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Running through AFC East storylines and expectations with Infinity Sports Network radio host - Zach Gelb.
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00:00Zach Gelb hosts afternoons nationally on the Infinity Sports Network and he joins us Wednesdays
00:05from the WFAN studios in New York City. Crowder was in New York City on Monday for the Happy
00:12Gilmore premiere. Did he call you up, Gelby? Did Crowder reach out to you when he was in your
00:18big city? Yeah, I don't even let my hopes get up anymore that whenever Crowder's in town that he's
00:23going to hit me up. Once you reject me that many times, I'm not a desperate person. He just doesn't
00:29care for you. I do care. I'm in New York for 14 hours at a time. That's a long time.
00:37Well, a long time. I met Shooter McGavin, John Cena. He blew me off. Yeah, I don't like John
00:42Cena anymore. You met Sandler himself. I saw the picture. Yeah, and I met Sandler. You know what?
00:46I'm actually beefing with Adam Sandler right now because when I first met Channing Crowder
00:51at a radio row, actually, I interviewed Adam Sandler and I was in high school at the time
00:57and Sandler told me I was a cute kid and I would be in one of his movies one day and
01:01I never got the call to be in one of his movies. Was that the radio row in Miami?
01:06No, it was in Indianapolis, another place that Crowder probably never left his hotel room
01:10unless it was to go to do the show, honestly. Or to take a cab ride with Sid. Yeah.
01:15It was terrible, but yeah, Sid will get you in some stuff now. I don't know how he found
01:20trouble in Indianapolis. I actually think that was the Super Bowl where it was the shot heard
01:26around the world. A little punch. It was. I think that was the one. It was. Where big
01:31Bermudez whooped Sid's tail in the Tennessee. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Now Sid's going to
01:36be in like Trump's cabinet or something coming up in a few years. They've both gone on to do great
01:40things. So if you had to seed the AFC East, because you've got all this football talk going
01:49on right now, because we had Ben Volan on earlier in the week from the Boston Globe and he had
01:55Bills one Patriots two Jets three Dolphins four. If you had to see the AFC East, how would you do it?
02:04When you had Ben Volan on, did he, it was, it was before it was, it was before. And I don't think
02:09he'd have the Patriots number two anymore after Mike Rabel read him the riot. Yeah. I'm going to
02:15say it is number one, the Buffalo Bills, number two, the New England Patriots, number three,
02:22the Miami Dolphins. And then in at number four, it would be the JTS Jets, Jets, Jets.
02:27Do you believe in the Jets? Because when, when Ben put the Jets over the Dolphin, I'm like,
02:32it's Justin Fields. Like, I don't, I don't know. I don't believe in Justin Fields. He was in Chicago,
02:37you know, Hawks, a Bears fan and all. We've been arguing about it, but even that, like,
02:41is Justin Fields going to take a team to double digit wins? I can't see that, Gail.
02:46You know, you hear about Justin Fields. All right. They want to blame it in Chicago.
02:50Totally understand that the Bears are a mess. Then he goes to Pittsburgh and he was winning games
02:55when they ended up going back to Russell Wilson, which never made any sense to me. And if they really
03:01wanted to bring him back, they could have this year and they elected not to do so. So now it's another
03:07opportunity where it's like, all right, let's see if this Justin Fields thing could work again.
03:11We know he could run the football, but it's still, the arm is a major question mark. And I look at the
03:17New York Jets and they have Garrett Wilson, who is phenomenal. Brees Hall is a, is a good running
03:22back. And that defense showed that they were overrated last year. I know Sauce Gardner just
03:28got paid. He needs a big bounce back season, but they do have good players. It's not as if they don't
03:32have a ton of talent. They do have some talent, but am I expecting for Justin Fields to be the
03:38long-term answer in New York? No, I think this is probably a five to seven win team. If I'm just
03:45being honest with you guys, I think I asked you the exact same question, probably the exact same
03:49segment last year, like going into camp. And I'll ask it to you again, the Buffalo bills,
03:56Josh Allen's great. They're going to win the division as long as he stays healthy, obviously.
03:59And look, even last year, we all expected this massive drop-off. The defense isn't going to look
04:03the same. They lost all their weapons, no Stefan digs, and they looked even better. And I expect
04:08them to look better this year. I do truthfully, but if they don't win the AFC, like what do they do?
04:14What do they just chalk it up to? Well, Patrick Mahomes legendary, and we just got caught at the
04:19wrong time. Or do they go try to replace Sean McDermott? Like, is that even worth it? Because
04:26they're where you want to be. They're contending every year. They're clearly good enough to win
04:30a Superbowl. And I don't think Sean McDermott is a bad head coach, but if you can't ever get over
04:36the hump at some point, like, isn't that the obvious change? I think the Buffalo bills,
04:41because what they went like 18 or 20 years without making the playoffs, uh, until Sean McDermott arrived.
04:46I still think they're operating in fear of what life is like without Sean McDermott. I think Sean
04:52McDermott is a good head coach in this league. Not very good, not great. And I actually wanted
04:56the Eagles to hire him. And instead they hired Doug Peterson and ended up working and the Eagles ended
05:01up winning the Superbowl. But the bills right now are where the Colts were at before eventually
05:06Peyton Manning got through. And they had that comeback in that AFC championship game in 2006,
05:11where they just keep on running into the bully and you just need one year for the bully to have a
05:17little weakness. And then you find a way to get past them and then you win the Superbowl. But
05:21even if you get past Kansas city, as for example, the, the bangles did a few years ago,
05:26the bangles ended up losing in the Superbowl. So I don't think McDermott is going anywhere.
05:30Uh, Josh Allen is the second best quarterback in the NFL as we enter this season, but you're
05:35right, Solana, if they don't get to the Superbowl and win it, it's as if they're stuck, just like
05:40how Peyton Manning was for all those years until he eventually broke through and won a Superbowl
05:45with the Indianapolis Colts.
05:46Gilb after Josh Allen, cause you got Buffalo, you got the giants and you got the jets.
05:52Who's the second best quarterback in New York?
05:57Oh boy. And that's an interesting way to act, ask it because even though Buffalo is in New
06:02York, being here in New York city and, and I know the jets and the giants play in New Jersey,
06:07the New York teams are considered, uh, the jets and the giants. I would actually, Ooh, wow.
06:13I guess you gotta go Russell Wilson. Here's how I'd rank it. If I just did one, two, three,
06:19four in a number one, obviously Josh Allen in a number two is Russell Wilson. I would then go
06:25Jackson Dart, who I'm not a big fan of three. And then Justin Fields for we were talking before the,
06:31uh, show started today. What'd you think? I was very impressed with Tua today at his media
06:36availability where he said about Tyree kill, like, yeah, this isn't something, you know,
06:43talking about, you know, kind of quitting in the last game of the season last year. He said,
06:47this isn't something where you say my bad and everything's good. You've got to earn back
06:51everyone's trust. I thought it was impressive on Tua's part to do that publicly and not just give
06:57him a pass and say, no, we love him. He's our teammate. What'd you make of that?
07:00It's about time. Someone in that organization actually show some balls. Like if I'm just being honest
07:05there, because if Chris Greer and Mike McDaniel, make this guy, Tyree kill a captain this year,
07:11uh, those two guys who don't know the difference between their elbow and their ass really don't
07:14know the difference in their elbow and their ass with what he said at the end of the year.
07:17You cannot make this guy a captain this year. I don't even care if the players vote him as a
07:21captain. You say, no, that's not happening on our watch and good by Tua Tunga by Loa to kind of
07:27speak out because I would not trust Tyree kill. And I think it is inevitable that the moment when the
07:32Dolphins go through a rough patch this year, he is going to be an a-hole like how he was at the
07:38end of the season. I think he's a ticking time bomb. And you know, the reason why is he left Kansas
07:43city. I know his stats have been better, but he's not doing any winning. And when you get that taste
07:48of what it's like to be in the penthouse, and now you are in a, a outhouse situation in Miami,
07:55even though it's a beautiful place to live, but you get it from the football terminology.
07:58Um, he's going to be thinking about what he once had. And I think that this experiment with the
08:04Dolphins is basically over. And at some point this year, he's going to do something stupid,
08:07uh, with this football team and to be a malcontent in that locker room.
08:11It sounds like you don't think Mike McDaniel has a good grasp of things.
08:15Oh no.
08:16What you said, what you said.
08:18If Mike McDaniel said, Hey, you know, come take a walk with me. I'll lead you and we'll go find
08:24something really cool to go explore for the day. I'll just go the opposite way. I'm not a believer
08:28in Mike McDaniel.
08:29Wow. Were you ever, I can't recall. Here's the thing with Mike McDaniel. And I've always said this
08:34and right. He was the popular guy, right? Everyone thought he was funny and I respect his story.
08:39Right. And I know about his story. And I don't want to disrespect him that way because what he's
08:42gone through to get to where he is, uh, it's very impressive with the adversity that he's fought
08:46through in life. But I always thought I was on the outside of an inside joke with Mike McDaniel.
08:51And, and that's why he just gave me like the ick whenever I would hear him speak. Um, probably
08:57how some people feel like when they listened to my radio show, but most of the listeners. Yeah.
09:01Yeah. I just got an ick from Mike McDaniel. And now it's being a proven true.
09:06And get up some, uh, me and how we're talking about earlier, uh, like to, and now to become a
09:12leader and to become a vocal and to become a guy that's going to check other guys for accountability.
09:17He hasn't done, that hasn't been him. He was a come to work and do my job guy. Can a player play
09:23four or five years and change what they're doing, change their outlook of what the teammates feel
09:29about them? I think so. Just because right. Tua was young. He had to deal with all the,
09:36the head injuries and, and right. The other injuries going back to college with the hip.
09:39And, um, I think sometimes it just takes a while to, to find your voice. Now Tua was the guy at
09:45Alabama and he kind of went down a path the last few years where he had to overcome probably the
09:52most adversity that he's ever faced. So now I think Tua is just kind of looking at it as,
09:57you know, who knows how many more years, I know they, they just signed him, but who knows how many
10:00more years I'll get the opportunity to be the guy in Miami. So let me do it my name, uh, my way now.
10:06Um, and I, I think you just see some more comfortability and you sometimes have a guy
10:11who's a quarterback, right? Supposed to be the alpha, but it takes some time through age and
10:15through some experience in this league to really become an actual, uh, bona fide leader.
10:21I'll ask you the big, if question, if he stays healthy, can the Miami dolphins in your mind,
10:27led by Tua Tungavailoa, healthy Tua Tungavailoa compete?
10:32Like be a fringe playoff team. No, I'm talking about compete.
10:36Like go, go, go beat the big dogs, go beat the chiefs or the bills or the Ravens or, uh,
10:43whoever in the AFC, can they compete? No, I think if everything went right for the Miami dolphins
10:49this year, they are a wild card team and they probably lose on wild card weekend. I think the
10:55super duper success for the dolphins this year would be winning a playoff game. But if you put a
11:00gun to my head and said, do the Miami dolphins, uh, win a playoff game this year, I would say no way.
11:05They've got talent on this roster. Gelb. I think you might be sleeping on them a little bit.
11:10Running back room. I liked Devon H and, you know, you have a Jalen model, uh, who I like a lot.
11:16Tyree kill. He's a talented player, but he's been a problem to a, is a solid, a good quarterback
11:21line. Still a question mark. And defensively, you know, who who's lining up in that secondary,
11:26a Solana and Crowder with all of his bad knees and, and, and his bad ankles that I hear about
11:31on the, on the way in at this point, it is possible at this point. I didn't think about
11:36my fat ass in that secondary. Okay. They've done that before. I did. They have like 70 something
11:42points against the Broncos. Yeah. I got it. I got a 305 call earlier. It said spam likely that might've
11:50been a Dolphins. Is that why you were screaming right before, right before you came on? I Hawk,
11:56you weren't in the room, but Solana and I were talking about this offensive line. And all of a
12:00sudden I just heard like a loud noise come from Channing Crowder. I thought he got murdered or
12:04something in that hotel room. PTSD talking about the offensive line. It just comes out of him every
12:09now and then. Yeah. I can burn. I can burn. Josh Appel had never seen the movie Goodfellas.
12:15And, uh, he watched it yesterday at three in the afternoon. Wow. Is that really watching Goodfellas?
12:20If you sit down at three in the afternoon on a Tuesday and, and I go, oh yeah, now I watched
12:25Goodfellas. No, I think you need like a cocktail or, or a little bit of a, of a smoke late at night,
12:32or you could be on like a long flight. For example, I've never seen the movie Casino.
12:37And I was told about the movie Casino a lot because one of my favorite restaurants in Vegas
12:43is Piero's where they shot that staircase scene there. Um, and Piero is a phenomenal restaurant.
12:48It's old school Italian joint. So I watched Casino on my way to, to Denver, uh, last week
12:53when I was going to a bachelor party and it was a very enjoyable. One of my all-time favorite movies,
12:58but that if you're on an airplane, you can actually focus on a movie. I'll give airplanes a pass
13:02because you can focus on a movie. I think airplanes actually make good movies better.
13:07And bad movies worse because you're so focused on it. But if you're at home,
13:12it's South Florida, sunny out three in the afternoon. You're not watching Goodfellas.
13:17I'm with you. It's gotta be, it's gotta be nighttime. And you're right. You gotta have
13:21a little funky Buddha or a little something. I'll give the Pella break. Here's why he's got
13:26to get it in now, right? Isn't his wife, uh, pregnant. Aren't they expecting a kid? So soon
13:32you're not going to be able to watch any movies. So whatever time Appell gets, I think you gotta
13:36take it to advantage. Watch movies because the kid ain't sleeping. Yeah, but I don't know. Appell
13:41in the middle of the night, I think he's a helicopter dad now. And he's just surrounded
13:44that baby, making sure nothing goes wrong. He's going to be a helicopter dad. He's totally
13:49going to be a helicopter dad. And Hawk is going to be the crazy uncle. Like, let's be real.
13:54I'm going to be, anytime they need a sitter, Uncle Hawk is, uh, is available. You just drop that
13:59kid right at Flanagan's and I'll be there. But Len Weiner actually called me up. He goes,
14:03we're going to do a live broadcast from the ER room for the birth. Or are you in to fly on down?
14:08That's the new Hawk bit for that. Well, let's hope the birth doesn't happen in the ER room.
14:13All right. Zach. You know what I mean? Come on hospital. Come on. Spoken like a guy who's never
14:21had a baby before. Right? Not that I know of. Yeah. All right. Zach Gelb from the
14:26Unity Sports Network. We'll see you, Gelby. You got it. Some call me the Antonio
14:30Cromartie of Sports Talk Radio for crying out loud.