Boomer & Gio
Hour 1 - Texans Dominate, Questions About Tomlin, Harbaugh Talks To Falcons
13 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
It's the Boomer and Geo podcast from WFAN. Good Tuesday morning. Divisional playoff weekend in the NFL is set as the Houston Texans move on as they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers last night. It was a close game for a while. The Steelers did have opportunities early on in the game with a couple of fumbles by C.J. Stroud. Could not convert in the end zone.
Had to settle for field goals and then things just fell apart as that Texans defense moved on. It was too good, too fast, too strong, too suffocating. And it ends up being a blowout score in the end, 30-6. So now you've got the Houston Texans going up to see the New England Patriots next weekend. A lot of action yesterday when it came to the head coaches. We had Zoom interviews. We had lunches.
We had visits at houses. This is going to be a fun week to find out where everybody goes next.
and the rangers blow good morning boomer how are you yeah how you doing g and i would say in regards to last night football game the texans scored more points on defense than the pittsburgh offense did so uh you just goes to show you how great a defense they do have and by the way i didn't think cj stroud played all that well you know he looked really nervous in the first half and
Had a couple turnovers himself, and if he's going to play like that in the next round, the round after that, that's when the Texans would get in trouble. But I would think now he'll settle down.
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Chapter 2: How did the Texans dominate the Steelers in their recent game?
I think they're going to be really a pain in the ass to play. Their defense is as good as advertised. You know Daniel Hunter pretty well from his days in Minnesota. And he is, you know, you talk about an underrated signing that they made a couple years ago, I think it was, to go along with Will Anderson Jr.
And the way that they rushed the quarterback with four guys and the way that they rallied the football is one of the most impressive things about what their defense does do. So if you're a defensive player out there, you watched that game last night, you had to love Will.
what you saw from Houston, Texas, and this is one of the reasons why I really do feel like they're going to make it to the Super Bowl. Well, Nico Collins having a concussion is a big deal for them. He is by far their best wide receiver. I know Christian Kirk stepped up in a big way last night, but Nico Collins and C.J. Stroud, that's essentially their offense.
I mean, that's really what it's been. Well, I mean, they ran the ball effectively last night. And the good thing about what they did last night, running the ball, is that they stayed with it. Yeah, I mean, and when your defense is great and the other team isn't scoring points and you're committed to the run, it's going to work.
But when you're starting to now get bigger opponents and better opponents moving forward, not having your best wide receiver is not a good thing. So we'll see if he ends up, you know, he was carted off. with a concussion, Nico Collins. So that is a big deal, and I think that if they don't make it to the Super Bowl, that's going to be a big part of it.
But the defense is as good of a defense, I think, that we have seen in the NFL in a couple of years, and that's not just a recency bias thing. I mean, this team has won, what is it now, 10 straight football games. Yeah. They're giving up 17 points per game in 2025-2026 NFL football where everybody's throwing the ball all over the place.
I mean, the turnovers, the scoring on defense, just the way that they run to the ball, how fast they are. They just beat you up, and they were on full display last night. You think about it, I think one of the most impressive things that happened was the second C.J. Stroud lost fumble. And the Steelers ran eight plays for four yards and then had to settle for the field goal.
And they were able to, you know, they got a penalty in there, they were able to get a first down, but then they lost more yardage. And it was right there, I just said, they're just never going to score a touchdown. Yeah, so this defense has pretty much done this to all the other quarterbacks they've played this year. Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, I think they played.
They do it now to Aaron Rodgers, who took a couple hits last night. I mean, it's just a real problem for opposing offenses. It'll be interesting to see how Drake May handles this. this coming weekend because this will be a real test. Now, he actually just played a very good defense. The Chargers have a good defense.
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Chapter 3: What challenges does Mike Tomlin face as head coach of the Steelers?
Seattle has a really good defense. The Broncos have a really good defense. And, of course, the Texans have a really good defense. And, by the way, I thought the Patriots' defense, I went back and looked at like 10 plays of watching Justin Herbert. I just wanted to see what Justin Herbert was dealing with. His offensive line should be put in jail. I mean, that's how bad they were.
I mean, they were a couple times, and I don't want to always pick on this guy, but there were a couple times where Makai Becton is sitting there at right guard, and there's a twist going on on the left side of the offensive line that defense is right. So it's two Makais left, and there's nobody over him.
So he drops back in his passing stance, and he's just standing there like his head's not moving. And as his head is not moving, there's this guy coming right next to him, right up the middle, and absolutely de-cleats Justin Herbert. Right here, this one. I mean, it was – I mean, it's embarrassing.
And the fact that they made it to the playoffs and the fact that Justin Herbert took as many hits as he did this year, obviously losing their two tackles during the year is what really hurt the Chargers. And who paid the price for it? Justin Herbert. Yeah, and when you're the quarterback, it's always going to fall at your feet. Look at that. Yeah, and he's just getting swarmed.
It just kept the offensive line collapsing. It's crazy. I mean, that's why these tackles, when you get guys like Andrew Thomas or the two that you have over at the Jets, Fashenu and Membo, these are the types of guys you've got to have, man. You've got to have big, sturdy offensive tackles.
And that center of that offensive line, like what Chicago did this offseason in free agency, you've got to shore all that stuff up with professional players that know what they're doing or your quarterback's going to be under siege. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are at an inflection point with their franchise.
The rumors about Mike Tomlin may be leaving, like John Harbaugh leaving or going to be out there. Aaron Rodgers, I can't imagine, is going to come back and play next year. I just, I don't see it. I mean, he obviously got this team to the playoffs, but he just got his ass handed to him last night. It wasn't all his fault, but it's just...
When you're 42 years old, you've accomplished everything that he has. He came out of that jet thing, was able to have a good year with a good organization, going to the playoffs, winning the division. It's almost like it's time to go up into the mountains with your fake wife and just go away now. I think that's probably what he's thinking. But maybe he does come back.
Maybe there is an injury somewhere. Maybe... There's a situation that's just perfect for him next year. But what the Steelers do with the quarterback position and the head coach will be very interesting. I don't think Mike Tomlin's going to go anywhere now.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of Aaron Rodgers defending veteran coaches?
And then media talking heads like us have to have something to talk about. But the reality is, is that, you know, the Roonies and the Brown family, they don't overreact to things. They they love their fans. They want to give their fans a good product. They'll play. They'll pay their quarterbacks all the money that they want as long as they have a good one. And they'll continue to try.
I mean, there is something to be said about this, the Steeler motif and the culture you talk about culture and culture. When you put that uniform on, and I think most dealer, ex-dealer players will tell you this, that there is an expectation. There really is. Especially if you play defense. Especially if you play linebacker. Or if you're a running back.
Or if you're like an interior defensive player or a guard or center. You never really hear too much about their tackles, although their tackles got ran over last night. But you always hear about their guard. You always hear about their running back. You hear about a tight end. They have their culture. And it's set in stone. It's led by their defense. It's led by their running game.
And, of course, a stable head coach and front office. Nobody ever says, how many scouts do you have? Everybody knows who their GM is. There's never, like, these surrounding controversies that other teams deal with just simply because the Roonies just don't listen to it. Yeah, I mean, they've had – I do think that's a little bit more perception and reality. I mean, they've had –
Plenty of issues with players from, you know, Le'Veon Bell holed out to Antonio Brown going crazy. Well, I'm not saying they haven't had their issues. They have. They've had plenty. I just feel like that Steelers culture thing kind of makes it people like, oh, it's the Steelers, it's the Steelers. I mean, they've had just as many issues as any other team, if not more.
I would say that they overcome more issues. Yeah, they do in the regular season, that's for sure. And then when they get to the playoffs, they can't win. This has been nine straight times that they have lost in the postseason. And they've got a great history, and they've got six Lombardis, and they've got a lot of players in the Hall of Fame.
But it's just when you're that franchise and you keep running into a brick wall like this. And now, I mean, what is the future of the quarterback position for the Pittsburgh Steelers? Is it Mason Rudolph? I mean, I don't think you can go into next year with Mason Rudolph as your starting quarterback, and you're going to be way down in the draft.
I don't know what their draft capital looks like, trading up to get a guy. Is Kyler Murray someone? I don't know what the hell they're going to do. They never have a top five pick, ever. No. They're the opposite of the Jets and the Browns. Yeah, I mean, the closest they got, I guess, was when they got Ben. And he actually fell. Yeah. What was he selected? Was it number 11 maybe? Or was it 7?
I don't even remember. But yeah, that was the closest that they've gotten in the last number of years because Mike Tomlin never has losing seasons. That's right. So that's going to be an interesting one for sure, what they end up doing.
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Chapter 5: How does the Texans' defense compare to other teams in the NFL?
and different situations that they find their lives in when they go through the combine, and then teams take chances on them. Tyree Kill and the Kansas City Chiefs, you know? They'll take a chance on a guy, and they'll see what happens. And if the guy basically gets his life straightened out, good for you.
You basically got yourself a top-end wide receiver, but that guy's going to have to pay the price because he's not going to get the money up front that he thought he was going to get that's commensurate with his talent. That's right. There's a bunch of that. Yeah.
So we've got a lot of... There's only one game where there is a touchdown spread and divisional weekend, and that is the Seahawks and the 49ers. Everything else is right there, point and a half, three. These are going to be some unbelievable football games as the... Schedule is set. Starts with Bill's Broncos on CBS Saturday, 4.30. And then you got the Niners and the Seahawks on Saturday night.
Texans Patriots Sunday, 3 o'clock, which is funny because they were waiting. If it was the Steelers, they would have put them in prime time. If it was the Texans, they had them at 3 o'clock. Really? Oh, yeah. That's why that wasn't announced. Because they could have just announced when that game was. Yeah, I mean, for the Rams, I guess they got a few extra hours.
I mean, you know, that's a short week for the Rams. It is. You know, the Texans, it's a short week, too, because they played on 49ers as well. Yeah, I mean, there's a short week for three teams there. Yeah, and the 49ers, I think, get hosed. They're the ones that get hosed the most. Hosed spot?
Yeah, I mean, like, yeah, but, you know, they're staying on the West Coast at least, but still, that's not, you know. With all those injuries that the 49ers have, man, it's too bad. It's too bad. If somehow, some way, Kyle Shanahan and Rob Sala figured this one out, It would be amazing. It's not out of the question. But would it be amazing? It would be. I mean, really.
I mean, Seahawks are totally healthy, ready to rock and roll. One of the most, if not the most, balanced team in the league. The big question is the quarterback. And he's played great. He has. He also... There's been a couple of wins in there that he's been okay, just good enough. He hasn't carried them like he did earlier on in the season. But, yeah, this is a big one for him.
And then, obviously, the championship game, if they make it there, is going to be an even bigger one. But, yeah, I mean, that's still... I think still people are waiting to see if that... That Sam Darnold, happy feet, scared, tentative guy comes out in a big game again. Yeah, Rob Saw is going to have to hit him up somehow. When you're playing Philadelphia, you're not playing a great offense.
When you're playing Seattle, you're playing a really well-balanced offense. They run it as well as they throw it, and it's going to be... I don't know. Rob Sahl is going to have his hands full. Let's put it that way. Yeah. Rob Sahl is right back up there as everybody's darling now. It's amazing.
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Chapter 6: What are the potential coaching changes in the NFL this offseason?
Now, I haven't gotten to all of it. I know there's more Ben Johnson in the first few minutes I did listen to. One of the questions he was asked was, is this personal between you and LeFleur going back to the press conference, the handshake, all of that stuff? This is a rivalry. City of Chicago, Green Bay, it needs to be a rivalry.
Now, I do believe at some point they directly asked him about the locker room stuff, which I haven't gotten to yet. But one of the earlier questions was, in terms of that with LeFleur and Packers-Bears, you really seem to lean into this rivalry thing. opponent in and of itself.
It means a lot to the city, this organization, and that's something that we certainly play into a little bit as coaches and players.
We know how big it is when Chicago plays Green Bay.
I'll tell you what, man. That guy was the perfect coach for this team. He's got an edge to him. He's got a little bit of red ass to him. He's in that team. He's got that team believing in itself. He's got Caleb Williams now. Leighton Games coming alive. I mean, he could play three quarters where he looks like he's lost. I don't get it.
And then all of a sudden, the fourth quarter, man, boom, let's go. He looked horrendous in the first half of that game. He did. He did. How about the interception he threw at the five-yard line? Duh. Who's he throwing? Now, the ball should have been batted down, but still, he threw it right to the guy. Yeah.
I mean, you know, young players got to fight their way through some of that stuff, and again, he shows the most important attribute is to forget it and continue to play, and not only play, but ramp up his play when the game gets on the line, which is... That is a trait that is hard to find, boys. I wonder if he will take Al's suggestion and be busy painting Caleb Williams' fingernails this week.
Who's that? Ben Johnson. Oh. Yeah, if you get to the championship game, he'll be painting more than his fingernails, man. They'll be fired up there in Chicago. Painting the town is what they'll be doing. It's great. It's great to see a franchise that's been down for so long finally have two guys that they can believe in.
And I'm glad you said that that ball should have been batted down on that interception. It's something I wanted to bring up yesterday and didn't. There was not even a mention of it on the broadcast. I agree with you a lot. I mean, it's like you lost 30 yards. They did it after the commercial break. They're like, ah, he cost the team 28 yards. You say it in the moment, though.
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Chapter 7: How did Harbaugh's interview with the Falcons unfold?
Right. At his house. Yeah, that's good. I like that. Okay. That shows aggressiveness.
Trying to get it done.
Yeah. Trying to get it done. So that's your NFL story. NBA-wise, the Knicks were off. The Nets lost to the Mavericks and their star rookie. Feet inside. Broke it up. Attended for Claxton. Cooper flag. Knocked it away. Dallas controls. Christie ahead. Flags got it. Got behind the defense in a two-hand slam. Flexes to the crowd. Timeout Brooklyn. And that was Chris Creutz. Dallas takes it.
Chris Carino with the call here on the fan. Cooper Flagg had 27 points. Not bad. Was he 18, 19 years old? Amazing what he's doing. Nets beat loose to the Mavericks, 113-105. Clay Thompson at 18. Michael Porter Jr., 28 in the loss for the Nets. Now 11-26 on the season. College basketball tonight. You got St. John's and Marquette at the Garden.
NHL, I don't know what's going on with your Rangers, but this team can't win. They had a 2-0 lead. They actually scored some early goals, and then it was wiped away. Here comes Wright. McCann.
Into the slot. Pass across. Oh, and Crick able to make the save. And then they score.
Crick made the initial stop. But then it was knocked home. And the Kraken. Take a 3-2 lead. And that was Kenny Albert with the call on MSG. A 2-0 lead vanished. They suck eggs. Well, I don't know that many are going to argue with you right now as they are 20-21-6 following a 4-2 loss to the Kraken. Here was head coach Mike Sullivan. It's not a lack of effort.
You know, as I said to you guys on so many occasions here, that... This is a good group of guys, and they care a lot about what's going on. And when you don't have success, nobody feels it more than us.
And then I'm going to play this one for you, and this is not going to make you feel any more positive about things. Mika Zibanejad, the state of the team. When you're fragile as a group, things haven't gone your way.
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Chapter 8: What does the future hold for the quarterbacks in the NFL?
So going back and looking at their film and watching Joan Hurts play, there are guys that are open. I don't know if he sees them. I can't tell whether or not he can see an in-cut that's 20 yards down the field with a guy standing there wide open. He immediately comes off of that guy and is looking to his left for some reason. And this happened a number of times in this game.
And this is really shocking to me because his level of play has deteriorated significantly. Dude, he played two of the greatest Super Bowls that we've ever seen. Yeah, I was just about to say that. So this is, I mean, it's a question that I don't know that you have the answer to or anybody has the answer to.
But how can you go from that to this, where he's a guy that seemingly doesn't understand how to play the position and can't get the ball to his most talented wide receiver? and the offense looks nothing like it did. And to have the ability and guts and guile to play like that in two Super Bowls, and then all of a sudden have it seemingly disappear with the weapons that he has, it's an enigma.
The drop pass is hurt. Some of the penalties at the wrong times are hurt. All those things that add up to negative plays and their offense – if they did have a negative play, was unable to overcome it, even with a great running game and supposedly a great offensive line. Lane Johnson didn't play this past week again, and he was really one of the most important players they have at right tackle.
But I don't know. I mean, to me, it's maybe what Mika Zibanejad said. Maybe he's fragile. Maybe there's such a difference. Something's got to give there majorly. And if the head coach is saying, Howie Roseman has been watching this, and if Howie Roseman has been watching tape, and you watch it and you sit there and you see guys that are open, but for some reason he is not throwing it.
And the only thing I can surmise is that he's not seeing it because of the guy standing in front of him. Want to join the show? 888-808-1019. That's the Red Pocket Mobile fan line brought to you by your new Ultimate Cell Carrier, Red Pocket Mobile. So one of these things has to change. The head coach has to change. The wide receiver situation with A.J. Brown has to change.
Or Jalen Hurts has to change. And the easiest thing generally... In these situations, it's to change the head coach, but it doesn't seem like that is going to happen. So the next thing would be, okay, change the quarterback, but who the hell is going to be the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles if it's not Jalen Hurts? Now, I can make a case that you get rid of... A.J.
Brown, and you still have Devontae Smith there. You can draft another wide receiver. You could sign somebody, and maybe it's not as talented as A.J.
Brown.
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