The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Jets/Pats Suck Bowl; Kyler vs. Tua Takeaways; THE Top 2021 NFL Job; Colts Should Beg Luck; Saints Small Ball; ND/Clemson; Mailbag

Episode Date: November 10, 2020

In this episode, John looks at why he was impressed with the effort on display during the lackluster Pats/Jets MNF matchup, why Kyler Murray is this generations Michael Vick, which likely NFL job opening is head and shoulders above the rest, why the Colts are wasting an elite roster with a washed up Philip Rivers at QB, and why the Saints have a shot to win the NFC, despite a slow start. He also answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag. Follow John on Twitter and SUBSCRIBE now to get all the latest content!! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1,800flowers.com.

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and then the game starts going you're like actually it's not terrible flaco's making some plays bellichick is he trying to tank we'll dive into my overall thought on the game a lot going on this on this show Kyler murray toa the clear number one job opening this upcoming off season. The Colts disaster of a quarterback situation. Uh, the Saints and Sean Peyton and Drew Breeze, you just, you can never count out a Hall of Fame quarterback and a coach that makes 10 plus million with a Super Bowl ring. That's, that one thing is clear. And like always, the Middlekopf mailbag at John Middlecoff is the Instagram handle.

You fire in the DMs and you get your answer, you get your question, answer right here on the podcast. It's called the, uh, the people segment for the people's show. I got to keep reminding you. Three and out podcast. If Apple iTunes, go subscribe there. Spotify, Stitcher, wherever you listen to your podcast. Subscribe to the three and out actual feed if you listen through Colin. Greatly appreciate it.

It helps everything out. And I've been hyping it up. I can't even pretend to know if we're going to move next week, the upcoming weeks. We'll just keep rocking and rolling. I think it's going to be soon, but, you know, I'm done guessing because I, I, I clearly don't know. Start with the Monday night football game. And listen, I'm, the NBA ratings speak for themselves.

They're in the tank. I'm one of the rare guys of my friends in their mid-30s that still watches a lot of basketball. Though I've never watched less basketball than I have like the last couple years. And one fundamental problem that sport has is tanking. And they've done things to the lottery to try to improve it. but there's only so much you can do because in basketball one individual player impacts your franchise so much

and at the end of the day like teams have no chance to win and it's pretty easy to manipulate the game you start yanking players you hold guys minutes back like it's not even arguable tanking became a massive massive part of basketball

and just competitive balance right because when you tank and you watch a game the first thing you think to yourself is this is a shitty product It's happened several times in baseball The Cubs and the Astros got good by tanking Definitely the Astros, right? By tanking years ago created this super team

That led to the team that banging the drums But the reason they got a bunch of sweet players Because they tanked It's happening right now You know, the Tigers, a lot of teams do it And they just try to bottom out Which in theory is fine And it's a cool talking point with the media

Right, they're like, oh, this is the right thing to do The numbers say it It sucks for the fan. And guess who pays the bills in pro sports? The fans. Because the more people that watch, the more money for the media rights, the more money for everyone. Owners, players.

Right? That's the way the business model works. And the one thing football has, and it's always had, is it truly is impossible to tank. We have seen a couple teams the last couple years, I guess the last decade, right? That Lions team, the Browns team, go winless.

We've seen one win teams, two win teams. I think the thing we all agree, if it's happened to your team, or if it's just your team, if you're like a Steelers fan, or even a Patriot fan, you've played these teams over the years. The one thing you'd say is like, yeah, they just suck. It's not because they weren't trying to win. And you saw tonight the Jets, who couldn't be any worse, I think they're probably going to go 0 and 16,

are trying their ever-loving butts off. The effort they gave the night was fantastic. I've probably watched way too many Jets games this year. That was one of the better efforts I've seen all season long. Now, part of it's Monday night football, 100%. When you play in primetime games, I'll never forget when I worked in the NFL. We were playing the Bills at the time, and they're nowhere near what this Bills team was. I think it was like a Ryan Fitzpatrick team.

Remember, like Stevie Johnson was on the team. But they weren't very good. And I said something to David Cully, who was our wide receiver coach with the Eagles, and who's now the quarterback coach for the Ravens. And I made a comment like, God, these guys suck. And he kind of stopped me in my tracks. And he basically gave me the riot act of like,

bro, this is the NFL. Like every week, you can lose if you're not careful. Half the players on the other team live in big ass houses and drive sweet-ass cars. They got a lot. They get paid big money to. And it's true. And the thing you saw tonight, like everyone's making fun of Belichick, like, is he ahead of the curve?

Is he trying to tank? And I said that. a couple weeks ago because a dude in the NFL, like, shouldn't Belichick lose on purpose of the Jets? He should, but he can't. That's not the way football works. He can't call a play and just expect the McCordy twins to be like, oh, fuck it, I'm over it. I'm just not even going to cover this guy. Or put in whoever at offensive line and be like, yeah, they just won't block them. That is not the way it works because in football, relative to basketball and baseball, there ain't no scholarships. There aren't long-term contracts. The majority of the guys on the field for Monday

night football in that game are fighting for their professional careers. And the thing in football is like, you can get cut at any moment. I saw for two straight years, I handed out the waiver wire to the coaches and the general manager and to the pro personnel department. And that thing is packed with names every day. Basically, 365, not just during the season, but during the off-season, during OTAs during training camp, guys are always getting cut. That's not the way it works in the NBA. Once you get a couple of your contract,

that money's guaranteed. I've seen it with baseball for years with the Giants. They've signed so many terrible contracts. These get stuck with these guys. The majority of the guys in this game could be cut tomorrow, and they wouldn't even blink. The team wouldn't even flinch.

Just the way it works, it happens all the time year-round in the NFL. And it's one of its greatest ability. that it could take a game with easily the worst Pats team in right two decades. It's not even close. I mean, they're terrible. They don't have much talent.

Cam Newton isn't that good. Their defense, the front seven's awful. But they still got Belichick, and they still got Josh McDaniels. And Cam and the McCordy, they're fighting their ass off. They're playing as hard as they can. You watch the Jets, some of these guys I've never even heard of. Flacco's making throwing balls to Perryman and Mims and Frank Gore who's 50.

years old is, you know, turned his legs, trying to break a tackle. We got guys on defense. Again, don't know that many dudes on the Jets roster, but the effort in that game was fantastic. Every single guy in that game was playing like his job was on the line. Because you know what? It is. It's the way the National Football League works. It's why, like, we talk a lot of mess and crap about the Jets. They do try. They just suck. Patriots will probably win five or six games. One thing is abundantly clear tonight. Belichick ain't tapping out.

He is not wired like that. Even though, in the best interest of the franchise, he would have been better off losing tonight. Because if he would have lost tonight, I saw a tweet that he would have been one game behind the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. He's not thinking like that. You think Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft,

and John Bon Jovi sitting up there thinking he's throwing the game. And for as much as we talk about tanking, And just, it's become a, you know, I wouldn't even say a trigger word. It's just become a defining attribute of several leagues. It will never cross over into the NFL, ever. Maybe week 17, you arrest some guys, but middle of the season, week eight, week nine, Monday night football, both teams are really going to try.

And just, you watch that game, the Patriots are just going to need to do a complete reset. And I know Steve Young said tonight, I think, on Monday night football, the pregame show that if he was Trevor Lawrence, he would go back to school because he'd refuse to go to the Jets. What are his other options, Steve? Would you rather go to the Jags? Zero chance. Like, what other team would you rather go to?

The Jets are going to fire their head coach. They have a general manager that I think we all, league folks, think very highly of. He's going to go to the New York market where he's going to make a ton of cash. Their team, I mean, they basically bottomed out. they do have a left tackle on the roster. They just need to add some skill guys.

It's got a long way to go, but there are way worse franchises you can play for in the New York Jets, right? I don't even think it's close. Because I know this. If the Jacksonville Jaguars got the number one pick, I would refuse to go there if I was Trevor Lawrence. If the New York Jets are the number one pick,

I'd actually be excited. Number one market in America. They've had success. I know they're on this bad stretch, but a huge reason they're on the bad stretch is they've hired two bad coaches. you've hired two terrorists Todd Bowles is just not a head coach

and Adam Gase turns out it's a joke just that simple and like I don't think the franchise for as much crap as the 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 game and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Orsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show.

I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game.

As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find

clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in. connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Jets have gotten these last couple years, mainly because of gays. Like last year they did go seven

and nine. They just need to add some pieces. The division, I guess the bills and the and, and the Miami Dolphins and the Patriots, as long as Belichick will be there with a couple off-season will be much improved. But that's football. It's life. Trevor Lawrence is going to be in New York Jet, and he's going to make a ton of money.

He's going to be the number one overall pick. They're going to have billboards there, and they're going to have the best quarterback in New York the moment they draft them. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise.

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They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinnwity host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption, presented by Adopt U.S. Kids.

Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit Adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adops. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council. When I was a kid, I played a lot of video games. and you know if you were my age born in the 80s as you were growing up in the 90s to late 90s or early 2000s video games really progressed you know it went from just regular nintendo

duck hunt all the stupid games to super nintendo Sega right into playstation 2 right into the Xbox and the the rate in which the technology improved for video game was exponential From about the mid-90s to the early 2000s as I was going to college, it took a dramatic freaking drum. And sometimes when I'm around, you know, my family friends who have kids in their early teens or just any friends that I have, they're a little older than me that have, you know, kids probably between 9 and like 13, 14 that are really big into video games.

You see the technology and you go, oh my God, the PGA Tour games, the FIFA games, the Madden games, it's incredible. I mean, it is absolutely awesome. I understand I don't play them anymore, and I've been tempted a couple times to get consoles, but as someone that wasted way too much time doing other nonsense, I don't need one of those in my life. And I'd be the first to admit if I got like Madden or, you know,

Galt, PGA Tour 2020, I would play too much. So I just remove myself from it. But when I see the graphics, I go, God, I want one of those. And I think it's just a natural progression, right, with technology. I'm looking at an iPad. I remember, I think my sophomore year in college, buying an iPod. And the thing was massive.

It was like the size of a water bottle. And you could put, you know, however many 64 gigabytes, all your songs on it. And think about what it is now. The iPod disappeared. They don't exist. We have phones. Phones have everything.

Like, our phone is basically a computer in our pocket. It's a natural progression of stuff. Now, that's technology. But I think the same thing with humans. Humans progress. And in a sport like football, I was talking to a high school coach this weekend. He actually won the state, his small school,

won the state championship for his division in California in 2018. And he was telling me he's been running the spread offense now for 20 years. And a quarterback that doesn't have the athletic ability, intelligence, and accuracy does not have a chance to play for him. And he's at a really, really small school. And he's just like, God, you just look around at all these high schools, all the good ones, they all have mobile and athletic quarterbacks. And I remember getting to Philadelphia.

At the time, Kevin Cobb was supposed to be the starter. Obviously, he got knocked out. And then Michael Vick had that big season in 2010, where he was in the MVP mix. And I'll never forget as a guy that was, when he was in Virginia Tech, I was probably like a sophomore in high school, and then I remember playing Madden

and always picking the Falcons because he was so much fun to play with. Just a remarkable talent. And when he got to the Eagles, I think he was a more well-rounded talent than he was with the Falcons. but he had some fatal flaws. He wasn't a natural, accurate passer.

And he really struggled against the Blitz, not because he couldn't get away from the Blitz, just because maybe, you know, the way he played in Virginia Tech, what he went through in Atlanta, and he's even been open, he didn't study enough. And remember, they gave him the DVD, and he never looked at it. And the good thing about Mike is he's very candid about his situation,

what led him. And I just think there were some fundamental, some base in his game, they were just going to be missing. But he was still such an athletic freak. He had such a great arm, and he had such a big play potential. You clearly could win with him. I think my first year there, we won the division. And then he started getting banged up.

And another fatal flaw, he couldn't slide for an athletic guy. And players have progressed, right? We've seen a lot more athletic players like him in the league these last four or five years. And they're just a much more well-rounded version of him. Lamar Jackson is much more accurate than Michael Vick was. But I'm watching, you know who the next Michael Vick is? It's not Lamar Jackson. It's Kyler Murray.

I didn't get to watch the game on Sunday, so I threw it up on my iPad and watched a condensed version, and I'm just blown away by how good this guy is. Now, obviously, I watch a lot of NFC West football, and I've seen him play a lot of football. And listen, I don't think the Miami Dolphins are like the 85 Bears, but if you've watched him this year, he's so fucking good at stupid

and he's so talented. Now, he's not as good as like Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes and some of these guys for a guy that was a one-year starter in college that was going to go play pro baseball and I talked about him three or four weeks ago when they played the Cowboys on that Monday night game and they showed up his high school,

he was 42 and O in Texas high school football. And many people that grew up around Texas all DM me and said he's the best high school football player I've ever seen. Billy Bean drafted him in the top 10 of the Major League Baseball draft. But the thing when I watch him is the most remarkable, he's clearly an elite athlete. He has a big time arm.

He's pretty naturally accurate, and he sees a lot of things that are coming his way. And then clearly, like Mike and even like Lamar, he can just run away from a lot of defenders. But Kyler Murray is the next Michael Vick. But he's this generation's modern version. Because this year he's 68% completion percentage. He's thrown some picks, but you watch that game against the Dolphins. He threw three touchdowns. He ran for another.

It's not his fault that the defense stinks. He is remarkable. And I'm not the biggest Kingsbury guy, not because I actually... I do like the human. I remember seeing a documentary about his dad being a Navy SEAL. I think when you see a guy that's good-looking,

you just think he parties a lot. I know people that have been around him. He's up at like 4 or 5 a.m. every day. He's a grinder. I just, sometimes the offense is a little soft for me. And sometimes when you have a soft offense that leads to a crappy defense. And what do the Cardinals have?

They have a crappy defense. Part of it's a crappy defensive coordinator. But one thing they don't have a problem with is their quarterback. The guy's a star. The guy's a franchise quarterback. He's inaccurate, Michael Vick. That's what you're looking at. And on the other side in that game, I was critical to it.

Small, not great, you know, doesn't have great arm strength. But the one thing you saw against the Cardinals, who do, like I said, have a Swiss cheese defense. I disagreed with Coward when Baker Mayfield was coming out because I said, this guy's going to be Drew Breeze. He's accurate. His arm strength's good enough.

His anticipation, everything was great. And Colin pushed back, you know, the maturity. And it's been proven. Like, you know, Baker hasn't been the most mature guy. And part of being Drew Breeze, Drew Breese is not that talented, right? He's six foot, can't run, below average arm, especially now, but forever.

But his accuracy, and I've even seen quotes of Drew saying this, Drew made it because upstairs, his mind, his workout. ethic. His determination is drive, the intangibles. Drew Breeze's intangibles are 20 out of 10. They're as good as it gets. In NFL history. I mean, Tom Brady, in my life, Brady Manning Breeze are just on a completely different level than everyone else. Especially, but the difference, like at the end of the day, Peyton Manning 6'5 was the number one pick in the draft. Tom Brady didn't go till the end of the draft, but he went to Michigan, he's 6'4, he's got a big arm. Drew

He's just tiny. Doesn't have a great arm. I'm watching Tua. He's a much better athlete than Drew Brees. But maybe I was just off. It wasn't Baker Mayfield. It's more likely to be Tua. Now, do I think Tua is going to be Drew Brees? No. But I do know this, from knowing people at Alabama, knowing the way Nick Saban talked about him, his intangibles are off the charts. And then when you watch him play, his anticipation, his timing, his rhythm with guys that aren't even that good, was really impressive. So this is why, you know, I got to be careful sometimes you overreact to a game or two. Clearly, Tua's not as talented as Justin Herbert.

It's not even arguable. The data's in. We've seen them both play. One guy is much more physically gifted. Joe Burrell, more physically gifted than Tua. Not by that much. Joe Burrell's got a little bit of just kind of playmaker instincts in him. But Tua's got some stuff to him.

And I think he has a chance to play good enough, their team's good enough, their defense is good enough, to get them in position to make the playoffs, which is crazy. No one in their right mind would have picked the Dolphins. to make the playoffs. It also speaks when you remember when Ryan Fitzpatrick was like, I can't believe, you know, I basically got fired. No, Ryan, you got demoted. Your pay has not changed. You got demoted for a reason.

Because this guy's better than you. Tua is a much better player in Ryan Fitzpatrick. And I've been saying the whole time, like they should have done this earlier. Who knows? Maybe they're six and two. But that's what's a point of arguing over that. Water into the bridge. He's a starter now. The Dolphins, that Cardinal game, was just fantastic. I think sometimes when a team, and there's a great quarterback coming out,

has the number one overall pick in the draft, you say that's the best job by a mile on the market, right? In the pros, what makes a great job typically is cab space, power, and a quarterback. But what makes a great job for a bad team is usually having a really high pick to get a great quarterback. And I think most people, and I'm recording this part before the Jets game, the Jets are going to have the number one overall pick. They're the worst team in the league. They stink.

And we all go, the Jets job is going to be a great job because they have the opportunity to get Trevor Lawrence. And we said that once upon a time with the Indianapolis Colts. And remember Ryan Grickson, Chuck Pagano, who have been proven, like, Chuck Pagano's never going to be a head coach again. Ryan Grickson will never sniff being a general manager again. But those guys had success because of luck's greatness. carried the franchise, right? Carried the franchise to multiple playoff bursts and wants some playoff games.

He was just one of the truly great young players we've ever seen in the league. It was remarkable what he did. That's not normal. Usually that guy is not that good that fast, even when you're really talented. The likelihood that Trevor Lawrence, and I'm a Trevor Lawrence guy,

is going to be as good as Andrew Luck immediately. It's probably slim to none. Now, it doesn't mean he's not going to be a pro-ball level quarterback and be a really good player. Probably going to take him a little time. Partly because the Jets really suck. I mean, they're going to be bad for a couple years. The Jets are not the best job on the open market. Now, obviously, Adam Gase is still there.

The best job is the Chargers, who have Anthony Lynn for at least the next eight games. Anthony Lynn will be fired. If you watch the Charger Raider game, Anthony Lynn was embarrassingly bad in that game. with using timeouts, the end of the game. It was a joke. I mean, it really was. But the one thing that was not a joke, and we keep learning every week,

is their quarterback. Their quarterback is so talented, it's stupid. Now, could he work on a little bit of touch, you know, touch on some touch balls? Like, sometimes accuracy on the touch ball is not great. I can live with it. He's a working quarterback. Like, I do think he can develop that. Because his ability to push the ball downfield,

make explosive plays, is just extraordinary. It really is. I mean, you just watch a game of Justin Herbert and you go, yeah, I'd want that guy. But I know what that guy is. What's the saying? You'd rather have a bird in the hand than two in the bush or whatever. Could Trevor Lawrence be better than Justin Herbert? For sure.

And forever, we would have said, for sure, you'd rather have Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert. But I'm seeing Justin Herbert do it week in, week out against NFL teams with a terrible coach. I mean awful coach Good guy Terrible coach He's going to be a running back coach If they had a good coach For the charge right now

If I just gave him like Sean Payton Kyle Shanahan Mike Tomlin They would be in the playoffs 1 million percent Because they got blue chip players Under contract

Keenan Allen One of the best wide receivers in the league Joey Bosa One of the best defensive linemen in the league Like I don't know what else you can ask for And clearly they have other good players I mean, Melvin Ingram, Hunter Henry, Mike Williams, but they're going to have the ability, because they're going to have a high pick

because they're not winning any games, and it's not Justin Herbert's fault, just like it wasn't Kyle Murray's fault. I love it when they go like, you know, did they win or lose? And I'm a big believer that winning and losing is often impacted by the quarterback, even though it's not, quote, unquote, a quarterback stat. But it's been proven in the history of football, you need good quarterbacks to win football games. It's just a fact in the NFL.

Obviously, college in high school is a little different. I'd say college is becoming more like the football. NFL now. It's harder to win games when you have a bad quarterback. It used to be when I was growing up you could just have a stacked team and like Ken Dorsey. That's not the case anymore. Look at all the best teams. Trevor Lawrence, that DJ kid, they're sweet. Ohio State,

Justin Fields, they're sweet. Alabama went from Tua to Mac Jones, they're sweet. Cal Tras for Florida's playing well. Slovis for USC. Like, you need good quarterback play. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it

grotesque, others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

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

you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting.

On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise. the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love,

or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected.

We're becoming more individualized, but we actually need people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. because offenses are more predicated now on the quarterback position. But I don't even think it's arguable that just in a vacuum, the charger job is much better than the Jets shop. Now, there are questions like, what's his name? Joe Douglas, the general manager for the Jets, he's not going anywhere.

So you're going to have to, if you're taking that job, you're going to have to work with him. Now, I have friends, obviously that worked with him with the Eagles, that worked with him with the bears, the people that like him. He's very highly thought of. But that's still an incumbent general manager. The Chargers might just blow everyone out. Now, the difference is the Jets have a lot of money, and they spend a lot of money.

The Chargers, while they have money, they don't spend any money. And I think it's more likely that they end up with like a Joe Brady just because in their nature they just tend to be cheap. That's just who they are. But if they were to get aggressive, I think coaches would be lined up for the charger job. They also have options, like Mike Williams, for example.

really good player. But the one thing you were seeing with Justin Herbert is like, he makes some random guys look better. Mike Williams is scheduled to make $15 million next year on his fifth year option. Do you know what I'd do with Mike Williams? I'd trade him. And I'd either get an offensive lineman or get a good draft pick

and try to build around Keenan Allen, try to figure out what I can keep Hunter Henry. They're proven that they can just find random running backs. I'd invest in my defense. I got Derwin James coming back. That team could be really, really good next year. Talk about a team that could go from like last But first, it's, I almost called them the San Diego chart, it's the Chargers.

Can you imagine if they just had a high-end coach, if they could just find this, you know, year's McVeigh? Because I think this year's good coaches are going to want that job. And the general manager situation will see. I know Tom Telesco would say, well, I drafted all these good players. Well, you're also the guy that picked Anthony Lynn. So, you know, part of being a head coach is more than just the draft. Like, you influence the coach.

and Anthony Lynn's been the coach and it's at the end of the day he's just not good enough but I do know who's good enough Justin Herbert Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1800flowers.com

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And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like Dad has the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Diapers and toys are everywhere.

Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off. Ah, but looks like mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes! Oh, that's a shame.

That mug was a fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit NHTSA. TSA.gov

Slash the right seat. Brought to you by Mitzha and the Ad Council. Okay, let's dive into some thoughts on the Colts Ravens game. Let's start with the Colts. Imagine if I took you to a house. Say 5,500 square feet. Several rooms for your kids. A man cave.

A massive kitchen. A huge living room. A big garage driveway. Big backyard pool. I mean, has everything you need. just a bad, nice neighborhood in the sweetest spot. I walked you around this house.

You're like, damn, this place is sweet. Good price, not even overpriced. You'd be like, why is this? What's going on here? This house is awesome. And then I looked at you and I said, well, it's got one problem. It has no water. And you'd be like, well, just get the plumber out here or whatever.

Turn on the water. And you'd be like, no. There's literally no access to water in the house. So I can't take a shower, can't use a sink, can't use a toilet. Like, well, the house is kind of worthless. It wouldn't be functional. Like, there's nothing you could do, right? It would be like, what?

What are you talking about? Like, yeah, no water. Be a worthless house. I'm watching the Colts going, they got everything you need. Colts look sweet. I mean, their defense is bad ass. I had a coach telling me this year that he thought that they were one of the best front sevens he's seen in years.

Their defense flies around. Buckner kills people. Their offensive line is awesome. They got some young skill guys. Their quarterback stinks. If they just had a middle-of-the-road quarterback, they'd win 12 games. Philip Rivers is awful.

And I like Philip Rivers. I respect Philip Rivers. But he can't play anymore. Like, it's over. And to use my house analogy, having a great team with a great quarterback, or excuse me, having a great, like, really talented team with a awful quarterback is kind of worthless. You just watch them, you go, how are they going to win any important games?

They cannot score. They cannot move the ball. It's not because they're not blocking. It's not because they don't have guys open. Now, obviously, Jonathan Taylor had a bad fumble. Their quarterback is terrible. He's shot. It's over.

Nothing but respect for the guy. I loved watching him in his prime. That was like five years ago. Like this Phillip Rivers that we're watching right now isn't even a backup quarterback. He's just not a very good player. You cannot be good teams with him playing quarterback. Like I said,

like having all these cool toys and cool elements of your squad is worthless. I think they have a good coach. I think they have a fantastic general manager, but the season is a wash for them. It's not going to mean anything. It's not going to result in anything. And there are basically four

Playoff spots left for two teams. The Raiders, the Dolphins, the Colts, and the Browns. I believe that it's going to go to the Raiders and the dolphins. Like, I just think it's going to be really, really hard for the Colts to make the playoffs with Phillip Rivers. Because like having a house without water, it's just, it's not, it doesn't work. I just don't see it.

Like, it's not possible. He's too terrible. It's sad. I'm not trying to be a dick to him. Because I really, I've been a huge fan. And I still am a huge fan. Like some guys just aren't good enough. If Peyton Manning put on the pads right now and attempted to play quarterback,

we would laugh at him. Instead, we see him like doing games and different things. We're like, oh, that's Peyton Manning. Same thing we'd say about Philip Rivers. He shouldn't be playing football anymore. I don't blame him. They gave him $25 million. It's a disaster signing.

Absolutely disaster signing. And it kind of hit me in the last 24 hours. To me, I understand. They have a simple move. If I'm Chris Ballard, I'm doing one thing. I am constantly calling Andrew Luck, and I'm begging him to come back and play football for him. I don't care how many times he says no.

I'm flying to him. I'm sending him flowers. I'm doing whatever it takes, sending his wife flowers. I'm trying to convince him to come back and play football. Because I don't want to have to trade my first round pick for Sam Darnold or make some crazy move for a quarterback. I have a quarterback. And remember Jim Ursaid continued to pay him.

I want Andrew Luck to come back. And maybe he can realize he would be the water in the house. Boom, the water would be on. Then you have a sweet house. It'd be him. Like, you have the guy. And I understand why he left. Rehab sucks.

He had major injuries. He was beaten up. But if he just has, clearly he has a brain, I mean, he's really smart. If he's watched any of these games with the Coles, he has to be saying to himself, God, this team would be freaking good with me on. it. We could dominate. We could win big. If I told you next year, Andrew Luck was the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, I'd be like, they'd be right there with the Chiefs and the

Steelers competing to win the AFC. But with Phillip Rivers, like, I don't even know if they're a playoff team, which is crazy to say because their defense is unreal. They have an awesome offensive line. Can't score points. If you can't score points in 2020, you got no shot. And on the flip side, like, listen, I've said the same thing about the Ravens over and over. They're going to win their 11-12 games. They're going to be the fifth seed in the AFC. Their offense right now isn't very good either. Their quarterback is not a potent passer.

He can't throw outside the numbers. Now, the Colts are a really good defense, but he barely got over 200 total yards against them. They're really talented. They have a ton of good players. John Harbaugh is a really good coach. are they going to win a playoff game? Now they'll probably play the Titans in the first round. So I would say that is winnable

because the Titans team that played the Ravens last year I think was better on defense because this Titans team on defense right now I think it was the worst third down team in the league. Clowning now disappeared, he's hurt again. So maybe they could win a playoff game this year. Now I think the Titans people would be like, well, we beat him last year.

Why wouldn't we beat him again? They're like, yeah, he's probably right. But I think the Ravens are who they are. They're an 11-12 win team that could easily be a one-and-done again in the playoffs. There's nothing wrong with that. But, like, let's rush to pay Lamar Jackson all this money. Let's pump the brakes there. I would not give him a contract since he's in this off-season.

He's only in his third year in the league. I'd play out next year, too. Make him prove that he could win some playoff games before I give him any substantial amount of money. Now, he's a fun player to watch, but, man, they're limited passing the ball. nowhere near what the rivers I mean if they had Philip Rivers like five years ago the Colts would be they'd be competing to win the AFC

just because their defense is so good it's so physical and their offense would be good enough but the Rivers is not good enough I'd say one of the crazier outcomes of the weekend was Sunday night football and the Saints at Tampa absolutely destroying them

I mean before you even blinked it was 28-0-0 and, you know, it's master's week. I absolutely love the Masters. I've already watched a ton of Masters content. It's not even Tuesday yet. And I was watching this thing, like Golf TV or something. It just came into my Twitter timeline.

It was like a six-minute kind of breakdown of Tiger talking about last year winning the Masters. And about on Sunday, you know, at first he didn't have his best stuff, but he just knew if he hung in there. he could kind of outsmart people. And then they got to the back nine. A couple dudes made mistakes, hit it into the water, and Tiger pounced. And he's no longer, like, you know, 20 years ago,

Tiger was the most talented guy golf had ever seen. Physically. That ain't the case anymore. Guys bomb it way by him. He's old, bad back, bad knees, but he's still smarter and mentally tougher than everyone else. And I think we saw, like, I counted him out. I actually had a bet.

probably like seven, eight years ago when I was with the Eagles with Lewis Riddick, that he'd never win another major. And Lewis was adamant, and I didn't think he was that wrong. I just love Tiger so much. I'm like, bro, win another one. And it didn't look good there for a long time. But the guy is just, you have to kill him. I mean, absolutely kill him.

And no one could. And he still won, he found a way to win the Masters. I still think it's one of the most incredible accomplishments I've ever seen. I've talked a lot of shit about Drew Breeze. Not as a human. I love Drew Breeze. I think he's one of the highest character guys of my lifetime in the league. As a player in 2020, I don't see it.

A little bit like Peyton Manning toward the end. His arm is nowhere near, even what it once was. Everything's dink and dunk. Well, guess what happens when they're fully healthy? They have a roster loaded for Dink and Dunk. Alvin Kamara, the best hybrid Dink and Dink and Dunk running back in the league. Michael Thomas, the best overest, the middle, short and intermediate, wide receiver in the NFL.

He came back. Here's what else they have. Drew Breez mentally is a tough SOB. He is going to the Hall of Fame, not because of physical gifts, because of determination, grit, and just, I mean, a refusal to be anyone to put him in a box. Because way back in the day when the charges got rid of him, it was like, oh, he can't play anymore, a shoulder shot. And then forever, it's like, he's too small, he can't do it. and then now he like holds you know a decent amount of passing records he's won a Super Bowl

he's been one of the best quarterbacks of the last decade in terms of statistically he goes to playoffs every year and i kind of wrote him off and watching that game you can't write him off when he has michael thomas and alvin camaro with him and they added ammanuel sanders like that team's good here's the other curveball they have especially against tampa they have the better coach sean peyton is better than bruce arians and i like bruce arians I'll take Sean Payton all day long. Sean Payton makes probably $11, $12 million a year for a reason. He's elite.

I know he's had some moments in the playoffs, but the dude is big time. And you see it in that game. Like their defense, their front's pretty good. DeMario Davis is a really good linebacker. If the Saints can get home field advantage. Now, I know they had it last year and kind of shit the bed against the Minnesota Vikings. But the NFC is wide open this year. Green Bay, very flawed defense.

Seattle Buffalo, I haven't, as of recording this, I haven't seen the game. I got to watch that tomorrow. But the one thing you know is Seattle, and I've been saying it for a while, they just gave up 44 points. Now, Russell had probably the worst game in a long time, four turnovers or whatever. Now, he's had two bad games, I guess, this year, Arizona and that game. But he's not their problem, right? Their defense is atrocious.

Jamal Adams can't cover anybody. They have no pass runs. None. Tampa. Just watch him. Now, I don't think, I still think Tampa will be heard from. They added Antonio Brown. I mean, he's one of the best wide receivers ever. They'll be fine. They have too many offensive weapons. Their defense is too good. But it shows you like, when the Saints come to play, they can beat anyone in the league if they're fully healthy on offense. And Michael Thomas isn't, you know, getting suspended or whatever. If Michael Thomas is on the field and Alvin Kamar is on the field with adding Emmanuel Sanders,

with their defense just can play pretty well, they have a chance to be really good. Why? Coaching quarterback league. They have a Hall of Fame quarterback and a coach that, I mean, he's a borderline Hall of Famer. Check his record.

And who knows? Maybe he wins another Super Bowl. All my friends in the league, assistant coaches think very, very highly of Sean Payton. I know he's a little nuts, a little arrogant, and I go back and forth on being a big fan or whatever, but I do respect him.

I wouldn't want to play him. and he took Bruce Ariens and Tom Brady to the cleaners, to the absolute cleaners. Because the thing that Tampa doesn't have, that New Orleans has, New Orleans has a clear identity. You know why? They've been as a unit now with the group of players they have for a long period of time.

Even like Michael Thomas and Alvin, they've been part of this group now for four plus years. Drew and Sean Payton probably can finish each other's sentences. there is just a learning curve that I'm pretty sure if you go back and look at Joe Montana in Kansas City, he was better the second year. Then they go to the NFC

or the AFC championship game his second year in Kansas City. Now it's going to be a little harder for Tom Brady. He'll be 44 years old next year. But like you watch that game and you know this. The floor for the Saints

when Drew Breeze is just in one of his weird modes and not playing well, they got no chance. But when they play like that and the offense is humming like that and the defense comes to play, they're a Super Bowl contender.

If I was their owner, we better be. We're paying our coach, you know, nine figures, or I guess eight figures, I'm not a math major. You know, $10, $11 million. It's one of the highest paid coach in the league. We've paid Drew Brees a ransom over the last decade, and we still pay them a lot.

We paid Michael Thomas, we paid Alvin Kamar. We got all these high-priced guys. We better be competitive against any team in the league, especially in our own conference and our own division. And you see, they can be. and I think sometimes myself included kind of right off the Saints. Last year I thought it was destined to be Saints Niners. It was destined and I thought it was going to be hard

because you remember last year when they had that shootout it took a crazy game from Jimmy Garoppel. George Kittle made this crazy play to beat him like 48 to 46, I think was the final score. That's what it took from the Niners. It just incredible game from the Niners to win that game. And I thought if they get them again, obviously the game would have been in Levi's,

but still I thought the Saints and the Niners were kind of like one A and one B. And you watch, that's the Saints team that I recognize from last year. And if they play like that, they are, have a legitimate shot to win the UFC. I just want to touch on this game for a minute because, uh, I didn't watch it start to finish. I watched basically the first half, went to a dinner, didn't have TV because, you know, Corona times, you got to eat separate, can't eat the bar. But by the time I got back, I got to see overtime.

but the Clemson Notre Dame game like that is that's the reason college football is the number two entity when it comes to live sporting events in America. That thing was big time. That's NFL light. There are just NFL players all over the field. I told you about DJ.

The guy's a blue chipper he threw for like 430 yards. Notre Dame, I know Brian Kelly gets a hard time. And Notre Dame's kind of like the Midwest version of Stanford a little bit, right? Like the academic standards are really high. They can kind of cut corners a little bit, but what he's done there, to have them consistently in the playoff mix,

I totally appreciate the way they operated this year. They just said the ACC were in. Now, they obviously already had a deal with the ACC. I think Notre Dame fans would probably know this better than me, but they were playing, it never dawned on me. I'm not super into like all the independence, how they schedule,

but they were clearly playing a lot. of ACC teams every year for the last several years. So they had this agreement with them. And they just jumped in the conference, which I commend. That's awesome. A lot of the Corona Bros wanted everyone to just know football, stop playing. Remember, there was a lot of people were like, the PAC 12, they waited long because they wanted to get the health concerns right.

Half the teams, they haven't played games. We're getting Pac-12 games canceled left and right. So I said the moment, the SEC, the ACC, and the ACC, and the Big 12. hat tip to them because when shit, when you're in chaos, you've got to put the pedal to the metal because at any moment it could stop. When you delay, delay, delay, delay, delay, delay,

I mean, the Pac-12, Cowbite played two games this season. BYU, for example, has already played eight. The SEC, like they're in game five or six, and some of them get canceled, some of the stuff, you can't control this stuff. It's ma'am, it's chaos. But I had nothing but respect for all these conferences started from the jump.

Nothing but respect for, Notre Dame said the ACC, we're in, we want in, let's roll, let's play some ball, and I think I saw like 13 million people watched. So it just, you know, the only people that are really angry seem to be on Twitter. Everyone else in reality on their couches, watch it and enjoy. And I know this, I had to go to dinner, so I missed it. The game was awesome. It was absolutely spectacular. I mean, the level of talent in that game was mind-blowing. Even Dabo said after the game, like, I think the first thing he said in his press conference was like, what a game. What a game.

And just the NFL talent, like that is why the SEC's king. Because when the big SEC games happen, like when Alabama has played LSU last year, when Florida will play Alabama in the SEC championship game, it feels like there's an NFL player at every position on both sides of the ball for both teams. Fans aren't dumb, we can tell. Like, it's pretty clear, like when Kyle Pitts, the tight end from Florida's making plays. We're like, oh, that's an NFL guy.

You watch Ohio State, you're like, oh, that's an NFL guy. Oh, that's an NFL guy. Oh, that's an NFL starter. Flipped on BYU, it's like, oh, Zach Wilson, he's an NFL guy. Oh, D.J. Clemson D.J., as I'll call him. I can't say. Oh, that guy's going to play in the NFL.

Like, if you watch enough football, you know what it looks like. Now, you don't, you might not be able to be like me. Like, that's probably a second rounder, that's probably a fourth rounder. But it's, you can tell. Notre Dame's enormous. Their lines on offense and defense are massive. And we just need more college football games like that, man. That's, uh, that was fun.

Okay, let's do a little middle cop mailbag. And, uh, let's bang out some questions here. Some of you guys are some questions that are week old. I'm just going to have to go back and manually answer these questions. We'll start with, uh, start here. Where do you rank Brian Flores as a coach? after beating the Rams today. See, I'm a little late on this one.

He beat the Rams, and then obviously he just beat the... Who the hell he just beat the Cardinals? What makes him such a great head coach so far? He's obviously loved by the players, but is he brilliant scheme-wise as well? Just a lifelong Finns fan that thinks Brian Flores deserves much more love on the airways. One thing I've seen the last couple weeks watching them

is their front seven, I don't really think they have many blue-chip pass rushers. They just create a lot of place. They're a great tackling team. Their level of like the play speed up front has been fantastic. I know just I was watching the game on mute this morning like on my iPad when I was on the stairmaster. They did give up a lot of penalties. I think Xavier Howard get called for a bunch.

But they just are pretty mentally resilient. Obviously the offense was much more explosive this week with just Tua. I just, I mean, when they came out to the Niners and kicked them, their ass. The thing I've noticed is they come into the game ready to roll. They don't really come into the game and pussyfoot their way around, which I think sometimes coaches that are average, like they, you know, we hear a lot about the word quote unquote game plan. When I watch Brian Flores' team start, they start fast. And specifically this year, but really what, they're five and three. They finished the season three and five. So in their last 16 games, or I mean,

they won three of their last five games. So in their last 12 games, excuse me, they are, what's eight, I'd be 13 games, my math terrible. They're eight and five. I mean, they've been, they're just playing really well. They're winning football games.

And as a Miami Dolphins fan, the reality is forever, you guys are just always kind of average, just always 500. And now it seems like they win a game, they come out and play well, the next game. I mean, I don't see how they don't get to minimum 9 and 7. Wondering if you've been watching or looking at BYU football this year, what are your thoughts

on Zach Wilson and if they beat Boise State tonight, what do you think could happen? They didn't just beat Boise State, they beat their ass. Zach Wilson is a top 10 player right now. He's athletic. His arm strength is fantastic. His release is really quick. His accuracy was awesome in that game. He just looks like a big-time player. When I watched, and I watched a decent amount of that game on Friday night, I saw a top 10 player. So, yeah, just, I think the buzz on him is huge. He definitely, I don't want to say Joe Burrow, because he's not going to be the number

one overall pick, but he feels like that guy of this draft, kind of out of nowhere, and then you're watching him, you're like, this guy is a stud. Now, the difference is Joe Burrell won the national championship and the Heisman. This guy probably being the Heisman mix, his teams 8-0, they're headed for one of the best seasons of BYU in a long time. They're probably going to play a sweet team in a bowl game. Like maybe they play Florida, the loser of Florida, Alabama. Maybe they play like, you know, in Oklahoma.

Maybe they just get a pretty sweet opponent in the bowl game, which would be big from him. I wanted to ask a couple questions about defense. What percent of a defensive performance is scheme and what percent is talent? How many great players does defense need to be great? As I imagine, even if the best defenses in the NFL don't have 11 great players, Yeah, that's true. I've been thinking about these questions this season, particularly with some teams like Bills and the Cowboys,

who are returning a lot of talents on defense but have underperformed compared to expectations. Of course, some of this is due to injury, but I'm wondering how much scheme and defensive talent. Well, to me, you can't really scheme a pass rush, so you need dudes up front. Now, ideally, you want a Cleo Mac, you want a Nick or Joey Bosa,

but you just need T.J. Watt, J.J. W. You need a blue chip guy in your front four. Ideally, borderline two. I'm a big believer that you need fast linebackers. Because all the good defenses in the NFL this year have great middle linebacker play. Devin

White, Roquan Smith, Fred Warner, I mean, Bobby Wagner, it's not his fault, they suck. But to me, if you don't have a good middle linebacker, your defense is not going to be good. Devin Bush, the Steelers two years ago, trade it up for Devin Bush. Secondary, I believe, is actually a position in just a group that you can kind of get by with.

You need safeties that can play the ball, and you just need competitive corners. If I got a big-time defense and I got competitive smart corners who are willing to tackle, then it's on my defensive coordinator. Because mixing up the coverages, which I don't pretend to be some coverage guy, I don't, I'm not a coverage guy at all, but the best defensive coordinators can match coverages with what they've studied throughout the week and they know it's coming and put their guys in the best positions. Mixing up match, mixing up like a match zone is a big thing when I was in the NFL. A lot of teams do. I know Nick Saban's big on that, Belichick's big on that. Because most teams don't just

have Dorel Revis where you can just play man. So you got to mix up man coverage and zone coverage, but it's easier when you have smart players to play in zone coverage, especially if they're willing to tackle. But the key is to get a pass rush. Because you can get by with, you know, average secondary, in my opinion. Now, ideally, I'd have L-O-B, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, but that's not the case. Most teams, look at most teams, they don't have good corners. But if you have a decent safety, you'll be okay.

As long as your front seven is really good. I always prefer to have a better front seven than a back for. Because if my front seven is big time, I could get after the quarterback and just scheme those guys in the back and just have them play fundamentally sound exactly like, what I ask them to do as long as you keep things in front of you, like you're not going to get destroyed. Let's say the 49ers end up with a high pick

since the season is a goner. Do they have any chance to move up and make a run from one of the top three quarterbacks in the draft, or do you think going for Donald is more likely? That's a good question. To me, it all depends where they draft. I would imagine they would trade up for a quarterback. Would you consider the Colts a deficient franchise

taking into account they had back, the superb talent of Manning and luck and could only manage one Super Bowl out of that equation. You know, like, the Green Bay Packers had Aaron Rogers and Brett Farve and they've won two Super Bowls in 30 years. So it's hard to win Super Bowls, right? I mean, how many guys win multiple Super Bowls?

Brady, Manning kind of. I mean, he's got two Super Bowls, but the second one he didn't have much to do with. Eli, Rathesburg, it's just really rare. It really is. So I think it's easy to be like, you know, they should have won a ton. Most teams don't win that many Super Bowls.

I think the success like Green Bay's had, the success Indianapolis had with those guys, I don't think you can ask for that much more. Hear me out. Dallas sends Dak, Van der Wresh, and their first this year, which would be pretty good because there would probably be a top 10 drafting team for the Jets number one. Why wouldn't the Jets just want Trevor Lawrence? to me I just want Trevor Lawrence. Why would I want Dak Prescott over Trevor Lawrence? I'll just take Trevor Lawrence.

I've been watching football for a couple years now and would like to get a deeper understanding of it. I remember about a year ago you recommended a book to read and I can't for the life of me remember what it was. Could you possibly remember? There was a book written on the Patriots Dynasty, not the Michael Hawley one with Brady and Belichick, but a book of like the inner workings. I think it might have been the education of a coach, David Halberstam,

but I actually don't think that was it. There was a book I remember when Bill O'Brien got the Penn State job based on the Patriots that he made everyone read. I know Lewis Riddick had this Bill Walsh book that they only made so many copies that is like a manual on how to build the team. I don't know exactly the book you're talking about,

but there probably are some good ones. Do you feel like the Washington football team regrets not taking Herbert in the draft, or could they be confident they could find one in the upcoming draft? I would say unless they find one very, very quickly, they will regret that fast. Because if you told me, it was like, you can have, for example, I was going to say Carson Wetz, but would you rather have Patrick Mahomes or Khalil Mack or Aaron Donald? You'd just say Patrick Mahomes. And I'm not saying Herbert's going to be Patrick Mahomes, but if you watch Justin Herbert,

he's going to be a several-time pro bowler. it would be, the charges would have to absolutely screw him up for him not to attend to make several Pro Bowls. So, they might come to regret that. I know the trade deadline has passed, but as the Vikings fans frustrated with Kirk Cousin's situation, I heard rumors of Kyle Shanahan wanting Kirk to be his quarterback. You'd think a three-team trade where Kirk goes to the Niners, Jimmy goes to the Patriots, and the Vikings received Cam Newton would have ever been a good solution for all three organizations. I know Cam hasn't been playing well, but I think he could lead a mediocre team at a lower

hit to the cap while management searches for a franchise guy. You guys spent so much money on Kirk Cousins. They're just not going to trade Kirk Cousins. They just gave him $60 more million. The Vikings just aren't getting rid of him. And Kirk Cousins is a better player than Cam Newton. As crazy as that sounds, it's just true. Jimmy to the Patriots is very possible though. But I do not think that Cam Newton is going to get traded. One, he's a free, he's on a one-year contract. So he's not, unless the Patriots resign him during the season, he's going to be a free agent. Appreciate everyone listening. Thanks for all the DMs. And I'll talk to you a little bit later this week. Peace.

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Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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