- 1 day ago
Seth and Sean talk with Audacy NFL Insider Ross Tucker about what jumped out at him from the conference title games and CJ Stroud's 5th year team option looming.
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00:00Ross, were you sidelines or were you on color in that NFC title game?
00:05I was sideline.
00:07I only do sideline twice a year, it seems like.
00:11I do it one time, the wild card round.
00:16So they always give me two games, wild card round.
00:18So I'm usually in the booth for one, sideline for one.
00:21And that sideline was the Texans at the Steelers this year.
00:25And then I'm always on the sideline for one of the conference championship games as well.
00:32So I was in Seattle and I love it.
00:35It's just cool.
00:36The atmosphere.
00:37I mean, Seattle was so loud and it was awesome.
00:42So and maybe the coolest part about it is, you know, because Westwood one is a partner with the NFL.
00:49I'm at the bottom of the stage when those guys are up on the stage.
00:54You know, getting the getting the NFC championship trophy or whatever.
00:59So it's really cool to get a chance to.
01:04You know, interview them, Sam Darnold and Cooper Cup and Smith and Jigba and Mike McDonald, like right in the middle of like the best moment of their life.
01:15Yeah.
01:15You know?
01:15Yeah.
01:16I mean, I don't know.
01:16Mike McDonald has has a child, so maybe not for him.
01:19But I mean, it's it's a really cool like Cooper Cup was like all teared up.
01:25I mean, I was talking with him five seconds after he finished hugging Matthew Stafford, you know, so that was kind of emotional for him.
01:35And then Mike McDonald was just awesome.
01:38I don't know if you guys saw the video of Mike McDonald before the season.
01:41Then, you know, he started with his team.
01:44He said, guys, I want you to picture this in your mind.
01:47I want you to get this vision.
01:49It's late January.
01:51We're hosting the NFC championship game.
01:54The 12s are going crazy.
01:56And and, you know, that video obviously got a lot of attention over the last week or so.
02:02So I said to him, I said, Mike, when you did that video at the start of the year, did you really think you guys would be hosting the NFC championship game?
02:08He was like, no, which I thought was great.
02:15You know, coaches do things sometimes that are just, you know, what they think is the right thing to do for this.
02:20But not necessarily they really thought was going to happen.
02:23So I appreciate honesty.
02:25Yeah.
02:25You know, Ross, yesterday we're as we were doing our show, we saw a graphic up on ESPN and they were debating whether or not.
02:31Apparently, the Patriots defense is getting enough credit.
02:34And Sean and I thought it was funny because to us who've watched the Patriots closely through these playoffs, you know, often a little too closely.
02:41It feels like, yeah, that should be the story is the Patriots defense has been really good.
02:47Drake may, partly because of weather elements or whatever, just hasn't been all that good.
02:52But the Patriots defense has been incredible.
02:55Are they, though, I think as I go into this game versus the Seahawks and I think, man,
02:59the Seahawks have it going both offensively and defensively.
03:03And I just I don't see it being that much of a challenge.
03:07Am I underestimating the Patriots defense?
03:11I think you're probably underestimating the defense.
03:14I mean, the Patriots period.
03:15It is interesting to me, like fascinating.
03:20OK, compare and contrast the fact that the Patriots are in the Super Bowl and I'm not sure that Drake may has.
03:31I mean, I have to go back, but has he played that well in any of these games?
03:35I guess I mean, no, in fairness, those touchdown throws.
03:40I mean, they were great catches against the Texans, but, you know, the throw to DeMario Douglas, the one to Diggs.
03:47I mean, those were those were pretty impressive throws.
03:50Now, Booty made incredible catch.
03:51But and then the Chargers game, I'm trying to remember, but it's just like I'm going to go on in Buffalo at 4 p.m.
04:00today and they must be losing their mind.
04:05You know, how many years in a row has Josh Allen played generally pretty awesome in the playoffs and they still haven't gotten there?
04:14And yet, Drake May in his second year overall, his first year in the playoffs, he leads the Patriots to the Super Bowl without even playing that great.
04:28Like, life is not fair, dudes.
04:31Well, we were we were debating that yesterday, Ross, because, you know, the Texans obviously feel like there was a huge missed opportunity for them.
04:39You know, C.J. Stroud, uncharacteristically, just really in both those games, the game you were at in Pittsburgh and then the game in New England.
04:47He's still getting memed 10 days later over the four interceptions.
04:50So we were talking about that yesterday.
04:52Like, man, which fan base, which team in your in your case, which quarterback, Josh Allen, is watching that AFC title game going, oh, my God.
05:01Like we had such an opportunity slip through our fingers here between the Texans and the Bills watching that game.
05:07Well, it's more the Bills.
05:10Yeah, because the Bills have gotten to a couple of conference championship games.
05:15The Texans haven't.
05:17And also, you know, the Patriots are in the Bills division and the Patriots own that division for, you know, 20 years.
05:27And now the Bills have owned it for five years until this year.
05:35And I really think that was like a big factor in Sean McDermott getting fired is just like, yeah, no, we're not ready for this.
05:46We're not like it's one thing to not get to the Super Bowl or to have the playoff failures, but we're not doing this thing where the Patriots are already, you know, usurping us in the AFC East.
05:59Not when we think we've got, you know, maybe the best player in the NFL.
06:03And so I think that was had a lot to do with the decision that the Bills made.
06:10Ross, what, you know, I think it's a huge victory for our show that we managed to have you on for seven minutes.
06:16And we haven't mentioned C.J. Stroud yet.
06:19We're a little bit C.J. Strouded out because over the last week, it's almost impossible to talk about the Texans without all of it coming back to C.J. Stroud and his horrendous playoff performance.
06:29It wasn't just the Patriots game.
06:30It was the Steelers game as well.
06:31Where are you right now on C.J. Stroud and whether, as some Texans fans are, should people be bailing on him completely or should we remember that, okay, there's an upside here.
06:46There's a chance.
06:48Well, I'm not bailing on him completely at all, but I thought Aikman, you know, made some good points in that game.
06:59And I do – it's one of the darndest things I can remember because, you know, I said it at the time, I thought it was the best rookie season by a quarterback I had ever seen.
07:13Now, interestingly, I thought Jaden Daniels, what he did last year was even better.
07:17So, we had, like, the back-to-back best seasons I've ever seen by a rookie quarterback.
07:25And then the last two years, it's just been choppy.
07:29And clearly, they, you know, they blamed it in year two on Bobby Sloick, which is interesting because wasn't Bobby Sloick the OC in his rookie year when he did so well?
07:41So, they bring in a new guy, and it sounds like, unless I missed something, that D'Amico was a little bit noncommittal on whether or not he was bringing him back.
07:51But, I don't know, they're not interviewing anybody else.
07:53Casario – actually, Casario did a press conference two days later where he said that Kaylee is likely coming back.
07:59Yeah, D'Amico did that thing where he basically didn't answer any questions of that variety.
08:03And I'm guessing a few people picked that up and made it look like he – you know, he was out on Kaylee.
08:08I think Kaylee's definitely going to be back, almost definitely.
08:12The other part, and I wanted to ask you about this, Ross, is I'm very hesitant to criticize body language because sometimes it's all a matter of which camera catches a guy, when and where.
08:22But, man, I got so many unsolicited texts from casual observers about CJ's body language after that game.
08:29And as an offensive lineman, I'm curious about that, what you think of CJ and kind of just his whole demeanor or everything else that goes into the way he acts on the sideline.
08:43Yeah, I am with you.
08:45I try to not overanalyze that as well.
08:49It's a really interesting thing.
08:51And obviously, I'm sure the Texans wish he had played better, and every Texans fan.
08:59You know, if he had played better, I think it's pretty likely that Casario would have given him a contract extension this offseason.
09:11And I think there's a chance on some level that he might have saved the organization from a big mistake.
09:22I mean, at this point, he's going to have to earn it, I think, in year four.
09:29I mean, I would imagine that they'll pick up his fifth-year option, which is $25 million or whatever.
09:36Does that make sense?
09:37And I think he's worth that, because if you look at that, that only makes him, like, the 20th highest-paid quarterback or 23rd or 24th or whatever the number is.
09:46So it makes sense to pick that up for a bunch of different reasons.
09:50But then I don't envision them giving him a new deal.
09:53I envision them wanting to see more in year four.
09:58So he's been up and down in years two and three.
10:02But if he was pretty good in the playoffs, there probably would have been a lot of pressure from his camp and just everywhere to give him that mega extension of $55 to $60-plus million per year.
10:19Now, like, I mean, his agent can't even call the Texans right now.
10:24You know what I mean?
10:25Like, after those two games, I don't know what his agent would even say.
10:30And so I'm sure Casario picks up the option.
10:34But, you know, if he doesn't step up in year four and play more consistently, which obviously the Texans are hoping he does.
10:43They're hoping he plays awesome.
10:44They want to give him that contract.
10:46They want him to be the guy.
10:47But this performance the last two games might have put them in a position where he might have saved them from a major, major mistake as a franchise of giving him a mega contract with essentially two, three, you know, plus years of guaranteed money.
11:11You know, over the long haul, it might end up being a positive that he played poorly these two playoff games.
11:19Yeah, Mulligetta calling the Texans right now would be like if you had a viral video of yourself puking on a waitress and all of a sudden the next day calling a girl and asking for a date.
11:28It would, except, except, and I'll say, except what in a second here, but I need to remind people that Ross Tucker's our Odyssey NFL insider for your insurance and financial needs.
11:41Brought to you by Nationwide, also the Ross Tucker football podcast at Ross Tucker NFL.
11:45We'll hit you with those again before we get done with Ross here.
11:48Um, I, I think, okay, uh, devil's advocate counterpoint here.
11:53I think David Mulligetta would call up the Texans and say, look, yeah, it was a bad night, but Trevor Lawrence got 55 million a year after doing less than CJ Stroud did through three years to a tie a low out of contract after doing less than CJ Stroud did for three years.
12:08Kyler Murray got a contract after doing less than what CJ Stroud did over three years.
12:13That would be my, that would be my point is that the, that is that, is that the league is doing these things.
12:20Yep.
12:21And I would say, David, that's a terrific point.
12:23And two out of those three teams regret it immensely.
12:28And it has set back their franchises in Arizona and Miami, which is why we're not doing it.
12:34I'm glad that, you know, good for Trevor Lawrence, that, uh, Liam Cohen was able to get him to play better than he ever has before.
12:43And that, that looks like a, a, a good decision for them, but, uh, we're worried that CJ could end up being like Kyler Murray or like Tua Tunga Bailoa and we don't want to do it.
12:56And we're not going to do it and we don't have to do it.
12:59And we have them under contract for two more years.
13:02So we would love for CJ to be the guy here, have them go out there, prove it.
13:08The money's only going to go up, you know, I mean, I, I know what Tua and Kyler and Trevor got.
13:16But we're willing to wait, you know, until a year and he's going to get a lot more money if he goes out there and does what he should do this year.
13:27Russ, uh, the one interesting dynamic of this Superbowl is going to be that you've got two defensive minded head coaches that are in the Superbowl.
13:35You know, for all the people that caution you, you never hire a defensive minded coach.
13:38You got to have a guy that's there for your quarterback all the time.
13:41Um, but there will be the question afterwards, man.
13:45Okay.
13:45Are these guys going to be able to retain these offensive coordinators?
13:49And what does it look like afterwards?
13:51Which of these two teams do you think is best suited to survive the loss of their offensive coordinator?
13:56Uh, of which teams like a, between the Seahawks and the Patriots.
14:05Well, the Patriots aren't losing their offensive coordinator.
14:08I mean, Josh McDaniels isn't getting a third head coaching job.
14:15Yeah.
14:15That's like the beauty of where the Patriots are right now.
14:20Now, Kubiak's going to get a head coaching job.
14:23That guy, what he did to the Rams on Sunday, he's impressive.
14:29Um, he's going to get a head coaching job.
14:31Now I don't know if it's this year, but I think he'll get a head coaching job, but McDaniels, no one's hired Josh McDaniels for a third time.
14:40Ross, Ross, this is where I don't want you to make this mistake.
14:43You're making the mistake of assuming that all 32 NFL teams make good decisions on coaching hires all the time.
14:50And I just, I, man, you look at the Browns, the Browns right now can't get a guy to even come into the building to interview that.
14:57I just, I think at some point somebody's going to say, well, boy, he's, you know, he's older now.
15:03He's more mature.
15:04He's learned his lessons.
15:05And, oh, we've got this young quarterback.
15:06We just have to get job.
15:08I agree with you that no NFL team should hire Josh McDaniels.
15:11But I think that somebody out there at some point is going to take a swing at Josh McDaniels.
15:17I would be very, very surprised.
15:21Both of those jobs were absolute disasters.
15:27I think he got fired midway through the second year of both of them.
15:32Yeah.
15:33Yeah.
15:34Yeah.
15:34That's almost impossible.
15:36That's pretty impressive.
15:37Midway through the second year.
15:39Yeah.
15:40Like, honestly, Seth, let's do a beer bet on that one because I would be shocked, shocked if Josh McDaniels.
15:51I mean, I don't even know if Josh McDaniels would interview.
15:54I have an undying.
15:56How does the interview process even go?
15:59I have an undying faith in the ability of NFL teams to make ridiculously bad decisions.
16:05And I think at some point, whether it's Mark Davis or somebody else, I think somebody's going to listen to Josh McDaniels' explanation of how he's learned the error of his ways and that it's going to be different this time.
16:19As the very active wagerer on this three-way conversation right now, there needs to be an end date, though, as to when he needs to be hired by.
16:28I can't have this open-ended beer bet.
16:30Let's say within three years.
16:31Three years.
16:32Okay.
16:32So, the hiring cycle of 2029.
16:352029.
16:36Put it in your Google calendar right now.
16:38I got it.
16:38I'm putting it in there.
16:39Ross, I've got a great track record of betting against people who say that something's never going to happen.
16:44This guy will never play again.
16:45He's been arrested.
16:46This is his ninth time getting arrested.
16:49I will bet on that guy getting another opportunity.
16:51Likewise, with Josh McDaniels, who's basically done the equivalent of he might as well have seven homicide convictions or something, that he's going to get another opportunity as long as Drake may continue.
17:02Antonio Brown got you paid a couple times on some bets.
17:05He did.
17:05Yeah.
17:05For a while until he didn't.
17:09I was there.
17:10No way there.
17:11Yeah.
17:11But I'm still up like 19 units on Antonio Brown.
17:14Oh, yeah.
17:14You're doing really well on your gambling podcast.
17:19That is funny.
17:20Yeah.
17:20Dude, I'm up over 62 units.
17:24I am absolutely crushing it.
17:27And so if you're not listening to the Even Money betting podcast, you're doing it wrong.
17:32Yes.
17:33Hey, Ross, how about my friend?
17:34Or watching, by the way, youtube.com slash Ross Tucker NFL.
17:38There you go.
17:38Yeah.
17:38Check it.
17:39Check Ross out on his YouTube page.
17:40You can check him out on social media at Ross Tucker NFL.
17:45Of course, the Ross Tucker football podcast is awesome as well.
17:48And we are.
17:49What are we?
17:50A couple weeks away, two weeks from Saturday is Valentine's Day.
17:54My front page story.
17:55You got that going too, right?
17:57Oh, my gosh.
17:58I'm telling you guys, I've seen so many videos now.
18:01If you really want to make your significant other happy and you really want to surprise
18:08her and get all of the benefits, let's call them that come with that, go to my frontpagestory.com.
18:17It's crazy easy.
18:18But when you hand this thing to her, it's a professionally written story about how amazing she is.
18:25It looks like it's on the cover of like the Houston Chronicle.
18:28Pictures framed.
18:30And when she's opening it and you say, honey, I want to do something special for you.
18:34So I have a story written about you.
18:37That sounds amazing.
18:39Like amazing.
18:40And then make sure you tell the writer when you fill out the email, make sure you say, I never thank her enough for all the little things she does for me.
18:47That's the line that's so money.
18:50Because no matter what, they do a lot of little things that you don't notice.
18:56But when you say that, they'll think you notice.
18:59Oh, my gosh.
19:00She notices.
19:01It's my frontpagestory.com.
19:04The beauty of it, too, because I've talked to guys about this that have done it.
19:09It's framed.
19:10So they have it hanging up in the house somewhere.
19:12So the next time you get in an argument or the next time anything happens, you're like,
19:16somebody has to go pick up the kids.
19:18You don't feel like it.
19:19You just point to it every time.
19:22Did you have a story written about me?
19:23No, you didn't.
19:24I have a story written about you and how much I love you.
19:26What did you get me?
19:27What did you get me?
19:27Socks for Valentine's Day?
19:31Myfrontpagestory.com.
19:33Myfrontpagestory.com.
19:34That's the best pitch you've given, Ross, the get out of work free card that it's hanging on the wall there all the time.
19:40Yeah, it's like a constant reminder of how you gave them a better gift than they gave you.
19:46Okay.
19:46And you love them more than they love you.
19:49Yes.
19:49And it's like it ends a lot of fight.
19:52It's like my buddy, my buddy's wife has, I don't know if I should say what they call it, but you know the tattoo that's above the rear that was very popular back in the day?
20:05It's called a blank stamp.
20:07Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.
20:08Yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:09So my buddy says anytime he gets an argument with, like, his wife has one.
20:14Yeah.
20:15So he said anytime he gets an argument with his wife, that's how he ends it.
20:19He says, oh, yeah?
20:26Well, you have a...
20:27Oh, that's like having a finishing maneuver in your back pocket all the time, like the Stone Cold Spinner.
20:33It's unbelievable, isn't it?
20:34Yeah.
20:34It's like, because there's no coming back from that.
20:37If you're a mom with three kids that are, like, in junior high, there's no coming back from having that.
20:42Did he get a My Front Page story done that features the tramp stamp, like a picture of it and everything?
20:49No, but that's actually an amazing idea.
20:51Of course it is.
20:52His name is Kevin Chabatoni.
20:53His dad was my oral surgeon.
20:55Kevin, if you're listening to Houston Radio for some unknown reason, go to MyFrontPageStory.com, MyFrontPageStory.com, especially for your wife.
21:05There you go, Kevin.
21:07Go do it.
21:07And for whatever reason, what are you talking about?
21:09He's listening because we're awesome, Ross.
21:11That's why he's listening to it.
21:13The first thing that pops up when I search Kevin Chabatoni is Kevin Chabatoni obituary.
21:18I feel like you just wrote it.
21:20Yeah.
21:21Man, I already sealed his fate.
21:23Yeah.
21:23Oh, you need to get into that now, Ross.
21:25My Front Page story, but it's obits for people.
21:28I'm going to start a website right now.
21:29Dude, that's so funny you say that.
21:30Do you know that was the start of the company?
21:32Because my brother-in-law's dad passed away.
21:37Suddenly it was sad.
21:38And, like, the obituary was the worst I've ever seen.
21:41It was like, Ralph was born, blah, blah, blah.
21:45Ralph was an accountant.
21:47Like, it was like...
21:48Like, A.I. wrote it.
21:50Yeah.
21:50No, but, like, it was like he was an awesome guy.
21:54Yeah.
21:54And so I gave it to my brother-in-law because I just want...
21:58And he adds it up and his sons read it.
22:00And it's just because his dad passed before his sons were old.
22:04And it's just...
22:05It's really, really cool.
22:06It's so funny that you say that.
22:08Not funny, but it's a great, great obituary replacement.
22:14There you go.
22:14Because it actually tells the story of people talking about how awesome he was.
22:18Oh, that's really, really cool.
22:19My Front Page...
22:19I've got to record the show.
22:21Yeah, go.
22:21Myfrontpagestory.com.
22:23Okay.
22:23I've got to record Even Money Podcast.
22:25We'll see you...
22:26Myfrontpagestory.com.
22:27We'll see you at the Super Bowl next week, right?
22:29Oh, you're going to be there?
22:30We'll be there, man.
22:31We'll be there.
22:32Nice.
22:33I love it.
22:33Can't wait.
22:34All right, cool.
22:35See you, Ross.
22:35Got to go record that Even Money betting podcast.
22:37Give him a five-minute live reading at the end.
22:39He's like, hey, I've got to go, guys.
22:40Got to get out of here.
22:42Soaked you for every penny that you're worth.
22:44See you later.
22:45Hey, guys, guys, I've got to stop promoting myself and get out of here.
22:49Come on.
22:49Oh, my God.
22:50That's funny.
22:50Give me a break.
22:51That's funny.
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