Bills Bounce Back? (Hour 3)

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 kick off. Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? I said no! Are we there yet?

What's wrong with your ears? Here is your college football fix, only on the Zach Gelb Show. Four days away for Boise State kicking off their football season.

We were just talking about it. 3.30 p.m. Eastern on ABC up against number 10 Washington with Kalen DeBoer's program, Michael Penix as well. Should be a fun one in a few days. Let's go out to the guest line right now on the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. I'm welcoming a man that played linebacker for Boise State. He's now entering his third season as the head coach of the Boise State Broncos.

That, of course, is Coach Andy Avalos. Coach, I know it's been a while, but I appreciate the time. How you been?

Been awesome. It's exciting. You know, the college football season is here and we've been preparing for this huge matchup in the first week.

Yeah, we're all like fat kids in a candy store right now. We're just jumping up and down and we can't wait to see the ball go up in the air on Saturday. Kind of give me the vibe around your team and what you've seen from them this offseason and all through training camp. Yeah, it's been a great offseason. I mean, the guys have been really diligent with the work and the process that is necessary to continue to develop and grow.

And it's been fun. This is a fun group to be around and they work hard. You know, the things that we've asked in terms of the standards and how we approach each and every day. And so obviously it's going to require our best here as we continue to prepare for this weekend's first game. What do you think your team learned from last year? You guys had a season that was a step in the right direction. We know in the regular season you didn't lose a game in conference, but then you lose the conference championship game. What did your group, in your opinion, take from last season?

Yeah, there's so many things, right? The experience gained from last year and playing through a conference that was extremely competitive last year and then making it to the championship game. Even the experience of the championship game, playing in a game like that and learning the things that go into the process. And how to stay locked in on the primary factors and the things that we need to do to be our best and being able to propel that into this offseason. And obviously now as we approach into this first matchup it's going to require us playing the number 10 team on the road. It's one of the best offenses in the nation last year with a lot of their firepower coming back and the defense that is really aggressive up front and big up front.

It's caused a lot of destruction up front with the things they do. You know what the standard is? You know what the goal is this year? It's to win the conference. I know that you guys could learn things like we just said from last year, but how do you move past last year and make this a new brand of a season for the Boise State Broncos, Coach Andy Avalos? Yeah, there's no question. I mean, the standard is the goal, but it's become the standard.

And so what does that process look like? And again, the experience from last year only gives us an opportunity to do better. We do have a fair amount of guys back from that team last year, although with the nature of college football too we've got a lot of new guys on our team. And so how we work together to bring each other along, to use our experience to teach each other what it looks like, what it needs to look like.

You know, that's going to be critical not only in this first game, but as we continue to get an opportunity each and every week throughout the season to grow. The sport has changed so much with teams changing conferences, NIL and learning more about that, which I think is great for the student athletes. But even just like in the real world, you take this job and your first year is 2021, we're starting to get back to a little bit normal times coming off of COVID.

And then last year it felt really normal. You guys take a big jump. Just how much have you grown as a coach and how different are you as a head coach as you get set to enter your number three to a place that means so much to you? Just like the players, the experience in the last couple years and being blessed with the role that I get to be in now, it's been a tremendous learning experience in how we grow and how we find our space. For me, being able to have an impact in the various departments of the building, obviously within the team, and really creating a process and an environment where people can have the opportunity to grow and thrive. And that part to me is fun, bringing people together, working together. I mean, this is the greatest team sport, right? So as a head coach, it's about creating an environment where people can work together, they can compete each and every day. If you think about it, throughout the course of the offseason, that's a lot of months, it's a lot of days, it's a lot of hours of us competing with each other. And just really, as you said, coming out of COVID, re-establishing, what does that environment look like every day?

Talking to Coach Andy Avalos of the Boise State Broncos here with us at the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. How have you reacted to all these changes? I know you're a West Coast guy and the Pac-12 means a lot to you, but you see with NIL, which I think, like I said, is great for the student athletes and they should definitely get money and be able to benefit off their name, image and likeness. And then you look at the never-ending changes to all the conferences, being someone that's a coach in college football, your reaction to all this stuff is what?

Yeah, I mean, the game has probably changed in the last four years. Again, you stated it coming out of COVID and then with all the changes within college football, whether it's in the recruiting process, whether it's opportunities for the players to make money off of their name, image and likeness, the transfer portal. The conference realignment stuff, for me, it's like anything else. Changes, it can rock the boat or you can find your space within it to move forward and find the opportunities within the new changes to help a program thrive forward.

So for me, I always take the approach of how can we use this to get better? And obviously as a new head coach going into my third year, after the last two years in the experience we've got, it's really come down to really keeping the main things the main thing to keeping the game pure for us and allowing ourselves to take advantage of some of these other variables when necessary. I know that you don't control what conference you're in, but we all know what the brand of Boise State has been.

Everyone remembers that Fiesta Bowl back in 2007 and they're one of those teams that a lot of people just love. Do you feel that pressure of, hey, we got to have a successful season and maybe try to make ourselves attractive for one of these power five conferences or whatever remains of the power five? Being a player here 27 years ago and obviously being an assistant coach through the last decade and coordinator now obviously in the position, that doesn't really change for us. It has always been about the standard of what Boise State is and that's honestly how we work, the camaraderie of the team, how we're going to separate ourselves with the preparation, how we're going to thrive on the details.

And that's really what creates the brand because obviously success happens when preparation meets opportunity and so that's been a staple for us. And again, as we go throughout the changes and the new opportunities in college football, we can't lose sight of the things that have made us and have been a priority. I want to ask you, Coach Andy Avalos, about your quarterback, Talon Green, who got an opportunity to be your starter after a few weeks last year. What did he show you last season when you look back at what Talon was able to bring to this team?

A guy that is tremendously humble and hungry and a guy that wants to learn and grow, not just as a quarterback but how he leads himself, how he leads the offense and at that position, how he helps lead the team. He's got some physical ability that we think is really elite and that we can develop and continue to grow with that mindset that he has. And it was fun to see him gain the respect of the team instantly last year when he got his opportunity in the certain ways that are his strengths. Over the course of the offseason, he's worked to build on his game and improve in all areas but especially within the passing game.

It's been an awesome process to see and obviously there's a huge challenge in the first week. Clearly you believe in him, you just laid it out, but what did you really challenge him to do this offseason? Find endless ways to grow as a leader in his preparation because ultimately in that position it all starts with his mindset, his ability to create a process for himself, to continue to grow. Obviously we have structure here for him in how he was going to do that. And then again at that position it's just not about leading yourself, it's about leading others, it's about working with the offensive line, it's about how we communicate with the wide receivers.

It's the standard that we hold, it's the standard we create that we hold and he's done a good job with that. Obviously he's still a young quarterback and he'll need to continue to grow. So you're a defensive-minded coach, you played linebacker, your coaching background is all in defense, but as a head coach you have to have a relationship with the offense, right?

This is your program, you are the CEO. With your defensive background, how can you help your quarterback get even better this year? Well that's the fun part, right? So being able to go to the other side of the ball and look at defensive structures and things like that.

That's the fun part when it comes to the X's and O's side. Obviously my expertise is not in developing a quarterback as a defensive head coach. That's the first and foremost right there, but where can you have an impact?

And what does that look like? And it's a joy. I enjoy sitting down and looking at defensive structures and the things that cause issues to defenses. Not just for him as a quarterback, but in a big picture role for our offense, I love what we're doing. And my opportunity to talk shop and share things that are actually issues on defense, what creates conflict, what puts defenses in predicament. That's the fun part. I always say you get to go on both sides of the fence as a head coach from offense to defense.

And to be honest with you, you get to learn a lot more at the game as to what is really true and what matters. So if you were still playing, right now you get your defense prepared, but if you were still playing up against Michael Penick's junior coming up on Saturday, what would the message be to try to slow down one of the better players in college football? It's a well rounded offense. They're one of the best offenses in the nation for a reason.

They're extremely efficient. They create opportunities for themselves in the run game. They've got a big physical O-line. Obviously, in the past game for years, they've used the space on the field.

They're really efficient with the concepts within the past game. They protect the quarterback. That's the tough thing. Last year, they were one of the top teams in the nation in terms of not giving up sacks. Any time you're facing an offense like this, it's where do you find the opportunities to disrupt timing within their offense.

Obviously, I can't go into the great detail of that. That is always a task at hand when you're facing any offense, let alone one of the top offenses in the nation. Before we let you run, Coach Andy Avalos, we talked so much about your quarterback. You returned so many other guys to this team.

That's why expectations are high. What else do you really like about this football team and you want to shine light on? Some of the things that we really love is the competitiveness. To mold a team into a real competitor to win a championship, it comes down to the competitiveness each and every single day at practice.

We drive the standard home. We continually hit what it looks like from visuals, from the necessary steps. I love the way the guys compete and work to meet that standard every single day. We're going to have to be consistent with that. As we all know, that's what college football is. It's going to be the most consistent week in, week out.

Take it one week at a time. Just going back to your quarterback real quickly before we let you run, Coach. Was that 91-yard touchdown run up against Utah State his best moment from a year ago?

That was one of the best moments, but I will say this. You asked earlier, what did he do early on when he got his opportunity? Early on last year in the San Diego State game, we were starting off the second half on defense. We got an interception.

We were fortunate to get a takeaway to start pretty fast there. He made a couple plays there on that next series that really put a lot of fire and energy into the whole team, which is his ability to make plays, running the ball. He had more than a few electric run plays last year.

It's pretty cool to see. He's pretty talented with what he can do with his legs as a quarterback. I'm excited to see how he learns and grows and continues to progress within the past game as well. You were around Justin Herbert when you were coaching over at Oregon, so you know what it looks like to be around a pro quarterback. Do you see a pro quarterback right now in Taylor Green? There's obviously the potential there with his mindset, his work ethic, his ability to learn how to continue to become a better leader.

All those things are there. He 100% has the potential to become an NFL quarterback. That's really what the exciting piece is. He's just focused on the now and how he can continue to grow himself and help lead, not only this offense, but lead the team. You're talking about a guy like Justin who has unbelievable quarterback attributes from the mental, the intangibles, and then the physical. Justin Herbert throws the ball around. When I was at Oregon, I would tell some of the scouts I haven't seen a guy throw the ball like this since Carson Palmer when I was playing 7-on-7 against him in high school. The arm talent was unbelievable.

It wasn't very fun going up against him in 7-on-7 and things like that in practice. Coach, we're looking forward to this Saturday. Big game up against Washington. High expectations this year for your program. Good luck, good health to all your players, and we appreciate you doing this. Thank you for having us on.

Go Broncos. There you go. Coach Andy Avalos joining us right there on the Zach Gelb Show. We'll take a break.

We're going to another interview next. First and gold time with Bill's captain, Tyler Metikevich. We have four downs to figure out your team's future. It's time now for first and gold on the Zach Gelb Show. Alrighty, time to talk some Buffalo Bills right now and preview their upcoming season.

We'll do so with the man that played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2016 to 2019 has been with the Bills as a linebacker and special teams captain since 2020. That, of course, is my pal from Temple University, the Grade 8 Tyler Metikevich. Tyler, how are you? Zach, what's going on, bud? I like that new intro you got there, huh?

Yeah, it's not bad. You know, people that have nice voices and have creative minds, they just end up making me sound a whole lot better than what I actually am. So we find a way to make it work.

They definitely do. And I love the compliment. So I want to start you off on a serious note with DeMar Hamlin. We all remember, unfortunately, what happened on that Monday Night Football game against the Bengals. It's the scariest thing I've ever seen in my lifetime on a football field to now just see DeMar not only back in the facility, but on the field that he makes the team. This is just truly a remarkable story, an unbelievable story.

How does that make you feel? Yeah, Zach, you really can't find the words to describe it, man. Just seeing him just around the building and just hanging out, doing everything, and not even talking about on the field. You know, I'm just talking about the fact that he's able to just walk around and do all that stuff. It's amazing. And now that he's able to have the opportunity to get back out there on the field, I mean, I don't think we've ever seen anybody be able to do that, you know? And it's truly, truly, truly unbelievable.

Let's get to the next down. Tyler Medekevich here with us. So I see that Von Miller's not going to be able to start off the season on the field, but I want to ask you about what he brought to your football team last year. You being a big locker room guy, Von coming in, having won two Super Bowls, won a Super Bowl MVP.

Just what's the value of a Von Miller to this football team, not only on the field but off the field? Having a guy like that is tremendous for your team. I mean, he knows what it takes. He's been through so much over the years, you know what I'm saying? And he brings all that knowledge and he just tries helping all the guys.

And it's crazy, not even guys at his position, you know what I'm saying? He's always just a student of the game, trying to understand what the safeties are doing, what the linebackers are thinking. And honestly, it's pretty special watching him, considering all the success he's had over the years. Is getting him back healthy? Is that the biggest key for you guys this season? Because once he unfortunately got hurt last year, I thought you guys lost a big part to your football team. You know, I don't really know how you replace a guy like Von Miller, you know what I'm saying? Guys like him, you don't see too often. And the fact that we have a guy like him on our team, it's unbelievable.

And we're so fortunate. But you definitely want to make sure he's 100% coming back from his injury and stuff. I mean, as you know, it's a long year. You know, guys are playing football till January. Regular season's ended in January now, playoffs, all that stuff goes into February. So it's a long year.

So you just want to make sure you're doing all the right stuff, make sure he's 100%. Let's get to the next down. Talking to Tyler Medekevich. Last year, you guys were everyone's Super Bowl pick.

Now I know you hear the noise. People are questioning your coach, they're questioning your quarterback and wide receiver relationship. People are saying the Bills are no longer a Super Bowl contender. What's your message, Tyler, to people that are doubting the Buffalo Bills entering this season? Oh, that stuff's just comical, you know what I'm saying?

All that nonsense, you try not to pay attention to it and stuff like that. And shoot, we're just getting ready for the season. Like I said before, it's a long year, man. And you just got to make sure you guys are gelling at the right time, hitting on the right time, all phases of the game. And that's an important thing. You got to stay healthy, too. It's a tough every week, it's a grind, every week is a battle.

It doesn't matter who you're playing, you know you're in for a dog fight. So we could sustain that stuff all year. We'll be in a great position by the end of the season. And you guys have been right there for the last few years.

You talked about the health, that's the biggest part of this. If you guys are healthy, what type of football team do you feel like you have? Oh, I mean, man, we got a special team. I think if anything, it's been unfortunate the last three years, you know how every year has ended. But I mean, we got such a core group of guys still here that have been through the ringer and stuff like that. And we really just tried to learn from it, man. And I think we got the right guys in the building right now that are just all bought in, ready to do whatever it takes. You know what I'm saying?

They don't want to let the guy next to them down. But hopefully we can hold up that Super Bowl championship at the end of the year. You played in Pittsburgh, we know how loyal the fans are in Pittsburgh. But I've never seen an NFL fan base more loyal than the Bills Mafia. You know what Bills fans want? They eventually want to hoist that Lombardi Trophy. But how do you kind of look back at the impact the Buffalo community has kind of had on your life these last few years?

Oh, dude, it's been absolutely amazing. The neighbors will be freaking making us dinner. They're all waiting for us when we come home with some home games and stuff. Shoot, they were digging people out when we had six feet of snow, you know what I'm saying? I'm pretty sure, shoot, it was on Christmas, man, when we played Chicago, when we ended up finally getting back. They were shoveling out cars at the airport.

People were on Christmas for like 10 plus hours. I mean, if that doesn't tell you what Buffalo, what Bills Mafia thinks of the Buffalo Bills, man, I don't know what does. And let's get to the final down. Tyler Medekevich from the Buffalo Bills here with us on CBS Sports Radio. Everyone's going to be watching that first game of the season. You have the Bills and the Jets. It's on Monday Night Football. Aaron Rodgers' debut with the Jets.

You have to go up and defend him. Just what do you kind of see on paper of that Jets team this year? Oh, man, they look awesome. You know, they got a great team. They did a great job this offseason and stuff trying to get their team better than what it was the year before.

But, I mean, I think we got a pretty good team, too, Zach. You know, I'm pretty jacked up. I know all these guys are fired up. You know, training camps come and came to an end. You know, we finally got this team where we wanted and just ready to take off for the season, man.

And, I mean, I know they're jacked up. I know I'm fired up. I can't wait. It's going to be September 11th. You know what I'm saying?

At MetLife, it's going to be rocking. Well, Tyler, good luck this upcoming season. Good health. You're all right. I saw you're off the Pup List. You're a full go now? Yes, sir.

Yes, sir. We're back out there. We're running around.

Well, music to my ears. Good luck this season. We appreciate it, Ty. I appreciate it, Zach.

I'll talk to you, bud. There you go. Tyler Medekevich from the Buffalo Bills joining us on CBS Sports Radio. We will take a break. We'll come on back with the news brief update. Some of the biggest stories in the world of sports with some audio.

Learn more at discover.com slash match. You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show. Extra, extra real about it.

Extra, extra real about it. Time for your daily news brief. We get you caught up on the rumors, reports and reconnaissance from the day in sports. Jimmy G, the quarterback for the Raiders, reacts to Trey Lance being traded. The two of them clearly linked forever with their time in the Bay Area, but now both out of the Bay Area with Jimmy G, with the silver and black. And Trey Lance going to Jerry's World to be what? The third string quarterback with the Cowboys.

Here is Jimmy G reacting to that via Robin Lundberg of Sports Illustrated. Weird situation. But a lot of weird situations over there in San Francisco. Just to leave it at that.

But I'm happy Trey got another shot, man. How do you think San Francisco's handled those quarterback situations? How do you think they've handled them? I think it's been messy. I'll put it that way.

That's a nice way to put it. The music is funny to me, Hickey, because I don't even need to see that video. I know what happened. They probably pause it down for a second. You hear the music speed up and they probably like zoom right in to Jimmy Garoppolo's face where they're like way too close to Jimmy G and his mug.

That's probably how that was portrayed on social media, I would imagine. I hate the music. I really don't get the point of it.

It does. It really bothers me to be completely honest. Feels very TMZ-esque, which I don't like.

You're a radio guy. I agree with you. I think it's lame.

Just let him speak. But that's what these TV web shows do. Where I think it distracts me from the actual answer.

I just hear the music and it's... I don't want to say it's like disingenuous. Because I don't think it's like really doctored that much and those are all things he said.

But it makes it seem as if it was kind of like Hollywood up. But that's Jimmy G's actual answer. So it is what it is. Now him saying it's messy and it's weird and all that Jimmy Garoppolo.

You're not wrong. But that comes off to me, Hickey, as someone that's kind of being truthful. But then is also annoyed at the organization because they gave him the deal. He got to a few NFC title games, got to a Super Bowl and he outplayed Mahomes until he crumbled in the fourth quarter. And then Mahomes comes back from down ten with like seven and a half to go and all that jazz. That comes off as, even though he didn't say it, that Jimmy G was this victim here. And the reality is Jimmy G just wasn't able to stay healthy. And people had their doubts if he could go win a Super Bowl.

And I think all that's fair. So I'm not saying that he's totally wrong. But for me it's marinated in him being annoyed at the organization because they ultimately gave up on it. And again, if you're Jimmy G when you're missing all this time because injuries, and even the latest example, last year when you get a chance to be the hero, when they were ready to ship you off to Siberia, you get hurt again.

Story of his career, I get why he's frustrated, but also a few other 49ers, you could not hit your wagons in a Super Bowl or bust year to a guy who can't stay on the field. So I feel like Jimmy G always pops up right before the start of the regular season. And I don't know what he's promoting, but he promotes something right before the start of every regular season. I think it's something with his family or something like that. So I'm not going to knock the guy for doing interviews. But if you're Jimmy Garoppolo, and you've already made this much money, and maybe it's for a good cause, and everyone wants more money, things like that.

Once again, I don't remember what he's plugging, but I've heard him on a bunch always right before the start of the season, usually during this time, so it has to be something. When you know you're going to get asked about Trey Lance and all that stuff, don't you just kind of push the tour back a bit? I don't think it does him any good to really answer these questions, if I'm being honest with you. It doesn't make him look good, but I respect it and I appreciate it.

I'm also sick of coach speak answers and cliches. At least he didn't hang up the phone. He did not hang up the phone. And also, it's not Trey Lance's fault. It's not like he can sit there and parade on Trey Lance's parade stop on it that it's over. It's one of those where, I mean, it's still Jimmy G's fault, but I like the fact that we have an athlete in some sort of controversy that's actually speaking instead of running away, which mostly happens. But nah, I didn't listen to the whole clip, to be fair. I usually hate when people comment on things they don't listen to in its entirety, so I'm going to be hypocritical here for a second.

Everyone is allowed to do that once in a while. But in that regard, he didn't really answer the question. Like, yes, he said it's messy, which I appreciate, but then he's like, what do you think about it? That's always the athlete admitting, you know how I think about it, but I don't want to say it. And then Robin basically had to give something there to elicit a further response there.

Like, at this point, just let it really rip if you're going to let it rip. At least he said he agreed with something. He said, look, I love my time in San Francisco, now I'm focused on the Raiders. Like, how many times have you asked a question that you want to get an answer from, and the political response is, I'm going to leave that time in the past, I'm going to worry about the future.

I'm not going to really care about what happened then. I mean, again, yes, did he have to have Robin Lundberg basically answer the question for him, and he agreed with the messy term? Like, kind of Aaron Donald with us last year, basically, what's in the past is in the past. But he sort of at least answered the question by having the host answer the question for him. Yeah. It's something.

It's definitely not great, but it's something, and I'll take something better than nothing. It was like, they had a test, and Jimmy G was like, I know the answers, but I need help. I need you to just write in the answers for me, and he had Robin Lundberg do the fill-in-the-blank answers for Jimmy Garoppolo. Here's one more for Jimmy G. He says it was great to see Tom Brady at the last preseason game, this courtesy of Yahoo Sports. It was cool seeing him in the locker room.

Same old dude. Dude loves ball. You can tell the competitor in him is coming out a little bit, even for just a preseason game. I mean, he's telling us to go ruin their day. It was nice having him around, man.

Just these good vibes, these good people. It's only going to do good for our organization, having a winner like that around. So the Jimmy G-Brady relationship, I still don't know what it is. Now, I've seen Jimmy G go to the Kentucky Derby with Brady. So you have to be somewhat friendly, but then you had those reports that Brady went to Robert Kraft when he heard that Belichick wanted Jimmy G as the quarterback moving forward and said you got to go trade Jimmy G. Some people say that's true.

Some people say that's false. But I guess if you're Jimmy G, and this guy also, Tom Brady, is about to be a minority owner of the team that you're quarterbacking. You know he's BFFs with Josh McDaniels.

But I do think there is some relationship there. But also, I think it makes it easier when it's like the greatest quarterback of all time may have been the guy that was saying, yeah, I still want to play in this organization where I made my career and I made this franchise. So no, I don't think the coach should be able to keep Jimmy G on the roster. And I think Jimmy G kind of understands that. And it led to a big payday also for Jimmy G. So I don't think Jimmy G should be annoyed with Tom Brady whatsoever. Wright gave him an opportunity to get paid big time. And at least he didn't be like Jamis Winston where it's the other way where he gets replaced by Tom Brady. He says, oh yeah, that's a compliment because I'm getting replaced by the GOAT. When Tom Brady went to Tampa a few years ago, which is still bizarre, but good for you Jamis. Here is Jonathan Gannon who creeps me out on why he won't name his starting quarterback. I'm not going to name a starter because I think it's a competitive advantage for us going to Washington, but we'll know who the starter is. Oh, shut up.

Hey, that's such a lie. Oh, because the competitive advantage for Washington, blah, blah, blah. You know, it gives us a leg up.

The options are what? Joshua Dobbs and Clayton Toon? Joshua Dobbs just got there.

There's no advantage. Doesn't matter who you put out there. If the commanders lose week one. Becky.

Oh, that's really bad. If they lose, by the way, I can promise you it's because they didn't know who's playing quarterback. It's like it's like they're preparing for Joshua Dobbs.

All of a sudden he has a curveball and Clayton Toon coming under center. That's why they lose. Jonathan Gannon, why the team cut Colt McCoy. Yeah, just like with every decision we look at, you know, the full body of work. Evaluate our guys. Production goes into that and felt like it was the best decision for the team to move forward with the guys that we have in the room to help us win a football game. I just still can't believe this guy's a head coach in the NFL. Like I thought he got too much of a beatdown in Philadelphia. I know he was horrible in the Super Bowl and it was very sloppy how he departed, which I get it.

That stuff's fair. But even though he wasn't as bad as a defensive coordinator, some made it out to be last year, he should nowhere be near an NFL head coaching headset. I just don't get it. Like last year, though, I would hear Mike McDaniel. I'd be like, this guy just doesn't seem like it's going to work. And the guy ends up going to the playoffs and with Skyler Thompson almost beating the Bills. And this roster stinks.

At least the Dolphins have talent. But I'll ask you this. Could he be one and done? I know that they're still paying Cliff Kingsbury, Steve Cobb, they're going to have to pay a lot of the Kyler Murray contract too when they get rid of him after this year. But could this be a one and done type of situation? Caleb Williams is sitting there and if you have the 1-2 pick and you go Caleb Williams, Marvin Harrison Jr., I would say probably bring in an offensive mind head coach.

Just make sure it's not from college. Unless it's Mr. Harbaugh. Harbaugh.

Do not go back to Cliff. Yeah. Sheesh. Josh Heiple, I guess, maybe would fit into that realm of all offense. No, no, no.

Do you make offense? After bringing in Cliff Kingsbury and that working for a little bit and then not working, if you're going to a college head coach, you can only bring in one guy. And that's Jim Harbaugh. You can't bring in Ryan Day. You can't bring in Josh Heiple. If you're going to bring in a head coach from college, it's only got to be Jim Harbaugh. I think he'll be back next year.

But I would be a little bit surprised if he sees it past year too. Let's hear from Dennis Allen. He says there are still areas the Saints need to be better in heading into week one.

I don't think you're ever where you want to be or where we need to be. We're in a race to improve, getting ready for the opener this, you know, here in two weeks from today. But there's a lot of positives with this football team right now.

But yet there's certainly some things we've got to improve on. So I don't think the Saints are all that good, but they're in a horrible division. But we'll find out early, Hickey, the first five games of the season, who the Saints are. Because you play a lot of teams that like are similar to the Saints where you don't love them, but they may not be awful.

There's a lot of questions around them. You play Tennessee week one. You play Carolina week two. Green Bay week three. Tampa Bay week four. And the Patriots week five. Like if you're going to be a team that is actually good this year, bare minimum, you should be three and two through those five games. Bare minimum.

At worst, I agree. And I can't sit here and tell you that I'm all that confident that they're going to be three and two after those five games. And I don't want to say that's a soft schedule to open up the year, right? Because Tennessee is always like a sneaky good team. Carolina's a new quarterback in Bryce Young. Jordan Love, there's intrigue with the Packers. Tampa Bay, I don't think they're going to be all that good. And the Patriots, they have Bill Belichick outside of that. I don't love that team this year. But it's like you look at those five teams, are any of those games like guaranteed victories for the Saints? I don't think they're going to lose them all, but I don't think they're going to win them all. And neither are guaranteed losses.

Which again, if you're all kind of in that same grouping and you want to be a playoff team, you win bare minimum three out of those five games. Let's hear Ryan Day. He announces his starting quarterback versus Indiana. The Indiana game, Kyle McCord will be the starter. And Devin Brown is going to play in the game. I think that Kyle has done a great job over the last two weeks of showing consistency. He's played very well in practice.

But Devin also throughout the body of the preseason has shown that he deserves to play. So expect both of them to play. Now I don't think this is going to be like Chris Leek and Tim Tebow where you're going back and forth. I think that's Ryan Day saying, hey, we're going to kick the crap out of Indiana where Kyle McCord's not even going to need to play in the fourth quarter. That's the way that I took that one, Hickster. I hope you're right. I hear that as you got two quarterbacks, which means to me you got none.

And Hickey says that with a bleep eating grin on his face. Oh, absolutely I do. Absolutely I do. So let me ask you one quick question. I know we're up against a break or maybe I'll save for the other side, but it's about your football team in Penn State. Because there's like one thing that I don't think a lot of people are talking about where almost everyone's saying Penn State's going to be a really good team this year. But I want to ask you something about your college football team and I'll do that on the other side. Plus, we will also get into which team with the new QB this season has the most pressure. We've got more to do. One more hour to play. Jon Guimodoro from Arizona Sports Radio is also going to join us at 9.20 p.m. Eastern, 6.20 p.m. Pacific.