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John Middlekauff (0:00)
You can count on T Mobile to help keep you connected from big cities to small towns on America's largest 5G network. Switch the T Mobile keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com heap and switch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption. Acquired card has no cash access and expires in six months this holiday season. Don't forget your number one fan you so what's a gift you could use? Maybe go to more home games or even travel to some away games while rocking a new away team jersey? Well, they've got something for you. Discover automatically doubles all the cash back you've earned on your credit card at the end of your first year. With cash back match with Discover you could turn 150 cash back to 300. That'll help with the swanky away jersey it pays to Discover. See terms@discover.com credit card with Amex Platinum welcome to the Centurion Lounge. You get access to the Centurion Lounge so the sounds of vacation start before you get there. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Learn more@American Express.com with Amex. Jon Stewart is back in the host chair at the Daily show, which means he's also back in our ears on the Daily Show Ears Edition Podcast. Join late night legend Jon Stewart and the best news team for today's biggest headlines, exclusive extended interviews and more. Now this is a second term we can all get behind. Listen to the Daily Show Ears edition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. The Volume what is happening everybody? How are we doing on this beautiful but chilly Monday afternoon? I had a pretty good idea that today wasn't going to be as crazy as many made it out to be, I would say, over the last month. And it kind of turned out that way. I think the defining moments of Black Monday Doug Peterson lost his job, though. I think we all knew that three months ago and so did Doug. Today really was defined by a lot of people coming back. So I want to give my opinions on the Giants retaining both the GM and the coach, the Jags retaining My God, Tremboki. That was a terrible Tremboki. But he keeps his job again. I mean guy guy's talented at it. So I'll give my thoughts there. And one thing that usually happens right around this time is Teams that missed the playoffs, that had high hopes. The coach ain't going to fire himself, so he fires someone on his staff. So the Bengals fired his defensive coordinator. Seattle hire fired their offensive coordinator. So we'll dive into a couple of those moves. You know, still waiting on Jerry, who I would say all signs point to Mike staying, but you never know what the Cowboys Jerry just gave a great little cameo on Landman. Actually not a bad actor. It was pretty cool. It kind of came out of nowhere. Just I actually was watching it Saturday night. But other than that, we'll do a little mailbag as well at John Middlekopf is the Instagram fire in those dms and we'll dive into the playoff games a little bit later this week. Definitely was stucky on Thursday. We have a couple college playoff games Thursday and Friday night. I think I like Penn State and I like Ohio State, but there's no but I like those two teams. I think we get Penn State, Ohio State, all Big Ten national championship, which would be a really big moment. I mean, it'd be a huge moment for anyone who wins these games on Thursday or Friday. Obviously getting to the Natty. But game plan will be podcasts all week, so keep a lookout. We'll keep them coming. And as news breaks or as anything happens, you never know, curveballs come out of left field. We will be ready for because that's what we do. We give our opinions on the stories in the NFL and obviously talk about the games in the playoffs, which we got a bunch of them. A couple Saturday, three Sunday and one Monday night. So subscribe to the podcast. If you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to the YouTube page as well. And before we dive into any football, you know I got to tell you about my friends, my partners and the official ticketing app of this podcast, Game Time. Here's the thing. Do you want to go to one of these games? I have so many people DMing me I'm going to a playoff game. I'm doing it and I'm doing it with your friends at game time. And here's the thing. Any game, college pro, college basketball season's in full swing. NHL is in full swing. Concert season really gets going here in a little bit. Any show you want to watch this upcoming year, we got you. So here's the thing. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account and use the code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase terms. Apply again, create an account and redeem the code johan for $20 off. Download the game Time app today. Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. Black Monday has come and went. And it turned out it wasn't that crazy. It wasn't that dark. The rain clouds, the sun has come out. Where I'm at, it's about 65 degrees. And I would imagine a lot of people are feeling that way. And I think big picture, and I say this all the time, these owners want no part of going on a coaching search or a GM search if they can't avoid it. You know, as you get my age and older, you hear so many people say, I want no part of dating. I am exhausted from dating, honestly. It probably keeps some relationships together because it's like I can't even fathom the, the thought of going back out on dates, of just going through that process again. And I think it's the same thing when it comes to some of these owners with their GMs and coaches. One, they don't speak the language. It is very easy for them to, to hire, especially the people that have business backgrounds that come from other industries that purchase the team, to hire a president of operations, like that's their forte. Excel spreadsheets, talking revenue, top line, bottom line expenses, how to staff like they're comfortable doing that. But when you hire a coach and you talk the culture of the locker room, let alone to the schemes on offense, defense and special teams, to how we're going to run the draft in free agency, the owner is essentially no different than most human beings. They just kind of turn into a fan and they have no more insight than the next guy. And I think the thing that makes football way more complicated than these other sports, you can't just play a pickup football game. It does not exist. The only way to play real football is 11 on 11 with shoulder pads and a helmet and coaches calling the place. You don't need that to play basketball, you don't need that to play baseball. You need it to play football. And obviously the complexity of it all at the highest level is very intense. And now with the explosion of the league in terms of money, it's also very, you know, it's, it's expensive to fire people, even if it, quote, unquote, is just a line item. Some of these guys probably get a little tired of just paying people to walk away. And the easiest thing always is to keep them over firing them. Now, that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, but by far the easiest thing always is to keep them than to fire Them. John Morra has gone through run through coaches and GMs since firing Tom Coughlin. Constant coaches, right? Two and done, two and done, two and done. And it has to be really exhausting. The problem is over that period of time now with the current group, they continue to suck. And clearly I think it's fair to take an educated guess then when all these people were saying it's not a package deal. Joe Shane and Brian Dabel are not tied at the hip. You know, one thing I heard from my friends in the NFL was like, yeah, that's being put out by Joe Shane and Brian Dable trying to distance themselves from each other because no human wants to get fired. Even when you're kind of miserable in a job. I've been there. Now you look back later on, go, I'm glad that happened. But at the time, every human beings in survival mode. And Joe Shane and Brian Dable, who literally were a package, they came together from Buffalo together. It's why they were both hired. It was clear started pointing the finger at each other. Now, regardless of what happened in terms of like this high school drama between the two, clearly John Maher didn't care. Like, guys, just try to make it work again. I don't care how ugly this has gotten, I don't care how many planes fly over the biggest market in America. A team that has just completely become irrelevant. Can you guys just try to figure this out? And even he mentioned today, like, yeah, I've run out of patience, so hopefully they fix this fast. But I think it was pretty clear he didn't want to go on the circuit of interviewing people because let's face it, if you're going to fire one, you're going to fire them both. How could Joe Shane possibly survive? We just witnessed his operation last off season. It was considered a universal embarrassment by fans, but most importantly people around the league that work in the industry. And Brian Dable just works in a, you know, profession where you win, you get extended, you lose, you get fired. Like it's not that complicated. And he loses a lot. And this season was really, really bad. And by the middle of the year, they had to cut the quarterback that they just gave $80 million to. So both these guys look really embarrassing. But they survived. And I think it's just as simple as do. I think John Morra thinks they're really good. How could he possibly think that? I truly believe he just did not want to go on a coaching slash GM search. And I understand that, like you get older, like it's a lot of effort when again, even if you go on the search, the previous one he just went on, everyone like basically around the league was like, that's a great hire. Joe Shane and Brian Dabel. You get two guys that know each other that come from a winning operation. You get a GM that's, you know, apprentice, multiple winning spots. You get a coach that's worked for Saban and Belichick. They coach Josh Allen. What a hire. Great. I was probably saying that. Great, great fucking job. And three years later it's like you got planes flying over every home game basically saying you suck. Fire everybody. It's like, well, in what world am I going to go on the same coaching search and think I have any better chance than what I just conducted and hired these two guys which is clearly not working out very well. And I think the Giants find themselves in a position that no fan wants or it's just like, yeah, we're just, we're kind of keeping our fingers crossed but we all know how this is going to end. Everyone's eventually going to get fired because this team is not even remotely close to even being close. So I just, I feel bad for Giants fans. This is a big win, you know, if you're an Eagle fan, if you are a commander fan and I guess we'll find out with the Cowboys, but they are, I mean they're in a different universe than the Eagles and obviously the commanders now as they continue to build this thing will only separate in terms of stability. They got a quarterback so shitty day to be a Giants fan. This because John Morrow was overdoing interviews. You know, I think one thing because the amount of money that is in the NFL, obviously the payrolls, you know, are a lot different than most industries. You pay 53 guys combined anywhere from 220 to $250 million. Like that's pretty abnormal. You pay a guy running those people anywhere from 10 to 20 million dollars and then he has several million dollar employees as well on his staff. So because the money is so big, we act like it's like Apple, Google or Amazon when really it's a pretty small operation. And I haven't worked in a corporate setting. Hell, I haven't had a job w2 job and I mean close to a decade now. But you know, I worked in football, then I worked in radio and a lot of you guys work in different industries. Being a politician like is something that impacts us all and some of us have that ability and I've never been great at it. It's really hard for me to, I would say, keep my mouth shut. Obviously, it's why I do this for a living. But it's not a strength of mine. Like, I would not consider myself a great politician. And I think there's somewhere in the middle of being a politician, being like a hermit, right? Are the opposite ends of the spectrum. Just tunnel vision. Do about myself, don't worry about anything else. And then there's kind of like networker somewhere in the middle that's probably a little more genuine. That's just kind of a wheeler and a dealer. And I think when you look at the Jacksonville Jags, right, it's like all this billion dollar operation. Well, whether they win or lose, they automatically make money. So Shad Khan, while they consistently have shitty seasons under his watch, it doesn't impact his bottom line. They're making a ton of cash. So in these situations, you don't have an employee base of thousands of people. It's a pretty small mom and pop shop. Even some of the bigger operations you literally know. I would say if you're around the building at all, everyone in football on a first name basis. So some people are better than others about working that relationship. Because the only relationship that truly matters is the owner. Because if the owner likes you, you're basically on scholarship. And look, we saw it with Atlanta last year. Belichick wanted the job, they wanted no part of them. Why? Because Belichick hates Rich McKay and wasn't going to listen to him, which would have neutered his power. Obviously, Terry Fontenot, the gm, would have probably been run out of town. So they went into job survival mode. And then a year later, they won one more game than they did the previous year after giving $90 million to a quarterback who played 14 games. But Trent Balky, this guy from Bemidji State, which is somewhere in the Dakotas, who then after college went to work at North Dakota State and South Dakota State, is a big league networker and politician. It's honestly his strength. And when you meet him, like, you think he's like this gruff, like, kind of rough around the edges football guy that just locks himself and just wants to watch players. That was always, you know, kind of the narrative surrounding Trent Balke. It's like he's just a football guy through and through. No, I actually think he's the best politician in the NFL. It's an elite attribute he brings to the table. Because somehow when a team is just on fire, just a fucking disaster, again, he's the gm. I'VE seen it in San Francisco and now we've seen it with in Jacksonville. He can, like, avoid it pretty well. It's easy when you play the Kevin Warren role. Like, hey, man, I'm just in business. You hired these guys? I hired them, but, like, I don't know about football. I just. I just tried to help out the hiring process, but I'm just selling PSLs, I'm just selling suites. I'm just trying to sell and find us a piece of land to build and get these fucking moron politicians to give us some tax dollars. That's what I'm doing. I'm not picking the guard in the third round. I'm not telling them what plays to run in the red zone. I'm not telling them, you know, when to kick field goals and when to punt. Like, that ain't my gig, guys. And it's very easy for them to kind of play the chameleon. But GMs, it's like, well, you picked all these players, like, you're the guy who is in control of the roster. And he is elite at avoiding it all. He really is. I don't know him that well. Again, my relationship with him has always been cool. But there's no disputing at this point in time that, like, whatever he brings to the table, that connection is if it was like, you know, we talk about five tool players in baseball or Josh Allen has an elite arm and Lamar has elite speed, like, he has that. That ability is an elite trait for Trent Balky. And it's why he's going on. He hired Jim Harbaugh, he hired Jim Tomsula, he hired Chip Kelly, he hired Doug Peterson, and now he's hiring another guy. I mean, he's going to go down with hiring like six or seven coaches when his career is over, which is unheard of for a general manager who's obviously not winning very often now. And it's just the skill he has. So when everyone's shocked, like, don't be shocked, this is what he does. Like, he is probably the best politician in the National Football League. You know, some guys, it's hard, like Brandon Staley. It's his wiring, he's wired like a politician. But when you become a head coach and you start losing, like, you can't talk your way out of it, right? And coach is always going to be more exposed than a GM coach because during the games, they're out there in the field with the players, and the GMs usually sit next to the owner, texting the owner, talking to the owner on Monday when that guy's watching film blasting the coach. And clearly that happens a lot in Jacksonville. And let's face it, shot whenever I see him talk seems like a good guy, clearly a smart guy, just an incredible business success story. But I think they got no clue what they're doing. It's and as long as you know his ownership speaks for itself, you will short their organization every year they play. You would have to be high on drugs to pick them to have success. And I do wonder, like Trent Balky, who's just always surviving, if you're a coach with any options, how would you go work for a man that you know that if it starts going off the rails, he will point the finger at you while getting in with the owner? That's just what he does. Like that's his move. So it's going to be fascinating. Ultimately, you know, no shade to Jags fans, but you're probably the most irrelevant brand in the league. I mean, you know, you are. And I just, I don't know if you got much coming your way in terms of coaching options. NFL Playoffs we're talking about the NFL playoffs. You bet we are. 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Switch the T Mobile keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com heapandswitch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months.