The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Dallas Cowboys win, Bryce Young keeps winning, Jayden shines

Episode Date: December 23, 2024

John is back, breaking down another exciting week across the National Football League, capped by a BIG Dallas Cowboys win over Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. Middlekauff salutes the Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones for a hard-hitting victory to improve America’s Team to 7-8 on the season. Next, John looks ahead at the Dallas Cowboys future under head coach Mike McCarthy and gives credit to a stout Cowboys defense, and well-coached quarterback play, as the season winds down and Dallas fans wonder about their coaching future. Next, John reacts to the career renaissance from former Heisman Trophy winner and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star QB Baker Mayfield after the quarterback has “become a top-10 quarterback” this season. After, John gives his thoughts on Atlanta Falcons rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. and why the Falcons deciding to bench veteran QB Kirk Cousins is way too little, way too late this far into the year. After, thoughts on Washington Commanders sensational rookie Jayden Daniels, the Carolina Panthers up-and-down journey with former Alabama Crimson Tide QB Bryce Young and the state of young quarterbacks across the league. Finally, thoughts on the Philadelphia Eagles losing a close game to the Washington Commanders, injuries to franchise quarterbacks and another embarrassing San Francisco 49ers loss. 5:05 - SNF: Bucs at Cowboys reaction 32:42 - Reaction to Jalen Hurts injury 36:22 - 49ers embarrassing loss to the Dolphins 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.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 Acapella 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 ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam?

It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was funny. You just understood. That's how personal it got.

Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis' keep coming to. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the, IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him.

Listen to Season 14 of Family Secrets on the IHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do.

Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume. What is going on, everybody? How are we doing? Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah.

Great week. It's spent some time with our loved ones, our families, and do a couple podcasts. So I did a big podcast yesterday on Saturday night, reacting to the Saturday night games, as well as the playoff games in college football. I recorded a podcast with Colin after the afternoon games.

And I'm recording this podcast right now after the Sunday night game. Cowboys get a big win, 26 to 24. What a entertaining football game. That was a lot of fun. Sign me up for the violence of that game every day of the week. That was sweet.

So we'll dive into that game from McCarthy to Baker. Very, very enjoyable Sunday night that I'll be honest, since he coming. we will also hit on some other things from around the NFL Bryce Young, we got to tip our hat to him Jalen and a concussion in the game

that they ended up losing to the commies with Jaden through for a bunch of touchdowns, five, I think, to be exact. And Kyle Shanhan and the 49ers, I think got more questions than answers right now. That's for damn sure. But other than that, the game plan will be, I'll probably do a little pocket

podcast for Tuesday and then obviously nothing Christmas might react to the Wednesday games. That'll probably be it for a couple days. So yeah, got to hang out the level ones. Got to spend some quality time, some QT as they call it, with my people. My mom haven't seen her in a while. So other than that, you guys know the drill. Subscribe to the podcast, Three Now Podcast. And if you listen on Collins, also YouTube page, we got a bunch of content up

there as well. But before we dive into some football, listen, I'm not a great gift giver. I'm not good at it at all. I'm not an outside the box thinker. I struggle. Kids are relatively easy, especially little kids, but for older family members, if you want to do something nice for, you know, maybe your dad, a loved one, significant other, a brother, a sister that you want to take care of, what is better than under the tree? Like, hey, here are two tickets. you name it, whatever they want to go to, a game, a concert, take care of them in 2025. The official ticketing app of this podcast, GameTime, is the best. Been using them for a long time.

Make someone's week. So take the guest work out of buying tickets with GameTime, download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code, John, for $20 off your first purchase, terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem the code, J-O-H-N for $20 off, down on the GameTime app today. Last minute, tickets lowest price is guaranteed. that was awesome. That was fantastic football. And for anyone, and I'm included in this,

that sometimes gets nostalgic about the day and age, which, listen, I don't want anyone to get CTE or have a shitty life that played in the NFL when they're 50, 60, 70 years old, or any of that. But there was something special about watching people just get destroyed. and knowing, like, I can't imagine playing this game at that level. And then, like, any young kid, if you play high school football, you realize how you get nervous the first day you ever put on pads,

like when you're on JV, and, you know, you get to varsity football, and you start hitting some guys that are going Division I. Maybe some people listen to this. If you play Division I, let alone in the NFL, there's something about the physicality of the sport that brings out kind of your manhood and separates, you know, the boys from the men and there was something special about that game that I just witnessed. People were getting destroyed. That felt like a game that I would have watched, you know,

on my parents' 30-inch TV in 1996 where you just watch guys, every other hit get absolutely ran over. And every other big hit, you're like, is that guy going to get up? Is that guy okay? Sometimes defenders, you know, hurt themselves on the hits. the level of play and effort in that game, I just thought was awesome. And I'll be honest, like when I saw, you know, looking at the schedule like I do, getting ready for the podcast,

either at the start of the morning or as the weeks going on, you're like, this is Sunday night game. Not that I thought like the bucks were just going to roll and the Cowboys were playing well, but it's like, I don't know if this game's going to be that great. I thought that was honestly one of the more entertaining games, you know, of the year. And started with the Cowboys.

I don't know what Collinsworth and Torrico said because I had the TV on mute. We're getting ready to leave tomorrow back home. So we're talking about some stuff, had the game on, but had to mute it. And then they showed the visual. This is as the Cowboys, when I finished with Coward and I went out to the living room, it was 10 to nothing, Cowboys. And then I get out there and Cooper Rush is continuing just to throw bombs. It's like, they look fantastic.

I'm like, they can't look any better. And then they show, which they always show Jerry on a Cowboys game, especially in Dallas. And you got Stephen, and I think I was his other brother, one of the other Jones family, sit next to him, and they're just wearing Jerry out. And I don't think it's hard to put two and two together if you're guessing on what they were talking about, like how good Mike is doing. Or what are we going to do in this situation with him coaching this well? Because at 82 years old, and Jerry mentioned this, and I think we all thought he was crazy,

and partly because he is kind of crazy and he talks a lot, and it's hard to ever know how much what he says, their substance behind it. They said, we're going all in, and then clearly it didn't feel like they were going all in. But when he said on his radio show that Mike could get extended, Mike could be the coach here next year. Most of us just assumed, and I was guilty of this,

like Mike McCarthy's done, especially when DAC goes out for the year. When Dak goes out for the year with the hamstring injury and you see him every game sitting in the, you know, sitting in the box, you go, wait, listen, Cooper Rush, their defense has been putre the first half of the season. Like, this team's screwed. How are they going to win games? And then Cooper Rush and the offense has looked pretty good. Like, Cooper Rush has made a lot of place. And especially tonight in that

first half, when he is just throwing bombs to C.D. Lamb, and those two guys were eviscerating the Tampa Bay secondary. You're like, I don't know, Jerry. I mean, I don't know what else you could ask from a coach in this situation. One big difference on defense, and I was thinking about this watching the game, even if you don't have great defensive personnel on your front four, depending on if you run a three, four, four, four, three, when you have a special pass rusher or just a special player on your front that takes all the energy of an offensive coordinator, the offensive line, and the blocking scheme, it takes. so much energy to focus on that guy, that it's kind of like a domino effect for the other guys

get to play better than sometimes they actually are because of the guy they're playing next to. And on the Saturday game with Chris Jones, they talked about it with him. He's like, I'm not having my best statistical year, but I feel like I'm playing my best football. And everyone next to me is eating. And you see it with all the great players, whether it's Miles Garrett, when Nick Bose is playing well, obviously T.J. Watt. Even if if you have other good players, they play even better because all the energy goes to you. And their defense, since Micah's come back, just looks dramatically faster out front. Obviously, he's a big part of that as a great pass rusher.

But the other guys were flying around and crushing Baker early in that game. And since he's come back, they just look a lot better on defense. And tonight, the secondary, Al Harris, who I'm pretty sure is the guy when Matt Hasselbeck in the playoff game against the Packers when they won the coin toss and Hasselback goes, we want the ball and we're going to score. Pretty sure that's the guy that he threw the pick six to. And clearly that's the connection with McCarthy

and he's the DB coach. That defensive backfield, you know, obviously blands back from his injury last year, made a game-winning play. The play Lewis made on the interception, but their physicality, they're hitting, you know, Diggs is out for the season with a knee injury. Look like Ronnie,

lot meets Cam Chancellor back there. So if you're Jerry and you're Stephen and you're trying to figure out what to do, you look around the landscape, you go, Mike's really good with offense and quarterbacks. Like, it's not really debatable. Dax played his best football with him calling plays. And then tonight, Cooper Rush is 26 of 35 for basically 300 yards. Now, he could have thrown a pick there late in the game, got pretty lucky. The dude dropped it.

but overall to have a backup quarterback look that competent is a reflection of the coaching staff and is a reflection of just overall coaching in general. So I think that visual showed I would be stunned honestly if they weren't talking about that. Like this is going pretty well. What are we going to do? Go on a interview. Who are we going to hire that's going to be better than the situation we're in? Plus the reason that we struggled this year was more of a.

personnel issue than coaching. Now is McCarthy perfect? Of course not. But I've been pretty impressed this last month because I think universally, cowboy fans, just football fans, would have said six, seven games ago, they are completely screwed. Like this thing could just fall off and become derailed. You look around the NFL, you look at some of these teams that are dealing with injuries, they just don't look. The Niners, a good example. I mean, the Giants are the worst case scenario. It's like, what is going on there. This team is the opposite. It's like, damn, they are playing,

they are a muff punt screw up by the dude that they elevated from the practice squad from winning five straight games. And currently they would be, instead of 7, 8, they'd be 8 and 7. And they would be right in position. They're like, God, could they make a playoff run? You know, could they, do they have an opportunity to get in?

So I think that I've been blown away. I mean, the defense clearly under Zimmer with Micah back has become much better. And I think McCarthy has just done a really, really good job. That's as hard of an effort, just in terms of guys playing start to finish in a game, as I remember in a while from a team that, I mean, the season's over, they're not going. Like, what are we doing? Sunday night football, lights are on, and we approach that game, like, it was winner get into the playoffs. So that was awesome.

That really was. Right down to the final play. When Blan stripped that ball away from Irving. So congrats to the Cowboys, because it would have been pretty easy to wave the white flag. And I think this is a separating factor in the NFL that so many teams, the Panthers are a good example, and we'll dive into them.

Like every team worth their salt battles their ass off till the bitter end, whether you're going to win four games, whether you're going to win nine games, whether you're trying to get the number one overall seed. It's what truly makes the sport special. And partly because if you don't give full effort in this sport at that level, you will get injured. You will get hurt.

And just fantastic win by the Cowboys. I actually think it was a pretty impressive effort by the Buccaneers as well. One thing that at this point in time, we just have to acknowledge, Baker Mayfield is a top 10 quarterback. Baker Mayfield is a big-time player now. And you look at that 2018 draft, obviously Lamar Jackson's won multiple MVP's and became one of the best players, I mean, in the history of the league, as an all-the-round quarterback running and passing.

Josh Allen might be the most talented player we've ever seen at the position. Those guys are everything you could possibly dream of as first-round picks and franchise quarterbacks. This is 2018. Obviously, Josh Rosen's long gone out of the league. Sam Darnold's career was crazy. Not only he's having a career year, he is leading the Minnesota Vikings to the opportunity to get the number one seed

and is going to end up throwing for somewhere between 35 and 38 touchdowns. Baker Mayfield, we didn't know if last year was, I don't know, I don't want to say a one-year wonder, but like could it get that much better? I just looked, only Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow have more touchdown passes than him. And clearly since, you know, I think he's talked about it, He lost a little weight. He moves early on in his career. He reminded me of Johnny Mansell that he thought, like, what he could do in college.

And Johnny was much more of a runner, but Baker scrambled around a lot at Oklahoma as a playmaker. It's like, you've got to be really careful. The random defensive linemen will run your ass down. And I remember it might have been Johnny's first start or one of his first games they were playing the Panthers. and he thought it was like, you know, playing some team in college. And it was Luke Keekely. And he thought he could outrun him to the corner. And Luke Keekely caught him like he was a lion on the Serengeti in like three steps.

Like, Johnny, this is a different world. And that used to happen to Baker a lot. He looks dramatically faster. I don't know if it's his confidence. But his running ability is a legit weapon. And then as a pastor, like he's always had an explosive arm. He just now is just a really good player. right? I mean, deep balls, intermediate balls, playmaking, obviously running.

And listen, they now have the same record as the Atlanta Falcons. The Atlanta Falcons hold the tiebreaker. But do you think Michael Penix, who I thought looked pretty good today, it's one thing playing at home against the worst team in the NFL? I mean, there is no one more gutless and just who looks shittier right now than the dayball-led New York Giants. Like, they are currently, in terms of the effort and execution and just overall production they play with, an embarrassment to the NFL. I mean, it's really, really bad.

But listen, I can't, it was your first start. Like, I thought regardless of the statistics, he looks solid. Going on the road to Washington coming off one of their biggest wins. I mean, it's got to be like a top five win for the commanders in the last decade. Now, I know a large portion of it was against their backup quarterback, but still, Jaden throwing five touchdowns against Fangio and that defense, a lot of momentum. That place is going to be going to be going bananas. It's going to be a tough spot for Pennix.

And like, coaching advantage, I'm going commanders over the Rahim Morris led operation. But, and I'm a Michael Pennix guy. I just think it's going to be challenging. They could easily lose that game. I haven't seen the line yet. They're going to be an underdog in that game. So they control their own destiny But I think they lose that game

And the Bucks are still very much alive playing the Panthers Which is no easy out the way they're playing And the Saints both in home So I think if they win those two games They're still in the playoffs And that'd be back to back playoffs For this guy that replaced Tom Brady And listen like I think the bucks are solid

It's hard to overcome They've had a bunch of injuries Obviously lose Godwin a long time ago You know they're playing with some randoms It's basically they feel a little like the Cowboys. It's like if you can just somehow neutralize Mike Evans, you can at least slow them down.

But Baker's throwing fucking balls to, I was like, who's this tight in? What's this guy's name? And I was just really, really impressed. And that play, Vita Veavaea made to stop Ferguson from a first down at the end of the game to force a punt and give the Bucks an opportunity

was just fantastic. I mean, what a special player. And was there anybody that once the Bucks got the ball back that didn't believe that Baker at minimum was going to get them in field goal range. Honestly, I thought he was going to lead him down to score a touchdown. And not because the Cowboys' defense was playing bad, just because I had that much belief in Baker Mayfield.

But you look back at the 2018 draft, you know, Alan and Lamar, like Hall of Famers, what Baker and Darnold, which is kind of ironic just because a couple years ago, their careers were in shambles playing together. Right? They traded for Darnold on the Panthers. Then a year later, they trade for Baker.

And it was like, this is a disaster. and both those guys left that place and now look at him. It's just awesome. As a football fan, I loved watching Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma. I would say over the last decade plus, he's easily one of my favorite college players to watch. And I remember battling with Coward who thought he didn't like him coming out because there were a lot of, you know, immaturity questions about him.

But I was like, I don't know, man. I think he's so good he will overcome it. And clearly some maturity stuff. I think his life changed. And I think they've kind of alluded to it and even talked about it. Once he got married, had a child, he feels like a different human being. And if you look at Jason Kelsey, when Jason Kelsey became a star player, and he's definitely talked about this, his career was not going that well. There were rumors that he might get traded right around 2016.

Met his wife, started having kids. look when Jason Kelsey started making Pro Bowls in all pro teams. And he never looked back. And I feel like whatever happened, once Baker got to Tampa, his life calmed down, he's become a top 10 quarterback. And honestly, he has moments where it's like, that's a top five quarterback on some of these drives. Avoiding players, hitting guys, getting hit and still making the throw. He's not just a fun player to watch.

Like, he's a really, really good player. and I think Tampa, that situation last year, they kind of took a flyer on him and he earned it and this year he's doubled down because he was good last year, he's way better this year. And now they just, they got to win the next two games and be the biggest commander fan Sunday night, which I think, listen, if Atlanta wins that game, they deserve to go to the playoffs. And I think if Atlanta loses that game, what they'll be asking themselves,

would we have won this division if we would have spent cousins a month ago? And my answer is yes. And Colin and I talked about this briefly, but you guys know I did not like the sequence of events. Because having been with a team and knowing the way the buildup is, you have a, if you're a good GM, you really, really know the draft pool after the combine, who you like, who you don't like.

Now, when you're a good team, like if you're Andy Reed and Veach, you don't have a great idea after the commons. combine like who's going to be where but you got a pretty good idea of the group of 12 to 13 guys that are going to be top 10 picks but you don't have a great idea when you're drafting 31st or 32nd who's going to be there when you pick but when you leave the combine if you are decent at your job you have a really good idea who you like in the top 10 if you have a top 10 and who you would want. And when the combine ended,

most people do for a fact, like Michael Pennix was available in the top 10. Like, you didn't have to trade up to get them. If you were drafting 8th, he 1,000% was going to be there. So for them to do the Cousins move

and then do the Pennix thing, they did not know they liked Penix when they signed Cousins at that level. Because if they had, they would not have signed Cousins and they just would have drafted Penix and done what they'd, the bucks did last year. Signed a guy like Baker for $5 million. Signed Sam

Darnold for Gardner-Minschew. And have that guy be Pennix's backup. Why? Because Penix is a 24-year-old ready-made pro prospect. Doesn't mean he was going to be good. But he was not a guy that needed to sit. And I heard Schrager mentioned it this week that he wasn't getting any reps in practice. Of course not. Because the starter gets them all. So when you're the backup, you just service the scout team defense. So, The Atlanta Falcons, if they do miss the playoffs and the Bucks win these last two games and they lose to the Washington commanders, that's on the front office. Because you can't convince me that they would not have been better off with Pennix playing this whole time.

I don't believe it. His arms are much more lively. He's way bigger threat to throw the ball downfield. He's just a better player today. There is not one coach or GM in the NFL for the next three games that would take Kirk Cousins over Michael Pennix. and that was the case five weeks ago. So I just, I think the Bucks got a little lucky because they've had a million injuries this year has been hard. Baker's played out of his ass, obviously throwing all these touchdowns and keeping them in games that, like even a night, like they were getting outplayed and he just kind of willed them to that game.

But because the Atlanta Falcons stuck with cousins for so long, that will be a big reason if this plays out the way that I think it will play out. Just a fantastic game that I thought that was awesome. It's the most wonderful time of year for getting in on all the hoops, football, and hockey action at the Draft King Sportsbook. It's the season of giving. And we're being gifted college football and basketball, pro football and basketball and pro hockey two, almost 24-7. So many games every day, so many opportunities to blaze your first bet. Try betting on something simple, like picking a team to win. Go to Drafking Sportsbook app and place your bet.

And here's a gift for all new customers. Bet five bucks to get 150 in bonus bets if your bet wins. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app and use the code, John. That's code J-O-H-N for new customers to get 150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. When you bet, just five bucks. Happy holidays from Draft Kings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler in New York,

call 877 8-8-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hope-N-Y 4667-369-4-669. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-7-9-77-or or visit ccpigee-Pg. Police play responsibly. On behalf of Boothal Casino in Kansas, 21-in-over, age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. One bonus bet per customer based on amount of initial touchdown bet and expires 168 hours after issuance. One single-use boost per customer that only applies to winnings. See sportsbook.draftkings.com slash Promos for additional terms and responsible gaming resources. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name?

Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to our... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special.

So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas.

And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an

a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining 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 exactly.

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 run up the court licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and do. down the court and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad, but secretly he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy, but I felt so desperate that I felt it was, the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like?

No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had

existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues.

I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it.

I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I want to hit on a couple other things. When you're a young player and you get thrown in the fire and you struggle, it's natural. Most guys aren't Micah Parsons or Justin Jefferson that just hit the ground running and become instant stars.

even a lot of guys and whoever your favorite team is that drafts like a guard or a linebacker or something in the third or fourth round and he's just an immediate starter and he's just solid. Like that's an anomaly. Most guys kind of come in and out, right, if they play wide receiver, tight end, linebacker, DB, kind of mix in, have some good plays, have some bad plays, maybe kind of get bench, go back to special teams. It's a work in progress. The sport's really, really difficult.

physically, mentally, the length of the season, the different schemes that you've never seen in college, it's hard. It's why everyone that was like, Caleb Williams and the Bears are going to be awesome. I'm like, do you guys not realize how difficult this is? It's why what Jaden did today was mind-blowing. But he played five years and caught, five-year starter.

Like, he has a lot of reps. Bow-neck, same thing. Like, these guys have an abnormal amount of reps for being rookie quarterbacks. Bryce Young looked really, really bad. I think we gave him somewhat of a pass last year because the franchise was so bad, right? And rightfully so.

It's like, listen, I'm giving them a little pass. Just like the Bears. I'm giving them a little pass. We'll see who they hire. And we'll hold them to a different standard next year. Then this year started. And it felt like he was even worse. It was like, this is crazy.

I liked him out of college. It was hard not to. You watched him play at Alabama. But then you watch him in the pros his second year. You're like, he looks so small. His arm looks terrible. He's inaccurate. You can't function.

Like, this is not going to work. And he got benched, rightfully so. And let's face it, whenever you get benched in the pros at quarterback, especially a high pick, it's a really, really big story. It was a huge story when Anthony Richardson get benched. I mean, it's a big deal. And Anthony Richardson came back. It kind of looks the same.

inaccurate, throw some bad picks, can run, but it's just like, same thing. Bryce Young comes back. He's a completely different human. If you just box score scouted him, it will not tell you how dramatically. Now, the bar was really low, but against the Eagles, you watch him a day. Like, he's a real player. He makes real plays. They couldn't get a first down with him.

He couldn't throw a wheel route. He was completely lost. And maybe it was just simple. is he needed to take a step back. He needed to take a deep breath. I don't know what he did. And if you're a panther fan, maybe you've read articles about this,

maybe he's talked about this. I don't know if he went to therapy. I don't know if he just got away from football. I don't know if he just was completely humbled. It doesn't seem like, it's not like he was cocky about it. So I don't know if he needed humility. But it worked.

And today he made some awesome, awesome place. With his legs run around, he ran over a defender, threw a couple touchdowns. Chuba Hubbard went nuts. And listen, the Cardinals aren't that good. But like we talked about with the Cowboys, this season for the Panthers, once they kind of benched him and came back to him, he's like, whatever, this team's just going to lose every week. Because when he was playing, it felt like they were one of the worst teams we'd ever seen.

It's like, this doesn't get any worse. And since he's come back, like, they're a real NFL team. They can beat anyone. That's, you know, I'm giving the bucks to win. That's going to be a very difficult game. They just benefit from, you know, the games in Tampa, and it's obviously must win for them. But that's going to be hard, the way they're playing.

So, Bryce, I can't tell you how much respect. I have respect for anyone who just goes through a really, really shitty moment in life. And most of the moments that we go through are, you know, depending on your industry or personal life, it's not a public thing. Now, your friends and family may not. know about it and people in your coworkers. But it's a pretty isolated thing. It feels like a big deal.

But at that level, to be that public, to be the number one pick, it had to probably feel pretty lonely. And there had to be times where he looked in the mirror and go, do I suck? Am I, can I play in the NFL? And to find a way to be mentally tough enough to battle through it and come back and play like he's played, like that's, you don't play for saved. and excel for Sabin if you're not a mentally tough motherfucker

and clearly listen he doesn't have elite talent he's not he doesn't throw the ball like Baker he doesn't run it like Kyler but he can he can be an NFL quarterback and as crazy as that sounds for a guy that was draft the number one pick

like Middokov I hope so two months ago no one could say that no one could say that you couldn't watch him play and think yeah this guy this guy could be a starter and now you watch him, you go, like, this guy could be a starter. Now, how good, at what level?

Like, I'm not going to go there yet. I've got a long way to go. But he can be a starter in the NFL for a team that clearly competes every week, and they should have a big offseason because they should have money and high draft picks. So congratulations to Bryce Young for just battling his ass off. The Eagles, I don't want to say lost the game because Jalen got concussed. But Kenny Pickett, I tweeted this out. I will tell my children.

one day about the stretch of quarterback inflation that we had, that guys like Mack Jones and Kenny Pickett got drafted in the top 20. I do believe that Mac Jones going 15th is one of the craziest draft picks of my entire life. For example, Trey Lance going three, it's like, Middletoff, that was an all-time bust. We have seen guys be dramatic busts with physical skills that are big, that are athletic, they can throw, get it. But guys with Mack Jones and Kenny Pickett's skill set. The majority of, at least my life, and the history of the NFL, those guys go in like the fourth through seventh round.

And because the quarterback inflation got so out of whack because of guys like Mahomes and Josh Allen that everyone was reaching for quarterbacks. And we learned a valuable lesson. You can't do that. Like, the Eagles, would they get them for a six or seventh round pick? Like, they paid the proper price. But I think the J-Lan hurts situation today. shows you how fast shit can change.

Because especially so many of these quarterbacks, look at all the good teams. Jared Goff's probably the one guy who doesn't run. But Jordan Love moves, obviously Jaden Daniels moves, Jalen Hertz moves, you just go through the quarterbacks, you know, Baker Mayfield moves,

that Sam Donald moves, and obviously the AFC guys all scramble around, that forever, it was like, you could get hurt, but you were going to get hurt in the pocket. because these guys are scrambling around, either sliding or diving, they just open themselves up for an entry. And we're coming down the home stretch. Before we knew it was a concussion,

which in a weird way, I think everyone's relieved. Because you're like, what happened to Jalen? He's like, worried something serious. And he's still got to pass concussion protocol or whatever to go back. But obviously, that's way better than some high ankle sprain or a broken collar bone or whatever the, you know, list of injuries could be, can change like that.

It really can. And that's the thing about the sport that guys get injured, position players get injured, when your quarterback get injured, your entire heart drops. And you see Kenny Pickett. Like, if Kenny Pickett had to play a lot in a playoff game, the Eagles have, you could argue,

the best roster top to bottom, you would bet against them. Because, I mean, he's a backup for a reason, but he's also just a very flawed player. And in these bigger moments, one thing, like, he could beat the Giants or whatever. But you play him in a playoff game against the Vikings, against the Packers, against the Lions, where he had to score a bunch of points. It would be a major, major problem. So I think it just, sometimes I forget, you just think it's just going to go on, go on, especially Mahomes.

He gets injured, he comes right back. You just realize today how fast things. can change it. And no one knows that better than the Eagles that experienced that in 2017 when Carso Wentz, all of a sudden he just tears ACL and he's just out. Now that was the best case scenario. Big Dick Nick came in and let him to a Super Bowl. But I think we all know

most of the time, that is not the way it plays out. Last but not least, I can't get over how bad of a loss that was for the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan's protege was Mike McDaniel. He started working for him.

in the late 2000s with the Houston Texans. The stories are all out there. You know, he had a drinking problem. Gary Kubiak actually fired him. And then they brought him back to Washington. He went with him to Cleveland. He went with him to Atlanta. Obviously, he played a huge part in San Francisco.

And went on to help Kyle Shanahan build up the 49ers and then got the Miami job. And this year has been a disaster. Like, there has been talks in Miami about them firing Mike McDaniel. partly because their owners alone, but just because like, what is going on? This team just looks shitty. Then the Niners, go on the road and lose to him.

I just, it's hard to put into words how terrible the 49ers season has been. Today they had nine penalties for 90 yards on basic things like guys not lining up you know, on the line of scrimmage.

Guys being off sides on defense. Like just pretty basic shit where Kyle obviously field goals continuing to miss because their field goal kicker is an erratic guy. Their defense is a shell of itself. If you told me the 49ers were going to miss the playoffs, I guess I could have seen at the beginning of the year. It's the NFL weird shit happens. I don't know if I could have envisioned it going like this.

Last week, they scored six points at home against the, Rams. This week, they have 10 points the majority of the game. They can't score against the Miami Dolphins in a game where Debo and Kittle are going nuts. And the purdy thing is, throws a pick to end the game, essentially. And there's talks about 50. The money per year, I hate that, because you can manipulate any contract in the NFL. Clearly, when you're talking a quarterback contract, though, that they're talking about with Purdy. You're talking 170 to $200 million. And I just don't know how these last two games, the games have ended on his interceptions. And last week, they'd tell you, well, Juan Jennings got bumped.

Why are we throwing double-move passes to Juan Jennings with the game on the line? How does that make any sense? Today, there's not a soul in sight. He hits the Miami Dolphins guy right in the hands as he's getting destroyed. this is a business and you can make mistakes financially on most contracts because most of them aren't that detrimental

big picture because they're not even a $50 million guarantee it's like it's over in a year and a half when you guarantee $170, $200 million that is like a three-year window I was looking the other day I think at Trevor Lawrence's like they are in bed with Trevor Lawrence

for the next three seasons The contract starts next year, really kick it in. That was the big thing with Russell Wilson's. It was like, it really kicks in now. So I think when you invest in these contracts, just because the market's the market, I have a hard time with that logic. Like, yeah, if you want a big-time quarterback,

it costs $200 million. Well, the guy better be a big-time quarterback. If you just want to pay, like, we like the guy, but the market's the market, then that's on you. I never have a problem seeing these high-end elite guys getting a ton of money. CD Lamb, every time I watch them, like, yeah, I would have paid him too.

Justin Jefferson's like, Jesus, like, Randy Moss 2.0. T.J. Watt, like, shit, underpaid. And then you see these quarterbacks, you go, yeah, Lamar, Josh, I mean, the Tampa Bay bucket, Jason Light does cartwheels every day down the hallway knowing that he got Baker Mayfield for $100 million. To think that you would pay Brock Purr's, based on what we're seeing this year.

Again, I'm not acting like you cut the guy, but he still has another year. $200 million, I couldn't do it. I couldn't. And listen, if Kyle is adamant about it, someone needs to step in. And I'm not pro for an office people,

owners meddling, but there has to be some common sense. And sometimes, you know, you're kind of too close to the sun to kind of see everything. And that's how it feels like with Kyle, if he truly is dead set on like, yeah, Brockstar guy, I'll give him the market value.

That's just, it's one thing, everyone's going to make a mistake. A draft pick, a free agent signing, it's football, it happens. When you sign a quarterback to these huge deals, you clearly have all this information. Like, the Atlanta Falcons knew Kirk Cousins was coming off in Achilles. They knew Kurt Cousins, I think, had won one career playoff game. Like, they had that, he was 36, 37 years old. Like, they had that information. But when you sign your own guy, like the Miami Dolphins did,

McDaniels spent every day for two years around the guy. Like, they knew what they were getting. He'd already showed him. The Packers kind of rare situation where it's like, yeah, we're kind of betting on the company. But they had still spent four years around the guy. The 49ers now, he's been the starter for three years. They've seen the good, but they're really starting to see the bad.

And when you pay a guy, look at the Chiefs. you just don't have as many options, right? Because that money impacts your cap in a lot of ways when you're just paying these huge salaries. And once that starts happening, even as the salary cap goes up, it's harder to build a good team. So I think there has to be some deep breast taken.

Like, this is a fluid conversation. And as of right now, I'd be it in played out mode. We got another year. You're making a lot of money off the field. We like you. but here's the Baker Mayfield contract. Is he better player in Baker Mayfield right now? Is he?

I mean, I'm watching Baker Mayfield for $100 million about to throw probably 40 touchdowns on the season. It's like, well, Baker Mayfield doesn't... No, his team's been injured all year long. I mean, injuries left and right. Mike Evans missed half the season. Godwin's leg got pointed the other way. They didn't find out Bucky Irvin was sweet

until like halfway through the season. They have a new offense. coordinator. Make $100 million. Total. That was his contract. $33 million a year. I don't know, man.

I'm just not one of these. The market's the market. That feels like, yeah, the market's the market if I got a sweet Hall of Fame quarterback. If I don't, then we got to have real conversations because if we want to win here, we can't win maxing you out.

The Dolphins are never going to win with two on that contract. Not going to happen. They got no shot. So I'll get out of here on that. I just, that pick, it just, that'd be seared in my mind if I was the guy either writing the check, his, John Lynch, people just in the 49ers front office. Like, can we just, can we just take a deep breath on this one?

The volume. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 D. 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. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm CJ Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, The Playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood. That's how personal it got.

Wow. Then after that game seven Mark keep coming to you, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your husband is not who you think he is. Your

body is not what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him. Listen to Season 14 of Family Secrets on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.