The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Mahomes/Lamar Mismatch; Rodgers Revenge Tour; Russ Bombs Away; Defending Pederson; Buy/Sell Takes; Mailbag

Episode Date: September 29, 2020

In this episode, John reacts to another dominant Chiefs win over the Ravens, and explains why Mahomes vs. Lamar is a major mismatch, why the Ravens are like the Houston Rockets, and discusses Aaron Rodgers revenge tour. He also looks at why Russell Wilson's deep ball is an unstoppable weapon in today's offense friendly NFL, defends Doug Pederson's decision to play for a tie by punting in overtime against the Bengals, tells you which of his takes he's buying and selling, and answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag. Follow John on Twitter and SUBSCRIBE now to get all the latest content!! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games.

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

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Awesome Sunday games. I wouldn't necessarily call Monday Night Awesome recording this that the Monday Night Football Game just ended. Entertaining, you know, if you had $500 on the game, Moneyline Chiefs, can't believe they were underdogs. Honestly, it makes no sense. Made no sense. Defending champs, everyone in the media just couldn't stop picking the Ravens.

We'll dive into that game. I got some takes. I have some thoughts on just everything. on just the Chiefs. It's weird. They kind of get disrespected and just this Ravens phenomenon thing that's going on.

We'll dive into a lot. Aaron Rogers, Seattle, Doug Peterson, some things I was right on, some things I was wrong on. We'll dive into the Middilkopf mailbag at John Middilkoff is my Instagram.

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Helps the business of the podcast. Helps me put food on my table and me to eat. So my tummy is full. It's probably a little too full right now during Corona because I am a fat ass. But let's dive into the Monday night football game. And let's just start with...

I couldn't believe the defending champs were underdogs. Like, don't we have enough information now? With Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, they're the best team in the league. Like, I don't care how they looked the previous week or the previous week or what their record is. Just tell me two things.

Is Mahomes healthy and is Andy Reed calling the place? Because if that's the case, they should be favored in every game. Especially in 2020 on the road when there are no fans. As you heard Greasy say on the telecast, he's like, I can hear Mahomes. He's picking them apart. He's calling mics. He's calling hot routes. He's calling where the slot guys lining up.

He's picking them apart. You have the best young quarterback I think we've ever seen through the three years. he's got to do this for a long period of time to put him in Rogers, obviously Brady and those guys category but I think we'd all agree. He sure is hell-headed that way. And Andy Reid now, who has a resume. In the early 2000s, when he got Donovan McNabb,

they dominated. I know they didn't win a Super Bowl, but they went to NFC championship game after NFC championship game after NFC championship game. His teams were awesome. And then what did he do in Kansas City? he got Alex Smith, who's not as talented as Donovan McNabb, might be a little more reliable and just kept winning.

And when Andy first got to Kansas City, that team in Denver acquired a guy named Peyton Manning. So it was hard to get, like, it was hard to win the division, obviously, and he was going to the playoffs every year. When you give Andy Reed an above-average pro-bow-level quarterback, his team's a lock to the playoffs and to compete for the AFC or NFC championship game. When you give him a generational quarterback, he instantly becomes arguably the best coach in the league.

Like, the chiefs are the best team in the league. I don't care what it looks like. I don't care what the results are. I don't even care what their record is. We have enough evidence now, the last two and a half years. Two years ago, it was a D-Ford off-sides when Mahomes won the MVP. The following year, Super Bowl champs. Right now, the second best team in the AFC, in theory,

we'll see if they're better in Pittsburgh. They just beat the shit out of. that was an ass whooping. It was a 14-point final score. It felt more like a 28-point game. Chiefs missed a field goal, missed an extra point, they fumbled the ball out of half.

The Ravens got a touchdown on a kickoff return. Like, they dominated them. They absolutely worked them. But why are we shocked? I didn't learn anything new about the Chiefs. I knew Andy was elite. I knew Mahomes as elite. I knew the Chiefs are better than the Ravens.

I saw it last year when they absolutely destroyed them. I think it was week three last year too. The final score ended up being closer because Lamar hit some garbage time touchdowns at the end of the game, but it wasn't close if you watch the game. Those two teams, it's not a fair fight. The Chiefs are dramatically better. The evidence is in.

And here's the thing with the Ravens. Like, what the Chiefs do in 2020 is what you need to do to die. dominate. Throw the ball. And they've clearly improved a lot on defense. They tackle well and they can rush the passer. But their number one attribute is their quarterback and their passing game. It's unstoppable because that's what you have to do to take over and dominate the league in 2020. And it's always been the case, but definitely now with the rules. The Ravens are the opposite. They're the media darling. Lamar Jackson. It's like, what did we learn? Here's what I know about Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

They dominate crappy teams. And when they get the Bengals, and when they get the Browns, and they get the Jags, and they get the Jets, they'll beat them by 50. And it's like Lamar Jackson, MVP, running for 300 yards.

You know what doesn't work when you play great teams, especially in the playoffs? Running around. You have to win throwing the ball. This is a passing league, not a running league, especially with your quarterback.

And do you know the problem with running quarterbacks often? They develop bad pocket habits. Did you watch the two guys tonight? One guy with pressure, how he subtly moves in the pocket, how he looks to throw, keeps his eyes up going through his progressions, and then boom, throws a dart for a first down or a touchdown? Did you watch the other guy? When pressure comes, eyes go down, starts running around in the pocket, doing circles.

You know who else did that a couple weeks ago when the cheese played him? Deshawn Watson. because they can always relate or, you know, lean on their legs. And Lamar makes these incredible runs. Why? He's the fastest player on the field. You know what I say to that? Who gives a shit?

The goal of the Ravens now is to win a Super Bowl. Just like the goal of the Chiefs. Here's what I know about the Ravens. They can't win a Super Bowl with that offense. Now, let me be completely honest. I despise that offense in the NFL. I don't like watching it. Now, I like watching guys run around, but I don't like watching the triple-I.

I like watching to spread it out and throw the football. I'm more of a traditionalist that way. Now, I respect it. It works, but I can only respect it so far. Because now I have evidence. The Chiefs games were regular season game. But back-to-back years in the playoffs, back when fans were allowed, the Ravens have got throttled in the playoffs.

You know why? Because that running offense isn't going to work. You know what the teams are going to make you do? Throw the football. Can you ever imagine saying, you know what I want Mahomes to do? Throw the ball. That's what defensive coordinator say about Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens offense.

We want to put it on your arm. Because you know what? We don't think you can do it. It's what the Chiefs did tonight. And he couldn't. Now listen, he's a young player, but when it comes to throwing outside the numbers, it doesn't look great.

He's very hit or miss. and it's hard for him to get into a rhythm passing because they never really do because for the most part, when they're winning 13, 14 games, and who knows, this year they'll probably win 12, 13 games. Now, we'll see the, I think the Steelers match up pretty well against them.

The only problem is going to be Ben can't really scramble, so if you're the Ravens, you blitz them. But I wouldn't just say they're a lock to win the division because to win in this league against the good teams and the charges a couple years ago in the playoffs had a really good defense destroyed Lamar. That was his rookie year, okay? I'll give him a pass.

Then last year he wins the MVP. Host a playoff game. The Tennessee Titans come in. Kick his ass. Then this week, the Chiefs. Every single person I'm watching on, as Colin would say, the other network. They all picked the Ravens. And I'm thinking to myself, have we all not been watching football?

Didn't you guys watch this Kansas Chiefs team that won the Super Bowl play the Ravens last year and destroy them? And you guys are all picking them? And as a gambling, human being in myself, when I saw the line today at, you could get the, you could get the Kansas Chiefs at plus 160, they were a three and a half point underdog. What are we, who's setting these lines? You're telling me a three and a half point underdog just wins by 14 points. And again, like I said, it wasn't that close.

Now, I'm not overreact. I'm not saying the Ravens are bad. They're good. They are a lock playoff team. That's cool. they remind me a lot of the Houston Rockets. Do you know what I expect to happen once January comes? Them to lose.

They are not going to win the Super Bowl. They're not going to get to the Super Bowl. I don't even think they can get to the championship game with this offense. And listen, it's fun, and if I still play Madden the video game, I would be them, Lamar, run around, make plays. Actually, I wouldn't. I'd be the Chiefs. And I'd throw bombs.

And I'd score touchdowns. And I'd throw 400 yards in the air. Because that's what you have to do to win big. You see Rogers, you see Russell Wilson, why do we consider those two guys the best hit Mahomes, Rogers, and Russell? What do they all do well? Throw darts. They beat you throwing darts. What can they all do?

They all can scramble if they have to. Russell's probably the best athlete of the group, then Mahomes, then the older Rogers. But they've all countless times get first down with their legs. But how do they kill you? How do they destroy defenses, destroy defensive coordinators? They beat you with their right arm. throwing seeds, throwing deep dimes. Lamar just can't do that.

So I never want to hear Lamar compare to Mahomes. Here's what we need to stop doing with Mahomes. Comparing them these other young cats. Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson, stop it. There's Mahomes, then there's drop off, then we can talk about the rest of the group. They all got their issues. But no one's in that guy's level.

And you know the other big difference between the Ravens and the Chiefs? Andy Reid impacts the game. He literally calls the offense. He's the offensive coordinator. He calls the game. I'm a Harbaugh fan. I love the family. And I like John Harbaugh.

He's clearly good coach. He's a Super Bowl champion. He doesn't call either side of the ball. He gives R-Rah-Ross speeches. And it works, and they built a tough team, and they do a good job of scouting. But here's what I know. When John Harbaugh faces Andy Reid,

I'm taking Andy Reid every day of the week, twice on Sundays, 10 times on a Monday. It's not a fair fight. The evidence is in. When one guy's got Lamar and the other guy's got Mahomes, like we need to stop talking about the Ravens like some generational team. They have a unique scheme that teams in the NFL

are not used to sing. Most of the NFL is just horrendous on defense. They can't tackle. Their defensive coordinators are awful, and they run circles around them. And they rack up all their wins. And then they get to the playoffs and they get sent home immediately. Why would anything change this year?

I'm interested to see them in Pittsburgh. I don't know if they're just some lock to win the division. Pittsburgh's 3-0 and their defense is excellent, and they got great team speed on defense. I do think that Rathusberger, somewhat of a sitting duck against them, as you saw with Mahomes, you've got to be able to keep the play alive with your legs. And at this age, for Rothesberger, it's a little harder. Mahomes did it because the Ravens do have team speed on defense.

but I just my overall take is I didn't learn anything new from this game. Chiefs for the champs, I knew that. Andy's elite, knew it. Mahomes, best player in the league, arguably, knew it. Lamar Jackson's a great runner, not a great thrower. The Ravens beat the shit out of a lot of bad teams. They don't look great when the games matter. And you could argue they've played four games that mattered now in the last two years.

Two playoff games, two games against the Chiefs. Because last year, Lamar's, you know, that year he started. You know, Rothsburger got hurt, so the Steelers were out of it. The Browns were terrible and the Bengals were a joke. But, you know, if they're going to be, if I'm going to take them seriously, their offense needs to look a little bit different. He needs to dominate on third and longs. Because you know what happens on third and longs with the Chiefs or with Russell Wilson

or with Aaron Rogers? I expect them to complete it. You know what happens when I see third and ten with Lamar? Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me. 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.

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Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMs? man's or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little camp?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we picket here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but yeah, yeah, literally. But just so y'all know.

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I hope they pick up five so they can go for it on fourth and short or I hope the punter's ready. I don't think that with the other elite guys. So yeah, he's the MVP, but he's not better than those guys. Like it's not, that's not an opinion. That's a fact. It's not even arguable at this point. Just because you win the MVP and we see it in the NBA too,

I've seen James Harden win it, I've seen Janice win it. It doesn't mean you're the best player in the sport. It doesn't mean you'd want that guy as your best player in the most meaningful games. The evidence is in. That's just not the case. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination. Our sense of wonder. And our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org.

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Okay, let's dive into a guy named Aaron Rogers who is on a redemption tour right now of just kicking ass and taking names. And I'll be honest. I did not see it coming. And I'm kicking myself a little bit because I should have.

And I know myself and I'm sure many people can relate. Fear in life is an incredible, credible motivator. Speaking as someone who has been fired twice, and before I was relieved of my duties in the NFL and in the radio business, it was clear things were a little off the rails. And I was in trouble. And I remember the feeling that I had inside.

And the reality is, when you don't run the company, when you don't own the company and when you are not the boss, and Aaron Rogers, while he's extremely important to the Packers, He is the quarterback, not, I mean, technically they don't even have an owner, but he doesn't get to call the shots. And in any company, I'm sure everyone listening this that works for someone can relate, no matter how talented you are. And I can't imagine there are many people listening that are as talented, and I know I'm not, at what you do relative to their job as Aaron Rogers is to his company, which is the Green Bay Packers. but I think one thing we've learned in life and definitely in sports is everyone eventually is replaceable

and in sports for sure because you run out of years as a player and when you are motivated as a human and I've never been more motivated than immediately after actually losing my job and both times it changed the path in course of my life but it's human nature I think

maybe content is the wrong word because I'm sure a lot of people listening and I always consider myself this are really ambitious people and you're like I'm a high achiever I want to do more but when things start going well I think it's human nature to not get

on easy street but to lose some of the fundamentals that got you to where you wanted to go whether you're the best salesman at your company or whether you're a starting quarterback and for a long period of time Aaron Rogers got away with bad fundamentals, but it didn't matter. He was so talented, he could kick the shit out of everyone.

They always had great wide receivers. He just died. He was the best, you know, arguably the most talented quarterback, even in years when Tom Brady and Peyton Manning won MVP's. Right? I mean, Aaron Rogers could look in the mirror and go, I'm a better player just in a vacuum than Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in my peak. Now, whether we could argue that all day long, but he could feel confident with that, which is great. Right. I'm sure many people, people after you make a big sale at your job, after whatever, you feel pretty good about yourself. But eventually it becomes, and this is the great part about America, what have you done for me lately? What have you done for me lately? And the reality with Aaron Rogers last year,

his stats were good, and the team won. They had team success, but it didn't pass the eye test. The Aaron Rogers that I saw last year was not the guy that I felt confident at one through like a five or six year stretch. It's like one of the best players I've ever seen. And this off-season, and I noticed it actually, I think before the game, because his commercials,

the State Farm commercials run all the time. And there was a commercial that he surely shot over the last three or four months. He's in a white t-shirt and he looks absolutely jacked. And watching him play right now for the first time in his life, he realized when they drafted that player, and I defended them drafting that player.

Why? Because once upon a time, Aaron Rogers happened because they had that same mindset. That's what the Packers do. They draft quarterbacks. And Aaron's getting up there in age, and he looked like to be slipping last year. Well, and I don't think,

and they're going to get a lot of credit for pulling the strings, they knew this would motivate him. I don't know about that. Like, that to me is a little next level. But they pulled the trigger, You know, once IUC and Justin Jefferson were off the board, it might have had unintended consequences. And it turned an all-time great who, let's face it, might have been resting on his laurels,

might have become difficult to go into FU mode. And I've noticed a couple things with him. The motivation, like, it's not even arguable. Once I see that picture, I'm like, this guy went in the lab this offseason and said, you got, Goudicans and LaFlor, you think you're going to replace me? you think you're going to do to Aaron Freak and Rogers. And I don't think we've seen that version of Aaron Rogers, whether it was the toxic relationship with Mike McCarthy the last couple of years,

last year, again, despite having team success, it was a little weird to this guy that goes, listen, I'm going to come back the best version of me, I'm going to be more open-minded with your offense LaFleur, the Mike Shanahan offense, which I'm telling you, if it makes Jared Goff look like a star, Nick Mullins can kick the shit out of team, It works, but we're also going to blend in what I like and we're going to dominate.

But first and foremost, I'm going to be the version of Aaron Rogers that has a couple MVP's that was a Super Bowl champ, that everyone when they says, Aaron Rogers, the first thing they'll say in 20 years is, oh yeah, first ballot Hall of Famer. Aaron Rogers, one of the best quarterbacks we've ever seen, because that's the version we're getting right now. I'm motivated, because unlike even myself, when I get motivation, my talent in life is only so high. When you give motivation to like Steve Jobs or a Warren Buffett or a Tom Brady or a Tiger Woods or an Aaron Rogers, there, as Michael Jordan would say, the ceiling is the roof. There is no

ceiling because they are already more talented than everyone else. When they're, this is the crazy part about Tom Brady. It's like his motivation never, he never pulls off, you know, the foot off the pedal. It's crazy. But most people are not like, even Tom Brady in the NFL is a one-off. And this has worked for Aaron Rogers because he's come out looking like one of the best players that we ever saw. The version of Aaron

Rogers from 2010 to like 2015. And that's the way he's playing. And I know everyone is anointing Russell Wilson and rightfully so. He is making incredible deep ball bombs. He's an awesome player. And his deep ball throwing is outrageous. We'll get into that a little bit

later. But right now the full package, especially when you factor in what Rodgers is working with like I think he's every bit as good and you're seeing a guy nine touchdowns zero picks and to me the stats don't even do it justice I'm watching him play and I go if I had to win one game right now and this is with Russell Wilson who's playing in the peak of his powers one of the best players I've ever seen Mahomes superstar I if you told me I got Aaron Rogers in a one-off game with this version Aaron Rogers I like that my chances. I like my

opportunity to win. And on Sunday night, I put like $500 on him. He was an underdog playing the Saints. I'm like, the Aaron Rogers I've seen through the first two weeks, I feel I'm getting this guy as an underdog. I get to put my money on that

human, motivated out for blood out to execute every single person that, and mainly it starts with the GM and coach who's that, you think I'm not good enough anymore? You think you're going to replace me with Jordan Love, who by the right now, which I predicted what happened,

but I think he's even worse than I thought can't even sniff the pads on game day. He sits and sweats on the sideline. So, Your Wrenge goes, wait, you plan was to replace me with a guy that can't even dress and beat a guy that I didn't even write down their backup quarterback down right now? I don't even know.

Tim Boyle, I think. I've never seen him throw one pass. I don't even know right-handed, left-handed. I got no clue anything about him. He can't beat that guy out. I mean, that's not ideal. deal, but it's turned this guy into the MVP form. And fear is a great motivator. And at the end of the day, Aaron Rogers wasn't going to dictate his future.

He's not in control, whether it's 2021, 2022, whether he gets cut, whether he gets traded, whatever. But if he dominates and if he plays like this, they have no choice. We saw it once upon a time with Bill Belichick. Drafted Jimmy Garapolo, not quite as high as Jordan Love, but in the second round, the highest quarterback he's ever drafted. Tom saw the writing on the wall a couple years in, and then Jimmy got to play, and you're like, damn, I don't even know the chances Jordan loves ever good as Jimmy Garoppolo,

slim to none, right? If the Packers just drafted Jimmy Garoppel, they've had a hell of a draft pick. And it turned Tom Brady into a guy that won another MVP, won another Super Bowl. Fear is an incredible motivator. It really is. And when you're talented, like a Rogers,

there just is no ceiling, and you're seeing a guy that, I know everyone's acting like Russell Wilson's a lock MVP, but I'm watching Aaron Rogers, and he's every bit as good of an MVP candidate right now. Okay, let's dive into something. I noticed this yesterday, but I've really noticed it all year long, and I would imagine many people watching this team play have noticed it too.

Now, we knew that Russell Wilson was the best deep ball thrower in the league. He's the only guy, and Rogers is like this too when he's on. and Mahomes too They can throw these 50-60-yard bombs And they hit guys in stride A lot of guys when they heave the ball downfield The wide receiver has to leap Has to stop

It just rarely hit perfectly And Russell Rogers throws in Mahomes Because they just have probably a pure arm strength Can throw more of a rope Even like 40 yards Russell throws like this thing that you'd see in a moment movie, a bomb. What are those

things called that you put the little container in and it's a mortar and it shoots, like in wars, the mortar goes up really high and then it comes down. That's what Russell Wilson's ball looks like. It goes up and then it drops right in the locket and D.K. Metcalf's hands perfectly as they're running. And if you've watched football,

which anyone listening to this podcast surely has over the last three weeks, I'm sure you can agree with this. Guys are wide open. I thought about yesterday when I was watching the Cowboys Seattle game. I guess if you're listening to this a couple days ago. And I had money on the Cowboys. I don't know why, but they can't cover a soul.

I told you Mike McCarthy should not have hired Mike Nolan. It's one thing to be, you know, just not have the players. It's another to leave guys wide open. Like, hey, Mike Nolan, Seattle has been running these play action throwbacks on the goal line, these crossing routes, and Russell throws it back across the, you know, the field to the guy wide open for years. I've watched Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll their entire career together.

I mean, have you not been paying attention? You want to call me or call some of the 12s? They'll tell you they run that play. So can you guys communicate with your defensive backs? Clearly not. And Russell ate you alive. But in this day and age, and listen, some of these numbers

that you're going to see moving forward in football are inflated. It is stupid to compare Joe Montana, non-Elway, even like Marino, to what guys have been putting up the last couple years, we're going to move forward. Because the DBs, they can't hit the wide receivers. A lot of teams don't press coverage anymore.

And then these wide receivers have zero threat when they are either running down the sideline or across the middle of getting knocked out. When I was a kid in the 90s and even probably in the 2000s, you would just get guys destroyed. When I got to the NFL in 2010, I remember several players. We had Deshawn got carted off one time. Austin Colley got carted off one time. And I wouldn't even call the Eagles.

We weren't even that big hitting of a team. Guys were getting destroyed. Like you came across the middle, especially as a speed guy. You better be ready when that ball's in the air to get head hunted. And listen, I miss part of that in football. Because I do think part of the threat of defense is being scared to run these routes. Well, that threat, because of CTE and the way the game's changed, and ultimately they want to keep guys healthy,

which is smart, has changed football. You are not allowed to, you know, I'm going to decapitate. Obviously, no one ever gets decapitated, but literally just leap into the air and try to destroy a guy and kill him. That doesn't happen anymore. And like in the NBA, the three-point shot has really taken over the last five or six years. The Warriors figured it out.

They're like, we got these two great three-point shooters. Shoot an unlimited amount of threes. And it works. And they start beating everyone. And everyone copied them. And basketball has just become one big math equation. Like baseball. They realize, you know, it's easier to win.

And I don't necessarily like watching this. If we don't care about strikeouts. We don't even care about batting average. You can hit 220. You hit 45 home runs. We'll bat your fifth. What if I strike out a lot? Who gives a shit?

Hit those 45 home runs, we're good. And in football, the one thing I'd realize with Russell, Now, he's the best version of it. I would be taking deep shots all the time if my quarterback had a good arm. Because the wide receiver, one, you're going to draw a pass interference at a high rate. And two, they're just going to get open a lot. Because clearly, if you just watch football on Sunday, the communication right now by the defensive backs are awful. No one can just say, screw it.

I don't know who I'm covering. Well, when the ball's in the air, I'm going to destroy the wide receiver. That doesn't happen anymore. And I think Seattle realized, you know, everyone's like, let Russ cook, let Russ cook. I think they just came to grips with, yeah, we got to let Russ cook, but we have the best deep ball thrower. We have two guys that can fly. I mean, D.K. can absolutely scoot.

So can Tyler Lockett. And at the end of the day, none of these defenses, one, most of these guys, like the wide receivers that have been coming in the league, like a guy like DK, they've all these speed demons, like these four three wide receivers. Well, there aren't consistent four three corners. And half the guys that do come in at that speed aren't any good. And then you have the safety play. I was talking to a buddy in the NFL probably within the last month.

He's like, you know, I would 100% take cover safety. Like Eddie Jackson for the Bears, who is a great... 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper Taylor the 4th.

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

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to? do a little kill. Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but yeah, yeah, literally. But just so you all

know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS. on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart

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Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth.

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on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, search learn the hard way and listen now. At playing the ball in the air, he's not going to hit you that hard. He doesn't have to. He'll just corral you, get to the ground.

He's going to pick the ball off and make plays on the football. That is in vogue. Well, there aren't that many Annie Jackson's in the league. The day and ages of Cam Chancellor are dead. Those guys can't really play in the league anymore, which pains me. I love that type player. I love guys just cracking people, but that day and age in the secondary has ended.

So the Seattle realized it's not just letting them cook. It's like we have a major advantage. We have two speed demons. We have the best deep ball thrower. And literally no one's allowed to cover them. And they're definitely not allowed to hit them. And then if we're playing bozos like Mike Nolan, whose D.Bs don't even know who to cover.

They just stand there and take up grass and look at the sky. And we just run right by them wide open. It's incredible. It's actually pretty easy. And we'll just score touchdowns. And it's not going to be like the Niners secondary and even the Rams in theory. It should get a little more difficult.

Again, in theory, it might not. This might just be, maybe you should take multiple deep shots if you're Seattle every single quarter. And if I was a team that had any speed on offense and a quarterback with any type of arm strength, like to me, this is the modern day way to take advantage. Throw deep, throw deep, a lot because you're going to get past interferences and your guys are just not, they're not allowed to cover them. And they're definitely not allowed to hit them.

This is a market inefficiency right now. And I don't think we're ever going to come back or the safety, like the Mike Mitchells of the world, the Dante Wittners of the world are just going to be allowed to plow guys. Those days ended three or four years ago. Because the moment they leave their feet, the flag comes out, even if it's quote-unquote illegal hit, which is just modern day football.

In Seattle, through three games, and Russ and D.K. and Tyler Lockett run circles around these modern-day defense because they got no shot. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1-800flowers.com.

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Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Okay, one guy who's been getting trashed, and I'm going to defend. Fendham. His name is Doug Peterson. And last year, I was at a Monday night football game. Niners Seattle. Crazy game. It went into overtime.

And it went down to the last second of overtime and Seattle kicked a game winning field goal. But with about two minutes left, the Niners got the ball had to go like, you know, 90 yards, but actually like 50, maybe 60 yards because they had their backup

kicker. Robbie Gold had been hurt to get in the field goal range to try to win the game. They stayed aggressive. Garapolo goes three and out. They punt it back to Russ. Leads them to a field goal. A lot of talk, and at the time, the Niners, I think that was their first loss.

It might have been 8 and 1 or 9 in 1. And they had a commanding lead, but once you lost to Seattle, I think Seattle had three losses. The Niners had one, or maybe they only had two losses, like they were just right back in the division. And a lot of people, I remember driving home,

sitting in the parking lot, Levi's were like should Kyle Shanahan have played for the tie and I thought it was insanity I said no you got in the locker room you're your eight no you're playing your rival you got to play to win well at the time I truly believe that now they did have an argument three or four or five weeks later going into week 17 if they had tied that game and he had played for the tie and basically ran out the clock or not been as aggressive and thrown the ball the Niners' Week 17 game at Seattle would not have been a winner get in.

The Niners would have won the division. And they would have needed to win that game for seating, but they wouldn't have needed that game for a home playoff game and the buy. So the tie would have actually looking back been the right move to play. Now, I am a believer, and at the time they were going back and forth,

it wasn't that crazy. Now, once you looked up and saw it two minutes, it was clearly going to be an aggressive play. Doug Peterson is kind of getting shit on right now because he played for the tie against the Bengals. And here's where I'm going to defend him. One, his quarterback is playing atrocious. Now, you can put that on Doug, which he's the head coach, he's the offensive coordinator,

he is a quarterback that is under his watch. Now, listen, Carson Wentz was also his quarterback when he was going to win the MVP in 2017 before he got hurt. Is it Doug's fault that Carson is throwing atrocious intercept? I mean, you're either coaching or allowing it to happen, but Carson has six picks through three games. That's on a James Winston-like pace of 32 interceptions. Just an atrocious effort. I mean, hideous.

He couldn't play much worse football. So to me, Doug has to take that into account. And then he has a whatever, a 58-yard field goal. Once the guy jumps off size and kicks him back to a 63-yard field goal, your division matters. And we saw it last year. If you were playing in the NFC West, and let's say the Eagles were in the NFC West and he played for a tie, I'd call him an idiot.

Because you're going to need to play for wins to just make the playoffs because it's going to take 12 wins to win the division and probably another 10 to make a wild card. That's not his problem. Because last year he won the division at 9 and 7. And right now, the Giants are, beside the Jets, the worst team in the league,

second worst team in the league. The Redskins are a design. faster. They're going to continue to lose, even though ironically they beat the Eagles. But I think it's fair to say they're going to struggle. I mean, even Ron Rivera is basically admitting our quarterback stinks. So they're going to win four games. Then you get the Cowboys, who have talent, but their defensive coordinator is giving Vance Joseph a run for his money as the worst defensive coordinator. I might need to annoy him as the worst defensive coordinator in the league. And Mike Nolan, they can't cover his soul. And yeah, they can score

points, but who cares when you can't stop anybody? Are the Cowboys going to win nine games? maybe not. So if you're Doug, you go, listen, I can't take a loss in B0 and 3, but I can take this tie. Because I can still, with three games in, we got 13 left. If I could win seven, maybe we can get in with seven wins. Give ourselves a chance, especially the two games that I'm going to play. I still got two games with New York and two games with Dallas.

Now, is he thinking that? I don't know at the time. But I can't totally destroy the move when he plays in a division that is horrid. That is awful. That just eight wins might get you a home game. Because if you win the division, we saw last year the Eagles hosted Seattle. If he had played in the AFC North,

or if he was playing in the NFC West, it wouldn't make any sense. Like Doug, point of tying, you need wins. But he doesn't. He plays in the NFC least. The NFC East, the division that, you know, it's just awful. We saw it last year.

He experienced it last year. He got into the playoffs because of that division. So he has experience like playing your own division and factoring your division while you're making decisions matters. So I don't think it is some crazy move when you factor in. He's really just competing with the Cowboys. Redskins, Giants, No Chance. His competition is the Cowboys.

He hasn't played them yet. Dallas obviously went on to lose to Seattle. They have a one-game lead on the Eagles. technically one and a half games, right, because they both have the same amount of losses. The Cowboys just have a win and they have a tie. So it's not as bad as everyone made it out to be on Twitter. Now, where it is bad is the quarterback play has just been bad.

And the irony is my guy Matt Nagy, who pulls the trigger for Nick Foles. Like, the cool part about sports is, like in life, you never truly know what's going to happen. Like, who in their right mind would have thought that when 2020 started, hell, I was at the combine in the middle, at the end of February. If you would have told me a month later, you know, your state's basically going to be locked down for six months. Everywhere you go, you're going to have to wear this thing called a mask.

You're going to have to wear a mask everywhere you go. You're not going to be allowed to eat in restaurants, but you can eat outside and you've got to wear a mask when you order, but then you can take it off when you sit down. And, yeah, sports are going to get put on, pause for three months. Like, you can't even make that up. Just like in sports, like, I can't make up that Tom Brady came back against the Atlanta

Falcons, 28 to 3. I mean, you can't even make that up. You can't make up the Nick Foal story that a backup quarterback comes in for a max quarterback and then wins a Super Bowl in a city that's football that just loves its football team more than anything. And that guy becomes a legend in the town, and he's not even the starting quarterback. And then the following year, he's not the starting quarterback. But then that starting quarterback gets hurt again.

and that guy takes him to win a playoff game. And then he comes in again for a guy that's way worse than wins. I mean, Ms. Trubisky stinks. I saw SportsCenter tweeted out like his win-loss rate. His win-loss record is pretty good. I think it's like 22 and 10 these last, or 22 and 12 these last couple years. TD interception ratio is positive. But you just watch him.

Mitchribisky's not a very good player. I was thinking, I mean, I haven't texted my guy Maggie. Could you move him to safety? He made a good open field tackle after he threw a pick. Could he play special teams? He's kind of like a T-bo athlete. But Nick Foles comes in and they're down huge and he throws three touchdowns and they win the game.

You can't make Nick Foles up. You really can't. And it's what's cool about sports. And then when you factor in, Nick is just one of the more likable guys in sports. He always says the right thing. Everyone loves him, as coaches, his teammates. He never complains when he's not the starter,

even though he's more accomplished, than the starter that he's behind. Like think about it. He was just sitting behind Mitch Trubisky. How could he, in his right mind, put yourself in Nick Foll's shoes. He was supportive of Mitch, and, I mean, everything that I had heard, like he couldn't have been any nicer to Mitch. He's going the first couple games,

Mitch Trubisky's the starting quarterback. I've beat Brady and Belichick in a Super Bowl. I've won a playoff game against Ms. Trubisky. And this guy's starting over me? But that's not how he thinks. That's how you were I would think, because I'd be like, what are we doing? And listen, Mr. Trubisky story is pretty simple.

Everything, I know people that are around him, they love him. He's a great guy. He tries really hard. But you know the best part about the big leagues and just, it's no different than business? At a certain point, when a lot's on the line, you either get it done or you don't. Like, yeah, I can like you. You can be a great, you can be your friend. I don't like doing business with my friends.

I want to get the job done. Like, I don't want my quarterback to be the most beloved guy. I just want to have the best quarterback. and when you play in the NFL, it's not about being like how much guys, you know, like would take you out to dinner and want to be around you.

Like, if you can't get the job done, you can't get the job done. There have been a lot of high character guys that sucked at quarterback. Like there have been a lot of, probably some questionable individuals that won a lot of games. It's pro sports.

It's the private sector. You know? And Nick Foles just gets it done. And Mr. Trubisky just couldn't. Because they really, he had some moments against Detroit at the end. did he played well but they were winning these games they were getting their ass kicked by the falcons

because mitch wasn't that good and their defense is too good they have too many playmakers on offense to keep rolling them out so naggy says it's a gut instinct like sometimes our best decisions in life are just gut you can't quantify people are like what do you mean your gut instinct well you can't quantify it are you married how you quantify how much you love somebody how much you go i want to spend the rest of my my life with her or like you know when you get into a partnership or or a business deal it's Sometimes you're like, this just fits. It might not make that much sense on paper, but I trust it. And Matt Nagy clearly just saw it with Mr. Biskie, like, this ain't working.

Like, we got to hang on left because the path we're on right now is going to take us off a cliff. And we got too good of a defense, too much talent on offense, that a gut instinct, like I saw them ask him today, what did you mean by gut instinct? He's like, I can't really describe it. You just know it. We've all had it. I mean, if you're dating anyone or married anyone, like, you can't quantify all this stuff. sometimes with a quarterback situation

like once upon a time Belichick he had no information and I'm not saying Foles is going to be Brady but he told Drew Bledso no no mas Drew we're going with Drew or excuse me we're not going with you anymore we're going with Tom and the resume

you would have said go back to Drew Bledso but he didn't and I think usually the best decisions in life are made with a gut instinct are made with feel people love quantifying everything today like what does it say on the Excel spreadsheet Sometimes you can't quantify things.

You just know it. And it's usually the right decision when you just follow your gut. Let's do something I did a couple weeks ago. And a lot of people were hitting me to do something like Colin did with Collins right, Collins wrong. And I tried to do these hits and misses

and I didn't really like my hits and misses the way that sound. So I thought, let's do take, let's do buy and sell. Takes that I'm going to double down on. and ones that I probably got to sell. So basically, if I was right, I'm buying, and if I was wrong, I'm selling.

We talk a lot about the stock market here. I thought it works. I thought it's kind of apropos here. And is that the right word? That fits the show. So let's do something I got to sell. And I crushed this guy last year because I had heard just things

that he wasn't going to be a good head coach from people that had worked with him. Then when he was in Tennessee as the offense, of coordinator. The offense wasn't very good. They've obviously got a lot better with Arthur Smith. And then last year, I watched him and I went, I don't really know what he's doing. The defense is making plays. Rogers isn't playing that well. They are running the ball decently, but I just didn't see it with LaFlor. I'll be honest. After I bet on him on Sunday night and really locked into that team, and I've watched every snap Rogers played this year, he's calling a fantastic season. He's

awesome right now. He's really doing a good job. And I talked about early. I talked about it. with the personnel move of getting Jordan Love. I don't, Goudicins is in charge of the draft. But I got to give LaFleur credit. I got to sell my take that he's just some overmatch coach because so far what, through, you know, two years ahead coach in the regular season, he's won 16 games.

That's pretty damn good. And this year it's definitely passing the eye test, unlike at times last year. Something I'm going to buy, and sometimes I regret when I change my opinion on one game or two games or something just I see. And I got two of these, but I'm going to start with this one. And I've been saying it for years now. Vance Joseph isn't a very good defensive coordinator.

And that the Cardinals are just a flawed team. They do have a lot of talent. Kyler's a stud. He played a shitty game on Sunday against Detroit. Hopkins stud, Jones is a stud, Buda Baker's a stud. Isaiah Simmons as a buddy text me after week one says God I don't see it

but they do have some high in talent but their head coach is never one big their defensive coordinator I still question and I don't think they're just some lock to make to the playoffs. They still got to play the Niners again and they got four games remaining with Seattle and L.A. They do get Carolina this week

which looking at the early lines I kind of like them to beat Carolina though Carolina was pretty frisky against the Chargers I mean, won that game and kind of took it to him. Let's pump the brakes a little bit on the Cardinals. They're not just some lock to beat any team. If you have a good quarterback and you can score, you can beat them. Let's dive into something that I think I need to sell a little bit.

You can't dispute this guy's talent and his physical attributes and the moments he's had in the league. but one thing that I think guys develop bad habits, and it's not all of his fault, and it's no one even fault, like listen, I'm biased. Howie hired me in the NFL. I know Doug. I know a lot of guys on their scouting staff.

I root for the Eagles. I'm not going to root for him this week against the Niners, but overall I root for them to do well. And I root for the quarterback. But right now Carson Wentz is playing just terrible football. I mean awful football. Six interceptions through three games for a max quarterback and a guy of his talent. Even though he's playing with random offensive linemen,

Goddard went down against the Bengals. Deshawn goes down all the time. Alshan hasn't even been around. It hasn't been easy, but you can't turn the ball over. Listen, I'll give you a one-off game. I'll give you the Redskins game. But you can't come back against the Rams and throw the, red zone interception.

Then once you have two games like that, you can't be throwing picks in the Bangle game. So right now, listen, I'm not selling his career, but I do think this year is just kind of getting away from him. And listen, really good players

can have just really terrible seasons. It's happened to Phillip Rivers a couple times. Like, you can just have an awful year for whatever reason. And it kind of feels like Wentz, not selling his career. I'm not even selling the player selling this season on Carson Wentz.

I do not like what I see. One thing I'm buying, and I'm doubling down on this one, is Anthony Lynn. And I let Hard Knocks because he's a good person. And I like good people. I try in my life to keep good people around me.

I don't like low character guys. I don't like associating with people that don't have the same personal values, not political values, but personal values, the way you treat people, the way you act in front of other people, the way you treat people that can't help you out. I like being around good people.

I was raised that way. I despise bad people in life. And it was clear hard knocks. Anthony Lynn is an A-plus human being. So I was like, you know, I kind of want to root for this guy. But I watched his team lay an absolute egg against the Chargers. And just, I mean, that was an Anthony Lynn game. He's just at best an average head coach.

That's just, I don't even know how it's really arguable at this point. He's just not a dynamic head coach. Great guy. I'd want to be friends with him. I'd want to drink beers with him. I want to talk ball with him. I just wouldn't want him as my head coach. One thing I got to sell here is, yeah, I'm going to sell this because my take was,

I didn't think the Browns were going to make the playoffs. I just bet against the Cleveland Browns. They do something really, really well. They have an elite running attack. Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, your backup running back. I think that's the best tandem in the league because Nick Chubb's a top five running back and Kareem Hunt's like a top 12 running back

and would start on half the teams in the league. I mean, if Nick Chubb was in the right situation at the start or he'd be like, excuse me, Kareem Hunt, he'd be a pro bowler. Like, they got a chance to make the playoffs. Now, teams are going to make, Baker Mayfield beat them. And these last couple weeks, hand it off, hand it off, hand it off, rise your horses. Stefansky knows how to hide a quarterback, and he's done a good job.

But I think the Browns have a legitimate chance to compete for a wild card spot. They definitely have enough talent, and those running backs, you know, are really good. So I'm going to sell my opinion of just always talking shit about the Browns. I think they have a chance if they just stick to what they're good at, and that's running the football. And luckily, they have a head coach that wants to run the football. football, I think they're going to be really competitive. One thing I'm going to buy, and I said at the moment it happened, and I don't regret saying

any of it. The first game he had against Tampa Bay Buccaneers is his rookie debut. I was impressed, but since then, it's been a disaster. And the moment the Giants took Daniel Jones six, I threw up in my mouth because Dave Gettleman had zero understanding of value. I don't believe for a second that Daniel Jones wouldn't have been there at Pick 17. I think the information is in that people like, well, the Redskins might have taken him at 50.

No, they wouldn't have. The Redskins owner made that pick, and his kid was friends with Dwayne Haskins. And they took Dwayne Haskins. He would have been there at 17th. Now, we could argue, is he worth the 17th pick? I'd probably say no. But I had friends in the NFL that do the SEC that like Daniel Jones.

So guys, I trust, guys that know what they're doing. And you can see Daniel Jones has some talent. but he's an awful football player he's just not very good you can't win games with Daniel Jones he's definitely not talented it up to elevate the team around him and he's on a bad team right now

and he's one of their worst players and the Giants are an absolute train wreck you know Joe Judge is saying all the right things he's talking about blue collar and all that crap which listen I come from a long line of blue collar farmers I respect that term I really do.

But I think sometimes in football you use that term when you're really terrible. It's like, man, no one really cares, you know? The fans don't care how hard you're working in practice. How much do you lay in the foundation? We just judge you on Sundays. It's the thing with the NFL. You just get judged on Sundays. And Monday through Saturday, that work comes into play Sunday.

And you're getting rolled. You just got beat by the 49th. that had 40% of their salary cap space, either on injured reserve or on sweats on the sideline. They had a backup quarterback Nick Mullins. Nick Mullins looks dramatically better than Daniel Jones. Dramatically better. Nick Mullins was an undrafted free agent.

Daniel Jones was the six overall pick in the draft. And that's the thing with the draft. Once the draft ends, who cares where you were picked? Like Nick Mullins is just going to be a more valuable player in the league than Daniel Jones moving forward. More teams would probably want Nick Mullins than Daniel Jones. So I just think that

the personnel mistakes Dave Gettleman is not very good at his job. And I think it shows when you watch their team. I think Joe Judge being a young head coach, it's going to be very difficult. And I know he's got that old school mentality, and I respect it.

I was raised that way. I still have a lot of those values in the way I live my life. I do think in 2020 when Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVeigh were hired they didn't talk all that stuff they just tried to out scheme people you know it's like everyone this is the NFL everyone works hard

I'm sure anyone listening whatever job you do if it's a high level job like your competition they work their ass off I got news for you most human beings that are achievers get up early work late welcome to America it's capitalism like you want to

something, you grind for it. That's the way the world works. So, like, I don't give you all this extra credit for working hard. We're all working hard. If you're listening to this, you're driving to work, you're doing something, you're probably working hard. I'm talking into a mic at 9 o'clock at night. Like, do I get extra credit just because I'm, like, staying up late to do my job? No.

The only thing I'm going to get judged by is my podcast entertaining? Like, the only thing the Giants are getting judged by, and Daniel Jones, like, are you any good? Can you move the football? Can you make a fucking play? Because I'm watching the 49ers with Nick Mullins, the team is literally 30 minutes down the street from me. I know countless people in the organization, and half the guys they rolled out, I didn't

know anything about. There's not a team in the league I know more about, and I didn't even know some of these players they were playing, because they had so many injuries. They won the game 39 to 6. Think about that. Listen, I get Kyle's been, you know, this is fourth year, whatever, but it shouldn't have been that ugly. I bet a lot of money on the Niners to cover.

the seven points or whatever. But I didn't expect 30-point ass-woping with the backups. But that's what it was. So LaFleur, I'm trending to be wrong on that. Anthony Lynn, Daniel Jones,

the Giants, and Vance Joseph, I feel pretty comfortable with that. The Browns, I think it's fair to say if you're a Browns fan, and I've said this the whole time, anything less than the playoffs,

with that much talent, especially on offense and an offensive league is a disaster. Now, the division's tough. I know the Ravens laid an egg tonight, but they're obviously going to win a bunch of games. The Steelers are clearly back. But there's seven playoff spots. You should be better in the Raiders.

You better in the Colts? The Brown should make the playoffs. Okay, let's bang out a couple quick questions. Middlecoff mailbag at John Middlough is the Instagram. Fire in the DMs. Giants fan here Would love to hear her thoughts on Daniel Jones Turnover, Stick

Was quite disappointed when they selected him with the six pick But I have to say he definitely has some zip throwing the ball I agree I always told he had a bad arm, but watching him His arm strength is not the problem Do you agree with Colin that the giant should tank for Trevor? I would say our offensive line Isn't doing Sequin any justice

Who knows how many good years we have left from him I might be crazy at this point maybe we should trade him, sit him for season pains me to watch him behind those big boys. New fan, love your content. Appreciate it, bro. Yeah, I would say if they get the number one pick, Daniel Jones is gone, right? The head coach didn't pick him. I would say it wouldn't be crazy either if Sequin.

The problem is, are you going to trade Sequin off a torn ACL? His value would be low. Plus, he'd be going into what is third year of his contract? Second, fourth year of his contract? What year was he drafted? 18? So, yeah, the Giants are in a terrible spot. Their offense, I mean, their roster sucks.

Their offensive line stinks. Their quarterback is a major question, and we just, it's harder to even judge their coach. Sequan was drafted, so 18, 19, this was his third year. So next year will be his fourth year. You've got to pick up his fifth-year option this year. It's just a complicated situation, man. Huge fan. Appreciate it.

Huge Hawkeyes fan here. I'm curious what you think will have a, who you think will have a better career. Noah Fant or T.J. Hawkinson in Detroit. You also buy the Patriots as Super Bowl contenders. Their defense looks elite, but I feel we are jumping on the Cam Badenwagon too early. He's way too talented of a player.

He's the only talented player on that offense. I would agree. Their defense is actually not even that talented. It's just Belichick and skis. them up. Their D.Bs are solid. But their pass rush, I mean, it's not great. Linebackers are okay. It's more Belichick. I think when the dust settles, they win nine or ten games and they win the wild card, or they win a wild card. Hawkeyes, the one knock I heard from my scouting buddies was Fant didn't have natural hands. And clearly their offense is just kind of in shambles,

but he is a great athlete. And you get him in space, he can fly it. Now, the Hawkinson guy is just a complete player. I would pick T. J. I think both those guys I mean, one, TJ plays with Matt Stafford. He just plays with a good quarterback. Vance, I mean, playing with Jeff Driscoll. Who knows? I mean, Drew Locke made it through a couple games and got injured. It's just tough.

So I think you just have to bet on the guy that's playing with a better quarterback. I'm very impressed with Alden Smith. Is it realistic for him to reach 15 sacks or so this season? Also, would the Cowboys be better off and try to trade Tyron Smith for a linebacker or DB? Tyrone is a Hall of Famer, but he has hurt a lot and could potentially, potentially bringing a solid player to help out a potential playoff run. Well, then who would play tackle? I guess

you guys have been rotating in other guys when he's been banged up. I think the main problem is they're offensive flying. I don't think his trade value would be that much given his contract and given, you know, who's trading linebackers and defensive backs right now. Alden Smith has four sacks through three games. Four sacks

through three games. So I don't see why he wouldn't get to 15. you know, if he could get, if you average, I mean, if he, I mean, he's already well on pace. He gets a sack in this next game. He'd have five through four. So you do the math. I mean, he'd be on pace for 20 sacks. You'd probably not going to get 20, but I'd say he's going to get between 13 and 15. I mean, the dude is just a freak. I've been to practices, seen him up close. Most NFL players just do not look like him. He means six foot five, six foot six, his arms hang to the ground. He's a fluid act. athlete, he hadn't played a game since 2015.

I don't care who you are, let alone a guy over 30, to come back in the league and have four sacks through three games? That is an incredible story. A Bears fan here, your pot is great. Love the takes, appreciate it. Scout in question, as a former scout and having experience in the front office, why do you feel it is so difficult for teams to play the draft safe? If I were GM, my whole philosophy would be have 10 plus picks every year and take guys from big schools that have high floors and early rounds. Ravens seem to do it every year. That way that you improve with more ammo

to trade up for a quarterback if you need one in the future. I think it's easy to say that and listen, it's easy for me to say that right now or you to tweet that and then you get to the draft and let's just say for example Alden Smith when he came out of Missouri.

He was a pretty raw product but you go to his pro day where you see him in these games and see the film and then you get up and you meet him and you're like, take a high floor guy and then you meet Alden Smith and he's six foot five and a half. He's got the longest arms in the draft.

He's a freak athlete. You go, God, if we can hit on this player, he could be a Hall of Famer. There are only so many, like, Vaughn Millers or Miles Garris, there can't miss us. Most guys are somewhat of a projection. J.G. Watt was a projection. Aaron Donald's projection. And you like, I'm a believer in the first round. Like, I'm a ceiling guy.

I like guys with higher ceiling. Now, that backfires. It does backfire. But when you also hit with high ceiling guys, you know, you get elite players. It's how you get, now you can go low floor guys. You can go Mike McGlinchies. And you'll be fine. You just take low floor guys, you'll be okay.

You know, like, I think the Chiefs did that with Clyde. Like, he was not going to suck. Is he ever going to be like Sequin? You know, he's never probably going to be the best running back in the league. He's never probably going to be like a top two or three running back in the league. but it'll be like five to ten, especially in that offense. Like, he's a really good player.

And they just knew it. To me, it won't get talked about it, but he's a, he's a can't miss. He was going to be good for them. And some people like shooting for the stars, which I get.

I'm probably somewhere in the middle. I think it's easy to have these cut and dry philosophies, and then you run into a player, you're like, oh my God, what if, for example, the Niners, like Javon Kinlaw, Like he was kind of a raw product. They could have taken guys with higher floors,

and they're just like, could have just taken like CD lamp. Instead, they're like, fuck it. Let's take this guy who's 6'5, 300 pounds, dominated Florida and Georgia, and let's just try to hit a home run. And so far through the first couple games, you see him, you're like,

this guy's a freak. You got a ways to go, but the talent, the ceiling's there. Now, his floor's probably low. That's the risky part about the first round. I would agree once you get past like the second round, I would go high floor guys. I think sometimes when you swing for the fences

in like the third and fourth round with guys that have fallen is where you can get in trouble for sure. I'm a lifelong Falcons fan, and this season has been depressing to say the least. Which coach would you pick to replace Dan Quinn? Thanks, keep up the great work. Well, I can't even imagine being a Falcons fan. To lose those last two games,

I mean, I haven't been like a true. true fan in like 15 years of a football team, I can't even, I would just be inconsolable to watch a game on the couch. Back-to-back weeks have that happen. And get your ass kick week one. This would have been, I mean, I don't think you could have a worst possible start. You got Ridley, you got Julio, you got Matt Ryan. To me, the way the league is, you've got to get an offensive coach.

So whether that's whoever you think the best offensive coach is, Eric B. Enemy, whether that's, you know, Greg Roman, whether that's, I'm just thinking out, Josh McDaniels, you know, you just, Byron Lefich with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, you need, whether it's a Shanahan-McVeigh guy, whether you can get Lincoln Riley, you need to get an elite offensive coach. You just had a defensive coach who's not a good defensive coach, so I would just go offense. The last two coaches they've had have been defense, Mike Smith and Dan Quinn. I need offense. And I'd interview and whoever the best offensive coach is,

whoever I think is the next, you know, McVe, Kyle, that type guy, obviously. I mean, that's no shit, John. Yeah, sorry, that's kind of stupid. Even Kevin Stefansky, just a guy who I think is going to be a good offensive coach is what I'm looking for. It's easier said than done. But that to me would be the goal of on the Falcons. Get an offensive coach who's a tough guy.

So maybe that is Eric Bian or me. I'd be shocked if he's not interviewed. Appreciate everyone listening. Have a great week. Hope you guys enjoyed the games last couple days. And see you a little bit later this week. Adios, Godspeed. See you.

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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 Acapell band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be

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84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year

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