Jordan, how are you? JR, my man, I'm doing well. Thanks so much for having me on the show. Well, thank you for being here.
Happy New Year to you. Unfortunately, it's not a happy New Year for Doug Peterson or Gerard Mayo. Doug, we assumed that he was going to get the boot. Gerard Mayo, not so much. Are you surprised that the New England Patriots and Robert Kraft pulled the plug on him?
No, I'm truly not. Things were trending this way for a couple of weeks, but I was surprised to see him get fired virtually walking off the field after defeating the Buffalo Bills in the regular season finale. Keep in mind that Robert Kraft penciled in this guy to be Belichick's replacement well ahead of time. A former star linebacker, team captain, longtime coaching assistant.
You had over a decade to scout this guy and what he's about, but you're convinced after 17 games that he's not it. This is the guy who added in his contract that he was going to be the heir apparent to Bill Belichick, so that was pretty surprising to me. But it does show you that Robert Kraft had been thinking about this decision for a while, and more importantly, he has a clear course of action that he's going to follow when it comes to hiring that next head coach. And hey, maybe it's another former Patriot. Maybe it's another former linebacker that played for the Patriots as well. Can we just not say that this is Mike Vrabel's job if he wants it? Is there a little bit of a wink, wink, nod, nod that we're looking at here? Let me tell you, everyone in the sports world is already penciling in Mike Vrabel to New England.
That makes me want to go the other direction. If we take Mike Vrabel's history with the Patriots franchise away, let's pretend he wasn't some linebacker that won Super Bowls for New England. Is he exactly a good fit for this Patriots job? I think that Mike Vrabel is truly one of the more underappreciated coaches in the NFL when it comes to building a culture of success, getting the most out of his roster. I think he's very good at those aspects of this job.
But he's someone who's not exactly, how do I put this, overly infatuated with the offensive side of the ball. He's not the first guy I'm bringing in to develop a young quarterback. And if I'm a decision maker for the New England Patriots, that's of the utmost importance to me when it comes to hiring this new head coach. Get the most out of Drake May because he widens, he opens your Super Bowl window even more. Now there's a lot of work to be done on this roster.
I'm very aware of that. But at the same time, I'm not ready to just automatically pencil in Mike Vrabel for this job. Jordan Dajani is here with us from CBS Sports, covers all things NFL. You talk about developing quarterbacks. We learned late this afternoon that Mike McCarthy is a candidate that the Chicago Bears are interested in to help potentially develop Caleb Williams. We know that the owner, Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, likes to let his players, his coaches twist in the wind. Do you think Mike McCarthy will be back with the Cowboys or will he get a chance to go to the Bears? Yeah, I'm still up in the air about that to be honest with you, but I think we're going to get a decision relatively soon, right?
I think we only have eight more days until we have some... It's more clear about what the future is going to be with Mike McCarthy and his next contract with the Cowboys or if he's allowed to walk and take some other interviews with different franchises. You know, I actually consider Mike McCarthy kind of a winner of Black Monday today because not only was this guy walking into 2024 as the most pre-fired coach in the NFL, right? His team didn't do much in free agency. The expectations in Dallas felt a little bit different.
Then all the injuries came to fruition and they go 7 and 10. But Jerry Jones clearly still has a high level of respect for Mike McCarthy and that tells me and it should tell everyone that the door is open for him to potentially return. But you got to love the Chicago Bears tapping the Cowboys on the shoulder and say, hey, if you don't want Mike McCarthy, we'd really like to talk to him. So the Cowboys have to either accept or deny that request, either give Mike McCarthy a new contract or allow him to talk to other teams.
Now, of course, a job interview does not mean anything. I still would maybe be a little bit surprised if Mike McCarthy took the Chicago Bears job. But what it does show you is that there is a level of interest in Mike McCarthy if he were allowed to walk. Yeah, we know Mike McCarthy.
Wouldn't that be interesting if he were turned back up to the NFC North? I'm like, what are we talking about here? But wild things have happened, right? Absolutely.
Well, you talk about wild things. Aaron Rodgers threw his 500 touchdown pass yesterday. Do you think he's done in the NFL? Is a team going to touch this guy? You know, I don't think he's done. I feel like Aaron Rodgers, he's someone who wants to go out on his own terms, not as an older quarterback that no NFL team wants to sign to a contract. And I think we've seen some of that maybe in his words over the past few months saying, you know, hey, if the Jets want to keep me, I would take a pay cut. I would mentor a young quarterback that they bring in, whether draft or free agency. You know, we've talked about how being in New York has actually been a pleasant time for him despite all of the turmoil on the field. But, you know, when it comes down to it, I do believe that he's going to be playing elsewhere in 2025. I think that the Jets are ready to move on and turn the page to a new chapter with the new head coach, with the new general manager, and yes, with a new quarterback. But where Aaron Rodgers lands, that's where it gets really interesting.
I don't think I have a clear landing spot for you right now. You know, I'm looking at some of the teams in the draft order who may not be able to get Shadore Sanders or Cam Ward, who would be open to getting a veteran quarterback. You know, could that be the Las Vegas Raiders? Who knows? I heard you guys joking about the Indianapolis Colts.
I thought that would be pretty funny as well. So I think that Aaron Rodgers is not going to be with the Jets next year, but it's really tough to gauge where exactly that next landing spot is going to be. Yeah, Jordan, I don't think you're going to be mopping floors either.
Or maybe Ayahuasca. He's going to be. He's going to be in the NFL.
The new suckers born every day. We got plenty of time between now and August. Jordan Dajani is joining us here on the JR Sport re-show Coast to Coast. Let's talk about some of the teams that are actually going to be playing football starting this upcoming weekend. We saw it wasn't exciting. We saw the Lions run away with it late, but it was there's a lot of hype for the Lions taking on the Vikings. The Lions are certainly a lot of folks favorites coming out of the NFC if Dan Campbell doesn't gamble in a way the opportunity away.
What's the next best team in this NFC? Yeah JR, I was absolutely floored by that result on Sunday Night Football. I was expecting Sam Darnold to come in riding that wave of good vibes off of that win against the Packers at home.
And people are declaring him the future of the franchise in Minnesota. I was ready for him to steal the number one seed from the Lions in Detroit on their home field. That Lions defense hadn't been playing very good.
So I was very surprised by that outcome. And it has me second guessing not only the Vikings as a potential contender, but also maybe Sam Darnold's future moving forward. And I think that we can kind of further that narrative depending on what happens in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams. You know, speaking of the Los Angeles Rams, that might be a sleeper team in my opinion. Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford obviously have that postseason experience, but I'm really intrigued by this young defensive front. I know that they do give up yards, but at the same time this young defensive front really knows how to pressure the quarterback.
And when that offense is hitting on all cylinders, you know, the Rams are really, really tough to stop. Another team, and maybe this comes from a little bit of place of bias, but I would love to see the Washington commanders make a run in the NFC. I'm excited for that matchup against Tampa Bay. I think it's arguably the most intriguing matchup of Super Wild Card Weekend against Baker Mayfield. We'll see what Jayden Daniels is capable of doing. But if you're asking me the number two team in the NFC, it's tough not to lean towards the Philadelphia Eagles. And the reason I say that is because Jalen Hurts, he's still in concussion protocol, but he's expected to return to the lineup for this big matchup. He's going to be well rested physically, and the same can be said for a lot of his playmakers like Saquon Barkley, A.J. Browns, Avante Smith. They also have a really good defense as well.
This Philadelphia Eagles team did not flail down the stretch like they did last year. So maybe they're set up for a run as well. Jordan, Dijon, he's here with us from CBS Sports. So there's no concern that Jalen Hurts is still in concussion protocol. I'm saying to myself, if this guy doesn't play and we got to watch Kenny Pickett, I might rip my own eyeballs out. Nobody wants to see Kenny Pickett play in the postseason. Nobody, not even his family. Yeah, they may take that game off the TV, right? They'll make it on ESPN Plus or something like that. I mean, there is a level of concern.
Yeah, the Ocho, the Ocho. There you go. I mean, of course, there's probably a level of concern, but I think that from reports from different people in Philly, it seems like he's been progressing through the protocol. And of course, nothing is definitive just yet. But you have to imagine that he's back in the starting lineup for the playoffs.
OK, I certainly hope so. You take a look at the AFC. You talked about one rookie quarterback in Daniels. We got another one in Knicks who'll be out there with the Broncos. And we got we got the Chargers in here with Harbaugh back in the NFL. We know the Chiefs. They're getting a whole lot of rest over the past couple of weeks.
And he entered today. What are your thoughts on the AFC? Are we just looking at the Chiefs and then everybody else? Maybe the Bills knock them out? I don't know. Maybe. Jay, I wish I could lie to you and tell you I was interested in the AFC playoff picture, but I'm not, man.
They're just top heavy, in my opinion. We got the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills. You have to imagine that one of those three teams will end up representing the conference when we get to New Orleans in February.
I love Bo Nix. I love the Denver Broncos. That defense is one of the more underrated units in the entire National Football League. But they have to go to Buffalo and try to contain the favorite to win MVP on his home field where he's undefeated this season.
That's just a tough matchup. I think the same can be said for the Pittsburgh Steelers as well. I think they've lost four straight games coming into this matchup. They played the Ravens just a couple of weeks ago in Baltimore and got absolutely throttled. Russell Wilson looks like the Broncos.
Russell Wilson from 2023. I don't know if the Steelers defense can do enough against the Ravens. And then there's the Chargers versus Texans game, which I think is the most unsexy game of the entire NFL weekend. I'm expecting maybe a low scoring affair. That Chargers defense is the number one scoring defense in the NFL. C.J. Stroud is missing his top two wide outs with Stephon Diggs and Tank Dell. Hopefully Deontay Johnson is someone who can kind of enter the mix and be a difference maker.
But I'm really excited for the divisional round of the AFC, but not for the wildcard round necessarily. Damn, you said unsexy. Somebody likes unsexy, right? Somebody there for everybody, right? There is.
Yeah, there is. They're called their fans. Their fan bases will be watching those games.
Jordan DeJohnny is here with us from CBS Sports. Well, these teams, they ain't got no choice. They ain't got no fans.
Well, their fans won't be watching them. How about the Tennessee Titans, the Browns, the New York Giants? They're going to be selecting one, two and three in the twenty twenty five NFL draft. A lot of talk as to what the Browns do. They got Deshaun Watson. Do they end up with Cam Ward or Chador, the Titans? Are they taking Cam Ward?
What do the Giants do? They're going to be left with whoever the hell else is next. Is it Travis Hunter? What do you think the beginning of the draft is going to look like in a few months? Yeah, I would imagine, you know, I think a quarterback is going to go number one overall. I think the Tennessee Titans will end up selecting their future quarterback because that's what they desperately missed this season. You know, I kind of wonder how much better Tennessee would have been if they didn't have the Mayonnaise God throwing interceptions every single week. So, you know, Chador Sanders is someone that I'm looking at because he would bring a new level of excitement and attention to the Titans franchise. Keep in mind that Tennessee is constructing a new stadium right now.
And this is a team that's not used to being in the spotlight. So having someone like Chador Sanders would be absolutely epic for the Titans as someone who's based in Nashville. That's kind of what I'm hoping happens. But Cam Ward is going to be in the mix as well. Maybe that's someone who ends up going to the Cleveland Browns. I do think that there's a spot open at quarterback there in Cleveland, even though they can't necessarily move on from Deshaun Watson right now.
He had a setback reportedly with his injury that ended his 2024 campaign. I think the Browns would be wise to bring in a quarterback that they can develop and get this franchise back on the right track. But then, hey, how about Travis Hunter?
Where's that guy going? I think he's probably the number one player in this entire draft. If you're not a Travis Hunter fan, then I'm convinced that you haven't watched much football in your days because this guy's a two way star. I'm hoping that whatever team drafts him, whether it's the Browns or the Giants or the Patriots, whoever it is, allows him to play a little bit on both sides. So I really do think that the beginning of the draft is going to be really telling with how teams value their quarterbacks.
And I say that because I'm leaving the door open for maybe another franchise like the Las Vegas Raiders to potentially trade up into that top two if they can offer one of these teams an enticing enough package to grab their franchise guys. So we've got a lot of time between now and April, but I'm sure it's going to be an entertaining time. Jordan Dejani joining us here from CBS Sports. Just to be clear, did you call Will Leviss the mayonnaise God or the guy? The God, huh? Mayonnaise God? The Mayonnaise God. I mean, you've seen all those commercials, right?
You've seen all those commercials on your TV. Now, is that now do you think that if you if you're Will Leviss, you suck as a quarterback, you can't make a decision. You're throwing the ball to the wrong team.
You're doing it all the damn time. Are you happy that you you took the mayonnaise, the mayonnaise? Are you happy you took the money from the mayonnaise people or is this a bad look for you now that you've got to be a backup somewhere? Are you kidding me? I'm always taking the money, whether I'm a good player or a bad player.
I'll take the money. In fact, I'm sitting here right now with a parfum de mayonnaise from Will Leviss on my desk right now. So even I got sucked into the bed just a little bit. Did you open it? No, didn't open it.
Yeah, I did. His nice his nice representative sent me a bottle. So I got I got to sample it. It actually smells decent. It's a normal fragrance. OK.
It doesn't smell like a Jersey Mike's shop or anything like that. OK. All right. So if I walk by you, you know, Super Bowl week in New Orleans and you smell like mayonnaise, I know it's you. Somebody smells like mayonnaise. OK. All right. No taking.
Well, listen, outside of us smelling you as you walk by. Phyllis, how can we keep up with you and all your work with CBS Sports? Jordan? Yeah, check me out at CBS Sports dot com. Jordan Dajani.
Last name spelled D-A-J-A-N-I. I'm always active on there. I just wrote a column for CBS Sports looking at NFL Black Monday winners and losers.
And trust me, there's plenty of both. So as always, appreciate you having me on the show, my man. Hey, Jordan. Thank you so much, man. Happy New Year to you. When is when is the last time you say that to somebody? Is it like tomorrow or two days? When is that over?
Yeah, I feel bad. You said it to me twice now and I haven't said it once to you, but it is January six. So happy new year. How about this? January six is the deadline.
We can stop saying it now. My man. Hey, Jordan, we'll catch you on down the line. OK, thank you so much for your time. Anytime, my man. Appreciate you.
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-06 21:00:40 / 2025-01-06 21:08:01 / 7