Pierce, Harbaugh, and the Future of the NFL: A Conversation with Alex Hardy and Nick Ferguson

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Welcome back Alex Hardy, Nick Ferguson
here with you.

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The latest edition of some head coaching
talk.

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We actually have a higher Nick Ferguson.

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I don't know if you want to drop the news
for Raider Nation.

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We have some movement in the NFL offseason
cycle.

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It's kind of exciting, don't you think?

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Yeah, it is.

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And it's funny that you leave the Denver
Broncos guy to drop the Raiders news

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because usually that's not how it works
here in Broncos country.

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But yes, Antonio Pierce, who was an
interim head coach after Josh McGange was

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fired earlier in the season has now become
the new head coach.

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And here's what's interesting.

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I mean, last year, Mark Davis was in a
similar situation when Rich Misaccia was

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the interim coach and the player.

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That's right.

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The players were pounding the table for
Basatia to be the head coach.

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That never happened.

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Fast forward again.

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Now you have Antonio Piers, you know, in
an interim position, and a lot of guys

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were pounding the table.

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One guy being Max Crosby, who said, and I
quote, if AP is not our head coach, I

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don't want to be a Raider.

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You can trade me.

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So I guess Mark Davis put his ear to the
locker room.

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Listen.

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And then now AP is now the new head coach
of the Las Vegas Raiders.

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Now, I want to separate Antonio Pierce
from the situation.

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This isn't, this is about him as a coach
and what he rallied to do.

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Again, the record five and four, but
playing with a rookie quarterback and all,

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you know, all everything that was going on
post McDaniels.

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And I can talk about him for a moment as a
Patriots guy, but this isn't just the fact

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that they didn't hire Basaccia two years
ago, so they have to hire the interim guy.

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You believe there's a difference in that
team.

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and maybe some upside much to you know how
much you don't want to see the Raiders be

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successful in the AFC West To spite your
Broncos, but this is about Antonio Pierce.

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This isn't just we didn't hire the interim
two years ago, right?

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No, it's not.

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And when you look at how the team played
and inspired football, Alex, down the

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stretch, that was kind of the biggest
thing.

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And for AP, I mean, there are not a lot of
former players that are in this position.

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Gerard Mayo was one of those guys with the
New England Patriots.

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But you just look at how the team
responded.

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to Antonio Piers after the switch from
Josh Mcdain's.

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And here's what it should tell you, most
importantly, it should tell you that

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different coaches carry different voices
within the organization.

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And you have to wonder, how is it that all
of a sudden Antonio Piers was able to kind

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of motivate this team to go out there and
play when a guy like Josh Mcdain's with

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more coaching experience wasn't able to do
it, but he goes down to

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having relationships with players and who
better for players, current players to

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relate to than a guy who was a former
player.

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And you have to figure that there was a
lot of things that Antonio Piers learned

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on the Tom Coughlin, learned under Herman
Edwards that he's using right now.

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So good job for the Raiders and good job
for Antonio Piers as a former player.

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Look, I wish him all the luck in the
world.

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Alex,

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until he plays Denver Broncos.

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That's right.

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That's right.

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Twice a year.

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And it's a matchup where the Raiders
really have gotten the best of your

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Broncos as of late, even when it's a
rookie third round Aiden O'Connell under

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center.

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And you mentioned Tom Coughlin and I think
part of the pitch it was being reported

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was that Pierce wants to reconnect with
those type of guys.

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I think Marvin Lewis and Tom Coughlin
specifically were mentioned according to

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reports that he would.

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Um, not employ them there.

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We're not going to see Tom Coughlin
coordinating or patrolling the sidelines,

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but in an advisory type role, making those
connections that he had with those giants,

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um, that having the experience to lean on
in terms of running the program as opposed

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to just being a player's guy, I guess is
what ultimately put Mark Davis over the

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table or maybe more appropriately,
whatever Max Crosby was saying was the

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most important thing.

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You got to keep your players.

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happy especially your most talented ones.

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Other than Max Crosby, the biggest cap hit
going into next year for the Raiders,

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Jimmy Garoppolo signed a nearly fully
guaranteed deal for three years.

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I think the first two were pretty much
fully guaranteed.

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He didn't play down the stretch because of
that injury guarantee.

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Again, I'm teasing.

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We have to have that Russell Wilson, Sean
Payton head to head episode coming up

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because

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They benched Garoppolo because of the
injury guarantee coming into this year.

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There's no incentive for them to move on
and cut bait, so apparently they're just

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going to try to run it back.

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They've got about 35, 40 million in cap
space, but in order for Antonio Pierce to

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succeed and this Raiders team to succeed,
because again, they are a nation, there

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are fans all over the place listening and
watching to us, the key areas to address

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for that team outside of coach now that's
taken care of are what, Nick?

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Well, first and foremost, it's the
quarterback position.

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It's Jimmy Garoppolo, the type of guy that
fits Antonio Piers culture.

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And that's what it comes down at the end
of the day.

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Like there was a moment in the game where
the Broncos and the Raiders played to kind

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of close out the season when Ayn O'Connell
went out of the game and then Jimmy

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Garoppolo came in the game and you can
hear the silent, well, the not silent

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booze, but you can start to hear the
crowd.

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kind of booed the fact that Jimmy
Garoppolo was in for the couple of plays

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that he was in.

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So if you are, listen, and I know it's
hard for you to take being a Patriots guy,

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but it is the way of the world.

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But listen, if you are Antonio Pierce,
you're looking at it this way.

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This is the first time you get a chance to
be a head coach in the NFL.

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You don't want to be in a one and done
situation.

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So trying to figure out who that guy was
going to be at your quarterback is

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important.

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And it was rumored last week,

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that the Raiders were willing to make J.J.

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McCarthy Michigan quarterback, you know,
their top quarterback just to lure Jim

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Harbaugh to the Raiders, but now that Tony
appears is now being announced as the head

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coach.

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That's gonna kind of change a lot of
things, but they just need to start right

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there.

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And it's not as though Aiden was not a
good fixture for them, but he's not their

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guy moving forward.

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He could be an adequate backup, but they
definitely have to figure out what they're

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doing at the quarterback position.

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Yeah, a rookie makes sense because they've
got guaranteed money to Jimmy Garoppolo.

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You don't want to pay 50, 60 million
dollars for two guys that may not

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necessarily be the answer.

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So I don't see Kirk Cousins going over
there.

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And again, if they're truly giving Antonio
Pierce an opportunity to build the program

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from the bottom up, you have to experience
the bottom first.

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I mean, that's what we're fully expecting
in New England.

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That's what we're fully expecting in Vegas
as we have two head coaching hirings.

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You know, going off of.

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Jim Harbaugh's name.

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There may have been rumors about trying to
convince him to come, but they never

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interviewed Jim Harbaugh.

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They never interviewed Bill Belichick.

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And the reason being those two guys may
have found homes already, even though it's

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not official, but let's start with the
quiet part that's being said out loud.

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Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers Nick.

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Is that a locked deal?

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Why be interested in drafting JJ McCarthy
when you have an opportunity to work with

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Justin Herbert?

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I think Harbaugh might be the Chargers
coach to lose.

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Well, when I look at the situation, it is,
I don't want to say every situation is an

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easy situation or it's just kind of a cut
and dry that hard broad is going to go to

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the charges because, because

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he's interviewed with the Falcons twice,
just like Balachek.

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That's true.

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So you got the Falcons who are definitely
in play, but also another team that's in

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play is also Michigan.

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He could go back to Michigan if Michigan
can say, hey, listen, if there are some

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NCAA sanctions come 2024, we're just not
gonna cut bait with you and fire you.

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Your contract is still gonna be guaranteed
because I know he loves college football.

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Now that could be the only reason he
decides to leave Michigan, but

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If there is a team, it's the Chargers
because the Chargers already had their

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quarterback.

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But here is the controversy here in Denver
because the ownership, you know, Kerry

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Walden Penner and Greg Penner, they pursue
Jim Harbaugh heavily in their coaching

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search to have him turn them down.

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So to see Jim Harbaugh in a Chargers
uniform and you got to see him for

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whatever the existence of his contract, to
me, that would be a huge blow to the

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Broncos organization.

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and their management as well.

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But I do like the fix of Harbaugh with the
charges because they have the quarterback.

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Now they have some salary cap issues.

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They have to kind of figure those things
out.

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But that's kind of a better fit for him
than possibly the Atlanta Falcons who

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still avoided the quarterback.

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Well, it's a lot of it's a lot of cap
casualties, right?

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You're going to have Mike Williams hit
free agency and the lack of health and

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consistency.

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I think he's, he's out the door.

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Um, and then, you know, members of the
defensive line, if they can find another

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home for Cleo Mack or, uh, you know, they
let a quality veteran and Sebastian Joseph

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day walk.

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You know, these are guys that you can
throw out a Mac, a Keenan Allen, guys that

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are under contract that are very expensive
coming off career years.

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But in terms of finding

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the right motivator.

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And I think above all else, most
importantly, Nick, the powder blue would

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look great with a pair of khakis.

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That color combo should absolutely seal
the deal for Harbaugh to be a member of

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the Chargers.

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And I kicked things off by saying the
quiet part on loud.

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Controversy, certainly Harbaugh turning
down opportunities a year ago and

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When we're talking about these coaching
hirings, I think it's notable and

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eventually maybe it won't be, but it's
notable that the two confirmed head

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coaching hirings we have are both black
candidates that were former players that

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you were hoping influences a wave of
coaching.

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Well, a wave of

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confidence in former players and people
that historically owners haven't been

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interested in as leaders.

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I hope that's a wave that changes, but Jim
Harbaugh is again a former player who has

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influenced the wave of change at Stanford,
at Michigan, and certainly with the 49ers

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taking them to a Super Bowl.

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But they're just...

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There are too many ties, I believe, to Jim
Harbaugh that would suggest anyone else

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going to the Chargers right now.

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If I just mention the GM candidates, maybe
you can talk about some of the head

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coaching interviews that they've done, but
the last few interviews that they've done

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over the past couple of weeks, I think
there have been five total, a few of whom

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have ties to the Harbaugh's.

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Joe Horitz was in an interview for theirs.

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He's currently the director of player
personnel.

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for the Ravens, been with the Ravens since
1998, intimate relationship with John

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Harbaugh.

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Ian Cunningham, who's currently the Bears
Assistant GM, began his career in the

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front office in Baltimore, working for
Ozzie Newsome, winning a Super Bowl with

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John Harbaugh and the Ravens.

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And you look at the head coaching
interviews that they've done, Vrabel's

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gotten a call, but outside of Harbaugh,
there's one name that really,

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peaked your interest or maybe just set
your alarm bells off Nick.

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Well, for me, you know, I think Adam
Peters who's now with the commanders, he

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was a god damn out there.

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And I mean, it would have been great job
if those two guys could have linked up.

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I mean, you still have champ Kelly who's
out there with the Raiders, whether he's

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gonna get that job or not, we really don't
know, but it would be a great fix because

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he was with Antonio Piers going down the
stretch, winning the games for the Vegas

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Raiders.

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But you missed.

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Yep.

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Yeah, I mean, you mentioned something that
was very interesting.

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When we look at the fact that two minority
coaches, former players have been hired, I

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think that may usher in an opportunity for
other players.

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And here's why I think owners have now
kind of warmed up, especially looking at

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what Cal McNair did with D'Amico Ryan's in
Houston saying, okay, well, former players

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with experience and guys who are great
inside the locker room.

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They can be leaders of men.

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And that's kind of what we're talking
about.

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When you look at the interview process,
it's not about X's and O's, and based on

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what I've heard from guys who have gone on
some of these interviews, it's more about

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the relationship.

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Can that owner actually relate to you as
individual, as a person?

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And that's why we've seen more coaches.

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But also talking about Bill Belichick and
John Harbaugh.

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See, there are pros and cons to both of
those guys.

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Bill Belichick has proven experience in
the NFL.

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The only thing you worry about is that how
long does he wanna coach?

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Is he trying to get to Don Shula's record
and then he's gonna call it quits?

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Or has he kind of somewhat, you know, run
aground because he's been in the league so

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long because Pete Carroll and Bill
Belichick, they're not spring chickens,

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right?

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So is there a little ageism?

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I don't know, but with Harbaugh, you get a
young, vibrant coach.

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But once again, he has no real...

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playoff experience other than the Super
Bowl itself, but then as an owner, you

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have somewhat of concerns.

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But to me, this is an interesting process
and it's interesting that those two

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coaches, especially Bill Belichick, has
only had one interview, well, one team

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interview him twice, and that's the
Atlanta Prophets.

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Yeah.

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The Falcons, you know, I feel as if the
teams would have to do the sweet talking

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to Belichick as opposed to other coaches
trying to pay the way.

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That's not to, you know, like that's not
to put Belichick on a pedestal more than I

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already had the last 25 years, but it's
just there, there are certain stipulations

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that not every team are going to adhere to
that Bill Belichick wants to be a part of.

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You know, it's not appealing for him to go
to Dallas or the chargers because the

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front office sort of, you know, their
hands are sort of, um, washed by

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ownership.

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Like you, you have, you, you just, there,
there are more complications in there that

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I think Bill is prepared to do and we'll
see how that domino drops.

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I just think it's fascinating with these
types of guys, how there are certain, um,

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There are certain usual suspects we're
familiar with in the head coaching cycle

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and refreshing that we see some, um, new
faces that get their first opportunities

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that may replicate the success that they
had in Houston.

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Um, like you had said for the Texans, uh,
we wrap things up with the segment that we

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call Nick before we split Nick.

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I, uh, you know, full transparency will
pull down the curtain.

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Uh, I wanted to do more of these with you
this week, and that is our intention for

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our audience here.

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But I'm still figuring things out.

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I have a one year old that sort of
dictated my schedule on the other day we

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were trying to record because we would
like to come to you guys multiple times a

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week, even when the games are no longer
being played.

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This type of chatter and off season moves
is exactly the kind of stuff we want to be

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talking about.

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I couldn't get my son to nap.

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You're a father, Nick, a much more
experienced one than I am.

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My son wouldn't go to sleep, so it always
works.

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When they can't sleep in the crib is what,
Nick?

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Well, what I found out was something that
was my go-to all the time.

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I would always tell my son, hey, you know
what?

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Why don't you come with me to the mailbox?

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Right?

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And as little kids, you think there's
always prizes in the mailbox for us

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adults.

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They're not prizes.

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They're called bills and we wish that they
stop, but they don't.

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Right?

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So I would always tell him, hey, man,
let's go for a ride.

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So I would put him in the car, strap him
in.

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you know, play a little soft music.

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By the time we reached the mailbox, he was
out.

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Now that next day, he would ask me, dad,
did we go on a drive?

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I was like, yeah, man, we went to the
mailbox.

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We stopped over to get ice cream.

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You don't remember that?

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He's like, no.

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So that's how I know the plan is working.

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So that's the idea.

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Because when you get kids in the car, for
some reason, the motion and the movement

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00:17:06,358 --> 00:17:10,020
in the car kind of soothes them and puts
them to sleep.

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But you gotta play soothing music.

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right?

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And sometimes I throw on something like a
Indian, right?

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For those who know, you put on something
really slow and quiet and it just kind of

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like a lullaby.

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It puts them right to sleep.

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Yeah, driving in the car, I think if we
only do 20 minutes here, we're only like a

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third of the way through the amount of
driving that I had to do earlier this week

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just to make sure he got his good nap in.

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00:17:39,595 --> 00:17:41,216
This is about Nick.

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You get past the mailbox, you have to keep
going.

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Your son's asleep in the car.

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When he wakes up, where do you want to be?

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Where is your destination of choice with
the sleeping kid in the car who wakes up

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and goes

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Oh my gosh, Dad, you're the best!

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Where are you right now?

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Well, for me, the idea that I haven't had
that happen because usually once I pull in

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the garage, he is still out and if I need
to, I will kind of open the mailbox, check

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it, and I will continue to drive until he
falls asleep.

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So the idea is to do all of that, pull
back in the garage with him fully asleep.

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Now, here comes the part, trying to get
him out of the car seat, get him in the

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house before he wakes up.

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So I...

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I make sure I tell my wife to tell
everyone to be quiet.

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We turn the lights off because I don't
want the brightness from the light to wake

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him up.

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And you know what?

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00:18:36,218 --> 00:18:41,122
The idea is to make sure that he takes a
bath and he has on his pajamas when you

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take this drive so you don't have to go
through that routine.

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See?

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00:18:43,684 --> 00:18:45,816
Yeah, there it is.

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00:18:45,816 --> 00:18:45,976
yeah.

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00:18:45,976 --> 00:18:46,977
I've got a lot to learn.

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00:18:46,977 --> 00:18:51,100
We've only done the transfer from the car
to the crib one time in his life.

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00:18:51,100 --> 00:18:52,661
But again, it's not about him.

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00:18:52,661 --> 00:18:54,422
It's about us getting better.

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00:18:55,063 --> 00:18:57,846
And the insight from you is helping me get
better.

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00:18:57,846 --> 00:19:02,289
Again, not just as a football mind or
someone that loves the game, but someone

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00:19:02,289 --> 00:19:04,531
that, you know, loves my son as well.

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00:19:04,531 --> 00:19:06,493
So I appreciate you for that.

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00:19:06,493 --> 00:19:10,616
Nick, he's Nick Ferguson, 10 years in the
National Football League.

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00:19:11,096 --> 00:19:12,514
You can now find him at...

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00:19:12,514 --> 00:19:17,098
Nick Ferguson underscore 25 on all the
important socials, Instagram, Twitter,

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00:19:17,098 --> 00:19:19,901
he's chopping up tape throughout the NFL
playoffs.

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00:19:19,981 --> 00:19:23,144
He's very approachable if you couldn't
tell already.

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00:19:23,144 --> 00:19:24,986
So feel free to give him a shout.

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00:19:24,986 --> 00:19:29,131
I'm Alex Hardy, we're here to talk NFL
with you and life, and that's something

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00:19:29,131 --> 00:19:30,632
that we're looking to do.

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00:19:30,632 --> 00:19:32,333
Appreciate you as always, Nick.

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00:19:32,778 --> 00:19:34,232
Appreciate you, man.

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00:19:34,686 --> 00:19:36,048
Alright, peace!

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00:19:37,293 --> 00:19:38,295
Thanks, Nick!