The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Staley is out, Steelers are awful, Lions get to 10 wins

Episode Date: December 17, 2023

John reacts to the Pittsburgh Steelers having one of the worst QB room in the entire AFC, what should Pittsburgh do with Mike Tomlin, what's the next move for the Chargers after firing Brandon Staley, the Lions get back to their winning ways, and how impressive are the Bengals right now. The Steelers are awful - 5:20 The Chargers next move - 10:11 The Lions - 24:34 Bengals-Vikings - 30:07 Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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John Middilcock, Three and out podcast. Well, a lot of you have been like John. How can you not do a podcast after the Chargers give up 800 points and Brandon Staley is fired? And I said, well, not in a million years

when the first primetime game I don't do something. And I'm in Vegas as well that I thought it was going to go like that. But then by the time I got home Friday night and I knew we were doing this, I'm like, I'll just, I'll talk about it today. So, and I think the Tomlin connection, I'm going to keep hammering that home. Tomlin, L.A., I think it makes a lot of sense. I really do.

Obviously, they lost there in Shambles, Gardner, Minchu, the Lions, destroyed Denver. And we had a really good game this morning with the Bengals and the Vikings very, very entertaining. But to me, the big stories right now is the Mike Tomlin situation and the Chargers. And I'm going to keep connecting them. I'm going to keep beating the drum on that one because I think it makes a lot of sense for both parties. But here's the plan. Podcasts, this is Saturdays.

Probably be the only podcast until after Monday. The Monday night game, Eagles, Seattle. Eagles have a couple injuries. I saw Dary Slays injured. And I'll be on with Colin Sunday. So subscribe to the podcast, wherever you listen. Check out the YouTube page. We've got a YouTube page.

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Buy a pair of tickets, use the GameTime app. promo code John $20 off. Okay, the Pittsburgh Steelers are officially in shambles, and it was on full display today. They got their ass kicked in Indianapolis. I mean, they got worked. And this is not Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning walking through the door. This is Gardner Minchu. But to me, the most glaring thing today, and we'll get into Mike Tomlin in a second,

for an organization that has been one of the better ones, I would say I'm 39 years old of my lifetime. They have consistently won. Their quarterback room right now. I just took a screenshot of the AFC. You could make the argument. The entire room, not just the starter, the entire room is the worst in the conference.

There's some bad ones in the NFC, but in the AFC, I truly believe that Pickett, Trubesky, and Mason Rudolph is the worst quarterback room in the entire conference. And it was on full display today. And honestly, just on the game today, to yank Mitch Trubisky with two minutes left is like yanking a pitcher after he gave up 10 home runs in the seventh inning.

Like a little late. What are we doing? You cannot have Mitch Trubisky as your backup. But to me, the conversation, and I said it earlier in this week, not all divorces are the same. I would imagine every single person listening to this, every single person watching this, has known countless people that have gotten divorced.

We all known some that have gotten very, very ugly. Whether it's over child custody, whether it's over money, whether it's just pure hatred. And it's, if you're friends with them, family with them, it's an uncomfortable situation. It happens in sports all the time with coaches. It gets ugly. And then there are the divorces where it's just like,

yeah, just don't really like each other anymore. It's just time to move on. When I worked with the Eagles, when Andy Reid was fired, he addressed the entire organization. It was not an acrimonious separation. And honestly, it was the healthiest thing the organization and him could have ever done.

and I think there are two examples of guys that had just run out of time. Now, their situations were a lot uglier. Andy went four and 12. And Mike McCarthy, if memory serves me correct, was fired after losing to Josh Rosen at home and Lambo. And that team in Arizona, their head coach, I think, was Steve Wilkes.

They were terrible. It led to Kyler Murray. But like, look at both those guys now. It worked out for everybody. And I think Mike Tomlin, and I've said this, and I said it earlier in the week, the Steelers were never going to bottom out, right?

They were never going, they're just going to be too talented to ever win like two or three games. I don't care who's playing quarterback for him. But like this is their version of bottoming it out. They stink. And I think it's just time. Like how could anyone watch the organization and go, this is not working out anymore. And I don't think Mike Tomlin is some scrub coach.

Everyone's like, oh, he doesn't. He'll be fine. But he, like this situation, spinning the, their wheels going nowhere is not working out. Their quarterback situation, there's no hope in sight. So to me, if I'm the Steelers, I'm moving on. And I didn't do a podcast. We'll dive into the Chargers here in a second. You can't tell me that that makes any more sense. Now, there are a lot of reports about the Bill Belichick situation. That one might be a little more complicated, given that he was the head coach for six rings. I go back and forth like, should the crafts be

greedy and try to trade them or just fire him and let him go his separate ways. It's like, well, if Bill was in their shoes, you know, he wouldn't just let the guy walk out the door for no compensation. So I kind of understand it. Like what would Bill Belichick do? He would trade Bill Belichick if he could. Though I think the right business mood move will be. He's going to have a statue in front of Gillette one day. Just fire the guy. I think the same thing with Tomlin. Just break up. Just cut it. And to me, the Chargers, like, I don't envision Bill check going to L.A. I have a hard time closing my eyes and seeing that happen. Northeast guy spent the overwhelming majority of his career in that area.

Feels like the farthest he ventured was, you know, the Cleveland Browns. I was once told by a buddy in the league who's tight with Nick Sabin, that Nick Saban laughed at ever being like offered jobs like at USC or whatever. He would never take that. Hell, he was turning down Texas. He's a South guy. Like he likes that area. LSU, Alabama. It's where he feels the most comfortable. I think the same thing with Bill Belichick. It's why I think a lot of people would point him to Washington.

I think geographically it makes a lot of sense. Bill's kind of an academic. Washington, D.C., it'd be a good fit. Owner could pay him a lot of money, try to get that record and then ultimately retire. To me, the Chargers, and listen, I was in Vegas with the Chargers on Thursday night. I was going to a concert.

The first non-prime game, I haven't done a podcast for. Now, it was going into the game. It was two backup quarterbacks. I'm like, this thing, you know, probably be like a 14 to 10 final score, awful game. I'm sitting in my hotel room before we head out to go to this concert. It's 21-0 in the blink of an eye.

I'm like, this is pretty freaking crazy. We walked from where my hotel was to the casino. And by the time I got there, sat down, ordered around to drinks. it was 42 to nothing. My first thought was there has never been a halftime score in the history of the NFL that was 42 to nothing.

Then I think Warren Sharp tweeted it out it's happened two other times that exact score, both in the last like 15 years. Probably historically it's impossible because forever so many coaches were conservative, running the ball was much more prevalent

than passing. Again, it's happened three times. To me, the moment I looked up not 42 or nothing, he was getting fired. Now, I didn't know if they were going to take Brandon Staley home. I don't know how it was going to transpire. But that is in my lifetime. And listen,

I'd be a hypocrite and I'd be lying if I have said, I haven't mailed in some situations professionally when I knew things were going to end. I'm sure many people listening in professional settings. And honestly, it's probably happened in personal settings too.

Relationships, you just kind of mail it in. You're over it. It happens. We're all human beings, right? These aren't AI robots, widgets. These are human beings. So mailing it in, they wouldn't be the first team, and they definitely won't be the last. I think that is the greatest.

FU, we refuse to play for you game in the history of the league. I don't think a team has ever tried less than the Chargers and had less respect for the guy leading their squad than Thursday night, the Chargers against the Raiders. The Raiders had just scored zero points at home four days previously. Let me repeat that. Zero points four days previously.

Like the Steelers, they just suck. You watching them, they're lifeless, their quarterback play. It happens. Like I said, happened to Andy Reed, happened to Mike McCarthy. I have never, ever in my life. It'd be up there high in watching sports. Happens a lot in basketball. Hell, I saw a score tonight.

Someone lost by like 50. happens in the NBA all the time. In football, 42 to nothing and half. What a double middle finger we ain't even going to try. Dean Spanos had no choice. Now, to me, he has to get a guy with some experience. You cannot hire what you just did with Brandon Staley. I was thinking about this.

He had four years experience when he got the job with the Chargers. Four years NFL experience. When I got hired for the Eagles in 2010 to be like the lowest guy in the personnel totem pole, The quality control coach that year. This guy had been in the league for over a decade as a backup quarterback was Doug Peterson. So Doug Peterson played in the NFL. I don't know the exact number.

My guess would be 12, 13 years, definitely over 10, as a quarterback. And then when he got into coaching in the NFL, he started as a quality control coach. And then obviously worked his way up and is now a head coach. Brandon Staley coached at some small little school who's successful. and gets a job in within four years the head coach of the Chargers. Why? And this gets back to what I've said for a long time. Have no problem for any business,

any individual being frugal, being cheap at times if you don't have much money where you're trying to build a business and you're cutting costs. When you get to a certain point in business, if you're not willing to double down on everything that's important, when you are making a lot of money,

you're a fucking loser. And like I said, if you're an individual, whether it's CEO or an owner, it's a disease you have and you don't shake. And the more and more I texted around, the inability for the Chargers to spend on anything,

it's the least overblown thing that's talked about by people that talk about football. Because it's true. Like you watch these organizations tonight, like the Steelers play in the Colts. Both those teams invest heavily into coaches, into facilities, and everything they need that comes around football.

Chargers will pay for their players. It's free money. It's all monopoly money. You get it from the league. You still got a couple hundred million. I understand. 20, 30 years ago operating in the NFL like it was

1992, like it was 1984, the money now is flowing at the highest level that it's ever flown, and it's only going to grow. And some of these people have the wiring, like a Spanos family, who just is a mom and pop shop who came into this league when money was

nowhere like this and are still operating like that. And if a guy like Mike Tomlin is available, like to me, you make them an offer like the chiefs did with Andy Reed. And this knows, she's like, Mike Tomlin's bucks. Bullshit. I've seen Mike Tomlin with the real quarterback win a ton of games. And here's the thing with the Chargers. Like, we're not talking Super Bowl. We're just talking like consistently go to the playoffs, consistently not be an embarrassment. And yeah, if you want to go

in the immediate, has it been bad for Tomlin? 100%. It looks ugly. But like I said, it's happened to a lot of coaches. Bill Belichick got run out of town fast in Cleveland. Everyone thought that entire crew, Shanahan, LaFleur, McDaniel. They thought they were a joke in Washington when they were assistant coaches. They thought they were pompous, little arrogant, young assholes. Look at all of them now. Kickin ass and taking names. So this notion that just because you struggle or have a bad year that you're some idiot coach,

you put them with Herbert, you give them some, like, you know what, and I heard coward say this when I was driving back from Vegas on Friday. You know what the Chargers lack is culture. And it gets back to why do they lack culture? because they never hire real coaches. Brandon Staley, he's a position coach. Anthony Lynn, he's a position coach. Mike McCoy, he's a position coach.

You know who can't create culture? Position coaches who are created as head coaches and who have no business being there. And here's what I know about Mike Tomlin. You get him there, he immediately creates culture. You're like, middle cut, the Steelers are never, they're just cool with going missing the playoffs, year after year after year and never winning.

Like, yeah, I understand they've only hired three coaches in the last 700 years. It's time. Like some things, you don't need to be, you know, Bill Parcells or Bill Polion. You could just be the dude that watches football in your 30s or your 40s and go like, yeah, this is not working out.

Look at the Colts today. They make a hire. And listen, I don't believe the Chargers can afford to hire even Ben Johnson. I think it's too risky. He might go on to be. an awesome head coach. But Shane Steichen

is become an awesome head coach. What he's doing in Indianapolis is incredible. I mean, to win this many games with Gardner Minchew, it's not like he's squeaking, he just beat the shit out of the Steelers. But for every Shane Steichen,

there are a ton of these coordinators who just immediately flop. Look at the chargers. They need a guy who has pelts on the wall, who knows what he's doing. And again, I'm not trying to hit some grand slam home run. I'm just trying to get a stand-up double.

I'm just trying to get the train back on the tracks. Right? And you look at a lot of these coordinator hires, year after year, they flop. They fail. Now, I think the Chargers, it's going to be fascinating. Like the Steelers, if they become available, that's an incredible job.

It speaks for itself. If the Patriot were to become available. You could argue if it's a great job, you never want to be the guy replacing the guy. be the guy replacing the guy who replaced the guy. But the crafts, the money, the resources, how much that area cares about football. Listen, the Chargers, anytime your owners also have children in the personnel department, it can get pretty risky.

I'm a big believer like the ownership should just focus on the business side and pay a premium for a coach and a general manager and let them cook and then benefit from all the cash that's flowing in because you're winning. I would say pretty consistently. You'd be like, well, Jerry's the GM. I don't think. When Jerry Jones traded for Trey Lance, he made a couple of comments. He had never watched the Snapple Football.

Jerry is not your typical GM. He ain't watching film. Jerry's doing deals, printing money. He has a personnel department and Mike and the coaching staff, they're doing everything. He just likes calling himself the GM. Right? Most of these, you think Jeffrey Lurie's telling Howie Roseman who to pick?

You think Robert Kraft had any influence on anything for 25 years? Of course not. That's not the business you're in. The business you're in is you have an asset worth billions of dollars. And you need to hire a guy in that business that business that you really know nothing about and have faith in them, invested them, and let them cook. And that's the charger situation right now. Now, there's a lot of red flags in that organization. They have a, you know, a beacon of hope in the quarterback. And you saw like, Justin Herbert's overrated. And then you watch them play the fucking Raiders and lose by 700 points. Honestly, shocked they flew Brandon Staley home.

I would have pulled Elaine Kiffin. There are certain guys like Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin. You treat those guys, even if you're going to fire them at the end of the season, with a level of respect. The embarrassment that Brandon Staley has brought your organization, which teeters sometimes on embarrassing times to begin with, would have garnered anything you wanted to do. But to me, Mike Tomlin and the Chargers make so much sense.

Listen, offensive coaches, offensive league. Here's the thing, though. You got to Mike Toblin, he's got to pay for an offensive coordinator. We've seen them with Ariens, with Todd Haley. Offense hasn't been their issue. I remember it wasn't that long ago when Ben was young, Younger, Antonio Brown, Levion Bell, like they had one of the best offenses in the league.

And we know defensively, like, speaks for itself. Like, I have pretty good faith that he knows what good defensive players look like. So to me, that's something I've been beating the drum for a while. Now that it's clear the charges are open, like, I talk to a lot of people that think Harbaugh is going to stay. I can't even pretend. I mean, Harbaugh is the great wild card. If you could hire Jim Harbaugh, yes, I would take Jim Harbaugh over Mike Tomlin.

I just, I don't know. I mean, that would be awesome. I'm all for it. I just have a hard time seeing that one. And I get so many talking to people that know them a little bit, go through Michigan. It's hard to tell. I think Mike Tomlin should want to be fired at this time, at this moment. Like, where they're at.

Like, it's just time. I've been fired twice. Best thing that's ever happened to me. Both times went on to have more success, went on to make more money. It's just, it's time for a break. We'll get more in the staley and the chargers continuously

as just more information comes out over the next several weeks on just who they're interested in because that's just a fascinating gig. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashed. human potential. Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show, isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the

IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day,

but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode, we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'll never forget the vitriol and the anger of people involved with the drag. when the Lions traded from 6 to 12, added a high second round pick, and took Jumeir Gibbs. And listen, I'm, I tend to agree,

95% of drafts don't take a running back high. It doesn't make sense. I think what the Atlanta Falcons did, taking Bejan Robinson, was beyond stupid. Awesome player. I wouldn't be in that business when I got a bunch of other needs.

But when you turn that player who is, Listen, Bijon's excellent catching the ball. He's a really good player. I'm not saying I wouldn't want the guy in my team. I understand the argument, and I tend to lean that way. I would take Jalen Carter or whoever, even though we've talked about Jalen, he was a big wild card beside the Eagles

because he had all his former teammates. But you know what I mean? But everyone thought that you could take Bejohn High, but you couldn't take this guy. And then I'm watching this guy, and it looks like fucking Elvin Kamara. I mean, he looks fantastic. But they got, with the second round pick,

I don't know, George Kittle? I mean, 2.0. You see how good Sam. Stan Laporta's like shattering rookie records. That has a chance to go down as one of the truly great draft day trades

we've ever seen. To get a two for one? To get those two guys? I mean, in this league? Playing indoors? I mean, it's just, it's the perfect fit. Like, Leporta feels like a guy who's got a chance to be one of the best

tight ends in the league for a decade. And listen, you never know with running backs, but that's what you want. in a 2023 running back. You've got to be able to spread the field, make guys miss, catch the ball in space. I jotted a note after Gibbs scored the touchdown. Laporta scored the first touchdown,

and Gibbs scored the second touchdown. Now, they both had a bunch of production after that point in time, so these numbers are even higher. And I think LaPorta scored at the end of the game. At the time, when I just jotted this note down, they had combined for 111 catches and 14 touchdowns. I think that number is now 15. and Gibbs was averaging almost 5.5 yards this year per carry.

It's like, what more can you ask for? Here's the thing. The stat that they said right before I hopped on that the Detroit Lions have not won the division. They have not won the division since 1993. Because we go back, should Shane Stuyken get it, should Kevin Stafansky get it? If you win 12 or 13 games

with the Detroit Lions, I'm sorry, you're just the coach of the year. They have not won the division since 1993. Now, they've had some ups and downs this year, and they're not a great team outside because of their quarterback, but they're going to host a playoff game, and that team indoors because of their firepower is just pretty good. I mean, they have weapons freaking everywhere.

They've got a speed-wide receiver. St. Brown can do everything. Obviously, the tight ends of stud. They got multiple running backs or offensive lines awesome. Jared Goff can look really comfortable in the dome. That's just, that's a team that, listen, depending on who they play in that first round, you know, some people could take the Rams or, you know,

a team like that if they're playing them, just fending on how the Packers are playing. They should win a playoff game. And if you win the division and then ultimately win a playoff game, this is the Detroit Freak Alliance. If you watch the Amazon documentary, it's pretty crazy how, much limited success the franchise has ever had.

Like, it's pretty nuts. Even in Barry Sanders time there, and I was so young, I didn't remember it when they got to the NFC championship game, and it was a really big deal, and they only won one playoff game that year because they got to buy. But this is a team that doesn't have any success, ever.

It'd be like taking over her college that never wins and just has them in the playoffs. Like, that's not supposed to happen. The same teams do it over over, especially in that division. The Packers are the Bears, and Minnesota. I mean, those three teams have been consistently, obviously, the Packers,

but even the Bears and the Minnesota Vikings have had unreal years in my lifetime over the last 30 years. So I think it's easy to try to downgrade what Dan Campbell just because they have looked bad at times. But he gets a lot of credit for Ben Johnson, who clearly is the number one assistant on the open market this year. He gets a ton of credit for last year sticking with Aaron Glenn, who just, listen, they have some limitations with their personnel. think they play their ass off and it gets a ton of credit for just being a good head coach they were good last year right they were very very close to winning it they ended rogers career in green bay and they're headed toward 12 wins minimum this year they play the viking twice like i'm sorry nick mullins ain't beating that team twice hell i doubt he beats them once and they play in the dome too so they get

multiple dome games just an incredible year from the lions no way around because i think a lot of people like i'm not picking the lines the lions aren't gonna turned out they were good and they're just if you gets him on the right day, which they've had a lot more good days than bad days, they are an excellent watch. They really are. And Denver, like, listen, Sean Payton's taking them as far as he can take them. That team should not go to the playoffs. I don't know why he was screaming at Russell Wilson when, I don't totally blame Sean Payton. The refs should be ashamed for not calling a touchdown. I mean, Denver had like three straight plays where they scored a touchdown, but he didn't challenge it. Then he screamed at Russell Wilson and it was kind of a

disaster, but they got their ass kicked. On the games this morning, Cincinnati and Minnesota. Actually, a really entertaining game, a really, really entertaining game for two backup quarterbacks. Nick Mullins had some incredible plays, and he had some of the dumbest plays you'll ever see. And Jake Browning's just a solid player. And that was one thing where I go back to the Steelers. Like, all these teams have solid backups. Like, even Nick Mullins can be functional. Jake Browning's just pretty good. Gardner-Minchu's just pretty good. You just have good back It's never been easier to play quarterback

Gardner Minchu threw a ball today They got Pittman fucking killed It was I don't blame the defender Who tried to go low The pass was so terrible That Pittman had to dive And got hit Casey got tossed out Garder Minchew like that's a pass

That Tom Brady was talking about All these guys are protected now That word defenseless I don't know how anyone's defenseless On a football field But clearly you are And Garder Minchu just throws these Jolo balls, but he also makes a lot of plays.

And Jake Browning today made a ton of plays. Made some great plays with his legs to keep plays alive. He's calm and collected. His arm is vastly improved from when he was in college at Washington. He had one throw today once Chase got hurt and knocked out of the game. Completed a ball for a first down. I was like, who's that player? What's his name?

And then the announcer was like, so-and-so from Princeton. I'm like, who is he throw a do right now? But crazy win. Listen, Zach Taylor, you get a lot of credit as a head coach when you win games with your backup quarterback. It kind of made Andy Reid legendary in Philadelphia. He had years where he was still competitive when Donovan got chaoed. One year, I think he made the playoffs with Jeff Garcia. Zach Taylor is clearly, I would say, a pretty polarizing coach.

Like, how good is he actually? Well, he's been a back-to-back. AFC championship games. He's been to a Super Bowl. Joe Burrell, one of the best fucking players in the league, gets knocked out. He takes Jake Browning, and he has this team better than the Steelers. I mean, he has

this team in the playoffs? What an accomplishment. He gets a lot of credit. Their defensive coordinator is excellent. He hired him. That's his guy. So, I think Zach Taylor's been really, really impressive this year. And watching Minnesota, I was thinking about this today.

Brian Flores, if they were going to truly be, you know, Schaefter said before seven to ten openings should be a lock head coach somewhere this year. He clearly is an awesome defensive coordinator. He's been a head coach and been successful. But his red flag is so big that if I was an owner, I'd be scared. Because when he was in Miami, the two things he was known for hated to him. Couldn't interact with him. So you can't interact with the quarterback and was awful and ran through. offensive staff members. It's like, listen, Brian, you are an impressive guy, right? You've excelled with Bill, which is also a red flag, but you went off on your own and you had successful teams

in Miami, didn't make the playoffs, but you were pretty solid. And now watch you as a defensive coordinator, you're clearly like top three or four defensive coordinator. Like when Fangio's a defensive coordinator, Todd Bull is a defensive coordinator, like, you're a lead at your gig. But offense pays the bills in this league. And the quarterback, Once we get the right one is the reason franchises ascend and sustain success. And for me as an owner, why we print money. And if I can't trust your ability to deal with that group, that scares me. And I think, because he's going to check a ton of boxes,

that would be the thing that in an interview, how can he prove, like, how do I know you can deal with these guys? It's one thing, obviously, Kevin O'Connell, you'll probably deal with him. He's your boss. What about when you're the boss again? Because last time, they couldn't stand you. The quarterback, like, the stories were, you know, running around NFL circles were awful. So that's a, this is a guy who is an awesome football coach on defense.

He really is. And his red flag might be big enough that no one messes with him. Because you watch this Minnesota team. I mean, last year, and I know they lost, but when you got fucking Nick Mullins throwing picks to, you know, You can't. You can only go so far. But I think defensively, Minnesota has kind of been a revelation this year. How good they've been? I read an article this morning when I was at the gym scrolling around on the athletic

that Sean Payton was telling someone that during the week they played Minnesota, him and his coaching staff spent more time than usual watching film because they couldn't figure out what Flores was doing. So schematically, excellent coach. Leader on the defensive guys, excellent. but you got to be and you got to understand the offense. You have to, or at least know how to deal with them. And this is what I've said about Talman.

We've seen him before with good offensive coaches, and he's had a lot of success. Ariens, Todd Haley. Now listen, it's the ownership very involved. Why they fire Bruce Ariens? Because he didn't run the ball enough. Think about that in 2023. Steelers love running the ball.

A little archaic mindset, you know, from an ownership group that's had the team forever, which, listen, it's their team. They can do whatever they want, but it can be difficult at the times. But overall, thought it was a pretty entertaining Saturday. The Lions, man, that's just a fun offense to watch.

Brad Holmes, the general manager, I tweeted the video, I went and found it. The video, when they draft Gibbs, and those guys go fucking nuts. Brad Holmes goes nuts. I saw another video where they were deciding on trading back, They were going to draft them at six, which would have been, I mean, that would have been pretty insane.

But to trade back to 12, still get your guy, and get Leporta, what a move. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

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