Command The Commute
Command the Commute is your go-to Washington Commanders podcast, recorded on the road to the stadium. Hosts Bob and Michael deliver real-time fan takes, game recaps, and NFL news with Burgundy & Gold passion. Whether you’re tailgating or stuck in traffic, ride along for unfiltered football talk every week.
Command The Commute
Conference Championship: Coordinator Conundrums
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Snow’s coming, pizza’s here, and the playoff picture is chaos — so Bob drags a half-blind Mike through a rapid-fire rundown of everything from Land Man (Billy Bob still undefeated) to last week’s NFL playoff madness (including that Rams/Bears OT rollercoaster and the Bills’ heartbreak). Then it’s coaching-carousel season: DC still vacant in Washington, the David Blough OC hire gets a Colt McCoy stamp of approval, and the guys debate which open head coaching jobs are actually worth taking (spoiler: the Browns are still the Browns). They wrap with championship game picks, a little Oscars talk, a little WWE/Saudi money debate, and a whole lot of “we miss when the Commanders were good.” Hail.
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Yo, Mike A, how are we doing today?
SPEAKER_01:We're doing fantastic, Bob.
SPEAKER_03:All right. Welcome everybody to the Command and Commute Podcast. We're getting down to the end of the season. Only a couple couple games left, only a couple episodes left of our season one of the podcast. Yeah. So Mike's going in a little bit blind to the podcast tonight. We typically do a little bit of brainstorming and prep work, but he had a busy day at work and a busy week. So we're recording this Friday evening before the heavy snowstorm that's coming.
SPEAKER_01:Did you get out and about at all with any of the No, we have enough groceries and stuff at home, so I haven't uh gone to the grocery store or anything because we don't need anything. But I hear it's an absolute madhouse. So I'm kind of glad that I haven't ventured out.
SPEAKER_03:It's crazy. It's like so we're we're out here in Western Maryland. The forecast says that it's gonna start somewhere Saturday evening for us between like 11 p.m. and midnight, and then pretty much carry all the way through Sunday. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um anywhere from six to twenty inches is what I've heard.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, yeah, I've got a pretty pretty big range as well. It seems like most people are assuming we're gonna get a foot, and then we'll see. We'll see what happens. Well we'll see what we'll know what we get when we get it. But it's crazy to me how it's like you're look, you're not gonna be held up in your house for days. Like you're gonna be able to get out.
SPEAKER_01:Maybe a day, maybe two, depending on how much you get.
SPEAKER_03:But the the the whole thing is whether or not you want to get out. Um, but even still, it's not like you're gonna be bunkered in for a week. It's I don't understand. It's like, oh, it's gonna snow this week, so let's go get a month worth of groceries.
SPEAKER_01:You know, it happens all the time. Anytime they call for a big amount of snow, everything, everything clears out. Your eggs, your milk, yeah, uh, all the stuff. The the snow shovels, the snow blowers, the gloves, the hats.
SPEAKER_03:I just got a couple frozen pizzas and I'm good to go. But they everybody'd be going this crazy if they were calling for like three to five inches.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So this is true. It wouldn't matter how much snow you're calling for.
SPEAKER_03:But the real thing is like if it does turn to ice and your power goes out, then that's when you're really like, oh shoot, what do we do? Well, I'll tell you what you do. Cool and grill. Dig your car out and go someplace else. I mean, just dig out and go out. But uh, I've got a mixed bag uh plan for us here on the podcast, Mike. I've I've basically I just started going through uh a week's worth of news and figure we start the podcast in our first quarter of the year, um, just going through last week's games, uh kind of telling me what you like, what you didn't like, and I'll I'll kind of give that same feedback. And then we're gonna get into the hirings, the firings. What's been going on? And the vacancies that are still there. Vacancies that are still there. Well, I was thinking I I was thinking you were referencing our uh defensive coordinator position that's yet to be filled. It'll be filled eventually. Teams are still seeking and and and looking around there. Um, and then I've got I've got a lot of random stuff that I want to talk about. We really haven't talked too much in the past week, so I've got some things to cut to catch up uh about. Um to start things off with the randomness. Are you ready for this? Is that Land Man the best show on television right now? Phenomenal. Did you watch the finale? The season finale just happened, it just got released this past week. That's why I'm bringing it up.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, absolutely amazing.
SPEAKER_03:I just love the writing, it's so good. It's obviously a Taylor Sheridan show. He's uh the mastermind from all the Yellowstone shows and all that. But uh, and and he's done a lot of other really good shows as well.
SPEAKER_01:I love the way they ended the second season. We've talked, I've told you, I love the the mother-daughter dynamic between those two. Uh it's just it's a phenomenal show all the way around.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, yeah, and they're super hot. Ollie lauders hot. And aged really well. And uh really the season finale, no spoilers, but it really seems like the season finale set up the rest of the show. Like it could go on for however many seasons they want. Like this seems like a new beginning. Right.
SPEAKER_01:They definitely set it up sort of as that. So it'd be interesting to see where they go in season three. I assume they've already been renewed, but I don't know.
SPEAKER_03:Right. Well, um, yeah, so wanted to start things off with that because I know how much we love that show. Billy Bob is so good in in that show. And his son is well cast, and his father is well cast in the show as well.
SPEAKER_01:And his one-liners, Billy Bob's little one-liners that he'll he'll throw in every episode. They kill me half the time. They're so good.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, they're so good. Um so last week, Rams, Bears. We're gonna start with that game because I think that was the best game on the sleep.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:2017 Bears. Or I mean 2017 Rams over the Bears in overtime. Um I don't did you watch it from start to finish?
SPEAKER_01:Pretty much. I mean, I definitely saw everything that happened.
SPEAKER_03:Did you watch it from the start? Did you see the national anthem?
SPEAKER_01:No, I don't think I.
SPEAKER_03:Well, there's a bunch of people out there that did what happened and oh man, the guy that did some kind of Chicago legend, um, sing legendary scene.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, the opera singer or something. I guess it sounded okay to me. Why are they saying that?
SPEAKER_03:No, no, it was great, depending upon what you're looking for, but of course it was just a good old Chicago guy. And um I I don't know, it just kind of started things off. He's supposedly somebody that does the national anthem before every big Chicago game. Um But the Rams, I mean, that game went back and forth. It was they had me worried for a while, I will say that. Yeah, I was I I I was thinking Bears, but I wanted Rams. Um I it was one of those things. I I think I'm I think I'm rooting for for Stafford from the way that everything panned out. The next game I'll go to is the the highest scoring of last one week, Bill's Broncos 30 to 33 Broncos. There's a lot of storylines that have come out of that game.
SPEAKER_01:But before we catch that's not a catch or fight.
SPEAKER_03:Before we get into the storylines, what did you just think about like the game in general?
SPEAKER_01:I thought it was a really good game. It was what I expected. I expected it to be a tight back and forth game, and it truly was that. But it's the playoffs. So thus far, every game has come down to one or two key plays. I mean, it's been mostly field goals, but I mean it's come down to that one or two plays throughout the game that really makes the difference. But it was a heartbreaker because I mean, you know, Bills were our sentimental finger, at least they were for me.
SPEAKER_03:And that's what I was thinking about the whole time was Josh Allen and taking on that and getting getting that win and getting getting one more game into the playoffs. And but I was also going back to the week prior to when you clear his day kind of proclaimed that whoever plays the Broncos next week is gonna lose.
SPEAKER_01:And see, I don't remember that. See, you remember that kind of hit. I don't so there you go. Um Broncos ain't winning this week, though, I'll tell you that.
SPEAKER_03:And we'll get into what we think's gonna happen. We'll get into the aftermath of that game, too, with some storylines coming up. Um Texans, Patriots, Patriots take the win 28 to 16. Yeah, that's who I said would win. Yeah, I I I well I was thinking that I was thinking that that Houston defense would give them a little bit more of a struggle. And uh I would say for I would say for the majority of the game, it was kind of it was close. And then the Patriots.
SPEAKER_01:But it was it was uh CJ that was just all over the place. He had what, like half a dozen interceptions by the end of the game? It was it was insane. Every every pass he threw, it was picked off or you know six. It was nuts.
SPEAKER_03:And for as many turnovers, uh but that was a game where both both sides of the ball were turning the ball over, and you kind of see that gets a little contagious. But I don't know. Worst game of the week, in my opinion, and then everybody else's was 49er Seahawks, 41 to 6.
SPEAKER_01:Didn't even didn't even finish watching that game because I it just you know, like some of our games this season, you watch and you just know it's over. Of course, we watched all of our games because we're fans, so we're gonna suffer through. But when I'm watching playoff games like that and it's a blowout and you know it's over, I move on to something else.
SPEAKER_03:I was I was flipping around. I checked back in on it. I was hoping that they would kind of try to make it a game, but it just kept going the other direction. The momentum just stayed with with the Seahawks the whole time. And I I picked the Seahawks. I mean, another game where they looked very disciplined, they looked very efficient with the ball, very good on defense, too.
SPEAKER_01:And it was like when they played us, they were disciplined, they knew what they were doing, and they systematically marched down the field.
SPEAKER_03:Right, right. Um, to lead us off with some storylines, because I want to get into a lot of storylines, but I I want to turn things back around to our team. Um, we have yet to to hire a defensive coordinator. Um, and does that worry you, or does that make the fact that we hired Blau so quickly? Does I mean we're kind of taking opposite approaches on opposite sides of the ball. We made the we we made Blau our offensive coordinator almost too quick for a guy that no one really knows. Right. And then for a defensive coordinator, it's like, well, we've been out of it for a while. Um Joe Witt was demoted mid-season, so they've known that they were gonna have to find a new DC for some time. And were if there was a quick hire, I would have thought DC would have been the quick hire.
SPEAKER_01:I was just gonna say that because they had like half the season to basically start vetting people. So I figured, like you just said, that would be the the quick one to go. And the OC would take a little bit longer just because, you know, we weren't really sure what we were gonna do with Cliff. Was he gonna stick around? Was he gonna just leave us and take a head coaching job? Or were we gonna, you know, the way we performed, just outright fire him like we did?
SPEAKER_03:It's not through lack of trying. We have interviewed Terrell, and forgive me for if I mispronounce any of these names, because for the most part, I've never heard of any of these guys. Um Terrell Austin, Pittsburgh's defensive coordinator, Al Harris, Chicago's DB coach, Carl Scott, Seattle Seahawks DB coach, Joe Cullen, Kansas City's defensive line coach. And of course, we know Brian Flores, which I think uh was just extended by uh Minnesota as their defensive coordinator.
SPEAKER_01:He was, if he doesn't accept another position with another team, he was extended.
SPEAKER_03:Right. So I think maybe there's a conversation where if you get the head coach job, then obviously you can go. But I I don't know. I'm thinking maybe he's committed, maybe he did the interviews he was looking to do.
SPEAKER_01:Well see, that kind of confused me. Like, why would you sign the extension with your existing team knowing that possibly you might take another job somewhere else? It seems you should know what you're doing out before you renew in. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03:Well, the only the only thing I could think of there is if Minnesota says to themselves, hey, look, we we want we don't want to lose you if if you for a for a lateral position. You know, we don't want you to go be a defensive coordinator for somebody else. If you're gonna be a defensive coordinator, we'd like you to stay. But by all means, if you get a head coaching position and you can be promoted, then by all means, then you know, we wish you all the best. But I that's why what I think. So I I don't know. I wouldn't be shocked if we hear that he was he accepted a head coaching position. But I also wouldn't be shocked if he kind of saw what was out there. Minnesota saw what was out there, came to his salary agreements and just said, hey, just stay home. And so he he he decided to do that. But yeah, I don't know. I just kind of thought that it's just been a little bit of a question mark looming here because I would have thought if they're gonna make a quick decision, it would have been with with the DC, not the OC, but maybe the fact that they made a quick decision with the offensive coordinator position and Blau, that should just kind of re like rest like we should just be rest assured that they Well, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, I'm glad they certainly didn't make a hasty decision with both positions. You know, had they quickly filled both, I'd be a little bit more skeptical than I already am with what they did with the OC position.
SPEAKER_03:Which tells me that maybe they knew that I mean they obviously had knew it they didn't the day before they fired Cliff, that it didn't occur to them, hey, we should fire Cliff tomorrow. They knew they were gonna fire Cliff. Right. Which makes me think maybe they knew they had a guy in-house that was gonna get looks at around the league because he's been a player recently. And, you know, if he's the backup quarterback in your organization that is literally the first one there and the last one to leave, and he's you know, a kind of a young coach on the field or on a sideline, and you can kind of see that potential in a young man, then I can see, you know, elevating the guy and just and just keeping him here and kind of saying to yourself a couple weeks in, hey, if this we're gonna have some conversations with Cliff, but if we don't hear the things we want to hear, then we've got the guy already. We don't really need to do an extensive search. We can kind of concentrate on defensive coordinator. Um, but I don't know. I I've also heard some other some good things around the league from some other good people about David Blau, uh, an ex-quarterback of ours, Colt McCoy being one of them. Uh he spent some time with Blau. Blau is his backup, and you know, he had some pretty interesting things to say and some good insight as to who we've got in offensive quarter. I don't know if it really gives us too much insight as to what our play calling is gonna look like, but there's always a coaching tree out there, and he's got several coaches that he's been with in the league and influences and Colt, I think, gives a pretty good description of like where he's been and who we got.
SPEAKER_00:Not gonna find a better person than David Blau. I mean, he is uh he's he's salt of the earth, man. And he got put in a horrible situation in Arizona. You know, I was I was banged up, I was, you know, I was kind of on my last leg, my elbow was falling off, and and we had to get uh Blau in around Christmas. I think he got in like maybe like the week before Christmas and wasn't gonna play, and then all of a sudden, just we he he had to play. And that's always an extremely tough situation to get placed into. Um, but man, he's been around great quarterbacks, he's been around Stafford, he's been around, you know, he was with those guys in Detroit for a long time. He learned a lot from Ben Johnson. Uh, he was with us in Arizona with Cliff. You know, he was in Minnesota for a while with Kevin O'Connell. So he he's been around like very good offensive minds in the game. And he's super smart. You know, when he came in, he picked up the offense real quick. He just he plays like a coach, he thinks like a coach, he acted like a coach. He was just one of those guys that you knew. And and he wanted to be a coach. So he kind of checked all those boxes, and um, he he he's gonna do a great job. He's he's super smart, you know, really understands uh structures of defenses, shades, techniques, coverages on the back ends, blitzes, how to attack those. Um he's he's we've had tons of really in-depth conversations on things we like, and and uh so I'm I'm I'm excited for him, man. I I hate that my boy Cliff is on the move. I love that dude. But uh, you know, David and getting his first crack to call some plays, that's gonna be that's gonna be really fun. And he's he's more than more than ready to get this opportunity.
SPEAKER_03:All right. So Colt, he's I mean, I I don't have a lot of I haven't heard anybody really have anything bad to say about Colt McCoy. So I find that his opinion is is a pretty valuable one and a good source.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean he you know he was good for us when he was with us, so I I take him at his word.
SPEAKER_03:So I'm I'm looking to see I'm looking forward to see if we've got the guy in the building and we elevated him at the right time at the right moment.
SPEAKER_01:Well, we won't know until the offense hits the field and we see what he what he does.
SPEAKER_03:You are not kidding there, buddy. Um all right. Uh I've done a little bit of an update to the a couple weeks back on the podcast, I ranked the head coaching positions out there. Like if you're a head coaching candidate and you're looking at the positions out there, there's certainly been some more openings, that's for sure. There's been some more openings and there's been some um vacancies that have been filled. So I'm going to give another ranking right now. There are five organizations without a head coach, and we'll get into all the organizations that have uh made some um hirings. Um but I've got a new ranking here I want and I've got little reasonings for for the job, and just a quick word or two, and uh I want your thoughts on whether you agree or disagree with my rankings of one through five.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_03:All right. So number five, uh I've got if you are a head coach looking around the league for a new job, I've got the fifth job as the Browns because they're the Browns. Exactly.
SPEAKER_01:That's that's the only logic you need. It's the only logic I've used all season, okay? I thought you'd like that.
SPEAKER_03:So you agree, check mark there. Number five is correct. Um, number four, I've got as the Cardinals. I just feel like there's too many unknowns with the Cardinals. They're not great with their cap right now. They do have a decent draft pick coming their way, but it looks like the organization is ready to move on from Kyler unless that's a given, I think. Well, unless a head coach can come in there and blow them waves. No, I think he's gone either way. I I agree. But uh so I've got the Cardinals as number four because of t the too many unknowns within the organization in the direction. Makes sense, I yeah. Number three. Three, I have as the Raiders, and I've got my little caveat there as they have the number one overall pick.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, basically that's it.
SPEAKER_03:Number two, I've got as the Steelers, because basically, as a head coach, you can't look at an organization and think, you know, who's gonna give me the most job security? Who's gonna give me the biggest, you know, potential, and the fact that they're a legendary organization. Now, outside of that, personnel-wise, I mean, they're good on defense, but offense gonna need a new quarterback.
SPEAKER_01:Rogers isn't gonna come back without Tomlins.
SPEAKER_03:We don't know. We don't know. There's some question marks with he's not coming back.
SPEAKER_01:He's gonna say it right here now. He's not coming back.
SPEAKER_03:All right. Um, and then for my number one now uh a new opening from this week, I've got as the Buffalo Bills job as the number one opening.
SPEAKER_01:That's definitely the number one.
SPEAKER_03:You agree? Because I mean they've got Josh Allen, and that's my only caveat there. That's my only note is Josh Allen.
SPEAKER_01:Josh Allen, and they hopefully they will give him the tools on the offensive side of the ball that he needs. Uh, because it can't just, as I think we saw in you know, his run in the postseason, it can't just be him. You can't rely on. I mean, you can, but you shouldn't have to rely on him to carry the team when it matters at the end of the fourth quarter, the end of overtime, wherever. You can't always put it on the quarterback's shoulders. Like he's gotta have the tools to use. And he doesn't. And that's what got McDermott in trouble because he spoke truth to power, and they said, see you later.
SPEAKER_03:Right. Yeah. I mean, were you shocked by the firing? A little bit, yeah. But I think we had talked about it a couple weeks back.
SPEAKER_01:When we first went through the rankings, I think we we both kind of agreed that his seat was warm. It wasn't necessarily a hot seat, but it was it was warm.
SPEAKER_03:Look back in my notes real quick. Let me look here. Hang with us here, folks. Oh, hold on. We're gonna take a quick pause because our pizza's here. All right, we had pizza. Um, we're back. I think we're talking about Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, how hot a seat was what we or what you said.
SPEAKER_03:He was not in my notes. He was not in my notes, but I do recall us talking about him and his name getting brought up. I think the other name that we were talking about, possibly um having a hot seat in the playoffs, was uh LaFleur. LaFleur?
SPEAKER_01:Green Bay, but it looks like they're signing him to an extension.
SPEAKER_03:Good on him, good on him. Um all right, so I want to get into uh some storylines and while we're talking about the Bills, and I'm just gonna run through these because I've got lots of notes here I want your thoughts on. Give me a word or two, give me a minute or two, depending upon how the topic strikes your fancy. How's that?
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_03:Um we just mentioned Sean McDermott was out. Uh there were reports that Phillip Rivers interviewed for the Buffalo Bills job. Do you think he should get that job? You think if he was offered the job, would you take it if you were him?
SPEAKER_01:If I were offered it, probably, but I think it was just a platitude. I think it was just to say that they're covering their bases.
SPEAKER_03:They want to see if he said anything that blew him away.
SPEAKER_01:I would be shocked if they actually gave it to him, because I think it was just a formality.
SPEAKER_03:We'll see. We'll see. Um Jesse Minter hired as uh the Baltimore Ravens head coach. He was previously um a coordinator with his uh John Harbaugh's brother and with the Chargers. Uh we had mentioned him on previous podcasts as possibly uh gaining some interest there because he used to be an assistant head coach. I forget if he's offensive or defensive minded.
SPEAKER_01:Doesn't matter. My initial reaction was who the fuck is he?
SPEAKER_03:Okay. Uh fair enough. Uh Stefanski hired as Atlanta's new head coach previously from uh the Cleveland Browns.
SPEAKER_01:Better than Cleveland, so I mean he's got a he's got a fighting chance to be pretty good there, maybe.
SPEAKER_03:We got Matt Ryan in. We get it seems like we've got a new era happening down there in in Atlanta, the Dirty Birds. Do you think that uh Safanski kind of rejuvenates himself and the uh the city down there?
SPEAKER_01:I think he rejuvenates himself, but maybe not the city and probably not so much the team as a whole.
SPEAKER_03:Do you think that uh Kirk Cousins is on the Atlanta Falcons next year? I think he's still about one more year under that contract that he signed with them.
SPEAKER_01:Right now I would say yes, because I haven't heard anything about him going anywhere else.
SPEAKER_03:Well, his name's being thrown around all obviously because he's being paid as a starter but sitting in the backup role. And maybe there's an organization out there that will say, hey, yeah, what's like why like why aren't you paying, why aren't you playing Kirk? Like we'll we'll take him, we'll trade you for him. Um he's a good trade candidate out there. Um let's see the next storyline I've got here. Um Robert Salah to the Titans. He's was obviously head coach of the uh New York Jets, and then back to his role as defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers. Do you think that's a good spot for him?
SPEAKER_01:I think he's one of those people, as you said next or last week, they need to stay in their lane.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, you think he should just stay as one of the better coordinators?
SPEAKER_01:I think he's he's better off as a coordinator than a head coach.
SPEAKER_03:Got it. The sphere is coming to the DMV. Did you see that? Yeah, let's go. Yeah, I mean, everything I've seen from the Las Vegas sphere. Yeah, I mean, looks awesome.
SPEAKER_01:Totally fine with that.
SPEAKER_03:Inside and out, which is the coolest part about the dam. Just get it built, get it open, let's go. I mean, with our new stadium coming and the sphere coming around the DMV, this place is about to be popping. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:All right. Um, Eric Bienneme, he used to be uh an offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders. They're gonna be able to do that.
SPEAKER_01:And he went back to the Chiefs. He can stay there. Okay, no one no one else really wants him. He's not gonna be a head coach anywhere. So he can just go back to Kansas City and be Kansas City's fantastic offensive coordinator moving on.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I mean, a lot of people would have said, like, why'd you even move on from that position to begin with? You should have just stayed there the whole time. Why why did you feel like you wanted to go elsewhere? But I I think that's where he belongs, obviously. If Andy Reid likes you, and I mean, it's not like he was fired, he just wanted opportunities elsewhere.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So um let's see, what else do I have here? Mike McDaniels is now the uh LA Chargers offensive coordinator. Are you surprised that he didn't get a head coaching job?
SPEAKER_01:A little bit.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, considering what's open, I figured somebody would take him as a head coach, but I kind of was feeling like Arizona might be a good fit for him.
SPEAKER_01:Could have been.
SPEAKER_03:Could have been.
SPEAKER_01:Um but could have been a fit for Tennessee.
SPEAKER_03:But maybe he's taking the uh Cliff Kingsbury approach or the mindset of, you know, I did the head coaching thing, it didn't really work out well for me. Let me let me take a a little bit of a step back and a break from the that responsibility from the limelight.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, if you can't make it work in Miami with a rookie quarterback who you basically ran into concussion protocol, uh, you know, maybe you don't deserve to be a head coach uh for the foreseeable future, if ever again, if you can't make that work.
SPEAKER_03:Well, it's too early to say ever again. He's a young guy, he's really smart offensive mind.
SPEAKER_01:But I I do think that I more so expected him to be our uh offensive guy till we, you know, quickly went the other way. Yeah, it's uh I I just because of the connection with with DQ, I figured I feel like the Charger spot.
SPEAKER_03:I feel like the Charger spot is a weird spot. Um football-wise, I did read that his wife is from LA and maybe he likes the big cities. He's gone, he's coming from Miami. Now LA seems like a culture.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, maybe maybe they have a better selection of you know, those Capri pants or whatever the fuck it is that he was wearing on the sideline every week.
SPEAKER_03:Yes. All right, next thing I got. Um UFC is on Paramount Plus. You are not a UFC fan, but I am. We've got Patty the Baddie Pimlet versus Justin Gacy on Paramount Plus. You know, Paramount Plus bought all of our UF, all the UFC fans, they bought all their pay-per-views for from now until uh for I think it was a seven or eight year deal. Um, but we've got Patty the Batty Pimlet versus Justin Gagey. Uh, you know nothing about UFC. I doubt you've ever heard these names before, nor do you know what they look like. But who do you got? Make a pick.
SPEAKER_01:I don't give a fuck.
SPEAKER_03:I know you don't. I know. Just pick one Patty the Batty Pimlet or uh Justin Gagey. Batty. All right, Patty the Baddie. Um next thing is the Oscars uh pictures. Um uh the Oscar nominations got nominated here or released this week, I should say. You're a big movie guy. You've seen most of these uh best picture nominations. And I skimmed the nominations. Well, we've got Begonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Of those ten, how many have you seen?
SPEAKER_01:Uh let me see the list. I've seen three. A number of them are also on the streaming apps. I just haven't got to them yet.
SPEAKER_03:I recently saw Begonia. How was it? It was it it was interesting. I can see how it got it got uh nominated for best picture because the acting was good, the storyline was a little out there, um, but it's not gonna win. I hope F1 wins because I felt like that was not gonna win. I don't think it's gonna win either, but I it was a phenomenal movie. Loved it. It was my favorite movie of the year, F1, with Brad Pitt. Um did you see Marty Supreme? Yeah. Do you think it's best picture worthy?
SPEAKER_01:I don't know if it's best picture worthy, but I think I think Timothy will win best actor.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. And one battle after another, the Leo movie. Did you see that one?
SPEAKER_01:I did not.
SPEAKER_03:It's on my list. I want to see it. I need to um steal your HBO Max login for well, you better invest like three hours because I think that's how long that movie is.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know. I mean, we got snow. Uh Leonardo, I don't think, got nominated for best actor.
SPEAKER_03:That doesn't surprise me. He never is. Um The Saudis are reportedly uh up to paying uh The Rock a massive payday to make a WrestleMania 43 run for 2027. What are your thoughts?
SPEAKER_01:Well, seeing as how this is a recorded podcast, I'm gonna choose my words very carefully.
SPEAKER_03:The Saudis aren't gonna come after us.
SPEAKER_01:But I that's not what I'm worried about. You don't want us to get canceled.
SPEAKER_03:So I No, you're right.
SPEAKER_01:I don't I don't think that he should just have a match just because they are gonna give him some asteriskal, you know, crazy dollar amount. Okay. The only reason they're throwing money at these old school WWE wrestlers, the rock, Stone Cold, whoever else, Undertaker, is because they are having WrestleMania in a foreign country that nobody wants to go to for various reasons. So they need to have some way of getting people to go there and tune in.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, so WrestleMania uh 2027 is gonna be in Saudi Arabia?
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:Huh.
SPEAKER_01:That is why they're throwing all this money at him and all the veterans that I grew up with that you grew up with, because that's how else are you gonna get people to watch WrestleMania that's not in this country?
SPEAKER_03:Okay. Do you do you know the difference between the people from Dubai and the people from Abu Dhabi? No, the people from Dubai don't like the Flintstones, but the people from Abu Dhabi do. So Okay.
SPEAKER_01:Cue the laughter.
SPEAKER_03:Now you now you know. No, pause for laughter. I know everybody's getting a kick out of that. It's one of my favorite dad jokes. Um okay.
SPEAKER_01:But how much money how much money are they offering?
SPEAKER_03:We don't know the exact amount.
SPEAKER_01:All we know is it's it's reportedly I was scrolling through Facebook and I just saw they're offering him a massive amount of money, but I didn't click on the article to see what the actual dollar amount was. But the Rock has already said he doesn't want to have his retirement match in Saudi Arabia. He wants it to be in the United States. We'll see if he holds true.
SPEAKER_03:Nobody said that he would retire.
SPEAKER_01:No, he has said that this would be a retirement match.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, the next time he makes a comeback is gonna be the final ride.
SPEAKER_01:And he said he does not want in previous interviews, he does not want his final match to be over in Saudi Arabia. I think he wants it to be in the United States. Well, that's hooks out.
SPEAKER_03:That's hooks out. Let's see how much money they throw out.
SPEAKER_01:But I mean, if they're gonna throw him a crap ton of money, I might say yes. I mean, I mean, I I hate to, you know, uh throw away the morals for the dollar now, but it depends how much it is.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, yeah, 100%. And I think everybody agrees with that. Like, there is a dollar figure that you'll do damn near anything. So when you start talking about massive paydays to do what? I mean, that guy's gotten a lot of money thrown at him to do a lot of different jobs throughout the the years.
SPEAKER_01:So I can only Smash Machine is on HBO Max, by the way, I think this weekend. That's what I'm saying. Dude, I need to get your HBO. It's a good movie. I liked it a lot. And you would love it because it's this is about the origins of uh UFC. Oh, you would you would love it.
SPEAKER_03:My dad was saying that I need to see the documentary documentary smashing machine before I haven't been able to track it down anywhere.
SPEAKER_01:That's what I'm saying. I haven't either. I can't I can't. I I would love to watch it, but I can't find it anywhere.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna have to track that down.
SPEAKER_01:But I'm gonna what else you got on your uh uh topics of discussion there.
SPEAKER_03:Uh well the next things to talk about pretty much leads into our playoff segment. So I think I need to update that playoff soundbite because John Harbaugh had some pretty good sound bites from his opening press conference this past week for the New York Giants. And if you don't if you didn't hear, um, John Harbaugh wants guys that love football.
SPEAKER_01:Well, no shit. Every coach wants that.
SPEAKER_03:He went on a five-minute tangent about guys that are he's gonna look for and guys that are gonna be in the building.
SPEAKER_01:And he said people are gonna want to play for him, no doubt.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, but if you don't love football, because John Harbaugh and the New York Giants are there to do football. And he basically said football in his answer about two dozen times.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I'll have to go back and watch.
SPEAKER_03:I should have clipped it out, but whatever. I don't really he's dead to me now, remember?
SPEAKER_01:I don't want him to do well. Yeah, he's in our division.
SPEAKER_03:So as we get into the playoffs, um we're gonna keep this nice, short, and sweet here. Uh we've only got two games to look at. We've got the AFC game, uh championship game, the NFC championship game. Do you remember what last year was like going into this game?
SPEAKER_01:We were pumped. Oh my god. We were ecstatic. We were trying to figure out how we would mortgage your house to pay for Super Bowl tickets.
SPEAKER_03:Um yes, we were. Yes, we were.
SPEAKER_01:Um we were on. If there was like a cloud anything above nine, we were there.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. I mean, we really were. We were this time last year. So uh happy birthday to my mom. Uh this time last year we were celebrating.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you guys are celebrating our birthday tomorrow. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Well, we were celebrating her birthday this time last year, or her 60th, and we got uh Airbnb with me and my sisters, and we we went to some Irish pubs and celebrated. Oh, that's right. You guys did a pub crawl. Yeah, we went around Annapolis, and um I was talking to her earlier this week, and she says, Do you remember last year on my birthday? I'm like, Yeah, she's like, You're going to the NFC championship game. I'm like, Oh, yeah, that's right. She's like, Yeah, we talked about the entire ride home. You could not stop talking about the NFC championship. I know I was like, Yeah, I know. And we we woke up that morning and um I was like, we gotta get home. We gotta get home. It was a night game, so it was like there was no rush. I wanted to get home to get ready for the game. Man, I it just I'm never gonna forget that season.
SPEAKER_01:It was so much fun. I mean, for us lifelong fans, you know, to finally have just that one winning season and to feel what winning feels like. It was it was electric, it was beyond it. It was just it was like an out-of-body experience the entire season because it's weird. We kept saying all season we might actually be good. It might actually be good. And eventually I would say, you would say it, and I'd be like, but we are good, we are good. Now it's the complete opposite of we're trash or we were.
SPEAKER_03:And you know what? Fuck the Eagles. So yeah, this year in the uh NFC championship game. We have the Rams versus the Seahawks. And in the AFC, we've got the Patriots versus the Broncos. Now, Mike, my question is for you. Who do you think is going to win and who do you want to win? Now, you might have the same answer for both categories, right? But you might have different answers for each one. So we're going to go game by game. We're going to start with the AFC. Patriots versus Broncos. Who do you think is going to win? Who do you want to win? Patriots, both answers. Okay, so you want the Patriots and you think the Patriots. Yes. I think the Patriots, but I want the Broncos.
SPEAKER_01:No. That would make sense if Denver was not starting a backup quarterback. That's why I want the Broncos. I would be with you. But they're starting a backup quarterback. He's going to get fucking killed, and they're going to lose.
SPEAKER_03:For those of you that don't know, Bo Knicks, quarterback for the uh Broncos, yeah, broke his ankle in the fourth quarter.
SPEAKER_01:Second to last play of the game.
SPEAKER_03:Yep. Late in the fourth quarter of last week's game against the Buffalo Bills, which just leads us all to wish and think, like, gosh, well, I just wish the Bills would freaking won.
SPEAKER_01:If you're just going to lose your if if Bo was playing, that game would be close. And it could truly go either way, but I think I think it's going to be New England hands down.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I am rooting for uh I think the Patriots because of Jarrett Stidham. Um, but I want the Broncos because Jarrett Stidham. But specifically, I want the Broncos because I don't want the Patriots, if that makes any sense. We've spent It does.
SPEAKER_01:You've you've got uh BTSD from the Tom Brady era.
SPEAKER_03:Well, my yeah, I mean kinda. I I just if if our team's not in it, then I just want to see a new a new team in there. Uh and I'm glad the Eagles aren't. And I don't disagree with that same thing. So we've had the Chiefs there for the last decade, but before the Chiefs, it was the Patriots for two decades. So like just if the Patriots just could continue to suck without Tom Brady forever, I'd be fine with that. You know, the Patriots don't need to be good for Drake May's entire career. I just don't need it. I don't need it, don't want it.
SPEAKER_01:Well, time will tell. I mean, it's early.
SPEAKER_03:Time will tell. Um, so you've got you've got the Pats, I've got the Pets, uh, I want the Broncos. You want the Pats. So NFC championship game. Rams versus Seahawks. I'll take you back to week 11 of this year. Um the Rams won in a close one, 21 to 19. Um, whoopty do, okay. I'm just saying they've played they've played already here in a very close.
SPEAKER_01:I've said that the Rams are my Super Bowl pick, and I'm gonna stick with them.
SPEAKER_03:So you think and you want?
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:I think Seahawks. I want Rams. I think the Seahawks are gonna win. I've been saying the Seahawks since we've played them.
SPEAKER_01:I think this game will be closer than the AFC Championship.
SPEAKER_03:Uh yeah, I think of the two games, the Rams Seahawks is gonna be.
SPEAKER_01:This is the game to watch.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:If you're gonna watch one of the two games, the NFC game is the one to watch.
SPEAKER_03:Well, it's got two good quarterbacks. Um but I I've been saying since um we played the Seahawks, that I felt like they were a really well-disciplined team. I'm gonna stick with that mantra. Um, I'm gonna stick with Darnold. He looks like he's been playing well for the last two to three years. So I'm gonna I'm gonna stick with with them defensively. Okay. Uh, but I hope the Rams win because I'm just a Stafford fan. I've always been kind of a Stafford fan. So if Josh Allen's not in it, and I've got to pick a quarterback to root for, I'm gonna pick for, I'm gonna root for for Stafford. Um, you talked about P PTSD. I still have PTSD from the Seahawks from like the 2011, 2012, 2013 seasons. They seem to like pick us apart and really single-handedly killed uh RG3. So um I'll just leave that at at that.
SPEAKER_01:That's a perfect ending on that. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So Mike, I did I did all the pet prep and pretty much have just been interviewing you this entire podcast. Yeah, aren't you lucky? Had a busy week. Um this is this this that's all I got, bud. Um that's good enough for me.
SPEAKER_01:Let's wrap this.
SPEAKER_03:Well, did I did I leave anything out? Did I forget anything? Uh any any notes or additions from you as the Peanut Gallery for the good of the order for the people?
SPEAKER_01:I can't really say that you've missed anything because even as we were talking off-air, you still managed to hit all the topics that I had coming in with no preparation whatsoever.
SPEAKER_03:I wish there was more commanders news for us to to discuss.
SPEAKER_01:We'll get into that when free agency hits and all that, you know, season two kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_03:Well, we do have um we've got two episodes left in season one of the Command the Commute podcast, and we really do appreciate all of you for riding along with us all season long. Um next week, we're we're gonna recap these championship games and kind of explain what we're excited about for the Super Bowl. And then the last podcast of the season will be recapping the Super Bowl, kind of tidying up any um coaching moves. Hopefully, we've got a defensive coordinator by then. But over the next two podcasts, I want us to um kind of go through some position groups that we uh are excited to fill and how we think we should fill them, whether it be through the draft or through free agency. Uh maybe some players that we really like that might be on the move. Uh so we'll kind of create some commanders news and speculation over the next couple weeks. Uh, and then we'll get into season two of uh of our of our podcast, which goes into which starts with starts with the offseason at the draft, so which hopefully we can go to, man. I'm trying to go.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it sounds exciting. We're you know, we're trying to go to the draft, but you know, people Well, that's the thing.
SPEAKER_03:Is the only thing we gotta do to go to the draft is just drive to the draft. I don't know. I mean it it seems like every single year it's just people they show that they show some drone shot of of whatever city they're in. It just looks like mass amounts of NFL fans are just sitting there. So it's in Pittsburgh this year.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know how any of that stuff works. I thought we had somebody looking into it for us, but they've kind of left us down.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, we're gonna drive to Pittsburgh and we're gonna show up. And then when people are like, what are you doing here? We're gonna be like, We're here for the freaking draft, man. Let us in.
SPEAKER_01:I just want to hear what's pretty sure they're gonna want to see a ticket or a badge or something.
SPEAKER_03:We'll make some badges. We can I mean it's in a world of that you can't tell anything apart with AI. I mean, AI can make us some NFL VIP badges. I'm sure of it. I'm sure of it.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, uh I don't disagree. AI can do just about anything.
SPEAKER_03:What will they think of next? Thank you guys so much for joining us for for the latest episode. Uh this is where I ask: give us a like, give us a review, give us a comment, tell your friends, show this to your to your to your mom, show it to your to coworker and say, hey, check these guys out. They they uh if there's a home game, they go to the game and drive to the game and they talk about the game on the way to the game. Uh it's a guy named Bob, it's a guy named Mike. They're out there in Western Maryland. They come all the way from Western Maryland to go down to DC and go to the Hail on the Commanders year in and year out. So, yeah, give us a review or just tell me how much my uh country accent sucks. But thank you guys so much. We will see you next week. Hail to the Redskins.
SPEAKER_01:I said give me the hell, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Thanks for listening to the Command the Commute Podcast. I now welcome you to crack a cold beer, cook up some chicken wings, and enjoy the football game. Because the commanders, the team, the redskins, or whatever else you call them, is gonna kick some ass. If this is a home game, Bob and Michael will be in the red zone lot at Northwest Stadium. We encourage you to come to our tailgate and say hello. If you are still listening to the podcast, wow, you are an extremely loyal listener. I wonder how much longer you'll stay. Hey, I've got a question. How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? You've got mail. Goodbye.