← The Right Time with Bomani Jones
The Right Time with Bomani Jones
Nick Wright on Josh Allen's future, Stafford's Hall of Fame case, Belichick to Bills? | 01.21
00:58:43
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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Right Time A Wave original. My name is Bomani Jones. Thanks for listening wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for watching us on YouTube. Subscribe like, rate us, review us, give us five stars. You only give us four stars. I'm inclined to believe you are a hater. It is that time of week where we have a guest join us. Check him out on first things first. 3:00 clock Eastern Monday, Monday through Friday on FS1 and the what's Right with Nick Wright podcast. Nick Wright, what's going on?
- [00:33]
B
Bo, Great to talk to you. It's great to see you this weekend. How are you?
- [00:36]
A
I'm good, man. I was telling people these playoffs is just going to be me and you over there hating. You know what I'm saying? Just watching and hating.
- [00:44]
B
Well, I'm listen, I am. I I'm going to be able to watch the NFC Championship Game free of any hate in my heart either one of and that to me not to jump ahead. I do feel like the NFC Championship game is the super bowl in a real way that it hasn't felt like a conference championship game is the super bowl Since may like Pat's Colts in 06 or Niners Cowboys in the 90s where it just seems like what that given what's happened to Denver and given how shaky the Pats offense has looked, it does seem like Seahawks, Rams, the two best teams all year, are going to be playing for the super bowl couple weeks before the Super Bowl.
- [01:32]
A
All right, you know what? We can get on this one because I think that this is an interesting question because I think the NFC Championship Game is the Super Bowl. If the Rams win. If the Rams win, I think they got it. I am not moving off my Sam Darnold is going to fall apart at some part square. I just can't do it until I see him go through three rounds of the playoffs without falling apart. I just can't assume that he's not going to fall apart.
- [01:59]
B
But so here would be my the the my question would be if they beat the Rams, I don't think he's going to have to play great for them. Like I think there's they have shown over the last two months. Really? Because ever since that first Rams game when he threw four picks, he has been decidedly mediocre and they haven't lost.
- [02:25]
A
Right.
- [02:25]
B
Like I think he's at nine touchdowns, eight picks. He's averaging like around 200 yards per game. They have been so good in every other facet that even if you are Anticipating a matchup where he is going to struggle. It feels like if they get through the Rams, he could play a similar game to what he played in Week 18 against the Niners, where he does, you know, 120 yards, not much of anything, and they win anyway. I have been wildly impressed at just how well rounded that roster is, how good that defense is. So I don't, I don't think believing the Seahawks can win or are going to win the super bowl is the same as believing in Sam Darnold. I think that he has been the last couple months just staying out of the way, and that's worked really well. Yeah.
- [03:22]
A
So I think I agree with you in the sense that if what we're saying is if he can just keep being. Yeah, right. All the way through, then you're right. If, if, if, if I, if I, if I believe that that level you were discussing was the floor, I would say yes. Who, if Seattle wins this game, they're going to get it. I think that the floor is underwater and the floor is still on the, the, the, the, the floor that we have previously seen, I think is still on the board. Unless they have just completely figured out a way where, okay, we don't need anything from you, like Shanahan managed to do for large stretches with Jimmy Garoppolo, but then it reached a point where, damn, we gotta come back and win and then fall apart.
- [04:04]
B
And that's why, that's why I actually, you, I, I like the Rams this weekend in large part because I don't think Seattle can blow out the Rams. And if it's close late, that's when you are going to need one of the quarterbacks to make substantial plays. And I, I, I know this isn't where we're supposed to start. I kind of screwed you up. But I believe in Matt Stafford, I think a lot more than you do, or at least I have more affection for Matt Stafford's career than you do. And I think Stafford is about to, I, I, if it's close late, I trust Stafford even against that defense. And I think that's the Rams, aside from a quarter and an overtime this year against Seattle in their second matchup, have just been the best team in football this year.
- [05:03]
A
Right. So I want to be very clear about something, because I think you nailed the distinction here. This 2025 hyphen, 2026 version of Matt Stafford is that dude, right? I am not, you are not going to hear me make the argument that the version of Matt Stafford that we've seen so far this year hasn't been great. If he wins mvp, you're not going to hear me say, damn, I don't understand how they did that.
- [05:28]
B
You.
- [05:28]
A
It is the overall assessment of his career that drives me crazy. Right. So you and I are both, you know, historical guys when it comes to talking about these things. We like stacking all these things up. All I'm asking everybody about Stafford is when did you start believing that he was one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL? Or because we're talking in many cases with him, the rarified air of the hall of Fame. When did we start thinking that he was one of the top three quarterbacks in the NFL? And the answer to that last question is never. Including right now where most of us would say the top three quarterbacks in the NFL were Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. That's why when it gets into this, well, you know, Stafford's going to go to the hall of Fame. We never said, like the way we talk about Josh Allen as a Hall of Famer now and Lamar Jackson as a Hall of Famer now. We never said that about Stafford in the first decade of his career. And while we could say that, that is because, well, you know, he played for the Detroit Lions. All I'm saying is that playing for the Lions is not some clearly mystical, magical spell that guarantees you'll always be terrible because Jared Goff has not been terrible while he has been there. As I've said before, poor Matt Stafford having to throw the ball to Calvin Johnson early in his career. My goodness.
- [06:47]
B
Well, I. Listen, I. So I think both can be true. First of all, the Lions, pre Dan Campbell and post Dan Campbell might as well have just be moved cities and changed logos. They are a different team since your guy Dan Campbell's gotten there. But to answer your first question, when did we look at Stafford as a top five, much less a top three quarterback? Never. Until he got to the Rams. And since he got to the Rams, this is where I think you and I maybe view him differently. I do. If you. I understand that the quarterback big four for the last half decade has been Patrick, Josh, Lamar and Burrow I. And Stafford has been on the outside of that. But I also think it might be fair to ask, is that fair given what he's doing right now? If Stafford, the moment he gets to the Rams, they win a Super Bowl. And then in every playoff appearance since he's been there, he's been excellent. And this is where I, you know, my quarterback grading system Is, you know, everybody has their own. But I weigh playoff performances by quarterbacks. Like finals at fancy colleges. Like you can be a perfect student all leading up to it, but the final 60% of your grade and that's really going to determine if you sink or swim. And he's been now these playoffs, he actually has been somewhat mediocre.
- [08:20]
A
I mean he was just not good last game.
- [08:23]
B
He just has. Right. But it's weird because six of the other eight quarterbacks this weekend just beat all over themselves. Like he just, he at least didn't turn the ball over. And so I, when you talk Stafford and Hall of Fame what is to me in general, I agree with you. Like Philip Rivers, I don't care what the counting stats are. At no point in his career or Jason Whitten where we definitely agree. If, if there was never a single moment where anybody thought you were the best in the league. For Whitten's case and in Philip Rivers case, if there really wasn't a single stretch of time where people thought you were top three at your position, how are you a Hall of Famer? But for Stafford, if the, if he wins the MVP and it's like, okay, so he has a Super Bowl Championship, a league MVP and the crazy counting stats, if he wins this super bowl, it's a no. It's. He's obvious, no doubt. Or he's going to be a Hall of Famer. But even if they don't, he got to a functional franchise. They instantly won at the highest level. They have been in. In the mix every year except one. And his numbers, the counting numbers are crazy. You add an M MVP to that. To me that certainly jumps him ahead of Eli Rivers, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and on the next up after Far and Rogers get in to me it jumps in ahead of Russell Wilson as far as the next quarterback to be a Hall of Famer.
- [10:06]
A
So I think Rivers is an interesting comp because I agree with you that at no point did Rivers seem like the best quarterback in the league. But to be fair to Rivers, there were years where he did put up you are the best quarterback in the league stats right. Like eight and a half yards in attempt. Like big things. He just how about this is where it gets fun. We will give Matthew Stafford credit because he had Lion's juice all over him. But back in the day, and we know that puts a cap on what you do, where the real hold up for Philip Rivers is covered in Chargers juice and like hey, maybe the defense can stop us from lo from we we could win this game and the defense could just stop him on this last drive, which is like the story of the Philip Rivers career. We don't cut him slack on this. Maybe I am just taking up for the Honolulu Blue right now, but I'm just saying the least scrutinized number one overall pick that was never, ever truly asked to. Okay. And I want to say that because I think that there was a level of request that he elevate the Rams somewhat once he got there. But with the Lions, if you.
- [11:06]
B
Who.
- [11:06]
A
If you. The guy that we talking about him being. We're not waiting until your 13th year in the league and then, wow, now the guy looks like a Hall of Famer. Never seen anything like it. But I've also never seen a guy keep getting better for as long as he seems to have managed to keep getting better.
- [11:19]
B
Well, the point you made is a point that my pal Eric Mangini makes all the time, which is because he loves Stafford, but he always puts the. Yeah, but he was like. But I always struggle with the fact that if he's that guy, why was he never able to elevate the Lions? Yep. He's like everybody else. That is, we talk, you know, Joe Burrow at least temporarily elevated the Bengals. The Bengals are just woebegone franchise. Like, why. Why was he not able to elevate the. The Lions as the question mark on his career? And this is where sports and legacies and things can be unfair. While the Chargers weren't as tortured historically as the Lions, they are quite tortured historically. And what Philip Rivers had going against him, obviously, was being in the wrong conference in the aughts and the tens. When you have Brady and Manning and Big Ben with great franchises and great teams all blocking his way. If Philip rivers in year 12 had been traded to the Tampa Bay Bucks and they instantly won a Super bowl and went on a run, then I do think we look at Philip Rivers as a Hall of Famer. Like, Rivers didn't get an opportunity with another franchise until he was, you know, a shell of himself. And so there are some. Yeah. Do I think that if Matt Stafford had played his whole career with the Lions, we'd be seeing this out of him? Probably not. Now. Do let me ref.
- [13:02]
A
Well, actually, it's an interesting thought because if. If Matthew Stafford plays for the Dan Campbell Lions.
- [13:07]
B
Correct. That's what I was about to say. If they keep him and you have this Dan Campbell renaissance and Brad Holmes drafts these guys, then maybe we do finally see it. But I just. I think that. I think he's been the best player in the league this year.
- [13:24]
A
Yeah.
- [13:24]
B
I think that next year's, you know, if he doesn't. So here's. Let me ask you another question. This maybe will get us to the Bills if the Rams win the super bowl and Matt Stafford is excellent in the super bowl and does not retire.
- [13:41]
A
Oh, does retirement.
- [13:43]
B
Does not retire. The. If he does retire, it's a whole different thing. He does not retire going into next season. Do people have to say he's the best quarterback in the NFL? Given the other contenders.
- [13:59]
A
Yeah.
- [14:00]
B
What their seasons were or what they ended with?
- [14:04]
A
No, it is always wins.
- [14:06]
B
Go ahead.
- [14:07]
A
Say for me it's always such a fascinating question. The difference between you played the best this year and you are the best player.
- [14:14]
B
Right.
- [14:15]
A
And this is the one thing I was. I want to say about Stafford is that you put together one of them Stafford highlight cutups. There's no way I'm explaining to you that that guy's not a Hall of Famer. Like the Fred Taylor Internet discussion from a couple of weeks was interesting because I'm like Fred Taylor, perhaps a Hall of Fame player who did not have a Hall of Fame career. Now if Stafford winds up with two rings, an MVP and a Super bowl mvp, which I would presume that he would then also win y. Well, okay, that sure looks like a Hall of Fame career there. And he's not Eli Manning where he was a middle of the road quarterback the entire way. Like he's going to get in and it's okay. Shrug. That's why I say though, if they don't win this one this year, going up against Jared Stum, a 17 year old Drake May and Sam Darnold. Hey man, get out my face. That's, that's where I'm going with that on him. But you're right, if he comes back next year, assuming his back doesn't fall apart, then why wouldn't he be the best player? Because man, he made some throws in that game that even though he didn't play that well against that one opposite hash throw that he made in the Bears game, I was just like, what are you talking about?
- [15:21]
B
Well, and it just the best quarterback in the league discussion right now because the other, the other avenue is this one. Stafford plays poorly this weekend and they lose and the Denver crowd gets to, you know, a young quarterback in his first road playoff game and we end up with a Darnold Stidham super bowl. And that's the Super Bowl. You know, I obviously believe and think I have reason to art to believe the best quarterback alive discussion is silly because it's clear clearly Patrick Mahomes. But that has become a very unpopular opinion. People throw up his pass rate in the last few years.
- [16:03]
A
They.
- [16:03]
B
They. That. That people have almost dismissed Mahomes. So if the Rams, if, if the Rams and the Patriots lose this weekend, their quarterbacks don't play great. The first and second MVP candidates, and we get a kind of weird super bowl, who are we going to take Mahomes out of it? If you don't want to say it's Mahomes, Are we really going to say after Lamar misses the playoffs and his coach gets fired, he's the best quarterback alive? That's going to be tough for me. You're going to say Josh Allen after the worst playoff game of his career, he's the best quarterback alive. That's going to be tough. Like it's. It'll. It'll almost feel like if it's not Patrick, it's a vacant championship belt. Which probably leads us to the Josh Allen discussion.
- [16:52]
A
Yeah. Now, one point I'm gonna make that's really interesting when you talk about that with Mahomes, because I'm with you. Right. You could throw these stat lines out there and they're perfectly fair. Right. I don't know where to stop from. The best quarterback I've ever seen is not performing statistically in that way. That is Dan Marino after a certain point in his career, you know, he was 1984 and 1986. It was never like that again after those seasons. Right. But it makes me now understand the people who will tell you that John Elway was the best quarterback that they thought they'd ever seen, and he was that dude. And then you go look at them John Elway stats and they are absolutely nothing to write home about. And then you watch a John Elway clip and you're like, oh, okay, God gave us a quarterback. Right. Like, the stats in football don't mean what they mean in other places. It's so much more amorphous. Like our explanations for what everybody is. And now that gets us to Buffalo. Because you and I talked about this over the weekend. We've never seen a team that despondent. We've never seen a guy seem to be as broken at the end of that game. I was shocked that people were shocked that they fired McDermott. A given how close they had been to firing McDermott the year before. But two, hey, man, it's just PE. Somebody loses their job after Stuff like this happened. This is how it goes. But I too admit that I did not think that this would mean that the general manager would get promoted to the president of football operations. And it's one thing to say, hey, McDermott's got to go. It's another thing to say it's McDermott's fault. And you know that they're saying this because the general manager got promoted to president of football operations.
- [18:30]
B
Yeah, I didn't think that this was. Of all the seasons to say McDermott underachieved. It didn't feel like this was a fair one. Now, we've talked about this before. It, it. Every coach, quarterback, ever that's won a Super bowl together won their first within five years. This was year eight for Lamar Harbaugh. This was year eight for McDermott. Josh. So it might have just been. We, we can't keep running it back. And especially after that team looked shattered, looked absolutely shattered in a way. I do not remember a team being shattered after a divisional round loss. Loss. They seemed more shattered, at least at the podium than the 13 seconds game, which also was a divisional round loss. So I get why you say we have to turn the page. It is puzzling to me and maybe it shouldn't be. Maybe it's as simple as the guy sits next to him during the games, has a relationship with them, has, you know, been talking to him all season long and the GM has ingratiated himself to ownership. But it is puzzling to me that a team that hasn't made a mid season acquisition that moved the needle at in a half decade, that has had, you could argue, four consecutive really shaky drafts, whose biggest swings in free agency have all been misses, that that guy gets a raise out of the promotion, out of this.
- [20:12]
A
Presumably a raise.
- [20:14]
B
Yeah, presumably a raise too. That part of it was stunning to me. And it also felt like the only person, either the only person related to the Bills playoff loss or the person related to Bill's playoff loss, whether it's player, coach or media member covering it, that most acutely understood what happened in that loss was Josh Allen, who the. I think the reason he was so broken up was because he felt like he had screwed it up for his teammates, which by the way, is accurate and that is not a, an indictment. Meaning you can't be, you're not a great player. You can't be a great player. But Josh was devastated because he's the best player on the team, he's the leader, he's what everything runs through. And he had the Worst playoff game of his life and one of the worst games of his. Maybe the worst game of his regular of his whole season. And that's why they lost. He got it in a way a lot of other people seem to refuse to get it, in my opinion.
- [21:24]
A
Yeah, that was the, the take that we had over here was just that he wants to be accountable. I don't understand why it is that nobody else will allow him to. I mean, Kirked out, man. He had four turnovers. One of them a flat out Kirk out. That end of the first half turnover that was comically. That's indefensible for a player in the eighth year of his career. Um, by the way, they weren't going to get anything out of that play. Right. Like that was. Every now and then I say this about guys, they can typically get better but rarely do they change. And Allen is the rare player that it feels like got better and in some fundamental ways changed over the years. Except that right there was in the Josh Allen DNA.
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B
Right.
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A
Like he was addicted to shit like that back in the day. And maybe he had been going to meetings, they got some 12 steps. He been in there talking to people and getting through and he just had a relapse.
- [22:11]
B
Well, that's why, I mean that's why I also. He's obviously he's the greatest wild card round quarterback ever. And, and I, I don't even say that sarcastically like statistic. He's unbelievable in the wild card round and in the two rounds after that he's been quite good. He's only been truly great one time in that 13 seconds game, but he's been quite good consistently. But there has been a lot of happenst. The, the player that, you know, we always reference in his first playoff game ever, throwing the lateral behind his head, you know, in the waning moments of regulation in the. On the first drive of the AFC champion, the divisional round game, it was what it was one of the last two years, one of the playoff losses to the Chiefs. On the very first drive on third down on a designed quarterback run, he panicked and threw a 15 yard forward lateral to a teammate on the first drive of the game. On the final drive of that game, he had a play very similar to one at the end of the first half where he's running with the ball all loose. It gets batted out of his hands. The Chiefs almost scoop and score to win. They end up kicking it. The Bills get the ball back and leads to the Bass field goal. In, in the AFC championship game. Last year he had three fumbles. They happened to recover all three. So he has been playing with this fire in these biggest spots. They've just been getting away with it. And my, my biggest issue with.
- [24:02]
A
And.
- [24:02]
B
I don't want to be too meta here but like the Josh Allen discourse is is can be summed up in this because the, because it's gone past. He's the best quarterback in the league and has gotten to people saying he is as talented as any quarterback to ever live. Yes, he is. The be is one of the greatest players in league history. Have we ever in any sport given that type of anointing or declaration for a player who has never led the NFL in any pass major passing category, has never been first team all pro, has never won a championship or been to a championship round and who while he is an MVP has two guys exactly his age, his contemporaries who have more MVPs. I people like there is somebody asked me the other day like how much of Josh Allen right now is similar to Braun, you know, before he won his first championship like Braun in 2012. And I said, man, Braun in 2012 had been the consensus without a shadow of a doubt best player across at least five consecutive or Kobe fans will get mad at me. Call it three consecutive regular seasons, had been to the championship round twice, including once his fourth year in the league. Right. You know, at 22 years old there was proof of concept like everyone it's not that Peyton Manning before he finally broke through and won in the playoffs was universally accepted as in the regular season, the best quarterback in the league. And we knew that because he won more MVPs in during his early part of his career than any other player he's playing against. He led the league in passing, led the league in touchdowns. And so Josh doesn't have that and also has I I was listening to Barnwell and then I'll. I'll stop ranting and I think Bill is the smartest person covering football. And I text Bill about this. Bill talked about the play right before the end of the half and he, he put a little bit on and I'm pulling up what I text him because it's the exact quote he put a little bit of it on McDermott for not making it clear to Josh basically time score situation. And Bill said, and I quote, you have to be aware you have a lunatic at quarterback. And like if that's, if that is table stakes to Josh Allen, then that has to be a part of whether or not he's the best player in the league. Man, that to me is like the fair piece of it.
- [27:04]
A
That's the hashtag GTBW of it all, man. That, the idea that you got to work around this white man's limitations. And if you don't, that's your fault.
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B
The, it's the rooting.
- [27:17]
A
And you know, you know, this is, you know, you down with us. I say we have to cook out at your house, baby, so you don't necessarily wind up in these situations. It's the rooting for Josh Allen that really came to surface in this loss. Right? It's, it's such a tragedy that he just can't get this win. While the juxtaposition has to be mahomes. That's the only explanation for how this gets to be where it is. And that whenever Allen does something, we don't go to, hey man, this is on him. It goes to, well, you have to build an infrastructure around him because, you know, he might burn down the house.
- [27:50]
B
Well, and I, and I reject the premise of, well, they wouldn't, that team would have been terrible, look terrible without him. He brought them there. If not for him, they wouldn't have had a chance. If that is the rules of engagement on player criticism when they play poorly in a big spot, then we can never criticize any NBA player for playoff performance because every single NBA superstar, which, the closest comp to star quarterback is NBA superstar, every NBA superstar ever. The reason their team is where they are is because of that guy. So if that therefore means that when James Harden goes 2 for 13 with a nine turnovers, we can't be like, he cost him the game or, and unless, and folks would be like, well, would the, would the 2017 Rockets have been in that game without him? Like, no, they wouldn't have. But that doesn't mean he's not accountable for how he played in that spot. I. And as far as you meant the, the, the, the. Here is the thing that I will say about the racial dynamics at play in quarterback discourse. I think people are too easy on Lamar as well.
- [29:15]
A
Oh yeah, we talked about this where they're a little afraid. They, they went too far to start.
- [29:21]
B
Correct.
- [29:21]
A
And so they're afraid to come back. Although I think that one's always tricky because the Internet makes sure that we see those people who have no such.
- [29:29]
B
Fear a hundred percent. But I don't, I disagree with folks who are presenting it as if Lamar gets pilloried and Josh gets a pass. I do think Josh gets a pass when he plays poorly. But I think a lot of the people who give Josh a pass also have been telling me the last five years that Lamar is the greatest passer in the league and that Lamar's team like I, I, I, I see a lot of folks that want to give seemingly everyone a pass except they. And maybe that's the nicer way to do this. I don't know, maybe that's the way I should do it. But I just, it, it's to me very obvious that we have elevated players to a place they haven't quite yet earned in Lamar and in Josh. And then when they are held to the standard of which they have been elevated, which is best player alive. And both of them have been called that repeatedly by certain folks during Patrick Mahomes prime. When they are held to a Patrick Mahomesian standard and fall short, pointing that out is considered unfair. Or why are, why are we not looking at the roster construction and those such things? And I think that's, I think that's foolish.
- [30:58]
A
All right, so I think one thing before we go to break. I think there an important distinction to be made. One, I'll be honest, I have not seen much of the Lamar's best player alive. Even with the MVPs. I don't see, I don't, I don't see as much as that. But again, the algorithm gives us what will infuriate us. And they know you. Number two, the difference in what in this case between Allen and Lamar. And I do get your point about some people cutting Lamar too much slack is even the people that cut him slack when his team loses in these games or take when Mark Andrews drops that ball in the end zone. I do not recall the prevailing response on television being what a shame it was that that happened to Lamar Jackson. Right. And that like, oh, I agree with that. Yeah. That, that, that's, that's where I think there's one, the thing with the Josh Allen stuff is it's one thing to give him slack when he comes up short. The other part is the people outright rooting for him like he's their child.
- [31:54]
B
No, it, it, the whole, the, that part. The entire media a week ago banged on Lynn Jones, the Jacksonville older lady, for rooting for the Jags, and was like, that's not what we do. And then went out publicly and said my heart breaks for Josh Allen. Yes, like that. And so, and, and again, I'm a weird messenger on this as you look over my shoulder and there is a Kansas City star framed of Patrick Mahomes. But I don't claim to be a neutral. Like, I try to be fair to everyone, but I root for the Chiefs Mahomes, my favorite player. So like and I the so you know that going in folks that claim that they're not rooting for anyone when they are, obviously. And by the way, I don't think Bomani that is like a phenomenon that is unique to Allan. I think folks did the same for Peyton when it felt like, man, this is a great player, hasn't broken through.
- [33:04]
A
Oh boy. Oh, I disagree. I feel like when, when the going got tough for Manning, we were on his neck about it, right?
- [33:14]
B
Oh, that's true.
- [33:15]
A
And I don't, I don't think that we that collectively the get on Josh Allen's neck thing, the closest we got is at the beginning of that one season where people started pointing out that he was turning the ball over all the time. And then by the time that season turned around, people were apologizing for the fact that they had the nerve to go count things up and balance them against each other and then speak to us about that, which they have seen. It's a wild one. But I'm gonna do this. We're gonna go to break right fast because there is something else with Buffalo I want to talk about before we get out of here, which is where they go from here. And I think they're about to do something stupid. And I'll tell you what it is coming up next. Every Friday from 6 to 7:30, it's NBA happy hour on FanDuel. Your pregame for the weekend. We're talking limited time specials you won't want to miss. Boosts, bonuses, surprises, all dropping in the app during happy hour. So before tip off, check the FanDuel app to see the week special. Then make your move before the shot clock expires at 7:30 Eastern. It's the perfect way to start your weekend. A little basketball, a little action and a whole lot of Friday energy. That's NBA Happy Hour every Friday from 6 to 7:30pm Eastern only on FanDuel. Official sportsbook partner of the NBA 21.
- [34:31]
B
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- [35:20]
A
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- [37:27]
B
The actual I can't imagine they're going to give it so so to be.
- [37:30]
A
Fair, but even if he's offensive coordinator right like he's the guy's best friend is Too close.
- [37:38]
B
So what I was going to say is to be fair, this is a weird one in that the. Now maybe they are incredibly tight, but Davis Webb called Josh Allen his best friend. That is, Josh Allen has not called.
- [37:55]
A
Davis Webb his best friend to be there.
- [37:58]
B
Josh Allen might, Josh Allen might have read that quote three years ago. Like, I mean, we're cool. Like, I don't know. I have no idea. Maybe they are bestman weddings. I'm not sure. But that's always a weird one. I, you know, I, I forever, a little quick anecdote, have called Danny Parkins, who I went to college with and we worked with and we're together in Kansas City. I'm the godfather of his kid. He was the best man at my wedding, if there was a wedding. I've always called him my best friend. And then he wrote a book with a guy named Ben Kaplan.
- [38:39]
A
Yes.
- [38:40]
B
And I saw him doing an interview, multiple interviews about the book. And he talked about how it was so gratifying to write a book with his best friend. And I'm like, I didn't write no fucking book like what, what happened here? And so I, there's always the concern that one person's best friend is not someone else's with. So. But I. The three people we hear are Davis Webb, Joe Brady and Brian D. And that to me is I'm not as, as head coach. I think Dable as offensive coordinator is very interesting, but I'm not inspired. I think it is incredibly risky to trust what I would imagine will be another three, maybe four years of Allen's prime to a first time head coach. And I think it'd be risky to trust it to D, who I didn't think covered himself in glory when he's screaming at doctors in the medical tent because he needs to get Jackson Dart back in the game so he can call more quarterback driven runs like that. All is concerning to me and these B.O. these jobs. We pulled this on the show yesterday. Since 1970. Here are the full list of head coaching jobs where you walk into guy who is one league MVP who's not yet 30, Favre twice. Because Holmgren left for more power. They didn't fire him. Right. He left. They hired Ray Rhodes, Ray Rhods was one and done. They hired Mike Sherman and then Lamar this year and Josh this year. That's it. In 50 years we've never had. The only time we had a job opening like this was when Mike Holmgren opted into leaving the packers and now we have two of them and they are such a obviously important hires because I don't think Josh or Lamar are gonna be ha. You know, look playing at the level that Stafford or Brady did in their late 30s because of who they are stylistically. So they are win the championship next year jobs. Are you gonna trust that to a first time head coach? Like I don't know what they're gonna do. I don't know what the right move is.
- [41:03]
A
Well, I'm going to hit you with a couple things. First, Danny Parkins has referred to you, to you to me as his best friend before that has happened.
- [41:12]
B
He's edited that now ever since.
- [41:14]
A
Let me tell you though, it's weird though. I've been called best friend by people like while in their face and been like huh, really wonder what I did to how I how I got to the top of the power rankings. This doesn't speak very much to your quality of friends. But two in line with what you were saying. Sang the Davis Webb thing was a segue to me to the one that I think is a terrible idea. Dayl I like what do you have some of these guys that people talk about giving other jobs to. I'm like what do they have to do? Day ball was what, 20 and 40 and one or something like that with the Giants and he loses his shit. And that's the thing to me about a head coach. Like the way he talks to people when things are going well or as you pointed out going in the tent to try to save his job with Jackson Dart and everything else. No, no, no, no, no. That team that just looked like it was broken. That little man is not the one that you make the head coach of that operation. Like that is craziness to me that they would think to do that.
- [42:12]
B
I, I agree. But that that then leaves us so then we're in this weird spot where first time head coach is such a crapshoot.
- [42:25]
A
Yeah.
- [42:27]
B
And then the like I would, I, I think you will think this is a terrible idea. I would try to hire Belichick.
- [42:37]
A
That is a good idea.
- [42:39]
B
I knew you would say that. Let me make the case for it. I would trust that that man's ego and vindictiveness and seeing the Patriots rise up this year without him would fuel him to tap into what the best stuff he has left and be like listen, this is a three year thing. Can you get the Bills a Super Bowl? That there is you. And here's the deal. You're all that power and stuff you wanted, you don't have it. And my guess is your girlfriend's not going to be a huge fan of Western New York in the fall and the winter. So I don't know how much we'll be seeing her during football season anyway. But I, you we know the floor you bring to the table a that to me, I don't think Tomlin is coaching this year and I don't know.
- [43:39]
A
I don't think he's coaching again.
- [43:40]
B
Coaching again? Yeah, I'm not sure. And so who, so who, who are you gonna hire? Like it can't be Mike McCarthy. Mike McCarthy can't be the answer here. So then you're just rolling the dice with a first time head coach. That seems so risky, man. And the same applies by the way, for Baltimore. Like Baltimore, it feels less risky because I think they do have enough organizational infrastructure that if you wanted to go with whether it's another defensive minded guy, whether it's Flores or Jesse Minter or something, you feel like they could, you know, grow within the job and Lamar gives you a floor for the offense but. And they just draft better than Buffalo. So I don't, I don't know what the right hire is and I don't know that the Bills know what the right hire is.
- [44:29]
A
I think both of those teams. There is also a question of have your star quarterbacks peaked? And that doesn't mean that they're going to be terrible after this. But both of them play games that are heavily predicated on athleticism and both have taken their blows. You, you may have seen the best of them physically at this point. Now of course they've both gotten much better at the mental parts of the game and so they can figure out ways to get it done from there. But the, the quarterbacks that they had are not necessarily the quarterbacks that they are going to have in the future. And the idea that you can build this team. Buffalo has built a much more heliocentric operation with Josh Allen than I'd say the Baltimore has with Lamar Jackson. But still, you're going to need to figure some stuff out around both of these.
- [45:15]
B
But to your point, because if Bills and Ravens fans are listening and be like, no, like with the, the, the we are going to have MVP caliber play from our quarterback without a doubt next season. Fine, so be it. But your overall point, whether they have peaked or not is definitively true. Which is they're the window of Allen and Lamar being in the discussion for best quarterback alive or second best quarterback alive, I think for both of them is around the next three years max. And because of that. That means you can't screw around with the 2026 season. It's why they both fired longtime head coaches. It is the ultimate pressure of the moment. The additional issue the Ravens have that the Bills don't, luckily for the Bills, is Josh Allen's under a long term contract. Like the Lamar contract. Stuff is about to pop back up this off season and be, I think, a difficult negotiation in this regard. I thought that press conference that Bashati gave that everybody loved, there was real news in it when he said, listen, we want to get this done by March. We don't think there's going to be a hard negotiation. And he said, and I'm paraphrasing, but it's almost a direct quote. Yeah, all we do is take the contract he has and, and change the number, which is I do not think what Lamar wants. Lamar wanted a guaranteed deal before he won, won an another MVP and was a two time first team and the.
- [47:00]
A
League colluded against him apparently.
- [47:03]
B
And so I just, I, if, if, if Lamar would take the exact same contract structure just with, you know, a $10 million a year raise, great. But if he doesn't, then the Ravens have a whole. That's going to be an arduous task this summer for a new head coach to be walking into.
- [47:21]
A
Yeah. Now that's, that is a great point that you raised because again, we've got reason to think even if the arbitrator said no, it wasn't collusion. It felt like that decision, and that's the one where Pablo dug up the paperwork on it. It was like, it's not collusion, but they did collude. I understand that that doesn't make sense to anybody, but that's basically what they said.
- [47:42]
B
Yep.
- [47:42]
A
And so if Lamar wants that, I don't. It's very interesting and curious how that works because again, that's what they did the last time. There's nothing really to stop him. Nobody. When Arthur Blank came out and was like, nah, we don't want Lamar Jackson, I was like, oh, y' all just out here bullshitting then, huh? Oh, okay. Got you.
- [48:03]
B
And the, it's also complicated because when it happened last time he had his contract, you know, had expired and now there's two years left, but he's obviously underpaid. I. So I just, I think the Ravens did themselves a huge favor in fixing, if it needed fixing, the relationship with Lamar by moving on from Harbaugh. But it doesn't mean the work is done and that him signing a contract is going to be easy. Which job do you think Bo is the better job if there was a, A plus coaching candidate out there, right?
- [48:45]
A
Oh, between, between Baltimore. Between Baltimore and Buffalo.
- [48:49]
B
Yeah, Baltimore.
- [48:50]
A
Because I feel pretty good that if they fire you, you will have had a chance. Like I think the Bills are probably going to be more prone to panic because on some level for Brandon Bean to get promoted, what they are saying on one level or another is the players are good enough.
- [49:08]
B
Correct.
- [49:08]
A
The problem was the coach and the players are clearly not good enough.
- [49:12]
B
So, so that's what, so the, the, the Bills are definitively saying we had a Super bowl caliber roster and not a Super bowl caliber coach. And that's why we and they have such an allergy. It would seem to. I, I don't want to say they have an allergy to taking accountability. I the is not lost on me however that a handful of their playoff losses compared to the rest of the leagues. It hasn't been their fault. 13 the 13 seconds game. Oh man, we just got unlucky with the coin toss. Okay LA people forget this last year the Bills not quite to the same level they're doing right now. Did a bit of a media tour on Josh. Picked up that first down on the Tush Bush. I still think that was a first down we got and, and that was a fourth down play with eight minutes left in the four. Like it wasn't the deciding play. But they, they, they, they pedaled a bit. We got screwed there. And then Dion Dawkins and others whining about what was obviously an interception and then McDermott obviously calling the Buffalo News and stuff but he's gone now there. The, the woe is us. We got screwed. I think that whoever the new coach is is going to have to find a way to make them turn the page, which I think can be difficult after what they consider another devastating postseason loss.
- [50:50]
A
All right, last thing before we get out of here. And I, I, I, I, I wonder if I'm going wrong and even getting into this because it's hard to make this quick but I feel like everything that's going on with Buffalo allows us to forget. It's going to be a hell of an off season for Philadelphia and a hell of a season for Philadelphia next year as we figure out where this goes. Right. Because talent they have absolutely. But a run can only go for so long. They're kind of in like year four or five of what this run is and man, it's always a lot.
- [51:19]
B
Well they also not to be too nerdy on this because they have an owner that is willing to spend cash. They have pushed more money into void years in the future than any other team in the league by a mile. So they have over $400 million. Avoid years attached to the current roster. And so for some context on that, seven teams in the league have $0 million. Just don't use them. The the Browns have the second most and it's because it's all DeSean and it's, it's not all to Sean, but it's almost all to Sean and It's less than 200 million. The way Howie Roseman does business and it's been smart is we borrow from a specific future year. For the bills it's 2028 or I'm sorry, for the Eagles it's 2028 and we have this window and then we have a very quick one year reset and then we start competing again. And it's been, it's worked for him. It's obviously he's done a great job. But it means this year was such a blown opportunity because you had all that talent and, and you lost at home to a Niners team that showed you the very next week who they really were. I don't think A.J. brown's going to be on the team next year. I don't know what, you know what to expect from Saquon next year. And there's just more and more whispers about the or whether it's teammates or coaches, coaches or whomever being a little nonplussed with some of Jaylen Herz either style leader, whatever it is. And this is who they're, this is their team moving forward. I thought it was interesting. I think it, it's very interesting who they get to be the offensive coordinator there because that's been such an interesting job where because some parts of the league don't think Jalen hurts is great if you have a great offense with him, you get a head coaching job. But because the, but if you don't have a great offense with him, you get fired. Like they've had four offensive coordinators and two of them have gone on to be head coaches and two of them been one and done fired. So it just, it seems like high upside, low floor job. And I, I look at it next year and I'm like man, do I think that and I know this sounds disrespectful because the guy won a Super bowl and his record so crazy but are they going to go into next year with the worst coach in their own division? May like I thought Schottenheimer did a good job. I think Dan Quinn's fine and Harbaugh's obviously good. Like, are they going to go into next year if Jaden Daniels is healthy with the third best quarterback in their division? I think so. It's such an interesting spot for them.
- [54:29]
A
Yeah. It's also going to be fun. And this is who knows what year it's going to happen, but at some point it's going to happen. The year they start taking second round quarterbacks, third round quarterbacks in the way that they took Jalen Hurts with an expectation that we got to start figuring out how we get to another guy. Because when they did that with Wentz, we still felt pretty good about Wentz and I would say that we still largely feel pretty good about Hurts, but this is not a sustainable situation and I don't think he's going to get much better.
- [54:56]
B
Well, like you said, listen, like you said, this is it. Certainly don't have time to get into this, but you were talking about some of the racial components to discussion of around Josh Allen. I don't know how much you digest any Philly talk radio, but Tanner McKee's quite a popular fella.
- [55:13]
A
Look, you know, we have a back.
- [55:16]
B
Some folks in Philly love them. Some Tanner, you know, we have a.
- [55:20]
A
Macro level observation about that entire dynamic. Like, you know, they not serious about Jalen Hurts for real because they would have had a black dude behind him to quell some of this talk. But the thing about it is it be your own people. Like I say about black quarterbacks, every. Every black person loves another team's black quarterback when it's their own. They be talking about that just like they would anybody else, man. And Philadelphia is the test case in this. So no, that's going to be fun. We'll get to that. When it comes up though. More Nick Wright. Check him out. First things first. FS1.3 to 5 the what's Right podcast My brother, I appreciate you.
- [55:55]
B
Of course. Absolutely. See you this weekend.
- [55:57]
A
All right now, ladies and gentlemen, thanks so much for joining us here on the Right Time. We do this four times a week. Ryan Brumley handled everything behind the scenes. Thank you, sir. Remember, follow the right time. Subscribe like, rate us, review us, give us five stars. You only give us four stars. I'm inclined to believe you are a hater. And I'll talk to you guys in a couple of days. Dexter, tell Leela I got my Lions helmet up there. Take it easy.