QB Carousel: Glen Macnow, WIP Host

Step right up here. Don't be shy. The Super Bowl is over, but the NFL quarterback carousel is just beginning. You could ask yourself a question.

Do I feel lucky? What does the future hold for all 32 NFL teams at the QB position? Now I'm going to give you an opportunity to spin this wheel right here.

Let's spin the wheel and find out which teams we hit today. The Philadelphia Eagles. Glenn Macknow has been at Sports Radio 94 WIP forever. He does a great job on the official Eagles post pregame show and he joins us right now. Glenn, when we look at the Eagles quarterback in Jalen Hurts, he made a huge statement this year. One of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. How do you look back about a month or two removed from the Super Bowl about what he was able to accomplish this year?

Zach, it was absolutely tremendous. Going into last year, there was a lot of uncertainty as to what he would be. The Eagles committed to him for last year, but if you recall, they made those trades for future draft picks.

Basically as insurance if he wasn't going to work. They got that pick from the Saints. It turns out to be the 10th pick this year, the thinking, hey, if we've got to go get a quarterback next year, let's have the resources to do it. Well, the good news is the kid was phenomenal, exceeded all expectations, and the Eagles can now use those picks elsewhere. And you hope, you think that they have their next quarterback for the next five, seven, nine years. We've been wrong on that issue before, but I think they got the right guy. Is there still some concern just because of there was a moment like you were alluding to where Wentz was the talk of the town, would have won the MVP?

Or is this just different? Because I really do think the most impressive part about Hertz is his leadership and the way he conducts himself. Yeah, I absolutely agree with you. It's his mental makeup. He is, he's a really smart kid.

He's an amazingly driven, hard worker. Unlike Carson Wentz, he is very popular with his teammates and he has shown the sign of being a real leader. Now, I was kind of being flippant in making the reference to Wentz. I said Hertz, didn't I?

Excuse me. He's an entirely different human being than Carson Wentz. And there is the only potential doubt you have about Jalen Hertz is whether his playing style gets him injured.

That's really the only thing you could say you're a little bit worried about. Glenn Mack now here with us. When you look back at the Super Bowl, what still stands out to you from that game? Because up by 10, I'm in the building, and I know it's my homes and we've seen all these comebacks by the Chiefs.

I'm thinking, wow, they're really going to do this. Oh, you had to go there, right? You had to stick me with that. So there's a couple things that still occur to me. One is when the Eagles had the opportunity to go for a touchdown and settle for a field goal.

I think a lot of people, including A.J. Brown on the team, by the way, who said it afterwards, thought we might have lost the game right here. That was one. And the other one, and I sure don't mean to make this sound like sour grapes or complaining about the referees, but the holding call late in the game on Bradbury ended any chance the Eagles had to win that game. It was a call the refs had let go all day. They decided, much like the NCAA game last weekend, they decided to call it right at the end. I'm not one to complain about refs, but my basic philosophy is if you're going to call it one way, you call it that way the whole game.

You don't change it at the end, for good or bad. It's the consistency, and that was the frustrating part, like you just said, because you look back at that game for San Diego State up against Creighton, that wasn't a foul throughout the entire game, and then in 10 seconds left, okay, you call it. Yeah, sure, Bradbury, it was a hold, but it wasn't being called that way all throughout the game. Yeah, and we'll remember that.

I mean, we'll remember. Hurts was terrific, but his fumble that was returned for a touchdown, that was also a bit of a dagger. And the defense just didn't show up. Say what you want about the turf, but the defense was horrendous. Yeah, the turf was bad, and the turf hurt the Eagles, it hurt both teams, and the defense was terrible. The Eagles defense was very good all year.

Fans didn't like Jonathan Gannon, the defensive coordinator, throughout because he played kind of a soft shell, and in that particular game it really hurt him. So, Jonathan Gannon is gone, we have a new defensive coordinator, we'll see how that works. When you take a glance at the running back room, I know Miles Sanders had a really good year last year, the best year of his career. They bring in Rashad Penny, still have Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott. Are there any expectations from this running back room this year? I think the biggest expectation is the Eagles are going to add another running back in the draft. Now, I don't think it's going to be in the first round, although a lot of people are saying, hey, you got that number 10 pick, you get the best running back in the draft. I don't think they're going to do that, but I would expect them to do what they have done a lot in the past, which is use a pick third, fourth round, get somebody, Gainwell was a middle round pick, they've done it a lot.

I'm pretty certain they're going to add at least one more running back. I love Rashad Penny when he can play, and last year it was five games, and the year before that it might have been seven games. Behind this offensive line, jeez, what did he average last year?

Six yards of carry, behind this offensive line he could average eight, but you got to be healthy or it doesn't really work. What did you learn about Nick Sirianni last year at Glenmack now? I learned that he was better at adjusting than I thought he would be. I learned that one of the things that he did that I really respect is he decided late this season before to hand over play calling to his offensive coordinator. By the way, the Eagles will have a different offensive coordinator this year. The quarterbacks coach has gotten promoted. But when he did that, I think a lot of people saw it as a sign of weakness. I did not. I actually saw it as a sign of a guy confident in himself that he can say, I trust my offensive coordinator to call the plays.

I want to be the guy who's always there looking at the big picture. I don't want to have my nose stuck in a play chart. I'm not ripping Andy Reid, he just won another Super Bowl, but a la Andy Reid. I think Nick is a guy who showed this last season that throughout games he's on top of it all the time. I've known a lot of coaches get lost in the middle of a game.

He didn't. I don't think the Eagles got a call for a delay a game all season. That's pretty damn impressive and that's what the coach is doing. Is there concern with Steichen and Gannon no longer being there just because of the change on both sides of the ball?

Sure, because change can work and it cannot. I think Steichen is more popular than Gannon, more respected than Gannon. But Brian Johnson, who was the quarterback's coach, who's known Jalen Hurts since college, who's got a great reputation, who I imagine the Eagles would have lost if they didn't promote him.

I think there's a lot of reason to believe he's going to be good. Defense with Desai, it's an unknown. And the Eagles lost a lot of talent on defense in the offseason. When you win the Super Bowl and you have a lot of guys on short-term contracts, that happens. Starting with Jevon Hargrave, the great defensive tackle, who they lost. John C. Gardner Johnson they lost.

TJ Edwards they lost. So the concern with the defensive coordinator is that he's just not going to have as much talent to work with and he's going to have to make things happen. And the young kids who they drafted last year are going to have to step up and play well. I just look at this conference, Glenn Mack, now.

I think we can maybe help you navigate through some of that change. I know the division is getting better and better, but this conference, there's not a lot to really look at and be worried about. The 49ers, sure. Great roster, but I don't even know who's going to play quarterback for them. I don't think they know who's going to play quarterback.

Yeah, you're right. It's an easier conference than the AFC. I think the Cowboys might be better, but I... But they'll be frauds come postseason time. Yeah, I was going to say, I can always count on them to fall apart. Washington, who knows what they're going to be. Whether they're sold, they're probably going to be a mess. Giants will be better, but the Eagles certainly have the most talent in the division and probably again in the conference.

So, yes. I don't know that the Eagles are going to go 14-3 again. The over-under on the Eagles is 10.5. I would take the over on that right now. That's why I love Glenn Mack, though.

You already have the over-under on the Eagles as we're sitting here on March 29th. Do you have a plate of bacon and a beer sitting next to you as well, Glenn? Well, the beer, yes. You know, I am heavily invested in beer. The bacon, I've given up. I'm trying. Zach, since you've known me, going back to your days at Temple, I'm trying to eat a little bit healthier than I used to.

Just a little bit. What was that? Like 45 straight days of bacon you had? We did a Who Made the Best Bacon creation in Philadelphia, and I think you got it exactly right. We did 45 bacon things in 45 days from bacon milkshakes to bacon wrapped around scallops. It was pretty good.

Those were fun days. Yeah, I may sue you because I think you clogged a few of my arteries when you gave me all that bacon. Hey, you did well, man.

You held up your end. Last thing that I'll ask you. How many quarterbacks in football right now would you rather have over Jalen Hartz?

Ooh, that's a great question. All right, so Mahomes. Maybe Josh Allen, but you know what? I wouldn't trade him for Allen only because I know that Jalen works really well here. Burrow.

So I would say definitely two. Mahomes and Burrow. Allen is a pick'em. Again, if I'm the Bills, I'm not training Allen for Hertz, and if I'm the Eagles, I'm not training Hertz for Allen.

That's probably bad. The kid on the Chargers is good, but hasn't shown it yet. I don't know. Am I leaving anybody out? I think that's my list. The only one I think you could also bring up potentially is Trevor Lawrence, but Hertz has showed more in the league than Trevor Lawrence. Yeah, Trevor Lawrence maybe, but not yet. Not yet. How about Lamar? No.

No, no, no, no. And by the way, boy, Lamar needs better advice than what he's doing. He is costing himself money week in, week out, year in, year out. I know he's his own agent, and it's like being your own lawyer. Sometimes it's not a good idea. Well, the tricky part there, and like as someone that has an agent, and I'm not comparing myself to Lamar, when you get in contract negotiations, I don't hear all the crap my employer is saying to my agent because they just bring me in in the 11th hour.

And the part here, it's personal for Lamar because he's getting told all the reasons why he shouldn't get this money. And that's why you always have somebody who's a buffer. You got to have a buffer. Good work by you. Well, I learned from the best.

Glenn Mack now. Appreciate the time. Thank you. Zach, it's my pleasure. Love listening to you. Be well, my friend.