The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 'Boys and Girl - McCarthy Intro Presser Highlights; Inside The Hire With Yahoo's Charles Robinson and Ex-Packers VP Andrew Brandt

Episode Date: January 9, 2020

On today’s episode of the 'Boys and Girl Podcast, Jane and Bobby discuss some of the highlights from Mike McCarthy’s introductory press conference. Plus, Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson stops by to breakdown how the McCarthy hire came together. And former Green Bay Packers Vice President Andrew Brandt joins the show with his thoughts on the type of coach the Cowboys are getting. Follow Jane and Bobby on Twitter and subscribe to get all the latest inside information from two of the most connected people in the Cowboys’ community. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Jay Glazer here at the NFL on Fox. A little break of news here. Dallas Cowboys have moved on from Jason Garrett as their head coach. The Dallas Cowboys have themselves a new head coach. His name is Mike McCarthy, former head coach of the Green Bay Packers. I do want to introduce the next coach of Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys, Mike McCarthy. I am anxious and excited to get to work on winning the next Super Bowl for the Dallas Cowboys.

All right. Full disclosure, Bobby. Last week, we did not bring our fans the pod. I was exhausted. I was tired. I had more questions and answers. I had literally worked every single source. I squeezed sources.

I tried to find unconventional ways of proving rumors and thoughts and things that were swirling. but we have some closure today. We do finally. Yeah, last week, if we would have done one last week, it would have been pretty much just the conspiracy hour because there was like nothing concrete. And here's the funny thing. If we would have recorded that conspiracy hour last week,

absolutely none of it would have been accurate as to what happened because it really went down a road that I don't think many people anticipated. No, look, I had a few details that we were able to come together. Here's what we know now that we've had the press, here at the Star in Frisco. And I should point out that we had to do this in two parts. This is how crazy it's been around here. We are going to have the amazing Andrew Brandt,

who gave Mike McCarthy one of his first head coaching jobs with the Green New Peckers. Which, by the way, they also interviewed Sean Payton at the time. Yeah. It's an interesting parallel there. We also have the outstanding Charles Robinson from Yahoo Sports, who, like me, was literally chasing every squirrel through this. So it's great stuff.

But we were not allowed in this building. at the time we recorded it. And I've got a Michael Irvin event later. Humble brag, real quick. So I've got to rush out of here. So we wanted to do this in two parts, but we had so much information. We wanted to get it to you guys.

So you're going to hear windy elements making you feel like you are actually in Green Bay. In the second part of this, and the reason why this is so clear in the beginning is because this is instant reaction after the presser. Okay. So we still have, I feel like we have some answers, but I still got a lot of questions.

Yeah. But what we also got, was a charismatic, a reflective, a funny, and insightful head coach, very different than what we were used to Jason Garrett and Dallas. Yeah. And I kind of wonder if that's just, you know, the honeymoon phase and he'll probably stand up there next year during the season and brushes off and be a little gruff. Like I think it's kind of been his reputation.

But I think it was just, it was a happy day for everybody. As much as I think the Cowboys struggled with, are we going to move on? Are we going to make this decision? As much as it was tough for them to walk away from Jason, Garrett, as Jerry Jones said out there today, in the 30 years I've been here, only two of those years have I not written a check to a Garrett between his dad and his... Kind of hit me in different ways, the way he said that. Yeah, it was a little confusing at first, and then I got it as he continued to talk.

It was like, oh, okay, I get what he means. But as much as we thought it was going to be difficult for them to walk away, everybody up there today, Steve and Jerry, and obviously Mike McCarthy, everybody seemed pretty much at peace with the move. And I don't think there's any,

I don't think there's any bad feelings. I think they feel okay about the move. Not only does Mike McCarthy look like he could be a Jones brother from Arkansas, which was very odd to me. His humor and his, his ability to just sort of talk off the cuff. His charisma.

Felt very in line. with them. And then here's what we learned and what we didn't fully know. There was first reported that he had stayed at the Jones's house. Instead, we found out that he spent two days here in the DFW area, but he actually stayed at the hotel here at the Omni. But he might as well stay there because they said the meeting started at 1 p.m. and lasted until 1 a.m. And if you've ever been to the Combine or you've ever been to the Super Bowl, the Jones family, even Jerry at 77, man, they love a good time. I enjoy my time around them when they're having a good time. Our Nobu parties, the media party in Malibu, is a good time. So, first of all, I wish that I'd had a ticket to that. But listen to this

story about, there were two things that were revealed. One, here's the story where Jerry says, Jerry Jr., of all people, was the one that told him, get the ball rolling. Jerry came up to me while we were in the middle of the night. And he slides down to the edge at the end of the table. Mike was sitting here. And Jerry reached over and he said, what are you waiting on? And he said, you need to know this.

I know we haven't had a meeting or anything, but Stephen said Stephen is ready to roll here. And said, you need to know that because we hadn't been able to get a talk. And I said, well, I just hated it that it looked like what it appears. And he said, when have you ever worried about how it looked? And so we winked at Stephen and he got up and we came in. Next thing I know he was wearing it out with Tracy in the other room working on it, boy.

And then this admission from Mike McCarthy, who by the way had talked to some other teams, what seemed like the singular moment that he had decided that Dallas was his destiny. But I do need to tell a story about Saturday night when I was here on the interview. And here I am sitting across the table, Stephen, Jerry Jones, Jerry Jr., you know, Will McLeigh, Todd Williams. And Jerry's telling a story about the purchase of the Dallas Cowboys. And at the end of the story, he leans over to me. and he grabs me by the forearm and reaches out to shake my hand. He says, and you need to be the coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

So I jumped off from Hogdham, and I'll stop right there. We had a hell of a time. Just I'll just say that. But, no, that's a moment. That's a moment, and that's a story I'll be telling the rest of my life. So I can't just tell you how thrilled my family and I are here. They're thrilled to be here. Okay.

I'm loving all of this, right? But this is where it gets even better. Now, they kind of alluded to it at the press conference, because I asked Mike McCarthy, when did you first make contact with the Cowboys? Because it's my theory, and you'll hear from Charles Robinson a little bit, that he was not the front runner.

That this was not the guy that they had done extensive research on. I keep going back to Tom Pelliserro to serve part of this man's contract because he made Mike McCarthy all of a sudden sexy. He's like the guy that took the guy that, was another man's trashy. I was like, you know what? We're going to take you to make over boot camp.

And I'm going to make you look sexy again to other GMs. But what made him sexy in my mind to Jerry Jones was the man that reflects in the mirror, the man that wants a second chance. Here's two sound bites from Mike McCarthy today and then Mike McCarthy in that NFL piece that I said, oh my gosh, the candidate has been sitting right underneath our nose. Listen in.

You know, this past year has been a year of reflection. My wife said I won't make it through 10 words. I think I got to about six. But reflection of just what a blessed man I am, great moments that I've been a part of. You know, I'm married the love of my wife. My wife is the love of my life. You know, we have beautiful children.

Come from a blessed family, you know, professionally was able to lift the Lombardi Trophy. Why do you need to do this? Why do you need to go? Move the family out of Green Bay. You know, it's interesting. It's a very selfish profession, coaching in the NFL. I think that's a given.

But what I found through this transition is, what I found is our family needs this, you know. I don't know. I just question, sorry. We need to do this. So this is something that are, I feel like, just because everything has happened. And this will be a great, this will be a great opportunity for us. When he says we needed football, Bobby, there were tears in his eyes.

Who doesn't love sending a message to you with tears in his eyes more than our guy, Jerry Jones? Oh, yeah. That, tears will resonate with Jerry more than anything else. I think that's why he tries to use them on the media scrum sometimes. Well, listen, I'm, look, I am not saying they're not authentic. Here's what I love about Jerry. He believes it. And the thing about Jerry, if you're on team Jerry,

Jerry will fight for you to the nil. Ask Michael Irvin. Ask Jason Garrett. So I loved all of this, right? But this is where the presser just took a real interesting turn to me. Jason Garrett, what went down with all this? Jerry wasn't completely explicit about it. So I caught up with Stephen Jones after it all.

And I asked him about as explicitly as possible, as plainly as I needed answers. You know, when you've been chasing the squirrel so long, I need answer, Stephen. What happened with Jason? Why did he keep coming up to the star in Frisco every single day? Why was it leaked that he was desperately clinging to his job? Here's what Stephen said. Stephen, get a little bit of clarity. Why two meetings with Jason Garrett and allowing him to continue the exit interviews, did you have another coach in mind? When did you make contact with my morning? I'm just looking for some clarity in the timeline. There's really no clarity for Jason. We had communication with Jason every step of the way. And we wanted to be very respectful. And, you know, pretty much all of our action was in line with what Jason wanted. And we had nothing but the utmost respect for him. And we used his timeline. And, you know, He understood that we were having, you know, having to do our job too.

And, you know, he knew exactly what we were doing. Was there ever a possibility that he could stay here? In other words, you guys said, let's go through the exhaustive search. And there's still a... He knew we were moving down the road with other coaches. So it reads like a telenovela. I got to tell you, I love all of it. Because as a reporter, you love putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

And I am exhausted because I literally tried to flip over every rock. and we'll talk about coaching and staff and everything that we've run down in our next one because, like I said, this one's jam-packed. But Bobby, I also got to tell you we wanted pop culture references. And, man, Mike, you won me over right out of the gate. Does anyone, can anyone tell me what this sounds like? Well, first of all, thank you. It is great to be here. And I'm having a moment here because I don't know where the hell to put my hands.

I never sat at a table for a press conference. so excuse me. I'm not sure what to do with my hand. Be good just to hold them down by your side. Yeah, great. It's so beautiful. It's so Will Ferrell. It's so beautiful.

It's so beautiful. And then like I said, the Jason Garrett stuff, it just, it feels like, hey, 80s fans, pop culture reference. Remember Ducky? When we were talking about interviewing coach McCarthy, Jason, was talking about what a great guy is and how his story and how much we were going to enjoy. just that part of it in visiting with him. If you don't go to him now, I'm ever going to take you to another problem ever again. You hear me?

And this is an incredibly romantic moment, and you're ruining it. All right. So in conclusion, of course, we're going to bring in, like I said, Charles Robinson and Andrew Brandt. I've got to tell you, Jerry said something in the presser. He said, this is lightning in a bottle.

It's fortuitous. You know, as he was reminding the press conference, there has never been a head coach to win a Super Bowl with not one, but two teams. But Jerry just feels it. I drink the Kool-Aid from time to time. I do.

I even drink the Kool-Aid and Jerry's just so... You were drinking the Kool-Aid a month and a half ago and go out, ah, maybe Jason can do this. Prepare for the possibility. My new prepare for the possibility. Prepare for the possibility that this guy that wasn't at the top of their list might take him to the top of the mountain again. Oh, goodness.

I don't know that I can trust that, but it was good to see, you know, an encouraging sign, a guy who is a free agent, Randall Cobb, who spent so much time with Mike McCarthy. He was out there today being supportive. You had Travis Frederick, Zach Martin, a few other guys were out there. So there's excitement around here. They all seem pretty happy, I think, especially on, you know, the front office level, I think Jerry and Steven seem really excited. The players seem excited. And I mean, Mike McCarthy genuinely does seem like he couldn't be happier to be back around the game of football. If I had to assess, how that press conference went.

Jerry and Stephen couldn't have gotten a better presser from a coach. Everyone loved what Matt Rule had to say. I got to tell you, I thought Mike McCarthy hit this one out of the park. I do too. I think he did really, really well today. And look, I mean, we'll have time, like you said, to talk about some of the stuff that's changing with the assistant coaches. I mean, they didn't want to talk about the scheme at all today.

Mike McCarthy got asked a few questions about it and said, this isn't the place where I'm going to answer these things. We've got reviews to do, to do, essentially said he hasn't yet spoken to the assistant coaches because he said, we'll start interviewing them. Which I thought was fascinating because quick update, Sanjay Law expected out, wide receivers coach. Gary Brown, the running backs coach, has had no contact with them, although I did report

on NFL network on Monday that they reached out to a running backs coach candidate. I know that candidate is also in play for at least another NFL job, so we'll see if that happens or if they decide to fall back on Gary. I can tell you his players want him back. Yeah. Seek one of the most important players wants him back. Offensive line coach Mark Colombo actually had to set up his own meeting with the Joneses, even though he had two years on his contract.

He walked out of their not feeling confident about his future here. Instead, I'm told that Joe Philbin is the guy that they're eyeing for offensive line, but also as the run coordinator. Joe Philbin was the guy who when Mike McCarthy was fired took over his interim head coach in Green Bay. Fascinating. But also I was told possibly. assistant head coach. So that's something for us to keep an eye on in the weeks and days to come. Mike Nolan, defensive coordinator is who we're hearing. And then at secondary, keep an eye on one,

I think I'm going to rule out, but I think Tony Odin is another one on the radar to keep an eye on. And then who else? Joe Whit Jr. Joe Whit Jr. I don't think he's going to end up ultimately coming to Dallas, but I think we should keep an eye on Tony Odin. And then it sounds like he likes Kellyn Moore. Yes. Yeah, he spoke really positively about what he saw in film when he was studying the Cowboys and was really impressed with Kellan. Which, by the way, we've got to drop this for the fans to you. I keep lying. There's just so much that I want to drop in here. Can we talk about what made him so relatable to me? How many of you have oversold your qualifications in an interview? Most everyone, I think. Okay. Well, here's our boy, Mike McCarthy just, oh my God, for the win. You said you analyzed every play or watched every play of the entire 2019 season.

What is it that you learn from that experience that you think will benefit you most here? Well, I mean, I need to confess. I mean, I told Jerry I watched every play of the 2019 season, but I wanted the job. So I haven't watched every play of the season, but it was just, I mean, you do what you've got to do, right? So we didn't watch a lot of tape. But again, if you go back to my boy, Tom Pelliser, we need to get him on the podcast to talk about everything. He at least watched a bunch of Dallas

and Dak Prescott on this offense. He said that... 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.

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Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kier Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

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And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

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If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie. of Housewives show, I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King,

recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home,

they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This offense is going to be built around the quarterback to make them successful, that the run game is going to be important,

that Zeke is going to get the ball, but as you said, would not clarify whether it's going to be a 4-3-0-3-4 defense. Yeah, I happen to say the best way to make a quarterback is successful is with a great running game, which kind of runs counter to analytics, which, again,

again, we're not going to dive into How good the hire is, we can do that on the next one. There's so much we want to say. Yeah, there is a lot. But overall, generally, I think from just an entertainment standpoint, it was a pretty great press conference. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1,800 flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts.

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and the ad council. All right. Joining us now on the podcast is Charles Robinson senior NFL reporter for Yahoo. And you've also got a pod, Charles. Go ahead and drop it for the fans. It just can't get enough of sports talk. Yeah, we actually did a long walkthrough today for our podcast on

Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys. So it's the Yahoo Sports NFL podcast with myself and Torres Taylor. We welcome any new Dallas Cowboys subscribers. Obviously, doing our best to build the audience there. And, yeah, they could tip in and take a listen to this week. That'll be great. You become such a good follow. I know a lot of Cowboy fans have, you know,

clung to some of your articles and some of the legwork you've done. I certainly know you did a lot of it, as did all of us, trying to get to the bottom of why Jason Garrett, it was still in this building, why we hadn't heard of a coaching league. So let's just go ahead and walk through the last week. You've been a reporter for a while. How curious was this whole saga? To the point of, you know, there was a point where I sat there and I thought, okay, you know,

I've been doing this really for 20 years if I go back to, you know, the first team I ever covered out of college was the Detroit Lions. And I took about five years off to do an investigator, but I thought, okay, the 15 years that I really kind of hovered around a lot of the NFL. do I ever remember a search process like this where there was an ambiguity as long as there was. It was a guy like Jason who clearly wanted to remain. And then a search process that started with two candidates that even I initially thought, okay, this is a sham.

They're just getting their sea legs right now. Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. And I would ask you, is it not clear now? Like, this is my, I feel like a, I feel like I have it dialed in. I'm curious what you think of it. Is it not clear that they backburned Jason as a sort of a break-the-glass option and that Jason like allowed it, basically? 1,000 percent, Charles.

I mean, you and I, you know, I followed you on Twitter and I read your columns. And, you know, I talked to other reporters, obviously, just here in the local market. And we were all, I can't even explain how many. rocks that I turned over trying to find clues. I mean, to your point, I was also an investigative reporter and a news reporter, and I put all of those skills to use on this one. And as crazy as it sounds, I truly believe that they left the door, not they, not Stephen, Jerry left the door open for the possibility of Jason being this building, or if he was going

to do right by him, be kind, show an abundance of respect, they would have just said goodbye to him on Monday following his meeting with the players and the exit interviews. But to drag it out on Tuesday and the fact that this third meeting was leaked, which was crazy to me. And I had said, I can't confirm this third meeting. We had reported and knew that they were in Aspen. And then all of a sudden, you've got these curious interviews, by the way, with a guy like Marvin Lewis and Mike McCarthy over the weekend.

And I just felt like Mike McCarthy was never a frontrunner. they had not done their due diligence on him. They had perhaps seen the Tom Pelliserro report and thought, wow, that's interesting. Let's bring him in here and talk to him. And I think, I said this on Peter King's podcast and I talked to Jim Rome this week, I think Jerry is such a guy that's about redemption, looking in the mirror, second chances, innovation, being an old dog that can learn new tricks.

And I think Mike McCarthy had every single buzzword at the right time. and that was what took Jerry Jones over the edge. And so Stephen brought him to the table, in my opinion, it was the buzzwords, the timing, the things that really make Jerry Jones go that put this one over the edge. And when they realized, look, we found our guy, if we've got a guy like this out there available,

that's won a Super Bowl, how can we possibly continue the insanity that has been Jason Garrett? Right. Yeah, I'm looking at 100%. And the funny thing about this is you can't really claim Mike McCarthy. Like, it'll be, if this is really successful, I'm excited to see how the look back goes. Because if this becomes, well, we always like Mike. We always thought the world of Mike.

And he was really at the top of our list. Well, he's on top of your list. Why did you let him go interview with a couple of other teeth? 100%. Yeah, you don't do that. Like, if he's your guy, you just do not let him do that. And I think, as I said, it was, the process was just so weird. You talk about turning over all the rocks.

And I think I was with you. You know, we're all following each other and we're all kind of paying attention to what everyone else is doing. And I'm sure, you know, we're overlapping each other and calling sources, all these things. And it wasn't until late in the week where I realized, like, hey, there's actually a reason they're not reaching out to these college coaches. which is there's a reason. Part of it, I think, was there is no candidate list. You know, we, and I think that was unmasked a little bit by Mike and Marvin being the first two people in the door. But then, you know, once Mike and Marvin went through the process, two things clarified from the number one, late in the week.

Matt Ruhle was kind of dialing in his process. And what was interesting was he liked the Cowboys roster quite a bit. You know, he really liked the giant situation. He liked the Carolina situation. He knew those were there for him. But it was like this lingering question in the back of his mind. Like, I really liked Dallas's roster. And yet I don't seem to be like even a thought process in Dallas right now.

And I think that confused him a little bit, which I thought was really interesting. And then once Mike and Marvin had gone through the process and I had a chance to talk to some people, right in the middle of the weekend, it became clear to me. Because we were telling me, Jerry wants someone experience. Well, he doesn't want to mess around with the transition. or this or that. And, you know, so I think that probably helped Mike. But as you said, Mike spent a year preparing for this moment to walk into a room with a coaching book.

And from what I understand, he was very open and honest about, you know, what he sort of felt went wrong in Reed Bay or why it didn't sort of work at the end there. And I'm sure that that held a lot of sway, you know, with Jerry. Like you said, the redemption process, the ability to eat a mistake and go, no, but I learned from it. You know, Jerry's big on learning and then also showing here's the way I'm going to tell myself back in for success. I want, you got to talk, though, about the craziness of the process. You can't, I don't want to move past that without the seven minutes of Nick Saven in the middle. Like, you got to talk about the seven minutes of Nick Saven, right? I'm going to

talk about that. I know you ran it down. I had gotten a tip. If people knew, the things that I ran down, I had gotten a tip on, I believe it was Thursday night, that the Cowboys were high on Dick Sabin. And I said, oh, my gosh. Now, this makes sense. Jerry wouldn't be lying to us. Here's a guy that's had NFL head coaching experience. Here's a guy that's coaching, but this wouldn't make sense.

He just signed another ridiculous extension. The buyout would be absurd. You and I had heard about the possibility of them not being afraid of spending money and buyouts. to get certain coaches that they were interested in. So, of course, I reach out to his agent and people close to him, and they literally laughed my head off when I brought it up. But this is the sort of stuff that was going. And I truly believe the urban stuff,

while that meeting 100% happened between Stephen and Urban, I believe Urban was just out there creating the spin zone. Yeah. 100%. And the Lincoln Riley thing, I could never get anyone to tell. me that that was legit at all. So I never, ever, ever thought that Lincoln was anything, but the Matt Rule thing I thought was intriguing. I thought Matt Rule was intriguing because of what he did at Baylor, the way he was able to turn things around. I couldn't get Matt Rule and his people

to call me back, though. And so that was also where I couldn't mark him off my list. Dan Mullen never got back to me. So that was a guy I couldn't mark off my list. But I mean, we chased down everything. And as you know, people talk. I mean, agencies talk, agents talk, friends of players. I remember when we were here covering the Rangers, a little girl told her school teacher that her dad was getting ready to go be a Cleveland Indian, and that's how we found out he was no longer going to be.

I mean, people talk. No one talked about any of this. Yeah, this was the rare, like, but that's the funny thing is when you got to the Marvin Mike part of it, that's when it sort of solidifies it. no, there really wasn't this list, this, you know, list that was vaulted away of 10 guys. Like, here's 10 guys we're going to go after.

Like, you didn't, you know, that's, I thought this, that's what's going to happen. You know, it's going to be the normal process. They're going to let go of Jason the next day after season ends. They'll let him go through his process for a day. And then they'll announce that they're moving on. It'll be cordial. Maybe there'll be a press comp.

We'll see how it goes. But then I think Jason really, in those first two interviews, expressing to Jerry how much he wanted to remain, open that door to, hey, you know what, let's hang on and see, you know, there's no reason to fire him or to, you know, remove him early if we've still got, you know, a little bit of runway in his contract. And let's see what other people, you know, what they impress upon us. And then, you know, we really don't like it if it's not working out or there's just,

you know, who knows what you can come across with, with some of the candidates that they might have stacked up, you can always turn back into Jason. And yeah, it was just, it was wild. I mean, the Nick Sabin thing was crazy right in the middle of it. I mean, there were so many, you know, different names. As you said, I mean, you ran everybody down. I'm running everybody down trying to.

I'm literally, it's funny, you brought up Dan Mullen because I made my best effort to get to Dan Mullen. And then it was sort of the Maverebell thing where later in the week, it was like, I had a chance to talk to somebody really close to Dan. He was like, Dan keeps asking me. you think I have a shot at the cowboy? And I'm like, okay, we're cross-gated off. I'm like that.

We're too far into this. Well, it was just process of elimination. And so, you know, when you're doing the legwork and you're checking all these people off. And then I thought the other curious thing was that a lot of these coaches that are currently on staff, they weren't hearing anything. And by the way, at the time of the taping of this broadcast, they still haven't heard anything from Stephen Jones, Mike McCarthy, whatever.

So, you know, we'll dive into that later in the week. and especially, you know, as we start hearing about who these coaches are that get announced. But the whole thing was just so curious to me the way they went about it. And I'm going to be interested to see what they tell us about how long they knew Mike was their man. Because I truly believe, to your point, you know, I had been told that Jason was showing up to work every day with this large binder under his arm. And while that binder could have been all of his exit interviews, my gut tells me Mr. Princeton was putting together a PowerPoint presentation. about how he was going to turn things around like Mike McCarthy, but he was going to tell him how he was going to do it in a matter of a week.

Mike had spent a year doing it. I have no doubt that that was sort of Jason's coaching book that he would bring into an interview. You know, I'm sure Jason, being who he is, recreated, sort of sat there and thought, okay, well, look, how we'll re-interview. That's fine, you know. I have a couple weeks left on my contract. I can re-interview for the jobs when we put a coaching book together.

You know, but Mike, I'll say this for Mike McCarthy. I know he had TV even but far more. I know he did a little bit of TV when he dipped out after the Packers, but he definitely had the opportunity to be quote unquote a TV guy for a year, for season. And he really didn't step into that. And the fact that he bunkered down and said, okay, here are the knocks on me. Okay, I'm not an analytic driven guy.

I'm not this. I'm not that. Let me see if I can, you know, step into that. And bunkering down for that season. and spending that time really looking at different offenses and trying to reshape maybe a little bit of his thought process and then thinking about the successes and failures in Green Bay and having a good grasp on that,

well, at the same time, building his pitch. I think that's what paid off. I really do. And even when you walk into a situation where I, and I fully firmly believe this, and I think the staff, when it's laid out, will bear this out. I think when you walk into that room, and you're ready to have that conversation

if you know Jerry Jones is going to say or Stephen's going to say, you know, we want some offensive continuity here, we've got some guys here we like, what would you think about keeping some of these individuals? I think Mike was ready for even those questions, and sometimes I think that's where coach just hit a wall in interviews. They don't, like Matt Ruhl, Matt Ruhle goes to the interview with a jet.

I don't think he realized, yo, they're going to basically try to cram Adam Gase down my throat. And then when he went through that process, it really, really caused the cratering in that process. And so I think Mike had the opportunity to think about how would I react if maybe the cow always want to keep some people. I give it up to him. He did everything he could to land a job like this.

And even though I wasn't big on how the process went, I really wanted to blowout. I wanted to see Jerry not take anyone off the table. I feel like they sort of ended up with someone where I'm like, okay, you know, let's see if the Mike McCarcy reclamation project that he has sold for more than a month now to the media, let's see if that's real,

where it concerns some of the things that he'll do offensively. That's really what matters going forward. But I definitely think it could have done worse. It was just process itself. It was completely bizarre, and it will be memorable, I think, for the rest of my career. There were a few things, and I'm going to let Bobby weigh in here before I let you go, Charles.

But the one that, if people haven't seen, I can't talk enough about this. It was that sit down that Tom Pelliserra did with them, and you saw the tears at the end. And him talking about the family needed football. I just thought to myself, that is your sizzle reel for Jerry. Jerry needs football too.

His family needs football. Jerry gets emotional about football and second chances. That was the highlight real. Don't show me your postseason resume. Jerry, the one thing that you can say about him, whether you love it or you don't, it's appealing to who he is as a human. A human that he will tell you over and over has been flawed that has been given second chances.

People have counted him out and the things that he's done to overcome that. And when I watch that piece, I'm like, our candidate has been literally under our nose the whole time. And as much as a lot of people think that this is a consolation prize, we'll talk to Andrew Brandt here coming up in just a little bit. But him talking about when you compare these two resumes and how both of these guys were up for consideration at the same time in Green, Bay and they ultimately went with Mike, I think is fascinating. But I also think it's fascinating that this contract is five years, which also puts us right in line for us to start talking about Sean Payton here when his contract expires.

And it all comes full circle, Charles. Always. I'm sure. I look forward to five years of frenzy, oh, my God, what are they doing? Is Sean available? And by the way, Gene will tell you, Bobby will tell you, it won't be five years. next year we'll hear about Sean and we'll hear about Sean in the year. Unless they win a Super Bowl with Mike McCarthy pretty quickly,

I feel like that's the annual right of passage. You know, you know the season is either ended or, you know, it's gone wrong at some point. You have the Sean Peyton conversation. And by the way, I want to say the, it's such a great point about the appeal to Jerry's heart. It really is. Because I don't think there's one owner who I have ever spoken.

spoken to in all the years. And I've only had a few, like, one-on-one situations with Jerry where I've seen a guy get tearful, like especially when he thinks about his beginnings and how much it, in a way, scared him, you know, the potential of failure with the Cowboys and how close he was. And, you know, he likes to tell those stories about, you know, turn the lights off in the facility because, you know,

I'm literally going broke here. And, you know, he does. he gets to the point of tears. And I can see that. You appeal to that part of Jerry where there's a little bit of, you know, not only the gambling mentality, but the desperation for success.

He really buys into that. And, you know, I just think maybe that's what, at least me personally, maybe that's what I undersold in the process. Someone being able to get in front of Jerry and appeal in that manner really does matter. And hopefully, Hopefully for Jerry, this is the right decision and it goes the right way because I just think particularly in that rule and knowing that he kind of questioned like, geez, why are that, why the cow is not reaching out to me?

If he has a lot of success in Carolina and things go really well and things with Mike don't, it's, you know, that's something that at least me personally, I'll be like, look, I'm going to revisit that. I'm going to talk to that and ask why. Why do you think it happens the way that it happened where you just didn't hear from them? that will be one guy that I think will be compared in this process down the line. So we've talked about that, you know, the Cowboys maybe didn't have Mike McCarthy as the top option. We don't know how much we believe that that was their number one guy from the outset. But when you talk about Mike McCarthy potentially appealing to Jerry's side,

coming in there with all the right answers, do you think that Mike McCarthy's top job as he was going through this whole process, he was looking towards Dallas is where I want to end up? I look, I'll just be real here and I, you know, I'm sure Mike would protest this. I think Mike would have taken the first job offered to him, really. I really do. Like, I think that any of the jobs that Mike was going to interview for, if he had the opportunity, he would have taken it.

And I do understand some of that because Mike, you know, for whether it's right or wrong, I don't think that Mike was necessarily considered, quote, unquote, the hot candidate or the guy with a lot of leverage, you know, going through the process. I think, you know, he could sit for an interview and do well. but ultimately was he going to have, was it a Mike McCarthy buyer's market? You know, I don't think so. And, well, it was a buyer's market.

It was a Mike McCarthy seller's market from his standpoint. So, you know, if someone said to Mike early, like, hey, would Dallas be, you know, near the top of your list? I think for a lot of coaches Dallas be near the top of the list, so long as you can deal with, you know, can you deal with an owner or just going to talk after every? game and be on the radio and going to say things about, you know, your team. Can you weather that?

As long as you could come to terms with that and then also sort of how personnel works in Dallas, it was going to be near the top of your list. And whenever Meyer talked about how, you know, hey, this is a be all end all job, I think a lot of coaches do feel that way. So in a weird way, I think it worked out for Dallas, although I feel like they kind of tripped into it a little bit, but I think it really worked out for Mike as well. And it's, I don't, when I say that Mike would have taken first job offer to him, I want, it's going to sound harsh, but I'll liken it to, I remember when Andy Reid got fired from,

from Philly, and he took the Kansas City job inside of a week. And I saw Andy this summer after that. And I asked Andy, I said, look, man, I know people were telling you're off. you've had some family stuff. There's a lot here. Why not just take some time? And Andy was like, I want it back. Look, I'm not burned out.

I'm ready to go. Like, people have this idea that, you know, I just, I'm paraphrasing him here, but he kind of went through this thing. Well, people have this idea that he got to take time off and recover from it. He's like, I didn't feel that way. Like, I still want to coach football. I love it. And so I do think when I say Mike would have taken the first job,

as Jane talked about the tears in the NFL network saying I think that's because Mike wasn't burned out. I think Mike really wanted the opportunity to get right back into football and didn't feel wiped out. But, you know, he did also get that year to sort of think about it and process it. So, you know, I don't think, I don't think Mike can say, hey, I knew this would be my job. And I don't think I don't think Jerry could ever look back and say Mike was our number one candidate because I frankly don't even think it's a late in the process. that's when Mike and even Marvin popped up late in the problem. I mean, you talk to people. I remember when Marvin, I talked to somebody close to Marvin,

Lewis and I said, was this kind of in the works for a while? And he laughed. And he goes, I don't know, for a while. And Marvin had interviewed on Friday. He goes, by a while, do you mean like Friday morning? I'm dead serious on this. Yes. I think these ideas came to fruition in Aspen.

while they were sitting around the table having drinks with the family, the family weighed in. Isn't that a conference the Aspen Ideas Institute? I think that is actually a thing. It's actually going to be a write-off this year. It was business. Listen, Jane is just trying to get an assignment in Aspen. I didn't get Hawaii when they went there in the preseason. I didn't get Cabo when Zeke exiled himself there and I didn't get Aspen.

What I do get is a one-way ticket to Frisco destination back to my home. And yeah, we're doing this podcast outside because we're not allowed in the building. Before I let you go, I'd be remiss to say that I know a lot of people think as journalists have cold black carts and we don't care about people. But can we talk about the tragedy that is Jason Garrett, a guy that we all thought would be considered for the head coaching job only to learn that, no, that guy. that guy's Joe Judge and hey Jason if you want to come here and call play something that was taken away from you in Dallas something that people didn't think you could

do we'll bring you here for the OC gig your thoughts on all of that you know they put the request and then pivoted to judge pretty quickly and I know there's kind of been some debate you know about it's interesting because the giants are like

well you know we put in for head coaching we put in for head coaching consideration with Jason and I think part of the reason why they're saying that is because they want Joe to at least they want it to look like hey Joe can name his own staff okay so we're not we're not even really pushing Jason on him but look the giant John Merr thinks a lot of Jason and you know and I think you really would like to have Jason the organization and I personally have no doubt he would like to have Jason as the OC I think he's like to pair him

and see him and Joan it is it's a little bit of a bummer because you know I don't Jason, me personally, particularly looking at the team covering it from the analytical standpoint, Jason always frustrated me because I always saw a part of Jason when he was to step off that podium, you know, and you talked to him on the side, and there was just this part of him where I felt like I didn't always know how much he was projecting that outwardly to the fan base.

I didn't know how much he would always project that to the players, although I think there was a lot more of it projected toward the players. I think I just, it's a bummer. that it did not work out for him because he did, he is a guy who cared about it, and there's a lot of craziness that happens late in a tenure, and it's funny because Mike McCarthy could talk about that. There was a lot of craziness that happened in Green Bay late in his tenure

that ended up, you know, I don't want to say taining, but it left a malaise on the Green Bay experience, and that's what Jason's going to have to deal with coming out of Dallas. But I'll also say this. This was Jason's first stop, you know, And I've spent, I person has spent a lot of time talking about the second list of coaches since they hired Mike McCarthy. Well, you know what? Jason's going to be on that list.

He will. He's going to be a candidate for future head coaching jobs. And I will be very curious to see if Jason is one. 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,

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I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped. up in the chase, that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about

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Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian.

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These guys, who has a second opportunity and ends up doing really well because he's had a chance to get into a new experience and sort of do the autopsy and what maybe he didn't do perfectly the first time around. So the elephant should get used to it now. He's not going away.

He's going to be an NFL coach somewhere. It might be a coordinator first, but I would bet good money that Jason someday will be head coached in the NFL again. And Jason, if you're listening, I leave you with this. When ESPN decided not to re-up my contract as it was approaching expiration

and they were making cuts at Longhorn Network, they asked me to go and do the SEC baseball tournament. I went there and I happened to be with Maria Taylor and Laura Rutledge and they were talking about some of the power moves they were making and Maria was a candidate for the NFL network. She told me about the job. I asked her permission to have my agent call and that has changed the trajectory of my life. So by Jason doing the right thing, showing up to work when a lot of us wouldn't otherwise do that knowing that people were out on us, maybe something good happens for them. I certainly hope it throughout this process I've enjoyed getting to know you, Charles. And thank you so much for basically doing our.

our podcast today, 28 minutes with us here on the pod. Thank you so much. Great insight. And again, if you guys want to follow Charles Robinson, you can find him on Twitter. And of course, you've dropped some really great articles out there. Again, that's at Charles Robinson on Twitter. Thanks, Charles. Well, thank you for having. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for having me. And I have a great relationship with you guys, but I'm not going to lie, like there are times where Jane is the bane of my existence where I like the Zique, the whole Zika contract.

I'm like, God, Jesus. I'm like, who's talking to J? Like whoever's talking to. I'm like, tell me, I'm like, you're not talking to Jane, right? You're talking to Jane. You're talking to Jane.

We're all here to celebrate each other's wins. I love the competition. Awesome. Well, let's hope that this is the last time we've got to go through on these searches for a while. My heart can't handle it. I need a vacation. Get right to the romance.

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Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think.

Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry.

Looks like Dad has the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Dipers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off.

Ah, but looks like mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes! Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size.

Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by Netsa and the right seat. the ad counsel. Well, joining us now is Andrew Brandt. There's really probably nobody more well equipped to talk to us about Mike McCarthy and the hire the Cowboys have made than Andrew. Andrew was on staff with the Packers as vice president when the McCarthy hire was made. He spent nine years with the Green Bay Packers. He is now executive vice president at the Morad Center at Villanova and executive vice president of Vayner Sports. He also writes columns for the MMQB. And you can follow him on Twitter at Andrew

Brandt. Andrew, how you doing? I'm doing well. Always good to be with you guys. And it's just so funny hearing Mike McCarthy hired. Because I hired Mike McCarthy I'm hard to believe it's 14 years ago this week. Time flies. Tell me

what drew you guys to Mike McCarthy when you made the hire in Green Bay? And do you think it was probably the same sort of things that drew the Cowboys to him here this time around? Yeah, it's hard to know exactly. I think back then he was someone that was impressive in the interview in terms of no nonsense,

straight shooter, kind of that Pittsburgh tough guy without letting you know he's a tough guy, if you know what I mean. Just very direct. There was never going to be any BS with Mike. And it was really run by our general manager at the time,

Ted Thompson, and we had some great personnel guys who were all at the GM since. John Schneider, who's now in Seattle, John Dorsey was running the Browns. Reggie McKenzie was running the Raiders and myself. And there's just a nice chemistry that's developed right away. And just quickly, the other finalist was Sean Payton,

and it was really kind of a dead heat. But the one thing that pushed Mike over the edge with us is that he had been in Green Bay. He had spent one year on staff as a quarterback's coach, the one year that Ray Rhodes was head coach. And that familiarity that he, He knew Green Bay, new people there. He understood the Packers, which is a different place than anywhere else.

They kind of pushed it over the top. So that's where we came to hire Mike back in 2006. Tom Pelliserro did an excellent piece with him this offseason. And I've joked that Mike McCarthy owes him about 10% of this contract for helping rebrand McCarthy and get him back out there on the open market. Have you watched it as my first question? And then my follow-up, if you have, what stood out about some of the moves he made in the off-season? you know, the guy sort of looking in the mirror.

Yeah, I saw some of the, maybe not the whole clip, but some of it with Tom. And by the way, Tom was covering the Packers when I get out there for the local paper. Listen, Mike, I can speak to this on a personal level. It is very hard to live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and not work for the Packers. And that's just a, you know, just a feeling. I parted ways with the Packers and there were a few months before we moved out

and that's not easy because everything is Packers I mean you can't go out of your house without talking about the Packers so I feel for Mike you know of course his wife's from there there's little kids there got a great house there

I can see why I didn't move but I know that's tough you know it's one thing to be removed from a job and go somewhere else and get ready for the next job. But to do it there with a new coach, with the team doing so well, with all the noise about him and Aaron and everything else, that's what I really felt for.

And I think like a lot of coaches, it doesn't matter where at Green Bay anywhere, you know, it's in your blood and you miss it. Again, it's not about me, but when I walked away from the NFL after nine and a half years, I'm like, I'm good. You know, I'm going to do different things. things. I had my time there. I've been there, done that. But I think for coaches, and like Mike,

it's very different. So I just felt like he was showing himself. His vulnerability, humanity, and his love for coaching. To follow up on that, you know, he talked a lot about trying to get more innovative, studying the offenses, particularly one of them was Dak Prescott and this cowboy's offense. It's all lip service right now until we actually see its application. But from what you came to know of Mike, is he the type of guy that's capable of adapting, that there is a pliability about him? No, I think so. And maybe the answer wouldn't have been as easy as saying that before, two, three,

four years ago settled in his ways over a decade in Green Bay. But being away from it, sure. You know, I'm sure he's, yeah, I saw the piece about just going to work every day and figuring out new offensive concepts. And when I interviewed Mike 14 years ago, I'm not a football. You know, I don't know X's and O's. But listening to him, wow, you know, that was impressive, and Sean Payton. Like, wow, you know, working the boundary and perimeter and all these words I didn't know in terms of offensive football.

So I think he'll be viable. And he's inheriting Dak at kind of a time in his career that, you know, he inherited Aaron. And, you know, when I was with Mike and Aaron, Aaron was largely the backup. But Brett would go to Mississippi from January to July, basically. And it was Mike and Aaron. And those three years before Aaron was given the keys to the franchise, it was like, wow, you know, there's some real development going on there.

Those are kind of special times where you have a new coach and a quarterback in waiting working together in these quiet moments in March and April and May. Some people are starting to wonder, or one of the thoughts coming out of this season with Dallas being as disappointing as they were was that they may have lacked some discipline

or they maybe could have used more of a drill sergeant type. I know you said McCarthy's a no-nonsense guy. Do you think he's the type of guy to come in here and I guess crack the whip a little bit and restore some discipline for this team? Yeah, I don't know if he's the crows. the whip guy. I do know this. He's got a good emotional intelligence about him.

He, um, as I said, this kind of a gruff, Pittsburgh guy, I really knew when to, when to hold him, I mean,

we'd have bad losses and you'd come in and expect some expletive laced screaming, and he didn't do that. You know, he really picked his spot. Uh, he had a good intelligence about there, but,

listen, there was no lack of discipline problems when I was around. Like, you know, it didn't have to be said. It was understood. And I've been around teams where we did have some discipline issues. So that was not a problem. I want your thoughts on this. And perhaps it's not a fair question, given that you interviewed Mike McCarthy earlier in his career as well as Sean

Peyton. Both of these guys, of course, ended up going to get Super Bowls with their respective teams. But, you know, I think for some in Dallas when Mike McCarthy's high was announced. 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. SportsClyce brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsClice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition,

in the Mental Health Awareness Month. I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be. be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're free? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me.

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It felt like a consolation prize. In other words, this fan base has always wanted the best. And in their minds, it's been Sean Payton. It's been the Bill Belichick. Is Mike McCarthy a consolation prize or are these guys more similar than we give Mike credit for? You know, it's interesting. A couple things. First of all, he's obviously the only candidate with skin on the wall, you know, Super Bowl.

multiple, multiple playoffs. You know, Green Bay is a special place. I was there nine years. We missed the playoffs once. He was there 14 years. I think they missed the playoffs, I don't know, three times in 14 years. So everyone wants that. You know, if you can sign up for that, right.

The other thing, and I've done some radio down there, and I've said this, I talked to two teams about Mike McCarthy that either have hired or looking for a head coach. I did not talk to the Dowellers. So he, I mean, I don't know if the word is in demand, but he was a top candidate this year, maybe the top candidate. Because the teams I talked to, they were, A, impressed, and B. just like, what do we don't know? I mean, he, do you know anything about him? We should be worried about?

I mean, this guy's great. And I'm like, nothing I know to be worried about. So, listen, he, I don't know if he had other offers. I don't know how many options, how these, these other teams progressed. But I will say that. I talked to two teams that inquired about Mike that called me. and one, they were not balanced. So, Andrew, just last question here before you,

because this is always going to be the question, I think, for a lot of people outside of Dallas and also inside of Dallas. But given what you know about Mike McCarthy, and I'm sure you have some general understanding of Jerry Jones having been in the league the same time as him, is that a relationship, you think, that can last? Or is that a personality mesh there, you think, Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones?

Yeah, I mean, I think, listen, it's diametrically, opposite from Green Bay, of course, because we have no owner. We had, you know, millions of cheeseheads as their owners. And there was little to no interference. Having said that, the teams I talked to about Mike, he was up front with them. He was. Not them to him. That, hey, I just want to coach.

You know, I don't get involved in personnel, salary cap. you know, I want to coach. And if he's telling other teams that, I'm sure that drives well with what's the setup in Dallas. It makes sense. So, you know, although that made sense to me, the other things that impressed the teams I talked to, that had talked to Mike was like he didn't have a set group of coaches

to come with him because a lot of coaches, they sort of put together their guys, their buddies, if they get a job, they bring them with him. He wasn't said on that. And he said, you know, I got some guys out there that I've coached against that really were impressive and maybe I can go after them that he didn't even know. So that was impressive.

And I'm sure he's doing that now. Wants to coach reflective, doesn't want to handle personnel. Now I think we're kind of getting a little bit of insight as to why the Cowboys made this decision. so quickly. Now it all makes sense. Well, Andrew Brandt does wonderful work. You can read his stuff over at the MMQB. You can check out his podcast. The business of football. There's nobody better on the business of the NFL than Andrew Brand. And you can give him a follow on Twitter at Andrew Brand. Andrew, thanks so much for joining us. Happy to do it. Enjoy it guys. Take care. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination. Our sense of wonder. And our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this,

we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched.

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Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Act Council. So yeah, as you could hear, quite the sound difference from the beginning of the show, into the interviews, and then back here now with all the wind out there. But I got to say that even with the windy conditions, It wouldn't have been possible without our friends at Road who gave us this mixer that allowed us to record inside and outside today. It was very travel friendly today. It came through in the clutch. And Bobby is such a perfectionist.

He wants this to sound the best that he possibly can. I don't know if you guys know this, but he is the one that mixes this down for us, puts all of this thing together. You're the reason why this thing makes it go. We certainly have a lot to talk about, like I said, in the weeks and months to come. So on the next podcast, let's deep dive into some of these new coordinators, the staff. if they haven't been announced, we'll talk about the rumored ones, what they're planning on bringing the table,

and then what's ahead, 26 free agents, Dak Prescott's contract, Amari Cooper's contract, Sean Witten's, Sean Lee and Jason Witten's future, and I will be rested up. I will be allowed to return back to my life

that is not at the star because I am afraid that Jerry is going to start paying, or start charging me rent because I've been here so much. Guys, thanks for listening to us. We appreciate you guys shouting out to us on social media looking for us to drop this pod. So we hope you guys enjoy this one. I'm not sure what to do with my hands. Be good just to hold them down by your side.

Yeah, great. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real strong. story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. 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. 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 headwriter, 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.

What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year. on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season.

And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was probably. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to you. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love.

This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. You know,