NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - NFL ATL: Seahawks in the house!

Episode Date: February 13, 2014

A room full of heroes -- Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler, Gregg Rosenthal and Chris Wesseling -- are joined by a trio of Seahawks, fresh off their Super Bowl XLVIII win.  Hear Michael Robinson, Brandon Mebane and Red Bryant reflect on their championship campaign and discuss what makes their team, franchise and city so special.   Don’t miss as the ‘Hawks stars offer an inside look at this week’s headlines from around the league, including news about Michael Sam, Richie Incognito and the latest drama surrounding The Sizzler’s beloved Cleveland Browns.  So, grab a seat, tune in and join the conversation on Twitter: @NFL_ATL or #NFLATL.Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. The Around the League podcast is about that action, boss. Welcome to another edition of Around the League podcast. My name is Michael Robinson. I'm joined by a room filled of heroes. Wait a second. Wait a second. That's my line.

That is Michael Robinson of the Seattle Seahawks. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And Mark Sessler is with me right now. We have a special edition of the podcast. We got Greg Rosenthal, Chris Wessling behind the glass. We got Brandon Meebane and Red Bryant in studio with the Real Rob. Wow, what a combination. I think he might have topped you.

He put you on your heels. That was... Oh, and I'm trying to get my energy. You brought it. You know what I mean? I often, when we do the podcast, I say to the guys, we've got to get the energy up, not needed. Yeah, man. But, you know, as long as the air condition is pumped up, man, you know, as soon as I walked in,

it was a little warm. We played football. You know what I'm saying? We play football, man. We're sweating. I see Big Red over there. You know, he already got a couple of tiles. He needs to come to tiles.

I'm going through it right now. We can't promise about the conditions. I'm sorry. You guys are real men because before we, you guys came up to the studio, we dropped by the dressing room to run by the show. And then we were talking to Michael. And then the other guys rolled in. It was just so much testosterone.

We had to get out. Oh, yeah. We had to get out of there, man. You had to get out of there, man. These are my boys. I ain't seen it. since we won the Super Bowl, man. Didn't win the Super Bowl.

Since the parade. Since the parade. Hey, Red, man, you're a Super Bowl champ. You know what I'm saying? Hey, man. It ain't hit you yet, man. It ain't really hit you yet, though. It's surreal, but winning the Super Bowl,

I really didn't know it was going to mean as much to other people as it used to mean. And you really can see that, you know, when you're around in the city, I was able to take my wife. It's been a while since I've been able to take it. take her to dinner. Yeah. I took her to the med. You know,

med is one nicest restaurant in Seattle. That's the Metropolitan Grill in case y'all didn't know. Some free advertisement right there, the bread brunt. Man, the hospitality was unbelievable. When I tell you, it felt like every employee that worked for the Med made it their business to stop by and just let us know the pride that they had and the food was unbelievable. We was getting lobster till. Wow.

That's how a champion eat right down, man. Hey, man. I said, I can't bring you no doggy back, bang. Oh, man. Hey, I said, I can get used to this. Oh, man. Hey, Bain, look, talk about how's the Super Bowl changed your life, man. Oh, man.

Oh, boy, pretty much everywhere we go now, everywhere I go. You know, people, you know, notice you. And I want an autograph and picture, man. It's excited, man, to see. how on fire the city is man it's just i don't think i don't think it calmed down yet man it hasn't you're seeing flags man on windows people painting their homes 12 it's crazy everything man it's it's it's unreal one thing that uh pete carroll said and i i was lucky enough we were down in a locker room after you guys won and then we you know you watch the

parade afterwards and carroll says it all the time he says it's a real thing the 12th man is a real thing so this is not a media exaggeration like the city is actually on fire for the Seahawks. No no I think they said it was like 1.2 million people showed up for that parade I couldn't believe it we couldn't even walk through the streets man it was unbelievable

man I mean and then the defense had such a dominant performance man can you got to talk about that you all I play on offense and special teams you know they don't talk about us much but the defense man y'all boys was bawling man what happened how did you do Peyton man like that

I'm not going to hit me some secrets man tell me some secrets I'm going to tell me a secret when your office plays like our office played and our special teams play like our special team played it makes a performance like that happens I mean it really did it took every side of the ball every guy on that team understood that whatever it was he was going to brain was going to be needed for us to have that type of victory so it's just to me you it was a proud moment because it really showed we got to show the world on the biggest platform that you possibly can have what we meant to each other because we knew going out there, Peyton, I can't, you know, I can't say it enough how much respect I have for him as a player, what he's been able to accomplish doing his career, coming back from that neck injury, fighting. I mean, he's a dog. He's one of the best in our generation. So it was going to take that type of effort. And for us to answer the bill and the amount of that we answered it,

it just, that meant more to me than anything else because it was a total team effort. And that's why we was able to win in the style we was able to win. I'm happy, by the way. You're asking that question, good. Yeah, that was awesome, man. There was no unes or parties. I don't want to follow up on that one, right?

Next question. It is cool, though. I do have to say, because just like Red, just that everyone is giving Manning the respect he deserves. I was a little worried that after this game, after you guys blew him out, it was going to turn into this anti-Patin Manning, and they choke,

but it seems like you guys are getting the credit for just delivering this an outrageous performance on the biggest stage, right? I mean, you have to, and for me, I don't know if you guys remember that Friday before our last practice, before the Super Bowl. After practice, I was yelling through the facility,

man, which are looking so sad for me? We've been to blow these boys out. I remember. You know what I mean? And all you had to do is look at the film. I get the question all the time, you know, when did you know that you guys, when did you feel like you guys going to win? You know, Mike B said yesterday, he said, man, what about two minutes left in the game, whatever, whatever, what? Two minutes left in the game, they was losing by 40 points.

You understand what I'm saying? I knew that we were going to beat them as soon as I saw the film. As soon as I watched the film, you can have a scout team, I don't care, but you can't replicate Brandon Me Band, you can't replicate Brad Bryant, you can't replicate them dogs coming off the edge. You can't replicate our offense, beast mode, running the ball. You just can't do that at practice. So I knew as soon as I watched the film, man, they really didn't stand in change. In the week leading up to the game, because we each had a couple of guys embedded with your team. Mark was embedded with your team, by the way.

Very familiar face, because you guys get closer. I'm sure. It feels like you've seen an old stranger. It's like a bond in this room that I don't feel like I'm a part of with the rest of the guys in here. I remember asking you, Michael, to pick out someone on the roster who, was a behind-the-scenes leader. And this is because a couple of people had mentioned your name. And all three of you guys

got mentioned when we did this exercise, but Red Bryant got named over and over and over. How did you got, what is it like behind the scenes leading up to the Super Bowl? How did these behind how do you as leaders get the team galvanized and ready for what was ahead on

that Sunday? How did you do it, Ray? Hey, yeah, Big Red. I did it do it. They put me on the spot. right now but then it's easy it really is because uh you know when i came in the league in oh eight uh my father-in-law was a seahawk great and uh they wanted me to wear his jersey but i was kind of skeptical because he had such a great career and me and him we two different two different players in terms of our style and so uh long story shot i end up getting that number and there's a lot of responsibility to come with it you know me being

and his son-in-law, me married to his oldest daughter, and the city of Seattle, they love him. You know, he's a living leisure. And so I had all of that, and my career then started off as fast as out of what a light. I deal with injuries my first year, Coach Hongham, he retired. My second year, we had Jim Moore, and Mr. Tyler Weekie felt like the organization needs going a different direction, so we had Coach Currell come in. but one of the customers I had this

Brendan E-Bain, you know, he's solid as a rock. I tell him I tell him all the time he came in as anybody that's watched his tape know he's outperformed. The third round draft status he has, he's been a phenomenal pro.

I'll perform this contract too. I'm just saying. No question. I'm just saying. We'll get to that a little later. I definitely believe he's the blueprint in terms of what teams are looking for at that nosed tackle position. because of the way he plays it. And I know we're in the Pacific Northwest,

and we don't get a lot of national news until now, but he's been doing it for seven years. And he used to take time to keep me encouraged as I was trying to figure out what type of player that I eventually became. And when you got guys like that, and you got guys like Mike Rob, not just because he's sitting there, I tell Mike Rob,

I've been able to be a better husband, a better father, a better pro from being around him. You know, when you got those. You guys like each other. That's why we won. That's championship team. You got those experiences, man. It's like, you know, it could have been anybody.

You know what I mean? We believe that, and especially in today's league, where ego and making money and all those things are so important for us to keep that pot-warner thread that's keeping us together. And, you know, I believe that's a big reason as to why we've been able to have success. and it's it's it's it's it's a no success to go around it's so cool um so guys i i know uh you are visiting our podcast you've kind of taken it over this is your room on a level mark and i are uncomfortable west and gregg behind the glass everything got threatening right now but i know but in seriousness what we do uh at the beginning of our podcast we like to go through the headlines

of what's going on in the league right now would you guys mind sitting in for the headlines sure yeah can we comment as as you please too that that's what i'm thinking i I think we can really get this going. The Goldstander behind the glass. Let's do some headlines. All right. We'll start with Richie Incognito. I don't know.

You guys have been busy at the NFL Network Studios today, but he... Heard of this guy? Yeah. He needs to shut up right now. Hey, dude, you're in a good position, dude. Just be quiet. Yeah, okay? He's gone off on Twitter, including one tweet that reads,

The Truth is Regarding Jonathan Martin, his estranged teammate. The truth is going to bury you in your entire camp. Obviously, you have that independent report by Ted Wells that should be coming out any time now. Friday we're hearing maybe before then. But where do you guys stand on this? The whole situation, and now incognito apparently just he doesn't care if this isn't out yet. He's going to talk about it. Yeah.

I mean, I don't want to interrupt anybody, man. But I just think it's a case where I just don't think it's bullying. You know, I think it originally started off as them accusing Richie of being a bully. You know, in the National Football League on teams, you're going to have a variety of guys. I mean, I've had the incognitoes on my teams. I've had the guys that you would consider, you know, softer. You know what I mean? You've seen those guys and you've seen the banter going back and forth.

I just think that you cannot treat a locker room, an NFL locker room, like a regular workplace. You know, we don't work a regular 9-to-5. We don't have cubicles. We don't, you know, it's not like that. We actually shower around each other and be around each other all the time. You know, it's why can I do that too? Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. Different scenario.

That's pretty awesome, I guess. You know what I mean? It's just a different workplace. And you just can't, I think when all of this became made public, I think people started, you know, looking at it as like an office. And you can't apply the same rules to it. Mike Rob. I can call you Mike Rob from Backshad, right? Yeah, yeah, what's going on?

It's Greg, behind the glass. That was pretty weird, though, because I thought the voice came from over here. You said you've played with incognitos. Who are the incognitoes on your team? What does that even mean? Okay, I've played with some guys. Brandon knows. Yeah, I've played with some guys.

I see my teammates laughing over here. But I've played with some guys who like to joke around. a lot and they really take joking to the greatest extent you know what i mean but it's all it's all in in fun light you know really you're really not trying to um you know hurt anybody's feelings or anything like that it's just all in fun with all the monotony of football we have the same schedules every single day right you need the lightheartedness you need the joking that's what makes it fun to go to work so is the issue i mean jonathan martin a guy that maybe you have to have a thick skin you've got to maybe make fun of yourself

before someone else does, if you feel like you've got a weakness that's out there, is he a guy that maybe needed to be corrected because he doesn't have that thick skin? He's not really, you know, functional in an NFL locker room? Well, I mean, I don't know the entire story. You know, it's obviously when the report comes out, we'll hear even more. But from what I have read in the media, I mean, him and Richie went back and forth with this thing. It wasn't just a one-sided thing. And I think just the fact that he left the team, you know,

naturally gives a little bit more sympathy to him. But if you've been in the National Football League locker room, I think most guys understand. What y'all think, man? I think, uh, excuse me. I ain't talked in a while, man. Y'all took on you. Go ahead.

How about that action, boss? You know what I mean? I think, man, the NFL locker room, a lot of people don't know, it's like the NFL locker room is not really reality. It's like Mike Rob was saying, you know, we had the same schedule, you know, for three, four days straight, and you have to find some type of, like, laughter or, you know,

this is like another way we get to know each other. You know, we are joking with each other, but we don't take it too far as, like, we're joking on your kids, your wife, your parents, and stuff like that. We'll joke on each other on how you're dressed and, you know, nothing too harsh and too serious. It's just, you know, just bring camarader together. But a lot of guys, you know, just, you know, take it, you know, just take things, you know the wrong way.

A lot of guys is, you know, don't like to be a joke on. You know, growing up, though, if you got joked on a lot, either you go keep getting joked on or you have to learn how to get those jokes back. So I don't know. It's just, you know, different strokes, different folks. All right. Next up on the headlines, the Cleveland Browns have cleaned house again. CEO Joe Banner out, GM Mike Lombardi out.

Ray Farmer is the new GM. They got a new coach there. There's a lot of turnover. I mean, you guys are blessed enough to be playing with an organization where it's been, you know, stable. I mean, if you're a player on that team, what are you thinking right now? And I'll start with Red. You know, if I was a player on that team, you'd probably be kind of confused right now because you don't really know what direction, the organization going in.

And, you know, as a player, you know, we all understand how short, you know, our career. are and when you got constant change and constant turnover you know the new GM might feel a totally different way than the old GM or the new you know the new coach might look at personnel totally different and so it kind of puts you in a limbo for the player you know they got a Cleveland we played Cleveland and they beat us what last a couple years ago one of the lowest scoring in games after. Yeah, it was a score three six.

Yeah, my son got back spasms at the pregame, man. He didn't play. Leon got a punt run. Well, that wasn't the Seahawks in their full vision, if I remember that game. Not at that time. That was a Charlie Whitehurst.

What that, 2011? 2011. That was 2011. So you got. But they got talent over there, though. That's the point I was making, like, they got talent over there. You know, they got talent.

pro bowler with Joe Thomas and your boy, Alex Matt. Alex Matt. He's trying to get up out of there, though. I just saw a reporter. He's trying to leave. He's going to hit the free agent. And what about Brandon Reed? And he's trying to get up out of there, too.

That's the quarterback. That's the quarterback. Oh, man. Didn't he just get drafted? Would you guys be checking in with your agent after this amount of overturn and be like, you know, I got to get out of here, too? I don't know if I say, I got to get out of here, but you would definitely be concerned. Yeah, you definitely got to ask your agent if he can find, get any information to kind of

see where they're going to go. If you're a player, do you maybe cut some time out of your day to go cozy up to your GM just to make sure you're in a good place with him? No, I don't think guys. You don't need to do that? Go to Starbucks together? I don't know. You can't do that.

At the end of the day, at the end of the day, that same GM is going to cut you at some point. We're all going to get that call. I don't like to get too, too close. I hear you. And that's a great segue. the way sad browns fan mark sessler right here did it come across that he was burying the pain that's what you just have to go numb to all things and speaking of speaking of uh business

michael bennett your teammate with the seahawks paid a man asked about mike bitt was asked as you would think he's getting asked a lot about his contract situation and uh would he take a hometown discount his quote this isn't costco oh man that's just mike too that's Mike Bennett got three daughters. He'll tell you in the heartbeat. I got three weddings. He needed his money. He's trying to shop at home food.

He's trying to shop at home food. And that kind of plays into how hard it will be. You guys obviously have a great team, great nucleus coming up for Super Bowl win. A great player like Bennett, free agency is a major factor in keeping a team together. Business, it's not just about the skill level. It's about keeping those guys together, right? One thing I think Pete and John do do a great job of. I think they understand this error of free agency

and understand that you have to create an environment. It's almost if you go to our facility, come on, man. Y'all know just the way it is. It's first class, man. It's almost like they were in the water. You know what I mean? Right on the water. Yeah, right?

Seriously, it's beautiful. And not Lake Erie. Yeah, it's beautiful. And it's almost like they create an environment that you want to come to work to every day. So if there's a money decision that has to be made, you know, sometimes a guy may go that route with the Seahawks because of the environment. Yeah, I think I'm going to go back to New Jack City. It's bigger than Neon-Brown.

Yeah. Friends is free. New Jack City reference. Did I see that coming about? No, we're different. We definitely, I feel like Mike Benner, he's earned it, man. Coming out of the Ann now, you know, me and Mike Bennett, we know he's been there on each other about 10 years.

And I'm actually going to Hawaii next Wednesday. Oh, you're going out there too. Hey, Dave, man. I'm so jealous. What are you guys doing in Hawaii? Don't get that fun. We got both our families together. Oh, nice.

He got Peyton, Blake, and Ali. They're my three nieces and his wife and my wife. They'll be over there, and I got two kids. And so we're just going to go I'll forget to highlight Max Unger, man. You know, he got acres over there. Yeah, that's what Max told me, though, but he'll give me a dog, man.

He'll give me a number. They're going to leave a dog in this, yeah. Hey, you got your bun to enjoy coming, you know? I'm trying to get some son. I'm trying to get a tail too, man. I can't, man. It doesn't sound like we're invited

to this getaway. I was just holding out and hoping that maybe it would come later. I didn't want to like say it. We're not going. We're free. Actually, Greg, we're not free, are we? Greg is our boss.

We're going to Indianaapolis. All y'all going to have a great time. You know, what's better? Indy in February or Hawaii? I think we win. Yeah, you got to win. And indie y'all go see our future replacement. Y'all come home to take job.

And you were saying that downstairs, Mike. Just how kind of, is it strange the way the cycle of the NFL works that you go from competing with guys? and then your boys with them during the season, and the season ends, and it's business. And it's business. Yeah, can you explain that a little more? Yeah, man, we talk about it all the time. You go from training camp

where you're competing with guys for a spot. You know what I mean? Literally, the guy next to you is trying to take your job. And then you go into the season, and now we're a band of brothers, and we're getting together for this championship season. You're giving the team all, you know, giving the team and organization, everything.

And then after the season, it's business. Yeah. Now it's like, you know, you want to return, you know, you want the loyalty return to you. And I always say it all the time. time, you know, if a player thinks that there's loyalty in this game, shame on him. You know what I mean? Because at the end of the day,

the team is going to make the decisions, they have to make from a business standpoint. That's another reason why I say that you really don't want to get too, too buddy-buddy with execs because they have to make the decisions. You know what I mean? They're going to have to make the decisions. What you guys think about it? I'm doing all the talking, man.

Come on, D-Ly-Lan. I'm going to go back again. I'm going to hit that line again. New Jacksonity. Get it again. Go ahead. He's bigger than Nino Brown. It's a big business, man. But I tell you, I'll tell you what's so dynamic about our locker room, if a guy's willing to listen, he understands that that's why it's so important

to get an identity away from just football. You know, football is so mundane. It's so from part one of until if you're fortunate enough to make it to the league, you've been pampered, you know. And then we get out here in the real world with real issues and it's just hard for us to communicate and things. It's even hard for us to just have a conversation with somebody else because a lot of times a lot of people don't think the way we think,

but we have to realize our experiences was aligned us to have these thoughts and talk and communicate that way. And so we have to just find different avenues in terms of being passionate about whatever it is our next journey going to be. And we don't, even me, we don't never think it's going to end, you know, but it's going in, you know what, what's your next move? Are you just a football player or are you more than the football player? And so we all got to answer that question.

I guess it would be a missed opportunity, I feel like having guys in an NFL locker room and not asking about Michael Sam, and I know you guys have, this is going to be a major issue all through the summer that people talk about, but I'm just curious what you're, take on the challenges he's facing. I mean, is this going to be tough for him, or is it something that it's a little overblown and he'll assimilate quickly? Where do you guys stand on this? I think it's going to be very, very tough for him.

I think he's going to, not only that, you know, he's open and openly gay, but he's also a rookie, so rookies get, you know, they get it tough anyway. And then on top of that, you know, it's just a team has to deal with so many things. You know what I mean, from, you know how guys talking to locker room. I know what I told. I know what I told. I think another thing too is, you know, him being a rookie, you know, aside his private life is hopefully you have an older guy in his group that can teach him how to be professional and, you know, teach him how to, you know, what to do, prepare for a game and, you know, how to break down film and what to look for and things like that. So, you know, he has those things he got to deal with.

And then he's going to have to deal with, you know, things that off the field issues or, you know, that the media is going to ask. But my question to you is, is it going to even be hard for him to even get that bond with an older guy? It's just because, you know, perception. In our line of business, perception is reality. If a guy sees you hanging with a guy like that, I mean, I don't know. It's different. It's different. I feel like this is a big, it's a game change.

It's hard, man. I feel like, and the way society, the way society moves. You know, me being from Texas, the Bible Belt, and my upbringing and things of that nature, get to the point where you can actually respect other people differences, respect other people, you know, train the thought in terms of how they feel and how they go about their business. I just feel like when you get diving in a person in private life, that's to me, it's like you're crossing the line. You know what I mean?

I just, as far as a pure football player, what I've been able to see from the clips and things of that nature, he can play football. And I feel like at the end of the day, that's all that matters. You know, now, if he was a politician or in public life where a tax bill, you know, paying his salary, I understand that because that's that world.

But as an athlete, you know, this is just my personal opinion. I feel like your validation comes from, what you do on that football field. Right. You know, and in terms of how you get back to your community or how you want to be looked at to each of his own. Right. And I just, you know, when it comes to your sexuality and things,

when you come to that locker room, I don't feel comfortable talking about somebody else's personal life or even pushing my beliefs on their personal life. But when a person asking you a question, you never know. You know, if you ain't, I'm 29. At 22, I couldn't have made no rational thought or thought it out or really been able to, the way I process this thing now, I don't process it.

I didn't process that at 21, 22. And this is what we're dealing with. You know what I mean? Like, I'm glad his team made Shelton Richardson, who's as a young and a prime defensive lineman's league, said what he had to say. everybody not going to be like shit and reason right and that's the thing everybody's not going to be supportive of it and my my my issue not my issue but my point is you can't you can't you can't

you can't persecute those people who just don't agree with the lifestyle yeah you know what I mean just like he has an opinion to be along that lifestyle other people have an opinion to just to not agree with it not saying that they're going to do anything or whatever but just is just a difference of agreement and I just think that and to day's world if you if you don't believe that or you don't agree with that lifestyle you're you almost looked at as the villain right in the public light when it's just like I'm not saying have hate crimes against them anything but it's just I just don't agree with it right it's not something that you can just say all of society suddenly feels one way about this it's not the

case but you know spending a week um reporting on you guys during the super ball when you guys all became friends when we were yeah a lot of time off the field together very valuable time um but But I took away from the Seahawks that you guys really, like you said, your friends, you're unified. And there's other teams and various amounts of chaos during the year. You don't get that sense. Would the Seahawks, do you look at your own locker room and say, we'd be all right with Michael Sam coming to our team? I mean, I'm going to answer that. I mean, you just, it's hard to say.

I don't think nobody really be like, you know, I don't like him or I hate him just out, just in the open. but it'll be it'll be hard to just just automatically be like oh hey come on you just hang with us and things like that you know you want to you know understand and know the person before you know you develop a relationship sometimes it takes a while to develop relationships with guys on the team you know because guys is a lot of guys in the locker room think different already and so you know it's a lot of guys in the locker room that's just just different you know and just they just think different and you know that's okay you know everybody has their own right to think the way they don't think but i think in this situation um a lot of guys is going to be like i don't know man because i don't want to be caught you know on instagram or twitter being seen with them and on public and you know people be like oh yeah and then you must be like that too and you know a lot of guys don't really want that you know that stigma i could give you an example like cliff able He came from Detroit, and he used by us being able, over time, being able to build a relationship,

he was telling us how different our D-line room is compared to days. Like, we're full of jokes, we're bagging on each other, like, we're talking each other out, man. And so if Michael Sell was on our team, like, I got a roseless of humor, but I think I would be cautious. Like, I don't know if I, the reason we've got a bun and thing, because they, really get to see how authentic I am as a person. I don't know if I could be fully authentic because I'd be nervous if I'll say something to offend him

or if I say something to where it's like with Cliff and Mike Bennett and Clinton McDonnor and Tony Matt. There's no whole boss. You know, like some of the things we say and if that got out there, you know, I'll probably proceed different than what I'm perceived.

Exactly. And I understand that. And so if he was on my team, I'm going to respect him as my teammate. I'm I'm going to play. I'm going to go to war with him. But I couldn't sit here and tell you that I will say what I say to clean him. Right. Like I say something to clean him.

You're like, do you really just say that? I don't know if I say that to him, you know. All right, gentlemen, I'm being told that you have to exit, which is sad because I feel like there's a bond developing. Now I feel like I'm part of it, too. It got colder in here, too. Yeah, it did. That I kicked in at the end. Brandon, me, Bain, Red Bryant, Michael Robinson.

the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, the Stitcher award-winning ATL podcast. Together is one. Thanks a lot, guys, for coming on. I got an album coming out soon.

You do? Get that album. All right. That's a call belly roll. It's called belly roll, man. Nah, man. Shout out Jeff McHittakesh, baby. Let's see you all listening.

Aren't you having a party on this podcast? Aren't you happy that we haven't asked you to dance? It's probably the first person in a world. I'm telling you it's coming up on total accent. I'm not surprised. I think I can do that, man. They can play the tape. They can play the tape all day.

Oh, they're going to get you ready, man. Oh, man. They got a jersey they want you to put on in everything. Oh, come on. They yearning for their damn, bud. This is your safe space. If you get in trouble, run up to the podcast, Kio. Mama said I can't dance on TV.

Hey, Mama, let him do it. Let him do it one time. One more. One last time. All right, gentlemen. Thank you very much for joining. Thank you, guys. Appreciate it.

All right. The Seahawks and Into Studio 66, Chris Wessling and Greg Rosenthal, Greg, actually sitting in Red Bryant's chair. My perspective is totally different than it was about 30 seconds ago. Big shoes to fill literally and figuratively. And clothes and everything in general. There was a lot I loved about watching that, but Brandon Mebain battling this chair for 30 minutes was one of them. It is way down to the ground now. He was trying to get comfortable.

He's trying to make it work. He put a swim move on the chair. He was moving the entire time. Red Bryant, that guy has some insight, doesn't he? I think when we go back and listen to the podcast, we're going to find out that he was the most interesting one of the trio. You know, he kind of has that Texas drawl. It might be a little tougher to understand him,

but I thought he was extremely insightful. I thought they were very honest. I mean, they didn't shy away from any question that kind of gave us a look that we couldn't formulate on our own. No, I would say you're probably accurate about that. You're saying they have a better perspective on the NFL locker. It is shocking. It is shocking.

I don't buy that. That's crazy. I didn't say that. That was Mark. I think that's fact, and I just present facts. The next thing you know, you're going to tell us you have to be a quarterback to pile up passing statistics. I like how Mike Robb, I'm calling him that now, too. Not real Rob, Mike Robb?

He just, well, that's what they were calling him was Mike Robb. So we're in, that's what the insider is. Now you have to call me Bain. Bain. Bain. Bain. I like that he just took control, Robertson. You know, he was just directing questions.

He's directing the flow. Sometimes you just got to let go and let it happen, you know? All right, what do we want to talk about before we go? I want to talk about Mark's Browns. I want to hear, actually, I want to hear Mark talk about Mark's Browns because we haven't had a podcast since Joe Banner and Michael Lombardi left the scene. I will say before we give the floor to Mark, it was kind of interesting after some reports came out late Tuesday. What do we learn late Tuesday?

We learned that we didn't want it out. We learned a lot of, you know, information about which coaches they talked to. And Mark Sessler took to Twitter and was tweeting like a maniac. I was picturing him in front of his computer at home. Really? Just, you know, trying to process this information, get it out to the people. Now, Mark, we will give you even a bigger platform. I was watching Total Access for like three minutes and sent like three tweets out.

Furiously typing Mark's name into Twitter. I'm going to go find out what you tweeted. I missed this. I missed it too. I tweeted out what Michael Silver reported. He was sending the information out to the people, and I was just imagining Mark at his computer at home, his children tugging at his pants. Dan's like baffled by anyone that isn't like home watching vampire movies whenever he's not in the office. Like I happen to be.

I don't know. It is a story that won't end, though. Not only did the CEO of the team get canned. Well, he's going to be there for a couple more months. Basically, he got fired, and Michael Lombardi, the GM, got fired. But then we find out we didn't want out, and they talked to Bill Parcells, and they promoted Farmer, of course. Peyton Manning somehow potentially involved?

Someone thinks that Peyton Manning could be a CEO. Their rift between Banner and Haslam was partly about Banner's football acumen because Banner didn't want them interviewing Chiano, and they did. It just... Wiz and Hunt was insulted by Banner during the interview. We still haven't given Mark the floor, but I want to say that... But in real time, Greg, on his phone, tried to search for Mark Sessler NFL, and he tweeted Mark Sessler NFL. Oh, no.

Just get the name out any way you can. I like that is a dad move. Such a dad move. Someone favored it. David Ely. Not me. I have no phone on my hands. I will favor it as well.

I just trashed it. Sessler, the floor is yours. You listen. I mean, I think number one, any one of us has the equal amount of opinion on this matter, and they're all. I think the thing that's hard as someone that grew up watching the Browns is they have become now this, in some cases without critical thought, just like a lightning rod for whatever they do, they are a complete train wreck.

And it reminds me of Dan rooting for the Jets for a certain period when whatever the Jets did, they were immediately associated with being an absolute festival of bad decisions and madness. You're referring to the 2011 season finale for the Jets, starting with the meltdown in Miami that went through Mark Sanchez blowing out a shoulder in the preseason. That window of Jets history, total circus. We have now thrown the circus to Cleveland. Yeah.

And I mean, it's not that it's, listen, when you look at the scope of Haslam swinging the axe to and fro, firing people at a mad pace, it's like from the outside, I think it looks insane to a lot of people. I'm sure it does from the inside even more. Here's my concern is when everyone says Michael Lombard, is completely unfit to be a general manager. And Banner is a total, you know, black mark on the organization. No one wants to work with either one of these two. Haslam probably should never have hired them to begin with,

but comes to the conclusion after a coaching search in which Banner behaves like a very bad boy we hear over and over, right? Disenfranchising and embarrassing the owner in front of potential candidates, that's why the decision didn't happen the day they fired Rogers' Zinsky. Why didn't they fire Banner in Lombardi the minute they fired Jitzinski? Well, because over this process, I think that Haslam, for better or worse, decided I can't work with these guys, but also the feedback I'm getting about my own tangled front office is that it's, we don't want to do deals with them. We would if you got rid of them. And they're the problem in your organization. You have a lot of

talent, but these guys are getting in the way of attracting talent from the front office, coaching angle, everything. So my ultimate feeling is that, you know, listen, Lombardi used to work here. I don't know him personally, but no hard feelings to him. You do know him personally. I don't know him personally. No, not at all. But I have no issue with Cleveland getting rid of two guys that have been widely considered to be cancerous and a problem in the organization. The issue is, oh, is former qualified? We don't know, but I like the organizational structure a lot better than I did 24 hours ago. You can't like the fact that the GM did not pick the coach.

I don't love it, but at this point you're not going to get a situation that you love if you're a Browns fan. And I think if you polled most anyone rooting for that team, undeniably, overwhelmingly, they're satisfied with these two men being rooted out of the organization. I agree with all that, but it's a complete failure in management by Haslam to fire them now versus three months ago. You can't say it doesn't matter that he didn't feel that way. about them three months ago. That's great, but that's his failure. That's fine.

But you do understand that maybe what he learned since three months ago is what forced him to come to this decision. You wish he would make those decisions on his own, though. That is not coming from outside sources, that he was able to assess the situation. He's been working with Banner for 16 months. No matter, I totally agree with you, getting rid of them is probably a positive, but there's nothing but looking at it as a failure. What would be positive about keeping Lombard?

party and banner in your eyes? What would be a positive? No, that wouldn't be. So it's not probably a positive. It is a positive that he got rid of them. Woofah! Well, no, because this is, I hear all this, like, suddenly Haslam is a clown for getting rid of a guy that no one respects. He's had the worst 18 months he could possibly have. The men he chose all have been fired. They've all been terrible decisions. He's changed his mind every time. Every time he has a press conference, he sounds like a used car salesman out there trying to sell something us on how great Joe Banner was and how he changed the organization. And each time, I kind of buy it for a second.

It works. And I agree this decision in the vacuum is good. By the way, you're leaving out one aspect of the 18 months too that he's being indicted for major fraud allegations. Just a minor footnote. That is, you know, the elephant in the room. But that, to me, that's not part of the decision. But then let me ask you a question, Greg. Would you rather, when you look at a president of a company, a country, a team,

would you rather a guy that says, look, I'm new at this job. I effed this up and I'm going to make a change or I'm going to sit on this for three years so I don't look like I'm making I'm just going to be consistent but I'm going to sit with the wrong guys for another three years.

I would rather he get rid of Banner in Lombardi. The problem is the process to get to that decision and every other decision he's made does not give any confidence that he's making good decisions. And what NFL firing is clean?

This is worse than most though. All right, but I mean, but honestly Like, I mean, whenever you talk about high-powered guys parting ways, is it ever clean? Does anyone ever come out looking good? It could have been done better and less clunky. I guess I know I sound offensive, but part of the situation is that all I hear, it is insane to fire the GM and the CEO that just hired your coach. That is insane. That could be, that is worse than others.

It's insane in the vacuum of information where you don't know what it is he knows or what he witnessed. But then there's also the report, the new GM, Ray Farmer, the new coach you just hired, he wasn't one of his top choices within the organization. And that's weird, because now you're going off on a new voyage. Well, that's got to play out. And these guys are in great. That's a debate. That's got to play out.

Not only was he not involved in the coaching interview, they gave him a four-year contract. And I think if you asked a 20-year-old Dan Hansis, Mark Sessler, and Greg Rosenthal, would you be surprised at your current age? How many people in all walks of life get promoted simply because there's a vacuum and not because they deserve it? That's one of the lessons I've learned over the last 10 years. You think that the Browns don't think he deserved it? That's... I think if they thought he deserved it...

Did you think that or do you know that? Or you just... You're just... You think that the Browns don't think that he deserved to be promoted. I think if they thought he deserved it, he'd have had the job already. Yeah, they would have done in January. But that's exactly what they hired him before. McLuhan.

Remember, they wanted to pair Gase and McLuhan. was the report. So that's a completely different thing. They were going after McDaniels. If they got McDaniels, I think everyone is still there right now. So knowing all of that information, it's hard to put much faith

into the process that gets here. It reminds me a lot of the dolphin situation. My only sticking point, I don't have a problem with that, is just that when we're shredding Cleveland for firing a guy or two guys that we've lamb-baseded all year long as incompetent, there's a divide there.

They came way well after the fact or never should have hired him to begin with. He came to the right decision, in my mind, as someone that's followed this team, that over and over what I heard in back channels and right out front was that Banner and Lombardi were a reason people didn't want to do business with Cleveland. Players didn't respect these guys and employees in the building had issues with them. The move made sense, the timing didn't. That's to me what it came down to. The only timing that would make sense to you guys, though, would be that they never were hired to begin with. No. If they had done it after season, that would have been great.

Fire chud, clean the house. So it happened 30 days later. He had a completely different plan two weeks ago, then he had three weeks ago, then he had a month ago, then he had six weeks ago. So that alone and everything that's happened since he came to taking over the team does not inspire confidence. And he even said it, look, it's been a bumpy road. You have a lot to learn as a new NFL owner. Robert Kraft has said the same thing. And I think it could work out because their roster's good, and I like Petton.

that it all could work out fine it's just there's no way to spin this as they've been well run I don't think it's well run I just listen and I just I feel at some point that it's like all I hear and it's from where we work is they're just getting like lashed left

and right and well you yourself called them a constantly churning I actually did not Chris if you look at the article I said that Haslam realizes they're perceived that way I didn't call them that if you read the way do you think it's fair to call them that? I don't think it is fair to call them that if they've fired two people that needed to be

gone and hired what I think in petting is a good coach. You know, the Seahawks were in here and they were just, what a team, and they all loved each other. Now the ATL team comes in and there's a lot of heat. I don't like it. I just want to say it. Mark, you did tweet eight times in that hour. We need an acronym to sum this up, you know, since this is what Ray Farmer does. Acronims, maybe we can graduate to puns next year. This will be fun. Yeah. All right, so that's good.

Mark is going to kill us all after this podcast. The good thing, though, is Mark could be vindicated if the Browns a year from now are better off than they were now. They will be. That means it was a right move. They will be. How could they be worse? We say that every year. I don't think it was the wrong move at all.

I don't think anyone thinks that Banner and Lombardi were leading them to titles. All I hear is that they've done nothing but make the wrong move over and over. The last three months. have been embarrassing for Haslam. I think he would admit that. I would agree with that. Right. So he made the right move in the end, or did he not?

I don't think anybody disagrees with it. I don't think a single person on the planet disagrees with it. Right. Then why are they being flamed horrendously? Because of how he handled it the whole way. It was ham-fisted, wrong-handed, the whole way. Well, I think he's finding that that job's harder than it appears from the outside to just critique from the outside. Bumpy times for the Silver Fox.

All right, gentlemen, we will be back. On Friday, we will be playing Win West's Toaster. The Gold Standard behind the glass, I understand you have some people lined up. We're going to do a little more screening because we want, you know, there's a lot of pride on West's side right now. I feel like he's never been on a higher plane of confidence, which I love, but maybe he's a little too confident, overconfident perhaps. We'll see. I mean, we do have a lot of very worthy candidates. I'm putting them all in the elimination chamber tonight.

It sounds weird. Yeah, pay-per-view. No, you should catch it. The gold standard is the Ken Jennings of football lined up just to take me to him. It doesn't sound like if you go into the elimination chamber that you ever come out if you lose. Yeah, no. Are you a murderer? You're giving my secrets right now.

All right, guys. All right, we're going to talk this out after the podcast. We will be back Friday. Thanks again to the Seahawks stars that stop by Brandon Mebain, Brian, Michael Robinson. Signing off, this is Dan Hansis for the Sizzler, the mailman, the boss, The gold standard until Friday. But they just gave it a chance.