NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - What's going on with Watson, Coach Hires and Buffalo Bills Icon Steve Tasker Joins the Show

Episode Date: January 19, 2021

A room filled with heroes - Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler and Gregg Rosenthal fill you in on all of the latest news happening in the NFL starting with the NFL scouting combine cancelation (6:40) and star Texans QB Deshaun Watson being unhappy with the organization and potentially asking for a trade (9:45). We hop on the coaching carousel to discuss the new hirings with the Chargers (18:30) and the Atlanta Falcons (22:30). Buffalo Bills icon Steve Tasker joins the show to talk about the Bills chances against the Chiefs and what the team needs to do moving forward (45:09).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. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

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Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. The Around the NFL podcast. Doesn't know which day of the week it is. Welcome to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast. name is Dan Hansis. I come to you from the virtual room filled with some heroes. Mark Sessler, Greg Rosenthal. What is up, boys? Hey now. Championship Week. Big week. I mean, Greg is pumping his

arms left and right. If you were able to, if you're not watching this on YouTube, it's quite a sight. You got to sometimes give yourself the energy if you're not feeling it right at the beginning, you know. Yesterday was the, I do know what day it is. It's Tuesday. And yesterday, Monday, I feel like it was the first time we hadn't seen each other in about 197 days. So feel totally refreshed. Like, really miss you guys. It's, yeah, I mean, we spent all Saturday and Sunday together on Sky, which was a delight to do. But it's been a lot of, from my POV, a lot of Greg and Dan.

And from yours, a lot of me, which is, if I'm to measure the way that my household is responding to me, I don't think that people are wanting more. They're wanting maybe just a little bit less. What was the vibe in the household after the Browns went down on Sunday? I imagine, obviously supportive. Do you think there was a part of Simone, who was obviously not rooting against the Browns, but relieved to have that tension out of the house because sometimes, Mark, you do bring a level of tension. And I imagine when the Browns are in the playoffs, it has to be at another level.

Well, there were really only a couple super tense moments. And the first was the Steelers game, which was largely celebratory. But the Chiefs won, I would say that my, like, you know, take on the whole thing and me stomping around the house was a lot less because it was, I wasn't expecting necessarily the team to win. I just wanted to see what happened. And, you know, we're doing the sky thing at the same time. So I wasn't like a raving nightmare according to me. I don't think I was. It's more like coming off your pores than what you actually are outwardly doing.

just sort of an energy, of which I'm sure Simone has a better sense of than any human life. Not even Game Day necessarily, but just that general like Godzilla, when you see the scales in his back, have the radiation electricity buzzing on them. That going on from Sunday to Sunday. I wonder if there's a difference in Mark and your demeanor and just the way you're hardwired now compared to last Tuesday. It's possible. I will say that if she were to probably compile a list of annoyances, like the couple times we watched the Browns game wouldn't crack the top 20. There are other larger things to be tackled there. How is everyone's marriages, by the way? Let's dig into that before we

get into today's show. Because mine, I would say, remains strong to very strong with periods of icy tension that is all born out of, like, you think we see each other too much. The other, all the other hours that we're not talking into our computers, we're with our wives. This has been quite a study. They will study the amount of human interaction within your pods for centuries to come off this. How are the marriages? I'd say it's fine. You know, they'd go and find out. The whole like not being able to leave Los Angeles in the country in the case

of my wife who wants to visit her family in Japan and stuff, you know, that's more of attention. So, you know, maybe I'm blamed a little bit for bringing her to this city. But I was trying to make the case like early on. I was like, would you rather be in New York when everything's falling, where everything's falling apart? Come on. You're a hero on that front. I liked your description, Dan, strong with moments of iciness and issues. But I think we try to keep a sense of humor to some degree.

I'm, my concern is like for our kids who have like no friends, you know, it just, it's not so different. I don't like thinking about that. much. Let's bring in Ricky Hollywood, too. I mean, she is in a relationship with Jet, a wonderful woman, and you guys aren't married. Maybe you will be down the road. Has this pandemic drew you closer, or are you pushed apart to the point where this thing is on the rocks? I wouldn't say necessarily on the rocks, but it's definitely much worse. Erica's the only one keeping it real right now. Yeah, it's, it's, this is hell. This is hell. Oh, man.

I'd like to say we're almost there. We have a new president coming in. There's going to be changes to the protocol. Hopefully the vaccination process speeds up and we're heading toward better times. There is no scouting combine. You want to talk about how much things changed last year. We were all at the scouting combine last February, which really, if you want to be real, it was probably like a super spreader event.

It was nobody's fault. It's nobody really understood. what was going on, where it's going to be a totally different setup this year with Combine. It's mostly virtual with local pro days. Just another example of how the world has changed. Well, we've now made it through to the point where events are getting going to get canceled for a second time.

The Combine is like literally, it's like the last possible thing. Right. That happened. And there are some, I can think of, you know, other sports, tennis and stuff like where things are getting canceled for a second time around. Like we've been through that. Yeah. like the last time I went out to dinner with people was with Dan, Colleen, and Erica at that

pizza place on that snowy night. And I have tons of video footage of that, which I sent out an abbreviated clip of Dan in the Snow, because when I initially sent it out, I didn't realize that Colleen dropped like a tremendous S-bomb in the middle of it. And I didn't think she probably wanted that to go out there without my permission. But I've got lots of other footage to share with you behind closed doors. What will you guys miss most about not? go into the combine. Taking care of Erica and making sure she goes back to her hotel room to get well. Yeah, the nights.

Maybe the, I love when there's like three coaches talking at the same time and I'm responsible to know what all three said and they're like 60 yards apart. It's wonderful. I mean, we're not in the coal mine here. Almost nothing. I, you know, I'm happy. I've gone for 16 straight years or something. I don't want to go.

You always have like a quaint little dinner with like a friend. Yes. Of course, you have some nice dinners with friends. That is what you miss. But I wouldn't mind if they move locations next time around. I wanted to see Robert Sala, Sala, Sala up close and personal at the podium. But maybe that will have to wait for another year. Who knows?

Everything could change. Yeah, you don't know. All right. We got a lot to get into today. We have a guest and a really good one. He's one of the great Buffalo Bills of all times. Steve Tasker, who now is a major force up there. in the media game in Western New York.

You know him also from his time at CBS. So Steve Tasker will join us on the podcast to talk about the bills, what's going on up there in Western New York right now, and as they prepare for the AFC championship game against the defending champion chiefs, but before that, there was a lot of news to get to. Some things that happened at the end of last week, and we didn't get a chance to get to it because obviously Sunday was all about game talk and things that are happening as this week unfold so let's hit the news Ricky. Everybody always asked

what was our identity and you know we didn't have an answer but Coach B.A. he had an answer. He said we're some motherfuckers who's going to find a way to win the game. Love that quote from Devin White and Bruce Ariens

one of those coaches. Rines me in some ways Rex Ryan at his peak where the team could take on the identity of the coach and Bruce Aaron's like man, we're just going to be the MFers that are going to win the game. That's our identity. I like that. Players buy into that.

And Devin White certainly did with a unbelievable performance this weekend. And I didn't even consider the Bruce Arians like he's been on the edge of retirement a couple of times. You wonder if he could ever get to the Super Bowl as a head coach for the first time and even win it whether he'd want to continue. That's true. Well, in my reports that he, you know, and this was a year ago, not this year, that he seemed tuned out. and not there presently or no longer, they weren't factual then

and they're definitely not factual now. When they went in, well, I will say, when they were going into their buy at the end of November on a losing streak, I think you started to text

a little bit about that again. And he's starting to look a little checked out again. Maybe it's just how he looks on the sideline to me sometimes. Maybe I, it's a poor read on my part. All right, let's get into it.

Let's start with the big soap opera unfolding down there in Houston, we have been tracking this to Sean Watson. He might want out. The superstar quarterback for the Texans is very unhappy with the direction of the organization, where things are, where things stand in terms of ownership and the hiring of the new general manager. And of course, Jack Easterby, his involvement.

And Cal McNair, if he's going to keep his. quarterback in the building is going to have to pull off something special. And there is, according to ESPN's Adam Schaefter, growing sentiment that Deshaun Watson has played his last snap for the team. Greg, this is like, again, there's no way people, no way the Texans want to trade Deshaun Watson. There's no way because he's that good. This is a Hall of Fame level talent, age 25, coming off another incredible season.

but in our league in 2021 that doesn't matter if you can't keep your superstar happy he holds leverage so unless they can convince this guy that this is still the place to be he will be moved and it will become one of the blockbuster trades of this century that's all true and as sunday morning hit with these chefter reports and watson you know sending out a tweet that he was out of two now he's out of 10, you know, Schaefter had tweeted something basically the exact same right before it, so we know where his sources are. You see them pushing in that, you know, even if they fired Jack Easterby, that wouldn't satisfy Deshawn Watson because ultimately it's about Cal McNair, the owner. And unless the owner fires himself, there's not going to be a lot of faith.

I still even then thought, okay, this is becoming more serious. My skepticism of whether this could actually happen is starting to, you know, thaw. And yet here we are on Tuesday, and we already see maybe the beginnings of a way for them to have some reconciliation. Watson sends out a tweet saying, you know, I've been having to try to have some patience. I told my mama she should pray on it. I mean, and we're still so far away from when any of this would happen. You do wonder they have not, you know, hired their coach yet. The off-season's truly still. at least a month away and even longer before when he would have to be traded. It just seems like a long time for them to try to make it up to him.

But teams like the Jets should be out there getting those packages ready, and maybe they'll make such great offers that the Texans will just have to listen. I think you've got to see who they hire at Coach. But from another angle, I mean, when relationships in general just become fractured, Sometimes it's just, you know, if Deshawn Watson has lost the trust, if he doesn't trust this organization, it's hard just to get that back by hiring a head coach, no matter who it is. I mean, there are a lot of stories through history of, like, leaders who I don't think truly feel to be themselves to be leaders, and that kind of would be might be Cal McNair, who's, you know, somewhat thrust into this position, listening to the wrong people. And I think he's been listening to the wrong people, and Jack Easterby is one of the wrong people. And the process, I mean, it's, you know, you've got to do some work to totally disenfranchise your franchise your franchise quarterback.

And they've done the work, and they're in a really rough spot. And, you know, Nick Casario taking this job, I mean, he's walked into a hurricane. And I don't know if he's going to be able to tone this thing down. And suddenly, if you get really attractive packages of draft picks and players coming at you, maybe you have to start looking at it from the other side. but this is an organizational meltdown. It's nuclear. That's what it is for Houston, and they have to figure out a way

to keep this from becoming a nuclear disaster. And kind of like, yes, kind of like that. And by the way, I have to say, Mark, I'm going to steal it for the Zeus Gazette. I'm sorry, but that's just the way this game works and the tabloid journalism game. Disenfranchised quarterback. Nice headline to get into the Sean Watson.

mess. And yes, the Jets are a team that people are connecting dots on. They make a lot of sense because they have two first round picks in each of the next two years. They have a need, a quarterback, potentially. They are starting over with a new head coach. And listen, this is a Jets team that has struggled to find a franchise quarterback for almost 50 years. So he makes a lot of sense. In fact, there's a website or a sports book, sports betting AG, that has set odds for Deshawn Watson have the Jets at top at two to one. Like, pinch me. I mean, it's a no-brainer.

And I've seen some talk out there amongst Jets fans. Well, you know, they have so many holes. You should take all this draft capital that you have and use that to plug holes and get the roster better. Okay. And they might end up doing that because it's going to be hard to get Watson if he truly is on the market. But if you have a chance to get a 25-year-old generational superstar quarterback, You go get him and you pair him with a good head coach, which we believe Robert Sala will be, and the GM that you trust, and then you figure things out.

Don't get caught up in draft capital. I think you go forward. But the other teams that, according to that one book, Jets, Dolphins at 3 to 1, bears at 4 to 1, Broncos a 5 to 1, Colts 8 to 1, Pats 8 to 1, Eagles 10 to 1, Panthers 12 to 1. There are a lot of teams that can put together a competitive offer. And, oh, by the way, Greg, Deshaun Watson holds a no trade clause. That's such a huge factor, and that does give him some leverage, you know, if they actually

wanted to make a move. His contract, too. I mean, he's almost worth too much to me. Like, he's only due $10 million next year. So, so yet, yet the cap figure is going to explode. I think it's even the year after that. But even then, it's the 35, 37, which is what the top quarterbacks end up, you know, getting.

But for at least 2021, you're getting, you're paying them like a, like, a. decent right guard because the Texans already paid that bonus. So I think it would take like three, you know, three or four first, including one of those top couple picks. And even then, I just got to, I just can't believe the Texans would be so dumb. And maybe Watson will just push the matter. But I, because it's never happened in the history of the NFL, and it hasn't, there is no precedent for a quarterback like this getting traded at this point of his career.

That's why I kind of, in the end, you know, I know that book, for instance, it's not, that is assuming he gets traded. They're not showing the odds of him staying, and that's still what I would bet on. But I would say that the Jets, where they were three weeks ago to now, is seismic in terms of their chances to be the front runner for that kind of a trade. I mean, Watson is a Robert Sala fan. You've got to know he's got players telling him Sala would be awesome for you. There's a couple.

I think he wants to be, you know, closely linked with his head coach, and he feels like that's just not necessarily to happen the way that he wanted in Houston. And the Jets, to me, leapfrog every other team because of what they offer and because of who they hired. You got to think of who's trading him, too, is relationships are important. And, you know, Casario coming from the Patriots, it's interesting that he's the one that holds the key here. Now, they made some trade since Joe Douglas popped up there, the Jets and the Patriots,

also has, you know, close relationship with the dolphins and stuff. Like sometimes it comes down to that. It's crazy. No income tax in Texas, no income tax in Florida, playing in South Beach. A big difference from Florin Park. So you can see why the dolphins would be very attractive for Watson. And I think that's a big part of it too, is Deshaun Watson, if he does get moved, does he want to go to a team that's an immediate Super Bowl contender,

kind of go to the traded NBA superstar route? or is he down to go somewhere where he believes in the coaching staff and the potential of the team that's a big part of it. If ever there was time for Pink Pony to step up, Mark, this is it. Deliver him back to New England,

Casario. It's Pink Pony Time. I mean, if you want to talk about people storming various public places, that will be occurring. There is no, yeah. I mean, I would be shocked. He didn't like being under the thumb of Bill O'Brien who learned everything he knew

from Bill Belichick. I would think that to John would put the kibosh on that. So you know what this really is about the GM app. This is the impact prime moment for the GM app. Every team, well, just about outside the teams that have the true superstar quarterbacks should be in this derby. And what they should all be doing is just getting on that app and saying,

here's our offer for Deshaun Watson. And then it's up to the brain trust up there to decide down there in Texan to decide. Okay, that's enough. We're going to keep tracking it. that would be crazy That would change everything If he went to the Jets I would change everything

All right now Let's get on the coaching carousel Starting to fill out now Let's start with the Chargers They raid the Rams cupboard And they hire Former defensive coordinator of the Rams Brandon Staley as head coach

We touch on this quickly On the Sunday night show One year as DC for Stanley, for Staley, but he interviewed so well, he knocked the socks off the Chargers who see him as their version of Sean McVeigh, a young quarterback to get behind NFL network, a young head coach to get behind NFL Network's Tom Pelliserra also reported that Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell is a candidate to take over the same position with the Chargers. Why would he make a neutral move, Mark? Because Sean McVeigh is still

the G, as they say, when it comes to, well, nobody says. is that calling plays for the Rams. This would give O'Connell the chance to lead an offense led by Justin Herbert. Well, in a delicious update to this, it kind of gives the L.A. football teams a little bit of New York type of Big Brother, Little Brother. The Rams have declined permission for the Chargers to speak with Kevin O'Connell. So I love that. It's a little bit petty. It's a little bit, you know, you're not taking our guy.

But to go back to Brandon Staley, I mean, the first point. person that Brandon Staley really blew away in this process was Sean McVeigh when they met for this to happen a year ago. And that McVeigh basically just said, this guy is everything that he saw on himself. And, you know, it went on into the end of the offseason with all these Zoom calls, guys like Michael Brockers saying that he, that Staley just was so impressive and such a great teacher and tactician and explainer of process that I think these new coaches, you're seeing this. And it's Sala, it's Staley. You have to be a, communicator. And his players loved him. And so I think the quick rise is not to me an aberration

or something that, I don't know if it's, I think in the past it was like, these coaches have to go through the process of being a coordinator for six, seven, eight years. It's like, not anymore. If they've got it, they've got it. And I mean, he, he was, this is an obsessive coach. He was obsessed with Vic Fangio. He basically told McVeigh, I've studied you so much that you have a screening order on me. And, you know, I would go read if you're wondering if you're Chargers fan. Jordan Rodriguez wrote an excellent piece on him in September. Robert Mays on the Athletic also wrote a great piece. I mean, I started to, you know, when I start to fall for these coaches, it started to happen a little bit when I got to know a little bit more about him. I think

he's a really interesting hire and a sharp right turn from the Anthony Lynn way of doing things, going into games, game day coaching, all of it. We'll see. Four years removed from being like a position coach at John Carroll. It's pretty wild. I mean, he is 38, so he's older than McVeigh by you know by a little bit I I think the whole thing though is if you're hiring the defensive coach and you've got the franchise at quarterback what are you doing with Justin Herbert and maybe his first choice O'Connell just got squashed I wouldn't be surprised if he interviews and keeps the staff that's there knowing the Chargers you know keep them up you know they're already they're already they're already playing Shane

Stuyken and Pep Hamilton, the QB coach, who did such a good job with her. I don't hate that choice either. I actually thought they might be a nice hire that L.A. crew up in Seattle if the Seahawks are looking forward. But that's everything. It's a big risk. You know, it's a great defensive team on paper. And hopefully Staley is a true, like, you know, leader.

But I do think there's probably some people in the Rams that's like, man, you can't get your own stadium. You can't develop your own coaches. You got to take our coach. There's a wrinkle here, too. There was a rule change in the NFL where teams could no longer block position coach interviews for coordinator jobs. However, that does not apply when there's a lateral move involved. So Sean McVeigh had the option here to block O'Connell, which he did.

Albert Breer reported that the lines of communication are open between the two teams on this. So there's still a chance it ends up with O'Connell getting that job. But it's also equally possible that the Rams are already a little. ticked off and they'll be like, you know, go fly a kite, as they say. All right. Other news, let's keep spinning that carousel, Ricky Hollywood. Arthur Smith is the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and he will be calling the plays in Atlanta.

Of course, it comes over after a really fantastic run with the Titans, with that great, great Tennessee offense with Derek Henry and Ron Tanahill. Now he'll be tasked with maximizing the potential. The Falcons attack, which has some really big-time talent on it, it makes me think, Greg, that I think about it. I know Matt Ryan's getting older now, and there's a lot of talk about his future. But don't you kind of want to see what Arthur Smith can do

with a Matt Ryan-led offense with Ridley and Julio Jones, and hopefully they upgrade in the backfield and see where that offense can go with different leadership? Yes, and I think the Falcons are planning on it. That was my huge takeaway from Smith Prescott. conferences. You know, he spoke about Matt Ryan and maximizing what Matt Ryan does well in a very definitive way that indicated Matt Ryan will definitely be on the team, which is not a surprise based on their contracts. Now, maybe, you know, maybe they still draft someone and, you know,

it's year to year. Let's see how he looks. But to me, the way he, what he did with Ryan Tanahill, I think you have, I think even at Matt Ryan's age, you have as much or more to work with Matt Ryan. And I think that's probably the reason they hire Arthur Smith. I'm with you. I mean, they are 24 million over the cap. They have only 31 players under contract. So it's not the easiest of landing spots. But so I don't think you move away from Ryan. You know, Arthur Smith may not be the guy that I think when these hires happen, it's like who is really entertaining, who grabs our attention in the press conference. And he's not that guy necessarily. I think he's kind of noted for his demeanor, his intelligence. And I do like this.

I know everyone talks about the fact that he's the son of Fred Smith, the FedEx founder. His quote was, I've never mistaken his success for my success. And his kind of his credo to his players has drop the entitlement and earn your job. I mean, a lot of this is coach speak. But I think Arthur Smith, the Lions were really wanted to get in his second interview with him. So something must be going on well with these interviews, and I think there is, he was with the Titans through so many different regimes. He started under Mike Munchack in 2010. It says something when these new coaches come and they want to keep you. And I thought it came in and did an excellent job as offensive coordinator. So, you know, interesting hire. I want to see what he can accomplish with Matt Ryan.

I don't think Greg is, Gregor, I don't know if you're as high on him as I am. No, I just, no, I'm high. It's the name, isn't it? It's Arthur Smith that bothers you, Greg. No, I don't have a strong take. I think he did a really good job, so it's worth a shot. The entitlement thing, you know, I want an offensive coach. Like the entitlement thing, okay, it's like, I think this is where you talk about, like, coaches getting chances, you know, that wouldn't normally, you know, he started his career in part because of his dad, and then he made the most of it.

You know, he worked for a team where his dad was the minority owner. That's how he got into the NFL. Like he started in college football at a place where his dad is like a huge donor. But then he proves that he's great. But it's the type of thing that if you're someone without those advantages, of course you think about. I do like that he's bringing Dean Peas out of retirement. It looks like old Dean Peas. Love that guy.

And the Titans defense went down hill pretty fast. So as usual, these coaches are only retired until they get like a nice next offer. Right. And Arthur Smith obviously has their credentials based on what he did last year. this is a conversation that is that is continuing in the league about opportunities for minority head coaches and you're not seeing this cycle being flooded with hires of minority coaches. We'll see, though. There's two left. Well, yeah, there's still two more. And Eric Bienimi seems to be a strong candidate for the opening jobs. But so far, you're not, you know,

we're not basically singing Hosanna's about the progress here. The process is a total flop from that angle so far. And we can see what happens with the final two. But I mean, all year long, it was Eric B. Enemy is going to grab one of these coaching vacancies. Everyone's going to rush to grab them. And it's been the opposite. I don't know what's happening in the interview process, but I mean, there is, like, the NFL cannot love this look. I mean, they have to have the opposite of loving it. Okay. In other news. Okay. So this happened late last week. Robert Sala, Sala, Sala, Sala is the new head coach of the New York Jets. And I obviously feel so excited about this. He is

a heavenly choice compared to what we were dealing with. Salelujah. So, hallelujah. Salelujah. Salelujah. Sollelujah. Sollelujah.

Sollelujah. Sollelujah. Sollelujah. Wow. Is that who I think it is? I think it is. I think it is who you think it is. The great.

La Cid with the Pipes. I mean, what a singer she is. Saléelujah. You can't give Nick Shook the nickname Pipe when she's singing that way. I mean, we already had issues with the Nick Shook. She's pipes. Pluralized. He's just the pipe.

There is a very big difference. And we don't have time to dig into that because we've got to talk about the new look Jets with Robert Sala. This is a total 180 for the Jets. I'm so excited. Even the photos. They tweeted out. he officially signed his contract with the Jets to become head coach and he's wearing the Jets hoodie and he's got the big smile and it's like this guy looks like he's he should have been he's been

the Jets coach forever and ever it just looks right it feels right it's totally different than Adam Gase who by the way report out there that he was under some consideration for the Seahawks offensive coordinator job if you ever got him back in the same building as Jamal Adams that would be to me more exciting and making me more happy than the Robert Salah higher in New York. I just think there's so much the Jets have to do to get really back on track

and I am loving life right now because it's been so long since the Jets fans got a W. Robert Sala is a W mark. He's a guy that we don't know if he's going to be able to play the guitar in the head coach role, but damn it feels like he's the right guy and

you saw Dan Orlovsky at VSPN tweeted yesterday. He's pumped up about the assistant coaches that Salah's bringing in, including Mike LaFleur, who's going to be the O.C. It just feels like they hit on something here, and I can't wait to see where it goes from here. I think the LaFleur thing is huge because it gives your pairing Salas defense and what it will be and wants to be with an offense that mesh really well with it in San Francisco. And I think that the idea is not Shanahan 2.0 because this is a very different type of coach,

but some familiarity with that and some familiarity with what San Francisco accomplished. I love it. I think we've talked about this on our network show. I think this is a fascinating, fantastic hire for the Jets, and they nailed it. I mean, you know, there were a couple other names that came up in the Jets search that really concerned me just because I think they needed to do something so fresh and new. And I talked about communication, and that is the wave for me of new coaches. And I think Sala brings that. And look at, yeah, will he succeed right?

way. It's a tall order, but you've got Quinn and Williams. You've got Marcus May there if they re-sign them. I'm sure that's a priority for them. And I just love the departure point. I think that there's going to be some patience because everyone understands that he's inheriting something of a train wreck, except there's a lot to like with what they can do quickly with the picks. It doesn't totally, it reminds me a little bit of teams like Cleveland where the right coach came at the right time when there were a lot of draft picks and a lot of potential young talent on board. I think it's a good marriage, and solid to me is what the Jets needed in so many different ways. I am genuinely happy for you.

I think you're going to see marked changes right away. It's not that unusual when a new coach comes in and changes everything that the Jets to me could be a team that I don't want to get ahead of myself, but they should have had more wins than they had all along under Gase. And I don't think they're as far away as some would think. I totally agree and I think the process is the key. When was the last Jets coach GM pairing that didn't seem like it had a ton of potential for dysfunction from minute one? Maybe Rex and Mike Tannenbaum, although you can even look into the way that that works through ownership and everything. Joe Douglas picked Sala.

I'm sure ownership was part of it too. But ultimately, you know, I'm going to assume the reports that say Douglas was leading this. are right. And that's the most important thing to me, because Douglas seems like a solid guy who's going to build this organization. And Sala has a real staff. Now, it's interesting that the 49ers promoted Mike McDaniel. There's some thought, you know, to offensive coordinator that, like, you know, they sort of got to keep, you know, who knows, like, they kept McDaniel and Lefleur goes. They were only going to be able to keep one. And everyone seems to love Michael Fleur, and I think that offense, at least if you don't take a quarterback number two and you don't get Deshaun Watson, I don't totally buy that they're all in on Sam Darnold, but I do buy that they are giving themselves the opportunity that that might be one of the things they do is look at what Sam Darnold looks like in this offense, because I think the best he looked, I thought, was really his rookie year, especially for a rookie, in a different non-gayce offense. And so if you don't follow. That was a Shanahan offense.

Right. And if you don't fall in love with Justin Fields and you don't get Deshaun Watson, is that going to be part of it? And Rich Samedia, VSBN reported that Sala, Sala and LaFleur believe that Darnold has, quote, untapped potential. I'm trying to stay kind of even keeled with Darnold because I always fall hard for the next savior, Jets quarterback. And I know he's put a lot of bad football on tape. so I'm trying to like I really do want to see him get one more shot and do it with better coaching and hopefully a better roster at the same time I would not hesitate to go get Sean Watson if I could but would I rather have Darnold and give him a shot with the staff

and the draft picks to build around him or take a chance on another rookie man I'm not really the guy to ask us I don't know how good these top prospects nobody does nobody really does But I know they don't have Trevor Lawrence, which would have been a no-brainer. So I'm more into staying with Sam if you don't get Watson, but there's so much to be uncovered on that end. It's the next big decision for the Jets. But for the first time and a long time, I feel like you could trust the people making the decisions. I think you can.

Yeah, I wanted to throw in there, too. I mentioned the GM process in part, like in contrast to Atlanta, which we didn't mention. Which, you know, it's fine. Arthur Blank hired Terry Fontenow, who looks like a promising GM from New Orleans. and he hires Arthur Smith. And they're going to be attached to the hip. But I like the idea that, like, these guys, you know, one chose the other. In Atlanta, it's like they're basically strangers meeting and the owner hired in both.

And that's sort of how they're reporting through. And that, to me, is always a little tricky. That seems like it just will create friction, where you've got both of them trying to vie for the owner's favor. And we've seen this play out poorly 10,000 times. All right. In other carousel news, yes, it happened. Urban Meyer is the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He takes over a team. It's coming off a 1 in 15.

But yes, they have the number one overall pick and everything that comes with that. We don't know what their GM situation there right now. But Urban Meyer is going to be the boss. There's no doubt about that. Linnehan is being interviewed for their OC opening. Urban Meyer Jacksonville Jaguards, Greg, is this a home run marriage to you? No, not a home run. I think it's exciting, you know, fans never want to hear about that their new head coaching

hiring isn't like going to 100% be a home run, but how can you assume a guy that's never coached in the NFL where there's sort of nebulous who has final say on the roster? kind of chatter with whether it's ownership or whether it's Urban Meyer but ultimately Urban Meyer is going to have a lot of power and then Scott Linnehan is the first guy

that pops up as the guy like you want to bring in right away that doesn't to me inspire a ton of excitement I mean he's always had the advantage of having much better players than the opponent that's the whole thing of being a college coach and coming to the pros

it's not going to happen it's the opposite Instead of Ohio State having way better players than every single team on their schedule until they've losing the playoffs, they're going to have inferior players for the most part. It's going to be close, but they're going to, you know, right now the Jacksonville Jaguars don't have great players. I mean, what I would say for Urban Myers, that yes, he had those advantages in college, and yes, he won with, I mean, you know, there are college coaches out there that have a lot of talent that don't get it done.

I mean, he's been a winner. my question would be, how long is this going to last? And I mean, you know, Urban Meyer has had some health issues in the past. I'm not really leaning on that with this. It's just that he's also got up and walked away from jobs when, I don't know if he had accomplished enough there, or he felt like the challenge was elsewhere at some point. He said he spent, you know, a long, long time diagnosing and studying the NFL to determine if he thought he could go and succeed there. I think that he doesn't want for determination, and probably a part of him wants to show, yes, like any coach that's successfully, I want to go to the NFL and show I can do it there.

I think he has the innate coaching talent to do it from what we've seen. But to me, this is a hire that I just sort of want to sit back and watch because I don't have a huge hot take here. I love it content-wise, though. To be clear, I love that he is joining the NFL because good or bad, it's totally intriguing. And his offenses are fun to watch. You wonder if they go three and 13 instead of two and one and 15 and they don't have Trevor Lawrence locked and loaded if he takes that job. It might be to him, it's a perfect setup. Enter the NFL with this potential generational talent.

And we all know that the NFL highway is littered with the carcasses of college hotshot coaches who couldn't hack it. Meyer, though, could just as easily be an example of a college coach. that just came in and got better. So, you know, you're excited if you're a Jaguars fan because they've made a huge splash hired head coach. They're going to make a huge splash draft pick at number one overall, and now you can start to piece it together.

I wonder what happens now with your boy, by the way, Mark. Does Urban Meyer like the mustachioed one? Is he in the building anymore? I mean, I don't think the discussion is about in the building, possibly, but as a starter, I think those days, have come to a close based on where they sit. I mean, the London fans, assuming they can travel next year, they've got to be excited.

A little more juice coming overseas with Trevor Lawrence. Changes everything. It's a game changer in Jacksonville. All right. In other coaching carousel news, Dan Campbell. You remember Dan Campbell? He took over years ago when Joey Fieldman got canned in Miami and did a pretty good job in an interim role.

He then went to the Saints. where he's been learning under the great Sean Peyton. And now it's believed that he will be the next head coach of the Detroit Lions. It's still expected to happen because it's been floating around now for days. But Rapsheet reported on Sunday that it's still expected to go down. This is your classic Mark guy that gets the locker room behind him, leader of men. Will it work in Detroit? This feels like a trickier one.

It's really hard to make a judgment call one way or another right off the bat. I think we're all surprised by it. I mean, Chris Spielman had a lot to do with it. He's been consulting with them as a special assistant on this. And you're right. I mean, I think his qualities, according to what I've read and looked into, is intense, a motivating force. I thought he did a pretty good job with that Dolphins team when he came in. I mean, perhaps he can relate to players better than someone like Joe Philbin.

I wouldn't be surprised. I like the fact that he's been inside the same. system for a while. I mean, you're probably seeing and absorbing things that will be incredibly helpful, and he must have interviewed really well. I mean, this was not someone that a month ago was talked about as one of the

top candidates, so the process intrigues me. No, I mean, I think, again, it's like relationships here. Spielman gets this job out of the Fox booth and kind of becomes the key guy in hiring the coach. And

I think he believed Dan Campbell, there's just not many coaches like this, which are like the leader of men, I'm not an offensive guru necessarily, I'm not a defensive play caller, and that just puts more pressure on his hires. And so it's kind of an incomplete right now. I would love to know who their coordinators are. Their GM, by the way, is going to be Brad Holmes from the Rams. A lot of teams kind of filling these GM hires with guys, you know, under the radar guys with good

organizations that didn't necessarily do a lot of self-promotion through the media. So I actually like that. It's like, I don't know these guys. They've stayed under the radar, Brad Holmes. So you would. I'm going to have a hot take on Brad Holmes. Give me a hot take on John Holmes. That's what I want to hear from Greg.

There are plenty of those out there. But it's another setup where the GM didn't hire the coach. And man, you just hope for the Lions. Like there is a little bit of like worry that like we want to be a tough team who plays physical brand of football and we're going to bring in our tough guy coach. I mean, that is Chris Spielman. and that, I think, is Dan Campbell, too. So you mentioned, yeah, Terry Fottno in Atlanta.

He's the new GM Brad Holmes in Detroit. George Patton in Denver. From Minnesota, yeah. Taken over for John Elway in that capacity. You have Scott Fitterer in Carolina. And then a familiar name, former Carolina, two times over, GM Marty Herney lands in Washington. So Ron Rivera not going the, you know, forward-thinking route going more, Hey, I know that guy.

We've been getting steak at Peter Lugers and, what is it called? What's the place in Indy that we're not going to this year? So people can't say it's actually not good. St. Elmo. No cocktails at St. Elmo this year, but these are old guys that have been in the league forever. Herney expected in Washington. If it was in Rivera and their new president, Jason Wright, hiring Marty Herney, I mean, to me, this is the ultimate cronyism hire.

I mean, they make a big show of, you know, some of the, some of the interviews they had for GM and really it was, it was, it was, it was herney all along. And we should say, you know, it's like the league that has not had a lot of, you know, it's a league that's predominantly black, has not had a lot of black executives. So Holmes and Fontenow getting GM jobs, that is, that is, I think, a win in that area this off season. All right. So, and yeah, we talked about that. with the new head coach hires, more underwhelming in that category. But you still have the Eagles with a head coaching opening, the Texans still looking to fill a post.

And is there anyone else? That's it. That's it. Eagles are hot on the tail of Josh McDaniel. Yeah, I don't know if I, if, man, McDaniels is agent, you can just sometimes, it's like the same guy has the same, has all these coaches. And the Eagles, the Eagles, put it this way.

I've tried to ask around a lot on this one. And I don't think... He had the job in Indy, Greg. He walked out of a handshake deal, so that wasn't all smoke. The Eagles job is one that I don't think anyone has any clue. I don't either, to be clear, obviously. But I think everyone is just guessing and holding their arms up. And, like, they're interviewing everyone.

They're interviewing Dennis Allen today of the Saints. It's been a pretty wide search. And I don't think anyone has a great feel of who's going to get that job. All right. So that's what's happening in the same. the news now time to bring on a very special guest who uh you know has a habit of going viral uh with some videos he's been putting together uh during this great buffalo bills run so we'll see you in buffalo in january be ready it might be chilly there they are the iconic words now

in western new york from steve tasker former buffalo bills all pro uh really one of the great if not the special teams player of all time. Also the co-host of One Bills Live on WGR Sports Radio 550 and MSG. Now we welcome him for the first time to the Around the NFL podcast. I see you, Steve. You got t-shirts with that catchphrase. I mean, you've really built, you're building an empire over there. Well, listen, I'm, I'm employed by the

club, so I don't get anything out of it, man. You know, in these tough financial times, we all have to pitch in to help the, you know, the businesses we work for to do it. So, Yeah, the bills are doing fine. But that, yeah, that took on a life of its own, no question. And, you know how it is. The fun part about it was watching people's reaction to the hype video.

So it's been pretty cool to see it. I was on the hook for buying like, you know, 25 of those T-shirts and sending them around. I got a text from Bruce Smith. Bruce just texted me. He goes, hey, bro, he goes, I need one of every size and every color of style, extra large. So I did it. I sent him to him, so there you go. That reminds me of something that my mother always says,

no good deed goes unpunished, you know. You try to get behind your former team. Steve, this is obviously such an exciting, amazing time for the Bills. And, you know, I feel like where we are now in 2021, there's like a romantic viewpoint of your old Bills teams. And people look back at those teams so successful, but fell short of the mountaintop. And now here the Bills finally are back in position to get back to the

mountain top. What's the vibe been like up there in Western New York during this special time for the Bills? Well, it's been muted because of the pandemic. You know, New York State's probably one of the most locked down states around in the union, right? So it's been really hard to congregate and share it with the Bills fans that, you know, are so prominent and so part of the fabric up here. So in that way, it's been a little muted, but there's no doubt in every household and every business, buddy it's all they're all sold out and bought into this team i think this is it's interesting too because in the years leading up to this it was so long between great teams people forgot that when you get to the afc championship team you kind of live in that place well gosh i hope our team does good and you know

i you know i hope they play well i hope they don't you know mess this up or i hope the other team plays bad so we can win you forget that to get to the fc championship game your team's really good you know You get that your team's really got to be good to get there. Not only got to be talented, they've got to be deep, they've got to be well-coached. You don't get to the championship game on a fluke. It's a really good football team, and they're playing really well. They got some great players. You know, they got a wide receiver that has an all-time,

and had an all-time great franchise season. You got a quarterback that played in an elite level at all year, and you got a defense that's playing better and better. And finally now is probably one of the top four or five defenses in the league get any, you know, in these last couple of weeks, three or four weeks. So, you know, you're hitting on all cylinders right now. It's just not that this, you know, great time and it's a roller coaster. He just kind of turned up in the championship game.

This is a really good football team. And when you get to this point, you've got to be thinking that you're good enough to win the Super Bowl. And I think a lot of people here in Western New York are thinking that. Yeah, that's one of the reasons I love this Final Four. I feel like none of them are heavy favorites. All of them are totally good enough to win the Super Bowl. We have to find out what happens.

You've watched Josh Allen mature. You know, you probably know him well after these last few years. He seems like a guy who registers what went wrong and goes about fixing it. I'm wondering how you think he's processing last week, a game plan that they put together in Baltimore where they actually slowed down the bill's offense pretty well in the first half. They made some adjustments played better in the second half. How do you think he's looking at that performance? and then, you know, moving forward what the chiefs are going to try to do to him.

It's a really interesting thought because Josh has really shown the knack for correcting mistakes quickly. That's been his hallmark as a quarterback. Even early on when he was so raw and he was way down the ladder of, you know, being a productive NFL quarterback, even week to week back when he had so far to go to become even a competitive quarterback, week to week you could see him making adjustments in his game. He'd throw the football away when one week he'd try to force it in and throw an interception. He would slide or run out of bounds instead of taking a big hit. He was doing things better.

Now, certainly it was in fits and starts, and sometimes he would regress and have a bad play here or there. But the bad plays and those crazy plays that, you know, the kind of a punchline of a joke for his play in general, those plays became fewer and fewer and further and further far between. and the other end of the spectrum, the good plays, became more and more prominent and more and more consistent. And that kept coming all the way throughout last year and certainly this year when he hit the field with Steph Diggs in the mix,

with Gabriel Davis in the mix, and they went four wide early in this season way more than anybody else in the league. And man, oh man, the step he took then was amazing. So all the little increments he took. he took and the growth he had this last off-season, which was totally off-the-radar because of the lack of off-season, lack of pre-season games, nobody saw it except the coaching staff and his teammates, when they unveiled that in week one against the Jets, and then in week two

against the dolphins and week three against the Raiders and week four against the Rams, they go four and oh, and they're lighting it up, and he actually had a couple of 300-yard days and a 400-yard day, it was like, wow, it was really amazing. It's been that way for the entire year. You could see it coming, and you knew in some sort of fantasy football way, he had a big top end. He had a big ceiling because of his physical attributes and his intelligence and his hard work ethic. But you didn't think it was going to go to that this level from where it was even at the end of last season. And yet, here it is.

It's, you know, looking at the building of this team. And I picked up football in the mid-80s. And, you know, I remember the bills. as they started to grow into an AFC superpower, you were there at the very beginning of that. And I went back and looked at the roster from a week one, 2017, when Sean McDermott coached his first game. It was Tyrod Taylor, with Sean McCoy and Mike Tolbert in the backfield, Jordan Matthews. The team's leading receivers were Zay Jones and Deontay Thompson. And those were the receivers.

It was Charles Clay and the running backs that all the catches. They were such a limited different offense. And they had so much work to do. And they've been so intentional and rapid, I think, in building this team to what it is in such a quick fashion. I mean, that's the gap between these long bills, successful periods. What is your thought of sort of Brandon Bean and Sean McDermott and just their overall power to build this team up so quickly? Yeah, it's interesting because the NFL, you guys know, it's so hard to win and win consistently because there are so many levels of complexity about every aspect of the game. offensively. You've got to have the right tools. You've got to have the right

offensive line, the right quarterback, the right weapons around the quarterback to accentuate his gifts. You've got to have a defense that's loaded with athletes and some experience and a good court. You've got to have coordinators. You've got to have personnel people who are on the same page and giving you the players that fit your scheme. You've got to go to the draft. You've got to go the combat. All of that stuff is mixed into this. And this team, the thing I know about what they built this

team is this. And one thing I noticed as they got along with it, there was a couple of things. They were never afraid to cut loose of a really good player if he didn't fit them 100%. Marcel Darius, Sammy Watkins, Ron Darby, the defensive back, guys of this nature that just didn't fit perfectly. They got rid of them. And in fact, right before the start of the 2018 or 17 season, they got accused of tanking and ultimately went to the playoff with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. That's how good this coaching staff is. Now, the other thing that I've noticed, not only were they not willing, you know, to,

willing to part with good players, they never strayed outside their plan. Levion Bell, certainly they kicked the tires on him. Antonio Brown, certainly they kicked the tires and checked it out. None of those guys fit. none of the guys that the shiny high-priced free agents kind of wavered them away from their philosophy of getting players who were middle-of-the-road free agents, I think, but fit their system and fit it well and had the right temperament and the right attitude and the right personality and had the right mindset. And they were also big in this. They got those guys

and plus they brought a lot of guys in on one year, prove-it deals. They paid them well, but they were only tied up for one year. And you get those guys, they're really highly motivated to get another contract, if not from the bills, from somebody else. They got a lot of guys like that that are highly motivated to play well and play well throughout the season. So all those things put together is kind of their philosophy. And to their credit, they never wavered from that commitment. And I think that sometimes is the hardest thing to do for an organization. They've become a model for other teams to study. Before we say goodbye, Steve, I just want to talk about what they need to do to win this weekend and Arrowhead because as good as the bills have been, and they are one

Hail Murray away from a 12-game winning streak. In these two playoff wins, they've been outgamed yardage-wise, and they've won because they've made the big plays and the crucial spots to carry on and get to this point. But you get the feeling they're probably going to have to deliver that A-game on offense to get past Patrick Mahomes if indeed Mahomes is on the field for the Chiefs. Do you see that? Do you see a shootout here coming up? Or do you think Leslie Frazier coming off a great performance with that defense can keep Kansas City in check? I think the bill, I don't know if you keep Kansas City in check. I don't think it'll be, if it's a 30-point game, it'll be a 30-point game on both sides.

I think it's going to be more like the first game they played where the winner will be in the mid to high 20s, maybe score 30, 31. But the other guy, the other team will be right there too. I think this is going to be a game where you've got to keep pace, no question about it. you've got to stay with the chiefs. And if you've got a defense that can make enough plays, and I think that's what this bill's defense can do, is make some enough plays to give maybe get the chiefs off the field offensively, a couple of unexpected times in an unexpected ways.

May the turnovers or maybe get a lucky break on a third and eight or something and get a knockdown pass or something like that, get a couple of plays like that to give Josh Allen a couple of extra possessions. And certainly the bills have to play better offensively than they did the first. time around. Josh threw for like 206 yards against the Chiefs the last time they played in week six. Certainly they weren't their best. John Brown was not a factor. He was ailing. Their offensive line had been shuffling every single week during that up to that point of the season. Their guards and their center were never set in stone. So now they've got that kind of under

control. John Feliciano, their great guard is in there and has been in there for a while now. they were a little unsettled up front in that game. But still, Josh Allen's got to play better. He's got to play well. They've got to score points against his chief's team. I think they can do it, but they're going to have to play better offensively and more consistently offensively than they did in the first two weeks of the playoffs. No question about it.

But I think this game, both teams, their defense are going to play well enough to have respectable outings against these offenses, which means in this day and age, mid-20s to low 30s for these teams. I think that's where this game's going to be. And look for the bills to put together enough of a performance where it's going to be in doubt. Certainly the chiefs, if everybody's playing their best, the chiefs are maybe a better team than the bills. But the bills are going to play well enough to put it in doubt late in this game and have a chance to win it. That's their modus operandi.

And then it'll come down to the last part of the game where either Josh Allen, the offense and Steph Diggs are going to have to make a play or Patrick Mahomes and their crew are going to have to make a play to win the game. Well, I know you've got to head to a car commercial appearance. I'm sure you're getting a lot of offers because, you know, we heard the audio at first, but it was really the cigar smoking and the mean mugging into the camera. It was the acting that Tasker delivered in that hype video that's got to be getting your age and a lot of offers lately. Yeah, you know, I'm trying. Hey, I just my head down.

I haven't left my house. I come in to do the show and I go home. I haven't left the house in like 10 months. I put an alarm on my wife so if she moves I hear because I'm afraid she's going to kill me in my sleep so you know that kind of thing we're we're buttoned up tight here in New York everybody's just aching for a chance for the screws to get loosened a little bit so we can get out to dinner go out to movies you know go out to a bar for a beer everybody's buttoned up tight here so every time I had chance to get a leave home just for work I'm absolutely out the door to do

it. And it is, it's a shame what you said at the top that it is a little more muted because where we are in the world, but we won't be here forever. Steve Tasker will be a legend forever up there in Western New York. And one day he'll be in Canton, too, if the football gods have their say, Steve, thank you so much for joining us and enjoy the football this weekend. Thanks, Steve. Thank you, guys. And there we go. Steve Tasker did fall short. I mentioned the Hall of Fame. He was a semi-finalist, and he's been that several times. through the years, but did not get selected to go forward for the final voting. But, Mark, I know you love those old Bills teams, as many people do.

Tasker was a glue guy. Yeah, he's in a tough category to get in. I love that he's been recognized to the extent he has in terms of getting through portions of the Hall of Fame process, and maybe it will happen. But, I mean, watching those Bills teams, there is a real reason that he resonates with people still because he was a heart and soul member and he just had so many plays in every, you know, in big moments. And he just kind of was the classic. I don't think that, you know, Bill Belichick loves special teams and he's had his guys that have been special teams guys forever.

I mean, the tasker's one of the early imprints of that where maybe he gets flushed out in a 2020 roster because he's not, you know, a contributing wide receiver. He was everything the Buffalo Bills were back then and totally an engaging, watchable. athlete. Isn't there like a famous NFL films clip where he goes up for a ball, then lands like straight on his helmet, like standing straight up? That's Don Bebe. Oh, that's Bebe. Yeah, but you know what? It's funny. He's relatively short, white guy. Don Bebebe, I don't know if he would have been allowed, you know, that what happened with his head and his neck off of the Felix Wright flipping him was. He's in the blue tent for roughly three weeks if that happened. Right.

Connor Moore made a good point, by the way, on that before we say goodbye. Connor, who we love, and it's over at SI now, wrote about it, that nobody really even gave it a second thought when Lamar Jackson, the reigning MVP, and Patrick Mahomes, the MVP before Lamar and the reigning Super Bowl MVP, both suffer head injuries and they disappear from the divisional playoffs. Like, in the old days, those dudes are taking smelling salts and they're back on the field getting punished and more trying to get. get their team to the next round. But as football fans, and I give the league credit for this as well, they have made progress in installing a culture to protect these guys, even when they need to be protected from themselves. So that was a big step forward that we saw this weekend.

There's an interview with Troy Aikman where he talks about having literally no memory of one of the NFC championship games he was in. No memory of it. That's so scary. Unbelievable. All right. So what's coming up this week? Thursday, it is the Championship Sunday preview.

And I don't know, maybe we'll line up some guests for that show too, because that's going to be a lot of fun talking about those two games that will decide who plays in Super Bowl 55. On Friday, we'll have a completely separate championship preview episode on television on NFL network. So you could catch that at 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Pacific, Friday and also overseas GamePass International. You should have access to our program from there. And then, of course, Sunday night, the flagship show.

When you know what's going to happen there, we break it all down. And it is sad because in the past, we do that show. And then, you know, we'd be in the studio for a couple more days. Then we'd be packing up and heading to the Super Bowl. This is the first year in a decade that that's not happening. But still look forward to covering the games and talking about. them with you boys and hopefully Chris Wesleying as well.

And, you know, I know it stinks the Browns aren't there, but like a little less pressure and tension. At least that was my experience when the Patriots loses at least like I'm enjoying this being like a hey, I can just watch some football on the play. You guys couldn't be more different in a lot

of ways, but as football fans, I don't think it's an apples to apples comparison. Yeah, I don't like I don't feel what you're feeling on that front, Greg, but I will say that it kind of it took a little bit of the heat off a little I kind of you know it's been a lot of football lately so yeah as you know Mark from the years of Brown's toil

before they put it together it does take some of the heat off Sundays in general during the season when your team sucks so hard that there's nothing on the line ever so you don't have that I'm watching my favorite team and hoping their season progresses in a good direction while also trying to do my job it's been coast time for the old Zusser

during the Adam Gase era. So my job could get more difficult and hopefully will starting next fall. All right. Good stuff. Salelujah, baby. We'll be back, like I said, on Thursday. So tune in.

This is Dan Hansis signing off for Quiet Storm, the old boss, Ricky Hollywood, and the great Steve Tasker. How about that? Till Thursday. So, hallelujah. Salelujah. Salelujah.

Salelujah. Salelujah. Salelujah. Hallelujah. Sollelujah. Salahua. Salahua. Salahua.

Salahua. Salelohia. Salahelieu. Hey, Hallelujah. six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find

anywhere else. It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sundays. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season?

Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL, visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. This is an IHeart podcast.