
the Eagles in a regular season game like they did,
no matter how it happened, if you go on the
road and beat Detroit, I don't care if Detroit's missing
half their defense in a playoff game where their crowd
is jacked up. I have to give them credit. So
it's my bad in the previous episodes of not giving
(20:23):
Washington maybe the flowers that they were do. I still
believe in my Jaden Daniels take, and it's not meant
to be disrespectful to Jayden Daniels. It's just the fact
of I think that this year was a charmed year,
and I think that there's a lot of things that
went right and everything was new. Now it's up to
Dan Quinn and Cliff Kingsbury, if he's still there next year,
(20:45):
to be able to build off of that energy and
not have this new found winning and this new found
feel be the reason why you're carrying momentum through the season.
You're doing it because you're a good to great football team,
and I think that's going to be the biggest challenge.
I should have seen it coming from a mile away
that the Eagles were gonna run over the Commanders. When
(21:06):
you look back and think about it home game in Philadelphia,
emotional win that Washington had on the road. So you
go back to back road games, you go to Tampa,
you get that late win, you go to Detroit, you
knockoff Number one. It's difficult to have your your gas
tank full and then to have Philadelphia have a reason
(21:29):
to be motivated because of how you lost in the
regular season game. I don't know if I should have
seen fifty five to twenty three. I thought the Commanders
would cover, but unfortunately, unfortunately, now hindsight's twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
I should have seen this coming from a mile away.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
I think you're right. It's when you go back to
the regular season. Both the AFC and NFC championship contenders,
but both both teams faced each other during the regular season,
and both teams ended up having the opposite result. Because
you know, the Bills beat the Chiefs in the regular
sea and the Commanders managed to beat the Eagles in
the regular season. It's just that kind of differentiator, though,
(22:06):
that that at the margin, when when it's two teams
that in theory are so evenly matched. To me, it's
just like if one of them managed to get the
best of the other last time, I'm just gonna always
give the edge to the to the one who lost.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
And then in the Eagles, let's be honest, there the
better team they're the better team than Washington, and that's
not meant to be disrespectful to Washington. There are many
who say that the Eagles have the best roster in the.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
National Football League from top to bottom.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
There's no roster that's better than Philadelphia, and they've been
able to channel it in a way. I heard Nick
Siriani CEO over the last forty eight hours. Yeah, me too,
and I was I was surprised with that, and I
would I would say this, Nick Siriani, m I A
(22:55):
and what I mean by that, And it's not Miami.
I'm talking about missing an action in the fact of
you now have Kellen Moore running your offense and you
have Vic Fangio running your defense. And I feel that
last year, because of the new coordinators that you had,
you had to if you're Nick Siriani, put your nose
(23:16):
in the things, dive into things. Why is Jalen Hurts
not having a successful season? What is going on with
our run game? Why is their dysfunction? Even though they're
winning games, we're not doing it in a great fashion.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
And I feel that when you.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Hire two capable assistants, more than capable assistants, one who
was a longtime veteran NFL assistant who was a consultant
for you two years ago and actually has head coaching experience.
Vic Fangio doesn't need guidance from everyone. You just let
Vic Fangio run the defense and Kellen Moore could come
in and Nick Sirianni can give him his thoughts. But
(23:53):
it's like, we need to get our running game going.
We haven't been able to do it over the last
couple of years with our running back We now have
this supreme talent. Make it work. How did you do
it in Dallas? How did you do it with the
running backs that you had there? And Tony Pollard and
Ezekiel Elliott do your thing and he did. And when
you have Saquon Barkley and you make it work. Jalen
(24:15):
Hurts has been hurt and hasn't been great this year,
but the Philadelphia Egos have an offense right now that
looks unstoppable. And I think it's because Nick Sirianni isn't
isn't a part of possibly mixing things up.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
Yeah, that's a good indicator that maybe you don't have
the right head coach. Is the fact that things are
working when he's not touching it. But to that point, though, Dan,
I just feel like he it feels unfair to not
give him credit for this because he's going to his
second Super Bowl. And also, you know who else is
a CEO head coach who gets credit for being a
(24:49):
great head coach is Dan Campbell, and he's someone who
also had two great coordinators, and it was never his
job to get too involved with the offense or too
involved with the defense. The difference though, is I feel
like with Dan Campbell there's he's giving speeches. It just
feels like he's much more involved with both parts of
the team as opposed to neither parts of.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
The team, which is what it feels like with Sirianni.
Does that make sense?
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Yeah, yeah, Well Dan Campbell built a culture.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
Right, and then he can't feels like just kind of
have an autopilot culture.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
It's just because.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Their roster, yeah, and because their roster is so good yeah.
And the other the other thing that you have with
it and why I think you've actually seen some dysfunction
maybe on the offensive side, and there was something going
on last year even when Jason Kelsey was there. But
you do have veteran guys on defense I know Brandon
Graham is hurt now, but Brandon Graham was still in
(25:43):
that locker room for a decent amount of the season,
and so you have a player like that being able
to keep players in check. Jalen Carter's played out of
his mind. They've done really well. Quinnon Mitchell's great all year.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
No one's super.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Yeah, the Degene's been great, you know, and so they've
got They've had guys that really step up, that are
top quality guys. And on offense with that offensive line,
I mean, it's amazing for how good they've been and
for how long they've been with pieces coming in and
(26:20):
out at times. We mentioned Kelsey retiring, Jason Peters was
there forever, and they still continually have a great offensive line,
and now you put Saquon Barkley behind it, which I
think then lessons the Jalen Hurts responsibility of being a
leader on that team, even though he's the quarterback and
his voices, like, when you have the supreme talent of
(26:41):
Saquon Barkley, it all kind of defaults to that, and
I think that's helped Philadelphia this year definitely.
Speaker 5 (26:47):
And to that point about about Saquon taking some of
the leadership responsibilities off of Jalen. I think Jalen actually
is a great leader. That's something he really does have
going for him. So it's not necessarily something he needs
is someone to help him take some of that off
his plate. But it doesn't hurt and Saquon, it's just
he doesn't get enough credit for some of the dirty
(27:08):
stuff he does. You see him picking up blocks. It's
like he's that's such a nerdy thing to talk about,
but it's like you literally see this guy meeting linebackers
in the hole and you just don't see it. Usually
we talk about guys like, you know, for the Chiefs,
that's what you have a samajp Ryan four on your roster,
is you know, to pick up the dirty work, show
up at the.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Late in the fourth quarter of the game, ceiling first down. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
But for Saquon to be doing all that stuff on
top of being the best running back in the NFL,
it's just remarkable, Like he deserves so much credit.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Yeah, I agree with you that think that Jalen Hurts
is a leader, and I agree with you that Jalen
Hurts is probably a top ten person for what we
know in the National Football League. But there's no denying
that there was friction between him and Nick Sirianni. There's
no denying that he and AJ Brown have not been
on the ste page at various times throughout the ten
(28:03):
year in Philadelphia. And you know how I've been critical
of AJ Brown and those in those scenarios. So it's
difficult to be the leader that like Patrick Mahomes is
and that Josh Allen is, or heck, I'll even dare
to say it, Jayden Daniels is in his rookie season
for the Commanders when you have other guys pushing against it.
(28:24):
And that's one of the great things about the Commanders,
and at least with Jayden Daniels is you've had someone
like Bobby Wagner, who's leading the defense, who's won a
Super Bowl, who's been in the trenches, kind of taking
him under his wing, but also then allowing him to
be the leader that he needs to be.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
As the quarterback.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Terry mclaurin's on that offense, Zach Ertz is on that offense.
They're all fully capable of being the leader, but they
also can defer to all, right, our quarterback is going
to be our guy. And they've done that in Washington
and it's worked. I don't think that Jalen Hurts gets
that from his other teammates, specifically a guy like AJ Brown.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
So it's the only difference.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Shouldn'tay other teammates that should just say basically AJ Brown.
But with Saquan now there, it's it's hard to deny
that talent in a little way that's maybe comparable to Washington,
And you can't deny Jane Daniel's talent.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
So let him run with it and let him be
the leader that he is.
Speaker 5 (29:16):
So yeah, that's a good point. And like you said,
it's winning cures all. So not only DoD Saquon help
the leadership aspect and help the Eagles culture just from
being a good guy in a locker room presence, he
also helps them because he helps them actually win games,
so he indirectly influences their culture in that way too.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
So I mentioned Washington and how things were crazy at
the end of the season. It's funny on Washington's road
in how things changed in week eighteen with the Packers
losing to the Bears and the Commanders ending up beating
the Cowboys. The Rams lost to the Seahawks, So there
was seeding, and there was changing. There was a bunch
of different stuff, but as it plays out, Commanders ended
(29:55):
up getting the six seed. They were second in the
NFC East this year. You want to know who their
opponents are for next year. I've got it in.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Front of me.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Sure, so you have to say yes, So you want
to know, yes, Okay, we know there are three NFC
East opponents.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
We know them home and away.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
They've also got Bears at home, Lions at home, Broncos
at home, Seahawks at home, Raiders at home.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
So check this, yeah, yeah, tough.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Check out this on the road, Packers on the road,
Chiefs on the road, Chargers on the road, Vikings on
the road, Dolphins on the road, Falcons on the road.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
It gets tougher.
Speaker 4 (30:38):
Yes, I don't know if it's the same sophomore season.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
And so it's one you know, those are those are
just some of the things that can happen. They had
a last place schedule this year. When you look at
the record and the winds that they had, that's what
I would point to and say, not only who did
they beat, but how many times did they escape? We
talked about the Bears, Hail Mary. We've talked about Week
two with the Giants, when the Giants don't have a
(31:03):
kicker and Washington kicks seven field goals to win a game.
That stuff doesn't follow up and happen the next year.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
Look at Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
Remember Minnesota in the year a couple of years ago,
where we're like, man, how does Minnesota win all these games?
They took a step back. Well, Kirk Cousins leaves, they
bring in Sam Donald, but guess what, Kevin O'Connell's your
head coach. They go back this year. They have an
amazing season, and while it ended earlier than they would
have hoped, I think we feel that Minnesota has reached
(31:32):
a level where we expect them to be a competitor.
That's all I'm saying about Washington. I'm not saying they're
going to be erased from the NFL picture. But for
the last two weeks, we've had Jane Daniels top five
quarterback in the NFL, and I mean, there are five
(31:52):
quarterbacks that I think are better than I'm in the AFC.
And that's my whole point in gis of trying to
determine who'd where are we on this And it's not
meant to be any disrespect, but now you go from
one season where you're the hunter and now guess what,
now you're the hunted, and those things can change. And
it's the only thing that I'm warning about, and I
(32:14):
will be I will gladly, gladly admit that I'm wrong.
If the Commanders go thirteen and four next year and
win the division, I just think it's a different it's
a different road for them, and with Jayden Daniels, we
just have to play the long game. But a stellar,
stellar rookie season. I wish it wouldn't have ended as
poorly for them in that championship game, but I don't
(32:34):
think it takes away anything that they've done because that
win in Detroit, the win in Tampa, and the playoffs,
that think are the things that are going to carry
over when we remember this season.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
I'm with you, Dan.
Speaker 5 (32:43):
And one more thing to remember too is also the
fact that that Saints head coaching job is still opening,
are still open, And yeah, Cliff Kingsbury, I mean, obviously
it's no guarantee, but if he's gone, I would probably
hurt Jayden as well.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Yeah, absolutely, those things happen. Most things happened every single
year in the NFL, and it's it's just bound to
and by the way, if it doesn't happen this year,
it very well could happen next year. It's theirs and hey,
and while I name those opponents, the same thing can
be said is we don't know if Detroit's going to
(33:16):
be the same team. We don't know if Kansas City
is going to be the same team. We don't know
if Green Bay is gonna I mentioned Minnesota, We don't.
I mean, you know, there's questions with everybody, but it's
different than the schedule that we saw them navigate this past.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
Year, which was a last place schedule.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Yeah, so kudos to the commanders on what was a
magnificent rookie season with Jayden Daniels. And imagine him with
maybe more of a running game or trying to develop
that or even a few more weapons on the outside
with Terry McLaurin. Yeah, it could be could be fun
times in Washington and hopefully they move back to the
(33:55):
RFK Stadium location. All Right, that's our NFC Championship recap
coming out next Ian Roddy and myself, Dan Byer will
take a look at what happened in the NFL coaching carousel,
because four NFL head coaches were introduced on Monday, will
break down who actually has an opportunity to succeed in
their first year with their new team. Mike Carmon's out sick,
(34:18):
but don't leave us. We'll be back for more next year.
And I want your flex. Welcome back to I want
your flex again. Mike Harmon is ill. So you got me,
Dan Byer and our executive producer Ian Roddy hanging out
with me as we just recap championship weekend and then
we deal with some of the other things in the
(34:38):
NFL before we get to the head coaches. One point
that was brought up not a shocker in Pittsburgh that
arn't runny the second the team owners said that he
believes they'll bring back either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson
next year, but wouldn't bring back both. That makes total sense.
The question is if you bring back Fields, is he
(34:59):
your starter? And if you bring back Russell Wilson, is
Russell Wilson going to have to compete with anybody else?
And I would think that if you bring back Russell Wilson,
he'd be your starter. And if you brought back Justin
Fields that there may be a competition, but we'll see.
I don't think you could just give Justin Fields the
starting job right now, but we'll see how things play
(35:19):
out in Pittsburgh because it was a rough end to
their campaign. The Jets, Aaron Glenn introduced as the head
coach of the Jets and not closing the door. Ian
on your team bringing back Aaron Rodgers for next season,
Glenn did say that the team would consider it, talk
about it.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
They've communicated with.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Rogers, but they want to get a look at the
whole picture before deciding. As it stands right now, do
you have a lean on if you think Rogers will
return next year or not?
Speaker 5 (35:50):
In terms of if I think he'll return, I'm a
full disclosure. I have no idea, and I really feel
like Rogers has no idea. Aaron Gwent has no idea.
Just the Jets in general have no idea. That's something
they're gonna have to figure out over the next few
weeks as Aaron Rodgers himself comes to that decision. But
in terms of do I want him back, I might
(36:12):
be in the minority here because I know a lot
of Jets fans are ready to have him back, especially
with how the season ended.
Speaker 4 (36:17):
You know, he was pretty strong to end the year.
Speaker 5 (36:19):
But I just for me, I just I just want
him gone, not because I don't think, like I don't
think there's a better quarterback option out there, which which
I guess is kind of a bad thing there to
let him go in that in that case, but but
he's Uh, the culture that they had last year was
so centered on just finger pointing. And it wasn't just him,
it was just other teammates too. It was Sauce Gardener,
(36:41):
it was Garrett Wilson, it was you know, Quincy Williams,
other players on the team, just pointing finger fingers, deflecting
blame from themselves. And that starts at the top with
Aaron Rodgers in my opinion, and to me, I just
I just want to get that out of there. You know,
it's it's even if he's the best quarterback option, I'm
fine with rolling with Tyrod Taylor and maybe you know,
(37:02):
a rookie second rounder or something. Obviously you're not gonna,
you know, have as much hype going into the season.
You can't really expect them to make the playoffs in
that case. But it's Aaron Glenn's first year. There's not
exactly gonna be a playoff mandate, but you know, who knows,
Maybe they sneak in.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
But I'm kind of rambling at this point. No, I
don't want Rogers back.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
Yeah, and that's I think that I think that is
the more than likely outcome. I actually have a feeling
Rogers is going to call it quits himself.
Speaker 4 (37:34):
You know, I've thought that too.
Speaker 5 (37:36):
And it's funny because it doesn't seem like that's being
discussed very much. No, it just kind of seems like
he needs to decide if he's playing for the Jets.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
But I don't know.
Speaker 5 (37:44):
He finished finished the season with a four touchdown game,
had a touchdown pass to Devonte Adams through his five
hundred career touchdown. It wouldn't be the worst way for
him to walk out.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Yeah, that seems like hitting those milestones and just of
what we saw with him at the end of the year.
And there were injuries too at the end of the
the at the end of the season that he was
dealing with.
Speaker 5 (38:07):
And injuries for a forty one year old are not
the same for injuries for a twenty one year old.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Yeah, correct, and I honestly like with Aaron Glenn being
brought in in how that is. I think that you're
taking Aaron Glenn and it is imperative for him to
change that culture that has been there.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
So to change the culture, there's also.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
Got to be a lot of change in personnel to
what you're saying of You just want it to get
rid of it, and I think that's step one. I
don't think that Ben Johnson was brought in for his mind.
Aaron Glenn, I think was brought in to change everything.
Speaker 3 (38:45):
That was around it.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
That's right, Like Ben Johnson isn't going to Chicago to
change the culture. You're trying to make sure that Caleb
Williams works, where Aaron Glenn is trying to do what
Dan Campbell kind of did in Detroit.
Speaker 4 (38:59):
Yeah, I think that's totally right.
Speaker 5 (39:00):
And I mean he kind of you know, that came
across pretty clearly in his press conference, his introductory press
conference today.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
There's something a quote you know where the Jets were
built for this bleep?
Speaker 5 (39:13):
It's yeah, good stuff, man. He knows how to pander
to the fans. It doesn't mean he's going to be successful,
but you know, he at least won the press conference.
Speaker 2 (39:21):
No, but there is also something too when you spend
a majority of your career with a team, right, Like
I actually, I don't think that's going to pay off
in Week eight, in the third quarter of a game,
but I do think that it helps in this scenario
and does help in your passion. I don't think you're
gonna work any less because you didn't play for a team,
(39:42):
But I do think that when he says something like that,
it's different than another coach you just came in who's
not familiar with anything, right, and says those sort of things.
Speaker 5 (39:54):
And he was part of a Jets turnaround as a
player when he was, you know, playing under Bill Parcells.
That sure they were a dumpster, dumpster fire franchise going
into the two thousands, and he was He was on
that team when it when it turned around, and you know,
they kept a strong culture all the way through the
Rex Ryan years and then obviously since then it's fallen apart.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
But he was one of the fore head coaches that
was introduced the Monday. Pete Carroll was another with the
Raiders on John in John Spytech coming over from the Buccaneers,
introduced as the general manager. One thing has changed. Pete
Carroll does not shut up. He does not shut up
at all, just keeps talking and talking and talking. And
(40:35):
that was the case still with all the energy in
the world. It's the same Pete Carroll that goes on
and on. And there was a point where a reporter
actually asked John spy Tech a question and Pete was like, sorry,
I didn't see where you were.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
What was the question?
Speaker 2 (40:50):
And the reporter goes John, and then he's talking about yea, Pete,
guess what. They actually may want to talk to somebody else.
There was nothing different about Pete Carroll except that maybe
he was a year older since we last saw him
as the Seahawks head coach talking the way that he
was with the Raiders. Just a long way to go
in terms of roster building there. You know, your Jets
(41:13):
pick seventh, the Raiders pick ahead of them at six,
and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing for
either team because just of the questions that we have
about this quarterback class with cam Ward and Shador Sanders,
I actually think for these teams in the long haul,
they probably need better picks in the top ten, more
(41:36):
foundation picks as opposed to drafting the future quarterback right now.
I think that the Raiders and Jets, while it may
not be identical, at least for they pick in the draft,
if you have Pete Carroll, they're trying to change the culture.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Same thing with Aaron Glenn.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
I don't know if youd necessarily do that with a quarterback,
and so at least they have I think they have.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
That going for them. I know you'd love it.
Speaker 2 (41:57):
Maybe a one, two or top three pick six or
seven right now. I think they could get a solid player.
And what is a draft that may only be top
eight or you know, top nine or ten in terms
of real true first round prospects. I think the Jets
and Raiders are sitting in decent spots to rebuild teams
like they need to be rebuilt.
Speaker 4 (42:17):
They are.
Speaker 5 (42:17):
But that's also I think it's so interesting that that
Pete Carroll is, you know, it's only a three year contract.
It's three years, right, yep, Okay, that it's only a
three year thing, so it's pretty short term. And then
he himself, like you mentioned, he said at the press conference,
you know we're going for it right away. This isn't
some slow rebuild so I guess in that sense, it's
not the ideal year to not be able to grab
(42:41):
your quarterback when you need one, because the Raiders don't
have it. You know, it's aid O, Aidan O'Connell and
Gardner Minshew right now. So I don't know how quickly
Pete's going to be able to turn around the franchise
if he's not able to get a young rookie quarterback
in there.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
It was in Seattle and Pete actually made this comment
in the press conference on Monday, saying, we are going
to go through a lot of guys. There are a
lot of we we go through the roster and this
is this is who we're going to go through. We're
going to be They're going to leave the league in
transactions like there is there's no doubt about that. And
(43:17):
so there's gonna be a lot of guys that are
in and out and they're going to try to find
their right guys. It sounds very cliche, but it was
a system that allowed that team to turn around and
be good and you know the two or three years
and then compete for a Super Bowl when Carol was there. Granted,
they had you know, Earl Thomas, and Russell o'coon were
(43:40):
first round picks in a year where you know, Seattle
had two first round picks. He had two cornerstone guys
that were a part of that. Raiders are going to
have to find that. Jets may have to find something
like that as well. But I think that I don't
know how quickly it's going to be within that division
you're going to be able to turn it around, but
they'll win some games. It's just a tough task, I
(44:00):
think overall for them to turn it completely around.
Speaker 5 (44:03):
Yeah, how do you feel Dan about Pete Carroll seeing
him coach another team?
Speaker 3 (44:07):
Does that?
Speaker 4 (44:08):
I don't know? Are you? Are you rooting for him
at all?
Speaker 2 (44:10):
Or I I've been a Seahawks fan long enough that
I am not.
Speaker 3 (44:17):
I am not tied to him only being a.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Seahawks head coach, gotcha. Plus there's the USC years, yep,
I remember though.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
I remember a lot of Seahawks eras.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
The home Gren era, which was great, the Dennis Eriksson era,
which was just basically eight and eight, the Tom Flora's era,
which was atrocious, the Chuck Knox era, which was great
at times and fluctuating. And so I feel like I've run
the Gamut did. Jim mora Era only lasted one season.
So while it was well, Pete Carroll has been such
(44:52):
a fixed uere with Seattle and the Seahawks in the NFL,
and I think one of the reasons why they became
one of the marquee teams in the NFL. It doesn't
have the effect on me that it may have with
other Seahawk fans, just because I just feel like I've
I followed the team for forty years and he's been
a big part of it. But I also remember him
at usc heck, I remembered him. I remembered him with
(45:13):
the Patriots and the Jets, and I remember him even
as the assistant was when he did the choke call
on the kick like against the Dolphins when Pete Stoyanovitch,
I think it was missed kick. Like I remember those
things about Pete Carroll. So it's not necessarily as weird
as it would seem to be that he was in
(45:34):
that he's coaching again. It was a little different to
see him in the black instead of just like a
gray or blue longsleeve shirt.
Speaker 3 (45:39):
But yeah, a.
Speaker 4 (45:41):
Little off pudding for sure, But yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:43):
It was weirder honestly, to see Mike McDonald on the
sideline as the head coach for a game than it
was to see Pete, Like it was weirder to see
Pete not there than it was to see Pete in
different colors, if that makes anything.
Speaker 4 (45:56):
Yeah, it's not interesting way of putting it, for sure.
Speaker 2 (45:59):
The headline we'll say for last, Brian Schottenheimer at the Cowboys.
I'll tell you what, I think Liam Cohen's going to
do really well with the Jaguars because I don't think
that the press conference or at least the social media
efforts could have gone any worse.
Speaker 3 (46:17):
That was really good. Ian, that was really good.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
I felt so bad for him because all and honestly,
if I'm a Jaguars fan, I'm like, I don't care.
Speaker 3 (46:26):
I just want him to coach football.
Speaker 2 (46:27):
I want him to make sure that Trevor Lawrence is right,
and I want him to get the football to Brian
Thomas and get it to Travis Etn And I want
to score a bunch of points and that's what he's
there to do. So I don't care if he says duval,
I do not think it's an Adam Gase eyes, Yeah,
crazy eyes sort of thing. I'm actually glad that my
(46:48):
offensive minded coach may not be as well suited into
the cool social media stuff.
Speaker 5 (46:55):
So you think it's closer to the Dan Campbell biting
kneecaps version of a press opposed to the gase.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
In the possibilities of how it could turn out, Yeah,
I think it would lean more towards the Campbell than
it would the gay scenario.
Speaker 5 (47:09):
I'm sure Jaguars fans will be happy to hear that.
Speaker 2 (47:12):
That would be the least of my worries that he
knows how to say do all. They had him doing
a bunch of stuff too. I saw him do I
think it may have been a thing with maybe members
of the staff, or if it was.
Speaker 5 (47:26):
I did see that, yeah, where it was the auditorium
behind it.
Speaker 4 (47:29):
Yet one he had.
Speaker 2 (47:30):
A cell phone. You know that he's trying to do
a selfie. It's tough enough to do a selfie like that,
and then he's got to do it in front of
like one hundred people and turn around.
Speaker 5 (47:39):
But at least he said it correctly that time, did
he Yeah? I mean, I mean maybe he did, because
it was a whole crowd. You heard it as like
a wave of you know an audience saying it, but still.
Speaker 3 (47:50):
I would not be worried about that. I would.
Speaker 2 (47:52):
I'm actually glad that, if I'm a Jaguars fan, that
my head coach does it poorly, because that means he's
focused on the right things. And then we finally we
get to Brian Schottenheimer, who I actually feel bad for,
and I said this on my I think I said
this on the Sunday Show.
Speaker 3 (48:08):
Ian.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
If not, it was in my notes, and you can
vouch for me. He can look at my notes. Schottenheimer's
fifty one years old, has a last name that is
may not be royalty in the NFL, but it is
very highly thought of carry and cashe yes, absolutely with
his dad, the late great Marty Schottenheimer. And he's getting
(48:28):
his chance at fifty one to coach the Dallas Cowboys
and it should be a feel good story and it
is anything but. And that's because of Jerry Jones. That's
because of what Jerry Jones says, and Jerry Jones even
said it was it was not a glamorous higher I
think it was his phrase that.
Speaker 4 (48:47):
He used as he's sitting right there, yeah, Like, I.
Speaker 2 (48:50):
Like, how can you say that when he's sitting right there.
Speaker 5 (48:53):
Yeah, but I think Brian, Yeah, he's saying how he's
out of his comfort zone making this higher and stuff.
Speaker 4 (48:58):
It's like he's sitting right there, Jerry.
Speaker 3 (49:00):
Yes, yes, read the room. But that's Jerry. I hope.
Speaker 2 (49:04):
I actually hope he succeeds, like in a way that
I hope Mike McCarthy succeeds. People want Jerry Jones to fail,
and so then they mock the hires, and I end
up rooting for these guys to succeed because people said
that they can't do it, or that they're dumb, or
it's just a bad hire.
Speaker 3 (49:24):
I hope Brian Schottenheimer does have.
Speaker 2 (49:27):
Some success and the Cowboys can continue their ways because
I'll tell you this, he's going to be their coach
for the next four years, oh however long that contract is.
So I hope it at least works out for him.
Otherwise we're going to see the complete downfall of the
Dallas Cowboys because Jerry Jones is not going to fire
him if he just gave him a new contracts.
Speaker 5 (49:45):
It's true, but also I'm going to say hearing Carrie Rhodes,
who played under him, say that he doesn't think he'll
make a good head coach. That to me was all
I needed to hear, you know, someone who actually played
under him saying he doesn't believe it's good. Yeah, because
at least the coaches who don't end up working out
at least going into it, there's optimism around it. But
this is it just feels like from the start people
(50:05):
are just doubting it, including people like Carry who played
under him. So and I don't think that's unfair to Shotenheim.
I think it's they know better than we do. And yeah,
I'm going to listen to them.
Speaker 2 (50:16):
Yeah, And I wasn't even thinking of Kerry's opinion. And
I'm glad that Kerry gave his opinion because he was
an honest opinion and was from his experience of playing
under a staff that included Brian Schottenheimer. I will say
that if Schottenheimer isn't going to have that sort of
ability to have that role, I'd be a little worried
(50:38):
on you would have to fill out a staff that
would be able to carry that role. And considering Matt
Eberfluss is expected to be the guy of defensive coordinator,
that does not vode great for Dallas, but Iberflus's defense
at times, the bar defense was really good, and hopefully
he can do it with Dallas once to get everything straight.
(51:00):
Schottenheimer's obviously got the offense. It's the reason why he's
the head coach. But yeah, we shall see. I am
actually rooting for Brian Schottenheimer though in the to at
least succeed to prove some people wrong.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
We'll see.
Speaker 2 (51:15):
Those were the head coach hirings that we had obviously,
Mike Vrabel introduced with the Patriots previously, Ben Johnson introduced
last week as the Bears head coach. Those were the
two biggest names Ian mentioned earlier on the podcast.
Speaker 3 (51:30):
There's just one left to go and that's the New
Orleans Saints.
Speaker 2 (51:33):
And I just actually I just had some odds sent
to me on the Saints hire of the Let me
see if I can quick bring this up.
Speaker 4 (51:46):
Well, who would you hire if you were if you
were the Saints?
Speaker 2 (51:49):
Well, Mike McCarthy was the odds on leader of having
of having the best odds.
Speaker 5 (51:58):
I feel like that's who I would go with, just
because I mean not that I view him as some
end all, be all incredible coach, but he's someone with
where the Saints are at, especially because they're the last
ones to hire a coach. I think they just need
someone with experience who knows how to win games, and
that's something both stops. McCarthy's been at. He's won games,
So that's where I'm that's where my head space would
(52:19):
be at.
Speaker 2 (52:20):
Of on the Saints, Kellen Moore is gonna interview with them.
This This is the This is the odds list that
was said to me vssports Betting dot AG Mike McCarthy
minus three hundred so the clear favorite right now, one
to three odds. Kellen Moore, who will interview with the
Saints plus two fifty, Darren Rizzy who is the inner
(52:42):
interim head coach seven to one, Anthony Weaver nine to one,
Mike Kafka nine to one, and Cliff Kingsbury ten to one.
Speaker 5 (52:52):
It's interesting, I mean, I Mike Kafka being on there's
interesting because, like I remember him being a hot head
coaching name or offensive coordinator name, because he was the
quarterbacks coach for the Chiefs when they kind of when
Mahomes was having his ascension. But since then, what's he
really done? You know, he failed Daniel Jones.
Speaker 4 (53:09):
I don't know. I don't want to make this a
Mike Kafka piling on.
Speaker 2 (53:13):
Well, I like how you do it with Harmon's out
because he's a Northwestern guy Kafka is, and so you
did it in a safe place where Carmon wouldn't get
after you. That Kafka I think was in conversations last year,
even with the Seahawks as a possibility.
Speaker 4 (53:30):
Well, you're right, I remember that.
Speaker 3 (53:31):
So yeah, but.
Speaker 2 (53:34):
The McCarthy odds are tough to turn away from. But
the fact that all these teams, the fact that we
had four introductory press conferences on Monday, Yeah, just tells
me that maybe teams were just itching to make hires
and go. And now with the late, the late Super
Bowl stuff that we have, if the Saints are the
(53:55):
only one out there, why rush as a wait to
hear from everybody you can. And if it's going to
be Kellen Moore, fine, wait for Cliff Kingsbury. His season's
now over. Talk to him. You've got nobody else to
compete with, so you might as well just take your time.
The only thing that you would have a disadvantage of
is maybe figuring out who that person's.
Speaker 3 (54:13):
Going to have as a staff.
Speaker 2 (54:15):
Yeah, when you bring them in because of the hirings
that are made, but you're not running up against anybody
competing to make any hires.
Speaker 4 (54:22):
It's the staff.
Speaker 5 (54:22):
And then I would also say you're at a disadvantage
because you can't go to like draft events like the
Senior Bowl. Because the Senior Bowl is going on right now,
and that's sure that tons of NFL teams like to go,
and every year there's a few prospects who rise significantly
because they get good tape in front of NFL scouts.
So for the Saints to not be able to go
(54:43):
because they don't have a I mean, well, actually Mickey
Loomis is still there, so I guess they do have
a scouting staff going scratch that.
Speaker 3 (54:49):
Yeah, you can get you can get a look in
plus some.
Speaker 4 (54:51):
Of your head coach, though still hurts.
Speaker 2 (54:53):
I would say, I think I think it's I think
it's I think it's minimal for what we've what we've
got right now. I would not want to wait this song.
Seahawks said they waited the second the longest last year
to name a head coach. I don't I don't think
it's great, but at least if you're in the situation,
(55:13):
take the advantages of it and use it to your advantage,
and we'll find we'll find out soon enough, just who
knows if we'll find out before Super Bowl Sunday. Speaking
of which, we'll have our another normal episode next week
where we will preview super Bowl fifty nine and also
talk about the other.
Speaker 3 (55:30):
News that it's gone on in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (55:32):
For the week post super Bowl, we'll have a post
super Bowl episode, and then we'll have another episode where
we will do our first draft of the twenty twenty
five fantasy football season. We draft the top sixty players,
something we do preseason going into the season, and then
something we do at the end of the season on
who we would take if the draft was held. Those
(55:54):
are going to be our upcoming episodes. It'll give Mike
enough time to rest his voice. We hope he feels better.
I'll be in New Orleans for the super Bowl for
a few days, so I'll be able to report back
and tell you how things went in the Big Easy
and Ian You'll be holding it down at the studios
at the Fox Sports Radio Network.
Speaker 3 (56:11):
Yes, I will looking forward to it, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (56:13):
Get them on Blue Sky at ian Dash Roddy and
on Exit Ian Roddy Underscore, and you can find me
on Exit dan Byer on Fox and at dan Byer
on Blue Skuy. So for Ian Roddy and the sick
Mike Carmen, wish him well by the way at Swollen
Dome and at my Karmen on Blue Sky.
Speaker 3 (56:31):
I am dan Byer. Thanks for listening to I Want
Your Flex
Host
Mike Harmon
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