Georgia or The Field (Hour 2)

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So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. Zach Geld, here with you on CBS Sports Radio all throughout the week in this time slot, 3 to 6 p.m. Eastern. Mike Dosko to join us coming up in a few moments. And we will also be joined coming up at 5.20 p.m. Eastern by Ari Mirov as we are getting you set for another busy weekend in the NFL. And in college football, you do have the semi-final games between Michigan and TCU. And then in the nightcap right before we bring in the new year, it is of course Ohio State going up against Georgia. And it should make for a very fun Saturday coming up in college football. And hopefully we get some close games this year because usually he's college football.

So playoff semi-final games are blowouts. But now joining us is an absolute legend at Ohio State. And that is Mike Dosko who is actually going to be an honorary captain along with Champ Bailey, representing Georgia for Champ Bailey. And Mike obviously with Ohio State.

And now joining us is the 2002 BCS national champion from the Ohio State Buckeyes in Mike Dosko. Mike, first off, congratulations on the college football hall of famer and the class of 2022. Appreciate the time and how you been? I'm doing great, man.

Appreciate that. Man, it's a blessing and an honor to be selected by the committee and just represent the Ohio State as truly an honor, man. When they told me I was the 27th player in Ohio State history to be named to the college football hall of fame, I mean, that's just, I was floored and truly humbled. And then the reality of it is I'm only the second defensive back ever to be named next to Jack Tatum.

That's the lead company right there. When you look back at your time at Ohio State, and we all know what you did on the field, but how do you kind of reflect on your journey when you were Ohio State Buckeye? Man, it was great, man. This is my journey there. I came in in 1999, you know, coming off the 98 season, finishing number two in the country. I come in two times three champion thinking, hey, I'm the Mr. Link, you know, we're one player away. And that's me from winning the national championship. And, you know, we go six to six, you know, my second year, I think we go seven to five. I think we went eight to five with Trestle in 2001. But that win against that team up north, when Trestle called the shot, when he got hired, he says in 323 days or whatever the number was, he was going to be proud of our team when we traveled up to Ann Arbor. And we went up there and we beat them.

First time since 1987 that Ohio State had won in the big house. I mean, I just changed the trajectory of our program and gave us a lot of momentum. Coming in in 2002, I had a chance where I could have left early.

My mom wanted me to be the first college graduate in our family to get a degree. And I said I will be staying only to get a degree and to win a national championship because I had always been a winner and played at a high level. And I just wanted to leave our program better than when I came in. And we ran the table, man. So when you talk about my time at Ohio State with the ups and downs, those four years, to go two on two against Michigan, let our team up north and split it with those guys. And then win a national championship and go 14-0.

Man, that to me is third book, you know, Cinderella type stuff. And it was just an honor to be a part of that process and to help see, to truly see how our program has transcended since that year. It's phenomenal. I'm just glad that I'm around to see it. It's really cool to hear you share that story about the decision on why you came back to Ohio State. And obviously it paid off for you. Not only did you win the national championship, you get the degree. You also win the defensive MVP in that Fiesta Bowl where you guys win it all. Do you ever think back to yourself, man, what life would have been like if you actually did go to the pros a year earlier? I do. You know, me and my buddies, you know, when we're hanging out, sipping on some bourbon and, you know, shooting, you know, just talking it out and hanging out, man.

I kind of, you know, reflect a little bit and say, hey, what could have been? But I promise you to see the look on our fan base and to see how the city and to see how the state has truly embraced us and supported us that whole season. And then to actually go and beat the greatest college football team in history, the undefeated Hurricanes who were on a 35-game win streak. No one gave us a chance to upset those guys and to be the first national champion in Columbus, Ohio, since, I believe, 1958. I mean, I wouldn't trade it.

I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. Columbus is a great city, great college town, and will always be remembered for us. Mike Doss here with us. Obviously, everyone remembers that national championship game up against Miami. When you relive it, what are the memories that come back to mind of what was a great game for not only you, but obviously your entire team?

Just the process, man. I think for us, you know, we focused on the process, and Trusser was just great at getting us dialed in. And being in the moment.

He called it being in the now, and he said focus in the now. The most important play is the next play. And Trusser was just great at just pulling talent out of players who probably were less talented, great college athletes, and obviously had a scholarship and earned their way to Ohio State.

Again, piecing it together, you know, he was a magician. And then you just look at the talent that we did have on that team. The Maurice Fred, Michael Jenkins, the Will Smith, some defense Kenny Peterson, you know, A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter, these guys were just freshmen, you know, on that team. But the reality of it, you know, you think about that performance that we put on in Arizona, you know, double overtime against the greatest football team in college football. No one ever thought that we had a chance. I mean, you know, knowing we were double play underdogs, I mean, double digit underdogs. And, you know, to go out there and upset, you know, the great Miami-Carriacane University, you know, it was phenomenal. And I just think about the process, really, just how we prepared, how we played that entire season, you know, four from one against Purdue, you know, going for the guts of, going to win it all, just instead of getting pushed down, you know, surviving against that Cincinnati team early on in the season at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, and it just culminated into a 14-0 season. And I think we were the first college football team ever to go 14-0. So just to know, you know, now that they're playing 14 games regularly, you know, almost with the playoffs, considering almost 15 games, 16 games now, but at the time, you know, to go 14-0, it was a long haul, man, and it was a lot of fun. We all know when you play for Ohio State and you're a player, it's like being like in a rock star band, probably on campus.

Absolutely, right, right. When you get back to campus after winning a national championship, what was that final semester like? Oh, man, it was certainly for me because I was preparing for the draft, you know, to the draft, you know, but I do remember they delayed the celebration because I played in the East West Shrine game for the Shriners, for the charity out there, and they delayed the celebration one week to make sure I would be back. And, you know, the parade and how the city embraces, you know, Mary Coleman, you know, laid it out, you know, renamed the street after our team. And everywhere we went, man, it was like the red carpet got rolled out, man. It was just, you know, Cameron Mitchell restaurants, you know, and he was a big brand in Central Hall. Everywhere we went, like you said, we were rock stars.

We had the number one movie or something in the world, number one song. Columbus was crazy for that entire winter and spring. And, you know, I went on to Indianapolis, but every time I would come back in the off-season, people would just say to you, like, I remember where I was at.

I was sitting in my living room, you know, I broke down and started crying into tears. I was in Arizona, I was at the game. I can't tell, I don't like, that stadium had to hold 250,000 people. Because every time I saw somebody, they would tell me, hey, I was at the game. Like, I was in the stadium. So, what was great too is that, you know, my wife, you know, now was my, you know, my girlfriend in college.

She accepted all the role. You know, man, we just talk about that sometimes. Just the experience that we had at the Ohio State was great and a lot of fun. And depending on, you know, when you say that, because I have three daughters, they're 10, 8, and 5. And, you know, Daddy would give me awards of recognition for something he did 20 years ago. And they're just like, what did you do? Like, you know, I mean, I seen these little football girls in these helmets and stuff, but were you really that good, Daddy? And then when the Hall of Fame came a-calling and saying Daddy was the Hall of Famer, I think it kind of started to sink in that Daddy was a big deal. That's just awesome.

That's great. Wrapping up with Mike Doss, the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame are going to be an honorary captain representing Ohio State as they're in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. So, this is now a redemption kind of story, maybe brewing for Ohio State. They lose the game to Michigan this year. Not sure if they're going to make the college football playoff. What type of Ohio State team do you think we're going to see on Saturday night up against the defending national champs in Georgia?

Man, you will see a hungry team, man. I mean, they've had 30 days to count them all over that loss and prepare for this opportunity. You know, we had to wait the extra week to see what would happen in the conference championship games. Utah took care of business for us against USC, and we knew we had a shot.

And, you know, the CFP called us and, you know, here we are. You know, the old saying is to be the champ, you have to beat the champ. And what better way to have to travel down to Georgia, play against the great Georgia Bulldogs, you know, in their home state and play their home crowd, and have the opportunity to beat them and have a berth in the national championship with the other team, that team up north on the other side. And you know that there's a potential opportunity for a rematch.

I mean, you guys gotta be ready to go to get to Saturday night, man. I mean, they said it was 19 million people watching the Ohio State versus that team up north game a month ago. How many people do you think will be watching if we're able to upset Georgia and then play against that team up north in the game and the national championship? It'd be a storybook ending.

It would really be something. So you can't call Michigan, you gotta call them that team up north after they kicked your ass twice? That's it. That team up north, man. You know, trust me. Woody Hayes coined them that team up north, and that's how they'll always be. They respect them.

They respect them. I went 2-on-2 against those guys, and they got the last two W's against us, but it's always an opportunity, and our team has a chance to fight for an opportunity to play in the national championship. We gotta beat the Bulldogs first, but if we get a shot at those guys again, I think we'll definitely see a different outcome. It'd really be something if we get to see Michigan or Ohio State in the national championship game. What would you say, you'd be an honorary captain, what would you say with how much you love the university to the team, assuming you get to speak to them before the game?

Yeah, I would just tell them. You're here in the moment that you are dreaming about. Regardless who the opponent is, you won it. Your goal in the beginning of the season was to be in the college football playoffs to have this opportunity. Now you're here. You're in the moment.

Live in the now. Understand that it's going to take everyone believing that we can get this done. Do not come out this locker room if you have any doubt and you are not willing to lay it out on the field. Because the players who believe and the players that want this are going to perform and to be on the biggest stage in the world, you have to embrace that. You want to truly soak that in and know that I want my number calm and I want to be the guy that makes the play for my team. And I want to be the guy that gives us a chance to a victory.

And that's what's important. Play for each other. Coaches, coach, players play. I'm an alumni. I'm not playing this game.

But what matters is you look at your brothers in the face, look at each other in the eye, and know that you're playing for each other, but you're playing for the opportunity to play for a national championship. Where else would you rather be than here in this moment right now? And that would be it. Let's go.

Where's your belief level? Last thing last year, Mike Doss in the quarterback in C.J. Stroud going up against Georgia.

We know how great that defense is. He's a very talented young man. He's trying to get overlooked, just truly in the fear of the fact of some of the numbers he's put up over the last two years, man. I mean, you got to think you follow the great Justin Fields.

You know, he's followed the way asking his numbers and, you know, virus is so lame. And, you know, he's a people kind of underestimate his talent. I think he hasn't chipped on the shoulder where he wants to go and prove all the doubters wrong. He wants to go and showcase that, you know, he cares about winning. He's going to fight for it on the field.

And I think he'll have a good showing for us. Mike Doss and Champ Bailey will be honorary captains for their respective alma maters at this year's college football playoff semifinals at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between No. 4 Ohio State and No.

1 Georgia. The two will join the team captains at midfield for pregame coin toss prior to the 8 p.m. kickoff on December 31st in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He is Mike Doss. Mike, have fun this weekend. We appreciate it. Thank you.

I appreciate it, man. And go Bucks. You got it. There he is. Mike Doss joining us. Zach Gelb here with you on CBS Sports Radio. When we come on back, let's discuss a little college football playoff. You go in Georgia or you take in the field to win it all this year? You take in Georgia or you take in Michigan, TCU, and Ohio State?

One of the collection of those three teams. 855-212-4CBS, 855-212-4227, always on social media, at Zach Gelb, Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B. 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.

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Season 2, The Dixie Mafia, available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm in a rush to making money.

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

Season 2, The Dixie Mafia, available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Zach Gelb here with you on CBS Sports Radio, getting you set for the college football playoff semifinals. Do appreciate Mike Doss for joining us in the last segment, the Ohio State legend. And when we get to the question of who is going to be in the national championship game, who is going to win it, let's just dumb this down to a very simple question. Is it Georgia or is it the field? Because other than that close game this year up against Missouri, there has not really been a moment this year where Georgia has displayed any type of weakness. And headed into the season, Georgia actually exceeded expectations because they were ranked third in the country heading into the year. And a lot of people were skeptical if Georgia could get back on top, if Georgia could get to the national championship game again and win it because they lost so much on defense. And there wasn't still, even after winning a national championship, a great belief in their quarterback, Stenson Bennett, who ended up becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist in New York. And we know the award ended up going to Kayla Williams, but Georgia has been dominant this year.

We all know they have not lost a game. And you get into this final four and you look at the other team standing, Ohio State in their biggest game of the year. They got just destroyed late in that game up against Michigan, where it was going back and forth. And in that fourth quarter, Michigan just totally out coached and outclassed Ohio State. Am I going to believe that when Ohio State couldn't beat Michigan, when they were at the horseshoe in Ohio State, that all of a sudden Ohio State is going to be able to take down Georgia?

That's tough for me to believe. And right now, Georgia is a six and a half point favorite. Most of these college football playoff semifinal games are not close throughout the years.

I don't think this will be a blowout. Ohio State does have a ton of talent. But on defense, they're just not good. Their defense is not a great defense when you look at the Buckeyes. And with how solid Stetson Bennett has been this year, when you have Bowers, the tight end on offense.

I just got to think that there's an advantage to Georgia when you look at Ohio State's offense going up or Georgia's offense going up against Ohio State's defense, where I can't trust this Ohio State defense. Now, on the flip side, Ohio State is a really good offense. And I know Jackson Smith and Jigba is not going to play and he's getting ready for the NFL with the injuries that he has. But they still are loaded at wide receiver. Like Marvin Harrison Jr., he is one of, if not the best wide receivers in the sport. And you could talk about Addison at USC. You could talk about Johnston, the wide receiver at TCU. He's the top three receiver in the country in Marvin Harrison Jr. And we know with Hartline and that receiving core what they've been able to bring in year after year after year at Ohio State.

With that being said, though, C.J. Stroud, to me, is someone that is really, really, really, really, really good. I just don't know if he's great. And I've been talking about this for the NFL draft. I think Bryce Young is the best quarterback in this draft class. I know he is small, Bryce Young. But if you gave me the option, Bryce Young or C.J.

Stroud, for the number one overall pick, if I'm the Texans, I'm taking Bryce Young. And the reason why I'm taking Bryce Young, even though he's not in the college football playoff this year, he was not the reason why Alabama didn't get there. And Alabama this year, they weren't loaded at wide receiver like they've been for the better part of the last decade. Ohio State had all the talent on the offensive side of the ball, and C.J. Stroud in the biggest game of the year did not live up to the level that he was supposed to be.

And there's been moments this year where I've looked at C.J. Stroud and even though the stats say he should be a Heisman Trophy finalist, I just haven't thought he's been as great as what people are telling me. And I have a Heisman vote.

I didn't vote for C.J. Stroud to be in the top three. You get three votes. First place, second place, third place vote. I voted Caleb Williams one, Max Duggan two, and then Blake Corum, the running back out of Michigan, is unfortunately out for the season.

I put him in the three spot. So for C.J. Stroud, this is an enormous game, and this is a game in most likely, and I talked to him at the Heisman Trophy presentation when he was a finalist, he didn't commit yet to going to the NFL, but I'd be shocked if he doesn't.

Now he didn't say, he said he did not make a decision yet. But when you're going to be a top ten draft pick and probably the second or third quarterback off the board, what's the point in going back to Ohio State? And he may be the first quarterback off the board. It's either going to be Young, Levis, or Stroud. I think it will go, even though everyone's telling you Will Levis this, Will Levis that, I do think Bryce Young will be the first quarterback taken off the board, then C.J. Stroud, and then Will Levis. But if it's going to be anywhere from one to three for C.J. Stroud, why wouldn't you come back?

I mean, like, why would you come back? So I think C.J. Stroud is all but gone whenever this season does end. So for him, in what could be your final start as an Ohio State Buckeye, can you write a little redemption? Now, redemption doesn't necessarily mean you got to win the game.

Yes, that's how we all look at it. That would be wonderful for C.J. Stroud. And if C.J. Stroud does beat this Georgia defense in the semifinal, he may catapult up and shoot up the draft boards to the number one overall pick.

Like, that's not out of the realm of possibilities. You know how, even though Bryce Young has been the better quarterback this year, you know how quickly that could change in one game when everyone's watching. So even if you lose, you just can't be the reason why you lose. But with what I saw in that Michigan game and what I've seen out of Georgia the entire year, I got a tough time believing and trying to make the case, even with how talented Ohio State is and how good Ohio State can be. And anything could happen on any given day in college football. I get that.

And the disparity is not as big as what we think it is. But I still have a tough time thinking that Georgia is going to lose this game to Ohio State. Georgia has my trust. Ohio State doesn't have my trust. And if they're going to get my trust, they're going to need to win the game.

And C.J. Stroud is going to have to ball out. But with what I've seen this year in college football, I'm just not going to pick against Georgia until they go down. And I know on the other side, Michigan TCU, I think that's more the lock to be the closer game out of the two. Even though TCU lost the Big 12 championship game, they were deserving to go to the college football playoff. It was their first loss of the year. I thought Sonny Dykes, who has been phenomenal this year, in his first year at TCU, he had a bad Big 12 championship game.

There's no doubt about it. When you're on the one yard line, how on third and goal at the one, fourth and goal at the one, you take the ball out of Max Duggan's hands both times. I didn't get that. I would have ran a QB sneak on third down and I would have ran a QB sneak on fourth down as well with Max Duggan. Because that was a dude that all year, but really in that game, left his heart, let his blood, sweat and tears on the field. And he was running through that Kansas State defense. And he was like a wrecking ball. He was just bursting right through. And I ain't giving the ball late.

That's something I'm still dumbfounded about. But I do think TCU and Michigan is going to be a close game. I just think Michigan has more talent. And JJ McCarthy, even though that Big 10 championship game against Purdue, it wasn't anything special.

It didn't need to be special. Because everyone knew that Michigan was going to be able to beat Purdue and their season was really just being undefeated going up against Ohio State. And then you'd be back to the college football playoff. McCarthy made big plays when they needed him up against Ohio State. So in the big spot, in the big moment, and Colson Loveland and him, even though Loveland, the number of receptions aren't there, they're making big plays.

They're getting the end zone as of late. You have the speed of Ronnie Bell. You have the speed of Cornelius Johnson. Donovan Edwards has done a wonderful job filling in ever since the Blake Coram injury, which is just terrible because Blake Coram is one of the best stories in college football. But you look at Donovan Edwards, in the two games without Blake Coram against Ohio State and Purdue, Edwards had 216 yards and two touchdowns against Ohio State. And then against Purdue, he had 185 yards. So even though Duggan is one of my favorite players in college football, and I love this TCU story with the Horn Frogs, because no, I think they were picked seventh before the year in the Big 12. And now they're in the college football playoff. And I talked to Sonny Dykes earlier on in the season, like when it was week four or five, and I said, are you surprised by the start?

Even he said, yeah, just because it was his fourth time now, I believe, being a first year head coach in a new spot, you never know how the first year is going to go. And no one, I don't care if you're the most clairvoyant person in the world, no one thought TCU was going to win, was going to be in a Big 12 championship game this year or be in the college football playoff. I didn't win the Big 12 championship game, but they've had a wonderful season. I do think this is a close game, but I just think Michigan on offense, especially the way that they're built in the trenches on the offensive line, and that defense has not got enough credit this year, because with them losing Ojibwe, with them losing Aiden Hutchinson, I think we all just expected that Michigan was going to take a step back. You look at Michigan and their defense, what they've been able to do, especially in that secondary, because they didn't have the most pass rush, they didn't get a great pass rush against Ohio State, that secondary just balled out.

So I've been impressed by the defense, but mainly on the offensive line for Michigan, I think that will be enough to muscle their way through to the national championship game. And Michigan will have a shot to beat Georgia, but I think they'll come up short, because once again, until someone takes down Georgia, with the way that Kirby Smart, the last few years, has that program rolling and has taken it to the next step, and this year people said, okay, they probably could get back to the college football playoff, but they won't win it again. How quickly they changed that narrative, where Clemson wasn't as good as what people thought, Alabama wasn't as good as what people thought. You had Tennessee, unfortunately, you had the injury to Hendon Hooker at the end of the season. And we saw how that game wasn't even close to Tennessee and Georgia. Georgia, very quickly this year, in a year where a lot of people went in thinking, okay, they can't get back to the national championship game, they're not going to win the national championship game a year, they quickly showed you how great they are. And if Georgia wins the national championship this year, it's more impressive than the one last year. I remember the one last year, they lost that SEC title game to Alabama, what did everyone say?

Including yours truly. They'll just never beat Alabama in a big spot. They lost the national championship game, they lost that SEC championship game when Tua got hurt, and Jalen Hurts had to come back in after what happened the year before when Jalen Hurts left, and then they put Tua in the national championship game. And when they lost that SEC championship game last year, it was okay. I'd like to see a rematch, I'd like to see Georgia and Alabama get in that national championship game you did, but I thought BAM was going to win, and then Georgia wins.

And ever since then, they've just lost talent. So many started to defend the side of the ball, but it didn't matter because they are just as dominant in the way that they've been playing as last year. And that sustained success would make this year's national championship even more impressive. So I do think we'll get Georgia and Michigan, I do think it can be a close national championship game, but until someone beats Georgia, I just can't pick against them. So here's the question, Georgia or the field, 855-2124, CBS 855-212-4227. On Twitter right now you can vote at Zach Gelb, Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B, or at CBS Sports Radio.

61% now that's up to going with Georgia, 39% will take the field. We will take a timeout here on CBS Sports Radio, and when we do come on back, let's play a little Josh McDaniels audio. So the Raiders have officially parked Derek Carr on the bench.

Let's hear from the head football coach that was a part of the decision-making process, basically setting up for the departure of Derek Carr from Las Vegas in this offseason. Coming on back, Zach Gelb here with you on CBS Sports Radio. In all week for Maggie and Perloff, 3 to 6 p.m. Eastern. And coming up at 6 p.m. Eastern, it's the Zach Gelb show, without yours truly. I'm not doing seven hours of radio today. I do basically 11 on football Sundays, so I will not be doing seven hours today. But I did see wandering around the studios, I guess preparing for my show, the executive producer of the Zach Gelb show, and the man with the hottest takes on Sunday, and the man with the hottest takes on CBS Sports Radio, the hot take hickey.

And now he joins us in studio. I have a bone to pick with you. I knew I was not coming on here for some fun talk about the NFL, so let's hear it. What's your issue? You think I wanted your hot takes about the Raiders and the commanders? My issue with you is you waited past Festivus to bring up your issues with me.

Although there's issues every day. Yeah, okay, come on. The airing of grievances says come and gone. Well yeah, you already atoned for your sins probably, and now we gotta start the clock on a new year. So anyway, I saw a video you put out. Now you took two days off on Monday and Tuesday, correct?

That is correct, yes sir. So I've been in that spot where you take off and then some big news happens, and you think to yourself, okay, I gotta react to it. I gotta have an opinion on it. So your big take when you're on the chairlift, tell the listening audience what your big take was, go ahead with Russell Wilson. I was skiing when the news happened, and you need Russell, well you need a coach who put Russell Wilson in his place going forward. You cannot have a player-friendly head coach like you had with Nathaniel Hackett.

Now let's just remind everyone, hot take Hickey this year, who I got him a very nice Russell Wilson Denver Broncos jersey, who Chad Brown yesterday was saying if it was up to him he would part ways with Russell Wilson after this year, and I kind of explained to him that's just not going to happen from a money standpoint, but hot take Hickey's big claim before the start of the season, or big claims before the start of the season, were that the Broncos were not only going to win the AFC West, they were going to win the Super Bowl, Russell Wilson was going to be the league MVP and the Super Bowl MVP, and then Nathaniel Hackett was going to out-coach Bill Belichick and be a top three coach of the year candidate this year. So all those things ended up being wrong, and you've already worn the egg on your face for those wrong predictions. So I didn't have a problem with you being on a chairlift, even though you were having some away time with your girlfriend as you were skiing in Campbellback, for you to be, I guess, putting out a video about it, because you were kind of owning how wrong you were once again, you need a little bit closure, you were basically, the body was in the casket, and right after all the visitation hours and everything, you basically closed the casket shut on just what was a terrible year of predictions for you.

So I appreciate you owning the moment once again and feeling compelled to put out a video. But here is where we're going to get a little bone to pick with you. Sure. Then on Thursday night, or no, it was Monday night. Monday night, yes. You had the Chargers going up against your Colts. You're away on vacation. Your football team is awful.

That's right. You are the same person who, by the way, blew off his girlfriend having plans after she was away out of town for two weeks because you needed to watch the third preseason game of the year against the Bucks, which you said is the biggest game of the year, the biggest preseason game of your life for the Indianapolis Colts was a joke. I saw you religiously tweeting during that Colts-Chargers game, please tell me you did not make your girlfriend of five years in Lolly watch that game with you while you guys were on vacation.

I had to. Technically, I was on the clock. I was working on Monday night, even though I was off from here. I had to do the blue horseshoe pod after the game and react to what was another pathetic performance. This is really where the game, the Colts actually quit, but I was technically on the clock doing my job. Even when I'm off, I'm still working. No, no, no, no.

That's a bad job. You could have watched the look at the box score. You could have gone. No. Did you go to a bar at least to watch the game?

No, I did not. We stayed in our hotel. We were both exhausted. It was a long day.

When you shred that much gnar and you tear up the slopes. You're such a tool. It takes a lot out of you. You're such a tool. You are a douche. You could sound right. You could sound right then and there. I do not ski often or not very good when you use phrases like that. Yeah.

If I'm your girlfriend, as much as I love you, I'd be contemplating a breakup. She's a trooper. I mean, I'll say this. Did you later watch the entire game? Did you record the podcast right after the game? Yes. Yes, we did.

Like an hour after the game. We had to. You could have had a few pops at the bar and watched it on the TV at a bar and then got back to your hotel and then did the podcast.

Trust me, no one is going to hold it against you if you had a few drinks during this cold season. Well, that is true. I could have used a few. That would have helped.

Especially watching Monday night when everyone's watching on primetime. I just I want to do a good job. I wanted to at least make the pod sound listenable.

So, which is a bad job. That was the one part. I will say this year. I was now looking forward to it. I was now looking for this party even more than the 33 nothing historic collapsing.

It's Minnesota the week before or the 33 nothing fourth quarter against the Cowboys two weeks before that. This was the one part I said, man, I hate that I took this job. What's up with you right now?

It was like slamming your hands all over the place. You're getting frustrated. I think you're nervous that you're going to lose your girlfriend because you subjected it to that nonsense.

No, no. She's had plenty of at this point five years and she's had millions of reasons to leave and so far. She stuck through. She's a tough girl.

Yeah, I just tough. I think we may need to place her in concussion protocol, honestly, what I just I there has to be something wrong here. She's sticking with you. She fell asleep halfway through the game. So that's also easier that because it bored her to death.

Oh, it did. Yeah. He's got three points.

Nick Foles throwing picks left and right. I wish listen, trust me. I wish I could fall asleep. Did she at least put up a fight or did she say to you like, OK, you got to watch the game, but let's go like watch it somewhere instead of the hotel room. I wonder if she wanted to choose. She was exhausted. It was a long day. We're up at like six a.m. to make our drive out there. Get on the slopes, get a full day out there. It's we ski to like six thirty and I don't know, a little night skiing. If I was in your position, I think that you you don't let you don't kind of leave it up to her.

You just say, OK, like at least offer, hey, let's go out and let's do something for the game. If you had to watch the game, you didn't have to watch that game, though. George could have told you on your podcast what was going on. And after come on, after the first interception, you knew how that night was going to go before that. I watched. That's not sure.

I thought there was a slight slight chance. Oh, you sucker. And those are the charges.

They do. But it's like the Chargers played well, that 20 to three. Come on.

That should be charged. They are a vastly better team if they and if they have asked that, which they did, or even exactly 25 percent, that game wasn't going to be close and ended up not being close when it was all said and done. And you're not wrong. But I'm just there was that one percent chance of just maybe like that again, this is the thing. There's a third thing on the on the Vikings that I found a way to lose the game.

But they also are good enough to where they could get out to know they're not they're not good enough. A big lead. And again, the Chargers are a team that you trust. I don't.

I do. And even in a game where they should have steamrolled them and Nick Foles giving you sacks and turnovers, it's a what, a 10 three game or 13 three game middle to the fourth quarter. But the Chargers outside of the top three in terms of the AFC, the Bengals, the Bills and the Chiefs. I think they are the most dangerous team out of the remaining field in the AFC. The Ravens. We don't know when Lamar Jackson's coming back. I can't tell you that I'm going to have any trust in the Dolphins, Jets or Patriots who ever get the final spot.

We don't even know who is going to play again this year. So you look at the Chargers and I, when Austin Eckler joined this early, even said to him, I go, how close do you guys think you are? And you know, he wanted to give the, even though I love Austin, he wanted to give that typical athlete kind of answer, but he did acknowledge how many injuries they had to deal with.

Guys are getting healthier. He acknowledged he didn't play a great game up against the Indianapolis Colts, but that's a team I still do fully believe, don't get me wrong, that I would rank it Bills one, Bengals two, Chiefs three in that order. And you have the Bengals and Bills going, you know, having battle on Monday Night Football this week to wrap on up week 17. But if I had to give you a four team, if you told me one of those three teams in the Bengals, Bills and Chiefs couldn't get to the Super Bowl this year, I would then say it's the Chargers and it's because of one man and one man only like I love Austin Eckler, Mike Williams now back, Keenan Allen's now back, he'll eventually get back Joey Bosa, Derwin James got ejected from the game, but at least he's going to play again. You go through that roster. I'm not saying it's a perfect roster, but that quarterback, I believe in that quarterback compared to Lamar coming off injuries and you know how much I like Lamar or whoever's going to be the seventh seed, if Tua plays again, it's probably stupid to do so and it shouldn't be allowed. Mac Jones does not look good this year and you can't tell me that all of a sudden that Mike White's going to lead this Jets team to a Super Bowl for crying out loud.

And you're 100% right, but also at the same time, I'm with you, the Chargers by far the dangerous team out of the top three at the same time. You got to do me a favor. I don't know if it's picking up on the microphone, but like tie your hands behind your back because when you're, when you're slamming the desk, it's driving my ears. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I do talk to my hands a lot. I'm half Italian.

When he's shredding some gnar. You were right. The Chargers are by far the most dangerous team out of the top three. With that said, if you said Wild Card Weekend, Chargers, Titans with Malik Willis, then Titans win the game. Would I be shocked? No.

No. Well, Tennessee's not going to be there. Tennessee's not going to be there. Wild Card Weekend.

The Jaguars are winning the division. Well, that's true too. That's fair. I'm going to have to talk to you right now with your hands behind your back because you were talking with your hands. I thought that was really funny.

Real quickly. And we'll do a, I'll do a ton of Josh McDaniel's on the other side, but while I have you here, we talked about this in late September. I remember we did a segment where we led the show. It was like September 27th, September 28th, where we talked about the contract. Yeah. Well, I also, I got tagged in it today, so, so, so it came up, but I was, we were right on it.

That was, you know, we got to throw you a parade. You got a prediction right this year in the NFL. While we were both discussing that contract, we're doing a deep dive where, yes, they extended Derek Carr this off season, but if he's healthy and capacity physical, then they wouldn't have to guarantee him $40 million and it gets three days after the Super Bowl.

And the dead cap was so low in that contract. There was a lot of outs and we were talking about the Raiders, so they were off to such a crappy starter. Not really much has improved, like they won a few games here or there, but it hasn't been like that.

Team's been playing great. It's kind of clear that they're going to now move off from Derek Carr because they're parking the car on the bench right now. And that's all because they're going to get rid of him, whether it's a trade or free agency. The only thing is who's next for the Raiders? Like I don't think it's going to be Rogers in the trade. I don't think Brady's going out to Las Vegas. Like Jimmy G I know has a relationship with McDaniel's, but is Jimmy G that much better than Carr?

You know, I think Jimmy G is better than Carr, but I'm not going to tell you he's that much better. They're sitting right now sitting ninth in the draft. I know you have dreams about your Colts traded on up with like the number two pick, who I think is the Bears right now. I think the Raiders, McDaniel's and Zeigler in kind of save job mode, let's trade a bunch of assets. We'll move up or maybe they'll last two weeks put themselves in better position to move up from right now where they would be nine. Well they'll go be drafting a quarterback to try to restart the clock on their time with the Raiders, even though there's going to be a lot of pressure on them this offseason because when you bring in a new young quarterback, you just look at it a whole differently.

That's the plan, which I think you're right. This point is probably Plan A for the Raiders. Don't you keep Derek Carr for one more year? No, because they're not going to want to guarantee him the money.

That's why he's guaranteed $40 million if he's on the on the roster and could pass a physical three days after the Super Bowl ends. So I think you could find another quarterback to be a stopgap guy or something like that. Just like a what? A Mariota type? Yeah. Something like that.

And then just mail in 2023? Well you'll eventually put that when you're drafting a quarterback, if they do in the top five, he'll eventually see the field. Right.

How fast do you develop? And you're not wrong. It's just I there's so much takes of he's gone. He's gone.

And you're probably right. I just wonder like outside of Tom Brady, outside Aaron Rodgers, there's not there's not a lot of if you're going to try to win in 2023, there's no other upgrade outside of those two quarterbacks. But if you're going to draft, then it's different. Well Jimmy J would be a slight upgrade slight slight, but also more never does this consistently.

Jimmy G, at least when he is healthy, is a consistent quarterback, which is a major major major if Zach Gelb here with you on CBS Sports Radio filling in for Maggie and Perloff coming on back without hot take kicky because he slams the desk too much. 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. First 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.

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