Crystal Balling The Offseasons Of Elminated Playoff Teams

NFL podcast is taking for two. Welcome to another edition of the Around the NFL Podcast. My name is Dan Hansis. I've joined in a room filled with heroes, Colleen Woolf, Chris Westling and Greg girls with all what is up? Boys and girls, men and women. I'm back, you are back. It feels so good. It's so good to have you here in the Sessler chair. History is its very, very rich here, It's incredibly rich between Connie and the a t N Podcastami, what where is that? Miami? And sure enough,

I don't know if it's pretty good. I don't know if it's because you're back on the show for the first time in a while after another successful season on NFL Network for Colleen doing numerous big things, finally doing this thing. But Mark Sessler not here today with a mysterious ailment that we'll get into I'm sure on Thursday when he returns. So the chair is all yours. It's weird, it's coincidental. It is all of a sudden Sessler wakes up with an ailment and I got a free spot.

I like that Wolf howel though even work workshopping that like, that's something I will later regret. I'm sure. Mark also not here the day after. We got a several texts about his excitement over Kevin Stefanski physically, So another thing. You read into it if you want. Then we're gonna get to that a little later in the show because it all got directed directly to Stefanski himself. Mark Suessler's thoughts about um the new Brown's head coaches, physical looks.

You're shaking your head away. It's it's just hard to be Mark Sessler, the emotional roller coaster that that that guy lives with on a daily basis, to try to convince himself and the rest of us that he wasn't interested in the Browns. A few days ago and wanted Josh McDaniels and then to get a series of texts comparing his new coach to George Clooney and how sexy

he is. It's just it's mind boggling. Then again, I mean he could be in a world where his thoughts about the Clooney Stafancy comparison don't get immediately relayed to Stefanski on National. We've made it a long way. That is a sign of for sure. Um alright, so what do we got coming up today? Connie is with us and we're gonna do a segment where we take out our crystal balls, taking out the old CBS, and we're going to look into the off season ahead for each

of the eliminated teams from the playoffs. There we're up to eight now, and uh make predictions what people will be talking about, what the team's plan to dress to keep from being eliminated next year. So since there's four of us, we each took two. Connie, you know, because she's a pro. Yesterday reached out said go and broke, buy and hype. But I know what I like, just got the credit swipe, coalhead, turn up chase of stereo dorse spinning it Oh my God, make it and now,

please God get stop. You You've picked the lot. You guys need to find a new producer. You you picked your own two teams, including your favorite Eagles. So I'm looking forward to uh your predictions there. Um. But before that, we're gonna do a little bit of news. Let's get caught up. I got enough on my plate right now to worry about trying to get these Browns back to where we want to be. I'm not gonna compare myself to any uh actors. I mean, he wasn't thrilled. And

we'll get to that at the end of news. But before we do that, let's hit the rest of the news. And we love talking broadcasting and the comings and goings and the our feelings about various people in the booth calling these NFL games. Well, the number one guy in the game right now is Tony Romo. And there's a report out there and I don't know about the source, and so I just want to put that out there, Uh, Front Office Sports Michael McCarthy. And I'm not saying he's

not around. He's been. This is my coal. He's been in the mix as a media reporter. I believe for some bigger enterities for a long time. Maybe today back there you go. Uh, ESPN is preparing an offer for Tony Romo that would make the current CBS UH color analysts the highest paid sportscaster in TV history. The multi year deal would pay between ten and fourteen million annually. UH McCarthy reports he Romo is a free agent, Connie. He is uh a FEMA in this industry. Let's face it.

In terms of guys that landed and made an instant impact and had everyone talking in universal praise, it's Tony Romo, Which tells you why a guy that his last deal that he signed CBS was reportedly three years, four million annually and he has a chance to almost triple that. Is ESPN making a sound investment. If this is indeed what's going on right now, it feels like a desperate move for them, but also one I like because listen, pay Tony Romo. He deserves all the money that he

can get right now. The only thing that would make me really sad about this is that we wouldn't get to see Tony Romo in the CBS blazer anymore with the big CBS logo on it. And also I'd be really sad that if he wasn't with Jim Nance anymore. I feel like that's part of they make each other better. I think, the two of them, and I don't know who who ESPN would put with him in the booth, right Nance. I would imagine it will be a big reason for Tony Romo to stay if he chooses to.

I mean, the the you know, just very existence of this report suggests, you know, it's negotiating time. Colleen's a big wick. She knows how it works. You know, you get some interest from elsewhere. You got your little sparrows drawing about that leverage. Yeah, you're dropping little bread crumbs to us. Yeah, McCarthy, you know their pressure and CBS to fork over the money. I'm a little bivalent on

this one. I feel like ESPN could ruin him. There will be contrived to like embrace debate takes in the middle of the broadcast. They'll be overproduced. We'll have to have hot takes from Romo instead of what he's good at. I don't know, but maybe he'll make Monday night football watchable again, so that would be good. Schedule is not as good, I guess I'll believe this one when I see it, You've had some you had some insider info, Dan, No,

it sounds like it's a thing that could happen. Hearing from someone that's a little plugged in on this that CBS will have the chance to to match it. But this is this could really this is in the air, and I'm of two minds on it. Um, for what you just said, Colleen, the games if he indeed, even if he's Monday Night Football, which I assume that's where this would all be heading. But um, the games are not as good as the top Sunday CBS A f

C games typically. But Greg, you made the good point that, yeah, I I watched Monday Night Football every week. It's like a standalone game, whereas if it's Sunday afternoon, there's a billion different games going on. I don't see Romo every week, so selfishly like, that's the game, kids, I don't mind a little extra Roman. CBS gets three playoff games, ESPN only gets one, and CBS is in the mix for the Super Bowl too, And yes, you live them, you

lose them for the super Bowl. It is great on the Super And I have sympathy for Joe Tessator and Bogger, who look like they are in trouble here. But it is also a reminder to Greg's point of what a big platform and stage it is, and people zone in on these primetime games in a way they don't on CBS, which is also part of the reason you might want to be calling these games. So it is the rating are like way bigger on CBS. Also, they took a chance on him and put him as a rookie in

the number one chair and took Phil Simms out. How about a little loyalty from Romo? What do you give me? Give me a break? I think they take a chance on They're a capitalist enterprise that's trying to squeeze every employee to make every dollar. They hit on it, so he's gotta do it. Could could have put him in the fourth chair or the eighth chair. They put him in the number one share right away they were that is prescient and they should be rewarded for it. Wow,

they'll they'll be uh. I think if he could pick his partner then follow the money. Greg likes rap. I feel like what you just said, what was the comment you made capitalist empire and enterprise. That's a great album title. For your first rap album. I think you'd do good. Just just for context, John Gruden earned over six million a year from ESPN to call on Monday Night Football in the early nineties. It's like almost thirty years ago now. Uh, John Madden made eight million a year. Dang, that's a

lot of Johnny Madden in the early nineties. That brought up a stat I saw that at the time, John Madden made more than every player in the NFL, which is amazing to think about. And that's why Tony Roma's worth it too. I mean, if Andy Dawton's making sixteen or seventeen, why not give Roma for right. I mean, that would be more than he ever made bass salary with the Cowboys. If ESPN believes it has a problem with their Monday night telecast, that is the ultimate problem solver.

That's like le Broncos signing Peyton Manning in free agency. Problem solved. All right, Let's move on coaching moves. A lot of guys moving around, UH, teams building up their staffs, making changes. Let's start with the Los Angeles Rams. This one Greg a little under the radar here because Wade Phillips he goes out the door. Um, after it was

a three or four seasons. The three seasons with the team did a really nice job, but they decided to go in a different directions direction and the Rams have named outside linebackers coach Brandon Staley as phillips replacement as the defensive coordinator. Uh, he's just thirty four years old

and kind of an unknown. So Phillips, perhaps the most well known defensive coordination in the league, is replaced by one of the least well knows right, he was the outside linebackers coach under Vic Fangio with the Bears as recently as three years ago. He was an assistant at John Carroll University. So I mean this is a media are rise John Carroll University, he was at James Madison, he was he was a coordinator at John Carroll and McVeigh.

I thought it was interesting just bring up that he's he is taking a big swing here and some people think it's sort of like a defensive version of McVeigh. Everywhere he's gone, everyone's just thought this guy is a future superstar and that he showed up and he impressed McVeigh in the Rams so much in the interview process that they just thought maybe maybe he was their idea

all along. They had heard some good things that we have to hire this guy, even though you know he's only run defenses, like I said, at John Carroll James Madison, and now he's had a couple of years as a position coach. I trust John mcveigh's judgment, though, don't sleep on John Carroll University as a coaching hotbeds with Miami of Ohio as like the cradle of coaches in the NFL uh correction. He's thirty seven, not thirty four. Thirty

four year old. Thirty four is the age of the new offensive coordinator of the Rams, Kevin oh An, All former camp arm quarterback. He has just one year of coordinating experience, um and he now takes a role that was not even that didn't exist previously under Sean McVeigh offensive coordinator. Seems like he you wanted to beef up. Maybe his staff have another voice. People thought maybe McVeigh was doing too much. But also it gives him a chance to hire a guy he coached with in Washington

and is supposed to be a rising star. And uh, you know, he ended up as a camp fire. And but he was the first guy that people got mad at the Patriots for trying to replace Tom Brady with not really replaced. But they used the third round pick on Kevin O'Connell back in the day, wasted while you wasted a pick on Kevin O'Connell, we got gave him somemall weapons. Tore me deserves it. This was on Rams fans Radar Keisha asked me, like a month ago, should

the Rams have an offensive coordinator? People were asking people had asked the question. Now it's been answered, Yes, they do. The Bears make a move at O c and that's a good one. We're happy that he's a Bill Laser shut him off. Oh man, you haven't heard that drop in a while, because Billy Laser is out of the league in twenty nineteen after serving as the Cincinnati coordinator um in seventeen and eighteen. Uh and now he's back.

He's with the Bears. And and perhaps I don't know, it feels like a tricky job to take on West because there's so much uncertainty. If they actually do go ahead and give Mitchell Robinsky another try, you're kind of tied to a guy that seems like a bust. But it could go the other direction. Maybe there's another quarterback that materializes in you're the hero that saved them from last like a Dalton type figure. This feels like a

throwback to a more innocent time on our podcast. Bill Laser was a major part of our podcast for years, and what just because of his last name, what I remember he started out under Chip Kelly in the NFL. And then the first thing I thought of was before Ryan Tannehill landed with the Titans, his work came under Bill Laser, with him throwing short passes, get the ball out quickly, and maybe that's sort of a solution for Trabinsky. Let's try to minimize the damage he can do by

getting it out of his hands quickly. I kind of like the idea of Andy Dalton going to the Bears, and I'm sure Bears fans do not like that idea at all. You know, since he's gonna go with Joe Burrow,

so hey, why not have a trip? Why not make a deal here and relieve like seventeen million dollars in salary cap space for the Bengals go over to Chicago, and then you put a little heat on Trabinsky and there's gonna be some heat on Trabisky hot, But can I just point out that when Andy Dalton has been surrounded by good talent, and the Bears do have some pretty good talent, he's won. When he was surrounded by Bill Laser, he won. Trabinsky was surrounded by good talent

and did not win this year. And the thing I like about Laser, not just you know, the sound effects, it's really good is according to Google images, he's never been seen without wrap around sunglasses on. So I like that. You know, they just make sure he covered which one of those things this year one of the things you attached to your sunglasses and you can just wear it as like a necklace. Are you sixty seven years old?

And my final bit of insight and analysis is that, like west Is said, and it's why he is the primary ridiant of NFL quarterbacks, you surround Andy Dalton with better talent and you know what, that right arm turns into a laser. It's perfect. Moving on, John d Filippo's gone in Jacksonville. It's funny how these coordinators go from the hot guy in the market to cold as ice, foreigner style. Because d Filippo is the guy that everybody was into I think Cessa was way into d Flippos

had like a long form on him one year. Um and uh it was. It was presented as a mutual party in the ways, but it appears that Jacksonville is looking for a fresh start there, um, Colleen. Some people may be a little surprised that, uh that when Gardner Means was on the field, that offense was proficient, but apparently that wasn't enough to save I feel like, in a way, somebody had to take the fall for Minshew out performing Nick Foles after they paid him all that money.

And because d Filippo was the quarterbacks coach with Nick Foles when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in that year that he looked really good and Carson Wentz was, you know, having that m v P like season before he got hurt. It just didn't translate. So I feel like that was he was kind of the fall guy. Another tricky gig there, Greg, because Doug Marone, speaking of hot seats, I mean, he was somehow able to save

his job this year. But results equal no results equal firing next year, and then usually the coach gets swept out too. But you know, still good gig pays well. Maybe lined up in Cleveland. I mean, they'd they've had I think Maron's had what four different or three different coordinators. They had Greg Olsen back in the day. Maybe that was under the last coach, but Nathaniel Hackett. D Filippo, I'm always a little like depressed, and I see that

it says mutually agreed to part ways like it. It makes me sad because they're like trying to do d Filippo a favorite, like they're trying not to hurt his career more than necessary. But it almost like, I don't know, it almost points it out even more sad, like we're trying not to hurt you, buddy, professionals. Doug Peterson fires

offensive coordinator. Yeah, yea. What if d Filippo and Nick Foles end up in Philadelphia because after he had another Carson Wentz injury, people think they should have a better back up there. I don't hate it, and it feels like something that could definitely happen in Philadelphia. One final bit of news, the Vikings fired defensive coordinator George Edwards.

He had been there since two thousand and fourteen. Uh So they're looking for a fresh spark on the defensive side of the ball now with Kevin Stefanski, who yes, we will get to in a moment taking on the haunted chair in Cleveland. Uh, Mike Simmer has got a

lot of work to do. He's gotta find a new O C and D C. Well, I think they're talking about the next DC is going to be Mike Zimmer's son, who had been the linebackers coach, and I think Edwards contract was expiring then they just decided they weren't bringing him back. It feels like nepotism. It does feel like because damn Connie speaking well, not nepotism, but your father is on Instagram, which is this is what develop Speaking

of nepotism, there has been a lot of talk. You know, it's tough for people to get on NFL network and no there's Ed Wolfe does every other week. I mean, this guy, this guy is on more than when Willia McGuinness on this podcast. Two is like easy easy e d W. I mean, this guy has no idea who he apparently hasn't He has no credentials, um talking football. He doesn't even follow the sport. He helped me make

my pick a couple of weeks wonderful man. And he said slam dunk Eagles, which is my favorite moment probably ever. That's awesome. Does he is a great man? Yeah? Not a fan of n w A. Does he dislike Aaron Rodgers because the ed Wolf does does Ed Wolf justlike Aaron Rodgers as much as Keith Hansas dislikes Aaron Rodgers. I don't think so. I don't think that anybody could write it would surprise me if ed Wolfe has a strong opinion on Aaron Rodgers. Yeah. I don't think he does.

And my mom is more of the person that has the hot takes. You guys heard what she thinks of Pete Carroll. And so that was a rough playoff game for the Wolf family. Here was here was some a few texts I got from my dad's Sunday night. Rogers got lucky, Hawks could not stop anyone on third down. And then I replied, he made two huge throws when he needed it. Agreed I was not rooting for him, wrote he wrote, I told you that I don't like his face and attitude. He face, No way, I don't

like that guy's face. Let's take it's a take uh in retirement news throwing touchdown tos and here come the Chargers onto the field. One career touchdown catches that was the most time NFL tight end all time. Antonio Gates calls it a career. The eight time Pro bowler who last played in eighteen, made his retirement official on Tuesday. The thirty nine year old. This one hurts because he you always tracked this stuff, at least I do pro

athletes born in the same year as you. He's an eighty baby, when when they start retiring due to old age, and now he's like, you know, he's older. He's basically the last. He's the last of the eighties. So this one, this one hits me a little bit. Gates is the Charger's career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches. He finished with a hundred and sixteen. Uh this West, this is a Hall of famer we're talking about, right.

I think he's he's a definite Hall of Famer. And I know this will upset Cowboys fans, but for most of his career was a better receiving tight end than Jason went Maybe not a better all around tight end, but he was right there with Tony Gonzalez going for the first team All pros early this century, and I think the legacy that I think of is jointly with

Tony Gonzalez. He caused everyone to look for the basket, the power forward playing tight end, and and Gonzalez was a pretty good role playing power forward on some cow teams. But Antonio Gates was a star basketball player averaging twenty points a game and dragon Kent State I didn't Final four, I think reminded me of that. He Uh, he was

much better than Jason Witten at their respective peaks. I mean, there's no question I don't care about like all around game, and Tonio Gates was better than Tony Gonzalez that at their respective I'm not saying necessarily he had a better career, but when he was at his oh Ford it was about oh Ford o sex Apex. He was as good a tight end as there's ever been, and he was first Team All Pro all three of those years, while those other two guys were in the middle of their prime.

So I don't think that's it's a strong take. He's one of the great like receivers at any position and of the odds, and even though he didn't play in twenty nineteen. I feel like I never actually thought this day would come. He was waiting for that phone to ring. I would imagine this year as well. Rivers, Philip Rivers and Gates combined for eighty nine touchdowns, the most in

NFL history by a tight end quarterback tandem. There's always a what if around uh those Chargers teams, because like we're saying, Gates was an unbelievable difference maker, stretched the field, kill you in the red zone type tight end. And he had La Danian Tomlinson, who is arguably the best running back in the last twenty five years at his peak, and a young Phil Rivers, and they had some of those huge regular scenes. They never were able to put

it all together. And then um with Gates, his feet started barking at him and he had those issues, and uh, you know, Thominson got old. But yeah, an incredible career. I think his first ballot to me, I mean, when I think of the best tight ends that I've watched and watching football, Gates will always be one of the guys that possed my mind first, right some big I saw some big playoff per Cormon's is and losses against

the Jets at Gates, which you speaks. There was a lot of Chargers playoff losses where Antonio Gates went eight three eighty with a touchdown and it was all for not Uh Connie news for you. The Eagles will be featured on the new season of All or Nothing, the Amazon NFL Films joint. It's kind of like uh hard Knocks if you blew it up over an entire season. And Greg, this is one thing we you and I have talked about it, like we talked about it every year.

We're always trying to figure out when these things should be rolled out. One year they rolled it out like as training camp was beginning, it was like what are you doing. One year they rolled it out the week of the NFL Draft, and it's like no, no, no, no no, no, no, you gotta put it. Put it somewhere where it can actually Yeah, how about the week after the Super Bowl, which is where it rolls out. This year, I'll be watching it and it's a good I think it's a

good season, a good team. It's all luck with All or Nothing because they're they're embedded with these teams before the season begins, and you just hope it's an interesting one and with all the injuries and their rise in December, and then of course the playoffs and seeing how it went down potentially with Carson Wentz and the head injury, although I mean I would imagine they might be careful about that. Um, I'll be watching, I know you will

kind of. Yeah, there's there's so many storylines for them, it's just a matter of It's almost like Hard Knocks too, it's just a matter of what we will end up seeing and what ends up ultimately just kind of being left in the in the edit bay because there are so many different things. Think about the Orlando Scandric drama that happened earlier in the season with Malcolm Jenk Malcolm Jenkins and like the whole locker room splitting apart and

that whole thing. And then yeah, you have all of these practice squad guys stepping up and Josh McCown I'm sure he's going to have obviously a huge part of it. With the playoffs. I mean, you have these guys that stepped up and push them ultimately into the playoffs. So it's just these teams, they don't volunteer for it, they get picked by the league, and so it's just the Eagles president Don Smolenski was talking about how it's like the schedule, it is what it is. You just deal

with it. You make the best of it. And then he the last time he was talking about it, he was like, it's just like us being on the road for three straight weeks in October. So that's what he equated it too. So I'm interested to see how much we actually get to see, right like the Cowboys year because Jerry Jones just you don't care, He's gonna he's gonna let all the info get out there, at least a lot of it. I think was their best all or nothing season because he didn't seem to be too

worried about making himself look great. It seems good inside info UM and other news. I just want to hit on this quickly. I don't care so much that Chad Johnson um is looking to catch on with an XFL team as a kicker. I just want to go on record while I can on this podcast that I cannot believe this XFL thing is happening. Is I mean, Vince McMahon already tried this once about twenty years ago, and it was a colossal failure. Other than the camera above

the field. That was a cool little development which was taken by the NFL. And then we Since then, the Arena Football League folded. Okay, last year with NFL support, the Alliance of American Football a F folded after eight games. And that's when they were presenting themselves as a feeder system to the NFL and the NFL even they were like, all right, we'll air some of your games. I don't think they paid the a F a F for it, but they said, well, air uh some of your games,

um and that postgame show coverage I believe. And then the NFL signed a bunch of those players too, And it's like the meteor, it's coming right at you, Vince, XFL. There's no way that's gonna work. Is anybody think this is gonna work? I'm gonna west the softball fans if this league's around in three years. I can't wait till the combine. When you grill Evan Silva and the Rotor World guys about how breathlessly they're going to cover the XFL this year, I would never do that. Evan Evans

too smart to cover the XFL. I can tell you that, um, when moment when you brought up the A F A at st now most the Silva wrote a world just covering uh the A F and I made a joke and three makes well. I get why. I don't get why the XFL and is leaning so hard into you know, we're renegades, Like we've got Connor Cook. First of all, don't you don't lead with Connor Cook. They had a national ad and it like mentioned, and it started with Connor Cook. I was at that playoff game. It was

a rough one. Um. I think a minor league professional football can work and would be super helpful and almost necessary for the idea of professional football totally in the United States and North America wherever. I don't think this is it, but I do want it, so I do want them to keep trying it. Who the first are excited to see it, to just see how it goes. It doesn't make any sense that to either you're gonna make two million dollars over a four year contract or

basically you make nothing, and that's like professional football. There's like there should be some sort of in between where like people are working on their football skills and making you know, whatever, a living way. I could not agree more the NFL has long needed a developmental league. That doesn't mean I have to pay attention into that between February and July. I'm not watching football games. I'm sorry.

Players slip through the cracks. I do believe that a lot of players probably slipped through the cracks and would have great NFL careers if if there was like a minor league. One thing working tell me, people don't get better when they're years old. Happens in every other sport. If you're practicing every day, you're gonna get better at anything. I feel like there will be plenty of moments that we can watch that will be entertaining, even if they

are unintentionally so. What one thing that the NFL hasn't improved upon the last ten years is extending the NFL season and what people look forward to, what people watch, and that works against these type of leaves because now because of the popularity of the combine and the draft and free agency, really things don't And then even voluntary camps, which people are way plugged into many camps before things go dark in June, uh, that doesn't leave a big window.

People are still focused on the NFL throughout the spring and that's when these leagues just I mean, it seems logical that it's not gonna work. I mean, Vince has a plenty of money. I'm saying he'll be he'll be able to survive this. But fool you once? Right? What is that? Fool me once? I can't get fooled again? All right? Uh. Finally, Kevin Stefanski was introduced as the latest head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Uh. He did the press conference. I watched some of it. There was

nothing really that jumped out. Uh in the press conference, as as Newsworthy, was no Joe Judge um unveiling from the Giants. But afterward Andrew Ceciliano of NFL Network got a one on one with Stefanski, who was asked by Siciliano his thoughts on a Mark Sessler tweet in which posted by Mark on Monday, uh, pointing out his feeling that Stefanski is a dead ringer for Hollywood star George Clooney. And here was the coach's response our Mark Sessler, Kevin, I'm sorry, who is a Browns fan much like I

was as a kid as well. Put up on Twitter yesterday a beard did George Clooney say that you bear or resemblance. Has anyone ever called you Clooney? Not until just this moment? And how do you feel about that? I got enough on my plate right now to worry about trying to get these Browns back to where we want to be. I'm not gonna compare myself to any uh actors John Peter John, I think I need to be. I need to get a list of guys and then make sure that we're okay with that. But if it's

George Clooney, that that's what you guys say, God bless you. Okay, it was Mark Sessler, I'm gonna paint it on himy I missed, well, not so much. Backchecking is just like taking out a big shovel of dirt. And poor Settler's not even here right now. So both times, not not

a broadcast, they're not here. Well. The thing I noticed immediately, and this this had nothing to do with Andrew Um, was it's probably a bad sign during an interview when the head coach name checks his PR director and looks at looks off the camera, then looks over to the PR director whose name is Peter John. That was what he just said there, and that to me was, let's end this thing, Wow said, I don't think it's because

of the question necessarily. It was just a it was a really long interview, and that was the end of Sessler's not wrong. Okay, I'm with Sessler's all right speaking. He does bear up and it's not like it's a nice thing. So maybe you should take it as a compliments to Fancy. Well, I was gonna say, and I will come to Mark's defense on this as well, since Mark isn't here. Uh hey, keV, well, this also is a shot at market. Gets confusing because he's the head

coach of Browns. Hey, keV, lighten up a little bit. You just got hired as a head coach. This is the live stream you have, you achieved you your press conference was like forty five minutes ago. You're a NFL network talking about the future and you get asked the playful question. I have some fun with it. Just have a little fun a little bit. That was an opening listening. You know, you need to be the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. A sense of humor. Oh does this

mean it's not for them? I feel like Freddy Kittens probably had the best sense of humor of any Browns. It's not only a sense of humor. You need a lot of things, but you have to be able to laugh at life, is what I'm saying. Anyway, That's what's happening in the news. West, something I have as wild, but it is. You know, that's pretty cool. It is cool, and it really is. It does show, uh, you know how far we've come, at least in the eyes of

Andrew Siciliana. Finally he respects us, he knows our names. That's good. West. We have a read to do connected to an event for the podcast coming up in a week or so, So I want you to read that please. You just gotta throw it out handed. Hey, y'all, what's the difference between Tybee Island and our Miami improv show? What the hell? Everything? I didn't write this by the name, but we will be in Miami talking Titans forty Niners in the Super Bowl? Oops? Did I just predict the future?

Whoever your team is, come hang out with us in Miami. Tickets are going faster than when I used to deliver Christmas cards on my mail route and little kids were outside waving for cash from Grandma. Any who, five tickets now the whole I'm guessing that was a Ricky Hollywood production. I don't right that this was not me, trust me. Wow, that was cool. Miami Improv show guys, tickets. What are you going to come? I want to come? Okay? Cool?

Heard it here first, Colleen Warrant. I'm checking, signing autographs and taking selfies. It's what on our Twitter around the NFL Twitter account. It is? It is at the top. Is that jinned? It's pinned on the Twitter account. H January thirty, Thursday, see us Live. We're gonna have a lot of fun. All right, let's get into it. It is time to take out our crystal ball. The crystal ball comes out. Do we all have our own? Or do we are we passing around a ball or do

we each have our own? I think there's should be one special crystal ball ball, right and you look into it. This feels like snow globe music. Just feels like somebody could cheat if they bring their own crystal ball in here. Yes and approved official. This is like the Edward Scissor Hands snow falling. I feel like we're in like a forest of some or there's like fairies. Now we go through each of the eight teams and like, shut up,

what is next? What will happen? I was just I was just talking about the league year extends well beyond the super Bowl with combined regency draft. What are we gonna be talking about about these teams that have been ousted from the playoffs so far, there's eight of them. Kind of, get us go and pick a team. Okay, I'm gonna start with the Ravens here. So after mark Ingram and Mark with a c return from another international getaway together, I think I see is that Marky's Brown

rolling up with his cousin and Tonio to the Ravens facility. No, it's not, it's not. I don't want today. I gotta go to the eye doctor. It's one of my New Year's resolutions. But they do need another wide receiver. That was obvious in the playoffs. There was a lot of draw they couldn't get separation. That's going to be a situation. And I do see a big push to address the pass rush in the off season as well, because after losing their top two guys last year, they did a

good job manufacturing pressure. They blitzed more than any other team out there, but their top guy, Matthew Judan. He's about to hit free agency, so they need if he does, they need at least two more guys if they don't resign him, so they need a wide receiver and a pass rusher. That's what I see they're in. They're in a nice situation. It's really not that bad for them yet. I didn't even know they were cousins. Really, really, Hollywood,

I think they're in an amazing position. I know it's terrible. It's terrible. The loss they had, it's terrible. Who but who knows you might have They might have lost to the Chiefs. Anyways, I think that was that was that was very strong possibility either way. It's painful. But they turned over their entire defense last year, they changed their entire offensive system last year. They were in all sorts of cap problems last year. This next year, they've got

all the cap room they should need. They've got a bunch of draft picks, compensatory picks coming back, and yeah, you need some pass rush and maybe some interior alignment. But they're in about as good as situation with Lamar on a rookie contract and a lot of their offense on rookie contracts, Mark Andrews both tackles like they are in a nice spot to push to be aggressive. Get a veteran wide receiver, I think would be something that they would do too. Do you think there's any chance

the Bengals would let a J. Green hit the market? Yeah. The Bengal seemed like an operation to me that would place the franchise tag on a J. Green. It seems like he might be more likely now, especially with this Joe Burrow kid um coming off another incredible performance and he seems to be the number one pick going to Cincinnati, that they might treat it Green more like a Larry Fitzgerald guy, but have him in the building, play out the rest of whatever is left of his prime and

having you know, somebody the kid can count on. It's a lot of common DNA between the Arizona Cardinals organization and Bengals as far as the way they run things in the way that you're saying then might go for him potentially, I think that that would make sense to me that they need a bigger receiver, final piece to the offense. It's been their m oh they've never drafted

receiver as well. It looks like they drafted a good one, and Marquis Brown DaCosta did, but they've always signed free agent receivers well Derek Mason and Steve Smith and and Gwan Bold. And also what's more likely, playing our old famous game, that Lamar Jackson is a one thousand yard rusher every year and this is just who he is and I'm not doubting him at this stage he's an amazing player, or that this is one of those insanely

special years. And in reality, you're gonna need probably more from your passing game because you're not gonna run for two thousand yards every year. Unless this is just the beginning of a new era. It does feel like maybe the eight ends are great and Brown was a major hit in the draft, but god that it agree. That's a nice fit. Yeah, they just need somebody like a good route runner, like a veteran presence, just to have

these young guys sort of developed. But also, by the way, the crystal ball is also showing me a lot of really angry Titans fans are giving you a hard time, very angry bunch. As it turns out. Listen, I pick against teams every week, and I think it was the way you put it. It was on a good morning football it was. And let me just say this, I almost picked the Titans. I was like on the fence there and it was like, all right, So I thanked

the Titans for their service in dispatching your team, Greg Patriots. Um, I said, America, thanks you for your service. And then the guys started clapping, and so I was like, oh, I'll just continue this bit. So I said, your service is no longer needed and enjoy the off season. And it's no. I mean, listen, I say disrespectful things every week on various shows, and I usually don't get an angry army of people that are now like threatening me.

There's a lot of like I got. I got somebody telling me that I set women back in broadcasting twenty years and I was like, damn, I don't even know I had that much power. That's that's crazy. A lot of low i Q type things. So listen, I graduated Magnat Gublade almost drop the headset. Listen. I just didn't think the Titans fans were going to be the sensitive. And if anything, you're welcome for some bulletin board material. It does you know, you don't deserve that and clean

it up, Titans fans. I know it's not all of you. I also took heat from a well known columnist down there, Paul Kaharsky, who got all cranky because of his order from the Tennessee and uh interviewed me about the whole Titoons thing and there and Caharsky was not about it. He saw it as a sign of the decline of journalism. And uh, there's some we come on. We are never allowed to analyze the Titans again on this podcast because we've never been in their locker room. Got be in

the locker room. You don't know anything about it. I don't need these national media types with their shiny cars coming down to my place. The Titans are really fun this year. They're we've been we've been into. I don't think it was too crazy to pick against the greatest regular season team, uh, of the last decade, you know, to pick the Baltimore and always let me remind other

Titans fans again. Uh, And I feel like I have to do this on a weekly basis every time your team wins a playoff game, and my mentions is, are they still the Titoons? No? And then they haven't been the Titoons since you got rid of the bump quarterback that you thought it was a superstar for five years. You know I'm not. I suggested that they they bench Mariota on Thursday Night Football, and I got crushed by everybody. I've actually it's funny. I've actually thought you haven't deserved enough,

gotten enough credit for the Titans turnaround this season. So you're welcome everybody out there and tighten up. So you Titans fans, you came to where I was. I didn't have to come to you. You're on my corner. Fans fans in general. Who cares if somebody picks against your team. It's just a game. You enjoy this. This is incredible.

This is incredible run by a really fun team, and I think we all enjoy watching the Titan And I would love Ryan Tannehill to play a Super Bowl in Miami in front of like the Dolphins fans, right in the Dolphins backyard. That is something that I've been talking about Miami. I would love it all right. Up next

is Chris Wesley. I'm looking into my crystal ball for the Vikings and to borrow a day in HANDSS phrase It's a tough sitch here for for the Vikings, Lovastion, tough situation when you they remind me so much of the Alex Smith cheese. You're just good enough to get beat early in the playoffs all the time, because you're not good enough to go far in the playoffs and

you're formerly your formula isn't working. You've got a team that is most of the team has been there together with Mike Zimmer for like six years now, and it's not good enough. So what do you do when you've got thirty year olds on defense? Everson Griffin, Lynvaal, Joseph Xavier Roads all have salary cap figures twelve million or more, thirty year olds on offense like Riley Reid, Kyle Rudolph Kirk Cousins making big money. You're not getting any younger.

What do you do with this roster? And I think there's gonna be some tough cuts this year, Mike Zimmer said, you know, when I look at the roster at the end of the day, it ends up being a young man's game. I could see Xavier Roads being gone. He's

definitely gone. Season have changed for the Vikings. I think I don't know if they'll blow it up and start over, But I think they're gonna have to make some tough cuts they need if you're gonna go with this formula where it's play action passing based on the run, and as soon as you can't run the ball, your entire offense collapse because your quarterback checks down instead of letting

his receivers go for a contested catch. Ever, that formula, it proved this year, does not work because every time they faced a good defense got shut down. They only beat bad, bad defenses. They're they're higher over the salary captain any team in the NFL, Lynn bel Joseph, maybe Rudolph.

The bigger issue is their best player in the secondary, Anthony Harris is a free agent, Trey Waynes and Mackenzie Alexander who also play in their secondary of free agents, so it's like they got a lot of spots to just fill. And that's kind of what Zimmer does is is the defensive backfield, and it's gonna be a big turnover. I think I wonder too, like if that weirdness between Kirk Cousins and Stefon Diggs ever really went away, that

that was that was a storyline. At one point during the year, I could see Diggs getting traded and he feels very tradeable if they wanted to, and it could get a lot for Stefon Diggs in his prime. And I remember that Thursday night game we did the Vikings one and we had Kirk Cousins and Stefon Diggs on the set, and it was like a couple of weeks after that whole controversy and there was still like residual weirdness.

I remember that. I watched that, Yeah, and it was they like should have been they were very they were they were very they should have been very happy after a big win, and they were just like, yeah, we've moved on past that, and it was just weird. Yeah, you get rid of Diggs instead of Cousins. Um, I wouldn't get rid of either. It just seems totally counterproductive to get rid of either of your best players. And uh there, I'd have no interest in getting rid of Diggs.

But the way Zimmers talked about Diggs over the last three or four years, there's been a lot of dramas. It just wouldn't shock me if that's something they looked into. And I see that Crystal ball second last, because I see somebody else in the Vikings future. Yes, there it is Kirk Cousins, very quietly entering a contract here. Oh yeah,

three year, fully guaranteed contracts signed before the season. He will make damn almost thirty million this year, which is, according to over the cap dot com, fifteen and a half percent of their entire cap right now. And they will have to decide what to do and is that his storyline? And they want a lame duck quarterback? Uh

in in the summer. I think it will be once the free agency dies down, then it's like, sorry, you're gonna extend Kirker not Yeah, what I mean if you said to two years ago when he signed, Hey, after his first two seasons, he's gonna have a passer rating of about one oh five, you would be blown away. If there was an idea that maybe he's part of the problem there. But he has been part of the problem. Alright, let's move on to another team eliminated. I will go

with the Seattle Seahawks. All right. Let me look into this ball. I say it's cloudy. Oh, it's beautiful, light shimmering. Uh there it is the Legion of Boom remember that. Now this is the Legion of Bust. It must okay, got you? Uh No, I want to talk about the defense, all right. It was nice, it was It was a nice little season on Seahawks corner. I enjoyed it, but this was this is a limited team this year. Uh,

and a lot of that problem was the defense. And looking ahead, that's what this offseason is going to be about. I think they like what they have obviously, um at quarterback, they like running back when healthy, they have pieces. I think they're into a wide receiver. They found something in metcalf Lock. It's a nice guy. Uh. They even uh you know, even a tight end will dis lee before

he got hurt. Was a revelation. I think their line is not something that's there's gonna be a major overhaul on the offensive end, But in defense they have a lot to do. Pete Carroll hinted in his end of season press conver is that they could be looking to make a scheme shift, but personnel wise, they gotta get better and they have to get better in the secondary. Speaking of the Legion of Bus, Trey Flowers just got it was like a yeah, it was a horror show.

The music though it's like intermission at the Nutcrack, the terrorized by Davante Adams. Not all his fault, but uh. And then they struggled to get to the quarterback, which leads us to Jadavian Clowney speaking of big decisions to make. He is a free agent. He's out there saying I want to play for a contender. I like it here in Seattle, Pete Carroll wants him back, but are you gonna pay him superstar money? Um to be uh? The anchor of of that front Front seven with Bobby Wagner,

Big decision for Johnny Schneider. I I've I've enjoyed this continuing um Seahawks Twitter and Seahawks fan trend of what is Pete Carroll really doing for us? Not like I'm enjoying their um Are they okay boomerang him, misery or

any thing. It's more that I just think it's an interesting question, you know they're at which they are asking, are they is he holding Russell Wilson back while not really bringing much to the table on defense, which for the last three years I think you could argue that he would point not an insignificant stretch in the NFL. Mark where here he would point out again that you never miss an opportunity to come after peak. You say that, but you don't. I liked him when he was coaching,

skeptical about everything about him. I loved him all throughout. I couldn't have been more impressed. Like when he took over the Seahawks, he coached the greatest defense of the last forty years, I would say, But now that it's not there anymore, I don't like that. I don't like by running too much on first and second down, by having Brian Schottenheimer be is I mean, I don't know. Wouldn't you like to see Russell Wilson in one of these open, wide open offense. I'd like to see him

have more time. I think Wilson is going to get double digit wins with no matter what coach you put in Seattle. But I still sort of my point, and I still feel like Pete Carroll's valuable for the infrastructure he has in place there. I think they're lucky to have Pete Carroll there. But I understand why you it's been a while now since they've really seriously contended for the Super Bowl, that maybe it's time to freshen things up behind the scenes. But to me, the Schottenheimer jumps

out you wouldn't rarely get rid of. You would never get rid of Carroll. But their defense, which you mentioned, has its issues. Clowney drawn Reads, a free agent, ziggiansa who didn't do anything. Quittin Jefferson, who is maybe their best pass rusher this year, is also a free agent. I mean they if Chris carrs go a shod Penny stayed healthy, I don't think we'd even be having this conversation. Alright, Greg, Alright, I'm looking into the future, and I'm looking into Buffalo.

The Great Northeast, that's what they call it. It's the Empire State waiting for the music they and I see in the Crystal Ball. You know it's a joke. Legion a bust, that's a joke. That's a good I see a lot of people picking the Buffalo Bills to go very far in the two thousand and twenties season. After Brandon Bean and Sean McDermott have some funness offseason, they pushed their chips into the table. They've built up this

roster pretty nicely. They've got all sorts of cap room and not a lot of huge pressing needs unless you ignore that quarterback. Uh, and you can get a wide receiver, you can get an interior alignment, you can get some players for your front seven, which I think you definitely need. And I think they showed it last season. They're not going to be afraid. They know this is all on a limited timeline, and I think they are gonna be among the most aggressive teams in free You know your

line unless you ignore that quarterback. Well, I'm not into it. I'm not into the Josh Allen experience in Bill's Mafia. I could you know there. I could see that in the Crystal Ball out of Bill's Mafia. Just you're coming after anyone that comes, you know, criticizes Josh Allen or questions him. But I think I think they're in a great spot in terms of just like getting that offseason buzz. I'm I'm still I think I said it after the season ended. Bills Mafia doesn't want to hear this either,

But this is Mitch Drobiskie all over again. The team that had the rookie that flashed, uh, quarterback that flashed. Second year, the team made the jump and made the playoffs and now third year, there's gonna be higher expectations. Does Josh Allen have what it takes? And and I guess one of the things I would look to do if I were the Bills is if this is really our big year to see if we're totally in on Allen, let's give him the best possible weapons around him, uh,

to make it happen. I would like to see them be active whether this is supposed to be a great wide receiver draft. Uh, maybe they bring in another guy with John Brown. I don't know, dude. There's a lot of you know, decent names on the free agent market. They have more cap space than they're gonna be able to spend. They have ninety million dollars in cap space and they don't and they have a lot of players coming back they don't. They don't have a lot of

like big issues to solve. So whether it's you know, a Yanni Kingkway or Leonard Williams like, but do pre upfront? They certainly could use a pass rush or whether it's Emmanuel Sanders or Robbie and you know whatever it is, Like, I could just see the Bills going in hard playoffs. They're committed to Josh Allen and so they're gonna try to and they know he has limitations, so they're going to try to make the team around him as amazing as it could be. And they've kind of set themselves

up in a nice, steady way. It's a better postseason with the Bills, and it's way more exciting, it's way more fun. And who knows what's going on in the a f C East now, So yeah, this is their time. If they're going to do something, then step up. Now you'll see if that philosophy works. So the idea of build up around the quarterback to try to hide his limitations, does that ultimately work in our league? I mean, and we just reached the point where we're ever going to

let quarterbacks develop. I'm not saying he's a bus to me, He's he's gonna be. He's somewhere closer to the to the Dalts in scale, but just getting there in a in a strange way. And I worry that that's his kind of you know, destiny. But they had a great free agency last year. I mean, they get signed John Brown, Cole Beasley, and Mitch Morris who all ended up being you know, a minus type signings for them, and I just think they'll continue if we've seen flashes too of

of him. And the Bills play really well obviously this entire season. That that game on Thanksgiving against the Cowboys, staff against the Texans, my god. Yeah, and then all of a sudden, like when they hit the two minute warning in that playoff game against the Texans, it was just like Josh Allen was like on a bender. I felt like he was just out of control. I see where you're coming down with the Trabinsky comparison. And this team feasted on an easy schedule. They lost when they

played against good teams. For the most part, I could see them being a much much better team next year and having a similar record, or even a worse record, just because of the schedule in the way randomness works in the NFL. All right, let's go one time, one more time around the horn the Eggles. Okay, So Dan wanted me to do like a real look ahead to the offseason. Um, so be like serious here. So, based on everything I know about the Eagles in Philadelphia, this

is the most real thing I could think of. Nelson agalors drops will inspire more heroes to catch more babies from more burning buildings across the city of Philadelphia, thereby saving more lives and prompting Mayor Jim Kenny to recognize Delson Agalore with a key to the city for his organic, grassroots humanitarian effort. Then he let him walk in free agency. Have you not already have the key to this the city?

And catch a baby in a spot? Right, Well, he helps the guy the unlike a guy catch the baby the baby. No, it was all about the guy caught the baby from the burning and then yeah, he caught it unlike a galore because dropping then he and he made the common about algorithm. You know, it's been a long season and some of these stories they just kind of melt into right, But that is to say that this team desperately needs an infusion of young talent. There

were just so many injuries this year. There were so many times that they looked so sluggish. I almost thought that Josh McCown was going to get out there and start catching passes. At one point, they had so many guys from the practice squad out there. They had tight ends running wide receiver routes all Sean Jeffrey, I mean he might miss the beginning of the season with that Liz Frank injury. How much can you actually rely on

DeShawn Jackson at this point? I mean, I guess the silver lining of this entire season is that you found guys like Greg Ward to play in the slot and Boston Scott who can give you what he gave you this year. But they still need to see what they have in in j j. Arthago Whiteside, who was taken like before DK Metcalf. Really so this is this is a team that really needs speed and youth at the

wide receiver position and across the point. I feel like it would be a mistake if they took the tact or took the viewpoint of let's just get healthy and things will be better, because I don't know if the offense is good enough even when they had their guys there, and they're I think, thankfully for Eagles fans, the last team I think that would go that route. They are. They are thrilled that for the first time in a couple of years, they're not, you know, dealing with kind

of cap issues. They traded away all their picks for a few years. Now they've got their picks back again, like they how he's ready to party. I think I think he's gonna go wild. I mean, he he loved. They love trading, they love being active. They're getting rid of a lot of their older players. McLeod as a free agent, Jason Peters is the free agent, Aglar, Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, Vinny Curry, Timmy Journegan, Jordan Howard is a lot of guys. So you're gonna have to fill in

some some gaps along with injured players coming back. But I think they're ready. They're excited to do that. Uh West, I'm looking into the Saints crystal ball and what I see is we're gonna run it back. We know we were right there with the forty Niners. Is the best team in the NFC all year, and especially in December. We didn't play well against the Vikings, but we're gonna

run it back. We're gonna resign Breeze, we might even resign Bridgewater too, and we're gonna bring back restrictive free agent Taysom Hill and use him more on offense to compensate for Drew Brees his limitations which were apparent in the Vikings game. I think that they will probably use their draft picks to get a legitimate number two receiver or go free agency there. But they're they're going to

upgrade at number two receiver. I think Andrew's Pete, they're starting left guard, has been banged up and not very good lately. Free agent he might be gone, and maybe they'll upgrade the interior there, which was a problem in the playoff game against the Vikings. But I think they bring the defense back. That makes sense to me. And how sick do you think they the Saints were watching

the Vikings get just taken apart the Niners. I mean, I just think if they don't want to take anything away from Minnesota, because that was a nice job by them going on the road and winning that game. But it just made me think, you know, they Minnesota's seven first first downs this past weekend. If the Saints got nine more cracks against the Vikings, they would win a large majority of those games. If you at a ten games, I bet they win eight or nine. Did you see

Cam Jordan's tweet afterwards? He after the Vikings loss, he sent out this tweet and it's just him and he's barely in the frame, but he's got a huge grinch like smile on his face, and he's just pointing to an open seat on the couch, like his hand is like, come join me on the couch. Saints going down, and this is all I agree. I kind of feel they were gonna do the same thing West, which is not go crazy here. Um, the Saints getting eliminated by the Vikings was a bigger shock to me than the Ravens

getting knocked out. But really, I just I still can't believe the Saints went one and done in the wild card round. I can't believe it. There were such an a team. You really think Teddy Bridgewater, um, we'll resign there that I saw one of the beat writers or somebody in New Orleans that was his prediction that he's got he loves the city, He's found a home there. He he loves the team, They like him as the backup.

You never know when Breeze's arm is just going to reach the point where right now it's a thirty yard arm. What happens if it's a twenty yard arm. Yeah yeah, you also don't know, Yeah, what starting jobs could be out there for him, especially in a year where Rivers, Tannehill Breeze in theory but Brady. I mean, there's a lot of quarterbacks available Jamis maybe that are ahead of Teddy probably in the line. All right, I will take the ball from us, and good job handling it. Thank you,

very smooth. Oh I knew that was the Texans. Oh yeah, this one. It was very foggy in Houston. A nice job Astros by the way, clowns, cheating clowns, cheating clowns, your stained forever um. All playoff losses are not created equal, and the one that the Texans suffered on on on Sunday was just grizzly. I mean, twenty four nothing, lose fifty one to thirty one, and I think it would it was the type of earthquake that rattled the foundation,

maybe behind the scenes in Houston. Because Bill O'Brien is not a popular guy. People don't seem to like Phill O'Brien. I'm not just talking about in this podcast studio where we've had a lot of conversations about him. Uh. But I wonder they've been very loyal and they've stayed with Bill O'Brien, and with good reason because he's delivered results, at least in the regular season. But I wonder if this makes his seat a little hotter um, just the nature of that loss that Wow, look how far behind

we actually are. And and remember, uh, this was a all in year for the Texans, who really um try to make this a championship season in a very aggressive way. And you look ahead to what they have here. They have no first round pick in April as part of the Tunsil Stills trade, and they have no first or second round pick in one so building up this roster is not going to be something they can do is easily through the draft. So they're a bit of a

tough spot. And this is this is the price, Greg, that you pay when you go all in and you don't go all the way right with a team that never made sense as a Super Bowl contender. But also, I don't I don't believe in all in. I don't. I don't think that's like a thing. I I think teams are all in every year or else they're doing it wrong. And you can you can approach it in different ways. And some teams, you know, kind of really

don't worry about the future as much. But they've got they've got like a lot of teams, they've got more cap space than they can spend on. So if O'Brien has taken the tack that like I'm spending it on these trades, and like they they have said, what are they gonna do with all this cap space? Every team has too much cap space and there's only gonna be so many free agents out there. They have to resign what DJ reader. But for the most part, they have

most of their team back. I think their offense actually is young and good, and they'll be in the mix. There'll be another Bill O'Brien. Like tenants, I'll throw one one personnel will fuller with the all the leg injuries, and O'Brien even expressed um real frustration and disappointment after the final groin injury, uh making, you know, kind of saying like it's hard to really count on this guy because you just can't stay on the field. I'll throw it.

There are a terrible defense. I mean, that's my takeaway is that everything about their defense almost needs to be improved upon. And he said Romeo Cornell is gonna be back, or that's the plan. We'll see if that happens. Sometimes these guys change their mind. Doug Peterson said mikecro was gonna be back and fired him literally the next day.

So terrible. Right now, the hell have a pickle to be in where you can't trust will Fuller to be there, but when he's not there, you can't trust your offense to square how good this offense really if if will Fuller disappears and they go on the tank? May I mean, well, he brought up Robbie Anderson again, he makes he makes sense there, Potentially everyone wants pieces about him. Come on,

you'd rather much other will Fuller than Robbie Anderson. Well yeah, but it's like what happens when Robbie Anderson gets arrested and you can't have him in a play where you need your draft pick to be fair to that? What your question before? Dan? I mean they need some draft because they need defense. I mean they their front seven. You have a lot of money and merciless who they just get more money to and why? And that's fine. I don't think they're like a part of the problem,

but they need more. All right, close us out, Greg all right, I was gonna do this whole thing where I didn't even talk about Tom Brady, but now that feels like a cop out. The Patriots can't avoid it, man, because we're gonna be talking about him every day. But I'm looking into my crystal ball and I see a Patriots team that couldn't be any more different six months from now, except for a quarterback. I think Bill Belichick blows up this roster because it's a perfect time to

do it. Devin mccordy, Joe Tuny, Kyle Vannoy, Jamie Collins, Matthew Slater, all free agents, Patrick Chung, Stephen Guskowski, maybe even Dante out Tower as cop as cap cuts Um. And I don't know what the plan is after that, because I'm not Bill Belichick, but I think this is just like a blider, It's like a logical Uh, it's

a logical time to make a big time turnover. Christendom the Greig's dramatic conclusion, but ultimately Tom Brady and the Patriots being more to each other than he would mean to any other team, Tom Brady vice president, with Joe Biden leading the ticket neither, I don't think time's on that side of the aisle that might be a problem based on his hatwear Um. Yeah, I agree. I think Brady's back, and I think you nailed this one. I think he's in this one. I don't think how. I

don't think anyone could. I don't think Tom Brady or Bill Belichick, no at all. Right now, this is the start I think of a new like they're not going to bring back much of the like the same team and think it's gonna work better then wasn't. It made very clear over the course of the second half of the season that they needed to improve, uh this roster.

Sure on offense, I mean not on defense. Is the best defense Bill Belichick as coach since that defense as good as as it was, kind of obviously in the first half it was talked about defense. I was a great defense. It was better than then three defenses they won their Super Bowls with. So the defense, you know, was not your name. Some pretty big guys on the

defense that could go out the door. And I think because because of their age, maybe mccordy's back, but mccordy, van noy Collins, like that's a chung maybe high tower. They're not all gonna be back. This is an old team. It just feels so weird to think about Tom Brady potentially wearing a different uniform. I can't imagine. But but this year's it's been such a long, uh you know, stretch to get to this point, and there's so many factors involved that it's it's really hard to figure out.

Because I think Belichick would would be totally fine just moving on. I kind of just want to know because it's sort of already exhausting. Yeah, I I kind of I wear I think Belichick is probably ready to move on and Tom Brady will kind of have to eat the poop, as you say, Dan to come back. Um, but I think he just might because what you know, does he really want to go play somewhere? I don't know how much Tom Brady gets paid. Also, if if

it doesn't, no matter where he goes. But if the it does, he you know, is he making less than Kirk Cousins makes him up? I mean, to be fair, he's made less than Kirk Cousins has made for the last five years and then included an m v P aord. But he might be looking for to make good now, you know, it's it's a complicated issue. You're right, all right, good stuff, Connie. I mean, it's so good to have you back. It was this is great, and this is day five of not drinking very I feel like a

different person day five. And also you're cutting out major aspects of your diet as well. Yeah, you know, I went a little wild during the holidays, and I realized that it was time to really rain things back in for like, I've never in my life restricted myself for many things. You're going for it. This is the first time, and I hate it. What do you miss the most? Beer? I p a s a nice in a nice like cold frosted glass. I'm just a filly girl. And cookies.

You're dry. January started in mid January. Yeah, because I got my birthday. I got a lot of this stuff going on. I don't Yeah, these parameters don't need to be like written in ink anyway, right, So I I did like to not one did two straights. It hasn't been five consecutive days. You're doing what I'm doing. It's a moist January, not a dry January. Really like that word,

but moist. Yeah, you know, a moist January. Well, it's like there's a few days on the calendar that I'm gonna making exceptions for, but the other days, like I'm mostly dry. Like there was one day where I had a beer and chips in guacamole and a piece of bread. So that day was kind of ruined. But beyond that,

I still don't understand dry January. Somebody's gonna have to explain to me how it works, because I've seen a lot of people do it on Tybee and then they the other eleven months of the year, they just go back to being lushes. Football is the only good thing about January. Yeah, I'm only doing this because every because just Colleen's birthday. All right, Well, thank you, Connie, you around.

The NFL broadcast returns and it's the finale of the trilogy, a NFL Network trilogy on Friday at six pm Eastern, three pm Pacific, and then it re air's early Saturday, and uh so make sure you check it out, um, because we're having fun doing it. And Connie, where can we see you. I'll be back tomorrow on Total Access, filling in, filling yes, and then Good Morning Football Weekend on Saturday, and then I'll be in Kansas City on

Sunday for Game Day morning. Look at you, yeah, superstar, getting the miles in, getting that quap to, getting that working. All right, let's go Ricky, where are you gonna be right here, cranking, keeping Connie Box, the mailman. The old Boss was behind the glass