The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Tampa Tom Culture Shock; Khalil Mack Takeover; Injury Theory; Wentz Wake-Up Call; Billy O Mutiny; Week 5 3 for the $ ATS Picks; Mailbag
Episode Date: October 9, 2020In this episode, John gives his take on the Bears TNF win over the Bucs, the difference in the stark contrast between the Bucs and Pats standards, why the Bears could be scary if Khalil Mack can start... dominating like 2018, why the unprecedented speed of the game is to blame for the upward injury trend, why he thinks the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts as a wake up call for Carson Wentz, and why the reported mutiny of Bill O'Brien isn't surprising at all, given his personality. He also gives his 3 for the Money week 5 ATS picks, and answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag. Follow John on Twitter and SUBSCRIBE now to get all the latest content!! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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What is going on, everybody, John Middlecough, three and out podcast.
Back at it again.
Another beautiful day, another beautiful Thursday night.
The Bears.
My Chicago Bears?
My guy Matt Nagy, big win, huge win against Tampa Bay.
Pretty good Thursday night game.
I was pretty glued.
I don't know about you.
Obviously, we'll dive into that.
You know, Brady, the Bears, Khalil Mack, off the top,
and then a ton of, a lot of stuff going on.
Some thoughts on the injuries around the league.
I kind of had an epiphany, a little theory.
Carson Wentz, some stuff.
I noticed with Jalen Hurts,
I have a theory there.
We'll do three for the money.
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Also, if you like, leave a little review. I won't complain. I know a lot of you have.
I greatly appreciate that. But let's start with the Thursday night game.
And let's just start. I mean, he's the most famous player, I'd say, in NFL history.
We consider him the greatest player of all time. And he made, you know, what a lot of great players do.
Joe Montana ended up playing in Kansas City. Michael Jordan played on the Wizard.
I've been told I didn't see this.
Willie Mays played on the Mets.
A lot of great players don't finish their career with the team they start their career with.
This one was a little weird because they had been having so much success,
even a down year last year with Brady.
We've hammered on every single angle with the breakup.
But one thing he was getting involved in the moment he went to Tampa,
and Tampa's got a lot of players, right?
Even O.J. Howard Tours Achilles, not even that big a deal.
They got Evans, they got little Scotty Miller,
Godwin will come back from a hamstring injury.
Their running backs are good.
Like, their offensive weaponry is really good.
That's not going to be an issue.
But Bruce Ariens, you know, listen, I'm a Bruce Ariens fan.
But he runs a loosey-goosey ship.
He likes his guy's right kind of on edge.
And when you're right on edge, sometimes you go over that edge.
Tonight they had 11 penalties for 109 yards.
Like one thing with Bruce Ariens' teams, they're not going to be the most buttoned-up operation.
right?
They kind of freewheel it.
It works though.
It really works.
But Tom Brady, you know, is coming from the most buttoned up operation.
I don't know, in the sports history with the Patriots, right?
When you think the Patriots, you think rarely screw up, limited penalties,
their guys are just on point because in any moment, Belichick will cut you.
It's the opposite of Lucy Goosey.
Right?
Now, I'm not, what Ariens does works.
He's had nothing but success since he came into the, you know, into the league.
And I think this is just a dramatic change for Tom.
And obviously the thing that goes viral is Tom screaming.
I love it when guys scream.
I like that environment.
Maybe because I worked in football.
I was used to getting screamed at.
Hell, for the first 18 years of my life when I lived at home, screamed at every day.
even once I left out
my house probably all through my 20s
I was always getting calls
getting screamed at
so I mean I'm used to a
contentious environment
I like it a little edgy
Tom thrives
and I'm not Tom Brady
Tom thrives in that environment
the problem though is
he can scream all he wants
that's not going to change
the culture of the penalties
and the penalties and just the operation
is going to be something that somewhat
defines Tompah Bay
and one reason
and a huge point of difference over the years
because this is not basketball.
The Patriots were not kicking everyone's ass always, right?
Think how many games just close your eyes
and think of their game just over the last decade
that came down to the final minutes,
either in the regular season to help them get one and two seeds
or in the playoffs to win playoff games.
The difference at the top when you're playing the elite teams
is a play here or a play there.
It cost the chiefs a couple years ago
when D4 jumped off sides.
It was the difference in the game.
game. Penalties make a huge issue. And just thinking big picture, like winning or losing this
game is not going to dictate the success of Tampa. Tampa's going to be good. They're going to win a ton of
games. Now Vita Vaya, the big guy from Washington, I mean, I hope he didn't break his ankle because he
is a huge part of that defense. You can't run on him. So you got a pass, and they got some pass
rushers. But I do think Tom, like, bro, this is what you left. This is most of the NFL.
Like most of the NFL is not some buttoned up operations.
That's penalties.
It's kind of craziness.
It's a couple tackles that can't block.
You can scream at Donovan Smith or the rookie right tackle.
I got news for you, Tom.
That's Khalil fucking Mac.
They gave him $100 million or $90 million guarantee.
He's one of the best pass rushers of his generation.
He's one of the best players of the last 10 years.
They ain't going to block him.
So I don't know what you're screaming at him for.
Even though I don't blame you for being mad,
but Dante Scarnacki ain't walking through that door.
Bruce Ariens likes doing these deep drop-back passes.
And like we've said on this show from the beginning,
there's going to be a learning process.
It's not going to happen overnight.
He's used to a specific way of doing things in New England.
You come to Ariens, it's completely different.
And I'm not saying it doesn't work.
It works.
Like, not everyone's meant to handle that, right?
It's just a fact.
There are some things that are going to be allowed in tamper.
with it Tom, it might make Tom kind of uncomfortable.
That doesn't mean, like, they could easily win the NFC.
And they still might be able to overcome all these penalties and issues throughout the year
because they're going to be more talented.
But I do think there's going to be a learning curve of Tom, like,
this is kind of what you signed up for, you know?
Like, you can say what you want.
They had limited weapons, all this stuff.
You had the best coach and the best operation and the best culture in league history, arguably.
So anywhere you leave was going to be, you know, somewhat of a huge,
step back in that realm, regardless if you quote unquote upgraded talent.
Because, yeah, Mike Evans, in theory, when Godwin comes back, even older, gronk,
Brate, Miller, that's a really good lineup.
Ronald Jones is coming into his own, Leonard Fournett's solid player, but is it, Tom.
Like, I mean, welcome to the NFL.
And I think on the flip side, now listen, I'm biased.
Matt Nagy's my guy.
I was rooting for the Bears tonight.
To me, the biggest separation in their game tonight, and I think this is a lot.
guy, you know, I watched every snap of Cleo Max
Raider career, those first four years.
And he was one of the best players I'd ever seen.
He was an unstoppable force.
And then that first year was Chicago, he was everything that they had
thought they were getting right.
They traded those first round picks.
They gave them all that cash.
Like, anytime you invest, I always say it.
I have no problem paying a premium for a premium.
I actually stole that from Jerry Jones, but I got no problem
paying great players premium.
elite money. I'll do that. I'll pay Russell Wilson, huge money till the cows come home. I'll pay
Aaron Donald, huge money till the cows come on. George Kittle, what do you want? I'll pay my
Blue Chip elite guys, elite money because what? They'll stay elite. I don't like paying average
elite money. And the Bears gave elite money to an elite player. Last year, I thought he was
overwhelming. Now, it could have been the situation. Trubisky sucks. Their offense stunk,
whatever, his effort, he just wasn't the same guy. Early this season, I think,
he was playing a little bit better, but that tonight is the Khalil Mack I know.
Getting constant pressure, multiple sacks, basically saying,
none of you scrubs are fucking blocking me.
You don't have a chance on God's green earth to stop this guy.
All night long, I'm going to be in Tom's ass.
And he was, and it was driving Tom nuts.
And the thing with the Bears, if Khalil can dominate like that,
they have so many other good defensive linemen with Hicks and the other guys they rotate
to get constant pressure, then they have two good lines.
linebackers and good dbs.
Their defense should be a top five defense.
And it showed Flaster's night like it kind of was.
Because when he plays like that, it takes him to a whole other level.
Aaron Donald makes a pretty average defense, like above average because he takes over.
But he takes over basically every week.
Every time you watch him, you feel his presence.
Sometimes you don't feel Cleo Mac.
Part of that, he's getting double teams.
It's not always his fault.
And there's just, it's got to be tiring to just be that relentless.
but you saw tonight
he kind of flipped the switch
the guy that once upon a time
was an all pro at multiple positions
the guy once upon a time
that looked like he was headed straight for Canton, Ohio
and when the Bears get that level of version
their offense just needs to be decent
they couldn't run the ball tonight
well the Tampa Bay as they were saying on the broadcast
arguably the best run defense
you know in recent memory
you can't run the ball on him
now that might change if the big fella's out
but they got legitimate wide receivers
Like, Alan Robinson is a stud.
Montgomery is an excellent catcher of the ball out of the backfield.
Miller's solid.
Patterson is a unique chess piece.
If Foles just is a game manager, think Alex Smith with the Chiefs, they'll be fine because
their defense is really good.
They're already fine because they're 4 and 1.
At 4 and 1, you're just already in position to be a 9-10 win team.
Like, you've kind of, you've set yourself up.
It's like you've given yourself a head start.
4-1, like, what's that?
It's five games.
So of the last 11, they go 6 and 5.
They're a 10 and 16.
They go 5 and 6.
They're a 9 and 17.
And that's probably competing to get that 7th wildcard spot.
So they're in great position.
Their defense, as long as Mac stays healthy.
But if they can get that Mac, when they play the Packers,
when they play good teams, they're going to be in good shape.
Because every time they step on the field, when he plays like that,
he's the best player in the field.
Like you watch the game the night,
he was the best player on the field.
And they paid a premium for him.
They traded all those assets.
And they hadn't seen that guy in a little bit.
But you get that guy.
And listen, it's easier to play like that when you're playing the goat,
when you're on Thursday night football,
and there's probably 15 plus million people watching you.
Hell, what's the Yankee game?
Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.
It's the enhanced games.
Some call it grotesque.
Others say it's unleashing human potential.
Either way, the podcast,
Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.
Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.
I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
A win is a win.
A win is a win.
I don't care what I'm saying.
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You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,
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Well, somewhere along the way,
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Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?
Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.
I know what you're thinking.
What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill?
Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.
I'm Sam J.
And I'm Alex English.
Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.
Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.
To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.
I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.
I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.
so I'm starting to see that there's a through line.
We also have AIDS on the table right now.
Thank you for finishing that sentence.
Yes.
I don't think there's a more important year for black people.
Really?
Yeah.
For me, it's one of the most important years
for black people in American history.
Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me,
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And in recognition of mental health awareness,
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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, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing,
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Amen.
It's probably even more that I hope to see, because I'm a huge.
huge Kaleel Mac fan. I mean, I'm rooting. I've been invested in this guy's career since the
moment the Raiders drafted him. I love watching this guy play. I love watching great defensive
players play. It's fun. They just get to impose their physical will. And yeah, man, I just,
I hope that can continue because they got a chance to have a really good defense when Kaleel plays
like that.
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Okay, let's talk about something that I saw the other night.
And I had an epiphany.
And I don't have a television in my room.
And the thought process on that was pretty simple.
I was like, you know, separate TV from when I'm going to bed, try to read.
Try to improve the intellectual capacities up there.
Problem is this company called Apple made these things called the iPads,
and they're huge now, and you can take them.
in your room, watch whatever you want to watch.
So I find myself, like, I'm going to go
hang out in my room, boom, bring the iPad,
and it's like, I can watch TV the same
way, so it doesn't necessarily matter.
And I might have had an edible the other night,
and I get into bed, and I'm thinking, mine's racing,
and I go, you know, what can I watch?
And I'm like, you know, what I'll watch?
I'll just rewatch the Niners Eagle game.
So I flip that on, NFL game
pass, and I'm watching the game, and it hits me
both these teams have a ton of injuries.
And I just kind of have this epiphany.
and forever, at least this year, and I think the last couple years,
but definitely this year because there's been no OTAs, no training camp.
Everyone's been saying,
all these injuries are because of the no preseason games.
And I go, well, do teams even want their players to play in preseason?
Sean McVeigh hasn't had any starter playing the preseason game in years.
Most teams, like Aaron Rogers ain't playing in the preseason.
So, like, there might be a little something there if you want to give me the practices
were shortened, I'll hear you.
But I don't know if the training camp preseason was that face.
Now, if you want to tell me the OTAs and training on your own is not the same as training
with your teammates in the spring, which gives you the base leading into training camp,
I'll hear that.
I would say, yeah, that makes some sense.
But I'm watching this game and just watching the speed in which these backups are playing
for both teams, because the Niners and the nineers and the.
the Eagles, if you guys are fans of those teams and just follow the league, no, those two teams
have the market corner on injuries. They can get, I mean, the Niners have signed seven guys,
maybe 10 guys to replace injured guys, and more than half of those guys are on injured reserve.
The Eagles lose a starter every week. And I just went, you know, maybe we're overthinking this.
I've been going to NFL Praxes, not counting this year because of Corona, for the past decade.
and the one thing I've consistently noticed,
and I've been around NFL players obviously working,
but just when you go to practice as a member of the media,
you get pretty close,
and I've interviewed a bunch of guys through the podcast,
through radio shows.
So I've spent a lot of time up close and personal
with just the Khalil Max, the Alden Smiths,
Navarro Bowman's, I mean, just enormous human beings.
And I created a theory the other night.
Maybe guys are just bigger, faster, stronger.
Maybe every time that we see the combine and a record is broken for the most guys running 4s,
if you see how much these guys are weighing,
maybe we've just never seen the speed in which the collisions are happening.
Now, the head hunting, you know, knocked out shots of cross the middle are dying.
Those have been, you know, regulated out of the game.
They've been coached out of the game.
but I've thought all season long
the collisions in the NFL are top-notch.
We saw a huge one in the Bears game tonight
when Fuller hit the dude coming out of the backfield.
Crushed him, destroyed him, clean hit.
Well, I would imagine both those guys running the 4s.
And I think the pace in which the game is spread out
Big 12 style, but unlike the Big 12,
the most physical best athletes are playing in the NFL.
You know, you watch the Big 12, it's pretty soft.
think the SEC, but think the NFL times 10.
The collisions are as big as ever because the guys have never been faster.
There has never been as many guys in the league at 230, 240, 250 pounds that can run like this.
When I am critical of Baker Mayfield, what am I always saying?
He's the worst athlete at his position in the NFL, or one of them.
I mean, Phillip Rivers is terrible too.
But there is not a defensive lineman in the NFL that can't outrun him.
And I'm talking about guy, I'm not talking about the Khalil Max, right, or the Vaughn Miller
types or the bosses.
I'm talking about nose tackles that run a 50 flat that are 335 pounds that can run relative
to the rest of America faster than every human, every room they ever go in.
Guys are freaks.
The league, like the athletic specimens entering this league are only improving.
Guys are only becoming bigger, stronger, faster.
We see it every year.
Not just at wide receiver and at corner.
We've never seen this many fast linebackers in the NFL.
There aren't any two-down middle linebackers anymore.
Every guys to spread it out, run around, make hits.
Turn on Alabama this weekend.
Dylan Moses, spread linebacker can run, play sideline to sideline.
It's like every team is trying to acquire, you know,
obviously not this good, but a Patrick Willis type.
Guys they can go sideline to sideline.
Now, he's still an outlier.
but guys like him and Keekeley,
every team now is looking for those guys.
And those guys exist more and more
because of the way the game is being played in college.
And then when you get to the NFL,
you can focus more on strike training,
you can focus more on your diet,
and you can get bigger.
You already have the athletic freak in you
because that's the type guy that you were coming out of high school.
You got recruited to do,
and that's the way you learn to play.
So, listen, I'm not saying it's all this.
There are a lot of factors,
but I think we are underrating in 2020.
and moving forward, that injuries are just going to happen at a rapid rate,
because we've never seen the amount of athletes and speed in the NFL.
And it's only going to become a faster sport.
It's not like any front office goes into the draft process in 2021, like,
looking to get slower.
You know, anyone got any slow linebackers?
We'd love a good slow safety.
Anyone got a tight end that can't run?
That's what I'm looking for.
Just blocks.
Those days are over.
The game's changed.
Think Big 12, mix with the kids.
the SEC and NFL players and you got the NFL and that's what it is. So I think when we're thinking,
asking ourselves, because every week, stars players are going down, starting players are going down,
pro bowl level guys are going down. Maybe this is the NFL. Maybe human beings at, you know,
6 foot 3, 245 pounds running 4 4 flats running into another human being that's 6 foot 2, that's 200
pounds that runs a 439 aren't meant to happen. And the reality is the more collision
you have of specimens at that size,
injuries are inevitable.
So maybe we need to start, you know, not overthinking this.
Like, this is the reality of speed, of physicality.
They've cut out the crazy hits, but there's still a lot of tackling going on.
And this is just the NFL moving forward.
Well in bed on that little edible.
My mind was really racing.
I mean, it really gets me thinking.
at a pretty high level.
I'm watching the Eagles, watching the Niners.
And one thing we've been talking a lot about, right, is Aaron Rogers.
And however, the Jordan Love draft pick has impacted his mindset, his focus,
his, you know, his recommitment to working out, whether it's dumping Dana Patrick,
all that stuff, has really helped him focus on becoming the Aaron Rogers that we're seeing right now
that reminds us of the guy that,
one MVP's.
But at the end of the day, it all started, like the tipping point,
was the Jordan Love draft pick.
And when you draft a quarterback really high for a quarterback,
regardless what your status is, you know, in terms of pro bowls and stuff,
your contract determines your status.
And Aaron Rogers is on a contract that they couldn't move off of for several years.
But it does, I've never been in the situation,
been a star quarterback under a $100 million contract,
and had them draft a quarterback at the end of the first round.
But it has to kind of jolt you,
Whoa. Well, but I think we all understand with Aaron Rogers. He's an older player. So there was an element of it. Well, he's 36, 37 years old. Can he play forever? He's had some injuries in the past. It wasn't that crazy. I think the crazier move was taking Jalen Hertz in the second round for Carson Wentz. And I'm watching this game the other night in my bed in the iPad. And it hits me. I know Howie. And I wonder if they thought,
let's draft a quarterback because there have been questions whether it's true or not.
I don't have any inside information.
I don't even, this is just a theory.
I haven't asked anyone with the Eagles if this was the mindset.
This just came into my head.
And I actually kind of believe it.
No, I do believe it.
Or I do believe it's possible.
Let me put it that way.
That maybe the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Jalen Hertz the kind of weight Carson Wentz up.
Like the play last year, toward the end of the season was good enough.
but overall, it's just not good enough.
And they're a cut-throat organization.
Now, they're tied to them.
They paid them a huge contract,
and they're not going to trade them or cut them,
no matter what happens this season.
But kind of like, Carson,
like, there are no sacred cows in this league.
Maybe Tom Brady, kind of,
but even Belichick was drafted Jimmy Garoppolo years ago.
Peyton Manning was cut.
Aaron Rogers, they just drafted Jordan Love.
And he was just in the NFC championship game.
Like, maybe they did it to just inspire.
Now, every move has different, you know, there are different outcomes.
Like, for Aaron Rogers, work perfectly.
For Carson, you'd say the first three weeks have been a disaster, right?
Through all those picks.
But rewatching that game against the Niners, I felt like he somewhat started to get his mojo back.
Still has a ways to go.
But it hit me, maybe the Eagles, what if they thought, let's draft a quarterback
that will kind of like, okay, wake Carson up, whatever that means.
And I'm not saying he's not working hard.
I'm not saying, but just like, hey, bro, this is the national football league.
Your play last year, giving how much we're paying you, is not fucking good enough.
That is not acceptable.
That ain't going to fly.
And we're going to draft a quarterback to kind of wake you up.
But the curveball is, I thought Jalen Hertz could be a running back.
We'll draft a quarterback and we'll say we're a quarterback factory, which historically under Andy Reid, they definitely were.
Hell, they won a Super Bowl with their backup quarterback.
They're not lying.
But they also know if Carson just gets the train back on the tracks and becoming the star that we think and know that he has been before,
we could always move this guy to another position.
Or we could develop him, see if he's any good, if he's not, you know, if we can't trade him, we'll just move to running back.
So it gives them some options.
We're not just stuck with a quarterback only.
That's where when I see the Taysam Hill comparison, I just think they're thinking like, it'll wake Carson up, it'll help focus up,
but it'll also give us another chess piece to play with.
So it's not just like we're drafting a Josh Rosen type, and I'm just using him as an example,
that can only play quarterback.
Like their guy can play other stuff.
Now, the way they're using them, a red flagging a little bit,
but I would just put him in the backfield hand on the ball or give him to some reverses
where he could throw it.
But I do wonder if that was a motivational tactic, if there was part of that going,
you know what?
I think that Carson Wentz, this will help him just kind of wake up
and get the Carson Wentz that we saw years ago.
and get these weird, external, you know, stories that are floating out there
about teammates hating them or whatever.
And just no, bro, you're not some sacred cow around here.
Despite what we paid you, like, we just drafted a quarterback in the second round.
That was wild.
I think we all went, whoa, wow, who, what?
And maybe they had a purpose with that.
They're one of the most successful organizations over the last two decades.
They don't do random things.
I've been there.
I've seen it.
Seemed how we operate.
I do
I really think that's the reason
that they drafted them
to motivate Carson Lawrence
or part of the drafting of them
and also knowing
that at the end of the day
the kid could play another position
Okay
since the Bill O'Brien
firing happened earlier this week
there have been a lot of stories
that have come out
and it reminds me of something
and I think we all can relate
when I think of a hothead
I think of someone playing golf
who can't control their emotions and throws clubs
and freaks out after everything.
I would imagine any of you that play golf
have a buddy that is just a complete hothead on the golf course.
Now, I also think I've worked in an office setting
where everyone knows who the hothead is.
The moment something goes wrong, they freak out.
And they just have zero control of their emotions.
And for whatever reason, those people can actually be really normal,
and really impressive,
but if something sets them off
for whatever reason,
it's a rap.
And they become like this emotional tornado.
I mean, at the end of the day,
ideally you want people
that are pretty consistent.
And the most successful people
I've been around in life
can get angry.
Like, it's a human,
you know, it's natural
to get pissed off.
Like, that is normal
when something goes wrong.
Especially that if you're a coach
about something,
if you're a manager about something,
where the expectations are set, it's normal to get mad.
That's no matter who you are.
Whether you're a pastor at a church or whether you're running a Fortune 500 company.
Like, you can get mad.
There are different ways maybe, you know, I would swear, some people would just scream.
Who knows?
We all handle our anger a little different.
But to me, a hothead is someone that, like, just wears you out.
And I would say if things are going perfectly, like if everyone's making money
or the football team's winning games, you can tolerate a hothead.
but the moment things turn south,
no one wants to be around that guy.
And clearly Bill O'Brien
had turned into just the ultimate hothead.
A guy who couldn't control his emotions,
a guy who had just, at any moment
could have crazy outbreaks of screaming at everyone,
pointing the finger at everyone but himself.
And there were reports this week
that him and JJ Watt got into a very, very verbal confrontation,
which, let's face it, in the sport of football, like in probably in certain jobs, but football is, you know, a unique job.
It's all men, alpha males.
They're screaming that goes on.
That is not abnormal.
Now, the way it was described in the report about J.J. Watt screaming and basically saying,
you can't coach, your shit isn't working as he's blasting back at J.J. Watt was pretty telling.
Because when I think J.J. Watt, I kind of think the opposite of a hothead.
I think of a guy that has it together.
Like the ultimate team guy.
You know, really one of the stalwarts of the league from a character standpoint.
And so when the report came out that J.J. Watt had had enough, that wasn't a good sign.
And honestly, I'm sure we'll find out more as time goes on.
Makes sense why he was fired.
The moment you lose your best player, the heartbeat of your team, it's a rap.
like the owner, and I talked about it earlier this week,
I'm a big believer in sunk costs the moment you know,
what's the point of holding on?
Like, so many people get divorced,
they wanted to get divorced three years ago.
So many people quit a job and they've been thinking about doing it for three years.
It is hard, you know, to pull the trigger.
And I would imagine Cal McNair said it wasn't an easy decision,
but I bet he'd been thinking about it a year ago.
The problem was he gave him all that juice.
His star players turned on him and reports were the equipment staff,
the doctors, everybody hated the guy.
You know why?
Because everyone eventually hates a hothead.
They become assholes.
They become people you don't want to spend any time around.
So Bill O'Brien, I talked about it last week, his resume, four playoffs in five years?
Can you imagine all these head coaches that always get fired if they had that?
If you go to the playoffs four times, look at Ron Rivera.
Playoffs several times, immediately gets a head job.
Immediately.
Most of these guys that get second, these retread coaches like Pat Schumer got a second job.
Never won a damn thing.
and it was fired in two years.
Bill O'Brien, the coach, works.
But Bill O'Brien, the person right now,
needs to do some just self-evaluation.
And listen, I support getting mad.
And I remember when he was on hard knocks,
he swears a lot.
No, it doesn't bother me.
But when you can't get along with anyone,
like that eventually,
what is Colin Coward always used to say,
that's a you problem?
Like, Bill O'Brien needs to do some self-reflection
because he's too good of a coach
to not be a head coach again.
But if he's going to act like this,
what general manager in their right mind
is going to want to associate themselves with this guy?
The players, like, clearly he's kind of red flagged in the league.
Is he getting along with anyone?
And, you know, JJ Watt tweeted a picture of, like,
the dome open and you could see the sun.
And it was pretty telling.
Like, he ain't missing him.
You know, and he was a guy under Bill O'Brien's watch
where J.J. Watt became a superstar.
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Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,
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Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.
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A win is a win.
A win is a win.
I don't care what you're saying.
Yep, that's me,
Clifford Taylor the 4th.
You might have seen the skits,
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Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?
Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.
I know what you're thinking.
What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?
Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.
I'm Sam Jett.
And I'm Alex English.
Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down,
and try to make sense of how we survived it.
Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,
waxing all about crack in the 80s.
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We also have AIDS on the table right now.
Thank you for finishing that sentence.
Yes.
I don't think there's a more important year for black people.
Really?
Yeah.
For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.
Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games.
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Became a Hall of Famer
and he's like, see ya.
Don't let the door hit you.
Not a good sign.
You know, not a good sign at all.
And I think when you are a hothead
and you wear on guys,
there has to be some sort of balance.
And clearly with Bill O'Brien,
he was obsessed with power.
obsessed with being the guy
that was just in charge of everything
and I always push back
why do you want to be in charge of the training room
why do you want to be in charge of the doctor
that's not your expertise
it's a waste of your time
worry about the football team
and you're not a very good evaluator
just worry about coaching the team
let someone else pick your players
because you don't understand any value
you're spending a million dollar on $700,000 homes
you're going to go broke
and kind of right now the Texans are broke
I had an agent tell me this week, I think Texas is a terrible job.
They got two players under contract you want, the quarterback and the left tackle.
Other than that, their salary caps and shambles.
Their draft picks are non-existent because the dolphins have them.
Their owner, from what I've heard is, you know, I've said it earlier.
I'm not trying to, you know, I've tried during corona.
The media is so negative.
I hate being negative.
But I'm just repeating what I heard.
Not the sharpest tool in the shed, you know.
I don't know if the Texans are just this, for a team that has a quarterback,
I just wonder if they're going to end up with a good coach.
I would doubt it.
And I would imagine they're going to go the complete opposite direction,
try to get a nice guy, try to get more of a player's coach.
Because usually, right, when you get a divorce, you look for the opposite.
When you get rid of your coach, you look for the opposite.
You go from Pete Carroll, you go from Parcells to Pete Carroll to Belichick.
You go from Jim Harbaugh to Tom Sula, you know, this is usually how it works.
But I don't know just their setup if it's a good job at all.
But Bill O'Brien, hey, he's just your prototypical hothead right now.
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Okay, let's do a little three for the money.
Now let me remind you, I got to hammer this home.
If you want to listen to the podcast next week,
subscribe to the three and out with John Middlecalf, its own feed.
If you have iTunes, it's on iTunes.
You have Spotify, it's on.
on Spotify. Just look for the specific three and out with me.
John Middilkoff and subscribe to that podcast.
Okay, three for the money.
Before I pick three games a week, I'm eight and four.
Got a little lucky because I took, when I did this on Thursday,
the Ravens line was 13.
I ended up betting it at 14 and that didn't cover.
But when I said it here, it was 13 and it covered.
So last week I had the Bills minus 3, easy cover against the Raiders.
Ravens minus 13, barely covered.
It turns out Lamar Jackson might be hurt
because they put an RG3 with like four and a half minutes left.
Lamar hasn't practiced all week.
I don't have an update there.
I've just seen he hasn't practiced.
We don't know anything yet.
Who knows?
Maybe tweaked a knee or something.
And then the Rams minus 13 last week
laid an absolute egg against the Giants.
Don't totally blame them, though.
I mean, to me, you're allowed bad efforts
against bad teams as long as you win.
It's the NFL.
You're not going to play a perfect game every one.
week. Your C game against terrible teams like the Giants and the Jets can win your games.
You know, the Niners blew them out, but you don't get style points in the NFL. This isn't
college football. You don't get ranked. Who cares? The Rams won. That's all that matters.
So the Rams and Niners both played the Giants. Rams barely beat them. Niners blew them out,
yet they both get a win. So it's all that matters, except if you bet on the Rams,
which I did and they screwed me. But I'm going to be honest. I'm 8 and 4. So I'm good.
If I just bet on my own picks, I'd be in great shape. The Rams,
I'm going back to that well because I don't expect them to play bad two weeks in a row.
And they're playing the Washington football team who benched Dwayne Haskins, which the media hates.
Listen, Ron Rivera has been coached in this league since I was like in junior high.
And he doesn't like Dwayne Haskins.
The Carolina Panthers did extensive research on quarterbacks two years ago when Cam was banged up.
So to me, they have a good idea of what they thought about Dwayne Haskins.
Then they've got to be around Dwayne Haskins, virtually in the offseason.
at training camp early in the game, and they can't stand them.
Like, I'm sorry, you're allowed that.
And Dwayne ain't good enough to not be can't stand it.
So I don't know what else to say, but besides Ron and his O.C., don't like Dwayne,
they kicked him to the third place, you know, or third string.
Third place, he died of be third place.
He's third string.
The Rams, I think, actually are in third place.
Maybe they're actually there in second.
But maybe I think technically on the standings there in third, but it's irrelevant.
Washington is not any good.
But I just think Ron Rivera,
who's going through chemotherapy right now,
does not want to watch DeWain Haskins
playing more football. Now, I don't like Kyle Allen.
Ron does, for whatever reason,
and that the O.C. does.
I don't know why. I'm going to bet against them.
At 7.5, I like the Rams
to go to Washington. Now, the Rams have had a crazy
travel. They played
the Bills, and they played the Eagles.
Well, technically, they went Eagles,
Bills, but between the Eagles and the Bills game,
They flew back to L.A.
Then they played the Giants and laid like a dud.
And now they're flying back to Washington before next week playing the Niners.
So their travel's been kind of crazy.
I just think the Rams offensively are so loaded or so potent.
I can't see Washington scoring many points.
I'm going back to the well.
Rams minus seven and a half.
Sean McVe, Jared Gough, please.
I keep betting on you.
Stop letting me down.
The Panthers.
They're playing the Falcons this week.
Here's what I know.
Matt Rule is a good coach.
He is.
There's no way around it.
They gave him $70, $65, $70 million.
I thought they were going to be terrible.
I thought they had one of the worst rosters in the league.
I was like, getting Teddy, what are you guys doing?
I'll tell you what they're doing.
They're just solid.
Are they going to win nine games?
No.
Are they going to win six and just be a pain in people's sides all year long?
Yes, they are.
Why?
Because this guy can coach.
This guy, the irony is he is exactly what Bill O'Brien.
was coming out of Penn State
like eight years ago or seven years ago
or whatever it is now.
Like Matt Rule is a culture builder
because he's not calling the offense.
Me not calling the defense.
I don't even know what he does.
You know, people like him,
and his team plays hard,
and they just beat the shit out of the Cardinals.
Two weeks ago, they shoved around the Chargers.
The score was close.
I'll promise you I watched the game.
It wasn't.
Panthers might be good.
Here's what else I know.
Falcons stink.
Maddie Ice's arm is melted.
It's Maddie, no ice in the cup right now.
It's just, you know when your cocktail, your ice all melts,
and you just have a cocktail with just like maybe a little floater of ice,
that's what Maddie Ice is right now.
And I like Mighty Ice.
I've enjoyed watching this career, but it feels over.
His arm strength the other night at Green Bay looked like a pea shooter.
I just like the Panthers to go in there and beat him.
Now, the other games on the slate, I didn't feel great about the Chiefs.
the Chiefs are so freaking good
but I can't expect the Chiefs to even take the Raiders seriously
so if you told me that's kind of close
even though the games haven't been that close
because it's a 12 point spread tempted to take that
Carr's king of like touchdowns
that don't matter late in game
I can see them being down like 20
him throwing a late touchdown
them getting like a two point conversion
it's a 12 point game but it was never a 12 point game
I'm just not betting on that
I also think a lot's been going on with the Chiefs
and the games and they don't know when
they're going to play and you know i just don't see i know and he does but the players how seriously
they take the raiders i wouldn't blame them the raiders are terrible i'm going to go college
and there's some good college games this weekend the red rid of rivalry though oklahoma's not good
spencer rattler stinks texas i don't know if he's you know they're any good clearly they just lost
tc u uh Tennessee Georgia interested to watch that jeremy pruit has tennessee kind of good for the
first time and it feels like 20 years but to me the game
And I've already put a little cash on my other podcast.
We bet $250 every week on a game.
I'm going Bama.
And I think they've been the best team in the country so far.
Just, you know, watch a little college football here and there.
They got star players everywhere in offense.
They have a good defense that kind of has got their mojo back.
Nick Sabin personally hates Lane Kiffin.
Remember when he would not let him coach the national championship game?
He said, pack your shit and leave.
You're not allowed to be here.
Lane's like, what?
He's like, you got to go.
you're not allowed here.
Playing Ole Miss, who actually has a good offense,
but I was at my mom's house watching Alabama last week against Texas A&M.
TechS A&M is good.
Texas A&M is a legitimate program.
They destroyed them.
De Destroyed them.
So I like Alabama, minus 23.
Now there is a hurricane coming in.
So, you know, get a little nervous if it rains, field,
but I think they're going to move it back, maybe avoid the rain.
You guys in the South have a better feel for that.
I don't even know if a hurricane even phases my thought process.
I like Bama to win pretty big.
Okay, let's do.
We do this every week.
The Middilkoff mailbag at John Middilkoff is that thing we like to call the Instagram handle.
And we will read your questions here.
So it's people show.
At John Middlecoff, Instagram, slide up in those DMs,
and interact.
It's nice seeing someone in the media
that's pro-business and pro-N-FL
instead of the usual garbage we hear out there in the airways.
I appreciate it.
It's crazy that being pro-business
on social media isn't cool.
Like, who the fuck are these people?
Like, yeah, I root for my community
to be able to open their businesses
and attempt to do, like, live, you know,
and just attempt to have their employees come in and do business.
They'll follow the rules.
That became controversial.
Somehow my state thinks it's like the middle of April.
We're still locked down.
Stanford can't even practice in Santa Clara County.
They have to go five minutes down the road to another county to practice.
These arbitrary rules make no sense.
People are just trying to live.
It's October 8th.
What are we doing?
But I don't want to get worked up about Corona.
Here's my question.
See, I'm not a hothead.
I'm not Billy O.
When will people acknowledge the CalShame?
Shanahan is a flawed borderline overrated head coach who abandons the run game too early or abandons it in bizarre times at games.
For all the love of scheme gets, he constantly asks his quarterback to throw too much.
He got the Falcons of Super Bowl by not running the ball.
He got the 49ers Super Bowl the same way last year.
If you checked the data, the Niners had the least carries in a Super Bowl era for a team getting that many yards per carry.
And then last night, so this is a couple days ago, text, the Eagles against the Eagles,
when he asked his backup quarterback to throw the ball 45 times
games while only calling 20 run plays
this keeps happening under Shanahan.
Will he ever correct this?
Well, here's my take, and I'll go back to the Falcons.
He's not the head coach.
The head coach, it's on Dan Quinn to run the ball.
Kyle Shanahan's job as the offensive coordinator is to score points.
So, now listen, I mean, we can nitpick that,
but that's on Dan Quinn.
And as we see, he's a garbage head coach.
Nice guy, bald guy.
I don't like associated with that level of ball guy
because I don't think he's, I mean, his time being a head coach is done.
But I don't put that necessarily on Kyle.
The Super Bowl, yeah, I mean, I guess he could.
I'd have to go back and watch it again.
I mean, I can barely remember like three months ago,
let alone early February.
I didn't put that game necessarily on Kyle Shanahan.
I put it on the interior offensive line.
They started getting worked.
You know, I just think Mahomes beat him.
I mean, they were third and 15 away from winning the Super Bowl,
and Mahomes and Andy pulled out Wasp.
Like, I think if you got Andy or Belichick on the line and said,
what do you think of Kyle Shanahan?
I think they sing his praises.
Like, you know, the Mullins game, I'm with you,
but he had just thrown for 320 yards.
I think it just turns out his quarterback to shit the bed.
And against the Eagles, their first and second-stream running backs are out.
Jerich McKinnon is not that good of a player at this point.
He can't run.
so you're playing with backup running backs.
What are you going to do?
Just keep slamming them into the Eagles.
Now, I guess the Eagles defensive line watching that game back the other night was fucking dominant.
I mean, they have three or four guys.
Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Barnett were just kicking the Niners ass up front.
But, you know, I don't know.
It's just, it's a tough call.
I think Kyle was fantastic.
I just do.
Could he improve on stuff for sure?
You know, I think he'll be fine.
Given Mike McGlinchie's underwhelming performance,
do you think it's a product of the lack of cohesion with the O-line
or just him not being a great player?
With that being said, do you think the Niners will pick up his fifth-year option
since they have needs in the next few years
at Corner Interior O' Line and the fact they spent such a high pick on him?
I think it's a problem right now.
Mike McGlinchie, I was texting with a buddy the other day.
They drafted him ninth overall.
He's like, God, McGlinchie looks awful this year.
I'm like, yeah, he looks terrible.
The problem in the NFL, when you use a really high pick on a position like a tackle or a corner,
you want the guy to be such a good player.
Even if he's not going to become an all pro or whatever,
you just want him to be like a 10-year starter.
And right now, McGlinchie is a liability for the 49ers
because there are so many good pass rushes in the NFL that he can't block a really good pass-riss right now.
They're too quick.
McGlinchie looks stiff.
Part of being a good task,
is you've got to be pretty athletic.
If you're not really athletic, you have to be a great technician.
Right?
Like, to me, the best right tackle healthy is probably Lane with the Eagles.
Mitchell Schwartz with the Chiefs, they're different.
Lane's probably a much better athlete.
Schwartz is just a great technician.
Lane is too, but Lane's probably, I mean, Lane was the number four overall picking the draft for a reason.
But Mitchell's is really smart.
You know, he's not going to be as athletic as these guys,
but he can just use his body.
He's just a very, very smart player.
And I think McGlinchie, in theory, should be a really smart player,
but sometimes he gets overextended.
He's in bad positions.
I don't know what's going on.
Pick up the fifth-year option.
I mean, based on the first four games of the season,
you'd say no way.
But, I don't know, long season, we'll see.
I mean, Kyle Shanahan loves him.
He was a team captain, but he's not playing very good.
I recall this offseason
You said in an earlier podcast
That you'd be doing a ranking of the power four teams in each conference
Don't think I've heard that pod during the season yet
Is that still a go?
Yeah, let's do that after this weekend
I'll think about doing that next week
Top four teams each conference after they've all played five games
Let's do that
I think it's clear who the number one team is overall though
Win or lose
The Kansas City Chiefs
A long question
Three-year listener
love the pod and your work. Fair to say
Baker's career accomplishments have been
underappreciated thus far in his career.
Not saying he's elite by any means,
but I feel like many overlooked the
shit storm he's endured
since entering the league. Drafted at the time
by the worst most dysfunctional franchise
of sports. True.
Begin with two of the worst NFL head coaches
in modern history in Hugh Jackson, Freddie Kitchens.
True.
Is on his fourth head coach
and third O.C. in his short career to
fight this. He's already channeled as an indie
Andy Dufreys and crawled to a top
11 QBR in the NFL today.
That's where I punt the brakes a little bit. Further, his
career stats led
the 2018 quarterback class in all
major categories. Baker still needs to
improve, but the tape shows a playmaker
making some big time throws
this year in obvious tough passing situations
pretty consistently. Fair to say he's
been undervalued a little bit this year and
how under the radar Stefanski's
been. Dude can tile it up.
Yeah, I'll be honest. I think Baker
looks like what he's been playing like, a game manager.
And there's nothing wrong with that statement.
Like the Cleveland Browns will go to the playoffs if he is a game manager.
Throw for 180 to 220 yards a game, throw a couple touchdowns, and hand the ball off.
Play action.
Like, that's, to me, what's what Baker-Mayfield is.
What Kirk Cousin was the last couple years with Minnesota.
Put up good stats.
Didn't have to do that much.
Can't make something out of nothing because he's not a good enough athlete, but he plays
within the system, they run the ball down your throat, and you're going to win, and there's
nothing wrong with that.
Is he, like, in that draft class, like, he can't hold Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson's
jock.
Like, he's not even in their realm as a talent.
I would put him above Darnold right now, but it's like, I don't even know what the
Judge Darnold.
Obviously, Rosen sucks.
But Baker is just playing within himself, and that's all you can ask right now.
I just, I think you just need to get some stability.
I give Stefansky a lot of credit.
He's doing a good job.
He really is.
I think Stafansky is doing an excellent job.
Big fan of the pod.
My question is Bill O'Brien out for the Texans.
Who could you see being the next head coach
that could take the team to the next level?
Give Deshaun a fighting chance
against guys like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
What do you think the Texans will end up this season?
I don't think they're going to be very good.
I mean, if I had to guess right now,
they're 0 and 4.
I'd go 5 and 11.
I mean, the Colts are good, the Titans are good.
I just think, you know,
maybe they'll beat the Jackson.
twice, but they couldn't beat the Vikings,
and the Vikings were in five or six games.
I would say a guy that makes some sense
would be Eric Bianami.
I'd look at the offensive guys. Eric Bianami,
Arthur Smith with the Titans,
Arthur Smith with the Titans, Brian Dable
with the Bills, I'd look at those guys.
Maybe if one of those three guys is interested,
come coach your quarterback.
I mean, that's...
I saw Hal McNair said that he's going to hire a general manager
first, and that guy's going to hire the coach.
so we'll see.
Love the content 3 now.
I love this week's content on Billy O'Brien,
but as a Dallas fan,
you were saying you like Wentz over Watson.
I don't know about that one, my man.
Watson does a lot with terrible O-lines.
Both him and Wentz have a lot of the same issues
with weapons and such.
So I think Watson excels with a lot less than Wentz.
Well, Watson's had dramatically better skill guys
the last couple years.
I mean, he's had Hopkins.
Wentz has had nobody.
I mean, Wents has a couple tight ends
that always get hurt.
I mean, Hopkins, the last two years have been,
I think he averaged like 107 catches.
So this year they both have been bad.
I would just take the more talented guy.
If all things are equal, if they're independent of each other.
Yeah, Watson has played better than Carson Wentz.
I'm not saying that Wentz has played better than Watson.
I'm just saying if all things are equal,
and I get just to build my own team, I would take Carson Wentz.
And I'm not saying that Deshawn Watson is the wrong pick.
I would just take Carson Wentz.
and again, I'm not
unlike like some people
that are just like hell bent
on holding on to a player once they have an opinion
I'm open to pivot off that.
Maybe I'm wrong.
I'm still holding out hope
but I'll be the first to admit
that may be a wrong take.
That may age poorly.
And if it does, I'll pivot.
But I'm not getting rid of
I'm not getting rid of that.
Well, let's just edit on that.
Again, three and out podcast, go subscribe.
Go subscribe.
Thanks for listening.
Thanks for shooting me your DMs.
Have a great weekend.
Enjoy the football.
We got a good Saturday.
You know, a little bit of an average Sunday.
Sunday night, I don't even know who's playing Sunday night football.
Monday night football, Saints Chargers, I know that.
Let's see who's playing the Sunday night game.
Viking, Seattle.
Yeah, that's not going to lie, doesn't.
do that much for me. Again, appreciate it. Audios. Godspeed. See you guys next week.
As a few more, we can't get in this time in the time of the
time. Now, we have to ensure them more safe to the best good tool.
We're doing the most important thing,
is for the kids to get on COVID-19.
E-mial, it's been determined to my-year-old's safe and is
and security,
link your
child's
or visit your
call on my turn to CA.com
to try to
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take like
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
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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
On the Look Back at it podcast.
From 1979, that was a big moment for me.
84's big to me.
I'm Sam J.
And I'm Alex English.
Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.
With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.
Like Mark Lamont Hill on the...
80s.
84 was a wild year.
It was a wild year.
I don't think there's a more important year for black people.
Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
A win is a win.
A win is a win.
I don't care what you're saying.
Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.
You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.
Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show.
This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.
So let's get to it.
Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
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