December 12, 2024 • 20 mins
Cris Collinsworth, NBC Sunday Night Football Analyst, joins Mike Holmgren, alongside Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain, to talk about Mike’s Hall of Fame candidacy, Green Bay coming to Seattle this week, Mike Macdonald, DK Metcalf, Bill Belichick, and more.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, joining us right now on the radio show.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
It is our absolute pleasure NBC Sports, and we all
talked about how we're all enough to remember this guy
in the Super Bowl with the Bengals.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Back in the day.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
He's now a seventeen time Sports Emmy winning broadcaster. Sunday
Night football analyst Chris Collinsworth, who's going to call the
Packers Seahawks on Sunday with Mike ta Rico five twenty
pm on NBC and Peacock. Chris Collinsworth is with us
and Chris, first of all, thanks for doing this. And
then second of all, say hello to a finalist for
(00:31):
the Pro Football Hall of Fame, our friend Mike Comrin.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
I like his chances. I'll just put it at that.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Our licensed chances there, you know what. Thank you very much.
It's great to talk with you. Before we get into
anything serious about football. I got to tell you guys
a story. When I was stop coaching, they had me
doing the Super Bowl. Who was I doing it with
Costas and Chris Collinsworth yep, And I was nerve, was
(01:00):
really nervous, and he took me under his wing and
made it a great experience for me. But then I
realized I wasn't talented enough to do what he's doing.
You know, No, no, Chris, remember that Super Bowl.
Speaker 5 (01:14):
You have talent on loan from God, as they used
to say, So I don't even.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Want to hear that.
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Oh yeah, I remember it well, I remember it well.
It was a lot of fun, it really was. I'm
excited for you, though, Mike. I'm really I really am excited.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
That you're being recognized. It was funny.
Speaker 5 (01:35):
We were talking with Andy Reid last week before our game,
and I could we could barely get him off of you.
I'm like, okay, yeah, we know we got at home
or we got it. We got to shut up, man,
We need to move on and ask a couple of
questions like come on, give us the breaker and what
are you.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Doing to it? But there's a lot of love there.
There was a lot of love.
Speaker 5 (01:54):
Really was well.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
I knew you were going to talk to him, so
I phoned him up before you had to talk to him,
and I said, give me a good could you.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Know, talk nicely about me?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
You know?
Speaker 4 (02:02):
There you go. Anyway, Listen, the Seahawks are in a
big game against the Packers. You got the game, and
they seem to be their new coach. You know, when
you get a new coach, you know better than anybody
there takes some time for everyone to kind of buy
in and understand the new part of what he's doing.
And you have studied, I know how you study for
(02:25):
the games and stuff. Talk to me about your feelings
about Gino right now, would you please?
Speaker 5 (02:32):
Well, I mean, after what we saw that last game,
I think we all understand the power of if you
can run the football and what it does for your quarterback.
And you know, charbon A having the kind of day
that he did and sort of that new look offensive
line up there and all the pulls and the counters
and the powers that we were staying in that game.
(02:53):
But for from Gino's standpoint, yeah, he completes eighty percent
of his pass is a hundred ten quarterback rating, no sacks,
And you go, wait a minute, now, if this is
now the art of the possible, and this offensive line
is coming together like this and they won four games
in a row and you take a little pressure off
(03:15):
your quarterback and he doesn't have to throw it.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Forty times to win? Now, what are the Seattle Seahawks? Right?
Speaker 5 (03:22):
You know, it's a it's a little different equation here,
and it's actually a really good matchup in my mind
because I sort of put Green Bay almost in that
same category.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
You know, we have to we have to reserve.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Maybe for i'll know, the Detroit Lions of the world,
some higher tier because of what they've been able to do, Minnesota,
whoever else you want to Buffalo put it through Kansas
that he put those teams in there. But this is
this is a really good matchup to take on a
green Bay Packers team who is playing in that NFC North,
(03:58):
which is just the dominant division right now in football,
and to watch green Bay play against Detroit and almost
it was like a playoff kind of intensity in that
game in Detroit a week ago. So this is a
really good this is a really good, let's find out
(04:19):
about these two teams kind of game, because these they're
they're kind of in the same like just a notch
down maybe from the top of the pack, but dangerous,
you know, both dangerous.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Yeah, you know, I kind of agree with you. I
think Gino has been under criticism here during the season
a little bit for taking chances, but you know, I
grew up with Brett Favres, so nothing affects me too much,
you know that way. But let me ask you this.
In the college the offensive coordinator is a guy named
(04:52):
Ryan Grew and he came from Washington with Pennix and
they were lights out just doing stuff. You do you
take the transition. Do you think there is a growing
period for a college coach to come in to the
NFL and and you know, adjust to the way the
NFL plays things?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
I do. I think there's a big adjustment and probably
something that you'll understand better than anybody.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
It's it's protections.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
You know that in.
Speaker 5 (05:23):
College football you can you can get by with a
few things. Steve Spurrier found out when he came in
the NFL. And you guys as coaches are just so good.
I mean, you don't miss any details at all. And
if you leave one flaw in your protection, all of
a sudden, now your quarterback's getting hit and Zack fumble
(05:45):
and the game's completely turned around.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And that's the way it goes sometimes.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
But I really feel like that if they can stay
on this path, You know that, how many times have
we seen Tom Brady, you know, pull the backside guard
and it looks like a run play. It's the same
exact motion, all of a sudden he's raising up and
throwing at the gronk on that little crossing route. You know,
it's just it's hard to play both. That you have
(06:10):
to make people play both. You have to make them
stop your run or at least think about your run,
and then you can get into all.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
These kinds of games.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
But when you can play those gap schemes and pull
people and really make your running game and passing game
sort of slow down a little bit with some of
those fakes and slow down those fast rushers, I think
it gives them a chance. And I don't know that
it's going to matter if it's sharbon A or Walker
running the football. If this offensive line keeps growing together
(06:43):
and doing some things like they did last week, then maybe,
you know, this might be that late bloomer like Green
Bay was a year ago.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
You know, we are privileged today to be talking to
Chris Collinsworth on the radio show. And I remember, just
going back a little in history too, when he was
playing against me when I was with the forty nine ers.
Wow in this oh no, And and people look at
you as this announcer now and you know this Emmy
winning guy. But I remember it was a great pass
(07:12):
receiver that almost beat us in the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
He had to get that in there, pressed that little
dig right there? You like that?
Speaker 5 (07:20):
That that all that almost word has been chasing me
my whole life. I remember it twice. We lost to
the forty nine ers twice. And here's here's my only
claim to fame though, that you guys had won five
Super Bowls And I walked in there and I saw
that all the trophies, but the.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Only two games that were close were against the Bengals.
So that's it. That's as good as I got right there.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
They were great games. But uh, listen, we'd I'd be
remiss if I didn't ask you about the most outstanding
coach in the NFL, Bill Belichick and what he's doing.
Speaker 5 (07:54):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Did I was? I was, well, I was shocked. But
what did you? What did you think? I?
Speaker 5 (08:02):
Well, I've talked to a few college coaches who you know,
maybe he's underestimating the amount of chaos this in college
football right now. That literally you have to recruit your
own players before you can recruit somebody else's players, before
you can get to the high school players.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
And it's it's a madhouse out there right now.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
But you know, if there's anybody in the history of
this league that can remain calm and try and crack
the code on something that seems out of control, maybe
it's a bill.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
It's not the job I would have been personally looking for,
But I do think that there's a possibility that he
can run this as a business in a way that
hasn't been done before. You know, Lombardi's going to be
sort of the head of personnel, if you will, and
who knows what kind. I'm sure he got some concessions
(08:59):
on in il money as far as how much can
we spind because you had there's no salary cap. You know,
how badly do you guys want to win a championship here?
So it's going to it's going to open some eyes
and it's also going to mean I'm going to be
watching a lot of college football next year too.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
Yeah, I mean, I was thinking, how you know he's
he's no spring chicken, just like some of us are.
The how long do you see him staying? Did you
see him being this meaning his last stop?
Speaker 5 (09:35):
You never know, right, You never know with him, And
it doesn't mean that you have to stay at any
point if somebody comes along. But I do think there's
maybe there's something a little bit freeing about taking a
college shop not being totally beholden. Like it had to
be hard on him last year to not be offered
(09:59):
one of those openings in the NFL, right, I mean
that had to be ro like, like what else does
Bill Belichick have to prove that, you know.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
He knows how to coach, and he couldn't get a
job that every job.
Speaker 5 (10:11):
Was basically given to some hot thirty something year old
coordinator that you know is up and coming. And it's
the way it is. It's the way all of you
got jobs at one time or another, so you understand it.
But it also had to be a little bit tough,
I would think. And now he kind of controls his
own destiny in a place that he loves. His dad
(10:33):
coach there and he grew up there as a little kid,
and and but maybe it's just something that's take a
breath and step back and go coach the eighteen year
olds and remember what you loved about football.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, Chris Collins were us with us on the show
with Mike Holmdrid and Chris it's Dave, and I'm just curious.
You know, Mike mentioned your wide receiver, you know, pedigree
back in the day about DK Metcalf. He's got one
more year left on his contract after this year, and
there's been a lot of conversation about whether or not
the Seahawks should re up him to a big money deal.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
I mean Pro Football Focus.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
By the way, your site's got him grade at thirty
seventh right now.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Overall in the NFL?
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Does does DK Metcalf strike you as a guy that
when this season comes to an end, you'd be willing,
if you're John Schneider, to commit really big dollars To.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
Me, I think you have to remember one thing that,
at least in my mind the.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Way I look at it is it's.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
All about drawing double teams or somebody that can take
off a double teams. So if you have a wide
receiver that draws double teams, that means others have opportunities.
And certainly we've seen Jay Thin kind of take off here,
right and we've seen Tyler Lockett and Noah Fan and.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
The running game now.
Speaker 5 (11:50):
So when you watch this team, they do adjust for
DK Metcalf. Early in the season, he was blowing the
top off of defenses if they want to play single high.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Probably part of the running.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
Success that they had last week was because they felt
like they had to play two deep safeties in order to.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Help on Dk Metcalf.
Speaker 5 (12:12):
So it's not always the statistics, it's what the team
is doing. He certainly is a blocker, but there.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Just aren't many that God made like Dk Metcalf.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
I mean, when he catches a deep ball and takes off,
you kind of goha, you know, like what was that?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
That? Just what just went by us down the field?
Speaker 5 (12:34):
So, yeah, he's going to have a market. He's going
to make a ton of money. It's either going to
be in Seattle or somewhere else. But those people who
draw double teams are hard to find.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Chris is Dick, we really appreciate you joining us tonight.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
How long does it take for you to assess whether
a first time head coach is gonna work?
Speaker 1 (12:55):
And have you reached that point yet?
Speaker 5 (12:57):
With Mike McDonald, I really like Mike McDonald. Last year
I got to know him as a coordinator, so that
was fun for me, and I knew the reaction and
the way that people were around him, and so it
did not surprise me. As a matter of fact, I
was pretty high when I get a lot of owners
(13:19):
and general managers who call me about coaches because I
know all the know all the assistants, you know, I
know all the every week I talked to the coordinators.
So I get a lot of those phone calls. And
you know, some people present themselves as head coaches. Others
are you know better where they are, you know, designing
plays in a back room somewhere. I thought Mike from
(13:40):
the beginning proved that he was. He was the kind
of guy you would stand up in front of a
group of young.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Men and that he could lead them. And it's it's
a special trait, you know. I mean, Mike had it.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Mike was, you know, not just mentally but physically, could
stand up in front of a group of men that
were ready to go to battle, and he was the general,
you know, and everybody knew it. And I think that
Mike has those same qualities. But also, like Mike has
the ability.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
To draw them up and then call them you know,
those are those are those are tough things to be
able to do all at once. That's a lot of jobs.
Speaker 5 (14:21):
And and so yeah, I think they're going to do
really well. And the idea that you come in with
a group of three new coordinators, uh, and it's working
this early in a good division.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
I mean, I think almost everybody.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
Thought that West was going to be a really tough division.
San Francisco probably at the front end of it. But
it's quite a statement to come in and do what
they've done, especially in the last month.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
You know, Chris is Mike you when you talk. You
talked to my adopted son last week, Andy Reid, and
you've we've studied, I know how you study film. Can
the city's played there? They really only a lot of
fun games, but they've played a lot of close games.
When you look when you studied them, did you see
(15:10):
a difference from maybe last year or what's what's what's
with that team right now?
Speaker 5 (15:17):
For the last two years, Mike, they've really been a
defensive football team. Steve Spagnolo has done a great job
over there, Chris Jones, some of those guys are Uh,
they've been the dominant part of that team. And we
got used to, uh, you know, Tyreek Hill and seeing
those guys going deep and and hitting big plays. But
(15:41):
the entire league has changed now and maybe in part
because of Kansas City and the bombs away mode that
they were playing three or four years ago. Everybody's playing
too deep, playing quarters, just not letting big plays happen
and basically allowing you know, playing six guys in the box,
and anybody who wants to run for five yards can
(16:03):
pretty much do it whenever they want to. In the
league right now, the problem is you have to be
able to go ten twelve plays, not make a mistake,
not have a holding call, not fumble the ball, not
throw an interception, and so but that sort of slow death.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
On defense is becoming.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
The norm now that everybody is playing, and so it's
not quite.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
As dynamic as it once was.
Speaker 5 (16:31):
And I'm sure that for DK Metcalf.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
He knows the feeling that, you know, if they want.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
To take away these great targets down the field, they
pretty much can. And so I think what you're seeing
is that games are shorter, games are closer, and you know,
instead of twelve possessions in a game, you might end
up with ten or nine, and what do you do
with those? And so the ball becomes very precious And
(16:59):
for that reason, I think you're seeing Kansas City in
a lot of close games. But the one thing you
cannot deny is that Patrick mahomes in at the end
of those games has been maybe better than he's ever been.
I mean, he's it's like, it's like a guy, a
pitcher on a ten game winning streak. When the matters most,
he's throwing it, he's running it, he's making decisions to
(17:21):
win games. And that's that's tough to beat and play
all football.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
Yeah, in your meetings and stuff, did you get a
chance to meet Taylor Swift by any chances?
Speaker 5 (17:33):
Well, she asked to meet me several times, but I
just didn't have the time.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
You know, Hey, listen, it's really nice talking with you,
and thank you so much for coming on the show.
I know you got a busy week ahead of you
and I'm not going to be at the game, but
I'll be listening to you on Sunday night. So guys,
this is one of the good guys.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yeah, and you know what, Hey, Chris, if you don't mind,
I'm going to interrupt Mike for a second and he's
gonna kill me for doing this. We started off the
show by talking about our guy here being a finalist
for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and we've.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Been waiting and waiting and waiting for years.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
It's been frustrating for us, Chris that we think that
lesser coaches are going in before him. But whatever happens
is the way it's going to happen. Can you leave
us before you go with a thought on what this guy,
Tom I right here Chris has meant to Pro football
and why he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 5 (18:24):
Well, except for the son of a gun beat me in.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
The Super Bowl, everything he's done has been right.
Speaker 5 (18:30):
And know he's you know, you got to start for
me with San Francisco and what he established there with
that dynasty, and then of course you go on to
Green Bay and championships and Seattle and Super.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Bowls and all that goes with it.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
But I also think that you look at the legacy
of coaches that were trained by Mike and some of
the best of the best that are around the National
Football League, and they all say the same thing about you,
and that is that you challenged them to be better.
You challenged them and forced them to compete with other
(19:08):
coaches inside the organization to get a play. Yet, I
mean just one play, like it was considered gold if
they could draw up a play that major Paul sheet
and that you actually called in a game, and they
had side bets going, they had arguments, they had fights,
but then all of a sudden, those coaches became great
(19:29):
coaches and they all point right.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Back to you.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
And I think that's the obvious sign that the greatest
of the great belonging to Hall of Fame.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
And so do you.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Well, you know what, thank you, thank you so much.
That's that's very nice and I appreciate it. And like
I said, good luck the rest of the season. Say
lo to Trico for me and have a good game
Sunday night.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
Great, darn you guys.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
That a great night. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Thanks Chris. Chris collins Worth there with us on the
other show.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
I think he's the best right now in the NFS
fan the Stars.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
Plus he really studies.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
It, no doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
When I was doing those things, and we'd bump into
each other in the stadium when I was going to
do West with stuff, and he'd go, what do you
think about that? He'd start to we'd start talking about stuff,
you know that we saw in films. Yeah, that's just
how he approaches it, and and you could you could hear.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
It right now, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Well, and I think he should do the radio show
because I helped pay his salary. I give him twelve
bucks a month from my PFF some script more of
my com briend Chris Peterson's gonna join us at five
point twenty tonight right here on ninety three three kJ
r f M
Well, joining us right now on the radio show.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
It is our absolute pleasure NBC Sports, and we all
talked about how we're all enough to remember this guy
in the Super Bowl with the Bengals.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Back in the day.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
He's now a seventeen time Sports Emmy winning broadcaster. Sunday
Night football analyst Chris Collinsworth, who's going to call the
Packers Seahawks on Sunday with Mike ta Rico five twenty
pm on NBC and Peacock. Chris Collinsworth is with us
and Chris, first of all, thanks for doing this. And
then second of all, say hello to a finalist for
(00:31):
the Pro Football Hall of Fame, our friend Mike Comrin.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
I like his chances. I'll just put it at that.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Our licensed chances there, you know what. Thank you very much.
It's great to talk with you. Before we get into
anything serious about football. I got to tell you guys
a story. When I was stop coaching, they had me
doing the Super Bowl. Who was I doing it with
Costas and Chris Collinsworth yep, And I was nerve, was
(01:00):
really nervous, and he took me under his wing and
made it a great experience for me. But then I
realized I wasn't talented enough to do what he's doing.
You know, No, no, Chris, remember that Super Bowl.
Speaker 5 (01:14):
You have talent on loan from God, as they used
to say, So I don't even.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Want to hear that.
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Oh yeah, I remember it well, I remember it well.
It was a lot of fun, it really was. I'm
excited for you, though, Mike. I'm really I really am excited.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
That you're being recognized. It was funny.
Speaker 5 (01:35):
We were talking with Andy Reid last week before our game,
and I could we could barely get him off of you.
I'm like, okay, yeah, we know we got at home
or we got it. We got to shut up, man,
We need to move on and ask a couple of
questions like come on, give us the breaker and what
are you.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Doing to it? But there's a lot of love there.
There was a lot of love.
Speaker 5 (01:54):
Really was well.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
I knew you were going to talk to him, so
I phoned him up before you had to talk to him,
and I said, give me a good could you.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Know, talk nicely about me?
Speaker 3 (02:02):
You know?
Speaker 4 (02:02):
There you go. Anyway, Listen, the Seahawks are in a
big game against the Packers. You got the game, and
they seem to be their new coach. You know, when
you get a new coach, you know better than anybody
there takes some time for everyone to kind of buy
in and understand the new part of what he's doing.
And you have studied, I know how you study for
(02:25):
the games and stuff. Talk to me about your feelings
about Gino right now, would you please?
Speaker 5 (02:32):
Well, I mean, after what we saw that last game,
I think we all understand the power of if you
can run the football and what it does for your quarterback.
And you know, charbon A having the kind of day
that he did and sort of that new look offensive
line up there and all the pulls and the counters
and the powers that we were staying in that game.
(02:53):
But for from Gino's standpoint, yeah, he completes eighty percent
of his pass is a hundred ten quarterback rating, no sacks,
And you go, wait a minute, now, if this is
now the art of the possible, and this offensive line
is coming together like this and they won four games
in a row and you take a little pressure off
(03:15):
your quarterback and he doesn't have to throw it.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Forty times to win? Now, what are the Seattle Seahawks? Right?
Speaker 5 (03:22):
You know, it's a it's a little different equation here,
and it's actually a really good matchup in my mind
because I sort of put Green Bay almost in that
same category.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
You know, we have to we have to reserve.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Maybe for i'll know, the Detroit Lions of the world,
some higher tier because of what they've been able to do, Minnesota,
whoever else you want to Buffalo put it through Kansas
that he put those teams in there. But this is
this is a really good matchup to take on a
green Bay Packers team who is playing in that NFC North,
(03:58):
which is just the dominant division right now in football,
and to watch green Bay play against Detroit and almost
it was like a playoff kind of intensity in that
game in Detroit a week ago. So this is a
really good this is a really good, let's find out
(04:19):
about these two teams kind of game, because these they're
they're kind of in the same like just a notch
down maybe from the top of the pack, but dangerous,
you know, both dangerous.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Yeah, you know, I kind of agree with you. I
think Gino has been under criticism here during the season
a little bit for taking chances, but you know, I
grew up with Brett Favres, so nothing affects me too much,
you know that way. But let me ask you this.
In the college the offensive coordinator is a guy named
(04:52):
Ryan Grew and he came from Washington with Pennix and
they were lights out just doing stuff. You do you
take the transition. Do you think there is a growing
period for a college coach to come in to the
NFL and and you know, adjust to the way the
NFL plays things?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
I do. I think there's a big adjustment and probably
something that you'll understand better than anybody.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
It's it's protections.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
You know that in.
Speaker 5 (05:23):
College football you can you can get by with a
few things. Steve Spurrier found out when he came in
the NFL. And you guys as coaches are just so good.
I mean, you don't miss any details at all. And
if you leave one flaw in your protection, all of
a sudden, now your quarterback's getting hit and Zack fumble
(05:45):
and the game's completely turned around.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And that's the way it goes sometimes.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
But I really feel like that if they can stay
on this path, You know that, how many times have
we seen Tom Brady, you know, pull the backside guard
and it looks like a run play. It's the same
exact motion, all of a sudden he's raising up and
throwing at the gronk on that little crossing route. You know,
it's just it's hard to play both. That you have
(06:10):
to make people play both. You have to make them
stop your run or at least think about your run,
and then you can get into all.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
These kinds of games.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
But when you can play those gap schemes and pull
people and really make your running game and passing game
sort of slow down a little bit with some of
those fakes and slow down those fast rushers, I think
it gives them a chance. And I don't know that
it's going to matter if it's sharbon A or Walker
running the football. If this offensive line keeps growing together
(06:43):
and doing some things like they did last week, then maybe,
you know, this might be that late bloomer like Green
Bay was a year ago.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
You know, we are privileged today to be talking to
Chris Collinsworth on the radio show. And I remember, just
going back a little in history too, when he was
playing against me when I was with the forty nine ers.
Wow in this oh no, And and people look at
you as this announcer now and you know this Emmy
winning guy. But I remember it was a great pass
(07:12):
receiver that almost beat us in the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
He had to get that in there, pressed that little
dig right there? You like that?
Speaker 5 (07:20):
That that all that almost word has been chasing me
my whole life. I remember it twice. We lost to
the forty nine ers twice. And here's here's my only
claim to fame though, that you guys had won five
Super Bowls And I walked in there and I saw
that all the trophies, but the.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Only two games that were close were against the Bengals.
So that's it. That's as good as I got right there.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
They were great games. But uh, listen, we'd I'd be
remiss if I didn't ask you about the most outstanding
coach in the NFL, Bill Belichick and what he's doing.
Speaker 5 (07:54):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Did I was? I was, well, I was shocked. But
what did you? What did you think? I?
Speaker 5 (08:02):
Well, I've talked to a few college coaches who you know,
maybe he's underestimating the amount of chaos this in college
football right now. That literally you have to recruit your
own players before you can recruit somebody else's players, before
you can get to the high school players.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
And it's it's a madhouse out there right now.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
But you know, if there's anybody in the history of
this league that can remain calm and try and crack
the code on something that seems out of control, maybe
it's a bill.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
It's not the job I would have been personally looking for,
But I do think that there's a possibility that he
can run this as a business in a way that
hasn't been done before. You know, Lombardi's going to be
sort of the head of personnel, if you will, and
who knows what kind. I'm sure he got some concessions
(08:59):
on in il money as far as how much can
we spind because you had there's no salary cap. You know,
how badly do you guys want to win a championship here?
So it's going to it's going to open some eyes
and it's also going to mean I'm going to be
watching a lot of college football next year too.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
Yeah, I mean, I was thinking, how you know he's
he's no spring chicken, just like some of us are.
The how long do you see him staying? Did you
see him being this meaning his last stop?
Speaker 5 (09:35):
You never know, right, You never know with him, And
it doesn't mean that you have to stay at any
point if somebody comes along. But I do think there's
maybe there's something a little bit freeing about taking a
college shop not being totally beholden. Like it had to
be hard on him last year to not be offered
(09:59):
one of those openings in the NFL, right, I mean
that had to be ro like, like what else does
Bill Belichick have to prove that, you know.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
He knows how to coach, and he couldn't get a
job that every job.
Speaker 5 (10:11):
Was basically given to some hot thirty something year old
coordinator that you know is up and coming. And it's
the way it is. It's the way all of you
got jobs at one time or another, so you understand it.
But it also had to be a little bit tough,
I would think. And now he kind of controls his
own destiny in a place that he loves. His dad
(10:33):
coach there and he grew up there as a little kid,
and and but maybe it's just something that's take a
breath and step back and go coach the eighteen year
olds and remember what you loved about football.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, Chris Collins were us with us on the show
with Mike Holmdrid and Chris it's Dave, and I'm just curious.
You know, Mike mentioned your wide receiver, you know, pedigree
back in the day about DK Metcalf. He's got one
more year left on his contract after this year, and
there's been a lot of conversation about whether or not
the Seahawks should re up him to a big money deal.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
I mean Pro Football Focus.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
By the way, your site's got him grade at thirty
seventh right now.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Overall in the NFL?
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Does does DK Metcalf strike you as a guy that
when this season comes to an end, you'd be willing,
if you're John Schneider, to commit really big dollars To.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
Me, I think you have to remember one thing that,
at least in my mind the.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Way I look at it is it's.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
All about drawing double teams or somebody that can take
off a double teams. So if you have a wide
receiver that draws double teams, that means others have opportunities.
And certainly we've seen Jay Thin kind of take off here,
right and we've seen Tyler Lockett and Noah Fan and.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
The running game now.
Speaker 5 (11:50):
So when you watch this team, they do adjust for
DK Metcalf. Early in the season, he was blowing the
top off of defenses if they want to play single high.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Probably part of the running.
Speaker 5 (12:02):
Success that they had last week was because they felt
like they had to play two deep safeties in order to.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Help on Dk Metcalf.
Speaker 5 (12:12):
So it's not always the statistics, it's what the team
is doing. He certainly is a blocker, but there.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Just aren't many that God made like Dk Metcalf.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
I mean, when he catches a deep ball and takes off,
you kind of goha, you know, like what was that?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
That? Just what just went by us down the field?
Speaker 5 (12:34):
So, yeah, he's going to have a market. He's going
to make a ton of money. It's either going to
be in Seattle or somewhere else. But those people who
draw double teams are hard to find.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Chris is Dick, we really appreciate you joining us tonight.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
How long does it take for you to assess whether
a first time head coach is gonna work?
Speaker 1 (12:55):
And have you reached that point yet?
Speaker 5 (12:57):
With Mike McDonald, I really like Mike McDonald. Last year
I got to know him as a coordinator, so that
was fun for me, and I knew the reaction and
the way that people were around him, and so it
did not surprise me. As a matter of fact, I
was pretty high when I get a lot of owners
(13:19):
and general managers who call me about coaches because I
know all the know all the assistants, you know, I
know all the every week I talked to the coordinators.
So I get a lot of those phone calls. And
you know, some people present themselves as head coaches. Others
are you know better where they are, you know, designing
plays in a back room somewhere. I thought Mike from
(13:40):
the beginning proved that he was. He was the kind
of guy you would stand up in front of a
group of young.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Men and that he could lead them. And it's it's
a special trait, you know. I mean, Mike had it.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
Mike was, you know, not just mentally but physically, could
stand up in front of a group of men that
were ready to go to battle, and he was the general,
you know, and everybody knew it. And I think that
Mike has those same qualities. But also, like Mike has
the ability.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
To draw them up and then call them you know,
those are those are those are tough things to be
able to do all at once. That's a lot of jobs.
Speaker 5 (14:21):
And and so yeah, I think they're going to do
really well. And the idea that you come in with
a group of three new coordinators, uh, and it's working
this early in a good division.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
I mean, I think almost everybody.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
Thought that West was going to be a really tough division.
San Francisco probably at the front end of it. But
it's quite a statement to come in and do what
they've done, especially in the last month.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
You know, Chris is Mike you when you talk. You
talked to my adopted son last week, Andy Reid, and
you've we've studied, I know how you study film. Can
the city's played there? They really only a lot of
fun games, but they've played a lot of close games.
When you look when you studied them, did you see
(15:10):
a difference from maybe last year or what's what's what's
with that team right now?
Speaker 5 (15:17):
For the last two years, Mike, they've really been a
defensive football team. Steve Spagnolo has done a great job
over there, Chris Jones, some of those guys are Uh,
they've been the dominant part of that team. And we
got used to, uh, you know, Tyreek Hill and seeing
those guys going deep and and hitting big plays. But
(15:41):
the entire league has changed now and maybe in part
because of Kansas City and the bombs away mode that
they were playing three or four years ago. Everybody's playing
too deep, playing quarters, just not letting big plays happen
and basically allowing you know, playing six guys in the box,
and anybody who wants to run for five yards can
(16:03):
pretty much do it whenever they want to. In the
league right now, the problem is you have to be
able to go ten twelve plays, not make a mistake,
not have a holding call, not fumble the ball, not
throw an interception, and so but that sort of slow death.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
On defense is becoming.
Speaker 5 (16:23):
The norm now that everybody is playing, and so it's
not quite.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
As dynamic as it once was.
Speaker 5 (16:31):
And I'm sure that for DK Metcalf.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
He knows the feeling that, you know, if they want.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
To take away these great targets down the field, they
pretty much can. And so I think what you're seeing
is that games are shorter, games are closer, and you know,
instead of twelve possessions in a game, you might end
up with ten or nine, and what do you do
with those? And so the ball becomes very precious And
(16:59):
for that reason, I think you're seeing Kansas City in
a lot of close games. But the one thing you
cannot deny is that Patrick mahomes in at the end
of those games has been maybe better than he's ever been.
I mean, he's it's like, it's like a guy, a
pitcher on a ten game winning streak. When the matters most,
he's throwing it, he's running it, he's making decisions to
(17:21):
win games. And that's that's tough to beat and play
all football.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
Yeah, in your meetings and stuff, did you get a
chance to meet Taylor Swift by any chances?
Speaker 5 (17:33):
Well, she asked to meet me several times, but I
just didn't have the time.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
You know, Hey, listen, it's really nice talking with you,
and thank you so much for coming on the show.
I know you got a busy week ahead of you
and I'm not going to be at the game, but
I'll be listening to you on Sunday night. So guys,
this is one of the good guys.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yeah, and you know what, Hey, Chris, if you don't mind,
I'm going to interrupt Mike for a second and he's
gonna kill me for doing this. We started off the
show by talking about our guy here being a finalist
for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and we've.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Been waiting and waiting and waiting for years.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
It's been frustrating for us, Chris that we think that
lesser coaches are going in before him. But whatever happens
is the way it's going to happen. Can you leave
us before you go with a thought on what this guy,
Tom I right here Chris has meant to Pro football
and why he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 5 (18:24):
Well, except for the son of a gun beat me in.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
The Super Bowl, everything he's done has been right.
Speaker 5 (18:30):
And know he's you know, you got to start for
me with San Francisco and what he established there with
that dynasty, and then of course you go on to
Green Bay and championships and Seattle and Super.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Bowls and all that goes with it.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
But I also think that you look at the legacy
of coaches that were trained by Mike and some of
the best of the best that are around the National
Football League, and they all say the same thing about you,
and that is that you challenged them to be better.
You challenged them and forced them to compete with other
(19:08):
coaches inside the organization to get a play. Yet, I
mean just one play, like it was considered gold if
they could draw up a play that major Paul sheet
and that you actually called in a game, and they
had side bets going, they had arguments, they had fights,
but then all of a sudden, those coaches became great
(19:29):
coaches and they all point right.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Back to you.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
And I think that's the obvious sign that the greatest
of the great belonging to Hall of Fame.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
And so do you.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Well, you know what, thank you, thank you so much.
That's that's very nice and I appreciate it. And like
I said, good luck the rest of the season. Say
lo to Trico for me and have a good game
Sunday night.
Speaker 5 (19:52):
Great, darn you guys.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
That a great night. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Thanks Chris. Chris collins Worth there with us on the
other show.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
I think he's the best right now in the NFS
fan the Stars.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
Plus he really studies.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
It, no doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
When I was doing those things, and we'd bump into
each other in the stadium when I was going to
do West with stuff, and he'd go, what do you
think about that? He'd start to we'd start talking about stuff,
you know that we saw in films. Yeah, that's just
how he approaches it, and and you could you could hear.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
It right now, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Well, and I think he should do the radio show
because I helped pay his salary. I give him twelve
bucks a month from my PFF some script more of
my com briend Chris Peterson's gonna join us at five
point twenty tonight right here on ninety three three kJ
r f M
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