Back With The Pack? (Hour 3)

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There's a lot to listen to, so get started and download the free Odyssey app today. Is there something really absurd that skeeves you out? Getting a paper cut on my eyeball. A fear you can't shake? I'm going to leak ocular fluid down my cheeks.

It's going to go into my mouth and I will perish. Whatever scares you, I want to talk about it. Join me, Larry Mullins, on my new podcast, Your Weirdest Fears.

Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast from. We continue it as the Zach Yelp Show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. Now joining us is a man that has the most receiving touchdowns by a tight end in NFL history. He will one day be in Canton, Ohio as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and that is the legendary Antonio Gates here with us on behalf of Captain Morgan via the Fan of the Year contest. Antonio, always great to catch up with you.

Appreciate the time. How you been? How you doing, man? You all right?

Yeah, I'm doing fantastic. So I love your story. Not only did you have a legendary career, it's one of the all time great NFL stories because you never played college football for you. When was it that you realized, hey, not only can I do this in the NFL, but I could do it at an elite level?

I think it was probably, you know, I heard that, you know, maybe the first game I stepped out there because my first time playing was the second game of my rookie season. And that's because the starting tight end had got injured. And it was against a guy named Rod Woodson, who you might know of, the football word definitely knows of. And he played safety for the Raiders at the time. And I just remember saying to myself, they had called a play for me and I was thinking to myself, why would y'all call this play against Rod Woodson? Because I've been watching him cover people forever, you know, and all the video games I had played up until that point, Rod Woodson was always one of the better cover guys on the game, not only in his position, just on the game in general. So I think my first two or three passes that I ever caught in the National Football League was against him. And I think that part, yeah, that was one of the things where I feel like the third time, it was all third downs. And I remember saying to myself, you know what, yeah, that's Rod Woodson, I can be out here. And I think that's where the confidence came from initially.

And it's like anything, you doubt yourself, but once you get out there, you get a chance to say, well, I belong out here. And it just snowballed from there, man. I look up and things were happening so fast. And I look up and it was year 16.

I feel like I blinked and I looked up and it was year 16. So I really enjoyed the whole journey. What are you most proud about when you look back at your NFL career and what do you want people to take away from it when we look back at it years from now? Well, I think, you know, I think the thing I enjoy the most and I think what I always try to implement with my teammates is that, you know, the trust, right? They can always trust and understand that Antonio Gates was going to be there between those lines. And I think that speaks volumes. And when we get a chance to see some of these former players, you know, I think that's something that we still hold dear to our heart. We seem to have these conversations just because I know, you know, you know, guys come and go.

The NFL is like a revolving door. And I think that all the guys that ever come through, you know, the Chargers organization realize the magnitude of how much work I have put in. And yet they can believe and trust in me. And I think that's something and I have fun doing it. Not only that, I have fun doing it. I think that was always my my message is that make sure you enjoy this journey because, you know, it'll be over before you know it. And I think that's what I try to do.

I try to enjoy every moment. But yet I, you know, and I will be so and I'll be so implemented in the game plan. I just never wanted to let my teammates down. You know, obviously the coaches have believed in me, but it was more so about what the guys that felt about me in the locker room meant. That meant the most to me.

Antonio Gates here with us. So when you were at Michigan State, Saban wanted you to only play football. You wanted to double dip, do football and basketball. What were that conversations like with Nick Saban and take me through that decision making process where you eventually learned?

Well, obviously he was right. You know, I'm the all time leader in the history of the game. I think I had so much skin in the game from the game of basketball, and I had put so much work into the game of basketball for my whole career and my whole adolescent teenager life. I just always was a basketball player. And that's what always I always thought I was going pro playing basketball is because I was always good at it. And football was just a natural thing.

It was very natural for me. It would be, you know, the analogy that I normally use when it comes to the game of football, basketball is just, you know, back when you were going to the prom or going to the homecoming dance. And, you know, you want to pick a girl that you want to go with.

Right. And it was like a girl you wanted to be with and a girl wanted to be with you. And I think the girl I wanted to be with was the basketball. The girl wanted to be with me was a game of football.

And I think that's kind of how that all unfolded. It was just football was just I did everything so great. I was I had a great size. How much you weigh? 255. That's great. How tall are you? 64. That's great.

How fast? Oh, you can run. That's great. Your jumping ability is great. Basketball was kind of like, ah, you know, can you do that again? You know, are you 6'4"?

What position are you going to play? And it was always that indecisive, you know, I was always in limbo with the game of basketball. I was averaging 20 points because I was close to 30 in high school, but yet they were always asking me, can you do this more?

Can you do that? And it never was right. You know, football, it didn't matter what I did. It was just great. Great, great, great. And I think that's what led me to start saying football was probably the best option for me because everything I had, even when I wouldn't try and I made a catch.

Oh, that's that's good. You know, so I didn't have to put as much in the game of football. And then what I did when I started playing the game of football, I took the detailed things that I would do in the game of basketball, the hard work, the preparation, because I was undersized. I had to put so much in the game of basketball to be successful. And I used that same mechanism and I put it in the game of football. And I said, you know what? Now I'm taller than everybody.

These guys ain't 69 playing corner. You know what I mean? So it ended up working out for me.

Well, yeah, you could say that you found the right girl and you had a whole career. There's no doubt about that, Antonio Gates. So the Chargers now, they're getting hot at the right time. They're getting healthier.

They're eight and six. Justin Herbert's been an absolute stud. Just what have been your impressions of Herbert his first three years in the league and what do you expect out of the Chargers the rest of the way? I think they're in the driver's seat in terms of their destiny. And I think that's the biggest thing.

That's the only thing you can ask for right now in this quarter of the season, the end of the season. That was a big win against Miami, big win against the Tennessee Tigers. So now we're in the driver's seat and I think we are well aware of that.

But yet there's no complacency because this lead is very tough. A.V. game means to me now the postseason has truly started for the Chargers because A.V.

game has that much significance in terms of them going to the postseason. So now I just we will treat A.V. game like a player. If I was in the locker room, the talks would be let's just treat A.V.

game like a playoff because this is what it means because, you know, one, two games now you can be out of the playoffs. So, you know, I'm definitely I'm sure that the coach's staff has implemented that. And as far as Justin is concerned, he's unbelievable. His magnitude of learning and the learning curve at the quarterback is probably the most difficult position you can have. And he's been able to do it and do it and glorify him.

And I can't. And I played with a guy Philip Rivers, right? I played with degrees. I had a chance to play with Doug Flutie. So I played with some phenomenal quarterbacks and just to watch this guy throw the ball the way he can throw it, the way he moves around. Sky's the limit for him. He has unbelievable upside. But yes, he's doing it at a high level right now.

So early. You know, I think he'd be better than those guys, Antonio, that you just mentioned. You mentioned some guys that probably fame. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I think he's proven that he can be one of the best to ever do it.

And I think that's the question mark, right? That's the thing that he needs to maintain. And I'm sure guys are telling him, I'm sure the coach's staff are staying on him, that you can do something very, very special. You can be better than Philip Rivers, right?

You can be better than you. That's saying a whole bunch, you know, because what he's doing at an early age is just remarkable. What to watch is a treat.

Every time you get a chance to go on so far, stay in the watching play is definitely a treat to see. We'll talk about Captain Morgan in just a second. But there's been a lot of conversation about Brandon Staley and what his future is going to look like with the Chargers.

A lot of people throwing out. Maybe Sean Payton joining them next year. Just what's your reaction and all those rumors and conversations? Man, Staley is great, man. Staley is doing great, man. I like him a lot. I like what he's done for the team.

And more importantly, what I look for is that people, I look for what can he get the best out of his team? And you think about the injuries that the Chargers has dealt with this year, and yet he's in a position to still go to postseason. You know, people got to remember, you know, Derwin's been banged up here and there. J.C. Jackson went out, right? He paid him to come here to be the number one corner. You know, so Joey Bosa is still having, you know, we haven't had the guys that we were depending on to lead this team be out there. But yet he's still in the driver's seat.

That's nonsense. You know, this lead, you know, and I think that's the people that's outside looking in. When you played in this league, you really understand the magnitude of how difficult it is to be in the position that he's in. When you have a revolving door in terms of guys in and out. Joey and Khalil and Keenan and Mike and Derwin and J.C. Jackson, I don't even think they played one game. I'm not even sure they even played a game together, you know, because Keenan got hurt week one.

J.C. Jackson didn't play week one. When he came back, he ended up getting hurt. Then Keenan came back. Mike was banged up. Now Keenan is back.

Now Joey still ain't. You know, Derwin was out last week. You know, so it's just when he get all the pieces together, you can get the same. But regardless of that, his coaching style and his coaches ability to be able to get the best and maximize the guys that's coming off the bench to roll. So what we would call role players, essentially, he's doing a great job. You know, I can't see nothing happening with him. You know, I would be shocked, say the least, because what he's doing and we're still in a position to go to the postseason.

So I can't see why anything, you know, short of him returning be an issue at this point. Tell me about the work you're doing with Captain Morgan and the NFL Fan of the Year contest. Well, obviously, yeah.

So that's this is a great deal, man. Now, you know, Captain Morgan, NFL teaming up to come with a fan of the year. And I think it's important that we start using this platform to, you know, to say thank you to some of these fans. You got to think some of these guys are devoted to their team, their respective teams and their cities.

And yet they're doing community work. We have a guy Los Angeles. That's great. I got a chance to meet him and he's been phenomenal to the community, phenomenal to our team, supporting us over the last six years in charge of Francis. He was a kid.

But more importantly, getting that just due is the most important thing. And Captain Morgan is doing that, giving them a platform where people can appreciate our fans. Because when you think about it as a player, your fans are your memories, right? The fans keep your memories going. Your fans keep your legacy going. And these are diehard fans. You know, these are diehard fans to their respective teams. And now they're getting a chance to be on a good platform where they get an exposure and said, hey, I'm a charger fan or whatever team you're from.

So this is a great deal. And I really appreciate it as a player because those are things that gets us going to see the fans, to see what they do. I hope that we just understand and they understand that they mean the same to us as players as we mean to them.

And we're very thankful for what they do for each and every city that they're doing it at. I know you got to run. Last question for you, Antonio Gates.

Who's the greatest tight end in NFL history? Oh, yeah, that's a good question. Well, man, you know, you know, I hate it.

It's so many good ones, man. To be perfectly honest with you, man, everybody's hat there. I like I like to say the baton, you know, you pass the baton like a four by one team.

Right. You know, you know, Tony had it. He gave it to me.

I gave it to, you know, you know, Travis's. He's had it. You know, Shannon Sharp has had it. I think Gronkowski's had it.

I think so many people who had it. I think we all understand we've met the same amount. We mean the same to each other. I mean to the Chargers.

What he means to Brock, Shannon Sharp means the Broncos, what Tony means to Kansas City, what Gronk means to the Patriots. I think we've all understood what it's like to be in that number one spot to have to go in and out every single week and perform. I like to think that I'm the best, you know, just from a competitive standpoint, as you should. Right. But I'm very respectful of what they've all done and what they would like.

What Travis is continuing to do now, I still would say myself, because that's just the competitive nature and me. But the reality of the situation is that these guys have been phenomenal as guys like Kellen Winlow, Sr., who paved the way for all of us. So it's really no way it's the generational is all generational. You know, I like to think at one point I have at the time, you know, I got it from Tony Gonzalez. Right. He got it from Shannon Sharp.

Shannon got it from, you know, whoever. I'm telling you, you know, so it's a it's a thing where we consider like a fraternity. Right. It's like this is the group of guys who've changed the game. We paved the way and each and every guy has made the significance to their team, to the position. I'm probably the only free agent, you know, so I like to think my degree of difficulty was more so complicated than the rest. But I mean, I've watched Gronkowski plays phenomenal.

I watched Kelsey play these phenomenal. I watched, you know, Tony plays from that, you know, so it's just so it's so hard to say from a competitive standpoint. I like to think my degree was, you know, more complicated than the rest. So therefore, I would always say myself because I love to compete, you know, but I got a ton of respect for the rest of those guys. I'm just going to go out on a limb. You have a valid argument to be at the head of the table, potentially there as well.

Antonio Gates. Great to catch up with you. I always love your story and chatted up with you. Thanks so much for joining us on behalf of Captain Morgan. Thanks, man.

Appreciate it. And we're coming to you live from the Rocket Mortgage Studios. Whether you're looking to purchase a new home or refinance yours, Rocket Mortgage can help you get there for home loan solutions that fit your life. Well, Rocket can. When we return, we'll react to what Antonio Gates had to say about Justin Herbert and the future of Brandon Staley. Zach Yelp show back in five.

So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. Is there something really absurd that skeeves you out? Getting a paper cut on my eyeball? A fear you can't shake? I'm going to leak ocular fluid down my cheeks.

It's going to go into my mouth and I will perish. Whatever scares you, I want to talk about it. Join me, Larry Mullins, on my new podcast, Your Weirdest Fears. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast from. So my biggest fear is there's going to be snakes in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10 minute podcast called Your Weirdest Fears. We unpack where these fears come from.

A rat climbed into my toilet and learn how to manage them. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to The Zach Gelb Show.

It is Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. So, Hickey, I told you I made a little boys trip this weekend. I think it ended up being 9 or 10 of my friends. We went up to this place in Barryville called BVH Barryville Hotel, which has some of the best wings you'll ever have called Johnny Hotz.

There's a bunch of different other flavors. So I'm talking to a friend of mine that's there who's doing TV in a smaller market right now. He's doing TV in West Virginia and he's big sports talk radio fan and big sports fan obviously doing sports television and could be one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

I've never heard him say really a bad word or talk down about anybody. Kind of like you like a little bit where I'm trying to create a little toughness, a little fire. You know, you go for a little bit of the punches from time to time instead of just being such a nice person. Wings come out. I kid you not. He goes, thank God we don't have anyone ordering boneless wings.

And I didn't know he was making a reference about the show. And I go, yeah, I hate boneless wings. I go, you get the boneless wings? He goes, yeah, I'm like your producer.

He goes, that is one of the worst food takes that he's ever heard that you prefer boneless wings compared to bone in wings. It's good for me. That means more for me.

Don't go talk to her with them running out. Keep it coming, fellas. Another another round of six. Come on.

Let's go. Six. What do you barely eat?

What do you make? They come in six, twelve, whatever. It doesn't matter. Six at a time. I'll go with different flavors.

Change it up. Maybe, you know, one's a rub, a dry rub. Ones, you know, sauce. You know, I like to mix it up. Buffalo sauce, you know. Oh, yeah.

You're going really out. Dry rub. Buffalo sauce. You know, mix it up.

Well, Jamaican jerk. Yeah. Now we're talking.

So, you know, you guys enjoy. You guys go three hours. Enjoy your great wings. Hold on.

Three hours. I'll stay close and I'll eat. I'll eat my boneless wings. I'll be happy. You have crappy wings. It's fine. Well, those aren't even wings. They're they're nuggets.

Whatever adjective you want to use to describe them. You can you can go ahead. It doesn't bother me. I think it does.

I think it does. I keep ordering them. I have no shame. I shouldn't have shame in the first place, but. The biggest infraction you've actually ever committed, because even though I do not agree with boneless wings, but I still can't get over the fact that you went to Philadelphia and still didn't get a cheesesteak. That to me is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard someone do.

I don't know what was dumber. Jacoby Myers throwing the football to Mac Jones and then Chandler Jones picking it off. Or Hickey going to Philadelphia and saying, oh, I was too banged up the next day. I'm going to get a sausage, egg and cheese in Philadelphia at 12 o'clock or one o'clock, whatever it was. And you passed on the cheesesteak while in Philadelphia, but you didn't have time to do so. I was there for less than 24 hours. You went and got other food though.

Already made, except for the one. And yeah, I went a block away, got a breakfast item and moved on. That's terrible.

I don't care if it's one o'clock in the afternoon, 7 a.m., 4 p.m., when I wake up, what I want is breakfast food. Give me a bad quarterback. Who's the worst quarterback that you've ever seen in your lifetime?

Oh, boy. Let's go with Josh Rosen. He stinks. You're the Josh Rosen of food. That is so untrue. NFL wise, because college he was pretty good. And he keeps on getting opportunities.

I don't know if that's good or bad, but I mean, he was signed today. Well, that's basically you. You keep on getting opportunities to go dine places. You keep on making the wrong decisions.

And not only the wrong decisions, like so horribly wrong. We've got to culture you and we've got to kind of fine tune your terrible eating habits. That's going to be my New Year's resolution in 2023.

And I don't think I'm going to make much progress because you get very stubborn when it comes to your food. It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. So Antonio Gates just joined us and he said he would be shocked if Brandon Staley is not back next year. I think for most of the year, we've been talking about this possibility of Sean Payton to the Los Angeles Chargers. And right at Rappaport last week, I think it was last week, he came out and he said, if Sean's going to be coaching next year, probably the three most likely destinations or the ones that he would prefer are the Chargers, the Rams or the Saints. I don't think the Rams are a possibility because I believe that Sean McVeigh is coming back. So let's start there. Would you agree with that?

Yes, sir. I think the Saints are a possibility, but I don't think it is his preferred destination. But I did find it interesting last week when we had Jonathan Casillas on that Jonathan kind of made the point that he's not so sure if Sean would want to go back to New Orleans because they don't have a quarterback. Now, if you go bring Tom Brady in, then that's a different thing. But if you don't have Brady in there, how likely is it, in your opinion, that he would go back to New Orleans this offseason?

Five percent. Okay. So you think he needs to know that Brady's coming in order for him to go? Right.

Go back to the situation that he left, basically having to be the same thing. And also, I was talking to Trey Wingo and I thought this was fascinating. I was talking to Trey Wingo with Melusis when I was doing the show and the fan.

I'm trying to figure out where I was and what show I was doing because there's a lot of radio happening this time of the year. Trey Wingo said, I can't get into it, but he also he can't get into the reasons why he knows of this. But he does not think it's likely that Sean goes back to New Orleans. That was pretty much the gist of what he said. It was very similar to kind of the stance that Casillas had.

But I'll leave it and even more that it made it seem like it was even more than what Casillas was saying. So that's also on the table, too. Then you get to the Chargers. Now, if they lose in embarrassing fashion, because there's no doubt about it in my mind, they're going to the playoffs with the way that their schedule is just easy peasy down the stretch. They found the way to win these last two weeks against Tennessee. And then also the week prior, I thought they had their best performance of the season up against the Dolphins. But with your schedule being eight and six and an extra playoff spot, as we're well accustomed to that now, and your schedule is the Colts, the Rams and the Broncos. I would have said that before the start of the year, maybe it's a different field, but now the Colts stink, the Rams stink and the Broncos stink. You're going to make the playoffs. So barring, and I mean the most putrid way possible in losing a playoff game where it is just an idiotic, aggressive decision and just a brutal decision by Brandon Staley. I'm leaning more on the side now that Brandon Staley is going to be back in L.A. next, is going to be back with the Chargers next season, Hickey, and that Sean will not be coaching the Chargers.

Yourself? Yeah, we were talking about this a few weeks ago. I just didn't see a situation where they would fire if they made the playoffs. And now that we are here, like I said, barring a one and two embarrassment, I don't think the Spanish family is one that would fire a coach that went to the playoffs.

And with them kind of being a little frugal with money, I don't know if they would be willing to kind of splurge the way you should get Sean Payton there. What happens? It's a third quarter. Let's just say they're up 14 to 10.

I'll give you the scenario. Third quarter playoffs, give me the team that you want them to play just in this random scenario. They are playing the Bengals, let's say. That'd be a great matchup. Bengals, Chargers.

Yeah, Herbert Burrow. Phenomenal. They're in Cincinnati. They are up 14 to 10. First possession coming out of the second half.

And it's in early stages, obviously, the third quarter. They have the ball. 14 and 10, they're at their own 33-yard line. And it's fourth and four. And Staley goes for it.

Doesn't get it. And then after that, the Bengals score a touchdown. Chargers get the ball back. They go three and out. The Bengals score another touchdown. They end up losing the game.

But it's perceived as the next day. That was the turning point where you were up 14 to 10. You were aggressive inside your own 35-yard line and you went for it and it didn't work. Would that be enough because of how so many people have been on Brandon Staley for his aggressiveness and then at times his stupidity for maybe you to change your opinion and maybe have them say, okay, yeah, we made the playoffs, but his biggest weakness showed up in that moment and prevented us from advancing to the second round? No. I don't think it'd be enough.

Okay. I would probably tend to agree with you as well. So it would be a possibility that maybe they would get rid of him there, but I would probably tend to agree that he's going to be back. So if that's the case, if Staley's going to be back with the Chargers, McVeigh's going to be back with the Rams, and maybe Sean just doesn't want to go back to New Orleans or Brady says, Sean, as much as I love you, I'm not going to New Orleans with you. And I don't think Sean's going back to New Orleans just for the sake to coach unless if he's really that addicted to it and wants to go coach Andy Dandy Dalton or Taysom Hill again, I know Taysom Hill was his guy or Jameis Winston, whoever his quarterback would be next year. Where the heck is he going? Where is Sean Payton coaching next year?

Or, heck, are you starting to think it's more and more likely that maybe he's going to give it another go around with the NFL and Fox? What about Tampa Bay? With Brady? With Brady. Brady stays.

Todd Bowles gets the out. I don't know if, and it's in division, so you kind of, you know, spit a little bit in the fans of New Orleans. But the Saints would have to trade him to the Buccaneers.

Maybe I'm wrong. If Sean Payton says I'm going to the Buccaneers, I don't think that would, the Saints would say no. They could jack up the price a little bit, but I don't think they would hold the hostage. I don't think you just let him go for, let's say, a fourth round pick.

Yeah, that's fair. I mean, if you demand a second or a first, I think the Buccaneers would do it. Brady could tell the Bucs, if you don't go get me Sean, I'm leaving. And then you could really pressure the Bucs to give up whatever the price tag is to go get Sean. I think it's a possibility. I still think it's unlikely, though, just because it's in division.

I don't think the Saints want to see Sean twice a year would be my guess. Now, I'll circle back on another team. Dallas, one and done again in the playoffs. Dallas losing in the divisional round in embarrassing fashion, not getting to an NFC title game.

I know we talked about it earlier, then things have cooled down a bit because they're 10-4. But wouldn't that be a repeat of what McCarthy pretty much did a year ago? I still think Dallas is in play, and I still think Dallas is a serious contender, even though McCarthy's done a good job with this team this year. I just don't think he'd want to go because if he's someone who kind of wants control, you're not getting that ever with Jerry Jones. But what happens if Jerry Jones kind of treats him like Parcells when Parcells was there? He was able to get Parcells there. Maybe he does that for Sean because Jerry Jones is not getting any younger. And I don't think for any Tom, Dick, and Harry, he kind of settles down a little bit for a little bit or moves out of the traditional Jerry Jones way anyway. But if you're bringing in a coach to caliber Sean, maybe he kind of approaches it the same way that Parcells did.

But eventually that does have a limit, and it goes the wrong way. I'm just not salty to do that right now. Well, he's not getting any younger. I know what I'm saying. I don't trust Jerry Jones. And Sean's this guy, so I think for anyone out of the potential coaches there, it would be for Sean.

Now where else? What about the Cardinals? Absolutely. Even with I know Cliff Kingsbury would then get the axe, but with Kyler Murray, I'm trying to say, probably not playing next year? It hurts for sure, but young quarterback Sean Payne has made, at least reportedly, known that he wants to go to a place with an established quarterback. Is Kyler established? He's the guy. He's on the roster. He's established.

I look that conscious. He's not going anywhere. No, no, no.

I get that. But do you feel good about him as your quarterback? Because I don't know if Kyler Murray will ever be great. He's paid like he's a great quarterback. Is he going to be a top ten quarterback? Is he going to ever be a top five quarterback?

That I can't feel great about it, especially this year. And I know Cliff Kingsbury is not a good coach, but we've seen a lot of petulance from Kyler Murray the last two years. I think he has the skills and the physical tools in order to get into a top, let's say, seven range. Does he have the durability, though? Guy's always hurt, it seems like. If Sean Payne thinks he can get it out of him, I think Sean Payne would go there.

That's all that matters, right? It doesn't matter if we think he's a good guy. If Sean Payne thinks I can get the most out of this guy, Cliff's screwing him, I'll make him to a top five, I'll show you, then he's going to Arizona. Yeah, personally, I would not be hitching my wagons to Kyler Murray. I think it's going to be, Stanley's going to stay with the Chargers, McVeigh's going to stay with the Rams.

Until he's back with the Saints, I'll tend not to believe that than to believe it. You know Carolina will make a run, but then once again, it's in division. I don't think the Panthers are going to get him. And also, who are they going to get? Quarterback-wise, who have they got? No one. Nothing. Well, maybe he's intrigued by the draft pick.

Maybe that... That is, what, I think eight? I forgot to double check, but again, they win another game, they're out of the top ten. Sure, but maybe he thinks that I'll be intrigued by drafting a quarterback in the first round. Because when he was with New Orleans, they brought Drew Brees in and all that.

So, let's get nuts. Who are the Texans? No. Bryce Young? No. That organization is, you know, they have a history of giving coaches all the power. No, they have a history of just hiring coaches just to be the placeholder.

They have no problem saying, here's everything. You do it all. I think it's going to be the Cowboys is going to be the one that picks up the most momentum, barring you have the Cowboys lose divisional round or wild card weekend. I don't think he goes to Denver.

I would not hitch my wagon right now to Russell Wilson. It feels, it's starting to feel, you hope something goes wrong with Staley. I think that they're going to be in the playoffs.

I would agree with you. He's going to be back. And that's pretty much what Antonio Gates just kind of told us, too, that he believes in Brandon Staley. So, I keep on circling back to the Dallas Cowboys. Maybe not the hot name now, but it was hot in the offseason because a lot of people said, all right, if they don't find a way to get it done come playoff time, then away you go and you probably get rid of Mike McCarthy. You know, let's get a little nuts. Let's get a little spicy here. Here we go. The Colts. No, no, no, no.

This is this is actually realistic. He's going to he's going to team up with Jim Erickson. We're going to win the Super Bowl. He wants an established quarterback. I think probably out of 32 teams, at least at least 25 would fire their coach for him.

What if you give Cincinnati a call? What if you give them a call and say, look, Zach Taylor. Zach Taylor was just coaching the Super Bowl last year and has done a heck of a job with this team.

He did a great job. If I get a call from Sean Payton, I want to come coach Joe Burrow. Wasn't that the same thing as the Chargers? You talk about how the Chargers are a frugal organization. Is it the same thing with the Bengals? It's got a stadium deal. Maybe they're now turning the leaf.

Paycor. You know how long they kept Marvin Lewis? Oh, I'm aware. I'm just throwing it out there. No, I don't think the Bengals are going to happen.

And you want to go in that division? Now, there's reports when the Saints are pursuing Deshaun Watson, they would not have if Sean was still there. Maybe it's the fans he gets fired and maybe he changes his tune a little bit, even though Watson has looked terrible the last three weeks. Well, you'll chalk that up to Russ knocking off Russ. Maybe Cleveland could be in play.

Who knows? But I would say Dallas is probably my thought still. My thought before the season changed a little bit during the season now. I'm starting to circle back in on Dallas if they have a bad performance.

It may not be deserved by McCarthy, but does Jerry Jones always do what is fair? You could probably say no on that front. And add shows to your queue to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to.

So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm interested in making money.

I'm not interested in hurting people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio.

Season two, the Dixie Mafia, available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. So my biggest fear is there's going to be snakes in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10 minute podcast called Your Weirdest Fears.

We unpack where these fears come from, a rat climbed into my toilet and learn how to manage them. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to The Zach Gelb Show, Zach Gelb Show, CBS Sports Radio. That was Ross Tucker, former NFL offensive lineman, now does a great job calling games for Westwood one. He was in the booth last night with the legendary Kevin Harlan calling a Packers Rams game, which is very forgettable. Not the guys calling it, but I'm talking about the actual game that was played between the Packers and the Rams. It was so blah, like who cares going in and who cared once the game was over. I will say, though, after the game last night, I did switch over because I was watching a little bit of the Manning cast last night. I wanted to see a little weight on the Manning cast.

And I switched over to SVP after the game with the postgame. And every week he interviews Troy Aikman and Joe Buck and they have him do an interview together from Scott in the studio. And those two guys that whatever the game is at since they're calling the game. And Buck, I think it was with SVP last night.

And if he said on the broadcast that I apologize, I just wasn't watching. Usually I watch Bucket Aikman, but I wanted to flip over the Manning cast last night, even though I'm not a big Manning cast guy, which is irony in that. But I heard Buck say last night that, yeah, you kind of get the feel that, and I'm paraphrasing, that Rogers could be back next year with the Packers and then you go from there. And that's where I think we're at now. Now, I know a few weeks ago you said that you thought Aaron Rodgers was going elsewhere. And I know that you even made the joke, well, I said that the last two seasons, talking about yourself saying that, because I said that he was going to stay in Green Bay. And now, seeing how the rest of the season has played out, now with three weeks to go, are you still on that train just wondering that Aaron Rodgers is going to be either retiring or going elsewhere for next season? Yes, because I just don't understand the reasoning of bringing him back if you're Green Bay with how you've acted since you've signed him. Well, they gave him the contract, and it's not like anything really changed.

You even talked about that earlier. It's not as if they- But that's the issue. Like, when you give him the contract, you're going all in, right? Like, the guy's 38, so you're saying basically the next three years we are all in on getting one more Super Bowl. And they've done nothing.

If anything, the team's gotten worse. So what's the point of keeping Aaron Rodgers and running him back if you're not going to take the proper measurements to go all in to give him a chance to actually win a Super Bowl? But they kept him and paid him all those other years through that approach, so if you're talking about consistency of approaches, wouldn't it be you still pay him and they still do nothing? I get what you're saying. It's just a definition of insanity.

Sure. You're not wrong. They should pay other players, and they should bring in other players to now compliment Christian Watson, who you feel good about, bring in someone else that is a bona fide wide receiver. But you don't expect that it's going to change, so wouldn't the approach be the same where you tell Rodgers, go figure it out? Now, the real compelling part to me is if some of the reports go that Jordan Love doesn't want to sit again next year, and then he's going to force his way out, you can tell Jordan Love, go grab some bench just because a player says he wants to get traded doesn't mean you have to trade him.

I think a lot of us forget about that. Then I wonder what the Packers do. Here's what I think is going to happen.

And I'll give you my official prediction here on the 20th day of December in the year of 2022. I think Aaron Rodgers is back next year. And I think Aaron Rodgers next year will be his final season in Green Bay.

Because I do think they still prefer to hand the baton over to Jordan Love. They signed him. And I know when they signed Aaron Rodgers, you would think, OK, that means he's going to end his career in Green Bay.

And I know there's pre July 1st, post July 1st, all that stuff, and you could really get into it. The dead cap, any way you want to look at it, it is rather large for 2023. In 2024, it dropped significantly.

Where a few years ago we would look at, according to Spotrack, the dead cap for 2024 on the surface is $24.8 million or $24.4 million. We used to look at that number and be like, oh, he's going to be back on the roster that year. But after seeing what transpired with Wentz and with Jared Goff, mainly Goff, because that was a large cap hit, if memory serves right, dead cap hit, and some other quarterbacks that have been traded, I think that Rodgers goes for one more year in Green Bay, that if they don't win, then after that, then you really have to make a decision on Love. And I think you could find a way to keep Love on the roster for one more year, even if he's not happy, and then tell Jordan, we'll go to you in 2024. And if Rodgers wants to keep on playing, I'm sure there will be a suitor for Aaron Rodgers at the age of 41 that will give up enough capital where the Packers go, okay, you could go have him, and we'll turn our future over to Jordan Love.

And I don't know if Love is going to be good or not. I was skeptical of him being a first-round pick to begin with, but that's what I think is going to happen. Is one year even enough to see if Jordan Love has it or not? That's the timeline, and if you're right with your timeline, he'd be playing under the fifth-year option, and then that's it. I was afraid to say that, but basically you're having one year to decide before big money kicks in. If he balls out, he's going to have every right to go demand for a big contract. I'm talking about like a four or five-year deal.

If he does not ball out, then maybe you get a team-friendly deal there, because you also have to play it the other way. There was a lot of skeptics about Jordan Love if he was worthy of being a first-round pick. The Packers said, oh, we knew other teams were going to draft him, and then the team was supposed to be your team in the Indianapolis Colts. And I think they would have to trade back in to go get him if memory serves me right.

And then it was, oh, wait a second, the Colts weren't actually interested in him when more reporting did come out. So if Love plays great, you could always go, well, you go also through the franchise tag. That's also there where you don't have to make that decision. You don't have to make that decision, but you can go franchise tag. But if he balls out, let's say in that year of 2024, and he wants a four or five-year deal, he could be skeptical of it, but he has a case, I guess, for that deal, or you could go the route of the franchise tag.

And so you've got to go prove it another year. There's really nothing else he could do. But if he does not play great and you still think, OK, that's the guy that we want to go to, then maybe you could get a favorable kind of three-year deal where he gets his money, you get a break, because he's still betting on himself a little bit in terms of we don't know what he's going to be. So he goes, OK, I'll make a few, you know, I'll concede a few things to go get a contract with some guaranteed money in case of it doesn't work out. It's it's a bad situation, but it's just because, again, you have two, you know, one foot in each camp.

You don't know what you're doing and you're spinning your wheels and it's kind of led to a year that we all seem surprising. But with that dead cap number with Rogers, it it makes it tough to move on from him. I get it.

But also, you know, a court- It makes it a little easier to digest. They're going to pick up his fifth year option after this. Yes.

You know that you have to. So you pick up his fifth year option. You have him sit one more year in 2023. Rogers is there. Then after 2023, you trade Aaron Rogers.

I think you go to Jordan Love. I really believe that's what's going to happen. And I was thinking about this. And then you hear Buck last night say, yeah, he'll probably be back next year. And you hear him talk about the money in that situation. And then after that, it was like, oh, then they'll go from there. It kind of makes sense when you look at the contract of Rogers, where, yes, they gave him a lot of money.

And they just got this deal done. But for all parties, it may be best that they do split after 2023. Because if Rogers wins a Super Bowl in 2023, like let's just say, maybe he retires. I don't know if this guy wants to play another three, four more years.

I don't. If he doesn't win a Super Bowl, then it does feel like it is time to to move on. He's 40. You get some value back for him. Send him somewhere else that think he's the missing piece. And you could go to your guy, Jordan Love, and we'll see if Jordan Love is the guy or not. What would you get more in a trade, Aaron Rogers after next season or Jordan Love this season? Aaron Rogers after next season. You remember when John Coon texted me and was like, your producer thinks Jordan Love could go for a first round pick and he laughed at you.

I don't think you get much right now for Jordan Love because a lot of people didn't think he was worthy of being a first round pick to begin with. The only team that at least that we know of that thought was the case was the Packers. Maybe there was another team or two, but he was there.

He was falling. And other than Green Bay, no one said we needed to go get him. And what if Aaron Rogers had another similar year in 2023 to 2022? There's still he's Aaron Rogers. You will still have people that will say, oh, it's the Green Bay situation.

It's not him. There will always remember Brady did not play well his final year in New England. I know it was via free agency, but there will always be a suitor for Aaron Rogers.

We'll do the hot seat meter next. Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio. The listening you love is on the free Odyssey app, your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience. Follow topics you care about, like leagues and teams, pause or rewind your local sports and news and add shows to your queue to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to.

So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm interested in making money. I'm not interested in hurting people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio, season two, the Dixie Mafia. Available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.