Broncos Fire Hackett (Hour 1)

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 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 C13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio. Season 2, the Dixie Mafia, available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from the palatial yet not overly ostentatious studios of CBS Sports Radio here in beautiful New York City, sitting on top of the tenth floor of 345 Hudson Street, it is a Monday edition of Maggie & Perloff right here on CBS Sports Radio. Maggie & Andrew both out the entire week, so Zach Gelb here with you all the way up until 6 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday this week across all of our great local CBS Sports Radio affiliates, Sirius XM, Channel 158, and that free Odyssey app. You could always give me a follow on the good old cesspool of Twitter, at Zach Gelb, or on Instagram where I'm straight flexing, at Zach Gelb, Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B.

You could always hit me up, 855-212-4CBS, that's 855-212-4227. Emmanuel Bari along the other way, and I hope everyone had a great holiday season as we inch closer and closer final week of 2022 until we flip the calendar and welcome in 2023. And you look at the football yesterday, yikes, it was ugly. I know it was a good game between Green Bay and Miami, and now the Packers I guess are alive you could say for the playoffs even though I still have a hard time believing they'll get in. The Dolphins were a disaster yesterday in that fourth quarter, and to a tongue of Iloa, everyone's telling me he's the greatest thing ever, everyone has to apologize for all the criticism that they gave him. And I think Tua is a good quarterback, but a great quarterback?

A quarterback that you feel could go win a Super Bowl? I know he's had good moments this year, but the last four or five weeks, it's been a disaster outside of the Buffalo Bills game, which they ended up losing anyway, for Tua Tunga, Vailoa. And you had not one, not two, but three fourth quarter interceptions yesterday for the Dolphins as they go down to the Green Bay Packers by a final score of 26-20. Now the Dolphins are going to have to scratch and claw their way into the postseason as they're sitting with a record of 8-7. And really when you look at Miami, we know the Chargers are going to find a way to get into the postseason just without how easy their schedule is. Bengals and Ravens already in, you know that the Chiefs and the Bills are in as well. So we'll have someone win the AFC South, it's trending like it's going to be the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that final spot, it's between three teams. And really it's the Jets, it's the Patriots, and it's the Miami Dolphins.

Let's find out that they'll have Mike White this weekend for Jets and Seattle at the 12th man. And the Patriots, who had another disaster loss where they were down, they come back, then they give the game away as Cincinnati did survive on Saturday. The Patriots do play the Dolphins for their second matchup earlier in the year, it was the Dolphins beating the Patriots. So one of those three teams in the AFC East, the Jets, the Pats, or the Dolphins, will be the final playoff team in.

And we'll have to wait and see who that's going to be, but to a tongue of my love, I saw them calling him on Twitter yesterday, to a turn the ball over. Which I thought was very funny. Dolphins with a disaster performance, Denver and Los Angeles, what a boring game that was. I thought that was going to be an ugly, close game that would at least have an exciting finish with those two disaster teams with the Rams being horrible and the Broncos being horrible.

And we'll start the show with Daniel Hackie getting fired in just a bit. But the Rams opened up a can of whoop-ass on the Denver Broncos as they beat them 51-14. And then on the nightcap, if you were still able to stay up after stuffing your face all day on Christmas Day, that was one of the most boring, close games you will ever see. A game that went into overtime and had another Tom Brady comeback because the Buccaneers finally said, Oh, we got to win this game, and oh yeah, let's run a little hurry up. Let's run a little no huddle offense.

And they were able to find a little bit of a spark. That game looked like Tampa early was going to have its way with the Cardinals, then Tampa Bay down big to Arizona, and the Bucs do survive 19-16 as we try to figure out who's going to win the NFC South. All we know is that it won't be Atlanta because they got eliminated over the weekend. So you're looking at the Saints, the Panthers, and the Bucs. Bucs can clinch this weekend as they go up against the Carolina Panthers in Week 16.

It does conclude tonight with the Chargers looking to officially clinch their postseason berth going up against the Indianapolis Colts. So we got to start to show off with the news that we knew it wasn't a matter of if he was going to get fired, just when it was going to happen, and I did think that he was going to make it through the rest of the season because we were going into Week 16 and he was still the coach. But after yesterday's disaster and really catastrophe by the Denver Broncos going up against the Rams, the Rams just spanked them around 51-14 in an isolated window. Today we got the announcement that Nathaniel Hackett is being let go and fired after 16 weeks of the NFL season, 15 games as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.

And this should come to no surprise to anyone, but now it's okay, where does Denver go from here? Because Nathaniel Hackett was a disaster. Nathaniel Hackett just getting rid of him doesn't mean all of a sudden next year the Denver Broncos are going to be jumping up and down.

They're fans like fat kids in a candy store come postseason time because they're going to be there because this team has a lot of problems and their biggest problem, I don't even think it's the coach. Don't get me wrong, Nathaniel Hackett should not have been the head coach of this team. Nathaniel Hackett was not good. Nathaniel Hackett was an incompetent bozo this year for the Denver Broncos. But the biggest problem with the Denver Broncos, and you even saw it yesterday, is once again Russell Wilson is not the quarterback that you thought he was. Russell Wilson threw three interceptions yesterday. Russell Wilson does not have the greatest leadership skills in the world in Denver. And the once guy that we looked at and viewed as a Hall of Fame quarterback has done a complete 180 ever since getting the money and all the assets the Broncos gave up to go get him to secure Russell Wilson in Denver and have him be the quarterback for the Broncos. There are people, NFL analysts today, and it's not going to happen because of the way that the dead cap is, that are seriously talking about the Broncos getting rid of Russell Wilson this offseason.

Now that's not going to happen. George Payton knows that he needs to go and bring in a new coach and try to find a way to get this ship back and just floating. I'm not even saying starting to sail and move in the right direction. This ship right now, the Broncos, is 10 feet underwater.

You need to now get the ship back up and just make sure that it could float. Because this team, I can't even think about them being in the playoffs next year because, yes, they have a really good defense, but offensively the biggest problem, forget about the poor play of Russell Wilson because that's one thing, I don't believe that this Broncos team trusts or respects Russell Wilson. And that, to me, when you have the face of an organization, the quote-unquote leader of the franchise at the quarterback position in Russell Wilson, if you can't have your message resonate with the troops that you're trying to lead, oh, this thing's never going to work. And I think Russ came in with a big ego, and Russ has kind of isolated himself from that team, brings in his own quarterback, Coach Jake Heaps. He's doing the work with Jake and all that, and I don't think he's won over that locker room. And you thought it would be very easy to win over that locker room because if you're a Broncos player in the offseason, oh, wow, Russell Wilson's coming here? After what, Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Locke, Paxton Lynch, it depends how far you go back as a player, Trevor Simi and all these disaster names that they brought in, Joe Flacco, that haven't worked? You're excited.

There was palpable buzz. But then you look at the Russ that you got, and I think it was really the last two years or a year and a half before this season, you look at Russell Wilson, and there was a lot of bad play. And that was overshadowed because of the fight that was going on between Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson, and the public, including yours truly, was more on the side of Russell Wilson than Pete Carroll. Not that Pete Carroll is a lock to make the postseason this year, but the Seahawks have won this trade so far, and Pete Carroll has looked 9,000 times better than Russell Wilson. And in the last year and a half, two years of Russell Wilson's time in Seattle, and I had Jake Heaps on my show, the Zach Gilp show on CBS Sports Radio, here comes the cheap plug, Monday through Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. Eastern are many of the same CBS Sports Radio affiliates, Sirius XM Channel 158 and the Free Odyssey app.

And I remember when this fight started to become public, I said, you guys got to find middle ground. Sure, Russ wants to cook, but Pete Carroll has a valid point because when you let Russell Wilson throw the ball as many times as he wanted to in that first eight weeks of the season, when his numbers were really good in terms of the passing touchdowns, his interceptions were also drastically up. And I think there was more to be right by Pete Carroll than it was Russell Wilson. And Russ comes into Denver as the savior, as this guy that's going to go win the Broncos the Super Bowl and consistently get him back to the playoffs, and he's been a disaster. Even to a point where the backup quarterback yesterday, Brett Rippon, is trying to go to the offensive line and say, oh, go pick up your quarterback after he gets sacked. Or get it at the offensive line after Russell Wilson got sacked. And Dalton Reisner, who I believe is a water-plated Man of the Year finalist, he tells Brett, like, what are you going to do, Brett? And they're getting into it. Because every player in that Broncos locker room knows that Nathaniel Hackett shouldn't be the head coach.

Now he's no longer. But they also don't buy in to Russell Wilson. And how many times this year, receivers who really haven't done much in this league, or receivers that are not great wide receivers, they're showing Russ up on the field. Because they know the ball where it should be going. They know Russ is only looking at times at one half of the field.

They're trying to play hero ball and always go for the home run shot. And until Russell Wilson looks himself in the mirror, until Russell Wilson remembers that this is a team game and he checks his ego at the door, I don't care who you bring in as the next head coach. Yeah, you needed to get the Daniel Hackett out of there. But I don't care who you bring in next. If Russell Wilson doesn't remember that football is a team sport and not a me sport, then it doesn't matter who you bring in because Russell Wilson will never win over that locker room. And if your quarterback can't win over the locker room, then that's a big problem. Sometimes you have guys that can't win over a locker room.

They don't have the respect of the locker room. But that all gets kind of swept under the rug because the guy's a great player. Russell Wilson used to be a great player. Russell Wilson this year has been a disaster. And this will be the first time in Russell Wilson's career as an NFL quarterback, as a starting quarterback in this league, where people are going to count him out and people are going to say, Dude, I don't believe in you anymore.

I don't trust in you anymore. And I'm just fascinated to see a year from now, if we're doing this show a year from now, how Russell Wilson responded, how Russell Wilson changed. But I don't really have any proof or I don't have any confidence that Russell Wilson's going to be able to drastically turn this thing around, regardless of who they bring in a year from now when we do look at this football team and already have a full new year of a head football coach.

But this is as bad as it could get for us. This has been rock bottom this year for a guy who was a lock to go to the Hall of Fame. And if he doesn't turn the narrative around about him in the next two, three years, he may be kissing the Hall of Fame goodbye.

He may not make the Hall of Fame whenever he does hang it up. Remember, why did he want to leave PCOW? What did he say back on that initial interview on The Dan Patrick Show when he was watching Tom Brady in a Super Bowl defeat Patrick Mahomes in 2020? He wanted to get back to being a Super Bowl quarterback. He wanted to get back to winning championships.

He wanted to go down as one of the all time greats. Forget about that vision, Russ. Forget about that hope. You'll be lucky if you get to another Super Bowl. You'll be lucky if you can win another Super Bowl. But you first got to start with baby steps, and that is omitting you were wrong, apologizing to your teammates. And that's where you start to turn this narrative around. And then you have to win over that locker room next year.

And let's see if you can even guide this team to a postseason. But even though Russell Wilson used to be a player that I loved and I really respected and it was fun to watch. I just think he's he's too worried about the image.

I think he's too much worried about the brand. And all the cameras, like even yesterday after that fight happens on the sideline, go have a genuine conversation with your teammates. Don't put the football up next to your mouth to try to hide something from the like.

No one's going to be able to really see what you're saying to your teammates. But the fact that your receivers and your linemen don't respect you, that shows that, A, your play has been horrible. But B, whatever nonsense you're carrying on a locker room is making many people raise a lot of eyebrows at what Russell Wilson has done this year. When we get into some potential names for the Broncos, everyone is going to throw out today. Sean Payton, Sean Payton, Sean Payton. I don't think Sean Payton is going to be coaching the Denver Broncos next year. I think it's clear he wants to be the next coach of Los Angeles Chargers. I don't know if the Chargers job is going to open. If not the Chargers, you always have to figure the Cowboys who did beat the Eagles this weekend.

They could be a possibility. Now, some people might say, Zach, the Cowboys are going to go to the postseason. Mike McCarthy's done a good job this year. Why are they going to fire him?

Well, if McCarthy does not have success in the postseason this year, that narrative could change in a snap of a finger. And we know for years, Jerry Jones has coveted the services of Sean Payton. And I look at Arizona too. I think that, I don't think that's a preferred destination for Sean. But if the Chargers don't open, let's say the Cowboys don't open, and then you have Arizona who gets rid of Cliff Kingsbury, even though they just inked him to an extension through 2027 this past offseason, I do think Arizona could be in play. But if I'm Sean, I'm not going to Denver. What's attractive about the Broncos, the Broncos have to also give up resources to get them.

Because I think that's what everyone forgets about this. The rights of Sean are still owed, are owned by the New Orleans Saints. So if you want to go get Sean Payton, you're going to have to give up something.

What that's going to cost you, I don't know. So I don't think, I think they would want him obviously Denver, but I don't think Sean would want to go to Denver. Because Denver right now is just not an attractive job. You have a quarterback that is tied up to a lot of money, you lost a lot of resources to get that quarterback through the draft, you have a good defense but you got an offense, that the quarterback is dysfunctional and the offense around him is not all anything special.

So if I'm Sean, I would consider other destinations. The first two names that I thought of for the Broncos' job, and they're actually ironically defensive names when we talk about fixing the offense, but you can bring a defensive mind to coach a leader of men, and I think culture is really big on this hire, and then you can go get the right offensive coordinator. Dan Quinn was a name that I thought of, who is currently the Cowboys' defensive coordinator. He was a finalist for this job a year ago in Denver before it did go to Nathaniel Hackett. And then D'Amico Ryans as well, who's the current defensive coordinator for the 49ers. That's where my brain went after saying I don't see Sean Payton going there. My brain went to Dan Quinn and D'Amico Ryans, we'll see what the Denver Broncos do, as their head coaching search is underway to try to fix and restore the career of Russell Wilson, as Nathaniel Hackett is out 15 games in as an NFL head coach.

Zach Gelb here with you on Maggie and Perloff across all the great local CBS Sports Radio affiliates. What are your thoughts on the Broncos? Can you see Sean Payton going there next year? Can Russell Wilson turn this thing around?

855-212-4CBS, 855-212-4227, you can always hit me up, Instagram, Twitter, that's where you get me on social media, at Zach Gelb, Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B. We'll take a break, when we come on back, we will take a further deep dive into the AFC playoff chase. We know the Bills, Chiefs, Bengals, Ravens already in. Chargers can clinch tonight, AFC South winner, it's going to be between the Jaguars or Tennessee.

Who's going to get that final spot between the Pats, Jets, and Dolphins? We'll talk about that, next. 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. 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 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. Drop everything and hurry to the Xfinity Hello 2023 sale. New Xfinity customers can get 400 megabit internet for $30 a month for two years with no annual contract when they add Xfinity Mobile. Plus, for a limited time, get $500 back when you add a second mobile line. Drop everything and get to the Xfinity Hello 2023 sale, now through January 10th.

Go to Xfinity dot com slash hello 2023. Restrictions apply. Internet offer requires paperless billing and auto pay with stored bank account. Equipment taxes and fees extra.

After term, regular rates apply. Xfinity internet required for Xfinity Mobile. This NFL postseason, every Westwood One NFL broadcast is streamed live for free.

The wildcard round, the divisional round, the AFC and NFC championship games, the Pro Bowl, and Super Bowl 57. Catch all the action on the Odyssey app on westwoodonesports.com via Westwood One station streams or by asking Alexa to open Westwood One Sports. It's all sponsored by AutoZone, 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. We opened up the show talking about the biggest story of the day. The Denver Broncos officially parting ways and firing Nathaniel Hackett as their head football coach. And we're throwing out some names of who could replace Nathaniel Hackett out there in Denver. I don't think Sean Payton is realistic.

I don't think he would want to go there. So the two names that I've highlighted, even though they're on the defensive side of the ball, are Dan Quinn and D'Amico Ryans. And we'll see if Russell Wilson can turn the narrative around about him through the course of the next few seasons in Denver. Depending on how much longer he's going to be given the opportunity to be the Broncos quarterback. When we look at the rest of the AFC, we know the Bills are continuing to put an emphasis on having other guys run the football that are not named Josh Allen. And then if it comes to postseason time and you need Josh Allen to be the leading rusher like he's been for most of the season for the Bills.

You do whatever it takes to get to a Super Bowl and have a shot to win a Lombardi Trophy. But I like what I'm seeing and you saw it over the weekend as well. I do like what I'm starting to see out of Devon Motors Singletary. He goes on these runs of being really hot for four or five games.

I like the development of a James Cook. And I still believe down deep and I know we have a big game this weekend between the Bills and the Bengals. But I do believe down deep that if all things are equal and you look at the entirety of the roster. That Buffalo, even with the absence of Von Miller, which I don't want to be understated because he was brought in there to be the finisher.

He was brought in there to be the guy that would get the team off the field in the fourth quarter when you need a crucial stop. I still do believe the Bills have the best roster from top to bottom in the AFC. And they're still the team that I trust the most.

And I'm not just saying this because I'm filling in for Maggie today. I know how big of a fan Maggie is of the Buffalo Bills. But you look at Josh Allen, tremendous quarterback, the run game starting to get better with James Cook and Devon Motors Singletary. I like that Bills offensive line anchored by Dion Dawkins, a college buddy of mine. You look at the wide receiving spots, Staphon Diggs and Gabe Davis.

Now you've added Cole Beasley back into that mix and you still have a very good defense. So in the AFC, I do believe that Buffalo, given the slight edge right now, early thought on a Monday. That Buffalo will beat Cincinnati and Buffalo will end up going on out there and getting the number one overall seed.

And the path to Arizona, to Glendale, Arizona will travel through Buffalo and Orchard Park. But you look at the rest of the AFC, Bengals, yes, clearly they can get back to a Super Bowl. We know how great Joe Burrow has been in the weapons around him with Jamar Chase, T. Higgins, Tyler Boyd. You also do have a very good running back in, Joe, mixing a defense that keeps on getting better and better. Ever since halfway through last year, you know, the Bengals are definitely a Super Bowl contender in addition to Kansas City. Now, Kansas City, I would rank them in that order.

In the AFC, most likely to get to the Super Bowl, the least likely it would be the Bills. Then it would be the Bengals and then it would be Kansas City. Kansas City better not face the Bengals in the playoffs because the Bengals have beat them three straight times.

And not that many people have been able to be the kryptonite of Kansas City. I do think the Bengals are. And there's just something about that Bengals team. Even when the Chiefs are dominating like they were in the first half of the AFC championship game a year ago. Cincinnati just finds a way to make Mahomes, who is a great quarterback at times, look average. Like that second half of the AFC title game last year, he was really bad. When he got kind of hesitated right before the end of the first half and was never able to recover. And in overtime, he threw a pick.

But before that, there should have been an earlier pick in that overtime session. I look at Kansas City, you don't want to see Mahomes. You don't want to play Mahomes come postseason time.

And we know he's been MVP-like this year and may win the award. It's either going to be Patrick Mahomes, it could be Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts. I'll make the case, and I've been making the case since week one for Justin Jefferson, who now has the most single season receiving yards in the history of the Vikings franchise.

And we all know the big time creme de la creme names that the Vikings have had at wide receiver. So you're never going to want to go up against Mahomes. I just don't trust that defense that much in Kansas City. And I know they've made some plays in the past and in that championship season, they were able to make timely stops. And Mahomes, no lead is safe up against them. But I just look at the entirety of the team, and I just think the team is better in Buffalo.

The team is better in Cincinnati compared to Kansas City. So I still think those three teams are the only three teams I could see getting out of the AFC and going to the Super Bowl. The Ravens, we just don't know when Lamar Jackson's going to come back. I do believe that the Jaguars are going to win the AFC South, and I've been saying that for the last two weeks. But do I think the Jaguars can go win three games to get to a Super Bowl?

No. Like, can they win a game? Can they be the fourth seed and beat the fifth seed? Yeah, that's that's definitely possible, but I don't think they could do anything more than just winning one postseason game.

And I think that may even still be a reach. Chargers tonight, they go up against the Colts. The Chargers should clinch. If the Chargers don't win tonight, this is one of those games where everyone tomorrow is going to be talking about, uh oh, are the Chargers starting the Chargers? And especially with the news that Nathaniel Hackett is out in Denver and everyone wants to put Sean Payton in Denver, which I don't think is going to happen.

You know where Sean wants to go. Sean wants to go to the Chargers. And I still think with the way that the Chargers schedule is, that even if the Chargers lose tonight on Monday Night Football, that they will still find a way into the postseason because of their quarterback. But if they lose tonight, it's going to be an ugly 24 hours for the Chargers.

But they shouldn't lose. Like the Colts are starting Nick Foles. I know he's won a Super Bowl on a Super Bowl MVP, but there's a reason why he's not a starter year in and year out. Jonathan Taylor now out for the year for the Indianapolis Colts as well. Sure, they have a solid defense, but nothing on offense really scares me enough, especially when the Chargers defense is slowly starting to get healthier and play better. No one on the Colts should really scare you or fear the Chargers with Justin Herbert.

You got Mike Williams, you got Keenan Allen, you got Austin Eckler. Defensively, we'll see who plays for them tonight, but no one should scare you where you say, OK, you can't win this game and all you got to do tonight. I know people will probably lay the four and hope that they win by by five points. But as a Chargers fan, all you need tonight is a one point victory because then that puts you in the postseason. So you're starting to see this AFC playoff picture shape out and round out where, you know, the Bills, the Chiefs, the Bengals, the Ravens are already in. I'm thinking in that win or go home game in week 18, which that's what it's going to be between Jacksonville and Tennessee, that Jacksonville is going to win that game and the Chargers are going to be in the postseason. I would think after tonight that final spot, you got the Pats, the Dolphins and the Jets.

And how can anyone trust either of those three teams? I'm a Patriot fan. The Patriots have lost maybe in the worst way possible the last two weeks that a team could lose.

Where I still don't know what Jacoby Myers was doing with that football up against the Raiders. And then last week on Saturday, they're going up against the Bengals, one of the creme de la creme teams in the AFC. They're down big. They're coming back.

They're on the verge of taking the lead. And inside the 10 yard line, maybe their most reliable player this year in Ramondre Stevenson costs up the football. This Patriots team, it's weird because Belichick has not done a great job this year. Belichick allows Matt Patricia, who I can't stand. I hope Santa gave Matt Patricia a lot of coal in that stocking because that SOB deserves it. It makes no sense for Matt Patricia, defensive minded coach, to be running this offense.

And how Kendrick Bourne was in the doghouse of Matt Patricia. Surprise, surprise, they finally utilized him this week and he helps to make that comeback that did fall short. I can't tell you that Matt Jones is a disaster because I don't know what Matt Jones is. Because they're not putting him in a position to succeed. But I look at the Pats and as much as I want to say Belichick hasn't done a good job this year. Because he's allowing Matt Patricia to be the offensive coordinator. You also look at this roster, which by the way Belichick is in charge of.

But let's separate the GM Belichick and the coach Belichick. This is a bottom seven, let's say. Bottom five roster in the NFL. And they still got a shot to make the postseason. So I'm very conflicted on how I want to feel about Belichick.

Because part of me is, what the heck are you doing on the offensive side of the ball? The other part is, oh well, they're not a good team but they still have a shot to go to the postseason. So you got to see the Patriots this offseason, bring in actual weapons, put Matt Jones in a position to succeed. Like what the Eagles have done, like what the Dolphins have done. Like what the Bills did a few years ago when they got to the Von Diggs. That's what I want to see from the Pats this offseason.

I have zero confidence in the Patriots making the playoffs. And you look at the Jets, now maybe they could ride a little momentum wave these last two weeks of the season. Because the New York Jets are now getting their guy Mike White back, finally got cleared by a doctor.

If you're going to 10 in the NFL saying no, a few weeks later a doctor does clear Mike White. Jets go to Seattle though. Even though it should not be a revenge game for Geno Smith. Because he forgot the time zone when he was the Jets quarterback. And then he also got punched in the mouth by a teammate.

I could see Geno who says people wrote me off and I didn't write back, maybe write him back this week. Against the JTS Jets, Jets, Jets. And even though Tua yesterday was horrible in that fourth quarter.

He was turning the ball over, over and over and over again. In that fourth quarter for Tua Tunga, Vailoa. As much as there are maybe starting to become some trust issues with Tua. I just think that Miami team, the defense is not as great as it was the last few years.

And it's had some problems. But when you have Tyreke Hill, when you have Jalen Waddle who made the big plays yesterday. If I'm trusting those three teams, first off I would hold my nose when I say this. And I'm going to go with the Miami Dolphins. That's the team I'm going to trust the most. As you're trying to find ways to trust the Jets, the Dolphins or the Patriots for that final spot in the AFC. 8-5-5, 2-1-2 for CBS.

8-5-5, 2-1-2, 42-27. Let me quickly go to Gary in Knoxville. Next up on Maggie and Pearl off Zach Gelbin for both Maggie and Andrew. Gary with Shaken.

Zach, good afternoon man. Hey, I was listening to the commentary on Russ. And he's obviously had an atrocious season. Then I got to thinking safer yesterday, the season that Tua's had. Last year people were questioning whether that guy could play in it. In the NFL or not. And then he gets a new coach and all of a sudden he's looking pretty good.

Again, safer yesterday. But I just want to get your thoughts on maybe what Russ would look like under another coach that is somewhat competent. And I don't really carry the weight. I don't like Russ. I don't dislike him. But just kind of spitball him there and kind of want to know your thoughts on it.

Thanks man. Yeah Gary, I appreciate it. I know that Nathaniel Hackett has been brutal and now he's out of a job today. But let's not have the incompetence of Nathaniel Hackett overshadow that Russell Wilson for the last two years. You could even say two and a half has been declining.

Now this year has been totally different. But I'm not optimistic that this is going to turn around because if you bring in a coach that holds Russ accountable, that's a different story. And I think this problem is bigger than just maybe Russ' skills starting to diminish. Russ doesn't have the respect of that locker room. Russ has now had this stench around him where he used to be so popular.

Now he's becoming a joke. And to restore that image is very difficult. How do you do it? You win games. How do you get some guys to believe you win games?

But you saw it yesterday. That team is fighting with each other on the sideline. And it was over Russell Wilson, then Russell Wilson is going to talk to the team, has the football, trying to cover his mouth so the cameras can't see whatever he's saying. That's just been a clown show. And yeah, if you bring in a coach that could manage a locker room, maybe it's a little bit different.

But let's not just excuse Russ' antics in the locker room and his poor play on the field this year just because he had a bad coach. Zach Galp here with you from Maggie and Perloff on CBS Sports Radio. We will take a break when we come on back. The Cowboys win over the weekend.

But do you feel good about them? Do you feel like the drama Dallas Chokin' Cowboys are going to turn the narrative around and maybe be in the Super Bowl this year? We'll talk about Jerry's favorite team next. Zach Galp here with you coming on back in five minutes. It is Maggie and Perloff on CBS Sports Radio. Zach Galp in for both Maggie and Andrew all throughout the week. You can always give us a call at 855-212-4CBS, 855-212-4227.

Hit me up on social media at Zach Galp, Twitter, and Instagram. Real quickly, on the Dallas Cowboys, they win on Saturday. They had to win the game.

You lose that game. It's an awful look because the Eagles didn't have Jalen Hurts. And I know every Cowboy fan is going to tell me, but Zach, even if they would have lost, remember what happened earlier in the year when the Eagles were playing the Cowboys. And the Cowboys, they lost to Cooper Rush. People that are trying to, if you're a Cowboys fan today, be overly positive about this.

Just remember when the shoe was on the other foot. When it was the Eagles beating the Cowboys and Cowboys fans trying to say, oh, it's not a big deal, we lost that game because the Eagles beat a backup quarterback. So, I guess Eagles fans could throw that right back in the face to Cowboys fans today and say, okay, you beat a backup quarterback in Gardner Minshew. So, there was really nothing to win yesterday or on Saturday, in my opinion, for the Cowboys going up against the Eagles. The only thing that could happen is they could lose, really. Because if they win that game, which they didn't, it wasn't like we would be sitting here today and we're talking about, oh, look how great the Cowboys are. But they lose that game, it's, oh, wait, you couldn't beat Gardner Minshew.

There is no doubt about it in my mind. And maybe we'll see these two teams play again. The Eagles are a better team than the Cowboys. Now, we've got to see what happens with the help of Jalen Hurts.

It's been reported that Lane Johnson, who has not a lot of sack, I think in like three or four seasons, which is crazy, and that's not hyperbole, is now going to be out for the rest of the regular season and we're unsure of when he's going to come back. But I just think the Eagles have a more complete team. And you look at Dallas, I just still don't trust the Cowboys in a big spot. And we really looked at the Cowboys having a strength defensively. I know their defense made some plays and was a shootout up against the Eagles, and they were able to get some turnovers. But that Dallas Cowboys defense recently just hasn't looked right.

And you even saw that up against Gardner Minshew, where Gardner Minshew was able to have his way. Like that Cowboys defense allowed the Jaguars to do what they did a week ago. Now, they had the Texans look like a competent offense, which we know is not a case. It was going back and forth between the Colts and the Cowboys before Dallas had 33-0 in that fourth quarter. I have not seen the great Cowboys defense in the last few weeks as we are told that defense is capable of being. And these next two weeks of the season, the Eagles are going to win the division. I know the Cowboys play Tennessee, they play the commanders.

We'll see what their approach will be in the final week of the season, depending on how much that game does mean, with how everything does shake out. But I've been watching Dallas all throughout the year, and I've just been skeptical of them. Because you've got to remember, this time last year, when we saw the Dallas Cowboys in midway through the season, when you got into November, it was all, look at Dallas. Dallas is great. Dallas is a Super Bowl contender.

And then come the first week of the playoffs, what do they do? They were not prepared, they were not ready to go up against the San Francisco 49ers. And when Jimmy Garoppolo tried to gift them the game, they couldn't even get the snap off in the final 15 seconds or so. So I look at Dallas, and even though Tony Pollard's been a heck of a back, Ezekiel Elliott's still solid, Dak's been a good quarterback in this league, C.D.

Lamb has shown that he can be a number one wide receiver. Until I see them week in and week out in the postseason, get the job done, and they're not going to have the byes, and they win three games in a row to get to a Super Bowl, I'm just going to expect that the Cowboys in a big spot crumble. And you look at their potential road, if let's say Brady and the Bucks end up winning the NFC South, and maybe it's Carolina, maybe it's the Saints, but I'm still going to go Brady until proven otherwise. That is a Cowboys team that has historically struggled against Brady. Now this Brady-Bucks offense is nothing to be scared about. They've been horrible this year, and there's been chemistry problems with Mike Evans, we know that offensive line is on like fourth and fifth string players by now, and another injury on that offensive line last night, and that defense has for Tampa Bay been good, but I wouldn't say it's great. So the Cowboys should be able to beat Tampa Bay, but would anyone be shocked if the Cowboys lost to Tom Brady the first weekend of the playoffs?

No. And even if they do survive, and they get to the divisional round, are you then going to think they're going to be able to, in a year that is pretty much wide open in the NFC, like I think the Eagles are the best team, but they're starting to have injuries pop up, the 49ers have been dominant, and I don't want to hear about injuries when they're down to Brock Purdy as their third string quarterback, already having Trey Lance out for the year, and Jimmy G maybe could come back for a divisional weekend, but we know how great and how well-rounded that 49ers roster is. Minnesota, they have been winning, they have won a lot of close games, another one over the weekend against the Giants, but you look at the way that the Vikings have been and just their defense, like I don't trust their defense, and I don't trust Kirk Cousins in a big spot, and you look at Dallas, that defense needs to start playing better for them to have a shot in the postseason, but whenever something could go wrong, it feels like it does go wrong for the Dallas Cowboys, and I know each and every year is a new year, but when you have been fighting that stigma, not even stigma, just the reality, for the better part of the last 25 years, I'm not going to all of a sudden expect that something turns around and is different this year, and if the Cowboys are going up against the Eagles in the playoffs, I'm thinking the Eagles are going to win. The Cowboys are going up against the 49ers like we saw last year in the playoffs.

Even if Brock Purdy, rock out with your Brock out, is the quarterback, I'm going to think that the 49ers are going to win. Really, the Cowboys and the Vikings are similar to me. Where they're having good years, you look at the records, and you're like, oh, they're having great seasons, but when you do a further deep dive into those teams, I think the Vikings' offense is better than the Cowboys, but the Cowboys' defense is better than the Vikings, and there are always teams that are just marinated, and even when they're looking like it's going to be a good cooking steak, and it looks like this is going to be a phenomenal steak, they're just marinated in something that makes you go, hmm, I don't know if I want to eat that.

I don't know if I want to believe, even though you're telling me that this is a filet mignon, or you're telling me this is a porterhouse, or whatever steak you want to choose, that this is actually going to taste good, because that kitchen, you've seen it before, and in that kitchen, you know what goes on in that kitchen. I mean, you see teams like the Vikings and the Cowboys throughout the years, it always feels like, in the last 20 years, because I know the Cowboys have a great history before that, it feels like whenever something can go wrong, it does go wrong. So when I look at Super Bowl contenders, I told you the AFC, I only think there's three, and that's the Bills, Bengals, and Chiefs in that order. In the NFC, until someone other than the Eagles or the 49ers are in the Super Bowl, I'm not going to trust the Vikings because of their defensive deficiencies, the Cowboys, just because that defense is starting to take a step back, and I think Dak is really, really, really good, but I just don't think he's a great QB, I don't think he's a Super Bowl winning QB in this league, even though he's very likable, I'm going to assume that the Cowboys and Vikings do what they do best, and that's be the Cowboys and Vikings in the big spot. So yes, the Cowboys, they beat the Eagles on Saturday, you'd rather win than lose, duh! Obvious statement of the day, but it didn't seem like there was much to gain for the Cowboys in this game, and with how at times the Eagles looked like they were the better team or up by a lot in this game, yeah, they come back, the Cowboys win the game, you'd rather have it that way, I'm still going to have my trust issues with the team that I have coined the Drama Dallas Choking Cowboys because for the last 25 years, they've been the Drama Dallas Choking Cowboys. There's always drama around Dallas, and however you can find the way to choke up a game, it does feel like the Cowboys do that. Where's your belief in the Dallas Cowboys this year?

I think they're a good team, just not a great team. 8-5-5, 2-1-2 for CBS, 8-5-5, 2-1-2, 42-27. We come on back, Green Bay, da-na, da-na-na-na-na, go Pack, go!

Is now I guess technically alive still? Two games left in the season for the Packers, Tua Tunga-Viloa turned the ball over three times yesterday, three interceptions, Packers find the way to get a victory and outlast the Miami Dolphins. Now some people are starting to say there's a Packers playoff push happening. We'll talk about the cheeseheads next. Zach Elbin from Aggie & Perloff, 8-5-5, 2-1-2 for CBS, 8-5-5, 2-1-2, 42-27.

Brandon Stokely still to come, 25 minutes. You're listening to CBS Sports Radio. 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. 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 two, the Dixie Mafia. Available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.