Mike Golic, Former NFL Defensive Lineman

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Whether you're looking to purchase a new home or refinance yours, Rocket Mortgage could help you get there for home-owned solutions that fit your life. Well, Rocket Candidates is at Gelb Show Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. Let's chat some southern recipe pork rinds right now, gridiron grates, and some football as well. And we do so with Mike Goluck, who's kind enough to give us a few minutes right now. Mike, appreciate the time as always. How you been?

I'm doing well. Going into week four in the NFL, that quarter post that's getting interesting. No doubt about it, and we'll see what happens in the game tonight.

But I will say this right out of the gate. I saw a photo of you recently, and we got a chance to see one another at the great gridiron grates event each and every year at the Super Bowl. You're looking slim if you cut down on the doughnut consumption. Well, yeah. Those are things I don't eat doughnuts or cookies or anything anymore. I still do, but I just do it at a lesser pace. I probably am 85 good, 15 bad now, where I was a lot worse than that. So I still enjoy my sweets and my pastries, just not at the rate that I used to.

It's just not as healthy when you're getting older. Now it's officially football season. We hear Mike Goluck talk about doughnuts. What is your favorite doughnut? Oh, I'm still the cream filled. Not the Bavarian cream. I'm not a big fan of that. Just like the cream filled, like the Long John chocolate icing with the cream filling on the inside.

That's probably basically my best one. Then you have all those kind of funky doughnut shops that get crazy putting cereal on them or Oreos. I like all that stuff too, but I'd say chocolate ice with some cream in the middle will do me good with a nice chocolate milk as well. Talking about some crazy combinations, your old radio partner, Greeny, I saw him at the draft and he was in the airport and he ordered a bagel with butter. And I've never seen this done before with a bagel and butter. He put a slice of cheese on it.

Isn't that a weird combination? Greeny would eat weird at times. He would do that. He would eat like pizza and wings when we were out on the road with a knife and fork. So I always got on him for that, but that's the way he chose to do it. So more power to him.

Everybody's got a different approach, that's for sure. Mike Gulick here with us. When we kick off week four tonight, two at Tunga-Vilo and the Dolphins have been a nice surprise at 3-0. The Bengals just got in the win column last week. They're 1-2.

How do you see this game playing on out? Well, I mean, listen, Miami's playing really well. Obviously two in the focus on that offense, but the defense is doing well.

For Cincinnati, I've been a little surprised. We knew they had to improve their old line. So they have four new starters, and I guess it's just going to take a little while for them to gel. I've been a little surprised at the play of that team. I think, you know, it's a long season. I think they'll hit their stride when they need to.

But for the Dolphins, it's like, hey, you know, how long can you keep this winning streak going? There were two quarterbacks, Tua and Jalen Hurts, you know, in Philly that everybody said, you know, this is their year to show that they could be the quarterback of the future for their teams. And so far, so good for both of them. They're playing both, playing extremely well. Yeah, do you think Jalen Hurts is the guy in Philadelphia?

Oh, sure, sir, showing it. I mean, all you can go on is production on the field, and he's getting it done right now. So, yeah, I mean, they got some more weapons for them.

The A.J. Brown pickup was fantastic. The defense has been playing well. They're one of the more complete teams. I think they and Buffalo are two of the most complete teams. But yeah, I mean, all you can do is go by production on the field, and both Jalen and Tua are solidly stamping their way to be the quarterback of the future for their respective teams. At the end of the regular season, how do you think Mike Goluck will be talking about the Dolphins and also the Philadelphia Eagles?

That's a good question. I think Philly has a good chance to be close at the end there because I think the NFC is a little more top-heavy, where the AFC, I think, has more good teams that could really, you know, do some damage in the playoffs. And remember, it's one and done in the playoffs, so you have one bad game and you're done. I think Philly probably has a better chance because, you know, name me another team in the NFC where you're going, oh, yeah, that's the team. Now, maybe toward the end of the season, we may, but, you know, you never know if the receivers in Green Bay or in Tampa Bay are going to be healthy throughout the year. The Rams have looked good and bad at times, so, you know, it's been Philly that's looked the most dominant on both sides of the ball, and with, I think, less competition in the NFC, they may have the chance to go further.

Mike Golick here with us. What I love so far the most about this Dolphins and Eagles story is they're putting their young quarterback in a position to succeed. Now, I say this as a Patriot fan.

I know I've been in the penthouse for the last 20 years and Mac Jones has banged up right now. We'll see if he plays this week. But I don't love this approach by Belichick and company with Patricia and Judge operating the offense and really no number one wide receiver on the roster. How do you kind of view the Patriots for the first three weeks of the season? Well, it's been interesting, and the thing we do is, and listen, he deserves it.

All you have to do is look to the rings on his finger. Is Bill Belichick deserves the benefit of the doubt. So when things look askew to us, you have to say, okay, well, he has a plan and you got to give him the benefit of the doubt until the plan doesn't work, right? And right now it looks like an iffy plan. I mean, we all kind of question where it was going, but at the end of the day, I would say, well, it's Bill and he's earned the respect of saying, okay, you know, he has a plan here. But right now the plan isn't going very well.

I think Mac Jones may miss some time if it's really a high ankle sprain. So as I said, he gets the benefit of the doubt until he doesn't, until they start losing or have that season, that really bad season. And unfortunately, it's kind of looking that way because I don't know what's going to pull them out of it. I don't know where you're looking on that team that says, oh yeah, this is where they're going to improve drastically and make a run again, as I said earlier, in an AFC that's pretty deep.

Mike Golick here with us. The Raiders are off to an 0-3 start. I know they just inked Eric Carter a three-year extension, but there's a lot of outs and not a lot of dead cat money tied up to that deal.

A new regime being brought in. I know they just gave him the extension, but it kind of feels like Carr has another year or two left with the Raiders, including this one. I just kind of think they're going to move on eventually, right? Well, if it's a year or two, you can say the same about Joshua Daniels if he doesn't get going. There's no safety net in the NFL anymore.

There's not even a three-year plan, let alone a five-year plan. He struggled in Denver. Now he's a head coach again.

He's not winning. The biggest thing you want to do as a young head coach or a not very experienced head coach is you want players to buy into what you're selling. Now while the players have to execute on the field, and I hold the players more responsible than the coach because they're the ones on the field that have to get the job done, his track record, Joshua Daniels, has not been great. It's been great as a coordinator.

We've seen many great coordinators not be able to be head coaches. And Josh is struggling right now, so I don't know how much players are buying in right now. So I get their car, may have a leash on how long he's there, but the way they churn through head coaches, maybe that's the same for him. It's 0-3. It's early. It's probably too early to be talking about things like that. But it is a what have you done for me lately in the NFL. And if this continues and they're picking the top 10, Michael, I would be surprised with how deep we're told this quarterback draft class is if they're not drafted a quarterback.

Yeah, I mean you're looking at probably four quarterbacks going in the first round as opposed to last year where there was just one. And again, to your point, it's how player or team friendly this new extension is. And we've seen more and more be more team friendly because you don't want a lot of money that you have to owe out there. You certainly don't want a lot of dead cap money which can really strangle a team.

So a lot will have to be on how team friendly that is. Wrap it up with Mike Golick right now. We'll talk about Southern Recipe pork rinds in just a moment and the great work of Gridiron Grates. Bill's Ravens this weekend. Who do you like in that showdown?

Boy oh boy. I mean the two quarterbacks now that along with Jalen Hurts probably looked at that early MVP race. Lamar Jackson I think has it right now. But again, we're very early. I was surprised at the Baltimore defense, the amount they gave up to a Miami team.

Certainly a little support. Now Buffalo you can look at today. They had five defensive starters that didn't play three different offensive linemen.

But you know, we can say that on the outside, but on the inside, they're not going to use that as an excuse. You play with the guys you have. I just love the way Lamar is playing right now. I mean, he is he is on another level at this point, but I still say Buffalo is a more complete team offensively and defensively. Where you're relying on Josh Allen, but they have other ways you can go. It's really Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews.

And then after that, it really, really falls off. How about your view on Kansas City and Tampa since they're both going to meet up on Sunday? Boy, you know, with Tampa Bay, that's a game I'm calling for Westwood 1. So I'm getting ready to head down to Tampa and certainly hope everybody who's been affected by Hurricane Ian can be as safe as can be.

I know it's been tragic down there a bit. But from the game standpoint, I mean, it's a roll of the dice every week on what wide receivers are available for Tom. So they have to live off the run, play action pass, and their defense is playing great like a Todd Bowles defense. Kansas City, they're scoring a lot of points. They certainly missed the explosiveness, a tie re-kill, but they're still getting the job done. But Tom Brady is going to have to try and take advantage of that Kansas City defense the way the last time they met was in the Super Bowl.

The way that Tampa Bay defense really shut down Mahomes and that Kansas City offense. How concerned are you? I know they're 2-1, but the coach looks lost. Russell Wilson, is it looking like a top five quarterback right now? Mike Golick, how concerned are you with the Broncos?

Oh, I'm definitely concerned. Listen, last year on paper we talked about the NFC West being the best division in football, and it didn't end up that way. The beginning of this season, we talked about the AFC West being the best division. Now you've got the Raiders at 0-3. You've got Denver while they have two wins. No, they make me nervous. Again, I did that game this last weekend, and Russell Wilson just looks off open receivers.

He's missing them. Luckily, their defense is playing lights out. So for that reason, and that's why they won the game against San Francisco, their defense kept them in that entire game. Denver basically had one drive, a 12-play AER drive that they scored a touchdown on that gave them that win. So they're going to lean heavy on defense and heavy on the run game. Did you have to adjust your eyes after watching that offensive crap last week? Well, no, because see, while a lot of you say, oh, that was awful defense, I, as a former defensive player, say that was incredible defense.

So I love those kind of games. The San Fran defense played well as well. So I watched two great defenses in action. That's the way I look at it.

You got it. Before we let you run, Sean Paden, I think he'll be back on the sideline next year. If you had to take a stab at it right now, people have been floating out. Denver, maybe Los Angeles with the charges of things go south. Cowboys have always been linked, too.

Do you have a guess or two on Sean Paden? Well, I think if things go bad in Dallas, it's probably going to be there. I hate the fact that, you know, they're talking about that now with people that have jobs. That's just tough. I know that's the business. That's the way it goes. You know, it's pro ball, you can't have your feelings hurt. But if that's the one, if Dallas struggles and for whatever, now they don't have Dak, that doesn't help. I know he'll be back soon.

But if they struggle and don't make the playoffs or are out early in the playoffs if they do make it, I have a feeling that's where the change may come. I absolutely love Southern Recipe pork rinds. The Korean barbecue flavor is out of this world. And I've also been attending the Super Bowl party for the Gridiron Grates, which is first class all the way for a really tremendous cause each and every year down at the Super Bowl occasion.

Looking forward to the one this year in Arizona. But Mike Golick, tell me about the fine work that you're doing today with both those organizations. Yeah, I love that, I just love that Southern Recipe small batch is in partnership with the Gridiron Grates. For those that don't know, Gridiron Grates started in part with Mike Ditka, and I'm on the board for them as well. They do a great job of helping players from decades ago who just every day needs all the way to major surgeries. They need assistance.

The way I look at it is when a teammate's on the ground, you put a helping hand out to help them up. And, you know, the Pork Rind Appreciation Day, which is on Super Bowl Sunday, 14th annual, they're doing a very cool thing. If you go to porkrindappreciationday.com, they're exchanging sacks for snacks.

So, you go to that site, you're going to pick a team you believe is going to get a bunch of sacks, and they'll randomly select an entry and win a case of pork rinds for every sack the team gets, grand prize, five grand, and a year of pork rinds, and certainly money then going to Gridiron Grates as well to help some of those ball players that really need the help. So, it's a great partnership and couldn't be happier with Southern Recipe small batch and how they're helping in Pork Rind Appreciation Day. Mike Golick, always great to hear your voice. Appreciate the time and safe travels. You be safe. Thank you.

Appreciate it. The listening you love is on the free Odyssey app. Your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown, and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience. Follow topics you care about, like leagues and teams, pause or rewind your local sports and news, and add shows to your queue to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to.

So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The listening you love is on the free Odyssey app. Your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown, and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience. Follow topics you care about, like leagues and teams, pause or rewind your local sports and news, and add shows to your queue to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today.