The Battle for the AFC East (Hour 3)

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Get six times longer lasting freshness plus odor protection with Downy Unstoppables in wash scent beads. And away we go, hour number three of our radio program. Happy Friday everybody. This is Zach Gelb's show Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. Final show of the week. There will be Eye on Football on Sunday too.

But final Zach Gelb show of the week. We will do Eye on Football week 18 coming up on Sunday for eight hours from noon Eastern to 8 p.m. Pacific. And then I will go home.

I will watch the Dolphins-Bills game. And then early that morning, hoping the weather is okay because there could be some problems with some projected snow here in New York City. I will be getting on a plane early Monday morning. And if the weather is fine, then we just hope that the airlines cooperate and hold up their end of the bargain as well. Because there's a lot of stressful things in this country.

And I know we kind of get caught up in our own circles and our selfish things we may say are the most stressful and then people will be playing their small violin when I'm about to say this. But I don't know if there's anything more stressful right now in my life than when I'm getting ready to go on a trip somewhere and get on a plane. The last year, I don't think anyone has been more screwed by the airlines than me.

When we were coming back from the draft in Kansas City, we had 20 people from the company that went to the draft in Kansas City. Everyone's plane got off on time. Everyone's plane went from destination A to destination B. I was the one person in the company whose flight got delayed for six, seven hours and then got canceled.

When I had tickets to go attend a playoff game for the New York Rangers up against the New Jersey Devils, it was game six. So some little weasel around here, I'm not going to say that person's name, they got a good deal because I paid full value for it and then some. And since I was selling the last second, the person said he could only do this much money for the two tickets.

And I was like, well, I'm so well anyway, I'm out of luck. I had the tickets up all day at the airport. And then the next thing you know, they didn't sell for some reason, even though everyone else's tickets were selling.

So I had to give that person a pretty good discount. And then I was supposed to go to Florida last year to visit my grandma. Then that plane got canceled as well.

And it was like a 75 degree day when I was going to Nebraska in September. My plane got canceled and then I had to get a flight to Des Moines, Iowa, which we do have an affiliate in Des Moines. I was listening to CBS Sports Radio in Des Moines, Iowa, and then drive the three hours from Des Moines, Iowa, all the way to Lincoln, Nebraska. Then the next day I had to drive from Lincoln, Nebraska to Kansas City because that's where the plane back was going.

So I have just got screwed by the airlines over and over and over again. And all I ask for on Monday, because I'm going to the national championship game. The plan is we will fly in early Monday morning. Then I will do the show in Houston and then I will go to the game at night. And then I will get up Tuesday morning. I got a 6.10 a.m. Central Time flight and I'll shoot back to New York City and get to the studio in time for the show. But on Monday, all I'm asking for, like whatever happens on Tuesday happens Tuesday. But on Monday, that plane better be on time. No delays. On time.

I want no travel issues. You know, I was a good boy this past year. I only attacked David Tepper on the radio and James Franklin and Ryan Hickey and Michael Santer and some other people.

But they all deserved it. You know, I was a good person this year and I asked for one lousy thing. Just be on time with the airlines. Because if I have to deal with the stress of a delay and then potentially, you know, landing and bolting out of the airport to get to the studio to do the show. Or then the plane's going to take off, but I won't be on time for the show, so therefore I won't be able to make the trip. I'm going to lose my mind.

And I tried to do this in the last year. I tried. Every time I had an airline issue, I didn't try to bitch and complain about it on social media because I understand the problems I was having is very small compared to other people in this world. But I will be on one on Monday and I will take no prisoners and you think I was rough on David Tepper this past week and I want to throw a drink in that pig's face. I will be furious. I will be losing my mind that the airlines don't cooperate on Monday. So all I ask, just get me to Houston on time. That's it.

That's all I ask. I don't care what happens the rest of the year. Karma could be bad to me in February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. My year will be ruined if this flight is not on time.

The entire 2024 will be the worst year ever if the flight is not on time. All righty. And I don't. You know what? Here's the crazy part. You think I'm having a breakdown right now about the possibility of this flight? I got the flight at a good price. OK, the flight that I'm on right now, there's like three seats left because Michigan, I guess, is in the national championship game.

There's a big Michigan Michigan contingent here in New York. The flight now is going for thirteen hundred dollars. One way. One way to Houston.

Thirteen hundred dollars. So if someone wants a payment, take my flight, you know, thirteen hundred dollars, they want to drop my pocket, you know, miss the flight. I can't go to national championship game. Oh, that's, you know, not the end of the world, though.

Go get a nice pizza pie, maybe a little steak and watch the daddy. But if you think I'm losing my mind now, wait until you have like alums of the school that are a little bit snotty. Let's just say a little bit pretentious having to deal with the airlines, because that's the problem with the airlines now.

They never tell you the truth. Like the fact that I had to sit in the airport in Kansas City for seven hours until they canceled the flight was a joke. And the next day when I checked into the airport, they were like, oh, you were on that flight yesterday for Kansas City. Oh, there was an air traffic control problem with JFK. That flight was never getting off the ground. Ladies just said that to me.

And I was like, oh, wonderful. Could have told me that like the day before. Couldn't have just went to a barbecue joint, stuffed my fat face and then go back to my hotel room. So just be on time, everybody, on Monday. So plan is show in Houston Monday. Go to the game Monday night. Follow on social media at Zach Gelb. Instagram, Twitter will take you all behind the scenes, hopefully, of the national championship game. And then we will be back on Tuesday in our New York City studios. Alrighty. I will get to little dolphins and bills in just a second. But first, Adrian and Marilyn's been holding on for a while. 855212 for CBS.

855212, 4227. Wanted to jump back in on that conversation regarding Justin Fields. My take has been the Bears should keep Justin Fields and they should either trade back and draft Marvin Harrison Jr. or just draft Marvin Harrison Jr. with the number one overall pick. Adrian and Marilyn, what's happening? Yo, Adrian. Yo, Zach, what's up? Happy Friday.

Hey, I called about three weeks ago. Said the same thing. To keep Justin Fields, you trade back. You pick up his fifth-year option. So then he plays for his contract. You take Marvin Harrison and then you take that tackle, what's it, from Penn State at number 10.

What do you think about that? I think it's a good plan now and appreciate the phone call, Adrian. Now, that first pick, it's how many spots are you falling back? Like, if you fall two or three, you could still get Marvin Harrison Jr. If you're going north of the third pick or south of the third pick, then you're probably not going to get Marvin Harrison Jr. And then it's okay. Maybe you take with that first first-round pick at like maybe five or six, let's just say. Do you take the the lineman from Notre Dame? Do you take the lineman from Penn State? Or do you maybe go a defensive player, like an edge rusher, like Jared Verse is going to be highly mocked in the NFL draft out of Florida State as well. So I think you do have, if you're keeping Fields, I do think you need to, in some way, take a wide receiver. But then the other pick, yeah, protection would be nice or going and adding a player on the defensive side of the ball.

And that's the other part of the conversation. Like, I have been so set on Marvin Harrison Jr. because I believe Marvin Harrison Jr. is going to be a Hall of Famer. I believe Marvin Harrison Jr. is the preeminent player in this draft. But there are other good wide receivers in this draft. So let's say if, I don't know, like the Giants or the Falcons at five or nine come calling.

Like that's where they're currently projected, I believe. And that takes you out of Marvin Harrison Jr. I could be okay with that because then maybe you get Malik Nabors from LSU.

Maybe you get Roma Dunze from Washington and you see in the national championship game. Like there are other really talented wide receivers in this draft class. But I just believe, you know, you could consider maybe Troy Franklin.

I don't think he's going to go that early. Like there are other guys, Keon Coleman from Florida State that you can consider. But I just believe that Harrison Jr. is going to be the best and I want the best. And I do think when you pair fields with Marvin Harrison Jr. and then DJ Moore, you're setting him up in the best position possible to succeed. So that's why I've been so just stuck on, all right, draft Marvin Harrison Jr. But you could argue to get more future first round picks that there will be other wide receivers who may not be better in an NFL career than Marvin Harrison Jr.

But have potential to still be elite great wide receivers in the NFL. Alrighty, let's get to a little Dolphins and Bills this weekend. This is the game out of all the games this weekend I'm most excited for. And in Miami, we already know the Dolphins are a playoff team. And I picked the Dolphins to win the AFC East before the season did start. But the Dolphins who have been in this lead spot for most of the year and the Bills have been like, all right, disappointing, then getting back on track. And then, you know, they're winning now, but they haven't played great the last two games. It's wild to look at Buffalo. And Buffalo is like a two and a half, three point favorite right now. And the game's in Miami, but it's pretty much going to be a home game anyway for the Buffalo Bills. And people are now so confident in Buffalo to win this game. So here's where I look at this from a gambling standpoint.

Everyone's telling me Buffalo, Buffalo, Buffalo, Buffalo, Buffalo. And I believe the Buffalo Bills are going to win this game as well. But when everyone's telling me I have to make this pick. And then I also think that way, isn't that usually the game and isn't that usually a recipe for the team that no one is picking to end up winning? And it would be very Dolphin-like to win this game. And it would be very Buffalo-like before the success that they've had recently for the Bills to drop this game. And it is wild that the Bills could finish as high as two in the AFC entering this weekend. Or they could be on the outside looking in and not be one of the top seven teams from the AFC to go to the postseason.

Selfishly, I am rooting for Buffalo this weekend because I want to see the Bills in the playoffs. And we have had a year where there's been so many great and good quarterbacks, elite quarterbacks, that unfortunately have gotten hurt. And I know Josh Allen, I don't think he's 100% right now, but he's still starting, he's still playing, and he could still play at a very high level. And that's why I want to see the Bills in the playoffs because even though right now we're all hell-bent on the Ravens getting to the Super Bowl and the Ravens are the team to beat. And they look like not only the team to beat in the AFC, but the team to beat in the NFL with the beatdown that they put down in the San Francisco 49ers two weeks ago in Santa Clara. So, let's just say though, maybe the Ravens get a little rusty with this week off, not playing Lamar this weekend, and they drop that divisional round game.

Or they get to an AFC championship game, you know, it's not a lock that they're going to win just because they look like the team now. And when I look through the AFC, alright, the Dolphins we know can hang points on a lot of people. In the AFC North, you know, outside of the Ravens, you know, I give a lot of credit to the Cleveland Browns, I love that Browns defense led by Miles Garrett and Joe Flacco is maybe the best story in the NFL right now, so Cleveland is alive. The AFC South, you could have two playoff teams, depending on what happens to the Jaguars when they win the division, and then the winner of the Colts and the Texans game also gets into the playoffs. I think the Colts and the Texans have been really good stories, but I don't think they're going to be a team, either of those teams that do damage in the postseason. And Jacksonville has been one of the more disappointing teams in the league this year because we thought they were ready to take the next step, and they haven't been. And then outside of the Chiefs and the AFC West, I think the Chiefs had their problems too, that there's no one else alive in the AFC West right now. So, you look at the AFC, maybe this is a year where if you do get Baltimore, who is the team that goes down, and that happens in a single elimination, this isn't all the other sports, you know, outside of college football, where it's, you know, you play a series in baseball, you play a series in the NBA, you play a series in hockey, you lose two, three games, you'll be okay just as long as you're the first one depending on the round, two, three, or four wins, and you end up advancing. So anything could happen, and I hate to use this cliche, I hate to be a cliche guy, but anything could happen on any given Saturday or any given Sunday, right, in the NFL playoffs. And that's why as long as Buffalo has their quarterback in Josh Allen, even though this hasn't been pretty, they could still beat any team, not only in the AFC, but any team in the NFL.

And I think the three things to watch in this game is can Miami ease the panic button in this one, because right now, it's wild. Two weeks ago, the Dolphins had a great win up against the Cowboys, and then the Dolphins get obliterated and stomped out by the Baltimore Ravens. But in that loss, they also suffered an enormous loss with Bradley Chubb being done for the year, and earlier in the season, they also lost Jalen Phillips. They're two preeminent pass rushers and two guys that were going to be enormous for them to make this run. And they were just starting to survive life without Jalen Phillips, and now it's like, boom, you get hit with the double whammy of Bradley Chubb being out.

It's like, oh, you got to restart this process again. So Miami loses this game. They don't win the AFC East. They're going to be on the road, probably in a cold environment for the playoffs, because the Browns are locked in as the five. So in all likelihood, the Dolphins then are probably going to Kansas City, and I get it, it's Patrick Mahomes and it's the Kansas City Chiefs. But right now, I would pick the Dolphins to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs.

So those emotions are going to be interesting. Where it was two weeks ago, also they beat the Cowboys. Yeah, they got a big win. Then, oh, they got smacked by the Ravens, the season's over. They lose to the Bills, it's going to be doubling down. The season's really over, and then watch them go wildcard weekend into Kansas City and outscore Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs with Tyreek Hill, making his return to Arrowhead.

And you know what? Out of all the matchups that we could potentially see in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and I would love to see Joe Flacco in the second round go back to Baltimore. I would love to see a playoff matchup where Matthew Stafford and the Rams are walking into Detroit to go up against the Lions.

But we got robbed as football fans earlier this year, because the NFL was a bunch of money greedy pigs, and they said, we got to put Dolphins and Chiefs, which would have been a Chiefs home game, in Germany. I would love to see, love, love, love, love, love to see a matchup where we get Tyreek Hill walking into Kansas City with the Dolphins for the playoffs. That would be epic. That would be great. So, the panic meter for the Fins is going to be interesting after this one.

And then, if the Bills make the playoffs, or they miss the playoffs, what happens? Because I think a lot of people, and deservedly so, would say, fire Sean McDermott. I don't think Brandon Bean and the Pegula family are firing Sean McDermott. I don't. So then, what changes are you going to make? And there was a storyline that started the year, and it will pop back up again.

And I'm not saying it's right that this is going to happen. But we haven't seen a 100-yard receiving game from Staphon Diggs since October 15th up against the Giants. Since then, 58 yards, 70 yards, 86 yards, 34, 27, 74, 24, 48, 29, 26.

Those are low numbers. And we all know how important Staphon Diggs has been to Josh Allen. But the Bills haven't had a great season, and Staphon Diggs is not playing well. Now, he still had 1,000 yards. He still has 100 catches. He's still a big part of this team. But even though Staphon Diggs keeps on saying everything's good, and teammates love Staphon Diggs in Buffalo, with how that season started, do you see this Staphon Diggs storyline pop back up when he's not getting the ball, and either they miss the playoffs or they make the playoffs and they go home early, and does that Staphon Diggs story pop back up or maybe they look to trade him or maybe he wants to get traded this offseason?

I think that's something to monitor as well. Alrighty, this is the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. We'll give you some NFL picks next.

We'll be back in five minutes. And then I told you to put a lot of money on Washington, plus four and a half. And last week we had the Texans lay in four.

We had the Cardinals plus 12. And then I was on the Packers plus a point. And I was berated, absolutely berated by Ryan Horvat. And he told me from BetMGM tonight via Beck UL, you may want to rethink that pick. We may want to rethink Ryan Horvat on this show. That's why he's not joining us this week.

No, he's actually on vacation. That would have been actually a good headline. I should have just rolled with that. Zach Gelb fires Ryan Horvat from his weekly appearance on the show. If you judge what's going on in the media world right now, that headline would be a very, very, very small pimple on a body compared to what's going on with Pat McAfee right now. So Pat McAfee had, and I like Pat, he had the whole interview with Aaron Rodgers, of course. Aaron Rodgers goes after Jimmy Kimmel, says he's going to be on this Epstein list, basically accusing Jimmy Kimmel of being a pedophile. That's an accusation that everyone's like, oh, I don't care what kind of tone it was made.

I don't care what beef that's going on between Kimmel and and Rodgers, who was in the right, who was in the wrong before that. You basically accuse someone of being a pedophile or having knowledge of sexual acts that were going on with minors. You know, those are some words that you don't recover from. Like you could recover a lot in life like you like this world's pretty forgiven in second chances and third chances. You talk about pedophilia.

Oh, scum of the earth. Like you have no chance, nor should you, from ever recovering from that. So there's been a lot in the aftermath of this about will ESPN and McAfee or will Disney and McAfee eventually split? And I think McAfee is great for ESPN and also College Game Day because Kimmel, Disney, ABC, that's a big star of theirs as well. And now they're like fighting off as something that happened because of what was said on McAfee show. So McAfee went on a rant today about an ESPN executive, Norby Williamson, saying he's trying to sabotage the show.

He doesn't like the show. And he called him a rat. Now, there's some times being in this business where you make fun of your bosses and the bosses are in on it. The bosses are OK for being a pinata. But there's a difference in saying like, oh, our dopey management or old management doesn't want me to say this. Well, screw them, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And management hearing that and knowing that there was no malicious intent. Unless the plan by ESPN, which I don't think is the case here, is to let's take the attention away from Kimmel and Rogers and that fight. And now make it about McAfee going after some executive, which in a large scheme of things, like people in the business will care about this.

But I don't think many in the world actually care about Norby Williamson. So then you have like someone that's not really well known to the average person where it's all McAfee's just crap it on this executive. And then that buries the nastiness of the story of which is not true. We're what Rogers accuse Jimmy Kimmel of.

So I don't think they're intelligent enough at ESPN to concoct that theory. I believe you got a genuine Pat McAfee who is annoyed with some executives and especially one executive in particular, Norby Williamson at ESPN. And now you got even more fighting. So at least it takes the story away from Rogers basically accusing Kimmel to be a pedophile.

And now it's OK. You have McAfee going all annoyed and being all upset at Norby Williamson. So stay tuned. This could be fun. I love seeing a fight between two people that I got nothing to do with. You know, I'm going to watch this entire segment when I get home, maybe get a big bowl of popcorn, a lot of butter. You have to like lick the butter off your fingers, too. And it's like disgusting.

And you get like one piece of popcorn on that shirt and you're like, oh, the shirt's ruined because of how much butter is on this popcorn. But I'm going to get a fat bowl of popcorn tonight and I'm going to watch this this McAfee rant with Norby Williamson because I love a good radio rant and I love a good radio fight. And I'm not afraid to ever get into those fights. I don't mind them whatsoever. You know, if you have to drop the gloves and do the dirty work, you got to do what the job calls to do. But I thoroughly enjoy it when it has to do with a different company. And I thoroughly enjoy it when it has to do with two people, one that I really like at McAfee and Norby Williamson, who I don't really know him at all.

I have no relationship with him, but I do enjoy when there's a fight and you really have no skin in the game. So that's going to be fun, Santa. Ding, ding, ding.

Yeah, right. That popcorn is going to be delicious tonight. Maybe we'll get some pizza, too. Now, you know, tonight's a diner night. I'm feeling the diner.

You sometimes just wake up. I have a brand new diner that opened up next to me about like six, seven months ago. Oh, they make some great sandwiches.

They do. And I like you like, you know, when you go to Cheesecake Factory, the menu is like three thousand page pages long. You'll have to order off the menu because I don't love reading. I don't. I do not. I'm surprised you know how to. Well, I know how to read, but I don't love reading.

I just don't have the attention span. Like I get into a really good book. I prefer that book to be an audio version. Right.

Where they read the book to you. I think you are a very smart man, Zach. Danny, thanks so much. Danny Connell.

I am a very intelligent man, according to Danny Connell. But when you have to sit down and I'm part of the problem in society, I have a short attention span and you ask me to read something that's very long. It's tough for me to keep that attention to detail unless I'm fascinated by it. But how I am at the cheesecake menu at the Cheesecake Factory is the same way with this new diner. It's I got three pages. I'm like, oh, I can't get the page four, five, six, seven this go around or eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve this go around like this menu at the diner.

Looks like the place sheet that Mike McCarthy has called place. It's crazy. So what I did was the first time I went there, I looked at pages one, two and three. Then the next time I looked at four or five, six, then six, seven, eight.

And then tonight I'll look at nine, ten, eleven and I pick a new item each and every time I may have counted out of order there. That's fine. Anyway, enough of me.

Enough of you. Let's try to help us. Let's get to some NFL picks. Alrighty, we were 3-0 last week, if you factor in the college football, 5-0. I hate betting week 18 because if the team is out of it, you never know what type of effort you're going to get. And you also, even if the team's in it, you never know how teams respond to pressure.

So I'm going to start off with the game that's on Saturday, tomorrow at 4.30 p.m. Eastern. It's the Steelers and the Ravens. The Ravens are a three-point underdog, but they're not playing Lamar Jackson. Tyler Huntley, who's played before and has played well for the Baltimore Ravens, nearly beat the Bengals in the postseason last year. Before he thought he was like Michael Jordan going all air. Jordan at the two-yard line where they fumbled the ball and it got taken to go for a touchdown.

So he has experience. But the Steelers I like in this spot, I like their defense. They have found something recently with Mason Rudolph, even though he won't be the long-term starting quarterback there, nor should he. But I do like the Steelers to win this game. The three points does concern me because you know the Ravens will still be chippy even though they locked up the number one seed. They won't have Lamar Jackson in this one.

You got to be uncomfortable sometimes though to win money and this is one of those spots. I will take the Steelers laying the three points. Alrighty, game number two. I'm going with another favorite. Nick Mullins back as the starter for the Minnesota Vikings.

Yeah, that's a no from me, dog. I'm out in the Minnesota Vikings and you get an annoyed Lions team that got screwed by the officials last week. And I saw they've already put up their NFC North championship banner and people like freaking out.

Why? This is not the Colts that they raised the championship banner for being AFC participants for participating in the AFC championship game and being AFC finalist. They won their division. They've won the Central before, but they've never won the NFC North. So I have no problem with the Lions hanging their banner. It does seem early. I feel like teams usually do that in the offseason, but the Lions haven't had many things to cheer for.

So I'm not going to rain on their parade because they put this banner up because they're proud of it. I think you see a motivated Detroit Lions team this weekend and an annoyed Detroit Lions team that's looking to bite off some kneecaps because of the way that Brad Allen just screwed them last week. And I think Brad Allen's officiating the game on Saturday. I believe Brad Allen should actually be doing this Vikings-Lions game.

Like put him back in front of the Lions and make sure he actually reports people as eligible this time. So give me the Lions laying three and a half at home up against the Minnesota Vikings. And the final game, I think this number's low. I'm going to go to a team that I have zero confidence in.

Zero. I do not believe in this team. I think this team is going to quickly go home in the playoffs. But the team they're going up against, their coach keeps on taking a beating in the media. First they go after his weight because he didn't try Tommy Cutlets' mom's chicken cutlets. And you had a reporter saying, oh, what about those cookies that you stuff your fat face with?

What diet are you talking about? And then today, Brian Deball, poor, I can't say little, but poor old Brian Deball is just saying, oh, Porter has nice hair. And the response from the reporter is, what are you, jealous that you don't have these luscious locks? So I think it's a bad spot for the Giants. I don't like what I'm hearing from the Eagles.

I did like the A.J. Brown comments this week, but other than that, it's been a lot of negativity. So I think this is a panic line where if this was a line from four or five weeks ago, this would be a double digit spread in favor of the Eagles. And the Eagles did not look good two weeks ago up against the Giants either. But I will take the Eagles.

Once again, you've got to be a little uncomfortable, win some money. I'll take the Eagles laying five and a half points. So here are the picks real quickly. Steelers laying three, going up against the Baltimore Ravens. I had the Lions laying three and a half and then give me the EAGLES Eagles laying five and a half points.

Those are the picks for Week 18 in the National Football League. We'll take a time out here on CBS Sports Radio. Come on back with Ask the Pros question and also delve into a little coach of the year conversation as well.

Update time first. Here is the Ackman, Rich Ackerman. Alrighty, it's time to answer Ask the Pros question of the day. And it's brought to you by O'Reilly Auto Parts. We have a question here. Jake from East Lansing says, Zach, who do you think is coach of the year in the NFL? You could submit a question by tweeting at CBS Sports Radio or at Zach Gelb using the hashtag. Ask the Pros. You can think O'Reilly Auto Parts where all your car care needs get guaranteed low prices.

And excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Coach of the year. I think it's Kevin Stefanski. Now, remember I said to start the show, sometimes you give an opinion and then the next week or you give an opinion and then two or three weeks later you change that.

I'm 98 percent sure. About three, three and a half weeks ago, I did a sports minute where I said the coach of the year is between three people. Stefanski, Steichen and Ryans. And I made the case for Steichen to win the award because he's doing so with Gardner Minshew as his quarterback. And for most of the season, Jonathan Taylor has been out. But the Browns have been so outstanding where they've lost not only to Sean Watson, but Nick Chubb and two of their starting offensive line in both tackles.

And they are locked into the five seed and they already have 11 wins on the season. I think Stefanski's got to win the award because no one in the AFC South. Between the Jaguars and Doug Peterson is not up for coach of the year this year, but the Jaguars, the Texans and also Indianapolis have separated themselves from the pack. And that could change this weekend, right? Jaguars win in the playoffs as AFC South champs.

The winner of the Colts and Texans game also makes the playoffs as well. But this division was up for grabs the last few weeks. And you know, you had D'Amico Ryans, they didn't always have C.J.

Shroud. But you look at Stefanski, I think he's deserving of winning coach of the year for the second time of his career. And the other names that I think people could consider. It wouldn't surprise me about Dan Campbell getting a lot of play. But the reason why I wouldn't give it to Dan Campbell is because before the season, people were optimistic about the Lions. People looked at Detroit and they said they should win the division. They should be in the playoffs.

And they did what was expected out of them. Now I get it, they're in line to win their first playoff game since the 1991 season. They've won their first division since 1993 when it was the NFC Central, now the NFC North.

So I can understand why people are going to say Dan Campbell, but I feel like a lot of times with coach of the year, it's either you have an all-time great season where your team is just so much more dominant than everybody else, and you were so outstanding regardless of what the expectations were, you get the award. Or it's the team's coach that exceeds the expectations the most. So like the Lions, they were supposed to be good this year. They met the expectation. You know, teams like the Colts, the Texans, they weren't talked about.

D'Amico Ryans and Shane Steichen both exceeded expectations and then some this year. But you look at the Browns, the Browns were a fringe playoff team. Fringe playoff team. But if I were to tell you before the start of the season, now it sounds like we're about to do a 30 for 30 commercial, but if I were to tell you before the start of the season that the Browns would have lost Nick Chubb and Deshaun Watson and two starting offense alignment, you would say there's not a chance, not a chance they would make the playoffs. Now, you could also argue, right, with like the Texans and the Colts.

No one thought they'd make the playoffs either, and one of those teams are going to make the playoffs. But the Browns have been more outstanding than the Texans and then the Colts. So that's why I would give the Coach of the Year award to Kevin Stefanski.

And here's another name that I'll just toss out there. I'm telling you right now, I believe Stefanski should win Coach of the Year. But should John Harbaugh win it?

Should John Harbaugh get votes? And the reason why I ask this is because when the season started, I don't think a lot of people viewed the way and talked about the Ravens in the way that their season played out. Like, I think most people before the season started said the Ravens could make the playoffs if, and there's once again that word, if Lamar Jackson is healthy. But you got to remember they brought in a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken. Lamar did get paid. They were telling you before the year, they're going to throw the ball more. And it's like, oh, well, Lamar ended the last two seasons on the sideline and he was hurt.

He wasn't healthy. So Harbaugh this year has not only coached his team really well, but the Ravens have also exceeded expectations. But I think because of the brand of the Ravens and the Ravens usually getting the benefit of the doubt and being looked at as one of the better organizations, or as they say in Canada, organizations in the NFL, that Harbaugh's not going to get probably the votes that he should.

He's done an outstanding job. And not only did that team run away with the division, they are the number one seed and they're the best team in football and even someone being a pro Lamar guy for all these years. And even though I want to see Lamar Jackson have a ton of success, you know, you see the way how they operate things last two weeks where they annihilated the Niners. And then if I said they annihilated the Niners, then what the heck did they do to the Miami Dolphins? Because it was worse what they did to the Miami Dolphins. And the Dolphins have been one of the better teams in the NFL this year.

And the 49ers are perceived to be the best team in the NFL this year. So when I look at coach of the year, I think there's five names that we need to consider. And there's five names that we need to talk about. Yet Dan Campbell can be talked about. John Harbaugh needs to be talked about. Shane Steichen needs to be talked about.

D'Amico Ryans needs to be talked about. But ultimately, I don't think anyone has a better case to make than the one that Kevin Stefanski has done. When you factor in exceeding expectations, all the injuries, and then also his team winning 11 games. And, you know, we'll see if they win this weekend.

You know, not really playing a lot of people. But if they do win, they're at 12 wins. But even if they don't win and they're 11 and 6, that was so outstanding. That Stefanski should win coach of the year.

And I don't want to hear anyone next year. When Deshaun Watson comes back and he still has a lot of work to do. Well, you know, off the field, but on the field I'm talking about. Where he returned for the last, what, four, five, six games last year.

Extremely rusty, did not look good. Then for most of this year, he's either hurt or did not play well until that final game before his season ended. Ironically, that's when he played his best. When Watson struggles at times next year, let's be fair. Let's not, don't be that person that next year says, Oh, Stefanski's no good, Stefanski's overrated, Stefanski's a dope, fire Stefanski. I will promise you this.

I will make one promise right now for the rest of the year. I will not call for Kevin Stefanski to be fired regardless of what happens next year with the Cleveland Browns. Because he proved his worth this year. And the Browns, we know they rotate through. Rotate through coaches and quarterbacks. This guy's about to win his second Coach of the Year award. How the heck do you fire a guy for the Cleveland Browns that, what, has won two Coach of the Year awards, assuming he gets it done this year, since 2020? So, let's put the blame on Deshaun if it fails next year, not Kevin Stefanski. And he has done a wonderful, and I mean a wonderful job with this team.

And also, you know what this conversation shows too, like getting away from Stefanski. But you look at the two other guys, D'Amico Ryans and Shane Steichen, things could turn around rather quickly in the NFL. No one thought the Texans would be a playoff team. No one thought the Colts would be a playoff team. No one even thought these teams would be above.500. You get the right coach, or you draft the right quarterback, or both, you could turn around your organization very, very quickly.

And you know what? I like to uplift people on a Friday. I like to end the show and the week on a positive note on a Friday. That's my message to all you bad football teams, to all you lousy, pathetic, just disgusting, disgraceful football teams. The Texans and Colts, how quickly they've turned it around in an isolated year, should be hope for the teams that we're looking at right now, like 5 and 11 Tennessee, the 5 and 11 Chargers, the 4 and 12 New England Patriots, Carolina, I don't know if I give you any hope for just being real. But all these bad teams, because your owner sucks, but all these bad teams, I told you to end the show in a positive way.

But all these bad teams, if you make the right coaching hire, or you draft the right quarterback, it doesn't take that long to turn it around in the National Football League. Alrighty, that is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Have a great weekend everybody. We'll be here for you on Sunday for 8 hours, noon Eastern, 8 p.m. Pacific.

We can't wait for week 18 of Eye on Football. And then on Monday, if the weather cooperates, if the airlines cooperate, I will be in Houston for the National Championship Game. We'll be here for the Zach Gelb show in H-Town, 3 to 6 p.m. Eastern, noon to 3 p.m. Pacific on Monday. Have a great weekend everybody.

Manny Rodriguez, thank you. Moist Mike, thank you, each and every one of you for calling, listening, tweeting. Thank you as well. We'll talk to you on Sunday. We'll talk to you on Monday everybody. We out. Bye bye. Peace. I think you are a very smart man, Zach.