The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - TNF Colts Roll; Flipping Andrew Luck; Lamar/Ravens Predictability; QB Explosion; Week 10 3 for the $ ATS Picks; Mailbag

Episode Date: November 13, 2020

In this episode, John reacts to the Colts domination of the Titans on TNF, why GM Chris Ballard needs to go all-in on convincing Andrew Luck to comeback to a stacked roster, and why he's still not convinced Ryan Tannehill can carry the Titans. He also explains why Lamar Jackson and the Ravens run-first attack is always going to be predictable, why tying draft compensation to minority coaching hiring could actually cost Eric Bieniemy a job, and gives his week 10 3 for the $ NFL picks. Follow John on Twitter and SUBSCRIBE now to get all the latest content!! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. 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 Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. What is going on everybody?

John Middellkoff from being out a podcast. That'd be me. And that'd be the show. How are you guys doing? It's a very chilly, at least in California. If your other places in the country, it's probably really cold. Thursday night. I press record with about four minutes to go.

The Colts are kicking the crap out of the Titans here, 34 to 17. And like always, we'll dive in, have a couple quick thoughts on the Thursday night game and these two teams. You know, kind of a pseudo-playoff game. They'll both be six and three. I think both are playoff teams at the end of the day. We'll dive into a lot. This coming up, some thoughts on Lamar Jackson, had some comments about what opposing teams are saying. in games, opposing defenses about his offense.

Then we'll dive into some thoughts I have on the quarterback, just the evolution of quarterbacks. A couple things are being floated about if a team like the Chiefs, if Eric B. Enemy gets a job and the team that, you know, whoever hires them, the Chiefs would get multiple third round picks, trying to enhance the minority coaching hires, which I'm all. for the progress of the league and to get guys looks and get guys jobs. But I have a take that I think this might be a little counterproductive. At least that, you know, factoring in as a short-term solution to give the team picks.

Do a little three for the money, three games I like a lot, this Sunday. Sunday's going to be sweet. I mean, Masters in the morning, a bunch of games in the afternoon. Can't wait. And then, of course, Middilkoff Mailbag. John Middlecoff is my Instagram handle. Answer your questions, of course, at the end of the show. Slide up in those DMs, and we get them answered also, Three and Out podcast. Subscribe to the... If you listen on Collins' feed, you like the show, listen or subscribe to the separate podcast, Three and Out.

You find it on Apple. You can find it on Stitcher. You can find it on Spotify. You can find it all the places that you guys listen. And if you would, be so gracious to leave a review in the Apple iTunes section. Thank you. We'll start with this game. I use the analogy. last week with the Colts, they'd be like having a sweet house with multiple rooms, a badass backyard, and the water doesn't work. Because that's what they look like when Philip Rivers plays bad. They're just not a functionalable operation, despite looking sweet, being sweet. They have good players on offense.

They have a fantastic offensive line. They have a dominant defense. Their front seven is just ass kickers. They dominate. DeForest Buckner has been unreal. but when their quarterback doesn't play well, they're just an average team. They honestly might not be a playoff team.

But when he plays like tonight, which is just solid, 29 to 39 for 300 yards, doesn't turn the ball over, they're a 10 plus win team. They're just too good on defense. They're just, they are. They're too well coached,

even though Frank Wright had a couple questionable fourth down calls. And one big picture thought I had, because I don't think the Colts might win the division, even though they're showing their schedule, they got the Packers. Then they play the Titans again. Texans, Raiders, Texans.

So, I mean, I still think they get to nine or ten wins. Them and the Raiders and the Titans are basically the three wildcard teams and one of those two teams going to win the division. So one wild card is going to be the Ravens. They'll be the five seed. The Raiders, Colts, or Titans will be the two wildcard teams. And then whoever wins it out of the Colts and Titans will be the fourth seed. And that team, what's going to suck for them is they're going to be the five seed. to play the Ravens, who you could say doesn't really suck for them.

The Ravens, not an ideal playoff team. And the Titans did beat them last year, even though I think we all agree the Titans aren't exactly the same. Here's one thing I would do if I was Chris Ballard. Because there's been a lot of talk, and Colts have a pretty big fan base. And listen, when your team wins for two decades, you create a massive fan base. There's a reason, like, the Yankees have the, or the Lakers, like these teams have the biggest fan bases.

They always win, the Steelers, the Packers. The Colts fan base for being a smaller market team is massive. I've noticed it when I worked in the league. I know it when I've worked in media now and just my DMs and stuff. They've got a big following. And the number one conversation is like, what are we going to do at quarterback? What are we going to do a quarterback? Long term.

And a lot of stuff comes up should they trade for Sam Darnel. Because this team is set up for the next several years. See how good Michael Pittman Jr. look tonight? And Jonathan Taylor sucks right now. But same thing happened with Melvin Gordon when the Chargers drafted him. Took him a couple years to get running. Maybe it's something with his constant running backs. I don't know.

I like John Taylor. I think he'll eventually be a good player. They don't necessarily need him this year because you see Heinz is more than, you know, good enough. Here's what I would do if I was Chris Ballard. This team is set up for a quarterback to thrive. They have a quarterback, they still have the rights to a quarterback named Andrew Locke. First off, my number one priority this offseason, before I dive into attempting to trade for a Sam Darnold, diving into the quarterbacks that I can draft,

which they're already doing anyway during the fall. When my season ends, and I might even do this before my season ends, during the week or whatever, I get on a private jet. I don't know if Andrew still lives in Indy, maybe he lives in California, maybe he lives in Texas. I don't know.

I go to his house, and I give him a pitch meeting. Because Andrew, this team, you've had, you know, multiple years now to get healthy, get right. If you have any sort of itch that needs to be scratched about your football career, we are set up to win and we are set up really to compete like if Andrew Luck was on this team right now

we'd be talking about the three best teams in the AFC it's like Steelers, Colts, and obviously the Chiefs but I can't put the Colts in that conversation with an older Philip Revers. And I'm a Philip Rivers fan, but I just, I don't trust him. I mean, he's just, he's a shell of what he once was. He's still okay, but he's not what he once was. And they can't make a playoff run with Philip Rivers.

They just can't. I think Colts fans know that. They could, though, if they had Andrew Luck, and obviously they are going to have him this year, but I'm making him say no to me, probably several times. I'm approaching it like a business deal. I'm going there to get a yes. And the moment, I'm pushing him very hard.

And he might say no when we leave, but we come back the next week. That would be my number one priority, and obviously the number one goal is to eventually get him to say yes. Because if he has any sort of football passion left, and I understood why he quit, The rehab of multiple areas on his body, missing seasons, that sucks. I can't even imagine.

For a guy like Andrew Luck, even though he made an astronomical amount of money, he didn't play football for the money. Like the money, he grew up, his dad had money. Like, it wasn't changing his life. He wasn't playing football for the cash. Clearly, he walked away. Now, granted, here's where the Colts were smart. Remember, they kept paying him.

They didn't ask for him to return a lot of his signing bonus that they could have. They did right by him. So you're still in a good standing with the guy I think you just go all in on a pitch and try to convince him to come back and the offensive line set up for him to succeed. You have multiple young wide receivers for him to play with. You just drafted a running back

and you have other running backs on the team. Your defense is fantastic. Your coach is good. You have a high-level organization unlike the dysfunctional organization he had when he was there. Because think about this, if you were Andrew Luck when you retired,

you didn't look at it like Frank Frank Reich and Chris Ballard. You were scarred from those early years of despite winning, which was really because Andrew carried the fucking franchise to wins, you just saw dysfunction. And, I mean, McAfee's been open about it. Obviously, Andrew Locke hasn't been as open, but he's kind of hinted at stuff.

He's a little jaded, right? Would he have left if he had been playing for the Packers, the Steelers, or the Patriots, or just a normal where the head coach and the general manager weren't after, each other where with all the craziness that was going on internally, no. Like, if you were part of the Trent Balke Jim Harbaugh era and you just played for a couple years under that kind of realm or you just played under when Chip Kelly was with the Eagles and you just never played for anyone else, you might have a weird view of the way things

work in the NFL. And that's not the way it actually runs. Because then you finally play for like an Andy Reid or Pete Carroll. You're like, God, this is pretty cool. This is pretty high level. Like, it's not craziness. This is not dysfunction. So in fairness to Andrew Luck,

all he kind of knows in his NFL life is a little dysfunction. At least a lot of it. I do think he played the one year under Frank, and obviously Ballard was there a couple years. But I think for me, if I'm Andrew Luck's agent, if I'm Andrew Luck's father, if I'm Chris Ballard,

like I think that a lot of people in his life could say, and I don't know, maybe he's completely over football and doesn't give a shit. I would just doubt that for a guy that was that passion about the sport, a guy that was that good, that maybe you could scratch a ditch, and maybe you could show them the team that you have could be. Because we know this Colts team. They're now 6 and 3, probably go 9 and 7, 10, and 6.

Maybe win a playoff game because of their defense, but they're not going very far. They're just not. And any fans know that. But you give them a top 10 quarterback in the league, let alone Andrew Luck, like there's hoop bowl. contender. That's simple. Next year. And I think you look at the Titans,

like Ryan Tanyhill wasn't very good tonight. Now, their special team's unit was terrible. Their defense is kind of questionable. They're very, very dependent on Derek Henry. Like, I look at the box score. I'm like, I feel like Derek Henry had a decent game. And he has 100 plus yards. Their problem is, when they're kind of kicking ass, he has like 180 yards. They're not just dependent on running the football. They're depending on him

having dominant performances. Like I've said about Ryan Tany Hill the whole time. He's like a more physically gifted Alex Smith. He is what he is. He cannot carry your team. Tonight he was missing a couple guys. He gets hit, but he's a solid player. It's fine. But your team has to be well-rounded. Last year when they made their run, their defense was dominated. Their defense right now isn't that good. So I just question, I think both these two teams are kind of in the same position. The difference of these two teams is one team is just missing a quarterback. Even if you put Andrew luck on the Titans, I don't think they would be that much better.

But if you gave the Colts a top-flight quarterback with the infrastructure they have, I really do believe that if Andrew Luck was their quarterback, I think they could. 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

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

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay 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 yeah yeah But just so y'all know At this point

Mark this is the second episode Where we've discussed crack So I'm starting to see There's a through line We also have AIDS On the table right now So 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 Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own

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

And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different intentions. different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Give the Chiefs a run. I still think I'd give the Chiefs the edge, but just in terms of their physicality, I think it's pretty crazy what a big hole the Colts have, and I think we've all trying to piece it together this offseason what they're going to do.

They're going to win so many games. They're not going to be drafting high enough. Trading Sam Darnold, like, you know, I don't know. I mean, what if the Colts don't even like him? So I think Andrew Luck is the move, and you get him back. You'll be winning this division for a long, long time. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination.

800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky.

They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure.

Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination. our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council.

I saw this story, and I'm sure some of you did. Some of you might not have. I actually think I originally saw it come across the ticker. Maybe I saw it on a tweet. And I found it. The first thing I said it was, wow, pretty interesting. Now, once I saw the quote and read the quote, I actually think it makes a lot of sense, and I'm not surprised.

But any time you read a quote is powerful of what Lamar Jackson said about an offense, about the O.C. I mean, he didn't call out the O.C. but about just the entire operation, it makes you think. And Lamar Jackson basically said the defense knows what's coming. To quote him,

they are calling out our place. And in basketball, like when the game's on the line, you know, depending on who you're playing, you know what they're going to do. Like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kauai Leonard, like they're getting the ball. They're going to run pick and roll.

Like, it's not that complicated. In baseball, you know, when a certain guy's up late in the game, like he's trying to get a hit. Like it says there's, you don't even need to be some analysts or a former player to figure it out. In football, in theory, the offense, you should never know what's coming unless the game, the way it's played out, has gone really well in your favor and you keep running the same plays over and over. But for the most part, even if you have shit, Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, whoever, Saints, they got Alvin Kamar and Michael Thomas.

On a given play, I should know, are they going to Alvin? Are they going to Michael Thomas? Are they going to Emmanuel Sanders? Are they going to Jared Cook? That's why Sean Payton's so good. Look at the Chiefs. They got Tyree Kill.

They got 10 other wide receivers that run like 4-240s. They got Travis Kelsey. Now they got multiple running backs. On most plays, you never know where it's going to go. even though, you know, Travis Kelsey's having another historic year. I don't know the ball's going to them. And that's what makes an offense great, right? On defense, you are reacting to what they are doing.

You are kind of guessing or trying to figure out based on formations, based on down-and-distance, based on history, based on the coordinator, what plays they're going to call. But unless you're in the headset, which I think people have thought over the years in New England, they listened, but I don't. I'm making a joke, but unless you're on the headset or they tell you what play they're going to run at the line of scrimmage, you don't really know what's coming. And you shouldn't. That's what makes a good offensive coordinator. Now, we know you have some bread and butter plays, but for the most part, good teams keep teams off balance.

And Lamar Jackson saying the defenses are calling out our plays, my first reaction is, of course they are. I know what's coming when I watch you. You guys run a remedial offense when it comes to the running game. And you're a running team. I never know with the chiefs, with some of those peak manning teams, with some of those great Tom Brady teams, you know, what they're going to do. Because when it comes to the passing game, you can do a million different things. Think how many different routes there are on the route tree.

And there are three or four guys on a given play. going out and running those routes. This guy could run it out. This guy could run a go. This guy could run a comeback. This guy could run an over route. This guy could run a, you know, do a ghost motion into a go route, into a double move. Skinny post.

Who knows? You can just, shit, you can make up routes. With the run game, there are really only so many runs, right? Especially when you do what the Ravens do. Now, you can pull guards or not pull guards. You can run power schemes with a full back. You can run zone runs. But for the most part, you're going right off tackle, you're going left off tackle.

You're basically running it right up the gut or you're going, you know, sweet pitch plays. So when the base of your offense is the run game, that is not the case with the Chiefs. That is not the case with Seattle. That is not the case with Pittsburgh. That is not the case. Hell, even with the Saints. You could argue their best players are running back, but he dominates because he kicks your ass in the passing game. Now, you can say, well, you can only run so many, you know,

routes out of the backfield, which is kind of true, but still, I get him the ball in space and he makes plays. When you are handing it off to Mark Ingram or J.K. Dobbins, I have an idea where you want to go. I bet they're not calling out their plays per se when it comes to the passing game. Now, maybe they are able to do that because they don't run that many passing plays. But listen, Lamar Jackson is a fantastic athlete. He's an elite athlete. And last year, he was very, very good throwing the football. But a huge reason for that is they were always kicking everyone's ass. They were dominating or dominant in the run game. So you had to commit so many people to the box. And I remember last year seeing, I think it was a Monday night football game. He threw like

four or five touchdowns. And he didn't even throw over 200 yards passing. He's getting layup throws. It's like collegiate. Yet back to back years and I've said this over and over why I bet against the Ravens, because in the playoffs you got to throw to win. And I know the Ravens can't throw to win. You can run to win in the regular season. You can't run to win in the playoffs. Not consistently. It's a passing league. We know this. And their coordinator, this is a carbon copy of what happened before in San Francisco with Colin Kaepernick in that offense. They took the league by storm. And eventually they could neutralize the running game. Even this year. The Ravens are going to be able to run the ball. Why? Lamar's an elite runner. They have multiple running backs who are really good.

But when you get in tighter games, you have to pass in certain situations. You cannot just run it against really good teams on third and eight. You know who never in a million years would run it on third and eight in a big game? The Chiefs, Seattle, Pittsburgh. But the Raven sometimes think, like, could we get this eight yards with a run game? Because they're a run-oriented operation. It's what I said. When you built your offense around this, you are capped to how, you know, great you can be as a team.

if Lamar Jackson, if they were doing what they did on the ground, but they did in the air, they would be the best team right there with the Chiefs because their defense is really good, but they're just not. They're the opposite. They run to win. And as Lamar said, they're calling out of plays. They know what's coming. Of course they do. You can only do so many run plays. And I'm not scared anymore of your passing game, because your quarterback can't consistently hit guys outside the numbers. And this isn't, I'm not trying to diminish Lamar or even Greg Roman. It is what it is. they put all their chips in the middle of the table.

And their ceiling is just limited. It just is. And I saw it with Kaepernick, I think part of this offense, because you have so much success on the ground, you don't actually grow and improve in the passing game. But eventually, always, in the history of the NFL, definitely the modern game,

you're going to be put in positions where you have to throw. And I saw it with Kaepernick. And I think Lamar is a much better, player than Colin Gabbernick. But they were limited. Now at least Colin in some playoff games hit some huge plays with his arm. Lamar, the last couple years, has not been able to do that. So if they are going to win, like I don't envision Lamar if they win a playoff game probably having a 350-yard passing game. Now, can he have a 250-yard passing game where he hits two, you know, 50-yard plays, maybe one a touchdown, to kind of change? Because he hasn't been

able to do that. He wasn't able to do that against the chiefs earlier this year. And that to me is their biggest problem. He wasn't able to do that against the Steelers earlier this year. So, like, teams are going to be like, yeah, we'll try to run it against us, we'll stack the box, and we don't think you can pass to beat us. So when these teams are calling out the plays, my first reaction is, of course they are. They know what plays are coming. And for last year, the Ravens, it didn't matter.

We were just better than you. But the more and more tape that gets out, I can really put guys exactly the gaps that you want to go into. I know by formation, you know, the run play. you're running, whether it's an off tackle right, whether it's a pitch left, and I can kind of have my guys cheat. So it's more like they're running their sweep left or whatever the play is, they're calling out, it's so much easier to do. If I go, hey, I think DeAndre Hopkins is going to run an out route. Let's say we're calling out the routes. Well, DeAndre, based on what you're doing as a corner, I can kind of cheat it. Maybe I can look at my quarterback. I can't

really cheat in the run game. Like once I call zone, you know, outside zone left, Like, you're just going. Now, you can cut it back or whatever, but I'm going to take it away. I can improvise much more in the passing game. Plus, I have other options. So if you know the route one of my wide receivers is running, I can just throw it to someone else.

When I hand you the football, or even if I'm running the option or whatever, and you know which way I'm going, I don't have four options to go. I can't be like, you know, I'll just pitch it to my third running back. not. It's just you and the running back. Especially when you hand it out or pitch it out, he's kind of on an island where until I throw the football in the passing game, I don't limit myself of what I can do.

It's why Mahomes, why Russell, why Rogers, all these guys dominate in the NFL. Because even if you take away Devante Adams, I can throw it to one of my two or three other options. So you can take away my best wide receiver all game long, all game long. And I can still throw over three. 300 yards. But if you know where I'm running every single play, it's going to be hard for me to be productive. And it's definitely going to be hard for me to win. For me to win, the strategy of my team is,

I have to run the ball. And it's ultimately the Achilles heel of the Ravens, of Greg Roman, and of building this offense around Lamar that is purely predicated on the run game. Let's look at a couple stories that came out of the league office. they're based in New York City never been there some people are like 25 25 Park Avenue

wherever the hell Roger Goodell's office is in downtown New York City they dictate the leak it's always crazy because people internally on different teams get so mad at the league office because most people in the league office especially guys like Roger Goodell have never signed a player

have never coached a down and he doesn't look at it from that lens he looks at it from the business lens and five years ago John Middilcoff would have been like on the coaches and GM side. Now I understand both sides. At the end of the day, what Roger does and his office generates all the money for these coaches

that are making $8, 9, 10, $12 million. And all the assistant coaches making huge cash. And they help with these huge television deals in growing the league. The players getting paid. Like the league office, the business side, who I think sometimes in society, everyone like being anti-business is cool. Not in the real world, but on social media. In the world I live in, like knowing real people.

Growing your business is a good thing. It means more people making more money. The health of whatever business entity that you're in or any industry is a positive. So listen, I know Roger Goodell gets a lot of shit, and I haven't agreed with everything he's done over his tenure. But when it comes to being the number one sport, growing the game, he's run circles around the other commissioners. Not even debatable. Not an opinion. That's a fact.

They are potentially, if games get canceled. And as we go into the winter, it looks like, I mean, hell, in my backyard, the Cal Bear, might not play a game this year. Now, college football is much different than the NFL, but you're seeing college games goes down left and right. The NFL has battled through some missed games. Potentially, if they lose more games, they're going to add a playoff seat.

And you're going to have eight and eight. So basically half the teams make the league. They already added a team this year, but they were only going to give the buy to one team. There would be no buys. You would play eight games on opening playoff weekend, quote-unquote wild card weekend. And listen, I saw it with,

baseball, the baseball purists despised adding that extra couple wild card teams this year. They despised adding the DH. They despised putting a runner on second and extra innings. I loved it. It's 2020. We're in chaos. The best businesses are peddled of the metal. If you listen to the media and just shut it down, lock it down, Netflix and chill all year,

we'd all be in the gutter. Every single person I've known in any industry, no one wanted this, right? But they've been extra aggressive during corona. You have to be. or you just go under. It's just a fact. And it's like, oh, these businesses, they got all this money. The more money you have, the actual harder it is to stay afloat when crazy things like

Corona or recession happens. Because you need more money to keep going. It's why all these leagues came back. Now listen, all these leagues, they're not charities, their businesses, their goal is to make a profit. And I said it from the jump. The reason they're playing this season is because they had to. In a perfect world, you know, they probably just, they wouldn't have gone crazy on all the They just want to cancel the season or postponed it or whatever.

That's not the way the real world works. You have to play to make the money. And I've applauded them from the jump. And the NFL has been the most aggressive of the three leagues, clearly. And it's not perfect. It's not possible to go to a bubble, got way more people. And at the end of the day, they've been pretty, I'd say, successful in what they've attempted to operate.

And if they go to eight teams, some people will be like, oh, this isn't real football. Yeah, I've talked about it before. This isn't normal. This isn't real. As Belichick said, it's kind of a joke. It is what it is. We lose players in games because, no, they don't have the virus. They haven't tested positive for the virus.

They were just around, potentially, someone with the virus. And they never test positive. And those guys miss games. That's not normal. So if they have to add an eighth game or an eighth team to the league to the playoffs, get rid of the seeds or get rid of the home field by, it is what it is. they're doing that for financial stability.

They make so much money off every playoff game. You know, the Thursday night package is worth like $900 million. So if you break it down per game, it's like $80 million a game or whatever. I think playoff games are worth exponentially more than every single regular season game. So let's just say a playoff game's worth $200 million. When you factor in the viewers, when you factor in the ability you can make advertising, you know who benefits from that? Everybody.

The players, the coaches, the team. the fans because next year you want your team the great part about the NFL like in the NBA some teams don't have much money clearly in baseball there is a huge financial divide in football every team has enough money to play for the players because of the way the business set up and because of the media rights deal so I wouldn't even add it a 17 but I understand why they did it it's business you're either growing or you're dying and I get in the media circles they're very anti-business and it's cool like to be like oh the big bad wall of corporations.

Like, last I look, they pay for everything. They keep all these people employed. They made the players a lot of money. I mean, it's been pretty healthy for everyone. So it's not an ideal situation, but sometimes, especially in 2020, you don't have a choice. The other thing that came out of the league office is the minority hiring practices, which have been a polarizing topic the last couple years because all these like good-looking white guys are getting hired.

And, you know, the Rooney rule, which the NFL has been ahead of the curve in terms of doing this, trying to get people in front of the decision makers. That's what the Rooney Rule essentially is. It doesn't guarantee anyone to get hired. It gets people in front of the decision makers. And one of the best coach in the league was once, quote-unquote, a Rooney Rule, ironically, with the Steelers. It ended up getting the job. I don't think anyone at the time thought Mike Tomlin is so far away now.

But when he took the job, he was not like some quote-unquote leading candidate, blew him away as the head coach. But the last couple years, it's basically just been a bunch of jobs. dudes with 32 inch waistlines and slick back hair. And I think the league has tried to figure out a solution for this. And again, I applaud anyone from trying to figure out a solution. I see it right now in California. Their solution to slow down the coronavirus, even though relative to our state, relative

to the rest of America, is not even close, has been to shut everything down. It's like, I'll give you some brownie points the first time around. you tried. It didn't work. So now if we go into the winter and you do it again, you're just going to create more poverty because we already have the market cornered on historic poverty. Like lockdowns, mandatory lockdowns of small businesses

is not a solution. We've already been down this road. So the NFL, they've never done anything like this. They're going to give multiple third round picks to the teams that kind of grow and put guys in position to get head coaching or general manager jobs. So, for example, if Eric B. Enemy gets a head coaching job, the chiefs will receive two compensatory third round picks, which I understand they're trying to think outside the box and do the right thing.

Like, their heart is in the right place. And sometimes your heart can be in the right place. For example, California, when they originally did these crazy lockdowns, which lasted much longer in our state than everywhere else in the country. And now we're kind of rolling it back and we're making small businesses shut down. Like the first time around, your heart was in the right place. I'll even give you the benefit of the doubt. This time, we have the information. Your heart's not in the right place.

You're just an idiot. This is the first time around for the NFL. And the NFL right now is attempting to get more of these guys, put them in position to get hired. And Eric B.N. Me is going to be a name that we hear over and over. Here's the problem with this quote-unquote solution. If I'm the, I almost called in the San Diego Chargers, the L.A. Chargers, and I need a head coach.

and let's say I interview Joe Brady and I interview Bienemy. It's down to two people. I like them both. I think they both could be my head coach. I'm in the Chiefs Division. I don't know if last, you know, we've all checked. They're the best team in the league.

I know they don't quote unquote technically have the best record in the league. They have the best player. They're defending champs. They're going nowhere. They've built a powerhouse. If I'm the Chargers, why would I hire Biena when I could just hire Brady

when I know that they get extra multiple three? round picks the next couple years. That's not a big deal, right? It's not like you're giving them a first round pick or even a second round pick, but why am I trying to help them out? Let's say I'm the Jets. Now, I know the Jets and the Chiefs are nowhere near on the same train, but we've seen it in football. You can turn around fast. The Colts pick number one. They draft Andrew Luck. Next year they're in the playoffs. Now it would be a little more difficult. I think the NFC East is going to be tougher the next couple years than the AFC South was at the time. but still if you're the Jets

why do I want to help the Chiefs out? I just I don't have a solution I don't pretend to but I don't know if this is the right move I also think there's some randomness to this now for example

the Chiefs with Airbnb Andy Reid I'm pretty sure hired him the moment he got there 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. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my

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

So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we picket 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 you're just so you're

y'all know. I mean, at this point, 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. And yes, I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast. Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month,

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and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. They deserve credit for putting this guy in a position and making him the offensive coordinator and he's clearly, last year got some interviews,

this year he's going to get a bunch of interviews, hopefully the guy gets a job or whatever. But why does any team want to help out of the Chiefs? I just, I don't think that is going to help. I had someone in the league texts me like, why would you want the Chiefs to be better? Like having picks, especially in the second and third round, for a team that has a bunch of high-end players,

like at the end of the day, the last pick in the first round or if they make the AFC championship game or win another Super Bowl, they're guaranteeing a contract for those guys. The best contract for the Chiefs are the third, fourth, and fifth round guys. Because they're on really cheap,

basically veteran minimum, you know, making under a million dollars. And they're cost controlled. And they're under contract for several years. The Chiefs would sign up for unlimited second and third round picks. They'd probably rather have second and third round picks than the pick where they're going to be in the end of the first round. And I would imagine the next several years

they use that first round pick to trade back into the second round. Because as most people will tell you in the NFL, when you draft between 25 and 32, you're drafting a second round pick, but you're paying them first round money. That's why if you can just move back three or four spots, you get D.K. Metcalf, you get Nick Chubb, you get, you know, the Bobby Wagner's, the Fred Warner's.

We can list the second and third round picks forever. But those guys are great deals their first two or three years in the league. What do the Chiefs need? Really good deals. Now, I do think what the league is trying to do is out of doing it for the right reasons. And I don't know how you can financially. The problem in a business like football, these teams have so much freaking money. You can't be like, oh, we'll just give you a $500,000 bonus if your guy gets hired. Like, they don't care.

They get $300 million from the media right deals, a team, let alone all the other money they're making. So it's just a nominal amount. I don't know what to do, but I think this rule specifically for Eric B. Enemy might not be an ideal situation. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1,800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1,800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in.

Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure, and they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org.

Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinwiddie host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption, presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council. One thing I think we'd all agree on is there's been an offensive explosion in football. It's happened for a long time in high school football.

It worked its way up to college football. and now it's in the pros. And, you know, in the business of football, it's kind of crazy because sometimes things go down, right? They start at the top and they work their way down. In football, it actually starts at the bottom and works its way up. Things are created and tried out in high school football. There's obviously just a lot less to lose in terms of you don't get fired as much for wins and losses.

I know certain programs do. but you can think outside the box, right? And it's why historically we've seen all these different crazy offenses and philosophies happen in high school football. And then it slowly works its way up to college football. Because just naturally, especially in like the Power 5, if you're at a worse program than, you know, if you're at Washington State to compete with Oregon and USC, like you might have to run the air raid.

Texas Tech. I mean, Mike Leach is a good example. And I think right now, in the end of, NFL, the offensive explosion has really caught up. Now, a huge part of that has been the rules and the regulations on hitting, right, because of trying to change the violence in the game that led to concussions and the lawsuits. I mean, listen, we can act like it's out of the goodness of their heart. It's all, you know, revolves around money and litigation, just, just, and period point, blank,

end of story. I think the older you get, you realize, yeah, everything kind of revolves around money. It's just a sad reality of the world we live in. And so the NFL changed these rules, so did college, and so did high school, to try to make the game safer. But by doing that, you have created it much easier for the offense. Not debatable, right? You can't get taken out over the middle. You can't get taken out running a go route when the safety comes over and basically decapitate you.

Those plays don't happen anymore. And the other thing is the quarterback, for the most part, doesn't have. fear for his life. When I was growing up, the quarterback could get killed. Not literally, but figuratively. I mean, absolutely destroyed. Think how many quarterbacks, like when I was growing up in the 90s, were carted off the field. Not because they broke a leg or had, you know, had like a lower extremity injury, because they were K-Oed. There was no flag thrown when they got K-Oed. They just got knocked out. Steve Young, Troy Eggman, career over. Hell, even a little over. a decade ago, Brett Farf, you know,

Catoed on the field. It was just a different game. And I'm for that. And I know Cowards talked about this, and I agree, like, the quarterbacks carry the league. Right. You need good quarterbacks in the NFL for the league to be great. Even though I love defense, I'm a sucker

for a good running back, all that stuff, they don't dictate the success of the league. The success of the league is dictated off the Brady's, the Mannings, the Rogers, the Holmes, the Russell Wilson, they carry the flag. Like it or not, just the way it is. And I think at this point in time, we'd all agree with that. But it's also just a lot easier to play quarterback, and the numbers are just really inflated. It used to be, if you threw for

30 touchdowns, it was like, damn, that was a really good season. We have our historical outliers over the years that hit that 50 mark, right? Marino, then Manning did it, and then Brady did it, and then Mahomes did it a couple years ago. That's a big deal. I think for, for, for four or five, 50 touchdown seasons we've seen over the last 30 years, I could see that happening six or seven times over the next decade. I look back today, I just stumbled upon the coaching, or excuse me, the quarterback, like just the stats page, and a number jumped out to me, and it was touchdowns. Because right now, we are on pace for 15 plus individuals to have over 30 touchdowns.

And potentially on pace for four or five guys, it's a little hard to tell, because Herbert hasn't started all the games. Some guys are at 9, so you can't just project their number to double. But I think if I had to take an educated guess, we get five guys with over 40 touchdown passes at the end of the season. Now, I'd have to really dive into schedule. Clearly, sometimes the weather, for some of these guys that play in cold weather situations, impact the game.

Like Russell Wilson, who knows, maybe plays some torrential downpours in Seattle. But I think four to five guys, over 40 touchdowns. For example, last year, just last year, four quarterbacks threw over 30 touchdowns. Now, two years ago, eight quarterbacks threw over 30, and then the one Mahalms threw 50. But in 2017, just three guys threw over 30 touchdowns. So I think moving forward, so many of these offensive coaches over really the last two or three years have studied so intently these college concepts and the spread offenses where, you know, back in the day, two wide receivers, a fullback, a running back,

and a tight end on the field was base offense. That's what the majority of teams in college, but definitely in the pros, ran. That is not the base offense anymore. Most teams do not have a fullback. And even the teams that employ multiple tight ends, like to me, Travis Kelsey, I mean, is a borderline wide receiver. George Kittled, Darren Waller. I mean, these guys are going to catch between 85 and 100 balls this season.

Kiddles not because he's hurt, but Waller and Kelsey. You watch Evan Ingram, he might drop the ball too much. The dude runs a 4-4. So the athletes have changed. Clearly the amount of wide receivers that keep coming in the league is just stupid. I mean, every dude that's come in the last couple years can play. Look at last year's crop of just the second rounders. D.K., A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalfe, Claypools, the Iukes, the Justin Jeffersons, the Judis,

the CDs, like all these dudes can ball. We're going to get even more this year with Waddle, Jamar Chase. And the quarterback position is just, listen, I'm not trying to be an old guy here. I'm not, I'm only 36, even though I'm starting to feel my age a little bit. But when you hear like Steve Young talk, he's like, yeah, I wish I would have played in this era. Because back when, you know, I had a good season,

and you throw 28, 30 touchdowns, that's probably 45 now. It's just so much easier to be an explosive passer. one because teams allow you to pass it more. The run and really the running back is kind of a hybrid wide receiver. Like Dalvin Cook is really more of an outlier. Most of these guys, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, then catch the football out of the backfield.

That's what all these teams are looking for. Guys that can be productive in the passing game. Because that is where you can really, Sequin Barkley, great catcher of the football. And I, you know, I don't know, like, I don't just see it slowing down. Because the game is not going to get more violent. They're not going to start under-regulating the ability to hit, right?

You're going to continue to get 15-yard flags and thrown out of games. In college, you get thrown out of the game and missed the next half, which I hate that rule. But as someone who wants the game to stay around and not disappear, I understand it, even if I think it's a little over the top. I think throwing a guy out of a game is enough. I hate having to miss the next half of football for the next game. But it is what it is.

And it's done a good job of, you know, forcing guys and not hit like that. We don't have headhunters anymore. But it's also lent us to this offensive explosion where clearly the wide receivers have never been more skilled. I talked to a high school coach. He's like, I've been running the spread now for 20 years. You know, like when I was in high school football in the early 2000s, we ran the wing tee. You didn't develop skill guys. Think how many high schools ran the option in the 80s, 90s, and even early 2000s.

They're on a high school game when ESPN comes on. They're all running spread. Think how much more work. Now, I didn't have any blue-jib guys in my high school, but others do, and they don't run the option anymore. They spread it out. They throw the ball. So think how much more skilled the wide receiver and quarterback is in high school,

let alone then in college, let alone coming in the league. So, you know, I think we're going to see records shattered. and that's not to say these guys are better than guys previously because we'd all, I didn't see Marino and Elway in their prime, but I'm not an idiot to know that they would have kicked freaking ass with the rules now. Barve, Young, just go around, Jim Kelly, the guys that could sling it. They would have dominated, and these guys benefit from that. So the offense explosion is great for fantasy, it's great for gambling overs.

That's for sure. I wouldn't be too into the unders anymore. But, you know, it just kind of is what it is. Okay, let's dive into three for the money. And from a gambling perspective, I have an unhealthy amount of wagers spread out throughout the Masters. I mean, I am well represented. Winners, top fives, top tens.

I got a little cash. Basically, every other guy you watch on the telecast, if you watch the Masters, I might have dappled 20, 30 bucks. on them. It's betting football is, I mean, it's not easy, but it's way easier. You just pick a team. In golf, you're betting on individuals against the whole field, even top fives and tens, but the odds are incredible. I mean, I put like 25 bucks down on Lee Westwood. He pays $3,600. The only way I get that type return, now the likelihood of him winning is, I mean, he's never won a major, but

in football for me to do 45 into 3,600, I have to hit like a 19 parlay. Even just, it's awesome. I mean, I got 25 bucks on Tony Fee now to win 875. Gambling golf is sweet. Gambling football is the best and the easiest to understand, but I'm telling you, if you're into golf or into gambling, just start peeking, you know, wherever you place your bets,

some of the odds. It's a game changer, I'll promise you. So let's get the three and out. Excuse me. This is three and out. Three for the money. And based on last week, I hit two out of three. Arizona State plus ten and a half.

I don't know how they win it outright. The Giants plus two and a half against Washington. And the Broncos plus four did not hit against the Falcons. So I'm 18 and 12. This game I don't like, I love. It's the Tampa Bay. Buccaneers, coming off a loss that was just terrible. I mean, they got the living, you know what, kicked out of them.

It was, I basically turned the game off at half time. I think they were down 31, nothing and a half. They were down 28 nothing before you could even play. Antonio Brown, I think we forget this. One, he's living with Tom Brady. And two, when he left the NFL last year from, you know, after New England cut him, the Raiders cut him, then New England cut him. he was the best player or one of them in the league.

This isn't like some over-the-hill guy. When he left the league, he was at the peak of his powers. Six straight thousand-yard seasons. I think he had just had a 15 touchdown season the year before. I mean, this guy, a Hall of Famer, a six-year stretch that is as good as any people in the Hall of Fame. I'm talking Jerry, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens. Dude is elite.

Him and Brady are going to figure it out. And their offense is clearly pretty good. They had an off game, and their defense is good. Another thing, they had an off game. I think they beat the crap out of the Carolina Panthers. Like the Bucks, minus five. The Green Bay defense is not great. Now, Green Bay is exponentially better than the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But they're giving them 13 and a half points. So you could be up 20 going into the fourth quarter, throttle it back, and the Jags get, you know, a basically, you know, some garbage time touchdowns or garbage time, course. 13 and a half is a lot of points for a Jacksonville Jaguars team, which listen, they're going to win two to three games, but they can score some points. They have skill guys. Green Bay's defense is just not good. That is just way too many points to give. And one thing now we've consistently seen the Giants against the bucks a couple weeks ago, getting a huge line they

cover. Last week, Dallas, who was, oh Dallas was playing the Steelers and they were getting 14 points. They covered. Like, When really good teams, when playoff-level teams, like Tampa, like the Steelers, like Green Bay, play these teams who are god-awful, I'm just going to lean probably anything above 11, 12 points. It's just too many points, especially if you just have some capable offensive skill guys. So I like the Jags plus 13 and a half. Then we have Seattle versus the ramps. My philosophy is pretty simple in the NFC West.

I'm probably going to remove the Niners just because they have too many injuries now. Jimmy Garoppos gone. It's Nick Mullins. But if the Niners were healthy, I would throw all four teams in this category. Any team that is getting points in that matchup, I would bet on. And Seattle Seahawks are getting one and a half points at the Rams. No fans, indoor. Jared Goff has not been that good this year.

I like Seattle a lot in this game. Coming off a loss, not just a lot. lost, they gave up 44 points of the Buffalo Bills. They got destroyed. I just think that, you know, Jared Goff ain't Josh Allen right now. I like Seattle really to win this game outright, but definitely plus one and a half. So I'm going Seattle plus one and a half at the Rams, SoFi Stadium. I'm going the Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, minus five at Carolina.

And I'm going to go Jacksonville plus 13.5 at Lambo. I probably feel the worst about the Jags, but I also feel the best because I love huge point spreads, especially this late in the season when teams' records look bad. I just think it's human nature for some of these players to overlook them, and the games to be a little closer than all of us envision. Okay, I was going to do the Middilcoff mailbag, but I have a little bit of a problem.

My phone is a disaster, and my pad is that I didn't charge it today. I don't have access to Instagram, as I'm recording this currently. And not to go off on a tangent about the Apple iPhones, maybe some of you can relate. I have a ton of friends. My Apple iPhone, the last couple months,

maybe not months, but like two or three weeks, is a disaster. Nothing works. I can't take a picture right now. I can't talk on it. I have to be on Bluetooth. It's like Tim Cook and Apple are actively, I was going to get a new phone no matter what.

He didn't need to screw me like this. but everyone I've talked to they're like yeah my Apple iPhone's been acting all weird and clearly they're coming out with all these you know the new phones during a pandemic I've had sales are hurting a little bit trying to boost them up kind of shady business practice you can't tell me randomly the phone comes out

and then my iPhone stops working and every single person I know with an iPhone all is having little weird glitches going it's pretty crazy like I'm pro technology but I also acknowledge they do some shady shit you know and I'm a loyal Apple guy I'm literally recording a podcast that helps fund my life into an Apple, a MacBook.

I'm looking at an iPad that's out of batteries that's sitting right next to me, and I got an iPhone that I can't access my apps right now. So I just, if any of you guys are having the same issue with your Apple iPhone, I'm telling you, I'm not even complaining. I was about to buy the new one, and I went to buy the new 12, but they were, you know, like the local AT&T store, and they haven't got the shipment in yet. I was going to do it anyway, Tim Cook.

You don't need to screw with me. Just give me, whenever they come in, I'm going to go buy your $1,000 phone. But right now I need to read my Instagram DMs. I can't talk on my phone without a Bluetooth. Come on, man. You guys are doing just fine. You guys have a big campus with a bunch of cash in the bank.

I have senior guys financial statements. I invested in your company for many, many years. I'm a believer. but you don't need to do this because right now you're messing with my phone. And like many millennials, I'm way too dependent on this thing. It's basically like who wants to be a millionaire, you know, like a lifeline. Think about the lifeline your phone is. You really can't operate without it.

And ever since Tim Cook and Apple have been messing with me, I've been a shell of my former self, you know. My business is very dependent on that little phone. And your Apple iPhones 12s aren't in yet. and until they're in, I just got to deal with my glitched iPhone and just try to make the next week or two. But if you're having the same issues, tweet at me or Instagram at me in my DMs,

hopefully I'll be able to access them. Tell me you're having the same problem, because it's kind of BS. It's kind of ticking me off. Appreciate everyone listening. At John Middlecoff, Instagram. Give that little follow. Shoot me a DM.

If you guys, three and out podcasts, leave a review. If you subscribe and you like the show, I'd greatly appreciate it. helps us do some advertising stuff, which keeps me going. Keeps food on the table. And yeah, that'll wrap it up. Have a good weekend. Enjoy the Masters.

Quick Masters prediction. Bryson Deschambeau, who hits the ball like 800 yards, he shot, he was, couldn't have been any, let me repeat, couldn't have been any shittier today on Thursday. My prediction, and he still shot two under. I think he's going to be a factor all week. weekend. I got money on him. I got money on Dustin Johnson. I wish I had money on Tiger, but I didn't expect him to play this well, but maybe it's just magic there. But I'm telling you, you watch, Bryson DeCambeau is going to come storming back and be a factor. I think probably Dustin Johnson

probably would be my guess ends up winning it, or JT. But enjoy your master's weekend. Enjoy football on Mayland on Sunday. I think all these college games are getting canceled on Saturday, at least a a large amount of them. I think the SEC's missing all their games. But have a great weekend. Peace. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that

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To order today, visit 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. 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 I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. In 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. 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, Cliford 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, unfills of 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.