Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Denver Broncos the number one seed in the AFC,
your AFC West champions, and I think if you'd said
that at the beginning of the season, I think you
roundly would have been met with some skepticism. But here
it is. Might not have been the prettiest win, might
not have been the most convincing win on the planet.
But as I say, you don't have to be the
(00:21):
highest scoring team in the world, just the highest scoring
team in the stadium that day, and the Denver Broncos
certainly were yesterday as they wrapped things up against.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
The La Chargers.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Well Chargers backups, let's be a little bit more honest
with that. But nonetheless, that was what you had to do.
They took care of business, handle what they needed to handle,
and get the nineteen to three victory in a frankly
glorious day here in Denver.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Glorious day for a January for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
I believe it was sixty degree He's at kickoff there
inside the stadium, sunny, sixty nine, sixty and nice, not
six seven. It was absolutely uh, it was absolutely phenomenal
weather there and the only thing that was ugly, frankly
was the game kind of a snooze fast as the
(01:19):
Denver Broncos came in deliberately going vanilla running.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Base install stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Bonix finished with one hundred and forty one passing yards,
although it didn't feel like that many. Trey Lance finished
with sixty nine rushing yards, although it didn't feel like
that many. The end of the day, the Broncos pull
at the nineteen to three wins. You get the bye week,
You get a chance to get yourself set and ready
for these playoffs, and you know, no excuses now. You
(01:46):
get the road paved. Every game up to the Super
Bowl would be a home game. You got the bye
week to get rested up and get healthy. Everything this
seasons has broken the Broncos way. It started off with
the Colts and Chargers, and maybe the endings of those
games didn't break the Broncos way, but everything else this
(02:10):
season has broken the Broncos way. They caught teams at
the right time, got bye weeks at the right time.
It just wound up being a season that felt more
or less blessed from that perspective, And I'm sorry is
my voice is failing me. But at the end of
the day, whether by hook or by crook, you got
(02:32):
the number one seed in the world's your oyster. You
look at the way that these playoffs are laid out,
and it's kind of funny. I'm not scared of any.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Of the division winners, maybe Jacksonville.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
The teams I'm most worried about the Wildcards the Chargers
at seven, Buffalo at six, and Houston at five. Houston
actually favored on the road against Pittsburgh in that matchup.
Buffalo is favored against Jacksonville in that matchup, and the
(03:11):
Chargers are not favored against New England, although I kind
of feel like they should be, and we'll see how
how that one shakes out. On the NFC side, Bears
taking on Green Bay and that's a Pickham in Chicago,
the Eagles taking on San Francisco. Philly favored in that one.
(03:34):
And then the largest favorite of coming Wildcard weekend, the
La Rams travel to the Carolina Panthers. The Rams are
a double digit favorite in that one, where they lost
earlier this year. Yeah, where they did lose earlier this year,
but already double digit favorite, and.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
I'd love to see that upset. I don't think it's
going to happen, but man, that'd be sweet.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, it was funny because yesterday I was talking to
Ryan for a minute during the breaks of one of
the morning shows that we had to do, and Ryan
was talking about how this team had like a synergy
or a parallel to the twenty fifteen Super Bowl team,
how this Denver Broncos team kind of had a lot
of parallels.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
This season had a lot of parallels.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
He ended the season with the Chargers and then the
ugly victory, just a lot of parallels. And I said, well, yeah,
you know, if Atlanta wins and Carolina gets in and
manages to advance, you could have a rematch of that
Super Bowl just to cap the thing off when all
said and done.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
And a quarterback who doesn't want to jump on a
fumble on a big moment in a game.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
That got pointed out to me too, so Bright showing
Gal and that one.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
So I'm pretty sure the Panthers were like fifty fourteen
and two or something that year when they went to
the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
He was something like that, and their offense was they
won on offense because everything they Yeah, it was a
different story. I think it was Mike Schuler run on
the offense a year if I remember correctly, and just
that that offense that they had in Carolina.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
And really say that offense, it was cam.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Uh. They didn't have much of a run game to
speak of, and no real star receivers. They just had
a bunch of fast guys that ran deep and Cam
Newton would r if you dropped everybody back, Cam Newton
would take advantage of the light box and take off
and uh and pick up yardage. And that's that's kind
of how they did things. Uh and it worked for
him off until they ranted the Broncos. I think the
(05:22):
Jags are going to beat the Bills. Well, see the
teams that we were ranking today at Jasonville, I can.
I think that Buffalo team has been a sleeping giant
most of the year and they started to warm up
of late.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
And also I like the the Chargers beating the Patriots also,
but that makes me think that the Patriots are going
to win because.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
We both agree on something, yes, well, I mean we were.
I was looking at this earlier, like trying to rank
the teams that I don't want to play, and I
would probably put the Chargers at the top of that.
The way we looked at the Vanilla Install game, against
their backups, and how it wasn't like it was against
Kansas City's backups. And I get it again, you were
(06:05):
coming into this thing deliberately, just trying to get out
of their healthy I'm not trying to knock that portion
of it, because that's what you should have done. But
I think the Chargers, I don't know the Chargers at
full strength. I'm not sure they don't blow the doors
off Denver yesterday. There's the wet blanket. I'm just saying,
if we're seeing, if we're if we're ranking these by
(06:26):
teams were now, I'm not fraid of New England.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I'm not either.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
That's the thing. I watched their taping them like one
and win over teams with the film. It is one
of the all time easiest schedules in NFL history by DVOA.
And then on top of that.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
They managed to catch a lot of these teams with their.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Quarterbacks out, which people could say about the Broncos as well.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Broncos did it too. I mean both of them caught
Cincinnati without of course, the Broncos caught him with Jake Browning,
but both of them caught him without, you know, without
Joe Burrow uh. And you go back and you look
at the teams that are has played a lot of
these again, you got a lot of backup quarterbacks in there.
I am just not afraid of New England at all. Now,
the Jacksonville Buffalo, both of those teams I'm a little
worried about, not worried about Pittsburgh in the least Pittsburgh
(07:13):
coming here. I am not worried about Aaron Rodgers against
his defense after watching what he couldn't do against Baltimore's
defense yesterday.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And Baltimore's defense is not good.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
That game was wild.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Oh the ending, the shanked extra point followed by the
shanked field goals.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Oswow, hasn't missed an extra point in like four years?
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Right?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
And then they get the Ravens getting field goal range
and they miss it.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Did you see the priest that blessed Yeah, I think.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
The holy water on the field.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
On the corner of the end zone where the Ravens
kicker missed his field goal. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
I was like, my man, I watched it. I was
watching the thing and the Steelers scored the touchdown, and
right at that moment, I tweeted out, this is gonna
go to overtime because the Ravens are gonna come right
back and get field goal range. Well, then he shanked
the extra point.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I'm like, don't catch your extra points before they hatch.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
And then they get.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Down there just like I thought they would loop.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Oh my god. He his his wife wound up having
to turn off their the comments on all their social
media because Ravens fans were threatening them and said in
just filthy, disgusting messages or so dumb, like, don't ever
if the Broncos lose a game on a miskick, I
better not find a Broncos fan out there trying to
accost Will Lutts.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Like, as much as we love this game of football,
it's still a game, like you don't behavior.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Yeah, unacceptable.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Him and his fiance and they're all in there.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
These dudes are in their engagement photos online talking about
how they hope, you know, how they hope she cheats,
and how they hope, uh, the marriage falls apart and
all this kind just disgusting. What what is wrong with people?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Those people probably want justin Tucker back.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
God. Even worse, somebody was asking me about that the
other day. They're like, why haven't the bills you know,
who need a kicker? Why don't these teams need a kickers?
Signed Justin Tucker? But like, yeah, because his on field
was bad and his off field was worse, right, Like,
there's there's no upside here. What are we what are
we doing?
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Yeah? They say a lot of times, if you have
enough talent, you can get away with a lot of things.
But his talent failed him as well.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
When when the talent goes then you don't get away
with it. That's uh, yeah, that's one of those things.
But as I look at this, like I feel pretty
decent about the Denver Broncos. I just you know, if
we're ranking the teams, the Chargers are one of the ones.
I'm most scared of them in the seventh seed, Yeah,
I would agree.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
I would say, after the Bills and the Jags, it
would be the Chargers for me.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
And then I think Houston. I'm I think the Chargers
in Houston. I think they I put Buffalo in the
Jags sort of after that.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
I'm not as scared of Houston as most people seem
to be. I just don't know. I mean, I know
they win one game every year with CJ. Stroud in
the playoffs, but they're gonna have to win two games
to play the Bronco or beat the Broncos, and they haven't.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
They haven't lost a game since they got beat by
the Broncos. Yeah, they're hot, you know Davis Mills in
that game, but they haven't lost a game since that game.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
I thought the Colts exposed him a little bit on defense.
Oh the Texans, Yeah, what they put up twenty six
points or something. Yeah with Riley Leonard. Yeah, well I
think nobody took Riley Leonard serious. Nobody has a tape
on Riley Litard, pro tape on Riley Leonard. Bow Next
uses his legs like Riley Leonard dead in that game.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Well, you're going to have too. That's gonna have to
be a part of it. Because the way that they
play defense, they don't disguise anything, they don't blitz. Their
entire game plan is we basically run a three shell
with four guys coming after you, and we're daring you
to beat it.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
And we've seen bow Nicks get back to using his
legs these last couple of weeks.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yeah, it was kind of nice. That was the one
thing that was sort of nice to see in that
sloppy game was you know, see a bow, get out
there and run. I'm not mistake. Was he the Broncos
leading rusher. I think he was. I think he was.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
I'd have to go double check.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
And it's only because, for whatever reason, Sean Payton saw
that Julia mclough was running the ball well and was like, nah, I'm.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Good, We're not gonna run him anymore.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
That was underutilized.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Juli was averaging six point eight of carries.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Let's give him six carries while we while we give
r J one point nine yards a carry fifteen tries.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Well, maybe I don't know, maybe he's not the most
underutilized player. Maybe Marvin Mems. Yeah, those two it's like,
what are we doing?
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah? It was the thing. I was like. We had
we had Bedey go two carries for negative two yards,
and I repeatedly watched RJ Harvey, who got eleven of
his twenty eight yards on one carry.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
I repeatedly watched him just slam into the line.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
And get nothing and go for And meanwhile you got
Jaliel who's patient and shifty, reading his keys, finding the crease.
And our coach is like, you know what, I don't
I don't like this, we're succeeding running the football. I've
got to get back to throwing the ball or running R. J.
Harvey directly into the line. It's ridiculous Bo nick Si
(11:31):
ends up. I believe he ended up leading the season,
leading the NFL in passing attempts.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
And stud didn't get to his four thousand yards. Right, No,
I will say this, who cares if it's an ugly win?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
That that part I'm not saying about us here.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
They're the number one seed.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Oh wound up leading the NFL in passing attempts by
twelve passes over Dak Prescott. Prescott got to forty five
hundred yards in six hundred attempts. Bo got to thirty
nine hundred yards in six hundred and twelve attempts. So basically,
Bo had six hundred fewer yards a little over six
hundred fewer yards in twelve more attempts. The league leader
(12:15):
for yardage was Matt Stafford Stafford at five hundred ninety
seven attempts and four seven hundred and seven yards. There
were six quarterbacks this year that got over four thousand yards.
Caleb Williams did not get there. He was fifty eight
yards short. He did get the all time Bear's passing
number was finally removing Eric Kramer back in the mid
(12:36):
nineties from that number.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
I heard you Sunday morning give that stat and I
was like, who in the hell is Eric Kramer?
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Yah, I remember that. I'm old enough to remember this.
I don't think you were bored yet when Eric Kramer
has set the Bear's passing yardage for that season.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Good for Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson, though many they
look legit. I don't know if this will be the
year they do anything in the playoffs, but they're certainly
on their way.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yeah, I got a tough test there.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
There's some interest if Green Bay doesn't beat the Bears,
if they're one and done, there's some some smoke out there.
But maybe green Bay making some changes with met La floor.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
I mean, which they how hot they were when they
came into Denver and the Broncos beat them. Did they
win a game after that? I think they ended up
nine seven and one. They ended up nine to seven
and one, Yeah, and they were nine and three when
they came up.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Yeah. They lost to Denver and then they lost in
overtime to the Bears, and then they lost to the Ravens,
and then of course they lost to the Viking. So yeah,
you're absolutely right. Four game slide. Now they get to
go back to Chicago, the scene of the crime where
they lost the overtime game, and if they win that game,
all its forgotten, right, But if they lose all of
(13:45):
a sudden, is Jordan love the guy? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (13:49):
And the floor lead this team to any playoff wins?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yeah? And then you know, I mean, I don't know.
Then you've lost seven at your last eleven game, tames Ah,
and your wins were over the Brozmer Vikings, the New
York Giants. Yeah, I don't I don't know. Man. Anyway,
(14:13):
it would seem like to me it would be a
mistake to get rid of met Lafleur. But I would
say that that is on the table, relatively speaking at least.
So I've heard a lot of different things going on
in the text, a lot of the firings going on.
We'll get to those in a second. Said, see three
or three things did break right for the Broncos the
(14:33):
right way, but they have also not broken for the
Broncos the right way in about nine years. Well, yeah,
there's some truth to that. Somebody step to one with
the Chargers or Patriots be a bigger challenge to Denver.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
I'd think the Chargers, honestly now.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
They wouldn't play the Patriots until the AC Championship game.
If the Patriots, that's the only scenario where they could
play the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
I man the charge. Jim Harbaugh just has Sean Payton's number.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
He just does.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
And I know the Broncos beat the Chargers yesterday.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
I know, but the Chargers weren't trying, and they were
and they were awful on offense, and they were still
kind of in that game.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
Their defense showed up without their two or three top guys.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
I think their defense, and I talked to somebody who
plays on that defense, I think their defense had sort
of this this mantra that they wanted the Broncos to
remember them, that they'd be back in a couple of weeks,
and they wanted to they want It was like a
psych out sort of thing, like they were playing them
tough because they wanted him to remember it a couple
of weeks, which good on them, I mean, because you're
not playing for anything. Obviously, your coaches benched your quarterback
and running back and you know, all that stuff. There's
(15:32):
a part of me that welcomes that. There's a part
of me that wants the toughest matchup because I want
to beat the best. I hate, like, I would hate
to be a Patriots fan right now because you got
everybody chirping about what a crap schedule you played and
how your frauds, Like I would want to I don't know.
(15:53):
I'm one of those people that wants to beat the
best on the way I want to have. I want
to leave no doubt, run it up, leave no doubt.
My favorite part. Remember the Titans. A two eight says
the Patriots, Bills and Texans are going to win. So
he believes the Patriots will beat the Chargers two one
three says he put Bills in Chargers six O five.
(16:16):
Chargers sat three starters on defense. They weren't playing all backups.
It was nothing close to what Kansas City did last year. Yeah,
and that's that's correct. Although it wasn't three starters they
were sitting. They saw three regular starters and then they
didn't play a couple of heavy rotation guys too. Two
or three Rogers is the gamer?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Eh?
Speaker 1 (16:36):
I mean prime Rogers?
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Was hey man at the end of that game, after
the after the second z Flowers touchdown, and it looked
like almost the exact same play. I was not expecting
Rogers to lead the Steelers down to score another time. Oh.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
I was like, all right, here we go. We're gonna
get the last minute fireworks where we get five scores under.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Now, granted, the Ravens defender fell down and gave him
a wide open out at the end of the game,
but that was that was some dawats.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah it was. It was certainly a fun ending to
a game that was not fun to watch for about
three quarters. Sorry, my voice is going Ben is currently
coughing there. My voice is going, uh, see what else
we got here? Sevent two? Oh, the game was sloppy.
(17:21):
Ryan did not like me saying that so much for
talk about style points. I got tired of hearing of yeah,
well it's the NFL. Style points don't matter. And honestly,
you know, to that point, like I always say, you know,
nothing matters in the regular season except the final score.
You know, but you could have you could have legitimate
criticisms of the moment while still at the end recognizing
that they got the job done. Right.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Yeah, I think it's I mean, that's your job is
to critique the game, but you're not. You're you know,
you're aware enough that, hey, it's hard to win in
the NFL, no matter who the opponent is. And if
you can stack up fourteen out of seventeen of those
games as wins, that's pretty impressive, no matter how it looks.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Yeah, I think that the one thing that bothers me
is the people that are like, oh, Sean Payton's uh,
not showing him anything he's got, He's keeping it all for
a couple of weeks. That's malarkey. They they were running
the same things they've been running all year in that game,
they just weren't executing and they weren't taking downfield shots. Uh.
And there is no secret treasure trove of plays that
(18:18):
Sean Payton has been saving. You know, he might add
one wrinkle in there, but there's no secret. This is
what they do. This is this is what they are.
That part of it I don't I'm not doing. I'm
not doing they or they're saving stuff for you know,
you're not going downfield, you're not risking this game. You
played a hyper conservative because you knew you could win
against their backups and they couldn't do anything on offense.
(18:41):
But no, we're not gonna We're not gonna play the
We're not gonna play this secret playbook of a guy
who's got twenty years of tape in the NFL et.
Everybody knows what he's running.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
I just can't wait to see what trick play we
pull out in a crucial moment we don't execute.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah, there's gonna be yeah, Hey, we're gonna have some
We're gonna have.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Some punter throwing to the kicker or something for you know,
and it's gonna fall five yards short of him and
in a situation where you just needed one yard from
the full back or something. We'll see, you know how
that is. We gotta hit a break. I'm We'll try
and get my voice cleared up for you guys. I
appreciate you being along with the ride. Parker Gabriel Joints
on the top of the hour. I want to get
into these coaching firings and who the potential candidates are
(19:16):
around the league, because listen the Broncos County night. You're
on kiawah and.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Welcome back to a Broncos Country today. Yeah, I do
keep the lights off, and are these fluorescent lights? After
a while, I just kind of give you a headache
or whatever. I get tired of it, actually the lights off.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
But I'm not way at home too, like, I do
not turn the lights unless there's absolute need. I just
don't turn the light.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
So I think that's the choice of whatever woman you're
with or if I'm by myself, to have the lights
off when they're with you.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Well, I mean, yeah, I wouldn't want to see me either,
you know, obviously.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
And it was, you know, a play like darkness. Bad
day for a lot of coaches in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
It was in a way it was you know, they
call it black Monday, and that's kind of the way
that it was. Several coaches were fired, some expect most
of them expected. The only one that surprised me was
John Gannon in Arizona, and that's only because I've been
told repeatedly that he was safe. Pete Carroll fired after
a three or fourteen season with the Raiders.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
That was frankly a disaster.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
A lot of that was on the fact that the
Raiders themselves are a disaster. Some of that was on
the fact that Pete Carroll honestly did some things to
get himself fired, having your family coaching and not being
good at what they're doing, and refused to move on
from him as kind of a problem. Brendan Carroll on
the offensive line was bad. There was concern when he
was hired that he's not a detailery at a guy. Then,
(20:38):
Yet Pete Carroll did it anyway. The chip Kelly thing
was not his choice. You know. Tom Brady brought in
Pete Carroll, and he brought in Chip Kelly and put
them together in a forced marriage that didn't work. And
now Tom Brady's going to be leading the next search,
which many people, myself included, speculate ends with a hiring
(20:58):
of Brian Flores as head coach and Brian Davile as
his offensive coordinator. Last year, I believe I was the
first person. I'm pretty sure it was me. I had
to go back in double check, but I believe I
was the first person to break you to the Pete
Carroll news and they did it here on this station.
That was a while ago. I mean it was like
(21:19):
three or four weeks ago. Wasn't I what you were
talking about? Pete Carroll? Probably not? No, I mean I fired, yes,
but I'm talking about him getting hired. You remember we
broke that here and everybody's like, what are you talking about?
They're after Ben Johnson.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
I really thought it was gonna work out better. I do,
like I didn't expect them to be great, but I thought,
you know, hovering around five hundred, man, what competency there?
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Yeah, and be competitive. Then they were absolutely not. So
Pete Carroll gets fired there. Some of the names to
keep your eye on. I mentioned Brian Flores. They'll look
at Jesse Minter and maybe Clint Kobiak. Robert Salo will
get a bit of a look there. Chris Shula will
probably get a look there, and Vance Joseph will probably
get a look there as well. We'll see. I don't
know that Vance gets that job, but I think he'll
be in the mix for it. We'll see. Kevin Stefanski
(22:01):
was fired by the Browns, and I think the leading
contender of the house there is Brown's defensive coordator Jim Schwartz.
Really yeah, he's he's kind of been lobbying behind Stefanasy's
back for a few months.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
So why is that always happening with the Browns? Like
there's always drama within the own their own coaching staff.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Wow. I think as an organization, I think there's I
think that speech to the culture that comes from the
top down, and if you're an owner that allows that,
and that becomes pervasive throughout your organization and you're doomed
to repeat yourself. So I think Jimmy Haslam needs to
look at the rest of the structure that they have
and say, okay, am I. The problem is what is
it allowed about this organization that allows people to think
(22:45):
this sort of behavior is okay because it's happened more
than once and go from there.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
But I do think Schwartz will be the leader in
the clubhouse.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
There.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
So a couple of other people that got officeive coordator
Tommy Reese, who might be a guy there, Halfley, the
Packers defensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
I don't know if Vance is going to get the
look there or not.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
We'll see. And then Packers head coach Mike McCarthy I
think would be the other one. Former Packers head coach
Mike McCarthy would be somebody to keep your eye on there.
Rahee Marris fired by the Atlanta Falcons. He wouldn't flat
out bad, and they did win their final four games.
In fact, the Falcons finished a three way tie for
first in their division. The tie breakers just went to Carolina.
(23:26):
But at the end of the day, assistant general manager
or ecuse me, general manager Terry Fottenae was bad and
the results haven't been what they want. I think the
two leaders in the clubhouse there or either Kevin Stefanski
or Clint Kubiak for the Atlanta job.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Keep your eye on that. They'll interview a couple of
the guys.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Bill Belichick this year. No Bill Belichick this year. Mike
McCarthy might be in play there. Rams offensive coordator Mike
Lafleur might get an interview there.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
We'll see, but.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
I believe I believe that one will either be Clint
Kubiak or Kevin Stefanski. Brian Dabele had already been fired
by the New York Giants. That happened in season. I
believe the leaders in the clubhouse there are either Kevin
Stefanski or Vance Joseph, with Vance potentially bringing Davis Webb
as his offensive coordinator. Web, of course, is a former
(24:20):
New York Giants quarterback who played under Brian Dable at
two different stops very familiar with that offense in terminology,
So bringing in an offense and speaking the language the
Jackson Dart already speaks because of his time under Brian Dable,
that transition would be very easy. There. Something to keep
your eye on on that one. Potentially Halflee might get
(24:40):
a look there, as well as Rams defensive coordinator Krishula
and Colt's defensive coordinator Lou Narumo. But I think it
is my opinion that Stefanski advanced Joseph or the leaders
in the clubhouse for the Giants job Tennessee Titans. They
were obviously fired in the in the middle of the season.
Brian Callahan was let go after a one full game,
(25:02):
one full season in six games. Some of the names
to look at there, and I think Matt Maggie is
the leader of the clubhouse. Mike Kafka will get a
look there. Stefanski will get a look there. Rare He
Morris is going to get a look there. They're going
to interview Steve Spagnola, but I don't think he's a
serious candidate. Vass Joseph they will interview there, although I'm
not sure he's a serious candidate there. And that's already
(25:22):
been announced that he's gonna interview there as well. So
you know, I think that I don't know that they're
done with the firings either. There's some people out there
that are on the hot seat John Harbaugh in Baltimore
that that has not been decided yet. He could stay
on and they could clean house on coordinators and kind
of change some things, but I suspect that might be
(25:43):
heading toward a split. We'll see the problem for the
Ravens is, Okay, you fire John Harbaugh, what are you
replacing him with? Right this is one of the most
underwhelming coaching hiring cycles in terms of who's out there,
who are you replacing him with?
Speaker 3 (25:57):
But could they just say, Hey, we need and we
need a change. We need somebody with a fresh voice
in here. You've been doing it for eighteen years. Let's
move you up to the front office, like you said
a couple of weeks ago, you know, not really a promotion,
but keeping you within the organization, and then we'll bring
someone in that has has a fresh voice, a change
of culture. Because it seems like when Lamar went out
(26:20):
this year, like everything fell apart. Now when he came back,
it didn't get much better.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Yeah, it's one of those things you gotta it's a
very specific type of coach. You're gonna need somebody that
could manage Lamar Jackson and build an offense around him,
And like, who is that guy? I mean, you probably
need somebody with experience. Who are you bringing in? Like,
are you bringing up Mike McCarthy? That is that what
you're doing, because I mean none of the names really
make a lot of sense this cycle.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Yeah, I mean Mike McCarthy. I mean you would think
that's like, why not just keep Harball if you're going to.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Do that, And honestly, it's the Ravens defense that needs
an overhaul. You would think a candidate that would make
sense would be somebody like Vance Joseph. But who's he
bringing in on the offensive side for Labar Jackson? So again,
that one, you know, we don't know yet. Todd Bowles
down there in Tampa. I know he's got some powerful
allies inside the organization. They are lobbying to keep him.
(27:08):
The fans are about to riot because they want him gone.
The Bucks lost what seven of eight I think it was.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Remember at the beginning first third of the season, the.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Unstoppable Man the Bucks say, look unreal, and it's hilarious
because they dropped seven to the last eight. When they
got healthy, they started getting guys back and they were
losing games. That's one of those ones we don't know yet.
Todd Bowles is thirty six and thirty six, including the
playoffs through four seasons, and again Tampa didn't make the
(27:42):
you know, it didn't make the playoffs, which they had.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
They were touched with a three way tie with the.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Carolina and Atlanta, but couldn't get in the playoffs because
of tie breakers. Mike McDaniel, although I've been told he's safe,
he coached his way back into his job, lost six
and the last seven and twenty twenty two, four, last
six and twenty twenty three, and this season started off
bad but then turned around. You know, they ran out,
(28:12):
the players, ran out defensive coordinator Vic.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Fangio when he was there.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
Uh, there's a lot of things that you know, suggesting
he doesn't have command of that locker room. It's just
one of those things that you know, you kind of
wan And they're going to be moving off from Tyreek
Hill into a tug about lower this year, So it's
going to be fascinting to see how that reboot looks.
In my quite a few texts coming in there. Somebody
asked if I like the movie Old School. Love that
movie You're Boy Blue. It's one of my favorites. It
(28:39):
kind of started off because the uh, what do they
call those guys, all those actors that Will Ferrell and
Vince Vaughan and all those guys together at the frat Pack,
because that was like the first one. I think that
they really all were like together like that, before Bankerman
and all that stuff. I think Old School was like
the first one anchor man talent. It's all those step brothers,
(29:03):
step brothers. Yeah, although Farrell and John c Riley did
like several together, you know, like they even did that
weird Sherlock Holmes movie together.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
That one was a miss.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
That was terrible. It's awful. But yeah, they those guys,
which is funny because, like, you know, you think of
John c Riley and you think of two different things.
You think of him with Will Ferrell as the goofiest
stuff ever and did you think of him as like
the serious actor who was in all those Paul Thumps
Anderson movies.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
You know, he was in Boogie Knights and he was
in Magnolia.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Think he's a cop in Magnolia.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Very well well rounded actor.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Yeah. I just say, like he said, people think of
that as the goofy they think it was the goofy guy.
He's actually a really good actor.
Speaker 3 (29:47):
My favorite movie of his that is very goofy as well.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Dewey Cox. Yeah, Long Card, Yeah, that's that's an underrated one.
That and I think it for whatever reason, it didn't
get quite as much run because it didn't have Will Ferrell,
you know, headlining it or whatever, which I you know,
it's it's funny because like John c Riley's one of
those guys who's everything he does is great, but he's
not necessarily that guy you like, You're not like, oh
it's a new John c Riley movie. You were going
(30:11):
to the theaters like you used to do with Will
Ferrell movies.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Right by the way. I went and saw Marty Supreme.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
And Age the Week. Good.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
It was good, Okay, not great, okay, but good.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
See I've heard mixed stuff and like I was gonna
go see it for Christmas, and then I didn't because
I had a buddy mind tell me.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
It was like he was like, eh, He's like, it's
Oscar bait.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
It's designed to get Timothy Chalomey in the ward conversation
more than it's.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
A good movie like that. You know so, but it
was good but not great. I would wait till I
came out watch it at home.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Okay, I will. I trust the U.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
I always trust implicitly the word of movie critic Grant Smith.
Parker Gabriel gonna join us uh on the other side
here in just a few you guys questions At five
six six nine zero, we went over some of the
coaching change stuff that's going on. One of the questions
I get asked a lot, he said, fans Joseph gets
a head coaching job or Davis Webb Lee's for it
all defensive coordinator job. Maybe both of them leave at
the same time. Who are the guys that would replace
him on the defensive side defense leaves. I think Jim
(31:08):
Leonard would be the leader in the clubhouse for the
defensive coordinator job.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
And then I think could because I think they would
go internal.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
I don't think they're gonna go outside the organization and
bring guys in unless it's you know, Seawn's buddies from
way back and Dennis Allen's not available, So I would
think that Jim Leonard would be the literate in the
clubhouse for the for the defensive coordator job. And then
on the offensive side, you know, Davis Webs the quarterbacks coach.
You probably split the job between Pete Carmichael and Logan Killgore.
(31:36):
Kill Gore is a former quarterback. His sister, Taylor Kilgore
used to work here at media. You know, we all know,
we all know hert pretty well. Yeah, I would think
that she's worked for uh what at Fox Start you
want to think, But I think I think Logan and
Pete Carmichael, who's been Shawn's long time, you know, kind
of quarterbacks guy. In fact, give a little trivia. Pete
(32:00):
Carmichael is the reason Drew Brees became a Saint. Pete
Carmichael and Brian Schottenheimer were the two quarterbacks coaches in
San Diego and the Chargers that brought Drew Brees up,
and then Pete left to go to New Orleans. When
Sean put that staff together and Pete, after the Tony
(32:21):
Romo deal with the Saints fell through, suggested they go
get Drew Brees. Then the rest is History, Parker Gabriel.
Can we come back?
The Denver Broncos the number one seed in the AFC,
your AFC West champions, and I think if you'd said
that at the beginning of the season, I think you
roundly would have been met with some skepticism. But here
it is. Might not have been the prettiest win, might
not have been the most convincing win on the planet.
But as I say, you don't have to be the
(00:21):
highest scoring team in the world, just the highest scoring
team in the stadium that day, and the Denver Broncos
certainly were yesterday as they wrapped things up against.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
The La Chargers.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Well Chargers backups, let's be a little bit more honest
with that. But nonetheless, that was what you had to do.
They took care of business, handle what they needed to handle,
and get the nineteen to three victory in a frankly
glorious day here in Denver.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Glorious day for a January for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
I believe it was sixty degree He's at kickoff there
inside the stadium, sunny, sixty nine, sixty and nice, not
six seven. It was absolutely uh, it was absolutely phenomenal
weather there and the only thing that was ugly, frankly
was the game kind of a snooze fast as the
(01:19):
Denver Broncos came in deliberately going vanilla running.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Base install stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Bonix finished with one hundred and forty one passing yards,
although it didn't feel like that many. Trey Lance finished
with sixty nine rushing yards, although it didn't feel like
that many. The end of the day, the Broncos pull
at the nineteen to three wins. You get the bye week,
You get a chance to get yourself set and ready
for these playoffs, and you know, no excuses now. You
(01:46):
get the road paved. Every game up to the Super
Bowl would be a home game. You got the bye
week to get rested up and get healthy. Everything this
seasons has broken the Broncos way. It started off with
the Colts and Chargers, and maybe the endings of those
games didn't break the Broncos way, but everything else this
(02:10):
season has broken the Broncos way. They caught teams at
the right time, got bye weeks at the right time.
It just wound up being a season that felt more
or less blessed from that perspective, And I'm sorry is
my voice is failing me. But at the end of
the day, whether by hook or by crook, you got
(02:32):
the number one seed in the world's your oyster. You
look at the way that these playoffs are laid out,
and it's kind of funny. I'm not scared of any.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Of the division winners, maybe Jacksonville.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
The teams I'm most worried about the Wildcards the Chargers
at seven, Buffalo at six, and Houston at five. Houston
actually favored on the road against Pittsburgh in that matchup.
Buffalo is favored against Jacksonville in that matchup, and the
(03:11):
Chargers are not favored against New England, although I kind
of feel like they should be, and we'll see how
how that one shakes out. On the NFC side, Bears
taking on Green Bay and that's a Pickham in Chicago,
the Eagles taking on San Francisco. Philly favored in that one.
(03:34):
And then the largest favorite of coming Wildcard weekend, the
La Rams travel to the Carolina Panthers. The Rams are
a double digit favorite in that one, where they lost
earlier this year. Yeah, where they did lose earlier this year,
but already double digit favorite, and.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
I'd love to see that upset. I don't think it's
going to happen, but man, that'd be sweet.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, it was funny because yesterday I was talking to
Ryan for a minute during the breaks of one of
the morning shows that we had to do, and Ryan
was talking about how this team had like a synergy
or a parallel to the twenty fifteen Super Bowl team,
how this Denver Broncos team kind of had a lot
of parallels.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
This season had a lot of parallels.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
He ended the season with the Chargers and then the
ugly victory, just a lot of parallels. And I said, well, yeah,
you know, if Atlanta wins and Carolina gets in and
manages to advance, you could have a rematch of that
Super Bowl just to cap the thing off when all
said and done.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
And a quarterback who doesn't want to jump on a
fumble on a big moment in a game.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
That got pointed out to me too, so Bright showing
Gal and that one.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
So I'm pretty sure the Panthers were like fifty fourteen
and two or something that year when they went to
the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
He was something like that, and their offense was they
won on offense because everything they Yeah, it was a
different story. I think it was Mike Schuler run on
the offense a year if I remember correctly, and just
that that offense that they had in Carolina.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
And really say that offense, it was cam.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Uh. They didn't have much of a run game to
speak of, and no real star receivers. They just had
a bunch of fast guys that ran deep and Cam
Newton would r if you dropped everybody back, Cam Newton
would take advantage of the light box and take off
and uh and pick up yardage. And that's that's kind
of how they did things. Uh and it worked for
him off until they ranted the Broncos. I think the
(05:22):
Jags are going to beat the Bills. Well, see the
teams that we were ranking today at Jasonville, I can.
I think that Buffalo team has been a sleeping giant
most of the year and they started to warm up
of late.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
And also I like the the Chargers beating the Patriots also,
but that makes me think that the Patriots are going
to win because.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
We both agree on something, yes, well, I mean we were.
I was looking at this earlier, like trying to rank
the teams that I don't want to play, and I
would probably put the Chargers at the top of that.
The way we looked at the Vanilla Install game, against
their backups, and how it wasn't like it was against
Kansas City's backups. And I get it again, you were
(06:05):
coming into this thing deliberately, just trying to get out
of their healthy I'm not trying to knock that portion
of it, because that's what you should have done. But
I think the Chargers, I don't know the Chargers at
full strength. I'm not sure they don't blow the doors
off Denver yesterday. There's the wet blanket. I'm just saying,
if we're seeing, if we're if we're ranking these by
(06:26):
teams were now, I'm not fraid of New England.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I'm not either.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
That's the thing. I watched their taping them like one
and win over teams with the film. It is one
of the all time easiest schedules in NFL history by DVOA.
And then on top of that.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
They managed to catch a lot of these teams with their.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Quarterbacks out, which people could say about the Broncos as well.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Broncos did it too. I mean both of them caught
Cincinnati without of course, the Broncos caught him with Jake Browning,
but both of them caught him without, you know, without
Joe Burrow uh. And you go back and you look
at the teams that are has played a lot of
these again, you got a lot of backup quarterbacks in there.
I am just not afraid of New England at all. Now,
the Jacksonville Buffalo, both of those teams I'm a little
worried about, not worried about Pittsburgh in the least Pittsburgh
(07:13):
coming here. I am not worried about Aaron Rodgers against
his defense after watching what he couldn't do against Baltimore's
defense yesterday.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And Baltimore's defense is not good.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
That game was wild.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Oh the ending, the shanked extra point followed by the
shanked field goals.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Oswow, hasn't missed an extra point in like four years?
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Right?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
And then they get the Ravens getting field goal range
and they miss it.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Did you see the priest that blessed Yeah, I think.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
The holy water on the field.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
On the corner of the end zone where the Ravens
kicker missed his field goal. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
I was like, my man, I watched it. I was
watching the thing and the Steelers scored the touchdown, and
right at that moment, I tweeted out, this is gonna
go to overtime because the Ravens are gonna come right
back and get field goal range. Well, then he shanked
the extra point.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I'm like, don't catch your extra points before they hatch.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
And then they get.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Down there just like I thought they would loop.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Oh my god. He his his wife wound up having
to turn off their the comments on all their social
media because Ravens fans were threatening them and said in
just filthy, disgusting messages or so dumb, like, don't ever
if the Broncos lose a game on a miskick, I
better not find a Broncos fan out there trying to
accost Will Lutts.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Like, as much as we love this game of football,
it's still a game, like you don't behavior.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Yeah, unacceptable.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Him and his fiance and they're all in there.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
These dudes are in their engagement photos online talking about
how they hope, you know, how they hope she cheats,
and how they hope, uh, the marriage falls apart and
all this kind just disgusting. What what is wrong with people?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Those people probably want justin Tucker back.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
God. Even worse, somebody was asking me about that the
other day. They're like, why haven't the bills you know,
who need a kicker? Why don't these teams need a kickers?
Signed Justin Tucker? But like, yeah, because his on field
was bad and his off field was worse, right, Like,
there's there's no upside here. What are we what are
we doing?
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Yeah? They say a lot of times, if you have
enough talent, you can get away with a lot of things.
But his talent failed him as well.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
When when the talent goes then you don't get away
with it. That's uh, yeah, that's one of those things.
But as I look at this, like I feel pretty
decent about the Denver Broncos. I just you know, if
we're ranking the teams, the Chargers are one of the ones.
I'm most scared of them in the seventh seed, Yeah,
I would agree.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
I would say, after the Bills and the Jags, it
would be the Chargers for me.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
And then I think Houston. I'm I think the Chargers
in Houston. I think they I put Buffalo in the
Jags sort of after that.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
I'm not as scared of Houston as most people seem
to be. I just don't know. I mean, I know
they win one game every year with CJ. Stroud in
the playoffs, but they're gonna have to win two games
to play the Bronco or beat the Broncos, and they haven't.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
They haven't lost a game since they got beat by
the Broncos. Yeah, they're hot, you know Davis Mills in
that game, but they haven't lost a game since that game.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
I thought the Colts exposed him a little bit on defense.
Oh the Texans, Yeah, what they put up twenty six
points or something. Yeah with Riley Leonard. Yeah, well I
think nobody took Riley Leonard serious. Nobody has a tape
on Riley Litard, pro tape on Riley Leonard. Bow Next
uses his legs like Riley Leonard dead in that game.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Well, you're going to have too. That's gonna have to
be a part of it. Because the way that they
play defense, they don't disguise anything, they don't blitz. Their
entire game plan is we basically run a three shell
with four guys coming after you, and we're daring you
to beat it.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
And we've seen bow Nicks get back to using his
legs these last couple of weeks.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yeah, it was kind of nice. That was the one
thing that was sort of nice to see in that
sloppy game was you know, see a bow, get out
there and run. I'm not mistake. Was he the Broncos
leading rusher. I think he was. I think he was.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
I'd have to go double check.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
And it's only because, for whatever reason, Sean Payton saw
that Julia mclough was running the ball well and was like, nah, I'm.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Good, We're not gonna run him anymore.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
That was underutilized.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Juli was averaging six point eight of carries.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Let's give him six carries while we while we give
r J one point nine yards a carry fifteen tries.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Well, maybe I don't know, maybe he's not the most
underutilized player. Maybe Marvin Mems. Yeah, those two it's like,
what are we doing?
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah? It was the thing. I was like. We had
we had Bedey go two carries for negative two yards,
and I repeatedly watched RJ Harvey, who got eleven of
his twenty eight yards on one carry.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
I repeatedly watched him just slam into the line.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
And get nothing and go for And meanwhile you got
Jaliel who's patient and shifty, reading his keys, finding the crease.
And our coach is like, you know what, I don't
I don't like this, we're succeeding running the football. I've
got to get back to throwing the ball or running R. J.
Harvey directly into the line. It's ridiculous Bo nick Si
(11:31):
ends up. I believe he ended up leading the season,
leading the NFL in passing attempts.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
And stud didn't get to his four thousand yards. Right, No,
I will say this, who cares if it's an ugly win?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
That that part I'm not saying about us here.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
They're the number one seed.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Oh wound up leading the NFL in passing attempts by
twelve passes over Dak Prescott. Prescott got to forty five
hundred yards in six hundred attempts. Bo got to thirty
nine hundred yards in six hundred and twelve attempts. So basically,
Bo had six hundred fewer yards a little over six
hundred fewer yards in twelve more attempts. The league leader
(12:15):
for yardage was Matt Stafford Stafford at five hundred ninety
seven attempts and four seven hundred and seven yards. There
were six quarterbacks this year that got over four thousand yards.
Caleb Williams did not get there. He was fifty eight
yards short. He did get the all time Bear's passing
number was finally removing Eric Kramer back in the mid
(12:36):
nineties from that number.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
I heard you Sunday morning give that stat and I
was like, who in the hell is Eric Kramer?
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Yah, I remember that. I'm old enough to remember this.
I don't think you were bored yet when Eric Kramer
has set the Bear's passing yardage for that season.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Good for Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson, though many they
look legit. I don't know if this will be the
year they do anything in the playoffs, but they're certainly
on their way.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yeah, I got a tough test there.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
There's some interest if Green Bay doesn't beat the Bears,
if they're one and done, there's some some smoke out there.
But maybe green Bay making some changes with met La floor.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
I mean, which they how hot they were when they
came into Denver and the Broncos beat them. Did they
win a game after that? I think they ended up
nine seven and one. They ended up nine to seven
and one, Yeah, and they were nine and three when
they came up.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Yeah. They lost to Denver and then they lost in
overtime to the Bears, and then they lost to the Ravens,
and then of course they lost to the Viking. So yeah,
you're absolutely right. Four game slide. Now they get to
go back to Chicago, the scene of the crime where
they lost the overtime game, and if they win that game,
all its forgotten, right, But if they lose all of
(13:45):
a sudden, is Jordan love the guy? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (13:49):
And the floor lead this team to any playoff wins?
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yeah? And then you know, I mean, I don't know.
Then you've lost seven at your last eleven game, tames Ah,
and your wins were over the Brozmer Vikings, the New
York Giants. Yeah, I don't I don't know. Man. Anyway,
(14:13):
it would seem like to me it would be a
mistake to get rid of met Lafleur. But I would
say that that is on the table, relatively speaking at least.
So I've heard a lot of different things going on
in the text, a lot of the firings going on.
We'll get to those in a second. Said, see three
or three things did break right for the Broncos the
(14:33):
right way, but they have also not broken for the
Broncos the right way in about nine years. Well, yeah,
there's some truth to that. Somebody step to one with
the Chargers or Patriots be a bigger challenge to Denver.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
I'd think the Chargers, honestly now.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
They wouldn't play the Patriots until the AC Championship game.
If the Patriots, that's the only scenario where they could
play the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
I man the charge. Jim Harbaugh just has Sean Payton's number.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
He just does.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
And I know the Broncos beat the Chargers yesterday.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
I know, but the Chargers weren't trying, and they were
and they were awful on offense, and they were still
kind of in that game.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
Their defense showed up without their two or three top guys.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
I think their defense, and I talked to somebody who
plays on that defense, I think their defense had sort
of this this mantra that they wanted the Broncos to
remember them, that they'd be back in a couple of weeks,
and they wanted to they want It was like a
psych out sort of thing, like they were playing them
tough because they wanted him to remember it a couple
of weeks, which good on them, I mean, because you're
not playing for anything. Obviously, your coaches benched your quarterback
and running back and you know, all that stuff. There's
(15:32):
a part of me that welcomes that. There's a part
of me that wants the toughest matchup because I want
to beat the best. I hate, like, I would hate
to be a Patriots fan right now because you got
everybody chirping about what a crap schedule you played and
how your frauds, Like I would want to I don't know.
(15:53):
I'm one of those people that wants to beat the
best on the way I want to have. I want
to leave no doubt, run it up, leave no doubt.
My favorite part. Remember the Titans. A two eight says
the Patriots, Bills and Texans are going to win. So
he believes the Patriots will beat the Chargers two one
three says he put Bills in Chargers six O five.
(16:16):
Chargers sat three starters on defense. They weren't playing all backups.
It was nothing close to what Kansas City did last year. Yeah,
and that's that's correct. Although it wasn't three starters they
were sitting. They saw three regular starters and then they
didn't play a couple of heavy rotation guys too. Two
or three Rogers is the gamer?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Eh?
Speaker 1 (16:36):
I mean prime Rogers?
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Was hey man at the end of that game, after
the after the second z Flowers touchdown, and it looked
like almost the exact same play. I was not expecting
Rogers to lead the Steelers down to score another time. Oh.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
I was like, all right, here we go. We're gonna
get the last minute fireworks where we get five scores under.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Now, granted, the Ravens defender fell down and gave him
a wide open out at the end of the game,
but that was that was some dawats.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah it was. It was certainly a fun ending to
a game that was not fun to watch for about
three quarters. Sorry, my voice is going Ben is currently
coughing there. My voice is going, uh, see what else
we got here? Sevent two? Oh, the game was sloppy.
(17:21):
Ryan did not like me saying that so much for
talk about style points. I got tired of hearing of yeah,
well it's the NFL. Style points don't matter. And honestly,
you know, to that point, like I always say, you know,
nothing matters in the regular season except the final score.
You know, but you could have you could have legitimate
criticisms of the moment while still at the end recognizing
that they got the job done. Right.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Yeah, I think it's I mean, that's your job is
to critique the game, but you're not. You're you know,
you're aware enough that, hey, it's hard to win in
the NFL, no matter who the opponent is. And if
you can stack up fourteen out of seventeen of those
games as wins, that's pretty impressive, no matter how it looks.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Yeah, I think that the one thing that bothers me
is the people that are like, oh, Sean Payton's uh,
not showing him anything he's got, He's keeping it all for
a couple of weeks. That's malarkey. They they were running
the same things they've been running all year in that game,
they just weren't executing and they weren't taking downfield shots. Uh.
And there is no secret treasure trove of plays that
(18:18):
Sean Payton has been saving. You know, he might add
one wrinkle in there, but there's no secret. This is
what they do. This is this is what they are.
That part of it I don't I'm not doing. I'm
not doing they or they're saving stuff for you know,
you're not going downfield, you're not risking this game. You
played a hyper conservative because you knew you could win
against their backups and they couldn't do anything on offense.
(18:41):
But no, we're not gonna We're not gonna play the
We're not gonna play this secret playbook of a guy
who's got twenty years of tape in the NFL et.
Everybody knows what he's running.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
I just can't wait to see what trick play we
pull out in a crucial moment we don't execute.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Yeah, there's gonna be yeah, Hey, we're gonna have some
We're gonna have.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Some punter throwing to the kicker or something for you know,
and it's gonna fall five yards short of him and
in a situation where you just needed one yard from
the full back or something. We'll see, you know how
that is. We gotta hit a break. I'm We'll try
and get my voice cleared up for you guys. I
appreciate you being along with the ride. Parker Gabriel Joints
on the top of the hour. I want to get
into these coaching firings and who the potential candidates are
(19:16):
around the league, because listen the Broncos County night. You're
on kiawah and.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Welcome back to a Broncos Country today. Yeah, I do
keep the lights off, and are these fluorescent lights? After
a while, I just kind of give you a headache
or whatever. I get tired of it, actually the lights off.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
But I'm not way at home too, like, I do
not turn the lights unless there's absolute need. I just
don't turn the light.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
So I think that's the choice of whatever woman you're
with or if I'm by myself, to have the lights
off when they're with you.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Well, I mean, yeah, I wouldn't want to see me either,
you know, obviously.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
And it was, you know, a play like darkness. Bad
day for a lot of coaches in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
It was in a way it was you know, they
call it black Monday, and that's kind of the way
that it was. Several coaches were fired, some expect most
of them expected. The only one that surprised me was
John Gannon in Arizona, and that's only because I've been
told repeatedly that he was safe. Pete Carroll fired after
a three or fourteen season with the Raiders.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
That was frankly a disaster.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
A lot of that was on the fact that the
Raiders themselves are a disaster. Some of that was on
the fact that Pete Carroll honestly did some things to
get himself fired, having your family coaching and not being
good at what they're doing, and refused to move on
from him as kind of a problem. Brendan Carroll on
the offensive line was bad. There was concern when he
was hired that he's not a detailery at a guy. Then,
(20:38):
Yet Pete Carroll did it anyway. The chip Kelly thing
was not his choice. You know. Tom Brady brought in
Pete Carroll, and he brought in Chip Kelly and put
them together in a forced marriage that didn't work. And
now Tom Brady's going to be leading the next search,
which many people, myself included, speculate ends with a hiring
(20:58):
of Brian Flores as head coach and Brian Davile as
his offensive coordinator. Last year, I believe I was the
first person. I'm pretty sure it was me. I had
to go back in double check, but I believe I
was the first person to break you to the Pete
Carroll news and they did it here on this station.
That was a while ago. I mean it was like
(21:19):
three or four weeks ago. Wasn't I what you were
talking about? Pete Carroll? Probably not? No, I mean I fired, yes,
but I'm talking about him getting hired. You remember we
broke that here and everybody's like, what are you talking about?
They're after Ben Johnson.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
I really thought it was gonna work out better. I do,
like I didn't expect them to be great, but I thought,
you know, hovering around five hundred, man, what competency there?
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Yeah, and be competitive. Then they were absolutely not. So
Pete Carroll gets fired there. Some of the names to
keep your eye on. I mentioned Brian Flores. They'll look
at Jesse Minter and maybe Clint Kobiak. Robert Salo will
get a bit of a look there. Chris Shula will
probably get a look there, and Vance Joseph will probably
get a look there as well. We'll see. I don't
know that Vance gets that job, but I think he'll
be in the mix for it. We'll see. Kevin Stefanski
(22:01):
was fired by the Browns, and I think the leading
contender of the house there is Brown's defensive coordator Jim Schwartz.
Really yeah, he's he's kind of been lobbying behind Stefanasy's
back for a few months.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
So why is that always happening with the Browns? Like
there's always drama within the own their own coaching staff.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Wow. I think as an organization, I think there's I
think that speech to the culture that comes from the
top down, and if you're an owner that allows that,
and that becomes pervasive throughout your organization and you're doomed
to repeat yourself. So I think Jimmy Haslam needs to
look at the rest of the structure that they have
and say, okay, am I. The problem is what is
it allowed about this organization that allows people to think
(22:45):
this sort of behavior is okay because it's happened more
than once and go from there.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
But I do think Schwartz will be the leader in
the clubhouse.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
There.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
So a couple of other people that got officeive coordator
Tommy Reese, who might be a guy there, Halfley, the
Packers defensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
I don't know if Vance is going to get the
look there or not.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
We'll see. And then Packers head coach Mike McCarthy I
think would be the other one. Former Packers head coach
Mike McCarthy would be somebody to keep your eye on there.
Rahee Marris fired by the Atlanta Falcons. He wouldn't flat
out bad, and they did win their final four games.
In fact, the Falcons finished a three way tie for
first in their division. The tie breakers just went to Carolina.
(23:26):
But at the end of the day, assistant general manager
or ecuse me, general manager Terry Fottenae was bad and
the results haven't been what they want. I think the
two leaders in the clubhouse there or either Kevin Stefanski
or Clint Kubiak for the Atlanta job.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Keep your eye on that. They'll interview a couple of
the guys.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Bill Belichick this year. No Bill Belichick this year. Mike
McCarthy might be in play there. Rams offensive coordator Mike
Lafleur might get an interview there.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
We'll see, but.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
I believe I believe that one will either be Clint
Kubiak or Kevin Stefanski. Brian Dabele had already been fired
by the New York Giants. That happened in season. I
believe the leaders in the clubhouse there are either Kevin
Stefanski or Vance Joseph, with Vance potentially bringing Davis Webb
as his offensive coordinator. Web, of course, is a former
(24:20):
New York Giants quarterback who played under Brian Dable at
two different stops very familiar with that offense in terminology,
So bringing in an offense and speaking the language the
Jackson Dart already speaks because of his time under Brian Dable,
that transition would be very easy. There. Something to keep
your eye on on that one. Potentially Halflee might get
(24:40):
a look there, as well as Rams defensive coordinator Krishula
and Colt's defensive coordinator Lou Narumo. But I think it
is my opinion that Stefanski advanced Joseph or the leaders
in the clubhouse for the Giants job Tennessee Titans. They
were obviously fired in the in the middle of the season.
Brian Callahan was let go after a one full game,
(25:02):
one full season in six games. Some of the names
to look at there, and I think Matt Maggie is
the leader of the clubhouse. Mike Kafka will get a
look there. Stefanski will get a look there. Rare He
Morris is going to get a look there. They're going
to interview Steve Spagnola, but I don't think he's a
serious candidate. Vass Joseph they will interview there, although I'm
not sure he's a serious candidate there. And that's already
(25:22):
been announced that he's gonna interview there as well. So
you know, I think that I don't know that they're
done with the firings either. There's some people out there
that are on the hot seat John Harbaugh in Baltimore
that that has not been decided yet. He could stay
on and they could clean house on coordinators and kind
of change some things, but I suspect that might be
(25:43):
heading toward a split. We'll see the problem for the
Ravens is, Okay, you fire John Harbaugh, what are you
replacing him with? Right this is one of the most
underwhelming coaching hiring cycles in terms of who's out there,
who are you replacing him with?
Speaker 3 (25:57):
But could they just say, Hey, we need and we
need a change. We need somebody with a fresh voice
in here. You've been doing it for eighteen years. Let's
move you up to the front office, like you said
a couple of weeks ago, you know, not really a promotion,
but keeping you within the organization, and then we'll bring
someone in that has has a fresh voice, a change
of culture. Because it seems like when Lamar went out
(26:20):
this year, like everything fell apart. Now when he came back,
it didn't get much better.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Yeah, it's one of those things you gotta it's a
very specific type of coach. You're gonna need somebody that
could manage Lamar Jackson and build an offense around him,
And like, who is that guy? I mean, you probably
need somebody with experience. Who are you bringing in? Like,
are you bringing up Mike McCarthy? That is that what
you're doing, because I mean none of the names really
make a lot of sense this cycle.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
Yeah, I mean Mike McCarthy. I mean you would think
that's like, why not just keep Harball if you're going to.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Do that, And honestly, it's the Ravens defense that needs
an overhaul. You would think a candidate that would make
sense would be somebody like Vance Joseph. But who's he
bringing in on the offensive side for Labar Jackson? So again,
that one, you know, we don't know yet. Todd Bowles
down there in Tampa. I know he's got some powerful
allies inside the organization. They are lobbying to keep him.
(27:08):
The fans are about to riot because they want him gone.
The Bucks lost what seven of eight I think it was.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Remember at the beginning first third of the season, the.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Unstoppable Man the Bucks say, look unreal, and it's hilarious
because they dropped seven to the last eight. When they
got healthy, they started getting guys back and they were
losing games. That's one of those ones we don't know yet.
Todd Bowles is thirty six and thirty six, including the
playoffs through four seasons, and again Tampa didn't make the
(27:42):
you know, it didn't make the playoffs, which they had.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
They were touched with a three way tie with the.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Carolina and Atlanta, but couldn't get in the playoffs because
of tie breakers. Mike McDaniel, although I've been told he's safe,
he coached his way back into his job, lost six
and the last seven and twenty twenty two, four, last
six and twenty twenty three, and this season started off
bad but then turned around. You know, they ran out,
(28:12):
the players, ran out defensive coordinator Vic.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Fangio when he was there.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
Uh, there's a lot of things that you know, suggesting
he doesn't have command of that locker room. It's just
one of those things that you know, you kind of
wan And they're going to be moving off from Tyreek
Hill into a tug about lower this year, So it's
going to be fascinting to see how that reboot looks.
In my quite a few texts coming in there. Somebody
asked if I like the movie Old School. Love that
movie You're Boy Blue. It's one of my favorites. It
(28:39):
kind of started off because the uh, what do they
call those guys, all those actors that Will Ferrell and
Vince Vaughan and all those guys together at the frat Pack,
because that was like the first one. I think that
they really all were like together like that, before Bankerman
and all that stuff. I think Old School was like
the first one anchor man talent. It's all those step brothers,
(29:03):
step brothers. Yeah, although Farrell and John c Riley did
like several together, you know, like they even did that
weird Sherlock Holmes movie together.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
That one was a miss.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
That was terrible. It's awful. But yeah, they those guys,
which is funny because, like, you know, you think of
John c Riley and you think of two different things.
You think of him with Will Ferrell as the goofiest
stuff ever and did you think of him as like
the serious actor who was in all those Paul Thumps
Anderson movies.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
You know, he was in Boogie Knights and he was
in Magnolia.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Think he's a cop in Magnolia.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Very well well rounded actor.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Yeah. I just say, like he said, people think of
that as the goofy they think it was the goofy guy.
He's actually a really good actor.
Speaker 3 (29:47):
My favorite movie of his that is very goofy as well.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Dewey Cox. Yeah, Long Card, Yeah, that's that's an underrated one.
That and I think it for whatever reason, it didn't
get quite as much run because it didn't have Will Ferrell,
you know, headlining it or whatever, which I you know,
it's it's funny because like John c Riley's one of
those guys who's everything he does is great, but he's
not necessarily that guy you like, You're not like, oh
it's a new John c Riley movie. You were going
(30:11):
to the theaters like you used to do with Will
Ferrell movies.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Right by the way. I went and saw Marty Supreme.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
And Age the Week. Good.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
It was good, Okay, not great, okay, but good.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
See I've heard mixed stuff and like I was gonna
go see it for Christmas, and then I didn't because
I had a buddy mind tell me.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
It was like he was like, eh, He's like, it's
Oscar bait.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
It's designed to get Timothy Chalomey in the ward conversation
more than it's.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
A good movie like that. You know so, but it
was good but not great. I would wait till I
came out watch it at home.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Okay, I will. I trust the U.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
I always trust implicitly the word of movie critic Grant Smith.
Parker Gabriel gonna join us uh on the other side
here in just a few you guys questions At five
six six nine zero, we went over some of the
coaching change stuff that's going on. One of the questions
I get asked a lot, he said, fans Joseph gets
a head coaching job or Davis Webb Lee's for it
all defensive coordinator job. Maybe both of them leave at
the same time. Who are the guys that would replace
him on the defensive side defense leaves. I think Jim
(31:08):
Leonard would be the leader in the clubhouse for the
defensive coordinator job.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
And then I think could because I think they would
go internal.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
I don't think they're gonna go outside the organization and
bring guys in unless it's you know, Seawn's buddies from
way back and Dennis Allen's not available, So I would
think that Jim Leonard would be the literate in the
clubhouse for the for the defensive coordator job. And then
on the offensive side, you know, Davis Webs the quarterbacks coach.
You probably split the job between Pete Carmichael and Logan Killgore.
(31:36):
Kill Gore is a former quarterback. His sister, Taylor Kilgore
used to work here at media. You know, we all know,
we all know hert pretty well. Yeah, I would think
that she's worked for uh what at Fox Start you
want to think, But I think I think Logan and
Pete Carmichael, who's been Shawn's long time, you know, kind
of quarterbacks guy. In fact, give a little trivia. Pete
(32:00):
Carmichael is the reason Drew Brees became a Saint. Pete
Carmichael and Brian Schottenheimer were the two quarterbacks coaches in
San Diego and the Chargers that brought Drew Brees up,
and then Pete left to go to New Orleans. When
Sean put that staff together and Pete, after the Tony
(32:21):
Romo deal with the Saints fell through, suggested they go
get Drew Brees. Then the rest is History, Parker Gabriel.
Can we come back?
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