Doug Whaley, Former NFL General Manager

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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. Doug, thank you for taking the time. Appreciate you, man. Oh, no, thanks for having me. And like you said, hearts and prayers and good vibes going to all the victims of that horrible incident in Kansas City.

Yeah, most certainly. And we know football is, and you played, the game has been a part of your life, just flattened, period. This, it's communal.

It's community. A lot of times the people that you're in the locker room with, you spend more time with them, you spend more time with the office. Then you're all your own folks and family.

And the Chiefs put out a message saying that, you know, all of their players were accounted for. We know that there is not one life more valuable than the next. But can you just talk about how tightly woven, you know, teams can be, especially those months when you start going from July until January and possibly February?

Yeah. And you said it. To me, sports in general is the one medium in this world that can cross pollinate people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, different religious backgrounds, different colors, different creeds. But you're coming together to accomplish one goal. And everybody is sacrificing time with their family, sacrificing effort, sacrificing blood, sweat and tears to, like I said, reach that common goal. And that is to be the best at what you do. And that's, in this case, is winning a Super Bowl and an NFL championship and to be able to everybody lay down their differences at the door and really buy into one agenda and accomplish that above everybody else that is in the world. It's something that you can't really put in the words. And it's funny to me because I hear people say, you just won the Super Bowl.

How does that feel? I'm just not eloquent enough and I wasn't an English major to put it in the words. But I would just always say like this, if your ultimate goal was it was accomplished and you were crowned the best in the world at something, that's what it feels like. But you put so much effort into it. And in a team sport, it's not just individual. You have to share it with your teammates.

That's what makes it so special. The former NFL exec Doug Whaley is here with us, the chair of our sport re-show on CBS Sports Radio. We know the Kansas City Chiefs, they walked away with another Vince Lombardi on Sunday. And we know the 49ers are now in the aftermath. Kyle Shanahan answering questions about the big game.

Can he win the big game? We know that Steve Wilks was let go. Are there any additional changes that you see coming with the Niners? And what are your thoughts on the release of Steve Wilks?

I look at it this way. I would see no major changes coming. Maybe some minor tweaks here. Obviously, whoever comes in as their defensive coordinator may bring a couple staff members. But I mean, they made it to the Super Bowl.

So there's minor tweaks I couldn't see. And I was surprised that he let Steve Wilks go. You would want to try to run it back and just learn from the lessons and the mistakes that you made throughout the year. But more importantly, in that game. So to me, it's not a sense of urgency and not a sense of panic as in to make wholesale changes. I would think it would be more fine tuning and learning to how to take that next step.

Or if you're in that position again, be able to make different calls to hopefully for a different outcome. Well, Doug, we know with success comes more problems. We know with more money comes more problems. Biggie told us that a long time ago. We learned today before the tragedy, Chris Jones yelled to everybody that he's going to return, that he's going to come back.

Not not not a guarantee there. What are your thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs moving forward? What do they need to do roster wise to get back to the spot next year?

Well, I look at it this way. When you have the best quarterback in the league and you're paying them like that, the onus really is on the GM and the personnel to really stack that roster with, I wouldn't say cheap, but inexpensive talent. And you do that through the draft because when you look at it in totality, besides your quarterback, you could probably pay three other positions. And if Chris Jones is one of them, Travis Kelce, and they may be able to play someone else on the offensive line.

Other than that, you have to be able to hit on all of your draft choices. But more importantly, that fourth through seventh round. And that's where you get your special teams guys. That's where you get your backup guys that if injuries happen, then you can have them come in and the level expectation hasn't dipped. And they've done that in the past. Look at Rice, look at Pacheco, all those guys they've hit on in the later rounds.

And that's why they can continue that success. If you start paying your quarterback in your franchise quarterback, and that's why everybody talks about the window of making a run with a quarterback on a rookie deal because you can surround them with some high priced veterans or pay your second contract guys the premium. But once you start paying that quarterback, you have to be very judicious on where you spend your money.

But like I said, you really have to hit on that draft. Well, Doug, having said that, and with your experience running the Buffalo Bills, it makes me automatically think about Brock Purdy. We know is still on a minimum and there might come a point in time where they're going to have to pay him 40, 45. I guess this this upcoming year will dictate how much he's going to get paid. How is that going to adjust things in San Francisco if he continues to have the same type of success? If he continues to have that, having the same type of success, then the onus has to be on two things.

One from him going to from him transforming to what everybody says a game manager to being that guy like Patrick Mahomes, because again, you won't be able to put all those exceptionally talented pieces around him. And without those exceptionally talented pieces, the onus goes on his back. So he's got to be the reason why they win after he gets paid instead of the reason why he's helping the team win.

And that's the difference. And that's why those guys that get paid so much money, who much is given, much is expected. And that's why it is important for him to fast track his development so when he is getting paid, people will stop having that conversation of, oh, it's because of the system.

Oh, it's because of the people around them. Oh, it's because of the coach and the play calling. No, it's going to be about him if he develops that way. But when it's about him, it truly has to be him to propel them, just like Patrick Mahomes did with Kansas City Chiefs.

Think about early in the season. Their offense wasn't clicky. The specialists around him were not playing very well. And they got rid of Tyreek Hill. But in the end, when it came down to it, it was Patrick Mahomes putting that team on his back with Kelsey and taking them to the promised land.

And that's why you pay that guy the money he gets paid. Former Bills exec Doug Wheelies here with us, the chair of our sport b-show on CBS Sports Radio. Man, you were there with the Buffalo Bills and you helped usher in the current era that they're in now, whether it be working with Sean McDermott.

And we also now see the quarterback who is there in Josh Allen. What are your thoughts on the Buffalo Bills and how do they get past the boogeyman of Mahomes? I hate to say it, but the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen are basically, you name any basketball player that was great that played in the Jordan areas.

They're just going up against Michael Jordan. And that's unfortunate because if he, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, you take that team and put him and that team in any other era, they would be going to at least one to maybe multiple Super Bowls. It's just unfortunate across the whole AFC and the whole NFL that they are just in the era of Patrick Mahomes. And I can't sit here and tell you that what else they could do because everybody's like, well, they didn't run the ball before. And those last five or six games when Cook got going, they started running the ball. Then it was, well, they didn't have enough design runs for Josh Allen to be Josh Allen in the playoffs. He started running the ball.

He stopped turning it over. So he was doing everything they can. But when you come against the greatest of all time, it doesn't matter what you do.

He's the greatest of all time. So it's unfortunate, again, not only for Buffalo, but for the whole NFL right now. Well, Doug, we see some teams that have kind of been in that space of Mahomes, haven't been able to get over the hump, whether it's the Bills or the Ravens. And there are some some other teams in the AFC, maybe in their own division, that in the future might start punching them around just a little bit. We know Harbaugh joining the Chargers. We know Antonio now full time with the Raiders.

Do you see any type of shift? Anybody going up? Anybody going down in the next season? Well, I look at when I look at a team, I look straight at the quarterback. So for me, if if the Chargers would be the one that could with John with Harbaugh and the quarterback Herbert, that is a team I could see giving the Kansas City a true legitimate push, just like the Buffalo Bills do every year.

It's a dogfight. And with the quarterback position, you have to start there. And they have a quarterback that has shown talent in the past.

Now he's got to be able to put that talent in a position to lead his team to battle against the Titans of the AFC West, which is the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. That right now would be with Jim Harbaugh coming in there, the one team that I think could battle them for supremacy of AFC West. Doug Whaley here with us, former Buffalo Bills executive. I know you're Pittsburgh through and through, Doug. I got to ask you about them Steelers. You talk about quarterback and we know that Tomlin is back. We know that they still have to find a QB.

How do they remedy that? What are some of their best options? Well, I mean, you got to look at one, you got to look in the draft. I think that's got to be an option that they really look at. Two is bringing in a veteran.

So you have that. You have a third year guy in Kenny Pickett that's still trying to get his footing and live up to his potential being the 20th pick in the first round. Bring in a veteran. A lot of people are saying Tannehill with the natural connection with Arthur Smith, the new offensive coordinator, and then maybe even a younger guy in the draft. So you'll have three different levels and different distinct quarterback types because when you look at their roster, especially I think they had either the highest or second highest played defense, what it's aging. They have talent at the skill positions with Pickens and with Friarmuth and Najee Harris. And so those pieces are there and Deontay Johnson. It's just they have to get a competent to above competent quarterback play to really have a puncher's chance.

Now that's easier said than done. I always say football is an easy game if you have a quarterback, but it's a hard thing to find that quarterback. So this is going to be a very influential offseason for them. And more importantly, for Kenny Pickett's quarterback development. Now, do they bring back Mason Rudolph, which obviously won their last three games, propelled them into the playoffs? Now, that throws in another dynamic.

Does bringing back Mason Rudolph divide that locker room with some of them behind Pickett and some of them behind Mason? That's the type of stuff that us from the outside can speculate. And you really don't know until you're inside that building and inside those walls to be able to make the correct decision on that. Former NFL exec Doug Whaley here with us, the chair of sport on CBS Sports Radio.

You would be very well familiar with all the politics, etc. You're now also working with the newly formed a U.F.L. Fill us in on that. Well, we're looking at being a part of the football ecosystem. And obviously the NFL is one of the few sports that doesn't have a minor league system. And for us, we're looking at just being a faction of this overall macro sport that we all love and be able to, as I say, do one or two things. Give people springboard to go to the ultimate goal, which is NFL. And we're not only talking players, we're talking officials, we're talking coaches, we're talking scouts, we're talking performance, we're talking medical trainers, all those guys.

Or still have, if they don't get to that level, have a soft landing where they can say, I reached the ultimate goal and play professional football, but also have an income coming in and decide what they want to do later on in their life after two or three years. So between helping just grow the game and helping people achieve what they've always wanted to achieve since they're little, we think it's a great addition to the American sports scene. And as they say, what's better than football? More football. We appreciate that. And thank you, Doug, for sharing that information. What are we looking like when it comes to launch and being able to tune in?

Where can people find out more to keep up to date? Okay. Camp starts the 23rd of this month. Our first opening weekend will be March 30th and 31st. We'll be on Fox, ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2.

So you can see us. We'll have a 10-game season starting March 30th in the first of June. Have a week of playoffs and a championship game in the middle of June. So please tune in. If you're in any of the cities that we have franchises, we will be playing in-market.

It's family-friendly fun and it's cheap. And it's something I think you should just, like I said, there'll be some names that you know and some names you don't know. But there'll be some names that you may discover that go into the NFL or stay there and produce at a high level.

But it would definitely be entertaining. Awesome. Doug, I appreciate you taking the time. I know not necessarily the best of circumstances, but I thank you for your time and providing your expertise. Thank you. No doubt.

Thanks for having me anytime, my man. 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. 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 in the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Hyundai. There's joy in every journey.

2024 Santa Fe available early 2024. I'm Tony and this is the Tony Kornheiser show. Well, that makes it sound a bit more serious than it really is. So what exactly is the show about? Been almost 30 years and I still don't know. Right now we have some of the best voices in football come on to explain to us what we need to know in the college and pro world.

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