Titans Hire Robert Saleh, Dolphins Hire Jeff Hafley and Offseason Previews for 49ers and Bears

00:00:05
Speaker 1: Welcome to NFL Daily, where we know it's important to not let the man leave the building.

00:00:11
Speaker 2: I'm Greg Rosenthal.

00:00:12
Speaker 1: I'm here in the Chris Westling podcast studio with my friends Jordan Rodrieg and Colleen Wolfe making all sorts of gestures.

00:00:20
Speaker 3: No to self, don't let the man leave the building.

00:00:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the building. That's what I've learned in this coaching search.

00:00:27
Speaker 1: If you really want to hire someone, you just just don't let them leave. We heard that like Atlanta, Kevin Stefanski got there, they didn't let him, well, they didn't let him leave the building, but then he went to Arthur Blank's house and Arthur Blank cooked steaks for him, apparently, and then Jeff Hafley Dolphins didn't want to didn't let him leave the building. Robert Sala he actually tried to leave the building, but they just locked it everywhere and it turned into this weird sort of sort of horror movie.

00:00:55
Speaker 2: But eventually they hired him.

00:00:56
Speaker 4: He didn't just cook steaks for him.

00:00:59
Speaker 3: Joe Thomas, they oh way, seriously.

00:01:02
Speaker 2: I thought that was a joke. I think Jo the promo code.

00:01:05
Speaker 3: Tom said he was joking about being a part of the coaching staff. I don't know that he was joking. Yea, And we have a promo code if you're interesting a.

00:01:12
Speaker 4: Wolf twenty everybody.

00:01:14
Speaker 5: I feel like they need to basically take take the coaching candidate's phones. Yes, when they come in the building sort of like a like a concert or a comedy show or something like that, and then they won't be able to leave because you can't go anywhere without your phone.

00:01:27
Speaker 4: Right, Greg, where's your phone? Right now?

00:01:28
Speaker 1: It's right in my pocket? And is it not it? Someone took it?

00:01:34
Speaker 2: Greg? You have it?

00:01:36
Speaker 4: Found your phone out in the hallway revealed right here?

00:01:42
Speaker 1: Well, who had said? Who would steal permanently? With such a lovely family?

00:01:49
Speaker 4: I was late. I can get my text, Bob. Is that your phone?

00:01:52
Speaker 5: We're just at the literally at the water cooler talking and he picks it.

00:01:57
Speaker 4: He's like, yeah, oh my god, wait no, this is.

00:01:59
Speaker 1: Greg say, well, you know important, I was making some coffee. We've had a lot of shows before, you know, I guess I just left it out by the coffee maker.

00:02:11
Speaker 2: We are going to talk those head coach hirings the show.

00:02:13
Speaker 1: We got a lot of news, we got coaches hiring, but we also have an off season look Ahead. It was kind of bothering me mentioning I've been doing a lot of shows lately, Daniel Jeremiah, one of my foremost frenemies on Earth. We've been looking at every single team that's eliminated from playoff contention and kind of breaking down like what they need to do big picture this off season, free agency.

00:02:38
Speaker 2: All that stuff.

00:02:39
Speaker 1: And I realized because we did the NFC last week, we never hit the forty nine Ers and Bears, and that really bothered me because these teams are important and they just lost.

00:02:47
Speaker 2: So we're actually going to do a little off season.

00:02:49
Speaker 1: Look ahead for the forty nine Ers and Bears, and then at the end of the show, you know we're getting close to the off season because we're going to do a little recommendation station and find out what Colleen Wolf and Jordan Rude good Ones are. I'm vibing, although I feel like I don't know if Jordan is Are you doing anything?

00:03:06
Speaker 2: You got anything? I feel like you're just flying around.

00:03:08
Speaker 1: Maybe we'll hear a little bit about what it was like to be at an epic Bears game as well to.

00:03:13
Speaker 5: Powering on down there staring at a wall sounds awesome.

00:03:18
Speaker 4: That's my recommendation.

00:03:20
Speaker 1: We are exactly two weeks from leaving for San Francisco and eventually Santa Clara later in that week for the Super Bowl. But we have a lot of head coach hirings. Robert Salo, let's start with him. It comes out late Tuesday night, even late on the West Coast, that he is the next head coach of the Tennessee Titans. We don't have a press conference or anything like that yet, but I did find it interesting how this all went down. Reports that he was meeting with the Cardinals, was a finalist for the Cardinals job, and so the Titans they did what three teams before them did to them. They did not let him leave the building, the type of literally we're used as leverage as kind of the other team. In all the three hirings that we've already covered on the show, Harbaugh, Stefanski and who am I forgetting here?

00:04:15
Speaker 2: I guess it was half because that was before.

00:04:17
Speaker 1: We haven't covered that on the show, but that was before this, and they made sure that that Robert Sala was the next Titans head coach.

00:04:24
Speaker 2: They weren't going to come in second place anymore.

00:04:26
Speaker 5: I feel like a has some micro abl vibes this hiring, and I don't know if that's just because it's like too.

00:04:34
Speaker 4: The one that got away from them dudes, Yeah, exactly.

00:04:40
Speaker 5: But the number one question is going to be who he hires as his offensive coordinator to develop camp ward and day by day these offensive coordinators are getting snatched up because so many people are not letting them out of the building, and I feel like we need to let them out of the building. This might be situation where it's like a hostage negotiation to get people out of the building. But looking at just some potential options here, it would be interesting if I mean Brian Dable obviously, if he doesn't go for Bill's head coaching job or a head coaching job somewhere else, if he doesn't get the OC job in Philadelphia, maybe that could be a situation obviously Cliff Kingsbury or Mike McDaniel. But the thing that I'm most excited about, like that's the most important thing. But what I'm most excited about is the games between the Titans and the Jags and a chance to see Robert Salah and Liam Cohen same field.

00:05:38
Speaker 4: Again after going at it on the field.

00:05:40
Speaker 5: Before and accusations of signs, stealing and everything else.

00:05:43
Speaker 2: I love it. I'm glad you brought that up.

00:05:46
Speaker 1: We do have some sound of Liam Cohen and Robert Sala's interaction on the field for you, Colleen, A little surprise from back in week four.

00:06:00
Speaker 3: Earlier.

00:06:01
Speaker 2: Got some coaches hold me back.

00:06:09
Speaker 1: So we can't really hear them there, but if you're watching, you see them yelling at each other. Though Liam Cohen, you know, yells from a far distance before getting taken away.

00:06:18
Speaker 2: Uh.

00:06:19
Speaker 1: And the clip included Liam Cohen saying, keep my name out your mouth, you know, keep my name out here, bleeping out my bleeping mouth, and I had T shirts and which I think they made a misstep there. Salah's response, because it felt like Liam Cohen's, you know, saying, was a little planned. Salah's response, out of nowhere, not expecting that to come, was I will bleep your world up. You don't want to bleep with me, I will bleeping and your bleeping life.

00:06:49
Speaker 2: Love it.

00:06:51
Speaker 1: It actually hurts me to even say bleeping there instead of the actual words, because that is just quite a moment there by Robert Salad, Now we get him twice a year.

00:06:59
Speaker 3: Yes, and and Robert Sala who was uh a runner up, if not the runner up, for the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job. Listen, here's the thing, guys, it all comes back to this. This take for me. We need real hate in coaching.

00:07:13
Speaker 2: Yes, we do this.

00:07:14
Speaker 3: We're getting the rejuvenation of these rivalries with Ben Johnson and the and the tree, right and and and then we're seeing this with Robert Salah and Liam Cohen, which again it's there's so many layers between the tree and the rivalries within there shoots. Yeah, and it's the saplings, if you will. And it's and it's so fun to me that we get this because coaches are themselves a brand in ways that we have really not seen predominantly across the league. You've seen outliers over time, right, especially legendary outliers or maybe the quirkier coaches who do win games. Now, being a coach in the NFL, you are a recognizable figure, you are a brand.

00:07:59
Speaker 4: You are and a lot of.

00:08:00
Speaker 3: These guys are playing right into that and being like the real hate guy on the team. And I love that. I think that's good for the sport. I think it's for the league. I think it is fantastic, especially seeing you know, these guys in the off season and.

00:08:15
Speaker 4: How they all interact and a lot of them have the same friends and all this stuff but combines coming up soon going, and so that's the thing. I love it. I think this is great for the sport.

00:08:25
Speaker 3: I think it is the irony of Tennessee going after Robert Sala, who I think is a great coach, has been a great defensive coordinator, had several missteps as a coach, and obviously organizational infrastructure in New York was it was a mess as well. But I love this because the irony is clear to me that they could never get Mike Rabel again, so they bring a personality type of a Mike Rabel person That was what the report.

00:08:51
Speaker 1: Said too, that Amy Adams Strunk was kind of looking for a Rabel type and I'm just thinking.

00:08:56
Speaker 4: You had the original. She has a type.

00:09:00
Speaker 3: Is also you'll appreciate this too, great because I know you like looking at the layers on all of these things. Is like, there was also reporting that like, oh, Amy Adams Strunk was the one who but then it came out very strongly in a second wave of reporting that this was Borgonzi who made the hire, and he did the convincing Yeah, it's it's.

00:09:19
Speaker 2: I want to get specific on that, yea.

00:09:21
Speaker 1: So the you know, scuttle butt was that this was going to be Matt Naggie's job.

00:09:26
Speaker 2: Matt Naggie worked with Borganzi in Kansas City.

00:09:28
Speaker 1: A lot of people believe that throughout when it comes out that Robert Sally gets the job, and Naggie and Salad were literally the only two that that met in person with the Titans. In fact, Naggie was in the building earlier in the same day they let him out of the building. Wow, and then they brought Salad in and to be fit they maybe even the timing of it, they maybe they crossed each other.

00:09:53
Speaker 5: It's like trouble booking is dangerous.

00:09:56
Speaker 1: Because I can kind of imagine like sala saying like, I'll bleep your world up too. I will uh, don't don't quit me off end your life life. I can't believe he said that. That's amazing.

00:10:08
Speaker 4: Sorry, it's aggressive like so much.

00:10:10
Speaker 5: It's like if you if you pull a prank on someone and then they come back and actually like beat the strip out of you, and it's like whoa that was an over correction.

00:10:18
Speaker 4: Maybe I don't know.

00:10:19
Speaker 1: Because I want to get back to the reporting, but it has stuck in my head ever since I heard Bomani Jones talk about that Liam Cohen like he was. He got so surprised that Liam Cohen turned out to be such a great coach because between that and the duval, he just thought Liam Cohen was too corny, too corny to work.

00:10:34
Speaker 2: And it is true.

00:10:36
Speaker 1: I don't think you look you can really learn that you're not a guy to say keep my name out your mouth, like keep my name out your believing up.

00:10:44
Speaker 2: Until you say it.

00:10:46
Speaker 1: And the fact that they made T shirts indicates maybe he still hasn't learned that. But I don't think he is that guy unfortunately, and then Salah now has a chance to put him in.

00:10:57
Speaker 3: Listen, all I'm saying is between that moment, is between that moment and the end of the season. His team became AFC South Chances. He dropped about twenty pounds and got real cool at the podium.

00:11:07
Speaker 4: Oh, I say you need.

00:11:10
Speaker 3: A little sometimes, you need a little pep in your step, right, I noticed this, a little pep in your step here.

00:11:15
Speaker 2: I love that, so espn.

00:11:20
Speaker 1: Ron Davenport, you know, put in the article from Adam Schefter like who first broke the story that Amy Adams Strunk essentially pushed them to hire Sala, that that kind of you know, influenced Borganzi in the room instead of taking the guy that he wanted, Naggie. Within like an hour, they delete that and change the story. And then I see all the other stories out which go really hard in the paint to show how much Sala changed this, you know, GM's mind. And when I read all of this, it just I'm not giving the Titans the benefit of doubt. They've been one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the NFL, and this probably is the right higher.

00:12:05
Speaker 2: It's the higher I'd be more excited about.

00:12:06
Speaker 1: And so that's great, But to me, it seems like a very calculated effort to get out through the media that like, no, we're all aligned, we were all aligned on the same decision, and which is like never a great way to start the whole thing.

00:12:19
Speaker 4: God, just get it together, gang, come on.

00:12:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's It's interesting though.

00:12:24
Speaker 1: Sala his defenses were awesome with the Jets, so you can't question that he gets a fun linebacker and Cedric Gray, you have Jeffrey Simmons. It was interesting that they got Jeffrey Simmons and came word on the phone.

00:12:37
Speaker 2: Right after they decided to hire Sala.

00:12:40
Speaker 1: You know, I guess the concern would be, yeah, we'll see who he can get as offensive coordinator.

00:12:45
Speaker 2: He didn't really have an answer for that. There.

00:12:48
Speaker 1: He's great at coaching up players, but you know when he didn't have the players this year, and they had great effort and they overachieved, but they weren't a great defense. And so you're gonna have to get him the players because it's not about scheme. I think when it comes to Sala, it's about kind of the position by position coaching and fundamentals in the big picture.

00:13:09
Speaker 3: If Robert Sala gave us the best coaching quote of the year, cam Ward gave us the best player quote of the year early when he said, we ask so I feel like this is a match made in heaven. In terms of personality. Both of those guys want to win bad. Robert Sala believes in himself. I caught up with him at training camp over the summer. He was ready to get another shot. He wasn't burned out. He knows what went wrong last time. He wants to fix those things. I would say a little bit more keeping things a little bit more inside out versus worrying about the narrative would probably serve him really well this time around. And I also think that getting your offensive coordinator right is so important. There are reports out there, multiple outlets that he impressed the Titans brass with his plan and his vision for developing cam Ward understanding. You're going to need to bring that very clearly if you're a defensive coach coming in for a head coaching vacancy where the quarterback has already been put into place.

00:14:04
Speaker 4: But it's gonna be interesting.

00:14:06
Speaker 3: Because you know, my colleague get the Athletic Diners Senior reported this morning that it's gonna be tight. There's gonna be opportunities for Mike McDaniel, for Arthur Smith, for Brian Dabele, who I don't necessarily see is a fit with Robert Sala anyway personality wise. But and then there's people who would have been great candidates, such as Mike laflor But people forget that Mike Lafleur was the fall guy for Robert Sala last time as close as their families are. You know, Robert Sala and Matt Lafleuur are best friends. That Laflora is and the Salas are very very close. But still you don't forget being put in a position like that. And Michael Flour, I know, is very very happy being in Los Angeles.

00:14:43
Speaker 4: Who wouldn't be.

00:14:44
Speaker 3: But the other part of this is there's going to be a bidding war for a lot of these other top play calling candidates on the offensive side. So to me, a little bit of a shaky start all around for a coach who did who is very well known for going in with clarity, with uh, with personality, with really winning the room and that's what is part of makes him such a great coach. But a little bit of a shaky start infrastructurally so far. We'll have to see how it plays out.

00:15:11
Speaker 5: I wonder if Gus Bradley, we'll go over there with him because they were in ser Go together.

00:15:16
Speaker 4: Well, we know who's not going to be allowed to go over there.

00:15:19
Speaker 2: Yes, we actually have.

00:15:21
Speaker 1: Kyle Shanahan was asked about Klay Kubiak potentially becoming someone else's offensive coordinator. Would you let go? It was allowing people if he had to play call in his role as.

00:15:36
Speaker 5: A NO.

00:15:40
Speaker 2: I think he calls a lot of plays here.

00:15:41
Speaker 5: So he's our office coordinator, So I don't know why would let him be someone else's office coordinator.

00:15:49
Speaker 2: I know.

00:15:52
Speaker 4: So much.

00:15:52
Speaker 1: I love that And uh yeah, well we'll see who Salah can get. I'm not too worried. But if he's saying he he learned everything from before, if I was going to pick like an organization most similar to the Jets in terms of the job that you're taking where sometimes it's a little out of your control, the Titans might be that job. The difference is he has a really good quarterback this time around.

00:16:12
Speaker 2: Jeff Haffley does not.

00:16:13
Speaker 1: So we'll find out who is the Dolphins' starting quarterback this year. It is almost certainly not going to be to a tongue of Biloa. He's expected to get cut or traded. But Jeff Haffley has made the rise from defensive coordinator for the first time just two years ago for the Green Bay Packers to head coach of the Miami Dolphins, a connection a lot of people made when John Eric Sullivan got the GM job. Both him and Halfley obviously worked together in green Bay, so they're both in their first time in the big chair.

00:16:49
Speaker 2: Now.

00:16:49
Speaker 1: Jeff Haffley was a head coach at Boston College. Everyone's given him a pass that that's a really tough place to win.

00:16:56
Speaker 2: Not a lot of extra money at Boston College.

00:16:58
Speaker 1: But he did go twenty two in twenty six and I've seen plenty of college teams without a lot of money like win games.

00:17:04
Speaker 2: So I think that's a fair thing tough place to win.

00:17:06
Speaker 3: And turns out it was a tough place to win, right, And he didn't win very much.

00:17:11
Speaker 1: Right exactly, So he got like extra credit that he was like somewhat competitive. They were Bowl eligible, which there is better than average. That that should be pointed out. His defenses in Green Bay were fine, got a lot of love from kind of the film watching community as being a creative defense fell apart when Michael Parsons left, but kind of a clean slate. It's it's always really hard to know which of these head coaching hired are going to work in which won't. So I tend to not have like huge strong takes going into it. His is just more like, okay, I believe it. He must be great in a room too, like Robert Salam, because a lot of this is like who's good at interviewing and and sala it does not shock me. All the reporting is like he was just great in that interview that actually the Borganzi, you know, if you're believing there was like that he wanted Naggi, but Sally was just so good in the interview that he got the job. And half Lee is apparently really impressive. A lot of people who know him well say a lot of great things about him.

00:18:10
Speaker 5: Well, think about what you would want as what you would want in a head coach for a team.

00:18:15
Speaker 4: You want a motivational speaker.

00:18:16
Speaker 5: You want someone who's gonna have charisma and who can carry the room and be that have that energy when they walk into the room because they're going to have to have so many players from different backgrounds and just different personalities all follow this one person. So that makes sense to me in terms of like his actual scheme and how things will pan out. He's a wide nine guy, so Chop Robinson maybe ends up like benefiting from this just thinking about the way that he plays a little bit.

00:18:46
Speaker 4: I don't know.

00:18:46
Speaker 5: I mean I think that this is a nice a nice pairing for Jeff.

00:18:50
Speaker 3: Yeah, what you hear about, like what John Eric Sullivan really liked about him?

00:18:55
Speaker 2: And John X.

00:18:55
Speaker 3: Sullivan has watched for twenty years people come and go in and out of that Packer building because he worked his way up from an intern in that building and watched the regime changes and watched the dynamics with all the different coaches, and he was the one that he wanted.

00:19:11
Speaker 4: Halfley was the one that he wanted.

00:19:12
Speaker 3: I would say that he's probably one of Matt Lafleur's better coaching hires, and certainly on defense that Matt Lafleur has made. And this is I think a bigger question for the Green Bay Packers moving forward about what Matt Lafleur is going to do infrastructurally, especially with an organization that does not have a stellar reputation of paying assistant coaches competitive money to bring in some of the best people into those jobs. He he now has a guy who got the I guess Lafleur bump a little bit, so maybe that helps bring people in like the Sean McVay bump, who got the Lafleur bump.

00:19:47
Speaker 1: The reporting from Albert Breer was Matt Lafleur's influence was big in terms of their research on hiring Robert Salah, because Lafleur was in that Tennessee building too, and they talked to him a ton in the months leading up there and.

00:19:59
Speaker 3: They were like, O, way, how is that contract going right?

00:20:01
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:20:02
Speaker 1: And it is funny because I'm just thinking, like, yeah, Matt Lefflair is happy to hurt one of his NFC rivals and get his buddy a job.

00:20:10
Speaker 2: It's just all messy.

00:20:11
Speaker 4: But I with Halfley, you hear about EQ with players.

00:20:16
Speaker 3: You hear about infrastructural vision, which is really important when you're trying to rebuild something or build something out.

00:20:22
Speaker 4: A little bit better.

00:20:23
Speaker 3: You hear about attention to detail, great teaching, explanatory nature.

00:20:29
Speaker 4: So I think, you know.

00:20:30
Speaker 3: We'll have to see obviously, But John Eric Sullivan, being as process oriented in that organization as he was for so many years, to.

00:20:39
Speaker 4: Me, gives this Halfly hire a little bit of a.

00:20:42
Speaker 1: Bump toward the positive, definitely, because there's a familiarity between those two and that relationship is just so vital, and so you're going and kind of knowing that that's a strong relationship that's massive Halfley's resume is interesting. You know he had those BC jobs. He mostly was in the NFL as a defensive backs coach. He was on some staffs. He started on the Greg Sheiano Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff, real ones.

00:21:04
Speaker 2: No, that was a wild ride.

00:21:07
Speaker 1: He was on the Kyle Shanahan Brown staff, coaching up our friend Andrew Hawkins. Although you know it was on offense. But I'm just saying I'm not staff. So is Mike McDaniel.

00:21:15
Speaker 4: I was a wildcard too.

00:21:16
Speaker 1: He was on Ship Kelly's forty nine ers staff and then stayed for Kyle Shanahan's the next year. The Packers were really relying on turnovers. It's interesting to think about their free agents because sometimes you know they're they could jump over on defense. Kway Walker and Igbari are both free agents, so maybe they will hop over to Miami. And then Malik willis a guy he got to be in the same building with, has been kind of connected even before this all happened to the Dolphins as a possible replacement, so that would be interesting. Let's get to New York where John Harbaugh had his introductory presser.

00:21:50
Speaker 4: Say the Bills job just opened.

00:21:52
Speaker 2: No, he did not. I didn't know what gosh.

00:21:55
Speaker 3: I sorry, we're swearing a lot today. We're giving you, guys.

00:21:59
Speaker 2: Eric a lot of.

00:22:04
Speaker 1: Let's actually listen to John Harbaugh answer a question of when he heard from from his original mentor in the NFL Andy read and he's a man.

00:22:16
Speaker 6: A few words and his his his his four words to me were change can be good. That's what he said, James can be good. And uh, he was. He was excited. He's he's fired up for us. He's a good friend. And yeah, we'll try to do how about we do this. How about we we deal that right now. We'll take We'll sign up for that deal right now. What he did in Kansas City, Let's do that.

00:22:41
Speaker 2: I watched this entire press conference.

00:22:45
Speaker 3: The Joe Thomas Joe Thomas for instakes, Yes, Hall of Fame beef, just send him Patrick Mahomes.

00:22:53
Speaker 1: He did talk very glowingly about his quarterback, Jackson Dart and said he had done a lot of She said his dad even was watching all the Giants tape and was noting how they really controlled the line of scrimmage. He thought on both sides of the ball, and noted how good the offensive line was which I think was a good note from Papa Harbaugh there because their offensive line was quite underrated last year. And I thought the stagecraft of the press conference was fascinating. Joe Shane starts the press conference, so it's usually ownership. Now John Mara, who was, you know, the controlling owner along with Steve Tish, but he's the you know, the face of it. He's has a cancer battle right now and so that clearly is part of it. His brother Chris Mara, was really involved in this whole search, and he spoke to the media eventually afterwards and said he's been doing a lot, but it was really interesting to have Joe Shane up there introducing John Harbaugh. And then you know, if you're watching us on YouTube, you can see that the pictures that they take afterwards, you know, usually again it's with ownership, and they made sure to have Joe Shane smiling up there the GM with John Harbo.

00:24:03
Speaker 3: Yeah, I like and look at if you're just doing you know, a little they're both holding the helmet.

00:24:08
Speaker 4: Now, who's holding more of the helmet is my question.

00:24:13
Speaker 1: I think it's Joe Shane, but that's because he needs to because John knows he's really holding the juice in the organization. It took a minute, but eventually John Harbaugh was asked about the structure of him now reporting to ownership directly instead of Joe Shane, and ultimately John Harbaugh has the final say on personnel.

00:24:35
Speaker 2: And big football matters.

00:24:36
Speaker 6: To me, it's really not that important in the big picture, in the big scheme of things. I think it's kind of over you know, overblown just a little bit in terms of how it works. But the main thing is that it works, you know, and that we work together. That's what matters. So that's kind of what I was used to, and it felt like a good way to kind of start off. And I think mister Marra was happy about that. It seemed like a make sense and I'm just happy. But I don't think it really matters. I think we're all going to work together and I promise you we all report to the boss, right.

00:25:10
Speaker 1: I just love him saying it doesn't really matter, when extremely credible reporters, including Ian O'Connor at The Athletic has it down that John Harbaugh himself sent a shrug emoji to Ean O'Connor saying, are you still sure you're going to be the Giant, said coach. This is Saturday morning over, you know, forty eight hours after more than that, after all the reporting that he was taking this job with the basically primary, if not only problem that they had in terms of already up the contract was that he didn't want to be reporting to Joe Shane. So I just find it fascinating that he's up there.

00:25:49
Speaker 2: Oh, that's it, it's all. That's funny you bring that up. That's not an issue at all.

00:25:52
Speaker 1: And then they have Joe Shane talked to the media after and said the things. He's like, oh, it doesn't matter at all. It almost completely blew up this one hundred million deal.

00:26:00
Speaker 2: Buddy. It's fine, yeah, and.

00:26:03
Speaker 4: The biggest, the biggest move.

00:26:04
Speaker 3: The Giants have made in years, and you know, perceived belve the coaching ball. And we'll see how it goes. Because if that's how things are starting, which is everything's fine, we're all having fun here, we're all easy, easy.

00:26:19
Speaker 4: I'm breezy up at the podium kind of a thing.

00:26:22
Speaker 3: But then there's these little moments, a little comment at the media, little things. There's been some some rumbling concerns it's going to be interesting to watch. And things are going great now they had a big win in New York. But what happens when it's actually time to shift power dynamics, because mark my words, it will be maybe sooner than later soon time to shift power dynamics there, and then we'll really.

00:26:43
Speaker 1: See I think every I think between him and Joshane, they know, like he's just running everything, and and Elliott Wolf, I think is a good comp in New England, where like he's still doing press conferences and stuff, but Mike Rabel is in charge of everything and and Elliot Wolf is one of the people working for him. And that's that's basically I think what's happening. And John Harbo's the man.

00:27:02
Speaker 5: And I think that John Harball has kind of earned that too. Eric yes with yes, and you're in the league, like dude knows Ball. Of course, you don't want a brand new, first time head coach that maybe hasn't even called plays or anything like that before coming in and then having like.

00:27:15
Speaker 4: Full roster control. It almost feels like that's too much.

00:27:19
Speaker 5: But for an established head coach that has done this time and time again, that has to be a stipulation because if they have someone that they were not brought in with and then it's an arranged marriage.

00:27:31
Speaker 4: That's that seems like it is inrouble.

00:27:33
Speaker 3: In any of these overhang GM scenarios, something has to give if the GM is keeping their job, and a real deal head coach and I hate this term, but like an alpha head coach comes in like something has to give on the GM front. You saw it just happened successfully, might I add in Chicago, And you saw it happen almost ten years ago in Los Angeles, and like this, this is one of these things where that dynamic is so much more important than these guys are up there talking about in public, right, And that's what I say, Like John Harbaugh, the thing that the criticism that I think is fair for Joe Shane, and he's taken a lot of heat, certainly, I think the fair criticism is that he has, yes, drafted talent, and he's drafted guys with really good traits, but all together as a collective, like it just doesn't work. There has to be an actual identity for a team to not just go out and get guys who are perceived to be really really good football players, but how does that person actually fit into a larger plan of your roster. And that's where John Harbaugh I think is really quite gifted as a team builder, and where he doesn't bring you an edge offensively or defensively, and maybe not even special teams anymore at this point. At the same time, he does understand how to build an actual team and how to identify qualities an actual team, and that's where I think, yeah, he better be in charge of that, right.

00:28:59
Speaker 2: I don't think this is going to be a situation.

00:29:01
Speaker 1: They were showing the Sean McDermott introductory press conference photos this week because it was so long ago.

00:29:07
Speaker 2: He's so much younger.

00:29:08
Speaker 3: You know, now, since where did you find the photos that you used for for the podcast share?

00:29:13
Speaker 4: Because because you had you had had good.

00:29:15
Speaker 2: I had a good Sean McDermott. I don't know.

00:29:17
Speaker 1: I just remember seeing him in like a model shot and I was just like, that's funny. I'm going to save and keep it save for some day. No, it was from It was in the long game last off season. It paid off in a big way. If you want to see Sean U styling. But like I completely now forget whatever I.

00:29:39
Speaker 5: Was going to talk about holding about Sean mc just going to say that John Harball and Jackson Dart that feels like a nice marriage between the two of them because of the way that John Harball just is the way like he seems like a Northeast kind of guy. And I don't know if that means anything to anyone else, but it's it's just like some one who is going to be totally straight with want and frank with you. And I feel like that's what Jackson Dart kind of needs.

00:30:07
Speaker 4: And I just think it's going to be a really good match.

00:30:10
Speaker 1: And I think he'll have some fun maybe mixing it up with the me It might not be like fun might be the wrong word, but yeah, you could tell Harbaugh right off the bat was like this is different, like this is very New York, and you know he's talking about like just how many people are there and how much he wanted this job. I believe that, I actually do believe that this was the job he wanted all along.

00:30:33
Speaker 2: He says his agent really wanted.

00:30:36
Speaker 1: It too, and yeah, it was just funny when he's asked about Shane and he used the word I expect our relationship to be phenomenally great.

00:30:44
Speaker 2: It's going to be incredible that's what he said.

00:30:46
Speaker 3: It's like, okay, Like this is when you talk about like the Northeastern thing. This is the thing where I laugh because with there's always that thing with him and Lamar where he wouldn't seem to know like what the injury was or what was going on with the quarterback or whatever, or they were on different pages. It's like, oh, we don't talk about that, you know, like we're going to everything's fine. You know, we don't talk about that at the family dinner table, like everything's fine. It's just like very much that vibe.

00:31:14
Speaker 2: Let's take a quick break.

00:31:15
Speaker 1: And by the way, I was thinking of that that Bill's press conference where it's very similarly. They had a GM help introduce Sean McDermott. Back then, Doug Whaley was the name, and at the time they were insisting he was going to be a big part of their future and they fired.

00:31:29
Speaker 2: Him in May.

00:31:30
Speaker 1: I don't think that's gonna happen with Joe Shane. I think he's going to be there. They wouldn't have gone so hard in the paint just to fire him in May. But it is the John Harbaugh Show in New York, and it's going to be fascinating to watch, and I agree with Harbaugh and his dad's assessment that there's a lot of good football players there. This does not need to be a rebuild. He kind of set the expectations that they can win right away. Let's take a break, wrap up the news, and then we'll do our off season look aheads and recommendation station back on NFL Daily, few odds and ends here. Chiefs expected to hire Eric B. Enemy as offensive coordinator, which is an interesting return. He was he was the guy during their best offensive days. I found it interesting too that they kind of just let Matt Naggy walk. That's a little worry, sim I guess if you were thinking about hiring Matt Naggy. But I'm not sure if he's going to be a finalist anywhere else. But you hear a lot of players talk about like how important Eric B. Enemy was to them in terms of like the details and kind of being maybe you know, if Andy Reid is like the nice guy, that he's maybe like the strict teacher, and that that combination helped make them great, and so Reid wanted Eric B.

00:32:52
Speaker 2: Enemy back.

00:32:53
Speaker 4: He's back. Yeah.

00:32:55
Speaker 5: I when I first saw it, I had to double check to make sure that I was actually like, I had to reet it a couple times, like.

00:33:02
Speaker 4: Oh, well, that's great.

00:33:03
Speaker 5: But it is very interesting letting go of Matt Naggy, especially with the history and the relationships that were already in place with Andy Reid and Matt Naggie.

00:33:14
Speaker 4: They spent a lot of time together.

00:33:16
Speaker 5: So for Andy Reid to then bring back Eric Beenemy.

00:33:21
Speaker 4: The players absolutely love.

00:33:23
Speaker 5: This guy, and that's when they experienced their success. So listen, let's run it back. Let's see if this works.

00:33:28
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:33:28
Speaker 3: I think it went really far too under the radar that he was in working with Ben Johnson, the architect of Kyle Manungai and DeAndre Swift's resurgence, and helped build out that offensive line with the very meticulous vision that Ben Johnson had for it. And we give Ben Johnson rightfully a lot of credit, but Eric Enemy was the engine behind a lot of that too.

00:33:48
Speaker 1: And Travis Kelcey I remember him speaking about like Eric Viennemy is the one that's like addressing the team for the most part and is on the details. And I heard more than a few people speculate during the seasons like they really made him because they are not like a disciplined football team now, and maybe bringing back the enemy helps.

00:34:07
Speaker 2: The Lions made their offensive.

00:34:09
Speaker 1: Coordinator higher, Drew Petzig as offensive coordinator. I heard secondhand that this didn't get like a lot of appreciation on the social which surprises me because I feel like Petsig is kind of a favorite of the x's and o's set. I think he did a pretty good job in Arizona until last season. Cardinals fans feel less so about it. But there's some connective tissue between him and the offensive line coach Hank Freeley, and so you already know going in they have.

00:34:41
Speaker 2: A relationship that can work out well together.

00:34:43
Speaker 3: I absolutely love this because and I've been, you guys know, maybe to a fault. I've been really high on Drew Petzig all year for multiple years at this point. This is a dream come true for the play action passing game that Jared Goff loves to run that they really want to continue and revitalize there in Detroit. This is a dream come true in partnership with that offensive line getting them back to playing at their standard. And this is a dream come true for the tight ends group as well, for Sam Laporta to continue to emerge as one of the better tight ends in the league. We saw what Drew Petsing did when he funneled this offense through Trey McBride. I think that you also look at aman Ras Saint Brown as.

00:35:21
Speaker 4: That f player as well.

00:35:23
Speaker 3: That is sort of that hybrid in the Kubiak system where you are basically both a receiver and a tight end and you're playing predominantly out of the slot. You're looking at the offense funneling through that player as well as the tight end position. I could not love this more as a fit for the Lions, and I think subtly one of the more underrated elements to this hire is Dan Campbell does not have to be as in the weeds in this offense. When you have somebody as experienced as Drew Petson coming in to run the show, you're not going to have to worry about the things that were very clearly a strain on Dan Campbell when he took over play calling from John Morton. By the end of the year, I think this is a phenomenal higher.

00:36:01
Speaker 4: And Petsying he was.

00:36:03
Speaker 5: I'm excited to see him coach against the Bears and Ben Johnson considering they were together at Boston College and Petsing was a groomsman in Ben Johnson's wedding.

00:36:13
Speaker 1: Look at this connected going deep on the research. I appreciate it. I'm checking out like the efficiency the DVOA rankings of Petsng in Arizona twenty first this first year, eleventh, second year, and then last year fell off a bit.

00:36:28
Speaker 2: Of a cliff.

00:36:28
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, and you have to think too well. Basically, their first four running backs got hurt. They had a little bit of a mess at times on the interior of that offensive line. Two different quarterbacks, one who clearly fit better in that offense than the other, even though the Kyler is a much more talented quarterback, and then a real struggle trying to get all the receivers into the mix. The way that I think Cardinals fans really wanted Marvin Harrison Junior to have this offense funnel through him. There was sort of a push and pull. Your most productive play is your tight end. So the Drew Pettsing out of the Kubik system is going to run the offense through the tight end. It just wasn't congruous in my opinion. Yeah, it didn't work this last season. And he's landing in like a perfect spot.

00:37:15
Speaker 1: Actually I wouldn't say perfect, because the offensive line needs a lot of work and the expectations are sky high, so he will get blamed if things don't go well. Zach Sharbonnay unfortunately did not have a good week in terms of the information on his knee. If you remember, he left the Divisional round game against the forty nine ers with a knee injury that after the game, Mike McDonald said he didn't believe was too serious, but it turned out to be a torn acl and so he is now out obviously for the rest of the playoffs, and Kenneth Walker Junior will have to take more of the load and so we'll talk more about that on tomorrow's show previewing the NFC Championship. Just some odds it ends before we move on to these look aheads. The Foulkins have kef Jeff Ulbrook as their defensive coordinator. That was that was rumored, but that's that's good to see. And they also are hiring Bill Callahan as their offensive line coach. Again that's rumored that had we brought that up previously, but that is happening. Jay Glazer I thought it was interesting said publicly, he that Mike Tomlins is done with coaching. He's not going back really, and I feel like Jay Lazer knows. I mean, you never know. Mike Tomlin could always change his mind, but it also seems like Mike Tomlin's not. If I was going to believe that someone's not going to change his mind, it would be Mike Timelin.

00:38:35
Speaker 2: So maybe, uh.

00:38:36
Speaker 3: I think that it would be a really cool thing for Jay Glazer to get a TV teammate in Mike Tomlin and have the highest possible contract possible for Mike Tomlin, his friend, his longtime friend, and they're super close, So yes, he would know, and then you know, have it be. So leave a little wiggle room if Mike Tomlin gets the itch again, Hey, who could blame him?

00:38:58
Speaker 1: Right, He's getting that money regard wardless and they'll have to put it into the contract obviously if he leaves, and who knows, I assume that's the type of job he wants.

00:39:07
Speaker 2: Maybe the Amazon job. I don't know.

00:39:09
Speaker 5: You can't tell me, Like in around Thanksgiving that he's like and he's in a broadcast booth or he's in a broadcast studio that a Thanksgiving. He's not like really wanting to be on a field somewhere or.

00:39:19
Speaker 4: Like I can do that better. Yeah, maybe it's gonna be a lot of those.

00:39:24
Speaker 2: Everyone's different.

00:39:25
Speaker 1: He seemed like a coach that was that was pretty burnt out from it, and some like, look, he's made enough money to live on. It depends on what he's going to value for the rest of his life, because he's a relatively young man at least in terms of coaching early fifties. The Saints resigned Julian Blackman, who's a safety for them, solid veteran. The only reason I point that out was like, I think that's the first like veteran resigning of the offseason. So congratulations. The Saints are just like, all right, we're free time, We're in the mix. They have had a few weeks off. We have some finalists for different jobs, Mike McDaniel, Jim Schwartz, Nate Schieldhouse, Todd Monk, and Jesse Minter in Cleveland, the Ravens finalist. And this is not a final list necessarily, but in terms of their second interviews, it includes two of what we're believed to be the known favorites. Anthony Weaver and Jesse Minter. So far also includes the Bills offensive coordinator, at least until this week, Joe Brady. Joe Brady's also meeting with the Cardinals. So there's your little trip around the league. And right as we were taping, the Packers have released Trevon Diggs, opening up some cap space.

00:40:36
Speaker 4: So that was hardly knew you.

00:40:39
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, well, what did you like best about the Travon Diggs there in Green Bay?

00:40:43
Speaker 3: You know what?

00:40:44
Speaker 1: I actually went back and watched his snaps of that first game because I was just curious he had a good first game.

00:40:48
Speaker 2: He actually I think he got that.

00:40:51
Speaker 1: Like I'm out of Dallas, I'm trying harder now, a thing that happens sometimes. Let's talk about the forty nine Ers and Bears. I wanted to just do a little bit of a look ahead for the teams that are are out. If you're a forty nine Ers fan, Colleen, and.

00:41:07
Speaker 5: You're not, but thank you, thank you for starting there that you did one, so nice of you.

00:41:13
Speaker 2: You did ones take improv classes, right, I did.

00:41:16
Speaker 5: And so this is like like ten years ago, yeah, yes, I will yes, and.

00:41:20
Speaker 2: And you didn't stick with it.

00:41:23
Speaker 5: I don't have a whole lot of free time, okay to classes. Well, so the problem is it's like six weeks or so eight weeks and you can't miss any of.

00:41:32
Speaker 4: The classes like uninterrupted.

00:41:34
Speaker 5: So with our schedule like traveling, the only time to ever do it is right after the combine.

00:41:39
Speaker 1: So and then didn't like Banetta tried to get you back into there. Maybe it was Tamposi like what you know, Yeah.

00:41:44
Speaker 5: I signed up for a stand up class and then I the fires broke out and canceled it.

00:41:48
Speaker 4: And that was my only window. So who knows. Okay, they'll come back around.

00:41:53
Speaker 2: Okay, I don't know why I am bringing this all up.

00:41:54
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, cause you're you're trying to put yourself in the mind of a forty nine Ers fan, And how do you feel because overachieved this year? Annoyed you overachieved? But you're in this division with these two behemoths. What do you want to see this offseason from the.

00:42:13
Speaker 2: Forty nine ers?

00:42:14
Speaker 4: Some wide receivers?

00:42:15
Speaker 2: Okay, I would love that.

00:42:18
Speaker 5: Don't really know where they stand with Juwan Jennings, who is the who is a free agent? He led the team with touchdowns obviously, the Brandon Ayuk.

00:42:28
Speaker 4: Situation is a situation that is done.

00:42:32
Speaker 5: It seems that divorce is happening, So they just don't have any depth there they need obviously.

00:42:38
Speaker 4: I mean, I know that Christian McCaffrey.

00:42:39
Speaker 5: Is a all over the place type guy, but.

00:42:42
Speaker 1: They can crank him up to seven hundred touches next year.

00:42:44
Speaker 4: Yeah, why not.

00:42:45
Speaker 5: He's fine, But they definitely need some something there, something more than what they have in general. And then the other big question is who's going to be their DC after Robert Sahala left.

00:42:55
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:42:56
Speaker 3: There, to me, their biggest need is going to be pass rush. It's going to be continuing to juice up this defense. They've got a couple of young guys. They just didn't have enough players. Nick Bosa being hurt didn't help. I don't think it's as simple as getting some of these players back from injury. I think this is actually the year if I'm looking at this particular team building model that they're in, which other teams have done over the years, Tampa Bay being one of them, as well as the Los Angeles Rams. This year, now, after overachieving expectations, becomes when you start to make some difficult decisions with some of the quote unquote weight bearing walls on your roster. Who are you less confident could come back fully from injury? Who are you less confid who do you think it will still contribute in a meaningful way as a weight bearing wall within this infrastructure. And so I think that those are some big questions obviously to answer there.

00:43:45
Speaker 1: I thought about that too, and then I looked and look, they have thirty million dollars in cap space, pretty good, and none of the guys that you would think, like would they already think about moving on from Nick Bosa. It's not going to help them financially at all. So there's no reason to Williams. He's going to be allowed to play as long as he wants to.

00:44:03
Speaker 3: Get get and he wants to come back. Yeah, that was what a big point I wanted to make. Yeah, that's good. And so those are two that's not going to happen. Kittle, They're going to wait for him to come back from his achilles. It's not like they want to move off from him. Same thing with like Fred Warner is the only one that you could actually get like a little bit of cap space, but you don't need it.

00:44:22
Speaker 2: So there's no reason to me to move on.

00:44:24
Speaker 1: They're in a good space to push because there's not actually a lot of dead weight on the roster.

00:44:29
Speaker 3: This probably will not be popular with forty nine ers fans, but I do feel that Nick Boso would be the one that you consider.

00:44:35
Speaker 2: Possibly, Like why if he's not going to save you any money.

00:44:38
Speaker 3: I'm so glad you asked, because I was just about to say that, Greg, because of draft picks. You need draft picks, and you need draft picks to continue to build out and develop areas of your roster that you eventually will need to replace. Because I think with this quarterback and with the offense that they have when healthy, especially if Trent Williams and it sounds like he will come back, you really could do this all over again. But you need better players on defense. You need more on defense. A healthy Fred Warner will help enormously with that. But without Robert Sala you are overhauling now an entire identity of that front structure. And you started doing it a little bit last year with what they were doing in the draft, and now you're going to continue doing that. So you think about and this is not like I reporting, this is just what smart teams. Do you think about who is going to give me the maximum return to replace if it is inevitable, who can I make it immediate with and get a maximum return on said player right now to help build out positions of need. It does not sound logical to take a weakness and say, hey, we're going to move on from our best player on this along this defensive line, in this pass rush. No, it does not sound good when I say it in this phase of the calendar. But when it comes time to actually restructure and like look ahead at to what this identity of this young defense has to be. That is something you look at. You're not going to get a retirement like the Rams got from Aaron Donald.

00:45:58
Speaker 5: They need to beef up offensive line for yeh, that's like a number one priority.

00:46:03
Speaker 1: They always kind of skate by on coaching and and it just didn't work this year, Like they didn't run the ball well and even the pass pro wasn't great with Bosa unless they changed his contract.

00:46:15
Speaker 2: You know, he's coming off an injury.

00:46:16
Speaker 1: That would probably be like something where they have to show his wares in training camp and by then, like you're getting a draft pick. That's going to be the same for twenty twenty six. They would take a pretty big cap hit to have to trade him before a free agency or anything like that, and he's coming off such a serious injury that makes it tough to do.

00:46:33
Speaker 2: But you never know, not not impossible.

00:46:37
Speaker 1: I think they're I think fans that feel like they're like way behind the Seahawks and rams like things change. Juan Jennings probably bond voyage, but you never know. Maybe they'll bring him back. And yes, I'm glad you brought up Brandon Ayu because they can avoid the guarantees in his contract, so he is expected to be released.

00:46:55
Speaker 2: You were in Chicago for that game? Was what was that? Like?

00:47:00
Speaker 5: Oh my gosh, Loveland the Loveland touchdown that moment.

00:47:04
Speaker 3: Uh yeah, So the fourth and four, everybody is sort of thinking like nobody has left their seats right in the press box, and normally you go down, even in a close game like that, you go down like a minute early because you're gonna get stuck in the elevator and then you might miss posting press conferences.

00:47:21
Speaker 4: That entire media out.

00:47:23
Speaker 3: There, they're so used to this happening, these late game drives and these comebacks, that nobody left their seats and when that moment happened, it was the absolute like I thought that the atmosphere was going to blow off the planet, like how loud it was, and just snow flying everywhere and icicles flying off people's beards and hats and like it was craziness. It was just the coolest thing. I texted Greg all Caps, I can't believe I just got to see that in person. It's one of those things you never forget, you know. Overall with the with the Bears, like again you want to talk about overachieving expectations. I do think you saw where they are going to want to continue to build, and a lot of that's on defense because Dennis Allen used his defensive backs pretty much to their maximum capacity to manufacture every single positive play minus one or two from the interior defensive.

00:48:17
Speaker 4: Line in the pass rush and all of that.

00:48:21
Speaker 3: And I think that this it really shone a light on where the Bears need the most help, and that is upfront along their defensive line.

00:48:28
Speaker 5: I was just going to say, I'm still thinking about how you described the moment in the stadium with that touchdown, and to me, it almost feels like in pulp fiction where like the shot of adrenaline. Oh yeah, that's that's what that mimicked. It was crip felt like watching it.

00:48:44
Speaker 3: And it was you know what was so cool too, was and shout out to Bears fans cuz like they that whole city.

00:48:51
Speaker 4: I love being in a football town.

00:48:54
Speaker 3: And it was this combination of it was freezing cold and snowing and everybody still out in the street, like walking to this game at this iconic stadium and the lake is frozen and you can see it out the window of the back of the press box.

00:49:10
Speaker 4: How's the lake is frozen over?

00:49:12
Speaker 3: And the flags are blowing sideways and the people gave Caleb Williams and the Bears a standing ovation even in a loss at the end.

00:49:21
Speaker 4: And it just was.

00:49:23
Speaker 3: It was a beautiful moment and I love it. And it was so fun being there through the playoffs because like I said, I love.

00:49:29
Speaker 4: Being in a football town.

00:49:30
Speaker 3: And even when I'm like out eating dinner at a restaurant down the street and the Bills game is on, like this fan base it was packed with Bears fans and they were living and dying with every snap.

00:49:40
Speaker 4: Wasn't even their team.

00:49:41
Speaker 3: They knew Matt Prater's field goal percentage on the season on his career.

00:49:45
Speaker 4: Like, I freaking love being.

00:49:47
Speaker 3: In a football town during that time of year, and they knew that the moment was there and they met it. And then you know, on the other side, when Matthew Stafford hits that play, it was I know it was a first down. When he hits that throat at Avante Adam, just the oxygen.

00:50:01
Speaker 4: Just just like it was like a black hole.

00:50:04
Speaker 3: It just imploded, like an absence of sound and absence of noise and it's like the creepiest vacuum ever.

00:50:10
Speaker 4: And it was the whole thing was incredible. I was lucky.

00:50:13
Speaker 3: I was very lucky to be there. It's why you do it. It's it's why you do it. It's it's a classic, and like that, that moment is gonna be remembered. I was trying to think of an analog of like great moments in a losing effort that I remembered forever, and we were we were struggling with it, like like matt Ryan's throw to Julio Jones in the Super Bowl against the Patriots should have been remembered, but people actually don't remember that one that much because there's still a lot of time left.

00:50:45
Speaker 2: In the in the game.

00:50:46
Speaker 1: It's not a scoring play, it's it's it's not really that close to the Calebs play to Cole Comet. And if it's crazy because you think about Comet and DJ Moore, who both caught touching catches the classic touchdown and DJ Moore catches one earlier, and when I'm going through their you know, situation in terms of the cap I'm thinking, well, those are two of the likely cuts. DJ Moore, I think, is a really strong candidate to get traded. He's doing twenty four million dollars guaranteed next year. His production doesn't match that. His role is easily kind of replaced by Luther Burden, and they can save sixteen million dollars by trading um.

00:51:29
Speaker 2: And I think he would have a market.

00:51:30
Speaker 1: Comet is a little trickier, like you might want to keep Comet, you might, you might not. But he got that contract from a previous organ you know, regime. And at least in terms of Ben Johnson wasn't there. I know, Ryan Poles was there. Dj Moore, you know, impacted that last interception by Caleb Williams. And it was interesting to listen to Caleb on Monday on that misfire.

00:51:56
Speaker 7: Being able to just give him the same page in those moments, and and it's you know, small things like that that that show up in those moments that you know you may not have talked about but been the same page or talk about it. You know, maybe week one or week six, it shows up and week you know, week week eighteen or whatever.

00:52:13
Speaker 1: Week we're in. I think that was kind of damning. He also said he hadn't really talked about it with DJ Moore yet. They're they're four million dollars over the cap, so they are not on a knife s edge or anything, but they got to make some decisions because they have some really key free agents. The best part of their defense by far was the secondary, and most of it is eligible for free agency. Kevin Byerd who had a great, you know, rejuvenated season, Jakwan Brisker at safety, Nason Wright who had a great year turning the ball over, Chauncey Gardner Johnson, who somehow played seventy percent of the snaps for them this year.

00:52:48
Speaker 2: I didn't realize that in the end.

00:52:50
Speaker 1: And so that's four key players in the secondary that that they'll try to bring back.

00:52:54
Speaker 5: Right and then on the other side of the ball, they'll have to replace Serh b enemy and what at this point then.

00:53:01
Speaker 2: And replaced CJ. Moore. They will need more weapons to and kolkomit if they got rid of them, right.

00:53:05
Speaker 5: That's true? I mean yeah, and you just mentioned the safeties. The safety room is like totally thin, especially if they aren't able to retain both of those guys. But I'm just wondering, like, what where do you then put the goals for Caleb Williams next season?

00:53:20
Speaker 4: What are the benchmarks that you're looking for?

00:53:22
Speaker 5: Because this whole year one with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams was such a success. Then now where like the expectations are so high for them, And I love that for Chicago, but like, what what is fair? Where do you look for improvements?

00:53:39
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:53:40
Speaker 3: I like that question because it's a pretty impossible and yet all like exceedingly crucial thing for teams with a quarterback who's about to enter his third season, and then that's when you're really the season you're really starting to talk about do we extend him early, do we pick up the option?

00:53:54
Speaker 4: What is our what are our next steps with this quarterback?

00:53:56
Speaker 3: And for me, it's like, I never call the throws that he's able to make in these moments luck because there it takes skill, and I think it's like, oh my gosh, these these lucky moments, these outliers, Like no, that takes so much skill. But the thing with Caleb Williams is that you have to like even out the rest of it without losing the outliers that are positive. And it's a really impossible needle to thread, but if anyone can do it. You saw their partnership grow over the season, and Caleb really seems bought in to the process. With Ben Johnson, He's talked about that openly near the end of this season. You have to lift the floor with him because for every insane incredible moment you have at the end of these games, you also have some of the reasons why they are having to make insane incredible come from behind victories, and that being a multi turnover game certainly not all on Caleb at all, but that being a multi turnover game, I think you have to just even out some of the middle ground here to lift the floor of what of what he can do.

00:55:02
Speaker 1: Yeah, he ends up, you know, throwing for fifty two percent completion in the playoffs after being dead last in the regular season. So I think it's just a down to down consistency, Yeah, like figuring out the lamps. But I do think the last five six weeks of the season he was a transformed quarterback in terms of his decision making in general. And the five interceptions in the playoffs are pretty odd because you know, in two regular seasons he was he was not making mistakes.

00:55:28
Speaker 3: I think that's where film really tells more of the story here, Like you're like, you're implying Greg because it certainly wouldn't be on him and he doesn't.

00:55:35
Speaker 4: He doesn't make negative.

00:55:36
Speaker 3: Plays, he doesn't take bad sacks, he avoids pressure. He was I think the least sacked player in the quarterback in the playoffs and certainly followed suit from the from the regular season as well. So you know, I think it's just like he kind of said it right there at his press conference, getting that communication in those details down early with everybody, including himself.

00:55:55
Speaker 4: We'll see how far they go this next year.

00:55:57
Speaker 1: I feel great about our final quarter back Island selections. Caleb, that play really, you know, cemented Caleb. I think Trevor was ultimately a no brainer brock Purty like it ended in a tough fashion, but I think he did credit to the Island. I don't think there's any updates to the Island this year, you know, except.

00:56:18
Speaker 3: For that one Jordan Love fan who keeps posting at me Island is a fraud.

00:56:23
Speaker 1: Well, you know, Jordan has a case. Jordan Love has a case. But ultimately, you got to make some tough decisions. I think the only candidate to possibly make it change is if if a surprising quarterback leads his team to a super Bowl in the next couple of weeks.

00:56:38
Speaker 2: And that's Jared'stidham recommendation station.

00:56:43
Speaker 1: Let's before we go, Colleen, give us something that you've enjoyed listening to, reading, watching what.

00:56:50
Speaker 4: You want both, okay, listening and reading.

00:56:52
Speaker 5: WHOA, Because I many years ago, like maybe fifteen years ago, I read this book called Getting Stoned with Savages by Jay Martin Truth, and I just decided to hit the reset button and.

00:57:09
Speaker 4: Do audio forum for it. So I just restarted last night.

00:57:14
Speaker 5: The book and it's such a fun book. It is, like it's basically a finding yourself type book, but it's done in a really fun self deprecating type way.

00:57:26
Speaker 4: And the main.

00:57:28
Speaker 5: Character is a guy who leaves this soul crushing corporate job to go and live in the islands of Fiji, and it's just all of the craziness that ensues after that. It's super fun. I would highly recommend it. It's a great vacation book too.

00:57:45
Speaker 2: Wow.

00:57:46
Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like, so did you read his previous book?

00:57:51
Speaker 4: That's what that was a drop? I feel like I really high.

00:57:57
Speaker 5: Okay, not that I would know, but we were doing a bit and I said that about teams we were too high on or things that we were getting too high on in the off season.

00:58:06
Speaker 4: I want ESPN to know that.

00:58:11
Speaker 1: That was a great That book was written by a man whose previous book was The Sex Live of Cannibals.

00:58:19
Speaker 2: So yeah, well.

00:58:21
Speaker 4: Because the islands that they go to.

00:58:27
Speaker 5: I don't I don't know how to say it, but that's all I've ever said it.

00:58:31
Speaker 4: What is it?

00:58:35
Speaker 5: I think there was a history, way way way way back in the day of cannibalism, and so I think that's where that first book came from. But no, I highly recommend Getting Stoned with Savages.

00:58:47
Speaker 2: Okay, let's do it, Jordan.

00:58:49
Speaker 4: You're up, you say with trepidation.

00:58:51
Speaker 3: Now, across your paid now, I will not be helpful at all to this. What I could recommend people who might be feeling overwhelmed right now, or who might be feeling like it's all just a little too much, or like they're very, very tired and would like to sleep somewhere else that is not an airplane, to go and find a nice patch of grass somewhere in the sun.

00:59:13
Speaker 4: There's a lot if you can alive, right if you can.

00:59:16
Speaker 3: Or like go to maybe like some sort of a park or something, or try to be warm somewhere and or even like a heated seat in your car, like and just sit there and deep breaths in and deep breaths out. And if you're half, if you're lucky enough to be in grass, put your palms flat down on the grass, shut your eyes for a little.

00:59:36
Speaker 4: Bit, and just be there for just a second. That's what I would recommend it.

00:59:40
Speaker 1: In the silence, I like that recommendation. Patch of grass underrated and available.

00:59:47
Speaker 3: Different what Colleen was some areas, but finds some grass and literally touch it.

00:59:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, yes, it's beautiful, you know it's it's oscar.

00:59:59
Speaker 2: See.

01:00:00
Speaker 1: So I try to run through as many of the candidates that I can, although I still haven't seen Marty Supreme, which was like the one I've wanted to see the most, so I feel like this is an incomplete grade. But after seeing them all, I think I've landed on Sentimental Value as my favorite.

01:00:16
Speaker 2: I don't know if you guys have heard of that one.

01:00:18
Speaker 1: Joachim Trier's book about this family like a famous movie director who has a strained relationship with his children and then wants to make a movie sort of about their lives involving one of his children who's an actress. We're not a Renzva I believe is going to be nominated for Best Actress and whatnot. But Sentimental Value would be the one that I would recommend.

01:00:43
Speaker 2: But no other choice.

01:00:44
Speaker 1: Was a lot of fun, Hamnett. I wouldn't say it was a lot of fun. I would recommend the book there more, but I thought it was really good. I do love me some Jesse Buckley, and she's I think the favorite for best Actress. So that's another good one out there, but that.

01:00:58
Speaker 2: Was my pick.

01:01:00
Speaker 1: It's a mental value, yes, and sorry babies on HBO Max that was pretty good too.

01:01:04
Speaker 4: I haven't seen a movie in like years.

01:01:06
Speaker 2: I decided when my family was gone.

01:01:08
Speaker 3: Sat Grass is always available.

01:01:12
Speaker 5: Or an audio book getting Stoned with Savages.

01:01:16
Speaker 2: Audiobooks are underrated.

01:01:17
Speaker 1: I I am a you know, a reading addict. I would say in most books I read now, I like read seventy five eighty percent of it, and I listened to about, you know, fifteen to twenty percent of just when I'm on the go to like keep you know, just keep it going.

01:01:32
Speaker 5: And from like look at it screens and stuff all day.

01:01:36
Speaker 4: You just want to someone read me a bedtime story.

01:01:39
Speaker 2: I love that.

01:01:41
Speaker 4: Leave the building.

01:01:44
Speaker 2: And yeset Hamnet's an amazing book.

01:01:48
Speaker 4: It is an amazing book.

01:01:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, let's say goodbye.

01:01:51
Speaker 1: We're going to be back on Wednesday for a big mega preview.

01:01:58
Speaker 4: I just wait for next Tuesday.

01:02:00
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, Colleen has come up.

01:02:03
Speaker 1: With from the Mind of Colleen Slash Interactive Experience. Guys, for all the listeners, we will see you next Tuesday with that one.