scene.
How is Germany receiving
the NFL for the first time ever in a game that counts.
Well, to give you some idea, Mike. Let's look at the front
page of the biggest newspaper in Munich this morning.
And I think if I'm not mistaken, that it means
football fever,
I'm not positive, but here's what Germans woke up to this
morning, with Tom, Brady staring at him.
And look, I think
what is happening
in this country. Mike is Jim tomsula. The former 49ers
coach, he coaches a year European League football team
in Dusseldorf
in Germany, and he was telling me. People are going to cry
about this game.
That's how long they've been waiting for the NFL to play
here. And not just the NFL. But
you know, Tom Brady is coming here. And I think that there is
a vision of Brady as sort of,
you know, a Mythic figure
to so many people who love football in Germany. Is somebody
told me here that, you know, it's like when Beatles came to
America, Brady coming to Germany so there's that.
But the other thing that you see
around the city Mike is all a bunch of
pop-up shops,
you know, with a lot of gear about all these teams. There's
a,
there's a plaza here that has every football helmet,
every football, teams helmet all 32 teams
and you just see a bunch of people walking around with
Seahawks stuff. And
and yeah, here it is. It's just Just it's it's everywhere in
last night, at that Hofbrauhaus. What was so
insane. All the NFL Network people are over there in Steve
Mariucci was dressed
as a whatever? Is it German guy from the country, you know,
with the shorts on in the suspenders, in the white shirt
and the funny Fedora. So
he's gotten in the act too. So
it's just, it's a fun
scene. And for people who really have never seen
a real football game here, I think. There's great
anticipation for it.
Peter what is the Germans knowledge of football to do?
They understand the game? I'm, we see a lot of those London
Games. People wearing the different jerseys and
everything of different teams. But sometimes they'll be
screaming and yelling for punts,
you know, what you wouldn't do in the United States, what's
our knowledge of the game?
I think really, it's quite good Shireen, if you, if you think
back to Generations to win the world league of American
football formed,
and by the way, the sea
Hawks are practicing right behind me.
I'm at the Bayern Munich and training grounds
in in, just a neighborhood in Munich
and the Seahawks have just started their Friday practice,
but I think because all of the people in Germany have been
used to
seeing American football for the last
33 years.
And they've had whether it be the world league or now it's
called I think the Football League.
There are teams all over this country flag football has
gotten really big, so I think you're going to see them
and again, who knows who comes to this game Cherie and a lot
of times at Super Bowl, you don't hear the same kind of
stuff that you'd normally here
at a regular game
because it's so,
you know, there's so many people
who've paid a lot of money to get the tickets
and to see this Game. So I'm not sure what is going to
manifest itself,
you know, in this game on Sunday, but they do know their
football.
Peter when this game was announced Seahawks Buccaneers
Tom Brady, either had on retired or was about to and
Russell Wilson was gone and you know it had a Vibe like this is
a Buccaneers romp. This is the Globetrotters against
the Washington generals although the tables are turning now
the Seahawks are
the better team.
What's your read on this one though? When you consider it's
been plucked out of the United States and dropped in a setting
that's going to feel like a Super Bowl which Willie Gibbs,
Tom Brady, a little bit of an edge because he knows a thing
or two about playing in that type of an
atmosphere.
Yeah, I think Mike that,
what's so interesting about the game itself is the reason that
the NFL stopped playing preseason games overseas and
decided to play
only regular season games overseas
is because what you're going to see on Sunday, this game is
hugely important. First of all, the Seattle to try to stay on
top,
you know, of a very competitive, NFC West.
And then for the Bucks.
You know
as crazy as it sounds, the division is there for them
to grab and so here's the problem you know.
Yeah. I don't even think it's a problem
but here's the situation.
You have a bunch of fans
who are coming to a game that is vitally important for both
teams and I think that'll just add to the fun and
the competitiveness of
Peter of covered a couple of these International games.
Mexico City, I did the first one there between the Cardinals
and I can't even remember who they play now at the time,
maybe the Rams thought it was. Yeah. And then I did the one
game in London between the Cowboys and Jaguars and they
all seem to have a different feel to
them. When you're over there
bigger than a regular season game more like a playoff game,
I don't know quite to the level of a Super Bowl. Do you get
that sent? How many of these International She'll games.
Have you covered in? Do you get that sense
that this game is going to be the same? It's going to be
have more of a playoff feel than a regular season. Feel
I created, you know, Serena you're absolutely right Pete.
Carroll yesterday. When I was talking to him
he said you know what it really has the feel of a college bowl
game
more important than a regular season game for sure and with
the pageantry and all the stuff
he you know I think the way the care Described it, like, he
told me, he said this
and he said it, you know, he's very serious about it, and he
said, it's an honor to play in this game to introduce,
you know, a regular season game. A real NFL game to the people
who are so rabid about this sport to Germans for the first time.
And, you know, I find it very interesting
that the Seahawks
had to travel 9 hours and 42 minutes on an airplane,
you know? Fifty two hundred miles in the middle of a season
after playing a road game
on Sunday in Arizona
and so they come home and then they're practically just
getting ready to play this game but I can tell I've known Pete
Carroll for a long time. He can be a little bit off the Record
and he can give you a little smirk or the little eyebrow
raised.
None of that yesterday. He is genuinely
excited and happy
to be in this game.
So start of preach the
Gospel of American football to people in Germany.
One reason he's happy now is that things have worked out
pretty well for him. In the Seahawks post, Russell Wilson,
they trade him to the Broncos, they go with Geno Smith who has
been
phenomenal. We've been talking about is he comeback Player of
the Year as he possibly MVP? He's something, he deserves
some peace of of hardware for what he's doing this year.
What's your take on why Geno Smith has been so good this
season?
Mike. I asked him about it a couple of weeks ago and
I thought he said it absolutely perfectly those. Eight years
that he mostly didn't play. He didn't punch the clock every
year, with every coach, with every quarterback who was in
front
of him, like, he was telling me stories of what he learned
from, Eli Manning, and what he has learned from every
quarterback who played above them like, you know, texting
with Russell Wilson at 5:00 in the morning, Morning
and just getting ready to go. Hey! It's a championship day.
Let's go and treating every day, like he was a player,
not like he was a backup.
And that to me, you know what, Mike, and I said this to him.
I said, you know, you were going to be a great Beacon
for all players, who sit on the bench for a long time
and doesn't it just sound ridiculous when you think about
it, just think about this Mike. It sounds a little ridiculous
when in the
Let me second year.
People are talking about Zach Wilson as a bust
and they're wondering, jeez, what's wrong with Trevor Lawrence?
Well, it takes a while
to learn this position.
And the other thing about Geno Smith
and he said this to me. Mike, you'll probably remember this.
Obviously a decade ago when Geno Smith was the quarterback
at West Virginia, you look back, he was very accurate.
He was a 70
estimated like 70%. Passer and West Virginia. So now
when he leads the NFL, sort of at midseason in all these
categories and he's been so accurate, that is not even
remotely a surprise to the one other thing. I do think
that there is something to
Geno Smith, essentially
running Shane Waldron's offense.
You know, he's not one of these guys who changes a lot of stuff.
He believes in the offense, he told me
it's a lot. Like the offense, I played in West.
It, there's a lot on the quarterback in terms of
decision-making and mobility and being able to throw on
the run.
And and the one last thing I would say, and I know this gets
into the whole Russell Wilson thing.
I think this goes back to Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe.
Why late in 2001 did Bill Belichick with a healthy, Drew
Bledsoe, stay with Tom. Brady,
because Tom Brady ran the offense that the Patriots
practiced all week
and he didn't change a lot of things in the line, he didn't
and look drew blood. So wasn't doing it to be obnoxious. He
was doing it because he thought these plays change in
the plays, gave him the best chance.
And I think Belichick wanted a quarterback
who said we're going to run what we practiced all week.
It's the exact same thing that Geno, Smith does with the Shane
wahlgren offense.
It's been really fun to watch Geno Smith and he looks like
he's had a lot of fun this season Peter, but on the other
side, it doesn't look like Tom. Brady to me has had a whole lot
of fun
this season. I mean, he just looks dour and yelling at his
offensive line and doing all those things. But he had
the OneDrive at the end of that game last week and he went in
the press conference. And that's the first
time this season,
I think I've seen him where he looked like he was having fun.
Can one drive one?
Victory turn a team around and do you see that with
the Buccaneers and Tom Brady,
you know, Shereen I don't I just think Tom Brady look in K
Dot and
the guy the tight end who caught the first long seem
Rowdy do for it up. The left seem for 28 yards and then
obviously, he caught the little flare out to the right
for the winning touchdown, pass in that game.
It would be one thing if he had 6 K dot ins
but he doesn't, he's got Leonard fournette, who's been
really disappointed? He's got an offensive line, that makes
him throw the ball fast on almost every drug that people
are saying. Well, you know
Brady's, not getting it. He's not taking any punishment,
he's throwing the ball faster than probably ever has in his
career. He's not able to let plays develop because of,
you know, the line is just not giving him enough.
Time and sherina I agree with you until
after the game on Sunday. Brady look pretty miserable
a lot this year,
but I also think look,
none of us know what is going on, deep down inside in his
brain but I cannot imagine that his divorce
is a non-factor in this,
you know how
you people take their private lives to work all the time in
all aspects of life and in business,
And this is got to be a tumultuous very emotional year
for him.
And so I think those combinations of factors really
are a big part of why what has happened to him is happening
Peter before I let you go,
I have to know, because you've been covering the NFL for
nearly 40 years now, you've been aware of it for years
beyond that. You've seen a lot of things
this move on Monday, that the Colts made
to fire Frank Reich and pluck gif. It's Saturday
out of nowhere to be the head coach. Where does it rank
among nutty in? Season decisions, made by a team. Not
some
external thing that was forced on a team, but but
a self-inflicted or self originating decision, this
crazy. Where does it rank?
You know, I was thinking of it Mike, you know, I remember when
the Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis in March in
a snowstorm in March of 1984
and I said well this has to be the craziest
thing that's happened
in season to them but then Stephen holder
was on my podcast. This week, a long time, Colts beat writer
and he said, wait a second, Andrew Luck retired after
a preseason game at at 10:00 at night?
You know, he shocked the world in so that that has to be part
of it. What Mike, just in terms of
absolutely, unexpected slaps in the face
that's got to be a top five weird thing that is
ever happened. You know, in an in-season moved by a team, at
least that I've seen.
And The more I've talked to people about it, especially
people in Indianapolis people who know, Jeff Saturday,
I think they get the very, very strong impression that
obviously, Jim irsay.
He is impulsive and he was
just really tired of what he was seeing
and look, Mike, we have we've talked about this and I've
talked about this a lot of people
for Jimmer saying who's not independently wealthy, he gets
his well from this team and of course he's got a lot of money
but this isn't like the owners of the Broncos or the Panthers
where
they have billions.
Okay. Jim irsay basically had to say. I'm so upset
What I'm seeing with my team
that I'm going to eat 30 million dollars in frank
reich's contract or whatever it is, you know, however, much
he's old but he's owed for four and a half years,
you know, he's got to be making six or seven million minimum
and so. And so that to me
is part of the shock of this to me that Jim irsay chooses
to eat that money. But, hey,
Jeff Saturday, He Came Out Swinging, though. Yesterday,
didn't he?
And he basically said I'm not afraid. Raid, I'm going to give
this all I got and if at the end of the year I stink and we
don't win any games all move on,
but don't you get the feeling Mike? Don't you get the feeling
that Jim irsay?
It's all
Jeff. Saturday is going to have to be almost a debacle to not
get this job. I think,
I think Jim irsay wants
him to succeed and whatever the goal posts are. It's not
the Jim irsay is going to move the goalposts, if they're one in
seven.
Or whatever, however, many games they have left, but I do think
he really wants Jeff Saturday to be the head coach and his
team in 2423 and Beyond.
I agree, the 100%, he's going to find whatever Silver Lining
he can, and that'll be the justification for hiring Jeff
Saturday and I think it's going to happen. Peter, thank you so
much for some of your time.
Enjoy your time in Germany, safe, travels and we'll see you
next Friday.
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