Welcome to the solid verbal hell that for me, I'm a man, I'm forty. I've heard so many players say, well, I want to be happy.
You want to be happy for a day? Edith Steak is that woo woom?
And Dan and Tie welcome back to the solid verbal boys and girls. My name is Ty Hildenbrandt, joining me as always out there in the heart of the Midwest. Dan the Pizza Man Rubinstein, Sir, how are you good?
I have some pizza inside my belly and it was a terrible pizza and I messed it up, and I still had two and a half slices. And it's especially appropriate to do a spring cleaning episode.
Because I don't know what my inside's gonna look like later.
I had a lot of dairy.
Aren't going to go? Well? You did a vodka sauce pizza, did you not?
I did? And that's tricky because we're talking about a cream element or majority of the sauce mixed with For me, it was tomato paste and shallots and garlic and all sorts of season. It was I mean, it tasted good, but the ratios and I don't think I think it was too rich and so it's just sort of it's sitting. It's sitting there, occupying space without contributing much. Kind of like Jeff Long.
Kind of like Jeff. We'll get to that. Who now was the athletic director at Kansas. We'll get to that momentarily. But you know where I stand at vodka sauce. That's your one true identifier of quality. That's my identifier of quality when it comes to the Italian restaurant. And so I had an instance where we went to go visit friends and hang out at their house for the night, but first went to a nearby restaurant and I got
the vodka sauce pizza. And let me tell you, buddy, go into that friend's house for most of the rest of the evening was quite an uncomfortable experience. Needed to locate the facilities second we walked in that door. Because vodka pizza sauce has never been a good combo for me.
FYI the Tavon Austin of Digestion.
Okay, sure, well, on that note, On that note, I have ty he is Dan. This is a solid verbal. We come your way twice a week here in this college football off season. We will switch up to three times a week as we get a little bit closer to the start. In the meantime, though, follow along on social media all the usual hotspots. Check out our patreon at verballers dot com. We've got I believe if memory serves another off topic show coming up in the very very near future that I still need to talk to
you about. In coordinatings, I think every good idea love it. Also, solid verbal dot com is where you can find all the information for how to follow along with our podcast. Did you see that Apple was dropping the subscribe terminology?
So what are they doing? What exactly are people to do now? They're just going to call it follow?
Oh okay, it's just apparently there is data to suggest that when people see the words subscribe, they associate that with having him pay money. Too much of a commitment, that's right, But follow Follow is something we do on Facebook and Twitter, Instagram. Yeah, it's free to do that. So anyway, follow follow us if you will on your selected podcasting app, Dan, what'd love for you to do that.
The show topic this evening is spring cleaning, and it's a little bit of a different Sorry, that's just my cleansings. Oh yeah, please it's a little bit of a different spin on it. We've done different versions of the show over the years. We did a Marie Condo show a couple of years ago. I am not ruling out doing another Marie Condo show as we get into this year off season, but we're getting further and further away from that reference being meaningful to a lot of people. This
is also true, very true, Yeah, very true. I enjoyed that show.
It's good.
Our spin on spring cleaning today is.
We're talking about coordinators. We're talking about new coordinators in some instances, new coordinators on new staves, stabs, staff, staves, hold on, hold on, hold on. I understand that the word is staff, like calves, But if a football game has two halves and we have two calves staff, why are we not hold on? This is I'm running for office on this platform. Should it not be.
Staves?
Should we have staves?
Oh no, this is your globe moment.
You're no, please, You're trying to cover for glove like it's not an all all all timer. Okay, the Free Dictionary says staves is not a known English word.
Sure, I grant you that way with staves, continue as you should have stuck with Globe. You should have just planted your flag. I forgot where I was going.
Okay, new college football staffs in place, but so like, for an example, Pete Kwakowski is a new defensive coordinator for Texas, but he's part of a new staff for Texas,
so that counts. So what we're going to do is we're going to go back and forth and draft I don't know, eight, ten, twelve coaches, however many it takes to fill out a show, and we are going to say, and this is just in terms of not the best hire at offensive or defensive coordinator, and all due respect to special teams coordinators, but we're focusing on offense and defense, not the best. So there are guys who are clearly a Marcus Freeman. Going from Cincinnati to Notre Dame feels
like a no brainer. I want to approach this in terms of improvement, in terms of looking at a unit that was so woeful or a team that was so woeful or disappointing that they needed to bring in new staves. You heard me, staves, New staves, you say, Mario, And that's it's fine. No, just just take your own stabs. Steer INtime, steer into it, or need to overhaul a specific unit, and I want the degree of improvement. So we're just predicting. We're just saying, Okay, this team hired
this new coordinator. My number one overall pick is this guy because I believe what he can do with this unit will be more pronounced in terms of improvement than any of these other guys with these other units. So that's the metric by which we're drafting offensive new offensive and defensive coordinators. They don't have to be an addition to an existing staff, can be part of an all new staff as well.
So what you're talking about is essentially value over replacement coordinator the Vork if you will, I will absolutely say Vork, Okay, we're going to play that game momentarily. Before we do, though, I guess we should just get this out of the way. We said it as we came on the air here, But are you gonna get your big pipes back? By the way, I'm taking it easy this offseason, okay, breaking now, taking it taking it easy, right now? Okay. Jeff Long.
Jeff Long is out as the Kansas Athletic director. This, of course, is only a couple of days after they parted ways with previous football coach Les Miles. Looks like here. An official announcement is scheduled for later today. As we record on Wednesday, Kansas has called a meeting of its own staff. There's that word again. Yeah, Long has declined
further comment at this time. Look, there there was an article that you sent me from her friend Jason Kirk that pretty much called Jeff Long out for failing miserably and continuing to be gainfully employed. We're not going to necessarily dig into Jeff Loong's past, but I will say that essentially hitching your wag into Less Miles at this latter stage in his career, maybe with some skeletons in his own closet, maybe not the wisest move.
What I enjoy about the whole concept of Jeff Long and Jason Kirk illustrated this very well.
It was for Slate right.
Where he wrote Lapies was it was like Jeff Long hires known dirt bag Bobby Patrino. Bobby Patrino turns out to be a dirt bag, brings in John L. Smith, It goes horribly, goes to Kansas and brings in Brett Bieloma because Brett Bielima wrote him a nice letter once the Bobby Patrino thing went down at Arkansas and goes
to Kansas where he brings in. Eventually it has found out known dirtbag Les Miles alleged dirt bag, I suppose, but it's it's a very specific way of hiring coaches that basically never works out in the long term that Jeff Long can be convinced to say, maybe this guy though, maybe this guy.
Jeff Long was the friendly face behind the BCS Playoff committee for a couple of years too.
Well, it was there was the BCS and then the College Football Playoff making fun of stabs and yeah, he was the original chairman of the committee. I talked about it, what I'm looking for and the like. So he's out. I am hopeful, hopeful, And I don't know who Kansas should hire, because I think it's just kind of a
doomed place until proven otherwise. And I don't know if that's an administrative buy in, you know, if it's a money thing, whatever it is, it's I hope they hire somebody create of inventive, well liked by people in the
athletic administration. World to run the athletic department because it's still a major, major forces in basketball and that matters, and that person is able to hire with his and the good judgment of everybody involved in the hiring process, a good college football coach who makes sense for a dramatic rebuild. So I yeah, trusting Jeff Long to make this next hire seem like who would be the most Jeff Long hire at this point? Like who is it?
Like?
He would he hire Kevin someone? Would he hire Houston Nutt? Would he hire a Bowden? Like It's something like that, It's something on that level. Yeah, So yeah, hope it works out for Kansas. I mean, I it sounds like we're piling on. It sounds like I'm piling on. But it's never fun when a team is just woefully incompetent. It's not a fun thing to say, oh, we don't have to worry about any of these teams playing Kansas in the Big Twelve because it's not going to be
an entertaining game. And occasionally there are surprisingly entertaining games against say TCU in Texas these past few years, but largely to just fully ignore a team at a major conference is I mean it's just I'll speak for myself. It's just a bummer.
We got anything else in the news department that jumped out at you for now? Not especially? Okay, well, we'll cover more when we do the show next Tuesday. But in the interim, why don't we get to why don't we get to our game? Here? So we are drafts. We are drafting staves today. We're not doing staffs. It's just coordinators. But I like where you're going. We're drafting staves and we are looking for value over replacement coordinators.
So in front of us, we've got two links, both from our friends over at FootballScoop dot com where they track such things. Coordinator hires, big time, coordinator hires offense defense. Let me start with one.
Who gets the first pick? Who gets the first pick?
Oh all right, well here let me. I'm gonna flip a coin, flip something. Tell me what you call heads your tails? Tell me one count to three, call it call it now heads? Heads?
It is heads? It is okay, uh, with the first overall pick. In terms of pure improvement, I'm gonna go with, Thank you very much that under the wire. Continue right under the wire. I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go Deronte Jones LSU LSU LSU defensive coordinator based on how LSU has recruited and purely based on the depths to which this defense fell in twenty twenty under Bo Polini.
I am under the impression and that merely the average performance from everybody on this on this defense, the average effort and improvement with the benefit of more springtap practice, more summer workouts, more fall camp. I am going to roll with Deronte Jones making a large jump with this
LSU defense. They hire I think a new defensive line coach or Andre Carter from cal Way back when oh yeah, of course their new defensive line coach, Jets, they have a new linebackers coach, and certainly issues on you know, especially in the back part of this defense. We saw them get lit up, especially in the first part of that season of the twenty twenty season, So I think things get short up with Deronte Jones. He has he
was a recommendation from Dave Randa. He coached with a rand I believe at Wisconsin he was with the Vikings. His background is in the secondary and so in terms of I for coaching talent, both spanning the NFL and college game and you know, being some part some branch and the Dave I Randa Tree. I think this ship will get righted. I think there will be energy infused into this defense that was sorely needed and Bobolini was
clearly not the answer. So I think we are we are due for a bounce back, a progression to wear, not a regression to the mean, but a progression to the average place where LSU should generally be given the talent on hand. Given the major new quarterbacks in you know, quarterback movements in the SEC West, places like Alabama, we'll see. You know, Auburn has Mike Bobba. I don't know if you'll draft him or I'll draft him. But a new offensive coordinator at Auburn A and M's moving on to
a new quarterback almost should be very dangerous. But I think it's a pretty good year to get the ship righted.
In Baton Rouge, Okay, I'm going as my first pick, gonna go Mike Yoursitch, interesting Homer, Homer, Homer, big time homer pick here, Mike yoursich Is.
I think it's you. Is it You're Sitch or you're sick I.
Believe I looked this up a couple of years ago and it's your sitch, okay, And at this point if it is, and I'm just going to go with it anyway, that's what we do now on the show. This is what we do. But Mike Eusitch from neighboring Ohio went to California University of Pennsylvania, which is in the western part of the state, has bounced around a couple places, right, he was obviously at Oklahoma State, Ohio, State Texas. More recently it is yoursitch.
By the way, your sitch did a quick fact check.
You got it right, thank you. Has some ties to Shippensburg, which is also smaller school in state of Pennsylvania. So now coming back to the Great State of PA and I like this move for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, we talked about James Franklin seemingly having a quick hook to get rid of Kirk Shiaka, friend of the show. Kirk absolutely of course doesn't know it, but he is doesn't know it, but he is so didn't feel like it was working out with Shiraka and now
goes to usage. What I like about this move is that Usich has coached himself a pretty good quarterback in his day. I feel like he's someone who can bring a lot to that position grouping at Penn State, And frankly, it's a position grouping that has the most questions for this team moving forward in twenty twenty. So I like the fact that you're bringing in a guy who was coach quarterbacks before, who knows how to run an up tempo, high flying offense. I don't necessarily blame it all on
Kirk Shiraka last year. I don't think Sean Clifford is the answer was the answer at quarterback. I hope they go in a different direction this year, and I like starting over with a guy of Usich's prowess at that offensive coordinator position. The thing is, and here's why I think you number two overall pick. Yes, here's why I think you wrinkled your brow. If I look at like SP plus rankings, Penn State's offense, by comparison last year was not necessarily the worst offense in the world. Like,
we're not talking a half team. We're talking about a bit of a frustrating team.
To say they weren't a half team because they were just a team that was at best average, they were sixtieth and points per drive on offense, forty seventh on defense. So there was not one side of the ball that was dramatically better than.
The They were frustrating is what they were. I feel like he gives them a lot of lyft, especially at that quarterback position. So I'm going to go with him as my number two overall pick. Homer pick.
I think that's a terrible pick. Great, yes, and it's okay. It's okay because if nothing else, I have proven myself to be wrong a lot I did. I mean, it was my quarterback for a dramatically improved Penn State. It's either going to be Sean Clifford will Levis laugh now that would have been a better answer, or it's going to be somebody with essentially no playing time or a
true freshman or something like that. And so it's hard to imagine, even with the improvement that we saw at skill positions, when the younger guys started getting more touches near the end of that season, near the end of last year, I just if I'm going to see a dramatically improved offense. I mean, I heard you say hope, like five and a half times, so it's a dice roll. You might be.
Getting all dice rolls. Though.
I think the town level is high enough at LSU. That and the fact that they looked like they did and I know the players are different, and it was a senior laid and upperclassmen laden team two years ago
when LSU won the national championship. But the recruiting has been so high and defense is so much more about effort to me and just buy in that if early on in the season you have a group of guys on defense, starters on defense, rotation, guys that are just not bought in and don't feel prepared, the season can away from you quickly. I think you can get buy in from an offense, but if you don't have a quarterback, I'm not sure how much it actually matters. And so, okay,
that's real, pretty serious spot. I think Penn State is in. But it's okay, It's okay.
To be wrong.
Go ahead, you're up, all right, the pick is in. I think we should we should rotate, by the way, rotate like our first two. My first pick was a defensive coordinator in yours was an offensive today. I'll next, Okay, my next one is going to be offense. I'm gonna go grimey at Baylor. Jeff Grimes, all right, continue new offensive coordinator. Baylor has interesting guys on offense. And we know the problem with Baylor. I mean, it's been largely rooted in either not having playmakers or trying to run
an offense behind a pretty terrible offensive line. Charlie Brewer was running for his life these past few years. Jeff Grimes comes in having called the number two points per drive offense last year at BYU. Has an offensive line background, which doesn't necessari mean anything if you don't have good offensive lineman. But I do like that background. I like
how creative BYU was. It was a lot of RPO stuff, which is an offense that should be able to find any team free yards if you can teach a quarterback. And I do think there's talent there betweens what Zeno and Bohannan. I know they have some interesting guys there. It didn't work out with Larry Fedora. I think the Baylor defense will largely put the Baylor offense in a pretty good position after a promising first year under Dave Randa.
I personally see a coordinator with a mustache, and I see a coordinator who not only am I going to have a very difficult time not calling Frank Grimes from The Simpsons If you remember that episode, look at You, you went to Space, You're eating lobster. He calls himself Grimey on Twitter, so I can always call him Grimey. And I think that the year two improvement will be
somewhat pronounced. There's something about me that actually likes when you have the marriage between a new coordinator and a new starting quarterback, as if somebody doesn't need to relearn how to operate an offense in game that they are
just everybody's starting on the same page. Now, it's still the infancy to call back to a previous show of the Dave Randa era, But I think there's going to be a floor jump for Baylor's offense that as I look right now, Baylor's offense and points per drive a d analytic metric that I enjoy one to twelve, So lot of room for a pronounced vork from the Baylor Bears. So I'm gonna go with griming. I mean, look, Zach Wilson's going to be a top what five pick in
the NFL Draft right hard to say. Well, I hope he'll do for Baylor what he did for BYU, But he's been around major college football, Auburn, LSU. I feel good about Jeff Grimes and a creative enough, efficient enough offense at Baylor that they are going to ascend at least somewhat dramatically.
I like it. I do like it. Okay, what do you know about Vandy this coming year? Dan room for improvement? Yeah, a lot of Vork potential there.
Yep, I would say so.
I'm going to go way off the radar with Jesse Minter defensive new defensive coordinator for Vanderbilt, the youngest looking coach I've ever seen. He was previously the Ravens defensive backs coach, and he is going to replace ted Roof much the way I have a negative relationship with John Donovan forma act offensive member of the stave for Penn Statebilt and Vanderbilt. Yeh, ted Roof. Ted Roof also has some deep roots into the Penn State community, and last
year his defense or Vandy was terrible. Now I understand it's Vandy, I understands some the easiest place to do anything from a football standpoint, but they were really bad and Ted Ruff sort of has a track record, Oh, he definitely does, not really being that good of a
defensive coordinator. So I think there's a lot of room for provement with jesse Minter comes over from the Ravens starting anew with Clark Lee, also a defensive minded coach, someone who knows Vanderbilt wanted that job, clearly is going to be working very closely with jesse Minter to try and build this defense up. If my numbers are correct here, and I'm not sure what your d analytics have to say, is one hundred and sixth in the nation in SP
plus defense. Their marginal efficiency on defense last year was one twenty seven. There aren't a whole lot of numbers here that are in the green. Average third down distance is the only one, and Blitz's per drop back is the second. Everything else stinks defensively, so a lot of room for upper mobility working with a defensive coach.
So he was at Georgia State as a defensive coordinator, what did he do with the Ravens defensive backs coach dB secondary coach? Okay, because what Michigan also plundered the staff of the Baltimore Ravens with Mike McDonald, right, Mike McDonald, YEAHO different, different, Mike mcdifferent, guys, but as far as we know, yeah, banking on a Vanderbilt defense to take a big jump. Now you have the Clark Lee element to having your head coach, but we had the Derek
Mason element. He called a ton of really good defenses for Stanford, and Vanderbilt's defense at you know, early on in Derek Mason's tenure was interesting. I don't know if really strong is the correct way to describe it, but definitely interesting against some lesser opponents.
I think.
I think the strength of Vanderbilt moving forward, knowing that the talent isn't fully there right now, is the fact that we have what a full new staff at South Carolina, a new offensive coordinator at Kentucky. Georgia's offense should be good. New quarterback at Florida Tennessee feels like it's full full square one down to the studs. So there are similar boats in the SEC East. Now Missoo should have a
pretty nice offense. We assume we'll see, but's it's not the worst time to be working in a new defense. A new team whatever, as most teams it seems like, are in some way rebuilding or refreshing and spring cleaning in the SEC East. So I don't hate this pick. I just don't know enough about Jesse Minter to know how I feel about his potential in the short term.
So all right, huge Jesse guy right here entire. I always claim to be always you know, the Minter Cast coming soon to your favorite podcast app. Where are we going next?
Dan?
You're up?
Okay, the pick is in and I need to select a defensive coordinator. I'm tempted to go in one direction, although I don't want to give my hand away. Actually, so I'm going to go with my pick. Indeed, it's Tim de Ruter at Oregon. I'm gonna go with my homework pick here because of the talent level, because of the quarterback situation of the opponents on Oregon schedule. Tim de Ruter season defensive coordinator.
I know.
He called a really, really good cal defense and I believe twenty eighteen and his specialty is linebackers. If you remember Evan Weaver all over the place and known to be especially strong in terms of confusing opposing quarterbacks. You always did well against Mike Leach and the air raid. So there is something about Tim de Ruter now moving
on from Cal to a team. And I know Cal has has had NFL caliber defensive backs, but Oregon has recruited extraordinarily well on the defensive side of the ball, and they have two five star linebackers they've recorded, They've recruited corner exceedingly well. Safety is a bit green and a question still right now, but they've gotten pretty deep
on this defense. They're good up front and when this Oregon defense is at its best, and was at its best under Andy Avlos these past couple of years, they were not allowing a ton and we saw it in the USC game to win the Pac twelve championship, just completely swarming USC upfront and getting after Keaton Slovas. I think Tim de Ruter will be a welcome edition Oregon
last year because of some down games finished. I'm seeing right now in the points per Drive on defense, it looks to be seventy third nationally in twenty twenty, and you know, a very small sample size. I think they it's an easy move up into the top twenty, top twenty, excuse me, top thirty. Like in the twenties. I think you can have a pronounced improvement there. So Tim de Ruter the pick to me Oregon not needing to fix a defense necessarily.
That was going to be very good. See, that was going to be my question much the way. It's not fully in the spirit, but they do. But it was a defense that was below average last year. They just didn't fire their defensive coordinator. He moved on to a head coaching job, but still a defense overall that needed to be ironed out a bit. Okay, seventy third below average? Fair, that's fair? Okay, Yeah, well I like the higher as well. I think I'm with you. So, okay, what do I
have to pick? Offensive coordinator?
You have to pick?
You just picked Jesse Minter, longtime friend of yoursally huge.
Give me an offensive coordinator, a spring cleaning spring cleaning coordinator. Vork I am so tempted to go with this pick. I don't know anything about either of these guys. Maybe we could talk it through, but I'm gonna do it.
I just have to. Okay, because LSU has hired the combo of Jake Pets and DJ Mangus, which really does sound like it could be an ed m band, Pete's.
And Mangus DJ Mangus, Yeah, I mean, let's hope things work out better than you know, any sort of involvement with DJ Diurkin, so I'm good with it. Or I mean DJ Benga had a decent tenth man career for the Lakers. If you remember DJ Qualls, if you remember, was he road trip? I believe it was a roads Yeah. DJ Tanner's different.
D Yeah, D just goes by D. Pete and Mangus could also be a drive time sports talk show. Absolutely. Steve Ansminger retired and ed Orgeron is now I think trying to recapture the old Joe Brady magic. And you see this elsewhere in college football. It's not just LSU the.
It was also what a Scott Lenehan situation last year as well for LSU.
Right he was the passing game coordinator and they decided to move on from him. So Pete and Magas were both added from the Carolina Panthers staff and they worked under Joe Brady, who was formerly the LSU offensive coordinator. Obviously part of that once in a generation national championship season that led Joe Burrow to the number one overall, pick LS was really bad last year. They were really
bad last year on a number of different fronts. What you're gonna tell me they weren't they weren't as bad. I think that's harsh.
I mean, we're still talking about a team that destroyed South Carolina with essentially a first time quarterback and with weird circumstances to beat Florida on the road, like really bad. Their defense was bad, but I think they were okay, which for LSU was really bad. But I don't think they were a really bad team.
They had their issues at the quarterback spot, I mean, and they bounced around a little bit because yep, obviously they had the injury to Miles Brannan. We saw TJ. Finley for a while, We saw Max Johnson eventually take over that spot and do really well towards the end of the year. So you know, they've obviously got enough
to work with. I think the thing with LSU, and I know something that's driven LSU fans crazy forever is maximizing that talent, getting the most out of it the way they did the year that Joe Burrow was there. But they were just incredibly effective on offense. So I think it has nowhere to go but up. Last year may have been a weird year. I like starting over. I like kind of retooling the entire STAB, both on offense and defense and trying to bring some new blood in.
I don't I guess the risk here is that are they trying to find the next Joe Brady's.
Well, that's fine, I mean you can that's a good search if you can find. If you are finding the next Joe Brady, you are finding a crazy talented coordinator.
They just need to get better in terms of their efficiency the quarterback. Notwithstanding, this is a team that just look had to replace a lot and had Jamar Chase opt out, and it just was a tough year to try and build a new after again a once in
a generation season. So efficiency is I think going to be paramount, getting more bang for the buck if they can do that, even if it's not quite to their what twenty nineteen levels, which seems impossible, any step up in terms of efficiency I think is a pretty big deal. So let's go Petez and Mangus because I like the name and I get two for one.
Yeah, I mean, when you look at what LSU did, Elsie I have it as eighty third on offensive points per drive, so a ton of room for improvement. The quarterback room isn't a great place. Miles Brennan, before he got hurt, was plenty good to be the quarterback of a winning SEC team. He was accurate enough, he did not turn the ball over that much. He was totally fine, if not good. He just followed up Joe Brady, excuse me,
Joe Burrow. And that's a tall task, and you get hurt and you have to start relying on green dudes like TJ. Finley and Max Johnson. I kind of really liked Max Johnson. I thought there was some zaz to his game, kind of athletic, made plays when things broke down. I liked Max Johnson. I don't know, he just seems fascinating to me. I guess so yeah. I mean as far as Pets and Mangus, obviously younger guys and you know, experience in that system, experience with Joe Brady with the.
Panthers, I like to pick a lot.
I think even an average LSU offense, given the talent they have at quarterback, given what they bring back at receiver. Yeah, I mean they can immediately get back to be a top twenty in terms of this metric. Yeah, I think that's a great pick from you.
They have all the tools that they need. Yeah, they have all the tools that they need to come in there and make an impact. Again, I think it's risky to even have in the back of your mind that you're getting the next Joe Brady Joe Brady's But sure, I appreciate going out and trying to bring some new blood in and effectively effectively reboot.
It's a really good thing to me. It's a really good thing when a head coach goes out and goes to people he knows and trusts and say, this guy isn't your offensive coordinator, or like, you don't have an opening offensive coordinator, but if you did, who would you target, and saying these two guys, this guy, this guy whatever,
Piets and Mangus. I mean, if that works out, it's always going to be better to me to get a reference of a guy you don't necessarily know, but say to yourself, the recommendations, the references are there, and the track records seems to be building. Sure, because the Polini thing, the Linehan thing, there is something that reeks of Okay, I did it this way. I'm feeling very confident that my guys are the way to go. That's that's how ed Oorzron found Joe Brady. I'm sort of all over
the place there. But he went to Sean Payton, and he went to Joe Morehead. These guys that Joe Brady had worked with him, like, what do you think about this guy? And they like, across the board, that is the smartest guy in the room. So if Joe Brady is giving this recommendation, it seems worthwhile to kick those tires.
Okay. So I like, you're up to pick what a defensive guy?
No, I just picked Tim de Ruder. I'm due for offense since this one is tough for me. This one is really tough. But I guess if we're looking for vork, if we're looking for room for improvement, I'm going to select the team with the number ninety two points per
drive offense in twenty twenty, that's Kentucky hiring Leo Cohen. Okay, Liam Cohen from of course, ty, if you're going to hire somebody, if they're not if they don't come recommended by Joe Brady, they better come recommended by Sean mcvay' and that's exactly what Liam Cohen is, somebody who's recommended by Sean McVay to Mark Stoops at Kentucky. The problem with Kentucky right now is the quarterback position. I mean, it could be Joey Gatewood, it could be Will Levis.
There's a freshman in there who I think is probably better built for a more traditional offense than a more running offense, which Will Levis and Joey Gatewood were counted on for their legs a little bit more, it seems, in the past, than their ability to scan the field and make plays with their arms. So I'm going to go with Kentucky. I'm gonna go with the experience at receiver, even though it was not a popping offense. I believe
Chris Rodriguez is back. This is a program that has developed offensive lineman and you know, if I'm going to be like you know every other person hiring offensive coaches and roll with the Sean McVay tree, so be it. I'm going with Liam Cohen. I'm going with Kentucky for similar reasons. I mean, we have rebuilding Tennessee, South Carolina Vanderbilt, so if Kentucky's offense and quarterback position rises to consistently competent. And I like Terry Wilson, but he was sort of
a three to four yard passer at a time. He was not really a big downfield guy. So if they can get that downfield element within that offense.
Obviously, this is.
Sort of how I ragged on you for selecting Mike.
Rzich, saying I was going to be my next point.
The quarterback position is not anywhere near settled, but yeah, I'm I'm going to roll with that Situationally, I think it's Bo Allen. I don't know if it's Bo or b Eau, it's both something. I think it's Bo Allen, who is the promising younger quarterback, so because of the skill talent. Oh and what doesn't Wandale Robinson enter the fold for Kentucky. I believe he does so an interesting weapon there in a way that they haven't had, I guess since Lin Bowden a couple of years ago, all
the way back in twenty nineteen. I'm going to go with Kentucky and Liam Cohn.
I don't think I played the draft chime, but I'll play it for me. Play it now, Yeah, I like that pick. I also appreciate that you've left Don Brown waiting for so this is an interesting conversation. Continue, Yeah, waiting for me in the green room. Don Brown comes over from Michigan, longtime defensive coordiator for Michigan at least since the Horriball era. He is now going to Tucson
with Jedfish. So I like the hire by Jedfish. Jedfish was, per what we understand, kind of preferred by some at the university, but maybe not everyone, so a mixed hire in some regresident loves him, president loves him. Arizona.
Yeah, maybe we.
Should rely more on what the university presidents think versus athletic directors and light of the Jeff Long stuff. But that aside, Jed Fish is the guy. He went out and he hired I think a known commodity in Don Brown.
Don Brown, I was reading, gave some interesting comments to a local paper when asked about what went wrong at Michigan and you know, I mean he'd been there a while, but cited COVID the pandemic for lack of practice in the spring, talked about some of the upper classmen that he had at Michigan, but the lack of depth at defense and how you know it just was diminishing returns there over the last couple of years, and it sort of culminated in a goofy year where you couldn't quite
do everything that you needed to. I think he has to be better, just has to be better than what Arizona had previously. Now here's where I do think he gets interesting. Had from a friend of the solid verbal that was gonna be my point. Paul Rhodes was the former defensive coordinator who for a long time has been a pretty good defensive mind in and around college football.
It's been a minute, it's been a minute, it's been.
A minute, but he at least has that reputation. I like Don Brown. Don Brown's an older gentleman, He's been around the game for a long time. I like the move for him to go out to Arizona where they have not had a defense in forever. I certainly hope that Jedfish makes that a priority, and I think Don Brown's a good guy to help him do that. So they got to be better than where they were Dan they just they have to be better than where they were.
They were dreadful dreadful in every defensive category last year. I can't find any green, any green on this chart, so it has to improve. If we're talking strictly about Vork, there's certainly a lot of potential to move up. So this is kind of a Vandy esque pick here with I mean, certainly Don Brown doesn't have the name recognition of Jesse Minter, but he's up there.
Arizona finished one hundred and twenty first in deventsive points per drive allowed, culminating in what was seventy to seven or something against ASU to finish out the twenty twenty season, and it just it didn't work. It didn't work. The problem to me with Arizona and Don Brown is, I
mean Arizona's hiring discount Don. If Don Brown were in high demand, he would have gone to somewhere bigger than Tucson, which is kind of college football exile right now, middle of the desert, away from the bright lights of college football. Hope Jed Fish gets it going in Tucson for the Cats. You know, fun environment when things are when things are going well. But I always hesitate with grabbing a guy coming down from success to a media and out was very strange.
We know this.
This is the the unspoken disclaimer at the top of every show in which we talk about twenty twenty games in the season. But it's a pretty strong quarterback division Keaton Slovas and Jaden Daniels and dtr There's there's talent there, and the recruiting has been so bad at Arizona that while I'm with you in terms of Arizona's defense should improve because there's only kind of one direction to go, I don't know how dramatically it can improve if the
talent isn't there. The talent was absolutely there at Michigan, less so at Boston College, where he had excellent defenses. He is unquestionably somebody with an incredible defensive track record. I just wonder if he can be that extreme chopped defensive coordinator like we'd like to talk about top chef versus chopped, iron chef versus chopped you know, the greatest ingredients.
Whatever players are not food. But still I hesitate. I hesitate here in terms of year one, I think it could be like ninety nine and there's no appreciable difference off to our eyes week over week watching Arizona football. So that's why I hesitated. I like the pick because he does also have a mustache.
Yeah, no, I need the mustache.
Also, majority of his experiences in what the Midwest and the Northeast that worries me a little bit too. So we'll see. We will absolutely see. So I need to go from what Liam Cohen to a defensive coordinator?
Correct, all right?
This one, I like, I'm going Pete Quakowski at.
Your boy you love he can't shut up about Pete.
Yeah, that's me. I talked Pete Quitkowski all the time co defensive coordinator at Washington now Texas forty ninth, I'm seeing right now a lot of miss tackles. If you watched Texas football last year, the effort, the injuries. Strange season for sure, But I think the Pete Quitkowski hire could be super interesting because those Washington teams he both coordinators, and he coordinated and co coordinated with Jimmy Lake before
Jimmy Lake became head coach. You know, the two really deep safeties that Washington team was happy to let you nickel and dime them, but they were not getting beat deep. They developed a ton of real equality players in the secondary. Even though Peoklkowski's experience is largely upfront. I think that
specific defense paired with an unquestioned talent level. I know secondary took some lumps, and perhaps some of those blue chip recruits didn't quite live up to their potential these past few years, But up front, I kind of love what Texas had. Now I'm not being seduced into your you know, Texas's back thing, but I think the job that Qwikowski has at Texas is a pretty quick fix. I'm not fully in love with the big twelve top to bottom at quarterback and on offense. I think talent wise,
effort wise, I think it's going to go up. Obviously, there was a year of Chris ash last year after Todd Orlando was let go, so that sort of changed with a short season, a weird season. I'm going to go that full refresh being a quality, quality thing for the Texas defense. I think they can go from what did I say, forty ninth yep. I think I've got to make sure, yeah, forty ninth. I think they can get into eighteen to twenty five somewhere there pretty quickly with him.
Yeah, okay, I forgot to play it again. By the way, I apologize, please play it now, Okay. So, I think this is probably our last, like one or two picks here, since we're running a bit long in the tooth. I wanted to throw out Dan Enos at Maryland.
Whoa okay, sell me.
This is a weird pick, I understand, and I am trading on dan Enos's ties to the tongue of Iloa family. Essentially, yeah, so flashes he did. Scotty Montgomery was formerly the offensive coordinator part of ways. A few days after, you know, after the season, and then they announced that Danny Noos was coming aboard. Dannys has had a couple stops along the way. I remember, you know, obviously his time at Alabama. He was supposed to be kind of like the savior
of the Miami offense. That didn't work out at all, so mixed bag, but still kind of has a good name to trade on. And did he have I think so?
I mean, whose name Dan la Fever's. I'm just wondering. I just want to know. I'm just here asking questions time about these stabs.
Don't ruin this for me?
Wasn't he knows the guy who just left Alabama without telling Micksaban was leaving like he was supposed to show up to a morning guy.
I just said in terms of.
I think he refutes that story, but that is a story about him at all. I'm taking the Miami job.
In terms of being a football mind. Yeah, the Maryland offense wasn't terrible last year. I think it was better than expected. But I think if Taliah is going to be the guy moving forward, and given that Danny Nose has some familiarity there with with the family, I just I feel like that's a pretty good spot to be in. There's always room for improvement at Maryland, at least in the early going now under the Mike Loxley. Mike Loxley tenure. Excuse me, Uh, we know he loves the DMV. We
know he can recruit the DMV. That's not who were you drafting though? No, But I feel like it's another situation, low key, where they are going to be an increasing number of tools that he has to work with. So let's go dan.
Is it is it Mike Loxley's offense?
Though?
Is this like it's one of those things where like we could I told you we can't draft Kyle Flood because this is Steve Sarkeesian's offense at Texas. So I don't know the answer to that. You took, you took Danny Nose, So I don't know who's whose mind, whose playbook, who's calling the plays on game day maybe hasn't even been determined yet. But that's that's a question for me
with this pick. Also, I'm sure you have somebody in your life like this, or solid wife Kate has somebody in her life like this that posts a lot on social media every so often. They post every so often
there's a new significant other. You're like, huh, I thought she was with the guy, dark hair, kind of curly, now a buzz cut, blonde, Okay, okay, And that is somewhat emblematic to me of Danny Knows recently where you just you squint a little longer at somebody who's just kind of island hopping as a coach, just just bopping around because up not working out. Up the found out I was this, well gotta go somewhere new. Well, let's see if they care. There's something to me about that
with Danny Knows, completely unfounded. But that's why I always squint. I squint a little bit longer at the people who who pop up with a new boyfriend or girlfriend or something like that on social media every three months, just like, why don't we why don't we let something just play out a little longer?
Right? All right? I don't know. Always concerns me. Red flag for me? Last round here, Dan, you get your last selection?
So who did I just take? I just took Peakwakowski? So I had to go offense. Man, I really could not find somebody. I was really hoping to get in with both LSU sides of the ball. I do have myke Earsitch on my list. That was a late round flyer for me. All right, man, Okay, I'm gonna go.
It's getting a little bit tricky here.
I'm gonna go. Yeah, thank you, I'm gonna go.
Doug Meachumcu I mean, is he a new offensive coordinator?
I mean he was a position coast last year, and he was an offensive coordinator many years ago for TCU. He was promoted like.
I think its okay?
Yeah, man, I have Bobo down here as a potential pick, and I have Chip Long at Tulane after a year at Tennessee. Now the reason I hear you about Chip Long, I want to say, I looked it up, so Tulane last year they it looks like I'm seeing forty So not an awful offense. Not a ton of room for improvement. You know, Willie Fritz is gonna have his hands on
the offense. But Notre Dame's offense did make a really nice jump about thirty spots and his I think his first year was twenty seventeen at Notre Dame, so that was interesting to me. I know they got a lot better in the red zone. I can't roll with Chip Loong and Tulane, so I guess I'm gonna go with Doug Meachum, former XFL recent XFL brief coordinator. There's something to me about an experienced quarterback. I kind of love Zach Evans on the ground. I think his potential is
pretty interesting to me. So if TCU is not turning the ball over, I think they're gonna be. They finished sixty eighth last year, so there's room for improvement with TCU. I'm not nearly as seduced by TCU as you are.
Yet over for three years now, you keep it and then you come back to the season, you're like they start to and O. I think there is something about the younger skill guys for TCU that it's not interesting to me about TCU as a whole, because I still I'm still extremely mixed on Max Duggan at best, but I'm glad he was healthy last year and was able
to play after his scare over the summer. There's something about experience at quarterback and those skill position players that makes me thinking, I don't think the magic is back from twenty fourteen or anything like that, but that's gonna be my pick that there is there is some pixie dust in Fort Worth to be mined.
Okay?
Is that okay with you? Did you even consider it? Was he on your board?
No? No, I'm done with TCU.
You know that I'm done, No, but that I'm just in terms of often who else is on your offensive or defensive board? I had Brad Lambert Purdue. I don't know if you want to make this pick right now. No, I have I think Marshall's defense.
Yeah, I looked at him, if only because he's taking over for Bob Diaco bobya oh yeah, and it's terrific head of hair. But I'm actually gonna go a different direction here. Here we go, I am getting in on the baby Ravens, Dan, That's what I'm doing. Okay, in on the baby Ravens. You know, I'm high on Jesse Minter. Let's go the other side of the coin and go with Michael McDonald oker for girl. Mike McDonald, as it were, he is the new defensive coordinator at Michigan, taking over for Don Brown.
He's a co defensive coordinators. You get two.
We got Mo Linguist too. I to get Yeah, you get.
Two for one.
I get the full stav there staff. Yeah. Yeah, Mike McDonald is thirty three years old.
Yeah, that was a It's not that difficult anymore, knowing how young coaches are that are getting hired in college, successful coaches, coordinator's, position coaches, whatever. But when it's low thirties, high twenties, as I ascend to my mid to upper thirties, it's tougher and tougher. I told Jody with and I was like, hey, Michigan's new defensive coordinators thirty three. She said he's he's nine years older than me.
And I said, yeah, that's it.
So yeah, give me give me your your Mike McDonald's and Mo Linguist optimism.
I don't know enough about either of these guys. I'm not going to pretend well, no, hold on, it's fine. I mean they were position coaches. In the NFL, there were position coaches. He comes over from the Ravens, so Jesse Minter defensive backs coach in this case, Mike McDonald, a linebackers coach, had a stint before that as a defensive backs coach. By all accounts, he is a young up and comer, started coaching while he was still in
college at Georgia. Smart guy graduated from Georgia like Summa cum laud and was coaching at the high school level for a couple of years while he was still in school. So this is he knew he wanted to do this to some extent, right, He knew he had this in the back of his mind. He got a Manny Diaz on your hands. Maybe so he he was intern with the Ravens. He worked his way up and obviously now
got this gig with Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh, for what it's worth, probably reached out to his brother and was able to get a pretty good recommendation here on what Mike McDonald brought to the team. To your point though about Don Brown. Doesn't Jim Harbaugh already employ one brother? Isn't there a Jay on the staff? I believe there's a Jay Harbaugh. There are so many Harbas at this point. Yeah,
but here's here's here's the thing. There's room for improvement on that Michigan defense for all the reasons it didn't work out for Don Brown. He's the son of Jim, by the way, the son of Jim. Jim. Yeah, thank you. Say what you want about Don Brown. I think we have a lot of respect for him. We love the mustache. There has been a situation at Michigan of diminishing returns and so now bringing new blood. They've got talent, hopefully
depth is improved over a year ago. And we got a young guy who maybe brings some new energy to the side. That's all I got. I don't really, I don't know much here.
What a fantasy thing it will probably be this year. Young coach brings new energy. Coach under Fordy brings new energy, new blood news as well. If we would have done it last year, we could have done the next Joe Brady. Oh yeah, easily, easily. Now the best I mean, not even the best. I think two years ago Michigan's defense was pretty good, the top twenty five or so defense, and otherwise they've been kind of a top ten to
fifteen unit under Don Brown. The concern for me is Don Brown's defense was so specific, and I know a lot he runs a lot of things, a lot of I just hit my microphone. I know he runs a lot of things that a lot of teams run, but he you know, he puts his corners out on an island. He as the specialized positions.
Up front.
You get the viper, which I think is the you know, the Jabrill Peppers outside linebackers, safety hybrid, and so they're very specific positions. And the way guys were recruited to this defense that's now being overhauled. The good news for Michigan, well, it was like I said before, defense is about, you know, effort and buy and whatever, and that's what leads to really strong tackling.
It's just effort.
It's just effort if you have the talent in place, and Michigan upfront along that defensive line. Upfront, linebacker, I now was pretty dicey. Secondary was pretty dicey last year, but upfront, at least with Donovan Jeter, with Aiden Hutchinson. There is there are bookends, There are interesting, big beefy bodies to build this defense upon, and so it's a really nice starting point. I don't know much about Mo Linguist.
I know we bounced around college as a secondary coach for a while there and a bunch of different conferences and then ended up I think with the Cowboys last year, so I don't know much about his reputation as a coach. It seemed like some of his defenses improved when he arrived. But yeah, the McDonald think is interesting. I think it was certainly time for a complete refresh of the defense after last year and again nightmare of a year, but
it was time. It was absolutely time. And you like to talk about Jim Harbaugh running his uh you know, coaching staff and his players into the ground and everybody needing evs his stabs or just his eight his staff. I am going to go with this being interesting. I mean, there's they finished one hundred and seventh last year in points allowed per drive, so the room for improvement is one hundred percent there. And also I just pulled up Michigan's schedule. Do you know who Michigan plays this year.
Can I'm going to run through it with you and you tell me when I get to a probably good offense. Okay, Okay, all right, here we go. We're going to start with Western Michigan on September fourth.
Nope, I don't. I'm not a big believer right now.
And then we go to up It's self refreshing Washington pretty efficient last year, but I don't think Dylan Morris, and now that Puka Nakua, one of the receivers they are counted on, just entered the transfer portal I think is heading to BYU. I'm not a big believer right now in Washington Johnson offense, John Donovan offense. That game is in ann Arbor. Next next Northern Illinois, next Rutgers, next at Wisconsin. I'm not can you say right now,
I don't know what today March tenth, probably good Wisconsin offense. No, no, no, I'm not there. I like where they at. I like where they're at running back, but otherwise at Nebraska, listen, I'm We're now into October ninth.
Sorry, sorry, Northwestern. Okay, Now at Michigan State Indiana maybe so Indiana is a maybe probably good November sixth, and by the way, after that is at Penn State, maybe, at Maryland maybe, and then Ohio State and an arbor for sure. So are you on this podcast on March the eleventh, twenty twenty one, right here, right now, predicting eleven to one Michigan. I think that's what I'm hearing.
I mean, I would be stupid not to. I'll be stupid not to. No, I'm just saying, situationally, if you're looking for buy low, they've recruited I think, well to very well. Better on offense, it seems, than defense. But all the same, they've recruited.
Well.
The schedule this year is not filled with probable killers. So I mean, how many actual offenses are you scared of in the Big ten at this point after what we saw last year? Not many? In Ohio State is a new starting quarterback. He'll be good. Whoever it is, it'll be good. So I think pieces are in place to go from one oh seven to I don't know, thirty eight. Is that crazy? Doesn't seem like it.
This is why we take Mike McDonald Dan Okay, forgot Mike McDonald, all right, So there you have it, don't forget to write in It's Oliver gmail dot com or by going to our website solid verbal dot com. Want to know your thoughts. We do have a Patreon where both you and I have been a lot more active lately. Yeah.
I posted a video of me making pizza dough.
Yeah, you posted the pizza dough video. I'm working on a little podcast video. It's like, are you too, Yeah, I got I got a little something in the lab here. I've been working up in all my free time, you know, be working up something and and also been more active on the discord, which is a lot of fun, kind of in the moment.
This morning we had a light debate of what was it AJ mccaren versus Who was ajmccaron versus Trace McSorley or something. Okay, this is what you do in March.
This is this is what you do. I played my game on which did you watch? I did watch some. I lost Rylan not good. I lost thirty one twenty eight through an interception with nineteen seconds left against my friend Ah gave him an easy three. I lost.
Sorry, I'm sorry, Ty, Yeah.
But we got more more on the way. We knocked off Penn State and we got a game against app State against Notre Dame, and then I believe that the rivalry against Army to close out Navy. He so probably looking at a one lost season if all goes well. Can I ask you please? Was this a fun show? This is a fun It is okay, fun show, fun show, Okay, fun show, just okay? Talking about stabs was fun? Okay.
Good for that guy over there, my good friend Danrewbstet For myself, Tie Hildebrand, thank you so much for downloading, for listening, for playing along with our madness. Have yourself a good weekend. We will catch you on the flip side of the meantime. Stay solid peace. But before we go any further, Danielle, I have a request, Tyler. Will you drop that slinking, slithering, slathering drum and five? Ah there it is hello, old friend Dan. We have two
Patriot League games, two Patriot League games to discuss. As you know, the Patriot League is playing football this spring. Let's start here with the College of the Holy Cross traveling to Goodman Stadium high noon this coming Saturday to square off against yours mine, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. DA mine. Let's say you.
Get out of town with that accusation. Oh man, do I love gambling against the engineers, especially especially.
You know the Crosssaders have been in the weight room. You know they're staying late after practice. You know they're they're feeling the beads of sweat with the prospect of taking down those knears. Give me the Crosssaders and give them to me, big look. You know, I gotta go lee High here. You know that.
I don't think you have to. Who's gonna say anything.
You gotta go Lehigh here. Give me the Mountain Hawks at home. They've had a lot of time to prepare to study the tape on Holy Cross. I feel good about the home team here. Okay, Colgate, hello old friend again. Yes, yes, yes, also traveling to the great state of PA, traveling just a few miles up the road to Easton to swear off against your Lafayette Leopards, Dan Rubinstein, That's.
What I'm talking the Lafayete Leopards of both Papa Rubinstein and I forgot what we called her, Katie the Kapper. Yes, it's Katie the Kapper right way back when, also a proud Leopard.
The audacity of the Gators of Colgate to think that they can just literally waltz into I think it's Fisher Stadium.
That's right, Fisher Stadium. I've been to Easton, PA.
I've seen how difficult it like.
Just the noise. Forget the crowd noise during a football game. It just people of Easton bear on top of it. When you enter the town, the you know, the entrance.
To the House stadium, the House of Pain.
Yeah, I'm going Lafayette in an embarrassing fashion.
Big. Absolutely, I'm going Gators here, Dan, you know, just by virtual going Lehigh, I feel it's required to go Colgate in opposition to either of these. Is are there people allowed in these stadiums? I have no idea, but I could probably just walk again if I really wanted to.
Which is preferable?
Goodman are fishing? Probably Goodman. It's a lot closer. So I'm not against it, Dan, I'm not against it. And actually I should hold on. I should fade the music out here. No, I like everyone to the final matchup. There was supposed to be a matchup between your fordum Rams and the Bucknell Bison, but New York's one. Sure, Yeah, that game has been postponed. So not off to the best start. Here with thirty three perstead of the scheduled
games being canceled or postponed. But uh, spring football in the Patriot League is finally upon us.
Yeah, where's that Lewisbourg, PA. That's where Bucknell is. How far are you from Lewis Bournon probably asked this before.
Sorry about hour and forty five minutes.
Okay, so it's not that close, So that's not really an option even if they were playing good to know. Yeah, I'm going to focus on what we have instead of what we don't. And we have Lehigh and Lafayette hosting big game games. I believe our both are streaming right on ESPN Plus correct. So if you need your football fix this weekends, you know what to watch