Take 5 (Hour 2)

So my biggest fear is there's going to be sneaks in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10-minute podcast called Your Weirdest Fears. We unpack where these fears come from. A rat climbed into my toilet.

And learn how to manage them. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. What makes your skin crawl? No matter how absurd, I want to know.

Tails without fur on them, such as rats or opossums. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new podcast called Your Weirdest Fears. You send me your fear.

I'm just so weirded out about the texture and how they can just move around and flop. And then I go to the experts to learn how to overcome them. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. 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-owned solutions that fit your life well, Rocket can. Coming up 20 minutes from now, Jake Delome is going to join us. I just saw a photo during the break. And this is from Jonathan Jones, the NFL insider for CBS. And he said, Jim Irsay just did a media gaggle on a golf court while ripping a cigarette at the league meetings conclude.

How about that? As the league meetings are concluding, this is a great photo. You have all these people around Jim Irsay trying to talk to him. And he has a cig in his mouth, holding up a finger, basically like, hold on, I got to finish this before talking to the media. How about your owner there, Jim Irsay?

Call it now, folks. There's no cooler owner in the NFL than Jim Irsay. That is badass.

I don't know about that. That is bad ass. Smoking a cig.

What's so bad about it? That's a great picture. That's iconic. I'd hang that.

I'd buy that photo right there and put it in my apartment. You're such a cult. Jim Irsay smoking a cig. You won't catch Robert Kraft smoking a cig, that's for sure. What makes it so cool, smoking a cigarette? Just looks cool.

No, Robert Kraft just goes and marries like a 40 year old and has the biggest party of the year. Yeah. Surprise. I'm not making this out to be like whose owner is cooler. You did that. I think it's cooler.

You did the petulant scheme. It just cracks me up. A guy smoking a cigarette? It's a funny photo. It's a cool photo, I would say. Not expected. Is it like, oh wow, this is the greatest thing? See, that's how bad your football season has been.

This has been the highlight of the Indianapolis Colts' football season. Here's what I'm more interested about. Forget the visual. He say anything else on Dan Snyder? Do we know that? You think with the cig in the mouth, you should just be sprouting off about, you know, more takes?

Well, that's the thing. If you're showing up to this meeting and you're going out of your way to just look like a douche sitting in a a golf cart and you have the cigarette and you're trying to cause attention, I gotta think he was being pretty honest when he was he was speaking. No, he did say something.

Ready? From JP Finley, who covers the commanders. Jim Mercy says it would be, quote, a better solution if Dan Snyder sells the commanders. So if you're a reporter and you see Jim Mercy roll in on a golf cart with a cigarette, you know, he's he's ready to just pop off.

He's ready to answer honestly and probably talk out of line. Yeah, that's Roger Goodell's nightmare right there. Oh, geez.

Here we go. Well, I don't know if it's Roger Goodell's nightmare. I know Roger Goodell had that stern response back after Jim Mercy did this, what, like a month ago or whatever it was. But you kind of have to do that as as the commissioner of the NFL. I think a lot of those owners and remember who Roger works for, it's the owners.

They're happy that they don't have to be the ones to do this because you go to one of these meetings. It's like if I was a a media member, let's say, you know, which I am, a national media member that was going to this. And I said, OK, I'm going into wanting to ask questions about Dan Snyder after what you got a little over a month ago from Jim Mercy. How do you not go back to the law?

You would have to. So that's why for me, you then see him roll on in on a golf cart with the SIG, you know, he's ready to hold court. And I think there's a lot of owners that are happy they don't have to answer for Dan Snyder and their silence means they agree with what Jim Mercy say for the most part. And I think Goodell knows that. But Goodell knows from a legal standpoint and from also protecting the shield and all that. He's got to be careful because you never know if maybe there's like two or three owners that disagree with Jim Mercy.

You don't want to disrupt or disrupt their feelings and annoy them. As a commissioner, you got to kind of. Be a politician at times and cater to everyone's needs in that room. So I really do believe in and you tell me if I'm wrong here, Ryan, I think there's a lot of owners that agree with Jim Mercy. Now, Jim Mercy does have clout. And Jim can say a lot of things, even though he's had his well-documented issues before. But I do think there's a lot of owners that are like, OK, let's have Jim since Jim already dug the first hole, let's have him continue to dig the hole instead of everyone else jumping on it and helping him out. Like, as you know, Jim Mercy is an emotional, passionate man, but going back to the first time they he talked to, like I said, six weeks ago, two months ago, whatever it was, I don't think he's saying that if he was the only one thinking it like you said, I think he had the backing and probably and people could turn on him. Right. The majority of people probably felt that way. And he just was the guy willing, if you want to say bold enough, some may say dumb enough to say it on the record, whatever you want to use. Or maybe just doing the right thing.

Right. That's also very true because he was the one who put his name on it. Think about it like Jim Mercy has a a well-documented pass. And there were some people that are like, OK, right message, not the right messenger. But how many people after what Jim Mercy said initially were like, you know, you said initially were like, yeah, now let's give this man a round of applause. He did 100 percent the right thing. And I do agree with what he said the last time, I don't think Dan Snyder should be owning the Washington commanders. And I hope he eventually loses the team and it looks like we are trending in that direction. But once you start with that energy and you're the guy that's leading the charge in Jim Mercy, maybe you fine tune some things and you recalculate how you go about it, and you don't want to, you know, answer those questions every time you get asked. But when you're at this and you stroll on in on a golf cart with the a cigarette, you know, coming out of your mouth.

I think it was pretty clear what his intentions were. And that was, yeah, Roger Goodell wants me to shut up. Remember, Roger Goodell, who keeps you employed. It's me. And if I want to. Voice the true feelings, maybe of the majority of the owners, I'm going to keep on doing that.

And that's what transpired right there. Also, this was reported for me in Rappaport Cardinals GM Steve Keim is taking an indefinite health related leave of absence from the team. Obviously, we wish nothing but the best to Steve Keim. We don't really have any more details on it. So there's nothing really more that we could add to the conversation other than to wish him good health. Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim is currently on a health related leave of absence.

This is from Adam Schefter. Keim's duties are being handled on an interim basis by vice president player personnel Quinnen Harris and vice president of pro personnel Adrian Wilson. Out of respect for privacy, which is required by law, the team will refrain from commenting further. So hopefully everything is okay. Clearly serious enough.

We have to leave your job. It's not fair to speculate. So I hope everything is all right with Steve Keim. And when we get more information, we will give that to you. Okay, let's get to a news brief.

Time for your daily news brief. We get you caught up on the rumors, reports and reconnaissance from the day in sports. There's supposed to be some bad weather Saturday night in Buffalo for bills and dolphins. You've heard before when there's rain, coaches prepare the footballs and practice a certain way. Same thing when it comes to snow. There's always preparation being done. Let's hear from the coach of the Dolphins, Mike McDaniel, on if he's checking the weather in Buffalo.

Zero monitoring for myself. I think you expect it to be as cold and, you know, it could be five foot of snow. You know that the elements are going to be different than, you know, what we're in right now. And the biggest thing is, like, yeah, you do adjust a hair, you know, we won't be outside and, you know, you do it, but you don't really prepare for it besides mentally deciding if it's going to matter to you or not. I kind of look at it like this.

Do the Buffalo Bills players vacation in Buffalo? So, yeah, you get used to it, but you don't. It's a mindset as well. Are you going to let the elements matter more to you than them?

It is the same field, the same element. So you just decide mentally how much you're going to let it affect you. Picky, can you try to tell me what he's trying to say there?

Because that made zero sense to me. The cold will only affect you if you let it affect you. It's all about, I think he's right.

It's all about mindset. If you are worried about being cold, then you're going to be cold. And if you let the cold affect you, you're not going to play well. Do you think players, though, in Buffalo vacation in Buffalo?

Yes. You don't get that? Meaning, like, they don't like the cold weather either. Yeah, but they play there. It's not like they're not there for six months or whatever it is out of the year. Right. I'm just trying to explain, like, he was basically saying, like, just because they're there doesn't mean they like it sort of thing. Like, you could play in the cold doesn't mean you like playing in the cold. Okay, but they're more used to it.

I'm not saying that's why you win the game. But again, if you let it get in, it's more of a mental thing. I thought that was a lot of rambling by Mike McDaniel. It was.

It was a random way of talking about the weather, how it's not going to impact him. I almost want to say, hey, Mr. McDaniel, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I've ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent responses were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.

That's what I would say to one Mike McDaniel, you know, my house. Oh, come on, Hickey. You really don't know that movie? No.

Billy Madison. Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay. You know what? I am not going to.

That's bad, but I'm not going to lamb. I've seen it, but I've seen it. I'm not going to lamb base you for it because there's a lot of movies that people mentioned. I'm like, what? I've never seen that.

It's just movies and also music. Sometimes I, I have problems like that as well. Anyway, but the other thing I'm Mike McDaniel seems like that's a guy that got burned by the weatherman once, like looking for like a snow day growing up as a kid. And it just didn't happen. I cut it out a bit more there.

It was long. He did mention like, well, you know, basically you, do you trust the weather here every day? It's like, so he was kind of, you know, basically saying that too now wasn't a Tobin right. Who joined us Brendan Tobin. Yeah. Didn't he join us? And he was upset the last time the dolphins and the bills played because the bills players afterwards were complaining that the sun was a factor in the game.

That is correct. They were complaining about the heat. Wait until the dolphins start bitching about the snow after the game.

That will, that will be something how the tables have turned. Michael Parsons questions if Jalen Hertz is getting too much credit for the Eagle success via the podcast. We look at the Eagles as a Hertz or the team.

I think it's a little bit of both, man. I think it's system and team. I just love the game so much. And I understand it so much that like, I can't, I like, I like when things are off, I just can't like hold it in. Like I almost got to say something like they got, they got a great team. Great.

Everyone has their own opinions. Like, but they got, so Jalen hurts is good. I don't even get why Micah Parsons is going there. You play them again.

You already lost to them. And yeah, all great players need great players around them in order to have the team success that the Eagles are having. Like, I don't think Micah Parsons meant any harm by what he was saying, but it didn't come off well, Ryan. I'll tell you this when it's, if it's my team, I'd rather have a, I'd rather people talk about, oh, is it the quarterback or the team? Like, I would love to have that debate because that means, like I said, the team is very well built.

You don't want to have a heroic effort. It's something that I dealt with for a bunch of years and people were trying to take away from Tom Brady. They're like, oh, he's a system quarterback. It's annoying, but you win. I don't give a crap if you're a system quarterback.

It doesn't matter whether it's the team or the player you're winning. That's all that matters. And it's a little bit of both. Yeah.

Oh yeah. Can't just benefit only from a good system. And look at the jump from year one to year two. Make the throws and be able to run the ball the way that he does. Get AJ Brown. He's been a lot better, but that's not a detriment or a bad thing. Jordan, my Lada Eagles left tackle response to the Micah Parsons comments.

Yeah. I'm a worry about the Chicago bears this week, man. I'm worried about this game. Michael should worry about his game this week, too.

So I don't have a lot of my language. I mean, just, just worry about you got this week. That's how we do it here. I'm not going to worry about any other comments.

Anybody said that's just how we focus and run about our business. You got Chicago bears. I love them. The accent's great.

The Australian accent never heard him speak before. It is great. And you know what? I think that it's going to get chippy Christmas Eve. You're not going to be exchanging pleasantries. That's going to be Elaine Johnson and Jordan.

My lot of trying to mall Micah Parsons and we'll see if they're going to be able to do so. Okay. Let's play one final one here.

Marlon Humphrey says he ate raw liver this off season in order to return from injury faster. You're not punking me here, Hickey. This is actual actual quote.

This is a real thing. Yay. All right. I hit up the liver King when I got hurt, you know, trying to get the muscle going. You know, I, I don't really assume someone's on steroids unless they say they're on steroids. You know what I mean? So like, I didn't really, not that I really, I didn't really care if it was.

So I'm like, yo, like what I need to do. So I, this off season and I was trying to get back from injury. I went and got some raw liver and it tasted gross. I'm not going to lie.

I just kind of tried to take some, chug it with water. Obviously I don't look completely jacked. So it was maybe it did not work, but he, we had some great conversations. He's very woke, I guess is a word to say, but I was a little surprised that his accusations of the steroid use, you know, it's a little disappointing being that I was eating raw liver because of this guy. You think he's serious?

Oh no, I think he's serious. He ate raw liver because of the liver King. It would not surprise you that guy fails a drug test. Marlon Humphrey that the way that he was talking about the steroids made it seem like maybe I did something else, but no, I was eating raw liver because of the liver King.

That's I don't know. Something sounds fugazi to me about that. Especially you've seen photos of the liver King.

Oh yeah. He's jacked. If you're trusting his diet, it seems like, well, I think he was saying that he's pissed off that it wasn't all natural. He lied to everybody. Also at this point you would have had a drug test already.

It, if that guy, if that guy tells you he's not on steroids, I'm talking about the liver King. You believe him? I didn't. A lot of people did ready 3.7 million followers.

I think I take talk. A lot of people thought it was real. A lot of people were upset when it came out that he was shows you a stupid. We are roiding up. Yeah.

Oh yeah. Real shocked that that guy was on steroids. I don't know when it comes to rehab from injuries, players do things to try to get back on the field as soon as possible. Hey, I don't know if I'm eating raw liver, maybe doing something else to get back on the field as soon as possible.

Zach Gelb show CBS sports radio, Jake Delanex. So my biggest fear is there's going to be sneaks in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10 minute podcast called your weirdest fears. We unpack where these fears come from. A rat climbed into my toilet. And learn how to manage them.

Listen and subscribe to your weirdest fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Throughout the sixties and seventies 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 hurt people. 15 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 two, the Dixie mafia available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Is there something really absurd that skeeves you out? Getting a paper cut on my eyeball? A fear you can't shake. I'm going to leak ocular fluid down my cheeks. It's going to go into my mouth and I will perish. Whatever scares you. I want to talk about it. Join me, Larry Mullins on my new podcast, your weirdest fears.

Listen and subscribe to your weirdest fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show. We continued as a Zach Gelb show coast to coast on CBS sports radio, the Carolina Panthers back in the playoff mix right now. So we go right out to the guest line and welcome in former Panthers quarterback in Jake Delome.

Jake, appreciate the time. How are you? I'm doing well, Zach. I, uh, it is exciting times in Carolina. You know, it's, uh, I think early in the season, um, we had high expectations going into the season and then it obviously didn't start well at all for this football team. And so now to see this team starting to play some pretty good football and hope it can't continue this weekend against Pittsburgh. It's, uh, it's good to see because I was one that, you know, I was championed the Panthers. I thought they could have been a seven, eight, maybe a nine win football team.

And if you get hot along the way, you steal a winner too. And this team could have snuck in the door for the playoffs. And, uh, you know, it, uh, it wasn't looking good for a while for this team and you could see some talent was there.

It just wasn't happening. And then Steve Wilkes gets the job and things kind of change to say the least. And it's a different mentality with this football team and they're playing some pretty good football right now. So Steve Wilkes is taking over as the interim head coach.

They're four and four. It begs the question, is he going to be back next year? Just what kind of has been the conversation and vibe in North Carolina about that?

Listen, let's be brutally honest here. I think when he was named the interim, um, I think everybody was kind of like, well, let's just play the season out and see who they hire in the off season. I think that's kind of what the mindset was, but he came in and I was told from his first meeting to his first practice, to his first, everything, it was just different.

And the players went, had a total buy-in and every week you just kind of see something start to change a little bit more with this football team. And there's just something about him. He's just, it's like an intentness with him. It's just everything. There's an intent in everything that he does.

He's not beating around the bush. The players have really and truly bought in totally. Um, and we're doing it with different quarterbacks. I mean, this team has had three quarterbacks with high ankle sprains this year. I don't know how often that truly happens. And, uh, and, and, and to be quite honest, there's not a true franchise quarterback on this roster.

And that's just, that's just the reality reality of it. So they've done well. They've established themselves as a running football team, a tough, hard-nosed defensive football team with a good young core of talent, especially defensively that I think this is a team that you can continue to build because there's some young solid talent on this team. The question is, if you get rid of Steve Wilkes, who are you bringing in? That's going to be vastly better. And everyone goes to Sean Payton. I don't see the saints and the Panthers working out a trade to get Sean over to Carolina.

I've even seen Mike Florio throughout the name, uh, Mike Tomlin with David Tepper's ties to Pittsburgh, but who knows if the Steelers are ready to move on from Mike Tomlin? Probably not. That's my question. Like, who do you get in that is realistic and better than what Steve Wilkes is doing right now?

Listen, it'd be hard pressed and, and I've won. I've said it all along. And, um, I did not, I wasn't in Carolina playing at the time when Steve was there. He came after my time there, but got to know him and know the respect that the players had for him. He was dealt a bad hand in Arizona.

There's just no other way around it. That was not a good football team when he went there roster wise. Um, they made the decision to draft Josh Rosen and that hasn't worked out, uh, to say the least. And that just wasn't a good, a good roster. And he got fired after one year.

I mean, it's very simple. He wasn't given a true chance. So this was a guy that was an established football coach, a very good defensive coordinator under Ron Rivera in Carolina, and he didn't get an opportunity, but now he's gotten an opportunity. Um, and for the most part, he kind of looks, he acts and he smells like a head coach. I mean, if you, if you look at it, that's what you're getting Jake Delom here with us. So is your expectation now that he's going to be the head coach next year? Do you need to see more? You know what?

Um, listen, I'm not writing the checks. I like what I've seen so far from him. I think there'll be many a guys that you've kind of seen that, Hey, they they've been named the head coach, but there's no head coach qualities. And what exactly is the head coach quality? I think the biggest thing, are you a leader of men? Uh, that's one thing you gotta be able to lead men. Uh, you gotta be able to delegate to your assistant coaches hire a very good staff, a good support system, but the players have to believe in you. They've got to believe in your system. Uh, and, and they have to have a, their ears have to be open.

They've got to listen to your message and believe in that message. So, um, I think he's done everything so far up until this point, excuse me, if this team finishes out well, um, where there's a chance, then it'd be hard pressed for you to find somebody in my opinion, that is, you know, done a better job than what he's done and can come in and do a better job. Jake Delom here with us, you talked about the quarterbacks or the lack of it on the roster. We know Baker Mayfield is now with the Rams. You got PJ Walker. You also have Sam Darnold. That's also a compelling thing with the Panthers are going to do this off season because it's better that they're playing well, but they're also moving themselves out of a top 10 draft pick where, you know, they could have been easier in play for a franchise quarterback. Maybe. Yeah, you're exactly right. But then the question is this, is there a franchise quarterback in this draft?

It's a fair question. I would say Bryce young is someone that I believe in. And I think he's going number one after that. I like CJ shroud. I don't love CJ shroud.

Yeah. And that's something that to say that I've studied these guys enough, that would be a complete lie on my part, but is there a franchise guy? I'm just a believer in this. I truly believe if you just kind of build your team, you got to build this team, build your football team, especially both sides of the football, a solid offensive line, and you get a nasty defensive line that can get out to the quarterback and you just build your team. And hopefully somewhere along the line, you can find that quarterback, be at the draft.

Maybe you hit on somebody in free agency or whatever it may be, but you just got to continue to build this team. We're good. We're getting draft picks back. We traded Christian McCaffrey away.

We, we, we received some draft capital for that. So this team is set up to add to some of the young core that I truly believe is present already on this roster. Talking to Jake Deloam right now at his, his at Gelb show on CBS sports radio, uh, staying in the NFC South, a lot of questions about the future of Tom Brady. Is he going to stay with Tampa? Is he going to go to Fox? Is he going to be playing somewhere else next year? But what do you think Tom's going to be doing next year?

You know, that's, I don't think anyone knows to be quite honest. I truly thought last year was his final year. We spoke briefly, um, about a month and a half ago when the Panthers played Tampa, uh, on, before the game.

And it was Tom, myself and left by left, which, um, and we go way back and, uh, and it's kind of funny, you know, Tom was like, Hey, you need to come back to play. And I'm like, buddy said, Hey, age is just a number. And that smile on his face and just look in those eyes. He truly loves what he does. Um, I know last week was not good for them against San Francisco, but the week prior against the saints, watching him walk into that press conference and just that glisten in his eye and that smirk, just like we drew it up. I mean, that's, it's, it's a drug to him.

It really truly is. And he loves it. And he's still a really good football player. What do you think Rogers does this off season? I know they just signed into that contract extension, but this has been a miserable year for the Green Bay Packers.

No, it has. Um, I'd be shocked if he'd walk away. I just think the Christian Watson kid, what he's done all the time that he's missed and what he's done in the last month.

Uh, and I think they could add a piece or two here and there. I truly believe he comes back. That's just my opinion. I don't see any Rogers going out like this. Jake Delom here with us. Another interesting thing is Matthew Stafford, because he's made all the money in the world. He now has a Superbowl. He probably won't ever be a hall of fame guy, but now he's dealing with a lot of injuries. And you start to talk about a neck injury and other things as well, elbow and concussions. I just wonder how much longer he's going to be able to physically play. And I wonder what those conversations are like this off season. Well, I'm sure there'll be real and I'm not so sure of, of all of his medical deals, uh, exactly what's going on right now. Yeah. It was the concussion, our neck, and then he had the shoulder deal.

So that's something that maybe we're not privy to just yet. Um, but the biggest thing is they've got to protect him and, uh, there's no draft capital there, uh, for them to, to protect him, uh, to, to get offensive lineman and how do they fit under that salary cap and things of that nature. So that's going to be the one to me, um, that that's going to be the wild card this off season. Jake Delome here with us. When we look at the AFC right now, it's Joe burrow, it's Josh Allen and it's Patrick Mahomes. Who's the team? Cause those are the only three teams I could really see get into the super bowl in the AFC. Who's the team that you roll with.

Buddy. I'm a huge Buffalo bill fan, uh, due to Brandon Dean, Sean McDermott. But Patrick, my homes, I, what he has done and I just continue to more watching him play Joe burrow. I watched him play 45 minutes down the road from where I live in Louisiana at LSU and what he's done. Um, but gosh, I truly believe we're going to see a Buffalo Kansas city rematch in the AFC championship game.

And, uh, needless to say, we need to, uh, watch all 60 minutes and plus cause we just don't know exactly how that will end up. But those two teams to me look like they are kind of, um, above everybody else. I understand Cincinnati did beat Kansas city the last three times that they played them. But, um, it's just Patrick, my homes and Josh Allen.

There are, they're just different right now. And Joe burrow, you just see it coming. I mean, he's there already, but you just see it more and more. So that's going to be a great deal in the, in the AFC and on the NFC side, it's seems like Philadelphia, Philadelphia. Yeah. Now San Francisco, that is a nasty football team that they're nasty and the Purdy kid, um, listen, it's two games, but running that offense and what he does to kind of distribute the football, if they can get Debo back and get Elijah Mitchell back, uh, to pair with Christian, that could be a scary, um, scary proposition also, but certainly J what Jalen hurts has done in Philadelphia and what they've added in the off season, uh, the AJ Brown.

Wow. That's a, that's a nice piece to pick up in the off season to say the least. Now, Kyler Murray's dealing with the torn ACL was not having a good year this season. Just what advice would you give to Kyler Murray? Because I'm starting to wonder if he's the guy, but he's getting paid. Like he is the guy. Listen, he got paid.

Like he's the guy. And, uh, we've seen, we've seen flashes. I think that's the biggest thing.

And, uh, I saw it firsthand this year. Uh, the Panthers are up 10 to three at half in Carolina and I'm watching a dejected football team walk into the locker room at half, but yet they came back in the second half. They made some plays. He was able to run around and make some beautiful passes. So this is going to be a tough off season for him having to rehab. How quick can he come back and, and what do they do? I mean, they signed extensions to the head coach and the general manager.

And, um, there's a lot of people getting paid a lot of money and there hasn't been a whole lot of success. Before we let Jake Dellum run, uh, last one that I'll ask you about just in terms of, of the whole quarterback situation right now, who's someone they've just thoroughly been impressed with this year that maybe we did not talk about yet. You know, oh, I'm a huge fan of watching Trevor Lawrence play. I really truly, um, I try to watch him as much as I can. Sundays are difficult because I'm calling the Panther game, but I try to watch him.

Um, I, I think you have to really flush last year. I don't think there was much going on in Jacksonville last year and for him to get a veteran like Doug Peterson and press Taylor, what he's doing, calling plays young up and comer, who he'll be a head coach at some point, Mike McCoy, long time quarterback coach, head coach. He was my coach in Carolina. And I know the kind of call Mike can bring to the quarterback room and, uh, watching Trevor Lawrence, uh, play that's been pretty impressive. Um, cause we saw he had hit a law over in London, made a couple of bad plays in that game in London kind of cost his team the game, but he's answered and some of the plays he's made, but he's, he's won that, that was, that's exciting to see to watch him play.

Not I'm going to put you on the spot. Last question for Jake Delome. We talked about the Panthers in the beginning. I still think the bucks. I don't believe that that great of a team this year, obviously are going to win that division. Are you still going with Tampa to win that division or are you going to sell me on Carolina? Listen, I'm selling you on Carolina. Um, we do a weekly podcast, a long time left tackle, Jordan gross. And I do one on panthers.com every week. And I said it two weeks ago, I said, we're going on a five and we're going on a run.

It's very simple. We were going to beat Denver. We're going to have a buy kind of regroup refresh. Um, and Sam Darnold get a little more time, uh, to get acclimated in this offense with the ones. And, uh, we went to Seattle and got a win. Uh, we have Pittsburgh coming to Carolina on Sunday. I think we'll play well. And then the test to me, the next big, big test is Detroit on Christmas Eve. This Detroit football team is playing as well offensively as anybody in the national football league. So I truly believe this Panther team can make a run. Then you have to go to Tampa, um, to play them. And, um, listen, we beat them once already.

Why can't we continue to do that? Tampa hasn't been playing great. I know they beat the saints on the Monday night football, but they were down 16 to three with five minutes left to go in that game. If Mark Ingram gets the first down, instead of running out of bounds, that game is over with. And, and so they haven't played the best football and the saints. It's just been one thing after another with the saints.

So I truly believe the Panthers can finish out this season extremely strong. Always fun to chat with Jake Dellum. Jake appreciate the time as always. Oh, thanks, Zach. I appreciate it. And you can think of Riley auto parts, right?

Car care needs get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly auto part. So my biggest fear is there's going to be sneaks in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10 minute podcast called your weirdest fears. We unpack where these fears come from, a rat climbed into my toilet and learn how to manage them.

Listen and subscribe to your weirdest fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. So my biggest fear is there's going to be sneaks in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10 minute podcast called your weirdest fears. We unpack where these fears come from a rat climbed into my toilet and learn how to manage them. Listen and subscribe to your weirdest fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.

So my biggest fear is there's going to be sneaks in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10 minute podcast called your weirdest fears.

We unpack where these fears come from a rat climbed into my toilet and learn how to manage them. Listen and subscribe to your weirdest fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show.

You can always follow the Zach Gelb show on social media, Twitter and Instagram at Zach Gelb, Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B. It is a Wednesday, so it's time for a Take 5 Wednesday. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I hope you guys enjoyed it.

I hope you guys enjoyed it. It is a Wednesday, so it's time for a Take 5 Wednesday and we'll do that right now. As the dust settles from last week's games, it's time to look at which teams are rising and which are falling. Zach ranks his top five NFL teams on this week's edition of Take 5 only on the Zach Gelb show. Wow!

Did you take that into your own hands there, Hickey? Because usually that segment says ranks his top five NFL and college teams and this week it only said NFL teams since we're pretty much done so ranking the top five college teams. Doug, yeah, made two versions. We played the NFL one last week too, NFL only. Did we?

Yeah. Oh, I must have missed it last week. So Doug did a great job and now we are prepared when the college football season ends to do a month-long still take five. Nice job. You know, I got to give you credit even though you big time dissolved the company holiday party today and didn't show up because you thought it was too small of an event and beneath you to go to that. You did right by the show in terms of getting us the right production for today. I will not take credit. I'll give Doug the credit and I did not avoid the holiday party because it was too small. Yes, it was. Wait, wait, wait. You, oh this, so this was Doug who reached out? Yes.

Well, no, just he made, he made two. Okay. You could kind of fib. Well, I just, I want, I want the proper, I don't feel comfortable taking credit that I don't deserve. That's all. Make sure the proper people get credit. Oh, so what do you do here?

Well, hopefully enough. All right, in at number five, I waited and waited and waited and waited and waited on this team because I wanted to see them get some legit wins. And even though the Dolphins may not be as good as what their record says they are, and Tampa is a bad team this year and still may make the playoffs, the way that the 49ers just thoroughly dominated, the Dolphins and then also the Bucks in back to back weeks where they lost a quarterback in Jimmy G after already losing Trey Lance.

They had to go to Brock Purdy and then you have Deebo get hurt as well. I got to put them in the top five and I'll take it a step further. There's only one other team in the NFC in front of them this year. So they are the second best team now in the NFC in my book, fifth best team in the NFL. In at number four, this team, they lost to the Bengals. They also lost to the Bills, but they're still a team that no one wants to face come playoff time because of one man and one man only. And that's Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs.

She's the best team in the city. Sure. They were going up against the Texans. Sure. They were up to the bear, the Broncos, excuse me.

Sure. They were up 27, nothing. And that game looked like it was going to be over and it was a blowout. And the Broncos came roaring back a little bit, showed some fight for the first time this year. Mahomes made some mistakes.

She still won the game. They dominated the start and they let their foot off the gas. Kansas City in at number four, three things are starting to improve. I know it wasn't the cleanest offensive game for the Buffalo Bills last week, but they control their own destiny to have the number one overall seed in the road to Glendale, Arizona, the AFC travel through Orchard Park.

And I look at a team like the Buffalo Bills as this is a week where they can make a big statement when they go up against the Miami Dolphins and snowy Buffalo. In at number two, Cincinnati Bengals. They beat the Chiefs. They beat them three straight times, but after that game, they'll let down performance. They're going out there and they beat the Browns, a team that Joe Burrows never beat in his career. They'll get the bills coming up in a few weeks, but I put the Bengals in at number two. And then in at number one, if anyone does a show and doesn't put the Eagles at number one at this point, I don't get what you're watching. If you're judging it based off what you've seen through the first 14 weeks of the season, the Eagles have one loss and recently the Eagles have been blowing out teams. They blew out Tennessee and they just blew out and dominated the New York Giants. I don't see a flaw with this team because we talk about the run defense. The run defense has got better. So when you look at this entirety of the roster with Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, Devante Smith, Miles Sanders, eventually getting Dallas Goddard back, how strong they are up front on the offensive line.

Defensively, Ndamukong Su. You got Brandon Graham. You got Hassan Redick.

Back to back to back seasons of 10 plus acts with three different teams. You got Darius Slay. You just keep on going through this team.

There's not a flaw. Now, does it mean they're going to win the Super Bowl? No, it doesn't, but I do expect them to be in the Super Bowl out of the NFC. So those are my five. 49ers in at five, Chiefs in at four, Bills three, Bengals two, and the Eagles one.

Hot take Kiki, speak now or forever hold your peace. A team that has been considered recently maybe the biggest threat to the Eagles in the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys. So here's my thing with Dallas. They needed to sweat it out up against the Houston Texans. And I know you could say, oh, well Zach, the Kansas City game against Denver got close. You never felt like Kansas City was going to lose the game until the final 40 seconds. And there were some bad coaching by Lovey Smith, even in maybe the Texans best effort of the season. Until you had the Ezekiel A touchdown, there was a legit thought that they were going to lose.

I just think the Cowboys are a good team and maybe a good team gets the Super Bowl this year, but I don't think they're a great team. I like their defense. Offensively, I love Tony Pollard.

C.D. Lamb's really good. They just signed T.Y.

Hilton. But I just look at Dak and McCarthy and I'm just expecting them come playoff time to not be good enough. So that's why I'm out on the Cowboys.

I just did not like the performance and the way that it looked from the startup against the Texans. There are two teams in the NFC with 10 wins. One of them is, or at least 10 wins.

One of those Eagles. The other is Minnesota Vikings. Why aren't they a top five team? Oh, they lost to the Cowboys, 40 to 3. They lost to the Eagles.

I think that was 27 to 7 back in week 2. And Vegas just told you everything you need to know about the Vikings. They said, okay, you're going up against the Lions. We don't care. We're making the Lions a favorite.

Everyone's like, oh, it's disrespectful. Lions dominate that game. They were in control of that game and they were up at 1.14 and then 15 points. Vikings are good.

I can't put it in my top five afterward. I just saw this past weekend and what happens when they go up against some of the better teams in the league. I know people who say, oh, they beat Buffalo. You take the wins as they come. If Josh Allen could feel the snap, they're not winning that game up against the Buffalo Bills. One stack correction. I left out the Cowboys.

They also have 10 wins in the NFC. My apologies. Oh, okay. That's fine. That's it?

That is it. My order. Do you agree with the order? If you had to order these teams because last week we agreed and I made a change because I took out the Cowboys and I put the 49ers in. Eagles, Bengals, Bills, Chiefs, Niners. Do you agree with that five?

Yeah, I can't argue with it. I can't put the Chiefs. I think, although to me, they think the Chiefs will represent the AFC. I can't put them above the Bengals or Bills right now because they lost to both on the 49ers. I like a lot, but I would not put them right now above the chiefs. So yes, I would agree with the order for this week. Okey-dokey. Look at that.

Yeah. The Cowboys and the Vikings. If you look back from last week, probably the Cowboys, the Vikings and the dolphins took the biggest hit last week. And the difference between one of those teams compared to the other two, at least the Cowboys did win. But when you had to grind one out against the Texans, that's not a good sign because that team was pretty much lifeless until what, 40 seconds left in the game. Now you rather win the game than lose the game, but Minnesota, you kind of have to reevaluate after what did transpire up against the lions. And you look at the dolphins the last two weeks, not having these great performances.

And now with the way that Tua has regressed just a little bit, you kind of look at them now a little bit sideways. So for those teams, how they respond this week, you could get back maybe on the train. If you go out there and get big, like if the dolphins get a victory this weekend, you get back on the dolphins train because then they beat the bills twice in a season. If you look at the Minnesota Vikings, they play the Colts. I don't really think that's a get back on the train type of game. You said it yesterday, this can only be a game that goes bad for the Vikings.

Yeah, you got to blow them out. If that's a game like it was against the Jets or the Jets are a better team than the Colts and you're sweating it out late, then that's problematic. So we'll see how this all does play out this week in the National Football League.

It is the Zach Yelp Show on CBS Sports Radio and same thing for the Cowboys. Jaguars, they have some life, but after the loss or after the win last week that felt like a loss, you better go dominate them. Don't wait to show up in the final fourth quarter, especially in Jacksonville.

All right, coming on back. So my biggest fear is there's going to be snakes in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10 minute podcast called Your Weirdest Fears. We unpack where these fears come from. A rat climbed into my toilet.

And learn how to manage them. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Is there something really absurd that skeeves you out? Getting a paper cut on my eyeball. A fear you can't shake. I'm going to leak ocular fluid down my cheeks.

It's going to go into my mouth and I will perish. Whatever scares you, I want to talk about it. Join me, Larry Mullins, on my new podcast, Your Weirdest Fears. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. So my biggest fear is there's going to be snakes in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10 minute podcast called Your Weirdest Fears. We unpack where these fears come from. A rat climbed into my toilet. And learn how to manage them. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.