King on M&M: 'Steelers are in trouble'

Sports Illustrated NFL columnist Peter King made his weekly appearance on the Mut & Merloni show Friday morning, with the main topics of discussion Bill O'Brien's expected departure for Penn State and who the Patriots might hire to replace him.

King said he does not know O'Brien personally, but he does not envy the challenge he'd face at Penn State.

"The only thing that would worry me if I were him is that I don't know how you're going to win there over the next couple of years," King said. "Your recruiting is going to be shattered this year and probably for a year or two afterward. He can be the greatest coach in the world, but I don't know how he's going to win much there in the next two or three years."

Some prominent former Nittany Lions have questioned the school's decision to pursue someone with no Penn State ties and not consulting them. King called the commenters "stupid alumni."

"What a bunch of idiots," King said, adding: "Why don't you go in the real world and do your job? You're not on the search committee."

King reported earlier in the day that Josh McDaniels was told by the Rams that they will not hold him to the final year of his contract if he wants to leave.

Explained King: "I think at the root of this is just the fact that McDaniels went there to try to help Sam Bradford this year. Bradford was pretty much hurt the whole year, the offense stunk, it was a nightmare year. And I think that the last thing that both McDaniels and the Rams want to do is to have him be stuck with some coach who really doesn't want him -- like, for instance, Jeff Fisher. So, I think that is at the root of this.

"And I would anticipate whether it be Kansas City with Romeo Crennel or back in New England, that would be my guess, he ends up in one of those two places."

Following are more highlights from the conversation.

On Devin McCourty: "I was so impressed with the guy [last year] that I named him my second All-Pro corner after Darrelle Revis. I've been stunned to watch this this year, and I think it's really a matter of confidence. That's what it looks like to me. Last year he was a little bit more aggressive, this year he just looks more timid. And you're right, Lou, I think it is a failure. … What is absolutely amazing is that you look at these four corners in the last four years have all been drafted high and you just say, 'Are you kidding me? There's not a single one of them who's a cornerstone player?' I think it's too early to say that McCourty has dropped off the face of the earth. I don't think you can say that yet. But I do think it's really kind of dangerous now to look at their real star-crossed history post-Asante Samuel of drafting corners."

On Sunday's Steelers-Broncos game: "The Steelers are in trouble. Maurkice Pouncey now not playing. They put Doug Legursky in against, in my opinion -- that's a touch matchup when you're facing Brodrick Bunkley, who's had a really good comeback season after sort of failing in Philadelphia. That's going to be tough. They've got to run the ball -- no [Rashard] Mendenhall. [Ben] Roethlisberger's not going to be able to get around the pocket much. Missing a good but not great safety in Ryan Clark. And nobody noticed this, but Troy Polamalu is so banged-up that he didn't practice yesterday. I mean, I like Pittsburgh, but man, is anybody healthy on that team? That's going to be a troublesome game.

"Look, [Tim] Tebow completed 41 percent over the last three weeks. His scars are really showing now. So, i look at all that stuff and I basically say, OK, if Denver plays the perfect game and doesn't turn it over and maybe forces Roethlisberger into a couple of interceptions, they're in the game very late, and who knows? But I don't know how Denver can score points right now, especially against Dick LeBeau and Pittsburgh."

On the Colts' firing of Bill and Chris Polian: "A friend of mine in Indianapolis just told me this was a case of Jimmy Irsay wanting his franchise back. And he never was crazy about Polian doing what he felt deep down was not necessarily the best thing for the franchise but was the best thing for the Polian family, which I think is unfair. Because I'll just tell you this: I'm extremely impressed with Chris Polian as a football guy. I know that that doesn't show this year. … But I feel bad for Chris Polian, because he's going to get tarred with the Bill brush. And he's going to have to probably go somewhere and be a scout for another few years before he has a chance to be a GM again; that's just my guess."

On Peyton Manning's future: "I actually think [the Polian firings] might clear the way more for Jimmy Irsay to make the decision to let Manning go. Because I think he feels like on the one hand he wants this to be more of a family decision than a football decision. He wants to do right by Manning and he wants to do the right thing for his franchise. But he also doesn't want to take a guy who might not be fully healthy in early March and say, 'Here's 28 million bucks, and now we're drafting Andrew Luck and you're both going to be miserable.'

"I've really changed. At the end of the season, I thought that Jimmy would tell Polian, 'I want this guy to stay.' Now I kind of feel like it's more likely that he's going to say, 'We're drafting Andrew Luck, here's your gold watch, and good luck.' But again, so much of that is still to be written, because I also believe that if Manning is Peyton Manning on March 1st and is throwing the ball great, I think he's going to say, 'We're keeping Manning, future be darned, I'm paying him the money and he's my quarterback this year.' "

To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page. For more Patriots news, visit the team page at weei.com/patriots.