The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Burrow vs. Baker TNF Breakdown; Allen Robinson Trade Demand; Pac-12 Embarrassment; '3 For The $' Week 2 ATS Picks; Mailbag

Episode Date: September 18, 2020

In this episode, John reacts the Browns TNF win over the Bengals and breaks down why Joe Burrow displayed everything you want to see in a big time franchise quarterback, and why it's still playoffs or bust for Baker Mayfield's future in Cleveland, despite a bounce back night. He also looks at how the Bears should deal with Allen Robinson's trade demand, why the Pac-12 keeps embarrassing itself as the B1G comes back, gives his '3 for the Money' Week 2 ATS NFL picks, 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 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. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam Jay. 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. 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 1800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in.

What is going on, everybody, John Middilcock, 3 and out podcast. Thursday night, right after a little really good game out of Ohio with the Bengals. and the Browns. And we're going to dive into that right off the bat. Joe Burrow, Becker Mayfield, some thoughts there. A lot of other stuff going on in the show. Alan Robinson, some drama with him this week, have some thoughts there. I'm embarrassed to be a Pac-12 fan.

We'll dive into everything that happened the last couple days. I'll do my three for the money. I pick three games every week, two for one last week. I feel really good about two of my picks this week, and pretty good about the third as well. give a couple other thoughts and we'll dive into the middlecough mailbag at john middlecoff also uh the three and out podcast subscribe if you follow on iTunes I appreciate that helps us sell the show helps the listeners whatever subscribe to that podcast leave a review uh preferably a good one if you like the show if not

don't leave one uh but but I think the big story of the night and I've always believed this you know it when you see it and I think it's hard in this day and in age because we love to quantify everything. I don't necessarily, but I think so many people in sports need the box score, the analytical people. Like to me, there's something, you know you have something special when you see it. Now, this guy had a pretty good box score. He was 37 of 61.

And last year, right, he had a historic year at LSU. They won the national championship. He won the Heisman. I mean, he would have been the MVP of the final four, right? I mean, he's as highly, he's a high play. I mean, he went number one in the draft. So it's not like Belichick today said that Russell Wilson, he's like, you know, I just, I don't know, I think he's kind of underrated.

No, Bill, I think we all acknowledge Russell Wilson's like one of the greatest quarterbacks we've ever seen. He's a superstar. Like, no, Bill, we get it. But Joe Burrow, anytime you're a rookie, I think there is just how good is this guy going to be, what's he going to look like? A lot of times, right, when you go number one,

you go to a really shitty team. If you're the number one recruit in like the tech industry or the architecture industry, or I would imagine coming out of like some sweet law firm, you're going to an elite institution. Right, you're going to Middle Cough and Howard, or you're going to work at Google, or you're going to go work at the best

they're going to pay you a lot. You're going to work with the best in the field. You're going to start off pretty well. But in pro sports, especially football, you're the number one overall pick. There is no draft lottery. You go to the shittiest team in the league. And this year it happened to go

arguably one of the worst franchises in the league. Definitely one of the worst franchises since I've been alive. They had a little stretch with Marvin Lewis, but for the most part, the Bengals, in my of my 35 years, I would imagine if I dove into it, 25 of them have been pretty bad. And Joe Burrell went there, and I give him credit because I said I would have held out.

I would have gone John Elway, Eli Manning, and refused to play there. But he didn't. Now, part of it is he's from Ohio. For whatever reason, he appreciated those people. I know I understand why he appreciates those people, but I mean, the franchise, the people in the franchise didn't bother him. And he went there.

I thought he was kind of crazy. And as you see through the first couple games, his offensive line is terrible. He's going to be really, really good. Poise, how calm he is, the plays he makes. Let's be real. Joe Mixon is a stud. A.J. Green, hasn't been good in years.

A.J. Green tonight at 13 targets and three catches. Tyler Boyd, solid player. Drew Sample, I don't even know who that is. Got a couple other young guys I haven't really heard of. the dude Higgins from Clemson didn't even got injured he's okay I didn't even like him that much coming out and it's not like Mix and Carried in the night

he had 46 yards on the ground now he makes plays in the passing game too another 40 yards but Joe Burrell threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns but the box score doesn't do him justice you had to watch the game the first half and especially the second half

there was a play in the first half where they're basically backed up on their own goal line, or excuse me, the second half. He gets strip sacked. They end up falling on the ball in the one-yard line, score a little later. Most rookie quarterbacks would have crumbled. Most human beings, in any new job, go through a lot of adversity. They go into the tank. Just think about it.

Your first job out of college, something goes terribly wrong, basically your third or fourth week on the job. It's hard to just keep battling through that day. He came back the next series and let him down for a touchdown. It was pretty eye-opening. That was the drive where I went. This kid's got, I mean, this is no joke. Now listen, I loved him at LSU.

But I went, you know, he's playing with Clyde, he's playing with Justin Jefferson, he's playing with Jamar Chase, he's playing with Randy Moss's kid, he's playing with backup wide receivers that are studs, his offensive lines, fantastic. Let's see what he looks like with the worst offensive line in the league. I'll tell you what he looked like. He looks like the best player in the Bengals by a mile. He looks like a guy that's going to make seven or eight Pro Bowls. He looks like a guy that's going to lead this franchise

if they just pick some decent players to the playoffs. I was blown away tonight. My expectations for Joe Burrell, like a lot of rookie players at quarterback, tend to be a little lower. You know, if you throw for a couple hundred yards, make a couple good throws, I get to see your arm, get to see him make a couple plays.

I tip my hat to you. I worked in the NFL. I know what freaks these guys are. I've been going to NFL practices for over a decade. I mean, my friends in the scouting community, I text them all the time about different players. I understand how hard it is. I watch just too much football.

You should not be this good this early. And I get it's a little easier to play quarterback, right? The rules are more conducive for you to have success. But still, man, I, I, I, I'm blown away. The it factor. This kid has it. If I could bet on this guy like a stock,

like I throw a couple Gs today in the stock market. God, I love gambling. I love betting on the stock market when stocks I want go in the red. My stock philosophy is bet when things are in the red. My evaluation of players is judge them after things go in the tank. How do you respond?

Especially young players. Because you learn a lot about the guy. Joe Burroughs maturity, the way he carries himself, he's got like this infectious positive attitude, just clearly from last year at LSU to hear. His offensive line couldn't be worse. Worst offensive line in the national football league. He's running for his life.

And luckily he can run. Because in 2020 and moving forward, the day and age, and listen, I'm not trying to diminish Tom Brady, he's the greatest quarterback of all time. The day and age of playing like that is over. the only quarterbacks that will succeed in this league moving forward are going to be guys that can move around. You don't need to be Lamar Jackson, but you've got to be like Joe Burrell. You got to be like, you've got to be able to move behind the pocket.

And every once in a while, take off and make a play with your legs. And that's what he did tonight. 37, 61, 316 yards, 3 touchdowns. Week 2 of his NFL rookie season, Thursday night on the road. Now I get there are only 10,000 fans there or whatever. but man, I'm going to tip my hat to Joe Burrell. I can see, and I mean, I watch the games, but I understand why LSU fans love the guy.

If I'm a Cincinnati Bengal fan, win or lose, the results of these games don't even matter. The future does, and I have the future a quarterback. You basically have your modern-day version of Carson Palmer. You have something special. You know, you had, you went from Carson, who was a stud, to Dalton, who was just a middle of the road guy, but the team was so good,

back to this version of Carson, a guy, but he can move. And you got to start a quarterback. And if they build it a ride around in the next couple of years, you're a playoff team, because that's how the NFL works. Now let's go to the other side. Baker Mayfield was 16 to 23 for 200 plus yards and two touchdowns.

But he threw a terrible, terrible pick. One thing's pretty clear with the Cleveland. Cleveland Browns. They have a dominant one-two tandem at running back. Nick Chubb is a monster. Kareem Hunt was a starting running back two years ago for arguably one of the best offenses we saw in the last decade in Kansas City. So we already know he's a stud.

And they combine for basically 200 yards and four touchdowns. I mean, they dominated. When this team runs it, they're going to be tough. But you're not going to be able to run it against everybody. you're not going to be able to run it against the Ravens not going to be able to run against the Steelers it's going to be put on Baker and Baker came out of this game with his hair

on fire slinging it around driving up and down the field on the Browns through a nice touchdown to Odell Beckham and when he's on it looks really good when the timing's on when the play and Trent Dilfer often says this how do you play outside of the X's and O's well inside the X's and O's when it's

schemed up right and a guy's open Baker's all Baker could be really good. Bang, bang, boom, throw. Like Kirk Cousins. When it's there, perfectly, bang, bang, boom, and you throw it, it looks awesome. But when it's not, you're like, eh, leaves a little something to be desired. Now, Baker overall was pretty good tonight.

But, like, you saw the one pick, and the one pick wasn't even very good. In the sense, or, I mean, it wasn't good at all in the sense of, he didn't even see the defender coming from the backside. And those are the type plays in your third year as you go along, because here's what we know. And I feel very confident saying this. There is zero excuse for the Browns to not to be in the playoff mix.

Their offense is stacked. Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, O'Dell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Hooper, who Troy Aikman compared to Brent Jones, who I grew up on multiple-time all-pro. I thought it was a little strong. Then I googled it. Hooper's been going to Pro Bowls the last couple years. Hooper's really talented.

So just Hooper, Beckham, Landry, Chubb, and Hunt alone. I mean, what else you're asking for? So, listen, Baker showed some flashes of the guy that got him drafted number one overall. We saw some tonight. He was playing the Bengals, though. And pulling up their schedule right now should win the next week at Washington. Then you go on a little stretch where it's going to be kind of tough. And these are the type games Baker will be judged on at the Cowboys,

the Colts at the Steelers. So like if he can go two and one on that stretch, they beat Washington next week, you're looking at a playoff team. You lose two out of three, then it starts getting pressure late in the season when you got to play the Steelers, you got to play the Ravens,

you got to play the Titans. I mean, these are good teams. Now they do have the Jets and the Giants on their schedule. There's just to me no excuse for this offense. Their defense clearly has some issues, right? Lineback and Corps doesn't look great. Their D-line's good, and the corners are hit or miss. The dude they drafted, was it last year Ward or two years ago from Ohio State?

It can be fine. But you can throw on them. I mean, Burrow did for over 300 yards. But the offense has enough talent if the quarterback's good to be top five. And if you have a top five offense and we'll just Miles Garrett alone and a couple other defensive linemen, you're good enough to make the playoffs. Like, there is no excuse. Joe Burrow has excuses.

His offensive line is awful. His defense stinks. They shouldn't win more than three games. And you know what? They probably won't. Their division, I mean, the Browns are the worst team in their division. How the hell are they going to beat the Steelers or the Ravens? Answer is they won't.

So there's a decent chance they win two or three games. But at the end of the year, we're all going to be saying, damn, what Joe Burrow, they got something, man. Trade that number one pick, get a hall of picks. They got themselves something. For the Browns, I think any Cleveland Browns fan would agree with me right now. This year is very black and white. You better make a wild card. Way too much talent.

And is the quarterback good enough? We're about to find out. But he was drafted number one overall. You're not dealing with, you know, a second round pick a couple years ago, right? Like a Jimmy Garoppel or Derek Carr, that you were just hoping to be good. Or a Dak Prescott some found money. You're dealing with a guy that you picked over. Allen. You picked over Lamar Jackson, obviously Sam Darnold. Now, I understand it's a new administration,

but that doesn't change the fact of Baker himself that you see when it's good, he can look really good. But is he going to throw that pick that he threw to William Jackson in the Bengals when he's playing the Steelers, when he's playing the Ravens, you know, when he's playing the Colts, when he's playing the Cowboys? That's my question. And I don't know the answer right now. I'm not going to beat up on him because give him credit short week got his mojo back. He's playing probably beside the Jets maybe the worst team in the league.

But obviously no because Burroughs good enough. They should win, I'd say, three or four games. But it's, this Browns team, it's easy to be like, oh, same old Browns, crappy Browns. No.

So look at their offensive roster. I just don't, you can't ask for anything more. And clearly, Stefanski's a pretty good head coach. Pretty good play caller. We can nitpick all you want. Should have passed, should have run. Like they scored in the mid-30s pretty easily.

They got denied at the goal line. Could have had 40 points, no problem. Stafansky's not going to be their problem. It's all going to come. 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment.

And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me Or you're just chasing down a dream

This is right where you need to be Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast And for more behind the scenes Follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network On TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross Double Tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people I know what you're thinking What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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's 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, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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 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? 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. Down to Baker.

And if Baker is just, you know, a top 15 quarterback in the NFL, they'll be at a wild card team. If he was the guy we saw week one in the big games and that we saw last year, they're going to struggle to get 500, even despite this talent. So to me, that is the question mark with this Cleveland Brown's team.

How can Baker play against the good teams? And right now, I don't have an answer for you, but I am fascinated to watch it play out. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate cups. covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1800flowers.com.

Right now, get the 18th stem enchanted rose medley for $3999, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 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 is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go.

Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like Dad has the bag's daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Dipers 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. 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 Nitzha and the Ad Council. Okay, let's dive into Alan Robinson. And his name was in the news this week that he wanted a trade. and so I reached out to some people in the NFL. Obviously, I know people with the team. It's easier to get a text back from, you know,

Andy Reid or Sean McDermott than it is my guy Nagy. But, you know, he's busy. He's got a big win. I know that the Bears really like this player. I mean, he had a huge year last year in a season when their quarterback play was horrendous. 98 catches, 1,100 yards, 7 touchdowns. Allen Robbins is a really, really good player. I had a buddy, though, that was a scout that kind of used an analogy that I would use.

And he compared this wide receiver boom to the tech stocks. That they have just jumped, especially during this pandemic, I mean, they've gone up exponentially. And really over the last several years, Facebook, Apple, Netflix, Square, you name it. Only an idiot like me would sell things like Apple and Square, not realizing that, yeah, Apple can do a million other things, and Square has this thing called the Cash App. But a lot of people look at tech stocks as a little overvalued.

Now, you could counter it and go, I'd argue the world's going to change dramatically, and it already really has, but over the next 10, 20, 30 years, and technology hasn't even scratched the surface. I mean, I work in technology. I do a podcast. I don't even think the podcast industry has sniffed where it's going, because we still compete with things like terrestrial radio for advertising revenue. My personal opinion, I don't think terrestrial radio will exist in 10 years. I'd argue in the next five years, it's going to be like newspapers 10 years ago. It's coming. I mean, I've worked in both. I just, it's not that complicated of a formula to see what's happening with our world. So you could go, yeah, it's like tech stocks.

Are they overvalued? Or are they still technically undervalued? Because where the world is changing. In wide receivers for a long time, cowards analogy, I would have, imagine 15, 20 years ago was correct. They were the icing on the cake. Because back then, being a balanced team, you needed a good defense to win, and you still do. But in 2020, passing the football has never had more value.

Partly because the rules, your quarterback is more protected, partly because quarterbacks are just better, and partly because of the schemes, right? The schemes that they run in college, so many of these guys, played in spread offenses. Well, now the league has incorporated that. Forever, when I worked at Fresno State in 2008 and 2009, a big reason our quarterbacks got drafted, David Carr, Billy Volick, Tom Brainstater,

when we recruited Derek Carr, was because they played in a pro-style offense. Remember Pete Carroll, USC, early Nick Saban? They played in a pro-style offense. You don't want a Mike Leach quarterback. You don't want an Oklahoma quarterback. You don't want a Texas Tech quarterback. Well, I think it's fair to say we can throw all that shit out the window, right?

Like, the evidence is in. Spread quarterbacks, Mahomes, Kyler, work in the pros. Now, you incorporate, like, ideally you want, like a borough situation where they're doing spread concepts, they're doing NFL concepts, but Mahomes, the best quarterback in the league, played a Texas Tech. Hell, Gardner Minchew, just had a fantastic week one, has now started what? 15 games in his career.

Played one season at Washington State. So the world has changed. But I still believe, like, I have no problem paying wide receivers big money as long as I know I can win big with the guy. Like Devante Adams, he's technically underpaid, but if you wanted to pay him premium money, I'm good with it. Michael Thomas, he's hurt right now, I'm good with that too.

I think I can win big with Michael Thomas. When I see Amari Cooper get $20 million a year and $60 million guaranteed, you know, don't love that. I don't love that. When I see Keenan Allen get four years, $80 million, you know, I can live with that. As we've seen, Odell Beckham Jr., you know, got huge money a couple years ago, and it hasn't really worked. You know, it's not an easy position because a lot of these guys produce now, and some of them can be hit or miss personality-wise, and it's hard to know which ones you should pay and which ones you shouldn't. But I also understand

from Alan Robinson's perspective, like if you're just another tech business, you want to go public, just because, you know, even if you're not producing, you know, at the same level of Facebook, Google, Square, whatever,

Netflix, you name it, you're going to get overinflated. So Alan Robinson looks at all these people getting huge money, even though probably half of them didn't necessarily deserve it, and thinks, wow, I should get paid. And he should.

But what should he get paid? Adam Thielen, I think a couple years ago, got $35 million guaranteed. Devante Adams is one of the more underpaid players in the league makes like $15 million, I think almost 15, like 14. And right now, Alan Robinson's going into his free agency year. So he wants a huge contract. And if I'm Alan Robinson, and I just had 98 catches,

a number Amari Cooper never sniffed before he got paid. Pretty sure Amari Cooper never had 80 catches in the five years of his, in his first five years of his career. Now, he had 10 this first week with, McCarthy, and I would imagine if he stays healthy, he has a 90 to 100 catch season in the back. But Alan Robinson's probably thinking of the Bears. Well, I want $65 million guaranteed.

And, you know, I'd struggle to do that. Now, here's where I would push back. It is on the Bears. Because the Bears and Ryan Pace drafted Mitch Tribesky, they had to double down this offseason, and they had to make a trade for Nick Foles. And that trade for Nick Foles cost them millions of dollars. I think like $20 million. It was a very expensive move.

While the move, trading a fourth round pick wasn't that expensive, bringing his contract onto the books was. It was not a cheap move. And if Mitch Trubisky had not, and who knows, he had a great fourth quarter, we'll see if he can keep that going this week. But if Mitch Trubisky was just good, they never would have had to do that

and they would have had more flexibility. So there are a lot of elements to the situation. It is a complicated situation. And I understand from Alan Robinson's perspective, he wants to get paid. And if this was the NBA, he could cause a big stink and force them to trade him. But this is a management leak. And you can say whatever you want about Ryan Pace. Is he good?

Is he not? I see some people calling him the worst GM in the league, Rota World did. I mean, he has made some pretty good moves. Didn't he sign Alan Robinson originally? Didn't he trade for Kille Mack originally? Didn't he draft Roquan Smith and signed Danny Trevathan? And Jalen Smith and Eddie Jackson, like he's drafted pretty good players. Now, the most important thing, and listen, he hired my guy Matt Nagy,

who I think is a pretty good coach. He missed on the quarterback. We think maybe we'll see. Mitch turned it around. I don't know. I still would not feel great about that. But he put himself in a position where he couldn't extend to Alan Robinson because he had to make up for his quarterback miss.

And that cost him. So there are variables. I know this. If Alan Robinson hit the open market this offseason as a free agent, he would get overpaid. quote-unquote, overpaid. Because he would get more money than Amari Cooper. That's what happens when you hit the open market.

You get people bidding on you and you get overpaid by, I don't know, 30%. That's why all these top players, hell, if you're an average player, you want to hit free agency. You don't want to get franchise tagged. But I would imagine, I haven't even looked at the bear's cap. You know why? Because the cap numbers don't matter. You can cut guys, you can trade guys. Nothing is more irrelevant in the NFL than a team's cap number.

Week two of what it's going to be when free agency is. We know that. And especially this year, we have no... Here's the other problem with Alan Robinson. So let's say you're the Bears and you want to get aggressive and sign them. You're not sure what the cap's going to be. Because we're in this coronavirus season where the minimum it can be is 175. And who knows if fans, it seems like we're headed that maybe fans start being integrated into all teams,

October, November, December. Maybe it ends up at 190, right? I don't know. I can't even pretend to guess. talk to people in the NFL, they don't know. There's a huge just unknown. And when you're dealing with unknowns, usually with guys that are really good players, not great players, you're not going to quote unquote overpay. So I understand where the bears are. Now, they put themselves in this position, like I said, because of Mr. Biskey and having to go get fools. So they created

the situation, but they're in this situation. And I understand, like, I'm sure he's asking for an astronomical amount of money. And I'm sure the bears don't feel comfortable paying that much money. Like, it's just part of doing business. Like, this is the NFL. These decisions are difficult. I'll be shocked if he gets traded. Also be shocked if they're not able to figure this out as time goes on. Everyone just needs to take a deep breath. These guys are professionals. Alan Robinson's a baller and the bears need them. Okay, let's dive into something that just kind of happened out of nowhere on Wednesday. I think we've known for the last week or two that the Big Ten was coming back. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, after the Big Ten announces, some pressure

gets put on the governor who lies in the state of California, turns out the PAC 12 is going to be able to come back now too. And we learned something that I've known for a while. The PAC 12, and high school football isn't taking place in the state of California either, did not get postponed because of science. It has not been being played because of politics. It has not been being played because of politics. And I can't, obviously that factors into the Big Ten, but I can't speak to that. I live out here.

And I can speak to the way we're thinking out here. And before you go, middle cough, you're just a MAGA. No, I'm actually about as middle of the road as you're going to meet. I'm a fiscal conservative. That will never change. I could not be any more socially liberal. I think Donald Trump is nuts. I think Mike Pence is a stiff.

I think Joe Biden is losing. losing his marbles. I think Kamala Harris is a bad person. Google her resume. But here's what I have no dog in this fight. All I know is just definitely the way the people have been treated in my state of California. It hasn't added up for a while. It stopped being about science two or three months ago in California. We are by far the most lockdown state, yet our numbers don't equal it. It hasn't added up. But when the Big Ten came back and clearly the pressure, their programs are much bigger and much more, you know, powerful nationally and locally than any of our programs out here. The power that Ohio State wields, Michigan wields, Penn State wields, it's not even close.

Pro sports on the West Coast, Midwest, they do pro sports and college sports. But those programs, especially their football programs, are huge. I'm jealous. But I love the Pac-12. and I give a lot of my attention and I'm embarrassed by what has happened. I don't blame the players and I definitely don't blame the coaches. But listen, our government is, we're extreme out here.

And there were rules in place that you couldn't have more than 12 people on the field at once. I had friends that were high school coaches that a couple months ago before they canceled the season said they just tried to have some practices. He's like, John, this was the dumbest thing we ever did. We weren't even allowed to touch the balls. You can't practice football

if only 11 or 12 people can be on the field at one time. It's humanly impossible. So once the Big Ten became official, Gavin Newsom, the governor of the state of California, because we have a lot of our states on fire, that's a whole other can of worms politically too. but he was asked about the Pact 12 and he said there was nothing holding back the Pact 12

which was complete bullshit. There were rules on place about these cohorts where you couldn't practice that were in place that just got lifted earlier today as I'm recording this. So the pressure once he kind of backed off because he didn't want blood in his hands like he wasn't the guy holding it back

and there are going to be people like, Minilcoff, it is about the science, it's all about testing. The Pact 12 like a month ago signed a contract with to do daily testing. This is where the program and the Pact 12, the conference operates like a bunch of sheep. They can't do anything on their own.

Like you could have started moving the ball. The 49ers are playing. The Rams are playing. The Arizona Cardinals are playing. The Denver Broncos are playing. Seattle is playing. You could have got the ball rolling. It's not that complicated.

Be forward thinking. Start reaching out. in pushing the government. You have the testing. That was the big issue. They were so scared of their own shadow they had to wait for the Big Ten to do it to even think about it.

And honestly, if Gavin Newsom was not asking the press conference, it might not have even taken place. As someone that loves this conference, I'm embarrassed. I think it is such a joke the way they've approached this. Now, I admire the way the SEC, the ACC, the ACC, and the Big 12 did it.

They just operated. Now the Big Ten clearly it got much more political. The Pac-12 was just waiting for what? Like you got the testing almost a month ago. You were just going to hope and pray. Someone just reached out to you. In fairness to the California government, which is pretty inept, it's not like their first worry is,

hey, I wonder if Stanford and the 7,000 people that attend their football games are worried about playing football. Like it is on you to be proactive in this situation. And they just weren't. And there's a reason right now it's really the power for and then the PAC 12. And it is not the coach's fault because there are several coaches, you know, in this conference, several high-level players, you know, several future NFL players. Their leadership and their administration is consistently letting them down.

This has become, they claim they're the conference of champions. They're the conference of followers right now. And it's sad because it has some of the best academic universities, like USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford. I only applied to one of the four because I knew Cal and Stan. 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 them. muscle grave. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for, raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health,

purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. 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. 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 a podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try. trying 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 all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah, for me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast,

Learn the 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, Keir Gaines, as 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 Hardway and listen now.

Stanford wouldn't even open my, you know, application. USC couldn't afford it. In UCLA, I applied and they gave me a big now. Like, in all these programs, especially like USC, Stanford and Cal, like they've been really good in the last. 20 years. It's been like top five programs. Obviously USC's won national championships. Cal under Tedford was awesome.

And Stanford under David Shaw this last decade has had several teams go to Rose Poles. And it's like they're just sitting on their hands. Like this big time college football. What are we doing here? And I get like, does everyone just want to be followers now? And I understand in California, like it's just, it's becoming a more bizarre and nutty place by the day. But I just, I'm baffled by the way everything went down

and why the PAC 12, who had this testing now, had to wait for the Big Ten to do something before they did it. The ACC didn't worry about what the Big Ten or the Pac-12. They just operated. Same with the SEC. Same with the Big 12. Now, I get the culture's a little different out here, and despite our numbers not looking like anywhere else,

especially the Northeast in this country we're always going to play it safe not me personally but and definitely not any businessman I know definitely not the football coaches I know and the pros that coach in this state but I guess collegiantly but were you just hoping someone reached out to you

because if that's the way you operate in life hoping someone's going to reach out to you I just hope for my big break when's the guy going to call when's the girl going to slide into my DMs you're always going to be waiting because that's not the way the world works and for it to take

just some random person asking the governor a question and then forcing him to lie and then because he didn't want to look like an idiot changing the rules overnight for the PAC 12 to play football I just I mean I had to shake my head you know

honestly I get back you use this word again kind of embarrassed to be a fan of the conference I really am I'm thinking about just becoming a full time SEC fan. Though I'm just, I'm a sucker for a Pact 12 late at night. And some of these programs mean a lot to me.

Like I, I enjoy watching Washington and Oregon and Cal and USC play football. But gosh, darn. I mean, what are we doing here? 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 1800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $3999 or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more.

Go to 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 is 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. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder. And our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this. We reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council.

Okay, let's do a little three for the money. I had a solid starting week. Two for one. I actually bet on two of these three games. Bet on the Steelers. Want some cash. bet on the Raiders against the Panthers, won some cash, took the Browns against the Ravens, that did not go well.

I feel really good about my three picks this week. What we're doing, three for the money, I pick three games against the spread, and why I like them. I'm going to start with the Denver Broncos plus seven and a half at the Steelers. The Denver Broncos, I don't know if they're a wild card team, but I know what they're not, a five or six win team. They're going to win between seven and nine games.

They have a ton of offensive firepower. I think it's clear the quarterback is solid. And their defense is just well coached and their physical. Now, I saw today, AJ Bouye, or maybe it was two days ago, got hurt in that Monday night game, he's out. He's starting corner. Not ideal. Obviously, Vaughn's gone. But one thing that's clear with Vic Fangio.

Is he some all-time great coach? No. As a head coach. I think he's a really good defensive coordinator. But he's got this team, he's got the train on the tracks. Like, this team is going to be solid. They're going to compete. They have talent.

and it looks like they got a young quarterback. Now, this defense is good, but I don't see the Steelers just blowing them out. So you get seven and a half points when you get, yeah, the Steelers might be an 11-win team, but I view the Broncos like an eight-win team. So when I get matchups with a solid team, playing a good team,

I'm going to take over a touchdown every time, especially early in this season. You give me seven and a half, eight, eight-and-a-half points. I'm going with solid. teams. Now you give me crappy teams, I don't feel as good. But you give me a team like the Denver Broncos, who I think are just going to be competitive

all season long? I like them plus seven and a half. This is my favorite game of the week. And they got a kiddle hasn't practiced all week. Richard Sherman's now on injured reserve. Akella Weather Spoon, the backup for Richard Sherman, has a concussion. They had assigned Mohammed Sunnu, who couldn't even practice until

Friday because of the Corona rules. They got injuries up to Wazoo. But they are playing potentially the worst team in the last three or four years, probably since the 0-16 Browns. I think the Jets are horrendous. Now, bells hurt, crowders out, they're in shambles. Kyle Shanahan alone, even with all those guys injured. And now I think Kittles supposed to play in the game.

Should beat the Jets at worst, 17 to nothing. I don't see how the Jets, who really got some points of points off, turnover against the bills and hit some crazy-ass crowder play again who's not playing in this game who took it like 75 yards it's like a quick little screen in the flat he like made a couple guys miss and it was a nice play but that guy's not even playing so way way krebet kishon johnson joe nameth ain't walking through that door the jets stink and my betting philosophy in 2020 right now is when I get teams that I think are going to be good. And I don't know, the Niners aren't going to be as good as they were last year.

But worst case, I think there are eight or nine wins. I think the Jets might win like two games. So you give me minus seven. I think the Niners destroy them. And the score still might be 20 to 3. But minus seven, I like the Niners. This is my lock of the week. I love this game.

This game's not far behind. The Dolphins are better than the Jets. But I think last year there was like this. you know, just media love for Brian Flores. They won all these games. The media loves when you tank because I think they view themselves like, I could tank. You know, it's just, it's weird.

I personally despise tanking. And their tanking actually didn't totally work because they didn't get the number one pick. They probably got the second best quarterback in this draft. And we'll see. I mean, Tua hasn't played yet. But I just don't think the dolphins are that good. And, you know, I'm thinking like five wins.

I think the bills are going to win 12, 13 games. Bills minus six, I could not like the bills anymore. Actually, I might talk myself out of the Niners as my favorite game. This might be my favorite game the more I think about it. The bills have a dominant defense. They can stop the run. They have a quarterback who's just getting better before our eyes. They also can run the ball, and they got a more potent passing game now with Diggs.

And Josh just being a more consistent pass. They have a better coach in this game. They have clearly the better roster. I couldn't like the bills anymore. I think the bill's got a chance to probably beside the Chiefs and the Ravens. You know, I think it's fair to say both those two teams should win 13 games. I think the bills could be the third seed in the AFC. I really do.

So I'm going Broncos plus seven and a half, Niners minus seven, bills minus six. Okay, let's dive in to the Middle Coff mailback. But before we do, and I'm banging out a couple questions, just want to hit a couple things this upcoming Sunday. I think three guys have a lot of pressure on. Jimmy Garoppolo, Carson Wentz, and Dak Prescott. These guys need to play better. Carson Wentz, the two picks we talked about earlier this week.

Like they're playing the Rams, it's at home. Not that it necessarily matters because there aren't fans, but he's got to find a way to get his team a win. He's a max player. He's just got to figure it out. and I know it's hard. I think Lane Johnson's back this week. Aaron Donald probably give their interior offensive line havoc,

but he's just, he's got to will him to. That's what great players do. They find a way in a situation like this. Dak Prescott just left a little something to be desired last week. Playing with those three wide receivers, Zeke just looking like young Zeke, bro, you've got to play better. You want to get maxed out, you want a huge contract.

like you got to win. You're not going to get a huge contract from the Dallas Cowboys if the team goes 8 and 8. It's just not going to happen. And it shouldn't happen. Why would you pay a quarterback huge money if you're going 8 and 8? Might as well just get a rookie. And Jimmy Garoplo, who is horrendous.

You're playing the Jets. The last week was just unacceptable. It was terrible. So I think there are a lot of pressure and a lot of eyeballs are going to be on these three guys because they're just polarizing players, right? Carson because of Foles, DAC because of the contract, Jimmy, because everyone thinks Kyle's doing everything.

It's what makes football fun. You know, in basketball, when a guy, he either produces or he doesn't, like you're not really a product of the system in the NBA. If you throw up 25, you throw up 25. It's like, well, Eric Spolstra's just getting him back cuts all game. Right now, it doesn't really happen. You get 10 assists, like, you're making good passes. In the NFL, it's like, well, he's scheming him wheel routes.

You know, he's C.D. Lambs wide open. Like, I think it's fair to say. Most football fans, I think we've got a smart audience here. We know when we see it. And what we saw to those three guys was just, was bad. On different levels of bad. But still, like, it just, those guys,

they get the microscope on them, man. It's part of this season. And the Sunday night game, I'm just fascinated by. You know, I think Seattle, really flexed their muscles, and I get Atlanta, Dan Quinn kind of stink. But Russell Wilson, they usually play shitty in those type games. On the road, 10 a.m. kickoff, West Coast team, you know, traveling 3,500 miles or whatever. Think about it. Seattle to Atlanta, that's deep.

It doesn't get much farther than that. You'd have to go to, like, Miami. That's a long track. They destroyed the Falcons. Clearly they are more talented than the Patriots. Just have deeper, you know, more explosive players at more positions. Russell is just much better than Cam. But is Cam good enough?

Does he take another step this week? You know, last week he threw for 155 yards. That ain't getting it done Sunday night. Can he throw for 250, 270, and run for another 60? Fascinated to watch him and Jamal Adams go after it. It's not a great week on the slate, but that's a game. Sunday night, sign me up.

You actually don't have to sign me up because I watch every Sunday night game because I'm a football addict and I'm usually sitting around watching football. At John Middilkoff is the Insta. Fire in those DMs and you get it read right here. Huge fan of the podcast.

My favorite podcast to listen to. I appreciate that. I don't need to read the compliments, but sometimes I like doing it. I got a question. What do you make of the Eagles lost to Washington? The Eagles are better on paper than Washington. Is it Carson Wend's fault or is it the Eagles defense fault?

I'm blaming Carson. You know, you just, the two picks were inexcusable. We talked about him. Hell, I just mentioned them. It's just, you get Max money in this league. Jared Goff, Carson Wentz. Garoppola doesn't make as much as those two guys, but he still makes like $25 million.

Like, you get hell to do a higher standard. Once you become a max player in sports, I just told you to a high standard. There's a reason everyone shits on Hardin in Russell Westbrook. They make a combined $430 million. Get the freaking job done. Stop giving me excuses.

Just get the job done. That's how everyone talks to all of us and normal jobs. If you're a sales guy, you're either selling or you're not. If you're making a product, it's either good or it's not. once I start paying you hundreds of millions of dollars, you either win or you don't.

Was the Pats game yesterday evidence that the Patriots never had faith in Siddham? With all the design runs and throws between the hashes, I have a hard time believing that Siddham was even considered as a starter. He obviously wouldn't benefit in the style of plays they had yesterday. I think the Pats say they believed in Sittam were full of shit. Well, I don't totally disagree with you, but I think you can't judge what the Pats.

do. Because I heard Dilfer say this on Rasillo's podcast and he was right. The Pats don't have a playbook. So if the Pats acquired, like if they acquired I mean, think about it. They had Tom Brady. They ran something completely different. They get Cam Newton

they run that. They'll run whatever their players do well. I was thinking about this the other day. If I ever like make it in business and people go like what is your business philosophy? I hope this is what I say. I approach business like Belichick approach football. I did whatever it took to make money. Bill Belichick does whatever it takes to win. Against Cam Newton, what would you do? You'd run them. Why?

Because he's like secretariat. If you had Jared Gough, you wouldn't run that offense. It's like if it's you know, 2020, you better be on Instagram and Twitter if you do what I do. You better be tweeting out links to your podcast. You better be aggressive on social media. You better have a presence on the internet. In 2002, if I was doing the same job, I wouldn't have to do that. And in 20228, maybe it's completely changed. Better be open-minded.

Cam Newton might not be on the Patriots next year, right? Maybe gets injured this year. Maybe they end up not being as good as the season goes on. And they'll have a new quarterback. They'll do something different. It is Belichick's greatest strength. He can do whatever it takes. And I think the best coaches on offense,

I think you see it with Sean Payton. I think he'll be able to work with anybody. Obviously, think about Andy Reid this last two decades, from Donovan McNabb to Michael Vic, to Alex Smith, now to the Holmes. He won a game last year with Matt Moore. Like the best offensive coaches, I think this, the best coaches in general,

why would you ever pigeonhole yourself? I think about this all the time. People like, Middlecough, you just like, you just stick to football. Well, I think I probably know more about golf and the NBA than most people. And I like, I watch it all. Why wouldn't I talk about it? Right. I like talking about the stock market.

Why can't I talk about that too? I never want to be pigeonholed. I like other stuff. I want to be open-minded about other stuff. Now, to be good at the other stuff, you have to invest time. What do you think, Belichick and Josh McDaniels did off-season? My guess, They studied the Carolina Panthers from Cam Newton's good seasons.

My other guess is they studied the Baltimore Ravens and what they did. And they go, yeah, we like to do this, we like to do that, let's incorporate this, this is what Cam likes to do, let's incorporate that. When we start practicing, let's see if Cam wants to do this, see what he likes to do that. Everything they did with Tom Brady, you know what they did? Beside like some of the passing concepts, they probably lit it on fire. Because that's not going to be Cam Newton. I honestly that's for all Belichick's success on the field, you know, winning championships and winning these historic games that we've all watched in prime time over the years.

The thing I respect about him most, he can do whatever the fuck it takes to win a football game. Whether that's run it 75 times or whether that's pass it, 75. It does not matter. and he's great at it. Do you think Baker could be cut, traded if the Browns don't go at least 8 and 8? Could you see him going to a team where he becomes a backup and maybe Ryan Taneyhill career resurrection later on? Ryan Tanyhill is more talented than Baker Mayfield.

But, yeah, I mean, I think this is a maker break year for him, for sure. I think there is just no doubt about it that if he's, they want to win, and big picture, because they have a bunch of talent, as I opened up the show with, he's got to play well. If he does not play well this season, his job is in jeopardy. That's not a hot take. It's not hyperbole. Just a fact.

They have to pick up his fifth-year option after this season. Well, if you don't make the playoffs with this roster and your offense doesn't dominate, what's the point in keeping them? I heard Colin say the other day, why did they, can't? the can down the road on Mitch Trubisky. Just make a decision. You have a good enough team to win right now. You can't waste seasons.

It's the NFL. After watching the Broncos versus the Titans, what's a reasonable expectation for this Broncos team? A lot of promising, but young talent on O, can this team compete for a playoff spot? I definitely believe so. I would say 8 and 8, 9 and 7. They'd be right in that realm.

You know, to me, between them or the Raiders, probably the second best team after watching the Chargers who look terrible. Chargers actually look worse after watching this Thursday night game. I mean, they could barely beat the Bengals. So, yeah, I think the Broncos, I mean, it probably won't beat the Steelers this week, though I took them to cover. I think competing for a wild card spot is realistic.

Remember last year they started like 1 in 7 and finished 7 and 9? So I like Fangio, I like Drew Locke. I like what they got going on. I want to coach in college in the NFL one day, but I'm also interested in possibly of becoming a scout. What should I do in college? Like, would becoming a student assistant and grad assistant be a good path to take for both? I think 100%.

If you want to be a scout, become a graduate assistant in the recruiting area. If you want to be a coach, become a graduate assistant or a coaching assistant, obviously on a college staff. Those are the best two paths to get to the NFL or move up in high-level college. Be a GA. That is the stepping stone. for football if you can't just get your foot in the door in the NFL that's what I did I know a lot of people that have done that and I obviously can only speak for experience but it works not much pay

a lot of hard hours but if that's what you want to do do it I have a fantasy question for you with Michael Thomas out with an injury for the next few weeks would it be crazy to offer a trade for him right now it seems like a by-low situation where he can be stashed on the bench until healthy again. What do you think a reasonable trade value would be given the circumstances? I'll be honest. I only play daily fantasy. I don't understand if you drafted Michael Thomas and he sprained his ankle and he's out a couple days. He's clearly one of the most productive players in the league. Why wouldn't you just keep Michael Thomas on your team? Like why would someone offer to trade him to you? Like what would, to me, to get him off my team, I'd need like

Joe Mixon and George Kittle or something. You know, I'd need a sweet, haul back. Why would I give away Michael Thomas? I never quite understand that about fantasy. Is the trades for really good players? That is where I'll be honest. I never played a season-long fantasy year in my life.

Now, I've been playing draft Kings for the last couple years. I love daily fantasy. Because I approach it like the NFL. If I drafts Sekewan Barkley Week 1 and he sucks and then I realize he's not going to be able to rush, I don't pick him again. I don't like getting stuck with a roster, just like in the NFL. You can cut guys when they suck.

you know it's why I love getting out of college to the NFL you weren't stuck with players now clearly fantasy is a huge part of the success of why people like football but I don't get why someone would trade Michael Thomas just because he sprained his ankle why would they get rid of him it's not like he died

he's gonna come back in a couple weeks he's clearly their best receiver they throw it to him like 75 times a game I just I can never figure out fantasy football always baffles me but clearly people trade that stuff clearly Kyle doesn't trust Jimmy and he misses throws or throws one of those Jimmy picks

Jimmy has to realize this from Kyle how do you think this affects his confidence Jimmy seems to play nervous and hesitant I think he's a baller when he plays with confidence but it seems to be gone now I feel like he should let I feel like Kyle should let Jimmy sling it any thoughts on the coach clearly not trusting a player and how that could affect them well think of it like a human when have you ever been in a situation where you're boss, you don't think your boss or whoever you're working with, trust you, you don't think they'll put enough on your plate. You start questioning your own ability.

It's happened to all of us, right? You're like, does he really? Why is he not giving me this project? Why is he not doing that? It throws you off mentally. Now, the difference is at football, you have teammates. So when you start missing teammates and overthrowing them, like they see the film too. So then you start maybe wondering, do people not trust me?

It's a complicated position. We're confidence And listen, I'm a big believer Confidence, anything in life Whether you're playing golf with your buddies Whether you're playing pickup hoops Whether you're trying to sell Whatever product, the company you work for

Whether you're doing a podcast Whether you're playing NFL quarterback When you have confidence in what you're doing It's easier to play fast Right? It's just you don't even think So clearly you watch like Burrow tonight He's just playing. I don't feel like Burroughs like

Oh, I'm kind of overwhelmed Does Zach Taylor believe in me? Do the Cincinnati Bengal fans think I'm good enough? Sometimes when you watch Jimmy, you're like, starts with the coach. Does he not believe in him? If he's a human, which he is, how would that not affect him?

Now, I'd push back. Part of it is like, Jimmy, you're just not getting the job done. And I don't know the balance to strike. Like, I trust Kyle more than I trust Jimmy. So it's just, it's a tough situation. Like, when I watch the Eagles, I never feel like, you know, Doug doesn't trust Carson, right? Or even with Dak, like, I don't know if they trust

Dak. Like, they do let him sling it. Now, those guys fail, but they let them fail. Part of it with Jimmy is like, ah, this ran a draw on third and 20. You know, it's like, God, you're going to let Jimmy throw it here? So yeah, I mean, it's, I think it does rattle him a little bit for sure. But there are times, like, when Jimmy proves it, then Kyle lets him go. Kyle just has a quick hook. He's like a baseball manager. The moment he sees you like, yeah, and he's just, he won. He wants to, he, he wants, Walk that guy on four pitches and now he's, you know, now he's 2-0 to the next guy. It's like, I'm about to yank this dude.

I think Kyle gets like that with Jimmy. A couple errand throws, Kyle starts thinking like, shit, I ain't running these plays for him anymore. And in fairness to Kyle, like, Jimmy does some stuff where I don't blame him for thinking that. He's not exactly Brady or Breeze in their peak back there. But he had moments. Like, I think everyone's kind of shitting on him. The Saints game, the Rams game, the Seattle game. He was magnificent.

They would not have been the number one seed without Jimmy Garapolo bawling in huge games on prime time last year. National game of the week, the Saints game, Saturday night against the Rams, and Sunday night against Seattle. Jimmy Garapolo bawled. Now, it's a long time ago. Like, three playoff games didn't do that much. And Sunday last week, as a buddy in the league, text me, he was awful. I said, yes, he was. So he's just got to play better.

It's hard. Football's difficult. But as Don Draper said, that's why they pay you the big bucks. That's why he pay you the money. That is what the money is for. He's paid. He's been paid,

you know, probably if we added it up over the last three years, $80 million. So it's like, you just got to get it done. And if you can't, you get cut.

That's the cutthroat nature of football. It's kind of why we all like it, just because we're all on the edge of her seats. like what's going to happen with Paul George Nothing he'll be back He makes like $30 million What's going to happen with Russell Westbrook Nothing he makes $40 million

They can't cut him, it's all guaranteed What's going to happen with all these baseball players Nothing, they're all under contract In football like the moment your dead cap Start going to zero It's like well could they cut them And the answer is hell yes You know why?

Because just about every player gets cut Unless they retire first Okay Appreciate everyone listening We did a little longer pod than I thought I do. Talk to you all on Monday. No, excuse me, Tuesday, Tuesday. So have a great weekend.

Enjoy some football. Enjoy some beers. Saturday. Enjoy life. Smile. And see you soon. Peace. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com.

From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and marmay treats, and my merry. or surprise your Valentine with 1,800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $3999, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1,800flowers.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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing huge. human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 Fourth. You might have seen the same. 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 Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilts of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.