The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Live from the NFL Combine with Eagles GM Howie Roseman and PFT’s Mike Florio

Episode Date: February 29, 2024

John is still at the combine and gives his take on the latest with Justin Fields and the Bears, who he thinks Washington will take at number two, and who are some big name players that we could see ge...t traded this off-season. Later, John sits down with the Eagles GM, Howie Roseman to discuss the rough ending to the season and the importance of being at the combine for the Eagles organization. Lastly, PFT's Mike Florio stops by and talks with John about the "Big Dom" situation, if all the coaches should be at the combine to meet with players, will Bill Belichick be back in the NFL this year or next, and which big name player he thinks is going to be traded. 5:22 - Fields is done in Chicago 8:05 - Who will go number 2 10:31 - Will a star get traded 15:50 - Does anyone care about Russ 27:00 - Howie Roseman 27:58 - Eagles and the combine 33:10 - Mike Florio 34:00 - Mike doubles down on Big Dom 37:30 - Should all coaches be at the combine 41:39 - Fields and the Bears 46:57 - Crazy that Belichick isn't in the league 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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Starting point is 00:02:45 Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.com slash promos for deposit wagering in eligibility restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, my people, live from the Combine, voices coming back in a big way, thank God. And John Middle Class 3 and out, that's the podcast, that's myself. We have a big show coming up. I want to do, because I realized yesterday when I was talking to a bunch of people, like, I'm not even following what's happening. And there were a bunch of stories from Caleb to Justin Jefferson to Russell Wilson.
Starting point is 00:03:30 So I'll start the podcast off by reacting to some just thought. on what's flying around the combine. Then I will talk to Howie. He had to go to a meeting, probably a trade or something. So I only got him for like five or six minutes. Big Dom comes over for a split second. And then I also talk to Mike Florio for about 25, 30 minutes. So we will have Roseman and Florio, who are kind of like in a weird way,
Starting point is 00:03:58 enemies, but also buddies. So it kind of fits perfectly. We talked to some other guys today that, We'll have podcasts coming out. We'll have Jason Light on tomorrow's podcast, and we'll figure out some more guys coming up. So we got a packed house. It's been fun here at the Combine. We've got a lot going on.
Starting point is 00:04:15 It's definitely slowing down a little bit here with the GMs and the coaches no longer coming. It's going to start the workouts now. But had a good time. I'm still here for another 24 hours, so we'll have more podcasts flying out. But make sure you subscribe to Three and Out. If you haven't already, if you listen on Collins' feed. YouTube will have all the content up. Breers interview is up, right?
Starting point is 00:04:34 right now. So go check that out. If you already listened, I know a lot of you guys DM and me that you enjoyed it. That's good. And of course, thevolume.com, we have merch. But before we dive into some football stuff, here's the thing. I got my cell phone right next to me. And I have an app on that cell phone. It happens to be my favorite app because of the official ticketing app of this podcast. Game time. If you want to go to an event, right? The NCAA tournament's right around the corner. You got spring trainings already going. Florida, Arizona. You live in a cold weather place. come to the sun. You want to go to a concert this spring or this summer? I got you covered. Go to GameTime, download it. Promocode John. J-O-H-N, J-O-H-N. $20 off. Any pair of tickets.
Starting point is 00:05:13 I've been using them for a long time. Price points, remarkable flash deals. You can search by the venue where you want to sit the sight lines. Cannot recommend them enough. Download the game time app. promo code John. Okay, let's start with the biggest story of the day. And I don't even think it's close and I think it's pretty clear from just keeping my ear, talking to people in the league, obviously just knowing people that talk to people around the organization and watching Poles and Iber Fluse talk. Justin Fields is done and he's been done since last year. It's over.
Starting point is 00:05:51 He's going to be on another team. Caleb Williams is going to be drafted by him. This is no longer, it's technically still a story because it hasn't become unofficial, It can't even become official till March 11th, but he's not going to be the quarterback of the Bears. And honestly, that was probably determined the moment Carolina was a lock to get the number one pick. And Ryan Poles, I'm sure, has a couple trades that he would like a do-over on. He's also had some really good trades. But that trade with the Carolina Panthers has a chance to be one of the great fleecings of all time.
Starting point is 00:06:23 Let's be real. I mean, the Carolina Panthers now have a quarterback that weighs 165 pounds whose team sucks. on a second coach. Like, they got problems. But the Chicago Bears now have a chance to take Caleb Williams. And I would imagine a lot of people think that Justin Fields is going to be on the Chicago or the Atlanta Falcons. I don't know. There are several teams.
Starting point is 00:06:46 But I do think when you look at the landscape of this is the question with the Fields compensation is, we have some recent examples of Sam Darnold who got traded and they picked up his fifth-year option for a second-round pick. and they immediately regretted it. Baker Mayfield had his fifth year option picked up by the Browns, and then they had to eat the money to trade him. These are complicated situations because this is a business. This isn't fantasy fucking football here. So when you trade for Justin Fields, you have to go,
Starting point is 00:07:15 well, am I going to pick up his contract? I have some people think that they will try to do one of those Jordan Love type extensions at a lower number. I just know these situations are complicated. We've seen them. So you almost have to believe if you're going to trade a second round pick in Justin. fields that you can resurrect his career into at least a really solid player. Like right now he's a runner who can kind of have some explosive passes outside the construct
Starting point is 00:07:39 of the offense, but he can't throw it within the pocket. And that's a problem in the NFL. But, you know, and they're going to bet on Caleb Williams, which I've said over and over. He's a legitimate prospect. But being a great prospect does not mean you're a great player. So you go to the Bears who it's been well documented, it's struggled at the quarterback position, struggled at the offense of just overall operation most of my life so there's going to be a lot of pressure on that but Caleb Williams is going to be a bear then the other question who goes
Starting point is 00:08:13 number two and I think that is definitely up in the air and I think that is the biggest question going into the draft Caleb Williams going one is it Drake mayor jaden Daniels and then once that guy goes two the other guy is going three so I think all eyes point to the Washington commanders, who Adam Peters, who might have the best hair here in the NFL, and Dan Quinn and Cliff Kingsbury. Some people think that there's a chance that they go Jaden Daniels, more of a spread quarterback, big-time athlete, kind of of the mold of Kyler. And then I've talked to other people at the moment Drake May walks into one of these rooms
Starting point is 00:08:54 and you just see his size and his potential. Because not like Caleb Williams, you're a prospect. These teams don't view, even Lincoln Riley, like, we view we're better than you at our job than you are. Fair or not. Right? So I think the whole thing with this number two is about projecting. It's not about year one. It's about five years from now, right?
Starting point is 00:09:18 The bills did this once upon a time with Josh Allen. Obviously, there are a lot of positive examples. There are also ones that go the other way. This isn't an exact science. There's no guarantee. You're dealing with human beings, not widgets. So watching who's going to go number two and number three. Like I've said, I haven't watched Jaden Daniels enough to have like a concrete opinion.
Starting point is 00:09:39 And when I did watch Drake Major in the middle of the season, I didn't see it. But I know football and the draft isn't all about at quarterback, like who are you playing with? Who's coaching you? I'm not trying to make excuses for the guy, but he might just not be good. But he's definitely a good prospect when you factor in. part of being a prospect is the measurables, the movement, the athleticism, the arm strength. Jaden has that, right? Big time athlete, good arm.
Starting point is 00:10:08 Like the one thing with Jaden, I think a lot of people wonder is you go, well, this guy played with two wide receivers who are going to go in the top 15. So that's a fair question. Like, he's going to go to a team that probably doesn't have that. Now, the commanders actually have some skill guys, but I'm fascinated how this all plays out. and right the bears have the same administration from last year where you look at the commanders brand new people you look at new england obviously brand new people going to be very very fascinating other thing that's clearly out there is someone's going to get traded if not multiple
Starting point is 00:10:41 guys are going to get traded and t higgins brandon i yuk the chiefs are they going to tag and trade one of these guys you can't pay everybody even with the cap going up i saw john schneider said yesterday. He thought the cap was like 248, 249, so he was thrilled when he got that extra $6,7 million, you know, when the cap came out of $255 million. And listen, you can manipulate the cap. It's not like, this isn't basketball where every guy's exact number hits the cap. You know, you push it back like a credit card. But when you start hearing numbers like $28 million for T. Higgins or 25 plus for Brandon Ayyuk. I've always said this about the NBA. I don't give a shit when the cap goes up or whatever. You pay premiums, the guy better be a premium.
Starting point is 00:11:28 If I'm going to pay an enormous amount of money, the guy better be Travis Kelsey, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, T.J. Watt. I don't like paying premiums for guys that like, yeah, he's a really good player. So when that's the case, even when you love the guy, like I think, I know the Chiefs love Sneed and they love Chris Jones. I know for a fact the 49ers love Brennan Ayyuk. I don't know anyone with the Bengals, but pretty sure they like the Higgins. He's fucking good. But this is a business, and you have to make tough choices. So, and the Niners have a highly paid wide receiver. His name's Debo Samuel. The Bengals have a guy that they are going to pay an astronomical amount of money to in Jamar Chase. The chiefs have a young corner who looks
Starting point is 00:12:12 like the next, like Charles Woodson in Trent McDuffie. So you have to make these big picture decisions. And it's easier. All these teams, you know, have had success. Obviously, the chiefs have had the most. It's easy to make tough decisions when you're winning because you have more equity with the fans and the owner. So I think one, if not multiple, these guys are getting traded. And I think the complicated part about these trades is, so I'm trading for a wide receiver who's a really good player. Like Brandon I, you, T. Higgins, they come to my team and they immediately make me better. They become a guy that has a chance to be a top 10 wide receiver in the NFL. But I have to give up a really high pick, right? I mean, I think both these teams are
Starting point is 00:12:52 going to want somewhere between like 15 and the early 20s to make a trade. And then I have to pay the guy $25 to $28 million a year where it's like, why don't I just sit in that spot and draft the best wide receiver on the board? Now, the complicated part is it's hard. And I saw it with the Niners when they traded to Forrest Buckner. They traded Buckner and they got picked 13. They're like, Holy shit. That is the best value I've ever seen. And they took Javon Kinlaw. So like having the value is great. And then you got to pick the player. And the Chiefs, when they traded Tyree Kilt, they got Trent McDuffey. So when you make the trade, you better get the right player. That's the key. So I think want some of these offers for some of these players, it's going to be
Starting point is 00:13:36 fascinating to how it works out. But there's definitely going to be some movement. There's been some buzz and rumblings about Justin Jefferson. The entire point of being a football organization as a GM, as a coaching staff, as a front office, is to land players like Justin Jefferson. That's the entire job. Obviously, the number one job, find your quarterback. And then after that, find sweet players at all the main positions. And they have a guy.
Starting point is 00:14:04 So I saw Kevin O'Connell said yesterday, we haven't had internal, external, there have been no conversations. Now, I do understand, so if you're talking to, 25 million from Brandon Iuke, Justin Jefferson's looking what the fuck do you think he wants? 40 plus million dollars a year. Could you trade him for like three ones? I mean, you entertain these ideas. This is their job. These conversations going in all these hotel rooms would blow people away.
Starting point is 00:14:31 The guy's getting discussed. I mean, think about it. Who's not getting discussed this week? Probably like 15 players that never come up in a conversation, right? Mahomes, Lamar. Herbert, Alan, like Trent Williams,
Starting point is 00:14:50 T.J. Watt. I mean, it's a small group of players that would never get discussed. I promise you, names get thrown around constantly. Like, 98% of the league is discussed. And especially when you have contractual situations with players.
Starting point is 00:15:05 But I think when you make a decision like this to keep them, which they should, but as long as you don't have a quarterback, You have to kind of leave your options open. So I do take them at face value to go they haven't discussed this, but people are going to ask about it. And that gets back to the thing.
Starting point is 00:15:24 So I got to trade a couple ones for Justin Jefferson, and then I got to pay him, I don't know, $100 million guaranteed. These deals can be very complicated because of the financial ramifications, because of the draft capital you have to give up to give him. And it's not like they can just give him up for two picks in the 20s. I mean, it's one of the best, most talented players they've had in the last like 20 years. like Adrian Peterson Randy Moss, he's that level of
Starting point is 00:15:48 physical talent. Now I'm not saying he's going to have the career. He's got to stay healthy. But these situations are complicated. And last, I think the Russell Wilson situation, I'm kind of exhausted by it. Russ, you've kind of sucked the last two years. I just feel a little sympathy. You know, the media who I'm sitting around right now
Starting point is 00:16:09 just always leans on the side of the player. They're always right. You know, it's always fucked up. In business, you can ask for whatever you want. You get what you negotiate. Do you feel sympathy because they asked him? He had the right to say no. Welcome to a negotiation.
Starting point is 00:16:23 They're not always pretty. Listen, are the Broncos right? Is he right? End of the day, he's been stealing for two years, right? Now, you can argue he earned that contract with Seattle. That's fine. The Broncos, and they made a massive mistake by signing it. But like, once you sign a huge contract, it's the same in any business.
Starting point is 00:16:40 Why are we having like a commercial real estate? falling apart all over major cities in America because they had signed these huge contracts and all these people left and now they're like at a fork in the road the value of the buildings down these situations get complicated when you talk a lot of money.
Starting point is 00:16:56 Most situations in the NFL are not that complicated. Why? Because they don't have the amount of guaranteed money that quarterbacks have. So when a guy sucks for a couple of years you just cut them. You just move on, eat a little dead money. The quarterback situations can be complicated because you guarantee NBA major league baseball level money to them. as long as the guy's good, no one gives a shit.
Starting point is 00:17:15 Right? Lamar Jackson, they pay him a bunch of money. He's good. You don't even think twice. Patrick Mahomes, they gave him $450 million. Josh Allen, they gave him $250 million. He's awesome. Like, whatever, you never even crossed your mind. Well, the moment I give Russell Wilson all this money,
Starting point is 00:17:29 and then he plays like a bottom 15 quarterback, we're in major fucking trouble. And that's where they've been. And then you had Sean Peyton, who when Colin talks about this a lot, like, it's kind of a crazy man, in a good football way. Russell Wilson's like this, you know, optimistic, never, he just said, he just claimed he wants to win two Super Bowl's in the next five years. And listen, I'm all for like positive reinforcement. That stuff works.
Starting point is 00:17:52 I'm not acting like being negative Nancy 24-7 is the way to be. Andy Reid, who's dominating the NFL, is a positive person. Pete Carroll is one of the most successful coaches for the last 20 years. I'm pro being positive. But Russell's saying I want to win two of the next five Super Bowls. That's the level of stuff that people just laugh at them. I mean, it's like, shut up, man. Let's just get your career back on track.
Starting point is 00:18:18 You are going to have to play next year when you're cut. Someone's going to try to sign you for the minimum. It's why the Pittsburgh Steelers makes them sense. They just sign them for a million dollars. And I've also thought about this with the Steelers. What's he going to do, go in there and act weird in front of like Cam Hayward, T.J. Watt, Mika Fitzpatrick. Like, they don't really have Mike Tomlin.
Starting point is 00:18:38 they don't really operate like that. You know, part of Pete's deal, it's super optimistic, then he gets Nathaniel Hackett, like, oh, Mr. Smiley, that shit. Pittsburgh is like, they don't play that game. So I actually think it's a positive place
Starting point is 00:18:51 for him to go in the sense that he doesn't have a choice. He kind of has to just buckle down and figure it out. And if he doesn't, like that, let's win three Super Bowls the next four years. People are like, let's just win a playoff game. Can we just win a playoff game?
Starting point is 00:19:05 So I think the rough situation was inevitable. Some things are inevitable for the moment they happened, right? The moment Sean Payton came into Denver, Russ was in trouble. The moment Sam Darnold was signed with the 49ers, Trey Lance was done. Right. The moment they traded for Aaron Rogers, it was like, why are you still keeping Zach? Well, like, some things like, you just got to move on. Now they get more complicated when you have a Russell situation. Sean Payton didn't sign that contract. And he has a huge amount of money sitting there, guaranteed. And these situations are tough, right? He's getting, and cut, just like Justin Fields is getting traded. These things are happening, and you just wonder,
Starting point is 00:19:44 where's it going to go? I think there are a lot of people taking educated guesses, but that's what's fun about this time of year. There's a couple places that you can see them go. There's not a million. There's not like an unlimited amount of spots, right? And once those two guys take spots, if Russ is traded to Atlanta, or not traded, but cut and signs there, let's just use that as hypothetical, or Justin Fields is traded there for a second round pick, then we can, you know, go, well, Atlanta's not drafting a quarterback. We don't think Pittsburgh necessarily is. Let's say New England, either signs, Russ, or trades for Justin Fields.
Starting point is 00:20:18 They go, well, maybe they trade back. That was another thing I heard. Maybe they've been sniffing around trading back. Also heard that New England wasn't that big on Fields a couple years ago when he came out. It's weird. I thought Fields was a pretty good prospect. But a lot of people in the NFL, I mean, did not like him as a prospect. I didn't think he saw it, which has kind of come to fruition in the NFL.
Starting point is 00:20:37 because part of seeing it is like rapid fire. Like you, and some guys improve on it. Like Lamar Jackson is like light years better now than he was when he first started. But he was way better immediately. I mean, I saw some people like comparing their two stats. Like fucking watches you guys.
Starting point is 00:20:56 It's not, it wasn't close three years in. Like, well, his team. I thought Fields's team wasn't that terrible this year. But everyone tries to make excuses for him. Same thing with Russ. It's like you watch them. You know.
Starting point is 00:21:07 something's off. Now, these coaches have big egos, man. These coaches have a lot of belief in themselves. And now you get Arthur Smith in Pittsburgh, do they go, we can figure this out. Right. One thing I heard with the Cleveland Browns, for example, man, and I was saying this all last year, is the Browns have to figure out a way to make Deshawn Watson a solid player. Because this cap hit is enormous the next three years. It's like $60 plus million. And I talked to someone around the Browns yesterday. that's a huge emphasis here. Why they change their staff. It's about, we've got to make Deshawn good.
Starting point is 00:21:41 Because their team's not going to be as deep anymore. They don't have the capability because Deshawn's cap number so large. So it's either Deshawn does well this year or we're going to be in trouble. And when I say does well, not like Russell Wilson, like, oh, he looks a little better. Like, no, competes to be a pro-bow level guy. Think who they're going up against in the AFA. Hell, I talked to 10 guys with the chiefs yesterday. Around here, back at the hotel, they all said, God, the A.
Starting point is 00:22:05 AFC's a lot of quarterbacks. I'm like, well, yeah, you got the best one, though. It's like, yeah, the NBA's got a lot of good players. Like, well, you got Michael Jordan. So, huge advantage. It's like, yeah, they do have a lot of good quarterbacks, but when you got the best one, you always got the advantage. So Deshawn, think of who he truly has to play better then, right?
Starting point is 00:22:23 And I don't mean on a weekly basis, but just be able to be like, at least in the conversation. Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson right now in a different stratosphere. I think everyone with a brain is, betting on Herbert to be good now that he's got Harbaugh. And, like, just that crew alone. Like, I was BSing with Doug Peterson yesterday. And, like, it was just a real conversation.
Starting point is 00:22:46 I asked him, like, what do you think about the quarterback? And, like, without hesitation, he's like, I really like him. I think he's going to be fine. He's banged up last year. He's going to be okay. Now, I'm not as big a believer as him, and I don't think he's just saying that to say it. Like, I think he likes him.
Starting point is 00:22:59 That's why he took the job. But let's just say they get him just playing at a solid level. CJ Stroud. I didn't even think about him. I mean, you just got a lot of guys. This is not going to be easy. And say what you want about, Tua, his infrastructure, with McDaniel, the offensive players around him,
Starting point is 00:23:16 they play in a warm weather climate. Burroughs coming back, you've got to figure this out, and you've got to figure it out fast. So, combine, the stories that are going to come out left and right over the weekend and moving toward free agency. This is a fun time of year. I saw how he was talking about. in Floreo yesterday and he said that
Starting point is 00:23:35 as a GM, once the season gets going, like we don't coach the team and there are really only so many moves you can make, but a lot of stuff's out of the front office's control. Well, this time a year, it's not. This is the time of year where the front office separates each other, you know,
Starting point is 00:23:51 from other teams. It's like walking around here, you see people with the different logos. I'd say half the teams in the league don't have a snowball's chance in hell to compete. Zero. I mean, they just have no shot. and then you got like the next half of that 15, 17 teams. They're like, you know, if they hit on a couple guys, they definitely could be playoff teams.
Starting point is 00:24:12 And then you got the top six or seven teams in the league that are running circles around everybody. Like Andy and Veach, like it's not really a fair fight. Got the best coach. You have easily one of the best talent evaluators. They know exactly like everyone thinks. Like the way the Ravens operate, the way the Niners are operating, like McVeigh and Les Sneed, you have teams that are just on a different level. Like, Siriani's very dependent on his coordinators, but they have a high.
Starting point is 00:24:33 high-level operation. If those coordinators are good, and Kellyn Moore and Vic Vanjor are big upgrades, even the Cowboys. Like, I'm not betting on them to win playoff games anymore, but they're clearly a well-run operation. A lot of these teams are not. So this time of year, making the right decisions, GMs know what they're doing, knowing who to pay, knowing who not to pay, knowing who to trade for, and who not to trade for. So much buzz and free agency about, like, oh, this team has the most cap space. This team opened up this much room. To pay who? Now, I like paying your own guys when you got really good young players. Extending them, it's expensive.
Starting point is 00:25:06 But, like, other free agents, that's very, very risky. They're usually free agents for reason, and you have to pay a premium on top of that to get the guy. So it's like, well, this guy's not even an A player, but I got to pay him like an A player. It's always risky. And a lot of these guys, especially older guys, third contracts, you know, most guys are not quarterbacks that play well into their mid-30s. This is the NFL. So fun times here from Indy.
Starting point is 00:25:29 Let's talk to briefly, but it was a fun little chat. with a guy I used to call my boss, Eagles GM, Harry Roseman. 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.
Starting point is 00:25:56 Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, CliverTaylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.
Starting point is 00:26:22 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.
Starting point is 00:26:55 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan,
Starting point is 00:27:17 so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:27:44 Here with a Super Bowl champion. I like that. Howie Roseman, former boss. Howie, what's up? Hey, John, what's going on, man? You look tan, well-rested, man. The pod life serving you well. I feel like I should be interviewing you.
Starting point is 00:27:57 What am I doing wrong? You want to become a podcaster? No. No. You're having too much fun. I am. I love what I do. I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by great people.
Starting point is 00:28:06 Okay, we got to keep us quick. I know you've got to roll, obviously, this season, one of the crazier ones you've ever been involved in? Yeah, I think just that, you know, the season's always a roller coaster ride. You know, this one, you're going all the way up, and then, you know, kind of went down a little bit further than we thought, but great learning opportunity for us. and now you're in the off season, and it's like, how can we do better? What can we do better? And, you know, that starts with me. And so I look forward to the opportunity.
Starting point is 00:28:31 We've got a great staff. We've got a great group of people to try to make sure that, you know, we're not having an ending like we did last year. How big is this time for you? You know, meetings, free agencies, trades. Obviously, you're known as one of the wheelers and dealers of the league. Yeah. Is this a normal combine or just? I think you're always trying to just accumulate information, you know,
Starting point is 00:28:50 try to get as much information as you can to make good decisions. and I think that's really what is. We want to stack good decisions upon good decisions, and that doesn't mean that everything we do is going to work out. Certainly that hasn't been this case. But if we make a lot of good decisions, it gives our chance a team-in-chance-combe for championships. How do you not take too big a deal over what happened
Starting point is 00:29:09 the last, whatever, five, six weeks of the season and try to take the totality of everything? Does that come with experience? I think what for me, my process, no matter how the season ends, is, you know, I think I get away a little bit. and I get to a place where I can with fresh eyes, kind of go back over the season and watch the tape and watch our players with fresh eyes as opposed to what I think my perspective is. And I think that and I do it away from the building a little bit.
Starting point is 00:29:36 And I think what that does is it gives me a vision of what we need to improve and the areas that maybe are better than I thought and maybe worse than I thought, you know, just based on going through the season and watching each week and having this big picture perspective. So, you know, got through that, and then you go and you try to execute. And I think, you know, for me, some of the experience lessons are sometimes, you know, you go about and you try to do something and it doesn't work out. And sometimes it's the best thing that could happen because another opportunity comes about. And so team building, roster building, it's a year-round activity,
Starting point is 00:30:10 but certainly when you talk about March, April, May, big opportunities to do. And now, you know, Kellyn Moore, who you guys obviously played against for years in Dallas, and Fangio, who was working with you guys. last year, you've seen him forever. Yeah, forever. What you're feeling like with those two guys right now? Well, I think a coach did an unbelievable job of vetting candidates and obviously excited about the guys that he hired and they're fit in Philly.
Starting point is 00:30:33 And now we've got to spying with players. You know, I think that at the end of the day, our job is important. You know, the players are what win games in this league. And, you know, I got to do my part to make sure that coach around he has a chance to have really good players. How many hours of sleep per night here? Last night wasn't a good start. Not a great start because, you know, you got all, you obviously have these interviews. You have meetings here.
Starting point is 00:30:56 And then you also got league meetings. And so, you know, but it's, it's good seeing people. It's good seeing people like you. It's said that you don't get to see all year. You know, I saw somebody yesterday. And I thought I saw it. Because I speak to him and I thought of someone. He's like, I haven't seen you since last March.
Starting point is 00:31:10 And I'm like, no way. I felt like I saw you three months ago. So these things go quicker and quicker, my man. Well, howie, when's your first deal, you think? Next couple weeks or, you know. Well, we were assigned a couple of players, you know. The Eagles always got something, woof, and then it's just
Starting point is 00:31:23 be prepared? Is that fair? I got to tell you, is that your catchphrase right there? No, that was pretty good. That was a lot of energy. You know, and the Internet streets, you know, Howie Roseman, the Eagles. Yeah, well, I'll stay away from those streets.
Starting point is 00:31:37 No, no breaking news right now. No breaking news right now. No one player on the draft board? Bob, they're leaving. No, no, we're getting out of here. Don's next. Dom's next. Dom will get you the most podcast,
Starting point is 00:31:49 whatever votes you need. He'd get me a million views in like 10 minutes. I know, I know. We'll see. Hey, Dom, can you just show your face? He needs some views on his podcast. Yeah, can we just one? Can we get one comment?
Starting point is 00:32:01 You can get one comment. Because I support him, and he's the thing. Come here really quick. This guy is one of the more talented people in the National Football League, his relationship with our players, his ability to identify talent. He's a special guy. Ask one guy that supported you the whole time, the voice right here. Absolutely, definitely.
Starting point is 00:32:16 You're my guy. That's my guy. Thanks for having me. Thank you. Okay, let's dive into a, you know, I've known this guy for a while. I used to have him on the radio show. He runs what I think many would consider the most successful and biggest NFL website. Very polarizing individual, Mike Floreo.
Starting point is 00:32:38 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.
Starting point is 00:33:01 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, Cliver 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.
Starting point is 00:33:29 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
Starting point is 00:34:00 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:34:42 Okay, here with the founder, and current president? Founder, owner, CEO, CEO, CEO, C-O-O-O. guy who cleans the toilets of a website that obviously fans, but more importantly, the whole league reads, and listen,
Starting point is 00:34:59 this is my type guy. We don't always agree. Now, you wouldn't know because I'm just reading you. I've heard some things you've said about me and I can't remember what they are, but I remember being pissed off at you and then I forget about it.
Starting point is 00:35:09 But I like your style. You'll talk some shit and my former boss, Howie, and you guys have a nice little good back and forth. I love Howie, and there are times where I want to strangle Howie,
Starting point is 00:35:20 but I love Howie. my guy, Dom DeSandro, I don't think is too happy with you right now. I don't know what Dom's problem is, but you know what? It's his problem. Wasn't that big a deal? Let's be real. Well, no. It wasn't a big deal. Well, but... And I'm a nineer guy. It wasn't that big deal. If you're on the sideline and you're not a player and you're not a coach,
Starting point is 00:35:41 stay the fuck off the white line. That's easy rule. Stay off the white line. And don't go throwing yourself around like you're some big shit that you're going to get in the middle of this. You're not there because people are like, he's security. Well, this isn't a club. He's not a bouncer at a club when he's at a game. He's not there to help the officials keep the piece. Back off and let the officials keep the peace. Don't go putting your hands on other players.
Starting point is 00:36:04 It's a fairly clear, bright line. Don't go putting your hands on other players. He's not part of the process that would be putting his hands on other players. I don't disagree with you there. Like, it was a mistake. It happened and we just move on. You don't believe he should be kicked out of the league. I mean, you should be kicked out of league for it.
Starting point is 00:36:18 I just thought, look. He was fine to $100,000. Well, we'll see if he paid it. Sources that he paid. Okay. But. Coming from the big guy. But the reality is...
Starting point is 00:36:28 There's a lot of money, Mike. I don't know. It's a lot of money. He's got a coach. I understand that, but I'm sure he'll get it back one way or the other from Jeff Lurier. You know, you get a little bonus here or there. There are ways to supplement your income. But the point is, like...
Starting point is 00:36:42 Because I got to be careful what's on the record, off the record. But I've heard from people that, like, Dom was upset. It's like, well, I don't care if Dom's. upset. No, he was upset. Well, that's fine. I mean, don't, don't step onto the white line and push a guy. It's not my fault. I didn't force him to do it. He did it. And that's when you, that was the game of the week, except for Sunday night football on NBC. That was the game of the afternoon. One of the games of the years with the buildup. Right. And it's a key moment. And Dray Greenlaw gets ejected. That's stupid. I mean, that, he shouldn't have. But that's what makes it a bigger
Starting point is 00:37:14 deal. Yeah, I agree. I agree. For that for the little grazing, you know, it was like a grazing of the chin. The whole thing was dumb. Yeah. But the point is, I, like, if you're going to be mad at the aftermath and the fallout from what you do, then just don't do it. Don't be, don't be mad at the people who react to what you do. Well, it's a person. He's a human. You get mad at people, I'm sure, over the years. I mean, but I, but I, I don't know the guy. I got no agenda against the guy. He's a Italian. He's a compadre. He's a Pisano. I'm not, I mean, I'm not wired to go after the guy. It just had happened. And I think I was talking to Sims yesterday, because Sims was talking to him and he was bitching about it. It's like, come on, man. But he's mad because of some
Starting point is 00:37:52 email I sent to the league. I found the email I sent last night. I sent an email asking simple questions. Here's what happened. Here are my questions about it. They were very innocuous. So you were being, I didn't know that. You were asking the league for comments about the situation. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like what happened? Your journalist? Yeah, exactly. Well, I don't know what I am, but I've learned over time how to find the answers to questions and I have a pipeline to the league. It's like, here's what happened. Help me understand the rule.
Starting point is 00:38:20 What are the consequences for this? You know, because earlier in the year, they sent out a memo about these incidents that can happen. Right. And it turned out that they had a separate memo that was sent out, specifically for guys like DeSandro,
Starting point is 00:38:37 about staying a fuck out of the white line. So I he only had himself to blame and if he's got a problem with anything I said, it is his problem. And if he's mad about anything I said, I'm not apologized for anything I said because I didn't say anything you should be upset about
Starting point is 00:38:51 Okay, let's uh, let's move No point in reaction I know I did I did I did I got Donald Zach I'm supporting the big guy I go wherever the wind takes me What's uh you know you support the big guy tell him in the future Don't go in the way line who's the most angry at you here right now you think I don't know who else here What a lot of coaches
Starting point is 00:39:09 Listen I Andy reads here Belichick never missed this Some of these guys missing like I don't know I'll give you an example I'll give an example I think they should be here. That'd be my take.
Starting point is 00:39:19 Just for the interviews. Right. That's what Andy told me yesterday. I come to meet the kids. That's the only thing important. Well, and that's my counter to the coaches who would say I can watch the workouts on film. I can participate in the Zoom interviews while everybody else is in the room. Yeah. But I think if you're going to drag the kids here and put them through this process, and I know
Starting point is 00:39:47 they have them all brainwashed into thinking it's an honor and a privilege and I think that's bullshit. It's an honor of privilege for the teams to have the ability to do something that is far more probing and meaningful than just like they used to do. They did the draft in December. You know, when it's time to make your pick, you're making your pick. You are in a position. I mean, times have changed. Well, I know, but my point is this, it's not an honor and privilege for the kids. I mean, kind of. It's, okay. What job pays that type of mind? I mean. I know, but somebody's getting that job. they need the kids to make it easier for them to pick the right ones.
Starting point is 00:40:22 They're picking somebody for those jobs. They're going to draft somebody. And there are certain guys that don't need to submit to the process. I was talking to a couple of GMs last night. There's about 150 to 175 guys where they don't really need to be here. Marvin Harrison does not need to be here. The rest of them need to be here. I agree.
Starting point is 00:40:38 They don't need to go through the interview. They need to do this stuff. I mean, Dionne Sanders at one point when he was going through it. I think it was the Giants. They had that long, all that questionnaire. He's like, where do you draft? I'm not going to be on the board then. I like that attitude.
Starting point is 00:40:51 That's a small percentage of players. I know, but I like that attitude because, and this is just part of the contrarian nature. You're pro the little guy. Yeah, it's like, come on, man. Even though you're the big guy now. Here's my point. Here's my point. I think it's a sign of respect for the kids that have to come here.
Starting point is 00:41:06 Kids can't do it by Zoom. And I think if I'm a coach and I'm sitting here for all these and I'm showing to these kids that I care about this, it's important to me. even if I only draft seven of them, I'm making a relationship with those seven, and some of these other guys may be free agents at some point, or I may be a coach at another team where those guys are playing, and I'm showing to them that this is a long demanding week for them, and I'm not staying home, I'm here for it. So that part of it, I think, is a reason for the coaches to be here, and it's only five or so that aren't here. I think if they would ever take it out of Indy and make it a traveling road show, it would be more like 15 or 20, that wouldn't show up.
Starting point is 00:41:40 To me, if Andy Reid is going to be here, and forever Belichick was here, McVeigh and Kyle should be here. McCarthy, I mean, these are guys, some of the biggest names that Belichick never missed this thing. Pete Carroll was always here. There's clearly value. To me, it's less about like, even the disrespect.
Starting point is 00:41:58 It's more they're disrespecting the entire event kind of too. They don't think it's as important. Like, bullshit. Well, somebody made the point that, two things. One, as they make it bigger and bigger, as they put more and more hype,
Starting point is 00:42:11 they make it more of a meet for TV event, that's kind of like a protest against that. That's what Breer was telling me. And the idea that you're getting hit up for jobs wherever you go. You've got people hanging around, looking for a job, looking for a job, and you know, I don't want to deal with that. Like you go out at night and you're dealing with this person. Isn't that part of your job, though?
Starting point is 00:42:27 I mean, it's like, that's part of life. Yeah. You get, everyone's bugging you. Right, you learn how to deal with it. You learn how to deal with it and you move on to the next person. I agree with you. But I'm just trying to understand why five of them would feel compelled to not be here. And most coaches look at it.
Starting point is 00:42:43 Kyle, Sean McCarthy, Sala? Yeah, but I think Sala's coming. Okay. I think what happened was when I wrote the story over the weekend, that Sala wasn't coming. Somebody high up in the organization saw it, and now Sala's coming. I think he's just coming like Saturday,
Starting point is 00:42:56 but he's still coming. At least the other guys were in the playoffs. Right, right. The floor's not coming either. That's the fifth. Four of them have in common. They're all of the same little buddy group, right? Okay, I would say the biggest story so far.
Starting point is 00:43:09 You talked to him yesterday, the Ryan Poles, Justin Field's situation. my takeaway sure feels like Fields is traded. If I had to take an educated guest by the end of next week, we have a destination. They got to trade him. They got to trade him soon because there's too many other quarterbacks out there who are available on the first day of free agency. And we know how it goes this week. Teams are expressing interest, and they don't necessarily make offers financially this week,
Starting point is 00:43:33 although for some of the bigger names, maybe they will. But you've got seats that are going to start filling up. So if you're going to place Justin Fields in one of those seats, you better do it before somebody's signs. Kirk Couss. I mean, the best example is Atlanta. Exactly. Russell Wilson's going to be released. And even as late as last week, some people were like, oh, don't rule out. Russell Wilson
Starting point is 00:43:52 going back to Denver. Rule it out. There's no way he's going back. There's no way that's going to work out. They're not going to guarantee $37 million next year fully and completely, and he's not going to change the date on which that guarantee of $37 million for injury vests. And some of the stuff he said to Brandon
Starting point is 00:44:08 Marshall, if you watch that podcast appearance, little things that the Broncos would say he's just wrong, and it doesn't lay the foundation to men fences. He's gone, it's over, but he'll be part of it too. So if you're the bears, you've got to move. And in a weird sort of way, Sims and I were talking about this morning, I cannot but wonder whether or not the bears are deliberately trying to agitate fields to get him to ask to be traded because I think they're realizing they're not going to get much for him. So if he asks to be traded and it's kind of like a fire sale thing and they don't get much,
Starting point is 00:44:42 they can say, hey, the guy wanted to be out. We're trying to do right by him. He asked to be traded. You know, what do you expect us to get when the guy asks to be traded? Because I think that they were trying to be coy and no one is saying, hey, we really want him and we'll give you a second round pick or a first round pick. Here's the other window, too, that I would watch. This is risky. But if they don't trade him before the musical chairs stop before or early,
Starting point is 00:45:07 into free agency after the first round of the draft. Anybody who decides we want a quarterback in the first round of the draft, if you don't get your guy, then in those 18 hours before round two, maybe the Bears trade fields for that team's second round pick. Ideally, you'd like to avoid that. You don't want to do that. You don't want to do that. Because OTA star, people come in the building, it gets weird.
Starting point is 00:45:25 You know, I think people understand if you had to trade them for a fourth. Like, it's like, yeah, the market wasn't there because a fifth year option. We remember Sam Darnold. They traded a second pick to the fifth year option. They regretted it. Right. right Baker Mayfield I think he had the Browns picked it up
Starting point is 00:45:39 and then he gave up three and a half million to facilitate trade to Carolina like how if I trade a second round pick I have to pick up that fifth year option oh absolutely it's 25 million which isn't all that much grand scheme of things when you consider the quarterback market is he a 25 million
Starting point is 00:45:54 player right now? It's 3.2 million for this year and 25.334 million for next year and that's part of what you're picking up yeah but that's what you're picking up and then the question becomes okay I'm getting a guy who is content with that arrangement? Or am I getting a guy who says, I want, I'm not playing for 3.2 million this year. I've put in three good years. You traded for me. I'm not playing for 3.2. I want, you know, like the Kyla Murray thing. I'm not setting foot on the field for 4.5 million. Fourth year of my
Starting point is 00:46:20 contract, I want a deal now. I think I've talked a lot about the Washington, but let's skip to the third team, the Patriots. I think I read it on your site how Gerard Mayo said, like, we need the media. We know our relationship with the media needs to be good. It feels like a massive pivot. I don't even blaming him. I think it's coming from ownership of like, we need to be buddy, buddy with everyone. It's like in the NFL, if he starts 0 and 5, no one cares about that.
Starting point is 00:46:45 So I understand the crafts, like internally thinking that that matters because they've seen the opposite. But like, if this guy doesn't win, it's going to be a disaster. I think they're worried about the wrong things right now. And it starts with Robert and Jonathan. Well, and I think that Mayo, this is what's going to be interesting. He can say all of these things. to try to distinguish himself from Bill Belichick, but the reality is when you have spent so much
Starting point is 00:47:09 of your career playing for and coaching with Bill Belichick, his entire career. You don't realize, yeah, that's right. He took that three years and he was working in another industry, but all of his time playing and all of his time coaching is with Belichick, you don't realize how much being around him just kind of becomes how you view the world and how you coach. But as it relates to the media, the reality is, and we saw it happen this year, when it starts to go sideways, all those people that you treated without the proper respect, for whatever reason, whatever it is. It's a military mindset. He doesn't want to say anything to compromise him.
Starting point is 00:47:42 Regardless, the grumpiness and being, you know, short with people, that all comes back to roost when you're not winning. So you do buy yourself a little more grace period if you're nicer to the media than if you're an asshole. Brandy's a good example. He was like calling everyone by name and they, but they turn on you when you're short. That's the Sean McVeigh think. the name repetition. Well, it does work.
Starting point is 00:48:06 Media's easy to placate to that way. Just call, hey, Bill, thanks for the question. Isn't it funny how easy it is to manipulate the human organism? Very. John. Aren't you amazed by that, John? But it's why so many coaches that study psychology and have that mindset typically do better.
Starting point is 00:48:28 And say this about Bill, like, let's talk about Belich. I think it's pretty crazy. and I understand it was pretty ugly last couple years. If you watch them play this year, obviously the quarterback sucked, and that's his fault. He's still fucking good. Yeah. You know, he's an elite defensive coach. The players still really like him.
Starting point is 00:48:44 He didn't get a job. I mean, that is, that's insanity to me. And honestly, he only really had one option, right? And clearly the powers that be wanted no part of them because they would have been asked out, right? I think what Robert Kraft said in the press conference he conducted after they did the joint announcement of the separation. or Bill gave him the fake hug or a different one. Exactly. But when Kraft came back to answer questions and they said, well, Belichick alluded to the possibility of taking less power and staying.
Starting point is 00:49:13 And Kraft said, well, that just wouldn't work. It would be too awkward. It would be too confusing. And I think that same mindset applies anywhere else he goes because this is a guy, early 70s. So you're a GM, let's say you're 43. Adam Peters. Yeah. And here's Bill Belichick who has been in complete control of the football operation of the
Starting point is 00:49:31 Patriots for years. And now, hey, it's our first draft meeting. And I'm the 43-year-old Jim, and I'm completely in charge, and the head coach works for me. That ain't working. It's not working. And when it's time to pick a receiver in round four, and you say, hey, coach, this is the guy I'm thinking at, and he makes a face or, you know, oh. And, well, I guess I'm not taking that guy. So even if he doesn't have the power, he still has the power. So I think the question is, for the duration of this year, is there an owner that looks at where his or her team currently is and decides I'm willing to throw the keys to Bill Belichick? Because that's what you have to do.
Starting point is 00:50:09 You have to throw them the keys and say, drive wherever you want, however you want, you're in charge. And will somebody be willing to do that? I don't know. I think it's fair to say he is no lock in 2025 cycle to be a coach in a year, right? He's got to get back in the media too. Why does he do Amazon Thursday night? 30 owners are watching.
Starting point is 00:50:27 Why don't they replace Herbsts Street with him? And it's not just owners. I think you've got to get fans behind it. When it was starting... Do you think that's the move, Amazon? Well, I don't know. I don't know. It could be NBC.
Starting point is 00:50:39 I don't know. But you don't have an opening. Well, Colmsworth. No, but I think he's better off in studio than a game site. No, I think he needs to be in a position where he's watching the whole league and monitoring the whole league and commenting on the whole league instead of just focusing on one game at a time. I don't know how good he'd be doing a game. I think that's because we've seen it in a studio setting with the NFL.
Starting point is 00:51:03 Yeah. All time 100 teams. He was awesome. But I think that, and I know that when it looked like this season was going to end poorly for the Patriots and he was going to be out, I posed a very generic question on X. If your favorite team was looking for a coach in this upcoming cycle, would you want Bill Belichick? And it was over 70% no. I think he's got to get people out there who are football fans to believe that he's the answer.
Starting point is 00:51:27 because the owners, ultimately at the end of the day, they count on the fans devoting money and time and emotion and support and just everything they have to following the team. So you have to feel good about the coach. And so I think those two battles he's got to fight. He's got to win the fans and then he's got to win an owner who's willing to say you're in charge. Well, I think there are two spots that everyone's going to talk about and rightfully so are going to be the Eagles because they've got a coach. If they struggle, he's going to get fired. And McCarthy's on the last year of his deal. But the Giants and the Jets.
Starting point is 00:52:04 Now, I know he hates the Jets, but those are two organizations who, let's face it, the dayball situation got weird. I mean, you heard about the Wink. We all heard about the Wink thing. That was weird. And it did not go well. What if they suck again? And the Jets have a chance to be a disaster.
Starting point is 00:52:16 That organization has a lot of money. The Giants have Bill Belichick's heartstrings. Jeffrey Lurie has a Boston guy followed him. And Jerry's Jerry. Like, I think maybe there is Bill's going to have more options than I think. now talking it out. But now, if the Eagles and Cowboys have success, maybe McCarthy gets extended. I think there's just a lot of moving parts with those two teams that are good.
Starting point is 00:52:35 I agree with you. You've got three teams in the NFC East that potentially end up pursuing Bill Belichick. And Jerry Jones has spoken openly about it. Even after it was clear, he was keeping Mike McCarthy. Had it across his mind those couple days when he was in limbo, right? Oh, absolutely. And we were talking about it and writing about it. And I was finding old quotes where Belichick would praise Jerry.
Starting point is 00:52:57 and Stephen Jones for the team they've put together. The Joneses have done a much better job over the past 10 years than Bill Belichick has done, putting a team together. Agreed. So, you know, the old Parcell is saying, you want me to cook the meal, but you don't want to shop for the groceries. They have a very well-stock kitchen with everything that Bill Belichick would need. He's got a young Lawrence Taylor and Michael Parsons.
Starting point is 00:53:17 I wish Jerry would have done it. It would have been sweet. I'm surprised he didn't. And I know the Eagles were aware of the contrast between the Cowboys issuing a statement that their coach who has won 12 regular season games for three straight years is coming back, and the Eagles not issuing a statement. It's like, if you were a functional, normal organization, why do you need to tell the world you're not firing your head coach? Siriani was closer to getting fired than McCarthy.
Starting point is 00:53:44 I think that, well, and he had to do something. Look, he had to convince Jeff Lurie that it's going to work. When they asked him in his press conference, and I can't remember. remember whether it was a season ending press conference or it was, I think it was probably after the lost the bucks. The idea that what are you going to do to fix it next year, well, I have confidence. I'll fix it. Well, that doesn't tell me what you're going to do to fix it. You better have a better plan when it's time to sit down with Jeff Lurie than I'm confident that I'll fix it. And whatever Lurie heard from him after they had a chance to let the dust settle, it must
Starting point is 00:54:17 work, because that's where it went sideways with Doug Peterson. They reached an impasse over what they're going to do with coordinators and out goes Peterson. So I really do think that there was some circling the wagons, there was some scrambling, and there was some, yeah, that, I still don't know how to properly explain that cocktail of emotions that were reflected on Jeffrey Lurie's face in the fourth quarter of the loss to the Buccaneers, where it was combination. It was the best face this year. And so how do you, how do you take that face and turn it into a smile? And he ultimately smiles on Nick Siriani. So Siriani had to have a hell of a plan. And if it doesn't work, I agree with you. He's going to be out.
Starting point is 00:54:55 A couple more things I know you've got to go is that the Eagles hire Vic Fangio, and I've worked for the Eagles under no circumstances. Even if they didn't want the guy, would they just rip up the contract and let him go somewhere else that he wanted to go? They would have been like, even if you've got to trade us something, and the dolphins, and I get that something weird happened internally, how could they possibly just rip up his contract and let him go to another team? Couldn't you just be like, well, trade us a fifth round pick or something. That seemed insane to me. I don't think you can do trades for assistant coaches, but, but, but. I didn't know the rule. But it still seemed odd that they were so willing to let him go.
Starting point is 00:55:28 And maybe it really was mutual. Maybe it was just time to move on. But it speaks to a deeper issue with the dolphins. They're able to put together a team that does well in the regular season. They can't get past the first round of the playoffs. We asked Mike McDaniel about this yesterday, and he is very expert at filibustering, whether he intends to or not. And I don't think he intends to.
Starting point is 00:55:45 But we had him for like 25 minutes, and we asked five questions. He's stylish. Long, meandering response. And I love listening to him. But it's hard to be. to get to the meat. The meat. And one of the things that Sims has been saying about the dolphins, they lack an edge,
Starting point is 00:56:02 kind of in your face, toughness, you know, take your lunch money, stuff you in a locker. And look, football has evolved away from the raw brute force violence, but you still need to have a little of that. Best defense in the league arguably won the Super Bowl, one of them. Right. And the Niners are a great defense. Right. But you need to have a little of that. Edge.
Starting point is 00:56:22 Yeah. Yeah, and I just wonder at times whether or not the dolphins have that. Is that what they're missing? It's like the lions are the best example. If you could take the lions and the dolphins and merge them together, I think you'd have an unstoppable team. But here I'll give you an example, though, and I've talked to scouting buddies about this, is Detroit.
Starting point is 00:56:39 Tough city, it's cold, not as much to do. One thing Miami has working against it that is not debatable is the city. Yeah. And unlike basketball or baseball, where you basically play every other day or every day, in football, you've got a lot of downtime. And what was some of the stuff coming out? didn't think they worked hard enough. That wasn't because they weren't like paying attention.
Starting point is 00:56:56 It's because they were screwing around at night and hung over and stuff. I think Miami, one thing I see with the Niners, haven't lived in Northern California forever. They don't play in the city. They play in Palo Alto. There's nothing to do down there. New York City battles this. There's a lot to freaking do.
Starting point is 00:57:10 And even they're kind of in the suburbs. Miami is, there's nothing quite like it, kind of Vegas, but those guys don't live on the strip. And even we've seen a couple incidents in Vegas. I think that city has a lot working again. against it in this in this modern world and time of which which we deal with and john i think it's hard to win that way i think that makes it even more important to get players who won't be corrupted by that not that it's corruption in a bad way i know you mean one of the reasons i think
Starting point is 00:57:37 the 49ers have been so good you know like kyle shanan and great coach master of the exes andos and planning the run game planning the past game unstopped football that's great but i think john lynch's ability to spot guys who are like him who are like him who will roll out of bed and kick your ass, who don't need to practice tackling. They can tackle whenever, wherever, however, the George Kittle mindset, the Nick Bosa mindset, the Fred Warner mindset,
Starting point is 00:58:04 guys who are ready to go at the drop of a hat. They have guys like that on both sides of the ball, and I think that's one of the reasons why they continue to find ways to be around. You know, they haven't gotten to the top yet, but they're around every year because they've got these guys that are just rougher, and tougher than most of the guys that you see out there.
Starting point is 00:58:25 Can you end on this? Some of these big names, franchise tagged, fifth-year option guys, like IU, Kiggins, Chris Jones, Sneed. Some of these guys are getting traded, right? Well, there was a report yesterday. I don't know who had the report that Sneed may be tagged and traded. I think there may be some medical stuff with Sneed that other teams are aware of that I think will be part of the problem if the chiefs are hoping to get a big return. But you only got one tag, one tag per team.
Starting point is 00:58:50 You got Chris Jones, you got Legerie. And now you got McDuffie coming on. on it's easier to cut. Yeah. And so, look, they need to keep Chris Jones. Yeah. You can't, like, you can trade Tyree Kill and reconfigure your offense. You can't let Chris Jones go and say, oh, we'll still be fine defensively. There's no replacement for that big athletic guy in the middle of the line who does what Chris Sims likes to say fucks up the play. There's no stat for that. But a guy who can completely disrupt everything you're doing is more valuable than any other guy on defense. His penis once fell out right down the, right down the hall when he was running the 40 here at the Indie.
Starting point is 00:59:21 his career's gone up since then. Yes. Well, he couldn't go much lower. I appreciate you, Mike. Take it easy. Great seeing you, pal. What a way to end. Good Lord.
Starting point is 00:59:32 All right. Thanks. See you. 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
Starting point is 00:59:56 Acapella 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.
Starting point is 01:00:18 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games.
Starting point is 01:00:45 This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast.

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