The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - AFC/NFC Championship Reax: Stafford Validation, Clutch Burrow, Mahomes OT Faceplant, Jimmy G Roller Coaster

Episode Date: January 31, 2022

John reacts to the AFC and NFC Championship Games, including why the Rams W validated their Matt Stafford acquisition and general disregard for 1st round draft picks, the rapid rise of Joe Burrow, why he was so stunned at Patrick Mahomes' late game collapse, and why the Niners have already moved on from Jimmy G.Follow John and The Volume on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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All at the right prices. eBay motors.com. Let's ride. The volume. What is going on, everybody, John Middlecough, three and out podcast, live from the Middilcoff studios here in Walnut Creek, California. And we just witnessed two NFC, AFC championship games, both come down to the wire, both little different vibes, but also had some similarities.

This podcast is going to focus on those two games and the ramifications of what we witnessed with the four teams and obviously the Super Bowl matchup, Rams versus the Bengals. I think the Rams, we thought they had a very good chance all season long, especially when the season happened. But the Bengals, little out of nowhere. There are other stories in the NFL. Josh McDaniels, now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Tom Brady retired.

You know, they're denying it. Tom Brady Sr., who knows. I will get into all the other stuff on for Tuesday's podcast, which we actually do live on the volumes YouTube channel every Monday at 2 o'clock Pacific Standard Time, 5 o'clock Eastern. But this podcast is going to be dedicated to these two games.

We will get into NFL storylines, other head coaching stuff, and just other shit that was going on on Tuesday's podcast. This is going to be about what we witnessed for, you know, I'm recording this at about 9.50 at night for the last, you know, seven, eight hours. And subscribe to the podcast, three and out, subscribe to the podcast feed, three and out podcast feed. Share it with your friends. And, well, obviously, you have a little go low action come Wednesday, too, Will's Alatoris. I had a lot of money on Jason Day. I had way more money actually on the Chiefs, though. I had a lot of cash on the Chiefs. I had a lot of money in the Chiefs. I had a lot of money in the Chiefs.

Adam parlayed with the Niners, plus three and a half. God. Oh my God. How did the Chiefs lose? But let's just start with this. I'm going to start with the winners of the day. The people today that were just like, I mean, had massive days. The Los Angeles Rams franchise won the day. They traded multiple first round picks and got rid of Jared Gough to get Matt Stafford. It was a polarizing move. because every, you know, media member thinks that everyone, all these first round picks are so valuable, and they freaked out and everyone was like, this is crazy.

Listen, Matt Stafford's value, the moment he asked for a trade, the two coaches that really wanted him were Sean McVeigh and Calhianian. Like that was a fact. He was going to go to one of those two teams. And he ends up with the Rams. They don't have a pick, you know, for like 10 straight years. Who cares? It was literally validated the moment the clock's hit zero.

and they won the game 20 to 17. Here's the other thing. And I'm someone that, you know, critical, whatever. I just watch Matt Stafford and he made me nervous as someone who was like trying to take them seriously as a Super Bowl champion, a Super Bowl contender, a team that was going to win the NFC. The way he played the second half of the season

reminded me of like the Lions guy, turning the ball over, fumbling the ball, being reckless with the football. The Matt Stafford that we have seen in the playoffs He's been magnificent. He has dominated. He's looked like a top five quarterback in the NFL. He's looked like a $40 million a year player.

Sean McVeigh saw him, risk their future, which they clearly don't care about. And it all worked out. And they treated their team once they got him like there was a lot of urgency. They go out and make a crazy trade, which I thought was nuts, trading a second and a third round pick for Vaughn Miller. Who's going to be a free agent? It worked out. adding Odell Beckham.

Then I'm like, I don't know if I would add Odell Beckham. That's pretty risky. And then it turns out the moment they sign him, Robert Woods, Territus ACL in practice, which doesn't happen that often in the NFL, especially late in the season because practices aren't that hard. Odell Beckham in the playoffs looks like Odell Beckham from the New York Giants. The guy that was playing with Eli and Tom Coughlin. He had nine catches today.

He was awesome. Odell Beckham was fantastic. and just the whole vibe of their team. They were all in on this season. They hosted the NFC championship game. They're going to the Super Bowl, which is literally in their place. And I just saw that Stubhub before their game,

the get-in price or the medium price was $12,000. The moment the Rams won that game, it went to $19,000. This is going to be the most expensive Super Bowl in the history of Super Bowl. And it might not be top for the foreseeable future. Now it's a little weird because they're playing the Bengals, but the Rams' franchise,

the Rams team building motto of not giving a flying, you know what about these draft picks. It worked. I'd argue that it worked just getting to this game, but now it's not arguable. Obviously, they want to win the Super Bowl, but they got to the Super Bowl. Any team in the league would trade pick 31 or 32

in the following year's first round pick to go to a Super Bowl. without hesitation. Every single team in the NFL, if I said, you can trade pick 31 and the following year's first round pick to go to the Super Bowl, they'd be like, do you want me to email you the draft picks?

Do you want me to put them in a car and drive them to you? You want me to FedEx them? Do you want me to have Amazon drop them off? How do you want me to deliver those first round picks to you? And let's face it, they're going to be, I haven't even seen the line yet. They're favored in this game against the Bengals, surely.

and, you know, early thoughts is the Rams are going to win Super Bowl. Matt Stafford's going to be a Super Bowl champ. Now, the one thing I've learned, and I got pretty cocky, now I might have had a few cocktails. And I was tweeting a little bit Saturday night. Again, a few cocktails, so I get a little cocky. And I said the Chiefs have no chance to lose this game. Now, we'll get into the Chiefs and the 49ers here in a second. But what Joe Burrell, it wasn't all Joe Burrell.

Their defense was awesome. they just kind of have this character to the team. And I believe that starts with him of like they're never really out of the game. The receivers have been just badasses all season. We know how good Jamar Chase has been. I didn't think T. Higgins as a player at Clemson. I didn't think he was as good. I was wrong.

Now, I'd be honest, I'd probably watch three or four Clemson games, you know, like his last two years there. I just thought he was like a taller, stiffer guy. Again, you know, my scouting danger behind me. And I was super locked in on every single. player, but that guy's really good. I'm blown away by how good. I knew how good Joe Mixing is because I'm a big

Oklahoma guy. That offense is just, is dangerous. But that quarterback, in a three-year span, in a three-year span, he made Ed Ogeron a national championship head coach

and the head coach of arguably one of the greatest teams to ever play in college football. Ed O'Jeron will have the distinction of being the head coach of that football team. He's a national champion. Ed O's Ron will never be a head coach in the Power 5 football again.

No chance. Zero. And I think we saw these last couple years like, yeah, it was Burrell. And then he goes to the Bengals, who I think a lot of people shit on the Bengals. Like we put them like with the Browns and the Lions and the Raiders.

The Bengals went to the playoffs a lot the last 15 years. The Carson Palmer teams and then they transitioned with the Andy Dalton, all those teams when Whitworth was still there they were going to the playoffs they won the division several times they just never won in the playoffs and coming into this season

I remember or not in this season in this postseason the staff that was flying around I think I just heard it on like Sirius XM some radio channel that the Bengals had never won a road playoff game not like in the last couple decades in the history of their franchise they hadn't won a playoff game

since 1991. I love they throw out since text messages were invented. Like, you know, I was in the text message generation. Text message for most people

came around, it feels like in 2000, 2001, 2002. That's when we started using them. I have a famous story that when text messages really got popular or you were able to use it

on your phone, they used to charge you per text message. And so like my first girlfriend in high school, probably a junior in high school, we were texting all the time.

and I worked for my dad on the ranch in the summer. And obviously, you know, I'm in high school. They pay for my phone bill. My phone bill is, you know, 50, 60 bucks. And I remember I had to, like, grade a field, so I was in a tractor. And I can see his truck coming from a long way away. And I swore to God he was going 90 miles an hour. And he doesn't pull up, like, I'm in the middle of the field.

And it has, like, it has rows. So as a truck, to go, like, straight over it, you would, like, bounce. You wouldn't go to the middle of the field. You would go to one of the corners. He came to the middle of the field like he was Dale Earnhardt in this Ford F-150 hitting like 10 feet in the air. And his hand was out the window.

His hand was out the window with a piece of paper in his hand. I'm like, what the fuck is this guy doing? And he kind of like waves me down. I stop. He gets out of the truck. He's screaming. It's the phone bill.

And the phone bill back again when I was in high school. I love it. The text message, I'd never heard of a text message. It's like 2001. My phone bill was like $700. Maybe it was, I think it was like 610 or something. In 2001. He, I've never seen him so mad in his life. And I was like, Dad, you know, I'm just, you know, trying to, you know, hang out here. He'll relax. I'll pay you back.

Never did, but he wasn't happy. He wasn't happy. So they get, you know, they didn't just get their first playoff win since text messages were invented. but to win multiple road playoff games, but to beat the Kansas City Chiefs. So Joe Burrow took the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cincinnati Bengals, and Ed Ogeron. He put one in the Super Bowl, and the other he made a national champion.

And let's face it, like you have to take the Bengals and say they have a chance to win the Super Bowl. I'm going to pick the Rams, but you would say the Bengals have a chance to win this Super Bowl. It starts with that guy. Like some players transcend organizations,

transcend culture. Word gets used a lot. Great players set the culture. The Warriors had no culture. Steph Curry showed up. The Patriots were in shambles. Tom Brady became the starting quarterback. This isn't that complicated.

A great player. For as much as a head coach can do, in modern day sports, your best player has to be a culture setter. The reason the San Antonio Spurs became the San Antonio Spurs? Two words. Tim Duncan. The Indianapolis Colts were a joke.

Then Peyton Manning showed up. This isn't that hard to figure out. Joe Burrow is a transcendent player. But he clearly is a transcendent person. And he's just, the Bengals they believe, they've always had talents. On some of those Andy Dalton teams, they were really, really talented.

AJ Green, Eiffert, Giovon. They had a really good offensive skill guys. guys, their defense was always loaded in physical Pac-Man flying around, Vantes, their D-line was always huge, but obviously Andy Dahl was just kind of a guy. And even, you know, in his peak, he was like, you know, middle of the road quarterback. This guy, by year two, like, I don't think it's hyperbolic to say. It's like a top five quarterback in the NFL. He outplayed Patrick Mahomes today in the second half, ran circles around him, which to me was the most glaring part of the day. Like when I look at the two teams that lost, the Chiefs and the 49ers, at the end of the day,

Kyle Shanhan's starting quarterback coming into the season was a guy who was in such question mark the team three months before traded pick 12 and two first round picks on top of that to get a quarterback who had started one year at North Dakota State. Jimmy Garoppolo gave them such positive organization that they traded the farm for Trey Lans. The Kansas Chiefs, and part of this is, you know, you see it a lot with Seattle. Let Russ Cook, let Russ Cook. That's a big thing with the fans and the media. And I get that.

Like, when you have a great player, you got to let them be them, especially in basketball and football. There's a artistic element to the sport, right? there's an artistic element to what Joe Burrow does, to what, you know, hell, O'Dell Beckham, just great players, great skilled players, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, he just, great players, you got to let them cook.

But sometimes, and Coach Reed, clearly, has been great for Patrick Mahomes because they have a structure of an offense, but he lets them cook, right? He lets them become like Emerald-Wagasy. but every once in a while you become John Middilkoff who can't cook worth a damn

and you burn down the kitchen because Patrick Mahomes today was horrendous in the second half and at the last play of the first half when they have five seconds left, no timeouts I don't know who to blame

personally I would not have had and listen I can't pretend to know a quarter to know a hundred of as much football as coach read. But I don't know why you would have a security blanket behind the goal line. Because if Patrick does, who just, like we said, cook sometimes, even if you tell him, do not throw that ball, when you give him the option, especially when it's Tyree Kill,

he might throw the ball. He did throw the ball and the guy got tackled. And they ran out of time. And it was 21 to 10. And as someone that had, again, several thousand dollars on the chiefs covering that seven points, I was like, I don't love that. because just make it 2410 at halftime, you're good.

But to me, you've got to run plays that are just quick hitting in the end zone. So if they don't work, boom, it's done. Zero chance anyone get tackled behind the goal line, meaning that you go to half. But for Patrick Mahomes, who's one of the best players in a four-year span we've ever seen

to throw that ball, makes no sense. The play, the decision, the whole thing. Everyone's at fault. That's just, that's bad. And they know that. But then to me in the second half, I don't know, Mahomes was doing these 360s in the pocket

like it's, you know, this is October and you're playing the Bengals. Like Patrick, this is, this is the NFC championship game. And he's been in this game now this fourth straight year. And to me, there's a balance between, you want your guy to be calm. You want your guy to be cool under pressure.

whether you're a quarterback, whether you're a pitcher, whether you're a golfer, you got to stay cool under pressure, right? You got to just, you can't be too amped up. Because if you're too amped up, you'll make bad decisions. But you also can't be too relaxed, you know? And I thought Mahomes was just, he looked like he was in a malaise. He looked awes. I mean, he looked terrible.

He looked horrendous. Now, great players have awful games. Michael Jordan had bad games Tiger Woods had bad 18 holes Brady's had bad games you go any great Magic Johnson you go through the list they've all had them every single one

every single one it just is a little glaring how well he was playing I thought he had been and maybe Josh Allen too the best player in football the last five six seven games and think how good Mahomes was

the first two weeks of the playoffs 42 points, 42 points. And that game against Josh Allen, we all admit Josh was awesome. Mahomes was equally as good. Brilliant. And then in the first half of this game, it's like, God, Patrick is locked and loaded. Mahomes is dominating.

And then that play happens, and then the rest is history. And he's just terrible. He's just god-awful. Maybe you just chalk it up. It just happens. It was a little out of character. Came out of nowhere for me. It was shocking to watch.

It really was. Stunning to watch. Insane. I mean, just honestly, I had a little loss for words. I cannot believe. Cannot believe. The Kansas Chiefs didn't win that game. I mean, I can because we watched it.

I'm just saying, like, coming into the game, I, I, I'd text someone mid-game, like, God, I should have put $5,000 on this game. Should have put $10,000 on this game. The Chief's going to win 50 to 7? Is this thing, I should put 50. I should have put an unlimited amount of money on this game. This minus seven is the biggest lock of the season.

And then these bangles, this Joe Burrow, they just, it's crazy. I don't know, man. You know, Coach Reed, it's a devastating loss for the Chiefs. It really is. But like I said, sometimes when your thing is to let them cook, and that is the way with Patrick Mahomes, because most of the time, he's cooking a gourmet meal. Sometimes he burns the house down.

And today he burned the house down. and there's no you know you can't just flip the switch you'd be like Patrick play under control now like no it's too late this is him this is part of the deal

you know he's a better version I think of like the FARV part of FARV was like it can get ugly fast too but thing with Mahomes it never really gets that ugly that was the first time you're like what is going on

and you know sometimes if you want to be critical of Andy just keep hammering the run you know just hammer the run that'll calm him down it's like if you're missing three point shots get to the basket. And that would be the thing.

But ultimately, like, Patrick Mahomes has been the best thing that's ever happened in the Kansas City Chiefs. That's not even debatable. The most important player in the history of the franchise, however many years,

is Patrick Mahomes. I don't even think there's a close second. But today, he, you know, part of his greatness went the other way. And it looked like a guy like an undrafted free agent out there. He was just like freaking out.

But he was like, but he was like chill it was weird i i still don't quite know how to describe what i witnessed fayondule sports book is an official sports betting partner of super bowl 56 so to celebrate new customers can bet five dollars to win 280 dollars in cash on either team to win if you use the promo code column that's right you get your winnings cold hard cash because we know cash is always better than free bets. Fandul Sportsbook, the number one sports book in America. They got same game parlays. You can combine small bets for bigger wins, tons of Super Bowl props, and more. Don't miss out for your chance to turn five bucks into 280 in cash. Download the Fandulsebook app. Please use the promo code, Colin C-O-L-I-N payouts in as little as two hours, safe and secure.

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He hasn't got any better. And when you don't get any better in the NFL, you kind of get worse. Now, Jimmy has a lot of good characteristics. And I heard Colin go on this rant a couple days ago. And I completely agree. There is something with Jimmy Garoppolo that you cannot quantify. You cannot quantify. But no one acts like he's a top 10 quarterback.

So when people argue over, everyone acknowledges he's a middle-of-the-road guy. But he has unquantifiable, intangible stuff that he brings the table, that you feel good in these big moments, that he can win you a big game or can make a big play for you. And he did today. But he can also make devastating plays. Guess what? He throws interceptions against every team he plays. Whether he's playing the 85 bears or whether he's playing the 2002 jacks.

He looks similar, right? There's a reason they traded all these picks. This note, Jimmy Garoppolo's last game with the 49ers was going to be this week or it was going to be in two weeks. Even if he won the Super Bowl, Jimmy Garapolo would not have been on the 49ers. Now, I haven't, I don't know what his value is. We will have time to factor that in, like, in terms of what pick value. They will be able to trade Jimmy Garoplo. Look at the quarterbacks around the NFL.

But that was Jimmy Garoppolo's last game for the 49ers. Again, I feel like, of course it was. They traded three first round picks for Tray Lance. And the reason they did that is because they wanted special. Now, is Tray Lance going to be special? I got no clue. I actually, in the two games that he started, got more concerns than I do.

I have excitement too, but he's a major project. He is a major, major project. That if he starts all the games next year, there's no guarantee they're just an 11-12-win team and they're better than this version of Jimmy Garapla. Because he has so much to learn. I mean, just playing good team. It's going to be hard.

He has a lot to improve on. but the moment that trade happened, it was bye-bye Jimmy. Whether he started all the games this year, whether he got supplanted by Trey Lance in the mid-season, but it was over. We knew that. That was a fact. Before a game got played this season, Jimmy Garoppolo's time was over. Now, as someone who's watched every single snap of Jimmy Garoppolo's career as a 49er,

and actually probably, I've watched it twice because I always watch it. their games back. He has grown on me. I respect the person. But as a player, I don't like weak arm quarterbacks. That's not really my thing. Jimmy's arm solid. He has a quick release, but he can't push the ball down the field. And you saw it a day, like the difference is Matt Stafford can explode the ball down the field. The 49ers don't play like that. Now part of it is Kyle Shanahan wants to run the ball. It's like the ethos of how he coaches. It's also why his teams are always tough. There's a huge element of toughness with the team that I think is associated with running the ball. But in 22 and moving forward, and this is where I give him credit for pulling

the trigger on the Trey Lance trade, you got to be able to throw some bombs. You have to be able to do it. Three teams today can. Joe Burrow can. Joe Burroughs squad, Patrick Mahomes squad, and Matt Stafford. And then you had the 49ers. And you saw today, like, to me, the last play the game or when he throws the pick, like, I don't know, man, it's third and whatever, he freaks out. The play was way worse, the pick that he's six that he almost threw to Jalen Ramsey.

Like, do not throw the ball when you're running around. Because like, oh, that kind of looks like Tony Romo. Yeah, until he throws it, and then he throws it right to the other team. Now, obviously, Tony throws picks too, or did when he was playing. But Jimmy is just, he's a roller coaster ride. And part of

having a roller coaster ride is you don't always know when the sweet parts are and when the scary parts are going to be. And when he throw picks at inopportune times in the second half, and there's some element of luck to it, right? Quaskey Tart dropped a pick from Matt Stafford. These games, like, there is no perfect in these games. Tom Brady's won Super Bowls where he throws picks.

So is Peyton Manning. Guys have lost Super Bowls with picks. It's just, this game's hard. But when you throw picks in the second half or turn the ball over in the second half, it's hard to overcome that. and Jimmy Garoppolo, the thing that he does not allow Kyle Shanahan to have is the ability to be confident in the passing game.

Kyle Shanahan will call pass plays on like quick wide receiver screens when they're forced to, when they're down, but when they're leading, he doesn't have the whole playbook at his disposal. You know, and I was critical of Sean McVay. I thought he could get kind of pass happy with Matt Stafford, but ultimately he was going to go down swinging with that guy's arm. And Matt Stafford learned and they figured it out through the year, got the reps of the big game reps,

because he doesn't have that many big games with the Lions. And he's been, you know, beside the Kwoski pass today that he dropped, Stafford was awesome. Like, they had any dramatic advantage of quarterback. And they're, you know, we can nitpick, you know, part of Sean McVeigh, like he was blowing these challenges, I got news for you.

No one gives a shit when you win. No one cares. Absolutely. No one cares. I remember like growing up sports talk radio talking about baseball. It's like, what about the third inning when he didn't, you know, pitch it for the guy? Well, they won the game. The guy, what are we talking about?

We won the game. In the playoffs, like, you moved on. What do they say in March Madness, survive in advance? Because, you know, Kyle Shanahan's going to get crushed where I live for some of his play calling. And rightfully so, that's part of the gig. When you call plays that do not work when you're the offensive coordinator, especially when you're labeled one of the better offensive coordinators in the league,

it's bad. He called multiple plays today in big spots. Like, he went back to this Trent Williams well. It's like, Kyle, you've ran that, it's not a trick play anymore. Sean McVeigh ran a trick play today that I don't think I've ever seen. It was a flea flicker tied-in screen.

Part of doing something that no one knows coming is a curveball. You catch them off guard. When you bring Trent Williams in motion, like we saw that. Last week, you ran it twice. They've prepared for that. We're talking, you know, this is a chess match.

You can take advantage of people when they don't know that's coming. That, you know, the Packers were like, what the hell is going on? But by the second time, it didn't work. And by the third time, I bet the Rams felt pretty confident when they saw it moving, like, somewhat what was going to happen? Hell, I knew. You're going to run it either, you know, off tackle left or off tackle right. You're either going to run a counter off it or you're just going to fall a train again.

Those are really, you're only two. good options on the play. So, you know, Sean McVeigh, despite, you know, blowing the challenges, he's going to a second Super Bowl in four years. And he denied Kyle the opportunity to go to his second Super Bowl in three years. And I put it out on Instagram, you know, we'll talk about it with Brady. But, I mean, those, now with all these retirements, Brady, Sean Payton, Pete Carroll getting older, like those guys are elite coaches.

But they still have, you know, some of the clock manage it by Kyle at the end of the game. obviously McVay's just reckless nature with his challenges like Sean you can't be this cavalier with challenges in the NFC championship game

this isn't week four against the Cardinals you're in the NFC championship game in a tie game or you're down three like what the fuck are you doing but you know

the victors you know write the history books right no one cares like I can't even can't even pretend to care it just does not matter. Now, if it bites him in the Super Bowl, then I would revisit

this. But if it doesn't, no one's going to give a shit. If Sean McVeigh's hosting the Lombardi Trophy, that he blew some challenges. But until Kyle can get over the hump, people are going to talk about, like, what happens to him in some of these tight games? It's part of the deal. It's just the way it works. Andy fought it forever

with his clock management until he won a Super Bowl. And now, even a game like today, like he loses, devastating loss. Terrible loss. Chief shit the bed. But he didn't want a Super Bowl. If he hadn't, that loss would be 50 times worse. And that loss was bad.

But when you're a Super Bowl champ, it's hard for stuff to stick to you. But when you're not, like Kyle and Sean, I mean, there's pressure on, there's a lot of pressure on Sean to win the Super Bowl. And we'll have time to get in in the Super Bowl. But, you know, it just does not matter. It truly doesn't.

You know, no one cares. If you're talking about it, you're just wasting your energy, especially if it doesn't come back to bite them. but what a day. Football season, one more game. Kind of makes me sad just saying that out loud, actually. Actually makes me really one more football game. I might need to go emotionally eat at 10.20 a night.

But I have no food in my fridge, so I probably need to go to the store first. Adios. See you guys tomorrow. Subscribe to the pod. Share it with your friends. Peace. This valentines with 1800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmetters, and more. Surprise your valentine with 1,800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $3999, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more.

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