Steve Mariucci, Former NFL Head Coach

Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm interested in making money.

I'm not interested in hurting people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio. Season 2, The Dixie Mafia.

Available now on the Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts. Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm interested in making money.

I'm not interested in hurting people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio. Season 2, The Dixie Mafia. Available now on the Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And you can think of O'Reilly Auto Parts where your car care needs get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts. It is the Zach Gilb Show Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. We'll continue to chat some football right now, and we'll do so with the former head coach of the 49ers and Detroit Lions.

And now you can watch Steve Mariucci, of course, as an NFL Network analyst, and you can see him each and every Sunday at NFL Network's NFL Game Day morning beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern. Coach, appreciate the time. How you been?

Hi, Zach. I've been busy with a great season here, huh? Boy, it's been a lot of fun. And what a tremendous slate of games that we have coming up for Week 13.

I want to start you off. The game I'm most excited for is Dolphins and 49ers. This looks like this is going to be a heavyweight fight. Boy, it sure is. And, you know, the Miami Dolphins went out and signed players and got better, and Tua has answered the bell, and they are so explosive on offense, and just a good, complete football team. And so here comes Mike McDaniel back to the Bay Area, right, against his 49ers that he was coaching with recently. And the 49ers are, you know, they're only 7-4, but they started slow.

But, boy, have they caught fire right now. The last four wins in a row with Christian McCaffrey there, and what a great get that was midway through the season. And their defense is terrific. Number one defense in the league. This is going to be, some people are calling it a Super Bowl preview.

Are you? Right now, a Super Bowl preview? Both these teams have a chance to be in the Super Bowl, but I can't say those will be my first selections from the AFC and the NFC right now.

All right. Well, you know, I picked the 49ers preseason, and I picked them midway when we did do-overs, and I'm going to pick them again to get to that Super Bowl with the NFC. I'm not sure about the AFC because, you know, I waver between the Bills and the Chiefs, but the Miami Dolphins really are a legitimate team. How much does the familiarity with Mike McDaniel and Kyle Shanahan kind of factor into this game?

You know, the best four is for, like, you and I talking about it, and, you know, he knows him, and he knows them, and he knows, and then you still have to play the game. And what Mike has done over there in Miami, yes, he's taken bits and pieces of that offense with the 49ers, but, you know, you do what you do best based on your personnel. And, you know, he's got a different kind of a quarterback. He's got different receivers. You know, and, of course, Mike knows the Niners defense and knows that personnel.

Maybe he says, hey, we can attack this guy, this guy, we can double move, and this guy's not very good against the run because I've been with him for a couple years. You know, maybe they know that going in, but they still have to play the game. And once we kick it off, you know, I think you throw some of that out the window. Steve Mariucci here with us. So you like the 49ers to get to the Super Bowl. Who's the team if it's not the 49ers in the NFC that you believe in them the most? Well, I think the Eagles are a terrific team.

I think everybody believes that. I thought Jalen Hurts, you know, he got his chance with an injury over there at the Eagles when he was a youngster, and he's just been getting better each year. And right now he's an MVP candidate. So is Tua. So is Mahomes and Josh Allen, but Jalen Hurts. I remember doing a radio show before the season started.

It was in August. And we were talking about, you know, is he going to be a guy they need to replace or is he going to be good? And the jury was out.

Well, the jury's not out anymore because this kid is legit. And he has become the leader of that team, and it's a veteran team. And the Eagles can run the football.

He can throw it like crazy right now. They're playing great defense. They went out and added some more guys last week with Dompkins, too. And so the Eagles are the other team. Now, they've got to go to Dallas. You know, that's going to be a good one on Christmas Eve.

I want to say it's Christmas Eve, right? And a big one this week with the Titans, too. That's not an easy out. When you look at the Eagles and the Dolphins, since we were talking about the Dolphins and the Eagles right out of the gate with Steve Mariucci, both those quarterbacks the jury was out. And you're right. They're both exceeding expectations and showing they're the guys. I think it's so important, though, both those coaches just simply embrace those quarterbacks and both those GMs. There's one thing to say that this is the guy and that's going to be the guy that we trust. But they went out there and put those quarterbacks in a position to succeed with the big pieces they got them.

Exactly. And, you know, you say, you know, I like this guy. We got to make it work.

So let's surround him with the weapons that he needs. And, you know, the Eagles, you know, what do they do? Let's go get a number one receiver. That A.J. Brown kid.

He's no slouch. I mean, that was really, really important. You know, when you look at it around the league, which teams went out and were active in free agency? We're talking about the Eagles going and getting A.J.

Brown. That was huge for Jalen Hurts' development. You talk about Tua now having Tyreek Hill, a speed ball, all right?

I mean, he changes the game. And at any one play, you're talking about the Niners grabbing Christian McCaffrey. And we can go on and on with some of these real important acquisitions that have helped teams really take that next step and become contenders. When we continue talking about the 49ers, Jimmy G just keeps finding a way to win games. I know they invested in Trey Lance and they traded all those draft picks. Are you starting to feel that there's more and more of a chance that Jimmy G is going to be starting next year for the Niners?

You know, I live right here in the Bay Area, and it's the talk of the town. I mean, they tried to get rid of them. I went over there in training camp to watch the team and do a show from there all day and blah, blah, blah. Jimmy wasn't even practicing when he was around the other field. He was by himself around the other field, throwing them.

Didn't even give them a playbook. It was like he was banished. I mean, it was just a foregone conclusion that he would be playing with another team. And when I talked to him, he felt that.

We were talking about potential landing spots and everything. He had a good attitude about the whole thing. He got it. But all of a sudden, boom, he's there. Trey Lance is hurt, and he's saving the day. I mean, if they don't have Jimmy G, I don't know what they do.

You know, the pretty kid is very inexperienced. They're not the same team without Jimmy G. So it will be really interesting. Trey Lance hasn't done a darn thing in three years, right? He was last year at North Dakota State, and in the last two years in the pros, he hasn't done anything. So in my mind, the jury's still out on Trey Lance. I love the kid as far as on film or watching him practice, but he hasn't done anything in the games. So as a coach, you wouldn't move on from Jimmy G after this year?

You know, I think they have to. Unless he cut his salary down. He's a free agent. He could essentially win the Super Bowl for the Niners and make about $8 million less than he was supposed to.

Or whatever that number is. It's a large number. And so I don't think they're going to try to get him back because they need to pay Nick Bosa.

You know, they've got other needs. And plus, like you mentioned, they really committed to Trey Lance with draft choices and moving up and all the time and energy. They still believe in him. So I can't imagine that Jimmy G will be on the Niners next year.

Talking to Mooch, Steve Mariucci and the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. Coach, Chiefs and Bengals, we saw it twice last year. Cincinnati won both times. Do they find a way to win again here in 2022? Do you like Kansas City with a little redemption?

That's amazing. I think the Bengals, they tried to improve. Joe Burrow got sacked 70 times last year.

Man, I can't believe he walked straight. And they went out and changed four of their offensive linemen and still getting sacked quite a bit. But they are improved. They're getting better. Offensive lines take a while.

It's like synchronized swimming. They've got to be all together. They've got to work together. And so I think they're getting better as the season progresses. And, heck, they've been without Jamar Chase and Joe Mixon. So when those guys get back and the line keeps playing, the Bengals are going to be a worry for the Chiefs.

Now, the Chiefs are still the Chiefs, man. They are pretty darn good. I mean, I love watching these guys. I don't know how old you are, Zach, but have you ever watched, they'll call them Globetrotters. Have you ever watched Metal Art Lemon?

Well, that's who my home is. He's Magic Man. I mean, he is so much fun to watch. He's the human eraser. You take Tyreek Hill away. Everyone's freaking out.

It doesn't matter who you plug in. He just finds a way to make plays. He's going to win the MVP of the league this year. And you know what? I think they're going to win the Super Bowl. I think there's a lot of pressure on them because they talk dynasty after winning that Super Bowl. I know it's been two years. It doesn't happen always. But this is so open this year. It's right for the taking.

Yeah, it is. And then, you know, they added some receivers and Juju's been hurt a little bit. And Marcus Valdis can't leave. But they said, well, he's going to throw the ball at Kelsey. And nobody can cover the guy. I mean, we all know he's going to get the ball. And they tried to cover him with linebackers or safeties.

They're the best corner, Ramsey or whoever. And they can't cover the guy. It's unbelievable. This year, there's been a lot of stunning stuff in the NFL. Like, you just look at the Broncos, the Rams and the Packers. What has surprised you the most? Because the fact that all three of those teams aren't going to make the playoffs is surprising to a lot of people.

Yeah, there are stories. There are teams that are better than expected. And there are teams that you just mentioned that didn't live up to the hype and expectations. And, you know, you're talking about the Packers with a two-time MVP.

And they're just hanging on for dear life, you know. And then the Broncos had the fifth-ranked defense last year. And so they said, all we need is a new quarterback and an offensive-minded coach. And we were right there.

Well, they're not right there. Because that offense is scoring the lowest amount of points for the Denver Broncos in, like, 56 years. It's crazy how they haven't been able to get going on offense. They changed the play color.

They got a guy in the box helping with analytics. They're just trying everything. And you guys are yelling at each other on the sidelines.

It's frustrating over there. They expect it to be better. The other team you didn't mention were the Bucks, you know. Well, they're still going to make the playoffs in the NFC South. That's their saving grace.

They're going to make the playoffs with a losing record, you know. That's just how it is. And we've seen that before. We've seen it before. It might happen again in the NFC South with the Bucks. But, you know, we thought they were turning the corner when they started running the ball. They had Nick over there against Seattle in 161 yards. And Tom was very frustrated before that game and after it seemed to calm down a little bit. But, boom, last game they were just unable to run the ball again. And then, of course, I don't think they're passing games in sync like it had been years previous.

They just need to find a way to win that division and see what happens. On the way out was Steve Mariucci. You mentioned the Bucks. There was a big article today in The Athletic talking about Tom Brady's future free agent at the end of the year. And one of the possibilities that was floated out there by Jeff Howe of The Athletic was Brady going back to Belichick in Foxborough.

Could you see that? I thought you were going to say, out to the San Francisco, where he wanted to play in the first place. He grew up right here, you know. And if they don't have Jimmy G and Trey Lance wants us to hang out for another year and watch, maybe Tom can win a Super Bowl for them. Well, that's what I said a few weeks ago when they got McCaffrey. And Peter King said there's no shot of that happening, so I've kind of faded off that take. Yeah, well, Peter knows a lot of stuff, you know. But I haven't heard the old go back to New England, but that's a good one to start up.

Let's go with it. What's your thoughts on Mike White now taking over for the Jets? I mean, I guess it's a week-by-week basis, but it was a totally different quarterback than the last time we saw Zach Wilson play. Yeah, I thought Robert Sala really handled that well. You know, what he said to the media and how he talked to the quarterbacks and, you know, he didn't get crazy and say, well, Zach, you suck and Mike White's going to be the quarterback the rest of the season.

He didn't do that. He said, let's just take it one game at a time and see what we can do. We're not giving up on Zach. You know, he's got some things to really work on and improve on, whether you're talking about press conferences or setting his feet in the pocket. And, heck, they drafted him number two. So Mike White did a heck of a job. I mean, he's played before and he's done a heck of a job before.

Cincinnati last year. You know, he did it. I mean, he was like, okay. And I've said on air that Robert Sala's got to make, you get paid to make decisions, right, as a head coach. And his decision was to bench their starting quarterback and make a change.

And it proved to be the good decision, right? But he's going to have to make this decision each week because, you know, Zach Wilson, they got at the Vikings. That's not an easy win. And then it's at the Bills. Zach Wilson beat the Bills already this year. Now, you know, he didn't do it by himself, you know, but they got the win when Zach was playing. So Mike White's got to keep playing well and keep winning some games or at least really look more than respectable. Otherwise, they can say, well, you know, let's see if Zach can come on back and give us a spunk.

He was 5-2 as a starter. You know, you don't look down your nose at that. He just had a rough day or two and a bad press conference. And so he needs to sit back and, you know, he's got a little time out, right? Yeah, it's like the kid in the corner.

And eventually he's going to get to go back to the class and we'll see if he's going to be able to behave himself moving forward. Steve Mariucci, you can see him every Sunday on NFL Network, NFL's Game Day morning at 9 a.m. Eastern. Coach, great to hear your voice. We appreciate it. Alright, thanks for having me on.

Have a great weekend, okay? Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm in a rush to making money.

I'm not in a rush to hurting people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio. Season 2, The Dixie Mafia, available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm interested in making money.

I'm not interested in hurting people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio. Season 2, The Dixie Mafia. Available now on the Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts.