Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.103: The hall of Judgement

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Ep.103: The hall of Judgement · Football Junkies podcast

0:00
Finally, we're back. No more interruptions. No
0:04
more hires or fires. All of that is done. We
0:07
can finally talk about everything that has happened
0:10
thus far, okay? Because there is a lot to unpack
0:13
and I need to revisit some of the things that
0:16
I've said in the emergency episode with the whole
0:18
Steelers thing because I was a little bit on
0:20
the deep end. So let's just get into it, okay?
0:22
So Mike LaFleur heads to Arizona. Clint Kubiak
0:25
prepares to head to Vegas. Todd Munkin heads
0:28
to Cleveland. Joe Brady stays in Buffalo. The
0:31
Vikings have fired Kwesi Adolfo Mensah. Bill
0:34
Belichick fails to get into... the Hall of Fame,
0:36
my thoughts on the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy,
0:38
Patriots versus Broncos recap, and Rams and Seahawks
0:43
recap, okay? All of this and more. on the 103rd
0:46
episode of the Football Junkies Podcast, okay?
0:47
I am your host with the most, okay? I am your
0:50
chief bag roll dominance. That's right, chief,
0:52
head of the table. Anything and everything related
0:54
to the bag, rumors to the bag, and more. I am
0:56
your hopium, hopium, hopium, hopium, hopium deal.
0:59
That's right. I understand that the regular season's
1:02
over, but I am still giving the hopium that you
1:04
need to make it through the offseason, okay?
1:07
I am your GM who currently is not on the team
1:09
right now, but don't you worry about it, all
1:11
right? Don't you worry about it because guess
1:13
what? I am all... All these things and more.
1:16
But most importantly, the most important thing
1:18
that you must remember is I am your host, K .O.
1:20
Buckle up. It's going to get crazy. So guess
1:22
what? On three. One, two, three. Let's lock in.
1:51
All right, folks, let's get to eating potatoes
1:53
of everything that is going on in the league
1:55
right now. So we have a lot to unpack in this
1:57
episode. So let's just get into it. Former offensive
2:00
coordinator for the Rams, Mike LaFleur has decided
2:03
to be the next head coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
2:06
So let's just get into it. This is a little bit
2:08
of a shocker because I know the Cardinals had
2:10
casted a very wide net on head coaching candidates.
2:14
Hell, they even brought in Ron Rivera. Yes, the
2:17
same Ron Rivera that was the head coach for the
2:19
Commanders and the Panthers, which is weird,
2:21
right? But I don't think nobody expected Mike
2:23
LaFleur to get the job. But with that being said,
2:26
Mike LaFleur is now the fourth offensive coordinator
2:28
to work under Sean McVay to be a head coach.
2:31
The other three are Matt LaFleur, Kevin O 'Connell,
2:34
and Liam Coyne. That's not bad at all. Now, during
2:36
his tenure with the Rams, we all know that the
2:38
Rams offensively were a powerhouse. In 2024,
2:42
they had the 15th ranked offense and they averaged
2:45
21 .6 points per game, 331 .4 yards per game,
2:49
5 .4 yards per play, and 37 touchdowns. They
2:52
were 10th in passing offense and they averaged
2:54
227 .5 passing yards per game, 6 .6 passing yards
2:59
per play, and 22 passing touchdowns. They were
3:01
24th in rushing offense and they averaged 103
3:05
.8 rushing yards per game, 3 .9 rushing yards
3:08
per play, and 15 rushing touchdowns. In 2025,
3:11
they were the first ranked offense and they averaged
3:14
averaged 30 .5 points per game, 394 .6 yards
3:18
per game, 6 .2 yards per play, and 63 touchdowns.
3:21
They were first in passing offense and they averaged
3:24
268 .1 passing yards per game, 7 .3 passing yards
3:28
per play, and 46 passing touchdowns. They were
3:31
seventh in rushing offense and they averaged
3:33
126 .6 rushing yards per game, 4 .6 rushing yards
3:37
per play, and 17 rushing touchdowns. Now, when
3:40
we compare this to the Cardinals, however, It's
3:43
a little bit of a different story, okay? So in
3:45
2024, they had the 11th ranked offense and they
3:47
averaged 23 .5 points per game, 358 .2 yards
3:52
per game, 5 .9 yards per play, and 39 touchdowns.
3:55
They had the 18th passing offense and they averaged
3:58
214 .1 passing yards per game, 6 .4 passing yards
4:02
per play, and 21 passing touchdowns. They were
4:05
7th in rushing offense and they averaged 144
4:08
.2 rushing yards per game, 5 .3 rushing yards
4:11
per play, and 18 rushing yards per game. Now,
4:13
this past season, they were 19th in offense,
4:16
and they averaged 20 .9 points per game, 325
4:19
.8 yards per game, 5 .2 yards per play, and 38
4:23
touchdowns. They were 7th in passing offense,
4:26
and they averaged 232 .6 passing yards per game,
4:29
5 .6 passing yards per play, and 29 passing touchdowns.
4:33
They were 31st in rushing offense, and they averaged
4:36
93 .1 rushing yards per game, 4 .3 rushing yards
4:39
per play, and 9 rushing touchdowns. the problem
4:42
with the Cardinals job is that you have to figure
4:44
out what you're going to do with Kyler Murray,
4:45
because we all know that this year he has a $52
4:48
.6 million cap hit. I don't know a lot of teams
4:52
that would be willing to take that regardless
4:54
if they need a quarterback or not. Now, the question
4:57
is this. Do you keep Kyler Murray for one year
5:00
and try to do a restructure and maybe during
5:03
the regular season, like the trade deadline,
5:05
you maybe move off of him when the team really
5:07
needs a quarterback? Or do you just say, you
5:09
know what, we're going to wipe our hands clean
5:11
from the situation. We're going to roll with
5:13
Jacoby Reset for one season. Then in 27, we're
5:15
going to draft our quarterback, which isn't a
5:17
bad idea. But the question is. How does the league
5:20
view Kyler Murray? Do they still view him as
5:23
the league quarterback? Do they still view him
5:25
as a difference maker? Because if they do, then
5:27
you can dictate the market. However, if it's
5:30
the other way around, then most likely you're
5:33
going to get maybe a second or third or maybe
5:36
a fourth round pick. Because I'm letting you
5:38
know right now, all the teams that need a quarterback
5:40
who probably won't be able to draft a quarterback
5:42
this year, they're not going to be willing to
5:44
take on this contract. And if they do take on
5:47
this contract, they're only taking on half of
5:49
it. The rest is up to y 'all. Now, with that
5:52
being said, you do have some pieces on this team.
5:55
You have Paris Johnson, Trey McBride, James Conner.
5:58
The defense looks really good. Sure, the division
6:00
is still really competitive, but I do believe
6:03
that the Cardinals are in a good spot. It's just,
6:06
what do you do from this point on, right? Because
6:08
it's easier for me to say, oh, they just have
6:11
to make these three moves and then they're fine,
6:12
when in actuality, they probably can make those
6:14
three moves. So the question is this, how does
6:17
the organization see Kyler Murray? What is their
6:20
relationship? How are things going to work between
6:23
him and Mike LaFleur? If all of those questions
6:27
can be answered by the combine, I think we'll
6:30
have a better understanding of where this thing
6:32
is going to go. However, if it goes left, then
6:35
most likely Kyler Murray is going to get traded
6:36
before the draft or probably after the draft.
6:39
Because let's be honest here. This draft doesn't
6:42
have a lot of quarterback options. So best believe
6:44
his name is going to be brought up. Mack Jones,
6:47
Anthony Richardson, Malik Willis, the list goes
6:49
on, okay? Now let's talk about Clint Kubiak accepting
6:52
the Las Vegas Raiders job. Now I'll be honest,
6:54
I'm not really a Clint Kubiak fan. We can't just
6:57
judge him because of one good year. You need
7:01
to judge him with his tenure with the Saints.
7:03
You need to judge his tenure with the other places
7:05
that he's been a part of. You can't just say,
7:08
oh, the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl. That
7:11
has to do because of Clint Kubiak's work. No,
7:13
we need to really talk about this thing. When
7:17
we look at his tenure with the Saints in 2024,
7:19
they had the 21st ranked offense and they averaged
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19 .9 points per game, 320 .1 yards per game,
7:27
5 .3 yards per play, and 36 touchdowns. They
7:30
were 23rd in passing offense and they averaged
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205 .2 passing yards per game, 5 .9 passing yards
7:36
per play, and 21 passing touchdowns. They were
7:39
14th in rushing offense and they averaged 114
7:42
.9 rushing yards per game, 4 .4 rushing yards
7:45
per play, and 15 rushing touchdowns compared
7:48
to the Seahawks this year where they're 8th in
7:50
offense and they average 28 .4 points per game,
7:54
351 .4 yards per game, 5 .9 yards per play, and
7:58
44 touchdowns. They're 8th in passing offense
8:01
and they average 228 .1 passing yards per game,
8:04
7 .6 passing yards per play, and 25 passing touchdowns.
8:08
They were 11th in rushing offense and they average
8:11
123 .3 rushing yards per game, 4 .1 rushing yards
8:15
per play, and 19 rushing touchdowns. Now, I understand
8:17
the Saints don't have the same type of weapons
8:20
that the Seahawks do, but that's no excuse. If
8:23
you're this great offensive mind, you're supposed
8:25
to be able to make things work regardless of
8:28
who you have or don't have. And what we can't
8:30
do is just say that Clint Kubiak is the sole
8:33
reason why Sam Darnold is who he is right now.
8:36
Because we just saw this when he was with Kevin
8:38
O 'Connell and the Vikings. I just felt like
8:41
Clint Kubiak just needed to spend a little bit
8:43
more time as an offensive coordinator just to
8:46
really build himself up so that he could really
8:48
choose the best gig for him and not just get
8:51
the scraps. Now when we look at the Raiders offense
8:53
in 24, they had the 27th ranked offense and they
8:57
averaged 18 .2 points per game, 303 .2 yards
9:01
per game, 4 .6 yards per play, and 27 touchdowns.
9:04
They were 13th in passing offense and they averaged
9:07
223 .4 passing yards per game, 5 .5 passing yards
9:12
per play, and 19 passing touchdowns. They were
9:14
dead last in rushing offense and they averaged
9:17
79 .8 rushing yards per game, 3 .6 rushing yards
9:21
per play. play in 10 rushing touchdowns. Now
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this year, they were dead last in offense and
9:27
they averaged 14 .2 points per game, 245 .2 yards
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per game, 4 .4 yards per play and 25 touchdowns.
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They were 28th in passing offense and they averaged
9:37
167 .7 passing yards per game, 4 .9 passing yards
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per play and 20 passing touchdowns. They were
9:44
dead last in rushing offense and they averaged
9:47
77 .5 rushing yards per game, 3 .6 rushing yards
9:51
per play and 5 rushing touchdowns. Now we can
9:54
blame them trading away Jacoby Myers and we can
9:57
blame them not having an offensive line and this
10:00
and that and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But
10:02
the fact of the matter is this. Clint Kubiak
10:05
has a lot to clean up on this offense. And this
10:08
isn't just an overnight thing. This is something
10:11
that is going to take two to three years, maybe
10:14
even a little bit longer, depending on what they
10:16
do in free agency and in the draft. But the only
10:20
question I have for Clint Kubiak is, what are
10:22
you going to do to make Fernando Mendoza successful?
10:25
Because this right here is your first real test
10:27
in showing that you can develop a quarterback.
10:29
And the reason why I say this is because Fernando
10:32
Mendoza is about to walk into a situation where
10:34
you don't have a good offensive line and limited
10:37
weapons. Now, sure, you have a lot of cap space,
10:39
but again, like I just said, what is going to
10:42
be your selling point for players to come to
10:44
play for the Raiders? You can no longer say,
10:46
oh, it's because of the history of the Raiders,
10:48
or oh, because of the colors in the stadium and
10:51
whatnot, and who doesn't want to play in the
10:53
area for Vegas. You can't say those things. If
10:57
you can answer all of those questions, by all
10:59
means, I'll believe in you. But if you can't
11:02
answer those questions, we might have a problem.
11:05
Now with that being said, let's talk about Todd
11:07
Munkin heading to Cleveland. Now this situation
11:10
is a little bit crazy because the Browns were
11:12
having their candidates write essays. Now I understand
11:16
that every coach's dream is to be a head coach.
11:18
And I understand that it takes a lot to get to
11:21
that point. But why is it that you guys are having
11:23
to ask your candidates to write essays and to
11:26
do homework? Some of these candidates are still
11:29
in the playoffs. And you mean to tell me that
11:31
they have to be worried about their essay or
11:33
homework before they work on their game plan?
11:36
To hell with that. But outside of all the essays
11:39
and homework assignments and what is AX plus
11:42
B squared equals C squared and all that other
11:45
rigmarole, the Todd Munkin hire is a good hire.
11:48
And the reason why I say that is because when
11:51
we look at his track record with the Ravens,
11:53
it is consistent and successful. In his first
11:57
year with the Ravens in 23, they had the 6th
12:00
ranked offense. They averaged 28 .4 points per
12:03
game, 371 .4 yards per game, 5 .9 yards per play,
12:07
and 53 touchdowns. They were 21st in passing
12:10
offense, and they averaged 213 .9 passing yards
12:14
per game, 6 .8 passing yards per play, and 27
12:17
passing touchdowns. They were 1st in rushing
12:20
offense, and they averaged 156 .5 rushing yards
12:23
per game, 4 .9 rushing yards per play. play and
12:26
26 rushing touchdowns. In 24, they had the number
12:30
one ranked offense and they averaged 30 .5 points
12:33
per game, 424 .9 yards per game, 6 .8 yards per
12:37
play and 62 touchdowns. They were seventh in
12:40
passing offense and they averaged 237 .4 passing
12:44
yards per game, 8 .1 passing yards per play and
12:47
41 passing touchdowns. They were first in rushing
12:50
offense and they averaged 187 .6 rushing yards
12:53
per game, 5 .8 rushing yards per play and 21
12:56
passing touchdowns this past season they were
12:59
16th in offense and they averaged 24 .9 points
13:02
per game 332 .2 yards per game 5 .8 yards per
13:06
play and 46 touchdowns they were 27th in passing
13:09
offense and they averaged 175 .6 passing yards
13:13
per game 6 .4 passing yards per play and 23 passing
13:16
touchdowns they were second in rushing offense
13:19
and they averaged 156 .6 rushing yards per game
13:22
5 .3 rushing yards per play and 23 rushing touchdowns.
13:26
Now when you compare the Browns around the same
13:28
time frame in 23 they had the 15th ranked offense
13:32
they averaged 23 .3 points per game 337 yards
13:36
per game 4 .8 yards per play and 39 touchdowns.
13:40
They were 19th in passing offense they averaged
13:42
217 .2 passing yards per game 5 .5 passing yards
13:47
per play and 24 passing touchdowns. They were
13:49
12th in rushing offense and they averaged 118
13:53
.6 rushing yards per game 3 .9 rushing yards
13:55
per play and 15 rushing touchdowns in 24 the
13:59
browns were 28th in offense and they averaged
14:01
15 .2 points per game 300 .8 yards per game 4
14:06
.6 yards per play and 27 touchdowns there were
14:09
22nd and passing offense they averaged 206 .2
14:13
passing yards per game 4 .8 passing yards per
14:15
play and 19 passing touchdowns there were 29th
14:19
and rushing offense and they averaged 94 .6 rushing
14:22
yards per game, 4 .1 rushing yards per play,
14:25
and 8 rushing touchdowns. This past season, they
14:27
were 30th in offense and they averaged 16 .4
14:30
points per game, 262 .1 yards per game, 4 .3
14:34
yards per play, and 26 touchdowns. They were
14:37
31st in passing offense and they averaged 165
14:40
.1 passing yards per game, 4 .6 passing yards
14:44
per play, and 16 passing touchdowns. They were
14:46
27th in rushing offense and they averaged 97
14:49
rushing yards per game, 3 .9 rushing yards per
14:52
play, and 10 rushing touchdowns. Now, with that
14:55
being said, I do believe that by getting Todd
14:58
Munkin, he is going to help with the development
15:00
of Shador Sanders, because let's be honest here,
15:02
Dylan Gabriel is out of the picture, okay? Now,
15:05
the question is this, what are they going to
15:07
do moving forward in the draft and with their
15:10
defensive coordinator spot, okay? Let's talk
15:12
about the draft first, then we'll get into the
15:14
whole Jim Swartz situation, okay? Remember, the
15:17
Browns have two first round picks. So if they
15:20
wanted to, they could address a need on offense
15:23
and defense, or they could use both of those
15:26
picks for offense. Because let's be honest here,
15:29
your offensive line is aging, and you don't have
15:31
a lot of weapons. And the only way that you can
15:34
see what you have in your quarterbacks is if
15:36
you surround them with adequate weapons and protection.
15:39
Now when we talk about the defensive coordinator
15:41
spot, that's a little bit tricky. And the reason
15:44
why I say that is because... Allegedly, Jim Swartz
15:47
was trying to strong arm the organization to
15:50
make him the head coach for the Browns. And the
15:52
organization wasn't having it. Now, the result
15:54
of that strong arming is Jim Swartz being upset
15:57
all day, telling everybody goodbye and that he's
16:00
not coming back to the Browns and blah, blah,
16:02
blah, blah, blah. I'm just so angry. That's not
16:05
going to solve anything. Instead, you needed
16:07
to approach the organization and ask for your
16:10
release. If it means that you got to give up
16:13
some money, hey, give us some money because then
16:15
you can go somewhere else and be a defensive
16:17
coordinator or something on the defensive staff,
16:20
right? But at the same time, because we have
16:23
to play devil's advocate right now, there's nowhere
16:25
else for you to go. The only other place that
16:28
you could have went is the 49ers and they just
16:31
solidify their defensive coordinator spot with
16:34
Raheem Morris. So anywhere else you go to, you're
16:37
not going to be a defensive coordinator. I don't
16:40
think you want that. So if I'm Jim Swartz, suck
16:44
it up. Coach the defense for one more year while
16:47
assessing potential landing spots. And if those
16:49
landing spots open, hey, you go for it. But if
16:52
they don't, then either you do a buyout or you
16:56
retire or you just do something different. But
16:58
what you can't do is just have a hissy fit. The
17:00
defense played really well. That's something
17:03
that nobody can take away from you. So if you're
17:06
Jim Swartz, continue to build up your stock because
17:09
I guarantee you someone's going to be willing
17:11
to make you a head coach. All you have to do
17:13
is just be patient. Now let's talk about Joe
17:15
Brady staying with the Bills because I know there's
17:17
some people that are surprised, but I'm not.
17:19
And the reason why I say this because I truly
17:22
believe that it was between Joe Brady and Brian
17:25
D 'Abel that was really going to get this job.
17:27
I didn't believe Nate Shieldhouse, Davis Webb,
17:30
Grant Udesky, Anthony Weaver, Anthony Lynn, Phillip
17:33
Rivers, Mike McDaniel, even though he canceled,
17:35
and Luan Arumo were going to get this job. I
17:37
believe it was going to be somebody that was
17:39
familiar with this organization. Specifically,
17:42
somebody that has worked with Josh Allen. Now,
17:44
offensively, in the last two years, they've actually
17:46
been pretty good. So in 24, they had the 10th
17:49
ranked offense and they averaged 30 .9 points
17:52
per game, 359 .1 yards per game, 6 yards per
17:56
play, and 62 touchdowns. They were 9th in passing
17:59
offense and they averaged 227 .9 passing yards
18:03
per game, 7 .3 passing yards per play, and 30
18:06
passing touchdowns. They were 9th in rushing
18:08
offense and they averaged 131 .2 rushing yards
18:12
per game, 4 .5 rushing yards per play, and 32
18:15
rushing touchdowns. They had the 4th ranked offense
18:19
and they averaged 28 .3 points per game, 376
18:23
.3 yards per game, 5 .9 yards per play, and 59
18:27
touchdowns. They were 15th in passing offense
18:30
and they averaged 216 .6 passing yards per game,
18:33
6 .9 passing yards per play, and 29 passing touchdowns.
18:37
They were 1st in rushing offense and they averaged
18:40
159 .6 rushing yards per game, 5 rushing yards
18:43
per play, and 30 rushing touchdowns. this hire
18:47
we also need to highlight that the veil for brandon
18:50
bean has been lifted so now moving forward brandon
18:53
bean is going to be looked under a microscope
18:55
and every decision that he makes or doesn't makes
18:59
will be judged heavily as much as we want to
19:02
blame sean mcdermott on the reason why they haven't
19:04
made it to the super bowl we also need to blame
19:07
brandon bean and the reason why i say that is
19:10
because You know that going into this season,
19:13
you didn't have a good roster. You realized that
19:15
you needed some good weapons. And you didn't
19:18
go out and you didn't get them. You didn't go
19:20
out your way to try to get Jalen Waddell. You
19:22
didn't try to go out your way to get Jacoby Myers
19:24
or Rasheed Shaheed or anybody that was available.
19:27
If you at least add one of those receivers to
19:30
that offense, I guarantee you, you probably would
19:33
have seen a different outcome. And another person
19:35
we need to highlight is Josh Allen. I understand
19:38
that the media tries to give him excuse after
19:41
excuse after excuse, but the time for excuses
19:44
is over with. Because all I saw after that Broncos
19:48
game was a bunch of media people consoling Josh
19:52
Allen, saying, it's okay, Josh Allen, you always
19:54
got next year. You can keep your head up high
19:57
and keep on working. You're going to make it
20:00
to the Super Bowl. But I don't see that with
20:02
Lamar Jackson. I don't see that with Jalen Hurts.
20:05
I don't see that with Justin Herbert. or Joe
20:07
Burrow or anybody else. It's only for Josh Allen.
20:11
If Josh Allen is hurt, oh, Josh, I'm so sorry.
20:15
What can we do to help you? We gotta do something
20:18
for Josh. We have to do something for Josh. But
20:21
I don't see that for any of the other elite quarterbacks.
20:24
So why is it that you're giving him preferential
20:26
treatment when he literally has some of the things
20:29
that these other quarterbacks don't have? Joe
20:32
Burrow doesn't have an offensive line like the
20:34
Bills do. Justin Herbert doesn't have a running
20:37
back like how Josh Allen has. Or a tight end.
20:40
So at the end of the day, walking into that Broncos
20:43
game, and I know I wasn't supposed to talk about
20:45
the Broncos game. I know I wasn't. But I have
20:47
to talk about it. Walking into that game, you
20:50
were literally the most experienced quarterback
20:52
out of everybody that you had faced in the playoffs.
20:55
You were more experienced than Trevor Lawrence,
20:58
Bo Nix, and Drake May all combined. You've been
21:01
in this atmosphere before. You know what it takes
21:04
to get to that next level. And you're doing this
21:07
in a year where you're not having to face Lamar
21:09
Jackson, Joe Burrow, or Patrick Mahomes, or Justin
21:13
Herbert. So what's the excuse? Why is it that
21:17
you couldn't get the job done? You made boneheaded
21:19
move after boneheaded move after boneheaded move.
21:23
And the fact that you decided to run with the
21:26
ball recklessly towards the end of the first
21:29
half is unacceptable. I don't care what anybody
21:32
says at this point. I don't care if the Bills
21:35
get Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, Brandon Iyuk,
21:40
and any other great wide receiver right now,
21:42
and you put them on the Bills team. Guess what?
21:45
The Bills fans and Josh Allen will still find
21:48
a way to make an excuse on why they didn't make
21:50
it to the Super Bowl and win. That doesn't make
21:52
any sense. And I understand that even if the
21:55
Bills won the Super Bowl this year, people would
21:57
still find holes to poke in. And, you know, people
21:59
will say, oh, well, you didn't face Patrick Mahomes
22:02
or Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson. People still
22:05
do that. But it wouldn't matter because you know
22:07
why? Your legacy is cemented. You are now one
22:11
of the very few to say that you are a Super Bowl
22:14
champion. So while I am happy that Joe Brady
22:17
got this job, I am also putting everyone on notice
22:21
from ownership all the way to the front office.
22:25
Every single person must be put on notice because
22:28
moving forward, the goal needs to be winning
22:31
a championship. And if you are not making any
22:34
moves that's going to take the Bills closer to
22:36
winning a Super Bowl, then you must go. Because
22:39
it's no reason how Brandon Bean is able to keep
22:41
his job and get a promotion, but Sean McDermott
22:45
is kicked out the door. When in actuality, it
22:48
wasn't Sean McDermott's fault. It was his quarterback's
22:51
fault because he wanted to be reckless. But let's
22:54
not talk about this because I'm just going to
22:56
continue to just go on this whole rant about
22:58
the Bills and whatnot. I'm sorry, Bills fans,
23:00
to the good Bills fans, you know, not the people
23:03
that are getting paychecks, Dan Arlovsky, and
23:05
all the other, you know, media people and whatnot.
23:08
So let's talk about Kwesi Adafo Mensah being
23:10
fired by the Minnesota Vikings. So here's the
23:13
statement from Mark and Ziggy Wolf, owners of
23:15
the Minnesota Vikings, and I quote, following
23:18
our annual end of season organizational meetings
23:20
over the last several weeks and after careful
23:22
consideration, we have decided it is in the best
23:25
interest of the team to move forward with new
23:27
leadership of our football operations. These
23:30
decisions are never easy. We are grateful for
23:33
Questy's contributions and commitment to the
23:35
organization over the past four years and wish
23:37
him and his family the best in the future. Effective
23:40
immediately executive vice president of football
23:42
operations, Rob Brzezinski, will lead our operations
23:46
through the 2026 NFL draft. Rob brings tremendous
23:50
credibility and experience, understands our roster,
23:53
and has the ability to build consensus and rely
23:55
on the expertise of our personnel and coaches.
23:58
After the draft, we intend to conduct a thorough
24:01
search to identify our next general manager.
24:03
Building a team that can contend championships
24:05
drives us every day, and we look forward to bringing
24:08
our fans the the success they so deserve, end
24:11
quote. Now, according to Alex Lewis and Diana
24:13
Rossini of The Athletic, people within and outside
24:17
the organization were skeptical of Mensa's Wall
24:19
Street trading background. Tension had spoiled
24:22
over Mensa and key members of the coaching staff.
24:25
Multiple members within the organization expressed
24:28
serious concerns about, end I quote, the organization's
24:32
ceiling under Adafo Mensa, end quote. Now, according
24:36
to Alex Lewis and Diana Rossini of The Athletic,
24:39
the Vikings assessed the potential fits of Joe
24:42
Flacco and Ryan Tannehill who wanted a starter
24:45
-level contract. The Vikings opted against signing
24:48
Aaron Rodgers to a minimal contract, an idea
24:51
that many executives, coaches, and players supported
24:54
as they thought it would be better off assessing
24:57
J .J. McCarthy's talent early in his rookie contract.
25:01
With poor drafting results, Adolfo Mensah often
25:05
referred to the historical odds of succeeding
25:07
and failing in the draft. An example of this
25:10
is when the Vikings traded with the Lions to
25:12
draft Louis Scene and passing on drafting Kyle
25:15
Hamilton. And let me put my kufi on for just
25:18
a moment. I normally don't do it, but it's Black
25:20
History Month, damn it. So let's put on the kufi.
25:23
We're keeping on the kufi for the entire month,
25:25
okay? How is it that the Vikings can make this
25:28
move now after coming off of the Senior Bowl
25:32
and East -West Shrine Bowl when you know that
25:35
this is the wrong time to do this? Or better
25:38
yet, why give somebody an extension when all
25:41
of this has been brewing behind closed doors?
25:44
See, here's the thing about a GM, right? Their
25:47
success is tied to their drafting, the moves
25:50
that they make or don't make, and how they build
25:52
their rosters. When we look at Ozzie Newsome,
25:55
for instance, Ozzie Newsome is the gold standard
25:58
of GMs. He was proficient in his drafting, he
26:02
was good in his free agency moves, and he always
26:05
built very competitive rosters. Now, I'm not
26:08
trying to compare Adolfo Mensah to Ozzie Newsome,
26:11
but what I don't understand is, how is all of
26:14
this stuff now coming out about Adolfo Mensah?
26:17
Why didn't this stuff come out over the last
26:19
few years? And how is it that you can give somebody
26:22
an extension less than a year ago, and now you're
26:26
just going to let him go? At a point in time
26:28
where the draft board needs to be established,
26:31
people need to prepare themselves for the combine,
26:34
free agency, all those different things. Now
26:37
you want to make this move? And if we're being
26:39
real here, the only reason why the Vikings are
26:42
making this move is because Sam Darnold is in
26:45
the Super Bowl. If Sam Darnold did not make the
26:48
Super Bowl this year, I guarantee you not a peep
26:51
of anything about Adolfo Mensah would have came
26:54
out. But because people within the organization
26:57
and in ownership are angry that Sam Darnold did
27:01
it for another team instead of the Vikings, now
27:04
everybody is in a tizzy. Now everybody wants
27:07
to leak out their dirty laundry. And the fact
27:09
that you have grown men, grown ass men who are
27:14
upset because this man decided to take two weeks
27:18
of paternity leave for the birth of his first
27:21
child. See, if this was during the regular season,
27:24
I probably would sway to the other side. But
27:27
the fact that this is during training camp, a
27:29
point in time where there's not a lot of stuff
27:31
going on. Sure, you may have an extension here
27:34
or there. Sure, you may need to claim somebody
27:36
off of waivers. Sure, you may need to make an
27:39
addition on the roster, just a really small addition
27:41
because somebody gets hurt or whatnot. Okay,
27:43
fine. But you mean to tell me that your assistant
27:46
GM can't handle that? You mean to tell me that
27:48
other people in the front office can't handle
27:50
that while I welcome in my first child into this
27:54
world? And if I'm not mistaken, there are reports
27:57
that said that Adolfo Mensah's wife was having
28:00
complications during childbirth. So you mean
28:04
to tell me you want me to miss this and possibly
28:08
miss a point where my wife needs me the most
28:11
just so I can see a bunch of men in helmets and
28:14
pads tackle each other. To hell with it. All
28:17
I see is a bunch of grown ass men that want to
28:20
hide behind the face of a nominee and just say,
28:22
you know what? Well, if that was me, I would
28:26
never do something like that. Well, that's probably
28:28
because you don't have a life at home. Meanwhile,
28:30
you're spending your nights at the organization's
28:33
facility trying to figure out, oh, I'm going
28:35
to build this legendary roster. I must figure
28:38
out what you're going to do. Meanwhile, your
28:40
kids hate you and your wife is cheating on you.
28:42
How is it that you have people who are willing
28:45
to badmouth this man instead try to help this
28:48
man to turn things around? When we look at his
28:51
drafting during his tenure with the Vikings,
28:53
his first draft. Louis Scene, Andrew Booth Jr.,
28:57
Ed Ingram, Brian Azamon II, Azee Otomeo, Ty Chander,
29:02
Viridian Lowe. In 23, Jordan Addison, Makai Blackman,
29:06
Jay Ward, Jaqueline Roy, Jaron Hall. In 24, J
29:10
.J. McCarthy, Dallas Turner, Walter Rouse, Will
29:12
Reacher, Michael Juergens. These aren't really
29:15
good draft picks. According to the Minnesota
29:17
Tribune. During these three years, among 22 players,
29:21
there's a total of 153 total starts. That is
29:25
the second fewest in the NFL. That's not good.
29:29
Can we put all of this on Adolfo Mensah? No.
29:33
Everybody else has a say in drafting these players.
29:37
Everybody else can say yay or nay. Even the owners.
29:42
The owners have the right to override what the
29:45
GM wants. So why is it that everybody has allowed
29:49
him to draft the players that he's drafted and
29:51
not say a peep about it? But because one season
29:54
where you had a chance to keep Sam Darnold and
29:58
you didn't keep Sam Darnold and he goes to the
30:00
Super Bowl, everybody is in a tizzy. But this
30:03
is what Justin Jefferson told USA Today Sports
30:06
in that quote. But having a quarterback that
30:09
already had a season under his belt with us,
30:11
knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players,
30:14
throwing to me, Jordan Addison, TJ Hawkinson,
30:17
all these guys, I definitely feel like we would
30:20
have done better, end quote. Now, Justin Jefferson
30:22
briefly talks about Sam Darnold, and this is
30:25
what he has to say, and I quote, it's definitely
30:27
tough. It's tough to watch. Of course, I love
30:30
that he's in the Super Bowl. I'm happy for him.
30:32
I want nothing but the best for him, especially
30:35
the way his journey was at first. People doubting
30:38
him and people not giving him the respect. Now
30:40
they're giving him that respect. Now they're
30:42
seeing that he's a top tier quarterback in this
30:45
league. Of course, selfishly, I wish that he
30:47
had done that for us last year. But to see him
30:50
blossom and bounce back right after that last
30:52
year and make it this year, I'm all happy for
30:55
him, and I hope he wins. I'm rooting for Seattle,
30:58
and I think Seattle's gonna win. I'll be rooting
31:00
for him, end quote. And that's coming from Kevin
31:03
Seifert of ESPN. Now, I know leading up to this
31:06
point, Justin Jefferson was trying to be a team
31:08
player, and he was trying to have J .J. McCarthy's
31:10
back, but to hell with that. Because even Justin
31:13
Jefferson feels some type of way that Sam Darnold
31:16
is going to the Super Bowl with another team
31:18
instead of the Vikings. And mind you, before
31:21
the slide in the second half of the season, the
31:24
Vikings were on a tear. Sam Darnold looked like
31:28
a potential MVP candidate. That's how crazy they
31:32
were playing. Now, one has to wonder, how long
31:35
is Justin Jefferson going to be a team player?
31:37
Because at some point, he's going to want to
31:39
go somewhere else. Randy Moss did it. Justin
31:42
Jefferson can do it too. Best believe somebody
31:45
can take on that contract. It is no problem.
31:47
All you have to do is just manipulate the cap
31:50
in your favor. Now, if you're the Vikings, to
31:53
hell with trying to develop J .J. McCarthy. To
31:56
hell with trying to bring in competition. It's
31:58
time for you to maximize this window. Because
32:01
right now, it is not a guarantee that you'll
32:03
be able to have a window like this in the coming
32:06
years. So if I'm Kevin O 'Connell, I'm going
32:08
after Aaron Rodgers. I'm going after Mac Jones.
32:11
I'm possibly entertaining the idea of Kyler Murray.
32:14
I'm going after somebody that I believe that
32:18
can take this team right back to where we were
32:20
with Sam Darnold. Because you're in a division
32:22
right now with two of the best quarterbacks in
32:25
the NFC. If you have the third best quarterback
32:27
in your division, you have a chance. But what
32:31
you can't do is roll it with J .J. McCarthy.
32:34
I'm sorry, J .J. McCarthy at this point is a
32:37
bust. What is it that he can show now that he
32:39
hasn't shown in the last few years? Every time
32:41
that he's on the field, he doesn't show anything.
32:44
He doesn't give you that reassurance that, hey,
32:46
we made the right choice. We saw how the Vikings
32:50
operated when they had Max Prosper and Carson
32:53
Wins. You don't want that. So if it means that
32:56
you have to suck it up and get Aaron Rodgers,
32:58
do it. Aaron Rodgers literally said last year,
33:02
I'm willing to play for $10 million. You can
33:06
afford $10 million. Because understand this,
33:08
everybody's window is different. The Eagles window
33:11
is different from the Seahawks' window. The Chargers
33:14
window is different from the Ravens' window.
33:17
The Chiefs window is different from the Jaguars'
33:19
window. So you have to maximize your window.
33:22
Otherwise, there's no guarantee that you'll be
33:25
able to replicate that again. Now, let's talk
33:27
about Bill Belichick not getting into the Hall
33:29
of Fame. But before we do that, we got to pay
33:31
some bills. Pardon the interruption, but this
33:33
is your GM, your bad bro, Dominus, here to talk
33:36
about RSS .com, all right? So if you guys already
33:39
don't know, I'm a RSS .com affiliate. And so
33:42
I just want to tell you for just a quick moment
33:45
about why you should choose RSS .com. So me personally,
33:49
on my journey of podcasting, I was looking at
33:52
different platforms just to find the right place.
33:56
and i looked here i looked there i looked everywhere
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but i checked out rss .com and it was the best
34:02
decision i ever made from low prices to interactive
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analytics to as well as helping you with your
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distribution rss .com does it all they just started
34:12
a slack channel where you can network and interact
34:15
with other podcasters and even get some insightful
34:19
tips on how you can increase your podcast even
34:22
more. Also, RSS .com just launched their paid
34:25
ads program. So now you can get paid for posting
34:29
your content. All you have to do is just have
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10 downloads and you're qualified for it. Who
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would want to get paid for doing something that
34:38
they're passionate about doing? So head on over
34:41
to rss .com. I will be attaching my RSS affiliate
34:45
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34:48
that link, I will be able to receive some compensation
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for it. And with that compensation, I will be
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of that money will go towards upgrading the microphones,
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all of that and more. Thank you for your support,
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and thank you, RSS .com, for making me an affiliate.
35:11
Now back to the good stuff. And we're back, folks.
35:14
Let's talk about this whole conundrum, okay?
35:16
Welcome to the Hall of Judgment. Not the Hall
35:19
of Fame, but the Hall of Judgment. And in the
35:22
Hall of Judgment, we have our number one judge,
35:26
and that is Bill Polian. That's right, the same
35:29
Bill Polian that said that Lamar Jackson should
35:32
transition to being a running back instead of
35:34
playing quarterback. Yeah. You know where this
35:37
is about to go. So according to Don Veneta Jr.
35:40
and Seth Wickersham of ESPN, Bill Belichick had
35:43
only received 40 out of 50 votes in order to
35:46
get into the Hall of Fame. Now, during the voting
35:49
process, Spygate and Deflategate was brought
35:53
up multiple times. Now, allegedly, Bill Polian
35:57
told some voters that he believed, end that quote,
36:00
Belichick should wait a year, end quote. Now,
36:04
Bill Polian denied telling fellow voters to not
36:06
vote for Bill Belichick, and allegedly Bill Polian
36:09
heard from other voters that they were floating
36:11
the idea, but insisted that he didn't agree or
36:15
disagree with the proposal. Now, Bill Polian
36:18
said that he voted for Robert Kraft and spoke
36:20
on his behalf during deliberation. Now, Bill
36:22
Polian said that he couldn't remember if he voted
36:25
for Bill Belichick, saying, and I quote, he was
36:27
95 % sure that he voted for the coach and the
36:30
player, most likely Greenwood, end quote. He's
36:32
talking about L .C. Greenwood, who played for
36:34
the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, Bill Polian also
36:36
said this, and I quote, I was shocked to learn
36:39
Bill didn't get in. He deserves to be in the
36:42
Hall of Fame, end quote. Now, here is a statement
36:44
from the Hall of Fame on the media reports related
36:47
to the Hall of Fame Class of 2026, and I quote,
36:50
The Pro Football Hall of Fame understands and
36:52
respects the passionate reaction of many fans,
36:55
media members, and enshrinees of the Hall itself
36:57
in the light of published reports regarding the
37:00
voting results of the Class of 2026. It's that
37:03
very passion that propels the game. The hall
37:06
also respects the members of the selection committee
37:08
when they follow the selection process bylaws.
37:11
It is an honor to serve as a selector. Each year,
37:15
the hall reviews the selection process and the
37:17
composition of the 50 -person selection committee.
37:20
If it is determined that any member violated
37:23
the selection process bylaws, they understand
37:26
action will be taken. That could include the
37:29
possibility that such selectors would not remain
37:31
a member of the committee moving forward. The
37:34
selection of a new class is the most important
37:36
duty the Hall of Fame oversees each year, and
37:39
the integrity of that process cannot be in question."
37:42
Now, I understand that a lot of people are upset
37:46
of this move, but let's be honest here. Bill
37:48
Belichick wasn't a saint. Bill Belichick rubbed
37:51
a lot of people within the media the wrong way.
37:53
He rubbed a lot of his coaches the wrong way.
37:56
He rubbed a lot of players the wrong way. And
37:58
we knew that at some point, all of this was going
38:01
to come back when it was time for him to be voted
38:03
into the Hall of Fame. Look at Bill Polian. Bill
38:07
Polian is still salty about the Flakegate and
38:10
Spygate. All of those media members that he offended
38:14
back in the day, all of that stuff was going
38:17
to come up at this point in juncture. And I understand
38:20
that Bill Belichick has done a lot for the game
38:22
of football, but that doesn't outweigh the things
38:24
that he's done to people. Now, the eight coaching
38:27
semifinalists were Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren,
38:30
Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer,
38:34
George Seifert, and Mike Shanahan. Now, do a
38:37
lot of those coaches deserve to be in the Hall
38:39
of Fame? Yes, but one can make an argument that
38:42
Bill Belichick's accolades exceeds all of their
38:45
accolades combined. He's a six -time Super Bowl
38:48
champion. His career record is 333 wins and 178
38:54
losses, including playoffs. That is second only
38:57
to Don Shula, who has 347 career wins. This is
39:03
greatness, but greatness only goes so far, especially
39:06
when you have somebody like Bill Belichick who
39:09
have personal vendettas against people. Now,
39:12
let's revisit this Mike McCarthy situation because
39:14
there's a lot to unpack from this, and I've had
39:17
some time to think over things, and I've heard
39:20
different opinions from different people that
39:22
cover the Steelers and whatnot, and I have some
39:25
more opinions about this, okay? Now, this is
39:27
what Arruni said on the hiring of Mike McCarthy
39:30
via Bob Labriolo, who covers the Steelers, and
39:33
I quote, We decided to bring Mike on because
39:35
we believe that he's the right coach for us at
39:38
this point to help us lead to a championship.
39:40
We don't know what Aaron's plans are right now,
39:42
and that did not weigh heavily in the decision.
39:44
We'll see where Aaron is, and we've left the
39:47
door open. But obviously, we all have to sit
39:49
down and see if that makes sense. So that'll
39:52
happen sometime in the next month or so. He is
39:54
someone who has a longer track record than many
39:57
of the other candidates. A winning track record.
39:59
He's been a winner everywhere he's been. Probably
40:02
just as important for our purposes, the quarterbacks
40:05
that he's worked with have all been very successful.
40:08
So he has a proven track record of developing
40:10
top flight quarterbacks. Those are the things
40:13
that maybe stick out the most. He likes Will
40:15
Howard, thinks Will has tremendous upside, and
40:18
is looking forward to working with him. Obviously,
40:21
feels like Mason can be a contributor. We'll
40:23
have to sit down and discuss where Aaron is if
40:26
he decides to come back and whether that all
40:28
makes sense. I think Mike was very comfortable
40:30
with the quarterback room and the possibilities
40:32
with the quarterback room. In particular, the
40:35
fact that we have a young quarterback on the
40:37
roster in whom he sees some upside. I hesitate
40:40
to say that's number one. I think number one
40:43
is we want a coach who's going to lead the team
40:45
to win a championship. but maybe high on the
40:48
list after that is someone who can develop a
40:50
quarterback. And since sooner or later we're
40:52
going to be working with a young quarterback
40:54
here, I think Mike's ability to develop the next
40:57
quarterback is something that is certainly important
40:59
to us, end quote. Now here are some of the names
41:01
that they brought in for interviews. Ezra Ivaro,
41:04
Jeff Halfley, Clay Kubiak, Jesse Minter, Nate
41:08
Chilhouse, Chris Shula, Anthony Weaver, Brian
41:10
Flores, Mike McCarthy. Now here are the two teams
41:13
that interviewed Mike McCarthy. The Tennessee
41:16
Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, here
41:19
are the three people that the Steelers brought
41:21
in for in -person interviews. Brian Flores, Mike
41:24
McCarthy, Anthony Weaver. While I don't hate
41:27
Mike McCarthy, I hate the process that the Steelers
41:30
went to hire Mike McCarthy. And the reason why
41:33
I say that is because... If you wanted to go
41:36
with an offensive -minded head coach, you should
41:38
have brought in Kevin Stefanski, Mike McDaniel,
41:41
Cliff Kingsbury, Joe Brady, Brian Dable, John
41:43
Harbaugh, all the big -name offensive -minded
41:47
candidates that were available at that time.
41:49
But instead, you decided to go with a lot of
41:52
defensive -minded head coaches. Now, understand
41:55
this, my fellow football junkies and Steelers
41:56
fans. The model wasn't broken. It's just Mike
42:00
Tomlin did not want to update his approach to
42:02
the game of football. Let's go a little bit deeper.
42:05
When we look at all the other coaches in the
42:08
NFL, all of them have to adapt their approach
42:11
to the game of football. And the coaches that
42:13
don't tend to update their approach fail the
42:16
most. Case in point, that's why the Steelers
42:18
haven't won a playoff game in the last few years.
42:20
Case in point, that's why the Steelers aren't
42:23
true contenders. Because their approach to the
42:25
game of football is still stuck in the early
42:28
2000s. I had no problem keeping Mike Tomlin.
42:31
All I wanted him to do was update his approach
42:34
to the game of football. And what I mean by that
42:37
is, I mean he needs to upgrade his coaching staff.
42:41
Expand it just a little bit. I'm not saying that
42:44
you need to have the biggest coaching staff in
42:46
all of the league, but you need to expand it.
42:49
You need to bring in people who are going to
42:51
challenge your approach to the game of football,
42:53
who are going to add instead of subtract. Not
42:57
just keep your buddies because you think it's
42:59
cool and you're comfortable with it. Because
43:01
you were the same person that said, we don't
43:03
live in our fears. Where clearly you guys have
43:06
been living in your fears for the past few years.
43:08
And that's the reason why you guys haven't been
43:10
able to win a playoff game. It's the same thing
43:13
with Art Rooney. You're only making this higher
43:15
because you're scared. You're scared of one word.
43:19
And that is rebuild. Now, I understand that everybody
43:24
thinks rebuild is you have to just scrap everybody
43:27
and you're not winning a lot of games and whatnot.
43:30
No, that's not the case. A rebuild is different
43:34
for every single team. A rebuild for the Seahawks
43:37
may only be two years. A rebuild for the Commanders
43:40
may be five years. It all depends. But what you
43:44
can't do is just continue to roll with this same
43:47
idea thinking, okay, we have TJ Watt. Okay, we
43:51
have Jalen Ramsey and Cam Hayward and DK Metcalf.
43:55
That's enough. We're contenders. We should be
43:57
able to win a championship this year. No, you're
44:00
not. Instead, you're just pretenders. All you
44:03
are is just a steroid -up version of a Cowboys
44:06
fan, except you're wearing black and yellow.
44:08
That's all it is. Let's really unpack this because
44:12
it needs to be said. At some point, we need to
44:15
be honest with the approach to the Steelers.
44:18
It is outdated, and this is why they haven't
44:21
been successful. Look at the Seahawks. The Seahawks
44:24
traded away their franchise quarterback, went
44:27
through a little bit of turmoil, got rid of their
44:29
head coach, brought in a new head coach. and
44:32
now they're in the Super Bowl. The Patriots can
44:35
go through some turmoil with Gerard Mayo, get
44:38
their act together, get back on straight street,
44:40
and now they're back in the Super Bowl before
44:42
the Steelers can win a playoff game. Think about
44:44
that for a second. Because you know why? Their
44:47
approach to the game of football has changed.
44:50
They realize that we have strayed away from our
44:53
core values and we need to get this thing back
44:56
in order. So what did they do? They get Mike
44:58
Vrabel in. Mike Vrabel sets the culture. He sets
45:01
the standard. And next thing you know, they're
45:04
back being competitive again. And the fact that
45:06
you brought in Mike McCarthy because he has a
45:08
reputation of developing quarterbacks well is
45:11
just unacceptable to me. And the reason why I
45:14
say that is because... You've only developed
45:16
Aaron Rodgers. Now, I understand that some people
45:19
will say that's just enough. Okay, cool. But
45:22
we can't just say, oh, he developed Dak Prescott
45:25
because Dak was already established. Now, did
45:28
he probably elevate Dak's game just a little
45:30
bit? Sure. But to say that he is the sole reason
45:34
why Dak Prescott is who he is today is just downright
45:38
atrocious and unacceptable in a very lackadaisical
45:41
opinion. And I still don't understand why you
45:44
would stray away from the model when the model
45:46
has been successful. It'll be different if you
45:49
hire Mike Tomlin and you didn't see the success
45:52
that you've seen with him thus far. It'll be
45:54
different if you hire Bill Cowher and he didn't
45:57
have the success that he had when he was with
45:58
the Steelers. Okay, fine. You can go in a different
46:00
direction. But it's been successful. So I don't
46:03
understand why you wouldn't do this. Chris Shula
46:06
turned down an interview with the Browns. So
46:08
why wouldn't you just wait 48 hours to bring
46:12
both him and Nate Shieldhouse in for in -person
46:15
interviews? If you would have just taken your
46:17
time with this process, I probably would have
46:20
had a softer approach with the hiring of Mike
46:23
McCarthy. But you rushed it, and everybody knows
46:26
that you rushed it. If you would have brought
46:29
in Chris Shula as the head coach, that would
46:31
have been great. Now, I understand there's a
46:34
lot of people that are saying, well, I'm just
46:36
tired of a defensive head coach. Nowadays, you
46:38
need an offensive -minded head coach. No, you
46:40
don't. Defense still wins championships. Because
46:43
you know why? The Patriots and the Seahawks are
46:47
the sole proof that defense still wins championships.
46:50
Because the both of them are in the Super Bowl,
46:52
not because of their offenses, but because of
46:55
their defense. I understand that, you know, everybody
46:58
loves to see their quarterback put up five and
47:01
600 passing yards and five touchdowns a game.
47:04
No, you need a defense that's going to keep those
47:07
elite quarterbacks in check. And when you don't
47:09
have that, guess what? You're lambs to the slaughter.
47:12
And the fact that you have people within the
47:14
Steelers media, Andrew Filippone, that want to
47:16
say, oh, I was told that Chris Shula's interview
47:19
was not that good and he rubbed some people the
47:22
wrong way. If you guys did like Chris Shula,
47:25
then just say that. But what you don't do is
47:28
go to somebody who is mediocre in his reporting,
47:32
who is a clown show on social media and on the
47:35
radio, who continues to spew out lies and inaccurate
47:39
information and say, you know what? We're going
47:42
to give you this little nugget. And the part
47:44
that sucks for Mike McCarthy is that you're walking
47:46
into a situation with very high expectations.
47:49
Expectations that you have to exceed in your
47:52
first season. And if you don't do it, people
47:54
are going to write you off. On top of that, you're
47:57
walking into a situation without a franchise
47:59
quarterback. In a year where the quarterback
48:01
draft class is not strong. We all know that Fernando
48:04
Mendoza is going to the Raiders. We all know
48:07
that Ty Simpson is probably going to be taken
48:08
high up in the first round. There's no need for
48:11
you to trade up to try to get him when you can
48:13
just wait another year and just build out the
48:15
rest of the roster. If you do that, I guarantee
48:18
you the quarterback of your dreams will be available
48:21
in 27. Now let's talk about the Patriots and
48:23
Broncos game. So Drake made 21 attempts for 10
48:26
completions, 86 passing yards, 4 .1 yards per
48:29
attempt, a 47 .6 completion percentage. Ramondre
48:32
Stevenson, 25 attempts for 71 rushing yards,
48:36
2 .8 rushing yards per carry. Mack Hollins, two
48:39
targets for two receptions, 51 receiving yards,
48:42
and 25 .5 receiving yards per reception. Jared
48:45
Stenum, 31 attempts for 17 completions, 133 passing
48:50
yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 4 .3 yards
48:53
per attempt, and a 54 .8 completion percentage.
48:56
RJ Harvey, 13 attempts for 37 rushing yards,
48:59
2 .8 rushing yards per carry. Marvin Mims, 6
49:02
targets for 4 receptions, 62 receiving yards,
49:05
and 15 .5 receiving yards per reception. So my
49:08
takeaway from this game is that although both
49:11
defenses played very well, it was the Patriots
49:13
that made the key plays at the... right time.
49:16
And the reason why I say that is because the
49:19
Patriots knew coming into this game that the
49:21
Broncos wouldn't have Bo Nix. So all they had
49:24
to do was play really good defense, create a
49:27
lot of pressure on Jared Stenum, and eventually
49:29
he's going to crack and you're going to win the
49:31
game. And that's exactly what happened. Now,
49:33
what I don't understand is why the Broncos continue
49:36
to go for it on fourth down. If it didn't work
49:38
the first or second time, then just stop doing
49:41
it. Especially at times where you were in field
49:44
goal position and you could have just extended
49:46
the lead. On nine fourth down attempts, the Broncos
49:50
didn't convert on none of them. And as the game
49:52
progressed, the Patriots defense continued to
49:55
put the big squeeze on the Broncos offense. And
49:58
the Broncos offense didn't have an answer for
50:00
it. I don't understand why you couldn't just
50:02
use the run game as a jab to soften up the Patriots
50:06
defense just a little bit. But instead, you trusted
50:08
Jared Stenum oh so much. And that's the reason
50:11
why you're in Cancun and the Patriots are in
50:14
the Super Bowl. The Patriots offense didn't do
50:16
anything dynamic. All they did was just convert
50:19
on key downs. That's it. When we look at the
50:23
Patriots third and fourth down conversion rate
50:25
in the first half, with third downs, they were
50:28
three for eight, which is a 37 .5 conversion
50:31
rate. Now, when the five times that they tried
50:33
to convert on fourth down, they were unsuccessful,
50:35
but they picked things up a little bit in the
50:38
second half. Their third down conversion rate
50:40
was three for 10, which is a 30 % conversion
50:43
rate. And the six times that they tried to go
50:46
for it on fourth down in the second half, they
50:48
were only successful once, which is a 16 .7 conversion
50:52
rate. Now, if you combine their third and fourth
50:55
down conversion rate, that is four for 16, which
50:58
is a 25 % conversion rate. And make no mistake,
51:01
the Broncos defense tried to keep them alive,
51:04
but it was unsuccessful. All Drake May had to
51:07
do was just roll out, which is exactly what he
51:09
did. He got the first down. Game over. And then
51:13
to really put the cherry on top, second and nine,
51:16
2 -18 left. Jared Stenum throws an interception
51:19
to Christian Gonzalez to seal the game. Now,
51:22
the crazy thing about this is that after the
51:25
game, Sean Payton decides to fire a majority
51:28
of his offensive staff. Why? I don't know. I
51:32
don't understand how you can just use them as
51:34
scapegoats when you're the primary play caller.
51:37
All you're doing is just admitting that you didn't
51:40
scheme up a good enough game plan in order for
51:42
your team to win. Now, I understand that if they
51:46
would have beaten the Patriots and made it to
51:47
the Super Bowl, that they were probably going
51:49
to get crushed by the Seahawks. But it's just
51:51
the fact that you had a chance. The Patriots
51:54
didn't do anything different than what you could
51:57
have done. All the Patriots did was make key
52:00
plays at key points in the game. That's it. Now
52:04
let's end this episode with the Rams and Seahawks.
52:33
346 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 9 .6 yards per
52:37
attempt, and a 69 .4 completion percentage. Kenneth
52:40
Walker, 19 attempts for 62 rushing yards, 3 .3
52:44
rushing yards per carry, and 1 touchdown. JSN,
52:47
12 targets for 10 receptions, 153 receiving yards,
52:51
1 touchdown, and 15 .3 receiving yards per reception.
52:54
So here's a few junkie nuggets. Sam Darnold was
52:57
pressured on 35 % of his dropbacks, completing
53:00
5 of 11 passing attempts for 102 yards and 3
53:03
touchdowns. When throwing deep passes, passes
53:06
that exceeded 20 -plus air yards, Matthew Stafford
53:10
completed 7 of 11 attempts for 226 yards and
53:13
1 touchdown. On 36 pass rushes against the Seahawks,
53:17
Jared Verse recorded 6 pressures in a sack, which
53:21
is a 16 .7 pressure rate. The Seahawks' defense
53:24
allowed 226 deep passing yards. That's the third
53:28
highest by a defense in any game in the last
53:31
decade. They're the only team to allow at least
53:34
200 yards on deep passes in a playoff game and
53:37
win since 2016. In 40 total dropbacks, the Rams'
53:42
defense generated pressure on 15 plays, which
53:45
is a 37 .5 pressure rate. In 40 total dropbacks,
53:49
the Rams' defense blitzed on 11 plays, which
53:52
is a 27 .5 % blitz rate. Now in the first half
53:56
of the game, the Rams' defense didn't have an
53:58
answer for the Seahawks. I know they tried, but
54:01
they were unsuccessful. Now, in the second half,
54:04
that's when things started to get really competitive,
54:07
and that's when things got really close. Now
54:10
unfortunately, Xavier Smith made a costly fumble,
54:13
which the Seahawks made them pay for, which if
54:15
we can be honest, special teams has been a problem
54:18
with the Rams this entire season. Case in point,
54:21
that's why they fired their special teams coach
54:23
after they faced the Seahawks during the regular
54:25
season. But another thing we need to talk about
54:28
is that the Rams secondary has been a eyesore
54:31
this entire season. And I understand this is
54:34
the drawback of allocating the resources to the
54:36
offense instead of the defense, but when you
54:38
don't have the horses to compete against a Cooper
54:41
Cup or JSN, this is what happens. Now with that
54:45
being said, Matthew Stafford tried his best to
54:48
keep this game close. But let's just be honest,
54:51
this is the Seahawks year. And since we're talking
54:54
about the Seahawks, let's talk about JSN and
54:56
Cooper Cup for a moment. Now, originally when
54:59
they signed Cooper Cup, I was totally against
55:01
it. I was thinking this is the worst move they
55:04
could have ever done. How is this going to work?
55:06
Is he going to be more of a liability than an
55:08
asset? Well, I was wrong. I was completely wrong.
55:12
I was unfamiliar with your game. Because having
55:14
someone like Cooper Cup made JSN a whole lot
55:17
better. Case in point, we saw how Puka played
55:20
when he was with Cooper Cup. That's just where
55:23
Cooper Cupp is at this point in his career. He's
55:26
more of a mentor to the players than just being
55:29
a game changer game wrecker. And that's perfectly
55:32
fine because when you have a defense like how
55:34
they have, you don't really need to do anything.
55:36
And that's exactly what happened. Now let's talk
55:38
about this defense. Let's talk about this defense
55:42
for a moment. Because, man, were they physical.
55:45
Nick Emanwari, physical. Tyreek Woolen, physical.
55:49
Ernest Jones, physical. Everybody was just physical.
55:53
They were all around the football. They were
55:56
in your face, creating a lot of pressure on Matthew
55:58
Stafford. And it worked. Even Sam Darnold played
56:01
well. The Seahawks as a whole didn't make a lot
56:04
of mistakes. And every single time the Rams made
56:07
a mistake, they made them pay for it tenfold.
56:11
It's just their year. There's nothing that you
56:13
can do about it. Now, if I can make a quick prediction
56:15
for the Super Bowl, I think this is going to
56:17
be a close game. I think it's going to be a physical
56:20
game. And I believe the Seahawks are going to
56:22
win this game. But I'm going to end this episode
56:23
here. If you guys like what you're listening,
56:25
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-L -E. As always, I hope I gave you guys the
58:01
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58:03
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58:05
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58:08
right? Just give me some time with that. As always,
58:10
this is your GMKale signing out. Peace and love.
58:12
Later guys.