The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Rivers' Rapid Decline; Harbaugh's Ravens Rolling; Bummed Brady; Tua Draft Stock; top 5 NFC Teams; Week 11 Recap

Episode Date: November 19, 2019

In this episode, Middlekauff explains why Mexico City field conditions are a player safety hazard, why Philip Rivers' is on a steep decline; what he makes of Tom Brady looking miserable despite a 9-1 record, how far Tua Tagovailoa's draft stock will fall due to his devastating injury. He also ranks his top 5 NFC teams, recaps all of the Week 11 games, and answers listener questions in Middlekauff's Mailbag. Follow John on twitter @JohnMiddlekauff and go to theherdnow.com to find the latest content. Subscribe now! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

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

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played. with and just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to listen to learn the hard way on the iha radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast what's up guys

this is clivert taylor the fourth and on my podcast the clivert show i'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff like being an internet famous referee we're in the middle of a game this linebacker this linebacker walks up to me he goes a ref my mom wants you to wave at her what Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Ms. Parker.

Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. What is going on, everybody, John Middlecalf, three-and-out podcast. That's me.

That's the show. Back again. Just got done watching Mexico City host a game, hopefully for the last time until they get their field fixed. Pretty entertaining game, classic charger game

in the red zone, down to score. Rinse wash, repeat. Same thing every week. We'll dive into the game, the field conditions, and Phillip Rivers. Whoa, is he washed?

John Harbaugh, following Jim Harbaugh's blueprint. Tom Brady, something I noticed in the game against the Eagles that is not good. Tua Tonga.

the loa, what does his hip injury mean for his draft status? I ranked as the top five teams in the NFC. And really, we got five teams that if you wanted to rank in any order right here. The NFC is dramatically better than the AFC. If you win the NFC this year and you represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, you beat some damn good teams. And then I'll just do some headlines, things that I saw over the weekend that jumped out to me. Also Saturday.

It's a couple of the quarterbacks that are pretty intriguing. and the Middilkoff mailbag, like always, at John Middlecoff is my Instagram handle. Slide right into those DMs, and you get your, ask any question you want. Football, preferably, but if you've got a live question about any sport, I don't care. You just slide up into those DMs, ask away, and I will answer your questions here on the podcast. But let's start with Mexico City. First and foremost, I get why the league, in theory, plays international games. every business book I've ever read,

every person that I know that works in business always says you're either growing or you're dying. When I work for the Eagles, they had a sign in the players locker room and I think most teams have this sign. You're either getting better or you're getting worse. Nobody stays the same. Same concept.

You're either going up or you're going down. You have to grow. And while the ratings for football have grown these last couple years, clearly the NFL and football in general is a really big deal in this country. It can't grow forever. Eventually, it's going to be capped.

Now, if you get 25 million, if you just cap at 25 million people watching your big games, you're in good shape. You're going to be able to make billions of dollars. But, like, that's not the way business people think. So I get going to London, right? They have as many people in London, at least this is, I've never even Googled this,

but someone tweeted at me as L.A. So let's just give or take. They got 15 to 20 million people. I understand that. their field hasn't really felt like, at least when I've watched the games. Now, I'll be completely honest, haven't been super locked in, but it feels like the field has been okay. Not a disaster.

Maybe I'm wrong. The Mexico field, though, has been a problem. Last year they had to cancel the game. Tonight it looked like, for those of you that play golf, you know if you go play golf on either a bad muni course or a course after it rains, and the grass is just really soft, and the moment you hit the ball takes a huge divot,

that's what it felt like tonight. The difference isn't golf, like you just chunk the ball, who cares. In football, you could tear your knee, break your ankle, cause injuries. That game the night, from Mahomes to Hill, to Kelsey, to Frank Clark, to Ingram, to Bosa, to Keenan Allen, to Melvin, I mean, we got Hunter-Henit. We got star players everywhere. For the league, it's pretty clear. The league office doesn't give a shit about players or even teams. They only care about making money.

The league office views football because most of the people are in lifetime just business people that work out of the league office I got an iPad looking in front of me the people at Apple you think they're worried about like the iPad? No, it's just a widget to them it's just a mode to make them money

that's how the league office views teams and coaches and players. They don't care about them. They don't care that they send them to a field where on any given play half the field could tear their ACL. That was embarrassing tonight. That's a joke to play on that field. I can't believe the league.

I get London, kind of, but I don't get Mexico City when their field is an abomination. It's not safe to play on that field. You're going to send a top five star in Mahomes on a field like that. When clearly these guys are slipping and sliding all over the place, it's clear the grass. I'm not, I went to Cal Poly and started off as Ag Business Major, but I don't pretend to know a lot about grass,

at least not the type on the ground. But I know when you see the grass come up that easily off every cut, we have a problem. And people are tweeting at me, I said, why don't they just build, you know, pay for a turf field there? And I guess with soccer, they're not going to play on the surf field. Fine. Then the answer is simple.

Bye-bye Mexico. Buy-bye Mexico. Until you get a field that is suitable for the NFL athlete to play on, we don't need to go to Mexico. Now, if they get one, I got no problem going there every year. It's kind of fun to watch. I was fascinated. The food for the lines for the fans looks fantastic.

So my guy Jimmy Durkin, who works at the athletic, covers the Raiders and just editor, just a baller, tweeted because he went with the Raiders a couple years ago to watch the Raider game there, and he's like, you could get these incredible meals for like a dollar. I would imagine the food in the stadium is just pristine. I mean, I would, I'd go there just to eat. eat. But the safety on the field was

Borlein embarrassing. I mean, there was a play when Melvin Gordon leaped, and he hit the ground, and his knee took out a chunk of grass like he was Tiger Woods swinging a sandwich. That should not happen. Not only should not, that can't happen. This is the National Football League. This isn't Peewee Football. Hell, this isn't like D-2 College. This is the NFL. You're sending them to Mexico City. Like, you could have just had this game in Kansas City. It would have been fine. Again, I am pro the international games, and I understand the concept of doing it,

but not at the risk factor when the fields like that. That can't happen. My other big takeaway from this game is I'm not going to go as far, I know I said the word a little earlier, and say he's washed, because he's not washed, but he's a shell of what he was. And he was always kind of a hit or miss player, but Philip Rivers has not been good this year. Philip Rivers is going in this yolo mode.

He's never been a guy that, like, you watch Mahomes, he can throw a frozen rope of 40 yards, right? So he can throw it into an area, a tightly contested area, from far distance, pinpoint accuracy, even when there's not much, you know, not a big window. Rivers can't do that.

Everything with Rivers is anticipation, timing, and he hangs his hat historically on accuracy when he's been really good. Well, to me, his anticipation, I think he obviously still sees it, like he still has the mind. But his touch slash accuracy is nowhere near what it once was. He threw four picks tonight. I'm pretty sure he threw two or three against the Raiders last Thursday night. So he has like six or seven picks the last two weeks, a pick six.

Tonight his picks were, he easily could have thrown another one because the Honey Badger dropped one that hit him in the breadbasket. but I just don't see Like the last pass of the game Is a classic timing pass That if you are gonna miss You miss on the far side of the end zone So you're either gonna throw it over your man Or throw it out of bounds

The one place, you don't need to be Bill Walsh To understand If you're gonna throw the fade Slash that little wheel route Whatever they were running And the defender is trailing I think it was a running back You cannot underthrow that ball

And that's a play that Rivers has probably made a million times in his career. They've probably practiced that two million times. For him to underthrow that ball, to me, was the biggest red flag of the night. I think he's lost it. Now, it might have been, you could tell he was huffing and puffing. That's part of being 37, 38 years old. I'll never forget Carson Palmer talking when he was on the podcast a month ago

about Ben Rothesburg is really going to realize in this rehab how difficult it is. When you're 37, 38 years old, I see it now on 35. Aks and pains, I get a little sore after I play golf, or if I get a hard lift, if I eat the wrong food, it takes my body a day to metabolize. A hangover now doesn't last 12 hours, it could last 36 hours. I can't imagine what I'm going to feel like when I'm 45, when I'm 55. Philip Rivers, his body, and he's never been obviously a great athlete, and he's never had a huge arm. It's just kind of going on him. This is what I think we, and I include myself, have got accustomed to all.

all these athletes playing into their late 30s, even their early 40s, especially quarterbacks. It's not normal. And I don't care how much diet changes and how much training regiment changes. I don't think it's going to become typical. The guys are just going to consistently dominate at 39, 40, 41 years old. I really don't. You're seeing Ben, boom, his arm blew. You're seeing Rivers, his body's just kind of given out on him.

Eli was shot three years ago. Like to me, this is normal pro sports. You should start to lose it when you're 36, 37, 38 years old. You shouldn't just kick the shit out of everyone until you're 45. There's a reason we quote unquote, it's a young man's game. There's a reason when you watch Patrick Mahomes, you go, he's playing a different sport than Philip Rivers. Now, clearly he's more physically gifted.

But Mahomes dislocates his knee. Dislocates his kneecap in like three weeks back just throwing ropes on money. night football like it's no big deal running around he wouldn't have been able to do that if he was river's age i i just think we're watching rivers body kind of go out on him and what do the chargers do they're gonna he's a free agent the chargers are so cheap they won't want to let him just walk for anything but who's trading them anything of value like you're not probably going to be able to franchise and then trade him i give the chargers a lot of shit but i will give them credit of not extending him because i wouldn't want him extended for a couple more years.

I think you have to just move on. Now, it's not easy. It's never easy to find a quarterback. They're going to win six, seven games. I know they're, what are they, four and seven? So they'll probably end up, you know, six and ten, maybe seven and nine, so they're not going to be drafting super high. Maybe Tua falls and the hip checks out,

and they draft a guy like Tua. But it's over for Rivers. He's just, this new, you know, Stan Cronkey's stadium, Stan's already tired of Dean. I don't blame him. He's just a leech. But I don't think we'll ever see Rivers play a game in that stadium. I don't know where Rivers is going to play.

I think the Bears, even this version of Rivers, would take him in a heartbeat. I think the Titans would be interested, though. Ryan Tanny Hill is currently playing better. You know, I don't think he's a really Bruce Ariens-type quarterback. But he's just, he's killing him right now. You can't turn the ball over that much in a game that wasn't even that high scoring. Like, if Rivers just throws two picks instead of four,

who knows, Chargers might win. He's just a turnover machine. And he gets in these ruts where he's just throwing the ball to the other team. And there's one thing. I always said this about Kaepernick, and I'm not, this is not a Kaepernick current topic, but back in the day, he'd have a lot of interceptable balls,

but he was throwing the ball so freaking hard. If we use a baseball analogy, it was like 110-mile-an-hour fastball, I think how hard it is to pick that ball off. So we had a lot of balls go off their hands. We see it sometimes, like with Rogers. for every pick far through, there were a bunch he probably got dropped. Rivers throws the most interceptable ball in the league

because it just floats up there. It's just you and I could catch it. And when his accuracy is gone, which in his touch, and that's, Manning that last year was way worse because his body really left him. But his touch and accuracy, like your anticipation to me never leaves. Like Manning was, I went to the games

when Charles Woodson picked him off twice. He could anticipate, he could see it, but he couldn't execute it. Like, I think River sees it, he knows what he wants, he just can't do it. And for whatever reason, he's also throwing these yolo balls up nonstop. That, like, Mahomes isn't doing that. Like, why are you doing this, Philip? I get, like, the last drive when you have nothing to play for. But in, like, the middle of the third quarter, why are you just throwing the ball up?

I don't get it. The Chargers are a disaster franchise right now. They're moving to L.A. No one cares about him. their owner's so cheap, their quarterback situation's up in flux, their head coach is surely to get fired. I mean, think about the chiefs.

Their coach and GM and quarterback are going nowhere. Even the Raiders, their head coach and general manager are going nowhere. Cars earned his spot next year. The Denver Broncos are kind of in shambles, and the charges are in shambles. But the chargers are in the most shambles because at least the Denver Broncos

have a big fan base in Denver. Not a soul cares about the chargers in L.A. I went to school with a lot of San Diego people when I went to Cal Poly. And I get it's like some Southern California surf town. They loved the Chargers. They really did. People I knew were very, very passionate about the Chargers. And Dean Spanos flipped the middle finger to him.

And it's kind of sad. And he didn't quite handle the move as smooth. Like even Mark Davis, who flipped the middle finger to Oakland and the fans, has handled a little bit better. Because I do think he kind of likes them. and appreciates them. I think Dean is just so petty that he's burned any equity he had

with the people down in Southern California. And now his quarterback, like his best asset is diminishing by the game. They're screwed. You're watching a franchise that I was thinking today, like, do they think about maybe just getting rid of rivers and maybe trading like Melvin, Melvin Ingram, try to get like a first-round pick

and just really start over? 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

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

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

This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever. you get your podcast.

If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Orsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting.

On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise. The drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this.

At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just hit the reset button. or Keenan Allen, maybe get two first round picks for both of them, and legitimately start over. The problem is you can't go into L.A. and hit the reset button. You think, I'll talk about it later. No one cares about the Rams right now, and they're 6 and 4.

You think they're going to care about the 5 and 11 rebuilding Chargers? Doesn't work. That's why they screwed up. They never should have moved. You could have pulled it off in San Diego. You can't pull it off in L.A. Chargers, man. The story of the night was just Philip Rivers

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or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health at Human Services. Services Administration for Children and Families and the Act Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles.

They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discover the Forest. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Okay, let's get into the reestablishment of John Harbaugh as an elite coach. And I think that John and Jim share a similarity in this respect. I think they're like a lot of people.

You know, Belichick is an all-time outlier. There's nothing he can't do in his field. He can coach. He can pick players. He can negotiate contracts. He's like a gym teacher, meets an economic major, meets a scouting director all in one. That's unique. But most guys aren't that skilled.

And he's not just in football. I'm talking in Goldman Sachs. Some guys are better at creating algorithms that will pump out the cash while others are better at going to a meeting and shutting and locking down a deal. Right? We're all good at certain things and bad at others. Anytime you read, you know, about successful people, they always tell you, stop doing the things. you're shitty at, just focus on what you're really good at. And the Harbaugh's have consistently shown they're really good motivators.

They are raw, raw guys. It's kind of their schick. And when I say stick, I mean, it's a good thing. That's what they hang their hat on. Leading the troops into battle. Toughness. I mean, John Harbaugh has been popped countless times in Baltimore for practicing too hard in OTAs.

Remember he got in trouble for wearing pads at OTAs. something that you obviously can't do. He did it anyway. They're crazy. They're nuts. But they're good at it. And when they have talented teams and talented coaching staffs, they dominate. Look at what John Harbaugh has done with his coaching staff.

When he drafted Lamar Jackson, who did he ultimately end up as his offensive coordinator? The guy that had the most success probably ever for a running quarterback, Greg Roman. Coach Colin Kaepernick. was there with Jim Harbaugh also sneaky coached Alex Smith to resurrected his career in 2011 and then changed the game with Kaepernick winning playoff games with a guy that was running all over teams used to just gash Green Bay in the playoffs on the ground

no other coordinator has really that on his resume of actually winning games, big games on the road or at home, in January with a running quarterback. Gray Roman did. He has Wink Martindale who is, clearly one of the best defensive coordinators in the sport. I thought Wink took Deshawn Watt, what a great nickname too.

Deshawn Watson, Bill O'Brien, took him out behind the woodshed and kicked their ass. I watched that game start to finish and it was a full-blown ass whooping. They killed him. They demolished Deshawn Watson. They had him spinning. They had them holding on the ball too long. They destroyed them. Harbaugh has assembled a really,

really good coaching staff when it comes to his two coordinators. Because those guys are dominating right now. And that's the one thing with Jim and John. And definitely John. They don't call the offense and they don't call the defense. They are just leaders. Now, when they lead and they have the right coaching staff, kind of, you know, because they're not micro, they can't do anything.

Do you think John Harbaugh knows the offense? Maybe he knows some of the defensive calls. It's Wink's baby. Just like with Jim Harbaugh. It was Fangio and Greg Roman's. baby. Now, he liked coaching the quarterbacks and playing catch. He was not calling the place. Never has been. Back to Stanford.

That's not his deal. Now at Michigan with the dude Gaddis from Alabama, he ain't calling the plays anymore either. Never call the plays. That's not the Harbaugh's deals. They lead. John's no for like samurai swords in the middle of the locker room. And he's great at it. I'd like to play for John Harbaugh. He's a high

level guy. But what he's doing right now with his two coordinators is what the Harbaas do best at. When they get the right people surrounded around them, and then they've picked the right players, and Lamar Jackson is becoming a superstar. But look at the move, they go to get Peters. They get Mark Ingram, who's having a good season.

They draft well Mark Andrews. They got Marquise Hollywood Brown, who's going to continue to play a bigger factor. Their defensive line has some no-name guys that are making some plays. I've been really impressed. But they hang their hat on not being afraid to hire coaches that are going to interview

potentially every year for head jobs. They have no problem. Jim used to fight in San Francisco to make his coaching staff the highest paid coaching staff in the NFL. And he did it for a reason. He knew he needed him. He couldn't afford to lose Vic Fangio.

He couldn't. Just like he can't afford to lose Don Brown in Michigan. He needs those guys. John Arbaud knows how critical his coaching staff is to his success because he's seen the last couple of years when he's kind of run through some offensive coordinators and the flacco, and it just didn't work. And now he's got the perfect guy, and you hope for his sake, because it's so much fun to watch,

that Greg Roman doesn't get a head coaching job. Now, we'll see, is it going to be cyclical where some defensive coaches get head jobs? I'm still a little leery of that. Like, I have a hard time seeing that, thinking that a bunch of defensive coaches are going to get jobs. I still think that offensive coaches, I mean, the way the, The league is refereed and slash, I mean, officiated. And the way the teams put such a premium on offense, it's just easier to coach offense now. You can't touch the quarterbacks.

You can't touch wide receivers over the middle. And your quarterback is your most important guy in the franchise. So why wouldn't you want to hire a coach that can handle running quarterbacks? Now, the thing with Greg Roman, you would want Greg Roman with a mobile quarterback. Well, you go, he has one right now. Who are the other mobile quarterbacks in the league? Would the Cowboys take a swing on him? Dax's a little bit like that, but I'd say Dax become much more of a true passer.

Kyler's coach is not going anywhere. So maybe there's a chance of Greg Roman doesn't get another job. At least this year, maybe it's another year. But Harbaugh really needs to take advantage of because his brother, Jim, when he had one of the great coaching staffs of the last decade in San Francisco, was not able to win the big one. Now, they got close, they went to three straight championship games. they went to the one Super Bowl,

but you can't keep your coaches forever, even if you're willing to pay them a premium. He has the perfect staff going right now for his players. They've got to capitalize this year, and maybe next, because if they have back-to-back, you know, 12, 13 win seasons, and maybe they make a Super Bowl, Greg Roman's getting a head job.

That's inevitable if they continue to have this success. And he will not be easy to replace, because you could argue he's not really replaceable. Who else has coached at his level with the running quarterback? and maybe you'll be able to keep Wink Martindale just because, like I said, defensive coaches aren't really in vogue when it comes to owners. But John Harbaugh deserves a lot of credit for surrounding his weakness,

which is not being able to coach really either side of the ball, definitely offense, with the perfect coaches for these situations. And he's kind of taking the league by storm this year. And the dude's a winner, the Harbaugh family are winners, and he's kind of having a muscle flex season this year. You know, I'm probably one of the really. guys in media that literally, you know, talks about football for a living, I don't have the package. So I only watch the games, at least live, what television gives me. But now the way

the setup in the NFL, I get obviously Thursday, Monday, I get multiple because I get a Raider and a 49er game locally. And usually I get one to two other games during the day, Sunday, and then I get Sunday night football. So if there's one or two big matchups, like Philly, New England. I'll just go back and watch it on my iPad on a condensed version. I can watch it in 30 minutes. So last night I got in bed. You know, early, because I want to start fast on Monday, about 9.30, and I watched the game. And, you know, I saw a lot about it on Twitter, a little bit on the red zone, but I didn't really have the red zone on because the Raider game was on and the Niner game was on. So I was pretty locked into those. And then I watched the Eagles and the Patriots, and I was like,

Whoa, Brady looked pretty miserable. And he didn't just look miserable. He didn't like getting hit. And I thought about it a lot today. He's never liked it. No one likes getting hit. But the couple times that he's been beat, right, in the big games, definitely the two to the Giants, he got Mollywopped.

They peppered them all game long, and they really threw him off. Well, yesterday, he threw, he had 47 passing attempts, which is not ideal for the Patriots. That's a tad bit too. many. They couldn't really run the ball. But the Eagles defensive line was kicking his ass. And he looked kind of over it. And how could you blame him? If I was 42 years old, the older you get in life, the less you want to do things that you no longer have to do. I don't do manual labor anymore. I mean, unless I absolutely have to, right? I don't even like, I ain't

cleaning my condo. I pay someone to do that. I'm not, there's a reason I work to just pay for things that I do not want to do. I refuse to do them. I'm way, you know, Brady's got seven years on me, much more accomplished. I can't even imagine. Now, part of doing stuff and a job, whatever job you may have, you might eventually have to do some things you don't want to do. Now, getting hit for Tom is a little bit out of his control, but there is a reason. They have always game planned with Brady, and I think he's the goat. He gets rid of the ball pretty fast. He's not really sacks. He's not really sackable because he's not holding on to the football. But when you're down, which they were, I think, 10-0,

and then they only got, you know, at one point in time, it was 10 to 9 because all they could get was field goals. They couldn't even score is you have to be aggressive offensively. So you can't just go three-step drops, get rid of the football. You've got to attempt to push the ball a little bit down the field. And when they did that, he looked freaking miserable because he kept getting peppered, and he kept getting hit. And as someone DM me after the game, like, do you notice that Brady was miserable in

the press conference and Belichick was really happy. I say this over and over. I don't think Belichick minds Tom being a little miserable. And there were points in times in that game where you don't think Tom's washed, but you just put two and two together. You go, you know, he's 42, 43 years old. What's he doing this for? His legacy is entrenched in stone.

Six Super Bowls. No one is ever winning six Super Bowls. No quarterback. It's not happening. Just do the math right now. Who's even capable of doing this? that. Like Mahomes? Well, he hasn't even won one yet. So he's going to win six. Russell? Well, he's only got one. He's going to win five more Super Bowls. He's already 30 years old. It's not happening. That record is,

that record is set. He's made, you know, actually hasn't made that much money, but he's made so much endorsements. He's still made a ton of cash. What's he doing this for? His offensive line, and the one thing that they've always had to benefit of having is the greatest offensive line in the history of the NFL, Dante Scarnicchio. They've done a very good job of getting the right personnel for Tom, past catching running backs. They've had Gronk forever. They even had Hernandez for a while.

They've always said Welker or Julian Edelman. They've built to his strengths. The problem is right now, Edelman's still a stud. They're depending on Ben Watson. They're running backs beside James White are pretty hitter mess. And if Edelman's not catching the ball, they're depending on now. Nikiel Harry's back, a guy they just traded for him, Mohamed Sunniu,

and Jacoby Myers. Like, it's not exactly Troy Brown, Randy Moss, you know, on the outside. So you see a guy that look pretty miserable, well, it's going to get tougher. Because think about his playoff run. He's going to have to play Baltimore, who has, right now, they just pepper to Sean Watson. And then whoever he plays in the Super Bowl, whether it's the 49ers, who front's awesome, the Saints front's pretty damn good. Green Bay's front's not bad at all this year.

Like, he could get legitimately Minnesota. They got two stud ends. This could be the year where it hit me for the first time. Does Tom still want to do this? Because what's he doing this? Like it's all, it's all. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get, It's 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, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway.

Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real.

From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice. radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th.

And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office blue, 42. Hey, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conkey, his best friend and business manager.

And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular. streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. House money. I made a bet two weeks ago for the first time in weeks, and I won. Turn $150 into about $850. And I think a lot of times people, people,

including myself, think, well, that's just house money now. You know, that 150 is now 850. I'm just playing with house money. No, I'm playing, that's my money. If I want to deposit that money into my bank account, I could have pressed one button. But what did I do over the next 10 days? I gambled it all. And as I sit here recording this on Monday, it's all gone.

Like if you're Tom, win or lose the Super Bowl this year, if you can make it out healthy, and let's say you'd make it to the AFC championship, and Baltimore beat you or Kansas. Let's say you're making the Super Bowl. And you lose in the Super Bowl. Let's even say worst case. He does not win a Super Bowl, but they win a playoff game.

Maybe he won two playoff games, but he doesn't win the Super Bowl. What are you doing this for? Why do you still want to get hit? Because you're just your pride. It's all you've ever known being a football player. You're Tom freaking Brady. You got the world by the balls. Fortune 500 companies will pay you to speak.

You could probably buy into an NFL team. You could become a general manager. You could run a media company. do whatever the hell you want. I don't get what he's fighting for. I understand Drew Breeze, because Drew's thinking, I'm going to go down as one of the great players ever, and I only got one Super Bowl.

I think I could win another one. So I get what he's fighting. But what does Tom justify at night when he got home last night from Philly, and even though they won, God, that sucked. I got hit over and over and over again. And it's just not always going to be that easy of just getting rid of the football really fast.

And sometimes they may fall down, so you're going to be forced to throw the ball. I like Sony Michelle coming out of college, but he hasn't exactly been Walter Payton since coming in the league. Now that Gron's gone, it's a little more difficult. Edelman's always going to get open for him, but the first time that it hit me is, I'm not so certain he's coming back next season. 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

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They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Okay, let's dive into a devastating injury that happened on Saturday. and that was Tua Tanga Viloa, dislocated his hip, the same injury I guess that Bo Jackson had,

though after reading about it today, it turns out one major difference is Bo did it and kept playing through, so he made it way worse. Where Tua, just from what I've read, who had successful surgery today, the difference is it happens and he immediately had surgery on it. So the doctor, I don't, just a couple state school degrees here, business and sports management.

So I don't even pretend to know or comprehend the impact of the injury, how seamless the rehab. I don't know. But the doctors at least have made it sound like you can come back full strength from it. And luckily, you know, he's 21 years old. If you're ever going to have an injury like this, you'd rather do it when you're 21 than 35 or whatever. I mean, look at Rathusberger.

Has Tommy John, it looks like he's added 40 pounds in a month. and as Carson Palmer said, you know, it's much different tearing your ACL when you're 25 than when you're 36. It wears on you because your body doesn't return. So if you're ever going to have a major injury, it's good to have it at this stage of his career because he can battle back from it.

Hell, remember Nick Chubb, who's one of the best running backs in the league, had a pretty major injury a couple years ago, and he's okay. You know, your body recovers faster. But it's pretty clear this is a massive, massive injury for the ramifications of the draft. I do think Tua somewhat was getting unfairly crushed for his play.

He's the best deep ball thrower in the country. He is really, really accurate. And, you know, it looks a little different when you're left-handed, but he gets rid of the football really quick. He has a lot of positives. Now, his negative before Saturday was his ankles. And people forget this, but early on in Steph Curry, career, he had like chronic ankle injuries.

And eventually they overcame it with surgery and special shoes. And he's never really had a problem since. Like he's rolled his ankle, but he's never had ankle injuries that just ruin his season. Once they kind of honed in on it. But that was going to be a major red flag. Like the number one thing you talk about with a super elite player, and you would nitpick his game for sure. But the injury factor.

And the hardest thing for a general manager to do is, gauge, like, you're just trying to put a percentage. I've been in these meetings, and you're talking back when I was there, concussions, we knew a lot less about it, but they were bad. Like, if you had a concussion history, teams wouldn't mess with you. But sometimes doctors would red flag a knee at the combine for the team I was with, and then the team, the next team, would give them the okay, the bill of health. So there is a lot that is out of the hands of general managers.

Like if your team doctor, let's just use an example, the 49ers. Their team doctors are Stanford Med. So in theory, the best in the country. If the doctor looks at, and Trent Balky used to take ACL guys all the time, I'm going to imagine that the doctor says, this guy's going to make a full recovery. So Trent would draft them. And then it turns out a lot of them did not.

But I guess nowadays there is a risk versus reward that you have to put somewhat of a probability go, well we think too and you're just using the doctor's information is 90% likely to be full health or 75% like if he's like you know I think he's going to be full health but I wouldn't get anywhere near close to 100% it'd be really hard to draft number one overall but let's assume that pretty confident over 90% he's going to be a full bill of health I think this injury factored in with his ankles immediately pushes him below Joe Burrow who's likely going to be the number one pick and go to Cleveland

which, excuse me, not Cleveland, sorry, Browns fans are 4 and 6, Cincinnati. Ohio kid, Cincinnati drafts them. It would be fascinating, and Carson Palmer talked about this too. Like, it might be worth taking a stand and saying I refuse to go to Cincinnati. I would not blame him. And then Justin Herbert, who has kind of flexed his muscles and had a massive comeback, though now with Tua banning out and more than likely if Oregon beats Utah, they will be the fourth seed.

That LSU Oregon 1-1-4 potential first playoff game would be like an NFL GM that needs a quarterback wet dream. I mean, that's big time. You get both quarterbacks, they might go one, two on the same field. But when you look at Tua, he is going to be a very, very tough evaluation. Because like I said, he was already red flagged for the ankle stuff before this. And this is a major injury. You know, even if he is coming back from full health, you go,

when you look at the play, I wouldn't call it an innocuous tackle. It was a pretty physical tackle watching the replay world. multiple guys fell on it. So it's just sometimes when multiple guys fall on you, there are 300 plus pounds. Clavicles break like foals and robo. Guys get hurt. It's not the first time and it definitely won't be the last time.

But I would struggle as a GM if I was in the quarterback, you know, the market. And I needed to acquire a guy. How confident I would be that this player could just maintain his health. And it's the great unknown with drafting. It's why I actually think that this injury, if he does return from health can really benefit to him. Because he might end up with a team, and I was reading Albert Brewer today,

and he talked with a couple, like, scouting directors, who basically said that Herbert and Burrow definitely jumped him, but if all goes well, he should still be a locked first round pick. Well, to me, a lock first round pick, does that mean the chargers get him at pick 16? The Colts get him at pick 22. He somehow falls to, like, the Patriots at pick 30. like this could be the best thing that ever happened to it.

Now, and I know Coward talked about this on money, it might cost him a little more money off the jump, and that first contract as a number one or number two overall pick is really lucrative. I think people always talk about, oh, the new CBA hurt, the top draft picks, no, you get a four-year guaranteed deal if you're a first-round pick, and if you're a really high pick, I think Lamar Jackson, or not Lamar Jackson,

but Lamar Jackson a couple years ago as the 32nd pick made as much money on his rookie deal as Kyler Murray made as the ninth pick in the Major League Baseball draft. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month,

I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing

and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns, Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid

because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down,

give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife-Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Look. quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford Show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody!

Please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, hope from a hypocrite, I'll be changing lives.

Helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man.

If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken. A cream Cream a chicken suit This is Help from a Hypocrite The worst advice

From the dumbest people you know Listen to Help from Hypocrat as part of the Mike Coultera Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts Or wherever you get your podcasts. I think Kyler almost quadrupled

His baseball signing bonus Which was around 9 million To what he got last year As the number one overall pick Which I think was like $34, $35 million So yeah, the difference of going pick 20 and number two are have big financial

you know ramifications. But if you go to a healthy organization and I'm going to give Colin credit again on this one, think how much Lamar benefited from ending up in Baltimore. So yeah, the Ravens cost, you know, he fell in the draft and went the last pick of the first round

and made $9 million instead of going where Josh Rosen, you know, went at like pick 10 and probably making $20 million. So there was a big financial swing. Think how much better his career's off. Hell, you could look at Sam Darnold, who went three overall, has been with the freaking jets. Talk about a place a quarterback does not want to go.

That's not exactly an ideal landing spot. You could say by far Lamar's in the best situation to get the most out of his talents and to win. Because you could say Kyler's in a really good situation with Cliff Kingsbury, and I'll get to Kylo a little bit later. He looks awesome. But when does that team ever? going to be good. Their defense stinks.

They're depending on Vance Joseph. Cliff, while he's a dynamic kind of offensive play caller, he never won in college, so what's to ever think that he's going to be able to win in the pros? Like, Lamar's got John Freakin Harbaugh, who's a Super Bowl champion, and for a long period of time before the last couple years was viewed as like a top three or four coach.

So what if you're two of Tonga Voloa, and you end up, Charters would be a bad spot because they probably have a new coach and you wouldn't want to play for Dean Spanos. I would pull a, you know, a Eli Manning and refused to go there. But what if you go to Indy? What if you go to New England?

What if you go to some of these places that maybe have a Pittsburgh that's going to need a quarterback? I guess Pittsburgh doesn't have a first round pick. But hell, what if Miami actually, what if they can get them with the second pick? You know, they use their first round pick on Chase Young, draft him number three, and then use him pick 16. Now, is Miami a well-run organization? I think you have to give Brian Flores some credit.

Their team plays their ass off. and they might have made the right move big picture selling. Now, we'll see if they can draft the right players. But, you know, if Tua's going to be okay, and that's, no one will know this. I mean, not the doctors, not too, not anybody. It's a guessing game. The draft in general is a massive guess. Like, if you take Joe Burrow, you pray to God he's going to be what we saw at LSU,

but what if he's the guy that couldn't beat out Dwayne Haskins, who his teammates in Washington clearly don't like? What if he's the guy that wasn't that good two years ago? for LSU? What if it was just the perfect marriage? And that's the thing with coaching. Sometimes you just get a perfect marriage of coach meets player and some of your surrounding teammates. So, you know, I think all of our heart dropped because Tua is easily the best quarterback of the Saving era. There's not even a close second. I mean, he's on a different tier than every single one of those guys. If you combine them all, they don't, they don't hold a Tua's

jock. So anytime you see a guy being, basically carried off the field. But the one thing you see some of these videos going viral today of him playing the little guitar and his hospital bed, he's in good spirits. And luckily being young, you know, we keep her fingers crossed, he'll bounce back. And I think he, if he goes to the right spot

and clearly he's probably going to fall a little bit in the draft, he may end up even better off big picture that this happened. 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 fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by Nitsa and the Ad Council. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest?

Our imagination. Our sense of wonder. 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. If I could be you. And you could be me for just one hour.

If you could find a way to get inside. Each other's mind. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. We've all felt left out. And for some, that feeling lasts more than a moment. We can change that.

Learn how it belonging begins with us.org. Brought to you by the ad council. Okay, let's dive into, I wanted to rank my top five NFC teams because right now the NFC is far superior than the AFC. It's not even close. I mean, there is a chance that an 8-and-8 team wins the 6-seed. More than likely, it'll probably be 9-7, but it wouldn't shock me if 8-8 wins.

There's a decent chance that the 6-seed in the NFC could be 12 wins. So every team in the NFC beside the NFC East, which is going to win the division and be the 4-seed, could be like a 12-win Minnesota team and a 12-win Seattle team. in some order. They actually play each other, I think, in a couple weeks. Now, the great part about all these teams, the Saints, in no particular, Minnesota, Seattle, Green Bay, San Francisco, is they all play each other.

The Saints and the Niners play each other in a couple weeks. The Niners play the Packers this week, and then they play Seattle to end the season. Minnesota still plays Green Bay and Seattle and the Rams, which is no pushover. And Green Bay still plays the Niners, obviously, and Memphis. Minnesota. So it's all going to play itself out. But here's how I would rank it. Right now, obviously the Niners are the one, the Packers, Saints, technically the two, and the Seattle, all eight and two, Minnesota, and then the Dallas would be there too. Here's how I would go. I would rank number one. I know that they have two losses and the Niners have one, but I

would put New Orleans number one. They have a Super Bowl winning coach. They have the the most complete team when you factor in, they got Drew Brees. And to me, that's the difference between the Niners and the Saints. Now, I might change my opinion if the Niners going to New Orleans, obviously, beat them. But on paper,

when I factor in their resume, their coach, they were just in the NFC championship game last year. They've won several playoff games the last couple years. And Drew Brees, clearly, I mean, this isn't breaking news, more accomplished than Jimmy Garoppolo. The other thing that, the problem for the diners,

which is also, it's not that big a deal to me. I can live with interceptions if you do two things. If you make plays and every time you get destroyed, you just keep hopping up. And those are the two things Jimmy Garaplo does. His toughness is off the charts. You can hit him as hard as you want and he gets up unless you break his shoulder or tear his ACL.

He just hops right. He is not afraid of contact. as Herm Edwards uses the term contact courage Now he's not a defender So someone's coming at him But he is not afraid to sit in the pocket and deliver balls He will also make big time plays

He will give it away though As someone tweeted at me yesterday Jimmy is not throwing interceptions He is throwing completions to the opposition Because he's hitting the guys in stride So anytime you're just inclined to throw picks You will lose yourself a playoff game He threw two second half picks yesterday

Now, luckily, they were playing the Cardinals, and they were at home, and they were able to overcome it. But if you're playing the Packers, you're playing the Saints in a playoff game, you're not going to be able to overcome that. And every game, just two weeks ago when he was playing Seattle, I guess it was basically a week ago yesterday. He could have thrown multiple picks on the game tying drive at the end of regulation. So he will throw the ball, turn the ball over. But the Niners' defense is awesome. Kyle Shanahan is an elite play caller. when they get Kittle back, if Emmanuel Sanders can overcome this rib injury or whatever,

they're legit. The Niners are no joke. But I would put them behind the Saints just based on resume and based off just an unknown with Jimmy Garoppolo. He has made as many starts as Sam Donald. So I give the Saints the slight edge. Then I would have the Packers. Now, you could say, how do you even rank the Packers and the Niners? If you were a Packer fan and you said, I would put them, if they beat the Niners,

they're clearly going above them. I would say yes, I would agree. But given that they got one loss and the Packers got two, I'm putting them ahead of the Packers. Now, the great thing is, it's all right here. This team, it's Sunday night football, all the chips are in the middle of the table. Let's see what you got.

It's really expensive to get in as, you know, the game I went to a week ago with a season ticket holder who has four tickets, he told me he sold this game in the off season for a big profit because there are going to be a lot of Packer fans there. It's not just going to be red everywhere. There will be a lot of green. this game's big time.

But they scared me because anytime you got Aaron Rogers, like to me the Niners, if you told me the Niners are going to win the NFC and probably the same thing with the Saints, I would say they need home field advantage. You could argue that the Packers, like if Green Bay had to play San Francisco in the second round of the playoffs at Levi Stadium,

Rogers would be fine in 70 degrees. He would actually probably thrive in that environment. Or Rogers in the dome? Like, that's pretty conducive to him. you could argue that if they got home field advantage, that the weather, how cold it gets in Green Bay, you know, in January, negative, whatever, kind of neutralizes his strength,

which is incredible playmaking. Now, for the first time in a long time, they have an excellent running game. You know, they're running back as 11 rushing touchdowns. They're defensive solid, so they are built to play in the cold, but they're really built to play in the dome or in just a warm weather environment.

Number four, I would have Seattle. They would be another team I would want no part of in a big game. Now, the Saints, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Green Bay Packers, their rosters, top to bottom, are much better than Seattle. But Russell Wilson's a magician. And Pete Carroll has won countless big games the last 20 years. All those years at USC, then all these years at Seattle, I think the New England Patriots have 19 straight seasons of winning football.

The second team with the most consecutive winning seasons is Seattle was seven, and this year will be eight. So all they do is win. And Pete Carroll won a Super Bowl. He's coached in countless big games over the last decade in the NFL. I'm not even counting SC. They would scare me. And, you know, if they don't win the division,

they will have to go on the road. Can you imagine getting them as like if you're Dallas or Green Bay and you've got to play Russell Wilson in round one? That's tough. That is. And then Minnesota, who actually I have, you could argue that Minnesota and C, Seattle are interchangeable because Minnesota's roster is better in Seattle.

To me, the difference is just their coach is much more accomplished and their quarterback is in a different world. But Cousin's playing well. And I was shocked when Denver, with Thielen out, you have to double team Dix. Diggs change that game for him. You can't let him hit big plays. He's their only go-to guy in a situation where they're going to throw bombs and they let it happen multiple times in that game.

And the game flipped. But their two defensive ends can change the game. game. Zimmer, you give them a week to game plan, is a mother. Minnesota's good. If you told me right now, Minnesota wins the NFC, I would not be shocked. Now, from the five seed to win the NFC, it would be really hard, right? You'd have to beat Dallas, then you'd probably have to beat San Francisco or the Saints, and then you'd have to beat the Saints or San Francisco again, like that, all on the road. That would be, I mean, it's good of an accomplishment since like Eli did it years ago to win three straight road games to

make it to the Super Bowl in a division which is clearly top heavy but when you just factor in your top five teams because the AFC doesn't have this the Patriots this is the most flawed good Patriot team I think we've seen of this like 20 years of a team that could legitimately win the Super Bowl you're like well they have no explosive passing game and their offensive lines kind of in shambles the Ravens you go well is Lamar can you really light people up in the playoff games now maybe he can you can. The Chiefs defensively, they're in shambles. As of recording it, the Monday Night Football hasn't happened yet. The AFC South, I mean, that game, the Texans play the Colts this

week, but both of those two teams are really, really flawed. The NFC is rolling out five teams, and you could throw Dallas in there, too. Dallas's rosters big time. It's just their coach sucks. But the Saints, the Niners, Green Bay, Seattle, Minnesota. And at the end of the day, this list, I mean, it could dramatically look different in three weeks. It's all. All these teams play each other. So if you're an NFC fan, and that's I'm an NFC fan before I'm an AFC fan, I can't wait because whoever's going to win the NFC, I think is going to be the Super Bowl favorite. Okay, let's just jump around things I saw around the weekend.

Start with Kyler Murray. He's good. He's really good. He throws frozen ropes. He's accurate. He's really explosive. For a little midget, he's pretty dynamic in the podcast. He's excellent throwing on the run.

He's played really well at two games. I've seen him play against the Niners and just other games I've watched him. He's good. He's just good. If you said, who would you take for the next 10 years? Kyler Murray or Baker Mayfield? I wouldn't even hesitate. I'd take Kyler Murray.

And I like Baker. I think Kyler has a chance. If you told me, is he going to make over under two and a half pro balls? I'd probably take the over. I'm telling you, I am very bullish on this player. He is good. the Houston Texans. I'm not trying to overreact to just one game

because they got their butts kicked by a good Ravens team. But they are a flawed good team. I mean, they'll more than likely win the division, though they play the Colts this weekend and the Colts have already beat them. But they'll more than likely make the playoffs, but they got issues. They can't really cover anybody.

They have one really dynamic offensive player in Hopkins. They're running back stink. Their second and third wide receivers are just average. Their team speed on defense is not. not great. With JJ Watton injured and Clowny traded, their defensive pass rush isn't kind of non-existent. They got issues, man. They are Bill O'Brien mortgage the future to get Laramie Tunzel, who's been banged up.

I know he played against the Ravens, but they got problems. And on the flip side is Indy. They just find a way after they lose or play a bad game to win. They have a lot of heart. They're well-coached. They got a lot of tough guys on. their team. Big game this weekend against Houston.

It's at Houston Thursday night. I'm not a big AFC South guy. It kind of bores me. But just because of the matchups, it always feels a little blah. At least since like Peyton left. This game, I'm pretty excited for the Colts and the Texans. This is a big boy game. Whoever wins, if Houston wins, they're in the kind of the driver seat.

If Indy wins, Houston might be screwed. They could still make the playoffs because if they get to eight or nine wins, they'll have the tiebreaker over the Raiders. but yeah it's it's a big game and I gotta give props to Indy whenever they lose a game they always come back swinging they have a lot of resolve with the guys they have the Bengals they might go on 16 they played hard against the Raiders Joe Mixon made some plays Gino Atkins was active they do have some decent dbs the William Jackson guy is actually not terrible the dude they drafted in the first round from Houston a couple years ago but ever since benching Andy Dalton, I just, I don't see them winning a game. They're going to be the first L-1-16 team since the Detroit Lions.

And the Raiders are 6 and 4. Now, they got a big game this weekend at New York, just in the sense that they got to go on the road. It's a long road trip. It's going to be cold. Derek has not played historically well in inclement weather. And when I say inclement weather, I'm not talking snow and sleet.

I'm just talking 30 degrees. It's 70 degrees outside my window right now. and the Raiders practice 20 minutes away from where I'm sitting. So there's just no way to get ready for it. Derek played at Fresno. He's from Bakersfield. There's a reason Goff and Derek don't play well in the weather. They've never been around it.

They're not weather quarterbacks. Tom Brady's just used to, Aaron Rogers, these guys are used to playing in it. These guys in California just aren't. But I got to give Gruden a lot of credit to be six. If you would have told me they'd be six and four when they got rid of Antonio Brown, I would have bet you $1,000. No chance. I couldn't have been any more wrong on the.

this team. Their offense is just good. Josh Jacobs is a star, another 100-yard rushing game. Darren Waller is, you know, can you be the comeback player of the year if you've never really arrived? He's been a pro bowler. He's been great. And Derek Carr is going to lead the season in completion percentage when it's all said and done. The pass interference replay is just, listen, I say it over and over. I don't get bothered by it because it's clear they're not overturning pass interference. It's not happening. But I do understand why people are mad. You're like, well, we can finally challenge it. Why aren't you overturning blatant pass interference?

And because the letter of the law, it's egregious. It's like the NFC championship game when the dude got taken out. It's not just, I bump you a split second before the ball gets there. And they're not overturning it. So as long as coaches keep throwing the flag in that situation, they're not going to get it. Because the referees and the league have shown their true colors. They're just not going to, to old.

overturned passenger appearance. I think I heard someone say yesterday. I think it was like six for 40. So the odds are heavily against you. Do not waste a challenge, especially in the second half of a game. Got to tip my hat to Jalen Hertz at Oklahoma. He was, in Oklahoma was horrendous in the first half. He was turning the ball over, had a fumble, had a pick.

It looked like Baylor was going to blow them out. National television, Herb Street, ABC, everyone's watching. Oklahoma was getting their ass kicked. The biggest compliment I will pay Jalen Hertz, and I said this about Jimmy Garoppolo earlier, he is a very, very resilient player, unfazed by mistakes. And we talk about this a lot in football. I think it works a lot for humans. The faster you can get over failures, mistakes, and just focus on the next task at hand,

the easier it is to operate. And no position probably in sports is it more important than at quarterback. He can have a fumble or a pick. and the next drive just lead him right down the field for a touchdown. It's really impressive. They found a way to win that game. It was cool. It was fun to watch.

Lincoln Riley is a badass. Justin Herbert has really kind of solidified himself as a top quarterback these last, you know, month. And he has a huge, huge opportunity down the stretch of playing a couple of Pac-12 games, but getting the Pac-12 championship against Utah, the best defense in the conference, beside Oregon, and then playing LSU potentially. in the playoffs. He can make himself, he could pass Burrow. I mean, if he outplays Burrough in that playoff game,

assuming they play each other, and again, he's got to beat Utah, which is going to be no easy task because Utah is really good. But he's got a huge opportunity in front of him. Because I said about a month ago, I'm like, I don't know if he's going to fall out of the first round, but this guy's not a top 10 player. Once he kind of gets humming and gets into a rhythm,

he is really, really talented. And I think he's reestablished himself as, You know, clearly one of the best players in the country, but, you know, at the top of the heap when it comes to the quarterbacks. The Rams, man, I know they won yesterday, but Jared Goff and that offensive line kind of a shell of themselves, their passing game stinks. They just look kind of blah. And in L.A., like the Lakers, they're a star-driven town. And football has not been on the forefront of their mind for 25 years. SC football has, but NFL football, it's different down there.

and you could feel it yesterday when you turned on the game and the Coliseum, it felt like there were more Bears fans there than Rams fans. The moment you don't win and the moment you're not fun, think about the most famous team in L.A. history. The Showtime Lakers. How much fun, the showt. That was their nickname, the Showtime Lakers. Then Kobe and Shaq.

You can't struggle to score 20 points, even if you got a good-looking head coach, and I like Sean McVay, and I'm rooting for Jared Gough. But they're going to put people in Southern California to sleep. You have to be overaggressive to get their attention, to make them want to come. Think of what Pete Carroll did in the mid-2000s to get people there. It wasn't just that it was fun and cool. You were kicking the shit out of everybody.

Reggie Bush and liner, they were scoring 40 points with their eyes closed. And then on defense, they were killing people. They felt they were better to some NFL teams. Remember, that was when the argument first started. Could Al-Ban, or could USC in like 05, I remember the conference, beat the Niners, who ended up getting the number one pick and they drafted Alex Smith? That is, the conversation, I'm watching the Rams and going, God, this is, this is boring football.

You need to resurrect this brand, Sean McVeigh. And when I say resurrect, I just mean, I feel they've lost some brand equity this year in their area. And in California, we're fickle, man. Part of the reason the 49ers are so big and they dominate football-wise in the state, they never left. Like, the Raiders kept moving, and then they sucked.

Like, the 49ers have sucked, but they've been a staple. They've been consistent. they've never moved. And they're the biggest football brand here by a mile, but they're also, in Northern California, we just care more about pro football. Because we've consistently had it for 50 plus years. And for the most part, had two teams.

Where in L.A., they went 25 years without a team. And you feel it immediately when they're not, not just, because they're not bad. I mean, they'll probably have a down year this year and be 9 and 7. But 9 and 7 in Los Angeles could be crippling, because people just won't pay attention. this is starting to bother me a little bit.

I know the analytic analytical movement and people are hammering. You got to go for two down 14 in the fourth quarter. Well, I would agree that if you're trying to play to win and you have nothing to play for, and you're like a 1-18, but should you always go for 2 down 14 in the fourth quarter? Why not just play for overtime?

Because I was just had an overtime two weeks ago and anything could have happened in that overtime game, especially if your defense is good. Not every two-point conversion is in a vacuum of 50-50 opportunity. If I have Russell Wilson running a two-point play and I have Jeff Driscoll running a two-point play, they are not the fucking same. I am so tired of this movement on social media.

You got to go for two. Clearly all these teams are doing it. If I got Carson Wentz or I got Tom Brady, yeah, I got no problem going for two. If I got Jeff Driscoll or James Winston, I'm just playing to try to get to overtime and give myself a chance. because yesterday the Lions did it.

They ended up losing by 8. But here's the thing. So even if you don't get it and then you're down 8 and you've got to score the other touchdown, then you have to get that 2-point converter. So you'll lose the game. So yeah, you may win, but there's probably a better chance you're going to lose.

I just... I don't get it. When there's a lot of time left, like 12 to 10 minutes. I get it if there's 3 or 4 minutes, and you're like, fuck it, I'm just trying to win. But when there's 12 minutes to go and you're going for 2 in the 4th quarter, order? I don't know, man. I just

I don't get behind it. I get the numbers guys. Love it and it gives them a little football chub, but it's it drives me nuts. Okay, let's get to this thing. We like to call the Middlecough mailbag. And it's where I answer your questions. Add John Middlecough on Instagram. Slide up

in those DMs and then I will I'll speak to you here. Eli, I think. Any chance the Titans have a chance of getting Tua now? 100%. They're 5 and 5 right now. Let's say they go 8 and 8 or 9 and 7. Either make the playoffs or miss.

Marriota's not going to be on the team next year. I'd imagine I'd have to look at what Tanny Hill's contract is, but I'd guess that he'll be back. And you could have Tanny Hill and has Tua rehabs. So yeah, they did it this year with the kid from Mississippi State. that tore his knee was he, did he tear his knee working out?

Simmons, I think his name is. The defensive lineman, it probably would have gone in the top five, so they've done it before. Why wouldn't they do it again? The Cowboys consistently get off to slow starts. I'm trying to figure out this because this is on Garrett for not having players motivated or players for not being

ready to play or is just the coaching staff constantly putting together terrible game plans and they have to scratch it right away. Would love to hear your thoughts. Well, let's think about this last game with the Lions You know, I think Zeke had an early fumble I think every game is its own entity Like a game against the Lions

I do understand or the Dolphins The Cowboys kind of overlooking them You're not going to get every team's best shot But I do think the Vikings game is a good example You know, I was recording something And then I look up in the first court It's 14 to nothing So yeah, I mean it always falls on the head coach

They're way too talented. They're way too explosive on offense. I've actually kind of learned this new philosophy that I put less and less stock into your first drive when you score touchdowns. Because if you watch the NFL or even field goals, most good coaches can drive right down the field on the first drive. They've mapped out the drive all week.

They've game planned it. They know exactly what you want to run against those looks. And they pretty consistently, good coaches, move right down the field. I really judge you more in the second half, how you adapt. Now, that would counter my argument of going, well, Jason Garrett actually might be a good coach. I think they just kind of become looser. Jason Garrett is so tight.

Everything about Jason Garrett is tight. You know, Ivy Leagueer, never missed study hall, still super skinny. You know, he's a type guy that only eats chicken salads. I bet his diet is exactly the same Monday through Sunday. Never deviates from it. He kind of reminds me of Joe Girardi in baseball. No sugars, you know, perfect chicken salad, salmon for dinner, very regimented. There's nothing wrong with being regimented.

I mean, I'm regimented. I bet a lot of people listening are pretty regimented. But you've got to be able to get outside your comfort zone every once in a while, especially when it comes to motivating your team, being super aggressive, taking some swings. Like, why do they never run trick plays? Well, that is a staple of the New England Patriots. Look at last weekend.

They're kind of in a tight spot with the Eagles and they bust out a double. double pass and Julian Edelman throws a dime. Why don't the Cowboys ever do shit like that? Just to mix it up, just to have a little fun. It just feels like they're on the treadmill of just boring, which is Jason Garrett. I think that's one of his biggest issues. And I respect him because I think he's an Ivy Leaker, played in the league. I think he's a high character guy.

I think he's a solid coach, but this team needs a dynamic winner. And that's just not really him. you think that Jacoby Burset is a quarterback to build around to make a Super Bowl run? I would have leaned to know the majority of the year. Now, he's had some moments. I think it's to be determined. I think we have to use these two years. This season as, you know, do they win the division?

Do they win a playoff game? And then next year, as they're even going to be more talented with more draft picks, more free agent money, and kind of get a feel. Listen, I'm not a fence sitter, but I'm going to, take a pass. I'm going to give him somewhat of a pass this year. This year was kind of nuts, and he's been pretty damn good. I mean, if they win nine or

10 games, win the division, that's an incredible accomplishment given that his best friend and the starting quarterback quit right before the season. Now, I've talked over and over. Jacoby was going to start beginning of the season anyway because Lux's ankle or, was that his injury? Calf, whatever it was

was, I mean, he hadn't practiced all training camp. But if they go nine or ten wins, they've missed Ty Wye in some games Now Marlon Max hurt It'd be pretty Pretty impressive It really would

That they were able to overcome that And He's somewhat of a slow processor He's not exactly Mr You know Sometimes when you watch him It's like Jacob get rid of the ball

But sometimes when he's in rhythm You're like damn this guy's pretty good I think his ceiling is somewhat capped I mean clearly he's not as talented and not many are as like Andrew Luck. But do you ever see him being like a top five or six quarterback in the league? Probably not. But could he be like a better version of what Cousins is in Minnesota?

You know like quarterback 7 through 10? Now Cousins is kind of playing like that right now. But if he's that and then you do a good job drafting and you're a well-coached team, yeah, you can compete for Super Bowls. I mean, Brady's 42 and as I talked about earlier, hell, he could retire after this season. The Ravens are unique, but the Texans don't have any first-round picks to roster kind of is what it is. The Jaguars, what are they going to do this offseason with Foles and with Minchu?

Because Foles wasn't that great. Now, granted, he came back from missing all those games with the clavicle. Then you have the Tennessee Titans, whose quarterback situations up in the air. So I think it's less about, is your Super Bowl quarterback, is this a guy that you can consistently win the division with? And if you consistently win the division, you're going to give yourself a shot in the playoffs. You know, now, ideally, you'd rather have him be a better version, like the Texans did that for a while with Matt Schaub, and they could never.

ever win a damn thing. I mean, the goal of this is to win Super Bowls, but I do think you have to be realistic. If this guy can take you the playoffs, like for the next five years, it's hard to do that much better. Like, how do you upgrade? Now, you know, as a guy just asked me with the Titans, what if Tua falls to you?

Would you take them in the first round? That's where you have tough conversations, and that's why Chris Ballard gets paid the big bucks. I think as of right now in the middle of November, it's a wait-and-see process. He's got a huge game this Thursday. Big games coming up as the season goes on, so I'm excited to watch. Big fan of the show.

I'm a diehard dolphins fan, and with the recent Tua injury, what do you think we should do? Is it possible that we get young and then snag Tua with our second pick? Or do we make Burrow a lock for going number one? Well, the dolphins are probably not going to end up with the number one pick. I think that you would take, let's say the Bengals get the number one pick and the dolphins have the third pick. And let's say that the problem's going to be is the Bengals will take, quarterback. The Washington Redskins, if they're above you, and they would be because, actually, they beat you, so you would probably be above them. But I think there is actually, that's not a tiebreaker.

But let's just assume the Redskins are above you. So it was Bengals, Redskins, Dolphins. Are the Redskins going to take a quarterback? They just took Dwayne Haskins. Now, Dwayne Haskins is in shambles right now, but I'd imagine they'd take Chase Young. So these next games come Coming down the home stretch of losing is pretty important for the dolphins. So I guess a long way to say it, I guess they could take them with their second first round pick. They could also just maybe roll it back with Ryan Fitzpatrick and just kind of build it and maybe go for Trevor Lawrence next year. Huge Eagles fan living in Colorado and have a couple questions for you.

First, when does Philly bring in wide receivers off the street to see if they can produce more than the current crop? Whence ability to make game-winning throws has been there, the opportunities have literally been dropped by receivers multiple times. Second part is do you think Howie will try to bring in a star white out in the offseason? Drafting one is great, but we need production now and maybe bringing an Odell Beckham Jr. with a trade or trading for a Keenan Allen or something like that. Love to hear your thoughts. Yeah, I mean, I look at who's on the street.

Des Bryant, you know, Antonio Brown. They're not doing that. I think, I know Howie's getting a lot of shit, but when Aoushahn goes down, you're just kind of screwed. And Deshaun Jackson has one game where he has two touchdowns, 150 yards, and he never plays again. Just kind of shitty luck. I mean, you have those two guys, you'd be in pretty good shape.

Because I watch the game, you know, the Eagle game, and I just look at kind of the narrative on Twitter. I thought Wents looked pretty good. You know, it's just Nelson drops every other pass. They're playing with Jordan Matthews now. Their tight ends are good, but those are the two guys you're going to double team in Erds and Goddard. They can't really run the ball.

And also, it's not easy to play the Patriots, so if your receivers aren't great, you're going to be in a little bit of a pinch. I don't know if, I can't imagine the Browns are going to trade Odo Beckham this offseason, so I don't think he's going to be available. Now, maybe the Chargers trade Keenan Allen, and if Howie could get Keenan Allen for like pick 20, I do that in a heartbeat.

I just don't know if that's going to be an option. I don't know if the chargers might ask for more. I mean, he's beside the two pass rushers. He's the best player on the team. So, yeah, I trade for Keenan Allen in a heartbeat. I just, I don't know if that's ever going to happen. You need to save all these stories. Okay.

I do a lot of videos. I get bored, so I do Insta stories, and I just add music to them. It's actually, like, one of the things in life I'm great at. It's kind of sad. I mean, it shows you my talents. What do you think could be done to speed baseball up to make it more appealing to the masses? You know, I don't think there's anything you can do.

I just think the sport is the sport. I say it all the time about the NFL, is that urgency plays a huge part in success in the regular season because people either watch or they don't watch, you know. And in baseball, you play 162 games. It's so boring. Most teams suck. the sport is just really slow.

I watch it, but most of my friends don't really anymore. It's just, it is very boring, it's very slow. It still is cool to go to a game in the summer when it's hot outside and sunny. But you go to a football game, and I've been to a couple Monday night games this year. I've been to countless football games over the last 10 years. A big game feels like an enormous event. But even, I've been to a lot of like shitty Raider games and shitty Niners games over the last four or five years, like when their teams were going to draft in the top 10.

on game day it still feels pretty cool you know it's like you're going to an NFL game it's only once a week that's just not really the case in the other two sports you know people like i don't want to go to a bad basketball game because there's a million of them and definitely the same thing with baseball or i mean basketball i just i don't know i don't think there's much to do the sport is kind of the sport it's just slow you know it's there's there's the fundamental aspects of the way the game is played is not going to change where football you could argue there's really not as much action as you think. But there's only one game a week.

And that is crazy it sounds. That to me is football's greatest asset. Just one game a week. Appreciate everyone listening. Enjoy the weekend or enjoy the week. I'll see you a little later this week on Friday. Big Thursday night game, Colts, Texans, fired up. Have a good day.

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Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, internet lost its mind and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the TikTok podcast

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