Who has more pressure: Lamar Jackson or Kyle Shanahan? (Hour 2)

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Alrighty, what's happening now? We're number two of our radio program. That's right, it is the Zach Gelb Show, coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. We have quarterback news in the NFL. According to Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network, Ravens coach John Harbaugh has announced that potential MVP Lamar Jackson will not play on Saturday versus the Steelers as Tyler Huntley will start and Josh Johnson is the backup. Lamar Jackson's regular season is over and it's on to the playoffs and that is not an injury news. That is because the Ravens have already clinched everything.

They're the number one seed. The AFC travels through Baltimore as long as Baltimore just keeps on winning and they have a bye, they win the divisional round, then the AFC Championship game will be in Baltimore as the Baltimore Ravens have a chance to then advance to the Super Bowl and they have just been a dominant team this year. As the season did progress, people started to wake up and understand how great the Baltimore Ravens were. I think everyone started to realize two, three weeks ago, wow, they just obliterated the San Francisco 49ers and then they followed it up, obliterating the Miami Dolphins as well.

And this is a huge year for the Ravens. This has opened as football has ever been and in the NFC, it's clear the team to beat are the San Francisco 49ers and in the AFC, the team to beat is the Baltimore Ravens. And really, I could ask this question about the AFC and the NFC.

Like let's go around the room and just do this as a quick exercise. Who is the second best team in your opinion in the AFC and the NFC? Like if I had to say to you, this is the way we'll ask it, the Baltimore Ravens don't get to the Super Bowl and the San Francisco 49ers don't get to the Super Bowl. Who do you then trust the most to get to the Super Bowl?

Pat Boyle, your answer would be? In the AFC, it's the Chiefs. Okay. In the NFC, because of what happened over the weekend, the fact that they're going to get at least one, maybe two home games in the playoffs, it would have to be the Dallas Cowboys. Oh, you're going with the drama Dallas Choking Cowboys.

Alrighty. So Boyle goes Chiefs and Boyle goes with the drama Dallas Choking Cowboys if the Ravens and 49ers can't get there. Moist Mike, I already know who you're going to go with in the AFC.

It's going to be the team that matches the color shirt that you're wearing right now. That would be the Kansas City Chiefs. Who would your NFC team be? And I'm not saying the Chiefs because I'm a Chiefs hunk. I actually do think like, as much as I want Tua to do well and I love Mike McDaniel, I just, I can't trust them in big games. The Bills, they're hot, but man, they've looked kind of shaky the past couple of weeks.

No one from the South really worries me. Same thing with the NFC North. I think it's just the Chiefs in the playoffs.

If it's not the Ravens, I think you just really have to go with the Chiefs and Mahomes and just assume they'll figure something out. And then in the NFC, I want to say the Cowboys also, but I can't trust them either. Part of me wants to say, I think Jalen hurts and the Eagles will figure it out, but you know, I'm just going to go with the Lions. If I really have faith in any team who hasn't really shown a lot of warts and they haven't like really had a prolonged period where they just have not played well, it's the Lions.

Had a few ups and downs, but for the most part, they've looked good against everyone that they played for the most part and at no point have you thought, man, this team is just not it. So I'm going to go Lions as the number two in the NFC. Yeah, the big problem with the Lions is against their better competition, they have not played great. Like they beat Kansas City week one. I don't want to be like Mike Torrico, but that was without Travis Kelce, that was without Chris Jones and they won the game by one point. They then lost to Seattle in a game that you thought they were going to win and then Seattle had the locket touchdown in overtime. They lost to Baltimore 38 to 6. Now, like it's weird, last week I kind of look at it as a win, but it was a loss because the officiating, and I know the Lions got too cute, they shouldn't have sent three offensive linemen there.

The dumb official should be able to tell who's eligible and who's ineligible and he messed up the entire play. So let me start with the NFC. I'm going to hold my nose when I do this because I do not like picking this team and this team I have zero confidence in.

I actually go with Boyle. It's the Cowboys. I have zero trust in the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have a locker room problem right now. AJ Brown before the Cardinals game took everyone to an escape room to build team chemistry. You got to build camaraderie in week 17 and Nick Sirianni, I know he has a good record.

He's not pressing the right buttons right now. So as someone who's usually pro Philly on this show, I can't be all in on the Eagles. The NFC South, I think they could win a playoff game. Whoever ends up winning the NFC South isn't going on a Super Bowl run.

You know what? I'm actually, I'm not going to go Dallas. I go with the LA Rams. You tell me that the San Francisco 49ers don't get to the Super Bowl. Screw Dallas.

Why would I ever give Dallas the benefit of the doubt? They have the definition of a good team, not a great team. That Rams team has no pressure.

That Rams team has no expectation. You have Matthew Stafford who won a Super Bowl. You have Cooper Cup, who not that long ago, triple crown in the NFL, Super Bowl MVP too. You have Aaron Donald, one of the more ferocious defensive players of all time. You have a running back in Williams, who is really coming on in the second half of the season.

And then you have maybe the best name in the NFL, Puka Nakua and Sean McVay. That Rams team, no one's talking about them. And I was going to say Dallas, but when I let it marinate a little bit more, the farthest I could see Dallas go in this year is an NFC title game.

Because they almost allowed, and I say this because I'm allowed to say this because I'm a larger man. They almost allowed a fat guy on an eligible play to catch a two point conversion that if the official just did his job, no one would be saying the Cowboys today. So I would say the Rams and the NFC and the AFC, I don't trust anyone. I cannot get in on Kansas City. I just can't. I know it's Mahomes.

I know it's Reed. But what my football fandom is, I know when you have two all time greats and I watched Belichick and Brady for 20 years. And it was few times that this happened when you just don't have it. And they just don't have it this year. And when you don't have receivers that could simply catch the ball, they're problems.

There's big problems. And Travis Kelce also look like he has lost a step as well. And that defense hasn't been playing as great as they did before the start of the season. I would go with the Bills.

And you know who I can't sleep on here? I would pick the Bills, but it's the Cleveland Browns. That Cleveland Browns defense is filthy. And on offense, you have a guy that for many years. When I was you know, when I was watching my team in the playoffs, Joe Flacco ever played up against the Patriots, I was shaking in my boots.

I was. And that Browns team with Njoku and Amari Cooper, Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt. That's a team that with that defense and Flacco plays the way that he's played the last two, three weeks, they could go on a run. But you tell me no San Francisco, no Baltimore in the Super Bowl. I would then go with Buffalo and the L.A. Rams. That's the those are the two teams that I would pick now.

Let me ask you this question. It is clear that in the AFC, the most pressure is on the Baltimore Ravens. When you think of the Baltimore Ravens, the first person you think of is Lamar Jackson.

In the NFC, the most pressure, as we said, is on the San Francisco 49ers. Their coach, Kyle Shanahan, as good of a coach as he is. The way that a lot of people remember him is in the big game as an offensive coordinator against the Atlanta Falcons.

You know, as the as the O.C. of the Falcons. And then as the head coach of the 49ers in the Super Bowl where they lost to Kansas City. He was an offensive coordinator for a team that blew a twenty eight to three lead.

And he was the head coach of a team that was up ten points with seven and a half to play. I'll just simply ask you this question. Let me ask the boil.

I'll go to Sampdah and then I'll give you my answer. Who has more pressure on them this year? Is it Lamar Jackson to win a Super Bowl or is it Kyle Shanahan to win a Super Bowl?

Boyle, how do you answer it? Lamar Jackson. And why? Because of the contract dispute over the offseason. Where it seemed like it was more so collusion, you know, rather than competition for the other owners. Because nobody else wanted to give out a Deshaun Watson contract. That's what Lamar wanted.

Which, by the way, is the funniest thing to me. Is that NFL owners are ready to trade all those draft picks and give all that money to Deshaun Watson. But Lamar Jackson, I think something came out of the weekend. Two teams were interested. One was the Raiders.

I forget who the other one was that explored it. Carolina. But they didn't want to at least make an offer to then bring back to Baltimore and Baltimore release have to make the decision to take the two first round picks or match whatever it was. But that's a topic for a different day.

But continue. Yeah, it's crazy that it was Deshaun Watson who got that precedent set for him rather than anybody else. Save Lamar Jackson. But I would say it's Lamar. I think it's because of all the injury concerns he's had in the past and the postseason. It's now his second MVP. So I think you put him in that tier now with Patrick Mahomes and any of the other greatest quarterbacks in the sport.

Joe Burrow for sure. So now it's okay. Well, he hasn't delivered in the postseason yet. They've got the number one seed. He's healthy.

The team, even with losing Mark Andrews, it's about as healthy as they've been in the last several years. What's the excuse this time if Lamar Jackson can't deliver? It's on his shoulders. He is clearly the best player in the sport this year.

He is clearly the best player on the team. If he doesn't go, they don't go. So I think it's going to come down to especially in a shaky AFC. What's the excuse of Lamar Jackson?

Can't get it done. I think he's going to start feeling an immense amount of pressure here over the next couple weeks. And it's also the right decision here. And I'm sure people will trash it if they come out sloppy or slow in the divisional round. Lamar has had an injury history. The last two years, he has not been on the field at the end of the season. So I have no problem with John Harbaugh saying, we're going to sit Lamar down and we know that he is our team and we go as Lamar goes. Sam, to answer that same question, who has more pressure, Lamar or Kyle Shanahan this year?

For the most part, I always lean to the player over the coach. I think Kyle Shanahan has done so much. And like, I don't think that we really knock him outside of what he did with the Falcons. I don't think we knock him all that much because every time he gets close, his quarterback gets hurt. Or something happens that kind of like throws a wrench in his plan.

So I feel like he keeps getting excuse after excuse after excuse. Finally, he has his franchise quarterback. So maybe he has this year that kind of prove it. But if they fall short, I still think people say, all right, the 49ers are where they are because of Shanahan. He will eventually get there.

He just needs to have that year. I think it's Lamar as well. Okay, I'm actually Kyle Shanahan. So I guess I'm on an island with this one. And the reason why I'm Kyle Shanahan... Which probably means whenever you're against me and Boyle, you're probably correct. Oh, yeah. No, you're definitely right on that. I thought you were going to go the other way and take the low-hanging fruit joke and just go, oh, well, that means we're definitely right and that I was going to be wrong. No, no, I'm wrong about everything. Literally everything that comes out of my mouth is incorrect.

So therefore, whatever you're saying that's against me is positive. You know, that does tend to happen. Whatever producer they pair with me, that producer usually gets every prediction wrong.

Like, I don't know what it is. I got Michigan, I almost got the score, and I was closed with the Washington, Texas one. Well, that's what the producer does as well.

Then they get one thing right and they tell you about the one thing they got right, but not the other 99 things that they got wrong. But anyway, the reason why I go Shanahan is what happens if, let's just say, we get Ravens and Dolphins, a rematch, and that's the high-scoring game that we thought it was going to be, where it's a shootout. And it's 37-31. And let's say Tua just goes down the field late, finds Tyree killing the end zone for a touchdown. Are we really going to be crushing Lamar? Like, I get what you guys are saying, that if the offense doesn't play well, and Lamar makes a mistake like he did up against Buffalo and throws that 102-yard whatever pick-six to Teron Johnson again, then we'll be getting on Lamar. But Kyle Shanahan, even though he's an offensive-minded coach, they have been so close, and he is in charge of the entire team.

And Lamar, I believe the way that he's been talked about in the postseason has been a little bit unfair, and I think there's been a larger sample size as an OC and a head coach for Kyle Shanahan. Like, up until the Ravens played the 49ers, and I know that game went drastically in the favor of the Ravens. Everyone said the 49ers had the best roster in the league.

On paper, they may not have the best team. Like, the Ravens may be a better team, if that makes sense. But from 1-53 in terms of talent, the 49ers had the best roster in the league. And I know last year you could use the excuse of losing Purdy. In the Super Bowl, you could use the excuse of Jimmy G overthrowing, was it Emmanuel Sanders, I believe. But this is now another opportunity where you're expected to get to a Super Bowl, and you're expected to win a Super Bowl. And I've got to put that on Shanahan, because in a big game, whether it was him being the OC, or you even look at that fourth quarter up against the Rams a few years ago, or the Super Bowl where they're up 10 with 7.5 to play, his teams have not been able to get the job done. And in the Super Bowl, it wasn't only him, 28-3, because he only managed the offense, but he is the head coach. And it's weird to say that he's got a pass, because he's so successful, but you now got to win one. You got to win one. Both guys got to win one.

But since Shanahan controls the entire team, and he's right, him and John Lynch are the two CEOs of that franchise, I think there's more pressure on Shanahan than there is Lamar Jackson. 8-5-5, 2-1-2 for CBS, 8-5-5, 2-1-2, 42-27. Let me go to Adrian and Marilyn next up on CBS Sports Radio. Adrian, what's happening?

This is Zach. Happy New Year. Hey, I got to get you guys to be biased. When Dallas wins this week, they're going to have two home games. Earlier in the year, they blew the doors off the Los Angeles Rams, so you think it's a better team than Dallas. Well, it's a totally different Rams team than where they are now.

No, it's not. There's one guy, the running back, that's it. The Cooper Cup played, MaCuca, whatever his name, played, and we knocked Stafford out. We knocked Stafford out the game. The last game, all you guys care about is this last two minutes of the Lions game. See, now you got me all riled up.

Yeah, because you know you don't really have a point, Adrian. You know the Cowboys are chokers. They're going to get to the NFC title game, and you know they're going to lose. And if they don't get to the NFC title game this year, it's pathetic.

Zach, Zach, Zach, let me finish. If CD doesn't fumble in the end zone, that's a blowout, probably. I guarantee you that, because the Lions didn't do anything.

And if the referees know how to report someone correctly eligible, you lose to 68, a fat offense alignment. I just said that, that you guys basically watched the last two minutes of the game. I watched the entire game. I had nothing to do that Saturday night.

You think I'm a popular person? I sat on my couch, I parked my fat ass there, I ordered a few pizzas, and I watched the game. Like I said, if CD goes in and scores, done fumbling through the end zone, which is a stupid rule, which everybody thinks it should just come back either to the 20 or the spot of the fumble, like any other time, they blow them out. How many excuses? Every time that something doesn't go the Cowboys' way, you guys have some excuse. Every time. Twenty-five years.

Twenty-five years, Adrian. Come on. I'm giving you praise. You guys are a good team. You're just not a great team.

You're going to go to the NFC title game and you're going to lose. There's actually no great team. There is no great team. The Ravens aren't a great team? 49ers? The 49ers who own you? The 49ers who are your father are not a great team? They're the Cowboys' daddy. Jerry Jones looks at the 49ers and he says, Hello, Dad.

We will see this year. After we beat these two divisional games and play them, we're going to beat them in San Francisco. Alrighty, Adrian. I've been hearing from you Cockroach Cowboys fans for way too long. You guys haven't been to an NFC title game since the 1995 season. Alrighty.

And every year it's, oh, next year's our year, or this year's going to be our year, or we're going to do something more this year. Enough. Please, please, please, please. Enough.

Stop it. Here's Zach Gilb. Alrighty, this is Zach Gilb showing CBS Sports Radio. We will get to Fosse Whitaker in hopefully just a second having some connection issues with him as the Texas Longhorns were in the Sugar Bowl and it looked like they were not going to make it a game late in the fourth quarter. And then, as the game did play on out, you had two, like one and a half problems by Washington.

The third and goal decision to throw did not make sense to me. And then, towards the end, with 50 seconds left, you had the injury timeout that ended up getting the ball back into Texas' hands sooner. And then, Texas was moving that ball down the field and when they're getting down to the 30 to the 20 inside to the 15, I'm thinking to myself, uh-oh, Texas is going to win this game and they are going to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. But, as you know, the DB made a nice play on that fade to the back right of the end zone at the end of the game and Washington advances to the national championship game that will come your way on Monday night. And we will be doing the show, by the way, in Houston for the national championship game and then I'll be going to the game Monday night. I'll get on a plane early Tuesday morning and get back to our New York City studios coming up on Tuesday for the show to recap the national championship game on Tuesday evening. So, hopefully, we could connect with Fosse Whitaker in just a bit.

It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. I want to get his thoughts about the future of Quinn Ewers and also how Texas is going to now deal with life in the SEC. And that's another thing with this national championship game.

Even though right now Washington is a Pac-12 team, this is also a big test with Washington having this great team if Washington is ready to compete with the powerhouse of the Big Ten right now, which is Michigan. But now joining us, Texas Longhorn, great. Also played in the NFL with a bunch of teams.

His last stop was in Carolina. And that is Fosse Whitaker, who is here with us, a part of the Longhorn Radio Network. Fosse, appreciate the time as always. How you been? I've been feeling really good, man. Brought in the new year in a fun way. What an exciting weekend of national semifinal games. Obviously, probably the best semifinals ever from a comparison of both games providing that last play, last drive type of momentum. But, man, I am feeling awesome bringing in 2024 the right way.

Well, we appreciate you jumping on board with us. So, I was just saying right before we brought you in, it looked like Texas was going to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. What did you make of the last few play calls by Sark and the offense as Texas was moving that ball down the field or about to steal a victory away from Washington? It was a surreal moment because everything leading up to that point, Washington had dominated the football game.

It was at the line of scrimmage. Washington was holding their own offensively and defensively. Michael Penix Jr. was having his way with those defensive backs. The receivers were each having some big games and making some big time plays. Washington forced his two turnovers on the defensive side of the ball. Braylon Trice absolutely got after that Texas offensive line. And for Texas to still have a shot and be in that game late on that final drive, final possession, zero timeouts, four chances with the ball on the 12-yard line, it kind of was just a crazy combination of a football game transpiring to that one final moment, which was that fourth down play with one second left on the clock. But ultimately, man, I tip my hat off to that Washington team. They faced scrutiny all year long, whether it was, oh, they haven't played nobody.

Oh, they are barely skating by. Oh, they only win by a couple of points. Oh, Oregon's going to blow them out in the Pac-12 championship game.

Oh, Texas' favorite. This Washington team has answered every bell that has been thrown their way, and it was a truly amazing win for that team, that program. And what Michael Penix Jr. was able to put on display was probably his best passing clinic from a standpoint of start to finish that he probably has played all season long. So just an unbelievable game coming down to the wire. If Texas would have won, obviously, I would have felt a little bit better. But ultimately, man, I was really proud as an alum of what those boys put out there on the field, the way that they played. Never gave up, down by 13 points at one point in time late in that game.

And for them to continue to scratch, claw and fight for every moment, man, that's what you want to see. And so I was proud to be a Longhorn despite the loss, but it definitely was a season that can change the identity of what this program has been. This was the best season that Texas has had in the past 15 years. So I know, Fosse Whitaker, that you want to tip your cap to Washington, but just getting back to that play calling, there was nothing in the final three, four plays that you took issue with?

I took some issue. The real thing about it though, I never really want to question a coach of Sartre's kind of magnitude and his ability to call a play. I mean, at the end of the day, he got them in that position. He got them in that moment.

He got them down there. I really would have loved to see Adanon Mitchell be able to get a couple more attempts down there. He only had that last one that was a one-on-one opportunity.

Speaking with Stark after the game and the press conference, he talked about kind of his play selection and how they were trying to get some isolation one-on-one opportunities with Jutavian Sanders and Jordan Whittington. And then obviously going to Adanon Mitchell at the end of the game. But I actually would have loved to see Adanon Mitchell score that last touchdown, but I know Sartre and I know he had called up some great plans. Washington had a really good defense. And if Texas would have scored on that last play, nobody would have questioned the three plays prior because it still would have turned out okay. But ultimately, the way that Washington defended it, it kind of made it into a should have, could have, would have moment. But really at the end of the day, those guys all believed in each other. They had that chance considering how bad or poorly they had played up to that point with what difficulties Washington presented for them.

And you just kind of got to accept it and hopefully grow from it and continue to get better. But definitely would have loved to see some more opportunities for Adanon Mitchell down there in the red zone. This is Ozzie Whitaker here with us. So clearly, Texas had an extremely successful season. Their quarterback, Quinn Uwers, even having to miss a little bit time with the injury, had a great season. I would think he would want to come back, but then also there's part of me that's saying, wow, it does feel like it's time to go to Arch Manning. What do you think Quinn Uwers ultimately decides? I think honestly, the best thing for Quinn Uwers in this moment is to stay another year and progress underneath Steve Sarkeesian, get another season underneath his belt, continue to build off of what he was able to build and put together in this past season as he's had his best passing season so far.

I mean, it's only his second year starting. So I believe he can really make some some big strides. If he elects to go into the NFL draft, I mean, I must still support him in every single way.

But it is a loaded, loaded, loaded quarterback class that will be coming out this year. So that can probably change the perspective of how he views his future, considering you've got a lot of guys that are first round, second round talents or grades and probably will go in such. But ultimately, man, he'll probably have a sit down with his family, probably have a sit down with Coach Sark, AJ Milwee as well, the quarterback's coach, and decide a plan, a plan of action that's best for his future. But I would I would believe if I was in that position, I would love for him to come back another season, strengthen up his arm, strengthen up his body, showcase the NFL scouts. He can complete a full season and then also put together a season that is going to be a memorable one in Texas's first year in the SEC. So we know Malik Murphy is off to Duke. Arch Manning still clearly covered highly. And right, there's a lot of thoughts of what he could be as a quarterback. If Quinn comes back, I know they just won the big tall championship. They were just in the college football playoff. Is that definitely his job or do you expect there to be a competition where maybe that could open the door for Arch Manning to usurp Quinn Ewers next year?

I expect there always to be competition. The first thing that Steve Sarkeesian lamented whenever he first came in with how it's always going to be the best 11 guys on the field that will go out there and play. And if we come around in the spring and let's say we still have Texas still has Quinn Ewers and they still have Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers isn't ready to showcase, you know, the things that he was able to put together late in the season and Arch Manning seems to be hitting this stride.

I wouldn't be surprised if Steve Sarkeesian started going out there and then fall camp say, hey, we have a battle going on and it's going to go well in the camp and possibly can name Arch as that starting quarterback. But ultimately, the way that Quinn Ewers went on a transformative offseason from last year to this year where you saw him cut the mullet, you saw him cut the beard, kind of the all business approach. He changed his diet. He locked in and honed in with the team. He became a leader for this offense and for this team. He showed the emotion. He showed the grit. He showed everything that you want to see from a QB1. I would believe he would continue to kind of double down on those efforts this offseason to hopefully maintain his position as QB1 in Texas. And hopefully create a run where they can be in a 12 team playoff format and possibly make it to the national championship as they were one game away this past season. On the way out with Fosse Whitaker, I got to ask you about your Carolina Panthers.

I'm not going to sugarcoat this. I can't stand their owner in David Tepper. And we all just saw that video, Fosse, of him on the road this week throwing a drink in an opposing team fan's face.

I thought it was stupid. You got to be the adult there and just walk away regardless of what the fan is saying to you, especially when you're a multi-billionaire and you're the owner of the football team. They give him a $300,000 fine. To you and I, that's a lot of money.

To David Tepper, that's like, what, five cents? How did you react when you saw that did go down with the owner of the Carolina Panthers? Yeah, I was truly amazed that that was all that it was, a $300,000 fine.

Like you mentioned, that's a large amount to the average person. But to a guy that's a billionaire that can buy out an NFL organization or a franchise, I mean, that's really more so, hey, don't do that anymore. But that's about as much of a disciplinary action that the NFL took towards him. Anytime you see somebody in a position of power or that is an owner of a team act in that manner, it kind of puts things in perspective about where that organization is going or where it has been.

And over the past couple of seasons, obviously, you can look at the track record of their wins and losses, the number of coaches that they've had, the number of players that have been rotated in and out of that system. And it doesn't seem like a very pleasant environment for one that's going to generate growth and positivity in this moment. So it's unfortunate for a lot of the guys that are there.

I mean, you look at Bryce Young. Obviously, he isn't performing to what a lot of people expected from him as the number one overall draft, and it doesn't help that CJ Stroud is performing very well as the number two draft pick. But it makes it hard for him to be able to have success whenever you've got an owner that's acting the way that he does and obviously brings attention towards himself in a negative light and for the organization. It's just not something that you want to see.

So I was surprised it was only 300K. I'm not sure if there will be some other actions that the other owners or the NFL takes towards them, but that's not the attitude and that's not the representation that that Carolina Panther organization wants to be remembered as or represented as. So I'm sure it'll get cleaned up quickly. And there was a moment that I'm sure David Tepper wishes he had back. But they got issues within that organization and obviously it's starting from the owner's perspective, but they got to figure out some sort of consistency or continuity to try to get that program and that franchise headed back in the right direction. And it's hostile right now. Like this fan base, they cannot stand this guy and I do not blame them. And I think the only suitable punishment, Fosse Whitaker, would be all the fans. And I don't think there's gonna be a lot of them that go to this game this weekend, a home game for the Panthers up against the Bucks to end this dreadful two-win season. I would let them throw a drink in Tepper's face. That's what I would let all those fans throw a drink in his face and let him know how it feels.

I mean, if they could, I'm pretty sure a lot of those people would. I don't know if that'll still fix the issue, but at least they'll feel better about it. And the issue I think is simple is this, right? This is a guy that thinks he's a football guy and he thinks he has all the answers and he hires football people, but he doesn't let them make the football decisions because he thinks he's the football guy. That's how I would kind of just really sum this up real quickly. That's what is playing out.

Obviously, you bring in guys. And the coaching staff that was comprised this past offseason, that coaching staff is supposed to work. And you're supposed to have some sort of success, better than a two-win season in the way that they've been able to play this year. They look awful this year and have no sense of direction. You don't know where the future of this program is going because of the turmoil that you talked about and the amount of experience that they had that was just fired, all the guys that were let go.

It's disappointing. I've played underneath several of those guys on that coaching staff and I know what those men are as coaches and I know what they are as men and their core values and the type of culture that they like to bring and to see the way that it kind of crumbled the way that it did. It's a serious issue at hand and that's something that you never want to see for a program or organization with good men like that considering also you bring in Bryce Young and he's taking a lot of heat as your rookie quarterback.

So a drink in the face may help with emotions and feelings but they're going to need some surgical processes that have to take place in order for this program to get back in a place where it was whenever we played for a Super Bowl back in 2015. Fosse Whitaker, always great to catch up. Happy New Year. Thanks so much for doing this.

Absolutely. Happy New Year to you too, brother. Have a good one. You got it.

There he is. Fosse Whitaker joining us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. As the dust settles from last week's games, it's time to look at which teams are rising and which are falling. Zach ranks his top five NFL teams on this week's edition of Take 5 only on the Zach Gelb show. Now just a disclaimer, the top five teams that I'm going to give you right now is a different conversation than the one that we had about 40 minutes ago on who the teams you trust the most to get to the Super Bowl if you take out the 49ers and the Ravens.

These power rankings are who are the best five teams following last week moving into this week. So, in at number five. Here we go, Brownies.

Here we go. Defensive player of the year potentially, Myles Garrett, stud. No Amari Cooper, no problem.

You got David Njoku. And elite Joe Flacco is back. And Kevin Sapanski is about to win his second Coach of the Year award. So, the Cleveland Browns in at number five.

Four. I never felt like a team won a game where they lost a game, and I'm still going to give them praise, but the Detroit Lions got screwed by the officials. So, in a week where it's really like, let's do one and two, and then it's like, you can put anyone three, four, and five, I will still praise the Lions even though they lost that I usually don't reward losers, but they have had a heck of a season.

Dan Campbell fears no one. I do not fault him for going for two. At the two, then when it gets pushed back to the seven, you get Parsons to jump offside. And then, if Jared Goff just throws a better ball, that's a two-point conversion. But, none of that other stuff should happen because the first play should have counted, but Brad Allen or whatever his name is just messed it up. In at number three. Adrian, this is for you.

My guy Adrian that called us earlier. I am putting the Dallas Cowboys in there at three. It's not because the Cowboys are great, it's because the Cowboys are good, and everyone else is like, eh, eh, eh, besides the teams that are two and one.

In at number two, the San Francisco 49ers, and you don't really need much of an explanation right there. Outside of their performance up against the Baltimore Ravens, we all know how dominant of a team that is, and in at the number one spot are the Baltimore Ravens who are on fire. John Harbaugh to his team after the game, he said that was the best performance he's seen from an individual team that he's coached with what they did up against the Dolphins. So in back-to-back weeks, they obliterated the 49ers in Santa Clara, and they followed up obliterating the Miami Dolphins with that game being in Baltimore. And it looked like that was going to be an awesome game from the start. Like the Ravens 49ers game, it was sloppy. The Ravens Dolphins game was high-scoring, good from the start.

I thought that was going to be a shootout. I thought we were trending at 37-31 in that game, and then Baltimore just said, yeah, we're not going to really make this game. So in at number five, the Browns, four, the Detroit Lions, three of the Dallas Cowboys, two of the San Francisco 49ers, and the Ravens in at number one.

Michael Sampter, speak now if you ever hold your peace. How about the Miami Dolphins? Yeah, getting blown out by the Ravens is a problem. The Dolphins outside of the Cowboy game have not played well in big games this year, and that defense now concerns me because it was one thing to lose Jalen Phillips, who I thought needed to be what Hassan Reddick was to the Eagles last year for the Dolphins this year. But now you're without Bradley Chubb, and Jalen waddles out for the rest of the regular season, so one more game.

But let's see what he's like when he comes back. I just don't trust that Dolphins defense. We know they'll be able to put up points and score in the playoffs on offense, but defensively, they were just starting to move in the right direction, recovering from the loss of Phillips, and now you've lost Bradley Chubb.

That's just too many guys that you're going down with. My Kansas City Chiefs. You got Mahomes. You got Andy Reid. Should I be like Skip Bayless right now? I'm sure he's probably had this take. Is Travis Kelce spending too much time with Taylor Swift?

I just, I don't trust anyone. Outside of Mahomes, who's had problems this year, I just don't trust that team, that the wide receivers are terrible. Isaiah Pacheco being hurt or not 100% healthy is a problem, because outside of Kelce and Mahomes, he's their next best offensive player. I know Rashid Rice is playing okay, but they're going to have to, in all likelihood, they'll get a home playoff game for winning the AFC West.

But then after that, assuming they get through that, they're going to have to go on the road. Now, we know Mahomes, he has never won a road playoff game. He's never had a road playoff game. He could do it, but I just don't trust that team to put three games together to get to a Super Bowl this year. I think there's too many warts with this team. On offense and on defense, we thought they were good, and now I think they've come back down to earth a little bit. The fact that they have to sweat it out up against the Bengals, who are without Joe Burrow, and Jamar Chase was come back from injury. I didn't like that performance by Kansas City. I know they're on a free-fall, but the Eagles. Well, you just said it. The Eagles.

Yeah. I have never soured on a team that I had so much respect and thought they had a good chance to get back to the Super Bowl, and I was defending them when they started out 10-1 and they weren't playing great. You lose that game to Arizona.

I had Arizona covered in the 12 points. I did not think they were going to win the game outright. When you have team chemistry bonding moments in the escape room this late in the season, week 16-17, and the coach is losing his magic touch, there's too much negativity around the Eagles right now, and there's a lot of smoke, and when there's smoke, there's a fire, and there's a fire burning in the Eagles locker room.

This Eagles team, it's a team chemistry issue. And how about them Bills? I still think the Bills get to the Super Bowl.

I don't love that they played the last two weeks, but they won those games against two bad teams. This is a big week for the Bills. You win, you win the AFC East, and you'll probably be the two seed.

You lose, there's a chance you're on the outside looking in. So just because that chance is out there that they may not get into the playoffs, I have to keep them outside of the five, but if they get into the playoffs, sign me up. Ravens-Bills. I'd love to see that in an AFC championship game, if we could get there, because depending on the seeding, you may have to actually see that in divisional round. Which, could you imagine Buffalo walking into Lamar's house, AFC divisional round, and then the takes that would happen if the Ravens offense is a little sloppy when they're resting Lamar this weekend? It's really a lose-lose for John Harbo, but I think he's making the right decision, not playing Lamar Jackson this weekend. So my five as we enter week 18, Ravens 1, 49ers 2, Cowboys 3, Lions 4, and the Browns 5. I feel good about 1 and 2, everybody else, eh.