The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Patriots rebuild, Ranking the AFC QB's, It's all about the money

Episode Date: December 6, 2023

John opens up the mailbag for a special podcast full of your questions. Have you ever wondered what the lead up to the an NFL game is for a player or coach, well John fills you in, what does the Lions future look like if Ben Johnson leaves after the season, what does a New England Patriot rebuild look like, and is Brock Purdy a more athletic Drew Brees. College Football Seeding - 5:12 Pre-game prep - 11:15 Lions future without Ben Johnson - 13:35 Kellen Moore - 19:45 How to rebuild the Patriots - 25:22 Ranking AFC Quarterbacks's - 30:05 OSU-Michigan hype - 31:50 Best case for Kenny Pickett - 40:28 More Brock Purdy hate - 44:31 Sports are all about money - 49:00 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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Terms at Sportsbook. Dotrafkings.com slash football terms. What is going on? Here's the deal. We're going to go a mailbag-heavy podcast. So if you're watching this on YouTube, make sure you subscribe to the podcast.

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any one you want to see and again promo code John $20 off save yourself some money don't even need to thank you just hammer that promo code this is from Henry John just an observation I had from the pro Florida state crowd I keep hearing

this argument imagine if the NFL had a committee who decided playoff seating how unfair that would be I think to equate an NFL record to a college football record and is asinine and why strength of schedule matters so much. The worst teams in the NFL get to reload through the draft and more importantly there are 32 teams, not 120 plus.

Just wanted your thoughts by comparison. Well, I think it's pretty simple, man. This year, the craziest part about this college football setup is that we never really had this happen over the years. there were five power five conferences there were four slots in the NFL for example you don't need a committee because

every division is represented I've thought forever if you're under 500 and you win your division if there are seven teams or forever it was six now it's seven with better records than you not only do not deserve a home playoff game I wouldn't let you in the fucking playoffs why do you deserve a playoff seed

just because your division sucks in college football we never rewarded that If your conference was terrible and you weren't any good, you were irrelevant, right? If your division's good and you win it, you get the one or two seed. Right. So the NFL rewards division winners and then obviously several wildcards. And like you said, it's not comparable. Everyone is picking from the same core of players, right?

They are all equal partners. Everyone in the National Football League has enough money to fill out their salary cap. College football is not equal. Right? Now, ultimately, though, we're talking about Florida. State, which is a traditional power, different from Alabama, Oregon, and Georgia. And I said it because a lot of people are going, well, how did Georgia go from one to six? They didn't go from one to six. The committee just put them there because they wanted to lessen the freak out. They believed in that

room Georgia was better than Florida State because you can't believe that Texas and Alabama were better and Georgia's not. Of course they did. That to me move was 100% about optics. And I've said over and over, I understand Florida State being Matt and I understand saying our defense, we could have made hay, and maybe you would. It's why you play the games. Games aren't played on paper, right? Anyone who's ever gambled, anyone

who's ever been a fan of a team, going, we can't lose this game and then you lose. It's sports, right? Florida State in theory 100% could have won one of these games. You can't have a 17 point underdog when you have options for other teams that are equals. You just can't. Fair or not.

And I've said over and over, people get mad, life's not fair. Like, I've been fired in life. Was it fair? No. Did it benefit me in the long run? 100%. This is going to sound like I'm an a-hole, but that moment for those guys inside would be the best thing that ever happened to them in life. Some of those guys will become very, very successful businessman because of that moment. And all the stuff that they put into and still getting screwed over. Welcome to the real world. Welcome to the private sector. Welcome to America. Now, where I truly, truly believe, like, the ACC conference has been dead for a while.

Florida State, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina, they've won it out. It's an irrelevant conference. I got news for it. The Big 12 kind of sucks, too. Get ready, moving forward. The Big Ten and the SEC are going to continue to dominate all these slots, and they should.

Right? So, compared to the NFL, the NFL is nothing in common with college football, besides throwing a ball forward and trying to score touchdowns and get first downs. But the actual, business around the sport, they're not even close to comparable. So, listen, did Florida State, as a player coach, do I understand why they feel they got screwed?

1,000 percent. Am I glad? The best thing about football is they've always done what's best for us to consumer. And that was a move for all of us that ultimately pay the bills. All this money comes from television. And, you know, I saw Florida State might sue because they lost up to $8 to $10 million, the difference of going to the Orange Bowl. and the difference of going to the BCS.

While that sucks, the reason that money exists is because we consume it. And I'd much rather watch Alabama, Michigan, and so would every single other person not bias toward Florida State. So it was a pro-consumer move. It was the right move from a competitive standpoint. And I'm glad they did it. I really am. And that's saying, I'm a Florida State.

I follow the program very closely. I'm not some Florida State hater, but you can't roll out your backup and third-string quarterback and expect us to take you seriously. Ohio State. Yeah, didn't they win the game like 60 to 20 with Cardell Jones back in the day? I'm sorry, you just Louisville. Louisville's pretty good.

They just lost to Kentucky, who the entire fan base of Texas A&M wanted to throw a mutiny and burn down the program if they hired Kentucky's coach, who literally just beat that team. So it's not necessarily overreactions because there is an argument. They went undefeated. And a conference is terrible. In a god-awful conference. and their quarterback shattered his leg.

So I just don't have any other way to say it by they did the right thing. I truly believe that. And we benefit the most. Those of us that watch, which is millions upon millions of people that our time provides the money. Been listening to you since you were on Colin's feed. Comment, the last week's post show with Colin was your best. It seemed like you kind of been holding back filtering during your conversations. Understandable.

the big boss. It was awesome to hear you getting fired up, swearing, pushing back on some of his takes. Keep it up. Question, I think I let it rip. It's hard sometimes on Zoom to, you know, just you got, they're not necessarily, there's, there's a little like, I mean, it's a quarter second delay. The conversation, it is a little different than if I was just sitting there with them, but like I'm not, I never think I hold back. Uh, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. How many hours before a game do NFL players and coaches show up? Is it different for primetime games? I'd say the rule of thumb in major college football in the NFL, there's a thing called the pregame meal, which if you're a high school kid, you do the same thing. It's usually four hours before the game. You know, if you're a

road team, right, you eat it in the hotel. So there's a meal four hours before the game in the hotel. And then after the meal, about 30 minutes, there are rotating buses that take people to the game. So if you, I don't know, usually stadiums let fans in two hours before, but like when I worked for a team or was a media guy, I could get their way earlier. There are players on the field, give or take three hours before the game. If you get to an NFL stadium and kickoff is at one o'clock and you are on the field at 10 to 10.15, there are guys starting to kind of do their warm up. So usually they eat an hour before and then they get to the game. And then assistant coaches kind of come out. Some assistant coaches get there and work out, run the stadium.

Usually don't see the head coach until the entire team comes out in pads. And when I say three hours before the game, these guys are in shorts and t-shirts, right? Playing catch, stretching, just doing kind of their individual. It's not like as a group. Sometimes there are two guys that work out together. Sometimes, like, you know, when I used to do a lot of Raiders pre-and-post game stuff, you get there and like to start quarterback for the other team would be out there playing catch with maybe the assistant quarterback coach, sometimes the backup quarterback.

It's a pretty loose environment. You can bullshit with the coaches and the players. It's a great time when I had a radio show. You can get pretty good information. You know, whether you know a coach or you just kind of, you know, kind of introduce yourself with assistance. It's a pretty, it's pretty relaxed. I wouldn't compare it.

The most relaxed thing in all of sports is batting practice in baseball, in Major League Baseball. You can talk to anybody at any time. It's pretty cool. Football is not really like that. aside three, two and a half hours before a game. Very, very loose time. Now, some players are, you know, I don't know if you'd like pick James Harrison's brain in

that moment, but a lot of guys, it's kind of the calm before the storm. And then once they come back out with pads on, it's kind of on with Donkey Kong as they come out as a unit. So, interesting question. Heard you bring up an interesting point about Ben Johnson, leaving and Detroit needing to get the right offensive coordinator. just to keep an eye out for Dan taking over play calling duties. He did it in the final three games two years ago with a lot of success.

Sneaky smart offensive play caller despite the meathead allegations. I agree, Dan Campbell's not a meathead. There's a difference between being a meathead and a football guy. You know, part of being a football guy, if you're a former player, is having some meathead characteristics. Right? Got to eat a lot, don't sleep much, and lift a lot. You know, Vrable, Dan Campbell, have that.

It doesn't mean intellectually you're not curious. You don't have a high capacity for knowledge relative to football. But let's be real. If they lose Ben Johnson, it is a question mark if it's a downgrade. Whether Campbell takes over, whether they hire someone else, it is a major wildcard. I don't remember, I would imagine they were pretty bad. Didn't they fire Anthony Lynn and then he elevated himself? I do think it's risky.

Now, I do think it's a good thing that he can do it, right? If you feel good about it, now time would tell. Here's the other thing. There are expectations with this team. So they're going to make the playoffs this year. They're going to win the division, and they're going to host a playoff team. And let's say they win a playoff game. And then they lose to the Cowboys, Eagles, or 49ers.

You would say the Detroit Lions had their most successful season since 1991. If they win a playoff game, this is their most successful season in over 30 years. That's incredible. Like Dan Campbell should get a massive contract extension. But next year, if Ben Johnson leaves, expectations come. And there were expectations this year, and they lived up to it, and they've been good. But next year, losing the offensive coordinator kind of puts him under the microscope

if that's what he chooses to do. For example, Siriani is pretty good at just, you know, basically removing himself from that situation. He sucked at it, gave it to Shane Steichen, who's good at it. This year, they hired an offensive coordinator who was already on the staff, but still. So when the offense sucks, it's not really his fault. It's like, well, we've got to figure out Brian Johnson, we've got to get on the same page. The moment you name yourself as the offensive coordinator, you better produce.

We talk about guys like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVeigh, LaFleur, Sean Payton, Andy, whoever is also the head coach who's calling the plays, there's like an extra level of criticism, especially when you're a playoff level team. See what's Brandon Staley? What's the number one question he gets asked? Are you going to keep calling the defense? If he wasn't calling the defense,

the question you'd be asking, are you going to fire your defensive coordinator? So when there's like a buffer between you and the responsibility, even though ultimately it's your responsibility because you're the head coach. So it's going to be fascinating. I'm not, I don't remember that.

I mean, I remember him calling plays in terms of like the headline. I don't really remember watching the Detroit Lions that much when they were terrible. Why in the world is Oregon playing Liberty in a bowl game? Why wouldn't they get a bowl game versus Florida State or LSU? Their third strings are going to be throttling them by the midway through the second quarter thoughts. Because one of the rules right now, and this is what the 12-team playoff is going to eliminate, is the highest ranked non-power 5 team.

So early in the season when Fresno State was like 4-0, it was like, we're going to the Fiesta Bowl. The number one ranked non-power 5 team, which would include Liberty, the Boise State, San Diego States, Fresno State, like that level of team. Appalachian State

was, gets to go to a New Year's Day 6th Bowl and specifically the Fiesta Bowl. Well, all these bowl games have ties with conferences. So if you are the number two team in the PAC 12, right, it might even be the Pac-12 champion, but if the Pac-12 champion goes to the playoff, it's the next. And obviously, Washington is going to the playoffs,

so it gets Oregon. Now, I think Liberty might be pretty good. I'd be lying if I've watched them play. As someone who's gambled for many, many years on bowl games, I would be very careful about saying stuff like that. Because for Oregon, when you lose, like, why I'd give Florida State a champ. one, it's pretty devastating that they lost.

But if I'm Mike Norvell, the thing I'd be saying, we go fucking beat Georgia, we put it on them, we win that game 20 to 10, we're going to look at the committee and say, you screwed up, and we're going to claim we're the national champions. That, to me, would be my message for the next 30 base. Well, if you're Georgia, it's like you just, back-to-back national championships,

you just lost Alabama, I have a hard time thinking their players, to take this game that seriously. I actually liked Florida State plus whatever in that game. 1,000%. Oregon, their game plan was beat Washington and go to the playoffs. That was what they were thinking, all the way up until when the game ended and everyone's in tears.

Why? They realize they're not in the playoffs. Now they go to the Fiesta Bowl, which in theory is a good bowl game, but if you're one of the players on Oregon, one of the coaches, you're like, that sucks. We had planned on going to play Texas or Michigan. Now we're playing Liberty? I haven't even looked at that line yet, got news for you, kind of like Liberty.

Really do. Especially, if it's like double digits, I think that's a pretty good bet. Not going to lie. Long time listener, back to the days when your shows were only on Collins feed, a long time ago. Even though I don't think that ever was the case, we always had our own feed, but I hear you. I'm currently stationed in Japan and don't get to stay up to date with as much sports talk due to being deployed for more than half. the year, so if this has been discussed already, but my question is regarding Kellynne Moore. Well, we appreciate your service.

For years, there seemed to be a lot of support for Kellan to become a head coach because some thought he was an offensive genius and for the work he had done with Dak. It even seemed like Jerry kept him on the staff after McCarthy hired him as a backup plan if it didn't pan out. Now that he's with the Chargers, is it ironic that Dak is having arguably the best season of his career without Kellyn. And Justin Herbert has seemed to flatten out this season in his first season with him.

I wouldn't necessarily say Herbert has regressed and many still consider him a top five quarterback, but it seems like he's just off. Would you love to hear your take on this. I've always said this about Kellynne Moore. I'm biased. And there is a group of coaches I'm just biased toward. And they all kind of stem from the West Coast.

And I worked at Fresno State, so we played Boise State. I think Chris Peterson is easily one of the best coaches of his generation. And no different than, like, Chris Peterson was created by working for Jeff Tedford. Jeff Tedford, who originally hired Chris Peterson at Oregon, who went to Boise State, hired Jonathan Smith. Jonathan Smith, who, you know, was one of the coaches there when Kellan Moore was there. All these guys are interconnected, and I think they're all sweet.

I think they're all badasses. I think Kalin Dubour is a good example, who, worked for Jeff Tedford. All these guys have the combination. Tedford, Chris Peterson, Jonathan Smith, Kalin Dubour, intellectual toughness. They are smart guys, but their ethos as a football coach is a tough guy. That's Andy Reid. He loves passing the ball, but he loves, he's a former offensive lineman, loves blue chip defensive players, loves physical offensive lineman. Kyle Shanahan, offensive mind loves defensive players. Sean McVeigh, same thing. I want I want my offensive coach to have a defensive identity.

And when I watch Kellyn Moore, who I've always rooted for because I saw him play in college, I thought he's one of the best college players I've ever seen. He was fucking remarkable. He was dominant. I do think when you watch his team play, he's got a little more like Lincoln Riley, Mike Leach, than he does the tough guy element that those guys that I listed have. and listen part of Chris Peterson's DNA when he was at Boise and then when he went to Washington loved trick plays

like Kellen Moore the other day might have been two weeks ago the Chargers ran that like downfield double pass which is awesome that's something Chris Peterson would do and I'm all for trick plays because as the monotony of the season goes adding a trick play just puts life into a practice puts life into a meeting room

but I do think there's a fine line and I think Kellan Moore there's more of a softness to the way that he philosophically believes in football, then maybe I had wished for. And listen, McCarthy's resume speaks for herself. We can nitpick them all we want. Sometimes his teams are definitely a little loosey-goosey down the stretch.

He's a good football coach. He really is. We've seen him do it with Aaron Rogers, and we've seen him doing it again with Dak Prescott. His teams win. Now, can they win the whole thing? I mean, I know he won one a long time ago, but it's right in front of them.

They could beat the Eagles on Sunday and be in position, right, to get that rematch with the 49ers after getting their ass kicked and losing multiple years in a row in the playoffs. But I don't know what to say. I would say Kellyn Moore's, when I say reputation, I mean as a coach and like the stock of him as a coach.

Like for example, UCLA, there was this five-star Deonté Moore, I think I'm saying his name right, last name more, five-star quarterback who was supposed to go to Oregon. UCLA, I think, paid him a bunch of NIL money and he came to UCLA. So one of the biggest recruits they've got in a long time. Well, he was terrible this season.

And I saw it either today or yesterday, he entered the transfer portal. Well, his stock was super high last year. Oregon wanted him. Probably a ton of teams in the country would have taken him. UCLA got him. Then he actually played. You're like, what is going up? Like, part of Kellyn Moore the last couple years, like, I think he's pretty good.

But it's like McCarthy's an offensive guy too. So the influence he's having. I'm not acting like Kellan Moore is a village idiot now, and he's not a good coach. But I definitely don't quite look at his star. the same. I would say it's dimmed a little bit. And I was always someone, I would say, that supported them in the general conversation. Because when you're in that position with the Dallas Cowboys, the biggest brand in the league, it's a polarizing conversation. I've been following the podcast, YouTube content for a couple of years now. Always love your stuff. When you brought up Kelsey a little

bit of a decline from its prime years as a tight end, I don't get why people got so bad. And for those of you that don't know, it kind of went viral because the daily mail picked up a line that I gave coward about, uh, that I think he's getting old. And listen, I'm a Kelsey fan, but people were like saying I crushed him. I said, I think he's a little old. You know, he used to be an A plus player, and now he's like a B plus. And every chief, I don't even know what the podcast or YouTube show, everyone was picking up. Jason Dunn, a guy that I always used to like as a player, I still I mean, he was the blocking tight end for Tony Gonzalez was shitting on me, which, you know, it's just part of the deal playing in this lane.

But people thought, I think Jason Kelsey or Travis Kelsey is not any good anymore, which is not true. Most athletes, especially in football, start declining in the mid-30s. So it just shouldn't be that shocking to folks. Just wanted to back you on that one. My question is, if it is your call, how would you go about rebuilding the New England Patriots? It's clearly an operation in need of restructuring, given how bad the football team? has been. Feel free to speculate. Well, obviously the first order of business is to separate from the coach.

It's just time. It just is. He's been there 25 years. It's over. And there's nothing wrong with that. Things end. The majority of things in life, right, the overwhelming majority percentage of people that, like, are happily married till their dying day is small. Most things come to an end. Hopefully, that turns out to be me. Hopefully, if you're listening, that turns out to be you. most things, whether it's business, whether it's our personal relationships, just end. You know, obviously you want them to go on forever. That's just not reality. So this thing with Belichick is over. Then I think you need to ask yourself, because the Patriots have not had a general

manager the entire time with Belichick. Scott Pioli was not the GM, Nick Casario was not the GM. They had a lot of influence. Bill picked the players. So if you're going to fire Bill, and even if you're going to elevate Gerard Mayo to be your next head coach, who is going to pick the players. Because the coach cannot. The coach obviously has a lot of influence, but he has to have a personnel guy that he can lean on. Pete Carroll

leans on John Schneider. It's ultimately his call. He makes more money than John. But John's proven himself to, I don't know, know what he's doing. So guess what? He listens to him. Andy Reid. Won two Super Bowls in the last five years. Brett Veach picks the players. Why? He trusts

him. He knows it's too much energy to do. And it makes everyone's job easier. if we all have a specific role. No different than as a player. They don't ask Patrick Mahomes to make tackles. And listen, Bill's gotten away with it for a long time because he had Tom Brady. You remove Tom Brady, we see most of his picks suck.

He's a really good defensive coordinator, but he can't pick the players. And you need to figure out a GM. Now, I do think, before you just elevate Gerard Mayo, are you sure that we don't need outside counsel? We don't need to start from scratch? Right, and that would be the question that only Belichick, or excuse me,

crafts can answer because all indications show that they are going to hire mail. Now, I don't know. I don't know enough about them besides, like, as a player and he obviously has been an assistant for Bill for a while, but it's a tough decision. I think the hardest part about the restructure is how you break up. Because breakups are not easy. Breaks are very easy if you talk to, you know, been dating a girl for two months. It's like, whatever.

I'm not that interested, right? this is not working out. Breakers are tough when you've been in a relationship with someone 25 years. Personally, professionally, it's going to get weird. There's pride, there's ego, there's sweat equity, there's time equity. It's just going to be very complicated. And to me, before we even get into who's next, how is this divorce going to happen? Is Bill going to go, fuck you, fire me.

I'm not going to be here. Or is it going to be like a mutual breakup? Is it going to be like, Bill, would you like, would you, like to go somewhere else, we'll trade you. To me, that's one of the most fascinating non-playoff stories of the entire NFL. How do the crafts break up with Bill Belichick? How does Bill Belichick break up with the crafts? I would say the crafts are more likely to be cutthroat than Bill is, I just don't think

Bill's going to tap out. I don't think Bill is going to be cool with like, yeah, I'm just retiring. Or just like, I'm cool with coaching somewhere else. And I think he is going to be cool with someone coaching somewhere else. but I think it's going to be start with when Robert and Jonathan tell him he's no longer welcome as their head coach. Too old, too rich to just for it to be smooth. As anyone who's known any older person with some coin in the bank. And I'm not talking Belichick level coin.

I'm just talking, hey, this guy made some millions, you know, with his, as a construction guy. Owned a construction company and he's really successful and he's, you know, he's worth $10 million. that guy is usually not open to ideas at 73 years old. You're talking Belichick, who is accomplished as he's accomplished, and been making, I don't know, $20, $25 million for the last decade? You think he's just going to be like, oh yeah, we'll just go our several ways. It's not the way those humans are wired. I've been around a few, not with probably the money bill is,

you know, making in terms of a salary, but very, very successful businessman, it usually gets ugly at the end. If they have to pivot and they just can't retire off in the sunset. and that's what coaches usually don't just tap out. Definitely not someone like Bill. AFC quarterbacks are really freaking loaded. Top guys all seem to be young with a long runway left. If you're a GM starting a franchise,

how would you rank the AFC quarterbacks on your draft board 1 to 5? Age, injury history, demeanor, talent, everything included. Big Texans fans, so I'm hoping you would pick CJ over Trevor Lawrence. I 100% would. I would go Mahomes, I would go, the injuries make me nervous, but I do think that Burrow is a more consistent player than Allen, but the injuries are a factor.

I would still, I guess I would just hope. It's a lot like Kevin Durant when he got injured early, you just kind of like, I'm still betting on the guy. So I would go Mahomes, Burrow, Josh Allen, Herbert, C.J. Stroud. I would take definitely C.J. Stroud over Trevor Lawrence when you factored in just the contract as well. But I think the top guys, I think that top three,

the only thing that can shatter that is injuries. Like, look at Josh Allen. Josh Allen's, what he did the other night against the Eagles, like who else, I don't even know if Mahomes has that in the bag right now. Like, Josh Allen's high end is the highest. Doesn't mean he's the best player, right?

Like, Janus, when he's playing defense and doing the whole thing, his best is probably the best. Like, this guy can score 40 and be the best defensive player in the league going to give a night? Now, is Yokic a better player? Like, all around? Yeah, but he's not a very good defensive player. So I think, listen, Mahomes is going to be number one until he's not. But I think Burrow, that game Burrough had against the Niners, you know, a couple weeks before he got injured, was like, Jesus Christ, this guy's good. Am I crazier does everyone give Michigan, Ohio State too much credit? Their schedules, these teams play are pitiful.

The Big Ten currently seems to be a graveyard of washed up programs. Why should we buy into the playoff hype when one play one or two games per year and that are a true test? Basically saying they only have one or two tests, true tests a year. Is that why it seems they're unprepared come playoff time? Ohio State almost beat Georgia last year. I agree the Big Ten, like those two teams are really good.

I think we have to acknowledge it. Those two teams are really, really good. they were this year, they were last year, relative to the rest of the country. Michigan, Ohio State could win there in any conference. Definitely four of the five. I don't know about the SEC, but they definitely, Ohio State has had years where they definitely would have won the SEC, Michigan. We're about to find out.

But it's not their fault that Wisconsin sucks, that Nebraska's a joke, that Iowa's offense looks like a high school offense. The Big Ten is going to be a lot better. You're not going to be able to hide as much with Kaelin Dubour, Oregon coming in, even USC, they're going to have so much more talent. Jonathan Smith now at Michigan State. I think it's going to be dramatically improved

in the next couple years. I was thinking this is where college football comes in. Like last year, the Eagles, remember their schedule was pretty easy? But if you watch football, you need to like, this team's pretty talented. Like, this team's a legit Super Bowl contender. He's got to watch them. Like, you can watch Michigan, Ohio State, and go, these teams are really good.

Whether they're beating the crap out of Rutgers or Maryland or whoever, their eye test is pretty obvious. And if you watch enough college football, it's pretty clear. Now, I'm in total agreement the Big Ten is pretty overrated. Here's my take always on like, what conference or which, yeah, which conference is better. No one cares about your depth. No one cares about the fourth team in your conference, right? Who are your best two teams and what are their ceilings?

That's what the SEC has always had. It's like, well, the SEC's overrated. Look at their fifth best team is Mississippi State or whatever on a given year. Yeah, I don't care. Their best two teams are better than every other team's best two teams. So if that's your pitch, if your best pitch is that, that's all I care about. Wait, the Pack 12 this year. Was our conference that good?

I don't know. But Oregon and Washington were really damn good. So for the first year, everyone took a lot of pride in. Those two teams were sweet. And until Oregon lost the second time, it's like, Oregon could win the national championship. So if you have multiple teams that you feel could win the national championship, that's all that matters. We judge you on the high end. We don't judge you on the high end.

the middle and the lower tier. That's a meaty argument just trying to argue over something that's irrelevant. It's about your high-end teams, right? Like, ultimately the SEC, if it had been a 12th team playoff, is putting in some really good teams. Obviously, Alabama and Georgia, Missouri is really good. I mean, Ole Miss, who would you take Ole Miss against Iowa? Ole Miss against, you know, Oregon.

Like, yeah, I'd give Ole Miss every bit of a chance. So, actually, everyone acts like the SEC sucks this year. like, do they suck that bad? I mean, LSU is like their fifth best team. They might have the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback. Their offense is incredible. So, I hear you. I think sometimes definitely we can overrate, you know, a conference,

but that's just the way it goes. Okay, it's time for this week's player. I thought might give almost, almost anything to redo his game. Brought to you by Uber Eats. You know the best part about being a backup quarterback? is if they really like you and you just get in with a team that has a really good starting quarterback,

you never have to play. It's like you can just keep your job, they like you, you get to make seven figures, get to be on an NFL team, get to throw the ball in practice, get to stay in shape, for single, you know,

you got a lot of options when you go out at night. Like, life's good. But the moment is a backup that you got to play, you can get exposed. Look at Jake Browning. Jake Browning, ideally,

just be Joe Burrell's backup for as long as he can, never have to play. Got a chance to play. played pretty good. Played pretty good. You know, Josh Dobbs got to play too much. He's like, ah, we need to rein it back in.

Tim Boyle, who somehow has been in the NFL, and unless you watch preseason, you never see the guy play because the Jets are such a debacle, and it's, like, mandated by Rogers and his people that they have to have former Packers on the team at every single position. It's like, this is Zach Wilson thing's not really working out, was bringing Tim Boyle.

Then he throws a Hail Mary. He doesn't even get it to the end zone, which leads to a pick six. and the overall Tim Boyle experience was just pretty embarrassing. And if I was Woody Johnson, because you could be like, well, owners, because I'm a big believer in this, like owners can't meddle in football. Hire people and let them cook. When the team's being really shitty,

and I stop having faith in you as an owner or GM, like, I'm sorry, I'm going to get involved. We're paying Zach Wilson $9 to $10 million, and we're starting Tim Boyle, a guy that can't even throw the ball of the fucking end zone from the 50 yard line. I'm sorry, I'm not going to watch this anymore. Play Zach until the season ends. and that's what I would imagine happened

but Tim Boyle is a good example of if I force you to play it can be really ugly like Joe Flacco shows back up, throws a couple touchdowns like oh Joe Flacko he's not that bad guy I won a Super Bowl Tim Boyle I'm sorry if it wasn't for Aaron Rogers

probably wouldn't be in the NFL very accomplished athlete but I think your time is over that was this week's almost almost anything player of the week and you can order almost almost anything with Uber Eats the official on-demand partner of the NFL. Order now. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal

but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app.

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

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

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

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

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Big fan of the pod. I've got a mailbag question for you with a little preamble. As a Steeler fan, I'm torn on Kenny Pickett. He's shown some flashes of it throughout his career. And he's definitely someone, it seems, both fans and teammates, wants to succeed and become the guy. you often criticized him as being an inherently low-ceiling player. That's true.

But it seems like he's set for one more year to get it right. My question for you is, what's the best-case scenario, even if it's a long shot, that you could see happening in terms of an offensive coaching hire for the Steelers next season, and what would Kenny's ceiling look like if Omar Khan were to somehow pull off, set higher, thanks in advance. You know, people forget, just because it's a long time. was almost 20 years ago now. When the 49ers drafted Alex Smith, for the first four plus years before Harbaugh showed up, he wasn't just a bust. It was pretty embarrassing. He was injured. The football was bad. He actually had one decent year with Norrith Turner, but then Norv Turner went to be the head coach

of the Chargers and his career just derailed again with Mike Singletary, and it was just ugly. And it took till Jim Harbaugh got a hold of him to get the train back on the tracks, and he became a very, very respectable player. Now, he was, was the number one overall pick. But, you know, Kenny Pickett, only 19 picks separating him and Alex Smith, you know, in a draft if you're the 20th pick, that you would say someone like that. He has to learn to play to his strengths. He is not, like, when you have limitations, if you're Kyler Murray or Lamar Jackson or

Josh Allen, you can just do shit that no one else can't. It always bothers me as just a lover of football. when Baker Mayfield tries to make these crazy plays because every once a while he makes him he's like oh he's going to do that like five more times and then he'll try to do a 360 and run away and then like Fred Warner will

you know suplex them it's like Baker you can't run away from these guys throw the ball away you're much closer like Philip Rivers athletically than you are to some of these guys and Kenny Pick is a good athlete but so was Alex Smith and I think he got around Andy Reed

and he got around Jim Harbaugh and they just kind of contained him. And I think that's the type player he has to become. Because the moment, look at Mac Jones. Mac Jones, it's not all his fault, but I think a lot of times feels like he's closer to Josh Allen or Justin Herbert than he is to you know, just your run-of-the-mill player. And what happens? Disasters. Because when you don't have a great arm, you throw a pretty interceptable ball.

Now, like you said, Kenny Pickett does have a little moxie and a poise to him in these big spots because he has a lot of comeback victories. So you've got to give him a lot of credit for being mentally tough because he could have a really, really crappy game. And somehow, in the fourth quarter, after said crappy game, find a way to have a really good drive. He's done that. We've all seen him do that countless times in his career.

Noses it's in for some reason. Ever since I brought in this Christmas tree to my house, maybe I'm allergic to the Christmas tree. By the way, Christmas tree inflation is a real deal. but I just think when you get a guy with a low ceiling, he has to play within himself. Anytime that he tries to play outside and tries to do the stuff great players do,

you're going to lose. You're going to lose. Alex Smith went on to have those three or four great years relative to his career because he just knew his limitations and he didn't color outside the lines. Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, even CJ Strout,

they can color outside the line, a little bit. They can try stuff that's like, no, no, no, no, yes. Kenny Pickett doesn't have many no, no, no, no, no. That's Mac Jones. That's his go-to play. No, no, no, we're all fired. That's the Mac Jones. People seem to want anyone but Purdy to be the MVP. Even debating how many others players in this offense are more important. Whether it's CMC, Debo, Trent, not many want to see what. seems pretty obvious to me. No other quarterback has run Shanan's

offense as effectively since Matt Ryan's MVP season in 2016. Joe Montana, Steve Young, Troy Aitman, Peyton, Manny, etc. All had weapons and coaching. Elway could not win a Super Bowl until he got Terrell Davis. When Brock Purdy is out, this offense is unwatchable, as proven in the

NFC championship game. When other Cornerstone players are out, Purdy keeps it competitive. I don't even know what we're arguing anymore. I mean, it is such a small percentage of people that are like, Purdy's overrated, Purdy's not that good. We all watch football.

We all can admit something. Brock Purdy is not Josh Allen. He's not 6'5. He's not going to break tackles, even though he did the other day. He's not going to throw the ball 750 yards down the field. But if you watch him play, do you know what Brock Purdy is? He's everything we wanted Baker Mayfield to be. He's every reason that John D'all,

Dorsey and the Cleveland Browns drafted Baker Mayfield number one. They wanted him to look like this. The accuracy, the playmaking. Brock Purdy is what Baker Mayfield was supposed to be as the top pick. This is the fact. Part of the reason the Brock Purdy narrative is what it is

because he was seventh round pick. If Brock Purdy had been a second round pick, I think we would discuss this differently. Think about Bryce Young. Bryce Young came from Alabama where he was a multi-year starter. Two years ago, he played one of the great, most talented defenses we've ever seen.

The team, Brock, or excuse me, Bryce Young beat in the SEC championship game. They ended up losing in the national championship. But had, I think, 17 players drafted on defense. And he fucking dominated him. And I loved him in college. He has been putrid in the pros. I mean, he couldn't be any worse. Now, Frank doesn't know what he's doing.

organization in shambles, offensive skill guys, we can try to summarize and justify for whatever reason. If you just watch the guy play, you go, this guy sucks. Now, time will tell whether it was a situation or whether it's him.

I'd be pretty nervous. I really would. But I hear so many people say this, and I understand why they do. It's like, we've got to give Bryce Young time. We can't totally write Bryce Young off. He has a lot of career left. This year will not define him.

If Brock Purdy had looked like Bryce Young, every single person and their mother and all their mother's friends would think he's the worst NFL player in the history of the league. So where you're drafted, like after a couple years, it doesn't matter. You're good, you're bad,

you're a starter, you're a backup, whatever. But like those first couple years kind of define the way we talk about you because, well, how could every team in the league have passed on this guy seven to ten times? How's that possible? Hell, the 49ers today just cut Ty Davis Price, who was a third round

running back from LSU, who I thought was pretty sweet in college. By the second year, they just got rid of him. Now, maybe it's because lazy practice player, Kyle doesn't like him, can't learn the playbook, I don't know. It might not just be because he's not good enough, but Brock Purdy was in that draft.

And they took that guy in front of him. That guy got waived today to make room for Logan Ryan. Meanwhile, Brock Purdy is tight. tied with Dak Prescott for MVP odds in in 2020, in early December. So I think the narrative is a...

If Brock Purdy had been the number one overall pick, everyone would be like, is this the best player in the league? How good is this guy? Is this one of the best small quarterbacks we've ever seen? Is this guy... Do you know who my comp for Brock Purdy is? More athletic Drew Brees. That's ultimately the way he plays.

He's a mobile Drew Brees. Because he hangs had on accuracy, anticipation, but his least... Leadership is moxie, just all the intangible stuff off the charts, but he can move, which you have to be able to do in today's game. And like I said, I think Brock Purdy is everything that we thought Baker Mayfield was going to be, at least guys like me who thought Baker Mayfield was going to be a really good player. I have not heard anyone say in response to the mock outrage over the college football selection

that all these schools ran toward the network money. Cost us the Pac-12. even Florida State was looking to break their current television deal. Now that networks are cashing it in, they want good TV and Bama Georgia provides it. And for those clowns at ESPN, your bosses did this. Only Herbie understands this. Collins' analogy when I talked to him the other day was,

wait, so you want me to pay for the wedding and then I don't get to have any influence over the meal? It's like television's paying for all this stuff, man. this sport, the sport of football, is all based on us, me, you, and every single person listening this sitting on our couch and consuming. It's why I just saw, on my Twitter timeline, during Monday night football, you would have thought that Michael Jordan was playing Magic Johnson. I follow a lot of people that follow, you know, cover basketball, and they were like,

oh my, the in-season tournament, Adam Silver finally did it. He did it. Adam Silver figured it out. because the in-season tournament, I guess there was a Celtics Pacer game that was, you know, you got a good effort in a regular season game. You know, thumbs up for you guys, I guess.

And I saw today that someone I follow put out the television ratings. And almost 17 million people watched the Bengals with their backup quarterback, play the Jags, probably, you know, a bottom five brand in the NFL. 17 million people. That Pacer Celtics game,

which, you know, clearly the Pacers, Tyrus Halliburton, one of the better players in the NBA, and Celtics, one of the biggest brands. Based on my Twitter timeline, I would have that 10 million people watched it. They barely had a million people. And then the doubleheader was Kings Pelicans. 730,000 people watched.

To put that in a perspective, 10 million people on Friday night watch. Friday night, the worst television night of the week, Oregon, Washington. So I guess there's a long way of saying, television and football is the reason the NFL is the number one sport and college football is the number two sport

pays for fucking everything all these enormous weight rooms and coaching offices and the NIL flowing. The reason the NIL is flowing is because of the fans. There are more of them. Honestly, I think Adam, the NBA is going to have a new commissioner in two years.

That's something I'm pretty, I believe pretty strongly in. And I know a lot of people, you know, I even heard coward say Mark Cuban run for president, whatever. I think Mark Cuban sold the majority stake in his team simply because going back to when he cashed out in the dot-com bubble, buy low, sell high. Mark Cuban shorting the NBA.

The NBA is in major trouble with their television deal. ESPN's running out of money. Disney's in shambles. These streaming networks are very, you know, very, very strict in what they pay for stuff based on the numbers. If you just follow the NBA media, they've been talking about this salary cap tripling for a decade. Honestly, I think they will be lucky to get the same amount of money.

They got the last television deal. And honestly, they're going to get less. There are way less people watching the sport. And that's why television ratings matter so much when we describe pro sports. That's where all the money comes from. And I understand if you're not that into it and it's like it doesn't interest you.

I get it. But that's the entire business. That is the business model. You go to in and out there. business model, you're getting the same double double that you got a year ago. And it's not going to be very expensive and you're going to be, you know, get through the drive-through pretty quick. Same thing with Chick-fil-A. Every time you have a Chick-fil-A sandwich, it tastes the fucking same. Their business models, you're coming back, quick service. The line moves fast, even though there are seven million cars.

You go to Costco, you buy in bulk, but you get it for cheap, right? The NFL's business model is simple. When you turn on the game, players and coaches are going to try. And the games are going to matter, even when they don't. And that's why they've lapped these other. sports. Scarce product, scarce inventory. You only play once a week. And when you turn on the television, last night, Bengals versus the Jags, Jake Browning versus, you know, by the end of the game, C.J. Batherd, it meant a lot. It felt like a playoff game. That's football. That's football. And I think when it came down to the college football playoffs, it's like, we can't put a 17-point underdog. Right? If you gave the NFL the ability to choose,

Would they rather choose, you know, let's just pick a random team, like the Rams, going on some crazy run and knocking off the Cowboys, Eagles, and 49ers? Right? And all of a sudden being a 10-point underdog to the Ravens in the Super Bowl. Or would they rather have 49ers Ravens, Coin Flip game. Cowboys Ravens. Of course. Honestly, if the NFL could choose, they put the Cowboys there all the time. but the best part about their business

they don't necessarily need to because most playoff games and most NFL games are relatively close. I think 80 plus percent are a one-score game. That is not the case with college. And we've seen it in recent memory like part of what made last year cool in the semifinals.

We got two incredible games. Michigan, TCU, and Georgia, Ohio State. That was not the case in recent memory, though. And that college football finale was awful. What was the final score? 70 to 7? it was unwatchable. So if you have the opportunity to choose

when I'm paying for everything, like you said, they're taking the money. When someone pays you a lot of money, a lot of people listening, I don't know how closely you follow golf, John Rom is rumored, and by now, it feels more than rumors, is going to go to the Live Golf Tour.

And the number started at like $300 million, $400 million. It's up to like $550 million. And whether this is negotiating, employer with the PGA tour, whether it's not, I don't know. But I do know this, that eventually the PGA tour is going to have to get involved with the Sadi's. Why? They have all the money. And the PGA tour is not big enough to do it on their own. They can't keep functioning the way they're functioning and maintain a business model. But the moment you go into business with the Sottis who literally have all the cash, they have, you know, an outsized importance in your business model. Why? They're

They're paying for everything. It's funny, you know, my dad's not around anymore, but some things just live inside my head that you will value everything you have when you start paying for it. It's easy to complain about dinner or easy to complain about something in the house when you're fucking just living in it as a 12-year-old. And as you get older, you buy a house, you remodel stuff,

you realize how much stuff costs. You start really valuing everything. It's hard to value things as a little kid, right? It's why you just complain about things. You look back, you go, God, I was a little idiot. you know and those words are so true but you know your parents or whoever you're living with growing up are the people paying for everything you have no money so of course you got to listen to them right no different in business when whoever is the one making all the financial decisions or paying for

it all it's why so many of these companies i listen to a great podcast it's called acquired they do these like three to four hours it's really long in-depth look at different businesses the most recent one is on on visa like where it originates all the way through now and there was a great one on Costco and all this incredible information about Costco right like how big Kirkland is relative to all these other companies but any company right if I'm just just pick you know a data aid or you know some of the toothbrush brands or the you know, toilet paper companies. The percentage of business that I do through Costco relative through all the other chains is outweighed to Costco. Like I need them.

They make me a lot of money. So they can kind of hold me to the fire on stuff. Even though they don't. They only have a couple requirements like whatever skew you give them has to be different from any other skew you give anyone else.

But they don't fuck people. And one of, you know, people like doing business with them, at least according to this. podcast I listen to. I've never done business with Costco as a consumer. And I think sometimes like, listen, Florida State gets to complain, but like

you said, they desperately won out and into the SEC. Why there's more money. It always, like, society revolves around money. Listen, I've been a private sector believer in low taxes since I was like seven years old. I mean, and

that was when I was poor, up through my 20s, where I'm sitting now. And, because the whole world, we talk a lot about a lot of different stuff, it all comes back to money. This makes the fucking world go around. If you don't believe that, you are so naive. Everything comes second to that. It's all about that. From politics to business all revolves around the almighty dollar, which you could argue it's never been less almighty, but that's a conversation for something different. But my point is that this college football situation and where they're at as a sport

and as an operation is all revolving around cash. And I do think they had a valid argument to not put Florida State. If Florida State was really good, they wouldn't hesitate. Florida State's a big brand. But I also think, yeah, does Alabama get the benefit of the doubt? Does Alabama is an easy one for them to put them in there. Of course it is. They're the biggest brand in college football given their coach and given their success over the last 12, 15 years. So you can't take the money and then complain about it. I can't stand those people. I remember last year what happened. There was some accounting change about something and all these people like media people were complaining about it. And it was like, how do you think ESPN, you think they're using this and Disney's

using these, you know, quote unquote, loopholes to do business, that helps free them up money to pay all you guys. I hope you know that. That's how the world works. And sometimes people can just be very naive. And I think sometimes naivete comes from emotion, be very emotional. The best people in business aren't emotional. There isn't any emotion involved. And that's why I don't think there was that much emotion involved when it came down to Florida State and we came down to Alabama. the NFL has been little emotion for a long time, all about television ratings, all about making the most money possible.

And everyone's benefited. And for the most part, no one really complains in terms of like, you know, players bitch and moan sometimes but like Thursday games, but they make more money because of those Thursday games, right? The 17th game, like they make more money because of it. So there's a give and take with everything.

And as long as more money comes along with it, you can't accept that money and then also bitch without being a little bit. bit of a hypocrite. 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 a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-heart radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard 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 IHard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.