Wild card Weekend Recap (Hour 3)

I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch.

He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch. He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. We continue, this is that kelp show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. What a weekend of football and it will conclude tonight with the Cowboys and the Buccaneers. And then we'll start to think about the divisional round in the NFL.

Let's go out to the guest line right now. Welcome in a former Bengals safety, a long time NFL broadcaster, does a remarkable job now. Sirius XM NFL radio and that's our pal Solomon Wolcott. Solomon, appreciate the time as always. How you been?

Zach, doing great. Happy New Year to you. Yes, happy new year to you as well. I will say though, we are a few weeks past the new year so I don't know how much you actually mean that Solomon. No I do, I mean let's face it, this is when your plan begins to take effect two, three weeks in, all those resolutions. This is when we find out who you really are.

I'm just teasing you. Tonight, who do you like? Cowboys or Buccaneers?

This is a hard one. I really do like the Cowboys. Because I know they're talented, they score a ton of points, they're really good on third down. That's when they come to play. I mean they take the ball away, right? Listen, and there are multiple on offense where the Buccaneers are really single handedly one dimensional. It's Tom Brady or Boston. We all know quarterbacks need help.

They need help to win games. So that's what I'm counting on. I'm counting on a really pissed off Cowboys team that has a lot to prove to be honest with you.

I have them winning the game. I just don't know what to expect out of Dak Prescott. And we know what he's paid, we know what he can be in this league. But to miss five games this year and lead the league in interceptions, that's concerning to me the way the quarterback's playing. Yeah, over the last seven games he's thrown an interception in all of them. He's thrown a pick six and three of the last four.

So there's no doubt he's got to do a better job. But look, you remember, we questioned whether or not this wide receiving core was going to be enough for Dak. I think at times, T.D.

Lamb, even though he has some numbers, he's been consistent. He'll break off a square route. He won't run it in there the way he's supposed to. He'll break it off behind the defender as opposed to coming across the face of the defender. And Dak has gotten to the point where instead of trusting it and being more anticipatory, he's not going through his progression. He's just sort of pre-determining. And it's gotten him into this rut that they've got to break out of.

And how do you do that? I think you run it. I think you feature Tony Pollard a little bit more in both facets of the game. He is your Christian McCaffrey. He's your Deebo. He's really their guy. I think the best offensive player they have next to Dak Prescott.

And they've got to lean into that a little bit more. Whether it was a no or Jerry Jones just didn't want to talk about it last week, you could interpret it how you want. He made it feel as if Mike McCarthy would be back next season.

If McCarthy loses tonight, is he gone? Because I didn't really believe Jerry Jones last week. I don't think just the win-loss is as simple as that.

I think there's more nuance to it. If they lose in the same fashion as they did last year, like high volume of penalties. Pulling the pin on their own hand grenade with being really self-destructive and not being coordinated in the final two minutes. Or just appear to be overwhelmed with how big the game is. Or maybe not prepared for what Tampa is doing. But if Tom Brady plays like the GOAT and this game is very close, hard fought. But then Dallas ends up on the bad end. I don't think there will be a firing. But if there's some repeats of what we saw a year ago, or even what we saw last week against the commanders.

Then yeah, I think you could see a change being made. Solomon Wilcox here with us. Let's get to the games from over the weekend. Let's start off with 49ers and Seahawks next year with what you've seen so far. Who's starting for quarterback for the Niners?

Is it Purdy? Is it maybe they go out and get Brady? Or do they go back to the well with Trey Lance? No, they've got a lot invested in Trey Lance, okay? Look, you can go back to the old 49ers under Bill Walsh and you'll see that they had a myriad of guys whenever a Joe Montana would get hurt. Or even a Steve Young, right? Who would get hurt.

Whether it was a Jim Drunkenmiller or whether it was Elvis Gerbach. They always had a rotation of guys that they felt that they had a quarterback who was always ready. Because it's a quarterback friendly offense. I think Kyle Shanahan is sitting there saying, I'm playing with house money. But I think Trey Lance is their guy.

They're going to continue to groom them. But I do think that Trey shouldn't sit there and get comfortable because what Brock Purdy is showing us is that he fits into this system really well. He's doing some things we haven't seen done by a rookie quarterback in the last 50 years. And so I think if he takes them deep. What if he goes and wins a Super Bowl?

Yeah, Trey Lance, you may have to fight to get your job back. If Purdy wins a Super Bowl, I think they're taking some trade phone calls. I don't know what they would get back this offseason for Trey Lance, but I think Lance would be on the market.

I know that we've seen it before, right? Nick Foles, it was middle of the season, he gets hurt. Foles a little bit later on in his career. If they win a Super Bowl with Purdy, I don't know how they don't start him week one next year. Well, yeah, that's true. But they're going to need a backup quarterback. You have two quarterbacks on a rookie deal. So it's not like now Jimmy G is gone.

I think that's what this really says, right? They have their backup now. But if someone came in and blew them away about Trey Lance and drop picks, I think there's no doubt they would take them. There's no doubt they would after Brock Purdy takes them to a Super Bowl. But I don't think it's a far gone conclusion that they've moved on from Trey Lance.

Given the fact that he's still on a rookie deal and that they've got two now proven quarterbacks. And it's a way of making people compete. I think that's part of it, you know, being able to have Brock Purdy and put that film on in front of Trey Lance. Hey, this is how we get it done. And if you're not going to adhere to some of these things, then you're not going to be able to play. So I think this really sends a message to any of the quarterbacks in the building with San Francisco. That this is how Coach Shanahan wants to play. This is how he wants to get it done.

And now you have a template for what you want others to be at that position. Solomon Wolcott's here with us. So Jaguars and Chargers, a classic game, Chargers up 27-0. They can't find a way to finish the game in the second half. The aggressiveness of Doug Peterson as well obviously looms large. The first half to second half difference of Trevor Lawrence's. What was your biggest takeaway when you reflect a few days later on Chargers and Jaguars? How resilient you have to be in this league.

You've got to be emotionally intelligent. You can't be so fickle and so fragile emotionally that when something bad happens that you crumble as a player. I told this last year about Trevor Lawrence after what he went through with Urban Meyer and all the stuff. I thought he felt like he was one of the more mature, even though he was a rookie, felt like he was one of the more mature guys in the building. He said we just need a lot of this drama to come to an end. But he never really spoke out.

He never did a woe is me. And he bought into everything obviously that Doug Peterson bought in this year. And then when you saw those four interceptions, you didn't see them down there panicking or pointing fingers and giving you bad body language.

Trying to pretend that it may be someone else that's contributing to that poor half. He ended up scoring before halftime. And then you go back and look at it, they would go on to score on all four possessions in the second half.

And that score just before halftime meant they had five straight drives where they put points on the board to finish the game. That's big time ball. That's a big time guy. I like what I see in Trevor Lawrence.

That was my biggest takeaway. I don't think Brandon Staley will get fired, but if Sean Payton wants a job and we all know he does, especially after what happened the other night, I think that should happen. What's your read on the future of Brandon Staley? Because I do think the Spanos family is going to bring him back.

I agree with you. I don't think he'll be fired. I think there's some good things about Brandon Staley.

I think there's some things he needs to improve. I think any time you hire these 30-something year old head coaches, man, they're going to be growing pain. That's why the Bryant-Dable hires the smart hire. You start, you know, give me a guy that's been around the block a little, that's seen the cycle of the game change and then they have to adjust. Those are the coaches who are better prepared in our league, not the guy that just got hot because he was sitting next to the guy that got hot. And now you make them coach and then, you know, the veneer comes off and you say, okay, he's got to grow.

Of course he's got to grow. I like Brandon Staley. I think he's a good coach. No, I thought he was a bad coach when the defense he designed had four interceptions in the first half. But Joey Bosa, I think, has to wear a lot of the blame for his behavior, his lack of leadership, his lack of professionalism. But if you can get a Sean Payton, then you upgrade to that.

There's no doubt in my mind. You're probably going to keep Joe Lombardi because he is from the Sean Payton coaching tree. Salma Wilkots, when you look at the Dolphins and Bills, Ravens and Bengals, two divisional games, each team seeing each other after the weekend three times. Bills close to them what you thought after getting a big 17-0. Bengals had that crazy 98-yard touchdown when it looked like the Ravens would start to take control of that game. Is there any concern with what you saw this weekend from the Bills and the Bengals moving forward as they will meet up coming up on Sunday?

No. There were times when the Titans were taking control over a game in the playoffs against the Bengals last year. There were times when the Chiefs had them all but done in the AFC Championship game in the playoffs last year.

Zach, you know this. The playoff, man, it takes on a new life of its own. These games, particularly when you are playing, like what you're going to see with the Giants and the Eagles, teams or divisional opponents playing for the third time. You and I both know records don't mean anything.

Starters who may or may not be missing don't mean anything. Those games are going to be close. Those games are just by the virtue of the familiarity they have with one another.

There are no secrets. And we know that the Ravens have a culture of how they play and they want to be able to slow games down. And they are one of those clubs that they just die hard.

Now, we obliged them, we made sure they die, but they were going to die hard. And that's how it is. That's what happened with Miami, even though they were playing with a third string quarterback against a really good Bills team.

So that's what you get with these games. Look, it doesn't mean anything bad about the Bills. It just means that's the NFL. That's the playoffs.

It's a tournament. And these games are going to be anything but easy. And my only concern with Cincinnati, and let me preface my comment by saying they got to the Super Bowl last year with the line being atrocious. The health of that offensive line, as much as I love Burrow and the weapons they have, that is concerning to me. We're going in, you know Collins was done for the season, now who knows what's going to happen with Cappa, didn't play.

And then you lose it, you left tackle. That's just concerning to me is that offensive line. Well, I got more concerns than that. Eli Apple was a bigger concern. He was burnt toast. Joe Burrow can't cover that up, right?

Nobody can. But the offensive line was worse last year, right? Let's be real. And I was concerned about it. I've been talking about it for years around here, man. But here they are. It is a concern. But this is why the playoffs are so significant.

And this is why I say it takes on a life of its own. Because any of these teams can end up winning. Any of these teams can end up in the Super Bowl. It's about matchups.

It's about how you think about it and when you catch a team. The Eagles have been this juggernaut. But now they've got a quarterback with a bum AC joint, his right shoulder, his throwing shoulder. And he's, quote, their leading rusher.

Are you going to run him in there and design your arms with a bum shoulder? And if not, think about the way Daniel Jones has wrote. They could beat the Eagles. You wouldn't have said that in September, though. But that's how this league is. It's about matchups.

It's about the time that you play each other. Without Von Miller, can the Bills exploit the loss of Lyle Collins, Alex Kappa, and Jonah Williams? I think some teams can. Some teams can't.

And that's what it's about. If you can't exploit that weakness, I do think they can exploit an Eli Apple. I think that's where my greater concern lies if I'm critiquing the Bengals. You said that the Giants can beat the Eagles. I know it's early in the week and they play on Saturday. Will they beat the Eagles? Because that was one impressive performance yesterday by Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, and then Dexter Lawrence, too. They almost beat them week 18 of that. The Eagles played everybody. The Giants didn't even play Saquon Barkley the next day.

So, yeah, I think. Look, man, I'm telling you, look, you got the coach. I tell everyone, look at Denver this year. Great players even can't overcome bad coaching. What you have now with the Giants is this team is better now than they were in September.

They're better now than they were in October. So that's what good coaches do. They know how to develop a team. They know how to bring players along. Daniel Jones is as good as he's ever been in his NFL career because he's got a real coach.

Not like the metamorphosis to play. He's got a coach. Week one, the coach had to chew him out because he was still playing like the old Daniel Jones. And from that time to this time, he's developed, he's grown.

The confidence, the ability, and the coach knows how to use them. Right now, Daniel Jones is coming into this game playing better than Jalen Hurts. Pay attention. That's how this thing has changed. And so I give the Giants a sluggish chance in going in there and getting the win. Well, they'll have to earn it because the Eagles have no pushover. But that's what we have. When you get some of these rematches, like if the Chargers would have survived Jacksonville. That's the last team the Chiefs wanted to see come into Arrowhead. Because of that familiarity we're talking about.

By the way, I know you played in Minnesota in 1991. They could use you back on that defense. They could use us all to think about some of the great players they've had on defense, right?

They could use us all to come in there and line up. But they allowed 400 yards total offense to the Giants. We kind of sensed that coming in. I think everyone was pretty much picking the Giants.

And if not win, certainly to cover. Solomon Wilcox, always great to catch up with you. We'll see you at the Super Bowl in a few weeks. Thanks so much, my friend. You're the best, Zach. Take care. See you soon.

on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch.

He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch. He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. You're listening to The Zach Gelb Show. Zach's taking on the most polarizing issues in sports. Which side of the line of scrimmage will he end up on? Offside, defense number 69. It's Onsides, Offsides with Zach Gelb on CBS Sports Radio.

Alright, HTH, what have we got? Zach, the Chargers had one of the most painful playoff losses in history as they blew a 27-0 lead to lose the game 31-30. LA's defense did early on take advantage of Trevor Lawrence, forcing four interceptions as the Jaguars finished the first half with five total turnovers. But in the second half, the game did flip. A large part of the comeback for the Jaguars was allowed by the Chargers due to their play calling and bad game management.

They just ran the ball after being up 27-0, eight times the rest of the game. Onsides or offside, Zach, Brandon Staley should be fired for blowing a 27-0 lead. Key word, should. He absolutely should be fired. And also, Sean Paden should be their next coach. But you know it, and I know it. He's not going to get fired.

And the Spanos family will be cheap. And they will say, oh, well, we made the playoffs, it's his second year, we believe in Brandon Staley, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He 1000% should be fired, but he won't be. So you ask me, Brandon Staley should be fired for blowing a 27-0 lead? Yes, onside.

And here's the biggest reason why. Maybe Brandon Staley one day can be a really great coach in the NFL, maybe. But the first year, they didn't make the playoffs. The second year, they make the playoffs, fought through some adversity with a lot of injuries, bad week 18 decision to play Mike Williams in a game that meant nothing. And then on Saturday, you're up 27-0. There's other areas to go around that are deserving of blame, but everything goes back to the head football coach. And right now, you never know how long a window will be open in the NFL.

We see windows quickly close. Now, this team is young. They have a lot of talent.

I need the best coaching possible that's available. And Sean wants the job. Sean is a massive upgrade over Brandon Staley. But we know that the Spanos family isn't going to want to pay two coaches at the same time.

And they're going to be cheap here. And they'll justify making the playoffs as a reason why Brandon Staley will be brought back. Speaking of paying, let's look at a team that maybe will not pay their quarterback. That's the Ravens, because he's speculation surrounding their relationship with their quarterback, Lamar Jackson.

It was ratcheted up a whole other notch in the last 24 hours. Lamar did not travel with the team to Cincinnati for the playoff game, nor did he tweet anything during the game. Then early this morning on his Instagram, he posted a quote that basically in summation said that when you have something special referring to himself, you take care of it and appreciate it, not take a chance in losing it. Many do assume that that is a message to his team in the Ravens. Onsides or offsides, Zach, Lamar Jackson has already played his last game in a Ravens uniform.

So I've been on the fence about this one in terms of when the last game will be. And ever since the draft, I thought the draft was the beginning to the end of Lamar Jackson's time in Baltimore. And for most of the year I've been saying, I think he'll play one year in the franchise tag, and if you can't get the field on this offseason, this upcoming season will be his last one in Baltimore.

But as time does go on, and you get a sense that some believed he was ready to go, and then you hear about how bad the swelling is, which would make you say, okay, he's not ready to go, and not that Sammy Watkins is the end-all be-all there, because he hasn't even been there for that long. For him to have his comments last week, basically saying, I don't know what's going on, but Lamar should play, that doesn't look good, then John Harbaugh, you could just sense, is frustrated, and you wonder if it's frustration because he's just tired of answering the questions. Is he frustrated because he doesn't have his player? Or is he frustrated because he believes Lamar is healthy enough to play, but he's not playing? I don't know how this ends, other than I do think Lamar is going to be playing somewhere else, I just don't know when that's going to be.

Now you said to me, Lamar Jackson has already played his last game in a Ravens uniform. I'm still going to say that he tries to get traded this offseason, but I just don't know if that's going to happen this offseason. And with the Ravens really having control here of being able to franchise tag him, probably for two more years, I don't think there is pressure yet for the Ravens to say, okay, we're going to go through with this now and trade him. But if I'm Lamar, I would say to them, I'm not playing next year, and they could call your bluff, but I'm not playing next year until I get a deal done. And if we can't get a deal done this offseason, trade me.

That's how I would approach it. But I think the Ravens are going to make him play one more year in a Ravens uniform before contemplating trading him. Remember, if you franchise tag him two times, you could play him this year, and then next year, if you don't get a deal done, then you got to trade him because you can't just let him walk for a compensatory third round pick. So I'm going to say that Lamar plays next year, but next year is his final year with the Baltimore Ravens. So you asked me, Lamar Jackson has already played his last game in a Ravens uniform. I will go offside.

Offside! But if you tell me he did, I would not be shocked whatsoever. Plenty of underdogs Zach put up a great fight through Wild Card Weekend. After trailing 27-0, the Jaguars came back to win 31-30 after being a home dog to the Chargers. The Dolphins, they were on their third string quarterback in Skylar Thompson, and were missing two stars on the offensive line. Still on the road in Buffalo, lost to the Bills by three points, and you could even argue maybe they should have won the game. Tyler Hundley was solid for the Ravens as they lost by a touchdown with Daniel Jones.

Played the best game of his career as the Giants beat the Vikings 31-24. Onsides are offside Zach. The Dolphins had the most impressive performance on Wild Card Weekend.

Out of all the games you're saying, not just the ones you mentioned? Oh, offside. Offside! The Dolphins were impressive because they were in the game and it was close to what anyone could have thought it was when it was 17-0. But Mike McDaniel I thought did a horrible job down the stretch of that game. I thought the Giants are more impressive. And then also, how can the Jaguars not be the top dog here for the most impressive team of the weekend? They were down 31-0. 27-0, excuse me. Against that high octane offense of the Chargers and they blow that lead? Yeah, I would say Jacksonville had the most impressive performance because they dug themselves in that deep of a hole. So I would say Jacksonville most impressive. Giants also in front of the Dolphins.

Dolphins! Don't get me wrong. They were impressive but at the same time I also thought Mike McDaniel was stupid in the game. Especially late how long it took him to get those play calls in. Fourth and one, you can't take a delay a game. You can't break the huddle with four seconds left in the play clock. That's just inexcusable.

Also can't burn all three timeouts too before the situation as well and really cost yourself in that situation. But speaking of the Dolphins... I don't believe in him by the way, McDaniel.

I do not. I know everyone loves him, media darling Mike McDaniel, oh he talks to us, oh he's funny with the media. And I know health of the quarterback is major and he did not have that this year. And at times they look like a really dominant team. That defense, even though they did a nice job yesterday at times, took a step back this year. And offensively, they did take a big stride with Tua. But if Tua's not healthy, what was the media darling Mike McDaniel really able to do? He's credit, they put up 31 points yesterday for the 13th quarterback. Pretty impressive. But down the stretch, that offense in that game could not get the ball snapped.

Those are simple things, like I said. There's things that he did yesterday that were impressive, but there was also things that he did that was like, dude, is this guy the biggest moron in the league? And yeah, I take it my team, that's for sure. Good for you. You take Mike McDaniel, have him. Go ahead, take him.

Gladly, gladly. Well, speaking of Mike McDaniel. I just can't take him seriously. I really can't. I cannot take him seriously when making jokes. What was the joke he made a few weeks ago? Why did you bring up Mike Glennon? Oh, because his name is Mike. When your team's losing all those games, you can't be funny there. You just can't be.

And the ping pong tables and all that stuff, I don't know. I just don't think that guy long term is going to work. Good offensive coordinator. That's a guy probably good offensive coordinator when he's the leader of the locker room. Seems like he's just a player friendly coach.

Too much of a pushover if you ask me. Well, almost pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the weekend. Speaking of that game, Bills had to survive that game against the Dolphins.

The Bengals also had to survive a scare from the Ravens on Wild Card Weekend as well. Josh Allen turned the ball over three times. That did lead to 17 Miami points. And despite facing Skylar Thompson, that Buffalo Bills defense allowed 31 points total. 24 to the offense. You want to count the one defensive score not against them. And the Dolphins did have a chance to either tie or take the lead late in the game before the Buffalo defense did get a stop. Helped with a little delay game on 4th and one that was not timing whatsoever. Later on in Cincinnati, the Bengals already down two offense alignment. They lost to 3rd in the game when Jonah Williams went down with what head coach Zach Taylor called today.

A dislocated kneecap. He's officially week to week. Onsides or offsides. You are more concerned about the Bengals than the Bills heading into divisional round weekend.

Yeah, I am. Because of that offensive line, like you said. You know, Al Collins already done for the season.

Kappa, as you said, week to week. Jonah Williams also week to week. I know this team almost won a Super Bowl last year with having no offensive line. And they may be back in that spot once again this year. But if you can't block, and I know that they got to the Super Bowl last year and almost won it.

It's very tough to win. So I do believe the Bengals were starting to feel like they were going to be the team that was going to get to the Super Bowl. But when you just pile up all these injuries. Right now, if you ask me on this Monday who's going to win that game, I would go Buffalo. And I'm concerned about the Bengals just because of that offensive line. And we'll see how it plays out the rest of the week. So yeah, onsides, I'm more concerned about the Bengals and the Bills after what I saw this weekend.

And finally, the most lopsided game of the weekend was the openers. The 49ers pounded the Seahawks 41-23. Brock Purdy making his first career playoff side.

Well, you never know. He threw 332 yards. Totaled 4 touchdowns, becoming the first rookie quarterback to total 4 touchdowns in a playoff game. Both Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey totaled over 130 yards of total offense each. Each also found the end zone as well. Onsides are offside, Zach. The 49ers are the best team remaining in the playoffs.

It's a great question. Because going into the year, the best team in football was Buffalo. And a big reason because of that, they had their finisher in Von Miller. Now Von Miller is out for the year. The Bengals have offensive line issues. The Chiefs, their defense does concern me. The Eagles were looking like the best team in football. But we just don't know what to expect with the health or lack of it of Jalen Hurts. The Niners haven't lost since going to 3-4.

Think about that. We're talking 7 games into a year. They've not lost since then.

Right now, they're the best team remaining. And isn't that saying something when Jimmy G, done. Trey Lance, done. And Brock Purdy is there. And I say Jimmy G is done because I know that they opened up the door. Oh well, he could maybe return for the conference championship game. There is not a chance that they bench Brock Purdy right now for Jimmy Garoppolo. So yeah, when you have McCaffrey, when you have Deebo, when you have Ayuk, when you have Trent Williams, the defense. And Kyle Shanahan, the only thing I'm concerned about, Shanahan with the lead in a big game. That's what concerns me a little bit when you get later on into the tournament.

But right now, they're the best team remaining in the playoffs on sides. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch.

He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split. I have one tattoo that covers my entire body.

Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch. He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was 25 when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. I am so scared of the Grinch. I am so scared of the Grinch. We will get a first down after dumping it off to Rashad White. So the Buccaneers move the chains and we'll see if they can answer back on the score. I will get to a little Sean Payton stuff. First off, Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan's president. Jim Harbaugh informed the president today that he is going to be coming back to Michigan and he's not going to pursue any more NFL opportunities.

I'm sure now, Hickey, this is going to be just a yearly occurrence with Jim Harbaugh. But I was reading from our pal John U. Bacon that, yes, him and Ward Manuel had conversations, but it's important to note that he called the president of Michigan to inform that he was coming back, not the AD and Ward Manuel, as there's been a lot of conversation that there's been some frustration with the AD, Ward Manuel, and the still Michigan head football coach in Jim Harbaugh. John U. Bacon said, yes, Harbaugh called the U.N. president, not the AD. I'm sure the deal could not have been done without the AD, but probably true, it wouldn't have been done without the president either.

And no, not a great look for the AD-coach relationship speaks for itself. So I guess the AD, Ward Manuel, and Jim Harbaugh had some conversations, but when push comes to shove, the guy that I guess Harbaugh respects the most is the president because that's why he informed him that I'm coming back. You would have thought, Hickey, he would have called Ward Manuel since Ward Manuel runs the athletic department. Well, you got to remember, too, in 2020, they slashed his pay in half. Who was the one to do it?

Ward Manuel. So, you know, not that, you know, I would say he's at fault for what he, you know, just for that awful 2020 season. And Harbaugh seems to be someone that holds a grudge. That would not shock me.

I'm just going to go on a limb there and assume, and you know what happens when you assume you make an ass out of you and me. So we also have other news on the coaching front, and that is Adam Schefter reports that the Texans have completed an interview tonight with Sean Payton. Now, a lot of things that you saw was people saying that Sean Payton could not interview until the 17th.

So even Hickey asked me, well, how did he get this interview done on the 16th? I read somewhere that you could do Zoom interviews before the 17th, but no in-person interviews until the 17th. And I saw that Sean, not that, you know, obviously the Texans come to him in L.A., but I saw that Sean was on with Colin Coward today, and that was in their L.A. studios.

So I guess that was done via Zoom if everyone is following the rules. So here's what we know. He interviewed with the Texans. He also has interviews lined up with the Broncos and Panthers this week. Interesting to note because there's been a lot of momentum being made and kind of being pushed towards Sean actually going out to the desert and joining the Arizona Cardinals, and people have said that he really likes Kyler Murray, even though Kyler Murray maybe won't even play next year because of the injury with how late that he did tear his ACL. The Arizona Cardinals today did hire someone that I thought was going to be the next general manager of the Tennessee Titans when they hired Monty Osenfer to be their next general manager out in Arizona. Now, I think a lot of people right away are going to say, well, does that make the job less attractive for Sean Payton? I don't know what the answer is to that because, Hickey, what are your first reactions to say, oh, well, wouldn't you expect Sean to pick that GM if it's not going to be the GM himself? But I did hear when Sean did the interview today with Colin Coward, not that they ever talked about the Cardinals job, which I thought that to be a little bit interesting, that there's really nothing to come out of the whole Cardinals search on that, is when he was talking about the Texans, he was about to say, I know the Texans ownership group fairly well, and he caught himself and he goes, actually, we just practiced against them a few times.

So I've been able to talk to their ownership group a few times throughout the year. So who knows, the reason I bring it up, who knows what qualifies actually having a relationship with someone because I don't think Monty Asenford, from all our knowledge, has ever worked with Sean Payton. He's been in Tennessee and New England in his career, but maybe they have a relationship because the Saints and Patriots, I think, have practiced together before.

So who knows, maybe they've met there and that's where they have a relationship. I don't know what to read into it, but I thought that was interesting today that the Arizona Cardinals did hire a general manager. And I guess maybe sometimes deadlines create deals because who knows, maybe this is just me all assuming and speculating. Maybe Tennessee said, we want you to be our GM.

We'll give you the job if you take it by this date. And then he went to Arizona and the Cardinals said, oh, we really like this guy. Let's not leave it the chance that he goes back to Tennessee and just get a deal done right now.

And that's why the Monty deal got done and then they'll figure everything else out from there. So Sean Payton watch is definitely on is a nice way to say this. Without a doubt, but also to like he, I mean, Mickey Loomis and him worked together. It's like Sean Payton's never, you know, always been his own GM per se. It's like he can't work with the GM.

So I don't know if there's any relationship. I don't know if that's someone who's willing to work with Sean Payton to kind of give him some power that he's looking for. But you got to think, though, if the Cardinals, even though they have not been able to, they've not interviewed yet, they've just requested permission with Sean Payton. You got to think some backchannel conversations through agents or whatever did go down where if we hire Monty, does that take us out of the running for Sean Payton?

If the answer is yes, then they still went through with it. And Sean will be the coach. If the answer is no, then they still think they have a good chance of landing Sean. I don't think they would have made a move that took them out of the Sean Payton running with the background and the track record that Sean has. Not that Monty has a bad track record in this league, but it pales in comparison to what Sean has done.

Right. And obviously, you know, you're bringing him in to work with Kyla Mercy. You figure the coach working with your now highly paid quarterback, you'd value that over a general manager. That, again, in theory, either could be replaced or someone like Sean Payton could be marginalized because Sean Payton is making a lot of the personal decisions anyway. So we had all this hype about Sean McVeigh potentially retiring. Did not happen. We had all this hype about Jim Harbaugh going to the NFL. It did not happen. Aaron Donald, even on Wild Card Weekend, made it seem like he retired.

That did not happen. Is this just another situation where Sean right now is eating up all the drama and maybe stays put at Fox and does not go back to the NFL? Because you look at those destinations, I would be shocked if a deal gets done with the Carolina Panthers. Because whatever the price is for Sean to go in a trade, because his rights are still owned by the Saints for the next two years, to the Texans, to the Broncos or to the Cardinals, you would think it's going to be double to go to Carolina. And Sean even admitted today that it's his understanding to be like a mid to late first round pick bare minimum for him to get traded. And that's what the Saints are looking for bare minimum. So I have a tough time believing it's going to be Carolina. Maybe he thinks he could fix Russell Wilson and he wants to go into the AFC West and have that challenge. The Texans, I guess the appeal would be. And I know he said that he that he knows Nick a little bit because of their joint practices.

So once again, like what qualifies relationship? But I don't know how much longer Nick is going to be lasting there in Houston. I would think at least for one more year.

But if you don't get the right coach and Sean would be the right coach, then you could be out of a job. And the appeal even said with the Texans be that early draft pick that they have. I know they have two first round picks, one yet to go to go get him, but they do have the second overall pick in the draft. I have a tough time thinking, though, that he's going to the Texans. I have a tough time thinking he's going to the Panthers. I'm still saying if he's coaching next year and let's see what happens in this game between the Cowboys and Bucks, because then the Cowboys could open up.

I don't think the charges open up, even if they should. So until we get clarity in the Cowboys situation, it appears to me, Hickey. Maybe it's like just logically thinking the Broncos are the Cardinals and neither of those jobs are great jobs right now. I would still say if he's coaching next year, it's going to be in Arizona.

But I'm just starting to wonder if maybe this is going to be more and more and more drama, drama, drama, where maybe he waits a year from now for the maybe the jobs potentially be a little bit better. I hate to say it. I think Houston makes a lot of sense. Wow.

I really hate to admit it. I could see him going there. Young quarterback they'll get that he would have all the power that he would do what he would want. Yeah, but now you're a little patient.

Hold on. It depends which quarterback he likes. He has to love Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud because they're two unless they're moving up to one, which they could.

But if they don't, you don't just take that job because let's say you want Bryce Young and then Bryce Young goes one where someone makes a trade with the Bears to move up. And then you have to settle on C.J. Stroud and you don't love C.J. Stroud, just say.

That's interesting that you think the Texans. All right. We'll circle back on that later. We'll do a news brief next. Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio back in five. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch. He is bad vibes. We talk to everyone from therapists to exterminators to lizard man. I was twenty five when I actually got my tongue split.

I have one tattoo that covers my entire body. Listen and subscribe on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. I'm Larry Mullins, host of the podcast, Your Weirdest Fears, the show that explores the odd things that make your heart stop. I am so scared of the Grinch. He is bad vibes.