The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Tua TNF Scare, Week 4 3 for the $$ Picks

Episode Date: September 30, 2022

John reacts to the sobering sight of Tua Tagovailoa being carted off the field against the Bengals, and if it’s fair to call the Dolphins medical staff into question. He also discusses why the 2021 QB draft class is looking historically disappointing, and under which circumstances he supports fans booing returning former players or coaches. Finally, John runs 3 of his Week 4 NFL picks by Action Network sharp Stuckey to see if there's professional agreement or disagreement!  Subscribe NOW and follow Middlekauff and The Volume on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest content. It's always FanDuel for the best wagering action! #volume #herdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Just watched a little Thursday night football. Bengals win, but the story of the night's the Tua situation, which will dive in right off the top. Some other thoughts on just the draft a couple years ago. Not looking quite as good as we thought when it comes to the quarterbacks, the Mac Jones, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson's situation.

Obviously, Trevor Lawrence looking pretty good though. The booing, I have a couple of thoughts on booing, and then Lamar Jackson. You know, why, you know, the Yankees kind of screwed up with Aaron Judge, and now they're going to pay for it. If I'm the Ravens,

I got to still try to figure out a contract before the season ends with Lamar Jackson. We've got to get this figured out. And then, of course, Midloughoff Mailback at John Middlecoff is the Instagram. Fire in those DMs, as well as if you listen, on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to the

3 and Out feed. Greatly appreciate it. Share it with your friends. Share it with your enemies. Let's just dive right in the podcast. Well, the story of the night was Tua laying there on the ground. And I think I speak for everyone. It's one of the worst things I've ever seen on a football field.

Part of it was Amazon relentlessly focusing and just rewinding to his fingers and his hands uncomfortable. I mean, I can't even imagine, I mean, the pain the guy was in, but the viewer, what are we doing? I get this as your first year doing this, but give me a break. That was outrageous. The whole scene was a tough watch. No way around it. And, you know, it took the whole second half. You're kind of taking it all in. And let's face, I hate this story. I mean, most people do. I'd rather this, obviously you don't root for this to happen. No one wants this to happen. talking about things I do not know. I'm not a doctor.

I didn't go to the medical field. I barely got a fucking degree. But everyone's going to have an opinion, especially in the media. They're loud. And they love having medical opinions that, as we've seen the last couple years, they have no clue what they're talking about.

But on this one, you've earned either the benefit of the doubt or you haven't. And I think the league as a whole has taken huge strides, right? The league forever didn't care about player safety. It's not really debatable. I mean, I was born in the 80s.

In the 90s, they played in terrible stadiums with awful turf, injuries. No one cared. Just throw the guy to the side. And obviously concussions, hell, if you played high school football in the 90s early 2000s, they would tell you to rub some dirt on it and get back in the game. Things have changed a lot in that environment when it comes to head injuries. But I think specifically in organizations, like think about the people in life, that you give the benefit of the doubt to.

It's usually people that have a long history of doing right by you, right? It's like the older you get, they tell you be careful who you trust in business. And at first, that's just a line. Someone's like, be careful, don't trust everyone. And then you get screwed over a couple times. And you realize you're always on your guard, right? But there are people that you haven't seen in 20 years, family friends, people you grew up with, that you would trust with your life, right?

because of you've seen them when you were younger, what they've done for you, your family, like their character speaks for themselves. And then there are people like politicians. 99% of people don't trust any politicians. Why? They constantly lie to us. Why would we believe anything they say?

In the NFL, we're always kind of torn. Like, do they actually care? Are they pretending to care? I don't know. Now, ultimately, the consumer doesn't really care. Ratings are up for record numbers. It's just skyrocketing ratings. But when it comes to concussions, tonight I thought was much more uncomfortable than last week.

But last week was kind of weird, right? We have a long history now of watching guys get concussed, wobble off the field, hit the ground, and they've added this independent neurologist or guys basically to take it out of the coach and the team's hands. So as a coach, I say this all the time around the draft. When a doctor comes to you and says, this guy has a degenerate knee, What are you going to say? No, he doesn't. Of course not.

You're not a medical doctor. You just got to have to go with whatever the doctor tells you. And last week, when Tua was stumbling around, we've all seen enough of these situations to go, sure as hell looks like a concussion to me, but then they come out and say it's his back. And you go, you know, that doesn't really add up. Like his back, like the dude was wobbling around, hit the ground.

And then he came back in the game. So of course they said it wasn't concussion because they couldn't put it back in the game. Now, if this was the Steelers, if this was the Packers, if this was a lot of organizations around the league, you'd be like, you know what? They have a long history. Trust them when they do something. But it's the Dolphins,

who I've said over and over are one of the biggest clown shows in all of professional sports, who ironically, their owner is currently suspended because of everything that happened with Tom Brady. Remember when they tried to land Tom Brady? I always say this about Stephen Ross. He's always trying to do things in a show. shady way and never gets him done. He's always in part of these rumors and they never come to fruition.

So to me, when I see the Miami Dolphins, they don't get the benefit of the doubt. When something happens with the Miami Dolphins like tonight, you go, yeah, something's weird. Something doesn't add up. Now, they don't have an owner. Who's to blame? I don't know. It's Mike McDaniel. Like, was he the guy that cleared him? Of course not. He can't. So is now the doctor to blame? Because our head's going to roll. The NFLPA has been doing an of this for like three or four days since it happened. And obviously tonight was, I mean, awful. But now what happens?

Like, does Tua ever come back? Is this season over? Only time we'll tell. But this is the type of situation that with this organization, and here's the thing with the NFL, the media, the Big Jays, they hold nothing back. This thing is going to be a war zone until people get answers. Think about the NBA. Emeo Doka, who just had some weird thing going on internally with

women. Well, he's protected by Woshe, who is basically allowed ESPN to not attack that situation, because he's been protecting him. The healthiest thing I've always said about the NFL when it comes to the media, no one protects anyone. Like the NBA,

they get very like territorial and they don't want anything to get inside, but it's like in the NFL, it doesn't matter if you cover the sport and that's how you make your money. As a Big J, you will attack and you will go after them. And that's what's going to happen. People are going to go after the Miami Dolphins.

And you would say, based on the last four days, I have no problem with that. But I can't get up here and pretend to know anything that I, you know, I didn't go to medical school. I got no clue. Did it look pretty bad last Sunday? Yeah, it did. Did he come back into the game and they set a back and that didn't add up? Of course it did. Tonight, pretty awful.

But everyone's like, well, last week, I don't fucking know. What if it was his back? Clearly tonight with the fingers, never seen anything like that. that was you get sick to your stomach watching the replays. That was awful. Thank God that he's being taken, you know, he's able to be released from the hospital and fly home with the team. Now, I would say if I was the Miami Dolphins,

probably give him a couple weeks off. I don't care when he's cleared. Like this next game, he probably shouldn't play. Now, the NFLPA, the union, I don't know how this is all going to work, but this is only the beginning. And the media is going to go into full attack mode. There is going to be no one protecting him. specifically because of this organization.

People do not care about the Miami Dolphins. And people are going to want answers and who you even get answers from? There's not even an owner around. Mike McDaniel, he'll just go, well, the doctor told me this. Chris Greer, the GM, he'll, you know, Florio thinks a bunch of people are going to get fired.

Who knows? Tonight was really ugly. Hard to not get sick to your stomach when watching it. But, man, I mean, it's honestly, you know, the weird part about two of the player, he would make some really good throws and then he would make some deep throws that were pretty horrendous.

And I was like, God, is Tua kind of growing on me? And then he threw a pick. And then that happened. And it was hard to even think about football. The craziest part about the sport is trying to almost watch the game after that happens. I can't imagine trying to play it and trying to reset your mind and play the sport. It's just, I don't think we give enough credit to the players like the next step and you just go full go. It's like, at one point in time, I'm like, did this guy just die on the field?

I'm like, is Tua alive? That's what I thought. Is Tua alive? I think a lot of people were thinking that. Is a guy going to get up? And then like 10 minutes later, they're just playing a full football game. Teddy Bridgewater comes in. Looks pretty good until he doesn't.

And he throws basically a devastating pick that ended the game. And I say this all the time, basically passed like the first Thursday night game is do you win or do you lose? I mean, it doesn't matter how pretty it was because for a lot of it, Joe Burrow, it wasn't that pretty. Now, ultimately, he made enough throws. T. Higgins made a big play. Jamar Chase made a play. and they won the game. To me, anytime you just want to get at,

you could argue even the first Thursday night game on that, you know, the Charger Chiefs game. Because obviously as the year goes long, you have like, you know, by the time you get to like November and December and you're playing on a short week, that is just brutal. The only thing you care about winning the game,

get out of there. The Bengals did it. Let's face it, they've kind of, I don't want to say save their season, but at 0-2, a team that was just in the Super Bowl were like, I thought the Bengals were going to be some power. then they look pretty shitty the first two weeks. Now they're two and two.

Feels like they got a little momentum. Now they got kind of the mini buy. Their passing game with Burrow, Higgins, and Chase is just pretty awesome when it's on. I mean, Higgins, I say it all the time. I was way off. I did not realize he was that good. Obviously, Jamar Chase, who's kind of had a slow start to this season. It is a star.

So as long as you got those two guys and Joe Burrow with Mixin, if your defense just plays solid, like you're a playoff team. And the crazy part about Joe Burrow is I was thinking tonight, like, relative to Justin Herbert, who physically is just this monster, has this enormous arm. Like, Joe Burrell's not the biggest guy. He doesn't have the biggest arm. He just, I say this all the time, like some guys just have instincts to play the position, and he is just an instinctive player.

Because he's not the most physically gifted by any means. But the dude can really play. And really, since the Bengals got him, he changed their franchise. They obviously hit on the two wide receivers. But like you watch them the night, they're flawed. By no means are they some eight, I wouldn't call them. I was going to say I wouldn't call them a power. When I say that, I mean top to bottom, their roster is still got some major flaws,

but they're a good team. And they have a chance to beat anyone specifically because of the quarterback and really the two wide receivers, just a big time playmaker. So, you know, you say big win for the Bengals, feels weird to say on a night where, again, we thought a guy might have died on the field, but seems he's okay. Flying home with the team, prayers up to Tua. Yeah You know, I've been thinking this week about drafts

There's already a ton of buzz on the draft coming up With the quarterbacks You know, Will Levis has a big game this morning The Kentucky quarterback that's going to be a top five pick Bryce Young, obviously Alabama's quarterback C.J. Stroud We've been hyping, definitely Stroud and Bryce up now for a season Levis has entered the chat And the simple

reality when you get around drafts, the hype on quarterbacks, it just gets outrageous when there are good ones, right? And this last year was pretty terrible. And it was kind of universally agreed upon not very good quarterbacks. You know, Malik Willis, third rounder, Desmond Ritter, third rounder, like the majority, like we had one guy taken number 20 overall. And I thought it was pretty nuts. Some Seeler fans disagreed. But for the most part, when a guy, when a quarterback doesn't get taken to the 20th pick and then another guy does not go until the third round. It tells you everything to know what you need to know in a league where half the teams are always looking for quarterbacks.

Even if you got a decent one, you'll always draft a guy high if he's talented. And it was very reflective. But two years ago, it was a loaded draft. The league told you, it's not necessarily my opinion or Mel Kuyper's opinion or McShea or whoever, even when Mayock was doing it or DJ. It's about what the league thinks. The league determines the market, not the hype, not the fans, the players in the league, right? The talent coming in the league and then the league what they value in your ability.

And for the most part, if you can play at certain positions, you're getting drafted high, right? You could be a fantastic running back and not go to the second round, right? Breece Hall, the dude from Iowa State, stud. Like, it just, it doesn't, it's not a reflection that he can't play. It's just his position. Safeties, right? They drop in the draft. If you can rush the passer, if you can play offensive tackle, or you can throw the ball,

you get drafted high, right? Oceanfront property usually goes for more money than, you know, property in the middle of the desert. It's just the nature of the value in real estate, right? No different in football. Quarterbacks get drafted higher than a lot of positions. When all things are equal. And last year, things weren't two years ago. We viewed like they weren't either, but on a good, you know, from the side that there

were going to be a bunch of stud quarterbacks. and I'll be honest, I kind of bought into it because let's face it, the hype machine create some group think. I'll never forget this. And I'm not claiming to be some scouting genius. But, you know, when I first got in the league, like they don't want your opinions on every player.

And they definitely don't want your opinions on the good ones. So, like, my first year, as the lowest guy in the totem pole, they weren't asking me what I thought of first rounders and the high-priced free agents. They did not give a shit. And looking back, they should not have. My opinion was irrelevant.

But I will never forget. Just firing through some of the guys are going to get drafted high. And I remember watching Trent Williams. Not Trent Williams, Trent Richardson, the running back from Alabama. And I remember thinking, I'm like, you know, I wouldn't say I don't really see it.

But I remember thinking like, you know, I'd been watching tape all year long. And I knew at the time what played in the league. And I just remember having a couple thoughts. Like, I don't know, man. This guy's going to go in the top 10 or whatever. and, you know, I didn't say anything. I actually mentioned something in like a group setting

and people like, Middle Cop, he's a stud. And then that was that, and then it turns out robust, but that's neither here nor there. But the reality is when you come out and say, some players are universally just agreed upon. Nick Bosa, everyone thought he was good. Vaughn Miller, you know, you just go year to year. But some players, there's going to be polarization in a room.

And I think the quarterbacks a couple years ago, beside Trevor Lawrence, who I would say for the most part, universally everyone thought he was the most talented guy, most accomplished guy, had the physical skills. And let's face it, now that he has a real coach, looks like he's going to be a rocket ship and changed Doug Peterson's life. But the other guys, it was like, Zach Wilson played at BYU against nobody his junior year because of the COVID season. They lost to Coastal Carolina and he went number two. And through two years, it's not gone well and he's been banged up a lot. Trey Lance, who let's face it, if you didn't work in the NFL, no one saw a snap the guy played, or you live in North Dakota.

And we just assume the physical attributes, the high character guy, we kind of bought into it, his first two years. Not all of his fault. Didn't start last year because of Jimmy, but when he did, he got banged up, sprained his knee, hurt his thumb, a little random, whatever, but then this year shatters his ankle. So you would say, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance's career, not off to roaring starts. Some of it out of their control, but injuries, the best ability, sometimes availability, and they both been banged up.

and then you get to the third guy, you know, off the board, non-Trever Lawrence, Justin Fields. I was a big believer in. Loved him at Ohio State. The speed, the arm strength, the game that he had against Clemson. Listen, I said coming into the year, it's going to be difficult for the guy, defensive head coach, not many weapons. But I've seen a lot of people breaking it down. Like, even if you take that out independently, like we all understand, he's not dealing with a loaded deck. He's been atrocious.

It has not been good. I saw PFF did this breakdown of some of his misthrows. And I just watched this two-minute clip. I'm like, God, maybe I need to watch a little more Bears football. I was a Justin Fields guy. But even a Bears fan go, you know, probably could be going a little bit better. And then Mac Jones, one, just not that talented. Two, wasn't playing that well.

And now he's got a major injury. We'll see how Major, you know, Belichick pushes back. Ultimately, my point is that the draft is really hard. You know, you are taking, one, we're dealing with human beings. Right? So fields, Trey Lance, ton of talent. Size, speed. Fields way faster in Lance. Big arms. Like playing quarterback's hard. It encompasses a lot more than just throwing in T-shirts and shorts. This is also a talk to myself because I buy into it. And let's just face it, the majority of guys that get drafted at quarterback, especially high, are not going to be good. Because I just thought, oh, three or four of these guys are obviously Trevor Lawrence be a pro bowler.

couple more guys be really good. Trey Lance dominate with Kyle. Fields will end up being good and Mac Jones will just be a 10-year starter. As we see, it's a lot harder than that. And I think we do it all time in the draft. Like, this guy's going to be really good. This guy's going to be really good.

This guy's going to be really good. We only pick a couple guys that will be bad. And the majority of time, most guys are averaged below. Why? It's really hard to play in the NFL. It's very, very difficult. And the hardest position to play is quarterback. It's why they're only such a small percentage

of guys in the league that can do it and do it at a high level. So it just, that draft was so hyped up two years ago. And it's been very, very, it's been a difficult road for a variety of different reasons for them all. And they've all been banged up, right? And it just shows you it's a violent game. It's a very, very violent game. And the other thing is the amount of defensive linemen who have come into the NFL over

the last several years is pretty crazy. How fast, how athletic, how powerful they all are. It is that there's a lot of people hunting the quarterback right now that can really move. And it's showing on a weekly basis. These guys are running for their lives. Football season is underway. So now is the perfect time to download Fanduel,

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Boohing. I saw Doug Peterson was asked this week. He's obviously going back to Philadelphia. with the Jags and his boy Trevor Lawrence. I think the Jags got a chance. Eagle's clearly a better team. But he wouldn't shock me at the Jack's Day in this game. Big game for Doug. Right. And he talked about the reception he's going to get.

And basically, like, he was there when Andy Reid came back, got a good reception. But he basically said, it's Philadelphia, you never know. And they've had a history, you know, throwing snowballs of Santa Claus. It can be an edgy town. But I was thinking about because week one, everyone kind of freaked out when Seattle booed Russell. And that pissed me off. I try to be pro fan.

When I go to games ever since leaving radio, I would never sit with the media. I like sitting with the people. I like getting a gauge of the consumer. It's also just more enjoyable. You get to drink and eat and screw around. I like sitting in the stands. I used to not when I was in the media. And I've said this over and over.

I got a much better gauge doing what I do now, never sitting up there and sitting in the stands. I feel I relate better just in terms of talking about it. And I don't claim to go to that many games anymore. But when I do, I pay for a ticket. And I never have an issue with fans who pay for a ticket. Because I think a lot of the media loses touch with how much tickets cost. When I went to the week 18 game, to the Niner game with two other people,

now granted, it was a enormous game, L.A., I mean, perfect kind of mix. we had good seats that next to Danny Trejo. I think the tickets cost close to two grand for three seats. Now, you could argue three seats, weird number, two and four are typically cheaper when you buy them together. But still, like, it is very, very,

I say it all the time about the NBA. I never get mad at fans for being pissed off when guys sit. Have you Google, like how much it cost to go watch the LeBron James or Steph Curry or Yonis play? These tickets are not cheap. So I always try to be pro-consumer, pro-fan. The guy paying to go

you know, sit in the stands and drive to the stadium, pay for a fucking hot dog and a beer that cost way too much, and then deal with traffic getting home. It's an all-day ordeal going to a game. Trust me, I've been to a million of them. And it, you know, it's all Sunday. You don't get to watch the other games. You are there to watch whatever game you're going to see. That is your Sunday. And when everyone booed Russell Wilson, people were like, and I know Colin was like, how could they pull him? Well, he asked to leave the team. He was a guy demanding a trade in a Russell Wilson way, so he didn't actually go Kevin Durant demand the trade.

But we're not idiots. This isn't in 1967. We have the internet. We know how these things work. The dude demanded a trade. So if you demand a trade from my team, even if you're the best player I may ever see, you're the best quarterback we've ever had.

I'm allowed to boo you. Because ultimate, I live in this town. I root for this team. I loved you because you were a part of this team. but then when you say go basically trade me, I want out of here. I can also be mad at Pete for capitulating your demands and pissing you off, but I can be mad at you for basically saying, screw you to Seattle. Because my reaction as a fan is, screw you.

And I'll boo you. Even though in five years when you come back or you retire, I'll give you a standing up. But when we play you, the first game after you demanded a trade, I know you claim you didn't, we all know you did. I'm allowed to boo you. So there are some rules with booing and not booing Because Doug was basically like I don't know how it's gonna go

And my one rule One you're allowed to boo anyone on the opponent So if you play for the other team Whether you like cabs Remember when LeBron went to Miami? They were allowed to say whatever they want Now you can say you know I'm not big on Messing with people's family in the stand

Hate that whenever someone's fucking with someone's parents or their wife I'm talking about the people on the field you're allowed to boo the opponent. I remember Pete took hell when they asked him leading up to that Seattle, Denver game, what do you expect out of the 12s? This is competition. We are trying to win the game. I expect them to support us, and they did.

Number two, like I say with Russell, when you're famous player, LeBron, when he leaves you, or Russell demands a trade, it's fair game. Now, over time, you should show them some respect. Give them a standing O. But that first year, it's all fair game. I do not believe in Doug Peterson's case, when he returns, he led you to a Super Bowl, the first Super Bowl in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles. And one, he didn't try to like get traded to the Jags or force his way out.

He got fired. So not only should Doug Peterson not fall under the camp of Russell Wilson or LeBron when he returned to Cleveland, he should be the opposite. where he gets a standing ovation. And if Jeffrey Lurie, who I would expect him to do this, should have some sort of ceremonial video tribute, whether it's a minute, two minutes, for Doug, either before kickoff after the first quarter,

he deserves to be celebrated. So while I'm all four, if a player, if Jason Kelsey tomorrow said, I hate the Eagles, I want out, trade me. They traded them to the Cowboys and came out. Jason Kelsey, who's one of the greatest players in the history of the Eagles, the Eagles would be allowed to boo him. But when the coach is fired, he has to sit out a year, and then he has to go to the Jaguars,

which let's face about six months ago, we all thought, that's a shitty job. Turns out, actually, it's a pretty sweet job. Standing ovation. Cheers. Salutes and respect waves. Doug has earned that right. And honestly, having lived in Philly for a couple years, I fully expect him to get it. And last but not least, Aaron Judge, who is, who, from the Central Valley. And I grew up in Davis, but it's basically right next to Sacramento. And from

Sacramento down to Bakersfield is considered the valley. I consider it the valley. Now, to me, the Central Valley is probably more Stockton to Bakersfield. But, you know, I'm north of that. So we go up to Sacramento. And to me, that area encapsulates in California much more middle of America vibes than you will ever get in San Francisco or Los Angeles. And my dad was a former, and I have family that born and raised in Fresno. I've spent a lot of time from basically Stockton down to Fresno. And it's a very different, I know a lot of you that don't live in California, view us through the prism of, now me, I'm actually moving to Scottsdale,

driving down there on Friday, but from San Francisco and Los Angeles, when there is a large percentage of people that live much, much differently than the big city elites. And I've always resonated with those people because, one, my dad was a farmer, spent more time on this side than I ever did in San Francisco, Los Angeles, in the big cities. And two, I ended up going and working for Fresno State, which started my career, which in a weird way led me to doing this now. And I definitely follow every guy that played at Fresno State. And Aaron Judge, who is from a small town in the Central Valley called Linden, who when I was at Fresno State, one of our student assistants, Derek Ray, who is now basically the general manager at Florida State,

they basically grew up together or in the same town. I think Derek's a little older. And one of my other good buddies, Vincent Recruity, who played a big role at Fresno State football. He's essentially now like a booster. He, you know, farming family. He's become a very successful businessman. He has become friends with Aaron Judge.

Now, he's much older than Aaron Judge in his 40s, but Aaron Judge spoke at something for him. He has young kids. He has been out at Yankee Stadium for like the last week and a half, just hanging with Judge, Judge hanging with his kids. And everything I know, I don't know Judge personally,

but through every person that I know that knows Aaron Judge, they swear by the guy. And then watching the way Aaron Judge, you know, kind of the way he acts and conducts himself, it has a very Derek Jesus. Peter, Peyton Manning, professional vibe. Even if you don't know anything about the guy, where he's from, the culture of what he's about, it's hard to go, that's not a super high level guy.

Then when you factor in, he's six foot fucking seven, 200 and whatever hits bombs and dominate you go, that's everything you can want. And I think sometimes we overthinking sports, like Aaron Judge turned down $215 million from the Yankees before the season. I thought it was kind of crazy because he had battled some injuries. You know what it turns out? It wasn't not only crazy to, it would have been crazy to accept the offer. Because at minimum he's doubled it.

But two, he is everything you can want, right? He's a great player on the field, and he's an incredible high character, leader, worker, off the field. And sometimes in sports, I think we can kind of nitpick that guy when it's like, not everyone is just going to be ideal, right? Like Mahomes, guest to the league, MVP, Super Bowl. It's like, yeah, no-brainer, pay him everything you want. Even Steph Curry, people forget early on in his career. He kept getting hurt.

He kept having ankle injuries. And they paid him a very, very small contract, which ultimately led them to be able to go get Kevin Durant. But early on, people questioned, could this little guy say healthy? No one ever questioned like, Steph Curry is everything you want in terms of work ethic, character, ability. He was like this hybrid. But then he started staying healthy. His teammates got a little bit better. And they became a dynasty led by him.

Right. Some people shoot like a rocket ship immediately like Patrick. homes. That's kind of an outlier. Josh Allen, remember a couple years ago? It was like he'd become a really good player. They give him all this money. You're like, that was still pretty bold. No, actually it wasn't.

They know the character. They know the guy physically on the field. It keeps getting better. Now it's pretty obvious. He's like an incredible player. It's like, what are we talking about? Isn't part of investing in sports as a general manager as a front office trying to get the highest character guys who are also the elite talents?

Like, not everyone is going to win a championship. Josh Allen, for example, may never win a championship. It kind of sounds crazy to say that out loud. It is not guaranteed that Josh Allen is ever going to have a ring. I think it's pretty clear he has Hall of Fame talent. He is going to be an incredible player for a long time if he stays healthy. But there is no guarantee that him and the bills are going to be Super Bowl champions.

There's no guarantee Mahomes will ever do it again. But he's already did it and you already knew he could. Even though I watched Josh Allen and it feels like I know he can too, but he may never actually do that. And Aaron Judge, baseball is a little bit different. because one guy can't like, the Yankees could get swept in the first round. That doesn't diminish anything Aaron Judge did. Hell, Aaron Judge could go hitless in that playoff series.

You would still go, well, he's still a great player. He still worth $400 plus million. I was thinking about Lamar Jackson, who has 10 touchdowns through the first three games. He has been remarkable. And off the field, one reason I've really gravitated toward him, one, the, just everything, the way he just as the years went, the way he conducted himself, his mindset,

whenever people talk shit, how unfazed he was, in a day and age when younger athletes get so sensitive about stuff, i.e. Kevin Durant and guys like that, he was the complete opposite. I was like, I love this guy. And then he kept getting better

and he kept dominating. And I was like, you know what? I'm a huge Lamar Jackson fan. Early on, when he was drafted, I'm like, I don't see it. And two years later, it's like, I'm in. I'm in the Lamar Jackson camp. I'm in the Lamar Jackson boat.

And now I'm thinking, obviously, they couldn't come to a contract. If I'm the Ravens, I'm still trying to work this out. I know he claims, I'm not worried about it. I want to get him signed. There's no guarantee

Lamar Jackson is ever going to win a Super Bowl. Just like Josh Allen, no guarantee. There's no guarantee Aaron Judge is ever going to win a World Series. Hell, he may never get there. But do you ever hesitate

having guys like that on your team? Do you ever feel when you have a guy like that, great player, great character, great person, you ever regret having him around? I just think sometimes these teams, and I don't blame the Ravens, like I said, I thought Lamar Jackson made somewhat of a mistake, but I got to try to meet him in the middle. Because I got to have him on my squad for the next four or five years. I don't even want to mess with this every year, just like the Yankees. Do you think the Yankees regret, should we just offered him $300 million? Should we have just done that? Because he probably would have signed it. And now we would

at Aaron Judge under contract. Here's what I know. I know a lot of people in Philly. They don't regret the Bryce Harper contract at all. They love Bryce Harper. He has been fantastic for them. And I don't know much about Bryce Harper's character personality besides seems like a good guy and people like them. But it feels like some of this group, the judges, the Josh Allen's, the Lamar Jackson's, the Mahomes, the Curries, the Auditses. It kind of feels like they're all under the same umbrella. Like, I want those guys on my team. What does it cost? Can I really overpay. Like, can you really overpay for the mansion on the water? Can you really overpay? I don't know. I mean, I think historically people would say, no, you really can't. You know?

And I think sometimes with these star athletes, when you get the guy, now listen, anyone get injured. LeBron James could have shattered a leg five years ago. Like, yeah, it's just part of the risk. Mahomes could just get catastrophic injury at any moment. It's sports. But I, you know, part of being in the GM seat or being in the front office seat is like, yeah. Like, you got to kind of remove that. I don't know if you could really play that game. Because for the most part, Lamar's been pretty durable. He had the one injury last year.

But other than that, like, dude answers the bell. And then this year, I'm actually learning more. Like, part of Aaron Judge, it's like he came into the season without a contract. No, he's playing for a big contract. And he's going to hit 65 home runs and potentially win the triple crown for the fucking Yankees. Do you know how impressive that is? Lamar Jackson, like, the contract, the contract, couldn't figure it out. Then he comes and he starts kicking everyone's ass.

that's the level of focus that I would have died for in my mid-20s. I didn't have it. I would imagine most of you listening didn't have it. Can you imagine the pressure? The focus that that takes? I'm actually learning more about Lamar Jackson through this season that I

have the previous seasons and I already learned a lot like the mental capacity on that guy. Let's face it, we have a long history of guys crumbling like a cookie when they get put in this situation. And it's not even that like it's very understandable. If you can't handle the pressure. It's difficult. I mean, the amount of money hanging over your head when you

turn down a contract or you can't come to terms. Like, we're talking, you know, nine figures, right? So, listen, I want Lamar Jackson on my team. If I'm the Ravens, I am continually trying to get this figured out because he is just, he's blown me away with how good he is. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced game. 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.

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Stucky, seven and three. And, you know, one of the great play so far of the year, the fade of the chiefs, which, you know, the numbers backed it up. Didn't look pretty. But not only did they cover, they won outright. And Stucky, you find them on Action Network. You can find them on Action Network podcast on Thursdays, big bets on campus. We know the guy

I mean Kentucky Massive game I mean Mark Stubes might be coached the year on this pace Will Levis kicking everyone's ass Playing Ole Miss

9 a.m. kickoff for us on the West Coast So Stucky's Bar We'll be getting after with his Titos and Red Bulls What's up my man? What's going on then? Yeah

A lot of your listeners were tweeting me for the Colts pick and so I was glad that that came through Harrison Bucker might get himself paid after that performance

with the Chief Special teams and yeah on the west coast 9 a.m. noon uh eastern it is a fantastic early slate for college football so we'll get the weekend started off right on Saturday what uh before we dive into the national football league what do you think kentucky will miss you like kentucky in that game i know it's on the road right yeah it's the line keeps going up so it's hard not to like kentucky at seven chris rodriguez will be back to the kentucky offensive line it's still been a little problematic. Chris Rodriguez fixes a lot of that. He, you know, gets a lot after tackle.

I like the under a little bit too. Ole Miss's offense has been a little problematic. Stoops on the road, 28 and 14 to the under in his career, Kentucky. He talked all week about, oh, now the run game's important because everyone saw Chris Rodriguez. So I think that they're going to try to control the clock, you know, with Rodriguez. take the crowd out of it. And Kentucky's defense doesn't allow a lot of explosive plays. Neither does Ole Miss. So I think that you can see the clock moving fast in this one and maybe look at the under.

Sweet. Well, I'm fascinated. I haven't really watched, I guess I watched Will Levis against Florida. But obviously he's, you know, I mean, he's got potential when the dust settles, who knows? I mean, to be a top two or three pick for sure, size, a big arm. And Kentucky's kicking everyone's ass. Let's dive into the NFL. I guess we could start with the Ravens and the Bills.

I know you dive into these numbers. Statistically, that's got to be one of the greatest outlier games in the history of the league, right? What, 90 plays to, was it 90 to 39? I mean, that's just probably historically an outlier just in it's, there's never been a ratio quite like that. 96, 96 Jags you got to go back to to find a win like a loss like that. What was the play ratio in that game, do you know? I think it was like 80. it crazy.

Five to 38 or something. Yeah, it was doubled up and then the amount of yards given up. And yeah, over 25 years ago. It's weird. I mean, the bills clearly when they were healthier, fantastic, but they're banged up. And then you got the Ravens who, you know, I thought was going to be a Super Bowl contender. And not that they're not, but the reason I thought that, I thought their defense was kind of like what we saw Sunday night with the Broncos and the Niners. You just wouldn't be able to score on them.

But it turns out their defense might not be exactly. as good as we thought. I guess you would just have to go. Lamar Jackson looks fantastic so far this year. Scoring touched. I mean, last week he threw four, ran one. I guess I would probably stay away from this game, but if I was going to bet, I'd go with the Ravens plus three. How about you? Yeah, you have to take the points here.

The Ravens plus three and a half and plus three. First of all, you're getting Harbaugh as a dog. He's one of the great underdog NFL head coaches and NFL head. or just behind Tomlin and Peyton, the third most profitable, is John Harbaugh. He's also 4-0 against the spread as a home dog over the last four years while Lamar has been there. This is one of the best staffs in the NFL, one of the best special teams units in the NFL. So you're going to get all of those little things in a big game. And look, by the way, the Ravens, the Bills had an outlier loss.

So did the Ravens. The Ravens had a 99% post-game win expectancy against the Dolphins. And they gave up a bunch of explosive plays at the end. The Dolphins scored 20 points. Those are the last two Dolphins wins, by the way. So perception of the Ravens, if they had won that game, and if the bills are one, again, these are two, three, and O teams. The difference is Buffalo is not the same team they were coming into the year.

For example, your cornerbacks are decimated. Your backups are now hurt. You're missing an all-pro who's on IR. Now you put another Pro Bowl safety on IR. And Micah Hyde, his replacement came in last week and was dreadful. He's now the lowest rated safety in the NFL. And so much of what the bills do is predicated on their two safeties on the back end and Hyde and Poir. They have injuries on the offensive line. They have injuries on the third string center last week. They have injuries. Gabe Davis is still banged up. Injuries on the defensive line. So this team is wounded and is coming off, you know, a another road game where they were cramping up all across the field. And now you're going to a Baltimore team that's rolling offensively. I mean, Lamar Jackson, the big question coming to the year for me with Baltimore, I think their defense will be fine. Their secondary, now Peters and Humphrey aren't on a pitch count and they're back. They need some edge rush help.

That's why they signed Pierre Paul and we'll see if Houston's healthy. But I think their defense will figure it out and be okay. It was Lamar against the Blitz. and he's shredded it. You go back to the playoff game that the Bills won against the Ravens a couple years ago. They blitzed 50% of the time. Lamar Jackson was lost.

Lamar Jackson had never thrown for three touchdowns at 150 yards against the blitz in his career. He did it in the first half two weeks ago, and then he did it again last week against the Patriots who blitz 50% of the time. So this offense is rolling. Home Dog, great atmosphere against a wounded bills team.

I think you've got to take the points here. You would say really the only knock on Lomom Obviously, elite player, great guy. Everyone's rooting for them. Are the two playoff games that stand out early on, that Tennessee game when they punked them, I think a couple years ago when they went on that run. And then a couple years later, that Bill's game. So when people just match, and I kind of do it sometimes, can Lamar win the Super Bowl? Well, if he continues to figure it out, like he is every bit as dangerous as these other quarterbacks, right?

Because we've seen him do it in the regular season. The knock is just in the playoffs. Can you fool them? Will he throw picks? Will the passing game, you know, kind of get stalled? well, if they can still be explosive in the passing game, they just, they have one of the better offenses in the league, right?

Yeah, yeah. And look, it's not the best receiving group. He's never had the best receiving group. His offensive lines have banged. I mean, so last week he was playing with a third string left tackle on his blind side, rookie who had never played left tackle in college or the NFL. He just got thrown

in there. The NFL, baby. Shreddy the Patriots. So, yeah, I mean, the question with Lamar is what would the league? league now adjust to because the Ravens have adjusted, but the league is, by the time you get to the playoffs, it's like, all right, here's all the film, here's what's worked, and they don't have receivers that, he's not the most accurate quarterback nonetheless of the history, they don't have receivers that are to go make big plays in cover. So like, it's kind of a cat and mouse

game. At first, everyone played zone and said, we have to face Lamar so he can't run, and he shredded them early. So then they said, let's play, screw this, let's play man. And Lamar couldn't fit it in the tight windows. And he struggled. struggled, started to, you know, his accuracy issues were persisting. Then they said, let's add in the Blitz, covers zero Blitz, struggle some more. Well, now, this day had all offseason to work on this, it looks like against Man and the Blitz, they've had some beaters there. So it's like, okay, what does the league now do to adjust to the obviously unique talent

and offense in the Ravens? Okay, Indy, Tennessee, the divisional matchup of two teams that might not be any good. Now, I know they won last week, but to me, I think Indy stinks. And, you know, Tennessee, not that I'm a huge believer by any means, but, you know, you've, like you just said with Harbaugh, Tomlin, there is something, I think Vrable's really good. And clearly this is a less talented team than he's had, given the injuries they have, and AJ's got traded. But I just, in this situation, I'd have to take him with the points.

How about you? Yeah, I'm going to disagree. I'm going to take the, and by the way, you were right when we went head to head last week with the Lions ended up covering. I like Dan Campbell. You know, shit they should have won, Stucky. I know. All he does is cover.

Yeah, I'm taking the Colts here for one simple reason. I mean, look, the Titans last week, I'm super low on the Titans, and it's of no fault of Rabel. It's of this would happen with this roster. And last week, yes, they beat the Raiders, but the Raiders were in the Red Zone six times and scored 16 points,

including a pick that went off Waller's hands, the Titans got in the Red Zone three times and scored three touchdowns. And it still came down to a two-point conversion that the Raiders couldn't execute on. I was not impressed with the Titans last week. It's just a roster that's void of talent. You're now missing your best edge rusher,

your top receiver from last year, your left tackle and best offensive linemen. And I think what this boils down to is one simple stat. And if you look at the run, if you look at the rush stats for both teams. Rush defense for Indy, tops in the league should get Leonard back to this week so far.

Tennessee, dead last in basic rush defense and rush explosive defense. Everyone is running all over them. No one is running on Indy. Taylor should have a day here. I don't really trust Matt Ryan. He's so I'm falling over the field last week. But Taylor should have a day.

And then Henry should get bottled up, which then just crushes the play action game, which is all Tennessee. he has with their receivers. I think ultimately the best unit on the field will be in these defense at home. So if you can lay a field goal or less, I'll roll with it. But it's, yeah, I agree with you. I think ultimately the Jags win this division. I think I'm with you. Big game. I mean, Jags Eagles, that's honestly one of the top two or three games this weekend. Who would have thought when the season started? Okay. This, you know, for the last 15 years, would have been one of the better

games on the slate. Rogers Brady. Now you remove Brady. Shit, you might remove Mack Jones as well. This could be Rogers Hoyer Lambo Field. There's a lot of points. I mean, nine and a half. I don't know. I mean, I think the Patriots, I just don't think they're very good. Now, I would be stunned if Mack plays. I know Belichick and those guys are so weird with the injuries. Now, Mac hasn't exactly lit the world on fire this year. I mean, I think he's a four or five pick so far. And if he's injured, if somehow he is able to play, that would seem pretty crazy to me. But, you know, maybe Billy Zappy comes out of the bullpen and gets the cover.

This is probably a stay away from me. I know you're leaning one way here. Yeah, I took the Patriots at 10 and a half. You can get double digits. I would take them. I think it's just too many points for this Green Bay offense to lay right now against a not a good. I don't think the Patriots are good. They're not bad, just an average team.

And the Packers are still trying to figure out their offense. I mean, they didn't score in the second half against the Bears. They came out with a great game plan. And Rogers was cooking against Tampa, obviously an elite defense. And then they didn't score again. And they held on for a 14 to 12 win. So without Devante Adams, they're still trying to figure out. what this offense looks like.

I'm assuming the Patriots will have, you know, off a loss, we'll have a great game plan. Last time with the Patriots is on the road after a loss. And by the way, you know, Belichick, 48, 22, and 1 against the spread off a loss. Some of that, yes, is with Brady, but he's had success with Jones, Newton, Castle in this spot. How about this? He's 25 and 3 against the spread on the road after a loss as either an underdog or a favorite of less than 7 points. 25 and 3. That includes 9-0 against the spread as an underdog after a loss on the road.

Obviously, there's some Brady in there as well. So, you know, when I look at this game from an X and O's standpoint, there's a couple things that are... Are you expecting Hoyer to play in this game? Yeah, expect Hoyer. Now, the last time Hoyer started, he's lost 11 straight starts. He's like 60% against the spread there. He's covered his dog more times than not. He was double-digit, catching double digits against the Chiefs.

And so only time Belchick's Arabian caught double-digit in his career a couple years ago. when the chiefs were rolling. He missed, he did, forgot the, you know, spiked the ball, the end of the half-bustum points, had a bad pick. So you got to hope that that doesn't happen. Then Stidham came in. Maybe Bailey Zappy comes in and gets the back door if that, if he plays like that again, and I love Bailey Zappy.

But, yeah, I expect Hoyer here at least knows the offense. But what New England could do here is lean on its run game. You can run the ball a little bit on Green Bay. Jaya Alexander, their top corners, a little banged up. I think they'll probably play really slow, shorten the game. Green Bay also tends to play really conservative at the end of the games once they have a lead. And then another factor is the special teams. The Packers special teams have been disastrous for two years,

one of the worst units in the NFL, cost them a playoff game last year. Patriots are always going to be in the top half. I mean, Nick Folk never misses from under 50. He's think he's made 54 in a row. Some hidden points there, Belichick off a loss, double digits against the Packers' office. so trying to figure itself out. I'll take it, but it's a hold your nose play. Okay.

You know, you were on the Raiders last week. It was hard for me to disagree with you. They just, something feels off with them. You know, there have been a lot of just on social media breakdowns of Derek, him and Devonte not being on the same page. Clearly, I, you know, I haven't followed Carr's career since Fresno State. I think he's under so much pressure in his own head and he's just not playing that well. in what's crazy because he's got Waller, he's got Devante, he's got Josh, it's just not really worked. Now, there's no team, given their expectations coming in the season, probably that's more must-win.

I mean, you go on four, like, I mean, we're headed toward like a six-win season. But I don't love the matchup here. Like, listen, the Broncos offense, something's off, but that defense is legit. I mean, I think the team speed, the pass rush, the corners, I mean, they can put Sartan, fall. around Devante, he's elite. I think it's going to be hard. This is not the game that you want to be in must win, just given the defensive matchup for an offense that clearly they're just not on the same page.

And it's just, which is crazy given their talent. I don't know if I could lay money on the Broncos because I don't trust what Hackett and Russell, but I have a hard time seeing the Raiders flourish against this defense. Yeah, I'm hesitantly back. the Raiders here. If it doesn't work out, it might be the last time all season. Yeah, I couldn't go. Do you agree, though, the matchup of their offense? Do you view the Broncos defense as top-notch?

Yeah. I know they're top 10 unit for sure with upside for top five. And the, but here's the thing. This is sort of a perception thing in that, yes, there's something, there's something along of both of these teams. Broncos' offense is inept. Yeah, it looks bad. Russell Wilson looks like he's Brian Hoyer.

And he might be washed a little bit. He also just isn't being Russell Wilson in this offense. He can't run around. That's how he makes plays. Without that, Russell Wilson, you might as well bring back Drew Locke. If you're not going to let him run around and sit in the pocket, he's been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL with a clean

pocket too. If you just look at completion percentage over expectation, fourth word. And we're talking about guys like, Gino Smith's been a lot better than him throwing the ball. It's crazy. So I'm good at, there's some expectation here, like the perception of, yes, there's something off with the Raiders, but they almost win that game against Tennessee. They go one of 12 on the third down. They score 16 points in the red zone. Waller drops two touchdown passes.

They lose by two because they don't get a two-point conversion late. Okay. They were right there. They played the Chargers even. statistically in week one on the road when the charters were healthy. When I think the charge are healthy, one of the best rosters in NFL. And then they took their foot off the gas up three touchdowns in the first half. Lose on a fluke, maybe the two-point conversion.

By the way, if two-point conversions go differently, they could be two-and-one. And then they lose them in overtime on a hundred rent-row fumble. So yeah, things aren't right, but like they could easily be three and oh, two-and-one, instead they're all in three. And on the other hand, Denver could be. oh and three. You know, Jimmy G doesn't step out of bounds and the Texans

like they had a fight toothed and nail to be the Texans at home in Denver where they're always good early in the year with that attitude advantage. So yeah, there's some, I just don't trust this Denver offense yet and the Raiders are something off and I don't trust McDaniels but

they haven't been as bad as everyone is making it. Like they are right in games. I'll give them one more shot to get this done because I think Russell, Wilson, coming out after the win over San Fran and saying this is a championship effort. Like, the other team stepped out of bounds. Like, that's a championship effort. So I don't think they're going to make any drastic changes yet.

I do love that hack. It said, okay, I don't know how to do game management. They brought a Ravens guy in. I like that, like admitting your mistakes. But Russ is off now. I'll trust the Raiders. One more shot. I hope they throw it at Adams 30 times.

But everyone is, it's a week. the week league. Everyone is making way too much of the Raiders 0 and 3 start because I agree with the Broncos enough enough of slack slack because they could easily be 0 and 3 and the Raiders could be 3 and 0.

They're not that far off but there is something off with both of these teams. I agree with trust the home team. I agree both these two teams fall under the umbrella like stud players kind of everywhere like I mean the right Max Crosby looks fantastic this year and obviously they got studs on offense same Broncos

Where's Chandler Jones? Channel Jones needs a show off. That's been a disaster siding so far, for sure. The one thing that would make me nervous in this game is the Raiders' offensive line. That Broncos, I mean, Randy Gregory was flying around last week. This is an interesting watch. You know, whatever side you back, this is going to be fascinating because if the Raiders go 0 and 4, Josh McDaniel is a one and done guy, and like you said, the Broncos, at any moment, they can lose again,

and all of a sudden it feels like their franchise is on fire. Yeah, I saw something. someone on Twitter say Belichick didn't name an offensive coordinator because he knew McDaniels would be back in five weeks. That was a good one. Which honestly, who knows? Could happen.

Belichick, you know, they might win four games. Belichick gets fired, mutually departs. Josh McDaniel just goes back and becomes a head coach. I could see that. Keep an eye on that one. Yeah. By the way, I saw you tweeting about Mark Davis other day. I was in Vegas at a casino hammered maybe, I think,

a year, two, two and a half years ago. and I'm walking through the Venetian, and I see Mark Davis walking right by me by himself, and he's walking out towards the valet. I just stopped, Hammer, and start talking. I say, hey, and I start talking about football. He talks me and walks with me talking about the Raiders and the NFL for about six minutes, and then I shake his hand, and I stumbled up to my room.

It was amazing. I'll say this. People think I'm Mark Davis hater. I do make fun of them. I mean, it's funny on social media. When you interact with him one-on-one, I've only talked to a couple owners in my life. He is as normal of a human that can possibly own a major franchise in the world. Yeah, you never think of looking at him, but yeah.

No, you would not. He is a man of the people, Stucky. Well, let's win some money. Go Kentucky Wildcats. And Raiders Broncos. Can't wait for that one in the afternoon. Yeah, should be a holiday weekend. Good luck.

Later, bro. A 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?

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