NFL Cover Zero: Harbaugh/Tomlin and Division Playoff Matchups!

Summary

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KSR NFL Cover Zero: Harbaugh/Tomlin and Division Playoff Matchups!

Hosts: Matt Jones, Drew Franklin, and guest analyst "Billy"
Date: January 16, 2026

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Episode Theme & Purpose

This episode of NFL Cover Zero zeroes in on the major coaching changes shaking up the NFL: John Harbaugh’s move to the New York Giants, Mike Tomlin’s resignation from the Steelers, and the divisional playoff matchups ahead. Matt, Drew, and Billy bring their signature humor, banter, and deep football knowledge to discuss coaching dominoes, the perennial struggle of finding the right head coach, QB vacancies, and dive into predictions for the upcoming games.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. John Harbaugh Hired as Giants Head Coach

• Breaking News: The Giants filled the first of eight coaching vacancies by hiring John Harbaugh.
  • Drew: "John Harbaugh is the new coach of the Giants... I think it's the Giants best shot to have a good coach for the future that won't fail. John Harbaugh, you know, won't fail." (02:49)
• Other Teams in the Mix: Titans were runners-up.
  • Matt: "The moment he left Baltimore, my Titans were in the mix. I dreamed a little. I won't lie." (03:45)
  • Drew: "You're like the school that loses the recruit but gets the hat on the table." (04:27)
• Impact & Outlook:
  • Both agree Harbaugh’s a stabilizing, long-term hire for a franchise with coaching turnover since Coughlin.
  • Drew: "With the youth they have and already some good pieces ... he'll have them in the playoffs and he'll be a successful hire." (05:01)
  • Matt: "The moment Harbaugh is available, throw away the sheet of candidates. We have our candidate. Go get him." (06:42)

2. A Look Back at Giants’ Coaching Carousel

• List of past Giants coaches post-Coughlin: Ben McAdoo, Steve Spagnuolo, Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge, Brian Daboll—all with brief, mostly unsuccessful stints. (11:03)
  • Drew: "That's a who's who of who's not." (11:14)
• Daboll may still have head coaching potential elsewhere.
  • Matt: "I think we'll see him again." (11:41)

3. The Steelers’ End of an Era: Mike Tomlin Resigns

• Tomlin Steps Down:
  • "Mike Tomlin resigns after 19 years with the Steelers. He did not retire. Reports are he wants to coach somewhere warm." (13:17)
  • Matt: "That sentence says you're retiring. That's a retirement." (13:40)
• Debate on Tomlin’s Legacy:
  • Drew: "People either think he's a lot better than he gets credit for, or ... he gets too much credit for just being mediocre. Where are you on Tomlin?"
  • Matt: "I think he's still great. I'd take him if he wants to come on back." (14:13)
• What’s Next in Pittsburgh?
  • Steelers likely to stick with tradition of hiring coordinators, not prior head coaches.
  • "They've had three coaches in 56 years. All came in as coordinators." (15:22)
• Steelers’ QB Problem:
  • Middle-of-the-pack drafting makes acquiring a top QB tough.
  • Drew: "They're going to be just good enough to not really get a good quarterback." (17:07)

4. The NFL’s Wide-Open Coaching Carousel

• Candidates Discussed:
  • Mike McDaniels, Robert Saleh, Mike McCarthy, Kevin Stefanski, Vance Joseph, Chris Shula, Joe Brady, Arthur Smith, Jason Garrett, various NFL “legacy” names (Shula, Kubiak, Minter).
  • Matt: "There are names where if you have it, your odds of getting a job in football..." (27:37)
• Recycling Coaches:
  • Matt: "It says a lot if someone will rehire you. That alone says a lot about your character back in the building." (29:02)
• Drew’s Draft Theory:
  • Skip interviews and combine, draft based on aggregate rankings (e.g., McShay, Kiper).
  • "What if we just ignored all of that and I just took Todd McShay and Mel Kuyper and Mike Tanenbaum's ratings and I just use that, and that's how I picked, and I never talked to any of these people." (29:37)
  • "I think there's an argument that... you probably wouldn't end up with the best draft class, but I bet you wouldn't end up with the worst." (31:51)
• Bias in Hiring:
  • Drew: "There are scientific studies that show that companies do a better job... with no interviews, because when you and I talk, my biases come into place." (35:21)
  • Matt: "Too many of these GMs... they want to outsmart..." (33:30)

5. Division Playoff Matchups – Preview & Picks

[41:11] – Segment Begins

Bills vs. Broncos (Saturday, 4:30 pm)

• Both see Bills as favorites; winner likely goes to the Super Bowl.
  • Matt: "Josh Allen... this is your year to get it done." (41:48)
  • Drew: "I'm sticking with the Bills. Josh Allen showed me last week why I'm picking him." (44:11)

49ers vs. Seahawks

• Both heavily leaning Seahawks due to 49ers injuries.
  • Drew: "I'm big on The Seahawks here. 49ers... just pulling people out of the parking lot." (45:14)
  • Matt: "Seattle's defense... what they hold them to, like a field goal just two weeks ago." (45:30)

Patriots vs. Texans

• Texans’ defense got them here, but QB C.J. Stroud must step up.
  • Drew: "I think C.J. Stroud is maybe a notch below Drake May, but I think that defense is excellent." (46:53)
  • Weather could be a factor: "If it's snowing hard, then I'm flipping to the Patriots." (47:39)

Bears vs. Rams (Sunday Night)

• Both love the matchup, both reluctantly pick Rams.
  • Drew: "I want to be the first person to ever get the super bowl. Correct. But I'm still pulling for the Bears." (49:09)
  • Matt: "I love both these teams... I give the slight edge to Stafford, but I will be rooting for your Bears." (49:24)
• Fun stat: "This is McVeigh's 15th playoff game. It is the 15th different team that he will be facing." (50:21)

6. Coaching Hot Take: Kurt Signetti for NFL?

• Suggests the up-and-comer for NFL consideration.
  • Drew: "If you can't get Harbaugh or Tomlin or maybe Stefanski. I would hire Kurt Signetti. Why not?" (37:17)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You're like the school that loses the recruit but gets the hat on the table."

  • Drew Franklin on Titans being Harbaugh’s runner-up (04:27)

• "The moment Harbaugh is available, throw away the sheet of candidates. We have our candidate. Go get him."

  • Matt (06:42)

• "That's a who's who of who's not."

  • Drew, re: Giants post-Coughlin coaches (11:14)

• "That sentence says you're retiring. That's a retirement."

  • Matt, on Tomlin allegedly seeking ‘warmer weather’ (13:40)

• “There are names where if you have it, your odds of getting a job in football...”

  • Matt, on NFL legacy hires (27:37)

• "What if we just ignored all of that and I just took Todd McShay and Mel Kuyper and Mike Tanenbaum's ratings... and never talked to any of these people?"

  • Drew (29:37)

• "I'm going to go live on TikTok and get random people to come hear how wrong Billy was."

  • Matt, on disputes over their touchdown picks (56:41)

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Quick Access: Important Segment Timestamps

• John Harbaugh to Giants: 02:49 – 06:53
• Giants’ Coaches Overview: 10:32 – 11:44
• Mike Tomlin Steps Down: 13:17 – 14:45
• Steelers’ Coaching Philosophy & QB Issues: 15:13 – 18:44
• NFL Coaching Carousel & Draft Philosophy: 24:20 – 36:44
• Division Playoff Matchups Start: 41:11
• Bills-Broncos Preview & Picks: 41:36 – 44:26
• 49ers-Seahawks Preview & Picks: 44:39 – 45:43
• Patriots-Texans Preview & Picks: 45:48 – 47:44
• Bears-Rams Preview & Picks: 49:05 – 50:53
• Fun Stat Segment (McVay’s 15 Playoff Teams): 50:13 – 50:48
• Victory Bundle Pick and Recap: 50:53 – 51:25
• Weekly Corporate Touchdown Picks: 54:56 – 59:43

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Overall Tone & Style

Conversational, irreverent, clever, and insider-y. The KSR crew keeps things moving fast, with a balance of serious football analysis and trademark self-deprecating humor and banter.

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Summary for the Uninitiated

If you missed this episode, you missed insightful and entertaining takes on the NFL's top coaching vacancies—why Harbaugh landing with the Giants is a game-changer, and how Tomlin’s departure marks the end of an era. The show explores which coaches and coordinators are likely to get their shot next, humorously lambasts NFL “legacy” hiring trends, and applies a tongue-in-cheek “auto-draft” theory to the league’s talent acquisition woes. Finally, they break down the divisional round games, giving sharp and often funny predictions that combine analysis with fandom. The camaraderie keeps the banter top-notch, whether weighing the merits of ranch dip on Taco Tuesday or debating which host really picked Kyron Williams in last week’s contest.

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Transcript

[Matt Jones]

This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.

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[Julian Edelman]

[e-mail] this is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. Now let's get into the serious stuff. We're talking football food, specifically Daisy French Onion dip. These are so delicious. They're like homemade dips made with real herb and spices. Also made with some Daisy sour cream. Daisy Sour Cream is a long standing staple for Taco Tuesday. They also have Daisy Ranch dip. So get out there and give Daisy French Onion Dip a try. You will not regret it.

[Drew Franklin]

NFL Cover 0 with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and iHeart podcast. It Is NFL cover Z0, the divisional playoff round. Matt Jones, Drew Franklin, ready to go here? It's a day late. It's on Thursday, but you know, it's hard to get Billy's schedule. He's really busy, so it's hard to get him in for all the days we need to do. And so Drew, we're here and thanks to Billy for showing up and we're ready to go. I'm just kidding. It wasn't Billy, but Drew. Nice to have you.

[Matt Jones]

Being a day late means we were one day closer to the actual football, so our excitement's even higher and if.

[Drew Franklin]

We had taped this yesterday, I don't think we would have known the news about John Harbaugh. And this is the most important story of the week for the NFL. John Harbaugh is the new coach of the Giants. The first of eight coaching vacancies to come filled is John Harbaugh. I think it was. Well, it was first reported by, like, Marty Mush, I believe, on Barstool Sports. He's the first person I saw. I don't know if he gets official credit or not. Schefter, I think, confirmed it this morning. I have thought the Giants was the best of the jobs for the long term future. It's in New York. I can totally see why John Harbaugh would want to do it. I think it's the Giants best shot to have a good, you know, a good coach for the future that won't fail. John Harbaugh, you know, won't fail. So I like it. What about you?

[Matt Jones]

I like it, too. Kind of assumed that'd be where he'd go. The moment he left Baltimore, my Titans were in the mix. I dreamed a little. I won't lie.

[Drew Franklin]

I knew they were second on the board in terms of.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, well, on that he was going to do an in home interview. He wasn't going to go to Nashville.

[Drew Franklin]

Never a good sign.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I played out in my head. They invited him and he's like, look, I'm grilling hot dogs. Y' all can come by. Just come in. You can talk to me for a little bit. Like, I'm not going to.

[Drew Franklin]

You're not willing to go to the city you might move to, then you're probably not moving to that city.

[Matt Jones]

He's like, listen, I got family and we're watching a movie. If y' all want to come by, I'll talk for a few minutes. That's where we were. However, not to make it about the Titans, but him having them second maybe makes the job look more attractive for others.

[Drew Franklin]

That's interesting. So, like, you're like the school that loses the recruit but gets the hat on the table.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, we're moral victory teams.

[Drew Franklin]

You're a hat on the table.

[Matt Jones]

But there was no doubt that he was going to the Giants.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, I will come back to tights.

[Matt Jones]

But there was no doubt he was.

[Drew Franklin]

Going to Giants, so I think he'll do well. Jackson Dart. I think the fans and the media will like him. He'll be the coach. You know, they've had a lot of guys over the years that have had some good resumes but really, Tom Coughlin's been the last time they've been successful there. Are we going to see the Giants in a meaningful playoff game?

[Matt Jones]

I think so. They, I mean, I feel like they've had 20 coaches since Tom Coughlin had some success there. A lot of guys for just a couple of years. Harbaugh is not a couple of year guy. And with the youth they have and already some good pieces to the fan base of tradition, I think all that matters. I don't know if Harbaugh will take him to the promised land or anything crazy because he won't have. He doesn't have a ton left anyway. But he'll have them in the playoffs and he'll be a successful hire.

[Drew Franklin]

It puts him in the opposite conference of his brother. Like say actually they couldn't be farther away. He was like, I want to get as far away from my brother as possible.

[Matt Jones]

Could they meet in the super bowl again?

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, no, but I mean, but I guess it's plausible, but I think it's unlikely. But I do, I think he will do a good job. And then, you know, as far as development, he has over the years been able to win with a lot of different kinds of people. Lamar, but also before Lamar, a number of players. He was there what, how long Was he there?

[Apple Card / Wasabi Advertiser]

18 years.

[Drew Franklin]

So I mean, Mike Tomlin was in Pittsburgh for 19 and he was there for 18 and that was in my opinion the best rivalry to watch during that period. It's kind of an end of an era, right?

[Matt Jones]

It is. Just also, I mean, Lamar was a star. They've had some stars. But just the toughness you associate with the Ravens, I mean a lot of that goes back before him too. But he maintained that and he's been a well respected coach pretty much as long as he's been there. That's why if you're the Giants, you see that news, you're like, wait, we.

[Drew Franklin]

Can get Harbaugh the greatest. Like, you know, isn't that the greatest thing that could fall in your lap of all?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Even if you were one of the few people who wanted to give day ball a little longer, you like someone else. The moment hardball is available, throw away the sheet of candidates. We have our candidate. Go get him.

[Drew Franklin]

I, Brian Billick was the coach before Harbaugh. Whatever happened to him? Like he went, he won a Super bowl, did a little TV for a while. He was a very charismatic.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Seemed very likable. That's.

[Drew Franklin]

What did he just decide to disappear off the planet?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I'M not sure.

[Drew Franklin]

I don't know why I'm looking at you like you would like. I'm like, billy, why is Brian billing not in my life? And I kind of feel like that's.

[Guest Analyst]

What I'm doing, you know, I don't remember what Brian Billock's up to, but I do know he played the Giants in the Super Bowl.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, that's a fact.

[Guest Analyst]

As a Baltimore coach.

[Matt Jones]

But I mean, his Wikipedia pulled up here.

[Drew Franklin]

What does it say he's been doing the last decade? I'm worried about it.

[Matt Jones]

Well, there is a 15 year gap from the year 2007 to the year 2022. But in the year 2022, just three, four years ago, he was the advisor to the head coach at Arizona State.

[Drew Franklin]

That's a made up job. That's what it says on his advisor to the head coach.

[Matt Jones]

So that wouldn't that mean you just.

[Drew Franklin]

He can call you and be like, hey, Brian, what do you think?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, that sounds like he just took.

[Guest Analyst]

That's the job, I think.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, so that means if he finished coaching in 2007, this says he's 71. So that means he basically at 54 or 55, was like, yeah, I'm out. Done. Why don't more people do that?

[Matt Jones]

I would. I definitely would. I respect the guys that want to. I want to do this forever. I want to do it till I'm 80. Not me. Y' all can have it. I'll be on my couch watching.

[Drew Franklin]

You don't think you get bored?

[Matt Jones]

That's what I mean. No, I would get bored in that I would want to go find new things. New.

[Drew Franklin]

But it doesn't look like Brian Bell's found anything. Also literally has not. There's no historical record of him, except occasionally he gets lunch with Kenny Dillingham.

[Matt Jones]

Well, actually I knew new details.

[Drew Franklin]

New details are emerging.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, so he was the advisor head coach in 20. Kennedy Dillingham took over in 2023. So.

[Drew Franklin]

So he was hermit advisor.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, he advised Herm on the way out. I guess he got a year with.

[Drew Franklin]

Herm advising for a season. Let me be clear. I love Herm.

[Matt Jones]

We're pro Herm.

[Drew Franklin]

But the advice couldn't have worked.

[Matt Jones]

No.

[Drew Franklin]

Herm was only there for one more year. So he advised Herm one year. Herm didn't need his. I listen. I interview Herm every Sunday. He doesn't listen to anybody. So he came out of his cave.

[Matt Jones]

After 15 years to advise Herm. Herm got fired and he went right back in.

[Drew Franklin]

Wow. Well, maybe we could get him on the show.

[Guest Analyst]

Can we get Herm on? I love Herm.

[Drew Franklin]

I love Herm too. Yes, we could. I could get Herm to do anything.

[Matt Jones]

Well, he was Herm's advisor so that we have the contact there.

[Drew Franklin]

Herm can get us Billock. Would you rather have Herm or Billick?

[Matt Jones]

Is that an insult to call Herm and ask if we can get frown Billock?

[Drew Franklin]

No, he's my boy. Okay. Herm said I was invited to the cookout.

[Guest Analyst]

Oh, really?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

Nice.

[Drew Franklin]

Herm said I could come to the cookout.

[Matt Jones]

I've never met him, but he does seem like a genuine awesome guy.

[Drew Franklin]

I have. I've never met him in person, but I've just been on the radio every Sunday for three straight years and I love the guy. He's great and he really. We. We give each other a hard time. He genuinely though believes he could play in the NFL and still get interceptions today President Day. Oh, good. He said. He said if he played now, he said I wouldn't be one of the best players in the league, but I get mine. That was his direct quote.

[Matt Jones]

Is Ron Biller going to be advisor to the cornerback? Does he need his help on that too?

[Drew Franklin]

He could get his. So anyway, good for John Harbaugh, good for Jackson Dart.

[Matt Jones]

Congratulations.

[Drew Franklin]

If the Giants fans they've got to be pretty happy you got a coach.

[Matt Jones]

With a ring on his finger. They couldn't have expected that after having was that one guy Joe Jonas, who.

[Drew Franklin]

Was the coach before that day ball.

[Matt Jones]

No, before that they were Joe something. Joe Judge, not Joe Jonas. He might have done a better job. Bob something. When there a Bob.

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Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

They've had a lot of.

[Drew Franklin]

There's a bomb.

[Matt Jones]

A lot of forgettable guys. Now they have a guy with a.

[Guest Analyst]

Super bowl and they got scatter Boo and neighbors.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. And they got a great defensive line. I mean the Thibodeau and. And all those pass rushers.

[Matt Jones]

Ben McAdoo. That's the one I'm trying to think of. Not Bob.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, give me the Giants head coaches since. Since Tom Coughlin.

[Guest Analyst]

Pat Shermer was another one.

[Matt Jones]

See, we could do this all day. They're. I bet they're all two years. Okay.

[Guest Analyst]

Coughlin was 04 to 15. Then you had Ben McAdoo. Steve Spagnola.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, I forgot about Steve Spagn, Matt.

[Guest Analyst]

Shermer, Joe Judge, Brian Dable and that's.

[Drew Franklin]

A who's who of who's not.

[Matt Jones]

Were they all there? Exactly two years.

[Guest Analyst]

No, Spagnola was one.

[Drew Franklin]

Joe Judge. Spagnola, Shermer Joe McAdoo and Day Ball. I still think Day Ball can be a good coach. I think, I think he. It didn't work out for him there, but I feel like he at some point will be deserving of another job. I don't think any of those other people were.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, I completely agree. I think we'll see him again.

[Drew Franklin]

I think he get. He gets. Should get another chance one day.

[Matt Jones]

Wasn't he coach of the Year his first season there? I think he was.

[Drew Franklin]

He was. I think he was. And he always looked to me, I thought he was a good Giants coach because it looked to me like he could also be a New York fireman.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Like he fit in. Or if he needed to go over to Jersey, talk to Tony and the boys, he'd fit in there, too.

[Drew Franklin]

I think, by the way, I spend a decent amount of time in New York. When you walk by their various fire stations, they're always just sitting there and they just look at you and they're like, what's up? What's up, man?

[Matt Jones]

Just a little heading on.

[Drew Franklin]

You think there's any place in America where people respect an institution like New Yorkers respect the fire department?

[Matt Jones]

I don't know. Especially in that city with that history.

[Drew Franklin]

I don't think there's anywhere else. I think if you, you know, if you were going to be in enforcement, I don't know if they're fired men are exactly law enforcement, but if you're going to be in some job, I think you'd be more respected as a New York fireman than almost anyone.

[Matt Jones]

Even I own an FDNY shirt. I met a fireman who was part of the 9 11. He was one of the survivors. He's got a little charity thing and he gave me one of the T shirts. I'm not even from there. And you do feel like a. I've.

[Drew Franklin]

Been to the World Trade, World Trade center fire station, the one that was technically four. And you know, there's memorials everywhere. And I, when I walked by, this was just a few months ago, like, people were out there taking pictures with the firemen. So they're almost like little celebrities.

[Matt Jones]

I think mine was Dwayne street is what my shirt says. Dwayne street, wherever that is.

[Drew Franklin]

So. By the Brian Day Ball, hello to John Harbaugh and Brian Billick. Show yourself. Come on the show. All right, the other news since we came on, Mike Tomlin resigns after 19 years with the, with the Steelers. He. He did not retire. Reports are he wants to coach somewhere warm, which I Thought was kind of a.

[Matt Jones]

That's retiring. That sentence says you're retiring. That's a retirement.

[Drew Franklin]

But he didn't say he wanted to coach. You think he wants to be an advisor to King?

[Matt Jones]

Your people picking your weather you're retiring?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Maybe you should advise Hermit Mike Tomlin. People either are one of two ways with Tomlin. They either take the view of he's a lot better than he gets credit for, or there's people who say he gets too much credit for just being mediocre. Where are you on Mike Tomlin?

[Matt Jones]

I think he's still great. I'd take him if he wants to come on back. I don't know how the weather is in Nashville compared to what he wants.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, it's probably better in Pittsburgh.

[Matt Jones]

I know he said he's going to take a year off. I get why the Steelers parted ways. They needed a reset. He needed a reset. But I still think he's a very good coach. You don't coach somewhere in the NFL for almost 20 years and not knowing you're doing, whether you're part of a bigger institution with a great defense and tradition, all that, whatever, throw it out to coach. As long as he didn't have the wins he did, he's a good coach and he still has it. Even though it probably was the right time in Pittsburgh for both parties, I.

[Drew Franklin]

Think it was the right time. That's the key, is it was the right time. But I would hire him. If I had a job, I would hire him in an instant.

[Matt Jones]

The moment Harbaugh and Tomlin after the Tyler Loop Phil goal and they became available. That's one and two on all on my list that I would be writing if I were any of these teams.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I'm with you. So what do you do? Let's go. We've been through some of these jobs. What do you do with the Pittsburgh job?

[Matt Jones]

Have they been reported to be leaning any direction? They seem like a place to go. Get Mike McCarthy. I don't know if he's on the list.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, but I mean, they've only had three coaches.

[Guest Analyst]

56 years.

[Drew Franklin]

56 years. So they're not. But all three of those coaches, if you think came in as coordinators. They've never had a head coach with experience before.

[Matt Jones]

And I saw a picture of Tomlin that popped up on the Internet when he first got hired. Looked like a kid. I mean, he feels like a guy that had an age, but seeing one that's truly 18, 19 years ago when.

[Guest Analyst]

He was coaching for the Bucks back in the day.

[Matt Jones]

Well, this was. He has the Steelers gear on but he's brand new. He looks. Looks like baby face.

[Drew Franklin]

What do you think who would be. Do you think they go for a coordinator? Do they continue the same trajectory that they had?

[Guest Analyst]

Depends on what they want to do with Aaron Rodgers.

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

Right.

[Guest Analyst]

Do you think he sticks around for another year? Because if so, maybe Arthur Smith is that higher.

[Matt Jones]

He's offensive.

[Drew Franklin]

Been a coach before.

[Matt Jones]

He has.

[Drew Franklin]

I want to find somebody. I want to figure out that they feel like the kind of place where Liam Cohen would have gotten or someone like that. I wonder if there's someone out there that they sort of look at like that.

[Matt Jones]

I don't know what they're looking for but as an outsider it feels like Steelers are always going to have some defense and if they're going the coordinator route. The Shula with the Rams is a hot name right now on the defensive side of the ball. So I would assume he's on their list if that's the direction we're going. I've just always everyone associates Steelers with good defense and I think they'd stick to that identity and go get a defensive guy and he'd be high on the list.

[Drew Franklin]

I think you're probably. You're probably right about his name's popping up everywhere. Would you want that job with no obvious quarterback?

[Matt Jones]

Can I still do cover zero? I wouldn't want to leave you guys.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean they're letting Troy Eichmann's doing.

[Matt Jones]

No, no. I actually like the no obvious quarterback because.

[Drew Franklin]

But they're not going to have a draft pick to get one.

[Matt Jones]

That's what I mean. If Rogers I linger another year without committing to anything because this class outside of Mendoza don't expect.

[Drew Franklin]

Here's the hard thing about that job. They're going to be just good enough to not really get a good quarterback. You know what I mean? Like there. I don't think the Steelers want a team that has had 19 straight winning seasons. They don't want to bottom out and get a top five quarterback or top five pick. So they're always going to kind of be middle of the first round or at least that's probably what you hope and you can still get your guy there. They got Ben Roethlisberger there in the middle of the first round. But I do think like it's. It's less obvious to get it there.

[Matt Jones]

And it's rare for a playoff team to have a coaching search. To your point about not having a draft position, it shows your roster is Good enough to get in the mix, but you still weren't happy enough. But being the Steeler, there are a few teams and it's why I had the Giants at the top by list. Just with the tradition and just being known for successful organization. I would happily coach the students.

[Drew Franklin]

This would be something like Malik Willis will be the quarterback there next year.

[Matt Jones]

He came to mind. I thought you were going to ask me who could they go out and get.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, he'll be that kind of guy. But again, it's not who you want forever. At some point they'll have to nail a draft pick. I mean, if you, if you look at the playoff teams, with the exception of Sam Darnold, who's a unique situation, all these guys were either like drafted by their teams or in the case of Matthew Stafford, it was a trade where a guy you drafted had some value so that the trade made sense.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, yeah. No, they're. They're going to have a quarterback.

[Drew Franklin]

Tim Darnold is a very unique situation of a guy that you would sign that conceivably could go win you a Super Bowl. Usually you're going to have to draft one.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, you can't go hand pick a Sam Darnold because teams are throwing them away because they think he's done. And then he goes and has a comeback. You can't. No one can spot that.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, so Mike Thomas says he's going to sit out you and I would agree with. But he, I think would have a lot of chance of jobs. So let's talk about who is being talked about for jobs. Your Tennessee Titans brought in Mike McDaniel. He flew in in a suit way to be incognito. Mike, why not just wear like you? He dressed better on the flight to Nashville than he dresses for the games and the press conferences in Miami. Why would you do that? Does he think this is 1954 and you have to dress up to go on a plane?

[Matt Jones]

You gotta.

[Drew Franklin]

You gotta be careful.

[Matt Jones]

Talking about potentially my future coach.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, gosh.

[Matt Jones]

I'm starting to prepare myself.

[Drew Franklin]

Let me say I'm preparing myself. They hire him because that will give me good jokes because I never thought he was. I mean, I'd actually feel bad for you because I think he is a. He's a goober and I think him being a goober with you would be funny.

[Matt Jones]

I gotta be.

[Drew Franklin]

Talk yourself into it.

[Matt Jones]

I've already talked myself into him. He's not my top pick, but I.

[Drew Franklin]

Think you'd be doing tiktoks with him.

[Matt Jones]

If he's my coach, I will happily do tiktoks. You're talking to the guy who named his peloton account after Mike Vrabel here. So yes, if he wants to TikTok, I will tick tock. But with the names I've seen, I gotta admit, I had a moment last night where I'm like, if I think.

[Drew Franklin]

That'D be the best of the group, I think, well, what are the tide? I don't know what their other choices are. Who are they?

[Matt Jones]

Anybody can get. We've said a lot of the names. They're hopeful. Like, Robert Sal is one of the hottest names. He's probably my top pick. Even though he didn't do well with.

[Drew Franklin]

The Jets, I feel like he would fail there too.

[Matt Jones]

It's the Titans. I'm prepared for any of them to fail. I mean, none of these are going to be a guaranteed.

[Drew Franklin]

What about like a Mike McCarthy?

[Matt Jones]

I can't do it. I cannot do it.

[Drew Franklin]

Why?

[Matt Jones]

A lot of people want him. I just. The Cowboys are my second team. I just went through the Mike McCarthy retread experience with them. I did not enjoy it. I can't now do it again with my Titans.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay.

[Matt Jones]

There are a lot of Titans fans and accounts that want him. So I'm clearly, I'm not in tune with the whole fan base, but I would rather have maybe even Mike McDaniels.

[Drew Franklin]

Crazy.

[Matt Jones]

That is to say of the mics.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, well, he, as goofy as.

[Matt Jones]

He is with Cam Ward and we have some rookie wide receivers and some offensive weapons that could grow. He is a good offensive mind. I would have to get used to the Louis Vuitton stuff in the. In the joggers pulled up to his knees.

[Apple Card / Wasabi Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

But I, I could get excited about his offense.

[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Games with Names. Now let's get into the serious stuff. We're talking football food. Specifically Daisy French onion dip.

[Drew Franklin]

That is serious.

[Julian Edelman]

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[Drew Franklin]

You know what I do when I get my street burrito? I get the squirt Daisy. Yeah. And every bite. I know you.

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

I know you.

[Julian Edelman]

I'm a huge sour cream guy. I love sour cream top. So I think burritos can't live without sour cream.

[Drew Franklin]

Completely agree with that.

[Julian Edelman]

They also have Daisy ranch dip. I love Ranch dip. I love it with crackers, wings, plain potato chip, the ones with the little crinkles, maybe some bell peppers. So get out there and give Daisy French Onion Dip a try. You will not regret it.

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[Drew Franklin]

No.

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[Drew Franklin]

All right, so what are some of the names of people that are Billy that are up for some of these jobs?

[Guest Analyst]

You have Brian Flores out of him anywhere.

[Drew Franklin]

Where is Brian Flores now?

[Guest Analyst]

Was he Vikings defensive coordinator?

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, but he's had a job before.

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

Yes.

[Drew Franklin]

Vance Joseph.

[Guest Analyst]

Vance Joseph is another one.

[Matt Jones]

I thought of my other titan. I'll take who? I will also take Stefanski.

[Drew Franklin]

I know he just got fired so that.

[Matt Jones]

Yes, I forgot to mention him.

[Drew Franklin]

He'll have a job when this all comes through.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I would take him.

[Drew Franklin]

Vance Joseph. I'm shocked he's on the list because I do I not remember that his tenure In Denver was really bad. Right?

[Guest Analyst]

It wasn't great from my memory. And he's the defensive coordinator for the Broncos now.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, well, then maybe he wasn't the coach. Was he not the head coach at Denver at one point?

[Guest Analyst]

Sounds familiar. I think he did have a coach.

[Drew Franklin]

There's no way he. This tells you how prepared sometimes I am for assistance. I don't follow them enough to know.

[Matt Jones]

But Vance Joseph was Broncos head coach.

[Guest Analyst]

From 17 to 18, and then he.

[Drew Franklin]

Went to the Cardinals, the defensive coordinator.

[Guest Analyst]

And has been the Broncos DC since 23.

[Matt Jones]

I always think that's weird when guys do that. That would have to be hard. Walk into a different office than the head coach's office.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. And then, like, people do it. Bobby Petrino did it. Huh? Well, his defense has been really good in Denver, so maybe very good.

[Matt Jones]

No, that'd be another name. Maybe Steelers look into him.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, what were the other ones?

[Guest Analyst]

Chris Shula, the defensive coordinator for the Rams.

[Drew Franklin]

They. They literally. They just belt out Shula's. What? Whose kid is this? Is this. Is this Mike's kid?

[Guest Analyst]

Doesn't say here, but McVeigh. Assistants go like.

[Drew Franklin]

So you got Don, and he had a kid named Mike, and I think another kid named Biff.

[Matt Jones]

There's a lot of them. He's the son of Dave.

[Drew Franklin]

Dave. There's a Dave. So this is. This is a Shula grandson. Now, none of the shoeless have been good except Don, but you just kind of keep giving a Shula.

[Guest Analyst]

It's in their blood.

[Drew Franklin]

To do what? Go 500 football. Okay. All right. So who else?

[Guest Analyst]

Jeff Halfley, the defensive coordinator for the Packers.

[Drew Franklin]

Don't want him.

[Matt Jones]

Matt Nagy, the offensive coordinator, he's also on our list.

[Guest Analyst]

Joe Brady, the offensive coordinator for the Bills, famously with the LSU Tigers. And Joe Burrow when they won the national championship.

[Drew Franklin]

So Joe Brady's interesting because he's had a lot of success in the NFL, but he kind of got run out of college to go and then did really well with the Bills, so that would be an interesting one. And then who else?

[Guest Analyst]

Robert Sala, as we mentioned. Jesse Minter, the defensive coordinator for the Chargers.

[Drew Franklin]

Is that Nuclear Minter's son?

[Matt Jones]

I don't know.

[Drew Franklin]

I think. Did we make.

[Matt Jones]

Have we talked about this, or am I having deja vu? Because I've been calling Jeff nuclear not knowing anything about him. It's a little Kentucky connection.

[Drew Franklin]

There's Jesse. Mentor. How many mentors are Jesse?

[Matt Jones]

Excuse me.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, okay. Who else?

[Matt Jones]

He is the son of Nuclear Rick, Mentor.

[Drew Franklin]

These families just like coming like nascar. Everybody's a Bowdon.

[Matt Jones]

There are names where, if you have it, your odds of getting a job in football.

[Drew Franklin]

You mentioned four names that have family members.

[Guest Analyst]

Well, here's another one. Clint Kubiak.

[Drew Franklin]

What in the world is happening? Like, come on. They've got. Okay, then it's going to be Frank Walsh. They just keep. You keep coming here with this stuff. Bob Belichick.

[Matt Jones]

Another name you haven't said yet. Billy, I don't know if you're going to get to it, but Jason Garrett's name is still floating around. Jason Garrett.

[Drew Franklin]

Can I make the case for Jason Garrett?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

What's he done wrong? He won for you guys.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, he did. And I met him in an Airport at 6am when no one wants to talk. And he wanted to talk so much me and my wife couldn't get away from.

[Drew Franklin]

That's really stuck with you.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

You.

[Drew Franklin]

You. You bring that up a lot. You, I think, have some Jason Garrett. Why not make him your.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I just mean friendly. I mean, from a friendly way. A lot of people be like, hey, hey, nice to meet you. 6:00am don't talk. No, he's like, what do you think of the derby this year? Who's your horse? And so just a very friendly guy, but.

[Drew Franklin]

So we have nuclear mentors, kid. We have Kubiak, who is the next one.

[Guest Analyst]

Is that all for this list? All we have left is Arthur Smith and Kevin Stefanski.

[Drew Franklin]

So those are so for me, if I have a team, I'm going all in on Kevin. If I can't get Mike Tom to coach, I'm going all in on Kevin Stefanski. I oddly kind of like Joe Brady as a possibility. And then maybe it's time to give Vance Joseph another ride. You know, Broncos liked him enough to bring him back in the building.

[Matt Jones]

Says a lot if someone will rehire you. Yeah, that alone says a lot about your character back in the building.

[Drew Franklin]

I am. Let me tell you what I'm of the belief of you're going to hear this theory as we get closer to the NFL draft in April. My NFL draft theory. And I'm going to test this out this April. This is going to be a scientific test that we're going to play out. It's going to take years to play out, but we're doing it the same. What happens if you interview no one and you watch no one play and you just pick based on rankings?

[Matt Jones]

No.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, you've heard me say this before. They spend all this time they have everybody sprint in their undies and they have everybody lift weights and pick up cones and throw them at each other. And then you interview them and you ask them what happened when your mom didn't give you Oreos. And then you try to act like you know who to pick. And I've always had the view. What if we just ignored all of that and I just took Todd McShay and Mel Kuyper and Mike Tanenbaum's ratings and I just use that, and that's how I picked, and I never talked to any of these people.

[Matt Jones]

Save you a lot of money.

[Drew Franklin]

Save you a ton of money. And I'm going to go further. I think you would be as successful, if not more successful, than the mean.

[Matt Jones]

So we're just copying homework?

[Drew Franklin]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

You all do the homework.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, why do I need to do? Because when you watch the draft, it generally follows, you know, not exactly, but the ballpark of the mock drafts, right? Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Occasional surprises, but nothing major.

[Drew Franklin]

Usually the surprises aren't. Don't work right. Like, usually they'll pick. Like, remember when the Raiders picked the fat guy from Alabama on the offensive line, like, three rounds too early and it didn't work right.

[Matt Jones]

Or every time the Titans draft, I.

[Drew Franklin]

Would say do a draft where all you do is copy Todd McShay and Mel Kuiper's homework. So then when it was my turn, I just looked and said, he feels like the right guy.

[Apple Card / Wasabi Advertiser]

Or.

[Drew Franklin]

And then in five years, let's see who has the best draft class.

[Matt Jones]

Well, like NFL.com during the draft will have the best available.

[Drew Franklin]

I just.

[Matt Jones]

I just pull up my phone. I'm like, well, let's see who's the best.

[Drew Franklin]

I think I draft my fantasy team.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, you want to auto draft the actual draft? I love it.

[Drew Franklin]

I think there's an argument that the only thing I would do is I was look at my roster and see what I need. Okay. So I might say, okay, even though that guy's higher, I don't need that position. But then kind of auto draft or look and go. At the end of the day, McShay knows more about this than we do. What does he think? I genuinely believe you probably wouldn't end up with the best draft class, but I bet you wouldn't end up with the worst.

[Matt Jones]

I love the idea of auto drafting. When it happens in fantasy, everybody gets mad because the clock goes all the way down. Yeah, you're upsetting all your competitors because you're on the whole clock. You're like, oh, Pittsburgh in April. I can't make it. Sorry, y'. All Draft without me. I'll be auto draft.

[Drew Franklin]

I were in the war room. If you and I were in the war room, when they go to the war room, you and I would be, like, drinking, okay? Playing video games.

[Matt Jones]

I think there's some GMs that already do that.

[Drew Franklin]

No, but I mean, like, you and I would make it very clear we're not paying attention.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, we're up. I didn't know we were up.

[Drew Franklin]

No, I would just go, Jeeves.

[Guest Analyst]

Jeeves.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, we're asking Jeeves.

[Drew Franklin]

You tell me one minute before and I'll quickly look and see. Ah, he feels good. I bet you, Billy, you would do better than most teams. I think. I think it's all a waste of money. The NBA is even more like this. The NBA hires these old men to travel around the country and watch basketball games.

[Matt Jones]

They get the same stats I can get at home.

[Drew Franklin]

And by the way, the game's on tv. I can see it.

[Matt Jones]

I sit by some of these scouts.

[Drew Franklin]

That most of them are just there for the free food.

[Matt Jones]

Not a lot of scouting getting done.

[Drew Franklin]

They have one pick and they'll have, like, the six pick in the draft, and they'll go, I'll pick the guy from Duke. And then the whole scouting staff claps, and I'm like, none of you people, all of you are stealing money.

[Guest Analyst]

Sounds like as an owner, you would hire AI as your gm.

[Drew Franklin]

I would just pick it or, well, I wouldn't want to get blamed. So I'd have you as the fall guy.

[Matt Jones]

Okay? So the problem is, too many of these GMs, they get the job and they want to outsmart the Ranchers.

[Drew Franklin]

No one's smart. Like, Bill Belichick was supposedly the best at this. And in North Carolina, he has a team that can't beat anyone, which just shows everybody's the same. Now, I do think, by the way, there's difference in coaching, but when it comes to picking the draft, now, I will say there's talent in, like, the undrafted players and all that. Like, that's different. But if you're just talking about the first three rounds of the draft, Todd McShay.

[Guest Analyst]

Well, Belichick's hit rate wasn't great in the draft either.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, besides, thank you. Their brilliance was they'd find the guy who played it like East Potato State and bring him in. I will grant you they'll do that better than me. But when it comes to top guys, I'm of the book. You've watched who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

[Matt Jones]

I have. Not recently, but I Have.

[Drew Franklin]

What is the best thing you have?

[Matt Jones]

Phone a friend.

[Drew Franklin]

No, ask it. They ask the audience. Ask the audience. Always correct. The collective intelligence is always smarter than the individual.

[Matt Jones]

Well, my phone, a friend was going to be Todd McShay. Todd, what are we picking?

[Drew Franklin]

So. So we're going to test this at the draft. We're going to draw out of a hat, and I'm going to have the team that's mine.

[Matt Jones]

Okay.

[Drew Franklin]

And every time we come up on the clock, I'm going to go, all right, we need a running back. Hey, Todd, we got. Yeah, he's good. The guy bit. There you go.

[Guest Analyst]

We'll wait five years and we'll see how they.

[Drew Franklin]

Five years. We will compare my draft class to everyone else's.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, we have a first round pick. We're seventh. And we need an offensive tackle. All right, one second. NFL.com. best tackle going with that one.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm gonna go with him. All right, see you on two days.

[Matt Jones]

Don't care what. His mom took the Oreos away.

[Drew Franklin]

See, that's where.

[Matt Jones]

Don't care if he knows what 7 times 7 is.

[Drew Franklin]

There are scientific studies. This is not just. You're looking at me like I'm crazy. There are scientific studies that show that companies do a better job interviewing people, hiring people with no interviews, because when you and I talk, my biases come into place. So, like, there's a whole field of research on this that, like, you know, we tend to look for people like us just because we think we're awesome, and we skip over other candidates that are not like us because we can't relate to them. So you see it, like, with race and gender and et cetera. Like, people will. A white person might not hire a black candidate because they can't relate to him, even though that person would be better than the white candidate, but you just happen to see yourself in them. Does that make sense?

[Guest Analyst]

It does. Like, I walk in with my NFL hat. You're a big fan of the NFL, so you might hire me more than the other person.

[Drew Franklin]

But that's a stupid analogy. But yes, but the point would be just you wearing that hat doesn't mean you're good at the job. So the point is that a lot of companies are taking the view, don't interview anybody. Just go on the objective measurements and you got a better chance of being successful than if you start trying to talk to people.

[Matt Jones]

But to Billy's point, if I work for Liberty Mutual and I'm an NFL fan, he comes to interview wearing that hat, naturally gonna.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, it's time for the victory bundle presented by Liberty Mutual. No, it's not time yet. I just wanted. Felt like a good tease. It was an ad tease. So anyway, stick around. Well, that's. That's your. That's our coaching updates and good luck to all the candidates. By the time we come back next.

[Matt Jones]

Week, I'll be dressed like Mike McDaniel.

[Drew Franklin]

You think any of these people are waiting on Kirst Signetti?

[Julian Edelman]

Oh.

[Drew Franklin]

Cause you know it's weird that no one's hired their coach.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

So many openings and a half and the. You know, the only one fit that it's been hired is the most obvious.

[Guest Analyst]

Raiders do that and then get Mendoza.

[Drew Franklin]

I think any team should try it outside of. If you can't get Harbaugh or Tomlin or maybe Stefanski. I would hire Kurt Signetti. Why not?

[Matt Jones]

He wins with him.

[Drew Franklin]

Clearly is smart and he clearly wins with just random guys. Why couldn't. Why not?

[Matt Jones]

Well, the only hiccup would be the. The way he coaches and the random guys. Would that work with the millionaires? Google me. But he is. He has millionaires now.

[Drew Franklin]

Google him.

[Matt Jones]

It's true. Google.

[Drew Franklin]

Have you googled?

[Matt Jones]

Oh, I'm not against it.

[Drew Franklin]

I say give it a shot and if I'm somebody like the Raiders, then I'm definitely doing.

[Guest Analyst]

I might go all in.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

On that.

[Matt Jones]

And you. You have to worry about him getting distracted in Vegas. That doesn't look like a guy you're going to catch all.

[Drew Franklin]

He's not going to be at the strip club.

[Matt Jones]

He might go to those. Some of those 5pm residency shows. And back to film.

[Drew Franklin]

He would go see Wayne Newton.

[Matt Jones]

Wayne Newton. Who's the big. The big George Wallace comedians. He's still around.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. He would go see George Wallace noon.

[Matt Jones]

Because they have a free buffet.

[Drew Franklin]

The amazing Jonathan. But I don't think he is going to do anything.

[Matt Jones]

Wouldn't be a distraction. Like obviously it was a distraction to Pete Carol and Geno Smith. That didn't work. Sig would be locked in.

[Drew Franklin]

Big P. Carol was out.

[Matt Jones]

He went to the 9:00pm George Wallace.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, dude, you can't do that.

[Matt Jones]

That's way too late.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, all right. That's what I would do.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

Lowe's knows Sundays are for football. So tackle your home improvement projects by Saturday and earn your Sunday with great deals on LG and Bosch appliances, select Bounty and Swiffer cleaning products and more. Then once your to do list is done, get ready to kick back, relax and enjoy the game. Shop in store online now and earn your Sunday with help from Lowe's, official partner of the NFL.

[Apple Card / Wasabi Advertiser]

Get almost anything you need delivered with UberEats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake? That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? That's a yes. An afternoon stroll? Sorry, no. A burrito bowl? Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. A box of fine wines? Yes, that is happening. Delivery is on its way. Okay. How about some clear skies? Nope. Well, then how about some french fries? Yep. A little escape. No. A delicious bowl of grapes? Yes. Yes, that. How about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But barbecued prawns? Order it and it's on its way. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

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[Drew Franklin]

New year. Same extra value meals at McDonald's. So now get two snack wraps plus fries and a medium soft drink for just $8 for a limited time only. Prices and participation may vary.

[Matt Jones]

Prices may be higher in Hawaii, Alaska and California.

[Drew Franklin]

And for delivery. All right, let's go to the PL playoff games Saturday. Your first game, I believe. Is. Is it. Is it the Buffalo game? It is Buffalo versus Denver. I actually think this is odd. It's odd to me. This is the first game is actually this is the best game. I was shocked.

[Matt Jones]

This is the 4:30 Saturday.

[Drew Franklin]

But I like it. I think it's gonna be a battle. I think the winner of this game wins the afc. So who's it going to be.

[Matt Jones]

This is also the closest spread of all the games to shows you the desert thinks this is going to be the better game too. I picked against the Bills in Jacksonville. I'm not now Josh Allen. This is the. Yeah, there's no Mahomes, there's no Lamar. You knocked off Trevor Wallace. Go knock off Bo Nix. There's ever been a path even though these guys have had great seasons, this is your year to get it done.

[Drew Franklin]

Trevor Wallace, Trevor Lawrence.

[Matt Jones]

I'm still caught on George Wallace trying.

[Drew Franklin]

To think of who is Trevor Wallace.

[Matt Jones]

George Wallace was still in my brain. But of all the years, even though these are good teams, you're having to go on the road. This isn't the stars that have been in front of you the last couple.

[Drew Franklin]

Of years picked Bills and Rams to start the season. I'm not getting off the ship now. Bills and Rams in the Super Bowl. I'm going to be the first person in the history of sports to get their super bowl pick right. Never been done. Wow. Did you know that?

[Guest Analyst]

Never.

[Drew Franklin]

It's a surprising stat, but never. Do you remember the New York Times once tried to predict the final score of every football game?

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

No.

[Drew Franklin]

And they. And Hunter S. Thompson, you know.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, of course he was.

[Drew Franklin]

He wrote for espn. Not Hunter S. Thompson. Excuse me, the guy whose brother was a federal judge. Well, something. Never mind. On the old ESPN page too, they had this guy Easterbrook and he would write Sunday morning or Monday morning quarterback and he was kind of a smart, funny guy and he kept tabs for 10 years to see if the New York Times ever got the score actually right. And they never did. Not once, not once. Not ever had they. Did they ever get. Because they would pick the NFL exact score and they never got it right. And his point was why do they do this? They've never one time gotten the score correct. Why do they do this? And I think that's true. The super bowl no one's ever gotten it right.

[Matt Jones]

My favorite part about the New York Times One is like the scores were rarely divisible at 3 or 7. It would be like 26 to 4 is going to be the score. Like how are they going to even get to that? Like they rarely had like a 28, 24 or a common football finish.

[Drew Franklin]

And then one time I remember it was Greg Easterbrook was his name. One time it was within one point and he said they should stop printing the newspaper because they would never be that close.

[Matt Jones]

Shut down the New York Times.

[Drew Franklin]

But I'm sticking point is I'm sticking with the Bills. Josh Allen showed me last week why I'm picking him. Comes down to the final possession, he goes and drives and gets a touchdown. Trevor Lawrence, those the interception. That's why I'm picking Josh Allen. Same thing will happen.

[Matt Jones]

I agree with you completely. Knicks hasn't been great. I feel like these young guys have to take their lumps. Josh Allen has plenty of losses, plenty of heartbreak. I think it was his experience in the playoffs and the hunger of getting so close and being in the conversation.

[Drew Franklin]

Every year that gives him the 49ers and Seahawks. Yeah, I mean the first two games in this series have been very good. I don't know what to do here because I don't know which of these teams I trust less. I don't trust Bo. Excuse me. I don't trust Brock Purdy totally. But I also don't trust Sam Darnold. I'm going to pick the Seahawks just because I think the 49ers are so band banged up that that will make Sam Darnold get to the champions game. So I will take the Seahawks.

[Matt Jones]

I'm big on The Seahawks here. 49ers. It's been a great run to get to where they are beating Philly last week with the injuries they've had. I mean they just pulling people out of the parking lot and calling, asking them to go make plays. I think they hit the end of the road here even though they've had two good games with the injuries.

[Drew Franklin]

Big.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Seattle's defense, what they hold them to like a field goal just two weeks ago. As much as Darnold's exciting and Jackson, Smith and Jigba in that offense, the defense has really been answering the bell lately and I think that's what will carry.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, let's go to the next one. We've got you. Did you pick the Seahawks too?

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

Big. Big.

[Drew Franklin]

Patriots and Texans. Texans. What a bizarre game Monday night. Five fumbles still dominate the game. Can you win? This is the conversation we've always had. Can you win a title with defense? Billy's answer is no.

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

Yes.

[Guest Analyst]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2002.

[Drew Franklin]

But Brad Johnson was good that year.

[Guest Analyst]

It's got to be the hair.

[Drew Franklin]

The Texans are putting that to the test. Who do you like in this one? Might be a snowstorm. By the way, early weather reports say could be a snowstorm.

[Matt Jones]

We could get a snowstorm. I'm rooting for snow. I. I didn't think the Texans would get it done in Pittsburgh. Mistakenly bet on the 42 year old. I think they go out here. The defense is awesome, but they just need more from the offense to. To get over this next hump and into the conference championship.

[Drew Franklin]

Will Anderson's a beast.

[Matt Jones]

He's incredible.

[Drew Franklin]

What is the spread?

[Guest Analyst]

New England minus three.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm seeing it's a good spread.

[Matt Jones]

I'm betting it.

[Drew Franklin]

It's a good spread. I'm laying the points.

[Guest Analyst]

Have only beaten like two teams with a winning record this year.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm taking the Texans. I think C.J. stroud is maybe a notch below Drake May, but I think that defense is excellent. If you can play as badly as they did against the Steelers and still win and dominate, then what if C.J. stroud just doesn't fumble the ball?

[Matt Jones]

There is something to getting your bad fluky game out of the way because that is an outlier. They're not fumbling five.

[Drew Franklin]

They could have. They could have scored 40 points in that game if they had just held onto the ball. Definitely. We don't know about Nico Collins. All right. Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Not a practice unless Billy has enough.

[Guest Analyst]

Not as practice as of Wednesday.

[Drew Franklin]

But they have not said that he's out yet. Correct. So that may mean it's close. I'm going to take the Texans. Why not? And now. But let me say this. If it's snowing hard, then I'm flipping to the Patriots. Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Dome team Houston going up there and.

[Drew Franklin]

All that snowing hard. I'm flipping this whole to the other way.

[Matt Jones]

I'm still just a little better after a great weekend. Monday let me down a little bit. I was excited as in my seat. This game was like seven to three in the third quarter. Fourth quarter blew up a little bit, but it. It didn't pack the punch that the other games of the weekend.

[Drew Franklin]

I did enjoy the fourth quarter. It was Peyton and Eli and Roethlisberger on the Manning cast. And they really just talked football. Like it was almost a straight football talk. And it was really, really good. Like they. I thought they. They all balanced each other well. And I actually thought it was really, really good stuff.

[Matt Jones]

I'll have to check that out. You know, he. Big Ben's another one we don't hear much from since he's been gone.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Completely disappeared. He may have had reasons.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. He's from my wife's hometown. He's a big celebrity.

[Drew Franklin]

Washington Courthouse.

[Matt Jones]

No, Finley, Ohio. It's Big Ben country. Big mural.

[Drew Franklin]

Why did I think you were from Washington or she was from Washington Courthouse?

[Matt Jones]

I don't know. Finley, Ohio, home of Big Ben.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Well, I mean, in Ohio Washington.

[Matt Jones]

Gotcha. I believe you. I didn't think he made up a guy.

[Drew Franklin]

All right. Lastly, Bears and Rams should be awesome. Sunday night under the lights. Caleb Stafford. This could be the highest rated playoff game of the world. I'm gonna take the Rams.

[Matt Jones]

Well, your super bowl pick verse your. I mean, I get it.

[Drew Franklin]

I want to be the first person to ever get the super bowl. Correct. But I'm still pulling for the Bears. But I just. I think the Rams are better and I think, you know, Bears have had a lot of good fortune and I think at some point it has to run out.

[Matt Jones]

I really like you. I love both these teams. I wish they weren't playing each other. I wish they were separated and this were our NFC championship. That's what I really want because I also were on the Rams before the year and I've been loving your Bears for a while now. I'm also going to take the Rams, though. I thought about it, seeing them at Carolina, playing it close. That offense has too many weapons. I give the slight edge to Stafford, but I will be rooting for your Bears.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm on the bandwagon for him as well, but I do not think they are going to win, unfortunately.

[Matt Jones]

Can we get some. Can we get some cold weather and some snow in that one tonight game?

[Drew Franklin]

I think it's cold. I don't think it's in snow. If I say, if I saw correct.

[Matt Jones]

I know they're not playing the packers, but I hope they bring out the cheese graters again. That was just a big part of the experience. Just keep that going.

[Drew Franklin]

They could take a ram horn and just. Whatever, whatever.

[Matt Jones]

Just keep your happiness going.

[Guest Analyst]

I want to paint your nails. So I'm going with Bears here.

[Matt Jones]

That's right. You got to paint your nails.

[Drew Franklin]

Nails are going to be painted if we make the Super Bowl.

[Guest Analyst]

And I have a Sean McVeigh stat for you.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, Billy, I love this one. This is on my notes.

[Guest Analyst]

This is McVeigh's 15th playoff game. It is the 15th different team that he will be facing.

[Matt Jones]

Hmm.

[Drew Franklin]

That is a good stat.

[Matt Jones]

Almost impossible for him to have that stat. Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Because he's only been to two Super Bowls. Is that right? Which means he's played 13 of the 16 NFC teams in the playoffs. That's kind of amazing.

[Matt Jones]

Can't play yourself.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Also 13. Well, only two more that he doesn't do.

[Matt Jones]

That was my favorite stat of the weekend that popped up. I truly couldn't believe. I had to run to the computer and confirm.

[Drew Franklin]

That's a great stat. All right, it is time for our Victory Bundle presented by Liberty Mutual. Drew and I agreed on three games, so we'll make those the bundle. We picked the Seahawks, we picked the Rams, and we picked the Bills, so we will make it the Bills, Seahawks and Rams. That is the Victory Bundle presented by Liberty Mutual. Start your quote@liberty mutual.com.

[Apple Card / Wasabi Advertiser]

Lowe's knows Sundays are for football, so tackle your home improvement projects by Saturday and earn your Sunday with great deals on LG and Bosch Appliances Solutions, Select Bounty and Swiffer cleaning products and more. Then once your to do list is done, get ready to kick back, relax and enjoy the game. Shop in store or online now and earn your Sunday with help from Lowe's, official partner of the NFL. Get almost anything you need delivered with UberEats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake? That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? That's a yes. An afternoon stroll? Sorry, no. A burrito bowl? Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. A box of fine wines? Yes. That is happening. Delivery is on its way. Okay, how about some clear skies? Nope. Well then how about some French fries? Yep. A little escape? No. A delicious bowl of grapes? Yes. Yes, that. How about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there, but barbecued prawns? Order it and it's on its way. Get almost almost anything delivered with UberEats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Innovation is what gets your business to the big leagues and Wasabi is designed to give every business a shot at competition break free from skyrocketing storage costs and unpredictable egress fees from old and top heavy legacy provider. Wasabi is the world's hottest cloud storage company and the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams and leagues around the world. And here's why. Innovation from Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals, data deletion and ransomware, Wasabi has taken the lead in Big Lead Data Storage. Remember, Wasabi is up to 80% less than market competition and doesn't charge a cent for businesses to access their own data. Wasabi Another championship story. Check them out for [e-mail], wasabi Hot Cloud Storage Proud partner of Iheart Podcast.

[Public Investing Advertiser]

Network Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member finra SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, let's do our corporate touchdown picks. What was the final total last week?

[Guest Analyst]

It was 3, 3 0. None of us hit on the Monday night game.

[Drew Franklin]

So Drew got zero.

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

Right?

[Drew Franklin]

Because he didn't have Kyron Williams.

[Matt Jones]

Also I had. I had two and you gave me zero. I had Loveland who scored for the Bears. I went back and researched this. I had Kyron Williams and Colston. Lovely. Both of them had touchdowns.

[Drew Franklin]

I remember coast and Loveland scoring. Did you have him?

[Lowe's Advertiser]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

And Kyren Williams.

[Drew Franklin]

I had Kyren Williams. But I think, you know, you had.

[Matt Jones]

Rico and Nico because we made a bit out of it.

[Drew Franklin]

Let's give him one. So it's three.

[Matt Jones]

I'll take one. Three out of this.

[Drew Franklin]

Made up 0331 because I cause if he had Loveland, I think he did, sir.

[Matt Jones]

I'm going to put the clip on Twitter to end this forever.

[Drew Franklin]

I think you had Love and Kyron Williams. Well, no, we have an Australian listener who wrote me and reminded me that I got Kyra Williams.

[Matt Jones]

You just said Rico Dowdle didn't have the right team or the right running back. Since Rico didn't even play for the Panthers. It was too over.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, so let's go with this game. I'll tell you what, since he's doing.

[Guest Analyst]

So poorly, score in the packers game.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, I'm sorry.

[Guest Analyst]

Stop questioning my stats.

[Matt Jones]

My big one is Kyron Williams. Hold on.

[Guest Analyst]

Colston Loveland did not score in the damn game.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. I'm not sure.

[Apple Card / Wasabi Advertiser]

Hold on.

[Matt Jones]

Look me in the eyes.

[Guest Analyst]

He didn't have Kyron.

[Matt Jones]

Look me in the eyes.

[Guest Analyst]

What are you trying to do to my game?

[Matt Jones]

Look me in the eyes and say I didn't have Kyron Williams.

[Guest Analyst]

You did not have Kyron Williams.

[Matt Jones]

After this, I'm going to Twitter and I'm gonna put you under the table with the actual audio. Actually, I'm gonna take a picture of you looking me in the eyes. This is Billy saying, I didn't have Kyron Williams and I am going to social media. I might go live on TikTok and get random people to come hear how wrong Billy was.

[Drew Franklin]

Just for the record, the anger with which Billy realized there was no Colston Loveland. He had big catches, didn't have a touchdown. I can believe that one.

[Matt Jones]

I didn't remember.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm going to trust Billy because Billy's clearly proven to be 100% accurate so far.

[Guest Analyst]

Drew, back to 4.

[Drew Franklin]

Let's. Let's let Drew go first for the first game, which I guess is what Bill's Broncos. Drew will let you go first.

[Matt Jones]

So I can't pick the one I want because Billy's not going to give me credit.

[Guest Analyst]

I'm writing it down right here.

[Matt Jones]

I'm going to go with. Dalton Kincaid, and I'm going to hope you write down Josh Allen.

[Drew Franklin]

Don kicks. Good pick. I was going to go second. I'm going to go Josh Allen. So who do you want? Billy?

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah, this is tough. I think I'm going to go James Cook. I think we're going to go.

[Drew Franklin]

No one's picking. No one's picking a Bronco. Okay, so James Cook. Those are all good picks. All right, so let's go the next one. That is that night 49ers and Seahawks. I guess I will go first and I will take McCaffrey. Who do you want, Billy?

[Guest Analyst]

Give me Jackson, Smith and Jigba.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, true.

[Matt Jones]

I will go Kenneth Walker, but not just any Kenneth Walker. The third in the lineage of Kenneth Walker.

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

Walker.

[Drew Franklin]

If Kenneth Walker the second scores, do not give him credit for that. He does not.

[Matt Jones]

The third.

[Drew Franklin]

He wants the Kenneth Walker.

[Matt Jones]

I want to see you write it down. I can't wait to put this clip on Twitter.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, Patriots versus the Texans. Bill, you get to go first.

[Guest Analyst]

Give me Woody Marks.

[Drew Franklin]

Woody Marks is the. Is the pick for Billy. I drew.

[Matt Jones]

I'm gonna stay with my long shot picks, and I will say, yeah, Diggs is a long Shot, I'll be about plus 200. I'll say diggs.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, well, then I'll go with Drake. May you all have given me Alan McCaffrey and may I feel pretty good.

[Matt Jones]

About when I pick running backs. I don't get credit for them, so I gotta get off the ring.

[Drew Franklin]

I don't know. Now I'm worried about my team. All right, we'll go to the final game, packers or not Packers. Excuse me, Bears and Rams. Drew, you get to go first.

[Matt Jones]

Colson Loveland, obviously. Wow, bold. Stick with. Stick with my pick.

[Drew Franklin]

I'll take Puka.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

No, wait.

[Matt Jones]

Give me Kyron Williams.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

What am I doing?

[Matt Jones]

Can I have both? Let's see. This is what happens.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. So which one do you want?

[Guest Analyst]

What do you want?

[Matt Jones]

No, Well, I don't get credit for Williams, so I'll stick with Loveland.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, so give me Puka.

[Matt Jones]

Give me Karen Williams.

[Drew Franklin]

Man, I got no diversity, but every.

[Matt Jones]

Player I have is very unlikely to get a touchdown.

[Drew Franklin]

So you got. And you got Kyron Williams. Yeah. All right, so just for the record, everyone keeping score at home. Kyron Williams.

[Matt Jones]

I'm claiming him. If he scores, I'm coming in here. I'm coming here Sunday night in a Kyron Williams jersey.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, so there you go. Those are your touchdown picks. All right, well, looking forward to the games. We'll go live, although you won't be able to know. You'll know when it comes to out, but we will do the show after the game on Sunday night. And fellas, thank you very much. NFL Cover 0 with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and I Heart Podcast. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast gas.

[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Games with Names. Now let's get into the serious stuff. We're talking football food, specifically Daisy French onion dip. These are so delicious. They're like homemade dips made with real herb and spices. Also made with some daisy sour cream. Daisy sour cream is a long standing staple for Taco Tuesday. They also have daisy ranch dip. So get out there and give Daisy French onion dip a try. You will not regret it.

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

Get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parmesan delivered. A little escape.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

No.

[Uber Eats Advertiser]

A delicious bowl of grapes. Yes. Yes, that. An afternoon stroll. Sorry, no. A burrito bowl. Happily, yes. A day of sunshine? No. A box of fine wines. Yes, Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details.

[Apple Card / Wasabi Advertiser]

Wasabi is purpose built to free your business from skyrocketing storage costs and fees. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. Check out Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cyber criminals. Wasabi driving innovation in data storage for up to 80% less than market competition. Try for [e-mail] Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage proud partner of iHeart Podcast Network, Lowe's knows Sundays are for football. So tackle your home improvement projects by Saturday and earn your Sunday with great deals on LG and Bosch appliances, Select Bounty and Swiffer cleaning products and more. Then once your to do list is done, get ready to kick back, relax and enjoy the game. Shop in store or online now and earn your Sunday with help from Lowe's, official partner of the NFL.

[Matt Jones]

This is an I heart podcast.

[Julian Edelman]

Guaranteed human.