January 15, 2026 • 50 mins
NFL analyst Louis Riddick praises the Giants hiring John Harbaugh and sees the Texans' defense giving them a good chance to pull off an upset on the road. Former NFL MVP QB Boomer Esiason views OC Todd Monken as a perfect fit for Jaxson Dart and sees Dante Moore going back to Oregon as a potential blessing in disguise for the Jets. Former NFL QB Robert Griffin III would rather coach the Falcons over the Steelers and sees the Bears pulling an upset over the Rams.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to the Dan Patrick Show on Fox
Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Lewis Riddick of the mother Ship ESPN NFL College football analyst,
did the Giants get the right guy?
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Lewis?
Speaker 4 (00:14):
No question. Look, Dan, I've known John for a long time.
He was an assistant. I don't know if he's a
grad assistant or just an assistant on our staff at
the University of Pittsburgh when I was there as a
freshman and sophomore. I believe he was there with his dad,
Jack So, who was a great friend of Mike Godfred.
So I've known John a long long time. I know
(00:35):
what his family values and how they look at the
game of football. I've been able, I've been fortunate enough
along with our team to call multiple Money Night games
and talk to him multiple occasions about team building, player development,
roster construction, coaching staff construction, philosophical beliefs, you know, as
(00:56):
far as how the game needs to be played. And
I'll tell you to me, he is the true definition
of a CEO when you're talking about a head coach
and what that role really does entail. Because he started
off as a special teams coach, right and then Andy
gave more exposure to defense to kind of round out
his resume a little bit more when he was coaching
there so he could become a head coach. I think
(01:17):
he is someone who you know on the way out
in Baltimore, like something just doesn't sit well with me
with the way that all went down because of the
role that I know that player accountability plays in team underperformance, right,
And obviously we live in a world in a society
where everyone's looking for I gotta find that guy who
(01:40):
I can hang it on, that guy who I can
put it around his neck, and that guy who I
can hold accountable. And there's a lot of people who
behind the scenes who sit back and just kind of go,
who will I escape that one? Who will I escape that?
There's a lot that went into that team's underperformance, in
my belief, and I think, yeah, spinning it forward. I
(02:00):
love what coach day Ball did as far as really
vouching for Jackson Dart and kind of selling him to
John and obviously ownership up there is going to give
him everything that he needs and it's a quick trip
right up ninety five man for him, which is super cool,
and I think he's going to do a hell of
a job. I think he's going to be recharged and
kick it right in the ass like he should.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Was this the best opening in your opinion?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I think because of the quarterback situation, in the young
pieces situation, where if you were like to list the
top five positions on a football team that you needed
to have in place in order to then fill out
everything around it. Yeah, I think when you look at
the fact that you have Jackson Elik coming back, you
have edge pass rushers, you have a guy who can
be a workhorse every down back, he's going to still
(02:46):
need to fix that offensive line and make it something
that becomes more consistent.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
I think there's a lot of things in place right
there now. Obviously, player identification, selection development, all that stuff
has to still happen, but yeah, a lot of the
foundation is right there. It really is. And I think,
like you know, the big Blue fan base is as
passionate as there is in football. There's a lot of
(03:11):
alumni who are sitting there going thank you, thank you,
you know, and I think he's gonna have a lot
of support behind him and a lot of wind pushing
him along to where I think this is going to
be a spot where now the Giants. Giants are gonna
be players again. For real.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Let's take out the legacy of the Steelers. Let's just
look at what that roster is. M h. How good
a job is this?
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Look? I think the number one Okay, So when you
look at how good of a job is it, if
we're talking about excuse me, ownership, structure, instability plus GM quarterback,
all that alignment, that that really does factor and know
how good of a job is Look, ownership quarterback ownership
is rock solid. So you know that they're gonna there's
(03:59):
someone who's gonna really try and identify a person that
they think is gonna be long term, and they're gonna
give him a lot of leeway in order to kind
of learn on the job, just like they did with Mike,
just like they did with coach Kauer, just like they
did with Chuck Nole. So I think that obviously makes
it attractive immediately Number one, because you know you're gonna
have time. Number two, you know you're gonna have time
because they don't have a quarterback. So I think that
(04:21):
may knock it down for some and people are gonna go, well,
what the hell they're gonna do there? Well, that's a
great question. Well, that's part of the deal. That's why
they're kind of in this situation in the first place.
It's kind of what more war mic out, I believe
at the end, along with a bunch of other things,
the fact that they just couldn't get that position right.
But I think once they figure that out, I think
there are some young pieces on the offensive line. I
(04:42):
think you have to continue to fill out the wide
receiver corps around DK Metcalf and make sure that that
is that is a position of strength running backs, a
position of strength. Defense is aging in, probably a little
bit too high priced for long term sustainability and needs
to be revamped and rebooted. There's this So there's so
many things though that will make that place attractive to
(05:04):
top level coaches for sure. And number one is the
fact that they're not just gonna turn over coaches at
the first sign of there being some kind of adversity
like every like so many other places do. And that's
probably the number one thing that perspective head coaches should
be looking for. How much time is the coach going
to give you, how much I mean, is the owner
(05:24):
gonna give you? How much support are they gonna give you, then,
how much support are they gonna give you to go
out and get the assets that you need. Mister Rooney
will do what he needs to do in order to
get them what they need to get to make this
team successful. Simple as that. Then it's up to Omar
and whoever they pick to get the job done.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
But you look at certain openings, you got to win now.
In Pittsburgh, it's not just get to the playoffs. You
got to win now. In Baltimore, it's not just get
to the playoffs. Whereas Atlanta, Miami, Cleveland, Arizona, Tennessee, even
the Giants, you get a grace period. You walk into Baltimore,
(06:01):
you better make the playoffs and people the way.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Yeah, you know what's interesting about that. I kind of
look at those two teams a little bit different simply because, look,
in Pittsburgh, you better win now, simply because Mike always
kept it above water, right. He was always in the hunt,
in the hunt, in the hunt, but just couldn't get
over the top for whatever reason. It was whatever you
want if you want to pin it on his scheme, strategy, tactics,
lack of quarterback play, whatever you wanted to pin it on.
(06:27):
But the fact is now that one crucial piece that
you know will give you a chance to win now
is not there. So there's gonna be need to be
an adjustment of expectations there.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
There just is.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
And I think and I think mister Roneal figure it
like he knows that although he says, hey, look this
isn't a retool, I mean, this isn't a rebuild. Okay,
you can say that now, But the reality is, what's
your answer then, what's your answer at quarterback at Baltimore?
I agree with you for a sure better win now.
(07:01):
And I'll tell you what, I'll even take it a
step further. The players that are there, they're the ones
who better make sure that they win now because one
of the reasons why I think one of the primary
reasons why John is not there is because the player, well,
there's a number of different things. One, we talked about
(07:22):
this being maybe one of the best rosters in football,
et cetera, et cetera all the time, Eh this year
maybe not. Maybe look at their front seven and look
at how how many injuries they suffered on the front
that really did limit the things that they could do defensively.
But number two, their best players need to practice, need
(07:44):
to hold themselves accountable, need to be held accountable, need
to know the scheme inside and out, need to be
able to execute at a high level at all times.
And those are things that I'll tell you what. Coaches
can only do so much. They're gonna get a fantastic coach,
there's no question about that. But the players have to
(08:04):
pull their weight. The players have to own up. Didn't
you heard We just heard Jason Kelsey talking about this
the other day with Philadelphia where he was screaming about
the fact that you know, we can sit there and
we get pin it on Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patulo
and just kick them in the ass all we want about, Well,
their scheme sucks, it's vanilla, it's this, It's that. It's just,
you know, we get so far away from sometimes about
the fact that you know, I don't know too many. Look,
(08:28):
I've been around some bad coaches. Don't get me wrong.
I've been around some coaches. Didn't teach me anything, But
by and large, I'm gonna have some some faith in
the fact that, you know what, the NFL is comprised
the people who are pretty competent of their at their job.
I was never coached ever to fumble the football, jump
off sides, pull someone's face mask, drop the football, take
(08:51):
bad angles to the football, not wrap up when you're
supposed to tackle. I was never coached to do that
kind of stuff. But now as soon as players don't
do that, fire the coach, get his ass out of it,
get someone else, Fire the coach. They're not good, they're not.
It's like, hey, if Baltimore has that good of a
roster like everyone says they do, and they should be
(09:12):
playing a lot better than what they are, and you're right,
they better win next year right away, no question about it.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Talking to Lewis Riddick of The Mothership, their NFL college
football analyst, what is Aaron Rodgers' football future?
Speaker 4 (09:27):
I would never speak for Aaron Rodgers, but I think
mister Rooney put it bluntly. I think in Pittsburgh it's
probably it's done. He said he came here to play
for Mike. Mike's gone. I think that pretty much closes.
He didn't say it closes the door on that, but
I think it closed the door on that. I don't,
I don't know. I thought that really was an ideal
spot for him. I thought that he needed Mike. Mike
(09:49):
needed him given where they were at, you know, as
far as Mike where he was at in his tenure,
he probably knew that was his last run, and Aaron
probably needed to just go somewhere where he really respected
that guy great, you know, great traditional like blue blood
organization and where he would just play ball. And that's
what he did to the best of visibility. I don't
(10:10):
know what where else you can go to really top that.
At this point, he ain't going to wear his no backup.
He's not going Aaron. I think we may have seen
the last of them. I don't know, but that would
be my guess.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Give me the road team that wins this weekend.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Oh boy, I'm actually trying to think who was on
the road.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Buffalo's in Denver, Houston's in New England, you got the
Niners in Seattle. Rams. I think I think Rams are favored.
Let's let's take them out of this.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Yeah, and you know what, I think Houston is probably
the one that because their defense Dan is so nasty, physical,
opportunistic and can play in any kind of environment. They're
so mentally tough that I know that people go well
(11:04):
there's no way Houston can keep winning like this because
then CJ can't afford to keep playing like that. You know,
you know what, You're right, and he won't keep playing
like that. I don't believe he'll keep playing like that. Now.
I love Mike Rabel. I love how he has that
team playing. And you talk about connecting with a roster,
Holy mo, I mean the people in Tennessee. I don't
(11:24):
know what happened down there, but I don't know how
you didn't see the unique qualities and skills that this
man has as a head coach unless he developed something
in that year where he was just like, you know what,
I need to tweak this about how I connect with players.
I need to tweak that. And this is gonna make
me so much. He's pushing all the right buttons, man,
(11:46):
all of them, every single one but Dimico Ryans is
a special, special cap and he's got a special defense
that is among the best that I've ever seen. And
I played on a pretty good one too, our ninety
four team in Cleveland that was one of the best
in scoring defense in history. They have got some dudes,
(12:08):
and that at this time of year is a lot
of what you need.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Yeah, when you have a team, you have a front
that you don't have to blitz, makes it makes it
a whole lot easier for the secondary. Give me, give
me the game that could be a blowout.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Oh you know what, I really don't. I don't think
any of them will be. I think this there's a
reason why this is considered the best the best weekend
in the NFL, in the NFL because I think at
this point, look, there's there's a lot of things that
go into it, right. I think nerves start to play
(12:48):
a factor. I think people get a little bit more tense.
I don't know if one and and I think that
works in both ways. And I don't think where it's
going to be like one team really just crafts the
bed and this is and just gets blown out, and
then and then another then another team just plays above
and beyond what they played all season long. I don't.
(13:09):
I really don't see it that way. I don't. I
am interested to see just how Buffalo is able to
overcome the injuries that they have had on the offensive
side of the ball, in particular wide receiver, especially against
the defense like Denver's that is just so so aggressive
and the team that's I would think Sean has them
(13:29):
like tuned up to play at the very highest level
and really ready to rock and roll. And Buffalo doesn't
traditionally get blown out, but that that's a football team
that I think. I think they're gonna play their very
best at this time of year. I really do. I
think Denver is gonna hit their stride and we're gonna
see the very best of what they have to offer,
(13:50):
because I really do think that Sean Payton's one of
the very best to ever do it.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Is.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
That's another guy who knows how to push the right
buttons and get his teams to really juice up and
ready to go. And I'm a big, big fan of
bon Knicks Man, who.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Is the quarterback that you got into the postseason and
you realized you were not going to rattle that you
were like.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Damn.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
Uh, but you weren't going to rattle. Well, there's just
so many There's so many different guys. I mean, there's
young guys and there's there's old grizzled Vets who've kind
of been down this lane, down this road before. I
think Matthew Stafford, because of how his season started and
because of.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
All the that you faced. When you faced that, I
faced like where you were, like, boy, this guy is
he's better in the postseason. We're not going to rattle him.
Who was there one guy?
Speaker 4 (14:46):
No, there there wasn't one. And really when we got
in the postseason, I mean the guys who you know
we faced at that time where I mean Bledsoe was
a rookie, Neil O'Donnell was kind of like an old
grizzled vet in Pittsburgh. I mean that, you know, I
would probably say that, I would say Neil o'donald simply
because of the fact that at that time that's who
our nemesis was. It was the Steelers, and you couldn't
(15:07):
rattle that football team period. I mean that team was
just like like Tomlin likes to say, now, nameless great faces,
that's what they were. They were just machines and hell.
I mean, if you had Greg Lloyd, Kevin Green, Chad Brown,
Lavon Kirk, Carnell Lake, Rod Woodson, you wouldn't you wouldn't
get rattled, you know, you wouldn't be worrying about too
(15:29):
much stuff either.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Yeah, but Neil o'donald's not the quarterback that I thought
you were.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Gonna You're right, he's not. He's not. But I think
of the like the team, the guys that we faced
back then. Look, I think obviously, you know when I
was in Oakland, you knew that you weren't going to
rattle Elway. I mean, he was just and he was
he was just rock. Still. You know another guy who
kind of like for me, who was probably the guy
(15:53):
who who I really thought when we played against him,
I thought, Damn, this guy is really good. He and
get enough credit, was Mark Brunell. Mark had his height
in Jacksonville early in his early days was a problem.
He was the reincarnation, the literal reincarnation of Steve Young.
That's what he was. And there's nobody who I respect
(16:15):
more than the great Steve Young.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Was it Keenan McCardell, Yeah, And Jimmy Smith, Jimmy Smith
that those were good receivers.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
Hey and Kyle Brady, right, I think he was.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
There tight end.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Yeah. And then I think Fred was there.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Fred Taylor, Yeah, ton the heed Fred Taylor underrated.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
Think about those names right there, right, those are some
guys right there, some legit guys. I think it was
Tony Brackens still Tony Bracken's there on defense. Donovan Darius
was one of the safeties. They had some guys man
Tom Poughlin put together hell of a team down there.
Hell of a team.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Great to talk to. You have fun this weekend as always,
thanks for joining us. Lewis Riddick the Mothership used to
work in the front office with Washington and Philadelphia. He's
a analyst for the Mothership. We'll take a break, We'll
get to your phone calls. Coming up. RG three will
join us, coming up next hour. But coming up next
(17:14):
Lebron James agent Rich Paul walks back some comments that
he made about Austin Reeves and the Lakers.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
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Speaker 2 (18:02):
Boomer Sison, co host of wfa NS Boomer and Go
and of course a quarterback for fourteen years. Good to
talk to you, Boomer. Did the Giants get it right?
Speaker 5 (18:13):
Good to see you, Dano, And sorry about my background.
We're under construction here at WFAN, so you're gonna have
to deal with it. It's not quite as pretty as
your your studio there that has a ton of stuff
in it. By the way, you're like a hoarder, Yes,
I want everything you got in there.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
And believe you know what, I was called a collector
and then all of a sudden they came up with
this word hoarder. Yes, and I'm guilty of that, but
I take it as a compliment. Thank you.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
By the way, A happy Harball day here in New York.
For sure. The Giants got this one right. And no,
I don't want to talk about the nineteen eighty five
Bears because they kicked my ass many times. But yeah,
they needed they needed somebody here, Dan, They needed credibility.
They needed instant credibility. They do have a quarterback, as
we all know, that we think is going to be
really good. I think Todd Monkin is going to be
(18:59):
the perfect offensive coordinator for him. When you think about
Lamar Jackson's two previous years twenty four or actually twenty yeah,
twenty four and twenty three, he was awesome and Todd
Mounkin was the offensive play caller. They had the number
one offense in the league one of those years, at
the fourth offense in the league. Another one of those years,
he won one of his MVPs. And that's exactly what
(19:22):
the Giants and Jackson Dart need here. So this is
going to bring stability. I think it's going to make
Mara very happy, who's obviously ill dealing with cancer. I
thought Chris Mahra's initial fora down to Baltimore last week
to have lunch with John Merraw. I mean, John Harbaugh
really set the tone for these negotiations. And I think
a Harbaugh to the Giants, to me anyway and the
(19:44):
NFL world makes a total total sense.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
But you go from Baltimore where you have to win,
you got a Super Bowl roster, to now the Giants.
How much time do they give him to get this
team back to respectability?
Speaker 5 (19:58):
I mean Kenny Poe, Ben John, Kenny Paul, Mike Grabel.
You know, these new guys went into places where they
had second year quarterbacks who were camp miss players, and
look at what those two coaches did with their quarterbacks
and what they did in free agency. Everybody forgets that
the Patriots spent the most money in free agency last offseason,
mainly on defense, and then the Bears spent mainly on
(20:21):
the interior offensive line to protect Caleb Williams and how
has that worked out? So I think expectations would be
high here. I certainly think with moliite neighbors, with Andrew Thomas,
with their running tandem, with you know, with with Jackson Dart,
the offense is pretty solid. I think they'll probably add
a wide receiver in the draft, but their defense is
really what needs the most work. And it'll be interesting
(20:44):
to see who he hires as his defensive coordinator, because
I haven't heard that yet.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
What would you can you teach Jackson Dart to play differently?
Speaker 4 (20:53):
No?
Speaker 5 (20:54):
You know you always do is learn. I call it
youthful inexperience is what it is he's trying to prove
to his team that he belongs on the field. I
think he gets caught up in the emotion of the game.
Wants to get the fans, especially at home, into the game.
He wants to lead by example. He does remind me
a little bit of Josh Allen the way he plays
and at times when he runs, he's a little bit reckless.
(21:14):
And Josh has learned and nobody does it better than
Josh for that matter. But I remember when he was
a rookie and even to a second year, they were
saying the same things about him Dan that they're saying
about Jackson Dart and running with the football and protecting himself.
But blieve me, he will learn quickly.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Yeah, but you know, Josh wasn't in the blue tenth
like Jackson Jackson Darted. I mean, that's a co op
for him, Like, you know, we we can't have that.
I mean, come on, slide, It's okay.
Speaker 5 (21:46):
Well, I know, and you know, he actually did learn
when he came back from the late the latest injury,
you know, towards the end of the year against the
Raiders and at home, he learned how to play the
position better. I mean, look, he's a football player. That's
what I love about him more than anything else. You know,
Patrick Mahomes, he's a football player. Drake May, He's a
football player. CJ. Stroud. I mean, these guys all loved
(22:09):
getting mixed up into the action and taking some hits.
Maybe I was not one of those types of guys.
I always tried to stay away from him as much
as I could, and maybe that's why I lasted so long.
But again, like I don't want to take the inner
football player out of him because that's what makes him
so special.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Why did the Jets always get it wrong?
Speaker 5 (22:32):
Well, you know, it always starts at ownership. That's where
it always starts. And you know they've they've gone this
coordinator route for many years, and they were really close
when they first acquired Aaron Rodgers. You know, when Aaron
came running out in that field that first September eleventh
with the flag and then it gave me chills and
I wish, I wish that I could have been in
that uniform like he was that night and what it
(22:54):
really brought to all of us as football fans here
in New York. And then what three or four plays
in he blows out as a kill. I mean, that
was the moment where the Jets had it right, and
he came back and had a pretty good second year,
by the way, but then Woody Johnson got involved and
they fired Rob Slid and then all hell breaks loose.
So now Darren Mujie's got to pick up the pieces.
I would say that Darren's done a great job here
(23:15):
in terms of acquiring assets for a team that desperately
needs them. But until they find a quarterback, they're going
to be stuck in neutral too, just like every other
team that's in their same situation.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Talking to Boomer as sisin, co host of wf Fans,
Boomer and Geo, what do you do with that second
pick in the draft? Now that Dante Moore is going
back to Oregon.
Speaker 5 (23:36):
I think the Jets lucked out, and I think Dante
Moore is making a fifty million dollar bet. I that
would be hard for me to do that, but I
had advised him on our show here in New York,
please stay in school. You need more playing time. And
I think he made the right decision, and I'm sure
he's going to get a nice paycheck from Oregon, but
he's making a fifty million dollar bet on himself, which
(23:58):
is really quite amazing. So for the Jets, that's the
second pick can be anywhere from you know, one of
these top defensive players from Ohio State, maybe at edge rusher.
It also could be another wide receiver to go along
with Garrett Wilson, I mean, or trade out of it
and even add more assets, which would probably be the
smart thing to do, because you know, the draft is
(24:19):
a is a you know, it's lottery picks, and you
want more shots on gold than you can possibly get.
And that's one thing that Jets have going for them
going into this year's draft.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
What about Malik Willis or Mac Jones?
Speaker 5 (24:33):
You know, do they want to come here? That's the thing,
you know. I mean, that's if Mac Jones want to
come play for the Jets. I don't see that, and
they would have to trade for him. He's got another
year in his contract with San Francisco. Malik will be
an unrestricted free agent. I would hope that somehow Green
Bay would be able to keep him. But I if
I were him, I'd want to go be a starter
somewhere or at least have a shot to be a
starter somewhere in Green Bay. That's not going to be
(24:55):
the case, but I could see the Jets trying to
maybe use him as some sort of of, I don't know,
gap year quarterback if you want, if you want to
say that. But then again, remember next year's quarterback class
could include Arch Manning and it's probable and it will
include Dante Moore and a few other guys, So maybe
they'll be in a better situation a draft one of
(25:15):
those guys next year, meaning that I don't think you
want to go out there and try to win six
or seven games. I mean, really, realistically, you look at it.
If you want one of those young quarterbacks that is
going to change your franchise like Jackson Darter is doing
here for the Giants, you're going to have to have
another bad year next year to be at the top
of that draft to be able to select that guy.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Yeah, but Boomer, they're trying to win six or seven
games and they can't do it. So it's not like.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
I said, I was there for three years, I had
three different head coaches, you know, it was. It was crazy,
And I always scream about one thing then in professional football,
professional sports for that matter, is stability. You want to
know who's running the organization, who the GM is, who
the coach is. And if you keep changing, like Daniel
Jones found out as the quarterback of the New York Giants,
(26:04):
you know you're going to take two steps forward, three
steps back, two steps forward, three steps back. So the
one good thing about the Harbaugh situation here for the Giants,
I think that this solidifies Jackson Dart's next ten years.
If everything works out right with Todd Munkin as his
offensive coordinator and John Harbaugh as his coach, that should
be a ten year run. That should be great for
him as a quarterback, and he should be really successful.
(26:27):
As for the Jets, I mean, who is that guy
and where's that guy coming from? If it is Malik Willis,
God bless him. If he comes here with this team
the way it's built right now, not the greatest place
to be successful.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Give me the surprise this weekend in the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
Wow, I did pick the Texans and the Rams to
go to the Super Bowl. So I got to stick
with those two guys. I guess I would be surprised
if somehow the Patriots, you know, beat the Texans, because
I just think the Texans defense are like the eighty
five Bears, they're that good. I mean they are all
over opposing quarterbacks and every quarterback has struggled. So even
(27:05):
though the Patriots are favored, if they won, for me,
that would be a surprise. I guess if San Francisco wins,
that would also be a surprise given what Seattle did
to them the last time they played, and now with
the loss of George Kittle, and no matter how many
more guys are they going to take away from Brock
Perdy and Josh Allen this weekend, Dan, I mean, those
guys are playing fantastic football, but they're losing guys left
(27:27):
and right around them. So I would think that both
are going to struggle a little bit this weekends. Those defenses.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
What's it like to go to the line of scrimmage
and you look at that defense.
Speaker 5 (27:37):
Which one, well.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
If I threw out the eighty five Bears or the
eighty six Giant, Like when you go to the line
of scrimmage and you just know that, yeah, this is
going to be a long this is going to hurt.
Speaker 5 (27:51):
Yeah it is, and you know what, and you got
to get yourself in the mindset to be able to
absorb that and playing all those years back in the
old AFC Central. We had the Uston Detect oilers to
deal with, we had Cleveland to deal with, we had
Pittsburgh to deal with. Jacksonville ultimately came into the mix
as well. But I mean every weekend it felt like
we were playing against a great pass rusher. And then
(28:12):
when we did get to the playoffs, we saw Bruce Smith.
I mean, that was no fun. And then years of
playing him when I was with the Jets, you knew
that somehow, some way he was going to get to
you somewhere along the line. The game's a little bit
different now, but these guys still take major hits, as
Justin Herbert showed us last week, and as Matthew Stafford
and Josh Allen both showed us last week. But stepping
(28:34):
up there, man, you got to have your chin strap button.
You got to be totally focused, and you got to
find out if you can on film and on tape,
any tendencies that they're giving you, any tips that they're
giving you, and hopefully you're reading it right that day.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
What were Boomer's numbers against the Bears?
Speaker 6 (28:52):
Pulley oh Man, Dan, September twenty eight, nineteen eighty six, Boomer,
I have the Bears forty four even over the Bengals.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
That sound correct, that's right, that's right. And here's the
funny thing about that game. It was early in the season,
and thanks for bringing that up then. So the funny
thing about that game was the Bears were coming to
Cincinnati and it was a really hot September day. It
was hot, steamy and muggy. And I remember saying to
my center Dave Remington, Man, we got the Bears here.
(29:21):
They're not gonna like this weather. They're gonna they're not
gonna deal with it. And after the first quarter was over,
Dave said, you sure they don't like get here? I
think they like it pretty much. I think I remember
throwing a ball off of one of the back of
my offensive linemen. They got picked off by Wilbur Marshall.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
So what are what are the numbers? By the way,
Boomer did win an MVP NFLMVP.
Speaker 5 (29:41):
That's all right, listen, I've been around long enough. I'll
take a joke.
Speaker 6 (29:45):
Okay, the Boomer stats in that game fourteen for thirty
to twelve, one TD, four picks and three secs. However, Boomer,
you did lead the team in rushing to carries fourteen yards.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
I like that.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
I was running for my life. Yes, that was it.
That was you got to remember. So they had the
forty six defense with Buddy Ryan, and it was something
that nobody had ever seen before. So it took us
a while to figure it out what was going on
and how they were running it. And once we figured
it out, our offensive line coach, the great Jim McNally,
(30:16):
who just got elected into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame for assistant coaches, he came up with so many
different plays to beat that defense, which ultimately propelled us
to the Super Bowl a few years later.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Great to talk to you, tell Geo, We said, hello,
thanks for joining us. All right, Dan, anytime see a
Bud Boomers sisin. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports
talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows
at Foxsportsradio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search
FSR to listen live. We bring in Robert Griffin Junior,
(30:50):
the Third He ran around naked when Baylor was winning
football games right or Washington and when it was winning
football games or something like that. Great to have you
back the Fox Football analyst. I was just talking to
Boomer of Sciason about going to the line of scrimmage
and you look over and you go, there's the eighty
(31:11):
five Bears. Yep, eighty six Giants. Was there a time
a moment where you went up to the line of
scrimmage and you looked over and you go, oh my god.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
There wasn't Dan.
Speaker 7 (31:24):
But that's that's just the quarterback in me, Wow, being
the fearless guy that you have to be to play
that position.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
But I will say when I first got in.
Speaker 7 (31:33):
The league, those moments came more on the fact that
I was watching these guys growing up.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
So the Bears is a great example.
Speaker 7 (31:42):
You know, I look across the line of scrimmage and
I've got Brian her Lacker and Lance Briggs, and those
are guys that I grew up watching and you know,
admiring so to play against them, to play against DeMarcus Where,
to play with Santana Moss and Chris Cooley at the
time in London, Fletcher, those moments really hit me. You know,
I got Ed Reid, ed Reid tried to Ed Reid
(32:04):
me and I got him to move off the middle
of the field and threw a touchdown against him like
those types of moments were pretty cool. I had one
against Tampa Bay with Ronde Barber and uh, you know,
he was a slot corner, had a really good reputation
of being able to ride the inside slant and fall
off to the outside slant pick it.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
Off, and he almost got me.
Speaker 7 (32:24):
And Kyle Shanahan was my offensive coordinator in Washington during
that time, and he told me during, you know, before
the game, like, hey, don't don't try to pick on Ronde,
like he's really good at it. And we got him
on a on a third and eleven on a slant
route and I threw it completed. It looked at coach
and he was like, hey, you got to be careful.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Those kind of moments for me that were.
Speaker 7 (32:46):
That were more so like why, I'm just blessed to have
a chance to play against these guys.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
All right, Uh, how'd the Giants do? Oh?
Speaker 7 (32:53):
I'm in the A plus plus plus higher with John Harball.
You know, I don't know if I've talked to you
about it before, but John's the best coach I ever
played for in the NFL. When you talk about identity
creating identity for your team, I don't think the Giants
could have got a better guy, especially with the young
talent that they have.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
If you just look at their roster, they.
Speaker 7 (33:15):
Have the quarterback in Jackson Dart, they got the running
back in Camp'scattaboy, they got the receiver and Eleague neighbors.
They got the young pass rushers, you know, Abdual Carter,
especially from last year's draft, and they just need direction
and that's what John Harball provides. So I think I
don't know what the other hires are going to be
during the cycle, but this is the best hire and
(33:35):
the Giants knocked.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
It out the park.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Is Pittsburgh a good John?
Speaker 7 (33:41):
Oh? Prestige wise, one hundred percent. It's a great job,
you know when you have a team that's only going
to have their fourth head coach.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
But let me take away that it's let me just
give you the roster. Let's just look at rosters. Is
Pittsburgh a good situation?
Speaker 4 (34:02):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (34:03):
That is so tough the answer.
Speaker 7 (34:06):
Outside of the organizational prestige and the fact that you're
gonna get an owner that's gonna be dedicated to you,
it's not a great roster because it's aging and you
don't have a quarterback. So I know that's what you're
getting at Dan. It's like, I think Rogers is done.
If Tomlin stayed, I could see Rogers coming back for
another year, But I don't think Aaron Rodgers wants to
(34:27):
deal with the first time head coach coming back in there.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
And now, if you're.
Speaker 7 (34:31):
A coach, it's attractive if you if you're saying, Okay,
I'm gonna have t J. Watt, Like, is camp Cam
Hayward coming back?
Speaker 3 (34:39):
I don't know.
Speaker 7 (34:40):
He's been fighting with the organization the past couple off
seasons for money, and rightfully so. He's he's one of
the best players in the league, although he's aging. So
if you come in and you think that one of
these young quarterbacks in the draft is a guy that's
gonna that you can build around, then I think it's
an attractive job. If not, it's really hard to go
to a place that has a bunch of old plays
and no quarterback.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
Would you rather coach Atlanta or Pittsburgh.
Speaker 7 (35:07):
I'd rather coach Atlanta, And it's not because of you
know again, I think you have to put a lot
of value in the organization. I think what they do
there and how they run their ship is a great
thing for Pittsburgh. But if I'm looking at it for
division and talent, I'm going to Atlanta. You know, I
(35:27):
got b Jon Robinson arguably the best runner back in
the league this past year. You know, I've got London
at receiver. I've got you know, potentially Kyle Pitts at
tight end, like I've got a young QB and Michael
Pennox junior. If you still believe in him, like I
can go in there and make that work and and
and when pretty immediately because that division is so I mean,
it's tough to say, but it's.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
A weak division.
Speaker 7 (35:48):
Yeah, when your division winner has a losing record every
single year, like coaches should be falling over themselves to
go to Atlanta. Right now, what do you think Mike
Tomlin does next? I think be on TV. He he resigned,
step down, so you know, it's not like he retired.
So Pittsburgh still owns his right. So if he goes
(36:09):
and coaches somewhere else that they're gonna have to trade him.
And if you're looking at a place like Atlanta, which
he clearly fits in to the fabric of what Atlanta is,
you know, the Black Mecca, and it's like, yeah, but
then you're gonna probably have to trade one of those
young assets or trade some picks to get him to
go there.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
So I think he goes to TV. I think he's
earned it.
Speaker 7 (36:29):
I think every time I've heard him talk, he teaches
you something, and I think that's what TV networks they
cove it, personality, the ability to storytell. I think he's
a total package when it comes to that. So I
definitely see him being in a studio show, you know,
for one of the major networks.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
So I can org three Funks Football Analyst and his
podcast out of Pocket with RG three give me the
surprise this weekend.
Speaker 7 (36:55):
Ooh, the surprise this weekend. Boilh boy, that's a good one.
I think the Bears beat the Rams. I think people
will be surprised by that. You know, Matthew Stafford, number
one quarterback in the NFL, throwing the deep ball this year,
and I think it's gonna it's gonna stress that Bear secondary.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
But I think the Chicago.
Speaker 7 (37:17):
Bears played the three worst quarters of football I've ever
seen in my life in wild card round, and they
found a way to have one of the greatest comebacks
in playoff history. I think Caleb Williams in that locker room.
Did you did you see you heard the speech after
the game by Caleb Tom Johnson that was so impactful
if you just know the whole story of what he
(37:38):
went through last year and how he wasn't being taught
and how he felt, you know, middle of the year,
like he shouldn't have been there to come back and
now have a coach that believes in you instills that
that confidence in you. I think the Bears are one
of the hottest teams in the league, and if they
could even play forty five minutes of great football, I
(38:00):
think no one in the league wants to play them
right now.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
Yeah, And I wondered about Caleb last year. Was he
being taught? I wondered about him at USC with Lincoln Riley,
did he want to be taught?
Speaker 3 (38:11):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (38:11):
And what was he taught? But with Ben Johnson there
was You're gonna be taught, There's no doubt about So
there is a real difference in that, and you got
to embrace each other. Yeah, and having that head coach.
Normally you're OC, but you know Ben's your OC, your quarterback,
(38:32):
whisper all those things, just like Kyle Shanahan. I mean
the value of having somebody like that who puts you
in those positions. I mean, you know that feeling when
you go to line of scrimmage and you're like, damn,
this is going to work. There's gonna be a touchdown,
Like I got the answer to the test, and that
feels like Caleb and I made the analogy. Ben probably
(38:54):
wants Caleb to be more like Jared Goff for the
first three quarters. In the fourth quarter you go be
Caleb Williams correct and you're right, You're one hundred percent
right there. Dead personalities they have to match.
Speaker 7 (39:08):
And when you look at Lincoln Riley and what he
was able to do with Caleb, like Caleb followed him
to us. It wasn't like he had to really try
to cruit him to go there, Like Caleb knew, like
I've had success with this guy.
Speaker 3 (39:20):
You know, I know him, i know this system.
Speaker 7 (39:22):
I'm going to be successful at USC And he was
maybe not as successful as they wanted to be national
championship wise, but he was successful. Then you come in
to a situation where you don't have.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
An offensive head coach. That coach is on the hot seat.
Speaker 7 (39:35):
He's trying to do everything he possibly can do to
save his job, but you're not taking priority there. And
so Ben Johnson comes in, and I think they're on
completely opposite sides of the spectrum. I think, you know,
Caleb is the he's painting his fingernails, he's wearing the
craziest clothes. He's got a different personality. You hear him
when he talks like he's a deep thinker. And Ben
(39:58):
Johnson is like a maniac, you know, like he wants
He's like Kurt Signetti. He wants to score sixty five
points on you and he doesn't care. Like that postgame
handshake with Matt Lafour was. It was hilarious because basketballship,
like I get, but this is the guy that said, hey,
I like beating that guy two times a year, you know.
(40:19):
So I love that part of it. And I think
they balance each other out. And I don't think Caleb
Williams will ever be Jared Goff, and I think that's okay.
When he was on the sideline during the game last
week and he was you know, some people were saying
he was throwing little, you know, little fits on the
sideline and getting upset. I just looked at it. As like, Hey,
when we do good, it's not good enough. When we
(40:40):
don't do good, it's not good enough. And he held
them to that standard, and that's why I think they
got out of the rut that they were in. So
I'm seeing massive increases in the leadership ability from Caleb Williams,
and it's because Ben Johnson has created an environment where
he can lead. I thought that was the most impressive thing,
and I think they're flourishing together.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
Finished this sentence. If the Bills lose in Denver.
Speaker 4 (41:04):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (41:07):
Sean McDermott is gone. I thought for sure if they lost.
Speaker 7 (41:12):
To the Jags, they would make an organizational shift. But
I think the narrative outside the building is really strong
right now that Lamar Jackson isn't there, Patrick Mahomes isn't there,
Joe Burrow isn't in the playoffs. And you know, I've
been the very adamant and vocal about all the clowns
out there that keep saying that this is a legacy
defining playoffs for Josh Allen.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
I don't think it is. He's one of the greatest
playoff quarterbacks we've ever seen.
Speaker 7 (41:39):
You know, you can list the stats, these total touchdowns
He's think he's first or second in the in league
history total yards. He's number one touchdown interception ratio. I
think he's one or two, So like he is a
high performer, and wins aren't a quarterback stat. But if
they lose with the same staff, essentially in the same
head coach, without those guys being there, the noise from
(42:01):
Bill's mafia alone would be enough for them to make
a change. So I think if they lose that game,
McDermott goes with it.
Speaker 2 (42:10):
How did the Niners beat Seattle? Got to get pressure
on Sam. They don't sack anybody.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
They don't.
Speaker 7 (42:18):
They don't got Bosa, Fred Warner. I've seen his miraculous
come back. I don't know what he's taking, but we
all need to eat.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
Some of that.
Speaker 7 (42:25):
But they don't sack anyone. They don't have the pressure.
But when you look at Sam Donald, like as a coach,
if I'm the defensive coordinator, I don't go with the
game saying damn man, we can't we can't.
Speaker 3 (42:35):
Sack the quarterback.
Speaker 7 (42:37):
I just have to look at the numbers and say,
when Sam Donald is pressured, he's a fifty to fifty quarterback.
I think he's his touchdown interception ratio is six to six,
and when he's not pressured, he is unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (42:50):
He might be the league MVP when he's not pressured.
Speaker 7 (42:52):
So if you're Sam Fran, you have to decide do
you want to die fast or do you want to
die slow. If you want to die slow, play play
zone coverage, don't don't bring any pressure, don't try to
blitz him, and just see if he has a you
know what many believe is like a Sam Sam Donald
moment where he he just doesn't perform in the playoffs,
(43:14):
or you can say, you know what, I trust our guys.
We're gonna bring pressure and we're gonna try We're gonna
try to make him uncomfortable, not just by rushing for
and I think that's what they have to do. And
the same thing on the other side for Seattle at
brock Purty. Brock Purty was one for seven against the
against the blitz against the Eagles. Like I anticipate a
(43:35):
lot of blitzing in this game. I don't think they're
gonna sit back and say.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
Well, let's just see if we got it today.
Speaker 7 (43:40):
You know, I think they're gonna try to go make
it happen, and that's how they beat them.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
The Texans, to me, are really fascinating because people just
don't talk about the Texans. They don't and that defense
has been staring at everybody the last half of the season.
I don't know about Nico Collin and c J. Stroud
can't have that kind of game on the road, but
(44:05):
and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they win
that game, and they win it with defense, But you know,
you you got to get a couple of offensive touchdowns
there and take a little bit of pressure off that defense.
Speaker 3 (44:17):
Correct.
Speaker 7 (44:18):
You know, before we get into that, did you guys
see the post game press conference when when Will Anderson
was sitting next to Alsherzir the linebacker, the contrast and
how big of a human being. I mean, that's that's
a big linebacker and Will Anderson was like doublest size.
Speaker 3 (44:38):
It looked like he ate him for breakfast.
Speaker 7 (44:39):
So, like, you look at the offensive lineman and you're
going against these guys and Will Anderson is even.
Speaker 3 (44:44):
The biggest one. Daniel Hunter is bigger than he is.
Speaker 7 (44:47):
I think that's an intimidation factor. But for the Texans
to win, they have to do it essentially what they
did to the Steelers. They have to they have to
run the football. You know what he marks and and
Shaub have had you know, over one hundred yards you know, combined.
I think it was one to sixty something like that.
But they have to be able to run the football
to take pressure off of CJ. Stroud because CJ has
struggled this year. Yeah, and it could be new offense.
(45:11):
You know, Nico being in and out of the lineup.
You know, I don't know what it is, but it's
something is off with him. So yes, CJ will have
ten great passes and then you'll have seven throws. You're like,
where did that come from? So when you have that
situation with your quarterback, you have to play great defense
and run the football.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
The Patriots on the.
Speaker 7 (45:31):
Other side, Drake May I noticed during the game, like
you got sacked five times in that first round. It's
like at some point Drake May has to make the
decision to get jiggy with it in the open field.
Speaker 3 (45:44):
He's got to use his legs.
Speaker 7 (45:45):
The Texans are top ten in every dang near defensive category,
the number one defense in the league, I believe, but
they're the worst defense in the league against quarterbacks scrambles.
So if you're Drake May, you have to say to yourself, Hey,
after one or two of these sacks, man, I got
to give my line some confidence and I got to
break out in the open field and go make a
play happen. You know, I could see in my offensive
(46:08):
lineman's eyes when they couldn't block someone.
Speaker 3 (46:10):
I walk in the Hudle'm like, hey, we got three
jet and they're like three hit.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
Come oh, man, I'm fighting for my life out here.
Speaker 3 (46:17):
And one run would give them the confidence.
Speaker 5 (46:20):
Dan.
Speaker 7 (46:21):
One run would give them the confidence to say, all right,
even if I miss this guy, I'm still gonna fire
my hands quick because my guy back here is going
to have my back.
Speaker 2 (46:28):
You know.
Speaker 3 (46:29):
Seventy percent of the time.
Speaker 7 (46:30):
Maybe I'll give up a sack or two, but I'm
not going to get beat the entire game. And I
think Drake has to take that mindset into this one.
The quarterback scramble is going to be a big part
of it.
Speaker 2 (46:38):
I can't wait until after the game with the Patriots
win and he has some of these runs and he said,
you know, I'm just quoting RG three. I was just
getting jiggy with it.
Speaker 7 (46:48):
Oh, that'd be better than some of the coaches he's
had with Cam tearing them down, right, I know, why
is Cam tearing down a kid who idolized Cam Newton
growing up. It's baffles me. And listen, I know Cam's
your guy, he's my guy. We like Cam like but
at the end of the day, they always say, don't
meet your heroes sometimes, and this is one of those moments.
Speaker 3 (47:10):
Like Drake may loves Cam Newton like top two in
MVP voting.
Speaker 7 (47:15):
I always find it weird when people hate on people
or try to devalue them when they're having the like
the greatest seasons.
Speaker 3 (47:22):
They've ever had.
Speaker 7 (47:23):
Yes, like we're supposed to celebrate sports, but Cam was
upset the Colts didn't reach out to him, and they
reached out to Philip Rivers. I know that's that's a
relationship thing. Dan Philip was there and and he knows
those guys. He knows that system. I think sometimes in
this media game, when it's when it's everyone's trying to
(47:45):
compete for attention, like some people are trying to find
ways to be slided, and I, you know.
Speaker 3 (47:51):
I just I don't think that. I don't know. I'm
not mad that the Colts didn't reach out to me.
Speaker 2 (47:56):
You know, you're not in the College Football Hall of
Fame yet?
Speaker 4 (48:02):
Me?
Speaker 3 (48:02):
Yeah, did that vote?
Speaker 2 (48:05):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (48:07):
Have you been breaking news here? I didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
No, No, did you You're not in the College Football
Hall of Fame?
Speaker 3 (48:13):
Right, I'm not? Okay?
Speaker 5 (48:15):
Are you.
Speaker 2 (48:17):
Upset that you're not in the College Football Hall of Fame?
Speaker 7 (48:20):
That's a great question, Dan, I don't. I wouldn't say upset.
I would say that it would be an honor to
be in the College Football I would say that, you know,
as a Heisman Trophy winner and everything that I was
able to accomplish at Baylor with my teammates, that's a
that's an honor that I look forward to sharing with them.
I wouldn't say I'm upset that I'm not in. I
(48:42):
would just say I look at it as just being
grateful and not not worrying about that.
Speaker 3 (48:46):
That stuff's going to happen when it happens.
Speaker 2 (48:48):
Cam is not in either, really, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (48:53):
That's yeah. Now I can go harder on that for you,
now you want me to.
Speaker 2 (48:59):
That's legit that he would be upset, you know, if
he was going to be upset not being in the
Hall of Fame College Football Hall of Fame.
Speaker 3 (49:06):
He can.
Speaker 2 (49:06):
He can be upset.
Speaker 7 (49:07):
He should be more upset that he's not in the
College Football Hall of Fame as a guy that won
the Heisman National Championship, put a team on his back,
and had one of the probably the single greatest year,
maybe him and Joe Burrow, single greatest year I've ever
seen in college football. He could be upset about that
more so than he should be upset at Drake May
for being an.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
In better college quarterback. You were Cam Newton better college quarterback?
Speaker 3 (49:30):
Yeah? Uh, I mean that's just that's a hard question.
Year college football.
Speaker 7 (49:38):
You you had two I played, I had two great Americans.
But here's the question, would I take Cam Newton over
myself in college football?
Speaker 1 (49:48):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (49:53):
Uh great, great to talk to you, have fun this weekend.
Good luck with the podcast. Appreciate your brother, God blessed.
That's r G three.
You are listening to the Dan Patrick Show on Fox
Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Lewis Riddick of the mother Ship ESPN NFL College football analyst,
did the Giants get the right guy?
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Lewis?
Speaker 4 (00:14):
No question. Look, Dan, I've known John for a long time.
He was an assistant. I don't know if he's a
grad assistant or just an assistant on our staff at
the University of Pittsburgh when I was there as a
freshman and sophomore. I believe he was there with his dad,
Jack So, who was a great friend of Mike Godfred.
So I've known John a long long time. I know
(00:35):
what his family values and how they look at the
game of football. I've been able, I've been fortunate enough
along with our team to call multiple Money Night games
and talk to him multiple occasions about team building, player development,
roster construction, coaching staff construction, philosophical beliefs, you know, as
(00:56):
far as how the game needs to be played. And
I'll tell you to me, he is the true definition
of a CEO when you're talking about a head coach
and what that role really does entail. Because he started
off as a special teams coach, right and then Andy
gave more exposure to defense to kind of round out
his resume a little bit more when he was coaching
there so he could become a head coach. I think
(01:17):
he is someone who you know on the way out
in Baltimore, like something just doesn't sit well with me
with the way that all went down because of the
role that I know that player accountability plays in team underperformance, right,
And obviously we live in a world in a society
where everyone's looking for I gotta find that guy who
(01:40):
I can hang it on, that guy who I can
put it around his neck, and that guy who I
can hold accountable. And there's a lot of people who
behind the scenes who sit back and just kind of go,
who will I escape that one? Who will I escape that?
There's a lot that went into that team's underperformance, in
my belief, and I think, yeah, spinning it forward. I
(02:00):
love what coach day Ball did as far as really
vouching for Jackson Dart and kind of selling him to
John and obviously ownership up there is going to give
him everything that he needs and it's a quick trip
right up ninety five man for him, which is super cool,
and I think he's going to do a hell of
a job. I think he's going to be recharged and
kick it right in the ass like he should.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Was this the best opening in your opinion?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I think because of the quarterback situation, in the young
pieces situation, where if you were like to list the
top five positions on a football team that you needed
to have in place in order to then fill out
everything around it. Yeah, I think when you look at
the fact that you have Jackson Elik coming back, you
have edge pass rushers, you have a guy who can
be a workhorse every down back, he's going to still
(02:46):
need to fix that offensive line and make it something
that becomes more consistent.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
I think there's a lot of things in place right
there now. Obviously, player identification, selection development, all that stuff
has to still happen, but yeah, a lot of the
foundation is right there. It really is. And I think,
like you know, the big Blue fan base is as
passionate as there is in football. There's a lot of
(03:11):
alumni who are sitting there going thank you, thank you,
you know, and I think he's gonna have a lot
of support behind him and a lot of wind pushing
him along to where I think this is going to
be a spot where now the Giants. Giants are gonna
be players again. For real.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Let's take out the legacy of the Steelers. Let's just
look at what that roster is. M h. How good
a job is this?
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Look? I think the number one Okay, So when you
look at how good of a job is it, if
we're talking about excuse me, ownership, structure, instability plus GM quarterback,
all that alignment, that that really does factor and know
how good of a job is Look, ownership quarterback ownership
is rock solid. So you know that they're gonna there's
(03:59):
someone who's gonna really try and identify a person that
they think is gonna be long term, and they're gonna
give him a lot of leeway in order to kind
of learn on the job, just like they did with Mike,
just like they did with coach Kauer, just like they
did with Chuck Nole. So I think that obviously makes
it attractive immediately Number one, because you know you're gonna
have time. Number two, you know you're gonna have time
because they don't have a quarterback. So I think that
(04:21):
may knock it down for some and people are gonna go, well,
what the hell they're gonna do there? Well, that's a
great question. Well, that's part of the deal. That's why
they're kind of in this situation in the first place.
It's kind of what more war mic out, I believe
at the end, along with a bunch of other things,
the fact that they just couldn't get that position right.
But I think once they figure that out, I think
there are some young pieces on the offensive line. I
(04:42):
think you have to continue to fill out the wide
receiver corps around DK Metcalf and make sure that that
is that is a position of strength running backs, a
position of strength. Defense is aging in, probably a little
bit too high priced for long term sustainability and needs
to be revamped and rebooted. There's this So there's so
many things though that will make that place attractive to
(05:04):
top level coaches for sure. And number one is the
fact that they're not just gonna turn over coaches at
the first sign of there being some kind of adversity
like every like so many other places do. And that's
probably the number one thing that perspective head coaches should
be looking for. How much time is the coach going
to give you, how much I mean, is the owner
(05:24):
gonna give you? How much support are they gonna give you, then,
how much support are they gonna give you to go
out and get the assets that you need. Mister Rooney
will do what he needs to do in order to
get them what they need to get to make this
team successful. Simple as that. Then it's up to Omar
and whoever they pick to get the job done.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
But you look at certain openings, you got to win now.
In Pittsburgh, it's not just get to the playoffs. You
got to win now. In Baltimore, it's not just get
to the playoffs. Whereas Atlanta, Miami, Cleveland, Arizona, Tennessee, even
the Giants, you get a grace period. You walk into Baltimore,
(06:01):
you better make the playoffs and people the way.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
Yeah, you know what's interesting about that. I kind of
look at those two teams a little bit different simply because, look,
in Pittsburgh, you better win now, simply because Mike always
kept it above water, right. He was always in the hunt,
in the hunt, in the hunt, but just couldn't get
over the top for whatever reason. It was whatever you
want if you want to pin it on his scheme, strategy, tactics,
lack of quarterback play, whatever you wanted to pin it on.
(06:27):
But the fact is now that one crucial piece that
you know will give you a chance to win now
is not there. So there's gonna be need to be
an adjustment of expectations there.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
There just is.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
And I think and I think mister Roneal figure it
like he knows that although he says, hey, look this
isn't a retool, I mean, this isn't a rebuild. Okay,
you can say that now, But the reality is, what's
your answer then, what's your answer at quarterback at Baltimore?
I agree with you for a sure better win now.
(07:01):
And I'll tell you what, I'll even take it a
step further. The players that are there, they're the ones
who better make sure that they win now because one
of the reasons why I think one of the primary
reasons why John is not there is because the player, well,
there's a number of different things. One, we talked about
(07:22):
this being maybe one of the best rosters in football,
et cetera, et cetera all the time, Eh this year
maybe not. Maybe look at their front seven and look
at how how many injuries they suffered on the front
that really did limit the things that they could do defensively.
But number two, their best players need to practice, need
(07:44):
to hold themselves accountable, need to be held accountable, need
to know the scheme inside and out, need to be
able to execute at a high level at all times.
And those are things that I'll tell you what. Coaches
can only do so much. They're gonna get a fantastic coach,
there's no question about that. But the players have to
(08:04):
pull their weight. The players have to own up. Didn't
you heard We just heard Jason Kelsey talking about this
the other day with Philadelphia where he was screaming about
the fact that you know, we can sit there and
we get pin it on Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patulo
and just kick them in the ass all we want about, Well,
their scheme sucks, it's vanilla, it's this, It's that. It's just,
you know, we get so far away from sometimes about
the fact that you know, I don't know too many. Look,
(08:28):
I've been around some bad coaches. Don't get me wrong.
I've been around some coaches. Didn't teach me anything, But
by and large, I'm gonna have some some faith in
the fact that, you know what, the NFL is comprised
the people who are pretty competent of their at their job.
I was never coached ever to fumble the football, jump
off sides, pull someone's face mask, drop the football, take
(08:51):
bad angles to the football, not wrap up when you're
supposed to tackle. I was never coached to do that
kind of stuff. But now as soon as players don't
do that, fire the coach, get his ass out of it,
get someone else, Fire the coach. They're not good, they're not.
It's like, hey, if Baltimore has that good of a
roster like everyone says they do, and they should be
(09:12):
playing a lot better than what they are, and you're right,
they better win next year right away, no question about it.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Talking to Lewis Riddick of The Mothership, their NFL college
football analyst, what is Aaron Rodgers' football future?
Speaker 4 (09:27):
I would never speak for Aaron Rodgers, but I think
mister Rooney put it bluntly. I think in Pittsburgh it's
probably it's done. He said he came here to play
for Mike. Mike's gone. I think that pretty much closes.
He didn't say it closes the door on that, but
I think it closed the door on that. I don't,
I don't know. I thought that really was an ideal
spot for him. I thought that he needed Mike. Mike
(09:49):
needed him given where they were at, you know, as
far as Mike where he was at in his tenure,
he probably knew that was his last run, and Aaron
probably needed to just go somewhere where he really respected
that guy great, you know, great traditional like blue blood
organization and where he would just play ball. And that's
what he did to the best of visibility. I don't
(10:10):
know what where else you can go to really top that.
At this point, he ain't going to wear his no backup.
He's not going Aaron. I think we may have seen
the last of them. I don't know, but that would
be my guess.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Give me the road team that wins this weekend.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Oh boy, I'm actually trying to think who was on
the road.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Buffalo's in Denver, Houston's in New England, you got the
Niners in Seattle. Rams. I think I think Rams are favored.
Let's let's take them out of this.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Yeah, and you know what, I think Houston is probably
the one that because their defense Dan is so nasty, physical,
opportunistic and can play in any kind of environment. They're
so mentally tough that I know that people go well
(11:04):
there's no way Houston can keep winning like this because
then CJ can't afford to keep playing like that. You know,
you know what, You're right, and he won't keep playing
like that. I don't believe he'll keep playing like that. Now.
I love Mike Rabel. I love how he has that
team playing. And you talk about connecting with a roster,
Holy mo, I mean the people in Tennessee. I don't
(11:24):
know what happened down there, but I don't know how
you didn't see the unique qualities and skills that this
man has as a head coach unless he developed something
in that year where he was just like, you know what,
I need to tweak this about how I connect with players.
I need to tweak that. And this is gonna make
me so much. He's pushing all the right buttons, man,
(11:46):
all of them, every single one but Dimico Ryans is
a special, special cap and he's got a special defense
that is among the best that I've ever seen. And
I played on a pretty good one too, our ninety
four team in Cleveland that was one of the best
in scoring defense in history. They have got some dudes,
(12:08):
and that at this time of year is a lot
of what you need.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Yeah, when you have a team, you have a front
that you don't have to blitz, makes it makes it
a whole lot easier for the secondary. Give me, give
me the game that could be a blowout.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Oh you know what, I really don't. I don't think
any of them will be. I think this there's a
reason why this is considered the best the best weekend
in the NFL, in the NFL because I think at
this point, look, there's there's a lot of things that
go into it, right. I think nerves start to play
(12:48):
a factor. I think people get a little bit more tense.
I don't know if one and and I think that
works in both ways. And I don't think where it's
going to be like one team really just crafts the
bed and this is and just gets blown out, and
then and then another then another team just plays above
and beyond what they played all season long. I don't.
(13:09):
I really don't see it that way. I don't. I
am interested to see just how Buffalo is able to
overcome the injuries that they have had on the offensive
side of the ball, in particular wide receiver, especially against
the defense like Denver's that is just so so aggressive
and the team that's I would think Sean has them
(13:29):
like tuned up to play at the very highest level
and really ready to rock and roll. And Buffalo doesn't
traditionally get blown out, but that that's a football team
that I think. I think they're gonna play their very
best at this time of year. I really do. I
think Denver is gonna hit their stride and we're gonna
see the very best of what they have to offer,
(13:50):
because I really do think that Sean Payton's one of
the very best to ever do it.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Is.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
That's another guy who knows how to push the right
buttons and get his teams to really juice up and
ready to go. And I'm a big, big fan of
bon Knicks Man, who.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Is the quarterback that you got into the postseason and
you realized you were not going to rattle that you
were like.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Damn.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
Uh, but you weren't going to rattle. Well, there's just
so many There's so many different guys. I mean, there's
young guys and there's there's old grizzled Vets who've kind
of been down this lane, down this road before. I
think Matthew Stafford, because of how his season started and
because of.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
All the that you faced. When you faced that, I
faced like where you were, like, boy, this guy is
he's better in the postseason. We're not going to rattle him.
Who was there one guy?
Speaker 4 (14:46):
No, there there wasn't one. And really when we got
in the postseason, I mean the guys who you know
we faced at that time where I mean Bledsoe was
a rookie, Neil O'Donnell was kind of like an old
grizzled vet in Pittsburgh. I mean that, you know, I
would probably say that, I would say Neil o'donald simply
because of the fact that at that time that's who
our nemesis was. It was the Steelers, and you couldn't
(15:07):
rattle that football team period. I mean that team was
just like like Tomlin likes to say, now, nameless great faces,
that's what they were. They were just machines and hell.
I mean, if you had Greg Lloyd, Kevin Green, Chad Brown,
Lavon Kirk, Carnell Lake, Rod Woodson, you wouldn't you wouldn't
get rattled, you know, you wouldn't be worrying about too
(15:29):
much stuff either.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Yeah, but Neil o'donald's not the quarterback that I thought
you were.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Gonna You're right, he's not. He's not. But I think
of the like the team, the guys that we faced
back then. Look, I think obviously, you know when I
was in Oakland, you knew that you weren't going to
rattle Elway. I mean, he was just and he was
he was just rock. Still. You know another guy who
kind of like for me, who was probably the guy
(15:53):
who who I really thought when we played against him,
I thought, Damn, this guy is really good. He and
get enough credit, was Mark Brunell. Mark had his height
in Jacksonville early in his early days was a problem.
He was the reincarnation, the literal reincarnation of Steve Young.
That's what he was. And there's nobody who I respect
(16:15):
more than the great Steve Young.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Was it Keenan McCardell, Yeah, And Jimmy Smith, Jimmy Smith
that those were good receivers.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
Hey and Kyle Brady, right, I think he was.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
There tight end.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Yeah. And then I think Fred was there.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Fred Taylor, Yeah, ton the heed Fred Taylor underrated.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
Think about those names right there, right, those are some
guys right there, some legit guys. I think it was
Tony Brackens still Tony Bracken's there on defense. Donovan Darius
was one of the safeties. They had some guys man
Tom Poughlin put together hell of a team down there.
Hell of a team.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Great to talk to. You have fun this weekend as always,
thanks for joining us. Lewis Riddick the Mothership used to
work in the front office with Washington and Philadelphia. He's
a analyst for the Mothership. We'll take a break, We'll
get to your phone calls. Coming up. RG three will
join us, coming up next hour. But coming up next
(17:14):
Lebron James agent Rich Paul walks back some comments that
he made about Austin Reeves and the Lakers.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
After this, be sure to catch the live edition of
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Speaker 2 (18:02):
Boomer Sison, co host of wfa NS Boomer and Go
and of course a quarterback for fourteen years. Good to
talk to you, Boomer. Did the Giants get it right?
Speaker 5 (18:13):
Good to see you, Dano, And sorry about my background.
We're under construction here at WFAN, so you're gonna have
to deal with it. It's not quite as pretty as
your your studio there that has a ton of stuff
in it. By the way, you're like a hoarder, Yes,
I want everything you got in there.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
And believe you know what, I was called a collector
and then all of a sudden they came up with
this word hoarder. Yes, and I'm guilty of that, but
I take it as a compliment. Thank you.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
By the way, A happy Harball day here in New York.
For sure. The Giants got this one right. And no,
I don't want to talk about the nineteen eighty five
Bears because they kicked my ass many times. But yeah,
they needed they needed somebody here, Dan, They needed credibility.
They needed instant credibility. They do have a quarterback, as
we all know, that we think is going to be
really good. I think Todd Monkin is going to be
(18:59):
the perfect offensive coordinator for him. When you think about
Lamar Jackson's two previous years twenty four or actually twenty yeah,
twenty four and twenty three, he was awesome and Todd
Mounkin was the offensive play caller. They had the number
one offense in the league one of those years, at
the fourth offense in the league. Another one of those years,
he won one of his MVPs. And that's exactly what
(19:22):
the Giants and Jackson Dart need here. So this is
going to bring stability. I think it's going to make
Mara very happy, who's obviously ill dealing with cancer. I
thought Chris Mahra's initial fora down to Baltimore last week
to have lunch with John Merraw. I mean, John Harbaugh
really set the tone for these negotiations. And I think
a Harbaugh to the Giants, to me anyway and the
(19:44):
NFL world makes a total total sense.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
But you go from Baltimore where you have to win,
you got a Super Bowl roster, to now the Giants.
How much time do they give him to get this
team back to respectability?
Speaker 5 (19:58):
I mean Kenny Poe, Ben John, Kenny Paul, Mike Grabel.
You know, these new guys went into places where they
had second year quarterbacks who were camp miss players, and
look at what those two coaches did with their quarterbacks
and what they did in free agency. Everybody forgets that
the Patriots spent the most money in free agency last offseason,
mainly on defense, and then the Bears spent mainly on
(20:21):
the interior offensive line to protect Caleb Williams and how
has that worked out? So I think expectations would be
high here. I certainly think with moliite neighbors, with Andrew Thomas,
with their running tandem, with you know, with with Jackson Dart,
the offense is pretty solid. I think they'll probably add
a wide receiver in the draft, but their defense is
really what needs the most work. And it'll be interesting
(20:44):
to see who he hires as his defensive coordinator, because
I haven't heard that yet.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
What would you can you teach Jackson Dart to play differently?
Speaker 4 (20:53):
No?
Speaker 5 (20:54):
You know you always do is learn. I call it
youthful inexperience is what it is he's trying to prove
to his team that he belongs on the field. I
think he gets caught up in the emotion of the game.
Wants to get the fans, especially at home, into the game.
He wants to lead by example. He does remind me
a little bit of Josh Allen the way he plays
and at times when he runs, he's a little bit reckless.
(21:14):
And Josh has learned and nobody does it better than
Josh for that matter. But I remember when he was
a rookie and even to a second year, they were
saying the same things about him Dan that they're saying
about Jackson Dart and running with the football and protecting himself.
But blieve me, he will learn quickly.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Yeah, but you know, Josh wasn't in the blue tenth
like Jackson Jackson Darted. I mean, that's a co op
for him, Like, you know, we we can't have that.
I mean, come on, slide, It's okay.
Speaker 5 (21:46):
Well, I know, and you know, he actually did learn
when he came back from the late the latest injury,
you know, towards the end of the year against the
Raiders and at home, he learned how to play the
position better. I mean, look, he's a football player. That's
what I love about him more than anything else. You know,
Patrick Mahomes, he's a football player. Drake May, He's a
football player. CJ. Stroud. I mean, these guys all loved
(22:09):
getting mixed up into the action and taking some hits.
Maybe I was not one of those types of guys.
I always tried to stay away from him as much
as I could, and maybe that's why I lasted so long.
But again, like I don't want to take the inner
football player out of him because that's what makes him
so special.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Why did the Jets always get it wrong?
Speaker 5 (22:32):
Well, you know, it always starts at ownership. That's where
it always starts. And you know they've they've gone this
coordinator route for many years, and they were really close
when they first acquired Aaron Rodgers. You know, when Aaron
came running out in that field that first September eleventh
with the flag and then it gave me chills and
I wish, I wish that I could have been in
that uniform like he was that night and what it
(22:54):
really brought to all of us as football fans here
in New York. And then what three or four plays
in he blows out as a kill. I mean, that
was the moment where the Jets had it right, and
he came back and had a pretty good second year,
by the way, but then Woody Johnson got involved and
they fired Rob Slid and then all hell breaks loose.
So now Darren Mujie's got to pick up the pieces.
I would say that Darren's done a great job here
(23:15):
in terms of acquiring assets for a team that desperately
needs them. But until they find a quarterback, they're going
to be stuck in neutral too, just like every other
team that's in their same situation.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Talking to Boomer as sisin, co host of wf Fans,
Boomer and Geo, what do you do with that second
pick in the draft? Now that Dante Moore is going
back to Oregon.
Speaker 5 (23:36):
I think the Jets lucked out, and I think Dante
Moore is making a fifty million dollar bet. I that
would be hard for me to do that, but I
had advised him on our show here in New York,
please stay in school. You need more playing time. And
I think he made the right decision, and I'm sure
he's going to get a nice paycheck from Oregon, but
he's making a fifty million dollar bet on himself, which
(23:58):
is really quite amazing. So for the Jets, that's the
second pick can be anywhere from you know, one of
these top defensive players from Ohio State, maybe at edge rusher.
It also could be another wide receiver to go along
with Garrett Wilson, I mean, or trade out of it
and even add more assets, which would probably be the
smart thing to do, because you know, the draft is
(24:19):
a is a you know, it's lottery picks, and you
want more shots on gold than you can possibly get.
And that's one thing that Jets have going for them
going into this year's draft.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
What about Malik Willis or Mac Jones?
Speaker 5 (24:33):
You know, do they want to come here? That's the thing,
you know. I mean, that's if Mac Jones want to
come play for the Jets. I don't see that, and
they would have to trade for him. He's got another
year in his contract with San Francisco. Malik will be
an unrestricted free agent. I would hope that somehow Green
Bay would be able to keep him. But I if
I were him, I'd want to go be a starter
somewhere or at least have a shot to be a
starter somewhere in Green Bay. That's not going to be
(24:55):
the case, but I could see the Jets trying to
maybe use him as some sort of of, I don't know,
gap year quarterback if you want, if you want to
say that. But then again, remember next year's quarterback class
could include Arch Manning and it's probable and it will
include Dante Moore and a few other guys, So maybe
they'll be in a better situation a draft one of
(25:15):
those guys next year, meaning that I don't think you
want to go out there and try to win six
or seven games. I mean, really, realistically, you look at it.
If you want one of those young quarterbacks that is
going to change your franchise like Jackson Darter is doing
here for the Giants, you're going to have to have
another bad year next year to be at the top
of that draft to be able to select that guy.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Yeah, but Boomer, they're trying to win six or seven
games and they can't do it. So it's not like.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
I said, I was there for three years, I had
three different head coaches, you know, it was. It was crazy,
And I always scream about one thing then in professional football,
professional sports for that matter, is stability. You want to
know who's running the organization, who the GM is, who
the coach is. And if you keep changing, like Daniel
Jones found out as the quarterback of the New York Giants,
(26:04):
you know you're going to take two steps forward, three
steps back, two steps forward, three steps back. So the
one good thing about the Harbaugh situation here for the Giants,
I think that this solidifies Jackson Dart's next ten years.
If everything works out right with Todd Munkin as his
offensive coordinator and John Harbaugh as his coach, that should
be a ten year run. That should be great for
him as a quarterback, and he should be really successful.
(26:27):
As for the Jets, I mean, who is that guy
and where's that guy coming from? If it is Malik Willis,
God bless him. If he comes here with this team
the way it's built right now, not the greatest place
to be successful.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Give me the surprise this weekend in the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
Wow, I did pick the Texans and the Rams to
go to the Super Bowl. So I got to stick
with those two guys. I guess I would be surprised
if somehow the Patriots, you know, beat the Texans, because
I just think the Texans defense are like the eighty
five Bears, they're that good. I mean they are all
over opposing quarterbacks and every quarterback has struggled. So even
(27:05):
though the Patriots are favored, if they won, for me,
that would be a surprise. I guess if San Francisco wins,
that would also be a surprise given what Seattle did
to them the last time they played, and now with
the loss of George Kittle, and no matter how many
more guys are they going to take away from Brock
Perdy and Josh Allen this weekend, Dan, I mean, those
guys are playing fantastic football, but they're losing guys left
(27:27):
and right around them. So I would think that both
are going to struggle a little bit this weekends. Those defenses.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
What's it like to go to the line of scrimmage
and you look at that defense.
Speaker 5 (27:37):
Which one, well.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
If I threw out the eighty five Bears or the
eighty six Giant, Like when you go to the line
of scrimmage and you just know that, yeah, this is
going to be a long this is going to hurt.
Speaker 5 (27:51):
Yeah it is, and you know what, and you got
to get yourself in the mindset to be able to
absorb that and playing all those years back in the
old AFC Central. We had the Uston Detect oilers to
deal with, we had Cleveland to deal with, we had
Pittsburgh to deal with. Jacksonville ultimately came into the mix
as well. But I mean every weekend it felt like
we were playing against a great pass rusher. And then
(28:12):
when we did get to the playoffs, we saw Bruce Smith.
I mean, that was no fun. And then years of
playing him when I was with the Jets, you knew
that somehow, some way he was going to get to
you somewhere along the line. The game's a little bit
different now, but these guys still take major hits, as
Justin Herbert showed us last week, and as Matthew Stafford
and Josh Allen both showed us last week. But stepping
(28:34):
up there, man, you got to have your chin strap button.
You got to be totally focused, and you got to
find out if you can on film and on tape,
any tendencies that they're giving you, any tips that they're
giving you, and hopefully you're reading it right that day.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
What were Boomer's numbers against the Bears?
Speaker 6 (28:52):
Pulley oh Man, Dan, September twenty eight, nineteen eighty six, Boomer,
I have the Bears forty four even over the Bengals.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
That sound correct, that's right, that's right. And here's the
funny thing about that game. It was early in the season,
and thanks for bringing that up then. So the funny
thing about that game was the Bears were coming to
Cincinnati and it was a really hot September day. It
was hot, steamy and muggy. And I remember saying to
my center Dave Remington, Man, we got the Bears here.
(29:21):
They're not gonna like this weather. They're gonna they're not
gonna deal with it. And after the first quarter was over,
Dave said, you sure they don't like get here? I
think they like it pretty much. I think I remember
throwing a ball off of one of the back of
my offensive linemen. They got picked off by Wilbur Marshall.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
So what are what are the numbers? By the way,
Boomer did win an MVP NFLMVP.
Speaker 5 (29:41):
That's all right, listen, I've been around long enough. I'll
take a joke.
Speaker 6 (29:45):
Okay, the Boomer stats in that game fourteen for thirty
to twelve, one TD, four picks and three secs. However, Boomer,
you did lead the team in rushing to carries fourteen yards.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
I like that.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
I was running for my life. Yes, that was it.
That was you got to remember. So they had the
forty six defense with Buddy Ryan, and it was something
that nobody had ever seen before. So it took us
a while to figure it out what was going on
and how they were running it. And once we figured
it out, our offensive line coach, the great Jim McNally,
(30:16):
who just got elected into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame for assistant coaches, he came up with so many
different plays to beat that defense, which ultimately propelled us
to the Super Bowl a few years later.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Great to talk to you, tell Geo, We said, hello,
thanks for joining us. All right, Dan, anytime see a
Bud Boomers sisin. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports
talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows
at Foxsportsradio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search
FSR to listen live. We bring in Robert Griffin Junior,
(30:50):
the Third He ran around naked when Baylor was winning
football games right or Washington and when it was winning
football games or something like that. Great to have you
back the Fox Football analyst. I was just talking to
Boomer of Sciason about going to the line of scrimmage
and you look over and you go, there's the eighty
(31:11):
five Bears. Yep, eighty six Giants. Was there a time
a moment where you went up to the line of
scrimmage and you looked over and you go, oh my god.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
There wasn't Dan.
Speaker 7 (31:24):
But that's that's just the quarterback in me, Wow, being
the fearless guy that you have to be to play
that position.
Speaker 3 (31:31):
But I will say when I first got in.
Speaker 7 (31:33):
The league, those moments came more on the fact that
I was watching these guys growing up.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
So the Bears is a great example.
Speaker 7 (31:42):
You know, I look across the line of scrimmage and
I've got Brian her Lacker and Lance Briggs, and those
are guys that I grew up watching and you know,
admiring so to play against them, to play against DeMarcus Where,
to play with Santana Moss and Chris Cooley at the
time in London, Fletcher, those moments really hit me. You know,
I got Ed Reid, ed Reid tried to Ed Reid
(32:04):
me and I got him to move off the middle
of the field and threw a touchdown against him like
those types of moments were pretty cool. I had one
against Tampa Bay with Ronde Barber and uh, you know,
he was a slot corner, had a really good reputation
of being able to ride the inside slant and fall
off to the outside slant pick it.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
Off, and he almost got me.
Speaker 7 (32:24):
And Kyle Shanahan was my offensive coordinator in Washington during
that time, and he told me during, you know, before
the game, like, hey, don't don't try to pick on Ronde,
like he's really good at it. And we got him
on a on a third and eleven on a slant
route and I threw it completed. It looked at coach
and he was like, hey, you got to be careful.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Those kind of moments for me that were.
Speaker 7 (32:46):
That were more so like why, I'm just blessed to have
a chance to play against these guys.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
All right, Uh, how'd the Giants do? Oh?
Speaker 7 (32:53):
I'm in the A plus plus plus higher with John Harball.
You know, I don't know if I've talked to you
about it before, but John's the best coach I ever
played for in the NFL. When you talk about identity
creating identity for your team, I don't think the Giants
could have got a better guy, especially with the young
talent that they have.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
If you just look at their roster, they.
Speaker 7 (33:15):
Have the quarterback in Jackson Dart, they got the running
back in Camp'scattaboy, they got the receiver and Eleague neighbors.
They got the young pass rushers, you know, Abdual Carter,
especially from last year's draft, and they just need direction
and that's what John Harball provides. So I think I
don't know what the other hires are going to be
during the cycle, but this is the best hire and
(33:35):
the Giants knocked.
Speaker 3 (33:36):
It out the park.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Is Pittsburgh a good John?
Speaker 7 (33:41):
Oh? Prestige wise, one hundred percent. It's a great job,
you know when you have a team that's only going
to have their fourth head coach.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
But let me take away that it's let me just
give you the roster. Let's just look at rosters. Is
Pittsburgh a good situation?
Speaker 4 (34:02):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (34:03):
That is so tough the answer.
Speaker 7 (34:06):
Outside of the organizational prestige and the fact that you're
gonna get an owner that's gonna be dedicated to you,
it's not a great roster because it's aging and you
don't have a quarterback. So I know that's what you're
getting at Dan. It's like, I think Rogers is done.
If Tomlin stayed, I could see Rogers coming back for
another year, But I don't think Aaron Rodgers wants to
(34:27):
deal with the first time head coach coming back in there.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
And now, if you're.
Speaker 7 (34:31):
A coach, it's attractive if you if you're saying, Okay,
I'm gonna have t J. Watt, Like, is camp Cam
Hayward coming back?
Speaker 3 (34:39):
I don't know.
Speaker 7 (34:40):
He's been fighting with the organization the past couple off
seasons for money, and rightfully so. He's he's one of
the best players in the league, although he's aging. So
if you come in and you think that one of
these young quarterbacks in the draft is a guy that's
gonna that you can build around, then I think it's
an attractive job. If not, it's really hard to go
to a place that has a bunch of old plays
and no quarterback.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
Would you rather coach Atlanta or Pittsburgh.
Speaker 7 (35:07):
I'd rather coach Atlanta, And it's not because of you
know again, I think you have to put a lot
of value in the organization. I think what they do
there and how they run their ship is a great
thing for Pittsburgh. But if I'm looking at it for
division and talent, I'm going to Atlanta. You know, I
(35:27):
got b Jon Robinson arguably the best runner back in
the league this past year. You know, I've got London
at receiver. I've got you know, potentially Kyle Pitts at
tight end, like I've got a young QB and Michael
Pennox junior. If you still believe in him, like I
can go in there and make that work and and
and when pretty immediately because that division is so I mean,
it's tough to say, but it's.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
A weak division.
Speaker 7 (35:48):
Yeah, when your division winner has a losing record every
single year, like coaches should be falling over themselves to
go to Atlanta. Right now, what do you think Mike
Tomlin does next? I think be on TV. He he resigned,
step down, so you know, it's not like he retired.
So Pittsburgh still owns his right. So if he goes
(36:09):
and coaches somewhere else that they're gonna have to trade him.
And if you're looking at a place like Atlanta, which
he clearly fits in to the fabric of what Atlanta is,
you know, the Black Mecca, and it's like, yeah, but
then you're gonna probably have to trade one of those
young assets or trade some picks to get him to
go there.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
So I think he goes to TV. I think he's
earned it.
Speaker 7 (36:29):
I think every time I've heard him talk, he teaches
you something, and I think that's what TV networks they
cove it, personality, the ability to storytell. I think he's
a total package when it comes to that. So I
definitely see him being in a studio show, you know,
for one of the major networks.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
So I can org three Funks Football Analyst and his
podcast out of Pocket with RG three give me the
surprise this weekend.
Speaker 7 (36:55):
Ooh, the surprise this weekend. Boilh boy, that's a good one.
I think the Bears beat the Rams. I think people
will be surprised by that. You know, Matthew Stafford, number
one quarterback in the NFL, throwing the deep ball this year,
and I think it's gonna it's gonna stress that Bear secondary.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
But I think the Chicago.
Speaker 7 (37:17):
Bears played the three worst quarters of football I've ever
seen in my life in wild card round, and they
found a way to have one of the greatest comebacks
in playoff history. I think Caleb Williams in that locker room.
Did you did you see you heard the speech after
the game by Caleb Tom Johnson that was so impactful
if you just know the whole story of what he
(37:38):
went through last year and how he wasn't being taught
and how he felt, you know, middle of the year,
like he shouldn't have been there to come back and
now have a coach that believes in you instills that
that confidence in you. I think the Bears are one
of the hottest teams in the league, and if they
could even play forty five minutes of great football, I
(38:00):
think no one in the league wants to play them
right now.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
Yeah, And I wondered about Caleb last year. Was he
being taught? I wondered about him at USC with Lincoln Riley,
did he want to be taught?
Speaker 3 (38:11):
Okay?
Speaker 2 (38:11):
And what was he taught? But with Ben Johnson there
was You're gonna be taught, There's no doubt about So
there is a real difference in that, and you got
to embrace each other. Yeah, and having that head coach.
Normally you're OC, but you know Ben's your OC, your quarterback,
(38:32):
whisper all those things, just like Kyle Shanahan. I mean
the value of having somebody like that who puts you
in those positions. I mean, you know that feeling when
you go to line of scrimmage and you're like, damn,
this is going to work. There's gonna be a touchdown,
Like I got the answer to the test, and that
feels like Caleb and I made the analogy. Ben probably
(38:54):
wants Caleb to be more like Jared Goff for the
first three quarters. In the fourth quarter you go be
Caleb Williams correct and you're right, You're one hundred percent
right there. Dead personalities they have to match.
Speaker 7 (39:08):
And when you look at Lincoln Riley and what he
was able to do with Caleb, like Caleb followed him
to us. It wasn't like he had to really try
to cruit him to go there, Like Caleb knew, like
I've had success with this guy.
Speaker 3 (39:20):
You know, I know him, i know this system.
Speaker 7 (39:22):
I'm going to be successful at USC And he was
maybe not as successful as they wanted to be national
championship wise, but he was successful. Then you come in
to a situation where you don't have.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
An offensive head coach. That coach is on the hot seat.
Speaker 7 (39:35):
He's trying to do everything he possibly can do to
save his job, but you're not taking priority there. And
so Ben Johnson comes in, and I think they're on
completely opposite sides of the spectrum. I think, you know,
Caleb is the he's painting his fingernails, he's wearing the
craziest clothes. He's got a different personality. You hear him
when he talks like he's a deep thinker. And Ben
(39:58):
Johnson is like a maniac, you know, like he wants
He's like Kurt Signetti. He wants to score sixty five
points on you and he doesn't care. Like that postgame
handshake with Matt Lafour was. It was hilarious because basketballship,
like I get, but this is the guy that said, hey,
I like beating that guy two times a year, you know.
(40:19):
So I love that part of it. And I think
they balance each other out. And I don't think Caleb
Williams will ever be Jared Goff, and I think that's okay.
When he was on the sideline during the game last
week and he was you know, some people were saying
he was throwing little, you know, little fits on the
sideline and getting upset. I just looked at it. As like, Hey,
when we do good, it's not good enough. When we
(40:40):
don't do good, it's not good enough. And he held
them to that standard, and that's why I think they
got out of the rut that they were in. So
I'm seeing massive increases in the leadership ability from Caleb Williams,
and it's because Ben Johnson has created an environment where
he can lead. I thought that was the most impressive thing,
and I think they're flourishing together.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
Finished this sentence. If the Bills lose in Denver.
Speaker 4 (41:04):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (41:07):
Sean McDermott is gone. I thought for sure if they lost.
Speaker 7 (41:12):
To the Jags, they would make an organizational shift. But
I think the narrative outside the building is really strong
right now that Lamar Jackson isn't there, Patrick Mahomes isn't there,
Joe Burrow isn't in the playoffs. And you know, I've
been the very adamant and vocal about all the clowns
out there that keep saying that this is a legacy
defining playoffs for Josh Allen.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
I don't think it is. He's one of the greatest
playoff quarterbacks we've ever seen.
Speaker 7 (41:39):
You know, you can list the stats, these total touchdowns
He's think he's first or second in the in league
history total yards. He's number one touchdown interception ratio. I
think he's one or two, So like he is a
high performer, and wins aren't a quarterback stat. But if
they lose with the same staff, essentially in the same
head coach, without those guys being there, the noise from
(42:01):
Bill's mafia alone would be enough for them to make
a change. So I think if they lose that game,
McDermott goes with it.
Speaker 2 (42:10):
How did the Niners beat Seattle? Got to get pressure
on Sam. They don't sack anybody.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
They don't.
Speaker 7 (42:18):
They don't got Bosa, Fred Warner. I've seen his miraculous
come back. I don't know what he's taking, but we
all need to eat.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
Some of that.
Speaker 7 (42:25):
But they don't sack anyone. They don't have the pressure.
But when you look at Sam Donald, like as a coach,
if I'm the defensive coordinator, I don't go with the
game saying damn man, we can't we can't.
Speaker 3 (42:35):
Sack the quarterback.
Speaker 7 (42:37):
I just have to look at the numbers and say,
when Sam Donald is pressured, he's a fifty to fifty quarterback.
I think he's his touchdown interception ratio is six to six,
and when he's not pressured, he is unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (42:50):
He might be the league MVP when he's not pressured.
Speaker 7 (42:52):
So if you're Sam Fran, you have to decide do
you want to die fast or do you want to
die slow. If you want to die slow, play play
zone coverage, don't don't bring any pressure, don't try to
blitz him, and just see if he has a you
know what many believe is like a Sam Sam Donald
moment where he he just doesn't perform in the playoffs,
(43:14):
or you can say, you know what, I trust our guys.
We're gonna bring pressure and we're gonna try We're gonna
try to make him uncomfortable, not just by rushing for
and I think that's what they have to do. And
the same thing on the other side for Seattle at
brock Purty. Brock Purty was one for seven against the
against the blitz against the Eagles. Like I anticipate a
(43:35):
lot of blitzing in this game. I don't think they're
gonna sit back and say.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
Well, let's just see if we got it today.
Speaker 7 (43:40):
You know, I think they're gonna try to go make
it happen, and that's how they beat them.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
The Texans, to me, are really fascinating because people just
don't talk about the Texans. They don't and that defense
has been staring at everybody the last half of the season.
I don't know about Nico Collin and c J. Stroud
can't have that kind of game on the road, but
(44:05):
and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they win
that game, and they win it with defense, But you know,
you you got to get a couple of offensive touchdowns
there and take a little bit of pressure off that defense.
Speaker 3 (44:17):
Correct.
Speaker 7 (44:18):
You know, before we get into that, did you guys
see the post game press conference when when Will Anderson
was sitting next to Alsherzir the linebacker, the contrast and
how big of a human being. I mean, that's that's
a big linebacker and Will Anderson was like doublest size.
Speaker 3 (44:38):
It looked like he ate him for breakfast.
Speaker 7 (44:39):
So, like, you look at the offensive lineman and you're
going against these guys and Will Anderson is even.
Speaker 3 (44:44):
The biggest one. Daniel Hunter is bigger than he is.
Speaker 7 (44:47):
I think that's an intimidation factor. But for the Texans
to win, they have to do it essentially what they
did to the Steelers. They have to they have to
run the football. You know what he marks and and
Shaub have had you know, over one hundred yards you know, combined.
I think it was one to sixty something like that.
But they have to be able to run the football
to take pressure off of CJ. Stroud because CJ has
struggled this year. Yeah, and it could be new offense.
(45:11):
You know, Nico being in and out of the lineup.
You know, I don't know what it is, but it's
something is off with him. So yes, CJ will have
ten great passes and then you'll have seven throws. You're like,
where did that come from? So when you have that
situation with your quarterback, you have to play great defense
and run the football.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
The Patriots on the.
Speaker 7 (45:31):
Other side, Drake May I noticed during the game, like
you got sacked five times in that first round. It's
like at some point Drake May has to make the
decision to get jiggy with it in the open field.
Speaker 3 (45:44):
He's got to use his legs.
Speaker 7 (45:45):
The Texans are top ten in every dang near defensive category,
the number one defense in the league, I believe, but
they're the worst defense in the league against quarterbacks scrambles.
So if you're Drake May, you have to say to yourself, Hey,
after one or two of these sacks, man, I got
to give my line some confidence and I got to
break out in the open field and go make a
play happen. You know, I could see in my offensive
(46:08):
lineman's eyes when they couldn't block someone.
Speaker 3 (46:10):
I walk in the Hudle'm like, hey, we got three
jet and they're like three hit.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
Come oh, man, I'm fighting for my life out here.
Speaker 3 (46:17):
And one run would give them the confidence.
Speaker 5 (46:20):
Dan.
Speaker 7 (46:21):
One run would give them the confidence to say, all right,
even if I miss this guy, I'm still gonna fire
my hands quick because my guy back here is going
to have my back.
Speaker 2 (46:28):
You know.
Speaker 3 (46:29):
Seventy percent of the time.
Speaker 7 (46:30):
Maybe I'll give up a sack or two, but I'm
not going to get beat the entire game. And I
think Drake has to take that mindset into this one.
The quarterback scramble is going to be a big part
of it.
Speaker 2 (46:38):
I can't wait until after the game with the Patriots
win and he has some of these runs and he said,
you know, I'm just quoting RG three. I was just
getting jiggy with it.
Speaker 7 (46:48):
Oh, that'd be better than some of the coaches he's
had with Cam tearing them down, right, I know, why
is Cam tearing down a kid who idolized Cam Newton
growing up. It's baffles me. And listen, I know Cam's
your guy, he's my guy. We like Cam like but
at the end of the day, they always say, don't
meet your heroes sometimes, and this is one of those moments.
Speaker 3 (47:10):
Like Drake may loves Cam Newton like top two in
MVP voting.
Speaker 7 (47:15):
I always find it weird when people hate on people
or try to devalue them when they're having the like
the greatest seasons.
Speaker 3 (47:22):
They've ever had.
Speaker 7 (47:23):
Yes, like we're supposed to celebrate sports, but Cam was
upset the Colts didn't reach out to him, and they
reached out to Philip Rivers. I know that's that's a
relationship thing. Dan Philip was there and and he knows
those guys. He knows that system. I think sometimes in
this media game, when it's when it's everyone's trying to
(47:45):
compete for attention, like some people are trying to find
ways to be slided, and I, you know.
Speaker 3 (47:51):
I just I don't think that. I don't know. I'm
not mad that the Colts didn't reach out to me.
Speaker 2 (47:56):
You know, you're not in the College Football Hall of
Fame yet?
Speaker 4 (48:02):
Me?
Speaker 3 (48:02):
Yeah, did that vote?
Speaker 2 (48:05):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (48:07):
Have you been breaking news here? I didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
No, No, did you You're not in the College Football
Hall of Fame?
Speaker 3 (48:13):
Right, I'm not? Okay?
Speaker 5 (48:15):
Are you.
Speaker 2 (48:17):
Upset that you're not in the College Football Hall of Fame?
Speaker 7 (48:20):
That's a great question, Dan, I don't. I wouldn't say upset.
I would say that it would be an honor to
be in the College Football I would say that, you know,
as a Heisman Trophy winner and everything that I was
able to accomplish at Baylor with my teammates, that's a
that's an honor that I look forward to sharing with them.
I wouldn't say I'm upset that I'm not in. I
(48:42):
would just say I look at it as just being
grateful and not not worrying about that.
Speaker 3 (48:46):
That stuff's going to happen when it happens.
Speaker 2 (48:48):
Cam is not in either, really, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (48:53):
That's yeah. Now I can go harder on that for you,
now you want me to.
Speaker 2 (48:59):
That's legit that he would be upset, you know, if
he was going to be upset not being in the
Hall of Fame College Football Hall of Fame.
Speaker 3 (49:06):
He can.
Speaker 2 (49:06):
He can be upset.
Speaker 7 (49:07):
He should be more upset that he's not in the
College Football Hall of Fame as a guy that won
the Heisman National Championship, put a team on his back,
and had one of the probably the single greatest year,
maybe him and Joe Burrow, single greatest year I've ever
seen in college football. He could be upset about that
more so than he should be upset at Drake May
for being an.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
In better college quarterback. You were Cam Newton better college quarterback?
Speaker 3 (49:30):
Yeah? Uh, I mean that's just that's a hard question.
Year college football.
Speaker 7 (49:38):
You you had two I played, I had two great Americans.
But here's the question, would I take Cam Newton over
myself in college football?
Speaker 1 (49:48):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (49:53):
Uh great, great to talk to you, have fun this weekend.
Good luck with the podcast. Appreciate your brother, God blessed.
That's r G three.
Hosts And Creators
Todd "Fritzy" Fritz
Dan Patrick
Patrick "Seton" O'Connor
Paul Pabst
Marvin Prince
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