The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Seahawks' Edge; Vikings' Expectations; Niners/Ravens Smashmouth; NFC Least; Chiefs/Pats Showdown; Freddie Punked; Weekend Takeaways

Episode Date: December 3, 2019

In this episode, Middlekauff reacts to the Seahawks MNF home win over the Vikings, why they till have a rare organizational edge, why the Vikings can still be a factor in the NFC playoffs, why he was so impressed with the level of play in the Niners/Ravens game of the week, why the NFC East is lapping the field as the worst conference in the NFL, why the Chiefs/Patriots upcoming matchup will reveal a lot about both teams ability to win it all, explains how the Steelers are still far superior to the Browns, gives his key takeaways from the weekend, 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. In 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 Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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.

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That's the show. appreciate everyone listening. I hope you guys had a fantastic turkey day. Eight, put on a good, you know, a good five, maybe eight extra of those buffer pounds. You need it for the wintertime. That's how the bears hibernate, right? You put on a little extra weight, sleep a little bit better, and then we attack the new year with our diets.

I'm actually recording this. I may still be in Hawaii, my sources say. Turn down dinner, though, tonight to watch the Monday night football game. and spit a podcast. So we're going to talk, obviously we're going to dive right in the Monday night football game. Then going all around the league. From the Niners, the Ravens game, we got to touch on that, to the Chiefs and the Patriots, to the Cleveland Browns,

to just everything else that happened this weekend. The Cowboys, because I didn't get to touch on that game last week, the Eagles lose the dolphins, Harbaugh can't beat Ohio State to save his life. we'll talk about it all. And like always, we'll end our show with the Middilkoff mailbag. That's how I interact with you guys at John Middilcoff is my Instagram handle, same as my Twitter handle, and those DMs are wide open. You slide up in it, ask any question you want, and you get on the show.

That's how we interact with the, in 2019. But let's start with the Monday Night Football game. And I saw this thing that went viral over the weekend. This guy that, like, work with Navy SEALs, and he, like, asked what they look for in a SEAL team 6 member, and they used a chart, and on one, you know, a perpendicular, I guess it was a right angle, 45-degree angle, right, or 90-degree angle. One side of the chart, it's like the supply and demand chart, one side of the chart was production, and one side of the chart was trust. And he related it actually to a football team. Like, you know, everyone wants a productive, trustworthy player.

But let's face it, the majority of guys aren't Tom Brady, aren't Cleo Mac. And just like in the SEAL Team 6, just the most members aren't just like the best shot, best athlete. There's a balance to it all. And ultimately what the Navy SEALs want, they would choose trust over productivity. And I think it relates a lot to business because in business, it's just pretty black. in white. Do you produce or do you not produce? And a lot of businesses get rid of really talented people. Maybe they have an off quarter. Maybe they have an off year. Who knows? But those people are very integral in their given office on their given teams, just like in football. There are things when,

listen, I scouted players and was around a football team. There are things that guys bring to the table that you can't quantify. When I was with the Eagles, like Brent Selick was a huge part of what we did. And you couldn't, you couldn't quantify what he did just based off catches, right? Just what, the way he acted in the facility, the way he carried himself in the lunchroom. Every team has these guys. Every single team, like the 49ers, where I'm around a lot. They have Joe Staley. Like, you can't quantify what he's meant to the organization over the last 10 plus years. He's been on the team longer. But when you watch the Seattle Seahawks, I feel pretty strongly about this. They're 10 and 2. I think they've made. I think they

might be the least talented 10 and 2 team in the history of the league. But they're guys. Now, I'm not saying they don't have good players. They might have the MVP of the league in Russell Wilson. Chris Carson's a really good player. Tyler Lockett's a solid player. Bobby Wagner's been excellent forever. Clowny, a little overhyped, but he's a solid member of the squad.

But for the most part, football, this isn't basketball. It's not a six or seven man team. It's 53 guys. On game day, it's, what, 46? the guys that they're playing, top to bottom, they're playing with a lot of average players. And I've had this told to me by my scout buddies that work on the pro side. They don't like, yeah, I didn't really like that guy in college.

Or, yeah, I like that guy in college. I'm talking about guys that have evaluated their 53-man roster in the last several years. Yeah, it's pretty crazy what they do. Because clearly John Snyder, Pete Carroll, there is no such thing as softness allowed in that operation. Since they've been kicking ass and taking names, it's a tough guy only football team. They crush people.

They lay it all on the line every game because they're not as good. It's like the SEAL Team 6 members. They're taking the guys that are just a little more trustworthy. They don't have the most productive players on their team. But the stuff that you can't quantify with the Seattle Seahawks, toughness, desire to win, and Pete Carroll, like his intangible stuff that he brings to the table, his ability to coach these guys up, it's remarkable. How this team is 10 and 2 is, I'm at a loss for words.

Now, I understand how they won on Monday night football. The game's at home. Seattle's crazy at night. Dalvin Cook, once he fumbles and leaves the game, I mean, he's Minnesota's best player. It kind of snowballed on him, even though Minnesota ended up making a game. But Seattle's doing this less about stuff that you can quantify and more about stuff that is never quantifiable in football. It's why, at the end of the day, the analytical movement can only do so much in front. football. Can you bring to the table how violent Chris Carson toach the rock every single time

he gets the ball? Can you bring what they trade for that digs guy midseason from the Lions? How violent he plays. Attempt to quantify that. All I know is when he's coming downhill and you're carrying the ball, he's trying to break your face mask. And it was like that when I didn't know who Cam Chancellor was or Richard Sherman. I mean, I knew. who Richard Sherman was, but these guys like when they're first and second years in the league. But it was pretty clear when they all started coming together, geez Louise,

these guys are nuts. They are coming for blood. And since 2012, to this current game that we just witnessed on Monday night football, they've had the same mentality. They are a heavyweight fighter like Chuck Lydell who want to hit you directly in the chin. And more than likely, you're going to go down.

And you might, maybe you'll hit them too. They'll get back up and keep swinging. Now, they're going to lose some fights, but they're going to be ready every time they enter that ring. Every time they play a team. Minnesota, top to bottom, more talented team. Now, in football, the quarterback has a huge percentage of impact on a squad. So Russell Wilson is, and Kirk Couss is not bad, but Russell Wilson's infinitely better. There is not a person in the history of the world that would take Kirk Cousins over Russell Wilson.

He's the MVP of the league, in my opinion. I'll talk about Lamar later, but I don't even think it's a question. at 10 and 2 and look destined potentially to win the division. Think about this. So what makes the NFL so great? NBA ratings in the tank, because the NBA can't replicate what we just witness on Monday night football. The intensity, what's on the line, how hard players play.

Like that game would have looked the same. If it was mid-September, if it was mid-January, if it was early November, that's the NFL when you get good teams playing. and Minnesota, who is more talented top to bottom than Seattle, it's a great part about football. It's the one sport, maybe baseball a little bit if you have a really good pitcher. It's hard in basketball. If you have more talented players, you're typically going to win.

That's not the case in football. Coaching matters, like I said, the intangibles matter, the environment. I mean, Seattle's one of the rare places in the NFL. Like the one thing the NFL doesn't have that college has is the intensity of the crowds. Well, that place in Seattle, I've actually, never been to a Seahawks game. I've been to a couple of University of Washington games

when they played up there. But I've never been to a Seattle game. 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, Keer 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.

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 beaders 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 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more,

Follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. 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, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

American Soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on the Ernie Stewart of the chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boke. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Polisic. I'm not worried about Balligan.

I'm not worried about McKinney. The only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals.

The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen to Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, wherever you get your podcast. I love to go to a night game because that place rocks. That place has an edge to it. And you can feel it. You can feel it coming through the speakers.

The players, though, they're rocking because they know they got this tough squad. And it speaks to Pete Carroll, how hard he coaches these guys. John Snyder, about the type guys they locate and they bring into their program. They have a button-down operation. And obviously, the wild card is Russell Wilson that just consider. consistently dominates and make plays when he has to. 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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you by the ad council. Okay, let's dive. into the Minnesota Vikings. I still think they're a good football team. They are really, really talented. They had a swing play tonight when their best player on their team, Dalvin Cook, fumbled a ball,

got hurt, also hurt Diggs. Luckily, Diggs came back in the game and he was fine. But Dalvin Cook not only fumbled, that Seattle recovered, then he did not return. Now, they're backup running back. Do they draft in the third round? I always mess up his name. The kid from Boise is good. So they,

they actually were okay without them, but anytime that you lose your best player in the middle of the game, I think at the time it was 17 to 14. Was it 17 to 14? That was just a huge swing. And then they end up going down 34 to 17, obviously Minnesota has a crazy comeback, but it fell short.

Minnesota controlled their own destiny before this game. If they had ran the table, they actually were kind of like a sneaky, could have been the one seat. They win this game, get the tiebreaker there, beat the Packers, would have won the division. Now, they're basically playing to win the division and to get the three seed now. That's really their only goal, is to win out and get the three seed. But I still think Minnesota, especially if they have a home game,

even if they have to go on the road as long as Dalvin Cook's healthy, will be a factor. Because as long as you can run the ball, as you saw tonight for the majority of the game when it was close, Kirk Cousin's fine. He's a play-action passer. and when he's in rhythm, he can be really accurate, and he can be really good. But when he has to go Russell Wilson, hey guys, get on my back and I'll carry our ass, that's not really his thing, despite being paid like that.

But sometimes I think we need to get past what a guy's paid at and what he actually is. What he is, he needs their defense to be top-notch, and for the most part, before the fumble, the defense was really good. Here's the problem for the Vikings. Their defense is not quite as good as it's been, mainly because Xavier Rhodes is just kind of of a guy. Their coverage aspect with their highest paid corner isn't great. Now he did cause a fumble late in the game that actually helped them get back in the game, but right now he's a liability. Their pass rush is excellent. Hunter, Everson Griffin, studs. Kendrick's in the middle,

stud. Harrison Smith in the back end of the middle, stud. Corners, not great. And Zimmer, who's a defensive mastermind, can only blitz so much. When you can't cover on the outside, if you blitz all the time, you will get smoked. And they gave up some big plays tonight. especially against a guy like Russell Wilson that can avoid the blitz and keep plays a lot. But offensively, if they get feeling back, and clearly they're trying to bring them back this second time now, because I've never pulled the hammy,

but like most of you, I've been watching sports long enough now and been around it as a profession, to know that when you rush these guys back, the likelihood of them repulling it feels like 95%. And they did that before, and he lasted like a series. If you can get him back just by that Packer game, they have, and Dalvin Cook, let's hope, is okay, they should have one of the more dynamic offenses in the league.

They got two stud-wide receivers, a star running back, and productive tight ends. You can't really ask for anything more. So I was actually pretty impressed. They showed a lot of metal. They showed a lot of fight. Like I said, Seattle, I mean, we all know this, been watching football of the Pete Carroll era.

It's got to be top two or three plays to play on the road in a night game. You could argue it's the tough. place to play in a night game in the league, right up there with like Arrowhead, Foxborough. Like it's a short list, right? So I'm not just writing this team off just because they kind of lost, I wouldn't say tonight's a heartbreaker because they were kind of getting blown out there for a minute. But I actually was more impressed with their kind of comeback. They refused to tap out.

This team's got a little more toughness this year. Now, Kurt Cousins is probably going to have to win a playoff game to make Minnesota fans feel like this wasn't a complete failure. Now, if they get the 6th seed, let's say they don't win the division, the Packers win the division, the 9ers or the Seattle Seahawks are destined to be the 5 seed and would probably go to Dallas. The 6th seed, you would probably just get the Green Bay Minnesota matchup. They would just replay each other.

So you would get that matchup three times. So regardless of where that game is, you know, Minnesota would feel they're pretty comfortable with that opponent. They're used to playing them. They know their personnel. And I think, again, if Thielen and cooks are healthy, they would be a major, major threat to win a playoff game or to upset any team they played in the NFC. They have the talent. Now, they need Xavier Rose to play a little bit better.

He's a major liability right now. And they're clearly not going to bench him because he makes too much money. But I'm not just going to act like Minnesota is just this average team because they're not. They actually speak to the dominance that is the NFC. If they're the NFCs, I guess Dallas would be the sixth best playoff team. But they, actually, they wouldn't. I mean, the Rams are better than Dallas, but the Rams aren't going to make the playoffs. If of the group of five, let's just assume that Green Bay beats them in Minnesota,

which it might be even unfair to assume. Of San Francisco, Seattle, New Orleans, Green Bay, and Minnesota, if Minnesota is the worst of that bunch, which actually I think there might be slightly better than Green Bay, but we'll let it play out. That's pretty good. If Green Bay and Minnesota are your four. and fifth best teams in your conference, you're in pretty good shape. Because you got Aaron Rogers in a really talented Vikings team.

So it's going to be really hard to win in the NFC in the playoffs. And if Minnesota has to go to Lambo, that's clearly going to be tough. If you have to go to Seattle, that's clearly going to be tough. It's going to be really hard to win the NFC. And as you saw tonight, to me, the NFC isn't just the most talented division. It's the most physical division. How physical all these teams are. and tonight was just a little bit like Seattle and San Francisco,

a classic tough guy game where Kirk Cousins, you know, let's give him his due. He didn't just piss down his leg. I actually thought he was more than serviceable. Would you like a little bit more out of a $27 million quarterback? Sure, but at this point we know who he is. He's a play-action killer. That's where he does his work. And the moment Dalvin Cook left, I went, this is going to be tough.

And it was. Okay, let's get to 49ers Ravens, which it's safe to say it was the game of the day. And I watched it in Hawaii, got to a bar bright and early, and just locked in with some family friends, my family, and it was awesome. It's everything I love about football. Cold weather, now I personally hate cold weather, but I enjoy watching football when it's played in the elements. rain, the northeast, and two tough teams. And starting with the Ravens, like, if you play in Baltimore, you're just going to be tough.

I think humans, like animals, adapt to their surroundings. That's why people in California are a little softer, especially Southern California. Why? Because it's average temperature of 88 degrees, 365. It's hard to just go to 30 degrees in rain and be like, oh, this is cool. because it's not.

But the Ravens excel in that weather. And I think this year has been a massive muscle flex for John Harbaugh. I've talked about it a lot on the show. His coaching staff is excellent. And I talked about it last week. That football is, and especially this season, is the ultimate coaching staff, you know, connected with your player sport. Basketball, stars, baseball, GMs, and the spreadsheet run it.

In football, it's a combination of them both. John Harbaugh is an excellent football coach. Super Bowl champion for a reason. Excellent, you know, been to the playoffs, countless times, won that division, which for a year, people forget, like, it wasn't just them and the Steelers. The Bengals were good for a long period of time with Marvin Lewis. Greg Roman, Wink Martindale, they're just good.

Their ability to adapt with Lamar Jackson, who will get into it in a minute. It really is eye-opening to watch Harbaugh, and listen, I am pro going for it. I always say that. this notion that on social media, the analytics are finally winning, coaches are going for it.

Literally every human in the history of watching football sitting in their couch wants their team to go for it, especially in big spots down the stretch. Oh, just the spreadsheet, no, it's common freaking sense. Now, yesterday I thought he got a little reckless with one because in that game where points were at a premium, there were three points scored in the second half until Justin Tucker hit the game-winning,

goal, which meant there were six total points scored in the second half. So just going for it every play is pretty risky, and they didn't get it. And if it wasn't for Kyle Shanahan calling a bad play call on a fourth and one, it could have bit him in the ass. But I do appreciate his ability to keep the pedal to the medal and go for it every time. But they do have this kind of feel like this team of destiny. Because watching them yesterday, you have no clue where the ball is going, whether Lamar is going to keep, give, pitch, it's insane.

It feels like he's mastered just the mesh point. And what makes him different than when Kaepernick and Greg Roman kind of took off in San Francisco, that it was just a keeper of gift. I mean, same deal. Kaepernick wasn't elusive. He was so fast that he could get downhill, but he wasn't making guys miss. So if you could get into the backfield, you could screw up the play. You know what Lamar Jackson is and it hit me yesterday?

he's not Deshawn Watson or Patrick Mahomes who are going to consistently, when their teams win, throw for, you know, when they're playing well, 300 yards, you know, three or four touchdowns, they're pocket quarterback. Now, Watson's a good athlete, and Mahomes is not quite Watson-level athlete, but he's also a good athlete,

but they're not dependent on running the ball. Lamar Jackson's success, and I'm not trying to diminish anything he's doing, starts with his ability to dominate on the ground, He's basically Barry Sanders with a good arm. Because his ability to make guys miss, it's insane. His innate instincts as a runner are elite. And then you factor in, he's an elite athlete, he's fast as hell.

He put on a clinic yesterday, and there's nothing you can really do. Now, the one thing that jumped out to me, and I know other people have talked about this, the only way you can throw off that offense is to hit Lamar Jackson. If the running back, Mark Ingram, Gus Edward, whoever they're going to give it to is going to beat you, so freaking be it. But I'm going to hit Lamar Jackson. You can't hit him. I was going to say the teeth, but obviously that would get you a penalty.

I'm going to tackle him, and I'm going to hit him hard every play. So you're going to have to give. And eventually maybe that will force them to throw, which would give you an opportunity because yesterday he was all over the map. Now, it was raining, but his passes were just not very accurate. He threw for 100 yards. So before we kind of anoint this guy as John Elway, no, he's Barry Sanders whose arm is, from an accuracy standpoint, has been much better than we all thought it would be.

But last year he threw for 58%. But his running is beyond dominant. And he's not taking very many hits. Now, is this sustainable for 15 years? No. Anyone that watches football understands that. That he's not going to be able to do this forever. But for the next three, four years, if he can avoid injuries, he can dominate on the ground.

And they have a very good chance to win the Super Bowl this year. which clearly all their chips are in the middle of the table. And given the way the Patriots are kind of falling apart, we'll get into them a little bit later, they might have the number one seat. Ravens are really good. Good coaching staff, special offense that's unique, and their defense is playing well.

And if you've got to go through Baltimore, that ain't an easy place to play. That was impressive. But I think that what was even more impressive is like I knew the Ravens were tough. I mean, they've been tough forever since Ray Lewis showed up, that their franchise is tough.

I always question, West Coast teams. Are they really tough? I live in the Bay Area. We're not tough. It's like no one could tell you that with a straight face. California ain't tough. It's not.

We're soft. And a huge part of that is because of the weather. When I lived in Philly, people are tough. Why? It's cold as shit. You better be tough or you won't survive. So when West Coast teams go into tough environments like that, it's always a huge question mark.

Are they tough enough to have? And forever Seattle under Pete Carroll with that whole crew of guys was. Harbaugh's 49ers, 100% was. Are the Rams? No. Are the 49ers? I wasn't sure. They showed up for a heavyweight fight ready to roll.

They got hit in the teeth and they kept swinging and throwing body blows back. The thing that really jumped out was how tough they were. Now, some things travel in the NFL, and it's two things that they do really well. Play defense and run the football. And their defense is really freaking good. And even yesterday, it was quote unquote off, and they lost 20 to 17. It's not like they gave up 35 points.

I mean, I don't care how many yards you run for, and we'll talk about the Chiefs a little later. You're like, well, the Chiefs gave up 130 yards on the ground to Josh Jacobs. They gave up nine points. I repeat nine. 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? 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 hard way and listen now. Last night, a blown call changed the game.

This morning, the internet lost the time. 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 reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, 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 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. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker.

You know these kids. 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 of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramel sending on the Army. Store at the chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boe.

On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team.

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And six of those came in garbage time. Point of the game is to not let them score. Belichick's been saying for years, yards are very overrated. And I don't even have the box score up, but the 49ers defense did their job. Their offense just couldn't score. but the one thing they do really well in offense is run the football.

And when you can run the football and you've got to go into inclement weather, that will always translate. When you've got to play tough physical defense, that will help. And that's what Kyle Shanahan did it yesterday with Raheem Mostert. He's done it with Matt Brayda. He's done it with Kevin Coleman. He's done it with this Jeff Wilson Jr. It doesn't matter who he throws it.

His dad did it forever. With the Orlando Gare's, with the Mike Anderson's, remember when they got to Washington, Alfred Morris, it's what they do well. And when they can get a good defense, with that run game, they're going to have a chance. And I say this all the time about Jimmy Garoppolo. Like, Lamar Jackson's a tough, tough dude.

Jimmy Garoplo, also very tough. Now, do they, both the guys have some flaws, you know, especially like Jimmy will throw some just, whoa, what are you throwing into? He's a work in progress. He has as many starts as Sam Darnold. But the one thing that's abundantly clear, He ain't scared, and he will not flinch.

He might play bad, but it's not because he's scared and can't hang when it's 40 degrees and raining and you're playing the Baltimore Ravens. So that's a good start. Now, the problem for the Niners is they could be 10 and 2, and when all the dust settles, might be playing on the road in the playoffs and lose. You'd be like, God, we have this great season we lost, and the NFC is so good. But they are clearly trending. The two most impressive games for the Niners have been,

to, you know, kind of back-breaking losses. The Seattle game, where they lost with no time left in overtime, and this game, on the road in Baltimore, where they lost with no time left in regulation to, you know, walk off field goals. So the Niners are really good. The Ravens are really good. That game was sweet. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts,

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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. The NFC East, I don't know, I'm at a loss. I picked the Cowboys to,

win the NFC. I think every human with a brain thought the Eagles are going to be really good. And right now they both stink. And it's pretty wild. It's one of the great elements of the sport of football is this unknown. Every year, we've all heard the stats forever

of the, every year there's a worst of the first team, right? Every year there's a team that we think's going to be some powerhouse that's not. And it's the intrigue. Like in basketball, we know the playoff teams. In baseball, for the most part, you know who's going to be good. Hell, I gamble and love golf. You got a pretty good idea in the majors.

Who's going to be in the mix, give or take a couple guys? In football, every season beside the Patriots, you know, you get a bunch of shockers. Now, because both these two teams stink and the Redskins and the Giants are just a train wreck, this division does mean a lot to the NFL. Cowboys are the biggest brand. That's why when the Cowboys played the Patriots, the two biggest brands, they did the highest rated game of the year since the Super Bowl. The Eagles are a big deal.

They're in a major market. They have famous players. They always win. They draw huge television ratings. Obviously, New York, number one media market, train wreck. DC has been terrible forever. But if they're just competitive, a lot of people watch. Right now, this division is really down.

And the thing with the Eagles are the only team that go, yeah, we feel good about our coach. We won a Super Bowl with the guy. Last year we won a playoff game. The coaching in this division is the Redskins don't have one. Jason Garrett is surely going to get fired. Pat Shermer, see you, buddy. I told you from the jump, he was not a head coach.

Nice guy, probably solid offensive coordinator, not head coach material. And we're learning that, clearly. But when I look at Dallas and when I did the podcast for Friday, I had recorded before the game, by about half time, you're like, the Cowboys are going to lose. They're not as good as the Buffalo Bills. And I look at Philly and Dallas and I go, what is the identity of these two teams? Look at Dallas.

What is their identity? What do they do really well? In theory, kind of throw the ball? Kind of. I mean, Amari hasn't been right for the last couple weeks. Their defense is very hit or miss. Their head coach doesn't really hang his hat on one thing. In theory, he's an offensive guy.

but he doesn't call the plays, hasn't for years. I wouldn't want Jason Garrett calling the plays even if he wanted to. The Eagles, who, when they won the Super Bowl a couple years ago, had a clear identity, right? Their pass rush was awesome. Once that year was Super Bowl, you know, he was MVP caliber. You felt like he was going to win the Super Bowl or have a chance. Their weapons, Erks, Aoushan, were just kicking ass and taking names. Nelson Aguilar had a big year.

They were really, really good. And now you've got Dallas getting shoved around by the Buffalo Bills as they should. Sean McDermen has a clear identity. His teams are going to be smart, physical, and just out-tuff you. And that's what they've done. Josh Allen, that fumble where he grabs it and jumps over the goal line, pumping his chest, the defense flying around, just crushing DAC, Buffalo's better because they're tougher. Do they have better players man-to-man?

Probably not. but they just out-coached them, out-physical them. The Eagles, who their Achilles heel for the most of the season, besides the last three or four weeks when Wents has been struggling, has been their defensive backs. They can't cover anybody. They made Devante Parker look like Jerry Rice. Giving up, how many, was it, 23 or 24 points in the second half?

For the Miami Dolphins and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Both these two teams, like, you could make an argument, and I get the way, this is never going to change. change, but on certain years, maybe have a rule that if you don't have a winning team in your division, like the team that wins your division is 8 and 8, your division doesn't get to go to the playoffs. Like this year, it would be Seattle, San Francisco, Green Bay, Minnesota, New Orleans, and then probably like the Rams.

But I'm sorry, NFC East, you don't belong in the playoffs at all. Neither of your teams are good. And it's not, the problem is one. of these two teams is going to host a playoff game. Think about that. The Dallas Cowboys at 8 and 8 could host a playoff game. They're playing the Bears this weekend, or I think this Thursday. Why do I feel confident that the Cowboys are going to win this game?

No confidence. The Eagles just, every week something goes wrong. Even when they kind of were playing well, it's like they're kicking the Dolphins' butt, watching at the bar, watching it out of the corner of my eye, up a couple touchdowns, when stats aren't bad. and then the second half goes, they can't cover anybody. So it's just the most important division top to bottom from a rating standpoint, which equals money, is having the worst season in the division in recent memory.

It's pretty wild, but it's also what makes the NFL great. Okay, let's talk about two teams that actually turns out they play each other this week. The Chiefs and the Patriots. And they both feel like they're trending in opposite. directions. The Chiefs, who just hosted their division rival, which I don't know how it's a rivalry, because the Chiefs have owned the Raiders over recent memory, played in a game where, you know, Mahomes was kind of screwing around. And I don't totally blame him. It was a game that he could not lose. He is so much better than anything the Raiders have could possibly roll out. Oakland can't

score points in cold weather because their quarterback just crumbles in that situation. I mean, Derek Carr's awful in weather games. And Gruden, who Andy Reid right now, just owns 4-0 against them. So they killed the Oakland Raiders. But as you see Mahomes' health, which is by far the biggest issue for them heading into the playoffs. If he's 100% healthy, they got a shot every game they play. I don't care who they're playing.

And their defense, which, you know, you talk to people with the Chiefs, you know, you implement a new defensive system, you're adding some new defensive players, You know, Frank Clark had been banged up earlier in the season. It just took Chris Jones, have been banged up. It's taken them some time. But watching the last couple weeks, they're starting to get their mojo a little bit. We know when push comes to shove as we come down the home stretch and then in January, Andy Reed, Bahomes, Tyree Kill, Travis Kelsey, Sammy Watkins, whoever their plan at running back,

will put up points on the scoreboard. The only question with the Kansas City Chiefs, can they stop people? and yesterday they held the Raiders, they held them the three points. The Raiders got a garbage, they got a garbage touchdown late in the game that the Chiefs ended up blocking the PAT and then returning it,

and that was the only reason it was 40 and 9. That was a massacre. I think the Chiefs are, I kind of actually like him already against New England this week. We'll dive into some of New England's issues. But when you have a quarterback like Mahomes, you got a chance to win it every year

as long as he's healthy entering the playoffs. Now, they got to battle back because they went through one of the toughest stretches of the Andy Reed, Kansas City era, where they just didn't play that well, even in games where they did play well, their defense got shredded, and they lost a bunch of games. It's the reason, you know, I think they had a stretch where they lost four of six games. Now, granted, one of those was with Matt Moore on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers, but that Tennessee game was a pretty devastating loss. They just weren't playing very well. And you watch them now, it feels like the Chiefs kind of got their mojo back.

And if they can come down the home stretch, beat the Patriots, and rattle off some wins, if you can somehow get to that, because the Patriots, there is no guarantee. Like, if the Chiefs can win out and beat the Patriots, Patriots probably lose another game, and all of a sudden you're both 12 and 4. Maybe the Patriots have to play that first weekend and the Chiefs can get a home field by. This game is massive. But when you look at New England, you go, well, the Texans just threw the ball all over them, and their number one positive attribute on the squad has been their defensive backfield.

have not been able to throw it on them. And every time I looked up at the television yesterday, Fuller or Hopkins, someone's just running down the field, catching bombs from Watson. Like, what is going on here? Because we do know about the Patriots. Their offense has been bad this year. It has been bad.

Their passing game has been anemic. Julian Edelman, who is their best wide receiver, is banged up. And at the end of the day, he's a small slot receiver. While Jules is one of my favorite players of the last decade, There is not another slot receiver I'd rather have in a big game than a healthy Julian Edelman. He's at game winners in the Super Bowl.

He's made big plays over. 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? 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 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 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic 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. Like 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? Quarterback on office blue with 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup,

he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the fly.

He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Over and over again in his playoff career, he's a war daddy. But he's about all they got right now. Because Nikiel Harry, who I'm a big fan of, is coming back from Injury Reserve,

and we know how hard this offense is on young players. Jacobi Myers is he's an undrafted free agent, so he's who we thought he was. It's just going to be hard as an undrafted free agent to make a huge splash all season long on the Patriots. And then Mohammed Sanoos has already hurt. So, and Antonio Brown's long gone. They can't pass the ball. And Tom Brady, in a league that he's the greatest quarterback of all time. But I say it all the time.

In this league, you have to be able to move around a little bit of quarterback. The day and age, to me, of seeing guys like Brady, you know, Eli, Peyton, Flacco, obviously, Eli and Flacco when they were better, Rivers are dead. Those quarterbacks are not coming into the league anymore. Look at the quarterbacks, the last handful of years that have come into the league. Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson,

Carson Wentz. Jared Goff is much more like those old-school guys can't move and he's getting destroyed until he played Van Gogh, which we'll dive into a little bit later. But Brady, when you can't get open and they can't get rid of the ball immediately, he's kind of shit out of luck in the sense that he can't really move around. You're like, well, of course Johnny can't move around.

But their entire offense is predicated on getting the ball away really fast. Or when they have someone on the outside, whether it's a gronk to push the ball down the seam, or a speed demon on the outside to push the ball down the seam, they don't have that. So they only have an intermediate passing game and no one can get open. And I think we saw yesterday on the television broadcast when Brady's yelling at those guys, be more explosive, be more aggressive, play faster. I love you, Tom, but that's impossible. Maybe you can improve on that over the offseason with work and training.

There's no way midgame you can just quote unquote, play faster. No, your guys are as fast as they are. They can't get open. They're just not good enough. Some of these guys are young. They don't even know the tricks of the trade. They're just not going to be able to get open. That's just the reality.

So can they be more explosive? No. They are as a. explosive as they are. That's your problem. And the run game last night worked for a split second. I guess it was two nights ago, if you're listening this on Tuesday, and they didn't really stick with it. Now, the problem was, in fairness to Josh McDaniels, they were down big, so you can't really stick away with, stick with the run. When you're down multiple touchdowns in the second half, you've got to be aggressive, and they're just not good enough to be aggressive.

And when you think about some of the Patriots wins this year, it's taking trick plays to win games. Now, they've used trick plays before to win games. It usually happens in the playoffs, not in just random regular season games, they need to get over the hump. And that's what it kind of feels right now. Their offense feels lost because they don't have the personnel. Their wide receivers are just not good enough. And I think when you look at Kansas City, you go, they do have the personnel to be awesome on offense.

And they have the personnel on defense to just be functional. And then it comes down to in-playoff games, I don't care how many yards you give up. It's kind of irrelevant. Belichick's always said, I give up a thousand yards. If we only give up 14 points, we'll win the game. If we give up 800 yards in the game and we give up 50 points, we're screwed. But if we give up 320 yards and we give up 28 points, we'd be in trouble too. So it's about points.

That's the point of the game. Score more points in the opposition. Your red zone defense is huge. So if Kansas City can tighten up their red zone defense, we know they're going to be able to score points. I don't know if the Patriots can score points. even with their defense, if it's playing well, like in a playoff game, are we sure they can get to 20 points?

I'm not. I know yesterday they got to 22, but it was just such garbage time. They felt the majority of that game watching them, they were a single-digit offense. Like, you guys are scoring 7, 8, 9 points. And they're just, they're not playing very well right now,

and it's not because they're coaching, their scheme, it's just their players on offense are just not very good. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinwiddie host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption, presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit AdoptuSkids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council.

What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? 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. 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 through 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.

I'm sure by the time you're listening to this, every take possible has been out there on Freddie Kitchens in the shirt. So there's nothing probably I can say that's new regarding the Pittsburgh Starved it. Beside that him wearing that shirt, I don't know how you can have a working brain

and not say that's moronic. The Steelers, who are the Brown's daddy for my entire lifetime. The Browns, Steelers, I mean, what are you doing, Freddie? But wearing that shirt isn't just on Freddie Kitchens, it's a reflection on the Cleveland Browns.

I've heard forever like, John Dorsey, the guy knows talent. He knows talent. Part of being a general manager, and I say it all the time, is not just the draft. It's free agency, It's, you could argue, besides picking the quarterback, hell, you could argue it's even more important to get the coach right than picking the quarterback.

And right now with the Browns, we don't know if they got either. But I'm not giving up on Baker yet, though the pictures after the game when he had this hand wrapped up, Baker, man, I got the same problem too. We all got to mix in some salads. You're not a good enough athlete to just get overweight. And right now Baker looks overweight. He looks terrible physically. He really does. Like, come on, man.

This is the national football league. This isn't like the beer drinking club. He looks bad. And when you look at Freddy Kitchens wearing that shirt, like that's a reflection of John Dorsey. That's a reflection of Jimmy Haslam and Flying Jay, who have had their own issues of Jimmy Haslam, given John Dorsey, the autonomy and the power,

to hire Freddie Kitchens. How does that happen? How could that possibly happen in a million years? You hire Freddie Kitchens to be your head coach. When they started out 2 and 6, I saw so many people saying, well, and it was true, their schedule was really hard early in the season. The schedule gets a lot easier as the season goes on. They could rattle off a bunch of wins. And they kind of did.

But the one thing, everyone with any sort of knowledge on the way the NFL works goes, that team, with that head coach, even if they do get an easier schedule, they're 2 and 6. To get to 9 and 7, they'd have to go 7 and 1 down the stretch. we all said no chance to go six and two down the stretch that's just to go six and two is just to get to eight and eight and eight you went that's probably unrealistic too now you look at their schedule

they still got the Bengals twice they got the Cardinals and they got the Ravens so maybe they can get to eight and eight that would be six and two on the second half of the season which would be an improvement but why is anything going to change with Freddy Kitchens here's their ultimate problem though if they go eight and eight do they get Freddy Kitchens another year

because there have to be conversation between John Dorsey and Jimmy Haslam. You know, we don't want to change. We want to keep the cohesion. We obviously went six and two down the second half of the season. So let's stick with Freddie Kitchens. You're just asking to get the same thing to happen to you next year. Because in a game, when you played Duck Hodges,

he had four less completions than Baker Mayfield and more yards and the same amount of touchdowns. There's stat lines look exactly the same. Mayfield, 18 to 32, 196, one touchdown, one pick. Hodges, 14 to 21. I guess he had a lot less attempts. One touchdown, one interception. How is that possible? How can that happen?

It's coaching. Because the Steelers go into the hell, for the last couple months, James Connor's been in and out, Ju-ju missed this game, they had to go to Mason, Mason gets hit with a helmet, they bench him because he sucks, they go back to Duck Hodges, and they're just 7 and 5. And when all the dust settles, Steelers probably be 9 and 7 pulling up their schedule right now.

They got the Cardinals this week. Then they play the Bills at home. Then they go to the Jets and the Ravens. It's realistic. I mean, 9 and 7 is probably worst case. If somehow they could take out the Bills, they could be 10 and 5 going in that last week with the Ravens. That Bills game is going to be hard. But it's Sunday night.

in Pittsburgh. That's a pretty good game. Mike Tomlin is a big boy coach. That's a $8 to $10 million coach. That's a Super Bowl champion. That's a high-level guy. Freddie Kitchens, not a high-level guy. Everything you need to know was by the shirt he wore. John Dorsey, epic, epic mistake in hiring Freddy Kitchens.

He signed up for this. The reason they're 5 and 7. And they are one of the truly great underachieving teams we've seen in recent memory. Because you do watch them and you go, God, they got talent everywhere. Beckham, Jarvis, the running backs. They got dudes. And when the dust settles, they'll be under 500.

And the things that will define their season will be, their star defensive end, swing a helmet at a dude's head, and their head coach wearing a t-shirt. That is the Cleveland Browns in 2019. Okay, let's go around, I guess, football. over the weekend. Let's start with college. Harbaugh. I'm a big Jim Harbaugh guy, but his five years in Michigan have been underwhelming. Obviously, he's not terrible. I mean, he's winning 10, 9, worst case scenario, eight games. But when Michigan got him, they were expecting maybe not

national championships, but to make the playoffs. And he's 0 for 5 missing the playoffs. He's also 0 for 5 against Ohio State. But the biggest issue that I see, is he's the fourth best team at best in his own conference. Obviously, Ohio State, they've been better than Michigan forever. I know Colin had a good tweet over the weekend. Michigan's never been Ohio State. Maybe on a given year, but historically, it ain't even close. But the issue that I see is that Penn State beat Michigan,

beat him now back-to-back years, Wisconsin kicked their ass. So Michigan, in five years, all these players are Jim Harbaugh's. He's getting worked by Ohio State every year. and he can't beat the next two teams in the conference. It's just, it hasn't gone as planned. Bottom line, period, end of story. Ohio State's really good. LSU's really good.

Clemson, I'm not quite sure on, but I would lean. They're really good. For my fourth team, and it's going to be a hard game Friday night at Levi Stadium in the Bay Area. I hope Utah wins because I'd like to see Utah get their shot. I was eating lunch today in Hawaii, and I googled Kyle Whittingham. He has been at the University of Utah.

Utah since 1994. For a long period of time, he was the D-Line coach, then he became the defensive coordinator, then obviously he became the head coach. Since 1994. 25 years of the same school.

The guy has a tough team. They hang their hat on two things. Playing defense and running the rock. Zach Moss, future pro, they're just good. And I would love to see the final four be Ohio State, LSU, Clemson, Utah. I'm good with that.

But man, our body needs to pick a shit up because right now it's just not as good. Not good enough. Chris Peterson, who stepped down from University of Washington Day, that's a big blow. I mean, he's been one of the best coaches in the country for the last decade plus. What he did at Boise was unreal. I mean, they were kicking everyone's ass.

Georgia, Oregon, he was beating ship, TCU. He was beating everyone in his path. The guy is a big-time football coach. Super smart guy, UC Davis guy. I think his best team, he made the playoffs at Washington. But I stand by at his best team of his career was the 2011 Boise team. That was the team that Kaepernick beat. Last second field goal, I think Nevada hit.

Boise had missed a field goal. I can't remember the exact sequence. But that team, I think, had 11 or 12 guys drafted. That team could have won the national championship, despite being a mid-major. That team was awesome. Chris Peterson is just a badass. I'm going to miss them because that's a big blow for the University of Washington. Let's get to the NFL, the New York teams.

Start with the Jets. Anytime you're not a good football team, and I think you start feeling yourself after a win or two, you're due to get hit in the mouth, and they played the Bengals, and they got killed. It also showed you the Bengals should never bench Andy Dalton for Ryan Linley. That shouldn't happen. Andy Dalton's worst day, he's better than that guy.

He gives you the best chance to win. But at the end of the day, big picture, as long as Adam Gase is the guy, and who knows, I mean, I know he's not, he's going to return next year, but he's got to be better. I do think they got a quarterback that they can build on, and the Jets could maybe not be a factor next year, but should be much improved. Because obviously that division is the Patriots and the Bills are light years ahead of the Jets and the Dolphins. I guess the New York Giants and Pat Schumer are like, they're just bad.

Daniel Jones is not good. The Packers didn't even play that well and won with ease. You got to love a good snow game, but you would imagine the Giants and John Moore have to be thinking about firing everyone. And to me, that's probably the move. Then the question mark is, who do they hire? Is it even that good of a job? Because part of it is you're taking over a job where you have Daniel Jones,

who you just drafted in the first round, that that incoming coach might not even like. It took the Arizona Cardinals, who Vance Joseph, and I think is a terrible football coach, Jared Goff, who had been one of the worst players in the league the last several weeks, He had 300 plus yards at half time against them. He had 32, 43, 424 yards, and just eviscerated the Arizona Cardinals. The Arizona Cardinals are going to end up probably like 4, 11, and 1. Despite having a really, really productive season from their young quarterback, it's all defense.

Their defense is atrocious. It's like Swiss cheese. You can light them up like a Christmas tree. The Titans are hot. The best thing they ever did was make that move to Ryan Tanny Hill. I know the elephant in the room is like, what if Ryan Tanny Hill had been the starter from the jump? I don't know if you can necessarily play that game,

but they're really hot right now. Derek Henry is one of the most productive players in the league, week in, week out, since Tanny Hill's kind of jumped on board. Tanny Hill's given them life in the sense of, you know, you turn on their game the last month. He's running over guys on the goal line. His toughness is on a different level than Marriota. and then as a thrower, he's a better player than Mariotta.

I once said on Twitter that I thought Marriota could be a better version of Alex Smith, and Titans' Twitter came at me like they were an army, and it turns out I was wrong. Marcus Marriota can't hold Alex Smith's jock on his best day. And I think his days of being a starter are over, and props to Ryan Taney Hill for Titans are going to make the playoffs, and they still play the Texans twice down the stretch. Hell, they could win the division.

Chargers are four and eight. Chargers made the playoffs. last year and won a playoff game. Made the playoffs won a playoff game, 12 and 4. This year they're 4 and 8. I mean, I get they were missing Durwin James, but 4 and 8, see you Anthony Lynn. But it's not Anthony Lynn's fault.

Anytime you pay a head coach, the lowest going rate in the NFL, you deserve to not be consistent. You deserve to lose. Could the Chargers have any less momentum going into this new stadium in Los Angeles? I don't think they could. Foles.

Has Nick Foles had the most bizarre career in NFL history? He was drafted in third round when I was in Philadelphia. Everyone liked him. Then Chip came and Vic got hurt and he became the starter. He had the great year. Then he gets traded to St. Louis Rams. His career fails. Then he almost retires.

Then Andy Reid talks him out of it. Then he goes back to Philly, becomes the backup for Carson Wentz. Carson's having an MVP season. He jumps in, wins a Super Bowl. Your Carson comes back, playing like shit. Gets hurt again, Foles comes back, wins a playoff game, gets huge money to go to the Jacksonville Jaguars, breaks his collarbone, misses the majority of the season,

comes back, gets a starting job back within two games he's benched again. You couldn't make this thing up in a movie. It really is bizarre. I root for Nick Foles. Turns out he's just not that good, but he's had some hot moments. He beat Tom Brady in Super Bowl. I mean, he hosted the NFC championship trophy after a blow out against the Minnesota Vikings.

He went on the road against Chicago Bears last year and Vic Fangio, the best events of the league, and won. I get they missed a kick, but still, you just, foals, you can't make this stuff up. Okay, let's get to the Middilcoff mailbag. Big Raider fan living in Maui. God, I should have hit you up. We'll move to Vegas, be better for the franchise. Fan base, free agent appeal, realistically will help them get to be a legit contender. That's a good question.

I would say in theory, it should help. My league sources tell me that last fiscal year, they were the second lowest revenue in the NFL, which they've consistently been. Them, the chargers, the Bengals, make the least amount of money. I think their issue, though, they're not very good. So let's say they go seven and nine.

Is Derek Carr going to be the quarterback next year? Like, what are they selling? Now, the first year, anytime you move, it's cool. People will go. clearly the casinos and the corporate money have bought the majority of tickets and they plan on giving those to their fan base or not their fan base but like to the whales to the guys coming to Vegas well if I'm in Vegas and I'm betting and I'm a whale

and I'm spending huge money and I got a $10,000 a night date and I'm playing in card games with six and seven figures I'm not going to watch that Raider team now they are dramatically better which I don't don't see how they're going to be dramatically better next year. Here's the problem for the Raiders. Like, quote unquote, they made progress. Did they really? Their defense couldn't be any worse. Do they have any building block pieces on defense beside Max Crosby? Let me answer that. No. On offense, they have a really good running back. They have a really good tight end. Derek Carr is very

hit or miss. Who else do they have? Like Antonio Brown ain't rewalking through that door. Now they do have some draft picks, but as we know, draft picks are hit or miss. I mean, they drafted a box safety in the first round this year. He went on an IR after a game. Like, it's just tough. So, yeah, in theory, they should have more money, but they owe a lot of money. They'll relocation fees. They got to pay the bank back of what they owe. They just, in theory, yes, I just, I think it's going to be a little more difficult till they, like, they don't even have their quarterback position answered as of right now. Who do you think wins the NFC West?

Seahawks are 49ers. Also, do you think that team will have the number one seed? This is not going to be a cop-out, but I would say that right now, if the 49ers lose to the Saints this weekend, Seattle will win the division. If the 49ers somehow pull out the upset this week, they'll have a chance. Now, do I feel confident that 49ers are going to go into Seattle, and if that game is for the NFC West, that game will surely be flexed to prime time Sunday night football.

I wouldn't have much faith. Though, like I've said, the 49ers do things well that translate to traveling in tough environments. They run the ball and they play defense. And I was at the game when the Niners played Seattle without George Kittle, and it's pretty clear the Niners have better players. But as I talked about earlier in this podcast, Seattle, most games they play, don't have the better roster.

That's not what they hang their hat on. The SEAL team six members aren't even the best Navy SEALs sometimes. Right? I mean, they are for that given SEAL team, but maybe are they the fastest, are they the smartest, or are they the toughest? Are they the most trustworthy? And Seattle is just, they got these intangible stuff

that, I don't know, it's hard to ride against them. I've been talking shit about them forever, and they just won't go away. Do you think the Cowboys could take a long look at Greg Roman as their next head coach? Would he be qualified? I feel Dak is so underutilized as an athlete and it could be interesting to see what he'd look like in that type offense. Not a terrible idea, but I think Dak, unlike Lamar, is a good enough passer to run what you need to do to sustain. Like, if you run that offense, you do run the risk of getting your quarterback killed.

of getting his leg broken, getting his arm broken, getting him slammed, getting him hurt. And Dax at the point where he can carry you throwing the ball that you could incorporate stuff like that, which actually Greg Roman once upon a time tried to do with Kaepernick in San Francisco. He was just incapable of doing it. The media doesn't like bringing that up, but I had a front row seat for it. I haven't forgotten. He was incapable of running a, just a throwing offense.

He could run the zone read stuff, but at the time they had figured it out so you couldn't really run it anymore. I would say that their offense, you know, I guess it's sputtered a little of late, but it'd be interesting. I just think that if you're paying DAC $35 million a year, I know James Slater told Colin today

that they actually might franchise them, that'd be pretty risky to kind of incorporate that offense. I know the RPO is called a run-pass option, but could you break it down how it works so the average football fan can understand how it works. Well, I don't really hang my hat on being a scheme guy, and I might be wrong on this description, but to me a run-pass option is you either,

obviously, you hand the ball off to the guy coming downhill behind you in the pistol, let's say, or the guy in the shotgun, or you throw it immediately. And part of having to throw it immediately is the linemen are blocking. Because the linemen on an RPO, they don't know what the quarterback's going to do. Now, obviously, there are calls. gives in the huddle that's an RPO but it's an automatic give just like there's an RPO that's probably an automatic play fake pass you'd have to get probably like a

Greg Roman maybe I'll have to have him on to just break down the RPO but to me the most basic levels are like what Foles was doing a couple years ago when they made their run is if you don't hand the ball off and the running back and it turns into a play action pass it you have a one read you got to throw the the ball. So basically, it either functions immediately or it's a dead play. It's obviously not dead, but you're kind of screwed. Now, I could be describing that wrong.

There are people much more qualified to describe the RPO. I just know that the RPO when run correctly dominates. Hey, John, love the pod. I see why Colin likes you and gave you a chance on this podcast network. Yeah, I appreciate that. Do you mind going into your relationship with Colin, how you first met him? How long have you know

him and why did he approach you to host a podcast? People often ask me like, how'd you know Colin? I think we met on it through Twitter, you know? I'd probably been listening to a show since 2007, 2008, since my last couple years in college, and I listened to him all through my NFL career. And then even when I got out of the NFL, I mean, he was idolized the guy just because I loved to show like many of my friends in the NFL do, like many of my friends outside the NFL do. I mean, he's just, he's the best. And then I remember he followed me one time on Twitter.

Maybe we DMed a little bit, and then he had me on a show a couple times, and I guess we just developed a relationship that way. You know, it was just kind of organic in the millennial age, you know, just through social media. It really, it's not some crazy story. Like, you know, I sat outside his office, and I begged him for a shot. No, I just, he just, I vividly remember. remember when two people followed me, Colin Coward and Adam Schaefter, pretty cool moments. You know, it's just kind of surreal, just a guy that, you know, hosted a radio show at the time, and it was cool. So, yeah, that's pretty much the extent of it. And then when I was at, I used to host a radio show in San Francisco and one of Coward's old producers, John Goulet, who obviously,

you know now, works with Colin again at Fox, then came over, and then maybe our relationship strengthened there, got to know him through Goulet a little bit better, but it's, it's really not some crazy story. That's probably the extent of it. He likes my football takes. I think we're pretty like-minded. Sometimes people like, Colin stole your football take,

or you're just, I just think we think alike. You know? I mean, it's really that simple. Who are the main vets you think may get cut after this season due to salary cap reasons? Can the Niners cut Solomon Thomas after this year and save money?

No. I'm also going to Maui in two months, and if you got some suggestions, would love them. We're golfing the same course you already played. Yeah, I played the Wilea golf courses. I played the gold and the Emerald. They're like 150 each, but they're really cool.

I mean, the ocean views are badass. The restaurants, monkey pod, a must. The Mai Tai there is elite. And I'm not some foo-foo drinker, but the Mai Tai there is bomb. You know, when in Rome, right, you got to drink Mai Tai'sis. The big beach by the Grand Wilea It's a public beach is pretty cool And yeah, I mean the restaurants are cool

And just enjoy it I honestly on the guys getting cut I haven't even I don't even know You know it's it's typically older players That make a lot of money that have limited dead money You know that will hit the impact the salary cap for dead space So

I'll get into that probably like February That's not my head's not really there yet. Been a fan for a long time. Keep dominating. Appreciate it. I'm a big Bears fan and I want to know where we go from here. Nagy's your guy and we crushed it last season,

but this season hasn't been the best. What are your thoughts on the Bears' long-term answer? Well, they're 6 and 6 right now. To me, if they can somehow finish like 9 and 7, that would be a pretty remarkable finish, also would be bad for the Tribisky haters, which I would say I would be one. I would say the biggest thing regardless

whether they finish 8 and 8, 9 and 7, or 7 and 9 would be they got to figure out their quarterback situation because they do have talent. They, you know, they're going to get offensive talent just because their coach has been around a lot of offensive talent under Coach Reed. Defensively, they have a ton of good players on their team. But is Mitch Trubisky good enough to carry you?

We have our answer. And I know there's been some stats floating around like he's been equally as productive as Tom Brady since like we've, week five, like bullshit. I mean, I just, we all watch the guy. He's just a guy. You know, we see the good young quarterbacks

what they look like. He's not one. So who can you get that's better than that? Like, does Andy Dalton become available? Can you get, can you get Cam? Would you take Phillip Rivers for a year? Just to see if you can get some lightning in a bottle. I just think that's the most important thing.

And then obviously the kicker situation, Pinero sucks again, that you've got to be good on special teams because you're not going to be a super high. scoring team and you're going to be a defensive squad. So to me, the key is quarterback. Because when you look at the year, they had a really good season. Didn't the defense lead the league in takeaways and have like eight touchdowns?

You know, it was stupid the amount of touchdowns they had, which really wasn't sustainable. This year, they actually haven't been that bad. You know, they've still been pretty good. The problem is they haven't stayed to their same standard because the standard was basically unsustainable. So I just think they need to figure the quarterback situation out first and foremost. I haven't asked Matt. He wouldn't even tell me

what he thinks of Mitch. I just watch his public comments. I know people in the building, they like the guy. He's a very, very likable human, right? High character, hardworking. But he's just, I just don't think he's good enough. The problem is the GM that does have some juice in the organization, he picked him.

And he's made some comments like he still really likes him. And I think the GM is probably afraid to admit he's wrong, but there's nothing wrong with admitting you're wrong. You've put together a good team. You've had back-to-back years. You won the division two years ago. And then if this year you'd go eight and eight, nine and seven, you had a solid year with having a terrible quarterback. Just move on and try to make the playoffs next year. Before I get you all out of here. At what point do we need to,

okay, this is the one I wanted to answer. At what point do we think about Doug Peterson's job security? If your guy Howie is the genius that you say he is, can't the shortcomings of his team be blamed on the guy who is the head coach and the OC? Well, Two years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles won this thing called the Super Bowl with their backup quarterback. In the history of the Philadelphia Eagles, they had never won this thing called the Super Bowl. Last year, when they didn't look like they were going to make the playoffs, made the playoffs again with their backup quarterback, and then they happened to win a road playoff game

against that Bears team that had the best defense in the league. So Doug Peterson, in a three-year span, has one, two, three, including the Super Bowl, four, four playoff victories. And listen, I love the intensity of Philly. I loved how passionate people were about sports there. It's just, it's no different than me as a human. I'm equally as passionate. I've dedicated my life to it. But I think sometimes we jump the shark on some of this shit.

Like, we're talking Doug Peterson's job security. he won four playoff games in two years, including the Lombardi Trophy. I think he's earned even from the fans who have high standards as well as they should. Team means a lot to a lot of people. The benefit of the doubt for a couple years. You know, this is a big off season. Obviously, I think the thing that hurts this year is you go, God, the NFC East, might be the worst year in the NFC East ever.

We could have won the division by two games if we would have just gone 10 and 6. I think what hurts also is, most of the NFC, East. people, the fans in Philly, the outsider fans like me all around the country, thought the Eagles were a locked playoff team. And at 5 and 7, you're not going to the playoffs. So, listen, Doug Peterson deserves somewhat of a hall pass this season. I know that's not maybe what you want to hear. But again, four playoff victories, two years, including the thing they call the Lombardi

trophy. Appreciate everyone listening. Headed back to the, I say it's the States. This is actually America, but I promise you. Maui does not feel like America. For those of you that live probably in the Midwest and the northeast, you probably don't come to Hawaii. If you ever get a chance, this place, badass.

I would highly recommend it, Maui. It's sweet. Thanks for listening. Enjoy the week. And see you a little later. Adios. Peace. 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,

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Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

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