Welcome to Football Today. January twenty second, twenty twenty five. I'm your host Bobby Skinner here with my co host Justin Pennock and producer Connor along for the ride on the ones and two's and the a's and the g's and the z's. Justin, we're talking about some coaches getting hired, some coordinators being hired, and possibly some coaches to be hired. How are you.
I'm good, Bobby Skinner. Happy birthday to you. Please everybody please leave a comment saying happy birthday, Bobby Skinner.
Every birthday to Andrew Thomas.
My happy birthday to Andrew Thomas.
My favorite player in the NFL. We have the same birthday. It's an honor.
How do you like that?
And he told us he was going to come to my wedding, which is, you know, a month away. I did think about sending out an invite and being like, maybe he'll send you know, he makes a lot of money and he'd give me some money. But I don't think Andrew Thomas would do that. Let's talk about these coaches. Justin, the Bears hired Ben Johnson, the Lions offensive coordinator. I felt like this is where this was going. Uh. The funny thing is is the Bears probably could have done
this last year. Uh, and I think they should have, right. You know, Ben Johnson didn't leave last year. Uh, there was rumors mid season that his eyes had always been on Chicago and go and going into there with that situation. But hey, they do it a year later, they get them. I'll start with this. I'm glad the Bears took a big swing. Right. We don't know exactly how Ben Johnson's
going to pan out. You know a lot of times the most beloved coaching hires are the worst, and then the ones that are maligned are the best.
Uh.
You know, look at Kevin O'Connell, that was the coaching hire that was you know, made fun of Dan Quinn last year. Right, they got there, you know they didn't They they got passed. They Ben Johnson passed up on them. And look at where they are now, game away from the super Bowl. But I was worried the Bears were gonna go safe and hire Mike McCarthy or just like a kind of a cozy coach instead of taking a
big swing and looking to find that next McVeigh. You know, O'Connell, whoever, you know Shanahan next great offensive mind to go with Kayla Williams.
Do you think cayleb played an impact on that, because I don't know if you saw the you know, when he went on the Saint Brown podcast, I mean he he basically said anything but I want Ben Johnson as the head coach. I mean, I'm pretty sure even talked about him specifically before he was hired. So do you think they took that under invisement at all? I mean, maybe I would, this is the right thing to do, I think kind.
Of regardless, maybe a little bit. I don't think they were operating that way. They interviewed like sixteen people. I don't. I don't know. This is like the first coaching cycle where people have been interviewed like this, Like the Jets have been interviewed almost twenty people.
It's like a celebrity apprentice. What the Jets are doing at GMN coach?
Yeah, Like I had the thought justin you know, we do our like GM candidate and preview and head coach and stuff for talking giants, Like imagine if we had to do sixteen of those'd be just no stop, NonStop work. Uh. I don't think so. I think Caleb talked about the Ben Johnson thing because he got pranked where someone got his phone number and said, hey, this is Ben Johnson blah blah blah blah blah and then facetimed him. But yeah, they they this is what they need to do. This
roster is talented. It's not the most talented or stacked in the NFL. It's nowhere near what the Detroit Lions are. They're gonna need to invest in the offensive line. That is my biggest worry with Ben Johnson, as we talked about him as this offensive mastermind, is hey, he has done a hell of a job with Detroit. Uh, trick plays are cool. I don't know if you can run all the same trick plays with different you know, different personnel when you don't have an a mon Ross Saint
Brown in the slot. Uh, you know, up to anyone. Yeah, you know, one of the most athletic uh you know offensive tackles in the NFL, if not the most athletic in penne seol like. And the main thing being is it's easy to call plays when you have protection for day. And that's what that Detroit Lions offensive line allows you to do. And it's not because of the way they're coached up. I'm sure that has part, but it's because they're an extremely talented, good across the board offensive line
and that allows you to scheme up. Think, right, if you've ever you know, drew up plays, you know on a whiteboard or on a piece of paper when you're bored, you think about all the ways to get guys open, and then you realize, like, yeah, this is gonna take a while, this is going to take a while. We need to protect against this. So that's my biggest worry
about Ben Johnson. But the Bears have some money can invest in the offensive line, and you've got a young quarterback with young receivers, a defense that is you know, played well and has you know, got some young talent that can grow too. We thought the Bears we would be a lot better than what they were this last year, and that was without having a lot of faith and uh uh, Matt Eberflus.
Right, right, Yeah, the offensive line is the biggest question I guess in you know, short and long term in terms of what Ben Johnson could do as a head
coach in an offense. Caleb, Yeah, and Caleb, but still like Caleb Williams is built in a lab like I still think you trust some of the things that you saw this year, and you trust the stuff that he put on at college that he could still be a really really good quarterback, if not possibly an elite guy you just got to have, you know, I don't know him having one on one meetings with Matt eberflus over the you know, you saw that in Hard Knocks. You're good for Matt eberflus On doing that, saw that on
Hard Knocks. I think those meetings are gonna get a lot more efficient, a lot more better and productive now that you have Ben Johnson in the building.
Right.
But the only thing that you gotta think about for Ben Johnson, and this is with any of the the young offensive masterminds that come up in the NFL, right, which Brian dabel hey left, you know, left hand up? Where are we the commanders? You know, we'll put we're the first to put our hands up as giants fans, you know, even though Brian Dabele's not the young guy, but he kind of came in as like the the offensive genius a couple of years ago, had a pretty
successful year one. But then when kind of shit hit the fan. Are you a leader of men? Can you hold your players accountable? How can you hold your players accountable? Can you communicate well with your staff and get along well with your staff? All these kinds of things are you know, may come up for Ben Johnson, especially if you deal with adversity. If you win right away, then it's like, oh, well, everybody's great. Morale's great when you're winning,
but you're gonna face some sort of adversity. How as a coach and as a man, are you gonna deal with that?
You know?
And as somebody who It's been reported a little bit that Ben Johnson was a little bit of I'm gonna shut my door as the offense score an entner and just like Bobby said, be this mad scientist and design these plays. That was reported a little bit with Ben Johnson. That door has to be wide open as a head
coach for anybody to come in. So that's probably the bigger question than I have about Ben Johnson, rather than you know, rising above whatever the offensive line may or may not be in twenty twenty five.
And that's a bear's locker room that needs that as well too. So like you said, there's a lot more you know, predicting head coaches and GM's success without you know, pass pass e x amples. It is hard to do. But that's that's where I'm happy with the Chicago Bears because I actually didn't think it was crazy to keep Bryan Poles, even though most Bears fans would probably disagree. But I think that's a talented team. You have Caleb
Williams and you take a big swing. I was. I was very worried they were going to bring in Mike McCarthy and how I even like Pete Carroll, right, I think Pete Carroll's a great coach, but you know he's he's old now, he's in his seventies to be the oldest coach in the NFL. Was the oldest coach in the NFL too, I think outside of Bill So happy with what the Bears did, But I actually think the biggest question mark is Caleb. Because Caleb did some really nice things as a rookie. There was a lot of
bad Like, there was a lot of inaccuracy. They're there. You're gonna have to figure out a way to you know, get not get rid of the hero ball, but to figure out when to play the hero ball because that was an issue. You know, you can talk about all the sacks the avoided, but a lot of that was, you know, making four guys miss and that's special stuff. But he's got to get better at some of that quick game stuff, which I thought he did pretty damn well at USC. You know, I think it just didn't
make the highlights. So getting getting the most out of Kayleb Williams and figuring out a way to get him more accurate, especially down the field, because no matter what excuse you want to make for Caleb Williams, the deep accuracy was a serious worry. And if that's not if that's not fixed, Ben Johnson could call all the plays and get all the guys open and it's not gonna matter. Right.
Uh So, we don't know for sure, but we kind of know for sure that the Jets are hiring the other Lions coordinator and Aaron Glenn.
One more thing on Johnson though, like it would be a one final thing and we'll talk about this one it's confirmed, but it would be a home run if they get Dennis Allen's defense coordinator. I mean that that's the first like check mark, like big home run for Ben Johnson to have defense kind of handled. Now, you'd still need to be a head coach and handle the defense, but.
They might get Darren Rizzy as a special teams coach too.
Which again like that's that's awesome, That's that's that would be a home run staff for a home run head coach that guys have been talking about for the last couple of years.
Yeah. Absolutely. Dennis Allen, I think is a is a damn good defensive coach who did a really good job in New Orleans until it got away from him. Uh this this this past year. But I think he's done a pretty damn good job and I think he's gonna have similar talent level like Dennis Allen with Jalen Johnson signed sign me up. Uh, you know, I think he'll get the most out of a guy like Tyrek Stevens, and he's done good a good job with corners who may get beat every once in a while, but have
good ball skills like Tyreek does. Uh. Let's talk about Aaron Glenn to the Jets. So this seems like a done deal, even though it's not fully a done deal. I don't love Aaron Glenn as a head coaching candidate, I don't think. I don't watch lines defenses and be like, man,
this guy gives you a real deal advantage. And I worry about trying to rep okay Dan Campbell, right, because there's only one Dan Campbell, and the way he's able to get his guys going and keep them engaged and working their asses off and buying in, it's just it's hard to replicate that. But I will say for a Jets team that has a lot of defensive talent and the offensive talent isn't terrible, I don't. I kind of do like this higher, right because they need accountability and
that on that team. Right. They're a very very immature team, and defensively they have a lot of talent. They can be a top ten, top ten defense next year. Hell, they've been. You know, they were a top five defense for a couple of years and were this year until they fired Robert Sala and then everything fell apart. This is a team that needs accountability, and it's a very different mindset from Robert Sala defensively, but has a lot
of talent. It kind of reminds me a bit of you know, the Commander's hiring Dan Quinn last year, where you're gonna bring that fourth down edge, You're gonna, you know, challenge your guys, You're gonna find guys to fit your mold. It kind of reminds me of Dan. It reminds me of Dan Quinn to Washington last year. Yeah.
Where if you look at Aaron Glenn and where his defense ranks and EPA per place from twenty twenty one to twenty twenty four, it's twenty eighth. Now you can say the first two years there was a talent issue. The Lions are still evolving, which there certainly was a talent issue. In the last two years it's gone up to twelfth and EP of per play. Like even last year they weren't that good and then this year, you know, they had a very good defense for the majority of
the year. At the end of the year they got hurt.
Yeah.
I don't know if you're bringing in Aaron Glenn though, to be like this defensive mastermind. I think you're bringing him in to be a leader. I think you're bringing him in as a guy that was a former player that players can identify with. This guy has been there, this guy has done that. You know, he's had success. So that's why I kind of I don't really know
Aaron Glenn that well. And in terms of like his overall track record, like you can't be like, oh, you know, man, he's led these top three defenses for the last three years and he and then that's why he got gets to the job. No, I think he gets this job because he's a dude that's going to be a leader.
And I think that's exactly what the Jets need. Like Salad was the good defensive mind where maybe you thought that he was going to be a leader, but he certainly was not where you're hoping that Aaron Glenn can do that.
Yeah, And I again, I just think that's what the
Jets need right now. But here's the things with all that I have not liked dan Quinn or sorry dan Quinn, Aaron Glenn defenses right like early on, it was pitiful, like not just bad like I remember, you know, remember in twenty twenty two, justin earlier in that season, like the Lions offense was lighting it up and they were losing games like fifty two to forty nine, and I know they got injured and you know at this season, but there was no adjustments mate, like they got injured
and you were still calling plays like you had all your starting corners out there, you know, where it's like, man, maybe maybe change your defense a bit, like play a little more safe, especially with the offense you had, right if you had this offense that you didn't trust, and yeah, you got to go out there being aggressive and look to make plays, but man just could have tried to keep things in front of them, and it just seemed like Aaron Glenn was just kind of like, Nope, we're
gonna play, man. We're gonna blitz and we're gonna and we're not gonna make it too exotic either. We're just gonna come after you play after play after play, which is nice when you have Aiden Hutchinson healthy and more importantly, I think those corners healthy. But it just bit them in the ass. So there's been some really bad Aaron Glenn defenses. They've been really good at times. Right, they
stopped the run, So that's where we'll see. As much as there is things I like about this higher, I don't view Aaron Glenn as like, oh man, look at this defensive mastermind they're bringing in.
Right, right, But like I said, I think you're bringing him into be a leader, But there's certainly a lot of data that suggests heading into this year. Like we talked on the Lions TPP like Aaron Glenn like, I know your identity is like blitzing, and we want to bring pressure. We want to take the game on our own terms. We're gonna play man coverage on the back end.
But there was plenty of numbers that showed that the Lions when they rushed four were like a top pass defense in the NFL, above average pass defense in the NFL when they only blitzed four, and they were still able to get decent pressure numbers because you have Aiden Hutchinson and some other talented guys there too. So yeah, we'll say but with this Jets roster though, Bobby like, how do you not salivate, especially as a defensive coach. How do you not salivate with the idea and the
possibility of working with these guys. Now, there's some work that the Jets roster need to do. They need to make a decision on DJ Reid. He's up for a contract extension. What do you do with him? I would continue to pair him with Sauce Gardner and then you have one of the best one to two punches in the NFL at cornerback, I think it's the best. Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams, two linebackers that are also need contract extensions. I think they're one of the best one
to two punches. At interior linebacker CJ. Mose he is a guy that's coming off of injuries. He's the only like starring linebacker that's like under contract, so he may have to work something out with him. You have Quinn Williams, you have an ascending pass rush pass rusher Will McDonald's. So I mean that's just the defensive side of the ball.
And they made efforts to improve their offensive line, which was their big bugaboo over the last couple of years, which the offensive line was better for the Jets for the Jets this year. So as a coach, even there's a Woodie Johnson problem and his presence is bad. I think he's the worst owner at all two and a quarterback problem, the worst owner of all sports. But part of why I think this is a really attractive job, Bobby,
what are the expectations for this Jets team? They need to kind of start over, but you also don't need to fully start over with the roster that they.
Have, right, No, they've got talent. They've got all pro level players. You know, you have Soft Gardner, Quentin Williams, Garrett Wilson. On the offensive side, Breese Hall didn't have the year that he wanted, but we know this type of player that he can be, you know, oulu fashion. I'm like, you're really excited for his year or two like they have. They have pieces, right, and that's that's
just naming a few. But what will be interesting to see is this defensive mindset is very different than what Robert Solid did. Right, So now you're probably gonna see Sauce Gardner follow guys and play a lot more man coverage. I know he had a down year for his expectations, still better than almost almost every corner in the NFL. The penalties were a little out of hand this year. Uh but uh, it's it's gonna be different for the Jets. It's gonna be a little bit of a culture shock.
But if there's anything that fucking needs a culture shock, it's the Jets. What do you want to hit on next? Justin oh jow, Actually, you know what your opinion doesn't matter, because I want to talk to you about DraftKings football fans. It is playoff time. We've got some exciting games to look forward to, and you can get in all the playoff action right now with our partners at the DraftKings
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The crown is yours too. Glad you did. Liam Cohen denying the Jags, or Josh McDaniels going back to the Patriots for a third time.
I need Josh McDaniels going back to the Patriots. I can't believe, and I'm leaving this off. I can't believe that people are defending the process of what the New England Patriots are doing. One I wasn't here for a show where you talked about Mike Rabel. And I'm sure you guys hit the nail on the head that only interviewing one legitimate candidate. And I'm sorry, virtual interviews don't count.
Virtual interviews don't count. Interviewing only one legitimate candidate for head coach is already asked nine enough when the Patriots are are this backwards right now, when they seem to be lost right, you know the Rooney rule, like they spit in the face of it, A Byron Leftwige and Pep Hamilton, what have they been doing? They were not serious candidates, Mike Rabel. They had their ey set on me, and hey, good for them that they got their guy right. But I all right, so you could say that this
process won them six Super Bowls. That's the replies that I've been getting, Like, I like, this organization is so stuck in their ways, and I'm a Giants fans, like they're so stuck in their ways. It's even more than what the Giants are And that's an organization that's very stuck in their ways too. But they won six Super Bowls with it all? Right, you know what's fucking missing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady the greatest coach and the greatest quarterback of all time, that's what's missing here.
I agree with you. I think their process is ridiculous, right where when you move off Bill Belichick, you don't try and well, let's recapture Bill Belichick. No, you could have just kept Bill Belichick, you know, if if that's really what you know, Josh McDaniels was available last offseason.
That's the thing.
And it's funny that since they fired Bill Belichick, they have hired to Bill Belichick linebackers to be their head coaches.
Why not just keep them? You're you're so right, why not keep them?
The process is ridiculous, But I kind of like the results though.
Oh what's yes? Six Super Bowls. Is that we're talking.
No, No, I'm talking about Mike Rabel and Josh McDaniels. H Yeah, like Mike, Mike Rabel, I don't think is this great head coaching. It's the whole, you know, it's the you know, you take a step back or you know, a toothpick makes everyone look better. Like it's just anytime you take a year off your your your your reputation rises. It's just it's just like an NFL. I know he was with the Browns, but took a year off, your reputation rises. So Mike Rabel last year wasn't even hired
for a head coaching job. This year he's you know, the top candidate or a top two candidate between him and Ben Johnson. But I do like Mike Frable. I
think he's gonna bring a lot there. I think he's gonna be like you know what they wanted girod Mayo too, uh and Josh McDaniels, as much as I hate him as a head coaching candidate, right, the idea that the Raiders like, ah, you know what this guy's been, you know, a horrible leader of men and bad head coach and literally spurned the Colts and unbelievable move and everything ended horribly in Denver, and we haven't seen Patriots coaches Bill
Belichick disciples pan out. Uh, he has been a good offensive coordinator if you and you get him with Drake may right, I actually think it can work. So yeah, I agree that the process and all that is bullshit. It's so fucking dumb for like Robert Kraft is smelling himself too much and just like, ah, well, you know what, let's just try and recapture glory days. You should not
do that, right. It's I told I said about I said this about it before, where it seems like the college who was dominant and then fell off, and then they go and hire you know, the guy who was the defensive coordinator for one of those teams, or you know the star you know, linebacker, offensive lineman, Like, well, we got to get someone that's from the from the program to fix us and bring us back to those
glory days. But I just I do like the results of them getting Mike Raybull and Josh McDaniel to be the head coach and offensive coordinator for that team.
Hey, the only time that Mac Jones looked like a capable NFL quarterback was his rookie year, and that was when Josh McDaniels was his offense coordinator. You talk about that all the time.
Yeah, and listen, if they had if they didn't have Drake, I would be shitting on this because I don't think Josh mcdaiels is the guy who takes a bad or average quarterback and it's gonna make it easy and look better. You've got to be dialed in and really on the same page on a lot of things. But I think Drake May is that type of quarterback and that's why it'll work.
Yeah. So I think earlier it's like, all right, well, justin do you do hate Mike Rabel. It's like, no, that's that's not necessarily case. I just hate the way that the Patriots went about hiring Mike Rabel. I didn't think there was this big rush. There's only been two coaches that have been hired this cycle so far, and the Patriots hired what Mike Rabel this point a week ago, a week and a half ago, So I really don't
think there was this huge, huge rush. But my also problem with the Patriots is that they're a horrible team like this is not a good team. And you just mentioned that Josh McDaniel, like Drake May is gonna need to be locked in with who. You know, Pop Douglas is the best guy that he's throwing on the ball, that's throwing the ball. I didn't get what they I think.
I'm pretty sure Elliott Wolf went on records saying that we didn't get what we thought that we were going to get out of out of Jalen Polk and some of the other young receivers.
Yeah, that's the issue keeping Jelliot Wolf. They should have fired il A Wolf and got a real GM. That's my worry with the Patriots because they have not done a good job of bringing in talent through the draft. Obviously there's there's some hits in there, like Christian Gonzalez, and you can blame Bill for all that. But Ela Wolf's draft last year was we you know, you have to wait the judge draft classes, but that was one that's in the moment, like Hill, what are we Hayden
Wos Jalen spoke this early. I like Javon Baker, but there's also you know, there's character questions with him, and I just didn't like their draft in the moment. That's that's my worry. But here's the thing is, they do have the most cap space in the NFL one hundred and twenty million or one hundred and ten million or whatever. Like.
If there's one team that I think should go pay big money the t Higgins, it's the Patriots, right, and then you know, maybe you get a Mecca Buca uh you know in the early second or whatever wide receiver in the second round to bring in those they were. The offensive line is what they really need to get. I think they'll probably be the team that drafts Will Campbell uh in the first Smith. You know, maybe they go spend money on Trey Smith, right, make the you know,
fix the Joe Thuni mistake. So if there's one team that I'm like, hey, go pay a wide receiver and an offensive lineman top of the market, it is the New England Patriots. So I don't think it's I don't think it's too far away from being turned around. I think that defenses can be better than what it was last year. Under drawd Mayo as well.
Wouldn't you love to see a dull Carter?
I would, I really would. But and this goes against some of my philosophies. You gotta protect Drake.
May at this point. I mean again, I'm asking this question because I don't know at this point, is there is there a tackle that's worthy of taking over a duel carter.
For the Patriots? Maybe Will Campbell.
From Okay, And we'll talk about that as the months go on.
Yeah, we'll talk about that as the months go on. Uh, justin this next conversation, we're not going to add much more than what everyone's saying. But it's because it's so fucking obvious. Liam Cohen is staying with the Bucks. He's turned down the Jacks to be their head coach after interviewing with him a couple of times. And the Jags thought that they were going to get and he turns them down to stay in Tampa Bay. Everything that everybody
predicted was right. You had a a somewhat desirable position right in Florida. Trevor Lawrence is your quarterback, but you fucking made it undesirable by keeping Trent Balkey, who's fired five coaches in seven years, has done a terrible job drafting, terrible top terrible job team building, and and and you ruined it. You ruined it by keeping Trent Balky. Why does this, why does Shad Khan feel this? Like loyalty
to Balky is unbelievable to me. As how yeah, with how bad that he's been as the forty nine Ers and the Jags gam again firing five coaches in seven years, it's just it's shocking to me that they didn't fire Ball.
And Schefter gave an up date. Jacksonville was in the midst of conducting second in person head coach interviews this week with Liam Cohen, who's now out, as well as former Raiders defense coordinator Patrick Graham and Jets head coach Robert Salah. So I think they're out too, So who's in?
Wait, they're out?
I mean, if I'm reading this tweet correctly, and Connor like you even let me know too, I'm gonna find it. Adam Schefter quote tweeted himself an hour ago and said that Liam Colwin, who's now out as well as is So, is that Adam Schefter saying that they're still in the mix.
No, he's saying those guys are those two guys are still in the mix.
All right, They're in the mix. Okay, Okay, that's how you interpret it too, Connor, Yeah, I get it as that uh Liam Coheney is out, but Graham and Solar are both in and they are doing in personator.
All right. Yeah, that's not interpreted, that's just what it's saying. All right. So I guess you know, it's either gonna be our guy, Patrick Graham, which I love Patrick Graham. I don't want his I don't want that to be his first head coaching job. Yeah, which with defensive coordinator, it's harder than to get a second head coaching job.
You're also there's also inevitably going to be a power struggle, and that's why the job is so undesirable. It's like that number one, it's not only you have the lame duck GM and Trent Balky, but number two, it's like you when shit goes wrong, who is going to be the one to throw who under the bus? And who's going to have the owner's ear? It's going to be the GM.
Yeah, and then there's this whole like, oh, well the head coach is going to you know, report directly to the owner. It's just it's just stupid. It's it's fucking looney town on Jacksonville. I don't know why the hell
that they It just doesn't make sense, you know. And this is why sometimes these NFL teams and you grow up and they're like, oh, these are the best of the best, and these owners and these gms and stuff, and then you're like, you know what, they're stupid people in the world, and sometimes they get into these easy spots, and I think I feel like that's where the Jags are, where they have someone who is just not fit to be their owner because I get I don't know if
they have this great relationship with Bulkey and they're best friends or what, but the loyalty to him makes absolutely no sense. He hasn't he hasn't had uh, you know, coach to double He hasn't been the GM of a double digit win team I think in like ten years or whatever. So just a fucking mess. And and Jacksonville and I feel bad for that fan base.
Yeah, I mean, even even if I'm Robert Sala, Robert Sala could go somewhere be a good defensive coordinator for a year or two. And I think now once again he's somewhat of a hot candidate, like, oh, can can we make him a Dan Quinn or even like a you know, Mike McCarthy, except on the defense side of what you know, it takes like a year, a year or two off from being a head coach, go somewhere,
dominate and kill it being a defense coordinator. But I think if you if you take this job and it fails, then you're almost never going to be a coach ever again. So wouldn't you rather do that even if you're Robert Sala.
Well, I think Robert Sala could do the one year off thing and then all of a sudden he's a hot candidate there.
But he will he somebody will want him as a defense coordinator.
Absolutely absolutely, Oh yeah, Like I think San Francisco would hire defense coordinator. So I think I think Robert Sala can get back into the into the limelight head coaching job. But I can, Like, if you're a Jags fan, you're think sitting here thinking about, like we just have the we have. We could have been very desirable, Like you could have made a case that they could have gotten
Ben Johnson if they fired Trent Balky. Instead they keep Trent Balk And you have Trevor Lawrence, and you have Brian Thomas, and you have you know, you know some some guys on defense you gotta pass Rusher and Josh Allen, and you're just a very undesirable location. Yeah, unfortunately for the beautiful city of Jacksonville. Just kidding. I hate the city at jackson I hate whenever I'm in there. Have you got anything else?
Justin I have one more small thing? Connor, how long have we been going?
Thirty minutes and thirty six seconds?
All right, We're all right? Is Brian Schottenheimer really gonna be the next Dallas Cowboys head coach?
It wouldn't surprise me, that would that.
Man, If you want to talk about the last year or so in terms of the Cowboys building their team and trying to improve their team, if you want to describe that as meh and not even meh but bad, I mean, wouldn't that be just the cherry on top?
Man?
Like? What this is America's team, the Dallas Cowboys.
Hey mart Hey, Marty Schottenheimer's son. It's a it's a football it's a football family story. Yeah, that could happen. I still think they're getting deon, Like I think that's I think that's real. I know we haven't heard anything of it since they fired Mike McCarthy, but I think there's still I think Jerry's doing whatever he can and get Dian as the head coach. But if if he can't, then it's gonna be shot him probably What a mess.
What a mess? I also did. I'll shot this out too as we wrap up a I did a tear maker video, and Connor, if you want to put that link to that video in the description, I would appreciate that. I did a tear maker video of like all the head coaching jobs that were available, including the Pats and the Bears, and I put it like in a tear maker, have got to have it. Definitely intrigued, but I have some questions. First, I put the Saints in their own category because they're in cap hell and I don't know
what their plan is. Intriguing, but your owner is nuts. And then wouldn't want to touch. I put the Jaguars and the Cowboys in the wouldn't want to touch category because I Bobby, I think that roster is bad and it has guys that they're paying a lot of money. Ceede Lamb. They're paying a lot of money too, and they are they're overpaying them because they wait till the eleventh hour to extend all these guys. They waited till the eleventh hour, probably, you know, a year too late
to extend Dak Prescott. You possibly could have extended Dak Prescott before guys like Tua and Trevor Lawrence get extended. So instead of instead of paying him money in the fifties, you're paying him money in the sixties, sixty million dollars a year. Michaeh Parsons is he's gonna be looking for a new contract this summer. So what is he gonna be? Another guy that's gonna miss training camp Lake Ceedee Lamb and then get off to a slow start of the year.
That's not what you want out of one of your superstars. DeMarcus Lawrence's contract is up on a defense that they had a very hard time stopping the run? Are they gonna want to pay him? What's his contractor to look like? At age thirty two? Osa Diggi zuwa interior, he's like one of the only good interior defensive lignement that they had, but more of a pass rusher. Are they gonna buckle
up and pay him? What presence do they have an interior linebacker or demarve On Overshown second season ending injury in the last three years for him, but they have no other talent on an interior linebacker. What's the offensive line going to look like? Zach Martins has a void year coming up. Like this is a roster that is that has stars and they will be decent with those stars, but they are not good and what are they gonna do? They don't want to spend any money.
There's here's the thing. They went seven to ten with Dak injured. They have Dak Prescott's CD LAMB, Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, Deren Bland. They're also line is the second year guy and Tyler Guy and Tyler Smith and All Pro Cooper b Bbe who had a good rookie year. Zach Martin probably will stick around. Who's an All Pro. So you know, even Terrence Steele's you know, not a bad right tackle and they draft well.
Yeah, they're America's team in the and they draft well. But there are just certain decisions, especially when it comes to extending their guys and how they approach free agency. Were like the biggest addition that they added last year was Eric Kendricks. Are you kidding me, man?
Yeah, but they kind of took a gap year last year with with the way they spend it. I don't think they're as far as like, if Bill Belichick took this job, I'd say they're Super Bowl contenders.
Yeah, because that's Bill, that's Bill Belichick, you know what I mean.
But they but like they have the offensive talent to you know, be a top five scoring offense in the NFL. They number one just a year ago. And then defensively, do they have holes? Sure, but they also have fucking Micah Parsons. They have cornerbacks who who intercept the football, and you know, you can kind of plug some of those holes fairly quickly if you can get a couple of draft hits right and some bargain free agents.
Still some major questions though, like all those guys like Lawrence Zach martin Osa, Diggie zoo Wa, no interior linebacker talent like those are like some legit questions. Tyler Giton was on and off injured last year and they would pull them at times. Is it because of injuries because of performance? You know? No wide receiver too, no running back like there there's a lot of things that the Cowboys need to work on roster wise, and you know,
like it's they're gonna have to pay Micah. So that's gonna that's gonna be at least over thirty million dollars thirty five million dollars per year. He's gonna get Are they going to buckle up and pay these guys? And how are they? They really have to knock the draft out of the park. That's what they have to do.
Yep, absolutely, all right, that's an episode. We will see you on Friday for a preview of the conference championship. We'll see you then. Until then, this is football today.