Hour 4: Steelers Shock the NFL, Pro Bowl Nonsense, and “God Loves the Patriots”

Evan & Tiki

Audacy

Sports

4.2 • 988 Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2026

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Evan and Tiki react to the Steelers making a stunning pivot, hiring Mike McCarthy and ending the franchise’s decades-long tradition of young, defensive-minded lifers. They debate what it means for the Rooney family, whether this signals a new era in coaching philosophy, and how the quarterback dominoes could lead to Aaron Rodgers following the Favre script to Minnesota. Then the show takes a hard turn into pure insanity as the Pro Bowl somehow adds Shedeur Sanders, sparking a rant about how meaningless the “Pro Bowler” label has become. Calls roll in on officiating, the need for tech like a chipped football, and why the NFL never adjusts kickoff times even when weather is predictable. Evan also hits a quick baseball note with Harrison Bader landing in San Francisco, before the hour closes with a full Jets fan meltdown, a Mike McCarthy hiring regret spiral, and the ultimate coping mechanism: the only explanation is that God is a Patriots fan. Plus, a last-second cameo from the Roberts household to cap it all off.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Chuck Knoll coached the Steelers for 23 years, and he retired at the age of 59.
0:07.3	Bill Cowher coached the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 years, and he retired at 49.
0:13.2	Mike Tomlin coached the Steelers for 19 years, and he has, at least for now, retired at the age of 53.
0:20.1	So all pretty similar, long runs, and their careers ended sometimes in their 50s.
0:25.4	Cower 49, Tomlin 53, and Noel 59.
0:29.5	Mike McCarthy is 62.
0:31.7	So Mike McCarthy is taking over a job at an older rate significantly older,
0:36.3	much more so than for Cowher and Tomlin,
0:39.3	significantly older than when they retired, he's taking over a job at a much older age,
0:44.5	almost doubled the age of when those three guys were hired. And he's also taking over a job
0:48.6	that has a track life or track record of 23 years, 15 years, and 19 years.
0:57.6	And for him the last 15 years, which is on the low end,
1:00.0	he'd have to coach until he's 77.
1:04.1	And that's the part, like for any other team,
1:05.8	I get it, it's a great hire,
1:07.8	but it is so different, Teak,
1:09.6	from what the Steelers have done,
1:11.2	that that's the thing I'm having a tough time understanding.
1:12.1	But I think this could be an understanding of a new era of our sport as it pertains to how
1:21.3	coaches are hired and retained.
1:25.1	Because we know this happens every four or five or so years.
1:29.8	The league changes, right?
	...

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