Chad Brown, Former All-Pro Linebacker

A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter, but you're on a roll. The Ring of Comfort coming soon to a Super Bowl new you.

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2024 Santa Fe available early 2024. Chad, how are you, man? You're on the JR Sport Breeze show. I am fantastic and yes, I'm looking at my hotel room window at the Las Vegas Strip. Hey, that's a safe place to be indoors and out on the casino floor, isn't it, huh?

I think it's a much wiser choice for my wallet, no doubt about that. And no doubt about it. Chad Brown here, former Steeler knocking everybody senseless now into all types of media here with us on CBS Sports Radio. When we actually get to the game this coming Sunday, what are your thoughts on what we can expect to see?

I expect to see a good game. Obviously, we've got two of the best play callers and play designers in the game with Kyle Shanahan and Andy Reid. We've got two quarterbacks more than capable of directing their team to victory.

Obviously, Patrick Mahomes has done this before. In my mind, the best quarterback in the game. While Block Purdy is not at that kind of level, I've been calling his game since he was at Iowa State. I thought he was one of the better processors of information, one of the best progression guys in all of college football.

He didn't wow you with his athleticism, didn't wow you with his arm strength, but I thought in the right situation in the NFL, he would be a very good player. He goes to San Francisco with Kyle Shanahan and all those weapons and he's playing at an incredibly high level. But in the end, I think it's probably going to be determined by the defenses who actually wins this game. The 49ers need to find a way to play as they played earlier this season. And then Kansas City is going to have to find a way to limit those explosive plays from all those great talented playmakers on the 49ers offense. Well Chad, we know you made your bones on the defense. When you take a look at both of these teams and how they perform this season, who are some of the key players that we really need to watch?

We know the big names, the Jones, the Boleses of the world. Is there anybody else that you think is going to be a key contributor to Sunday? Well, I think Fred Warner, not that he's an unknown guy, and Dre Greenlaw, not that he's an unknown guy, their ability to deal with Travis Kelce in the passing game is going to be critical for the 49ers defense. Because if those guys are able to limit Travis Kelce, then Steve Wilkes, the defensive coordinator for San Francisco, can keep his base defense on the field. And that way, Andy Reid can't alternate between running power ball with Isaiah Pacheco once you go with a safety and a sub defense on the field, and then having Travis Kelce take advantage of those inside linebackers on first and second down.

So if they can handle him, that's going to allow Steve Wilkes to be a lot more confident as a play caller. And then on the other side of the field, for the 10 city chiefs, the Francisco 49ers offensively, they run the most tight formations of any team in the league. But I mean by tight formations, we always think about NFL and football now as a spread formation game, where receivers are outside the numbers. The 49ers actually do it the opposite. They bring those receivers in tight and close. They want to bunch the defense up, and then try to run outside. And that's how Christian McCaffrey is able to run for two yards, run for three yards, and break his 30 or 40 yarder, because he gets a one on one situation with a cornerback with a lot of space because they went with that very tight, compact formation. And let's face it, I played defense in the NFL for 15 years. I have yet to be on a football team where the cornerbacks weren't the worst tacklers on those football teams. So once again, a demonstration of Kyle Shanahan's offensive genius to lead the league in those tight formations to give its playmakers a chance to make explosive plays on the outside against the worst tacklers of any defense. Former NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl linebacker Chad Brown is here with us on CBS Sports Radio. Hey Chad, it sounds like you got the 49ers winning this one. Am I wrong on that?

I think you are wrong. I've got tremendous respect for both these teams. I actually did a coaching internship out there in San Francisco a couple of all seasons ago. I was out there for the entire offseason program, so I got a lot of respect for Kyle Shanahan and that organization that they built out there with John Lynch. But I think Kansas City, because of how they've played these playoff games, Kansas City during the regular season certainly left a lot to be desired. The wide receiver room in some cases cost them games.

Travis Kelce disappeared for a pretty major stretch. But the rare thing is for a team to play like that and then be able to flip the switch in the playoffs, well, Kansas City has been able to do that. Whereas San Francisco, they left a little something to be desired last couple of games in the regular season. And then in the playoff games, that defense didn't really show up, but they were only able to play one half of really good football versus one half of uneven football. So in a game that I expect to be incredibly close, I think that more even play from Kansas City certainly lends them the better chance for success. And I got them winning a close game by like somewhere three or five points, something like that. I certainly hope it's a close game.

I think it will be as well. Chad, you've played on a variety of teams with multiple coaches. And I know Pittsburgh is a special town, special city. As big or small as it is, every game feels like you're amongst your neighbors. And the vibe of the city goes with the team. What are your thoughts on the job that Mike Tomlin has done with these Steelers and then his interactions with the city? Because when I'm in Pittsburgh, I can't get an Uber, a car. People are like, hey, J.R., we need the fire. We need to get rid of them. I don't think they really appreciate them.

What do you think? Well, obviously, in Pittsburgh, the standard is incredibly high. So for a guy, Mike Tomlin, who coined the phrase, the standard is the standard.

Now, the standard he has been upheld to or asked to being uphold, I think is a bit unfair. He has losing season and over a decade and a half in the NFL. That's an amazing track record of success. But unfortunately for Pittsburgh, it's not about when you're losing seasons. It's about hoisting Lombardi trophies. That's the standard out there in Pittsburgh. So, yeah, I've been back to Pittsburgh a couple of times, and that same conversation has been thrown my way.

And I always push back and like, who are you going to get who's better? Who are you going to get who's going to be able to ship when you're moving on from a franchise quarterback, a guy like Ben Roethlisberger, and still produce winning records and still produce teams that get in the playoffs. Maybe they don't win playoff games, but they're in the playoffs. Now, they've got to find a way to, you know, to get a quarterback who can give the fan base in that franchise confidence that they can only have winning seasons but have deep playoff run.

So, I'm not sure if Kenny Pickett could ever be that guy. It sounds like he may get an opportunity again next year. But they've got some figuring out to do. But I think Mike Tomlin has proven himself as a very, very good head coach. And the folks in Pittsburgh maybe need to look around at the rest of the league and see some of these franchises. When they go through bad times, they still don't produce winning records. They got four or five wins, not nine or ten.

So, sometimes you got to be happy that the process is still ongoing. It's not a total redo from a front office standpoint. A former All-Pro linebacker Chad Brown is here with CBS Sports Radio, the JR Sport Reshow. Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh, I should say, isn't the only city you had experience with. You were there and had experience with Belichick as well with the New England Patriots. Now, when you look at this man not having a job, are you surprised? Are you shocked?

How do you see that? If I were an owner, I would definitely have coach Belichick. But I can understand why these owners weren't eager to have coach Belichick. Some of the personnel decisions over the last couple years have left something to be desired. Heck, I was there in 2005 and 2007 when some of those draft picks came in.

And I was like, well, that dude can't play. I respect this man as a football genius, but he's bringing players who don't have a shot. Now, in free agency, he typically did a really good job.

But for whatever reason, the college players, particularly wide receivers, seem to be very difficult for Bill to find the right guy. So, I think some of the personnel moves, some of the coaching moves. Having Joe Judge and Matt Patricia be offensive coordinators and call plays. Well, Joe Judge is a special teams guy. Matt Patricia is a defensive coordinator.

And so, sometimes the hubris that we feel better than everyone else and it doesn't pay off so well for the Patriots, I think that also strikes owners wrong. So, could Bill Belichick dial up a defensive game plan to shut down or limit most offenses today? Absolutely, he could. Could he connect to most players in the room if they're dedicated to winning?

Absolutely, he could. But I think his list of demands coming in from an ownership perspective about having control over personnel and those kind of things, that may have been a step too far for most of those owners this offseason. And maybe a season away from the game will humble Bill a bit and he can recognize, I can give some of the personnel responsibility to somebody else.

I can get back in there and continue my pursuit for the all-time win record and beat Shula. Well, Chad, when you talk about the changes in the game and whether it be offense or being humbled, I mean, you played in the 90s into the 2000s where it was still big pass, smash you in the mouth. And how do you feel about how the game has evolved? Everything changes. Are you a fan?

Are you accepting of kind of what we have and where the product is going? I've tried my best to wrap my mind around it. You know, I'm obviously here at the Super Bowl and I'm going to parties and I'm seeing Hall of Fame guys and Hall of Fame teammates who I played with. And the conversation always and everly goes to the game today and how soft it is and how easy these guys have it. And, you know, only 14 padded practices a year. And I did 14 padded practice in the first week and a half of training camp.

These guys are so soft. At the same time, we have to recognize that football was on a path to where there probably wouldn't be much football. If Little Timmy's mom is not comfortable with Little Timmy playing the game and not being brain damaged and not needed a walker after he's done playing, then she's not going to let Little Timmy play. So in attempts to keep the game going and keep Little Timmy's mom comfortable, the NFL has made changes.

I think some of those may be to actually be detriment physically of some players, but it wins a press release or a PR battle kind of thing. So I understand why these changes had to happen. And I understand that, hey, I paid an incredible physical price and players today, they actually benefit from not paying the same physical price that I did. So I'm not mad at these guys. It's not their fault. This is the situation that has unveiled itself in front of them. They get a chance to make a ton of money and don't have to do a whole lot physically.

Good for them. And back in my era, when I played four preseason games, the era that was ahead of me, they played six preseason games. We continue to try to make the game safer in an attempt to make sure the game has long-term sustainable success. I still want to be watching football 25 years from now.

And I think with the concussions and the way we were playing and using our helmets, that probably wouldn't have been. So these changes in some way had to happen. Well, Chad, you are certainly one of many athletes to go from on the field into utilizing your voice, whether it be your media, online or radio, what have you. And now we know that media has evolved more into digital and social media. What are your thoughts on how that's changed with the athletes now? Even active athletes have more of a voice than it was even possible to have due to technology back in when you played like the 90s or 2000.

On one hand, I love it that I was able to walk around and people weren't taking pictures of me and everything I did was not part of the social media world. On the other hand, these guys have an incredible platform and have incredible opportunity to capitalize on their popularity and grow a brand while they're still playing from a media perspective. That was really difficult to do back in my day if you weren't a quarterback. So for Parsons down in Dallas, he gets a chance to do his podcast.

Now, is there a double-edged sword with that? Yeah, because you're talking about the league while you're playing and you're going to talk about teams that you just played, teams that you're going to play, maybe your teammate that's training and you feel like you've got to talk about that topic, I think it opens you up for some hurt locker room feelings, for some conversations that maybe shouldn't be had as a current player still playing in mid-season kind of thing. But I think from a fan engagement standpoint, you can't deny the impact of having a direct conduit to players through social media to hear their thoughts, to be able to ask them questions, to hear their podcasts, all those kinds of things brings fans closer and closer inside the game, which fans greatly desire. So the pool of money that the NFL has accumulated over the years, sure, some of that is gambling, but I think social media needs to be getting the tip of the cap as well because they have brought more fans in and made fans more connected from a, not just a monthly or weekly base, from a daily basis, fans want to consume content produced by football players and has brought them in more and to help that pool of revenue grow.

Yeah, we know one thing the NFL is not screwing up right now is the money as they move towards $20 billion in revenue a season. Hey, Chad, I appreciate you taking the time to hop on. Where can people follow you and your work in the media space? You can always find me on Twitter at Chad Brown, 94.

You can also find the kill you with truth podcast on YouTube as well. And then I don't want to give a shout out to some of the, some of your competitors who I work with. So I'll leave it there. Oh, that's, that's fine. Listen, man, I wake up and do what I do, but I appreciate you, Chad. Thank you, man. Right on. Well, thanks for having me on.

I certainly appreciate it. A peanut butter M&M's production in a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners up get nothing. One retired cop return. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter, but you're on a roll. The ring of comfort coming soon to a Super Bowl.

Okay. Picture this it's Friday afternoon. When a thought hits you, I can spend another weekend doing the same old whatever, or I can hop into my all new Hyundai Santa Fe and hit the road with available H-track all wheel drive and three row seating. My whole family can head deep into the wild, conquer the weekend and the all new Hyundai Santa Fe visit Hyundai usa.com or call 5 6 2 3 1 4 4 6 0 3. For more details, Hyundai there's joy in every journey.

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