Radio Row Day 1: In the MINDS of Super Bowl Figures and new Hires

That was his window to come in with his first comment. He's sitting on his first comment. We're getting ready for it to come in here. We got Well, I'm just I'm letting this super Bowl come to me. I'm not, you know, demanding that it unfold in a certain way. I'm still um, you know, it took like a drove from my house here and typically here's Mike. Can I tell you what I'm a little annoyed by out of that? Say? Typically, um, I have viewed like the each year has its bio

rhythms with work and with life. Typically I'm on like night two or three of a nine days stay in a hotel and you need this hotel week multiple ways you've been around your family a lot, way too much. You can shape it however you wish. I just I feel that that's you know, I'm playing from behind, but I'm starting to feel and I like a little bit more. You could shape it how you wish. But that's exactly what Mark is saying. I need to get away from

my family, stay in a hotel in another city. I allow it, but that's I mean, I think everyone understands what happen, Ricky. How are you? I'm doing good? Yeah, doing well? Doing well? Is my hair crazy? You look super Bowl ready? Really? Yes? I thank you? Maybe Dan, you were like yelling at the beginning because there's the convention center. It's big. It's very quiet right now, but that you know that you're trying to bring the juice

to the room. You're trying to fill the room. Famously, I said before we came on that it's Sessler week, Mark super Bowl week. He's gonna be plugged in and hypercharged. So I'm trying to match Sessler week. You guys, we went and ordered to coffee, and I Dan, I got you and me the same thing, got a nice vanilla latte, and Mark orders to the coffee guy. He goes, can I get the most basic coffee known to mankind? And the guy was like a black coffee and Mark was like,

that'll do sex week. I am asking for what I want. Yeah, but like the way you ordered it was just interesting. I was very cordial. There was a laundry list of like all the Italian coffees, and I just said, I'll take the thing that I would take. There's someone else sitting on the couch park Sssler's left. I mean, she's a rising star. What else can be said? I feel like in the sky. The first time she was on our show, I t her up that way and since then,

somehow even deeper into the stratosphere. She's gone. She is the host of Benched with Banetta. She is Rachel Panetta. Welcome. Why is it so quiet in here? It's weirdly quiet? But you know what, speaking of bio rhythms, We've been

doing this for so long. This is I think our tenth Super Bowl together on site for the Around the NFL podcast, and it's always super chill and borderline, you know, spooky early in the week and then the creepy vibes giveaway and then Thursday, Friday remember the first radio row Mark and I did when we were in Indianapolis for our first Super Bowl and we were stationed right next to the NFL network set and we're interviewing Madonna and Adam Sandler. It was like, it's I don't quite sense

that right now. Well, we were real, we were genuine journals back then, um grinding NonStop. I mean at this point, there's I don't even recognize that it was trademark. Justin Jefferson was walking around here a little early with quick tiny shorts. By the way, I lied on my podcast, I said that there was I was like, sorry, if you're hearing some crowd noises, this place is bump in their celebs here. I have not seen one, but I wanted to make it feel cool. But I'm glad that

you guys. Just that's the magic of radio. You created your own truth in there and non truths. It's the world that I was living in. Yes, No, I just uh this scene. It's like I took a lesson from one of the great performers of our life, him ice Cube. On Sunday at the NASCAR race, I went to and maybe the crowd people, the crowd seventy thousand people weren't interested at all. It's a huge venue. But you know what, ice Cube didn't care. Like he filled that colar scene.

He went all out. It didn't matter what was his surroundings like, he was full Cube. So the parallel is you are ice Cube trying to take inspiration. I actually got to hang out with ice Cube a bit because I covered the Big Three. So I traveled from Random City to Random City with ice Cube and just noted friend of show because he was on our podcast once for twelve minutes in our studio. Maybe the biggest guest

in the studio. He's a big and probably Yeah, one of the more awkward photos I remember after the interview, Um, rachel um, take us through everything. It's it's a whirlwind for you. How is bench with Benetta going? I liked the title, By the way, I was thinking about this earlier that so many of my favorite memories UM as a high school athlete was sitting on the bench talking with my friends. Yeah there's a connection there, well, I was, as I was just telling Greg, I'm still trying to

convince myself that I should have a podcast. So that's been a little bit of a listen everyone has everyone does, but do they need to have them. No, it's been fun. It's been a lot of you know, just it's a challenge to come up with a new show every single week. So I'm just kind of like learning the ins and outs. And I was asking him some advice, and what did you say? You you you guys stunk for a while. I think, well, you're asking were you you know, okay

running full sprint right out of the gate. And I was saying, no, if we went back to listen to our first year, we would be horrified, uh, and that we were much better now. It's like it takes a while to get it does take what weird time to launch a podcast right before the Super Bowl because now we have the whole off season to kind of figure

a thing about. I do have a question for you, though, like if you are if you're looking at you know, there's four of us here and that attached to this show, um in your mind of like big guts, what would be the order that you would bring us on individually, not as Mark goes with this, I think everywhere, because you just would like have so much positive energy. At the end of the bottom of the list, you're number one. You don't have to say anything else. This is just

Mark does with every guest. Typically, he just wants to be positive energy right off the top. That's what Very few guests have answered the question correctly, because they've answered it honestly. I'm not sure there was an honest answer, but I'm good. Wanted to get it over and done, okay, And I think there is a little apples and oranges and check out bench with Banetta because when we started the podcast, none of us really had any experience on Mike.

Rachel's been doing this for a while. No, shut up. I'm not used to having this sounds silly, but it's like for the last few years, I'm used to asking people what their opinions are, and to have your own is a little bit scary. Okay, so it is bad right now, it's bad. You just don't admit that publicly. No, I will admit it right here. It's it's a bad podcast. But you stay along for the ride. Get in, Get in while we're low because where you can only go

up from here? All right, So, Rachel, we only have you for a few minutes here because you're very busy. It was very it was very good. Fortunately. Oh wow, yeah, I could go it could be bad, yeah, because you could show up orange. Right, that's yeah, you're gonna match the cars. Hopefully not gonna happen. How do you know when to stop? Right? Don't? I've never done it. Just do you have previous experience with this shop for this operation? Yes,

I've got How did on two other times in my life? Um? Yeah, you just just go low, just go the lowest setting and then hope, hope. For one time, I did it before a flight to Vegas. I was like, I'm going to Vegas. I'm like, so pale, I need to have some color. And then I landed and I went to the bathroom and I actually audibly screamed because it was it had just been cooking. I was flying from Toronto to Vegas. You're supposed to wash it off, like after a few hours, and I didn't know that, and it

just kept on baking my skin. And so then I went into the airport bathroom and I was like, Jesus Lord, I've made that mistake before. To where you leave. You know, the undergarments on when you're in men, you're supposed to strip all the way down. They spray, they you don't want lines. But I was, you know, I kept on, Well, what am I gonna say? Like, Oh, I kept my thong on and it was on my side, and then I was in a bathing suit in my spray tan underwear.

It was horrible. I think you painted the picture the first thing. I don't want more detail. We're gonna we're gonna sign some massive contract NFL around the NFL, and we're going I'm going to get extensive cosmetic surgery. I Am going to bleach my teeth and turn orange, uh the highest setting, and then show up for our first show after sunning huge contract. Totally different that man that married Liza Manelli like you, you're just gonna be take that out of my memory. But all right, So that's

what we're gonna do with Rachel. We've got a lot of show to get to. There's a lot of news to hit. The personnel carousel is slowing now and many of the big chairs, all the big chairs, maybe not officially, but it's anything every coaches, ye, that is a done deal. Now it's the mad scramble of course for assistant coaching vacancies, and that's happening now as well, and all the other news. Uh. And then uh, but before we do that, since we

have Rachel here, this is super Bowl week. There are a lot of very interesting figures across the spectrum, whether it's on the field. Have we said super Bowl fifty six is on Sunday? Have we said we didn't cover too much last week? But you did say it to start this show, Ricky, do you have anything? Did you What did you say? Oh? Yeah, yeah, Superowl fifty six. Since we're here and we are allowed to say the word super Bowl, Um, you guys, I have to make an apology to you and to our listeners. Um I,

there's no excuse. I totally dropped the ball last episode. We weren't allowed to say the word super Bowl. And at the end of the show I came on and said, how boring you guys were because nobody did your chest about Yeah I did, and Greg did say the word super Bowl around thirty three minutes in and I totally missed it. And I missed it an edit and everything too, and and there's no excuse. Are you gonna get sued for this? No, I'm just apologizing. I'm just taking responsiding

to the social media. It wasn't just one either. I thought it was just one. So you just got the apology. We're gonna need another getting lazy. I mean we were used to Erika not remotely listening to the show, but when when she advertises it at the beginning, then it's a difficult. Yeah, Dan said it as well, he did, you did, but that's all we're allowed to say. Listen, that wasn't my job. That was your job. My My job was with the boys to to create the content

you were supposed to hold accountable. You're totally right, So the apology for the apology. I'm so sure you guys that I made an apology the wrong way, and I just want to let you know that I'm really sorry and I take full response. I'm really accountability trails only your laser focus. So we we are good from here on out. We're fine, according to me. I'm you could see an Erica's eye. She's like, how am I going

to bury? Like I'm trying to be nice, Like the way Greg's crossing his legs is like throwing me off, and like I'm just sort of weirded out, so I'll destroy a lot of lower body actions are different. We're on this beautiful I heart radio set and usually we're underneath desks, so this is a different kind of body language check. Everybody seems pretty good right now, heavily man spreading? Is it too much? Luckily your laptop is in the way, so I have to deal with it. But it's there.

I'm gonna tighten it up a little bit. And now we're gonna get into our top lodged up against your loins, and I'm just saying I'm observed. I was gonna For the first fifteen minutes, Mark's eyes were just drifting down to my laptop is looking at It was weird. It was kind of weird. All right. It is Super Bowl fifty six week Bengals Rams Sunday. Before we get into previewing of the game, we have a skill, we have a m It's a supernatural ability of the show actually

to get inside the head of people. And here they're inner monologue. So this is what they're actually thinking, These are their thoughts. This is this is nothing filtered, because we all go through life filtering how we actually feel. Like some people. Greg Rosenthal, for instance, I don't even know what that means. I speak what I how I feel when I want a lot of rest of us are kind of like measured. You don't want to say everything you feel because you put yourself in trouble. Greg,

is that accurate? All that was the nicest thing you've ever said about me, So I appreciate it. You got a buddy, so Erica, can I please have uh the what is it? You're a pretty you're pretty little hat? My Kentucky Derby hat? Yes, said, can we get like a Super Bowl fifties six hat or like an NFL helmet? Really sell the segment? She gives me a hat that her mom bought from Marshall's in ninety That's a Marshal's by, that's Marshal's. It's TJ Max number one, a hat for

a female plowman's jets. And she's not gonna like that. You make all right? Just yeah, cut this out and post alright, So now ten names in this hat all key figures in the super Bowl. And you will take a name out of the hat, and you will take on that persona and share your innermost thoughts. And I will tell you, yes, I did cook up the names, but to keep things fair, I didn't give it any

other thought. So it's just it's got to be your inner monologue now filtered through this person's inner monologue, and share it with the word is Mark going to do a voice? No, I don't like, I don't know. I mean, I'm just saying I don't. I don't even know. Could get weird, They could get rags sticking in his hand. Used to take me to Marshal's and just lead me on section for like two hours and just shopping Marshal's.

And I'd go around the whole store with a cart, pretending it was a car, and I'd come back like twenty minutes later. She'd be at the same rack. It was Child's music. Sorry, rache Al, Right, here we go at what do you get? I so I tell you who it is? I'm Joe Burrow. Great, Oh yeah, we should guess. All right, let's all right, let's pretend we didn't hear that it was Joe. Okay, who you got? I don't know? If guessing, and I'm gonna I'm gonna enter the mind of Joe Burrow starting now. Man, everyone's

just making such a big deal of this week. It's like all anyone's doing is talking about us, and that the Bengals have never been here and all this stuff about the past, and like, I don't get it. This is just what Joe Burrow does. He goes third he uh he moves away from the pastors like people are talking about Von Miller Aaron Donald coming after me. You think I'm worried about a couple of Hall of Famers.

I just got sacked nine times against the Titans. You think I'm worried about the worst offensive line to ever start in a Super Bowl. I've been doing this all year. I'm Joe Burrow. I know the Westling Brothers are coming to this game, by the way, and I've had them in my mind all year. Uh Is I'm not just a quarterback. I'm I'm a leader. I'm someone that's leading the entire city of Cincinnati out of thirty five years of mediocrity. I'm getting emotional. We have a time ever

since Sam Wish was the Bengals coach. I'm not just taking the Bengals team out of out of mediocrity. I'm taking entire city. So whether you're with me or you're not, it doesn't matter, because I'm gonna be Joe Burrow. Out of the head of Joe Burrow. I respect it. It sounds like here, it's got a lot of confidence. That man, that's what I took out of it. All right, I'll go next wants I think, Yeah, let's gus. That can be fine. Take a guess. Well, no, you have to

start to do the act first. Who think it is? We're the worst game ever. If we were guessing it before, it was like, I don't know, that's like spoken word trades. All here we go? Whose house? Bang? The Rams announcer? You obnoxious Rams announcer? Hey? Am I allowed to be at this game? I guess it's so fast? The Rams announcer. First down, guy, do you want to know right now?

Or after him? No, you can finish it up. This is Rams p a announcer who screams whose house and other madness for forces because it's not tech Rams home game. We don't get that guy. He's gone. Yeah, but I really deserve that. The Bengals are the home team. My pipes, they're so strong. So this is what I was getting at before about voices and stuff. Tricky line. Whose house? I'm really glad Dan got that one. Invite me please? What's more obnoxious? Whose house? Or who? Dey? Um? It's

a tight contest. I think knows how such a volume. I like them both. I like people. I like the crowd yelling at things. They both happened natural. They should put and that guy, I'm sure he's a great guy, but they should put him in the five hundred section at the very top. See what he can do and cover his mouth. We were just both in the five section. I've never and we were all there, right, I've never I was also a little hungover. I've never felt volume

the way that I felt up there. It was glad people get on the rams fans for you know, not being a great crowd, but it was loud in there that night. We will be back. We are in the ox box. Um, you guys are gonna be there. This breaking news. But we're in the super box for the super Bowl, so we'll be up in there in the I like that actually better than the press box. A little antsy and I picked mine already and start processing what you might You can't take it until all right,

she's a guest. See if you can guess who this is? Yes, you know underneath it all like it's been um very successful year, and I you know, I know, I saw you trying to look at this by the way, Dan okay, and back and back into it. I don't I don't forget um, all these Johnny Come Lately's that are now patting me on the back, trying to pet my hair, tell me how knowledgeable I am before the season, I was a piece of trash to them. I know who it is, should we It's Zach Taylor. But continue on

the character. Come yeah, let's see it kind of like underneath it all, I'm kind of agitated and annoyed with um, with you know, the collective um Cincinnati media that wanted to wheel me out of town, um prior to us going to the super Bowl for the first time in a billion years, un thankful Bengals fans. But I'm gonna try to rise up and be um a little more. UM. I'm gonna I'm gonna seize the moment because I I've clear really have the skills to do that. I've won

over this locker room. UM. I do remember that someone on a podcast two seasons ago cited me as a Coach of the Year candidate. UM prescient, maybe a year before it happened. Uh. And I do remember that individual that was that was an important individual from the Around the NFL podcast who came up with that prediction two August ago. It's like one of the mark now is trying to settle some scores, Marcus trying to spiked the football on a massively incorrect prediction two years ago because

they went to in thirteen that year. I think sometimes, you know, I get that that that individual football analyst, he can't tell when he's gonna see something correct. Is it gonna happen that year or maybe the next year it's going to happen? And I do I do say, that's one of the few people in the media that had faith in me. That's probably That's all I'm thinking about. This is Zach Kyler a million years old? Did you say,

Johnny come lately? Yes, Well, he's you know, he he I take knowledge from all sorts of sources old and he Zack. Zach Taylor famously love his elders. And this analyst you're talking about much older than Zach. You should audition for U S and L. You really do great character. He's plugged into an outlet. I don't know if I believe that You've just said, all right, good job, Zach Taylor head coach of the Bengals. Really, I feel like I know him better after that, or in a new

way at least Alright, Benchant, this is my turn. I don't know what this guy sounds like. Um wait, wait a second, Jim Rome just walk by. Jim Rome, smaller in person, very petit. They're saying that about us too. You guys are like man, smaller men. The security guards looking thank you for looking at him. Okay, I'm I'm very young. I'm very young. I'm new here. Um, and you know what, I'm gonna win the super Bowl. Watch this. I'm gonna go finish this off, and I'm gonna win

the super Bowl. I'm very confident I'm gonna win. I'm gonna win the FC Championship. Watch this, hey, watch this? Well, I mean, do I hit a buzzer? No, we're not gonna I'm not gonna even minutes long like you two did when you tap into an I'm done. I've got I've got leg muscles for days. I've got cats strong cat Hey do some character work. He's from Alabama. Give a little twin, a little twin, a little twin. H Hi, hey here, watch you're making my boy, You're making my

mouth turn. Hey, hey, hey, look at here. Boy. I want you. I'm going, I'm gonna win. I'm going. We're going with the a f C Championship. Boy, Oh my god, We're going Wednesday. Proul Boy, Evan McPherson, everybody. That was my favorite. As you can tell, Rachel's done a lot of improv work because I have You've been in a film, of short film, I've been in the movie before. He has an indie film cry Wow, good actress and What's

the Name of the people can. When Mark found out that we were hiring you at the NFL, he actually immediately went back and watched everything You've ever been in, Creepy pass Erica, the Marshall's hat. Hey, it's like really nice. By the way, my mom the Marshall's Mom's story that that led to some abandonment issues in my life. So on our podcast again, I'm just saying, you said it wasn't a good story, but it meant something to me.

Go ahead, all right, I got it. Everybody always says that I was the boy genius, but I've I've lost my touch or I'm getting a little too timid when it comes to play calling. I'm not playing. Nobody talks to Seawan McVeigh while he's thinking sorry. Okay, And I took my team to the super Bowl with Jared Goff. Okay, it was Bill Belichick in these Patriots and and it was a really great defensive showing. I mean, the score

was so low people were talking about it forever. And now I'm back, okay, and I'm in my town and I'm in my city, and I doesn't even get his own parking my house. And yet you know what, I took my shirt off during hard knocks and everyone faulted me for Rose and the pool. But now look who's laughing. Now I'm gonna be shirtless after this game too. Heading to the streets. They're gonna be throwing a parade, and I gotta rasp your voice. They're gonna be throwing a

parade in my name. I'm gonna hit that club, Delilah. I'm gonna go out with Obi J. What DiPT you do in my hair? And I'm dating a model. My life is perfect, It's only missing this one thing. Shiit Lombardi Trump, Yeah, wow, I wanna I have a couple of good ones in here before we say goodbye. To Rachel. I want to give I want to give one out. I'm gonna actually, you guys want to pick one for

Rachel to do put her on the spot again. All right, here are the options a method actor, guys, I could barely do us other an accent on Michael's Oh yeah, welcome to the ground, Eminem m hm, Zach Taylor, Well I put that back in there. Why would you put it back in? I don't know, the first time wasn't great. Why would you? All right, well, I don't know how the game works. Matt Stafford, I don't know how the game work. The oicron variant Kelly Stafford. Ho about Kelly Stafford.

I think either o Macron or eminem would be good. And also this last one, I didn't put this one in. It says Erica's thirtieth birthday Thursday. I can do this. I can do this. Okay, third birthday is don'tbody have any s white cloth surgeons? Does anybody have anyone close surges? Because it's all I drink. Yeah, it does. I've definitely. I don't know what you were saying at the bar that one time. It was something close to that, and that's embarrassing. And I kept going back to you, Jim,

do you want to you want to pick one for Rachel? No? No, that was good. What We're gonna just keep having her do one after any needs to hear em would have been fun. Alright, it's over. Thanks for having me, guys. Rachel benched with Banetta NFL Network. She's going to be all over. Will you guys come on my podcast one time? I think we've cleared that up. Yes. By the way, they're here. The setup text to you was about a home and home. Yeah, but I just figured you guys

were doing a million things. I don't like asking that was literally next to you while you recorded your whole show. No, we'd love to be on your show. We're here, Oh my gosh, what but everything are you all trying to? Everything has to line up perfectly for us to do. You can come on my show, all right? There she goes, there, she goes the super Bowl. I want to hear Dan vl Michael's though. Okay, it is it's a big moment.

What is sound Michael sound like? By the way, Oh, Michael, I I saw that actually, and um it was faced up and I was like, I'm not taking that on because I have no idea. You're gonna need to sound like him, and I have no idea how to do that. Yeah, all right, I don't want to do with that. We're not we're not gifted voice impressionists. I could do I could do pacy with her from Dawson's Creek Dawson Dawson Dawson.

What about Chris Collins killban missile Crisis of dead ra al Right, all right, well he's not a robot, but okay, let's let's take a break and hit the news. Don't have a workout and go and post it on Instagram the next day, and then go and sit on your butt for four days. No one thinks you're working hard, but you're really not. No work in silence, don't don't show everybody what you're doing. You know, let your let your your game on Friday nights and Saturday nights and

Sunday nights. Show all the hard work that you put in. Don't worry about all that social media stuff. It sounds familiar. That is Joe Burrow. Will he be a legend of the Midwest by Sunday night? Is he already? These are all questions there. It is a it's a grand story, isn't it. The every NFL season is just a long winding narrative and it comes to an end. Uh with Bengals Rams and don't forget coming up later this week. We've got three shows and an NFL Network program later

in the week. But we've got three shows, and Mark will after I have collapsed in the playoffs and the pick them challenge, the lock challenge. It is Mark's right in a deadlock tie to choose the winner in his mind, and I will go, as a nobleman into a lock off. There will be no time I mean that's your words, noble.

There will be that feels like the opposite of noble, that you're just giving up on making any choice and you're probably not backing the Bengals and and robbing yourself of what do you mean I might be backing the Bengals. I have to see what. Yeah, I'm fine with the plan. When we had a um Thie potential tie scenarow during Patriots Eagles, um you had caught up to me and picked first that time. So at least it is sort

of to your home and home. And by the way, Nick Wesley, who we saw this weekend, Um was very forceful with the concept that he's only one behind me, so if things went south, he could wind up somewhere else. There could be a three way tie for the Nick who at the Rams. Yeah, Nick fell uh to in cornhole at Lakisha Uh and west manor I just want

to put that out there. But Nick was hoping of coming through the back door and get a tie, and that would mean that Mark and I would both lock up hypothetically the Bank the Bengals, and then Westling comes in and locks up the ram Ms, and then the Rams win and it's a three way time. No, Nick, thanks for playing. You're not getting a share of the trophy. It was a tad far fetched. It comes down to Cessler and I and I'll let Fate handle it. Hands

are washed. It's decision. It's like a PIX competition, and Mike, even I've got I've got the back to back solo trophies, You're still looking for your first solo trophy. So I know what it's like to to get to the end and you make your your own pick. You're gonna want to make your own Greg. You are a voice clinging to the past. You are very very much like the Patriots. There was something there, it was special, but that has gone and over. Let the let the two men vying

for the title work things out. I don't write or like the Tennessee Titans here during Super A Week offering their opinion on how the game. Just doesn't know. Yes, yes, they will be probably here on radio row getting paid by certain sponsors. I think Henry Yeah, will be plugging vitamin water. Later. You will have guests, we'll have previews, uh, breaking down the game. But let's get into the news. Harry Sanders right there, see, I mean like people are

people are here, Sanders looks the same. How could Sanders play twelve years in the NFL on astro turf, taken two seventy carries a year and be fifty four and look younger than I do. I don't. That doesn't seem fair, but I guess he's one. He's an all time athlete. That's part of the It's not a normal it's not a normal um like he's an all time Like the guy that is twelve feet away from us right now is one of the greatest football players to ever walk

the earth. So you don't let that magic wash off you. Dan like the twelve year old Danny Boy would be very impressed with what's happening right now. Well, that's what I'm saying, right, I'm just trying. That is one of the fun things a Super Bowl week is you see all these people, and had Greg ever been twelve, he would have similar feelings. I love me some Barry Sanders because my team at the time was so bad. I I put myself on other teams too, because you had

to enjoy, you know, watching other teams. Barry Sanders and Randall Cunningham, I would say we're the two most exciting players of their era. Come on, all right, let's get into the news. Let's yes the coaching carousel. The personnel carousel is slowing to a near stop. The Houston Texans have filled their head coach vacancy after much hand ringing internally, promoting defensive coordinator Lovey Smith to head coach. Josh McCown

once again was in the picture. David Culley never seemed to have a chance and when he was let go despite doing some positive things. So they bring in Lovey Smith, who obviously had some really nice moments in the early tenure with the Bears. But that's ten years ago. I think it's I think it's something Greg you right off the top, especially where we are now, what's going on in the league. The hiring of a black coach is

a good thing. Uh if you are, though, if you're Texans fan hoping to for a hire that excites you, I don't know if that's Lovey Smith. Well, because of the process that they took to get to Lovey Smith, I actually think you could make the argument that Lovey Smith is a guy that could be hired again. He's that many games over. You know, they haven't been good

in Chicago since he was gone the one year. Yet in Tampa people kind of forget that he is a two time head coach, you know, they they went from three wins to six wins or like, he's not an exciting head coach, but he's a normal head coach hiring. The reason it doesn't smash past the smell test, it's because he wasn't one of their finalists, because he was in the building all last year and never once was

he brought up as a potential future head coach. So then you get into this setting of we've got three finalists for the job. One of them is Jonathan Gannon, the Eagles defensive coordinator. He's not gonna get apparently. The other two are Josh McCown and Brian Flores. Brian Flores who has a track record with Nick Kissario and Jack Easterby from the Patriots that the lawsuit from Brian Flores

drops after the interview. The other one is Josh McCown, who many insiders who seemed to always have a good beat on the Texans. I don't know if that's your guy easter be Mark or not. I really believed that was going to get the job Josh McCown. The Flores suit happens, and suddenly it doesn't seem palatable to hire Josh McCown as a head coach in the NFL, and

so you give the job to Lovey Smith. And this is again just me surmising, and they pushed back against this idea, but you conducted a very public head coaching search and not at one point was Lovey Smith ever believed to be part of it. So it's not that hard to put one and one together. And it just to me is unfortunate because this Texans organization has kind of been a mess for the last couple of years

and this feels like a continuation of it. Nikos Sarrio didn't even forcefully acknowledged that Lovey Smith would be back as defensive coordinator after the season. I think Greg nailed it. I mean, you learn a lot about these teams um during these head coaching searches, how the process goes out,

what information comes out, what it reveals about them. I have to look at this and wonder, like, is this centrally Lovey Smith being lined up for another transition type year where you know next offseason they'll get the guy they really wanted. I mean, Jack used to be at this point is on to his third head coach and if you count Bill O'Brien, third GM in a very short tenure. What I what I think the Texans have revealed themselves to be, and it's a surprise to no

one is a disorganized mess. And I mean I don't think that Levy Smith is a bad candidate necessarily, but for him to come out of the out of the at the sphere this way speaks volumes about what Houston's I'm with you and if if that is what this is, it's another placeholder higher We'll see. We don't really know, but all I can tell you is this, it's a uninspiring higher. It's rare for three a guy to get a third job absence some type of like super Bowl

title or something that really sterling on his resume. He did take Rex Grossman to the Super Bowl. Okay, that was a long past time ago. I was saying that that's almost like winning the Super Bowl if you made it a great defense, and he deserves credit for that. But he went eight and twenty four with Tampa Bay,

and I know we don't follow it very closely. He goes to college, uh and for Illinois, he goes seventeen and thirty nine over five years, gets fired there and then their defense was ranked thirty first last year, and it's just like, okay, we hire Lovey Smith. Okay, I thought that there. It's interesting because I actually thought their defense was pretty well coached d v O A stuff like e p A, stuff like that. They were closer to average after their buy over and had no had

no personnel. But that, to me, it's all sort of beside beside the point to the process, which felt like a joke, and you can't give the benefit out to this organization because of what's happened over the last handful of years. So when it looks like something and it feels like something, and and the McNair's, you know, step up and they and they hire love Smith in the

in this way like well we'll see. When Ian Rappaport put out the report that Lovey Smith's gonna be there coach for it really felt like the four thing wasn't put there accidentally, and that maybe it's gonna be account in the future. Who really, who really knows, but it sort of just was so fitting today, um during the press conference that they couldn't even get through that without

an embarrassing moment. I would say the last few weeks with a number of different candidates, and that was pretty fluid. I think this process in and of itself is very fluid. And we have got a fire, Yeah you do. Don't we use the elevators? Yeah, harborer of doom. Very emblematic though. Yes, all right, So that's what's happening with the Texans. We have another hire to share time for news and notes presented by up work, where you can build the team

that will build your business. Learn more at up work. The Miami Dolphins they have a new head coach, Mike McDaniel, the forty Niners offensive coordinator, gets the big chair in Miami. Uh, this is a higher that Mark. I think a lot of people see as a positive McDaniels somewhere someone the

Kyle Shanahan has brought everywhere he's gone for years. Uh. It was his first year as offensive coordinator this season, and San Francisco obviously is a team with Shanahan there that is, you know, people look at their offense is something to get behind. So McDaniel, known as a bright mind, do you like this higher for the Dolphins? I do. I think like I'm probably preordained to kind of um love this coach on some level, and I have for

a couple of years. And I think if anything, I mean, we get that the Dolphins are a bit of a They're going through a lot right now and we don't even know you know, ownership on down what will happen down the road, mynes, Let's go what's up? Alright, that's your boy Mark that Well, here's the thing, Like did you see the him face timing with Ta on the airplane?

Did so? The thing about him? I just think that like what I like about the higher in general wify that allowed him to face time on the plane that he was on the Ross Jets. That unusual, but it's the first thing he did like he sub typically. But I guess he wasn't flying commercial. I don't think he was. I don't think he wasn't packed in like some you know, like this wasn't like an American waterlix on a standard WiFi signal. I mean that that is what we should

be digging into here, this aspect of it. I'm just saying, I think it's great for tu Uh. The Dolphins have not had like a top ten offense in like twenty five years, and they've had issues all over the place on that side of the ball, and this is why you hire. I mean, like I I like, I like the move and that he didn't call plays in San Francisco. But I will go back to that anecdote that when we were hanging out with those Niners coaches, that they were coming out of the woodwork saying this dude is

like genius level outside the box thinker. He connects with players. I know that he doesn't sound maybe like your typical head coach sound bite wise. I don't care that's right,

like about it. They went outse they went and did something a little bit different here Jones, do you do you know that the Mike Jones reference like the song that that's sort of playing to Mark because I now you're a little older than than Mike McDaniels too, you know, Greg, I'm not even gonna like, do you understand that if you said that to someone else in our company you would be taken in a body back to HR. I

absolutely awesome. I promise you that I am going to report Greg for ages um after this you think it was, after the complaint is formally filed. Can we when they book the conference room for like the deposition or however it works, can we get the podcast equipment in there and show great offseason content? I assuming that Dan and Erica will back me on this. I want to see all the facts laid out. But can I just say

something like Jones sort of falls in another world? I I'm not really don't try to slither out of this. Can I just say? Is it? Is it a little bit odd? And I understand thirty two big chairs in every job is hard to get and if you have the opportunity to take a job. You take a job, and who doesn't want to play down in Miami or

coach down in Miami. But Mike McDaniel, guy who is a hot name, given everything that's happening in the news around the Dolphins, is this really what you just heard from the previous head coach about ownership, the allegations they're given the fact, think about this, we don't know how things are going to play out with say the allegations about taking Like what if that led to losing your first round pick for three years? Like all this the

ownership change that peris perilous. Way, I wonder and now and now here's a conspiracy theory, Greg, I'll throw it to you on this. I wonder if McDaniel, is obviously a smart guy, had the same potential misgivings and Steven Ross was hey, but f y I Deshaun Watson's gonna be your quarterback like something to really spice up the job a little bit. That is quite a conspiracy. And by the way, and again this is all just based on the allegations. If Tom Brady was hypothetically on a yacht,

is the Shaun Watson somebody were there any communications? Is there more that the Dolphins have connected on that situation than anybody knows at this time. The Watson question is gonna be big one throughout the off season. Is lead like the thing is, nothing's changed there. And by the way, that Lovey Smith job feels temporary in part because they're gonna have fifty million dollars in dead money on their

cap if and when they trade DeShawn Watson. But to answer your question, Mark Dan, I think he would probably take it regardless that you don't need a conspiracy theory A because you believe in yourself and be because he comes from relatively, you know, pretty humble background and it changes his family's life forever. And you you can say that you're gonna have chances down the run down the

road to be a head coach or not. But it's not just getting a raise, it's getting a tenfold But if he believes in himself, he's not going to take a job a year early fearing he'll never get another opportunity, Like if he truly believes in his potential, it just feels like I get I don't know, I think you I think just putting trying to put yourself in that sort of shoes, not not just a tenfold raise, but someone that you change your family's life forever. And there's

no guarantee for that in the future. And you do believe in yourself, so you believe that you can improve these This offense team now I see a very tricky transition. They've put so many resources into an offensive line that is really struggled. It's terrible. And in theory, that's what McDaniel brings you, is coaching that can fix the offensive line.

Like he's the run game coordinator. That's sort of you know, Shanahan's tree is known for taking a little and making a lot with your offensive line, and that kind of fits with TWA. But man, if you look at all the moves they made in the last few years, it's all for like a Flores style defense and a Belichick style offense. And like, that's a hard transition and that could take years, and and there's draft picks and they've spent all this money in weird places that it's it's

not gonna be easy. I don't think it can take years. But we're days away from a Super Bowl featuring a ra MS team that flipped around rapidly immediately under Sean McVeigh um from being one of the more dull visual experiments out there under the previous coaching staff and a Bengals team that was totally disregarded for decades in a mess two years ago. I I think, if anything, if you believe in the coach um, you believe in the

transformation that comes with it. And I just saying those teams don't don't potentially have the handicaps that this team could have a thing's break a certain way. They don't. There's another there's another world where this like maybe like who with the lawsuit stuff. I just think if you're like if you're McDaniel, do you shy away from what could be a very good job a couple of years from now because of that? I think it's choppy waters. Obviously, we don't need to speculate that. He I'm sure he

weighed the pros and con Yeah. I would imagine had a little list with Chris GM has been there for in some capacity for almost twenty years now too, and a lot of coaches have have come and gone, So there is definitely I think some buyer be aware, but there's I think you're a Dolphins fan, you gotta be excited, like to do the show with Andrew Hawkinson. He said years ago, this is the best coach I've ever been under, period, at any position, any place. Mike McDaniel, I think is

like the sharpest. And you just look at the influence that that coaching staff back in Washington has. I mean McVeigh, Kyle Shanahan, Matt Lafleur and uh and Mike McDaniel was also on that staff. He really wild. He's going to be the hype bunny higher of this cycle. Um and a lot of like you're saying, everyone that's ever been in contact with him sees him is a really bright guy. Now it's a lot different when you're in the big chair. I don't know if he's gonna call plays or what

we'll see, but Dolphins fans probably feeling good. But there's a lot of has got to be happy unless he gets like go watch that, go watch that FaceTime phone call, like I think he'll be very can't well, No, that's a whole that's that's the A story. But the B storyline was the conversation, which was slash Um the ultra rich lived differently than Steven Ross has got that nice wife on the plane. He's got fully orange with the bleached teethners like big choppers. I'll know that was news.

The notes presented by up work, the world's work marketplace. Learn more at up work dot com. Let's take a break and get into another higher. Alright, we're back, UH Saints hire Dennis Allen. They promote Dennis Allen, I should say, Alan forty nine years old. It always seemed like this is where this was headed after Sean Payton announced he was stepping away after a decade and a half on the on the job. This is the final head coaching

vacancy filled. I know, the the higher of O'Connell with Los Angeles and Vikings that has to wait till after the game. But yes, they're all uh set now with this higher. Dennis Allen, the defensive coordinator UH for a long time did have a head coach tenure, going four and twelve and four and twelve um with the Raiders before oh and four fourteen and getting canned. Now he gets another shot on another team that it's a lot of work to do here, Mark, you know I don't.

I don't dislike the higher though, because I think this was about um Continuity, like you've already got UM. New Orleans probably culture wise, has one of the better things going on. And I think that Dennis Allen, who Sean Payton and his UM farewell news conference which went on for roughly seven and a half hours, uh name dropped, Alan is like the guy he recommended, highly recommended to take over the job as as a candidate and night

he's been groomed for this UM. The Oakland job was messy, but he also was stuck with like Matt Flynn and Matt Shob in those situations, and I mean there was there if you go back and look at some of the reporting around his tenure. I know the record was bad, but people thought that he did a good job in the locker room with the players. So I just think it's just like Continuity. It's the same staff, it's the

same culture. I think someone like Pete Carmichael Jr. Who's been there forever, takes over an offense that should look similar. So I don't know, mean, does it set like Sean Payton to come back at some point. I don't think so at this point, but I think it's just keeping the Saints. My question. Yeah, this isn't like a bounty gate situation. I think he's got well he's going to

the Cowboys, let's be honest. But I think the question I asked you mentioned like the culture, there is a healthy culture, Well, how much of that was tied directly to Sean Payton? Like what does this team look like without Peyton? There is there really a good culture anymore. I'm curious who their offensive coordinator will be. Pete Carmichael was with Sean Payton, I believe the entire time, which is wild, uh, and was the offensive coordinator for most

of that time. So if if you promote car Michael and they're not saying what they're gonna do, there's some buzz that after interviewing Eric the enemy for the head coaching job, that they might try to get the enemy for the offensive coordinator job because the Enemy's contract with Kansas City is up and there's there's some uncertainty about what's gonna happen there. I I think it's okay that they hired this Allen. Their defense is awesome and they're

gonna try to retain that. But that's clearly what they were going for. Jeff Duncan has been there forever said that Mickey Loomis was looking for two main criteria one or the other, either head coaching experience or familiarity with the Saints system, and he had he had them both. And Duncan really hammered the point home that they don't think that they're gonna blow up their roster. So we may look at the seventy five million they're over the

cap right now and and think like, oh, that's problematic. Literally, this is not an exaggeration. They're seventy five million. There's only like three teams over the cap. They're one of them, and there's seventy million, and Tehron Armsteads a free agent, and the Marcus Williams is a free agent. Many good play. They believe they're gonna keep this defense together. They believe they're gonna get Michael Thomas back. They have to find a quarterback. I think Jamis Winston is probably the leader

in the clubhouse, but who knows. But they they think that they're somehow going to keep this together, and Dennis Allen is the guy to do that. That was my next question, like, what do you guys think who's gonna be the quarterback here? I read so I can't remember where I read him. It was ESPN dot com. They were trying to figure out coaching carousel or quarterback carousel and quarterback quarterback carousel, and someone they threw out the Bucks resigning Jamis Winston. I was like, that would be

wild someone. Yeah, there was a report that they're open to it because Jason Jason like kind of loves Jason Jamis Winston, he drafted him. I think they left on good terms and they might not be able to do any better, but that that would that would be silly. I think it is worth noting though Dennis Allen was probably it is worth noting that part of the I think if you were making a list of the best three defensive coordinators in the league over the last three years,

he would be on that list. So that was worth noting, I will say, I think and that was that was their weakness for so long previous to him, He's gotta call plays, and then like it's like, Okay, Sean Payton's gune. Dennis sound has been a good soldier for seven years. Let's give him the job and see how the next week you get some of the embers of the success. Sometimes Jim Caldwell almost won a Super Bowl. People forget um, George Sefert, like no one really respects him won a

Super Bowl or two. I don't even I think anybody went to like, sometimes it works, you bring in the next Sorry, he just drifted off thinking about when the Cults are fourteen and o and they decided to rest starters instead of go for sixteen and Oh and then they didn't even win the Super Bowl either. Those teams were extremely annoying to me. It worked, they took They were against the Jets in week sixteen and they were like, all right, Peyton's gonna play for a half and then

we're gonna put him on ice. And then they blew that game, lost the next week, went to the Super Bowl, but then got beat by the Saints. See how it all tied back together. You thought it was just going down to jam wide open thread. No, tied it up, all right. The Jaguars, they have a coach. I guess it ended well. They got Doug Peterson. They have a Super Bowl winning head coach. He only he won the Big Game. So we don't have to say that big

game like everyone else. Uh, seemingly around Super Bowl week, we have the rights to it. As the NFL. I can say super Bowl anytime I want, even on shows that you can, right, even on shows I'm not supposed to. I didn't get punished for it. I mean, that's the ultimate. I'm glad I said it. You are a bad boy. I mean, that's another example of why Greg cannot be held down by anyone or anything. No, he's too volatile, too dangerous. You don't know what's going to come out

of the jacket always, right. But I came to you at the beginning before we started the show, and I was like, I think I should make a formal apology to the listeners, to everyone. But then Gregg bringing it up later, Uh, kind of do she move right saying I can say whatever I want. And I mean that I've learned from children. If you don't punish them immediately, then they'll just think they have a green light to do whatever they will. I hope Child Services isn't listening well.

Greg has a lot of complaints UM filed against him over the last Yeah you could, you could, Yeah, my kids could, or you could have a lot of complaints about me as a parent, being the taskmaster would not be one of them. All Right, let's get to a Doug Peterson fell out of favor with the Eagles after that amazing Super Bowl victory a few years back, but he's a guy that has a proven track record. He helped develop Carson Wentz into a star, however briefly that was.

But yeah, he's he's piste off no more because he is now the head coach of the Jaguars and he gets Yes, he joins an organization, uh influx, an organization where you have to have some questions. Trent Balki is still there, but maybe now Rick Spielman is entering the building to displace Balki. On some level, there's still questions around this organization. But at the end of the day, mark, if you're Doug Peterson, I'm back in a big chair, I'm making a ton of money, a butt ton of money.

And Trevor Lawrence still a generational prospect. You basically get a redo for him in second year of his rookie deal. Yeah. I think it's like if you're shot Khan, you don't want to go through the drama of wondering if the next guy you hire um is going to be learning on the job and fumbling and bumbling on the job the way that Urban Meyer it in in like massive scope. I mean, this guy, he's been around the block. I

think it's like a quarterback centric move. Zack Berman from The Athletic, who covered the covered the Eagles forever, talked about Peterson and I think that you know last year what happened, UM like his obviously the shine was off Doug Peterson because that was such a disastrous season for the Eagles where you can kind of forget what happened before and how quickly he helped their offense and what they did. I mean they went to a height the

Eagles had never gone to. But Zack Burman talked about him having kind of emotional intelligence, someone that works really well with um other coaches, that doesn't need to kind of always be the smartest guy in the room or the center of attention. And I I kind of like with this hiring cycle, it's like, all right, Doug Peterson, Like, no, I don't know, he doesn't move the needle. Maybe in your mind he didn't for the Jars, right because he

wasn't one of the finals. But I think him these are the guys, these are the guys that, like two or three years now, he could be the most successful of the coaches. I mean also, I think it helps to the I'm piste off Angelo. You're not dealing with raging a m Philly talk radio. You're dealing with Jacksonville, which is a softer media market. There's time here to

grow it. I don't think Shan Khan wants to one and done scenario every Yeah, I I some people I will say, well, you know, when Doug Peterson was at his high Frank Raik was with him. I get all that. I just think there is some real success, recent success, and the fact that he did help develop wins. Now you have a grown up in the room who has motivated a proven NFL guy to get with Trevor Lawrence. They had to get I thought, not necessarily an outside

the box higher for this. I think he kind of fits the category of what made sense for this move. So we'll see. I agree in the end they got there. It just again, the process doesn't make you feel great

if you're a Jaggers fan. Two of the other fine care Ultimately, I know that I agree with you, but like I do, I do because this is like what you said as a Jets fan when the process was bad to get Gaye, and I think what a lot of fans do to convince themselves when the process was bad, because it didn't take away what the problem is here is that they keep having new coaches every couple of years, that the ownership hasn't made great decisions. I do like

I think Peterson stabilizes things. He's hiring Mike McCoy as the Jaguars quarterback coach. McCoy has not been in the league since eighteen. He's supposedly going to bring in Press Taylor, who was an assistant in Philadelphia under Peterson who was kind of scapegoaded, so when um that went sideways and he's been out of the league like some he's getting his guys back together. And you could certainly do worse.

But the fact that the reporting indicates it was Byron left, which his job he just didn't want to work with Trent Balky, I don't know that worries me. The Nathaniel Hackett and and and ebra Fleus was the guys that they first wanted, and then that ends well, but there is an element of well, at least they didn't botch

it with a really suspect higher you know. I it's not the Texans, right, Uh, And I don't know is the spiel And deal done because he's he's a respected guy that really I thought was a good team builder in Minnesota. I think a big part of this if you are a Jaguars fan, it's like, we gotta get Balky out of a central role as a team builder here. Maybe Spielman comes in. He's a wheeler and dealer with experience.

Maybe things come together quickly. If Lawrence develops, it's gonna be did indicate an executive level higher which has to get approved by the league, because they're adding a level above Trent Bauki is coming and every kind of assumes that's Rick Spielman, he said. Balki was part of the press conference. That was what was weird in Balki is staying. They said that over and over Balky has a series of polaroids that would be disturbed. He's fired four coaches

and it is. It is why they are reportedly also hiring Mike Caldwell as defensive quarter and Mike Caldwell was a defensive assistant with the bus last year. The line higher m j D. I like that our buddy hire him. See what happens, I think called well a former Brown's player, by the way, just throwing that out there. Okay, so I'm on board with it. All right, Let's uh guess what. Some say it's it's early. Some say it's too early. I say it's time to celebrate a trope alert landing

early Super Bowl week trope alert. Everybody, hold onto your butts. Because Kyler Murray unfollowed the Cardinals and removed all Arizona Cardinals related content from his social media a greg and the two thousand twenties NFL. That is akin to filing divorce papers with your team of the time. And don't we know whether it's Jalen Ramsey or Odell Beckham or

Jamal Adams or name this player or that player. When a player now decides he doesn't want be somewhere anymore, he gone, I'm getting ahead of this because there is a glaring hole of vacancy in this offseason landscape for a true superstar quarterback to say, I want to go hmm there. Maybe Kyler Murray his agent were like, we could be that guy in this landscape. I'm ahead of myself here, Greggy, but I like it. I like it too.

Because it's like it's like, hey, we see you, Russell Wilson, humming and holly Oh, Russell Wilson wants to check out what's out there, hemming and high, and it's like, we know what you're trying to do. You're trying to have your cake, Russell Wilson. I'm Kyler Murray. I'm just gonna put my my stance out there, jump in the pool. I don't know if I can go so far there. He did delete all of his posts on Instagram except

for two. One of them. One of them was from the Pro Bowl and one of them was from four years ago at Oklahoma. So that's very confusing. People are saying, like, all he deleted all his cardinal stuff. We deleted everything. It seems to be a way to send a message. You are absolutely right. And the fact that he was such a highly sought after baseball player and many believed that he loves baseball more than football. Ads of fun. Mark you might about to get on that Baseball Weekly

beat from ninety six. If Kyler Murray goes back to it's just like a little leverage. I could seamlessly ship back to that job without any issues. Where's Brady Anderson well Mark, he retired twenty seven years old. I'm with you. I'm I'm leaning into this that this is something um that triggers issues. I think number one, they have un till what early may to slap the fifth year option on them. Uh, of course they're going to do that.

I mean, like some people have talked to people inside the Cardinals organization, They're like, this was news to them. They don't know of any discord. But I just assume that there is discord. I'm just going to assume that there are problems. We had a we had a beefy back and forth after the wild Card game where Kyler Murray no showed, the offense no showed the Cardinals no showed, and I think I imagine them being so impenitent as

an attack in the last seven weeks. Perhaps there is more to this story, and maybe Kyler blames Cliff, and if Cliff ain't going anywhere, maybe Kyler's like I ain't sticking around. We got some juice here the baseball and it just got me to follow him too. I just was thinking, well, I should now follow Kyler Murray. Maybe that was the endgame there. Get Greg ros I wasn't saying that, but I'm saying he's certainly gonna get a lot of follows based off of this. I'm sure I

wasn't the only one. I bet he's gotten like a hundred thousand because people now are like, oh yeah, I better be tracking this. Let's head to the blotterer. We have an offseason arrest. It's a big name Alvin Kamara

arrested in Las Vegas for battery resulting in substantial bodily harm. UH. This is a situation the All Pro Saints running back was out partying, I guess for Pro Bowl Week Bowl the night before, and there was an incident in a lobby outside one of those UH nightclubs in one of the biggest cinos, and there's a guy who got a beat down, and the police believe that Kamara was actively involved. There's some video that UM and witnesses that point to Kamara here. So he's going to go through the legal

process and this is something to watch. Obviously, it's a an assault and it could lead to both UH substantial legal issues and even UH suspension from football. So this is not a good Alvin Kamara story, but one to track. Nonetheless, they should have videos because of where it was in the hotel. You you do in circumstances like this with a player like Kamara, who has earned some equity in terms of what he's done in the community and the fact that he's kind of always around the people, you

do think of that. The NFL players are often targets and situations like this. But well, we'll see, hend'll play out right, Yes, the we'll see. I'll leave it at that. And Uh, finally, in the news, Tom Brady, he's got a podcast and he's making news the podcast making news a little bit late, but only if his career actually isn't over. Appearing on the Let's Go podcast. You don't even have to look that up because it's gotten so

much buzz. Later on Monday night, he was asked, I assumed by Jim Gray Jim Gray, uh, if he'd consider coming out of retirement. Brady said, you never say never, can I I want to propose something to you guys, because the spirit of my sandwich prop was that I just can't see Tom retiring like he's got He's such a competitor, he's got so much ability. Still, will you give me a year before you owe the sandwich. Well,

you know he's tired. It he's retired out here. What I'll do is if you want to double or nothing it if you want to put in an extra standward that he doesn't play at all throughout the season, or you get it back in there's I'm gonna. I'm saying, willow you two sandwiches. Ultimately if he comes back, Um, but and there you know if he if he doesn't, then you we're not changing the rules after What do you mean confused? Right now? My wager was that he was not retiring. He was not good. He was not

leaving football. Okay, now he has retired, but he's opened the door. Did you hear the beginning of the new set up here? He said never say never. So if he let's say he comes announced his next February, I'm back. I believe he continues to play. Then the spirit he did retire though, I mean that was he didn't use the word in his post he said stepping away? Has he filed papers? I don't understand why an extension hurts. If you, if you honestly feel your take remains valid.

That he's done and once he thought about it, can and is he going to retire, and he did. He did the little thing. I am concerned though, as as a fan and a fan of sandwiches, which I never tend to get um that that or if he's already talking like this, because the more you I I did listen to a clip of it, the more you listened to it was like, oh man, he's like had a week.

He's already like sounding like he already misses it. And he's like, what I tell you, I never know what challenges are gonna pop up, And it's like one week at home already did that for you. What did I say to two separate programs about the Tom Brady thing that I simply dismissed the idea that he's going to This is someone from the neck up who like his livelihood, his passion, has been seeking like mountaintop experience. Four days

at home, he's probably like, I don't. I'm I love being around my family, but this is not going to perform like all the retirement stuff. Like after watching his own funeral on TV for a week, he was kind of like, I don't like, come board. If you're Tom Brady in this situation, it's like they don't, they don't I just feel like it's not as the prop is not as cut and drives you. I'm willing to table it and think about it. I have to unpack everything that's happening. It's not at the top of we do.

We do have some breaking news though, how related to all this, which which I think is important. The Stitcher top one hundred sports show rankings around the NFL coming in at nineteen. Sometimes we're higher. Some tops. The Let's Go podcasts hosted by Tom Brady not in the top one hundred, so he's gonna have to keep it. He's gonna have to keep this story going to really help out the podcast. It's not really helping them break through

at this point. I mean nineteen though, Like if you were like not in college football and it's like you if you're going to those games, I don't think it's good enough. I will never be happy. A lot of times were like ten tore declining sports overall. We're in decline phase. Let's let's try to get back in the top ten. Let's work on that alright right ahead of the Ringer NFL Show, they're right across the way, so we could just kind of go over there and cut

their wires. Yeah, do something. We let's do some pranks throughout radio. I like that, but you forty something got fantasy and things and giggling, pouring water on equipment. Oh, I just put your computer in a bowl of porridge, Hedge, Hey, let's hit eight o'clock to light porridges back? And what was the quote? Rachel quint it out NFL Networks and Rapperport reports of the Packers are expected to hire rich Vesaccia as their special teams coordinator. Obviously, Besacca maybe got

an unfair shake from the Raiders. He lands on his feet with a great organization. It's another thing Rogers can't complain about. Like we had a problem, look at how we fixed it. Don't keep the kicker, please. Joe Judge has been hired as an offensive assistant for the Patriots. Uh. Josh McDaniels out the door actr years running that show. Also heard Adam Gates connected to New England. But maybe Judge is the failed New York coach hired in this cycle.

I don't like this idea that it's like, Oh, let's build up Joe Jude his resume by letting him be an offensive coach. Speaking of the New York Giants. Don Wink Martindale lands on his feet as you might expect. Uh top defense for years with Wink in Baltimore, and now he takes over the Giants who needed to replace Patrick Graham after he went and took the DC job for the right days. See how it's all connected. I think Patrick Graham did it. Is a really good coach.

He did a good job with the Giants. But Wink Martindale like immediately gives the Giants identity. I like getting some of these guys out of the a f C. East. We're finally getting rid of these Belichick disciples. It's good. Gus Bradley lands with the Indianapolis Colts. I don't really know anymore about that. Greg. You want the hit the audience to that one. I mean, Gus Bradley has bounced around. I think he's done a good job as a coordinator. He did a decent job in the Raiders. That's that's

it's a sensible fit. And finally in the news former Chargers co workers Frank Reich and Gus Bradley, He's back, Baby hit it ricky, ladies and gentlemen for one night, don't ah frags Where's Frags hopefully see her this week. Are great voiceover artist with NFL Media. Sashi Brown is leaving Monumental Sports I don't know what that is and the NBA's Washington Wizards to return to the NFL as president of the Baltimore Ravens, announced Friday, Brown, forty years old,

becomes the third president in Ravens history. Replaces Mark Dick Cass, your buddy who turned seventy six last month, retiring after serving in that role for eighteen years. Mark. There is a lot now, I know Sashi hasn't been connected to the Browns and years now, a lot of Brown's related movement all around our league. Well, I think they have a competent front office now, so you start to pull from that. But it's it's like when Sashy Brown was a thing for us and a thing for the Browns

and they were trying to do something unlike every other team. Now, Sashi Brown just kind of fits in any front office because there it's a copycat scenario and like everyone seems to have their version of Sashi. Of course he's gonna go to the Ravens and the real thing, well, everything that the Ravens, you know do touches turns to gold? So I'm sure are you? Are you a little I don't know, disappointed that he would leave the Wizards high

and dry right before? Well, I think that's the company that owns the Wizards and the mist is I yes, Gregg, that's part of this does not that doesn't sit. But he got a promotion. He's the president now, I mean he's above Eric the Costa, the GM on the ORC chart. Now, he's not probably gonna be making draft picks, but he's definitely making that bank and doing some business. Where does monumental sports? How do they recover from this? They do? They have a succession plan. What happens when a moon

crash crashes into our earth? It's like it's that kind of aftermath to deal with for the monumental sort. They also owned the capital's monumental sports, so that you know they've had a Stanley Cup trophy. It leaves the nation's capital in absolute uproar. How about the Pentagon mark? I know you have strong feelings. Well, they're getting what they deserve on some level. All right, A little come up and for the nation's defense, look at our building, it's

focal points famous all Right. I wanted to hit Greg's Super Bowl QB rankings list, but I gotta I gotta got a bone to pick. UK. We've got a long week of shows, Yeah, we got we got a show coming up, um Wednesday. Let me guess Joe Namath isn't higher high. No, it's not. That's not even the beginning. That's not even the beginning of it. That's not even the beginning of what's wrong with your list? Yea? What? Actually? I don't really I don't have too many strong takes,

but that's a good way to sell it. I have major issues with Greg's Super Bowl QB list, and I'll share them later this week on the Around the NFL podcast. I mean, stitcher up the d all Right, we'll save that for later in the week. Uh, Mark, you can unplug from the socket now because we don't want to overcharge you. We got a long week. You're a live wire. It's super Bowl week. Ye at this point, I completely unplugged.

I go home, do nothing work related, then return here tomorrow when they tell me on prompt um on time on the I do like the vision of we literally unplugged Mark and then he just powers down right in that couch and stays there until we come back to morrow more not far away from It was like a

video we did for one of those Peckham shows. Remember I un plugged you guys and covered you with if we If you have that as an offer, Mark, not the unplugged part, but let's say we were like, you can sleep here on this couch, Mark, You don't have to go back home. You can actually just live here for the rest of the week. There there's bathrooms around, don't have to go through security, but everyone can see me while I'm sleep. Where do I change and do the rest of it? You wear the same stuff every

day anyways? Well, taking you dick resources area too. I don't like that comment. That's about my my appearance and my physical appearance. And we by the way, we had a really great time together on Saturday celebrating Chris Westling. It was the one year anniversary of his passing. And I thought one of the more cute, like the cutest moments in eight en history was I believe it was

Greg tucking in Mark on that couch. Gonzo Gonza was tucking me in and then I I've drifted off into a nice sleep until Colleen banged her entire body into the glass. So the aforementioned when I defeated Nick Westling to seventeen and one on one corn hole, the game was reaching a fever pitch and and Nick was starting to get ten tense, and he did the same thing that west used to do. When you play corn hole, things start to go sideways. Oh man, I'm drunk. I

am so drunk. He's like all right, and he really was anyway even less than you. So yeah, we're about to do a little throw and then there's a shotgun blast and it is Connie Fox barreling into a glass partition, tiny little time the tiny box, all five three hundred and seven pounds slams into the glass at high velocity. A larger person would have shattered that thing. So maybe it's a fortunate situation. But she said she will be

on the red carpet with a pair of bruising. She's about forty yards away from us on a on a neighboring set. And she did say that she had two black and blue knees. I would love to have her one to Colleen, Wait, is she really gonna? I don't know. She definitely had to look in her eye if like I'm getting out, She literally was like, well do lunch Like that means it's I got to admit though it. First of all, it sounded like like the Oklahoma City like was not on the scene that it was so loud.

But I gotta admit there is something that separates Colleen from like myself. For instance. She she's an on air personality at the highest levels for a reason. She bounced back and because no one watched her walk in, but it had to have been extremely painful. It was extremely and within a half second later we all look over and she was just like, oh, don't mind me just walking into the door and then opened the door, cool as a ucomber, like she recovered the way from the circumstances. Okay,

it comes. Hey, take a seat. We got to ask you about something real quick. Look at her. We happened to be what we happened to be. It must be two minutes. We were wrapping up and Dan was telling one of our favorite stories um from Saturday from Saturday Afternoon, the sound of a let's let her get situation, A shotgun blast goes off and the tiny box nearly nearly imploded. Take us through it. How you're feeling right now? Are you day to day? What are you listed for the

Super Bowl? Yeah, it's doubtful, um, But you know, I every day it's getting a little bit better. I've been putting more weight on my leg when I walk. But the whole situation, it all happened so fast, and it was a very early morning for me that day. I was up for good morning football weekend and just power through the rest of the day with you guys. Long day. And you know, sometimes glass it's so clean that you just you see a testament to Lakisha keeping her house

in great order. Or maybe it's her fault, and maybe that's where you were going with that. The problem was the glass really hit my knee quickly, and it's really the glass's fault. It's not I wouldn't blame this on my knee. Um. But what I need is probably one of those stickers that like people that that that are on skyscrapers for birds so they don't run into the windows. I probably need that on every glass door. He gave you a lot of credit though in the Peanut Gallery.

You recovered quickly, You made a quick joke of it. You didn't linger. You got right into there, just like, oh, don't mind me just walking into the door. Once you got on the other side of Glas, because I could see you and she had her face buried in her hand. She's like, it could have been a devastating moment that lingered, but you moved on quickly. I was impressed. And I like I had tripped it off to sleep on that couch and like I was having a dream about being

like in a in the forest or something. It was Gonzo had tucked me in and then bang, Like I mean that part of it was. I mean, does that weigh on you that it sounds like from sleep I did, I did. What were you gonna say? I'm gonna say it sounds like this is like one in the morning. It was eight thirty as a group, and we did not have a late night. We think, yeah, we have

a I have a text. I was I was sadly out of town for a wedding, so I wasn't there this weekend, but I was texting with Lukisha and then all of a sudden, I get a text from Dan that's like I'm in bed ha ha, And it was nine thirties, Like wow, kind of my dream. Yeah, yeah, so my I just kiss on the forehead from Gonzo the way you did Mark. I know, well I got. I went in with certain I went in with the goal and I achieved. An American sports writer was vill

need a broadcaster John Tucking. It was a very sweet moment. Yes, we're gonna need some some photo shops of that our listeners sent to us on Twitter. Please, Collie, you said it all. That's all I needed to say. You'll see collegue. Colleen sent me her schedule for the week, and it's outrageous how in demand she is right now. So even getting her for a few minutes on the on the couch, that is good stuff for you guys. Anything. We love

it all right. And yes we have a show coming up tomorrow, another show on Friday or Super Bowl fifty six preview, Uh, the around the NFL broadcast. Uh we'll air on Friday Saturday. Check your local listenings. Uh. And uh that's it for now, So thank you to everyone for listening. And until Wednesday, you do the thing that Chris Westling told us to do. You know, need the call