December 25, 2024 • 41 mins
What is going on everybody, happy holidays to all! What a year we've had and what an NFL and college season it's been. We've put together a special little bonus episode highlighting some of the best topics and stories from the season, from our interview with Jay Gruden, to Robert Saleh getting fired, and the surprise of it all, Bill Belichick going to UNC. That's all here and more!" #Volume #Herd
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume. What is going on? Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas,
Happy Honka. Hopefully everyone's having a good day, a great week.
(00:23):
And what a year we've had, and what an NFL
season has been so far. I've had a blast. Lot
of football watching has been had. We put together a
little special bonus episode highlighting some of our favorite topics,
some of my favorite takes from our interview. We had
Jay Gruden on to Robert Solah getting fired. To the
(00:46):
surprise of it all, who would have ever thought, sitting
here a year ago, six months ago, hell, a month ago,
that Bill Belichick would be the head coach of North Carolina.
So it's all here, okay, very very excited to have
on the best athlete in the Gruden family, Jay Gruden,
(01:12):
Jay Live from Virginia. How you doing.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I'm doing good, doing good. I don't know. My brother
was a pretty good athlete there until right after high
school he stopped growing. I kept growing a little bit
to gout to be six foot, but he was a
damn good baseball player and football player for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I was looking at your arena League Bio. I'm born
and raising Davis so right by Sacramento, and I saw
you had a quick stint there in the early nineties
before you became an arena league legend and rattled off
some MVPs and championships.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
I gave it a shot with the Sacramento Surge, did
not work out, so I went played arena balls more fun.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Is arena league? Was it just the time? Obviously television
has changed the game, But like you would think that
that would kind of work. If it worked in the nineties,
it would have a place today. What do you think
happened there?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
I think we just missed our window too early. It
was a great league when I was in a Players
are getting paid a lot of money, coaches were getting
paid pretty good. It was very competitive. We're getting guys
right out of the NFL as soon as they get cut,
we get them even before going to the CFL. I
think we just got a little too big for our breeches.
The franchise tags went up to like sixteen seventeen million dollars.
(02:19):
The owners could never recoup that because they were guaranteed
TV money or the NFL is going to buy in
as used as a developmental league, and neither one of
those things happened, So the owners kind of lost their
ass and they had to get rid of it.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
When I worked with the Eagles, Matt Naggi had just
got there and he had a good career, and I
remember watching him spin the ball. I'm like, I don't
know if he could move like an NFL player, but
clearly in the arena league, you guys had a lot
of guys that could spin it. In twenty twenty four
with the Internet, obviously, Warner kind of made the transition,
But do you think there would have been more The
scouting staffs are way bigger now, would have been more
(02:52):
guys make it because I would imagine I mean you
see the XFL, the USFL, I mean guys are getting
shots left and right.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
I think some of the ninety rosters too.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, for sure, for sure, a lot of guys would
have got more opportunities to play where they don't get
that opportunity once they get cut in the NFL or
trying to get on the XFL. But this is a
great opportunity for skilled guys, especially wide receivers defensive backs,
to really show their skill. You gotta be able to
cover in that league. I mean you got to change
direction and do some things, and pass rushers as well,
and then offensive linemens. Some guys could develop as guards
(03:23):
or tackles in the league as well. Just you know,
given guys, young guys opportunities to play more is a benefits.
That's why I hope the UFL works out, because there
are going to be some guys that can emerge from
that and be big time helps in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
How much time do you and your brother spend talking
about quarterbacks?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Not as much anymore. We still do quite a bit
from time to time, but he's got his own show
now going on. But we we love talking football. It's
all we know. So that when we get together, we're
talking football, plays, protection, schemes, all that stuff, and that
we'll maybe swing a golf club but love the quarterback
position and study that.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
How's the golf game?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
It was going pretty good till to day. I played terrible,
but uh it's it's go all good. I'm about a
five and a cat four and a half, and oh,
I don't think I'll ever get in below that because
I'm not a good enough hunter. I don't make any huts,
but I can get around from t green pretty good.
I don't get a lot of doubles, but make a
lot of pars and bogies, an occasional birdie. If I
chip in, you beat John, Yeah, I beat him like
a drum. You know, got a new hip so I
(04:24):
can really beat it.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
I was thinking, you know, your brother really came on
the scene right with that crew in Green Bay and
farv and I remember talking to Marty morning Wig and
he's he thought far of as the best player he
ever saw during that stretch. And obviously from a physical
gift standpoint, you could argue, I mean, he was one
of the greatest, if not the greatest throwers of the
football is athleticism. But when I think about the quarterbacks
(04:48):
you've had, and even your brother, right success with rich
Gannon and then he coached Derek Carr. You had Andy
Dalton as the OC and Cincy and then you had
Kirk Cousins, you trade for Alec Smith. It's kind of
like you go the opposite the car with the quarterbacks
you like. Is that just that's just the timing where
you were at the time, what was available or did
you guys you specifically with Dalton, Cousins and Alex who
(05:11):
was really good before he got injured, were you guys
like six and two that year.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I mean we had two game lead to division and
he broke his leg, and then Colt mcgoy broke his
leg the next game after that, so we were down
to Josh Johnson. It was a rough stretch there for
about a year.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
So I guess the question is do you lean you
can deal with a little lesser arm quarterback if they're accurate,
or is that just the cards you were dealt in
those given situations.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Well, Cincinnati's really the only quarterback I picked me and
not myself, but Marvin Lewis and I spent a lot
of time in that draft. We had a second round
draft pick, and Blaine Gabbert was in that draft. Obviously,
Cam young Christian Ponder, Jake Locker was in that draft,
so we had to sit there in the second round.
We had to wait for any to fall. We're just
hoping to goodness that he would fall. I thought Seattle
(05:57):
was gonna take him at twenty nine, but they took
James Carpenter lineman and the other choice was Ryan Mout
or Colin Kaepernick. And I really wasn't too involved in
the zone reads and all that stuff at that time,
so I really needed somebody to come in and start
as a rookie because Christianer what's his name to the
quarterbacks that he wasn't coming back.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Carson Palm, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Carson Palmer said he was not coming back. No better.
So we had Jordan Palmer on the roster and Dan
lef Fever was all we had on the roster. So
we had to get a starter. So we had to
wait till the second round. And Andy was perfect because
he started four years at TCU. They had a lot
of different variances in their system. He was under center,
He's in a shotgun play action quick game. I understood protections,
and I knew that he could handle the offense at
(06:38):
a faster rate than anybody else. Because it's also the
strike shortened season, so we didn't have a training camp
or at OTAs in the offseason. We just had to
come to training camp, put the offense in. He had
to learn it and start from day one. So he
was perfect for us. When I got to Washington, we
obviously had Robert and Kirk, so they were my guys
that we had to develop. My job was to develop
Robert first, but as time went on, it was clear
(07:00):
that Kirk was the better pastor of the football and
understood the game a little bit better and was more healthy. Robert,
you know, after he broke his leg was never quite
the same. Probably, and then obviously when we lost Kirk,
I found out on Twitter, my son found on Twitter
we traded for Alex Smith. I have no idea. You know,
my son comes running, Hey, you guys, he's got Alex Smith.
I go, what what do we give up for him?
(07:22):
I guess a third round draft pick in Kendall Fuller
and Kendall Fuller's are starring Nickel.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Yeah, I wasn't happy about them. I loved Alex. I
loved coaching Kirk, but really Andy's the only one I
hand picked for myself, and that was really the only
guy left Forrest to hand pick.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Well, I think there's a lot there by the time,
let's start with cousins who this probably come out on Thursday.
But I had just had the big comeback. Do you
think he became a better player or was coming into
his own? Was he a different guy once he had
been in Minnesota a couple of years and the guy
we've seen probably the last three plus years pre Achilles
than the guy that you experienced, or as as he
(07:56):
looked the same to you.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
I think he looks the same. He's obviously he gained
more confidence than everything that he does. He's a perfectionist
when it comes to footwork and preparation, and he wants
to know exactly why plays are in and the timing, anticipation,
all that stuff. He's really good at that. I think
when Kirk really turned the corners, when he gained confidence
in himself. He was always second fiddle here. Everybody wanted
Robert Robert Robert, nobody ever talked about Kirk, and then
(08:20):
when the competition actually was going on, he still felt
second fiddle because the fans really wanted Robert to succeed
and they were kind of against Kirk all the way.
And then Kirk started playing good. Once I announced him
as a full time starter, he didn't have to look
over his shoulder. I think that's when he really took
a huge jump as far as his production and his
fear of not throwing interceptions and all that stuff. He
(08:42):
got rid of all that, just played the position and
really took over. We went nine to seven, went to
the playoffs. He had a fabulous year and helped me
get an extension. Then he went on his way, and
we went on our way.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
On the Cousins situation on Monday night, you know, they
struggled in the red zone in their couple trips and
just I mean, he's new to the team, but that
final drive, it's pretty clear in that situation when a
team has probably a buck forty plus kicking it out
of bounds, you get the ball at the thirty, you're
one pass away from being pretty close to midfield. And clearly,
(09:14):
you know, vic Fango, in my opinion, has been one
of the better defensive coordinators. I don't know for a
long time, but felt like they were pretty soft, you know,
and the safeties were way back, and those holes were
pretty easy for Kirk when they were not getting any
pass rush. What did you see on that final drive
that made it so easy for the Falcons that was
stealing candy from the baby?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
They ran our Nascar kindsted up with a spin and
the dagger behind it, and he hit the spin for
a game of ten and they come back to no
head and they played two deep Philadelphia in the corner
jumps a flat route like a like a rookie would do,
I guess, and they threw the Dan Bencher out right
over the top of for game about twenty five, and
then they played really soft. The one thing I think
(09:53):
had it been me is defensive corner. I know they
got a rookie corner out there, but the guy can't
really move right now. You got to bring some kind
of pressure, and they brought a four man rushing weren't
even getting close to him. And Kirk Cousins probably would
be the best seven on seven quarterback in the National
Football League. Is accuracy and anticipation and he can set
his feet and throw the ball. He is accurate as
all to get out, so you have to get him
(10:15):
off his spot. If you don't get him off a spot,
and he can step into a throw and see it,
there's nobody as accurate as Kirk. He proved that last night.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Yeah, that was That was a big time drive for
him early in the season with a new team. Going
back to the Dalton situation. Who's in the news this
week obviously is going to start. But I think it's
been talked a lot about with these rookie quarterbacks, the
logic of red shirtingham which doesn't really happen anymore, right,
and throwing them right into the fire. Dalton falls under
that category. Had played a ton clearly a mature guy,
(10:44):
kind of like a Dak Prescott or a Brock Purdy.
Not your normal rookie, is it safe to say. But
still there is a big transition period. Did you get
like you said, you just didn't really have a choice.
Is that an ideal situation? How do you attack that
from a coaching standpoint? Because do you see these I mean,
Caleb's really struggling getting crushed. Bo Nicks looks kind of
over his head right now, and Jaden's just kind of
(11:06):
running around.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Yeah, you know, it's tough. Everybody's different, every quarterback is different,
and then you have to protect them with the scheme.
And you look at some of these coaches calling these players.
They're throwing nine bubble screens a game. I'm like, dang,
challenging guy a little bit. But you know, Andy was
just a very bright guy. Another thing we had the
good fortune of we had a really good defense, and
I didn't feel the pressure to score every time we
had the ball or convert every third down. I'd ran
(11:30):
a draw sometimes on third and eight or screen of
the back or whatever it might be, and punted and
try to get the ball back, so we had really
good defense, Our special teams was good, and Andy did
not turn the ball over and kept us in games.
We won nine games this first year. He won ten
the second year and eleven or third year, and then
I got the job of Washington. So every quarterback is
different how they handle it. Andy was really well prepared
(11:50):
on protections and knew where to go with the football.
Not the most accurate guy all the time, but very
smart and handled a lot of information and did a
great job. Some of these quarterbacks, you know, they I
don't know if they can handle it or not. There's
so many different things nowadays. You know, in college they're
clapping their hands or looking at the sidewinds or doing
anything with protections. Now all of a sudden, they're might
trying to Mike point or not Mike point. I don't
(12:11):
know who's free. And it's just a long way to go,
a long process for these guys to get comfortable. They
want total knowledge of the position. Right now, I don't
think any of them are. I think they're just snapping
the ball, letting the center call everything, and then a
free rusher comes. He just throws it away or scrambles
so these guys have a long way to go, a
lot of talent, but you know, even some of the
(12:31):
second year guys are struggling. We just you know, saw
Will Evans every game he has a terrrible interception or
a fumble or something like that to cous his team. So, yeah,
these guys are struggling, but they just got to keep
playing until they get it.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
You bring up a pretty good point. Your Cincinnati teams
were really talented, good offensive line, you just drafted aj Green,
your defense was stacked. But Andy, I mean hit the
ground running, and you look at Bryce Young, unlike your
roster back in Cincinnati or the Niners or what Dak
took over pretty terrible. But on individual plays, Bryce looks,
(13:03):
I mean, let's face it, horrendous. So when you saw
that decision, he couldn't be any worse really through the
first two games, even independently of what's around him. Is
that you worked for a place where the owner had
a lot of opinions to getting involved. Clearly that's going
on in Carolina. What was your first reaction when you
saw that?
Speaker 2 (13:22):
I think it had to be done. You know, I
think when you look at a quarterback, you look at
his progress and what's he doing good? What can we
build on? And I didn't see one thing when it
comes to the quarterback position that you felt like you'd
get build on with Bryce. I mean, his arm talent
didn't look there, his decision making didn't look very good.
His his capability didn't look very good, his stature in a pocket,
his knowledge of the game thrown into coverage. There was
(13:43):
just nothing that I saw him getting better at. That's
the problem that I had with Bryce. He'd love to
see him Okay, he's getting rid of the ball quicker,
he's anticipating some throws, but he's taking sacks, he's missing throws,
he's throwing bubble screens in a dirt. There was just
really no redeeming quality. I think they had to do it.
I think the team you have to do that as
a coach. And very similar when I made the move
to Kirk. You know, the team sees the film, they're
(14:04):
watching the film, and if you don't make a move,
you're gonna lose respect in the locker room from your players.
And I think that's why I coach Canalis had to
make that move.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
So what happens now, does he just run the scout team,
do you treat it a little bit different than a
normal backup quarterback.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
I take it like a man and understand, Hey, I
didn't play very good. You know, he's got to he's
got to point the finger to himself first directly and
then get in the meeting room and continue to develop.
If and he gets hurt tomorrow or next weekend, he's
a back in the in the fire, so he's got
to continue to prepare himself like a pro. Understand that
he's very He's a young player still, and if you
look around in the league at some of these quarterbacks
like Baker Mayfield, he's on his fourth team already, so uh,
(14:38):
there's still time for him to develop. And he just
got to be patient in the process, believe in the process,
but really make himself better and understand the game.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
You talk about about Colt when he was there with
Alex and I think Cousins And then I get asked
this question a lot, and I think from just a
pure evaluation standpoint, from a scouting standpoint, like talent is
probably not the most important factor when you look at
a backup quarterback. You know your quarterback guy, OC head coach,
(15:09):
what do you look for in a backup quarterback beside
like what he's going to cost relatively or salary, all
things being equal, what's an ideal backup quarterback?
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Well, you have to make sure he's ready to go
and play if something happens. I have know first hand
quarterbacks get hurt all the time. You look at last year,
I think nineteen of them got hurt.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
So, yeah, sixty six guys played or something.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
That's number they got to play. But you also have
to have somebody that's knowledgeable of the game because he's
not going to get a lot of reps. He's not
going to get even in training camp. I want my
starter to get most of the rep I gotta get
him ready and he's going to have to learn based
on what he sees and when he comes into games
and have to be prepared. So you got to have
a guy that you know he's going to be prepared
and understand your system. Be supportive of the starter, help
(15:50):
you with some idea. Sometimes a lot of backup quarterbacks
like Colt, those guys had good ideas for third down
or red zoner play action passes, whatever it might be.
Just be involved in the process of teaching and working
with the starter, and when your time's ready, you better
be ready. And you got to count on that guy
to be ready despite hardly ever talking to him like okay,
this is you're always talking to the starter, but you're
(16:11):
talking to him as well, and he's got to understand
that and be ready. My first year Assistinnati Bruce gret
Cawsi was our backup. He was perfect, he was always
ready to go, very smart. He got called in the
first game against Cleveland, came in in the second half,
had a great odd ball to get us a first down,
and then threw a touchdown past to aj Green to
win it. So and always very supportive. Never ever was
(16:32):
there any controversy between the starter and the backup quarterback.
Everybody knew their place and that's important as well.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Would you say they'd have to be right there with
like the kicker and the punters, the lowest maintenance guy
in the building.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah, yeah, but they you don't want You want them
to be a little bit more active in helping the
receivers and young receivers and offensive linemen and all that stuff.
They they're like another coach on the field. You want
that type of backup in your building. That can really
help out and see the game in the big picture
and really help out and help the head coach. And hey,
you know, like I had Bruce and Colton, those guys
(17:06):
are great. They help out in lots of different areas,
not just playing quarterback and worrying about themselves.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
They really are a hybrid role, right coach player because
ideally they never take a snap.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Yeah that's ideally, you know, but they have a lot
of knowledge. You know, the quarterbacks usually one of the
smartest guys on the team, and they can help out.
And as a coach, you gotta you know, they'll help
you with the pulse in the locker room as well.
You know, they're not snitches, but they will help you
with the pulse of the locker. Hay, you know you're
a little too rough on these guys that they might
want to take a day off or go a little
lighter or whatever it might be. They have just a
(17:38):
great idea of the pulse of the locker room and
they're a big help in a lot of different areas.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
I got this question recently and I thought it was
pretty fascinating. As a head coach, whether you're calling the
plays or not, we often see the guys write little
notes throughout the game. What typically are you writing down
during the course of the sixty minutes.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
On the game plan? You're just writing down play that
you called, or what happened, or what coverages you might
have seen. Maybe percentage of coverages you're seeing on third down.
You know you have different categories on third and two
to five. Okay, we got mad on this one. We
got mad on this one, so you know they might
play their cover three on the next one or whatever.
Just little notes to yourself, or you're making notes on play,
(18:18):
like if you got a star player, you haven't got
them a ball yet. You got to try to find
the plays that are best suited to get him that ball.
And a lot of different things to getting right on.
Sometimes right down the referees name that guy just gave
you a bad call at guy's name is Bill. I'm
and to get after Bill and his next rife. You
know a lot of things you get right down on there.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Are you ever writing down like so and so looks terrible.
We got to make mention of this he's out of shape,
or this coverage is a bad.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Can't all do it? I used to take my phone
out there sometimes and make notes on my phone. People
think I was on the phone, but I would make
notes on that play to and walk through. We got
we gotta go over that protection scheme, or we got
to make sure we find a third corner because our
third corners aren't very good on special teams and they
can't run and things like that. Yeah, oh yeah, you
make those notes all the time as ahead coach.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Well, Jae, I appreciate you taking all the time, and
go have fun on the putting green. Work on that
putting stroke and you know you'll be breaking seventy five
before you.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Knowcome back to the claw. You know I went across.
I'm regular. I'm now on the claw. I don't know
what it mean.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Yeah, anytime you're on the claw, I know you got
a lot of things going through your head. On the
pudding shrup. Okay, Jay, thanks man, have a good one.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
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Speaker 1 (21:03):
Okay, the story of the day, Robert Salah gets fired,
and I think before we dive deep in any angle here, objectively,
he was a really really bad head coach. Nice guy
people like him. Was a good coordinator for the forty
nine ers, but as a head coach of the New
York Jets, wins and losses speak for themselves. He's twenty
(21:27):
and thirty six, and when you watch him, you constantly
ask yourself, what is he doing now? I was thinking
about it this morning, that certain guys, younger coaches, get
their opportunity and become a CEO head coach. And we've
pushed back on it over the years. A lot of
you guys say you're so anti CEO coaches. Look at Tomlin,
(21:51):
look at John Harbaugh. Well yeah, look at them. They
went to stable, well run, winning organization. We have a
long history. If you become the head coach for the
Pittsburgh Steelers, which only three guys have done over the
last like sixty years, you're gonna win. What about the
Baltimore Ravens Well John Harbaugh turns out he comes from
(22:15):
football royalty when it comes to coaching, as Jack Harball
produced to elite coaches, and he got to go work
for I don't know, Ozzie Newsom he inherited a team
with Ed Reed ray lewis not a bad spot. Robert
Sala went to a place that at a first time
(22:35):
general manager, an owner who most people that have been
around him, that have worked around him, that just know
about the Jets thinks an awful owner in the National
Football League doesn't mean he doesn't have money, doesn't mean
that he want fund certain things, but in terms of
like clearly pretty impulsive and when you work for him,
(22:57):
more than likely you're not gonna win. Because I think
there's a pretty consistent theme in the NFL that Robert Sala,
if he was going to have success as a head coach,
he could not have overcome this situation. You cannot overcome
poor ownership. Stefanski tried and eventually had bit him in
the ass because now that contract really kicks in. Godspeed Kevin.
(23:20):
Now Robert, you know, did not even make it to
this Monday Night Football game. Don't totally blame him, like
this wasn't gonna work. It simply was never gonna work.
And I was thinking about the GM. The reason that
Aaron Rodgers was on the team is because they had
the number two overall pick once upon a time, and
they've drafted over the last three or four years a
(23:42):
lot of really good players. They've been pretty good at personnel.
But they whiffed on Zach Wilson. Now, if you wanted
to argue, well, who else should they have picked? Trey Lance,
He's even worse than Zack Wilson, justin fields that wouldn't
have worked with the Jets. Mac Jones career backup. Yeah,
the options weren't good, but he's paid to know that
(24:03):
and he's paid to not screw that up. So yeah,
Robert Salah has been bad. But they are in this
situation because Joe Douglass essentially had to go to the
blackjack table with all the money he had and choose
to put it on black or red to save this situation.
That's what he attempted to do because the Zach Wilson,
(24:24):
the quarterback situation for the team blew up in his face,
and because of this weird situation of Aaron Rodgers and
the Packers him getting kind of butt hurt that they
brought in Jordan Love even though they paid him a
bunch of money, and I'm acting weird. And then he
finally wants a trade. It's like, yeah, he's available, but
he's also thirty nine years old. In the last year
(24:45):
that he played for the Packers didn't go that well,
and the previous year one of the best teammates he's
ever had in terms of a player, said like, I
need to get out of here because I don't think
this guy's going to be around anymore in Devonte Adams.
So it was kind of getting weird. So you were
banking on Aaron Rodgers to essentially save your reputation and
(25:05):
save your coach's job because you were headed toward disaster.
And when you put whatever amount of money, if it's
all the money you have on black or red, yeah
it could hit and it could double your money. If
you got one hundred thousand dollars to go buy put
for a down payment on a home, you could walk
right into casino put it on red. If that thing hits,
(25:27):
you got two hundred k. But if that thing misses,
you got nothing, and it turns out the risk with
this player given what you have surrounding him in terms
of Robert Salah, and then when you get Aaron Rodgers,
he forces you to hire a specific offensive coordinator. It's
always going to come up the opposite color. And this
(25:48):
was attempting to put a band aid on a bullet hole.
And Aaron Rodgers at thirty nine forty years old, is
simply not good enough to cover this up. Think about
Tom Brady, the most recent all time great quarterback to
change teams, and he was a little older than Aaron. Now,
unlike Aaron, his game wasn't predicated on moving around. But
(26:10):
he got to go to Tampa, who you could argue
had not been well, they had not made the playoffs
in like a decade. But he did inherit some random
Tampa Bay coach. He got Bruce Arians, a guy who'd
proven to be pretty damn good. Well, Bruce is an
offensive guy, so what's pretty important for an offensive coordinator?
Just like Robert sala the opposite side of the ball,
(26:32):
he's a defensive coordinator, Hire someone because you're gonna have
nothing to do with that side of the ball. Who's
Bruce arians Boy, Todd Bowles. So when Tom Brady signed
that contract in Tampa Bay, obviously he was viewed as
the savior, just like Aaron Rodgers. But he was inheriting,
like the Jets, good players, but a really, really good
(26:53):
coaching staff. Aaron Rodgers did not. Aaron Rodgers inherited a
head coach in Robert Salad that you'd never say never,
But he's not going to be a head coach for
the foreseeable future. And no team, college or pro will
ever dream. And if they did wake up from that dream,
it would be considered a nightmare of making Nathaniel Hackett
(27:15):
their offensive coordinator. And this isn't personal, Like I don't
know the guy. Hell, I wanted to root for him,
bald guy UC Davis, like that's where he went to school,
It's where I grew up. But you just he's just terrible.
He is not good at his job. And that listen.
He's not alone. There are a lot of football coaches
in the NFL and in college who are stealing because
(27:37):
these jobs pay so much money, and most of them
are glorified pe teachers. They wouldn't sniff any job making
a quarter of what these guys course a tenth. Nathaniel
Hacket's probably making one point five two million dollars to
be the offensive coordinator with the New York Jets. It's
(27:58):
like he's looking golful at his job. So in no
other spot in the private sector could you be that
bad at your job, make that much money and hold
a position. But the one thing Nathaniel Hackett is going
for him is that the quarterback fights him. That's the reason.
That's his job security. So if in the next couple
of days he's gone, it's clear that the quarterback turned
(28:18):
on him, like the quarterback turned on Robert Solow. I
don't totally buy him. Robert Sala was completely over his head.
Every time Robert Solo went to the podium, he found
himself a foot in his mouth And listen, I talked
for a living. I enjoy coaches that will say some shit.
It makes my job easier. But I also understand when
Belichick or Andy Reid goes up to the podium and
(28:40):
says nothing. What do they benefit from for saying things?
Belichick said it the other day, like, listen, we're obviously
thinking one thing, but in what world would it benefit me?
My team, my players, the coaching staff to go up
there and say it's a cadence issue, especially when you
(29:01):
know cadence is one of Aaron Rodgers bread and butter.
It's such a BP fastball to go, you know what,
We're gonna have to take a look at this. We'll
meet and talk about it the next couple of days
and work on into practice. We feel pretty comfortable that
we'll be able to get it figure out. And he
could have do he could do that all the time,
but he never chose to do that. He always would say, oh,
(29:22):
he's in Egypt. Oh this is going on, Zach Wilson, Ah,
this is happening. And he always felt that he was
stepping in it. And why does that happen because a
guy is not ready for the job. And we have
all been put in position I would imagine in jobs
we weren't quite ready for. That's part of life. I mean,
(29:44):
that's part of moving on up in the world. But
when you get put into a position where you're the boss,
like you're not middle management, you don't have a couple
of people answering to you, like the entire organization is
looking at you, and you are unprepared and you don't
know how to handle it. You got no shot, and
you definitely got no shot when you're with an organization
(30:05):
as dysfunctional and as you know, losing and failure is
now interwoven within the Jets. It's part of the culture.
Like they also play in New York, where there's some
other teams. The Yankees, who I was watching the game
last night, might lose the Royals. They easily could, and
then it'll be like Aaron Boon, they can never win. True,
(30:25):
they're not winning in the playoffs, but I do think
there's some merit to what Billy Bean said a long
time ago, like baseball's kind of random. My shit doesn't
always work in the playoffs. Like I know this. I
watch the Yankees. They're in the fucking playoffs every year.
They're pretty good. They kind of know what they're doing.
Are they gonna beat the Royals who knows it's baseball?
Are they gonna win the next round against the Guardians?
I don't know. I mean, does they have a couple
(30:47):
bad pitching outings, does judges back go cold for three weeks?
But I feel pretty comfortable as a whole the Yankees
are gonna be fine. I have zero faith that the
Jets are gonna be fine, Absolutely none, And like if
Olbrick gives them a little life, they'll probably lose against
the Bills. Who they hire, like who's coming in here?
(31:08):
You know? Will they hire William Belichick? He clearly despises
this organization. I don't think there's any amount of money
they could pay him to get him to accept this job.
But like this, ultimately, if we look at the last
couple of years from Zach Wilson to the trade with
the Packers, like this moment this morning, this is the Jets.
(31:31):
This is who this franchise is. They are much much
closer to the Raiders than they are the Ravens, the Chiefs,
or the Bills. I mean, let's just call a spade
or spade that their owner is just a more wealthy
East Coast version of the Raiders. Well well, well, Belichick
(32:05):
to North Carolina. I was thinking about I think about
this a lot, the importance, and I've benefited greatly from this,
the just when you say the word timing and timing
being on your side, It's benefited me personally, you know,
in a professional way greatly, and obviously some of the
(32:26):
great business stories in the history of America, from Steve
Jobs to Jeff Bezos to Elon. Timing has been a
huge part of their success. Like Tesla doesn't exist if
it's nineteen eighty, but he has the idea. The way
everything's worked, you know, I would say economically where some
of these states are moving, you know, in terms of
(32:47):
what they're pushing. It benefited him. He got huge tax
breaks from California to build this and start his company,
and it helped lead Tesla into just great, great, of
very fruitful time. Obviously, Jeff Bezos starts a company that
is selling books online. Well, part of the idea behind
(33:08):
that was he realized the brick and mortar was in trouble,
and then as time went he adapted his company and
now they sell everything. But it really wouldn't have worked
without I don't know, the Internet, which changed the game.
Think of Apple, Like you could argue the most important
invention of my lifetime, like the car, the wheel, fire lights,
(33:30):
all that shit was already invented by before I was born. Definitely,
the most impactful one has to be this phone, which
they clearly have a market share on. Right if you
sit down with one hundred people, I would say close to.
It's shocking when you don't see one of them having
an iPhone. Now, obviously it wouldn't be one hundred percent,
but I would guess if you just grabbed one hundred people,
(33:52):
that number is much closer to ninety than it is seventy,
and potentially closer to one hundred than it is eighty.
So I've benefited from that what I'm doing now. When
I got out of radio, if it would have been
nineteen ninety three, this would not have existed. I couldn't
have done a radio show, which are podcasts. Obviously that
(34:14):
is different, but in create a studio from my home,
it wouldn't have been possible, partly because the Internet didn't exist.
I wouldn't have been able to distribute it. You wouldn't
have been able to find me. I remember the first
time I heard who Chris Russo and Mike Francessa were,
and I started listening to them on the internet. Well
when I was a kid, when they were crushing it
in New York in the late nineties. I was a
(34:35):
sports radio junkie, but you didn't have access to people
outside of your market. You didn't even know who they were.
I remember the first time I ever saw Jim Rome's picture,
I'm like, that's what he looks like. Imagine now listening
to someone in an audio form and not knowing what
they look like. The access we have to a visual
(34:55):
of what a guy looks like is so easy. You
google them, you go to their Instagram account, basically pull
up their podcast to their picture. When I was a kid,
you listened to the radio, You had no clue what
anyone looked like in talk radio. Obviously musicians you did.
And timing has changed the world right when it comes
to Internet and the businesses associated with the Internet. Well,
(35:15):
when you look at North Carolina like they benefited a
lot from they're one of the only jobs open right
now that has a lot of money behind them. And
Bill Belichick clearly was looking ahead and realizing, I'm probably
not going to get an NFL job, or it's not
worth the risk of I might only have one or
two interviews and there's no guarantee. Im So the old
(35:38):
adage of bird in the hand is better than two
in the bush, and he jumped at it. But there
is no disputing that North Carolina historically is not a
great college football job. It's not bad. It's had its moments.
But when you think of top I don't know forty
college football jobs, I don't even think you would Listen,
North Carolina. Now the world has changed with nil. There
(36:00):
is a giant elephant in the room with a massive
job potentially opening Ryan Day after he lost to Michigan. Listen,
there were already some question marks. Regardless of what the
media wanted to tell you. Once he lost that game,
no one surrounded with that program, alumni, booster or people
working as chancellors, board of directors or athletic directors could
(36:20):
look at the guy the same. They just can't. He's
got a game here in about eight nine days at
home against Tennessee. If he loses that game, you can't
convince me that they wouldn't rather have Bill Belichick than
Ryan Day coaching. Though, here's the problem. You can't fire
Ryan Day today because you still have this game. But
there is a very very good chance that if he
loses that game, you're like, we would have easily fired
(36:42):
him for Bill Belichick. Now, we'll see as the information
comes out. Was a huge sticking point for Bill making
his son the coach in waiting. I don't have this
information at the time I'm recording this. But even if
they wouldn't, you can't convince me if Bill goes because
he's willing to take a college job. Obviously he literally
just did. He's cool with it. He's all in that
he wouldn't have taken Ohio State, and Ohio State people
(37:04):
wouldn't want him over Ryan Day. Because what is the
big question mark right now with Ohio State. It's not money,
It's not a nil. I just read a report that
North Carolina. One of their sales pitches the bill was
we'll go from four to five million nil. We'll get
that bad boy up to twenty. Ohio State paid twenty
this year. Without blinking an eye, I saw the print
out of the highest paid coaches assistant coaches this year
(37:26):
in college football.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Two of them won.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Ohio State staff Chip Kelly makes two million dollars and
their defensive coordinator makes about two and a half, so
as two coordinators make NFL coordinator money. And they also
have a wide receiver coach who's the recruiting coordinator making
well over a million. So in terms of staff budget,
in terms of nil, and in terms of prominence standing
everything surrounded with it, Ohio State has it all part
(37:50):
of taking the North Carolina job is Bill, There's gonna
be some effort. Bill's going to have to put in
to get the top players. Even with nil and you
can sign the biggest checks, but it's still gonna take
some time. Ohio State recruits itself. That has never been
an issue my entire life. They've always got the best players.
You give them, Bill Belichick, because the question mark with
the program has been toughness, physicality. Where do they wilt
(38:10):
when they play Michigan? Why because they're just not as tough.
It's not in their souls, not in their ethos. What
do you say when you think Bill Belichick, you think defense?
That is truly his baby, building a program of tough guys. Honestly,
when you think his offense, same thing. Tom Brady an
underrated intangible, he asked, tough motherfucker, Julian Edelman, Logan Mankins,
(38:33):
Rob Gronkowski, all the guys they had in the early
the iteration in the early two thousands, tough guys North Carolina.
I don't know how good he's gonna be, Like, I
think their team's gonna be, you know, above five hundred
next year. But I'm not predicting they're making the playoffs
or anything. I think in the next couple of years
they are going to be something to be reckoned with.
(38:53):
But if you put him at Ohio State next year, like,
what is honestly Bill's biggest advantage. He's smarter at foot everybody.
Maybe Andy Reid's probably the one guy now who's elevated
to his level, but Bill's ex's no's ability at every
position is better than everybody. When you watch Ryan Day,
it's like, well, he's a pretty good passing game guy,
but the rest of the team defense little hit or
(39:15):
miss toughness, definitely hit her miss, and it's like the
running game since urban Meyer left has just not been
the same, and it's not because of players. So I
wonder if Ohio State and listen, there's nothing they could do.
It's just kind of bad timing. They were a week
away of why wouldn't they immediately call this guy? Can
we fire Ryan Day and hire this guy? The problem is,
as of December eleventh, it would be difficult to fire
(39:38):
Ryan Day, And I think timing wasn't on their side
because I wonder if this was a little different that
you know, if Bill was willing, and there's some pressure
on Bill to take this job because recruiting the transfer
portals open. If he was a week away, then he
could be the head coach at Ohio State. And even
if they wouldn't acquiesce to your son's the coach and
(39:58):
waiting well Bill went a national championship, they'd probably let
him do whatever he wants. You want to make Steve
the next coach. They literally just did it with Urban Meyer.
Ryan Day had never done a shit. He'd been a
position coach coordinator kinda you know, before he got to
Ohio State a couple of years with Urban boom, he's
the head coach. So if Belichick were to win a
title with is what Urban did, they'd be cool with
(40:21):
letting him hand it off. They literally just did it,
and for their standards, they wish it was a little better.
Still not bad, but I wonder if you're an Ohio
State fan, you go, God, couldn't we just ahead Belichick?
If I told you right now, if you're an Ohio
State fan, would you fire Ryan Day today? Even going
into this playoffs to hire Belichick even if it meant
(40:42):
losing to Tennessee. Of course, you wouldn't because the reality
is you might lose that game anyway, and then you'll
probably be stuck with the guy for another year. And
if I also told Michigan, or definitely, if I told
Michigan Charon Moore, the ad and everyone associated with that program.
If I told Penn State and James Frank, if I
told Oregon, if I told Alabama, if I told Georgia,
(41:03):
would you rather play Ryan Day or would you rather
play Bill Belichick? Would it take them a second or
two seconds to answer that question? So massive day for UNC.
And if I was an Oho State fan, I'd be like,
so Pelichick's cool with coming to college, Like he's actually
doing the jump and we're stuck with Ryan Day and
(41:23):
Chip Kelly and we might lose it home in a
week to Tennessee. After Michigan just beat us, when their
quarterback through for sixty yards, it's gotta suck. Talk to
you guys soon. The volume
The volume. What is going on? Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas,
Happy Honka. Hopefully everyone's having a good day, a great week.
(00:23):
And what a year we've had, and what an NFL
season has been so far. I've had a blast. Lot
of football watching has been had. We put together a
little special bonus episode highlighting some of our favorite topics,
some of my favorite takes from our interview. We had
Jay Gruden on to Robert Solah getting fired. To the
(00:46):
surprise of it all, who would have ever thought, sitting
here a year ago, six months ago, hell, a month ago,
that Bill Belichick would be the head coach of North Carolina.
So it's all here, okay, very very excited to have
on the best athlete in the Gruden family, Jay Gruden,
(01:12):
Jay Live from Virginia. How you doing.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I'm doing good, doing good. I don't know. My brother
was a pretty good athlete there until right after high
school he stopped growing. I kept growing a little bit
to gout to be six foot, but he was a
damn good baseball player and football player for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I was looking at your arena League Bio. I'm born
and raising Davis so right by Sacramento, and I saw
you had a quick stint there in the early nineties
before you became an arena league legend and rattled off
some MVPs and championships.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
I gave it a shot with the Sacramento Surge, did
not work out, so I went played arena balls more fun.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Is arena league? Was it just the time? Obviously television
has changed the game, But like you would think that
that would kind of work. If it worked in the nineties,
it would have a place today. What do you think
happened there?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
I think we just missed our window too early. It
was a great league when I was in a Players
are getting paid a lot of money, coaches were getting
paid pretty good. It was very competitive. We're getting guys
right out of the NFL as soon as they get cut,
we get them even before going to the CFL. I
think we just got a little too big for our breeches.
The franchise tags went up to like sixteen seventeen million dollars.
(02:19):
The owners could never recoup that because they were guaranteed
TV money or the NFL is going to buy in
as used as a developmental league, and neither one of
those things happened, So the owners kind of lost their
ass and they had to get rid of it.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
When I worked with the Eagles, Matt Naggi had just
got there and he had a good career, and I
remember watching him spin the ball. I'm like, I don't
know if he could move like an NFL player, but
clearly in the arena league, you guys had a lot
of guys that could spin it. In twenty twenty four
with the Internet, obviously, Warner kind of made the transition,
But do you think there would have been more The
scouting staffs are way bigger now, would have been more
(02:52):
guys make it because I would imagine I mean you
see the XFL, the USFL, I mean guys are getting
shots left and right.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
I think some of the ninety rosters too.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, for sure, for sure, a lot of guys would
have got more opportunities to play where they don't get
that opportunity once they get cut in the NFL or
trying to get on the XFL. But this is a
great opportunity for skilled guys, especially wide receivers defensive backs,
to really show their skill. You gotta be able to
cover in that league. I mean you got to change
direction and do some things, and pass rushers as well,
and then offensive linemens. Some guys could develop as guards
(03:23):
or tackles in the league as well. Just you know,
given guys, young guys opportunities to play more is a benefits.
That's why I hope the UFL works out, because there
are going to be some guys that can emerge from
that and be big time helps in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
How much time do you and your brother spend talking
about quarterbacks?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Not as much anymore. We still do quite a bit
from time to time, but he's got his own show
now going on. But we we love talking football. It's
all we know. So that when we get together, we're
talking football, plays, protection, schemes, all that stuff, and that
we'll maybe swing a golf club but love the quarterback
position and study that.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
How's the golf game?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
It was going pretty good till to day. I played terrible,
but uh it's it's go all good. I'm about a
five and a cat four and a half, and oh,
I don't think I'll ever get in below that because
I'm not a good enough hunter. I don't make any huts,
but I can get around from t green pretty good.
I don't get a lot of doubles, but make a
lot of pars and bogies, an occasional birdie. If I
chip in, you beat John, Yeah, I beat him like
a drum. You know, got a new hip so I
(04:24):
can really beat it.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
I was thinking, you know, your brother really came on
the scene right with that crew in Green Bay and
farv and I remember talking to Marty morning Wig and
he's he thought far of as the best player he
ever saw during that stretch. And obviously from a physical
gift standpoint, you could argue, I mean, he was one
of the greatest, if not the greatest throwers of the
football is athleticism. But when I think about the quarterbacks
(04:48):
you've had, and even your brother, right success with rich
Gannon and then he coached Derek Carr. You had Andy
Dalton as the OC and Cincy and then you had
Kirk Cousins, you trade for Alec Smith. It's kind of
like you go the opposite the car with the quarterbacks
you like. Is that just that's just the timing where
you were at the time, what was available or did
you guys you specifically with Dalton, Cousins and Alex who
(05:11):
was really good before he got injured, were you guys
like six and two that year.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I mean we had two game lead to division and
he broke his leg, and then Colt mcgoy broke his
leg the next game after that, so we were down
to Josh Johnson. It was a rough stretch there for
about a year.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
So I guess the question is do you lean you
can deal with a little lesser arm quarterback if they're accurate,
or is that just the cards you were dealt in
those given situations.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Well, Cincinnati's really the only quarterback I picked me and
not myself, but Marvin Lewis and I spent a lot
of time in that draft. We had a second round
draft pick, and Blaine Gabbert was in that draft. Obviously,
Cam young Christian Ponder, Jake Locker was in that draft,
so we had to sit there in the second round.
We had to wait for any to fall. We're just
hoping to goodness that he would fall. I thought Seattle
(05:57):
was gonna take him at twenty nine, but they took
James Carpenter lineman and the other choice was Ryan Mout
or Colin Kaepernick. And I really wasn't too involved in
the zone reads and all that stuff at that time,
so I really needed somebody to come in and start
as a rookie because Christianer what's his name to the
quarterbacks that he wasn't coming back.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Carson Palm, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Carson Palmer said he was not coming back. No better.
So we had Jordan Palmer on the roster and Dan
lef Fever was all we had on the roster. So
we had to get a starter. So we had to
wait till the second round. And Andy was perfect because
he started four years at TCU. They had a lot
of different variances in their system. He was under center,
He's in a shotgun play action quick game. I understood protections,
and I knew that he could handle the offense at
(06:38):
a faster rate than anybody else. Because it's also the
strike shortened season, so we didn't have a training camp
or at OTAs in the offseason. We just had to
come to training camp, put the offense in. He had
to learn it and start from day one. So he
was perfect for us. When I got to Washington, we
obviously had Robert and Kirk, so they were my guys
that we had to develop. My job was to develop
Robert first, but as time went on, it was clear
(07:00):
that Kirk was the better pastor of the football and
understood the game a little bit better and was more healthy. Robert,
you know, after he broke his leg was never quite
the same. Probably, and then obviously when we lost Kirk,
I found out on Twitter, my son found on Twitter
we traded for Alex Smith. I have no idea. You know,
my son comes running, Hey, you guys, he's got Alex Smith.
I go, what what do we give up for him?
(07:22):
I guess a third round draft pick in Kendall Fuller
and Kendall Fuller's are starring Nickel.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Yeah, I wasn't happy about them. I loved Alex. I
loved coaching Kirk, but really Andy's the only one I
hand picked for myself, and that was really the only
guy left Forrest to hand pick.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Well, I think there's a lot there by the time,
let's start with cousins who this probably come out on Thursday.
But I had just had the big comeback. Do you
think he became a better player or was coming into
his own? Was he a different guy once he had
been in Minnesota a couple of years and the guy
we've seen probably the last three plus years pre Achilles
than the guy that you experienced, or as as he
(07:56):
looked the same to you.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
I think he looks the same. He's obviously he gained
more confidence than everything that he does. He's a perfectionist
when it comes to footwork and preparation, and he wants
to know exactly why plays are in and the timing, anticipation,
all that stuff. He's really good at that. I think
when Kirk really turned the corners, when he gained confidence
in himself. He was always second fiddle here. Everybody wanted
Robert Robert Robert, nobody ever talked about Kirk, and then
(08:20):
when the competition actually was going on, he still felt
second fiddle because the fans really wanted Robert to succeed
and they were kind of against Kirk all the way.
And then Kirk started playing good. Once I announced him
as a full time starter, he didn't have to look
over his shoulder. I think that's when he really took
a huge jump as far as his production and his
fear of not throwing interceptions and all that stuff. He
(08:42):
got rid of all that, just played the position and
really took over. We went nine to seven, went to
the playoffs. He had a fabulous year and helped me
get an extension. Then he went on his way, and
we went on our way.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
On the Cousins situation on Monday night, you know, they
struggled in the red zone in their couple trips and
just I mean, he's new to the team, but that
final drive, it's pretty clear in that situation when a
team has probably a buck forty plus kicking it out
of bounds, you get the ball at the thirty, you're
one pass away from being pretty close to midfield. And clearly,
(09:14):
you know, vic Fango, in my opinion, has been one
of the better defensive coordinators. I don't know for a
long time, but felt like they were pretty soft, you know,
and the safeties were way back, and those holes were
pretty easy for Kirk when they were not getting any
pass rush. What did you see on that final drive
that made it so easy for the Falcons that was
stealing candy from the baby?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
They ran our Nascar kindsted up with a spin and
the dagger behind it, and he hit the spin for
a game of ten and they come back to no
head and they played two deep Philadelphia in the corner
jumps a flat route like a like a rookie would do,
I guess, and they threw the Dan Bencher out right
over the top of for game about twenty five, and
then they played really soft. The one thing I think
(09:53):
had it been me is defensive corner. I know they
got a rookie corner out there, but the guy can't
really move right now. You got to bring some kind
of pressure, and they brought a four man rushing weren't
even getting close to him. And Kirk Cousins probably would
be the best seven on seven quarterback in the National
Football League. Is accuracy and anticipation and he can set
his feet and throw the ball. He is accurate as
all to get out, so you have to get him
(10:15):
off his spot. If you don't get him off a spot,
and he can step into a throw and see it,
there's nobody as accurate as Kirk. He proved that last night.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Yeah, that was That was a big time drive for
him early in the season with a new team. Going
back to the Dalton situation. Who's in the news this
week obviously is going to start. But I think it's
been talked a lot about with these rookie quarterbacks, the
logic of red shirtingham which doesn't really happen anymore, right,
and throwing them right into the fire. Dalton falls under
that category. Had played a ton clearly a mature guy,
(10:44):
kind of like a Dak Prescott or a Brock Purdy.
Not your normal rookie, is it safe to say. But
still there is a big transition period. Did you get
like you said, you just didn't really have a choice.
Is that an ideal situation? How do you attack that
from a coaching standpoint? Because do you see these I mean,
Caleb's really struggling getting crushed. Bo Nicks looks kind of
over his head right now, and Jaden's just kind of
(11:06):
running around.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Yeah, you know, it's tough. Everybody's different, every quarterback is different,
and then you have to protect them with the scheme.
And you look at some of these coaches calling these players.
They're throwing nine bubble screens a game. I'm like, dang,
challenging guy a little bit. But you know, Andy was
just a very bright guy. Another thing we had the
good fortune of we had a really good defense, and
I didn't feel the pressure to score every time we
had the ball or convert every third down. I'd ran
(11:30):
a draw sometimes on third and eight or screen of
the back or whatever it might be, and punted and
try to get the ball back, so we had really
good defense, Our special teams was good, and Andy did
not turn the ball over and kept us in games.
We won nine games this first year. He won ten
the second year and eleven or third year, and then
I got the job of Washington. So every quarterback is
different how they handle it. Andy was really well prepared
(11:50):
on protections and knew where to go with the football.
Not the most accurate guy all the time, but very
smart and handled a lot of information and did a
great job. Some of these quarterbacks, you know, they I
don't know if they can handle it or not. There's
so many different things nowadays. You know, in college they're
clapping their hands or looking at the sidewinds or doing
anything with protections. Now all of a sudden, they're might
trying to Mike point or not Mike point. I don't
(12:11):
know who's free. And it's just a long way to go,
a long process for these guys to get comfortable. They
want total knowledge of the position. Right now, I don't
think any of them are. I think they're just snapping
the ball, letting the center call everything, and then a
free rusher comes. He just throws it away or scrambles
so these guys have a long way to go, a
lot of talent, but you know, even some of the
(12:31):
second year guys are struggling. We just you know, saw
Will Evans every game he has a terrrible interception or
a fumble or something like that to cous his team. So, yeah,
these guys are struggling, but they just got to keep
playing until they get it.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
You bring up a pretty good point. Your Cincinnati teams
were really talented, good offensive line, you just drafted aj Green,
your defense was stacked. But Andy, I mean hit the
ground running, and you look at Bryce Young, unlike your
roster back in Cincinnati or the Niners or what Dak
took over pretty terrible. But on individual plays, Bryce looks,
(13:03):
I mean, let's face it, horrendous. So when you saw
that decision, he couldn't be any worse really through the
first two games, even independently of what's around him. Is
that you worked for a place where the owner had
a lot of opinions to getting involved. Clearly that's going
on in Carolina. What was your first reaction when you
saw that?
Speaker 2 (13:22):
I think it had to be done. You know, I
think when you look at a quarterback, you look at
his progress and what's he doing good? What can we
build on? And I didn't see one thing when it
comes to the quarterback position that you felt like you'd
get build on with Bryce. I mean, his arm talent
didn't look there, his decision making didn't look very good.
His his capability didn't look very good, his stature in a pocket,
his knowledge of the game thrown into coverage. There was
(13:43):
just nothing that I saw him getting better at. That's
the problem that I had with Bryce. He'd love to
see him Okay, he's getting rid of the ball quicker,
he's anticipating some throws, but he's taking sacks, he's missing throws,
he's throwing bubble screens in a dirt. There was just
really no redeeming quality. I think they had to do it.
I think the team you have to do that as
a coach. And very similar when I made the move
to Kirk. You know, the team sees the film, they're
(14:04):
watching the film, and if you don't make a move,
you're gonna lose respect in the locker room from your players.
And I think that's why I coach Canalis had to
make that move.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
So what happens now, does he just run the scout team,
do you treat it a little bit different than a
normal backup quarterback.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
I take it like a man and understand, Hey, I
didn't play very good. You know, he's got to he's
got to point the finger to himself first directly and
then get in the meeting room and continue to develop.
If and he gets hurt tomorrow or next weekend, he's
a back in the in the fire, so he's got
to continue to prepare himself like a pro. Understand that
he's very He's a young player still, and if you
look around in the league at some of these quarterbacks
like Baker Mayfield, he's on his fourth team already, so uh,
(14:38):
there's still time for him to develop. And he just
got to be patient in the process, believe in the process,
but really make himself better and understand the game.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
You talk about about Colt when he was there with
Alex and I think Cousins And then I get asked
this question a lot, and I think from just a
pure evaluation standpoint, from a scouting standpoint, like talent is
probably not the most important factor when you look at
a backup quarterback. You know your quarterback guy, OC head coach,
(15:09):
what do you look for in a backup quarterback beside
like what he's going to cost relatively or salary, all
things being equal, what's an ideal backup quarterback?
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Well, you have to make sure he's ready to go
and play if something happens. I have know first hand
quarterbacks get hurt all the time. You look at last year,
I think nineteen of them got hurt.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
So, yeah, sixty six guys played or something.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
That's number they got to play. But you also have
to have somebody that's knowledgeable of the game because he's
not going to get a lot of reps. He's not
going to get even in training camp. I want my
starter to get most of the rep I gotta get
him ready and he's going to have to learn based
on what he sees and when he comes into games
and have to be prepared. So you got to have
a guy that you know he's going to be prepared
and understand your system. Be supportive of the starter, help
(15:50):
you with some idea. Sometimes a lot of backup quarterbacks
like Colt, those guys had good ideas for third down
or red zoner play action passes, whatever it might be.
Just be involved in the process of teaching and working
with the starter, and when your time's ready, you better
be ready. And you got to count on that guy
to be ready despite hardly ever talking to him like okay,
this is you're always talking to the starter, but you're
(16:11):
talking to him as well, and he's got to understand
that and be ready. My first year Assistinnati Bruce gret
Cawsi was our backup. He was perfect, he was always
ready to go, very smart. He got called in the
first game against Cleveland, came in in the second half,
had a great odd ball to get us a first down,
and then threw a touchdown past to aj Green to
win it. So and always very supportive. Never ever was
(16:32):
there any controversy between the starter and the backup quarterback.
Everybody knew their place and that's important as well.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Would you say they'd have to be right there with
like the kicker and the punters, the lowest maintenance guy
in the building.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah, yeah, but they you don't want You want them
to be a little bit more active in helping the
receivers and young receivers and offensive linemen and all that stuff.
They they're like another coach on the field. You want
that type of backup in your building. That can really
help out and see the game in the big picture
and really help out and help the head coach. And hey,
you know, like I had Bruce and Colton, those guys
(17:06):
are great. They help out in lots of different areas,
not just playing quarterback and worrying about themselves.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
They really are a hybrid role, right coach player because
ideally they never take a snap.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Yeah that's ideally, you know, but they have a lot
of knowledge. You know, the quarterbacks usually one of the
smartest guys on the team, and they can help out.
And as a coach, you gotta you know, they'll help
you with the pulse in the locker room as well.
You know, they're not snitches, but they will help you
with the pulse of the locker. Hay, you know you're
a little too rough on these guys that they might
want to take a day off or go a little
lighter or whatever it might be. They have just a
(17:38):
great idea of the pulse of the locker room and
they're a big help in a lot of different areas.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
I got this question recently and I thought it was
pretty fascinating. As a head coach, whether you're calling the
plays or not, we often see the guys write little
notes throughout the game. What typically are you writing down
during the course of the sixty minutes.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
On the game plan? You're just writing down play that
you called, or what happened, or what coverages you might
have seen. Maybe percentage of coverages you're seeing on third down.
You know you have different categories on third and two
to five. Okay, we got mad on this one. We
got mad on this one, so you know they might
play their cover three on the next one or whatever.
Just little notes to yourself, or you're making notes on play,
(18:18):
like if you got a star player, you haven't got
them a ball yet. You got to try to find
the plays that are best suited to get him that ball.
And a lot of different things to getting right on.
Sometimes right down the referees name that guy just gave
you a bad call at guy's name is Bill. I'm
and to get after Bill and his next rife. You
know a lot of things you get right down on there.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Are you ever writing down like so and so looks terrible.
We got to make mention of this he's out of shape,
or this coverage is a bad.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Can't all do it? I used to take my phone
out there sometimes and make notes on my phone. People
think I was on the phone, but I would make
notes on that play to and walk through. We got
we gotta go over that protection scheme, or we got
to make sure we find a third corner because our
third corners aren't very good on special teams and they
can't run and things like that. Yeah, oh yeah, you
make those notes all the time as ahead coach.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Well, Jae, I appreciate you taking all the time, and
go have fun on the putting green. Work on that
putting stroke and you know you'll be breaking seventy five
before you.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Knowcome back to the claw. You know I went across.
I'm regular. I'm now on the claw. I don't know
what it mean.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Yeah, anytime you're on the claw, I know you got
a lot of things going through your head. On the
pudding shrup. Okay, Jay, thanks man, have a good one.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
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Speaker 1 (21:03):
Okay, the story of the day, Robert Salah gets fired,
and I think before we dive deep in any angle here, objectively,
he was a really really bad head coach. Nice guy
people like him. Was a good coordinator for the forty
nine ers, but as a head coach of the New
York Jets, wins and losses speak for themselves. He's twenty
(21:27):
and thirty six, and when you watch him, you constantly
ask yourself, what is he doing now? I was thinking
about it this morning, that certain guys, younger coaches, get
their opportunity and become a CEO head coach. And we've
pushed back on it over the years. A lot of
you guys say you're so anti CEO coaches. Look at Tomlin,
(21:51):
look at John Harbaugh. Well yeah, look at them. They
went to stable, well run, winning organization. We have a
long history. If you become the head coach for the
Pittsburgh Steelers, which only three guys have done over the
last like sixty years, you're gonna win. What about the
Baltimore Ravens Well John Harbaugh turns out he comes from
(22:15):
football royalty when it comes to coaching, as Jack Harball
produced to elite coaches, and he got to go work
for I don't know, Ozzie Newsom he inherited a team
with Ed Reed ray lewis not a bad spot. Robert
Sala went to a place that at a first time
(22:35):
general manager, an owner who most people that have been
around him, that have worked around him, that just know
about the Jets thinks an awful owner in the National
Football League doesn't mean he doesn't have money, doesn't mean
that he want fund certain things, but in terms of
like clearly pretty impulsive and when you work for him,
(22:57):
more than likely you're not gonna win. Because I think
there's a pretty consistent theme in the NFL that Robert Sala,
if he was going to have success as a head coach,
he could not have overcome this situation. You cannot overcome
poor ownership. Stefanski tried and eventually had bit him in
the ass because now that contract really kicks in. Godspeed Kevin.
(23:20):
Now Robert, you know, did not even make it to
this Monday Night Football game. Don't totally blame him, like
this wasn't gonna work. It simply was never gonna work.
And I was thinking about the GM. The reason that
Aaron Rodgers was on the team is because they had
the number two overall pick once upon a time, and
they've drafted over the last three or four years a
(23:42):
lot of really good players. They've been pretty good at personnel.
But they whiffed on Zach Wilson. Now, if you wanted
to argue, well, who else should they have picked? Trey Lance,
He's even worse than Zack Wilson, justin fields that wouldn't
have worked with the Jets. Mac Jones career backup. Yeah,
the options weren't good, but he's paid to know that
(24:03):
and he's paid to not screw that up. So yeah,
Robert Salah has been bad. But they are in this
situation because Joe Douglass essentially had to go to the
blackjack table with all the money he had and choose
to put it on black or red to save this situation.
That's what he attempted to do because the Zach Wilson,
(24:24):
the quarterback situation for the team blew up in his face,
and because of this weird situation of Aaron Rodgers and
the Packers him getting kind of butt hurt that they
brought in Jordan Love even though they paid him a
bunch of money, and I'm acting weird. And then he
finally wants a trade. It's like, yeah, he's available, but
he's also thirty nine years old. In the last year
(24:45):
that he played for the Packers didn't go that well,
and the previous year one of the best teammates he's
ever had in terms of a player, said like, I
need to get out of here because I don't think
this guy's going to be around anymore in Devonte Adams.
So it was kind of getting weird. So you were
banking on Aaron Rodgers to essentially save your reputation and
(25:05):
save your coach's job because you were headed toward disaster.
And when you put whatever amount of money, if it's
all the money you have on black or red, yeah
it could hit and it could double your money. If
you got one hundred thousand dollars to go buy put
for a down payment on a home, you could walk
right into casino put it on red. If that thing hits,
(25:27):
you got two hundred k. But if that thing misses,
you got nothing, and it turns out the risk with
this player given what you have surrounding him in terms
of Robert Salah, and then when you get Aaron Rodgers,
he forces you to hire a specific offensive coordinator. It's
always going to come up the opposite color. And this
(25:48):
was attempting to put a band aid on a bullet hole.
And Aaron Rodgers at thirty nine forty years old, is
simply not good enough to cover this up. Think about
Tom Brady, the most recent all time great quarterback to
change teams, and he was a little older than Aaron. Now,
unlike Aaron, his game wasn't predicated on moving around. But
(26:10):
he got to go to Tampa, who you could argue
had not been well, they had not made the playoffs
in like a decade. But he did inherit some random
Tampa Bay coach. He got Bruce Arians, a guy who'd
proven to be pretty damn good. Well, Bruce is an
offensive guy, so what's pretty important for an offensive coordinator?
Just like Robert sala the opposite side of the ball,
(26:32):
he's a defensive coordinator, Hire someone because you're gonna have
nothing to do with that side of the ball. Who's
Bruce arians Boy, Todd Bowles. So when Tom Brady signed
that contract in Tampa Bay, obviously he was viewed as
the savior, just like Aaron Rodgers. But he was inheriting,
like the Jets, good players, but a really, really good
(26:53):
coaching staff. Aaron Rodgers did not. Aaron Rodgers inherited a
head coach in Robert Salad that you'd never say never,
But he's not going to be a head coach for
the foreseeable future. And no team, college or pro will
ever dream. And if they did wake up from that dream,
it would be considered a nightmare of making Nathaniel Hackett
(27:15):
their offensive coordinator. And this isn't personal, Like I don't
know the guy. Hell, I wanted to root for him,
bald guy UC Davis, like that's where he went to school,
It's where I grew up. But you just he's just terrible.
He is not good at his job. And that listen.
He's not alone. There are a lot of football coaches
in the NFL and in college who are stealing because
(27:37):
these jobs pay so much money, and most of them
are glorified pe teachers. They wouldn't sniff any job making
a quarter of what these guys course a tenth. Nathaniel
Hacket's probably making one point five two million dollars to
be the offensive coordinator with the New York Jets. It's
(27:58):
like he's looking golful at his job. So in no
other spot in the private sector could you be that
bad at your job, make that much money and hold
a position. But the one thing Nathaniel Hackett is going
for him is that the quarterback fights him. That's the reason.
That's his job security. So if in the next couple
of days he's gone, it's clear that the quarterback turned
(28:18):
on him, like the quarterback turned on Robert Solow. I
don't totally buy him. Robert Sala was completely over his head.
Every time Robert Solo went to the podium, he found
himself a foot in his mouth And listen, I talked
for a living. I enjoy coaches that will say some shit.
It makes my job easier. But I also understand when
Belichick or Andy Reid goes up to the podium and
(28:40):
says nothing. What do they benefit from for saying things?
Belichick said it the other day, like, listen, we're obviously
thinking one thing, but in what world would it benefit me?
My team, my players, the coaching staff to go up
there and say it's a cadence issue, especially when you
(29:01):
know cadence is one of Aaron Rodgers bread and butter.
It's such a BP fastball to go, you know what,
We're gonna have to take a look at this. We'll
meet and talk about it the next couple of days
and work on into practice. We feel pretty comfortable that
we'll be able to get it figure out. And he
could have do he could do that all the time,
but he never chose to do that. He always would say, oh,
(29:22):
he's in Egypt. Oh this is going on, Zach Wilson, Ah,
this is happening. And he always felt that he was
stepping in it. And why does that happen because a
guy is not ready for the job. And we have
all been put in position I would imagine in jobs
we weren't quite ready for. That's part of life. I mean,
(29:44):
that's part of moving on up in the world. But
when you get put into a position where you're the boss,
like you're not middle management, you don't have a couple
of people answering to you, like the entire organization is
looking at you, and you are unprepared and you don't
know how to handle it. You got no shot, and
you definitely got no shot when you're with an organization
(30:05):
as dysfunctional and as you know, losing and failure is
now interwoven within the Jets. It's part of the culture.
Like they also play in New York, where there's some
other teams. The Yankees, who I was watching the game
last night, might lose the Royals. They easily could, and
then it'll be like Aaron Boon, they can never win. True,
(30:25):
they're not winning in the playoffs, but I do think
there's some merit to what Billy Bean said a long
time ago, like baseball's kind of random. My shit doesn't
always work in the playoffs. Like I know this. I
watch the Yankees. They're in the fucking playoffs every year.
They're pretty good. They kind of know what they're doing.
Are they gonna beat the Royals who knows it's baseball?
Are they gonna win the next round against the Guardians?
I don't know. I mean, does they have a couple
(30:47):
bad pitching outings, does judges back go cold for three weeks?
But I feel pretty comfortable as a whole the Yankees
are gonna be fine. I have zero faith that the
Jets are gonna be fine, Absolutely none, And like if
Olbrick gives them a little life, they'll probably lose against
the Bills. Who they hire, like who's coming in here?
(31:08):
You know? Will they hire William Belichick? He clearly despises
this organization. I don't think there's any amount of money
they could pay him to get him to accept this job.
But like this, ultimately, if we look at the last
couple of years from Zach Wilson to the trade with
the Packers, like this moment this morning, this is the Jets.
(31:31):
This is who this franchise is. They are much much
closer to the Raiders than they are the Ravens, the Chiefs,
or the Bills. I mean, let's just call a spade
or spade that their owner is just a more wealthy
East Coast version of the Raiders. Well well, well, Belichick
(32:05):
to North Carolina. I was thinking about I think about
this a lot, the importance, and I've benefited greatly from this,
the just when you say the word timing and timing
being on your side, It's benefited me personally, you know,
in a professional way greatly, and obviously some of the
(32:26):
great business stories in the history of America, from Steve
Jobs to Jeff Bezos to Elon. Timing has been a
huge part of their success. Like Tesla doesn't exist if
it's nineteen eighty, but he has the idea. The way
everything's worked, you know, I would say economically where some
of these states are moving, you know, in terms of
(32:47):
what they're pushing. It benefited him. He got huge tax
breaks from California to build this and start his company,
and it helped lead Tesla into just great, great, of
very fruitful time. Obviously, Jeff Bezos starts a company that
is selling books online. Well, part of the idea behind
(33:08):
that was he realized the brick and mortar was in trouble,
and then as time went he adapted his company and
now they sell everything. But it really wouldn't have worked
without I don't know, the Internet, which changed the game.
Think of Apple, Like you could argue the most important
invention of my lifetime, like the car, the wheel, fire lights,
(33:30):
all that shit was already invented by before I was born. Definitely,
the most impactful one has to be this phone, which
they clearly have a market share on. Right if you
sit down with one hundred people, I would say close to.
It's shocking when you don't see one of them having
an iPhone. Now, obviously it wouldn't be one hundred percent,
but I would guess if you just grabbed one hundred people,
(33:52):
that number is much closer to ninety than it is seventy,
and potentially closer to one hundred than it is eighty.
So I've benefited from that what I'm doing now. When
I got out of radio, if it would have been
nineteen ninety three, this would not have existed. I couldn't
have done a radio show, which are podcasts. Obviously that
(34:14):
is different, but in create a studio from my home,
it wouldn't have been possible, partly because the Internet didn't exist.
I wouldn't have been able to distribute it. You wouldn't
have been able to find me. I remember the first
time I heard who Chris Russo and Mike Francessa were,
and I started listening to them on the internet. Well
when I was a kid, when they were crushing it
in New York in the late nineties. I was a
(34:35):
sports radio junkie, but you didn't have access to people
outside of your market. You didn't even know who they were.
I remember the first time I ever saw Jim Rome's picture,
I'm like, that's what he looks like. Imagine now listening
to someone in an audio form and not knowing what
they look like. The access we have to a visual
(34:55):
of what a guy looks like is so easy. You
google them, you go to their Instagram account, basically pull
up their podcast to their picture. When I was a kid,
you listened to the radio, You had no clue what
anyone looked like in talk radio. Obviously musicians you did.
And timing has changed the world right when it comes
to Internet and the businesses associated with the Internet. Well,
(35:15):
when you look at North Carolina like they benefited a
lot from they're one of the only jobs open right
now that has a lot of money behind them. And
Bill Belichick clearly was looking ahead and realizing, I'm probably
not going to get an NFL job, or it's not
worth the risk of I might only have one or
two interviews and there's no guarantee. Im So the old
(35:38):
adage of bird in the hand is better than two
in the bush, and he jumped at it. But there
is no disputing that North Carolina historically is not a
great college football job. It's not bad. It's had its moments.
But when you think of top I don't know forty
college football jobs, I don't even think you would Listen,
North Carolina. Now the world has changed with nil. There
(36:00):
is a giant elephant in the room with a massive
job potentially opening Ryan Day after he lost to Michigan. Listen,
there were already some question marks. Regardless of what the
media wanted to tell you. Once he lost that game,
no one surrounded with that program, alumni, booster or people
working as chancellors, board of directors or athletic directors could
(36:20):
look at the guy the same. They just can't. He's
got a game here in about eight nine days at
home against Tennessee. If he loses that game, you can't
convince me that they wouldn't rather have Bill Belichick than
Ryan Day coaching. Though, here's the problem. You can't fire
Ryan Day today because you still have this game. But
there is a very very good chance that if he
loses that game, you're like, we would have easily fired
(36:42):
him for Bill Belichick. Now, we'll see as the information
comes out. Was a huge sticking point for Bill making
his son the coach in waiting. I don't have this
information at the time I'm recording this. But even if
they wouldn't, you can't convince me if Bill goes because
he's willing to take a college job. Obviously he literally
just did. He's cool with it. He's all in that
he wouldn't have taken Ohio State, and Ohio State people
(37:04):
wouldn't want him over Ryan Day. Because what is the
big question mark right now with Ohio State. It's not money,
It's not a nil. I just read a report that
North Carolina. One of their sales pitches the bill was
we'll go from four to five million nil. We'll get
that bad boy up to twenty. Ohio State paid twenty
this year. Without blinking an eye, I saw the print
out of the highest paid coaches assistant coaches this year
(37:26):
in college football.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Two of them won.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
Ohio State staff Chip Kelly makes two million dollars and
their defensive coordinator makes about two and a half, so
as two coordinators make NFL coordinator money. And they also
have a wide receiver coach who's the recruiting coordinator making
well over a million. So in terms of staff budget,
in terms of nil, and in terms of prominence standing
everything surrounded with it, Ohio State has it all part
(37:50):
of taking the North Carolina job is Bill, There's gonna
be some effort. Bill's going to have to put in
to get the top players. Even with nil and you
can sign the biggest checks, but it's still gonna take
some time. Ohio State recruits itself. That has never been
an issue my entire life. They've always got the best players.
You give them, Bill Belichick, because the question mark with
the program has been toughness, physicality. Where do they wilt
(38:10):
when they play Michigan? Why because they're just not as tough.
It's not in their souls, not in their ethos. What
do you say when you think Bill Belichick, you think defense?
That is truly his baby, building a program of tough guys. Honestly,
when you think his offense, same thing. Tom Brady an
underrated intangible, he asked, tough motherfucker, Julian Edelman, Logan Mankins,
(38:33):
Rob Gronkowski, all the guys they had in the early
the iteration in the early two thousands, tough guys North Carolina.
I don't know how good he's gonna be, Like, I
think their team's gonna be, you know, above five hundred
next year. But I'm not predicting they're making the playoffs
or anything. I think in the next couple of years
they are going to be something to be reckoned with.
(38:53):
But if you put him at Ohio State next year, like,
what is honestly Bill's biggest advantage. He's smarter at foot everybody.
Maybe Andy Reid's probably the one guy now who's elevated
to his level, but Bill's ex's no's ability at every
position is better than everybody. When you watch Ryan Day,
it's like, well, he's a pretty good passing game guy,
but the rest of the team defense little hit or
(39:15):
miss toughness, definitely hit her miss, and it's like the
running game since urban Meyer left has just not been
the same, and it's not because of players. So I
wonder if Ohio State and listen, there's nothing they could do.
It's just kind of bad timing. They were a week
away of why wouldn't they immediately call this guy? Can
we fire Ryan Day and hire this guy? The problem is,
as of December eleventh, it would be difficult to fire
(39:38):
Ryan Day, And I think timing wasn't on their side
because I wonder if this was a little different that
you know, if Bill was willing, and there's some pressure
on Bill to take this job because recruiting the transfer
portals open. If he was a week away, then he
could be the head coach at Ohio State. And even
if they wouldn't acquiesce to your son's the coach and
(39:58):
waiting well Bill went a national championship, they'd probably let
him do whatever he wants. You want to make Steve
the next coach. They literally just did it with Urban Meyer.
Ryan Day had never done a shit. He'd been a
position coach coordinator kinda you know, before he got to
Ohio State a couple of years with Urban boom, he's
the head coach. So if Belichick were to win a
title with is what Urban did, they'd be cool with
(40:21):
letting him hand it off. They literally just did it,
and for their standards, they wish it was a little better.
Still not bad, but I wonder if you're an Ohio
State fan, you go, God, couldn't we just ahead Belichick?
If I told you right now, if you're an Ohio
State fan, would you fire Ryan Day today? Even going
into this playoffs to hire Belichick even if it meant
(40:42):
losing to Tennessee. Of course, you wouldn't because the reality
is you might lose that game anyway, and then you'll
probably be stuck with the guy for another year. And
if I also told Michigan, or definitely, if I told
Michigan Charon Moore, the ad and everyone associated with that program.
If I told Penn State and James Frank, if I
told Oregon, if I told Alabama, if I told Georgia,
(41:03):
would you rather play Ryan Day or would you rather
play Bill Belichick? Would it take them a second or
two seconds to answer that question? So massive day for UNC.
And if I was an Oho State fan, I'd be like,
so Pelichick's cool with coming to college, Like he's actually
doing the jump and we're stuck with Ryan Day and
(41:23):
Chip Kelly and we might lose it home in a
week to Tennessee. After Michigan just beat us, when their
quarterback through for sixty yards, it's gotta suck. Talk to
you guys soon. The volume
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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