Best of The Odd Couple

Published Jan 14, 2025, 3:15 AM

Rob and Kelvin tell us Bill Belichick is the right man for the job in Dallas in the wake of the Mike McCarthy firing, argue over whether the Pittsburgh Steelers would be better off firing Mike Tomlin following his latest postseason flameout and explain why Justin Herbert deserves to be criticized for his history of playoff failures.

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So I'm gonna save your job right now. I'm gonna talk about the Cowboys and going back to who would be let me Chris Paul this and throw you down at you.

I'm ready.

There's somebody you believe would be the perfect fit in a perfect world for the Cowboys.

I'm ready.

And he has been linked to the job even though he took another job. But he might want to go back to the job. Very simple, Bill.

Belichick, pick up the phone, say where do you want me to deliver this ten million dollar buyout check?

And I've changed my mind.

You know what, I thought this was gonna be be great, but in reality, I want to finish the job in the NFL. I'm an NFL coach. There are a couple of things I left on the table. I never believe this job would be open for me, and this is something that I would like to be able to return disfranchise to greatness. And then I could walk out and be done with the NFL. And you know what, that's why there's a buyout clause. Pay the money. It ain't like there's nobody no you gotta do these three years. If we sign this deal, there's always a way out. And you don't want somebody there who doesn't want to be there. And so if you're in North Carolina, he says, his hard is still in the NFL, you have to let him go. And I get it. He's got his family and friends all set up. This is why I said from Jump Street, didn't I say that? I said, why in the world would you jump at this job when they haven't even started firing NFL guys.

You don't even know what's going to be open.

And my point to you was, because I get what you were saying, it makes all the sense in the world. My thing was, I think pride comes in and sometimes people forget just because it's some megastar, athlete, coach, movie star. These people have egos and pride, and I think part of his thing was didn't nobody jump out of me. He like, you know what it is when you walk out like it's your boy. And I think he was start instantly and it was some franchise.

Like, no, we're good.

But I had NFL people tell me he was had from opportunity. He was offered the Atlanta job last year. Okay, he was, and if you look at that, they scrambled to fill that, you know what I mean. Like he was offered the job, he sat on it for a couple of days. Him and what's his name, Rich with the Falcons, the president. I don't know why, I'm I can't think of it, Rich McKay.

Right.

They were going back and forth over who's answering who and all that power, and then that's when they decided, oh my god, they went and the next move was going to be a Jim Harball and then they said, oh, Jim Harball is on his way to to San Diego later the Chargers or whatever. And then they freaked out and then they went down their list and then they want to then they got yes. But you see what I'm saying.

Yeah, But that's my point of I just think I think for him, And again that you just mentioned my point of power, who's gonna have, well, how much control?

I think?

And he's listen, I'm not mad that he wants power control. He's earned that. If that's what he wants and that's what he desires, and if he believes we work best when I have this, he's earned that. And now it's your decision, organization owner, if I want you yield that.

But you know what I mean, he comes in and.

To a certain extent, because really, if you're going to the Atlanta Falcons, can you show me the trophies that doing what you've been doing has worked, has worked? Like seriously, Like I would go in and go show me the hard ware. If I go into the Yankees job, they could say, hey, hey, you see on the tophies.

Okay, So that's what I'm saying.

My issue with Jerry Jones is this, If Bill Belichick was the guy, why did you play around with Mike McCarthy, Why did you hang over?

No, he's a guy. Well, I don't know. We're gonna wait and see.

No, we love where, we have all the confidence in the world and Mike McCarthy next minute.

I mean, we're gonna wait till the end of it. What are we doing? But that's why?

Right?

But bad? Don't Jerry stop wasting time.

I'm on the phone Bill, Yo, Mike, Well, I know you got Mike right now as your coach. Mike about to get out of here. Do you want this job? Bro's here is for the taking. Me and you we can go out ride to the sunset with some championships.

What you think? What about Mike? Mike is gone? Don't even bring his name up.

But I don't even get you to put your mouth to say Mike, Michael Jordan, Mike Jackson, Mike McCarthy.

Don't worry about him. That's what I would have done if I was Jerry Jones.

But instead he waited around playing around with Mike McCarthy like a cat plays around with his dead mouse or something. And then you lose your chance to interview Aaron Glenn to Ben Johnson, Bill Belichick because now he's in in North Carolina? Like what was Jared? I genuinely, Rob Parker, do not know what Jerry Jones was doing? Like I didn't see. I don't see what I was trying to do since he takes about a zero. Since you have a coach that won twelve games three years and you're not all there, let's go, and he.

Has he's a labor You're not saying, hey, look, we're gonna, you know, be blunt like hey, depending on how he does at the end of the season, all right, one or the other.

But you he couldn't get it. We're gonna wait right, and it just jammed you up. And this is another instance. Jammed him up with Cede Lamb waiting all time. Now they couldn't make some moves. Jammed hm up waiting for Dak Prescott. Then they had to give him all the money in the world. Jammed him up waiting on the running back and you couldn't get Dereck Henry. Then now you runk with Ezekiel Ellie, who didn't even finish the season with you, Jerry brouh get It's like a drunk person at a party. Rob Do you know they do take my keys because I'm about to get drunk tonight and I can't do what I need to be doing. Give the keys to somebody else, Jerry. Now you the lost Ben Johnson, Aaron Glen Bill Belcher. I don't know what he'd be. I don't know. Pardon my grammar. I don't know what he'd be doing. Okay, I don't know what he be doing. Man, Rob Parker, I'm sorry.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple with Chris Brussard then Rob Parker days at seven pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Mike Tomlin, I'm sorry. Like I get Pittsburgh. They have all family, family run business, you know what I mean. So they get this isn't corporate where they don't know the people, like this is a family run business, and you know that's totally different. Hey, Johnny, we had Johnny worked here when he was in high school and he grew up and we went to his wedding, and that's a family. In the corporate world, they don't know. Johnny is a number. He get paid.

But you know he's on the math math and somebody gotta go.

Somebody gotta go Johnny who you know, like he's making too much money, get rid of him.

That's how it works out.

Mike Tomlin is one of three quarter up three coaches that they've had for like what fifty years or whatever it is. Dude, if you can't get fired off of this there's no reason to let you go. And the Steelers, I do not understand the thinking. I think the Steelers organization is worse than the Jacksonville Jaguars organization.

And I'm dead serious, I know.

Don't faint taking everything I had, Rob g keep me, hold me up, bro, Just don't do no CPR or anything like that.

Just I'll be all right. I'm gonna tell you why. You've got a lot of explaining to do.

Because at least they're willing to swing for the fences and try to change what is not working. That is the difference between the Steelers and the Jaguars.

Who are the Jaguars last two coaches? Peterson and uh who?

Urban?

Are?

Those?

Not two big names? But did they not go No? No, no, it ain't about the results. But did they try? Did they just go? Well, we got Urban Meyer and you know what, didn't work out. So now we're gonna go to get no names. We're just gonna roll along and put our tail between our leg. No, Doug Peterson won a Super Bowl. He beat Tom Brady and the Patriots, and they went out and they got him. It didn't work out. But the Steelers are still selling their fans crap crapping a bag and.

Hoping that they accepted.

Because of all the winning they've done in the past, the Steelers were relevant when sports writers used typewriters. Let's just be honest. Come on, Calvin, the bus ain't gonna let you do that. But you get my poor dude, they're living in the past. Fred Flintstone is running the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It's Stone Age.

We got the same coach because we believe in continuity. No enough already with Mike Tomlin, for ree, it makes no sense. Marvin Lewis was in Cincinnati. What happened to Marvin Lewis?

You know what?

And they had a good team. They went ohen seven under Marvin Lewis. They fired him. You can't live off the past. Yes, Mike Tomlin won a Super Bowl.

Guess what.

Doug Peterson won a super Bowl, he got fired. Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl, he got fired. Sean Payton won a Super Bowl, he got fired.

Stop it.

That doesn't give you a lifetime card. The Pittsburgh Steelers are ridiculous. They're in the Stone Age and they got a snap out of it. Let Mike Tomlin go let the Pittsburgh Steelers.

People go, like Moses, let my people go, now, it got to you've been watching to take a mandmis recently over the weekend.

My people go, all right, you.

Bring up VALI point to anybody who's a Pits first stealer fan or a football fan and watching Mike Tomlin and even there as some folks out there calling them Doc Rivers. I understand it, and I can understand your frustration. And I'm frustrated because what did I say to y'all earlier this week? What did I say to y'all? I told you this was his I said, this was his last season of excuses. Remember, I said, Okay, what's excuse gonna be?

Well?

Man, they ain't had a quarterback. They had Mitch Chubisky, they had old big men. And I said, now you have a Super Bowl winning quarterback in Russell Wilson.

You had a young one. If you wanted to roll with him in fourgn to and justin fields whichever.

No, I'm saying, whichever one that you wanted to do that one you chose Russell Wilson.

That's fine. So I'm saying, now you don't have excuse me. You have defense t. J. Watt and the crew.

You got running game Najie Harris who had five six games, one hundred and the rushing your hundred yards in the row. And I was actually like, Hey, this is the season to be like why not us?

Right?

We have the quarterback who has playoff experience, super Bowl winning experience, almost won two Super Bowls. To me, I was screaming, what's going to be the excuse this year? And neck and say when we ran up against Lamar Jackson, what did you expect? I would then say, Dude, y'all lost five games in a row. Y'all went out bad, and you went out against the teams that you would have been facing in the postseason other a variety of those teams.

You lost to all the good teams. That's what I have issues with.

So I'm not going to fire Mike Tomlin, but I am going to finally say, hey, all great things must come to an end, and if we don't get this thing right, I have no choice. We had a great run. You have been a really good coach, You have been a great culture center. But we have to progress this offense. They average seventeen points during the losing streak. What in the two thousand and three Pittsburgh Steelers seventeen points, and it can't be either or we can't average seventeen and also give up twenty eight like they were not even even in these games. They were getting smacked up by the good to great teams that they face during is losing stretch. And so my issue is they have to progress offensively. Mike Tomlin has to change kind of who he's been in kind of the DNA, not necessarily himself, but he has to bring in offensive coordinators that are ready to maximize Russell Wilson or justin Fields or wherever do they get a trade. I don't know what they're gonna do, because they got you know, these two quarterbacks. You're gonna probably trade one of them or let one go. But they got to step the offense up.

You can't be walking around here with seventeen points in twenty twenty five against these great teams in the AFC. So, Mike Tomlin, there's no more excuse. I told y'all this is this year, and now you're backing down. You want to give more. I'm gonna tell you why.

My only issue is, I do you know you've heard me say this, and you're gonna hear me say this. I don't like firing if I don't have a better plan, because to me, that's when you get these organizations that just keep turning in, keep turning in, keep turning. You don't know, there could be somebody else. So I'm saying, if you believe that, no, here's what I mean. If you believe yo, we got the culture because we're a Steelers. We've had that pre him, during him. That's just we have the culture. And if you looked at it and said, Ben Johnson is our guy. We obviously can't talk to him to the Lion season is over, but Ben Johnson is our guy. Man, what will we do with Russell Wilson and George Pickens and Naji Harris if we had a creative guy like Ben Johnson? What will we do if whoever we signed the quarterback position, whatever we end up doing, if we had an offensive genius who we believe Ben Johnson's to be, then I'm not mad at that. And the equity starts to run extremely low. Mike Tomblin has all the equity and they have that's just the way they run their franchise. At a certain point, stuff. You run low right, you run its course. The equity, the rapport, the good, goodwill, it's run its course. And so I'm not I understand what you're saying. I'm not I'm not gonna fire him right now because I'm starting to look at it and say that he maximize this year. Was this team really not as good as we thought they were and he ended up this the twelve games whatever.

Just this year.

It's just the same thing. The numbers. It's not just this year. We're not overreacting to one year. I mean he has Mike Tomlin Steelers have allowed at least twenty eight points in six straight playstiff games, the longest such streak in the NFL.

They're supposed to be a defensive They've given.

Up thirty eight point three points in six straight playoff games, right, the most of any team in a six game span in NFL. These are all of the history making record setting. They have lost four straight playoff games by at least eleven points, another longest search such streak in NFL history.

This is not oh, you know you shouldn't have.

You were ten and seven and you really overgieved, and it was great that you made the playoffs. No, this is a history. His resume, his his resume is soiled. Smell it for he is officially on the hot seat. No, he's done more. And I'm fair, I'm not even mad at you. I get it for me. He's on the hot seat because at a certain point.

Off of this what can you get fired on?

I mean seriously, like what what what will it take?

Take a bad seat?

Like a horrible season would take that getting I mean they got to the postseason, uh with this going into this season and you even said it a few days ago, like you know what the expectations were, We didn't expect and all of a sudden going this run that they did, so they this.

Is not a run. It's about being competitive. And I agree, you can lose, you can play Baltimore, but all right, they owned Lamar Jackson years for years now all of a sudden, Lamar Jackson's running rep now got them figured out. And this is my point is being competitive. They could be a ball game where Lamar and Derek Henry beat you at the end and you lose by seven or three, and you can live with that. Man, we played a great game. They're better than us. That's I guess we smacked up. That's not what we saw. We saw domination.

And my last critique of my issue with Mike Tomlin is and I was telling this to Rob G.

This is my issue.

Everybody was gonna say, well, he hasn't had quarterbacks, he hasn't had quarterbacks. Well a he had won in Russell Wilson this year. Now is Russell Wilson twenty sixteen?

Him?

No, but Russell Wilson's still good enough, got than any quarterback they've had.

Exactly.

Second, my issue with Mike Tomlin has been this, you can scheme up something to beat a team for once. Meaning we have seen Trent Dilfer get to a Super Bowl and win it. Did I say, did you hear me say Trent dilferd. We've seen Brad Johnson get to a super Bowl and win it. We've seen Joe Flatko win a postseason game and win it. We've seen Who's your boy? Your favorite person?

Rob G.

We have seen Baker Mayfield getting to the postseason and win a game. Come flicking five. My point is we've seen folks do more with lesser, and now, to me, there's officially no more excuse and you're officially on the hot seat for me.

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There's somebody we gotta start talking about a little bit, and that is Justin Herbert aka Justin Sherbert for me, Wow, yeah, because I like him and all I heard you rip anybody. We've been together for four I guess my rip on when I need to. And I don't like when certain people get blamed, certain people get caught out, and certain people just oh, well, you know, and they get a pass. And y'all have heard me talk about thor for a while. Trevor Lawrence. Everybody keeps telling us Trevor Lawrence is the one, no, no, I want to go to. I would love the coach of Jags. Why because Trevor Lawrence is there coming out of college. You look at him, man, look at him, Look at the size, look it up me, look and I hear you. But at some point I'm gonna need equal criticism that other people start to get. Josh Allen has been a spectacular career right now, but what do people say oh Man postseason. Postseason is postseason at Lamar Jackson might be three time MVP, and what did I say, oh Man postseason posted? He ain't doing this, he ain't doing that. Well, now we're starting to get to the same conversation I need to be had with Justin Herbert, who'll be playing like Sherbert right now? What people were giving him a pass And that's why I'm saying they can no longer be that right now because he is not looking great in these postseason games, and he looked terrible as we saw just a couple this this past game. He has a passer rating of sixty point seven five hundred and fifty yards, a couple touchdowns, four interceptions in two games in his playoff career.

He doesn't look great.

He's not looking like everybody was supposed to be, and he's not as he was supposed to be efficient this year because the way Jim Harball has that team looking with running the ball and using him less.

He looked bad. He made bad throws.

And again it's not that he's now all of a sudden not there for and charge quarterback, but I do have to start saying, hey man, I'm gonna need more out of you when it comes to the postseason. I'm gonna need more out of you when it's come times for you to make a play. Now what that Jim Harball also needs to do. Jim Harball also needs to understand, Rob this ain't Michigan where I can keep reing up on some of the best defensive players in around the country and run the ball forty five times and will be all right. You're gonna have to get some offensive players up in there, all sinensive players to compliment Justin Herbert, because in college you can get away with that JJ McCarthy throw the ball fourteen times and then you can get to a national championship game. This ain't that. So I understand having Justin Herbert be aficient all that. You're gonna have to get some Wessons. They got mcconke in there looking like he Jerry Rice, I like him, but that's all you got. You Let Keenan Allen go, you like beck williams Hoy go. Hey, Well, then I'm gonna need some more offense out of you. So Justin Herbert, I'm expecting more. Justin Herbert can't play like Sherbert and Jim Harball, Welcome to the NFL again. Just a reminder, you gotta have some offensive guys out here, some studs too.

This ain't college where every year.

I get another fifty top ten defensive players around the country.

That ain't gonna cut it.

You better get some offensive Western weapons around Justin Herbert as well.

So to me, it's both of them, there's no doubt, but Justin should get the same.

That man they been calling Lamar Jackson out. I don't care about vy. What does he do in the post? Don't forget when they lost to the Jaguars. You remember that when they had the big lead in the first half and then what the Yeah?

That was one of the all time turnarounds in a postseason game. So it's not it hasn't been pretty, and nobody's saying that he's not talented. It's like we have to treat everybody the same. You say about Lamar and Josh Allen, that's all okay, that's all you talk about is for them. But Josh Allen, I mean, but Justin Herbert is because we get it.

He looks like a quarter and it was like Californian hair flet got to look big on Yeah.

All that, and he's got the side and all of that. So we get it.

Interception, we get it. That was a terrible throw. You get that was That's the terrible throw Tom Brady talked about. He said, the throw that all they want to see you do when you're in combines and all that. This is the throw throw that little out and he just threw a terrible one. You know who else gets the same thing we're talking about Rob Dak Prescott, and I understand it, but he gets that same thing. Twelve games, twelve games, twelve games postseason? Oh man, last year MVP candidate Dak Prescott looked great.

You know what happens? What have you done for me to postseason? Dak? What's up with you? Dad?

Come on, everybody, let's we stay with that. If you're gonna do that kind of conversation and you can't. I heard some analysts give Herbert a pass and the same thing. Oh well, he needs more weapons and this and that.

We get that.

We can say that about a lot of teams and a lot a lot of quarterbacks that maybe they don't have enough weapons or whatever. That team the game, right, you can't keep throwing the ball to the other team. Yeah, foreignerceptions. It's like it's like, uh, Jordan Love, dude, you can't get a pass on that.

You can't There's there's losses right there. I mean, listen, you can lose a game. That's gonna happen, it's one and done in the postseason. But you can't be the reason we lost the game. That part. You can not turning the ball over. You can be a we just lost to a team. The Texans are kind of a funny team. They stay in games and they've won some fluky ones as well. And all right, you know they got a really good defense and okay, I get that, but that game went close. Yeah that really was they weren't. They just got out matched out man, They got out tough. So maybe you could argue for Jim hart Hay, I was ahead of schedule then they coming there expect to be all of a sudden competing, you know in the postseason.

Well they had that schedule two which I told you about. Then when they won the games, Rob g jumping just quickly.

I'm glad you guys brought up specifically Lamar Jackson because I know Josh allenly gets the reputation for the playoffs, but he's actually be awesome.

He just had gone against the Chiefs and he just lost to the Chiefs.

Lamar Jackson is like the poster child right in NFL circles as he's great, but looking him in the playoffs, he comes up, sends it to a pumpkin, and Rob Parker's as his favorite saying he's terrible. Right, He's one of the worst playoff performers we've ever seen. Lamar Jackson averages more yards per game than just Hurber in the playoffs. His completion percentage is eight points higher, his passer rating is twenty points higher, his touchdown interception is better. And Justin Herbert, I don't know if it's because he played on Saturday morning and it's because he played Saturday morning, and you know, Mike Tomlin was the story at night.

They didn't get any Monday morning. Justin Herbert was like the fifth or sixth biggest story.

Yeah, Justin Herbert.

He is, Uh George Hill who missed the free throw, and we always blame j R. Smith back George Hill like yeah, yeah, yeah, Joe Smith, No, you make the free throw, we're up, we win the game. But yeah, so that's my point justin Herbert, listen, he's not going anywhere. He is absolutely their franchise quarterback. He had a really good season, really efficient. But my point is to be fair because anytime that's all y'all say about Lamargin right now, how many times do we even get calls Rob Lamar Jackson VP VP? But what's gonna do in the playoffs? Joshall the playoffs? You know, and Dak Prescott And I understand it.

I get it.

I get it because.

Certain times you're that good and that's when you get to that point where that's all we want to see is how good you're gonna be in the postseason. I totally understand that. But then we got to keep the same thing with the key the quarterback part.

Lawrence. He's a guy he just needs to coach. He just needs it. Boy, Trevor Lawrence get more excuse than anybody I know.

And and he did get the big love after that comeback against her.

Remember that bag no right, because.

That was an all time for sure back and people looked at him and said, man and thought they were gonna take the next step and he took a step back with it.

Yeah again, and we're not saying Justin Herbert can you can quarterback my team any day, but just simply saying some's got to give in the postseason. You can't be the reason why we lose. And if you're Jim Harbaugh to me, you have to evolve. You can't come and think that just all we gonna do is run forty five. You need some weapons, bro. Not saying you gotta be walking around looking like the greatest show on turf. You know the the rams of back in the early two thousands, But you need some weapons. Y'all can't get it with of Mike Justin. You got Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, all those guys without replacing them.

So maybe they're a year ahead of schedule. I'm okay with that.

If they were ahead of the schedule, and then they're happy where they are and next season will get better. This offseason will make some moves, and that's a possibility. But my thing is Justin Herbert definitely can't be above being criticized.

You gotta play better in postseason. Here's the other thing.

And I get that, and they do need other weapons. I'm not saying that, but you were good enough during the year to have the three interceptions and win all those games, and then you throw four when it matters most.

That's what people get you and go, it's some poker. Yeah, it's some puckering up. There's some three in.

He throw three interception in the last four drives when you're still kind of in the game, like you keep hey, look a couple couple of players here, touchdown three and on we're back in this thing, and he's turning the ball over, turning the ball over, and that just can't be especially when do we say all year, Rob g this was his most efficient year.

Jim Harbaugh has them efficient.

They're running the ball, playing in their defensive strengths, and it's making him, you know, more efficient in and becoming a more productive quarterback in that sense. They're not all relying on his right arm, and when they did rely on it, he didn't he didn't produce

The Odd Couple with Rob Parker & Kelvin Washington

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