The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Wentz Eye Test; Joe Judge Love; Tua Time; Ravens Ngakoue Value; Justin Fields Draft Stock; 3 for the $ Week 7 ATS Picks; Mailbag

Episode Date: October 23, 2020

In this episode, John reacts to the Eagles TNF win over the Giants and explains why Carson Wentz still obviously passes the eye test despite heavy criticism this year, why he likes what he sees from Joe Judge after heavily criticizing him before the season, why the Dolphins made the right call to start Tua now, how the Ravens managed to get insane value for Yannick Ngakoue from the Vikings, why Ohio State QB Justin Fields can solidify his draft stock by playing this season, gives his 3 for the $ week 7 NFL picks, and answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag. Follow John on Twitter and SUBSCRIBE now to get all the latest content!! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1800flowers.com.

From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1,800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted flowers. rose medley for $3999 or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. What is going on, everybody, John Middlecalf, three in-out podcast. Just finished Eagles Giants.

Somehow made it through. It was crappy, then it was kind of entertaining, then it was crappy again, and then it was really entertaining at the end. We'll obviously dive into this game right off the top. Some thoughts on Wince. I might have to, you know, take an L on Joe Judge. I crushed him for making coaches run, but I've been impressed with this football team

the last four or five games, really ever since that week two game against the Niners. I've got to tip my hat to them. Then we're going to dive into a lot of stuff. Tua, his name starter, have some thoughts there in regards to Fitzpatrick. The Ravens made a bit of them. big trade, why it was just a clinic on value. Some thoughts on Justin, not, yeah, Justin Fields,

almost said Justin Herbert. Justin Fields and the kind of the season he's embarking on, you know, I think it's pretty clear Trevor Lawrence as the top quarterback in the draft. But Justin Fields was the guy that led the charge for Ohio State and the Big Ten, you know, as a player to come back. I think he can really cement himself in this upcoming next, you know, seven or eight games you play in the Big Ten, probably the playoffs, and he's on a stack team. And it's going to be fun to watch him starting Saturday. Three for the money, as always, pick three games that I like. And I actually really like three of these games.

What else do we have going? Middlecoff Mailbag at John Middlecough, of course, slide up into those DMs. At John Middlecough is my Instagram. I've been saying I don't think it's going to happen this week, maybe the next couple weeks. Maybe my timeline was off. I'm a little in the dark on this. Again, I'm trying to make excuses, but still subscribe to the podcast,

Three and Out, Stitcher, Spotify, Apple, wherever you, the three and out with John Middle Coffee. If you listen through Collins Feed, greatly appreciate that. I think I should still be on Collins Feed for a little while. But it could happen at any moment,

so just keep your head on a swivel. Like, what would Belichick? Just be ready. You just never know. But that's the only update I have, now. Let's just start with the Eagles and Carson Wentz. I think sometimes you just need to trust your eyes. And everything now is so analytically driven. I would say just the way we operate in society. Numbers are so prevalent. I don't know any human that works in any sort of business that if you go

to their office, they don't have the Excel spreadsheet open. And rightfully so. But I think in football and basketball, definitely in baseball, numbers are a huge part of the way we evaluate. players. They've always been a huge part in the way we evaluate businesses, the way we evaluate employees, right? Are you making money or you're losing money? In football, it's always been a huge part. The statistical, you know, if you throw touchdowns, throw picks, throw yards, whatever. We've divin, I don't think that's a word, we've dove much deeper into the numbers, right? Just because you throw for 400 yards, if 200 of those came after the catch, like, we understand that now. We've become more.

educated with numbers and I'm pro numbers. But I think sometimes when you just look at a box score, it can be disingenuous is the wrong word, but it cannot paint the whole picture. And listen, you could probably call me a Carson-Wilts defender, but I'll be the first to say he has made some very, very shitty plays this year. Like just some head scratching, you can't make that if you're a max quarterback. He made it tonight on Thursday night football, a hero ball play. And sometimes he takes on this hero syndrome.

But I was thinking about this watching the game. Pro sports, and maybe like Hollywood and music probably too, is probably one of the only industries where an entire company can be based on a guy in their 20s. Most companies, right, are run independent on CEOs or whoever, people to just think about like a normal restaurant. Typically the guys run like their 40s or their 50s. Pro sports give all this money depend on these guys that are in their mid-20s.

That is a lot of pressure. And I think some guys, sometimes, especially at the quarterback position, when you have injuries, can try to do too much. Now, that doesn't mean you also do dumb things while you're trying to do too much, because he does. He makes some hero ball plays. And he has, I don't even know,

I think he had seven touch interceptions coming into today. He threw one, so he's got a lot of picks this year. He's on pace for, you know, like 20 interceptions. this year. It's not pretty. And it's got to stop. But if you can't watch the end of that game, and I think we all acknowledge, he's playing with offensive linemen you've never heard beside Kelsey. He's got his best offensive lineman Lane Johnson out there.

It looks like he's playing 50% coming in and out of the game. They're wide receivers. I follow football for a living. Really the only profession I've ever done has either been working football or talk about football, that I've been actually paid to do. since college. I've never heard of these guys. I mean, I have now the Folgham guy. No one knew who that guy was till three weeks ago when he caught the game-winning pass against the 49ers. Never heard of the guy. Of course not. He went to Old Dominion. Even Greg Ward, Jr., who he knew as the

quarterback, we didn't know about that guy until last year when they, you know, took him off the practice squad. They're playing with the Rogers tight end, the dude that went to Green Bay. I think he's a cow. He played for the Packers, but he went to Cal. That's who they're playing with. Why? Because urch is hurt, Goddard's hurt. Miles Sanders or second round starting running back is not there. They're playing with a bunch of randoms. And when the dust settled, he threw for 360 yards

and threw the game-winning touchdown. Now, it's against the Giants who are not good. And the Eagles, to win a game, they are typically going to have to win it at the end of the game. And it's not going to be pretty. But I think coming into the game, he was missing nine of his 11 starters to start the year. and Deshawn came back tonight

and then it looked like he like shattered his knee in the punt return. And I like Doug and I'm a big fan of Doug Peterson. Some of his play calling sometimes had me scratching my head through a fade. I don't know if it's Carson checking at the line.

You never know. So do I give the people that I know a little bit of benefit out? Sure. So I'm not going to like, did Carson check it? Did Doug call it? If Doug called Hakeem Butler fade in the middle of the fourth quarter,

I can't defend that. If Carson's calling that fade, I can't defend that either. Like, that's idiotic. You can't run that play. There are two-point plays right now are disaster. But Carson, and I tweeted this right before I came into the office to press record, we can shit on the kid all we want. I don't, but I'm just saying, like, Twitter and analysts and people that just say he sucks.

The overwhelming majority of the NFL. Let me repeat that. The overwhelming majority of the NFL would take him. I think every team in his division. Dax's broken ankle, but Carson or Dack, we saw last year. Carson outplayed him in the game they had to have. The Giants, yep, Washington, yep.

Chicago Bears, yep. Minnesota Vikings, yep. Atlanta Falcons, yep. Carolina Panthers, yep. Sean Payton, you think he'd kick Drew Breeze the curb right now for Carson Wentz? Of course he would. Brouserians, he'd probably actually like him, but I mean, Tom Brady's playing fine.

Cardinals, no. Rams, yep. Hell yes. Like a lot of teams would take this guy. I just listed the NFC. More than half the teams in the NFC. Wouldn't even flinch. Some of these guys I'm taking that he'd replace

are 25, 30 million dollar quarterbacks. So listen, is the guy struggling? Has he made some boneheaded plays? Of course. Is he a freak talent and a guy that, if you can't see, if this guy gets it together and they just can stay healthy? And people hit me up all the time.

Like, who's to blame? Well, listen, I'm not a doctor. I just went to a state school. And I didn't go to that many classes. But I don't know that much about when I have something weird happened to me, I immediately call my doctor. I know nothing about injuries, medicine, beside the ones I've had. I do believe, because I saw it with the Niners, who last year, the last couple years have had very similar to the Eagles. Both teams fired doctors, trainers, strength staff, did total.

overhauls, both teams are still in shambles this year. I do think there's a randomness to it. Do I think like the trainers are causing more high ankle sprains? I don't. Again, not a doctor. Just Cal Poly and a little graduate degree of Fresno State. So, you know, I don't think anyone gets me mixed up for a Harvard medical student. But just having been around the sport and just seeing guys go down and practice

and seeing the consistency of a team like the Eagles that I invests a ton of money into trainers, doctors, recoveries, everything regarding health. I do think it's random. I know that's like, oh, you're just covering up. No, I mean, I just, I'm just telling you, I don't think there's any correlation with them screwing this up because it happened all over the league. Now, does it happen more to them? Yes.

Does it probably drive them crazy? Of course. But I do think there's some randomness to it. And the one guy who's kind of been healthy in all this, which is kind of weird, is Carson. He played 16 games last year, obviously got the concussion in the playoffs, played all the games this year,

and if he got hurt, I mean, it wouldn't win a game. They wouldn't sniff a win. So I just think sometimes when you take a deep breath with the wents, look away when he throws the crazy bonehead play, but acknowledge this dude, if they could ever get the right pieces around them just on the field, I think they have some of them on their team, he'd be a star, or at least have the chance to be a star.

Because right now, he's still having game winners. I get it against the Giants. But let's just pump the brakes a little bit on ones. And to the Giants. I was really hard on Joe Judge during training camp. Because I think sometimes when you do collegiate things in the pros, I think it's dumb. Now, there are elements to the sport of football that it is a kid's game. So there are parts of like screaming in the locker room and just,

doing things that will always translate. But when I saw that he made the coaches run, I was like, what are you doing? Now, full disclosure, I met him at the combine. Through a mutual friend, I went up, and I know people that know him, love him, really impressed by him. I was getting a little stationary bike ride before the game,

and Carissa Thompson did the sit-down with him. He is really impressive. There is no disputing that. Joe Judge is an impressive individual. I'll get might give him a pass for the coaches running because since the nineer game they played the Rams tough lost that game 17 to 19 or 17 to 9 but that game was really close going into the fourth quarter cowboy game 37 to 34 right in that game last week Washington won at 20 to 19 and then today it took a wence basically walk off touchdown

to beat him the last four games this guy's team has played their ass off for Joe Judge When I watch Joe Judge's team, I think they don't have much talent. I actually kind of like Daniel Jones. Sometimes I hate him and sometimes like, you know what he is? He reminds me of like pre-harbaugh Alex Smith. You see some talent. You see the athleticism. I mean, I know he tripped tonight.

But there's a lot to work with there. I think a lot of offensive coaches would love to work with him. You know, I think he has some like Jared Gough. He's a way better athlete. Like you don't think he'd work in like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVey. what the Packers do, like what the Titans do. If he was in the right situation, I'm not saying he would be like wince. He doesn't have the physical, he doesn't have a great arm, but he's got some talent.

He's pretty accurate when he's in rhythm. Fumbles the ball a lot, but he also gets hit a lot because his offensive line sucks. I'm not out on Daniel Jones. But I'm not out on Joe Judge either. I have been impressed. His roster stinks. Dave Gettleman deserves to be fired yesterday. One of the worst general managers we've ever seen.

I mean, just atrocious. But what they're getting out of this team, just the urgency that they consistently play with. They've been really physical on defense, and they don't really have that much talent on defense. I mean, they don't have a great pass rusher. Their D.Bs are playing well. Blake Martinez makes a touch on plays. Sequin Barclay's out for the year, and they're actually functionalable on offense with Gilman and Devonte Freeman, and if Evan Ingram could catch Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate.

Like, they're not terrible. Now, overall, the game was kind of a terrible watch, but I will tip my hat to Joe Judge and just this, I thought the team could go in the tank early. They could be like a winless team, and they're only going to win three or four games, but they're going to be one of those four-win teams. They're going to cover a ton of spreads. You're going to have to, you know, especially in that division, they'll win another divisional game. I mean, they could beat the Cowboys or the Eagles for sure the second time they play them. They could sweep Washington. But I give that guy my respect.

I might have been a little harsh because I've watched a lot of the Giants, I don't know why, the last, you know, month. And they really have not flinched and they fought hard for the coach. And to me, that's something I watch with a really terrible team. If your team stinks, really the only thing I can judge you on is, do you play really hard? Because you're not going to score that many points. You're not going to win many games. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care 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 Clifford 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because. of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition

of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine,

Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it.

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

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app,

Search learning a hard way and listen now. Ames? You're not going to make that many sweet plays. It's just, are you battling your ass off? And when I watch the Giants, I fully believe they're giving everything humanly possible the 11 guys that don't have that much talent relative to most of the league

are trying as hard as they can. And that's really all I could ask for the first year coach who inherited this roster built by one of the dumbest GMs we've ever seen. He can only do so much. So I've been impressed with Joe Judge. I really have.

Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1-800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $39-99, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. What grows in the forest?

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

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

Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Okay, let's get into one of the big stories of the week. And one of the cool parts about doing this at the end of the week is, you know, we get some good and meaty stuff happens Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, even beside the Monday night and the Thursday night game that we get to react to. And the big news, probably, you know, one of the biggest, I would say, announcements so far this season, non- like Corona,

has been that Ryan Fitzpatrick has been benched, and Tua, Tanga Voloa, I don't even know if I said that, right? I just called Tua time, Tua, is the starting quarterback for the Miami Dauphins moving forward. And I want to dive into a couple things. One, Ryan Fitzpatrick, listen, we all think he's a really smart guy. He went to Harvard highest wonderlick score,

I think in the history of the league. He's, I think, a really high character guy people like being around him. not the most talented guy, really an incredible story about perseverance, just where effort, brains, and kind of just guts, overcomes talent,

because he's not the most talented guy, and he's been in the league, what, I mean, almost 15 years, but he made some comments that were, I mean, just wrong. He used an analogy that said, you know, when he was told, and I think the way he found out, which probably is the way a lot of people find out now

in professional, sports is someone told them. I think his kid told him because it gets tweeted out and it goes viral fast sometimes before the team can tell you that I think his kid told him. And he said when he met with the media this week, because they're in a bye week, because the first thing I saw when Tua was named the starters, like, who the hell are they playing? And then I'm like, oh, they're playing the buy. And it's not the New York Jets. They're actually on a buy week. So no game, which kind of sucks. I would like to see Tua play this weekend. But Fitzpatrick claimed, he's like, unlike a lot of jobs,

he's like, it's the equivalent of being told you're fired, yet you have to go spend five or six hours with the human you were fired for, that being Tua. And I said, I'd pump the brakes on that analogy because it's just wrong. You are not

fired. When you're fired, a event that's happened to me, actually multiple times, depending on your contract, you stop getting paid. So being fired means you no longer get paid. I'd imagine anyone here that's ever been fired from a job knows the money stops, meaning you have to go get a new job or a new source of income. Ryan Fitzpatrick was not

fired. He was demoted, something that happens all the time in the private sector. How many people listening to this podcast have been either demoted, like your role at your company was diminished, or you've been on the flip side of that. You've taken over for a guy. I'm going to assume we've got a lot of smart listeners. You guys come from Colin. A lot of guys have been on the two-aside where you're jumping the guy.

Welcome to America, buddy. Like, you did not get fired. You were demoted. But let's look at why he was demoted. Because I watched him very closely two weeks ago when he came out and played the Niners. He was awesome. And I know they've won two games in a row in their three and three.

But he's not. he was demoted for a guy. I googled it today before I was writing down, like what I don't want to talk about in regards to this topic? How much did Tua's contract when he was drafted fifth overall? We often say the guy was drafted really high. And the biggest reason that those guys typically get thrust into action sooner than later is because of their draft pick.

But not just because of the draft pick, but because of the contract that comes with the draft pick. If you were drafted number five overall in the 2020 NFL draft, like Tua, Tunga Viloa, you received a four-year guaranteed $30 million contract. If we went best case in the fifth year option, that contract's going to look probably like a lot of, I mean, $55 million? Who knows what that fifth year would be all these years out at the quarterback position? I think it's the average of like the top eight or top ten guys at your position.

So that fifth-year option would be enormous. But typically if Tua's good, they would extend them before. But that's irrelevant. I know for a fact, the Miami Dolphins owe to a $30 million. Ryan Fitzpatrick two years ago signed an $11 million contract for two seasons. So Ryan, and you've been in this league long enough, just like anyone in any of the businesses you work in, and I've been there, like for example, in the radio,

business, even when I worked in the NFL, when we'd hire a big exec, they are given more to do. When we bring a guy in that came from another team, that was a former GM, if I worked in radio, and we were, you know, the moment the radio station that I worked for got the Raiders, got the warriors, we started doing a lot for them. Like, part of acquiring Tua and paying them all this money was to not only play him, and you know, if you've been listening to me long enough, you know, I think it's kind of crazy. I would have played him immediately, given that he was healthy, and clearly he was because he dressed every game. But Ryan, you did not get fired. You got demoted for a guy that they just drafted

fifth overall and are paying $30 million over the next four years. And here's the other kind of elephant in the room. We've already seen the other two quarterbacks in the draft. Now, they didn't have the ability to draft Joe Burrell. So regardless how good Joe Burrow does, I can't hold that over the Miami Dolphins head because they drafted fifth and Joe Burrow went one. But I do think the other guy in Justin Herbert who are going to be compared moving forward are, damn, this guy's already got four games under his belt. Now granted, he hasn't won a game, but I think we'd all agree. And listen, I'm not like I'm some Charger fan. Now, I'm a Justin Herbert fan, I'm a Pac-12 guy, but I just, I'm a sucker for big arm athletic

quarterbacks. And I think it's pretty clear. The guy's got a chance to be a really, really good player. So I wonder, and I'm not saying this is why they did it, but it has to be like Herbert's making all these plays against big time teams on Monday night football against Tampa Bay. Can we see what our guy has? Because yes, he had a major hip injury, but he's been our backup quarterback and he played. He got a couple snaps. I think he completed two balls last week against the Jets. So I'm in the action. Yes, Fitz, we know. You have done a commendable job is our starting quarterback. And I think if you go back to the last,

I think they won three of their last five games, and they've won three of six this year. So they've won six of their last 11 games with him at quarterback. He's done a really good job. We paid you $11 million because you're a high-level bridge quarterback, and you're an impressive human. And we think you will be good for Tua, whether you start or whether you back up.

You're not getting fired. We're not cutting you. We wouldn't even have people called and wanted to trade for you for like the Cowboys wanted to get you for like a fourth round pick we'd say no we value you here you will still get paid but the moment we drafted this guy fifth overall we all knew you know what road this was headed down it's i think it's kind of crazy that i'm sitting here recording this on october 22nd and two hasn't played a game yet i'd say that's regardless of you beat yeah okay you upset the niners wooee no you don't get any credit for beating the jets you were an eight-point

favorite. So it's like, yeah, you killed them. They suck. Time for Tua. And on the flip side, just of Tua in a vacuum, the thing that I keep coming back to, the biggest question mark I have, because I have a hard time closing my eyes and envisioning him make the splash plays like Herbert has made. Now, Herbert has more talent to deal with. So it's going to be a little harder to judge Tua in the immediate, given that their talent's not as great around him. My question is just durability. And sometimes I forget, like, I try to put myself back in the years of being, even when I was at Fresno State in recruiting meetings and personnel meetings to the NFL personnel

meetings. I was like, God, I've been in one of those meetings, you know, when I was on the inside. You know, I still talk to all my friends, but it's different when you're in the meetings and, you know, and truly talking about the number one thing we talked about all the time, way more in the NFL than in college, because once the guys in your roster, you're kind of stuck with them. and really most high school kids, you know, maybe you recruit a guy that's been injured,

but for the most part, they're pretty, if you're a Division I, definitely like a borderline power five player, you've probably been relatively healthy in high school. Now, there are exceptions for sure, but in my time of Fresno State, most of the guys we recruited played every game in high school, maybe a tweaked ankle here or there.

But in NFL draft rooms, the number one thing we talked about, besides just the actual player, I think as a player in a vacuum, two is really good. But can they stay healthy? Is this guy physical, like his physical stature, going to be enough to just last 16 games for the next, let's just say, four or five years?

And that would be my number one question. I don't know. Because just in terms of reading defenses, he's better than Herbert. In terms of accuracy, at least coming out of college, way better than Herbert. Just a more natural accurate thrower. But Herbert's already improved.

his deep ball is much better than I remember it being, and part of that might just be he didn't have that much talent around him in Oregon, which is ironic because Oregon, the majority of my life, has always had really good running backs, really good tight ends, and at least functional wide receivers. That was not the case the last couple years for them. I don't think he played with any guys that, like, top 150 picks on offense, which is crazy for that program.

Two on the flip side, I think we all know, right? Judy, rugs, studs, Devante Smith, might be better than both of them. Waddle, could too. I mean, you're talking about four wide receivers that probably, you know, these two guys are going to go in the top 15 too. That's four top 15 wide receivers. I'm not, I mean, I kind of am a draft historian, but I'm pretty sure, without looking it up or Googling it,

that's got to be an NFL record. If that happens, we'll see where these guys get drafted. But I think most of us that have watched Waddle and Devonte go, yeah, there are guys probably going in the top 15, right? So four guys in the top 15, that's pretty nuts. And to the team he's coming to, I mean, Gaseki's solid tight end. Devonte Parker's actually really kind of resurrected his career. But it ain't Judy Waddle, Rugs, and Smith.

I'll promise you that much. So I'm just fascinated to see if he's got to just take the hits and over and over take the hits. And that to me is the question mark. Because if you can stay healthy, I think, you know the comp that I always used for Baker Mayfield that he was Drew Breeze? I was off. It's probably Tua. You know, because their games are all similar, right?

Accurate, smaller guys. But as we've seen, maturity with Baker, decision-making with Baker, like, that's never been a question mark with Tua. Sabin loves him. The program loves him. Everyone loves the guy. You know why? he's not a screw around guy, not a party guy, super focused, super hardworking.

So it's just going to be, and he's accurate, he doesn't think he's like some great athlete running away. Sometimes he, I guess in college he had a little hero ball. You would imagine that'll change a little bit after these devastating injuries. But accuracy, like he's got to have to play in that mold to be really successful. And the key is to like throw the ball away and get down when you're going to get hit and avoid the hits because durability right now, him staying healthy is got to be the number.

Number one thing, the dolphins are just worried about big picture, but ultimately Fits has no reason to be shocked. And I think it's just football fans, it's, we got to wait a week, but it's exciting to see two a time is actually going down. I say it all the time around the draft. It's my favorite part about the draft, is it's really more of an economic exercise than it is just about like picking players. The draft is all about value. And I think player acquisition in general is all about value. And I think about this all the time when I'm buying stocks, whenever I'm just looking at something or you just read an article about this guy sold his business for $50 million or this guy's sold his house for $3 million.

Well, if the guy bought his house that he sold for $3 million for $800,000, he didn't make the profit in selling it for $3 million. He made the profit the day he bought it for $800,000. you make the profit in what you acquire the asset for. And I try to always think about that, whether it's football stuff, whether it's business stuff, regardless what it is. I think that Vegas Dave guy who sold the Mike Trout rookie card, I think he bought it for $800,000, $900,000,

sold it for $4 million. He made the profit in what he bought it for, which is correct, I'm not into card selling, but when I saw that he sold a Mike Trout rookie card for $4 million, I was like, holy shit. That's a market I know nothing about, that's pretty crazy return on investment. And I give the Ravens a lot of credit,

and I think the best teams in free agency and the draft do this consistently. They're patient. And I would imagine anyone listening, the best business people you know, you know a lot of people that run their own companies, CEOs of companies. It doesn't have to be big, fortified.

I'm just talking about successful business people. I'd say most of them are really patient. Not that they're not aggressive when it's time to strike, but they're never afraid to like walk away. And you always heard that growing up. And then, you know, your first couple job offers are like, we'll pay you $50,000. Like, I'm in, you know.

You know, when you really want like your first car, you're like, I'll take it. You know, and then you realize, just take a deep breath. You know, there's more options. And as you age, and I've seen it with myself, like in my 20s, zero patience. In my 30s, definitely, you know, I'm 36 now.

I'm getting a little old. It's just, it's easier to see the bigger picture with stuff. and I'm talking little stuff, you know. I mean, my biggest acquisitions have been like a condo and a car, you know. I've never, you know, traded a first round pick for a player. But I've seen it, and I've seen how Howie and those guys operate in Philly, and they always did a good job of just not forcing things. And Belichick is a master of this.

Now, I also believe there are times when you trade a couple first round picks to get Cleo Mac. You know, I thought what John Schneider did trading those picks for Jamal Adams was really bold, but I also understand it. Like, they're in the mold of trying to win Super Bowl in these next couple of years with the peak of Russell Wilson. But the Ravens, who are kind of in this weird spot, like their team was stacked, they got Lamar on a rookie contract, they knew coming into the season, they were going to be a double-digit win team.

They're only getting judged now on January how they play in the playoffs, right? We know they're going to kick ass in the regular season. We'll see the Steeler games are going to be tight. But, like, their teams loaded. but they can make incremental moves. And clearly they were in on Yonik in Dockway, the Jaguars Pass Rusher, with the Vikings when that trade was going down. And ultimately the Vikings got him for a second rounder.

The Vikings, who I understood making the trade, even though it was a disastrous move. I equated it in Twitter of, they paid $1.2 million for a $1 million house. And then the Ravens were able to come when they traded a third round pick for this guy and buy the house for $500 grand, because they were patient.

and they waited. Now, some stuff was out of their control, and that's part of, I think, any of you guys that are listening know, the part of being patient in business, which makes it possible, is knowing, like, things that are out of your control, like, you never know what's going to happen.

A lot of the times, like the best case scenario, goes the worst case scenario, and then that stuff becomes available again. And the Ravens, this guy became available again for a third round pick. Well, their third round pick clearly is going to be at the end of the third round, And if they don't resign this guy, he's going to get huge money on the open market.

And what does that mean? They would get a compensatory third-round pick. So you could argue the Ravens are basically giving up a fifth round pick, maybe five, six, seven slots in the third round to the compensatory round to make this deal. It's really not that much. Where the Vikings, I've heard great things about Rick Spielman. I actually have a lot of respect for him. I think he's a really good GM.

This was a disastrous move for him. He gave up a second round pick. It turns out his team sucks. That means that pick is going to be in the top 40. That's a top 40 NFL draft pick. He gave a top 40 NFL draft pick and received pick, let's just hypothetically say, 89 back. So instead of having pick 39, he has pick 89. Because it doesn't have the player anymore.

That's a disaster. And the Ravens benefited because they took a deep breath. They were patient. And they just let things that were out of their control. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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 Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and

and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple.

podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast.

Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Take shape, take place, and then they pounced. And it's just a good life lesson. And it's why the Ravens, listen, I'm going to bet against them in the playoffs. And I may be turned out to be wrong, right? I'm just going to strictly bet against.

I've seen it two years now. I've seen it against the Chiefs. I'm fascinated to watch them against the Steelers. But I'm going to bet against them. It doesn't mean they won't win. I would be I'd be really surprised. I don't think they can win the AFC actually

because unless the Chiefs got knocked out because if they play the Chiefs, Chiefs, Chiefs, they're beating them. We'll have to see how they look against the Steelers. But I actually saw him play the Titans last year. They got their ass kicked. The Titans right now are really good. But I have never disputed. They're a great regular season team.

And, I mean, they're going to have a home playoff game. So let's just even hypothetically say they win a playoff game. You know, it's a step forward for them. But they're trying to win a Super Bowl this year, and they're trying to get over the hump with the Chiefs. And clearly it's going to be difficult for them the way their offense operates sometimes when they get down to come back. So what's the best way to get after Mahomes?

Or even Tanny Hill. Rush the passer. Rush the passer. And adding this guy is a huge move for them. I have nothing but respect for the way their front office played this. And I'm still leery of their... Playoff success. Again, I've never argued that the Ravens aren't a 12-win team. Hell, if they beat split with the Steelers, they might win 14 games like they did last year.

Like, I'm not arguing that. I just think that when you run that kind of rinky-dink offense, which, again, it's not rinky-dink in the regular season. It kicks the shit out of people. They run circles around the people in the regular season. It works. In the playoffs, it doesn't. It's just, that's not, at this point in time, with the information we have, that's not arguable. That's a fact. Now, it could be proven wrong. It might work. I'll keep betting against it.

But they got better today. I'll give them that. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your valentine with 1-800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $39.99, or upgrade to to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1,800flowers.com

slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. If I could be you, and you could be me, for just one hour. If you could find a way to get inside.

Each other's mind. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. We've all felt left out. And for some, that feeling lasts more than a moment. We can change that.

Learn how at belonging begins with us.org. Brought to you by the ad council. Walk a mile in my shoes. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles.

They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Okay, let's talk about a college player. I think the guy getting all the hype and rightfully so is Trevor Lawrence. He's kind of the Andrew Luck.

I'm trying to think of another guy in recent memory that was like a no-brainer, number one overall pick going into the season. It probably hasn't been one, right? because the year Kyler went, we didn't know about Kyler, the year Baker went, no one saw that coming, Burrow went, no one saw that coming. It's probably since like luck, that it was just, we've been talking about this guy for a couple years,

he's going to go number one overall. So Trevor Lawrence is going number one overall. But there's another guy that I think has a chance this season to solidify himself as the number two overall pick. And full disclosure, I didn't watch that much Ohio State last year. I mean, I watched them like they were on TV, but I didn't really watch Justin Fields.

I didn't watch them like I have Trevor Lawrence over the years, like I have Tua, Herbert, the wide receivers at Bama, like from an NFL perspective. I just, I don't really watch Ohio State like that, typically. And I don't have a great fuel for him right now. I mean, I go on YouTube and look into strengths and weaknesses, I mean, hell, he threw 41 touchdowns last year. He had 10 rushing touchdowns. The stats are awesome.

And that season is talking to people in the league, like, There are still people want to see him play this year. He has a lot to gain, which is crazy for a guy to finish third in the Heisman trophy that, you know, I think we all consider a top 10 pick. But I think he can have a season just in terms of his play, progressions, accuracy, just put it in Sharpie on the number two overall pick in this draft. Because the number one thing he's going to have going for him, and I haven't been in these draft rooms and knowing the,

the way these guys think. I felt like he was the number one leader, besides like the coaches, you know, Scott Frost, Ryan Day, Harbaugh, James Franklin of just really wanting to come back. I don't think any player, probably pros included, felt like they wanted to play more than Justin Fields.

And I respect the hell out of them for that. Just constantly tweeting, constantly doing everything he could with his platform. Now, I'm not saying that that had like some, major impact on anything. I'm not saying it didn't either, but I do think he wanted, he wanted to play. And one question that gets consistently asked in draft rooms to scouts, because, you know, I don't know what it's like to get a job at Google or some pharmaceutical company or even like Wall Street. I would imagine this question comes up, like, how much do you like selling stocks or how much do you like coding? At the end of the day, most 22-year-olds come.

coming out of college, you know, even I guess on the high end would be making like a hundred grand. I mean, let's be real. Most people are going to make between like 50 and 75 grand starting salary out of college. So you're not investing that much. In football, why you do so much scouting of the individual when they're a good player, because like I said, about Tua, they gave them a four-year $30 million contract. You're going to pay, if you draft Justin Fields number two overall, probably $34, $35 million. And the number one question I'm going to ask once I value his skill, which I'm actually, you know, I think he's going to be good.

I'm actually going to just assume he has a huge season. I know that he loves football. He showed me. All he wanted to do was play football. So we're not even going to have to check that box. Like that box already checked. How much does my GM, how much does Justin Fields love football? Check out his Twitter account during the pandemic.

He was all in. So it's just going to come down to his play. And he's on a stack team, on a team that any Ohio State fan listening, I'm sure would just reading stuff about the program. Like this is going to be one of their better teams of the last decade. And clearly they've had some pretty freaking good teams, right? I mean, this is a program since Urban showed up has basically been Bama, right, in Clemson. Like they've been, you just think of the last decade, like the three best programs,

have been Bama, Ohio State Clemson. Definitely the last seven, eight years. and who knows maybe Justin Fields could outplay Trevor Lawrence maybe he could outplay Bama and in the playoffs those games are going to really really help him I don't think I would never say never that he couldn't jump Trevor Lawrence because maybe he just becomes an elite player

you know just on every just in terms of like reading defenses comebacks when I say comebacks like leads the team back a couple times you know throws for historic amount of touchdowns who knows I would never say never. It feels unlikely. But I definitely think he could really get the Sharpie pen out and write it on the wall on the number two overall pick.

And then also leave a little comment on the bottom. Jacksonville Jaguars, don't you dare pick me? Because that's what I would say if I was him or his parents. No, we are not going to Jacksonville. But we are going to be the number two overall pick and we're open for business. Let's go. Okay, let's get in three for the money.

If I was 8 and 4 Going into last week Bears plus 1.5 Winner, 9 and 4 Steelers minus 3.5 winner, 10 and 4. Eagles plus 8 for the Ravens, winner.

That's 11 and 4. Now that'd be Yeah, it'd be Let me do redo my math. I was 8 and 4, 1 all 3. Yeah, I'm not a math major. 11 and 4. I also gave away a little sleeper pick

last week my fourth one, nineers. We're going to add that on. I'm 12 and 4. Somehow I'm losing all my bets because I don't even follow my own advice. But here we go. Again, 11 and 4.

Technically, if you count my 9 or little sprinkle, 12 and 4. People ask me at this all the time, and I've been gambling. I'm 36. I've been sneaking into, in California we have these things called Indian casinos. For some reason,

they have the market corner. They're only allowed, You know, to have, they're allowed to have casinos in California. No one else can. They're not sports books, only cards. So, like, when I was 16, 17, I used to have a fake ID that said I was 18, and sometimes they wouldn't card you, and I'd just go play blackjack. So I've been gambling, you know, for about 20 years.

I love to gamble. And I've been sports gambling. My first big sports bet was probably like my junior senior year in college. I actually won a bunch of money. I've told the story before on the, the, the Eli Manning team that, upset the Patriots. And me and my roommate put a combined like three grand, which is the equivalent now of like 300 grand.

And we took, I think the, I think the Giants were like plus 12 and a half or plus 13. I'll never forget. I watched, I was house sitting for a friend during Christmas break in week 17. The Giants played that undefeated Patriot team. And they almost beat him. Randy Moss caught this touchdown down the sideline. And I just remember thinking like, that matches up pretty well. and I convinced my roommate Trent, we both did it,

we both won some money, it was sweet, and I've been kind of addicted ever since. Now, addicted would be strong because I don't gamble, like I pick and choose. Like, sometimes I'm in the mood, and other times I'm not, because you can lose. You know, I'm hot right now, but again, I don't even follow my own games.

I'm betting on all these other crazy games, I'm losing. So, you know, you got to be careful. People ask me, I think sometimes with the gambling lingo is in the mix, and people like, what does, you know, I think people don't quite understand, when you see a team that's like plus seven, right? And they're minus 110. People are going to listen to me like, John,

are you really explaining this as remedial? Yeah, because I don't think everyone quite knows. For those of us that have been in the gambling world in the vernacular and, you know, paid some bookies on some wire transfers over the years, we know it. But I do think there are a lot of people new to this, and I think it's cool to be inclusive with gambling.

I'm in bed with gambling companies. I want more people to gamble. So I'm fine with it. there was once a point in time in my life. I didn't quite understand. If you get plus anything, if you're plus 10, you start the game up 10 points. And usually you got to bet 110.

You get minus 110. You got to bet a Vig. So you got to put $110 to win 100. That's why betting underdogs can be really lucrative. One of my second biggest bets I've ever won is when I went to the Super Bowl. In 2016, the Denver Broncos against the Carolina Panthers. I was working in radio at the time.

Now, I remember it was in San Francisco, Radio Row and the players were all, and I remember seeing so many Carolina Panthers. I feel like an insider trader. And just they were screwing around. I remember Josh Norman came into the set at Comcast where I was working, and he was just like, I was like, God, I don't think these guys are that focused. Roman Harper, I remember had the gray hair, and they were all just screwing around. And I never saw any of the Broncos.

I'm like, got there, they got to be pretty locked and loaded. And I had seen the Bronco team live for several years because I had been working. doing Raiders pre and post. I knew how good their defense was. And I thought the Carolina was good too. But I put a lot of money on the Denver Broncos. They were a huge underdog in that game. I think it was like five and a half maybe points,

maybe four, four and a half, five. And it was almost two to one odds to bet a money line. So when you see a team is like plus 250, that basically means you just put 2.5. So if you bet 100, you're going to win $250. So if you put 100 in, you're going to have. have 350 in the pot when it's all said and done. I like betting underdogs because I do think there are good value in talented underdogs. It's why for the World Series, listen, I'm one of

the rare millennials. I watch a decent amount of baseball, and I think the rays are really good, and their bullpen is incredible. Now, the Dodgers are the best team by a mile, just in terms of baseball. But if you have a good pitching in baseball, you have a shot. And the rays were enormous underdogs going into this series. They were like plus 170, meaning if you bet $100, you win 170. If you bet $1,000, you know, you'd win $1,700. So I think it's pretty good value. Now, I didn't put any money on it because I was like, especially the first game.

I was like, damn mooky. But then you see they bounce right back and win the same game. I'm telling you, the raise are pretty good underdog play. But this is a football podcast, so let's talk about three for the money. I'm going to start with the Lions against the Falcons. Clearly when you fire a coach, you always get an inspired effort that next week. and the Falcons finally got up to Schneide last week. I think they come back to Earth,

and it was crazy to think about. If you just ask, like, what about the Detroit Lions? Everyone would be like, oh, they suck. What about the Detroit Lions? Oh, they suck. What's their record? Like one and six? They got to be really awful.

They're actually two and three. Coming off a buy. They beat the Falcons. They're three and three. And in the playoff mix, as crazy it sounds, like they are in the playoff mix. Matt Stafford is good. His offensive weapons are good.

Now, is the Lions defense great? No. But I don't think Matt Ryan is just, Julio's banged up. I just, I don't believe in the Falcons at all. I think the Lions are a great underdog play, plus two and a half. I'd also sprinkle a little money line.

Bill's minus 12 and a half. I heard someone say this week, the Jets have yet to cover a game. So not only are they 0-and-6, they're 0-6 against the spread. That means every one of their lines, plus 10, plus 15, whatever during the week, you know, over those six games, they have not covered a game. Now, I don't know what the NFL record is. I do think there's a chance they don't cover one spread this week.

Now, Flacko is back to the bench and it looks like Sam Darnold's going to play. The bills are coming off probably their worst loss in a couple years. I mean, they got dismantled by the Chiefs at home. They got tossed around on defense. Clyde ran it down their throat. Josh Allen was off. This is a get-right game. I think the bills easily score over 30 points. So if you've got to win by 13 points,

how do the Jets score 17? I'll tell you, they don't. This is my favorite game of the week. Bills minus 12.5. 49ers Patriots. I just don't think the Patriots are very good. I have nothing but respect for Bill Belichick. I think he's the best coach ever.

His roster just stinks. His roster just stinks. They don't have much talent on offense. Who's his most talented offensive weapon? Julian Edelman? I love Julian Edelman. I have nothing but admiration and respect for it. He's a champion.

He's not that good anymore. You know, his hands are hit or miss, a little slower. Nikiel Harry, I might have missed on Nikiel Harry. He might just not be good. Defensively, Belichick does a good job as long as he can, just scheme-wise. They don't really have the horses on defense they've had in the last five or six years. Gilmore's still good. you look at the 49ers team

Jimmy's been shitty You can't dispute that Jimmy Garoppolo has not been good They have so much more talent than the Patriots though And the Patriots just to be in a game Have to keep the game in the teens I would think that the Niners can get to 24, 25 points Plus the Niners are underdogs

I don't Cam Newton has not played well the last couple weeks Now in defense he got Corona he missed a game But really since the game Week two against Seattle That's Sunday night game check his numbers. He hasn't been very accurate. And I will defend Cam, you know, on this,

in the sense of his wide receivers aren't that good. Like, it's just the Niners can stop the run. I like the 49ers plus two. So I'm going, Lions plus two and a half, bills minus 12 and a half, Niners plus two. I actually put 50 bucks on a little Lions, 49ers money line parlay. It paid out almost four to one.

So, you know, if you want to get a little bold, and I like to get a little bold, take a couple underdogs. Okay, let's bang out a couple middle cough mailbag questions. It's getting late, so I'm just going to do a couple. I will get to all these questions. I know I got about 15 in the hopper over the next seven days. So Mondays or Tuesday's podcast, next Friday's podcast. I answer a lot manually.

If you've left questions, I will get to them, I promise. Also, if you have questions at John Middlecoff, Instagram, DM me, and I'll answer it here. Would you even touch tonight's game? I'd like to see the Eagles win, but with all the injuries on the money line for the Giants, yeah, I'd take the Eagles. See? Nailed that one.

No, I did not bet the game. I would not have bet the game just based on... Yeah, I would not have bet the game. So if you would have taken the Giants, you would have been feeling pretty good that last drive. What do you make of the logjambit quarterback that we are experienced currently? Sure, the old guys will fade out and create openings,

but I feel like there are more coming in than leaving. Feel to me like Darnels and the bakers of the world could be backups. Yeah, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility at all. You know, you look at this quarterback class, Trevor Lawrence is going to be a starting quarterback, Justin Fields is going to be a starting quarterback. The kid at BYU is making plays. Keep an eye on the, I mean, we can't even watch them,

but the North Dakota State, Tray Lance is going to be a first rounder. Obviously all the guys have been first rounders, Justin Herbert, burrow. Yeah, it's just, it's never been easier to play quarterback, right? All the seven-on-seven leagues, the rules, you can't hit the quarterback. So I just think the influx, think how many wide receivers we've seen the last five years come in there, you're like, damn, that dude's sweet, damn, that guy's sweet.

And then you turn on Alabama, you're like, well, they got two dudes. You turn on Clemson. You're like, they got a dude. You turn on Ohio State. You're like, they got a dude. I mean, they're just dudes everywhere. Quarterbacks, wide receivers. If you're in the league right now, you've been.

better bust your ass because there are dudes coming for your spot. You tell it like it is, like the podcast, appreciate it. What's your favorite moment in sports that really put your attention on that sport? I think for me it was when Matt Stafford got his shoulder broken against the Browns and still tossed the game-winning touchdown. Wow, that's a good question. I don't know if I have one of those. I remember just watching NFL films and Emmett Smith telling the story.

It was either like 92 or 93. when he played in the NFC championship game or a playoff. It might have been a playoff just like the divisional round with a separated shoulder. And it was like, damn. So it'd be something like that, some injury guys playing through it. I remember being young and Jerry Rice,

Bryant Young, I remember got his leg snapped. Remember Bryant Young on Monday Night Football? Probably in like 97 or 98, legs snapped in half. They put a rod and he came back and he was still good, like a year later. I was a big-niner guy growing up. I just remember like, damn, that guy's career's over.

And I was like, nope. I remember breaking a toe and going into my doctor who was longtime Raiders doctor. And I was like, I was doing like radio at the time. And I'm like, Doc, if I was the right tackle, could I go this week? And he looked at me. He's like, of course, guys play with that all the time. And I could barely walk. So I had nothing but respect for the pain that these guys endure to play the sport.

Broken shoulders, broken elbows, broken fingers. knees, hips, feet. I mean, shit. I mean, I get sore playing golf. That's why we love football. That's why I think we have the ultimate respect for the game. You know, I think football, baseball was America's pastime.

I think football now represents everything that we see in America. Meritocracy, you get replaced if you don't get the job done. It's got a physical and intellectual element. It encompasses everything. Mental toughness, physical toughness, gambling. We like to gamble. We like to just enjoy ourselves. We like to watch physical violence.

We always have. But we also like the tactician element from the coaches. It's just the ultimate. There's a reason. It's running circles around every sport. It's got the most drama. It's the best. Okay, last question.

With the comeback that we've seen from Cam so far, and he has reminded everyone how good he can be, well, I'll pump the brakes a little bit there. Are there any other teams that would be interested in signing for the next season. I'm thinking the Browns, possibly the Giants and Jets would be great places for him until they get a franchise quarterback.

I think we just, my take on camp, and I was really impressed early, and it's hard for me to judge him when he got coronavirus, and I'll even give him a pass last week. He didn't even practice. I do think just, we just got to keep an eye on him for the next couple months. Like, is he throwing every game 150 yards?

I think everyone, including myself, like, oh, he's going to get, you know, $80 million. Like, are we sure? Like the last question asked, like we've never seen more quarterbacks coming in the league. Why wouldn't you draft a guy? I say it all the time about Kyle Shanay. If you don't like Jimmy Garoppolo, you don't need to go get Kirk Cousins or Matt Ryan. We don't need their $30 million contracts.

If I'm John Lynch or on the Niners, go draft a guy in the second round. Go find your Russell Wilson. Go find your Dak Prescott. We talk about value all the time on the show. Because that's the best value. If I find a second or third round quarterback, he's making $900. grand and I got him on a contract. I don't want to get one of these older guys.

Even Cam. Are we sure? I just, I need to watch them. I need more evidence. And it might be hard with him throwing to Jacobi Myers and Nikiel Harry. But throwing for 150 yards a game doesn't make me feel that great.

Why can't I just find Mack Jones from Alabama in the third round? Can't he do that? For $750,000 instead of paying someone $25 million? I mean, it's, especially the salary. is going to go down. Value, value, value, value. What changed Seattle forever? Got Russell Wilson in the third round. The Cowboys, I know they didn't win any playoff games, but they made the playoffs, what, two of four years with Dak Prescott, and basically were, you know, in the

playoff race till week 17, both the other times, with a guy making, you know, a million dollars a year? That's what I want if I'm a team looking for a quarterback. Draft a guy. If I can't get a guy in the first round, find a guy in the middle rounds. Not middle rounds, but, but like high second day. It does feel like the next couple years are going to be a lot of quarterbacks coming out. Utilize that draft, baby. Appreciate everyone listening.

Again, you got to subscribe, three and out podcast. Appreciate if you could leave a review. Thanks, everyone for listening. And yeah, have a great weekend. College football for all my Big Ten people. You're back, baby. It's cool.

Props to Justin Fields for getting that done. Props to Scott Frost, Harbaugh, Ryan Day, everyone for pushing through. I'm glad. Pro football from the beginning. Not pro football, but I'm pro football coming back. I'm glad it did. That's why I love the SEC.

I'm in the Big Ten. For some reason, the Pac-12 is still like three weeks away. I don't quite understand what's going on, but is what it is, you know. So have a great weekend. Talk to everyone soon. Godspeed. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's

with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1,800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $39.99, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in.

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

with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing huge. 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a hear.

unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends fellow comedians and favorite authors like mark lamont hill on the 80s it was a wild year i don't think there's a more important year for black people listen to look back at it on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts a win is a win a win a win i don't care what i'm saying yep that's me cliver taylor the fourth you might have seen the skits my basketball and college football journey or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Thank you.