Are Colts The Most Dysfunctional Team in NFL? (Hour 2)

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Automate your shipping with ShipStation. Go to ShipStation.com slash audio for a free 60-day trial. That's ShipStation.com slash audio. How we doing? Hour number two of our radio program. That's right, it is the Zach Gelbsch Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. Joey Maguire, head football coach, entering his second season at Texas Tech. Good to join us coming up 40 minutes from now.

Bob Sosi will join us, a little first and goal feature in the Patriots today at 8.20pm Eastern, 5.20pm Pacific. We've got a whole lot on the table today. The Colts have given Jonathan Taylor permission to seek a trade. We'll see if that does go down.

If you're a team, you're going to have to give up. The Colts want a first round pick or something that equals up to a first round pick. So we'll see if it goes that way. And then also, you're probably going to have to trade Jonathan Taylor. You pay Jonathan Taylor as well because he's looking for a new contract. And that's something that I'll just ask. If Jonathan Taylor's at the point where he goes, okay, I'm not getting this new deal by the Indianapolis Colts and he feels like the situation is fractured beyond repair, I'm just going to ask the question here.

And I'll throw this question out there to my producer extraordinaire who's a big Colt fan in Hot Take Hickey. Would Jonathan Taylor Hickey, in your opinion, if let's just say he really wants out from the Indianapolis Colts, will be willing to bet his future and just go and get traded by another team and try to prove his worth there or prove his worth to other teams by going to another team to just stick it to the Colts and get out of Indianapolis? Do you think there's a chance, I know you said there's no chance that he's going to get traded. Let's operate in a world where he does get traded. Do you think there's a chance that he gets traded to a team where he goes, I'm going to ride this out and not immediately sign a new contract?

I'm going to say no then what's the point, because what's the point of getting traded? And you have Diana Rossini, now brand new at The Athletic, reporting that at least a team source she talked to that's not with the Colts, with another team that's interested in Jonathan Taylor, said it's not the trade value that's the problem, it's the contract that's going to be the challenge. And so it's been reported for, McCaffrey right now is setting the top record for running backs at $60 million. If he wants that, who's paying it to him? Who's giving it to him? If you were making this stink, if you're Jonathan Taylor, trade me, trade me, trade me, I want a new contract to feel like I'm unfairly getting maybe not my value, and I think he's right on that aspect, but why then would you get traded to the Dolphins, whatever, let's just name a random team, why would you go to the Dolphins?

This has been so public. And not get a contract. Two things. One, ultimately, if he's going to get traded to a new team, I think that new team is going to know what they're going to pay him and be fine with paying him and they'll just give him that and this will go away. But you could look at it also, where if Jonathan Taylor is willing to do that, just go to a new team, it's because he didn't like how this played out publicly with Jim Irsay.

That would be what it is. But ultimately, then if you're the Colts, you're not going to take a significant discount here, where if let's just say I'm throwing a random team to the Dolphins, and I'm just trading for him for this season, then you're probably not going to get anywhere close to what you actually want. In return from Indianapolis. And if you don't give him the contract that he wants, and you say, you know what, we're going to play this out, well now the drama just kicks to next offseason, where if he has a great year, let's just say he bounces back, leads the league in rushing, or top five in rushing, kind of goes back to his 2021 form. But is he in position to do that in Indianapolis, because he's clearly not happy in Indianapolis.

The system fits him pretty well, I would say. If you go to Miami, it's the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan, Mike McDaniel situation where you rotate running backs, who just traded for McCaffrey, by the way. Are you going to now all of a sudden feature Jonathan Taylor as your number one guy, when you have Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle on offense? Or are you going to kind of split time and be still more of a passing team, and if you're Jonathan Taylor, now you're going to a better team, right, clearly. But if you get less carries in a contract year, is that actually beneficial for you? I would probably say no. There's a point that you bring up, and we've talked about this before, I forget which guest said it, but one of the guests that I had on said something.

When you're in a moment of uncertainty here, stick with what you know. And even though it is a new head coach coming in, you're in a position where right now it is a fact that the most valuable weapon on the offensive side of the ball for the Indianapolis Colts is Jonathan Taylor. They hope that it one day becomes Anthony Richardson, but there's so much potential with Anthony Richardson, so the best thing for Jonathan Taylor really this year would be you stay in Indianapolis, and even though the Colts are going to stink, they'll use you a lot, and as long as you perform on the field, yes, the Colts are going to go franchise tag you right after this year, and maybe we're in a different conversation, but there will be more teams inclined to pay you. I do think there will be at least one team that will pay him, but with also having to give up something to go get him, it's how many of those teams are going to feel as if they need to go pounce it and get this deal done right now.

That's another factor into this. And Jonathan Taylor, since he came into the league in 2020, fourth in rushing yards, fourth in rushing touchdowns in all the NFL. He's phenomenal. And who said it, by the way? Dwight Frini. Oh yeah, that's right. Thank you.

On this show. Go right. When you want to make a big deal, maybe stick with the team that right now has given you the opportunity to where you can ask for $60 million a year, and can ask to be the highest paid running back, and at least production-wise, you have an argument for it. Do me a favor. We'll play that audio later in the show.

We'll look back at that Dwight Frini audio, but I feel like it's a good thing to replay. If you had to be realistic here, Hickey, and that could be something where Jonathan Taylor, he's going to have, if he wants to really get traded from the Colts, whatever he's asking for, and I don't know what he's asking for, he's going to have to come down to that number a bit. It's just the nature of the position at the running back spot. So Christian McCaffrey right now, average annual value is making a little over $60 million. Alvin Kamara, 15. Then Derrick Henry, 12.5. Nick Chubb, 12.2.

Aaron Jones, 11.5. And the last running back to get a long-term deal was Nick Chubb, as we said. What do you think here would be a realistic price for Jonathan Taylor to ask for? Where if you just want to get, we could figure out the years, but just give me the average annual value. Out of those numbers that I just gave you, I think we both agree he's not getting $60 million a year. You could dress it up and make it look like he's getting $60 million a year, but the true value won't be $60 million a year. What do you think here is a fair number where another team could go, OK, I'm willing to roll the dice on a four-year contract where you could put some outs in the contract, give him some guaranteed money, and then maybe get out of it in two years if he doesn't stay healthy?

Because that's the other thing. How many times have these contracts dressed up? $14 million. He's one of the best running backs in the NFL when he's healthy, which is an issue right now.

But when he's healthy, he's one of the best, and he's 24 years old. So 14 over four years is $56 million. Remember, Saquon was trying to get, what, 22, 23 fully guaranteed?

And that didn't go down with the Giants. If I gave you four years, $56 million, 25 guaranteed. You taking that if you're Jonathan Taylor? If I'm him, I would. I don't know if he would, though.

That's the thing. Because it's basically then a two-year deal if you look at it. Because if I gave you, what, I said 25 guaranteed, I think I said? If I gave you 25 guaranteed, it's practically a two-year deal for 12 and a half. So even if I bumped that up to $28 million guaranteed, it's basically a two-year contract, $14 million a year. I think that's worth it for Jonathan Taylor with the upside. I would give him, right now, if I'm a team like Miami, if I'm a team like the Bears, if I'm a team like the Eagles, teams that could give him, you know, could get in the mix here, I'm giving him a four-year contract, that would be my offer, for over 14 a year, get it to $56 million that I give him 28 guaranteed.

I think it's worth the gamble, don't you? Even with giving up the picks. Because if you're, like, you look at all those teams, the Dolphins, they're in a win now mode.

Eagles win now mode. And for the Bears, it would be the dream that you're trying to do with your young quarterback and Anthony Richardson, but they also have the wide receiver in DJ Moore, where you don't have a number one wide receiver. Those three teams, even though it goes against the norm for the running back position in the year of 2023 in the market, I'd be willing to give Jonathan Taylor a four-year deal, $56 million worth up to $28 million guaranteed.

Fully guaranteed. I'd be good with that. And if I'm Taylor and you don't sign that, then you're just unrealistic in what you're asking for. Because that would be a pretty damn good deal there, Hickster. Well, that's obviously the huge problem with running backs is I think he's valued more than that, but the issue is you're only as valued as what teams are willing to pay. And right now, again, he's at the worst time to be a running back, trying to ask for a number that most teams are going to laugh him off the field, or laugh him off out of the contract negotiation room, if you will, the boardroom. And on top of that, giving up a first-round pick, combination of picks that add up to a first.

You're not getting a first. You're going all in on acquiring Jonathan Taylor, which is, again, part of the reason why I don't see that happening. Right now at a time where running backs are at their lowest value, team paying them high money, and also giving up legitimate draft capital. But didn't the 49ers just do that? I know that Christian McCaffrey already had the contract figured out, but that still is a pretty substantial contract. And they can't get out of that deal, or the contract doesn't expire until after the 2025 season. They didn't give up a first-round pick, but they gave up a lot of draft picks to go get Christian McCaffrey. But if the 49ers just did that, why would another team go do that for Jonathan Taylor? The 49ers just did it. Also, the difference there being Christian McCaffrey was healthy when they traded for him.

Right now, we don't know. But for a while, McCaffrey hasn't been healthy. And last year, out of all the years, he was fully healthy. The Jonathan Taylor thing, too, you're not wrong in saying you don't know what his health is right now. But I know he had the surgery in January.

He should have been back by now. And then you had the back injury, and then it was, oh, you go in NFI for that. It seems like at this point, and I hate to say it, because in this sport, guys go through so much pain.

And I know some of these athletes really well in what they go through to get on the field. But if he got the contract by the Colts, is that ankle all of a sudden miraculously better? Because it does feel that way. I don't know where you are on that, and I know we've talked about it a little bit in the first hour. And I know you could say, well, at what point, what's the benefit here for the Colts? But I don't know how bad that ankle is. I just really don't.

It's just asking a question. Well, that's my thing, is where's the benefit for the Colts? They haven't cleared him. It's not like he's not practicing, and he gets to decide when he's healthy. Well, you'll find out now.

The doctors have not cleared him. And if you're the Colts' doctors, or if you're... I mean, I don't know how much this happens, but I'm sure more than we think. Were they playing nice, though? Or Chris Ballard, and they say, look, don't clear him, just let him say what he wants, and we'll figure something else out. Where's the benefit for them when they have a young rookie quarterback trying to get developed, and your best offensive player is not hurt, quote, unquote, and you're still allowing him to sit there and not be hurt and be a distraction? Put it this way. There's a difference between being hurt and being injured.

And is there a way where you can say, I'm not fully healthy, and I could use some extra time, and you could make it look worse than what it actually is? And also, the Colts, maybe they were just playing nice here. They realized this was a bad situation. It got ugly publicly, with Jim responding to that tweet, which he should have never done.

And maybe they thought that cooler heads would eventually prevail, but then they didn't. Now we're going to find out the truth of this stuff, because if Jonathan Taylor gets traded, he's not going to get traded tomorrow. But let's just say if he gets traded tomorrow, it would not surprise me if then he shows up and is ready to go by week one with the new contract with the new team. And in Indianapolis, I don't think it makes sense if he's going to stay there for him to really sit out that long, because then it's going to get used against you in negotiations that you were just coming off an injury, and then you missed a few games to start off 2023.

Well, that's the other side of this, too. It doesn't benefit the Colts to allow Jonathan Taylor to fake an injury, not practice. It also doesn't benefit Jonathan Taylor to be quote-unquote injured, or fake an injury if it gets used against him.

Let's be careful here. When we say faking an injury here, Say quote-unquote. Maybe exaggerating the extent of the injury. Where there was a legit injury, the guy needed surgery. But if they gave him the contract in the offseason, is that ankle feeling a little bit better now?

That's all I'm going to throw out there. Where it's exaggerating or lingering out the recovery just a little bit because you knew where that contract talk was. Like remember, he requested a trade before this stuff even became public a few weeks ago. And then it got ugly after that. You know, that trade request was already in, and then publicly, this got really, really nasty.

And that's the other thing. You as a Colt fan, you have to be sick to your stomach. Because you finally got excited, even though, right, there's a big question mark on what Anthony Richardson is. You finally got excited this team drafted a quarterback early. And this offseason, when it should all be about development and hope and potential and future.

And this team has just stabbed all that optimism, like right into your chest tiki here. Because this team, even when they're sometimes maybe operating the right way, quote-unquote, in terms of decisions aren't horrendous, but it's the way that they publicly broadcast those decisions that got to infuriate you. That's what I'm most mad about. I don't care about the trade request. Again, this has been the reality for a month now. What I care about is the fact that, again, they are making an absolute circus of a training camp that should all be about the development of the rookie quarterback.

And if you're Anthony Richardson, I don't know how you look around and say, yeah, I trust this team to put me in a position to succeed when the owner is tweeting about the best offensive player on the team. You're having this entire circus planned in front of you. Is John and Taylor hurt or not? I have no idea. No one really knows.

No one's talking about it. He's away from the team. No one says he's away from the team. Now he's rehabbing. Now he's getting a second opinion. Now he's granted a trade request. It's a total you-know-what show. And it's embarrassing and it's frustrating that, yeah, this should be a time of optimism now that they have five years of quarterback hell, if you will, trying to find stopgaps, not working for the most part outside or since Philip Rivers.

And then he drafted quarterback, and now the entire training camp for the most part has been more Jonathan Taylor-centric and more Jonathan Taylor-related than it's been Anthony Richardson and his development. So you being the podcast host here for the Indianapolis Colts podcast inside the company, the Blue Horseshoe, just wondering, are you doing an emergency pod after the show tonight, you and George? Absolutely. Firing up the pod right after the show ends, right at 10 p.m. Eastern, not even going home? No, I don't have my computer. I don't have my computer because I should have known better, but I'm not expecting this news to come down today. So I have to race home, get set up. My girlfriend will probably be sleeping. Oh, so Lolly's home this week. And I will be screaming. So you're going to be screaming in the apartment. Probably cursing.

When Lolly is trying to sleep to get some good Zs and to get her beauty rest and the diligent sleep that she needs. That's right. I'm sorry. It's not my fault.

Blame Jim Marcy. That's what I'll say. Can I get in contact with your girlfriend? I think this would be great for the podcast. If she just comes storming out in the middle of the podcast, you need to be quiet. I'm trying to sleep. It'd be a good viral clip there. And I'll say, sorry, honey, you can blame me.

Take your frustration out towards Jim are saying in Indianapolis, Indiana, that's where you can go. You know, blame your lack of sleep from. And not my fault. Do you wear a sleep mask?

Just wondering. Do you wear a sleep mask? No, that covers your eyes.

No, I don't know. I kind of got that vision. It's dark.

That's kind of got that vision that you throw one of those over your over your face. I don't do it, but no, I'm the least. I have the least, I guess, I don't know what you call them, tools, whatever. No sleep. I put my head on the pillow.

I close my eyes and I'm out. So if you wear a sleep mask, you're calling people a tool. No, I said I don't have the sleep, you know, for lack of a better term. You're not a tool by saying that. No, like the tools that you need, like not like a mask of this.

You know, the truly good. You don't have the accessories. The sleeping accessory is probably a shirt to use. Yes. But you just go boxers. You just go boxer shirt and jump into bed. That's it. No shirt.

Yeah. Just in the summertime. I don't enjoy sleeping with the with the shirt on. But I go boxers or actually like really baggy shorts sometimes. That's that's the the sleeping gear. But I don't do any of the the whatever, the blindfold or whatever that people throw over their eyes. I do have curtains, though, that are black curtains, which are phenomenal. Blackout curtains. Yeah. Blackout curtains. Great.

I got those like three years ago. Life changing, especially in New York City, when you get that sun coming on up and just shining right into your eyes. The blackout curtains. Absolutely phenomenal. All right. I know we got to take a break. Let's do this on the other side. I see Mike in Abilene, Texas, is standing by. We'll get to him on his Ohio State bets bet with us. We got stuff on Jerry Jones coming up in just a bit. Also, Stephen A on Stefan Diggs. And now Stefan Diggs is fighting on back.

So a whole lot to get to. Joe McGuire joins us at 7.40 p.m. Eastern, about 20, 25 minutes from now. It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio.

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All righty. College football season right around the corner. You got week zero this weekend and then next week you got the first true week of the college football season. The Ohio State Buckeye schedule. Indiana. Youngstown State. Western Kentucky.

Snoozefest are the first three games of the season. All right, then they get Notre Dame. Maryland. Purdue. All right, then you get Penn State.

You get Wisconsin. Rutgers. Michigan State.

Minnesota. And then the big one up against Michigan. So compared to some other Big Ten schedules, this one's a little bit better. Like the Penn State and Michigan schedules outside of two games on the docket there.

A lot of snoozefests. But you get Notre Dame factored in there too. Wisconsin. Penn State. And then Michigan to wrap up the year. So, you know, a fine schedule for the Ohio State Buckeyes. But they not only have to get back to the college football playoff. You know Buckeyes fans are going to define this year as a success if they win the Big Ten championship. And also before that, beat Michigan in that last game of the season. And I think there's a good chance I'm actually going to be in attendance for that game this year. And get to see Michigan-Ohio State for the first time in person over down in Ann Arbor.

But I got to play you a little Ryan Day here. The head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. You would think their quarterback competition would be done by now, right? The feeling was that Kyle McCord would be the starting quarterback. But it's dead even according to the Ohio State football coach between Devin Brown and Kyle McCord. Let's hear from Ryan Day. As honestly as I could say it, you know, there's not one that won the job.

There's not one that's lost the job. I think first off that our staff feels confident with both of you. You know, I asked the staff this weekend after the scrimmage. You know, I just took a straw poll and it was almost split right down the middle.

So, what does that mean? Well, I think that it's going to continue to go on this week. You know, and we'll go from there, right? Is there a chance to play in the first game?

I think the answer is yes, that's a chance. Now, you know how college coaches get so secretive with their depth chart here, Hickey. But if that's true that he pulled all the coaches that are involved right on the offense side of the ball, or maybe it was more. Who do they think should be the starting quarterback? The fact that you're split down the middle here in August just shows that one guy did not distance himself even slightly from the pack if it's that split. And you look at not only Ohio State, but also Alabama with how late Buckner got in there too.

And you have the connection with Tommy Reese. And you have Alabama and Ohio State where a lot of people are saying they should be there at the end of the year. But right now, we don't have a damn clue who's going to start a quarterback for either program. I agree, and that's why I don't think either team is making the college football playoff this year. You have two quarterbacks. In Alabama's case, three quarterbacks.

You got none. And that's never been the case for Ohio State in a while. I know they got tons of skilled weapons, but right now no quarterback is really separating themselves.

Now here's the big question though. When these teams are showing finally a little bit of vulnerability, are any of these other teams going to take advantage? Because you could say right now Michigan will win the Big Ten. No one's going to fight you on that. You could say Georgia is going to win the SEC. No one's going to fight you on that.

For the other two spots, is anybody else going to take advantage? People like me look at LSU, the Pac-12. There's going to be one winner there, but is there going to be enough damage where they beat up on one another, where the winner of the Pac-12 has three losses? Same thing that could be said in the Big 12. Is the ACC going to be attractive enough? So it would not shock me if we see two Big Ten teams and two SEC teams in the college football playoff. I know your Penn State and Indy Lions are expected to have a big season as well, but James Franklin got to show up at a big game. So I understand why people are questioning Ohio State and Alabama, but you also need the other teams to hold up their end of the bargain, where last year it looked like Ohio State was SOL, not going to make the college football playoff, and then they backed their way in. And even Nick Saban, he didn't really have much of an argument, but he was able to make an argument with an Alabama team that wasn't in the SEC title game and had two losses by the slimmest of margins last year.

So we'll see if those other teams are going to be able to take advantage outside of just whoever's going to win the Big Ten and the SEC, because it would not shock me whatsoever if we have two Big Ten teams and two SEC teams in the last installment of the four teams in the college football playoff. Let's go to Mike in Abilene, Texas, who last time Mike called, he said that if Michigan beats Ohio State again, if I'm remembering this correctly, we will not pay him, but he will fly to our studios and I believe will admit his love for the Michigan program and wear a Michigan jersey, Mike. Refresh my memory here. It's been a while on this statement that you made on our show. Zach, we share two things.

We are both blessed with the gift of gab. That is definitely a little bit of a stretch. No, I just said I would admit that they were the better program at dawn in Michigan jersey. Gotcha. I need y'all's address so I can make that happen because I'll just show up Monday at 27th and just make a studio appearance one way or the other. So one way or the other, I'm going to be bringing gifts. Okay.

I'm going to need some sizes. Are you confident that Ohio State's going to beat them this year or no? First and foremost, I think Ryan Day is smart enough to understand that we could be undefeated and lose to them at the end of the season and he's probably going to get fired.

Does it deserve it? My fan says burn him at the stake. My heart says he's a great coach and a great guy and the players love him, so keep them. But that's one of the problems at Ohio State is just, man, it's a different case of stress over here than teams like Texas.

I like to give my Texas buddies a little elbow there. Let's just say that they are undefeated going into that Michigan game and then they lose the Michigan game but they lose by like a touchdown or less and then a few weeks later it's the same thing as last year where you still get into the college football playoff. I don't think they're going to fire Ryan Day, who right now I know that the last two years it hasn't gone their way up against Michigan and they've been embarrassed, but he only has six losses on his resume.

Yeah, well, and that's what's tough for me because literally, man, this is what makes the, in all caps, the game, the game. This is a bitter hatred for one another that extends beyond normal Red River rivalry, Texas, Texas A&M, like this is deep, this is seeded. We literally, like, I don't know, I literally hope they lose every game. Most rivalries, oh, I want them to be undefeated and it'll make the game better.

I don't give an almost cross the line reference of last call. I don't, like, I want them so, I want them depressed at the end of the season. Mike, you know what would kind of be funny? Michigan beats Ohio State this year, Harbaugh goes to the NFL, and then Ryan Day gets fired at Ohio State and he winds up at Michigan and then kicks your ass for the next decade.

I would, oh my God. I'll have to spend some time thinking about what I'll do as that happens because that would almost be too much. But before you guys let me, I wanted to mention, I hop on the CBS app after we're done so that I can listen to the last bit that I was on and just kind of see, you know, what you guys have to say about my opinion and my thoughts. Last call was awesome because I gave, you know, my prediction and my bet, which, don't forget, I need you guys, I need to know where to go.

Gotcha, yeah, we'll take care of you as we get closer. But yeah, I listened last time as you guys were talking about how you have your hand hovering over the stump, but I have no idea how closely I straddle that line and it has become, I've been calling it for years. Yeah, well here's the thing, Mike. I don't think there's an innocuous bone in your body, but any time you start talking about Ohio State, it's like a different spell is casted upon you, and it's kind of like when Hickey was talking about Russell Westbrook.

Hickey didn't mean to curse, but sometimes you get just so worked up that it just comes out the wrong way, and that's what I fear. But anyway, Mike, appreciate the call. We'll talk closer, we'll talk a bunch throughout the season and as we get closer to the Michigan game, but I do have to take a break and we'll iron out all the details. It is the Zach Gilb Show on CBS Sports Radio.

I promise, promise, promise, promise, I know I'm teasing it and I haven't followed through. In the 8 p.m. Eastern Time Hour, so coming up in 30 minutes, we will get to what Stephen A. Smith had to say about Staphon Diggs. We will also get to what Jerry Jones had to say to Peter King.

So a whole lot is on the table. Plus, Jonathan Taylor has been given permission by the Indianapolis Colts to seek a trade. When we come on back, we're inching closer and closer to kickoff in college football. The head coach of the Red Raiders at Texas Tech, Joey Maguire, who's entering year two with that program, he's going to join us when we return.

You're listening to the Zach Gilb Show. We miss college football. Bennett takes the snap and the shotgun, throws for the corner, Brock Bowers one on one, caught, touchdown.

He ate him alive, falls down into the end zone. Six more for Georgia. We can't wait for the 2023 season. Caleb Williams throws the fade in the corner.

Oh my, touchdown Trojans. And we're counting down the days to kickoff. Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? We said no. Are we there yet?

What's wrong with your ears? Here is your college football fix, only on the Zach Gilb Show. We're getting closer, 12 days away, until the Red Raiders of Texas Tech open up their season up against Wyoming.

That's a 7.30 p.m. Eastern Time kick on CBS. And now joining us on the Zach Gilb Show on CBS Sports Radio is the second year head coach at Texas Tech, and that is Coach Joey McGuire. Coach, always great to have you on. Appreciate the time. How you been? Man, I'm doing great, man.

Thanks for having me. I was listening to that whole intro and I felt the same way. I mean, are we there yet? Are we there to the first game yet? I think that's how our whole building feels, man. We just can't wait to get to play football again. You never know how a year one is going to go. You guys had a good season last year.

It was exciting. You finished strong, being 8-5. What does your team, as you try to continue that momentum going into this season, really take from a year ago? Well, you know, early in the season we really struggled on the road. And, you know, we were able to get a road victory against Iowa State.

Then we were able, I mean, it was a neutral site, but being able to go on the road again in a bowl game to get a win. And so we're opening up against Wyoming, a really tough team, very well coached. And so it would be good to carry over being able to play well on the road, because we've got some really tough road games, you know, in conference. And so we've got to be able to be playing our best football, not only at Jones AT&T, but also on the road.

So I think we're really hoping that carries over. You do have such a fun and easy-to-root-for story, being the head coach in high school at Cedar Hill for all those years. Then you link up with Matt Rula at Baylor. And last year was your first year as a head coach in college. A year later, now having another year of experience in right, getting through that first year as a head coach in college. How are you a better coach?

You're entering your number two. You know, I think just the experience of, you know, I was able to experience it as assistant coach, seeing Matt Rula, seeing Dave Aranda create a roster, manage the roster, you know. And now with the transfer portal, it's even more important and different. And so I think year two, being familiar with that, I always tell everybody we're still the same as we were in 2003 whenever we started the culture at Cedar Hill. We're going to love our players. We want their best part of their day when they're in our building, when they're in the locker room, when they're hanging out with their coaches is the best part of their day. But I think more than anything just continuing to learn that roster management and, you know, how to keep creating the best team possible that you can put out on the field.

I think that's the biggest thing from year one to year two that you still hope to grow. Based off that, as you were saying with how much just natural change there is in the sport, right, you're a new head coach coming in. You've got to trust your players. Your players also have to trust you back. Why were you guys able to trust each other so easily in year one?

You know, a couple of things. I think, one, our best players bought in the fastest. You know, Tyree Wilson, Sir Roger Thompson, guys on this team currently, you know, they bought in the fastest. I think they saw some of the changes that were made, were really made, and it was all the student athletes, the whole thought process of the changes were made to make their lives better. And they saw that. You could, you know, say this is why we're doing this.

And so I think that had a lot to do with it. And then, you know, everybody that we brought in to the building, I always tell everybody you can't work at Texas Tech if you can't put the player first. You know, the most important thing we have in this program is our players. And if that's not the most important thing to you, then you've got to go somewhere else to work. So we're surrounding myself with the people that understand that's part of our job.

It's part of our calling. And, again, I thought the players saw that, and so they were able to accept what we were trying to do a lot faster, honestly, than what I thought it would take as far as trying to build the culture. John McGuire, with that being said, head coach at Texas Tech, entering year two there with the Red Raiders.

What do you think this team can accomplish this year? You know, I think we're a good football team. You know, I'm not one of those guys. I'm not a coach-speak guy. You know, there's guys that are out there and they're like, hey, you know, we can, everything has to go this way or all that.

I'm not that guy. You know, I think we have a really good football team. We have 18 starters coming back from the guys that started in the bowl.

We've added some good pieces. We added some really good freshmen. And so just like anybody that thinks they have a good football team, you have to stay healthy. But we want to be contending for the Big 12 championship, and we feel like we have a lot of experience. We have good football players, and you're year two in the system. So we should play harder. We should play faster.

They should understand what we're trying to do a lot more. And so I think it's an exciting time to be a Red Raider. Your quarterback, Tyler Shuck, you talk about the health. He knows that better than anybody. And when he was healthy at the end of the year, he finished off the season in a really strong way.

Outside of him just being healthy this year, what do you kind of look at now with your quarterback and what he can accomplish this season? Well, I know he's excited. This will be the first time in his college career that he's had the same offensive coordinator more than two years in a row. And so he's comfortable. I mean, the guy's a pro.

I mean, he studies the game as much as any player I've ever been around. And so I think with being in the system with Coach Kittley for the second year, staying healthy and understanding what it's going to take, I really think, you know, that he's got a chance to have a special year. You know, and that's the thing with us, and I've said it. I've said it the Big 12 Media Day. I think we have as good a quarterback room as anybody in the country, you know. And they were both highly recruited guys, just like a lot of these quarterback rooms. My guys have won Big 12 games. Like, my guys have played games, not have had a highly touted high school career coming in as freshmen and, you know, are redshirt freshmen that haven't played. My guys have won games. And so not only do we feel great about Tyler Shutt, but we feel great about Barry Morton, you know, if he enters the game. And so we feel really good about that room.

Jerry Maguire here with us. I don't mean this disrespectfully. We know Wyoming had seven wins a year ago, but when you have a real big game in week two up against Oregon, who's a top 25 team, ranked at 15, do you get a little bit nervous that maybe your guys look past week one and already start getting thinking about week two? No, you know, that's one thing I don't worry about. You know, a couple things. One, you know, we really focus on us. We really talk about the best version. You know, we've got to be the best version of ourselves.

It doesn't matter who you're playing. And then we're going to do some different things to get the guys to understand how important, you know, the first game is. We're going to go out a day early.

We've never done that. We're going to do it because, you know, we want to practice at that altitude, you know, to kind of get used to that. And then they understand, you know, for us to be a special team and have a special year, you've got to take it week by week. I mean, there's no doubt.

I'm not stupid. We know how important that game could be week two. I mean, you're not going to win the Big 12 winning that game, but it is a huge game and you have an opportunity to put yourselves, you know, out there in front of the nation.

But if we don't take care of week one, week two is going to look totally different. So I think us just focusing on ourselves and really in our building, the only other team that we've talked about besides Texas Tech is Wyoming. Coach Joe McGuire here with us. I got to give credit to the last two Big 12 commissioners. This could have either gone one or two ways when you originally had Texas and Oklahoma announce that they'll eventually depart to the SEC. We've seen how it's going in the Pac-12. The Big 12 has been able to continuously add teams the last few years. Just give me your thoughts with all the conference changes and the teams that are coming on into the Big 12. Well, first our commissioner is a rock star. You know, I've been in this conference, you know, and two years ago, I mean, I think there was a panic with, you know, the eight that were remaining. And you see, you know, how healthy the conference is now.

And so, man, I can't say enough about Commissioner Urimark. And then I'm telling you, man, from top to bottom and then when you add the other four teams, I mean, it's one of the toughest conferences in all the sports as there is. I mean, whenever you start looking at, you know, football and basketball, baseball, I mean, it's such a tough conference. There's no easy games.

There's no layups. You've got to be ready to play every single week, you know. And so I think whenever you look at it that way, it's a healthy conference. It's a tough conference. And it's going to be a lot of fun to play year in and year out.

You know, the new teams and then continuing some rivalries against some of the current teams that, you know, have been in the original Big 12 and are still here. Coach John McGuire, before we let you run, you talked about Tyree Wilson earlier. We know the year that he had a season to go for your program, then gets drafted seventh overall in this past NFL draft by the Raiders.

For Raiders fans that were not watching your team last year and don't know much about Tyree Wilson, their first round pick, seventh overall, what are they getting? Well, he's a great guy, man. As good a player he is, he's a great guy. He was one of the first texts I got on my birthday, saying happy birthday, coach.

So that was really cool. I mean, it was like 6 o'clock in the morning and, you know, he's texting me. And he's just such a great guy. But the one thing that I love about him, I mean, he's going to put pressure on the quarterback, and he's going to hit the quarterback. But what I would watch is how he chases plays away from him. He plays so hard every snap.

And for a guy that's 6'6", 270-something pounds, he throws his body around like he's a linebacker, I mean, just as far as chasing the ball and getting the ball down. And so they're getting a guy that's a big, high-effort guy with an incredible talent. And I can't wait to watch him. I'm so fired up for him. Now, you love the success that he's having, but how do you try to replace his production from a year ago now?

Well, I tell everybody, man, it's crazy. Now, I always say, look, again, don't call me stupid, because whenever I say the room's better, if I could have Tyreek Wilson back right now, I would take him in a heartbeat. We have a lot of depth in that room.

We got a lot of experience. And we have two outside linebackers that we feel like are both be drafted next year in Miles Cole and Steve Linton. And then we have some young guys that will definitely help them. But, you know, whenever you see our outside linebackers, I mean, Tyree's 6'6", you know, 270.

Miles Cole's 6'5", 280, and has longer arms. And so that's who's replacing Tyree. And then you turn around, and we added Steve Linton. Man, just a great athletic, explosive outside linebacker. So we're excited about that room. And, you know, I think CJI used an absolute stud as a position coach. And then Tim DeRuder, I mean, his defense has produced those edge rushers.

He's had back-to-back first-round draft picks the last two years. And so we're expecting a lot from that room. Well, Coach, always great to catch up with you. Talk about this upcoming season.

We'll be watching. Thanks so much. All right, man. Thank you.

There you go. Joey McGuire joining us from the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Entering his second season as their head football coach.

And what a story. He was a high school coach. A really good high school coach forever. Then joined up at Baylor with Matt Ruhle. And then was on Dave Aranda's staff for a little bit. And then got the head honcho job at Texas Tech a year ago. And had eight wins in his first season. We'll see what happens in year two.