The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Michael Penix Jr. could go #2, Jim Harbaugh's future, Problems in Philly

Episode Date: January 4, 2024

John dives into how Michael Penix Jr. has played himself into potentially be the number two QB taken in the draft, the talk about Jim Harbaugh is starting to get a little bit louder on if he will leave Michigan for the NFL, do the Eagles have a major problem heading into the playoffs, and this is a huge weekend for back-up QB's. Later, John answers your questions on this episode's mailbag segment.  4:41 - Michael Penix Jr. could be the number 2 QB off the board 22:00 - Sign stealing in college football 23:06 - Jim Harbagh's future 31:41 - Do the Eagles have a problem 35:07 - Big week for back-up QB's 43:10 - Mailbag 43:20 - Who could replace Jim Harbaugh 52:57 - Are the Bills scarier than the Chiefs 59:51 - Should the Broncos draft Penix 1:05:20 - What should the Commanders do in the draft 1:10:50 - Mike Vrabel's future Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Jim Harbaugh, a lot of scuttle butt, a lot of buzz, is he headed to the National Football League? Nick Siriani and the Eagles leaking some serious oil. And then a couple thoughts on guys like Carson Wentz because teams have solidified playoff positioning slash bids being able to start this weekend. Carson Wentz versus Sam Darnel. Who would have thought that? But that's what we got.

A couple thoughts there from a scouting perspective and how people around the NFL are going to be paying attention to that. And then, of course, the Middlecoff mailback at John Middlecoff, at John Middlecop is the Instagram. Fire in those DMs and get your question answered here on the show. If you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to the Therine Out feed.

Appreciate everyone that has. Also, we have a YouTube channel. So make sure you subscribe to that and we got all of our content is on video so you can see this beautiful face right here just talking what you're listening to. And other than that, these are fun times.

We got the last week of the NFL, we have the national championship, Then we got the NFL playoffs. PGA tour seasons right around the corner. So I'm excited. I like early January. A little cold where I'm at. Not going to lie.

It's like 50 degrees in Arizona. Haven't seen the sun in a while. But I know some of you listening are probably a lot colder than me. So let's rock and roll. I wanted to dive into Michael Pennix first. And one thing that is solidified in my belief when it comes to success, guys in football, guys really in any walk of life.

women too is the way you're wired, right? The drive, the intrinsic things that can't be measured. Because at the highest level of ending industry, whether it's finance, whether it's restaurants, you know, whether it's the NFL. A lot of people have talent. There are a lot of talented people in every walk of life who do not succeed. Just like there are a lot of people that lack talent who pass people because of their willingness to do whatever it takes.

And clearly in football, when you just look over, you know, the course of my adult life, the last 20 plus years, the two best quarterbacks would be Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Then there would be other guys, you know, Rogers would be on their heels, Drew Breeze, Rothersberger, there'd be a group of other dudes. But I think the two guys, and I've said forever, they are my magic and Larry Bird football. They're the guys that took the sport to the next level. and Mahomes feels like has a chance to be Michael Jordan.

A lot of his career is left to right. We'll see. Clearly he's already had a Hall of Fame career. But I just talking Manning and Brady, when I think about both guys, one guy was the first pick, the other guy was pick 199. Both of them, they're wiring,

their intangibles, their work ethic, couldn't be any better. It's as good as it gets. Their desire to do everything humanly possible to be the best football player, that they can be, even as they make money, as they gain fame, as they have success, as they win a Super Bowl. You know, obviously Brady won 3 by 05, Peyton Manning one of the next year. I mean, these guys were accomplished, you know, 20 years ago, right?

And their work ethic, their drive never stopped. So when we talk about the upcoming draft, the more and more I text around, and listen, I don't want to say been set in stone for a long time, but Caleb Williams is going to be the number one overall pick in the draft. Because the draft is obviously a lot about intangibles, but the physical attributes and the projection is a major part of it, right? And Caleb totally understand why he's going to be the number one overall pick. But when we talk about the number two overall pick, which is clearly going to be a quarterback, how is Michael Pennix not going to be that guy? Like, because I heard Colin go on this rant this morning about injuries that scare people.

And I've said they're fair. Like, I've been in these meetings. I understand the way doctors, the way they influence coaches and gentlemen. But guys get hurt. It's football. You literally can get hurt in the weight room. You can get hurt. I remember Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Macklin, a lot of guys, get hurt in OTAs, Terry C.R. L's, Terah Achilles.

It's, you never know. You get hurt in a game. You get your leg shattered. You get hurt in a car accident. Welcome to life. So you got to be willing to take risks. But if you just watch football this year, it's pretty clear that this is the,

you could argue, the best quarterback. Now, the draft is about more than what you do in college. Mack Jones was a phenomenal college player. Said forever, he went too high, right? This guy to me, like, I think if you could redo the Burrow draft, clearly, you know, I think Burrough still goes one. Herbert goes too, but Tua still goes at latest five to Miami. Like, Tua's a really good player.

I was just texting with a personnel director who's like, Pennix is a way better Tua with more juice and a better athlete. So when you factor in his talent, which we've all seen it, is immense. Great thrower, accurate, incredible deep ball, great within the pocket, has enough movement. And then the wiring, you don't even have to question. Right. He's the unquestioned leader of the team in terms of he's a captain, leads the team in a talk before the Rose Bowl, coaches out of the room, I want to address the team.

So all the work ethic, the desire, the willingness to do whatever it takes to win, like check, check, check, check, check. Are we overthinking this one? Like, listen, Drake May's an intriguing prospect. I wouldn't bet my future on it. Jaden Daniels had a fantastic year. SEC a little down. A lot of running around, right?

Like, plays with some great wide receivers too. Again, good prospect. He's going to get drafted high. But is he a better player than Michael Pennix? Like, Michael Pennix right now is a plug-and-play player in the NFL. And back to the wiring thing, when you're willing to work, you're just only going to improve.

Why did Dak and cousins have such fantastic careers as mid-round picks? It's a third and fourth-round pick. It's not their physical attributes. Dak doesn't have a huge arm. Cousins can't move. It was because of the intangible stuff.

The character, the work ethic, the love of football. And when I watch Michael Pennix, to me, he seems like a lot of guys who have had success in the NFL. He's not Joshie. Alan, Justin Herbert, or Patrick Mahomes, physically run around power, power arm. But he does a lot of things that, like, that next group of guy six to 12 do.

And, yeah, he's a little older. Well, most GMs don't have the job for 15 years. So you draft him at 24. If he gives you 10 good years, holy shit, right? I just think that we might be overthinking this one. And if he plays Michigan and basically not only resurrects this Washington program with the coaching staff, but slices and dices them, I don't know what else is humanly possible for a quarterback to do.

Let's face it, Joe Burrow had one good college year, but he destroyed everybody. So it's like, well, he plays with a bunch of good players at Washington. Look who fucking Joe Burrow played with. Last I checked, Jesse Jefferson's pretty good. Jamar Chase, not bad. Clyde was like a bust forever, and I'm watching Clyde this year. He's kind of coming into his own as a solid NFL player.

So the knock that you can't play with any talent around him, Like most good quarterbacks in college play with talent around them. That's just a reality of the situation. Jane Daniels playing with multiple NFL stars at wide receiver. Tua, studs, Jalen Hertz, studs, right? Mahomes somewhat of an outlier. Deshawn Watson. Look at all the guys he played with at Clemson.

So to me, that's a dumb argument. Obviously, he has really good coaching. Well, you should feel pretty good about your coaching in the NFL. I just think this talk about, you know, you text some people. he was like a fringe first rounder throughout the season. That's insanity. I watch football for a living, an unhealthy amount, start to finish Saturday through Monday night,

actually starts Thursday. I watch so many quarterbacks. Their downfall is not usually like arm strength or even throwing it to the right area. They're not accurate and they freak out on pressure. Well, this team, now they have one of the best offensive lines in the country. he has been sacked 11 times. Is it all because he has five Trent Williams blocking for him?

Their best offensive line prospect, the left tackle, is going to be a guard in the NFL. Really good player, obviously in college. But it's not just because no one comes untouched. It's because his innate feel. So what always translates in the NFL? Feel within the pocket. Feel for a pass rush. You know right away when you watch a guy in the NFL, you go, God, he's just, he's kind of

jittery, God, he's kind of scared. He's not willing to do that. Why did Philip Rivers have such a good career? Because he was willing to stand in the pocket, move in the pocket, and make throws. He couldn't move and did not have a good arm. But he was accurate and good within that little three, you know, yard radius, right? And had a good sense of pressure. As he got older, he got tougher.

But like in the peak of his career, like physically Philip Rivers, beside his height, average arm can't move. Bad athlete. and to me, Penix, I just think we're overthinking this one. He's really, really good. Do I think he's going to be some superstar in the NFL? No. But every single guy, like, I understand why Caleb's going to be the number one pick, totally.

I'm not even going to argue that. It's a wasting time. But when you look at the rest of the crew, you're all keeping your fingers crossed. To me, this, you could argue, least risk. Besides, like, injuries that he had years ago. And as people that have texted me, I'd be lying if I watched much Indiana football when he was there. Their team was terrible. Their offensive line was hideous.

He let them nine wins. Got the coach that just got fired a $20 million buyout. That guy sucked. It was that guy. It was like you watch Seattle and Kenneth Walker, how good that guy is? You know what Kenneth Walker did? He got, what's his name of Michigan State, Mel Tucker, a $95 million contract. Look at Mel Tucker.

Remove the season that he got Kenneth Walker. He's fucking terrible. I'm not even counting what he did on the cell phone to what's her name. I'm just talking as a coach. You play that guy. guy, you kick his ass. You put Kenneth Walker on his team, he's good. Sometimes you got to look like Washington, been falling in the pack 12, 10, 8, 8 was kind of done by the time I became alive, but the 10 and the 12th, for the most part, like Washington's been

pretty hit or miss, you know, and a lot more miss than hit. And to me, they've always had skill guys, right, but they had this quarterback. And to me, he was a game changer. And I think he's really freaking good. And speaking of wiring, I was texting with an assistant. for one of the number one seeds in the NFL. And it was not the 49ers. And we were talking about the wiring of the guys on his team. And he's like, how important that is for NFL players. And he thought it was everything.

Because he's like, when you look at, let's just say, obviously there's a talent discrepancy of like the bottom 10 teams in the NFL and the top 7, 8, 9 teams in the NFL. But the difference between the 7th team in the NFL and the first team in the NFL is not that wide. The difference truly is, and he thought, was the player's willingness not only do work,

but to be coached and pushed hard. Because the difference in a lot of these NFL games, now obviously you get blowouts, the Niners have been in them, the Ravens have been in them, but you're going to win a Super Bowl, you're going to play in close games. And when you get in those close games,

do you have the mental capacity from being pushed? This is what the Patriots is. has hung their hat on for 20 years to separate, to not crack under pressure, to make a play, to take in a lot of information in a highly stressful spot and still function at a high level. It's why people in football love the military.

Because think about it. As a Navy SEAL, as a Marine, you train for war, but war is a lot different than boot camp or training to become a Navy SEAL. It's why they put. push you so hard. So when you get in those situations that are impossible to replicate, because there's no life or death in the training, ideally. Obviously, it happens every once in

a while, but you know what I mean? But when you get in that situation, are you the most prepared to make split-second decisions when the pressure's on? And obviously, in those situations, it costs people their lives. In football, it just costs people a career or a job. And the one the Ravens like the 49ers have, clearly a lot of talent, a lot of high-end guys. Lamar, Kyle Hamilton, Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, Ronnie Stanley, Roquan Smith, we know all the Niners guys. But those guys, how seriously they take football, there ain't no fucking around. The way he described Jim Harba, or John Harbaugh to me, he's like, it's like we're on an

island and we only have each other. and the only way we're getting off this island is if we all stick together. If any of us crack, we're done. It's over. And I was thinking about this, like, I've been in office situations outside of football. Everyone's kind of out for themselves. Like, let's face it, most people, if you're listening to this right now and you work in an office, you work in a company, like, you're kind of working together, but you're most focused on, like, how do I make the most money?

That's just the reality of the world we live in. In football, it's also easy to be like that, right? how can I make a play? How can I benefit my career? How can I get to a point where, you know, these plays get me more money, which is always going to play a factor. But it's the ultimate team game. So if everyone is not together and pulling in the right direction, I don't care how much talent you have, you're not going to get over the hump. For a long time, the Cowboys have always battled that. I think the Eagles right now got some issues with that. When you look at the Ravens and the Niners, they have a ton of guys where it's unquestioned football comes first. Kyle Shanahan said, like last week,

that he got a cocktail last year a week after the season ended to the Eagles. And he met Christian McCaffrey for a couple cocktails. And Christian had two cocktails. And he said, I only got another week until the max is one. He's a 27-year-old guy who, once the season ends, gives himself two weeks to just relax, have drinks or whatever, and then it stops. And it's all football. We're talking in fucking March for today.

The way Roquan Smith was described to me is like what he means to that team, how serious he is, how he holds everyone accountable. Here's the other thing. In a sport now, and I think the amount of assistant coach frauds in the NFL has never been higher. You get $500,000 to be a running back coach. You get 900 grand minimum to be an O line coach. You get seven figures to be an offensive coordinator. So the moment money gets that enormous, you're going to get. more people that don't belong that want a piece of that pie. And let's face it, football's always

been a little unique if you're friends with a head coach. A lot of guys have jobs they don't, shouldn't have. And it's why I've been lucky enough to bend to a lot of NFL practices, and it's pretty clear. And the teams that are on guys' asses and push them, no different than you would in high school football. No different than Nick Saban does or Kirby Smart does at Alabama. Hold them to a really high standard. Being pushed and being coached is uncomfortable, right? It's like your boss sometimes, you're going to have some uncomfortable conversations. And one thing, the 49ers, when they win, they don't get Monday and Tuesday off. See you, see you Wednesday.

No matter what, they meet as a team on Monday. Because Kyle believes the easiest way to teach off that tape is when it's fresh. And they come in. Now, I'm not saying they do much on Monday, but they watch the tape. They have to come in on Monday. They don't get two days off, like a lot of teams. And clearly, John Harbaugh has run an operation from a physical standpoint and a mentality standpoint.

They used to get in trouble for like tackling in OTAs. And let's face it, a lot of people in the NFL are a little soft. Because listen, they're probably afraid to push guys. Guys make a lot more money than them now. The moment a player turns on you, look at the Raiders. Now, I'm not even saying the Raiders were wrong. They go to the owner. They get you fired.

It's tough. In college football, you got to worry about your players transferring nonstop. And I think this. The 49ers and the Ravens, obviously have really good players and they have a really good coaching staff but they got a bunch of guys at the highest level that want to be pushed

and want to be pushed hard hard screamed at, yelled at, every day pushed to be the best possible player. So it's not shocking to see both these two teams easily be the number one C and to me the clear favorite. The only sleeping giant

to me would be the Bills who, listen, remember Sean McDermott got crushed for being too big of a hard I'm sorry, this is football, not peewees. Like, it kind of matters. You get yelled at a lot. People swear a lot. I haven't watched any of the hard knocks with Mike McDaniel, but like, he's saying the F word

every other word. Like, that's a football culture. This isn't like an insurance company's office setting. So football's uncomfortable. And the more uncomfortable you're willing to be, once you get the talent, you've got to build the team correctly, the better chance you have to win big. The Patriots didn't win for 20 plus years just because they had Tom Brady, right? It's because they pushed everyone harder than everyone else with a coach that really knew what he was doing.

I remember hearing Julian Edelman say a couple years ago. I mean, they always had the buy. I mean, back then it was, you know, the one and the two seat both got the week off. He said, we had full team scrimmage for like two days just to set the tone for this next month. We're coming for everyone's ass. This isn't like, oh, let's just do some white. walkthroughs, let's take some mental reps. And, like, that's a big reason I think in general football has, the product you could argue,

is a little worse just because no one practices hard anymore. And part of that is the rules, you're not allowed to wear pads, there's no double days in training camp. But I think the two teams with the best players that push the envelope the most, not shocking they're the best two teams. Talking about a guy that pushes the envelope. I saw J.J. McCarthy. So everyone steal signs.

Obviously, Harbaugh, Connor Stallions, who I think was at the Rose Bowl. Chase Winnevich, the long-haired pass rusher who played for the Patriots for a little bit. Took a picture, I think he was watching the game with my man's stallions. He never leave a man down, so his military background, he probably wanted to be there to support. But regardless of the science sealing thing, and listen, they haven't been able to seal Steins for a while, and they've been winning. Hell, they were winning with Jim Harbaugh. I still think it's one record that will never be broken. A team will never play in the national championship when their head coach has been suspended twice in the same year,

at two separate times. That's it. That's a record that is never getting shattered. Will Chamberlain, someone in the NBA could score 100 points. If you tell me a dude just gets hot, hits like 28 threes in an NBA game, who knows? Like, it's there, right? I would say probably unlikely someone ever breaks, hits 75 home runs, but the way guys is swinging for the fences, who knows?

No one is ever playing for a national championship and getting suspended twice in the same season as a head coach. But my take on Jim Harbaugh, because there's a lot of, Floating out. You know, Adam Schaeftor talking about it. He signs with Don Yee, who's Brady's longtime agent, Jimmy Garoppolo's guy. I hope he stays in college. I want him at Michigan. I think he means more to college, the fabric of it, the entertainment value. Like college is the number two sport in America right now. The NFL's here. College is here and everyone else is fighting for the scraps. Right. And I think you need, the NFL has a ton of characters. The NFL's fine. We've

proven it, right? You lost Brady. You lost Manning. Rogers played. four place, didn't matter, historic ratings, everyone's watching. Whether you got Bill Parcells or Nick Siriani, it does not matter. Mike McCarthy or Jimmy, no one cares anymore. It's the product, it's what we gamble on, it's what we all agree that we consume. College football to me is a little predicated on the big programs, being right, and the talent. Forever college basketball, when I was young, was a major, major sport in America in terms of ratings, in terms of interest. Other coaches were really famous.

Like college basketball was better with Coach K, which Tom Izzo, Jim Behan, all those guys staying in college football. Now, just because I think he should stay, I don't know if you will. Like I think Jim Harbaugh, the clip, I believe this, Jim Harbaugh's parents, Jack and Jackie, if you haven't seen the clip, just Google it, they're on the field. His mother was stunned that they won. I mean stunned that they won, which was. just funny. Obviously, Jack is like a 25-year-old version. I think Jim's 60, I'd guess Jack's 85, early, mid-80s.

and he's like Jim Harbaugh right now. Colin said this. I think they're next door neighbors. Imagine Jim build him a house. And family means a lot to the Harbaugh's, which I always get emotional, having lost my dad, seeing that type stuff.

Like, that's powerful. That's really cool. I don't think we talk enough about that in society, like the power of the family and the loyalty of the Harbaugh family. Like, I get emotionally moved when I see stuff like that.

But, you know, Jim's not like, Nick Sabin's a college coach. That's truly who he is at his school. Kirby Smart. These guys are college coaches. Jim Harbaugh played quarterback in the NFL for 15 years. Right.

So when you see some of these guys like Frank Reich or Doug Peterson or Jason Garrett forever, like he's used to not only being in the NFL, but being the guy in the huddle that the other 10 fucking guys look at in the pros where everyone was getting paid. Now, I get it in college people get paid. But clearly there's an itch deep down with Jim Harbaugh. Here's the other thing. In the NFL, from, you know, whenever training camp starts

to whenever the season ends, whether it's the last week of the season or through the playoffs, it's all football all the time. It's just football, football, football, and football. In college, it's not just football. You've got to worry about your guys going to class. You've got to worry about your guys staying eligible. Now you've got to worry about NIL. Every guy on your team is a free agent.

Think about it. When you start the season, every single guy on your roster is a free agent. So you not are only recruiting high school kids and have to worry about this transfer portal that you have no clue. Like in the NFL, when I worked in the office for two years and I was a pro scout, you knew who all the impending free agents were. You knew who all the impending restricted free agents are. You could even tell based on contracts, guys likely to be cut after. the season. Like Russell Wilson is a good example.

He would have been a guy that every team interested in a quarterback would have been evaluating this year because you go, well, this guy could become available if they cut him at the end of the season. And he's a high level example, but there are guys like that all over the NFL. So you have a 95% idea of everyone who's going to be available in February, right, from free agents to restricted free agents and guys getting cut because of contracts.

And then obviously things change a little bit as coach. get fired, new coaches go to teams and they don't want a guy and maybe a guy becomes available for trade that you didn't know it was available for trade. Like that happens. In college, you have no fucking clue. You're just keeping an eye on everything. It's way harder in terms of 365 days. Those six months in the NFL are very intense. Long days, scheming, practice, just non-stop football. But once the offseason starts, let's say your, your, your first round team and out. You might get two weeks off from your head coach. Then you kind of loosely maybe go to the senior bowl. It's not like you've even watched any of these guys. A lot of guys,

you know, coaches now don't even send their assistance to the senior ball. So you just start doing self-scouting, which nine to five type days. The combine, you don't really play a role. Again, a lot of teams no longer even send you to the combine. And then the draft process is pretty light for the coaches. Little evaluating, but it's a lot. It begins. comes a lot more nine to five. And there is no such thing as nine to five in college. 365, not just during the season, immediately when the season ends, then spring ball, spring recruiting, the offseason, you got camps, it never ends.

So just in terms of time, if you have a family, which, listen, football guys like spending time around football. So whether it's a little extra time, I don't know if it totally, you know, bothers them. But in the NFL, you know, like, we have this much cap space, we have these many draft picks. In college, it's so fluid and so unknown that it can't be that fun. It's why all these coaches, listen, a lot of coaches, like most of these guys, if you're making six, seven, eight, nine, $10 million, even if they're complaining, they understand it's an incredible job to make money, right? Jim Harbaugh was rich when he got hired at Michigan. Jim Harbaugh had made millions before he even

got to the 49ers. And that was, you know, 10 years ago. Whoever, Jim Harbaugh, whether Michigan gives them $120 million, whether an NFL, it's not about the money. It's just about his lifestyle now and what he wants. So if he doesn't like the setup currently, and he's already said, like, the players should get a cut of the revenue. Well, guess what happens in the NFL? They revenue share. The reason it's basically 50-50 is because the players, the salary cap, is based on the league's revenue. So you don't have to deal with any of this unknown, this uncertainty, things that you can't control. Now, you could argue that at Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State.

You're less likely to lose a lot of guys because you can financially afford to keep them. And, you know, it's obviously an incredible place to play. But it's also for younger players, harder to crack the lineup. So if you get there as a freshman, you might look up and you go, God, it might be two years before even get on the field. Even though that guy within two years could be a really good player for you. It's much easier if you're that guy to go to a lesser program,

to go to Nebraska or wherever and just immediately be the starter. So just that element alone has made the sport much more challenging. So Jim Harbaugh's wiring, listen, he's out there. He's a different cat. I can't even pretend to,

no one can't, to think like he thinks. But I just think if you thought logically, what industry would you rather work in? The one where you can control a lot of it? Or the one where, yeah, it's technically easier because you're going to have, quote unquote, easier game.

games, right? You could argue, depending on the schedule, four to seven games, Michigan is an enormous favorite, and if they just play solid, they're winning easily. And then another four or five games where it's definitely the talent gap's a little smaller, especially now that they've added the Pac-12 teams, and he's got to be pretty locked in. And the NFL, every game's hard. So it's like, wait, we're all kind of on an even playing field. We all have the same, we, everyone has the same salary caps base in draft capital. You just choose how you want to use it. The, the, the, the, Chos chose to trade for Russell Wilson and pay him all that money. But they have no different in the draft capital than the Houston Texans or the Cleveland Browns.

You just get to, well, why do the Cleveland Browns not have picks? They chose to use the capital on Deshawn Watson. You just get, not everyone has the same capital. Now, in college, he's at a team with a lot of money, but maybe he's bored. Maybe it's like, I'm just playing now for the playoffs. Now, you could argue for his resume. If he loses and leaves and then they get popped, it's not great. It's probably true.

but I think it's pretty clear that win or lose Monday, and as a guy with a pretty large ticket on Washington, I hope they lose, it does feel like he's going to go to the pros. One guy, I've thought about this for a while, that Eagles loss, I don't even know if I've really talked about it. I think it's one of the worst losses in years. I still can't get over.

It's one thing to lose, they got their ass kicked in that game. Listen, Nick Siriani, even if they were to lose the Giants and then losing the first round, I don't, he's not going to get fired. But I wonder if the Philadelphia Eagles think they got a little problem on their hands. Because one thing, listen, he has no impact on the defense. That's on the organization. Hire the right defensive coordinator.

They wanted Fangio, the Gannon situation. You could argue they got screwed a little bit. They were on the right guy. It just broke their wrong way. But offensively, like the A.J. Brown made some comments after the game, kind of walked them back. said, listen, I'm all four, I'm pro the coach, I'm pro Brian Johnston. It's getting a little weird in Philly, which can't.

The moment you start losing with high expectations with the Eagles, shouldn't get out of whack quick. Well, I was thinking about like, if Emerald-Lagasy or Gordon Ramsey had a restaurant, you would never be like, well, we got to change the menu, we need to bring in a new chef. No, that guy's the fucking chef. No one ever goes like, listen, the Chief's offense is completely broken, their screwed new offensive coordinator. No, it's like, we'll just get better players, we got Andy, we'll be okay.

Anytime things are off in San Francisco or the Rams, you go, well, Kyle McVeigh, ultimately they'll figure it out. They're the play caller. But we go, well, they got some offensive issues, big picture, how do we get Jalen back on track? We need a new offensive coordinator. What the fuck's the coach doing? Nick Siriani is an offensive guy, and I hear nonstop talk about the offensive coordinator. I know in like 49erland, if we were just talking nonstop, talk about the offensive coordinator,

and your head coach was Kyle Shanahan. You'd be like, why don't you call the place? Why don't you do that? Well, we saw Sirion to do that a couple years ago. Utter disaster. So it's like, okay, so who are you? You're basically an offensive version of John Harbaugh? Right?

Well, say this about John Harbaugh when they had some quarterback issue. Their team was always tough in physical. Right? John Harbaugh and the Harbaugh family? Tough physical guys. Same thing with Tomlin. Right? They might have offensive issues,

but you know their defense's going to have some guys, you know they're going to make plays. Obviously, their defense is in Chambles. So is Siriani like some tough guy? I just wonder if this thing implodes. Now, they should beat Tampa in the first round of the playoffs, assuming Tampa beats the Pan. What if they don't?

What if they don't? How could you feel good, big picture about Nick Siriani? Because what's his next pitch? Right? What is his next move? Fire Brian Johnson, hire some other offensive coordinator? So we're just acknowledging he's just pure CEO head coach. He has nothing to do with anything besides motivation in leadership.

Seems pretty risky. It's one thing when you've got a 65-year-old guy doing that. It's another thing when you've got a guy in its early 40s doing that, who's supposed to be an offensive guy. That would make me a little nervous. I think the Eagles have serious problems. Serious problems. That loss, I don't know if you shake that Arizona loss.

I just don't think you do. And I definitely think it's on the table that they could be a one-and-done situation. Now, it would still be obviously an upset if Tampa were to beat him, but how could you trust this team right now? How could you trust them at all? I mean, their defenses and chambles and their offense just doesn't click. It simply just doesn't click.

And their head coach is an offensive guy. Last but not least, this is a big week. Like when you see the headline, Carson Wentz against Sam Darnold. Lots of people like, not watching that thing. And listen, I don't blame me. Game doesn't mean anything.

The Rams, waving the white flag, just going to the playoffs. The 49ers have nothing to play for. Right? See, the Ravens, Lamar, Ty. This is a big time moment. Like when you're a scout, you evaluate backups a lot of time off preseason film.

If all they do is like play special teams, right? And a lot of positions over the course of a year. Like if you're the fourth wide receiver, there's eventually going to be an injury and you'll get a couple starts. Or if you're the last linebacker, by the time the season ends, you'll have got so many defensive plays. Well, if you're the backup quarterback, there's a chance you never take. a snap during the season. Not one. So when I evaluate a guy, like, well, what's the grade on him heading into the offseason if he's a free agent? Well, it's just based on the preseason and based on the grade we had on him before wherever he signed with that team. It's all based

on the previous, what if he got better? So when I see that Carson Wince and Sam Darnold are playing each other, let's start with Carson Wins. This was a guy that no one in the league would touch until a month ago. And not like Joe Flacco, where everyone just thought he was old and not good. Like, that was just 38-year-old guy. It happens. Carson Wentz. Dude's like, how old is Carson Wentz?

30 years old? It wasn't that long ago. He was in the mix to win an MVP in like 2017. He's out of the... Former number two overall picks. Out of the league. No one will touch him. Toxic.

Then he goes to the Rams. Now he's got a chance to get a game. Well, if he throws three touchdowns, Baker Mayfield last year, in like four starts for the Rams, through four touchdowns, and through 64. and got an opportunity $4 million to become a starter and became a starter this year and

probably going to make the playoffs. Now, I think a lot of people putting out some numbers on Baker Mayfield. To me, he's like, Tampa rolls it back, maybe one year $10 million, one year $12 million. But still, this looked like a guy who was trending to be like out of the league. All of a sudden, $4 million, makes another $11 million. Starter, starter, like kind of resurrected his career. Carson Wentz, what if Sean McVeigh comes out and goes, listen, we've loved having him around? He's been a really good teammate.

guys on the team, we like, we like the guy. And then he goes out and he looks solid. We've seen the quarterback. I mean, they're rolling out Jaron Hull. The Raiders are playing Aiden O'Connell. You're telling me, if this guy looks like just a capable player again, that he can't immediately resurrect his career, game film always trumps everything else. And sometimes you've got to be humbled. Clearly Carson was. And he's got to play well now. I mean, you throw three or four picks, not good. But even if you're playing, you know, an average nineer defense given if they rest, you know, and Fred and some of these guys, it's still game tape that a lot of guys don't get the opportunity at quarterback.

This year's a little different, I think, like 60 plus guys have started at that position. But for the most part, there are a lot of teams on a given season where their backup quarterback may take under 20 snaps. Maybe a rolled ankle here. He comes in for a couple snaps, comes back out, maybe a couple kneel downs, but not much. So I think Carson Wentz has, of all the players this Sunday with something on the line, I guess there are a couple games Saturday, too. Has a lot to earn.

Can really, with a good performance, kind of open some eyes. Now, Sam Darnold, I would imagine the 49ers are going to want him back, you know, on a similar contract, especially because they're not penny pretty that much. But he could be a guy, like, you go play for McVeigh or Shanahan,

and I go, God, maybe he looks better. Maybe that year of coaching under that guy has really helped him out. And maybe he gets an opportunity, like Baker just got, hey, we'll give you $6, $7 million, try to be our bridge quarterback, if that's something he's interested in doing. I know one thing he's talked about is he values, you know, being on the West Coast and stuff, but it gets hard in the NFL. I remember Jeremy Fowler covers the NFL, I think a couple weeks ago when the Russell Wilson thing went down,

he's like, agents are saying it's going to be hard for the Broncos to land free agents. That's the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard. If the Broncos offer more money, they will get whoever is the guy they wanted if the other team is offering less. Nobody cares. This notion that the league looks weird about Russell Wilson, how many friends in the NFL does Russell Wilson have? It's not like they're treating some guy that's beloved in the NFL. Yeah, if he had done that to like Aaron Donald or Fred Warner

or some player that a lot of people, Trent Williams, some people like Lane Johnson, Jason, Travis Kelsey. Yeah, okay, maybe some people, red flags would go up. No one cares how Russell Wilson was treated. He was paid a premium to underachieve. That's a fact, Jack. So this notion that, like, that was, that pissed me off, to be honest with you. But I don't want to even talk about that situation because it bores me at this point.

But ultimately, I'm very fascinated to watch Carson Wentz this weekend. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it. 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

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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 what 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, you guys know the drill. Let's go a little Middlecough mailbag. At John Middlecough, two Fs, my last name, John Middlecough,

fire in those DMs and get your questions answered here on the podcast. See if I can find my Instagram. There it is. We'll start here. For the mailbag. You have mentioned previously that if Harbaugh was the lead for the NFL, one of the top targets would be DeBoer. Do you think that now that they are meeting in the national championship

and Washington is joining the Big Ten, that would still be a possibility, especially if Washington beats Michigan. What Kaelan DuBore has done at Washington is remarkable. He's clearly really good. It is easier to consistently win at Michigan than it is at Washington. Now, when you're a really good coach,

no matter where you go, you're going to have success. So if he stayed at Washington, they would be good. but I think on a consistent basis Michigan is a much better job than Washington and Washington's a damn good job Michigan's a top five job in the country right I mean Michigan's the cream of the crop as you're seeing what Harbaugh is doing

right there with Ohio State which is easily one of the best jobs in the country LSU Georgia Bama it's a small list you know you could argue Oregon's really become that because of Phil Knight's backing but I think the question would be if Harbaugh leaves If they lose

If Du Boer were to beat him And Harbaugh leaves Let's say to the Raiders or the Chargers Or the commanders or wherever I got no clue where he's going to go I would guess the Raiders or Chargers Because he's been a West Coast guy But now he's been in Ann Arbor for whatever

Since 2014 So who knows Would be I do wonder if Sharon Moore The offensive coordinator Would take over Pretty risky though And I know he won some games

but that to me feels a little bit like a stretch. I think the likelihood that DuBore would be their first call, and then Ryan Grubb, the offensive coordinator, would probably take over Washington, would be my guess. But is possible, I guess they could give it to more. They also could call Mike McDonald, who's now the Ravens' offensive coordinator who was at Michigan, but he was only there one year.

I think if DuBore beats him, if DuBore beats Michigan and then Harbaugh bounces, how does Michigan not offer him the job? Now, I don't know, listen. Du Boer's from the Dakota's You know, he's not some elitist.

This isn't Steve Sarkesian who was born on Third Bay, started coaching at USC at 26 years old. Right? I mean, this guy beat the bushes in the shitty programs. Nobody was paying attention. Coached a bunch of guys

were probably laying sheet rock and, you know, running delis. now, or cutting trees, whatever you do in the Dakotas, right? So this guy came up the hard way. I'd hire DeBore in a heartbeat. Are you going to get out golf bets on your Golo podcast once the season gets underway? Does it bear shit in the woods? I mean, come on. I was looking at the board for the century. For those of you that don't follow golf, obviously the PGA tour and live are still kind of going at it. There's a golf tournament this week. It's called the tournament

a champion. So everyone that won last season is playing no-cut event in Capulua, I've never played there. My brother has, it's pretty awesome. Trune property. The problem is no-cut event, it's hard to bet on. I'm not messing with this week. I might dabble next week, depending on

what happens. Now, the only guy missing this week is obviously John Rom, who won last year, not there, but I'm not going to wager on this tournament. If I was Thagala 50 to 1, I'm not going to lie, I check the board. But it's hard. You know, Scotty Sheffler, I can see Justin Thomas having a big year.

Kendall from Atlanta. If you ask me, Dan Campbell and the Lions were screwed. And I believe this all began with the player eligibility. The NFL recently put out a statement saying that players 50 to 79 must declare eligibility. Same old, same old. But the NFL has done away with number eligibility. We have D. Lyman wearing single-digit numbers. To me, the craziest number this year,

by a mile, is clowny wearing 24? Whenever I see Clowny 24, I'm like, this is, this weird. Not gonna sound like get off my lawn, old guy, don't really like it. He's had an awesome season. I'd rather have him wearing single digits or in the 90s, 24, don't love, but, listen, to each his own. Should the Lions give all the linemen numbers in the 40s? That way no one has to declare. Again, I'm no rules expert.

Not everyone can be eligible, right? you have to have five people on the line of scrimmage that block that aren't eligible. You can have six people eligible. One including, you know, is always the quarterback. So you usually have five players, whether that's running backs, tight ends, wide receivers. I think there's a DM I was kind of scrolling through that asks me, why don't you have a guy eligible every single play, you know, an offensive lineman? Why would you want your offensive linemen?

They're way easier to cover. They don't move as well. Even if you get like Lane Johnson or Jason Kelsey in this prime, it's like they don't move as well as wide receivers and tight ends. So it's, I think we're overthinking this a little bit. We're overthinking. Ref screwed up. Lions got a little over aggressive, had multiple guys taking up their hands, even though that's allowed. Listen, screw up, referees constantly, nothing new.

But just listen, I don't think it's as complicated as we're making it. I've been wanting to write into the mailbag for a while, but I had a conversation. I wanted your opinion on. Been a long time Penn State fan. And just today we got Julian Fleming in the transfer portal. A coworker of mine went ballistic about how he thinks a guy who went to Ohio State should not be welcome

and that if he wasn't good enough there, he should lay in his grave. Quote, I think he means stay there, right? I'm on the belief that anything that could potentially elevate this team, especially in offense, is never a bad thing. What are your thoughts? Keep up the amazing work. We live in different times, right?

In the history of the sport pre-NIL and the transfer rule where you don't have to sit out, I would say most transfers, because when I got to Fresno State, we had a couple guys that were like Oregon transfers. They turned out to not be very good players, but when you get a chance to get a bounce back at a smaller school, you kind of take them, right? Because you never could have recruited the guy out of high school. It turns out like they didn't play. there for a reason. They couldn't play for you. They weren't any good. Now it's a lot different, right? You get

Jordan Addison's, you get, you get high-end players, non-quarterbacks transferring all the time. I do understand the older players going, like, if I went to a school, especially a good school, right, let's pick the top 20 schools. Like if you go to Oregon, you go to Washington, you go to USC, you go to Penn State, I know they're not winning any real games, but they're a real program. Ohio State, Michigan, Bama, Georgia, LSU, right, Texas, Oklahoma. And then I transfer to a direct rival. A little weird.

Because you're taught at those programs. Like, if you go to LSU, you're taught to fucking hate Florida and hate Alabama, right? Then, well, what if I transferred Alabama? Now, I understand once you get money, it kind of shows you we're just kind of numb to everything. Which I do think, the big picture, like one problem, listen, I can talk about problems in the NBA

as much as anyone not name Ethan Sherwood Strauss. The NBA, when I was a kid, when it was humming, Michael Jordan, carrying the league, making it as big as the NFL, everyone hated each other, right? Even though Michael would, like, play golf with Charles Barkley during the finals, it turns out he was playing mental warfare

because he tried to kill him on the court and he ultimately did. But like, the same guys stayed at the same places forever, and they develop rivalries. You do Gary Payton and Sean Kemp and Reggie Miller, and his crew, and Scotty and Michael and Patrick Ewing, and you just have these same guys on the team forever.

In college football, historically, the same guys on the team until they graduated or went pro. Now, you know, you have, like, I play at USC, it's like, oh, shit, I'll go to Oregon. I was like, it's a little weird, right? Like, it'd be really weird to go Michigan, Ohio State, or Alabama to Georgia, but it's going to happen. It's inevitable.

Now you can say money talks, shit walks, and it's true, or Texas and Oklahoma. but I wouldn't say it's diluted the product but if you're the other team and you think the guy's an upgrade what are you going to do say no I understand the coaches wanting him like I do think from a player standpoint be a little weird

but maybe I'm just kind of old maybe you just numb to everything because we do it in industries all the time jump around competition it's all about money it's all about having success so maybe it's not that crazy I don't know the specific player I'm not super locked into every college roster.

But if you're Penn State and you can get one of Ohio State's good players, what are you going to do? Say no. It's just bizarre. I get where older players, I heard T-Bob on snaps talking about this, like we were bred to hate certain teams.

Despise them. Right? So if you transfer into our program, I'm supposed to like you? It's kind of weird. But it's 2024, different times. I enjoy. your insights on the NFL. That being said, I have to question why you think the bills are scary,

but you can't trust the Chiefs. If you're given the bills a chance because of their quarterback, how does that not apply to Mahomes? When I say scary, it's because I've seen their high-end this season a couple weeks ago against Dallas, and that was better than the Chief's high-in. Like the Chiefs offensively have just kind of sucked this year, and they have an all-time great offensive coach. They have an all-time great quarterback. I was watching last week, MVS twice on a crossing route that he would have walked in the end zone, it went right off his belly, hit the ground. It's like, whenever I read on social media, like, why do they keep playing him?

They don't have anyone else. I mean, they're not doing this because they don't have a choice. I just think this year, their snake bit. It just feels a little bit like their snake bit. It does, the Chiefs. They won the division easily. They're down as 10 wins and a playoff victory. Do you know how many teams in the league?

league would line up. That's your shitty season. If I was a betting man right now, Chiefs are win a playoff game. I think the Bills beat the Dolphins. Then the Chiefs beat the Dolphins in the first round. And then depending on the matchup, I don't think the Chiefs would be a lock

not to win another game. But I would say this year does feel like more than likely they'd be out in round two. Could they easily win two playoff games? Hell yeah. Elite coach, elite quarterback, defensive, but their receivers can't catch. I mean, Valde Scantling, that drop he had on Sunday, the guy would have walked into the end zone.

Listen, it's football guys drop balls. Every time you watch the Chiefs, the ball's on the ground. They lead the league in drops. And it's not because they don't have good offensive coaching. They have elite offensive coaching. They have elite offensive scheme. They have an elite quarterback. Their offensive line personnel-wise is kind of struggled this year, too.

Is there something stopping a lineman from a report? porting every play. I just think this gets back to, we're kind of overthinking it because it's the topic of the moment. You don't want, one, some of the best players in the other team

are consistently their defensive linemen. So you're going to want your best offensive linemen blocking. So more often than not, the lions are going to want Decker to block your pass rusher, right? And two, he's not getting open consistently. Right? The reason you do the trickeration,

you did this back in the day with J.J. Watt, you do it now with some tackle eligibles. It's because it's a trickeration. If you constantly do it, like, I can run past plays all day long with Tyreek or Devante Adams or my, you know, David Nogoku. Because they can get open. Part of it's getting open. And most offensive linemen can't get open without, you know, deception, right? And that's why the tackle eligible play is about deception. It's not because these guys are good at getting open.

You're good at what you practice, right? What do offensive line practice? Blocking. I've heard other pundits say it doesn't make sense for the NFL refs to be full time, because they only need them to work one day a week. My question is, why couldn't get them do training three or four days a week? Going over game tape, reviewing the rulebook, or even playing dodgeball so they are agile enough not to trip over Lamar Jackson. I would imagine a lot of these guys work throughout the week, spend time studying their craft. Maybe I'm naive, maybe I'm wrong.

Maybe they don't do shit. But I would guess you don't just memorize, you know, the the rulebook. You're constantly going over that. You're constantly doing some stuff throughout the week. Kind of like a side job. I would imagine some people listening have a normal W-2 job and have a side hustle. And you spend time on the side however many hours, 5, 10, 20 hours on the side doing stuff. I would imagine, now, this is, you know, it feels different than a side hustle. I just don't know, like, all-day game tape. They're just not going to do that. I think a lot of this, stuff sounds good in theory. It's like academia. A lot of stuff you go

into a classroom makes perfect sense. You're an econ 101 or accounting. Like, oh, that makes perfect sense. Then you get in the real world. You're like, yeah, they ain't going to work. So it made a little more sense on the whiteboard. It happens in football too. You draw a playup on the whiteboard. Then you get out and it's like, well, that made a lot more sense until fucking Roquan Smith was running at me.

You know, that made a lot more sense until my right tackle whiffed and T. Watt was in my earhole. So I doing game tape, practicing the rules. I think they're doing that. I just think it's one of those jobs that you could invest more. I don't think the ROI changed as much.

I truly believe that. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't think making them full time. What would they do all week? What would they do all week? I just don't know what they would do all week. They would justify. Because one, some of these guys

probably making three, four, 500 grand. off the field, you're going to pay them a million dollars. Is the ROI, does anything change? I think a lot of people think that it would just be seamless. No chance. We're dealing with human beings. Some of the best athletes in the world going rapid speed.

They're going to be screw-ups. I've said it forever. As a fan, you hate it when the refs screw up. Your coaches, the players, hate it when the refs grew up. Me, as someone, if I'm betting on the game, game or rooting for a team or against, it pisses me off. The league office does not care.

They do not care. Money is flowing, ratings are up. They're not changing. And the owners ultimately ain't going to pay more. Do you think the NFL will ever address the half the distance penalty? At the end of the Lions Cowboys game, they were on the two. And then they were penalized five yards back to the seven. Then the Cowboys were penalized five yards, but the Lions were only given

half the distance. So only back to the three and a half. Seems if you commit a five-yard penalty and your opponents immediately commits a five-yard penalty, the ball should go back to the two. It's a very interesting question. I don't quite understand. Now, I'm sure the logic in the competition committee and when all the coaches and the GMs and the officials are in there, make sense to me. You get the penalty for screwing up, even though they technically didn't screw up the refs did, but they might have because he might not have been covered, but we're not going to keep getting into that. If you go to the 7, well, then you commit a penalty, and, you know, because it's not 10

yards, we don't get an even amount, I only get to go half the distance. I'm with you. It should go right back to the 2. Even Lions fans have to admit, going for the 2 at the 7, little nuts, little crazy. Kind of stupid. Broncos fan, we're going to draft a quarterback this year. I absolutely fell in love with Pennix this year, especially. especially in the Texas game.

But his injury history scares me. I can't help but think Bo Nix is a better pick, especially for Payton's system. What's your thoughts? I think Michael Panix would be really good and shot Peyton's system. He gets rid of the ball fast, he processes quick and he's very accurate.

So even if it's Dinkin and Duncan, or short passes, like, he's good at that. And he adds a vertical element. I think the Bo Nix thing gets back to the Oregon thing that quarterbacks make me nervous. I'll never forget Mariotta, who's, you know,

you could argue one of the best. best players in the history of the program. I thought he was kind of overrated. Wasn't very accurate. If you watched him play, he missed some passes. And physically, unlike Herbert, he wasn't as thick, didn't have as big of an arm. And that offense, guys are just wide open.

More often than not. Because they're just a well-coated offensive machine, and they have been for a long time. You know, with this staff and obviously previous staffs with Chip Kelly, and even early on in the Hellford years. but the Bo Nix thing would scare me a little bit. To me, Pinnix is dramatically a better prospect. But I do think Nix would have some similarities

with what I think he always wanted when it came to Taysam Hill. Nick's a better passer. Tassum's bigger. Now, Tassum's 40 years old at this point. But, I mean, legitimate, I think Tassum's like 34 years old. I could see Bo Nix. I can see Sean Pade like Bo Nix.

I think Bo Nix is, an interesting guy. I think the Oregon offense, a little bit like the Ohio State offense, makes people nervous. What do you think about the Patriots keeping both bills, keeping both bills and drafting Michael Pennix at number three, whether they end up wherever they end up? I honestly believe that if Pennix was on the Patriots this year, they could have won 9 to 10 games. Hell, they would have swept the bills this past week. I have Pennix as my number one player in this coming draft but totally get Caleb being the number one because it's a better prospect and Pennix has the injury history. But from watching Pennix, I think he's going to be

next year Stroud Burrow Luck. Well, I would say Stroud would be different than Burrow or Luck because Burrow and Luck were viewed as Locke number one picks and then went in and immediately were sweet. Stroud, while he went number two, I think there were a lot of question marks on him. I don't think there were any question marks with Burrow or Luck. I think when the dust settles how does Pennix not go number five overall? Like I said, I think he easily could go two. Maybe, listen, the draft is about, you know, traits as much as it is what you do on the field,

which is crazy, but someone's going to fall in love with this guy. He's going to get drafted really high. The only thing to me that could really derail teams from his scent would be if medical is like he has a degenerate knee, which happens sometimes. It happens to running backs who have had knee. injuries. They go to the combine, they go to the medical check, and it sets off red flag alarms. And if there are buzz or word that we don't know if his knee will hold up for a second contract,

that could derail the situation. Now, as we've seen, like, doctors aren't always right. They said Drew Breeze was never going to be the same. That's why the Miami Dolphins didn't sign him. I'd say that turned out pretty well. Now, 15, 20 years later, I saw Drew Breeze's shoulder doesn't even work now. I can't even throw his kids. So they just, they were just off on the timeline. Hey, didn't Hardball lose an NFC championship game in the rain having a rookie catch and fumble punts? Didn't he almost blow the game having a fucking freshman fumble a punt on the three?

The dude deserves to get a 35 to 3 beat down in the finals. Well, I think if you go back to Kyle Williams, who was the returner against the New York Giants in Eli's second Super Bowl, the Niners' offensive weaponry was not great. they did not, it wasn't exactly like Debo, Iuke, you know, and company. Their wide receivers suck. So he was out there, I would say, more on necessity than him just throwing back a rookie. It was also pouring rain.

Listen, it's easy to blame special teams coaches. I like doing it. You like doing it. Eventually the player has to use his head, right? Like, what are you doing? One, I think the player freaked out because he called a fair catch. They weren't even that close to him. I think he kind of just had a mental brain fart,

calls fair catch, then just gets scared, drops the ball, and let's face it, they got very lucky. If they would have lost on either a safety, whether he had fumbled it in, picks it up,

and they tackled him, or he fumbles it and they fell on it and touchdown, and that's how Harbaugh lost that game, I think that would have been the worst loss in the history of football. Beside Harbaugh's play against Michigan State, then you get a punt block for a touchdown or a field goal block for a touchdown like his first or second year. I forget the exact moment, but definitely had one of those.

Longtime Eagles fan. Very disappointed with their recent performances and coaching. What are your thoughts on Harbaugh of the Eagles? Seems like a good fit. Can Howie and Lurie pull it off? I would be a little stunned on that one. I don't see that. I don't see that happening.

I don't see that happening. I think even if Siriani were to lose out, lose the Giants and then losing the first round, he's coming back. He's coming back. I mean, just a month ago, he was 10 and 1. But I do think he'd be in major trouble. I do think he's getting another year.

But like I said, you know, on the podcast part, if your head coach is an offensive coach and your offense is a question, your quarterback's underachieving, like that's kind of a reflection of the head guy. Being a head coach is about more than just motivation. It's about scheming. and developing and improving.

And right now, Siriani feels like he's kind of dropping the ball on that one. I would be stunned if Siriani, no matter how ugly it gets. I guess if they got shut out this weekend and shut out in the playoffs, you never say never. But Jim Harbott, Philly,

I don't quite feel that one. This is a real question. Would you have sex with Brock Purdy's log of poop in the toilet? Thanks. And keep up the good work. That's a real DM I just got. Question for the 3-N-Out podcast. I'm a Washington Commander fan, sadly.

What quarterback would we go after in the draft? At number two, we're not going to get Caleb Williams, but I'm not convinced Drake May is as good as advertised. I agree. Do you recommend we get Mayor Daniels in round one or shore up our O line and try to get a guy like Bo Nix in round two? He also said Pennix, but I think it's pretty clear.

Penix's not going to be there. I'd say this all the time. Anytime we have these questions, Patriots, commanders, any offseason question, until I know who your coach is, it's a wasted exercise. Like to me, commanders, obviously Ron's getting fired Monday morning. Who's their next coach? Who's their next coach? If you told me Bill Belichick's in our coach,

I could see him just loading up the roster and playing a season with Sam Howell or drafting a guy in the mid-rounds. I do not think he'd be a lock to take a quarterback in number two. Do not think it. but if you told me like Ben Johnson was their next coach, they would take a quarterback. A young coach more likely to take a quarterback to me than even Jim Harbaugh. If you told me Jim Harbaugh was the next coach,

I could see him taking like an offensive lineman. So until we know the coach, the management structure of any team, it's impossible to guess what's going to happen moving forward. It really is. And I think obviously Oakland or Vegas Chargers, who else? him. It's a temper,

commanders, you know, the Saints, if they miss the playoffs, he's getting fired. You know, the Patriot situation. I'm sure there are going to be

several others that we don't even quite, Atlanta. It's just impossible to know. Chicago, even guessing, like, well, who's making the decision? Who's making the decision? Because if you tell me

the Bears win this weekend and they bring everybody back, like, yeah, maybe they do keep Fields. It fields outplays Jordan Love. Because if he outplays Jordan Love, you feel pretty good about it. Like, that's the guy you got to beat.

Jordan Love's not going anywhere. He's through 30 touchdown. So if we can beat him on the road in Lambo when they got a win to get into the playoffs, maybe he survives. How did Tomlin have Mason Rudolph as a third-st-train quarterback coming into the season? I know he has only played two games at this point,

but he's clearly an improvement over Trubisky and even picket. The mismanagement is the reason I feel the Steelers need to move on from Tomlin. If you want to argue with me about Trubisky, and I've seen some common, whenever I've said that Trubisky's contract is the worst in the NFL. And people like, Deshawn Watson, Russell Wilson.

Well, these guys are starting quarterbacks. Deshawn's obviously not, wasn't very good this year. But when he played, their team won't, they went like five and one. Russell's not a $50 million guy, but you play him, he can throw touchdowns, he can keep you in games. You start Trubisky, you are guaranteed to lose. Guaranteed to lose. That's with T.J. Watt, Fitzpatrick.

some other good players, High Smith. Guaranteed to lose. Guaranteed. Not just lose, but look fucking terrible. $8 million. You paid $8 million for a guarantee loss.

Yeah, Russell's overpaid, but I can win a game. Deshawn Watson's overpaid. I can win a game. You lose. You miss the playoffs because of Mr. You don't even sniff the playoffs if he's your starter.

And when you make him your backup, he's one snap away from starting the whole season. So you can't blame Matt. Matt Canada for that. I do not believe you can blame the ownership for that. Maybe there was organizational pressure from the new GM. I don't know. I'm with you.

That move, it'd be one thing if like, you know, they haven't looked that much better. They've won it. They look dramatically better. They look, like this team would be a real wildcard team. This version is like, God, if they were the six-seat, could they beat the Chiefs with this Masonville? I don't know if they could, but.

You would take them seriously. If I'm a Steeler fan, I'm pretty pissed off. Right? Listen, can he picket underachieves? You drafted him, you had to play him, whatever. The moment he gets hurt, we not only went to Trubisky, we went with him for a while. What was the game?

Oh, it was the Colts game. When they threw in Mason at the end, the like two minutes left to go in the game. Why didn't we fucking do this at halftime? That game alone cost you the playoffs. if you could have just went to him in the bullpen at halftime. There was his loyalty to Trubisky like he was Rafflesberger. Crazy.

Michael Lombardi mentioned that Vrabel's contract is up. If true, he'd be a top candidate for most teams, no? Chargers, yeah. One thing's pretty clear is the buzz on Vrable was not that he was going to get fired, which kind of felt like a couple months ago. It's like, what's going on there? He doesn't like it. right and what he clearly doesn't like the structure something with ownership this new GM

and he's got options because anytime you've won playoff games you have his resume as a player you have his respect around the league he would be a lock hire you could argue if him and Tomlin were available like who would you rather have same same similar guy right in terms of just tough old school the other thing if Arthur Smith gets hot fired if you're Mike Brable, you just bring Arthur Smith as your offensive coordinator. And after what we just witnessed in Atlanta, I mean, Arthur Smith, he ain't getting another job for a couple years. So you basically get Arthur Smith and Brable.

It's why I think Belichick is kind of interesting as a head coach. Obviously, he's Bill Belichick, but he gets to reunite with Josh McDaniels if he wants to. So part of it's a package deal. If I'm going to hire a defensive coach, who's your offensive coordinator? That's why I like, you know, Collins big thing on offensive coaches. because when I hire you, you call the place. I give Sean Payton $90 million. Listen, we might have issues.

I know that guy's calling the place. Andy Reed, McVeigh, Kyle, LaFleurre. What the fuck's Ariane doing? Even Daibol, CEO head coach. Your offense is terrible. Daible's offense is atrocious. You're the offense of coach. Your defense is good.

The defense's court doesn't want to be there anymore. I think we'll end on that. So keep firing those DMs at John Middilcoff. Have a good, uh, Hopefully everyone's having a good week. We only get to say Happy New Year for a couple more days. So happy New Year. See you soon.

The volume. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. People are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year,

unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. It 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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