The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Broncos Lose Bo Nix, Indiana Wins 1st Natty, NFL Coaching Carousel, Bills Drama

Episode Date: January 24, 2026

Colin’s top takes of the week.   Colin is joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to break down the divisional round of the NFL playoffs and the National Championship between Indiana & Miami. Finally, Colin Cowherd is joined by Tyler Dunne from GoLongTD.com to discuss the drama and untold stories of the Buffalo Bills.  Timeline: 2:00 - Broncos lose Nix in win over Buffalo 16:00 - Harbaugh & Stefanski land new jobs 32:30 - Indiana wins first championship 39:30 - NIL has transformed college football 50:00 - Bills drama  (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!  #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert 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 ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This season on Dear Chelsea, with me, Chelsea Handler, we have some fantastic guests like Amelia Clark. When like young people come up to me and they want to be an actor or whatever. My first thing is always, can you think of anything else that you can do? Rather be disappointed in. Do that. David O'Yello-O. I love this podcast, weather is there? or relationships or religion or sex or addiction or you just go straight for the guts.

Dennis Leary, Gait and Moderato from Stranger Things, Tiana Monjou, Camilla Morone, Carrie Kenny Silver, and more. Listen to these episodes of Dear Chelsea on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume. All right, let's go to Denver and overtime, 33 to 30 over Buffalo. You know what, John? everybody in America, I have watched every replay. And I will say, I think in most instances, when fans, you know, it's rigged, if you're going to rig this thing, you'd rig it for Josh Allen and the bills. Bo Nix and the Super Bowl is not moving a number. But I will say, I talked to a GM today

and I looked at several, let me put it this way, slow motion usually creates clarity. I would argue this is one of the rare instances, slow motion created confusion. Because slow motion makes it look like it's more of a catch by Brandon Cooks than it is. That in fast motion, when I watched it about 30 times after talking to a GM, the GM, who is no, by the way, fan of Denver, I'll just leave it at that, said, in the end, if you look at it at real speed, the ball's bouncing when he hits the ground, and that's not an official cash, though. Then it's whoever wins the wrestling match and Denver won the wrestling match. So I thought slow-mo as I'm watching it in slow-mo, it actually, in hindsight, did it a disservice

because it makes it look like Cook's is more in possession. That was my take anyway. They got it right, but I've never seen anything like that. So I didn't know for about a day how to compute it. Yeah, I mean, I think the catch has become such a convoluted situation in the NFL. Like, why do we have to make this so confusing? And by the letter of the law, they got it right. I think you could argue was he officially touched and then he ran out of bounds and dropped the ball.

Some people are saying it should have been a safety bills win. But I'm with you. I mean, I just think that we've got to this point with instant replay, which does benefit us, right? Because we can get things right. But also, like, I do feel for Sean McDermott, if you watched his long kind of, you know, he went on this, I wouldn't even call it a rant because he was very under control. And he said, listen, if I take a step back objectively, can't we just try? to get it right and it felt very rushed. Now, I think, you know, being in that spot in the first place, all the turnovers, right,

obviously the way the half ended for Buffalo. There's a lot to even get to that point that was avoidable. And I also think it's a reflection of when the season's on the line, he's throwing a jump ball to a very old, I mean, for NFL standards, an older player who is not a jump ball player. I mean, he's made some big place for him. And he honestly made a couple. He made a great catch that went out of bounds. But kind of a reflection of their personnel isn't that you and I talk about a lot.

Yeah, Brandon Cooks has always been like a number two or three. He's a speed guy. You run him up. You run him deep. Yeah, I mean, this has been my knock is that they have three elite players all on offense. You know, and he, by the way, Josh Allen's best teammate James Cook led running backs and fumbles. That's his best teammate. They have a slot receiver, a good left tackle, Josh Allen, and a fumble prone running back,

who's got jets. That's not great. You know, so my takeaway is it's really not a good enough roster. So you are left to, I mean, they had three active guys. You're left to throwing up a jump ball to a speed guy, not a big receiver. Brandon Cooks is a smaller, smaller speed guy without a huge catching radius. So, you know, I mean, my question, if you're going to run McDermott out of the building, and I think he's a B, B plus coach, I feel like it's always something. Last year, they couldn't get the push right.

This year, it's multiple turnovers. The year before, you know, three years ago or whatever it was, it was the 13 second loss. You know, years and years and years ago, it was wide right. It's always something for Buffalo, but I do feel like there are certain teams. We watch the Indiana Hoosiers. Wow, they're tight. The Belichick dynasty, really tight. I just feel, and it usually comes on the offensive side, John, Buffalo's a little loose.

They've missed on a lot of picks. They have too many turnovers. I thought Josh was very reckless. Can't you coach some of that out of him? By the way, another defensive coach, D'Meco Ryan, who I think fondly of, C.J. Stroud, way too loose. You know, sometimes I look at these defensive coaches, and they're so good on the defensive side, elevating and developing,

that the offense just doesn't feel like it's buttoned up, and that's Buffalo again. I do think when it comes to Josh and the reckless nature, I mean, that's probably the worst playoff game he's ever had. I mean, statistically, right? you know, I think there's a far-vian quality. I don't think you coach that out. I mean, he had Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid, John Gruden, Steve Marriucci, you know, in the prime of his career and he drove him all nuts.

Sean McDermott on an individual play basis, like the end of half, he's not the offensive coordinator, but that's a you come on the headset. We're kneeling it. Tony Romo, you know, best point of the day was like, you could not. It's not worth the wrist there when you don't have any timeouts. And then Josh, you know, carries the ball like Shady McCoy and the ball hits the ground. but like on the the aggregate of his career, they've been really successful, right?

Up until yesterday, they were 8-0 to non-Mahombs Joe Burrow teams. So they had won a lot of playoff games. Look at how many playoff games he's won relative to like Harbaugh and Tomlin. I mean, Harbaugh just got $100 million. If Tomlin chose to coach, he'd probably get $100 million right now. And Sean McDermott, I think, would say,

well, we're all defensive CEO types. I actually think the GM, and you look around the league, all these GM survived. Joe Shane, the guy in Arizona, the guy in Cleveland, I think the GM relative to having this court, Howie Roseman, would rather get thrown

off the Walt Whitman than be to not be aggressive when he had Josh Allen as his quarterback. And I think if you look at him, a little Farvian, Ted Thompson, or not Rogers, I mean, remember, it was like, God, Ted, be aggressive here. You got this guy in the peak of it, and they weren't smaller

market. Now, they have an owner, but he doesn't feel that aggressive, at least from sitting here 3,000 miles away, like some of these owners. I think the GM has been dramatically worse than Sean McDermott. Now, we feel Sean McDermott more on game day than we do the GM just because on an individual play basis. But I think the GM relative to having this all-time great quarterback has been really bad. I mean, Keon Coleman, he had a touchdown yesterday, but was inactive most of the season. So it's like, how many impact?

One thing, how did the 49ers keep it going all these years? They hit on a lot of like mid-round guys to become, like, where are those guys in Buffalo? You know, Shakir's been on the team a long time now. It's like, you know, Cook was a second round pick. Where are your big impact guys? And they, where are your aggressive moves? Like, why, when Howie's making these trades, when Les Need, when John Schneider, why aren't you hand in hand with them?

Like, hey, I need to outbid this guy. When the 49ers traded for McCaffrey, they had an added extra pick because the Rams were going to get them. And people are like, God, the Rams and the Niners are crazy here. But they lean aggressiveness. this. When I look at Buffalo, it's like, yeah, they're just not that aggressive of a front office. And I think it's bit them on the margins when they've had. Now, finally, their quarterback played a bad game. But man, that's tough. So to me, Sean McDermott, by the time people are listening this Monday, he might be done. But the GM, to me, cannot be one of those that survives and the coach goes. That would be insanity to me.

Now, in credit to Denver, they will not have Boe Nix. Jared Stidham, because he's been in the program a couple of years, should be a fairly competent backup. And they also have between Mims, Cortland Sutton, Harvey. They run the ball pretty effectively. At times, they did not against Buffalo. Credit to McDermott and the defense, they didn't run the ball well. But Stidham should be a capable backup. He won't run like Bo Nix. He's not that athlete.

But in the end, could I not argue, the Broncos have the better coach, the better roster, the more efficient quarterback for this game, and frankly, huge edge on deep balls at wide receiver. Lost in all of this is that Bo Nix was. two for two on two big deep ball home run touchdown throws. He did a lot of stuff under eight yards, a lot of stuff behind the line of scrimmage. The two times he went big, he hit on both of them. So lost in all of this was their corners got beat twice on big plays and Bo Nix was more efficient. Well, think about this. One area that he got a lot of credit this year, so did Caleb throughout the regular season. When it mattered most, they turned into a high level player. Yeah.

I mean, both of them played like top five guys on the last couple drives throughout the season. When their backs were against the wall, they led them to both winning a bunch of games, right? And becoming, you know, high seeds. His final drive was fantastic. Fantastic. Multiple big shots in zone coverage, a big run for a first down. And obviously the game winning touch or game, I guess they took the lead and then Buffalo tied it. But it was just a gorgeous pass.

And what was an area that we hammered him on this season? It was like, oh, the deep ball's a little. It's not great. And I think one thing, if you want to, to be critical of Sean with Bo. Like, I think Ben Johnson's a lot like this, too. Their favorite plays are timing pass rounds. That's what Ben Johnson thrived with Jared Gough and him with Sean Payton.

These guys are playmaking athletes. You kind of got to let them, and it's hard. You know, Steve Kerr, and I'm not comparing Steph Curry to either one of these guys, but like, sometimes he's got to let him be him. And most coaches struggle with that. And I think you got, like, this game's probably not as close. If Sean just let him kind of scramble around and make plays, plays, but sometimes in the pocket, that's not where Bo, when he gets out of rhythm,

it can look a little off, right? But as he just kind of like, hey, make some plays, we need a touchdown, run around, let it loose. That's when he's at his best, which, do you ever remember a game ending and then all of a sudden the guy broke his ankle and no one saw it? I mean, it feels like an unprecedented, an injury. When you factor in, no one knew, even clearly the coach didn't know until he was told. I mean, he walked, the NFL tweeted out a video of him walking off the field.

five in people. Yeah. I mean, I just think it's a bummer that Jared Stiddem is playing because I do think Denver, although I don't know if they would win the Super Bowl, I do think they're on a short list of teams that can compete with it. I think they have an excellent roster. And I'll give you, I was thinking about this today, John, Denver and Seattle pivoted off Russell Wilson. Denver really paid both number one seats. And the message to the NFL, if you make a lot of, if you make a mistake, move off it quickly. Think about this. Gerard Mayo, New England. Big mistake, moved off it there in the AFC championship. Seattle. You know, we got Russell Wilson, we're moving off it. Didn't take long. Gino Smith, Darnold, boom, number one seat hit on draft picks. Denver,

still paying cap room for this year. Bo, Nicks, draft him, playoffs, second year number one seed, now AFC championship. Bad weekend for Russell Wilson, not the barry but the point being between New England and Denver, the message is, guys, don't get out of the rigidity. If you make a mistake with a coach or a quarterback, the rebuilds are a year in the NFL. You get about a crappy year. I mean, Denver in their rebuild year with Bo Nix made the playoffs. New England, I believe a rebuild year is going to make the AFC championship. So I kept thinking about it this weekend. When I looked at Denver, the overarching message is you get the coach right, you get the quarterback mostly right, Bo Nix has hit and miss, you can not only

make the playoffs, you can end up a number one seed. Our number one seeds are Bo Nix and Sam Darnold. You know, so I, we were getting into a weird space, John, where it felt like Mahomes, Alan, Lamar, like you were getting into a space where it felt like you had to have a superstar quarterback to get in. The takeaway now is, no, get a young talented quarterback, Caleb Williams. I mean, Stafford's now the only expensive guy left, right, going into this podcast. I also think that a lot of, like the Texans are a good example. If C.J. Stroud would have taken the approach like, hey, on this team, I'm just going to be Brad Johnson or Trent Dilfer, call me a game manager. They could have won the Super Bowl.

But he tried to play, like, I'm this number two overall quarterback. Watch me make plays. He's like, bro, do you do not need to do that. So I think there's this fine line of can you get it? a guy to play within your system, understand what he is. It's hard. These quarterbacks now are rock stars. They make a ton of money on and off the field. And some guys just can't kind of find their lane. And then you're very predicated on the play calling. Also, when you pay a lot of money for these quarterbacks, it does limit. I mean, Buffalo and Kansas City just have less wiggle room to make moves.

Look at Denver. That's right. I want Hufunga and I want Greenlaw, boom, buy it. Bott McGlinchie a year ago. You just can be a little more aggressive once you pivot off and kind of manipulate the cap. Also, it speaks to these owners. What is Denver doing? A lot like the Eagles did. They funny money contracts. They pay you more cash up front, push it all down the line. And it's become not only a smart guy, aggressive league, but is your owner willing, because they all have money.

Like the Browns want to spend money. They can. They just choose not to in Cincinnati. They be cheap. If your owner wants to double down, I mean, that's been the knock on Jerry. It's like, yeah, just I'll pay a couple guys, but like I'm going to be a little cheap on the margins. And I think Denver clearly, this is. is only going to solidify. They might get beat by 20 points in the AFC championship just because

this guy doesn't take any reps, right? So we're in late January. I mean, he's probably gone four months without really taking, assuming Bo takes them all during practice. He's with the scout team. That's a lot to ask. So even worst case scenario, but big picture now, Sean's kind of, you know, validated what I tell you, when I want something to listen to me. Yeah. These owners, I mean, who has more money than Walmart? You know, Steve Ballmer. I mean, It's a very short list. So it's like, hey, let's pay this guy. Give them a $80 million signing bonus.

We'll do a 10-year contract and we'll manipulate the books. And that's why they were able to kind of maneuver the Russell Wilson disaster. Think about Trey Lance. Niners pivoted in a blink of an eye. Boom. Didn't even think twice. You know, Carson Wentz years ago with the Eagles, it's like if you're willing to be like, hey, we missed them.

We traded first rounders. We paid a bunch of money. Who cares? You're all making so much money. You won't even remember it in six months. Giants get their guy. Atlanta gets their guy. Baltimore's probably next. Top of the food chain with Steve Boshadie. Lamar Jackson, good roster. Steelers at best get fourth. Watch out Pittsburgh. John Harbaugh to New York. So I text the GM today. I said Joe Shane, I mean,

John Harbaugh is making 20 million a year. Joe Shane has no leverage. And that's what he said. This is John is going to go straight tomorrow. I have picked four years in a row. my double-year-win total team, Giants went four and 13. I actually think they're going to be a 10 or 11 win team next year. I think Washington's a bit of a mess. Dallas, we don't know what they're doing with the coaching position. I think they're bringing Brian Schottenheimer back. They still have some real holes defensively.

You know, you get to watch Jackson Dart. John Harbock can watch Jackson Dart for a year and say, let's see. I'm going to start him and see if I like him because they're going to be going into a great quarterback draft at a college. it sets up really well. I think between Andrew Thomas, if they get a right tackle, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did with Brady, go get a right tackle. There's three good ones in the first round. I think offensively, they're going to be interesting. They've got Abdul Carter. They got Brian Burns probably need some secondary help. I strongly believe that this is a, they don't need a

schematic guy, John. They don't need a play caller. They need a culture changer. There's no Shanahan's on the market. That's rare. You get the CEO and the play call. player, play designer. Harbaugh to me is what they needed. Successful, culture builder, good staff builder. I like, I'll be honest, if they get the right tackle and a corner and a tight end in the draft, John, I like their roster. Yeah, to me, and it's a great fit for him. Yeah, when he got fired, and then the next day they fired Mike McDaniel, and it was like, they're going to go after him. I was like, John Harbaugh of Miami, that feels like a weird fit. That feels like where a guy goes to kind of retire in his shoes.

To me, he feels New York Giants. You know, since 1998, he got hired with Philadelphia. I think that was the year before Andy Reid even got there. Andy kept him. And then, so basically from 98 until a couple weeks ago, he's been in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Right. Like, he belongs in that area. He's comfortable.

He feels like that area. Yeah, so it was durable. Yeah. 100%. I don't really remember the Walsh-Niner era. but there was one team that could handle them, and it was Bill Parcells. And then the one team that could take down Brady and Belichick, it was Tom Coughlin. And I would say that when Bill Parcells and Tom Coughland, I remember meeting Tom Coughlin one time at the Combine,

he's not the biggest, most intimidating human. It's not like a Vrabble or a Jim Harbaugh. But when you met him, you felt like this guy's the boss, you know, just like stand up straight. And to me, that's what the Harbaas bring to the table. So the Giants now, you could argue this about New York. Think about the successful coaches even remove football. Pat Riley, right, Joe Torrey. They've kind of been like, yeah, this guy's the boss.

And the last decade since they got rid of Cofflin, which wasn't the wrong move, it was time. Right. They got a bunch of guys that like, this guy's the number two. This guy's the number three. This guy is no in this market too. You could pull it off in some of these smaller market spots. You have no chance in New York. You get eaten alive.

The Jets make that mistake a lot, right? Right. And John Harbaugh will come in. I mean, look at. they are very, very lucky that this played out the way it did. Because it gives them a chance to change the franchise. Also, John, when you do the first hire, you get the best staff. So this is why I worry about Pittsburgh.

So Atlanta immediately goes and gets Stefansky because they want to get the best. Stifansky wants to get that defensive staff in because Stifansky is going to get a good offensive staff. He's a bright guy. He wants to get special teams and defense taken care of. So, I mean, to me, I think Atlanta is very attractive in terms of offensive skill. Pretty good offensive line. I think there's stability in Arthur Blank. I think people respect Arthur Blank.

I think Stavansky's really bright. It's a weaker division. You're playing indoors. To me, I think Stavansky would fit there. But the minute the Giants went Harbaugh, I think Atlanta looks at that and goes, all right, let's get our guy. That's where I worry about Pittsburgh,

because they don't do this. At least Atlanta and the Giants have, they have a history of hiring coaches and the process. My only issue with the Giants thing is the Giants had to do whatever it took to get this guy. They gave him $100 million. I mean, great time to be a coach. I mean, how much money is John Harbaugh going to make over the course? By 2030, he'll be worth like hundreds of millions of dollars for this guys. These guys are crushing it. But I do think you've got to be very careful. And Andy's like his mentor, a guy that he looks up to. I think that

helped he talked to a bunch. When Andy went to Kansas City, he said, listen, I do not want to pick the players. Now, I'm not saying John is saying that, but when you put yourself away from the GM, you have all the juice. To me, the giant. what they should do is listen. We are going to put you at the top of the food chain, but we want you like your brother with Ortiz, get someone you really respect so you can lean on him. Like, you know what D'Amico doesn't have to worry about? Picking players, Casario does it all, right? You know what Mike McDonald doesn't have to worry about? Picking players, John does it all. Focus on coaching, focus on the culture. Obviously you impact who we draft and sign,

but right now John's kind of, it's kind of grude and like. And Mark Davis said, I want you to work with Reggie McKenzie for a year. You know why? Because I think a lot of these owners, they spend way more time with the gym. They end up liking the guy. I'm sure they like Joe Shane a lot. This is never going to. Joe Shane, I would be stunned. Now, I said that about Sean Payton with the guy. He's still there. The GM did, you know, kind of fall. So it's never guaranteed. You know, he's got a year to sell himself. I think George Payton, Patton, Patton, right? He's still Sean's GM. He's respected, though. I mean, he's pretty good personnel guy. What had turned down GM interviews for like seven years before he got the Denver job. He was kind of like, you know, Chris Ballard, Adam Peters. There are these rare

personnel guys that like Casario was like that, have a run where they kind of pick their specific job. This doesn't feel like that with Joe Shane. And it almost feels inevitable that he's just going to have a Raven type guy in that spot. Why not do it right now? Why not just start fresh? So John, because sometimes coaches, they think a lot different than personnel guys. Yeah, yeah. Personnel guys can be a little less emotional, can think bigger picture stuff. they understand the marketplace of the draft a little bit better. And I just be, now, the Giants don't really have a crazy, it's not like there's a Khalil Mack for him to trade or, you know, something crazy for him.

But in a year, he could do something that maybe he would regret in two years, that he didn't have to do that in Baltimore because he had Ozzy and Eric Dacosta. And by many consider it the best, one of the best staffs in the league. Now he's going, he's, you know, Vrable, when he went to New England, brought one of his guys to Tennessee to work with Elliot Wolf. I have a lot of friends that think you watch, John will bring, you know, a Baltimore guy with him. But then that's what's the point? You know, I'd be very careful about that.

Totally pro the higher. I think it's a no-brainer. But that, the coach having too much juice sometimes, they can. I think he told Ian O'Connor, we plan on making the playoffs next year. I mean, this guy's not coming there to rebuild. Yeah, and I think it's hard enough to be a GM. I think you have to be very careful about wanting that power. Sean Payton has had some power, but again, has a really strong guy.

Joe Shane, I don't think is going to rise to a top 5 GM. The Sequan Barkley move because it was so public and on TV. But, I mean, let's be honest. Abdul Carter was Scataboo, Jackson Dart, Malik Neighbors when he's healthy. I mean, there are some players on this roster that he's done a pretty good job. Joe Shane hasn't, he hasn't whiffed. I mean, Brandon Bean with the Buffalo Bills has, I mean, there's some big whiffs here. So Joe Shane's done, been more than competent for a lot of his draft picks.

The Sequin Barth thing is going to hang over him forever. That's why that's another reason why you don't want to do one of these HBO hard-knock shows. But my argument is that division between Dallas's dysfunction. You know, Dan Quinn, keep your eyes on that. Adam Peters, basically, Cliff Kingsbury felt he was bullied. Now you don't have an offensive coordinator. or Jaden Daniels, you cross your fingers. Siriani's going to maintain his job.

So my take it, this is not one of the stronger coach divisions. This is not McVeigh, Shanahan, and Mike McDonald. This division is a Harbaugh. The minute you hired Vrable, best coach in the division. The minute you hired John Harbaugh, best coach in the division. That usually works out well. Well, I think what you can see with Washington come from a mile away is Mike Tomlin. Because pretty sure Mike Tomlin's from that general area.

Yeah. And he's going to go on TV. His stock is only going to skyrocket. And who's their owner? An NBA guy. Who is he hired? Doc Rivers. Nick Nurse won an NBA championship in MB, get Paul George.

Like the NBA's a splashier league. And he's kind of used to that. And he goes, well, we haven't even won, but we've always been a topic of conversation. We can win and be a topic of conversation. To me, you can see it coming from a mile away. The Tomlin thing. Who's his right-hand man now? Bob Myers, NBA guy.

They're meant to, Bushaddy's an NFL guy. Thinks Big Picture can take a deep breath, doesn't live, you know, on Twitter, like doesn't even care, right? Most of these NFL owners, they're making so much money. They realize that they've been making the money before social media, because they realize how irrelevant is. The NBA is a little bit more day-to-day, internet, all that flashy headlines. And Josh Harris, like, to me, Dan Quinn's a year away.

You don't make the playoffs next year, which. Listen. The Eagles, obviously, but they're going to be good. You know, they got good players. Dallas is going to be feisty. Ben Johnson turned down Washington. His takeaway was the Washington guys, the NBA Washington guys, thought they knew a little more about football than they really did. Those are NBA guys. Yeah, I think the Tomlin thing. I think you're right about it. And Tomlin's not a college or a West Coast guy. He wants to stay east. That's his heritage. That's his history. That's what he feels comfortable doing. Again, some of these guys, Belichick, Vrable, Tomlin, Harbaugh, they just feel like they're at home. They feel comfort.

Where you live dictates a lot of your happiness and comfort and confidence, and I think you're right. I give Mike a lot of credit if truly, and who knows exactly the behind-the-scenes detail, but if he truly looked in the mirror and he probably would have known this before the day that he announced, like this thing's over, right? They're going to be better off. I need to move. Sean Payton did the same thing.

Like, guys, this thing's done. we need both pivot. 19, 18 years. You know, John Harbaugh, it's hard. I mean, they reports Mike Toml was making $25 million. Most human beings to no walk away from that. But he saw this team, a lot like the Saints, it's going to get uglier before it gets better.

What was the Rooney's quote? We don't plan on rebuilding. Well, bro, you might need to. This is 2006. Check your roster. You got problems. So I think Mike Tomlin, if Dan Quinn, is Dan Quinn, you know, he's a great guy, people love him.

Is he missed, I always had a good little run there with McCarthy. They had some really good players there for a couple years. Yeah. Like, I don't know, you know, I don't know. I think he's mid. I think that's fair. I think he's a nice guy. I think he's pretty mid.

I think coaching's getting better and smarter. And I just, even defensive coaches, I don't put him in like a Mike McDonald class or a Robert's solid class or a Dimeco Ryan's class. Today's show is brought to you by our friends and our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. Florida's sportsbook. Folks, these playoffs have been crazy. I hope you're cashing in. Unexpected moments all on Hard Rock Bet. Two teams will punch their tickets to the big game this weekend.

And when it comes to these standalone matchups, nothing better than the same game parlay. Lock in one game, stack your picks, build your script. You know, quarterback maybe throws for 250 yards, running back goes for 100, tight end, first one to hit Painter. Hard Rock Bet gives you tons of ways to build your SGP, your same game parlay. All right. If you miss kickoff, don't worry. Hard Rock Bet has live in-game betting.

So you're never too late to get in on the action. Find a winner. Grab that player prop that you meant to play. And live bet between snaps in just a few easy taps. It's really simple. If you haven't tried your first bet on Hard Rock Bet, there's still time. You get $150 bucks in bonus bets if you win. All you got to do is place a $5 bet.

If it hits, you not only get your winnings, you also get an extra 150 in bonus bets. So just because your favorite team may be out of it doesn't mean you have to sit on the sidelines. Same game parlays, live betting, can't miss welcome offer. A new promos drop in every day. Hard Rock Bet has you covered all postseason long. That's Hard Rock Bet. Download the Hard Rock Bet app. It's easy.

Make your first deposit today. Payable and bonus bets, not a cash offer. Offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida. Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC and Alder States. Must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida, call 1 888. Admit it.

In Indiana, if you or somebody you know has a problem, wants help, call 1-800-9 with it. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. Hey, it's us to Jonas, brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news.

We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special.

So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

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

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam, it's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall.

And then he has to give us everything. everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball, like,

after you go through a training camp with that, I say, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. With Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad, but secretly he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree.

At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy, but I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like? No. I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life?

That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man. the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, we have a new national champion in college football. Third straight year, it's a Big Ten team. First, it's Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines.

Last year, it's Ohio State. Punish people in the playoff. And Miami and Ohio State both were built to potentially beat Indiana. Neither could. 27-21, third straight Big Ten champion. I will say, I thought it would be a little like this. a little more scoring than I thought. I thought it would be the under.

But, you know, be cheap, cheap, a little chippy early against Mendoza. He got a late hit, they didn't call it. A couple of little late hits, personal fouls not called. And, I mean, make Indiana, you know, convert fourth downs and third downs. And they did. That's what Indiana has been doing all year. They did it against Iowa. They did it against Penn State.

They did against Ohio State. And they did it against the Miami Hurricanes. I think Mendoza, I mean, if there were any critics or doubters that he's the number one pick, John. I mean, just that quarterback draw for a touchdown took a beating. Listen, I think, you know what I think it proves is that Miami not only deserve to be in the college football playoff, but Miami was the second best team. I mean, Ohio State's offense couldn't generate, you know, this kind of offensive explosion. I mean, you know, I mean, they were driving to put their first. four touchdown up. So, I mean, I think we got the two best teams in the country. And by the way,

if you're an SEC fan, not only should you be terrified of the gap that is widening between the Big Ten and the SEC, Miami has major, major NIL money. Broward County is a, just an unbelievable recruiting hotbed. And Cristobal, maybe the best recruiter in the country. So Miami and Indiana, Now Indiana's got Mark Cuban's checkbook, John. John Middlethoff joining us. It just, it's a, those are Miami and Indiana, John, are not going anywhere. Well, the one thing Mario's going to do is building the trenches and that's going to translate moving forward. I mean, they had early on in the game, you went, this is going to be hard. This felt like an NFL game to me.

Like the stats, like this wasn't going to be either quarterback's not thrown for 300 yards. It's going to be about getting big third and fourth. Ors converted the Mendoza in that first couple series stretch when he got absolutely destroyed, multiple free hits on Sacks, hit in the face. I thought I can imagine Tom Brady up in the box looking at his GM going, that's the NFL right there. And he hop right back up, phased off, and then obviously he played well throughout. But even Ohio State, because I started texting around, you know,

Bain is viewed as a top 10 pick. but Messador is 25. And I was like, you know, teams. And it's like, well, he might not go in the first round because he's older, but he ain't going to last far in the second round. So they have two guys that were just coming. Their D-line, the other guys are really good. That was a test for Indiana, the physicality.

Because one thing Indiana's had is beside Ohio State, no one could match their physicality. I'd argue, tell me if you agree with this. Are they the best team? I'm saying team in college or pro? because they don't really have a weakness. Their defense is great. Their offense is very well around, and their special teams are fantastic.

I would say Seattle feels the same way as when you can have great special teams. I think they said that was the eighth blocked punt by a signetti team at Indiana. So like Seattle is rare where they don't have a whole and they have elite special teams. That's Indiana.

So like that you don't get that. Usually at the college level, even when you have great college programs, you don't spend any, you know, you're not spending NIL money these days. on the special teams. I can remember when Pete Carroll was at USC. They didn't even care about special teams.

They didn't even go for blocks. You know, they were just going to beat you on their units, O&D. And so I think I would say this about Indiana. They were trailing the entire game. They felt like they were coming from behind. Miami is physically, the way to beat Indiana is what Ohio State and Miami have, which is better than average college quarterback,

big time skill players that can, you know, you can get over the top. Fletcher the running back, Tony the receiver, you can pop for big plays. You're not going to get 13, 15 play drives on Indiana. And Ohio State and Miami both had that. And then in tough physical defenses that make Indiana get down to late third and five and fourth and three. Because you can't give many, you can't win against Mendoza if it's third and one. If it's second and four, you've got to put him into third and fives, fourth and fours. You've got to make them earn it. But that's what Indiana does. I mean, they're gutsy play calling.

Those sideline fade patterns. They're just a really complete college team. And again, this is with the 60th ranked recruiting classes. John, they're going to get top 20 classes now. Now they've got Cubans checkbook. So, I mean, next year, Ohio State's loaded. Michigan's going to rebound with Whittingham. They've got great offensive pieces.

Indiana's going nowhere. Oregon now with Dante Moore's a top six program. USC and Washington are out of the rebuild stage. they both have their quarterbacks returning and a lot of NIL money and a lot of players. Penn State with Matt Campbell should be at least maybe they'll be somewhere around the top 20, 25. I just think this is, I think the Big Ten now at the top is the best conference, hands down. Well, Ann, it's a coaching conference. What do you think about it, right?

Saban retires. You add Signetti, who immediately is just an elite. I mean, he's right away. I mean, there's not a better coach right now in the country. than him. I mean, look what he just did. He went through DeBoer and Dan Lanning, like they were Swiss cheese and took on Miami and physically went toe to toe with them and obviously beat Ryan Day. So you got to give him, you know, living in the moment, the best coach in the country. The money aspect and the transfer portal advantage for them. I mean, Sigetti, I was reading,

I don't know that much about the transfer portal, had a great transfer portal, landed a quarterback. Like, they're not only not going away. Like, they're going to view themselves as a playoff team again next year. Like this is Switch. This isn't, you know, it used to be pre-recruiting if a team had a great year basketball or football. If I got kind of a one-year wonder, well, one-year wonders are over if you have the money. You just keep it rolling. You keep it flowing. That's right. So, and the other advantage he has, like his coordinators aren't going anywhere. I mean, what do they really hang their hat on? Because beside Mendoza, Miami had way more prospects in the top 100 of this upcoming draft in Indiana. They're the best coach team in the, even tonight, you just saw,

even when their plays didn't hit. One time one of their wide receivers got held, it was a perfect route. They find a weakness. Like the weakness of Miami clearly is a secondary, and they found the weak link on that secondary 24, and they were just going after him. And they were going after them. That's what NFL coordinators do.

When they find a weak link, you've seen it with Ben Johnson, with Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVeigh, and they attack. Well, what is happening in America? The elite 1% have separated. The Dow is almost at 50,000. So again, what would put college football in the crosshairs of trouble? It's just like our national debt.

You know why our national debt? We talk about it a lot, but we're not in danger, because our economy keeps growing. So as our economy grow, that's the only way Elon Musk talks about this regularly. The debt becomes less relevant if your economy grows. The debt's a bigger problem in Europe because their economy is not growing at the pace of Americas, according to all the economists. Well, it's the same in the NIL. It's very easy for a guy to rationalize a $6 million check to his local university if things are humming in the economy.

So if the economy crashed, that's what I think when college football, people would say, okay, we're taking two years off. I'm not writing you $24 million in checks. So even for billionaires, a lot of it is what's the current state of the economy. So for the rich right now, not middle class, not normal people, but for the rich, they've separated. Things are good. Things are hot. And that's about as deep into the economy as John and I'll ever go. Because I certainly don't know what I'm talking about.

But I think big picture and all this stuff. That is true. I mean, it's just those guys are more willing. They've never had more money. And as it keeps ripping, giving these checks. But if it does flip and what's the first thing to go? The second home, the country club membership, that's where this time. This is funny money right now.

And if you're doing well, it's probably flown. I mean, Indiana, the amount of booster money, are going to get in the next six months is going to be historic. Well, and here's the other thing. Baseball talks about this. This is why I keep saying, you can tell me college football is in trouble. The ratings for tonight's game are going to be massive. ESPN and Fox have great college football deals.

They're making a lot of money on it. The attendance has been great. Remember, there was a decline in ratings and attendance during the Alabama dynasty at the end of the last five years. That was the problem. The sport became incredibly regional. Well, it's not regional. The country was watching Miami and Indiana. So Indiana, boom, huge fans.

SEC fans were obviously watching because Big Ten's their villain. Miami, you've got the ACC watching. And I think West Coast people, I've said this is growing up on the West Coast. You always watch Big Ten football because they were in the Rose Bowl. So I've always been a Big Ten fan, even if I was a Husky or a Duck or a Trojan. I was always a big ten. I watched everybody in the Big Ten. And I love the SEC as well.

I didn't really start watching the SEC until Nick Sabin really took it to another level. most of my life in the 90s. The SEC didn't feel as popular. It was regionalized toward that. You watched Michigan football, whatever, Ohio State football much more often than you ever did. Besides maybe like a big Florida, Georgia game. You weren't watching random SEC games. And obviously the TV has expanded that.

But the Big Ten feels like they're in a pretty good spot right now. They are. But I think about this all the time. People complain about baseball. And they say, oh, Kyle Tucker went to the Dodgers. Well, baseball was in a big, was in a really dry spot about three years ago. Okay, attendance was going down for three straight years. TV ratings were going down for 15.

And then Rob Manfred said, pitch clocked, speed the game up, defensive shift, no pitchers hitting. All of a sudden, you look up and you're like, oh, there's more hits, there's more action, there's more runs. Otani goes Angels, Dodgers. And over the course of the last couple of weeks, the Dodgers have gotten better. the Cubs added Bregman at third, Cabrero the pitcher, Yankees, Weathers, throwing another good arm. The Yankees, the Cubs, the Dodgers all got better. Well, I'm sorry, that's not bad for baseball. The NIL and the transfer portal is not bad for college football.

When Miami and the Big Ten are humming and the Texas schools are humming and Notre Dame is humming, folks, college football is in a great spot. This sport's never been about Purdue. Okay, the bottom line, it's always been top heavy. Right now, you've got three Texas schools. I'm in Miami, Notre Dame, Big Ten, and the S Easties is still wildly popular. And I've said this about baseball. Well, what about the little guy? Mariners, Guardians, Brewers, all great last year.

By the way, the Astros, if they're healthy, with the Cubs, with the Dodgers, with the Padres, with the Phillies, with the Yankees, and the Mets should be okay, we'll all be viable. The Pittsburgh Pirates weren't winning 25 years ago. They're not winning now. Nobody cares. So usually when you have these big changes and it feels like there's a separation, John, there's a separation in everything. You know, Tesla is separated from, you know, some automotive company.

There's a big separation in banking, in college football. If you look at the country right now, I was looking at baseball salary gaps in baseball. St. Louis right now is a tiny, market. They've lost 15 Fortune 500 companies in the last, you know, 30 years. St. Louis might as well of, you know, they're a little small fry. They weren't 30 years ago. That's the reality of America. The coasts, you know, Florida, Miami, by the way, has become a tech center. Miami's got a lot of money right now. Part of it is Miami's economy now is a big boy economy. It wasn't 30 years ago. It wasn't 20 years ago. It is now. So I don't worry about the sport. I don't worry about

baseball. I don't worry about college football. Look at the ratings. Look at the attendance. Look at the revenue. College football's on fire. I don't remember in the last 20 years caring more about college football. Every time I turn a game on, John, it's like the NFL. I'm watching this weekend. The weather's horrible. You can't find a seat in any of these games. There's not a seat available in any of these games when they show these panoramic views of the stadium. They did. get lucky that the bears and the Patriots, the Eagles have this, Seattle has this, are collegiate-like atmospheres and collegiate-like fan bases. And they're some of the rare fan bases that does have a pageantry a little bit like some of these college. I mean, the bears, that was fun.

And I think the NFL, I'm with you, you turn on, it's, we talked about it last seven degrees. The Patriot game sure didn't look warm. There ain't a, there ain't a seat. You couldn't even get one if you tried. One, they'd beat you up, two. It does not even available. And, I mean, look at the getting prices tonight. I mean, the vibe, these games, they feel like a really big deal. It's a little fomo action to the sport. People, well, and one thing football really benefits from is the, the inventory is just a lot smaller in these other sports. I mean, if you don't watch an NBA game, you talk about sports for a living. If you miss a couple weeks, like, you ain't missing anything. Right now. You're just not. But in football, every game kind of matters in the playoffs. They're not a series.

I remember a couple years ago, the Warriors played Memphis in the second round. They lost a game by 50 points in a playoff series. It didn't even matter. I mean, the game later, they win. They're off to the next round. In football, same with tonight. Every snap matters. Every drive matters.

I mean, look at Josh Allen's in tears. He knows like, it felt like he's like his career's over or something after losing a divisional round playoff game. There is just an intensity to football that, listen, it's not proud to say this, but the amount of time we spend on our phone, the way we're wired now, and the, the urgency to everything. Football just benefits from that immediately to the way society is kind of built. You know, we're not a patient place at all anymore. And the NFL is not patient either. I mean, look, what are there, 10 job openings in the NFL? Look at college football this year. Four or five games in,

you weren't winning. Brian Kelly, James Franklin. There's just so much money. And fans like that. Like urgency, let's go. Next guy. Even if it's, I mean, we'll find out the bills. I mean, if it's going to work out, who are they going to hire. But I think that adds a lot of juice to all this thing. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to our first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we, how do we actually come up with the name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

And, well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows, without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall.

And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball, like,

after you go through a training camp with that, I said, you figure it out, quick. Get your ass up and down the court and you're going to get the bomb. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. Getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard.

Get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 goes deep on both of those things. The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire. that is really catching. You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit season two on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, I brought him on the herd. He won

our first ever Big J Journalism Award. I think we retired it after he won it. We've never handed out a second. He is the founder of GoLong, one of the first guys in sports to really jump over to Substack and be his own man. I love that about him. And one of the teams that he has really been really, it grounds zero, a foundational reporter and has pushed back on this franchise many times. They have had a wild last four weeks. You don't think of Buffalo and controversy. You think of New York and controversy in Philadelphia and Boston, but Buffalo's just, you know, it's quiet.

It's upstate. So let's start with the press conference today where Terry, the owner, Bagula, basically calls out. Keon Coleman, I just kept thinking, man, for a billionaire, that's not a ton of self-awareness. You were at the press conference. Basically, he was defending Billy Bean, who was sitting next to him, who's taking a ton of criticism for his draft record, which is not stellar. Okay, let's start with the press conference. Was it awkward when Terry went off script to defend Billy Bean? You know, it was uncomfortable.

it was awkward. It was something that you never see in sports, right? Ever, general managers, head coaches. They never bring you inside publicly like that and say, no, this person wanted that player. That person wanted that player. I'll be honest, Colin. I love the honesty.

I love the transparency. I'm not in PR. It probably isn't the best PR move because that's pretty avoidable. If you're the Buffalo Bills, like you just don't need to bring that up. if you want that information out there, there's people like me. You can tell off the record. All these people in all sports know that.

But to me, what I kept thinking of is, all right, the one person who has control over this is Kean Coleman. The only reason he's being framed as a bust is because he has been a bus two years in. Yeah. I mean, he's showing up late to meetings twice. He's getting into Sean McDermott's dog house. I will say this. I was told it wasn't necessarily Sean McDermott. who drafted Keon Coleman.

It was coaches on the staff. But yeah, Brandon Bean, it puts him in a tough spot where he's sitting there like, all right, well, we're going into year three with this guy. We don't want to give up on this guy. And he later made a point to say, look, I drafted him. We all drafted him. At that point, it's kind of out there. But to me, you know what this press conference was, Colin?

Truth bombs, left and right. And the truth hurts. For Keon Coleman, I'm sorry, if feelings are hurt, more production. Sean McDermott, they praised him for his nine years of service at the end of the day. It's been a decade with arguably the best player in the league and what do you have to show for. To me, that was the biggest takeaway from this press conference. At one point, Terry Bagula is looking at all of us and basically looking to the entire city of Buffalo, say it is seven years in a row of making the playoffs?

Is that success? Is that success? And no Super Bowl appearance. He's basically asking everybody, if you want to get to the playoffs and look at the playoffs and lose. We've done that. Do we want to win a Super Bowl? Do we want something more? Then you got to move on. Look, I mean, and one stat I'll give you, too, is I've been repeating it, nonstop it, go along, but teams move on from head coaches at this point for a reason. You know, he's entering year 10. There's only been three head coaches, really two, who have won their first Super Bowl in year

nine or beyond with that team. Bill Cowher, Tom Land, Henry, Hank Stran. And Hank Stram won an AFL title before that. So, you know, the list of the Marty Schottenheimer's and Marvin Lewis's and Bart Starrs and Wayne Fotz and Marv Leavis, it's much, much longer. It was overdue, if you ask me. Yeah, let's let's, there was a feeling in Buffalo. And I've said this with, with Brandon Bean. I did some sourcing on it. I called a couple of GMs, I respect. I said, what do you, what do you know about him? Because I don't know him. nor do I have even a text relationship. And they said he's really good with a cap. He's not necessarily known as an elite John Snyder level, you know, like what you would say,

personnel guy. Doesn't mean he can't do it. For the record, it's really hard. Drafting is really hard. The best whiff. I mean, you know, the Rams of Wift on second rounders. The Niners have, it's hard. So there is no, there's no exact science to guessing how a 22-year-old will work. I mean, Keon Coleman, Florida to Buffalo, just the weather alone. You know, it's like, wow, that's a different. He probably never been to Buffalo before, right? Like a lot of these kids. But what is the sense?

Is it fair to say, since Josh Allen, 55 draft picks, two pro bowlers, is it fair, is that a fair criticism that he has struggled in the draft? Or do you see personnel as he's been reasonably solid like most GM? hit to misses. You know what? That's a great question because I think everybody's asking that same exact question right now. Because who's at fault here, right? Is it the head coach or the GM for why this team, forget winning a Super Bowl hasn't gotten to his Super Bowl.

Right? No head coach has won more playoff games without a Super Bowl appearance than Sean McDermott. Ate. No quarterback has one more playoff games without a Super Bowl appearance than Josh Allen. Hey, so who's at fault here? people that I talk to around the league, they believe this has been a championship roster year and year out, that they should have one in 2021, 13 seconds.

And we can get into that because I really do believe that was the moment that probably broke the psychology of the Buffalo Bills under Sean McDermott. Yeah. And, I mean, you've got seasons other than that you can point to and say that they had enough talent to win at all. And I think, look, Brandon B. was the driving force behind the move up the draft board for Josh Allen. So Terry Pugula remembers that.

And then if you fast forward to this year, you've got the reigning MVP. You've got the NFL's leading Russia and James Cook. You've got a top five offensive line. And the defense, right, you've got a defensive-minded head coach and Sean McDermott. And you look at these playoff losses in the last six playoff losses. And we could really kind of point to that as when the bills have been legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Right. Because they get the Jacksonville in 2017.

They end the drought. 2019, Josh Allen's in a year two. They lost in the wild card to the Texans and overtime, blew it 16 and nothing. Leave that game. But let's look at those six with a defensive-minded head coach, Colin. 52 non-neal down drives in those six games against, that's what you've got three Mahomes, one borough, one bo-nicks.

Okay, 52 and non-neal down drives. They've allowed 25 touchdowns, 13 field goals, forced only 12 punts. There's one missed field goal in there. They've created three turnovers. allowing 199 points. That's 3.83 points per drive.

I believe that's more than the 2007 Patriots average per drive with a defensive-minded head coach. So Brandon Bean's thinking, okay, it was defense again in the AFC championship game last year, right? Josh Allen did enough. The bill's offense did enough at Arrowhead. And a Chief's offense that was average to above average, the last season and a half hung 32 on you.

So he goes out and signs Bosa, Larry O'Gajobie, Michael Hoyt, and drafts five defensive players in a row. Like, here's more options for you, Shaw Bickdermott. Let's get a stop, right? Let's get one stop. You get to Denver. Yes, Josh Allen had four turnovers. The crazy play at the end of the half, and he's hit from the blind side. But yes, he had four turnovers.

Even then, they almost became the second road playoff team ever to overcome a minus three turnover differential to win. I think it was one. They were one in 85 going into the same. game because of Allen, because of the offense, and then two minutes left, third and 11, it looks like Sean's going to send the dogs, seven at the line of scrimmage. Here's the moment he's finally going to be aggressive and three of a back off. Bow next hits Cortland Sutton for a first down. Four plays later.

Tradavius White gets hurt. He's out. Sean Payton smells blood. Dean Jackson, ice cold off the sideline. You leave him one on one on the outside. What do you think Sean Payton's going to do? He did the same thing earlier in the game. when Cam Lewis, the safety got hurt.

And Darno Savage, your fifth or six safeties on the field. A bus from Green Bay shouldn't be in that spot. But Peyton saw it and he took advantage. So Shaw McDermott failed to learn his lesson in the game. Look, if you got a defensive-minded head coach, these are the little things you got to do. And I think that Terry Pagula is looking at these moments. And he's looking at the eyes of his players in the locker room.

He talked about this today. And he sees how despondent, how teary-eye job. Josh Allen is, Dionne Dawkins, everybody. He's saying, man, we can't keep doing this year to year. Like, this team has plateaued. We got to do something. And I get the debate, but he decided that it was Sean McDermott's fault, not Brandon Bean. Yeah, I agree with that.

I think, you know, here's where I'll defend Brandon Bean. I think their offensive personnel is pretty good. They have an excellent slot receiver. Maybe not Ladd McConkey, but darn good. Starback, star left tackle, great running back. O-line, more than solid. Multiple tight ends. Dawson Knox, obviously

Dalton Kincaid. So in Keon Coleman, I didn't have a problem with a draft pick because I saw him in college and I thought he was rangy and tall. Receivers, number one, last 20 years, number one position first round bust is wide receiver. He's not the first. Belichick couldn't draft one in the first round.

Chad Jackson, Nikiel Harry, Nikiel Henry from Arizona State, couldn't draft one to save his life. So, by the way, Andy Reid, Brett Veach, great, great guys. Sky Moore, Miss. Rishie Rice, always in trouble. Xavier Worthy, bottom first, meh.

So, like, I do think Brandon Bean deserves credit for, they've done a pretty damn good job on offense, a pretty good group. And I think an offensive coach, like Brian Daibol, would squeeze even more juice out of that group. So let's pivot to that, is Daibol the frontrunner? he'll definitely be in the conversation. And I love this. I love talking Brian Dable because it is fascinating.

He was like a father figure for Josh Allen here. They were unbelievably close. When I did that three-part series. You were all over this. Yeah. We probably talked about it on the herd then. I mean, the 9-11 speech that McDermic gave. That gate got a lot of headlines.

But really, I thought one of the more fascinating nuggets was in part three of that series where I had heard from veterans on that. team and coaches who repeated just how close Josh Allen was to Brian Dable. On the field, you know, Josh Allen, he's a farm boy from Fireball, California, right? And no star recruit had to earn everything. He's okay with a coach yelling in his earhole like Brian Dable would. I can picture him on the sideline after an interception in year two against the Patriots. Dable's losing his mind.

Alan took the hard coaching, did something with it. Dable had such an effect on him as a young player, but even off the field. I mean, they were hanging out all the time. It was a special relationship. So there was one player. And I asked, this is 2023. Like at that point, Davel's with the New York Giants, obviously. Like, did the bills keep the right coach?

And he paused for quite literally 13 seconds, ironically enough. And he goes, does that answer your question? I mean, there's people who think that the bills could have multiple Super Bowls right now. if Dable and Alan stayed together. And look, Josh Allen is going to be in these interviews with the head coaches. And I'm not, not Dable. I actually caught up with a coach who might be in the running for this job recently.

And he, you know, we'll see if he's, he's of interest too. There's going to be a lot of people that want this job. When it comes to Dable, though, all signs would point to him being the front runner for all those reasons.

But I also think of this, Colin, Brandon Bean is tight with Joe Shane. Joe Shane was here in Buffalo. and Joe Shane knows firsthand what went down with the Giants, right? He probably knows all the good that comes with Daible and maybe some of the disorganization behind the scenes that came with Daible. You can learn from that stuff.

Like, I love it when teams give a head coach a second chance. Like, you should be able to learn from what went wrong. Yes. So he absolutely could. That's what Bean has to kind of parse through and figure out, like, what went wrong and would he do better the second time around? Because being an NFL head coach, it's more than just coaching quarterbacks and having a relationship with Josh Helt,

which is unbelievably important. There's game management stuff which Dable struggled with with the Giants, obviously. Interpersonal relationships behind the scenes, right? You famously clashed with Wink Martindale. So I think that's the kind of stuff that probably they're going to ask Brian Dable in this interview when they have them in. You know, I have defended Brian Dable because coaching in New York is hard. coaching in New York, having to take Dave Gettleman's guy, Daniel Jones, and win is hard. The New York media is multifaceted, multi-personality, very uber competitive.

And I said the day on the herd, I said, you know, Buffalo's different. I mean, you have real pros in the media. I'm not disparaging anybody. A lot of good radio TV people up there. Buffalo's always played bigger than it is as a market. Always reminds me, I don't know why I think of this, Salt Lake City media. Buffalo media feel much bigger than they are. A lot of pros. People just want to live in Salt Lake City and ski. And people love living in Buffalo because it's a wonderful place to live. But I guess when I look

at Brian Daible, who's succeeded in New York, even Coughlin at the end struggled. Whereas I really like the ownership of Buffalo. I think Brandon Bean realizes a lot of people have the microscope on him now. And so the Buffalo media, and I really respected this, has been hard on Bean. And tomorrow's columns on this press conference will be intense. What is the relationship? Pagula Bean fans media today. Because usually when you get to market the size Buffalo or Baltimore. The media is not antagonistic, but it does feel like Baltimore, Buffalo's media feels almost a responsibility. They know they're in the national spotlight, and they've sharpened the saw. It feels like, I mean, Bean's radio appearance, I think on WGR, I read the

columns. I mean, is it as tense as it sounds? It was tense today, Colin. There's no way around it. They asked, I was there. I wasn't able to get a question in. It was hard to get a question in because it was an opportunity to ask about the firing of head coach, which hasn't happened here in Western New York in nearly a decade. They've been winning division titles. Shaw McDermick cleaned up the Rex Ryan mess. And it was a mess.

It was worse than you can imagine. And he deserves all the credit for that. I mean, I think he, he's a free agent head coach right now. if he wanted to clean up the Cleveland Browns or a team like that, he could do it. That's what Shaw McDermott does really well. But yeah, to answer a question, people are ready to ask Brandon Bede some hard questions.

I think it's interesting. You know, Sean McDermott really did ingratiate himself to the community this past year in a way that he hasn't. Most of his tenure, he has been a little standoffish, not doing much media beyond press conferences, kind of, you know, a little colder, a little more aloof, and just didn't want to play that game, really. And then recently, even after I did that series, I was welcome back in the building. I sat down with Sean at the Combine.

We talked about it, got a credential. Next thing I know into the playoffs in 2024, I'm in his office. We're talking for an hour about his evolution as a coach. I mean, he definitely made a concerted effort to get his personality out there. Dan Pompey at the Athletic in an excellent profile. on Sean McDermott recently. I think through all of that, you know, there's a story in the Buffalo News

where ahead of the last game at Highmark Stadium, he's like looking around the field and taking it all in and the community kind of felt an attachment to Sean McDermott. Really, I mean, you can see it, you can feel it. The same fans who are pissed at this team loses every January, they felt a bond to him. And I think the majority of fans, at least this season, kind of pinned a lot of the problems on the GM.

and the wide receiver position. And it has kind of rooted in that WGR interview that Brandon B did. And so in a roundabout way, yeah, like fans, they, they didn't think a lot of fans, I don't know what the percentage would be, didn't think that Sean McDermott should have been fired. So when this goes down, I think a lot of folks were surprised and wanted answers. And the media sought those answers. But here's where I think, though, this isn't to blame local media.

lame fans and just the theme that I keep coming back to, Colin, is let's not lose the plot here, everyone, right? I gave you that stat earlier on this. Most of the move on at this point. And that game, that 13 seconds game at Arrowhead, I've been told repeatedly, again on Monday, when I reached out to people around the team, around the relationship of McDermott and Bean, that moment had a lot of day, did a lot of damage, right? I think Richard Sherman would tell you the exact same thing about the Legion of Booms Seahawks when Pete Carroll decided to throw the ball at the one yard line. That moment kind of broke those stocks. 283 broke the Atlanta Falcons. 13 seconds broke the psychology of the bills. And here's why. Reported all of it. And it's funny. I mean, to my knowledge, Sean McDermott has been peppered with these 13 second questions. But I've reached out to coaches. I've reached out to players. He overruled special teams coordinator, Heath Farewell, who wanted his squib kick. McDermott said touchback. That allows for those two plays to happen over the full 13 seconds.

And what happens before those plays, he calls a timeout. They call it Kodak, a chance to kind of see what the chiefs are doing and line up accordingly. The DBs are in another zip code. It's easy, easy work from Mahomes. In that moment, McDermott, I was told, overruled, Leslie Frazier, defensive coordinator. He's doing the defensive play calling. They gave up the field goal. They get into overtime. They get rolled over. They get inside the locker room. And I had a coach tell me that even in that moment, Sean McDermott said something like, why, the offense left too much time on the field. Like, what? 13 seconds. And then the next day is kind of looking at his assistant coaches and saying, you guys need to

figure out what went wrong here. You need to figure it out. And that was it into the offseason. So not only does this like really traumatic by football standards, moment happened, there's really no ownership. There's really no accountability in that moment. And it really did linger into 22, 23, 24 to the point where people in all departments are saying, like, that has kind of been a dark cloud over this team to where, and look, the timing's kind of always been awkward if Terry Pagul and the bills wanted to fire McDermott because in 2022, Shaw McDermott probably has his best coaching job ever.

A player nearly dies on a football field. DeMarie Hamlet comes back to life. and you've got to somehow get your team ready to play a football game the following week. Unbelievable job by McDermott. Yes, they get smashed by the Bengals and the playoffs, but it's not like Pagula's going to fire him after all that. 2023, I write that three-part series when they're six and six.

They win six games in a row. They're a missed fuel, go away from getting to the AMC championship game. You can't really fire him after that. And then 2024, you're in the AFC championship game. That fourth and five prayer from Allen, you know,

he escapes all that rush, gets into Dalton Kincaid. just misses it. They don't fire him after that when, in retrospect, maybe you should have, Brable Ben Johnson, Liam Cohen are available. But in a roundabout way, I'm just saying, look,

I think that that has kind of hovered over the team in a way that isn't really understood by the fans, the majority of the fans who, I feel this connection with Shaw McDermott. Internally, I'm telling you, it's real. And if the bills could do it all over again, I think they would think long and hard about doing the Doug Collins, the Phil Jackson thing at that point, right?

Where it would have been hard to, though the bills were still on the rise, but if you could rewrite history, I mean, that would have been a moment to move on to a new coach, right then, upgrade while you're on the rise after 13 seconds. We've covered a lot of ground with Buffalo. I can't bring you on and not talk Packers because that's what we were first introduced to. You pick really fascinating franchises. So I defended Matt Lefleur and Brian Guden Coons, but mostly Matt Lefleur because he's won 66% of his games.

I also think the NFC over the last two to three years has really improved. It's superior to the AFC. And I also think Aaron Rogers at the end was difficult. He had one or two really. Aaron was really happy to see him. McCarthy and Aaron had regressed as a relationship. ship clearly eroded. He put his arms around the young, good-looking guy, just like Aaron generationally, they were in line, kind of good-looking young, you know, successful guys.

But at the end, I think we know that Aaron aged pretty quickly. Like, unlike Brady, he was not obsessed in the off-season. You know, he took his off-season to do his thing, and Aaron's age more quickly. So he didn't get really great Aaron for quite the runway, we thought. Then Jordan love, I thought he did a tremendous job with him, and Malique Willis in multiple opportunities. I mean, they got him into camp late, and a month later he's playing, and they're winning. So I just think he's a winning coach. I think it's the NFC's gotten better. His division, you know, Detroit arguably best roster, Kevin O'Connell, one of the sharpest

guys in the league, and now the bears have Ben and Caleb. It's a really tough division with a lot of smart guys in it. So, but do you think when the stories came out, and I tend to, when I see a story proclaiming a big possible change, okay, who wrote it? Do you believe they sat down in that organization 48 hours and thought about moving off Matt LaFleur? It had to have been a thought if you're at policy. You know, this is your opportunity to put your imprint on this team. I mean, he's the CEO, he's the president. We know the fans own the team, but he's the one in charge.

It's kind of a perfect situation when you take over a team where you've got a head coach in a GM entering the final year of their deal. So you decide right then either you give them the extensions or you move off of them. I mean, they didn't want to be lame ducks. Nobody wants that situation. So I think it was probably a thought. How could it not be after that choke job at Soldier Field? And it wasn't it wasn't the first.

and to be up. But it could have been 24 to 3 at half with the field goal. Hell, Jordan Love almost hit Christian Watson on a touchdown. It could have been 28 to 3 at the half. That's kind of a forgotten play. But yes, it's 21 to 3 to have those four three and outs, to have no answers as an offensive coach. And you could just feel it.

You know, especially it was interesting, Colin, spending a week around the New England Patriots out of that game and hearing from Mike Vrable and these players. and how they strain through the play, how they work through the play. The longevity, but they never quit. They're relentless.

And that is just created by Mike Grable as far back as the spring. It is very culture driven when he's telling guys, pick up your dirty washcloths in the shower. He instructed the equipment staff. If you see dirty wash cloths on the shower floor,

just ring them out and don't wash them. Like little things like that, all the way to the defense. He installs X's an nose-wise has a purpose. And then to hear Matt LaFleur talk about how they need to strain through the play more after the latest collapse. I don't know, man.

Like, that speaks to the DNA of a team. He's been there a while. There's been a lot of late game collapses, all the way back to Aaron Rogers. So let me throw something at you. When he was hired, I was told, I've said this on the air, when McVeigh, Shanahan, and Matt LaFleur. were together. McVeigh was the culture guy. Shanahan was the scheme guy. LaFleur was the nice guy. When he was in Tennessee and went to Green Bay, I was told by somebody that was very close to the

situation, that he didn't think he was necessarily a great culture guy. He thought he was a good guy, a smart guy, new as shit. But again, not necessarily, didn't know if he could build his tough, relentless culture. I've said this about Lincoln Riley. I know he's smart. USC leads the nation in offense regularly. I know he knows his side of the ball. I know he's smart. I've compared Lincoln, Riley, and Matt LaFleur. I know they're good and I know they're smart and they know quarterbacks and offense. I don't know if either's a great culture. creator. Ben Johnson did it in a six weeks. I mean, they were a better football team in six weeks. They literally eliminated negative plays in sacks in the first two weeks. They were gone out of the

program. So my thing is when I watched Dan Campbell's culture, bite knee caps, tough physical, I can see it. Vrable, clean it up, no penalties, tough, I can see it. Ben Johnson with Caleb in the offense. I can see it. I can't with LaFlor. I see smart. I say good with quarterbacks. I see, you know, good guy liked by a lot of people. I don't see a great culture. Is it fair for me to say that? I agree 100%. And I'm not just blowing smoke out. I think he just nailed it. That's exactly what I hear about Matt LaFleur. What we see with our own eyes when we watch the Green Bay Packers, looking five of their nine losses, they led by nine plus points. Three times they lost when they didn't even punt.

Like, if that's not coaching, I don't know what is. It's, it is incredible what he did with Aaron Rogers after a really messy breakup with McCarthy. Now, you're coming in with your offense. If you got to blend it with Aaron Rogers wanting to do whatever the hell he wants to do with the line of scrimmage, somehow they made it work to the point of what, getting MVP awards, getting two divisional and conference playoff games. I know he's good with quarterbacks.

I watched him with Malik. I watched him with Jordan. I watched him with Aaron. It's like Lincoln Riley. I don't doubt that part. The MVP's, I don't doubt it. This is about culture, right? And that's what I wonder about.

I'm right there with you. It's totally about culture. What he did with Jordan Love? Hell, I remember doing this podcast after that brutal Raiders game. It was awful. And we're all wonder. Where is Jordan Love? I'm going to go from here.

He developed those three years behind the scenes and then three years as a starter. He is, in my opinion, a top 10, maybe a top five quarterback. But you're, you shouldn't lose a game when your quarterback throws for, what, 300 plus yards, four touchdowns and no picks on the road. And there, look, we can nitpick plays all day long. If, if Michael Parsons is on the field, he probably creates a big play that wins you that playoff. Right.

If Romeo Dobbs recovers an on-side kick, you win that game. But when it happens. Happens repeatedly. Go back to the Cleveland Browns game. They blow a 10-0 lead to the freaking Browns with a few minutes left. That is culture. And I had a player tell me that he could see and feel Matt LaFleur freeze up in his words in big moments. It's kind of like there's a little bit of a tenseness, a little bit of a panic in some of these moments.

Look, I think you can grow, you can evolve. Maybe he can get that out of him that this is last year that the player told me that. but you watch these games and you see these finishes, it makes you wonder, right? That's the big gamble by Ed Policy here, is that Matt LaFleur will continue to develop as a coach and with the healthy Mike of Parsons, he can figure this out.

They've got the talent. I don't think talent's a problem. I think that's why Brian Gutikas was always safe. He's the one that put his career on the line for Jordan Love when everybody was calling him nuts. And he saw something he believed. He's the one that's drafted all these wide receivers. Look, if we want to doc Brandon,

Bean probably could take a page out of that Gutikins playbook. Just draft receivers around your quarterback and let him develop together. He's done that. They made the big move for Parsons. It's on the floor to figure all that other stuff out. And I think it is rooted in culture. Whatever you want to define it by, there's something amiss in Green Bay because, look, if the new playoff rules weren't in, they're not even making the playoffs last three years.

They're part of the 44% club is that seventh seed because they added another team. And what kind of conversation are we having right now with all that? The volume. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick.

And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. Nice. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We get to ask other people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From IHeart Podcasts, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. It's for Vietnam. They're pouring patril all over here. Freedom for Vietnam!

There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This season on Dear Chelsea, with me, Chelsea Handler, we have some fantastic guests like Amelia Clark. When like young people come up to me and they want to be an actor or whatever. And my first thing is always, can you think of anything else that you can do? Rather be disappointed in. Do that. David O'Yello-O.

I love this podcast, whether it's therapy or religion. relationships or religion or sex or addiction or you just go straight for the guts. Dennis Leary, Gaten Moderato from Stranger Things, Tana Monjou, Camilla Morone, Carrie Kenny Silver, and more. Listen to these episodes of Dear Chelsea on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.