January 3, 2025 • 47 mins
In the first hour, Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain chat with Hugh Millen about the end of the Seahawks season coming up, Geno Smith’s future, and Demond Williamns, then discuss the Mariners before John Canzano reacts to Oregon’s blowout Rose Bowl loss.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
As part of our never ending coverage for the twelfth
Man in the NFL. This is Football Fridays with Hugh
Millin sponsored by Tito's Handmade Vodka Tito's on game Day
Orme and coach fine cocktail recipes for the everyday fan
at Titos Vodka dot Com. Forty percent alcohol by volume,
namely eighty proof, crafted to be savored responsibly.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Now with you, here's SOFTI and dig All right, here.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
We go a short show for us on a Friday night.
Congratulations to Texas State with their legendary win in the
first Responder ball over North Texas thirty twenty eight. We'll
keep an eye on that Duke's Mayo ball Virginia Tech Minnesota.
No score lay first quarter from that one. But joining
us right now on a Friday night. Cannot imagine a
Friday night without this guy. It's our friend, Huey Millan.
(00:47):
How are you, man?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
What's happening? Boys? I'm well, yeah, good to have you
on the show.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
So this Sea Hawk game, before we talk dogs, before
we talk CFP, before we talk rose Bull sun ball
targeting in the Arizona State Texas game. A lot to
get to Dick and I and Jackson. I think all
three of us are on the same page. Interest level
in the Seahawk game is in negative territory. I mean,
you know how I feel about preseason games. At least
(01:14):
at least preseason games you can look forward to the
regular season starting in a few weeks. There ain't no
regular season because it's over on Sunday and everybody's sitting
out for the Rams. A ton of guys around the
NFL are sitting out. What's your intrigue level for the
Seahog game on Sunday?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Man very low.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
I'm probably gonna be more ticked off watching it. You know,
there's there's millions of dollars in the balance in terms
of incentives for some of these players. That kind of
irks me. And you know, it's just kind of repeated mediocrity,
and you know, the sex appear to be stuck on
(01:54):
a little bit of a of a lull in that regard.
I mean, you know, for John Schneider, who has had
fifteen drafts, you look, there's ten Pro Bowl players in
the first seven years and five Pro Bowl players the
next eight years. That the in the Schneider era the
first seven years, nine playoff wins the next eight years
(02:19):
one playoff win. So it's heavily loaded. And I just
look at that twenty ten to twenty twelve draft where
there's eight Pro bowlers. You drafted the whole back seven,
and then you made moves Chris Kremens, Michael Bennett, Cliff Averril,
Alan Brands, Tony McDaniel. I mean, you did the defensive
line through free agency and trades. Just remarkable piece of
(02:43):
talent acquisition and roster construction. And it was the basis
for the legion in a boom, the only defense in
the history of football to have four straight years leading
the NFL and fewest points allowed. And I'm like, where's
that John Schneider. So I'm Libeldy be just kind of
salty watching the game, just one man.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
Salty is a great word.
Speaker 6 (03:05):
Vexing is a great word to describe how I've felt
about this team, particularly on offense, all season long. Hue,
I'm going to give you some numbers that I got
from Athletic today. Seahawks are twenty third points for drive,
that's the lowest in seven years, twenty first in EPA
per play, that's the lowest in twelve years. Twentieth or
lower in EPA per drop back, red zone efficiency, success
(03:27):
rate on running back carries, third down conversions, and goal
line efficiency. Compartmentalize why all those things happened. Help me
understand why all those things happen.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
And this was truly the.
Speaker 6 (03:38):
Worst Seahawk offense, maybe in a decade plus.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Well, I think that the interior of that offensive line
is I hate to use the word worst, but that's
the worst part of the football team. And I think
you kind of came on a little bit, Charles Cross.
I don't you certainly know Walter Jones is the ninth
overall pick. I don't think he's even Russell o'coun but
Abe Lucas came on. But I still have real concerns
(04:07):
about what's happened in the middle of that offensive line.
I think Gino's got his problems. I mean, look, I've
got numbers here. We can go through two segments of
these numbers. But you know, red zone completion percentage twenty
seventh in the league of Gino, red zone rating, passer
rating thirty fourth, you know third down I was going
(04:28):
through a whole correlation stats. We'll do this as we
break down the season. Because I want to get one
more game. But that the third down difference differential was
the eight to ninety five correlation. I've got hundreds of
stats and I put a correlation function on him to
see what correlates to winning. Third down differential is just
about as high as it can be. And here the
(04:49):
Seahawks offense are at thirty fourth. So so I.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Think Geno.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
In situational football has got to be better and hopefull
an offensive line can give him a running game, better
protection and if he in fact is the quarterback, but
I would lay it at the feet there.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Do you think if you're Mike McDonald and John Schneider
and you're evaluating your coaching staff, do you see they
see what you see? First and second, meaning offensive line play,
quarterback play, offensive coordinator third, in maybe that order. Do
you think Ryan Grubb is in any real danger of
(05:28):
losing his job?
Speaker 4 (05:30):
I don't know just how itchy Mike McDonald is in
that regard. We saw him with his inside linebackers. You know,
Dotson and Baker, they weren't long on the job. As
soon as there was the decision that they weren't doing
the job, Damn, they're both gone.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
So would it shock me if Grubb was released. No,
it wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
I don't think that he will be Nor do I
think that that would be prudent, because I do think
that you need to see it for another year. I
do think that Ryan Grubb will be better next year.
Remember now, he's a rookie and I think he's a
smart guy that has a good grasp of offense. I
(06:14):
was a little disappointed. I thought i'd see more, particularly
in light of the fact that the Seahawks last game
was six to three, and there's all kinds of problems
that you know, they didn't throw the ball outside the
numbers and YadA YadA. So yeah, I'm disappointed like you,
But I think that he will be the coordinator for
the Seahawks. If it was me making the decision, I
would bring him back if for you know, and one
(06:36):
one big reason for that is it's harder to have
continuity in the offense if you just if you want
to wipe the slate clean, bring in another guy. He's
gonna have his own terminology and what have you. And
now you're looking at another setback. I would say, give
Greub one more year before we start having this discussion.
Speaker 6 (06:54):
Well, Greb was asked today what the running game needs
to take a few steps forward for now season, and
he gave a long paragraph. I actually sent it to
you can read it when you get a chance. But
I agree with the first response to Bob Candota's tweet,
just says was hoping for a bit of ownership of
the problem from him. He didn't mention him at all.
(07:15):
He mentioned lack of physicality, He mentioned just about everything
but him. Now, to his defense, when he was asked
about the lack of running game of the Giants game,
he did fall on the sword and says that was
on me. So it's not like he hasn't taken any
ownership of the run game this year. But what percentage
of the running games struggles should fall on Ryan grubbs
(07:36):
shoulders this year?
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah? And by the way, offensive line win rate pass
block win rate, the Seahawks offensive line is twenty first,
run block win rate they are twenty eighth in the league.
So we're talking about some real problems here. And I
always would favor a coach in those situations. You're kind
(07:58):
of eulogizing the season, and I think you need to
include yourself first, and so I agree with you. I
think from a leadership standpoint, he should mention himself. But
but I look, I think the backs, particularly K nine,
I think that if you give him anything, he's a
top shelf back. I think he can be a top
ten back in this league. I think he probably had
(08:21):
his worst year that I've seen because there was more
times where I thought there might have been something there
that he didn't get.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
But I still believe in him.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
You know, look, they've tried to be creative. I mean,
they've done traps, they've done gap scheme, they've done pin
and poll, they've done inside zone, outside zone, They've tried
a lot of different things, and you know, generally you're
just finding that they're not getting the movement they need
to create the running angle so that the running backs
can come a little bit more downhill. So I still
(08:51):
put it more on the offensive line, particularly the middle three.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yep. But but you.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Know that's problem with Snider. We talked last week that
since he's been on the job twenty ten, the Seahawks
are in the top three, and both number of offensive
linemen drafted and the draft value chart a lot of
to linemen if they haven't ignored the situation.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
They just haven't been successful addressing it.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Well, you've got a guy in Geno Smith who's got
I think it's what about six million bucks and incentives
on the line in this game on Sunday against the Rams.
And by the way, here just answer your question that
money would go against the cap next year. By the way,
would just be added to his cap number for next season.
So it's not a huge concern. Obviously, they can find
a way to work around that. It's not gonna blow
their salary cap to Kingdom come. But why are you
(09:42):
intrigued by that? Why are you intrigued by the incentives
that Geno Smith could hit on Sunday?
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Well, I just want to look, I really want to
give him the benefit of the doubt, and really I do,
sincerely I do. But it does make me pause at
how the last three games his completion percentage has been
really high in these games as he's climbed this over
(10:08):
to get the two million. And when I throw on
the tape against the Bears and I see Gino not
just turning down DK plays. I could show you a
dagger to Tyler Lockett and I'm like, dude, the light
ain't getting any greener. And you know, against Green Bay
he was seventy nine percent, Minnesota seventy two percent, Chicago
seventy four percent. That has put him up in the area.
(10:31):
He's got three hundred and eighty seven completions on five
hundred and fifty one attempts. If he had three eighty four,
just three less, he would be under that threshold. And
some people do crossword puzzles for metal. I do silly spreadsheets.
So I want to ask you, guys, and I just
did a silly spreadsheet real quick earlier this afternoon. Give
me a number of pass attempts that Gino's going to have,
(10:55):
and I'll tell you how many he has.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
To complete to get the two million.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Give me any number, thirty two, thirty two, all right,
well thirty at thirty two, he's got to have twenty
completions and that will get him the money.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Nineteen won't, Okay? All right?
Speaker 4 (11:11):
So I just and and look that that correlation completion
percentage compared to twenty five, thirty to fifty other stats.
The correlation of completion percentage is certainly positive, but it's
of moderate There's much more, you know, yards per attempt,
(11:31):
and and when a guy is is thirty fourth in
in uh air yards, and there was another one out
of forty three in terms of of aggression. There's a
next generation stats has an aggression statistic and he was
(11:52):
in the bottom fourth of that. And then here's the
one that really got me. Out of forty three quarterbacks,
air yards to sticks, that's their terminology, what does that mean?
The percent you are throwing to a potential first down?
Gino is fourth worst out of forty three qualifying quarterbacks
(12:13):
in terms of his willingness to try and throw the
football to try and get a first down. So these
checkdown Charlie stuff is how you get six points. It
may be how you get two million. Good for you,
but it's not gonna be enough. And I, again, I
really want him, give them the benefit of the doubt.
But I do find those stats. What his completion percentage
(12:37):
has been in conjunction with what you watch on the
All twenty two tape, it does invite questioning about this.
So I don't like it, and I guess he's a
good guy. I guess I want him to get his
two million, But in a bigger picture, I'm a lot
more concerned about the Seattle Seahawks than I am Gino Smith,
(12:57):
and I want the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks to
have some stones and get that ball down the field
where appropriate. You know, I watched Sam Donald in the
preparation for the Vikings game. I couldn't believe how this
guy's hanging in the pocket and whistling that thing down. Now,
he's got great receivers, I get it, But the Seahawks
receivers are pretty damn good too. And Sam Donald's you know,
when you he just dwarfs all these stats about air
(13:20):
yards and to sticks, he is he is just you know,
you know, a laser in that thing down the field,
and he shows up in the stats, it shows up
on the tape. I'm a little disappointed in Dino and
that Geno in that regard. And that's one of the
reasons why we're talking about Week eighteen and a game
that has all the intrigue of a preseason game.
Speaker 6 (13:38):
Well, DK Metcalf needs sixty one yards just to get
to a thousand in a seventeen game season. I understand
he didn't play all seventeen games. We played a vast
majority of the season. I'm just wondering why DK Metcalf
isn't given a chance to touch the ball before the
defenders get to him. And what I mean by that
is a more more debo esque, you know, throw it
out in the flat to him when he's behind the
(14:00):
line of scrimmage. Toss it to him in the backfield. Hell,
run him on a dive once in a while, run
him on a reverse like why why doesn't DK get
the ball to utilize his unbelievable physicality and speed before
he gets covered?
Speaker 2 (14:14):
I would do that. I agree with that.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
I think that he's a victim of some of his
physical traits sometimes, Dick, because he's such a good blocker
on the perimeter that he's asked to do a lot
way more than Tyler or Jackson Smith and Jig but
both in the running game and in the wide receiver
screen game, and then and then with his speed, he's
asked to clear out, Uh, be the clear out guy
and and and take two defenders?
Speaker 2 (14:37):
What did one?
Speaker 4 (14:38):
And now it was Chris Collinsworth. Why happened to think
is the best color guy in the business. He said,
he said, DK is like what he say was like
the sun Dave. What did he say? Is like like
like it has its own gravity.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Yeah, exactly right, Yeah, yeah, he creates his own gravity.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Yeah yeah, now he did.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Collinsworth doesn't use that type of graphic language with every receiver,
but he watched enough tape and uh and and now
that he owns Pro Football Focus, he's become a much better,
better analyst and and he's trying to tell us this
is unique in terms of a guy that that again
creates his own magnetism to defenders. And Seattle was number
two in the is number two in the NFL. And
(15:16):
turners of their offense garnering cover six. Cover six is
roll one side and then free acts to free access
to the other. Well, they're rolling to DK meaning safety
over the top, and they're given free access to Tyler
and Jackson Smith and Jigba. And that's one of the
reasons why js N has had such a great season.
And you know, for those who think, well we don't
need DK, js N is the new guy.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
What happens to be caff is playing somewhere else next year. Yeah,
well then now you're now you're doing all the rolling
on j s N.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
And who's the guy I mean young, I mean like
like yeah, so so hard pass on the on that
line of thinking.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
But but Dick, yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
In fact, that'd be the one thing if if I
if you told me, oh Man, they whacked Ryan Grubb,
that might be the one reason why I wouldn't cry over.
I think Ryan Grubbs a good dude, smart guy guy,
and I think he deserves to be the OC in
twenty twenty five if he wants that job.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
We haven't even talked about. Hey, does he want to
come back? Right? Assume he does. I don't have any
nobody's told me any reason why he wouldn't.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Maybe he wants to go back to tuscal LUSI pssible
more save his bacon down there.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Hey, let's get a break.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
We'll talk a little more about the Hawks, but I
want to shift over to college football. The Huskies have
a new DC and they may have a new star
at quarterback, Hugh and Demon Williams. We're get to all
that with Humling next on a Busy Friday on ninety
three three KJRFM.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Now back to.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
The Washington State Beat Commissions Football Friday with Softie and
Dick on your home for the NFL Sports Radio ninety
three point three.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
kJ r FM. All right.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
John Canzano, by the way, he's gonna join us about
six oh five or so. I will ask him where
the Oregon loss and the Roles ball ranks on the
all time disappointment meter of Oregon football history. They've had
BCS championship games, national championship games before, and I got
to think this one's up there. Man, so well, we'll
(17:14):
get to that coming up six oh five. But here
Mala Marine joins us and Hugh. I want to just
get your thoughts on the sun Ball. Demon Williams obviously
was a star, there's no question about that. What did
you make of the way number two played against Louisville
on Tuesday?
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Man, well, I saw what everybody else saw.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Just a spectacular athlete, just a live wire, and he
we had not seen that type of passing nobility. I
think he's got a beautiful motion he's been liking to
Kyler Murray. Kyler Murray has that big wind up baseball
wind up. This kid, Demond, you know, holds the ball
right his chest, the ball comes up and out. I
(17:53):
think his release is much quicker the pick six. I
think that was a show of grit and you know,
just poise and confidence to come back from that. I
don't think that was on uh on Demond, Well, it
was obviously on Demon, but I think there was poor
structure to the play where the balls on the right hash.
(18:14):
The wide receiver to the far left for Demon was
so wide that when they ran the mess concept meaning
the shallow cross is trying to pick the corner on
the backside. Even though he's in man coverage, he could
see the crossing route coming from Donzel Boston, who had
a tight split. The communication would have been, hey, look
out for that. And so I think that they'd be
(18:34):
better off just running the widest receiver up the sideline,
clear him out like a lot of teams do on
mesh or or reduce the split. So uh, but that
but that that that really just pales. I've I've got
notes written on these touchdown passes. I think it was
a thing of beauty. And he's a guy that you
can build around, for sure. I mean he is. He
(18:54):
is such a problem in terms of of his his
playing script that when you watch, for example, that second
touchdown pass that was thrown at exactly four point zero seconds,
Giles Jackson ran a deep over. He got up on
that safety and he made his break at twenty yards
(19:16):
and he was off the ball, so really twenty one
to twenty two yards, So DeMont has a lot of time.
He didn't just drop straight back. He did a five
step drop and got behind the right tackle to buy
some time. But what you see on the pass rush
repeatedly on a lot of the plays is teams like
Kyler Murray, they're so fearful of being aggressive that they
(19:38):
want to kind of do a muddle rush where they
don't leave the escape pasches open so it's slower. So
you're going to see a lot of times where Demon
Williams's ability to escape out of the pocket is going
to slow down the pass rush. And you can have
concepts like where you're saying, whoa dude, that's a seven
(20:00):
on seven play. You're tell me, Dallas Jackson is gonna
run twenty two yards down the field before he breaks
to the far corner. Yeah, that's great in seven on seven. Well,
guess what when you have a guy like Demon Williams
who can influence the pass rush, you can do those
type of things that happened in the second touchdown, also
in the third touchdown in the second half, identical play. Now,
he didn't quite get to twenty yards. It was more
(20:21):
like sixteen before he broke. But this is a real
factor of how Demond williams athleticism is going to impact
even the pass walking.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Well, I'm having a tough time containing my excitement for
this kid. You.
Speaker 6 (20:34):
I mean, I'm just I'm about ready to just go
out of control for Demon Williams. I mentioned the word
heisman a couple of months ago, and then Jed Fish
mentioned it after the game.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
I mean, is this is this truly.
Speaker 6 (20:45):
Somebody that we can see in New York in the
next twenty four months.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
Well, I think you can a couple things about that game.
First of all, Louisville was playing with their third string quarterback.
They had their number one defensive end. It was preseason
All American, All Conference, he was opting out. They had
a thousand yard wide receiver. When I watched that tape,
I couldn't believe how bad Louisville's defense was. There was
(21:14):
guys running wide open, not just on the touchdowns. It
was really bad. And there was no pass rush. I mean,
he Demon Williams had all this space, so that lou
I don't know, you know, Louisville. I know they had
a decent season that was not a good louis good
good Louisville team. So I would say there there for him.
(21:34):
I would challenge him. If I was coaching him, I
would say, listen, your god given ability. We're never gonna
newter that. Use that, but don't let that be your
only toolbox, because you had to use your mind to
know where your checkdowns are, have a not a good
but a great understanding of where blitzes are coming from,
(21:55):
and and how to beat the blitz and uh and
then and then you know, I've got a list to
four conspicuous minuses. I don't know if we have the
time to get to it, but like you know, he
got hung up on a simple hank concept where the
tight end over the ball is getting squeezed by the
inside linebackers. On that concept, you got two hooks. It's
(22:15):
a real simple concept. Go to that hook to the right.
He's wide open. And on what I would call a
deep hank concept. And for those coaches out there, there's
things that he should and I really expect him to
improve on. But if you watch that tape, if you
wanted to be skeptical, you'd say Louisville was trash, and
(22:37):
you know there's a handful of things that he needs
to clean up in terms of his awareness of where
to go with the football.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
Well, I like the way you put it. He's got
a chance to be a problem in every game they play.
He's got a chance to be the best player on
the field, and a lot of games they play next year.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
But it is tired.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
A brand new defensive coordinator, Ryan Walters is a former
safety at Colorado. He's gonna be thirty nine years old
in eighteen days. He was the head coach at Purdue
for two years. Dick mentioned his defense at Illinois two
twenty two, he was number one in scoring defense, number
three in total defense as their defensive coordinator, and then
went to Purdue and they were ninety eighth.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
And scoring two years ago. On one hundred and thirtieth.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Last year, they had five games where they got beat
by thirty points or more and they got fired as
the head coach at Purdue.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
I don't know, does this hire do.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Anything for you? You have any thoughts, any early takes
on the new UFDC.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
Well, I'd like to know why Jed Fish is drawn
to him, given those stats because that doesn't sound good.
And I'm going to give you a relatively lame take
because I haven't studied you know, I went and studied
the coach's tape a Descenbowl. I could go another segment
on Demon Williams or two. You know, most of my
(23:52):
stuff I try to be prepared for. I just don't
have a lot for you. But those numbers are concerning, Hugh.
Speaker 6 (23:58):
I know you've got a couple more minute, so I
just I want to switch back to the Hawks one
one thing and ask you about Tyler Lockett and just
the legacy of Tyler Lockett because we are very likely
seeing the last of Tyler Lockett on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
Well, I think he's been a great pro that has
been an impact player. Has had a remarkable ability to
finish the play, to catch contested balls. I mean, you'd
expect that from the stronger receivers, but to be his
size and strength and have ability to to finish catches
(24:32):
deep down the field with guys draped all over him.
And he's got remarkable athleticism, you know, the quickness. I
remember coming out of Kansas State watching him in college.
He was he excelled at the double moves where he
would come up out and ups and he just has
that short area of quickness, and look, he's he's a
selfless guy that you know, plays with a high IQ
(24:56):
high quickness, and you know he's going to be in
the ring of Arnour and one of the great Seahawks
and a really good guy to boot. I mean, I
think we'll all think fondly of him when he ever
comes up in a conversation.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
So if this is his last game, you know, a
big tip of the hat to him.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
All right, thirty seconds or least Ohio State hammers Oregon.
How surprised were you when you looked up and saw
thirty four to nothing in the second quarter?
Speaker 2 (25:19):
And do you think anybody can beat them the rest
of the way.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
By the way, well, anybody says they weren't surprised, I'll
call him a liar straight to their face, right. I
think that what happened there with Ohio State is they
responded exactly the way a team should when they lost
to Michigan and they were getting punked and clowned. Something
happened with them, something ignited within and they could have
(25:42):
gone one of two directions, and they certainly were challenged.
I'd love to know the leadership because it's there on
that team. And you know, right now they look like
an NFL team. I mean, they made Oregon look like
a high school team, and I think Texas is going
to have more than they ever want to handle. But
you know, hey, that's that's how it's done. You know,
(26:04):
if you're coaching high school like I used to do, yeah,
you would cite that is That is how you respond
to adversity. That is how a team comes together and
plays angry. Angry football team is exactly what you want
to be. When you did what you did at home
against the Wolverines.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
I don't like Ohio State. My dad's a Michigan alump.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
I despise Ohose State. But man, my eyeballs were just
like a gape watching what I saw. I'm sure everybody
else was done likewise.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Well, they happened to be my second favorite team right now.
Tell you what after what they did on Wednesday? All right, man,
great stuff, and we'll talk next Friday. By the time
we talked, the orange Ball will be in the first
quarter and the Cotton Bowl I believe will be over
on Thursday, or is it vice versa? Whichever it is,
So we'll talk next Friday. Buddy, appreciate it, past Balck
(26:54):
and Roll. Enjoy the weekend, guys. Actually, I think we're
gonna have my Monday. We'll do a little more for
all you on Monday. So real little cap of this
irrelevant Seahawk game that nobody cares about.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
On Monday, we're gonna break.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Are the Mariners ever going to sign anybody of significance?
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Ever? Ever? Ever? Next on ninety three to three KJRFM.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Now back to the Washington State Beat Commissions Football Friday
with Satian on your home for the NFL Sports Radio
ninety three point three kjr FM.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
All right, John Canzano's gonna join us, coming up next segment.
I was accused by John of dancing on Oregon's grave
on Wednesday, to which I would say, no accusation necessary.
I absolutely did that. Are you kidding me? I was
dancing on their grave. The coffin the funeral.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
Home can't wait to hear it.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
What's the what's the car called the Carriers of the Hearse? Yes,
the hearse dancing on the whole freaking thing. I was
doing the old two step man? Are you kidding me?
Wesley Snipes break out the dancing shoes, man. I was
tapping all over that bad boy. There's no need for accusations.
I'll admit that right now. It's a viral video.
Speaker 6 (28:00):
We can get a green Oregon duck hearst Yes with
Softy dancing on top on the time.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
I mean, I can just visualize that that might I
might blow a groin, but I'll do it anyway. Speaking
of blowing a groin, Mariner fans may have blown a
gasket today when the news came out that Korean infield
or High Song Kim, twenty five years old, three h
four hitter in just over nine hundred and fifty games
in Korea. He was like the hot prospect from Korea
this year has signed a three year, twelve and a
(28:25):
half million dollar deal with the ELI Dodgers. Now, Dick
and I went back and looked at remember the famous
article that Chuck Powe wrote about a month and a
half ago where he had all of his ideas of
what he wanted the Mariners to do. He wrote in
that article, as you know, there's two High Song Kims,
and there's a high Song and a Ha Song. The
Ha Song Kim plays for the Padres and he's a
free agent. High Song is the kid from Korea. He
(28:47):
wants the kid from Korea because he didn't think they
could afford the guy from the Padres. So he threw
out a three year, twenty four million dollars deal for
High Song Kim from Korea.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
The Dodge just got him for half that.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
They got him for half of what Chuck was willing
to pay to get the guy.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
And now he's an LA Dodger.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
So Mariner fans, I think are just kind of sitting
around asking are they gonna do anything of significance to
improve this baseball team? Are we gonna be sitting here
next September talking about wasting another great pitching staff.
Speaker 6 (29:21):
Well, I don't know how many Mariner fans actually knew
who this guy was until you brought him up, honestly, Like.
Speaker 5 (29:27):
Think of just the general Mariner fan.
Speaker 6 (29:30):
Yes, I don't think knew that the base the baseball
heads out seam head's new. But yeah, but marin Or
Nation busting a gask Yeah, I don't think that.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
I don't think.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
I don't think Mariner Nation knows a lot about what's
happening in baseball. I agree, I think you got to
go to social media. You got to look at the
hardcore baseball fans. Yes, Chuck wrote about this guy. He
brought him up a month and a half ago. He
was available, he was out there, and you could have
had him, and you could have had him for probably
fourteen or fifteen million dollars. He just signed a three year,
twelve and a half million dollar deal to go to
a state where there's an income tax. Okay, yeah, as
(30:02):
as opposed to coming here in Seattle, where apparently, you know,
guys like Ichiro Suzuki are putting on full core presses
to get these guys to come play here. So it's
a disappointment for sure. I'm just telling worth losing your
mind because the guy might be a utility guy, but
it's a disappointment.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
I'm just telling you.
Speaker 6 (30:18):
If if I am a offensive player in Major League
Baseball and I have a free agent list in front
of me, the Seattle Mariners don't even make the first
cut of the list, let alone the second or third cut,
I might even be excluding the Seattle Mariners and T
Mobile Park from my list from the very beginning.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Even if the money is the best offer out there.
Speaker 6 (30:42):
If the money is well, then I have to say,
if I here's what I'd have to say, I'd have
to say, Okay, is the money great enough over the
next best contract that my numbers, which will be sacrificed
over the next three or four years of the turn
of this contract, I will be making less in my
following contract because I signed this contract because my numbers
(31:05):
are clearly going to be seventy five percent or eighty
percent of what they are anywhere else. I think that
number has to be massively more than any other team.
And we know the Mariners won't spend massively more than
any other team to get a free agent. That's why
you have to trade for these guys and not sign
them in free agency because they will not come.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
I think it depends on what kind of here are
you're talking about. If it's a power hitter, you know,
a guy that relies on getting the ball up in
the air, then yes, But a slap hitter, a guy
that likes to get on base, uses a speed steals
bases like this guy does.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
I think it depends on the kind of hitter.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
In general terms, I think you'd be an idiot to
disagree with you that offensive numbers will go down at
Tmobile Park for sure. But I think the problem is
not only will the Mariners not overspend, they just won't spend.
They won't spend what the market demands, and the fact
that we are sitting here saying the only way they
can get offense is if they trade pitching. Look, I mean, Dick,
(32:01):
You're exactly right, But it's pathetic, it's sad, and it's
actually malpractice on their part because it's another disgusting display
of how these guys just for some reason will not
dig into their pockets to significantly attempt to make this
baseball team better.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
They just won't. And it's going to be a problem as.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Long as John Stanton owns the baseball team, as long
as Chris Larson owns the baseball team, it's going to
be an issue. As long as the root sports problem
still persists, it's going to be an issue. So look,
I don't think fans, me, you, Jackson can do anything
to force these guys to sell the baseball team.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
It's a cash cow. They've got no reason to give
it up.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
If they want to give it to their kids and
have the next generation of Stanton's and Larson's takeover it'd
be wise because the thing is going to double, triple,
quadruple in value in the next twenty five to thirty years.
But I think that we are really in a pickle
in this town and that we do not have an
ownership group whose desire to win a title reflects the
passion of its own fan base, and that is sad.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
I think there's three just like there's three buckets of
NFL teams right now, there's the crap eight, there's the
elite six or seven, and then everybody else is in purgatory,
like the Seahawks. That's what we have with Major League
Baseball owners There's really only six or seven awesome ones
that are like, we don't care, We're gonna spend. There's
(33:27):
also six or seven that are like Tampa Bay and
Oakland that are like, we don't we won't spend anything.
Do we even care to build our franchise.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Vegas.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
But really, the Mariners are one.
Speaker 6 (33:42):
Of like twenty that are like this that play, especially
with the ones that are tied to the regional sports
networks that are tied to a tight budget, and the
Mariners just have to be better, well, the Mariners have
to be better than the rest of those twenty that
they're competing with in order to make the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
I would just look at their market size. I would
look at the money in this town. I would look
at everything that you're you know, all the other factors
where they are, their fan base. You know, there's a
baseball team that has every reason to expect the fans
to jump.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Ship, and they haven't done that, right, And I just
think that if.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
That's what we're going to say, that they're just like
everybody else, well then I guess we're just screwed because
they're not like everybody else, dick, because of the only
damn team that's never been to a World Series ever
in the history of the game. And at some point
the consistent particulars, which in this case is John Stanton
and Chris Larson, have.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Got to be pointed out. And I get tired of
bitching about it.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
Honestly, this is how fan bases become apathetic when they
yell and scream it but the same stuff over and
over and over.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
And over again. I I'm tired of it.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
I know you're tired of hearing it. I know Jackson's
tired of it.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
It's just crazy at.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
I have moved apathy. Yeah, they're going to keep coming
to that park.
Speaker 6 (34:57):
We're gonna breaks awesome for three out of the year.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
John Gonzano was going to join us in a matter
of minutes on ninety three three KJRFM.
Speaker 7 (35:05):
You were in rare form on social media. If people
aren't following you already on social media, they should. After
the Rose Bull you you danced on the grave a
little maybe a little ballet on the grave maybe. Yeah,
you had some fun with that.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
Well if you can, if you can point me to
another place to dance on, I'll do it, no doubt.
Speaker 6 (35:25):
Man.
Speaker 3 (35:25):
I mean, that was the greatest non Husky Rose Bowl
of all time. But let me ask you this, honestly,
when you looked up and saw thirty four to nothing
in the second quarter, how stunning was that to witness
that and see that in person?
Speaker 6 (35:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (35:39):
It was. It was like the air in the stadium
had been let out. And I had traveled down obviously
the airports that I went through at Portland and into
southern California, there were so many Duck fans on the
plane and everybody had their story about you know, it
had been twenty years since they've been there. And one
guy I talked to who hadn't been to a Rose
(36:00):
Bull and since it had been like sixty years, he
was a kid when he went to the Rose Bowl
last and so it was just a lot of letdown.
And you know, with all the build up, and you
guys know, I mean the Huskies had all that build
up last season into all those games and to be
behind thirty four nothing like the game didn't even start.
It was just it was a face plant by Oregon.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Well what happened?
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Why if there's a blame pie, who gets the bigger
piece of the pie?
Speaker 2 (36:27):
In your mind?
Speaker 7 (36:28):
I think the coaching staff. It has to go on
the coaching staff. I think. You know, Dan Lanning, you know,
and Husky fans know this better than anything. Dan Lanning
his first punch is his best punch. He's the first
half guy who has struggled in the third quarter to
make adjustments. They've been a sketchy third quarter team all
season long. And last year I felt like Oregon played
(36:49):
better in that first meeting with Washington than it did
in the second meeting with Washington, meaning that the coaching
staff is just maybe not assing in the same way
that others are adjusted and you had tosh Lapoy against
Chip Kelly, and tash Lapoy got embarrassed in that Rose Bowl.
There's no way around it. Chip Kelly coach circles around him.
(37:11):
Looked like Oregon was operating on game plan from earlier
in the season, and Ohio State was They had a plan,
they had a better plan, they executed it.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
Well, John Gonzano's with us on the air, and that
brings me to my next question before we talk about
kind of where this disappointment sits and the annals of
Oregon history. And again John Gonzana with us, and I'm
kind of paraphrasing here. I thought you had a post
on AX the other day where you were asked about
your your top three like in game coaches, and I
think you had landing on that list, and I wonder
(37:41):
if you still would have landing on that list.
Speaker 7 (37:43):
I would amend that list. And you know I had,
you know, I put Kirby Smart up there because he
was the only guy who had done it. Yeah, and
I thought, you know, Freeman Notre Dame. Great, you know,
obviously they came through. He would still be on that.
But you look at Sark and the coaches who are
coaching in that round of and there wasn't a lot
of proof of performance outside of Kirby Smart. And I
(38:04):
think Dan Lanning right now has to be asking himself,
do you take some of Uncle Phil's money and do
you divert that into potentially beefing up your coaching staff
and getting a guy with gray hair in there who's
done it before, and let somebody who's not just a
recruiter be your coordinator.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (38:24):
All right, well, okay, so here's here's here's where I'm
coming from. I am over the moon as a Husky
fan over what happened in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
Thrilled beyond belief.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
I mean, could not have asked for a better way
to start twenty twenty five than for Demon Williams to
be established as a star quarterback and the Sun Bowl.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
We'll see if he can live up to it.
Speaker 3 (38:46):
Oregon gets the rass kicked on New Year's Day, the
basketball team gets drilled by Illinois yesterday, and then today
Oregon loses the commitment of a five star quarterback. Obviously,
where does the Rose Bowl and the way this year
ended for Oregon rank on the list of the all
time disappointing Oregon football seasons.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Ever.
Speaker 7 (39:08):
I think that game is the flattest I have seen
in Oregon play in twenty years. It was the most
disappointing outcome in twenty plus seasons that I've covered, because
of the build up, because of thirteen and zero, because
you were the number one team, because you played Ohio
State so well in that first meeting, and then you
just go and you lay an egg. And I think
Oregon fans more than anybody know that. You know that.
(39:32):
You could say, Hey, it's something to build on. You
need to build on it all you want, but you
need to learn from it. You need to come back
with a better plan next year, because you know this
playoff was new. All five of the conference champions got
knocked out, right, Maybe you don't want to be a
conference champion. Maybe you know, maybe that has something to
do with it. But I couldn't help but think there
(39:53):
was a coaching problem in that game and Ohio State
had had a better plan.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Well, John, I got to be hones with you when
you say, you know, maybe building towards something. And if
I'm way off based on this, please correct me, because
I'm not buying the scenes the way you are. I'm
just there when it's convenient for me, and right now
it's very convenient for me.
Speaker 2 (40:12):
I'll be honest with you.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
But it feel like it feels like Oregon's been building
for something for thirty years, ever since the ninety five
Rose Bull and ever since Kenny Wheaton. And this is
twenty ten. They got close, twenty fourteen, they got close.
Last year, they got close. This year, they got close,
and they just can't find a way to get over
the hump. Is there is there a deeper issue with
(40:36):
the way that they're building this program and maybe the
authority and the power and the reliance on a guy
like Phil Knight.
Speaker 7 (40:44):
Yeah, I think there's questions to be asked there. I
don't think you're totally off base, but I think Oregon
fans would take the trajectory short term of Dan Lanning,
you know, getting a thirteen win season this year and go, Okay, now,
you got to learn from it, you got to figure
it out. I tetched a little bit with Lanning and
he said live in. I mean, that was what he
came back with because and he's got to go out
and prove that now. But you're right in there, there's
(41:05):
a little bit of a you know, the I think
the unfair stigma that Oregon gets is that it was
a get rich quick thing, because you it was a
build that started in ninety four ninety five with Rich
Brooks and Mike Billatti, and there has been massive acceleration
in this era because Oregon is better positioned than just
about anyone to matter. This is their time, and that's
(41:27):
the thing that's concerning to me is this is the
time where you can buy a championship and you can
get the players in there, and you can go out
and you can spend more than anybody else, and you
can be the Yankees while others have to be the
Oakland A's, and you can outspend people. And Oregon, you know,
didn't break it didn't crack the top four. So, you know,
I think they have a coaching issue. They should take
(41:49):
some of that money and they should go out and
find some experienced guys who have done it. But the
problem is all of these recruiters want to be coordinators
so they can put it on their resume so they
can go out and get a head coaching job. And
so how do you keep Tosh Latoy happy in recruiting.
If you have to demote him here, that's a question
that Oregon's gonna maybe have to answer.
Speaker 2 (42:08):
Yeah, well, John Gonzano's with us.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
How John, how appropriate is it to blame the structure
of the CFP the seating? I think if they would
have gone and just taken the top four teams and
not given teams like Boise and ASU a bye, then
Oregon would have been playing Boise or Indiana I think
in the second round and then either ASU, Notre Dame,
(42:30):
or Penn State in the semi finals. So it on
paper looks like a bit of an easier road. They
could have been drilled by Ohio State eventually anyway in
the title game, or maybe even a Notre Dame or.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
A Penn State. But how appropriate?
Speaker 3 (42:43):
How how reasonable is it for Oregon fans to complain
about the structure of the CFP and the fact that
they had to play Ohouse State After.
Speaker 7 (42:52):
You own the coaching deficiency in the in the total
slate face plant, and the lack of performance, you can
get to that other stuff, because yeah, there's a c
issue with the playoff. No matter who was number one,
there was a seating issue. The five seed had a
better path to the potential championship, and twenty four days
off is you know, the conference champions are proving twenty
(43:13):
four days off wasn't an advantage. It was a rust
versus rest thing. You know, we're going to look like
a bull team that was a little out of rhythm.
Ohio State looked like it was primed. I mean it,
you know, and they and they've got tons of talent
and great coaching, you know, everyone all over Ryan Day.
But you know Chip Kelly and Ryan Day. That was
a masterclass in that Rose Bowl. But I think after
(43:33):
you do all the hey, they sucked. The coaching staff
wasn't good, the plan wasn't good. They got embarrassed. After
you do all of that, you can get to, hey,
there's a problem with a format, and if they don't
fix the format, somebody else is going to end up
in this position next season.
Speaker 3 (43:47):
How personally satisfying do you think this was for Chip Kelly?
Speaker 7 (43:53):
You know, I don't know he would dismiss it, he
would wave it off. I think it would. I think
he has more of an act grind with UCLA. I
think his time at Oregon he looks back on it fondly.
But I think it was very satisfying for Ryan Day
and Chip Kelly after especially after the Michigan performance, right
to look like, look, they just just mantled Tennessee and
(44:15):
then they used the same plan essentially to dismantle Oregon.
And they don't look like they're going to be stopped.
And so I think the ultimate satisfaction for Chip will be,
you know, if they win the title in Atlanta, he
doesn't have to recruit in the offseason afterwards. He can
just go sit on a beach somewhere. I think, you
know that's gonna be a fat and happy Chip Kelly.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:33):
Well, John Gonzano was with us the opposite of fat
and happy. He's happy, but he's also fit, by the way,
trust me, the guy's yoked.
Speaker 2 (44:40):
I've seen him lately. He looks phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (44:42):
But John, I got to ask you because Husky fans
are having some fun with this, right, I'm having some
fun with this.
Speaker 2 (44:47):
You know.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
We began our show yesterday with a bunch of highlights
from the Rose Bowl, you know, just mocking them, pointing fingers,
as you said, dancing all over the grave. I mean, hell,
we're dancing all over the cemetery. After this thing on Wednesday.
How much to does that bother Oregon fans, that that
Husky fans are having a big party up here and
just enjoying the hell out of this, You.
Speaker 7 (45:06):
Think, Well, I think everybody who isn't happy with kind
of the culture of college football in twenty twenty four
is taking a jab at orgon right now. Not just
Washington fans. I mean social media lit up after the
game with people trying to you know, take shots at
Oregon and point out that that, you know, just buying
a roster or outspending everybody isn't the way to do it.
(45:27):
So I think there's a lot of pent up hostility
that's out there from people who are upset about that
and you know, don't like what they see happening. So
I think the organ fans that I saw and I
talked with, you know, I just flew back today, they
you know, they're just a little flat. They're despondent because
they had such high hopes and I think a lot
(45:49):
of them were thinking, you know, go to the Rose
Bowl and then maybe go to the Cotton Bowl, and
then a lot of people were booked to the National
Championship Game. I went back online and looked at my
flight from Portland to Atlanta, and you know, seventy five
percent of the plane was open all of a sudden,
and it was full when I booked it. So I
think there are a lot of plans that changed at
(46:09):
the Rose Bowl on January one.
Speaker 2 (46:11):
Okay, what about going forward?
Speaker 3 (46:13):
Dylan Gabriel's gone, Dante More, I presume is going to
be in as the starting quarterback. Is there any reason
to just not think that Oregon just reloads and takes
a run again next year.
Speaker 7 (46:25):
Yeah, I think that that's the mindset that they're taking.
But you know, I would caution them. They won games
this year, but they didn't win the one that mattered,
that mattered most. And you know, there's a little bit
of there's an NFL feel to this season now in
college football, where you need to be playing your best
at the end of the year, and Chiefs proved it
a year ago. They lost six games, They were bad
in the middle of the season. Ohio State had the
(46:46):
loss of Michigan, But you know, you want to be
playing that football at the end of the year. And
I think, you know, Dan Lanning's going to learn from this,
But I would be really surprised if he didn't go
out and at least find some coach who has coached
in big games, ye, and get it on his staff.
He needs some help, all right.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Well, we'll keep an eye on him. Man. I just
want to know one thing before you go.
Speaker 3 (47:05):
If this game had been close, Let's say it's a
three or four point game with four or five minutes
to go, what player had landing designated to fake an injury?
Speaker 2 (47:14):
You think in the fourth quarter, you.
Speaker 7 (47:16):
Know they should take it though. You know they deserve it.
They deserve all of the jabs and the barbs and
the dancing on the grave because they didn't show up
and it was a big game.
Speaker 3 (47:27):
And you know what they were doing the exact same
thing when you doub got drilled by Michigan. And that's
what a rivalry is all about, man, for sure. All Right, listen, dude,
travel safe, good stuff, Appreciate this, and we'll talk down
the road, buddy.
Speaker 2 (47:41):
All right.
Speaker 3 (47:41):
John Gonzato with US recapping the Rose bull thrashing of
Oregon by Ohio State. I think the Buckeyes may have
just yeah, they just scored again, by the way, so
this is not even close to being over yet.
As part of our never ending coverage for the twelfth
Man in the NFL. This is Football Fridays with Hugh
Millin sponsored by Tito's Handmade Vodka Tito's on game Day
Orme and coach fine cocktail recipes for the everyday fan
at Titos Vodka dot Com. Forty percent alcohol by volume,
namely eighty proof, crafted to be savored responsibly.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Now with you, here's SOFTI and dig All right, here.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
We go a short show for us on a Friday night.
Congratulations to Texas State with their legendary win in the
first Responder ball over North Texas thirty twenty eight. We'll
keep an eye on that Duke's Mayo ball Virginia Tech Minnesota.
No score lay first quarter from that one. But joining
us right now on a Friday night. Cannot imagine a
Friday night without this guy. It's our friend, Huey Millan.
(00:47):
How are you, man?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
What's happening? Boys? I'm well, yeah, good to have you
on the show.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
So this Sea Hawk game, before we talk dogs, before
we talk CFP, before we talk rose Bull sun ball
targeting in the Arizona State Texas game. A lot to
get to Dick and I and Jackson. I think all
three of us are on the same page. Interest level
in the Seahawk game is in negative territory. I mean,
you know how I feel about preseason games. At least
(01:14):
at least preseason games you can look forward to the
regular season starting in a few weeks. There ain't no
regular season because it's over on Sunday and everybody's sitting
out for the Rams. A ton of guys around the
NFL are sitting out. What's your intrigue level for the
Seahog game on Sunday?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Man very low.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
I'm probably gonna be more ticked off watching it. You know,
there's there's millions of dollars in the balance in terms
of incentives for some of these players. That kind of
irks me. And you know, it's just kind of repeated mediocrity,
and you know, the sex appear to be stuck on
(01:54):
a little bit of a of a lull in that regard.
I mean, you know, for John Schneider, who has had
fifteen drafts, you look, there's ten Pro Bowl players in
the first seven years and five Pro Bowl players the
next eight years. That the in the Schneider era the
first seven years, nine playoff wins the next eight years
(02:19):
one playoff win. So it's heavily loaded. And I just
look at that twenty ten to twenty twelve draft where
there's eight Pro bowlers. You drafted the whole back seven,
and then you made moves Chris Kremens, Michael Bennett, Cliff Averril,
Alan Brands, Tony McDaniel. I mean, you did the defensive
line through free agency and trades. Just remarkable piece of
(02:43):
talent acquisition and roster construction. And it was the basis
for the legion in a boom, the only defense in
the history of football to have four straight years leading
the NFL and fewest points allowed. And I'm like, where's
that John Schneider. So I'm Libeldy be just kind of
salty watching the game, just one man.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
Salty is a great word.
Speaker 6 (03:05):
Vexing is a great word to describe how I've felt
about this team, particularly on offense, all season long. Hue,
I'm going to give you some numbers that I got
from Athletic today. Seahawks are twenty third points for drive,
that's the lowest in seven years, twenty first in EPA
per play, that's the lowest in twelve years. Twentieth or
lower in EPA per drop back, red zone efficiency, success
(03:27):
rate on running back carries, third down conversions, and goal
line efficiency. Compartmentalize why all those things happened. Help me
understand why all those things happen.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
And this was truly the.
Speaker 6 (03:38):
Worst Seahawk offense, maybe in a decade plus.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Well, I think that the interior of that offensive line
is I hate to use the word worst, but that's
the worst part of the football team. And I think
you kind of came on a little bit, Charles Cross.
I don't you certainly know Walter Jones is the ninth
overall pick. I don't think he's even Russell o'coun but
Abe Lucas came on. But I still have real concerns
(04:07):
about what's happened in the middle of that offensive line.
I think Gino's got his problems. I mean, look, I've
got numbers here. We can go through two segments of
these numbers. But you know, red zone completion percentage twenty
seventh in the league of Gino, red zone rating, passer
rating thirty fourth, you know third down I was going
(04:28):
through a whole correlation stats. We'll do this as we
break down the season. Because I want to get one
more game. But that the third down difference differential was
the eight to ninety five correlation. I've got hundreds of
stats and I put a correlation function on him to
see what correlates to winning. Third down differential is just
about as high as it can be. And here the
(04:49):
Seahawks offense are at thirty fourth. So so I.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Think Geno.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
In situational football has got to be better and hopefull
an offensive line can give him a running game, better
protection and if he in fact is the quarterback, but
I would lay it at the feet there.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Do you think if you're Mike McDonald and John Schneider
and you're evaluating your coaching staff, do you see they
see what you see? First and second, meaning offensive line play,
quarterback play, offensive coordinator third, in maybe that order. Do
you think Ryan Grubb is in any real danger of
(05:28):
losing his job?
Speaker 4 (05:30):
I don't know just how itchy Mike McDonald is in
that regard. We saw him with his inside linebackers. You know,
Dotson and Baker, they weren't long on the job. As
soon as there was the decision that they weren't doing
the job, Damn, they're both gone.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
So would it shock me if Grubb was released. No,
it wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
I don't think that he will be Nor do I
think that that would be prudent, because I do think
that you need to see it for another year. I
do think that Ryan Grubb will be better next year.
Remember now, he's a rookie and I think he's a
smart guy that has a good grasp of offense. I
(06:14):
was a little disappointed. I thought i'd see more, particularly
in light of the fact that the Seahawks last game
was six to three, and there's all kinds of problems
that you know, they didn't throw the ball outside the
numbers and YadA YadA. So yeah, I'm disappointed like you,
But I think that he will be the coordinator for
the Seahawks. If it was me making the decision, I
would bring him back if for you know, and one
(06:36):
one big reason for that is it's harder to have
continuity in the offense if you just if you want
to wipe the slate clean, bring in another guy. He's
gonna have his own terminology and what have you. And
now you're looking at another setback. I would say, give
Greub one more year before we start having this discussion.
Speaker 6 (06:54):
Well, Greb was asked today what the running game needs
to take a few steps forward for now season, and
he gave a long paragraph. I actually sent it to
you can read it when you get a chance. But
I agree with the first response to Bob Candota's tweet,
just says was hoping for a bit of ownership of
the problem from him. He didn't mention him at all.
(07:15):
He mentioned lack of physicality, He mentioned just about everything
but him. Now, to his defense, when he was asked
about the lack of running game of the Giants game,
he did fall on the sword and says that was
on me. So it's not like he hasn't taken any
ownership of the run game this year. But what percentage
of the running games struggles should fall on Ryan grubbs
(07:36):
shoulders this year?
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Yeah? And by the way, offensive line win rate pass
block win rate, the Seahawks offensive line is twenty first,
run block win rate they are twenty eighth in the league.
So we're talking about some real problems here. And I
always would favor a coach in those situations. You're kind
(07:58):
of eulogizing the season, and I think you need to
include yourself first, and so I agree with you. I
think from a leadership standpoint, he should mention himself. But
but I look, I think the backs, particularly K nine,
I think that if you give him anything, he's a
top shelf back. I think he can be a top
ten back in this league. I think he probably had
(08:21):
his worst year that I've seen because there was more
times where I thought there might have been something there
that he didn't get.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
But I still believe in him.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
You know, look, they've tried to be creative. I mean,
they've done traps, they've done gap scheme, they've done pin
and poll, they've done inside zone, outside zone, They've tried
a lot of different things, and you know, generally you're
just finding that they're not getting the movement they need
to create the running angle so that the running backs
can come a little bit more downhill. So I still
(08:51):
put it more on the offensive line, particularly the middle three.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yep. But but you.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Know that's problem with Snider. We talked last week that
since he's been on the job twenty ten, the Seahawks
are in the top three, and both number of offensive
linemen drafted and the draft value chart a lot of
to linemen if they haven't ignored the situation.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
They just haven't been successful addressing it.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Well, you've got a guy in Geno Smith who's got
I think it's what about six million bucks and incentives
on the line in this game on Sunday against the Rams.
And by the way, here just answer your question that
money would go against the cap next year. By the way,
would just be added to his cap number for next season.
So it's not a huge concern. Obviously, they can find
a way to work around that. It's not gonna blow
their salary cap to Kingdom come. But why are you
(09:42):
intrigued by that? Why are you intrigued by the incentives
that Geno Smith could hit on Sunday?
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Well, I just want to look, I really want to
give him the benefit of the doubt, and really I do,
sincerely I do. But it does make me pause at
how the last three games his completion percentage has been
really high in these games as he's climbed this over
(10:08):
to get the two million. And when I throw on
the tape against the Bears and I see Gino not
just turning down DK plays. I could show you a
dagger to Tyler Lockett and I'm like, dude, the light
ain't getting any greener. And you know, against Green Bay
he was seventy nine percent, Minnesota seventy two percent, Chicago
seventy four percent. That has put him up in the area.
(10:31):
He's got three hundred and eighty seven completions on five
hundred and fifty one attempts. If he had three eighty four,
just three less, he would be under that threshold. And
some people do crossword puzzles for metal. I do silly spreadsheets.
So I want to ask you, guys, and I just
did a silly spreadsheet real quick earlier this afternoon. Give
me a number of pass attempts that Gino's going to have,
(10:55):
and I'll tell you how many he has.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
To complete to get the two million.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Give me any number, thirty two, thirty two, all right,
well thirty at thirty two, he's got to have twenty
completions and that will get him the money.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Nineteen won't, Okay? All right?
Speaker 4 (11:11):
So I just and and look that that correlation completion
percentage compared to twenty five, thirty to fifty other stats.
The correlation of completion percentage is certainly positive, but it's
of moderate There's much more, you know, yards per attempt,
(11:31):
and and when a guy is is thirty fourth in
in uh air yards, and there was another one out
of forty three in terms of of aggression. There's a
next generation stats has an aggression statistic and he was
(11:52):
in the bottom fourth of that. And then here's the
one that really got me. Out of forty three quarterbacks,
air yards to sticks, that's their terminology, what does that mean?
The percent you are throwing to a potential first down?
Gino is fourth worst out of forty three qualifying quarterbacks
(12:13):
in terms of his willingness to try and throw the
football to try and get a first down. So these
checkdown Charlie stuff is how you get six points. It
may be how you get two million. Good for you,
but it's not gonna be enough. And I, again, I
really want him, give them the benefit of the doubt.
But I do find those stats. What his completion percentage
(12:37):
has been in conjunction with what you watch on the
All twenty two tape, it does invite questioning about this.
So I don't like it, and I guess he's a
good guy. I guess I want him to get his
two million, But in a bigger picture, I'm a lot
more concerned about the Seattle Seahawks than I am Gino Smith,
(12:57):
and I want the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks to
have some stones and get that ball down the field
where appropriate. You know, I watched Sam Donald in the
preparation for the Vikings game. I couldn't believe how this
guy's hanging in the pocket and whistling that thing down. Now,
he's got great receivers, I get it, But the Seahawks
receivers are pretty damn good too. And Sam Donald's you know,
when you he just dwarfs all these stats about air
(13:20):
yards and to sticks, he is he is just you know,
you know, a laser in that thing down the field,
and he shows up in the stats, it shows up
on the tape. I'm a little disappointed in Dino and
that Geno in that regard. And that's one of the
reasons why we're talking about Week eighteen and a game
that has all the intrigue of a preseason game.
Speaker 6 (13:38):
Well, DK Metcalf needs sixty one yards just to get
to a thousand in a seventeen game season. I understand
he didn't play all seventeen games. We played a vast
majority of the season. I'm just wondering why DK Metcalf
isn't given a chance to touch the ball before the
defenders get to him. And what I mean by that
is a more more debo esque, you know, throw it
out in the flat to him when he's behind the
(14:00):
line of scrimmage. Toss it to him in the backfield. Hell,
run him on a dive once in a while, run
him on a reverse like why why doesn't DK get
the ball to utilize his unbelievable physicality and speed before
he gets covered?
Speaker 2 (14:14):
I would do that. I agree with that.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
I think that he's a victim of some of his
physical traits sometimes, Dick, because he's such a good blocker
on the perimeter that he's asked to do a lot
way more than Tyler or Jackson Smith and Jig but
both in the running game and in the wide receiver
screen game, and then and then with his speed, he's
asked to clear out, Uh, be the clear out guy
and and and take two defenders?
Speaker 2 (14:37):
What did one?
Speaker 4 (14:38):
And now it was Chris Collinsworth. Why happened to think
is the best color guy in the business. He said,
he said, DK is like what he say was like
the sun Dave. What did he say? Is like like
like it has its own gravity.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Yeah, exactly right, Yeah, yeah, he creates his own gravity.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Yeah yeah, now he did.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Collinsworth doesn't use that type of graphic language with every receiver,
but he watched enough tape and uh and and now
that he owns Pro Football Focus, he's become a much better,
better analyst and and he's trying to tell us this
is unique in terms of a guy that that again
creates his own magnetism to defenders. And Seattle was number
two in the is number two in the NFL. And
(15:16):
turners of their offense garnering cover six. Cover six is
roll one side and then free acts to free access
to the other. Well, they're rolling to DK meaning safety
over the top, and they're given free access to Tyler
and Jackson Smith and Jigba. And that's one of the
reasons why js N has had such a great season.
And you know, for those who think, well we don't
need DK, js N is the new guy.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
What happens to be caff is playing somewhere else next year. Yeah,
well then now you're now you're doing all the rolling
on j s N.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
And who's the guy I mean young, I mean like
like yeah, so so hard pass on the on that
line of thinking.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
But but Dick, yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
In fact, that'd be the one thing if if I
if you told me, oh Man, they whacked Ryan Grubb,
that might be the one reason why I wouldn't cry over.
I think Ryan Grubbs a good dude, smart guy guy,
and I think he deserves to be the OC in
twenty twenty five if he wants that job.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
We haven't even talked about. Hey, does he want to
come back? Right? Assume he does. I don't have any
nobody's told me any reason why he wouldn't.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Maybe he wants to go back to tuscal LUSI pssible
more save his bacon down there.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Hey, let's get a break.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
We'll talk a little more about the Hawks, but I
want to shift over to college football. The Huskies have
a new DC and they may have a new star
at quarterback, Hugh and Demon Williams. We're get to all
that with Humling next on a Busy Friday on ninety
three three KJRFM.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Now back to.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
The Washington State Beat Commissions Football Friday with Softie and
Dick on your home for the NFL Sports Radio ninety
three point three.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
kJ r FM. All right.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
John Canzano, by the way, he's gonna join us about
six oh five or so. I will ask him where
the Oregon loss and the Roles ball ranks on the
all time disappointment meter of Oregon football history. They've had
BCS championship games, national championship games before, and I got
to think this one's up there. Man, so well, we'll
(17:14):
get to that coming up six oh five. But here
Mala Marine joins us and Hugh. I want to just
get your thoughts on the sun Ball. Demon Williams obviously
was a star, there's no question about that. What did
you make of the way number two played against Louisville
on Tuesday?
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Man, well, I saw what everybody else saw.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Just a spectacular athlete, just a live wire, and he
we had not seen that type of passing nobility. I
think he's got a beautiful motion he's been liking to
Kyler Murray. Kyler Murray has that big wind up baseball
wind up. This kid, Demond, you know, holds the ball
right his chest, the ball comes up and out. I
(17:53):
think his release is much quicker the pick six. I
think that was a show of grit and you know,
just poise and confidence to come back from that. I
don't think that was on uh on Demond, Well, it
was obviously on Demon, but I think there was poor
structure to the play where the balls on the right hash.
(18:14):
The wide receiver to the far left for Demon was
so wide that when they ran the mess concept meaning
the shallow cross is trying to pick the corner on
the backside. Even though he's in man coverage, he could
see the crossing route coming from Donzel Boston, who had
a tight split. The communication would have been, hey, look
out for that. And so I think that they'd be
(18:34):
better off just running the widest receiver up the sideline,
clear him out like a lot of teams do on
mesh or or reduce the split. So uh, but that
but that that that really just pales. I've I've got
notes written on these touchdown passes. I think it was
a thing of beauty. And he's a guy that you
can build around, for sure. I mean he is. He
(18:54):
is such a problem in terms of of his his
playing script that when you watch, for example, that second
touchdown pass that was thrown at exactly four point zero seconds,
Giles Jackson ran a deep over. He got up on
that safety and he made his break at twenty yards
(19:16):
and he was off the ball, so really twenty one
to twenty two yards, So DeMont has a lot of time.
He didn't just drop straight back. He did a five
step drop and got behind the right tackle to buy
some time. But what you see on the pass rush
repeatedly on a lot of the plays is teams like
Kyler Murray, they're so fearful of being aggressive that they
(19:38):
want to kind of do a muddle rush where they
don't leave the escape pasches open so it's slower. So
you're going to see a lot of times where Demon
Williams's ability to escape out of the pocket is going
to slow down the pass rush. And you can have
concepts like where you're saying, whoa dude, that's a seven
(20:00):
on seven play. You're tell me, Dallas Jackson is gonna
run twenty two yards down the field before he breaks
to the far corner. Yeah, that's great in seven on seven. Well,
guess what when you have a guy like Demon Williams
who can influence the pass rush, you can do those
type of things that happened in the second touchdown, also
in the third touchdown in the second half, identical play. Now,
he didn't quite get to twenty yards. It was more
(20:21):
like sixteen before he broke. But this is a real
factor of how Demond williams athleticism is going to impact
even the pass walking.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Well, I'm having a tough time containing my excitement for
this kid. You.
Speaker 6 (20:34):
I mean, I'm just I'm about ready to just go
out of control for Demon Williams. I mentioned the word
heisman a couple of months ago, and then Jed Fish
mentioned it after the game.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
I mean, is this is this truly.
Speaker 6 (20:45):
Somebody that we can see in New York in the
next twenty four months.
Speaker 4 (20:53):
Well, I think you can a couple things about that game.
First of all, Louisville was playing with their third string quarterback.
They had their number one defensive end. It was preseason
All American, All Conference, he was opting out. They had
a thousand yard wide receiver. When I watched that tape,
I couldn't believe how bad Louisville's defense was. There was
(21:14):
guys running wide open, not just on the touchdowns. It
was really bad. And there was no pass rush. I mean,
he Demon Williams had all this space, so that lou
I don't know, you know, Louisville. I know they had
a decent season that was not a good louis good
good Louisville team. So I would say there there for him.
(21:34):
I would challenge him. If I was coaching him, I
would say, listen, your god given ability. We're never gonna
newter that. Use that, but don't let that be your
only toolbox, because you had to use your mind to
know where your checkdowns are, have a not a good
but a great understanding of where blitzes are coming from,
(21:55):
and and how to beat the blitz and uh and
then and then you know, I've got a list to
four conspicuous minuses. I don't know if we have the
time to get to it, but like you know, he
got hung up on a simple hank concept where the
tight end over the ball is getting squeezed by the
inside linebackers. On that concept, you got two hooks. It's
(22:15):
a real simple concept. Go to that hook to the right.
He's wide open. And on what I would call a
deep hank concept. And for those coaches out there, there's
things that he should and I really expect him to
improve on. But if you watch that tape, if you
wanted to be skeptical, you'd say Louisville was trash, and
(22:37):
you know there's a handful of things that he needs
to clean up in terms of his awareness of where
to go with the football.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
Well, I like the way you put it. He's got
a chance to be a problem in every game they play.
He's got a chance to be the best player on
the field, and a lot of games they play next year.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
But it is tired.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
A brand new defensive coordinator, Ryan Walters is a former
safety at Colorado. He's gonna be thirty nine years old
in eighteen days. He was the head coach at Purdue
for two years. Dick mentioned his defense at Illinois two
twenty two, he was number one in scoring defense, number
three in total defense as their defensive coordinator, and then
went to Purdue and they were ninety eighth.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
And scoring two years ago. On one hundred and thirtieth.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Last year, they had five games where they got beat
by thirty points or more and they got fired as
the head coach at Purdue.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
I don't know, does this hire do.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
Anything for you? You have any thoughts, any early takes
on the new UFDC.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
Well, I'd like to know why Jed Fish is drawn
to him, given those stats because that doesn't sound good.
And I'm going to give you a relatively lame take
because I haven't studied you know, I went and studied
the coach's tape a Descenbowl. I could go another segment
on Demon Williams or two. You know, most of my
(23:52):
stuff I try to be prepared for. I just don't
have a lot for you. But those numbers are concerning, Hugh.
Speaker 6 (23:58):
I know you've got a couple more minute, so I
just I want to switch back to the Hawks one
one thing and ask you about Tyler Lockett and just
the legacy of Tyler Lockett because we are very likely
seeing the last of Tyler Lockett on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
Well, I think he's been a great pro that has
been an impact player. Has had a remarkable ability to
finish the play, to catch contested balls. I mean, you'd
expect that from the stronger receivers, but to be his
size and strength and have ability to to finish catches
(24:32):
deep down the field with guys draped all over him.
And he's got remarkable athleticism, you know, the quickness. I
remember coming out of Kansas State watching him in college.
He was he excelled at the double moves where he
would come up out and ups and he just has
that short area of quickness, and look, he's he's a
selfless guy that you know, plays with a high IQ
(24:56):
high quickness, and you know he's going to be in
the ring of Arnour and one of the great Seahawks
and a really good guy to boot. I mean, I
think we'll all think fondly of him when he ever
comes up in a conversation.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
So if this is his last game, you know, a
big tip of the hat to him.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
All right, thirty seconds or least Ohio State hammers Oregon.
How surprised were you when you looked up and saw
thirty four to nothing in the second quarter?
Speaker 2 (25:19):
And do you think anybody can beat them the rest
of the way.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
By the way, well, anybody says they weren't surprised, I'll
call him a liar straight to their face, right. I
think that what happened there with Ohio State is they
responded exactly the way a team should when they lost
to Michigan and they were getting punked and clowned. Something
happened with them, something ignited within and they could have
(25:42):
gone one of two directions, and they certainly were challenged.
I'd love to know the leadership because it's there on
that team. And you know, right now they look like
an NFL team. I mean, they made Oregon look like
a high school team, and I think Texas is going
to have more than they ever want to handle. But
you know, hey, that's that's how it's done. You know,
(26:04):
if you're coaching high school like I used to do, yeah,
you would cite that is That is how you respond
to adversity. That is how a team comes together and
plays angry. Angry football team is exactly what you want
to be. When you did what you did at home
against the Wolverines.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
I don't like Ohio State. My dad's a Michigan alump.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
I despise Ohose State. But man, my eyeballs were just
like a gape watching what I saw. I'm sure everybody
else was done likewise.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Well, they happened to be my second favorite team right now.
Tell you what after what they did on Wednesday? All right, man,
great stuff, and we'll talk next Friday. By the time
we talked, the orange Ball will be in the first
quarter and the Cotton Bowl I believe will be over
on Thursday, or is it vice versa? Whichever it is,
So we'll talk next Friday. Buddy, appreciate it, past Balck
(26:54):
and Roll. Enjoy the weekend, guys. Actually, I think we're
gonna have my Monday. We'll do a little more for
all you on Monday. So real little cap of this
irrelevant Seahawk game that nobody cares about.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
On Monday, we're gonna break.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
Are the Mariners ever going to sign anybody of significance?
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Ever? Ever? Ever? Next on ninety three to three KJRFM.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Now back to the Washington State Beat Commissions Football Friday
with Satian on your home for the NFL Sports Radio
ninety three point three kjr FM.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
All right, John Canzano's gonna join us, coming up next segment.
I was accused by John of dancing on Oregon's grave
on Wednesday, to which I would say, no accusation necessary.
I absolutely did that. Are you kidding me? I was
dancing on their grave. The coffin the funeral.
Speaker 5 (27:41):
Home can't wait to hear it.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
What's the what's the car called the Carriers of the Hearse? Yes,
the hearse dancing on the whole freaking thing. I was
doing the old two step man? Are you kidding me?
Wesley Snipes break out the dancing shoes, man. I was
tapping all over that bad boy. There's no need for accusations.
I'll admit that right now. It's a viral video.
Speaker 6 (28:00):
We can get a green Oregon duck hearst Yes with
Softy dancing on top on the time.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
I mean, I can just visualize that that might I
might blow a groin, but I'll do it anyway. Speaking
of blowing a groin, Mariner fans may have blown a
gasket today when the news came out that Korean infield
or High Song Kim, twenty five years old, three h
four hitter in just over nine hundred and fifty games
in Korea. He was like the hot prospect from Korea
this year has signed a three year, twelve and a
(28:25):
half million dollar deal with the ELI Dodgers. Now, Dick
and I went back and looked at remember the famous
article that Chuck Powe wrote about a month and a
half ago where he had all of his ideas of
what he wanted the Mariners to do. He wrote in
that article, as you know, there's two High Song Kims,
and there's a high Song and a Ha Song. The
Ha Song Kim plays for the Padres and he's a
free agent. High Song is the kid from Korea. He
(28:47):
wants the kid from Korea because he didn't think they
could afford the guy from the Padres. So he threw
out a three year, twenty four million dollars deal for
High Song Kim from Korea.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
The Dodge just got him for half that.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
They got him for half of what Chuck was willing
to pay to get the guy.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
And now he's an LA Dodger.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
So Mariner fans, I think are just kind of sitting
around asking are they gonna do anything of significance to
improve this baseball team? Are we gonna be sitting here
next September talking about wasting another great pitching staff.
Speaker 6 (29:21):
Well, I don't know how many Mariner fans actually knew
who this guy was until you brought him up, honestly, Like.
Speaker 5 (29:27):
Think of just the general Mariner fan.
Speaker 6 (29:30):
Yes, I don't think knew that the base the baseball
heads out seam head's new. But yeah, but marin Or
Nation busting a gask Yeah, I don't think that.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
I don't think.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
I don't think Mariner Nation knows a lot about what's
happening in baseball. I agree, I think you got to
go to social media. You got to look at the
hardcore baseball fans. Yes, Chuck wrote about this guy. He
brought him up a month and a half ago. He
was available, he was out there, and you could have
had him, and you could have had him for probably
fourteen or fifteen million dollars. He just signed a three year,
twelve and a half million dollar deal to go to
a state where there's an income tax. Okay, yeah, as
(30:02):
as opposed to coming here in Seattle, where apparently, you know,
guys like Ichiro Suzuki are putting on full core presses
to get these guys to come play here. So it's
a disappointment for sure. I'm just telling worth losing your
mind because the guy might be a utility guy, but
it's a disappointment.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
I'm just telling you.
Speaker 6 (30:18):
If if I am a offensive player in Major League
Baseball and I have a free agent list in front
of me, the Seattle Mariners don't even make the first
cut of the list, let alone the second or third cut,
I might even be excluding the Seattle Mariners and T
Mobile Park from my list from the very beginning.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Even if the money is the best offer out there.
Speaker 6 (30:42):
If the money is well, then I have to say,
if I here's what I'd have to say, I'd have
to say, Okay, is the money great enough over the
next best contract that my numbers, which will be sacrificed
over the next three or four years of the turn
of this contract, I will be making less in my
following contract because I signed this contract because my numbers
(31:05):
are clearly going to be seventy five percent or eighty
percent of what they are anywhere else. I think that
number has to be massively more than any other team.
And we know the Mariners won't spend massively more than
any other team to get a free agent. That's why
you have to trade for these guys and not sign
them in free agency because they will not come.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
I think it depends on what kind of here are
you're talking about. If it's a power hitter, you know,
a guy that relies on getting the ball up in
the air, then yes, But a slap hitter, a guy
that likes to get on base, uses a speed steals
bases like this guy does.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
I think it depends on the kind of hitter.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
In general terms, I think you'd be an idiot to
disagree with you that offensive numbers will go down at
Tmobile Park for sure. But I think the problem is
not only will the Mariners not overspend, they just won't spend.
They won't spend what the market demands, and the fact
that we are sitting here saying the only way they
can get offense is if they trade pitching. Look, I mean, Dick,
(32:01):
You're exactly right, But it's pathetic, it's sad, and it's
actually malpractice on their part because it's another disgusting display
of how these guys just for some reason will not
dig into their pockets to significantly attempt to make this
baseball team better.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
They just won't. And it's going to be a problem as.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Long as John Stanton owns the baseball team, as long
as Chris Larson owns the baseball team, it's going to
be an issue. As long as the root sports problem
still persists, it's going to be an issue. So look,
I don't think fans, me, you, Jackson can do anything
to force these guys to sell the baseball team.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
It's a cash cow. They've got no reason to give
it up.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
If they want to give it to their kids and
have the next generation of Stanton's and Larson's takeover it'd
be wise because the thing is going to double, triple,
quadruple in value in the next twenty five to thirty years.
But I think that we are really in a pickle
in this town and that we do not have an
ownership group whose desire to win a title reflects the
passion of its own fan base, and that is sad.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
I think there's three just like there's three buckets of
NFL teams right now, there's the crap eight, there's the
elite six or seven, and then everybody else is in purgatory,
like the Seahawks. That's what we have with Major League
Baseball owners There's really only six or seven awesome ones
that are like, we don't care, We're gonna spend. There's
(33:27):
also six or seven that are like Tampa Bay and
Oakland that are like, we don't we won't spend anything.
Do we even care to build our franchise.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Vegas.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
But really, the Mariners are one.
Speaker 6 (33:42):
Of like twenty that are like this that play, especially
with the ones that are tied to the regional sports
networks that are tied to a tight budget, and the
Mariners just have to be better, well, the Mariners have
to be better than the rest of those twenty that
they're competing with in order to make the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
I would just look at their market size. I would
look at the money in this town. I would look
at everything that you're you know, all the other factors
where they are, their fan base. You know, there's a
baseball team that has every reason to expect the fans
to jump.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Ship, and they haven't done that, right, And I just
think that if.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
That's what we're going to say, that they're just like
everybody else, well then I guess we're just screwed because
they're not like everybody else, dick, because of the only
damn team that's never been to a World Series ever
in the history of the game. And at some point
the consistent particulars, which in this case is John Stanton
and Chris Larson, have.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Got to be pointed out. And I get tired of
bitching about it.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
Honestly, this is how fan bases become apathetic when they
yell and scream it but the same stuff over and
over and over.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
And over again. I I'm tired of it.
Speaker 3 (34:47):
I know you're tired of hearing it. I know Jackson's
tired of it.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
It's just crazy at.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
I have moved apathy. Yeah, they're going to keep coming
to that park.
Speaker 6 (34:57):
We're gonna breaks awesome for three out of the year.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
John Gonzano was going to join us in a matter
of minutes on ninety three three KJRFM.
Speaker 7 (35:05):
You were in rare form on social media. If people
aren't following you already on social media, they should. After
the Rose Bull you you danced on the grave a
little maybe a little ballet on the grave maybe. Yeah,
you had some fun with that.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
Well if you can, if you can point me to
another place to dance on, I'll do it, no doubt.
Speaker 6 (35:25):
Man.
Speaker 3 (35:25):
I mean, that was the greatest non Husky Rose Bowl
of all time. But let me ask you this, honestly,
when you looked up and saw thirty four to nothing
in the second quarter, how stunning was that to witness
that and see that in person?
Speaker 6 (35:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (35:39):
It was. It was like the air in the stadium
had been let out. And I had traveled down obviously
the airports that I went through at Portland and into
southern California, there were so many Duck fans on the
plane and everybody had their story about you know, it
had been twenty years since they've been there. And one
guy I talked to who hadn't been to a Rose
(36:00):
Bull and since it had been like sixty years, he
was a kid when he went to the Rose Bowl
last and so it was just a lot of letdown.
And you know, with all the build up, and you
guys know, I mean the Huskies had all that build
up last season into all those games and to be
behind thirty four nothing like the game didn't even start.
It was just it was a face plant by Oregon.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Well what happened?
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Why if there's a blame pie, who gets the bigger
piece of the pie?
Speaker 2 (36:27):
In your mind?
Speaker 7 (36:28):
I think the coaching staff. It has to go on
the coaching staff. I think. You know, Dan Lanning, you know,
and Husky fans know this better than anything. Dan Lanning
his first punch is his best punch. He's the first
half guy who has struggled in the third quarter to
make adjustments. They've been a sketchy third quarter team all
season long. And last year I felt like Oregon played
(36:49):
better in that first meeting with Washington than it did
in the second meeting with Washington, meaning that the coaching
staff is just maybe not assing in the same way
that others are adjusted and you had tosh Lapoy against
Chip Kelly, and tash Lapoy got embarrassed in that Rose Bowl.
There's no way around it. Chip Kelly coach circles around him.
(37:11):
Looked like Oregon was operating on game plan from earlier
in the season, and Ohio State was They had a plan,
they had a better plan, they executed it.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
Well, John Gonzano's with us on the air, and that
brings me to my next question before we talk about
kind of where this disappointment sits and the annals of
Oregon history. And again John Gonzana with us, and I'm
kind of paraphrasing here. I thought you had a post
on AX the other day where you were asked about
your your top three like in game coaches, and I
think you had landing on that list, and I wonder
(37:41):
if you still would have landing on that list.
Speaker 7 (37:43):
I would amend that list. And you know I had,
you know, I put Kirby Smart up there because he
was the only guy who had done it. Yeah, and
I thought, you know, Freeman Notre Dame. Great, you know,
obviously they came through. He would still be on that.
But you look at Sark and the coaches who are
coaching in that round of and there wasn't a lot
of proof of performance outside of Kirby Smart. And I
(38:04):
think Dan Lanning right now has to be asking himself,
do you take some of Uncle Phil's money and do
you divert that into potentially beefing up your coaching staff
and getting a guy with gray hair in there who's
done it before, and let somebody who's not just a
recruiter be your coordinator.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (38:24):
All right, well, okay, so here's here's here's where I'm
coming from. I am over the moon as a Husky
fan over what happened in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
Thrilled beyond belief.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
I mean, could not have asked for a better way
to start twenty twenty five than for Demon Williams to
be established as a star quarterback and the Sun Bowl.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
We'll see if he can live up to it.
Speaker 3 (38:46):
Oregon gets the rass kicked on New Year's Day, the
basketball team gets drilled by Illinois yesterday, and then today
Oregon loses the commitment of a five star quarterback. Obviously,
where does the Rose Bowl and the way this year
ended for Oregon rank on the list of the all
time disappointing Oregon football seasons.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Ever.
Speaker 7 (39:08):
I think that game is the flattest I have seen
in Oregon play in twenty years. It was the most
disappointing outcome in twenty plus seasons that I've covered, because
of the build up, because of thirteen and zero, because
you were the number one team, because you played Ohio
State so well in that first meeting, and then you
just go and you lay an egg. And I think
Oregon fans more than anybody know that. You know that.
(39:32):
You could say, Hey, it's something to build on. You
need to build on it all you want, but you
need to learn from it. You need to come back
with a better plan next year, because you know this
playoff was new. All five of the conference champions got
knocked out, right, Maybe you don't want to be a
conference champion. Maybe you know, maybe that has something to
do with it. But I couldn't help but think there
(39:53):
was a coaching problem in that game and Ohio State
had had a better plan.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Well, John, I got to be hones with you when
you say, you know, maybe building towards something. And if
I'm way off based on this, please correct me, because
I'm not buying the scenes the way you are. I'm
just there when it's convenient for me, and right now
it's very convenient for me.
Speaker 2 (40:12):
I'll be honest with you.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
But it feel like it feels like Oregon's been building
for something for thirty years, ever since the ninety five
Rose Bull and ever since Kenny Wheaton. And this is
twenty ten. They got close, twenty fourteen, they got close.
Last year, they got close. This year, they got close,
and they just can't find a way to get over
the hump. Is there is there a deeper issue with
(40:36):
the way that they're building this program and maybe the
authority and the power and the reliance on a guy
like Phil Knight.
Speaker 7 (40:44):
Yeah, I think there's questions to be asked there. I
don't think you're totally off base, but I think Oregon
fans would take the trajectory short term of Dan Lanning,
you know, getting a thirteen win season this year and go, Okay, now,
you got to learn from it, you got to figure
it out. I tetched a little bit with Lanning and
he said live in. I mean, that was what he
came back with because and he's got to go out
and prove that now. But you're right in there, there's
(41:05):
a little bit of a you know, the I think
the unfair stigma that Oregon gets is that it was
a get rich quick thing, because you it was a
build that started in ninety four ninety five with Rich
Brooks and Mike Billatti, and there has been massive acceleration
in this era because Oregon is better positioned than just
about anyone to matter. This is their time, and that's
(41:27):
the thing that's concerning to me is this is the
time where you can buy a championship and you can
get the players in there, and you can go out
and you can spend more than anybody else, and you
can be the Yankees while others have to be the
Oakland A's, and you can outspend people. And Oregon, you know,
didn't break it didn't crack the top four. So, you know,
I think they have a coaching issue. They should take
(41:49):
some of that money and they should go out and
find some experienced guys who have done it. But the
problem is all of these recruiters want to be coordinators
so they can put it on their resume so they
can go out and get a head coaching job. And
so how do you keep Tosh Latoy happy in recruiting.
If you have to demote him here, that's a question
that Oregon's gonna maybe have to answer.
Speaker 2 (42:08):
Yeah, well, John Gonzano's with us.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
How John, how appropriate is it to blame the structure
of the CFP the seating? I think if they would
have gone and just taken the top four teams and
not given teams like Boise and ASU a bye, then
Oregon would have been playing Boise or Indiana I think
in the second round and then either ASU, Notre Dame,
(42:30):
or Penn State in the semi finals. So it on
paper looks like a bit of an easier road. They
could have been drilled by Ohio State eventually anyway in
the title game, or maybe even a Notre Dame or.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
A Penn State. But how appropriate?
Speaker 3 (42:43):
How how reasonable is it for Oregon fans to complain
about the structure of the CFP and the fact that
they had to play Ohouse State After.
Speaker 7 (42:52):
You own the coaching deficiency in the in the total
slate face plant, and the lack of performance, you can
get to that other stuff, because yeah, there's a c
issue with the playoff. No matter who was number one,
there was a seating issue. The five seed had a
better path to the potential championship, and twenty four days
off is you know, the conference champions are proving twenty
(43:13):
four days off wasn't an advantage. It was a rust
versus rest thing. You know, we're going to look like
a bull team that was a little out of rhythm.
Ohio State looked like it was primed. I mean it,
you know, and they and they've got tons of talent
and great coaching, you know, everyone all over Ryan Day.
But you know Chip Kelly and Ryan Day. That was
a masterclass in that Rose Bowl. But I think after
(43:33):
you do all the hey, they sucked. The coaching staff
wasn't good, the plan wasn't good. They got embarrassed. After
you do all of that, you can get to, hey,
there's a problem with a format, and if they don't
fix the format, somebody else is going to end up
in this position next season.
Speaker 3 (43:47):
How personally satisfying do you think this was for Chip Kelly?
Speaker 7 (43:53):
You know, I don't know he would dismiss it, he
would wave it off. I think it would. I think
he has more of an act grind with UCLA. I
think his time at Oregon he looks back on it fondly.
But I think it was very satisfying for Ryan Day
and Chip Kelly after especially after the Michigan performance, right
to look like, look, they just just mantled Tennessee and
(44:15):
then they used the same plan essentially to dismantle Oregon.
And they don't look like they're going to be stopped.
And so I think the ultimate satisfaction for Chip will be,
you know, if they win the title in Atlanta, he
doesn't have to recruit in the offseason afterwards. He can
just go sit on a beach somewhere. I think, you
know that's gonna be a fat and happy Chip Kelly.
Speaker 2 (44:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:33):
Well, John Gonzano was with us the opposite of fat
and happy. He's happy, but he's also fit, by the way,
trust me, the guy's yoked.
Speaker 2 (44:40):
I've seen him lately. He looks phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (44:42):
But John, I got to ask you because Husky fans
are having some fun with this, right, I'm having some
fun with this.
Speaker 2 (44:47):
You know.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
We began our show yesterday with a bunch of highlights
from the Rose Bowl, you know, just mocking them, pointing fingers,
as you said, dancing all over the grave. I mean, hell,
we're dancing all over the cemetery. After this thing on Wednesday.
How much to does that bother Oregon fans, that that
Husky fans are having a big party up here and
just enjoying the hell out of this, You.
Speaker 7 (45:06):
Think, Well, I think everybody who isn't happy with kind
of the culture of college football in twenty twenty four
is taking a jab at orgon right now. Not just
Washington fans. I mean social media lit up after the
game with people trying to you know, take shots at
Oregon and point out that that, you know, just buying
a roster or outspending everybody isn't the way to do it.
(45:27):
So I think there's a lot of pent up hostility
that's out there from people who are upset about that
and you know, don't like what they see happening. So
I think the organ fans that I saw and I
talked with, you know, I just flew back today, they
you know, they're just a little flat. They're despondent because
they had such high hopes and I think a lot
(45:49):
of them were thinking, you know, go to the Rose
Bowl and then maybe go to the Cotton Bowl, and
then a lot of people were booked to the National
Championship Game. I went back online and looked at my
flight from Portland to Atlanta, and you know, seventy five
percent of the plane was open all of a sudden,
and it was full when I booked it. So I
think there are a lot of plans that changed at
(46:09):
the Rose Bowl on January one.
Speaker 2 (46:11):
Okay, what about going forward?
Speaker 3 (46:13):
Dylan Gabriel's gone, Dante More, I presume is going to
be in as the starting quarterback. Is there any reason
to just not think that Oregon just reloads and takes
a run again next year.
Speaker 7 (46:25):
Yeah, I think that that's the mindset that they're taking.
But you know, I would caution them. They won games
this year, but they didn't win the one that mattered,
that mattered most. And you know, there's a little bit
of there's an NFL feel to this season now in
college football, where you need to be playing your best
at the end of the year, and Chiefs proved it
a year ago. They lost six games, They were bad
in the middle of the season. Ohio State had the
(46:46):
loss of Michigan, But you know, you want to be
playing that football at the end of the year. And
I think, you know, Dan Lanning's going to learn from this,
But I would be really surprised if he didn't go
out and at least find some coach who has coached
in big games, ye, and get it on his staff.
He needs some help, all right.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Well, we'll keep an eye on him. Man. I just
want to know one thing before you go.
Speaker 3 (47:05):
If this game had been close, Let's say it's a
three or four point game with four or five minutes
to go, what player had landing designated to fake an injury?
Speaker 2 (47:14):
You think in the fourth quarter, you.
Speaker 7 (47:16):
Know they should take it though. You know they deserve it.
They deserve all of the jabs and the barbs and
the dancing on the grave because they didn't show up
and it was a big game.
Speaker 3 (47:27):
And you know what they were doing the exact same
thing when you doub got drilled by Michigan. And that's
what a rivalry is all about, man, for sure. All Right, listen, dude,
travel safe, good stuff, Appreciate this, and we'll talk down
the road, buddy.
Speaker 2 (47:41):
All right.
Speaker 3 (47:41):
John Gonzato with US recapping the Rose bull thrashing of
Oregon by Ohio State. I think the Buckeyes may have
just yeah, they just scored again, by the way, so
this is not even close to being over yet.
Dave 'Softy' Mahler and Dick Fain News
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