The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Trade Deadline Reaction, Washington Sells, 49ers build their D

Episode Date: November 1, 2023

John breaks down the NFL trade deadline by talking about how the 49ers did a good job by trading for Chase Young, trying to figure out what the Bears are doing, and did the Vikings make the right move trading for a QB? Lastly, John answers your questions in this episode's mailbag segment. Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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So the Bears, the Niners, obviously Washington selling the 2D linemen, Minnesota trading for a quarterback. And that's basically the game plan today. It'll be a reaction show to the trade deadline. And then I will also do some mailbag. At John Middlecoff. At John Middlecough is the Instagram. Fire in those DMs and get your question answered on the show.

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That story, you talk about a story that won't die. I saw a picture of Harbaugh's guy on the sideline in Central Michigan gear. What a photo. Talk about a Marine who's good at espionage. That guy had some talent. He really did. But I think get ready for Jim Harbaugh to come all back to playing football on Sunday, because I think that's where this all is destined to be. before we dive into some of my thoughts and takeaways from the trade deadline, let's start with my friends at Game Time. Do you want to go to a game? Do you want to go to a concert?

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And I think from a big picture standpoint, wasn't as crazy as it has been in years past. I would say there was no Christian McCaffrey or future Hall of Famer Vaughn Miller on the move in this deadline. And I think a lot of times in this modern day NFL with these aggressive GMs, we do see a lot of deals happen in the offseason. A lot happened during March. That's when Tyreek was traded.

That's when Devante was traded. We've seen big ones happen during August, Khalil Mack. This one, I would say, was not as crazy as many people. Thought it had a chance to be. Part of that, I think it's a really good draft class. So teams are less likely to deal one of my bold takes last week because I thought a player would get traded for a first round pick.

Well, that would have to be an Aaron Donald type guy. And clearly teams are hesitant to put them on the, the market. The Giants, I thought they should have thrown out Saquan Barkley there. The Raiders, who Adam Schaefter earlier reported, a better chance of like hell freezing over than Devante Adams being traded. I'm sorry, I don't quite understand that. This is not the NBA where you tank, but it's pretty clear when you're not good. Because all these teams that will continue to lose, they are trying to win, right? In the NBA and in baseball, it is easy to tank. That is not the way it happens in football. Coaches try. Players try.

non-guaranteed contracts, but if you suck, you suck. And let's start with a team who's terrible. And today, to me, the craziest move of the trade deadline, I don't even think it's debatable, is the Chicago Bears throwing their hat in the ring again. They did it last year, and they did it again this year. Now, I'm all for trying to improve your team. But when you are 2 and 6, your starting quarterback has an injury

where he's going to be out several games. You were playing a guy that even diehard football fans couldn't point out of a lineup is from Division 2, and you are going to consistently lose. Trading a second round pick. And many people, you know, contract negotiators, general managers, coaches don't quite value picks like people in the front office do. But they will tell you, the most powerful picks are usually second round picks. Why? Because you can get impact starters for a very, very cheap,

wage, right? If I'm getting an impact starter in the top 10, I'm still paying for it. Google how much the guys that last couple years have been drafted at pick three, at pick six, like they still make a lot of money. When I get Nick Chubb or Joey Porter Jr. early in the second round, I get a plug-in-play starter at a very, very cheap salary. And that is the key to building a really good team, having star players who don't make that much money. And the Chicago Bears, who are going nowhere fast, last year to me was even more baffling because they traded for a complete headache

who was never going to work, did not work, who they had to tell to stay away in Chase Claypool. This year they trade for a good player. Sweat is a good player. But you're 2 and 6, and you're basically just trading a second round pick, which easily could be pick 33 or 34,

like you were trending to compete for the number one overall pick. For the right to sign the guy. You're not even guaranteed to sign the guy. and you're going to have to overpay no matter what. Well, you easily could have overpaid just when he hit free agency and kept the second round pick. There's a reason when you first start buying a home, right?

Or if you buy more real estate, people tell you, put down if you can afford it as little as possible. You would much rather put down 10% than 50%. Why? You can use that other 40% to buy other shit. So you're going to be in the position because you have this cap space to pay for a player like sweat this offseason,

which you probably have to overpay because typically that's how it works in free agency. To give up your second round pick just for the right to also be in that position does not make sense. Now, people with Chicago, if you're going to be a diehard, I don't know how you could support this administration

would say, Middilcock, you own his rights now. Well, you own his rights to what? Franchise tag him, extremely expensive, or to extend him. And to me, you could have easily bought him this off season if you truly wanted you. like they did with Edmonds this offseason, were they overpaid? Think about last year.

They trade away Roquan Smith. Right now, granted Roquan kind of wanted out. Rokwon makes $20 million a year. Meanwhile, Edmonds makes 18. So it's not like you were uncomfortable paying a lot for a star linebacker, and the gap between those two players is wider than the Grand Canyon. I just can't fathom when you're clearly not good. It's one thing when you're kind of in no man's land, like Minnesota,

you're 4 and 4, your star quarterback, has a torn Achilles, you're definitely not going to wave the white flag yet. I understand trying to add, trying to do something, even though it didn't cost anything to get Joshua Dobbs. This one for the life of me, when you just did this last year, you traded such a valuable pick who literally netted the Pittsburgh Steelers,

Joey Porter Jr. Like, do you think the Chicago Bears, if they would have a redo, would rather have Chase Claypool, who's not even on their team anymore, or Joey Porter Jr. to go with Jalen Johnson, who they ended up not trading, and then maybe you build around those two, maybe this offseason, Jalen Johnson leaves and you receive a comp pick because he gets paid.

I just don't understand Ryan Poles. I do not get it. And I'll give a slim, slim margin for the chance that the ownership is involved with this, though I have a hard time seeing this or that. The McCasky's like, I don't know. I think this is Ryan Poles trying to be super aggressive. he'd go, well, John, we got extra first round pick from Carolina, those picks, we got Wiggle Room, we could trade back if we want to do with one of those, get more picks.

All that's true. And you also could still sign sweat this offseason and still have that second round pick to hell. Maybe using a trade, maybe use on a player, maybe use to trade back. Keep your options open. Nothing you want to do more than when you suck in sports is to limit your options. it makes absolutely no sense to be giving away premium assets. Totally understand if they traded away even a third round comp pick, right, like the 49ers did who will get into a second.

I'd be like, listen, you're definitely not one player away, but I'm not going to quibble over pick 96. Pick 33 or pick 34, Google the history of high second round picks who they turn out to be. The Bears, last time I checked, are very, very talent depleted. Like, you look at their roster, it's not any good. And like I said, this guy's going to be a free agent who you're going to have to overpay no matter what. Just because he's now on your team doesn't mean the agent's like, you know what? Kind of like that you traded a pick for us.

We'll give you a little cheaper deal. Hell no. I saw Michael Lombardi tweet this out earlier today. Now the agent, when it comes to the Bears, has all the last. leverage. Has them by the balls, right? And typically when you think about some of these star players, Tyree Kill, Devante Adams, Khalil Mack, those agents are complete control, right? Once you trade two ones for me or a one into two, you have to break me up. Jalen Ramsey, Jamal Adams, you're going to break me off. It's a no-brainer. It's like everyone's already acknowledging what's going

to happen. In this case, when you don't trade to extend them, and even then, why would, why do you need them this year? What's he actually doing for you? Making a few extra tackles for your defense as you're losing by 20 points? I don't see how any person with common sense that follows the National Football League, whether you work in it, whether you're a diehard fan, whether you like

the Bears, whether you like the pack, I don't care who you like, can look at this trade and not go, that's some of the dumbest shit I've ever seen. Makes no sense. I don't get it. I think that is terrible, terrible. Just team roster management. Ryan Poles strikes again.

That is, for as good as his trade was with the Carolina Panthers, that's a fleecing. The move for Chase Claypool in this move almost neutralize it and make it equal. I just can't wrap my head around it. Like the 49ers, who's a guy in the league texts me, why are they doubling down on a position that's already a strength? I'm like, have you watched the Niners lately? And have you watched the Niners this season?

Their defensive line is underachieving. Nick Bosa is nowhere near playing at the level of the other star players that he's now higher paid than. Miles Garrett, T.J. Watt, obviously Parsons. All the edge players in this league are dominating, and Nick Bosa has been underwhelming. Could be the defensive coordinator, could just be he's rusty with no training camp. I don't know, but it hasn't been good.

And the rest of the group is not playing well enough. They've already traded for Randy Gregory, trading for Chase Young, who I did a little digging with some of my NFL friends. Like, give me the scouting report. Obviously, he's much more of a power play. player than a speed player. But the Niners need, like, people are running it down their throat right now.

They need more power up front. But here's my thing. I wouldn't have loved trading a second round pick for this guy, even if your pick is pick 55. It's like, well, you're probably not going to re-sign them. I don't know, man. Short-term. The thing with trading last year or second and third

and a fourth through Christian McCaffrey is he was under team control. And at the time, I thought it was kind of crazy. 17 straight touchdowns later, maybe not that crazy, but he's also, you don't have to pay him. He's just on your team for the foreseeable future. They gave up a third round comp pick. Never forget, the 49ers took advantage of the minority compensation with draft picks, unlike any other team.

From Robert Sala, Mike McDaniel's dad is black, Rand Carthin, the GM of the Titans, Martin Mayhew, the GM of Washington, D'emico Ryans. For all the picks they lost during Trey Lance Trade, clearly one of the worst trades of all time. They got back like 40 third round picks from all these guys becoming head coaches and general managers. So to trade pick, let's just say it's pick 100

for half a season of Chase Young. The Niners literally took their starting kicker with that pick last year, which is more than up for debate whether that's good enough. But like, that's just a proper amount to give for a guy that could help impact your team. To give up pick 34 for sweat, even though sweat is better than Chase

young, I can imagine a ton of teams that wanted sweat like good teams. I would imagine the 49ers were interested. Hey, we'll give you a second and a fourth or Seattle or whoever. You look around the NFL willing to give up their second round pick and maybe a fourth or fifth.

And Washington keeps hanging up on them. Yeah, it's just not good enough. And they're thinking to themselves like, I think we're giving you a lot. And it turns out they got picked 34 in the hopper. No shit. I mean, these other teams, once they see that trade go down, like, yeah, I would have declined my offered as well. So sweat goes to the bears. Chase Young goes to the 49ers who are just in

desperate need of just, you know, something to kind of wake them up, something to create, I don't know. They're just a desperate need of something. And whether that can be fixed with a defensive coordinator who's under a lot of fire right now, and I'm not saying Chase Young is some world beater, but their defense right now is underachieving. And they hung their hat on being one of the more physical teams in the NFL, and they simply are not. Now, Washington is basically waving the white flag, which they should. Their team, for the last several years, has just been in the middle of nowhere. Unlike the bears, like, the bears suck.

So you understand when they draft one, and then the following year they draft two, you're like, yeah, they're terrible. You watch them play. They have like two or three players you would want. This year, one of the players literally just came from another team, DJ Moore. They don't have, you look, you watch Washington, you're like, God, I like, I like, a lot of their players. Got wide receivers, got a running back I like.

The tight end, kind of interesting. Former quarterback, clearly defensive line-wise, pretty good. You just got two guys that netted you a pick 34 and a third-round pick. But for whatever reason, it's just not going anywhere. And maybe part of that, offensively the last couple years, you add Sam Howell, who's actually not bad. To me, when I watched him play the other day, I'm like, I see this kind of version of Baker, you know, a guy that ideally is probably your backup

quarterback that he has to start a month because your quarterback has a high ankle sprain and your team's good like you can win several games but if he has to start all throughout the season you're probably going to be in some trouble the other thing that's hurting them is Eric Bianami everyone's been banging on the table for him to become a head coach became an offensive coordinator and he passes it non-stop i mean sam howell is on record or at least was going in the last game to break david cars single season sack rate like there's a balance of and listen i'm pro passing the ball. Hell, I wish Kyle Kyle Shanahan would throw the ball more. Andy

Reed's rattling off Super Bowls, throwing the rock. But sometimes you've got to run the ball. And when your quarterback is getting fucking killed, it might be smart to call a different play. The Eric B. Enemy experiment is not going well. The Ron Rivera experiment is not going well.

Now, there are rumors out there in football streets that Josh Harris is so over leveraged that it's going to be difficult for him to pay off Ron. Here's the thing. If he hired as a new coach, he's not going to want to hire some cheap guy. He's not going to try to go Dean Spanos and get a guy on the cheap. I would imagine he's going to want to go big game hunting. It'll be very interesting. Now, if I had to guess, Rivera gets fired, maybe Mayhew gets fired

as well. And I think Bill Belichick actually would be in play there if he were to have a breakup with the Patriots. I could see him also sniffing around Jim Harbaugh, but both those, guys are expensive. So if it is truly, he's super over leveraged to buy the this team and just doesn't have, you know, millions upon millions of liquid cash on hand, it's going to be interesting how that plays out. But they trade two of their better players and their team was kind of defined. It's why they gave Philly so much trouble over the years. What does Philly hang their hat on?

We get the best offensive line in the league. We can shove you around. Well, they're the one team, like physically, like, let's go to war. Let's make this thing interesting. If our offense just plays half decent, we're going to be in the game. And now you trade those guys away, like, that's kind of the identity and the ethos of the team. So I think we all sell stock on a team. I always like, what am I going to call them? No team has more names that you have to like think before you say the Washington football

Redskins. It's like he and this guy's already claiming he refuses to wear the commander's logo. People already think he's going to rename the team. Another big story today and we mentioned it up front like if I was the Raiders, I would entertain trading Devante Adams. What's the point of having Devante Adams with no quarterback? Like at least having Max Cross. He's not dependent on anyone else. And I think Max Crosby, just because they played on prime time a couple games, if you just watch half a game of football, you go, there can't be right now this season, 10 guys, non-quarterbacks playing better than him.

The energy, the effort, the motor, just the pure physical talent, he's fucking dominating. But he could dominate. The best part about having a good defensive lineman, even coaches can't screw you up. because just mono a mono it's third and seven chase the quarterback first and ten and you get the you know the run look play the run it's coming to you shed that guy make a tackle and he's doing it nonstop but devante adams can run the best routes in the NFL can run these you know double moves goes posts flags he can be open all day long if jimmy garoppelow can't hit water when he's sitting in a boat none of it matters none of it matters so keeping a guy like that just to keep a key

them, especially a year more into the contract. He's a little bit older this offseason. There would have been teams. Now, they would never trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, a divisional team, but I think with ease they could have got a first round pick. Where are they going anyway? Like, what's the point? And listen, I have a lot of respect for Devante Adams.

And I gave him the benefit of the doubt when he said those comments a couple weeks ago, and he kind of talked after the game. Like, it wasn't even worse saying something that would take it out of context. he chose this. He chose the Raiders. I mean, Sequin Barclay ultimately was drafted to the Giants and then franchise.

He hasn't even got a choice, right? Josh Jacobs, hell, drafted the Raiders, franchise can't go anywhere. Devante Adams, the Packers, who I got no problem wanting to leave a team. You know, what James Hardin's doing is an embarrassment to professional sports. Every other year quits on a team demands a trade.

Devante Adams has been a good, high character, great player, finally realized, like, I'm not dealing with this Aaron Rogers, I want to get a trade. I've said over and over. If you just say, hey, trade me to somewhere good, like Tyree Killed.

Traded to Miami Dolphins, wanted to go to Miami, but was open to go other places, goes there, is winning. Right? Devonte's like, I only want to go to the Raiders. I only want to go the Raiders. It's like, Devonte, have you seen this franchise?

And I get, I kind of understand it with Derrick Carr, but then to pretend to be happy this offseason before the season starts when you're playing with Jimmy, Garapolo, who is clearly playing the worst football of his career, who looks just horrendous. I just, I have no sympathy. I really don't.

Not that he's asking for it. He's making whatever, $25 million a year. But, hell, maybe even more than that. I think it's like $28, $29 million a year. But it sucks. When you're an athlete, especially a football player, in the prime of your career at wide receiver, it just doesn't last forever. He doesn't have 10 more years playing.

at this level. Hell, he might not have five more years left playing at this level. So every year that you waste playing on a team that can't even begin to get to the football has no chance to win when you signed up for that, to me, feels crazy. The Minnesota Vikings, I respect it. I think they had a couple options, right? They could go the guys on the street, they could call up Carson Wentz, they could call up Matt Ryan in the booth. Doesn't make any sense. Those guys have been on ice all season. They didn't have an offseason. They haven't been anywhere in training camp. Both, obviously, Matt Ryan's shot, Carson Wentz, I don't care how many routes he throws in the morning wherever he's living right now. It's not the same as the NFL. They could have sniffed around

the backup quarterback players, right? The Sam Darnolds, just look around the NFL. But those guys haven't been playing. So you'd be taking a guy who hasn't played any snaps and just inserting them on a team who has a pretty good shot at competing for a while. card or they could do what they did. And they got Joshua Dobbs who, listen, we can debate all day long. Is he any good? Was his production early in the season a little overrated? Listen, he's proven a couple things.

You can throw him in to a shit sandwich and he can attempt to make a chicken salad. Because you watched him early this season, that team is not very talented. And he was just had them competing. Last year, when he goes to the Titans at the end of the season, Just a debacle quarterback situation comes in. To me, his greatest strength besides everyone says, super high character guy, well-liked leader, is he's very adaptable.

Like, I don't know about you, but I'm not that adaptable always. It takes me a minute. I can't do it at the snap of the finger. I've actually really, really worked interpersonally on being more just open-minded to just things, right? When something happens, being able to pivot. You can't operate on a daily basis like you're, a fucking marine in normal society.

Every minute, you know exactly what you're going to do. That's not how the world works. And a lot of football players, because football is very regimented, don't pivot and don't change very easily. Coaches are like that. They do not adapt that well on the fly. It's hard. It is very difficult.

But this guy has proven that you can just throw them into a situation that's not ideal, that is undermanned, and he can just figure out a way to at least look competent and have the team kind of moving in the right direction. We see over and over and over again, you put these backup level players, even when they've been playing, it's like, yeah, this can't go on, right? You're seeing it with Baker Mayfield, who has proven, he's a backup quarterback, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Baker, it's why when Colin had that, you know, his offseason or like during August, he thought Baker should just retire. I'm like, no matter what he does in the pros, it'll never hurt his brand once he works for Fox doing college football. RG3 was an embarrassment. He's calling games now. Matt Liner is an all-time bust. He's like one of the stars of the network.

None of that shit, Brady Quinn impacts what you did in the NFL on your brand off the field, especially when you deal with college, right? And when you look at Joshua Dobbs, like, you look at some of these guys, I would have gone with him too. It doesn't cost much, right? You're not just going to roll with the rookie full time. It's too risky. Like, you don't want to just wave the white flag on the season.

But you also have to kind of come to grips with it's not worth trying to maybe overpay for a guy. I think they essentially, they traded a six for Dobbs and a seventh. Like, that's an easy deal when your quarterback is currently in a hospital bed with a torn Achilles. And like I said on yesterday's podcast, that is going to have major river. effects in the NFL, not just on Minnesota in their franchise, but the countless other teams that would have been very, very interested in signing Kirk Cousins this offseason. I have said Atlanta, I think Green Bay Packers, I think a lot of teams will have sniffed around just because if you get Kirk Cousins, like, you can just make the playoffs.

And there's something to be said about being a playoff team. Why? Your stadium's full. People are talking about you. You are just relevant. when you're just a five or six win team nobody cares about you think about when you're

watching a game on the weekend and you get two teams especially as the season goes on that are like two and eight versus three and seven you're not likely to give that game much time it's just not worth it right you're just like I'll watch two playoff teams

or I'll watch a playoff team against a random team I respect Minnesota because everyone probably including myself that they were just going to take the season cousins refused to let that happen and then he goes down and they're still trying and that's I think a separating factor

in the NFL than a lot of these other sports where tanking is just really invoked and I got news for you as a fan that's what I am first. I'm a fan of sports tanking has a lot of just negative ramifications the NBA is greatly diminished over the last 10 years they've lost so much of their audience

you ask the casual you know just sports fan I would say they're kind of down on it and I think a huge reason has to do with tanking which is ultimately kind of led to this resting. They're all kind of intertwined and the NFL doesn't have to battle that and even teams that like

it would be understandable if Minnesota just had a fire sale today but they go the other way they're like we're going to try to compete for the next month and see what happens. Respect it. A couple other little trades. The bills trade for Rasul Douglas. They obviously needed defensive help. They lose white for the season. I think he tears Achilles or ACL.

I forget the exact injury. but that's a pretty easy trade. I think they get Douglas in a fifth and they trade a third. You know, the bills are a fascinating team. Is this team still a Super Bowl contender with the injuries that they have on defense? It's hard to tell. They obviously have a Super Bowl level. I don't know he has to prove it, but the talents there are to be a Super Bowl level quarterback.

And offensively, when they're on, their firepower is definitely there. But defensively, you saw early in the season when they played Miami, their ceiling was really high. their ceiling was as high as any team in the league, including Philly, including the Niners, including the Chiefs, including the Ravens. We saw them play the dolphins,

and they curbstomped them. That ceiling's not quite the same once you lose a star corner and you lose a star linebacker. Especially when you lose a star middle linebacker, it's a lot like losing a catcher or something in baseball. It's not just the guy's a productive player,

makes a lot of tackles, can cover. It's like he kind of gets everyone set up. He calms everyone down. Part of when you get these miced-up segment, in football and you see the huddle, it's more sometimes than just calling to play, right? Whatever. Razor left, Fox Trot, Y-Stick, left razor, right?

You say that and then like, hey, guys, let's take a deep breath. We're fine. Or you just, the quarterback looks at the wide receiver after a drop. Like, James, we're good, bro. Keep your head up. I'm fine. I'm going to come right back to you. Right? There's a confidence attribute that the green dot guy,

the quarterback, and the, the middle linebacker bring to the table. And losing Milano, who obviously is a fantastic player, it's just, it's very, very difficult. It's why we saw for years when Keekly would go out. I'm not saying he's as good as Keekly, but if Fred Warner went out for the Niners, they would be screwed.

He's essentially their number two quarterback. He just happens to play on defense with his leadership, with his communication. And I'm just, I'm a Josh Allen fan, I've known Sean McDermott for a long time, I'm rooting for that franchise. I love the fan base. I love how much people care about football.

They're just going to be a fascinating case study. Are they just going to be like a one and done this year? Or are they just going to be a legit contender? I think we'll learn a lot about them over the next month. And I think it's going to start with, they need Josh Allen to go nuclear. They need him to go, you know, Tom Brady, what Rathesberger did kind of in his peak,

Peyton Manning. Like, I'm the best fucking player in the league. That's how they need him to be 90% of the time. Right. If they want to get to win the division, if they want to compete in the playoffs. It's always started and ended with him, but he had the benefit of the doubt

when his defense was a little better. Now, to me, the margin is much smaller. The Jags get Ezra Cleveland. I'd be lying if I have a scattering report on him. Clearly, he's just a plug-and-play starter, a guard. You look for offensive line help. That's a little move Minnesota made, probably because they knew they weren't going to resign them.

But I think the Jags, like the bills, think about those two teams, right? Coming into the season in the AFC, I always pick the Kansas Chiefs until they've proven otherwise. I think even if you didn't have the Bengals right behind them, you watched the Bengals last week, you're like, they should be right behind them.

The Ravens are playing well, the Bills. Like you would have had kind of that group. And I don't think you would have the Jags in it, right? Kind of one, not a one-hit wonder because they do have a young nucleus and a really good young quarterback and a Super Bowl winning coach. But you went like, I think the Jags could be,

most normal people pick them to win the division. And it was like, I think the Jags would be good. Now you look up, they're six and two. They just went into Pittsburgh in an ugly game and won a grimy level game that like the Ravens and the Steelers and the Bengals win. If they can play like that,

you got to put them in the Bills, Chiefs, like, is this team to be reckoned with? They're on a buy, they're playing the 49ers coming off a buy. That's a massive game for the 49ers. Maybe the 49ers coming off a buy. I think we might have to start talking about the Jags as like,

I don't want to say Super Bowl contenders, but definitely in the AFC championship mix. I mean, they might be a game or two away from being like, yeah, maybe this team could compete to win the Super Bowl. Other than that, trade deadline, man. It's a lot of hype. We still, you got to be on your toes unlike, you know, 10, 20 years ago because of the aggressive GMs in the NFL now, which is enjoyable.

Before, forever, a move here, a move there. Now, even when it's, quote, unquote, underwhelming, or doesn't quite live up to the hype, you have to be ready. And kudos to all these young, aggressive GMs, you know, in their 40s, in their early 50s, that are just willing to try things, willing to take big swings, willing to do deals. It makes the league more entertaining. I want to tell you something about my friends at Uber Eats. It's time for this week's player I thought might give almost, almost anything to redo his game.

Brought to you by Uber Eats. Now, I don't think we're going to pick a player that would redo his game from last weekend, which would be easy. I think Purdy would like some of those picks back. Obviously, PJ Walker would like a passback. I think this is the players. Look at Jalen Johnson,

who was given the right to explore trade. And the best part about the NFL, like, when you see the NBA, I want to be traded. That guy always gets traded. It's just kind of baffling sometimes. Like, why are you doing this? Like, just play it out.

Like, the player doesn't have all the control. In the NFL, it's the complete opposite. Like, I want to trade. Yeah, go seek it. And if you don't come back with anything we remotely like, we're just going to hang up the phone, you're going to be at practice tomorrow. And that's what happens with guys like Jalen Johnson.

Like, I want to trade. You're not paying me enough. Like, okay, yeah, we'll see you practice on Wednesday. That always happens. And I at least respect them being open-minded to trade the guy. I do not understand. And I know he had a really good game. the other day. It's not like Derek Henry's going to be on this team long. It's not like

Sequin Barclay is going to be on this team. I would be stunned for the next four or five years. Why would you not entertain trading these players? And I think the hard part is, and this is where owners get involved. Those two players, for example, like Jalen Johnson, ultimately if he was traded or not today, Bears fans would forget about him in three weeks. I like the player. I'm rooting for the player. He's a valley guy, California, but went to Utah. it's not Dionne Sanders but I think when you get Derek Henry who is just let's face it

might get a statue built out in front of their new stadium and Sey Juan Barclay who the owner's view is like the Eli Manning of running backs for their team it's very very difficult to trade a guy especially when you're having a down season

that helps get butts in the seats that help keep your team and when you're going to these luncheons and these rich people parties that's who they talk about. And I think sometimes that can be a mistake. And I just wonder if some of these teams, like Titans get their butt kicked on Thursday,

is that something you regret? And I understand, like, what, we're just going to trade them for a, you know, a fourth that could turn into a third? What's the point of that? We might as well just keep them. Well, you're going to let them walk for nothing. It's not like anyone's going to pay them.

I would always, and the Rams are a good example. You know, it was almost almost. Like, oh, the Rams actually are pretty good. Actually, they stink. They're really not very good. and now Stafford is injured. And the quarterback that they drafted in the fourth or fifth round sets in Bennett, who knows where he is. So you're not going to win any games.

And Aaron Donald, of all these players, is why last week I predicted a player would go for a first round pick. Because I thought a name like him on a team that kind of clearly came to grips with, yeah, we're not that good. Give us a one, two, twos, and a three. I mean, something, like, I don't think Aaron Donald, at 32, gets you multiple ones, but he definitely gets you a one and more. And for a team that is clearly hitting the reset button, who's more likely to draft 10th than they are 18th,

I just think that might have been the right move. They have multiple first-round picks to be able to reset your franchise, to get the money off the books. But again, like I said with those other players, a lot like the owners. It is just very hard to trade your most famous player. The player that when you walk into the stadium is on all the billboards. The player who more than likely is going to go,

like Derek Henry and definitely Aaron Donald go into the Hall of Fame wearing your jersey. But that's what makes good GMs and that what makes average GMs and owners, right? Belichick, Walsh, like they were willing to do stuff like that. Hell, Andy Reid traded Tyree Kill last year and then won the freaking Super Bowl. It helped change their franchise, making that trade.

And I know it was the off-season. It's different in the middle of the season, but still, that was this week's almost-almost-anything players of the week. and you can order almost, almost anything with Uber Eats, the official on-demand partner of the NFL. Order now. For a limited time, you can save 40% on NFL Plus premium annual subscription when you sign up through Plus Play from Verizon.

Plus Play is a platform where you can shop, manage, and save on the subscriptions you already love. Like NFL Plus. With NFL Plus premium, you get access to live games on mobile NFL Redzone NFL Network and more. So you can watch multiple games all at once on any screen around you for updates. Never miss a touchdown. And for fantasy football players, NFL Plus premium makes all the difference. Access to programming like Fantasy Live through NFL Network, Red Zone for tracking player performance on Sunday, access to live local primetime games, access to Fantasy Plus. Just go to

Verizon.com slash NFL to get NFL plus premium today. It's 40% off an annual subscription. That's just 5999 for the full season. Get it before it's gone. 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. 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, Clifford 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 Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert

from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of 2. Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Okay, let's do a little mailbag. And here's the drill. At John Middlecoff is the Instagram. Fire in those DMs. Hello, my bald brother. Listen to your latest pod. Had a thought. What betting apps do you use?

I mean, come on. draft kings baby download the draft kings app use the promo code john get some free bets so draft kings they literally just built a casino a sports book excuse me not a casino uh right down the street from my house so i've been a loyal draft king's guy for a long time own a bunch of their stock big believer in the company big picture and obviously now they're a part of the volume i'm glad we pivoted from the former one to draft kings love draft king so download the draft king's at promo code john If the Bears end up with two top picks in the draft, should they draft Caleb Williams and Drake May?

They have never had a franchise quarterback. We did this a couple years ago, I think when the Browns had pick one and four, you can't do that. This is not an option. So, no, you just take whoever your favorite quarterback is out of those two guys. And there's more and more buzz out there

that it's not just some guaranteed Caleb Williams, even though I've talked to a couple guys that still think he's clearly the top prospect. But regardless, take your favorite quarterback and then either use that pick to trade back a couple spots and gain even more picks, especially now that you lost your second round pick for sweat,

or just, I don't know, pick the sweetest player. Marvin Harrison, a defensive lineman, an offensive lineman, you could do a lot. I know you don't talk awards too much, but I have an interesting hypothetical concerning comeback player of the year.

say by some miracle of science Rogers come back and plays at least some snaps at the end of the season would he be a lock to win the award well what is the definition of comeback player of the year award to me obviously Alex Smith is a good example as long as he took a snap

given that his leg almost fell off and they had to amputate it he was going to get it to me DeMar almost died on the field and came back if he plays in games he's going to get it. If you just have an injury and you just attack the rehab

of a non-Alex-Smith injury, like I, you know, rip my elbow up or tear a knee or an Achilles, does that just automatically give you the comeback player of the year? Because ideally, I think on a given year without Damar, for example, or Alex Smith, it's just a player who's either

gone through a lot of shit, Tua would be a good example. If Tua plays every game this year and they win the division, you could easily give it to him, or a player that has a bad injury and then comes back from injury and then plays well.

Like that's how I think about it. Like Adrian Peterson, Teres ACL comes back 2,000 yards. MVP, come back player the year, give it to them all. So I think it all depends on how we view it. Question for your mailback. Why is Caleb Williams so dushy?

Is that a West Coast vibe? Isn't Caleb Williams from Washington, D.C.? And didn't he? West Coast, he just plays a couple of years in the West Coast. He's not a West Coast guy. To me, when I think West Coast quarterbacks, I think Rogers, Mark Sanchez, Matt Leinert, you know, Alex Smith, California guy,

Derek Carr's, California guy. I would say they're a little more laid back. Caleb is much more, to me, a different part of the country. He feels very D.C., to be honest with you. With Kirk Cousins' injury, do you think the 49ers could be a possible suitor? A lot of the franchises that would have been interested are teams that are or have been bad and have cap space. The 49ers are just an elite or top 12 quarterback away from being dominant.

With pretty struggling, if he continues to throw picks, could the Niners take a flyer on cousins this summer? Win-win, in my opinion. Kyle loves the guy. They could get him on a cheaper deal, so he's likely in their budget now with the injury. And if he comes back and isn't the same, they still. still have an okay quarterback in Purdy. Cousins' best possible chance of winning a Super Bowl, probably with the 49ers. I agree.

To me, the only way Cousins on an injury comes to the 49ers would be a very, very cheap deal. I'm talking, you know, under $7, $8 million, right? Assuming Purdy just is solid, right? Not as bad as he was at the end of the game. Remember, he threw for 350 yards. Like, he actually wasn't as bad. You watch some of this crappy quarterback play, that wasn't really pretty. Me, had 9-20-plus-yard passes.

Now, the picks are inexcusable and they'll lose your games. But I don't think they would sign cousins to a lot of money coming off in Achilles. Now, like you said, if they can get them cheap, then I think they're all over that business. Okay, let's get to Steve. If the Niners fire Wilkes, would that be a smart decision, or should they just wait until the season ends? Well, I think they're kind of stuck because they don't have anyone else on their staff. they can just take over. So part of firing a coordinator

is having a guy that can take over his gig. Right, when Frank, for example, demoted himself and gave it to Thomas Brown, he had a coordinator. If they fired Steve Wilkes, I don't think they have other options.

Now, I saw Richard Sherman saying some stuff about part of what made the Niners good is they ran a lot of zone coverage, their two linebackers can cover in the middle, and their defensive line just chase the quarterback. Well, now he's blitzing all the time, he's doing stunts and twists.

He's running a lot of man. He's just doing what the team doesn't do well. And this is a huge part of football. This is why I feel so comfortable talking about coaches. Because from a scouting perspective, a GM front office perspective, a lot of coaches screw up players. Now, I'm not saying that every player drafted can play. But a lot of times the scheme,

instead of adapting your scheme to what your players do well, or forcing your scheme on a player has bad results. It's why we see so often a coach come in and the team immediately is better. Or worse. No sport has a bigger impact when it comes to coaches on the success of players. I'm a longtime Charger fan based in Mexico City.

Who would you bring instead of Staley? Name your three best candidates. Would you blow it up, trade all the expensive non-impact players like Mac and Bosa? Would you try to get rid of time? Kalesco and who would you replace him with? Well, I would say Dean Spanos's history is not

Sean Payton or Jim Harbaugh. He had the opportunity to fire Brandon Staley last year and hire Sean Payton. Didn't do it. Too much for him. So this notion that Jim Harbaugh is going to go to the Chargers based on his history, you would say no chance. He is going to hire

let's just pick the best coordinator right now. The dude in Detroit was his name. Ben Johnson? whoever the next Shane Stike and McVe Kyle is, I would put my money on them hiring that guy. Hell, what if he really likes Kell and he really likes Kellynne Moore, just named Kellynne Moore the head coach. I would say it's more likely them doing that

than them paying Jim Harbaugh, or if Belichick's fired them hiring Belichick. So to me the candidates are just the coordinators, whoever the best coordinator is, including the guy that they just hired in Kellyn Moore. Maybe Dan Quinn, but would you hire another defensive guy with Justin Herbert, probably not. To me, to Lesko, I think he's pretty good at his job,

but here's the problem. He's already got several coaches. Like, how many coaches do you usually get? Now, maybe they just really like them, they feel comfortable with them, and they keep rolling. Okay, huge fan, love your authenticity and ability to call things the way they are. My question for the pod is about the radis.

They looked absolutely abysible out there last night. And the fact that this was their third or fourth primetime game this season is ridiculous. They're probably the worst team I've seen in 10 plus years of watching football. How do you think they should go about business at the trade deadline? Well, obviously they didn't really trade anybody. I just think that they are going nowhere fast. And I'll defend Mark on this.

And I don't know if I mentioned this the other night. When he had to hire Josh McDaniels, it wasn't his plan to go into a coaching search, right? The Gruden emails leaked. The league fucked him. And he was forced to fire him in the middle of the season, meaning they were going to need another head coach. And for as fun as Rich Passachia was, I understand not hiring Rich as your head coach.

And honestly, Josh, on paper, made some sense, but I went on Gottlieb's radio show earlier today, and I mentioned this the other day. These New England guys show their true colors so fast as coaches. We saw it with Patricia, we saw it with Judge. You're seeing it again with Josh. Like, you know right away, like, I don't see it at all. I don't even see signs of life

Think about this Brandon Staley Showed quicker signs of life Than this guy There's no signs of life So I I just think they got a major major coaching problem It's just going to come down to this offseason

Is he willing? Because listen If you owned a team with me And we were I was Let's just say I'm the majority owner And in pro sports That guy is the owner

But if you're a minority guy you own 20% of the team, but I lean on you. We talk a lot. We're very close when it comes to decisions. And we're sitting there and we go,

can we go on like this? Because we don't want to do coaching searches. That's not fun. That means you have a major problem. Right? So when you have a coaching search means you're basically starting over again. Starting over sucks.

I think you want anyone that's broken up or got a divorce. Like dating is, it's way more fun in theory than it is in reality. I don't care how many apps are out there, how many friends introduce you to people. It's exhausting.

Well, coaching searches are no different. The difference is it's really, really expensive. Hell, dating with inflation is expensive. But coaching searches and then hiring a guy and then hiring a GM, it's just something you want to avoid. So I think it's why a lot of teams write it out a year or two too long because they don't want to do that. I just think if this team ends up winning five games,

and it's not even about the wins and loss, just watch them play. I mean, they're abysmal. If you remove Crosby and Devante getting open with ease, they stink. There's a Raider fan, diehard from Australia. Listen to your podcast on the way to work. Question is obviously Jimmy G. isn't the long-term,

or even short-term, answer for this team. So what is the benefit of continuing to put them out there week after week just to experience the same ineptitude. Not that I'm a fan of McDaniels in the slightest, but if I'm him, surely you try to start O'Connell.

He mentioned this the other day. He said, guys, this isn't preseason anymore. Which is true, which is fine. And this is the problem that front office people have with coaches. Okay, no shit, it's not preseason, Josh. But Jimmy Garapolo, right now, in 2023, at the end of October, early November,

is going to get us beat no matter who we play. and he's probably not going to be on the team next year. So what's the point of doing any of this? We might as well see, yeah, it's not preseason, and this guy might, we're losing anyway. So at least see if you have something, an asset, a quarterback that you feel comfortable keeping is your backup, keeping a veteran player who's not going to be your starting quarterback,

who's playing poorly, makes no sense. It's why Derek Carr got sent home last year. It's like, bro, you're not going to be on the team next year. And they went with, what's his name? Stidim, who I wrote. Ironically, they didn't even end up resigning. I don't understand why NFL punters always try to pin the team

inside the five-yard line in the middle of the field. To me, it seems like 80% of the time they kick it into the end zone for a touchback. Why don't they aim for the sideline when trying to pin them around the five? Am I missing something? That's a good question.

I don't pretend to be a special team's expert, though when I worked in football, I spent a lot of time around special teams coaches and the special teams unit. I do think a lot of the punters I was around try to do the Aussie end-over-end punt when they're 50 and in, and they're trying to pin the team to the corners. I'm in complete agreement. I don't understand why you would do that to the middle of the field. Now, sometimes if a rush is coming off, you don't necessarily have a choice.

So you just kind of kick it and get the ball off your foot. But I'm with you. I don't understand just kicking it down the middle of the field. Also, I'd like to invite you to my golf club in Austin, Texas for a round. Spanish Oak Golf Club? My man, Craig's living well here. Hey, Middilkoff, can you send me that video of you saying if you draft a kicker in the third round and can't make a kick? You got a real fucking problem?

That's, you better, if you're going to draft a kicker, he better make kicks. Hey, John, very long-time listener and first-time DM her. lifelong Patriot fan and seeing how we just resigned Belichick, Mack Jones is a joke and will inevitably just run it back next year with the same shitty team plus the wrong draft pick Bill makes that doesn't help the offense. I like to have my question be about the Bears, specifically their future decision of being most likely able to draft Caleb with the first pick.

Does it make sense for Chicago to not only draft Caleb but also try to lure Lincoln to take the head coaching job? I would bet he's not going to be able to coach a quarterback of his caliber again. Matt, mispronounced Iberfluse, with a winky face, I said it right, is simply not a good head coach. And they'll most likely also have another top five pick for a skill guy or one of the top O-line edge rushers to accelerate their rebuild. I know the jump from college in the NFL isn't necessarily easy for coaches,

but wouldn't that at least show Bears fans that Poles is trying to turn their fortunes around? I went on this rant a couple weeks ago that when Harbaugh was hired, one, he had played in the NFL for a long time, and his defensive coordinator was a former NFL coach, not a head coach, but Fanjo had coached in the NFL for a while. When Chip Kelly came to the NFL, his downfall turned out to be, one, his offense didn't really change, but to his defensive staff was terrible. He did not know defensive coaches. Pete Carroll, think about him. when he made the transition to the NFL,

he was a former NFL coach, multiple franchises, and basically ran an NFL program at USC defensively. So yeah, Lincoln and the quarterback know each other. The cow bears, who are fucking terrible, just scored 49 points against USC. Now, I understand USC in 2023 is not the 06 Trojans. But come on.

Cal is scoring 49 points against you, I do not think Lincoln Riley is a very good NFL coaching candidate. First, zero experience in the NFL. Zero as a coach or player. Has never worked in the NFL. Two, does not value defense. So when you think about those two, no experience doesn't value defense.

To me, those are just two huge red flags. Think about some of these guys that had no NFL experience, like Chip Kelly was kind of running out of the NFL. Urban Meyer did not make it through the season. You know what both those two guys have in common? They had never worked in the league. Now, Chip was better with players than Urban was. He's the worst case scenario.

Spurrier. And he actually played in the NFL. Obviously, it was a different game probably in the 70s than when he coached in the whatever it was, the late 90s or early 2000s, but still. So I hear what you're saying. I don't think it's a crazy thing to talk about, but I also think it doesn't work.

So I would say if I was the Bears, I would not hire Lincoln Riley. Cowboys fan here. I'm a huge fan of the Tush Push, even though our rival is the one who has mastered it. If other teams in the league have a problem with it, why don't they figure out a way to do it? Obviously, no other quarterback in the league has the leg strength of Jalen. But why not put a defensive end under center to try and do the same thing? I think part of the problem is Jaylen's ability, because he's a quarterback, to naturally get low

while holding the ball. Like the problem with taking a defensive lineman or an offensive lineman doing that, you would not feel good about ball security. Right? If you ever just played catch with a guy, like a Division 2 college wide receiver, or like a really good high school player wide receiver,

or a quarterback or whatever, their feel for the ball is pretty natural, right? It's like if you go to a basketball gym and you watch the former point guard dribble around and he's like, God, he's got a good handle. Then you watch the dude that walks in the gym that's 6-8. They played power forward at some college.

Not a great dribbler. Well, who do you want bringing the ball up the court? The point guard. Who do you want holding the ball? The quarterback, right? So I don't think you trust. Hell, they fumble the tush push. You just, that ball security, right?

We talk over and over and over. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers, turnovers, turn. You can't lose a turnover battle. Well, at least if you're losing the turnover battle, it's a skill guy fumbling or a quarterback throwing a pick. You cannot have your starting or your backup defensive tackle who's your strongest guy on your team fumbling the ball. So in a long way of, a roundabout way of saying,

I think it's really that simple. You would never trust that guy in a big spot, because let's face it, a fourth and one is always a big spot to hold on to the football. The center quarterback exchange, it's not easy. You know, for as easy as these guys make it, we still have balls hit the ground.

And there's just, when would those guys practice? Like, would you spend an extra 30 minutes or 20 minutes a day just doing some snaps for a play you might run once? Seems like a lot of wasted time. And then you still wouldn't trust it. So I think that's the biggest reason. You just would not trust a big guy. In fairness, it's not, that'd be on the coach, not the lineman.

Because I do think, especially the lineman, they're used to playing low. Like, they could get low enough and they're strong enough. But while you're pushing to hold the ball, the points of pressure, I feel like that ball could go all over the place. Okay. Adios, we'll call it a day. Slide in those DMs at John Middlecough. I will talk to you all soon.

Adios. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way

with your favorite therapist and host, Keer Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability

that does not mean that you need to, Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.