The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Early AFC/NFC Championship Look, Sean Payton Latest, Mailbag

Episode Date: January 24, 2023

John takes an early look at the NFC and AFC Championship matchups, and if Sean Payton will return to the sidelines next season or wait another year. He also answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag. 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.

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. The Volume. The Three Now Podcast with me, John Middell Cof, is presented by Fandul Sportsbook. It's the NFL playoff time, and there's no better place to get into the action than Fandul.

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It is Monday afternoon. Just recording the show here, talking into a microphone, talking championship week. Niners, Eagles, Chiefs, Bengals, a lot of similarities, A lot of differences. We'll dive into some different angles on the game. Some thoughts on the quarterbacks. Some thoughts on Sean Payton, which doesn't look like he's going to come back.

You know, we've had a lot of coaching openings, but we definitely haven't had anything filled coordinator or coaches yet. Maybe that's coming down the pipe. Who knows? Middlecoff mailbag. Also on this show at John Middlecoff is the Instagram. Fire in those DMs. Get your question answered on the show.

pretty easy. If you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to the three and out feed. Grateful, appreciative of all you guys that do. A lot of people are asking when the golf podcast is coming back, go low, probably after the Super Bowl.

But what I might do is on my YouTube channel, just my name, John Middlecough. I might do one the next couple weeks, so look for that. Just to kind of talk a little golf. I also have an Instagram at Go Low Pod, which you can follow. I throw takes golf-wise up there.

but right now, obviously a lot going on. Football-wise. Just going to crank out some football podcasts. And it's enormous week. It's the final four of the NFL. We only got three games left, so we got to savor it right now because it's football weather.

Hell, I'm in Arizona. It feels like 20 degrees outside. It's cold. Like the bills, I don't feel like going outside. You know, like a nice soft passing game. But let's dive into some football. I wanted to dive in and tell you about my friends at game time. Here's what I need you to do.

I need you to go to your apps on your smartphone and download the GameTime app. It's the fastest growing ticket app in America. I used it last week. Went to my first hockey game. Some might call me a big hockey guy, football, golf, and now hockey. I saw Alexander Ovechkin, one of the great players of all time, just pepper the net, firing slap shots. It was sweet.

It was really cool. Download the GameTime app, sign up. And when you do, type in John, that's J-O-H-N, to get you. get $20 off your first pair of tickets. You want to go to an NHL game. You want to go to a basketball game, college or pro. You want to go to a concert. You want to take your wife, your girlfriend, your son, your brother, your dad, your mom, whatever.

You want to do something for someone else? Get them a pair of tickets. Use the GameTime app and download it and use the promo code J-O-H-N, John, and get $20 off your first purchase to go to any game, any event, just check it out, search in an event near you, regardless where you live, any concert coming through, obviously any pro or college. events game time has you covered cannot recommend them enough for me personally this final four is really cool because when i think about like my squads i say this all the time people don't believe me like i grew up a diehard 49er fan i love the 49ers as a kid as much as i liked the bulls

because i love michael jordan and uh the sacramental kings even though they were pretty crappy at the time though they got good when i was in like junior high in high school but i loved them a lot My fandom is not the same as it used to be. Now, I still root for the 49ers to be good, but it's because I have a business and I'm partnered in something that revolves around them. And the better they do, the more money I make. I look at them a lot different. Now, the majority of people in my life, from my family to my girlfriend,

to most of my friends, to just a lot of people I have casual relationships with, love the 49ers. I know a ton of season ticket holders. The 49ers are one of the biggest brands. where I grew up in California. I mean, they are a powerhouse because when I grew up, Steve Young, Jerry Rice were guys like mine idols.

I actually last year tried to get Steve Young and come on my other podcast. He denied me, but we were texting back and forth and I thought about the other day like, you know, I got Steve Young's number in my phone. Pretty cool. But it was a business transaction that didn't go well for me.

He said no. But he was cool about it, and I told him I read his book and I really enjoyed it. But the Eagles, you know, obviously that's the one NFL team I work for. I worked for Howie Roseman. I still have the guy that hired me is still works for the organization.

I know several other ones of their scouts that I'm still very close with. And the in the chiefs, you know, have Brett Beach and Andy Reid. You know, so it's, I follow these teams extremely closely. And there are other people on the chief staff that I also work with in Philly that I still consider friends. So I'm very excited because I watch a ton of football. I have a very, you know, obviously I do this for a living, but have an unhealthy life. You know, it'd be very difficult to pull off what I pull off, but I couldn't justify it. Like, this is how we pay the bills, honey.

I need to watch more football. But these are the three teams that I follow definitely the closest, just by proximity. I've talked to people in the organizations, you know, weekly. I mean, some like every other day. So it's very, I'm excited. Now, and it's not just random. Like, these are three of the four best teams, including the Bengals. I don't know anyone with the Bengals, though I really like Joe Burrell.

I like to know Joe Burrow. Seems like a sweet dude. obviously awesome player. I have been to a Bengal game when I worked for the Eagles. I was advanced scouting my second year. And I remember thinking the stadium was kind of old, but cool place stayed across the river.

Not Lexington, Kentucky, but I think I stayed in Kentucky. Maybe I'm getting my geography wrong. This was a long time ago. But I enjoyed it. I enjoyed when I was at Freso State, we also played the universe Cincinnati. So I drove by the stadiums.

I just kind of liked that area right by the water. Very cool. we have a great final four. Four of the best teams and three teams that I feel I know really, really well. And I consider myself more of an NFC guy than an AFC guy. So I wanted to start with the Eagles and the Niners. And listen, I've been around the Niners now for about a decade very, very closely. I know a lot of people there.

I go to their practices. I spend a lot of time in training camp. I just, I feel have a very good understanding of this administration, Kyle, John, Adam Peters, the way they view football, what they like in a team. And it's same with the Eagles. And I actually think there are a lot of parallels with these two organizations, because when you think of the Eagles and you think of the 49ers, like they're successful teams, the Eagles basically once Lurie bought the team, got Andy Reed, like, Andy's an offensive guy. But their defense was really, really good on those Andy teams because they had Jim Johnson,

who was an elite defensive coordinator. Doug Peterson, right? Offensive guy, Nick Foles. But those defenses on that team were pretty good, especially the password. And obviously this team, their pass rush is fantastic. The 49ers, who historically are viewed as Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jim Harbaugh, Kyle Shanahan, offense, offense, Bill Walsh, their defenses

have been awesome. When I was very little, it's not like I was watching him in the 80s, the Niners defenses were elite. The first team that I really remember watching the 94-49ers that won the Super Bowl, they beat the Chargers, and they finally beat the Cowboys in the AFC Chamber. Their defense was fucking loaded. Bryant Young was a rookie. He just went to the Hall of Fame. They signed Dion Sanders.

They had Tim McDonald, Merton, Merton, Hanks, Eric Davis, Ken Norton Jr., Gary Plummer, Dana Stubblefield, not a good guy, but was a fantastic player, they were stacked on D. So part of being an offensive philosophical belief as an organization, like, they really value defense. They really value physical defense. It's why the success of these two organizations, like they've been to the playoffs a lot in my lifetime. And knowing the Eagles, like currently what they value and what they valued under Andy and continued with Howie, the lines, because you win in the line of scrimmage. Like, why are the bills having some issue?

They're not great on the line of scrimmage. They expect Josh Allen to do everything for them. And when I was with the Eagles, we had Jason Peters, we drafted Danny Watkins. While it was a bust, like we value drafting interior offensive linemen when I was there early. Jason Kelsey, who became a star, right tack. My last year there, drafted Lane Johnson over the years. They've invested in guards and tackles and Andre Diller doesn't work out. Well, they take another guy, Malata for rugby player.

Same with the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan, offensive guy, offensive guy. Well, what does he draft? Defensive linemen, offensive linemen. You have to value the trenches because that is where you separate yourself. I don't care how much they try to regulate the violence out of this game. The one area where violence is allowed, just like it was 30, 40 years ago is the line of scrimmage. You can be violent as a defensive and offensive lineman.

You know, they call occasionally, I guess obviously the roughing the passer penalties are a little weak, but you know what I mean. Like against your opponent at the line of scrimmage, it is still allowed. Where it is not in the defensive backfield, you know, linebackers, it's a little bit different now.

But at the line of scrimmage, you can still separate yourself. And these two organizations put all their chips in the middle table when it comes to those positions. Because they know if you get a good offensive line and a good defensive line, you can play with anybody. You don't need to have Tom Brady or Joe Montana.

And the other thing with the Eagles and the 49ers, specifically this, like Howie now has been in charge since Doug came back, and John and Kyle have been running it since 2017. They are very, very aggressive. And I had a front row seat when I worked in the office for two years, and even when I worked on the road for a year, getting emails from how he is 24-7, 365. Kyle Shanahan is, I mean, one of the biggest football all-in nerds I've ever seen.

John Lynch turned down about $20 million a year to work on Amazon because he loved being in the fucking trenches of the NFL. These guys love a football and aggressive nature when it comes to football has helped separate their two organizations. You look at the Eagles, like one, how he's been wheeling and dealing from a trade standpoint, since I've known him. That's just his philosophical belief when it comes to operating organization is to always be trying to get better. And some organizations stay very patient and are very hesitant to mix things up. He is the opposite. And let's face it, whether you're

Howie, John Lynch, Bill Belichick, or whoever the shittiest organization is, you're going to miss on picks. That is going to happen. But are you willing to keep doubling down? Are you willing to when you make a mistake to pivot. Let's look at the Eagles. A couple years ago, they made a bad mistake. They drafted Jalen Rager over Justin Jefferson. Clearly, they would have liked to redo about two games into Justin Jefferson's career. Within about 18 months, Justin Jefferson had become a superstar.

Jalen Rager was a whiff, and they realized they had to move. Well, they doubled down the next year and they draft Devante Smith, while the following year they trade for AJ Brown and get rid of Jalen Rager. They're unafraid to keep making moves once they make a mistake. The 49ers, you looked at this year. I thought it was insane. I don't know if they're at the spot where they're at without Christian McCaffrey. They traded a second, a third, a fourth, and a fifth round pick for a running back who makes a lot of money.

Looking back, thank God they did, or they might not be sitting here. The other thing the organization really, really values are investing in the quarterback position. And I think, obviously, if you have Mahomes or you have a Josh Allen or you have a Joe Burrow or even, I think, Herbert, you don't really have to worry about it. Even though I'd say history shows you and you just saw when Patrick Mahomes went down, you always have to be prepared. And clearly the chiefs have a high value and belief in Chad Hennie, despite him being old and somehow being in a league for. for 15 years, they believed they could win a game with Chad Henney. The 49ers, like, they went all in on Jimmy Garoppolo. And then he started getting banged up.

And he started realizing, you know, he's not a franchise guy. So they quadrupled down and made an enormous swing for Trey Lance. Now, I would say it's only based on two years. I think it's fair to assume it's probably not going to work out in San Francisco. Well, what did they do the following year? they were able to keep their relationship with Jimmy so he didn't want to go and they got lucky that he was banged up. They were able to keep him. They invested $2 million in the Sudfeld, who the Eagles also valued a lot to be basically the backup quarterback or if Jimmy could come back to third string quarterback.

But they also had used a pick on Brock Purdy, which I'm not going to say that they knew this was going to be Brock Purdy. Of course they didn't. But they were willing to use a draft pick on a quarterback despite having a guy that they traded three first round picks for. and another guy that they had just invested two million dollars into. The Eagles, same way. They put all their chips in the middle of the table on Carson Wentz, and it starts not going right. They win a Super Bowl because they had also invested in Nick Foles,

the backup quarterback. And then clearly once Carson Went started coming off the rails, they made at the time a pretty controversial draft pick, Jalen Hertz. But where the hell would they be right now if they had not invested in Jalen Hertz? And you look at some of these organizations like they just don't consistently draft quarterbacks. And it goes back to Walsh, and then it goes back to Holmgren, who's a Walsh guy,

and Ron Wolfe. Their belief is go in draft quarterbacks every year or every other year. Because you just never know. One, guys get hurt, and you just sometimes strike oil. And like the 49ers, is Brock Purdy going to be some all-time great player? Probably bet against it. But relative to be a pick 262 and making 750 grand, is that an incredible draft pick? Hell yeah, it is. Jalen Hertz is going to go down as one of Howie Roseman's greatest picks ever. Where would they be? Where can you find a quarterback in the second round that wins an MVP?

Now, I know he's not going to win the MVP this year, but easily could have. And next year, he is going to be near the top of the betting odds to win an MVP. So these two organizations, they invest in the line of scrimmage. Because despite the rule changes, that is an area where you can still throw haymakers. And they consistently invest in the quarterback position. And they're never afraid to be aggressive. Like, they're not going to be the Rams in just every single year. give ones, give ones, give ones.

But when they value a pick, or I mean, they value a player, they are not afraid to go, yeah, take this pick. Darius Lay, boom, three and a five. Trent Williams was a little bit of a rig deal because he said he'd only go to the 49ers. But you know what I'm saying? And look at the 49ers. Like obviously Trent Williams was, every team would have taken him. But their left guard, second round pick.

Their right guard, fourth round pick. McGlinchie, not the biggest McGlinchie guy, but first round pick. The Eagles. I mean, their left tackle is a seventh round pick from Australia or whatever, but the only reason he's there is because he beat out the first round pick, Andre Diller. And Kelsey's a Hall of Famer, Lane Johnson first round pick, Dickerson, who's really, really good. I mean, that, that is a fantastic. He's a first round pick who fell to the second round because of injuries.

And then obviously the defensive line for both teams, a lot of money, a lot of high draft picks. They don't mess around because you can find random guy, random skill guys, in the second, third, fourth round to become really good players on offense. Now, Debo, high second round pick, A.J. Brown, they traded pick 17 for DeVante Smith first round. I'm not saying Christian McCaffrey, I'm not saying you don't need to invest in the skill positions, but it's a tried and true formula. You have to invest in the line of scrimmage, and you have to invest in the quarterback position, or you got no shot.

And now I think we see the two best rosters in the NFL. Obviously Mahomes, Healthy, and Joe Burrell are better than Jalen Hurts and definitely Brock Purdy. But in terms of the rosters, I think the Eagles and the 49ers have a lot of parallels. And I think this game, I mean, we'll talk about it come Thursday, but the elements of the home environment for Philly is just going to be absolutely bananas. Last year, the 49ers went on the road for the AFC championship or the NFC championship game. Like, it was over 50% 49ers fans. That's not going to be the case. One, because it's a much harder travel. And two, you have to be kind of crazy to roll into the link wearing like a Debo jersey, you know, like just in your red

Nick Bosa jersey. I wouldn't recommend it though. I think the hype and the violence, like you can get into an altercation at any NFL stadium. A lot of booze, a lot of dudes. Like it's a pretty easy formula for fights. But I just, I would probably recommend from just, I don't know if I'd do that. I just stay at home, watch on the couch. Now, I think the 49ers are equipped to, play well on the road. They can run the football. And the Eagles run defense has, it was pretty poor. And then you add their first round pick, Davis back from Georgia, who's a big boy. They sign Nidama can sue. And I saw on social media today that their run defense is much improved, basically the last month of the season. So it's not as easy to run it as it once was.

But I think it's just going to be a fantastic match of coordinators, Kyle versus Jonathan Gannon. who's interviewing for head coaching jobs and Domeco who's also interviewing for head coaching jobs against Shane Steichen. This is just, this is a high level checkers, X's nose. I'm recording this Monday afternoon. You know, both all four of those guys right now

are just probably seven, eight cups of coffee deep, watching tape, drawn on their whiteboard, just spending the next 48 hours before the players come in, developing a plan, bouncing off ideas on the coaching staff. Like, this is what makes football. The two days leading up to Wednesday before you start practice, just game planning, scheming, exes, and those, especially a team that, like, what, they played each other last year?

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1-800-8-8-9-9-10-7-8-9-10. Visit 1-800-Gambler.net in West Virginia. It's the opposite in the AFC, right, where it is just an incredible quarterback matchup. I mean, when I was a kid. kid. It was like Marino, Elway, Montana, Young, Aikman, Kelly, and then Farv, just like star quarterbacks. Like, we kind of got our generation's version of that. Mahomes, Burrow, and then, you know, Alan, Lamar, Herbert, some other really good players. But it's pretty clear who the top dogs are right now. Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrell. And, you know, I saw Andy say today that Joe

Burrow, or excuse me, Patrick Mahomes is going to play in this game. Clearly, maybe his ankle. We thought that Tony Pollard had a high ankle sprain. It turns out he had a fractured bone. So his injury, because people were like, well, he had to get card off. Mahomes were able to play their injuries were different. Maybe Mahomes, his eye ankle sprain isn't as bad. I've never had one. I've heard people talk about it. Some can feel worse than a broken bone. Clearly Mahomes was manageable, but it's going to be fascinating. The insight, the stories that come out about his pain tolerance. Is he able to practice it all? Does he not practice? That to me is the biggest story in the game, but I would never bet against Patrick Mahomes, just like I would

never bet against Joe Burrow. And unlike the Niners and the Eagles, these two teams have played each other a lot, right? I mean, last year, they played each other in the AFC championship game. They played each other this year. So there's not like, I wonder what these guys bring the table. Like, no, the Chiefs know exactly what Jamar Chase, T. Higgins, Joe Mixing, what those guys bring the table. Just like the Bengals know exactly what Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelsey. I'll promise you this against coach lou as I call him the Cincinnati bangles defensive coordinator Travis Kelsey's not catching 14 balls that that was looking back and I when I was with the Eagles Mike Caldwell was on the staff that's pretty insane that Travis Kelsey on

countless plays was just uncovered uncovered it's one thing and I've never quite understood this and I don't pretend to be you know Bill Parcell's here but when you have a great tight end and you just allow him a free release on the line of scrimmage, like he's going to get open with ease. He has a massive size advantage against whoever's covering him, whether it's a safety or a linebacker. I mean, most linebackers are not Brian Erlocker, but a lot of linebackers are 5-11 to 6'1. Travis Kelsey is a lot bigger than that. And also, he knows where he's going. So to leave him just a free release, you're already at a disadvantage. I would expect the Bengals to be

much more physical with him. And Andy Reid is one of the great offensive schemers in the history of the league. So if anyone can overcome you know, the best player he's ever coached in Patrick Mahomes being whatever percentage he is. Like I hope he's closer to 100 for the entertainment factor. But even if he's 80, 85%, they'll figure it out. And that's where I think Pacheco comes into play is having a run game and just a guy that you can rely on to get tough yards to run between the tackles. Should in theory make it a little bit easier on Mahomes. But these are just,

This is fantastic, man. It really is. I was thinking about this. Like, with Burrow and Mahomes, right? You have these just superstar quarterbacks. But the AFC, like Mahomes, his team and his coach, it's a dominant combination. And then you look at the Bengals, Burrough is just an absolute shooting rocket ship. Turns out Zach Taylor's not bad either.

And he hired a really good defensive coordinator. And they got really talented players. Say this about the Bengals, even when they had Marvin Lewis and they could never, like, win a playoff game. It turns out Andy Dalton was probably part of the problem because they had really good rosters. I mean, really good rosters. They had star skill guys. Their defense was really good.

Their defensive front was awesome. People forget those Marvin Lewis's teams on paper and in the regal season were a mother to deal with. But their quarterback was pretty average. Now, this team probably top to bottom might not be as. as talented, but they're probably slightly better coach than clearly the quarterbacks in a completely different universe. So when you look at the AFC, you got to go through Burrow and Mahomes.

But then clearly Josh Allen, like teams a little flawed. They should improve a little bit. Still a powerhouse. Then you got Justin Herbert. If the coach wasn't just a kind of a fraud, and if they ever upgrade there, they're not going away. And the Jacksonville Jags still, like, they're coming. They're quarterback, super talented.

I'm not even including, like, if you're a Cleveland Browns fan, right? now. And you got $230 million. Because remember, you paid Deshawn Watson $1 million next year. So basically these next three or four years when all the money's coming, you need that guy. And I somewhat giving him

a football pass for last year, weird year, throwaway year, but he looked pretty bad. So can he come back this season and become a really good player? Well, here's my question. Is your coach any good? I don't know if he is. And we saw Deshawn Watson have fantastic season. His best season as a pro was I'm pretty sure they went four and 12.

And that was the year Bill O'Brien got fired. But his statistics that year were the best of his career. So just because Watson plays great, it's proven that it doesn't guarantee you to win. And here's the thing I know. Bill O'Brien, better coach than Kevin Stefansky. I know everyone thinks Bill O'Brien's a village idiot. Awful GM. Pretty good coach. Pretty good coach. Chances to Fantankey has as much success as Bill O'Brien as an NFL head coach, I would say it would be pretty slim. We do the Denver Broncos. you're paying Russell Wilson all this money. Now, we'll see who they're coaches, but there's no guarantee. Like, Russell Wilson's not going to be as good as these guys.

All the guys that I listed at the top, Burrow, Mahomes, Allen, Herbert, Lamar, Lawrence. Like, if you're the Broncos, you're at a huge disadvantage. So you better get the coaching situation, right, because you're overpaying this quarterback, more than likely is never going to be 90% of what he once was. I mean, last year, it was like 50% of what he once was. So you have such an uphill battle. Think about like the Jets and the Dolphins. We don't even know what their quarterback is.

Do it can't stay on the field. The Jets do not have one. The Patriots have Mac Freaking Jones. The Raiders are sitting there in no man's land. So all these teams, the disadvantage you're at in the AFC is so much different than the NFC. It's why I've spent a lot of the last like 24 hours thinking about Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins. Because I do think they make too much money relative to winning a Super Bowl. You are not winning a Super Bowl if Kirk Cousins and Dak Prescott,

Scott are making 20% of your salary account. It is not happening. They are simply not good enough because you can't win the second round of the playoffs. You might be able to win a playoff game and they have. Cousins have won a playoff game. Dax won a playoff game. But you're not beating good teams. And eventually when you get to the divisional round, you're going to have to play a team that is every bit you're equal, if not better.

And those guys are not good enough to win those games. I'm sorry, they're just not. But ultimately, like winning 12, 13, 11 games. every year and being in the playoffs, that's worth something. And luckily, because you're in the NFC, not the AFC, if Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins were in the AFC, they would not be guaranteed to make the playoffs. They just wouldn't.

And they definitely wouldn't be guaranteed to win a playoff game. But in the NFC, I mean, look who you're dealing with. Eagles, they got a really good thing going. The 49ers, they've established himself. Damn good operation. Cowboys, like, I think they benefit a lot from the NFC. and when you pay a guy $40 million and, you know, more often than not, he's going to be average and sometimes below, you're not going that ball.

But throughout the course of a season, Dax's going to be better than a lot of teams you play and a lot of teams, especially in your conference. So like the last two years, you get to 11, 12 wins, 13 wins. Then you're just losing the playoffs. And I think from a business standpoint, you might be okay with that. Like that, that is successful. A lot of teams would die from. that. And look at the teams that, you know, ultimately are kind of in your level right now,

the Vikings. Dak and him are the same, right? You look at the Seattle Seahawks. They got Gino Smith. I'll probably bet against Gino having another year like he did. Jared Gough, saw a little bridge quarterback, had a good season, but we kind of know what he is. What are the Giants going to do? Resign Daniel Jones. So those are the type of quarterbacks we're talking about. In the AFC, it's a completely different level at the high end. And I think you just have to look at it like if you're a Vikings fan or you're a cowboy fan, you're going to just have to take pride and we're going to be a really good regular season team. You know, if things go right, maybe we host a playoff game more than likely we'll just be a wildcard team and will be

one and none, maybe win a playoff game, but we're never going to the conference championship game. And we're definitely never win a Super Bowl. And I think if you want to take a glass half full, you go, at least we're a competitive team. And we're not, you know, the Texans or the Panthers. or some of these, you just dog trash teams. We are a team that competes year and year out. And if you want to take a glass half empty kind of look at it, just go, we're just never competing with the top dogs. We're never going to do that.

We might compete with them in the individual game, but 90% of the time we're going to lose said game and we're going to go home. Because that's what happened to the Cowboys. That's what happened in the Vikings. And a large reason for that. And you can blame the Vikings defense, okay, but like I'll send the limo in a big game

to go pick up Kirk Cousons because I want to play him. And last but not least, a lot of this coaching movement is going on right now. Who's going to be the head coach here, the Colts, the, I'm telling you, Jeff Saturday is going to be the head coach of the Colts. The Panthers, the Texans, the Cardinals, the Broncos. We don't really feel like we have that much clarification anywhere. And the one big name, like, I think being patient sometimes in life, in business, in a lot of situations is the healthiest thing to do. I think it's very, very difficult. Like it was, it would have been easy last year when all the stocks are just plummeting and you check your portfolio every single day and it goes down, down, down to sell.

Well, this year, I just check my portfolio. It's up 20% year to date, you know, in three weeks. And if I would have been 28 years old in the situation in 2022, I would have sold everything. But I've learned through my mistakes. And I realize sometimes you've got to take a deep breath, right? Patience in relationships. Patience when you're negotiating a contract. Like, patience is very.

healthy. And the older you get, and listen, I'm a very impatient human being. I would say most people I know are pretty impatient. It's a natural kind of, I think the way the majority of us are wired. Maybe I'm wrong. Definitely the majority of people in my life. And Sean Payton, I know he's interviewing a lot of people, but to me it makes a lot of sense just to be patient. What's the rush? Why would you take any of these jobs? The Panther job, the Colts job, the Cardinal job, the Denver job, wouldn't touch any of them. And it's also very easy to be patient when you're really rich. It's hard to be patient when you need the money, when you're negotiating a contract, when you're trying to sell a house, whatever, and you need the cash. But when you have

unlimited amount of money, and that's kind of what Sean Payton has, he's very, very wealthy because of the amount of money he made. Sean Payton was making like $15 plus million a year coaching the Saints for a long period of time. He was one of, if not the highest paid coach, behind Belichick for, I would say, a large percentage of the 2010s. So, Sean Payton, money is not the driving force why he wants to get back in the league. He wants to get back in the league because he's a crazy football coach. And he loves coaching football. He loves being around the guys.

He likes scheming. He likes calling plays. Like, that's what he does. But as you see the landscape for the potential jobs, they all kind of suck. And even if they don't quote unquote suck, they're kind of long-term projects. So to me, Sean Payton, when you look at the landscape of the following, year, 23 and 24, think of some guys that are on the hot seat. Brandon Staley, complete hot seat.

He gets bouncing the first round again. Adios. I think Sean McDermott after yesterday is like, I would say the bills minimum have to make the AFC championship game and probably have to win the AFC next year for his job to be 100% safe. I kind of feel he's in that Tony Dungey kind of spot right now where there is pressure on him to get this team over the top. and they regressed a little bit.

And part of the regression was like, well, their offense didn't quite look the same. And their star quarterback, it felt like, now he might have been banged up. And he said he definitely was, but just didn't look like the same human. So I think when you look at the chargers and the bills, like, would you want to coach Herbert or Josh Allen? Or would you rather take your chance with negative Nancy down here in the desert, Kyler Murray, who makes an ungodly amount of money? Or would you rather go to the Colts where their owner is an absolute lunatic? Or would you rather go to the Carolina Panthers where their owner has an unlimited amount of money,

but they have absolutely no options at quarterback. I would take a deep breath. I would practice patience here, and it really is starting to feel like Sean Payton, like, probably take this cycle off. Keep interviewing. Keep just kind of getting a feel for everyone. Keep taking your own notes. So when you get back in the league, you know how they're wired and then come back next year.

Because here's another team, the Dallas Cowboys. Mike McCarthy's not going to get fired this year. Amy shouldn't. but you're going to get to the point like, well, what's going to happen next year? Let's say Dan Quinn takes one of these jobs where it feels like ultimately he's going to get one of them, the Denver Broncos. And what if the Cowboys defense is not nearly as good next year as it was this year, which is extremely possible. Remember, the first year, Mike Nolan, or I mean, McCarthy got there, he hired Mike Nolan. Dan Quinn somewhat fell in his lap and turns out Dan Quinn is a stud.

I give Dan Quinn a lot of credit. Most coaches, once they get fired and they become really rich, kind of just do what they do. Their scheme is their scheme. Like Rex Ryan refused to change. Dan Quinn went in the lab and you heard it on the broadcast. Kyle's like, yeah, it actually doesn't really matter that I used to work for him and saw his defense every day in practice. He doesn't run that defense anymore. He completely changed. It'd be like a, you know, an off speed pitcher adding a fastball. Like, damn, this guy used to just throw cutters and curveballs. And now he's throwing 98. Like, when you could add pitches to your arsenal, like Dan Quinn to me is a

legitimate candidate in this cycle. I would say I would feel more comfortable hiring Dan Quinn than I would a lot of these coordinators. And some of these coordinators might turn out to be really good coaches, but the majority of young coordinators do not become Sean McVan. Most of them fail. So I think Dan Quinn's going to get a job. But I think you're looking at Sean Peyton rolling it back and the next year the pressure on Sean McDermott, on Brandon Staley, on Mike McCarthy to like make noise in the playoffs. And when I say noise, like, I'm talking to final four and beyond. I think some of the jobs there

with just some really, really good quarterbacks. I'm not including DAC in the level of Josh Allen and Justin Herbert in terms of talents type that Sean Payton would want to coach. But the cowboy job is pretty intriguing just because it's the Dallas Cowboys. So if John Payton asked me for my advice in what I, about these open jobs,

I would say, man, I'd take a deep breath. I'd keep enjoying Manhattan Beach, playing some golf in Newport, head down to the desert, and just take a deep breath. and live to see 2023 because I think there are going to be some fantastic potential job openings.

Okay, Middlecoff mailback, very easy to do at John Middlecoff is the Instagram. Fire in those DMs and get your question answered here on the show. Start with Michael. Listening to Monday's show, I'm with you, the bill should stick with McDermott as the head coach.

That being said, I think the team should use what natural advantages they have and I would love to see Gary Kuback's cutback running offense. also known as the zone running scheme that Kyle runs and the Shanahan family runs and a lot of his guys run, I think it would help take advantage of their winter weather. I know it's almost impossible to land him as an OC, but do you think some of his offspring, Pollock, Benton, even Greg Roman, back to Buffalo? Second, do you think Kareem Hunt to Buffalo is a fix in terms of skills?

Could be a low value by this offseason. Buffalo clearly values character and Hunt has some red flags in his past. I would be shocked. I would be stunned if Kareem Hunts in Buffalo. I would be aggressive. You know, Josh Jacobs. I'm going to have to look at the free agent running backs,

but every year guys get cut. You can always draft physical running backs in the third and fourth round. I don't think Ken Dorsey's getting fired after one year. Could be wrong, but I would be a little surprised if Ken Dorsey's not back, but there's going to be a lot of pressure on them for sure.

To not just add running back, but to be more physical at the point of attack because you can't be that soft in a winter climate when the bills are going to host playoff games. Like I got news for you, the bills and everyone listening to this knows are going to win the AFC East next year. Bills are going to win it.

So at minimum they're going to host a playoff game. And more than likely, like they're good. They're going to be 12 to 14 wins a year. Like they might host multiple playoff games. You've got to be able to run it because it's going to be freezing cold there. You can't just throw bombs. In the dig situation, like it got a little weird.

And I like Stefan Dix because I like guys to produce. You know, character stuff, and he's not a bad character guy, but I guess just selfish, quote unquote, or being a diva. If you produce in life, like, I can deal with some shit. That's usually how it works in any walk of life. But, you know, he got run out of Minnesota because he was acting weird with cousins. Started getting weird with him and Josh, and he stormed out of the locker room yesterday.

I don't know. I mean, I'm a Diggs fan because I like my guy. to be dependable when it matters and he's been really good for them in big moments so I wouldn't move on from that but you never know. If it starts getting weird with the quarterback, you know they're going to choose a quarterback over Dix.

For Max, Ben a Hawks fan all my life and was always on Pete's side these past couple seasons when everyone shouted about Russ and his cooking. Anyways, I think Pete and John should trade back a tad in the draft and just draft all defense. They prove they can find starters and Gino proved he's a quarterback won, That being said, I've heard some small rumors about the Hawks trading for Lamar.

Would never happen, but it's fun to dream, right? I think Lamar Jackson has traded this offseason. I just, I think it's over in Baltimore. I think it got weird, and I think anytime a situation in pro sports over money gets really, really weird, and then a guy kind of refuses to play, sometimes there's no going back to that. And the Ravens are kind of an old school organization that way. I don't know. I know DeCosta said all the right things,

but I envision him getting traded. Could be wrong. I mean, this is just, it's not like I have any inside information on this. Mike Gutsi's traded. And if he is, my question is, I could see John Schneider, like, never forget. John Snyder, like Russell Wilson,

when not a lot of people did. John Snyder tried to get Josh Allen when most people thought he sucked. I know of several general managers right now who could use a cornerman. that thought Josh Allen sucked. And in fairness to them, I did too. But they were wrong.

John Snyder loved him and wanted to trade Russell Wilson to the Browns to get Josh Allen. But he couldn't. So I would say that he is going to like Will Levis. I think John Schneider will like Will Levis. I know he was at a Kentucky game because I talked to a buddy that was with him at the game

this season. I don't know. That buddy didn't tell me if Schneider likes Will Levis, but I could see him wanting a guy like him. that. If you like Josh Allen, I think there are some parallels with Will Levis that I can see them going that route. But I hear you. I just don't know, you know, part of the reason with Russell, they're going to want to pay Lamar Jackson $180 million. Because part of it would be trading a couple picks, right? A couple first rounders, probably your first rounder and following your first

rounder and giving Russell Wilson 160 million. Wouldn't you just be better off drafting C.J. Shroud or Will Levis, if you like those guys. And I do think John Schneider is really good at his job, so that's what I kind of would guess. Okay, next question. Alexander, been listening to show for a while. I've got one for you in the mailbag that I think you could give some unique insight on

from your front office experience. As you know, the Titans have fallen on some historically bad injury luck the past two seasons. I've heard some suggest they changed to a new general manager, Ran Carthin, from old GM John Robinson, will decrease the rate at which players get injured due to potential changes to the team's medical staff

and training regimen. To me, I'm having trouble buying that. This seems more like a Mike Vrable problem than a general manager problem. How does that work? In a front office whose job it is to ensure a team's health is preserved over the course of the year, thank you. I think this gets over-hyped a little bit,

and I've seen it, you know, the Eagles years ago, had a ton of injuries and they changed everybody and I saw it with the 49ers who for a couple years led the league in injuries they changed the training staff the doctors the weight staff at the end of the day it is football you can limit

or you know kind of mitigate the potential of guys getting injured based on their injury history but a guy still can tear his ACL or break his leg or get hurt training there are things like you go to a NFL practice, there's a collision. A guy might get injured.

I think some of it is a little random. Now, if you have a team full of guys who have been injured before in college and those are the type guys you draft and then they get hurt in the pros, like I get it. That's a little on the gym. But I think a lot of it is, one, the way you practice.

But even today, like most people don't practice like they did in the 80s and 90s. I've also had this thought that the way teams don't hit and the sport is not as violent in practice leads to a lot more injuries in games. That's just, you know, a theory of mine, but I don't put that on the gym. I honestly don't put that as much on the coach. And I think it's so easy to blame the training staff and the weight staff. I think some of it is like, it's football guys, people get hurt. How many top quarterbacks in the NFL that bust IEC?

Sam Darnold would have not had busted with better coaching or needed more time, like Carson Palmer. Watching Danny Dimes playing under Dable, he seemed improved, or Gino Smith, he is better, not great but serviceable. How does coaching and time help? Well, most guys are not Andrew Luck. Most guys are not just ready to hit the ground running. Even Patrick Mahomes had a year to hone in his skills and learn how to be a pro. most human beings are not wired, whether it's pro sports, whether it's any of the industries we live in,

to not just dominate from day one at 22, 23 years old. It's not the way it works. Whether you're an NBA player, whether you're a baseball player, whether you're a musician, or whether you're a podcaster, or whether you're a sales guy. You usually get better with time.

Because with time, what does that allow you to do? Make mistakes. And then what do you do once you, make mistakes. You learn from them. So the more experience you get, the more, you know, a perspective you get on what you're doing, which helps you prepare for what you have to do. So I think the majority of players just take some time. In guys that don't, let's use football as an example, you know, Justin Herbert played a lot in college. Hell, Brock Purdy, who's having success right now, clearly the team has good coaching and good players around them for your starter in college. Like,

Tray Lance, it was a really big struggle for him. Tray Lance was a one-year starter at a small school. So I think going through tough times at quarterback is very, very beneficial. And a lot of guys that get drafted high go to really good schools that win a lot. Like, C.J. Stroud has not hit much adversity. Lost to Michigan twice. One basically every other game. Right? Like Mac Jones, what was his adversity?

Not starting over Tua? because when he played, all he did was win. He didn't hit adversity until the league. You get drafted in the NFL. Whether you play for the Chiefs or whether you play for the Texans, you're going to go through adversity. So coaching clearly matters. There's a small percentage of coaches that know what they're doing

when it comes to coaching the quarterback. And two, the thing with quarterback, there are variables that are out of your control. Who you're throwing to, who you're running back is, who your offensive line is, who your offensive play caller is. So there are just a ton of, of variables. Danny Dimes

is a very good example. He was with the most dysfunctional or one of them in the league for his first four years. Pat Schumer Joe Judge, I mean, come on. Then he gets a real coach, but even this year like Sequin Barclay, look who he's throwing to. I think they should be dramatically better.

Do the bills remind you of the Eagles in the 2000s? I think the Eagles in the 2000s were much better on defense. The Eagles were better. The Eagles were better. The Eagles were going to the NFC championship. I think four straight years. The bills have made it once. Bills can't get past the second round. I think that

now I would take Josh Allen over Donovan McNabb. And listen, that's not a to slide of Donovan McNabb. He was a stud too. But I think those Eagles teams were more physical. I do. Now McDermott was a part of those teams as an assistant

but I think those Eagles teams were better than those bills teams. They were just much more physical. Hey John, big fan of the show. I'm a huge Ravens fan and watching Mahomes play through a high ankle sprain, I think it reflects poorly on Lamar Jackson. From the outside, it feels as though one guy is willing to play through anything to help his team and the other guy is sitting out for a contract renewal.

Wanted to hear your thoughts on the situation and what you would do if you're the Ravens GM. Well, I think it is a lot different. On the most basic level, Mahomes has a $450 million contract. Mahomes is under contract for the rest of his life being paid an astronomical amount of money. Now, we know the way NFL contracts work. It'll get reworked or whatever, but Mahomes never has to worry about money the rest of his life.

Now, you could argue Lamar Jackson has made, I think at the end of this contract, I think he was making 25 this year. I think his total amount of money is earned in the NFL is $32 million. But, like, you do need to worry about yourself sometime, and he does have a contract, potentially this offseason to pay him $150, $160 million. Thinking he'll sign it, who knows?

I mean, I don't know. Don't totally, like, you got to, sometimes in life you've got to be selfish. And it's easy, like, it's easy for me to be selfish. My business is me. So if I have to argue over something with an advertiser, with whoever, like, I don't worry about it as much. When you have to be selfish to the business with Lamar does with the front office and the coaching staff, but then you have the teammates who are dependent on it makes it more complicated.

I don't blame Lamar as much, unless he's completely faking it. But based on what he said, his PCL or whatever, is not stable, I get it. Like, I don't, it doesn't bother me. It doesn't. Now, would Lamar have battled through? It could just, it's just completely different situation, I think. I also think it shows Mahomes is just a complete throwback, man. He is a, he's old school.

He would have thrived in the 70s or 80s. which can't be said for anybody. And I think Mahomes would have done that contract year, no contract year, I don't think he gives a shit. I think he's just on a different level. But I don't blame Lamar for... I blame Lamar for not signing the contract. They offered him an astronomical amount of money,

changed the rest of the course of his life, and he turned it down. I'm just sorry. I think that was a bad financial decision. Always appreciate your insights. This is Justin. Question about the narratives around two, rising young quarterbacks in the NFL. I've listened to a variety of sports analysts and the

bulk have Trevor Lawrence as a bona fide top five to seven quarterback in the league, and they're pointing out how the Jags made the playoffs in what should have been a rebuilding year, except no one talks about the Jags invested over $170 million in free agents to build around him. Fields, on the other hand, had and have no legitimate pieces around him. I undoubtedly biased Chicago Homer. I'm not trying to take anything away from T-Law's accomplishments this season, but isn't the narrative a little flawed? I've heard people mention Lawrence as the second coming of Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. Well, I'm with you. Trevor Lawrence is a long way to go, but like, so does Shopify or Zillow. But if you just look where society's going, you can invest a lot in companies like that going.

I think the upside for Shopify over the next decade is extremely. extremely high. It hasn't peaked right now. You could argue it's never going to be worse as a company than it is currently. Trevor Lawrence has a long way to go. He was bad in the Titans game, Week 18. He was borderline unplayable the first half of the game against the Chargers. But it's pretty clear if you watch him, we know what you're watching. There's a lot to work with there. And his pedigree, how big he is, his physical attributes, you would bet on that. No one around the jag says when the season ends, what does Trevor need to work on?

Passing. That is what the Bears GM said about Fields. What does he need to work on this offseason? Passing. What you would say about Lawrence, like he needs more experience, reading coverages, better understanding of when to not pull the trigger against zone, man, ETC.

Same thing you'd say about any young quarterback. The GM said Fields needs to improve at passing. So I'm a Fields guy. I like the physical attributes. I like, you know, I'm paying my coaches a premium. Mold that fucking guy into a stud. Because he has it.

He has the physical capabilities. Now, there's no guarantee he can do it. But I'm with you. Like Christian Kirk, they paid him a lot of money. Clearly pretty good player. ETN, they drafted in the first round. I look up at Justin Fields. He's throwing it to Dante Pettis and Nikiel Harry.

Two guys, franchises couldn't get rid of fast. enough, but one was drafted high in the second, the other was drafted at the end of the first. So they're not apples to apples, but Trevor Lawrence is a much better quarterback at throwing than Justin Fields, which Fields is running is awesome. He's a, he's a Lamar Jackson. But part of the reason why Lamar Jackson became an MVP is like he could throw 35 touchdowns. Can Fields get to a point where he can throw at a high level? I don't know. If you listen to me, you know where I kind of stand. I would entertain trading them if I liked one of these quarterbacks.

And I could get a couple first round picks for Justin Fields. If I'm Ryan Poles. Because it doesn't feel like Ryan Poles, let's face it, is in love with the guy. It just doesn't. Even you have to admit that. If your GM says he needs to improve throwing a big fan from Canada, it's a small city near Vancouver. Victoria. I know where that is.

I've been to never been to Victoria, but I've been to Vancouver. Incredible city. incredible. Went to Whistler one time skiing. There was no snow. It sucked, but it was fun. Got really drunk. What do you think the chances are that the 49ers jits Trey Lance is offseason and keep Jimmy around as a backup? They barely pay Purdy anything, so I figure it could work. Well, I think there are two ways to look at Trey Lance. When you draft a guy as high as they did, they paid him a signing bonus of $25 million. His contract is $34 million, all guaranteed. And the way, if you look at the contract, you can type in Trey Lance's contract, his dead cap and cap hits are pretty high his third and fourth years.

Now, he's not going to get his fifth year option picked up. I think you could entertain trading him, but you would incur a cost trading him. You would have dead money on your cap from Trey Lance. Now, Brock Purdy is going to be the starter next year. That's not an opinion. That's a fact, unless they sign Tom Brady, which I doubt they do. but in terms of Brock Purdy, Trey Lans,

Brock Purdy is one and Trey Lance is two. Now, if you think, part of the reason they love Trey Lance was character, as good teammate, which from all accounts, he is. But it does get a little weird like Brock Purdy,

Trey Lance looking over him. I think you could entertain trading him. Like, to me, if I could get a two, if I get like a two and a three for him, see ya, he's gone. But I'm not just trading him for like a fourth. Because his value right now is not much. Because it's not like Trey Lans.

makes nothing. He does make $8, $9 million the next couple years. So a team trading for him would have to pay him it's not like they're getting a guy for a couple million dollars. They are getting a guy who makes a decent chunk of change who's never proven

he can play. Started four games in his career and it hasn't been pretty. So I'd be all for trading him. I would do it in a heartbeat if I could get a second round pick for him. Probably second and third. But I wouldn't just get rid of them to get rid of them. I would still try to work with him. maybe resurrect his value.

Some guys take longer, like we talked about. Jordan Love clearly took a little bit longer, and who knows if he can even play. Trey Lance wasn't even remotely close to being ready. Brock Purdy immediately comes in the game as a seventh round player, and it's like functional. So I would guess Trey Lance is on the team next year as a backup, but, you know, now that Rand Carthin is the GM of the Titans,

maybe they would be interested. I don't think it's a lock that he's back for sure. Okay, hey, John, Seattle fan here, and I'm wondering what you think would be the best draft pick for them. I'm not a believer in Gino, but with all the holes in the roster, what do you think? Part of it is Gino's number. Like, do I get Gino back for $15 million?

Cool, I'm bringing them back. And I'm still entertaining, taking a quarterback with, what do you guys pick in the fifth pick? I haven't looked at the draft. order since probably the week 18 so I have to go back and look at it but I would enter Seattle's going to entertain taking a quarterback no matter what like and the other thing is I can't see them paying Gino 30 million dollars a year who is paying Gino 30 million dollars a year I saw Jordan Schultz or someone on the interweb said that you know get ready a hundred plus million dollars for

Gino see you nice knowing you appreciate your 30 touchdowns this year Godspeed go get them go get him champ because would I give him two years $40 million and guarantee 20? Yeah, probably something like that. But under no circumstances am I going more than a multi-year deal in the range

of some of these numbers that are getting thrown around? I would rather take my chances from scratch. So I think that you guys are going to take I'm guessing Seattle takes a quarterback this year. Might not be with your top overall pick, but

I'm pretty sure you're doing it. What more does Brock Purdy need to do? Oh, hey John, this is love all the way from Australia. Got you through Collins' feet. Appreciate you. Tristan. What more does Purdy need to do? If he wasn't the last pick in the draft and was a top five, shit, even top 10 pick, none of the criticism would be coming.

Quarterback's job is to make good decisions. Put yourself in the best position to win and facilitate the offense. why do we hold his landing spot against him? He's only doing what he's asked to do also is why we love Kyle's scheme and play calling and decision making on players and I understand people whiff on high picks. But as soon as it comes to Trey,

we don't trust Kyle's decision making. Whether it was Kyle's pick or not, the kid's raw and started four games, can't we just let the kid on the field before we turn him into armchair expert? Sorry, I'm kind of getting lost here. I don't know, maybe social media, everyone just wants to have their say. Love the part, cheers.

Like, listen, this is, I think the most easiest way to understand the Tray Lance, Brock Purdy's situation. This is a bottom line fucking league. It's bottom line. You either get the job done or you don't. And injuries, whether they're your fault or not, they make me not be able to depend on you. And when you get hurt, you can't play. So I can't evaluate you. Brock Purdy has played every game he's been in, never gets hurt.

Now it's a small sample side But Trey Lance started four games Last year he got hurt He hurt his knee and missed a game After he started it against Arizona And this year obviously shattered his ankle So he had two years of playing And he got injured immediately

Partly because he can't really throw In terms of accurately So they had to run them all the time They had to run them all the time Like Justin Fields or Lamar Jackson Except he doesn't run like those guys And he gets caught pretty easily So listen I was bullish on Trey Lance

because I like tall, big physical players. But his release is really loopy, and in his short time playing, he was very, very inaccurate. And then Brock Purdy comes in, and he's much more accurate. And he's just a much better player. So I think the way that we figure these things out,

it's like, do you get the job done or you don't? Like part of the reason Gino Smith is an intriguing player because he has threw for 30 touchdowns. It's not because people like him. He's funny. It's like, he's fucking good. You either get the job done or you don't.

and Lance simply did not and Purdy came in and immediately was better than Jimmy Garapolo and back to Purdy like part of it yeah when you're a first round pick we hold you to a different esteem we hold you to a different standard

we judge you differently than we do fifth six seventh round picks now if you become a really good player after a while we don't care where you were picked but it takes a couple of years for that to happen so Purdy would have to keep doing well this year and then play again good well next year year for us not to view him as a seventh round pick. Now, that'll always be part of his story,

but we just talk about Tom Brady as a great player. We just talk, like, we don't talk about DAC's draft position anymore. We just talk about how much money he makes. Like, same with Russell Wilson, how much money he makes. After a while, it doesn't matter where you get picked. It's how good you are, how good you play in big games, how much your salary impacts a salary cap. Like, so I just think it takes time. And I would say Purdy has done, you know, the 49ers have won four playoff games with Jimmy Garoplo.

This guy's better. Period point blank. Now, is he Mahomes, Burrow, Allen, Herbert, any of those level talents? Of course not. But he's pretty damn good.

If you read the draft, I'll promise you this. He ain't going 262. You know, he ain't going 262. Probably goes like second and third round. And if he keeps playing like this, he might even go higher in that.

So, yeah, it's just part of the deal. It's what makes It's why whenever I see Draft is so un-American. Yeah, it's part of the business model. It's why these leagues print money for their players. The draft matters.

The draft creates conversation for the rest of a player's career. And the draft in itself is an enormous money-making venture for the NFL that benefits the players. The NFL draft is one of the most important

couple days in the league. From obviously a team-building standpoint, but from a business business. standpoint. So I think his story, the rest of his career, a little like Tom Brady, will be about being this Mr. Irrelevant. Think about that. He isn't just a seventh round pick. He's Mr. Irrelevant. Might turn out to be one of the best slash luckiest picks the 49ers ever make. Talk to everyone later. Adios. Have a good day. See you. The volume.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not Quite on Humor 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 living.

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 IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed Human