The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - McCarthy/Dallas Makes Sense; Post-Pats Dynasty NFL; Wild Card Takes; Stacked Playoff QB Field; Top Headlines

Episode Date: January 7, 2020

In this episode, Middlekauff breaks down the Cowboys moving quickly to hire Mike McCarthy after stalling on Jason Garrett's firing, why he likes the move for Dallas, why the end of the Patriots' dynasty will be difficult to replace from an interest standpoint, his take on the weekend Wild Card games, and why the stacked QB playoff field shows teams without true franchise QB's are wasting time. He also discusses some of the hottest NFL headlines and answers listener questions in Middlekauff's Mailbag. Follow John on twitter @JohnMiddlekauff and go to theherdnow.com to find the latest content. Subscribe now! 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

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 IHeart 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. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played. with and just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to listen to learn the hard way on the iha radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast what's up guys

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What is going on, everybody? John Middlecop, that's me, three and out podcast. That's what you're listening to. Appreciate everyone for tuning in. And we are often running on a. on a really busy day. I'm recording this on Monday. We got a lot of moving parts here.

The Dallas Cowboys woke up this morning. I don't know about you. I didn't expect to... I mean, they were just stringing Jason Garrett out, and then all of a sudden they have a coach, and it's Mike McCarthy. Little shocked, might be the word. Not that we'll dive into that right off the top,

but I don't know. I didn't see that one coming. At least this fast. Pat's dynasty, is it over? And just some thoughts on just that franity. Wildcard weekend. As I record this on Monday,

it feels like Houston, the Buffalo game, the first game of the weekend, feels like three weeks ago. I mean, so much has happened since then. It's wild how fast everything goes by, and just the impact of every game. If you play first, you just kind of forget.

It's wild how that works. The divisional round, I'll look ahead a little bit, some things that jump out. Pretty good matchups. Some really good matchups, some really good quarterbacks, And then some headlines of Sean McVeigh firing in coaches to Atongue by Loa declaring for the draft,

the Browns interviewing Brian Dable. They're interviewing everybody and their mother. Josh McDaniel is going to take some bunch of interviews. So we got a lot going on. That's the great part about the NFL is the coaching cycle is just it's big time for business. At least in my business, if you're a fan and you need a coach, it's just, it's cool. It's a cool time. And then, of course, Middlecough Mailbag at John Middleman.

is my Instagram handle, same as my Twitter handle, my Instagram DMs wide open. You can slide right in them and ask me anything you want. That's how I interact with you guys. We're modern day podcasting, slide up in those DMs, answer your questions here. I'm going to start doing some stuff on YouTube. I got a YouTube channel, John Middlecoff, just doing like a take, maybe a couple thoughts throughout the week and just probably focus on one thing. but I'm going to be much more active on YouTube in 2020.

So if YouTube's your thing, find me there. But let's start with the Cowboys. And one, listen, I said it earlier. I didn't expect this to happen. I don't know why. Maybe I thought McCarthy would end up with the Cleveland Browns. I didn't expect him to be the Dallas Cowboys. But after it happened, and I kind of took a deep breath,

and you kind of let it process in your head, it makes sense. I don't know that many super wealthy people, but the ones that I do mainly are older. I don't have like multi-millionaire friends that are in their 30s. There's some friends that are doing well. Maybe have a million, I don't know. But I'm talking like multi-millionaires, like super people that you would just consider rich.

And those people in my life, and I'm not even that close with them, but spend some time around them, would be all 65 plus. Multiple of them are in their 70s. And I was thinking about it today. The one thing to me they all have in common is they're not patient men.

They're not patient men at all. And you could argue, like, I'm not patient. I'm in 30s. I'm not some millionaire. And I think a lot of just, you know, alpha males don't have that much patience. But definitely the older you get, the limited amount of patience you're going to have.

When you're in your 20s or your 30s or even your 40s, you're not like, there's not a finite, at least in your own mind, time on your life. You just feel you have a lot of time left. Like, I'm 35. I live to live in a lot of time left. 70, I'm already halfway in. If I die at 70,

you know, knock on wood, I can go that far. Hopefully 80, who knows? But I'm already halfway into this journey. Where Jerry Jones, I mean, dude's not just on the back nine, he might be on hold 17. Who's to say that he has got five more years left? Patience, because you got,

well, you kept Jason Garrett for the last week and then you just have one interview with Mike McCarthy, and you hire him? How the hell does that work? I'll tell you how it works. He doesn't have time. he's not trying to overthink this. And he meets Mike McCarthy. All of a sudden,

Mike McCarthy starts telling him about his accomplishments. He's won 125 regular season games. For example, Jason Garrett has 85 wins. This guy has 40 more wins. Jason Garrett, who has been in five playoff games, this guy's been in 18 playoff games. Jason Garrett was two and three in the playoffs. This guy has 10 playoff wins.

So this guy has five times as many playoff wins as Jason Garrett. Now, we've all made fun of Mike McCarthy and his stale offense over the years. But when he sat down with Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones and started just talking about his accomplishments, what he's learned, how he's taking the year off, which I'm sure was a benefit when he was talking to Jerry, how he had to do some introspection, look in the mirror,

know what he needs to improve on, knows what he needs to keep, knows the philosophies he have. I understand why Jerry Jones goes, you know what, this is easy. This just makes sense. I don't even need to look any other place. Because it does feel like, now maybe there's a chance I'm not naive to not think that these guys have been working.

working to back channels and have talked to Mike McCarthy during the season. Because I do think at this point it would be a little naive, despite how much they loved Jason, that they weren't sniffing around. Because their actions, despite what they said, and even despite not firing Jason Garrett officially till what, Sunday morning, he was on, his contract was ending. So in their minds, they had already believed that they were kind of moving on. But then I think you start looking, oh, well, why didn't they hire Lincoln Riley or go after Lincoln Riley. And maybe they worked the back

channels to find out if he'd be interested. You know what they were not going to do? They were not going to interview Lincoln Riley with an unknown whether he'd take their job or not. Offer him the job and then have him say no. Because one thing, if you say, okay, John, you said the old people are very impatient.

Here's the other thing I would say that old especially successful people are. They're very prideful. Because in Jerry's mind, he's done this all with his own hands. Now, we all know the 90s when they won Super Bowls. Jimmy Johnson was the reason that they won Super Bowls.

But Jerry goes, well, everyone around the country could have had the balls like me to invest everything I had to buy the Cowboys in 89, develop this brand over a 30-year run. Hell, we haven't even won, and we're the biggest brand in the NFL over the last 20 years. It's because of me. So I'm going to have Lincoln Riley, who's been a head coach for three years, potentially turn me down? No chance. None.

That wasn't going to happen. He knew that Mike McCarthy, if he offered him the job was going to accept. Now, when you take a step back, I don't think, see how anyone could argue this is not a major upgrade over Jason Garrett. Now, if I wanted to counter that argument, you'd go, well, yeah, John, it's a huge upgrade

because Jason Garrett was probably a below-average coach. And Mike McCarthy, good coach, but the last couple years had fallen on really hard times with a really good quarterback. And then you get rid of Mike McCarthy, you bring in LaFleur and this new state, and they go 13 and 3 and they're the number 2C. Not that much has changed, though they added the two Smith brothers,

but for the most part, the core group of that team just returned. New coaching staff, they added best defensive player in the offseason is Daria Smith. But, you know, I don't mind it. I'm not going to throw some parade, though I get it. Because I said all season long, Jerry Jones would have cut a check $100 million check to a $1 million check to just whoever, if that meant the Cowboys could win

a Super Bowl with Jason Garrett. So he could just stay with Jason Garrett because that was easy. And at his point in life, no patience, prideful, he just wants it to work. All he wants to do is win another trophy before they bury the guy underneath the ground. And I'm not rooting for it.

I hope Jerry lives another 10 years. But the odds would show us once you get in your late 70s, especially that generation that wasn't healthy for a large majority of their life, And, you know, Jerry likes to drink a little bit, but hey, you know, sometimes they say only the good die young. You go, Jerry just doesn't know. So this gives him the lowest risk.

That was the other thing. Was Jerry really, like Lincoln Riley, let's say Lincoln Riley would have said yes. That is still a major, major risk. He's been a head coach total in his life for three seasons, maybe four, whatever. But a short period of time. It's not like he has extensive experience being a head coach. and he's never worked in the NFL. So this notion, it would have been a really sexy hire,

and everyone on Twitter would have applauded, including probably myself, like, damn, Jerry just closed another deal. But I'd say 50-50 chance that it would not work at all. Look at Chip Kelly. Now, personalities are much different, and Chip Kelly did have success when he first came into the league. But ultimately, he had no NFL experience,

the coaches that he brought with them were not good enough to overcome as they needed to adapt and he couldn't. Now, you could say that John, well, have you seen on the Twitter.com, that they say that Mike McCarthy is bringing with him Mike and Nolan to be his defensive coordinator. And I'd go, I don't love that because that gets back to friends hiring friends.

And that is kind of the way the world works. You'd be naive to think any other way. I mean, that's just people hire who they know. For the most part. people are very comfortable in that situation. In football, no different than normal business, because it's the easy route. But hiring Mike Nolan,

because back in the day, I think in 2005, Mike Nolan named Mike McCarthy, the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. So 15 years later, Mike Nolan's kind of been exposed over the years. He's a position coach probably at best. McCarthy hiring, again, as recording this,

it looks like that's where it's trending, I would red flag that. I don't love that at all. I don't love that. I actually hate that. Come on, Mike. can be better than that. I would say the positives when you're looking at Mike McCarthy, you go, he's a grown-up.

He has had success. He has ran an enormous, like he didn't have success for Jacksonville. He was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, the top five brand in the country. Now the pressure is a little different because you don't answer to owners, but I've been to Packer games against the Niners, against the Eagles, against the Raiders. I've never been to Lambo. seen them play many places or other spots,

fan base is massive. And it's a big time franchise. Now, the Cowboys are probably the cream of the crop, but this guy's used to running a big time franchise and winning with the big time franchise. In a tough guy division. So he checks a lot of boxes of previous success, experience, winning.

He really does. A guy that can run an offense, a guy that's called plays, a guy that should and will call plays moving forward. I think the negatives would be his downfall in Green Bay over the, years was he stuck with Dom Kavres forever. And remember Jim Harbaugh and they kicked his ass and their defense was awful.

And now he's going to hire Mike Nolan. Don't love that. I think another knock is his offenses can be a little vanilla. When you look at the offenses that are having success in 2020 and even, you know, all season and 19, pretty exotic stuff. What the Ravens are doing, what Andy Reid's doing, what Kyle Shanahan's doing. and this is not the vanilla days. Now, everything's cyclical,

and could it come back into vogue again being vanilla on office? Just three yards? Probably not. Usually we don't work backwards. That's not how society or football works. So maybe he's really adapted and adopted new schemes and new philosophies in this off-season. I know that he went on that PR campaign with NFL Network.

And really, I think that PR campaign with NFL Network was much more suited for other owners like Jimmy Haslam. How can Jimmy Haslam kind of sell a vanilla coach to his fan base? Because he's talking about analytics, because he's talking about adding wrinkles to his offense. To me, that wasn't for Jerry Jones. To sell Jerry Jones, you're going to have to sit down with them and sell him. And it was probably pretty easy.

Mike McCarthy goes, well, I'm a Super Bowl champion. I have 40 more wins than the guy you're just firing. I've been in 18 playoff games. Jason Garrett's been in five, so I've been in more than triple the amount of playoff games. And I've beat a lot of really good country. coaches over the last 10 years. Check the resume. Check the google.com, Jerry. And Jerry, who is a risk taker, a lifetime risk taker. I think the older you get, the richer you get, the less patient

you get, and the less riskier I think you get as well. Because what Jerry can't afford, last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down,

give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. 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 or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now.

What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to. wave at her. What? Come on. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, Brett. My mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA.

Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. With time not being on a side, is a risky blowup. Does Mike McCarthy win another Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys? Odds would be no. Because in the history of the NFL, how many coaches have won Super Bowls with multiple franchises? Now, if he did, and you've won a Super Bowl with the Packers, and you've won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys,

you're a legend. You're a Hall of Famer. Think about that. But I don't think Jerry could afford to, like, even Urban Meyer, who I've said over and over, I questioned some of the stuff. You know, he's a little full of BS sometimes. but he's an elite coach.

But there is no guarantee that it would work in the pros. Probably would, but it might not. I know Mike McCarthy works in the pros. I know it because I've seen it, and it worked for a long period of time at one of the top franchises in the league. So it is, despite it kind of coming out of nowhere, because it did for me,

as I sit here on Monday talking about it, I understand where Jerry's coming from. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1 800 Flowers.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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Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Okay, let's dive into the Pats Dynasty. and I see a lot of people celebrating on their graves. I do not blame any fans,

non-Patriot fan, for enjoying the Patriots losing in the first round. I don't, I completely understand. If you're a Steeler fan, Titan fan, Chiefs fan, Raven fan, whatever. Any fan, you're tired of them. I get it.

I completely understand where you're coming from. I also think it shows they lost in the first round round of the playoffs and it feels like their franchise ended shows you the standard. To me, only Alabama and even more of the Patriots, because Alabama hasn't won the national championship every year, it is legitimately Super Bowl or bust for the Patriots. That's their standard. No one else in sports can say that.

I mean, not even Tiger Woods at this point, like Major or Bus, not really. If Tiger just plays well, it's cool. Patriots, it's Super Bowl or Bus. and they didn't win it. But I do have a problem with the media, people in the media, especially people in the sports media, and that's mainly who I'm talking about, like enjoying this.

Do you guys understand the economics of how important the Patriots are to everything that goes on in sports? They've been doing this for 20 years. Do you know what sports is? It's one big television show. And I profit off it just by talking about the characters in the television show.

McCarthy, Jerry, Belichick, Breastard. Cousins, the Vikings, the Niners, they're all just characters. Teams, players, coaches, owners. They all play a role in everything we talk about. And I was thinking about it today. I did not have Netflix till a buddy told me, bro. Maybe Colin was talking about it, but I had gotten a couple texts from friends. I remember years ago, like, you got to check this thing out called House of Cards.

I'm like, House of Cards. Netflix, isn't that where they send you DVDs? No. You just, it's this app, you can stream stuff. I'm telling you, House of Cards is awesome. So I remember getting the Netflix app, paid at the time. It was like $6.99 or whatever. And House of Cards was already on like season three by then, maybe two.

And I just remember binge watching, watched every single episode in like 48 hours. Best show I'd like ever seen. I was like, this is unreal. Watch the whole, watched all four seasons. And, you know, they ended up coming out. And like most people, it was a badass show. show. And then all this stuff came out about Kevin Spacey. Bad guy, pedophile, just complete scumbag. Like, dessert's probably to be in jail. I mean, if the things are true, he should

go to jail. And then if you watch, like, some stuff that goes viral on him, Kevin Spacey's just a weirdo. A weirdo on top of being, you know, probably a criminal. So he couldn't be on the show anymore. And they came out with season five without Kevin Spacey. And you're like, well, his wife, Claire, sweet character, I think it'll still kind of work. He's a little, assistant, the bald dude, it's still going to be sweet. You know what, season 5 without Kevin Spacey? And Netflix, I don't blame them. They could not have them back on the show.

But that, to me, that show is what put Netflix on the map. Season 5 was terrible. The show ended. It was over. Because House of Cards was not carried by all these characters. It was carried by Kevin Spacey. It turns out Kevin Spacey was the show. Now, I don't think the Patriots are the NFL.

The Cowboys rate, the Niners rate, the Eagle, there are a lot of teams. But there is not a team in the NFL that consistently, if you ask someone, you will get a distinct answer. They either admire and love the Patriots or they hate the Patriots. It's like Howard Stern. You either love them or you hate them, but you care about them. It's the number one thing in media. You never want, it's like the friend zone with a girl. If you're in the friend zone with a listener, you're screwed

because they ain't even going to tune in. If they hate you, they love you, you got them. And the Patriots, unlike any team in my life, and I say this all the time, the explosion of the NFL, I think the two most important people about the explosion of the NFL, when I was born in 1984, the NFL was big in the 90s when I was a kid. You had young and Jerry and Favre and Aikman,

The 90s was good. In the 2000s, and part of it was the world changed. The internet became big. The NFL exploded. And clearly these last 10 years has reaped profits unseen to most of these guys. I mean, not out of nowhere because they had been making money, but it went to a whole different level. You know, guys worth a couple hundred million became billionaires.

And what Magic and Larry Bird and Michael Jordan meant to the NBA, The NBA was dead. Magic Larry created this great buzz, these great rivalries, and they took kind of the country by storm. And then Michael carried that flag and took it to another level. Are what Tom Brady and Peyton Manning did. And really, unlike Peyton Manning, Brady is tied with Belichick.

That's part of his story. So it was Brady Belichick versus Peyton. And in the 2000s, it was a rivalry. I was always a Peyton guy earlier, early on in his career and then as I got to work in the NFL I just admired Brady now I still admire Peyton and they're both

badasses but those two guys from basically the early 2000s up until still to this day because Brady even though Manning had to retire a couple years ago has kind of kept it going and unlike Manning where most people I think respect him and thought he was good you could nitpick his playoffs which I've always

thought he left a little to be desired there was nothing like on the fence about the Patriots. They were 20 years of doing some shady shit and kicking everyone's ass and going to countless Super Bowls and winning six of them and having to Flakegate and SpyGate and Brady got suspended for four games. Belichick just being kind of a dick. And you can't even make up the storylines that were associated with this franchise.

Now, they happen like the Saints had it, right? With the Bounty Gate once upon a time. but it happened a year and then it just kind of went away and then they just kind of became normal again. With the Patriots, one thing after another, after another, after another, after another weird things happening. And they create, I could walk down the street right now and ask someone, what do you feel about Belichick,

what do you feel about Brady, and I would invoke a response and just emotion. And I would imagine a lot of people like, I'm glad they lost, want them to go away. And a lot of people would be like, those guys are badasses. I like them. And I'm not, these wouldn't even be Patriot fans. That is very, very important to the sport of football.

Because if I walked around right now, the NBA, which is in the tank, in the tank, said, what do you think of Carl Anthony Towns? You know what most casual sports fans would look at me? Who? Who's that? What is that? Huh? Like, the NBA has like one of those. This is LeBron.

Maybe hard. But really, the NFL is on a, you know, exponentially bigger level in terms of, a reach in this country, the amount of people that consume it, and the Patriots like the Cowboys are the most consumed team. Because we all have an opinion on the franchise. So everyone, I'm not hoping they break up. I hope that they stay together. And really it would be Brady leaving, we think, obviously now Belichick can't go to the

Cowboys. Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer-beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fantine, Ryan Clark. 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. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th.

And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff, like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up To me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue of 42.

Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conkey, his best friend and businessman. And we've got a new show called the 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers.

We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Definitely be bradily. I don't want it to happen. It's good for my business. It just interests me. And I know it interests you.

I know it interests everyone. 30 million people start to finish highest rated game of this decade. Happened. Patriots. Against the Titans. Against the Titans. 30 million people watched. I don't.

All these people in the media like, I want them to go away. You guys are idiots. I get why fans. But if you make your money off football or sports, it's like, I can't wait for the Warriors to go away. You see the NBA? without the Warriors? I'd rather watch paint dry. I'm not saying

now I'm not saying that the NFL would be screwed without these guys because clearly other teams matter it's marketed differently. They're not as dependent on one franchise but it would take a hit. It really would because these guys

have 20 years of equity and 20 years of controversy and winning and stories that you just can't make up. Part of Michael Jordan's legacy was he was in our lives for a long period of time and crazy things happened from him getting his ass kicked by the bad boy pistons, from him finally getting over on the pistons, and him not shaking his hands and then beating magic to then a couple years later him being the biggest star in America and his dad is found dead in a ditch and

then he leaves basketball, he goes to plays baseball and then he comes back and he loses. It was like Michael had a long history of just crazy things happening. like the Patriots. And that stuff, it's hard to duplicate. Like, for as great as Aaron Rogers is, first pound hall of fame or Russell Wilson, they're just not as interesting as the Patriots to the casual fan. So if that was it on Saturday night,

losing to the Titans, kind of getting, you know, props for Brayville kind of worked them. Derek Henry ran it down his throat. We'll get into the games a little later. I'm going to miss them. And everyone in sports media should miss them too, because they will be missed. Now, if you're a Jets fan, if you're a Bill's fan, a team kind of on the come, you should applaud it.

You should want Brady to leave. And if I had to guess right now, I do think after Brady canvases everything, if Robert Kraft just doesn't allow Belichick to lowball him, I think he'll be back. I would lean probably 60, 40 he's back. But that 40% is still a pretty big percentage of like he might leave. And if he leaves, I know this, I'll be sad. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise.

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Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like Dad has the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed.

Dipers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off. Ah, but looks like mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes. Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size.

Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit NHTSA.com. dot go slash the right seat brought to you by nitsa and the ad council okay let's uh let's dive into the games that just got played and just some things that i jotted down some uh some notes that i made and just thoughts that i have not gonna spend too much time because by the time you're listening i mean we're already on a divisional round you know in this in this world in the way society works you can't you just can't look back you got to look forward that's the tough part about doing a podcast on Tuesday with some of these games that happened on Saturday,

but it's the NFL, so we can do it. Houston Buffalo. The way that game started, an incredible opening drive by the Buffalo Bills. The sweep play with Josh Allen running, like quarterback sweep, power, and then hit that trick play where Josh Allen scores, and they're up 16-0,

and if you've watched the Houston Texans, they are a basketball team. They got two dudes, and when Fuller's playing, they got three. Now, JJ Watts back, but I don't see a lot. snap count, he played what, probably 20 snaps, and he had a big sack. He actually kind of got him going. But they are an NBA basketball team.

They are carried by two stars. And Watson was off. Hopkins couldn't get the ball, but the second half, especially down the stretch, those two guys heat up. And when 4 and 10 get going, they can play with anybody. Ford's been doing it, and I got TV on the background, Clemson highlights are playing. He was winning Natty's against Sabin with stacked teams, against stack teams. He's a playmaker.

And Hopkins, for my money, I would feel as good going to war with that guy as my wide receiver as any guy in the league. Baller. And those two guys took over. It was really that simple. And Deshawn Watson, for as talented as Josh Allen is. And when it comes to just athletic ability and just physical characteristics, he possesses it all. The size, the speed. He can make these throws across his body.

30 yards down the field that are just like, geez Louise, he's basically, I mean, he's like a less accurate cam. He's a freak show. But he's also a roller coaster ride. And there was that stretch of plays where it's, you know, it's like second and ten, then all of a sudden it's third and 27,

then he takes another sack. He's a roller coaster. And he's a young player. I actually think if I wasn't a big fan of him coming out, he's much better than I thought he would be. and if you're Buffalo, you still have a long way to go with them, but at least he's got something there. But Deshawn Watson, that's what a star quarterback does.

And he even took it to an... I mean, that play he made where he bounces off the two guys. That's just... That's an incredible play. I mean, that's just... I've been watching football 30-plus years. He just don't see that very often. That's a freak show.

Now, Bill O'Brien, not that big of a fan as a coach anymore. He's just pretty blah. he's pretty meh and i i think four and ten they can carry you but i think it's going to come to an end when they play the chiefs uh so it was it was an impressive houston was not playing well and they pulled it out j j watt that sack kind of changed the game tennessee new england derrick henry's a stud i mean he was kicking their ass up and down the field he looks like a defensive end just toting the rock right between the tackles outside the tackles and screenplays he's he's a monster Talk about a guy that's made himself a lot of money.

His fifth-year option, I guess it's not a fifth-year option because he wasn't a first-round pick, but he's going to be, you know, they're going to franchise and they're going to have to. He's kind of their team. Ryan Tanyhill, I know he threw for 100 yards, but if they, probably the best move of the off-season, if they would not have, you know, double down and had a contingency plan for Marcus Marriota, who wasn't just bad, who was atrocious early on, and had Ryan Tanyl, they don't make the play. let alone beat the New England Patriots.

Ryan Tanny Hill for John Robinson, the general manager. What a move. Mike Vrable then, outsmarting the Fox. That was just the ultimate double-middle fingers across the field. Like, Bill, I'm doing what you do to me. And you're so mad over there, and I'm taking these off sides,

and I'm running the clock down to five minutes, and you're so angry. And I loved it when analytical Twitter, what was it, like fourth and two or fourth and four, or fourth and one, whatever it was. You got to go for it. You got to go for it. It's 14 to 13, with six minutes left in the game.

This is not random game in October. This isn't an Excel spreadsheet, just exercise. This is an NFL playoff game. The New England Patriots have 13 points. They can't move the football. And then he does his deal where he takes the off-sides and he gets a couple more yards and then he punts it and they get the ball back at like the 12 or 15.

Someone tweeted at me, John, they only gain 25 yards. Well, yeah, guys. If they're playing Oklahoma or Joe Burrow or the 49ers, 25 yards isn't far. But have you watched the Patriot offense? 25 yards is a long way to go. It was 1 million percent the right decision for Vrable.

One, to run the clock down, and two, to punt. Not go for it. You do not give them the ball at midfield. Not with Tom Bray. I don't love kicking it to him either, but the circumstances of the game dictated they can't move the ball. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. Their offense was in shambles. Nikiel Harry can't get open.

Edelman had a bad drop and he's just old and kind of banged up. The running backs are just kind of average. I actually think Brady was okay. But, God, that was just, Tennessee just beat him. I really think it was just that simple. They did one thing really well, and that was Derek Henry just nonstop over and over and over again. the Patriots couldn't match that. I think that was really the end of the story.

Derek Henry was the best player on the field. Start to finish. Saints against the Vikings. You tip your hat to Kirk Cousins because I thought he was shaky the majority of the game, and luckily he didn't have to carry him because Dalvin Cook was killing him, but he made two huge throws down the stretch. The pass he made to Thielen, and then any time you have a walk-off touchdown pass, you tip your hat.

That's for the $85 million, winning that playoff game wasn't worth at all. but that was probably worth about 40 million of it. Winning a playoff game against the Saints as an 8-point underdog when there wasn't a soul, not a soul outside that locker room that thought they would win the game. I would imagine the Minnesota Vikings fans listening. Let's be honest. You guys didn't think you were winning either.

You shouldn't have. I mean, the Saints are the first team in NFL history to go 13 and 3 or better and not advance the divisional round. The first team in NFL history. I'm driving around picking up dinner last night thinking, I thought the Saints all season long were a top two or three team in the league, and they just lost the Vikings at home in the first round of the playoffs. How does that happen?

It's one thing to lose, and they lost in overtime. They were flat. They looked awful. What was Sean Payton doing? Why was Drew Bree throwing that ball up at the end of the half, and throwing the interception? What was going on? Breeze looked old.

They were playing so well down the stretch, and then to play a game like that. Now, sometimes you've got to tip your hat to Mike Zimmer. One of the best defensive coaches in the league, Hunter, Griffin, Kendricks, Harrison Smith. I mean, these guys are premium players, and they got the best of the Saints. And the Saints kind of era is a little like the McCarthy era with Rogers. We go, God, we've had so much success, but we only have one Super Bowl to show. One Super Bowl the last 10 years.

Think about that. Saints in 09, Packers the next year, and they got one Super Bowl between them. It won so many games. They had so many top seed, so many home playoff games. It hurts, man. I feel for you as a Saints fan because you go, we've been winning so much, and we end up with this. It's kind of baffling.

It really is. In Eagles, Seattle. One, there's a lot of talk on Twitter about the dirty hit. I don't think Clowny's a dirty player. Was it a dirty hit? I mean, yeah, you'd have to say it was a dirty hit. Carson Wentz, I had money on the Eagles. That sucks, man.

I mean, we got this far. He played fully healthy all season long. For him to get knocked out of that game, would the Eagles have won the game with Carson Wentz in there the whole time? I don't know. Because Seattle plays the same freaking game every week. The scores just changed. So maybe if Carson had been there,

the score would have been 25 to 22 and they still win. I don't know. But I wanted to see Carson Wentz play a playoff game. Go toe to toe with Russell Wilson. And we got robbed to that because he got a concussion. And that just sucks. I thought Josh McCown did a admirable job Russell Wilson just

You know just finds a way to make plays D.K. McCaff, you know the one thing that stood out to me? Is size, shrink. We all know that, the picture on the internet. Two of his catches. One earlier in the game where he caught a ball. Did they give him a touchdown? Maybe Marshawn scores the next play.

Maybe they called him down. I can't even remember. I got so much football running through my head. Down the seam earlier in the game. he puts his hands out last second, a little like Randy Moss. So if you put your hands out early, I'm not a wide receiver coach,

but it's just human physics, you have to kind of slow down. But if you can run full speed, this is why Randy Moss shot his hands up at the last possible second because you don't need to break stride. And you watch his ball skills, he shoots his hands out,

and he catches the ball perfectly, it's like, that is, that's impressive. And then the final completion of the game that iced it four Cs, When on third down and the Eagles are calling timeout, you're like, God, the Eagles are going to get the ball back. And they go for the kill shot. He beats the D.Bs.

And instead of letting the ball come to him and maybe catch it in the breadbasket, maybe they break it up, he does what you're taught to do. He high pointed the ball because you had to assume the Eagles DBs were going to jump to. They didn't. He high pointed the ball, caught the ball at the highest point. And just a fantastic catch. Like, that guy's got ball skills. He may be a little limited in terms of his lateral movement.

But he is a really, really skilled player. And listen, I think the Packers should win this game going into it. But Seattle is just, they're like a roach. You just can't kill him. You really can. And a huge reason the culture Pete has and Russell and these plays that he made. And God, the D.K. Metcalfe. What a draft pick.

You know, there's a reason that quarterbacks get the girls, quarterbacks get all the fame, and quarterbacks get the most money. They're just more important. And everyone acknowledges this at this point, right? It's not 1989 with Parcells screaming just like, we can get by it with anybody. You need a star quarterback. We are two upsets away with the Vikings and the Titans

from having Jimmy Garoppolo, Drew Breeze, Aaron Rogers, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Deshawn Watson as our final eight quarterbacks. And I think we'd all say maybe Jimmy, Jimmy's played like a top eight guy the last month or two. But it's fair to say that he has. It's not really what he's, you know, first half of the season he definitely wasn't.

But I believe Jimmy DiGropolo is a top 10 quarterback in the NFL and should just stabilize himself as one. Obviously, Rogers and Russell, Hall of Famers, Breeze Hall of Famer, Brady Goat, Lamar, Watson, Mahomes, just the sweet young guys. This is a quarterback league. Now, Cousins outplayed Drew Breeze. I wouldn't put him anywhere in this category, but he's lucky he's on a really good team.

In Tanny Hill, even think about this. Cousins and Tanyhill, who, I mean, they didn't necessarily knock out Breeze and Brady, but definitely Cousins played a bigger role than Tanyhill. But Tanyhill is a big reason why the Titans are still around and are in the second round of the playoffs. That Jimmy Garoppel paid $100 million, 70 guaranteed. Kirk Cousins got... Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real.

From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations. with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. 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.

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We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives,

helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream a chicken suit.

Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. $85 million. Aaron Rogers over 100, Russell Wilson over 100. Lamar Jackson going to get huge money. Tanny Hill was once a top pick who also got paid. Mahomes would be the highest paid player ever,

Deshawn Watts is going to get stupid amount of money. There's a reason why you trade up for quarterbacks. There is a reason you put all your chips in the middle of the table like the Eagles did once upon a time for Carson Wentz. Because you have no shot with just average Joe. So if you're going into this offseason and you can break down all you want about, We need pass rushers.

We need better corners. We need better cover guys on special teams. If your quarterback is not a player who can consistently be a top 10 player. Now, he doesn't need to be Tom Brady. He doesn't need to be Aaron Rogers, but he has to be a guy that he should be considered a pro bowl type guy every single year. In Minnesota, they don't have that, but at least they kind of thought that they overpaid a guy.

They wanted to get him in. They thought that he would take him to another level. Now, they've been a little disappointed, though he's kind of earned his stripes with that win on Sunday. This whole point of this thing. Because I've been in these meetings where you're talking about free agency and all these other positions. If you don't have the quarterback, nothing else freaking matters. Nothing at all. When we talk about Mike McCarthy taking the job, one, he would have taken the cowboy's job no matter what.

But it makes it way more exciting for him going. I got Dak Prescott. And we can argue all day long where Dak Prescott, falls in the hierarchy of things, he's still proven to be a pretty good quarterback in this league. You definitely can win, go to the playoffs with him playing quarterback for you. That's the problem, like when you look at some of these open jobs, you go, is Baker Mayfield that good?

Because I'd say right now I'd have some serious concerns. The Carolina Panther job. Yeah, and listen, there's only 32 of these, so I understand it. You go, well, is Cam ever going to be the same? If we do cut Cam, what are we going to do? The Giants? What if I don't think Danny Dimes is that good? because that's the starting point.

If you don't have it, you're just wasting time. So do you think that Bill O'Brien is glad that they traded up and got Deshawn Watson? Do you think Andy Reid's glad that they traded up and got Mahomes? Do you think John Harbaugh is glad that this Lamar Jackson situation has played out the way it has? Obviously, Rogers and Russ they've had forever. Think of what Ryan Tanyhill has meant to the Tennessee Titans. No chance they're here with Marriota. I mean, they're not even in the playoffs.

They're not. Now, the Cousin thing, we could go back and forth of, you know, if they just would have kept Case Keenum, who knows. I don't know. I don't really have an opinion there. I would say it probably would be pretty similar, but maybe cousin a little bit better. But the Jimmy Garoppolo thing, like, Kyle Shanahan, I text people with the Niners all the time. Like, you guys got to send Belichick.

Thank you, cards. Because once upon a time, three years ago, he sent you guys Jimmy Garoppel at a pretty cheap price. Like, what would he have said? what would Kyle Shanahan said, can we have your first round pick for Jimmy Garopp? What do you said? No. You know, he got a second round pick for Jimmy Garoppel. Who's going to be the starting quarterback for the next, I mean, at minimum, six, seven years?

So if you're wasting time with a mid-level quarterback, just go around the league. Like, if you're Arizona right now, you hope Kyler can be the guy, and I like Kyler. But is he going to be a top six-seven guy in the league? I don't know. I don't know. Like, if you're Tampa, it's probably the argument. of like not worth franchise and Jamis. You got Brouserians. Go draft a guy.

Go develop a guy. Don't waste your cash on him. Don't, don't do it. It's why I think some people are thinking, like, in Pittsburgh right now, what are we going to do? We got Ruffisburg coming back. Is he too old? He's too hurt. Cleveland. Is Baker Mayfield good enough?

The Lions. Like, is he old now? Can you stay healthy? Mr. Ribiskey, we're screwed. Just go around the league. That's where the Eagles, you know. It sucks. He got hurt.

That was my response. It sucks. I wanted to watch Carson Wentz play a playoff game. But at least you know what, we got a dude. We got a dude. Now, yeah, we just, we got to protect him. And this year, he played 16 games. So I do think, and that was a freak deal.

He got his head slammed on the ground. Could have been Brady. Could have been Jimmy. Could have been anybody. It would have got a concussion. Unless you're Julian Edelman. You just shake it off. Edelman shakes off concussions.

Everyone else gets concussed. But this divisional round is really, I mean, great teams, big-time coaches. but this thing's being led by the best quarterbacks in the league. If I could be you. And you could be me for just one hour. If you could find a way to get inside. Each other's mind.

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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. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinnwity host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption, presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts.

Visit Adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, and the ad council. Okay, let's talk about a couple different headlines around the NFL that I just want to hit on before we get in the middle-copal mailbag. I think we've known about that he was going to do this. It was kind of, I guess, making the internet rounds a couple weeks ago that Wade Phillips would not be retained.

Technically, his contracts up, and they didn't extend it. Now, here's the thing with Wade Phillips. One, he's just an accomplished defensive coordinator. So it's going to be very difficult for Sean McVeigh to upgrade. I don't know what he's going to do. kind of hope that he hired like Steve Belichick or something, but probably doubtful.

Wade Phillips makes a lot of money. My guess is he was probably making like $2.5 million for the Rams. So, you know, in three years, he probably made about $7, $8 million. It might even be more. It might have been three because McVeigh really needed them. I thought once they got Jalen Ramsey,

their defense was a lot better. They also fired their running back coach. I think Skip Pete. It's like, well, was he a genius two years ago when Todd Gurley was running? Maybe it's Todd Gurley's knee. This is the bad part about the NFL. And I've had some friends who got fired in college. You just, you're not always fired because you're not a good coach.

You know, a lot of it is just office politics and the NFL, the owner, especially once you get high price to like Wade Phillips level. He's like, is this guy really worth paying all this money to? I don't know how they're going to upgrade. there's a chance the Rams is worse next year with whoever their defensive coordinator is. Tua Tonga by Loa declared for the NFL draft. We don't really have that much clarity.

I watched the press conference this morning about his injury because even he doesn't know. And as he said, I'm kind of taking a leap of faith. You have a better idea, I think, at the three-month mark with the hip. But there is no guarantee that he's going to be just 100%. So for me to make some declarations,

where he's going to go, if they can give him a bill of health that says clean and he's going to be 100% by week one, he's going in the top five. Lock, lock top five pick. Hell, he's the second quarterback off the board. He's going above Justin Herbert. But if there are question marks of, well, he might be okay in a year or well, you know, he might never be the same, then it's just up in the air. And then a team is still going to draft him in the first round, but it would be a, I don't know,

I don't know, pretty big calculated risk. I hope he's going to be okay. He sounded in good spirits. Really impressive. I haven't really heard him talk that much. You could see why everyone in that program loves him. His tape speaks for himself. He's like a little Russell Wilson.

Just an accurate down-the-field killer. He's not as mobile as Russell. But here's the other thing. From a scouting perspective, he's got a legit red flag, even if this hip is going to be 100%. He's injured the ankles multiple times in college. and then it had a hip injury. And it's not like he's a five-year player.

He's played three years. And couldn't make it through a full season this year, obviously with the hip. And his freshman year, he didn't really play a full season because he was always alternating in and out with Jalen Hertz. So you really just have the one season where he was the full-time starter last year. And now thinking about it, remember, he got hurt.

I think in the SEC championship game against Georgia, Jalen Hertz came in, won the game. Then they ended up going the national championship where they lost. But he's been hurt in games, both the sophomore and obviously this year. So he's going to be an interesting prospect. Even if he does get the full clean bill of health,

just in the sense that he's about a lot of injuries over the years. The Browns are just interviewing everybody. Clearly, it feels like they want Josh McDaniels. It feels like Josh McDaniels going to have his pick of the litter, whether it's the Giants, whether it's the Browns, whether it's the Carolina Panthers. It's kind of going to be up to him. If I had to guess right now,

I would say that he ends up with the Carolina Panthers, if he leaves. Is he going to go to the New York Giants, Dave Gettlement, no chance? The Browns, while they have talent, is he going to go work for D. Podesta and Jimmy Haslam? That would be my question mark. If I was ranking it, I would probably go. Panthers won just because he can get a clean slate,

do it all himself. I know they kept Marty Herney, but I think Josh, if he wants Marty Herney out, that Dave Tepper would fire him, the Hazelham, and then probably the Giants last, if they're going to keep Gettlement. The Patriots, I saw another thing on the ticker right now. I got a Louisiana, Miami of Ohio game on in the background.

That the Saints, Eagles, Seattle was the highest rate of games since the Super Bowl. The Patriot game did about 30 million people. The NFL is really the only place that can generate that many people at one time watching one event. It's live sports, but it's specifically the NFL. The NBA can't do that. Baseball can't do that.

Tiger Woods can't do that. It's just that and like an election. That's the power of the NFL. That's why these guys are printing money. So thank you Russell Wilson. Thank you Tom Brady. Thank everyone for watching. So I have a job.

It's cool to see the power of the NFL, which is just rolling right now. Okay, let's dive into the Middilcoff mailbag. Dive right in. Tom. podcast. Where do you see sports data analysts going in professional football and you think it will work in the NFL? It seems like the NFL is slightly behind basketball and major league baseball in terms of data movement. I'm particularly interested in how you as a former scout feel about

when analyzing potential prospects or trade acquisitions. Is it a tool that helps or something that trumps the gut instinct? Seems like sometimes there's tension between data analysts and scouting. Yeah, I mean, I think. I say it all the time. I think numbers have been a huge part of football forever. From speed to weight to production to even the in-depth analysts. Like analyzing different individuals at the combine. Like numbers are a huge part of what any scout or front office does.

I think there's some, you know, push and pull, I would say, with some of the end game stuff, always going forward on fourth down. some of that type stuff I think can be argued. I said this last podcast, my question always is, why can't the data people ever admit they're wrong? And they would just say, well, because the number say it's right. And say, well, you went for two there and it didn't work. You went forward on four down a day.

I heard of a Mike Vrable was an idiot for punting. You won the game. But yeah, in terms of players, yards after catch, any in-depth numbers that you can give me that I don't have readily available, why wouldn't you take it? but this notion that just you can determine a player. Here's the difference. Like, toughness in baseball doesn't matter as much.

In football, you have to be able to have toughness and grit and determination. Like, that's what separates football players. Where in baseball, it's just like a bunch of individual, it's like a stock market of just individual players. Where ultimately all sports are, but in football, when analyzing a player, just in terms of toughness and willpower, especially like in the trenches,

They're just stuff that are hard to quantify And I think are unquantifiable. Like, is everything quantifiable with Tom Brady? I'd say, no, not even close. Now, you can tell his height and his arm strength And his completion percentage. What makes Tom Brady great? Like, his just discipline.

His willingness to do whatever it takes. As he said on Tom versus time, if you're going to beat me, you better be willing to go every step of the way. because I've dedicated my life to this, my eating habits, my sleeping habits, my film habits. You ain't going to outwork me.

I've given up. I've given up ice cream. He did. I wouldn't give up ice cream for football. Love the pod. I'm 24-year-old's Lions fan, so I have never seen them win a playoff game. Damn.

I know you feel about their dysfunction as an organization, but could you create a reality that happens next season other than all the other NFC North team? shit in the bed. How would you handle the third pick and is there a possible free agent for them to target to make this fairy tale universal reality? I think the roster is decent enough.

I would agree. Too complete, but Patricia is a joke. Would love to hear your thoughts and continue doing your thing in 2020. Thanks. Well, I would say at the third overall pick, with Tua coming out is a good thing for the Lions.

Assuming Stafford's healthy and I think I saw him claim a couple weeks ago, maybe it was less than that. He's fine. or his back is going to be fine. They do have some pieces. Offensively, the running back from Auburn Johnson, the wide receivers they have, Hawkinson, if Stafford's healthy, their offense is really good.

Defensively, they got to get a lot better. I mean, they traded their starting safety, the Seattle Seahawks, who's good. They trade flowers, solid player. A little overpaid, but I think you could potentially trade back down, you know, three or four spots to someone who wants a quarterback, get multiple ones and really kind of, you know, just add to the war chest

because you guys need a lot of talent, especially on defense. Now you could say, Patricia's a defensive coach. Shouldn't he be able to figure that out? And in theory, you should. When you look back at his time with the Patriots, the Patriots defense got a lot better at the year he left,

and then it was good again this year. When he was there, it was never as good. Is there a little fraudulent characteristic to him? You know, I think it could be argued, but then you'd go, well, you think Belichick would just let some fraud be around him? you'd say probably not. I mean, the guy's really smart, and I think he works really hard,

but is he that dynamic of a coach? I don't know. I think that's going to be your problem. Because they were in a lot of games early before they lost a bunch of injured guys, because their offense, they could really score, but he's got nothing to do with the offense. I just think he's just the wrong guy. How do you think the Rams are going to handle their cap space issues?

We have golf, Gurley, Donald, and Cooks hitting heavy against the cap, and now Jalen Ramsey needs to be signed. We also have at least six key defensive players to sign, including Dante Fowler, Littleton, and Roby Coleman. I just don't know how you build your team around having five guys accounting for 50% of the salary cap. And the salary cap is $200 million. And even Ramsey on his fifth year option to go with the other four guys is almost $100 million. The salary cap's $200 million, so you can't afford to have many like $10 to $15 million guys.

I think they are majorly screwed because of Gurley's contract. They're paying him a lot and he's just not physically able to do it. And you got Jared Gough who was overpaid and he's, if you're going to make $110 million, you have to play like Russell Wilson. You have to play like Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes. You can't play like Jared Gott. You've got to be able to carry me. And it's hard for him to carry anyone because he can't get away from pass rushers.

because his offensive line is not very good. Well, what do offensive linemen usually cost? A lot of money. You've got to draft them high. Well, they don't have first-round picks. And they don't have much money to spend. So you're going to have to draft and develop. This is going to be a really, really challenging year for Sean McVeigh.

Because like you just listed those guys, like, why wouldn't the Chiefs offer Littleton some money? All these teams around the league are going to want Littleton. Roby's a really good nickel corner. What do you want a guy like him? These guys are going to get paid. and they're going to get offered because the way it works in free agency is when you hit the open market, it drives up the price because you've got multiple teams bidding at you,

and they're not going to be able to bid just because they're going to have a limit on how much they can spend. It'd be, you know, a guy like Stan Cronk who probably love, I guess in theory. I mean, a lot of people say they would, but they wouldn't actually spend it. You know, no salary cap, but there is a salary cap. That's the rules. Why aren't people talking about Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels or the Panthers? They have a new aggressive owner with a solid, defense and a plethora of offensive pieces for them to work with.

Well, I do think Josh McDaniels might end up there. I just have a hard time thinking Tom Brady's going to play for the Carolina Panthers. Now, as someone in the league told me a while back, Tom, you know, Joe Montana played for the Kansas City Chiefs, right? Brett Farve played for the Minnesota Vikings. Guys just, no one saw that coming. So I will not discount it. I still will be shocked if Tom, you know.

Brady goes to a team like a small market, and I don't care a line is actually a growing market, but you know what I mean. You know, not like a blue blood, huge top three or four market in the country. But it does make sense from a football perspective for Tom to go with Josh. So, yeah, I don't,

it's a tough call. You know, they got McCaffrey, they got DJ Moore, they got Samuel, you're right, they've got some weapons. And defensively, they got some pieces. It's not crazy. Maybe I just convinced myself. Maybe he does go there.

Maybe he's a Carolina. Tom Bray, he's a Carolina Panther. It's hard to even say that out loud. Hi, John. How significant are the differences in state income tax affecting the teams in the context of free agency? The issue gets referred to in passing from time to time, but surely it's a major obstacle to the league providing teams with a level playing field. If the league is serious about equality of opportunity for all teams,

should they not base the cap on post-tax, i.e. take-home salary? My understanding is that it is instead based on pre-tax salary. but I may be wrong. Love the podcast. Yeah, I think it's a complicated matter. I don't think it's incumbent on the league to do that. I mean, it doesn't work that way in society, right? If Facebook wants to make a competitive offer to a guy that's working in Texas,

you got to overpay. You want to get to the 49ers, maybe they have to overpay. I've never been offered millions of dollars, and I've lived in California and made a pretty good living. So it definitely impacts, but there's a reason you pay more to be in San Francisco. It's a bigger market. There's more money to be made here. Same with L.A.

There's a lot of these professional athletes have homes in L.A. They suck it up. Same with New York. Like there's more business to be done here. Now, you can go play for Jacksonville or Tampa, and yeah, you might get some more salary. How are the businesses around there? Promise you they ain't like they are here or L.A. Now, Dallas is the perfect combo of it both.

no state income tax massive market, massive brand. That's where I'd go. Listen, if someone's offering you, if the Niners offer someone a competitive offer and you can play for the Niners, there's so much money to be made around here. I think they can land guys.

Now, in baseball, I've seen the Giants come up short with a lot of people. Now, it's hard to tell if they're just, they want to be talked about like they're in the mix, even though they don't actually want to pay the guys, but it's cost them a little bit. I just, I don't know. It's a good question.

I think it's a little overblown, but if all things are equal, you know, like this off season. Let's say this. You're a free agent, and the 49ers offer you $10 million, the Raiders offer you $10 million, and the Houston Texans offer you $10 million.

And you're a cornerback. You could start a corner for any of the three teams. is it just strictly like where you can win? Like what are your priorities? You want to win? You go to Vegas and hang out. You probably aren't going to go to the playoffs because the Raiders never go to the playoffs.

Texans, yeah, you might go to playoffs. We might be won and done. Or hell, let's say the 49ers, go to the Super Bowl this year and you go, I might be the missing piece to get a championship. But I'm going to make the least amount of income from the 49ers. Now, also professional sports,

on 16 games, you don't get 16 games, California, tax because you play some games out of state. So it's a little complicated. I'd actually actually need to ask people in the league exactly how that works, but it's not like a black and white. You get all your tax from California when you play like Arizona,

your tax of the Arizona rate. I've been a Dolphins fan my whole life, and it's pretty miserable up to this point. I'm only 24. But I'm actually liking the spot we're in right now. I'm loving Coach Flores, no-nonsense guy who wants to win. This draft is obviously, huge for the team and I was curious your thoughts.

Obviously I'm thinking a quarterback with the number five pick, but who do you think they should do with the other three picks, the other three first round picks they have? They got three first round picks? Well, I guess they only got two other ones this year for Minka and Tunzel. That's a good question. I think you take Tua or Herbert at number five. Probably Herbert because you might have to trade up.

If you want Tua, you might have to trade up to number three with the Lions to get Tua, which I think that's the move. So you let Joe Burrow go one, you let Chase Young go two, and you trade up to number three, and you get two. That, that to me is the play. And then with your other picks, just take sweet players. You're going to need some offensive linemen. You're going to need DBs. I mean, you traded these guys.

I haven't seen much of it beside it came across the ticker like a week ago, Xavier and Howard. You guys' best cornered. Did he get arrested for hitting his girlfriend or wife? So that might be game over for that dude. I would say the number one thing you need to do is land a quarterback. And Fitzpatrick did an incredible job this year, given what they had. But they need to get a Tua or Herbert, whoever you like more, and then just take best player available with the other two picks.

That to me is the key. Load up on the talent. Load up on the talent. Appreciate everyone listening. Thanks for reaching out. Middle Coff mailbag, always wide open to you guys. And enjoy the week. Talk to you soon.

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