The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - 'Bama Rolls/Draft Projections; Pederson Fired; Brady and Older QB's; Fanless Playoffs; 2018 QB Class Impact

Episode Date: January 12, 2021

In this episode, John reacts to Saban and 'Bama rolling Ohio State to win another national title, and some NFL Draft projections for the game's top prospects. He also discusses the Eagles decision to fire Doug Pederson, why he's been so impressed with Sean McVay's growth this season, why Brady's age is a playoff advantage, why not having fans in the stands is hurting the playoff atmosphere, and the impact of the 2018 QB class on this postseason. 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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From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

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You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Did you know Amazon provides ways of working that fit your lifestyle? They know you value your time outside of work, juggling families, school, friends, or other

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Back at it again as we head into the divisional round. I was going to wait until the end of the game, but there's 13 minutes left, and the score is 52 to 24. Nick Saban's going to win his 75th National Championship. So roll tide, congrats to Alabama. We'll dive into just some NFL angles to that game and a couple things I saw.

Then we got a lot going on. Some breaking news earlier today. Doug Peterson fired. I'm going to dive into some thoughts I had on Sean McVeigh. Some of the older quarterbacks, Brady, Breeze, Big Ben, Rivers. I think we got a really, really good upcoming game this weekend between Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Bill's, Ravens. Can't wait for that.

We have a good game. Tampa, and the Saints is a really good game. Can't wait. Can't wait. Got to love the playoffs. This is why we do it, you know? Not me. You know, I just talk into a microphone.

It's why the players and coaches do what they do to entertain us. And I'm lucky enough to be able to talk about it. So we will talk a little bit about everything. and appreciate everyone. Middlecoff mailbag also at John Middlkoff, the Instagram handle. Three and out podcast if you could. Go subscribe to the page.

Would greatly appreciate it. For those of you that have left a review, also greatly appreciate it. And thanks. Hopefully everyone is doing well out there. Let's start with the Alabama game. Let's talk about it from NFL draft perspective angles here. Devante Smith, I got a look at his final numbers.

he just got hurt with his hand, but he had 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns. He clowned Ohio State. I mean, that was a joke. That that was, it almost felt like, hey, Ohio State, do you guys realize this guy is like 75 touchdowns this season? He just won the Heisman trophy. He's really good, but I don't think they did,

and they could not cover him all night. One thing I've heard about him, football character is fantastic, He's beloved at Alabama, and obviously his play speaks for itself. The one red flag on the player is his body. He weighs 166 pounds, and that's not very big. You know, for example, I think Henry Ruggs was like 188 pounds, and he's much faster. Devante Smith, he plays fast, but like his combine, he'll probably run like a 4-4-4, which is fine.

But I think a cop that he's going to have is going to be Deshaun Jackson, Jackson, who I was texting a buddy that used to work in Philly, who was there when Deshaun came in. He was like 168 pounds. But Deshawn was more explosive than Devante. Now, I'm not saying this guy's not as good as Deshaun, if not better. I know Deshaun went in the second round, but that was because of character. He was a top 20-level player, like this guy, special player. I just think you're going to have to be, I see some of these people like, the Jets should take him in two.

He weighs 166 pounds. Now it's never been easier the way the game's played to, you know, excel at wide receiver because it's easier on quarterbacks, but still, like, you're just going to hear some negative things. I think, and I know he was limping tonight, and I saw on social media like, I can't believe Nick Sabin is letting him play. Pump the brakes. As a scout told me, the moment he got injured, less than five minutes after he got injured, he told the trainer, I'm playing in the national championship game.

These Alabama guys are wired to dominate. Nick Sabin is a pro organization. His goal is to win and put guys into the pros. He did not need Waddle to play. This was 100% Waddle's decision. Waddle wanted to be out there. But when Waddle is fully healthy, and they wouldn't have put him out there if he could have re-injured himself,

even though he's limping around. I'm not going to lie, it did look a little weird, is that Jalen Waddle, there is a chance he goes above Devante Smith. So I think it speaks to the greatness. They're going to have four wide receivers in a two-year span that probably go in the top 15. That is incredible.

And I did see someone like, I wonder if the 2019 LSU team or the 2020 Bama team, which team would win? Well, the Bama team last year was this team just with more talent. And when they played LSU, Tua, who was better than MacI,

Jones, they got killed. I know the score ended up being closer, but remember LSU was killing them. LSU was a better version of this. Now, this version, I commend Alabama. As a scout told me earlier this year, for all the opt-outs and everything going around college football, Alabama did not have one opt-out. They didn't have one guy that had even crossed his mind. That place is a factory to win national championships and then get paid. Naji Harris was a guy to me when I watched him look like a third or fourth rounder. Came back to school. To me, he looks like he's going to go somewhere

between 25 and 35. I'm not a huge first round running back guy, but I think those first couple picks in the second round, he's got the New York Jets, that second pick in the second round. It'd be picked 34 written all over. Najee Harris is a baller. So you got Waddle, you have Devante Smith,

who are going to go in the top 15. You have Najee Harris, who's going to go somewhere between 25 and 35. Listen, Mac Jones stats look awesome, and he's had a really, really good season. He's, as of recording this, he's 36 of 44 for 464 yards and five touchdowns. But a little bit like Tua, now he's a different player than Tua. They play on all-star teams. Like, it's clear what the wide receivers and like, Naji Harris, that's going to translate.

Devante Smith, Waddle, when healthy, that's going to translate. Some of their offensive line, that's going to translate. The quarterback, like when you're throwing to a dude wide open, that always gives me pause. Does he have physical attributes? Like, he looks like he has a good arm. He's very accurate. He throws a good deep ball.

But I'm not taking Mack Jones in the first round. To me, just being real, I think he's like a third round pick. And probably a good backup. But to think that it's going to look like that and the pros would be insane. It's just, that's not the case. We saw Tua go from Alabama to Miami and look like shit. It's very, very difficult because there's a chance.

It's different for him because he's going to go in the third round. He could end up in like the Steelers or the Niners, like on a decent team. But still, like it's not going to be that easy. I don't want to say he was a loser, but he definitely didn't win the night and that's Justin Fields. Now he's playing injured. He got Molly Wop last week. I was hoping going into the game, I saw a picture of Urban Meyer, who was at the national championship.

the momentum is gaining. It looks like he's going to be the next coach of the Jags. Like, he's not worried. He'll just take whoever he thinks better. He's not worried what the media thinks, what the scouting community thinks. Like, he scouted both these guys in high school. He's watched their career.

If he did believe Justin Fields is better, he would take that guy. I don't think he will. I think he will take Trevor Lawrence. But I thought going in a night, if Justin Fields could have a historic night, throw five or six touchdowns, and they win,

Who knows? That clearly did not happen. So I think that discussion for the number two quarterback between Justin Fields, between Zach Wilson, between Trey Lance is going to be something we discussed at, you know, on for a long time over the next three and a half months. It's going to be a major talking point. It's going to be something that we throw into the ringer and it just keeps getting talked about, keeps getting talked about and keeps getting talked about.

And you're going to see some of these anonymous quotes. coming out from different teams. I'm sure the people I know in the league, I'll get different opinions on who likes who. You know, Justin Fields is a much bigger, stronger athlete than Zach Wilson. Like Devante Smith, Zach Wilson weighs 200 pounds. There is not one starting quarterback in the NFL that doesn't minimum weigh 210. Kyler, the small size, he's like 210. Most of the guys are wearing like 225, 230.

It's a grown man's league. and you saw what happened to Kyler. He got slammed into the turf about mid-season, and he was never the same. It's why, you know, people tend to lean bigger guys, right? Other than that, I don't really know what else to say. As I told you, I thought Alabama has become the rehab, the Betty Ford for coaches.

It changed Lane's life. It just sent Sark to the University of Texas. and of all reports that came out earlier today, Billy O'Brien is going to go to Alabama. Welcome to coaching rehab, Billy O. And I would imagine in a couple years, we'll all forget about the disaster that was the Texans and, you know what we'll remember?

Oh, remember when that guy went to the playoffs four different times? One is division several different times? Remember that guy that took over for Joe Pardino after the Jerry Sandusky scandal and like went eight and four with McGloy. that as quarterback. Remember when Billy O'Brien was highly thought of? That's what happens when you go to Sabin rehab. He takes you in, you kick the shit out of whoever you're playing because you have better players and you have Nick by your side. And then a couple years later, everyone wants you.

That happened to Lane. It happened to Sark. It's going to happen to Billy O'Brien. And there is nothing like Alabama rehab. It's the Betty Ford for coaches. And Billy O'Brien, it's going to to change his life back to the better because right now he does have some toxicity around him. There's like a negative connotation when you say Billy O'Brien. Just like you did when Nick

hired Lane, just like Sark when he originally went to Alabama. Nick basically takes you into shower, scrubs you off, puts a ring on your finger and you get a bunch of NFL guys who vouched for you and boom, you're gone.

It's really that easy. So my main takeaways, the number one thing you're going to hear with Devante Smith is going to be his weight. He weighs 166 to 170 pounds. Small. Waddle. There is a very good chance if all of his medicals check out, he's going to go above Devante Smith in the draft. He's just bigger, faster, stronger. You got to be careful sometimes with production.

I'm taking nothing away from Devante Smith. That guy, that was one of the most dominant first halves in sports I've ever seen. Any sport. any level. That was insane. That was nuts. And Justin Fields, you know, I think he's going to be a highly debated player. I really do. I like him. I think he's pretty raw. But I've seen guys like Herbert and Josh Allen, like, there's a reason the NFL is the big leagues, man. I mean, there really is. The coaching's elite. You don't even have to pretend to go to, you know,

Chem 101 or Business 202, none of that shit matters. It's about learning and improving as a football player. Now, you could argue at Ohio State and Alabama, they might not either, but I'll promise you, when you get around the Jags or the Jets or the Vikings or the it's just football, football, football, and more football. So you take a guy like Justin Fields who loves football, who has the physical attributes, you know, attributes, he just needs to put it together. He needs to get coach to the higher level.

Listen, is Ryan Day a good coach? Yes. Is he going to keep Ohio State rolling? Of course. Do I think that he's teaching him, is he getting the best ability, like Justin Fields, is he around the top flight guy

to make him the best NFL quarterback right now? No, he's not. Would he have been better off if he was playing at Alabama? Yes, he would have. Will he be better off the moment? I mean, I guess it depends who drafts him, right? Coaching matters. But more than likely,

whether it's the offensive coordinator, a quarterback coach, or the head coach. He'll be around the best coach offensively he's ever been around. Right? If whoever Joe Douglas hires, who knows, the Redskin, I guess they're the Washington football team, wherever he ends up. 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 game. 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, Clipper 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a Paramedapausal chin here you do.

So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with the Adamia Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her,

so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at first. 45. How hard can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it,

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He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us

everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball, like, after you go

through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So, listen to Point game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. He is going to be better off. I think he's going to be a better pro than he was a college player, and he was clearly a very, very good college player. But to me, I've just, I've learned my lesson the last couple of years. I'm leaning the guy with the physical tools that has the high

character and wants to work. I really am. And I see Justin Fields, it's different, but I see the Herbert, the Allen, I put them in that mold, the talent. I want to mold. The talent. And you watch. I bet he has a good pro career. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1-800flowers.com.

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council. Okay, let's get to the big news that happened on Monday. And when you record a show on Mondays, you know, for Tuesday, the games, especially, you know, when it comes to NFL playoffs, our games on Saturday.

It's kind of old news. You know, I'm not reacting as much to the games as I am new information that came out Monday. Obviously, we talk about the games, but I try to look forward. And luckily, there's a lot of breaking news that, I mean, a huge story that happened on Monday and Doug Peterson being out. And the Philadelphia Eagles now have, are going to embark, I would imagine, on a coaching

search. I think there's a decent chance that they have an idea. I don't have any inside information on this, but you probably don't fire Doug a week after the season without having a short list of guys that you think, will either be your coach or that you want to talk to and hire. Because I think this boils down pretty clearly what happened. And again, no inside information. When it comes to shady stuff, I don't really text and ask about it

because I'm going to have to talk about it. And if I don't like, like, I'm not a newsbreaker. Now, a lot of my opinions are based on things that I know are going on, but when I go right to a source when something weird is going on, like some drama, like in Philly, if I ask, hey, what happened, not even, there's no guarantee that I'd get the information, but if I do, then I can't talk about it.

So if I don't know anything, I can just give my kind of unfiltered opinion of what I think happened. I don't think this one's that complicated. When you have a business and you invest the majority of your resources into one thing, that thing becomes the most important thing in your business.

And whoever's running your business better be able to take advantage of where all your money or resources have been invested. And when it comes to the NFL and specifically the Philadelphia Eagles, I mean, by far, the most they've ever spent on one individual

in terms of draft capital, in terms of the way they built their team, team, and then in terms of actual financial capital, which they paid him, is Carson Wentz. So they trade all these picks to get him, they then build around him, and then they pay him. He's also been injured several times, so they've rehabbed him as well. They have put all their chips in the middle of the table from day one. Now you can say, John, well, they just drafted the guy in the second round. Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't have done it, but clearly there was, they thought there was value there.

But that doesn't change the fact that Carson still makes an astronomical amount of money. And to acquire Carson Wentz, they had to trade a bunch of picks. So, like, they've gone all in. And you can say, well, Middlecoff, what about sunk costs? Well, he's still on the team. And he still plays a position that's really important. And, like, if Carson Wentz, if you can fix them, which will be the number one job of the next head coach,

is the most important asset you'll ever have. Because Jalen Hurst does not have the talent that Carson Went has. that's not even arguable. Physically, they're in a different category. That doesn't mean right now Jalen Hertz isn't the better player, but you've got to find a way to figure out Carson. And when the stories came out the last couple weeks

about Carson Wentz and Doug Peterson, that was not ideal. Because when you pay Carson Wentz that much money, you aren't just going to trade them. It doesn't make any sense. So you could be like, well, who really leaked the Carson Wentz story? If it wasn't Carson Wentz or his people, and Carson liked Doug,

it would have behooved him to say something. He passed on all the media opportunities with the Eagles. He would not talk to the press. And two, you know the great part about 2020? As a player, I don't need the media. They are irrelevant. They can make their own stories, but guess what I can do? I can control my own narrative.

I can control my own stories. I could have easily tweeted out, it's BS, me and Doug have a very good working relationship. These stories are not true. I do not want to be traded. Or whatever. He could have easily did that. He chose not to.

So I think it's fair to assume that Carson Wentz and Doug Peterson are not in good standing. So if you're Jeffrey Lurie and you go, I know the Twitter and social media thinks he's going to get traded, it makes no sense to trade Carson Wentz to take the massive cap hit

unless you could get like three first rounders. Well, based on what we just said, saw Carson Wentz, in what world is he worth that? He might still be definitely still worth a one, but it doesn't make sense for the Eagles to just trade him for a first round pick. So you have to ask yourself, well, if Carson Wentz is going to be on the team, and it does feel like they chose Doug Peterson,

or they chose Carson Wentz over Doug Peterson, which, in my opinion, is the right move because the health of the franchise rests much more solely in getting Carson Wentz figured out than it does. Like, Doug, I can find another coach. I like Doug, and he just hasn't been good the last couple years. Does that mean he deserves to be fired? I saw Jeffrey Lurie talked about it.

It's not about deserved or not. It's just simply about this is a black and white situation. We have a quarterback who's basically all fucked up, who can't get the job done, who's playing like crap, and we're paying, we haven't even really started paying him a lot of money. So we better get this figured out. And Doug Peterson, and their relationship is not only fractured, but Carson doesn't want to work with him anymore.

Doug, sorry, you got to go. He's not the first player to kind of, lead the charge on something like this and he definitely won't be the last. Like this is the way pro sports work. You can't, in situations like this, fire the player. So Doug goes. Now you have to look at it go, is the Eagles gig a good job? And I think you could argue, yes it is,

because you're inheriting a quarterback who's at an all-time low. So anytime you take a job, I'd say in any industry, what are the expectations? And right now the Eagles expectations are low, just based on that Carson Wins is in Chambles. So if you can get Carson Wins back on the right track, you'll immediately be viewed as a genius, as a really good coach. That's just the way it works.

Fair or not. If whoever comes in and makes Carson Wins the starter, which he is the starter, I know he didn't start at the end of the season, and he plays well, that guy immediately gets credit and that guy gets known as an offensive guru. That's just the way this whole thing works. So that to me, you're coming in where expectations are low

and a guy's at rock bottom. And as a wise man once told me, when you find yourself in a hole, do you know how to get out? You drop the shovel. So basically, the Eagles, in their minds, just drop the shovel. They think they're at rock bottom.

Now you're getting a guy to come fix Carson. Well, here's the problem. They have another guy, Jalen Hertz, who I've been told, I mean, him and Carson don't have a good relationship. But that's just, that doesn't work. I think every quarterback on television is talking about it. It does not work.

So you have to go, well, if you want me to, you know, bring up Carson Wentz, I don't know if it's healthy to have Jalen Hertz around. And the Eagles are probably not just going to trade Jalen Hertz. So can you function in a quarterback room with Jalen Hertz and Carson Wentz? Now, the old school just asshole in me would say, Carson, suck it up, don't worry about it. you should easily beat him out. If you're a max quarterback, a guy that was a second rounder that probably most teams had in the fourth or fifth round and many scouts thought was a running back.

You should be able to beat him out. But that's easier said than done. He's still there. And there are probably a lot of younger players on that team that gravitated toward Jalen and separated from Carson. And then there's some of the guys on the team that have had success around Carson Wentz who are not going to be there anymore.

Zach Ertz will not be an eagle any longer. Kelsey probably won't be an eagle any longer. There's going to be a lot of turnover on this roster. It's why I always laugh when I hear like, is he lose the locker room? The average turnover on an NFL roster is like 30 to 40%. So, yeah, I mean, maybe a couple players are mad. Look at society. We get over things pretty fast now.

We're just on to the next thing. I don't think putting in Nate Sudfeld in a game against who are they even playing. The Washington football team was going to make or break Doug Peterson. But the relationship with, Carson Wentz did. So now the next coach, to me, the job, if you view Carson Wrench is salvageable, it's a very good job because he does have a lot of talent. If you don't, or they tell you, well, we're not going to get rid of Jalen either. It can be a difficult job because you got two, you got one guy that just needs to find himself. You have another guy that Jalen looks at Carson

Wentz and just thinks he's better. And how should he not? In his time, being around Carson Wins, he's a better player. He's not a more talented player, but he was better on the field. Yet the investment and everything that the Eagles have done would say they're going to go back to Carson Wentz. So it's a complicated job, but it's a city that gives a shit about football at a really, really high level. It really matters. It's a big boy job. And that's also can be a deterrent. Like some people might not want that. Some people do. It's just that division is just a spotlighted division. Even when they're terrible,

the NFC East moves the needle, unlike most divisions in the number one sport in America, mainly because of market sizes, right? New York, Washington, Dallas, Philly. I don't know where they go. I would be shocked if they don't go offense, but like I said, Doug Peterson is out because of Carson Wentz.

There's no way around it. Okay, let's dive into Sean McVeigh. and I was anyone that does deep dives on YouTube the way algorithms work once you start watching one thing they start funneling you different things that are kind of related to that

and sometimes I'll go on like a deep dive of interviews of like Joe Rogan or Howard Stern just interesting people and I ended up on this Sylvester Stallone interview I think with Howard Stern and he told this story how in 1975 or whatever

before the first Rocky movie came out, he had written the movie Rocky. And one of the studios had offered him, I think, like almost $400,000. And this is in the mid-70s. I did the inflation calendar or calculator, and that would be the equivalent of like $1.6 million right now. And Sly was like, I didn't have any money,

but I turned it down. And Howard was like, why did you turn it down? He's like, they would not let me act in the film. They wouldn't let me be Rocky. and part of this film was me being Rocky. And finally they like capitulated and said like, yeah, listen, we will give you the funding for the movie. You have 30 days to shoot it and you can be Rocky. So he turned it down because of this.

And to me, what separates people in this life is just some people just have a deep belief in themselves. Because he was even like, listen, there was no reason. People, my agent, all these people around me are like, Sylvester, are you insane? They're offering you $375,000 for your movie or 350 or whatever it was, and you're saying no just because you can't be in it. You're an immediate rich guy, but he had this deep belief in himself. Like, it wasn't about the money. It was about my vision. It was about what I knew I could do.

It was about what I knew I wanted to do. And that takes balls, man, because most people, most humans take the easy way out. Because I think a lot of people just in life don't have like that much conviction. They really don't. They just kind of float. And Sylvester Stallone had a deep conviction. It changes life, right? You never look back.

And I got to give this other guy a lot of credit. And I'm not necessarily comparing McVeigh to Sylvester Stallone, but I see some of that mindset in Sean McVeigh. This offseason he told Wade Phillips to kick rocks. said no mas my man adios he had a deep belief in what he wanted and this is a guy that's 34 years old in the NFL went out and hired brandon staley who i've been kind of hard on just because i thought the media was blowing him like a little over the top and listen his defense has been fantastic it is dramatically better this year than it was last year their defense is

dominant and i got to give mcvay credit for like no yeah we can be better because it would have an easy round. Just keep Wade Phillips around. No, I want something better. He took a guy that's been in the league for like four years. Got rid of Wade Phillips for. Then going into that game, he started the dude from the AAF. And I think most of us thought, well, Gough's fingers all messed up, right? He's got a broken thumb. Then right, like, kickoffs going on. I'm having some beers on Saturday. And you look up and you go, well, Jared Gough's the backup. Whenever I see a quarterback that isn't healthy enough to play in pads and the backup quarterback, my shit detector goes off.

And I immediately red flagged the situation. I go, whoa, he's healthy enough to play because if you're a quarterback and you're dressed, you're one snap away from playing all the snaps that game. That could happen in the first play of the game. And he essentially did. A couple series in, the kid gets knocked out, Jared Goff came in. Aikman and Buck alluded to it on the broadcast. McVey was over Goff.

He thought the guy from the AAF gave him a better chance to win. He's probably right. And then Jared Gophe, after the game, told Mike Silver, like, it was really hard to deal with. Basically, I got benched. I was healthy enough to play, because as we saw, he was. And McVeigh went with the other guy. McVeigh's belief deep down in what he knows is right or what his gut tells him, and then the balls and the stones, the Cajonis, to go with it, is really impressive.

because that game, to me, of all, I guess the Browns kicked the crap out of the Steelers. But, like, Rathesberger couldn't have been any worse. I mean, Rathesburg was just throwing the ball to the other team. Through four interceptions. And two of them, like, the blink of an eye, just air-mailing guys. So it's like, yeah, the Browns beat them, but the Steelers were like, played a part in that. I'm not trying to diminish the Browns win. It was an impressive win.

But when you play Rothesberger, who's going to be that terrible, Any team in the league's going to beat him. And the Browns are a good team. Seattle went in, or excuse me, L.A. went to Seattle with McVeigh, with his coordinator, who's his first year, who's already getting head coaching interviews, with the dude from the AAF, with the mindset,

we're going to kick the crap out of you. And when the dust settled and that game ended, my takeaway was Sean McVeigh just took Pete Carroll out behind, you know, the dug out in the playground, and took him to the woodshed. Kicked his butt. absolutely worked him.

And this guy for a younger coach in this league has such a deep belief in what he's doing and what he wants out of his football team and like the vision, it's really impressive. I couldn't have been of all the games this week and I went away from things. 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. and finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves,

I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night bases on offense.

And when IT's first, friends stop by like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Izaa, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramedipausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with the Anamanea Arriva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most

fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How high can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy?

That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura Podcast Network

available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Listen, I'm a Sean McVeigh. I'm a fan. He's really grown on me. Everyone I know that knows him swears by him and loves him. That was impressive. I know they didn't have fans, but like everything about, like Sean McVeigh gets credit for the defense. Part of being a good head coach, do you know what that encapsulates? Hiring your staff. It's like I say all the time about being a GM. It's more than just the draft. It's free agency. It's hiring a head coach. coach. It's dealing with your scouting department. It's running the back end of your roster.

It's doing, you know, being side by side and on the same page as your head coach. Being a head coach of the team is more than just calling place. It's about preparing your team. It's about preparing your assistant coaches. It's about whatever side of the ball you are typically on, making sure the best possible coach is the coordinator on the other side of the ball. It's about making tough decisions by, I know it's easy for us to say, you know, just bench go. He's the highest paid player, like one of them in the league history. He was the number one overall pick in the draft. And it's not like his backup is some former top pick.

The backup was in the AAA six months ago. So I got to give McVeigh a lot of credit. It takes balls to do things when everyone's saying, you know, I'd probably just keep Wade Phillips. You know, it would have been easy to start Jared Goff if he was, you know, physically able to play. You know, the easy route would have been for Sly to sell Rocky for $300. 65 grand in

1976 immediately he's a super rich guy no that's that's not what the wasn't the plans for either one of those guys so mad props to mcvay for going up to to seattle and just you know p. Carroll listen he's been to multiple Super Bowls he has he has a ring he's won national championships like his resume over the last 20 years

beside like belichick urban meyer sabin you know maybe an andy as sean Peyton, there aren't many guys in the sport of football that can compare. And McVeigh's not even 35 years old. Absolutely worked them. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts,

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Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. One football lesson we have learned over the last, I'd say 18 months, maybe even a little less than that, maybe like 14 months, is don't ever bet against Tom Brady.

And I think the conventional wisdom after his time in New England last year and they got bounced in the first round of the playoffs was, you know, if Tom Brady was a stock, I would short him. And I know my hand would have to be raised. I would have shorted Tom Brady last year. You know, he's 42, 43 years old. Eventually he's going to fall off a cliff.

Paying Tom Brady $50 million as the Bucks did. You know, I know they had a bunch of offensive firepower. Probably not going to work out, especially that seamlessly. I didn't see it. I know in my own backyard, Tom Brady reached, out to Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, said, guys, I want in. He said, I want to be a 49er, the team I grew up watching. Can I be your quarterback?

I think they thought about it for a couple days. They had internal meetings, just like, you know, listen, you have internal meetings and scouting about trading for practice squad guys, you know, about back-end roster guys, let alone high-end guys. So it's not, I bet a lot of teams in the NFL had meetings about Tom Brady. The difference was Tom Brady told him, I want to come. And they decided, you know what, we're going to go with Jimmy Garoppolo. A year later, you know what, they made the wrong decision.

And I thought they were right. I said, I would have kept Jimmy Garoppel too. Jimmy Garapolo misses more than 10 games. The Niners go 6 and 10 because they got to play Mullins and C.J. Bethard. And they should have had, they should have just, if they could do that over again, they would have said, yes, Tom, you can come and we'll trade Jimmy Garvey. Now Jimmy Garoppolo's trade values down. And I would imagine a lot of teams that could have, you know, sniffed around on Tom Brady.

You know, it was easy for the bucks, right? James was throwing, felt like 80 interceptions. Every game, it felt like he was throwing a pick six or an interception, driving Aryans. They went seven and nine. So it wasn't that difficult of a decision for them. But I think a lot of people thought, you know, we'll see. Kind of old. I know me.

I was like, you know, I think they're going to get better with time. but I don't know, man. I just bet against older people in pro sports. I don't bet against old people in life because typically having more wisdom can help you out. And Tom Brady clearly has a lot of wisdom. And then they showed the picture in that Washington game of him next to George Blanda from like the 19,

I think it was like 1970 who was at the time the oldest quarterback to ever start a playoff game. He was like 42 or 43 years old too. And he looked like he was 60 years, 65. and I was watching the Challenger doc within the last couple weeks. I highly recommend it. And for me, I think the Challenger went off in 86. I was born in 84.

Like, I don't remember that moment. And I know I tweeted it out like, God, that had to be one of the crazier moments in the history of TV. And a lot of people were tweeting at me like, yeah, I watched it in my fifth grade class. I watched it my fourth grade class. I'll never forget it. And it was just, it was a powerful documentary. And there are also things like

It was forced It's just a really good watch But one thing that really stood out to me Was how old And the crew of like some of the teachers And people that were going to go on the Challenger A couple of them were like 35 to 38 I was like God, the guy looks like he's 50

And listen my parents My dad's no longer here But they were both born in the 40s And like when they were growing up What you'd eat for breakfast or excuse me lunch, like burger and a shake. Like you'd get a burger and a shake. Now like we fast through breakfast and eat salads at lunch.

Like health is just a big part of society. Think about if you are my age or older, when I was growing up, every single car you went into had a cigarette lighter and a cigarette ashtray. Cigarettes were just a huge part of, like when I see that picture of George Blanda and just people in the NFL and people at all sports, they were just smoking.

smoking smoking cigarettes nonstop if you've seen the previews for the new Al Davis 30 for 30 they're talking about like Pete Roselle and Al were enemies and then they go to Pete Roselle about to start a press conference he lights up a cigarette like cigarettes just not good for you

like the evidence is in like not good and I think it aged you and Brady the aging techniques and listen he's got some work done some people were tweeting at me like you know I'm watching the game with my wife because they showed a picture

of his head. And as a bald guy, like, you could tell. Like, he's had hair transplants. Like, newsflash, people that are rich get work done. Like, what's the point of being rich and not looking good in your 40s and 50s? Like, the game's changed. So I don't hold it against anyone getting work done. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll get some work done. I'm not opposed to it. If you could give me flowing locks on my hair on my head, maybe I would. I don't know. I'm not, I'm not like trying to crush people to get, you know, a facelift or whatever. But I'm sure he has. You know, That's just part of the deal. But here's the one thing that never slip with Brady.

His game never changed. Like Rathesberger. Rathesberger is shot. Now he can still function, but he can't move anymore. A huge part of Rathsburgers game was moving around. He can't do that anymore. He's just a stiff in-the-pocket guy

whose arm isn't as strong. Of course it's not as strong. He had Tommy John last year. And unlike some pitchers that come back throwing harder, he's 39 years old. Breeze also shot. His arm was never great. Like at his peak, I always compare it to a baseball pitcher.

If he was throwing like 90 miles an hour in like the mid-2010, that was like his peak in his heyday. He's throwing like 85 now. So his margin for error is nothing. Both those guys, Rothesburger and Breeze, probably should be like they're old, just like Tom. But the major difference when I look at Tom, compared to those two guys, Tom's arm, like in Tom's heyday, he was probably throwing like

96, 97. Well, if Tom at 43 was a baseball pitcher, he's probably still throwing 93. You can get guys out with 93, especially when you factor in the weapons he has. Godwin, Evans, and Antonio Brown, and Gronk and Bray, like, they got dudes and a coach that likes to throw it. So the more and more they've thrown, he's been good. And then you look at his stats this year, he threw four. 40 plus touchdowns.

He just threw for 380 yards against a really good defense on the road in the playoffs. Like Tom's physical skills, because he could never run. Remember at the Combine? It felt like he ran like a 7040. He had that picture when he was all dumpy and droopy and he was really slow. His game's always been just about his arm. And his arm, unlike those two guys, is still not far away from when he was like one of the best players we've ever seen.

And he's still damn good. But like that to me is a separating factor. Same with Philip Rivers, who actually had a really good game. Philip Rivers was not the reason that the Colts lost. I do think Philip Rivers, though, was kind of the reason they were in that spot because he played shitty in the opening weekend. You know, week one, a long time ago, but losing that game to the Jags, who I don't know went on to lose 15 straight games,

was the difference between them going on the road to Buffalo, team arguably the hottest in the NFL, and getting a home playoff game, like the Titans. but the difference for the Colts at home, you get to play in a dome. It's a big advantage for a quarterback not throwing the ball outside. And I think when you look at all three of those guys relative to Tom, because they're a little younger than Tom, but they're all, they're in that generation, right? Rivers, Rathesberger, Breeze, and Tom.

Tom's the best one by far out of that crew. When you look at Breeze, Rathesberger, and Rivers, what do all three of them have in common? they all have teams that are pretty stacked. The Saints, I mean, that team subtract the quarterback top to bottom is excellent. Good wide receivers, star running back, good offensive line, really good defense. What are the Colts have? Really good defense, good offensive line.

They can run the ball. They got offensive weapons. What do the Steelers have? A bunch of wide receivers. Excellent defense. So, like, Tampa to me had the most question marks of those three, four organizations. but if you place Brady on any one of those four teams, obviously look at the bucks.

I mean, they're dramatically better. They make the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. They're now going to the Saints, which I'm going to pick the bucks this week. I can't see them losing for a third time. But if I put them on the Colts, if I put them on the Steelers, or I put them on the Colts, they would just be better. Now, obviously, historically, you know, Brady is a better player over a long course of his career.

But I think a lot of people, including, myself thought in 2020 season slash 21 you know i didn't think brady was going to be this good he's been damn good and that's the issue for all these other teams and just you bet on these older quarterbacks especially guys with weaker arms it's difficult in january it really is and that's where i think if you're pittsburgh you go it's over it's over he had an incredible career he's a Hall of Famer. First ballot hall of famer, Rathusperger. But the moment he loses his mobility and his arm's not the same, like his value drops precipitously.

Breeze, his style hasn't really changed. He's just not near as good. Even a diehard Saints fan, you guys have to agree that it's just, it's not quite the same. And your team is loaded. Absolutely loaded. I've had multiple advanced scouts that said of all the teams in the,

the NFC, this was going into the playoffs, if all the quarterbacks were equal, the Saints would be the best team. Clearly, that's not the way it works, and that's why the Packers right now are the top seat. But the Packers, minus the quarterback position relative to the Saints, Saints are better. Clearly, the quarterback matters a lot in the NFL. It's why one team's the number one seat. And the Saints that, listen, I thought playing against the Bears who were not good, that game was really close for a long period of time. I don't know. I don't I think the Saints are that great. It's why, you know, I think we'd all sign up right now for Rogers

to play Brady in the NFC championship game. And if you're the Packers, you feel good about playing anybody, but the last guy I think you want to see is, I don't know, the greatest cold weather quarterback in the history of the league. So it's like the Packers' greatest advantage is two things. It's Rogers. And two, it's like we got home field advantage, Lambo, it's really cold. Well, Tom Brady lives to play cold weather games.

Just close your eyes and picture Tom Brady. What do you think about? January games at Foxboro. When it's 15 degrees, it's foggy, it's wet, and he's screaming, let's fucking go at the sideline after they score touchdowns. That's what I think of. So I just keep my fingers crossed.

We get Brady, we get Rogers, we get Lambo, and it's got a chance to be, it's pretty cool. You get Brady playing Breeze and then potentially Brady playing Rogers. I think the Rams have some injuries. I think the Packers are going to be able to get. We'll dive into the games more come Friday, but

it's got a chance to be like, this is pretty special. You know, if you're listening to this, you love the NFL, I get to talk about this. Part of it is that there's some, you know, nostalgia, this is kind of football history happening in real time. Brady, Breeze, Rogers, like, potentially then playing like a Mahoney.

is cool. Okay, I want to give an observation from this weekend, something that really stuck out to me. And listen, there's nothing you can do. If all these teams could, they would have fans. That includes all the West Coast teams and any, the Bears, the Patriots, any of these teams that are not allowed to. It's out of their control.

It was a state-by-state basis. And I speak the team down the road. The Niners got kicked out of the state. The Rams, the Chargers, no fans. Seattle, no fans. For the first time, the NFL played this season because you have to play to keep the business going. You could not take a year off. Too many people, the businesses are too connected with television, they had no choice. And they played.

And they powered through it as best they could have. And I think they kind of set the bars. The NBA's falling apart right now. They can't even function. The NFL had some issues, but for the most part, pretty seamless. and I've always said from the jump, it's going to be the easiest league to do for two-full. One, in the NFL, you earn your money by playing.

It's not like the NBA where Kyrie's like, yeah, I'm just going to go away for a couple weeks. He keeps getting paid. That does not work in the NFL. You don't show up, you won't get paid. And two, the nature of the sport, coaches tell you what to do, and you listen. That's not the way it works.

You think a guy making $40 million in baseball, listen to the manager, he does whatever he wants. We know the NBA players don't give a shit what their coaches think. In football, like, you listen to your coach. Whether he's right or wrong, it's just, it's the nature of the hierarchy of the way the thing works. And I noticed it in the Seattle Rams game. And I'm not blaming Seattle at all,

because if they could, they would have had fans. They are not allowed to. That game didn't really feel playoffy. Now, it might be, I'm used to watching those teams play. play twice a year. I consume a lot of NFC West football. But I noticed a big difference in the games this weekend for the franchises that were allowed fans and the ones that weren't allowed to have fans. There is something to be said, and I've said about the other sports too. I am not going to hold anything against any team that wins a Corona championship. The Lakers did it and the Dodgers

did it. It's like Dustin Johnson won a master's with no fans. Like you are playing your competition, in the same scenario that we're all battling the same thing, everyone you're competing against. It's an even playing field that day. The Rams, no, like, everyone is on the same page. But there is something to be said about a place like Seattle, which is really loud, that Jared Goff doesn't have to worry about the noise.

Just like you saw in the NBA bubble, like no fans, no noise. There's something to be said about going into a hostile environment. and that doesn't exist. So you really feel it in these playoff games that honestly it felt a little regular season to me. Now, it doesn't mean guys weren't trying. It doesn't mean that, like I said, I give Sean McVeigh a lot of credit for going to win that game. Obviously, Pete and Russ were trying desperately to win that game. It just didn't feel like it should have felt.

And there's nothing you can do about it. These are the cards we've been dealt. but I do think a huge part of playoff football is the atmosphere. It's why you get so much credit wins like, you know, Eli Manning went into Lambo and beat them. Eli Manning went into candlestick and beat Jim Harbaugh, right? Aaron Rogers went to Seattle years ago and beat, or I guess they lost to Seattle.

But you know what I'm saying? I'm just thinking of, you know, last year Kirk Cousins went into New Orleans, Orleans and won a road playoff game. We're like, damn, Kirk Cousins got it done on the road. That's really, really difficult. Even the Buffalo scenario, can you imagine? I think, you know, crazy Cuomo allowed 6,700 people in. And if that place, whatever that place fills, 45,000, 50,000, whatever,

you wouldn't have been able to hear. Last Sunday night in the Pittsburgh game, when they were down like 12 in the third quarter and they were, kind of making their mini little comeback and they got the ball back down two scores. Think how loud that place would have been. But it doesn't exist. It's just fake crowd noise. So I love football.

And I talk about it for a living. It puts food on my table. But I think we need to acknowledge it. At least for me as a consumer, it felt a little different. It really did. And the NFL is trying to do different things. They put a broadcast on Nickelodeon. They're definitely trying to attack the youth, smart business.

They would love to put fans in all these stands. It's just, it's not possible. So if you're a road team this year, you know, if you are the Ravens going into the bills, I know they got 6,700 fans, but that's still not 55. If you're the Browns going to the Chiefs and they're allowed fans, that's probably a bad example. But the Packers want to fans.

If you're the Rams, like this is a unique opportunity, to take advantage of. You can hear your own cadence when you're at the line. That's not normal. It's not normal at all. Do you know how loud it would be for Tampa going into the Superdome this week? It would be deafening.

Rogers earlier this year at the Superdome got them to jump off sides on a hard count. Because there was no one there. I mean, it was just, this isn't normal. If I'm a coach, I'm desperately trying to take advantage of the situation because winning road playoffs games is not easy. One thing that happens, I guess, just with your friends, with your family, with just people in your life,

is that you like or care about or have close relationships with. A lot of time I realize is spent arguing. Now, in a healthy way, right, we're all probably on several text chains. You know, if you like sports, which if you're listening to this podcast, I'm sure you do, you probably got into it because of a father, a grandpa, an older brother. And you've spent a lot of time over the years arguing about players. We do it with movies. We do it with restaurants. And it can go on forever.

Most arguments that we get into in life don't have like a black and white ending, right? Everything is subjective. You see it nonstop, like with politics. And you can argue till you're blue in the face, but your opinions, your opinion, and it usually doesn't change. And it's no different in sports, but the best part about the actual games

is we get an actual outcome. And one of my favorite sports arguments always is the draft, right? Who was the best draft pick? And in the 2018 draft, which is really polarizing, you could have an answer of multiple different guys, right? Lamar Jackson had the clear lead after last season. Josh Allen has thrown his hat in the ring, and Baker Mayfield, who felt dead,

has now resurrected his career this year, and he has as many playoff wins as both those guys. All of them won their first playoff game. Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield. Now, we're going to be able to argue till we're blue in the face in the short term if whoever wins the Josh Allen-Lamar game, and if Baker were to upset the Chiefs, obviously things would change.

But really, for these arguments to have a concrete finality to them, we won't be able to do for a decade, potentially, if these guys stay healthy and play in the league for a long time. But this weekend is massive. I've been saying for a while, based on this season, I think Josh Allen, if you pulled the 32 NFL GMs, the overwhelming majority would take Josh Allen, if you could pick either of the three guys.

And hell, Sam Darnold, who I think would, We all think might not be that good, who knows? What if in like five years if they get a good coach, the Jets are going to the playoffs and he's really good? So the only guy we know that isn't any good, at least viewed from the league, is Josh Rosen. And then Kyle Shanahan just signed him, so who knows? You know, if anyone can just save, maybe put a career back on,

get the train back on the tracks, it would be Kyle with Josh Rosen, but I'm not holding out hope. So, listen, we can argue who makes the best sandwich, who makes the best pizza. We can argue what movie is the best in whatever genre, and we can do the same thing with these quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson individually has accomplished more than any of these guys, right? He won an MVP last year.

But we judge, and I personally judge you, on how you play in the biggest games. And he's been a little hit or miss. I give him credit. Played winning football in that Titans game. Had a bad pick, but ran for 140 yards, threw for another 170, was good. Josh Allen, I thought, was exceptional against the Colts. And Baker Mayfield, a little harder to judge.

He is playing really well. They had a 28-point lead, and he did everything they possibly asked him to do. He was good. But, like, he didn't have to impact the game as much because Rathusberger was just throwing it away. And I'm not going to, like, if Baker has a great game, the thing with quarterbacks, like, you can have a good game with your defense awful, especially when you're playing Patrick Mahomes, and you can lose. I do think whoever plays better between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, to me that's the best game this upcoming weekend, is the Ravens at the Bills. I wish it was a full house, that place would be rocking and rolling.

And Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson right now are on a different level than Baker. And I'm not trying to, listen, talk shit about Baker. Like, he's had a much better season than I envisioned him having. And he's, I thought it was a question whether they pick up his fifth-year option now that that question's been in. He's going to get his fifth-year option picked off. Now, is he a franchise quarterback? I still think there's a lot of information we need to learn. Is Josh Allen a franchise quarterback?

Yes. Is Lamar Jackson a franchise quarterback? Yes. But to me, before I give him like $140 million, I'd like to see him not be so dependent on running the ball. And when I say that, obviously, one of his best attributes is running the football, right? he is faster than everyone every time he steps on the field.

But to win big in the playoffs, which the Ravens want to do, which the bills want to do, you have to win on second and third and long. Well, what happens on second and third and long? Now, occasionally, Lamar can just take off and run. Most of the time, you've got to sit back there and throw a strike. I know Josh Allen can do it. Lamar, in theory, can do it. He just hasn't done it.

Lamar has a strong enough arm. It's just accuracy has been a major question more. So the great part about sports is once the games actually happen, especially when Josh Allen is playing Lamar Jackson, and the Ravens team is excellent. The Bill's team is excellent. So, like, whoever wins that game is going to get a lot of credit. Right or wrong.

That's just the way this stuff works. And Baker, he's a major underdog to the Chiefs. No one expects him to win. I think he's just done a good job of just getting his reputation. reputation back and being viewed as a legitimate NFL starter now. And that probably wasn't the case like eight weeks ago. I think it's the case right now. The other two guys, you know, are dealing with stardom.

Like they are, Josh Allen's already been reported, is going to get a max contract extension. Lamar Jackson, I think it's a little more complicated. My take is I wouldn't pay him yet. Now, if he rattles off a win this weekend and then beats the Chiefs and they're in the Super Bowl, maybe I would rethink it. Now, I'm not saying the Ravens are looking to get rid of them. Obviously, you can't upgrade.

But before I give a guy $130 million, now you'd say, what the hell were the Rams doing and the Eagles? Both of the teams probably regret the money they gave their quarterbacks. But I'd like to feel good about the guy throwing the football. I just can't wait for this game. And I can't wait to just get some early, the race is early, get some clarity on where we stand in this 2018 quarterback class argument.

Okay, here's what I'm going to do I had a little late change of heart After recording this a little late I'm going to do a mailbag Basically all the questions on my Instagram At John Middlecough And I'm going to put it up on YouTube So we'll do this

You know on Friday I'll answer some questions here But this week some questions Instead of answering them right now I'm going to put them up on my YouTube channel John Middlecough just go look it up And I put like daily stuff up there but I'm going to put just a Q&A of just banging through these Instagram questions. I'll do like 15 or 20 and we'll just go through them.

So we'll just end the show right now just because I'm kind of tired. I want to go to sleep. It's kind of late. And yeah, so YouTube, John Middilkoff, just search it, have its own page. And I will have a Q&A up there sometime on Tuesday. So it'll be up there. And there'll be other content up there as well. So yeah, have a great week.

and I will all see y'all. Well, actually, I won't see anybody because this is a podcast, and you just listen through your phones. But I will talk to you everybody come 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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Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guide, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Side-Ell. help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me.

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. with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. It was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart 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. Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. 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 at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast.

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