The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Bengals/Ravens SNF and Week 5 reaction
Episode Date: October 10, 2022John reacts to the action from NFL Week 5, including Lamar Jackson and the Ravens getting a huge SNF divisional win against the Bengals. He also explains why the Bills are stiill the highest ceiling t...eam in the league, Chargers HC Brandon Staley’s latest head scratching move, and things unexpectedly looking up for the Jets and Giants. Subscribe NOW and follow Middlekauff and The Volume on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest content. It's always FanDuel for the best wagering action! #volume #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
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.
The Volume.
The Three Now Podcast with me, John Middilcough,
is presented by Fandual Sportsbook.
There's no better place to make every moment more
than with Fandual.
America's number one sportsbook,
very easy to use, safe and secure,
you get your winnings fast.
I cannot recommend it enough.
Love gambling with Fanduel.
If you are new,
just download the Fandual Sportsbook app
to get started.
Now sign up with promo code
Colin so they know we sent you.
What is going on, everybody?
John Middlecoff, three and out podcast.
Football, football, football, football.
Been watching it for basically the last 48 hours.
A lot of takes, a lot of thoughts,
a lot going on.
So if you listen on Colin's feed,
make sure you subscribe to the three and out podcast.
Middlecough mailback comes out Tuesdays.
Put another one out Sundays.
At John Middlecough is my Instagram.
That's how you get in the mailbag, just slide up in those DMs.
Other than that, let's talk some ball.
Before we dive deep into everything, National Football League,
I want to tell you about my friends at NetSuite.
2000, 2008, I definitely lived through 2008,
and I'm definitely living through 2022.
When it comes to the economy, those are some scary years.
Dot com crash, the housing crash,
and now the roller coaster that we're going through right now,
one thing is certain.
It's a dangerous time to not know your numbers.
But over 31,000 businesses have the confidence and clarity they need because they rely on NetSuite by Oracle, the number one cloud financial system.
NetSuite gives you visibility and control over your finances, inventory, HR, planning, and budgeting so you can manage risk, get reliable forecasts, and improve your margins, something we all need right now.
So how do you prepare for uncertain times?
The answer is NetSuite.
That's why 93% of customers say they've improved their visibility and control when they upgraded to NetSuite.
What are you waiting for? Get on it right now.
Automate your business processes.
And number one, save money.
Right now, NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program.
Head to NetSuite.com slash John right now.
NetSuite.com slash J-O-H-N.
NetSuite.com slash John.
Let's dive into football.
Well, what a night.
And, you know, there are parts of that Sunday night football that made me think, you know,
I can understand this, you know, it's been a herky, jerky year for play calling, level of play,
and just overall play.
I mean, that was not the prettiest game.
But let's start with the Ravens.
And before we dive into Lamar Jackson and the kicker, who was just a potent weapon,
there was a moment with about a little over nine minutes left when John Harbaugh decided to kick
the field goal. And Chris
looks at Al, I mean
Mike Torrico. It's still a little weird.
No Al and Chris. I came
to love that combination and now it's Mike
and I'm a big Mike Tariko guy. Knew the
rules right when that ball flew over the
upright. Still
getting used to the combo though.
And John Harbock kicked the
field goal to make it a six point
game. Remember last week in a tie
game he chose not to kick the field goal.
A little different, not apples to apples.
And Chris goes right away.
You know, last week he did something, he got crushed.
This week he could regret that.
And I think to myself, have we jumped the shark?
Have we lost our minds?
How would you ever regret going up more than a field goal?
Because when you go up six points, instead of going for it on fourth and whatever,
and potentially turning the ball over on downs and only being up three points,
if they score a touchdown, you then have to score a touchdown to win because you're down four.
When you go up six, even if they score a touchdown,
you have to kick a field goal.
And you have arguably, I don't know, the most potent field goal kicker.
I'm not saying he's better than Vinatari in terms of his career.
But in terms of pure talent, if you had to have a guy kick a 60 plus yard field goal,
you would pick Justin Tucker.
In my lifetime, Justin Tucker would be my pick.
One, he's got the strongest, most accurate leg.
So it was the right call.
Then obviously the Bengals go on a long drive.
And what happens?
The Ravens are blessed with this very potent combination.
Lamar Jackson has been a polarizing topic all year long, right?
How much money do they pay them?
They offered him a lot of money.
He turned down the money, which I think is a little crazy,
but I never fault any human being for betting on themselves.
I've done it before.
Obviously not at that level.
Most of you, if you're listening, if you've done it before,
it can be very rewarding.
And even when it doesn't work, you find out a lot about yourself.
Now, I'd argue this is a little different.
There's $150 plus million on the line.
but Lamar is a very unique player
and you saw it on full display tonight.
His accuracy was atrocious.
I hate it when they throw up, you know,
25% completion percent.
You guys are just pulling numbers out of your ass.
You don't know wide open the percentage,
either hit it or not.
Like the percentage is dictated after the throw happens.
Now, Lamar was way off on both of the throws,
especially the one the dude was wide open.
But listen, that hat can happen.
Like Brady's missed guys.
Now, Lamar, the knock on him years ago, was accuracy.
I would say so far this year in the last couple years, he's been a pretty accurate quarterback.
He has had a fantastic season.
Tonight, he was off.
But he has a different pitch.
Like some guys just got fastballs.
As Yankee fans with the Raldas Chapman, who somehow missed practice and is now not on the postseason roster.
But when you're a pitcher, where you can dominate is when you have multiple pitches.
And a lot of guys, the majority of quarterbacks, if they were playing like,
Lamar Jackson and just had their C or D game, they would be in trouble on that final drive
because they're off, they don't have the confidence, and even if they're a great player, they might
just have a bad night, they can't drive the field and you lose. You know what Lamar says?
Fuck this. I'm going to turn in to a running back. Lamar Jackson is the greatest running
quarterback. I'm 38 years old. Easily I've ever seen in my life. I was around Michael Vick when I was
with the Eagles. He was a very potent running back. But it was a lot different. He did not know how to
avoid hits and he often got hit and then he got injured. Steve Young, by the time I was kind of
growing up into Steve Young in the early 90s, had really morphed into much more of a passing
quarterback. If you watch Kyler Murray, who is an elite running quarterback, a lot of his runs
are on the edges. They run sweeps, they get him out in space, and he's one of the greatest
athletes we've ever seen. Lamar Jackson can literally just go, I'm going to run it up the gut,
and I'll just get seven yards, eight yards, four yards, six yards, and I'll just move the
chains myself and there's nothing you can do about it. But I'm running between the tackles and
unlike a running back, I'm not going to take a pounding because before both these guys tackle
me, I'm going to hit the ground. He's able to run between the tackles and not take hits. Now guys are
still landing on him. I'm not saying he is going like zero impact, but he is not taking head-on
collisions. His ability to just hit the ground and he's not really a slider. He's kind of like a diver
hit the ground guy, it's remarkable. And that last drive is exactly why he's one of the most
unique players we've ever seen. Because he has been a fantastic thrower of the football this season.
Off night, you're allowed to happen. Like Max Scherer, Jacob de Grom, like they have off-nice throwing.
Tiger Woods, in his prime, still might shoot 74. And I'm not saying he is like, we'll see. I mean,
I think Lamar Jackson's ceiling is sky high because what makes him so potent is when he is accurate,
He has been earlier in the season.
He can throw three, four, five touchdowns.
And at any single moment, on any single play,
he can get by every single defender in the NFL.
There is not a guy that he can not make miss,
whether it's between the tackles or outside the tackles.
And then the combination when you are,
and this is why you kick the field goal,
when a field goal wins you the game,
and he just has to get you 30, 40 yards,
he doesn't even have to throw it.
He just runs the zone read, goes up,
seven yards, eight yards, nine yards,
six yards, boom, you're in field goal range,
Justin Tucker comes in and you win the game.
Like that combination, when you have to have it,
of Lamar Jackson to just get into around the 60-yard mark of Justin Tucker,
is a pretty unique NFL combination right now.
And that, to me, is like last week when Harbaugh decided to go forward,
it's like, I would actually be much more conservative.
Because at any moment, as long as the game's close,
this guy can get you within field goal range.
Now going whatever to get a touchdown, that is difficult for Mahomes, Josh Allen, Dan Marino, John O.
That's hard for everybody.
But if I just have to gain 30, 40 yards, if you told me I could have a kicker quarterback
combination, you know, obviously when Butker's healthy, Mahomes and him probably number one.
But I don't know how much farther I would put Lamar and Justin Tucker because of the faith
I have in Tucker.
And just because of how dynamic Lamar is with his feet, like that was a clinic.
just getting them yards, getting them in field goal range, boom, kicking the field goal.
And on the flip side, the Bengals have, Higgins got banged up, but Joe Burrow is a top
10 quarterback, one of the better players in the league.
I know he threw the pick to his former college teammate tonight, but I think if you just
had a draft from scratch, he wouldn't, especially factor in an age, Joe Burrell's going to go
pretty high.
Jamar Chase is a stud.
Joe Mixon is also a stud.
The Bengals have a lot of talent.
and I think it's weird because they made the Super Bowl last year
and they were leading in the Super Bowl.
So they obviously had a very successful year.
Yet most of us that talk about the league, that watch the league,
most of you fans that watch a lot of football.
I mean, we all see the television ratings.
We're all watching a lot of football.
Would all tend to agree that I don't think their head coach is very good.
And then they get into a situation late in the game on their second to last drive
where they go for it in a Harbaugh situation.
But on the third down, they run Philly Special, right?
Basically like a double reverse, the attempt to pass to Joe Burrell.
And when that play originated the Philly Special, Philly,
whatever you actually want to call it,
to play the Eagles, ran against the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
They were playing with a backup quarterback against Bill Belichick.
They were big underdogs, rightfully so.
Bill Belichick, all these Super Bowls against Nick Foles.
They were the underdog.
Do they have anything to lose?
You know, you can argue you always have something to lose within the game.
It's that game.
But they had less on the line in terms of people did not think the Eagles were going to win that Super Bowl.
It's easy to go now.
Of course, no.
Nick Foles against Tom Brady, give me a break.
I think pretty sure Tom Brady threw like 500 yards in that game too.
But you run Philly Special when Nick Foles is your quarterback.
You don't run Philly Special when you have Joe Burrow, Jammar Chase, and Joe Mixon.
to me that is an embarrassing play call
that obviously got blown up
Marcus Peters destroys
whoever got the ball last
I don't think it was Chase
I think it was someone else
but it's like what are you doing
and then on fourth down
they run some pitch play to the tight end
trying to steal it from Andy Reed
clearly Lyle Collins
the dude they signed from Dallas
either didn't like the play call
wasn't on the same page
him and Taylor not seeing eye to eye
pretty embarrassing stretch
then ultimately they get another position
they drive the field and have a chance to win the game because Joe Burrell makes them plays.
But I think it's fair to say the Bengals have a lot of talent.
And they have a core on offense with the skill guys starting with the quarterback that is excellent.
I just can't take their coach that seriously.
I'm not saying he's the village idiot.
I'm not calling him Freddie Kitchens or Jim Tom Sula.
But I think it's fair to say that we might look back and go,
Zach Taylor won the AFC?
Zach Taylor really beat Andy Reid on the road?
Like that is something that's going to age
very, it's going to be weird as time goes on
because I don't think we're going to see Zach Taylor
as some consistent powerhouse coach.
I think that's fair to say.
Now they're still going to be competitive
because like I said, they have a core
of very, very talented players.
Tonight is a good example.
The Ravens are trying to hand you that game
and you just do dumb thing after dumb thing.
You don't run Philly Spell.
in that situation.
It made absolutely no sense,
and the result was even worse.
So, you know, I guess big win for the Ravens,
who again looked still a little off.
But like I said, if Lamar is going to be off
throwing the ball, the game should be closer.
I also give a little less, or excuse me,
a little more leeway in divisional games.
They just should be close.
These teams know each other pretty well.
The coaching staff knows each other pretty well.
So it doesn't bother me, you know, to see tightly contested games.
But we can nitpick the individual decisions as we're doing.
The Zach Taylor play is still just, it's a head scratcher.
Football season is underway.
So now is the perfect time to download FanDuel,
America's number one sports book.
Because right now, new customers get a no-swet first bet up to $1,000.
That's free bets back if your first bet doesn't win.
Just sign up using the promo code
Colin
FanDuel has all your favorite bets
from money line to point spreads
to player props.
You can combine your bets for a chance
at a bigger payout with a same game parlay.
The app is safe, secure,
and super easy to use.
Get paid your winnings fast.
So sign up today with promo code
Colin for your no sweat first bet.
Make every moment more this season with FanDuel,
official sportsbook partner of the NFN.
NFL. 21 and over in president, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia. Must wager in designated offer market. Max bet $5.5.5.com. Rescriptions apply. See full terms at sportsbook.
Fanduel.com. Gambling problem? Call 1-800 next step or text next step to 533-4-2-8-8-8-8-8-8-9-7-7-7. Or visit cccccccccdegg.
or visit fanduil.com slash RG, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
1-8777-7-7-7-1-1-7-1-1-7 for confidential help, Michigan.
1-8778-N-Y, or text, Hope, NY, 467-69, New York, Tennessee, 800, 888-9-9, Tennessee,
1-800-5-2-4700. Wyoming.
Visit www.1-800 gambler.net, West Virginia.
Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.
It's the enhanced games.
Some call it grotesque.
Others say it's unleashing human potential.
Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,
embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.
Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.
I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
A win is a win.
A win is a win.
I don't care what you're saying.
Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th.
You might have seen the skits, the reactions,
my journey from basketball to college football,
or my career in sports media.
Well, somewhere along the way,
this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.
And now I'm bringing all of that excitement
to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.
This is a place for raw,
unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,
creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard,
but celebrated.
One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment.
And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.
The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.
It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,
and for people who are chasing something bigger.
So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,
this is right where you need to be.
Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,
or wherever you get your podcast.
And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at Tickford.
Talk Podcast Network on TikTok.
And speaking of, I guess not divisional games, but conference games, that when the season started,
you would have said Steelers at the bills be a pretty big game.
And we talked about this on, I think on Friday's show, it was well reported last week
that it was the biggest point spread in the history of the franchise.
14 point underdog.
And it turned out it could have been 25 points and it still wouldn't have mattered.
I think the final score was 38 to 3.
The bills destroyed the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Absolutely embarrassed them.
I would imagine, I mean, it's got to be one of the worst losses of Mike Tomlin's career.
And as we talked about last week with the Steelers, they got very, they were spoiled in the Rothesberger era.
Now, when you're going to give up that many points, it's not all on the offense.
It's not all in the young quarterback.
I'm not even really here to talk about the Steelers.
One thing is clear.
When the bills are on, they're seeing.
is probably the highest in the league.
You know, Josh Allen is every bit as good as Patrick Bohomes now.
He is a superstar.
Physically, he's as talented as any guy we've seen in the league in forever.
I mean, 6'5, that arm, those legs.
When he's on, when he's accurate, the deep ball, he is just, he's the total package.
And then, like the chiefs of the last several years when they had Tyreek and Hardiman,
they had a lot of down-the-field speed.
Well, the bills, Gabriel Davis, can really,
stretch the field. Stefan Diggs, one of the better win-win trades in NFL history has to be, I mean,
it essentially is Stefan Diggs for Justin Jefferson. Now at the time, they traded him before the
draft. It was Diggs for Pick 22, ended up with Justin Jefferson. Both teams are doing cartwheels.
And Diggs was damn good on the Vikings. He's way better now. Like he's a flat out superstar.
He's a top five wide receiver. Kalil Shakir, who they drafted from the Boise, from Boise State,
Lock-eye is a stud.
When that offense is on, they can score 35 plus on anyone.
I still think when the Chiefs are super loaded,
they're as good as anybody or super locked in.
But their offense isn't going to be as explosive as the bill.
Just because when you lose Tyreek,
they're just built a little bit differently.
But the bill ceiling is, I think we all have to acknowledge,
when they're on, they're probably the best team in the league.
And what happens this week?
I'm recording this.
I guess we'll have another podcast after the Monday night game.
the Chiefs are going to be coming off a short week,
but they are hosting the bills, which that's box office.
I mean, the two most and probably Lamar,
young box office quarterbacks, hard to beat.
Josh Allen, Mahomes, doesn't get any better than that.
Speaking of doesn't get any worse than that, Brandon Staley.
And I've said for a long time, I didn't buy into the bullshit.
He reminded me of such a politician.
He spoke, like, listen, all coaches are different.
If you watch Pete Carroll talk, if you watch Andy Reid talk, if you watch Belichick talk,
if you watch Nick Sabin, Lincoln Riley, every coach has a different, you know, tactic or the way,
just the way they speak, the cadence of their words, the way they, their tone, everyone, we're all different human beings.
So you're allowed to not sound like the next guy.
I'm fine with you being unique.
But when I watch Brandon Staley talk, I watch a guy that just has just watched every single coach on YouTube and just tries to emulate what it's supposed to sound like.
Yet when I'm watching the guy, I just think like, is this an actor playing a coach?
Is this just not buying into the bullshit?
It just feels very contrived, very fake.
The whole thing feels fake.
But one point in time, Vic Fangio, who I think is one of the better defensive,
defensive coordinators the last several decades, hired them, really liked them. Brandon Staley went on to
run the Rams defense. They were awesome. Then he gets this job. I thought last year was an atrocious
disaster, just an all-time tire fire, right? The defense, how shitty they were, and then losing that
last game. And then this season, today, I flip on the game. They're down 14-0 like that. Now,
the Browns have a lot of good players, but they all were rolling out their backup quarterback. And to,
you even blink to be down 14-0.
That is a reflection of the head coach.
You don't have the boys ready to go.
And then because they have
an elite quarterback, I mean a guy
that is just a fantastic player,
they are able to compete against anybody
because he can make plays.
And Echler's playing really well too.
But then, late in the game,
up two points at midfield
on fourth and two,
not quite as bad as what he did
against the Raiders.
but the Raiders thing has already happened.
So now, when he goes for it on 4th and 2, under 2 minutes,
on the road against fucking Jacobi Brissette,
we're all thinking, what are you, he can't be serious.
And then there was like a timeout or like play stop.
And whoever was calling the game was like,
actually he's not going to go for it.
And then they come back, they're like, no, he's going for it.
Keenan Allen, who's one of the better wide receivers of the past decade,
who's injured right now, who I think's at home.
He didn't make the trip.
I know he didn't play in the game, tweeted,
WTF, are we doing?
He literally, a guy on the team couldn't even hide it.
Of course, the Chargers don't want him doing that.
But Tom Telesco had to be thinking it.
The only way that I can think that he keeps doing this
is Dean Spanos in whatever Excel spreadsheet he runs his life on,
thinks that that is the right play call
and keeps telling him always go for it.
Because other than that,
if Cade York
who missed the field goal
I mean I've never seen a guy
make such a terrible call
and then the Browns be right in position
to win the game and the kid
I mean slices the ball
it wasn't really even that close
I mean it was just a pretty eye-opening miss
he had missed the same thing in pre-game warmups
they kept showing and then he misses in the game
and I was pissed I wanted the Chargers to lose
not because of my disdain for Brandon Staley
because when you do something that moronic,
that just universally accepted to be,
this is the dumbest decision we've ever seen,
you don't deserve to win.
And then there were clips of him in the locker room,
kind of that went viral of him like,
saying I play to win,
and you can see the team like,
this guy is a clown.
I think Brandon Staley is just a created caricature
who has no clue what he's doing.
Nick Chubb's a really good player.
They're slicing and dynastew.
them. The Chargers defense is bad. Brandon Staley has nothing to do with the offense. I just can't
believe the dude missed the kick because the Chargers, when I speak of the Chargers, like,
I like Derwin James. I like Cleo Mack. I love Justin Herbert. I like Austin Eckler. Like I like
a lot of their players. But I just can't root for that guy to win. Because everything that he
stands for it, which I don't think he stands for anything, I just think he makes everything up as he
goes, except for going for it when it makes no sense to go for it. And still somehow wins that
game. I just, that one, man. I can't believe it. I really can't. But I feel more and more validated
on my opinion on the guy. And then I think you got to give a shot out to two bald guys and the
big apple. Now, I would say one guy had a more impressive win. The Jets are three and two. And listen,
you never, when you're the New York Jets, you've been one of the worst teams in the league for a decade.
Three and two is a big deal. But the New York Giants, like the Jets have a lot of good players. I think
the Jets roster is dramatically better than the Giants. Now, Daniel Jones and Zach Wilson, honestly,
might be closer than you think in terms of talent. I'm not a big Zach Wilson guy. But the Jets beat a guy.
Teddy Bridgewater gets, he actually, I don't think, got a concussion, but he went into the concussion
protocol, passed all the tests and the dolphins, as we've been saying, are just making up the rules
now. Clearly getting pressure, didn't want to put him back in the game, even though he cleared the
protocols, didn't let them back in the game.
They're playing an undrafted free agent.
Salah took care of business,
three and two, props them, the ball brother.
But Brian Dayball, I woke up this morning,
these 630 kickoffs for us in the West Coast.
Like, I'm sorry.
I don't take the England game that seriously.
I usually don't watch that much of it.
I usually watch like the fourth quarter.
One, I just, I'm going to watch football basically from 10 a.m.
till 8.30 at night.
Like, I'm not doing the England game or Europe game or UK game
or wherever the hell of it.
it is. It's usually not even that good. And then I wake up and I see it's 17.3. I'm like,
you know what? Brian Daibble's done an incredible job. He's about to lose this game probably
30 to 10 to Aaron Rogers. No big deal. He's still competing. Maybe he can get them to 7.8 wins.
Incredible season. And I just, like most people, if you weren't locked into the game,
you're like, the Packer 173, then all of a sudden I look and it's 20 to 20. I'm like,
I should probably turn this thing on. Then it goes 27 to 20. I'm like, Brian Daibol and the New York
Giants are going to win this game.
flip it on. Aaron Rogers is driving him down the field,
and somehow they get to the red zone,
and he gets two passes batted down on third and fourth,
and Brian Dayball has an atrocious roster.
I mean, Seyquan Barclay's a really good player.
Kvon has only played now a couple games,
so it's not like he's even been there the whole time.
They do not have many good players.
I mean, they got a highly paid wide receiver,
who's pissed off, who wanted to get traded,
and it's just like,
none of it matters.
of it matters. Now you can say who have they really beat. Well, today they beat Aaron Rogers
across the pond when they were down big. Brian Dayball is doing an incredible job. And I said the
major difference to him and all the other New England guys is him going to Buffalo, him learning on
his own. This guy's got it. You know, this guy really does. I mean, beat Aaron Rogers. Beat Aaron Rogers.
Beat Aaron Rogers when he's up on you? What a win. What a win for the New York Giants.
How about in this division has been made fun of over and over. And they've just
deserved it. They have been consistently
terrible, right? The
commanders sucked. The
Giants have sucked.
The Eagles up until last year had had a weird
couple years. And right
now, the Eagles are 5 and 0.
The Giants are 4 and 1, and the
Cowboys are 4 in 1. They are doing
a lot of winning in the NFC.
So if it wasn't for the commanders,
this division would be a complete
powerhouse. Now, I still believe
the Giants are going to come back to Earth,
but 4 in 1 is 4 and 1, man.
awesome job. And then I just wanted to say RIP. I don't know if by the time you wake up on
Monday morning, it's official, but it's unofficially official. It's over for two guys.
Matt Ruhl, who got paid seven years and $62 million. And I don't fault David Teper for giving
him that money. He was making $8 million at Baylor. It's not like he was making two and all of a
sudden Deppra came out and started paying him nine. He was making a ton of money. And in
Texas, you don't have state income tax.
So if I'm paying you $8, $8.5 million, that is a ton of cash.
And I've never been to Waco, Texas, but I can imagine that money goes a long, long way.
So when David Teper paid him, other people were interested in the guy.
He wanted to make a splashy hire.
The guy, I wouldn't say a media creation because he had won at Temple and then he had won at
Baylor, but he got a lot of media hype.
Now, I had friends that scouts that went into his program of Baylor and loved
the guy. They thought he was impressive, that it carried himself like an NFL guy. Everyone I knew
thought he was going to be successful in the pros. So honestly, I kind of did too. Now, I did go out on
a limb and I picked the Panthers to win the division. I miss on that one. I didn't want to pick
Brady. I thought the divorce was going to derail him. It hasn't. But Temper and this combination
of Matt Rule has been an utter failure. He's now 11 and 27. And his biggest, I don't even say
mistake, inability to find a quarterback. He went from Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Darnold to Baker
Mayfield. And in a crazy way, Baker might be the worst of the three. Now, I know Baker immediately
beat out Sam, and Sam might be bad too. Baker is getting worse by the week. He can't move. He's
inaccurate. It feels because he can't move, he's a sitting duck. Now he's every other play. He's
getting up limping. You know, this guy's undoing in the NFL is going to be the undoing of a lot of people.
in the history of the league.
When you can't figure out the quarterback
and you're always kind of turning your wheels,
you get in a position where your offense just sucks.
And they played a stat today against the Niners.
He is now 1 in 26, 1 in 26,
when the opponent scores 17 points.
17 points.
So if his defense isn't lights out
or his quarterback does not turn the ball over,
which, you know, listen,
even Tom Brady's going to throw a pick here and there,
your team's going to fumble.
Your margin for error is nothing because you can't score.
So Matt Ruhl is going to be at Nebraska.
He's going to be at Wisconsin.
Hell, I mean, they might fire Brett Venables.
He might be at Oklahoma, you know, in two weeks.
But the reason he failed, because I watch them, I think their defense actually pretty
solid.
Like they got good pieces on their team at different positions.
Their quarterback position is, last year it was an abomination with Sam Donald.
It got worse by the week.
and then they ended up going to PJ Walker.
This right now with Baker Mayfield, it's getting worse by the week.
And when you have bottom five quarterback play,
because that's what the Panthers have had basically two years in a row,
you have absolutely no chance to win.
Absolutely none.
No matter how, it could be a tie game and have to,
you're going to lose because over a 60-minute game
when you can't score points, you can't create long drives,
you can't just complete passes on third and six.
Like you can't get off the field or you keep getting booted off the field on third down.
Because you just can't function as an offense.
You have no chance.
And I also think looking back, he'd only been in the NFL one year.
He'd only been in the NFL one season as an assistant offensive line coach.
I don't think he's as big as a failure as Urban because clearly like he's a professional.
He can handle himself.
I mean, Urban didn't last the year.
But it does feel like he's a little over his head, you know, and maybe it was just,
now he has Fitterer, the dude from Seattle, maybe it was a little too late.
that he would have helped from the beginning, but
I don't know.
It just, you know, his NFL career, like, he's never getting another shot in the NFL.
You can't be, you know, if he ends up getting fired in a couple weeks, he's 11 and 29.
Like, you don't get a second go-round.
And maybe, and the best part is, like, sometimes if you've got to be a lifetime college coach,
ask Nick Saban what that means.
That means hundreds of millions of dollars.
Someone's going to pay Matt Rule 8, 9, 10 million dollars a year.
Because here's just the reality.
No different than Nick Sabin when he was in Miami.
or Bobby Petrino when he was with the Falcons,
these ADs and people in college football will not judge you.
They do not care.
They look at your collegiate resume.
In his collegiate resume, he won.
In the NFL, he gets his ass kicked.
But these ADs, they'll open the checkbook.
Tepper, say, see ya.
I don't know what Dave Tepper does,
but they got to figure out their quarterback position
or the Carolina Panthers are going to suck for a long time.
The volume.
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, S&L'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 I-Hard Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
This is an I-Heart podcast.
Guaranteed human.
