The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Belichick Coaching Clinic; Rodgers MVP; Bill O Bye Bye; Dak's Inflated Stats; Josh Allen Break Out; CFB/NFL Week 4 Thoughts; Mailbag

Episode Date: October 6, 2020

In this episode, John explains why the Patriots' losing to the Chiefs on MNF without Cam Newton was an all-time great Belichick coaching performance, why Aaron Rodgers is back in his MVP zone, why the Texans let Bill O'Brien do too much damage as GM before firing him, why Dak Prescott's eye popping stats don't mean he's worth big money, and why Josh Allen is clearly a bona fide star in the league. He also gives his thoughts on the week 4 games, 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.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, 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, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, 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 IHeart 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that doesn't.

not mean that you need to listen to learn the hard way on the iha radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast a win a win a win a win is a win i don't care what i'm saying yep that's me clifert taylor the fourth 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 to be heard but celebrated. So let's get to it. 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. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1,800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options

that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. What is going on, everybody? I'm John Middellcombe. This is a three-in-out podcast. Hope everyone's doing good.

Everyone doing well. A little overwhelmed on Monday night. At one point in time, I had the Patriot game on. the Packer game was on and the Yankee games on and I'm a sucker for playoff baseball I'm one of those millennials that still still watches a little hard ball

but I guess sorry Yankees and the rate Tampa Tampa's unreal it's actually still going as I'm recording this right now but football football's king and you got Belichick I kind of felt for Rob Manfred in Major League Baseball they got their playoffs going

and you got Belichick Mahomes and Aaron Rogers Like, sorry Yankees, you got no chance. And listen, we'll dive into the first game and Rogers off the top. A lot of takes from this weekend. A lot going on. Obviously, the Cowboys. Billy O'Brien was fired.

That was kind of crazy. Did not see that coming. Josh Allen, hot take, the dude's a star. And then I'll just dive around some different things I saw. I watched some college football on Saturday. Oklahoma, Spencer Rattler. I think we need to pump the brakes a little bit on that guy. Alabama just keeps on rolling.

I got a good text from a buddy in the NFL that heard me talking about them last week, and I thought summed it up pretty well. And then, of course, the Middilcoff Mailbag at John Middlecoff is my Instagram. DMs, DM me, and we answer your questions on the show. Pretty easy. It's how we interact. People show right here, three and out podcast. Also subscribe.

If you listen through Collins, I'd greatly appreciate if you subscribe to the Apple iTunes, if that's the way you listen. I know there are a lot of different, you know, Spotify, whatever, but just subscribe to the three and out, Spotify, too. Three and out, you know, to that podcast, the separate one, just myself. Luckily, Spotify for me. No one wants to muzzle me like they want to muzzle Joe Rogan.

Hopefully one day I'll be big enough and piss those people off too. I would make me very happy. But let's dive into the first game. and when I went into that game kind of snuck up on me. It was at 4 o'clock West Coast time. I was like, damn, double-header, and then they pushed the Monday night game back.

Pretty cool. But when the game started, and it was weird for a while, my take on the Kansas City Chiefs is set in stone. They don't need to prove anything to me on a daily basis, like the Ravens or the Steelers

or Seattle or the Niners. They're the champions. They have a $450 million quarterback, they're the best offensive play caller their defense has really come around like they're elite we know in any big game they're going to be favored

right they're that's not even like there's no more takes to be had on them beside how sweet they are unless they have a major injury but until they have a major injury like I don't have a take

I don't live game to game with the can't see chiefs I think it's easier to consume football if you don't like they're the best team in the league we know that for a fact and as long as Mahomes is their quarterback and 80% of their skill guys

and those defensive guys are healthy, it's not going to change. The thing I learned tonight, and I saw it, and listen, I saw it on Twitter, and I saw a great tweet, I think it was last week, that 80% of adults are not on Twitter. So, not that, I mean, I had a general assumption of that, but when I see that, it makes me even think less of Twitter.

So, listen, I don't try to get my topics from social media. I don't need social media to create a topic. I can do that, I think, on my own. But I did see people as the game went on and Hoyer ended up getting benched and Stidham was throwing all those picks. Everyone's shitting on Belichick and be like, see, I saw Mike Silver, who, listen, Mike Silver's a Davis guy, probably a little different politically, but I like Mike Silver. I've hung out with Mike Silver, have beers with Mike Silver.

Mike Silver, I consider him my guy. he tweeted that this is proof that all the people that thought it was Belichick and not Brady that any quarterback can win in the system like we need to pump the brakes the New England Patriots found out

Cam Newton had the coronavirus on Saturday when they were planning on flying to Kansas City that meant they practiced with Cam on Wednesday Thursday and Friday that meant on Monday and Tuesday they implemented the game plan revolving around Cam Newton. The entire week

was built around Cam Newton. And then when he gets the positive coronavirus test, they have to kick everyone out of the building, send everyone home. And we didn't know if the game was going to be played. They didn't practice on Saturday. They didn't practice on Sunday. They literally got on a plane on Monday and flew to Kansas City.

Let me repeat that. In the NFL, the day of the game, they flew to the Chiefs. For those of you that aren't you, you know, don't follow like logistics with team travel closely, that is insanity. That's unheard of. No one flies day of the game. This is not business corporate travel. You fly the day before. Think about it yourself. Like if you go on a two or three hour of plane flight and trying to play a football game that day, it would be challenging. On top of that, Hoyer and people are like, I can't believe they started Brian Hoyer. I can. Because he was not going to throw Jared Stidham out there when he hadn't

been practicing all week. They hadn't built a game plan against the Super Bowl champions in Kansas City. I actually think Bill Belichick did Jared Stidham a favor. He put him in a, he removed him from a situation that would not be conducive to success. And then, if it wasn't for Brian Hoyer just absolutely blowing the end of the half taking a sack and then early in the second half taking a sack costing them nine points, they would have been in the lead. It would have been up nine to six. I thought the first three quarters of that game is, I'm not even trying to like not hyperbole, not overhyped this. I think it's one of Belichick's greatest coaching performances. They flew to Kansas City. I'm recording this on Monday afternoon, literally earlier today,

and played the Chiefs with Cam Newton, their starting quarterback not able to come. Also, their starting quarterback, if you're, you know, it's Cam Newton. The offense is not, has anything in common with Jared. sit him and definitely Brian Hoyer. So they clearly, whatever the game plan was all week, they threw it in the trash. Now luckily they can adapt and they can move and they're as nimble as any organization in the league.

But I thought just playing the chiefs that closely, and listen, if you told me the chiefs were sleepwalking a little bit because the game got delayed, they were just sitting around the last couple days, couldn't practice either, I would understand. Like, I get it. Kind of a weird situation to be in. But to me that the Patriots could even play in that close

is a testament to Belichick's greatness. And everyone's shitting on, oh, I told you not every quarterback can play in this system. Yeah, you mean a guy that doesn't rep all week in practice, you don't build a game plan against, and then you just play the best team in the league? Most good quarterbacks, let alone backup quarterbacks, would look terrible in that situation. And I'm not defending Brian Hoyer.

I think Brian Hoyer is a terrible NFL quarterback. I would not have them on my team. But for whatever reason, Belichick likes them and gets in a situation where a starting quarterback out of the blue gets the coronavirus. I just don't know. I think most teams in that situation playing the Chiefs when they would have had to fly out the day of the game not only would have lost, they would have got destroyed.

And I know the final score I think was 26 to 10. The game was much closer than that. I mean, Stidham had a pick that went right off Edelman's hands, Hoyer's blowing possessions left and right, taking sacks when he doesn't have timeouts. and I just, I can't admire the coach of Bill Belichick enough. I really can't. That was, just being that close for that long in that game is an incredible accomplishment.

I think most people listening, you would know that if your coach was put in that situation, it would not look the same. I think we all agree. I talked a lot about Rogers last week, and I don't really know what else to say. He was 26 to 31, 300 yards, and four touchdowns. And he just looked like he was putting on a clinic of Hall of Fame play. He looks right now, I tweeted this on Monday night. The MVP is a four horse race right now.

It's Russell Wilson, Aaron Rogers, Josh Allen, and Aaron Donald. Those are the four best players. Obviously Mahomes, but, you know, Mahomes has his moments. I think he's just kind of in cruise control. He'll pick his spots and dominate. he can't win the MVP, I don't think, this year. You guys know what I think about Mahomes. I think we all agree.

Superstar, baller. He's just not going to win the MVP this year. Even though the Chiefs might go 16 and O. Andy Reid probably win coach the year. Maybe, who knows? I don't know how the voting is going to go. But I think it's pretty clear that Aaron Rogers right now is going on one of the great FU tours we've ever seen.

And I was hard on the floor last year. And listen, I think most coaches could, coach this version of Aaron Rogers, but he's got to get some credit. But the majority of my credit is going to number 12, who, whether it was Jordan Love, we've talked a lot about that, the motivation, whether it's just he got in great shape this offseason, he dumped his girlfriend, he is in this place emotionally, physically, as a football player, that I think humans, I think the great players every once in a while, and I've heard Peyton Manning say this. I think Michael Jordan has said this. You know, Tiger Woods had it last year at the

Masters, though, it's probably not parallel those two guys. I think sometimes when you get late in your career, if you can get a year where you feel fantastic, like Brady a couple years, I think three years ago when he won the MVP, you have more knowledge than everyone you're playing with. Aaron Rogers is 36 years old. He's been in the league for 15 plus years. He's been starting since when? 2009. He's seen everything. And he's really smart. physically, I didn't think he was in great shape the last couple years. Clearly, based on the state farm commercial, he is incredible shape. Just jacked in that white t-shirt.

And his arm looks a little more lively. So physically, he's, you know, probably peak Aaron Rogers, a 10 out of 10. I would say right now he's like a 9 out of 10. So he's not quite probably what he was when he was 28 at 36 or 37. But he's damn close, right? Working out hard, eating the right foods. But mentally, he's never been sharper. Now he understands the offense, which I don't think he was fully comfortable with last year.

A huge part of the offense is putting your back to the defense in play action. And I know Matt Ryan's talked about when Kyle Shanahan got to Atlanta and made him uncomfortable. And clearly last year, him in LaFleur, despite winning a lot of games, the offense wasn't on the same page. This year, they have done a great job of blending what the LaFleur, Shanahan, McVeigh, that offense with what Aaron likes to do. Shotguns spread it out. kind of play like fucking Mike Leach sling the pill around

and I'm going to sling it to my guys that are going to get open or I'm going to throw them open and we're going to kick your ass because I can throw it to anybody and he played a game tonight no Devante Adams Lazard got hurt

he's out for who knows how long he's throwing to this tight end his last name starts with a T I'll be completely honest completely candid this is a raw and real show never heard of the guy until Steve Levy's telling me

that he's buddies with George Kittle you have three touchdowns tonight. He's throwing to him. He's throwing to other guys and haven't really heard of. The only guy, Valdez Scatling, they're kicking everyone's ass. Now, I get the Falcons are god-awful. But you know what really good teams do? And do you know what great quarterbacks do? When they play bad opponents, they destroy them.

And Aaron Rogers, this season, they've come into every game, just ready. I've got to give them the floor credit. The team is well coached, team is prepared, but it's that guy. The franchise, for the last decade, has started and ended with that. guy. And when he's good, they have a chance to beat anyone. And when they've got good defense over the last decade, they've been a legitimate threat to be the best team in the league. Now, I think the Chiefs are more well-rounded, but this Packer team in the middle of the coronavirus looks every bit as potent as any team in the league. And if Devonte Adams get healthy,

Aaron Jones is a stud. I mean, they're backup running back. Jamal Williams, a really good player. They get these tight-in. I've never even heard of who's a baller. working out with Kittle in the offseason, that can't be a bad thing because I don't know if you noticed Kittle the other night. I had 15 catches for like 700 yards. So you work out of that guy, you're on the right path. But I just like watching greatness. And right now we're just getting to watch Aaron Rogers, just pure greatness. And who knows? Maybe this is a one-year thing, maybe maintains this for a couple years. But this is awesome. Like, he's the type guy that we pay to watch. If the NFL was pay-per-view, like I would get pay-per-view for Aaron Rogers. And

It's cool to see him on a revenge store. It's awesome to see the all-time greats. Like Peyton Manning went to Denver. F.U. Tour. Aaron Rogers, after they draft Jordan Love. F.U. Tore.

Like, sign me up for Hall of Famers. Little old that just come out guns blazing. And take a league by storm and just eviscerate the competition. I'm not saying he's going to win the MVP because Russell feels like he has some momentum. and the MVP awards a lot about moments. 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, 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 at 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 J. 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 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, so... 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.

from 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 Hard Way 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 Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Obviously the voting, he hasn't got to vote. That's already a narrative. But I think Rogers, I wouldn't say that he's that far behind him. And I think personally, I don't think any player in the NFL is playing better in Aaron Rogers.

If I had a vote, I don't. Probably never get one. If I did, I wouldn't even flinch right now. And I love Russell Wilson. He's one of my favorite players ever. Through four games of all the players I'd watch, I'd go Aaron Rogers. MVP the league.

If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1 800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in.

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 bags. Daughter is bringing up for the...

the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Diapers 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 fan 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 Nitsa and the Ad Council. Okay, let's dive into the Houston Texans. And Bill O'Brien, who was fired, relieved of his duties in the middle of the day on Monday after the Texans started 0 and 4. And I think this is the best analogy that I can come up with. That

I've never been married. I know a lot of people now who have been divorced. And I know a lot of people who have quit jobs. And I would say every single person I've ever met that has either quit a job or gotten a divorce, I think this works for serious breakups to,

have been thinking about doing that for a long period of time. I would say the majority of human beings that walk in and tell their boss, I want to quit. I'm done. I'm putting in my 14 days right now. Didn't think of that the day before. Just like the moment you serve your wife, or she serves you, the divorce papers, that didn't happen within the last week. I would imagine it's been happening for a long period of time. Six months, a year, two years, usually takes long period time. It is difficult to make really tough decisions, even if they are the right

decisions. You could argue it's never the wrong time to do the right thing. But the problem with getting a divorce, I think, for a lot of people is how many people do you know that are thinking about getting divorced or on rocky terms and have another kid? Or how many people that you think are about, you know, I'm going to quit, but you know, I got this big project I'm working on, and then maybe they're not all in on the project. And then it has impacts the company or whatever when they leave. And when I saw that the Texans fired Bill O'Brien, One, I was a little shocked because I just felt like they allowed him if this was the marriage scenario to allow, they just had multiple children. Cal McNair, who I've heard from people around the team, and I hate saying this with just secondhand knowledge, but not the brightest bulb in the room.

And taking over for his dad who passed away, I think two years ago, he's the owner, and that's the reality of the way the NFL works, right? You're born in, we don't get to pick who has us, you know? I could easily have been born in Brazil or whatever. I just happen to be born once upon a time in Woodland, California. Cal McNair happened to be born to Bob McNair, who owns the Houston Texans. His father passed away, he gets to own the Texans. The way the world works. No point in complaining about it.

It's just the reality. And for whatever reason, Bill O'Brien, who listen, if you look on social media, every single person calls Bill O'Brien the village idiot. He's terrible. They've been saying it forever. Majority of those people, especially in the media, are making like $40,000 complaining nonstop.

It's not like they could do his job. But I do think there is some valid criticism. Bill O'Brien, the GM, is terrible. I got hot take. Most coaches are not good at personnel. Bill O'Brien, the coach, isn't that bad. He's won the division four of the last five years. The last two years, he won 21 regular season games.

Average 10 and a half wins a season. He won a playoff game last year. It was fine. It was above average NFL coach. Again, he's got to the playoffs four times. He's not Jim Tom Sula here. Not Mike Nolan. Not Freddy Kitchens.

He's solid. I mean, he really is. I think he's as many playoff bursts like Ron Rivera. Now, is he crazy? Is he power hungry? For sure. When I lived in Philly and the Jerry Sandesky situation happened in 2010, 2011, and he got the job, which you could argue in the

history of college sports, might have been the worst job ever. He took it over, and within two years they won. I went with a couple scouts, or maybe just one, a buddy of mine, and we drove from Philly to Happy Valley, I think they call it Penn State, and we just went to a practice because we knew a coach on the staff, and I remember leaving there thinking, this dude can coach, man. I would hire this guy. And then I think a year later, Howie Roseman tried to hire him before they hired Chip Kelly. He said no. This guy was a big, this guy was like Matt Rule, you know, six, seven, eight years ago. This guy was a highly thought after,

sought after individual. And then he had success. His problem is, and I think a lot of alphas, you know, a lot of high achievers do this, there is a point in time in life where you need to stop taking on responsibilities and just focus and not become a jack of all trades master or none. Like Bill O'Brien was a master at being a really good football coach. He was a really good football coach in New England at Penn State and then at the Texas. And then I don't know all the dynamics. It just got away from him.

And he became the general manager, which would be the equivalent of starting having kids and started doing crazy shit. Trading all these first rounders, getting rid of DeAndre Hopkins because he wouldn't practice on Wednesday. and it backfired. And now his team's awful. Now they don't have any first-round picks. But here's the problem.

When you allow Bill O'Brien to do that as the owner, you've got to give them a couple years to see it through. And I am a believer. I'm a big sunk-cost believer. The moment you know, you got to pivot. But can you really know, 0-and-4? I mean, they played the Ravens, the Texans.

I know they had a bad loss against the Vikings, but you just wouldn't let it play out this season and just see what happens. Maybe they turn a corner at the end of the year. Are we being overreaction because of social media? And listen, I would strip away his GM titles. Maybe it's too late. Maybe Hal McNair just goes, I can't keep going on like this.

I'd say in a corona year, is there a chance they have another coach lined up? Is Dablosweeney interested to go to coach Deshaun Watson? I don't know. All I know is I do believe they gave him too much power and then pivoted too quickly. It doesn't make any sense because he created now a mess. The only guy who potentially could have coached this mess is him. He's the crazy one. They could have potentially done it.

Now, I don't know how desirable this job is. Don't have a first round pick. Don't have a second round pick. I saw someone just tweet before I press record. They have the number one payroll in the league. Payroll is enormous. They don't really have that many impact players. They do have a quarterback, which is the most of position.

Now, I think we could debate, he ain't Mahomes. He ain't Lamar. He ain't even Josh Allen right now. On the young quarterback hierarchy, I take wince over him, just as a talent. Now, it's not all his fault. I'm not trying to put it all on Deshawn, and I like Deshawn Watson. I've done segments on here about he's got the it factor, but he's not the most talented guy.

He does need help, and he's historically had a lot of help. He had an all-time receiver, a guy that was uncomfortable in DeAndre Hopkins. He's gone now. He can still make plays, but I do think he's trended more toward the men. middle of the pack than being what he was the last couple years. Like, you do need help at quarterback. The guys you're throwing to. The guys you're handing off.

The guy's protecting you. And some of it's on him. Some of it's on the personnel. It's just, it's a disaster. I just don't quite understand. Like, to me, I'm putting this on the owner. And the owner is now the kid of the former owner. How do you let this, how do you give him all this power and then have such a knee-jerk reaction?

Because clearly you'd been thinking about this. For a year, you let them made all these trades over the past year. You let them do all this stuff to your franchise. And now you press the eject button. Like, your franchise is not that desirable. I don't get it. When you're on the rocks with your wife, it's probably not the best time to have a child.

It's not fair to the child. It's not fair to the players on this team. What, you just allowed to happen. It doesn't make any sense. This to me is just, just, I, I mean, you couldn't describe it any more perfect, a poorly owned franchise right now. That is the Houston, Texas.

A poorly owned franchise. Okay, on Monday morning, because, you know, on game days, I watch a couple games, have the Red Zone on. It's hard for me to keep up with every game, watch it start to finish, so I usually go, and people have asked, how do you re-watch games? Well, I got NFL game pass, you pay $99, and you can watch any game in the league.

condensed too. So I could watch the Cowboys and Browns Monday morning in like 40 minutes. 45 maybe. Most of them are between like 38 and 45 minutes. It's just every play, TV copy, it's fantastic. So any game that I feel like I don't have a great feel on that I know I want to talk about, throw it on in the morning.

Boop, watch it. And I did that this morning with the Cowboys. And I'm not going to take a victory lap. I told everyone and anyone with a working brain that follows this league knows that the Mike Nolan hire was atrocious. But that is not the main topic with the Cowboys. The main issue with the Cowboys,

they could fire Mike Nolan, they keep Mike Nguer. I don't care. It doesn't even matter. The biggest problem in question mark with the Cowboys is their quarterback's not under contract. Their quarterback is on a franchise tag. Dak Prescott, what are they going to do with Dak Prescott? Because his stats are only going up

and he's going to want more money than he wanted last year. Because he's going to go, well, I played better this season than I did last season. And I'd say, well, of course you did. Amari is better now. Amari's coming into his own. He's on pace for like well over 100 catches. His historic high is 83. We added C.D. Lamb in the first round who, I know Kyle Shanahan,

he was the number one rated wide receiver on the Niners board. I talked to several teams that had of number one. Like, yeah, you added the number one wide receiver in a star wide receiver draft in the middle of the first round. and he's kicking everyone's ass. Gallup is a good player, and you have a star running back, who, you know, whether they're using him right or not,

like Zeke still Zeke. Here's what I know when I watch the Cowboys. I like Dak. I know Collins talked a lot about it. I respect everything he stands for. I think he is a great human being. When he talks, I'm like, that's an impressive individual.

The stuff he said about depression after his brother's suicide in Corona, I can relate. I fucking hate Corona. It has made me question my sanity several times over the last six months. And trust me out West, we're treated and not allowed to do anything. We're still on a lockdown seven months in. I imagine I'm not alone.

I could relate to Dax comments. And when I watch him as a football player, I like a lot of things he does. But I also question some of the things he does. Bill Simmons once upon a time back when he wrote, wrote a good column about Russell Westbrook. And I think it rings true for a lot of good players. that I think we hold too many players are like, why aren't you peak Tom Brady or peak Michael Jordan?

Most players, even, I'm talking all-star level players, pro-bow level players are like 90-10, 85-15 guys. You like 85 to 90% of the stuff they do and there's a percentage that you wish they were good at. That they're just not. And that's just, that's a reality with every player in the league right now

besides like Mahomes and Rogers and Russell Wilson. and like Aaron Donald and George Kittle. There's like 10 guys that you go, I don't know if he's perfect, but he's close to 100. You know, the majority of players aren't. My struggle has always been with Dak Prescott, though. He's going to want to get paid like an elite guy.

And I think you have recent history now. You see it with Sean Watson. When you pay a quarterback, huge money, the salary cap because of the coronavirus and no fans and the overall revenue is split within the owners and the players. Media struggles to figure this all out, but it's all one pie, and then it gets football revenue, gets split up between the players. So when you're not allowed to have fans, that impacts everybody.

And we know, we don't know the number yet. We know the minimums 175, but the salary cap for the first time in decades is going to come back, which is understandable. It's not because football struggling, it's because of the virus. and the restrictions and limitations that is put on every business, but specifically this business, which is the NFL. So if I'm going to have to pay Dak Prescott, $135 million guaranteed,

I think I would struggle to do that. Because I'm watching right now, he is not the reason they're losing. It's not Dak Prescott's fault. But I also watched the game and know, and I've been saying this for years, stats have never been more inflated in the NFL. Not even close.

The amount of hollow yards that are thrown these last several years but specifically this year is outrageous right now. Like I watched that Prescott's game that I think he just threw for 500 yards it didn't feel like it when I watched it. It felt like he was having a good game

but then I look at the stat sheet I go, that's like a historic fucking effort. It's not what I watched but I just look at the numbers I'm like God doesn't get any better in that. 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. 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford 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 Jett. 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 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day but just so y'all know I mean at this point this is the second episode where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see

there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now So Thank you finishing that sentence 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, 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? 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, Kear 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 hard way and listen now. And you just look at those numbers. You're like, oh, he's a $40 million quarterback. But I watched him, I went, I don't know. How many balls hit defenders in the hands? And this is something PFF has been doing for a long time,

is you get discounted for potential picks. When you hit it up, there's a reason these guys play defense. They can't catch. You'd rather be a wide receiver than a corner. Most defenders become defenders in the defense of backfield. because they couldn't play wide receiver. So they go there, a lot of them don't have many interceptions. They don't have good hands.

But if I get my hands on a ball and it hits me in the hands, that's not a good throw. Now I'm watching some of these throws and going, I don't know. And just because Carson got it and Jared Goff got it, I don't know if I just, just because everyone got paid, does that mean I got to pay this guy? And here's the thing. I'm not anti-Dak Prescott.

I like what he stands for. I even like his talent. I just don't view him as like a $140 million guy. And you can tell me all day long, They waited too long. Where are you going to find a quarterback? I think I can find a lot of quarterbacks for way cheaper with that many weapons on offense

and put up points. I need to allocate some of my money to defense because I've had DAC now for five years. We ain't winning a damn thing. Nothing. We put up all these yards. Who cares? So we need to allocate.

We need to start buying some defensive players. Need to use some draft capital. What if I draft a quarterback? I'm watching Justin Herbert, which I'm a Justin Herbert fan. but Justin Herbert was pretty raw. I didn't think he'd come right in the league. Boom, I flipped him on playing Tampa Bay,

who's got one of the best defensive coordinators in the league, who blitzes all the time, Mike Williams is injured, and he's throwing touchdowns of no-name guys. Players, I followed the football extremely for a living. I've never heard of these guys he's throwing touchdowns, too. He's succeeding. I thought, and I was a big believer, Justin Herbert should play right away,

but I thought it'd be a struggle. I'm watching him just throw, beep, beep, beep, beep, throw dimes. Not that long ago, Dak Prescott was drafted in the fourth round, got a nice landing spot, and kicked everyone's ass. It can't be done. If you are not completely sold,

like the Chiefs are with Mahomes, like what Josh Allen is becoming with the bills, even like Lamar. To me, I'm not just paying to pay. Just to what? Stay in the middle lane? It ain't working. It's not like the Cowboys are winning anything.

I'm just, I'm not into paying Dak huge money. And someone will pay them. I'm sure, but if and when the Cowboys don't give them this quote-unquote max contract, I'll understand it. 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. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for 399-9-99, or upgrade to 24 red red rose.

roses for $10 more. Go to 1800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure.

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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. Okay, let's dive into a quarterback that I need to take an L on. I did not like this player coming out of school. He went to Wyoming, and I remember his, I guess it was junior year, watching him play because he was highly touted.

I remember Chris Bortensen had a tweet about him, Josh Allen, And I was like, you know, I don't see it. Played Oregon, played some Mountain West games. They were on TV. I was like, not for me. Remember, we started the three and out podcast, and I went to the combine. And I remember going to dinner with the good buddy, who got some Super Bowl championships now.

And he's, you know, executive on a scouting staff. And he's like, bro, I think you're fucking off. I think you're being too harsh on Josh Allen. This guy has a chance to be a really good. good player. You got to mold them, but the talent is immense. His character is off the charts. This guy, if he goes to the right scenario and situation and gets with the right coach, the sky is the limit. And you know what's true? The sky was the limit. Because three years later, I guess two years and four games later, we're seeing a guy that went to the right culture, went to the right

situation that had the amount of talent and was clearly okay with being coached and being molded and then was putting in the work behind the scenes to improve as Sean McDermott told me last year at the combine he said going into a second year he wasn't that good as a rookie going into a second year people said he couldn't throw short and intermediate so we got Cole Beasley we got him so wide receipts drawn brown one of the Browns I always get those two mixed up and he improved and then after last year, it was like he can't throw deep. Boom, we trade our first rounder for digs.

He learns to throw deep because when no one's looking, guys like Josh Allen are in the lap. Now, however he got there, and I think a huge part of it is everything I just laid out, and the individual, the kid, Josh Allen, deserves a lot of credit. Because you don't improve in life at anything, let alone football if you don't work hard. Everyone loves to tell you how hard they're working.

I think the price of admissible, in this country to dominate comes with working hard. Whether you want to be an entrepreneur, whether you want to be a construction, in construction management, whether you want to be a football coach. You better grind, because you better believe,

which how competitive everything is, especially the National Football League, your competition is grinding. It's why when I think about the NFL, the best players, hardest workers. I'll never forget one time asking Bobby April, who was our special teams coordinator, with the Eagles.

He coached Dionne Sanders in Atlanta when Dionne was really young. And I said, I was just fascinated. What was Dion Sanders like? And he said, you know, for all the fluff, for all the, you know, the outfits and the music videos, he was the first guy in my office every single day for special teams. It's when he was the elite corner in the league for special teams. So Dion was the hardest worker guy on our team. It wasn't even close.

And that's why when I see Dionne Sanders become the head coach. coach at Jackson State. Like, say what you want about Dion Sanders. A lot of players, like famous players, talk like, I only want to be a head coach. I only want to be a head coach. Remember Marshall Falk one time, like, I only want to be a head coach in the NFL. Like, yo, bro, that ain't how it works. Even Dion Sanders found out.

Like, you're not going to become the head coach of Florida State with no experience. So what did he do? He wants some terrible program. Jackson State. Probably not making much money. Became a head coach. I commend it. Dion Sanders ain't afraid to grind.

He ain't afraid to work. Josh Allen. it worked his ass off. Listen, I tweeted this on Sunday. The hierarchy of 2018, the top quarterback in that draft, is not set in stone. Now, Lamar Jackson is really good.

Defending MVP, he's got some flaws. I personally want a throwing quarterback. Like, I would take Josh Allen over Lamar Jackson for the next five, six years, but I don't think Lamar Jackson's bad. I didn't like either one of those quarterbacks coming out. I love Sam Donald.

I love Baker Mayfield. Those guys aren't, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen have nothing in common with them. Josh Allen made a couple throws against the Raiders. To me, only Mahomes and Aaron Rogers could have made the throws. He has physical gifts that only Mahomes has of all the young guys. Lamar doesn't even have him when it comes to arm talent. When it comes to arm talent, he's 70%, 12 touchdowns, one pick, and three rushing touchdowns. He's a freak.

And now he's accurate? If he's going to be as accurate, like this guy, can win MVP's. Not an MVP, MVP's. Because you win, why do we think Patrick Mahomes is the best player in the world? Because he dominates with his right arm. Why is Josh Allen kicking everyone's ass? Because he's dominating with his right arm.

When does Lamar look really good? When he's making great passes. It's a passing league. You can run, and it's fun. But to win big in this league, it's why I like the Bills. They're going to be a factor for years to come if he can maintain this level of play. And I said it before,

the plaque when I used to walk into the Eagles locker room. I've seen it with the Niners. It says you're either getting better or worse. Nobody stays the same. Nobody. And this guy is getting better dramatically, exponentially, every year as a pastor. I didn't think it was possible.

Maybe I need to reevaluate the way I look at some of these quarterbacks. Now, a big part of the thing that's hard in the media, now I have access because I know a lot of scouts that have the legit information on these players. Unless you know their character, and makeup, it's hard to evaluate because you're not just, you're not getting a player in a vacuum. What is he like? How hard is he willing to work? And clearly Josh Allen is a 10 at that. Because what I'm seeing out of him is just, is eye opening. Like this guy has, if you can maintain it.

Now, I'm just basing this on 2020. If he can continue this level of play, and that's what, that's the hard part about being a really good player, is like anyone can have good stretches. anyone could have a good year. The great players have eight straight years. Aaron Rogers, Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Donald. They're kicking ass every year. Going into the lab, every off-season,

doing everything humanly possible to improve. Everything. Ed Reed. Just think about the great players the last 20 years. They're just the hardest workers. I mean, it's just the price of admission. They're outworking everybody. And to them, their work ethic is just,

They think it's normal. And even guys that anyone that's ever been around someone that's a really hard worker, you start looking at yourself in the mirror. You go, God, I don't know if I have that in the back. And it's fun to watch this guy's maturation. It's fun to watch the bills play football because they're a well-coached team. They're physical as hell on defense. And their offense is just fun.

Like, he is a fun player in the league. To me, it's a clear, the top three young guys, when it comes to talent are, obviously, him and Lamar. Now, Lamar is more unique than those guys because of his running ability. I think he busted a long run last year. Like, he's a unique player. He's a more complete package to me than Mike Vick was in a sense. He's a lot more accurate.

Now, he doesn't have the power of Mike Vick's arm, but he's a much more prototypical passer in theory. I know he played bad against the cheese. I'm not. People think I'm a Lamar hater. I'm not. He just, I would bet against him in big games, until he proves that he could have a game where he throws it 40 times

against a good team and win. Because right now it's like, they have a run-based offense. Yeah, run-based offenses, you know, ain't winning in 2020. You got to throw. And right now I'm watching Josh Allen, you know, win in the air.

And I'm impressed. So I just think the hierarchy, those two guys are stars. But it's going to be determined over the next five or six years. Here's one thing I do know. If Josh Allen has a season like this and the bills win a playoff game or two,

which I think they, obviously the Chiefs, you know, the Steelers, the Ravens, like they're right in that mix of just a team that's going to be, they had that devastating loss last year, he's going to get a contract extension this offseason like Deshaun did, like Mahomes did last year.

Now, the money, he's not going to get Mahomes money, obviously, even if he won the Super Bowl, but he's going to get $130, $140 million guaranteed. I'd feel pretty good about giving it to him. He's right now, besides like George Kittle, Aaron Donald, there's a short list of players that I go, this guy's on TV, I'm watching. Let's do some weekend thoughts really quick.

Saturday, what did I do Saturday? I went to my mom's house, hung out, had a few pops, watched a little football. And two things I noticed. First and foremost, Alabama talked about him last week, got a good text from a buddy. He said, did you notice this off-season? Zero opt-outs.

There wasn't even a peep. they have a I mean they got four guys that might get drafted in the top 15. None of them even contemplated leaving. They trust Nick. You know what they did is they just grinded. However they grinded Alabama, they stay

ready because they know when they play they're going to kick the shit out of whoever they're playing. And they know when the season ends, they're going to get drafted high and get paid. And the system just keeps on rolling. LSU had opt-outs, Georgia opt-outs, all the Pac-12 teams had opt-outs.

Now, some of them are coming back, but watching Alabama on Saturday, they are clearly right now. Now, we'll see with Ohio State. To me, they're the best team. This quarterback, Mac Jones is really good. Waddle, Smith, Studs, Dylan Moses Stud, Certains Stud. It's just a factory. It's just an ass-kicking factory. Roll-tide.

Oklahoma. I'm an Oklahoma guy. The dude that got me started in football, Drew Hill, is. basically Lincoln Riley's like general manager, their personnel guy. He's been on this podcast, came on like last year. I root for Oklahoma. And Spencer Rattler, kind of the biggest recruit they've had, you know, it went Baker Mayfield, then it went Kyler, then it went Jalen, and this is like the air parent to all those guys. But this, you know, Baker was a transfer in, Kyler was a transfer, Jalen was a transfer. Ratler was Lincoln Riley's recruited guy from high school, super hyped,

heard a lot of good things about his talent. I don't know much about the person. I watched the Elite 11 show on Netflix. But I'll be honest, people like, I know a lot of people are crushing the kid. You know, a little douchey or whatever. I think if you watch, the older you get, like when you're 30 and 40,

and you watch kids that are 16, 17, you're not going to be able to relate to a lot of things they do. So I don't really hold much, like, if I thought stuff was weird and like, you know, this is not my type guy. Young kids, young guys, they just do dumb stuff. So I actually just thought he was normal.

But he's not a very good player. I mean, that's my number one takeaway right now is he's not a very good player. And he's really talented, but I don't know if I had to think big picture. I'm not trying to overreact to three games, but I'd say he better pick it up because at a school like Oklahoma,

they're recruiting blue chippers every year. And I know if you put it at, like, you know, Ohio State or Alabama and you have a really bad season at quarterback, you will not be the quarterback for long. Like the leashes at these top-notch programs are short. They're trying to win national championships. So this guy's going to have to improve greatly. I thought against Iowa State he made some plays in the second half that were just like, where is he throwing it to?

Now, he wasn't the sole reason they lost, but I was underwhelmed for, this five-star blue chip super-hyped guy for Lincoln Riley. He just, I didn't think he was very good. Some other games, some other things I noticed this weekend. The Bills, obviously, we talked about Josh Allen. The Raiders defense stinks. I mean, they are terrible. And Mike Mayock and John Gruden drafted Cleland Farrell.

You watch him, you never hear them. They sign all these free agents, Lamarcus Joyner, Corey Littleton. None of them make any place. they draft all these defensive guys and some of them are injured the other guys aren't impactful their defense is awful and Derek like

I mean his stats look good but I'm watching them going you know I just and I'm rooting for I want him to be a good player but I just don't know if he is he's not a bad player but I just don't know if he's a good player the Seahawks Dolphins game

like the Seahawks someone told me this stat since 2018 they have played 8 10 a.m. kickoffs. So that's flying to the East Coast and playing morning kickoffs. There are 8 no. I know they didn't play their best game against the Dolphins. That record's remarkable. You go on long trips, especially from Seattle.

Think how far Seattle to Miami is. Just, I'm no geography major here, but just think about it on a map. Is there a longer flight in America, Seattle to Miami? I'm pretty sure Miami's at the bottom of Florida. Pretty sure Seattle's at the top of the state of Washington. That's a long way to go, man. And they went and they got an easy win. It didn't look that easy, but 31 to 23,

and really it was 31 to 15. Nice little win. The Buccaneers, I think Tom Brady looks a little old. Now, he threw five touchdowns, and their team is really talented. I think O.J. Howard might be out for the year. Gronk's coming around a little bit. Mike Evans, even though he's limping, still dominating.

Godwin will come back. Scotty Miller is like the Edelman, West Welker. Their defense is pretty good. But Justin Herbert, he made some, oh my God, that is a, I mean, just a beautiful ball. He throws a beautiful deep ball. He clearly is really talented. I don't think, you know, a couple games into your rookie season, playing with this team, just from an eye test standpoint.

I'm not even talking about the stats, you know, his completion percentage. You just watch a half of Justin Herbert play fill a football, and you go, yeah, that's what I want a rookie quarterback to look like. Those type physical traits. He's calm. He's athletic. You know, he's just, he's got a chance, man. They're going to, listen, Anthony Lynn, he's probably done after this year. Chargers surely not going to make the playoffs, be a 6-7 win team.

And they'll hire a new coach. And I imagine they'll hire an offensive coach who calls the place. and that guy will be entrusted to make Justin Herbert a star. And I think that job, now Dean doesn't like to pay, very cheap, pays Stan Cronkey $1 in rent. Stan Cronkey just cut a $5 billion check to build the stadium. But don't worry, Dean's saving some cash there. So hopefully he will pay for a, I don't know, legitimate head coach.

Ravens, I almost called him the R-word, Washington football team. I don't really have any thoughts, didn't watch much of that game. The Ravens, I mean, You give him a bad team, they destroy him. Washington, this quarterback, actually on Washington, I have nothing but respect for Ron Rivera. He is a dying breed of man,

just an old school tough SOB, getting chemotherapy and going through cancer treatments and coaching, because most people would be like, don't coach! It's not the way that old school breeds wired, man. They ain't tapping out, especially taking over a new team, trying to establish culture, establish toughness.

Ron Rivera is a legend. And the Ravens are just real, I mean, they destroy bad teams. The Cardinals have been saying it all, you know, forever. Everyone thought I was a village idiot because I hate the Cardinals. I don't hate the Cardinals. I think they're going to win six, seven, eight games. But this notion they were going to win like 11 or 12 and be some playoff team, like, no.

Now when Vance Joseph is your defensive coordinator. Now when Cliff Kingsbury's never won anything as your head coach. And the Panthers, like there's a reason Matt Rule just got $70 million. He's a good coach. Now, I think he's overachieving. I think they end up winning probably five or six games. they're not going to go. I'd be shocked if they won eight or nine.

But they're doing a good job. Him and Joe Brady, I'm impressed. I didn't think they were going to be that good. I thought they'd compete to be one of the worst teams in the league. That clearly is not the case. The Texans, we talked about them earlier. Vikings got a win.

No real take there. I saw Mike Zimmer is dating some Instagram model. Someone told me a couple years ago that Mike Zimmer was on Tinder, so he's clearly out there on the prowl. Giants Rams. I'll give the Giants this, they play hard, Rams. Like, you can win 11 games, and two or three of those wins are going to come against bad teams when you don't play that well. So the whole point of one of your sleepwalk games, like the Rams just had, is if you win it, no one gives a shit at the end of the season.

It's just a win. And as someone that bet on the Rams, I'm very mad at Sean McVeigh, mad at Jared Gough. I mean, they played very poorly, but they won. So, like, just in terms of actual football, non-gambling, the game. doesn't mean anything. The game means nothing. Colts Bears. I don't understand how Nick Foles can come out of the bullpen and look awesome and then get the start and look terrible. I don't get it. How could he look so terrible? Now they play Tampa Bay this Thursday. That's a pretty big game. And there are going to be a lot of eyeballs on that game. Tom Brady, National

Television, the Nick Foles, I think it's the first time they've played since Nick beat him in the Super Bowl. The Colts are pretty good. I mean, they have one of the better defenses in the league. they have a smash-mouth running game. Rivers is still very functional. It's like that charger offense of several years ago when he was there with Frank Reich. They're just, Colts aren't the prettiest team. They're not going to blow many teams out like the Ravens,

but they're just going to win a ton of games. And when the dust settles, it's hard to know what the Titans are. I think they're pretty good too. Corona's kind of wiped them out for a week or two, who knows. But the Colts and Titans are playoff teams. Eagles Niners, I went in deep on that game on my other podcast, Middlecoff, we talked a ton

about Wence, the Niners. My overall just Cliff No version is when you play your third string quarterback, you're not going to be that good. And the Eagles, they were desperate, and Carson Wentz made enough plays. I mean, it's just Nick Mullins,

there's a reason the guy was an undrafted for a free agent. There was talk on, again, the internet, Twitter, so small segment of people about him replacing Jimmy Garoppolo, like, shut up. If you've ever said that, You have no clue what you're talking about. But the Niners, like, they need Jimmy Garoppel if they're going to win. When Kyle Shannon's had Jimmy Garoppolo, I think he's 22 and 7,

like he wins games. When he doesn't have Jimmy Garoppelow and he's got to play with Hoyer or Nick Mullins or CJ Bethard, Niners are going to have problems. Okay, let's do a little thing we like to call the Middlecoff mailbag. That's where we answer your questions. Add John Middlecough, my insta. DMs slide right in. Love the show.

At what point do we start being extra skeptical on Oklahoma's quarterbacks in Lincoln Riley's system? Baker Me, Kyler looks great, Jalen backup, all while putting up dominant college stats. Spencer Rattler,

on deck, obviously, as we talked about earlier, not great. Young, though he's only 19, not to mention Heisman votes going their way every year. Well, I think you got to look at them all independently. Baker Mayfield, clearly overdrafted.

I watched the cowboy, talked about it earlier game. Baker's just a game manager. You know, he's a, he's a five-foot, you know, 11, 6-foot, average athlete,

average arm. He's just not a great talent. But he was exceptional. To me, he's a great product of the system. Kyler Murray, five-star guy, starts a tax to A&M as a freshman.

goes to Oklahoma, kicks ass, was drafted really high in baseball. Listen, Kyler Murray has one negative attribute, and that's his height. He's an elite talent. Speed, arm strength, accuracy, just his talent is stupid. Like, Jalen Hertz, to me, he was just, I thought the Eagles over-drafted him a little bit. To me, he's a fourth-round pick. They drafted him the second round. I'd look at him like a running back, not a quarterback.

Clearly, my guys in Philly disagree. but if they get Trevor Lawrence, they're going to be recruiting top players. They're going to be trying to get elite players. So I just think you have to look at every single player independently. Right? I think that is the key. Saban never had good quarterbacks.

Now we got Tua and now we've got this Mac Jones guy. It should change us. You know, I just think every quarterback is their own story, regardless of the system. I hear what you're saying. Big fan of the pod really enjoy listening to your takes. Me too. Thanks.

I'm just kidding. Just wondering what you think of washing should do here where they're at right now. Haskins shows slow signs of growth, but outside of our front seven on D, the three playmakers on offense, we got nothing. Does this team stick with Haskins or move off without him? I just don't think you have to make any determination now. It's October 5th. He's got 12 more games. Keep letting him play and see how he looks.

See if he grows. Because the more you play, the more you should grow. So if he can improve, then maybe you run it back next year. If he only gets shittier as a season goes on, you know, you try to sign a veteran guy. I don't know what else. He's probably your quarterback next year, but maybe not. I mean, Rivera's got cancer.

How long is he going to want to deal with this? Life's too short. I would say he's got to play a lot better because clearly the Washington football team's got a lot of issues. They don't have a name. The franchise just non-football's and shambles. The coach has cancer. The quarterback is just, I don't think he's good enough.

But I never like to put my stamp on a player. I love Baker Mayfield. Then I watch them play. I don't like him anymore. I didn't like Lamar or Josh Allen. Then I watch him play. I like him. You know?

It's like you should just be open-minded. I think that's the key in evaluation. Just go in open-minded with anything you do. Too many people, my dad was like this. You get so stubborn and you get so like closed-minded. You have your mind made up before you do stuff and sometimes it can limit your thinking. And I can get like that sometimes too.

I actually was like that when I was in the NFL. I'm way more open-minded. Maybe it forces you when you get into business. you realize, like, you can't just, you got to be adaptable. And same with evaluating players. Like, I love this guy two years ago. Now he's not good. We're going to cut him, you know.

Drafted this guy 15th. Well, we didn't draft him. We gave him an opportunity to play and what we saw we didn't like. See ya. National Football League. For the mailbag. Why don't Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert get the love some other coach GM tandems do?

Never had a losing season. No top 10 picks, aside from Bush, which was a trade-up. true doesn't count constantly hitting on mid-round receivers they've shown the ability to constantly build the team around a quarterback on a second third and fourth contracts and yet get no credit in the media for their accomplishments as an aside what is it about the 49ers they struggle with mobile quarterbacks i know jimmy isn't playing tonight and mullen struggled but their recent losses including last season have come against quarterbacks that move and evade pressure brought by the front four of the 49ers what do you think they need to do a better job to solve these issues well they're often

Their defensive scheme, or excuse me, their defensive line scheme is pretty simple. They have one gap and they go upfield as fast as possible. So like the reason the Patriots and just well-run defenses, they change their scheme. So when you play a mobile quarterback, my ends on certain defensive calls are not rushing up the field. They're taking two steps and breaking down. The Niners never do that. They just play one speed and that's full go shot out of a cannon.

which I'm not against, but, you know, we got to adapt a little bit. You start getting Carson Wentz and Kyler Murray running circles around you. Let's not fly up the field. Let's corral them in the pocket. But I think they think that they throw them off. I mean, at the end of the day, Carson Wentz didn't even throw up for 200 yards. So I just think they need to make subtle adjustments. And with the Steelers, I think part of it's the organization.

We just assume the Steelers. I think they're talked about under that umbrella. But I hear you. like Veech and Andy John Snyder, Pete Carroll, obviously Belichick, Howie Roseman, I mean,

Kyle Shannon, you're right, McVeigh, I don't know what it is. I think sometimes you just get so good, you almost get boring. I mean,

what they do of kicking everyone's ass basically year in, year out last year on this podcast when they traded that first round from Minka Fitzpatrick, I thought they were insane. And I looked like an idiot by the end of the year

because Minka dominated and, I mean, they went eight and nine, Nate with no quarterbacks. The organization, I texted this to a friend the other day when I was watching the St. Louis Cardinals. Oh, they were playing the Padres.

I said, you know who the Cardinals are? They're the Steelers. Every year you know what you're going to get. They're going to be in the playoffs, in the playoff mix. There's going to be a high-level operation, and they're just impressive. The majority of the league wants to be them. And I mean, I think Tomlin's a complete badass. I'm with you on Colbert.

He's really, really good. I don't necessarily have an answer. I think sometimes you just become so consistent. And you're not really that polarizing. You know, part of what makes the Patriots in everyone's vernacular, right, is they're really polarizing. They've gotten trouble with the league. Crazy stuff has happened.

I think when it comes to the Steelers, they just show up, dominate, go home. They've been doing it from well before I was born, and they'll probably be doing it for another 20, 30 years. I love them. Is it time for the Cowboys to follow the Rams? and lead and offload heavy contracts. Guys like Jalen, Smith, Elliot, and Lawrence simply aren't playing up to the price tag.

The reality is Dak will get paid and frankly deserves it. Can't afford all these guys. Yeah, I mean, I'm not saying Dak doesn't deserve it, but I struggle to give them all that money. The Zeeks's not going anywhere because Zeek's still good. The reason they got rid of Todd Gurley is they didn't want him around. I'm with you on Lawrence. He's not playing up to the contract.

Alden Smith's better, and Alden Smith hasn't been in the league since 2015. But, yeah, I don't know. I think it's only October 5th. Let's just see how the rest of the year plays out. The Cowboys do have a lot of talent. Mike Nolan, like, let's just run one defense. I know Mike McCarthy's like, no, we've got to run a 17 different defense. Like, Mike, you guys are getting smoked.

How about you just run one play call? Everyone knows what they're doing. I saw Richard Sherman quoted that Mike, there was like a tweet from the Cowboys of McCarthy saying that the complexity of the defense, he doesn't want to become a one-call defense, and Sherman's like, this is so stupid. Because forever Sherman's played in a defense that's pretty basic. And basically his entire career has been on elite defenses.

Like sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel. Just teach guys exactly what to do. And play within yourself. And you might not be, if you don't have great players a top five defense, but you won't be a bottom five defense. You'll be serviceable. You'll win games. Not what they're doing right now.

I don't know why I went on the tangent right there. but you think the 49ers and saints are sleeping giants that will be playoff teams with legit shots in Super Bowl? Yeah, I mean, I think the 49ers have a lot of injuries and they got to get healthy. They got Jimmy Garoppel, they got Debo, they got I youth, they got Kittle, they'll have one of the better offenses in the league, and their defense is good enough. Super Bowl, like the chiefs are better, you know, Steelers, Ravens. I mean, those teams are in the AFC.

And we'll see. I mean, they play, you know, they play the Packers this year, they play the Saints this year, they play the Rams, they play Seattle. We're going to find out. I think Kyle Shanahan's an elite coach. He needs Jim McGroplo. When he's got Jimmy Garoppolo, he can beat just about anybody. I think that's the number one key. Just get Kyle Shanahan, Jimmy Garoppel, which is crazy because people sometimes think Jim McGroplo sucks.

But relative to the Molinator and C.J. Bethard, George Kiddle, I had him on my other podcast last year. and I was like, George, you block me on Twitter. And he's like, well, I only block people for doing two things. You either said something bad about, like, my family. And I'm like, well, that's definitely not me. He's like, or you talk shit about CJ Beatherd because they were high school team or college teammates. And I'm like, yeah, three years ago, I probably did.

So I justified the block. Now he unblocked me. But CJ Beatherd actually looked a lot better in Mullins in those couple series when he, came into the game. Kyle just need to find a way to get you. If Kyle gets a good quarterback, it's a wrap. Obviously, you would love Mahomes or Rogers or Russ.

Probably not going to be possible. But if he can just get like a middle of the road guy, which Jimmy plays like a lot, but I just, God, they need to get healthy. Appreciate everyone DM and me. I appreciate everyone listening. I want you to have a great week. All my Libra's, may or may not have been my birthday week.

and I see you, and I'll 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. 1-800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. order today, visit 1800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com

slash tune in. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, 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, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel 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 IHeart 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. with grace.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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.

84 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.