The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - RIP Kevin Greene; Steelers in Shambles; Jets #2 Pick Plan; Wentz Complaining; Bills AFC East Bullies; Week 15 Takes; Mailbag

Episode Date: December 22, 2020

In this episode, John reacts to the death of Hall of Fame pass rusher Kevin Greene, the Steelers crumbling down the stretch, explains how the Jets should approach the draft now that they look to be out of the running for Trevor Lawrence, why no one wants to hear Carson Wentz complain about being benched, why the Bills should dominate the AFC East for the foreseeable future. He also breaks down his theory about why teams aren't finishing games strong after getting huge first half leads ,gives his key Week 15 takes and answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag. Follow John on Twitter and SUBSCRIBE now to get all the latest content!! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app,

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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. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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It's a re-and-out podcast. Merry Christmas and big week. You know, it's Christmas week. So, time to rock and roll. just, there's actually 12 seconds left in the game, and the Steelers are down by 10. So we will clearly dive into the game right off the top. And we got a lot, I mean, there's just a lot going on.

The Jets, Trevor Lawrence, Carson Wentz, Jalen Hertz, the Bills win the AFC East, some thoughts on that Packer game, just kind of dive around the league of different things I saw, Notre Dame getting in, people pissed off at the selection committee. college football, we'll talk about it all. Middlecoff mailbag at John Middlecough. Shoot me your questions. We'll answer them here on the show.

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It helps a lot. It helps the business of the pod. and in these crazy economic times, we're just trying to keep our head above water. And again, I don't control any of the selling on this podcast, so it helps those people that are out of my control. Thank you very much to everyone for listening. Before I dive into the Monday night football game,

I want to touch on something. Kevin Green died. I don't have any information why, how we don't know anything. It's usually, I don't know. I don't even want to speculate, but I don't know. I just know he passed away today. and when I think of the Pittsburgh Steelers, when I was a graduate assistant at Fresno State,

Mean Joe Green used to come in, and it was really cool getting to meet Meen Joe Green. I met him twice, obviously he came in both years. I was there. One year he forgot his phone, and I had to go help him find his phone. I'll never forget shaking his hand. And his hands were like bare paws.

Now, I'm 36 years old. I never saw Mean Joe Green play. Obviously know who he is. When I think the Pittsburgh Steelers, first guy I think about is Mean Joe Green. just he's probably their most famous player literally his nickname was Mean Joe Green but he kind of represents the Steelers

just you think defense badasses the Pittsburgh Steelers that I grew up on and when I got into the NFL in like the early 90s 93, 94, 95 when I was coming into my own like 8, 9, 10 you really start loving sports

the Pittsburgh Steelers were such a badass group of just ass kickers it was out of control and it was led by Kevin Kevin Green and Greg Lloyd. Obviously, Rod Woodson, they drafted Chad Brown, they had this coach named Bill Cower, who was always angry on the sideline. The NFL I grew up on, and I'll never apologize for it because I still like my football like that. I love violence. I like watching it

for entertainment. It's weird. I don't really like the UFC, though I love Dana White, but I love violence in football. And it's kind of, actually the Monday night game, the night was really physical. I love a good physical football game. I love watching guys go at it and just feeling a little uneasy about the hits that are going down. I like watching defensive players that you know the other team fears. And when I think Kevin Green, I think just NFL just a badass. Like he was the NFL. He's everything guys that are my age we grew up on.

guys like him. And he got in the Hall of Fame recently. He had those locks. He was just, he was a killer. And then he coached in the league for a while. But those Pittsburgh Steelers teams, I would imagine many Steelers fans, you know, listening to this. It sucks.

You know, your team loses. You lose this guy who played a huge role for just some of your great defenses in the mid-90s. He was just, he was so damn good, man. He was unstoppable. And really that unit. You talk about intimidation. Him, Lloyd, they ended up getting Kirkland.

Obviously what it became then in the 2000s. It was just an extension of that, you know, from Cower to Tomlin, with Harrison, with Woodley, you know, some of those guys, foot in the middle, Troy to Mike Mitchell. I mean, they just, what's the guy's name with the big beard? He was awesome. Smith, I think, is last night, number 99. They just had, it sucks. I mean, the NFL lost one of the good ones.

He was clearly really well respected. I know Bill Cower had a really good tweet. Heaven's defense just got a lot better. And when you think to Pittsburgh Steelers, the first thing you think of is defense. And, you know, mean Joe Green, those guys, the guys in the 2000s, they're the guys you think about.

the heart and soul of the franchise are just the 11 guys when the offense is on the field and you look across and you see that black and you see that yellow and you think to yourself guys like Kevin Green, they want to take my head off. And back in the 90s, they could. We didn't have these rules and flags getting thrown. Bodies were getting broken and Kevin Green was leading that charge. RIP, the NFL lost. I mean, just a great all-time player personality.

It sucks. Feel for his family. And then into the Steelers, there's no disputing there in shambles. They're in absolute shambles. As a buddy in the league texted me tonight, you can't have an average offensive line and your quarterback not moved.

He did dot, dot, dot, or you're fucked in all caps. because it's why the pocket quarterback today, if your offensive line's not great or your passing game is not on point, you have no shot. You have to be mobile. Why? Because most offensive linemen can't block most of these defensive linemen. The other thing is late in the season,

when you play bad teams like the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night football, it's a divisional game. So anytime you play in a divisional game that are always tough. But you play on these primetime games, and obviously if you're bad, you get flexed out. a Sunday night, but if you play Thursday or Monday night for a team with two, three wins in December, you know what that game is to them? That's their playoffs. That's the time when millions of people get to watch their team play, because most of the season, just the local market watches them play

and whoever the opponent is, their fans. I don't watch the bangle games. Most of you, if you're not a bangle fan, don't watch bangle games. The only time you would is if your team's playing them. They know that. And divisional games, I thought the bengals, I saw a tweet, and it was perfect. Like the Bengals are the cockiest two-win team I've ever seen. I mean, if you just, if you didn't watch a game all season long, and you didn't know the records and you just flipped on, you'd be like, the Bengals

are one of the best defense in the league. I mean, bodies were hitting the floor. Kevin Green would have been proud of the Bengals. But at the end of the day, Rathesberger can't move. He can not move. I like Benny Snell. I liked him at Kentucky. I like him now.

But the their offense is just not working. I don't really know how to explain it. Juju's become a TikTok star, not an NFL star. 18's a good player, but they're just struggling to get them the ball consistently. When Claypool was scoring like three, four touchdowns a game, that clearly has stopped. And defensively, their margin for error is just slimmer. T.J. Watt is elite. Minka's elite.

But Bud's gone. Middle linebackers gone. They're just not as deep. So instead of playing in a game like tonight where their offense is terrible, maybe they win this 17 to 7. But they end up losing, you know, and Rathesberger's turning the ball over. They just got no shot in the playoffs. I think Steeler fans would agree. The team we're watching right now

with this version of Ropisberger, it's over. The Chiefs tonight, I don't think they officially clinched the one, but like they're in cruise control. Who's beating them in the AFC? Steelers no chance. the Chiefs own Lamar Jackson. We saw the Chiefs play the bills earlier this year in Buffalo, and they kicked the crap out of him.

Baker Mayfield, he is playing well, I'll give him his due. Can't see him beating the Chiefs. Tennessee, we saw that last year. Their defense isn't good enough. The Colts defense might be good enough, but their offense isn't good enough. Listen, I try not to like hyperbole overhype stuff. I see, I think the Chiefs not winning the AFC this year

would be one of the biggest upsets. I mean, they're as close to being like the Patriots in 07. I know their games don't consistently look at it. They're bored. They're no fans. They are so much better in all these teams in the AFC. And I like Tennessee. I like Indy.

I think the Browns are solid. I think the Ravens are going to end up winning their 11 games. None of those teams hold a candle to Kansas City. We thought for a split second halfway through the season, the Steelers did, right? Elite defense, Rothesberger's back, all these offensive weapons. Now in a game that they had hyped up, that Tomlin had hyped up because they had been playing like crap, they were going to take seriously. It wasn't like they weren't going to take this seriously. They've been talking about it and talking about it and talking about it. Why? Because they have

been playing poorly. So they kind of circled this game. Monday night football, they were going to have a big showing. They were a big favorite. They get their ass kicked. They never were in the lead. They never had any control of this game. I mean, at one point in time, I think the score was like 14 to nothing, and they were just getting shoved around, kind of embarrassed. Maybe it wasn't 14. Yeah, it might have been 14. It was just, it was ugly. I don't really know what to say. All I know is if the Steelers were a stock, I would have sold it like last week, because right now that stock, if the market's going to open in the morning, that stock's going to be down about 15% in plummeting. So on a serious note, for Steeler fans that love Kevin Green.

I love Kevin Green. He played on the Niners for a year in 97. I had someone DM me. Like I became a Panther fan. They signed him in the late 90s. Just when you think the NFL, like Kevin Green to me, like what I grew up on in the 90s, guys like that. Just a dude you'd want in the foxhole with.

Just a tough SOB. But you had some personality, some kind of panache. You know, he's got some, some, some just shit to him. He's kind of cool, but he's also just a killer. God, that's awful. Okay, let's dive into the Jets

and just a quick draft thought. But let's start with the Jets. On the most basic level in the NFL, tanking is impossible. Because unlike the 76ers with Sam Hinky, who actually, I think, lives down the street from me in the Bay Area. He teaches at Stanford.

for really smart guy. And the process, which he coined, to get all their good players, was something that him and the coach and the organization were all in lockstep with. Remember, Sam Hinky did not run through three coaches. He had one coach and it was Brett Brown, who probably didn't love what they were doing, but was a part of the, you know, he was part of the solution. He was going to get to reap the benefits, and he did.

He got to play with Embed and Sam. Simmons, he ended up getting fired because he wasn't good enough, but he was part of the process. Where in the NFL, when usually a team is losing and going to have the number one pick in the draft, that coach, I would bet if we did a study the last 30 years, gets fired. So that coach has zero incentive to try to help you get Trevor Lawrence. Adam Gase does not give a shit about Trevor Lawrence because he's not going to be there. He's been trying to win these games. They obviously could have beat the Raiders, except for Greg Williams, cover zero.

You know, they played well against the Patriots. They were playing well. And they finally won a game. Now, the crazy part about them winning a game, biggest NFL upset in 25 years. A team of 17 points or more, underdog, has not won an NFL game since 1995. That's pretty nuts.

Because I was thinking about it when I was going to bed Sunday. I'm like, this has to be one of the bigger NFL upsets of the last, like, decades. So I Googled it. It was 1995. If you would have bet $100 straight up on the Jets to win the game, you would have won $1,000. To me, a big money line that you feel good about is like 3 to 1.

It was 10 to 1. What a terrible performance by McVeigh Gough and the Rams. You cannot lose the Jets at home. But it happens in the NFL. Like it's hard to go 0-16. None of the teams in the history of 0-16 have tried to go 0-16. They just suck.

The Browns several years ago, that Lions team, this Jets team, the Jets were not trying to go winless. They just weren't any good. But when you're in a front office or when you're a fan, once you get this far down the river, like no one wants to go 0-16 week two. No one wants to go 0-N-16 when you're like,

0.5. But once you're 0 in 14, 0 and 12, 0 and 13, it's like, what the fuck is the point? Especially, and everyone I talk to in the NFL, says there's Trevor Lawrence, and then there's everyone else. So it's clear, you're like, I can get Trevor Lawrence, I can trade the quarterback we have, and we can kind of reset. Get rid of the coach, start from scratch. You talk yourself into that as a scout, as a general manager, as an owner, and as a fan. The players, the coaches, never thought that way. Sam Darnold, he's like, I'm just playing to get traded? No, of course not.

So it's very, very difficult. The other thing is, now the Jets are in some in a weird way kind of lucky. A lot of teams, when they go 0-16, that Lions team, that Brown's team, do not have a young quarterback. They don't have a court. usually they have old quarterbacks, they have crappy quarterbacks, they're just terrible. The Jets do. Now, there are question marks about the guy. I don't know how good he is, but several years ago he's the number three pick in the draft.

He's still 23, 24 years old. He has some bad tape out there, but he's also made some plays. There is a decent chance that whoever comes in, especially if it's an NFL assistant, really like Sam Darnold coming out in the draft. To me, what you're going to have to do is if you have the number two pick, compare him against all the other quarterbacks in the draft and basically just say, would I rather have Sam Donald than these guys?

Now, there is a curveball as part of this. Sam Donald is going into his fourth year, meaning you have to pick up his fifth year option, meaning he's a year away, or even if you play out the fifth year option, it gets expensive really fast. So if you do draft one of these quarterbacks and trade Sam Donald,

they are on a cost-controlled contract, you know, at $7,8 million a year. Sam Donald is a year away from making like, you know, $30 million, which is crazy to say, but it's just a fact because that's what his fifth year option would be, give or take. And obviously franchise tags and everything. So it does get complicated. If we're going to have this conversation, this is not just fantasy football. Contracts, free agency status do factor in.

It's why having young players on rookie contracts is really powerful. Here's another thing that's always been a pet peeve of mine. Imagine this. If you had a home and you didn't want to live there anymore for whatever reason, you were moving, going to upgrade, and just leave. And your home was worth a million dollars. Would you ever sell your home to someone without having an exact number? And go, well, if everything goes right over the next year,

the home might be worth $1.5 million, and that's what you'll get. Or if some things get weird over the next year, you're going to be gone. You actually may only get $750,000. You would never do that. That's why when you sell your home, you know the exact number when you leave that home. You get whatever the number you get, right? There's no question marks. You go through it all, the contingencies and everything.

you have an exact number when you pack your shit and you move. It's always my issue in the NFL with trading really good players in training camp or in the season. Because whenever I say, you know what, I traded Jamal Adams for two ones and a two. I traded Khalil Mack for two ones and a three. And you go, oh my God, you got two ones. All ones are not created equal. Now, those ones, if the team is terrible, could be top five picks and be incredible. And it could be awesome.

Or you could trade Jalen Ramsey to the Rams. You could trade Jamal Adams to the Seahawks. In both those two teams, probably going to win a playoff game. Definitely Seattle probably will. Maybe two, who knows? The NFC's wide open. And all of a sudden those picks are in the mid-20s. And you just traded Khalil Mack, Jalen Ramsey, Jamal Adams.

guys, you've drafted the top three, four, five picks, four picks in the mid-20s. Now you get multiple picks, potentially in the top 20s or in the mid-20s. But that is not great value for trading a guy that is a really good player. Like Jamal Adams clearly is their best defensive player by a mile. And they would trade two picks in the 20s for him. Now, if Seattle next year, if Russell got hurt and that pick becomes a top 10 pick, the Seattle would not be happy with that and they would probably not want to do that deal.

But if Russell stays healthy and they just continue to win the NFC West and be in the playoffs, they don't mind that deal. Also, their second round pick at the end of the second round. Same with Jalen Ramsey. Even last year when they missed the playoffs, they went 9 and 7.

So their pick really wasn't that high. Now, when the Miami Dolphins traded Laramie Tunzel, same deal. They traded them at the end of the, training camp. They got a little lucky. Because last year, remember that pick with the Texans who were a playoff team,

was it like the early 20s? Well, this year, the Miami Dolphins are going to get a pick. As of right now, it's the number six overall pick. Like that housing analogy. They basically traded, they were hoping to get, you know, a million dollars for a million dollar home.

Turns out they're going to get $1.5 million. But when I look at Jamal Adams and I look at Jalen Ramsey, they don't get the same. return. It's why I'm always a huge believer. Because typically when you trade star players in training camp or even early in the season, you have that inclination when the offseason starts. You have to pull the trigger before the draft. Credit to the Minnesota Vikings. They went into last season going to Stefan Diggs, we're going to trade the guy. We're not going to

trade them after the draft for a first round pick because I don't know what pick that's going to be. Could be 30, could be five. I'd rather just know what the pick is. Trade them to the bills, get pick 22, draft Justin Jefferson. The Indianapolis Colts with the 49ers. We're going to move on

from DeForest Buckner. Here's pick 13. We get realized value the moment we trade the guy. When you trade for these future ones, they are not all equal. And listen, I love going, oh my God. The New York Jets got two ones and a two for Jamal Adams.

Well, what if Seattle fucking goes to the Super Bowl? And next year is a Super Bowl favorite and goes to the NFC championship. So you're going to get pick 31 and pick 28 for Jamal Adams? That's not ideal. Again, it sounds great in theory, and it's good to have assets, but you're trading a player for picks in the late 20s. I would rather know what they should have. done is trade Jamal Adams before the draft.

Whoever that player is on these teams upcoming this year, you have to know. If I'm going to trade a player for multiple first round picks, I want to know what one of those first round picks is before I trade them. Because the moment I trade them for picks that I don't know where they are, meaning in training camp or in the season, I am not, it's out of my control. And typically it feels like you're going to lose those transactions. Where you don't lose is where you have an idea of where that pick is the first year, and you get to pick a player.

Because this year was a double whammy, right? Turns out Seattle is going to be really good. I mean, they are good. They're going to win 11 and 12 games. If they win a couple of playoff games, that pick is now 28. The Jets were dramatically worse, especially on defense, because Jamal Adams was not there. So it's, you know, you got to realize,

And I need to too, when these trades happen, you got to know in March. You have to have your ducks in a row. 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. with grace. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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 Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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 with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jette. And I'm Alex English. We pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan, Ryan, Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing,

growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. That's why the Indianapolis Colts, they do these deals before the draft. Same with the Niners.

Same with Minnesota and same with the bills. Like, those are just well-run front offices. Doesn't mean it's always going to translate to the Super Bowl or the playoffs, but that's how you do that deal. You don't want to get to a position where you got to trade Jalen Ramsey, where you got to trade Jamal Adams for unknowns. Because it typically, those teams that do that are going to be good. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts,

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And my old stomping ground, the Philadelphia Eagles. And when I woke up on Sunday morning, Got up bright and early, there was a story that Adam Schaefter had tweeted out. That sources say, and here's the key with the story, especially in sports. And it probably works, I mean, it works this way in politics, I guess, business. But, I mean, to me, politics and sports are just very publicly covered, all these different people, different angles. So typically, right, you have a team, and sometimes the team can be splintered between, like the coach, the GM, and the owner can have different angles.

And you have the players that can kind of have different angles. Usually the GM or the owner, if he's going to leak something, it's going to have, be slanted in their favor, right? And it's going to be pretty clear where it's coming from. With a player, sometimes it's a little harder to be like, yeah, I bet a player leaked that. You actually don't think that often that a player would leak that. And maybe they don't, but their representation would.

and the story that Schefter tweeted out was basically Carson Wentz will not be happy being a backup. I have an overall take, and I think 2020 serves as a good, kind of a rule for this. Like, for me personally, I've complained about the lockdowns and the treatment of the working class.

I have found it disgusting. But I also find, and I try to do this on social media, media, like, I try to draw a line of being just too consistently negative. And, like, economically for me, it's been one of the best years of my life, right? So I, there are elements of things that I can't relate to. Like, I didn't lose a job, but I also don't have a normal job. I kind of had a job that was already built for Corona in a weird way.

And if anything, Corona has helped out my business. That being said, when I complain, the majority of people in my life during the coronavirus work jobs that they don't work from home. I don't know that many white-collar people. I grew up around a bunch of farmers. Most of my friends from Cal Poly work in construction. Some of my good friends now work in construction. My little brother is a farmer. Like there is no, like, oh, you get to just work from home.

I'm like, no, that doesn't, the people in my life have not, I mean, maybe they do stuff from their home office or whatever, but every day they answer the bell. There was no, just get to work from home. It's why I've been disgusted with the media and their constant celebrating lockdowns. Like, it's easy for someone to be like, lock it down when you're getting paid to stay at home. The media has constantly told people to shut it down and they get paid. It's like, you get to work, but no one else does. It's just so hypocritical and out of touch. really pissed me up. Though, like, I've been anti-lockdown, even though I get to work from home.

Because I just have common sense. I just, I understand what people are going through. I know people in my community that own and run restaurants. It sucks. It's bullshit. What's happening to them? But you can't complain during 2020, and I by no means, I'm rich. But like rich people complaining about stuff this time of year, especially the next wave of lockdowns during the holidays, it's just very out of touch. No one wants to hear your first world complaints. Nobody does. It's why, like in my backyard in California, Gavin Newsom, who's led to charge on these lockdowns, is eaten at the most expensive restaurant on the West Coast, French Laundry. The average plate is like $500. It's just a bad look. Carson Wentz, it's pretty clear that his people or himself leaked this story, that he's not

happy being a backup. Do you know what no one wants to hear right now? From the $100 million man complaining. Because he didn't get the raw end of the stick. I guess the short end of the stick, the raw end of the stick, maybe that works too. He did not get screwed in this situation. The fans, the players, the coaches, we all saw the same thing. He was God awful. He was so terrible that when he was finally benched, nobody thought it was weird, except clearly his own camp. What I had been saying for a long time

is that he needs to take a step back. He needs to take a deep breath. Of course you don't want to be a backup. Newsflash. No human has ever wanted to be demoted. For people that are listening, we've all probably had times when some power professionally has been taken away from us.

It sucks. But when you're not getting screwed, like when you're actually the person not coming through, if you take the emotion out of it and take a step back, it is understandable. And in this situation, Carson, you were benched because you were so bad. You were arguably the worst quarterback in the NFL. The fans agreed, the coaches around the league agreed,

your own teammates clearly agree because they look way better. But no one wants to hear this player now, leak and complain when you've had to sit for one fucking game. You're one of the highest paid players in NFL history. And now I've seen Jalen Hertz, who I personally thought was a running back. He just threw, I think, three touchdowns, and he ran one. The offense, the same guys you were playing with, Jalen Rager, Miles Sander, Greg Ward, Jr., Goddard, all these random guys, they're not even random.

Some of these are first and second round picks. Look fantastic. They look good. but they look productive. And the offensive line, which we all went, God, this is awful, looks functional with this guy in the game. So listen, I have no problem with Carson Wentz being mad right now,

being just worked up and angry over the situation. Being demoted, your first reaction as any competitive human should be this sucks. But, and he earned it, I mean his talent, he was drafted really high. you could argue he didn't really earn the contract. The Eagles took a forward-thinking approach and took a big swing. The contract actually hasn't even started. Now, the way the NFL works, he's already got a bunch of bonus money.

He was the second pick in the draft, so he's made huge cash. They're in a soul that wants to hear him complain. Just like nobody in their right mind wants to hear rich people complain right now. With small businesses going under, I mean, literally America and the politicians have waged a war on small businesses. Yet I can walk into Target. I can walk into Nordstroms. I can't even move at Sopac.

Yet the restaurant business, I mean, these guys are going under left and right. It's just, if you can't say and take a step back and go, yeah, this is disgusting the way it's all playing out. Then I don't have much in common with you. And then I think today they passed a $600 stimulus check. I mean, who the fuck are we kidding? $600. But I think that's what like,

these rich elite people think is actually good money for poor people, I guess? I don't know. I can't even comprehend it. But nobody in the NFL wants to hear Carson Wents complaining. It's a league where every single player fights for every single penny. Yet he gets all this money guaranteed without really accomplishing that much and he's already complaining. You can say, John, you don't know he's complaining. Yeah, it's pretty clear. Like Howie Roseman wasn't tweeting this out.

Jeffrey Lurie wasn't leaking this information. It's coming from Wences camp. the players are telling you everything you need to know. Just watch the Eagles play against the Cardinals. I said it last week. They have life. They have urgency. They're trying.

The quarterback just adds an element. There's also the elephant in the room of, how is Carson Wentz? Because I don't think he's going to get traded. I just think that you can't, the sample size is going to be so small on Jalen. It's hard to trade a talent like Carson Wentz. risk him resurrecting his career with someone else.

But to me, the main part is the money aspect. You've paid so much. You've invested so many picks. Like, you've got to try to resurrect this. But after these last couple games, let's say your two most young, talented players on your offense are Miles Sanders and Jalen Rager. Well, they're looking at Carson Wentz, and they don't know that much, right? They've only been around Miles for two years and Jalen his first year. And looking at Carson and Jalen, like, they're new to this.

They're green. they don't understand cap implications and dead cap yet. They're going, this guy's just better than the other guy. How is Carson Wentz ever going to win their trust back? It's going to be very difficult because they're having success with this other guy. That to me is a big picture problem that the Eagles, they'll have to figure it out later. They had to do this and they have to keep starting them. But Carson Wentz, like, it's going to be difficult for him to win everyone's trust back.

And it doesn't financially pencil for them to get rid of them. So to me, they're just going to have to go in this office. season with the situation of like an open competition, which every other player at every other position would tell you, yeah, that's welcome to football. If I'm not good enough at a right guard, I get benched. If I'm not a good enough corner, I get benched. If I'm not a good enough linebacker, I get bench. Football's one of the rare positions where you just ride it out and you go down with the ship with the quarterback. And the Eagles tried with wins, but he was so god-offal they had to make a move. And now it looks like he's bitching and complaining that he doesn't

want to be a backup. Yeah, Carson, you getting paid a lot of money. No one really cares. Because no one feels sympathy for you because you didn't get screwed in this situation. You played your way into this. You created this. We've all been in trouble growing up. And there are times when like, you're screaming at your mom or your dad, like, I didn't do this. And you're actually telling the truth, which for me was a very small percentage. And then there are those times where you're mad, but you actually, you were the one that got in trouble at school. You were the one that talked back to the teacher. You were the one that, you know, got into a fight, whatever, that got you grounded.

Like, you created the situation. Carson Wentz has nobody to blame. And no one to be angry about, about his current lot in life than himself. And when you're that rich and when you make that much money in a league that doesn't give out that many guaranteed dollars, No one wants to hear a peep from you. One of the best stories of the weekend, might be the best story of the weekend, is the Buffalo Bills.

Finally winning the AFC East. They clinched it. They get home in a game that I didn't even know was going, playing Denver, get home late in Buffalo, show up, Bill's Mafia, out and about, just crazy. It was really cool.

And my first year in Philadelphia, Sean McDermott was the defensive coordinator. He was a very, very, very, very impressive guy. Very, very serious. He ended up getting fired that year, and we won, we lost the first round of the playoffs of the Packers who ended up winning the Super Bowl. He ends up going to Ron Rivera, becoming the defensive coordinator there with Luke Keakley and all those good, and Thomas Davis and good defenses, they have one of the better teams in the league for a four or five year period, ends up becoming the coach of the Buffalo Bills.

When he first got there with Brandon Bean, I don't know if I saw it. I got, they just started trading Sammy Watkins, they traded their good players. I was like, what's he doing? They had a plan, and they had a vision. And Sean, because of his time with Andy Reed, because of his time with Ron Rivera, knew what he was doing. He was prepared to be an NFL head coach. A lot of guys in the NFL are not prepared when they get their opportunity. It's why so many of them fail. But he spent a decade with Andy and Jim Johnson. Then he spent time with Ron Rivera building it from scratch. and had success in both places, right? Him and Brandon Bean, who has turned out to be a really good general manager.

They value talent, but they value character. They value the right fit in the building. The craziest thing they have done, though, and the balliest thing and the most important thing, was drafting Josh Allen at number seven. And people like me thought it was insane. but the biggest reason they are where they're at right now winning the NFC or the AFC East

and looking like they're going to be a power for the next decade is because of Josh Allen. Here's what Sean McDermott told me at the Combine about this team coming into the season. Yeah, well, I mean, I think that's the important piece that you ended with there is taking the next step and really, you know, you start every year oh and oh. And so we're not just going to start with 10 wins

like we did last year and have to add a couple. You've got to start and flush last year and start anew. And having said that, though, our biggest competition, with all due respect to everyone out there, is we got to compete with ourselves first. And that comes back to our standard of performance and how we do things and the bar that we set for ourselves. Is that the next goal winning the division? So here's a reality. And he says all the right things.

He's an impressive guy. Their biggest obstacle, especially once, and at the time I was talking about the combine, Tom Brady hadn't officially left. their biggest, you know, point of emphasis was themselves. Because if they took a next step with Brady gone, it was their division to win. And he can't say this, but the reality was, if Josh Allen took a step and he did, it was a wrap. And here's one thing I've learned because you get to points in life where you have philosophies. and if you talk about football for a living

or if you scout for a living one philosophy many people have always had is if you're not accurate in college you're not accurate in high school you will not be accurate in the pros I think that's changed because I don't think it's ever been easier to play quarterback they can't hit you

they can't hit wide receivers you have guys open offenses now are tailored to quarterbacks I think that's a misconception and it's just it's a point that always rang true that I don't know if it's any longer true. Now, that doesn't mean that every guy that is inaccurate

once they get to the pros can become accurate. Because Josh Allen is a high character guy. He's a hard worker. He maximizes his talent. And his raw talent is elite. His size, his athleticism, and his arm. Plus, plus, his arm's like a double plus. He's the only guy under 30

that you can even compare physically to Mahomes. But because of 2020 in the ability to improve rapidly at quarterback, he has. And he has become a star. He'll be a pro bowler this year and he looks like he has the opportunity to be a pro bowler for a long time. The organization, though, was equipped. They had a good defense. They had pieces on offense. They knew they needed a wide receiver.

What did they do? They traded pick 22 for Diggs. Well, where's Diggs? Leads the league. league in targets right now 147. Second in the league behind Keenan Allen in catches with 103. Second in the league behind

Keenan Allen in yards with 1,300. And he has five touchdowns. So they got Josh Allen. They knew his deficiencies. They got him help. They add Cole Beasley, who's one of the best slot receivers in the league. So part of being a good organization, you have to have a good coach.

You cannot win consistently in the NFL without a good coach. The bills now are going to the playoffs for the third time in four years. But I'd say the previous, definitely the one four years ago, little fluky, remember when Andy Dalton beat the Ravens, I think it was. Last year, not fluky, legit wildcard, but couldn't win the division because they couldn't beat the Patriots.

This year earned it. Elite quarterback who they have drafted, they have developed, they have built around, they have a coach who's big time, they have a general manager who's, you know, knows what he's doing. They're basically all in a line. The coach, the quarterback, and the team. the general manager and everything falls around because if you watch 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 iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple 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 with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look

Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. 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 all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games.

And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we, are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free I Heart Radio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. The bills this year,

their defense isn't as good as it has been the last couple years. You know what? It doesn't fucking matter. Because if I have my homes, if I have a Josh Allen, if I have a Russell Wilson, if I have an Aaron Rogers,

my defense doesn't need to be the 85 bears. You know why? Because every time I step on the field, my quarterback, unless I'm playing one of those other three or four guys, is going to be better than the quarterback on the other side the field. And we talk about it 24-7. Quarterback's the most important position in all of pro sports

by a country mile. So if you have that guy and he is legit, you got a chance to win big. And it all goes back to several years ago when it was clear the bills like Josh Allen as the best quarterback in that draft. And people like me thought they were nuts. But now they look like fucking geniuses. Because he's a star. And I tweeted it this weekend. I think he will be the only quarterback of that class that gets extended this offseason. It'll get like $130, $140 million guaranteed. I think Lamar Jackson, even Baker-Mayfield, they'll probably get, obviously Lamar's going to get his fifth-year option extended or picked up.

I don't know if they extend Lamar Jackson yet. I think he just, I got to learn a little bit more. Can I win with you passing in the league? Like, I'm just in no rush to pay him. And Baker, like, he's shutting me up a little bit, but I don't think he gets extended this off-season for $100 plus million. But at this point in time, I was probably wrong. they're going to pick up his fifth year option.

Josh Allen's getting extended. Josh Allen is their Jim Kelly. And Sean McDermott clearly got extended. Same with Bean this season. Like, those guys are going nowhere. They have a nucleus to be a really, really, to be a powerhouse franchise. Because when you have a coach and you have a star quarterback,

you can build around the rest. Like, that's the hard part. The hard, the easy part's finding a right tackle, finding a corner, finding a running back. I could do that. The hard part is picking a legit head coach and picking a star quarterback. That's the most difficult thing to do

in the National Football League and the bills have it both. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1,800flowers.com from classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more.

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Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the...

And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like Dad has the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. diapers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler.

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

Learn more at NHTSA.gov slash the right seat. Visit NHTSA.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by NITSA and the Ad Council. One theory I've developed this season with fanless games. And I've said from the beginning, and I think most of us know this, football, because it's a violent game, like boxing or UFC, even if you're not that excited to play a game, the moment you get hit,

you're gonna get woken up. You ever been like wrestling when you were younger, how some of you might do it when you're older, with your little brother, with a friend, and you're kind of horsing around, and all of a sudden you get like an elbow to the tooth or you get like clocked in the stomach and it pisses you off and then you start fighting back?

Like it's just human nature. If you're not really into it, and then I slap you, you might slap me back. You're going to get kind of aggravated. You're going to get woken up. And football is like that. So even if you walk into a place, and I think it happens a lot in football practice,

where you're not that into it, well, the moment you get into a three-point stance, you hit the guy across from you, you have to tackle someone. You don't have a choice, right? In basketball, it's easy for me just to float up and down the court. In baseball, I can just be there in right field and strike out, whatever. In football, if I'm playing linebacker or I'm playing wide receiver, If I'm not careful, I will get lit up.

And in the NFL at that level, given what's on the line, even if you're not totally into it, the intimidation factor and the focus it takes to get ready for the opponent is just why I think start to finish, we've consistently seen a good product. The NFL this year has looked like the NFL, whether there have been games with fans or no fans. You get full effort from everybody, for the most part,

maybe late in games you know. But one theory, though, that I feel pretty confident saying is second half of blowout games, you got to throw out the window a little bit. Because the Packer game on Saturday night, they're up 21 to 3. And the Panthers look terrible and Green Bay is kicking their ass. When you come out of the locker room, you're up 21 to 3 with a team against a team that has four wins. We're dealing with humans here. This is not Ford Motor Company.

We're not dealing with trucks. We're not dealing with... This isn't Apple and dealing with iPhones and Macs. These aren't products. These are human beings. You're up 21 to 3. It's cold outside. You look across and you go,

The Panthers suck. They're going to be drafting in the top five or six. I know it, talking into a mic. Aaron Rogers knows it, sitting on the bench. Zadarius, they all know it. Panthers fan know it, we know it. It's just a fact. So the second half, when there are no fans in Lambo,

I think some of these home teams that are good, when you have a lead in the second half, it's hard to stay locked and loaded because it's not like you have a fan for a pick-me-up. Part of being young and being able to do your homework, you don't really want to do your homework, and you might not do your homework if you didn't have a mom, a dad, a brother, a guardian, whoever telling you every day,

go in your room and do your homework, right? Part of fans at a home game is just to pick me up, hey, let's go. Defense, just crazy chance, it's invigorating. Hell, you go to a high school game if there's a lot of people there, you feel a buzz, let alone college or the pros, places rocking. Well, who do you think feeds off to place rocking the most? the entertainment, the players, the coaches, but definitely the players who actually have to physically exert stuff.

So when I'm watching the Packer game, and I think this works all across the league, I think it's hard to say super focused in second halves. Now, I give them credit. They came short week, ready to kick ass, up 213, easy. It was like, no problem. I don't judge them off the second half. It's why, like, everyone's talking about the Chiefs.

You know, the Chiefs can't close out. Like, I don't know. I think these games are really hard, with no fans to stay super locked in and focused. When you're as good as the chiefs are, I think if the fans were there, it'd be a double whammy. At home, that place would be going nuts at Arrowhead. On the road, they'd be hated,

because it's like you're playing the champs. It's easy to get up in both those situations, one, when people are cheering for you, and two, when people are screaming FU. They don't have either of that. So they just kind of get to go through the motions sometimes. And I know I think they have fans at home, but it's like not that many.

There's a big difference when there's 80,000 people all wearing red or going into New Orleans, New Orleans, excuse me, and to me the Chiefs were clearly the better team, but they lose focus. I saw them going to Miami. They were up 30 to 10. So when you watch these games, and I mean, we're almost done with the regular season,

that won't be the case in the playoffs. But in the regular season, like some of these final scores are not indicative of the game we saw. Like, the Packer game ended up being close. I'm sorry, it was not close. The Packers, on their worst day, are way better than the Carolina Panthers. And they showed it for a half. 21-3, boop, easy.

So the game's close, whatever. Like, to me, the fans, they impact football. They impact sports. I've been to playoff baseball games. I've been to playoff basketball games. There's a reason, like, when you watch college basketball, the Cameron crazies, I mean, these people are going nuts or in college football, LSU at night, or some of these SEC places, or the horseshoe, or Michigan, or Wisconsin, it matters.

It makes an environment. It creates, it adds some urgency and fire to the players. And without them, it's just not quite the same. And it impacts the product. Okay, let's fly around the weekend with just some things that we saw on Saturday and Sunday. First and foremost, starting with college football, I do not care that Ohio State or Notre Dame got in this year in 2020 and 2021. Obviously, the games that are played on New Year's and then it's irrelevant.

Neither Ohio State, Notre Dame, A&M, none of these teams in the country. Do you know what we should do? Take Alabama and Clemson, who are in a different stratosphere this season than everyone else, and have them play a best of three. If you want to have a final four, go Ohio State, take Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and A&M. Because Alabama and Clemson have nothing in common with those schools, including Ohio State. And even Ohio State fans know your team's not as good this year. They have been in the past, and they probably are moving forward.

Here's the one thing, though, about Ohio State. If Urban was there, I would feel complete confidence. Like, Ryan Day, like, let's see, he's winning with, you know, he's winning with Urban's guys. It's like Dan Mullen. I think Dan Mullen's a stud. As a scout texts me. Like, he's winning with Jim McElwain's guys. Trask, Tony, Pitts, McAwain's guys, right?

You know what Sabin and Dabble are winning with? Their guys. Their program. We'll see. I think Ryan Day, everyone I know likes them. But we'll see. Time will tell. Like, Kirby's had some moments.

Like, it's harder to do it consistently on your own. Like, it was like, okay, let's see what Lincoln Riley taking over from Bob Stoop. Soop's the first year. It was like, okay, his guy, his guy. Now it's like his guy, you know what Lincoln Riley does? He's good. He's really good.

But Alabama, Clemson, like, that's the national championship. I would maybe lean Clemson, but just because I'm giving them the quarterback edge. But Alabama's really good. You know, if they had Jalen Waddle, they'd probably be my pick. But I don't know. To me, it's probably a coin flip game. Alabama's like a 21-point favorite against Notre Dame. The line, Ohio State Clemson, is, I think, eight, seven and a half,

and eight and a half. Like, to me, that line should be 15 points. Clemson is dramatically better than Ohio State. Even Ohio State would admit that. It's just, Alabama and Clemson are on a different fucking level this year. The AFC Wildcard, for a couple weeks, you know, I know a lot of Raider fans, and they thought they were in the playoff mix, and could they get to 10 wins? Turns out they're not even going to get to 10 wins, but in the AFC,

all the wildcard teams are going to have 11 wins. whoever doesn't win the AFC South, you know what the Tennessee and the Colts are? They're really good. Both of those two teams could win 12 games, but I think both probably end up at 11. The Ravens, their schedule is a joke. They're going to end up at 11.

The Browns are at 10, and they get to play the Jets. They're going to get to 11. And there's your wild card right there. The three wildcard teams in the AFC are going to all have 11 wins. That's really impressive. The AFC this year is deeper with good teams to meet in the NFC.

Like the NFC right now the Bears are still alive. I don't sleep on Trubisky, which is really bizarre. Let's talk about that. Everyone's like Fire Matt Nagy. Well, like if he just has a good, decent quarterback, he can function and he'll win. Well, they bring Mitch back. No one can blame them for Bench and Mitch. Trubisky was terrible.

Now he's played like three or four of the best games I've seen him play ever. Last week again, he was really good. against Minnesota, he did have a boneheaded pick. But when he plays better, the defense has more urgency, David Montgomery's running well, they basically just need to win out, which is going to be hard because they've got to beat Green Bay week 17. But who knows, maybe Green Bay has the one seed locked up.

And they're going to need the Rams to beat the Cardinals week 17. Who, watching the Cardinals against the Eagles, like, I don't know. I'm a big Kyler Murray fan, but he hasn't really looked the same in the second half of the year. And I think part of that is the guy falling on. on him. As someone, a scout texted me, he's like, God, I hate his body language. He's always like yawning on the sideline. It is a little weird. He's not, you know, you watch Mahomes. He's pretty into it. Like, the guy looks like he's ready for a nap on the sideline.

I like his talent, but I don't know. That team's bizarre right now. The Rams, I don't even know how you lose that game. I know how you find yourself down in the game, right? Like I said, These are human beings. The Packers, when they see the Carolina Panthers, they know they're better. The Rams all week long, like, they understand. They're better than the Jets. And I understand falling down 7-0-0-0-10-0, but you can't lose that game. It's like that to me, like Jared Gough, you're one of the highest-paid players in the league.

Like, you should be able to throw three or four touchdowns on them with ease. This is awful for McVeigh and Gough. It doesn't get any worse. You cannot lose that game. Now, technically, they still control their own destiny to win the division. They play Seattle this week, and then, like I said, they played the Arizona. But, man, what a terrible loss. The Dolphins just at 9 wins right now is really impressive.

Hat tipped to the Dolphins this year. I never in a million years thought they would be this good. It's crazy. And they're not, like, it's not the prettiest operation, but if they get to 10 wins and probably miss the playoffs, that is a fantastic coach. coaching job by Brian Flores. He has a legitimate operation.

I mean, every week is kind of ugly, but it works. The Jags General Manager job. I know Albert Breer wrote this, texting with people in the league, they were all saying this. It by far is the best job in the league. Now, my pushback is it's also the most irrelevant job in the league. And part of being the general manager for, you know, the Jets, the Eagles, the,

The Vikings, the Niners, the Falcons, like, you have big fan bases. The Saints, like, you matter to a lot of people. It's a big-time deal. The Jacksonville Jaguars, they're probably five teams in like a 60-mile radius that are more important. They're all college football. Like, there is not a least important team in the NFL than the Jaguars. Not even close. It's not even a competition.

Now, they have a roster that's probably going to have the number one overall pick. They have a ton of cap space. They have a ton of picks. And if they let you fire the coach and hire your own guy, it's a fantastic job. And the owner has a lot of cash. But as I talked about last week, for whatever reason, something is toxic with this owner. His teams in Europe and soccer all lose and get relegated. His teams with the Jags always suck.

They're just terrible. And they have good players. I get that organization red flag, but just in terms of what the job is on paper, beside the amount of fans, like part of pressure is a privilege. Being the general manager of the New York Yankees, of the New York Giants,

of the Philadelphia Eagles, of the L.A. Dodgers, of the L.A. Lakers. It's a big fucking deal. I mean, it matters to a lot of, being the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's a big deal. Right, being the coach of Ohio State football, Alabama football.

There's a reason everyone wants those jobs because it matters. And people want to be where stuff matters, right? I just don't, I look at the Jags and go, it doesn't. In the NFL, I'd say most jobs matter, right? Whether you're the head coach of the Rams or you're the coach of the Patriots. Like, it's a big deal. Coach of the Jags? Like, I just, I don't really see it.

But what I do see, if you are a future GM candidate, you go, they got a good chance to win. I get Trevor Lawrence. I get a bunch of other picks. I got cab space. I already got some talent on the roster. Get to pick my coach. Other story I saw today is Marty Herney has been fired

by the Carolina Panthers. And Teper said that he wants to align Matt Rule with his next general manager. News for you. That's bullshit. The only way to align a coach and general manager hire them at the same time. You don't get to align

like when John Gruden hires Mike Mayock a year after he's already been there, They're not aligned. That's not how it works. You're aligned when you hire, when you come in together. Like when Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, they were a package deal. Pete Carroll and John Schneider, package deal. That's aligned.

You're basically admitting that Matt Ruhle, who's going to help hire the general manager. And I think Matt Ruhl's a really impressive guy. I think he's a good coach. I'd want him to be. If I was an owner, I'd want the guy on my team. but when he's in charge of hiring a general manager, he's the boss. That guy answers to him.

So just, let's just admit it. You're not really looking to align. You're just giving Rule the juice. And that general manager is going to answer to Rule. Because what has Rule been doing in college? Picking all the fucking players. Marty Herney's not bad, actually. He's actually picked a lot of good players.

But there's going to be a lot of pressure now on Matt Rule. Like, if he's smart, he should really try to just hire the best general manager possible and give that guy a lot of power because it makes your job so much easier as a head coach. Like part of Sean Payton and Andy Reed and Mike Zimmer, what makes our jobs easier is Spielman, Loomis, Veach, Schneider with Pete, like it helps when you have a guy that you can just have handle all that stuff.

If you try to do it all in the NFL, it's just too difficult. You spend too much time in the season focused on football, the NFL football, where in college you recruit during the season. Matt Rule's not watching college tape during the season. He's focused on the season, developing players, developing his coaches. That's where the general manager in the scouting department comes in. They're watching college guys 24-7, 365. So then when the season ends, everyone gets caught up to speed.

So I just, not everyone's Belichick, he's not wire. and we've even seen like Belichick's I love the guy as a coach I don't know him personally he's not the best general manager he's just not you know he's missing a lot of players

he probably would have benefited if he'd have someone to listen to Baker Mayfield's playing really well right now credit to Kevin Stefanski who's been awesome but Baker Mayfield these last four games is 70% 10 touchdowns one pick

and if he's going to play well the Browns are going to be good because they have a good run game and they have a good pass rush. Their defense is a little suspect, but their offense is really good and their pass rush is good. So you give me Baker-Mayfield,

this version, what we've seen this last month, that they got a chance to, you know, it wouldn't be crazy to see them win a playoff game. He's going to play like this, like they're going to compete in the playoffs to win a game. Okay, let's do a little Middle Coff mailbag. You guys know the drill at John Middlecough.

Direct messages open. You come in there, you ask the question, That's how we do some 2020s interacting. Back in the day, they used to take calls. They used to take emails. You know, when I was in radio, we had a text line. Now we do Instagram DMs. You just got to go with the times, you know.

Can Carson Wentz waive his current contract if he wants to so he can make it easier on a team trading for him and get his way to a different team? Is there any way that Philly doesn't have to wear dead caps face next? year. The answer is no. Because dead cap space, and I'm not a capologist, I've just been explained this by people that are, when I give you a $110 million guaranteed, basically I have to put all the guaranteed money into escrow, and you get that money in a very short period of time, right,

within 12 to 18 months, depending on how the contract, but you get the majority, remember Aaron Rogers when he signed his contract? Got like $80 million. in eight months. It's, you know, like Steph Curry signs $200 million. He gets $40 million a year. In football, it works a little differently than that. Well, part of that, if I give Carson Wentz basically $100 million over 24 months or 18 months or whatever it is, the contract actually hasn't started yet.

He's on his fifth year option right now. It was a contract extension. So you amortize that for all my accountants and auditors. You then amortize that and put it on the books over a period of time. So that's where the dead cap is the dead cap, because it's based on money that's already been paid. And again, if I had a Howie or a Parag, they could probably explain this a little better.

But that's kind of the gist of it. I remember hearing when Matt Ryan signed his $100 million contract, The craziest part about that is like, you have $100 million on you. You have to have it on you in cash within two weeks as the team. Arthur Blank did. And then they give it to Maddie Ice over a short period of time. It's these kind of archaic escrow rules that were built in back in like the 70s and 80s when the monopoly money didn't exist.

And teams, not every team had cash. So it was basically a way for the union. the players union, that is, the way that it's been explained to me, to kind of cover their ass. Like, you're going to sign these contracts. Like, imagine we've all done deals and not been paid for contracts, or at least I have, right, throughout my business life. Because you do a deal with someone, you think you're going to get, let's say, $50,000. And then you only get $30,000.

For whatever reason, the deal goes bad. Maybe you get half. Maybe you get none. And sometimes there's no money there. And that happens. It's why a wise man once taught me, don't ever waste your time suing a broke person. Because there ain't any money to be had. So when you do a business deal with companies or individuals don't have any money,

good luck trying to get that money from them if they don't have any cash. It's why so many big-time corporations are always getting sued. And that's shady, but, I mean, people are going after the money. You don't see, like, no one's suing John Middilcock. But if I, tomorrow announced that I had $20 million, dollars, who knows? You know, people start knocking on my door. Wanted some cash.

You never know. But yeah, so that's the gist of it. So the short answer is no. Just wondering if you see the Texans ever getting back to the playoffs in the next few years. That division with the Colts defense, the Titans dominating, and the Jags possibly getting Trevor Lawrence looks stacked too. Do you think Watson can make a comeback next year? Because the division and overall schedule this year was brutal, and I see it getting

harder. It's going to be difficult They don't have picks, right? They don't have a first round pick Because they got rid of Or they traded for Laramie Tunzel They don't have DeAndre Hopkins They have pretty average wide receivers

Their defense stinks They don't have a coach They do have a really good quarterback But like you said The Colts are built to kick ass right now So are the Titans And the Jags are going to be on the come If they get a good coach in the GM

going to be difficult, man. It's got a little bit Stafford Lions, you know, eight, nine years ago feel to it. Except they never traded Calvin Johnson like they traded DeAndre Hopkins. So it doesn't quite parallel each other. I feel bad for them. I'm hearing everyone talking about the Jets and not having the first pick of the draft. But on the NFL website, they're dead last in the rankings. So how, why is Jacksonville getting all the tension?

is it in relation with the strength of their schedule on the teams they've won against? That's what's weird. Like when you have teams tied, for example, like right now they're a bunch of five and nine teams. It's based on strength of schedule. Same thing with the Jags and the Jets. So it's never based on head to head. It's based on, because it shouldn't be. It should be based on the culmination of the entire season.

So right now, I'm talking to someone with the Jets last week, He's like, if we finish with the same record as the Jags, we are screwed. And that is true. So it's not, the Jets statistically are worse than the Jags, the I-test they've been worse than the Jags. But if they end up with the same record, you know what's crazy? Is I would say if we did a study of the last 30 years, it feels like most teams that draft number one overall have two or three wins. If you have one win, you're usually a lock. for the top pick.

One win? I mean, think about this. They had no wins up until December 20th, and the Jags are right at their heels. So, I mean, it just shows you how, it's just two terrible teams this year. Kind of bad luck for the Jets to just be that shitty in a year when the Jags stunk, too.

With Josh Gordon activation for the Hawks, how much do you think they could get if they shop locket in the offseason? The situation that I'm picturing, as Gordon becomes as or more productive as Lockett, but Lockett will have more robust market than Gordon, given the history in the league. You don't really need three high-productive wide receivers

when you have a wizard at quarterback, so why not shop Lockett and see if you can patch up the defense or pick up some good draft picks after a playoff season? I love Tyler Lockett, and I totally get what you're saying. My issue is like you can't. There's no depending on Josh Gordon. So I'm okay with shopping Tyler Lockett, thinking you could maybe sign some other solid wide receiver,

DK's your star, you got some tight ends. But to me, depending on Josh Gordon is not an option. Like, his tree's in, he's not a dependable individual. And listen, some people just aren't. He's talented, but like, I just, you can't depend on him. I think it's really that simple. Now that New York look like they missed out on Trevor Lawrence, and people are saying that people are saying

there is a massive talent gap between Trevor and Justin, would New York consider keeping Sam Darnold and hoping that a new coach can turn him around? Maybe trade back and get more players, almost choosing Sam over Justin Fields. Yeah, I mean, I talked about that earlier. I think that is the entire evaluation right now. Is Sam Darnold better than all these other cats?

And I think that would probably change from team to team, depending on who you asked. But, yeah, I mean, I think it's kind of a complicated situation. And I think it's a situation that they had to be bracing for a little bit. It had to be in the back of their minds. But I think today it's kind of official that, you know, that they have to start valuing him on their draft board. And like I said earlier, it's complicated because of my,

money. Part of getting rookie contracts is they're under contract for four years with a fifth year option. They're cheap. Sam Donald's going into his fourth year next year. That means you got to pick up a fifth year option. That means his money starts going up. It's, it is a complicated situation. If I had to guess right now sitting here in December 21st, I don't even know who their coach is. So, I mean, this is a, this is a big, big educated guess. I'd say Sam Donald is back. But that's a pretty big guess. With the victory over the Rams, the Jets have all but sealed their fate

as being the second pick in the draft. So it would look as though they're out of the running for Lawrence. With Greg Williams already gone, and Gace, along with the rest of the coaching staff more than likely leaving after the season, do you think the victory could have been a middle finger to the organization as they walk out the door? I just don't see how you go all year winless and have a number one pick locked up and you win an otherwise meaningless game

that land Lawrence to the Jags. Or could it be Sam Donald has a great relationship with the team and they tried to win in order to keep them on the Jets? Just seems pretty suspect to me. Would love to hear your opinion. Well, like, there just isn't tanking in football, so the Jets were not trying to lose those games. They lost because they sucked.

And yeah, I think guys like Sam Darnold, I think guys on that team, I mean, they've been playing hard the last month. and they easily could have three wins. I mean, they almost beat the Patriots on Monday night, and they easily could have beat the Raiders, right? So they could be three and whatever, three in nine or three in ten right now.

I guess it would be three in 14. Fuck, I can't even do my math. You know, three and 11. Whatever their record would be. But they could have three wins right now. Gace has been trying to win. Every game Gace has played in this season, he has done everything in his deep down to his core as a football coach,

as a human being, as a worker, to try to get the result of a win. And he just hasn't been able to because he's not very good, but it's not because of lack of effort. So to me it really comes down to, I don't know if it's necessarily an FU, it's just guys try in the NFL, coaches and players. Because a lot of those players and all the coaches

are going to be in different venues next year. So if you just stop trying, well, what if no one else wants you? At least if you keep trying, you get to kind of, one, it's just the character of a human. You should never give up or quit, right? Most of us are taught that as a young age. But as a professional, you know, Adam Gase is making $5 million. Sam Darnold was a third pick in the draft. He's making a lot of cash.

Quinn and Williams was drafted third in the draft. He's making a lot of cash. Some of these guys are making a lot of money. Frank Gore has a lot of pride. You know? I mean, it's just it's just part of football, part of football culture.

You just don't really tap out until the game's over. And I gotta give them credit like they have really tried. It just is also a reflection they're not any good. Appreciate everyone listening. If you leave an iTunes, Spotify,

I don't even know if they have reviews, but wherever possible, leave a review. And yeah, I'll see you a little earlier this week with a quick little pod. and Merry Christmas. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com

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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 Swindler. Michael and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard,

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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.