November 24, 2014 • 28 mins
Former NFL head coaches Brian Billick and Steve Mariucci recap Week 12 in the NFL. Who will win the battle of the NFC West and is it time to bench Robert Griffin III? Plus, Brian and Mooch react to Odell Beckham’s catch and reveal the best pass catchers they ever coached.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is NFL dot COM's Coaches Show podcast, Thirty Men Together,
Can't Lose. This is why you lift everybody crying that
abody And now we're going there's a glean Man. There's
a glean nexkt for checking out the Coaches Show. I'm
(00:22):
Brian Billick and my partner Steve Mary. You two before
we get started here. Steve, we talked about a little
before we went on air. I came away a little
wanting this weekend. I didn't feel it was good football.
We saw it a lot of great plays and obviously
some good wins, but I don't know that I came
away feeling other than maybe the Patriots and the good wins,
going Okay, yeah, this team's this team's catching fire. This
(00:43):
is a good football team. I can kind of see
where we're going right now. I just I was kind
of left wanting yeah, and uh, the Patriots probably were
the ones that said we're gonna flex our muscles against
the number one defense and crush these guys. And then
I think you're right after that, you know, I thought
San Francisco would blow out the Redskins. That didn't happen.
They had to put a drive together to win that thing.
(01:06):
And then the Cardinals. You know, they didn't play very
well up there in Seattle. Who does, but uh yeah,
I if you had to pick a Super Bowl guy
a team right now, it's maybe the Patriots and who
knows who else because it's everybody's so inconsistent. The one
even though they didn't overwhelm the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota,
and we've talked about before about how they have had
(01:27):
problems in Minnesota. But the Green Bay Packers and obviously
Aaron Rodgers. We can go on forever about Aaron Rodgers,
but they've not had a presence at running back like
Eddie Lacy since forever. To me, that's a game changer
that could be the team now their defense and they
got uh Matthews in the middle, and but I think
to go with because we know Aaron Rodgers gonna continue
(01:48):
to throw for a million yards. It's what he's forty
five now, forty seven touchdowns to five interceptions. That's just
an ungodly combination. But Eddie Lacey is the thing that
makes me think, you know what, he could be the
game changer for the Packers now. I know, and then
when I when I coached there with Brett Farve. You know,
Brett always had a balanced offense. It seemed, you know,
guys like Aman Green, Dorsey Levin's, Edgar Bennett, they ran
(02:12):
the ball quite a bit. And they haven't had that
really with Dorsey Levin's until like you said, now with
with Eddie Lacy, and he came out of the gate
last year as a rookie, made the Rookie of the
Year on offense and and he's the banger. You gotta
have that guy in game Bay when the weather is awful,
and it's usually awful and nowadays in December and Thanksgiving
(02:33):
time and so um, yeah, this team is kind of fun.
Aaron Rodgers was only three and three going to Minnesota
in his career, uh, and it was a tough game
for him. Mike Zimmer played a heck of a game
on defense. But of course the Packers, like you said,
they're one of the they're one of the teams to watch.
And the Denver Broncos. When you when you sat watching
the game and it felt like Miami, particularly in the
(02:53):
first half, was controlling everything. You thought, you know what,
Denver could get beaten here and that was gonna be substantial.
They got beat at home him by Miami now obviously
in the second half, and then Peyton gets going. You
go back, you look at the drive chart. They never
stopped Denver the other than they planted. I think virtually
every series they either scored a touchdown, kicked a field gold,
missed a field goal, the point being they got into
(03:15):
scoring position I'm talking about Denver now and ended up,
you know, dominating the time of playing all that. It
didn't feel that that way watching it, although Peyton down
the stretch. But the big thing that jumped out at
me was we always know, when we've talked a lot
about Peyton, he's gonna check the box, and yeah, they'll
run the ball if you want to give him a
light box and configure yourself defensively to not throw the ball.
(03:36):
They seemed more committed with tuning yards rushing. They didn't
matter what the BA they called and ran the ball
and I've not seen them do that as of late. Well,
they needed to do that because they you know, they're
running out of running backs, right Brian. You know, before
the season starts to get rid of Oshean Marino and
then money Ball and and Ronnie Hillman get hurt and
so this young kid c J. Anderson from cal Undraft guy,
(04:00):
he's all of a sudden carrying the load. Maybe it's
the system. No, I don't know, it's uh you know,
but you know right, they did move the ball up
and down the field they needed to because the game
before they didn't even reach the red zone against the Rams,
and so uh it only scored seven points. So there
there's that inconsistency again. Uh. You know. The Denver's losses
(04:21):
are all on the road. Um. I was a little
concerned about them getting really humiliated by the Rams because
they couldn't get anything going, it seemed. But uh, I
think they're gonna be one of those teams that's better
at home and a little if he on the road,
but certainly one of the good teams in the league.
We expected a lot from them going into the well
they've got They've got at the Chiefs this next week,
(04:43):
so that that will be a good test test and
then a tough one obviously for Kansas City. That'd be
tough for them to lose that one. Then they got
the Bills, then they got the Chargers and the Bengals
on the road, So we're gonna know about Denver on
the road, that challenge that you and I are talking
about by season's end, given that schedule. Well, that Kansas
City game, because the last time they played at Denver
(05:03):
in Kansas City was knocking at the door at the
end to win that thing. And so but gosh, Kansas
City didn't look very good on Thursday night against the Raiders.
Now that was a weird game, rainy, and yeah it
was Give I tip my hat to the Raiders. They
were pretty pretty good and playing hard. But Kansas City
didn't look like the team to beat that night. But
(05:24):
maybe they were looking ahead. The last time the Kansas
City Chiefs were looking ahead to the Broncos, they lost
a home game to Tennessee for God's sakes, at home,
same scenario. Yeah, yeah, so maybe they're gonna be up
for this game they need to be to keep keep
up with Denver. Let's say you brought up earlier the
four Niners didn't look particularly good Seattle, but at home
against let's handicap that NFC West a little bit. When
(05:47):
it's all said none in fact, that they're all playing
one another as we go down the stretch here, which
is good because the you know, Seahawks have got to
play the forty niners twice. They gotta play at the Eagles,
which I think is gonna be huge because you could
be talking, you know, playoff potential in terms of elimination
even to get into the playoffs and maybe home field
all that. Let's let's handicap that division right now, right
(06:09):
up front. Who who do you think? Who who would
you pick to win the division? Right now? You know
you're talking about the Carolina or the Cardinals sitting there
at nine and two? Now, so did you get one
of these? Did you get one of these? Uh schedules
for every team from our crack research? Now, now I'm not,
I'm not, I'm I don't get that good stuff that
you guys get. I have to actually do my own information.
So so I went through it with a fine tooth comb,
(06:31):
and I'm looking at everybody's schedules and they're gonna play
each other and beat each other. And oh boy, so
here's who I have. So I figured it out. Now,
I want you to keep this tape, all right. Let
me right, I'm gonna write that down. That's good, write
that down. This is how it's gonna end. And so
does one of those eleven and five for this is radio.
(06:52):
So you've got Arizona going twelve and four, you've got
Seattle eleven and five, San Francisco eleven and five, and
you've got St. Louis at seven and nine. Do both
those eleven and five Seattle and San Francisco teams make
the playoffs? No, one of them. One of them is
not gonna Remember a few years ago when Tom Brady
got hurt, Maccastle went eleven five, they didn't make the
playoffs over there in the a f C. So they're
(07:13):
not going to both make the playoffs. Because you're gonna
have the Eagles and the Cowboys, Uh, probably both going.
Because i've got I've got let me put my glasses
on here, Brian, I've got Arizona winning the next game
at Atlanta, right, Okay, there's a bullick. Okay. So so
then I have them beating Kansas City at home, because
(07:34):
it's a tough game, but they're at home. And then
I have them beating the Rams. Now you know it's
it's at St. Louis. It will be a tough game.
It's a Thursday night game. But I just, I just
I think they can win those three. If they win
those three. It doesn't matter if they lose the Seattle
in San Francisco after that, okay, which I think those
two teams could beat them. So if they win twelve games,
(07:55):
they're gonna be in Why because I think Seattle and
San Francisco Brian will split split home home team winning. Yeah,
and so that puts them, you know, going four and one,
both of those teams going four and one the remainder
of the season, putting them at eleven and five game over.
That's what I see now St. Louis. They might be
seven and nine or six and ten, that doesn't matter.
(08:17):
But the way I see it, if the you know,
teams that are favored win like they're supposed to, the
Cardinals should be twelve and four. What a year that
would be? Okay, So let me okay, So it goes
down that way, I'm with you. And that's all because
that just tells us the seating. If it goes the
way you said, who's the best team in the NFC West,
not who's the highest way, but who you're gonna put you, Okay.
(08:40):
So so if your paychecks on it, you're gonna take
Arizona over Seattle and San Francisco yeah, only because they're
two games they had right now with five games to play,
and they would have to essentially have a minor collapse. Okay,
I'm not saying how they finish. I'm with you on that.
I'm saying we're now in the playoffs and Seattle and
(09:01):
or San Francisco have to go to Arizona. Who wins
the game? See now, and now you hesitate, I'm with
you because I'll tell you what. Drew Stanton, that's fine.
We all know what he is. He's still a backup
quarterback and they still can't run the ball. I just
can't see that formula doing well in the playoffs. Well,
and I yeah, I don't think they're gonna go to
(09:23):
Arizona right away because the Cardinals will probably have a
home a home by. They probably will have a bye,
and the Seahawks will probably have to travel to maybe
Green Bay. Nobody wants to travel Longbow in the playoffs. Boll.
It's gonna be interesting. But yeah, Seattle and San Francisco
(09:43):
getting in, they just got to get in right now.
They're on thin ice. They have to just get in.
They're both good enough to win this thing, but they
have to get in Okay, let's go. Let's go back
to your forty niners here. Obviously they're playing great defense
and to get Alden Smith back to go with Justin Smith,
and it's huge and that that defense is as ties
has been good all year long. They were good on defense.
The other day obviously was the offense. So how much
(10:06):
better are they going to be offensively? I mean, they've
got a good offensive line, they got two running backs,
and I know it's all Kaepernick. Is San Francisco gonna
come out of this kind of funk they're in right now?
I don't know. Because their defense has played well even
without Alden Smith. You know, how how much better are
they going to be? He got a couple of sacks.
(10:26):
He's a heck of a player. We all know that.
But I'm worried about their offense scoring enough points. Now.
They're a little bit lucky in that some of the
playoff teams in the NFC don't score a lot of points,
like like Arizona Seattle. You know, they're defensive minded teams.
So the the offense, to me, I'm I'm trying to
figure them out. What are they? You know, who are they?
(10:50):
And and uh Ankorn Bolden is a beast. We know
that crab Tree can be good. Cap is up and down.
He'll miss some throws that make you shake your head.
Gore and Carlos Hider beast running the football. But I
don't know what what kind of offense they run. It's
kind of a mishmash to me. It's a little bit
of this, a little bit of that, and provides no
consistency to me. And I don't know. I still, I
(11:12):
still just have got a man crush on Colin Kaepernick.
I just think he's throwing action. I wish I wish
they could just take a year and say, we don't
care if we win or lose. We're gonna let him
throw it six hundred times. We're gonna we're gonna have
him grow as a quarterback because I think he just
has that special arm. I don't know about his decision
making and all those things that you but I don't
(11:32):
think we know. Because the inconsistency of the style that
they're playing and they're doing what they gotta do to
win games. I get that, and so I'm just I'm
just kind of talking off the top of my head here.
But his pure physical skills, I just get mes brised
by the way this guy throws. And Seattle, you know,
they're okay, the legion of booms back. They had the
group meeting and Pete and we all, you know, we
(11:53):
dog cussed one another and we're okay now, and that's
why we played well well. They played a mediocre Arizona offense.
I don't know that that there's that they're back defensively
and obviously offensively the same with we all love Russell
Wilson and they're in beast mode and they can probably
get on a nice run. But I don't know that
I totally buy into the dominance the way we did
(12:15):
last year about Seattle being that dominant team. Absolutely, they
lost too many players in the off season to free agency.
Three defensive lineman Brandon Brown or just they just Brando Jockomini,
their tackle they're just guys. They're just different. And so
I feel a little bit bad for Russell Wilson with
(12:36):
his receiving corps. They play hard and they play well.
There's nothing wrong with Doug Baldwin. Just dead average. They're
just a dead average receiving Yeah, it's it's not real deep,
and the tight ends hurt and there's just you know,
they they're not that explosive. If beast Modes not making
a hundred yards, then Russell Wilson has to make a
hundred yards. So I don't think they're gonna score a
lot of points. They're very good on defense. I like
(12:57):
their scheme. Byron Maxwell coming back healthy really helps them.
And Bobby Wagner came back. They need him just desperately
so well. I can't wait. If the only glitch it's
I see in this the scheduling, Brian, you got the
Seahawks traveling to San Francisco on Thanksgiving night, right, and
then they each play a game and then they play again.
(13:19):
I don't I wish that couldn't happen. They wouldn't shove
it into a three week period. Yeah, because if you
have one key guy hurt or to let's say your
quarterbacks gimpy or or your tailbacks out or something that's
that's really significant to have, you know, to have those
two games so close together that are so darn important.
I wish they would split. I love playing the division
(13:41):
games at the end of the season in December. I
wish the other part of that division would be like
early in the season, and then late in the season,
not not two games within three weeks. That's that's crazy
to me. Well, we talked about the progression of a
Russell Wilson and Colin caper Nick. Let's talk about the
progression of another guy that his whoa, this is r
G three in Washington. Of course they lost to San
(14:04):
Francisco and barely, but that was about his uglier performance.
I did a piece on Playbook. I don't know what
he's looking at. He has regressed so much as a quarterback.
We did a piece I think Kurt did it on
game day morning as well, where there's guys wide open
and they're the primary guys and he's just not seeing
him and he's holding the ball, and I know he's
(14:25):
been out of a little bit, but I don't he's
got to be staring at the front because he's sure
he isn't looking at the receivers and the and the
defensive rotation. I hope there's some quarterback coaches and some
young quarterbacks listening to us and watching this, because you
just mentioned, you know, you don't know what he's seen.
You know, when when I was coaching quarterbacks for so
many years, if there was ever a time where I
(14:48):
needed to have a conversation about you know, a decision,
an interception, or even a completion didn't matter. I would
The first thing I usually would say Brian to to
the quarterback when he came off the field, is what
did you see? And and he needed to tell me, well,
I saw the free safety move, I saw cover two,
I saw the blitz. My heart was I want you
(15:10):
need him to see the right thing. And you are
hit it right on the head. You're exactly right. Kurt
showed a tape where he had corner routes wide open,
the flats were even wide open, and he ended up
taking a sack. And you wonder if his vision from
the pocket is such that he understands where everybody is,
what the defense should be doing. And and then and then,
(15:34):
as you know, when he gets under duress, his eyes
come off his work and end up looking at the
defensive lineman sometime. And of course you can't get anything
done then either. So what do you see? It's it's
um because you certainly athletic enough, he works at it enough. Um,
he just he needs to be back in that pocket
and drilled and drilled and drilled it. He needs to
(15:55):
be a better quarterback in terms of his vision. I
used to ask my quarterback acts the same thing until
I had Jim McMahon and he threw it the free safety,
jumps route underneath and gets intercepted. And I came off
and I'm trying to be the good coach. I go,
what did you see? And he looked at it a
normal Jim uh fashion, when obviously not the free safety.
It's like, is that all you got for me? I mean,
(16:17):
I know I missed him. That's why I threw the pick.
So when when he left, you guys, uh, we signed
him in Green Bay, right because we fired we fired
one of our quarterbacks in the middle who checked on
the plate against the Vikings, T J. Rubiley. Anyway, so
we brought in Jim McMahon to the packers and it
was like, ah, is this gonna work with Farve because
because they're both crazy? Is a gasolene and matches and
(16:40):
Jim McMahon in the same meeting room. Oh my god,
Like in November, this is like cold time. Jim McMahon
shows up at our facility in a fur coat, fur
coat all the way down, sunglasses on. He walks in
I'm one, Oh my god, I gotta coach this guy.
This is gonna be I'm going to get battle pay here,
(17:03):
combat pay. And so it was. But you know what
he was fun tell me had something on underneath that
for coat. This time he did okay, this time, this
time to my golf tournament a couple of years ago,
he did the whole, the whole day barefoot. Okay, we
could we could do the whole, we could do this
whole podcast on on Jim m McMahon, no question about that. Um,
(17:26):
you know, well, let's let's let's finish off. Let's bring
it full circle because last week we talked about the converence,
you know, r G three afterwards and then what Jake
Gruden said and they both kind of walked back during
the week and whatever. Let's talk about that relationship because
we speculated before because there's always something special between the
play caller and the quarterback. Now necessarily the head coach
(17:46):
on the quarterback maybe the same, but always a play
caller and the coordinator. And going forward and then watching
what we saw in San Francisco, I'm not sure how
this relationship goes forward. I'm not sure either, And and
I think I really do think one of the reasons
that Jay Gruden got the job because he's a player's coach.
(18:09):
He's a younger guy, you know, been a player, did
the arena thing, and he's comes to good genes and
all that stuff, right, And I think their initial impression
was that this guy would be able to salvage uh
r G three and the commitment that they made to
r G three, given up all those draft choices, and
they want him to be the face of the organization
(18:31):
and the and the guy who runs, you know, who
leads them. And and right now it doesn't look like
they're headed in that direction. And it's unfortunate because I
think a lot of both guys um but you know,
they're losing and and r G three is not playing
very well. You know, a poor guy. He was dynamite
his rookie year. He was fantastic his rookie year, and
(18:53):
then he got hurt and then he hasn't been the
same since. He hasn't gotten his mojo back for whatever
the reason, it seems. And I'm for him, But with
j it seems like they're button heads already, and so
I don't know where he goes. And he keeps trying
to play him. I think so. But at some point, uh,
with with the in the team's eyes, do they feel
that r G three is the guy or do they
(19:15):
do they feel hey, coach, move on, He's never going
to be able to do it for us. I don't
think that would be huge for that because like you said,
they brought j and for that could they and we
both would not endorse it and and know that this
thing can go forward. But does management panic a little
bit and going we look, we brought this guy, Jake
Gruten in to make him better and it didn't work.
(19:36):
So do we have to do something else after just
one year? They've done that before, Jim's that before. Yeah,
So I hope it doesn't turn out that way. Let's
let's talk about again, just real brief for a situation.
We got to talk a little bit about Mike Smith
and the Atlanta Falcons. At the end of the game,
the decision and we're not gonna beat up here whether
it was the wrong decision, because it's always looked through
the prism of did it work it did not work.
(19:57):
Let's just talk about and for those that saw the game,
obviously calling a time out on a third down um
that otherwise wine has been called by Cleveland, so you
don't bring the clock down. Then they throw up a
fade on the third down that stops the clock again.
They kicked the field goal, and that gives Cleveland time
to come back with three timeouts. At forty five seconds,
they moved back to position and kicked the field goal.
(20:17):
Let's talk about the decisions how we as coaches made
that kind of decision. Let's try to talk about what
they could have been talking about in that sequence of
using the time out and the play called they made. Well,
first of all, you're always you know how many time
outs that you have, but you also have to know
(20:37):
how many time outs the other team has and kind
of take a guess as to how they're going to
use their time outs. Well, with Mike, you know, he
took the time out after a second down completion, right,
and it was third and two. He took the time out. Well,
you know, if the Cleveland had no more time outs left,
you just simply run the ball right there and run
(20:57):
it all the way down and kicked the field goal. Right.
But but he knew darn well he could throw the
football right now. On third and two. If it's incomplete,
you're gonna stop the clock, which you you want to
make it complete. But even if it's complete, Cleveland's gonna
take their one of their time outs, so he could have,
you know, it was it was a situation Mike had
(21:18):
to say, the clock is going to stop after this play,
whether it's incomplete or whether we completed, because Cleveland's got
a full boatload of time outs. And it was just
unfortunate for Mike that, you know, he he gave Cleveland
forty four seconds, you know, and and the three time outs.
That's where you can look at it, and you're right,
you're exactly right. You have to account for what your
(21:40):
time out situation is. But what is there so they're
gonna be able to stop the clock. And he even
said after the game, and that was a little bit
of it was unfortunate to come out that way, but
it was very honest. Had we not called it, Cleveland
would have called the time out. Well then let them,
I understand, wanting to have an orchestrated third down call.
He said that they had made the decision beforehand, that
(22:00):
that was outside you know, Matt Bryant, you know, at
the end of the game. If you've got to make
a sixt yard field goal to win you you send
him in. But I used to the same thing with
Matt Stover, one of the best kickers ever in the game. Matt,
tell me your range here and we were outdoors, So okay,
if we're going this way, tell me where you need
it and what's the limit. I mean, if you got
to go and you make it, you gotta make it.
But if I'm having to make the decision during the
course of the game and have a choice, then to
(22:22):
tell me where your limits are, because I don't want to.
How do you turn to a kicker and say, can
you make this? Well, what man's gonna go? Well, you
know what, coach, I don't think I can. Well, he's
not going to give you that response. I remember that
that happens, you know, because you're always the wind. How
far is you know? All that kind of stuff. I remember,
you know, trying to find my kicker and he's always
he's never standing right next to he's over there in
(22:42):
that net. They have that net that they love, you know.
If you ever need to give a kicker a Christmas present,
buy him a net. And so I had to go
run over there. Can you make it from fifty three
or not? I don't know, coach, how was the wind?
So right now you know, okay, this guy's not going in.
Oh it's a tough one. And so but I guess
(23:04):
the biggest thing I would say is if you're gonna
call the time out on third down, then you gotta
throw a high percentage pass or run. Don't give him
another clock stoppage with the potential for an incompletion. So
your problem, well the combination of of Okay, if you
want the more orchestra call, use the time out, but
then the throwing up the low percentage fade afterwards, which
(23:27):
is also going to stop the clock. If I'm gonna
use a time out, I'm gonna make them use at
least one time out by running the ball or throwing
a more high percentage pass. So yeah, it's and and
the fact that it turned out the other way. If
he doesn't drive the length of field kick a field goal,
then we're not questioning it as much. But obviously where
Atlanta is right now, it's a tough situation. From for
Mike Smith, let's move to a more positively. We both
(23:48):
talked about that Odell Beckham. You know we've been talking
about it here at the NFL network all all day long,
all around the country. Greatest catch, greatest catch you've ever seen. Yeah,
I mean pretty good. Huh See. I was flying home,
you know, after I was working with you guys yesterday
and I was flying home. So I have my wife
taped the game, so I watch it, and I watch
(24:09):
it after she goes to bed, and then I that
he made that catch, and I woke her up, and no,
she didn't appreciate it. All I said, you have to
see this catch. And the funny thing is for the
broadcast just before this, Brian, they were showing this kid
in pregame warm up doing the same thing. It was
all the same thing. Great job by NBC. Yes, and
(24:32):
play the music to it and that are you kidding?
It's the reaching behind and you know, here's the old
thing at some point right here. First the reach behind.
But as he's going down, you know he's thinking, I'm
not bringing the other hand in. I'm not. That's That's
what shocks me. Why not the other hand? Because I
think it's a conscious going. I know, I've got one
of the great all time catches. Ever, I'm not even
(24:55):
I'm gonna get up. I'm not even gonna touch it
with my left hand. Now, when does it occur? How
good an that leader you? For that to occur to
you that, you know what, I'm not even gonna put
my left hand on it. That's crazy. I mean, this
kid has got so much athletic confidence that I just
it was unfortunate that he was hurt. He had to
hamstring early in the year, and now Victor Cruz is
hurt because can you imagine both of those guys on
(25:17):
the field in the slot at the same time. My god, uh,
they would be dynamic. Who's who's the best? Who's the
best hands you've ever had? Um? Jerry Rice? Come on?
Really no, I mean he could be the greatest all time,
But did he have the greatest hands? The really the
best hands you can You can see some of his
one hand catches on film and all that stuff. He
pulled him in and he would do it in practice too,
(25:38):
and uh, you know he was the best of all time,
that he was, So I gotta I gotta go back
and do playbook with Sterling Sharp and tell him that
Sterling Sharp wasn't the best. I'll tell you what though,
let me tell you about Sterling Sharp, because you know
he's nuts, all right, and so, but Sterling Sharp grew
up as a quarterback. He was recruited to South Carolina.
He was a quarterback, okay, and then he actually became
(26:00):
a wide receiver. So Sterling Sharp, you know how hard
he works. I mean he used to bench press three
sixty reps before games. I go, what are you doing, man?
He goes, I'm just getting loose anyway, So he but
he had this habit. It was an obsession that he
would catch a hundred passes before every practice and before
every game. Well who had to do it? Gruden had
(26:22):
to do it, John Gruden because he was his receiver coach.
And and it was like Grugs would go, oh my god,
his arms just limp. I have to do this again.
And so but Sterning high catches, low catches over here,
but all the different catches. And he was a fanatic
that way. But he had great hands. Man, he didn't
drop many passes in games. He was how about you. Yeah, well,
(26:43):
Chris Carter. You know I had Chris for nine years
and the same thing. It never ceased to amaze me
through his entire career. That Chris after practice, and I'm
the same thing. I didn't have to throw it, but
I wore my hand out in my arm out with
the jugs machine every day after practice, one handed, right handed,
left handed, back turned high low. I mean three three
(27:04):
times a week. He'd get on that jugs machine to
end practice and work on those eye popping one handed grab.
And then he had such great body presence and the ability,
you know, and I had Randy Moss, of course, Randy
that was just a sheer freak of nature in terms
of what he was able to do in terms of
catching the ball. But Chris Carter probably had the best
hands of any receiver that you know. We're lucky to
be around guys like that. And it's just in an
(27:26):
eight sense. They just see the ball. I'm convinced they
see the ball differently than you and I. They don't
know anything different because they've been their way the whole life.
They just see it must be as big as a
basketball to them. Yeah, they can track the ball and
all of that. And you know there's something natural about
it too. And some people they'll think they come out
of the womb catching balls. These guys work at it.
They work at it and that's that's crazy too. Yeah,
(27:48):
and and the young people got to recognize that that
you can have that innate ability, but to work at it,
like you talked about starting a Channon Sharp the same
way as brother obviously, and Shannon had great hands and
just had a sense for it and a sense of body,
you know, where the ball was compared to my body,
and just had that that unique sense. So we're lucky
to be around great players like that. Well, thanks for
joining us for the Coaches Show. Make sure you check
(28:10):
us out every week at the same time, also streaming
on nfl dot com.
This is NFL dot COM's Coaches Show podcast, Thirty Men Together,
Can't Lose. This is why you lift everybody crying that
abody And now we're going there's a glean Man. There's
a glean nexkt for checking out the Coaches Show. I'm
(00:22):
Brian Billick and my partner Steve Mary. You two before
we get started here. Steve, we talked about a little
before we went on air. I came away a little
wanting this weekend. I didn't feel it was good football.
We saw it a lot of great plays and obviously
some good wins, but I don't know that I came
away feeling other than maybe the Patriots and the good wins,
going Okay, yeah, this team's this team's catching fire. This
(00:43):
is a good football team. I can kind of see
where we're going right now. I just I was kind
of left wanting yeah, and uh, the Patriots probably were
the ones that said we're gonna flex our muscles against
the number one defense and crush these guys. And then
I think you're right after that, you know, I thought
San Francisco would blow out the Redskins. That didn't happen.
They had to put a drive together to win that thing.
(01:06):
And then the Cardinals. You know, they didn't play very
well up there in Seattle. Who does, but uh yeah,
I if you had to pick a Super Bowl guy
a team right now, it's maybe the Patriots and who
knows who else because it's everybody's so inconsistent. The one
even though they didn't overwhelm the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota,
and we've talked about before about how they have had
(01:27):
problems in Minnesota. But the Green Bay Packers and obviously
Aaron Rodgers. We can go on forever about Aaron Rodgers,
but they've not had a presence at running back like
Eddie Lacy since forever. To me, that's a game changer
that could be the team now their defense and they
got uh Matthews in the middle, and but I think
to go with because we know Aaron Rodgers gonna continue
(01:48):
to throw for a million yards. It's what he's forty
five now, forty seven touchdowns to five interceptions. That's just
an ungodly combination. But Eddie Lacey is the thing that
makes me think, you know what, he could be the
game changer for the Packers now. I know, and then
when I when I coached there with Brett Farve. You know,
Brett always had a balanced offense. It seemed, you know,
guys like Aman Green, Dorsey Levin's, Edgar Bennett, they ran
(02:12):
the ball quite a bit. And they haven't had that
really with Dorsey Levin's until like you said, now with
with Eddie Lacy, and he came out of the gate
last year as a rookie, made the Rookie of the
Year on offense and and he's the banger. You gotta
have that guy in game Bay when the weather is awful,
and it's usually awful and nowadays in December and Thanksgiving
(02:33):
time and so um, yeah, this team is kind of fun.
Aaron Rodgers was only three and three going to Minnesota
in his career, uh, and it was a tough game
for him. Mike Zimmer played a heck of a game
on defense. But of course the Packers, like you said,
they're one of the they're one of the teams to watch.
And the Denver Broncos. When you when you sat watching
the game and it felt like Miami, particularly in the
(02:53):
first half, was controlling everything. You thought, you know what,
Denver could get beaten here and that was gonna be substantial.
They got beat at home him by Miami now obviously
in the second half, and then Peyton gets going. You
go back, you look at the drive chart. They never
stopped Denver the other than they planted. I think virtually
every series they either scored a touchdown, kicked a field gold,
missed a field goal, the point being they got into
(03:15):
scoring position I'm talking about Denver now and ended up,
you know, dominating the time of playing all that. It
didn't feel that that way watching it, although Peyton down
the stretch. But the big thing that jumped out at
me was we always know, when we've talked a lot
about Peyton, he's gonna check the box, and yeah, they'll
run the ball if you want to give him a
light box and configure yourself defensively to not throw the ball.
(03:36):
They seemed more committed with tuning yards rushing. They didn't
matter what the BA they called and ran the ball
and I've not seen them do that as of late. Well,
they needed to do that because they you know, they're
running out of running backs, right Brian. You know, before
the season starts to get rid of Oshean Marino and
then money Ball and and Ronnie Hillman get hurt and
so this young kid c J. Anderson from cal Undraft guy,
(04:00):
he's all of a sudden carrying the load. Maybe it's
the system. No, I don't know, it's uh you know,
but you know right, they did move the ball up
and down the field they needed to because the game
before they didn't even reach the red zone against the Rams,
and so uh it only scored seven points. So there
there's that inconsistency again. Uh. You know. The Denver's losses
(04:21):
are all on the road. Um. I was a little
concerned about them getting really humiliated by the Rams because
they couldn't get anything going, it seemed. But uh, I
think they're gonna be one of those teams that's better
at home and a little if he on the road,
but certainly one of the good teams in the league.
We expected a lot from them going into the well
they've got They've got at the Chiefs this next week,
(04:43):
so that that will be a good test test and
then a tough one obviously for Kansas City. That'd be
tough for them to lose that one. Then they got
the Bills, then they got the Chargers and the Bengals
on the road, So we're gonna know about Denver on
the road, that challenge that you and I are talking
about by season's end, given that schedule. Well, that Kansas
City game, because the last time they played at Denver
(05:03):
in Kansas City was knocking at the door at the
end to win that thing. And so but gosh, Kansas
City didn't look very good on Thursday night against the Raiders.
Now that was a weird game, rainy, and yeah it
was Give I tip my hat to the Raiders. They
were pretty pretty good and playing hard. But Kansas City
didn't look like the team to beat that night. But
(05:24):
maybe they were looking ahead. The last time the Kansas
City Chiefs were looking ahead to the Broncos, they lost
a home game to Tennessee for God's sakes, at home,
same scenario. Yeah, yeah, so maybe they're gonna be up
for this game they need to be to keep keep
up with Denver. Let's say you brought up earlier the
four Niners didn't look particularly good Seattle, but at home
against let's handicap that NFC West a little bit. When
(05:47):
it's all said none in fact, that they're all playing
one another as we go down the stretch here, which
is good because the you know, Seahawks have got to
play the forty niners twice. They gotta play at the Eagles,
which I think is gonna be huge because you could
be talking, you know, playoff potential in terms of elimination
even to get into the playoffs and maybe home field
all that. Let's let's handicap that division right now, right
(06:09):
up front. Who who do you think? Who who would
you pick to win the division? Right now? You know
you're talking about the Carolina or the Cardinals sitting there
at nine and two? Now, so did you get one
of these? Did you get one of these? Uh schedules
for every team from our crack research? Now, now I'm not,
I'm not, I'm I don't get that good stuff that
you guys get. I have to actually do my own information.
So so I went through it with a fine tooth comb,
(06:31):
and I'm looking at everybody's schedules and they're gonna play
each other and beat each other. And oh boy, so
here's who I have. So I figured it out. Now,
I want you to keep this tape, all right. Let
me right, I'm gonna write that down. That's good, write
that down. This is how it's gonna end. And so
does one of those eleven and five for this is radio.
(06:52):
So you've got Arizona going twelve and four, you've got
Seattle eleven and five, San Francisco eleven and five, and
you've got St. Louis at seven and nine. Do both
those eleven and five Seattle and San Francisco teams make
the playoffs? No, one of them. One of them is
not gonna Remember a few years ago when Tom Brady
got hurt, Maccastle went eleven five, they didn't make the
playoffs over there in the a f C. So they're
(07:13):
not going to both make the playoffs. Because you're gonna
have the Eagles and the Cowboys, Uh, probably both going.
Because i've got I've got let me put my glasses
on here, Brian, I've got Arizona winning the next game
at Atlanta, right, Okay, there's a bullick. Okay. So so
then I have them beating Kansas City at home, because
(07:34):
it's a tough game, but they're at home. And then
I have them beating the Rams. Now you know it's
it's at St. Louis. It will be a tough game.
It's a Thursday night game. But I just, I just
I think they can win those three. If they win
those three. It doesn't matter if they lose the Seattle
in San Francisco after that, okay, which I think those
two teams could beat them. So if they win twelve games,
(07:55):
they're gonna be in Why because I think Seattle and
San Francisco Brian will split split home home team winning. Yeah,
and so that puts them, you know, going four and one,
both of those teams going four and one the remainder
of the season, putting them at eleven and five game over.
That's what I see now St. Louis. They might be
seven and nine or six and ten, that doesn't matter.
(08:17):
But the way I see it, if the you know,
teams that are favored win like they're supposed to, the
Cardinals should be twelve and four. What a year that
would be? Okay, So let me okay, So it goes
down that way, I'm with you. And that's all because
that just tells us the seating. If it goes the
way you said, who's the best team in the NFC West,
not who's the highest way, but who you're gonna put you, Okay.
(08:40):
So so if your paychecks on it, you're gonna take
Arizona over Seattle and San Francisco yeah, only because they're
two games they had right now with five games to play,
and they would have to essentially have a minor collapse. Okay,
I'm not saying how they finish. I'm with you on that.
I'm saying we're now in the playoffs and Seattle and
(09:01):
or San Francisco have to go to Arizona. Who wins
the game? See now, and now you hesitate, I'm with
you because I'll tell you what. Drew Stanton, that's fine.
We all know what he is. He's still a backup
quarterback and they still can't run the ball. I just
can't see that formula doing well in the playoffs. Well,
and I yeah, I don't think they're gonna go to
(09:23):
Arizona right away because the Cardinals will probably have a
home a home by. They probably will have a bye,
and the Seahawks will probably have to travel to maybe
Green Bay. Nobody wants to travel Longbow in the playoffs. Boll.
It's gonna be interesting. But yeah, Seattle and San Francisco
(09:43):
getting in, they just got to get in right now.
They're on thin ice. They have to just get in.
They're both good enough to win this thing, but they
have to get in Okay, let's go. Let's go back
to your forty niners here. Obviously they're playing great defense
and to get Alden Smith back to go with Justin Smith,
and it's huge and that that defense is as ties
has been good all year long. They were good on defense.
The other day obviously was the offense. So how much
(10:06):
better are they going to be offensively? I mean, they've
got a good offensive line, they got two running backs,
and I know it's all Kaepernick. Is San Francisco gonna
come out of this kind of funk they're in right now?
I don't know. Because their defense has played well even
without Alden Smith. You know, how how much better are
they going to be? He got a couple of sacks.
(10:26):
He's a heck of a player. We all know that.
But I'm worried about their offense scoring enough points. Now.
They're a little bit lucky in that some of the
playoff teams in the NFC don't score a lot of points,
like like Arizona Seattle. You know, they're defensive minded teams.
So the the offense, to me, I'm I'm trying to
figure them out. What are they? You know, who are they?
(10:50):
And and uh Ankorn Bolden is a beast. We know
that crab Tree can be good. Cap is up and down.
He'll miss some throws that make you shake your head.
Gore and Carlos Hider beast running the football. But I
don't know what what kind of offense they run. It's
kind of a mishmash to me. It's a little bit
of this, a little bit of that, and provides no
consistency to me. And I don't know. I still, I
(11:12):
still just have got a man crush on Colin Kaepernick.
I just think he's throwing action. I wish I wish
they could just take a year and say, we don't
care if we win or lose. We're gonna let him
throw it six hundred times. We're gonna we're gonna have
him grow as a quarterback because I think he just
has that special arm. I don't know about his decision
making and all those things that you but I don't
(11:32):
think we know. Because the inconsistency of the style that
they're playing and they're doing what they gotta do to
win games. I get that, and so I'm just I'm
just kind of talking off the top of my head here.
But his pure physical skills, I just get mes brised
by the way this guy throws. And Seattle, you know,
they're okay, the legion of booms back. They had the
group meeting and Pete and we all, you know, we
(11:53):
dog cussed one another and we're okay now, and that's
why we played well well. They played a mediocre Arizona offense.
I don't know that that there's that they're back defensively
and obviously offensively the same with we all love Russell
Wilson and they're in beast mode and they can probably
get on a nice run. But I don't know that
I totally buy into the dominance the way we did
(12:15):
last year about Seattle being that dominant team. Absolutely, they
lost too many players in the off season to free agency.
Three defensive lineman Brandon Brown or just they just Brando Jockomini,
their tackle they're just guys. They're just different. And so
I feel a little bit bad for Russell Wilson with
(12:36):
his receiving corps. They play hard and they play well.
There's nothing wrong with Doug Baldwin. Just dead average. They're
just a dead average receiving Yeah, it's it's not real deep,
and the tight ends hurt and there's just you know,
they they're not that explosive. If beast Modes not making
a hundred yards, then Russell Wilson has to make a
hundred yards. So I don't think they're gonna score a
lot of points. They're very good on defense. I like
(12:57):
their scheme. Byron Maxwell coming back healthy really helps them.
And Bobby Wagner came back. They need him just desperately
so well. I can't wait. If the only glitch it's
I see in this the scheduling, Brian, you got the
Seahawks traveling to San Francisco on Thanksgiving night, right, and
then they each play a game and then they play again.
(13:19):
I don't I wish that couldn't happen. They wouldn't shove
it into a three week period. Yeah, because if you
have one key guy hurt or to let's say your
quarterbacks gimpy or or your tailbacks out or something that's
that's really significant to have, you know, to have those
two games so close together that are so darn important.
I wish they would split. I love playing the division
(13:41):
games at the end of the season in December. I
wish the other part of that division would be like
early in the season, and then late in the season,
not not two games within three weeks. That's that's crazy
to me. Well, we talked about the progression of a
Russell Wilson and Colin caper Nick. Let's talk about the
progression of another guy that his whoa, this is r
G three in Washington. Of course they lost to San
(14:04):
Francisco and barely, but that was about his uglier performance.
I did a piece on Playbook. I don't know what
he's looking at. He has regressed so much as a quarterback.
We did a piece I think Kurt did it on
game day morning as well, where there's guys wide open
and they're the primary guys and he's just not seeing
him and he's holding the ball, and I know he's
(14:25):
been out of a little bit, but I don't he's
got to be staring at the front because he's sure
he isn't looking at the receivers and the and the
defensive rotation. I hope there's some quarterback coaches and some
young quarterbacks listening to us and watching this, because you
just mentioned, you know, you don't know what he's seen.
You know, when when I was coaching quarterbacks for so
many years, if there was ever a time where I
(14:48):
needed to have a conversation about you know, a decision,
an interception, or even a completion didn't matter. I would
The first thing I usually would say Brian to to
the quarterback when he came off the field, is what
did you see? And and he needed to tell me, well,
I saw the free safety move, I saw cover two,
I saw the blitz. My heart was I want you
(15:10):
need him to see the right thing. And you are
hit it right on the head. You're exactly right. Kurt
showed a tape where he had corner routes wide open,
the flats were even wide open, and he ended up
taking a sack. And you wonder if his vision from
the pocket is such that he understands where everybody is,
what the defense should be doing. And and then and then,
(15:34):
as you know, when he gets under duress, his eyes
come off his work and end up looking at the
defensive lineman sometime. And of course you can't get anything
done then either. So what do you see? It's it's
um because you certainly athletic enough, he works at it enough. Um,
he just he needs to be back in that pocket
and drilled and drilled and drilled it. He needs to
(15:55):
be a better quarterback in terms of his vision. I
used to ask my quarterback acts the same thing until
I had Jim McMahon and he threw it the free safety,
jumps route underneath and gets intercepted. And I came off
and I'm trying to be the good coach. I go,
what did you see? And he looked at it a
normal Jim uh fashion, when obviously not the free safety.
It's like, is that all you got for me? I mean,
(16:17):
I know I missed him. That's why I threw the pick.
So when when he left, you guys, uh, we signed
him in Green Bay, right because we fired we fired
one of our quarterbacks in the middle who checked on
the plate against the Vikings, T J. Rubiley. Anyway, so
we brought in Jim McMahon to the packers and it
was like, ah, is this gonna work with Farve because
because they're both crazy? Is a gasolene and matches and
(16:40):
Jim McMahon in the same meeting room. Oh my god,
Like in November, this is like cold time. Jim McMahon
shows up at our facility in a fur coat, fur
coat all the way down, sunglasses on. He walks in
I'm one, Oh my god, I gotta coach this guy.
This is gonna be I'm going to get battle pay here,
(17:03):
combat pay. And so it was. But you know what
he was fun tell me had something on underneath that
for coat. This time he did okay, this time, this
time to my golf tournament a couple of years ago,
he did the whole, the whole day barefoot. Okay, we
could we could do the whole, we could do this
whole podcast on on Jim m McMahon, no question about that. Um,
(17:26):
you know, well, let's let's let's finish off. Let's bring
it full circle because last week we talked about the converence,
you know, r G three afterwards and then what Jake
Gruden said and they both kind of walked back during
the week and whatever. Let's talk about that relationship because
we speculated before because there's always something special between the
play caller and the quarterback. Now necessarily the head coach
(17:46):
on the quarterback maybe the same, but always a play
caller and the coordinator. And going forward and then watching
what we saw in San Francisco, I'm not sure how
this relationship goes forward. I'm not sure either, And and
I think I really do think one of the reasons
that Jay Gruden got the job because he's a player's coach.
(18:09):
He's a younger guy, you know, been a player, did
the arena thing, and he's comes to good genes and
all that stuff, right, And I think their initial impression
was that this guy would be able to salvage uh
r G three and the commitment that they made to
r G three, given up all those draft choices, and
they want him to be the face of the organization
(18:31):
and the and the guy who runs, you know, who
leads them. And and right now it doesn't look like
they're headed in that direction. And it's unfortunate because I
think a lot of both guys um but you know,
they're losing and and r G three is not playing
very well. You know, a poor guy. He was dynamite
his rookie year. He was fantastic his rookie year, and
(18:53):
then he got hurt and then he hasn't been the
same since. He hasn't gotten his mojo back for whatever
the reason, it seems. And I'm for him, But with
j it seems like they're button heads already, and so
I don't know where he goes. And he keeps trying
to play him. I think so. But at some point, uh,
with with the in the team's eyes, do they feel
that r G three is the guy or do they
(19:15):
do they feel hey, coach, move on, He's never going
to be able to do it for us. I don't
think that would be huge for that because like you said,
they brought j and for that could they and we
both would not endorse it and and know that this
thing can go forward. But does management panic a little
bit and going we look, we brought this guy, Jake
Gruten in to make him better and it didn't work.
(19:36):
So do we have to do something else after just
one year? They've done that before, Jim's that before. Yeah,
So I hope it doesn't turn out that way. Let's
let's talk about again, just real brief for a situation.
We got to talk a little bit about Mike Smith
and the Atlanta Falcons. At the end of the game,
the decision and we're not gonna beat up here whether
it was the wrong decision, because it's always looked through
the prism of did it work it did not work.
(19:57):
Let's just talk about and for those that saw the game,
obviously calling a time out on a third down um
that otherwise wine has been called by Cleveland, so you
don't bring the clock down. Then they throw up a
fade on the third down that stops the clock again.
They kicked the field goal, and that gives Cleveland time
to come back with three timeouts. At forty five seconds,
they moved back to position and kicked the field goal.
(20:17):
Let's talk about the decisions how we as coaches made
that kind of decision. Let's try to talk about what
they could have been talking about in that sequence of
using the time out and the play called they made. Well,
first of all, you're always you know how many time
outs that you have, but you also have to know
(20:37):
how many time outs the other team has and kind
of take a guess as to how they're going to
use their time outs. Well, with Mike, you know, he
took the time out after a second down completion, right,
and it was third and two. He took the time out. Well,
you know, if the Cleveland had no more time outs left,
you just simply run the ball right there and run
(20:57):
it all the way down and kicked the field goal. Right.
But but he knew darn well he could throw the
football right now. On third and two. If it's incomplete,
you're gonna stop the clock, which you you want to
make it complete. But even if it's complete, Cleveland's gonna
take their one of their time outs, so he could have,
you know, it was it was a situation Mike had
(21:18):
to say, the clock is going to stop after this play,
whether it's incomplete or whether we completed, because Cleveland's got
a full boatload of time outs. And it was just
unfortunate for Mike that, you know, he he gave Cleveland
forty four seconds, you know, and and the three time outs.
That's where you can look at it, and you're right,
you're exactly right. You have to account for what your
(21:40):
time out situation is. But what is there so they're
gonna be able to stop the clock. And he even
said after the game, and that was a little bit
of it was unfortunate to come out that way, but
it was very honest. Had we not called it, Cleveland
would have called the time out. Well then let them,
I understand, wanting to have an orchestrated third down call.
He said that they had made the decision beforehand, that
(22:00):
that was outside you know, Matt Bryant, you know, at
the end of the game. If you've got to make
a sixt yard field goal to win you you send
him in. But I used to the same thing with
Matt Stover, one of the best kickers ever in the game. Matt,
tell me your range here and we were outdoors, So okay,
if we're going this way, tell me where you need
it and what's the limit. I mean, if you got
to go and you make it, you gotta make it.
But if I'm having to make the decision during the
course of the game and have a choice, then to
(22:22):
tell me where your limits are, because I don't want to.
How do you turn to a kicker and say, can
you make this? Well, what man's gonna go? Well, you
know what, coach, I don't think I can. Well, he's
not going to give you that response. I remember that
that happens, you know, because you're always the wind. How
far is you know? All that kind of stuff. I remember,
you know, trying to find my kicker and he's always
he's never standing right next to he's over there in
(22:42):
that net. They have that net that they love, you know.
If you ever need to give a kicker a Christmas present,
buy him a net. And so I had to go
run over there. Can you make it from fifty three
or not? I don't know, coach, how was the wind?
So right now you know, okay, this guy's not going in.
Oh it's a tough one. And so but I guess
(23:04):
the biggest thing I would say is if you're gonna
call the time out on third down, then you gotta
throw a high percentage pass or run. Don't give him
another clock stoppage with the potential for an incompletion. So
your problem, well the combination of of Okay, if you
want the more orchestra call, use the time out, but
then the throwing up the low percentage fade afterwards, which
(23:27):
is also going to stop the clock. If I'm gonna
use a time out, I'm gonna make them use at
least one time out by running the ball or throwing
a more high percentage pass. So yeah, it's and and
the fact that it turned out the other way. If
he doesn't drive the length of field kick a field goal,
then we're not questioning it as much. But obviously where
Atlanta is right now, it's a tough situation. From for
Mike Smith, let's move to a more positively. We both
(23:48):
talked about that Odell Beckham. You know we've been talking
about it here at the NFL network all all day long,
all around the country. Greatest catch, greatest catch you've ever seen. Yeah,
I mean pretty good. Huh See. I was flying home,
you know, after I was working with you guys yesterday
and I was flying home. So I have my wife
taped the game, so I watch it, and I watch
(24:09):
it after she goes to bed, and then I that
he made that catch, and I woke her up, and no,
she didn't appreciate it. All I said, you have to
see this catch. And the funny thing is for the
broadcast just before this, Brian, they were showing this kid
in pregame warm up doing the same thing. It was
all the same thing. Great job by NBC. Yes, and
(24:32):
play the music to it and that are you kidding?
It's the reaching behind and you know, here's the old
thing at some point right here. First the reach behind.
But as he's going down, you know he's thinking, I'm
not bringing the other hand in. I'm not. That's That's
what shocks me. Why not the other hand? Because I
think it's a conscious going. I know, I've got one
of the great all time catches. Ever, I'm not even
(24:55):
I'm gonna get up. I'm not even gonna touch it
with my left hand. Now, when does it occur? How
good an that leader you? For that to occur to
you that, you know what, I'm not even gonna put
my left hand on it. That's crazy. I mean, this
kid has got so much athletic confidence that I just
it was unfortunate that he was hurt. He had to
hamstring early in the year, and now Victor Cruz is
hurt because can you imagine both of those guys on
(25:17):
the field in the slot at the same time. My god, uh,
they would be dynamic. Who's who's the best? Who's the
best hands you've ever had? Um? Jerry Rice? Come on?
Really no, I mean he could be the greatest all time,
But did he have the greatest hands? The really the
best hands you can You can see some of his
one hand catches on film and all that stuff. He
pulled him in and he would do it in practice too,
(25:38):
and uh, you know he was the best of all time,
that he was, So I gotta I gotta go back
and do playbook with Sterling Sharp and tell him that
Sterling Sharp wasn't the best. I'll tell you what though,
let me tell you about Sterling Sharp, because you know
he's nuts, all right, and so, but Sterling Sharp grew
up as a quarterback. He was recruited to South Carolina.
He was a quarterback, okay, and then he actually became
(26:00):
a wide receiver. So Sterling Sharp, you know how hard
he works. I mean he used to bench press three
sixty reps before games. I go, what are you doing, man?
He goes, I'm just getting loose anyway, So he but
he had this habit. It was an obsession that he
would catch a hundred passes before every practice and before
every game. Well who had to do it? Gruden had
(26:22):
to do it, John Gruden because he was his receiver coach.
And and it was like Grugs would go, oh my god,
his arms just limp. I have to do this again.
And so but Sterning high catches, low catches over here,
but all the different catches. And he was a fanatic
that way. But he had great hands. Man, he didn't
drop many passes in games. He was how about you. Yeah, well,
(26:43):
Chris Carter. You know I had Chris for nine years
and the same thing. It never ceased to amaze me
through his entire career. That Chris after practice, and I'm
the same thing. I didn't have to throw it, but
I wore my hand out in my arm out with
the jugs machine every day after practice, one handed, right handed,
left handed, back turned high low. I mean three three
(27:04):
times a week. He'd get on that jugs machine to
end practice and work on those eye popping one handed grab.
And then he had such great body presence and the ability,
you know, and I had Randy Moss, of course, Randy
that was just a sheer freak of nature in terms
of what he was able to do in terms of
catching the ball. But Chris Carter probably had the best
hands of any receiver that you know. We're lucky to
be around guys like that. And it's just in an
(27:26):
eight sense. They just see the ball. I'm convinced they
see the ball differently than you and I. They don't
know anything different because they've been their way the whole life.
They just see it must be as big as a
basketball to them. Yeah, they can track the ball and
all of that. And you know there's something natural about
it too. And some people they'll think they come out
of the womb catching balls. These guys work at it.
They work at it and that's that's crazy too. Yeah,
(27:48):
and and the young people got to recognize that that
you can have that innate ability, but to work at it,
like you talked about starting a Channon Sharp the same
way as brother obviously, and Shannon had great hands and
just had a sense for it and a sense of body,
you know, where the ball was compared to my body,
and just had that that unique sense. So we're lucky
to be around great players like that. Well, thanks for
joining us for the Coaches Show. Make sure you check
(28:10):
us out every week at the same time, also streaming
on nfl dot com.
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