First Roundtable time of the Year!!!

I am reading from Jonathan Jones' timeline, CBS Sports. He covers the NFL. He's one of their insiders.

They have many insiders there. Roger Goodell and the owners have voted to approve the changes, which means that we've got, let's see, a potential neutral site AFC Championship game if the game involves the Bills, Chiefs, and Bengals, two of those three, and depending on what happens in week 18. There's also a potential coin flip for home field advantage if the Bengals lose at home to the Ravens and they are matched against each other in the first round of the playoffs, which very well could happen in the 3-6 game.

So we could have a coin flip determine, I mean, the Bengals have already been declared division champions, but could then be on the road, which would take us back to like 1974 or something silly like that. Anyway, we'll do the round table right now. We're still waiting on Julian Council. He will be with us in a second, but Vasht Ihurt, CarolinaBlitz.com, is with us, but we have to play the music for the round table. Camelot. Camelot.

It's only a model. Shit. I haven't been here for a while, I forgot how to do this. Vasht Ihurt is here. How are you, Vasht Ihurt?

Hey, Adam. I'm good. How are you?

I'm doing very well. Are you already in New Orleans or when are you headed down there? Actually, you know, I'm not going to New Orleans this week. Is this like the first road game you've missed? It is. No, I didn't make it to Cincinnati.

Other than that, I've been at all the games, but you know, I marvel at you. Yeah, I just decided to cover this one from home. They're going to do a quick turnaround. The exit interview started like 11 on Monday and it would have just been too much. I felt like being there for the exit interviews was a little more important than in there for a game that basically, I mean, what does it mean?

Well, let me ask about that. Do you think the outcome, the way this game is played, has any bearing on Steve Wilks? If you, in my opinion, Steve Wilks won the job when the Panthers beat the Detroit Lions.

For the Panthers to be in a position where they could play for, you know, a playoff spot against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. That's a heck of a coaching job by Steve Wilks to turn it around, given everything that happened with trades and coaching fires. So I don't see, you know, whether they win this game or not, I think that should have no bearing on Wilks and his consideration for head coach. But I know the players in the locker room want to win this game for Coach Wilks because they want him to lead that team going forward.

It's interesting to me that I keep reading a bit from Brian Burns, his desire to play this game. They can't. All they can do is hurt their draft position. That's basically all they're going to do here. I think the highest in the draft they can pick is like tenth.

So a win would hurt that. But I appreciate the way this team has rallied around Steve and the way they play for him. Yeah, it's very clear. A catchphrase that I hear a lot is leader, a leader among men. And the guys just really respect him and how he talks to them, how direct he is and and how he manages that that squad. And Derek Derek Brown came out and flat out said that we want him as our next head coach.

And and he said he, you know, he feels comfortable that he's speaking for everyone in that locker room when he says that. So, you know, Brian Burns right now officially today is listed as questionable. But, you know, Coach Wilks said during his presser today, they want to win that game. And that's their focus.

They they really aren't worried about draft picks or draft stock right now. Best I heard Carolina blitz dot com at keep blitzing on Twitter. Julian Council now joining us locked on Panthers podcast at Julian Council on Twitter as well. All right. You're close to the to the team as well.

Your thoughts on what this game means to Steve Wilks future. Yeah. Hey, Adam. Hi, Vasai. Vasai is probably a little closer because he's in there talking to you guys every single day. But what you brought up is true. I mean, all these guys talked about Derek Brown, Brian Burns being Chuck Thompson's probably the most vocal throughout the period of Steve Wilks being the interim head coach that he wants the Wilks to be the guy and that they want stability. And what's important on Sunday is people in this team finishing.

And that's what he said after the game following the loss against 10 band Sunday. Like, hey, we're going to finish. I'm not necessarily worried about we're not the playoffs anymore. Like I said, I came here at 13 weeks to do it my way and I'm going to do it and this team is going to finish.

That's what men do. So I think it's important that if the team comes out, plays well, fights again under Steve Wilks to show David Tepper that even when they're out of it, even when there's nothing to play for, as we were going to say, this team still shows up and gives 100% effort. And that is absolutely a part of the culture that Steve Wilks has been able to build over the last 12 weeks and 11 games since the Carolina Panthers.

I'll start this part with you, Julian. The fact that Tepper met with Jim Harbaugh and I know it was not termed an interview, but they're talking about the Panthers head coaching job so we can call it whatever we want. Clearly, there is at least some interest, as Darren Ganz said, he is interested in jacking up his raise at Michigan.

What are your thoughts on that meeting and its bearing on what happens next? Well, Jim Harbaugh is what, 44, 19 and one when he was head coach to San Francisco 49ers, went to a Super Bowl, went to two NFC title games outside of that. Every time they lost in his first three years, they lost to the eventual Superbowl champion. So he did a pretty damn good job with the 49ers. And I think David Tepper absolutely should be interested in a coach like that. And Jim Harbaugh, I've always felt no matter the job that he wants to done, I think he's done an incredible job. And I think that he absolutely has earned the opportunity to be the Panthers head coach or a head coach of one of these 32 NFL teams.

He will, she had to understand like he should also be interested in other places and the other owners should also be interested in him. I don't think I know he's from Charlotte. I'm sure he would love to be here. I don't think he's just, you know, completely set his sights just on Carolina and this job, but there's other jobs out there that he could, I think he's absolutely qualified for, but Jim Harbaugh is a fantastic head coach. And I know for a little bit there, people were talking about, he should get fired at Michigan cause he couldn't beat Ohio state and they hadn't lived necessarily up to the contract that he was given, but they'd been pretty darn good the last few years. So I don't think it's a bad idea at all to talk to Jim Harbaugh. I don't really know how interested he necessarily is in Carolina. There's obviously the connections there with the Broncos and their new ownership that has Stanford connections.

Of course he played, he did play briefly in Carolina, like six games in the Oh, one season in Carolina was one in 15 and even play. So I don't think he has fond memories of his time here in Charlotte, but of course, Jim, Ursa and him go back with his time at the Colts. I wonder, you know, how interested he is in that job. So yeah, David's efforts to talk to Jim Harbaugh. I should talk to a lot of people in Casa's wide of a net to make sure he gets this higher, right. Cause he got it way wrong the first time.

Yeah. You think that Vashti heard, what were your thoughts when you read the story that hardball and temper had gotten together? I mean, cap to me, I mean, I don't think, I think Jim Harbaugh is either driving his price up with, with Michigan or maybe potentially any of these other NFL teams. Uh, David Tepper has said that he wanted an offensive minded head coach. He has said that in the past.

Um, and I really, you know, when Steve Wilkes came in, I didn't think that he would, I didn't think he thought Steve Wilkes would perform as well as he did, um, to really get serious consideration. But this also low key has given me very Pete Carrollish vibes because Michigan is also under investigation. He is under investigation or, um, recruiting violations. So, you know, I don't know if, I don't think he's seriously interested in Carolina. I think he has closer ties elsewhere, but if he does decide to stay at Michigan, given everything that's going on right now, um, he's also in that area trying to drive up that price. I don't think coming here is really in his, I think he has better connections elsewhere, uh, but, um, to have it out there and publicly released that he had a statement or he had a conversation with David Tepper, his people released that for a reason. And I think it's really just to draw interest or see where interest is from other folks. I don't think he's seriously considering Carolina. By the way, I think you guys are both right.

Yeah. I think that's a great point. She brings up there, but the investigation, I think it was John, you bake it. Who was a Michigan alum. Who's been reporting a lot of stuff on Jim Harbaugh saying how Harbaugh kind of feels disenfranchised by the way things are changing in college athletics.

And then what two days later we see he's under investigation. So maybe that is why he's really interested in the NFL so he can get away from a potential penalties might be there. Start a journey, not a fad kick off your fitness journey with up to $500 off Peloton bike, bike plus or tread packages. Choose the package that will take your training to the next level with accessories like our cycling shoes, heart rate band, non slip grip, dumbbells, and more join now. And you'll see why 92% of households that start the year with Peloton are still active a year later, all access membership separate offer in January 8th, 2023 excludes bike bike plus and tread basics.

See additional terms at one Peloton.com. Well, which is just like Pete Carroll. And by the way, if, if, if there are any similarities between Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll, I'd be all for that. Seattle had a pretty good run for a long time under Pete Carroll. Carroll was, I mean, he was a pretty good coach. Now they, they had a great defense and a philosophy, which is sort of similar to Jim Harbaugh's philosophy, but he's not the offensive coach that people think they do not have a wide open offense. They have not been able to groom a quarterback since Harbaugh got to Michigan.

I mean, it just happened. They haven't even haven't even come close to that. In fact, you could argue that their quarterback was directly responsible for TCU winning that semifinal the other day. All right, let me get to what, where the NFL is back to Julian. The NFL not only canceled Bill's Bengals, which I'm going to guess we all agree was the right thing because we are human beings, but they've also altered the playoffs where the AFC championship game could be played at a neutral site, depending on how things work out this week. And the Bengals after being declared champions of the AFC North might not host a game if it's against the Ravens, if they don't win a coin flip thoughts on that, Julian. Yeah, I don't really know what exactly the NFL was supposed to do. I guess they're trying to do.

What's the Ferris? I do think it's unfortunate cause is it possible for Buffalo to still host an AFC championship game or would that still have to be neutral? No, if, if Kansas city loses the game, well, maybe I don't know if Kansas city and Buffalo do the same thing. If Kansas city loses and Buffalo wins, then Buffalo would have a better winning percentage anyway.

And they have the win over Kansas city. So if they both do the same thing this week, then it would be neutral site. If they met, I will, my feeling is you've already got a rule. You're you already have a rule winning percentage. Just go with that. It's blind. It doesn't involve any biases, people voting against other teams interests.

You already have a role in place for COVID. Just go with that. I guess the problem is a, didn't the chiefs lose to both the bingles and bills.

Yeah. So the Kansas city, the play the Raiders right on Saturday. So at the game that they should win, I would think that Kansas city lose to the jets though. Yeah, they did, but it's all fits. It would be unfortunate for Buffalo and Cincinnati that they ended up not being able to get home field just because of a teammate beat got to play one more game because of what happened on Monday night.

So I don't really know what the most equitable way to do it is. I think it's unfortunate also for like the fans, like the bingles fans who might not be able to be at home, I guess for the Ravens game or whatever it is. So I don't know what the league was supposed to do. I mean, they make a lot of mistakes.

I don't know if this one's one of them. They're just trying to do their best and what is obviously an impossible situation. Changing the rules. Midstream has never, has never been done, but again, they, they put this rule in place during COVID because they assumed they would cancel games during COVID for, for the it's been in place for two years. They they've never, they didn't cancel any of those games.

So I mean, were those rules going to be changed then? I just think that sometimes life is unfair and we deal with it and we just, I don't know. I agree with, I tend to agree with Adam. Um, you know, men, I say this a lot, but men lie, women lie. Numbers don't.

If you can, if you can get something to numerically make sense. And like you said, Adam, winning percentage is non-biased. I mean, it is what it is. Um, I think that I don't know what the league, it's very confusing. I was reading it last night. I read it twice and still was like, okay, what are they doing? So I agree that they could have probably just made it based off a winning percentage. I think that they tried to go out of their way to make it fair, but they just made it confusing for everyone.

I think they could have simplified it for themselves. If they were really concerned about equity, we wouldn't have half the teams in the league playing eight home games and the other half playing nine. I mean, I'm just, I'm just throwing that out there as kind of a, just, you know, let's just, let's, let's be equitable all the time.

Not just when somebody feels like they've been slighted. Uh, Vashti hurt, Julian Council. Let's, uh, let's just attack a little college basketball quickly. Vashti, I know you were at, uh, do either you were at, or your camera was at Duke and state.

What jumped out at you about that? Was it more about state or more about Duke? I mean, listen, I, yes, I was at, I was at NC state and, uh, state was just off jump and even going through the warmups, they just were a hungrier team and they came out and they knocked Duke in the mouth and do just did not know how to react now, Duke. I think that, you know, obviously NC state has a very good back court and they showed how good they are in that game or were they completely out, outplayed blue devils, but Duke had no ball movement. There was the offense was terrible. Uh, and you know, if, if Jeremy Roach isn't really igniting that team, I don't know who they have to go to, uh, uh, to, to try to get themselves going offensively, but that was really a statement performance by the Wolfpack, uh, to query on Smith. He is a Hooper and DJ, uh, coming out of, you know, a transfer out of Winthrop. He literally, honestly, he set the tone because he's the one, I think he scored, I don't remember who scored the first points, but then he scored the next six or eight points, just bully ball in the post. And he really set the tone for how aggressive NC state would be for the rest of that game. So a statement went for them, but there are a lot of questions around John Shire right now and, and how he's going to get this, this blue devil's team on track.

Jerry, Jeremy Roach said the game against Boston college tomorrow is a must win a must win against Boston college in January. That's I mean, come on. Well, I mean, I mean, he's right.

He's right. But look, they, they played two road games against like, I happen to think state is good. Uh, I don't know how good wake is. I think, I don't think wakes bad, but I don't think they're good. Uh, I think state can be legitimately good. I think they can be, you know, anywhere depending on, I haven't looked at everybody's schedule. I didn't, they can be anywhere from, you know, eighth to fourth in the league.

I think they're top half of the league team. I don't think the same thing about wake, but that was a dominant performance and Duke has not reacted very well on the road at all. Uh, I know it didn't, the outcome didn't, you didn't hate the outcome Julian.

Well, no, I didn't hate that personally, but I'm watching that game. It was certainly striking to see how they came out. And I believe it was vast. I, you had tweeted out when you were, I guess you might've been the locker room, talking to Quaid, John Smith, and he said that they wanted it more. You could see that.

Oh, absolutely. And Jarkel joiner played and they're going to give a lot of people in the ACC trouble this season. If they're going to shoot that well, but also just the energy that they have. And they really feel like the first time Kevin Keith has had two guards in that back court that play the system and style that he wants to play. And I don't think it's coincidental that they went out there and we're hand Duke out of the gym. Now this is a Duke team that again, it led by freshmen. It's they're very fortunate to have Jeremy Roach.

He didn't have Jeremy Roach. I don't necessarily know where this team is going to go. Like I still think there'd be a tournament team. Don't get me wrong. I just don't think they have a very high feeling this season. Cause when you look at the roster, where's your Paolo?

We're not going to mention the Zion Williamson. Cause obviously like he's a one-on-one but where's your Paolo? Like where is even there?

Like you'll deal Oka for like, where is that dude on from this freshman class? Wasn't it supposed to be lively? Wasn't it supposed to be the right head? Yeah, but they haven't been that. And why had shot the ball? Well, um, the other night it was pretty inconsequential considering they're getting blown out, but they have not shown that yet. And of course on the road, it's not a surprise. Even when K had these teams Duke never challenged themselves in the non-conference. So it's hard to expect them once they get the ACC play that really any success against a capable team on the road.

And we've seen that for the last decade. So it's not surprising me that Shire is rookie year as a head coach and his team are having, are having struggles. So until they can find a guy who can really step up and be their go-to dude, I just don't think this dude team is going to be one that's going to win the ACC and really make it out the first week and have the NCAA tournament. I think it's way more about personnel than it is not playing any non-conference road game. But, um, I do think it's so you don't set your team up success if you do that. Well, I mean, they went like three years without losing a road game in the league and didn't play it, had the same scheduling philosophy, uh, for a stretch during, you know, K's tenure. So I just, I think it's more about, I, I just think it's more about personnel than anything else and some of these neutral site games, which I mean, they're not, they're not true road games. So, um, and I, I think a neutral site game against the team outside of your league isn't an ACC road game, but that that's another story. I, I also might not be right, which is also fair. Um, that's, but I've always had that, that mindset. I think it's overblown. Uh, let me ask you about the Tar Heels, uh, Armando Baycott.

Uh, and this will, I'll start with you. Vashti Armando Baycott after the game at Pitt had some very, very pointed things to say about, he used about the team. Maybe we didn't care. Um, you know, he talked about playing defense coaches prepared us, but the last couple of minutes to the last couple of seconds on defense, it's just one-on-one and he was lamenting the fact that they couldn't close out that those possessions.

Was he talking to his team about being tough? Venture X from Capital One is the travel card for people always asking where next you were in 10 X miles on hotels and rental cars and five X miles on flights booked through Capital One travel and two X miles on everything else you buy with venture X plus received premium travel benefits like access to over 1300 airport lounges. The venture X card from Capital One. What's in your wallet? Terms apply.

See capitalone.com for details. It's Macy's one day sale now with great deals of the day to kick off the new year like $59.99 cashmere 40% off designer booties and handbags show love and spruce up your bedroom with comforter sets 55 to 65% off plus get contact free curbside pickup or pickup in store now at Macy's one day sale details at macy's.com slash pickup savings off sale and clearance prices exclusions apply. I mean, that's been a catchphrase period. I think, uh, I think Hubert Davis called them soft during one of their halftime one of his halftime speeches from from what I remember, I don't remember the specific game, but, uh, yeah, he was talking to his team. It's Tar Heel team as coming into the season had very high expectations and they have, you know, what was expected to be the most talented back court and R. J. Davis and and Caleb Love and then Armando Bay caught a potential national player of the year. They were, they have not lived up to expectations. There's something going on with that team chemistry wise, and I've been saying it ever since they went to the national championship. People have underestimated the importance of Brady Manic on last year's team. There is nobody on that team with the heart in the grit that Brady Manic had, and he was kind of the glue and people thought, insert Pete Nance and oh yeah, we can go and we can run it back.

No, that's not the case. And so, um, I think they have guys on the team with heart, but not collectively as a team. There's something going on where the chemistry is off, and it's affecting how consistent they are as a group.

And Armando, he's gonna have to be that guy to say, Oh, bro, like, what are we doing? We are not looking like the team that we're supposed to look like. And sometimes you have to do it in postgame interviews like he did.

Then they closed out the weight game, but that was at home. Um, and I don't even think that game should have been as close as close as it is. So so Hubert Davis and those guys have to figure out what's going on with the chemistry of that team so that they can get on track and potentially make the run that they were expected to make come March.

Julian, any, uh, any pushback on that? Well, the Brady Manic points, a salient point for sure. I think, um, really they miss the Brady is a shooting because Caleb love and RJ Davis have not shot the wall ball well enough. Pete man says at times shot the wall well from three, but you know, he's been up and down and consistent now with that back injury, who knows how serious that is, but they miss Brady. I think more so for a shooting also is moving about the basketball thing about how many times, you know, these guys are cutting. They're not moving offensively, like we have to basketball and Brady, how many times did he cut to the basket and get, you know, wrap around, um, reverse lay off. Like he was so good at that all season long and yeah, he was someone who was willing to call these guys out.

It was early on in the season, like in December last year, after they played a terrible you on team, my alma mater. And he just thought, Hey man, we should be a lot better. Like I've never played as much talent. So I appreciate that Armando Baycott is stepping up and saying that this team, they need Caleb love to start shooting ball.

Well, you can't shoot this poorly. He's been a liability at times defensively. And as Hubert did say that Caleb played well in second half, essentially in the target team, did they turn wake up for us over a lot. And I agree with fast that the game probably should not have been closed considering wake us, turn it over from the get go and RJ, we finally kind of saw that in the second half last week from the game against wake forest and Hubert said, post game, that's the first time that we've really seen RJ be RJ this year. So RJ Davis can continue to be, um, you know, consistent like that. And you can get often some leaky black, which you're not going to get what they got against wake forest consistently with leaky.

I know he's kind of looks like he's got an ankle or foot injury. If that didn't kind of get healed up and patched up, they might have a chance, but I don't know, man. It's for me, I'd go back to that 16 team that lost at the buzzer to go on over. And they came back that next year and they went out to Maui and you could tell right then and there that they weren't messing around. And Joel Berry, you keep on and said like, Hey, we went to Maui. We wanted to win everything. Where is that from this team? Is this a team that said that we will one read one box out away from the national championship and they started off season getting out rebounded by Wilmington at Charleston.

Charleston's a great team, but you're one box out away. That's something you're harping on all off season and yet the energy and effort hasn't been there as that's far. So I know they turned around late last season. So the shooting hasn't been great.

I don't know how much it's going to improve. I'm really hard pressed to believe that this team has another run in them because you just have not seen it from enough of these guys that really give like give a belief factor to where like they're ready to go and redeem themselves. I certainly have not seen that when I saw it very early on in that 17 team.

You can even talk about the 09 team as well. That's Julian Council locked on Panthers podcast at Julian Council on Twitter. Proud Elon grad vast.

I heard Carolina blitz dot com at keep blitzen. Fantastic. Both of you. Thank you. And let's be honest, they miss Brady Mannix defense on Paulo Bancaro, which is what won the game at Cameron indoor stadium. I'm only half kidding.

It's sort of like saying Kevin Love shut down Steph Curry on the final possession that helped the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Warriors in the NBA finals that year. Best of both of you. Happy New Year. Talk to you soon. All right.

Take care of them. You got it. That was fantastic. The Venture X card from Capital One gives you premium travel benefits. Perfect for seeing Taylor Swift, the era's tour presented by Capital One.

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