Sneaky Teams (Hour 3)

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Get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts. So Hickey, I just did that again. My mistake. And you know what's crazy about that? When Hickey was hosting a few weeks ago, he said, oh, it's the Ryan Hickey show.

And then he goes, I mean, the Zach Gelb show. And I was listening. So I called and I gave him crap from that. McKeon has worked here for the last two days. And I know Brian McKeon very well. And I've called him Hickey twice.

I think it's just muscle memory at this point. But I've literally, I've worked behind the glass for you for six years now. Six years now. You have worked with me before Hickey worked with me.

Yes. I've known you longer than Hickey's known you. I know who you are. It's not like I don't know Zach Gelb inaugural voyages and the weekend overnights like to mistake me for Hickey. I'm a, I was here.

I was here longer. I've been a true Zach Gelb fan from before Hickey. Well, it's not intentional.

I just, for some reason, it just so used to come back from a break and be like, Hickey, you know, we were just talking about this during break and now it's Brian Jack McKeon. It's all right. You'll get over it. You'll be fine. But anyway, what did you say?

What did you say? I'm going to have to rethink things. Oh, okay. That's fine. Don't worry.

Every little thing's going to be all right. But we were just talking during the break, McKeon, not Hickey, that, you know, you saw that I had a lot of luggage here tonight because I'm going to my folks place after the show on Long Island, a buddy of mine moved to this town, Mineola. So he has a housewarming that I'm going to attend and I'm going to play golf tomorrow.

And then I'll come back at some point on, on Sunday evening. So I sit down after we just had a discussion about housewarming and party and all that stuff. And I get this tweet from Danielle, who says I was invited tonight to go to an eighties house party. And I actually contemplated going, but here I am listening to the Zach Gelb show and then she a hashtag that's how I roll.

Well, first off, Danielle, thank you very much. And we love that you're spending your Friday evening with us, but you get the best of both worlds. If you're going to an eighties house party, don't you just get like a big boom box and run and I'll walk into this party blasting the Zach Gelb show.

You know, I'm very popular at parties. We're playing Kid Rock coming back from break. I'm playing all eighties rock tonight. Not for nothing, Danielle, like get to the party and just play the Zach Gelb show on the boom box. That's what I'm saying. The show is eighties rock. But here's the one problem with that.

What's that? If you're at a party and I'm assuming that this is a social function, right? It's not just like, let's just dress up as eighties people and not even like talk to anybody.

I think that is a, a party downer type of guess. If you're, if you're rocking into the party with the big eighties boom box, that's cool. But then coming out of the boom boxes, all right, let me tell you about Bill Belichick or I got to take about Antonio Brown.

I don't think you'll fit in very well at the party. If you have my lad loud voice, did he coach in the eighties? Yeah, he did coach in the eighties.

Did Giants defensive coordinator in the, I mean, listen, there's a lot of, there's a lot of eighties vibes in the show today. I'm actually, I'm actually, you know, it's not a bad idea. Actually bring the boom box to the party, play the Zach Gelb show. You're going to get a lot more fans that way.

Also more people are hearing you more exposure. Danielle, I'm going to say it's now you now have to do Zach Gelb justice and go to this party. Yeah.

And now it's like your, your job is almost as much as we are getting paid for this. So if we've already got brought to the eighties party, hello to everyone at the eighties party. Welcome. How you doing? Let's have a grand old time tonight.

Just be safe. We can give eighties sports takes. I think the Mets only won one in the world series in this decade. One world series.

That's it. I know there's a lot of talent here. They're only going to win one world series in this decade. You know, I think the team I'm in the eighties, but I think the team of the nineties that is going to get really close, but yet, but not a close, get very close, but will not hoist the Lombardi trophy will be the Buffalo bills. They got a lot of Superbowls.

They shorten kid. He's something special. All right. I'm never going to see a player like him come along.

All right. Never. Not even from Akron, Ohio.

Sports talk radio is about to be very big. Let me tell you in the nineties, we are good. We crack ourselves up. Geez. Yeah. I'm telling you if, uh, after I stuttered through that, that other sentence, if I'm at a party on a, on a loudspeaker, I, I would ask that person to leave. I'm being honest.

I have you, you walk into a party with a boom box and you have some sports radio show on the door and get out, especially if it's the show, don't let the door hit you on the way out. If it would be one thing, if Hickey was here and it's just me and Hickey. Great. But if it's McKeon, oh yeah. Now we're talking. They're gonna be like, who's that prepubescent boy on the other side of the glass. Really over Hickey.

You're going to, that's the argument you need to go with over Hickey. You know, I'll tell you a listener reached out to me. It's a listener that I follow. And this person D and they, and said, I know you're away, but you have to listen on rewind to a certain hour of the show. Last time Hickey was hosting. And he played this clip of boomer size who was once talking about Hickey saying boomer boomer said, you know, I did the Zach Yelp show last night and his producer, Ryan screened the call and he had the highest voice ever. And they're like, you, you mean our Ryan Hickey that produced our show during the pandemic. He goes, that's our Ryan Hickey. Like there's a lot of Ryan Hickey's just floating out there on the entire way. And boomer goes, Hey boomer, we'll get you home and Zach in a minute.

And that was a great clip. And Hickey is on the air saying, you know, I'm devastated that boomer didn't remember me, but in the Hickey voice, but my voice is not actually that high. And his voice and his voice just got higher and higher and higher. He's never realized it. Cause when he's just having like a conversation back and forth, it's not that noticeable on the air.

But when he screens the phone calls, I said it to him three years ago, that you sound like you're 13 years old. And then there was a week where there was three guests where it was a radio host in Milwaukee. It was boomer Siacin.

And then it was someone else who all reach out to. They're like, what's up with your producer's voice? Like, do you have a middle school kid producing the show? I used to work on the weekends in the late afternoons when Hickey was producing that show and I was doing the board.

I mean, we're talking five, six years ago. And I always noticed that when Hickey would answer a call, we'd have like, I don't know, Bart Scott on and Hickey would answer the phone. I'm like, Hey Bart, this is Ryan. Thanks for giving us time here. Really appreciate it.

I'll get you home with Ken Carmen in a second. That was the entire, it was the funniest thing. I never brought it up to him because I didn't think it was the right, the right thing to do seeing that he was my superior. But, uh, I'm glad we can now break it down years later. Cause wow. That was really on your mind. I saw your face lit up like you were a fat kid in a candy store because everybody behind Hickey's back here talks about that. That one, how many answers calls just his voice goes from here to here. It's it's crazy.

Hold on. Do people talk behind Hickey's back here? I think Hickey's a well liked person. Oh, he's a very well liked person. But, but, but everything I say, I say to his face on, I would say it's his face too, but he's a very well liked person. But, but people like people do like to say, you know what, when he answers calls for, when he screens calls, it's like, this is that Gelb show.

How do you do what you want to talk about? And you do have a high pitch voice as well at times, but I've got that. I've got that rest, but it sounds like I got hair on my chest. You're like, um, Hickey, when he finally goes through puberty, Hickey, who's been smoking for six years. Yeah. That's actually a perfect comparison. You're like the Walmart version of Hickey, if I may say. Wow.

Hickey light. I have two friends that are very similar and they know that there's like a competition between one another because they're, they're both very similar. And just one day when we were out for dinner with one of the friends who I kind of like a little bit more, I go, Oh, that other guy is so and so light.

And the whole table just started dying from laughter. It's not a compliment. No, it's not. It wasn't intended to be a compliment, but you actually may not be wrong. People do like to poke fun at the weird quirks. I think the word is of Hickey, because I have got a lot of texts, some people in management, some people that just work here when Hickey does these shower, no caps where he takes these videos, giving the takes in the shower. And I've had quite a few people reach out to me where a lot of people in the office come up to him and say how much they like it. But then I have a lot of people that will text me their disdain for the Hickey videos.

That's the goal. He's a vibe. He is now he's, I will say Hickey has carved out a bunch of different brands because different brands. He is known as hot take Hickey and a guy that just gives you all these crazy opinions that he genuinely believes in.

They're always wrong. And he's also given you the brand of he's the guy that goes into the shower and gives you a video in the shower. The takes are always brewing.

All right, the takes are always brewing. There's a story about, I think it was Paul McCartney who has a recording area everywhere in his house where like he would, he would have, I know he would, he would have a recorder next to his bed because sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night and like be thinking of a tune and he'd wake up, sing the tune to the recorder. He has one in his bathroom too. So Hickey similarly has a recorder in his bathroom when he thinks of a take. I know that this doesn't exist anymore, but were you a fan of the James Corden carpool karaoke?

I absolutely love them. When they did the McCartney one, they went to McCartney's childhood home and they showed the little room that the Beatles would create songs. The Hickey's bathroom is that little room. Yeah. But here's the thing.

And I said this to Hickey, you have to entertain a little bit on these videos. So I think it would be great if one day, like a few weeks ago, there was some take he was giving and he was just in generic clothes and not in the shower. And I said, why didn't you run into the shower? You know, rip off your shirt, breaking news. Here's the take, like, this is just breaking. I just got in the shower just to the steak.

He goes, Oh, I already showered early in the day. Like you have to stay committed to the bit. You have to stay committed to the bit. Does he go full frontal for these videos or is it, or is it just just top off? So we have talked about this before on the air. I gotta know.

And, and you know what, Hickey has a lot of confidence with ever he's working with because he is fully nude in these videos. I got a guest request. Well, actually Lauren's got to come on and defend.

That's not right. You can't talk about the guy's girlfriend, but I was saying it's funny because I'm Evan Roberts who works here. He said to Hickey, you're going to bring on a guest ever, like as a joke. I think he goes out, like maybe I'll invite DA over.

And I go, I think you may want to wear bathing suits for that one. It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS sports radio. I did not expect to spend 10 minutes talking about Hickey there, but I came back from break and I said, Hickey and the producer today is Brian Jack McKeon. The two people we have talked about in the last two segments, he would not have thought would have come Ben Volin and Ryan Hickey. Ben Volin I knew we were going to talk about because it's about the Belichick story that he had.

I was farthest thing from it. I wasn't expecting to talk about Hickey, but for some reason, just muscle memory. It's like Jody Mack when he does the show here on CBS sports radio and gives the number for WIP.

It's just, it's muscle memory. Did I ever tell you about the first time I hosted at Sirius when I went there for three months before this place? I also worked there and you also read into me there, but your career has really followed mine a lot.

I'm sensing a pattern here. Your success has a lot to do with me. Well, I think other people would look at it as you really followed me. I was at Sirius before you got there, but I would say I recruited you. No, you were working multiple jobs. I was here and the person that hired me here then left to Sirius and tried to get me at Sirius. So it had nothing to do with you.

Who says the same thing that happened to me? The board off skills are very high here, Zach. I mean, I don't think you understand. They don't just, you're valued. They don't just, they don't just recruit on air talent. Okay. They also recruit behind the scenes talent like board ops. You're definitely valued.

Diamond doesn't. You're valued to a point where you just interrupted me and I forget where I wanted to go and what I wanted to say about what we were told. Oh, when I was at Sirius, the first night I'm hosting Sirius XM NFL radio, I'm doing the post game for Monday night football and Thursday night football. I get on air, all excited, do the classic Zach Gelb intro that's stolen from Steve Fredericks to honor the late great Steve Fredericks alive from the palatial yet not overly ostentatious studios of CBS sports radio. Sirius XM, and there's no dump button at Sirius.

No, there is not. So I first time hosted Sirius at CBS sports radio. And then like a month later, Chernoff called and asked me to come back and said, he wasn't going to tell me what job he was hiring me for.

He'll just let me know in a few months. And then two months after that told me that it was this shift and then boom, I did come back. So, and we're, we're so happy for it.

You don't sound really thrilled about that if we're being honest. Gets me work. It's been four years.

It's been good. Yeah. You're one of the, I'm one of the few hosts that will actually take you these days. I'm one of the OGs.

I'm one of the people that go, Brian Jack McKeon is willing to work your show. I go, good. Awesome.

Could have been a whole lot of worse options if we're being honest. Wow. Really going after. Well, apparently there's, listen, from what I've heard, there's been a lot of trash talk behind the scenes on the air, particularly the last couple of days. So at least you're willing to support, but you are giving the trash talk to the other employees that work here. So the, the person I think you're talking about, I like, he's a friend. I heard like a minute of what he said last night. And he, you know, I, I love Dave Shepherd.

I have no issue with Dave Shepherd. He was frustrated and I would be too, because he had to work back to back shifts. He had to do his show from 10 PM to 2 AM. And then someone called out sick and I guess no one else filled that shift. So he then had to work 2 to 6 AM. So I understand his frustration. I have no clue what you're saying though, who he was talking smack about. I don't know the details.

I'd love to know though, DA apparently broke it down on the beat at the start of their show yesterday. Oh, did he? Yeah.

And the soundcheck that was, that was broken down. Well, can I just ask you a question? Of course. This seems very personal and you seem very agitated. I feel attacked because when I walked... It's you, how is it you? I don't know it's me, but when I walked in, I was told it's me.

Why? You were on the schedule for this show though. I know, but I was told it was me.

I was told that I was someone that was, that was, that was being attacked. And I appreciate that. Okay. Well, I like Shep, so it is what it is. It is the Zach Yeltz show. I like you too. We need to defend me Zach. Here's the thing you're asking me to take sides here. I don't see Shep working your show. Well, yeah, cause he has a full time show, but you have, you have me, you want me to take sides here. I don't even know if he was talking about you. And quite frankly, I don't really care.

Wow. I heard about a minute of it. It didn't, he just said that he was having a bad day.

Everyone has a bad day. You know what, Danielle, I take it back. Turn the show off.

That's fine. She went to the eighties party. I hope she turned it off. I don't want people to start like saying, Oh, this lady brought you to the party. I wasn't there. I was sitting here in the studio. What are you talking about?

Zach brings the ladies to the party. That would be respectful. No doubt about that. All right. This is Zach Yelp show on CBS sports radio. That was a summer segment is what I call that one. When we come on back a great nose tackle in the NFL, Kenny Clark, he's going to join us from the Danette go pack, go now back to the Zach Gelb show.

Alrighty. This is Zach Gelb show on CBS sports radio. I love summer, but I want it to be September. Cause I'm ready for football season to be here. And us talking about NFL regular season games all throughout the year. We'll head out to the guest line right now and welcome in a phenomenal player for the green Bay Packers.

And that of course is their defensive lineman, their star defensive lineman in Kenny Clark, always kind enough to join us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS sports radio. Kenny, how the off season been treating you? How you been?

What's up there? How you doing? I'm doing great.

Appreciate you coming on. You know, I thought about you the other day cause I was scrolling through Tik TOK and I saw a video of a young Kenny Clark at UCLA catching a touchdown against Virginia. That was awesome. Seeing that video. Yeah. Yeah. That was, yeah.

That was the first game of the season a couple of years ago. Have you ever, have you ever caught a pass in the NFL? No, I never caught that in the NFL yet. Nah.

Well, what's going on with the floor? Like I think when training camp starts, you got to walk in there and say, get me the ball. You see it. I look like a natural out there though. I thought you were a tight end if I'm being honest with you, Kenny. I appreciate it, man.

I appreciate it. So how'd that come about that play? We, I mean, we used to run, we used to run, we used to run this package with me, Eddie Vanderdos and Miles Zett all the time. And, you know, Miles was, was a great two way player for us. So it started off with us just, just being like a, like a big jumbo package with, with us three in there. And it started like, it started off like a goal line package. And then we just start expanding off of that, start spending the playbook off the plays, you start using play action off of it.

And, you know, it was one of those plays where, you know, we, we, we just decided to take it to Miles and Eric got everybody eyes down and, you know, I just rolled out to the flat and caught a touchdown pass. But did you, did you have any background that way in high school? Just wondering? I mean, not really. I mean, I just, you know, just whether I was playing on the street and stuff, you know what I'm saying? I always been, I always been an athlete though, you know, always, always been an athlete.

So it wasn't nothing new to me. I'm telling you, you got clout now in that locker room. You're one of the leaders on the Packers. I know people in the past aren't afraid to make demands in green Bay. You got to demand to catch a touchdown this year.

Yeah. I'm gonna have to hit up coach, coach about that. I'm gonna have to hit him up and see what you're talking about, about that. Kenny Clark here with us. So every time we talked to you, you kind of say that you feel as if you're underrated and you haven't got your respect yet. You've now made the pro ball two times.

I think you're a phenomenal player in the league and I'm not just saying that cause you're on this show. How do you think you're viewed now in the NFL after beating the league since 2016? Man, honestly, I still kind of feel the same way.

Like, I don't know, man. I think, I think to, to like the football world, I mean, I mean, that's, I mean, that's where it should matter, but you know, I'm on everybody telling the same way about me, like, but like I said, like the football world, I feel like, you know, if you really know the game, you really, really watch football, you know, you know what my job is and what, like, you know, what I'm supposed to do. Like, I feel like, you know, I feel like a lot of people have had the most respect of me, like a lot of respect from me, but you know, just to, just to the average fan out there or whatever, I don't, I don't think I get to get the credit, you know what I'm saying? And you know, whether it's, you know, the sack numbers or whatever the case may be, like, I don't know, I just feel like, I just feel like I don't.

So, I mean, you know, it's just up to me to just keep on doing what I'm doing, you know, keep being consistent, keep playing balls, I know how, and you know, just do my job. I also think it matters, like, what type of fan base you have, and you have great fans in Green Bay, like a buddy of mine, Dion Dawkins, not a lot of times, offensive linemen get a lot of love or linemen in general, but in Buffalo, those fans are crazy and they rock with them all the way. You got to feel that love from Packers fans, because anytime someone doesn't give you your respect, I feel like Packers fans back you. Oh yeah, no, Packers fans, I mean, Packers fans, the best in the world, I mean, they always, they always go back, you know what I'm saying? You know, and you know, yeah, Packers fans, they always, they always show love and, you know, they always back me or whatever, but I'm just saying, just from, just the overall, you know, leaks, leaks perspective, worldwide, like perspective, you know, I still feel like I don't get that, get that credit, but you know what I'm saying?

I'll get it, I'll get it, I'll get it, you know, eventually. Kenny Clark from the Green Bay Packers here with us. Now, I look at the names on your defense, you guys got a lot of talent, what are your expectations for your defense this year? Man, the expectations are, you know, we, we got to put it all together, you know, I think it's always, it's always first where we can play some dominant defense, like the last one, five, six games of the season, when we went on that run, we, we played some real good football, you know, and played some really good offenses and, you know, we, we turned the ball over, you know, and, and, and, you know, guys didn't really score on us like that. And we got to just carry that momentum on going, going on forward and just understand, you know, you know, what our team, you know, we got a lot of big names on our defense. We got a lot of guys that have experience that's played at a high level. And, you know, I think individually, a lot of us, you know, a lot of us can play at a high level at times, but we need to consistently be able to bring that, you know, every single game and, and, and, and, you know, just, just, you know, put that next step forward and just be better all around.

You know what I'm saying? And really, it really had them live up to them expectations that we got on our defense. You know, that the biggest storyline in the NFL this past off season has been Aaron Rogers. Once Rogers gets traded, everyone's now picking the Vikings or the Lions to win this division. Do you feel like Green Bay's getting disrespected nationally headed into this year? Yeah, a hundred percent, but that's cool.

I like it that way. You know, this one, this has been one of the first off seasons where, you know, you know, we ain't really been getting the, getting the credit, getting, getting the love. You know, everybody says Aaron, that that determines the factor, whether we win or lose. So, you know, we love it, man. We going to embrace it.

And, you know, when they come, you know, when they come with one, you know, when the season gear, you know, we'll see how everything stack up, but we decided about it. What has Jordan Love proven to this locker room? Man, he's just been steady. He coming in, come in to work. You know, he's going to be, he's going to be a great player, excited about, you know, everything, everything that he brings to our team. He's definitely like a leader.

He came in, you know, he, he, he comes in every single day and works and works his ass off. And I think that's what the, that's what the guys respect about him. That's what everybody loves about him.

He got that quiet, you know, that quiet swag, that quiet, just confidence and, you know, everybody feed off of that. So can't wait to get out there with Jordan. We all know how great of a quarterback Aaron Rodgers is. You know, there was a lot of drama the last few years now to just move on from that. I know that it's tough, but is it a little bit refreshing to just move forward after all these questions last few years about Rodgers? I mean, you know, stuff happens, man, you know, like how I see it, it is what it is, you know, guys move on.

You know, I didn't see a lot of people come and go, you know, in the locker room, you know what I'm saying? And, you know, so like it just, it is what it is, you know, only thing we can control is just going out, going out there and playing football every Sunday and just playing our best brand of football. So all that stuff, you know, all the other stuff on off season, all the drama or whatever, you know, it is what it is that all that stuff play out, however it's playing out. Yeah. One more on Rodgers. I'll just move on. Is it weird though, when the off season program, now you're getting ready for trading camp, just going there and he's not there after being in Green Bay for so many years?

What, Aaron being gone? Yeah. Oh yeah. It's definitely weird. I mean, when you got somebody that's been here, what he played here, what, 18 years, I think or whatever. So like, yeah, I mean, it's, it's, it's been a, it's been a long time. I mean, he didn't been, he didn't been here and you know, yeah. So it definitely, it definitely was different, you know what I'm saying? But like I said, you know, it's the league, you know, this is a business, you know, this is how, this is how stuff goes. And Kenny Clark here with us.

Let me just ask you one more thing before we let you run. Christian Watson, he was awesome down the stretch. What did he really show you down the stretch at the end of the year? Man, Christian really, Christian really, you know, turned into that, that, that number two, number one, man, you know, he has great, great speed. You know, he's a big receiver.

You know, like you see guys hit him, man, he, they bounce off of him, just him being so big. And, you know, it's hard to find that, that good combination of size and speed of being able to really stretch the field and, you know, having a guy out there like that, that guy's going to have to double eventually. And, and guys are going to have to account for his speed out there. It's going to open up a lot of things for offense.

So I'm excited about that. But last thing I'll ask you, you know, how to identify offensive lineman because you have to go up against them. We know Elton Jenkins is phenomenal.

Bakhtiar has been around forever. Where's this offensive line at for the Green Bay Packers, or you kind of see them getting to work? Oh yeah, man, we, our offense line is doing great, man.

You know, it's been a group that, that's, that's been growing, you know, together and they've been with each other for a long time. You know, Josh is going into his third year running. I think he's in his fourth year, you know, Zach Tom, you know, we got a lot of, a lot of really good offensive linemen. So, you know, I'm excited about our offensive line. You know, those guys are polished and, you know, can't wait to get out there on the field with them. Now, I can't wait to see how this season plays out and it's fitting, Kenny, first game of the year in Chicago up against the bears, right? That's going to be a good one. Hey, that's how you want it.

I'm excited about it. Well, good luck. Enjoy the rest of the off season and looking forward to seeing you continue to kick ass in September. Always appreciate when you take some time for us. Yes, sir.

Appreciate it. There you go. Kenny Clark joining us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS sports radio. He's always awesome when he does come on and come on, Matt Lafleur. You got to get in the ball. You got to line up big Kenny Clark, that defensive lineman with what he did at UCLA, catching a touchdown pass up against West Virginia. You got to have a little creativity now, life without Maron Rogers with the Green Bay Packers. So, you know, you heard what he said.

He feels like they're a hundred percent disrespected, but he likes it that way. When we come on back, let's do this. Let's talk about some sneaky teams in the NFL, like teams that we're not really talking about.

We sat here for months now. We talked about the Bills. We talked about the Chiefs, the Bengals, the 49ers, and them not having clarity at their quarterback situation. The Philadelphia Eagles. A lot of teams we always talk about. Who are some teams that aren't getting that much love that maybe you're starting to buy into for the 2023 NFL season? Just real quickly, because I know this is his last update for the week.

Marco Belletti, who's not going to be with us in the next segment. Give me one team in the AFC that maybe isn't getting talked about a whole lot that you go, eh, I'm intrigued to see what they do this year. Jacksonville.

Ooh. Well, again, they are the favorite in the division. So it's a little bit of a chalk pick, but at the same time, we only saw what they were the second half of the season.

The Peterson, the Trevor Lawrence. Can they build on it and actually build what they're trying to become, which is a true contender? Or do they continue to stay just a, eh, type of ball club? Yeah, because if they don't win the division, it's a disaster. But they should, with that division being as bad in the talent they have, be a team that could be contending for the first overall season with how many wins they'll get. It's not just win the division. It's actually make that next step. It starts to really become.

Don't go nine and eight. Yeah, I mean, you've got to become one of the teams that are legitimate contenders. You've got to be part of the Chiefs category, part of the Bills, part of whether the Jets are, the Bengals, like teams that are actually going to make noise.

You've got to see if you could become that. Who's the team in the NFC? The NFC is typical because there's just not that many good teams. I mean, I would say, you know what?

Is it a complete and total mirage where the Giants just a flare up? Are they a team that's actually going to be building something or they get a team that, Hey, you did well with what, you know, little that you had, but now that people are paying attention, are you going to be a six win team next year? I actually think the team you brought up, the Giants are fascinating because you look at the offensive roster. We still don't know how great Daniel Jones could be. He showed he could be good last year with not a lot around him. So I give him credit. He got the contract.

I think Saquon will get extended on Monday. You bring in Darren Waller. I'm like, outside of that, it's, that was a team last year that the coaching and just having a competent coach totally change the culture of that organization. And a really good coach could only get you so far. Like every great coach has great players.

And I don't know how many great players there are with the giant. So you wonder how much regression is there. And again, it's also too, I mean, are you worried?

You're a giant fan. Are you worried? Uh, worried?

No, I mean, that's strong. Do I think that they're going to make the playoffs and make noise? Probably not, but I'd like to see again, the maturation, the elevation. I want to see Daniel Jones be better than he was. I want to see the offensive line get better and be actual, you know, stability with, with, with two anchors and Andrew Thomas and Evan Neil on the tackle position. I want to see them get better and get the steps where you're like, all right, I see it in place now. And they could start making a run in the next year or two.

Do I think it's this year? No, I think it was too fast. I think they came a little too far too quick. So to me, if they make the progression where I see more talent, I see more results, if you will, not necessarily in the win column, but what's actually getting produced on the field. And that results in a seven win season. I'm okay. It's a question of, does it do the same thing where year two of the judge era where they won six games and everybody was ready to go, you know, and then it, everything just fell apart.

And you were like, wow, it's a lot worse than I really, than I thought. That's the difference. You can't, you can win seven games and regress in the win total, but you got to progress in what they're actually putting together on the field. I feel like the giants are primed for that. I think they went a little too far, a little too quick. So the wins aren't going to be there, but I think the actual culture and the groundwork, the foundation is going to get stronger.

Yeah. It's funny you say that about judge. It's crazy that he was only their coach there for two years. It felt like it was a whole lot longer because fans are really buying in at six and 10. And then at the end of the year, I'll never forget this.

I'm doing eye on football and he runs the two Neil Downs inside his own five yard line. And I go, Ooh, that's a guy that looks like he's trying to get fired. I mean, he honestly, he was almost like he got the megaphone. It was like, please, please relieve me of my duties. You had Jake from, and no one else, no one expected you to win the game, but they expect you to try. Like you can't just walk into a game and go, you know what?

How would it like, it doesn't work like that. I, it continued into doing the last year with him having a big say in that offense. Brutal, just brutal megaphone. I don't, I don't know what I'm doing and I don't deserve this to have this position. And I think John Mara was listening because until those kneel downs and then you could say, Oh, come on. That's it. I think he was willing. He was willing to say, yeah, maybe do we have to ride this out?

Do we deserve to give him a little bit longer of a leak? And then he looked at them and he's like, what the hell are we doing? You got to try. You don't have to win, but you're going to try to win.

It doesn't work like that. I'll never forget that it was either, uh, Tom Merriman or Mike bank Q. So I forget who the stringer was. And I saw the second kneel down and I go, I can't believe what the giants did.

Let's go to our stringer standing by and MetLife stadium. And he goes, Zach, and you won't believe a play earlier. I'm saying you can't run 11 guys at the line of scrimmage. I don't care. You know, second in whatever 11 at the one yard line and you want to get a couple of inches of breathing room.

It was like, what the hell are you doing? Then on third down run, run a play. I don't care what play you could run a dive. You got to run a play. They ran a quarterback sneak into the line of scrimmage at third and nine.

Like w you can't do that. So we're coming back with some sneaky NFL teams, but first up is a man that's never sneaky. He always wears his emotions right on the sleeve, and he's very genuine. And what you see is what you get. He's a Capitan market. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show.

All right. This is Zach Gelb show on CBS sports radio. So Kenny Clark just joined us from the green Bay Packers, and he says that a hundred percent, the Packers are getting disrespected in the NFC North heading into this year, but he likes it that way. So going off of that, who's the team that's currently not getting a lot of love that you think could actually be good this year? So I'll give you a few in the AFC.

I think one is Pittsburgh. We know Mike Tomlin is a phenomenal coach. Even when they don't have the best team, he still finds a way to get above 500. Like last year, I had a bet with Brian McFadden, the Steelers corner, where I eventually won a free steak dinner. Cause I told him that the Steelers start Mitch Trubusky to start the year. There would be no way that the Steelers would make the playoffs.

And he goes, Oh, it doesn't matter who the quarterback is. They'll make the playoffs and first 10, 11, 12 weeks, I'm talking a lot of smack to be back. And then down the stretch, I started to get a little bit nervous because the Steelers were getting close and close and close, but yet so far, the Steelers are not an eight last year. You have a second year quarterback in Kenny Pickett. Pickens is a stud. And I think he's going to have a monster monster year and defensively they were hurt last year. And we know how many good names they have on that defensive side of the ball. The problem is the AFC is so tough and that division is so tough, but the Steelers are going to be a team that will be right there, probably nine or 10 wins this season.

And I feel as if no one is talking about them. Another team, you know, if I had to give you another team in the AFC, it's kind of difficult, but I would go Cleveland, even though I don't love and believe in the Browns. You got Nick Chubb. I got to think Watson.

It's not going to take him long to knock off the Russ. Now he may not be in a good spot with him and the coach, like they may have issues, but you got dogs on defense of Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward. That's a team.

I feel like we say this each and every year. They already had Amari Cooper, which is a very quiet acquisition last year. They had Elijah Moore, who was disgruntled with the Jets. And then you got Nick Chubb, who was disgruntled with the Jets. You got a good tight end room and Joku's really good. He was healthy and started to come on. But every year with Cleveland, they have the talent.

It's just, can they put it together? So really those would be the two teams in the AFC. Like McKee, could you think of another team in the AFC that's really not getting talked about a lot that you're saying, okay, you could somewhat buy into? I mean, I don't think it necessarily fits the same narrative that you're saying, but I would again cite to Miami only because I feel like they're getting under, they're getting overshadowed because of the Jets and the Bills and their division.

And I just, if Tua stays healthy, their talent level is so high to me and their ceiling is so high to me. And again, they're also playing for a coach that they love playing for him, right? So you had that whole- He's also the creepiest coach in the NFL. He creeps me out.

I'm serious. He's the coach. I feel like when everyone talks about Mike McDaniel, they get the joke, but I don't. I feel as if it's an inside joke.

I don't know. He just creeps me out. He's not a bad coach. He's a really good coach, but he just creeps me out.

Yeah. He doesn't give me the creeps. I think he's a good football coach. I think he's nerdy, but I think he's a good nerdy football coach. I think it's what you need. If he didn't give- I know everyone loves his press conferences, but he loses me in the press conference.

I just feel as if he's trying to sell me something that he doesn't have to sell. But here's what I'll say about the Dolphins, where you could sort- Like they have- I think they're more highly regarded in the teams that we just talked about, but you look at Miami, it seems as if everyone's saying is the Bills or the Jets that win the AFCs, and that's disrespectful to Miami because if Tua- And it's a big if. If he could say healthy, that team could win the division, no doubt about it. I think you're just going by quarterbacks. It's kind of like that old baseball analogy where you're as good as your starting pitcher. I don't think Tua is even in the same class as Rogers or Allen.

I don't think anyone would scream me there either. And I think when the talent level is as close as it is to both Rogers, because here's the thing that's a little weird about the Jets, right? Because the Jets roster is also really talented.

It's not like they just acquired Rogers and that was it. Their roster is really talented too. You're talking about a top five defense, you're talking about a ton of offensive weapons. And I could argue the Dolphins have more talent outside of the quarterback if you just look at the construction of the roster than the Jets. I think it's about equal.

I think it's about equal. I give the edge to the Jets defense, but offensively, you've got Tyree Killen, Jalen Waddle. Garrett Wilson's a really good player. Don't get me wrong, he just won Offensive Rookie of the Year, but those two guys just intimidate me a lot. I'd agree with you again. It's hard for me not to look at a team that legitimately didn't have a quarterback last year and still won seven games.

But that's hard for me to argue against. Well, the Dolphins also had their own quarterback injuries and won nine games and almost beat the Bills in the playoffs with Skyler Thompson. Yeah, that was weird. Yeah, that was weird. So I've had a bunch of different producers this week because Hickey's out.

So I said this to another producer. I want to see if you could get this right. Who do the Dolphins remind you of in the NFC? There's a comparison where the Dolphins are the Walmart version, because they just haven't had the success yet, of this team in the NFC. The Walmart version of this team. Yeah.

And that's not a disrespectful way, but there's a lot of similarities, but the Dolphins just haven't done it yet for long enough. It's an obvious one. I'm going to say it, you're going to go, oh, it's obvious. You want me to give it to you? You want to guess? One team.

I want you to give it to me. That just didn't sound right. The San Francisco 49ers. Here's why I say it. 49ers, an incredible amount of talent. My BFF, Deebo Samuel. You got Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk. Defensively, roster is loaded. They haven't figured out the quarterback yet. And that's Miami.

They're loaded, but you don't know if the quarterback's the right guy. And there's a lot of San Francisco ties because McDaniel was there with the Miami Dolphins as well. You don't think San Francisco is more explosive though? On any given day, it feels like San Francisco is just more of an explosive team than Miami is. Is there more, is there a more explosive player in the league than Tyreek Hill? And Jalen Waddle's also a speedster too.

Your boy Deebo is right up there with those guys though. Two years ago he was. Last year did not play well. He said it in the interview, not me. He said he was horrible last year. He said he couldn't believe what he saw on the tape.

That was his words, not mine. I'm more concerned about San Francisco going into this year even though Tua has the injury problems and mainly because I know we saw it for a while at Brock Purdy last year, but he still was a fifth-round pick. And I still don't know if I'm going to watch this guy. He's Mr.

Irrelevant. He's a seventh-round pick. Last pick of the draft. He was drafted this late in the draft and is all of a sudden going to turn. I know what he did last year. I know that roster's super talented, but now you're going through a whole camp and now he's got the pressure of an entire season on him. So here's what I'll say to that and I'm actually going to defend him. To win a Super Bowl I agree, but each and every look at last year and look at all the previous years, they've never believed in the quarterback and they're always in the NFC Championship game.

It feels like bare minimum. All right, sneaky teams in the NFC. It's all dependent on the quarterback, but I think the commanders can make the playoffs so Sam Howell can play the position.

I like that roster a lot. I will also say Green Bay. You know, it would not shock me if Green Bay makes the playoffs. If Jordan Love just pops off in year one, you know, year one starter. Remember Mahomes, first year as a starter, won an MVP.

Lamar Jackson, first year starter, won an MVP. Now, that doesn't always happen, but this is a good Packers team on paper. We just don't know what the quarterback is.

Yeah, I don't know. I can't sit on that same edge with you. The Packers to me have taken such a step far back, and I know the roster is talented, but you saw when Rogers got hurt last year, how that team looked like uncompetitive in some spots of games.

It just did. I don't see them having... Yeah, because of the offense, because Rogers wasn't good defensively. They were really good down the stretch. I know, but the talent's not there on the offense. The talent wasn't able to carry that team. They don't have a running game. Oh, that's not true.

What are you talking about? Where was Aaron Jones last year? Where was that Packer offense being able to take over when Rogers got hurt?

You know, when a lot of quarterbacks get hurt in the league, you're able to supplement with the running game and stuff. They weren't able to do it last year. They weren't. Their offense couldn't score. They were a terrible offense down the stretch.

Aaron Jones had 1,100 yards last year on the ground. But again, where was their offense when Rogers got hurt? Yeah, you need a quarterback in this league. They couldn't score points. Yeah, you need a quarterback in this league, and A.J. Dillon had almost 800 yards last year, so I think they have pieces there in Green Bay. This is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports.

Ray to McKee and forgot to pay the music, so we'll come on back with Onsights, Offsights. Thanks. For 25 years, Stamps.com has made mailing and shipping easy. All you need is a computer and printer. Imagine mailing and shipping right from your desk, anytime.

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