Monday: Caleb Williams Career Turnaround

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everyone, It's Andy Everett. Thank you so much for
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(00:21):
hit that big red microphone icon at Ticket seven sixty
dot com on the iheartapp enjoy this podcast of the
Andie every show. It is a full show today, but
it is also a short week and we got a
lot of stuff to get to because I'll be here today,
Sam and Shane will be here tomorrow. We've got basketball

(00:42):
and football on Wednesday, and we've got the New Year's
Holiday on Thursday and Friday. So I'm here with today
and I'm back next Monday for the full week. Next
week on Monday as well, we'll have our utsa basketball
radio show back out at Rokend Martillo starting next Monday,
so we'll.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
Look forward to that, all right.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Shane is the audio disseminator and producer of this program. Today,
I am becoming a Bears fan they're fun to watch.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
They are fun to watch. I didn't get to watch
it last night.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
I got to listen to the Bears Network driving back
from my niece's wedding Saturday in Oklahoma, which worked out
perfectly because the ball game was Friday. But I listened
to the Bears broadcast last night, and Caleb Williams has
grown up a lot, and Ben Johnson has proven to
be the coach that we thought that he would be,

(01:33):
and he's got the Bears team humming despite the fact
that they lost. I didn't particularly like the hook and
ladder play.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
I love it. I mean, I love the play.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
I mean it's a great play, but I didn't like
it like it when it was when it rent was
ran sure, because it took twenty six seconds down to
four for the play to work.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
It took too much time off the clock.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
There was twenty six seconds and they they I thought
they had time for four plays, for all four downs
to get into the end zone, and that play took
twenty two seconds for them to run it and for
the player to get down to the four or five
whatever your mind it was, and to get out of bounds.
And then Caleb only had one shot at the end zone,
and I would imagine if Ben Johnson had that play

(02:16):
to do over, he would have either done it to
where they got it closer to the boundary. But the
play itself, I love the play, and I love the
Boise State version of it where you cross instead of
just laddling it to the trailing running back, and the
trailing running back has got to get out of bounds.
I mean, if you can't score, you got to get
out of bounds to stop the clock. So that play

(02:39):
probably I would have liked to seeing Caleb have at
least two chances maybe three to get in the end
zone that didn't happen. I think the Bears are going
to be a handful for whoever they play, home or road.
They're likely going to be the third or fourth seed.
They won't be the four seed because Tampa Carolina winner
is going to be that fir but the second third
seed that is up for grabs for them. They can't

(02:59):
meet the Umber one seed now with that loss mathematically
the way it works. But that was that may have
been one of the best games of the NFL season.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Oh, that was a great game last night.

Speaker 4 (03:08):
I'm not usually a fan of a game where there's
like kind of an absence of defense, but that one
felt like enough for it was enough fireworks on offense
and enough defense being played at the key moments to
matter in that one.

Speaker 3 (03:20):
I thought that was a great last minute drive by
Kayla Williams.

Speaker 4 (03:23):
Obviously you want the touchdown in that regard, but I
really liked Remember so it was third down and ten
at the thirty or thirty five yard line and he
hit that and he hit Luther Burton on that crosser
to get like a fourteen fifteen yard completion to move
to move the chains.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
That was huge. Luthor Burton had a great game last night.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
And now the rookie.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
Colson Lovelan.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, you remember Michigan.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
He made some key catches as well.

Speaker 4 (03:45):
What you love about that offense is that not only
did they supply Kayleb Williams with weapons, because now he
has a true treo receivers, a true duo at tight end,
really good running backs, a rebuilt offensive line, but he
has an offensive play caller as a head coach that
knows how to use his skills het to the best asset.
And you talk about it like the turnaround from last
year to this year's Caleb Williams is much more what
we were used to at Oklahoma and USC, A Caleb

(04:07):
Williams that can move around the pocket, make accurate passes.
And you know, I've had this, Like I guess you
caught an argument before about like no coaches everyone with
bad players, but no coach has also been able to
call themselves a great coach from taking a bad team
to a good team. Now, Ben Johnson, I think everyone
kind of expected him to be the next Kyle Shanahan
Sean McBay type offensive cordinator anyway, but what he's doing

(04:28):
right now is he's revitalized.

Speaker 3 (04:30):
Callab Williams.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
One thing the Bears are concerned about, and this comes
from their broadcast team last night as well as those
who did their post game. For lack of a better word,
Bears react the defense is very opportunistic when it comes
to getting turnovers, sure, but they don't force a lot
of punts that other team scores or they get to
get a takeaway. And in the playoffs, you're probably going

(04:52):
to be limited on how many takeaways you get, so
you're gonna have to get.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Off the field.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
And I think I think you know San Francisco had
nineteen first downs to the first half and over thirty
for the game. They've got to get off the field
on third down, and they didn't do that but once
last night, So we got it.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
We'll work on that.

Speaker 3 (05:11):
The Bears. Actually, I don't you know there.

Speaker 4 (05:13):
The Bears lead the NFL and turnovers forced and turnover
ded for differential.

Speaker 3 (05:16):
They're doing good job.

Speaker 1 (05:17):
Of the team, but if they don't get a turnover,
then the other team scores because they don't stop anybody
on fourth down and forced punt. They're according to what
they were reading off on their stat sheet last night, yep,
they're one of the worst teams at forcing punts.

Speaker 4 (05:29):
I mean their defense, honestly, the way they played, the
way they rushed the passion, the way they played coverage.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
If you think about it, it's.

Speaker 4 (05:35):
Similar to how the Cowboys were dan Quinn, where they
would rush four or five different guys using multiple blitz looks,
and their corners were more about creating turnovers knocking the
pass away as opposed to being really physical stopping the run.
That's kind of what this Bears defense is like. And
if you're a Cowboys fan, you think, why did it
work for them. It's not working for us.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
Well, Unfortunately, the Bears are able.

Speaker 4 (05:54):
To have a lot younger players on the defense, for one,
and it really sucks because Naseean Wright, who has five interceptions,
former Cowboy, You're wondering where that was when he was
in Dallas. But the Bears right now are I don't
know if they're the most impressive turnaround from last year,
because the Jags I think were the second worst team
in the NFL last year.

Speaker 3 (06:11):
They would be up there with that.

Speaker 4 (06:13):
But you know, Ben Johnson another one of those offensive
groups that we're seeing coming coming through the woodworks the
last decade or so becauld become really good head coaches.

Speaker 1 (06:21):
All Right, I got another bone to pick, and this
is well, not with you, but with everybody in general. Okay,
So Marcus Freeman has been asked a million times since
the season ended, are you leaving Notre Dame to go
to the NFL? Are you leaving Notre Dame to go
to this job or that job? And I know you
and I disagree on this. I don't think that every

(06:43):
college coach necessarily wants to be an NFL coach. Now
you can say that the worst NFL job in the world,
in the in the in the in the NFL, the Jets,
the Jets.

Speaker 3 (06:57):
Probaly, the Jets that that you own are so bad.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
The owner is so bad. It's the Jets.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
I don't think that that is as good a job
as maybe twenty five college jobs. You and others think
that any job in the NFL is better than coaching Alabama, Georgia,
Ohio State, the best of the best in college I
don't necessarily think that. I don't think you have to
judge yourself based on whether or not you win Super Bowls.

(07:24):
If you're taking young men and guiding them in a
life in winning national championships at the college level, I
don't think your career is any diminished, and I don't
think your pocketbook is either so. But to me, the
Notre Dame job, and you can argue all you want
about how blue blood Notre Dame is. They are one
of the bluest of the blue bloods when it comes

(07:46):
to college football. To me, it's one of the top
fifteen jobs, maybe five jobs, in all of college football.
And yet Marcus Freeman has been asked ad nauseum about
what are you going to do?

Speaker 2 (07:58):
Are you leaving?

Speaker 1 (08:00):
You've got chopped liver here in South Bend, right, and
the guys on before Manci Bolangos and whoever was filling
in uh for for I don't know what they called
that show. It's not really the do Well Doug. Yeah,
Doug's now no longer a talk show. He's gonna be
a full time coach what she should have been in
the first place.

Speaker 3 (08:14):
I think they're called it the Fox Filler.

Speaker 1 (08:16):
Yeah, but there's another there's uh, there's another show coming so, uh,
we'll see if we're getting it or not. I'm not
sure what we're caring, but there's a Fox is doing
something else in February. Uh but anyway, it uh to me,
Dan Byer was saying, well, we're just gonna wait till
next year and do this all over again, and ask

(08:36):
Marcus Freeman the same questions, like Notre Dame is a
bad job or it's a stepping stone job.

Speaker 2 (08:42):
It's not. It's a destination job.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
Now you can if your aspirations are to coach in
the NFL and you want to go to a bad
team and a bad organization and suck for four years
and get fired, Okay, go to the NFL. But the
Jets have never won anything, and until Whatdy Johnson gets
out of the way, they likely or not or dies
yeah or or some But if not that guy, but
even if his kids, who are who are fantasy players

(09:07):
take over the team, if they're of age. You know,
there are certain jobs in the NFL where you have
zero chance of winning, and right now, that's one of them.
Right So why would you leave Notre Dame where you're
likely going to be in the playoff next year if
you can finish in the top twelve because you wint
And and of course Marcus Freeman played it like played
Notre Dame like a you know, whatever analogy you want

(09:30):
to throw out there.

Speaker 2 (09:31):
But he got.

Speaker 1 (09:32):
He got his contract extension and his restructured deal and
probably more in i ole money and whatever.

Speaker 2 (09:38):
But to me, this idea that than that.

Speaker 1 (09:40):
And to me, the national media is in cahoots with
the coach is to get them a better deal, because
the national media and the local media is always talking about, well,
aren't you going to leave? There's got to be something
better for you out there, And all that does is
make the administration okay, coach, what do you want now? Oh,
you want five more years and ten million more dollars.
I'm sure we don't have it, but we'll find it.

(10:02):
Here's the De'll sign the contract, but the Notre Dame.
It's the same thing with Count Kaylen de Boor. Kaylen
Debor was asked for three weeks, when are you going
to Michigan? Why would you leave Alabama for Michigan? May
it makes zero sense?

Speaker 3 (10:15):
Well Michigan now, yeah, or.

Speaker 1 (10:16):
Michigan ever Michigan. In the history of time Alabama and
the history.

Speaker 4 (10:20):
Of there were times Michigan was a better job than Alabama.
Like pre Nick Saban, Michigan was a better job than Alabama.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
Okay, it may have been, but that doesn't mean but
before all the people that was before uh Nick Saban,
Alabama was pretty good.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
One Baron Bryant was coaching.

Speaker 3 (10:35):
It was like decades before that.

Speaker 1 (10:36):
So Alabama and Notre Dame are no different in terms
of how you would rank them in terms of greatest
programs of all time in college sports.

Speaker 4 (10:46):
Okay, well, I mean I would probably put Notre Dame
above that because I think they've had more transparency decade
by decade, whereas Alabama had like a decade where they
were averaged below.

Speaker 2 (10:55):
I just think the last sixty years of college sports.

Speaker 1 (10:58):
Yeah, Alabama, Votre Dame, USC, Miami, Oklahoma, Penn State, Ohio State,
maybe Texas, Texas, Texas definitely. Even though they've only won
one championship or two championships in sixty.

Speaker 3 (11:13):
Years, they won, They won.

Speaker 1 (11:15):
Sixty nine and they they they well, I think there
was one I think in seventy seven. I think the
vote was split between the AP Pole and the UPI Polly,
but I think Texas claimed it. But you know, they
won the sixty nine national championship when they won the
O eight champions But that doesn't matter. Texas is still
that there's ten or twelve teams and Notre Dame in

(11:37):
Alabama are not above one another or below one another
when it comes to this, and every coach out there,
it's like every job sucks now and there's a better
one around the corner, even though you're gonna submit your legacy,
and I know coaches are just doing it. And I've
said this many times before, I don't know what the
coaches are trying to get out of this because they

(11:58):
don't have time to spend the money that they're making.
Their families may, their wives may, but you know, and
I don't understand why lank Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU,
because even if he's getting ten or twelve more million
dollars over the course of the time he's he had
Ole Miss in a position to where they were going

(12:18):
to be just as good as anybody else in the league,
and this year better than LSU. So But anyway, coaches
are always antsy about where they're going and how they're
going to get to where they're going. But all of
these schools are true blue blood schools. And you know,
it's like I heard somebody say, well, you know, Marcus
Freeman might think about it if it was Ohio State.
What's the difference between Ohio State and Notre Dame Except

(12:41):
Ohio State let's non qualifiers in and Notre Dame doesn't.

Speaker 3 (12:44):
I would say the acceptance rait because.

Speaker 2 (12:48):
Hard to get in.

Speaker 1 (12:48):
Yeah, but I must say, you don't get non qualifiers
in and right, you have to have a certain average
to get in. But this idea that a coach has
never satisfied where they're at, and this idea that they're
going to get progressively better if they go someplace else
and start all over and rebuild a program, I mean

(13:09):
to me, Notre Dame is in the best hands it's
been in years with Marcus Freeman. Why would they want
him to leave? And yeah, all he has to do
is whine a little bit and get a little bit
more money, or get a little bit more of extension,
or get a little bit more security. But to me,
I know, Sam and I argue about this all the time.
What's the difference between nine million and ten million? Well,

(13:29):
let me find out. I'd like to experiment. But in reality,
when I told you what the what a coach's schedule
is three hundred and fifty five days a year.

Speaker 2 (13:39):
If they're a.

Speaker 1 (13:40):
Really good coach and they're dedicated to their craft, they're
doing nothing but managing a football team. And the ten
days that they're gone on vacation or on the golf
course or with their wife on a European trip, their
phone is never not on and it's never not buzzing
because somebody's doing something that needs their attention.

Speaker 2 (13:58):
So it's a lot.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
It's a three hundred and sixty five day your job
to some extent, and when do you have time to
enjoy the spoils of your success when you're constantly when
you're constantly on the job, and yeah, you want to win,
and I think that's how coaches look at themselves. Winning
is going to cure all ales. And maybe you have

(14:21):
a better chance at winning at Ohio State because you
can recruit a certain player that you can't recruit the
Notre Dame. But at the end of the four years,
that player still has to go to last still has
to get a degree. Allegedly. We'll talk about that a
little bit, but anyway, I just it just amazes me.
And we'll talk more about this than the six o'clock hour.
How Marcus Freeman is now the hot commodity for every

(14:42):
other job. Well, what is Notre Dames doing? They're going, like, really,
you're leaving us. We're pretty good too. All right, we'll
get to that college football matchups coming up. Coach cal
has some thoughts about fourth, fifth, and six year transfers.
And speaking of transfers, there is a former player who
played in the NBA drew an NBA check and the

(15:04):
guy's going back to college and apparently he's eligible. I
have no idea how this is possible, but we need
to talk about all that. We'll talk to NFL. We're
going to do our football picks for the Week eight
team coming up in a little bit, Mike Tomlins in
the discussion, much more, all coming up on the Ticket