The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Fire Brandon Staley! Trevor Lawrence Statement, Purdy Damn Good, Mailbag

Episode Date: January 15, 2023

John discusses Chargers HC Brandon Staley getting exposed after blowing a 27-0 lead against the Jags, and why the penny pinching Spanos’ need to fire Staley immediately, why Trevor Lawrence leading a second half comeback after a 4 INT marked his true NFL arrival, and if Brock Purdy’s elite playoff performance shows he’s the long-term QB answer for the Niners. 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 I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Volume. The Three Now podcast with me, John Middilcoff, is presented by Fandul's Sportsbook. There's no better place to make every moment more than with Fandual.

America's number one sportsbook, very easy to use, safe and secure, you get your winnings fast. I cannot recommend it enough. Love gambling with Fandual. If you are new, just download the Fandual Sportsbook app to get started. now sign up with promo code Colin so they know we sent you. What is going on, everybody, John Middilcoff 3 and our podcast. Brandon Staley and De Chajas, some thoughts on them, some thoughts on Seattle. We will have Colin on the show after Monday night show after the Monday night football game.

We will have another show, obviously Sunday, reacting to three games. Today is reacting to the Saturday games. I threw in a little Middilcoff mail bag. at John Middlecopf is the Instagram fire in. The next mailbag will be on Tuesday's show. So yeah, it'll be just coward and me and then some mailbag questions. So get in the mix.

Get on it right now. If you subscribe on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to the 3-and-out feed. Stuyves in football. But before we do that, I got to tell you about my friends at GameTime. Game Time is the fastest-growing ticket app in America. I'm going to my first ever hockey game this week.

NHL game. Phoenix Coyotes, Washington Capitals. This Thursday, I'm going because of game time. Here's what you do. You go to the GameTime app. You go to your Apple phone. That's what most of you have, I'm sure. But if you don't, go to your app store, download GameTime.

Sign up. And when you make your first purchase, use the promo code John, J-O-H-N for $20 off. That's John, my name, J-O-H-N for $20 off. NBA games, NHL games. You live in one of these cities with football that's still going on, playoff game. Boom, got you covered. Concerts, college basketball, you name it, any event. Download the GameTime app.

Sign up and use my promo code, J-O-H-N. I used it. I'm going to a hockey game. My first ever. Pretty fired up, not going to lie. Do it right now. Love my friends at GameTime. Can't recommend them enough.

Where do we start? Where, oh, where do we start? There's a tried and true formula in the sport of football. The importance of coaching at the highest levels of high school, the highest levels of college, and obviously in the NFL are very, very important. You can be an average coach with great players and get away with it in certain games, certain seasons. But in big moments, when you're facing a,

another coach who is better than you and has equal the talent, you're eventually going to be in trouble. And I've been saying for a long time, I think Brandon Staley is a fraud. Last year, his defense was horrendous. They lost to the Raiders to get into the playoffs and what I thought would be tough to top as one of the most embarrassing losses I've ever seen.

Well, he did it. Tonight, against the Jacksonville Jags, up 27 to nothing. 27 to nothing. Now, in fairness to Staley, over the second half of this season, his defense, which he is the defensive coordinator of, has been

much better and has been good. And I think you'd think that I was going to give him credit for being up 27 to nothing and having four first half interceptions against the former number one pick, Trevor Lawrence. But as a wise man once said, you might run the volume, his name's Colin Coward. If you want

credit, go to a bank I wasn't going to give you any credit for that. Because four of those picks, three of them were just horrendous decisions by Trevor Lawrence. Throws it right to Asante Samuel, who, when I was with the Eagles, Asante Samuel, was our best corner, makes a bunch of plays. Like father, like son. And his other pick was hit off a helmet, freaky play. I'm not giving Brandon Staley any credit on those picks. But when you're leading and you're going to win a playoff game, like it's hard to take away.

You win a playoff game. I give you credit for playoff wins. of 27 to nothing what looked like going into the halftime. I was like, how do you blow this game? I had a buddy in the league who also does not like him. He goes, I don't even think he can blow it. Obviously, Trevor Lawrence, they have a touchdown drive at the end of the first half, and then the second half of what happens?

Coaching. I don't know what said in the locker room at halftime. We don't know the exact halftime adjustments, certain routes against certain coverages. I think a lot of halftime, and you saw Doug Peterson at the end of the first half, he just says, he just needs to calm down. We're going to be okay.

Just take care, better care of the football, and we'll be all right. What does Doug Peterson have? The only Super Bowl in Philadelphia Eagles history. And he did it with a backup quarterback. Former quarterback understands the mindset and the way those guys are wired. Clearly goes in a halftime

as the head coach slash play caller and gets a hold of his guy. And Trevor Lawrence, who will get into in a second, comes out and dominates. Brandon Staley, the defensive coordinator, spotted this enormous lead just has to not allow them to score touchdowns. Maybe a touchdown here or a touchdown there,

but they can't score several touchdowns. It's the only way they can get back in the game. You're up 27 to 7. Hell, one more touchdown from you probably ices it. But what happens? Blown coverage after blown coverage. Trevor Lawrence, touchdown after touchdown, all of a sudden you're looking up.

The Jags have the ball because Doug Peterson had gone for two only down to drive the field and get in field goal range and win the game. If the Spanos family, who historically is one of the cheapest families in all of professional sports, if they can't look themselves in the mirror and go, now's the time, we need to obviously fire this guy who is over his head as the head coach, you can clearly do better. And sometimes when you go, well, you could clearly do better. The Raiders are about to figure this out. Can they do better than Derek Carr?

History would tell us, probably not. But there's a guy sitting out there right now to be their coach, who is in L.A. all the time for Fox in Sean Payton, who is an offensive guy. You have the most talented quarterback. I'm not saying the best, but he's definitely the most talented of the last three guys you've had. Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and now this guy.

One thing Philip Rivers never truly had, had a moment with Marty, never had really good. good coaches. Always went with cheap coordinators and what did get them? Not that far. Under achievement. Drew Breeze had to leave the chargers to go to the Saints and link

up with Sean Payton. Boom. They go like a rocket ship. Drew Breeze is going to the Hall of Fame. Great coaching takes great talent and great quarterbacks as far as you want to go. And right now Justin Herbert is with a guy who has no business being the head coach.

And we saw it last year at the end of the season. and now we're seeing it this year at the end of the season. That was, I mean, that's beyond embarrassing. That's an all-time choke job. Obviously, the defense gave up all the points. He's the defensive coordinator. Multiple touchdowns that Trevor Lawrence threw. And listen, I give him credit for stay in common collected,

especially after the disaster. But guys were wide open because of miscommunications. Well, if miscommunication is going on, you're either coaching it or allowing it to happen. What is going on? why do your defenders not know where to go? This is the 18th game of the season. And the other thing that stood out,

obviously he blew a challenge late in the game. In fairness, Doug Peterson blew a challenge that he never threw the red flag for when he was standing there. So even if he was being aggressive, whatever, there was a moment tonight when one of the Chargers wide receivers got hurt. And the broadcast, and we'll get into that in a second,

says, well, they're down to three wide receivers because Mike Williams didn't even make the trip. And it goes back to last week. Playing one of your best players, one of your most impactful players who has an injury history in that game is malpractice. That alone is a fireable offense. Separate from the night.

Even if they had won the night and got to next week against the bills or the chiefs and lost, I still would have fired him because what happened to Mike Williams? Now it's football. You can get hurt in practice. You can get hurt in the weight room. You can get hurt running sprints on your own to keep your cardio up.

But to playing in a game that does not matter when you have an injury history and your impact and your importance to that said team is of the highest degree. And it's because your coach is okaying it when he easily could have been like, you're taking this week off. We just need to get you to next Saturday night. That alone was a fireball offense. And you saw the impact of tonight when they had an injury and all of a sudden offensive it's like Keenan Allen or bust.

And I just think Brandon Staley, if Dean Spanos can't fire him the night, I don't know what to say. But we should just pack up the chargers and just the NFL should grab Justin Herbert and put him somewhere else. Because that was an absolute terrible loss and really an impressive win by a championship level coach.

And speaking of a championship level coach, he got the best out of his star, quarterback. Now, Trevor Lawrence had one of the shittiest first halves you'll ever see four interceptions. And three of them were beyond horrendous. Hitting Asante Samuel, like right in the numbers, in stride. Can't happen. Not in a playoff game. But, you know, most people when things are going well, they can have success. They can carry themselves in the right way. Like, everyone's cocky when whatever business they're in, things are rolling. of people made money in 2021.

How'd it go in 2022? Bet not great. A lot of guys could throw touchdowns in the NFL. What happens to the following week or the following half or the following drive when you throw a pick six? How do you react? And Trevor Lawrence, who, listen, I didn't even know what to make of it. I'm like, this is insane.

He looks fucking awful. To come back out in the second half and dominate, because that's what he did. Dominated. Shows you a couple things. One, his mental toughness, like this is a playoff game. You know, at home, it's a big deal. Even though the brand, you know, it's the Chargers, not like you're playing the bills or the Cowboys or whatever.

But it's, we had 30 million people watching Saturday night. NBC, Al Michaels calling it. To bounce back like that, to be as calm, cool, and collected as he was in the second half, to make as many plays, throw a dime after dime after dime, like, that's what it's supposed to look like. And honestly, I was impressed. tonight with him as I would have been if he just would have had a seven touchdown night and they

would have won 50 to 30 because you learn more about a person, about a player, how they react when things are really, really shitty in chaos. Why do we give the Bill's assistant trainer so much credit for the Demar Hamler situation? Because it's unprecedented. No one ever seen it. Dude's going to die right there on the field. That they can teach you all they want. in classes, in a book, in

YouTube's, whatever, you know, in walkthroughs in your job, how to handle that situation. It's another thing when the dude's lying there on the ground. Right? For any human being, anyone that's ever seen a doctor or a medical professional

handle themselves in a plane, in an airport, in a situation outside of the hospital when someone goes down, it is remarkable. Because most of us freeze, we freak. It's a natural reaction. And just like when most people

shit starts hitting the fan, they fold. They fold. That is the majority of people. I'd argue in any business. When things turn, most people, it gets worse. The best, the cream of the crop, they lean into it and they figure a way out. It's why we have the haves and have-nots in this country.

No different than why we have the haves and have-nots as players. Now, Trevor Lawrence physically, really gifted player. Tall can run, big arm. But tonight we saw him play at a high level. I thought last week against the Titans was pretty shitty. He was not very good.

Obviously, this first half, it's hard to have a worst first half in NFL history. Four picks in the first half of a playoff game at home, but to bounce back like that, throw four touchdowns, take complete control of the game, and just eviscerate Brandon Staley's play calling, was really something cool to see. And really quick before we dive in the Niners in Seattle,

these games are an entertainment property. Obviously the game, you know, is going to entertain us or it's not, right? Good game, regardless what voices we hear, we're going to watch. Football, it doesn't matter who calls the games, right? Joe and Troy got $150 million to go to ESPN. Fox had better ratings this year with Burkhart and Greg Olson. I like Kevin Burkhart. I know him personally.

I mean, I've talked to him before. don't know Greg Olson, but it just shows you like, you get great games, you get high-level pros, it doesn't necessarily matter who's calling the game. But anyone listening to this, if your team doesn't always play in the A slot, especially when your team's having a rough year, you get the crappier

announcers, and it can be a rough listen. Tonight, Al Michaels is a legend, and at 75, 76 years old, the energy he brings is fantastic. And Tony Tony Dungee, by all accounts, incredible human being. Very accomplished football guy.

player, long-time assistant, resurrected Tampa, won a Super Bowl. Just because you have all these accolades and all these accomplishments doesn't mean you should be calling a game. I thought tonight was an embarrassment for NBC. Tony Dungey, like,

take another, have another cup of coffee, man. I can barely hear you. Wake up. But in fairness to Tony Dungey, he's been that guy for a decade on television. He's really, really boring. Do better NBC. Like, do better.

You have a million. people you could choose from to just give us a little more energy. Like I said, it doesn't really matter who calls the game. But I thought tonight, like, wake up, Tony. I understand not everyone has unlimited energy. But Tony Dungey on a one to 10 scale of energy is like a one. And I thought tonight was a pretty awful look for NBC. This is the playoffs. Holy shit. This is a big deal. This is the NFL. You're going to put this guy on? Put us to sleep. Al Michaels, who's 77 years old, has quadruple the amount of energy has on television? I thought it was a rough look.

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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you're you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clivert 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-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a here. unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was 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 for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for Black. 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. Football season is underway. So now is the perfect time to download FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. Because right now, new customers get a no-swet first bet up to $1,000. That's free bets back if your first bet doesn't win.

Just sign up using the, the promo code, Colin. Fanduel has all your favorite bets from money line to point spreads to player props. You can combine your bets for a chance at a bigger payout with a same game parlay. The app is safe, secure, and super easy to use. Get paid your winnings fast. So sign up today with promo code Colin for your no sweat first bet. Make every moment more this season with Fandul, official sportsbook partner of the NFL.

21 and over and president in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia. Must wager in designated offer market. Max bet $5. Restrictions apply. See full terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling problem? Call 1-800 next step or text next step to 533, 42, Arizona, 888, 789, 77, or visit ccdegg.org or visit fanduel. dot com slash RG, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, 18777-7-7-7-7-1-1-7-1-1-7 for confidential help, Michigan. 18778, Hope N. or text Hope, N.Y, 467-New York, Tennessee Redline, 1-800-88-97-89, Tennessee, 1-800-5-2-4700. Wyoming.

Visit www.1-800 gambler.net, West Virginia. Let's dive into the 49ers in Seattle. When you go all in and a quarterback in the draft, all you're hoping for, obviously we say a star quarterback, we're just hoping for a guy that you know you can win with consistently. And the reason you win with most of the good quarterbacks is because when they're on the field,

whether it's Joe Burrow, tonight, Trevor Lawrence in the second half, obviously Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar when he's healthy, every single drive as a fan of that team you go, we might score a touchdown. We have a very good chance to drive

70, 80 yards and score a touchdown. I think sometimes we overcomplicate sports. And if you come to this show, you know, like, I'm not breaking down in-depth analytically of all the different angles of the game. All the other podcasts throughout the country

have that market corner. That's not my stick. Now, I also think sometimes we put more emphasis on all these specific yards per play, points per half. The number one thing you can try to do as a football team win the game. And the number one thing you can do as an offense is score points. Pretty basic, black and white. You can teach a five-year-old that. And one thing with the 49ers, when they drafted Trey Lance, they were hoping to get a more explosive player.

because Jimmy Garoppolo, while a solid, you know, just could man the ship, was never going to be Lewis Hamilton in a car that clearly had an upside to operate like the Mercedes F1 car, right? Because Jimmy Garoppelow couldn't do it. So their mindset when they traded all those picks was to get Trey Lance who had a much higher ceiling. Now, we've seen consistently in the NFL a lot of people with quote unquote high ceilings never get there. And a huge part of the draft is sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you get lucky. Now, you get credit for drafting

whoever you draft, regardless of the round. Like, yeah, they passed on DAC several times and took them in the fourth round. They still liked them, and they drafted them. Yeah, they drafted multiple guys before they took Russell Wilson and the third. The Ravens took a player, I think it might have been two,

but definitely won, Hayden Hurst, before they took Lamar Jackson. But they still drafted Lamar Jackson. And the 49ers clearly got lucky on Brock Purdy. Did they think he would be this good? Of course not. But I give him credit for drafting the guy. And I give him individually a ton of credit for he's clearly pretty damn good.

I've been watching the 49ers my entire life. I did not watch Joe Montana. I was born in the mid-80s. By the time I really came into my own, Steve Young was the quarterback. Steve Young's the best 49er quarterback I've ever seen by a long shot. Garcia had his moments. Kaepernick had a couple of moments. Alex Smith had a couple moments

Jimmy Garoppolo had a couple moments We could rank them Kaepernick's ceiling was the highest Garcia was actually the most fun Alex was the best story And Jimmy just won four playoff games The starting quarterback or his teams did So you could make arguments for all of them

Brock Purdy to me Is the best passing quarterback I'm talking start to finish Being able to do everything Throw the ball down the field Being accurate on short stuff Being able to be mobile The 49ers have had

since Steve Young. Since he's become the starting quarterback, their offense is averaging 35 points a game. And like today, when I talk about, the only goal with these players is to score points when you're on offense. Score points. And when Brock Purdy's in the game,

the 49er score points. When Trey Lance played a little couple games, when Jimmy Garoppel played a ton of games, they struggled to score a lot of points. Their defense has been really good. This year, last year, and in 2019, They have struggled on offense despite having a loaded cupboard.

Debo Samuel, stud, Kiddle, baller, Iyuk, ascending star, Joanne Jennings, fantastic role player. Christian McCaffrey, baller. Elijah Mitchell, underrated stud.

If you can get these guys the ball, you are going to be borderline impossible to stop. Jimmy Garaplo couldn't really do it. Trey Lansing limited time the last couple years really struggled to do it. Brock Purdy, all he does, throw dimes, do all these guys, and makes plays. Because to me, two things that I don't think we talk about enough

to be a really good quarterback is number one, instinctive. Are you, do you have good instincts as a quarterback? Part of that is obviously understanding the offense and the terminology and the reads, do you have a great feel for the position? And you watch this guy and you go, God, this guy has a great feel for the game. one thing that I was shocked in Tray Lance's limited, you know, games was how slow he played for a running quarterback. It's like he didn't know his speed relative to the other guys. Brock Purdy, who you don't view as a runner, is a complete control of his speed running away from NFL players.

He had a play today on the sideline where he kind of hesitated and stopped the linebacker and then got a couple extra yards for a first down. His instincts as a player are fantastic. And like we talked about with Trevor Lawrence, being calm, cool, and collected when things are going well and when things are hitting, shit is hitting the fan is paramount as a quarterback. And today, the first half was a little rocky. Never looked flustered. Never looked like made some bad passes, but came back in the second half and evisterated the Seahawks. And he's been like that every single start.

Because even when he makes a bad play or he has a bad moment, he never shows it. His body language is elite. And part of being a quarterback is the way you carry yourself. Everyone's looking at you. That includes Trent Williams, a Hall of Fame left tackle. That includes George Kittle. That includes Debo Samuel. In the huddle, they all stare at you.

So your mannerisms, the way you conduct yourself, the way you handle yourself in the good and definitely the bad, really, really matters. All those memes about Jalen Hertz over the years are important. He doesn't get that happy when they score a touchdown. Just like he doesn't get that mad when he throws a pick. That rubs off on people in a good way. Games are long.

Football's hard. You need to show that you are in control. And Brock Purdy, instincts and control and just ability to just kind of be in the moment, but not be outside of the moment has been really, really impressive. The Niners, their high end is just stupid high. And now they have a quarterback who can just explode when it comes to points, because that's what they've been doing since then. And last but not least Seattle, a lot of respect for this season.

If you factor in a day, they went 9 and 9. Most people, including myself, would have chalked this team as a lock top five picking team in the draft. Most people would have said, it's impossible to win that trade with the Denver Broncos because they're going to get Russell Wilson. So no matter how many draft picks you get, he's going to be good, and they're going to win games, and your pick's going to suck. Well, that was the opposite. He was terrible.

they're giving you the six pick they gave them a ton of money that pick alone looks like an all-time fleecing then for you to take Gino Smith win 30 games like most people especially a lot of people in the media because it was the sexy thing to do and there's a cultish thing with the media

once it becomes popular to say something then everyone jumps on it it's actually you know it's the easiest thing to do I think in the profession and everyone thought Pete was an idiot Russell was a star And there were moments where Pete could have been better and Russ carried the team. But clearly everyone thought, let him throw, let him throw, let him throw.

Pete's like, I'm telling you, that's not a great game plan. And then they get Gino Smith and he threw, I mean, his numbers this year, he threw 30 touchdowns. They got the very best out of the guy. They clearly have some talent. Now they got the picks. Pete Carroll's a really good coach. John Snyder is a really good general manager. And part of being good in those two roles is seeing the future.

and they turned on Russell a little bit, as Russell turned on them, and they realized, you know what, we're not all in on this. We're going to short him. Because part of what you have to do as a front office person is value these players like a stock. Is he ascending? Is he descending? Is he kind of just going to be stable for a couple years? And they basically said, we think he's trending down.

And when you factor in the money and you factor what we could get for him, adios, see you later. Hell, they thought about doing it years ago. go with Josh Allen. And they would have been right then. And they clearly were right down. Now, we'll see what the quarterback situation signing Gina long term. I think that could be a risky proposition. Who they draft? Is there a guy worthy of taking the six pick? But what a year for Seattle who everyone just buried. Just thought Pete's going to be done. And I'm guilty as anybody. But that was a muscle flex year for a guy that's won national championships, Super Bowls,

and made the playoffs without Russell Wilson. We'll see. if Russell Wilson never makes the playoffs with Pete Carroll because I would probably, I doubt that one. Okay, let's dive into a little Middlecough mailbag. At John Middlecough is the Instagram. Here's what I did. I'm recording this portion about lunchtime on Saturday. So before the playoff games. Obviously, I just touched on everything that happened.

Crazy? Though I don't know. but let's dive in to some of your mailbag questions. There's this video of Tom Brady going viral of Sam SBF. It's a little awkward. I mean, it did not age well. That's not a question. That's just I saw it on the Instagram streets.

Okay, Dylan, love the pot. Keep crushing in Arizona. I've been a lifelong Patriot fan, so I can't complain since I've enjoyed 20 years of Brady and Bill. But these last few years under Cam Newton, Mac Jones, under the center paired with Belichick's questionable coaching hires have been a tough watch. You talk about Bill hiring his buddies, never breaking outside the coaching tree, but at what point does his previous accolades no longer play a role in his continued tenure as the Patriots head coach GM?

Side note, does Bill limit the Patriot chances of garnering a top 10 pick because of his ability to coach up young, no-name players preventing the rebuild? I think he limits their ability to ever get a top 10 pick because he's really good. Like his understanding how to attack teams, right? He's just, his team's going to be competitive. Obviously, like you said, random guys become good players there. But a lot of it is he knows how to scheme, you know,

and it's hard to watch sometimes offensively, but he does understand the plan of attack. Yeah, I would say he's the greatest game planner consistently in the history of the league. Now, you know, reports came out this week. Patricia's out. They're extending Gerard Mayo. Their defensive coaching staff's fine. It's just Patricia, clearly Robert Kraft was like,

this is not going to fly. He's got to go. Now, I don't know. As a recording this, I haven't read like he's getting fired from the staff. He's just not going to be the offensive coordinator. It's actually an easy one for Bill to roll back because he never named an offensive coordinator.

He just had Matt calling the place. I think the two guys that are going to be rumored to be their offensive coordinator are going to be Bill O'Brien, been there, and Cliff Kingsbury. Bill, you know, drafted him. Now, Kingsbury's offense is a lot different than what Bill's offense looks like,

but Bill could mesh what he does and Cliff does together and maybe get more of a modern-day offense. I will be a little stunned if it's not one of those two guys. Now, I'm not saying Cliff, super rich, does he want to go be an offensive coordinator for Bill? Who knows? Maybe he could go to Alabama if Bill O'Brien leaves. And that's also assuming people think

that Cliff is that good. I watch his offense, is it that great? You know, I see a pretty soft, spread, like, just doesn't really do it for me. But maybe these guys like them. Okay, now that Mike Williams is injured, should Brandon Staley be fired no matter what the outcome of the playoffs? I think the charges will be a lot better off with Sean Payton,

who has expressed interest in coaching them. Obviously, I don't know if they won or not. I'll be honest. I'll assume they'll win. Him playing Mike Williams. Now, ultimately, Mike could have been injured in practice, right? Back spasms, whatever. It is just so reckless.

It is. And I'm sure I talked about it at the front of the podcast. But Brandon Staley now, like, it's always something with the guy. It's insane. It's always something. Every coach makes a bad decision. Wrong time to kick a field goal. wrong time to call a play,

maybe pushing a player, too many touches, he gets injured. It's football. I think Brandon Saley, over the course of the two years, is a just terrible decision maker. Obviously, when his team's healthy, he's actually proven to be a better defensive coordinator

this year than he was last year. He has nothing to do with Justin Herbert. I think it's a no-brainer. Now, the Spanos says, never forget, they love their cash in a savings account. They don't like spreading it out to us. other people who then can make them a lot more money.

It's why they always hire cheap coaches. So this lock that he would hire Dean, that is, Sean Payton, I can't feel confident. Though that seems to me the no-brainer move. WCW. What is WCW? I'm not up with the lingo, but respect your non-sugar-coded takes and approach to business. Disregard the fact that this is coming from a dog's IG account. I love dogs, bro.

Looks like you got a good-looking dog. It's my only way to DM you No judgment zone, my man What Super Bowl matchup do you think would be the best This year from a storyline football perspective Well, I think the bills are pretty hard to beat, right? We saw the Bengals last year, Ben there, done that No offense to Bengals fan

The Chiefs, they've won a Super Bowl before Pretty sure the Buffalo Bills have never won a Super Bowl. They literally went to four and lost four straight everything that happened to that city, that team over the course, if you've listened to podcasts, read any articles, it is pretty crazy. Everything that has happened to that community on top of that team. I would say Buffalo, you could argue Jalen Hertz and the Eagles or the 49ers. I don't think you could go wrong.

I'm not trying to be a homer here, but a seventh round, Mr. Irrelevant, being the starting quarterback against the Buffalo Bills, trying to get their first Super Bowl while the Niners are trying to get their sixth. I don't think the Eagles are a bad storyline at all either. Jalen Hertz, a guy that everyone discounted, probably playing injured. I would say Bill's versus one of those two teams.

Now, you can't go wrong with Mahomes. So, like, if that's a consolation prize. So I would rank it, Bill's clear number one in the AFC, then Chiefs, then Bengals. To me, the NFC is Eagles, Niners, because those two teams have the opportunity to me to beat one of the AFC, though I think both of them would probably be an underdog.

And then you could go the Cowboys just because shit, it's the Cowboys. And they're always a fascinating... If the Cowboys made it at the Super Bowl, that would means they would, you know, beat Brady, beat the Eagles, and beat the Niners. It'd be a pretty good run for old Mike McCarthy. Mr. Middlecough, I saw your Scouts take video on YouTube about Brock Purdy. I was wondering how you became an NFL scout because it's my dream to be an NFL scout since 2013. freshman at a D3 college and involved with the football team,

is there any advice you would give me about trying to become an NFL scout? Well, you're already on the right path. The way I got into football is I was at Cal Poly as a student, and I got involved with the program. And then from there, I went to Fresno State. College football is the best feeder system to the NFL. I started at Cal Poly, you're at a D3. It's not that much different.

We were D1AA. Now, we had some draft picks, so it just kind of got the ball rolling I would try to get to a bigger school either D1A or Division I working recruiting that to me is a great great springboard that is my number one advice to anybody work in college football especially now

who knows maybe you can become you work your way up you don't even need to go to the NFL become a GM of one of these college teams make like 400 grand live in the SEC fuck have the time of your life I couldn't agree more on your take that Packer fans are exhausted with Rogers. How about him the other day?

It's just like it's always about retirement with the guy. With that being said, I'm not convinced Jordan Love is a long-term solution or even in the short term for that matter. Assuming Rogers retires or moves to another team, what are some of the realistic options for Green Bay at quarterback? Well, the only way Rogers is,

obviously he's got two options to not be on the Packers next year. Retires or they trade him. And I think in either scenario, Jordan Love is the quarterback next year. You drafted this guy, you've developed this guy. I think it would be borderline malpractice to not give him a year. Now, if they didn't, and like you said, started looking at Jimmy Garapolo or trade for Derek Carr or do one of those, that would show you what they think of Jordan Love. But I would guess the way they've talked about him, Aaron Rogers really likes him, thinks he's gotten a lot better.

And I don't think he's just saying that to say it. I would be, if Aaron Rogers is not your quarterback next year, I'll be shell-shocked if Jordan Love is not your starter. I honestly, I don't see how Jordan Love is not your starter next year if Rogers feels like he's more likely to be retired than to be traded. I think a take that needs to be mentioned about Sean McVeigh

that no one really seems to be talking about is how he absolutely shredded the draft capital of the Rams. Fair enough, won a Super Bowl, but then second thing's got tough. He's jumping ship. Now, it's been announcing. coming back. I'm sure there's more to the surface level. Doesn't it seem crazy? Do you think there's any truth through it? One difference, if I wanted to defend McVeigh, is he is, you know, he's my age,

36, 37 years old. He has made an astronomical amount of money. And basically for almost 20 years now, he works during the season, you know, 18 hour days. Now, he chooses to do that, but that's the way he's wired. And the difference like Andy Reed, Pete Carroll, and Bill Belichick, when they were Sean McVeigh's age, none of them had a lot of money. So even if they had some quote-unquote other interest or would be like, I just need a break, you couldn't afford to think that way. When you are young, and I would say to me young in 2023 is like under 45, and check your bank account and you have unlimited money, relatively. to what you want to do in life,

it makes you think, like it makes you question what you're doing if you're going through a tough time or if you're just burned out. And listen, I've been critical of the story, though I'd be a hypocrite. Like, I changed careers.

I've done different things. You know, I'm sure many people listening have followed like, you know, I'm not feeling this. I'll do something else. And if he would have chosen that, though he decided to come back, like, listen, he's no different

than anyone else. He just has, The only thing I would say is he's got a pretty sweet job. He's an NFL head coach for a team that is going to return a bunch of guys in L.A. and he's a superstar. That job is better than calling games on television. Now, in 10 years, if he had become a superstar on TV, then you could argue they're equals, right? John Madden's job, by the time I was a kid, was as big as most coaches in the NFL.

maybe a short list. Bill Parcells was more famous. You know, Jimmy Johnson, it was a small, small list. A couple of college coaches. But John Madden was every bit they're equal. And at the time was making more money. Now, the difference is Sean McVeigh

makes every bit of the same amount of money that he would make on TV. It's just obviously an easier lifestyle. Now, like for me, I like golf. I don't think Sean McVey plays golf. Like, what's he going to do with this time? Honestly, like, what do you do every day? to fill that void.

It's hard. Listen, I'm not, my life is not that difficult. Podcasting, I have to dedicate time to watching sports and reading about them.

But I don't have to work 18 hour days. Now I do have to stay locked in so I don't sound like an idiot. But I do have some free time in my hands. Like, you have to fill it. I've gotten involved

in some real estate stuff. I try to trade some stocks on the side, work out. Like, you got to do things to fill your day. Go on a walk, with my girlfriend. You know, it's not, if you're not working like you are in coaching, which is six months a year, fucking all the time nonstop, you'd go zero to 60 back to zero pretty fast.

And it could be a shock to the system. And I do wonder if you realize like, yeah, I don't really, I'm not ready to do this yet. But I think most coaches, given the choice, would do what he did. Give picks for guys. Now, Jalen Ramsey, I think tweeted or Instagram, he's probably gone, which he probably is. I got into football two years ago. I consumed mostly main ESPN Fox shows. However, they lack the insight of someone who had previously worked in the industry.

I'm still under the impression that the importance of scouting is constantly glossed over and underrated in the media. Do you think that there is a tendency to oversimplify the job as most football media members seem to portray themselves as great talent evaluators? Sending goodbyes from Poland. Well, no hate to the players and most people on TV. are former players, obviously their perspective is getting ready for a game, training for the sport, and then playing in the game,

which is important. But when it comes to team building or evaluating who should and shouldn't be on the team or how much guys are worth, I would say their opinions tend to be pretty shitty. And most of them are not the people I would go to to go, like, they've never been a part of, should we trade this guy?

Or all season long, when you're in a front office, it's like, how do we upgrade our average right guard? Who can we get to replace our backup linebacker? You're just constantly talking these scenarios like most fans do. Honestly, being in the NFL in a front office or a college recruiting office is no different than the way the fans talk. Like, God, damn, this guy's pretty good. We need to extend this guy or we really love the guy.

Now, the one difference is, is you get to know the people and the personalities really matter. And honestly, that's where some players are pretty good at talking about personalities, leadership, being around guys, because that does really matter. But in terms of like, it's a black and white business. It's cut and dry. You either win or you lose. You either get the job done or you don't. And that's the way you're evaluated and you're always trying to get better players.

Now, there's also a balance of if you can only slightly upgrade, but you love the guy, you roll with it. There are complications. But yeah, I mean, team building, scouting. evaluating the right people, having a philosophical belief in what you look for in positions, in scheme, in an organization. It's pretty clear to who the Ravens like. Is it shocking that they traded for Roquan Smith and then extended him? Like when you think Roquan Smith, if, you know, obviously got drafted by the Bears, but if you said like, the Bears, he's not

going to be on the bear. If I would have told you last year, he's not going to be on the Bears, what type teams would he go to? You'd be like, the Steelers, the Ravens, you know, Seattle. It's, but Kyle Shanahan probably like him. I mean, it's pretty clear the type mindset of coaches and organizations that would like the guy. You go, who probably wouldn't like him? He'd be like, he doesn't only fit on the dolphins, you know, the commanders. It's pretty philosophically easy once you get a feel for what GMs and coaches like. But, yeah, it's the lifeblood of the league, how those guys build their team.

And this is one thing I will defend Belichick on. Belichick takes a lot of shit he did a pretty good job for a long period of time of finding kind of random guys to become key guys on their championship teams once he had Tom Brady established right? Most of his guys from Julian Edelman's seventh round pick

Matt Slater is what, a six round pick most of their guys are not super like Gronk was a second round pick but a lot of their running backs were traded for undervalued guys. He traded for Kyle Van Hoy, who was a bust in Detroit. He's pretty good at that, man. Or he was when he had Tom. It's obviously a lot harder when you don't have Brady to pull off some of these moves. Okay, a couple more. Longtime listener, first time asking a question. Do you think DeMar Hamlin will ever play another down in the NFL? Listen, I'm no, just state school guy, no doctor here. I would say the way he has a chance to is I don't have heart conditions in my family or so I don't have a good feel for like I've just seen it, you know, when famous people have them and kind of read about him.

I would guess if this is something that he's missing a valve or needs a stint or something like that, then no. But if it was just a freak occurrence, they think like, listen, you're more, no more likely playing football to have that happen than to have it happen walking your child. then yeah, I think it's potential for him to make a comeback, right? But I'd be completely pulling it out of my ass and guessing saying, yeah, he's likely to come back. I think the safe bet would be he never plays in the NFL again would be the safe bet. I think we'd all root for him.

Obviously, it would be an incredible story. I think it'll be cool if he just shows up at one of these games. But like I said, DeMar Hamlin is the NFL. The majority of the NFL are not superstar players. or not J.J. Watt, future Hall of Famer. You know, DeAndre Hopkins is going to get traded. It's not those guys. It's fifth, sixth round picks who are fringe starters who play all over the league.

DeMar Hamlin is the majority of the league. So when you see, like, a lot of people I've seen talk about this, it felt like you knew DeMar Hamlin in the NFL because he is most guys in a locker room. If you're a fan of a team, most of your team is not like Micah Parsons or Trent Williams. It's like this random fifth round pick that's starting for you. You're like, God, I kind of like this guy. That's DeMar Hamlin. Six-round pick because of an injury.

He becomes a starter. The whole team loves him. It's like well-liked in the league. High character guy. Dude, it's just easy to root for. So I think, like we all agree, when we all hurt when he went down, I think we all couldn't root any harder. A comeback, not a doctor,

would be one of the coolest stories in my lifetime in the NFL. From a heartwarming standpoint by far. Okay, adios. talk to you guys Sunday night, or I guess I'll see you Monday. I'll record Sunday night, Monday morning after the games coming up on Sunday. And let's keep rocking rolling. 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 acapella 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. This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.