After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 4

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. This is with you young Scott Walker.

I am a Jedi, like my father before me. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. The NFL memes that exist for Aaron Rodgers emerging from his darkness retreat, they are priceless. I just retweeted one from our show account, After Hours CBS, when I saw it on Thursday afternoon I nearly spit out my coffee. It was one of the first things that I saw, a fan had posted it on our Facebook page, and I looked at it and nearly spit out my coffee. First thing in the morning, which is my afternoon, I don't have full control of bodily functions then, so as I'm sipping my coffee I nearly lost said coffee all over my computer screen.

Thankfully that did not happen, but you have got to check it out on our show Twitter, After Hours CBS. It's the raccoon, just trust me. The raccoon is worth your time. And even as we start this final hour of the work week with a little Star Wars, I can't help but think, now that's the Star Wars theme. And actually I'm going to a John Williams tribute concert on Saturday night, so that is perfect, thank you Carlos.

But, it's not the Imperial March, which is the dark side, which fits so perfectly. Some of you are sending your song suggestions for Aaron Rodgers in the darkness, or as he emerges from the darkness. I kind of feel like he would need his sunglasses at night, because after you've been in the darkness, well, that light can be fairly powerful. Oh my gosh, it's unbelievable that there are reports about the place where he's done his darkness retreat.

According to the owner, it was somewhere in Southern Oregon, I'm not going to name the place, you can go do your homework if you want to. But according to the owner, Scott, who no doubt is getting a lot of free publicity, Aaron departed, safely, left the property on Wednesday. So that was the end of his darkness retreat.

I do not know if we will get video from inside said darkness retreat. That was what he shared with Pat McAfee on the last appearance that he made on the show, which would have been last week. That he knew there was going to be a video camera, and that he would make sure there was some footage available for Pat's listeners to his show. So we're going next level with this, and by we, I mean the media. This has become over the top ridiculous, and so much like the Brett Favre situation.

I can't get over how uncanny. Whether this is his last year in Green Bay or it's not, the end of their tenures with the Packers, so similar. So remember, Rogers sat for three years behind Brett Favre, Brett waffled back and forth for the last couple years of his career about whether or not he would continue to play or retire. Remember, there were reporters staked out in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

They were right outside his property line. That was their job, was to hang out there until we got a decision from Brett Favre and to report on his every waking move if they could see him. It was a little gross, and that goes back now 18 years, nearly 20 years. He's busy doing other stuff now, but I remember I went on a cruise to Alaska with two aunts and an uncle, and we had very limited TV. It was like closed circuit TV on our ship, and in our cabin, my aunt and I shared a cabin. We only had a few channels, but one of them, if I remember correctly, was this loop of sports coverage. So it came from a couple of different networks.

I think it was ESPN, ABC, but it came from a couple of different networks. And the only story, the entire ten days that I was gone, but we were on the ship for seven, seven or eight, the entire time was whether or not Brett Favre would retire. Every single day. That was the realization I finally had that it was okay for me to take a vacation because the sports world, it was still going to be there when I got back. It was going to be the same story when I got back. And so I remember it distinctly because every single day was the speculation. Every single day we saw shots of reporters camped out near his property.

And this is eerily similar. Three years into Jordan Love, are the Packers ready to move on? Well, it depends upon who you believe. There are reports yes, there are reports no.

And you've got them coming from both sides now. It doesn't appear as though many people think Rodgers is done. I wouldn't leave that kind of money on the table. I certainly wouldn't leave if I felt like I had something to prove, which you can imagine he does after the way that they missed the playoffs last year on their own field. And lost to the Lions twice in one season. See, now that's a note I wouldn't go out on.

Anyway, it's just, as I say, eerily similar. Because here we've got this, will he or won't he be back with the Packers? Will he or won't he retire? Will he or won't he return to Green Bay?

If he doesn't, well, he could end up with the Jets. I mean, come on. Someone's got to be laughing about this, right? It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio, so no news is good news.

And yes, some of you are sending memes, some of you are sending your song suggestions for Aaron Rodgers. Mine was sunglasses at night. What was yours, Carlos?

We were talking about this on Thursday afternoon. I had the Simon and Garfunkel sound of silence because it starts off, hello darkness my old friend. Where is it? I need to hear it. I played it in the last rejoin. Like with the words or just the music? Yes, I had the lyrics. Oh, somehow I missed it. I'm sorry about that.

I was running around doing my CBS Sports Minute. So, I feel like Simon and Garfunkel is older than me, so isn't it older than you? Oh, it's 1000% older than me. It's just a classic song, you know? Well, I got introduced to that song, I knew the song, but Old School, the movie with Will Ferrell, really got me hooked into that song.

Because, what is it, the older gentleman passed away from wrestling. So, they played that song in a funeral or something like that. Gotcha. Here's the thing about that song, it gets in your head and you can't get it out. So, I resisted the urge after you mentioned it on the phone to start singing it. Because, I really don't know any other line except for that one. That's it, that's all I know? That's the whole song right there. That's the whole line? You can clip it after six seconds. That's it.

So, I was trying to go with sunglasses at night. We've had a bunch of other people who have suggested songs, so yes. If you've got any music playlist ads for our Aaron Rodgers Spotify rotation.

Well, I suppose you can find us on Twitter or on Facebook. And many of you are still answering the question of who would you rather have. Considering age, ability, personality, drama or lack thereof. Considering the money that would have to be invested if your team needs a QB. Like the Jets, like the Panthers, like the Colts, right? Yeah, the Colts need a quarterback. Do the Niners need a veteran?

I don't think so, I think they're okay. Even if Brock Purdy isn't available right away. An interesting question though is the Cardinals. Because it's likely that Kyler Murray won't be ready to start the season. And even though you have Colt McCoy, who also had a procedure recently, a minor one. Don't you want someone else there just in case?

I feel like you need someone else just in case. And then what about the Raiders? We still don't know about the Raiders. They have one quarterback that nobody's ever heard of under contract right now. But they also need a quarterback. And so there's a bunch of teams out there.

Right now if your team is QB starved, would you rather have Derek Carr or Aaron Rodgers all things being equal? So we still are taking your reaction. Coming up this hour, Eric Bienemy speaks about the challenge of leaving Kansas City and trying something new. Starting over, so to speak, in Washington.

And also, why not Washington? That was a phrase that he used a bunch as he was introduced on Thursday. Ron Rivera really high on EB, as are many of his players.

But Bienemy also addressed his, well sort of, I guess indirectly addressed his harshest critic. And we'll get to that before the show is done. The NBA resumed last night. And wouldn't you know, the front runner for a third consecutive MVP award is up to his old tricks. Now Nikola Jokic at the point. Jokic has it inside the arc. In the corner Murray. Head fake on the three. Jump pass to Joker. And a three.

Got it again. Four point lead for Denver 109-105. Four minutes to go. Donovan Mitchell right to the rack. Bank shot. No good.

Tip won't go. Rebound Mobley. Had it lost. Loose ball down to Porter. Denver's pushing the pace. Porter to the rack. Wings in. Layup.

Got it. 22 for Mike. Nuggets back in the lead by four.

111-107. This bad boy's gonna come right down to the wire, isn't it? Gets it off to Nikola Jokic at the elbow against Jared Allen.

Here comes the double team. He throws behind him to Casey. Wide open three. Porter.

Got it again. 25 for Michael Porter Jr. And the Nuggets pushed the lead up to a nickel. Michael Porter ends up with 25. So a huge contribution there.

Jason Kosmicki on Nuggets radio. And Jokic once again. 24 points. 18 rebounds. 13 assists.

Now he did have seven turnovers. And the team started slowly. They were giving up way too many points in the paint on the road in Cleveland. Believe it or not, this is the road victory that puts them over.500 away from home. They're not a great road team. Now they're better than the Warriors. But they're really just clinging to.500 away from home.

And so a big deal for them to start away from home with the win post All-Star break. And once again, Jokic can fill up the stat sheet. He's the MVP.

You know what I mean? When the MVP goes out and puts up a triple-double, that means he's impacting the game at a high level across the board. And I think the most important stat, and he's going to set the record this year for most assists per game by a center, in NBA history, he's going to like blow it out of the water. Because he's going to average 10 plus assists per game. But his playmaking ability to generate the shots and the quality of shots that he does every night is just remarkable. There's a lot of guys that can score. There's a lot of guys that can rebound. But the playmaking and the ability to make everyone around him better is what makes him truly a historically great basketball player. That's Michael Malone, who did not have the same assessment of this game as he did the All-Star game. Remember when he said it was really tough to sit through and it had to be the worst basketball game ever played? We didn't hear that, at least. And the Nuggets escaped Cleveland with a win. Here's the thing.

I looked it up because I wasn't sure. I knew Larry Bird had won three consecutive MVP awards going back to the 80s because he's one of my all-time favorite athletes. I didn't realize there are only three in NBA history who have ever won three straight regular season MVP awards. But Wilt, Bill Russell, and Bird are going to have to move over and make some room in their exclusive club because Jokic is the front-runner right now.

If you missed my conversation with Colin Ward-Henniger, he joined us from the Bay Area live to start the second hour of the show. Once the games were in the books, he covers the NBA for CBS Sports. We talked about some other potential MVP candidates who could unseat Jokic, though right now they're pretty far back. One of the names he mentioned was Jason Tatum. Tatum coming out of the All-Star break with a shiny trophy as the All-Star game MVP. He has 31 points, doesn't rebound, 7 assists in last night's victory for the Celtics. So both top seeds, or both one seeds at this point, were in action last night. Think about Tatum, is that he doesn't think he played all that well, even though the Celtics scored 142 points on the road. They needed overtime, but 142 points on the road, and their starting lineup was actually all together.

It was either I left home, I was shooting in Utah, or still drunk from vacation. That's how I played the night. But man, a good stat line, but you know, really not a really good game. But you know, just for one, glad we won and just try to find ways to make plays on both ends, you know, just so we could win and everybody feel better about themselves. Glad we could win so everybody could feel better about themselves, but my stat line doesn't really indicate how much I had to drink Gatorade.

That's what he said too, he's like got a little bunch of Gatorade. So Jason Tatum has 31, Jalen Brown back on the court, and scary in that mask. Colin reminded me that Joel Embiid also wore that black mask. I think it looks like a bandit, almost like the Lone Ranger, for those of you who ever saw the Lone Ranger if you were a kid.

But he was thinking superhero, so something to do with Marvel. So yeah, Jalen Brown is returning, had 30, but has to get used to this mask over his face. It's going to take some getting used to, you know, a little bit of breathing, a little bit of being able to see the floor. I missed a lot of layups today. It's going to take a little bit of getting used to, but let's just keep having fun and keep winning games. Being healthy is the key, so being on the floor with all our guys as we're getting ready for the playoffs is going to be important.

So we just got to keep it up and stay healthy as much as possible and have fun. As Jalen on NBC Sports Boston following the game, missed a few layups. I need to breathe, he said I need to breathe a little.

Yes, please continue to breathe a little. Marcus Smart out there as well, Horford, Rob Williams, so that's your starting five for the Celtics. If they're healthy, they're a lot better, but 142 points on the road in OT, that's a lot of points. Do you know though, they weren't alone in scoring 142 points. Believe it or not, that was exactly what the Mavericks put up. So both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Kyrie came on late in the fourth quarter. Chuck Cooperstein on Mavs Radio indicated that he's the highest scorer in the fourth quarter right now in the NBA. So he tends to show up and surge down the stretch, but it wasn't just those two. This is a dream come true for the Mavericks because what they really want is to have a more balanced attack. Now I know they were playing the Spurs, they were home, whatever.

But they had eight different guys score in double figures, which is a big deal, right? Justin Holliday coming off the bench with 15 points, made five of his six three attempts, and Jason Kidd was raving about him and about the offense. As I talked about, he could start here and just to look at that to see how he does in the starting role. He's a pro. He's been in the league. He's won a championship.

So yeah, he's won. He's happy to be here and he's going to do whatever it takes to help his team win. And so tonight was a pretty good display of being able to catch and shoot open shots. And then defensively, I thought he did a really good job too.

So good start. We'll go back to work tomorrow and then get ready for the Lakers. But again, anytime you can score 142 points and Luca doesn't have to play in the fourth, that's pretty good. Really just to go out there and just play, just to be me. And when anybody tells you just to be you, that's an easy job to do. Again, he understands the game, so he knows things aren't going to be perfect. He understands I'll play the game hard, so he's like, just go out there and play hard. I'm a vet. I've played long enough. I know how to do any and everything.

He's not worried about the little mistakes that might happen here and there. He knows I'm going to get them. And again, the team around, the guys help me. They talk to me.

They're in help side. It just makes it easy for me just to fit right in. So he just says, go and just be you. And that's about it. The career arc for Justin Holliday is, I mean, it's amazing. I have to look it up because I can't keep all these teams straight. He's in his ninth year in the league. But he's the kind of guy who's spent multiple seasons in different places, right?

So here's the rundown for Holliday. The Sixers, the Warriors, the Hawks, the Bulls, the Knicks. Five years in the league, those were his five teams that he played for. Whoa, back to the Bulls where he stuck for two seasons. Then the Grizzlies, then the Pacers, then the Kings last season. And now with, well, the Hawks earlier this year and then signed with the Mavs.

Whoa. I'm going to have to count the numbers, but it feels like he's played for half the teams in the NBA. Which it speaks to his staying power. But also, as Jason Kidd points out, this is a guy, and as he says too, this is a guy who can do pretty much anything you ask of him. He's going to fill a hole. He's going to fill a role.

I just love the fact that he's still chugging. 33 years old? I don't care where I go. I'll play for every team in the freaking association. Just give me an opportunity. Just give me a chance. Love that story. He's a guy that I could root for, to be sure. So lots of great ball movement.

Lots of guys involved. The Mavericks can do this on a regular basis. Well, then they will be a threat to get back to the Western Conference.

Let's see. We'll do a little more NBA, but then also going to get back to Eric the Enemy. As well as, I promised this last night, and we ran out of time at the top of the hour, but the guy who's calling Russell Wilson the sack of potatoes. Sorry, it's totally worth laughing, cackling about as you head into your weekend.

So happy Friday to you. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. You're listening to After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Maybe you've heard me say it before, offensive rebounds are sexy, and that's exactly what the Magic used to get a buzzer-beating win at home against the Pistons.

Jake Chapman there on Magic Radio. So yes, Paolo Bencaro misses a shot with not even a second to go, and it's a tip-in by Wendell Carter. A missed layup at the buzzer, redeemed by Wendell Carter. So pretty sweet as the Magic are able to stun the Pistons. This was actually right after there was a big three that was made, I think five seconds to go, and Jaden Ivey had a huge three.

I think they're heading into overtime, but not so fast. So yes, you've got Wendell Carter on how that play went down. I feel like when you tip in a shot at the buzzer, you need to get your name and your voice on national radio. Jesse told me as he went to the basket, that's to follow him up just in case he missed it.

The ball came right to me, and I just tipped it in. A lot of fans get a lot of credit to Detroit. They're a young team, and they're fighting. They got a lot of dogs on their team, and we knew it was going to be a dog park tonight, and I think we came out prepared, win, lose, or draw.

I think we made some great adjustments down the stretch, and luckily we came away with the W. Yeah, see? Good stuff. Fire it up. On adrenaline.

It's Wendell Carter on Bally Sports, and he mentions dogs a couple of times. The reason that this triggers something in my spaghetti plate brain, this is how my brain works. It's a plate of spaghetti. I don't compartmentalize. Everything's just in a big jumble, so when you pull a couple strands of spaghetti off the plate with your fork, then here comes some more spaghetti.

It essentially means that one thought leads to another thought leads to another thought, and I take the scenic route, and sometimes I forget where I started, but I always find my way back. It's just, it's dogs, so I can go on a tangent. Do you guys remember when Coach K retired, and he was doing the ceremony, and John Shire, who's replaced him, sorry, not replaced him, but took over the program, brought him a puppy on stage as his retirement gift? Do you guys remember that video?

It was all over social. I watched it so many times because the face of Coach K. Well, first of all, his wife, Mickey, was all excited because I think it was a brown lab, if I remember correctly, and just adorable, this little chocolate ball of brown fur, and so they brought it to him on stage. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't turn down the puppy, and so that was the retirement gift. I'm even watching the video now because it's amazing, right?

So, heard this and wanted to share it with you. Coach K did a quick appearance on GMA, so Good Morning America. Oh my gosh, I'm watching it now.

What? That puppy! I could, oh my gosh, I could hug it and squeeze it. Anyway, he's now a year into retirement, and he was asked on Good Morning America whether or not he misses it. A little bit lonely, you know.

It's nice to have a cheerleader's cheer for you. No. No, I'm traveling all over speaking, and I'm good.

I'm good. And I have a dog. I have a dog. He just celebrated his first birthday.

His name's Coach. Oh my gosh, it reminded me of that incredible video that went viral. There's millions of views where the puppy's brought to him on stage. His face, Mickey's face, she's covering her face with her hands, and the dog is licking Coach K's face. So yeah, on GMA he says, I'm a little bit lonely at times, but no, I'm good. I've got Coach with me, and he just celebrated his first birthday.

So when Wendell Carter mentioned dogs, that's where my brain went, because I've been thinking about that tonight. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. Let's see, other NBA storylines. Actually, this is not as much an NBA storyline, but something I definitely wanted to mention. If you listen to the show, especially during the spring, for any length of time, over the past, what, 10 years, you've heard me make all kinds of jokes at the expense of James Harden, especially his tenure in the playoffs, and the three-point futility in the playoffs. But also, I don't love the way he's handled his business the last couple of years, and I've been pretty frank about that, that he was a total punk, forcing his way out of Houston, and then whatever happened after that with the Nets and then the Sixers and blah, blah, blah.

So I don't make any secret about the fact that I'm not a huge fan of the way he handles his basketball business. However, because I do that, I want to make sure that I give him so much credit, and I tell you that I admire him so much for what he did to reach out to a Michigan State student who was severely injured in that shooting last week. Now, we've talked about it, we've heard from Tom Izzo, his leadership, his compassion, as the Spartans try to get back to basketball, even in the wake of three funerals and five others who were seriously injured.

One of the students, 20 years old, his name is John Howe, and when he woke up in the hospital, he found out that he was paralyzed from, I believe it's the chest down. Howe is a huge fan of Harden's, and when Harden found out, he FaceTimed with this 20-year-old, he sent sneakers as a gift, he sent other gifts to him and his family. The video, and I've retweeted it a couple of times, Malika Andrews, who's the NBA reporter and anchor for ESPN, she does a great job, she did the story yesterday as a package, and so I retweeted that so you can see it. But the video footage of John in his hospital bed and James on FaceTime, it brought me to tears. He's encouraging, he's kind, he's supportive, he even tells this young student, you gotta smile, I love it when you smile. It was a really compassionate exchange, and it showed me a different side of James Harden that I need to appreciate. A wonderful gesture, wonderful. He didn't have to do this, these guys never do. But the fact that he was there when this young man needed him and didn't do it for any type of accolades or attention, his encouragement, it was special. And the young man was crying, of course, in his hospital bed for a variety of reasons, I'm sure. So really emotional exchange between the two, I'd encourage you to watch Bravo, James Harden. I hope that young man knows that he has an advocate now. And actually, James said to him, keep my number anytime you need me.

I'll be there for you. Pretty amazing. As athletes, a lot of times we forget, maybe we get lost in the money, we get lost in the wins and losses, in the stats. We call them bums when we think they don't play well.

Sometimes we call them worse names than that, and by we I do not mean me. But we get so over the top as fans, lost in a lot of it because it's not always public, is how much good pro athletes do and how very often they're using their platform, as well as the money that they have access to, to not only invest in their communities, but to make a difference in personal exchanges like this one. And I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of James Harden like John Howe is, but I would say that this was amazing.

And I hope that you'll go check out the video just so you can see the exchange between he and John. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence coming up. Eric Bienemey, a new role, a new challenge, and a lot of excitement in Washington.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. As you know, our search for our office coordinator process has ended. We've got our guy. It's a very long process for the most part, and that was on purpose. We wanted to be very thorough, wanted to get the opportunity to meet a lot of these guys. And that's what we worked on. We had a lot of qualified candidates, a lot of good candidates, guys that we really got to talk with and spend some time. We tried to do that the right way. But we took our time on purpose because we wanted to make sure we had an opportunity to visit with all the candidates.

And Eric Bienemey just happened to be very busy at the time. So we really truly feel we found the right guy. We found a guy that we believe can step up and be the guy that we're looking for. He's going to be our offensive coordinator, our assistant head coach.

And we're going to go from there as far as those are concerned because I know you guys have a lot of questions. So I want to go ahead and introduce to you guys Eric Bienemey. Here's Amy Lawrence. And Eric Bienemey and Ron Rivera, the Washington commanders holding their introductory press conference on Thursday. And Bienemey, who as Rivera indicates, was the last guy they talked to.

They waited for him until four days after the Super Bowl and after the Chiefs' victory parade because they wanted to make sure they included him. And not only is he going to be the offensive coordinator in charge of all things offense, including play calling, but he's also an assistant head coach. They go way back, he and Ron Rivera. They've known each other since 1999 when Bienemey was a player in the league. And speaking of players, there were a bunch of them in the front couple rows, including quarterback Sam Howell and Scary Terry, their top wide receiver. A couple of their running backs, including Brian Robinson and tight end Logan Thomas. And he, Eric Bienemey, whenever he was talking about the offense, he gestured to them, he thanked them for being there.

And all smiles, really excited about what he deems is a new opportunity. And when he was asked why Washington, he responded in kind. Why not Washington? Look at all the talent. Look at the players that they have.

Look at the guys that they have on defense. So I'm excited about this opportunity. I've known Coach Ron now since 1999.

So relationships mean something. I have never, ever backed down from a challenge. So I'm embracing this challenge. I'm fired up. I'm excited. I'm excited when it's time to start talking ball with these guys, to start getting to work.

But when it's all said and done with, why not Washington? It's interesting because when he first started that, and that was very near the beginning of the press conference because we listened to it. A good chunk of it. He kept saying they, the players that they have, what they have. Pretty soon he's going to have to figure out how to say we. Because he's been with the Chiefs for the last 10 years. Now he's had more than half the league interview him. Over the past few years, he's been bypassed for head coaching gigs in half the league. So I applaud Ron Rivera for giving Eric this opportunity, for trusting him.

Relationship's also important to Ron. And he's known for, see it's weird to say going out on a limb because that's not what it is. But he's known for breaking with convention, right? He hires more minorities. He hires women on his staff. He is unconventional. He doesn't follow the same pattern that many other coaches do.

Now he himself is a minority and so he certainly understands. But he's always big on opportunities and he's big on trusting the people that he brings on board. When it comes to offense, there is no, well I guess there is some downward spiral that they could get into.

But for the most part, it's been a mess. Going back to 2016, not one time since that season, and that was still Kirk Cousins in Washington, they've not finished in the top half of the NFL in either points or passing yards since 2016. And listen to the number of quarterbacks. This is like the number of teams that Justin Holliday has played for in the NBA.

Ready? Cousins played in 16 and 17 every game. And that was before he departed for Washington. But then, Alex Smith, Josh Johnson, Colt McCoy, Mark Sanchez, Case Keenum, the Dwayne Haskins experiment, back to Alex Smith, back to Haskins, Kyle Allen who followed Ron Rivera from Carolina, Taylor Heineke, Ryan Fitzpatrick, that didn't work out, Garrett Gilbert, Carson Wentz, more Taylor Heineke, and Sam Howell who started exactly one game for the commanders and yet he's the one that Rivera indicates will be their starting QB at least in the offseason so that they have someone at the top of the chart. Bien ami was asked about Sam Howell.

So this is post-press conference, I believe, when he's speaking to a group of reporters. Had an opportunity to evaluate him coming out, and I thought the kid, he's a heck of a player, heck of a competitor. Still going through the evaluation process, but it's all said and done with, you know. Sam has some stuff to him, but like I said, you always want to create competition, okay? One thing I did, I have to admit this, I watched that last game that he played. Against the Cowboys?

Yeah, I saw that flex, it got me fired up, so. Now, before I let you hear what he has to say about the time with the Chiefs, because I think that's significant, he's got a very vocal critic. LaShawn McCoy takes absolutely every opportunity to rip E.B., his leadership, his contributions in Kansas City, any angle he can possibly take to needle and criticize Eric Bien ami, he does.

Most recently, and we'll have to get the credit for this, Carlos, but most recently, this week. Once again, piling on Eric Bien ami for why he's not a head coach. What's his value? What makes him a good officer coordinator? See, the problem is, a lot of these people that go on social media, oh, he should be the guy for the job, they haven't played there, they're not in the locker room. I've been in the rooms where he's coaching, and he has nothing to do with the pass game at all, right? When the plays are designed, that's Andy Reid. When you talk about officer coordinators, I could tell you what makes Brian Dayball with the Giants a very, very good coordinator.

I could tell you with Andy Reid or Doug Peterson, but when I ask about Eric Bien ami, what makes him good? When we watch the film or practices and we correct the wide receivers, the running backs, the quarterbacks, he doesn't talk in there. Andy Reid talks in there. He may say things to the running back because he's an ex-running back coach.

I get that. But he has no real responsibility. Now you go from the Chiefs, where you can hide behind Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, then you go to the Washington where you've got to call plays, you've got to run the meetings.

LaShawn McCoy is a future Hall of Fame runner, okay? Everybody's entitled to their own position, to their own comments and how they feel. When it's all said and done with, I think that's all I have to say because he's entitled to his own opinion. That's life, okay?

You've got good and you have bad, you know? It does not impact me in any way. Because one thing that you learn when you're in this position, you have to learn to eliminate distractions, all right?

My job is to focus on the now. Everything outside these walls has no impact on Eric Bien ami moving forward. So that was what he had to say in response to LaShawn McCoy, who you hear on FS1.

But that's just the latest. Shady, as he was labeled when he was in the NFL, certainly has spent his time ripping Eric Bien ami up one side and down another. Now, if you also follow the reaction, Andy Reid has come out and said there's a reason why McCoy talks about Eric that way. He's got an axe to grind. We know that McCoy was dumped by the Chiefs and so he potentially has some personal grudges there. But there are other players who come out and respond to him too. So Jamal Charles, former Chiefs running back himself.

Four years I learned so many things for E.B. I still keep in contact with him. A great husband and father, he deserves to be a head coach. Tyron Matthew, Tyreek Hill, pointing out that McCoy is mad.

So you get both sides of it. But McCoy has certainly taken every opportunity to rip Eric Bien ami, his most vocal critic. Bien ami chooses to take the high road. And you're going to hear a lot of that from him. You do hear a lot of that from him. You hear a lot of guys praise him in the locker room. Patrick Mahomes has had great things to say about him. Andy Reid has taken every chance he can to highlight Eric's contributions.

But it is significant that Eric had to set out on his own and had to leave the Chiefs to be able to forge a different path to potentially get that first head coaching job. In ten years we've had a great deal of success. For the past five years I've been the offensive coordinator we've had a great deal of success.

It's been ten years. I was blessed and fortunate to have that opportunity and share that space with some amazing people. But one thing in this profession you learn, comfort is the enemy of progress. So when it's all said and done with, I don't like being comfortable. So I'm about accepting challenges and moving forward.

So this presents a challenge to me. Also it presents a challenge to come and work with such a great head coach and a head man. But on top of that I'm willing to embrace this journey. We're going to have some good days. We're going to have some bad days.

But you know what? That ain't going to change our behavior. That ain't going to change our focus. And that's not going to change our determination. So we're going to focus on the prize. But we're going to focus on the prize.

One step, one play, and one day at a time. Oh Boomer Esiason would be so proud. That's often his mantra as well.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. So good stuff from Eric B. Enemy. He says he's not thinking about head coach. He would not fall into that trap or take that bait. That he's really excited about his new role with the commanders. And again I applaud Ron Rivera because he's the guy who breaks with convention a lot.

Speaking of breaking with convention, this is a little bit odd. Though not the first time in the Broncos tenure. But Sean Payton is bringing back a former head coach who got fired not that long ago.

Gosh Vance Joseph was 17, 18 I believe. He got fired by the Broncos and now he's back as the DC. He's a great defensive coach. But now he's back as the defensive coordinator under Sean Payton. And then Sean Payton goes the complete opposite direction for his offensive coordinator.

And brings in Davis Webb. Who's in his late 20s. Played for the Giants last year as the backup to Daniel Jones. I didn't even realize he was officially retired.

But I suppose that is the case. Anyway, so Sean Payton is, he's making noise there. And he's doing different things. He actually interviewed Rex Ryan for that same defensive coordinator job. And ultimately went with Vance Joseph. Who at least is familiar to some of the guys who are there. But not a lot of the same guys. For instance, Von Miller, he's not there anymore. A couple of things we wanted to do before the top. I promised you last night that, well I guess it was yesterday morning.

Sorry I get my hours all mixed up. That you would hear from one player who just finished his first season with Seattle. Who has, well he's got an interesting way of describing the physique of Russell Wilson. This is Tariq Woolen. Now again, he's with Seattle.

Russ is no longer there. Seeing him in person, it was pretty funny. Cause like on TV and stuff you see him.

Like from college and stuff. You like, okay he look in shape on TV. But you see him in person, it's like weird. He like a sack of potatoes.

He have a really good, he a good player. But like literally when I seen him, I'm like dang. I didn't know he was built like that. And he was short. You know I'm tall anyway. But I was like, damn he does.

What's he like? A sack of potatoes? That's on the Two Up Two Down podcast. I don't know who the host is. But Tariq Woolen, did he not think about that before he said it?

Do you think that was gonna go viral or get out there? Russell Wilson's built like a sack of potatoes? Something tells me that's not a compliment. Damn, he says. I didn't know he was built like that. Carlos is like rolling right now. Dan on our Facebook page says this gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark.

Bruce Springsteen, his song for Aaron Rodgers as he emerges from the darkness, yeah. We'll see if he makes a decision this weekend. Talk to you Sunday night. It's After Hours on CBS Sports Radio. Boom!