The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Dave Wannstedt on Bears, Dolphins & Raiders Jobs, McCarthy Hot Seat, Russ/Seahawks Marriage, Divisional Picks

Episode Date: January 19, 2022

Colin explains how Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys "jumped the shark" with that bonehead final play, why Matthew Stafford reminds him of a Marvel character, and why the NBA continues to get lapped by the NFL. (3:00) Then, former Bears & Dolphins HC and Cowboys DC Dave Wannstedt joins to Colin to discuss the shocking Brian Flores firing (17:00), Dave's picks for Bears head coach (24:00), why Kellen Moore isn't ready to be the Cowboys head coach (29:00), how the Seahawks can fix their Russell Wilson problem (33:00), Dave's pick for Raiders head coach (39:00), the coaching advice Kliff Kingsbury needs to hear (40:00, and their predictions for the playoff games this weekend (41:00).Make sure to Subscribe and follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Sign up. Please use the promo code Colin so they know we sent you. Please use the promo code Colin, C-O-L-I-N. Fandul-Sports book app, sign up. Hi, everybody, and welcome. to the Wednesday morning podcast. I bring him on about once a month, Dave Wanstad. Always one of my favorite insiders.

Dave is the most connected person I've ever met in the NFL. Even on my phone I have, it's funny. On my phone it says Uncle Dave. That's what I put him under on my phone. Uncle Dave. Because you ever had an uncle that had all the answers to everything? He's my Uncle Dave. A couple of things first.

In the TV world, you know this, there is a term, jump the shark for a show that does something so clearly out of good ideas, it can't be taken seriously anymore. That was Fonzie in the old Happy Day show. It was like the fifth or sixth season Happy Days. There's an episode. He goes water skiing in his leather jacket and jumps over a shark. That's what the entire episode was about. But seriously, the Cowboys quarterback draw with 14 seconds left, it felt like a Mike McCarthy jump the shark moment. Like when you have multiple NFL quarterbacks, former quarterbacks, going on to social media and saying, yeah, it's understood that it takes like 17 to 18 seconds.

It really, McCarthy's always been one of those guys. and this is what I find fascinating about the Cowboys. I used to say this when he was the coach of Green Bay and Aaron Rogers. I said they don't even look like they fit. Like Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rogers look like they could be snarky drinking buddies. Like Big Ben and Tomlin, kind of tough guys. You could see them over beers. Like Aaron Rogers and McCarthy, it looked like an actor and a lot of,

a Milwaukee cop. It's like they wouldn't hang out together. They wouldn't be in the same social circle. They wouldn't double date together. Like for a franchise that is so good at optics and aesthetics, the Cowboys, they are the Kardashians of the NFL. They never leave the house without makeup. Mike McCarthy just doesn't even fit the organization.

And we've all kind of known that. But I thought that quarterback draw looked so disorganized. And then he doubled down afterwards at the podium. There's just no way back from that. Like, there are certain times in your life that you have memories of people that are so strong that they can't overcome those memories. And I feel like that with McCarthy. Everybody in the league that I trust, it's understood in the NFL. under 15 seconds, you need 30 yards, no timeouts.

The sideline is your ally. The middle of the field is your enemy. And McCarthy's been doing this now for what? 14 years as a head coach. It's just, I can't get past it. I can't get past that moment. Put on a leather jacket, some water skis, and jump over a shark. I can't get past it.

So I was watching Matt Stafford on Monday, Monday night. And I don't know many people in Hollywood. One of my friends, Eric, his dad used to run a movie studio. And Eric was a good high school athlete. But his dad, one summer, made him intern for his movie studio. And he had to catalog all the Marvel studio characters. and it was a big process. And so he knew the Marvel kind of library really, really well.

And Disney came in and eventually bought Marvel. And I remember the number being like $4 billion. It may have been $2 billion, but I think it was $4 billion. And my friend Eric said, there's no way it's worth that. I know every character in that library. There's no way. and then Iron Man itself made double what Disney paid for the entire Marvel studio catalog, right? All the characters.

And it's a great example of the power of culture and starmaking. Disney takes those Marvel characters like Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, Ant Man, Captain Marvel. It's a long list. Now, these characters were all around in the sixth. 60s. Half a century, nobody quite knew what the hell to do with them. And then in 2009, Disney acquired Marvel, and now all of a sudden, it's made all these movies. And Iron Man has been just a massive source of revenue for the Disney company. And so what it tells you, a lot of times it's not just the product. It's the organization that gets its hands on it and knows what to do with it. And a great

example is Matt Stafford. We knew Matt Stafford had talent. We knew OBJ had talent. But most had disappeared for the last several years, Stafford and Detroit, OBJ and Cleveland. Isn't it amazing? Then in the first year with Sean McVeigh, Stafford is now challenging Tom Brady for a chance to go to the NFC championship and was in the MVP chase for most of the season. And OBJ, who didn't have a single touchdown this year in Cleveland, has six and nine games with the Rams. And I mean, it's not like people thought you couldn't make a Captain America or Iron Man or Avengers movie.

But once you gave it to the right star making company, the right organization, nobody predicted. Ironman would do that. If Marvel thought it would do that, they would have charged double, but they charged Disney to buy their catalog. And so most players in football can't overcome a week to suboptimal environment. I mean, can you imagine Matt Stafford next year when they don't lose Robert woods. They don't lose cam acres. It's only going to get better. Cooper Cups not getting worse. OBJ in this system longer is not getting worse. Speaking of injuries, about five years ago, and Sean McVeigh had a little to do with this, Sean McVeigh refused to play starters in the preseason. And a lot of the veteran coaches rolled their eyes at it. Oh, they won't be ready to play in

September. Well, that Rams team went 8 and 0 with Jared Goff to start the season. And it really was a catalyst for change in the NFL where it is an exception now when a Bruce Ariens or a Bill Belichick, a veteran coach, plays starters in the preseason. That is now the exception, the outlier to the rule. Young coaches just won't do it. Matt LaFleur won't do it. Shanahan won't do it. Sean McVeigh doesn't want to do it. And McVeigh also believed if you were going to attract free agents, you had to let veteran players practice without pads. Let's have easier practices for an Andrew Whitworth. And it became a talking point around free agents in the league and veteran players is that you can go to Los Angeles and they want you to show up on Sunday and fit into their culture.

But the days of banging around in practice, starters playing in the preseason, that's not to say the Rams are a country club, but it makes them very attractive to veteran players. OBJ, Vaughn Miller, Andrew Whitworth that have options and are now overwhelmingly when given the option, they want to play for the Rams. And you look around the NFL right now. First of all, almost all the teams left have all their stars left. Even teams like the Packers that lost Zedaria Smith and Jaira Alexander, they're coming back and expected to play Saturday. J.J. Watt, we thought lost for the season. He played Monday night.

Derek Henry, out for the season. Wrong, oh, he'll be playing this weekend. So between the medical advances to get players back, and the ease and the safety precautions of the rules, equipment, and the standards and practices within NFL teams, isn't it remarkable in a sport with regulated violence how healthy these NFL teams are even after an additional 17th game? Yet, in the NBA, here's the list of stars that are out. Kevin Durant, two months, Anthony Davis, Kauai, Paul George, Drayman, Zion, both C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard for the Blazers.

Derek Rose, Lonzo Ball, Jamar Murray. I mean, I just named 10 of the top 20, 25 players in the league. Certainly 10 of the top 20 draws in the league. So I don't have an answer for it when it comes to the NBA. but the injuries in the NFL, it feels to me, are happening more often early in the season pre- Thanksgiving. And many of those players return. And the injuries overall are cut way, way back. Last weekend, all starting quarterbacks. This weekend, all starting quarterbacks. When the Rams play the Buccaneers, Leonard Fernette, Ronald Jones, and Tristan Worf's,

Injured, probably all play. Only Robert Woods is a high-end starter for either team that won't be available. But there is such an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver around the league. The Rams are just fine in that unit. One league's got all at stars or almost all of them. The other star-driven league is dealing with a lot of understudies. And you wonder why the NFL is pulling away. The media may not want to hear this.

Remember how much they complained a few years ago about the Thursday night games? I have talked to more than a half a dozen players privately about this. They love Thursday night games because after the game, it's essentially a second by week. And that week, that Thursday week, teams don't hit. They put in that game plan before the season. It is the easiest week of the year of practice. So even the NFL on a short and week has smartly managed that issue. All right.

He knows more and is connected to more people than anybody I've ever met. Super Bowl 27 Cowboys defensive coordinator, former head coach Bears and Dolphins, Dave Wanstant, which by the way, I say this over and over, but it's true because Miami can be such a shit show. But you were there for four years. How many years did you make the playoffs in Miami? Well, we were 11 wins, 11 wins, 9 wins, and 10 wins. Wow. Yeah, we actually only made the playoffs twice.

We got eliminated. If they would have had the current system, we'd have made it all four years. But we got eliminated. We were the last team, even in 10 wins. I think there was only 8 teams or won 10 games that year, and we were one of them, but for some crazy reason, we didn't get in. So let's start with the dolphins, which you have a history. And I say this over and over is you getting fired with Miami, the similarity with you and Flores.

He's not as successful, but he went on a winning streak at the end, eight of nine. So I made multiple calls on Flores. And this is what I basically heard is he's a smart guy and a good coach, but he just wears out the offensive staff. And he was running through coordinators. And Chris Greer is a very likable guy. And they tried over and over. And he was just really difficult. So here's my thing.

If you're Miami now and Stephen Ross runs through coaches and they just got rid of a coach who won eight of nine. If you were a top coaching candidate, this is what I always worry about, Dave. If you were a top coaching candidate, you were right now when you were 42. Would you even take that job? Has the Miami situation become so toxic? No. They're going to get the sixth best coach on the market. I don't think so.

Not at all. I mean, Chris Greer, I brought him on board. When I was the head coach, the way it was structured back then, it was head coach GM. It's the way Don Shula had it. It's the way Jimmy had it. It's way I had it. And I hired actually Rick Spilman and George Payton were my two personnel guys. And they did all the personnel work.

But we brought Chris Greer on. in 2000 and joined our staff as a scout. I know Chris. Chris's father was one of the best talent scouts going way back in the day that there was for the Patriots. So Chris, I think, is a good evaluator. And I look at it this way. If you can't get along with Chris Greer, it's your fault. And if you look real close, I think it's a great job because a young talent.

There's a lot of young talent. I have been a Tua fan. I think the circumstances that kid was in where it sounds like there was a little bit of a conflict between Brian Floyd's and Tua. No one has told me that. But if that's the case, even a little bit, that kid's under a lot of stress. When you're looking over your shoulder and you think that the head coach may not have confidence in you. So they get the right guy in there.

I think that's a program really with the arrows pointing up. And, you know, when I listen to Mr. Ross's press conference, think about it. You're a successful businessman, caller. And what he was saying was, we won nine games this year. We can win nine games in the structure that we have. But for us to be the best and for us to win a Super Bowl, we have to have a working relationship and we have to have everybody focused on the same goal and working together. to get there. That's the only way it happens in this league or in any business. So I get what he's saying. And I guarantee it wasn't just the property offensive staff. To make a move like this, a move that surprised everybody, they had to, I promise you, they talked to more people than the offensive coaches. I mean, it could have been a situation where they talk into players and all the players are going to say the right thing on video, you know. But who knows when you get them one on one and you go and you talk to the weight coach.

and you go and you talk to the trainer and you talk to the people in the cafeteria. Do we have a winning, is there a buzz here what we're trying to do? Is everybody excited about what the dolphins are doing? I don't know. I think it's something that just ring between the lines with that press conference. That's what he was saying, that we are not all kind of pulling the same direction and the conflict will hold us back. I call it friendly fire.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

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

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

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast,

it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, 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 taun tons 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush

didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Friendly fire within a business or a team or an organization will keep you from being the very best.

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Every NFC playoff team had an offensive coach. 75% of the playoff teams in the AFC had an offensive coach. There's a cultural change in the league. So what if the bears with Justin Fields and they have to restructure their defense? But what if Dan Quinn or Brian Flores knocks it out of the park during the interview? But you do have concerns about their ability to elevate the quarterback. Because this organization, if they don't get Justin Fields right, Dave, it doesn't matter who they hire. So if you're the Bears and you interview.

you Dan Quinn, and he crushes it. But you're like, I'd rather take the second best interview. Do you believe we're getting to a point in the NFL that you just seven out of ten times, you got a lean offense? I mean, we see what's happening here. Offensive coaches

are winning all these divisions. We see the rule changes. Well, I think they're winning a division because there's more of them. You know, I got to say this in jest though, and it's a sad thing because I was promoting on our Fox shows and everywhere I talk, Vic Fangio. I want to some defensive guys because I'm a defensive guy.

And they set an interesting step. Vic Fangio and the Denver Broncos were the first team to have a top five defense and not make it to the playoffs since 1993. And the Bears, what they've watched that. We were third in defense. It didn't make the playoffs. And everybody's, I mean, I throw that as a sidebar, a little story.

but I don't think it makes any difference. I mean, if you can get a, I mean, look who I was fortunate up when I was hit the Dolphins. I had Chan Gayley and I had North Turner. I mean, those two guys are excellent. When I got the job at the Bears, I hired Ron Turner, you know, who became the head coach in Illinois and he's been a court.

I mean, so I don't know. I get what's going on and I understand that because everybody's thinking in the back of their minds. We don't want to win games 10-7. We want to win games, you know, 35, 7. I mean, that's the perception. So I get that, but I don't think it's a necessity. To answer your question at the Bears, I don't think it's a necessity.

The Bears is real simple to me. Here's what's going to happen. They eliminated Ted Phillips from the committee. It's basically two people. It's George McCasky, the owner, and he hired Bill Pollian as the consultant. Bill Pullian is going to have the most influence of anybody in hiring the bill's next GM and head coach. That's the guy. That's the bear.

And Bill Pullian has a great track record. You know, I know Bill well. I think he's very good. But you watch what happened. It's going to be a guy that came up through the ranks with Bill. And I'm not saying it's going to be a guy from Indianapolis, even though they're talking to, I think, two guys from Indianapolis. but it's going to be a guy out of that mold, and then he's going to probably pick the coach.

Now, the only thing with the coach, and I just start, and we're talking bears now, I just say do not take a chance on a guy that's been a coordinator for six weeks, okay, or half a year. Let's get somebody that has a track record over time that we know what his identity is coming in. We know what this guy is going to be. That's what the bears are lacking right now. And I just hope that they go that direction.

And obviously, if it's an offensive guy, the priority is going to be take Brian. You know, I'm a Jim Harbaugh fan. You know, and I've talked to Jim and, you know, I hope the bears reach out to Jim. They haven't yet as of today. Okay. Miami, after that Buffalo New England game,

Mr. Ross got on his jet and you know where he went? Buffalo, New York, Sunday morning, talk to Brian Dayball. I would love it if the bear, you hire Brian Dayball, I've never met the guy, so I don't have a dog, as they say, in the fight here. If you hire a guy like Brian Dayball at the Bears, you know what you're getting? Obviously, he's an offensive guy. He was with Nick Saban. He was with Bill Belichick, and he's taking a quarterback that's an athlete that can run,

and he's taking his whole game to another level. I don't know. That's the direction that I hope the bears go. Let's talk cowboys. You know them well. Super Bowl there. So it's interesting with Jerry. Jerry is kind of sometimes uniquely patient.

He gave Jason Garrett more years than many believed he deserved. He just didn't give Jimmy enough time. I say that in jest. Oh, God. But the bottom line is when people want control, Jerry has a problem. But Mike McCarthy's not a guy seeking control. And so I look at Mike McCarthy as a guy, and I think Jerry has a history here. He hires people he can control.

And for as smart as he is, I just look around the league and I just don't think Mike McCarthy is. an offensive coach is in the same class as a Kyle Shanahan, a Lefleur, a McVeigh, some of these young guns. But I also look at this, David, you know Jerry Jones. He is loyal unless he thinks you're taking power or headlines from him. And that's not McCarthy or Jason Garrett's M.O. or Chan Galey. That's not who they are. So he tends to give kind of Wade Phillips. he tends to give guys who don't get a lot of headlines an extra year or two.

Does he not? That's kind of how he operates. Oh, I think you're right. But, you know, I said this, oh, probably a week 12 of the season. The thing that disappointed me most about the Cowboys this year is that Mike McCarthy, who's an offensive guy, a quarterback guy, that football team lost confidence about three quarters of the way through the season. They weren't, Dak wasn't sure, I don't know if he still is.

Whether the run it or throw it. Tell him more completely. I mean, he's talking about it. He's not ready for a head coach job. In my opinion, I don't know the guy. But to me, when you get hit in the backfield once with a run, you've got to come up with a way to block it or run a different run. Don't give up on it.

So I'm not there yet. I thought Mike McCarthy should have taken that offense by the reins and said, hey, guys, I have been there. I've done it. We're going to pull this thing together, but I'm going to take a bigger role in this whole offense. And whether it's play calling or not, I just felt like he should have, and it never happened. And you see what happens in the last game. And Jerry's looking at this thing.

I know Jerry's looking at this thing. We won the division. Okay, we came up short. We'll get back. Basically everybody back. We got a young team. Let's look at Mike McCarthy's track record. What?

10 win seasons out of 13 years or whatever. it was at the Packers in a Super Bowl. Now, who am I going to go higher? You're going to give the job to Kellynne Moore? Are you going to go hire some of the guys we're talking about? I don't think that doesn't, whether it's wins and losses or personality, which you're talking about, Colin, fit with Jerry's mentality. It's not easy to find a guy like that.

It's really not. No. So Seattle has got itself an interesting. situation. So Russell Wilson comes out on January 6 or 7th and says, I want to be here. On January 15th, about nine days later, Mike Silver, a reporter, comes out with a tweet saying Pete Carol and John Snyder are staying. The next morning, Russell Wilson and his people leak, Russell wants to explore his options. So it's pretty obvious that Russell Wilson wants changes. Well, Ken Norton, the defensive coordinator,

and Pete has been loyal to Ken forever, just got fired. So, and by the way, I got nothing against Ken Norton, but I did feel in the last several years, Seattle's schemes were outdated. People that I trust in the league had said they've got to update their schemes, not just the personnel. So if you had a quarterback, Dave, and listen, Pete's been fired twice and had a losing record in Seattle pre-Russell Wilson. Have you ever had a relationship where you lost your quarterback and had to get him back?

I mean, listen, Jimmy had troubles with Dan Marino. It's hard. Do you think Pete can ever get Russell Wilson back? How do you reel that back in, stark quarterback? I was told, okay? I was told two days ago, three days ago that they were having meetings. And Russell was right in the middle of it with Pete and Snyder and everybody. And they were talking about the changes.

what did they had to do to move forward? So when Pete comes out and lets Kenny Norton go, Pete Carroll ain't going anywhere, guys. If there was an issue of him going, that they're going to hear Russ's voice again, and they're going to try to do what they can do to help him. I don't know what those requests would be, but I don't see there being a change.

I look for Pete to be back, and I look for Russell Wilson to be in Seattle next year. I really do. And Russell Wilson is a, a great player. He's a Hall of Fame player. We know that. But at this point in his career, well, you know, it's a lot. You know, one of the biggest things when I talked to Dan Marino, and when I got the Dolphins job, it was pretty evident from Mr. Izinga, the owner, that he wanted to make a change of quarterback and on and on. So that was my first job. I sat down

with Dan and I said, hey, Dan, we're going to bring in Chang Galey. We're going to change the offense. and Dan had been running the same offense for basically what? How many years was he in there? 10, 15, 20 years at Shula. And then Jimmy carried the same offense. They didn't change. I was going to change. And that was hard on Dan because, you know, the mini camps and the offseason and a guy

at that age to get into the playbook and change everything, it's not easy. It takes a big offseason commitment. And those veteran guys, you know, normally don't want to do that. They're kind of set in their ways and getting away in their time, right? Deservingly so. And I think that's where Russ is at now. I think for him to go with a new coach and a new philosophy, he's a smart guy. I don't see it happen.

And I think he stays. And I think they come to an agreement on behind closed doors on, okay, this is what we're going to emphasize on offense. We all agree. Let's go. It's the way I see it. So I know Mike Mayak, kind of. So what's interesting about Mayak who just got fired. is that Dave, a lot of those stars on the Raiders, Hunter Renfro, fourth or fifth round,

Max Crosby, later rounds. Where Mayotte got in trouble was his first round picks. He had two complete whiffs. The Clemson defensive end, Alex Leatherwood is not a first round player. In fact, most GMs I talked to said move him inside. He's an interior lineman, not a tackle. They took him first round as a tackle. people inside the Raiders are saying that with the first pick and the second pick of the draft,

that Gruden would step in because he had 51% control, Mayok 49, that Gruden with the first pick would tell Mayak, nope, we're going with this guy. Yeah, I can say that. And then by the third round, he just gave it to Mayak because he didn't do all the homework. And that's natural. Yeah. Okay. So it's really interesting. When you start looking at that Raiders roster, there's some offensive talent.

Colton Miller left tackle, Jacobs the running back, Hunter Renfro, Darren Waller, Derek Carr. Dave, in this league, this offensive-driven league, not only were they a playoff team, they're not that far off. I really don't think they are. And here's what I worry about. Derek Carr wants Rich to be the coach. and if you don't listen to Derek, do you lose Derek? That's my concern. Well, he deserves it.

And, you know, I like their defensive line. I like their front seven calling. Those guys got after it in a playoff game. You know, they were forcing field goals with the Bengals. I mean, I thought they played great. You just mentioned something. And I don't really know the guy. He did a couple of our games when I was coaching a pit

and he was working in the TV. Mike May, someone should hire that guy. I think, you know, we're talking about all these. GMs and have, you know, all these young guys, all these guru guys, bring in Mike Maylock and interview him. He, you just might really hit on something big. Just an opinion, you know, just an opinion. There's, there's talent on that roster.

If you go look at the mistakes, they were first round mistakes and Gruden. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. I'm going to, I'm going to get, I'm going to, I'm going to give you an assignment. All right. And I like the guy personally. Reese, you won't do it. You got 10 people working for you.

Get one of your guys and research the last four or five games of Cliff Kingsbury's career. Going back to Texas Tech every year that he's been at Arizona. Look at the end of the season, wins and losses. So I know. I've seen this. There's something missing. So what you're saying is in the last month and a half, college and pro, now what do you suspect that is with Cliff Kingsbury? What is the problem?

Well, sense of urgency. Sense of urgency. I mean, it's so easy when you make the playoffs or you're going to be a playoff team. You know, the human nature says, we're okay. We're good. We made it. And we'll be fine next week. rather than sometimes you've got to create a crisis calling you know what I mean things are just good

that we got to go in there and create a crisis I got to throw somebody out of a meeting because he's not taking notes or paying attention or throw somebody off the practice field because he jumped off sides twice you got to do something to get everybody's attention and that's what I think I when I look at this the finish that these guys have they they just it didn't look like they were physically and mentally. ready to play in that game last night, you know, or Monday night, whatever it was. Did Jimmy do that when your team did he have? Oh, God.

He was, he was out of his mind. He'd say, let's go get a beer after the game. He just screamed at the team for 10 minutes. I said, I got a headache. I'm going home. I'm going to go home and drink some whiskey. I'll see you tomorrow morning, about six or five or whatever time you want to get together. You know, we've got four games this weekend.

And this is, I know this won't happen, but this is one of the rare weekends. I like all the favorites. I feel like the Bengals have the weakest roster in the playoffs, and I think they've hit their ceiling. I think the 49ers will give Green Bay a good test because of their ability to run the ball. They want to play that thing in a phone booth and just make it an octagon UFC battle. But I think at some point, there's limitations on what San Francisco can do offensively. I don't think the Rams can run it against Tampa and they're going to have to throw the ball 40 times in the road with Stafford. I don't think that's the best version of the Rams.

Bill's Chiefs to me is a coin flip. Whatever quarterback plays better, I'll take. I'd probably go Kansas City. As I give you those four games, what is your strongest opinion of any of those four games that you really feel strongly about one of the teams? I feel Green Bay because they had a week off. and I think last week's win for San Francisco and hey, human nature, Kyle Shanahan is a great coach,

he's going to be screaming at them, but human nature tells you to put your guard on them. When you have a win like they had last week in Dallas, and Kyle Shanahan was talking about the old Dallas, San Francisco days when I was at Dallas and Jimmy and Michael Irvin and Steve, Young and Jerry Rice. You know, he went into the history of this game.

Everybody, this was a huge game, probably a bigger game for San Francisco than it was for Dallas. At the end of the day, the way they addressed it, the way, what I'm hearing. And for them to win that game, and now they've got to re-energize and go on the road, up the Lambo, I really think the Packers got an upper hand. The one that I disagree with you, Colin, I'll tell you what, Joe Burrow is. is the closest thing, his interview after the game, they could not get him to say this was a heck of a win. He said, we celebrated last week when we won a division.

We got bigger things ahead of us. I'm telling you, this Joe Burrow has about us to a young quarterback, and I was at the Dolphins when Tom Brady started, started his first game. And hearing Tom's press conferences for all those years and still have, and him. This Joe Burrow kid has about as close a mentality, I think, that Tom Brady is any young quarterback that I have seen. This guy is business. So I like Cincinnati this week over to Titans. Dave Wanstead. Fantastic, buddy. Great seeing you. Okay, see you. Be safe. All right. Go to our YouTube channel. Lower right side. See that red button. Subscribe. Push it. Dave Wanstatt. How good is he?

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