The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast- Mike Silver on Brian Flores Lawsuit, Jim Harbaugh's NFL Future, Jimmy G Trade Destinations

Episode Date: February 2, 2022

Colin rants about the "fake news" accusations about Brady's retirement report and why Jim Harbaugh should be interviewing for NFL jobs, then discusses former Oklahoma QB Caleb Williams joining his coach Lincoln Riley at USC (3:00). Then, longtime NFL writer Mike Silver joins Colin to discuss ex-Dolphins head coach Brian Flores' lawsuit against the league (10:00), the history of rocky relationships between owners and head coaches (24:00), the hiring of other minority coaches including Eric Bieniemy (26:00), the latest on Jim Harbaugh's potential move back to the NFL (33:00), the best trade destinations for Jimmy G and the 49ers, and the conversation Mike had with Jimmy after the Niners' loss to the Rams (36:00). 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.

The volume. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor?

It signals to the world that you not to be played with, And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot. or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is brought to you by Royal Caribbean, an award-winning global cruise line. A vacation is what you make it. So are you ready to make the most of it? A Royal Caribbean adventure is the perfect opportunity to not just take a vacation, but to take it for all its worth. We know you're eager to get back out there, and with Royal Caribbean, you can own that moment and rise to the vacation. This is not just a cruise. This is the biggest, boldest vacation on land or at sea.

With over 270-plus destinations from the Caribbean, Alaska to Europe, and the biggest ships in the world to take you there, each one of our cruises is packed full of onboard features. You won't find anywhere else. A royal adventure is taking your vacation to the fullest. Come seek the Royal Caribbean. Visit royal Caribbean. to learn more. There's a recipe for getting your car running just right, and eBaymotors.com has all the ingredients you need. They have over 122 million car parts and accessories in stock, all at the right

prices. Now that's tasty. Ebay motors.com. Let's ride. Whether you upgrade your car because you need to or because you want to, eBay Motors has all the car parts you need, over 122 million of them, from new rims to seat cushions, all at the right prices. eBay Motors, com. Let's ride. The Colin Coward podcast presented by Fandul's Sportsbook, there's no better place to make every moment more during the Super Bowl than with Fandul.

New users bet five bucks and win $2.80 in cash on either team to win. Fan Duel's America's number one sportsbook. It's safe and secure. It's easy to use. And it's fun to combine multiple bets from time to time on their same game parlays. Really

easy. Bet a little, win a lot. Discover the most popular same game parles each day, each night when you log in. How do you do that? Just download the Fandul Sportsbook app, sign up with a promo code Colin. Let him know I sent you. The Colin Coward podcast presented by Fandual Sportsbook. Hi everybody and welcome to the Wednesday morning podcast. My buddy Mike Silver, he's going to have insight on Harbaugh to the Vikings, really good insight on the market for Jimmy Garapolo. And we're going to spend a good 10, 12 minutes, maybe 15 on Brian Flores and that damning lawsuit against the NFL and several parties.

Let me start with some thoughts on three topics. Number one, Tom Brady. Many people pointed out when Adam Schaefter and Jeff Darlington broke the story that Brady was retiring, that you can't trust the media, fake media, media doesn't know anything. Listen, they were right, and the media is like any other field. medicine, aviation, architecture, pilots, there are people you trust and people you don't trust. Every field has its share of Cretans and bad actors. Adam Schaefter and Jeff Darlington have been in the business for decades.

I would put them at the top of any list in terms of breaking stories. When you cry fake news, it doesn't make you sound informed. Sheffter and Darlington bat about 98%. Now, I've had sources lie to me. In fact, I wouldn't even use the word lie. I've had sources pretend they know more than they do. We make mistakes. The IRS audit sometimes people and finds nothing.

But the Brady story, Tom's not going to be able to, with his stature and status, control his exit. when he went to Tampa, I broke that story. He didn't. And when he left the sport, Schefter and Jeff Darlington broke that story. He didn't. It's the reality of our job and the reality of his fame. I hear people talking about Jim Harbaugh interviewing for the Minnesota Vikings.

And again, Mike Silver and I will talk about this at some length. As if it will hurt Michigan recruiting. I hear this all the time. Folks, when you enter. for an NFL job as a college coach, it increases your value because college players overwhelmingly want to get paid professionally to hit people and throw and catch passes. It in no way hurts the recruiting of Michigan football.

If Jim Harbaugh was in the SEC at an Alabama where that footprint, there are more top 300 high school football players than the Michigan, the state of Michigan footprint, Jim Harbaugh would have national championships. He is a great coach. And when Pete Carroll was at USC, long before he left, he was hotly rumored to be interviewed or interviewing for multiple NFL jobs. Great people. And there aren't many in any field. Harbaugh is a great coach professionally or collegial. Great coaches, great doctors, great everything. People are seeking them out whether they're employed or not. Biggest college news yesterday, Caleb Williams, the star quarterback from Oklahoma, has transferred to USC.

So I went to social media Friday, gave a fight on, and said I was hearing things. What I heard was there was no truth to the rumors he was going to play for the Wisconsin Badgers, despite the fact Bobby Ingram was hired by Wisconsin and he knows Caleb Williams and his father. I was told no truth to that. From the very beginning, I was told it was a 75% lean to USC and Oklahoma had about a 25% chance. But I'll say this. He made the right move. Look at what McVeigh has done for Stafford. Look at what Andy Reid has done for Patrick Mahomes. If you look around the NFL at defensive players, their elevation and talent is not as directly tied to their defensive coordinator or coach.

Quarterbacks, you're often as good as your head coach. You can look around the NFL or college football. Once you find your kingmaker, once you find your mentor offensively, your best bet is to follow him wherever he goes. This was the right choice for Caleb Williams. Now, I've said this. USC's front seven defensively is simply not good enough to compete for a national championship. But people look at USC's four wins and eight lost record last year and say, boy, they've got a long way to go. No, it speaks to how lousy of a coach Clay Hilton was with the same people.

It probably would have been an eight and four record with Lincoln Riley. Clay Hilton didn't get an interview at a Power 5 conference. didn't get an interview when fired by USC. He won 70% of his games in the PAC 12 in a Rose Bowl and did not get an interview at any Power 5 conference school. He was a bad coach. This is not a great roster, but it is filled with talented players who are the right coach will win. And duly noting the PAC 12 is the weakest it has been in my life. Oregon has the most talent and USC is not on their schedule next year.

Offensively, the transfer portal has allowed USC to strengthen significantly in the last month. They will vie for the conference and I'd be surprised if they don't win it. That said, they are two to three years away and multiple recruiting classes from vying from the Buckeyes, Clemson, Georgia, Alabama and maybe even Oklahoma. Let's get to Mike Silver. All right, I bring in Mike Silver on a day full of news. Let's start with Brian Flores suing multiple people from as far as I can tell the giants, the dolphins. It includes a Bill Belichick letter. He's suing the NFL. My first takeaway is it's a little scorched earth. He probably would acknowledge not that it would be a career ender, but it will limit some opportunities going forward if you are a litigious person. That scares some people off.

But I always thought the Rooney Rules a little shammie to begin with. What's your takeaway in the Flores lawsuits? Yeah, Colin, it looks like he snapped. And I can understand and appreciate why any black coach would snap, given the overall backdrop of coaching and race in the NFL that I've witnessed in my 33 years covering this league and before that as a consumer. It's just, you know, there are so many instances where it just doesn't seem fair on a systemic level. And this particular coaching cycle has not gone well. And then if you look at the allegations in this lawsuit, it looks like he experienced

some pretty frustrating things on a personal level. There's the text from Bill Belichick that Bill apparently thought was going to Brian dayball, but instead what to Brian Flores? while that seemed to indicate that Brian Daval had the Giants job locked up three days before Flores was interviewing. So I think as these things compound, it just starts to feel like it's not a level playing field. And somebody finally snapped to the point where, as you said, he filed a lawsuit that will be certainly frowned upon by prospective employers in this industry. But make no mistake, There are a lot of black coaches and others who have had experienced this state of a long time

that will find this to be heroic. And look, it just hasn't been a good stretch for the NFL in terms of race, including the race-norming part of the concussion lawsuit, which hasn't gotten a lot of attention. And I would encourage people to search engine that and do a little more research. But maybe one of the more abominable things I've seen. And that's not just on the NFL. The Players Association signed off on that settlement too.

It's since been rectified after attention was drawn to it. But just it hasn't been a great run. And meanwhile, you have a league that has end racism and it takes all of us in the end zone and on helmets. And it's going to be a great halftime show that appeals to the urban demographic. It's a crazy time for this to hit the NFL. And having worked at the NFL for as long as I did, eight years with NFL Network, I know that they are flipping out both in that Los Angeles NFL media headquarters and in the league office on Park Avenue in New York. Do we believe an African American coach will be hired in this cycle?

I believe that if you're a team that has not yet hired a coach and you were planning to not hire an African American coach, you are now thinking about how bad it looks in a different way in the wake of this lawsuit. Now, maybe that won't actually impact the decisions, but not only has it been a rough cycle so far, coach-wise, for diversity, we have had two very promising young black GMs who've been hired, which is cool, and that's progress. But, you know, it's kind of looking like it's not going to go great with Josh McCown, maybe, getting Houston, and that's offensive to a lot of white coaches, too. I don't want to just put that in the race box. Someone with zero coaching experience getting an NFL head coaching,

should offend virtually any coach with experience. But, you know, we've seen Matt Eberflus. Jonathan Gannon's getting a lot of run. I think Kevin O'Connell very well may be headed for a job. Mike McDaniel, who is biracial, may have a shot at Miami. But it's not looking awesome. And so I don't know. Will this impact what actually happens at the cycle?

Tell you one thing. If I were Roger Goodell, I'd be working the phones right now to the owners who haven't yet made hires and saying, hey, anything you could do to help us from a global standpoint right now wouldn't hurt because we look real, real bad. Well, I think what really hurts the NFL, you know, Brian Flores won eight of nine with Tua and 10 games with Ryan Fitzpatrick in Tua. And, no, I've both of us from various sources heard that Flores, you know, and this has become a patriot trend. can be difficult, his interpersonal skills, not very redeeming, fired multiple offensive coordinators.

Okay, fine. And I suspect Flores would get another job, although sometimes, you know, Doug Peterson, by the way, it may take a couple years, you know, it's, by the way, there's not many great jobs out there. The Raiders is considered the best job,

and it's one of the worst ownership situations and the toughest division in football. So I always thought Flores would get another. job, he probably need to kind of look in the mirror a little bit in his interpersonal skills, which, by the way, Matt Patricia, Josh McDaniels, Charlie Weiss. But you, you know, when you came on our podcast, I thought, I wouldn't say you took the side, but you understood the Flores. After you did some deep diving, you did understand Flores's dismissal in Miami, I felt. I think you put it really well. You know, a lot of times Black Orway,

when we see people get fired in a very surprising way in the NFL, when I really dig deep, I find that relations, and particularly managing the relationship with ownership, tends to be the thing we're missing. And I would put John Dorsey, for example, he was a successful general manager in Kansas City seemingly, and he's white, and abruptly he was gone, seemed to be from what I gathered, he wasn't doing a great job of keeping ownership in the loop and giving them a sense of what was, you know, important to them. So I think Flores would fall into that camp.

And look, he's a young coach. And certainly let's not ignore the New England part of it. You put that very, very well. But yeah, when he was fired, that kind of made sense to me because of that, though I think we would all have agreed, like, won a lot of games, as you said, That's pretty weird firing. But listen, not to personalize, I've been accused quite recently by good friends of personalizing everything. But, you know, I recently moved on from a job that I had for eight years and am now trying to figure out my situation.

And I know that I was very frustrated by the way my last job ended at NFL Network. And that remains frustrating to me. But as I've gone through it, not being in that job and the outcome of that has frustrated me much less than some of the things that I felt have happened since then when I've been on the market. And so if that's what Brian Flores maybe has gone through in the last couple weeks and that's what got him to snap, I can understand because, okay, yeah, the dolphins, it was weird. and it's ridiculous in my mind that I was fired with that record, but maybe I just had a bad relationship with ownership or whatever with the general manager. But really? Now you're going to make me do a song and dance interview for a job with the New York Giants

that I found out from Bill Belichick, if you believe Bill Belichick, it's already in the bag for Brian Daibald. And there are some other damning things in that lawsuit. Again, we'll see what the evidence is. but he says that he did an interview with the Broncos in 2019 that was effectively in his mind of sham interview. He said that John Elway and others showed up an hour late and in his opinion seemed to be hug over.

And, you know, that I'm sure felt like a system that wasn't, you know, geared toward his potential benefit or level playing field. There's a charge in there that I think the most damning thing in there. Again, we'll see what the evidence is. But he says that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross did some things, including either offered him $100,000 a loss when he wanted him to take or actually gave him that. I have to read it a little more closely.

He accuses Ross of trying to engineer this meeting with Flores and a unnamed prominent quarterback who was property, another team over the off season where they would just happen to meet and Flores found out about it and left. I mean, there are some things in there that, you know, go beyond the systemic racism part of it and are just plain, you know, damning to the people named. And so it's really, it's a bombshell that drop. But I think we're going to be watching this over the coming weeks and months and in a way that we felt we might with the Washington Dan Snyder investigation at emails that as of now we've only seen a tiny slice up.

Fanduil Sportsbook is an official sports betting partner of Super Bowl 50. 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

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

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear 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. 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, 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 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.

So to celebrate new customers can bet $5 to win $280 in cash on either team to win if you use the promo code column. That's right. You get your winnings, cold hard cash, because we know cash is always better than free bets. Fandall Sportsbook, the number one sports book in America. They got same game parlays. You can combine small bets for bigger wins. tons of Super Bowl props and more. Don't miss out for your chance to turn five bucks into 280 in cash.

Download the Fandul Sportsbook app. Please use the promo code, Colin C-O-L-I-N, payouts in as little as two hours, safe and secure, Van Duel Sportsbook. 21 plus and present in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia, or West Virginia refund issued as non-wadruable site credit that expires in seven days, max refund $10,000, restrictions, supply, see terms, Sportsbook, Fandul.com, same game parley available for multiple sports in all states on mobile slash web. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler.

Visit fandul.com slash RG in Colorado, Jersey, and Virginia. Or call 1-8009 with it in Indiana. 1-800-7-1-817 for confidential help in Michigan. Tennessee Redline is 1-8009-8-9-9-7-89. Or go to 1-800gambler.net in West Virginia. Or call 1-800 next step or text next step to 533442 in Arizona. Imagine fighting climate change every time you buy groceries or pizza. Now you can.

With the Aspiration Zero credit card, you can reduce your carbon footprint by making the same purchases you always make. Aspiration Zero plants one tree every time you make a purchase or plant two trees when you choose to round all your purchases up to the nearest dollar. Track your progress in the app and earn 1% cashback each month you reach Carbon Zero.

For a limited time, earn a $300 bonus when you open an account at Aspiration.com and spend $3,000 in the money. first 90 days. Join the community that helps you fight climate change with every purchase. Aspiration Zero, one card, zero carbon footprint. The Aspiration Zero MasterC is issued by Beneficial State Bank pursuant to license by MasterC International Incorporated. Beneficial State Bank member FDIC 2021. Terms and conditions apply. Visit aspiration.com slash zero for more information. It's the sound of another sale on Shopify, the all-in-one commerce platform I love to start

grow your business. Shopify gives entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. So upstarts, startups, and established businesses alike can sell everywhere. Synchronize online and in-person sales and effortlessly stay informed. I love Shopify. Have for years the tools and resources that make it easy for any business to succeed from down the street to around the globe. Shopify is more than a store. Connect with your customers. Drive sales. Manage your day-to-day. Reach customers online with an ever-growing suite of channel integrations and apps, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, and more. More than a store, Shopify grows with you. Go to Shopify.com slash Colin, all lowercase.

Shopify.com slash Colin for a free 14-day trial, full access at Shopify's entire suite of features. Shopify.com slash C-O-L-I-N. Auto done easy. That's Driveway's three-word game. Driveway makes buying a car online easy, and their nationwide inventory superb. Looking for a Mazda in Missoula or a Prius in Pittsburgh. No problem.

Heck, they can deliver a Ferrari to Fresno if that's how you roll. For a nominal delivery fee, driveway ships any vehicle from their 260-plus retail locations right to your driveway. Not sold just yet. They've got a seven-day money-back guarantee on every purchase. Make selling your car easy. They offer an instant and competitive offer on their website. If you decide to take it, driveway comes to your driveway and picks it up, trade it in, take a check.

It's that easy. Even though financing is easy at driveway, their no-haggle prices, makes everything stress-free. Since they own their inventory, they sell directly to you, which lets them offer a great price up front. Head to driveway.com. Driveway.com now to shop for your next ride, and you'll see driveway really is auto done easy. Yeah, I am never surprised when billionaires do shady things. I mean, I hate to say it, but I have heard so many stories through the years, ridiculous stories from owners in the NFL, from coaches, day before a game, demanding

they change the game plan. I've heard that twice, having to waste two hours talking an owner off a ledge. when your job, the team you took over was one in 15, and he can't believe you can't compete with Ray Lewis's Ravens the following year. So, I mean, when I read some of the Brian Flores stuff, I'm like, yeah, what a shock that, and I've said this before, we always say there's about seven great quarterbacks in the league. There's about seven great owners in the league.

Yeah, that's great point. Well, you're talking to the person who did owner rankings annually for both S.I.com and Yahoo Sports. And then I know this is going to shock you, but when I went to NFL network, I stopped doing the odor rankings because they were very not only detailed but very personalized. I said things about owners that they weren't used to hearing and didn't like to hear, not just about their ownership style, but their personal style. And, you know, I stopped when I was an NFL employee.

I suspect those will resurface shortly. And I won't hold back. But you're right. I always said when I started doing OTA rankings, you would think in a competitive industry like this with egos, and by the way, a guaranteed profit, you would think there'd be 32, you know,

people out there who were like, I will do anything to give my team a chance and support it. And you're right. I mean, seven might be a little more than seven, but it's not more than 12. You know, it's somewhere in that seven to 12, so depending on how you and I would.

to parse it. Yeah, maybe there's a way you and I could turn this into a, just my wheels are spinning into a visual and audio presentation too, because I love doing it in print. But, you know, there's a lot to say about all 32. Yeah, it's, I, my initial reaction to Brian Flores is, what the hell? Then I made two calls, people I trust. And I'm like, yeah, it's the, you know, it's the Patriot paradigm again, with lousy people skills.

But God, you win eight and nine games with Tua. You're going to get another job. By the way, where are we on Eric Bienami? Is he interviewing for any of these jobs? Right. He had one interview with the Broncos. I actually did talk to Broncos general manager, George Payton, because I'm very interested.

And he said, I said that, you know, he's been accused of not interviewing well in the past. And he said, no, he interviewed very, very well, Been. did. He said he was a very good interview. Basically, you know, a cynic would then say, and I think I probably asked, well, why wasn't he one of your finalists? But before I could even ask, if I remember the conversation correctly, he answered the question. And the answer was, I was blown away by Nathaniel Hackett and Kevin O'Connell, who I believe were the two finalists.

They named Dan Quinn as the third one. But I think he, the way he turned it to me was that Eric had had a really good interview. But look, when people say, you know, I, I, I, I, I, I, you know, I, I mean, listen, everyone wants to litigate each one individually, and I can't, going back to Shirm Lewis and Ray Rhodes. And I can do it every year, every cycle, every instance. But it is a global phenomenon. But in terms of BNaby, one thing that frustrates him and other black coaches and other people who are paying attention is that, you know, Andy Reid had Doug Peterson as his non-play calling offensive coordinator. Doug Peterson got a job. Matt Negi succeeded him.

He was the non-play calling offensive coordinator. He got a job. Eric B. Enemy became the non-play calling offensive coordinator. Got even better. And now it's like, nah, don't want him. And people say, well, he hasn't called his own plays. I'm like, yeah, he's the exact same as the other two, you know, in terms of his job. And he's got Andy Reid publicly, and I know privately,

pounded the table and saying, this guy will be a great head coach. Doesn't mean he will, but Andy Reid thinks so. So, you know, I just, Jim Caldwell has been a frustrating one. Look what he did in Detroit. Look what's happened before and since. You know, and look, I know people like to lampoon this, but I'm very, very close with Hugh Jackson. I understand much more about what was really going on in Cleveland and what some of his

unique challenges were. And I would, if he were right here next to me, I would say you did a lot of it yourself, buddy. Some of your bad qualities came out in a stressful situation. And when you lose, you get fired. On the other hand, there are a lot of things that happened to him that were not very fair in my opinion. I'm sure some of them will be coming out before too long. And I also know that it ruined his career. This is a guy who had one season in Oakland when it was eight and eight and got screwed after Al Davis died, Mark took over, Hugh got fired, gutted his way back after being an assistant special teams coach and working all the way back up, got another chance due to his great work with Andy Dalton.

And, you know, partly of his own making and partly because of the position he was placed in, his career was essentially ended. And I know too much about it. That's not fair either. There are just a lot of things that haven't been fair. And again, I know white coaches that are being screwed to Don Martindale would be one that comes to mind in my opinion. I think he's been a great coordinator.

I think he should be a head coach. So I'm not just putting every single thing through the racial lens, but systemically, it has not been fair. And I understand why someone like Brian Flores would get fed up and just say, you know what, I'm doing it. Yeah. I mean, listen, there's a reason. Mike Tomlin got very agitated when he was asked about college.

And he said, would you ask Sean Payton that? And I think the message was very clear. Although it was framed like a compliment, Mike Tomlin is the Super Bowl winning coach of the Steelers. And we would not even for a minute thinking Andy Reed or a Sean Payton would go to the college level. So I, listen, I'm somebody that tries to be fair. but I don't think any reasonable person can look at what's happening and not say, all right, come on.

Let's be honest about this. I mean, let me ask you. Name because Brian Flores is pretty damn intense. Name the last non-black coach who won eight of nine games and was fired. I mean, seriously, it just doesn't happen. The only parallel is Harbaugh in that he. was so successful and such Jim Harbaugh was such a pain and was so good.

I mean, what Jim Harbaugh did, I don't want to discount. He took over in a lockout year, you know, where you can't be with your players over the offseason, a losing team. And they were in the NFC championship game hosting it and went to overtime, that first year. And then Super Bowl and then NFC championship game narrowed defeat. And then he had a not great year. and was basically fired. Now, it's the same thing as Brian Flores.

I understand why Jed York was done with Jim Harbaugh. I get it. And I would have had no problem with him making that decision. I just think the problem is if you bring it Jim Top Sula, you have to answer for that. But if you fire Jim Harbaugh and brought in Kyle Shanahan, it probably would have, you know, been okay. So it's not an absolute, but you're right.

It is, there just there are too many inconsistencies when you compare the two over too much time that you can't, if you're fair, you've got to say it's not great. And the last thing I would say is fans like to weigh in on this stuff all the time. I speak to coaches every day and especially black coaches, but other coaches who aren't black and personnel people tell me these things too. But if you think that they're just putting their heads down and going, ah, it's not Mike Silver just plays the race card and Colin. but really we're just, you know, they think about this all the time. They think it's unfair. I've seen people leave the business because they just couldn't take it anymore.

Good coaches. And they know it's unfair. And so I'm trying when I get loud about this to speak for that. Yeah. Let's pivot to a couple of other things because I do think the Brian Flores NFL lawsuit is worth about 75% of this podcast. I said this about Jim Harbaugh of the Vikings. I think Jim's great and I'd hire him.

It feels a little scorched earth to leave Michigan now. They would be forced to hire 38-year-old Josh Gattis, who would then have to hire two coordinators out of the hiring cycle. Like, the good guys are gone. They could try Mike Tomlin. Sorry, too soon. Although, there is a rumor that a current NFL coach would want that job, and I'll just leave it at that.

But I'll let you continue your very well-crafted question. I think Harbaugh's great. He was asked to take a pay cut. He's sort of toying with him. They just lost their defensive coordinator. Now the offensive coordinator, if he leaves, is the head coach. They'd need two new coordinators. They would lose in the transfer portal days, multiple recruits.

And I don't think it's a great job because in a year, you're looking for a new quarterback. I think actually Harbaugh can do better. and I do think it would be scorched urch to your alma mater, which is just to me, he's 58, he's got a long tarmac, leave in a year, and you know a quarter of the league fires their coaches every year. Next year, the Colts, the Seahawks, and the Cowboys could have coaching openings, right? So, yes. So there's a lot of really intriguing openings in a year.

This year, I don't love the openings. That said, he's got a connection to the GM. What is your Mike Silver radar saying on a Vikings job? I've done some reporting on this, Colin. As far as Michigan, you know, they kind of squeezed them after last year and they were in a position to. I believe they made them take less favorable contract terms and or less money. And he took it. And look, it is his alma mater.

He's been frustrated by losing Ohio State all those years and not getting them over the hump. So my reporting tells me that he now did something after that, after getting squeezed, that was better. He beat Ohio State. He got him to the Final Four. It was a big thing. I don't think he's that worried about their feelings right now. And at the very least, maybe he wants to make it hurt a little bit. Will he actually leave?

I don't know. But he certainly is eager to speak to NFL teams right away, and he's not hiding that. And the defensive coordinator did leave. So, you know, I don't, I can't tell you the psyche of a maniacally competitive person every single time because they think on a dark and, you know, distorted level that makes them great many times. And Jim Harba is great at it. But my reporting tells me that there's something going on there where he thinks they did something to him and now he's at least doing something to them. So we'll see. And, you know, I also wonder about Miami because I think Mike McDaniel is a great candidate and may very, very well get that job. And it would be awesome. And he's biracial, by the way, that would be cool.

49ers offensive coordinator. On the other hand, Steve Ross put himself in a box and said, I'm a Michigan alum. I'm not taking Jim Harbaugh from Michigan. But what if Jim Harbaugh tell Steve Ross, I'm not into Michigan, man. You know, I love it. It's our alma mater. But that ship is sailed. Ross then defensively have that conversation with himself where he says, you know, I'm not taking them. I know I can explain that kind of. Jim Arbott just came to me. It was like really interested. And you know what? I want to win the Super Bowl. And, you know, I'm pretty old.

So I would keep an eye on that. I think the most likely thing is he stays in Michigan another year, although that's a hard year because you got to recruit in that year. And you've got to, you know, compete in that year. Let's segue to your Jimmy Garoppolo interview and article, which I thought was outstanding. I raised this question. Garapolo will not fetch multiple ones on the market because of his injury history. But he could fetch a one. There's somebody, perhaps a playoff level team, a Pittsburgh that doesn't have a great pick, has a pretty damn good roster.

They've got their running back, their tight end, their receivers. I mean, in the box, it's formidable. I could see Pittsburgh saying, we're going to do a two-year deal with Garapolo, we'll give you a one, and we're still going to look for somebody. Or keep Duane Haskins, because like Garapolo, he can move, but he's not mobile, good enough arm.

He feels like, to me, Dwayne, a really solid backup. If you had to play him for a game, you could win it, but you're not going to build around him. But Washington, Ron Rivera, can't go into a season, with Ryan Fitzpacrick and Taylor Heineke. Tampa. They want to win games. Garopolo brings some Brady sauce.

He knows the system. Your takeaway on to transactional league more than ever, your kind of takeaway. Teams are giving up first round picks now and winning a lot. I could see somebody giving up a number one pick for Jimmy. Yeah. It's going to really depend on the market. First of all, this is before everybody has lathered themselves up about the six guys who are at the senior ball right now,

and we're going to start hearing teams think more highly of them than they do right now. Yes. So that's, and there's six of them, and they all have a reason why you wouldn't spend a high pick on them. But, you know, most of them have a reason why you might.

And so I think that will change. We're going to see if Rogers and Wilson are really in play. We're going to see if Carr is really in play. I think probably not based on my conversations. I think Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels are car fans, and that will probably work itself out, although we'll see. Washington, I believe, is big game hunting, by the way. I think, you know, they've got to do something.

But Ryan Fitzpatrick kind of was the Jimmy Garoppolo solution. Like, he could get hurt because he's old, but he's pretty good when he's in. I don't think you do that again. I think you either go big game hunting, and if you lose out, you draft someone. and you've got the 11th pick and you try to do it that way. So listen, I wrote about Jimmy for Valley Sports. I'm really proud of the article.

I'm a big fan of him as a person. I think he gets overly blinded as a player. He told me he opened up about just how much pain he's been in playing through that thumb injury. And it's a weird dichotomy, Colin. And this is why I've kind of been fascinated with Jimmy. He gets pummeled on social media and brutalized and in the media.

But in that locker room, he is loved, beloved. And he's not trying to be something he's not. He's loved for who he is. And, you know, I just thought it was a really cool story to see him under the specter of replacement all year and elimination from the first or the end of the season with the Rams, you know, down 17, nothing on. And just see the way that he performed. off the field and on the field in those circumstances with a really, really, you know,

legit injury. And he got really close. And, you know, we had a really cool emotional conversation, you know, right before he left the stadium. And I think if he stays healthy, he has a chance to do something good. It could, he could get a one because the market's going to be weird. But my only skepticism, Colin, is that I think there's six guys that are going to get pushed a little bit higher in some team's minds. And that's, make convoluted a little bit. Then there aren't as many chairs. Yeah, my, my guess is it's a two or a late one. It'll be better than a third just because of the desperation. But you get a two back, like something, you know, that kind of thing, or you get a three back, that kind of thing.

All right, Mike Silver, Garoppolo interview, read it for Bally's. It's really special. The Jim Harbaugh Insight and Brian Flores as well. You got to take a flight somewhere important. Good to see anybody. Thanks, Colin. I look forward to seeing you. person very soon. All right, go to YouTube at the volume, at the volume sports, YouTube, subscribe, think you'll like it, push that little button. It's very easy, unless your hands are tied behind your back. And in that case, you're being kidnapped and the whole thing scares the hell out of me.

Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1-800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $3999, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in.

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

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardweight

with your favorite therapist and host, Kier Games. This space is about black men's, experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan,

And 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.