The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Stafford Struggles, Daboll Difference, Pickett Meh Debut, Tua Red Flags, Mailbag

Episode Date: October 4, 2022

John reacts to the Niners solid MNF win over the Rams, if Matt Stafford can overcome his early season struggles, why Brian Daboll looks poised to buck the trend of Belichick coaching tree fails, why Colts GM Chris Ballard needs to fire Frank Reich, if Matt Rhule should move back to college, why he’s not buying Kenny Pickett, why the handling of Tua’s post TNF injury raises major red flags. He also answers listener questions in the  Middlekauff Mailbag. Subscribe NOW and follow Middlekauff and The Volume on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest content. It's always FanDuel for the best wagering action! #volume #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Volume.

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to get started. Now sign up with promo code Colin so they know we sent you. What is going on, everybody? John Middilcock, three and out podcast Monday night. 49ers. Take it to the Rams. It definitely pulled away from the Rams

toward the end of the game. And both the teams now 2 and 2. Every team in the NFC West, 2 and 2. 49ers, Rams, Seattle, Arizona. What's once was the best division, in football. It's clearly not that now, but it's going to be a competitive division. Rams play the Cowboys this week. Niners play the Panthers. Arizona plays the Eagles. Shit, I don't even know who Seattle plays. Gino Smith's having a good season.

A lot of football talk coming up on this podcast. We'll dive into it all. After we get into the Monday night football game, of course, Middilkoff mailbag at John Middlough, slide into my DMs. At John Middlecoff is my Instagram. Slide into those DMs. Listen on Collins feed. Make sure you subscribe. to the three and out podcast. Greatly appreciate everyone that listens, that shares the podcast, couldn't do it without you. Let's just dive right in the Monday night football game.

I'm going to start with the Rams. I have a lot of respect for Sean McVeigh. Who doesn't? He is a fantastic football coach. His resume speaks for itself. But one thing early on in his career with the Rams, he inherited Todd Gurley, who at the time was healthy, he ran it all the time.

Because the guy that taught him, And really, as a football coach, just like any individual, whoever teaches you something, they help shape your vision. But ultimately, your vision is what you are at your core, right? So you think any mentor you've had in business, they influence you a lot with whatever industry you work in. But ultimately, when you get out on your own or you get a lot more leeway or you get a lot more juice in whatever role you have, you kind of personalize it as you should. What does every successful person say to most people?

Like, be true to yourself. Trust your gut instincts. Because Kyle and Mike taught Sean, right? And those two guys lean run first. They'd love to run the football. And Sean early on with the Rams did too. And now he's pivoted to much more of a throwing attack. And it's why he aspired to get Matt Stafford and he got him and they ultimately won the Super Bowl.

but I just wonder if it's sustainable to consistently do it with Matt Stafford. I said it a couple weeks ago. I think I was watching the Cardinal game. And I just, it hit me, it's like, this is the most bizarre player I think I've ever seen. Number one overall pick, I've always supported him, rooted for him in Detroit because I lean physical specimens. I like guys with massive arms. He is my type player. Like, I don't like weak arm quarterbacks.

It doesn't mean I'm always right. Sometimes big armed quarterbacks aren't that good. And I always tried to justify his lack of success because of the organization. And then last year, it was a roller coaster ride. And Richard Sherman, my man, clearly isn't the biggest Matt Stafford guy. And he's tweeting out tonight that if you check the numbers, Jared Goff and Matt Stafford Goff's numbers are better. And I would push back a little if Richard was sitting right here.

You know, it's not apples to apples. Jared's been down big in games and put up some hollow stats. But still, like, if you just look at the box scores, one thing cannot be denied. Matt Stafford consistently throws the ball to the other team. And I've always, and I know Coward's big on this, I'm cool with throwing some picks. Have no problem with throwing some interceptions.

You better be an explosive player and you better throw a lot of touchdowns. And last year he did. But he was a drop pick away from the 49ers winning that championship game. And then early on in this season, obviously the Buffalo game, throws a bunch of picks. Now you can say his elbow, which I was saying all during camp, But now he's been healthy. He's practicing all the time.

He's playing in these games. I'm watching him. He looks like normal Matt Stafford. And Matt Stafford, now, they clearly, the way they've built the team because of the trades they've made, they don't have many picks. Clearly the Alan Robinson thing isn't working out. Cooper Cup is a beast, but they basically throw to him every play they're not throwing to Higby, and they can't really run the ball.

So they are so reliant on Stafford in tight games or games where they're just trailing by a touchdown to throw it like 50 times a game. And the more and more he throws the ball, the more often he's going to, to throw it to the other team. The more and more I have to chip in golf, the more often I'm going to skull a chip. The reality is with Matt Stafford, he is just more inclined than most of the great quarterbacks that he's kind of in the world of, definitely financially, but now resume-wise, to just throw it to Telanoa Hufunga. Last year, it was throwing it to Jimmy Ward. It was throwing it to Ambrie Thomas. Remember he had that stretch last year in the Ravens, Tennessee.

he won't just throw picks he'll throw pick sixes. Remember that kind of ended Matt Schaub's career and I'm not comparing Matt Schaub to Matt Stafford but the reason everyone starts eviscerating some quarterback sometimes is they're constantly throwing picks and Matt Stafford luckily he's still an explosive player

or at least was last year. Right now he's not so if you're not going to throw up touchdowns and right now they are clearly struggling to throw up touchdowns here's part of the problem. Matt Stafford is not Lamar Jackson. He's not Josh Allen. He's a good athlete but he's can't just run away from everybody.

And their offensive line right now, when you have a decent defensive line, let alone something like San Francisco, he's a sitting duck. So he's throwing it up to Cooper Cup every play, or he's running for his life. And the picks, like, I thought this the other day when I was watching him against Arizona, obviously McVeigh, it's an upgrade. I believe, regardless of what Cherm says, I'd rather have Matt Stafford than Jared Goff because his ceiling is much higher. But it can't be disputed that on any given game, whether you're playing the 49ers in a

massive Monday night game or whether you're playing some random 10 a.m. kickoff against the Atlanta Falcons and no one's watching. I know that wasn't actually 10 am. kickoff. It was a 1 o'clock kickoff. He could just throw picks. He could throw the ball to the other team. That can happen at a moment's notice. And, you know, they're paying them a lot of money to be Josh Allen, Mahomes, you know, br,

Brady Rogers. Like he's being compensated on that level. And I know he won a Super Bowl, but part of getting that huge money is to sustain it. And it's just, it's the ultimate roller coaster ride. The Niners are too. Like, they can go under Kyle Shanahan

looking like one of the most putrid teams in the league. Now, I know their defense looked good against Russell, but as we've watched more and more of the Broncos, a lot of teams look good against the Broncos, right? And a lot of defenses, you know, make plays against Russell Wilson. But the Niners on that Sunday night football game did not look great.

And then they play the Rams. Again, the defending Super Bowl champions, they still have Aaron Donald, they still got Cooper Cup, they still got Sean McVeigh, and they kind of shove them around. And to me, that's kind of Kyle Shanahan. When you least expect it, you're like, oh, the Niners, they might just be screwed, could just be a

seven, six-win team. All of a sudden, they'll kick ass in a prime time game. Now, this week coming up against the Panthers, if you tell me it's a tight game going in the fourth quarter, I'll believe it. But the following week, if they're playing someone important and the lights are on, I'll expect them to show up. And part of the reason they often show up is because they have elite players.

And they're missing a ton. Trent Williams is out. Obviously, they're starting quarterbacks out. We don't know if he's an elite player or not, but Trent's the best left tackle in the sport. Jimmy Ward's one of the best players on their defense. I mean, they have major injuries on their team. Yet George Kittle, Debo Samuel, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, are complete ass kickers.

And on any given game, against any given team, they're core guys that are on the field, pro bowl level guys, top 50 players in the league. Nick Bose is one of the best pass rushes in the league. Debo Samuel is one of the best playmakers. Fred Warner's one of the best linebackers. They can take over and they can physically and emotionally impose their will.

And that's what they did tonight. And they will always match up against teams. And they have since Kyle has really, really got them humming. If your offensive line stinks. And the Rams offensive line is just not good. And if your offensive line is not good, they will annihilate you.

Because they will put so much pressure on your quarterback that you'll just be fighting an uphill battle. And that is why the 49ers have won seven of the last eight games against the Rams. And the one game they lost, the NFC championship, which is the most important game of those eight games, was there to be had. They were had a double-digit lead in the second half.

Quaskey Tart just got to hold on to the ball. But they match up well against the Rams. What do they say? Stiles make fights. And the reason that the 49ers are always a good matchup against the Rams is because their number one advantage against most teams is their defensive line and their pass rush. And the Rams offensive line is just a red flag.

It's a liability. And the Niners feast on them. And then their DBs have gotten better over the years. Their safety plays improved. Now they add Ward. Hufunga is really good. Like that guy is a player. And if you watch USC in the down years, in the lean years with Clay Hilton,

there was a few guys over the years that really stood out, right? Juju stood out. Hufunga stood out. Drake Jackson did from like a scouting perspective, but, you know, depending on the week, to me, Juju and Hufunger are two guys. If you watch USC over the last seven, eight years, they just were making plays. In 15, when he was at USC, made plays nonstop.

And the number one question about him coming out was, what position does he play? Is he a safety? Is he a linebacker? Then he didn't run that fast. And he falls the sixth round. John Lynch, Adam Peters, Kyle Shanahan, they love the guy. They've believed in the guy. He's become a starter. And he's been fucking awesome this year. He is an absolute monster as a tackler. And then if you're going to make plays in the passing game, you know, that's how you become a pro bowler. Never forget the guy that kind of ended the Devante Adams era in Green Bay by falling on a block punt was Tala, Noah Hufunga. And that's just when he was a role player special teams guy.

Now he's turned into a starter. And he's become one of the better players on, you know, what could be the best defense in the NFL. So good Monday night football game. Entertaining for us 49er people. And the Rams, you know, I mean, you just got to ride the Stafford roller coaster. When he's good, it's fun. When it's not, you just hold on for dear life.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, let's dive into two coaches. One who has been very impressive, who I would buy stock in, and the other one who could be fired as soon as Friday morning because he plays on Thursday night.

It's Brian Dayball of the New York Giants, and it's Frank Reich of the Indianapolis Colts. Now, have you ever seen guys grocery games? It's on the Food Network. It's like in a grocery store, reality TV show, he gives like three aspiring cooks and chefs. He picks them specific ingredients or limits the time they have to go pick their own ingredients. And then they try to whip up some sweet meal.

Like for me, I'm not a great cook. You would have to give me the exact ingredients. And even then, I'd be holding on for my ass to cook a good meal. I can barbecue a little bit, but inside the kitchen, that is not my forte. You took me to Fleming's. I probably could make you a steak. You just give me top ramen, an avocado, pepper, and some mayonnaise, I'd be screwed. Emerald Gossi, he could make it.

I think we all agree, being able to make something out of nothing in the kitchen is impressive. If I give you the exact ingredients for anything and you make it, you know, not as impressive. No different than Tim Cook took over Apple. Like, let's face it. Apple was on an upward trajectory after Steve Jobs, I don't know, created the iPhone, the iPod, the iPod, the iPod, the iPad. Like it's, you know, if I took over Amazon tomorrow, even though I've never been a CEO, I've never been in a management position, at least for a couple months, maybe even a couple years, I can keep the thing humming, right? But if you start something from scratch or make

something from scratch, it's much more impressive. We all agree there. I mean, that's a universal truth, right? And when you take a football team that sucks and you win, Hat tip, right? You go to Kansas and become 5-0 like the dude is doing right now and get college game day there, week six, or week five, or whatever week it's in in college football, obviously he's 5-0. That is very, very impressive. You take over Alabama, Kassabin retires, and you make it to the playoffs, just not as impressive. I mean, that's what they had been doing. So you go to the New York Giants who have had three different coaches in four years. They have been running through coaches. They have been running through coaches. They have been running through

players, they have been a disaster. All they've been doing is losing. And you don't have a quarterback. You don't have a very good roster. And all of a sudden, after four games, you're three and one, I don't care what your schedule is. I thought they would win three or four games on the season. Like, let's face it, more than likely, he's going to win six or seven games. And to overachieve like that is impressive. But as we talked about, the difference of him and the umbrella that most of the Belichick guys have always been under, he'd been in other places. And mainly, he was under Sean McDermott where he got to spread his wings and specifically put his stamp on Josh Allen and spread his wings and become a really good coach.

Like, we saw him with Belichick, we saw him with Nick Saban. Most guys have success under those guys watch. What do you do outside of him? And he went with Josh Allen, a guy that most of us thought sucked in college and turned him into a monster. Now, it might not have been all him. Obviously, Josh gets credit. but Brian Dayball, I think we have enough evidence.

Pretty damn good coach. I would buy stock in Brian Dayball moving forward. For him able to compete with the roster he's throwing out is incredible. He doesn't have a quarter. Daniel Jones stinks. He's not very good. Yesterday he got hurt. The backup got hurt for a little while before Daniel Jones could like tough it out.

They're going with Sequin Barkley, a quarterback. Now, Sequin's really good, and he's got his swag back. But other than that, if Brian Dayball in three years, if I had to go over, under of people on this current roster that are going to be on that team, not counting the draft picks from this year, I would put the number at like two and a half. There are not going to be many people that are going to survive two years from now, let alone next year. So what he is doing, like, that's impressive coaching. You go to Kansas and win, wow.

You go to Oklahoma and lose. You might suck. Brett Venables might not be any good. You go to this New York Giants team and win, damn. But the Colts. Now, Chris Ballard once upon a time was in a tough situation. situation, right? Josh McDaniels left him at the altar. He had already hired coaches. Iber Fluse was already there on staff. So that was a situation no GM can prepare for, knows what to do. I mean,

it's an unprecedented situation. There have been some similarities, but not quite like that. Not where assistant coaches were hired. That was crazy. So we had to pivot on the flight and did the best he could. He hired Frank. And early on it looked like Frank was pretty good. I think if you follow football, And Colts fans know this, but even on the outside. Frank Reich, high-level guy. Good person. But the NFL is not about good and bad people. There have been a lot of bad people that won.

There have been a lot of good people who lost. I think Jason Garrett is very well respected. He's an average coach at best. Good guy. You'd want him as your neighbor. You'd want him as a friend. But he's just Cliff Kingsbury. Same thing.

I don't see it. Good guy. Everyone I know that knows him loves him. But I don't think he's very good coach. You know, when I look at Frank, I see super good guy, someone you'd want in a church group, you'd want to be a mentor to your son, but he's a below average coach. And someone corrected me in the DMs, I think I said on Sunday night, they were one and three. They're technically one, two, and one, the tie to the Texans.

I view that as a loss. And they're playing on Thursday night, and there are rumors, I don't know, I don't have any inside information on this. I don't know Ballard. I think Ballard's pretty good. but he's going to cost himself a job if he won't pivot off Frank. Like sometimes in business, you know, there's a balancing act. And there's not a perfect like kind of equilibrium or like line for this, right?

You got to balance, unless you're just a pure asshole and it comes easy to you. Most of us, I think are not. And the farther we get in business, the more success you have, you got to learn how to kind of tote the line of being unemotional and making good business decisions, but also being a good person, being well respected. treating others well. And I think part of being business is being loyal to a line and then going, listen, Frank, this is not working out.

We got to go a different direction. You should be conditionally loyal to most people in your life. Like, honestly, I can count on one hand the people I would, no matter what. And start with my mom, probably be my brother. And then there'd be like two or three people after that. And then the line shut. I'm sorry, like I will have to pivot if something happens. Right.

and I think Chris Ballard, who, from all accounts, went to this guy's defense at the end of last season. They pivoted off Carson, but I think the owner wanted to get rid of the coach. Now it's like, hey, bro, this ain't working. You were doing a pretty good job. You're signing, trading, all these players. Like, you need to look out for yourself now. And I think that's a tough balancing act because people I know that know Chris Ballard, super high character guy.

Probably not an easy position to be in. But we talk about, and I always say this, NFL GMs? Because we got, how do you draft? How do you draft? The job is about more than just the draft. Who do you sign in free agency? But mainly, who do you acquire a quarterback?

Who do you hires your head coach? Like, those are your most two important hires. Like, ultimately the Jets, if Zach Wilson is not good, it doesn't matter how many other players that they nailed. Right? The wide receivers, the running back, the defensive players, the corner. They could have nailed 80% of their draft picks the last couple years.

But if Zach Wilson ain't it, they're fucked. It's over. No different. You hire the wrong coach. Unless you're Steve Kime, you don't get multiple three or four head coaches. Most GMs get two max. And Chris, bad situation with Josh,

didn't work out, left him at the altar. Now I think it's time to pivot off rank, especially if you keep losing. Because right now, let's face it, it ain't trending well. A couple other head coaches. First and foremost, Matt Rule. I went out on a limb, and it was, you know, I'm not Stephen A, I'm not Skip, but I wanted to be a little different.

I didn't want to pick the same teams, right? I couldn't get myself to take the Lions in the NFC North, too much respect for the Packers. And then I basically, I was never going to take Dennis Allen, we'll get to him in a second. I just, I thought Brady might get a divorce. I thought his wife might leave him, and that thing could crumble. Well, it turns out, Bray's getting divorced or not, I don't know, but that dude's locked in. He looks fantastic. I mean, he's at 45, he is humming, throwing seize.

It sure as hell wasn't his fault they lost to the Chiefs. I was wrong. The bucks are going to be just fine. They're going to win that division. And ultimately, Matt Rule, his number one downfall is going to be because it felt like he was kind of on the hot seat coming into this year. He can't find a quarterback. Like, if you can't find a quarterback, you have no chance to have any success.

it's just impossible, right? And he keeps going through Teddy Bridgewater, traded for Sam Donald, traded for Baker Mayfield. And I celebrated might be strong, but I completely understood, and I would have done it in his shoes, the Sam Donald and the Baker Mayfield deals,

especially the Sam Donald Day. I thought that was a steal. And Baker for a fifth round pick, why not? Well, both these two guys stink. I mean, Baker Mayfield just isn't good. I was wrong, because I pushed back, argued with coward years ago. Coward hated.

he shorted him right off the bat. And I said, Colin, he's going to be the next Drew Breeze. Well, the reason Colin was right because he bet against the person. And the reason Drew Breeze was a great player wasn't because of his physical attributes. He's six foot and has an average arm. It's because of the person.

His drive, his focus, his desire. It's like Brady-Pa-Manylike. The reason Drew Breeze is going to the Hall of Fame is because of the human that he is when it comes to football character, not his physical attributes. I mean, he's an accurate passer, but how much time and effort he put into his craft. And Baker, to me, looks like a guy that doesn't try that hard.

And I thought he was just more physically gifted. He doesn't have that many physical attributes. Arm pretty, you know, his arm's okay. But when you're getting balls batted down, when you can't move, when you're short, it ain't working. But he's just not very good. And Matt Rule is now 11 and 26. Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield.

Just a disastrous situation. Now next week he's playing the 49ers. He's just headed for another five, six win team because they have no offense. Christian McCaffrey, who's been so banged up the last couple years, there was a run earlier this season that he broke. Christian McCaffrey had breakaway speed back in the day. He got caught. So he's a shell of himself.

They're screwed. Now, Matt Rule, he'll be fine. He made $60 plus million from David Tepper. I don't blame David Tepper for going after him. But I think one thing you could never underestimate in modern day football, maybe it was a little bit different back in the day. you didn't have to have an NFL experience. When Urban Meyer got the job with the Jaguars,

I didn't just short that situation because I think Urban's kind of a fraud. It's because he's never worked in the NFL. The difficulty of dealing with people that get paid at large sums of money, that have more money than you, that live in bigger homes than you, is not something great college coaches are used to.

And he got swallowed up, he didn't make a year. Even Chip, who had some immediate success, the difference between Chip and Urban, and like Chip is the guy calling the plays. Urban is just the CEO. So at least Chip could put his stamp on the game early on. Now, granted, everyone caught up to a scheme and it ultimately didn't work out.

But like Urban, he had never coached in the league. Jim Harbaugh played in the NFL for like 15 years. Got his coaching start with Al Davis with the Raiders. Now, Matt Ruhl had one year NFL experience, but it was as an assistant offensive line coach. The gap between running a college program at Temple or Baylor and being an NFL head coach is gigantic. I mean, it is Grand Canyon wide.

And because when you're a head coach in college, you're also the general manager. Now, they have titles of GMs now in college, but that guy answers to the head coach. The head coach is basically, if you win, as Matt Ruhl did at Baylor, who was making $7,8 million, you basically own the franchise. You're an untouchable. Nick Sabin, Kirby Smart, these guys are untouchable. figures at their Lincoln Riley. Like, no one is telling him what to do.

In the NFL, one, everything you do, unless it's tiny little things, you probably got to ask the owner. And I'm not talking like practice squad guys, but you're not making a trade without asking the owner. When you want to sign a transfer or sign a player in college, you don't ask anybody. You do it. You want to sign said player, like, you've got to get it okay with the owner. It's the way the business works.

And it's been a disaster. Now, there are already several head coaching jobs. open, right? Nebraska, Wisconsin just open. I think Matt Rule will be in the mix, both those two places. He feels kind of Midwesterny, even though I think he's from the Northeast, but he kind of Midwestern Northeast kind of feels, Big Ten, feels like an easy spot for him. Some of these big 12 jobs also feel like an easy spot depending on what opens. You know, if I'm Oklahoma, I'd fire Venables and hire Matt Rule yesterday. Venables is just, that ain't going to work out. but Matt rules, you know, it's over.

And then Dennis Allen. This one I saw it coming. I try to tell everyone, not a hater. I just have some experience. I worked for Pat Hill. I worked for Andy Reed. And then for a couple years, I went to a lot of Jim Harbaugh praxis. Being a head coach, a large percentage of them, quote unquote, have it.

Now, back in the 80s, a lot of people said Belichick, it just wasn't going to work because he didn't have it. Well, it turns out Belichick was smarter than everyone else. You watch him against the Packers? He knows the rules better than the referees. Think about that. But it's really not that shocking. Of course he knows the rules. He's been in the NFL since 75.

He's the smartest guy in NFL history. So he's screaming at the refs. He knows the rules. No different. Like anyone listening to this, any business owner, any sales guy in the trenches of society, you know what's really going on much better than these government officials. Right?

I say it all the time. Referees, government officials, two places where you can be inept at your time. job and keep it. And Dennis Allen, like, I was around him with the Raiders. I wasn't judging him off his win-loss record. Walsh, Belichick,

Parcells, they wouldn't have won that many games with what he had with the Raiders. But, like, part of being a head coach is having it. And if you're not going to be one of the biggest geniuses ever, like Mike McDaniel, the reason he has a chance to succeed is not because

his it factor. It's because the guy's a schematical genius. Ivy League guy, learn from the Shanahan's, every player, even Kyle says, yeah, this guy knows his shit. It's not because he's got some huge physical presence. Of course he doesn't. Just like Belichick back in the day. Belichick became a genius because he literally is a football genius. And that's how you create an it thing. Well, Dennis Allen, like, is he some schematical genius?

Good defensive coach, good defensive coordinator. But it ain't working out. To me, the Saints are headed in a terrible direction. And you know what their biggest problem is? They don't have their first round pick. Howie Roseman, who is one of the best GMs in the league, the team just happens to be 4-0, made a no-brainer trade.

He didn't need three first-round picks last year. He traded, I think, picked two first-rounders for one of their first-rounders, and he'd already used one of his picks, so he still had two first-rounders last year, and he gets his first-rounder and their first-rounder this year. Well, it looks like the Saints have a decent shot of being a top-10 drafting team,

and how he might not even need a quarterback. Think about that. He's got Jalen who is trending. I don't want to say super stardom by any means, but as a damn good starting quarterback. Now, we'll see how he fares in the playoffs. But even if they were to lose in like the first round, even if they got the number one seat like the Titans last year, to me you would still run it back unless you had the chance to get a guy that you loved in this draft. And I think Dennis Allen, unlike Sean Payton,

Sean Payton, if you remember, Saints fans will. I had a couple of those years, I think when they went seven and nine. and they had like a historic offense, but the defense was atrocious. I'm pretty sure Rob Ryan was the defensive coordinator. I love the Ryan brothers. My cousins a couple years ago, we were going to a bachelor party,

and they were there ahead of me, and they were at like a bar drinking, and Rob and Rex were there, and they took pictures of the two burly guys. I think Rob and Rex are good defensive minds, but at the time, the Saints, they were terrible on defense. Sean had equity, though. He had won a Super Bowl.

They had been to the playoffs a bunch of times. Dennis Allen has no equity. like part of being a head coach like you got to have some wins and equity in the bank like ultimately when they thought about firing Harbaugh two years ago and they ended up not like Jim hadn't lived up to the hype but he was still winning games they were still winning eight nine ten games right if he had a couple five win seasons he would have been screwed

it's Brett Vanneble's problem with Oklahoma what is his equity his equity is with the Clemson football program with Oklahoma they've been used to win in 11 games said the same thing about Marcus Freeman you know you can't go seven and five when you got no equity in the bank. You're allowed a bad season, but you have to have proof that you know what you're doing. It was Scott Frost's problem. Never won when he was at Nebraska. It happens a lot in college. Guys get it in the NFL, too much money. The media rights, all these

teams are making so much, they could easily afford to buy you out. And I think Dennis Allen is in major, major trouble. Some quarterback thoughts. I watched the Jets Steeler game. And I'm not going I take a victory lap, but I told you, Steeler fans, Mitch Trubisky's just not a very good player. He's just not a good player. He's just, the quarterback instincts are not there. He's not accurate. You just watch him and you go,

this guy's not a good quarterback. You don't need to be, you know, the assistant GM of the Dallas Cowboys or the L.A. Rams to know what good and bad quarterback play looks like, especially bad quarterback play. You watch Mitch, you go, this is bad. Now, let's start with Kenny Picket. He comes in, he throws three picks.

Now, granted, one of them was at the end of the game. I'll give him a pass. He's not my type quarterback. I'm not into guys, average athletes with average arms. Now, maybe their team's good enough. They can overcome it. It doesn't feel like they are. He wasn't terrible in that game.

Did throw an atrocious pick where he kind of freaked out. I say the same thing with him and Mack Jones, and Mack is a better player than picket. The reason I'm not a big fan of those type players, because for them to be good, they have to maximize every inch of talent. They can never do like the things that Mahomes, that Allen, that Herbert. They don't have that in the back.

And when you're limited physically, your margin for error is so much smaller. And when your team isn't perfect, which let's face it, most of these teams around the league do not have perfect offensive lines. There are so many good defensive linemen all over the league, you've got to be able to move. And you can tell me all you want, you know, he's a better athlete than you give him credit for. I just see an average talent. I see an average talent. And I'm not into taking an average. If you want to take it in the third round, no big deal.

Hell, if you want to take it the late second round, I could dig it. But Mac Jones at 15, Kenny Pickett at 20. I'm sorry, like, I didn't see anything yesterday that's going to make me change my tune. Now, on the flip side, Zach Wilson, like physically, he's on a different level as a thrower than Kenny Pickett, right? You watch that game, the ball comes out of his hand. He can spin it, right? And he can move a little bit too. But he can definitely throw it.

He throws it like a top 15 quarterback. But he's not Mr. Accuracy. Now, yesterday was 18 to 36, but the ball was kind of, he makes some great passes. He makes some wow plays. But then he also makes him plays like, what the fuck was that?

And like I said earlier, I'm not going to totally crush him, coming back off a knee injury, first game of the season. But I was always a little leery. His one big year in college was against nobody. I've never disputed his ability to throw bombs. and throw darts, but playing the quarterback position is about having touch, accuracy,

seeing the defense, having instincts at the position. And I would be a little hesitant because the Jets, it feels like I've hit a lot of picks. They got a lot of good – hell, they got two good receivers and a sweet running back, who they've drafted in the last couple years. But if he is average, they're in trouble. They really are. And I'll give him a little bit more time, and I know he can make every throw, but can he play the position?

And like I said, I don't like weak arm guys. But some weak arm guys can function, right? Dak, Cooper Rush is functioning. Kirk Cousin's arms actually gotten better. Andy Dalton, when he was with the Bengals and they were good, could function. You can't, Alex Smith is probably the best version of that. Like, you can't, but I like my guys to be more physically gifted. But to be physically gifted, you also got to be able to read defenses, get through your progressions, be accurate with the ball, not throw it in double coverage.

Like, Kenny Pickett. doesn't have a great arm. One of his picks, he just throws a lollipop up, basically into double coverage. Now, you can be like, well, Claypool's got a high point. Yeah, I just, he shouldn't be making that throw. Now, of course, Mitch Trubisky got benched,

but it could be a long season. Like, Mike Tomlin's record of never going under 500 could come to an end. And last but not least, I was a huge fan of this guy coming into the draft. Because like I said, I'm into physical attributes. This guy was big. He can run.

and he has a huge arm. And I said the Bears do not have much around him. His offensive line is one of the worst in the league, might be the worst in the league. His skill guys are not very good. But if you're a Bears fan, if you just follow football, you've probably seen some stats,

it's been very, very ugly for Justin Fields. Now, he did make a great deep ball throw, but he used to do that in college too. Remember against Clemson, the playoff game? Throws a beautiful deep ball. But I just, little like Zach Wilson, is he good at playing the position? because right now he's not.

Looks a little lost. But I still think there's something to work with because he's just too physically gifted. When he runs, but it's just, I would red flag the situation. I really would. Because here's one issue I keep thinking about. Now, I'm not,

Kyle Shanahan has not always been right on his quarterback evaluations. Time will tell with Trey Lance. But he did not like Justin Fields. He had two quarterbacks in a completely different category. Trey Lansing Mac Jones. Matt Rule, who, hell, who knows, he passed on him.

George Payton. Now, Patrick Sertan looks elite. I mean, that guy, you know what Patrick Sartan is? He's Richard Sherman Lank with Dorel Rivas athleticism. Like, that is a Hall of Fame level player. So in a vacuum, of course, Patrick Sertan is a better player in Jesse Fields. But they needed a quarterback, and they didn't even hesitate going with a corner. So a lot of teams passed on this guy when,

You're talking from Ohio State, number one recruit, six foot two and a half, huge arm could move. Again, I loved them. I'm not trying to play Monday morning quarterback. I would have drafted them the Niners. I would have taken them third overall. Hell, I would have taken them if I was the Jets. But, you know, I'm not, I don't claim to be Bill Walshier. I get them wrong as well.

I didn't like Josh Allen. So it is not going well for Justin Fields. And then another quarterback who, I was talking with an NFL executive yesterday and I was like, You know what's crazy? When I used to go to games a lot in, like, in the NFL, and then when I did the Raiders pre-imposed game, I would be on the field a lot for pre-game warm-ups. And at the time, most of the quarterbacks in the league,

Peyton, obviously Brady's still there, Carson Palmer, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Joe Flacco, all the Ben Rothesperger, I don't think the average football fan understands how fucking huge these guys are. Hell, I was with Carson Palmer at, at this Fox party with Coward three or four years ago. And I was like, this guy is huge. And I have seen him run by in a football game.

But when you just stand a guy in playing close, Eli, how massive these humans are. Now, a lot of quarterbacks over the last several years, Kyler's, the bakers, Bryce Young, like, these guys are small. Like, you put Bryce Young next to Ben Rolfesberger, it would look like putting an average NBA player next to Shaq. It is dramatically different. And Bryce Young got hurt over the weekend. And the Tua situation, like Tua now has been hurt in college and hurting the pros.

But I don't, like, the concussion thing on Thursday night could have happened to anyone. These defensive linemen slamming to the ground. But I want to talk about that situation because today, on Monday, Mike McDaniel came out and said that Tua will not play

this week. And my first thought is, are they just making up the rules as we go? Because I said it when it happened on Thursday night. One, the dolphins don't deserve the benefit of the doubt. They have been a clown show organization for a long, long time. And two, I didn't blame Mike McDaniel.

Because like a GM in the draft, you just do as a GM or a coach what the doctor tells you to do. This is at 1987. I can't tell you to rub some dirt on and get back in. That's not the way it works anymore. The doctor had to clear them. Now, the doctor get a right or wrong? I don't know. I don't pretend

to be a doctor. I'm not like most of the media pretend to have some doctorate, a medical degree and play doctor on Twitter, where they are consistently wrong about everything and they never apologize for it. I don't do that. But I said that Mike McDaniel, it was out of his control.

Now, when you come out and say, though, on Monday that he's out, like, well, he's still in the concussion protocol and the MRI came back clean. So he didn't like break a neck or break a back or anything. So what player, like when a guy gets concussion on Sunday, and I'm sure some happened yesterday,

I'm recording this on Monday, The coach will come out on Monday and say, well, he's in the concussion protocol. We'll see how the week goes. And for all of us that follow football, a lot of those guys end up clearing Thursday or Friday, and they play in the game. Some of them don't, and they miss a game.

But you don't know. Like, they're just saying he's out. So are you kind of acknowledging that something happened that previous week against the Ravens? Because if it was just a concussion, MRI's fine. You weren't extra cautious the other time. Are you just making it?

I'm not a big fan of making up the rules as you go. when you dictate stuff. It's why I wasn't comfortable with 20 and 21 in society. It's why this situation, I get red flagged. I understand, like, if you're in business

trying to figure things out as you go, but making up, like, they're just making up the rules as they go. I don't blame them. Like, he probably should get the week off. But when you do this and you claim that he's just out now

on Monday, even though he's in the concussion, what if he cleared on Wednesday? You're just arbitrarily going to say you can't go? Because are you, you then acknowledging that something else happened the week before this when you do this to me you make this whole situation shadier because you're giving into pure pressure obviously even though this is one of the rare situations where I agree with the public pushing back like you know not that

it wasn't just it was very uncomfortable to watch but four days earlier like we all watch UFC boxing and enough football to know when you start wobbling you can't tell me it was a nerve in your back I'm not going to believe it. And then he gets an actual concussion. And then on Monday, you just say he's out for the game? When does that happen? It doesn't. I mean, that's just, that's the reality.

So you are just, like, is the NFL forcing your hand on this one? It just, you know, this is what journalism should be. I'm not a journalist. Should be investigating, asking questions. None of this shit adds up. And that's something that's been lost in society. People just asking basic questions. And that's all I'm doing, just putting on my big J hat.

So the Tua situation to me is just weird. Wisconsin, they fired their coach. Do you know what's crazy about the Big Ten? Is Wisconsin and Nebraska in basically two and a half, three weeks, fired two coaches? And they are paying them both a combined $31 million. Do you know how much money is in the SEC in the Big Ten? When Nebraska decided to fire Scott Frost,

if they would have waited, I think, two more weeks, the buyout would have dropped from 15 million, to 7 million. And they said, yeah, we don't care. We'll fire him. See you. Get out of here. Wisconsin, the guy won like 11 games three or four years ago.

He's got a pretty good resume. I think they went 9 and 4 last year. Now, I don't blame them. It's not going well. The eye test is even worse. But they're paying him, I think, the buyout's $16 million. So Scott Frost was 15.

This guy's 16. They said, get out of our building. We're going to pay you to not coach. Now, that's a whole other conversation. But that's because the big agents, mainly Jimmy Sexton is so much better a business than any of these 80s and school presidents, especially the school presidents that have to sign off. They got no clue.

It is such, Jimmy Sexton runs college football. Like it ain't even, it's not even a debate. And other, I don't know, the other couple big agents, but he's the big one in the SEC, but he represents some of the big 10 coaches as well, is it ain't a fair fight. And these buyouts, these guys are getting for failing is pretty nuts. I get a lot of DMs like, could Jimbo fire be fired? they're not going to pay them 9, even Texas A&M, ain't going to pay them 90 plus million dollars to go away.

Like Jimmy Sexton bent TexanM over the counter and took them to Poundown. And now Jimbo Fisher, who is not trending well. I mean, you lose to Mississippi State, you lose who they lose to earlier this year. Appalachian State, like, it's pretty ugly. I mean, Jimbo, you're an offensive guy. How can you not figure out this quarterback? And these two programs, like Wisconsin is a pretty good job. Nebraska is not as good a job, but these programs got cash.

So anytime you can pay someone $8 to $10 million, there are going to be a lot of people very interested, starting with the dude at Kansas, Leopold, and obviously Matt Ruhl. Carson Wentz. I watched a little bit of that game. I just think Washington's offensive line is atrocious and Carson's not a very good player.

Bad combination. When your quarterback is struggling, I was wrong. I kind of bought some early stock. Turns out him and Matt Ryan. Bosnink. Their offensive line, his quarterback instincts in the pocket are pretty bad, stepping into

past rushes. Now, sometimes a guy gets shoved into you, like, what are you supposed to do, jump over him? But it is ugly. I mean, the commanders are headed nowhere fast. That organization is in shambles. I'm telling you, keep an eye on Lane Kiffin

as the next coach of the commanders. Brandon Staley's defense. They just don't get any better. They added players. You'd like, well, Joey Bose is missing. Well, they had a Cleo Mac. Derwin James is back. Do they ever make plays? Like, what is Brandon Staley good at besides talking to the media behind

a microphone? Because do his players buy into him? Clearly don't play like that. Or his scheme's great. They don't shut down anybody. He doesn't get any credit or positive, like he has nothing to do with the offense. I just don't see it. And the Chargers man, they are

underachieving again, struggling to beat the Texans. Struggling to beat the Texans. Like that, it felt like they were in control. Then I watched the second half. They were not in control. Is Davis Mills good? I don't really know. Luckily, if you're the Texans, you got a bunch of picks, good quarterback draft. Davis Mills probably be your backup next year. The Lions, the crazy stat of the day, I thought the Lions would be feisty.

And I've proven to be right. It just turns out they don't win any games. They're 1 in 3. They're giving up, on average, 35 points a game through 4 games. 35 points a game. you would say if a team's 1 and 3 and they're giving up 35 points a game you'd be like their point differential through a month would be like minus 30 minus 40 minus 50 right got blown out

in a couple games maybe the win they won by 7 points so you know if it's if it's minus 45 you add 7 it'd be like high 30s 38 40 it's minus 1 what a weird season I mean their defense I kind of got interested I didn't have any money on the game I was like I'm not going to watch Seattle Detroit

but the game that was high scoring so I kept flipping over. Every time I'd flip over, Rashad Penny would have a big run. Gino would make a play. We've all seen some of the stats. Gino's stats are better than Russell stats. And it was just,

the Lions can't tackle mere you, let alone NFL players. It is crazy how bad they are on defense. And the Eagles, Eagles defensive line is just relentless. If you have a bad offensive line, they are going to eat you alive. I'm telling you,

I think corner play is pretty over. Now, granted, the Eagles have Darius Lay and Bradbury, who had a pretty sweet pick yesterday. I'm not saying you don't want good corners. But if you just give me a great defensive line and a great pass rush, I think any GM worth or salt can figure out the DBs. I would invest everything in the defensive line on defense, obviously offensive line and quarterback play. But I'm talking defensively.

If you can get after the quarterback, you can take advantage of a lot of teams in this league. Because most teams are not rolling out Trent Williams, Larry Allen, and Jim Otto. Right. Anthony Munoz ain't walking through that door. For most of Tony Bisselli ain't playing left tackle for the Jacks. So you are able to take advantage of the situations because if you have inside pass rush, outside pass rush, and they got it all. And they just took over Trevor Lawrence. You know, Rainey, Trevor just was getting flustered because they were hitting them over and over and over again.

Eagles are good, man. I think they play the Cardinals this week. I'm sure they're going to be favored. And they're humming right now. They're rolling birds. Birds look fantastic. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Okay, let's dive into the Middlecough mailbag. At John Middlecough, fire in those DMs, get your question, question, I can't even speak, answered here on the show. Love the show, listening for a few years now. I'm a lifelong patron fan.

Very lucky to see. the least. Yes, you are. Watching yesterday, a lot of people I know who are also fans were saying Zappi showed a lot. Maybe Bill is washed and it's time to move on, move him to the front office and bring in a new head coach. I couldn't disagree more. I see the problem with offensive coaches. And as far as Zappi goes, I just don't see it.

Wondering if you caught any of the game and if you had any takes on Zappi's performance or if Bill is in the decline. I watched back and forth that game in the Raider game I mean I have multiple TVs but I was more locked in on the Raider game I mean Zappy What's crazy is you go from Tom that just throws lasers to Mac Hoyer and Zappy and you know Zappy's arms okay I you know listen he was a third string quarterback seven days ago

So to come in off the bench and Lambo I think it's a pretty impressive performance And at the end of the game they're like run run pass run, run pass. That's a hard situation to be in. I would not just be like, you know, maybe Zappi's the next Cooper Rush. Like, more than likely he's going to be average to below. Below, let's say, I mean, they would die for him to be average.

I thought Belichick's brought it yesterday for sure. I mean, defensively, they were fantastic. They came in and they hit the Packers in the mouth. And if they didn't get conservative at the end of the game, maybe they could have won it. I thought Bill kind of pussed out at the end of the game. Bill still has the fire. Yesterday, he was dialed. I mean, he was into that game.

When that play happened with the fumble, I hate that rule too. To me, if you catch the ball in the end zone, it should be an immediate touchdown. You shouldn't have to prove you're making a play on the ball, right? Or come to the two steps or control the ball or whatever the specific verbiage is on the rule. To me, in the end zone is different than the field of play. No different than if I catch it, put it over, and then I fumble, it's a touchdown. It should be the same thing. But Bill freaked out because they got to reset the clock,

they got more time. And I thought Bill was pretty dialed. Now, you say the problem is their offensive coaches. Bill hire those guys. Why would Bill hire Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to deal with the offensive line to play calling in the quarterback? Like, that's on him.

Now, maybe because he knows they weren't going to be that good and he knows those two guys love the misery of the Patriots, I don't know. But I do think it's trending. He's 70, 71 years old. So if they're not going to win that much anymore, I think time is not really on his side. If I'm Bobcraft, why not just kind of start over?

Now, they have a lot of money so they could afford to pay someone. I do wonder, unless you're willing to pay a shitload of money, who's interested in following Bill Belichick's shoes with a roster that isn't that great? So, like, who would they hire? Now, I don't think Bill wants to retire anytime soon, but, yeah, it's a little weird for sure. Not sure if this is where I send the mailbag stuff, but wanted to take on Nate Hackett to get fired in year one. I heard Coward say this on his podcast,

and he says that Russell and his agent are now trapped again, and it's like, love Colin, but I got to push back on that. They pushed for this trade. And Benjamin Albright, who is literally around the team, acknowledged that this individual coach, Nate Hackett, was obviously on Aaron Rogers' shortlist, but he was also approved by Russell Wilson's team, giving his agent and Russell Wilson.

So Russell signed up for this. When are we going to put the disaster on Russell Wilson? Is Nate Hackett good? No. But Russell, are any of these offensive coordinators good? He always gets these guys fired. Now, is Russell Wilson good? That's my question. there were some plays against the Raiders where he throws these bombs it ain't DK or Tyler Lockett

anymore these wide receivers are good it's just not the same those balls those deep throws used to get caught they no longer do so I do question whether Russell is still an elite player I think he's still pretty good but right now if you had to put an arrow on him would you go neutral trending up or trending down I think we would all come to an agreement he is trending the wrong way. And yeah, if he plays poorly, he's going to get Nate Hackett fired. This owner paid $4.5 billion, did not hire Nate Hackett. Wasn't there when they hired Nate Hackett. So I think this thing could end very fast if they don't start winning games. Now, they're going to be home this Thursday. Anytime you have a home Thursday game, you should win, especially the Colts,

who are not very good. Hey, John, what is the actual chance that Cliff and Steve Kime get fired at the end of the year. If only they'd fired them in season, it'd be better. Just both, both just received five-year extensions last off-season, but the Cardinals legitimately look like the worst team in football. Halfway through the week, four game, week four, they're the only team who has never led in a game. They won in overtime on a defensive touchdown.

Well, they ended up beating Carolina, obviously. You can't watch the Cardinals. Now, Kyler pulled some play. out of his butt at the end of the game because he's the most talented guy in the field. But you watch them and you go, something's off. Because they were an 11 team with squad last year for a reason. They do have a bunch of talent. Now, they are getting Hopkins back in a couple games.

But when you watch them play, and I, listen, I can make fun of them. Guys chirp at each other. People yell at me. I yell at people like high, you know, driven, highly caffeinated, highly competitive people. yell at each other. So Cliff and Kyler yelling at each other doesn't bother me as much as some. But they are, like, is Cliff resentful

that he got paid? Is he resentful because he hasn't changed? I don't know. Now, Panthers' defense isn't bad, but that game was ugly. I mean, that was a very, very ugly watch. Yeah, I don't really know what else to say, but

I don't think they're going to get fired. No. To answer your question. Just got done done watching Tennessee versus Florida, this little old. If Florida had just kicked extra points, they would have had a much better chance to tie the game with a field goal on their last possession instead of having to get a touchdown.

I know coaches have charts that tell them when they should go for two. Maybe it's just hindsight is 2020 for me, but do you think coaches rely too much on these charts at the end of games and cost their team's chance to win? I think teams are so much more inclined to go for it because you get so much more credit publicly. Like I've been saying, the media support you when you make these reckless decisions. Even though the fans go, we just lost because you went forward on fourth and two instead of just kicking the field goal that would have tied the game.

And then the coach comes out and says, well, I didn't want to tie the game with only a minute left because they might have drove the field and scored. What if they didn't you went to overtime? Like, don't you want to take your chances of just surviving? I'm all for playing to win, but when you go forward on fourth down instead of taking the lead in a game and then your quarterback throws a pick, like it's not. not good because not only did you not give them the ball at the two yard line they got the ball at the 20 i i think some of these sometimes these decisions are just reckless and it's so easy to use the chart as the crutch well the chart well the chart you know i think a lot of people do this in life they have like a mentality that they go oh you know it's just you know i got fired five years ago

yeah it's five years ago like what are you doing now oh yeah this happened to me three years ago well yeah it's 2002 that that was 2018 I'm all for if something bad happens like last week Like give you some time Lose a parent Get fired like bad shit happens to all of us When we least expected You know break a leg

Terrier ACL playing pickup hoops Who knows is life And I could get hit by a bus tomorrow No one knows what's going to happen I despise people though That use things as crutches And I think coaches are starting to do this with the chart It's like guys we're all watching the game

Just kick the fucking field goal you know now you're down five points you got to go forward and fourth down with four minutes left at midfield i get that but the guy you know well you know just was dealt the rough hand in life you know just grew up you know my parents split up when i was seven it's like yeah you're 42 like gonna get a job or you're just keep pouting around you know it's like hey yeah john we get it you lost just kick the field goal man stop using this chart as a crutch that really is bothering me. Because I think it's such a cop-out for poor decisions. I say it all the time with players. Like, I lean physically gifted guys. But sometimes you got to use your instincts.

And some players, Mahomes, his instincts are elite. No different as a coach. Like, sometimes you got to use your gut feel. Every person alive screamed at the television besides Seattle Seahawks fans, call a timeout. You know what Bill did? He looked across the field saw chaos and stood there and basically smiled inside. Did not call a time out. Why? He used 40 plus years of instincts. You know what he did?

He won the Super Bowl. So I'm a huge believer like you got to trust your gut. And sometimes these guys like if I just, if all of us just focused on this, went to business school supply, demand, took accounting classes first in, first out, we just operate exactly like the book told us every single person in business, we'd all be in the gutter. You know why America and Amazon and Apple and these companies exist? Because people trusted their gut. When a lot of people, it's not going to work.

Well, watch this. Right? Well, the Excel spreadsheet would tell you, you got to do this. Well, actually, I'm going to do that. Most people early on would have been like, you know, Bezos, 1997, you're headed in the right direction. Good idea. Steve Jobs, you're going to make a phone that's going to basically be like a computer, you nut?

What? No one's going to want that. Hey, John, how about this? Novel concept. Kick a field goal. Three points. Better than zero. Okay.

Adios, everybody. And talk to you guys later this week. Peace. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you

funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the Enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardweight 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 AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan,

so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense

of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.