Playoff OT Rules Need to Change (Hour 1)

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A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns- That's one retired quarterback. Read the script. Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his.

Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter, but you're on a roll. The Ring of Comfort, coming soon to a Super Bowl new you. Live from the play show, yet not overly ostentatious, studios of CBS Sports Radio here in beautiful New York City. Sitting on top of the 10th floor of 345 Hudson Street, welcome on in to a Tuesday edition of the Zach Gelb show across all the great local CBS Sports Radio. Affiliates, Sirius XM, Channel 158, the free Odyssey app, and of course, streaming live on YouTube.

youtube.com slash CBS Sports Radio. 855-212. For CBS, number to jump on in. 855-212-4227. You could always get at me on Instagram, where I'm straight flexing, or via the good old cesspool of Twitter, at Zach Gelb.

That's Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B. Got Moist Mike, Stuart Kovacs, rocking a roll with me all the way up until 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Pacific, Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh, also used to play for the Arizona Cardinals, gonna stop by 40 minutes from now. We gotta pick up where we left off yesterday, and that is the never-ending conversation about overtime in Super Bowl 58.

And let me just recap real quickly. I did not fault Kyle Shanahan, and still won't fault Kyle Shanahan for taking the ball first. In the moment, I thought it was the right decision.

Sometimes I stand on an island, and it's not being stubborn. It's not me refusing to admit that I'm wrong. I just don't really understand the other side of the argument, why you wouldn't take the ball first. And I agreed with Shanahan, you take the ball first, you score a touchdown. Maybe he would have gone for two, I don't know.

We'll get into that conversation in just a bit. But then, you have the Chiefs getting the ball back. They marched down the field, and I guess from what Andy Reid basically implied, but Chris Jones implied after the game, that if they matriculated the ball in the field and get in the end zone like they did, then if they needed to, for the win, they would have gone for two as well.

And then the game would have been over one way or another. But I understand the idea of Shanahan, where it's possession, possession, match, match potentially, and then you go on out and you get the third possession, and you're driving to win the game. So I don't crush Shanahan for making that decision.

It didn't work out. But what I do crush Shanahan for is apparently none of his players knew what the heck overtime was in the postseason in the year of 2024. And I'm not saying, and I don't want to come off hypocritical here, I'm not saying shame on the players, shame on the players, but the coaching staff needs to get their players up to date on how overtime works. Because it's one thing when Zach Gelb was in section 305 at the Super Bowl and didn't know that the clock meant Italy's squat. But it's another thing when the players didn't know that and also the players, I guess on both sides, depending on what you believe, didn't even know how the game could potentially end.

Where, we'll play a Kyle Hughes check in just a second, we'll play an Eric Armstead in just a second. They had no damn clue, and these are guys that have been in the league for a long time so things change, but they had no damn clue how overtime worked. Where, it's actually ironic, everyone in Kansas City, I think, knew how overtime worked besides McCole Hardman, where Mahomes said after the game, McCole didn't even know that we won the Super Bowl off that touchdown. And then today, McCole Hardman, I guess, wanted to clarify that and said that's fake news, that he knew the rules.

But that's what is abundantly alarming and abundantly clear. For the most part, it seemed like the overwhelming majority of players on the Chiefs knew what was going on, and they were prepared by their coach, because I was reading an article that they spent in the postseason at least one day about the overtime procedure. Like, and it was at least something that was on the itinerary for the day, where the Niners, as tough as this is to believe, it was like, okay, we'll just approach it, we'll just cross that bridge when we get there. So there's a lot to crush Kyle Shanahan about for the mishandling of Super Bowl 58, like not getting the ball to Christian McCaffrey more in the second half on the ground, and then also his players not being prepared to understand how overtime works, but I still give him a pass and I still don't kill him, nor will I crush him for taking the ball first in overtime. With all that being said, and I'll circle back to this, I think the overtime rules need to change, and I was never a fan of changing them to where we are now, but I do think it should go back to, you get the ball first, you go get a touchdown, you win the game, and then if you don't and you hold yourself to a field goal, the other team holds you to a field goal, then the other team gets the ball, and then they can go march down the field to score a touchdown, win the game. If they settle for a field goal, then it's next possession. Like we all thought guaranteeing both teams a possession was really going to do much, but in reality it feels like what this is going to turn into, and everyone just assumes now that whoever gets the ball is going to score a touchdown, because people are killing Shanahan for taking the ball first. Well, let's say he didn't take the ball first, so then you're telling me what you're assuming is Mahomes gets the ball, he marches down the field, he gets a touchdown, then you get the ball back, you march down the field, you get a touchdown, and it's just automatic that everyone's going to go for two? You know, I get it, because if you go for two in that spot, then you could go win the Super Bowl, and if you have to give the ball back and kick off, then you have to hold them to a field goal.

But then here's what I would argue. Let's just say everyone's saying the strategy right now is to take the ball second, and you take the ball second, and then you go for two. Well, then if you go first, wouldn't you then just march down the field, score a touchdown, and then go for two? Now, you don't get the two, all the team then needs is a touchdown, an extra point, and you lose, I get that. But if you are taking the ball first, it seems like everyone is just guaranteeing that the team that gets the ball second is going to go get a touchdown, and then go for two for the win. And it's easier said than done. I still think it's a gutsy decision.

Now, people with analytics and everything, they'll tell me else. But if it's then just coming down to the team that gets the ball first, they, let's just say, let's operate it this way, they get a touchdown, and they kick the extra point. And the team that gets the ball second gets a touchdown, they go for two. So basically, overtime, because everyone assumes a touchdown is just going to occur, is just coming down to a two-point conversion? Is that what these new overtime rules are basically coming down to?

So guaranteeing each team a possession, what does it really do? That's why I am of the belief, and I said this after the Chiefs whined about it, right when the Patriots beat the Chiefs, Omaha Holmes didn't get the ball. And then it was the other way a year later, where it was Josh Allen didn't get the ball, or two years later, Josh Allen didn't get the ball.

And then the rules did change. I personally just believe defense should matter. And I think we get into this line of thinking of, in the overtime, the defenses are gassed anyway, so everyone's just going to march down the field and get the touchdown.

But that's not true. Because look what Kansas City did. They were bending on that first drive by the 49ers, but they didn't break. And Chris Jones went right through that line like a hot knife through butter, and hit Purdy, and Purdy, who had three guys wide open, Jennings, Kittle, and McCaffrey, couldn't find anyone because you had one of the better defensive players in the league right in your mug. So I was never a fan of changing the overtime rules to begin with.

Once they made that slight change, I would now go back to what they were a few years ago. And everyone understood what was happening. It is amazing, and I know it's new, and sometimes when it's new it gets confusing. It was amazing how no one knew what was going on on Sunday. I don't know how many people actually will admit it that they didn't know what was going on. Because we thought the clock mattered. You understood that both teams got a possession, regardless of what happened. But then the third one, if you got to the third one, then it just becomes sudden death.

I would just truncate that, and go back to what it was. Which is very simple. You win the toss, you get the ball, you go score a touchdown, you win, you're Super Bowl champions. You get held to a field goal, or you punt, then the other team could go win the game with a field goal if you punted, or a touchdown if you settle for a field goal. I think that's better, I think that's easier to understand, and it's not as confusing to whatever occurred on Sunday in the Super Bowl. But let's go back to Kyle Juszczyk.

This is a guy that went to an Ivy League school. If you would think anyone would know the overtime rules, it would be him. Kyle Juszczyk openly admits he didn't know the overtime rules.

You know what, I didn't even realize that the playoff rules were different in overtime, so I assumed you just want the ball because you score a touchdown and win, but I guess that's not the case. So I don't really, I don't totally know the strategy there. Something you guys have talked about?

No. No, we haven't talked about it, no. How don't you talk about it? See, it'd be one thing if I was getting on the radio today, screaming and yelling about Shanahan taking the ball first.

I'm not. And I've been more critical than others throughout the years in regards to Kyle Shanahan. But how does your team not know the rules? And I know you could say, oh, well, that's on the players. The players got to know the rules.

You're playing the game. But we've seen before, there's been many times where the players haven't known the rules. Donovan McNabb once didn't know that you could tie an NFL game in the regular season. So how does Kyle Shanahan, especially with how meticulous coaches are and how diligent coaches are, how don't you prepare for the possibility of overtime?

Look how many times coaches prepare for a name things and then something crazy happens in a Super Bowl and you're like, oh, we were prepared for it. You didn't think there was a possibility that overtime could have happened? And the Kansas City Chiefs knew what was happening for the most part of overtime, and the San Francisco 49ers didn't have a damn clue. Here is Eric Armstead also admitting that they didn't know about the new OT rules. I didn't even know about the new playoff overtime rule. So it was a surprise to me. Yeah, I didn't even really even know what was going on in terms of that. They put on this the scoreboard and everyone was like, oh, even if you score, they get a chance still. So that's wild.

It really is. And the 49ers aren't like the Texans from this past year where they were so dreadful for so long. And it's like a surprise they get into the postseason. This team has been consistently there. They've been consistently there.

You would think they'd be prepared for everything, even with the changes. And clearly they were not. And that is the worst reflection with all the decisions that Kyle Shanahan made in Super Bowl 58. His team not knowing the overtime rules, it actually may be his worst decision he's ever made as a head coach. And that even goes back to or even an offensive coordinator where he should have ran the football more when they were up against New England Patriots. You know, you could make the same case in that third and four where you had Chris Jones knocking down the ball against the Chiefs in the first Super Bowl. They should have ran the ball there, too. But how do you simply not have your players prepared for the moment?

That's crazy. And there's no justification why the coach didn't have his players ready. That is a really bad reflection and a really bad look for Kyle Shanahan. Now, I'm not saying this is not an excuse by any means, but isn't it interesting that there were no other playoff overtime games this postseason that would have kind of primed us as viewers and probably primed the coaches to kind of prep their teams for this situation? Usually there's at least one overtime game leading up to the Super Bowl. The fact that the Super Bowl, with the brand new rules, was the first one, that probably led to a lot more confusion.

Not just from the players, but the fans, coaches, everybody. Because it was the first overtime game of these new rules. And also it's the second time ever in the history of the Super Bowl that there was even an overtime. And you almost had an overtime.

Kansas City and Buffalo. Right? That was closing in on overtime.

This year? Yeah. I think it was a little bit more... I feel like there was a little bit more... Well, Bass makes that kick. Don't they go to overtime?

I'm pretty sure, right? Between the Bills and the Chiefs, if you go back to that, if he makes that kick, I thought that was, if memory serves me right, yeah, it was 27-24. So that game, you know, Mahomes could have got the ball back and then could have gone down and get a field goal because they were still like a little under two minutes left.

But there was an opportunity where there could have been an overtime this year. But still, it's the biggest game of your life. You have two weeks to prepare. And this isn't a short week.

This is two weeks to prepare. For crying out loud. And all indications were that the officials went to both teams and instructed both teams. Yeah. You heard in the stadium. Everyone should have known. Everyone should have known.

Yeah. Here is Kyle Shanahan. And then we'll get into this decision with Kyle Shanahan and Andy Reid. Kyle Shanahan said he wanted the ball first in overtime.

It's just something we talked about with, you know, none of us have a ton of experience of it. But we went through all the analytics and talked to those guys. And we decided to be better. We wanted the ball third.

Both teams matched and scored. We wanted to be the ones who had the chance to go win. And we got that field goal. So we knew we had to hold them to at least a field goal. And if we did, then we thought it was in our hands after that.

And then Andy Reid on Shanahan's decision to receive first in OT. He's a pretty smart guy. So there's got to be a reason why he did that. Everybody's got their own philosophy on it. Right. And I get it.

So I don't know if there's a right or wrong way. We felt that you kick off first. But that's, I mean, that's here nor there. I mean, that's what we think. But listen, the guy's a great football coach. You could just hear how much laughter Andy Reid is holding back. So after hearing Shanahan and then hearing Reid, let's go around the room here.

What do you think the best decision is? Like you win the toss, Samter, win these new overtime rules. What are you doing if you were the head coach? Before this game, I would have done exactly what Shanahan did.

But do now. However, now that we've discussed and dissected it, it appears to me if you're the team that gets the ball second, the game is going to end after that second. For the most part, barring something else, the game is most likely going to end after that second possession. Okay.

Right. Teams, whether that means they're going forward on fourth down rather than kicking the tying field goal and giving the ball back to the first team. Whether that means going for two, win or lose the game. It seems to me that the team that gets the ball second is not going to allow that second drive to end in a tie. And that might just be Andy Reid speaking, but it sounds like the analytics say if you get the ball second in that situation, you're going forward on fourth down rather than kicking the tying field goal. You're going for the two point conversion rather than tying extra points. But shouldn't the analytics say, according to Shanahan, that it behooves them to go first? So like the thing is you're giving them Mahomes an extra down because he was going to go for it unless they were in field goal range on probably every fourth down. Stu, what would you do here if you win the toss?

Yeah, I'm deferring. I want the ball second. I want to control.

Really? Yeah, I want to control, you know, see what the other team does first, whether it's a field goal or a touchdown, seven points, touchdown, eight points. And then that kind of gives you the control. Do you think the team that would have, like, if the Niners would have scored now with everything that we know, if they were a whole idea was to get to that third possession, do you think there's any chance they would have gone for two? If they got the ball first and scored, do I think they would have?

Probably not. They probably would have kicked the extra point, I think. I actually think that's the best strategy. You get the ball first, you get a touchdown, and you go for two.

That may be what I think you should now do. I don't think there's a right answer on any of this. And as crazy as that sounds, that's what I think may have been the best strategy for the 49ers in that game. But that's not what, you know, they got stopped. They had to settle for a field goal.

With all things being said, look how confusing this is. And I guess the NFL wants chaos, and this is what they got when it goes into overtime. And it's the first time in the Super Bowl era that you got to overtime with these rules. Obviously, the 28-3 was in overtime, but it was different rules. But I kind of like that overtime better.

I think that format is better and easier to understand. You win the toss, you take the ball, you score a touchdown, you win. If it's a field goal or anything else, then the other team gets a chance. That, to me, is just a whole lot easier than maybe the Super Bowl just coming down to a two-yard, two-point conversion play.

It is Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio 855212 for CBS. If anyone needs anything, they can just redirect their questions to that one perfect co-worker of yours. A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns… That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter.

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But first, 855-212-4CBS, 855-212-4227. Let's go to Mike in Vancouver, Washington next up on the Zach Gelb show. Mike, what's happening? Oh, not too much. My son and I are big Chiefs fans, my little six-year-old.

Oh, awesome. We were all decked out. But what I would say really is that people have not said this at all, which I'm surprised. That blocked PAT was really the turning point. They were running out of time and they would have had to go for a touchdown there.

Well, hold on. You're a Chiefs fan, correct? That's what you just said? Yes, but it was a good game. Wait, no, but what I'm saying is you don't think even if they had that extra point that was made that wasn't blocked and it was up by four, that Mahomes wouldn't have found the way to get a touchdown at the end of regulation? Oh, I think he would have gotten the touchdown too. I'm just saying it would have been different.

Well, hey, your phone line's not that great, Mike. Hopefully you and your son enjoyed another championship and there's going to be more coming. So he's going to be like me.

He's going to grow up in an era of just being spoiled with championship after championship. That's why the PAT thing makes no sense to me. Anyone blaming Jake Moody for getting the PAT blocked, I just don't see the argument.

For two reasons. One, how about all the other kicks that he made when your offense stalled? There was one point for a little bit where he had the longest kick made in Super Bowl history until Bucker made it from two yards more out.

The other thing is, once again, even if he made that extra point and they were up by four at the end of the game and everything plays out the way that it played out, Mahomes moved that ball so quickly down the field, if he knew he had to get a touchdown, he would have got the touchdown. The turning point of the Super Bowl was not a blocked PAT. The turning point of the Super Bowl was when the Niners were dominating and they felt like they were the better team and it looked like they were the better team. And Kansas City was making mistake after mistake where you go back to the first half, Reed and Kelsey were fighting or Kelsey was fighting Reed, you had a Mahomes interception, you had a Pacheco fumble, you had a penalty coming out of the two minute warning. There were a lot of mistakes that were made and it did not feel like Kansas City was ever going to get a lead in that game. So the turning point was when there was that bounce and that fortuitous bounce on the punt that hit a 49ers player and then McLeod had to go dive for the football. He didn't get the football and then the next play later, Marquis Valdes-Scantling was in the end zone. That was the turning point of the game because the Chiefs stubbed their toe, they stumbled all throughout a good stretch of this game and they still found the way to get the lead. That is when I knew that the Niners were in trouble because there was many instances where the Niners could have put the Chiefs away and they weren't able to do so. Like I could think of three or four other things before we get to the PAT. Not getting the touchdown at the end of regulation, not getting the touchdown in overtime. I can't fault Jake Moody on the blocked PAT and say that's the turning point of the Super Bowl.

When it comes to that muff punt, everyone was kind of giving McLeod credit. Did you see that by the way? Yeah, I saw it right away.

As soon as I saw him going after the ball. I was teasing because you missed out on the end of the Super Bowl because you were having to do Daddy Day Cam. It was overtime, I missed overtime. Anything happened in regulation, I caught that.

That's nonsense. Are you even allowed to talk about this? Can we consider you an expert when you miss the ending of the Super Bowl for your team? From quarter one to quarter four I can give you all the details and like four plays into overtime. I know all about that screen pass from Christian McCaffrey. So we saw McLeod, he made a very quick split second decision and it was a brilliant play. However, jump on the damn ball.

He tried to pick it up and run with it after he saw it. Jump on the damn ball. Everyone's lauding McLeod for noticing that it hit one of his guys. Get on the damn ball.

That's on McLeod. He's running after the ball, trying to pick it up while he's running. Jump on the ball. But you do see a lot of times where someone will drop the ball or something will happen like that and they're still able to scoop it up and make a play out of it.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I was impressed at McLeod even in the moment. Everyone in the stadium's reaction, at least in my section, was what are you doing when you're having that Peter play which is get away, get away, get away, get away from the football. What are you doing since you're signaling get away from the football then jumping into it? And then later on on the broadcast because they didn't realize that originally the broadcast, I guess they showed it back and they showed that it hit off a 49ers player which then led him to making that decision to go try to scoop it up, but I think that's easier said than done, but we've seen it go both ways. Yeah, I mean listen, whether the broadcast or the people at the stadium realized it, McLeod realized it. And so that's all that matters that McLeod realized it and once he realized it, just jump on the damn ball. At that point, you're not trying to make a play. You're trying to secure the ball.

That's it. But I could also argue then you jump on the ball, then the ball just, you know, bounces up into the air and then you had a bunch of cheese players around them. I think he imagined in that split second you have, you've seen a lot of returners before trust their hands and then scoop it up and they're still able to find a way to make a play even though it gives you a heart attack. Let's get to Adam Schefter.

This was on the Pat McAfee show. Here is Shefty talking about the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers at the quarterback position. We know that Pittsburgh's going to go out and get some type of quarterback, whether that's Ryan Tannehill, whether that's Russell Wilson, whether that's Justin Fields. Mike Tomlin's a big fan of Justin Fields.

We'll keep that in mind during the off-season in the coming weeks. But they're not just going to leave it as Kenny Pickett, his starting job, Mike Tomlin made that very clear. So Trubusky gets shown the door yesterday. Mitch Trubusky once again.

So he gets shown the door. You have Mason Rudolph. He's still there. Is he under contract? Can we check that up if Mason Rudolph is under contract for this year?

And then you got Kenny Pickett. But you have Schefter going on the McAfee show saying they're going to bring someone else in. Well, if you're bringing someone else in, I think it further shows.

What's the? He's an unrestricted free agent once free agency starts. Okay. So you're going to have to bring somebody in unless, like if you're just bringing back Mason Rudolph. I don't think anyone believes, even though he played well down the stretch, that Rudolph is going to usurp Kenny Pickett in this off-season as the starting quarterback. And the Steelers are not going to rock and roll with their starting quarterback, who was their first number one pick in their draft class two years ago. I don't think anyone actually believes that.

Now, you can make a case for it when people think that should happen, but I don't think it will happen. But it looks like, at least from that report, and it sounds like that they're going to bring in a veteran or you're going to bring in someone that has been in the league. Well, that's the case. What does that really say about Kenny Pickett?

I don't think competition is a bad thing. But if you bring in Russell Wilson, if you bring in Justin Fields, I think Russell Wilson's better than Kenny Pickett. I think Justin Fields is better than Kenny Pickett. Now, Ryan Tannehill has just been in that role where he just got benched for the youngster. And I don't think people are going to be dying for Ryan Tannehill to be their starting quarterback. So, you could bring in a Ryan Tannehill and he could be your insurance.

And he's been in that before. A member of Mariota was the guy in Tennessee. And then Tannehill replaced him and ended up getting a one seed and ended up going to an AFC championship in his tenure with Tennessee. But like the Steelers, they go make a move for Russell Wilson and it would be cheap because of how much money the Broncos still owe him.

And that new contract didn't even start yet. Well, Russ is then going to be the starter in Pittsburgh. You go make a trade for Justin Fields and give up like a second round pick.

Well, then guess what? Justin Fields is going to be the starter in Pittsburgh. And I know that Tomlin appears to be like a loyal guy. But the last few years, your defense has been ready. I know they suffered some injuries this year and your offense has been really bad. You have Deontay Johnson, you have Pickens.

Warren and Harris are a solid one, two punch. You now need a quarterback. And I don't think Kenny Pickett in year number three is going to take this big jump in this big step because I don't think Kenny Pickett is a good quarterback.

I don't. So I think the best thing would be is to go out there and trade for Justin Fields, because I do believe that Justin Fields was screwed over by the Bears. He'd be going to a much better organization in the Pittsburgh Steelers. And Justin Fields has a higher ceiling than Kenny Pickett. But if you don't get Justin Fields, would you want to take a one year flyer on Russell Wilson?

Because you would think Russ would be a one year deal and it would be cheap, because his career is on the line. And even with Russell Wilson's career being on the line, I still think it's a better option than putting Kenny Pickett out there in year number three. Because I have a tough time seeing this turn out to be a good ending for Kenny Pickett. If Pickett is the starting quarterback for the Steelers this year, I feel very confident in saying that this will be the final season of Kenny Pickett as a starting quarterback with the yellow and black.

I'm not a believer in Kenny Pickett. So you need to go upgrade the quarterback position this offseason. Fields should be priority number one out of the options that are potentially available. And if not Justin Fields, maybe you go out and get a Kirk Cousins. I would throw Kirk Cousins in that conversation. And if not Kirk, then Russell Wilson. Either way, however you dice it up, all three are better than Kenny Pickett entering the year of 2024 in the NFL.

It is Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio. Justin Pugh is going to join us on the other side. Update time first.

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Learn more at NavyFederal.org. This week's player is Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton. Man, he had back to back incredible Super Bowls. But in Sunday's Super Bowl victory, Bolton had 13 tackles and played a part. And the Chiefs holding the 49ers to just three of 12 on third down conversions. Bolton also led all players in tackles during the playoffs with 40. And now joining us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio spent part of this season with the New York Giants.

We know he started his career in the Big Apple with Big Blue and then had a stop with the Arizona Cardinals. That, of course, is Justin Pugh. Kind enough to join us right now. Justin, thanks for the time. As always, how you been? I'm doing well, Zach. How are you?

Well, I'm doing fantastic. So when we get to the Super Bowl, the first thing everyone's talking about is overtime. And it was crazy to me how the Niners did not know pretty much their players a minute after the game how the overtime worked. Were you all caught up to date?

Just wondering. I know your team wasn't in the playoffs this year, but how these overtime rules in the playoffs have changed in the last few years. Yeah, knowing they knowing they change obviously is a is a paramount part of being in the game itself. And the Chiefs players came out and said Andy Reid talked about it in the preseason.

He had been harping on this. So, you know, I'm a huge fan of Kyle Shanahan. I think he's an unbelievable coach for him not to cover that scenario.

At the very least, he should have some analytics guy that's giving him the rules before going into overtime, where he can quickly at least help Fred Warner, his captain, what they want to do and what the strategy should be. So that was an epic failure on San Francisco's part. It's not rules that we have talked about. I played in the NFL when you still could you still have the ties.

And if you just get any points, you you win. So guys were even trying to figure out that you could tie in regular season. So once that got squared away, I think goes to show that coaches need to do a better job of keeping the player up to date, especially with the rules changing every year. Like we'll have the refs come in and give us a basic breakdown.

But you're not doing a deep dive in the strategy and the percentages like like we should be. The other thing, too, is everyone's talking about the decision to take the ball first. Personally, when it happened, I didn't have a problem with it.

So I'm not going to slam Shanahan two days later. My problem is more so his guys just not knowing the rule. What did you make of his decision to take the ball first?

Well, I was sitting there with a few friends and a buddy of mine. He's more of an analytics guy than I am. He's like, that was such a stupid move. Why would the 49ers not take it? I mean, Patrick Mahomes had just drove down the field at a lengthy drive. San Francisco defense was tired in my head.

I'm like, I'm San Francisco. And I know what type of offense I'm going to run, run, screen, chew up the clock exactly what they did. I like the decision for San Francisco to give their defense a break, let their offense go onto the field. But when you look at the scenarios, you look at the statistics, I guess now looking back on it, maybe San Francisco should have, you know, kicked off, played defense first.

But, you know, you question it. If San Francisco scores and then gets an interception, we're not talking about it. If you win the game, all those things are forgiven. So I think we're harping on it because they lost the game. Yeah, and I feel like now, since it's such an offensive league, people just assume you get the ball first, you're going to get a touchdown, you kick the extra point, then the other team gets the ball back.

They march down the field, they get a touchdown, and they get a two-point conversion. So if that's how most people think it's going to play out, I know it didn't in the Super Bowl. I kind of like the old overtime playoff rules better where you get the ball first, you score a touchdown, you win. If you don't, then the other team gets a chance to answer. I thought the old overtime rules in the postseason were better. Yeah, I agree with you.

I like those rules. But, you know, there's more to it than just football is what I found out. I started my own podcast called Net Worth with Justin Pugh, and dollars drive the league. So you go to it and having the teams, having equitable shares of the ball and equitable chances to score, it plays well into, I think, a lot of things that are involved in our league that weren't previously, like gambling or fantasy or things of that nature.

The game is being pushed in that direction. Talking to Justin Pugh right now. So I know you have the podcast. We've talked about it before. I know you could now podcast and also play. Clearly, you were in the news this year when you came off the couch and you went right into that Giants locker room.

Is your intention to play football this upcoming season or was that it for you in the NFL this past year? You know, I left the door open. I talked to Joe Shane. We had some great conversations at the end of the season. I held up my end of the bargain and so did he. I came in and did exactly what I said I was going to do. Provide veteran leadership, help deal with the media when you're having a season like we were having.

You know, it's tough dealing with the media. I came in and handled that and set a great foundation going forward of like how an offensive line and how veterans and how to be a pro. So I think I did all the things that I said.

Obviously, we came up a little bit short. We did fight quite through there throughout the middle of the season and actually had a chance to make the playoffs. And it was something I really enjoyed. Had a lot of fun being around the guys.

I was 10 years older than most of them, but I still feel young. I still feel like I can play. I still feel like I can get a full off-season under my belt and come into the season more physically ready to play football.

I got thrown into the fire a little bit this last year. So the Giants overachieved in year one with Brian Dabel. And then this past year, they regressed. We don't know if Saquon will be back. Daniel Jones appears to be their guy, at least for one more season. A lot of people are going to question and call this a make or break year for Brian Dabel.

You being in that building, do you sense, Justin Pugh, that that team is moving in the right direction? They could find a way to regroup and get back to what the first year looked like rather than what last year just looked like. Yeah, I think they definitely can get back to that. And if you look at the two years side by side of how many close victories they had in that year one, starting from the first game of the season, I remember them playing the Tennessee Titans going for it. I think they went for it on second on a two-point conversion. They won so many one possession games, last minute drives. And this last year we lost those games. We lost the game to the Bills. We should have won the Jets. I think we were, you know, at the end of the game should have won that one. You look at, you know, the Rams game and all these games down the road where we had a chance to pull it off at the end. We win those games. We sneak into the playoffs like the Green Bay Packers.

And no one's talking about, oh, how, you know, this is a regressed year, things of that nature. So quickly, the NFL can show you that you win and lose those close games. That's going to be a determining factor on the success of the season. So the Giants can definitely make a few moves this offseason and get right back into the playoff one, obviously starting with Saquon Barkley and his contract situation.

Do you think it would be a mistake for the Giants not to get this deal done and a long-term deal done with Saquon? Which hat do I have on right now? A friend hat, a fan hat, a Joe Sean and a GM hat.

Which hat am I wearing? Put the GM hat on since you're big on the finances these days with the podcast. I'm big into the business of football. So obviously I think the Giants should approach him with a contract that they feel is fair, that gets the job done. Saquon feels otherwise. He'll voice that and say, hey, I'm not going to sign this deal.

And then there's one thing that's beautiful about our country and our league. It's a free market. So I think if the deal isn't equitable on Saquon's behalf and he says, hey, if we do another tag, we're going to have some issues. The one thing you don't want to have is an unhappy player. So I almost, for Saquon's benefit, go test the market, see what else is out there.

If you have the ability to make more, go somewhere and make more money. This is a business. Saquon, you can only play this position for a short amount of time.

As a fan now, knowing that Saquon's been the heart and soul of the team, seeing it firsthand and as a friend, I think the Giants should get the deal done. But I realize the business has to come first and I realize that's a major component. So I understand what's the back and forth. And it honestly gets me excited.

I love it. Justin Pugh here with us. So you got to see it from two different perspectives. I know that you grew up in the Philadelphia area. So you had a lot of friends growing up that were Eagles fans. I remember the whole draft story when you got drafted by the Giants. To see the Eagles beat 10-1 and then you saw them twice down the stretch. You played them well the first time, then you beat them going away the second time. How just kind of startling and alarming was it to see the Eagles go from 10-1, then only one win down the stretch and bounce out of the postseason in the wildcard weekend? The team was different this year.

I also played them last year when they won on their Super Bowl run. And they were just dominant. Their teams weren't hanging close. They were blowing them out. Even though they were 10-1, there were signs that things weren't going the way that they might have thought. I mean, I just look back to the New England game, the first one of the season.

I was on the couch on my love sack and obviously I didn't get to, you know, how to plug it in there. So I got to watch a little bit more football the first five weeks of the season. And the Eagles weren't blowing teams out. They were letting teams hang around.

And then things come out in the media and defensive coordinator changing. And there was this, it was a weird dynamic with the Eagles. They clearly weren't the same team. And then when we played them, you felt that they weren't the same team.

They weren't as confident in one another. They, you know, offense and defense were kind of arguing at times. And I think the way you look at what the Eagles did this offseason, and they're a great team and they have great infrastructure in place.

But Siriani had to make some moves. Moving on from the defensive and offensive coordinator shows you that things weren't right from within. I still think they have one of, if not the best offensive line coaches and Jeff Stoutland.

I'm confident the Eagles will be able to make a run. But even so, you see a guy like Hassan Raddick, who I play with in Arizona. I think he just requested a trade.

So that starts to show you there are some things internally going on that we might not know about. Let me ask you about the Cardinals real quickly. And Justin Pugh is here with us today on behalf of love sack.

And also make sure you check out his podcast as well called net worth with Justin Pugh, where he talks sports business, real estate investing and finance. Your confidence level with Kyler Murray this past year came back. Gannon did a good job. And you're number one with not a lot of talent around, you know, everyone in that building. What do you kind of make of Kyler Murray as a quarterback? You know, no one wants to talk about tanking.

It's like a taboo word to be thrown around the NFL. And you're not tanking it to go out there and spend the amount of money you have to spend. But the Cardinals did the bare minimum. So I don't know if you want to call that tanking or what we want to say. They did exactly what they needed to do this year. They went out and proved that they have fight and the coaches are great. And the players they have are the guys you want to have moving forward. But there is some positions where you have to admit that the Cardinals didn't load up with the talent that they would if, say, they were the Kansas City Chiefs trying to make a run for the Super Bowl. They didn't go all out this year.

They held back a little bit. They traded, had some picks. I think the Arizona Cardinals continue to turn around. I think Gannon is the right man for the job. He has energy.

I didn't get to play for him, but I met him a few times being out here in Arizona. I think there are a few pieces away on defense going out and loading up on some pass rushers and D linemen. I think that's a move they can make. Obviously, they they hit on Perrick Johnson. He looks great at right tackle. Unfortunately, left tackle D.J. Humphreys for his ACL. So Kelvin Beachum will step up into that role. And I think you go get a guy like Marvin Harrison Jr. And things really start to shake out. James Connor, the monster, Trey McBride came onto the scene.

He looks great. It's getting some more interior D linemen and some pass rushers. Maybe Hassan Redick. There could be a move there.

Cardinals go and use some of that draft capital and bring Hassan and let him do what he should have done from the beginning in Arizona. Because he's an all pro type of guy. Once again, Justin Pugh is a podcast called Networked with Justin Pugh, where he talks sports, business, real estate and investing and finance. You can follow him on Instagram.

Justin Pugh, 68, Twitter at Justin Pugh. And make sure to find your perfect love sack or locate a showroom near you. Visit lovesack.com.

That's L-O-V-E-S-A-C.com. Justin, appreciate the time as always. Thanks so much. Be well. Thanks a lot, Zach.

I'll talk to you soon. There you go. Justin Pugh joining us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. We're going to do a little overreaction, proper reaction off the 2023 NFL season when we return in five minutes right here on CBS Sports Radio.

A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring. But the runners up get nothing. One retired cop returns. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter.

But you're on a roll. The Ring of Comfort. Coming soon to a Super Bowl near you. OK, picture this.

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2024 Santa Fe available early 2024. I'm Tony and this is the Tony Kornheiser show. Well, that makes it sound a bit more serious than it really is. So what exactly is the show about? Been almost 30 years and I still don't know. Right now, we have some of the best voices in football come on to explain to us what we need to know in the college and pro world, and we get weekly picks from a monkey. Do you really need more than that? I might just tell you about my bunker game and the latest failed entry in my quest to find the best coffee ice cream. No schmutz, please. Listen on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.