The Bears have their list of head coaching candidates
What to think about if Sam Darnold and the Vikings lose this weekend
Previewing the Steelers-Ravens game and what should happen to Mike Tomlin if Pittsburgh gets blown out
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Here we go to Tuesday live in Los Angeles. It is the Herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. My New Year's resolution, no haircuts. I am going shaggy baby, and I don't care. Jaymack in one hour, Nick Wright, Herd Hierarchy. I'm so fired up. There are so many things percolating in the NFL, with all these job openings. It is crazy.
I don't know what's wilder.
Your your hair flow this morning, or you coming off the birthday with a bunch of hot takes today.
Yeah, it was a hot take birthday for se Man. I brought in a lot of smoke.
Man.
Just give yourself a nickname Seaman.
Okay, everywhere everywhere people were nice to me yesterday. So thank you very much, and we move on in life. Okay, So I look at the Bears list for reported interview requests for the Chicago Bears for their job head coaching job. I mean I follow this league. There's a couple of guys. I mean, there's not this many great candidates. Why are you wasting your time? I mean Anthony Weaver Dolphins defensive coordinator. Did you watch the Dolphins at any point this year and go, man? That defense is something else? Drew Petsing offensive coordinator Arizona. Folks, this is not American idol. I'm not here for the fun tryouts. The hell you doing? And you're you're wasting time on second, third tier candidates. Somebody else is hiring Mike Vrabel, What are you doing here? I mean the Chargers last year in late November in the building, we're talking about two candidates, Harbaugh and Vrabel. It was late November early December, and they narrowed it down in the office to two guys they really wanted. One is great now and one Mike Rabel's the best candidate this year. So you know what's the Bear's path. This is just too broad of a list. It's unserrious. You can't have thirteen people. Let's be honest about this year's candidates. There's one a candidate, Mike Vrabel. That's it. I do think Pete Carroll and Brian Floores are worth a zoom call, but they're not a candidates. Flores too intense, didn't work in Miami, though I like him and think he deserves a second chance, and Pete Carroll again tends to be too loyal to average assistance. I think he's worth the zoom call. I am not hiring a coordinator for the Bear's job, and I think Aaron Glenn is great. Ben Johnson likewise, too big of a job, too big of a list, and coordinator candidates are like half a candidate. You don't know if it's gonna work. You know Mike Frabl's gonna work. So I look at this Bears list. When you're hiring a head coach. It's a little bit like house hunting in a really competitive market. You don't have time to waste. If you qualify for a five million dollar house, skip the fixer uppers, don't even stop off at the condos, get to the big boy houses. Don't waste your time. It's a competitive market, so it's I mean this list is a who's who of who's he? What are we doing here? No waste of time for the Chicago Bears, And you know it's it's this is too big of a job for ninety percent of the guys on this list, and you should have it narrowed down. I mean, you got rid of Matt Eberflus the day after Thanksgiving, and it's what January seventh. If if you fire a coach the day after Thanksgiving and it's the day that is officially too late to say Happy New Years to people in the office, you're wasting your time. Get to it. It's the prom. Either asked the girl out or she's dancing with somebody else. But this list is just it's unseerious. This is an unseerious list. I've said before. It is too complicated, too political, too big, historically, too wonky for a coordinator, even a great one, even a great one. And you could say, well, look at what Sean McVeigh did. Stan Kronky's one of the richest, smartest owners in the NFL. Jeff Fisher sort of felt a little outdated. Offensively, McVeigh knocked everybody's socks off, But you had Stan Kronk. You had, you know, a number one picket quarterback and some good players on the roster. You needed a left tackle and a head coach. But there was stuff working there, an organization that had had some success. Chicago is this is an eight hundred pound lift. I mean, this is a big lift. Albert Breer yesterday, I mean this, this list I'm looking at now has got un serious candidates. Here's Albert Breer yesterday on the Bears job.
They haven't won a playoff game in fourteen years, and I think if they look in the mirror, that's what they'll find, is that there are issues there that go deeper than just one coach or how just one player is developed.
If they do.
Bring in a guy who's a leader of men, who works on the defensive side, that person is going to have to come in with a very clear, concise plan for the quarterback, and not just for the next year or two, but going forward. If you lose an offensive coach, how do you replace them?
All of that stuff? There's you know, one of the things that it's it's hard to say it out loud, but it's sort of true. In every business I've ever been in, there's a really small, finite number of candidates qualified for most jobs, and you look at the resume and you make a couple of calls and the list gets whittled down very quickly. The Chargers figured it out after hiring like Anthony Lynn and Brandon Staley. Dean Spanos figured out, I need a culture changer. We are lost as a franchise. We are on fire. I got to bring in the number one captain. I got to bring in the fire captain in the big truck. And they went Vrabel interviewed him and Jim Harbaugh and Vrabel, by the way, they called Rabel after they decided on Harbaugh, and they said, you were amazing, and if Jim Harbaugh is not in the market, you are amazing. I heard this from like six different people in the Chargers building. They loved Rabel. They thought they were going to hire Rabel. They loved him, and so, I mean they got down very quickly to the two candidates. You're talking Jets and Bears. You can't have thirteen people up for it. Are not thirteen people on the planet that can turn around the Jets and the Bears. Okay, I saw this story, and I have heard something similar we've discussed it this week. I think Jmax said this, The Minnesota Vikings are a fascinating team this offseason. They got this brilliant offensive coach. They have Sam Darnald, a reclamation project who until Sunday was in the MVP race, and then they brought in Daniel Jones in November, and then they drafted JJ McCarthy. Well, according to Jeff Howe of the Athletic JJ McCarthy would rank over Shador Sanders and Cam Ward by several executives and coaches. That is what I have heard. That is what I have heard from people i've asked that JJ McCarthy would be higher ranked than the two quarterbacks. Doesn't mean everybody's right or my sources are right, but that's what you're hearing. And that's why this game for Sam Darnald against the Rams is fascinating. And there are times I get nervous for young athletes because I know so much is on the line. Think about Sam Darnold, Southern California kid, when he plays the Rams in LA. It's one hundred million dollar football game. Kevin O'Connell could lose it, So what McVeigh could lose it? So what Stafford could lose it? If Sam Darnald loses plays poorly, I mean that people are going to make a decision that it's just all Kevin O'Connell and Justin Jefferson and Jordan Andison and in the end, the elite competition, big stage, he couldn't handle it. The market drives up. I don't even know. I don't even know if the Vikings keep it. But if Sam crushes, he's either getting franchised for a year in Minnesota. I would guess maybe they signed him to a contract franchise, or he goes to the market, and you got teams like the Raiders. Now they don't have a great draft pick, they may spend a fortune on him, and I wouldn't doubt it. So it's a one hundred million dollar a game. And here's the thing that is cruel and unfair in sports, but it is a fact. Sam Darnald was one kind of quarterback for six years. Super athletic, big arm, but reckless, big too many mistakes in big spots. That's what he was. And that's where my brain goes, and your brain goes, and general manager's brains go. When we see the Detroit game, Yeah too much. Jews can't make the play, missing open wide receivers. That's where our brains go. And it's like, it's almost like if you miss a big free throw in the NBA Finals as a young player. Nick Anderson did this for Orlando against Houston. You have to hit so many big free throws for me to forget about that free throw you missed in the finals. And Nick Anderson didn't. And that's what I remember him for. And he was a good guy and a good player, but that's what I remember him for. And so if Sam Donald beats the Rams wins a playoff game, then Detroit's on one off. It was Detroit. It was the biggest game in fifty years. The Lions have better players. I forget all about it. But it's almost like Sam Darnold has been type cast. It's like Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter. He has got to be in so many movies for me not to see Harry Potter every time I look at him. You put him in a crime drama, I'm like I was getting cast a spell on somebody. I mean, I'm sorry, that's what I see. I mean, he got to be in so many movies. And so this game for Donald is making me nervous. I try not to pick winners on this. I just want Donald to play well. And Jmax over here got the Rams rolling in this game. He's got me all freaking out. It's my birthday week. I need some symmetry. I need I need calmb and this. And the Darnald situation is if I see something for six years and then all of a sudden, you're really good and I'm starting to forget about it in all all biggest game, that's roy brain goes, and that's where GM's brains go. So the Vikings are a fascinating team and I don't think they have the answers yet. I think they're waiting for this Rams game and they want to see it. And I don't think they were going to be Detroit anyway. I don't think it was a winnable game. I said it last week. Take the Lions. This is going to be a crazy, standalone, once in a generation game for the Lions. Good luck Sam Darnold, but it's cruel. I still think Nick Anderson I think miss free throw in the finals because he didn't go back and hit thirteen big free throws in the finals to make me forget Michael Jordan miss free throws in the finals. Lebron has missed dozens of big free throws, but he's hit enough that I forgot about it. I mean Chris Webber, the guy that called time out. If Chris Weber would have gone on to win four titles in the NBA, that barely makes his resume.
But his NBA.
Career was a little sideways and wonky and underachieving. So that's what I think of, And it's just it's unfair, but that's where my brain goes. And Jmack the whole time here has got a very confident smirk looking at it. You love the Rams in this game.
You see the line, you see the screen.
It was two and a half yesterday.
Now it's one and a half. Obviously, you know just one point. But I'm just telling you there's a lot of support for the Rams in this game at home. And you don't want to bass Darnold too much because I know he's your guy.
You had a great season.
Listen, Lamar Jackson does this every year, amazing regular.
Season, show me the playoff success.
When has he ever had an amazing playoff game in a big spot.
Well, for a long time people said that to be fair about Peyton Manning in the play, it was true.
At the beginning.
Yeah, I mean that's wrong with that is it's a fact he struggled the first five years he had zero playoff wins.
Yeah, it's not great. Take some time.
That game is making me nervous as well.
It should. We're going to try to go to that, right, do you like to go to that?
Yeah?
Use your superpowers to cook us.
Listen, I have superpowers. One day my birthday, I can ask for stuff in my broad I got free kke yesterday and a backpack.
What if you sold the Rams? Both of our birthdays are this week?
Could you hook us up? Make it happen.
Yeah, it's a small game that nobody's going to thirty one fourteen. Oh, come on, I don't want thirty one. I'm not interested in that. I want thirty twenty seven. Anybody could have won. Heroic performances by Stafford and Darnold.
Whose house Ram's House?
Ye have.
Oubnoxious.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and noone Eastern non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one and The iHeartRadio.
App Well, things change very quickly in the NFL, and we know that a month ago the Steeters were ten and three and we were talking about Russell Wilson getting a real contract extension. Mike Tomlin was giving thumbs up to the cameras and he was winking and hugging Russell Wilson. It was a feel good story. Four games later, they're a ten point underdog to their biggest rival, Baltimore, and Mike Tomlin is saying, according to reports this morning, yeah we may go back to the other guy, Justin Fields. Yeah. Justin Fields is fourteen and third already is a starter with a passer rating under eighty five, and he gets hurt a lot. That's not the answer. This is something and I know I can sound preachy, so I'll try not to. But this is something I've been on with defensive head coaches for a long time. They do not Since the urgency at quarterback, I have watched Kyle Shanahan move off, Jimmy Garoppolo, who got his team to a Super Bowl, Andy Reid move off, the very good Alec Smith, Sean mcvayh move off super Bowl quarterback Jared Goff you're watching GoF deal in Detroit. He's an a quarterback in this league. So defensive coaches do this regularly. And when Pete Carroll said, you know, hey, Gino Smith is my guy John Snyder, the GM decided Pete, You're not my guy. And I think it was probably the right decision. So memo to defensive head coaches, the best quarterback eight for eight, won every division. And yesterday for my birthday, my staff at the ball got me a gift which was incredibly thoughtful. Is that you know, I worked in Portland for a long time and I knew Phil Knight, and I've always had great respect for Nike and its vision and its business. And when Phil Knights founded the company, he had this manifesto, I guess is lack of a better word, of manifesto, the ten principles you know of Nike, and what number one was, our business is change and the number two was we're on offense all the time. Phil Knight would have been a good NFLGM and head coach. The league has changed, it has changed. Eight for eight best quarterback won every division. I thought Kirk Cousins throughout the rest of the year would be the best quarterback. He was the best quarterback in his division until about October thirtieth, and then Baker was. But that's just the way it works. And so you can talk about play calling this and that, and people are making moose Who's got the best quarterback? There was one great coaching candidate last year. You could argue Belichick all go Jim Harball. What job did he take? Did he take an organization that had a history of Super Bowls? No, that had the best roster? Know, he took a team that was in the division with Andy Reid and Mahomes because they had Justin Herbert. Think about that, Think about that, Think about the power of Justin Herbert. Is that Jim Harbaugh could have had fifteen teams and he chose the team in a division with Mahomes and Andy Reid and the Hunt family and Brett Veach top to bottom, A plus A plus I want to go in that division? Why why would you do that? The Chargers have a lot of Super Bowls, They have a history of winning big games. The opposite, well, why would you do that? Justin Herbert? And now they're in the playoffs and a favorite in Round one. So whenever the NFL innovates. It is overwhelmingly on offense. I mean, there are fourteen teams in the playoffs, thirteen of a better quarterback situation than the Steelers, So it's I think it's fair to start asking questions. And Mike Tomlin, I mean I gave him credit. Justin Fields had a four and two record, and he replaced him, and everybody thought he was wrong. Remember this SoundBite, your boldest decisions to go with three.
You know, I'm a Pittsburgh out from East Liberty. That's why I'm well compensated.
I love that answer, and I love his defiance. But if we're all being realistic here at quarterback for the Steelers, the answer is not in the building, right, It's probably not in the building. Jmack with the news. No, no, no, the news.
This is the Herdline News.
All right, let's start with troubling news out of Philadelphia. Nick Sirianni has told the media that Jalen Hurts is still in concussion protocol. This is not good, Colin. He has missed the last two weeks. Sirianni has no other updates, but he isn't worried about him being rusted.
If he's rusty, sorry.
If he's available, Packer's still four and a half point underdogs in Philly. I mean, does this take away the tush push if you will, Like, you can't do that with a guy coming out of concussion protocol. I wonder how limited Hurts will be as a runner, which is when he is a big factor.
I didn't think much of this story, and I don't think I'll make much of this story until tomorrow. Okay, if he's in protocol tomorrow. But I do feel like, what's the rush? He knows the offense. Season's never been longer, He's played a ton of games. They have a dominating team, They'll be at home. They're a heavy favorite over a banged up Packers team, So I don't I'm not too worried about it yet. I honestly think that the Eagles are good enough to win with a backup quarterback. I really do.
Have you had a concussion in the last I don't know, fifteen times, I don't know.
I don't think I've ever had one. I've gotten banged up a few times about that skiing thing. I did not have a concussion, broke ribs, but I don't. I did not have a I don't think I've ever had a concussion. I can remember one, you know, one incident in my life where I was fuzzy, but I don't think it qualified as anything more than that.
So I got one in a soccer tournament two years ago. And I'm just telling you, like, you're in a fog and you're not supposed to be on your phone and you're not supposed to watch TV. You just aren't really processing stuff here slow, you're tired, you're lethargic. Now make that an NFL quarterback when you've got to do so many things in Colin. There are some numbers floating around the web about people have charted quarterbacks coming off a concussion.
It's not good. The first game not good.
Significantly lower.
Yes, so.
You're right, maybe tomorrow's panic time for the Eagles, But I don't know if it's going to be who the backup is Pickett? Remember he got dinged up and then what's his name? Tanner McFee or something like that, though I think Stanford quarterback could could he be in line.
To start that That's not.
Great for the Philadelphia at home with this roster against the young Packers team now missing Christian Watson, I think is good enough to win a close game at home. It is not ideal. If Jordan Love was out, I think the Packers would be toast in most instances. You know, if you know, if bo Nicks was out for Denver, they're losing by thirty. If Josh Allen's out, maybe they're good enough to beat Denver without him, but I don't think so. I think Philadelphia is the one team in this league. And this is no disrespect to Green Bay. They are so good and they have so many weapons that I think at Kenny Pickett could play a game and win a game, a low scoring, close game. It will not They'll not win a shootout. But I think Philadelphia have that much respect for their personal I mean, we did this before they got They're like Detroit, and they've even more so than Detroit. They've got nine or ten elite players and almost everyone in a unit. They got corners, pass rushers, D line, lineback, O line, every unit has a star. Even Detroit can't say that. Buffalo can't say that. Philly can.
I would boy if the Packers ended up advancing here and facing the Lions. Do you remember how good that Monday night game was it mondaye It was a Monday night game Packers Lions.
If I'm the Lions, I would take green Bay something I know over Philadelphia. I don't want to face. Philadelphia is the one team that conflecs and has better players than we do. I'm gonna take green Bay. I'm familiar with them. I think I have a better team than them, and a better roster than them, better coach. Well, neither one has a ring, so let's just leave it though.
Oh, lafloor ver, Sirianni, are you kidding? That's not even close.
Listen, Sirianni's winning a lot of games. I'm a laflor guy, but I listen. I've said I'm wrong on Sirianni. I didn't like the opening presser. I don't like the nonsense with fans. I'm clearly wrong. It works.
He's just winning games.
He's got a loaded, amazing team.
He doesn't I can admit when I'm wrong. It's it's you know, it's just I see a lot of his stuff as childish, but you know it's an emotional game. Your football players are twenty eight years old. They rally around him. They don't judge as harshly as I would do. So the guy's working. It works like you have to be able to in our profession to just say, you know. It's like if you're a political pundit and you're absolutely sure one candidate's going to win and they don't, you have to show up the next day and go I was wrong.
Oh yeah.
Next up is sticking in the NFC East. The New York Giants a lot of work to do this offseason. Got a fan of find a franchise quarterback, among other things, but they are keeping their head coach in GM owner John Marra announced he will be retaining Dable and Shane next season, but it sounds like they're going to be on a short lease.
Listen to this, I understand.
I believe me that that's not going to be the most popular decision in Giant Land, but we believe it's the right decision for us going forward.
How long will it take to improve the product? John, They're had too long?
Just about run out of patients.
I've run out of pa Hey, you can keep your job, but I'm running out of patience.
Not great, and Colin would sit and fourth in the draft.
Now I would have kept day Ball for the record, let's put our let's put our name on it. I would have kept day Ball. I could have moved off the GM and been okay with that. I do not love what I saw in hard knocks with the GM. Yeah, I've got two people that have dealt with his GM and have had reservations with the situations. I am a day Ball fan, and I think this franchise, they're the one franchise in the league. Maybe there's two where I think they have a lot of pieces, just not the quarterback. I don't think the Giants are miles away.
I don't so okay, So he says, I'm running out of patience Colin at four, you're not getting cam word or should do it.
I don't believe the top two teams could take them.
Okay, give me the draft order right now. One need a quarterback at two. Did you see Deshaun Watson had a set back for mis Achilles. That's a big sign they're taking a quarterback.
His career is a setback.
I would agree. Giants.
Oh, it says three here, So I don't think they're getting a quarterback at three.
Patriots are at four. My bad. So now you're looking at free agency.
Sam Darnold, Kirk Cousins. Are any of those guys turning the fortunes around for the Giants?
Well, the Giants aren't winning a Super Bowl next year. I just don't think they're that far off.
Are we looking at Gardner Minshew starting for the Giants next year?
I don't know who's it going to be.
Well, you are a Jets fancy. You tend to be a little harsh on the Giants prospects. I think they're going to land a quarterback. I do not think it's a great quarterback draft class, but I think they'll land one.
I've droptimism.
I'll tell you what I would do if I was the GM. I would trade down. I would make the roster fantastic, and then I would consider kirk Cousins for a year. I would I think the Giants roster is close. I think it needs about four dudes. They have to up. They need another receiver, they need a tight end that can keep going putting people on the dro line.
Offensive line has holes.
Yeah, so I I quick you league. My rule on the NFL draft has never changed. Unless there's an Andrew Lot or a transformational quarterback, or you need a quarterback and there is one you like, you always trade down. This will be a uh. I just talked to an organization over the weekend that wants to trade down, and their concern is nobody wants to trade up. So this organization has some needs and they're trying to fix them and there's just not a lot of takers moving up.
Yeah, that's not great.
The final story is my New York Jets, another team with a crummy off season ahead. You're looking for a head coach, a GM, and hopefully a quarterback. So talking to the New York Post, owner Woody Johnson would not say he would be under center next season and added the answers won't come until the new head coach and GM are in place. Interesting, the coach will have to decide what the quarterback situation is. That's going to be a very important job for the GM and the coach.
So that's interesting. There's been all this speculation that Aaron Rodgers. He keeps saying that I've never been fired by a teenager. Now the owner is saying the coach will make the call. So that leads me to believe Aaron's the guy, and I think he should be. I would bring Aaron back absolutely, so that that that feels like that's a change. A week ago. This thing was swimming in question marks. That is definitive.
All Right, let's just I'll just toss this out there.
Just a name.
So let's say the Jets settle on Brian Floores is the head coach. Okay, they decide that's the guy that he would im just.
Picking a name.
I don't have any IMPAILTI, and then Aaron Rodgers says.
Eh, I don't want to play for that guy.
I'm out.
I don't think Aaron Rodgers is in a position to see you don't.
Think he could just up and retire mister darkness retreat.
Oh? I think he could, and that would be fine. But I don't think Aaron has a huge mark. I think he has probably a two to a three team market, I do. I think. I think Aaron's play in the last two months was pretty darn good. I think it was pretty good. He had one stinker, and he played very very well.
He watched his buddy Brett fav hold the Packers hostage for many years, and then there was the Jets.
He's king.
I'm just telling you there's gonna be This is gonna be an ugly offseason because you know what, Aaron loves seeing his name in the headlines. He's gonna go on podcast, He's gonna be a doing this.
And that and well, let's let's let's.
He can hold the Jets hostage as long as he wants.
I don't think that's his personality. I don't think Aaron's gonna hold people. I think Aaron just said something recently where he said, these have been the two best years of my life, meaning winning isn't that important to him, because he was rehabbed for one year and got his head kicked in the other year, So it's the worst two years of football in his life. And he said it was the best two years of his life. So Aaron would be willing to stay in New York if he liked the vibe. I mean, Aaron just said his words, these are the two best years of my life. Can you imagine Mahomes or Brady or Peyton, Manning or Breeze after two awful years of winning games saying as the best two years of my life. So Aaron's different. It's not about winning, that's not the most important thing. He's saying these are the two best years of my life. So it's a vibe thing, and I think Aaron is sort of open minded and would be willing to accept a new coach. I don't think he's gonna hold anybody hostage. I don't think he has that kind of market leverage. This is my take.
Sounds so depressing.
This is what this is.
You know the fandom I picked when I was a young, like eight year old kid.
Jmack with the news, Well, dead's the news, and thanks for stopping by the Herd Line news. You know you you kids make choices, and that was your choice. Nick. Right top of the hour, Mark Sanchez too heard hierarchy our final regular season, heard hierarchy. I think we got about four or five teams that can win a Super Bowl, and then about four or five teams that can win a playoff game or two. And we'll have that around the corner.
You want to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and noon Eastern a em Pacific.
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Fucking All Right, top of next hour, Herd Hierarchy and Nick Right, Mark Sanchez Today too, great Tuesday Show. Great to have you in this time. Next week we'll be talking Rams Vikings because that game's on next Monday, so we'll be toping on our show Tuesday. On that. We started today talking about the Bears coaching search, and there was a list that was published of thirteen different candidates. And here's the thing. It's like, there's one great candidate. I would hire a proven head coach. I'd hire Mike Vrabel, I'd consider Pete Carroll. But things a lot of people in my space in the media are terrified of getting criticized by like irrelevant bloggers and trolls, and so they don't take swings on stuff and they're afraid to. I'm gonna walk on next s Shell. I'll throw one at you. Mike Tomlin coach and the Bears. If the Bears get blown out this weekend by Baltimore Steelers, excuse me, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers, if they get blown out this weekend, I think they're gonna have discussions in the room in Pittsburgh. I would have them, and I think I'd move And you think it's crazy. Did you think it was gonna happen that Katie was gonna go to the Warriors. Did you predict that or Joe Montana would be bailed on by San Francisco the most popular player ever and end up in Kansas City. Did you think Brett farv would be leading the Vikings to an NFC championship. Crazy stuff happens in sports. And if I'm Chicago, the number one candidate to me is Vrabel or a Mike Tomlin. You can't have some coordinator walk into town with a snazzy resume and he's a scheme guy. Scheme guys don't fix tire fires. You need a real mechanic who owns his own shop. You're not gonna have a guy kid back there. He can put on a tire that's not gonna work. This is a big lift. And if Tomlin gets blown out, they're ten point dogs, and they've had a bad end of the season and he's been getting criticism forever. And I like Mike Tomlin, I like Pete Carry, but I mean Andy Reid got let go, Bill Belichick got fired. You could have the discussion. You can be a grown up and have a discussion. I would if I was the Chicago Bears, and I ran him, and I don't and I never will, and that's obvious. I would be all over Mike Rabel. I'd have Pete Carroll on on speed dial, and I'd be watching the Steelers outcome against the Raiders. I don't think of Ravens. I don't think it's crazy at all. This organization needs a swing. I mean, it's like it's funny because I saw this story this morning where there was a reporter at a radio station in Dallas who said Mike Brabel would want this job one hundred percent. He would want the Cowboys job. And I think, you know the Cowboys job. It's interesting. I think the Cowboys and people in the Dallas media view the job one way and the rest of us view the job the other way. Just I have a rule, say it out loud before you do anything in life that's big decisions. Say it out loud. Or you're trying to weigh if you should take a job or not take it a job, stay at a job, not stay at a job. Just say it out loud. Dallas Cowboys are paying a B plus quarterback a plus money and he's coming off another injury. We have a story today that came out that Jerry Jones will not consider giving up his GM title. That's a story out today. You think I bought this franchise for my kids, said Jerry Jones. I mean, listen to Jerry Jones. He goes, I bought it for myself. Listen to this. I bought the team.
I think the first thing that came out of my mouth anybody here was at that press conference. Okay, somebody asked, did you buy this for you kids? And I said, hell no, I bought it for me. And I didn't buy an investment. I bought an occupation, and I bought something that I was going to do. I was forty six. I bought something I was going to do for the rest of my life. And that's what I'm doing.
And that's fine, it's his right. But the idea of the Cowboys is a great job. I mean, just when you're looking for a job, what's the ownership ownership situation? Was the roster? Look like, what's my quarterback and what is he getting paid? And you start looking at the Cowboys. I mean that's what I would look at if I look for a job. Stable ownership quarterback situation is it a total rebuild, a semi rebuild, like the Chargers was not a total rebuild. They had to get a right tackle and they had to get a coach. It was a pretty darn good roster. And what's the team's history. Well, I mean Dallas. I mean, Dallas is one of those things you EAT's a mirage. The Cowboy job is a mirage. You look at that job and you think it's paradise, and it's more like Firefest, that music festival. I mean, you think you see one thing, you go look at that Philadelphia roster. How many players for the Cowboys in an offensive league offensively would start for them? Ceedee Lamb would be in the rotation or receiver. That's about it. Zach Martin, old expensive, little brittle wouldn't start for me. I'd take their guards. So, I mean, since two thousand, the Cowboys have fewer playoff wins than the New York Jets. We looked it up. They have not been to a conference championship in thirty years. You're getting into Cleveland Brown territory here, I mean, so that you can see it as this now it's down with Cleveland, it's Detroit before Dan Campbell took over. That's what it is. That's what the job is. I saw Micah Parsons today saying, hey, we got to go after Tyreek Hill. That's not the solution. You got a medaling owner who's hey, I bought this for me, not my kids. So I mean, one of the reasons people are bringing this up, and I think it's real reality, is Mike McCarthy is considering other jobs. And think about that. When Mike McCarthy took the Cowboy job, he now acknowledges he kind of bsked his way into it, saying, hey, I watched every one of the Cowboys plays, and then he admitted le years later, I didn't really watch all of their plays. So Mike McCarthy was on the beach and wasn't getting offers. He was down in his basement dreaming up you know, he was cooking up some story that I'm watching all the Cowboy plays and I sit here and do analyt, and I think Mike's a good coach. I really do. I think Mike McCarthy's a good coach. But just to give you a sense of where the Cowboys are now, there are multiple legitimate reporters who I followed for years. Who are now saying McCarthy's considering leaving Dallas, he's considering other jobs. What does that tell you? I mean, you know, McVeigh may go to broadcasting. Mcveigh's not going. You know that Arizona Cardinal job is very interesting to me. Mcvay's like, I'm the Rams coach, or I'll go work for Amazon. I mean, that's what he's gonna do. So I think this is a I don't I know Mike Rabel, but I haven't asked him about the Cowboys job, and I have no information, but this idea that it's a great job ownership recent history quarterback roster. I mean, go look at Detroit roster, in Philadelphia's roster, Go look at Baltimore's roster. I'm not even mentioned in Kansas City. I'm not even They're not even on the table yet. Go look at Buffalo's roster. I've said this, if the Rams had a number one corner and that's going to probably be their first or second pick in the draft. If the Rams, because they're a very very young team on defense, if the Rams had one more X receiver on the sideline, because Cooper cups aging and they need to they need to down the field guy pukahs sort of around the middle of the field and a corner. The Rams roster suddenly is really really good. Jmac doesn't believe it, but it's really really good. So herd hierarchy top of the hour. It's this this this coaching thing is fascinating. So if you look at the top of the draft, if the current draft order, it's basically teams that run through coaches and gms. It's just chaos. The Steelers are the opposite where they never make changes. And I think you have to be careful if you run a business saying, hey, stability is the key. Stability like anything else, is overrated. Stability is in important, but stability for stability's sake is overrated. And so yeah, you look at the top of the draft order, Tennessee, Cleveland, Patriots, Jags, Raiders, Jets, Panthers, Yeah, Bears, it's just just constant change. But you know what would stabilize any of these is getting the right coach. If Mike Vrabel gets the Patriots job, they're not getting another coach for five years, so they'll be out of this list. So that's why I say the fascinating situation this weekend in the NFL. There are two that really really to me. You're riveting Sam Darnold against the Rams, what's that performance look like? And Pittsburgh against Baltimore. If Pittsburgh gets run out of the building thirty four to ten, not competitive, Andy Reid and Bill Belichick got let go. You can't tell me you can't have discussions. The other team in that state the Philadelphia Eagles, who have in dynamic for the last decade. They're the franchise in the state that wins a bunch of games and is relevant. They're moving through coaches, they keep taking big swings. They like Chip Kelly for a couple of years, and they didn't like him, and they like Doug Peterson and they want to they want a trophy, and then they didn't like him. So Philadelphia has proven you can move off winning coaches. Kansas City has moved off winning coaches. You can do that too. This this whole idea of stability for stability, say, it's like loyalty. I'm loyal until I shouldn't be loyalty for loyalty's sake. Sometimes is suckerville.
So we'll do a quick pop quiz.
What was the last Pittsburgh Steelers playoff victory for Mike Tomlin.
I would say six years ago, six eight years.
Ago January of twenty seventeen.
So I was right six years ago, seven years ago.
And the last few times they've been to the playoffs, they got their butts kicked by the Bills.
They lost by.
Four team to the Chiefs, by twenty one to the Browns in the I think that was the Baker Mayfield.
Ask yourself this, here's the bigger question. It's one thing winning a playoff game. When is the last time the Steelers beat a legitimate top five quarterback in a playoff game? Because that's what the great franchises do, That's what Kansas City does, That's what Philadelphia does. When is the last time, I mean, the Philadelphia Eagles beat Brady in the Super Bowl? The New York Giants at their best beat Brady twice in the Super Bowl. When is the last Steeler playoff win over a Manning a Brady, you know, a big boy quarterback.
I'm not been a while, but this is the again. This is like the Portland Trailblazers argument from the NBA. They had Damian Lillard and CJ. McCollum, an awesome backcourt. You were guaranteed forty five fifty wins, hold on and the playoffs every year, and maybe one year you'd make a run. So you were going to be good and you're gonna be in the postseason. That's what the Steelers are for the last eight years. They're gonna be good in the season and they're gonna make the playoffs.
Is that not good enough for you?
Pinch me, tell me it's real, hippie.
Come on,