The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Steelers-Texans REACTION, Coaches on 4th Down, Tony Romo STINKS at broadcasting

Episode Date: January 13, 2026

Former NFL scout John Middlekauff reacts following Monday's Steelers-Texans game that saw the Texans defense stop Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense. Despite struggling on offense, Houston takes down Pittsburgh 30-6. Next, John discusses the possibility of John Harbaugh going to the Giants, why Matt LaFleur could be headed for an extension in Green Bay, and why Tony Romo has lost a step in broadcasting. Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest.  All lines provided by Hard Rock Bet Use promo code “3ANDOUT20” on https://nicokick.com/zone for 20% off at checkout! 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. #VolumeSee 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. 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 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 ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Therapy is fantastic, but once again, it does not have a monopoly on healing. That's why I create the resources and that's why I create the community because I really just want you to have more access. On the podcast, Cultivating Her Space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard. It's tough because we're suppressing our emotions and so many of us are like high-achieving individuals. Listen to Cultivating Her Space on the IHeart Radio Act.

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. This week on Crimless, Rory and I welcome a very special guest. When I did podcasts, I wear my sleep masks. I like where this is going. So if you guys will indulge me. That's right, the incredibly talented and hilarious Will Ferrell on an episode dedicated to crimes committed by people named Will Ferrell. You're good for 300 crimes?

Yeah. We got two. I'm ready. to go right up to present day. Listen to Crimless on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The volume. What is going on, everybody, John Middlekoff, 3 and Out podcast, brought to you by my friends at Zone Pouches. I just witnessed the Pittsburgh Steelers get obliterated by the Houston Texans.

Oh my gosh. That was even worse than I envisioned. and I did not envision great things for them. So we will dive into the Steelers, Tomlin, Rogers, is that it? Can the Texans make a run? A lot of other stuff going on. John Harbaugh was paid a visit by Chris Mara, who is John's brother.

So something to keep an eye on. Michael Parsons comes out to defend the LaFloor. We had Tony Romo, who's just getting crushed on the internet for sucking at broadcasting. and this lady that told Liam Cohen, good job. Have a great offseason. You did great.

Keep your head up. I do want to talk about that viral situation with Big Jays and just what I appreciate about that room and what I look forward to getting out of it as a consumer. So that will be the show today talking to football. The Netflix, it was a little delayed this morning. It should be bright and early tomorrow from a video standpoint. This podcast from a video standpoint, but yesterday's episodes up on Netflix. This one should, I think the plan is to load like 6 o'clock my time, a.m. 8 Eastern every single day. So keep an eye for that. Make sure you subscribe.

Obviously podcasts are up rocking and rolling from a sports standpoint up on Netflix. And if you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to this podcast. You never miss a thing. Like yesterday, we had a big. big show talking about Siriani and the 49ers. And a couple days away from having a kid, so buckle up. Let's just talk some football. Tonight, the Pittsburgh Steelers were murdered.

They were destroyed. That game wasn't even close. I thought the last couple years against Josh Allen, against Lamar Jackson, losing both those games by multiple scores, was a clear sign that the Chiefs were the best team in the AFC. then you had the next tier which were those two, and in the first round of the playoffs and back-to-back years, you weren't even within two touchdowns of them.

And I've been saying this for a while. Listen, coaching a lot like relationships, you kind of know when it's over, but a lot of times, even when you know it's over, it still lasts a little bit longer. Now in sports for those to continue, like you can't win four or five games, and Mike Tomlin has made a career now of going nine

and eight or 10 and seven. Like he is never going to not be competitive. We know that next year, Aaron Rogers retires, they could land Mack Jones. They could land Malik Willis. And I would bet on the Steelers to be a nine or ten win team. They're never going to bottom out. Even with these older players,

that they will figure it out. They're not going to suck. But what does that get you? It feels like it puts a Band-Aid on this situation that this once proud franchise that used to compete, go toe-to-to-to-to with the Great Ravens teams, with the great Patriot teams,

even though they couldn't really beat the Patriots in the playoffs, but in terms of the regular season, they were really, really good. And this last decade has been an embarrassment. And you watch tonight that they basically tried to hold this thing together with guys at the end of their career. You know, a lot of people in the league thought given T.J. Watt all that money this year was crazy.

We understood he's been one of the best players on your team and in the league, the best player on your team, and one of the better players in the league over the course of his career, but he's an aging veteran, trending the wrong way. You know, trading for Jalen Ramsey, who by the end of the year wasn't bringing much to the table. I don't blame you for signing Aaron Rogers at 42 years old. You didn't have any other options.

But as I told Coward this morning, if this was a Disney movie, I would have picked Rogers and Tomlin to win the game. This is the NFL, and that was the outcome I expected. I'd argue it was worse, especially as the game went on. I'm like, is he going to get injured? The one thing with the Steelers is for a long time, they were great with wide receivers. They could find guys all over the draft.

They always had dues. Then this year they trade with what I would consider one of, if not the best. Definitely if you just factor in this year, you'd say he's the best GM during the 2025 season. when John Schneider calls you to make a deal for a guy going on to his third contract, that should be like when Billy Bean calls you or Sam Presti calls you, hang up the phone. They gave D.K. Metcalf, they gave a second round pick, and they gave him $150 million. Now, we'll see with the suspension, they can get out of guarantees.

My guess is they cut him this offseason. He obviously had a horrendous drop on what should be for a high-end wide receiver, a play you make with your eyes closed. but here's the problem. D.K. Metcalf is actually like the poor man's version of Terrell Owens. Do you know the knock on Terrell Owens? Didn't have great hands. Like, wasn't Chris Carter, wasn't Marvin Harrison.

But he was good enough and obviously from a physical standpoint, he was unstoppable once the ball was in his hands. D.K. Metcalf definitely doesn't have good hands. Because even the late drop that he had, I don't even know if they considered it a drop, when Aaron Rogers scrambled do his left, and let that ball fly, which, God, he still throws a beautiful spiral. at first you're like that wasn't even close

and then they show the slow motion version it literally split his hands it's like I learned a long time ago when I got involved in college recruiting and then through the NFL guys with bad hands for good teams are complete stayaways because you can't play the position

if you can't catch you could play defensive line if you're a little bit shorter you could play certain positions if you lack certain physical character characteristics. But you can't play wide receiver at the highest of level. And when they make that trade, they expected him to be a star. And you saw tonight, he's just not. You know, and I'm not even factoring in him kind of screwing over his team, forcing them to go all in in that Ravens game, where clearly they got lucky to win with the Miss Field goal, where if he plays against the Cleveland

Browns, they win the game. But he's not available. And I just think, I'm not putting all this blame on Mike Tomlin. Only people in the building know his pull and power when it comes to players. Clearly he has some, if not a lot. But this team is extremely poorly built. I mean, they really are. And relative to the other teams, when you factor in how dependent they are on this aging legend, they got no shot. But here was the thing with the Steelers. When they were really, really good, which is most of my life, definitely in the early throughout the 2000s, and then for five, six years in the 2010s. They had dominant defenses. Their front was unblockable. Their linebacker play wasn't just fast. It was physical. And they had DBs up the wazoo.

You watch them the night, you know the underrated part of the night? Because Aaron Rogers takes so much oxygen, you know, in the conversation. And listen, it's a star quarterback league. discuss the most. They're like Hollywood actors or you know, star singers or rappers or whatever, right? They are the headliners. But like, do you know the headline of the Steelers?

Defense stinks. Wasn't good last week against the Ravens when they were blowing coverages left and right to Zay Flowers and Lamar Jackson. And it definitely wasn't good tonight. If it wasn't for one of the more bizarre quarterback performances you will ever see out of C.J. Stroud

and we'll get into him here in a little bit. That defense was shredded. And that was for about half the game without easily their best offensive player, Nico Collins, who got absolutely caoed by the ground. And I think big picture when it comes to the Texans, you know, it's going to be a short turnaround for him to clear concussion protocol. I think it's pretty fair game to assume that he will not be available this upcoming weekend. Now, because of the way their team is built,

as long as their quarterback doesn't turn it over, they should be in every game. You know why? Their defense is awesome. Their defense looks like what the Ravens and Steelers used to look like. But here's the thing. The Ravens prove that like,

you know what? Eventually, we just got to pull the plug and try something new. And a lot of people who argue is like, you know, this could be a lot worse. But could this be better? Could we actually be better off with someone else? I look today because sometimes he's been there for so long,

you think, you know, John Harbaugh's 63, 64 years old. Mike Tomlin's 53 years old. He, like John Harbaugh, if he became available, would be the apple of all these teams' eye. And obviously Mike would only work for credible franchises. There are some available operations that he would not even be interested in. but if he is available and Schefter reported this a month ago that like listen they're not going to fire him but they would be open to trading him and then there were some other rumors like he would be open to television if i'm mike tomlin and listen it's hard

like he's prideful i've been fired in the nflb it happens literally to everybody belichick's been fired andy reeds been fired you name it they have been canned it's part of the business it's very unique that way You can work 20 hours a day, 52 weeks a year, you can grind, you can be the first one there, the last one out the building, give all your effort, pour everything you have into the operation, and you lose, you get canned. That's part of the gig. And somehow, with this Pittsburgh, and listen, he deserves credit because they never lose, but they're going nowhere fast.

So I just wonder if you're him, why do you want to keep doing this, especially now when you're looking at this team with all these older. players with this financial cap situation that isn't great. Your best wide receiver is not a dependable human. You have no quarterback, and it's not like you're drafting in the top five to acquire one of the top couple guys, assuming that another quarterback comes out as well as Fernando Mendoza, that the future looks pretty dark. It looks pretty bleak.

And while they've had some pretty embarrassing games over the last couple years, you could argue this one might take the cake. 30 to 6 at home to a quarterback in the first half that fumbled four times. He gave you two of them. He also threw an interception that hit your DB in the numbers. Like, they gave you three turnovers. It was playing out like a classic, like, oh, just weird stuff happening. And this, you know, it was at one point in time, seven to three, seven to six.

Like, God, this is a weird game until it wasn't. and they could only hold the rope for so long until that thing broke, because their team stinks. That has to be one of the worst 10-7 teams you'll ever see. They have no chance of doing anything in the playoffs. None. Like the Packers, for example. They went 9, 7, and 1.

You wouldn't even compare those two teams to each other. The Packers were a real playoff team who could win a playoff game. The Steelers were not. I believe that they would lose to all other six opponents. I also believe if they played the Ravens 10 times with the team the Ravens rolled out with Lamar Jackson on that Sunday, they lose most of those. And if the Ravens, who Steve Boshadhi has entered the chat of being, you know, running an operation like the Miami Heat, like the Pittsburgh Steelers, like the Green Bay Packers, like the LA Dodgers or the New York Yankees, they are one of the organizations that you would say is cream of the crop. well run, stable, has unlimited resources, we'll do whatever it takes, and you factor in that Ozzie's there, and they're like, you're just done, John.

Not because we think you're some bum, but it's time to change. Why can't the Steelers do that? And I'm done saying they should because I don't expect them to do. So I'll say this, if you're Mike Tom, I'm like, get out now, man. Like, ask for a trade. Sean Payton saw the writing on the wall, and he just quit. He said, peace, deuses, I'm just going to retire. He didn't retire.

He just wanted it out of there. But he couldn't really force a trade. Probably felt a little bad. Mickey Loomis was his boy. So he's quit for a year. He always wanted to come right back. What did he do? He immediately jumped back in.

And they essentially had to trade for him. So Mike Tolman could do something like that. Or he could just be like, hey, that Atlanta job's pretty interesting. I wouldn't mind moving my family to Miami. I'm like, hey, the Giants. If John Harborough doesn't come there, I'm interested.

I see you got a lot of pieces. your division doesn't look that difficult, especially after watching the Eagles the other night. Hey, give me a bus. It just makes sense. All things, you know, in life literally come to an end, right? There are two guarantees in life. Taxes and death. And in the NFL, most people tell you get fired.

Most players will tell you, like, most guys get cut. The overwhelming percentage of players end their career through a release. I'm talking Hall of Fame players. There's a small percentage of guys that just like retire on their own. That's not usually the way it works. And same thing with coaches. So I think this thing has come to a screeching halt. Tonight was really, really ugly.

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Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. 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. 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 and oh we were thinking i'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before jonas brothers was 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 for people could call in and say hey jonas and then i wrote down on my little note pad 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 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 Smygill and friends. on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo.

Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo SlicLife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across.

When Jacob met Levin this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. One thing that I read in The Athletic did a big, like, deep dive into the Baltimore Raven situation,

like the last, the Sunday, Monday, Tuesday of the John Harbaugh kind of exit. And one theme in there is the owner started noticing that the crowds weren't as good. And they had just lost some internal momentum with their own fan base. And obviously in sports, same thing with the business I'm in, the worst place you can ever be. is the people that watch you, the people that are fans of your team, they become apathetic. Once apathy sinks in and they don't care, I had a wise man tell me one time when it comes to dating advice is, listen, if she hate you, that ain't the worst thing because she's thinking about you. Obviously, the best case is she loves you. But the moment she stops thinking about you, it's a rap.

And that's what it kind of feels like the Steeler fans have kind of come to grips with. It's like this same old song and dance over and over and over. Yeah, we're not the Arizona Cardinals, right? We're not the Tennessee Titans. We're never going to bottom out and be some laughing stock like the New York Jets. But this also isn't really fun. And Mike Tomlin has to know that. He's been around football his entire life.

And I understand being the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers comes with great prestige, right? It's a real big job in this country. The NFL is one of our biggest businesses in America, and he's the head coach of one of its most important franchises. So it's easy for me to say, like, hey, just go to the Atlanta Falcons. Like, it's a little different animal. You know, it's like coaching the SEC or coaching the Big 12th. You know, it's like some things come with a little more credibility.

But I think they're at the point now that if you're Mike Tomlin, you've got to ask yourself, like maybe you go to them and go, it's time. But let's just go our separate ways. because I'll be fine. I'm 53 years old. If I took a year off on TV, his stock would skyrocket. They just announced Al Michaels is coming back to Amazon, which love Al Michaels, absolute living legend. I wouldn't say he's actually, you know, still throwing 98. He reminds me of Tim Linscombe.

First came on the scene, 97, 98, winning Cy Young's. By the end, it's going about 80 miles an hour. But you put Mike Tomlin with him. you know, Herb Street's done a commendable job. He's tried. He's not an NFL guy. You put Tomlin that situation. A couple years ago, they won a Sean McVeigh. Get a big personality. He'd have every job opening in America lined up for him if he doesn't like, you know, any of the options this year. But this Pittsburgh's thing is just clearly over. And when it comes to the quarterback, clearly they thought at the end of the game that this is Aaron Rogers last game. He's told people that, you know, I think he's been saying this, that he believes.

this would probably be his last season. Watching that game and watching him get the living, you know what kicked out of him, you start asking yourself, like, what are you doing this for? What do you have to prove? You got the MVP's. You've won the Super Bowl.

You're clearly one of the great players in the history of the league. I know sometimes it ends a little poorly. The Jets thing was such a joke. People forget, I saw him live in the peak of his career countless times. He is as good as it gets. You know, and listen, I think you could almost say

he underachieved in a weird way because he probably should have gone to more Super Bowls. I mean, hell, he went to countless championship games. And the famous one in Seattle where they had the big lead and they blew it, that definitely was theirs to get. I thought their team, when they lost to Tampa in 2020, should have won the Super Bowl. I thought they were the best team in the league. So they're probably a couple teams. But that probably had, Peyton Manning probably tell you about a couple teams that he had that,

you know, should have hoisted the Lombardi and they didn't even make it to the Super Bowl. So it comes to the territory. Pro Sports, it's hard. But I think if you're him and you're getting pepper tonight by Will Anderson and DeNeal Hunter who looked like Lawrence Taylor meets Reggie White, he started asking yourself, well, I'm not doing this for the money because I played this season for $10 million. I've accumulated hundreds of those. So, like, I don't need the money.

Clearly, you know, for the first time in several years, he definitely flew a little under the radar. I saw someone tweeting, the most fascinating part of it. Aaron Rogers is he's easily the most famous human, especially in this country, that wears a wedding ring, that we have no clue who his wife is. I'm going to give the benefit for the doubt that she exists, but we don't know. And he's a complex individual. I mean, I tried to watch the Netflix documentary about ayahuasca. My wife made me turn it off about halfway through episode two.

But I stand by as a player. It didn't get any better than him in his prime. I grew up on Brett Favre and by the time he hit a stride, he owned my favorite team, the 49ers. Marty Morningwig told me once when I worked for the Eagles, and I think Andy reiterated this, that in his prime, 95, 96, 97, when he won three straight MVPs,

you'd be hard pressed to ever find a player in NFL history who was better than him in those moments. for that three-year stretch. And they upgraded a quarterback when Aaron Rogers hit his stride for a decade. That's how good Aaron Rogers was. And historically, I think most people

would argue that if you were just ranking quarterbacks, right, Brady, Montana, Mahomes, Marino, Elway, whatever, most people putting Rogers above far. So I would. I think if you were taking both guys in their prime, I think Rogers,

was better. And that's, I think Far of is remarkable. We're talking about guys somewhere between like four and six. That's how good the Packers have had it for back to back years. It shows you Jordan Love. I said forever, I was very lucky. Like when I was in high school, Steve Young got K-O'd, and I just got Jeff

Garcia for like four or five years. And he was going to Pro Bowls. Now he was not Steve Young or Joe Montana, but you just get, you just go from a legend to a pro-bowler? Do you know how lucky you are? Do you know what the Cleveland Browns would do just for like the 15th best quarterback in the NFL? You know what the Arizona Cardinals would do just for like a 10-year starter?

I don't think the Kansas City Chiefs had ever drafted a Pro Bowl quarterback before Patrick Mahomes. So it's very, very difficult to do. And that's, you know, the Steelers found this guy from Miami of Ohio who became a superstar and a dominant Hall of Fame player. And they haven't been the same since he left. And Aaron did a, I thought, admirable. job. You have to respect a guy playing through, like, Justin Herbert's trying to prove himself,

right? People, everyone's ripping him a day, can't win a playoff game. This year breaks his arm or, you know, hand or wrist, just like Aaron Rogers and just battles through it. Why, he's, he's trying to prove to his own coach, to his own organization, prove he's worth the money, prove he can win a playoff game. Aaron Rogers has nothing to prove. Absolutely nothing. And he was out there getting the shit kicked out of them with the, you know, cast on his left hand for the last couple months. Without him, they would have no shot. So, you know, listen, this is usually how it ends. Like, I wasn't alive when Willie Mays finished his career for the Mets.

Like a lot of these guys, Emmett Smith played for the Arizona Cardinals. A lot of legendary Hall of Fame players don't go off on the podium with the Lombardi trophy in their hand like John Elway. Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl his last year struggled to make a 20-yard out-rout throw Tom Brady is last year

didn't his team go 8-9 and get boat race by the Cowboys in the playoffs I think Dak Press got through five touchdowns in that game and Brady got the crap kicked out of him there it's like what are you doing this for Brady's like I love football

Rogers clearly loves football but he can't move like he once could he'll be able to throw the ball I've said this forever about Dan Marino I bet if you just get through Dan a ball and probably a little red man in his mouse get him lubed up, he could still rip a 30-yard strike

like he could 20 years ago. Aaron Rogers is going to be able to throw a bullet when he's 65 years old, but he can't move anymore. And you're a human being, you don't really want to get hit anymore. So you're much more, or you're much less likely

to stay in there for that extra quarter or half second. Brady was clearly like that, which I totally understand. understand. If I was in my mid-40s, kids like Brady, married like Rogers, I'm like I'm not letting Will Anderson, who the Texans are about to give $150 million, hit me in my sternum and put me in a hospital tonight. Like I have no desire to do that. But to play quarterback at the highest level, those thoughts can't even cross your mind. And that's why you watch these guys in the prime of their career, Josh Allen, Mahomes, Lamar,

They're just playing. And forever, for Rogers, he was just playing. And like those guys, he was better than everybody. And his just playing was borderline unstoppable. And the Packers actually let him down several years with bad defenses. He's got to be watching now they get Jeff Halfley. Like if he ever had a defense like they've had the last couple years, they probably have multiple other Super Bowl appearances,

especially in some of the years when they had just awesome offenses. But I think it's fair to say it's over. and I think the NFL's been very good at this, not that they control any of it, but they've always had a wave of guys leave and then new guys come in. And, you know, the Rogers, Brady, Manning, Rivers, Eli, Rathusberger,

those guys all phased out. And Mahomes, Josh, Lamar, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert. You know, a lot of these guys just showed up. and they've carried the mantle. And obviously the NFL's never been more popular. And the offense has never been easier to play. But, you know, if Aaron Rogers in the prime of his career could have played with some of these rules, it wouldn't have been a fair fight.

I sound like get off my lawn old guy, but it's just a fact. Like, watch some Michael Jordan highlights. They could tackle you in the mid-90s. Guy never fucking missed a jump shot. And I think Aaron Rogers just can't move like he wants good. So he's kind of a sitting duck. But his understanding of the game, knowing like their team just had no chance. Kind of sad the way he's going out.

But it's just, like I said, it's usually the way it happens. Other than that on this game, obviously the Houston Texans advance. Let me pull up the schedule here because we have a divisional round, and they will play the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon. So hopefully my baby is born. I'm home. Hopefully I'm home Saturday, so I can watch those games, especially the night or Seattle game. She already bought them like a little nine or onesie. So hopefully we're back for that. But it's out of my hands. As the pediatrician told me, you got to just take

your hands off the steering wheel and just let them guide you. So we're keeping our fingers crossed, but if we can't, just hopefully I'll see you guys on Sunday. And that would be Houston at New England, which Houston's defense can win a Super Bowl. There's, there is not a front like that playing right now in the league. Seattle's front is pretty good. It ain't that. They don't, DeNeal Hunter and Will Anderson. That's, that's, I actually, and for those of you that are watching on Netflix, which probably some of you guys have also listened to the podcast, when John Schneider came on, I remember a couple games, they played Seattle relatively early in the year, and I remember texting him about Houston. He's like, bro, their defense, the team speed

and physicality they have. And he started listing the names of their linebackers and secondary. He wasn't even talking about their front. And Will Anderson is just, he's someone you build a franchise around. And he's not even as good as DeNeal Hunter. And they have multiple corners. I don't even know what position you'd consider Petrie playing. Like, do it all.

I was telling my wife tonight, it's like, it's kind of like a whofunga, but better in the open field. but in terms of physicality, playing downhill, they will knock the crap out of you. The question with them is their offense, and specifically the quarterback. Because CJ just pure talent, he can make individual plays.

We're like, God, that's beautiful. That's a great throw. And then he could make plays like, is that the worst play I saw all weekend? He had four fumbles in the first half. Now, granted, they picked a couple of them up. He also lost two. And the interception was horrendous.

And I think part of the problem, problem for the Texans is they are built to have a guy like Brad Johnson or Trent Dilfer, or even like this version that the 49ers had of Mac Jones. It's like, I know my role, tell me what to do. You know the problem for CJs? He goes, I'm the second overall pick. I'm a player. I can make plays.

And he's not totally wrong. He has a skill set to make plays. But this team does not need a playmaker. Because sometimes when you're making plays, hell, Mahomes, Lamar, Josh, all these guys, bad things happen. And we cannot afford with the way we're built, we don't need to give them the ball. We don't need to give them any more possessions because our defense, when the possessions they have, will dominate them.

Just run the offense, be careful with the ball. Worst case scenario, throw it away. Take a sack, bro. Like, there were times tonight where it felt like he was playing on a team that needed a guy to score four touchdowns on his own. It's like, CJ, that is not this game. And you look across, and D'Amico, I mean, the guy was born to be a coach. Even at halftime, he was like positive about CJ strategy. Like, yeah, we just need to hold on to the ball a little better.

Hold on the ball a little better. D'Biko, you dropped the ball four times. One of them was a bad snap. But the other two, they were very preventable. Now, you could also argue calling a flea flicker in the first half. I don't pretend to be some former offensive coordinator or some schematic genius. but part of a flea flicker typically is a little later in the game, so everyone bites on the run, you know, because you've been running it throughout the game.

You don't just need the DBs to bite. You need the defensive line to respect it. Well, the defensive line didn't respect it at all, and CJ just gets obliterated. So you could put that one on the offensive coordinator more than the quarterback, but holy moly, CJ was trying to hand the Steelers the game. And this goes back, they're so bad. he could have given him three more turnovers. It wouldn't have mattered.

The Steelers had two, I think they had two conversions on third down all night long. They were like two of 13 or two of 14. They were horrendous. So I just think the question mark now with the Houston Texans is the quarterback. And him going on the road to New England, listen, I just don't trust him. And now Nico Collins is surely out, but the defense alone can win them a game. and I just wouldn't bet against this Houston, Texas team.

So on initial thought, that is going to be a very, very difficult matchup for Drake May. Chargers defense is good. This defense right now is elite. And they literally will hurt you. So if New England wins that game, they could win the whole thing. But I think Houston's defense alone, if CJ and the offense can just give them, I don't know, 10 points, and maybe they can account for another touchdown and they get to like 15, 17 points. range, I think they can win the game. Hell, you just saw for most of the game yesterday. It's not

like New England was scoring. So I think I like Houston in that game. Now, big picture, could they make a Super Bowl run? Hard to say that with the play that we just saw out of the quarterback, because he just makes too many poor plays. Even there was one where he like stepped up in the pocket. It was beautiful. He kind of scrambled around and then stepped up. Nico Collins was running all by himself. And C.J. is not, this isn't Caleb Williams, where he's throwing 100 miles an hour all the time. Like, in theory, touch should be a huge part of his game. All he had to do is just, like, that that should be a throw that C.J. Stroud, the player

makes 90% of the time. And I don't know if Kevin Garnett could have caught that ball. So that's what would make me concerned about the Texans because from a, from a well, they're well coached. I mean, D'Amico's a stud. Their defense is elite. Their offense plays hard. I mean, Christian Kirk tonight was awesome. Woody Marks was running his ass off.

But Nico Collins is surely going to be gone for this game. But who knows? Maybe Christian Gonzalez will too. So we'll have to keep an eye on that matchup. But listen, he should be fired up. Typically, they win in the first round. It's at home when they're the four seed. So going on the road in a cold environment and winning a game,

what's the final score, 30 to 6, picking off Aaron Rogers and probably his last career pass is something you can be pretty excited about. 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 it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. 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. And, 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 eye heart. radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs,

the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsLice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back.

Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant this plant to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life.

Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's get to a story I saw today that I said, ooh-hoo, there's something there. Chris Mara, who is John Mara's brother, unlike most owners, to my knowledge in texting around with people, really likes football. Like fancies himself as a football guy. Likes personnel. It's technically like one of the high-up personnel executives on the Giants. And someone told me that years ago, they had thought about just making him the general

manager. But cooler heads prevailed and they realized you don't want a GM that you can't fire because the guy owns the team. And the Giants playing in the NFC East have a good idea what that looks like with Jerry Jones creates a lot of stories that are just unnecessary and a lot of noise. So they always name a general manager. Joe Shane is the current GM. But Chris Mara views himself as a personnel man.

Once upon a time, someone told me that Chris Mara back with Jerry Reese, was there, he would have him and his scouting staff, and then like Marl would have a little personnel staff. So he's every bit the owner that John is too, but he likes personnel, the draft, going over players. And he went on a solo mission to John Harbaugh's home in Baltimore. And the first thing I thought of when I read that headline is, that ain't good if you're the GM. Because if he wanted to pitch the, if I was the owner and I was going to John Harbaugh's home, when the GM is running the coaching search, you would think that he would bring him along, especially because it's been reported that Joe Shane and John Harbaugh had a conversation last week.

I would imagine, because obviously John is going through cancer treatment and probably unable to be as active as he would normally be as they go through a lot of these coaches. coaching searches. I mean, they've been running through coaches, you know, like you do practice squad players over the last decade, that Chris is kind of pretty important in this whole thing. And if he's not that big on Joe Shane, and clearly John Harbaugh, if he wants his own guy, would clearly be comfortable telling him when he's sitting on his couch over a cocktail. So my guess is this. If John Harbaugh told Chris Mara, which multiple people have reported,

he's interested in the Giants job. Joe Shane and a lot of Giants fans asked this question, it was very fair to ask, how does Brian Daibald lose his job and the guy that came with him as a package deal keep his job? And there's not really been an answer. Well, the answer might be

is John Harbaugh might force his hand on that one and put Joe Shane with Brian Daibal no longer employed by the New York Giants. So the longer, this thing goes, I do have a hard time seeing John Harbaugh coach for the Miami Dolphins. I've said this forever. I've been there a couple times. It's beautiful. I mean, it's hard to beat South Florida. I can't even imagine what it's like having like John Harbaugh level money, the neighborhoods you could shop in, the life you could lead. Harbaugh's a football guys, man. When Jim Harbaugh got

the job for the Chargers, he lived in a Winnebago. He lived in a trailer park with Greg Roman, and he loved it. Jim Harbaugh would coach an NFL team if they had a good quarterback in North Dakota. John Harbaugh feels like a Northeast guy. John Harbaugh has lived in the Northeast from 1998 to 2025 when he got hired by the Philadelphia Eagles and up through last week when he was fired by Steve Boshadie. He does feel if he truly wants to win and he doesn't just want $100 million and just a little less pressure because that's what Miami would be.

but from a pure football standpoint, especially if the Giants are like, hey man, if you want to bring one of your homies from the Ravens to run personnel, clearly Ozzie's produced a lot of good little underlings who've gone on to be GMs and know what they're doing,

if you want in, we'll do it. If I was a betting man right now, assuming all the reports are true about that conversation and time they spent going well, I would say Joe Shane would be in major trouble. And if John Harbaugh is the next coach of the New York Giants, I think it would be stunning if he kept his gig. And if he did, it would be one of those situations where he held on for like eight months.

And he was neutered at the draft and has no juice. And is essentially a dead man walking, which happens constantly. I remember when I was living in the Bay Area, it happened with John Gruden and Reggie McKenzie. Now, John made the mistake, and I like Mike Mayak a lot, but hiring a guy that had never worked in the NFL as a personnel man. man. Obviously, John would surely hire someone from the Ravens who train their guys as well as anyone in the league. So I think if you're Joe Shane and you saw that story, especially if you didn't know about it, probably not sleeping great. And the other coaching story, you know,

Schaefter reported on Monday morning that Matt LaFleur, all signs are that they will figure out a deal. And clearly Matt wants a big race and a big extension. A lot of Packer fans are frustrated that they can't figure it out in the playoffs. They've had some devastating losses. I mean, there's no disputing that. The game to Tampa years ago with Rogers. They lost a game a couple years ago to the 49ers, where they were kicking their butt in the second round of the playoffs.

And nothing was worse than giving up 25 points in the fourth quarter to. It's weird calling them their hated rival, but the rivalry, well, it's a historic rivalry. It never really mattered that much. feels like it's gone zero to 60 fast. This Ben Johnson, LaFleur thing is pretty fun. So Micah Parsons came out and the Packers aren't one of those teams with, you know,

trading picks for players. If anything, over Rogers era, they were the most conservative team in the league when it came to personnel. They pumped their chest about Charles Woodson. Like Charles Woodson didn't have a big market when they signed him. He became, like, resurrected his career, became a superstar, kind of validated his Hall of Fame career. But when they acquired him, it wasn't like when they acquired Reggie White in 1993, right?

It was kind of slim pickings for Charles at the time. And I think this Micah Parsons thing was out of their comfort zone. And listen, it was the right move. He was awesome for them. And injuries happen, it sucks. But when he came out today and said, part of the reason that I wanted to come here, not only okayed the trade but wanted to sign a big extension was because of LaFleur

and went on and on and on. That's just not a normal player saying that. Like that's just going to hold a lot of juice. And they don't have an owner. So for Ed Policy, who's never run a team before just this year becoming the president for Murphy, I think that puts a lot of pressure on you to kind of keep it going. So unless there are internal things that we don't know about, which don't seem to be the case.

Packers obviously blow some late games, not great. And they got, I'm not acting like LaFleur is the perfect coach. But when Micah Parsons did that, I went, I don't think they're going to be able to move on from. And let's face it, they moved on from who are they going to hire. But it feels like that kind of solidify. Like, he's going to be okay. A couple other things around the NFL.

I do think we have a little bit of like an epidemic of these coaches going for it, and I think there's a consistent theme. I've always said, you'll never meet a fan who in big spots, latent games, don't want their coach to be aggressive.

Right? Go for it. Go for the kill shot. Like, I would say most fans on their couch or at the game, you heard it tonight when Roger stayed on the field early in the game for a fourth down.

They ended up getting it, I think the Thielen. You get loudstanding ovations. Most human, beings aren't like, just kick the field goal. But I do think that we've jumped the shark a little bit when it comes to the first half of these games. Part of the reason you do that in the second half is, hey, your defense is playing like crap.

Hey, you can't get a stop to save your life. Hey, we're down X number of points. A field goal doesn't do us any good here. You start doing the math. You're like, hey, you're going to need two touchdowns to even tie this game. But in the first half of games, you have no. clue how the thing's going to play out. You have no clue as the game goes if someone's going to get injured, if something is going to substantially change from a schematic standpoint, as teams often do,

if a team that look like, you know, the greatest offense you've ever seen goes to a team that can't gain a yard. It happens all the time. Yet Liam Cohen, Sean McFay and Ben Johnson, all in their games early on went for it, I thought, pretty recklessly on fourth down. and Liam Cohen and obviously he lost he goes for it Trevor Lawrence is down whatever a couple inches short of the line Josh Allen drives them down for a touchdown

so it's a 10 point swing in the game this is the first half this isn't the fourth quarter where it's like hey we're up four points let's make it 11 let's end them this is the first half it's a 7 to 3 game just take the point

Make it a 10-3 game. You're up a touchdown. Sean McVeigh. It was 17 to 7. A field goal makes it 20 to 7. You're playing Bryce Young, not Cam Newton and Luke Keekely. What are we talking about here? And Ben Johnson went forward on his own 30-yard line. It's like, Ben, it's freezing cold. Well, let's just see how this situation plays out with the Packers. They're not going to score in every drive. And what happened in the second half? Pun, punt, punt, punt. And I think all three of those guys have, in common, they're offensive play colors.

Which, let's face it, they don't respect or think about the kicker. You know why? They think about touchdowns. Who respects kickers? Defensive guys. Why? Because they're coaching that side of the ball and they want to play in a lower scoring game. And they think about the sport in a lower scoring mindset.

Yet all these guys, touchdowns, touchdowns, touchdowns. And what do they also like to do? Especially Cohen and Sean McVeigh. past the ball. I just think we got to be a little more careful in the first half of games. Dan Lannning did this a couple weeks ago against Texas Tech. You have no clue how the game's going to play out. So if you get a chance to make it 9 to nothing, when it's 6 to nothing, that might really matter. And for Dan Langing, it did. The team he was playing couldn't even score a touchdown. But in this notion of like, well, that's just what they do. That's such a dumb mindset.

I don't respect anyone. It's like, well, this is just what I do. Well, right now, in whatever situation you're in, whether it's football, whatever you do in life, if what you need to do calls for something else and you don't do it, then I just think you're an idiot. I think you're stubborn. And anytime that a coach is stubborn, it will come back to bite them in the ass. So I think some of these offensive coaches need to balance, like take a field goal. Now, I get if it's like a 50-yard field goal, windy conditions in December, in January, I get it. But some of these guys are passing on like 20-yard chip-shot fuel goals when they have the lead in the second quarter.

None of us can see ahead how the game's going to look. No one had the Packers' offense just doing nothing for the third quarter. But that's the way it played out. Those points or punting the ball would have really mattered. The other thing for the Bears, now I get Ben Johnson wasn't there. You did draft a punter in the fourth round. Liam Cohen, you have one of the best kickers in the league. Like, Sean, you're up 20 to 7 against the Panthers.

Is there a soul on this earth that would have believed they could have come back when you went up 20 to 7? No, there is not. So I don't think this is going to change, but I do think a lot of these coaches have gotten a little reckless in the first half of games when it comes to passing on field goals. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers, and guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, no? huge news. 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. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. 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. And 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, S&L'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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. The morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies,

and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, We break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levin this went to a billion dollar fraud.

But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, a couple other things. One thing that has gone pretty viral, and I kind of noticed it, but I wasn't, I didn't have the volume up that loud.

and I was just, I don't know, I was just watching the game more than listen to Nancy Romo. But there were a couple of moments when I was like, what did you just say? Tony Romo a couple years ago was just considered

the greatest thing in the history of broadcasting. He knew all the plays, he had a big smile. It's like, God, it's kind of nice to have a guy just having fun. And a couple years later, it feels like universally, everyone thinks he stinks.

And I was as guilty as anybody when Tom Brady first started I'm like Tom one thing I didn't understand about Tom I do get it

I think once you become this famous once you become kind of the level of a celebrity of Tom it's hard to balance on and off the camera like the guy Edelman

and Grunkowski and his buddies get to see off the camera we don't get that guy when the camera's on he just can kind of turn it every once in a while now you kind of

get it a little bit more maybe he's become a little bit more maybe he's become little more relaxed. Sometimes you see him on podcast or when he goes on with Colin, he can be really good. And it felt like he was really uptight. And in fairness to him, he'd never done the job. And we, and I, again, I'm guilty as anyone on this. I held him to a really high standard. They gave him $37.5 million a year. They gave him a $370 million contract. So I'm sorry, I was expecting

like John Madden meets Joe Montana. And that's not really what we got. But there is no disputing by this time. Tom is extremely relaxed. And it does feel that we just kind of get to hang out with Tom Brady watching a football game now. And he went pretty viral for, you know, the clip he had with throwing the ball. And you can kind of give him some nerdy stuff, let him hang out, let him enjoy the game. He kind of made a scream when Juan Jennings on the past. He's just kind of hit his stride. He's just, I don't know if he's a $37 million broadcaster, but he's good. And he's Tom Brady. So it works. Tony Romo, obviously he said at the beginning of the game that Jacksonville winning would be like Carolina winning when by the time the game kicked off they were favored.

And Jacksonville, by all accounts, anyone that watched them play over the course of the last two months, they were playing as well as any team in the league. And, you know, Tony's making all these sounds. I think what he's tried to pivot to is tried to become this big personality. Like this fun, John Madden was that way, right? And John Gruden was kind of that way too. Now, John Madden's been gone for a while and hasn't called games in almost two decades. But it always felt like John Madden really knew what was going on and really knew the players and coaches like personally.

So it felt like he was describing you to them. I don't know how much film John Madden watched in the 90s and 2000s. But I never felt like he didn't know what he was talking about. And then obviously his personality is a one of a kind. He's like a Hollywood actor. and Gruden had some of Madden's just kind of big personality but everyone knew this guy was getting up with a crackadon

to watch every game both teams have played that he would know it's why his Gruden Griners would be a bunch of random players he would geek out on the football aspect of it whether he was calling the Jags game or whether he was calling the 85 Bears playing the 85-49er Joe Montana playing Walter Payton he knew it all

and the thing is Tony Romo doesn't feel like he knows it and he doesn't feel that cool when he's doing his stuff. And he's with Nance, who really is much more of a buttoned-up, old-school, play-by-play guy. It's just not really working. And for the first time, I kind of agree with a lot of people. Like, God, this is weird. It's just kind of weird. And the other thing is, like, doing a Jags game for them, not as easy as doing the bills,

doing the Chiefs, doing the Broncos, you know, doing the good teams they typically do. like how many bills in Chiefs game? They know that team like the back of their hand. He doesn't know the Jags. You got to do a lot more work to catch up on what's going on there. So I don't know how to fix it, but I do agree with a lot of people. It's not really working.

And speaking of the Jags, I want to end on this. This lady in their press conference went pretty viral for basically giving Liam Cohen a standing ovation, telling him to hold his head high. He did a remarkable job. And all those things are true. What Liam Cohen did this year is pretty remarkable. I think he's one of like three coaches to, in his first year,

take a team from four wins to 13 plus wins. One of them was George Seifert who took over like a Super Bowl champion. I forget the other one, but it was a list of like multiple times Super Bowl champions. What he did with the Jags is remarkable. I also thought that moment could only happen to a team that none of us take that seriously, that view the Jags is kind of like a team that you would see in the movies, like the branding you would see in any given Sunday. Can you imagine someone getting up in the press conference after Nick Siriani just lost to Kyle Shanahan and saying that?

Can you imagine someone at Soldier Field being in the press conference to Matt LaFleur in saying that? you can't because it wouldn't happen. It never has happened. It never will happen. And listen, I'm not a journalist. I don't do journalism. I do podcasting. I say whatever I want. Now, I, in a weird way, do some because I'm texting people in the NFL and in this profession

constantly to get information that then I shape what I'm going to talk about. Like, I'm not just willy-nilly throwing shit at the wall a lot of the time. But I'd by no means consider myself a journalism. At this point in time, I wouldn't even consider. myself a media member. That being said, I have done that type stuff. I've gone to a ton of press conferences and got to know and would consider friends people that cover teams as journalists, especially in the Bay Area. Tim Kawakami, Matt Mayoko, Matt Barros, Anthony Slater, who covers the Warriors, Marcus Thompson who covers the Warriors. These guys who I would consider are journalists. And all these

guys have very close relationships with the coaches they cover, with the general managers they cover, and a lot of them with the players they cover. They know that they have dinners that no one knows about with them. They text with them. They have relationships with these guys. And obviously, they also have to ask tough questions. I've seen Tim Kawakami just get into it with Jim Harba. I would imagine if you ask Jim Harba, he would say I consider Tim Kawakami a friend. So, listen, what I like as a consumer, I like when people are screaming at each other. I like, and we don't get as much anymore, when the coach or the player would scream at the Big J. And sometimes the Big J gives it back.

That's entertainment to me. Ethan Strauss, who has one of the best substacks on the internet, who is someone I would consider a friend, had a famous viral moment with Kevin Durant, or Kevin started lighting him up like a Christmas tree. This is the big leagues. It's a weird gig that a lot of these teams in pro sports, you have those individuals questioning the coaches. Are you going to keep your job? Do you think the team should bring you back?

That's not a normal environment that any of us live in. I don't have people on a daily basis of like Middlecough. Do you think you're a good enough podcaster? Should you be retained? How many of you that are like working at Wells Fargo or some insurance company once a week, have a guy stand in front of you with the microphone and go, Bill, do you think Aflac should bring you back for Q3? It doesn't happen to any of us. But that's the job they're in. And that's the

job all these people have chosen. And it just comes with the territory. And most of the coaches and the players know it and just deal with it. I do think, though, that's a reflection of the Jaguars more than this lady. Because I can imagine this lady, who I don't know, never heard of, was probably excited for the first time or one of the only times in the last like 20 years, whatever she does for a living actually matter. People kind of cared. Because the team always sucks. They're always drafting high. If you did that in Phil. When I was working for the Eagles, I'm pretty sure it was Les Bowen either attack Jeff McLean or Jeff McLean attack Lesboe. There was a fight in the locker room for open locker room to interview the players. And like Asante Samuel was like,

rooting it on. Like, that's what I enjoy. That's what I want. I want there to be just, this is all entertainment. Like that, and listen, I like Adam Schaefter. He's always been cool to me. He put that out there like it was some feel-good story. It's like, this isn't Little League.

They were just hosting the Buffalo Bills as a favorite. They just won 13 games. Pretty sure they won their last eight games. You could argue they were the hottest team in the NFL coming into the playoffs. And they just lost it. because their quarterback played like shit. This isn't high school football, which I love high school football.

This is the pros. And I just thought, I don't get as caught up by the rules. I'm more just like, that's kind of a reflection of that franchise. That just wouldn't happen another place. You think someone did that to Mike Tomlin? Hey, Mike, I know you just got curb stomped

by the Houston Texans 30 to 6. people are probably calling for your job your quarterback who's 42 is going to retire all the defensive guys in your team are really old but man hold your head high bro you never lose you are a true champion to me they get laughed at

someone just told seriani like just hold your head high and the other reporters might have thrown them out and I actually think fans find that entertainment yet I'm looking at these comments on the internet it's like we need more of this positive reinforcement positive reinforcement. They lost the fucking game. Like, this isn't, positive reinforcement is like,

when someone gets injured, like, hold your head high, George Kittle. Man, you're going to battle back, right? Or Nico Collins, like prayers for Nico. Like, hold your head high. You just lost at home. You want 13 games. Like, there's no, we don't give ribbons out. So I just think that was, that could only happen to the Jacks. I have a hard time seeing that happen in any other franchise. and I think it's less a reflection of the lady.

I don't care about revoking credentials or any of that crap. But I just think that, I mean, Aaron Glenn got asked about his job starting like week three up until week 18, every single week, by like seven different people, every single press conference. Now granted, they sucked, and they didn't have an interception, but like that's, I think most people appreciate that culture.

It's like, what the hell's going on here? I think that people wanted to ask, like, hey, Liam, what just happened? What happened to your quarterback? But hey man, good job. Keep trucking. 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. Nice. 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. 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 Radio, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on Crimless, Rory and I welcome a very special guest. When I did podcasts, I wear my sleep masks.

I like where this is going. So if you guys will indulge me. That's right, the incredibly talented and hilarious Will Ferrell on an episode dedicated to crimes committed by people named Will Ferrell. You're good for 300 crimes? Yeah. We got two. I'm ready to go right up to. to present day.

Listen to Crimless on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Therapy is fantastic, but once again, it does not have a monopoly on healing. That's why I create the resources and that's why I create the community because I really just want you to have more access. On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard. It's tough because we're suppressing our emotions and so many of us are like high-achieving

individuals. Listen to call. cultivating her space on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.