The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Pats/Raiders Chaos, Daboll C.O.Y, Cowboys/Jags, Colts Collapse

Episode Date: December 19, 2022

John explains why Giants first year HC Brian Daboll is his Coach of the Year, why Trevor Lawrence finally looks like the #1 overall pick everyone expected, why the Cowboys can’t make a deep playoff run unless their D starts dominating again, and who deserves credit and blame for the Vikings historic 33-0 2nd half comeback against the Colts. Subscribe NOW and follow Middlekauff and The Volume on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest content. It's always FanDuel for the best wagering action! #volume #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 year. It was a wild year.

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. The Volume. The Three Now Podcast with me, John Middilcoff, is presented by Fandual Sportsbook. There's no better place to make every moment more than with Fandual. America's number one sportsbook, very easy to use, safe and secure, you get your winnings fast. I cannot recommend it enough. Love gambling with Fandual.

If you are new, just download the Fandual. Sportsbook app to get started. Now, sign up with promo code, Colin, so they know we sent you. What is going on, everybody, John Middlecock, three and out podcast. What a bananas day. Really, what a bananas two days. Starting with the Colts game, really right up until the commanders and the Giants. It's been a pretty awesome, whatever, 36 hours of football. I mean, some of the crazier endings you'll ever see. Pick sixes. Pick, yeah, I guess, Chandles, Jones had a pick six as well. Just wild.

The Lions, or might be the hottest team in the league, we will dive into it all. If you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to my feed, three and out with podcasts with John Middlecough. Middlecough mailbag, we'll have one come out on Tuesday's show at John Middilcoff is the Instagram,

fire in those DMs. So we'll basically have this show, Tuesday show, probably a midweek show, and then we won't have a podcast until after Christmas, just because you guys with your families and obviously people that are part of this show have to go to their families too. So we'll just bang out a couple shows earlier in this week

and then we'll see where we go from there. And yeah, let's dive in some football. Okay, after watching the Giants beat the Washington football team commanders or whatever you want to call them tonight, I have officially put it in my ballot, even though I don't have one for the coach of the year. And I think for any coach,

what you do with less and ultimately get a result of more is more impressive than doing a lot with really good players. Now, to become a really good coach, Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, you name it. Any coach that's winning has good players. So you can not have success in the NFL, you could not have success in college, if you don't have blue chip guys.

We all understand that. But tonight, Brian Dayball, beating the Washington commanders, I don't see how you even argue it. He's my coach of the year. If he makes the playoffs, especially as the six-seed, so even with the new seating that added 7th team, he would have made it in the old structure.

That is beyond impressive. Nick Siriani's about to go 16 and 1, potentially if he beats Dallas. Let's say he goes 15 and 2. Regardless, that's an unreal season. Siriani has been awesome. Kyle Shanahan might win 13 games with three separate quarterbacks starting. And he's going to finish the season, winning several games with Mr. Irrelevant as a starting quarterback.

But when you open the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 40-nighters garages, they are full of Ferraris. If I went to the New York Giants Garage, it's full of jalopis. Maybe an F-150 in Saquan Barkley, but a bunch of jalopies. and what this guy is doing with not much. They don't have wide receivers. They don't have DBs. They have a quarterback who is average at best. And even that feels like a stretch.

Good guy, tries hard, pretty limited. They have Seguan Barclay, who is obviously when he's healthy, is a phenomenal talent. How is this possible? Now, Kvon's the fifth pick in the draft. And really quick, I had a buddy in the NFL shoot me a tweet. I think it was from Mina Kahn. works at ESPN. And she was not alone. A lot of people on the Twitter sphere when Kvon was making all these plays were going, this is a good example of not letting the draft discourse distract

you from the good players. Kavon Tibado was the fifth pick in the draft. So were there questions about him coming out of Oregon? Yes, there were. Too stiff. Does he play hard? He went fifth. He did not fall into the third round. He was the fifth overall pick. A couple of other recent fifth round picks come to my mind, Jamar Chase, Coleel Mack. Being drafted fifth is pretty damn impressive. And when you redraft this year,

to me the highest he would go is fourth. So he went really high. He made some plays tonight. He was awesome. And obviously him and Seekwan are high-end talents. Other than that, the Giants do not have many. I remember when Harbaugh took over the 49ers. Year one, he got him the NFC championship. It was impressive. But it turns out

that team was loaded with pro bowl players. A couple years ago, LaFleur gets the Packer job. And they had had a bad basically season and a half. Well, he did inherit Aaron Rogers and Devante Adams. And, you know, Aaron kind of flipped it back. And they turned out to be pretty good really fast. But those teams had Blue Chip level Hall of Fame guys. This Giants team, let me read you off the wins from 17 until last year.

354, 6, 4. Not a math major. Do have a couple degrees. If you take those five years, you add it up and you divide it by five, that's an average of 4.4 wins a season. The Giants have been God awful for a half decade. And you watch them right now. And if you watch them play all season long,

they have no business making the playoffs, none at all. But Brian Daibald, and I've said it for a long time, time is like these Belichick guys, they just stay under his umbrella and he's all that they know. And I don't even blame them. What are they supposed to do when they get these opportunities? You just emulate what you know, right? It's like when a lot of us leave the nest and go to college, we kind of get to spread our wings and figure out things that we didn't know when you live with your parents. And Belichick kind of plays that role with a lot of those coaches. I was watching the Raider game today. Who's on the sideline with Mac Judge or Mac, Mac,

Jones, Joe Judge and Matt Patricia. Because what happened? They both get shit canned and they go running back. And Brian Dayball left the nest. And he went to Sean McDermott and Josh Allen and Buffalo for four years. And hell, he competed against Belichick. And he learned and he figured it all out.

And look at him now. You know, he's a guy in his late 40s, short, bald, kicking ass and taking names. Love just look tonight. Shaved his goatee. Had the hoodie on. And just beat a team that has dramatically more talent than them. The three wide receivers would be by far the best skill guys besides

Saquan Barkley on the New York Giants. Their defensive line, they don't even have Chase Young and is awesome. They have really good players. Now their quarterback situation is iffy. But so is the Giants. You could argue Heineke is more talented. Now he's a little bit more of a roller coaster ride. Historically, Daniel Jones always was turned the ball over a lot. But he's done a much better job with Dayball. Heineckley clearly at any moment can fumble, can throw a pick, but he also can throw like a 60-yard bomb. As he should, they got sweet skill guys.

But that win the night was really, really impressive. And now the Giants, if they can just find a way to get one more win, they basically, obviously they would finish above 500, and now they're guaranteed to finish at worst 8-8-1, which I'd even argue coming off a four-win season, a four-win improvement.

Like I said, I'm taking nothing away from Nick Siriani that's going to win 15 or 16 games. He's done a freaking awesome job. What Kyle Shanahan has done this year with quarterback after quarterback going on and headed toward 12 or 13 wins, awesome job. But what Brian Dayball is doing is more impressive. He doesn't have all-stars and pro-bowlers and $20 to $30 million players at several positions. He's dealing with a bunch of randoms. Let's face it, if you're not a Giants fan or you're not in and dated in the NFC East.

If I told you Sequin Barclay and Daniel Jones are not allowed to, you couldn't name five New York Giants. This is not the Tom Coughlin, Eli teams. This is a team full of random guys who are average players who are overachieving because of their coaching staff. And to me, Brian Dayball, I feel very,

very confident saying it's one of the better coaching jobs in recent memory. And the Washington commanders, like, that's a devastating loss. You just can't lose that game at home. And I think you see one thing immediately, and I know he's technically not calling plays, Mike Kafka is,

but Brian Dayball's influencing the offense. He's obviously influencing the team. Like having, if you're going to have a CEO head coach, I like him to be on offense. And this league is becoming, it's ever more important to have offensive coaches. And you have to wonder, you know, if Washington misses the playoffs and they still control their own destiny,

but the Lions are coming. Washington plays the 49ers next week. They're in major trouble. Now, if they fired Ron Rivera, the ownership's in flux, what are they even going to do? This feels like a franchise that it felt like they were taking a step forward a couple weeks ago and it looked like, God, Washington's going to make the playoffs. And now it felt like in one game at home against a division rival who has left talent,

less talent than you, immediately takes a step back. And that shows you in this league how important coaching is and how important the head coaches are. It's why the best head coaches make $15 to $20 million. And speaking of a guy that, You know, listen, he might make $20 million. I've had just some time to let it really resonate that final play. And I saw cowards, you know, and I've seen a lot of people that just said, Bill Belichick should have knelt it.

And I'm a huge believer. Is anything that happens on the field is ultimately on the coaches? Because as Belichick has this famous saying in the football world of you're either coaching it or allowing it to happen, I do think every once in a while a player can go rogue. a player can kind of not think straight and do something so moronic, so idiotic that it turns into that final play. And I think you can question Belichick running a play. When you run that play where you throw it and everyone starts lateraling it back rugby style, you typically the first part of that play is either a screen or like when the defense is way off toward the end zone and you start running it down.

It's never based on a run play. So doing a run play, I just thought maybe they, or I think that they thought, let's just see how far we can go and then play for overtime, he'll hit the ground, whatever. He pitches it back and even Jacoby after the game in the locker room said like, I don't know what I was doing. I was playing hero ball. And there's a reason why on that play, a lot of times, anyone that gambles knows, that's when you have the crazy swings.

When a team is covering, then all of a sudden you throw it to the other team and they score. It happens several times a year. Usually when a team is down five or six points with no time left, and they've got to go 60, 70 yards. Not in this scenario. And I'm not trying to defend Belichick because, listen, it's his statement. You're either coaching or allowing it to happen.

If any players, like they got to know better, and clearly the Patriots don't feel quite as buttoned up, maybe it's just as simple as, listen, I'm not the most religious guy, but I do believe in the football gods, and the football gods have been screwing the Raiders now for decades, and famously the Patriot dynasty started once upon a time

with a tuck rule and that involved the Raiders. And listen, the Raiders are 5 and 8 and they celebrated that game like they just won the Super Bowl. They're 6 and 8 and they're going to finish under 500 more than likely. And the Chiefs just won their 7th straight division.

Can there be a better job right now than Andy Reed and Patrick Mahomes have? They go, so wait, our division has Mark Davis and the Raiders. We have Dean Spanos and Brandon Staley and the Chargers and then we got these idiots in Denver and this contract that's terrible and they've got to find a new coach.

You talk about a division. Remember forever when the Patriots, it was like, God, the Jets are in shambles, Miami's not any good, this is before Josh Allen, the bills were a joke. And it was like, this isn't even fair. Well, the Chiefs is like, how are they ever going to not win the division? Honestly, how are they ever going to not win the division? It took the biggest, miraculous ending in the history of football for the Raiders do win a football game.

against a average at best Patriot team. And I just truly believe that the Patriot players went rogue. The holidays are here. Can I tell you about my friends at Omaha Steaks? Because if you want to get someone a gift, if you want to bring a gift to a party, if you want to be the star of the show, just go to Omaha Steaks,

because they've put together a delicious selection of various gift packages to make shopping for the ones that you love, nice and easy. Go to Omaha Steaks.com and take advantage of the 50% off, site-wide. Plus, if you use the promo code three and out, that's the number three and out, at checkout, you'll get an additional $40 off. You can't beat it. They have everything you need for a great gift. Butchers cut, filet mignon, air-chilled, boneless chicken, ultra-juicy burgers, and easy-to-prepared comfort meals that are ready in a flash. Listen, shopping for brothers,

shopping for fathers, shopping for cousins is not easy. Trust me, Omaha Steaks is a gift from the heart, a gift that will be remembered with every unforgettable bite. Order with complete confidence today, knowing your order, ordering the very best. Visit omostakes.com, take advantage of 50% off sitewide, plus use the promo code three and out at checkout to get an extra $40 off your order. Minimum order may be required. 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 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball. basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Okay, where do we start? We had a bananas morning on Sunday. I'll get to the Saturday games, really two of the three of them. here in a minute. But Sunday morning with the Jags and the Cowboys and the Jets and the Lions was absolutely fantastic. I was glued. And let's start with the Jags and the Cowboys. And I'll get to the Cowboys here in a second. They didn't necessarily lose the division today, but they kind of did.

The Eagles just have to win one game of the remaining three. This game now coming up on Saturday is not nearly as big. The Cowboys kind of screwed us. You know, it felt like the Eagles were going to drop it And it felt like the Cowboys were going to win and be like, God, there's going to be a lot on the line come up, come this week. Eagles, Cowboys, Big Boy game. And then the Eagles pulled it out and the Cowboys blew it. And now this game doesn't feel remotely as important. Why? Because it's not.

But one thing that is important when the draft in the NFL is a really big deal. And when it comes to quarterback, sitting drafted number one, those guys carry, legacy is the wrong way to put it. but there is like, there's just a way that we talk about those guys because when you're drafted number one overall, you're viewed as a franchise savior. And historically, they've been very hit or miss.

Now, not all number one overall picks are the same, right? Kyler Murray had to transfer out of Texas A&M and go to Oklahoma. Baker Mayfield was a walk-on, right? Jared Goff got to one bowl game. So everyone's plight to the number one overall pick at quarterback can be,

different. And every once in a while, we get these can't miss all time quote unquote prospects. In the last decade, I think we've really had two. Andrew Luck was viewed as a can't miss guy. The moment he got to the NFL, it was clear. He's on your team. I don't give a shit who he's playing with. You're going to the playoffs. Trevor Lawrence was viewed in that vein. And I think one thing I try to do, whether it's players or whether it's people, not all of us mature or are on the same path professionally. Some guys are ready to kick ass and take names. Theo Epstein was the GM at 28, right? The majority of people are not equipped mentally or physically or emotionally to handle certain jobs, whether it's football, whether it's a major league baseball GM, whether it's a CEO of a

company. And then some guys are. And we saw that Trevor Lawrence, like, you could argue no one, I don't care how talented you are, could have handled last season. Urban Meyer, all-time joke, NFL coach. You could argue the biggest joke NFL coach we've ever seen. He spent one year in the NFL, literally is his only year ever professionally in the NFL as a coach, and he did not last the season. He basically lasted, you know, 10 and a half months or 11 months, right? He got fired before the season ended. It was an embarrassment. And Trevor Lawrence, who came from a program that was, you know, right there with Alabama, now Georgia, Ohio State is like the model of success. You go to Clemson, you kick ass, you take names.

And he was viewed by their coach as Michael Jordan. Or actually, that was Deshawn Watson. But this guy, if Deshawn Watson was Michael Jordan, what the hell was Trevor Lawrence? Right? Babe Ruth. And I questioned it even this year. Because early on in the season, it was somewhat of a roller coaster. He made some devastating interceptions in some games that cost the jacks, right?

But as you saw today, his talent is pretty immense. And now he has a coach that hasn't just exceeded, or I mean, won at the highest level and exceeded expectations in his career, right, with the Eagles. And then even the following year when they won a playoff game at Chicago. But he's a former quarterback. And knowing Doug, like, he's a pretty even keel guy. And you watch Trevor Lawrence, like, just as time has gone, he has gotten much better. And now if you just take like the last month, he's played fantastic football. And really the last two weeks, he's thrown seven touchdowns.

And today, like, the talent was on. full display. The arm strength, the movement ability. He can avoid sacks. He can keep plays alive. He's accurate. He's a playmaker. He's very athletic, but he never feels out of control. He looked today against the Cowboys like the total package. And I think ideally, we want everyone to hit the ground running. We're all guilty of that, right? Especially when the hype is really high on all these players. Some guys can come in to pro sports, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, kangaroo Jr. Tiger Woods and kick the shit out. to everyone immediately. Some guys

take some time. Right. Peyton Manning, Google his stats. It wasn't pretty early on. And especially when you go to teams that are not successful. Most people go to Jacksonville over the last couple decades and do not have success. And Trevor Lawrence now feels like he's overcoming that. Now, they

did a good job hiring Doug Peterson. They got a real coach around them. They obviously have some talent around them. Now, with Tennessee losing, they actually have a chance to make the playoffs. I would still probably bet against it. But the way Trevor Lawrence is playing relative to the way Tanny Hill and that offense is playing in Tennessee,

I don't think you can discount it. The Jags are going to be way better in two years from now than they are right now. You could argue that this guy is only scratching the surface. Confidence builds on each other. So like once you start having success in any profession,

that experience just kind of snowballs. It becomes like an avalanche of just of confidence, of a belief in yourself. And when you're physically gifted, as this guy. Like certain guys just don't have the talent, right? We're having a lot of fun with Brock Purdy, but Brock Purdy's has limitations, right? From a height standpoint, from an arm strength standpoint, even when you look around it, good quarterbacks. Like Kirk Cousins is a good example, who just had an incredible comeback, but physically has some limitations. He can't run away from

anyone, right? He's not going to make great plays with his legs. He's not going to be able to throw it 70 yards on the run like a Mahomes or Josh Allen, but he can be really good. But he's maximizing his talent. imagine if we ever get to the point where Trevor Lawrence can maximize his talent, watch out. And you saw today, like the Cowboys weakness and their main problem right now is early on of the season, the pass rush, whenever I'd watch the Cowboys just engulfed people. You could not get away from their athleticism, their speed, their power up front was eye-opening.

Obviously, Michael Parsons, who had an early sack in this game, is kind of the total package, right? Great athlete can bend, has power, can run. you down and it just felt like every single game he was all over the quarterback. But he also had help. And now you watch them today, they had one sack in the game. And they were getting pressure on Trevor Lawrence, but because of his athleticism, he could avoid him. And then he sliced and dice him for over 300 yards before touchdowns. Like part of you have to be able to play past defense in the NFL to like have a good chance to win the Super Bowl. And I said probably a couple weeks ago, I took the Cowboys seriously. I thought because of their defense, because of their front,

of how solid it was. And listen, I'm not the biggest that guy, but their offense is more than good enough. And it was today. You're like, well, it ended on a pick six. The pick six bounced off his wide receiver. That that was the play that took the lead in that game to Noah Brown in regulation before Trevor Lawrence got the ball back after he fumbled and led him on a field goal drive, was fantastic. That that was an elite play by Dakota Prescott. And the play that lost him in the game, like that's not on the quarterback. Who lost this team the game today was their defense? and that is the reason where, hell, I took them seriously last year. I didn't think the 49ers are going to beat them.

And then this year, I've taken them as a team that can, you know, legitimately make some waves in the NFC playoffs. But if their defense is going to be like this, they got no chance. None. You know, and part of having a great defense, typically, like most teams do not have Dion Sanders and, you know, Dorel Revis at Corner and Ed Reed at safety. Most teams, like the 49ers, have a quote, unquote, great defense.

relative to the rest of the NFL. Who's our best DB? Charvarius Ward, really good player. Then they're wrong with whofungas and Jimmy Ward's and other random corners. They dominate with their front. And the front, a defensive pass rush, especially when you can only run or only rush,

you know, three or four guys. You don't have to blitz to create pressure. That's the best coverage in the NFL. I saw Richard Sherman tweeting about this like last week. Nothing makes coverage look better than a great pass rush. And right now the Cowboys just aren't as long. dominant as they were. They better figure it out because clearly the division's over. Like, I'm sorry, the Cowboys are no longer winning the NFC East. You could argue they never were,

but it was like statistically, they definitely had a shot. That's not happening now. But, you know, they're going to get Tampa in the first round. That's a win. But after that, like, I look at them a little differently. Let's get to the Jets and the Lions. And I want to start with the coaching. And when I think Robert Sala and definitely Dan Campbell, I think just really aggressive. I think guys pedal to the medal, especially Dan Campbell. Let's start with Dan Campbell.

Like, Dan Campbell is not ever going to be some schematic genius. No one is ever going to talk about him like they do Sean McVeigh, Kyle Shanahan, Sean Peyton, Andy Reed. That ain't his deal. He's a leader of men,

a tough guy, which can work in the NFL. We've seen John Harbaugh, win a Super Bowl, have consistent success. We've seen Mike Tomlin not be a defensive coordinator, just be the CEO of his franchise for almost 15 years and never have a losing season,

probably until this season. But you can be a great CEO, leader, tough guy. It's football, right? You don't have to be a great schematic guy if you hire good coordinators. And clearly Dan Campbell, this Ben Johnson guy, I was actually on his Wikipedia page today, walk-on quarterback from North Carolina, fucking lions. I mean, what he has done with Jared Goff and that offense is fantastic. But if you're going to be CEO guy, like, you got to be aggressive, especially in 2022.

And Dan Campbell has talked about it for a year and a half now. The one thing he learned from Sean Payton that was different from the way he was raised under Bill Parcells is going for it. Pedal to the medal, staying aggressive, not being afraid to fail. And today, for the first time all season, like, this was a playoff game. Whoever won this game was going to be in a great position to make the playoffs. And the Lions currently are. but Dan Campbell was 757 left in the game. He had a three-point lead.

Was at the Jets 36. So somewhat no man's land. Long field goal, cold weather, probably too long to hit the field goal. But it's fourth and five, so it's not fourth and one, but it's also not fourth and ten.

To me, when I think Dan Campbell, he's got to go for in this situation. Like, you can't all of a sudden push out when you got a chance to make a playoff run. And that's what it felt like today. He kicks the field goal,

and it does feel like all season long, he's been on the wrong side of some of these decisions. He goes for it when it's like, you don't even need to go for it now. And then in tight games, he kicks field goals and it bites him in the ass. And today, kicks the field goal,

which I still can't fathom, misses it, and the jets go right down the field and score and take the lead. And then, like, he old, obviously they won the game, but to me,

that could have cost the lines, the playoffs right there. And then on the flip side, Robert Sala, like, I've always defended, coaches on game management. I think it's so much easier for us to be sitting on our couches, drinking Gatoradees, drinking beers, having some popcorn, eating snickers,

screaming out of television. I'm guilty, you're guilty, we're all guilty. We're also in sweats, t-shirts, and sandals, right? On the sideline, a lot going on. It's not, it's not as easy as it looks. But there is also a basic level at the end of a game. When things are going fast and you have all your timeouts under two minutes. I think too often coaches get greedy. Like today, with 53 seconds left, the jets were down three points. It's 20 to 17. Robert Sala, they get to midfield.

They started at like 35, Wilson, or maybe it was like 38, throws a completion, gets to 48 to 49 yard line. And at 53 seconds, instead of calling a timeout, they don't call their next play till 30 seconds. And then obviously the way the game played out, Wilson pulled a great play out of his ass. They missed a long field goal. And Robert Sala went into the locker room, a loser with a timeout. You can't in that situation on a two-minute drive when you're rushing up to the line and they got lucky at the end of the game that they even had a second left on the play clock for them to be able to call a timeout, ever go as a loser to the locker room with a timeout.

And to me, Dan Campbell, he's got to hang his hat on having some balls. and today he did not. And Robert Sala, like, if you're going to be a playoff level coach, especially when your offense and your quarterback, and we'll get into them in a second, are very, very hit or miss, you got to be good with the timeouts. Especially, I mean, you basically have,

Zach Wilson's like the equivalent of a rookie, right? And in that situation, Robert Sala blew it. And speaking of Zach Wilson, like they play on Thursday against the Jags, which is actually a really good game. If it was a normal game and Mike White was clear, I think you could easily justify benching Zach Wilson going into this Thursday night game and starting Mike White.

Like Zach Wilson, if you watch the game, his talent is immense. His ability to scramble around and make crazy throws. His arm's awesome. He has a number two pick in the draft level arm. Like his arm talent, no one argues. Hell, his athleticism and being able to kind of scramble around is really good. But we've seen a million quarterbacks with those two attributes. athleticism and a strong arm fail in the NFL.

Because you know what separates, like just really good quarterbacks? I'm not even talking the great ones. Consistency and being able to make the basic place, right? Most people that are successful in life, it's not about the extraordinary stuff. It's just about being consistent, doing the same things consistently day in and day out. No different than a quarterback. If you ask Tom Brady or Peyton Manning or Drew Brees, every single year for 20 years, years or for Tom 25 that they've been playing, it starts with the fundamentals, right? They start with

the basic footwork, pocket awareness, and just the reeds, wheel routes, slant routes, out routes. Because if you can't hit the layup passes, you're never going to be able to consistently have success in the NFL. And when I watched Zach Wilson today, he made some plays that were awesome. He ended up throwing for over 300 yards. And he made some really explosive down the field plays. But consistently on slant routes, on wheel routes, on basic plays that would have moved the chains, he wasn't anywhere close. So no one in the Jets building is arguing whether he can hit a 50-yard bomb when the guy's wide open.

Can you hit a slant route on 3rd and 6? Because if you can't, we can't win with you. And right now to me, and I know his. his yardage looks a little better today, I don't think he's really any closer. Because the worry with the Jets was not the explosive plays. Eventually those are going to come. They have too much talent outside. But if he can't do just the remedial stuff, then I think you have to question whether

he can be the long-term quarterback. And I would imagine he ends up playing Thursday just based on the quick turnaround. But if you told me that they benched him and they went back to Mike White because he's cleared with the ribs, you know, I'd believe you. And I said on, what would it have been? It would have been on Friday's podcast that this was a big moment for Jared Gough. This game, and then I think they, where do they, they still have one, I think they play at Green Bay later in the season. And outdoor games are big for Gough.

Now, today, it was cold, but it wasn't raining. It wasn't snowing. It was, you could play pitch and catch. But the one thing that jumps out with you when you watch Jared Gough, and ultimately, he's, I would say he's resurrected his career because the bar was pretty low the last several seasons. There are some huge physical limitations. Now, unlike Zach Wilson, he's more likely to hit the wheel route, to hit the slant route, which is important.

And it's a big reason why the Lions are having a lot of success. They have a lot of talent. You just have to play within yourself. And then occasionally when a big plays there, hit it. But ultimately, the game winning touchdown today was, you know, every quarterback in the league should be able to make that with his eyes close. And credit to Jared Gough, he made it. Who know?

Maybe Zach Wilson skips it. I don't know. But there are so many plays a day. Like, to me, the Lions could have won that game by several touchdowns. If he can just, he's an awful athlete relative to quarterbacks. He might be the worst athlete beside Tom Brady starting at quarterback. So he gives you nothing with his feet. And his arm talent, if he's not set in the pocket, it's pretty bad.

Right. And that's where that even if the Lions pull off this miraculous run and gets like 9 and 8 or 10 and 7 and get the 7 seed, because they have the Rams pick and the Rams play the Packers on Monday Night Football, so that's probably a loss. But I do think if you like one of these quarterbacks, you know, you probably should take them. Because you're sealing with Jared Gop. This is probably as good as it gets.

It really is. You know, and you're going to have, I mean, Aidan Hutchinson's going to be a star in the NFL. Okuda's become a really, really good player. I mean, St. Brown, Jameson Williams next year, he's getting open with ease right now. and he's not even a year removed from an ACL. So the talent, the recoup that you're going to have with some of these draft picks is going to be really high. This team is going to be so talented for a long period of time

that you don't want to undervalue your upside because of the quarterback. And here's the other thing. Jared Goff's under contract for years to come. You can get out of it every single year if you want to cut them. He makes $26 million next year. He can easily draft one of these guys, CJ Stroud, Will Levis, redshirt them, you know,

and then eventually make the transition. but I think the writing's on the wall. That Raider game was the craziest ending you'll ever see. I mean, there is something special about the reality television that is the National Football League. Every single person I'm on 10 text chains with Raider fans, other fans that hate the Raiders talking shit. You go on Elon's app, Twitter.com, you watch the broadcast. Everyone's like, I've never seen this before. Because I don't think that is possible to witness what we did.

right? Because the Patriots, would they have won an overtime? I don't know. I mean, Derek led him on a pretty sweet game tying drive, which we could question whether the game tying touchdown was actually a touchdown. It looked like his feet or his foot was on the white line. But for whatever reason that the replay in Vegas, you couldn't get a close-up view sure felt like from the top of the stadium that his foot was on the white line. But for Jacoby Myers to scramble around and throw the ball back to Mac Jones, and airmail him by about 50 feet, land in Chandler Jones. Ironically, the guy Bill Belichick once traded because he smoked synthetic weed and went naked to a police station. And then for him to truck Mack Jones, like he was a middle school kid, and walk into the end zone, when Josh McDaniels is his coach going back up against Belichick, that was an extremely entertaining play. That's as good as it gets. Football season is underway. So now is the perfect time to download Fanduel. America's number one sportsbook because right now new customers get a no sweat first bet up to $1,000. That's free bets back if your first bet doesn't win.

Just sign up using the promo code Colin. Fandual has all your favorite bets from money line to point spreads to player props. You can combine your bets for a chance at a bigger payout with a same game parlay. The app is safe, secure, and super easy to use. Get paid. your winnings fast. So sign up today with promo code Colin for your no sweat first bet. Make every moment more this season with Fandul. Official sportsbook partner of the NFL.

21 and over in president, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia. Must wager in designated offer market. Max bet $5.5.000. Restrictions apply. See full terms at sportsbook.Fandul.com. Gambling problem? Call 1-800 next step or text next step to 533-4-2 Arizona. 1 8887-7-7 or visit ccpg.org slash chat, Connecticut, 1-800 gambler or visit fanduil.com slash RG, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, 1877-7-7-7-1-1-7-1-1-7-1-1-7 for confidential help, Michigan. 1-877-NY, or text, Hope N.Y, 467-New York, Tennessee Redline,

1-800-88-98-9-9, Tennessee, 1-800-5-2-2-4700. Wyoming, visit www.1-800-gambler.net, West Virginia. And speaking of entertaining, on Saturday morning, you know, I wasn't going to lock in to Colts, Minnesota. But I was like, you know, doing some laundry around the office, doing some stuff. 11 o'clock. I was going to go to the gym. I'm like, you know what? I'll wait and watch the first quarter.

And I'm sure like most people, within, I mean, less than seven minutes into the first quarter, it was 17-0. And the Vikings look like shit. I'm like, you know what? I'm going to go get a workout now. I'll watch or follow it on my phone and just we'll check into this thing. And then you keep looking. It's 23-0-0. It gets to 33 to nothing.

I stop paying attention. I'm like 49ers, number two-seat, Minnesota's and shambles. Obviously, the rest is history. They come storming back. Biggest comeback in NFL history. And it's nuts. But let me say this about Minnesota because I think it's so easy to diminish success. It happens to everybody, right?

Oh, this guy got so lucky. Oh, this guy, he just bought some, you know, real estate cheap and $2. 2009, anyone could have do that. No, actually, no, they didn't. He didn't get lucky. You know, Bill Simmons just started a podcast, you know, back perfect timing. No, it's like, they deserve some credit. It's like most people are successful for a reason. Obviously, there are variables with timing, with finances. A lot of things go in to anyone's individual success. But for the most part, you show me a successful person. I'll show you 50 people try to diminish what they've accomplished. From like 17.

different angles. And Minnesota is your classic NFL team where everyone that analyzes football, gambling people, analytical people, just former players thinks they're very overrated. And in fairness, they have the same record as the Buffalo Bills. They're both 11 and 3. To put into perspective, a point differential, right, the points you score relative to your opponent over the course of a season, if you're an 11 and 3 team, should be over 100. For example, the bills are plus 1,000. 35. That's really good. And I think most would argue when they're on, they might be the best team in the NFL. The Vikings are not quite 135. They are plus two. So 11 and 3 plus two, a statistical anomaly. And I will say this. And a lot of people have argued the statistics for them in these one score games, it's like, you know, historical outlier.

But the reality is the point of football is not to have the best point differential in the league. The point of football is to not have the best yards per play or best yards allowed in the running game on third down. Whatever. We can pick a million different statistics, right, to judge your team, to judge your offense or defense, to judge where you stand relative to the NFL. The most important statistic, how many games did you win? How many games did you lose? And for whatever reason, the Minnesota fucking Vikings are 11 and 3. So listen, when they were down 33 to nothing, when I walked back in a month,

my office and it was 36 to 21 and I look up at Minnesota's driving and watching the rest of that game is one of the most batch of things I've ever seen. It's the craziest comeback and it will be statistically probably for the rest of time. It is very, very difficult. Think about this. How many teams get a 33 point lead in the NFL? This is not college football. The chances of even a blowout you having most blowouts are like 20 points. It's very, very rare. Like how many games this season have been decided by more than 33 points. Or at any time in a game, a team has had a bigger than 33 point lead. That doesn't happen. This is not Alabama playing Fresno State or Ohio State playing Weber State. This is two NFL teams. So even if you're

getting your ass kicked, I watch the Bengals play Tampa. They kind of kick their ass. You look up as 3417. You don't usually have these crazy blogs. So for them to come back, like it's somewhat of a statistical anomaly, but they keep finding ways to win. Now, am I going to pick them to win the NFC? I'm not. But do I think that, like, they can't win playoff games? You'd be crazy to think that because the most important thing you can have as a team is know how to win. You know, I mean, it's why so many average teams, you go eight and nine, it's like, well, if we just would have some of those games, because if you're eight and nine, you're probably a fumble, a field goal, and a pick six away from having 11 wins. And we can play that game.

all day long with Minnesota. Well, fucking, you know, DeForest Buckner just gets his hands on cousins. And if Aaron Rogers, we can do it till the cows come home. But the reality is they're 11 and three. And more than likely, they're going to end up 13 and 4 and be the number two seat. And we're going to be nitpicking all their statistics and their point differential. And at the end of the day, they'll be the number two seat. And they're going to play, hell, they might play the Lions. And I would imagine a lot of people are going to bet on the Lions. I might too. But I do think that, like, they just deserve. some credit. They have figured out a way to be successful in these tight games consistently.

That won more than some of them, a little bit of luck, right? You need the other team to fucking implode Jeff Saturday, Matt Ryan. It's pretty nuts that Matt Ryan is part of the 283 game and now the 33 to nothing game. You can't make that up. Like you could make up. If I would have told you at the beginning of the season that Jeff Saturday would be the interim coach by mid-season, and there's a 33-point blown lead. You're like, yeah, it wouldn't be crazy if that happens to Jeff Saturday, right? Jim Tom Sulla, Freddie Kitchens. And I'm not saying he's as big of a joke as those guys, because as a person,

he's a pretty high-level person, pro-bowler, but as a coach, I mean, give me a break. What's he doing? Staying on the sideline going up and down. And like I said, I supported like he's an interim coach. Who cares? This indie team stinks. They are really, really bad. But you should never be that bad where you blow a 30.

three point lead. I mean, I think it's like, it's not Kevin O'Connell say that they sit in the locker room at halftime. I think either as defensive coordinator, some defensive players,

like, we'll get stops. We just need you guys to score five touchdowns. He's like, yeah, just score five touchdowns, which is obviously a fantastic half. You can get 35 points, but that game, turns out wasn't even the game

of the day. The midday game might only take on the Browns. If you've listened to me long enough, you know, I'm not like moral high. horse guy. I'm not your typical someone that talks about sports and

tries to like, you know, force my world views in terms of like people. Because I just think it's so fake and so disingenuous. So like with the player, this is the NFL. People sign players that are bad guys. The only goal is to win. But I'll be honest. Like when I watch

Deshaun Watson, I just find him like I just, this whole thing's kind of scummy. You know, it's like, bro, I just can't take him seriously. I have a hard time watching Deshawn Watson. and not feeling. And again, I feel like I sound like some of these whack job media people, but I feel like kind of gross.

And now I wasn't super locked into that game because you have to pay me to watch Brown. The Ravens, the Ravens are the most average 9 and 5 team in the history of the league. That team is a lock one and done. But I just, something about Deshawn Watson. And I'm like,

I don't feel right. This feels a little, I don't know, man. It's just something's off. there. And he doesn't even look that great. Now, I didn't expect him to. He hasn't played in forever. But I'll be honest. I just, I try to avoid Deshaun Watson as much as I can. The night game was incredible. It really was. And I think the overall takeaway with Buffalo is when that guy is on, they're going to be tough to beat. It'd be like if Justin Herbert and Cam Newton had a baby,

you'd name him Josh Allen. Because the fucking guy can run and truck guys and run around guys and jump over piles like he's Cam Newton. I mean, Cam Newton is the most physical running quarterback we've ever seen. He's not the fastest. He's not Vic. He's not Lamar. But we've never had a more physical runner, especially in my life of like the, you know, the last 20, 25 years as Cam Newton. And honestly, you would go, probably never seen one again. And I've been to a couple of Cam Newton games when I worked in the NFL and when I was around the Raiders. I actually saw him play the Niners. I've been around him physically in like press conferences. He is an enormous human being. So it Josh Allen. And like Cam, Josh can really run. And he's a natural at it. And when he lets it

rip, there is nothing you can do. But unlike Cam, he's actually really accurate. And he throws the ball like a top two or three quarterback in the NFL. So you combine that. And the one year we combined it with Cam, what happened? He won the MVP. So when you can throw like that with that arm strength in a place like Buffalo is a fantastic place to watch a game. You know, I think they have a chance over this next, hopefully stays healthy, 10, 15 years of Josh Allen experience, they can kind of be the new Green Bay. As Aaron Rogers' career kind of comes to a slow end, I think Buffalo will kind of play that role of small town, superstar quarterback, the passion is just elite, the snow games. It's just a, it's an awesome place to watch a night game, especially in winter.

And there's something cool about football that just the elements in the Northeast and the Midwest really come into play this time of year. I say it all the time. I hate the cold. I despise it. I'm here in Arizona. I thought it was going to be like 75 in the winter. It's like 40 degrees. I'm like, where the hell did I move? I thought it was warmer in December. It's cold. But the snow games, they're special to watch. They're also hard to plan when you can't feel your hands. And it does not phase the guy. And it honestly doesn't phase a lot of the guys on Buffalo. And I've said it over and over. They get to the Super Bowl. They're going to win it. They're actually built for a dome. That's the crazy part of them. They are built to play in a dome.

front four is extremely fast. Their wide receivers can fly. Their quarterback can throw it seven million feet in the air. And obviously, he can fly too. That was fun to watch. Now, I'll give Miami credit because I said it was a gut check game for the two teams on Saturday. It was a gut check game from Minnesota, having just lost the Lions and in a weird way,

they answered it as they were getting their ass kicked in the first half. But you end up winning the game. Like I said, that's all that matters. And Miami, I honestly thought they would crumble like a cookie. and once you saw some of the weather reports on Saturday morning, you're like, they got no chance, man. How is Tua and that P-shooter arm going to work? And you know what?

He played pretty well. He played much better than I thought. Now, still over the middle of the field is pretty questionable with some of his throws. But that go route and the ball's outside the numbers, he's really, really natural at doing that. And Tyree Kiel, we know how good he is when it comes to playing in the cold. He's done it for half a decade in Kansas City. So it's easy for him.

and the touchdown throw that for one quick second thought that it might be the difference in the game was a beautiful pass. And he made some other big time plays. And he just played tough. Now, does he have some limitations? Of course he does. I do not love him over the middle of the field. I do not love the arm strength.

But from a toughness standpoint of just showing up to play in a big game, his team's leaking oil. Now, they got a lot of help today, right? Jets losing, the path's losing. I mean, the pats, that's like I said, that's one of the worst losses you'll love. ever see in your life. Craziest end of the game play ever. But, you know, Miami's got Green Bay coming up. We know they still play New England.

They still play the jet. So they control their own destiny. If they play like they did on Saturday night, they'll make the playoffs. They're in good shape. But if they, you know, resort back to the Charger game, the Niners game, they're in some trouble. But clearly they're high in, Jalen Phillips. I really like that guy.

I mean, that guy, you can't watch the Miami Dolphins play and not C-15 making place. But I give two up and I give the Dolphins some credit for showing up and that bad boy. 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 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 year. It was a wild year.

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 this is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human