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- [00:00]
Bobby Bones
Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle. Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers, and one mirrorball trophy from Dancing with the Star. So where else are you going to find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit of everything. Listen to Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [00:30]
Adnan Virk
What's up, everybody? Adnan Vir here to tell you about a new podcast. It's NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers.
- [00:36]
Jason Demers
Jason Demers here. And after playing 700 NHL games, I got a lot of dirty laundry to air out.
- [00:41]
Adnan Virk
I got a lot to say here, too.
- [00:42]
Bobby Skinner
Okay?
- [00:42]
Adnan Virk
Each week we'll get together to chat about the sport that we love.
- [00:45]
Jason Demers
Tons of guests are going to join in, too. But we're not just going to be talking hockey, folks. We're talking movies, we're talking TV, food, and Adnan's favorite wrestling. It's all on Le Table.
- [00:55]
Adnan Virk
Listen to NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:03]
AJ Stephens
$1.4 billion in NFL quarterback contracts the untold stories behind the biggest deals in football history. I'm AJ Stephens, vice president of client strategy at Athletes first, introducing the Athletes First Family podcast, the Quarterback series. My co host, Brian Murphy, Athletes First CEO and I are sitting down with the agents who have negotiated contracts for Justin Herbert, Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott, Tua Tongavailoa and Jordan Love. Listen to Athletes First Family Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:36]
Tisha Allen
You are cordially invited to the hottest party in professional sports. I'm Tisha Allen, former golf professional and the host of welcome to the Party. Your newest obsession about the wonderful world that is women's golf. Featuring interviews with top players on tour, tips to help improve your and the craziest stories to come out of your friendly neighborhood country club. Welcome to the Party with Tisha Allen is an iHeart woman's fourth production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to welcome to the Party That's P A R T E e on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [02:18]
Bobby Skinner
Welcome to football today, January 22, 2025. I'm your host Bobby Skinner here with my co hosts Justin Pennock and producer Connor along for the ride on the ones and twos and the A's and the G's and the. And the Z's. Justin, we're talking about some coaches getting hired, some coordinators being hired, and possibly some coaches to be hired. How are you?
- [02:43]
Justin Pennock
I'm good. Bobby Skinner. Happy birthday to you. Please, everybody, please leave a comment saying, happy birthday, Bobby Skinner.
- [02:48]
Bobby Skinner
Happy birthday to Andrew Thomas.
- [02:50]
Justin Pennock
My happy birthday to Andrew Thomas, My.
- [02:52]
Bobby Skinner
Favorite player in the NFL. We have the same birthday. It's an honor.
- [02:55]
Justin Pennock
How do you. How do you like that?
- [02:56]
Bobby Skinner
And he told us he was gonna come to my wedding, which is, you know, a month away. I did think about sending out an invite and being like, maybe he'll send. You know, he makes a lot of money and he'd give me some money, but I don't think Andrew Thomas would do that. Let's talk about these coaches, Justin. The Bears hired Ben Johnson, the Lions offensive coordinator. Felt like this is where this was going. The funny thing is, is the Bears probably could have done this last year, and I think they should have, right? You know, Ben Johnson didn't leave last year. There was rumors mid season that his eyes had always been on Chicago and go. And going into there with that situation. But, hey, they do it. A year later, they get them. I'll start with this. I'm glad the Bears took a big swing. We don't know exactly how Ben Johnson is going to pan out. You know, a lot of times the most beloved coaching hires are the worst, and then the ones that are maligned are the best. You know, look at Kevin O'Connell. That was a coaching hire that was, you know, made fun of Dan Quinn last year. Right? They got their. You know, they didn't. They got past. They. Ben Johnson passed up on them. And look at where they are now. A game away from the Super Bowl. But I was worried the Bears were going to go safe and hire Mike McCarthy or just like a. A kind of a cozy coach instead of taking a big swing and looking to find that next McVeigh, you know, O'Connell, whoever, you know, Shanahan, next great offensive mind to go with Caleb Williams.
- [04:30]
Justin Pennock
Do you think Kayla played an impact on that? Because I don't know if you saw the. You know, when he went on the St. Brown podcast, I mean, he. He basically said anything, but I want Ben Johnson as the head coach. I mean, I'm pretty sure he even talked about him specifically before he was hired. So do you Think they took that under advisement at all? I mean I, maybe, maybe I would. This is the right thing to do.
- [04:50]
Bobby Skinner
I think kind of regardless maybe a little bit. I don't think they were operating that way. They interviewed like 16 people. I don't, I don't know. This is like the first coaching cycle where people have been interviewed like this. Like the jets have interviewed almost 20 people.
- [05:03]
Justin Pennock
It's like a celebrity apprentice. That what the jets are doing at GM and coach.
- [05:07]
Bobby Skinner
Yeah, like I had a thought, Justin. You know we do our like GM candidate and preview and head coach and stuff for talking Giants. Like imagine if we had to do 16 of those be it'd be just brutal. Just non, stop, non stop work. I don't think so. I think Caleb talked about the Ben Johnson thing because he got pranked where someone got his phone number and said hey, this is Ben Johnson, blah blah, blah, blah blah and then FaceTimed him. But yeah, this is what they need to do. This roster is talented. It's not the most talented or stacked in the NFL. It's nowhere near what the Detroit Lions are. They're going to need to invest in the offensive line. That is my biggest worry with Ben Johnson as we talk about him as his offensive mastermind is, hey, he has done a hell of a job with Detroit. Trick plays are cool. I don't know if you can run all the same trick plays with different, you know, different personnel. When you don't have an Aman Ross St. Brown in the slot, you know that running back. Yeah. You know, one of the most athletic, you know, offensive tackles in the NFL if not the most athletic in Penn A. Sewell like. And the main thing being is it's easy to call plays when you have protection for days. And that's what that Detroit Lions offensive line allows you to do. And it's not because of the way they're coached up. I'm sure that has part but it's because they're an extremely talented, good across the board offensive line and that allows you to scheme up things. Right. If you've ever, you know, drew up plays, you know, on a whiteboard or on a piece of paper when you're bored, you think about all the ways to get guys open and then you realize like, yeah, this is going to take a while. This is going to take a while. We need to protect against this. So that's my biggest worry about Ben Johnson. But the Bears have some money can invest in the offensive line and you've got a young quarterback with young receivers A defense that is, you know, played well and is, you know, got some young talent that can grow too. We thought the Bears we would be a lot better than what they were this last year. And that was without having a lot of faith and Matt Eberflu.
- [07:10]
Justin Pennock
Right, right. Yeah. The offensive line is the biggest question, I guess in, you know, short and long term in terms of what Ben Johnson could do as a head coach in an offensive.
- [07:18]
Bobby Skinner
Caleb.
- [07:20]
Justin Pennock
And Caleb. But still like Caleb Williams is built in a lab. Like I, I still think you trust some of the things that you saw this year and you trust the stuff that he put on at college that he could still be a really, really good quarterback, if not possibly an elite guy. You just gotta have, you know, I don't know if him having one on one meetings with Matt Eberfluss over the, you know, you saw that in Hard Knocks. You're good for Matt Eberfluous on doing that. Saw that on Hard Knocks. I think those meetings are going to get a lot more efficient, a lot more better and productive now that you have Ben Johnson in the building. Right. But the only thing that you gotta think about for Ben Johnson and this is with any of the, the young offensive masterminds that come up in the NFL. Right. In which Brian Dable. Hey, left, you know, left hand up. Who are we? The commanders. You know, we'll, we'll put up. We're the first to put our hands up as Giants fans, you know, even though Brian Dable's not the young guy, but he kind of came in as like the, the offensive genius a couple years ago, had a pretty successful year one. But then when kind of hit the fan. Are you a leader of men? Can you hold your players accountable? How can you hold your players accountable? Can you communicate well with your staff and get along well with your staff? All these kind of things are, you know, may come up for Ben Johnson, especially if you deal with adversity. If you win right away, then it's like, oh, well, everybody's great. Morale is great when you're winning, but you're going to face some sort of adversity. How as a coach and as a man are you going to deal with that? You know, and as somebody who it's been reported a little bit that Ben Johnson was a little bit of. I'm going to shut my door as the offensive coordinator and just like Bobby said, be this mad scientist and design these plays. That was reported a little bit with Ben Johnson. That door has to be wide open. As a head Coach for anybody to come in. So that's probably the bigger question that I have about Ben Johnson rather than, you know, rising above whatever the offensive line may or may not be in 2025.
- [09:06]
Bobby Skinner
And that's a Bears locker room that needs that as well, too. So, like you said, there is a lot more, you know, predicting head coaches and GM success without, you know, past. Past examples. It. It is hard to do. But that's. That's where I'm. I'm happy with the Chicago Bears because I actually didn't think it was crazy to keep Ryan Poles, even though most Bears fans would probably disagree. But I think that's a talented team. You have Caleb Williams and you take a big swing. I was. I was very worried they were going to bring in Mike McCarthy and hell, I even like Pete Carroll. Right. I think Pete Carroll's a great coach, but, you know, he's. He's old now. He's in his 70s. He'd be the oldest coach in the NFL. Was the oldest coach in the NFL, too, I think, outside of Bill. So happy with what the Bears did. But I actually think the biggest question mark is Caleb, because Caleb did some really nice things as a rookie. There was a lot of bad. Like, there was a lot of inaccuracy there. There. You're gonna have to figure out a way to, you know, get. Not get rid of the hero ball, but to figure out when to play the hero ball, because that was an issue. You know, you talk about all the sacks they avoided, but a lot of that was him, you know, making four guys miss. And that's special stuff. But he's got to get better at some of that quick game stuff, which I thought he did pretty damn well at usc. You know, I think it just didn't make the highlights. So getting. Getting the most out of Caleb Williams and figuring out a way to get him more accurate, especially down the field, because no matter what excuse you want to make for. For Caleb Williams, the deep accuracy was a serious worry. And if that's not. If that's not fixed, Ben Johnson could call all the plays and get all the guys open, and it's not going to matter.
- [10:44]
Justin Pennock
Right?
- [10:46]
Bobby Skinner
So we don't know for sure, but we kind of know for sure that the jets are hiring the other Lions coordinator and Aaron Glenn.
- [10:54]
Justin Pennock
One more thing on. On Johnson, though, like, it would be a. One final thing, and we'll talk about this when it's confirmed, but it would be a home run if they get Dennis Allen as defense coordinator. I mean, that. That's the first, like, check mark, like big home run for Ben Johnson to have defense kind of handled. Now, you'd still need to be a head coach and handle a defense, but.
- [11:13]
Bobby Skinner
They might get Darren Rizzi as a.
- [11:15]
Justin Pennock
Special teams coach too, which, again, like, that's, that's awesome. That's, that's. That would be a home run staff for a home run head coach that guys have been talking about for the last couple years.
- [11:25]
Bobby Skinner
Yeah, absolutely. Dennis Allen, I think is a, is a damn good defensive coach who did a really good job in New Orleans until it got away from him this, this, this past year. But I think he's done a pretty damn good job and I think he's going to have similar talent level like Dennis Allen with Jalen Johnson. Sign, sign me up. You know, I think you'll get the most out of a guy like Tyrek Stevens and he's done good, a good job with corners who may get beat every once in a while, but have good ball skills like Tyreek does. Let's talk about Aaron Glenn to the Jets. So this seems like a done deal. Even though it's not fully a done deal. I don't love Aaron Glenn as a head coaching candidate. I don't think. I don't watch Lions defenses and be like, man, this guy gives you a real deal advantage. And I work my. I worry about trying to replicate Dan Campbell, right, because there's only one Dan Campbell. And the way he's able to get his guys going and keep them engaged and working their asses off and buying in, it's just, it's hard to replicate that. But I will say, for a Jets team that has a lot of defensive talent and the offensive talent isn't terrible, I don't, I kind of do like this hire, right, because they need accountability and that in that. On that team, right? They're a very, very immature team and defensively they have a lot of talent. They can be a top then top 10 defense next year. Hell, they've been, you know, they were a top five defense for a couple years and, and were this year until they fired Robert Sala and then everything fell apart. This is the team that needs accountability and it's a very different mindset from Robert Sala defensively, but has a lot of talent. It kind of reminds me a bit of, you know, the Commanders hiring Dan Quinn last year, where you're going to bring that fourth down edge. You're going to, you know, challenge your guys, you're going to find guys that fit your mold. It Kind of reminds me of Dan. It reminds me of Dan Quinn to Washington last year.
- [13:31]
Justin Pennock
Yeah. Where if you look at Aaron Glenn and where his defense ranks in EPA perplexed from 2021 to 2024, it's 28th now. You could say the first two years there was a talent issue. The Lions are still evolving, which there certainly was a talent issue. And the last two years, it's gone up to 12th in EPA per play. Like, even last year, they were. They weren't that good. And then this year, you know, they. They had a very good defense for the majority of the year. End the year, they got hurt.
- [13:57]
Connor
Yeah.
- [13:57]
Justin Pennock
I don't know if you're bringing in Aaron Glenn, though, to be like this defensive mastermind. I think you're bringing him in to be a leader. I think you're bringing him in as a guy that was a former player that co. That players can identify with. This guy has been there, this guy has done that. You know, he's had success. So that's why I kind of. I don't really know Aaron Glenn that well. And in terms of, like, his overall track record, like, you can't be like, oh, you know, man, he's led these top three defenses for the last three years and he. And then that's why he got this. Gets this job. No, I think he gets this job because he's a dude that's going to be a leader, and I think that's exactly what the jets need. Like, Salah was the good defensive mind, where maybe you thought that he was going to be a leader, but he certainly was not. Where you're hoping that Aaron Glenn can do that.
- [14:42]
Bobby Skinner
Yeah. And I, I, again, I just think that's what the jets need right now. But here's the thing, as with all that, I have not liked Dan Quinn or. Sorry, Dan Quinn, Aaron Glenn, defenses. Right. Like, early on, it was pitiful. Like, not just bad. Like, remember, you know, remember in 2022, Justin, earlier in that season, like, the Lions offense was lighting it up and they were losing games, like 52 to 49. And I know they got injured and, you know, this season, but there was no adjustments made. Like, they got injured and you were still calling plays. Like you had all your starting corners out there, you know, where it's like, man, maybe, maybe change your defense a bit, like, play a little more safe. Especially with the offense you had, Right. If you had this offense that you didn't trust. And yeah, you got to go out there being aggressive and look to make plays, but, man, just could have tried to keep things in front of them. And it just seemed like Aaron Glenn was just kind of like, no, we're going to play, man. We're going to blitz. And we're. And we're not going to make it too exotic either. We're just going to come after you play after play after play. Which is nice when you have Aiden Hutchinson healthy and more importantly, I think those corners healthy, but it just bit them in the ass. So there's been some really bad Aaron Glenn defenses. They've been really good at times. Right. They stopped the run. So that's where we'll see. As as much as there is things I like about this hire, I don't view Aaron Glenn as like, oh, man, look at this defensive mastermind they're bringing in.
- [16:04]
Justin Pennock
Right, Right. But like I said, I think you're bringing him in to be a leader. But there's certainly a lot of data that suggests heading into this year, like we talked on the Lions tpp, like Aaron Glenn, like, I know your identity is like blitzing. And, you know, we want to bring pressure. We want to dictate the game on our. On our own terms. We're going to play, man coverage on the back end. But there was plenty of numbers that showed that the Lions, when they rushed four, were like a top pass defense in the NFL, above average pass defense in the NFL when they only blitzed four. And they were still able to get decent pressure numbers because you have Aiden Hutchinson and some other talented guys there, too. So, yeah, we'll say. But with this jets roster, though, Bobby, like, how do you not salivate, especially as a defensive coach, how do you not salivate with the idea and the possibility of working with these guys? Now, there's some work that the jets roster need to do. They need to make a decision on DJ Reed. He's up for a contract extension. What do you do with him? I would continue to pair him with Sauce Gardner. And then you have one of the best 12 punches in the NFL. At cornerback, I think it's the best. Jamie and Sherwood and Quincy Williams, two linebackers that are also need contract extensions. I think they're one of the best one, two punches. At interior linebacker, C.J. mosley is a guy that's coming off of injuries. He's the only, like, starting linebacker that's, like, under contract. So you may have to work something out with him. You have Quinn and Williams. You have an ascending pass rush, pass rusher, and Will McDonald. So, I mean, that's just the defensive side of the ball. And they made efforts to improve their offensive line, which was their big bugaboo over the last couple years, which the offensive line was better for the jets, for the jets this year. So as a coach, even there's a Woody Johnson problem and his presence is bad. I think he's the worst owner in all and a quarterback problem, the worst owner of all sports. But part of why I think this is a really attractive job. Bobby, what are the expectations for this jets team? They need to kind of start over, but you also don't need to fully start over with the roster that they have, right?
- [18:03]
Bobby Skinner
No, they've got talent. They've got all pro level players. You know, you have Sauce Gardner, Quinn and Williams, Garrett Wilson on the offensive side. Breeze hall didn't have the year that he wanted, but we know the type of player that he can be. You know, Olu Fashionu, I'm really excited for his year too. Like, they have, they have pieces, right? And that's, that's just naming a few. But what will be interesting to see is this defensive mindset is very different than what Robert Saleh did. Right? So now you're probably going to see Sauce Gardner follow guys and play a lot more man coverage. I know he had a down year for his expectations. Still better than, you know, almost, almost every corner in the NFL. The penalties were a little out of hand this year, but it's, it's going to be different for the Jets. It's going to be a little bit of a culture shock. But if there's anything that fucking needs a culture shock, it's the Jets. What do you want to hit on next, Justin? Oh, yeah, well, actually, you know what? Your opinion doesn't matter because I want to talk to you about DraftKings football fans. It is playoff time. We've got some exciting games to look forward to and you can get in on all the playoff action right now with our partners at the DraftKings sportsbook. Right now they are offering all new customers $200 in bonus bets instantly after betting just $5. When you use code football today, stay in on the action and use your $200 and bonus bets on DraftKings same game parlays for a shot at an even bigger payout. Love the thrill of live betting. DraftKings has got you covered. Bet live on in progress games as they happen, making watching the game that much more exciting. And if sports betting is not yet available in your state, don't worry. Stop your damn worrying. You can still join in all the fun with DraftKings Daily Fantasy and have the shot to win cash prize. So download the DraftKings sports app now. Use code FOOTBALL today. Bet just $5 on any wager and get $200 in bonus bets instantly. That's Code Football today only at DraftKings Horsebook. The Crown is yours. Glad you did. Liam Cohen denying the Jags or Josh McDaniels going back to the Patriots for a third time.
- [20:04]
Justin Pennock
I need Josh McDaniels going back to the Patriots. I can't believe, and I'm leading this off, I can't believe that people are defending the process of what the New England Patriots are doing. Number one, I wasn't here for a show where he talked about Mike Rabel. And I'm sure you guys hit the nail on the head that only interviewing one legitimate candidate. And I'm sorry, Virtual interviews don't count. Virtual interviews don't count. Interviewing only one legitimate candidate for head coach is already asinine enough. When the Patriots are, are this backwards right now when they seem to be lost. Right? You know, the Rooney rule, like, they spit in the face of it. A. Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton. What have they been doing? They're. They were not serious candidates. Mike V. They had their eyes set on me, and, hey, good for them that they got their guy, right? But I, I. All right, so you could say that this process won them six Super Bowls. That's the replies that I've been getting. Like, I like this. This organization is so stuck in their ways, and I'm a Giants fan. Like, they're so stuck in their ways. It's even more than what the Giants are. And that's an organization that's very stuck in their ways, too. But they won six Super Bowls with it. All right, you know what's missing? Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, the greatest coach and the greatest quarterback of all time. That's what's missing here.
- [21:21]
Bobby Skinner
I agree with you. I think terrible process. Their process is ridiculous, right? Where when you move off Bill Belichick, you don't try and, well, let's recapture Bill Belichick. No, you could have just kept Bill Belichick. You know, if that's really what you, you know, Josh McDaniels was available last offseason.
- [21:39]
Justin Pennock
If that's, that's the crazy thing.
- [21:43]
Bobby Skinner
And it's funny that since they fired Bill Belichick, they have hired two Bill Belichick linebackers to be their head coaches.
- [21:52]
Justin Pennock
Why not just keep them? You're. You're so right. Why not keep them?
- [21:56]
Bobby Skinner
The Process is ridiculous. But I kind of like the results, though.
- [22:03]
Justin Pennock
Oh, what's. Yeah. Six Super Bowls. Is that what you're talking?
- [22:05]
Bobby Skinner
No, no, I'm talking about Mike vrabel and Josh McDaniels. Yeah, like Mike. Mike Vrabel, I don't think is this great head coaching. It's the whole, you know, it's the, you know, you take a step back or, you know, a toothpick makes everyone look better. Like, it's just anytime you take a year off, your, your, your, Your reputation rises. It's just, it's just like an NFL. I know he was with the Browns, but took a year off, your reputation rises. So Mike Rabel last year wasn't even hired for a head coaching job this year. He's, you know, the, the top candidate or a top two candidate between him and Ben Johnson. But I do like Mike Vrabel. I think he's going to bring a lot there. I think he's going to be like, you know, what they wanted Gerard Mayo to be. And Josh McDaniels, as much as I hate him as a head coaching candidate. Right. The idea that the Raiders like, ah, you know what? This guy's been, you know, a horrible leader of men and bad head coach and literally spurned the Colts and unbelievable. And everything ended horribly in Denver and we haven't seen Patriots coaches, Bill Belichick disciples pan out. He has been a good offensive coordinator. If. And you get him with Drake may. Right. I actually think it can work. So, yeah, I agree that the process and all that is. It's so dumb for like Robert Kraft is smelling himself too much and just like, ah, well, you know what? Let's just try and recapture glory days. You should not do that. Right. It's. I told, I said about, I said this about it before where it seems like the college who was dominant and then fell off and then they go and hire, you know, the guy who was the defensive coordinator for one of those teams or, you know, the star, you know, linebacker, offense alignment. Like, well, we got to get someone that's. From the, from the program to fix us and bring us back to those glory days. But I just, I do like the results of them getting Mike rabel and Josh McDaniel to be the head coach and offense coordinator for that team.
- [24:07]
Justin Pennock
Yeah. The only time that Mac Jones looked like a capable NFL quarterback was his rookie year and that was when Josh McDaniels was his offense coordinator. You talk about that all the time.
- [24:16]
Bobby Skinner
Yeah. And listen, if they had, if they didn't Have Drake May. I would be shitting on this because I don't think Josh McDaniels is the guy who takes a bad or average quarterback. And it's going to make it easy and look better. You got to be dialed in and really on the same page on a lot of things. But I think Drake May is that type of quarterback and that's why it'll work.
- [24:38]
Justin Pennock
Yeah. So I think earlier it's like, all right, well, Justin, do you do hate Mike Rabel? It's like, no, that's, that's not necessarily the case. I just hate the way that the Patriots went about hiring Mike Rabel. I didn't think there was this big rush. There's only been two coaches that have been hired this cycle so far and the Patriots hired what Mike Rabel dispoint a week ago, a week and a half ago. So I really don't think there was this huge, huge rush. But my also problem with the Patriots is that they're. They're a horrible team. Like this is not a good team. And you just mentioned that Josh McDaniel, like Drake may is going to need to be locked in with who you know, Pop Douglas is the best guy that he's throwing on the ball. That's throwing the ball. They didn't get what they. I think pretty sure Elliot Wolf went on record saying that we didn't get what we thought that we were going to get out of. Out of Jalen Polk and some of the other young receivers.
- [25:28]
Bobby Skinner
Yeah, that's the issue. Keeping jelly at Wolf. They should have fired Elliot Wolf and got a real gm. That's my word. The pages because they have not done a good job of bringing in talent through the draft. Obviously there's, there's some hits in there like Christian Gonzalez and you can blame Bill for all that, but Elliot will draft last year was we, you know, you have to wait the judge draft classes. But that was one that's in the moment. Like ew, what are we, Kaden Walls? Jalen Poke this early. I like Javon Baker, but there's also, you know, there's character questions with him. And I just didn't like their draft in the moment. That's. That's my worry. But here's the thing is they do have the most cap space in the NFL. 120 million or 110 million or whatever. Like if there's one team that I think should go pay big money, the T. Higgins, it's the Patriots. Right. And then, you know, maybe you get a Mecca Buca you know, in the early second or whatever. Wide receiver in the second round to bring in those. They were. The offensive line is what they really need to get. I think they'll probably be the team that drafts Will Campbell in the first. Trey Smith, you know, maybe they go spend money on Trey Smith. Right. Make the, you know, fix the Joe Thuney mistake. So if there's one team that I'm like, hey, go pay a wide receiver and an offensive lineman, top of the market it is the New England Patriots. So I don't think it's. I don't think it's too far away from being turned around. I think that defense is going to be better than what it was last year under Gerard Mayo as well.
- [26:53]
Justin Pennock
Wouldn't you love to see Abdul Carter?
- [26:55]
Bobby Skinner
I would. I really would. But. And this goes against some of my philosophies, you got to protect Drake.
- [27:04]
Justin Pennock
Maybe at the, at this point, I mean, again, I'm asking this question because I don't know, at this point, is there, is there a tackle that's worthy.
- [27:13]
Bobby Skinner
Of taking over Abdul Carter for the Patriots? Maybe Will Campbell from lsu?
- [27:19]
Justin Pennock
Okay. And we'll talk about that as the months go on.
- [27:22]
Bobby Skinner
Yeah, we'll talk about that as the months go on. Justin, this next conversation, we're not going to add much more than what everyone is saying, but it's because it's so fucking obvious. Liam Cohen is staying with the Bucks. He's turned down the Jags to be their head coach after interviewing with him a couple times, and the Jags thought they were going to get him. He turns him down to stay in Tampa Bay. Everything that everybody predicted was right. You had a somewhat desirable position right in Florida, Trevor Lawrence as your quarterback, but you fucking made it undesirable by keeping Trent Bulkey, who's fired five coaches in seven years, has done a terrible job drafting. Terrible, top, terrible job, team building. And, and, and you ruined it. You ruined it by keeping Trent Balky. Why does this, why does Shad Khan feel this like loyalty to Balky is unbelievable to me as how. With how bad that he's been as a 49ers GM and the Jags GM again, firing five coaches in seven years. It's just. It's shocking to me that they didn't fire Balky.
- [28:27]
Justin Pennock
And Schefter gave an update. Jacksonville was in the midst of conducting second in person head coach interviews this week with Liam Cohen, who's now out, as well as former Raiders defense coordinator Patrick Graham and Jets head coach Robert Sala. So I think they're out, too. So who's in?
- [28:43]
Bobby Skinner
Wait, they're out?
- [28:45]
Justin Pennock
I mean, if I'm reading this tweet correctly, and Connor, like, you even let me know too, I'm going to find it. Adam Schefter quote, tweeted himself an hour ago and said that Liam Cohen, who's now out as well as is. So is that Adam Schefter saying that they're still in the mix?
- [29:02]
Bobby Skinner
No, he's saying those guys are. Those two guys are still in the mix.
- [29:04]
Justin Pennock
All right. They're in the mix. Okay. Okay. That's how you interpret it to Connor. Yeah, I get it as that Liam.
- [29:12]
Bobby Bones
Cohen is out, but Graham and Solar.
- [29:15]
Justin Pennock
Both in and they are doing in person. All right.
- [29:17]
Bobby Skinner
Yeah. It's not interpretation, that's just what it's saying. All right, so I guess, you know, it's either going to be our guy, Patrick Graham, which I love Patrick Graham. I don't want his.
- [29:26]
Justin Pennock
I don't want that to be his first head coaching job.
- [29:28]
Bobby Skinner
Yeah. Which with defensive coordinators, it's hard for them to get a second head coaching job.
- [29:33]
Justin Pennock
You're also. There's also inevitably going to be a power struggle, and that's why the job is so undesirable. It's like, number one, it's not only you have the lame duck GM and Trent Balky, but number two, like you, when shit goes wrong, who is going to be the one to throw who under the bus? And who's going to have the owner's ear? It's going to be the gm.
- [29:52]
Bobby Skinner
Yeah. And then there's this whole, like, oh, well, the head coach is gonna, you know, report directly to the. The owner. It's just. It's just stupid. It's. It's fucking Looneytown in Jacksonville. I don't know why the hell that they. It just doesn't make sense, you know, and this is why sometimes these NFL teams and you grow up and like, oh, these are the best of the best and these owners and these GMs stuff. And then you're like, you know what? They're stupid people in the world. And sometimes they get into these crazy spots and I think I feel like that's where the Jags are, where they have someone who is just not fit to be their owner. Because again, I don't know if they have this great relationship with Balki and they're best friends or what, but the loyalty to him makes absolutely no sense. He hasn't. He hasn't had, you know, coached a double. He hasn't been the GM of a double digit win team, I think, in like 10 years or whatever. So just a fucking mess in Jacksonville and I feel bad for that fan base. Yeah.
- [30:48]
Justin Pennock
I mean, even. Even if I'm Robert Salah. Robert Salah could go somewhere, be a good defensive coordinator for a year or two. And I think now, once again, he's somewhat of a hot candidate. Like, oh, can. Can we make him a Dan Quinn or even like, you know, Mike McCarthy, except on the defensive side of the book. You know, it takes like a year, a year or two off from being a head coach. Go somewhere, dominate and kill it being a defense coordinator. But I think if you. If you take this job and it fails, then you're almost never going to be a head coach ever again. So wouldn't you rather do that even if you're Robert Salah?
- [31:22]
Bobby Skinner
Well, I think Robert Sala could do the one year off thing and then all of a sudden he's a hot candidate. Yeah. There. But he will.
- [31:30]
Justin Pennock
He. Somebody will want him as a defense coordinator.
- [31:32]
Bobby Skinner
Absolutely. Absolutely. Oh, yeah. Like, I think San Francisco would hire him as defense coordinator. Yeah. So I think. I think Robert Salah can get back into the. Into the limelight head coaching job. But again, like, if you're a Jags fan, you're think sitting here thinking about, like, we just have the. We have. We could have been very desirable. Like, you could have made a case that they could have gotten Ben Johnson if they fired Trent Balky. Instead they keep Trent Balky and you have Trevor Lawrence and you have Brian Thomas and you have, you know, you know, some. Some guys on defense. You got a pass rusher and Josh Allen and you're just a very undesirable location. Yeah. Unfortunately for the beautiful city of Jacksonville. Just kidding. I hate the city of Jacksonville. I hate. Whenever I'm in there. Do you. Do we got anything else, Justin?
- [32:21]
Justin Pennock
I have one more small thing. Connor. How long have we been going?
- [32:24]
Bobby Skinner
30 minutes and 36 seconds.
- [32:26]
Justin Pennock
All right. We're all right. Is Brian Schottenheimer really going to be the next Dallas Cowboys head coach?
- [32:31]
Bobby Skinner
It wouldn't surprise me that would that.
- [32:36]
Justin Pennock
Man, if you want to talk about the last year or so in terms of the Cowboys building their team and trying to improve their team, if you want to describe that as meh, and not even meh, but bad. I mean, wouldn't that be just the cherry on top, man? Like what? This is America's team, the Dallas Cowboys.
- [32:59]
Bobby Skinner
Hey, Mart. Hey. Marty Schottenheimer's son. It's a It's a. It's a. It's a football. It's a football family story. Yeah, that could happen. I. I still think they're getting Dion. Like, I think that's. I think that's real. I know we haven't heard anything of it since they fired Mike McCarthy, but I think they're still. I think Jerry's doing whatever he can to get Dion as the head coach, but if he does, if he can't, then it's going to be Schottenheimer, probably.
- [33:24]
Justin Pennock
What a mess. What a mess. I also did. I'll shout this out, too, as we wrap up. I did a. I did a Tier maker video. And Connor, if you want to put that, the link to that video in the description, I would appreciate that. I did a Tier maker video of, like, all the head coaching jobs that were available, including the Pats and the Bears, and I put it like in a tier maker. I've got to have it. Definitely intrigued. But I have some questions first. I put the Saints in their own category because they're in cap hell and I don't know what their plan is intriguing, but your owner is nuts. And then wouldn't want to touch. I put the Jaguars and the Cowboys in the wouldn't want to touch category because I. Bobby, I think that roster is bad. And it has guys that they're paying a lot of money. CD Lamb, they're paying a lot of money to. And they are. They're overpaying them because they wait till the 11th hour to extend all these guys. They waited to the 11th hour probably, you know, a year too late to extend Dak Prescott. You possibly could have extended Dak Prescott before guys like Tua and Trevor Lawrence get extended. So instead of. Instead of paying him money in the 50s, you're paying him money in the 60s, $60 million a year. Micah Parsons, his. He's going to be looking for a new contract this summer. So what is he going to be? Another guy that's going to miss training camp like CD Lamb and then get off to a slow start of the year? That's not what you want out of one of your superstars. DeMarcus Lawrence's contract is up on a defense that they had a very hard time stopping the run. They going to want to pay him. What's his contract going to look like at age 32? Osa digi zuwa, Interior. He's like one of the only good interior defensive linemen that they had, but more of a pass rusher. Are they going to buckle up and pay him. What presence do they have at interior linebacker? Demarvion overshone second season ending injury in the last three years for him. What they have no other talent, an interior linebacker. What's the offensive line going to look like? Zach Martins has a void year coming up. Like, this is a roster that is, that has stars and they will be decent with those stars, but they are not good. And what are they going to do? They don't want to spend any money.
- [35:17]
Bobby Skinner
There's. There's se. Here's the thing. They went 7 and 10 with Dak injured. They have Dak Prescott, CD Lamb, Micah Parsons, Travon Diggs, Duron Bland. They're all as a second year guy and Tyler Guy in Tyler Smith and all pro Cooper B B, who had a good rookie year. Zach Martin probably will stick around, who's an all pro. So, you know, even Terence Steel's, you know, not a bad right tackle. And they draft well.
- [35:46]
Justin Pennock
Yeah, they're America's team and they. And they draft well. But there are just certain decisions, especially when it comes to extending their guys and how they approach free agency, where like the biggest addition that they added last year was Eric Kendricks. Are you kidding me, man?
- [36:00]
Bobby Skinner
Yeah, but they kind of took a gap year last year with, with the way they spend it. I don't think they're as far as, like, if Bill Belichick took this job, I'd say they're super bowl contenders.
- [36:16]
Justin Pennock
Yeah, because that's Bill. That's Bill Belichick. You know what I mean?
- [36:20]
Bobby Skinner
But they, but like they have the offensive talent to, you know, be a top five scoring offense in the NFL. They were number one just a year ago. Um, and then defensively, do they have holes? Sure, but they also have fucking Micah Parsons. They have cornerbacks who, who intercept the football. And you know, you can kind of plug some of those holes fairly quickly if you get a couple draft hits. Right. And some bargain free agents.
- [36:46]
Justin Pennock
Still some major questions though. Like all those guys like Lawrence, Zach Martin, osa, Diggy Zuwa. No interior linebacker talent. Like, oh, those are like some legit questions. Tyler Guyton was on and off injured last year and they would pull them at times. Is it because of injuries? Because of performance? You know, no wide receiver, two, no running back. Like there. There's a lot of things that the Cowboys need to work on roster wise and you know, like, if they're going to have to pay Micah. So that's going to. That's going to be at least over $30 million, $35 million per year he's going to get. Are they going to buckle up and pay these guys? And how are they? They really have to knock the draft out of the park. That's what they have to do.
- [37:24]
Bobby Skinner
Yep, absolutely. All right, that's an episode. We will see you on Friday for a preview of the conference championship. We'll see you then. Until then, this is Football Today.
- [37:36]
Connor
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- [38:04]
Bobby Bones
Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle. Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers, and one Mirrorball Trade Trophy from Dancing with the Star. So where else you gonna find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit of everything. Listen to Lots to Say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [38:34]
Adnan Virk
What's up everybody? Adnan Burke here to tell you about a new podcast. It's NHL Unscripted with Virgin Demers, Jason Demers here.
- [38:40]
Jason Demers
And after playing 700 NHL games, I got a lot of dirty laundry to air out.
- [38:44]
Adnan Virk
Hey, I got a lot to say here too.
- [38:46]
Justin Pennock
Okay?
- [38:46]
Adnan Virk
Each week we'll get together, chat with the sport that we love.
- [38:49]
Jason Demers
Tons of guests are going to join in too. But we're not just going to be talking hockey, folks. We're talking movies. We're talking tv, food, and Adnan's favorite wrestling. It's all on le table.
- [38:58]
Adnan Virk
Listen to NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [39:07]
AJ Stephens
$1.4 billion in NFL quarterback contracts. The untold stories behind the biggest deals in football history. I'm AJ Stephens, vice president of client strategy at Athletes first, introducing the Athletes first family podcast, the Quarterback series. My co host, Brian Murphy, Athletes First CEO and I are sitting down with the agents who have negotiated contracts for Justin Herbert, Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott, Tuathungavailoa and Jordan Love listen to athletes first family podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.