The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Best Of - 49ers and Aiyuk, Jalen Hurts and his coach, The hype around Jayden

Episode Date: August 10, 2024

This week on the show John dives into the latest with the 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk and if he thinks he will get traded and if so, what are some of the top destinations (7:54), can the relatinoship between Jalen Hurts and his head coach be resolved after a report that Hurts has lost respect for his coach (27:01), and should be people be talking more about Jayden Daniels than they are Caleb Williams (42:20). Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What is going on, everybody? It's me, John, and this is the three and out podcast. A little thing we like to do the best of. A little weekend, preseason action all around the league going on Saturday, Sunday. So we thought we'd recap earlier this week. I discussed the Brandon Ayuk situation, which is a story that just refuses to die, and all the different teams that were involved in why it made sense for basically none of them. So we will go over that.

Obviously, the salacious story of Nick Siriani, the head coach of the Eagles and his quarterback came out. So I want to dive into Can you play quarterback For a head coach that you don't respect? Can that work? Not quite sure We talk a lot about Caleb Williams And the hype behind that

And it's fair I mean there is a saving set on hard knocks A lot of hype man A lot of hype from the outside Well is it safe to say that Jaden Daniels Is right behind him Soss Gardner Made some comments after

the joint practices. And I kind of dive into how if that hype is real, Washington is going to change the franchise. So we'll dive into the hype train that is behind that. Subscribe to Three and Out podcast if you listen on Collins feed, YouTube page. We got all of our content

up there as well. And podcasts aren't going to stop. So let's get ready for the regular season. But before we dive into some football, I had someone send me a DM the other day. And they said, you know what? I'll be real with you. I was getting kind of tired of everyone anointing Zach Bryan as this greatest showman of all time.

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I don't know if I've had that many experiences like this. I don't pretend to be some like historical, musical, like have a ledger of all the greats in front of me. But you know when you're at his concert, it's pretty special. And if you want to go to a concert, you want to go see him, go see anyone. Just go to game time. You want to go to a game this fall, do it on us, have an experience, and then don't even need to thank me.

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redeem the code, J-O-H-N for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. One thing since dating and now engaged to Maria, living with a real estate agent, kind of enlightens you on people's egos,

on people's willingness, to adapt to get a deal done, what people argue over during a real estate deal. But I think it's very enlightening of an individual and just a people in general. Now, obviously, buying a home for the overwhelming majority of people is the biggest purchase that they'll ever make. It's the most money you put towards something.

It's an emotional, it's a professional, it's a personal, it encompasses everything. but it's pretty eye-opening because I've seen they come a lot of these deals whether you're dealing with a $500,000 house, whether you're dealing with a $2 million house comes down to like under $10,000. But there's ego involved.

It's like, I'm not going to give that. It's like, wait, you're really going to rescind your offer or tell him no based on $7,000. You're poised to make 200 grand. And it happens. And it happens all. the time. And the other thing I've seen forever, and I wasn't able to afford my first house till I was 38 years old, lived in a condo forever, which wasn't cheap because of the Bay Area,

but it was really shitty, is you hear all the time that young people, and obviously homes have never been more expensive relative to what people make, but they're like, people are never going to sell their home if they have a great interest rate. You hear that all the time. And in theory, that makes a lot of sense. Because why would you get rid of a house if you're paying zero percent interest? Not zero, but, you know, 28, 3-1, whatever. Well, guess what? People get divorced on a daily basis.

I know people that are getting divorced currently. They haven't been married very long. People die all the time. People move for jobs. Things come out of nowhere. Hell, I see Maria deals with a ton of clients that, Moving to Scottsdale for work. Where are you from? Minnesota, Georgia, Florida. They didn't plan on it. Things change. You can never underestimate the future. Good and bad. And I see it all the time just because I have a front row seat into this just eye-opening business that she works in that deal with these people that ultimately comes down to a big personal deal, right, for them. And I think when this, trade and the discussion over Brandon IU six months ago, the Niners were clearly dead set on

keeping them. And then you get to a point where are you really going to not get the deal done over a million dollars a year? Like if you're willing to pay 27 and ultimately 28 will get it done, are you not going to budge? Is it really worth taking it an extra couple weeks? Seems a little crazy to me, but maybe they just have a number and we think the value over that is just not worth it to us. And listen, when deals go south with that mindset, sometimes that's true. Maybe we go based on the budget, based on who we need to sign, extend. We just can't go above that. Seems crazy to me, but I'm not naive enough to think I know all the idiosyncrasies of a salary cap,

of bonus money, of what Purdy's going to cost. I get it. What Trent Williams is going to cost. Got a lot of moving parts. But this trade is a good example of things change and things change fast. And Brandon Ayyuk and his camp is clearly just not playing bowl. And I think the 49ers, by this story coming out from one of the top 49ers reporters, I know reporters get mad when you source guests,

but I think it's pretty clear what the 49ers are saying. Like, we need a resolution. We're not doing this any longer. Like, here's our offer. Here's what other people are willing to offer. If you want to play in these two teams, let's rumble. It takes two to tango, we're ready to dance. And if you don't want our offer, this is what these two teams are offering.

We have deals done. Go play for them. And I think that's what the 49ers did on Monday night. They kind of drew a lie in the sand. Because I, listen, Bosa was never going to go anywhere. If he was healthy, he was going to play the majority of his career for the 49ers. When you get to a guy like Ayuk, listen, we really want him here. He's a winning player.

But, like, this is our number. We don't feel like we're royally screwing you here. We get your emotionally think you're at a different level. We disagree. This is what we're willing. We'll even allow you and your agent, who was also John Lynch's agent, talk with other teams, see if you can get more. But this isn't free agency. So these are the only two teams we'd be willing to accept their offer.

And that's where it kind of feels like they're at. Now, when all this came out and it just shows you how fast things can change, because I never would have thought a week ago that it would come out like four teams are being named. and players are being named on other teams with trade offers. I know this. If I was involved in this deal and I was the Browns and Amari Cooper is named, I wouldn't be happy.

I wouldn't want that getting out. The Browns clearly aren't putting that out. So once you drag all these other teams involved, it gets kind of dicey. And that's how the situation is. And let's face it, of all the teams right now that are contending teams in the NFL, the Niners got more crap going on than anyone.

else. Honestly, it's not close. Today it came out. McCaffrey's hurt. The rookie, Ricky Pierceall hurt his shoulder. Trent Williams is literally at home on the couch. And you got this thing. But I do think the 49ers are ready for a resolution. So let's look at the four teams. Let's start with Washington because it was reported. They were in and now they're out. Because part of it is Brandon Ayuk was like in the offseason, he acted like he was Kevin Durant. Like, I want to go to Washington or I want to go to the Steelers. Well, do they want you? and obviously Washington has a connection with Jaden Daniels where they played together for a year in college.

Washington's out. You know why? It makes zero sense for them to trade for him. If he was a free agent, 100% pay him. But for them, they aren't a player away. They're about 10. And when you start over as a GM and as a head coach, take a deep breath. Don't rush into anything.

The more assets you have, the more flexibility you have, You can figure it out as you go with your young quarterback. Clearly, you're going to need more talent on offense and defense and as a team. But like, let's just see what you got. No one expects you to win 10 games this year. If you win 5, it might suck for the year, but very understandable. Show the quarterback has made a little progress. They can't trade a first round pick for Brandon IU.

Because the probability of them drafting in the top 10 is just too high. But if you're the 49ers, they're not going to give you scary Terry. So do you go, can I get two second round picks? Well, how does that help the 49ers right now? A first round pick wouldn't, but if that thing turns into seven, you'd have to entertain it, just the possibility of it. But it doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make sense from Washington standpoint.

It doesn't make sense for the 49ers standpoint. That's why it doesn't look like it was never going to happen. let's go to the Steelers. This gets complicated. They clearly like him a lot. And I think one thing they're probably hesitant to let happen if they can control it is to let the Browns get them. Here's the problem for the Steelers. Because you go, well, just trade them your first round pick.

Ideally, that picks like 24. And then you get Brandon I.U. Because under contract for the next four or five years. And you're in pretty good shape. You got another offensive explosive player. you got a bunch of defensive guys, you got a culture. You don't have a long-term answer a quarterback. The OC yesterday or two days ago said we view Justin Fields as a weapon.

It's not ideally what you want to hear if you're a Justin Field supporter in Pittsburgh. But if you're Pittsburgh and you go, hey, we'll give you our first round pick. Well, if you're the Niners, having two first round picks, if you're a good team, is an incredible feeling at the Combine. during free agency and leading up to the draft. You know when it's pretty irrelevant if you have to give up a player to get that extra first round pick? In August, September, October, November,

December, the playoffs does nothing for you. That player literally is wearing a college uniform gives you zero value in present time. So to me, there's no match there. It makes no sense. And even if you're the Steelers, you can't afford that if this situation doesn't go well, And for the first time, what if this season, the quarterback position is awful?

And you go 7 and 10. And all of a sudden, you're drafting 14th. And if you wanted to get aggressive, you'd be able to get up to 5 and draft a quarterback in this upcoming draft. You have to leave that flexibility open. You're not a wide receiver away. And not a player. Like, this ain't Devante Adams. And back to Washington, like, we saw a couple years ago, if you trade for a great wide receiver,

and Devante is a better player night. Youk. And you give up a lot and it doesn't work out. It's like, what are we doing here? And you lose ammunition to go get the quarterback. Now, Devante, they thought they had Derek Carr, clearly that fell apart. The Pats. This one, okay. Because like any deal, there's certain, someone could knock on your door and go, hey, offer you 500 grand for your house. Well, depending on how much your house is, if your house is 200 grand, you're like, hey, have my shit packed up cash right now? I've been packed up by tomorrow. Because I was worth $2 million.

You say kick rocks. So if you're the Pats, you're like, we need some action. We got to pay somebody. Yeah, we'd be pretty interested. But if you're Brandon Ayuk, the first thing you go, well, I've been on a dominant team for the last four plus years. This is easily, and even Pats fans will agree,

one of the worst teams in the league. They're not going to be good. So you are going to suck. So whatever the 49ers are offering you is what the Patriots are offering you that much more. This ain't Texas or Florida. They tax you a lot there too. So if you'd be willing to go there, you're going to stink and probably go immediately to a relevancy. That has to give him some hesitation.

And this is why I think the 49ers throughout the Pats and the Browns. Do I think a kid from Sacramento that, or I guess Nevada, Sacramento, Arizona State, 49ers, wants to move to Cleveland? even though that's a good team or definitely the Patriots, I don't. Especially at the, I mean, it's one thing if it's like a $20 million difference, but I don't think that's what we're talking here. But the Pats can make the 49ers think. It's like, hey, you don't Matt Judon? He's clearly willing to play it out this year, because like he said, he doesn't want to get fined.

What if we trade him to you? We'll give you Kendrick Bourne that already knows your system. And depending on how productive Iyuk is, it can fluctuate, on the second day. So a third round pick can turn into a second round pick, depending on how many games we win, how productive he is or whatever. It makes you think, like, you have a meeting over that. John, Kyle, you have your wide receiver coach, you have your D-line coach, like, you're doing some evaluations, your scouting department, you're having several meetings on that. Like, you're talking that out. Are we better with Judon with Leonard Floyd and Nick Bosa? Maybe our wide receiver

room clearly takes a step back, but this guy already knows, Debo looks fantastic in Canada, and this young rookie who's hurt again. These are just conversations you have. And Cleveland, to me, is the most intriguing. Because Amari Cooper, from a statistical standpoint, it's just a plug-in-play swap. They're very similar players in the sense of great route runners, get open on everybody. Like, you feel close your eyes, you're getting 75 to 80 catches. Amari's been doing it at a much longer level.

I think Amari is easily considered one of the better. route runners in the entire NFL. I think Devante would be near the top. Keenan's pretty high. Iuke has thrown his hat in the ring and Amari. So you do that. You're not tied to Amari because he's a free agent. But here's the problem.

Because even if I use, like, okay, I'll go there. They're going to sign me to more money. I'll go play there. If you're the 49ers, can you do a swap for one-year rental and also not get a good pick? And that's where it makes it complicated for Cleveland. Because I was looking at Cleveland's books today, doing a little Jake Rosenberg, Harry Rosen, like, let's take a look at the money. Obviously, Deshawn is on the biggest

contract in the history of the NFL. Miles Garrett, while it was trumped last year by Bosa, is still on one of the biggest contracts in the history of the NFL for a non-corterback. They also signed Denzel Ward to a massive contract. They have a very, very high-price team. So having draft picks, which this year, for the first time and forever, they got a bunch. Well, clearly if I'm giving you Amari, I don't also need to give you my first round pick. That's a joke. True. That's fair. But I'm giving you a young player who you are going to extend that you're going to have for a while. So I'm going to need something else back because it's pretty clear. Amari's going to be a one-year rental for me. So then we start discussing second day picks. Those are pretty valuable because that is where you get

cheap impact starters. Anyone in the NFL will tell you the second and third round, obviously if you have a top 10 pick, it's a chance to get a game changer. But a lot of people get on in the 20s because you pay first round money for a pick that actually hits at a lower percentage than even 50-50. Yet in the second and third rounds, historically, a ton of pro bowlers, a ton of long-term starters come out of that. And for three, actually four years, sometimes you give them an extension after three, you get a guy for like a million dollars a year. And that's where I think all these situations are really, really complicated. Now, if the Steelers wanted them and they'd give them the first round pick and the 49ers know, they're not going to trade them.

Maybe they just call Uncle. I don't see, they would get destroyed for that. Because that first round pick does nothing form week one against the Jets. And in these situations, this is where, and I saw Kyle say this, like, every situation is so different. Because they were like, does this remind you of Nick Bosa? Of course it doesn't remind him of Nick Bosa. Because Nick Bosa never was not going to be a nineer. They are clearly entertaining this because they're kind of tired of it.

They don't want to deal with it anymore. It's a pain in their ass. I like Brandon Ayyuk. He's been a fun player to watch expand his game over the years. And he's tough. He blocks. Like, that's a big difference

between him and Amari. If I say they're very similar in the passing game where they're not similar as the run game. Brandon Ayuk is one of the better run blockers in the league. He's a badass. Like, that's not really Amari's thing.

Guess what that is? That's a Kyle thing. Kyle likes to run the ball all the time. And if you're screwing up, Christian McCaffrey's box court, you're screwing with Kyle and he's going to get pissed off. Well, Brandon blocks his ass off. And that's where all this stuff gets really, really complicated. And I do understand, like, I wouldn't be that comfortable paying him $28, $30 million a year.

I don't think he's worth that. I really don't. You can say, well, this is the money. When DJ Moore, DJ Moore gave me 100 catches a year, and I'm going to throw him the ball that much. Amman Raw, if he's on the field, is going to get me $120, and I'm going to throw it that much. The 49ers aren't going to throw it that much. they never have, they never will, as long as Kyle Shannon's calling the plays. That ain't their style. So when you have a number and you're like, I'm not budging on this. Like the Eagles pay their two wide receivers.

Do you know what Jeffrey Lurie has loved to do since Andy Reed in 1999? Throw the ball. He wants to throw the ball. That is like an Eagles ethos as an organization. We want to pass the ball. It's an analytic thing. They're an analytically run operation. Obviously, they like running.

They like running backs. but they prefer to pass. So running backs, like, why Sequin made some sense. He actually didn't cost that much. And if Iuke is only going to be a 75 to 80 catch guy, people on the internet can argue all day long. He can go somewhere else and thrive. Great.

He ain't going to do that there. So why are you willing to pay the freight? But you also can't just give him away. This isn't fantasy fucking football. This isn't NFL live with players everywhere just saying, get, let him go! That's not the way the world works. Like, I do need a shitload of value back.

And that's what complicates all this stuff. And even on the other team standpoint, like, it's easy to say no if you're the Steelers. Obviously if you're Washington, like, we're, we're out. It's easy if you're Cleveland. Like, yeah, we'll give you a Maury and a fifth. Well, if you're the Niners, like, no. We're giving you a younger ascending player.

You're giving us a guy that is a one-year rental. And Cleveland, why do they want to budge? Because they need those draft picks. And the Pats, I think that comes down to. It's like, okay, Brandon, you want to go to Pats? we'll get you a first class ticket tomorrow if you want to go go sign the contract they'll give us back what we want he's like yeah man i just i'll just keep uh see at the hold in see you guys the cafeteria what times meetings tomorrow 830 yeah i'll be there in 815 get my uh my typical omelet that's that's what it feels

like and that's what this situation and listen the niners deserve like how did it get to this point and i think a big reason because i go back why didn't they trade them like if they knew that it was going to be complicated because the offers weren't there because he's Brandon Ayyuk. He's not Tyree Killer Devante Adams. People were lined up to give him a first-round pick after the combine

before free agency. That wasn't the case. They didn't have a first-round pick on the table around the draft. He can get mad. People can argue over the analytics all you want. The market's kind of speaking for itself. And now they're hoping

maybe a little desperation training camp. teams feel pressure, but like I said, I think the situation is going to keep playing it out, which doesn't help the 49ers, which clearly feels like they're more involved in this and Trent, like, hey, this is one of the best players in the league. You probably want to get him to camp. He's 35 and you want him working out. And if you're a cowboy fan here right now, you're like, what the hell is going on with the 49ers? Eagles, and it's true.

And this is, it's crazy, but all these other teams are involved, and I can't imagine they're happy. especially the teams where you're leaking their players might get traded. If I'm the Browns, I'm like, come on, guys. Don't leak we trade you with Mari Cooper. We need this guy if the trade doesn't happen. 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.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin. Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got to. the ball like after you go through a training camp with that i said you figure it out real quick get your ass up and down the court and you're gonna get the ball so listen to point game on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts hey everyone it's writer strong and will fredell from podmeets world and now the pod meets twirled podcast we're two men who were completely

clueless to reality tv who now have covered dancing with the stars traders and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of the show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough.

Did people not like it? Like what was just because we? Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season from the final attempts at gameplay to the desperate pleas of finalists to a bunch of, Ha, who. Ha, ha, ooh. Again, we are experts.

So make sure to tune into PodMeets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes. Listen to PodMeets Twirled on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most

popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This mental health awareness month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not

becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually need people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Well, it was flying around on social media today. I was scrolling pro football talk and I said, you know what? I'm going to read this article. It was on ESPN.com. And it was about Nick Siriani and Jalen Hertz. And obviously the big story of the article was that they had a fractured and unhealthy relationship in 2020.

As well as Jalen didn't respect him from an X's and O's standpoint. At least that was my biggest takeaway. And I would say the most salacious part of the article by a wide, by a pretty wide margin. Because let's face it, the most important people, once the season starts, the GM doesn't have as much control. The owner can't do anything. It's your head coach and your quarterback. And then falls in line to your coordinators, right? And Siriani's lucky to have a job.

We all know that. I thought he was going to get fired after the season. So did most people. So did some people in the Philadelphia Eagles building. But he survived. I don't think it's possible, and I've been in these positions, where you work for somebody and you don't respect them. Football, like a lot of jobs in this country,

can be pretty aggressive, can be contentious, can be uncomfortable. Like, that's part of any high-level industry, especially ones like this, where there's a ton of money on the line. People have big egos, people, I guess football more than most industries, a lot of screaming back and forth.

It's a violent sport. It's full of aggressive people. So to me, people screaming at each other. It's why when Aaron Rogers and Garrett Wilson or coaches screaming it means nothing to me. Welcome. Even the article with some of the Dion Sanders stories, like, I don't care.

This is not your normal workplace environment. when it comes to interactions between two people, whether it be two players, whether it be a coaching player, whether it be a coaching coach. I'm pretty numb to that. It means nothing to me. So there have been clips over the years

of like Jalen and Siriani yelling each other. I don't care. Honestly, that's what I expect. Same with any team. It doesn't do much for me. But when you lose respect for a coach or for any person that's in a superior position to you, whether you're making $50 million like Jalen Hertz,

or whether you're me and you, and you don't respect your boss. You don't have to agree with someone above you all the time. But when I lose respect, like, it's hard for me to listen to anything he says. And I think the crutch of this whole thing was, it all revolved around X's and O's. Can you imagine, like, I bet, Matt Stafford and Sean McVay

always haven't had the greatest days. Jimmy Garoppel and Kyle Shanahan were at each other's next nonstop. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reed feel like they have the perfect marriage, but I bet there are some tense days. Do you think those quarterbacks, and I just use those as examples,

ever once questioned those coaches' ability to scheme an offense, those coaches' intellectual capacity for football? Obviously not. And listen, Siriani is not like those guys. He can't call plays.

We've seen him attempt to, and it was a disaster. Last season ended, you know, with basically the building on fire, and he hired a new offensive coordinator, he said, I'm going to be completely hands-off.

Even Mike McCarthy, who has much maligned, Cowboys coach, last year of his contract, people love, and part of it is the brand, all over him 24-7-365. Here's what you cannot argue about Mike. He can call an offense.

Just did last year. They were pretty good. And he did for Green Bay many times. I know Mike McCarthy can be an offensive coordinator. Nick Siriani cannot. And part of this article was about like people started freelancing, people start doing their own thing. No one was listening to anyone. Because listen, there are a ton of coaches that are successful in this league that don't call plays.

John Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh, Dan Campbell. But one thing they are great, Mike Tomlin, is controlling the room, keeping the chaos to a minimum, holding a standard, driving people. There was a comment in the hard knocks from Sabin, which we'll get into in a minute. but Sabin basically said people aren't born to be champions, whether it be in football, whether it be in life. People are born to be average. Get by, just survive. If you want them to be great, you have to do it, meaning you have to coach it. So Siriani, my question has always been, what does he do? Seriously, he's some great motivator? Well, you wouldn't put him in the Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin, Dan Campbell,

category. He's definitely not a scheme guy for an offense. One thing, and Jim Harbaugh is a former quarterback, but really he's like a hybrid. He feels more like a defensive lineman. Same with Dan Campbell, former tight end, but if you just saw him, he'd be like, oh yeah, I bet he played D tackle back in his prime. John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin are defensive guys. But how often do offensive head coaches are not super dialed in on the scheme? His story. Think about historically. Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan,

like all the best offensive coaches, even if they take a year off or whatever, can always call the offense. Even this year, Brian Dayball's like, I'm taking it back, I'm calling the offense. Why? He's done it countless times in his past, college and pro.

If my offensive head coach isn't some elite leader, which, let's face it, he's not, can't dominate when it comes to schematics, we got problems. And I'm not acting like Jaylen's perfect. It takes two to tango. They probably are both responsible.

That's the way any situation usually goes. But how do you blame him? Like Jaylen's had a front row seat of elite schematics. At Alabama, where the best of the best were coaching him on the offensive side of the ball. And he knew his head coach, while a defensive guy is arguably one of the greatest defensive schematic guys in the history of the sport,

especially when it comes to the secondary, in Nick Saban. And then he played for a year and a half with Shane Stuyke and calling the offensive plays. So he knows what an elite play caller looks like. I just think this thing, now, I'm still high on the Eagles because I think they have a lot of talent, but one thing they hit on in this article, because everyone's in good spirits right now, clearly the roster is really good. What happens when they hit adversity?

And it's the one thing that gives me pause that will they turn on this guy? I think most guys on the team, like Nixonerion, clearly personally. But like when you're in the trenches and you're in the fire and you've lost a couple games, what could he bring to the table?

Besides some Rudy Rudiger speech, besides some crazy analogy in front of the team on a Wednesday. I'm talking about a game plan to give you an advantage. That's what the great coach on Sundays do. Urban Meyer in college

was an incredible recruiter and a great motivator. But then he came to Sunday and none of that shit really mattered. Because Monday through Saturday is a chess game against your opponent. It's a thinking man's sport. Of course you have to push guys

and make sure you're practicing hard. But you win and lose on Sunday by play calls, offensively and defensively. That's why I think, It's such a fascinating sport. It's why even beside the head coach, we talk about the coordinators nonstop.

God, that was a dumb blitz. Why can't they cover this guy? God, why are they running the ball so much? Because you know, I talked to someone the other day. In baseball, we argue so much, actually Adam the producer of this podcast, that, you know, everyone's so critical always of baseball managers in the playoffs.

I can't believe. Aaron Boone or Dave Roberts pulled that guy from the game. You can't? It's not his choice. It's being run by the front office. Yet no one in football when the Niners grew up

or the Chiefs grew up or the Broncos grew up on offense ever go like, God, the GM, you know for a fact who called that play. And whether it worked or whether it didn't. And whether that led to a win I don't remember whether that led to a loss.

It's a huge part of this podcast. Once the game start, we talk a lot about individual play calls. Individual play calls. Obviously, how a team starts, how ready they are for a game. And then, like most games in the NFL, they're relatively close. And a play here or a play there are the difference in the game. And Siriani has nothing to do with that. Jalen Hertz, think about this.

Like Tom Brady is a good example. Him and Bill butted heads for a long time. But one thing that was never argued, he never lost respect for him, when it came to X's and O's. That's insane. I mean, that's crazy. It'd be like working for, you know, Warren Buffett

and like, he does something to piss you off. Like, yeah, just, I question his ability in the market. It's literally the job of a coach. That's why it always drives me nuts. when a head coach gets hired from a coordinator position, and then they no longer do that. Robert Sala is a great example. He was literally hired because of how good the defense was in San Francisco.

Then he gets to the Jets. He's like, I'm just going to be a CEO. Like, we didn't hire you to be a CEO. I want you to run the defense and do that. You're a head coach. But the reason you're a head coach is because you have an expertise doing one individual thing, and then they stop doing it.

I don't know. I just articles like this don't necessarily make me nervous because I'm not picking the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. And last year was a joke with their coaching staff. And they still won 11 games. Now, obviously they started well, but I still believe they're going to be good. But this is something that doesn't just go away.

Usually when you, I've been a position. Now, I never had a guy of Nick Siriani's fame that I lost respect for. but when you lose respect for someone above you, you usually don't gain it back. You usually don't gain it back. Because deep down you know, he just doesn't know. This guy's not good enough. This guy can't help me.

Why? Because there's a part of you that thinks he's clueless. Think about that. That's usually what it is, at least in my experience. Jalen Hertz, one part of this article, which I actually thought was kind of cool, is he called Wink Martin Bale after the season before the Tampa Bay playoff game

and asked him for advice essentially. What do you see when you coach against me? Obviously, Wink for two years was the Giants defensive coordinator and they played him in a playoff game. So he had game plan for him countless times. And Wink said in my 40 years of coaching, I've never had a player reach out. Well, you wouldn't have to reach out

if you could lean on your head coach. Brock Purdy, Patrick Mahomes, all these guys. Matt Stafford wouldn't have to reach out. They would just reach out to their boss, to the guy that they lean on. What do we need to do? And they would have the answers.

That's literally their job. Now, I'm not saying it was wrong for Jalen to do that. I think that gives a lot of insight into him as a guy as a person driven to be the best he can. I also think it gives a lot of insight is he doesn't think anyone in the building has the answers for him to help him out, which is pretty scary.

And this is a very slippery slope this year. Like I said, I thought he was fired at the end of the season. I thought Bill Belichick was going to be their head coach. And that is definitely still on the table this year. And making the playoffs will not be good enough. If they're one and done in the playoffs, and the same questions kind of come back. What is Siriani doing?

I don't see, because you're going to get to the point, like is Jeffrey Larry going to give them an extension? And here's the other problem for Siriani now. It's pretty well established. If Kellynne Moore has success and their offense is awesome again like it was under Shane Steichen, because let's face it, if they had a redo, which would have been crazy at the time,

but if they had a redo today, they would do it. They would have fired Nick Siriani for Shane Steichen. Obviously, that would have been unprecedented. They weren't in a position to do that. But after a year, looking back, what the right move would have been. And if Kellan Moore succeeds this year, it's him succeeding. Siriani has nothing to do with it. It's not like he's picking the players.

We know how he is the grand poo ball when it comes to personnel. So you just go, we just paying this guy $7, $8 million to be the head coach on our website? So the Eagles are a team that everyone's going to be watched. If you watch Hard Docs, you saw Nick Saban talk about hype and expectations from the outside and how that doesn't matter internally when you're trying to develop a quarterback. And he discussed why so many quarterbacks fail because of their expectations. I'm going to disagree. I think a lot of quarterbacks fail because they're not good enough.

This pro football, it is really, really difficult. They go to bad teams, they get bad coordinators, they get bad talent. Like any young person, you lose any confidence you have. You can get destroyed and, you know, the way and the speed in which the NFL works, you don't have time. There are small examples of guys that just didn't care. You know, Jamarcus Russell is probably the best example of all time, of a guy who literally did not give a shit.

But I think most guys, at least over the last decade plus, tried, put in good effort and they simply were not good enough. Like this is the best of the best. This is the 1% of the 1%. It is difficult to play in the NFL. I say it all the time. I am much more comfortable being critical of coaches because I think it is much easier to become a coach in the NFL

than it is to become a player. And listen, guys fumble, guys make a bad pass, guys miss a tackle. Football's hard. Now, when you consistently make mistakes, I'd argue it's on the coach, out of the game. But the hype machine, listen, it doesn't matter that much if you're a GM or you're a coach or you're a player. You ultimately have to produce. And that's all that matters. But us on the outside, us that talk about football fans, kind of like it. It kind of makes this whole thing

fun. I was just watching the team USA game. Part of what made that game so riveting, it was fantastic, was because the hype around the team, right? And there was substance behind it. We have some of the greatest players in the history of the game on it. And it's like, they're going to lose to Joker and a bunch of other guys that none of us could point out of a lineup. It was incredible television. And the cool part, and this is why I always defend the draft, the draft is part of the business model of the NFL. That moment, the hype train of the players coming in, the excitement that it gives fans of hope that they can turn things around.

That's real. and that plays a part into the revenue stream that ultimately the players essentially get a 50-50 split of. So I've always defended the excitement around draft time. It's why whenever a player is drafted, especially in the first round, you will never not see an ecstatic draft room. Even though we know, you know, on average,

16 of the 32 guys will not get second contracts with the team, let alone become star players. Even the guys that get second contracts, that doesn't mean you become JJ Watt, right, or Patrick Mahomes, that just means you're a really good player. Maybe you make a pro bowl or two.

But when I draft a guy in the top 10, the top five, my expectations are for you to become a star. From the team, from the owner, from the fans, from us talking about it, that's the way this whole thing works. and there is an incredible amount of hype around Caleb Williams. Part of that started years ago when he kicked Spencer Rattler to the curb,

who's about to be Derek Carr's backup quarterback in New Orleans, turned out like actually he's not terrible, pretty good player. Then what he did at USC two years ago, winning the Heisman trophy, and obviously his physical gifts. But I do think the hype around Jaden Daniels, I wouldn't put it on Caleb's level, but it's pretty high. and a lot like Caleb Williams, he is entrusted with saving a franchise,

saving a franchise. Now, the Bears over the last 20 years have had good teams. I mean, some of those Brian Erlacker teams, hell, they went to a Super Bowl, right? And they had countless guys who were the best in the league and their defense was awesome.

Then they went to an NFC championship game the year Jay Cutler got hurt and Aaron Rogers ended up winning the Super Bowl. And then, what, six, seven years? years ago, Matt Nagy's first year with Vic Fangio, the doy game, they were hosting a playoff game. So they have had more success than the Washington franchise. But part of like, you could argue it's harder to save the Washington franchise than it is the Bears franchise. Now, they have not had a quarterback in Chicago really ever. And there's a new owner in Washington

so you don't have the stink of Daniel Snyder. But still, there is going to be a ton of pressure. I worked for the Eagles when RG3 was drafted. It was like he was the savior. Now he answered the bell immediately and then clearly messed up his knee and was never the same. But coaches, GM, scouts, they're going to have a lot of opinions over the next month. Who's playing well, who's not playing well, who's good, who's not good. That's part of August. But when opposing players who are really good come out and make bold statements, like it makes you go, could this be real? And Soss Gardner, they just practiced for a couple days,

said that he went up to Jaden Daniels, this is what he told the reporters, and told him, you were going to be really good. And I don't think you do that randomly just to be nice to a guy. You're playing DB against him in all these drills. You're like, God, this guy's pretty sweet.

Earlier this week, Zach Erd said, stop saying he's going to be good. He's good now. and I was just reading a bunch of quotes from Cliff Kingsbury, how he's just blown away by the way this guy's work, like his work ethic, how focused he is and his study habits.

Because a lot of guys, I think, can't handle the mental aspect of being a quarterback. It's really hard. Transitioning from college where you can get by with talent to the NFL where you obviously have to have the talent, but you also have to have this insane amount of mental, focus slash mental toughness because you're going to have rough days. It's a much longer season.

Obviously, from a football standpoint, they're throwing so much shit at you. It can be very, very overwhelming. But like, the hype on this guy so far has been pretty strong. And I'm fascinated. And now it all falls on the head coach and the GM. Can they coach well enough over the next several years and put enough players around this guy to give him a shot? and I'm excited to watch.

Like, it makes it fun. And from talking to all my buddies when I went to the combine, they thought he was incredible this season. Throws it a great deep ball. His arm strength has gotten way better over the years. His decision-making, standing in the pocket is way better. Obviously, he's a great athlete moving around. The one knock on him.

And we talked about it on the fantasy podcast. Like, this is what Caleb brings the table. He is just thick. We've said it forever about Kyler, a running quarterback. While he's short, he is built like a little tank. And Jaden is really thin. And I remember when he got the Heisman and he's there standing with the other guys. You're like, God, this guy is really, really skinny.

Which, there's nothing wrong with being a young guy and being skinny at any position. Sometimes it happens. It takes a little time to put on weight. But if you are going to be a runner, you have to avoid the hits. Because even in 2024, where everyone's like, oh, they're just a bunch of, you know what, this league is so soft. Well, yeah, relative to the 70s. these 80s and 90s, it is a different sport. It doesn't mean you won't get hit and get hit really hard when you're running around.

While linebackers aren't as big as they once were, right, you don't have a many 260-pound middle linebackers plug in the hole against Lorenzo-Neil in the ISO block. That's not how the game is, I would say, consistently played now. But you get 240-pound guys or 235-pound guys that can run 4-4-4-4-5-40s. And if you're running 4-4, even if you weigh 235 pounds, I've never been hit in the NFL, but I can't imagine that feels good. And once you cross that line of scrimmage and you're not going to slide, you're going to die forward, you are going to get mollywapt.

So that's something, and I've always believed you either have this kind of innate feel as a runner that you can avoid hits. And that goes for running backs too. I always thought Frank Gore was definitely not the fastest running back we've seen the last 20 years. Remember he had like eight knee surgery. before he even came out, but he had this incredible knack from not taking big hits. And I think that's a big reason why he played such a long time. And we've seen quarterbacks, Michael Vicks, a good example, that just wasn't that good at that. He didn't know how to slide.

He didn't have a great feel for contact. He was such a tough guy. He wasn't afraid of it. But you were going to lose those battles. So clearly this guy from a throwing perspective took a gigantic leap. I mean a gigantic leap last year. Now it's going to be about staying healthy and the team building it around him

because let's face it. I was thinking about this today. I go back and forth, I'm like, I'm going to probably pick him to finish last in the division. If he is good, like if he has a really good rookie year, their quarterback position is much better off than the Giants. Their quarterback position, depending on how this DAC situation goes,

I'd still be shocked, but as long as he doesn't have a contract and they can't franchise him, who knows if he's on the team next year? Now, you could argue if they are offering anywhere near what he would get in the open market. It pays to be the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, literally and figuratively, off the field. But if he were to leave, all of a sudden, Washington, if he just shows signs, they're like, God, they got a real chance. Because listen, all this, what Sabin is right about, we're not playing any games. Even the preseason, that doesn't count.

You are judged on the 17 regular season games and how you improve over that period of time. But in theory, this team should be a lot better off next year in two years. And if you do it right and this guy answers the bell, that's why Caleb gets this incredible situation. He goes to the Chicago Bears who were not drafting one. They just fleece the Panthers. They already had a sweet wide receiver.

They had their own pick, so they draft another guy, and then they trade for Keenan Allen. So he goes to his place with three suite wide receivers, a sign of running back. They already have a solid defense. Like, it's one of the better landing spots for a number one quarterback in the history of league. You never go, usually go to the commanders, a team that had cut guys, trade guys last year, kind of starting over. It's going to depend on a lot of young guys and just kind of be a work in progress. That's fine.

That's usually how it goes. And if you do a good enough job as the front office and the head coach, like, you can be in great position. and there was a lot of talk before the draft, you know, about, and even I kind of threw it out there because I'm a big swing guy, like would have Drake May hits? Could he be like Josh Allen? Could he be like Justin Herbert? Well, everyone that I knew in the league that has scouted both of them were like,

this guy's just better. And there's just no way you take that risk when this guy, this guy has a high ceiling too. And when you watch him in the SEC, he's a baller. So I'm fascinated to watch this guy. I get excited when I see these. quotes because I know the way coaches and GMs talk with reporters.

One, they're going to be really positive during this period of time. But when other players start saying that, like, Zach Ertz won a Super Bowl. Zacherts played with Carson Wentz who at one point in time looked like he was going to be the MVP. Zacherts played with Kyle Murray. You know, Soss Gardner plays elite quarterbacks basically

every week or every other week. Like, he kind of knows what it looks like. So I put value in that. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy, guy not quite on humor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk

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