The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Black Monday, Bengals make changes, Hurts still out

Episode Date: January 7, 2025

John reacts to the "Black Monday" firings and what moves may have surprised him the most. John also talks about how he still believes that Jerry Jones isn't going to make any changes to his coaching staff, and if the Giants have made the right decision by keeping their coach and GM. Later, John dives into Jalen Hurts still being out and if this should be a concern for the Eagles that he hasn't cleared concussion protocol.  Lastly, John answers your questions during this episode's mailbag segment. 5:50 - Black Monday 24:49 - Zac Taylor and the Bengals 31:00 - Hurts still hurt 37:12 - Mailbag 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.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

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Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

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Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's 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. The volume. What is happening, everybody?

How are we doing on this beautiful but chilly Monday afternoon? I had a pretty good idea that today wasn't going to be as crazy as many made it out to be, I would say, over the last month. And it kind of turned out that way. I think the defining moments of Black Monday, Doug Peterson lost his job, though I think we all knew that three months ago. And so did Doug.

Today really was defined by a lot of people coming back. So I want to give my opinions on the Giants retaining both the GM and the coach, the Jags retaining my god, Trambalky. That was a terrible Trambalky, but he keeps his job again. I mean, guy, guys talented at it, so I'll give my thoughts there. And one thing that usually happens right around this time is teams that miss the playoffs, that had high hopes, the coach ain't going to fire himself, so he fires someone on his staff. So the Bengals fires defensive coordinator, Seattle, fired their offensive coordinator.

So we'll dive into a couple of those moves. You know, still waiting on Jerry, who, I would say, all signs point to Mike Stang, but you never know with the Cowboys. Jerry just gave a great little cameo on Landman. Actually, not a bad actor. It was pretty cool.

It kind of came out of nowhere. I actually was watching it Saturday night, but other than that, we'll do a little mailbag as well. At John Middilkoff is the Instagram firing those DMs. And we'll dive into the playoff games a little bit later this week. Definitely was

Stucky on Thursday. We have couple college playoff games Thursday and Friday night. I think I like Penn State and I like Ohio State. But there's no butt. I like those two teams. I think we get Penn State, Ohio State, all Big Ten national championship, which would be a really big moment. I mean, it would be a huge moment for anyone who wins these games on Thursday or Friday,

obviously getting to the Natty. But game plan will be podcast all week. so keep a lookout. We'll keep them coming. And as news breaks or as anything happens, you never know. Curve balls come out of left field. We will be ready for because that's what we do. We give our opinions on the stories in the NFL. And obviously talk about the games in the playoffs, which we got a bunch of them.

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Black Monday has come and went, and it turned out it wasn't that crazy. It wasn't that dark. The rain clouds, the sun has come out. where I'm at, it's about 65 degrees. And I would imagine a lot of people are feeling that way. And I think big picture, I say this all the time. These owners want no part of going on a coaching search or a GM search if they can't avoid it. You know, as you get my age and older, you hear so many people say, I want no part of dating.

I am exhausted from dating. Honestly, it probably keeps some relationships together because it's like, I can't even fathom the thought of going back out on dates, of just going through that process again. And I think it's the same thing when it comes to some of these owners with their GMs and coaches. One, they don't speak the language. It is very easy for them to hire, especially the people that have business backgrounds that come from other industries that purchase the team, to hire a president of operations. Like, that's their forte. Excel spreadsheets, talking revenue, top line, bottom line, expenses, how to staff.

Like, they're comfortable doing that. But when you hire a coach and you talk the culture of the locker room, let alone to the schemes on offense, defense, and special teams to how we're going to run the draft and free agency, the owner is essentially no different than most human beings. They just kind of turn into a fan. And they have no more insight than the next guy. And I think the thing that makes football way more complicated than these other sports, you can't just play a pickup football game. It does not exist. The only way to play real football is 11 on 11 with shoulder pads and a helmet.

And coaches calling the place. You don't need that to play basketball. You don't need that to play baseball. You need it to play football. And obviously the complexity of it all at the highest level is very intense. and now with the explosion of the league in terms of money, it's also very, you know, it's expensive to fire people. Even if it, quote unquote, is just a line item,

some of these guys probably get a little tired of just paying people to walk away. And the easiest thing always is to keep them over firing them. Now, that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. But by far, the easiest thing always is to keep them than to fire them. John Mara has gone through, run through coaches and GMs since firing Tom Coughlin. Constant coaches, right? To and done, two and done, two and done. And it has to be really exhausting.

The problem is over that period of time, now with the current group, they continue to suck. And clearly, I think it's fair to take an educated guess, then when all these people were saying, it's not a package deal. Joe Shane and Brian Daibal are not tied at the hip. You know one thing I heard from my friends in the NFL? Was like, yeah, that's being put out by Joe Shane and Brian Daible, trying to distance themselves from each other. Because no human wants to get fired, even when you're kind of miserable in a job.

I've been there. Now, you look back later on and go, I'm glad that happened. But at the time, every human being is in survival mode. And Joe Shane and Brian Daible, who literally, were a package. They came together from Buffalo together. It's why they were both hired. It was clear starting to point the finger at each other. Now, regardless of what happened in terms of like this high school drama between the two, clearly John Marr didn't care. Like guys just try to make it work again. I don't care how ugly this has gotten. I don't care how many planes fly over

the biggest market in America, a team that has just completely become irrelevant. Can you guys just try to figure this out. And even he mentioned today, like, yeah, I've run out of patience, so hopefully they fixed this fast. But I think it was pretty clear. He didn't want to go on the circuit of interviewing people. Because let's face it, if you're going to fire one, you're going to fire them both.

How could Joe Shane possibly survive? We just witnessed his operation last off-season. It was considered a universal embarrassment by fans, but most importantly, people around the league that work in the industry. And Brian Dable just

works in a profession where you win, you get extended. You lose, you get fired. Like, it's not that complicated. And he loses a lot. And this season was really, really bad. And by the middle of the year, they had to cut the quarterback that they just gave $80 million to. So both these guys look really embarrassing, but they survived. And I think it's just as simple as, do I think John Mara thinks they're really good? How could he possibly think that? I truly believe he just did not want to go on a coaching slash GM search. And I understand that. Like, you get older.

Like, it's a lot of effort. When, again, even if you go on the search, the previous one he just went on, everyone, like, basically around the league was like, that's a great hire. Joe Shane and Brian Daibald. You get two guys that know each other that come from a winning operation. You get a GM that's, you know,

apprentice, multiple winning spots. You get a coach that's worked for Sabin and Belichick. They coach Josh Allen. What a hire. I was probably saying that. Great fucking job. And three years later, it's like you got planes flying over every home game, basically saying you suck, fire everybody.

It's like, well, in what world am I going to go on the same coaching search and think I have any better chance than what I just conducted and hired these two guys, which is clearly not working out very well? And I think the Giants find themselves in a position that no fan wants, where it's just like, yeah, we're kind of keeping our fingers crossed, but we all know how this is going to end. Everyone's eventually going to get fired because this team is not even remotely close to even being close. So I just, I feel bad for Giants fans.

This is a big win. You know, if you're an Eagle fan, if you are a commander fan, and I guess we'll find out with the Cowboys. But they are, I mean, they're in a different universe than the Eagles. And obviously the commanders now, as they continue to build this thing, will only separate in terms of stability. They got a quarterback. So, shit a day to be a Giants fan,

just because John Morrow was overdoing interviews. You know, I think one thing, because the amount of money that is in the NFL, obviously the payrolls, you know, are a lot different than most industries. You pay 53 guys combined anywhere from 220 to 250, million dollars like that's pretty abnormal you pay a guy running those people anywhere from 10 to 20 million dollars and then he has several million dollar employees as well on his staff so because the

money is so big we act like it's like apple google or amazon when really it's a pretty small operation and i haven't worked in a corporate setting hell i haven't had a job uh w2 job and i mean close to a decade now but you know i worked in football that I worked in radio and a lot of you guys work in different industries. Being a politician is something that impacts us all. And some of us have that ability. And I've never been great at it. It's really hard for me to, I would say, keep my mouth shut.

Obviously, it's why I do this for a living. But it's not a strength of mine. Like, I would not consider myself a great politician. And I think there's somewhere in the middle of being a politician, being like a hermit, right, are the opposite ends of the spectrum. just tunnel vision, do about myself, don't worry about anything else. And then there's kind of like a networker somewhere in the middle that's probably a little more genuine, that's just kind of a wheeler and a dealer.

And I think when you look at the Jacksonville Jags, right, it's like, oh, this billion dollar operation. Well, whether they win or lose, they automatically make money. So Shad Khan, while they consistently have shitty seasons under his watch, it doesn't impact his bottom line. They're making a ton of cash. So in these situations, you don't have an employee base of thousands of people. It's a pretty small mom and pop shop, even some of the bigger operations.

You literally know, I would say, if you're around the building at all, everyone in football on a first name basis. So some people are better than others about working that relationship, because the only relationship that truly matters is the owner. because if the owner likes you, you're basically on scholarship. And look, we saw it with Atlanta last year. Belichick wanted the job, they wanted no part of them. Why? Because Belichick hates Rich McKay and wasn't going to listen to him, which would have neutered his power. Obviously, Terry Fonton, no, the GM would have probably been run out of town.

So they went into job survival mode, and then a year later, they won one more game than they did the previous year, after giving $90 million to a quarterback who played 14 games. But Trent Balke, this guy from Bamigi State, which is somewhere in the Dakotas, who then after college went to work at North Dakota State and South Dakota State, is a big league networker and politician. It's honestly his strength. And when you meet him, like, you think he's like this gruff, like kind of rough around the edges football guy that just locks himself and just wants to watch players.

That was always, you know, kind of the narrative surrounding Trent Balky's like he's just a football guy through and through. No, I actually think he's the best politician in the NFL. It's an elite attribute he brings to the table. Because somehow when a team is just on fire, just a fucking disaster. Again, he's the GM. I've seen it in San Francisco, and now we've seen it in Jacksonville. He can, like, avoid it pretty well. It's easy when you play the Kevin Warren role.

You're like, hey, man, I'm just in business. You hired these guys. I hired them, but, like, I don't know about football. I just tried to help out the hiring problem. process, but I'm just selling PSLs. I'm just selling sweets. I'm just trying to sell and find us a piece of land to build and get these fucking moron politicians to give us some tax dollars. That's what I'm doing. I'm not picking the guard in the third round. I'm not telling them what plays to run in the red zone. I'm not telling them, you know, when to kick field goals and when to

punt. Like that ain't my gig, guys. And it's very easy for them to kind of play the Camillion. But GMs, it's like, well, you've picked all these players. Like, you're the guy. who is in control of the roster, and he is elite at avoiding it all. He really is. I don't know him that well. Again, my relationship with him has always been cool, but there's no disputing at this point in time that, like, whatever he brings to the table, that connection is,

if it was like, you know, we talk about five tool players in baseball, or Josh Allen has elite arm, and Lamar has elite speed, like he has that, that ability is an elite trait for. Trambulki. And it's why he's going on, he hired Jim Harbaugh, he hired Jim Tom Sulla, he hired Chip Kelly, he hired Doug Peterson, and now he's hiring another guy. I mean, he's going to go down with hiring like six or seven coaches when his career is over, which is unheard of for a general manager who's obviously not winning very often now. And it's just a skill he has. So when everyone's shocked, like, don't be shocked. This is what he does. Like, he is

probably the best politician in the National Football League. You know, some guys, it's hard, like Brandon Staley, it's his, it's his wiring. He's wired like a politician. But when you become a head coach, you start losing, like you can't talk your way out of it, right? And coach is always going to be more exposed than the GM, because during the games, they're out there in the field with the players, and the GM's usually sitting next to the owner, texting the owner, talking to the owner on Monday when that guy's watching film. Blastin the coach. And clearly that happens a lot in Jacksonville. And let's face it,

Shod, whenever I see him talk, seems like a good guy, clearly a smart guy, just an incredible business success story. But I think they got no clue what they're doing. And as long as, you know, his ownership speaks for itself, you will short their organization. Every year they play, you would have to be high on drugs to pick them to have success. And I do wonder, like, Trent Balke, who's just always surviving, if you're a coach with any options, how would you go work for a man that you know that if it starts going off the rails, he will point the finger at you while getting in with the owner? That's just what he does.

Like, that's his move. So it's going to be fascinating. Ultimately, you know, no shade to Jags fans, but you're probably the most irrelevant brand in the league. I mean, you know, you are. and I just, I don't know if you got much coming your way in terms of coaching options. NFL playoffs, we're talking about the NFL playoffs. You bet we are. Get in on the action at Draft King Sportsbook,

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We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triage, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

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Bengals. Obviously, Joe has a great year, and they had a winning record, and for the most of the year, their defense was really bad. It was atrocious. So, like, just firing a defensive coordinator for a poor job, like, I get it. Even though that is your guy, the guy that you hired when you came, he's been your defensive coordinator for five years. He was your defensive coordinator when you beat the chiefs on the road. He was your defensive coordinator when you went into Buffalo and you punked Josh Allen. It's crazy in this. profession, how people can have such great relationships, and sometimes it's the owner. Like, I want this guy gone.

This guy can't continue to be our defensive coordinator. It's out of the guy's hands. But in no profession, will someone point the finger fast at someone else before they point the finger at themselves? And listen, I understand. What's Zach Taylor supposed to do, fire himself? But I feel like Lou Amaruno, who just a couple years ago was viewed as like one of the best defensive coordinators in the league, now he's the village idiot.

it. And I get it when you miss the playoffs and you have a quarterback who 70% throws for 5,000 yards, throws 43 touchdowns and less than 10 picks, like someone's got to pay the price. And I think Lou and a bunch of other guys on the staff clearly paid the price. But I just think it's just a funny profession that way. You know, just a couple years ago, this guy was the apple of everyone's eye. And this is also why when these coaches get these opportunities, and you have an opportunity to interview, you have an opportunity to go from a coordinator to become a head coach,

you've got to strike when the iron's hot. Because shit changes fast. You know, look at the Bengals. They let a lot of guys walk in free agency, you know, and they're just not a franchise that's just breaking the bank to keep guys. And while they have had some success of player acquisition over the years, they clearly let a lot of guys walk in recent memory. and their secondary started to suck.

Is that Lou Amaruno's fault? He's not the GM, the owner essentially is. So I don't know the guy. I'm not trying to defend him. I mean, for a lot of this year, his defense was really bad. But it's not exactly like he had Pac-Man Jones out there. And Vontes Burfitt, I mean, I thought his defense personnel-wise was pretty shitty. I mean, once they lost Jesse Bates a couple years ago,

their secondary hasn't been the same. And they were talking about it on the Saturday night game. They'd been rotating a lot of players in. They tried to kind of get that magic back, and they couldn't. Like, that's a player personnel problem, not necessarily a coaching problem. I think Lou Amaruno is going to be hired this offseason as a defensive coordinator. Now, the difference is Zach Taylor and Lou knew each other. He brought him.

He's been his defensive coordinator the whole time. When Mike McDonald became the head coach from Baltimore of Seattle, John Snyder then became one of, if not the most powerful GMs in the NFL. He got rid of Pete Carroll, who was the, Grand Poo-Bah there. So he becomes the boss. He hires a guy under 40 with zero head coaching experience. And just because most of his coaching career has been under the hardball brother, it's just going to have a limited network. So he's going to have juice in hiring coordinators. So when they hired Ryan Grubb away from Alabama, obviously Schneider's going to

know him well. He's coaching right in his backyard. I'm sure they got to know each other as friends. And my guess is when you hire a first-time coach, like, who are your offensive coordinator options. He's like, well, I got a couple too. And maybe Schneider kind of wield as his juice. Like, I think we should hire this guy. And maybe Mike McDonald capitulated.

And they just fired Ryan Grubb today, and it's like, Mike has a year. Team goes 10 and 7. Kind of proves I know what I'm doing. Like, me and him aren't meshing. And I always wonder, and I don't blame Ryan Grub for taking the opportunity. I actually think whenever I watch,

I think he's a good coach. Like, I think he knows what he's doing. you know, most people are not going to look like the 07 Patriots when you got Gino Smith, especially that offensive line, which is Grub doesn't get to pick the offensive lineman. But, you know, a coach is going to want to bring in his own guy. And I just wonder after this season, like Mike wants more of his guys. But until they figure out the quarterback and the offensive line, it's going to be the same thing over and over.

They're hover around 8 to 10 wins. It's kind of what they are. Not much better or not much worse. They're a well-coached operation. But to me, this reeks of, okay, we tried it your way. I want to try it my way now. And I also think when you're Ryan Grubb, like, this is the risk of going to work for people. You don't know that well.

You've never worked in the NFL and leaving to board. Now, listen, you learn from failures, not successes. So I would imagine he learned infinitely more this season that he did the last couple of years coaching Pennix in that group at Washington. So you're going to get positives out of this experience if you're him. But it just shows you like, you know, sometimes in the NFL you have behind the scenes pretty ugly relationships between a head coach and a coordinator. You have massive egos. And everyone's making seven figures.

Now, some guys are making eight. And the other guy might be making three. But a guy making $3 million is going to think a lot of himself. And you hired me for a reason. I know what I'm doing. And I think sometimes when you get these offensive defensive coordinators, the defensive coordinator looks at the offensive guy, like, you don't fucking know what you're talking about when it comes to my unit,

when it comes to my group. And then you get these huge eagles. We saw it last year with Wink and Daibble. You know, it's usually like an offensive and an offensive guy or a defensive and a defensive guy, even if you're not going to like everyone. If you like everyone and everyone likes you, you're probably not that successful. But it's much easier to have a conversation with the, a like-minded person on your side of the ball.

So if I'm an offensive line coach and you're a wide receiver coach or you're the quarterback coach, like eventually we can find some common ground. But I think a lot of times when you get Mike McDonald's a defensive coach, Ryan Grubbs an offensive coach. So they just speak a different language to begin with. One guy speaks Chinese, the other guy speaks Spanish. And that's, and again, they both have huge egos. They're both multimillionaires at this point.

That's where you start button heads. And, you know, you think it's just anyone listening, with little kids, sometimes they don't listen. It's not that much different with a 38-year-old and a 45-year-old. They start going, fuck you, fuck you. And that can kind of happen throughout the season. And unless, you know, you got a Big Jay digging in or someone internally wants that out, you don't know. I mean, last year the wink and the dayball stuff just started leaking out, so we all heard about it.

You know, a lot of these situations, it's not that much different. We just don't know what's going on. And last but not least, I do think Jalen Hertz being in the concussion protocol this long has got to be a little concerning to Howie and Siriani and just the team. Because I know you've won some regular season games with Tanner McKee and Kenny Pickett. If Jalen Hertz is out of a playoff game, now we still got a long way to go. He can be cleared in the next couple days. But it's not an ideal thing.

I mean, a lot of times these guys get cleared, I would say relative. Hibble fast, at most miss a week. But if Jalen Hurts cannot play a playoff game, I will bet against the Eagles, regardless how good their team is. Like, I'll bet on you in regular season. We get to the playoffs, assuming Jordan loves healthy. We'll find out as the week goes, Christian Watson tours ACL. But like, that would be a major issue.

It really would. And this just shows you, and we talked about this, you know, the day Jalen got hurt, and Pickett came in, and then they ended up losing to Washington. and how fast this shit can change. We've seen over the year, somehow Mahomes can just shake off ankle injuries like no human you have ever seen. I retired from pickup basketball probably late 20s, early 30s, but anyone who's ever had the pickup basketball rolled ankle where you're like, I think I just shattered my ankle.

And then a couple days goes by and you can kind of walk it off, but you clearly sprained an ankle. That pain hurts so bad. And for Mahomes, he's able to shake it off, but, you know, we saw, was it Carson Wentz the one year? He got a concussion in the playoff game, which kind of ended his tenure with the Eagles. I just think, like, we're in a day and age where success, even with the team, is loaded as Philly. Saquan 2K, receiver's sweet, O-Line badass, D-Line suite, coordinator's good. You're a quarterback. It misses a game.

Godspeed. Hold on for your ass. Doesn't mean they couldn't pull it off, but I think that would be pretty nuts. Now, we still, I'm recording this Monday afternoon. We've got a long way to go. But that was just like, damn, this is pretty serious concussion. You know, some guys shake it in a couple days. Other guys like this, it clearly lingers on.

And, yeah, I just, that game, I would say, you know, assuming the Packers were to play well, even if Jaylen was playing, like you could see it being a good game. That's the thing, like the two best matchups on paper, right? With just talent is Packers, Eagles, and in theory, Steelers Ravens,

but no one gives the Steelers a chance. It's like, I've been watching you. You're not any good. Like, I see it over and over and over again. Like, I'm not just going to be like, oh, this is the week. doesn't mean it can happen, but no one's going to think that. Where I think when you look at the Packers, like, they kind of haven't been playing great either.

But you go, listen, I could see them having a good game and just pushing Philly. But you tell me Jaylon Hertz is out. Whoa, that changes the landscape for sure. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. First people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember.

I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast. We could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas,

and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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, NL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live there. them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect.

We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant this plant to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history.

You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, let's dive into a little thing we like to call the Middlecough mailbag, just my Instagram, at John Middlecough, at John Middlecough is the Instagram fire in those DMs. Get your questions answered on the show. Instagram DMs wide open. we will start with Noah Hi John Now that the pretenders

The Vikings Got smacked by a depleted lions team Can we stop pretending That the Eagles Aren't going to bully ball Their way to the Super Bowl How he built an absolute buzzsaw And as an Eagles fan

I'm ready for some revenge On the Chiefs Love your content We mentioned it earlier on on the other video and for a podcast, obviously, that Jalen hurts with his injury situation is something to monitor. So, like, I mean, if he plays, you guys have every bit as good of a chance as any team in the playoffs, including the Chiefs, to be in the Super Bowl. I would agree with you there. But, like, this is the playoffs, man.

It's hard. Everyone, I don't want to say everyone, but I thought the Lions are probably going to lose. and they have something pretty special. Their offense is elite. Their offense is elite. And they have a really good defensive coordinator. And we'll see over the next, I would say, couple weeks who's able to come back. I think the Lions can beat you.

Do I think the Washington commanders can? No. Do I think the Packers can? Probably not. Do I think Minnesota can on the road? No. Do I think the Rams can? No.

But I do think the Lions are a real deal. I mean, coaching, scheme, culture, your talent is second to none. Right? But, like, this is the playoffs, man. This shit's really, really hard, especially on the road. And if the Lions take care of business in the second round, and so do you guys for the next couple weeks, you will have to go to Detroit,

which is a very tough place to play. Is it fair to say that after the Lions game, Darnold is playing for $50 million to $100,000,000, million over the next two weekends, if the Vikings go that far. Feels like after the Lions game, he's back to maybe three years for 100 with one playoff win, and maybe that grows to 150 with two. With two or more playoff wins, then all of a sudden we're talking 200 million. What do you think?

Hate to say it, but I'll be betting the Rams because I think there's a lot of pressure on Donald. There is, I would say no one over the next 7, 14 days has more. money on the line. And that was a jarring experience the other night for a guy who, you know, has a lot of critics, has a lot of support. But like, the best part about this industry is it is very fluid. And information comes and things change. And that was like, whoa. I mean, the eight overthrows. He was missing guys. I saw Brian Baldinger put out something where Jordan Addison was wide open in one of the Red Zone trips and he's looking right at him. And he just doesn't.

and pull the trigger. So he was rattled. I think it's fair to say, like, that was, I'm seeing ghost games, and part of that's great coaching. You know, Aaron Glenn was bringing people from all over the place. But he was shook. And I have a hard time paying a lot of money to people to get shook in big games. And I just think that I know the way these GMs talk.

I know the way owners, I mean, just following the league, like, there's a lot on the line. And that's what's cool about all this. You know, this isn't basketball. We're like, you give a max to everybody. Can you dribble and score 20? Here's $200 million. That's not the way it works.

Plus, they drafted a quarterback. So it's easily one of the biggest stories in the NFL. If he goes to L.A. and shits the bed, i.e., plays like he just played, it'd be hard to justify, like, doing anything more than franchising him. He goes to L.A., lights him up. Next game, plays well. Yeah, I mean, I think we'd be talking about getting a long-term contract, right? But if it looks just like we saw, it would be a problem for him and its representation.

Help me understand. How does Joe Shane have a job? Not only after this disastrous of a season, but after the Sequin debacle. I think it's hard for a lot of fans and people that fall football to wrap their head around the situation. like how what what what's going on here we just witnessed this guy offseason hard knocks like we saw it it was pretty bad how's this going on right now like can someone explain this to us all and no one can in my my logic is simple i just don't think he wanted to rehire people i don't think he wanted to go through a coaching GM search.

He's been doing that countless times over the last decade, and it's failed every time. So he's just keeping his fingers crossed that he can just roll it out a little bit longer. Almost like one of your stocks, if you ever, if you've ever been down like 50%, 60, 75%, you can do two things. You can either sell and then reallocate the funds, or you can just write it. I just hope we can just get close to even. And I think he's just hoping, like, next year can you just win seven or eight games? and just get us back, the train back on the tracks. I don't see how, based on what we've seen,

that you would have any confidence in that. As a Vikings fan, the Lion game, was painful to watch. Darnold missing guys all over the place and having no answer for the constant blitz. I'll reserve my final judgment till the playoff game, but I'd be hesitant to give the guy a big contract if we end up with Kirk 2.0 situation of playing good in the regular season

only to choke in the playoffs. I hear you. I mean, I think this, we just mentioned it. I think this Rams Viking game is just, this is a good Monday night opening weekend. Like, there's just a lot in the line. You know, how much longer does Stafford have? It's Cooper Cups' last game on the Rams.

You know, Ken McVeigh kind of pull one out of the hat where he's an underdog at home. Sam Darnold, like, can he erase what we just witnessed? Are they going to lose Brian Flores to a head coaching job? You know, you're going to extend Kevin O'Connell. You would imagine this offseason, right? Like, are you going to, if he has a bad game, are you just going to pivot to JJ McCarthy,

then the pressure that it would put on JJ? So this is what's fun about sports. I mean, there are just a lot of variables at all times, whether you're a good or a bad team. There's just a lot going on. and a lot of people with different opinions and it's hard to like you know, determine who's actually right

and who's actually wrong. And I would say right now, like I wouldn't blame any fan for being like, that was a weird experience the other night. Like, are we sure? And that's why you asked the questions. Because it was.

It was bizarre. I know you've been on this for a while, but will the media, and more importantly the dolphins admit McDaniel is not the guru they all claim he is. Every other offensive-minded head coach has had their star quarterback go down

and make their offense look still really good. Yet with Mike, the instant Tua doesn't play, the offense looks below average. With the best weapons in the league. And do you think he will be on the hot seat next year? One really quick on the Dolphins. For Tyree Kill to act like an NBA player, like, I'm out, guys.

Like, it's been real. Like, you just signed a three-year, $90 million contract. it's not the way this business works. You'll be out if they want to trade you, but it's just not the way, like, they're not cutting you. You're out where? Like, to go on vacation? Now, I don't know why the dolphins would want him if he doesn't want to be there,

but these things are complicated. They just gave him a ton of guaranteed money. Do people want Tyree Kill at 31 years old for $30 million a year? I think it's not as, you know, much of a note. brainer as it would have been two or three years ago. You know, and let's face it, what a massive win for the Chiefs. They punted on Tyreek Hill. Again, an all-time great player, a Hall of Fame player.

But they've won two Super Bowl since, and they're the number one seat. And he's been the wild card twice, bounced both times, and this year they missed the playoffs, which it's not his fault, like he's played at a high level, but it just shows you, man. Everyone's always like, we got to go all in on the wide receiver. And to me, depending on who the wide receiver is, I get it. You know, with the Vikings totally understand Justin Jefferson. With the Cowboys totally understand CDLamp. If the 49ers had a do-over, they would have traded Brandon Ayuk.

Right. And I think the Chiefs prove that, like, Tyreek Hill, who's obviously way better than Brandon I, Youk. Like, that was the right move. That was a game-changing move for them. I don't know, man. I think I could not have Mike McDaniel as my head coach. Like, you just got no shot. None.

Got no shot. Now, what I want him on my staff? 100%. Do I think he's an excellent position coach slash run game coordinator? Yeah. Could I have him be the leader of my five to $8 billion organization? I think you're destined to lose in terms of like your ceiling is capped. And we've seen his ceiling.

And it's just not that high. So I think it is what it is. Again, quirky guy, easy, everyone jumped on the bandwagon, funny sounds and looks different than most coaches. But, God, his team now has looked pretty similar in the last three years. And like you said, how could he not scheme up some random guy just to be competitive? That they can't function without Tua. It's not like Tua's Dan Marino. How can you not function without Tua?

It is kind of alarming. Question for the mailback. Isn't it time for us to consider Baker Mayfield the best quarterback? in the NFC. I feel like his playmaking with his legs is electrifying. And I understand he has 16 picks, but I feel like you can live with that when it's 40 total touchdowns. And one of the picks, I guess he threw,

did he throw one pick or two picks against the Saints? The pick he did throw when I was watching, like his arm got tipped or the ball got tipped, which I would imagine that happens to a decent amount of guys. Like if you dove into their interceptions, it's not all their fault. Baker Mayfield's a really good player. He's clearly slimmed down,

so like you said, he is much more mobile, and he has a explosive arm. Like really, the knock on him is he's six feet, you know, shade under 6'1. I mean, to me, if he was like 6'4, I think we'd be talking about him, like a top 5 or 6 quarterback. And to me, he was easily a top 10 quarterback this year.

And what he's done, to replace Brady back-to-back years, winning the division. This year he was just really good. He's just a really good player now. Like really good. He's going to be a starter in the NFL as long as his body holds up for a long time.

So I'm with you. Best quarterback in the NFC. Yeah, I mean, him and golf this year, he was awesome. Speaking of them, what do you think the ceiling is for the bucks over the next couple years? They drafted Irving and McMillan

who both had good years. Do you see them making a deep playoff run with Baker. Well, offense is not their problem. It was sputtering yesterday, but defensively, they're going to need some help. So they're just going to need to keep investing on the defensive side of the ball. Now, part of that is Winfield's been hurt, but in Vita Vaya is one of the best players in the NFL. Vita Vaya is a stud. But it does feel like they need a little more pop and juice over on that side of the ball. A little longer in the tooth. But Yeah, I'd be pretty, I mean, you have one of the best GMs in the league.

Jason Light's a stud. Currently watching the Lions Vikings game, and with the upcoming Black Monday, the Vikings have hired a GM not that long ago, and the Lions turned around their front office when they hired the guy from the ramps. How do you do that? We always talk about coaches, and there it is kind of transparent with all these assistant coaches, but how is a front office structured? How many guys does a newly high school?

hire GM bring with him to accumulate a staff? Do you let go of former scouts and how can you build a good draft board? Your old team will most likely lock you out of their system. Probably the question is a bit long, but would love to get a bit of insight. Well, I think it all depends on the person. You know, I'll give you an example. When John Lynch came to the 49ers, he kept a large percentage of the guys that were already there. Some guys go into a front office and within a year wipe out the majority of guys. So it's all dependent on the GM. I'd say most general managers, whether they're John Lynch or whether they're, you know, whoever's going to take over some of these jobs, will immediately bring a right-hand guy. So, for example, John Lynch brought Adam Peters.

When Adam Peters got the Washington job, I forget the guy's name, but he brought a guy from the alliance with him. So you usually immediately bring a guy because you, you're you get hired typically in January, so you are going to work with that scouting staff right when you get the job. So I take over, you know, sometime in the next couple weeks, the amount of scouts I have all over the country and some of the in-house guys, typically, unless I have, you know, a vendetta, hatred toward a specific individual, I'm going to work with those guys throughout the draft.

Now, coaches contracts, everyone's on contract, if you're a scout or a coach. Coach's contract ends when the season ends. Scouting contracts end when the draft ends. So it's almost like a time to evaluate your staff. Guys that you don't know, you get to know, you see their work. You know, the thing with scouting, like a lot of professions, it's not necessarily based on how good or bad you are. It's relationships.

How much do I like you? How much you're going to fit into what I want? But I think there is no set. like this is the way it happens. Some GMs come in and they keep the majority of the staff. Because listen, like, if you're a 40-year-old college scout, you can kind of work with anybody. You'll just do what you're told.

Right? But if you're like the assistant GM, more than likely I'm not going to keep you. Or even the college scouting director, more than likely I'm going to want to bring my own guy. But I can work with a lot of younger scouts and mold them or teach them or just, pivot whatever they've been doing to what we're going to do. So I think a decent amount of the time, more than coaches, scouts survive. Coaches typically staff, the majority of guys get fired. There was a lot of talk that Ben Johnson is getting a head coaching job,

but would Aaron Glenn be not high on that list as well? I think you would be, if you're going to interview one, which most, everyone's going to interview Ben Johnson, you'd be crazy to not interview Aaron Glenn. Former player, clearly a good scheme guy, excellent teacher, excellent motivator, kind of a badass. I think you are

not doing your job if you don't interview. Like if you're going to interview one, you've got to interview them both. A long time listener. Am I crazy? Having just watched the Vikings' Lions game, I actually put the majority of that loss on the Vikings coaching. Obviously the Lions came to play.

play and are a serious force, but at one point that game could have been 15 to 7 from Minnesota if they took the points available and didn't call a timeout with 28 seconds left in the half. That would have been a huge momentum swing in the game. Additionally, everyone and their grandmother knew the lions were going to blitz on obvious passing situations. But it was clear long, slow developing routes were being called consistently. Darnold play bad, but I personally believe the coaching was even worse. I would say that these coaches nowadays, you know, part of kicking the field goals is based on playing good defense. And I think they look at it and they just go, it might be a close game.

You know, let's say seven to three or seven to six. It's like, why don't you just kick a field goal and make it nine to seven or 12 to seven, right? and just keep kicking field goals. They go, well, eventually this lion's offense is going to score points. So I think you have to acknowledge that you're playing one of the best offenses in recent memory that you've got to lean to be aggressive. But I hear you, it's like your offense is not working and the game is a low-scoring game. I just don't think people think like that when they're playing a team like the Lions that have so much firepower.

A big fan of the show. As a Vikings fan, I'm very annoyed that my team didn't get talked about all year. And then when it finally is, it's trade McCarthy or trade KOC. This isn't Major League Baseball. The small market teams are just as legitimate as the bigger ones. I'm tired of the national media focusing on mediocre big market teams all year long, then finally transitioning. Yeah, I mean, that was a glazer report.

To me, the McCarthy conversation is fair. you drafted the guy number one, you know, in the first round, you signed Sam Darnold who has an incredible year, beside the Lions game. The Kevin O'Connell thing is like, I'm sorry, like, he gets, like, that's on Kevin O'Connell as well. That story shouldn't happen, right? Ams on the Vikings.

It should be well known, we're going to do everything possible to extend this guy, but they haven't even talked. Like, that's an embarrassing moment for the franchise. But if other teams like, hey, he hasn't been signed, we're going to sniff around. If I was the Detroit Lions, I'd be leaking that out. I'd want chaos to happen. And for the Vikings to not then immediately put out a statement, we intend to sign Kevin O'Connell, he's our coach.

It was just a low-level moment, but to blame anyone else, but like that, that's on the franchise. The McCarthy thing, that's just on your situation. But like the moment Glazer comes out with that report, like, if I'm the Vikings, I've got to come back. It's not about smaller big markets. The Chiefs get talked about all the time. They're not a big market.

Packers get talked about constantly. The Lions get talked about constantly. Question for the bag. Rahim Morris is down 19 and 47 as a head coach and completely butchered the end of the Falcon season. I'm 28 years old, and my core memories with the Falcons are the utter embarrassment, 28 to 3.

What does Rahim actually do for our team? If our offense is bad and he has a huge sample size of losing football as a head coach, I don't know what we're going to do keeping him. I don't even want to talk about the cousin signing. In my mind, he shares the blame with the front office, and that's a standalone fireable offense. I am sure our general manager, Terry Fontenot, is a dead man walking. But if you were Arthur Blank, would you also fire Morris and just go after Ben Johnson

or maybe even a known commodity that works well with quarterback like Mike McCarthy? Also, do you think Mr. Blank would actually consider moving on? And I've always found his moves a season or two too late. Well, I don't think, I think I read you guys haven't had a winning season since 2017, and he inducted himself into the Hall of Fame this year. So I wouldn't be confident in anything going on in Atlanta. Listen, Rahim got a lot of hype last year. And it shows you like sometimes when you're a coordinator

and people like you and you're with a famous team and Sean McVeigh's boy doesn't mean you're going to be a good head coach. And that was, I mean, they just lost to the Panthers with their season on the line. They couldn't stop a nosebleed in that game. Bryce Young had five fucking touchdowns. So it's like Rahim Morris is a defensive guy.

the cousin situation just feels like a group, a GM, and a head coach, they were just kind of flying blind. They didn't necessarily know what they were doing. To win eight games, you guys didn't even go above 500. If I was a fan, I'd be, this is a joke.

Just one thing, like the Giants, the Jackson, these teams suck. Clearly you guys have some talent. Like, you guys should be nine or ten wins. And the way everything was handled with cousins and then going to Pennix late, it's like, Did we have any sort of vision here? And I hear you.

I think Rahim is one of those guys who's well liked in the media. I don't know. It seems like a good guy. Seems like a fun guy to kick it with. But it'd be hard to have much faith in that situation right now. The other thing is like compare him to Todd Bowles. Like Todd Bowles is good. They have gone back to back years now where they've needed an offensive coordinator.

They've just hired two good offensive coordinators. That organization knows how to draft. So it's like you're going up. up against Tampa, who is just a well-run organization. How are you going to compete with that? And the reality is you're not. They're going to keep winning it. With so many meaningless games and playoff teams resting starters,

do you think the NFL needs to rethink the playoff seeding format? One thought I had to give the top three seeds to the three division winners, then seed four to seven based on record. It would intensify the race for the three seed, since the 4th Division winner may have to go on the road. The Rams game would be meaningful today. Pittsburgh, Houston, and L.A. Chargers would have a ton of the line trying to earn a home game. And a team like Detroit, Minnesota would be rewarded with one home game for winning 14 games.

It just seems like something needs to be done. I hear you, but for whatever reason the NFL, baseball does this too, puts an emphasis on winning the division. you get a, you know, a large gap. There's a difference of, like, you get more credit when you win the division. Even if your division on a given year sucks. Because you play that, you know, you play every team in your division twice. So baseball does the same thing. Like, you've had, one year the Dodgers were a wild card and won like 106 games.

But if you were in a division, you won 95 and you won the division, like, you just skipped a wildcard spot. and obviously the NFL has done this for a long period of time that if you win a division you're getting a home game I really don't have a problem with it because if you look at the if you really look at both conferences this year the AFC South really sucked but even like the Rams winning that

was a competitive division I got no issue with it it's not something I think about that much week 18 just historically is always somewhat of a throwaway. And the reality is as long as they have one or two good games, you could argue that's all that matters. I'm cool with it because it kind of felt a little more chill from me on my side,

but I hear you. My question for the mailbag is, what steps would you take or suggest as a former NFL scout to help the Steelers compete in the AFC? We've spent plenty of capital on the O-line. We failed to get any better on offense if we're being. honest. Highest paid defense and we just keep doubling down on that side of the ball money-wise. I truly don't understand what has happened to the franchise that always could draft and develop offensive talent. I do think ever since, you know, really good Rathasberger, it's really

exposed everything. You could function with, I would say, average offensive linemen and make them look good because of him. Obviously, offensive skill-wise, you've always been able to draft wide receivers. But it's one thing to go from like Plaxico to Emmanuel Sanders to Antonio Brown to this kid who's clearly got some talent, but he ain't fucking Antonio Brown.

And I think they're putting the pressure on him to be like some superstar, like BR. Carius. You know, like we see wide receivers do sometimes. Act like AJ Brown. Act like C.D. Lamb. We're just going to feed you the pill. It's like, yeah, I don't know if he can. I don't know if that's really working.

So to me, they put all their eggs in his basket, and George Pickens is a major wild card. Fryer moose good. You know, they drafted Naji in the first round. Like, I think if they had a do-over, they would not have taken him. Clearly, they didn't pick up his fifth-year option. He's a fine, he's okay, solid starter, but he's probably more like a third or fourth-round pick.

I don't know, man. I just think it's a quarterback situation. then you draft Kenny Pickett and it's like what are we doing then you get this situation where if you're ever bragging about two free agents that you either trade for or sign like we didn't have to spend any money it's like okay it's cool if it's like a guard or like a linebacker if it's your quarterback room it's one thing when the guy's on a rookie contract but part of the bragging like we didn't have to spend any money and listen it was the best

option but like it's ultimately the reason they're here they clearly just don't think Justin Fields can play I know he was banged up a couple weeks ago and was in active in one of the games, but they just don't put him in. They don't trust him to throw at all. And Russell, let's face it, like the guy that we all Harold did as this Hall of Fame talent in Seattle feels like a long, long time ago. And the dynamic attribute of his game still throws a nice deep ball, but that's about it. He ain't really running around like he used to.

Now that Belichick has a new job, which coaches do you think can breathe a little easier? Siriani comes to mind. Also, who do you think will be the surprise firing of the year? And which team is in need of a coach do you think will get a surprise hire? For example, something like the Bears hiring Ryan Day. Yeah, I think Siriani, because of the two coordinators, unless the Packers were to beat him like 50 to 20,

I think he's pretty safe and I think they're going to give this regime you know obviously the rest of this year and then next year would Jerry have hired Belichick would Belichick have been interested with Jerry did Belichick know when he took the North Carolina job that McCarthy wasn't going to get fired

I would say Todd Bowles would have been a guy just because of Jason Light's connection with Bill but like Todd's doing a good job You know, it doesn't feel like the Raiders are keeping Antonio Pierce as of recording this Monday afternoon, but would Mark Davis, he hired Josh McDaniels and all those guys. Now, obviously, Belichick's a lot different. Josh McDaniels as a head coach, but still, I don't know if,

I think that's why Bill took the UNC job. I don't think there were a lot of options, and I think he kind of knew it. And I think the Eagles thing was something that was real last year. year, but kind of just has gone away. I mean, when you're the number two seed and you look destined to be in like the NFC championship game, it wouldn't shock me if Marcus Freeman interviewed, if Ryan Day interviewed, I'm not even saying the Bears, I'm just saying like some covert interviews. Matt Campbell had a really good year at Iowa State. But I do think there are a lot of

good NFL candidates. You got Ben Johnson, you got Aaron Glenn, you got Mike Vrable. There weren't that many jobs open either if McCarthy stays. So I have no clue what the Bears are going to do. None. I mean, I have no feel for that. It doesn't really feel like a college guy's going to make the jump. It really doesn't. And who's to say, like, Ryan Day or Marcus Freeman?

I mean, those guys were making like $11, $12 million. I bet the Bears were just paying Iber Flutes like $5 million. So to get me to leave Ohio State or Notre Dame, you'd have to pay me like $15 million a year. The Bears are going to do that? I would say the Jags, but the Jags tried that with Urban Meyer and it blew up in their face. I guess the one guy in we've mentioned him before would be Kirby Smart. But I don't know.

It feels like he's got a pretty good thing going to Georgia. Again, makes a ton of money. Has, I don't want to say he's on scholarship for life, but it feels like he at minimums got. He'd have to be a disaster to get like five more years. He played there. He's already won two natties. They just, the two sweet guys that transfer portal to USC, he just landed them both. The little return guy branch.

So I do think he would be interested if he wasn't at like his dream school where he's just the boss and the most important guy in campus. I think Lane Kiffin would love to do it. Would anyone hire Lane? I don't know. You know, I think Brian Kelly won. Once Upon a time was definitely a guy. His stock has fallen dramatically. Why would Sark's got a pretty good gig at Texas?

So I think part of it is these guys in college now make so much money. They're the GM. And yeah, they don't have one owner they answer to. They got to answer to some boosters. They got an answer to the chancellor and they got an answer to the AD. But it's a pretty good gig. Everyone that tries to shit on college, like, oh my God. It's like, it's not that bad guys.

I have the top schools. Coached the Texas, Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan. Pays a shit load. You get unlimited first round picks. You get a huge NIL budget. So I get sitting here right now, I would never say never. But I wouldn't anticipate one of like the Ryan Day, Marcus Freeman, Kirby Smart, Sark, like that type guy,

becoming a coach this cycle. And if I was a team, I would be hesitant to do it. I'd be very, I mean, look at it. All these guys are freaking out about NIL. Bellichick's like, I want to do that. Well, if you're freaking out about NIL, like the college, or I mean the pros, like, they make way more money in the pros. And yeah, they're under contract and it's different, but still, you're dealing with Tyree Kill, I'm out. Like, you deal with a lot of, these guys have huge, huge platforms and brands.

So it's like, well, you can't deal with some 20-year-old making 500 G's. How do you deal with the, you know, the crazy wide receiver making 28? Godspeed to you. So I guess overall I would lean no college guy. Though I think it'd be a cool story and I'm not opposed to it. I hope it happens because I would love to talk about it. But yeah, I doubt that happens. I think these college guys, Ryan Day is one more win away from like people forgetting about that Michigan game pretty quickly.

Okay, we will talk to you tomorrow. Have a great day. Have a great. afternoon, morning, whenever you're listening to this, and we will talk soon. The Volume. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin.

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