Seattle Serenades Russ (Hour 2)

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Viator, one site, over 300,000 experiences you'll remember. Our number two of our radio program, that's right, we're coming to you live from the Rocket Mortgage studios. Whether you're looking to purchase a new home or refinance yours, Rocket Mortgage can help you get there for home loan solutions that fit your life well.

Rocket can. Let's head out to the guest line right now and welcome in Seattle Seahawks royalty. He played for the organization from 2011 to 2020.

Spent his final year in the NFL with the Raiders, did win a championship with the Seahawks and was a Pro Bowler back in 2016. And that's KJ Wright. Kind enough to join us once again on the Zach Gelb show. KJ, appreciate the time. How are you? No doubt, man. Anytime.

No real good. Well, let me start you off first and we'll get into all the craziness from the game last night. You were the flag raiser and got honored by the 12th man fans last night. That had to be awesome. Yeah, that was freaking amazing, man. Just to have 70,000 people cheering and screaming to bring that energy into the stadium. To have my teammates there, my wife was there. That was pretty special, man.

I always look forward to when I was playing. Who's raising a 12th man flag today? And I happened to be that guy last night.

It was pretty special. How stunned were you last night? I know the Seahawks are your team, but I don't know of many people that were picking them to win that game last night that they were able to find the way to get the job done. Oh, people were calling me crazy all last week because I had the Seahawks winning. Really?

Yeah, absolutely. I truly believed in Coach Carroll that he knows Russell Wilson very well. And I trusted that Coach Carroll would put together a phenomenal game plan to limit his explosiveness. And you saw he only scored one touchdown last night. And so he got in the red zone a few times. They created some fumbles. But I believe that Coach Carroll, the defensive coordinator, put together a fantastic game plan to eliminate Russell Wilson being explosive.

So hats off to them. I also couldn't believe what we saw out of Geno Smith, especially in that first half. That was unbelievable. People called me crazy for saying I believed in Geno too. I looked at Geno. I played him. He was our scout team quarterback my last few years there.

And I just noticed, man. This man is really taking command of the huddle when he's a scout team quarterback. Too many drills look great.

He has a beautiful arm. And this is Geno's time. He learned from Russell, learned from Phillip Rivers, and the Seahawks said, Hey, Geno, this is your team. This is your offense.

Go out there and make it happen. And so really smart throws. Scrambled out of the puck and made some passes downfield.

So he's off to a fantastic start. KJ Wright here with us on the Zach Gelb show. This is not second guessing. I think this was basically all of America last night. I could not believe what the Broncos were doing at the end of that game to go kick a 64 yard field goal when you have Russell Wilson fourth and five with a minute left in three timeouts. That was inconceivable to me, KJ.

That's very, very bad football. What are you thinking? What are you doing?

And if I'm Russell, I'm like, Hey, this is my team. This is my moment. I came back to Seattle. This is a very long field goal. This is a very long field goal. Let me out there and get one more first down. One more first down. I can get you six yards, get the field goal kicker a little bit closer to make this thing happen. And so very bad situation of football. I believe they will look back at that and be like, Hey, you guys, we're having a situation again. Russ, the ball is in your hands.

But I was extremely confused in the stands. Like, why is the field goal kicker out there? When you have a moment like that happen that early in the season, and now people are going to be talking about how Nathaniel Hackett's not ready for the moment. How does he get those players to buy back in?

Is there any concern there? I mean, as coaches, you make mistakes. As players, you make mistakes. The good players and good coaches learn from that, and they don't repeat it. And so this is something that Coach Hackett wishes he could have back.

It's something that he probably practiced all offseason, but when he got to the moment, he just dropped the ball. And so it's important for that team in the midst of adversity. Hey, fellas, let's learn from this. Let's stick together. And when we do get back in the situation, we'll go get it right and get a win next time. KJ Wright here with us. Before the game last night, I thought Russell Wilson would get cheered before the game started.

And then during the game, clearly he's the enemy, so you boom because he's on the other team. Before the game, there was a lot of loud boos. Did that surprise you? Not at all.

Not at all. I believe that this narrative got out that Russell wanted to leave Seattle, and the fans were like, hey Russell, what are you thinking? We've been loyal to you for 10 years. You was our quarterback, and how would you even think about leaving us? And so they were upset. They were upset, and they let it be known. They booed that man from warm-ups all the way to the last play. And so, Russell, he said it didn't bother him. He said it in the postgame interview, it didn't bother him.

But I know that when you give your heart to this city and they come back and they boo you, that's very hurtful. And so the fans let it be known where they stood. Were you upset that Russell Wilson wanted out of Seattle?

This is how I looked at it. I looked at it as like, if you and Coach Carroll cannot get on the same page, if you truly believe that you can take a franchise and be the man and just take it to the next level, you should want to leave. And so Coach Carroll, he had his own philosophy in where he just wanted to play really good defense, he wanted to run the ball 25 plus times, manage the game.

Russell outgrew that philosophy. That was fine when he was a rookie. He just handed the ball off to beast mode. But the man is a very elite quarterback. And so if he wants the ball in his hands, if he wants to lead a franchise to a Super Bowl, by all means, I feel like he should have left. So do you at all fault, then, Pete Carroll for not finding a way to give Russ what he wanted to keep him in Seattle?

That's another thing. Coach Carroll, with his philosophy, sometimes you got to adjust your philosophy, especially when you have a Hall of Fame quarterback, you got to get out your way. And if you look back at 2020, go back and look at 20, Russell Wilson was putting up MVP numbers, right? Well, what's happened on the other side of the ball on defense, we couldn't hang because quarterbacks were putting up MVP numbers against us as well. And so Coach Carroll, for him being a defensive guy, that was hard for him to fathom.

You know, people putting up 30 plus points on it. We were winning, but it was putting up a lot of points on it. He's like, hey guys, let's change this game plan. Let's run the ball.

Let's manage the clock a little better. And you saw Russell's numbers dropped. And so it's just unfortunate that those two guys couldn't get on the same page because they definitely had a special thing where Russell was there for those 10 years. KJ Wright here with us. How will you remember Russell Wilson's time as a Seattle Seahawks? That man is a legend in my eyes, just being in the locker room with him, seeing him grow from a young rookie, coming in and taking Matt Flynn's job. And I tell anybody on each and every Sunday, I trust that man.

I believe that Russell Wilson will get the win. There's no matter what kind of situation we're in, how many points we're down by, the man is an absolute winner and he has the heart of a champion. I love that man. He's forever my guy. And it's just unfortunate that that moment happened in Seattle, but they're going to forget it. They're going to move on, have his jersey retired.

But the man is definitely a legend in my eyes. Was that weird for you last night, KJ Wright, watching Russ on the Bronco sideline? Well, first of all, it was weird for me being in the stands. Just being on the sideline three games, I felt the juices like, oh my God, I need to be out here.

This is my first game as a retired player on the sideline. So I didn't feel comfortable at all. And so just being Russell over there in that orange and his flag hasn't changed, he's the same dude. It was definitely weird, man, because you look at guys like him, guys like Bobby, you just feel like those guys, even though they played there 10 years, their time in Seattle should not have ended that soon.

And so it was definitely a strange thing in that. So now, since you're in this uncharted territory of just being a fan at the game, did you boo Russell Wilson last night? No, I didn't. I wasn't cheering for him.

Get that correct. I was not cheering for him, but I definitely wasn't booing him. And I got the experience from a fan's perspective. My heart was beating out of my chest. When that last round, I was like, oh my God. I was obviously rooting for Seattle, so I can definitely see how fans feel during the game.

It's not comfortable, but it was a really cool experience and I'm glad I was there last night. So defensively, they did a good job. The turnovers were big. What stood out to you defensively with Seattle last night? I knew that the defense was going to have to carry the load. I believe that this is going to be a top 10 defense. It got hurt because he's the X factor of that team.

He is the guy that was going to make that whole thing go. And so I'm really interested to see how they replace him, the game plan going forward, because they gave up a lot of drive picks with that guy, paid a lot of money, and he's out once again in Jamal Adams. And so I want to see how they go forward. I love the corners. They did a great job.

Two young guys on the outside. And so those guys just getting started and they got to keep it going. What do you think the Seahawks are going to be this year? Because I know it's one game.

I know it's a heck of a performance last night. I'm not a believer in this team this season. I believe, this is what I said earlier, I'm seeing eight wins, eight to nine wins. I believe that's a really good year for those guys.

How many games you got them getting? I was thinking like six or five before the start of the season. They already got one more than I thought, though, because I didn't think they had a chance in the game last night. And I usually never say a team doesn't have any chance, but I thought for sure Russ was going to go back and kick the crap out of Seattle.

No, no, no. I got them guys getting eight wins. I truly believe that what we saw last night is how the season is going to look for these next 16 games. Hey, create turnovers on defense. Hey, Gino, be smart with the football. Get the ball to D.K.

Metcalf and Tyler Larkin. Let's be smart. The running game has got to get better. I believe this philosophy that Coach Carroll has has stood the test of time. Be smart with the football. Create turnovers at the end of the game.

Let's find a way to win. And so eight to nine wins on the borderline of making the playoffs. I don't know if they're going to get in, but on the borderline of making the playoffs, I think the Seahawks got a chance. What do you think of that division?

Because it's crazy. After all the changes in the NFL this offseason, I know it's only one week, but the other three teams in the division lost and the Seahawks are somehow in first place. It is the Los Angeles Rams and it's everybody else. I believe the Rams are clearly going to be number one in that division. When you look at the Niners and Trey Lance, I'm not a believer.

You look to Kyler Murray, the man looks, he doesn't look good. And so I believe that it could be clearly the Rams and it's going to be a battle for their second spot. And so the Seahawks, they got off to a fantastic start. They got the Niners this week and so it's going to be a really, really big game. They got to be able to expose Trey Lance once again, just like the Bears did.

What do you not, what don't you like about Trey Lance that already you say you're not a believer, KJ Wright? Well, first of all, I didn't like the move by the Giants. What are you thinking, Jimmy Garoppolo?

First of all, you shouldn't have made a second string. But if you're not going to have him first string, then get rid of him. How are you going to have your starting quarterback in Trey Lance with this guy over his back shoulder? That is not comfortable for anybody. He's a guy that's a proven winner, he's been to the NFC Championship twice, you need to just get him out the building if you want to go with Trey Lance.

And so it's just frustrating this whole situation. I don't believe that he's comfortable even playing as the number one guy because he knows in the back of his teammates head, if he doesn't succeed, they're going to be calling for Jimmy G to get back out there, lead them back to the playoffs. So super uncomfortable position for him and I'm interested to see how it all plays out. Well, in the locker room, that's what's the most fascinating part of this decision because you have Garoppolo there. Shanahan and Lynch have to be loyal to Trey Lance because he just gave up a king's ransom to go get him. But if some of your players, your big time players a few weeks in and they just lost to the Bears, which I was stunned by, if they start saying let's go to Jimmy G, that could be really ugly in that locker room.

And that's what it looks like it's going to be. He has about one to two more games to get this thing right. Because this is a championship caliber team, but the quarterback is the most important position. And so if he struggles in the next two or three games, it's going to be Jimmy Garoppolo in there.

Now I understand they gave up all the draft picks for him, but players do not care about that. This is my 2022 season. I want to win. I want the best players out there.

They're going to have to make that decision. How do you break down? I know you were with the Raiders last year. How do you break down the AFC West this season? Well, first of all, the Raiders game. I got those guys.

I had those guys winning the division, but they look terrible on Sunday. I'm looking at Derek Carr. I need Derek Carr to move. He's back there looking like a statue. He need to get his legs going.

The man can run. Get your legs going. Get the ball to Devontae Adams more. Hunter Merprow did not have enough targets. They were just sports feeding Devontae Adams the whole time. That's not going to lead to a successful offense. Get the ball all over the place. Get the run game going. I was looking forward to Chandler Jones and Max Crosby making noise.

They were quiet. And so it's just the first game, but these guys are a really good, talented football team, and they got to pick this thing up. Yeah, my concern, I think that the Raiders are going to be a playoff team.

I picked the Chargers to win the division, the Chiefs also to get in the postseason. My concern with the Raiders, though, is that offensive line. Offensive line was not good, and you saw Leatherwood, one of the first-round picks, got up out of there. And so with McDaniels, if your offensive line is struggling, find ways to not expose those guys.

Get the play action game going. You're going to have to max protect a little bit more. And so you have tons of weapons.

You have Darren Waller who you just paid. Tons of weapons on that offense. But the offensive line is a concern, and so find a way to be smart.

Keep the chains going to protect Derek Carr back there. Take me what it's like, and we're going to see these two teams play on Thursday, what it's like to prepare for Patrick Mahomes and then also Justin Herbert. Patrick Mahomes is hands down the hardest quarterback I ever had to face when it comes to the type of plays they run.

It's essentially like backyard football. They don't have tendencies you can pick up on as a defensive player. And Travis Kelce does his own thing. Patrick Mahomes just starts scrambling and just chunking deep to Tyreek Hill.

It is frustrating playing those guys. They put up 40-plus points on us last year when I was with the Raiders. And so when I'm looking at the Chargers, you have got to do a good job. First of all, this offense is going to go to Travis Kelce. Find a way to limit him. He's going to get at least 10 targets a game. Limit him, and the passwords have got to be smart with Patrick Mahomes. Because if he gets out of the pocket, it could easily be six points. And I'm on Justin Herbert.

He's an elite as well. And so Ken Allen has gone down. So I'm really looking forward to Austin Eckler getting going in this game because he was way too quiet on Sunday. Last thing I'll ask you, I just want to go back to the whole Russell Wilson situation. I saw that Richard Sherman was pretty happy with the results last night. Are your former teammates annoyed at Russell Wilson that he's no longer in Seattle? They kind of understand it's a business.

They understand it's a business. And I said this a while ago, I felt like, unfortunately, during my tenure in Seattle, we let the media divide us as a team. We knew that Marshawn and the defense had a lot of success in our wins, but nobody was, a lot of attention went to Russell. And it just became something that was unnecessary drama in the locker room. I don't know why that happened, but Russell is good. The Legion of Boom was good.

Marshawn Lynch was good. So we really cared where the attention goes. And so that's just something that we had to overcome in Seattle. But at the end of the day, it's all love. But I just wish that when we were there, that we can let that media attention divide us as a locker room. Let's be real. With how that Super Bowl ended up against the Patriots, unfortunately, that was the end for that run in Seattle.

That was it. We knew that once that moment happened, this is over. We can no longer look at each other the same. A lot of trust issues are going on in this building. Why didn't you check the call to a run?

Why did you call a pass? There's so many questions that were unanswered. And we knew that it was over after that. Always love catching up with you, KJ Wright. Thanks so much. And once again, congratulations to you and your family. It was pretty cool last night seeing you get honored. Yes, sir.

Thank you, man. There's KJ Wright joining us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. I thought that was fascinating, especially early on. He was not surprised whatsoever that the Seahawks fans booed Russell Wilson. Hickey was surprised.

I was surprised, too. And also, Ryan, I got to listen back to it, but just in the moment, my first reaction, it's kind of like he understands that Russ was ready for a bigger role, and then Pete should have adjusted a little bit. But then he has a lot of respect for Pete Carroll.

I thought that was very intriguing, Ryan, his answers on Pete and Russ and the whole divorce situation. Especially for his perspective as a former player, like, you know, who knows kind of the intricacies and everything like that. Yeah, it's almost like I think it's hard to do. But, you know, he's someone who could kind of see it both ways, which is, I think, very fair.

Interesting. Here's the thing. You have a great coach in Pete Carroll. You have a great quarterback in Russell Wilson. Naturally, when you have two great people, they're going to eventually butt heads no matter how loyal Pete was to Russell Wilson early on and how he was his biggest protector and his biggest supporter and his biggest defender. And we saw it in a much more high profile stage with Brady and Belichick. And you get into these arguments, who's more important, the coach or the player? I'm not undermining the importance of the coach, but when Belichick, after they win all those Super Bowls, tells me it's all about the players, it's all about the players.

Yes, you can't give the players everything that they want. But when you're a player that is that great at that position, and we know Brady is the greatest of all time and Russell Wilson is the top 10 quarterback in this league, you've got to find a way to make sure that the quarterback wants to stay there. And as much as I love Bill and as much as I love Pete, Russell Wilson should still be in Seattle and Tom Brady should still be in New England. And that's on Bill and Pete. It doesn't take away what they did.

It doesn't take away what they've accomplished and what they've built in both of their respective cities. And the development that both those coaches played in those quarterbacks, you've got to find the way to make it work. And now, as Bill's experiencing, even though they just made the playoffs last year, and I know Pete will eventually experience this even though he just bizarrely beat his old quarterback, there is a moment when you're going to say, yeah, I missed the guy that we once had, and why didn't we get this to work? And the Patriots, they found Mac Jones. We'll see if Mac Jones will be great for the Seahawks. It's one of those scenarios where you have not been able to identify that guy of the future yet.

Zach Gilm show CBS Sports Radio. Viator is the world's leading travel experience marketplace, offering everything from simple tours to extreme adventures and all the niche interesting stuff in between. Extensive options, ease of selection and flexibility at your fingertips help make sure your time is wonderfully spent. Viator is the place to go to book experiences that will create long lasting moments that make lifetime memories. And Viator has over 300,000 bookable experiences to choose from in over 190 countries. In fact, just last year, Viator helped my family put together this amazing adventure on the island of Kona, swimming with the manta rays, trying to avoid the barracudas, whatever your wildest dreams. If you can imagine it, Viator probably has an experience just for you. Download the Viator app now and use code Viator 10 for 10 percent off your first booking in Viator's world of wonderful experiences.

Viator, one site over 300,000 experiences you'll remember. You're listening to the Zach Gilm Show. The two worst divisions in football after the first week of the season, the NFC West and the AFC South. The NFC West 49ers, they lose to the Bears. Rams get blown out by the Bills. Cardinals get blown out by the Chiefs and the Seahawks.

Surprise, surprise. They get the victory last night up against the Denver Broncos. And then for the AFC South, Texans and Colts tie up against one another. Tennessee loses to the Giants and the Jaguars, when Carson Wentz was trying to give them the game and then ended up winning the game, the Jaguars do fall to the Washington commanders. Let's start with the AFC South and then we'll get out to the West, the NFC West. When I look at this division, Ryan, this division is worse than I thought. I thought this is a bad division to begin with. But for the Colts that tie the Texans is problematic.

Their wide receiving group other than Michael Pittman Jr. is terrible. And then you see a team like Tennessee, who I thought was going to take a step back this year, to lose to the Giants in the first game of the season, when you were up by double digits at home, is baffling. Nine wins maybe? That's who's going to be this division winner? I can't see any team in this division. Because forget about the Jaguars, forget about the Texans. This is still the Colts in Tennessee. I can't see either of those teams winning north of nine games this year. I can't even see them getting to ten. I think the winner will be double digit win total. What are you smoking?

It's one game. Okay, let me ask you a question there. Okay. You think the Colts are winning the division, right?

I do. The Colts winning this week? I don't think they're winning this week. Picking the Jags. You're picking the Jags? They haven't won there since 2014.

So let me hear your logic. You think the Colts are winning the division this year, right? Yes, sir. You think the Colts will have at least ten wins? I think they'll get ten wins, yeah. Okay, they're going to start the year off then. I don't think they're going to lose to the Jaguars, let me be clear. But if you are right, they'll be 0-1-1? That's right. Disgustingly ugly record. And you know who their next opponent is, right?

That's right. The Chiefs. Which is going to be a loss. So you're going to start the first three weeks of the season, in your mind, without a win, and they're still going to get to ten wins.

That's what's going to happen? Still think this division is going to turn around, yes sir. Yeah, I'll say 9-8 wins this division. If they do start off 0-2-1, that game up against Tennessee is a life support game then for that season.

Oh it is. Now, the Titans, their schedule, they played the Bills this week on Monday Night Football. That's a double dip on Monday night, you had the Eagles and the Vikings. So Tennessee's going to lose to the Bills, you would think. Even though Tennessee got the victory up against Buffalo last year, remember that controversial goal line stand where after the game, who was it?

Oh it was a guy from Fox, Chris Broussard. Remember he said he had a backup tackle playing for the Bills, who was replacing Taylor Lewand, problem Taylor Lewand plays for Tennessee. And the backup tackle, Dion Dawkins, was a pro bowler last year. And Tennessee then plays the Raiders. You guys have to win. This is a must-win this week for Indianapolis.

Oh it is. You're 100% right, it's a must-win. And you don't think your team's going to win? Mr. Delusional, you don't think they're winning? They have not won in Jacksonville since 2014. You laugh at that, but okay, this is the same team, I was telling you last week, they have not won a Week 1 game since 2013. Now technically, that streak broke because it was an 8 game losing streak.

Yeah, let's not throw a parade here and hang a banner. I am not, but it's just like I have no reason to believe that they'll break this streak. They should, they're the better team, they should win this game. But in my right mind, I can't right now tell you they're going to win. It's the Jaguars.

Exactly. And they can't beat them. Zach, this team was 1 in 15 in 2020. Their only win was you know who.

And last year was a disaster, the clown show at the end of the season. If the Colts don't win this week, you know what? If the Colts don't win this week, just take the entire division, find a paper shredder, and shred the entire division in the paper shredder. And let's not even have a team that make the playoffs on the AFC South. That would be great if the Colts were like 7 in 10 hosting like the Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs like the Seahawks did a few years ago and they were 7 in 9 and won the NFC West. That would be pretty funny.

Oh yeah, that would be hilarious. What do you want, a participation trophy as well? No, I mean they made the playoffs.

What do you want me to do? Sorry, everyone else stinks. Is Pete Carroll apologizing for that 7 in 9 playoff win? Is Marshawn Lynch? No.

Who not became famous but had a viral moment. He's not apologizing for that. You actually believe that your football team is going to start the year off 0-1 and still win that division? I think they're winning the division. But you think that they're going to start the year off 0-2 and 1 and still get to at least 10 wins. That's tough for me to see. It's tough for me to envision. I think it's 9-8. That division stinks. Now, the NFC West, we go from the AFC South just being a dumpster fire and just being an absolute disaster after one week of the season. If I would have told you, I don't know. Let's just say July.

July sounds good. That after one week, the Seahawks would be in first place in that division. Your reaction would have been what? Knowing that the Seahawks are playing the Broncos week one. No way, Jose.

Right? No way. The 49ers played the Bears. You would have thought for sure the 49ers would beat the Bears.

Yes. And that did not happen. The Rams playing the Bills. Toss up game. The Bills dominated them. It was discouraging the way that they played, but I'm not going to jump off the Rams bandwagon after one game. The Cardinals losing to the Chiefs without DeAndre Hopkins, not surprising. So the Rams and Cardinals, their performance is not really, maybe you didn't think they would get destroyed the way that they did, but we expected both those teams probably to lose. I know we were making the case a little bit when the line came out, Rams plus two and a half.

Okay, they could win, but it was not inconceivable that the Rams would lose to the best team in football and that the Cardinals were going to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs. The 49ers are the biggest letdown in this division after one week of the season. How the 49ers lose to the Bears and KJ Wright just gave us that perspective, inside that locker room, you better go win this week. Because if you lose this week, and I've been a proponent and I still will be a proponent that you give Trey Lance the entire season, if you start off your season though, you're Trey Lance and you lose to Justin Fields and Geno Smith, or let me, because I think Justin Fields can be a good quarterback, the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks, that's going to be tough for that locker room to not want to see Jimmy Garoppolo.

That could get ugly quick. If you are in the locker room, I'm not saying John Lynch. I'm not saying Kyle Shanahan, but if you are Kittel or you didn't play last week, if you are Deebo, if you are some of the big time players on that team, the leaders, the veterans on that team, Trent Williams, that's going to be tough, tough for those guys. And it's tough to evaluate Trey Lance because of the monsoon, but it will be tough for those guys in the locker room, or at least some, will start to doubt if Trey Lance is the right guy for this season, because those guys just went to an NFC title game a year ago with Jimmy Garoppolo. And this 49ers schedule after you lose to the Bears, and now the Seahawks game picks up a little intrigue. You got to go win this week because if you lose after that, you get a tough game with Russell Wilson and you get a tough game with the Rams. This schedule after you lose to the Chicago Bears, Ryan, it puts a lot more pressure than we thought there was on, and we thought there was a lot of pressure on Trey Lance.

You just add a ton more on to it. Most people usually can roll your eyes when we talk about sitting here in week two must win. I don't think that's hyperbolic at all. I'm with you. This is a must win for the 49ers. You cannot lose. There could be two teams this weekend, just off the top of my head, that are must win in the NFL. The 49ers have to beat the Seahawks.

Trey Lance has to find a way to just be one point better than Geno Smith. And then the Carolina Panthers. This is a make or break year for them. I don't think they're a playoff team. You picked them to go to the postseason. If you start off this Baker-Mayfield era with now Matt Ruhle in his third year and Christian McCaffrey now back.

He wasn't really all that great though. On Sunday, they got to get him the football more. But for the Panthers with a new quarterback, and I know you could say they have a new quarterback it seems like each and every year recently. If you start off this year losing to Jacoby Bressette and then Daniel Jones, woof. That would be rough. There's a lot of pressure this week on the 49ers and the Panthers. A ton. And your team has a lot of pressure too.

I'd put them in the category. I think they also must win. The Colts have to beat the Jaguars. You can't lose. It's a must win. Again, talking about the Panthers. Is it a must win or it can't lose?

You gotta do that Jackass debate. The Panthers losing to two bad quarterbacks potentially in a row. Colts same thing. Real quickly, Jetson Cleveland, whatever.

Commanders at Lions, whatever. I'm talking about must win. Tampa, New Orleans, no. Carolina at the Giants, a must win for Carolina.

New England at Pittsburgh, Matt Patricia. For your sanity. You have not seen me go nuts in these last two years. Now, they made the playoffs last year and the 7 and 10 year, I know you were trying to throw some salt into my wound.

But I told you, I've been in the penthouse the last 20 years. So I don't get ticked off. But this approach, you know me, I hate incompetence. How Matt Patricia's all upset with Kendrick Bourne because he's a few moments late to a preseason meeting. Like shut up, you fat slob, Matt Patricia.

All right? Sit up straight, give good posture, stop sulking, and get Kendrick Bourne on the field. And when they actually got him the ball on Sunday, he had 41 yards.

That's a playmaker. Now, I'll say this is a must win for New England this week. You can't start the year off all in two. Well, also, you know, when you talk about Mitch Trubusti, if he comes in and beats your Pats.

Personally, yeah. That would be a bad one. Colts must win. Miami Ravens, whatever. The Rams, I guess you could say it's a must win.

I know that division will be fine. But you're going up against the Falcons. You lose that game, then people are really going to start to look at your team sideways.

We talked about the 49ers. Bengals and Dallas, both those teams got to win. Maybe they'll end in a tie like you're a football team. The Bengals definitely will win. The Bengals can't lose to Cooper Rush.

Cooper Rush, come on. Broncos now must win against the Texans. You can't lose to the Texans.

That can't happen. The red hot Texans. How about this matchup? The overreactions on this one are going to be big. The loser of the Cardinals and the Raiders.

They start to get out on two. Bears and Green Bay. Okay, Green Bay. Then you'll start to get me worried if you lose to the Bears because Aaron Rodgers owned Chicago.

You have Tennessee Buffalo and then Minnesota and the Philadelphia Eagles. Isn't that wild? Justin Jefferson and Jalen Rager now on the same team as they go back to Philadelphia. That's crazy. This is the Zach Geldz show on CBS Sports Radio.

When we come on back, we have to get into Robert Sala and Arthur Smith and I have three suggestions for the next head coach of Nebraska football and one is really going to surprise you. Viator is the world's leading travel experience marketplace, offering everything from simple tours to extreme adventures and all the niche, interesting stuff in between. Extensive options, ease of selection and flexibility at your fingertips help make sure your time is wonderfully spent. Viator is the place to go to book experiences that will create long lasting moments that make lifetime memories and Viator has over 300,000 bookable experiences to choose from in over 190 countries. In fact, just last year, Viator helped my family put together this amazing adventure on the island of Kona, swimming with the manta rays, trying to avoid the barracudas, whatever your wildest dreams, if you can imagine it, Viator probably has an experience just for you. Download the Viator app now and use code VIATOR10 for 10% off your first booking in Viator's world of wonderful experiences. Viator, one site, over 300,000 experiences you'll remember. You're listening to the Zach Gelb Show.

The free AutoZone fixed finder service can help troubleshoot the likely cause of your pesky check engine light for free and get you back on the road, restrictions apply. Get in the zone, AutoZone. I've assembled the list if I am running the Nebraska coaching search to replace Scott Frost since they fired him over the weekend after another embarrassing and pathetic performance. I've assembled the list of three candidates that I would identify and I would interview and these would be the three guys that I would have my choice from and one of these guys would get the job. My number one target, I would give Mark Stoops a call and I think Mark Stoops would actually hang up. That's what I think would occur with Mark Stoops. I don't think he would take the job. I don't think he would leave Kentucky for Nebraska right now, which is a wild statement to say. My next one is Bill O'Brien and I know people are going to tell me, how could you hire the coach that got rid of DeAndre Hopkins?

Yeah, that was a dumb move. Bill O'Brien though did make the playoffs four times with the Houston Texans and for college experience, he took over a disaster situation with all that happened off the field, Joe Paterno, Sandusky, et cetera, et cetera and when he got to Penn State, he was eight and four and seven and five, not having the support of a lot of people at Happy Valley because they were still sycophants for Joe Paterno. And then here's the mystery candidate. Here's the one that I actually heard him on our network today and this was a guy that he's never coached as a head coach in college before. He's an NFL guy, but I think he would be a tremendous college football coach and that's Rex Ryan. I think Rex Ryan would be a phenomenal college coach.

The energy, the passion, the exuberance, the guy got the Jets, the two AFC championship games. I don't think he'll ever be an NFL head coach again, but if you give him a good college staff, I think he could be a stud recruiting. I don't know if he has any interest, but I would give Rex Ryan a call if I'm Nebraska and see at least if he would be interested. Hickey, what do you make of the Rex Ryan suggestion as I heard him on this morning with the DA David Amendelor right here on CBS Sports Radio?

Hard pass. Why? If I'm Nebraska, no thank you.

Why? I don't see what he does in a positive way to get Nebraska back. He's a big coach. You don't think he's a good coach? He's got the Jets, the two AFC championship games.

I went to Buffalo and it didn't really last too long. He's also been out of the game for a while. We've not seen many head coaches have success going from the NFL game to the college game. He wasn't abysmal in Buffalo, he's 8-8 and 7-8. There's a lot of drama that comes with Rex Ryan right now.

I don't think that he's the one to turn around this. Nebraska's not in the toilet in terms of they're 2-10, 1-11, there's no one going to the games and there's no interest where you need a rah-rah guy like Rex Ryan is to bring some juice back to the program. They need someone who can just win. Flat out win.

That's all you need. I don't think Rex Ryan's the guy to get Nebraska winning again. Okay, so who's your three guys? I like two of the names you had. Mark Stoops and Bill O'Brien.

I think I'm a third. I don't think Mark Stoops is going to take that job. Mark Stoops could get a bigger job than Nebraska right now and he seems very happy at Kentucky. He does and he's confident because he basically told Calipari to shut the bleep up and don't dare say we're a basketball school even though everyone knows that that's the case. That's why I think Stoops wouldn't take it. O'Brien we've discussed before and we're both on the same page.

Do you have a third name? Because if Stoops says no and then let's say Bill O'Brien isn't everyone's cup of tea and maybe Nebraska doesn't want Bill O'Brien, if you're going to automatically dismiss Rex Ryan, who I think would be fun, creative, outside the box type of hire, mystery type of candidate. I think it would be good.

I don't know if he's interested. He has a nice comfy job on television, but I think he'd be a great college football coach. And it's just some guys and Rex had a lot of success in the NFL. For the team that he was coaching, the Jets get the two AFC title games, is impressive. And the last time Rex Ryan was coaching college ball was as a Kansas State defensive coordinator back in 1999. So it's been a while, but with NIL now, with college football starting to become a little bit like professional football, I think the do would be wonderful. If I'm running a college and I'm a program like Nebraska, where it's a legendary brand, you haven't been good in a while.

Now you're right. There are not like two wins. I would not flinch or stutter at the idea of bringing in Rex Ryan. So who's your third?

Have you been able to think of a third one as I basically just stalled for you for two minutes or as a radio silence from you? I'd probably go Matt Campbell, try to get him over. He's built up Iowa State to now a, what's a credible program that he could do better with more talent available to Nebraska. You know, what's disappointing though with Matt Campbell? What? And he's the complete antithesis of Rex Ryan.

Yes. Rex embraces the expectation. Matt Campbell last year, when that team, people thought they could win the big 12, that could be this college football playoff team. At the end of the year, I never said that. Those weren't my expectations.

Those were your expectations. I thought that was really, and I mean really weak by Matt Campbell last year. I used to be on the Matt Campbell bandwagon. I sunk the Matt Campbell bandwagon last year once I heard that bologna and bull crap out of his mouth. That's fair. That's a bad quote and it's a bad job to kind of excuse what was an extremely disappointing season. I can't, can't argue with that. I think there's more upside with Rex Ryan.

I do. In a crazy world, even though Matt Campbell's had a lot of success for what he's done at Iowa State, that dude, when he says a, when he says a quote like that, imagine what he's going to say in Nebraska. He'll get eaten alive. Yeah, we lost to Georgia Southern.

Your expectations were we're going to win the game, but they weren't my expectations. That would be bad for Matt Campbell, not a good fit. Directional Georgia. Supposedly, though, depending on who you believe and who knows in this early part of the coaching search, that's like the top candidate for that job, though, Matt Campbell that you threw out there. I feel like he's at the top of every candidate list now. It's like any coach that gets fired, doesn't matter if it's Kalamazoo or Florida, Matt Campbell, number one option. He's always going to be one of those guys.

All righty. Let me play you some audio for some NFL coaches. Matt Campbell makes no sense last year. Arthur Smith made no sense after his team blew a lead to the Saints, 26 to 10 they were up in the fourth quarter. Arthur Smith saying he's excited to prove everyone wrong. Guys wrote our obituary back in May and you'll continue to write our obituary.

Who cares? Because we got 16 games and we don't learn from this and get better and we got to go go play L.A. They got a three game, three day jump on us. So we'll watch the tape, we'll look for corrections and then we got to get going on the Rams. So write whatever you all want. The same guys that you guys ranked as 45th, you buried us in May, bury us again. We don't care. Good work.

Thank you. And then here's Robert Salah, the coach of the Jets. His team lost to the Ravens and when this guy's four wins in two years, he says he's keeping track of those who are counting out the New York Jets. We're all taking receipts on all the people who continually mock and say that we ain't going to do anything. I'm taking receipts.

I'm going to be more than happy to share them with all y'all when it's all said and done. Here's what I'll say to both these coaches. You have to believe in what you're doing. You have to instill some confidence into your group.

But as LeBron would say, keep that same energy, okay? Don't go running and hiding if Arthur Smith's fired in two years and Robert Salah's fired in two years. Because that's when you're going to get clowned because then we'll have the receipts of what you said. I don't get why they're so annoyed with people picking against them. Like, no one thought the Falcons are going to be good this year.

No one thought the Jets are going to be good this year. And I think everyone's understanding that it's kind of a building year, wash year for both those franchises, when you make this stuff, it unnecessarily puts you in the spotlight, Ryan. And that I don't get. Especially when you always say, oh, I don't listen to the outside noise. And then clearly you do. You do.

Especially Salah. I don't listen to anything. I don't read anything. Yeah. Come on. What are we doing here? It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Tyler Palumba is going to join us on the other side, former Broncos offense lineman does radio in Denver, won a Super Bowl with the organization.

What the heck was Nathaniel Hackett thinking? We'll discuss next. Viator is the world's leading travel experience marketplace, offering everything from simple tours to extreme adventures and all the niche, interesting stuff in between extensive options, ease of selection and flexibility at your fingertips help make sure your time is wonderfully spent. Viator is the place to go to book experiences that will create long lasting moments that make lifetime memories. And Viator has over 300,000 bookable experiences to choose from in over 190 countries. In fact, just last year, Viator helped my family put together this amazing adventure on the island of Kona, swimming with the manta rays, trying to avoid the barracudas, whatever your wildest dreams. If you can imagine it, Viator probably has an experience just for you. Download the Viator app now and use code Viator 10 for 10% off your first booking in Viator's world of wonderful experiences. Viator, one site, over 300,000 experiences you'll remember.