The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Aggressive Weekend Winners; Rodgers/Brady Bowl; Coaching Hires; Deshaun Watson Drama; Goff/McVay Tension; Combine Cancelled

Episode Date: January 19, 2021

In this episode, John looks at a common thread between the teams that advanced from the weekend, why he's feeling like a kid again leading up NFC Championship matchup between Brady and Rodgers, the latest round of NFL coaching hires, how the Texans should handle their Deshaun Watson mess, and the bad vibes between Sean McVay and Jared Goff. He also looks at the NFL's decision to cancel the scouting combine and answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag. Follow John on Twitter and SUBSCRIBE now to get all the latest content!! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What is going on, everybody, John Middlecock, three and out podcast. What is up? Monday afternoon, just hit record. I am ready. Ready for ready, baby. A lot going on, pack show. There is just, there's a lot happening right now. thoughts on the teams that advanced, some Rogers Brady,

some of the coaching hires that have gone on the last couple days, Deshawn Watson drama builds, Goff McVeigh need marriage counseling, that ain't good, and the combine makes me sad has been canceled. Gosh, I will dive into that, and some of the actual football implications, not just me out, hanging out and talking to Coach Reed and some of the Super Bowl champ or whatever, like I did last year.

That's not going to happen this year. So that sucks. I love Indy, but it's going to have a pretty big ramifications on the league. A lot of business gets done there. So we'll dive into that. Of course, subscribe to the podcast, separate from Collins Speed, 3 and Out podcast. Leave a review if you like the show. Greatly appreciate that.

I know a lot of you guys have. And I thank you for it. Also, DMs wide open at John Middlecough. We answer your questions at the end of the show. at John Middlecoff, Instagram handle, fire on in there and you'll get your question answered. Let's start with the weekend. And I think this will never change.

And I think it symbolizes all the teams that won this weekend. Aggressive people in America consistently win. People that are not afraid to take big swings for what they want, make it big in this country. In any industry, in any business. Now that does not mean that every big swing you take works. But if your mindset is to think big and swing for the fences, you're going to be successful sooner than later.

Obviously you have to have, you know, in the NFL a good coach, a good quarterback. But if that is your mindset, aggressiveness, you're going to be okay. If your mindset in life is to say in the slow lane, a lot of people are going to pass you on the left-hand side. And you're going to get lapped. Now, it's safe, and you don't have to worry about anything. If you're, like, there's a reason the apples, hang on the branches, because it's easy to hang on the base of the tree, the actions on the edges.

And I think all the teams that won this weekend all symbolize being aggressive. All symbolize pedaled to the medal, not afraid to fail, taking big swings. Look at the chiefs. The way all that went down after Mahomes got injured. and the way the final drive of their game went with Chad Hennie throwing on third and long, then on fourth down going for it. But it was way before that. Coach Reed's always been really aggressive in these situations.

Look at how they got there. They once upon a time traded up for Mahomes. They traded for Frank Clark. They got rid of D. Ford. They have taken some massive swings over the last two or three years. And it got them to the point. where that's their ethos. Their mindset is to be aggressive.

I know, I've been around them. I just know the way Andy and Veets think. And that going forward on fourth and one, or even the aggressive play call on third and long, that's who the Kansas City Chief Organization is. And a lot of people, I listen to some different shows and reading some different things, like, you know, it was easy for Andy to do that

because he already had a Super Bowl from last year. If he hadn't won a ring, would he do that? Yes. Been doing that for 20 years. That is his nature. That's how he operates. They operate that way in personnel, they operate that way

in the way they teach their players, and they operate that way on game day. Doesn't mean you're always going to win. Just a couple years ago, they lost to the Patriots, but their mindset is the same win or lose. And now that they have all this talent on the team, it speaks for itself, the results.

I think the team they're going to play, the bills are another great example of they copied some of that ethos. Sean McDermott was around Andy Reed for a long time. What have they done the last couple years? They drafted Josh Allen's seventh. I don't know this for a fact, but I've heard they would have taken them one. Now, I thought it was crazy. I would imagine many people thought, you thought it was crazy.

They nailed that. They had a big picture vision. They put their nuts on the table and made a pick that every person. everyone thought they were nuts. What did they do last year? Once Josh Allen showed him, well, he's actually got something. They traded the 22nd pick in the draft for Stefan Dix. It was a balsy move.

He had been a productive player, but there were some questions about it. Was he a diva? Was he even the number one option on his own team? It's easy to, hindsight's always 20-20 to look back like, of course Andy should have gone forward on 4th and 1. Of course they should have traded the 27th and 1. pick for Stefan Diggs. Of course they should have traded Josh Allen. That's not what everyone was saying when it was made.

And that's what we're doing. That's what I'm talking about right here. It's not about playing MMQB. It's about going back to when the decision was made and went. That took the balls. Stefan Diggs, beside Devante Adams, has been the second best wide receiver in the league. Change their offense. Let's look at the other side. The Green Bay Packers got destroyed. for taking a quarterback last year in the first round.

They needed a wide receiver, they needed a wide receiver, they needed a wide receiver. They took Jordan Love. Now, I don't know that they knew the reaction that Aaron Rogers would have, and it motivated him, I don't know, to have arguably the best season of his career. But it worked. And either way, like, the result of the move worked. And that's all you want when you make a move like that. Because everyone said, oh my God, that is insane.

And typically, when you go, oh my God, that is insane, with high-level people, they're usually on to something. Now, I don't know anyone there. I don't know all the backstory with the pick. Did they think Rogers was shot? Did they not? He clearly didn't look as good last year as he has this year. But that move has paid dividends because they're hosting the NFC championship game.

Aaron Rogers threw 48 touchdowns he won the end. MVP. It worked. And let's go to the team they're playing. The team in my backyard, Tom Brady reached out and said, I want to come. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch said, no, Tom, we're sticking with Jimmy Garapolo. And at the time, people like me said, that is the right move. You know what it turned out that move was? That move was the safe move. And it was the wrong move. Because them, like myself, went, you know, Tom's trending in the wrong direction. I wouldn't mess with Tom. He's going to be 43. Easy to go just with Jimmy. Keep things safe.

Do you know what happened? Tom Brady threw 40 touchdowns. Jimmy Garoppelo missed 10 games. It's easy to go. Of course the bucks went with Tom Brady. It is? They gave $50 million to a guy 43 and he'll be 44 next year. No human ever again. in pro sports, maybe golf, but basketball, football, or baseball will ever get $50 million guaranteed at 43 years old. The Buccaneers did it.

There were a ton of people that thought, you know, that's kind of stupid, but it worked. It could not have worked actually any better. I guess it could have. They could have had home field. But for a team that hadn't made the playoffs in 12 years, they've now won two playoff games and going into an NFC championship game against one of the best offenses, we've seen in years, and I think most of us think they got a pretty good chance to win.

The Chiefs, the Bills, the Packers, the Bucks, all in different ways, all were aggressive. All had balls. Whether it's play calling, whether it's personnel moves, or whether it's just the ethos from within the organization, that is how you get ahead in life. If you want to stay in the slow lane, that's fine. But you can't be bitter when you're not winning in whatever you're doing.

you have to put the pedal of the metal sometimes and you can't get discouraged when things miss and when things don't work out because sometimes they're not going to work out perfectly as you thought but all these organizations in their own little way were really really aggressive and I give the bills a ton of credit

on the Josh Allen and the Stefan Diggs because I think it's easy to be like oh of course you know you had 100 plus catches Diggs was a badass I think there were a lot of people who were like You're giving the 22nd pick for Stefan Diggs? That's pretty crazy. That's pretty nuts.

That was a lot. I mean, DeAndre Hopkins went for a second round pick. That was a very hefty price to pay. Remember how much the Chiefs gave Frank Clark? They got rid of D. Ford, who hasn't played a game in like two years. Frank Clarks are starting defensive end and kind of helped set the tone for them last year

when they won the Super Bowl. I know he hasn't been as good this year, but that's just, and he's always doing stuff like that. I think it's just easy, Of course, Brady's in his 14th championship game. I got to raise my hand. There weren't many people saying that, including myself. Imagine many people listening went,

yeah, I don't know. I don't know. And then what happened during the radio season? The Saints beat him a couple times. Well, it finally paid off. Because Tom Brady, you don't need to be Bill Walsh to see like he was dramatically better than Drew Brees in that game. And it's not like Tom was perfect.

So I applaud these teams for taking big swings. because it's paid off for all of them. Okay, let's get into, this is probably my favorite game on paper of my adult life. Tom Brady versus Aaron Rogers. Green Bay Packers hosting Tampa Bay NFC championship game. The most accomplished, arguably athlete of all time,

maybe like Bill Russell or Tiger Woods or Jack Nicholas in Tom Brady, and potentially the greatest quarterback talent we've ever seen. He's about to win his third MVP, and we'll get into how well he's playing. But I feel like a fan going into this game. And one thing I'm jealous of, and I see a lot of of you guys DMs, and when you guys shoot me questions about players and coaches on your favorite team, the days of me being a big fan kind of died when I worked in the NFL. I was a huge, diehard 49er fan growing up. And once you work in the league and work in football,

you know, I end up now, I'm a fan of people I know or, you know, that are in a different place in the league. I really root for them. Or I root for stories and root for business aspects of things. Now, I do a podcast, my other podcast, where we talk a lot about the Niners. I want them to do well, but it's not like the little kid in me fan. It's because I know that I can do good topics off of it,

get more people to listen and make money off it. So I'm kind of jaded in that sense. Now, I'm a fan of the league, obviously, a fan of the business aspect, fan of the draft, fan of, you know, the player, fan of it all. But my actual individual fandom, which many of you probably listening still have,

you're a Steeler fan, a Packer fan, an Eagle fan or whatever, died. It's just not the same. So I, my juices rarely get flowing where I feel like I'm like a 12-year-old again. And I vividly remember when I met Brett Farv

we were playing the Minnesota Vikings when I worked for the Eagles and I walked down the hallway and he was coming in we ended up playing him like a Tuesday game because it got snowed out. I had that little kid feel.

It's like, oh my God, that was Brett Farv. I'm like, I got to stand up straight pretend like you've been there before but it's like I got to shake his hand it was really cool. And you just don't have as many moments like that. the longer you work in this thing and you kind of go to practices

and you know people and you hear these stories you kind of get jaded to it all and I love Tom Brady I love everything he stands for I have friends that have worked for different teams that have had joint practice with them I'll sit on the phone with them for 20 minutes to just pick their brain what it was like

to watch Belichick and Tom practice and with Aaron Rogers like I'm not the I'm not some like diehard Aaron Rogers guy but I have an insane amount of respect for his ability. And I think right now, like Tom is the most accomplished player of all time. I've ended up watching a lot of Tiger Woods stuff over the corona quarantine. I've watched just so much YouTube on him.

Obviously these documentaries. I listen to his book. I think in his peak, Tiger's Peak, and Michael Jordan would fit into this bill as well. He was the greatest player. He was the perfect player. Because he got to a point where he was better than that. than everyone else. He had the mindset and understanding

that was superior to everyone else, and he was physically more gifted than everyone else. Obviously, to me, that's like Michael Jordan, probably 96, 97. He was still really athletic, but he could just so much smarter than everyone else, and he was more talented and skilled than everyone. He's the perfect player, the perfect player.

You could argue like 93 MJ was the perfect player, because he was so much more athletically gifted probably than the 96 guy, but we could argue that, semantics. Tiger would probably be like 05, 06, but he had like he was more talented in like the early 2000s, but his mind is understanding like the way he won the Masters in 2019. Probably the most loaded field he's ever been in a Masters with the talent.

And watching Aaron Rogers on Saturday against the Rams, I'm just thinking to myself, I don't think I've ever seen an individual be better at the quarterback position. Like he's a 10 out of 10 on fucking everything he's doing. His arm strength, his accuracy, his command of the offense, his pocket movement, his ability to manipulate the defense. Like every box, check, check, check, check, check, check.

His confidence. Just his, he's mastered the quarterback position. And he's just more physically gifted than Tom, given that he can move. So there's just certain things he can do that Tom can't. And I just think Aaron Rogers right now is the perfect player. And then he's playing Tom, who is the modern day Joe Montana, but even better because he's won more Super Bowls and just more accomplished, played longer, who's freaking 43 years old. And you're getting these two guys. Listen, pro sports, and part of why I'm jaded, I think about it, one, is you just end up talking so much about it.

You're like, I just, can we talk about something else besides sports? And not that I don't love it, but when I just, I talk so. much about it, you just can get worn out a little bit. Because a lot of times it's rehashing things. Like, this is, this is just awesome. I get Aaron Rogers, the MVP of the league, one of the great quarterbacks of all time, who kind of needs another Super Bowl on his resume to be viewed as like, one thing that separates the top guys, right?

Manning's got two. Obviously, Brady's got a bunch, Montana's got a bunch, Elway's got two. Like, Rogers should be in that mix. Right? There are a lot of guys with one, right, that were great players. like Steve Young, Brett Fav, you know, they were just all-time great players,

but they got one. I think Drew Breeze is not, I'd put him a little lower in those guys, but they got one Super Bowl. That's Rogers. He can get this one, go through Brady and potentially Mahomes is kind of be a huge,

freaking moment for the guy. You also, in Tom Brady, if you're Aaron Rogers, think about this. They've been, this is their fourth NFC championship game, right? He went to one in 2010. They played Chicago.

The game Cutler got hurt. He went to one in Seattle. Remember, they screwed up the onside kick, and McCarthy was kicking all those field goals. Lost. He went to the one as a huge underdog in Atlanta and lost. This is the first time they've ever in the last year the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers

at Levi Stadium. So to my knowledge, that's four on the road. First NFC championship game, this is all the top of my head, so if you're a Packer fan, I'm pretty sure I'm right on this one. This is a fifth NFC championship game. He's one in four in them. But this is the first one he's ever hosted.

And he just happens. He finally gets an NFC championship game in Lambo. Because remember, they've been the top seat a couple times, been knocked out. And he gets Tom Brady, the greatest cold weather quarterback of all time. Like, it's, I mean, it's pretty shitty luck, but also it's a pretty big moment for the guy's career.

And I just don't think it gets any better. Like, that's really my take. If you're a fan of football, if you're a fan of entertainment, because that's really what football is, it's a television show for three hours, you are getting, like, this is two superstars. This is like getting Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, right? This is like Lady Gaga and the Beatles. Like, it's just, this is as big as it gets. Quarterbacks carry the league, the importance of them, their stardom, their fame, their talents. We're getting two. We're getting the best and probably, I mean, Rogers goes on to win this year.

He's only 37. He's in the peak of his powers. Not like he's going anywhere. Why couldn't he win maybe three, right? Gets one this year and maybe wins one the next couple of years. Changes his entire legacy. It's like, you know, he's one of the best quarterbacks of all time to like, see the second best quarterback of all time?

The great part is he has a lot to, you know, a lot of runway left in his career. Think about how much Brady did between 37 and 4. 43. Went to like three Super Bowls won two. Hell, he might have won three. I guess 15, 16, 17, 18. Yeah, I mean, he won three Super Bowls between 37 and where he's at now. So I just, I can't wait. And as a gambler, I put some money on Tom Brady. I won some cash. Now I'm tempted to bet on him again. But I'm really scared because back to what I said, who in their right mind would bet? Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and. and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple, podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we're still chasing it. We don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose. On my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free. Our Heart Radio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. Against Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan in the peak of their powers.

You'd have to be on drugs to do that. And that's the level when I watch as, not really as a fan, but as a guy that's evaluated this league, evaluated players that just has been watching football my entire life, that loves talent. Like, it's as good as it gets. Like, I am terrified. I'm tempted to bet the bucks on the money line, but it's just how much. I betting against this freak show that's number 12 in Green Bay right now.

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The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring. at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Okay, let's do a little coaching update. And the coaching hires, we talked about Urban last week,

dove into that bad boy. We've had a couple more since this weekend. I forget exactly when the news broke. Maybe Saturday. The Dan Campbell, remember the dude that looks like he could be in the WWE, hired by the Lions, and news broke Sunday night

that Brandon Staley, first year defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, named the head coach for the Chargers. And we've talked about this before, typically to me, when you fire a coach, usually try to hire the opposite. You have a hard ass, usually go soft. If you had a soft guy, you usually go hard ass.

And one of the main themes in the league, really the last couple of years, has been the push, minority coaches, there's why like the 49ers, the Rams, all these teams that are losing minority GMs or minority coaches are getting multiple third-round picks. So the Saints, the Rams, and the Niners will both get a third-round pick this year and a third-round pick this next year. Now, on Eric BN and me specifically, I don't know him, I don't think I've ever met him.

I know the guys with the Chiefs really like him. I don't know why he hasn't been hired. Honestly, I don't know. but multiple GMs, multiple African-American GMs were hired, and they went with Dan Campbell and Arthur Smith. Now, just because you're a black guy doesn't mean you need to hire a black guy, just because you're a white guy doesn't mean that you need to hire a white guy, black guy. It shouldn't matter.

It doesn't matter. But for whatever reason, this individual is not getting hired, and I don't know why. It doesn't even feel like he's really that close to getting a job. but Dan Campbell, who had been an interim head coach before, is the coach of the Lions. I don't even, to my knowledge, did they even talk to Eric B. enemy? I don't know.

But here's my thing with Dan Campbell. Like, what does he truly do? I think they're pivoting away from what they just had in Patricia, a quote-unquote defensive guru. And they're kind of going Tomlin, Harbaugh, kind of that theme. even what I think the Jets are going to get in Robert Sala, a little different because this guy's never been a coordinator. Now, he was the assistant head coach for Sean Payton.

So if you're the assistant head coach for Sean Payton and you're just looking for a big picture leader, pretty good hire. This guy's pretty well respected. He looks like he could still play. He's a massive band. And again, if Sean Payton is making you as assistant head coach, like I think pretty highly of you. He doesn't coach the offense.

He doesn't coach the defense. coordinate either because he's never has so you're not getting mr scheme guy but sometimes mr scheme guys we just saw what patricia fails so this guy is going to be very very dependent on homes who was like the college director from the rams that guy picking the players they have big questions they have to ask what they're going to do with matt stafford how they get more talent they're the least talented team in the division by a wide margin they got to figure some shit out right now it's pretty ugly in detroit this is a very, very difficult job for Dan Campbell.

But I'm pretty sure, like, Dan Campbell wasn't getting a head coaching job. So I understand why he took it. But, I don't know. I mean, I think it's a pretty bold hire. I think both the hires this weekend were pretty bold. Brandon Staley, who has been in the league not that long.

I think four years. It was first year coordinating. Now, I don't know that much about him. on my other podcast, we had on Lewis Riddick, who I value Lewis's opinion. And here is what he said about Brandon Staley. If you listen to Brandon Staley talk about defense, his defensive coordinator.

This guy is next level when it comes to knowing how to defend the passing. And create matchups. So, I mean, Lou, who has been around the league a long time, Monday Night Football interviews all these guys, and I've talked to him a lot off the record, thinks really highly of them. and I listened to an interview he did with Peter King

Brandon Staley's a smart guy Like there's no disputing it And watching the league this weekend You have Kyle head coach McVeigh a head coach LaFleur head coach Solentow head coach bringing LaFleur Mike McDaniels moved up

Young guys are dominating this league Young guys are all over this league People want these young guys That have been associated kind of with that Shanahan tree I mean Mike That crew that he had in Washington. All the guys there are pretty highly thought of. And Robert Sala, for example,

was not in that tree. But Kyle hired him and he became a head coach four years later and he he's been interviewing the last two years. Sean McVeigh, Brandon Saly clearly wasn't in that tree either, hires him. One year, boom, he's gone. So if you have the touch and there is, I won't want to say, there's a little media creation. There's a media hype to a coach, just like there is with a player, but definitely do a coach. Because I do think coaches don't care about media hype with players. They just evaluate it off the tape and what they think in their own scheme. With hiring, though, the media cycle helps.

The articles help. People talking about you on podcasts, you know, help. They just do. Or radio shows or whatever. That's what these owners listen to. And listen, I'm not saying this why Dean Spanos did it. But I don't think there's ever been an owner in the modern day that likes a savings account as much as Dean.

Brandon Staley's probably not that expensive. You know, if he costs $5 million, Urban's probably about 12. He might be able to keep his offensive staff, we'll see. So I'm not saying he made the hire for, you know, financial reasons, but he's not an expensive coach. I don't think he had that much leverage. It's a risky hire.

Unlike Detroit Lions with Matt Campbell, he plays a disaster. No talent. Quarterback more than likely probably wants out. You just got to blow the thing up and start from scratch. They're also not expectations. The charger job? It's got to be one of the better jobs in recent memory to come open.

They have a rookie quarterback that just shattered the touchdown record. They have talented players all over the roster under contract. It's a massive market yet there's not big expectations because the market doesn't care. It's a bigger brand nationally than it is locally. the division, you know, beside the Chiefs is wide open. It's a really good job. Brandon Staley, I don't know if he's a religious guy or not, should just say some thanks.

Because as a first-time head coach to get a job that already has a young quarterback, already has a bunch of talent, and Tom Tolesco is a pretty good GM. He doesn't have to worry about being a GM. It's because he coach's the team. If Brandon Staley is a good coach, his team wins 10 games next year. No offense or butts are about it. But there's no telling that he's going to be a more dynamic game manager

or understand stuff that Anthony Linden. They don't know. No one knows. It's a very, very risky proposition for the Chargers, given how much they have on the line. I've been saying over and over, if Dean makes the right hire here and they get the right coach, they could be a playoff team for the foreseeable future.

They have the guy that's talented enough at quarterback and enough guys on the roster to play with the Chiefs and the Bills and the Ravens. Like, they have that type talent. But they're hiring a coach who's been in the league since 2017, who's a defensive coordinator, did play college quarterback, who everyone I know thinks really highly of him,

really smart. Vic Fangio clearly created his career, hired him as his linebacker coach, you know, five years ago or four years ago. He was asking a lot. You know, like when Sean McVeigh got a job, he had been in the league for a decade. when Kyle Shanahan got hired at 34, 35 or whatever,

he had been coaching the league for like 14 years. Even Matt LaFleur. Dude had been in the NFL for a while. Robert Salad just became a head coach. He was on the Houston Texan staff like 12 years ago. He had been in the league a little while. This guy has not been in the NFL that long. He was at John Carroll University in 2016, not that long ago.

So I do think it's fair just to ask some questions But at the same time Who's ever truly ready for a big opportunity? Nobody I think the guy's smart And the team's definitely talented enough To be a somewhat of a smooth landing spot for the guy Okay

You know the Deshawn Watson Topic trade rumors Buzz Is only picking up steam And the more and more information I take in here is just my baseline take before we even get, you know, put it this way. They don't have a coach.

The Houston Texans do not have a coach. No decision is going to get made on Deshawn Watson until they hire a coach. I would imagine when that coach is hired, he has a discussion with Deshawn Watson. Now, anytime you bring in new administration, in any walk of life. It could be Apple, it could be Amazon,

it could be a podcast company, it could be an NFL team, and you bring in new management, they're going to have some new ideas. Now, I'm also a believer that just because you're new someplace and in charge, you don't have to hit blow it up immediately.

I love it when coaches get to a place in the NFL and keep a lot of the good core players. Even if they weren't having success before and they go, I can make this work, and then they do. Happens all the time. I saw Jim Harbaugh show up with 49ers. Keep all the guys a kick ass. When Andy Reid got to Kansas City,

do you know that the guys he won with? Tom Ballee, Derek Johnson, Justin Houston, Don Terry Poe, Jamal Charles. I think all the guys that were on the roster that he just won with immediately, right? you don't always need to just hit the reset button and sometimes they do that

and the Patriot way often does that because I think the Patriots look at football kind of like I do like an economic exercise they go what is every player worth what is he worth to us what is he worth on the open market and what is he worth in the structure of our team

because the setting of our team and Casario did not create their cap situation, their no pick situation, he inherited all that. And technically he inherited Deshaun Watson's drama too. Not his fault. But if he looks at it objectively, which I'd say the New England Patriots do the best job of doing that, it doesn't always work,

but they are very unemotional when it comes to the team. They just do what's best for the team. The team, the team, the team. and you go, well, we don't have any picks, we don't have any money, and we suck. Our quarterback just arguably had the best season of his career, and we were terrible. Now, I'm not blaming to Sean Watson, I've said that the last couple weeks, but I'm just putting myself in his shoes. Could we get like three picks, multiple ones, a two, and a quarterback?

Now, I don't know if I'd do that, but I just, they could talk themselves into it. What if they go, let's trade them to the, to the dolphins? I don't like Tua, I wouldn't do this, but let's assume that he likes Tua. You give us Tua, you give us our pickback, and you give us another one and a two. So now we have two ones, a two, Tua. We get rid of Deshawn who's not happy here, and let's say we also trade J.J. Watt and we get a second. Now we can just kind of start the rebuild from scratch. Now, me personally, I would try to make it work with Deshawn Watson.

I would try to talk him into it. But I think you could take a step back and go, by the time that we're able to be competitive, which is not going to be for a couple years, because we don't have any assets to get competitive, right? We don't have first round picks. We don't have any money. How do we really improve our team?

You know, Deshawn could be 28, 29 years old. It could be a couple years. So we could even meet in the middle with him. Listen, our team's going to suck. We're going to blow it up. We're going to trade you. We're going to use leverage, and we're going to have an open bidding process.

We're not just going to give them to one of our friends, whoever offers us the best deal, and we trade them. Because if it was any normal coach, I'd go, I don't see it. I doubt that happens. But because it's a patriot, and not just a normal patriot,

Casario's been there for 20 years. Casario has six rings. So every single player, now including Tom Brady, he's seen cut, leaving full. free agency, traded, he's seen them all. Every single one of the famous players over the years, he's played not necessarily maybe a role in them getting traded, but had a firsthand experience and watch it happen to the team.

Whether he was coaching on the team, whether he was in personnel, whether he was like the GM kind of what he's been. I know he's not the GM, but you know what I mean. Like, Belichick's right-hand guy, that's his experience. So if he wants to win and he gets his five-year deal worth a lot of money, What if he's thinking, well, let's press reset, just like my friends, I don't know, Brian Flores and the Dolphins did, and blow it up. Now, what's different is you don't get rid of a quarterback.

I think it's pretty dumb. But I do think it's possible and plausible. There are multiple teams that are drafting in the top three. I think the Dolphins make some sense. The Jets make some sense. Daniel Jeremiah had a good tweet. He's like, the Jets basically have five first rounders the next three years. They could trade three first rounders and still have two.

And maybe trade them Darnold. What if it cost two first rounders Darnold in a second? What if they did something like that? I don't know. I'm just, you just understand. Now again, back to my original statement. They do not have a coach. They're not going to make any move until they get a coach in there.

They assemble a staff and they talk it out. You would be moronic to do that. The point of football is to work as a group and as a team. The general manager and the coach are in cahoots together. they are going to rise or fall as a unit. They are married. They are connected at the hip in terms of their success. Now, I don't, doesn't mean sometimes with firings and hirings,

they're not always connected there. But in terms of when they're working together, their success is directly correlated. You want to pick good players, you want your coach to coach guys. You want your coach to influence the guys you pick. You want you to understand the type guys your coach is looking for. So I got to see who they hire.

And I'll be honest, I got no clue. None. I have Apple. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, Follow at Clifford and a TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we, are in possession of the thing, and we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search learn the hard way, and listen now. Definitely no clue

who they're going to hire. None. Jack Easterby going to coach a team? Maybe. What's that situation? There is clearly multiple people out to get Jack Easterby. It's not even,

it can't even be argued at this point. The hit pieces that are coming out on this guy, an axe to grind feels like an understatement. People have bazookas out are trying to take this dude down. This guy is not liked by it doesn't even feel just like people that

were in the building but guys that are still around. Players are leaking stuff. It's getting weird. There were also stuff leaked, I think last week about Tua. Did I talk about it last week? About some of the players on his own team. Didn't think he's good enough. There's a lot of weird stuff going on

between the dolphins, the Texans. I'd even say the Jets but the Jets have stable leadership now. They have a new coach and they have a general manager that I think knows what he's doing. Now, I don't know what they think of Sam Donald. LaFleur's brother is now the offensive coordinator there.

I'd assume he kind of likes Sam Donald. But I'd assume that Deshaun Watson, they like him more. So I just, it's going to get very interesting and I don't know where this is going to go. But I think a lot of the hype is much more media hype right now and Twitter hype than reality. because until I hire a coach as Casario

and I sit down and we talk the freaking team and what our vision is and what the plan is, part of once Flores got to Miami, they sat down, they mapped it out, and they got their big picture vision. But it doesn't happen overnight. I mean, you have an idea going into the job, but then you're going to spend weeks in meetings,

talking it out, figuring it out, and then going from there. I like these rumors as much as anybody. I mean, I can talk about them all day long. But to think that there's like some concrete plan already with no head coach is just flat out not true. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure.

Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination. Our sense of wonder. And our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org.

Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you.

Their fearless guide through this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. And we're live here outside

the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like dad has the bag's daughter is bringing up the rear.

Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't close. Diphers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off. Ah, but looks like Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes!

Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at NHTSA.gov slash the right seat. Visit NHTSA.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by NHTSA and the Ad Council. Okay, let's get to Goth and McVeigh. This story is interesting.

Steve Weish of the NFL network reported on Monday that Goff and McVeigh's relationship needs marriage counseling. And let's back it up. We had in the Seattle game, it turns out, Sean McVey believed John Walford, a AAF quarterback, gave them a better chance to win than Jared Gough. And you could be like, Middle Gough, he had a broken thumb. He dressed out and he was available.

And Jared Gough told Mike Silver after the game, it was hard pill to swallow that he went with the other guy. then after this game against the Packers, I guess within the last couple days, maybe he said this today, I don't know, I haven't kept up with the Rams press conferences, that Jared Goss got's not a lot to be the starter next year. And then Weiss comes out with, like,

they're going to need marriage counseling. I've never been married. I've known a lot of people that have gone to counseling, and I know that a lot of people that ended up getting a divorce. In my opinion, if you go to counseling, there are some things that are fixed. right? If you're, anyone that's better in a relationship knows this. You can

improve certain things that your significant other wants, right? When she says things, help around the house, whatever the thing is, whatever the thing is that's bothering her, you can be in the middle and vice versa. It goes for her

too. There are things that we can do, whether it's helping with the kids, whether it's making dinner when she's working, whether it's being more loving, I don't know. Whatever the thing is that drove you to counseling, there are possibilities for you to improve, right? The thing with football, where counseling would have a problem, and I'm going to assume Jared Gough works hard, shows up early. Because if McVeigh is mad about that, which I've never heard

anything about Gough's work ethic in a negative light, if that's the case, that would be something that can improve. But if it's football stuff, like if John McVeigh goes, you know what, if he's talking to the counselor, I want a guy that can run faster. I want a guy that's more mobile.

I want a guy with a stronger arm. I want a guy who's more of a playmaker. No chance. They're fucked. That is not possible to improve. Those are things that a counselor cannot change when it comes to Jared Gough.

His physical attributes are set. They are not changing. And unlike a marriage, like if they need to go to marriage, you know part of a marriage, you can get a divorce at any moment. Now, depending on your assets, the kids, the money, they can get complicated,

but you can get a divorce the day after you get married, 50 years after you get married. You get a divorce whenever you want, whenever you want. in the NFL you can't get a divorce whenever you want because when you sign a massive contract the money is set over a period of years

if it's a five-year contract they amortize it over that period in just different ways with the signing bonus so it impacts your cap different years at different amounts and the Rams are on the hook with this guy for the next couple years there is no getting a divorce

So if the marriage counseling with this couple, which is Goff and McVeigh, is dependent on Gough physically changing, because I'd say that's one thing, at least in marriage, like, hey, I want you, you're fat, I want you to eat better. Like, technically, you can just eat better, right? But with Jared Goff, it's like, you're slow. We ain't getting any faster. Your arm stinks. Well, it is what it is.

To me, if it's anything like, hey, I need you to be a better teammate, I needed to be more assertive, those would be things that, yes, he can improve on. And maybe golf's like, I need him to communicate better to me, I need him to be nicer to me. I'd be like, okay, now we can counsel, right? If I'm a marriage counselor, if I'm a football counselor here. I need you guys to have a better working relationship. We can work on that. Here's the problem.

I think a lot of times when you get divorces, there is no overcoming. Like, I just don't like you anymore. I think you're lazy. I don't like spending time with you. So we can work on those things. You can show me you're more ambitious. Think how many couples you know in your life that are like, that they tried. Once it gets down to a certain point, it's over.

There is no coming back from. I think it's that way with Sean McVeigh. How could Sean McVe, again, assuming that it's not vocal, that it's play-based. His play was terrible. He looks awful. He looks like a backup. How does Sean McVeigh forget that?

And it's physically he's not that gifted. Someone tweeted at me, Gough for Wentz, who says no? The Eagles. You know how fast Carson Wentz? Or, I mean, Sean McVeigh would straight up trade Jared Goff for Carson Wentz? Just to work with a more physically gifted guy in that offense,

he would do that yesterday. He would drive Jared Goff to Philadelphia. So if this is based on physical tools, which I'd be hard pressed to think it wasn't, and you'd go, well, John, he was there when they signed the big deal. Well, he was in his early 30s. He hasn't been a coach in that for that long. To me, I'm putting this one on less need.

Which, less need, what happened? drafted him number one overall, traded a bunch of picks for him. Then he got good under Sean McVey. What do you like doing if you're a general manager? You like signing the guys you draft because you look smart. The problem with Jared Gopf is his physical tools are just limited. And Sean McVeigh is an excellent coach. And the whole team looks good, except this guy.

And you just go, what's his deal? To me, and if you're Jared Gough, the moment you're healthy enough to play with the messed up thumb in that playoff game against Seattle, a team that you've played, however eight, ten times in your career, right? You've helped lead this team to a Super Bowl.

He goes with John Wofford. I'll even take his side. Hey, bro, I broke my thumb. I can barely move it. I'm ready to go. You're going with a dude from the AAF who was undrafted. It'd be one thing, right?

if your backup quarterback was like a Nick Foles type. You know, it was like a Marcus Marriota, James Winston, a guy that had some success, a guy that was drafted. You're going with John Wofford. So if I'm Jared Gawford, how do I look at him the same? And let me play McVeyside again. Well, Jared, I went with John Wofford because I couldn't fucking stand to watch you throw another football.

We played the Jets three weeks ago or two weeks ago, and you were God-awful. We were playing the Jets. and we got our ass kicked and you were terrible. I can't take you seriously after that. My personal opinion, I don't know that many details

but I follow the Rams relatively closely because I consume a ton of NFC West football. This is a divorce that would 100% happen if the contract allowed it. McVeigh's done. And honestly, Goff might not like them anymore, but they're stuck together. And I'd imagine some of you know,

hell, maybe you're happy to your parents, whether it's happened to brothers or sisters, whether it's happened to close friends, when people that are in a relationship that's over but they stay together, it usually gets pretty ugly. And they don't, the divorce is not an option here.

He's not a tradable player. So marriage counseling, I don't see it working in this situation. Okay, let's get to the last story of the day and it hurts. It stings. It's the NFL Combine has been canceled. And not going to love it.

I've been two of the last three years. Last year was awesome. Got to drink, Vrable, had Andy on the podcast, Sean McDermott on the podcast. You know, if you want to make the AFC championship game, just come on three and out. It's just, I get so much good information

going out with my buddies, talking to different people in the league. There's just a, there's an aura there, a vibe, coaches out. It's just sweet. Now, that's not really possible now. but you go to the different press conferences, you get a feel for the coaches,

you get a feel for the league, and kind of everyone's taking a little inventory, taking a deep breath, and kind of put their sights on free agency in the draft. And for as much as people on the outside think the combine's about 40 times in jumping, it's really not. Let's start first and foremost what is going to be missed.

If I take any industry and I bring all the decision makers in that industry, to the same town and put them in three or four hotels and I guess unlike a lot of industries these teams trade products and assets back and forth, right? The players.

Well, a huge part of the combine is getting ready for free agency. It's understanding what free agents are going to cost, how much keeping my own guys are going to cost, how much any player that I want to acquire is going to cost, any interest I have in disgruntled players

what will I have to pay to trade for said player do you know how many deals with trades get done at the combine and what do you think the reason is that for well GM1 and GM2 are sitting there over a couple coronas and you know some stakes or they're in the hotel room

just bullshitting about their teams and things come up and talking with agents and talking with other GMs and talking with other coaches. Conversation just creates some urgency, which is already going to happen when everyone shows up at the combine, trying to improve your team. All these GMs are meeting with all these other GMs

and trying to get the agents, trying to get intel. And that's when the process of everything starts. You can do it over phone, which they're going to have to do. It's not going to be the same. We saw a ton of trades the last couple of years. Why? Because you have a ton of aggressive, young, and maybe it's not even young. It's just aggressive general managers in the league. Aggressive coaches.

We'll give you a first round pick for said player. We'll give you a two-ones for this player. We want to sign this free agent, how much it's going to cost. You find all that out at the combine. I haven't even talked about the draft prospects. I'm just talking about the free agent class and the dudes on other teams that you're going to trade for. Like if Matt Stafford, let's say hypothetically, was going to get traded, that trade would get done at the combine.

DeForest Buckner, that trade, like that stuff happens at the combine. Justin Jefferson, I guess he was drafted in the draft, but digs to the bills, like those conversations begin. They can say whatever they want. You know, once the trade happens, that's where they start. Always. Because we meet. Everywhere you go, it's like there's a couple GMs talking.

There's a couple coaches talking. There's a coach and a GM talking. There's Belichick talking with Rabel. There's Chris Ballard talking with John Snyder. It's just everywhere you look. And a lot of place you can't even see because they're in their own rooms meeting. One-on-one. Spending time discussing.

That is like one thing, and I'm not even, these aren't rumors. These are actual trades that happen. It also as a GM helps you build your team because you get an understanding of the cap. you know which players on your own team you want to keep. You start finding out from their agents how much they're willing to take or what the number is going to be and you can kind of come back after the combine, meet with your coach, and kind of figure it out from there.

Then when it comes to the draft prospects, you get to meet them for the first time. If I'm Pete Carroll, if I'm Belichick, if I'm Andy Reid, I never go into these schools during the season. Why? I'm coaching my own team. Maybe my GM does some school calls. I think in 2020 you just do less and less. You send your right-hand guys.

Even if I do a school call, let's say I'm John Schneider or John Lynch or whoever's right-hand man. And you send me to Oklahoma, you send me to USC, you send me to Ohio State. In a normal year, this year you weren't allowed. Think about this year you weren't allowed to do school calls. We'll get into the repercussions on all that in a minute.

But typically at the Combine, my coach and general manager sit down if I did the West Coast. Let's say this year, Penae Sewell, who's going to be the number one left tackle in this class. Or Zach Wilson, the quarterback. In a typical year, I've gone through BYU, I've gone through Oregon. I've accumulated, because these guys are such big-time prospects, so much information from coaches, from trainers,

from student advisors, from maybe some teammates that I run into, some of his teammates, if I haven't run into the player. And if the player's not a senior, I can't talk to him. I don't want to get anyone in trouble. So I've accumulated all this information. And my coach and GM sit down with Zach Wilson and they already have the answers to the test.

So if they want to ask them any non-football questions, they have it all right in front of them. Well, that's not going to happen this year. It will happen over Zoom, but it is a little different getting the meeting with the guy. and just getting to see a guy physically walk through the door. It's a big man's league. You understand the size of these human beings?

They're huge. And these coaches like to see these guys in person. Zach Wilson, one of the questions on him is he small. What is his frame look like when he comes into my hotel room with my brass there? Well, we don't get to do that. Obviously the medicals are huge for all the combine invitees. right they go through a universal medical check from MRIs to checking up on previous injuries

so we can get a feel for his health any question marks that you may have it's why like the Twitter GMs it's stupid if you don't have the medical information you don't know a guy could be a great player if he's got a degenerate knee he's going to fall on the draft just that simple

then there's also this year's going to be tough because the scouting community has not been allowed into these schools. So younger scouts or scouts that have moved areas that don't have a great feel for said programs, it's going to be difficult if you don't have personal relationships. You're going to get just the run of the mill stuff. Good kid shows up on time. Been dating the same girl for three years.

Two-parent household shows up early, works hard in the wait room. You're like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. It turns out like half that's true. But when I, for the veteran scouts that have relationships with coordinate, and the reality is in college football, these coaches, coordinators are moving left and right. So there is just a value, even if you've been on the road for 20 years, to go into these schools, to talk to various guys, to talk to the secretary. You know, I mean, you talk to every, you are a detective.

You have not been able to do any of that. And some of my scouting buddies talking to them over the year, they said the hard part is, when you're doing this virtual stuff, especially during the season for the college coaches, it was so weird for them. You kind of felt bad bothering them. Almost you had to wait until after the season. I'd imagine most of the scouting community right now is cramming.

But the problem is a lot of the college coaches recruiting, but recruiting is probably all virtual. It's just a very, very complicated, convoluted situation right now that there are going to be a lot of holes if, you know, typically going into a draft, let's say after the combine, you feel like if full information, let's say, everything would be a 10 out of 10. Maybe after the combine on an individual player, you feel like a 7 or 8, right? You've scouted the guy in the fall, you've watched all the tape.

You've met with the player at the senior ball at the combine. You've got all the character stuff. You feel very, very comfortable about the guy. I'd say right now, even on a famous player, like a, Penae Sewell, Justin Fields. After the combine, you're probably, like, no combine, where you typically would be, you're probably like a two or a three, which information is power in the scouting community.

I just don't, it's going to be very difficult. There are going to be a lot of players that are going to go probably where they shouldn't go. And they're going to be, just like last year's draft, they're going to be guys, you know, these pro days, everything's virtual. Meeting a guy, imagine interviewing someone. that you were about to pay $30 million or $25 or $20 million, and the only interaction I can have is over a virtual meet. It's not the same as being in person.

And when you're in person, it's not I just get to talk to you about football. We get to go to dinner. I get to talk to you about your family. You get to spend the night. You get to have breakfast. You get to meet with all the other coaches. You get to just interact in my environment. We just kind of get to feel you out.

That clearly is getting thrown out. this year. I do not, I wouldn't say I pity general manager's stuff because, listen, you get paid a lot of money for this job. Everyone's playing by the same rules, right? It's like a golf tournament. Like if the course is really hard, everyone would do in the tournament's playing in the same course.

No one gets to complain. You might be mad at the situation, but we're all playing by the same rules. Same deal here. Everyone's operating under the same rules. And I think they're doing the, right thing setting these rules and canceling the combine just because the complications of the testing, it just would probably be a disaster. But this is not ideal for any GM, trying to pick players, feeling good about picking the players,

because it is more, I love the tape, the tape, the tape. But once you see the tape, it then is about the person. What type person is he? What type worker is he? What type teammate is he? And those are the things, the research you do going into the school, the research you do just being around the guy, whether it's going to his pro day, whether it's bringing him into your facility,

whether it's meeting him at the combine, maybe one of your scouts is one of his group leaders at the combine, maybe it was being around him at the Senior Bowl. There are just going to be a lot of holes this year in the scouting process that are going to make it very, very difficult. Now there are going to be some no-brainers, right? Like Trevor Lawrence. His character's pristine, checks all the athletic accomplishments,

on the field, checks it all. That's not going to be that difficult. Most guys are not that. Like, Zach Wilson's 200 pounds. There are some question marks like, was he the best teammate his first couple years? You know, I don't love asking that question over Zoom or Skype. I would like to sit down with them over 48 hours and talk it out.

Justin Fields, some of his strut, whatever. Trey Lance, what it was like not playing. I just, I like human interaction in person when it comes to major. major decisions. When it comes like a six or seventh rounder, like, yeah, I do virtual. It's not losing

that much sleep over it. My first second rounders, I like to spend as much time humanly possible in their presence. And that clearly got canceled. Combine for,

I mean, most of you guys probably listen to don't work in the NFL. It's really fun, you know. It's, you party at night, you go to do Combine stuff. Hell, people like me, we get out of there before the workouts, put me to sleep.

I just watch it at home from my couch. But the first three or four days are, I'm very sad. I really am. So no combine. And man, your GMs and coaches going to be scrambling this year, man. Okay, let's do a little Middlecough mailbag. At John Middilcoff is the Instagram handle. Those DMs wide open.

I welcome you to slide right in. Big fan of the pot from James. I'm an Eagles fan, and my buddies have been telling me the past 24 hours how terrible of a hire McDaniels would be. But I think it could be a fantastic hire. I get the people skills might not be great. He actually, there was a long article by Dan Pompeii. He's been working on those.

A couple years ago, he wrote that. But his coached countless big games has shown he can adjust his offense, and Denver was a long time ago. I mean, Chris Ballard might be the best GM in football, and he hired him for a second anyway. It's true. Am I crazy to think it could be a steal of a hire? Listen, on paper, Josh McDaniels is really good, right? He's your classic.

Got his shot. Was way over his head because he was really young. Screwed up. Got humbled, got fired, kind of got back his mojo, his swag, and him and Brady eviscerated the league for like eight years. with a bunch of new players that he had done it with previously. The Dan Pompei article a couple years ago, I think on Bleach Report, was really, really good. I think Josh did a lot of looking in the mirror.

My biggest question mark is, back to the Colts. Why did he quit? Did he know Andrew Luck was thinking about retiring? That one was weird. That one was weird. I read somewhere, I think this weekend he makes maybe $4 million with New England. So, I mean, they pay him a lot of money to stay. The relationship with him and Howie, that would be interesting, how that would work.

I think Josh... Yeah, I mean, I think it'd be a good hire. I mean, look at what he's done in the big games. You know he's calling the plays, too. I don't hate it at all. Before you pile on Lamar, I don't even think I've talked about Lamar today. I'm not here to pile. I am actually mad at myself.

I've been saying for a couple years now, I will bet the house against Lamar in a big game. game. And I didn't do it last week, so I didn't do it again this week, and he was terrible. I mean, he can't throw when he has to. And I root for the guy. I like Lamar Jackson, because the more and more I watch his press conferences, I go, I love this kid. He's so positive. Everything that, like, social media stands for, this victimhood, you know, be nice. He hates that crap. Nobody cares, work harder. He always takes responsibility. I'm a huge fan of Lamar of the person. I actually find myself rooting for Lamar.

He's just, I just don't think he throws the ball well enough. I'd like to point out a multitude of deficiencies. Multiple with field goals, punts, welcome to the playoffs and windy conditions in the cold, like you're not going to make field goals, horrendous O line play, inconsistent and confusing play calling, drop passes, and our overall subpar receiving core. Lamar certainly could have played better, and the pick six, as Rich Gannon would call, The baby zone. He threw a baby killer.

It was bad. But I don't put this game on him. In my opinion, the coaching staff and front office is at fault. The play calling and not giving Lamar the tools other quarterbacks have. Your thoughts. I think it's pretty simple. This offense destroys people in the regular season. Hell, they weren't even that good this year and they won 11 games.

Eventually, when you get to the playoffs, you have to make throws. On second and third and long. You can't just run the option. I have to drop back, sit in the pocket, and throw a deep out route, and throw a deep crossing pattern, and throw a pass after my number one option was taken away because they double teamed them. Mahomes does it, Josh Allen's doing it, Brady Rogers do it, you have to be able to do that to beat these guys.

And he can't. Now, the offensive structure, like, they run this offense because he's really good in it. The problem is it doesn't translate to the playoffs. Here's the other problem for the Ravens. Statistically, they've had one of the best defenses in the league for like the last three years. And they have nothing to show for. They have one playoff point. If I was a defender on that team, I'd be like, come on, guys.

Can we score some points? I was a little intoxicated on Saturday night. What did the Ravens even? What was the final score of that game? Did they score more than three points? Let me re-pull up the score on that bad boy. But I'm pretty sure. sure that the final score of that game was, yeah, 17 to 3.

They scored three points. Three points. Now, it was a defensive game. The Bills were playing well. The Ravens were playing good on defense. And seven of those Bills points, right, came on the pick six. So maybe the final score, you know, if you take away that pick six, settle for a field goal 10 to 6.

But it was a low-scoring game. They are playing in low-scoring games, and they still can't win it. Now, they need to get them, to me, what they need to do for Lamar Jackson is get them a Keenan Allen, is get them a Mike Williams, is get them maybe trade it for a Mike Williams, like would they trade their second round pick for Mike Williams?

Get them a player like that, someone that can high point the ball, someone that you can throw it up to, someone, Devonte Adams, you can get these guys in college, right, draft them. These guys with huge catching radiuses. What Crabtree became when he went to the Raiders,

with Derek Carr, CD Lamb. They need to get a player like that because they got Mark Andrews, Hollywood is tiny, they need to get Lamar a bigger player, and they need to practice passing in the regular season more. That to me is a huge problem for them. So yeah, I mean, I, listen, you score three points, I'm sorry.

I'm blaming the coach, I'm blaming the quarterback. As a person that's worked in the NFL as a scout, do you find it interesting that the lack of minority coaches? For example, Bianami has had several knocks against him. One being that he doesn't call plays, I don't recall Nagy, Peterson, or John Harbaugh calling any plays prior to them landing the head jobs.

You don't have to respond on air if you don't want to. It's just interesting that every year minorities, there seem to be less and less opportunities. I do think this year, Robert Sala is not a white guy. multiple GMs there were black guys were hired I'm not like as a white guy acting like that's progress or whatever

but I'm just stating the fact that three minorities have been hired so far Eric Bianamy I don't know like I mentioned her own I don't understand there must be something I don't know if I know you guys know me like I would say it if there was something in his personality I know he had some issues

you can Google it maybe he's I almost said something you know I'm not going to say a guy's got to DUI or something if I don't know he has. But I thought there was stuff in his past, but it was a long time ago. It might even been when he was a player. But, like, for whatever reason, a lot of people have had a lot of issues, and they get hired. It is a little bizarre.

I think sometimes, like, the Jim Caldwell, Marvin Lewis, to me, that's probably more age. People are looking younger. Eric B. Enemy, I think, is 49 years old or 51. I looked it up the other night. it is typically Andy Reid guys have the easiest time getting hired and he's having a very very difficult time getting a head job but I would say this you saw this year

think how many new GMs Casario you know now Howie's a you know picking a coach they don't you know they're the Texas of the Eagles don't have a coach but Holmes in Detroit they hired Dan Campbell Joe Douglas hired Robert Sala Well, you go, well, they hired, you know, Roberts Hall, led a great defense the last couple of years, minority guys, so you can't really say anything there.

Fontenau, the dude from the Saints, went to the Atlanta Falcons, they hired Arthur Smith. Now, part of this could be the owner wanting these coaches. I don't know the information. But it doesn't seem like any of these GMs, the new GMs, Fontenow, Holmes, Joe Douglas, what teams are missing? I guess Urban Meyer was hired, so that was a spot.

Tolesco, they weren't that interested in Eric Bianami. For whatever reason. Now, granted, solid defensive coach. Dan Campbell doesn't coach a position. Urban Meyer, leader. Brandon Staley, defensive coach. So it's not all these coaches are getting offensive coaches are getting hired. Brian Dayball with the bills didn't get hired this year.

Ultimately, I don't have a great answer for you. I don't know why. It's weird, bizarre. Maybe there's something there that we don't know. Maybe it's just simple people don't like him. I mean, Andy likes him. He's winning, making good cash. I know he wants to be a head coach.

And you'd think it's inevitable, but maybe it's not inevitable. Maybe no one's going to stake their claim to him, right, as a GM. And I don't think for whatever reason he has enough momentum to be the head coach that's going to hire the GM. It's a weird deal. I will agree on that one. But it's just, it kind of is what it is. now. Like, none of these teams want this guy.

I really enjoyed your segment on Urban Meyer. I think the transition from college in the NFL is going to be tougher than he expects. I think he expects it to be difficult. I don't think he expects it to be easy. You know, I think he's not going to make the playoffs next year. But, yeah, I think it's going to be difficult, too. I mean, he's got to beat Braybill, he's got to beat Frank Reich, he's got to beat the Steelers, he's got to beat Belichick, he's got to beat Andy Reid.

This ain't going to be easy. You know, he's got to beat the Packer. Like, you just play big-time teams when you're in the NFL. Right, you play an NFC division, you play an AFC division, in his own division's good. It's going to be a challenge. What are your thoughts on Ben and Pittsburgh

and what they should look for in the draft? I think there was a story this weekend that Ben's going to return, which I understand. That's a lot of money. I think the Steelers would love for him to retire. I think they would pay him to retire. but he's not going to leave the money on the table.

And I think in his mind, he just goes, you know, we just got it kind of got unlucky down the stretch. Where I'd go, you know, Ben, I saw it last year of Bree, he's like, it's over, bro. You're not the same. But in his mind, like, if I could still make the playoffs and we can still win double-digit games, so what, I'm not the same?

I'm still making the playoffs. I'm still better in the majority of the league, in his mind, which is a problem for the Steelers because I think they would love to pivot. But you can't cut him. He just means too much. to your franchise, you're just kind of stuck with them. And they got, they got bounced in the first round,

so their picks in the early 20s. What are they going to do? Like draft Mac Jones? They drafted so many quarterbacks the last three or four years. I think you just write it out. Now, would you trade that pick for like Sam Darnold? What are you going to have Sam Darnold to sit behind Rothensberger for a year? If you're going to trade your first round pick for a quarterback or Matt Stafford,

you want to play that guy. And if Ben comes back, that's not an option. I think they're kind of screwed. I just think you keep building your team. put yourself in a position the following year whenever he retires to trade your first round pick

for a legit starting quarterback because it doesn't make any sense to do that with Rothsberger still on the roster because you're not going to trade that for a guy to sit. I just think they'll take the best player possible whether that's someone on defense on offensive linemen

if juju lives take another wide receiver I don't know. They don't need to take wide receivers in the first round. They take them in the mid-rounds and it works out well. so I think Steelers, they'll be fine. I mean, they'll be a 10-win team with Rossberger competing for the division.

Appreciate everyone listening. DM's still wide open. Have a great week. Talk to you Friday. Peace. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination.

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