The Role of a GM

I finally made it to work. Hey man, But you know, we had a bathroom issue on one of the planes. You gotta get the bathroom fixed, okay for four hour flights. So I'm glad it got fixed. Hold on, is that why they that's why? Yes, it was a bathroom issue. We can't go across the country without the bathroom working. Okay. That's that's another episode of NFL Explained. I gotta tell you we could combine this topic specifically about chartered flights

that NFL teams take and bathroom issues that are there. Nonetheless, it is a brand new edition of the NFL Explained podcast. Mike, Yam, it's my guy, m Rob. Yes, there's a lot to get to and in fact, we actually have a timely episode. You know, a lot of times I always ask hey, like send us your questions, and of course continue to do that. I got a couple others last couple of days.

We'll get to all that. But we decided because of news that doesn't happen all that often in real time, we would react to it accordingly here on the podcast. And if you don't know the news, this week, Week fourteen in the NFL season, the Titans actually fired their general manager, John Robinson, So we thought we'd take a look at the role of the GM, explain what they do the day to day kind of stuff and why it's really significant and why you don't see moves like

this all that often. And by the way, just in case you're wondering, yeah, the Titans actually still in first place in the A it is, although maybe more of an indictment on some of the play by some of the teams in that division. But nonetheless, man, there's still a four seed in the postseason picture, and made this change their four seed. Um, you usually don't see a first place team in a DIVI vision father general manager,

but at the end of the day. It leads me to think that maybe there was a little bit more to this decision, because again the general manager, he sets the vision for the entire organization, so to see this happen. Oh and then on a day after A. J. Brown, who was with that team, just went off eight receptions a hundred and twenty yards. I mean, could it be a coincidence? I don't know. Maybe I don't think so.

I was just gonna I was gonna let that one said because I know what you told me before we started this show, and it was more on that line. You know. It's interesting because I came in yesterday to do the show and once again I was just a point you weren't here. But I'm kind of pulling the curtain back. You know. We got all these like insiders.

We've got people that are like tapped in. We got former players like dudes who just know people, and no one really knows because they all said the same thing. There's probably something that we don't know about here because of the timing of all this stuff. I can't tell you how many people I interact with over the last couple of days that are sort of saying the same exact thing. So it just kind of fascinating here, It's

all I'm saying, and the news trickles out. Of course, NFL dot Com and NFL Network will have everyone covered. But I think we should probably dive right into the role of a general manager and we should point out there are actually people who have the title of GM that are not necessarily in control sometimes of all the player personnel decision So it's a little bit funky. Sometimes not all people who have that GM title are actually considered just that. I know, it's weird, just rolling me

on this one. Okay, Um Dukes Tobin by the way, the Bengals, he's got the title of Director of Player Personnel, Seahawks executive vice president, and GM John Schneider, just a couple of those examples. Sometimes GM is not the all encompassing thing. New England head coach Bill Belichick, by the way, the only head coach who maintains GM power even though he doesn't actually have the GM title. He's he's the GM, he's the boss, He's the big man in charge. How

about that. Kansas City's Andy Reid comes to my Pete Carol in Seattle, Washington's Ron rivera head coaches who have significant power into some player personnel. And then there's one person that I can think of who is maybe the most unique character and I say that respectfully in the league, and it's an owner and Jerry Jones who not only owns a team, but he's calling the shots that stuff. Yes, I remember what was it all or nothing or something? I think the Dallas Cowboys one that reality show a

little bit a couple of years ago. In this life, before every coach's meeting and staff meeting, Jerry Jones had to had to speak to everybody. Fascinating, fascinating. Look, kudos man, if you're the team owner like Jerry is, and you want to give yourself the GM title, and that's his side, Okay, cool, that's your money. Man. You can do what you want to do, and he does what he wants to do.

He does. Okay. So for the sake of this entire episode, just to make it easy on understanding, we're just gonna refer to everyone as GM the rest of the way. Basically, they are the top employee team's personnel department and they got the final say on a lot of things, some of those topics signing free agents, making draft picks, standing current players, making trades, cutting the roster during training camp from ninety to fifty three players, picking practice squad players.

You just sort of said, who like that, that's a big decision. I mean all of the general managers I've come in contact with that I played for, you have personal relationships with these guys, and so you know, cut days one of those days where the business gets in the way of some of those personal relationships. And I always encourage people to check out Hard Knocks because I think they do a great job on this. Over the years, these moments have happened where head coach, general manager on

cut day, like it's it's excruciating. They gotta figure out, like, hey, this dude's not gonna be with this team anymore. And I'm always fascinated how some of these players handled that news and just take it way better than you would think. Well, Yeam's, first of all, this is a business. We're in the business of football. And see when we all fell in love with the game of football. I know a lot of the players and we fell in love with it was when it was a game to us. And sometimes

the business of it gets in the way. But it at least, you know, we don't get a lot of Vante Davis is calling his grandmother right when he got cut. That was hilarious. I called Vernon his big brother, Vernon, what what the hell is talking about? I'm sorry, guys, I digress a little bit, but that was funny. No, there's there's a lot of well maybe not a lot of those moments, but those are memorable interactions when you

see it unfold in real time. But besides some of the player cut downs in the draft and the whole thing, they also managed personnel departments, so you got dozens of employees dividing duties, hiring, scouting staff, analytical guys. You got your numbers people as well, and they also are in charge of sending that long term and short term plan

the vision of the team. They also work a lot of times with the head coaches, but from a player's perspective, and that's the helmet that you wore and Rob, how much interaction was there when you were a player with the actual GM, Well, it's funny. I had a lot of interactions with our general managers throughout the years that I played, and I have to tell our listeners and our viewers, I was always a like a team captain

or a leader on the team. So a general manager, as you said, as responsible for the roster makeup and getting free agents and drafting guys, and so whenever we were bringing a unique personality into the locker room or somebody that maybe people had questions about, oh yeah, the general manager always gave me a call. Scott mccloughen was my first general manager. Drafted me with the San Francisco forty niners, and I saw Scott every single day. Scott used to stand in the end zone like a coach,

like he would sit back there. You would see him take his notes, you know, as a running back. When I would finish through my forty yards and finished through the cone, he would always be back there saying good job or great read or something like that. And what it did was from a players standpoint, it made you feel relevant. It made you feel part of the process. It made you feel like we were all a team.

It didn't and yes's business, and you know eventually we're all gonna be told that we're cutting and we're gonna all be let go, But Scott made it so that it just didn't feel like it was a business. It felt like a family. And then, you know, I Key left with in two thousand and eight or two thousand nine, something like that, and then I had Trent Balky and then you know, Trent cut me. And it's funny because now Trump Balky he's the general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And I was doing an interview down in Jacksonville not too long ago, and then I get a call from Trent like, what's up brother. You know, dude, you got any problems? You know what I'm saying. And I'm like, hey, man, I love you, man, it's all good. I just wanted to tell you about my experience. But you you know, you just have these unique conversations and things like and trents a good dude, and he got a great roster

down there. And then John Snyder with the Seattle Seahawks, he you know, that was a little bit different because again, like when we had Matt Flynn, when we were bringing Matt Flynn into that locker room, he called me, hey, Mike, man, that's what I'm thinking about doing. We're bringing in Matt Flynn. You know, we are no longer have Matt Hassle back and things like that. What do you think about it. We're drafting this kid, Russell Wilson. I think you could

be our starter. I know, we just paid Matt Flynn. What you think is gonna out in the locker room? Is gonna feel if we start Russell Wilson. Just things like that. And John had a presence every single day. He would be on the sidelines during practice. We would you know, squirt World on a mess with him a little bit was you know, he was like one of the guys. So all of the general managers I had had a real presence, and to me, that's what made the business side of things go a little bit easier.

So it's interesting that you put it that way, because I would think it's the exact opposite. When you have a personal connection with someone and it becomes family slash friends and you gotta deliver news that really alters the trajectory of their life. I don't want to necessarily give that bad news versus hey, man, like this is a straight business. We don't have to be boys. Like you'll see me taking my notes, but we're not going to interact, so that if it does get to that point, you

know what, it's just an easier separation. Do I sound like I don't like Kevin bad No, But but that's that that's human nature. I mean it is right, like you don't want to tell your friends the bad things. But see, I've always looked at life a little bit differently. And you know, Snyder and Scott mccluen, those guys are real friends to me, right. I still talk to those guys today. So I always respected the fact that they

had that tough decision. I always knew, when you know, Roger Goodell said my name in two thousand and six, there was a stopwatch on my career, We're all gonna get cut. I knew that. I just always respected the fact that, like when I got cut from the San Francisco forty Niners, I was one of the last guys they called, and they made sure what many people in the locker room, you know what I'm saying, that it was a respecting because I was a captain. The same

thing happened with the Seattle Seahawks. They made sure I was the last guy in the building. You know what I mean. They called me, you know, and it was done in a respectful way. In in the Seattle standpoint, they brought me back. So again, if you understand that there's a business to this whole thing, I think players understand how to handle it. And the football world is pretty small because when you might get cut, it's practice squad, it's you then get called up. Like, there's a lot

of different moving parts. So generally speaking, I want to burn bridges, but not to say that you are it, just you're painting it in a different light. I know it made reference to some of those responsibilities that the gms have the majority, And just to kind of lay this out there, that jority of current NFL general managers twenty four out of thirty two in fact, actually come from a scouting background. That makes sense to me, right Like, I still think of all the things that I listed

as their job. I always think about the draft, I always think about player personnel from a scouting standpoint. It makes sense to me. But to that point, they're the number one scout in the building, so to speak. They have to have a clear vision of what the team looks like and what a roster wants to look like,

and that's a costant communication process with the head coach. Again, I think Bill Parcel said, what do you say you want me to be the chef and do the cooking, but you don't want me to go get the groceries. And that's one of those things where your general manager and your head coach you almost kind of gotta be thinking through the same prison so that your roster matches the scheme and the principles that you want to coach. So you've said the word business multiple times already a

couple of minutes into this show. And I also think because of the business managing, the salary cap is also a huge factor as well. In fact, currently four of the thirty two gm M were salary cap managers, Howie Roseman and the Eagles, Makee. Loomis of the Saints, Martin Mayhew with the Commanders, and Omar Khn of the Steelers. By the way, Roseman, if he's the numbers guy, he's also a shrewd evaluator because some of the moves that he's made this offseason and during the year really impressive.

Oh my goodness, he is in his bags with the kids, like to say, Yams, I mean how we wrote. I mean he probably has this quarterback in Jalen Hurst for the next twenty years. He still has draft capital. If he wants to go get a quarterback next year. He has one of the top receivers in all the football. Oh yeah, and he has another number one receiver and DeVante Smith with all those assets on defense. I mean, Howie Roseman to me, if he's not Executive of the decade,

I mean, he's definitely Executive of the year. I'm with you there. He's definitely on that shortlist. The four remaining gms didn't come from scouting or salary cap So you're like, all right, like, how did that happen? Well? Bill Belichick head coach the Patriots, he wins some games. You get right, that happens? Uh, Jerry Jones to the Cowboys, You're right? The checks got a billy at all about at that point. John Lynch ad himself pretty good career, fifteen year Hall

of Fame NFL career as a safety. He's with did you hear how he became general manager? Liked he was on a podcast that I did before and he said, Yo, it was like I knew that for the Niners had an opening. I knew they loved Kyle Shanahan. So I hit Cole up, like, yo, let's do this man. This is what I want to do. This is how I think the team should be, he said. Kyle hit me back a couple of days later, like, man, you really want to do it, Let's do it. And that's how

I became the general manager. And I think from a player's standpoint, again, I love the general managers that gave me opportunities in the National Football League. But to have a former player knowing that he's leading your organization, knowing that he knows exactly what you go through, that's powerful and it resonates in the locker room. And they put together pretty good team right right now. Man. The roster,

I mean again, that's one of those things. And I know we're gonna talk about until axis, but that's one of those things where, yes, you know their quarterback situation right now with Jimmy Garoppolo going down, but it almost don't matter who quarterback years man, because scheme and roster they're pretty legit. You and David Carrs in Potico said the same thing. Actually on Anti I was like, damn all right, because he was like, Hey, we made this all this big thing about you know, Brock Purty and

he's you know, Mr Irrelevant. The last pick in the draft if you don't know what Mr Relevant is and just all of a sudden he's got some success and and he's gonna have he's gonna have some opportunity to play some world time, big time folk. No, I'm with you. And one other GM by the way, who also didn't come from scouting, as well as Quasi Adopho men Saw, who actually started in analytics with the Niners and then became the VP of football Operations with the Browns, where

he worked on roster strategy. So I guess the short way of describing this is there's a lot of different ways to get to that top. But I'll put you on the spot here. If you're Jerry Jones, right, and you got the billy so to speak, So you get to start an NFL team, you need a general manager, right, which angle are you going as the analytics is the numbers guy, the guy that's scout. You just loved up John Lynch, a former player. How do you assess it?

What makes the most sense? Well? I know, for me, like, I don't think there's a one right answer here. I mean, we talked about Howie Roseman being a cap guy. He's had success in the National Football league, John Lynch, um Ozzie Knew something. He's also a guy that's a that

took kind of like the former player pass. I would take the former player pass just simply because I look at the credibility that having a former player in that position, the effect that would have on that locker them, and I honestly think it makes the business side of things a little bit smoother and a little bit easier, just simply because if you're sitting at the negotiating table and you're with an Ozzy Knew somewhere with a John Lynch,

and they understand exactly the sacrifice it took for you to get there. I just think it makes the business side of things smoother because, as you know, I mean, the business side of this thing can get personal. They can get emotional, and it can have people not being friends. I just think that a former player smooths that side of the business out a little bit. Is it harder for a former player, and it's not to say that they can't do it, but is it harder for them

to think strategically long term? You played, you want to win it that game right then, right now? The reality is sometimes you gotta make decisions for the long term future and success of your franchise as a general manager, is it? Do you think harder from a player's perspective to be able to flip that off. I do think it's a little bit harder from a player perspective to flip that off because so much of our lives it's all about right now and what you're doing on the

field right now and having that immediate success. But I think that's when you have to have the ability to delegate and lean on your staff and lean on the people that you have around you to kind of help you in that regard. Knowing truly who you are, knowing your strengths and weaknesses. I mean, hell that that's not just being good and being a general manager. That's good in life. Now, all right, still to come here on the NFL Explained podcast. I know we dropped John Robinson's name,

the former Titans general manager. Will dive a little bit deeper into some things that have happened around that organization which might have led to the fact that he has been relieved of his duty. But we'll paint a broad picture too on some other general managers and some misses as well as some hits. We'll do that coming up next on the NFL Explained podcast. All right, I know I do it every single episode, but people keep responding with it, so I'm going to keep on doing it.

Mail Bag episode. I don't know where you were going with that at first? Is everyone getting tired of me promoting this? It's it's all good. I'm getting looks behind the glass, good man. I'm in the group text. I see that group text at least once or twice a week when you see sending one of those inboxes. Yeah, keep sending them to yams. Yes. By the way, I sit behind the glass. That's such like an old school radio term. Our our complete production crew is in another room,

separated by a glass. Because there's probably kids who don't even listen to talk radio. They don't even know what that. Kids don't know what talk radio is. That's really so that's why I have to explain some of this stuff, because all these kids are just listening to podcasts like ours, and the way we appreciate the youth of America listening and international listeners because I get international d M s and yes, you can check the box, I said d M again. Our crew sometimes keeps a tab on some

things that I say repeatedly on the show. That happens to be one of them. But in all sincerity, we do appreciate the d ms that are I said it again, coming our way. If you have a question, don't know who to ask, trust me, we are compiling these questions. There's another mail bag episode right around the corner. But before the break, we were discussed saying a lot of

the responsibilities the past, the backgrounds of general managers. At the top of the show, I made reference to Tennessee Titans and the fact that they relieved of their duties John Robinson, their general manager. So there's some ways that GM can't get fired. I don't know, to be honest with you, which boxes John happened to check here. I'm just gonna throw some of your way. Um, obvious one team didn't perform well teams in first place, So like that's that's not that's not one of those, but that

is for some that's an issue. Um, some draft, bad draft picks, a free agent signings or lack of signings. Lack of signings, I would say that was a big one. Okay, Um A J. Brown will just double down on that. Owner doesn't agree with the GM short term, long term vision of the team. That could be something that could be if A J. Brown was a part of it or not a part of it, that could have been a part of it. GM and head coaches down on

the same page and owner has to choose one. Give you an example, December, Raiders fired Reggie McKenzie, kept John Gruden, and then they brought in Mike Mayok as their new general manager. To be fair, for what it's worth, I did listen to a large percentage of the press conference down in Tennessee, and it doesn't sound like that was an issue. It sounded like coach GM relationship was. Rabel

very very complimentary of Robinson. So I don't again, Mike Vrabel doesn't strike me as a person that would air out all the dirty laundry. I didn't expect, Mike. I didn't expect to get anything from Rabel's press conference. No, I'm with you on that one. Uh. The owner wants to clean how and new front office, new coaching staff. Clearly that's not Yeah, I don't think Rabel's going anywhere. Owners think the gym is the right person to run

the team. Anymore possible, Yeah, possible I'll give you another example that Chief's firing their GM John Dorsey in June, reportedly due to quote concerns about his communication and management style. Dorsey, by the way, at forty twenty one record as a GM, so he was a winner. He must have MF a bunch of people in that building. Yep, that had to be it. Man, cool to you. I've not heard someone use the MF on this show. I'll take it. I'll take it, and do not let that out of this

episode of the NFL podcast. You have you ever been on a team where the GMF. Yes, Scott mccluen um. He got fired in two thousand nine, and that's when Trent Bauky kind of took over. And look, I love Scott, but we were terrible, Like we didn't win any games. Like I was a player on the team and I'm like, dude, we're not that good right now. But I'm looking around and it's like we got Patrick Willis, He's like excellent, he's great. We got Cowboy Justin Smith, like, you know,

we got these guys everywhere. And then what a year and a half later, they make one switch at the coaching position called har Ball comes in and you bring Kaepernick in the same roster now elevates themselves to a Super Bowl. Yeah, and sometimes it's about fit. We've talked about players on previous episodes and where they end up with certain teams. We were talking about this with quarterbacks. Sometimes you end up in the circumstances that are just

perfect for you. And case in point and obvious one that I think I used even as an example in that episode to a right to struggle little bit all of a sudden, like Daniels comes in and guess what to is now having a great season. You touched a little bit on Robinson. You said, Hey, maybe it's the A. J. Brown situation. Maybe it's something else, but is there Look, we'll go through some of the hits and the misses here, but just generally speaking, in this situation, the timing of

it is that maybe the most surprised. That's the most surprising for me because to me, like nothing changed the A. J. Brown that trade happened with on Draft Day, Like that is what it is. It's nothing you can really do about it. Now. You knew what that trade was all season and you're in first place. I think it was and I know we we live in an environment, living a world where you know, it's what have you done for me lately? I just think that game A J.

Brown eight receptions, a hundred nineteen yards, two touchdowns. He talked trash the entire time, and I think it was that. I think it was the display of A J. Brown just saying, y'all could have had me. The dude didn't want to go anywhere. I know guys in that Tennessee locker room. I know guys in the Philadelphia Eaquals locker room. He didn't want to go anywhere. He wanted to stay there. Every guy who gets drafted to a team and the team starts to see some success, we won't go nowhere.

We want to get paid by the team that drafted me. I like the store that I go to every single morning. Like that, you know what I mean? You like your routine. He didn't want to go anywhere. He was surprised, and I think, if I'm not mistaken, I think Mike Rabel said on draft day or something like that, as long as I'm the coach, A J. Brown a going to where something like that, and then the trade actually happens.

And I just think it just got to a point on Sunday, whereas like the owner was like, I'm not taking it anymore. Can I throw something in your way? So I'm hearing you talk about this, and I'm automatically thinking about Brown and the replacement in a rookie and trailing Burke's I'm wondering if Robinson is getting judged not just on that pick. Obviously it's the totality of your work.

But we've seen young wide receivers in year one year to really thrive where you start thinking to yourself, all right, maybe I'm just really good at this whole deal. I just go get another guy. Why am I gonna go and pay a j when I can get a rookie pay him a rookie deal and he's still gonna ball out. And you almost got sucked into the success of some of these other guys. I think Burks, I don't know off the top of my head. I think it's two touchdowns.

He caught one the other week and then he recovered a fumble in the end zone first score. The reality is a pret action from trailing Burks isn't what Tennessee clearly hoped that they were getting. But how much do you think that's a factor in all I think. I

think it's a huge factor. I think if tray Lion Burks had, you know, come out and had a Jamaar Chase type of a rookie season, John Robinson would still be the general when with Mike wait, all of those guys, man, I mean, we're getting to a point where of the wide receiver position, it is almost like the running back position. Right, if you're elite, you know what I mean, you can find one of those guys. I just think that the

nature and how A J. Brown showed off. I mean, there was a great clip of Mike Rabel giving him a hug before the game. I don't know what was saying, but I can only imagine what was said. I think he said, man, I didn't want to let you go. You know, I love you. You know what I'm saying, And we're gonna handle this thing on Monday. That's what I think you said. So I think my breaker knew something on Sunday. You know what I'm saying. But again that's just my personal opinion. But A J. Brown, man,

I just you had the money to pay him. It wasn't gonna break the bank. And you talk about the explosive plays missing from this offense. Maybe maybe they got the wrong quarterback. Maybe they could have paid say Brown, who found another quarterback, and maybe they've had more success. All right, Welcome back to the NFL Explained podcasts. Mike Yam and Rob with you. So look, we talked about some of the misses here and that being one of

them on the Brown situation. There's a lot of really good that Robinson did when he was hired in to be these team's general manager. Here's a couple of these things. Promoted to executive vice president in seventeen. By the way, he was just given in February a contract extension that runs through seven, so there's still five years remaining on the deal. That's guns good a man for about a month, you know what, I man going to the came now there's something hanging out, man, do do some yoga. Since

twenties sixteen, Titans record sixty three. I'll take that. The sixty point six percent win percentage ninth highest in the NFL four playoff experiences nine plus wins every season, one of two teams with a winning record every single season, along with Kansas City third best win percentage for teams with the winning percentage of at least fifty, only behind the Chiefs in New England. Last time I checked pretty good squads. Well, I gotta tell you, like the team

actually looked in first place in that division. I know we keeps saying this, it's surprising, it is surprising, but yeah, I could challenge you. I could argue Andrew Luck helped the Titans out. Just the fact that he retired to me, and I said it on this podcast before, is set the Internat's colts back twenty years. I could argue the fact that Deshaun Watson and all the strife with the Houston Texas and that just being a you know, uh some some lack of leadership in that organization that helped

that record. So again, I want to take anything away from John Robinson's tenure, because I think he did a great job, but there were some peripheral circumstances that helped that record. Okay, so I just loved up his record. I do think it's important to kind of paint the entire picture you just mentioned Ryan Tannehill. I think about Marcus Mariota. He had some time did not find the franchise quarterback to be fair. I think there's a lot of teams in the NFL that are looking for their

franchise quarterback as well. Made the decision the trade A J. Brown. Notable draft misses here, uh first round offensive tackle and say Wilson played one snap in the NFL. I remember this one killed Farley, only started two games. A lot of injuries there. You can make an argument the roster is declined, like what's that window for this team? I would argue it's right now, and maybe that also is part of the reason why they wanted to go in

that direction. One other fascinating wrinkle here, we actually saw some roster movement right after Robinson was released of his duties. Fullback Tory Carter played nine games this season, not with the team anymore. He was waived. They waved a slew of players. I guess it's my point here at surprised by that, Um, I'm not surprised. They were probably some guys that John stood on the table for and you know, he had some background with some history with and they

were probably his guys. And I know you mentioned this, but I gotta go back the trade details of A. J. Brown again. What was that the trade details? So they dealt in the Philadelphia first round pick with one first round, one first rounder, and a third round. That's it. That's it, fair duds bawling, that's it. I mean to me, he's in the class of player like a Tyriquel. I'm not saying he's better or what, but he's in the class. And you look at what Tyreek Hill was traded for

five draft pickers. Trade a first rounder, a second rounder, and a six I mean, get something more back for this kid, man, And then maybe you know, Rabel and the owner would have looked at him and said, Okay, at least, yeah, we gave up an explosive player. But man, look at what we got in return. We can work with this. I just don't think they got enough. I think it's criminal that they only got a first and

the third. So I'm gonna play Devil's advocate here. And by the way, I actually agree with you the asking price. Maybe they could have gotten a little bit more, but I'm look sixty three catches for him, seventy catches in the year before that, fifty two catches in those three seasons. Two of them were one thousand yards seasons. If you go off of like recency bias, and it just it is what it is. When you're coming off of a year where you have eight hundred and sixty nine receiving

yards and five touchdowns, not exactly Tyreek production. So maybe a shrewd move from Harry Roseman to go, hey, look at what this dude just did. I'm not giving you multiple first round picks. You're not getting Tyreek package for a guy that didn't hit a thousand yards last season. And and yeah, when you're doing negotiations, I would I can agree, I could, I could hear that. But then you hold on a J. Brown, you don't let him go.

He's just that important of a player, man like to me, that has something to do with this, Okay, just something else to throw out there. Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk actually had this to say in a statement since becoming controlling owner, in my goal has been to raise the standard for what is expected in all facets of our organization. I believe we've made significant progress both on and off the field through investment in leadership, personnel, and new ideas.

This progress includes the core of our business, the football team itself, which is regularly evaluated both on results, wins, and losses and team constructure slash roster building. I am proud of what we have accomplished in my eight seasons of ownership, but I believe there's more to be done in higher aspirations to be met. I want to thank John for his dedicated work to set this organization on an upward trajectory, and I wish him and his family

the best. One other note here, NFL network insider Tom Pellicero put this out. He said, my understanding is Titan's brass wasn't happy with the direction of the roster assembled by John Robinson and decided to make a change despite leading the a f C South. There's some other things

you can also speculate about. I'll let you kind of go and do that, but your reaction, because it seems like her statement is a touch benign in general, it is, and it just seems like they you know what they said, you know what, we want to go in a different direction. Let's go ahead and rip the band hit off right now. Let's said best said, and uh, let's just try to turn the page real quick and nothing to see here type of a deal, and let's just move on all right.

Earlier in this podcast, you told me you've been a part of a team that made a change at the general manager spot. What does it do for this team? Do you think in the locker room? Oh? Man, um it what what it does for this team? I think it says we got a hell of a head coach, and Mike Treble, I do think that he'll take on a little bit more in roster construction and team building and things like that. I think he'll get more power

in this particular situation. But also think that it sends the message to this locker room that is not enough. What we've done, what we've accomplished, is not enough. We're in the business of winning championships, super Bowls. Were not happy we're just getting the one conference championship. We're not happy we're just winning the division a few years in a row and losing to Kansas City or Buffalo in

the playoffs. It's not good enough. And I think that message will be received clearly by the leaders in that locker room and they won't step up and play better for Yeah, and hopefully we see some more explosive plays from that team's offense as well, because they are You and I talked about this on the NFL Total Access Podcast. It's like this team is built for old school playoff

football and maybe not new school. And what I mean by that for some of our newer listeners who who maybe are new to football, ground and pound, right, Derrick Henry just a monster. If I need to get up and down the field in less than a minute, and we got some teams that can do that offensively, I don't know if the Titans are one of those squads. I don't either. And again, even when you want to run the football like they do want to run the football,

you still need half space in the offense. There has to be an explosive element right now, when a J well, when a J. Brown was on this team, safety will sit at about fourteen or fifteen yards, which that gives this offense fourteen and fifteen yards of space to run the football now safe just then about nine to ten yards. That's not a lot of space for Derrick Henry to do work. Now, you know, I know we've spent a lot of time talking about Robinson. I do want to

highlight some gms. There's obviously a ton that are doing really just Yeoman's working are having success. Just to throw out some names, here Chiefs. Brett Beach actually a seven forty two win percentage, Bill Belichick six seventy six win percentage. We know what he's been able to accomplish in New England for a long period of time. Erica Costa six seven two win percentage with the Ravens Packers, gam Brian Gouna Coust. You know he's been making a lot of

headlines with the arn Rodgers situation in this offseason. His team has obviously had a ton of success. The Bills, Brandon Bean and know all about what that team has been able to accomplish. Isn't it interesting though, Ravens, Packers, Bills is why don't you know all of them have

pretty good quarterbacks. And again that's the key. Now if you're a general manager, or you're an up and coming general manager or a new general manager, the key is getting yourself And I was I mean this in a you know, in uh, I don't know, a different type of like getting married to that quarterback man. You find your guy in his job security. And by the way, m Rob, you and I actually have an episode coming up in a couple of weeks about the art of

drafting a quarterbacks. So for as much as we're talking about GMS and draft capital and the success that they've had, getting a quarterback really really important. So that one's coming out in a couple of weeks. Just be on the lookout for that one, um. And look one other note here too, because we've done some Hall of Fame episodes as well. Just keep in mind you can be a general manager and still getting dried like that has happened here. Just to throw some names your way. One that I

actually catch on radio fairly often. Bill Polian, who was with the Bills and Hampers and the Coals like that, dude's still out there. Like to me, of the list and I'll go through it here, he's one that stands out. He's like to go. I even think teams that are looking for general managers call him and just say, hey, can you talk to the guys that we're thinking about trying to get as a general manager. He's a great dude. Yeah.

Some other names, Bobby Bethard who was with the Redskins and the Chargers, Jim Finks back in you know, the sixties and seventies and the eighties, the Vikings, the Bears, and the Saints. Textram from the Cowboys, Ron Wolf of the Packers, George Young of the Giants. So pretty good collection. That is a pretty good collection. That's the guy that the Packers still are using a lot of his draft

principles right now. So it's pretty cool. Yeah, it's kind of crazy when you think about that type of success and the impact that you can have and it it carries over decades. Really really cool. I always appreciate you guys listening to this episode once again. The role of a GM. ME and m Rob did our best. We tried really hard. Hopefully we delivered for you could follow him on social media at Real Mike Rob, at Mike Underscore Yam, you can send me those d ms with

any of your questions. The role of a GM explained