NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Pep Talks For Those Who Need Them

Episode Date: January 30, 2024

In a room full of heroes - Dan Hanzus, Gregg Rosenthal, Marc Sessler, and Colleen Wolfe hand out some much needed pep talks to people who need them. Before the pep talks, the heroes get you caught up on the news including Raheem Morris being named the Falcons head coach (07:40), Ben Johnson staying in Detroit (18:08), and the Eagles hiring Kellen Moore (23:40). After the break, the heroes give pep talks to Bill Belichick (46:05), Kirk Cousins' suitors (56:00), and the Chargers (01:02:59).  Note: time codes approximate. NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. The Around the NFL podcast. More strange than a Cessler fever dream. From the Chris Wessling podcast studio, it's Around the NFL. My name is Dan Hanzas, and I got heroes here. Greg Rosenthal,

Mark Sessler, and them Viva Dreams. And to my right, During the regular season, it was Wednesdays with Connie, Connie. Now it is not Tuesdays with Mori, Tuesdays with Connie. Colleen Wolfe. Way more fun. Way more fun than a Mitch album, Paige Turner.

Hello. Hey. What's up? You had a great idea. Offseason's rapidly approaching. I love the offseason. Summer of Connie's almost here. Sure.

The idea of us just dedicating an episode to breakups in our personal lives. Breakup stories. Because we were just telling some off air and they were quite amusing. I think they'd be good. And we'll relate it to an NFL team. We have a little NFL hook to it. You know, there's some breakup that week and then we dive in. Yeah.

Yeah. Got to be careful how you, you know, label the person that you, you're talking like high school years. Right. These could be. And use aliases. Sure, they could be adults with children at this point. You don't want to revisit that if they're listeners. They don't have to be our personal stories.

It could be like a friend, crazy breakup. We have a lot of breakup stories. Mark lives in a world where his ex-girlfriends are listening to the show on a regular basis. It's not entirely untrue. You have women that you've dated that are listening right now? I have evidence of one. Wow. Not religiously and probably turned off by the whole concept.

I feel like the off-season's here. Go ahead. Is this camp happiness era, Sessler? No, it would be posted. By the lake? That had multiple errors, but it would be posted. that in general. Pearl Jim just put out verses. I think we'll save it. We'll save it for the world.

Save it for the episode. I mean, Dan and I haven't even had our spouses ever listened to the show. And Mark's got his camp happiness girl still checking in daily. She's like, oh, I can't wait to hear about the Steelers offensive coordinator higher. What Mark has to say. I'm not sure it's continually if that's the word you just used.

Can we have her on the show for that episode? Yeah, I'd be happy to check. I don't think there's any ill will at this point. Again, I think anyone that I date from back then it has like four children at this point and is a completely different person

no hard feelings I'm assuming maybe that's the opposite of hard feelings if you get under soft feelings for the old cess dog maybe you buried him and then you get a little bit deeper

and you realize there are issues still there four children each I mean Mark only liked him if they were fertile he's like that's the first thing I ask you stop

speaking of you know heart to hard talks and digging into the emotional side of things. A little later in today's show, we're going to give some pep talks, some heart to hearts, some tough talks

to those who need them. Colleen, how confident 1 to 10 are you with the understanding of today's well, you just said pep talks and when you texted us, you said tough conversations sometimes a pep talk is a tough conversation. Okay. But I ask for clarify, I am often in her world

of not, I'm driving around having no concept and I are aligned on this. We are. And like I actually asked for clarification. Can I offer, clarify that as, as host? Colleen's often a little confused about where to take it. Mark's all funnel to the same place. Like, it doesn't matter how clear the explanation is. I actually said like, I want to, I want to make sure, I'm trying to meet what your vision was. Right. And you said, and I think anything goes, basically. So it's just a conversation. It's just, right. Somehow we'll go wrong. I have a feeling. I'll let you know.

I feel very confident. I feel confident that if you feel confident, we'll all be confident that the segment went well. I think it's going to be great. All right. But before we do that, and by the way, today's show is presented by Draft Kings. Nice.

Bang. I'd also mention one thing is I think that people think that we have these easy jobs where here we go. No, no, no, just you come in and you just talk about sports. It's like all four of us simultaneously on our laptops are dealing

with what I would call like a category eight I would say if imagine for those old enough if Y2K actually happened that's what we're dealing with I'm so afraid of it I'm not bank accounts clear traffic lights blinking prisons open we don't need to like dig down into it

but at any moment like every three or four minutes all of our computers invariably are shutting off and we have to restart them while our information is contained on screen and yet we continued it seems similar no one would know that you so far Well, now they would because we spent two minutes talking about how heroic we are, all are, fighting through this. I'm always told, be a duck. No one needs to know what's going on underneath the water.

You're just swimming along and it looks very smooth and all the chaos is underneath. I'm like to make us look, you know, as valuable as possible depending on this listening. To synchronize the security detail, these laptops, universally, it feels like a major misstep by the IT. Departable job by IT. And it may just sync today's program. But I love IT. I love everyone that works in the IT department here.

We have bad days too. This is their bad day. And we're going to work through it, hopefully. Yeah. I'm confident in that. All right. It just came up. There it is. Right. It's not fictional. We're like we're working with this in real time.

Let's do some news. Greg's uncomfortable. At the end of the player. Tony Office number four Toughy It'll be first in 10 You know Don't worry, Bub

There's only 65 million people watching that game Tough one Bub Why did you just Why did you side-eye Greg When I said that He's fighting through it

He's fighting through A difficult situation He is he's paddling Underneath the surface I wish we knew his name Well it'd be very easy To find that out Cracked official voice.

I mean, I think he could walk into a bar and knock like half the bar out, too. It's not like he was some wimp up there, which as he's portrayed from a... Johnny Smith, hang in there. It's like, you know, Bub. Peter Brady voice cracking.

Like, you know, I mean, he was sick. We've all been there. Let's try to avoid 1970s pop culture references. We've got to move forward as it. We got to... I won't go there again. We have a young clientele. Dan prefers 1980 pop culture references.

Just roughly 40 years ago. Let's get to the 80s. preferably 90s. I just had a Y2K ref. He was singing Frazier before the show. Let's talk about how live was a bad band name for the 10th time on the show. The internet is actually a band name too?

I mean, when Ed Qualcheck and the guys from York, Pennsylvania said we got to come up with a band name back in about 91 and they're like, live. It talks about how we're vital and that's where our music comes to life. And then it's like six years later, you're on AOL

and you're typing live. They go. Was it live with an explanation point, too, I believe? No, it was like live with some type of like reverse underscore, an overscore over the eye. Well, yeah. Tough one. That you can't, which is not searchable either. A marketing Y2K. Truly.

All right. Let's do some news. Speaking of huge mistakes, the Atlanta Falcons have named Rahim Morris, their new head coach. Oh, you're so unfair, Dan. Raheem Morris, the first former NFL head coach, Arthur Blank, is hired in his 20-plus year tenure. He is, and this is a positive, the first full-time black head coach in the franchise's history. And he is also notably not Bill Belichick. So the Atlanta Falcons go with Rahim Morris, who's had previous head coaching experience with Tampa Bay.

He was also an interim head coach. Where was he, the interim coach? Well, with the falcons. And he was almost hired for that job. That's right. Thank you very much. So after 14 interviews, Colleen, the Falcons, go with Rahim Morris. How you feeling about this one?

I mean, I kind of think that it's sort of for Arthur Blank, the fact that he wasn't hired the last time when they went with Arthur Smith. This is sort of like, okay, maybe I made a mistake. Like, maybe you should have been the head coach the last time. But the search that they had, I mean, 14 candidates, multiple second interviews, like, they almost be exhausted, first of all, from the interview process in general. But it's kind of, I just think it's really interesting that they ended up bringing him back when he was on the coaching staff there from 2015 to 2020. Obviously, he's known as a defensive guy, but he's coached on both sides of the ball because in Atlanta, he was the wide receivers coach from 2016 to 2019. but it's a totally different roster at this point from when Rahim Morris was last there.

Only six players remain from his last time there who were under contract for this upcoming season. And I think that it's kind of interesting too that both Morris and Terry Fontno, the GM, will report directly to Blank. So they cut out Rich McKay, the CEO, and Blank said that McKay will no longer be involved in day-to-day football operations. So that almost reminds me of back when Chip Kelly came in as the Eagles head coach and Howie Roseman was like banished to a storage closet essentially. And then... The other side of the building, literally. Yeah, came back, rose from the ashes.

But ultimately, the quarterback will dictate Rahim's success as the head coach there. Like Desmond Ritter and Taylor Heineke, Taylor Heine is going to be a cat casualty. So whoever they end up bringing in is going to be. the ultimate decider of what happens with Rahim Morris in his second chance as a head coach and his second chance with Atlanta. Will it be like a Baker Mayfield type because Baker and Rahim were together in L.A.

If things don't work out with Baker in Tampa Bay, since he's a free agent, will they bring in someone like Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson? So I think that that is the main thing to really watch. He's entirely different. I did it. That's all I got. That's a lot. That was good. Look, he was one of the youngest

head coaches in NFL history when he took that Bucks job. He was 33 years old. Remember the young grubes? It was 2009. They went 10 and 6 in his second year with Josh Johnson as his quarterback. He went coach of the year.

Josh Freeman, rather. No, I don't think so. But he definitely was, I remember that that's when we ended up to see an NFL market. Coming up that year, he was like, stock up. Yes, he was seen as one of the great young coaches in the league. And that was now what?

13 years ago. And all you hear from players, from coaches, from everyone, he's beloved. And like, you hear it enough year after year after year that he, like Jalen Ramsey says he's the best coach he's ever had. All these different coaches say, all these different players say, this is the best coach I ever had. And a lot of it is like leader of men. He has a better idea of how different organizations work. I think this is a great way to get your second job that you had that much amount of time in between. And you saw that many different sort of setups under Dan Quinn in Atlanta, under Sean McVeigh in Los Angeles. And the staff, I think that he sold them on also was probably a big part of that.

Zach Robinson is offensive coordinator. He was a highly respected assistant in Los Angeles, who is kind of seen as the next offensive guy from that tree. And he's very tight with Morris. And Morris sold them on like, he's going to come with me. He'll take this job instead of all the other ones, like the Patriots were hot after and the Saints, all these other ones. and that's part of it.

And then more than all that, like, they know him. They know him and they like him. And so there's familiarity there that I think he had that the other eight or nine second interview candidates didn't have. Bill Belichick was never getting this job after he left the second interview and he wasn't hired. I think people have kind of been like, well, I can't believe they didn't hire Belichick.

I know you said that too, and I get that, but that decision was made two weeks ago. Because Belichick, like the second Belichick left that second interview and he wasn't the choice and they continued an interview. They clearly weren't hiring him. Like, if you're hiring Bill Belichick, you just hire him.

He came in with whatever he wanted the setup to be. They didn't agree with it for whatever reason. And so then out of the other 13 choices, to me, Morris makes a lot of sense. I think it was more of a Belichick saying probably like, I don't want to work with a Terry Fontno

that we don't know. We don't know. There's the mystery around Belichick. We don't even know, like, all this talk around Belichick, like he wants to make all the decisions, all this different stuff. We're all just kind of assuming that, and we don't know.

I'd love to hear from Belichick. I know. We did hear a report from the Washington Post that he was planning to bring Petitia, Joe Judge, and possibly Josh McHan. Okay, so members of the staff, but I mean in terms of the day-to-day football. Yeah, I think it's just like Belichick basically not moving off of Belichick thinking. And that's fine. I'm not saying that.

Like, there was other people saying that Arthur Blank actually was pretty resolute on giving them a real chance and wanting to bring Belichick in. Oh, yeah. I think they want, I think they supposedly. in November this was their plan. They've been working on Belichick for months and something made them change their mind. But I don't think Morris is like this deep

second place because I was listening to Peter King who had talked to a ton of people over years and it was like he said that Rahim Morris and he wasn't pumping him up that if you ranked like coaches in terms of the higher review that they got from people that work with

him over years and years that Rahim Morris was easy top five and that players were actually agitated when he left the Falcons the last time that to your point like Greg that he that's how he makes players feel and so I do like the coach that doesn't just get hired like the next cycle after they get fired and they failed it's like he has gone and done everything if you're saying that mike McCarthy went and had a one year away sojourn to learn about other ways to do things like Morris has gone half of his career doing that and I think it's a good fit because he fits in

an organization that he already fit in let me just be clear I don't think Rahim Morris is necessarily. I'm not saying he's a bad coach. You're coming from a Belichick angle. I'm just saying I find it difficult to wrap my head around, especially if it's true that Blank had circled Belichick months and months ago that to change your mind

and hire, yes. But what would make you change your mind? I don't know. We don't know. The beating like that it doesn't go off. At a certain point, listen, I'm looking at the everything about this. The fact that they spoke with 14 different people the general trajectory of this organization

since 283 and I just can't give him the benefit of the doubt that they haven't galaxy brained their way into like an absurd decision and maybe maybe everyone else is right because I know this is now the popular thinking Bill is over the hill I don't know demands control

Bill is a guy that he comes in and nobody can work with him because he's a certain way and maybe that is all true or maybe people are having the chance to hire Bill Belichick right now and they've gotten their mind so wrapped around the negatives that they don't see what's right in front of them,

which is the most successful head coach who has ever lived. That's all. And I feel bad because it was kind of a D move for me to be negative about Rahim when I set the story up. But it's because I think it's outrageous in a coaching cycle where there's been, what, eight openings that this guy is going to be out of the bar. Well, they're the only ones even that we're interested, literally. And I think that was, I heard that in this makes sense to me,

that that might have been a factor and it shouldn't be and it does point to what you're saying the Falcons being a bad organization maybe is like I think they were a little spook that literally no one else had any interest in them they're like that shouldn't be that shouldn't process into your

you should have your own mind on that but we don't know that either we don't know a lot of things but you don't know what his demand were or anything like that but I know enough about Bill Belichick in his history in New England and I've listened to Tom Kern

who knows him as well as anyone talking about it's like he's not going to be like oh yeah so we're all like I'll like we're Port to Rich McKay or I'll, like, work with Terry Five. Like, of course he's not doing that. Like, that's not going to be an option for him at this stage of his career. But also, Rahim has to be attractive because of his experience there.

And obviously, Arthur Blank knows him so well. I was talking to DeAngelo Hall about this because when Dee Hall was doing the morning show with me, good morning football. And that was when he, when, let's see, what year was that when Rahim Morris was the interim head coach? Was that 2020? 2020. Yeah. And D. Hall absolutely loved Rahim then. And he was standing on the table for him then to get the job.

And it was like from week after week, as soon as he took over as the interim. And I was like, are you going to go and work in Atlanta? But he's under contract still in Carolina, D. Hall is. But he was just saying he loves Rahim and he really thinks that he will do a great job. Relates to the players. And he is kind of sneakily like a big Shanahan slash McVeigh-Tree guy because he, He was on that Washington staff, the original Shanahan staff. He was with Kyle Shanahan, and he was the receivers coach during 23.

He was on the offensive side of the ball during that. And he was just... So that's twice he was on the offensive. And then he was just with McVeigh. You know, so he is from that tree that everyone's kind of going. And I heard the Rams pushed really hard, too, saying, like, they loved him. They talked him up. And to their own detriment, because they lose Zach Robinson.

And he's taking some more staff members from the Rams that were valuable. They do get two third round. They do get that. That's the story picks. That does help. That's how it goes. All right, let's move on. This is a surprise.

It broke right before we started. Ben Johnson is not leaving the Detroit lines. The offense coordinator informed the Seahawks and commanders. Those are the two teams that have yet to hire a coach, that he's staying in Detroit. That's from Tom Pelliserro and Seattle and Washington. As I said, they have those two vacancies. He was scheduled to meet with both clubs for interviews. for interviews this week, but instead the 37-year-old will stay in Detroit.

Mark, this is obviously a big lift for the Lions at a time where they could use some good news to keep that continuity with the offense. And also, I'll just say it, a risk for Ben Johnson because you don't year to year, especially as an OC, you never know how, you know, your public perception could change. He was a very hot name this year. He'll probably be a hot name next year. But he chooses to stay home and great news for the Lions. It, we have seen coaches who were high flyers and about to get hired, make a, you know, a philosophical choice to pass, stay where they are.

And then their names fade. If the, you know, if the lions were to crash and burn next season, like Ben, it's all about like hype and. Kellyn Moore is an example. I mean, Kellynne Moore, yes. At least he's getting jobs. Byron left, which supposedly turned down the Doug Peterson job in Jacksonville. He's literally not even in a league. Right.

It doesn't have a job right now. But, you know, chef for out of nugget that Ben Johnson also. was asking for a lot of money. That could also just be spin and PR and, you know, people saying things, but his asking price was very high. But I think if you're him and you look at the team that you're on right now and the way it's built, like the other wilderness you could be in is to go to a team and have like Gino Smith melt away

or go to Washington and pick the wrong quarterback. And then you're in a terrible situation and everyone's pointing fingers at you. You can stay like the center of the party. if you go to Detroit, they go back to the playoffs and you got a chance at eight other teams next year. I was what I was trying to say in our conversation with Cynthia on Thursday or we're talking about Canales. Like if you really believe in your abilities,

I'm not saying this is what happened with him, but it's okay to pass on a job opening, like the one in Carolina, which is very dicey. If you want something that is more suited for you or feels like a better landing spot, Canales takes an obvious risk with Carolina. Ben Johnson is going the other round. Yeah, Dave Canales, huh?

You're doing good with the, with the canal. I mean, this is now, what, the second time that Ben Johnson has turned down potential head coaching opportunities. We don't know, like, if he would have gotten these jobs or not, but since he's staying, that's such a boon for Dan Campbell now that he doesn't have to go out and find someone else to be a creative play caller that knows these players that had this success. And it just feels like if they're able to keep this in place and go far. again, then Ben Johnson has even more of a leg to stand on with these head coaching opportunities. So I just think it speaks volumes

of the culture in Detroit too, of what they've been able to build. And for Ben Johnson to see when he started with Detroit, because he's seen it really dark there. He's seen dark times and he's seen the turnaround. And to your point, Dan,

to go to a place that has to, that he would have to do that again. That's not easy. That's not an easy thing to turn around to change people's mindset and to go to another toxic place and to make it a winning atmosphere. Like, that's not easy. And, like, not every 37-year-old is maybe inside, like,

measuring where they're at, like, ready to do this. Like, I know that everyone is getting hired at younger. Like, there are, I'm, we talked, I talked to Ian one time, and he talked about, like, a certain head coach candidate, reach down saying, like, I like, I like that people see me this way, but I feel like I need more experience. And it's like, that's, like, Rahimman. Morris the first time he's talked about it yeah he wasn't really ready for it and I think it's awesome

because I just like the idea that someone in this society essentially can decide like there are more things that are more important than money like I think he's making a personal choice that I don't know if it's about readiness I don't know anything like that to me it's like I have this situation that I truly love that we're trying to accomplish something special that I've been here for five years that I know this is great. And whatever is going to be next in my career is going to be next in my career. But man, like, this is amazing right now. And I want to, I want to do it even more. Even if I'm going to make less money this year, like, I'm not freaking going poor. I have more than enough money to live off. And then some. And I'm confident in myself, too, if you're Ben Johnson,

that, like, there should be opportunities in the future, whatever they were going to be. And I'm going to just do this because that gives me like a higher standard of living and like what matters more to me. That's very happiness. Like that like imagine if they do get to the Super Bowl next year. And if they don't like he's going to have coordinator jobs

and he's going to have more money than anyone should possibly have in like the world for the rest of his life anyways. Right. And if if the Chargers who have Justin Herbert or you know, if the Bengals and Joe Burrow there was an opening, he probably would take the jump. But maybe

Cowboys, Cowboys Eagles next year. Like, who knows what's got to open? Part of this is, I like it. I like, then Ben Johnson knows he should still be in the catbird seat next year. He should be. Aaron Glenn is interviewing for that Washington job, by the way, still. Good luck, Aaron. And Washington said they were surprised, according to Adam Schaefter.

So they were not expected. Speaking of Kellyn Moore, he formerly of the Cowboys and the Chargers, is now the offensive coordinator of the Eagles. So he joins up, coaching staff. Also, this happened a couple days ago. Vic Fangio, after a rocky one-year tenure in Miami lands in Philadelphia. So you got Moore and Fangio and Connie with the Eagles here. They made the decision to stick with your boy, Siriani.

And they've now surrounded him with very probably expensive and successful coordinators. So that was the move. They reinforced, let's say, the foundation around Siriani, which I kind of get, makes sense. Yeah, it's almost like Siriani

is giving Brandon Staley vibes in this situation because Kellen Moore goes there and it's like, was this sort of a forced move on Siriani by Howie Roseman, Jeffrey Lorry? He probably doesn't have a lot of leverage

in the organization right now. Howie, motherfucker. So, I mean, The Eagles have wanted more for a while, though. Like, they interviewed him to be the head coach in 2021 and then went with Siriani instead. And now that they're bringing in more to work under Siriani, that's why it just feels like this is sort of an arranged marriage and that Siriani is on an even shorter leash. And, I mean, frankly, a lot of people thought that he wasn't even going to be in Philadelphia again, despite his record, despite going to the Super Bowl last year. I think it's, I like the move just because the, with Siriani, they never used motions or shifts and they never really mixed up the offense that way.

And that's what Kellen Moore does. That's what he's good at. The knock on Moore is that he doesn't really run the ball. So that was sort of the issue at a lot of times last year in Philadelphia. So we'll have to see how all that goes. But Moore's offenses have traditionally handled the blitz really well. that was another area that the Eagles offense were lacking in.

If it goes well, though, Kellyn Moore, I guess we'll probably end up getting head coaching opportunities because that would mean that they would keep Siriani if things do work out and they have success. So it's just sort of an interesting play. It reminds me a ton of when they moved Howie to the other side of the building.

Because it all seems, it doesn't even seem. It's clearly a Jeff Lorry thing. I don't even think it's road. I mean, it's the two of them working together. They're the two most powerful guys in the building. But I think Jeff Lurie was convinced by Syria, like, we're going to keep you, but it's not going to be your offense anymore. We want to update and modernize.

And so we want you to run the whole thing, but you're going to do it with guys that are unfamiliar to because it's not his offense anymore. He is now out of his tree. And it does seem a little awkward having two great interim head coaching candidates right on the roster. But it's a prove it year for Kellyn Moore, too. I'm sure he would have gotten a different job in this cycle. There's still a lot of coordinator jobs open.

But his stock is not nearly as high. Like, the charges were totally disappointing last year on offense. You know, he started like a house on fire, and that happened a lot in Dallas, where they'd start well, and they finished poorly. So if that's what happened with Kellyn Moore in Dallas, it's what happened with him in L.A., so he's got a lot to prove, too.

I mean, it's eye of the polder type stuff because either you're looking at him as one of the most, like, pressure-packed new coordinators in the league based on the fact that, like, there's a lot of questions around everyone on that offense, but also things melted down so poorly and became such a nuclear winner as the regular season ended that, like, maybe it can't get a lot worse.

And they have great players. Like, they still have really great players on offense, which matters. Awkward vibes there. Right. All around. It was an awkward end to the season, and now it just feels like an awkward off season now, too. Yeah, and the stability around Philly, as you're saying,

is not great. But Kellan Moore is thinking to himself, you know, maybe this ends with me being the interim coach and maybe we've seen, as we saw in Las Vegas as an example, recent example. I keep the job if I do well. It's another, it's a backdoor way to get a job. The interim head coach also means that like

stuff is terrible and you've got to fix all that probably in four or five weeks and that's tough. In Kellyn Moore's mind, probably the better outcome is even like Jalen Hertz is back in the MVP mix. We're awesome and I'm a head coach a year from now. Or make all those guys terrible in the first month. You just had Justin Herbert.

Get Sirianni fired. And then turn on the juice. That's Machiavellian. That's a move. That's what Antonio Pierce did. Don't get it twisted. That is not what he did. I have some hot takes on the coaching.

No, I watched that Siriani presser, by the way. And Siriani sitting next to Howie, they were just. With like a gun in his ribs. He just felt very like I'm at the, I'm like the kid now at the adults table and it was just like Tony and everything down. And like kids. have no responsibility and everything provided for them. So that sounds like next year. I kind of can't wait for the Combine press conferences to happen.

You think I'll let him do that? Well, and then Dom will be there. Big Dom as well. What if they do the thing where, yeah, just put him on the lap and then, like, do the voice? Whose lap? Howie, how he puts Siriani on his lap and mimics his voice. Howie's like five, six. Oh.

I mean, but it's visually awkward, but go for it. Why not? It's all awkward. Adult on child's lap. Not that he's a child. Let's spin through the rest of this real quick. and if you must share hot takes, please do. But be smart about them and concise.

I'm sure that will occur. Arthur Smith expected to be hired by the Steelers as their offensive coordinator. John Harbaugh, or Jim Harbaugh, excuse me. Got to get used to that again. Who's back in the NFL with the Chargers. He brings Michigan, D.C. Jesse Minter with him. He will be, yes, run their defense. The Browns, Mark, your Browns hired Ken Dorsey as their offensive coordinator.

the bills promote Joe Brady from interim to full-time OC after a successful takeover during last season and Bobby Bobbick as Bill's D.C. Is that right? Bobbich. Babich. Babich. And anything on those personnel moves. I don't love Arthur Smith potentially still not having a quarterback,

but I do think he's probably just a better OC than head coach in general. I think that's kind of fun. I mean, I know Martha Smith was frustrating in, Atlanta, but he's an upgrade from what's been going on. I remember Grave digger. And he was fun as a coordinator in Tennessee. So I'll take it. Grave digger was calling for his return to Nashville.

So, you know, he did have a lot of success. And I thought it was telling the ownership there in Pittsburgh was like, we're sick of losing. And like he was saying that we have some urgency here. We're going to give Tomlin a long term contract. But we have some urgency to get past what's going on. And by that, I read like, we're going to bring in, they might be doing a little bit more of, Jeffrey Lurie thing where they're bringing in some people from the outside after hearing from Tomlin over and over.

It's like, we're going to do how we're going to do. Tomlin, I think, is being made to maybe open up the kimono. This makes me worried for George Pickens because, like, Arthur Smith never utilized his top guys. Like, that was always the thing. He did a nice job with A.J. Brown, though, I thought. Yeah. But you're right.

Like, there's some residual concern just based on the Falcon's car crash. Like, in the press conferences where, like, being a head coach, it did seem too stressful. for him and maybe it all like impacted like that he fits well as a coordinator I could see that impacted his ability to get increasingly frustrated by the aspects of the job I hate that for him man if you put Kirk cousins in Pittsburgh and gave him Arthur Smith me and the Steelers are cooking with grease would you though mark I pour them yes what one of you and finally chiefs uh why the shot no I'm saying because he's you know he's a

I don't need to worry about I'm fine You mansplaining his fandom to me? Well, you're asking me. You try to lead me into a mansplained hit. Why are you so defensive? Why are you yelling? When the Browns can, you know, hire the coordinator that was fired mid-season and Josh Allen is his quarterback.

You got to do it. Charles Mannyhew. What were you saying, Mark? Nothing. I was being. I don't care. Some shots at Ken Dorsey. I like having two convos.

I was just like talk about a low-octane high. But it's for Stavansky. So these like, these like, Babbage under Sean McDermott. What does that really matter? He's the defensive. When you hire an OC and it gets shoved into the speed round, I think it says it says it. But he's not calling the plays.

Like, Stefanski is that. Greg, I do understand that. I know. So I'm saying it's a low octane higher. Yes. I do understand that he's not calling them. People do love themselves some Jesse Minter. Are we still talking about these now?

Because does anyone remember what I said? No, we don't. Does anyone care about anything? I don't. All right, go ahead, Greg. Let's talk about Jesse Minter now. Well, because like, let's get those takes that need to be out there. Go ahead.

Imagine if you were a charges straight. If I was a Jets fan, I'd love to hear it. We played that book as well. Go ahead. Go ahead. You're still mad about her saying you were sensitive? She gas let me so easily. You emotionally manipulated me. We're accused of mansplaining. I just wanted to come in and cause a little chaos.

You're the Joker. I am. You're welcome. Go ahead. Go ahead. The last time to prepare, you have to go chaos. You want to stand that, Colleen. The last D.C. that Jim Harbaugh found in Michigan was Mike McDonald, who we knew nothing about and came to the NFL and was the best defensive coach in the league almost immediately. And everyone says this about Minter, too. So there is something about Harbaugh that he develops coaches very well. And he needs a good defensive coach.

Well, Minter was also with the Ravens, so his brother helped find him. There's something about these Harbaas. They know what to do. Oh. Anything? What was your Dorsey comment? I don't need to go back to that place. I'm trying to comply with your...

I think you're orderly and sensible request that we... I'm just trying to get to the second part of the show and Colleen is on a time crunch so I'm going to move on now. Charles Menehu tore his ACL. I'm on a time crunch too just to let you know. Always.

You don't really have anywhere to go, but you're on a time. It's just smoke. You just see the smoke behind him. Here's Andy Reid, by the way, on Cadarius Tony. who said that he wasn't injured and the chiefs are lying and blah, blah, blah. Here's Andy Reid. I mean, you know, obviously he's been on the injury report.

So, I mean, I got that part as, that's not made up by any means, but he's been working through some things and he'll, you know, he'll be back out there. I will say one thing. Why have him back out? Go watch this and then go take an hour and read about, body language. When people,

I'm not saying that he's, I think he's stuck... An hour, that seems like a lot. He's in a sticky situation, but I always like to see where people's eyes go and they respond to questions because the upper left thing

is like, I'm thinking and I'm processing. Sometimes it's like, I'm not telling you exactly everything I know, you know. Andy Reid, he sort of invites this chaos, though. I think you're right. Yeah, like there are like deep studies

about that. I would just say... The FBI and the CIA... If I were Andy Reid, knowing what I know about what Cadarie Stoney can provide to my team this year.

Go take a walk. Right. Totally agree. What do you, I'll see you back at practice. Bye bye. And I know he made big plays in the Super Bowl last year,

but this ain't last year. It's a little strange. He's been a nightmare for them. But they invite that. They, that is the Chiefs. It sort of gets lost in trouble. No one brings in more,

um, what in the draft would be called character concerns than the Chiefs. Literally, Umannah, who tore his ACL and is going to miss the Super Bowl now and was a really good started for, you know, wasn't available because he, uh, was arrested for domestic battery and assault earlier this year. Like that's the type of players that the chiefs very often, uh, bring in and then things come with it. And that's what's happening in the news real quick. It's time now

to talk a little game of the week presented by draft Kings. The game of the week is actually next week. It's the Super Bowl heard about it. Uh, so let's, uh, take a look at where we're at in the desert land on this one. Uh, the spread sitting right now. at one and a half the tick tag zone as uh bill simmons is known to say one and a half calorie in a tick it's funny uh over the uh over under is 47 and a half um all right Greg when you look at this money line minus 20 for the niners and i've listened to a lot of simmons over the year 120 ever once heard that minus 120 for them yeah um if you were to pick one of these uh props game props what would you go with give me all the patecos 68 and a half

rushing yards more 16 and a half rushing attempts more 90 and a half total receiving rushing yards more how about pacheco plus 3,000 for MVP i'm just saying like if you think the chiefs are going to win can't you imagine this 49ers defense which has been bad week after week after week stop in the run that like they give up like 200 yards and pacheco just goes nuts yeah get your wallets out unless you work for this company how to beat the niners you got to keep that offense off the field right on the football yeah i like that and that man runs like he bites people people, Connie. It's my favorite descriptor of him. Chum, chum, chum, chum, chum. So good.

Download the Draft King Sportsbook app now and use code A-T-N. New customers can bet five bucks to get 200 instantly in bonus bets. Only on Draft King's Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of Super Bowl 58 with code A-T-N. The Crown is yours. All right, let's take a break. And when we get back, pep talks for those who need them. Some hard conversations. Oh, no. Difficult ones.

All right, welcome back. Uh-oh, I just got another prompt for security. I've learned how to navigate around it this. Tell me. Help me. Okay, after the show, later on. I think you need to handle this and just bite the bullet. I tried it. I already connected with IT.

I'd bring this issue. You might have to basically go. I'm going to have to go. I did that too. Empty. I'd bring the issue to Las Vegas with you and see if it maneuver around it all. But you said you have a work around. that's good in the moment yeah but it's not it's not content for the show do you want to go on a trip together

hand-in-hand to IT afterwards i don't have time what's going on what's going on i don't know i've something i'll come in a way not you know it's the dead zone before the show what do you have going on after the show we go got a pack schedule quick come up something just so much i can't even dentist doctor psychiatrist all right here we go let's get to it not all wrong pep talks for those who need them Colleen, you are in therapy yourself. As you are, you've shared with the show. It is perfectly healthy for the mind and body. So, uh,

it's all connected. Now what you can do, now what you can do is take what you've learned in that realm. Yeah. And use that on someone in the NFL who could use it. Okay. Okay. Go ahead. All right.

Well, you know, I don't, I don't love having tough conversations. This is not my favorite thing to do. I avoid conflict at every. possible turn. But eventually... Although it's kind of nice what you did with Dan a little earlier. That was fun. Well, it bubbles up and you react.

Right, exactly. But there comes a point where the bill comes to and you have to face these things. You have to, in order to get through something, you need to go straight through and process it. There's no way you can get around it. And when you have a long history with someone or something, that makes it really difficult.

because a lot of times being familiar and having a habit, like it's something that you go back to doing all the time, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's good for you or it's positive. It's just familiar. So a lot of times you have to break the cycle and you have to break that. And I just, you know, I don't love change,

but change is necessary for growth. I feel like I'm in the office with you and Suzanne right now. I feel like I should have been a psychologist, but whatever. So I really do appreciate the time that I have. with this thing, but now it's time to move on. And we need to stop using Roman numerals. Oh, I love this. I'm so done with Roman numerals.

I learned them in grade school, and I never needed them again until I started working at the NFL, and it would just be random bits of copy that I wouldn't know were coming, and a producer would hand me a piece of paper or just say, read the prompter or it's in the script, just read it.

And which I hate, because I don't like to just read something cold that someone else wrote that I don't know what I'm saying. That's not my vibe. That's not what I do. I don't ever have someone else write stuff for me. I write all my own stuff. And I would never use a Roman numeral for someone that's

reading something cold live on the air. When was the last time that you guys even used a Roman numeral? Like, we're not using Latin. Like, there's no other like if you're listening to a football game it's not like they would speak Latin for the penalties

I took Latin high school what? Why? Big waste. Yeah, exactly. It's an easy grade. The Roman numerals need to stop and I thought Super Bowl 50 was going to be the turning point because it was the first time that they didn't use a Roman numeral for the Super Bowl and sure it looks nice with like

you know when you're using a lot of X's and Vs and eyes but you know there just comes a time to move on and I think that time is now and we need to drop the Roman numerals from society. Wow. I think it's, you know, it's marketing gold because it got back when it was like XX and like even a child's like Super Bowl 20, but now where it's like my mind is scrambled.

We aren't a Roman culture. We're not harking back to something that came from deep, like our origins are in some way, especially the idea of the arena and the gladiators of the sport. That's fair, but like I'd say like our culture comes from every culture at this point. So like we're like, we're like such a nod to. Rome, like, all my thing is bigger, like, when it got to 50 and you're making you do 56 or

58, and then I'm trying to remember what Super Bowl it was. Like, I literally can't remember the Super Bowl from four years ago because it's been put through the Roman number machine. I'm with you. No, it shouldn't have an L in it. Like, an L is for loss, so I don't like that either. I did see on the lower third this

week. It's also for love. On NFL Network, they used the number on a graphic. It was like during, you know, one of the shows during like the day, maybe it was insiders. And I was like, maybe this, maybe they're starting to hear you. Because I'm with you. This needs to change.

It was a marketing gimmick when NFL was not popular at all. And it was going to be this big thing, AFL versus NFL. And no one cared. People watched that a little bit on TV. Like literally no one even showed up for the game. And they're just trying to get some pop into it, make it a gladiator. They played it in the Coliseum. I think that was all connected.

Uh-huh. And so they put the one. And now, forget it. Any research there? Just connecting dots. I like what you. Oh, I've read. This is from America's game.

Michael McCambridge. Yes. But I'm saying is that where the Roman numerals because they played at the Coliseum? That I don't know. But it would make sense. The more that they're like, they were trying to pump it up into this big thing because people weren't really into the AFL.

People weren't that into professional football. But they definitely weren't into the AFA. And there was this new thing. And everyone thought, well, who cares about this game? The NFL championship already happened. They sort of saw this as like a preseason game that's being played after, you know, so they gave it a little more heft, but I don't know if that's Which is why, yeah, what happened in Super Bowl 3 with Namath was so important because

when the AFL beat the NFL, it legitimized that league and then they came together. Absolutely. Now, that's it. I think I've probably done a similar monologue on the show. I kind of hazily remember it years ago. About Roman numerals? About banning Roman numerals. But now I'm back on the other side.

I think it's tradition. Oh, point counterpoint. And here's the other thing. Here's the other thing. We had the chance, as we pointed out. They went with the number 50 for San Francisco. And that was a huge to do, the celebration around the 50th anniversary. The year after that and the next few years after that were horrendous, borderline embarrassing, to use L-1, L-I-L-I, just looked to the eye.

If they had the chance to move and they didn't, guess what? We're not going to get 100 until, I mean, we're not going to get the number. back until 100, and are we even going to be alive? The next time you see a number next to a Super Bowl, that's the bigger concern. That is probably when it's going to happen. I will say, unlikely would be the answer, but possible. The other in professional wrestling,

WrestleMania almost certainly took it after the Super Bowl, and they use Roman numerals up to 30 before they decided it doesn't really work anymore. So especially wrestling fans don't operate in that mode mentally, I'd say. Why do you say that? I don't know why I said that, but... But in general, whenever you can follow the path of Vince McMahon, you do. I mean, I think we could all agree in terms of an intellectual and moral compass. So...

Was that a point-counterpoint? Like, was that also your presentation? Oh, yeah. But yours is... I get what you're saying. That was a tough talk. But who was it, too? Is the marketing arm of the league or...

What? Or to Roman numerals themselves? Like, who was your talk to? He's questioning your understanding of the second. No, not at all. So I was more just like, who was it? I was speaking directly to the Roman numerals. Like, it's time.

Well, that's confusing. But like, you served your purpose. Right. And it's been really nice. It would be funny to watch them kind of turning around and sadly walking away. Like 58. I think you should just have a burial for them. 1-1-I-I, like just walking away sulking into the around the bend, never to be seen again.

And then all proud like 58, the number walks in and takes its spot. Like. oh boy well she brought it up I like it she turned it into talking to the actual numerals yeah

so if we're gonna humanize them now I can't stop all right can I talk since we brought on can I talk to Bill please yeah oh yeah I think you need to

which is weird that I'm even doing this because obviously I have a complicated relationship with the men personally in terms of my fandom and the history and everything around the Patriots

but I feel like this guy needs and needs a little pick me up because Bub, you're a legend I think somebody needs to tell him that right now. I feel like Linda's not even around to tell him. I don't know if anybody's telling him that

right now. I think if you listen to maybe demanding to take over the entire Falcons organization. It's a sign he's still feeling that way. Well, we don't know that again. We don't know the details of the conversation. I kind of wish, well, I'll get to that. There's a lot of conjecture around and discourse around you're right now, Bill, and everybody says you're too old and you're too power hungry and you're yesterday's news. And I just want you to know that you're the best, man. You're the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be. You know, you're him. What's what the kids say?

you're goaded like don't let like people like Greg tell you you're not great anymore and you're and you don't deserve to be in power anymore or to build a team again because all I know update device one moment

I just got the same don't do the Julian Edelman to Tom Brady motivation that you're you're too old and yeah no like you got 11 Super Bowls Bub you got eight titles six as a head coach the idea of you, Bill, wasting another year of your prime

and you are in your prime baby. Fake laughing with J.B. and Howie while Terry bumbles yet another read on the teleprompter. It's beneath you. It's uncouth. He was reading Roman. Everybody's like, oh, Bill's fine. He'll go to Fox and sit on the dais. Are you kidding me?

Bill Belichick? Like, that's what we're cool with. He would make his own role. He would make his own role. What if they put him in a booth with Brady, though? that would be fun. I would be okay with that. It's beneath you. And it's strange to say this, but I really do think Bill Belichick

in a weird way is being blackballed right now. And I want to know why. I want to know why. Greg, I want to know why. Because it feels like Barry Bonds, his last year in baseball, he had a 480 on base percentage,

hit close to 30 home runs. Couldn't get a job. That guy was a cheater. You're not a cheat. All right, no, forget about that. Maybe it's because you're not a GQ model, like Dave Connallas. Like maybe that's what it's about. Maybe there are people out there that are saying that you're both frumpy and grumpy,

which is a terrible thing to say. But it's out there in the discourse and the fact that you don't fit the mold of the modern head coach, as if having high cheekbones and a chiseled jaw line helps you, you know, do January kneel down. after W's with confetti raining down. It doesn't help at all. I can tell you personally that it helps, but... Don't let them. Don't let them do it.

Why? Because it's the fansky? I was suggesting that I had high cheekbones. That's obviously not true. So yeah, you don't fit the prototype of the quote, modern head coach. Whatever. But is that, Bill, is there anything else you'd like to share?

Did you watch the game on Monday? Yes, I saw both games, and they actually were on Sunday. And Bill, this is the type of stuff we got to keep under our hat a little bit. Because people are asking questions about your age. Just, you know, let's play this the right way, Bill. Let's play this right way. And understand that you are loved and appreciated, and don't let the discourse get you down.

That's it. I think he needs that right now. I think he's beat up a little bit. A well-time talk because he could be at the point where no matter what he's accomplished or what anyone's told him and what he's read about himself, there could be a little bit of imposter syndrome

setting. You're a little bit old. You're staring out windows. The phone's not ringing. Everyone thought you were a home run for this job. You get passed over for someone, you know, 30 years younger. Everybody wants to stick him in the nursing home like he's Junior Soprano. Like, you're not Carrado.

Like, you still have something to give. and then people pile on by saying he's power hungry and of course you pass on a man that's power hungry because he didn't make Mack Jones a champion. It's like give him a chance. Give him one more chance. I want to see him coach again. Then maybe he can finally experience success. Right. I told you it's conflicting for me. I don't need, you know. I want to see him coach again. I think he could do a great job. When I watch them this year, I love Belichick. I've read all the books about

I'm like, I consider myself like a Belichickophile. Like, he's my guy, even more than Brady was during that run. I really saw a coach this year. I think that knew exactly where he is in history, was fine with it. Wasn't enjoying what was going on there, but absolutely was able to celebrate where his place in the history of the game is and who he is as a patriot and all this stuff. And I think he's very comfortable with himself.

And maybe he couldn't see in this cycle, a vision of like him not running everything. And I totally understand why owners would be hesitant to do that. It's like the same thing. Like no one hired Tom Landry after Dallas after the Cowboys. You think you don't think he was like a better coach than some of the people that, but like no, he was Tom Landry and he was going to take everything that Tom Landry was with him.

And a year away from the game, I think might be great for Bill Belichick, the coach. Like even if he wants to come back and coach next year, being able to look at the whole league and take a step back. He's such a football genius. that this, I think, could give him like a different perspective. Whether he wants to do a little bit of TV or not, we'll see. He'll make that into his own sort of Belichick thing. But what changes one year from now?

If you're saying part of the issue why people might not want him is because he wants to do it his own way, is he not a year from now after a year away from the game going to say, I don't need to be involved with the operations. Maybe just the right option comes up and people are a year removed, or maybe he changes or he has different ideas of what he would do, or maybe he takes away some of the requirements, like in terms of control and everything.

Because I'm with you. It'd be fun to see him. Love to hear from them. I really would love to hear from them. If there was someone in the media that he trusted and just a... Or if he did a press conference, I know this isn't his style, but I just feel like there's so many things being affixed to him

what he wants and what he demands and we don't really know anything. CBS Sports, Jonathan Jones said several sources, expect Belgium to take a job in television, which would indicate there's probably been some backdoor talking. And one quote, this really made me laugh, every network would want him. He would revolutionize media with the way he prepares. I mean, that's absolutely.

But he was great with Torrico before the Super Bowl. That's the role I could see him in, in these little parts where he just sort of does a Belichick Telestrator. He's not sitting on the tell. But even maybe he does one Sunday, but it's just the Belichick segment. He was a totally different person than I have ever seen in NFL atmospheres when he was on college games.

day on ESPN this year on the set. I didn't, I was like, is this his twin brother? Who is this person that is sitting up there in Bill Belichick's body? He was smiling. He was laughing. He was making jokes. He was all in. Like he was, they were giving him stuff to do and he was buying in. He was yes anding everything. Like he was, he looked like he was happy. And he was in his element doing that. Now, maybe he's happy when he's on the sidelines in New England when it doesn't look like it. Maybe he's happy on the inside. But this really looked like he was glowing in that role. And I liked that for him.

I liked him there. Like, it just seemed right for him. Brady and Belichick and the Fox put together with you. Right? That'd be awesome. Maybe it wouldn't be, but it'd be fun. You would have to. I'd watch that.

Who's the play-by-play guy you put with him? Let's put it together right now. Well, Al. Well, Burckard, Al. Burckard.

No, leave, I don't know. Kevin Olson. It should not be demoted on any level, but that's the, give me this old,

this old crusty booth of Al, Belichick, and Brady. Let's go. Give me a couple of years. I love that. This is only a year,

by the way. This is, he's, I think he's going, I think, but, but in the booth, too,

like that, I think that role, seeing him in that role would be so interesting because a lot of people haven't even seen him in like the, happy. I'm relaxed. I'm here

to just hang out and talk about football and I love it role, let alone calling a game role. I mean, we get right back into the world of like which one and the other is lifting each other up and making them look better in front of the puzzle. I don't know if I need. That's true. I can't really imagine them working together. I do like the old Travolta

movie Wildhogs vibe of putting Al, Tom and Bill in the booth and be like, hey, everyone thinks you're done. All three. Al, you're washed. Bill, you're, you have no personality and nobody likes you Tom like you you're not cut out for this you you don't deserve a number one year off to you're no you're no Greg Olson and you're no

Greg and then letting them revolutionize the sport of or the the the broadcasting business all right Greg wild hog on all right we probably only have so much time right we're doing this once yeah one time around okay because I've been starting to prep for uh pre agency list the office stuff you're prepping right now during the show? No. Getting up at 5 a.m. drinking some egg yolks. Hardly, but I started to, you know, tinker with the list.

And there's some... Throwing around tires. There's some big names out there that I think are going to get to this free agency period. And they're going to be like a little disappointed guys like a Chase Young or in Austin Eckler, or Devin White, guys who thought maybe going into this, they were going to change their life with these big time contracts and they get there. And it's a little disappointing.

But I'm going to have the hardest talk with the first. free agent who's facing a different challenge and it's really for the teams that are out there circling this free agent and it's a little bit for you too dan and um it's for everyone that's getting ready to give kirk cousins a hundred million dollars guaranteed over for two years because i think he'll get that money and it and it's a little for kirk too because kirk the history of 36 year old quarterbacks coming off a torn achilles tear expected to save a franchise, you know, doesn't exist. It's a little for Aaron Rogers, too,

the history of a 40-year-old quarterbacks coming back from an Achilles' tear and expected to raise a franchise. But he's different. Doesn't exist. He is different. Kirk, like, we've watched you on this show, the ups, the downs.

And what I always remember with Chris, always a supporter of Kirk. And he was right, I think. for about we were the kissing cousins for six games every season pretty and i remember this as a qb index writer for six games every season he is like the fifth best quarterback in the entire league he's elite and then other things happen there's ups there's downs and i know kirk was improving who was in this system for minnesota kirk cousins like you tore your achilles right at the peak of peak of those six games and that's all anyone remembers no one really remembers

The 10 years before that, there were ups, there were downs where you were very good. You were a better than average starting quarterback without a doubt, but you weren't like MVP conversation, Kirk Cousins the whole time. You were that for about a month every year. You never knew when that month was going to come, but it usually didn't last. Now you're 36 years old and you're coming off a torn Achilles. That to me is a massive red flag in the sense that If a rookie was coming in with a torn Achilles, imagine how that would affect their draft stock. And yet teams aren't going to care. They're going to watch those last six games of the season, see how excellent he was.

Maybe it's going to be Minnesota. And because quarterbacks are so underpaid, I believe, like the value of Patrick Mahomes in a free market would be $500 million or something like that, something bonkers that we can't even imagine, that Kirk is going to get all this money because it's very rare that these quarterbacks are actually available. But I think you've got to have a hard conversation with yourself, Kirk, of who you're going to be coming back and teams, who you expect him to be when he comes back before you pay him more money. And he's probably going to cost more money than Justin Herbert and all these guys on a year-to-year basis. So you're not suggesting that cousins pull back the reins and say, I don't need as much money. No, take what you get. What are you going to do? Talking to the teams.

Yes, but just like the Falcons. Don't necessarily believe that you're going to come in. you're going to be at that level that you were at before. There's nothing he can do. He doesn't strike me as someone like, you know, drenched and hubris to begin with. No, but expectation-wise, I just feel like everyone saying,

okay, let's slot in Kirk Cousins. And he's that guy when he's either joining a new team or he's coming off at Tor and Achilles. That's just a lot to ask. Yeah. New team or maybe not. New team, new offense, new expectations, all that stuff.

But, you know, he's no stranger to being doubted himself, whether it was in Washington or Minnesota going into this year, you know, Minnesota actively letting it be known that we're not looking to do more business with you. And then he went out and was playing maybe the best ball of his career before the injury. I think he's a little different than Aaron Rogers because he is, you know, four or five years younger.

Even testiverty or had an Achilles came back wasn't the same. He was, I think, 37 or 38 by that point. He's not a guy that's known for being an explosive athlete to start with. He's, you know, part of a dying breed almost of a pocket passer. So I think you have things working to his advantage. Now, would it be an overpay if he's a slightly lesser version of what he was previously? Yes. But would he instantly, in my mind, still bring stability to your quarterback position?

Also, yes. It's, yeah, there's some buyer beware. But I would live with it if I were team that if I had Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubiskey and Mason Rudolph in house to use that Sealer's example again, or Desmond Ritter. Or Sam Hal, like, he's not like a two-year deal we're talking about here. You're not signing away like the rest of time. I guess it would depend on what his market is. But yeah, two, three-year deal. I'd still do it, I guess is what I'm saying.

But there's absolutely a chance that it could be. One thing I like about what you said, though, it's like the teams are just glued watching his tape, his high, the high end of his tape from last season. It's like, his health is a complete unknown. Like, we need to know that. Your pep talk could also equally and maybe more appropriately be directed at these teams. That really is where it should be.

but that's but Kirk's he'll be a little bit confused when you're saying to him but the same time like Greg they're all good points what do you want like me to do I'm not sure I have played the colleague I've played the colleague role of not really understanding the assignment but it's good it's interesting did it well

so he's an unrestricted free agent he is is he number one he's not going to be number one it's a quarterback I would think of that built in if the value like in terms of I have a hard time of Chris Joe Josh, there's a, there's, I don't know. I guess I haven't fully decided.

When does this list come out? Not until February. Okay. When's the last time? I mean, February. Chris Jones is in the mix. Josh Allen from the Jaguars is in the mix. Kirk's obviously in the mix.

But if Cousins is cousins, he's, well, I don't know. Pre-injury. Cousins is playing at a top, what, eight levels, a quarterback, and now he's a free agent. Injury? Wait, who was the last time there was a big-name veteran quarterback? That's what I was just trying. I was looking that up.

Her cousins. That was the last time it's happened? That good. That good. Where was he then? I think he was number one. Like on the list that actually gets put out when free agency starts. Usually there's this first list where it's like Lamar Jackson was number one last year because he technically was.

What about the pretenders that put out a similar list where they put in Kirk right now? Well, we don't talk about them. We don't. My process is I do not look at those. And I do look at them the minute I have my list. And then I think, oh, okay, that's interesting. did I miss anyone, this or that. But I do not want to look until I have it.

All right, Mark, close it out for us. I did not misunderstand the assignment, but I took it less as a pep talk and more as a warning to yourself. Okay, that works. And it's not based on the fan base of this team, who I think have been through hell. They've seen their team relocated.

They have been let down year after year. They've been overly pumped up as a team that's going to go to the Super Bowl almost every summer, and they find a way to undress it. Well, we've all done it. Everyone's guilty of it. This is directed at the team

that I find already to be on my radar. It is the Chargers. You hire Jim Harbaugh. Great job. Great move. Way to regalvanize your marketing, everything else. But the attitude around some of what I'm seeing has me a little annoyed.

And I think it has nut to the fans. I wish the fans all the good. So don't confuse that. That's all I'd say. To the team and to the people messaging what this off-season means because we go through this with one or two teams

every off-season and it usually ends in total wreckage. I would say this. Chargers, don't over-celebrate. Okay? A couple bullet points here. That's a Cessler. I love it.

Don't caress yourselves and put special oils on your forehead just yet. Settle down your social media team. Stop naming pets after Jim Harbaugh. Go Stark and Spartan and dark and work in the shadows. Become pure evil.

Take out the enemy with a complete lack of mercy and restraint. Destroy houses and townships. Don't even view children as vulnerable. Animals are your enemy too. Rip roads and highways to shreds. Pull fruit off fruit trees and burn it in stinking piles. Destroy books and films celebrating anything in your way.

Less self-celebratory tweeting in 2023 before you've accomplished a single particle of good. Before you tell us how great it all is. In essence, be everything the chargers have never been or leave. us be. Go do it. Do you have a kid kill kids in there? I said don't assume

that kids are vulnerable or innocence. Something like that. Why the fruit trees? What? Reckage. Anything in your way. Enough with telling us

now on Twitter that everything's perfect. Like you, these teams, I get what they're doing and it's mostly for children or gullibles. Yeah.

But like settle down with yourselves. Go start 5 and O and we down Patrick Mahomes. And we also push that out to people who celebrate the charges a lot and just be like,

do we have to hear it again now this summer? We don't have anything to celebrate, though. No, but now it's, this is their hard not. This is the Jets, Aaron Rogers, hardnought. But this year is different. Right, but this to me was a targeted attack, an isolated attack on the team itself.

And then I hope the media would understand to take on the same. I'll tell you why, Greg. It will not. My takeaway here is Mark needs to mute the chargers account for our mental health. I'll tell you why it's different than for instance, the Jets hard knocks,

Greg, because nobody was pumping up that team before Rogers got there. We've been hearing the chargers get pumped up for years and years for different reasons. And then it doesn't happen. He's mad at the chargers like making their little AVI Harbaugh and doing funny little Harbaugh video.

I don't even think Jim Harbaugh would like that or really want that. Jim Harba doesn't even know the internet is a thing. I know, but his thing isn't let's come and anoint me and put a Like your overall one game. Although he kind of is, like he went on CBS and he was like, I was starstruck meeting Justin Herbert.

He is kind of like a hype creator, not on purpose, but he's just naturally that guy. Let him do it without telling us that he's already done it. I don't need to hear that you're star struck by Justin Herbert. Just make him a star. Are they going to be on hard knocks? Oh my gosh. Well, wait, new coach, though. New coach, I thought that they'd.

Yeah, but they can. They kill all that. No, they didn't kill it, but a team can volunteer. I don't know if Jim Harball. It suggests they will at this point. They probably would. I'm just saying you don't want them to. That would be a perfect example of don't go on a hard not.

I actually would want that. Talk about the access. That's a whole separate thing where that would be spicy. Juicy access. We're going to manifest it. All right. I like it. Burning the fruit I liked.

Killing the kids, not as big a fan. I didn't say kill kids. I said, hold on, read the text. Don't even view, destroy houses and townships. Don't even view children as vulnerable. Don't be fooled by a child.

Are they saying, like, destroy everything, including children who are not vulnerable? I just said don't view them as, don't assume they're vulnerable. Right. They may be in your way. They may fool you. I'm glad that they may lure you in. Because if I was a little confused, there's probably other people that would be like, what are Mark just saying about kids?

But now, now you've clarified that even. I'm not saying you shouldn't view children as vulnerable. The Chargers should not. That's also, it wasn't, it's not a societal message. We're about Phil Rivers' children. There's so many. That's an army. It's not attached to the organization at this.

Well, he's like a member of their ring of honor. Then it applies to his children. Boof. If you're the Chargers, not Philip Rivers. Right. It's more of a trust no one. They're not above suspicion. Trust no one.

They're not above suspicion. Right. Eyes open. Not totally clear, but I'm with you, Sestog. Thank you. Mostly. Got another update. All right.

Here's the situation. By the way, voting closed on that award over, overseas. And they're announcing a winner on Thursday. Oh, wow. Did you guys vote for yourselves or no? No, of course not. No. You get to give them an email.

Uncuth. It's one of those things. And I'll tell you this. Mark, I know you're resolute as a person. Stand by it. If we do not win that award, you will not have Dan and Mark on the show. And those that want a solo, Greg, around the NFL, they're going to get it. You're going to get it.

So, well, the only problem is, you'll know by. Right. I'm being alerted to this in real time. What? We made it clear last week. We said, if you, if you don't vote us, the victors of this particular contest, right? We're going to Mexico or somewhere else. And then we said, do you want to join us too, Greg?

And Greg goes, now. So now you're staying here. It's all made up. Am I crazy? 10. 10 nominees. I think I remember this. I was here for it.

Yeah, okay. Yeah. We asked you if you wanted to join us in the walkout. We're going to Mexico. Well, I just assume it's not too late. Do you want to join us?

When there's 10 nominees. Don't love that attitude. The only problem with this call to action happening right now, people now are spurred like I don't want. Too late. It's too late. Voting's close.

But we did give them a week. We did. We could have put it out on different platforms. If we really, if we're just leaving, but we are leaving the show, I will leave the show. Lessons were learned.

I mean, we could, If you want to break your word. We said it. We're leaving, we'll leave. Yeah, no empty threats here. Where were we going to go? Wait, I can still take Colleen, right? North or Patrick?

I might be going with them, though. Greg, take the ambition and take it under the table. Greg is already formulating a new line-outs to see who's available at least. Oh, my God. It's so real. All right. Testing Bill Barnwell at the moment. Bill, I think they lost.

I voted against them. All right, here we go. We'll be back on Thursday. It is the annual Don't Say Super Bowl show. So if you're already sick, if you're annoyed about the teams in the game, you just want to talk about something else to connect to the NFL. That's your show. You there, Connie, thank you as always.

Yeah. You've said it all. We'll do it again. Let's do it again. Great. Heed the call. This is an IHeart podcast.