NFL Insider Tom Pelissero Talks Ravens, Bills, Steelers, Browns & More with Rich Eisen | Full Intv.

What this episode is about

Tom Pelissero discusses the Ravens' recent hiring of Jesse Minter as head coach, highlighting his connections to the organization and previous experience as defensive coordinator for the Chargers, as well as his lack of head coaching opportunities in the past. The conversation touches on the broader implications of coaching changes within NFL teams like the Ravens, Bills, Steelers, and Browns amidst a backdrop of extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

Key takeaways

• Baltimore's coaching drama unfolds: Jesse Mter's logical leap from Chargers to Ravens, a bingo for familiarity!
• In a twist, Pagula’s blunt honesty exposes organizational fissures—power plays or genuine talent discussions?
• Joe Brady could pivot from interviewee to OC in Baltimore, but juggling multiple head coach prospects is a game of chess.
• Terry Pagula’s rare press conference insights shine light on Buffalo's turmoil—truth hurts, but clarity breeds hope.
• Lamar's unique skill set sparks creative offensive fits; will the Ravens gamble on their next OC or play it safe?

Who speaks in this episode?

• Rich Eisen (Host) · 8 min speaking
• Tom Pelissero (Host) · 13 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Jesse Mter, Ian Brady, Baltimore, Rich Eisen
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Philip Rivers, Pittsburgh, Rich Eisen, Alabama
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh, Jim Harbaugh
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Grant Udinski, Nate Sheiel House, Tom Pelissero, Rich Eisen
5. 20:00 – 21:04: Cleveland Browns, Jim Schwartz, NFL Network

Notable quotes from "NFL Insider Tom Pelissero Talks Ravens, Bills, Steelers, Browns & More with Rich Eisen | Full Intv."

• Joining us in his usual Friday spot from NFL Network, my fellow inside man is ladies and gentlemen Tom Peliser.

  about Tom Pelissero · at 0:00

• Well, when we were doing the breaking news on John Harbaugh being fired a couple of weeks ago, one of the first names that came out of my mouth as a logical replacement was…

  about Jesse Mter · at 1:13

• Up back in Baltimore. the interesting part of the timing here, Rich, was, they essentially knew they were hiring Jesse Mter on Wednesday night. The issue was they had a Thursday interview with Joe Brady.

  about Rich Eisen · at 2:02

• Strongly disagreed with that not only did he fire Shawn McDermott, he promoted Brandon Bean, who now is going to be over the top of the new head coach rather than both reporting to the owner.

  about Josh Allen · at 4:43

• Him, the Tomlins and Shawn Payton and John Harbaugh of the world. McCarthy is a very serious candidate in Pittsburgh for a reason. And they still may choose to go on longer…

  about Mike McCarthy · at 10:39

• They've always had a long-standing positive relationship. I do believe that if Aaron Rogers were coming back to play for one coach in 2026, it would be Mike McCarthy. But I…

  about Aaron Rodgers · at 12:43

• Of the coaching cycle. Word is they are not RO rule compliant. They cannot hire somebody right now. The Bills might be looking at somebody that they want to hire. The Bills are…

  about Buffalo Bills · at 16:05

• Week when they have a second interview with Nate Shieldhouse from the Rams. I would just say this, the Browns search process and interview process, which they have run a number…

  about Cleveland Browns · at 16:58

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Tom Pelissero — Person · Main guest · 2 mentions · first at 8:44
  Primary NFL insider providing reporting and analysis on multiple head-coaching searches (Ravens, Bills, Steelers, Browns).
• Mike McCarthy — Person · Referenced coaching candidate · 7 mentions · first at 9:40
  Discussed as a serious Steelers head-coach candidate; segment emphasizes his QB-development track record and relationship with Aaron Rodgers.
• Rich Eisen — Person · Host · 5 mentions · first at 0:09
  Hosts the segment, asks framing questions and challenges narratives about coaching candidates and team processes.
• Ian Brady — Person · Referenced coaching candidate · 4 mentions · first at 2:10
  Central to multiple threads: interviewed for Ravens HC, discussed as possible Ravens OC fit, and a leading Bills HC candidate.
  Run threat, in terms of the vertical passing. Joe Brady would be a fit. Now the question becomes, does Joe Brady get the Bills head coaching job? Does he potentially get the…
• Jesse Mter — Person · Referenced head-coach hire (name likely mis-transcribed) · 4 mentions · first at 0:58
  Discussed as the coach selected in the Ravens process; transcript describes him as Chargers DC and tied to Harbaugh coaching lineage. Likely refers to Jesse Minter.
• Aaron Rodgers — Person · Referenced quarterback · 4 mentions · first at 11:36
  Discussed in relation to Mike McCarthy (narratives about play-calling trust, and possibility Rodgers would return to play for McCarthy).
• Josh Allen — Person · Referenced quarterback / stakeholder · 3 mentions · first at 2:33
  Presented as a major factor in the Bills job attractiveness and as participating in coaching interviews/decision-making.
• Philip Rivers — Person · Referenced coaching candidate · 4 mentions · first at 5:32
  Raised as a surprising Bills coaching interviewee; discussed as a former QB with leadership traits but limited NFL coaching résumé.
  Like I know we were talking about him as a possible coaching candidate down the line and he did say in front of his locker before going back to Alabama prep school coach that…
• Nate Sheiel House — Person · Referenced coaching candidate (name likely mis-transcribed) · 3 mentions · first at 11:13
  Mentioned as a Browns interviewee and as part of the Browns' data-driven candidate profile. Likely refers to Nate Scheelhaase.
  Intelligent guy who's run successful offenses in the NFL. I would tell you, Rich, the sense is the Browns are very intrigued by the Udinsky and Shieldhouse possibilities because they're both guys who are Grant just turned 30.
• Brandon Bean — Person · Referenced executive (name likely mis-transcribed) · 2 mentions · first at 4:15
  Discussed as being defended and promoted by the Bills owner; described as positioned above the new head coach. Likely refers to Brandon Beane.
  On the roster. Obviously, Pagoula so strongly disagreed with that not only did he fire Shawn McDermott, he promoted Brandon Bean, who now is going to be over the top of the new head coach rather than both reporting to the owner.
• Grant Udinski — Person · Referenced coaching candidate · 2 mentions · first at 19:17
  Presented as a leading Browns candidate fitting their analytics-heavy process; described as exceptionally young and 'brilliant.'
  Intelligent guy who's run successful offenses in the NFL. I would tell you, Rich, the sense is the Browns are very intrigued by the Udinsky and Shieldhouse possibilities because they're both guys who are Grant just turned 30.
• Anthony Weaver — Person · Referenced coaching candidate · 1 mention · first at 8:48
  Discussed as a Steelers head-coach interviewee (Dolphins DC), praised as engaging with leadership traits and prior interview experience.
  Head coaching search sit, Tom? They're with Anthony Weaver right now. Dolphins defensive coordinator. Everywhere that Anthony Weaver and he's been in the cycle now three or four times.
• Jim Harbaugh — Person · Referenced coach (contextual anchor) · 4 mentions · first at 1:13
  Mentioned in the (possibly hypothetical/incorrect) framing of being fired; used to set up discussion of Ravens hiring process and coaching lineage.
  Well, when we were doing the breaking news on John Harbaugh being fired a couple of weeks ago, one of the first names that came out of my mouth as a logical replacement was Jesse.
• Lamar Jackson — Person · Referenced quarterback · 2 mentions · first at 2:27
  Used to explain what kind of offensive coordinator fit Baltimore might seek (run threat + vertical passing), with Joe Brady suggested as a match.
  Logical name that came up way back at the start of this is a potential candidate to take over. When you're talking about Lamar Jackson, his skill set at this time in his…
• Jim Schwartz — Person · Referenced coaching candidate / internal option · 2 mentions · first at 19:37
  Mentioned as a Browns fallback/default head-coach option and as a defensive coordinator they want to retain regardless.
  Uski is there now. She'll house expected an interview on Monday. If it's not one of those two, then the other candidates that we know of as of right now are Jim Schwarz, who's…
• Cliff Kingsbury — Person · Referenced coordinator candidate · 1 mention · first at 3:10
  Mentioned as a potential offensive coordinator option in Baltimore alongside Joe Brady.
  The likely candidates would be to take over the offense now in Baltimore with Mter coming from the defensive side, I would put Joe Brady along with the likes of Cliff Kingsbury…
• Todd Monin — Person · Referenced coaching candidate (name likely mis-transcribed) · 1 mention · first at 19:41
  Listed among Browns candidates; described as an intelligent coach with successful NFL offenses. Likely refers to Todd Monken.
  Uski is there now. She'll house expected an interview on Monday. If it's not one of those two, then the other candidates that we know of as of right now are Jim Schwarz, who's…
• Terry Pagula — Person · Duplicate / misspelling of Terry Pegula · 2 mentions · first at 3:59
  Same individual as Terry Pagula/Pegula; appears due to transcript spelling variance while discussing Bills ownership influence.
  And Bean along with Terry Pigula along with Josh Allen, who's they made abundantly clear in that press conference is going to be sitting in on everything here. They are now running a.

Companies & orgs

• Buffalo Bills — Company · Business focus · 4 mentions
  Discussed in the context of their head coaching search and the involvement of Josh Allen.
• Cleveland Browns — Company · Business focus · 2 mentions · first at 18:04
  Discussed in the context of their ongoing head coaching search and unique interview process.
• NFL Network — Company · Affiliation · 2 mentions · first at 0:02
  The platform where Tom Peliser works and the show is broadcasted.
  Joining us in his usual Friday spot from NFL Network, my fellow inside man is ladies and gentlemen Tom Peliser.

Places & events

• Pittsburgh — Place · Setting · 6 mentions · first at 8:46
  Mentioned in the context of the Steelers head coaching search and Mike McCarthy's background.
  And it's it's one of many reasons that he'd be highly motivated. Not to mention the fact that, he grew up sweeping the floors at his dad's bar and grill in Pittsburgh and…
• Baltimore — Place · Setting · 3 mentions · first at 1:22
  Mentioned in the context of the Ravens head coaching search and Jesse Mter's background.
  Sports here. and the naming of Jesse Mter, it didn't surprise me, but walk me through the Ravens process that wound up with the DC of the Chargers as the HC.
• Miami — Place · Setting · 3 mentions
  Mentioned in the context of Jesse Mter's interview for the Raiders head coaching job.
  He was down in Miami interviewing for the Raiders head coaching job, then flew to Baltimore to interview for the Ravens job. had a second interview scheduled with the Browns. He let them know, you.
• Alabama — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 5:41
  Mentioned in the context of Philip Rivers' background and potential coaching candidacy.
  Like I know we were talking about him as a possible coaching candidate down the line and he did say in front of his locker before going back to Alabama prep school coach that…
• Western New York — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 5:26
  Mentioned in the context of the Buffalo Bills' fan base and new stadium.
  Something that I think a lot of people would love along with the fan base and the new stadium and lots of reason to be excited otherwise in Western New York. Is Philip Rivers really in line?
• Kansas City, Kansas — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at 10:07
  Mentioned in the context of Mike McCarthy's background and quarterback development.
  You're going to have to develop a young quarterback. everywhere Mike McCarthy has been from being in Kansas City and bringing along Rich Ganon into the second act of his…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Joining us uh in his usual Friday spot from uh NFL Network, my fellow inside man is ladies and gentlemen Tom Peliser. Good to see you, Tom. How are you,

0:08 Tommy? Good to see you, Rich. Doing great. What's up to my boys in the studio? Tommy P. What up, baby?

0:13 What's up, Tommy? You look like you're hunkered down, man. You're killing it. That's what you look like to me. That you got all your supplies, the the cold snaps out there right now.

0:22 That's what you look like to me, Tom. I I have never seen it before. uh checking the weather app last night just like I wonder how cold it is. Uh feels like tempus 41 here in Minneapolis. That is

0:35 that's the record. I think anytime I've ever checked it like if you weren't such a hardworking lead pipe wielding professional of your own right looking at you in the sweats and seeing you I'd think you'd given up you know like Seinfeld style. You've given up. This is it. But it's okay. Lots going on.

0:50 It says catastrophic ice and heavy snow. Ladies and gentlemen, catastro. I mean, it's like uh frozen.

0:57 Wow. All right, Tom, let's get into the sports here. Um, and the um naming of Jesse Mter, uh, it didn't surprise me, but walk me through the Ravens process that that wound up with the DC of the Chargers as the HC.

1:13 Well, when we were doing the breaking news on John Harbaugh being fired a couple of weeks ago, um, you know, one of the first names that came out of my mouth as a logical replacement was Jesse Mter. He had been in that building for four years. We all know about the Baltimore to Michigan to the Chargers Harbaugh connection. Menter has checked all three of those boxes. Uh spent his time in Michigan, then was the defensive coordinator of the Chargers. Didn't get any head coaching interviews last year. Um but certainly had a bunch of opportunities. You know, really this came to a head uh a couple of days ago.

1:44 He was down in Miami interviewing for the Raiders head coaching job, then flew to Baltimore to interview for the Ravens job. had a second interview scheduled with the Browns. He let them know, you know, if they weren't going to make him an offer, he wasn't going to come and go through the second interview. And everybody, including the Raiders, believe Mter was probably going to end up back in Baltimore. You know, the interesting part of the timing here, Rich, was, you know, they essentially knew they were hiring Jesse Mter um on Wednesday night. The issue was they had a Thursday interview with Joe Brady.

2:15 Well, they wanted to go through with that interview in part, I believe, because Joe Brady now, depending how some other things fall, could end up being the offensive coordinator. Another logical name that came up way back at the start of this is a potential candidate to take over. When you're talking about Lamar Jackson, his skill set at this time in his career, he's not, you know, built like Josh Allen, but there are some similar types of things that you can do in terms of the run threat, in terms of the vertical passing. Joe Brady would be a fit. Now the question becomes, does Joe Brady get the Bills head coaching job? Does he potentially get the Cardinals head coaching job, which he interviewed for a couple of days ago? Is there even a scenario where he goes back to Buffalo as the OC? That seems like the the least likely of the options right now. You know, we'll see how some of these things

2:59 fall and it might take a little bit of time. But if you're talking about who the likely candidates would be to take over the offense now in Baltimore with Mter coming from the defensive side, I would put Joe Brady along with the likes of Cliff Kingsbury as a potential option. Maybe Matt Naggie could be an option. Those types of guys who run those offenses all different shades of it, but all potentially could be a fit for where they want to take Lamar and that offense in Baltimore.

3:22 So, I guess as you know, it's a what's more likely Friday. Uh, who's more likely to be back in Buffalo uh next year? Joe Brady or Keon Coleman? Tom

3:31 Keon Coleman um through no fault really well I guess his fault because of various things and you know not showing up on time for meetings, dropping footballs in the end zone. He kind of did put himself in that position but fairly rare for the owner to jump in and let everyone know exactly who was at fault for a pick that to this point, you know, doesn't look like it's worked out um very well. You know there there were a lot of different things in that press conference. Any of us who think any of us who have spent any amount of time though around Terry Pagula. No, he doesn't speak publicly often, right? But when he does, there is no filter. You don't quite know what he's going to say.

4:06 He is extremely blunt and honest. And you got a lot of honesty through the course uh of that press conference. whether it was about Keon Coleman, whether it was about him uh defending Brandon Bean, um you know, somebody in the crowd asked Bean about um you know, various things in terms of the idea that he ran a power play and Terry said something that maybe shed a little bit of light on things behind the scenes, which is if you're running a power play, you're out. I'm not saying Shawn McDermott ran a power play, but certainly McDermott had voiced his concerns and frustration with what he perceived to be not having enough talent on the roster. Obviously, Pagoula so strongly disagreed with that that not only did he fire Shawn McDermott, he promoted Brandon Bean, who now is going to be over the top of the new head coach rather than both reporting to the owner.

4:53 And Bean along with Terry Pigula along with Josh Allen, who's they made abundantly clear in that press conference is going to be sitting in on everything here. They are now running a unique coaching search that depending who you ask, you know, this might be the best job of all 10 that we are filling uh in this offseason cycle.

5:10 Yeah. despite um the bluntness or the emotions that we we saw spilled out uh by Terry Pigoula in that conversation, he did hold on to a coach for nine years and he does have Josh Allen and that is something that I think a lot of people would love along with the fan base and the new stadium and lots of reason to be excited uh otherwise in in Western New York. Is Philip Rivers really in line? Like I know we were talking about him as a possible coaching candidate down the line and he did say in front of his locker before going back to Alabama prep school uh coach that uh absolutely he thinks he could coach in the NFL. Is this real, Tom?

5:53 Well, let let's go back for a second here just in terms of the parallels. And I'm not going to bring up Jeff Saturday because nobody wants to be put in that sentence in terms of how that worked out when he came back for the Colts. But you remember several years ago Josh Macau was coaching high school football. All of a sudden the Houston Texans brought him in and interviewed him for the head coaching job. There was a feeling um there were some people in the organization at that time who wanted to hire Joshua Macau as the head coach immediately because he had all the traits because he had played you know close to 20 years in the league. Um because he had some experience even if it was at the high school level um you know had been uh in that seat. Philip River is certainly, you know, a Hall of Fame caliber player. He's a better player than Josh Macau. The question is, is he a stronger coaching candidate

6:38 based upon the credentials that he would bring into the building? If you're looking at somebody who's going to bring energy and leadership, certainly, you know, Philip Rivers by virtue of him, you know, playing a football game after three practices at age 44, uh, looking like he had not passed on dessert a whole lot during his four plus years outside of the league. if he can go back and do that with his brain. What could he do if he's out there just calling plays for a quarterback? There's a lot of other things that go into that head coaching job. You know, I know in the NBA it's more common for, you know, former players just to step right in.

7:11 There's just it's a much more complicated job, frankly, to come into the NFL. Not impossible. They're interviewing him for a reason. Maybe like Josh Macau, it could end up being all right, he's not ready to be the head coach now, but can we convince him to come in and be the quarterback's coach or even the offensive coordinator? I would tell you this, they are wide open in terms of this search. I know the people initially said, well, it's it's Joe Brady versus Brian Dable. Those guys both have interviewed for the job. Both are possibilities. I would say probably Joe Brady a little bit more strongly than Brian Dable at this time, but they want to go in with an open mind. This is something very open-minded to bring in Philip Rivers. They're doing these interviews down in Florida. He lives in Alabama. It's a short trip over. If nothing else, you're going to be entertained by a few hours in that room.

7:53 But, you know, they didn't want to take a hard line of we've got to have an offensive coordinator be the guy that we're we're promoting. We can't it can't just be we need this spec specific profile. They don't want to be doing another search for another nine plus years. Um, and the fact that Josh is in those meetings, you know, they're very seriously going to take into account what he wants. You know, he played against Philip Rivers. The two of them have a relationship. We'll see exactly how real this becomes. I would just tell you, Rich, I don't get the sense that, you know, you're going to wake up tomorrow and Philip Rivers is the new head coach of the Bills. I believe they are going to be patient through this process. They quite likely are going to do some additional interviews next week, but because of the rules, anybody who wins their games this weekend, they can't talk to next week. They have to

8:36 have the coaches, those teams lose in order to talk to them because they didn't do an initial round back while Shawn McDermott still had a job because they were in the playoffs.

8:44 Tom Pelisero here on the Rich Eisen Show. Where does the Steelers head coaching search sit, Tom? They're with Anthony Weaver right now. Dolphins defensive coordinator. Everywhere that Anthony Weaver and he's been in the cycle now three or four times. Everywhere that Weaver interviews, I remember he interviewed in Atlanta one time. He interviewed in Washington. Everyone who interviews him says he's unbelievable. You know, he's a former player. Um, you know, has coached in the league for a number of years, but also played, including with the Ravens, who interviewed him for their head coaching job. Very, very engaging, has strong leadership traits, will need a strong staff around him. Um, but you can say that for a lot of young coaches within the league. If you think of what what the Steelers historical hiring patterns have been, Weaver's a little bit older.

9:27 He's in his 40s. Usually they've hired guys in their in their mid30s to be the head coach and then try to keep them for 15 to 20 or more years. But Weaver, you know, fills a lot of those things that generally the Rooney family has been looking for. But I would also say Mike McCarthy remains a serious candidate. He had his uh interview in person for the job on Wednesday. Pittsburgh guy. Um, you know, this would be his dream job. He grew up rooting for the Steelers. Um, Mike McCarthy brings something different to the table. And I think then I think virtually any other candidate for any job in this cycle, which is the quarterback development history. If eventually you are needing, whether it's Will Howard or somebody you're drafting, you're going to have to develop a young quarterback. everywhere Mike McCarthy has been from being in Kansas City and bringing along Rich Ganon into the second act of his career. Brett Favre

10:13 who had had a down period in Green Bay and he was a Super Bowl or excuse me MVP runner up in 2007. Um Aaron Rogers going from a guy who did not look good in his his first uh preseason in the league to being a four-time NFL MVP and Dak Prescott played the best football of his life under Mike McCarthy. I'll never understand, Rich, the the the slight that Mike McCarthy takes in terms of not being put in that same category as the guys with almost identical resumes to him, the Tomlins and and Shawn Payton and John Harbaugh of the world. Um McCarthy is a very serious candidate in Pittsburgh for a reason. And they still may choose to go on longer because again, Art Rooney has not presided over a coaching search yet. And given how rarely the Steelers do one, this may be the only one that, you know, that he does before he passes it down to the next generation of the family, um, they may take their time here. They could

11:03 make a decision as soon as tomorrow. I would think, if I were guessing, this goes into next week, which would allow them to go back and spend some in-person time potentially with, for instance, um, Chris Schula and Nate Shel House, two guys that they interviewed in that first virtual round. Well, answering the question you just had moments ago, Tom, um you know, about why why McCarthy is not placed in a much higher level of respect by media members or owners uh for another job outside of Jerry Jones. There was that damaging article after he got fired mid-season by the Packers that Rogers was calling plays on his own because he didn't trust McCarthy's play calling anymore. There was all that crazy stuff about how prepared McCarthy was for games itself. Whether that's right or wrong, that's a narrative that's tough to to to break up to the point where we have time for it now. You kind of surprised us on a Monday uh

11:54 conversation. We were out of time when you said that that Rogers uh could potentially come back to Pittsburgh if they hire McCarthy. So those two are copacetic, Tom. Those two have a relationship that transcends um the professional relationship, which I think like plenty of them, if you're around anyone long enough, you know, you become so comfortable that you can um be contentious with them at times. I mean, with with Aaron Rogers, he knows what Mike McCarthy has done for his career. He has spoken publicly uh about that.

12:25 And you know, when Mike was let go, encouraged people in Green Bay to give him the type of sendoff that, frankly, he didn't really get from the Packers organization when they fired him an hour after a game um at Lambeau Field. Um those two spent time together the first time that um you know, Mike with the Cowboys went back and and faced Aaron. Um they've always had a long-standing um positive relationship. I do believe that if Aaron Rogers were coming back to play for one coach in 2026, it would be Mike McCarthy. But I think the people may have misconstrued when I mentioned that on the show the other day as well this is the Steelers trying to lure back Aaron Rogers. That's not it at all. If they hire Mike McCarthy and that's not a given. If they hire Mike McCarthy they are doing it for the totality of what direction they think that they can go right now. They've got a very very veteran roster. Art Rooney has said

13:14 publicly he never wants to rip it to the studs and go full tank mode and just take a season off. He doesn't he feels like every season is too important for that. So, if you were sitting there going, "What do we need to like push this roster forward?" Yes, there's going to be some changes. There are some longtime Mike Tomlin guys who probably aren't going to be back on this team, but why not get a guy whose track record has been winning everywhere that he has been? McCarthy's been to the playoffs 12 times in 18 seasons. He's developed quarterbacks. Um, you know, if you look at the the offensive numbers, he's had very good offenses uh throughout the the course of his career. the potential of an Aaron Rodgers return is just it's kind of a bonus. It at least keeps that door open where if there's another coach who has no relationship with Aaron Rogers, he might just say, you know, I I've had enough. And I know that, you

14:02 know, there was there were several different things that were written at the time, I think that anytime that you have these longtime relationships that begin to go south, you know, there's people who, you know, may have axis to grind or they, you know, simply aren't happy anymore. Aaron has always been somebody who, you know, he he'll say certain things and he'll take his little shots and that's that's just his personality. But in terms of where their relationship is now, I think that that, you know, in itself speaks to how overblown um you know, the frankly hate toward Mike McCarthy has gotten. I mean, I don't know what more you want to get out of your head coach than you know, being in the in the mix every single year. Yeah, you want to win playoff games. Mike McCarthy's won more playoff games than any active coach uh except for Andy Reid and John Harbaugh. He's got more playoff wins than than Mike

14:52 Tomlin, Shawn Peyton, than the younger guys like McVey and Shanahan who obviously have a long way to go. Mike McCarthy's been a highly successful, you know, coach in the NFL. The the Cowboys since their last Super Bowl win, Rich, have exactly six seasons of 12 wins or more. Three of those were by McCarthy in a 5year span. It's it it's it's baffling to me how Mike McCarthy gets put into this bucket of of not being in the same tier as those other coaches, which, you know, frankly, Mike's not immune to it. And it's it's one of many reasons that he'd be highly motivated. Not to mention the fact that, you know, he grew up sweeping the floors at his dad's bar and grill in in Pittsburgh and cheering for the Steelers on Sundays. To go back after coaching the Packers and the Cowboys and take on maybe the third most iconic franchise in all of football would be pretty cool. NFL insider Tom McCarthy here on the Rich Eisen Show.

15:42 All right. U in the uh couple minutes I have left here, Tom. Um let's go here. Uh Jimmy Hasslam bristled at the Browns front office and operation being termed dysfunctional. Um that said, we're sitting here the Friday before championship weekend. The job is still open from the first Monday of the coaching cycle. Word is they are not RO rule compliant. They cannot hire somebody right now. The Bills might be looking at somebody that they want to hire. The Bills are already Rudy rule compliant. Their jobs been open a fraction of the time and we're reading about people pulling their names out of consideration for the Browns head coaching job. What is happening there?

16:29 Tom Pelosero. First of all, I would say Andrew Barry is the last person who is just going to interview somebody solely to fulfill the Rooney rule. If he's conducting an interview, he wants it to be with someone who's a real candidate. Mike McDaniel would have fulfilled that. He decided that he just didn't want to follow through um on that job coming off of his uh initial Zoom here. Um so that that's one factor. You're right. They're the only team that has not conducted a single qualifying interview. Um, that'll change or is scheduled to change next week when they have a second interview with Nate Shieldhouse from the Rams. I would just say this, the Browns search process and interview process, which they have run a number of times, is unlike any other in the NFL and it plays to certain types of candidates. They are a datadriven operation in Cleveland and so they spend an extraordinary amount of

17:21 time gathering data on their coaching candidates. You're talking about taking a personality test. You're talking about uh writing an essay. You're talking about completing homework assignments going into both the first and the second rounds of interviews. it plays toward the types of candidates that they have in the mix which is uh very very smart people in a lot of cases uh that just often happen to be tall thin guys who came from Ivy League school so that's certainly not a requirement that's the type of candidate generally that is going to fit into a data-driven uh environment so

17:59 test there's a written test huh really like they want you to write an essay this is why I want to be the coach of the Cleveland Browns or

18:06 questionnaires um an a multi-part essay, a personality test, and then additional homework assignments if you get through the first round to get into the second round, which you can imagine. Then

18:17 the answer can't be Google me like you can't go signetti. I'm ser I know I'm being flippant, Tom, but that that to me I I don't know. You're you're you're hopping around the country interviewing for jobs, kids, spouses, boxes being packed because you you've hit the road and you're going to sit down and write an essay. You know,

18:39 you can imagine then when certain candidates decide not to follow through on interviews, part of it may be that it's more than just show up in a nice suit and answer questions in the room. And that and that speaks to how the Browns organization operates. Paul Deodesta got there 10 years ago. He built out a massive data and analytics department. Those people have a strong voice in everything that the Browns do. Um there is a lot of time that is consumed once you're on the job um with those conversations and so the interview process is kind of a preview of that. Um so we'll see what direction their search goes. Again, Grant Udinski, Nate Sheiel House, two big brain dudes who, you know, again, happen to be tall, thin guys. Um, uh, they both are in the mix.

19:28 Uski is there now. She'll house expected an interview on Monday. If it's not one of those two, then the other the other candidates that we know of as of right now are Jim Schwarz, who's the defensive coordinator who they want to keep regardless, and Todd Monin, who does not fit in any of the categories that I just mentioned, other than he's a very intelligent guy who's run successful offenses in the NFL. I would tell you, Rich, the sense is the Browns are very intrigued by the Udinsky and Shieldhouse possibilities because they're both guys who are I mean, Grant just turned 30.

19:59 He's in his first year as the Jaguars OC, but he's unbelievably brilliant. Shield House is in his mid30s, you know, was at Iowa State most recently with the Rams. Those guys fit the pattern. Uh if they are not if they ultimately the Browns on their scorecards um that they collect do not decide that those guys are the best candidates, then the default the belief within the league is the default would be Jib Schwarz. Then you're trying to figure out, all right, well now what do you do on offense to pair him? Who is willing to take that offensive coordinator job? There's just a lot of steps in the process, Rich. But the Browns, this is not new. They they have done this for a long time, and it's just, as one high-powered coaching agent said to me the other day when we were going through the list of all the openings, the Browns are the Browns.

20:43 Their process is different than everyone else's, and we'll see where it leads them this time.

20:46 Tom, thanks for the time. We'll see you on NFL Game Day Morning, 9:00 a.m. Eastern time, 6 hours on NFL Network. See you, buddy.

20:52 Can't wait. Hey, you made it all the way to the end. Thanks for that. Check us out every single day streaming live on Disney Plus and the ESPN app 12 to 3 Eastern.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "NFL Insider Tom Pelissero Talks Ravens, Bills, Steelers, Browns & More with Rich Eisen | Full Intv."?

Rich Eisen (Host), Tom Pelissero (Host).

What is "NFL Insider Tom Pelissero Talks Ravens, Bills, Steelers, Browns & More with Rich Eisen | Full Intv." about?

Tom Pelissero discusses the Ravens' recent hiring of Jesse Minter as head coach, highlighting his connections to the organization and previous experience as defensive coordinator for the Chargers, as well as his lack of head coaching opportunities in the past. The conversation touches on the broader implications of coaching changes within NFL teams like the Ravens, Bills, Steelers, and Browns…

What is mentioned in this The Rich Eisen Show episode?

27 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Tom Pelissero, Mike McCarthy, Rich Eisen, Ian Brady, Jesse Mter, Aaron Rodgers. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "NFL Insider Tom Pelissero Talks Ravens, Bills, Steelers, Browns & More with Rich Eisen | Full Intv."?

The episode runs 21 min; the transcript is about 4,370 words in 42 timestamped sections.

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