The Ryen Russillo Podcast - Adding to Brady’s Legacy. Plus: Defending Mahomes and Rodgers’s Last Packers Season? With Wade Phillips and Mike Sando.

Episode Date: January 25, 2021

Russillo shares his thoughts about Tom Brady making his way to his 10th Super Bowl, this time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1:45), before he is joined by The Athletic’s Mike Sando to discuss Aaron Rodgers’s vague postgame comments about the offseason, hypothetical Deshaun Watson trade packages, Matt Stafford’s next team, the lack of diversity in NFL front offices and head coaching positions, and more (13:00). Then Ryen talks with longtime coach Wade Phillips about Packers-Buccaneers, Chiefs-Bills, preparing a defensive game plan for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs as well as Brady and the Buccaneers, and more (35:30). Finally Ryen answers some listener-submitted Life Advice questions (53:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hey what's up it's ryan rossillo thank you for listening to my podcast we're gonna go over all the quarterback carousel stuff of the offseason rogers not only taking the loss but also people hinting at him moving on so mike santa's gonna do that wade phillips stops by talk a little ball we got the life advice lonely hearts edition on this one. I'm not sure. One of the guys got an incredible story, but I'm not quite sure where that one's going to go. And then I want to put the Tom Brady conversation in perspective, which feels impossible when someone does the impossible. So that's the plan. The conversation starts with Tom Brady today. Okay. That's not breaking news. We know that and we have to run through all the different stuff. We'll get's not breaking news. We know that. And we have to.

I'm going to run through all the different stuff. We'll get to a little Rogers and I know, of course, everybody's patiently waiting for the new updated Tom and Bill rankings. All right, we'll do those a little bit later.

But let's start at least with two things. Recency bias exists. That's not all that insightful. I've pointed it out at times. You're like, oh yeah, great take. Like, that's not why you subscribe to the podcast.

You're listening today. They're like, hey man, the day after all of these games, we have these results and takes and all this stuff. And then more removed from it. We have more perspective and all of our commentary changes rarely in the moment. Do we feel the same way removed from it? Okay. So we already understand that, but something we don't talk about that much is in the moment bias where something can be so great that maybe we don't really know what to do with it, or we've lost perspective or we've run out of things to say.

And that's definitely the case with Brady, because in the moment bias, a Monday where Brady's headed to his 10th Super Bowl, first season with a new team, is the ultimate, like, you know what? Anybody that had any of these doubts about me, which is crazy that it even exists, but it's sports. It's what we do. We like to talk about it, compare it, say what really matters, how much of it was Belichick. And really, Brady was kind of in a spot where I thought he could only lose because if the Bucks went eight and eight, there were going to

be people saying like, ah, you know, look at Bill where, you know, Bill, I wouldn't even use this season against Belichick all that much. As much as I look at the Brady part of it going, it makes sense that he was like, look, I'm not really enjoying this that much anymore. You know, I don't feel appreciated. You don't have enough weapons. I'm bouncing. This contract negotiation is completely disrespectful. I'm not a defensive end that you can replace for a draft pick. And Brady bounces and does this.

So ultimately, in that divorce, we're left with like, now what do we do? And even though you get paid for a living to talk about this stuff, sometimes things are so monumental. And that's what this is. Brady's resume is this continues that you're like, what, what could I actually say? What could I say where you go? Oh yeah. You know what? That's really interesting.

I hadn't thought about how amazing Brady is because most people get it. But if you were to sit here a hundred years from now and people are still talking about the NFL, there's a really good chance, like almost like a certainty that a people a hundred years from now talking about NFL history will say, what did that guy do? What did Brady do? He went to a Super Bowl every other season. He was in the league on average. He played in 14 conference championship games like what did people freak out did they take a year off did everybody just need a breath like how was that covered and because we're so conditioned to it it actually can kind of again that in the moment bias mute the whole not excitement but i mean i'm left here on a monday going okay so what do i do now

let's also do this because as i had said yesterday, like I can't even believe a Brady exists. It was immediately followed up because every place sucks at times. Well, he had three picks. Let's get three pick guy out of the way. All right. This isn't about the three picks. This is about 10 Super Bowl appearances for a quarterback playing the toughest position

in sports. And yes, it's a team game. We'll get to some of that stuff too. But if you're three pick guy, just thank your friends for being your friends. I don't know how you operate that way. I mean, you're like a parent that would walk into the living room of the house and your kids are watching a Disney movie and you just look at them and say, hey, this movie sucks. All these Disney movies suck.

And then you go outside and smoke cigarettes or something. I can't fathom. Now, look, there is some of that stuff out there. Guys in the media that do it for a living as well. I saw some people really selling that it was actually a Todd Bowles run. I wonder what that's about.

Look, it was a collaborative effort. I love Todd Bowles. The fact he went 10 and 6 with a Jets organization that's been a disaster for a long time, and every time Todd Bowles spoke, I was like, man, I'm really impressed with this guy. I hope Todd Bowles gets a head coaching gig again. Todd Bowles was a big part of this, but don't tell me that he was the only reason that this happened. Look at some of the defensive scoring throughout this. This was a collaborative effort from Tampa all season long. Third in offense, fifth in defense. Collaborative effort from Tampa all season long. Third in offense, fifth in defense. Kellerman on ESPN, a first take. I like Max.

I disagree with him all the time. But he was going to just double down on the Brady isn't that good deal. He tried really hard. There was a playoff game where Brady lit it up right after he had said what he had said. Of course, everybody's like, hey, and that's TV. That guy's dumping on Brady, and Brady keeps winning. What's Kellerman going to say? You don't watch because you agree. You watch because you want to see the guy you don't like have to own what he says or pivot out of it, which is what most of us do. And Kellerman's like, yeah, a lot of those throws are easy. And then on the front page of ESPN.com today, it's like Kellerman admits he was wrong about Brady.

What tipped you off that you may have been leaning in the wrong direction? The third fucking Superbowl. All right. So this isn't even about selling anything other than understanding in the moment, how stupid this history is. And like I said, he's 43. He's going up to do an interview. Can I say hi to my son? First people that hated him were like, you know what? That's amazing. Because imagine making fun of Brady's kid at school. You're like, yeah, my dad's 43 and he's going to his 10th Super Bowl. I'd imagine other kids at school go, hey, we're just going to have to leave this guy alone. Like his dad's Tom Brady. It'd be like having Captain America as your dad, except cooler. Brady also is somebody that after we're done looking at whatever this ends up

being, you know how there's, there's a guy in your town. And I'm not saying every town even has this guy because that would, that would diminish the rarity of that special kid that's growing up. But you understand what I'm saying? Whether it's your town or the town over the legend of this kid. And he's won two state titles as as a quarterback for the football team he's got like 3 000 points in basketball and then you go oh but by the way like baseball is actually his best sport because he throws 96 and he's a lefty and

you're like who is this guy like harvard's on him he may go there but west point's also been something that matters but georgia just gave him a full ride to pitch and maybe be the quarterback. You know, who knows? And like the rest of us all feel so inadequate. Oh yeah. 1600 on his SATs and he has a black belt or he actually is a trained, I don't know, jazz, jazz basis. You know what I mean? Just like one of those kids that has one of those insane resumes. You're like, what happened to that guy? Now, some of those guys would go on to play pro sports. Maybe somebody else opens up an Edward Jones and you're like, oh, that's that guy. Oh, yeah, he's doing pretty well for himself. Good for him.

He ended up at MIT after his arm flamed out. Or maybe he's just a guy in your town that tells terrible stories about his high school accomplishments after a few low and brows at the VFW. But Brady is the guy that you can't believe exists, and he's still doing it 20-plus years out of college. So let's look at the resume. 10 Super Bowls, could win seven, has six, 14 conference championship games, 44 playoff games, 33-11 in those 44.

He's made the playoffs every season of his career except the second year, and I don't count 2008 because he was hurt because they would have made the playoffs. The team still won 11 games with Brady. You win one more, you win the division, they're in the playoffs. He's only had one season with less than 10 wins, and that was 9-7 season in 2002 after the first Super Bowl win. He has as many Super Bowl appearances as the bottom 12 franchises in the NFL combined. He has almost 5,000 more yards passing in the playoffs than Peyton Manning.

So of all the stuff that happens in sports, we go, that'll never happen again. And the number of times that we'll use never as a closing argument. And I'll say, you know what? Never is a really long time. How has anyone ever surpassing this ever? Yes. I know Patrick Mahomes is awesome. Yes. I realized I picked the chiefs every year and I'm going to keep picking them as long as my homes is there, but to just sit there on a show and say, yeah, Mahomes, I could see him getting to eight more. Do you know how hard that is? Do you understand how hard that is? So for Brady, I spent a long time telling you, I don't really know what to say. I said a lot of things by saying I don't know what to say, but sometimes the accomplishments are so ridiculous, we're out

of ways to praise somebody. And Brady is the best example of that in modern sports. All right, Bill and Tom, rankings as of now, things are fluid, a lot of data. I know what you're thinking. Look, it feels Tom won, Bill too. As of right now, that's kind of where I'm at with it. Some numbers to throw here. Brady did go 10-0 in his first playoff games, but he's only 23-11 since. All right. So that win percentage dropped from 100 to about 675. And you know who else won 67% of their games, Kyle? The 2016 Oklahoma City Thunder, and they were only a three seed. So a bit of a drop off there. Tom threw three picks this weekend.

Bill didn't. If Tom were to lose to Mahomes, that means Brady has a worse record against Mahomes than Bill does with Brady. If Tom were to lose the Super Bowl, that means Tom's number one without Bill. Although the karma rule,

I'm not 100% sure. I'd like to believe in karma, but sometimes you're like, if karma were a real thing, why is that guy doing so well? But I think on a personnel karma situation, this is a massive win for Tom,

who just felt like, hey, can I get like one weapon in here post Gronk? Is there any way we can add guys that weren't just lacrosse players? Because I'd love a really good number one. Can we stop being cute about the receivers? Can I get maybe a little bit more respectful of a contract offer? Because I'd like to keep playing. And then for Brady to have this kind of year with some weapons, and he just looked physically a little bit better too, big karma win there. But karma is not really factored into the Bill and Tom rankings.

So tentatively right now, we got Tom at one, Bill at two, but that could change. We know that. You've been listening all year. These are not locked in. We'll see you in two weeks. Mike Sandoz is going to join us here shortly. Mike Sandoz, the athletic, the six,

must read every week and all of his other stuff, the quarterback tier guy. In the aftermath of Brady moving on, Rodgers looking around, you made a million great points. I'll summarize some of it. But when Rodgers is vague on purpose, that means he wants to be vague about his future, hinting at, yeah, maybe I'm out of here. I mean, maybe he's just being prickly, which is certainly something Rodgers is very capable of. He distanced himself from the fourth down call, which I thought was kind of lame, to be honest with you. from the fourth down call, which I thought was kind of lame, to be honest with you. So then on the other side, we look at Brady, who clearly left in free agency.

But I think Brady could maybe inspire some of these older quarterbacks to go, you know what, I'm sick of this. Like, I've been here long enough. I'm ready to bounce. Okay, as it stands today, what do you think about Rodgers' future in Green Bay? I think he probably plays a better year there, and then something comes to a head. And that was probably the most likely scenario once they drafted Jordan Love. This is interesting with him saying this, and, you know,

we can try to read in the motives. Right after the game, I wrote in my column, like, he could have stood up for Matt LaFleur, who's really stood up for him. I mean, Matt LaFleur's been great talking about Aaron Rodgers, giving him his due every step of the way. And instead, he sort of, like you said, distanced himself from the call. Is he changing the subject off of the fact that he every step of the way. And instead he's sort of like you said, distance himself from the call. Is he changing the subject off of the fact that he's one in four in these championship games and, and Brady's going on and he's, now we're going to shift into off season mode and talk about all the things

Rogers wanted them to do. And if they're doing things to his liking, that's sort of what it felt like to me. It just fails a little soon. So I think everything's in play because like we said, this stuff's more real. Look, Stafford came to an agreement with Detroit that he's going to change teams. Tom Brady, Phillip Rivers, they changed teams. Deshaun Watson, it looks determined to change teams. In the past, we would have always said, oh, he won't miss game checks. Bull, his agent, this is my column, his agent's the same guy who had Jalen Ramsey. These are very strategic, smart people saying things for reasons. This isn't just Aaron Rodgers, tough game, and he just says whatever comes to his mind, right?

It's like he changed the subject to this right after the game. So I think there's possibilities of anything happened. Probability as he plays another year there. Contractually, it's not impossible though, right? I mean, Green Bay would have to play ball here, but I think we were always conditioned to think, okay, these quarterback contracts, the cap hit, the cap penalty, the debt money and all this different stuff. How is it specific to Rogers? Yeah, it's not bad. You know, and I think that's a, that's stuff from a different era, outdated era.

Just like I said, used to would have always said beat writing. One Oh one 20 years ago was a player won't miss game checks. Okay. That's different. They will, if they're mad enough right now and they make so much money that they, um,

can do it. And in the, the cap is totally overrated as an impediment to what people want to do. And I'll give you an example. The Pittsburgh Steelers will never get rid of Antonio Brown because they'd be $20 million in dead money. Well, they would never get rid of him until they decided, yeah, we'd better have $20 million in dead money than have this guy on our team. And they got rid of him. And that's the way Rogers isn't nearly that onerous. You know,

it would not be hard to move. It would not be prohibitive. Matt Ryan's would be a little harder, but like Stafford Rogers, those are all doable. No, it's a really good point. Cause I think it's back to kind of what you said. Like I will believe Watson will miss time when it's week one and he's not

playing. Um, because I just don't know if he's going to be nasty enough to want to do that. Because that's what you're going to have to do. You're going to have to get nasty about it. And that's what we've seen in the NBA for a while. And that day is coming in the NFL, where the quarterbacks are going to start being more like NBA players.

But that's the bet. It's the Texans going. It's not the game checks. It's are you actually not going to be there with your teammates as a younger guy? It's an emotional thing. It can't just be about the money. If there's an emotional investment in it, like Jalen Ramsey was done

with the Jaguars. He was mad at Tom Coughlin and he wasn't going to play there. Now, if they would have waited five years, yeah, he would have come back, but you're not going to wait five years for a player. You know what I mean? He's not going to wait for five years. So I'll give you an example. Carson Palmer was done with the Brown family, Cincinnati, and they didn't believe him.

Yeah, Carson will show up. I mean, he's not going to leave his game checks on the table. Carson said, Bola, I've made $80 million. That was an actual quote. He didn't say it for attribution, but if you read the stories back then, that was like, hey, source close to Palmer. So last year, Deshaun Watson made $29 million. He's got $10 million in salary this year. So it's unlikely.

I mean, most of us wouldn't leave $10 million on the table. But if he feels like this is complete bull, what's going on there, they have lied to me. They're disingenuous on the diversity front, number one. They were going to interview me, right? And then they pull this other thing, and now Easterby's going to be there? They traded away Hopkins? What's with our culture? If he's that invested in it, then it's a different situation than 99 out of 100 other ones that really are just about money. And when the guy doesn't get what he wants, he's not going to miss his check. Yeah, it almost feels like the Texans wanted to see like, Hey, how bad can we screw this up? All

right, let's do this. Cause the way I was told was that Watson didn't even say, Hey, I need to be in on every decision. They offered it up to him. You will be part of every decision. And then they didn't, which is like the worst of all the scenarios that you could present and say, Hey, you're not going to be part of it. Okay. Hey, you're going to be part of it. We're going to listen to you, but then we're not going to go with your decision. They went with the, hey, you're going to be part of it, but actually you're not. I mean, of all the planning that they could have put into this, but the money part we've seen in the basketball example, I think still plays out. example, I think still plays out is the, it's not an unintended consequence, but with the new salary cap because of the new TV deals and then them saying, Hey, you know what? We're going to be

able to keep our own players because we're going to put all these, these different mechanisms in place to benefit the home team again, to try to put this player movement to rest. It's like, actually when you're making 40 million or 36 million, it's just so absurd that the guy's going, I don't even care if I'm potentially losing a few million bucks because I just know I'll be that much happier making 36 somewhere else. And it's the same thing with quarterbacks, especially eyeing a new TV deal with the NFL, which is going to be massive. I don't care what anybody says. It's going to be a massive deal. And the quarterback can say, what's a few million bucks for me to be just in

a happier setup franchise wise, especially when I'm in my mid-20s? It's not going to matter as much. You're going to play 10 more years. Two more deals. If he wants to, it's 15. Because look, the only way that Lamar Jackson suffers a concussion in today's game is when the ball gets snapped over his head and he runs back 30 yards and it's a fluke play. When Mahomes gets one, we're not even sure how.

What happened? Did he lose blood flow to his head, and he runs back 30 yards, and it's a fluke play. When Mahomes gets one, we're not even sure how. What happened? Did he lose blood flow to his head? These guys are not getting smashed for the most part. Now Watson takes some shots, but he could play. He goes somewhere where they've got a good offensive line, takes care of his body. I mean, losing a little bit of money now, he's going to make it back, and then some.

What's the real – well, I don't know if market's the right question. You've been on this now for weeks and trying to put together different hypothetical trade packages with different teams. What are we talking about consensus-wise from people that you talk to in the front office about what it would take to get them out of there? Yeah, right now when they don't have, they're not up against it. I think it's a really high price. Right now, when they don't have, they're not up against it, I think it's a really high price. So you probably wouldn't listen unless there's, you know, three number one picks or, you know, something that you really haven't seen before too frequently. Right. And I do think, though, as if we were to get into the season or get later when, OK, teams have drafted quarterbacks now or teams.

okay, teams have drafted quarterbacks now, or teams, you're now six weeks into the season and Derek Carr's four and two with 128 passer rating, then the Raiders aren't going to be in it on it then as easily, right? So I think the price probably goes down if Watson sort of lingers into the season. Can you really then pull together the same market you could now, where now there's planning going on, we got new coaches, we got dominoes that could fall, tons of draft capital, the draft's coming up, maybe a team is looking at the draft going, we can't evaluate this draft, how do we do it? We've got all these picks, you know what, we'll give you three ones, Sam Darnold, and whatever, let's just do it.'ve got all these picks you know what we'll give you three ones sam darnold and whatever let's just do it you know that that type of thing you could see happening i thought dan orlovsky's

tweet was probably a little telling over the week where when matt patricia hooked up with the new england patriots that orlovsky saying hey that probably wouldn't be something that Stafford would be fired up about. Normally, you know, who knows? But when it's a guy who was his teammate and the thoughts are that they're still pretty close, meaning Stafford and Orlovsky, I thought that that may have been like, oh, all right, put that one away.

I don't know that it breaks news, but... I love... Yeah, go ahead. We think the same way, Ryan. So I wrote a column. I think it was November 29th, they fired Patricia, okay? Here's my column lead, November 30. 29 minutes after the Lions announced their coach

and GM firings, Matthew Stafford's former backup and longtime advocate, ESPN analyst, Dan Orlovsky, called for the team and its franchise quarterback to part ways for the coming rebuild. You think Dan's just saying that off the top of his head? Like if you and I were close friends and there was some, you had some business going on, do you think I would just tweet without having a feel for you? Hey, I think Ryan's going to go to this network next year. I would never do that if we were close buddies, because that's your business.

Yeah. These guys, Dan Orlovsky, as much as he does sometimes just say whatever comes to his mind because he's having fun with it, he's not doing that with his guy. So I take what he says to be almost proxy for what Stafford is thinking. Do you have any read on the Stafford market now that it is official and he wants out? Probably not yet. wants out? Probably not yet, but I think you look at those teams that, look, if they're going to do this mutually beneficial to some way, I think you do look at teams, because they've declared their hand now, so you look at teams where he has some things they wouldn't have in Detroit, so maybe

a better offensive line, maybe, so you start thinking of teams like Detroit. So maybe a better offensive line, maybe, so you start thinking of teams like Indy, maybe a better defense, a rushing attack, a steady coaching staff. Yeah, exactly. That's almost everywhere. But like one of the things I've really been harping on as I've kind of gone through the quarterback tier stuff

and really just tried to figure out more how teams win and how quarterbacks win is I just really look at the contributions these teams and quarterbacks get from their own defenses and special teams. It's huge. And defense and special teams this year, the Lions were 32nd in EPA on those two. You can't win like that. And so some of these other teams like Indy, San Francisco, New Orleans, I mean, they're in the top 10. You can win like that.

You can win big like that. And Stafford, to me, that's where you want to go. He doesn't want to go to another place that's rebuilding. He needs to go somewhere where they're close. And there's a few of those teams. I mentioned a few, some of them. Matt Ryan is a little bit more complicated contraction, but I'm with you. I mean, over all the years of, oh, well, this is what their cap situation is.

And I just go, all of this stuff can be fixed. Like you can kind of do whatever you want to do, as you both pointed out here. But do you think Ryan, like for Stafford to go, hey, maybe it's time to move on. It would probably take Ryan having to go to them the same way. Or maybe they're more likely to want to move on and overhaul this whole thing too, which I still think these guys have a ton of value.

I think when you look at the history of the quarterback draft picks, I would think for the ages and the extended age that quarterbacks are playing at, that there would be a huge market still for the handful of teams that want to make a change there for guys like Stafford or Ryan. Yeah, I think, like, to me, Ryan would be pairing him back up with Kyle Shanahan, you know? Heck, he had an MVP season with him. That could make some sense. I could also see if I were there, though, coming in.

So what do they got, the fourth pick? You know, maybe you take a quarterback and do the Kansas City thing. Instead of a year behind Matt Ryan and he let my Ryan play. And because, because you think it's a little problematic from a money standpoint, right. Or, or maybe the guy you're taking it for, isn't somebody you want to play in week one, right? Maybe you feel like, ah, we love this guy, but let's let him learn behind that. Matt's a pros pro, you know, he'll, he'll handle this thing. right. And we'll make the change when we feel like it's the change to make. Maybe it's midseason. Heck, maybe Matt leads us to a good year. But we have options then. And worst case scenario, maybe we trade him after that or he leaves and we get a comp pick, whatever. But I could see that type of a scenario there too.

but I could see that type of a scenario there too. San Francisco seems to be linked to all sorts of things, whether it's the Jets and Darnold, which I want to get to that Jets thing that you've had. And it's, it's kind of interesting as far as how it impacts the draft, you know, moving off of Garoppolo, which I feel like I've heard for over a year now,

or they're kind of like, you know what? He's just, he limits what we can do. And it's, I think even Shanahan is, is hinted at it, and they have definitely with play calling too throughout

when he's actually healthy enough to play. But there feels like there's a lot of San Francisco options to the point where it would almost be surprising if Garoppolo's back as the starter. Yeah. I think the number one thing is he's just missed so many games, right? That makes it easier. Sometimes it's hard to – he has a good record as a starter, many games, right? That makes it easier. Sometimes it's hard to, he has a good record as a starter, but it's hard to, it's hard to just keep invested in somebody who doesn't play in a lot of the games. And, and I think that's been a issue for him, even when he was in new England, remember,

he had that four game window when Brady was suspended and he got hurt after a game or two. And so it's been a recurring thing. I think they, while Kyle Shanahan acquired him, you know, it was sort of a opportunity more than his plan all the way, right? It was like, oh, shoot, we can get Garoppolo. Let's do that. We've heard him talk about whoever, Kirk Cousins. I think he'll get a chance to choose a quarterback. And, you know, in the back of my mind, Sean McVay's been there, too. I think they're more committed to golf in the short term.

But you see some of these coaches that have been in places that maybe haven't yet fully declared on a quarterback, right? And you read between the lines, you hear the whispers, and you see, hmm, you know, which veteran could they be in on? Is this the offseason to make that move?

The Jets and the draft pick. So a few weeks ago, I remember hearing from somebody and then I checked with somebody else that it's like, hey, Fields is probably not going to be the guy that goes to, and that it's going to be Wilson from BYU. And you're like, oh, okay.

And then when I heard the info, I was like, that's interesting. And talked to some other people about it. Now it's everywhere. Like everybody's just, so whatever the rumor was, if it's either real or somebody wanted it out there, every place I look now, draft projections, seems to be in line with that thinking, that it's Wilson 2, not Fields. And then, of course, that opens up the Darnold part of this, I would imagine.

Yeah, and who knows when the draft actually comes around. Remember, I don't think people were saying Baker Mayfield's going to go number one all year, and then all of a sudden, the last week, just depends what the scouting process, you know, or how secretive guys are. But, you know, I do a podcast every week with Randy Mueller, former GM. And he was saying, he looked at the film of Zach Wilson kind of before the Wilson wave really started. And he was like, I think this is my, this is, could be the next guy after Trevor Lawrence. So I think what happens is once people study him a little more, they come to that conclusion. They really like certain things about Wilson, and we'll see.

I mean, what do people really know, right? I mean, I know people who really know the game who thought Josh Rosen was going to be really good for certain things, right? People just don't know. On the lack of diversity hiring in the NFL, it's a real thing. You know, you could sit here and try to argue about different little things about it. But I mean, it just keeps happening.

You're in 2021 and you're like, I can't believe this. I'd like it to be better so people feel better about it. But then Dan Campbell gets hired. Now, Dan Campbell is the poster boy for everything that's wrong in the hiring process, which isn't even fair to Dan Campbell.

And then, you know, I thought Calvin Johnson on with Chris Long on his podcast saying, look, I love Dan Campbell. I played against him with him. Like, I love that guy. And you're like, oh, okay, so that's something. But then when you hear the Josh McCown rumors, who we all like a lot on this podcast, but that he's going to get the Texans gig or at least interview for it, then you're like, all right, are you kidding me? What is going on with this process? And now Bien-Ami has become the guy that has to be hired. So I guess as somebody who talks to so many of these teams, Mike, help us understand that maybe it's not that the league itself is collectively this backwards. But how are we at the point that we're at where it still seems so underwhelming and incredibly disappointing about the process?

Yeah, because candidates and especially candidates of color want to know, well, what the hell do I have to do? What's the criteria, right? And so you look at Eric Bien-Aimé, and you're like, okay, he's been an NFL coach for 13 years. He's been aligned with Andy Reid. He's offensive coordinator the last three years. Everyone speaks highly of him. It's been around him. So what does the guy have to do if he doesn't get it, right?

And we're going to give it to Dan Campbell, who's never even been a coordinator. So the problem is that there is no criteria. It's a moving criteria. It's almost like these are marriages, right? And so it's hard to say why you chose your wife or vice versa. It doesn't always make sense. There's often people that appear more qualified to your family, right? This person here did this, this, and this. But when you make that connection, it gets made for reasons that almost say more about the people that are doing the hiring. The frustrating thing for candidates of color is they're going, well, do I not connect as well because of my ethnicity, because of my race, right? my ethnicity, because of my race, right? Is there a natural connection that's happening between these almost all white male older owners and the people that they're hiring? When they think of a coach, when they think of a leader, do they just default to think of a white guy? They're not going into it saying that, but that's just the way that it works. Kind of like if you put these owners at a,

if you put a group of people together socially, a lot of people will gravitate to each other sometimes along those lines, right? It'll happen in a group setting. So the frustrated, the issue is that the hires say more about the people do the hiring than they do the candidates. So if you are the Eagles making a hire, you're going, okay, all right, we want someone who's going to fit in with Howie Roseman and Jeff Lurie. Okay, Jeff Lurie wants you to like Carson Wentz. Okay, so who's worked with Carson Wentz that would not disrupt our power structure, that would be thrilled to have the job? Okay, so Frank Reich. Alrighty, so Nick Sirianni.

That's how Sirianni goes there when he might not be. He may be on other teams' radar, but he's not going to be a fit for any other team. Yeah. So how does Eric Biennemi beat Nick Sirianni for that job?

Can't. Brandon Staley goes to the Chargers. Okay, so they're in LA. They're looking at the Rams. That's the team they sort of have to the Chargers. Okay, so they're in LA. They're looking at the Rams. That's the team they sort of have to keep up with. Boy, McVay's a hot candidate. Who do they have that could come in? You know, we're a little tired of Gus Bradley was running a defense

that was a little static. It's running that cover three. Can we get someone who's doing some good scheming? Who's a young guy? But also, who's not going to come in and tell us how to do our jobs? You know, the GM there, the owner, we've got this nice little club in the front office. We don't really want to disrupt that by bringing in somebody with a bunch of opinions or even experience on how to run an organization, how to set up the personnel department. It's like a baseball manager now.

Yeah, how to allocate caps. So let's just bring in somebody here who fits how we want to keep doing it. We have this perception that there's this nationwide search. Everyone puts their resume into a bin, and we pick the most qualified ones. That doesn't happen. They go for Dan Campbell because Chris Spielman's very influential in the search. Chris Spielman's probably wearing a neck roll in the, in the meetings, right? I mean, he's a linebacker. So what would Chris Spielman appeal to? What would appeal to him? Well, what we saw in the press conference from Dan Campbell is going to kick your ass, right? He's going to get us fired

up and we're going to play hard-nosed football. We're going to come off the ball and we're going to bite your kneecap off. That's what a linebacker is going to pick, right? So does that say more about Campbell or does it say more about who's doing the picking? And that's the frustrating thing for a lot of candidates, a lot of qualified candidates, no matter what your ethnicity is. But especially when you look at them and almost all of them are white. And this year, none of them are black. Very frustrating.

That's Mike Sando, The Athletic, every week. Please check it out. Thanks again, man. Thank you. Wade Phillips joins us decades as not only a head coach in the NFL, but a great defensive coordinator. Joining us from his home. This is going to be a lot of fun.

One of the greats, defensive coach Wade Phillips, joins us now. Let's start with the NFC game. And Brady's run throughout this year is apparent to a lot of us, especially somebody like me from the area that watched Brady his entire career, that he just looked a little bit different. How did you see the way he developed and how they kind of evolved that Arians-Brady relationship in trying to figure out this offense to get to this point? What did you see? Yeah, I think you could tell early on it was a little bit different for him, although

they tried to utilize the things that he does well. He's still Tom Brady. He still makes plays and his arm is still good enough. So I think the big difference was this year because of the, really because of his new coach, is they wanted him to throw the ball deep more because of Evans and some of the guys they had. And so, and I think it took him a little while to get used to that.

But and and even even, you know, throwing interceptions in the ball game this last week because they wanted to throw the deep ball. So but it worked out really well for him. When you go into a matchup like that, you know, and you've had to go up against everybody, like what's that week like? What's that game prep like and how certain you are in how you're going to try to change it up on somebody? Yeah, well, specifically Brady, I mean,

you have to change things up on him. Probably play some things. What we did against him is tried to play some things that we hadn't played um that we thought would help now like i say when he was at new england you really had to stop the short passing game because he was gonna he was gonna go down 14 15 play drives right down the field on you uh if you if you played zone or couldn't cover the slot guy well enough. So you had to be aware of those two things. But now, again, he's throwing more deep balls that gives you a bigger problem.

How does that coverage happen against a Scotty Miller play for the touchdown before the half? Because I looked at it, they sent out out three and it looked like they had two linebackers hanging underneath which at that point kind of felt weird considering distance and maybe they're playing against the field goal but how does that happen to a defense yeah i don't know i mean i i don't i really don't know what they were playing it looked like they were playing a three-deep zone. The corner didn't get deep enough, but I'm surprised at that because they could still throw an out route, which would get them in field goal range.

So they really didn't stop the deep ball or the out route, which are the two things that you had to stop in that situation. But, you know, eight seconds left in the half, you can't give up a touchdown. But they did. What did think okay brady saw it i mean he uh you know i i mean i'm sure they had some kind of route where they could get closer for for a field goal but he saw it quickly and made the big play who was the toughest guy you had to prepare for? Well, I mean, all the great ones. I mean, you know, even going back to Marino, when I was at Denver, well, actually, when I was at Buffalo, wening and obviously Brady, and certainly Mahomes, you know, it's just tremendously hard to get ready for.

Is there any specific thing that you'd be like, okay, well, Marino would do this and then, you know, Manning would do this? I mean, because it sounds like you're grouping them all together which maybe is the right answer it probably is but i just wonder like some of the specific stuff that you remember for having to go up against them especially in a playoff game yeah uh yeah i mean they have specific things that they do better or uh you know now brady and manning both uh were tremendously great at knowing what you're in all the time or putting you in the situation where they if you tried to blitz them, both of them, both of them knew it was coming and knew what to do with it. So so that that hampers you a lot because they would make big plays on you when they when you tried to blitz. So that was a big thing and brady was exceptionally well and is exceptionally well at uh protecting turning

protection so he can have longer to throw it uh so he once he sees a blitz he knows exactly where it's coming one how many guys he needs over there changes the protection gets it covered and then that way he has longer to throw it. And he can make the throw, obviously, but it's just harder to put pressure on him. The fourth down play, LaFleur's taking a lot of heat on kicking the field goal there. Even Rodgers, I mean, Rodgers didn't really hide.

Rodgers is pretty telling in what he says or doesn't say. What did you think of that call? Yeah, I mean, I guess if you're going to try to win the game, you kick the field goal. You know, you have to score a touchdown either way, the way I look at it. You have to score a touchdown either way. One way you have a possibility certainly of tying the game,

and if you don't complete it on the fourth down, you still have a chance to tie the game if the defense stops them. So both ways you had to try to, you know, score a touchdown. So I don't know. I mean, I had to second guessguess coaches because, you know, they have their own reasons for doing things. And sometimes it's analytics. I don't, you know, I don't know what theirs are,

those kind of things, or just those decisions. But to me, they had to score a touchdown either way. So, why not go for it? Bigger picture, when you're doing that as a head coach or a D coordinator, Wade, and, you know, you you see all of us going hey how how often are we right versus how often do we like there's so much that we don't know because we don't have access to all that decision like i i'm wondering if it's way more complicated on the sideline in that moment or if it's actually not that complicated and and we're closer for understanding it from the outside most of the time most all the time we we discuss those things as a staff coaching staff with the

head coach and you know he makes those decisions but Kubiak was great about that I mean we he would meet with all three coordinators and we would discuss all those situations on who we were playing, what kind of offense they had. You make decisions sometimes on not just your personnel or what you can do, but what the other team can do. You take more chances or used to take more chances against Tom Brady because you knew he was going to come back and score on you if you didn't. So those things have to be taken into consideration. But most of the time, I think coaches have talked about those things

or you're completely consumed by analytics, and analytics tells you what to do every time. I was watching some Ben Coates highlights today. Don't ask me why. I don't know. My Monday was watching some Ben Coates highlights today. Don't ask me why. I don't know. My Monday started with some Ben Coates highlights. And I was looking at all the people running around trying to chase them.

And some of it's the pads, but a lot of it is just the size. Your safeties were bigger. Your middle linebackers were enormous. And it was kind of funny watching how slow everybody looked, chasing everybody around. So I wonder, as somebody that got to span all these different eras, you know, I mean, you're just in this a year ago and how spread out it is. People are smaller. I mean, dime base packages for the most part where, you know, that was never the case. does that mean people were doing it wrong or do you look at today going you know there could be some kind of correction with trying to throw all these small guys around there because it was just

it was surprising to me it was weird it was like 25 years ago i'm like man everybody looks so slow and big yeah i mean it's it's changed obviously it's changed a whole lot and it keeps changing evolving uh you know we didn't see the running quarterback, certainly, you know, back then. I mean, you wanted all driveback quarterbacks, and, you know, Fran Tarkington ran around with it, and Douglas at Chicago. I mean, very few guys. So that's changed. And the same thing with the size of the players that

used to you could play a what they call a two gap defense because the defense guys ends were almost as big as the offensive tackles but that's changed I mean offensive tackles are so huge that you need more of a penetrating defense. So all those things have changed. But quickness and so forth and spreading them out, it's opened up the game more, certainly. On the other side, for Allen going in, who's had a great year for Buffalo, I think everybody feels good about that. If you didn't watch Josh all year, then you're like,

hey, what's going on? Why is everybody talking him up? Because it felt like a bit of a regression, some of the dropbacks. He just wasn't seeing things. What did you think he was struggling the most with as far as Kansas City's coverage? Well, it looked like their pressure was awfully good, too. And they were playing a lot of man stuff, and they matched up well enough.

You know, and they were playing a lot of man stuff, and they matched up well enough. And, you know, they did a good job of doubling their best receiver. They were doubling or being able to cover him because he caught 141 passes. So they shut down that part. So they did a really good job overall defensively, I thought. And it just didn't – and that's why the quarterback ran for 88 yards. I mean, he just didn't have anybody to throw to.

I thought Romo was really good in a moment where he – he wouldn't want to be critical. You're doing it long enough. You're around these guys all the time. You don't want to be nasty on the national broadcast. I mean, look, it happens. I mention it all the time in basketball too. but when he says, hey, you know what, with this coverage and the way he's kind of struggling here, he's going to have to start taking some deep shots here to loosen things up. And that was him saying, you have to find a way

to break. Is that something as the head coach, as the D coordinator, would you even say that kind of stuff? Because I thought that that was right on point, that something had to change. And the only way it was going to change by gambling a little bit more, because if you're not, you're going to lose anyway. Yeah. Yeah. You do that. Um, strategy wise, certainly, um, you know, you have a game plan, uh, talking defensively right now. I mean, you have a game plan and you're not stopping them. You better change something or it's going to, it's not going to,

it's not going to be any different the whole game. So same thing offensively. Yeah, if things that you thought were going to work aren't working well, then you've got to adjust. Adjustments are big. They talk about halftime adjustments and so forth, but really the adjustments during the game after each series are really important. What would you do against Mahomes?

Well, you know, I beat Mahomes, you know, when I was with the Rams. You know, we beat him 54 to 51, so I held him to 51. You haven't figured it out. Yeah, I've got him figured out. We did score two touchdowns on defense defense and stacked him like five times so and had several interceptions but uh you know he's hard obviously hard to stop i mean they're gonna they're gonna score 30 something points every game i mean gee you know so uh he's he's magnificent i thought he was then. I still do. I mean, after him winning the Super Bowl and how much confidence they have.

Now, I wasn't surprised at Buffalo, but they had had trouble stopping the tight end all year, and then the tight end, Kelsey, has a tremendous nine to catch in the first half. So I was surprised they didn't double up on him a little more. Who was your favorite quarterback you were the head coach for? Well, I should say Tony Romo. You know, Jim Kelly had gone when I was at Buffalo. You know, Jim Kelly had gone when I was at Buffalo.

Now, Michael Vick, I got to coach him a few games at Atlanta, and he was tremendous. Just being able to – he started all that, being able to run with it and utilize running plays with the quarterback because nobody did that before that, really. You know, we ran quarterback draw and things like that, which people didn't run. So it was fun to be with him. But I've been with a lot of great quarterbacks.

I mean, Jim Kelly, I was there as a defensive coordinator, and I loved him. Even way back, Ken Stabler was fun to be with. So I've been with a lot of quarterbacks that I've really enjoyed being with. And John Elway, I was with Elway, too, as a defensive coordinator and a head coach, actually. So I've been with a lot of really good ones. Do you think that relationship has changed a lot now where if you're a defensive-minded head coach

that now you just know that the OC and the quarterback coach are going to be dealing with. I guess I'd like to know more about how that relationship has either stayed the same or evolved where I'm a defensive head coach. How much input? How many times am I actually talking to my quarterback throughout the week? Well, obviously not as much because I have long meetings with the quarterback coach and the offensive coordinator. But it's something you need to do.

You need to be – and I told that to Sean McVay when he took over. I said, the defense needs to know you, you know, not just the offense. The defense needs to know you and what you're about because they're going to be playing for you too. So I think it's important that the head coach, whether he's defensive or offensive coach, really gets in with the other side of the ball and special teams for them to know you and know what you're about.

No Bobby Hebert voting there? Did you have him? Oh, yeah. Because when you took over there, you were have him? Yeah, we had him. Because when you took over there, you were pretty young. Yeah, I started him his first game, and we beat the Rams. And Jack Del Rio picked up a fumble and ran for a touchdown in that game. So, yeah, Bobby, you know, we'd just gotten him,

and we hadn't played him. And so when I took over, I started him at quarterback. So I started his career, basically. Were you 38 when you were the interim head coach, New Orleans? I don't think – well, let's see. I was 27 when I went to – 32 when I went to New Orleans. So, yeah, I was around 35 or 36, somewhere around there. Yeah, I'm looking it up here.

It says – I was glad you got that win because, you know, you weren't a head coach again for another eight years or so. So, it was good to get that first one out of the way. Hey, Wade, I really appreciate it, man. This is a lot of fun. So, enjoy the rest of the time off, all right? You bet. You bet. I hope So enjoy the rest of the time off, all right? You bet. You bet.

I hope I don't have too much time off. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have said it that way. Awesome. Thanks, Wade. Bye. Enjoy it. You bet. Life advice coming up at the end.

You want details? Bye. I drive a Ferrari 355 Cabriolet. What's up? I have a ridiculous house in the South Fork. I have every toy you can possibly imagine. And best of all, kids, I am liquid.

So, now you know what's possible. Let me tell you what's required. LifeAdviceRR at gmail.com And yeah, you guys have done a really good job getting these in. We're putting the fitness file together. So we're good to like, I don't know, a handful of those with, with our guy. Uh, Whitney Reed is going to be the dude who's joining us because he was nice enough to reach out to me years ago.

And, um, he's on the cover of some magazines and he looks hot, you know? Um, but he's not, he's not like a super young Tik TOK fitness guy. He's a little bit older, been through the wars. So I'm excited to have him, uh, jump on. So he said, he's going to do it. I'm trying to figure out exactly when we're going to do that. All right. So life advice, RR at gmail.com and yeah, put fitness in the, uh, in the title and make sure we'll get to read. We're not going to read them all, but you get it. All right, here we go. Okay, let me get to it.

Our man here, he's like, I'm 32. Networked my way through fraternity relationships to get a decent entry-level job at a Fortune 500 company. Wait, I thought fraternities were just for getting bartending gigs and pretending you were on the lacrosse team. Okay, he worked his way up the ladder for the past 10 years to where he's now, he's trusted to be a closer with international clients. Man, that does sound impressive. Also, for the past three years, I've been in a relationship

with a woman who seems perfect in every way. I consider myself a decent enough looking guy, and I try to eat right and exercise. By no means am I a candidate to be on the cover of GQ. My girlfriend, on the other hand,

is a complete knockout. By far the hottest woman I've ever been with, and it's hard not to notice the attention she gets wherever we go she's also smart hard working she's in pr funny and has a few similar interests as me tv shows love of travel tennis etc really i thought our relationship was like heaven and not a week would go by where i didn't pinch myself not believing my good fortune and constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop um oh i didn't wait let me reread that sentence here.

I'm not doing my man justice here. There was not a week that didn't go by where I didn't pinch myself, not believing my good fortune and constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop like there had to be a catch. Okay, we got you. That was on me, obviously.

A couple months ago, there was an opportunity for my career and my relationship to blend together. I had a business trip in Paris and she had some vacation time saved up. So I took the opportunity to bring her along since neither of us had ever been to France and it was on our bucket list. Also, I decided to not be chicken anymore, waiting for something awful to happen and went ahead and bought an engagement ring. The oh so original

idea to propose to her after taking in the Eiffel Tower. You know what though, of all of my friends that have ever done the Paris engagement deal, I've not heard any reports of the female side of the deal being upset about it. So yes, it can be cliche. Nobody seems to be disappointed by getting a wedding ring in Paris. So anybody else out there listening, don't be thrown off by our man here. All right, here's where the shoe dropped. We were walking along hand in hand. So this guy's about to propose near this glittering building just before sunset where our paths cross. This is starting to sound like a Daniel Steele book. Not that I've read anything. I just see him at CVS. I was in Atlanta once. I was like, hey, is there a bookstore here? They're like, you know what? There's no bookstore in Atlanta. They're like, you go to CVS. And I went and tried to find a book. And there's a lot of those. All right, enough of that story. a book and uh there's a lot of those all right enough of that story so as he's walking with his uh his girl here our paths cross with this old man who's carrying a young boy on his back and holding another boy by the hand i'm not sure if they were homeless or merely poor but all three

were dressed in rags and practically skin and bones i was kind of expecting to ask me for money and half reaching in my pocket to hand uh them some in case but none of them said a word really i'm not even sure if the three of them even noticed me. To be honest, all six of their eyes are staring fixedly on her. Now, I have to emphasize, nothing creepy or lewd happened, at least not from my point of view. As I mentioned, no one said a word. It's not like the boys had even hit puberty yet. They were just children. I think they were just transfixed on my girlfriend's beauty, not to brag or anything, but she's not the kind of person someone runs into every day, even in Paris. Maybe it's different for you in Manhattan Beach. I don't know. Now she's starting to sound like

Tom Brady. Anyway, here's the heartbreaking part. I was expecting my girlfriend to be flattered, maybe even smiling in front of the boys, or at least sad and embarrassed at our fortune in life compared to theirs, but neither of these things happened. Instead, she just turned to me, disgusted, and said, I hate these people staring. Make them go away from me. Whoa. I was taken aback aback couldn't believe it even these stranger strangers didn't speak english it was apparent from her body language and mannerisms how she felt about them and how they quickly uh scuttled off again without a word but i was mortified it felt like a kick to the balls who was she to talk like that um like she was the queen of

england or something about people she didn't know and who hadn't said or done anything to her. I mean, for Christ's sakes, two of them were kids. Needless to say, I never went through with the proposal. I thought this woman was my soulmate and I knew everything about her and she knew everything about me, but now I feel like a naive fool and that maybe no one really knows or loves another. I'm really having an existential crisis about it. Ever since we got back, I've been making excuses, spent less time with her, volunteering to go on other business trips so that my colleagues who are married and have children don't have to risk catching COVID. We've been together a few times since. We're talking about intimacy here, mostly at her initiating, but the passion hasn't been the same from my end.

And I've even started taking Viagra just to be attracted to her in the way I was before. This is heavy, man. Am I being overly sensitive? Am I being an overly sensitive idiot about this? I've tried my best to be emphatic and try to imagine what life must be like for my girlfriend to constantly be gawked at, flirted with, and hit on wherever she goes. I'm sure it's exhausting, annoying, creepy,

and sometimes even downright scary for her to notice people's eyes leering at her body. I won't deny that at times. I've caught some dudes undressing her with her eyes and I feel like I wanted to beat the shit out of them. But what happened in Paris wasn't that. It was innocent and pure. I've told a few friends what happened, and actually my guy friends think I'm nuts and I'll never find a better girl than this. And my girlfriends think I need to either end it with her or at least be completely honest about my feelings and to suggest couples

counseling. What should I do? All right right this guy is a really thoughtful person just based on the way he wrote this and just the the way he's so descriptive about this interaction um this guy feels like he has a it seems at least in this email this guy has like a really good heart and and his his heart's just in the right place. Here's what I would start with. If you've been with her for three years and everything has been perfect, you haven't pointed out anything else that is weird as this encounter is.

And it's not great, but I don't know the full details of it. I guess I'm wondering, usually we can kind of figure out who the other person is. And first of all, none of us are perfect. And if this is the only bad thing that's happened or the only like flag like wait what was that about in three years i think you got to give her a pass

on that i really do i mean of course you could talk to her about it but now i think you're almost afraid to and just go hey you know I'd like to talk to you about that encounter here. Now, the other part that I think is weird is the guys are like, okay, she's hot. You're nuts. And then the girls, and maybe it's because you're a catch that they're telling you, um, Oh yeah, balance. Like you, I don't think you have to go to couples counseling over this thing, but it clearly, this has impacted you in a way that I would think most guys would be like, ah, whatever. Like that was disappointing. But I also think that it is, it is fair to go, if this has been this good for three years and you were ready to marry her and there were no

other signs, and this is the only thing that happened, then you either have to get over it or confront her about it. The problem is, is you confront her about this and it's been a while and it's never come up, then she's going to get mad at you by going, wait, you've been thinking about this the whole time and you never said anything months removed. So you're going to go, like, unfortunately, you're probably going to lose on that end somehow. But I can't stop thinking about three years together and this being the only thing that you point out in the email that's a negative. And it's bad, but it also could just be a really bad moment for her, which all of us have. It's weird. It's weird

that especially when it's kids, I'm very pro kids like why would you be mean to kids? But maybe you didn't catch everything. You know, is there a chance that you didn't catch every part of the interaction? Maybe the old man did something weird or maybe something had happened to her earlier in the day that put her in a mood or in a situation where she was going to have just no leniency whatsoever and be wrong. Maybe she knows she was wrong. Maybe she doesn't even remember. But if you've never ever seen anything like this, any other behavior like this, and you thought this was going to be the one, I think you need to get over it. Unless now that this has happened and you've thought about it so much because it bothered you so much that maybe now it's ruined more on your end. And all the things that you felt about her aren't even really about her. And it's just how you see her now because of this. But I, I feel like this, you know, I think we need to all be a little bit more lenient with each other. And this seems to be harsh if you're to the point where you don't even want to spend intimate time with her and now you don't want to propose to her and all these different things. And if you never ask her about it and this doesn't change for however

long, like I, you know, I'm, I'm saying you should probably ask her about it, this doesn't change for however long like i you know i'm saying you should probably ask her about it but i also know like how these things go and there's going to be all these reasons why you lose in this conversation because you didn't bring it up beforehand so instead of being like hey let's talk about this you're like no wait a minute why didn't we talk about it immediately but you didn't want to talk about it immediately you were shocked you're in paris you were thinking about proposing it all these different things going on but um yeah once again to close if this is the only thing in three years that threw you off um you're gonna have to get over it or you're gonna have to talk to her about it she could have been having a bad week right french french men you know maybe it was

near the end of the week i don't know it's not like she's like littering it's like you just found out three years in that she just throws her trash all over the ground. Maybe it was just like a one time thing. I don't know. Maybe walk past the construction site and see how she is. Kidding. see if it happens again. Although construction workers are out of control. Yeah, that's aggressive too. Yeah. I mean, construction workers, I've seen some scenarios in New York City where they would whistle at a corpse,

some of these guys. Or a dude with a long hair just from a distance. No, I love it, Kyle. Kyle, once again, Mr. Efficiency on the advice. You're in Paris. You don't know. She might have gone to the bathroom

by herself two other times before and dudes just were out of control. If you're five days in, who knows what's been going on? I always love like, oh, the nasty Americans when you travel overseas. You know what it is? Is anybody away from home in another world? You're more likely to be like, whatever.

I mean, we used to go to Canada. We'd be like, whatever. Nothing applies to us anymore. Never see these guys again. Yeah, martial law. And then, well, whatever. I mean, we used to go to Canada. We'd be like, whatever. Nothing applies to us anymore. Never see these guys again. Yeah, martial law. And then yet somehow we're the ugly Americans and you go, have you been to Italy and watched the male-female interaction?

Have you watched that? And I'm supposed to think like, I'm the ugly American? Give me a break. So I'm actually really curious to see what people you know the reaction to this one because it's going to be very predictable like if she's this gorgeous every guy listening is like yeah who cares now that's not even necessarily what i'm doing

but him saying his guy friends are like yeah whatever dude get over it and then every female like when he says that his female friends were end it they're saying end it i wonder if they're they're like cool we want this guy back on the market or they're sick of being out in group settings where none of them get any attention whatsoever and this gets her out of the mix so never underestimate the real motivation behind people giving you advice okay we have another one i don't if we got a follow-up email on the guy who was talking about his girlfriend wanting to model her brother's t-shirts.

He checked in and I don't even know if... He didn't say, hey, read this follow-up email, but he sent one. And apparently he was in the car listening to the podcast and he said that he saves life advice for when apparently he was in the car listening to the podcast. And he said that he saves life advice for when his girlfriend's in the car, because I guess, I don't know,

even though she's a model, she's not in this podcast, which is weird, but, um, she heard it and was like, wait, is this about me?

And he was like, yes, it is. Yes, it is. And he said, they talked it out and it was really good. And then she was going to model the t-shirts.

But then unfortunately, I don't know. I don't know if I'm supposed to tell to model the T-shirts. But then unfortunately, I don't know. I don't know if I'm supposed to tell all of these parts of it. But I think because it's okay. Then the brother was like tipped off about the podcast. I was like, dude, were you talking about me and my clothing company? And he was like, yes, I was. Yes, I was.

But apparently they worked it out. So that's why I feel okay helping everybody get the second part of that follow-up on that whole t-shirt deal he did send in the email that he told the brother why he thought the clothing line may not succeed based on watching two seasons of how to make it in America which was an incredible incredible line I know Kyle yeah you really get a feel for the industry you have both seasons on dvd i imagine correct no i've been an hbo guy forever so i can just revisit whenever oh terrific terrific i thought maybe you know before the hbo on demand interface you know you'd be like oh my god i'm at costco how do you not buy both seasons of how to make it in america on dvd if available so it looks like it's all worked out and i I love he stood his ground.

He was just like, he could have totally said that was a different guy in the same situation. He didn't. And that's like, it kind of worked out for him for not being like a snake about it. He was just like, yeah, man, this is where we're at. Great point again from Kyle. You're just on fire today that you're right. Would you have told the truth? Or you're going to be like, dude, it's a huge podcast. You're doing big numbers over there. So, you know, there's plenty of guys that are're right. Would you have told the truth or are you going to be like, dude, it's a huge podcast.

You're doing big numbers over there. So, you know, there's plenty of guys that are checking in. All right. One more email. Okay. Ryan and Kyle, big fan.

Okay. Went all in with a startup idea. Went broke. Ivy League educated. Cool. Worked at a casino industry prior to starting the failed company. Moved from Vegas to Atlanta a little bit before the pandemic because I landed a casino industry prior to starting the failed company, moved from Vegas

to Atlanta a little bit before the pandemic because I landed a job selling tech to hotels and eventually had a first date with the girl right before COVID hit. In the beginning, she was a bit hesitant, but once the lockdown started, we began to appreciate each other, hung out at her apartment all the time. I live with my parents, also part of the reason why I moved from Vegas to Atlanta. Six months in, I got furloughed from my job, was having a hard time finding a job, and we fought often because of the stress of COVID. She's an anti-masker type who always hosted home parties, and I was more conservative since I live with my parents. What ultimately killed the relationship was two things. One, my parents are super against the relationship because we have different cultural background.

Two different – I'm not going to – some of you guys are just giving up too much info and I'm trying to cover for you. So your ethnicity is different from her ethnicity. I will tell you right now, I don't know. Some of you families, man, you guys are really hard on each other about this stuff. Um, it's 2021 and your parents are expecting some of you folks to be in arranged marriages. So, all right. So there's two different ethnicities and that's a huge problem back home.

Number two, one of her best friends decided to proceed with her wedding in November and I refused to go because I thought she was being an asshole for having a wedding during the pandemic. Okay. So we broke up. She told me to get my shit together and eventually get a job and move out of my parents' house and her door is always open for me. Well, that narrative changed very quickly.

She started to ignore my texts and eventually told me to get lost. And that had not been for the pandemic, the relationship wouldn't have even lasted that long. She said she still wanted to be friends, just not right now. I'm not a five-year-old. I think we all know what's going on here. I know deep down inside, she's a good girl. We have our differences in life, but she liked me for who I am. Not because I had anything materialistic to offer in 2021 at my age group 30, I doubt I'll find somebody like her. I doubt I'll ever find somebody like her.

What do I do? How do I get her back? Why do you want her back? Facts. She told you to get lost and said, if it were for the pandemic, we wouldn't even have dated. That's a bit of a flag, man. But you're hurting, right? There's nothing more frustrating than the person that's telling you who's not emotionally attached to the story.

Well, how are you supposed to feel? You're hurt. It is a pandemic. You want her back because you miss her. No email, no advice, no family member, no friend. Nobody's going to be able to just convince you to not feel that way. You feel that way until you don't feel that way. And for some people, it's quick. And for some people, it's really long. And sometimes the same person can get over things really quickly. And some of the relationships, it takes you a lot longer because of how you feel about that other person.

But here's what I would ask. Here's an exercise. I love the movie Swingers. I think it's one of the perfect movies of my generation. I think it nails the angst of missing someone perfectly while also trying to figure it out. But then also times it out great in just that one moment where you're ready to move on, then the X checks in. It's perfect. Perfect movie. I love everything behind it. I mean, it's just unbelievable. I would, to have, to maybe do one amazing thing like that could be great in your life to say, yeah, I wrote swingers or I starred in swingers

or I, you know, those guys just crushed it. When you're watching that movie, do you ever watch Michael, big Mike, John Favreau's character? And do you say, he's awesome in this movie. I love what he's doing. I love everything he's about. I love that he sucks talking to women now. I love that he called that girl a thousand times. I love that he is completely depressed. I love just that he comes off as a complete loser for almost the entire movie. I love that. Of course you don't.

No one does. No one ever has watched that movie in the history of watching that movie and gone, man, I want to be just like Mike. Vince Vaughn's character T in that movie is unobtainable. People have tried.

Even DiCaprio's impressed. T, Vince Vaughn, swingers, that guy, only Vince can be him. It's unobtainable. Can't be done. Scientists, scholars, they've argued it for years. They try. They can't come to a conclusion. Don't worry about him. It's unobtainable. Can't be done. Scientists, scholars, they've argued it for years. They try. They can't come to a conclusion.

So don't worry about him, but worry about being Mike because that's what you're doing right now. And look, your girl was way worse than Mike's ex back in New York. Swingers. Now, if you haven't seen this because you're only 30, then you're going to have time on your hands.

I would go ahead and rent that one because you right now are the bummed out guy that nobody thinks is doing any of this stuff right. And if you were removed from the situation and you just had somebody else explain all these things to you, you'd be like, all right, well, why would you even want this person back? So yes, you miss her, but don't ever say stuff like, I doubt I'll ever find somebody like her. An anti-masker who's pissed about not going to her friend's wedding, who ignores your text, tells you to get lost, says the only reason you dated was because of a pandemic, and that she said she could be friends but not just right now, which means never

and you're going to keep being bummed out about her? Good luck. Swinger streaming on HBO. Kyle, once again, one of Kyle's best podcasts. I'm not going to lie to you. Please subscribe. Rate, review the Ryan Rosillo podcast, Ringer Podcast

Network and Spotify and we have awesome stuff planned for you for the rest of the week. So, to lie to you. Please subscribe. Rate, review the Ryan Rosillo podcast, Ringer Podcast Network, and Spotify. And we have awesome stuff planned for you for the rest of the week. So looking forward to it. Thank you.