The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Mahomes Shadow, Russ Collapse, Rams Trapped, Mailbag

Episode Date: November 22, 2022

John explains how the Jets preparation contributes to the Patriots game-winning TD against the Jets, why the best young QB's of this generation will always be in Patrick Mahomes' shadow, why Russell Wilson’s collapse has nothing to do with Nathaniel Hackett’s incompetence, why the Lions future is so much brighter than the Rams thanks to the Stafford trade, why the AFC playoff picture may already be set. 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.

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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.

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What is going on, everybody, John Middlecock, Three and Out Podcasts. How are we doing my people? It's a beautiful day, Monday afternoon. I'm recording this podcast before the Monday night game. Here's the plan. I got this podcast for you guys on Tuesday. And then I'm probably going to do a little gambling podcast. It might even do a take on the Monday night game,

put it out on Wednesday, and that's probably it. So I'll be Thanksgiving. Everyone's traveling. have a great time with your friends and family enjoy a few cocktails enjoy some football just chill relax it's a great time of year

it's my favorite meal of the year by far so that's probably the game plan and then we back at it on Sunday after shit I don't even know what the Sunday night game is but whatever the Sunday night game is I'll have a podcast come out Sunday night Monday morning whenever that is

so the plan is this podcast Wednesday's podcast might do a mailbag we'll see for Sunday but definitely just get back to our normal schedule next week. And you guys know the drill. Middlecoff Mailback at John Middlecoff is the Instagram. I got a bunch of DMs for today.

At John Middlecoff, Middlecoff Mailback is my Instagram firing those DMs. If you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to the three and out feed. Greatly appreciate it. Also, if you guys want to leave some reviews, that always helps. That's from what I heard. So leave some reviews if you like the podcast or if you don't. We've had some haters in there. I wouldn't know, but my mother alerted me.

So hope everyone enjoys the show, and let's talk some ball. Okay, I wanted to hit on a couple things from Sunday that I kind of briefly touched on and just I've really let marinate over the last 24 hours. And I've been thinking a lot about the punt for the Jets. And just, if you look at it like young coaches in the NFL, right? Shanahan, McVeigh, LaFleur, Sala, the group of young. guys, especially the Shanahan tree. They really, really care about

most of them offense, right? Their offensive head coaches who call the plays or Robert Salo, while he's not a defensive coordinator, he lets Jeff Ulbrook do that. Defense is his baby, and you see this year they've gotten better players, the defense is dramatically better. He's a

former linebacker coach, that's where he spends his time. The front seven, like that's his baby. And when you think about football in general, they say it's a three-phase game. game and in reality is it is but ultimately like it's probably 45 45 offense defense like 10% special teams maybe a little more but when you think about the old school coaches bill bellichick being i think the oldest coach in the league special teams is a very very big deal to him right why he

coached special teams once upon a time john harbaugh was a special teams coach now he started mentoring under Jim Johnson coaching DPs, but he's a special teams guy at his core. Even his brother, Jim, when he was with the 49ers and coached in the league, he put Patrick Willis, Navarro Bowman, his star players, Dante Wittner, played special teams. He took that shit very, very seriously. I've watched Kyle Shanahan for a long time. He does not care about special teams at all. He does not give a shit.

His buddy, who's now the special teams coach, Chicago, which Kyle was basically forced to fire, was god-awful with the 49ers. And it wasn't until LaFleur, whose special teams were even worse, that the 49ers were able to make a play against special teams last year. But old-school coaches value it, not more than offense or defense. You never are going to. But that piece of the pie, instead of being 45-45-10 might be 40-40-20. And Andy Reid, I've seen it.

Like, he's not that big in the special teams. Well, what did he do when he went to Kansas City? he took easily the best special teams coach in the league, Dave Tob, and he's, you know, become like his right-hand guy. And for a long period of time, many people have argued that Tobe should be a head coaching candidate. Like he could be a John Harbaugh type guy. So Andy Reid hired the best in the business and just lets him handle it,

and they've been pretty damn good. But when I see Robert Solie yesterday, like, even though he's not the defensive coordinator, he's consumed with defense and his quarterback. Well, however many seconds were left when the punt unit came on to the field. Do you know the last guy who would have been focused on what was going on probably? Robert Sala. When if you think about it, Marcus, I forget the guy's last name. The Marcus, what's his name?

I don't know. My brain's not working today. The returner for the Patriots did the same thing last year in college. A Houston SMU game, there was a little more time left on the clock, basically a walk-off punt return. And if that had been the equivalent of an offensive or defensive player that had had that level of moment, it would have been a huge deal in the scouting report, right,

for one of the coordinators. And the head coach more than likely would have emphasized it in team meetings. Now, I'm not saying that the Jets special teams coordinator probably didn't bring it up, but you can't tell me it was emphasized at the same level with offense or defense. And when you look at this situation, and when you're the head coach who's not calling being the defensive coordinator, You have to take a bigger role in the entire team.

And that to me, yesterday's loss is ultimately on Zach Wilson, but Robert Sala deserves some blame. Because under no circumstances can you kick that right down the pipe, especially to a guy who's clearly a threat to return it to the house. And who did. And it was awesome. It was fun to watch. Now, you could argue there was a blog in the back, you know, side to side.

I'm glad they didn't call it because it didn't change the outcome. But like these younger coaches, they get a hard on for their side of, of the ball in their core position where it's like guys you got to pay attention to special teams i don't need you to be john harbaugh to know what the third guy on kick return the l1 the r4 like i don't need you to be that but if you don't emphasize it to your team shit like that's going to happen and then you're going to be mad the day after and it's too late and thinking about mahomes you know there are certain guys in certain eras that just block other guys from being as great is maybe they could have been, right?

I think the two guys in my life that have done that are Tom Brady and Tiger Woods. If it wasn't for Tiger Woods and Tom Brady, Payton Manning probably has four championships, maybe Rafflesberger as three, who knows, right? That more guys would have had more championships. If it wasn't for Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson might be known him and Jack as the greatest American golfers of all time. But your greatness blocks other people from getting over the hump. And I think we're looking right now in the NFL of, you know, with Brady,

he's more than likely done after this year, but you never know. Maybe he's got one more year. He's 45 years old. Rogers, who at any moment could just head to the hills and do ayahuasca for the rest of his life, try to be a fill in for Jeopardy. Like that era is kind of done. We've seen Drew Breeze, Rothesberger, Philip Rivers, Eli, all these guys have tapped out, like that era.

So this young era of guys like 26, 27, and younger, has some star quarterbacks. even if I remove Mahomes. You watch Herbert, you watch Josh Allen, you watch Lamar Jackson. It's like, these dudes are really, really talented. Deshaun Watson, fresh off, you know, tried to avoid everyone coming after him is coming back. He's going to be in the AFC. Some very talented guys with impressive resumes that a lot of us would want as our starting quarterbacks, right?

Yet there's this Patrick Mahomes guy who more than likely is going to be a roadblock for all these guys. Like Justin Herbert literally leads his team on a game-winning drive. Overcomes his head coach who's the defensive coordinator who cannot stop a noseblee. I mean, let's face it. Brandon Staley, for two straight years, can't stop fucking anybody when it matters on defense. And he's the defensive coordinator. They show him on the sideline, call him the plays. Yeah, Justin Herbert, boom, drives him right down the field.

He's got Mike Williams' ankle comes back up. His running back's a tiny little guy. His best receiver, Keenan Allen's dealing with a hamstring injury. he's probably running 5-2-40, yet Herbert figures it out, playing with another receiver no one's ever heard of, just making plays. The dude's a stud. Josh Allen last year,

throws five fucking touchdowns on the road in Kansas City in the second round of the playoffs, yet his team loses. Like, maybe Mahomes is just that guy who is going to be this era's dude that ends with maybe three or four championships. Like, I don't think anyone's ever going to get to the Brady 7, but who's just clearly the best quarterback in the league.

And when all else fails, when it's him versus whoever, not saying he can lose games I mean Joe Burrow beat him last year like Josh Allen beat him this year like it can happen but more often than that he's going to win that game. Why?

He's the best player like he's the best and there are Burrow Herbert Allen I love these guys Lamar who's kind of been a little weird this season but fan too I mean these guys that core group of that I just listed

are studs high character high focus high talents I mean the total package. The opposite of Zach Wilson, who immediately gets some heat and crumbles like a cookie. Those guys take the arrows, they handle their shit. Teammates love them. Coaches love them.

They're tough dudes. They're the shit. I'm big fans of that group. But they're not better than Patrick. And I just don't see. And here's the other thing. Patrick's got the best coach, who also happens to be the offensive coordinator.

So the Chiefs, I'm kicking myself because I thought the AFC West was going to be. I thought the Chargers could win it. I thought either the Raiders or Broncos. Like, no. Raiders and Broncos are 3 and 7. The Chargers are 5 and 5. Like I said the other day, the most underachieving franchise in American sports history, especially in the Internet age.

But part of it is they always got to go up against Patrick Mahomes. And Patrick Mahomes is just more often than not going to be better than you. And speaking about not being better than you, I thought there was a chance when I woke up on Monday that Nathaniel Hackett could be relieved of his duties. It was a rough day for the bald community. Nate Hackett, screwed up again. Disney CEO fired, ousted Bob Iger back. Bald guys, Robert Sala, punt return to lose to the Patriots for the 14th straight game.

Rough Sunday for the bald men. But Nathaniel Hackett, late in the game. The Raiders do not have any timeouts. They're coming out of the two-minute warning. It's third and seven, third and eight. So you run the ball at minimum, you run 40 seconds off, you punt, they start their drive at about 110. That's the most basic conservative play no one can argue with. But they do have a quarterback who has a 10-year resume, despite having a very shitty season,

of being a fantastic player for being an elite quarterback with a high IQ and a guy who can win games when it matters late in the game. Someone you trust. Because that's what's, we don't talk enough about quarter. back's like, do you trust the guy? I'm recording this before the 49ers. The Kyle Shanan does not trust Jimmy Garoppola. Andy Reid, trust Patrick Holmes. Brandon Staley, trust Justin Herbert. Do Brian Daibald trust Daniel Jones? Right? I mean, there are, it's hit or missed throughout the league. You trust Aaron Rogers, trust Tom Brady. Ultimately, Russell, while he's not a trustworthy player for Denver or hasn't been this year for

the most part, historically he 100% is. They paid him $45 million. So you're in a situation. where obviously you cannot afford to have an incomplete pass. Because if you have an incomplete pass, stops the clock and basically gives them a free time out, which they do not have. I have no problem calling a pass play. But Nathaniel Hackett, who's getting destroyed, and rightfully so, he does some things that are like, does this guy, he's not even calling the plays, what's going on? But when it came to the final part of that game with the Broncos last possession in the regular

in regulation. I can't fault him for putting in Russell Wilson's hands. If you can't trust your quarterback who's making $45 million who you just gave basically four years worth of guaranteed cash to, you might as well just fold the franchise for the next couple years because you're fucked.

You are screwed. If Russell Wilson for whatever's going on and he's having mental breakdowns, if you can't trust him if the guy's not wide open, listen, I can live with a guy being open, hit him in the hands, and you dropped it. That sucks, but it's football. We're dealing with human beings. You can't control everything. But it's like Russell, if no one is wide open, hit the ground. Just fall to the

ground. We'll punt and we have one of the best defense in the league. Statistically, we have the number one scoring defense in the league. We'll just play D. Yet Russell scrambles out and it's hard to tell on TV, right? Is anyone open if someone's not? Then he lets it rip. And for whatever reason, and I'm guilty of this. I'm still holding on like Russell's going to pull some magic out of his hat. The ball hits the ground and it didn't feel like there was anyone within a five-yard radius. And Nathaniel Hackett, they end up losing the game. Devante Adams walk off.

Devante's going to have the best statistical season of his career and his team's going to win six games. But Nathaniel Hackett's just getting drug through the mud. Everyone thinks he's going to get fired and he deserves to. He's clearly going to be a one-and-done coach. But that moment, like, I'm sorry, that's on Rust. Russ, when did you become this low IQ player? When did you become this fish out of water? When did you become a bottom 10 quarterback in the NFL?

Like, it has happened fast. And we know what's going to happen this offseason. They're going to fire him. They're going to hire a new coach. Everything's going to be Rose. It's going to have to be. Everything that's coming out is he's going to figure it out. He's going to be introspective.

Like, those are the tight plays. Not even physical. That is just mentally like, Does he have any clue what's going on? He just threw it into the fucking ground. Is he trying to lose these games? Clearly not. It's not like they have a draft pick. Seattle does.

Think about Seattle right now. Even if they miss the playoffs and win eight, nine games, big year for Pete won eight, nine games with Gino Smith. And the Denver Broncos probably going to win like five or six games. You're going to get a top ten pick. What a trade. And what just, what an embarrassment by Russell Wilson. And who knows?

Maybe he's just, maybe he's shot. Maybe he really is. Which is crazy because he's not, Rathusberger was 38, 39, Eli was old. This guy's still young. This guy's still, it is 33 years old. He's really just can't play anymore. He went from being one of the most spectacular players,

most electric players we've ever seen. Like he was, you know, when they talk about some of these electric players over the years like Michael Vick, Randall Cunningham, he wasn't as fast as these guys. Donovan McNabb, or maybe obviously as big as some of these guys, but his ability to make just jaw-dropping, scramble around throws was unlike anything I've ever seen.

And now he just sucks. It's because he does. Like, he stinks right now. He's not very good. And we can blame the coach all we want, but like I watch Russell Wilson just go, this guy's not a good player. Football season is underway.

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Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

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

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

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at Tickford. Talk Podcast Network on TikTok. And speaking of teams that have, you know, what's crazy is the Rams and the Lions,

I've talked a lot about it because I'm fascinated by the trade. Right. Matt Stafford asked to leave and the Lions wanted to blow the thing up. And they did him a solid because he'd been a good guy. He'd played his ass off. He gave him everything he had. He laid it all in the line. And he made some mistakes, but overall he made some great plays.

He got to them to the playoffs three times. It was one of those rare, like mutual breakups, whether it be in business, whether it be personal, whether it be in sports, that truly was. Like, we need to go our separate ways, you need to go our separate ways. We traded you for multiple first round picks and Jared Gough.

And I got to be honest with you, I thought like, how are the Rams going to lose this one? They get rid of Jared Gough, a contract they didn't want, and they're going to be, I didn't know they were going to win the Super Bowl, but you win the Super Bowl, again, even this year, if they have a down year, they win eight, nine games. The Rams are done. And I think you have to ask yourself, I looked it up today,

because no one voluntarily leaves $120 million on the table, and that's what he would do if he retired after the season. But Matt Stafford has made $300 million. $300 million. He has been a beat-up player with Detroit, injured all the time, because he was getting peppered. They were never very good. Well, think about his time.

with the ramps. He clearly came into this year with a messed up elbow, which is not ideal when you're a quarterback. And then he gets two concussions within basically 20 days, maybe less than that, 15 days, 14 days, right? Because he took a week off. But, like, are we sure that Matt Stafford is in this thing for the long haul? Because if I'm Matt Stafford, and I have $300 million I've made, now obviously after taxes and everything, at minimum, if you were just not a bubbling idiot, you got 50 mil in the bank. You've got another 50 invested different places. You're untouchable. You are beyond fine. And you do have another 120, but you're getting your ass kicked. And here's the thing with the Rams. They have zero. And I mean zero avenue. There is no road deleting them to get good

offensive linemen. Where in your right mind do you just find a left tackle or a right tackle? Like where do you find tackles? Let alone, there is an element of lock two guards and centers. So the offensive line, they're not just going to be like, well, they can use a first round pick on a tackle, they can use their, they don't have the pick. They do not have the pick. So it's pretty devastating right now. They can't run the ball, so they're going to need to get a running back.

Their cap is so heavily tied to high-end players that it's not like they have unlimited amount of money. Like eventually them spending all that much money was going to come home to roost. And you look at the flip side, like, you know, it looks like they got a really bright future. And I'm not even talking about they've played a lot better and they've won, I think, three straight games. I heard the stat was three straight games for the first time, like a decade of the Lions, which shouldn't be that shocking. They've been pretty bad. Lions have a bright future. I mean, they have some young, really good players. Aidan Hutchinson, you can't watch them play

and not go, Jesus Christ, who's 97? Pena Sewell, really good. I saw a headline today. Jameson Williams, remember that guy that played for Alabama? That was unstoppable? He's back this week. And even if this year turns out to be like a redshirt year, they got several core players. But here's what else they have. They have the Rams pick. So the Rams keep losing. And guess what? I don't see them winning many games with Matt Stafford being banged up or they got to go to Bryce Perkins, who I'll be honest, I didn't even know who he was.

They're Cooper Cups out. I mean, their team stinks. So the Lions could be looking, it's not inconceivable, they get a top five pick out of Matt Stafford. So when you talk about R-O-I, if they are able to get a first-round pick, which wasn't good, last year it was right at the end of the round because they won the Super Bowl, but if this pick turns into the fifth pick, that's an all-time flip. They use the number one overall pick once upon a time on Matt Stafford. He was on their team for several contracts and they got the best out of them that they possibly could have.

And then they flipped them and if they eventually get a top five pick back for them, that's an all-time great trade, all-time great ROI on Matt Stafford. in terms of when you were going to dump them. Now, you could argue what they were paying them for a lot of years. Did he live up to it? We could argue that. But I'm bullish on the Lions because, one, you just watch and play, like, they got some pieces. Like, St. Brown, the dude from USC, can play.

Like, really good. Jamal Williams, the running back from BYU that they signed from the Green Bay Packers. Every time I looked yesterday, he was scoring a touchdown. Every single time. So I'd be excited if I'm a Lions fan. This is a pretty big week for the AFC East. You know, the Patriots whose offense is terrible, they're just, they're good on defense at Belichick's or head coach.

So they get Minnesota on this Thanksgiving night game, which Minnesota should win, but cousins at night, entire country watching against Belichick, you know, if you told me Minnesota loses, I can see it. Now, how does the Patriots, If Minnesota can get to like 20 points, can the Patriots, I don't know. But can they just stifle Kirk Cousins? Buffalo.

You know, Buffalo's good, obviously. When they are right, you could argue they're the best team in the league. But last week, it was going weird for them against Cleveland. Then they flipped a switch and they kicked their ass, which they should. I mean, they're playing Jacoby Brissette. But they're displaced all week because they're in Detroit, right? Because they had to leave for the snowstorm. Detroit does just have some momentum

and they have definitely nothing to lose in this game you would think there are going to be a lot of Lions fans just excited to come watch this game because their team is playing well and then you have Miami which is actually in pretty good position if Buffalo or New England or some definitely if New England loses this game Miami's got the Texans this week

now they still got games remaining at Buffalo at New England so we'll see how Tua operates outside but you get to eight and three, they're going to be in pretty good position. I think there's a very good chance. I'm sorry, I got to discount the Jets because I can't take their quarterback seriously anymore. But it does look, you know, the Bengals are definitely alive. So if you wanted to count the Bengals and the Ravens and then these three teams,

that might be your playoffs, right? You get whoever wins it between Buffalo or Miami, and then the other one is the wild card with New England and more than likely, I would say, the Bengals. But you never know. It's not like the Ravens are just run. running away with it. So whoever doesn't win the North could get a wildcard spot. Then the Raiders, or excuse me, not the Raiders, the Chiefs and the Titans.

And that's your AFC playoffs. So, you know, I don't, I guess the only team that's not totally dead would be the Chargers. But as long as Brandon Sayley is your coach, I'm just not picking you to make the playoffs. Who am I taking them over? Belichick, Harbaugh, Jabbar, Jabrough, Jaburo, Josh Allen, or what? Miami's already seven and three, so they already got a two-game cushion on the Chargers. So I think the AFC playoff picture is kind of set. We just got to know the seeding now.

Feels like the Chief should be the number one seed, but, you know, who knows, still a lot of games left to be played. But the Chiefs, the Titans, and then three teams from the AFC East and the two teams from the AFC North. Okay, let's dive into the mailbag. It's really simple. At John Middlecough is the Instagram. at John Middlkoff is the Instagram

fire into those DMs and get your question answered here on the show. Again, it's just my name, fire in those DMs, get your question answered here on the show. Let's start with Tom. Love the podcast, thank you. Assuming the Giants come back to Earth,

I think it's fair to assume that, what do you do as a GM in the off-season and over the next few years? Well, you obviously got a lot of positives going for you, right? you have some core players that feel like they're going to be pretty good. A couple guys you drafted high this year. Leonard Williams is a good player.

Sequin is a good player. They've said they'll table the contract negotiations. You're not going to break the bank for a running back. But before we can talk about any position, and obviously you guys are going to talk a ton this offseason about wide receivers. You need wide receiver help. Got to figure out the quarterback position. Because just pulling up your page,

19 to 16, 20 to 12, 24 to 20, 20. 23 to 17, 24 to 16, you lost 31 to 18, he lost 27 to 13. You're not a very potent offense. You know, and part of that is the quarterback, who is dramatically better than I think I know that I thought he was. He is, does he have the upside to be like, you know, 85, 90% of what Alex Smith became with Harbaugh and Andy Reid? That's the only best case. But if you get that guy, you can win with him if you build up your team. pretty sure he's not under contract next year, right?

So you got to, what are you going to do there? Can you re-sign him to like a two-year, $25 million deal? Is he getting more money than that on the open market? So before we can figure out, like, who you need to add wide receiving, you know, firepower. You need, you got to figure out the quarterback. Because clearly your coach is pretty solid. And the GM, I mean, Tibado and the offensive linemen you took were pretty good. So I'd be pretty bullish with my administration.

which has been the opposite of what you had, right? Pat Schumer, Joe Judge, no way around it. They were terrible. Gettleman, joke. These guys seem young, competent, experienced, just high-level guys. If you don't have a quarterback, though,

and your team, you guys have really overachieved. And I'm not going to try to, like, diminish what you've accomplished? Because what's your record right now? Seven and three? You beat the Panthers. You beat the Bears. You beat a badpacker team.

You beat the Jags. You beat the Texark. Texans. You haven't exactly beat, you know, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State here. But the good thing about New York fans, like, you guys know. If you're my age, you saw those Eli teams. You know what good teams look like. And you know what just, why I think you should be excited about this team is just how much heart they've shown, how tough they are, how many games they would have lost under previous administrations. Now it's just about getting quarterback and maybe just extend Daniel Jones for a couple years. And then use the

firepower other places in the draft. I've gotten at least five of my buddies to start listening to your podcast. Keep up the good work. Thanks, man. Turner. Just wondering what your thoughts are of the World Cup and KTar right now. I always thought the NFL was kind of corrupt. But after reading about everything in the world, everything going on over there in the World Cup, I have found a new appreciation for the NFL.

We really do have it good here. Thanks. Keep killing it. I'll be honest. I haven't paid much attention. The game was on today when I was at the gym I'm really out of the loop on this one And I'm not a soccer guy

But I would say I've come around I appreciate the sport And it entertains me If done in doses But what's up with the timing of this Isn't the World Cup usually in the summer Now maybe it's because of the vid I don't know I'm a little lost

Also like I think the World Cup And the Olympics Have some parallels like what are we doing with those like it's it's very corrupt but i also think it's different right when you have an event that's every four years you know the NFL professional baseball the epel the NBA like these guys these are consistent leagues every single year right i mean they're 365 businesses the world cup obviously it's enormous business but it's somewhat of a one-off thing you know every four years uh but i'd be lying if i told you

that I've, we tied to Wales. My issue with American soccer is when I worked for the Eagles, like Manchester United, I think Chelsea, we used to host big games. Jeffrey Lurie was really good at that. And I remember them sending their B teams. And usually they would work out on our practice facility, definitely in the off season.

So you would like, they would be practicing, I'd be done with work, I'd go to the gym, and then I'd see the guys. And they used to have guys that were, I remember thinking physically, like they had some dudes. And then I remember our team, 2010. It was the World Cup. Maybe, I want to say Germany.

And they practiced before they went over there at our facility. And I remember going and watching them practice. And it was the year, I forget the bald-headed goalie's name, who's sweet. Like Landon Donovan was still on the team. And I remember them running by me. And I'm, you know, I'm 5'10, a buck 80. I'm not very big relative to like professional athletes. and all these guys running by me,

and listen, I understand soccer is different like the NFL. I just remember us being small. And clearly we're not talented enough to like be a bunch of little guys. I just wonder, like today the Wales game, everyone wants our team like in the media and fans to be so good. We're just not.

Like there's just no way around it. We're just not. And it sucks because everything we've always cared about, we've dominated that. Right? We wanted to do the best in the world of basketball. Best in the world. Want to be the best in the world at golf?

Best in the world. Want to be the best in... I say this all the time about rugby. If we focus on rugby like we do football, we'd beat the shit out of everybody. Now, I get pushed back from the soccer elites that said if we focused on soccer, if soccer was our ethos,

like football and basketball are in this country, we would dominate. We just would. I don't even think it'd be close. And people like, well, it's not about the size of the athlete. I get it. But you're telling me that some of the... best athletes in this country, from Russell Westbrook to O'Dell Beckham to Ray Lewis to,

you name it over the years. If they hadn't lived, breathed, and eaten soccer from when they were young, they wouldn't be good at it? Like if Kevin Garnett had just focused on being the best goalie in soccer from the moment he was five, he wouldn't be unscorable. Of course he would. I feel very good about that argument, but we'll never prove it. And we're just going to keep losing or tying whales.

Lifetime Seahawks fan here but have lived in Scottsdale for the past decade it's been fun hearing about your move to Arizona love this place it really is it gets a little cold in the winter but I think I got my golf course that I'm going to join next year kind of circled and this is just something about a place that's new

you know I needed a change it was just time for me I'd been in the bay for a decade it had just become stale to my life I needed to mix it up and it's just for my own sanity and finances. The Gino Smith resurrection had me thinking about his upcoming contract. With his top five quarterback play this year, he could easily demand over $30 million. I always thought Brady was a genius for taking less money to help his team's cap.

I'd love to hear for Gino do the same and hopefully help build an amazing team around him. You have any idea how much financial benefit being a winning quarterback has? are the commercials brand deals Gino will get if he is a consistent playoff team worth taking a lot less salary. Curious to hear your thoughts. Well, I'd even take a step back. Are we sure Gino Smith would get $30 million a year?

Like, it's November 21st. He's had a fantastic season. He's played 10 games. He still has a bunch of more games. Like, I'm going to pump the brakes on he'd get $30 million. I think under no circumstance, any team would pay him $30 million. Who's paying him $30 million? The Jets?

No. The Texans, no. Seattle, I don't think you got to pay him $30 million. Like, I just don't think he's getting a premium contract. Now, could he get like 18 with incentives to get to $28, $30 million? Probably. But you can't be a one-year wonder at 32 years old and get $30 million. Like, pretty sure Brady, and I know he's taking less makes $30 million.

Like, I have a hard time seeing that. I know what you're saying. obviously Dak Prescott being the starting quarterback for the Cowboys probably makes my guess would be 15 plus million dollars off the field Patrick Mahomes being one of the best quarterbacks probably does something like that obviously Josh Allen's in a lot of commercials make a lot I mean these commercials when if you just did a one day one-off commercial it's like a million bucks I mean the money these people make is stupid it's it's monopoly cash most people in America like our richest people are owners they have equity. Like, they have juice in the deal. Most people that are worth hundreds of millions of

dollars own businesses, right? That's where their wealth is. The amount of people that sniff the compensation that a guy making, let's say Gino Smith makes $25 million. Not athletes are like entertainers. How many people in this country make a $25 million W2? The number is small. I mean, even these CEOs are getting huge, huge stock bonuses. You know, just get a strong. You know, just get a straight W2 like that is you're in the 1% of the 1% you know he's got to live in you got to living pretty good you know

don't let anyone fool you most people get it but sometimes you see stuff on the media you're like god you guys are so fucking stupid um I'm a diehard Colts fan is from Tyler assuming we continue to lose games which I think is likely how do you see us moving up in the draft to get

off the quarterback carousel Houston Carolina Detroit will definitely prioritize getting their next quarterback Houston Jacksonville won't trade with us being in the same division. Are we screwed for another year? Yeah, I mean, I just think what's your record now? Four, six and one. I bet you end up going like six, what would be six, six, nine and one, something like that.

You know, that would probably put you somewhere between eight to twelve. Yeah, I just, I don't know. But what would show us that Chris Ballard is likely to take a quarterback? Every single year he just passed on quarterbacks. And I know he said, like, you keep wanting us to take quarterbacks. We got to like one of those guys. True. It was like, you guys are taking Sam Ellinger.

I guess that's the guy you've taken over the last however a handful of years. You're constantly trading for these bridge type guys. So I have no faith unless they were like top two or three that he'd use that pick on a quarterback. Now, I'm trying to think. I mean, I could see Matt Ryan being the quarterback again next year. I have a question regarding Deshawn Watson. He is returning next week after being away from football.

for almost two years to play against his former team, the Texans. And it made me think of something. Do you believe he made the wrong decision to go to the Browns? I understand the move from a financial and football perspective. But from a legacy perspective, regardless of how successful he is in Cleveland, I do not believe that Browns fans will fully embrace him. I think he would be better received if he had gone back to his home state and played for Georgia for the Falcons.

What's your take on this? I hear what you're saying, but I just, I think it is so impossible. to say what his legacy will be right now. Because right now when you say Deshaun Watson, people think of one thing and one thing only. Moustache therapists. No one thinks of anything else. I don't think of the game-winning touchdown against Alabama.

I don't think of the success he had with the Houston Texans. I think of all these checks coming after. Now, I've said over and over, I wasn't there, you weren't there, none of us were there. We have no clue, guilty or innocent. No one knows except him and those checks. But to me, that's his legacy. So to me, the only way to get the train back on the tracks is just to be good.

And if you're good in the NFL, whether you play for the Jacksonville Jags or whether you play for the Dallas Cowboys, you become a star. So, like, if he just is a good player, it will take some time, but that's all that will matter. So I hear what you're saying. It might have been an easier transition for him. You're telling me, if he doesn't lead the Browns of the playoffs four straight years, they wouldn't embrace him? for sure, they would. He's not playing for the Packers here that are used to going to the playoffs.

And the Browns have historically sucked. I mean, think how bad they've been for the last couple decades. So if in the next three years, obviously this year doesn't count for them, but in 23, 24, and 25, they go to the playoffs three straight years, one of the years they win the North,

and he wins some playoff games. I think Browns fans will like him a lot. Because you could argue the same thing about Falcons. He was going to Atlanta where one of the best players in the history of their franchise, he'd be filling in for Matt Ryan. Say what you want about Matt Ryan.

Like they made the playoffs a bunch. He won an MVP. He was a really good guy. He never gotten any trouble. So I don't think, I don't agree with that theory. Big USC fan. Fight on. As much as I love watching Lincoln Riley's offense role,

the defensive side of the ball has been atrocious. USC fans are hoping they went out and make it to the playoff, but could you make the argument that it would be better for them if they missed out this year and avoided the, embarrassment of another Lincoln Riley playoff loss on a national stage. I'm just not sure we're ready to compete with elite programs. Listen, this year, what's your record right now?

10 and 1, you beat Notre Dame, you're 11 and 1, and you're in the conference championship in Vegas. It has been an incredible season. USC, I think, didn't they go 4 and 8 last year? I mean, it can't be overstated what, and you. you know this being a USC fan. But I think a lot of people that live in different elements in the country, like USC's been so bad, no one's even been paying attention.

It's been uglier than you realized. So for him to get here, now, time, you're able to take these transfers and it's like free agency. So it's been much easier for him to flip the script, right? He was literally able to take his five-star quarterback from Oklahoma, who's a fucking stud. But he believes in this defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch, is I think how you say his last name,

who you would say, based on Oklahoma and based on this year, is pretty questionable. I had an agent buddy who said, I don't know why Lincoln is so loyal to him, but he is. He was one of the few coaches he brought from Oklahoma with him. He believes in this guy. And once upon a time, if you remember,

Sarkesian really believed in Justin Wilcox, who then resurrected his career, but while he was with Sark, was kind of getting shit on a lot. And my question with Lincoln is, I have no doubts he will recruit NFL quarterback NFL wide receivers, NFL running backs, NFL tight ends, NFL offensive alignment.

His offense will be worthy to win a Natty. And I'm a Lincoln Riley fan. I think for being a younger guy, he is a serious old soul. He is not, people think like, oh, this 40-year-old rich guy now living up, now you listen to him talk and I've interviewed him a couple times and I've been around him and I know people that have worked for him. He is not wired like some young, loosey guy. but I don't know from a recruiting standpoint

if he doesn't prioritize it, if he doesn't care, if he doesn't know what it looks like, I do question whether he can recruit defense. He didn't do it at Oklahoma and we'll see it USC. The reason USC competed for Natties and won Natties with Pete Carroll wasn't the offense.

Their offense was good. It was they had guys at every level that were NFL players, first rounders, linemen, ends, defensive tackles, inside, outside linebackers, safeties and corners, guys that play start on Sunday. That was the reason they could play with Ohio State,

USC, all those teams. Even Chip Kelly, his couple years when he had national championship level teams, DeForest Buckner, Eric Armstead, they had Kiko Alonzo. They had NFL players on defense. If you do not have NFL players on,

and I'm not talking like one guy that gets drafted in the sixth round, I'm talking about first rounders. I don't know. take you seriously. It's the reason Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Clemson when they're right, like, you've got to have NFL defensive players at multiple levels. And to me, until he proves that he can get those guys, I can't take USC seriously as a national championship contender. I'd argue this year, you made it. Can you imagine if you beat Notre Dame and let's assume you beat, let's say Oregon wins against Oregon State, which is

going to be a hard game. You beat Oregon. which I think that's what the Pack 12 wants. USC Oregon in Vegas, that's a cool product. USC wins that game, which they would not be a guarantee to win that game. Let's just say he does. Even if you got your ass kick by Georgia or Ohio State or Michigan, who cares? Like just going to that game after Clay Hilton, year one of Lincoln Riley, all worth it.

Last year, Michigan got the living piss beat out of them by Georgia. Just absolutely curb stomped. It was all worth it. Every single snap of that game was worth it for the season. season. Like, your season has been so successful. And for those of us on the West Coast that, you know, let's face it, we've had to gravitate toward the SEC in Ohio State and Michigan and the occasional like Oklahoma or Baylor

or Clemson because the teams out here haven't been worthy. It's cool to see these teams matter again. Mario brought relevance. I appreciate Kyle Whittingham. Now Lincoln out here. Like, I love college football. I really do. but, you know, without Lincoln Riley coming to USC,

that program was in major, major shambles. Let's see if I can get one more question. And speaking of, I do believe that Caleb Williams will be the number one pick in the draft. There was this clip that went viral of him rolling to his left, him making this throw across his body against UCLA. He is a spectacular talent. I mean, as a thrower of the football,

his accuracy on the move, his playmaking ability, He's a stud. He really is. Next year's quarterback draft is probably better in this quarter. It is better in this quarterback draft on paper. Obviously, quarterback on paper doesn't matter how you actually play matters. But, I mean, Zach Wilson went too and he sucks. So you never know.

I mean, Trey Lance has played like two games. He's got a broken angle. So there's no guarantee just because you drafted how you're going to be good. But, you know, Bryce, I think is going to go number one. But he is tiny. He is really, really small. And Will Levis, I think, is going to go number two. And listen, people are going to go nuts when he goes number two,

but people are going to bet on the physicality. Now, will that translate? Time will tell. But, you know, next year, Caleb Williams and the dude from North Carolina, lock and change, but it does feel like those two guys are kind of set in stone. Appreciate everyone listening. Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing this podcast with your friends.

Thanks for, you know, spending time with me. And I'm very, it's going to sound cheesy. I'm thankful for everyone that listens. I really am. Enjoy the turkey. Peace. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, 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.

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