The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Baker For MVP, Jets Coaching Worst Ever? James Franklin FIRED, Steelers Will Win AFC North,

Episode Date: October 13, 2025

Colin’s joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to break down all the week 6 NFL action. They start with the Bucs beating the 49ers despite both teams suffering from a rash of injuries and Colin argues that Baker Mayfield should be the leading candidate for MVP and John highlights that the 49ers gave $277 million in the offseason to three players who are hurt (2:30). They pivot to the Broncos narrow win over the Jets and Colin’s takeaway…the Jets coaching is the worst he’s ever seen and the Broncos were LUCKY win with how poorly Bo Nix and their offense played (11:30). They move to the Steelers win over the Browns and why the Steelers big-bodied wide receivers are the perfect compliment to Aaron Rodgers at this stage of his career, and why the Steelers are starting to feel like a real team that could wrap up the division by December (25:00).  They react to the Chargers snapping their losing streak in a late win over the Dolphins despite being ravaged by injuries, and highlight the massive dysfunction in Miami and Justin Herbert’s heroics in carrying his team to victory (33:45).  They laud Dak Prescott & George Pickens play despite the Cowboys loss to Carolina in the Rico Dowdle revenge game, and argue that Bryce Young can be a functional quarterback when he’s not playing a great defense (50:00).  They highlight Seattle winning 9 straight road games after beating Jacksonville and the high level play from Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba through the first six games (59:30). They argue that Drake Maye is a hit at quarterback for the 4-2 Patriots (1:06:45). They react to James Franklin being fired as head coach of Penn State after disastrous losses to UCLA &  Northwestern and wonder if Penn State runs the risk of being forced into hiring an interim coach if the team rallies (1:16:00). Finally, they recap USC’s dominant win over Michigan and why it helped to dispel the notion the Lincoln Riley’s teams are “soft” (1:27:00).  All lines provided by hardrock.bet (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!  #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Order Uber Eats. I do every weekend. All right, time for our Sunday night podcast with John Middlethoff, host of Three and Out, former NFL Scout. I had a four-and-o day in the blazing football. I have Washington tomorrow, which I feel great about. That was my favorite pick of the week. It's been established.

The Jets may have the worst coach I've ever seen. In Tennessee, may have the worst personnel I've ever seen. But let's start. Tampa Bay 30, San Francisco 19. Right now, Baker Mayfield, think about this. They average 7.3 yards of play. No Mike Evans, no Chris Godwin. Ibuka gets hurt.

No Bucky Irving. the leading pass catcher was K. Doughton, who by the way is a nice tight end out of Washington. Sterling Shepard, Tess Johnson. Tess had a great catch. I mean, I think Baker has to be your MVP at this point. I mean, he had a magical, emotional, magical scramble for a first down. I mean, listen, San Francisco is all beat up. But, I mean, Tampa's going to Seattle and winning. Tampa's in the Bay and winning. I think they're as good as anybody in the league right now, and I think Baker's my MVP. Yeah, to me, I mean, their ceiling rests on those guys being healthy, because if they are healthy, they'd have a chance to beat anybody because their offense. I mean, how potent will be with those three wide receivers. Pretty incredible story.

I mean, the Cleveland Browns, who have that long history of having a million quarterbacks, finally get a guy and draft him number one overall. And John Dorsey was right, but it didn't quite look right immediately. And now he's fulfilling, like, I'm the number one. overall quarterback. The Farvian qualities, the moxie, the passes. Colin, last year, I was like, you know, Baker Mayfield's a really good player. This guy's like a top 10 quarterback. To right now, he's one of the best players in the league. Like, MVP or not, I mean, he's just on a weekly basis, one of the best players in the league. Yeah. And for a smaller quarterback, he's an excellent

pocket passer. It feels like he has no trouble seeing. I don't know if he finds angles. Maybe it's just some instinctive quality that he has. I mean, you know, Purdy, who didn't. play today. Another smaller quarterback struggles a little bit, throw over the middle of the field. Obviously, Baker's arm strength, yeah, he's just playing in an elite level. I mean, it's 25 to 1, Colin, to start the season. And I look before this, I think like Thursday or Friday, he was down to 8 to 1. I would imagine he will continue to rise up into the Josh Allen category as the season goes. So when I pick the Niners, despite an easier than average schedule to finish second or third in their division, I said, I'll take the Rams and the Seahawks to win the division. I said, I love the

coach. Purdy's good enough. This is an old brittle roster. You looked it up today. How much money is not playing right now due to injury? Well, they gave three contracts this offseason. Brock Purdy, you know, in guaranteed money, got $180 million. He's played two games.

And Bennett is injured now, and who knows when he's coming back. They gave Fred Warner and George Kittle a combined $96 million. So a total of $277 million. And obviously Fred Warner today shatters his ankle. Kittle has been out since early on in that first game. And Purdy, again, if you told me over under right now, does he play five games this season? I probably take the under. So they gave $277 million to, I mean, two Hall of Famers in Warner and Kittle. And they're starting quarterback.

And you just can't overcome that, Colin. And that's not even counting. I mean, Nick Bosa, who, you know, when he's healthy and playing like he was this season, one of the best players in the league, who was gone. So it's like, what do Iukes nowhere to be found? Ricky Piersall, who looked excellent early in this season, is just gone, injured me. Like, I've never seen anything like this on a weekly basis. The constant just guys careers are altered. Not like, hey, he, you know, he rolled an ankle or dinged an elbow.

It's like, no, his career is altered. It's almost unfathomable because now we have a history, right? Seven of the last eight years, they have been one of, if not the most injured team in the league. and you look around the league and you go a bunch of injuries and Fred Warner had nothing to do with like training or whatever. Someone falls on his ankle on his ankle from behind. But the amount and the amount of money they've invested in it. It's one thing when it's kind of random guys. It's critical elite Hall of Fame guys that set the contract standard at their position.

What are you supposed to do? You know, I don't know. Yeah. I mean, it's one of those things where they've missed on just enough draft picks. and they've hit on several. Ricky Pearsall, you know, when healthy, is really good. Again, they're receiving core over the last three years. It's never healthy.

I mean, just ever. No. But I mean, I'll give the Niners credit. Tampa's a really good team, and they shouldn't with Mack Jones be this close. And it was a very, very close game throughout. It was one of those games where I felt like Tampa was the better team. Just they were healthier when Abuca went out, and I'm thinking, Jesus, they don't have anybody to work with.

that's seven and a half yards of play. So I think, and I also think, you know, Baker will say I'm the same guy I've always been, but all of us are human. All of us learn from, you know, he was pissed when Cleveland got rid of him. He didn't like the way, I mean, not just Cleveland, but Carolina, right? Like, like, yeah. I mean, and then, I mean, L.A. had Stafford. But, I mean, you start looking around.

It's, it's, he got kicked to the curve multiple times. like Mack Jones similarly, but I think we all know Baker's got more talent than Mac, but it's one of those things where, you know, it's when you, you know, lost your radio job, you're not a bitter person. But that stuff, I mean, the Dallas Carolina game today, what were they calling that game? That was the Rico Doubtal revenge game. He was a monster. I think professional athletes are like attorneys or in any profession that deals in conflict. That shit is jet fuel for Baker. I don't think there's any question that's helped.

And I'm totally with you. Like his comments, you know, they used to call me cocky, abrasive, and now they say moxie. dog. Well, Baker, you're one, you're a way better player now. And two, you definitely feel a little more calm. And also, you're out of a chaotic situation. Like, there are a lot of different factors. But I'm with you. I mean, I think any human worth their salt uses motivation. And as you mature, you don't let it show as much. And I think that's a good example with Baker. He was cut from, if I remember correctly, in the middle of the season after he was benched by the Panthers. That's how he ended up on the Rams on that Thursday night game. So I just think that,

One, Baker's always had the arm strength. And when he watched him at Oklahoma, he was not a one-year wonder. Three years dominated. And by the time he left, they were going toe to toe, remember with the Georgia team in the Rose Bowl. They easily could have won that game. I thought he was an elite prospect. I thought he was like a more mobile Drew Brees. But part of the reason Dorsey liked him was like the bravado, the kind of the Farvian, I don't know.

It's not fake confidence, but just belief of like, I'm just going to pull this. out, even though sometimes you won't. And it shows much better when you're playing well. And, you know, in Cleveland, I mean, it's pretty clear no one overcomes that. That place, you see the list they're paying like nine quarterbacks right now? Like, that's just, I know they got two Ivy League guys running it, but they are the joke of the league in terms of like these two Ivy League guys that constantly lose, they can't find a quarterback. Like, I'm watching Kyle and Robert Sala would nobody compete. Well, I mean, you and I were talking about this before we went on. Russell Wilson gets quarter.

coordinators fired. Baker Mayfield has gotten back-to-back coordinators head jobs. Like he is, he is a guy that you could, you can pretty much, he's super smart. I've been told at the white bar board, he's brilliant. You can pretty much, you know, Baker will have that playbook down at about six practices. And you can, you can, you know, like Andrew Luck, you can give him any play. I mean, he could walk. I mean, Joe Flacco did it today. You know, he was throwing a lot to Jamar Chase, but you give Joe Flacco two practices. And that's like, yeah, he was better. than anybody else, you know, Cincinnati could throw out there. He was good enough, made the game competitive. So I think, I think Baker would be my MVP right now. And Chris Godwin's been hurt a lot.

Mike Evans has been dinged up a lot. But when Abuka got hurt, Bucky Irving's out. It was a pretty stellar performance. Now, it was because of these double headers on Monday, which I can't stand in the NFL, they mostly do everything right. I didn't even love the European games five or six years ago. now I look forward to him. I love getting up in the morning and watch a European game. I really do. That was this week's Sunday night foodball brought to you by Uber Eats. When football makes you hungry, get game day deals on Uber Eats I do every week. The official on demand delivery partner of the NFL, order now. I just did. But I want to talk about this because I think the New York Jets maybe the worst coach team I've ever seen. First of all, the organization is so bad. Aaron Rogers

with the Steelers looks good and competent and under control. With the Jets, he looked old, and it was chaotic. He's the same guy. So just, and by the way, Pittsburgh over the last eight years, can't get offense right. But Aaron goes from the Jets to Pittsburgh and offensively at times town deaf organization, and he looks really, really good. But I want to talk about the Jets. So Denver beats the Jets 13 to 11, and Denver played like crap.

Bo Nix was awful in the second half. But you know what? Kansas City made a living last year out of playing poorly in winning. There is value in going overseas, playing poorly, and winning, 13 to 11. I mean, they had a safety in the end zone. There's a holding. I mean, Denver did everything wrong. And it's why the NFL is so popular.

Denver was so much better than the Jets and won 13 to 11. But at the end of the first half, the Jets, Aaron Glenn, calls for a fake punt. They convert it. And the next play, he runs the ball. Well, why would you take that risk and then not go into your two-minute offense? I've never seen anything like it. Kurt Warner was incredulous. He and Eisen just were like laughing.

And then at the end of the game, when Justin Fields was atrocious, and one thing we know Justin Fields does not see the field well, they have him going on deep drops when they can kick a 62-yard field goal or go to Tyrod Taylor in the second half at some point. Tyrod's a pro. Yeah. They don't go to Tyrod Taylor. They don't like to kick to field goal.

And on that last drive, it's deep drops by, listen, you need like eight yards to get into field goal range. If you have to run, do whatever you have to do. But quick drops, tight end, you know, quick drag route, anything. I think the Jets are the worst coach team in the league, and I feel bad, but there are coaches, Rich Kotye. You're just overwhelmed. Freddie Kitchens. It's just too big of an assignment. And my interpretation is the Jets can't do anything right.

They are officially the worst franchise in the league, and I'm including Tennessee. Yeah, I mean, I would also include the GM. To me, it's a tandem deal. They give sauce all that money. They kind of invest in the team. Justin Fields to give $40 million over two years, based on his resume, was insanity. I mean, some of these got the 49ers got Mac Jones for two years, $7 million. and no point in time during their career.

Mac Jones dealt with Belichick, and not like in the prime Belichick, the Belichick we see now. Honestly, it's kind of a reflection of like, actually, Mac's pretty impressive that he was able to overcome kind of that mess. Justin Fields can't play within the pocket. He has no feel.

Now, the Jets offensive line is also regressing. They were getting beaten all game long. So you factor in their offensive tackles, couldn't block the edges. He has no feel for the pocket. I mean, they could have had 50 sacks a day. It felt like he was going to get sacked on every dropback. I'm with you calling these long dropbacks, but it gets back to investing in him in the first place.

That's insanity. If anything, just take a deep breath, you know, higher sign, same thing. A gardener meant you, just take it. But to give him two years and $30 million guaranteed, based on what, he got bent's the previous year, which we could argue if he should have or not, but even before that, like that, that was insane. They are, this franchise, they feel a little, you know, kind of like the Raiders five, six, seven years ago. I mean, really, really rudderless.

And the problem is their owner has unlimited money. They have a high price team. It's not like they have some young, I mean, they're paying Garrett Wilson a lot, they're paying Stas Gardner a lot, they're paying Queen Williams a lot, that they've invested a lot of first run picks in different guys and high picks. They've invested, it's not like their quarterback's cheap, you know, I mean, they, they are, they're a disaster. The Broncos got really lucky because Bo Nix, now listen, I do agree with you.

It's hard to go overseas in general. The Broncos played the Eagles last week and they took all their stuff with them and then flew to London right after. So they've been gone forever. But three completions in the second half for a first round pick, a bunch of good wide receivers and a high level offensive coordinator. And even Bo Nix said after the game, like, we got no rhythm. They got very lucky. They're playing an inept team because. They lose that game if they're just playing like the Saints.

Well, I was thinking about this. If we go back to the 2024 quarterback draft class, Jaden Daniels, number one, Drake May has emerged as number two. He looks good. Bo Nix today is three. Caleb's on his heels at four. I won't even count J.J. McCarthy. Penix is five.

I still think Pennix has a chance to work. But I think Boe Nicks, he's had some. some really bad halves. Not Philadelphia, Eagles, bad halves, but pretty bad halves. And I'll say this, between Mims and Franklin and Harvey and Evan Ingram had a big catch on a fourth down. Denver's got really nice personnel. I'll argue this all day long.

I think it's a top, I think the Broncos have a top five roster, Bulls at left tackle. They have real players. So I think it's, I mean, Bowes 19 or 30, 175 yards. a touchdown, no picks, runs very, very well. But he missed a couple of deep balls. He does not throw the deep ball particularly well. He's got an arm, but it feels like to me on the deep ball, he has no touch on the deep ball. He just lets it go. And maybe because he didn't throw a ton of him, he's a pretty good intermediate thrower. He's exceptional under eight to ten yards. He's very accurate. He just doesn't throw a good deep ball. And Sean Peyton has receivers who can get

open deep. So I think it's a, I think Sean Payton privately is frustrated. How could he not be? I also think he's kind of caught because he should use his legs more. Yeah. But Sean Payton, for the most part, I mean, became a superstar with a quarterback that never scrambled. So I mean, part of this offense, timing, get rid of the ball. But there are plays where it's like, if the guy's not open boat, take off. You're a really good athlete. And the commentators, I would say, over the course of this season have been saying that. He's very, I would say, hesitant to run. On spots, we don't need you running all the time, but just take off. He always wants to throw, and it's just hurting him.

He's scrambling, like, backwards and to the side to keep plays alive with his arm. And from a throwing standpoint, it's just not really working out. Now, their defense, their team, the roster's fantastic, their defense. And they don't have a green law yet. They don't have green law yet. Hufunga might have saved the game with that pass breakup on the second to last pass by Fields. They're going to be a playoff, a lock playoff team. They have one of the easiest schedules left.

They are going to win. Honestly, they should win the division, especially based with the Chargers injuries. And we're recording this before the Chiefs game. But they got no chance to make a real run in the playoffs. Their quarterback doesn't play better. Like, college football in the NFL, once you get the best opponents playing the best opponents,

your quarterback has to play well. If he doesn't, you lose. John Mateer, bad, Bo Nix. That's where they got very lucky. To me, they lose this game. I think if they're playing like 30 other NFL teams. They just got, like you said, the worst coached, just the worst team in the league, whose offense is, who's atrocious. Yeah, and I mean, Justin Fields isn't good, but I said this when he went to the Jets.

He went from the Bears defensive coach, Steelers defensive coach, Jets defensive coach. He's not good enough to overcome bad coaching. Today's show is brought to you by our new presenting sponsor Hard Rock Bet. They're a great partner. October baseball is here, baby. The pressures higher, the moments are bigger. One swing can change everything. Hard Rock bet lets you get in on every pitch.

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How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever. you get your podcasts. Pittsburgh beats the Browns 23 to 9. I went four and all of my picks. It's the one everybody said, you got to take that game.

I just don't like division rivals and big spreads. But, you know, let me defend Aaron Rogers again. So far this season, nine touchdowns, two picks, 69% completion percentage, 104 passer rating. He made a couple of throws today that were so Aaron, running right, throwing back left, he can get away with it, a throw in the end zone to, I think, Connor Hayward. Aaron has like Baker Mayfield, in a way, it helps that Aaron doesn't have as much

horsepower, John, because what Pittsburgh does have between, you know, they have size. You know, Washington, they have big receivers. They have size. They have big targets. And with catching radiuses. And I think Aaron, they're a team that can do a lot of damage inside of 15 yards. And they also have guys that can break tackles. And I think Aaron's smart enough to see that.

Like today was classic, 21 of 30, most of it underneath, a couple of back shoulder throws, one great throw in the end zone. I think Aaron, I mean, the average 5.8 yards of play. That for Pittsburgh over the last seven years against an excellent defense in a division game, that's a lot. You know, these Steelers, Browns, Raven Steelers games, you average three and a half, four and a half yards of play, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, don't want to buy into Pittsburgh, but it's hard not to because I do think Aaron's intelligence

and experience has sort of synthesized all these talented parts. They just felt like players the last six years. Now they feel like a real offense with a rhythm to me. Yeah, he definitely, I mean, feels a good cohesion with D.K. Medcalf has a touchdown in the last four games. He's very comfortable throwing that go route to him or just the, you know, the kind of the, over the shoulder ball in the end zone. They have, like you said, enormous tight ends. I mean, Cam Hayward's brother's big. The kid from Georgia is massive.

He's like an offensive tackle that can run. You know, Friermouth is just a high-level tight-ins. So they have three big targets. Huge tight ends. Yeah, I mean, the question mark is the running game will gain well now. It's kind of emerged. Like, they feel more comfortable using them. I mean, Caleb Johnson, they clearly don't really love, but have no choice.

Warren was running guys over. The Cleveland Brown's defense is pretty high level. Like it's, if they had a good offense, they would be one of the best teams in the league. Their defense is awesome. And as that game went, and this is part of football, right? You just kind of get worn out when you're a good defense and your offense stinks, and that's the case with Cleveland. But like the Steelers, you know, early on, they're getting hit with haymakers. It's like, we'll just, we'll stick this out.

And Rogers made a lot of throws. He doesn't move. I mean, it's pretty clear like he once did. But he knows it. And like you said, he actually is more comfortable with his limitations and plays within himself. He's not, you know, last year, it's like any player, any human being. As you age, you kind of have to change. I mean, I'm going through it right now with like my metabolism.

Like, God, my metabolism at 40s not the same as it was at 35. Welcome to life. You know, it's like, you're 41, Aaron, you tore your Achilles a couple years ago. You can't scramble. So he moves a couple yards where he used to take off lateral to the line of scrimmage. He'll just kind of keep a play alive, but he's not looking for, you know, he used to have the, he's like one of the great hero ball players of all time because he could make something out of nothing into one of the most spectacular. Those days are done. But I think he kind of

understands himself. And the other thing is their defense is starting to come on. Now, Cleveland's offensive line is pretty terrible. But as they get healthier up front, Jaylon or AMC. Oh, their defensive line, I mean, they had backup that Heron guys making plays. Obviously, T.J. Watts looked excellent the last three or four games. They were hitting hard today on defense. Well, early on, I was pretty nervous. I'm like, they got no chance. Here's the other thing, Colin. The AFC North, I mean, there's a chance. the other three coaches get fired. That's how bad it's going. Stefansky's in major trouble.

Zach Taylor's done. And Harbaugh, that thing's going to get louder and louder. They could have the division wrapped up by like early December. And they could be like an 11-win team and win this division by four games. Listen, their schedule gets tougher late. But here's the thing. When you start watching players like Aaron Rogers, I mean, Russell Wilson had some decent moments in Pittsburgh. I mean, the Giants couldn't sit him fast enough.

I mean, Brian Daibald's running to the tent to find Jackson Dart. Justin Fields was four and two with the Steelers. He's the worst quarterback in the league right now with the Jets. Like, here's the thing about Pittsburgh. They're not clever offensively. They're not San Francisco. They're not McVeigh, although the Rams are struggling. But you know what?

They're so functional as an organization in terms of drafting and developing. You and I have said this for years. They're going to win nine games because they're, They just, it's a well-run operation. Tomlin can drive me crazy. They don't get offense. But then when you put a smart guy like Aaron in, and Martha Smith is also bright, it's just good enough. Now, it wasn't against Seattle, and they played poorly in the second half against Seattle.

They had that goofy special teams blunder. But you start watching the, I guess it's this, John. You said this three weeks ago. The bottom of this league is awful. Tennessee is awful. I'm talking, I mean, the Saints are, they're fighting their butt off. New Orleans is fighting hard. That's a bad team.

The Jets are absolutely awful. There are four or five teams at the bottom. And there's no great teams in this league. But you watch Pittsburgh and just on health, Aaron, certain unity within the organization, they're going to win like nine or ten game. I don't think they're going to go 13, 14 wins. I don't, I don't, you know, by the way, they do have some older players. Older players tend to get hurt around Thanksgiving.

But I think Pittsburgh is going to be a playoff team. Again, they'll probably be a one in Dunner, but I think they'll be a playoff team. Well, obviously last year, their defense fell off a cliff, but also, you know, the quarterback play with Russell, once it got really cold, he looked really, really bad. Old players and Aaron's obviously a lot older than Russell. You go, well, I'm looking at their schedule now. starting in about mid-November, they got home game against the Bengals, could be cold in Pittsburgh, at the Bears, 1123, bills at home, at the Ravens, at the Browns, you know, versus the Ravens.

I mean, these are a lot of games that could be snowing, could be 20 degrees. And like you said, the bottom of the league is really crappy. Well, they're going to have teams in their division that aren't going to win that many games. But the Browns are not like one of those awful teams that's easy to play. I would say the same about the Bengals, right? Because at any moment, they just got some good players. I know Hendrickson got hurt, and who knows, I guess he could get traded. But if the Bengals and the Browns are the worst two teams in your division,

both teams are probably going to win a combined like 10 games, they are just not an – you're not playing the Jets, right? That's just hard, especially the Browns. That is physically taxing. And they play the Ravens twice in the last, like, you know, month and a half. They could be a little healthier by then. It's not going to be – you saw today. I mean, the Ravens have a lot of pride as an organization.

even if they're playing random guys. I thought the whole time, like, everyone thinks the Rams are going to kill these guys. No. They'll probably win, but this is, they're going to have, they're going to have some, like, dignity as an organization here. Right. That even if we're going to win four games, we're going to do it with our head held high. This is a pretty prideful division. Tomlin, I forget who was calling the game, but they basically said, Mike Tomlin tried to tell his rookies,

don't get fooled by the records. In this division, these inner division games, these six of them, are war. So, and the more in Aaron plays in these, especially against the Ravens, like, they're going to hit them, they'll find a way. And it's just, can he maintain? Because if he's healthy, I will say this, they do have a chance to, like, compete in a playoff game. You know, I think the AFC is pretty wide open. You got Bow Nix can't three completions. The Chargers have a bunch of injuries. You know, the Jags still got Trevor Lawrence as their quarterback. I think you saw the Colts today. I mean, they're not a perfect team by any means. There are going to be some playoff teams in the AFC that aren't exactly. two years ago, Raven, some of these bills teams in the past and some of the Prime Chiefs teams. So it's not saying they're going to be in the AFC championship game, but it's definitely more wide

open than I think we imagine when the season started. And now for our next segment, whiskey business, yes, whiskey business brought to you by Green River Whiskey, the official Whiskey of the Colin Coward podcast. All right, I want to talk Chargers who end a two-game losing streak. Chargers 29, Dolphins,

27. So there was, listen, the Miami Dolphins could have drafted Herbert and they drafted Tua. So I was a bigger fan than Herbert out of college than Tua, but not a lot of GMs. There were a lot of GMs that like Tua. Chris Greer, who has been a GM for 10 years and not a lot of pro bowlers. I mean, they've, they've, battle line gave Tua an extension. It wouldn't have been my call, but Tua had three picks today and Herbert put on a show 29 to 38, no Quentin Johnson, four. Four, backups on the offensive line, there was a play at the end of the game. It's unbelievable. Herbert is just getting attacked. I mean, he leads the NFL and getting hit since, I think since

he was drafted. I think he's, I think he's been hit more than any quarterback in the league. So he's got backups everywhere, no quitting Johns, and it's Ladd-McConkey and a number three running back and some backups, four backers on the old offensive line. So as they trail late, the Dolphins score, here they come back. It looked like the Dolphins were going to win. Herbert breaks a tackle from a defensive lineman. And this is why traits, you're a former NFL scout. This is why traits matter. Tua doesn't escape that. Brock Purdy doesn't escape that. It's just one of those things that smaller quarterbacks, Kyler Murray doesn't escape it. Herbert at 6.5.5, 2.35 and strong. Bounces off a defensive tackle escapes.

Somehow moving to his left gets Ladd McConkey who flies down the sideline. They ultimately win it with a field goal. And my takeaway in that game is it highlights the Miami problem. When you draft Tua, who's a smaller quarterback and not as athletic as Herbert, I mean, and again, Chris Greer wasn't a lot. alone. There were people that love Tua. I look at Mike McDaniel. Tua said after the game, people are missing meetings. People are late. It's like, holy crap, Tua's calling out Mike McDaniel. But I thought this was, overall, this really puts a ribbon on the dolphins. When you watched Herbert carry, only San Francisco is more banged up. When you watch Herbert carry a completely depleted roster on the road from behind to win over Tua, who's home, who's comfortable, who's got most of his weapons.

To me, it was like, this is the definition of why the dolphins are the dolphins. Yeah, I mean, I thought the Herber play was the play of the day. I mean, given that the injuries that felt like they were going to lose the game, you know, the defense kind of gave it up at the end. I mean, Waller's wide open in the corner of the end zone for Tua to throw him a little lollipop. and then he breaks that tackle sack for the throw, and then McCocky.

I mean, how good have those two guys been since they've linked up? I mean, holy, holy. McConkey is, he's like a Wes Welker meets Edelman. I mean, he's a stud. But Herbert, there was, you know, I understand what Tua is saying, and we've known about the dysfunction in Miami now for a while. It's pretty embarrassing. But I also think, like, Tua, you threw a pick.

You guys were up 16 to 13 and threw a pick over the middle of the field, and that pick doesn't get thrown if you're Justin Herbert because he has a much stronger arm. Well, the ball, you know, when you have a weaker arm, like Philip Rivers threw a lot of picks, it's an easier ball to catch. So if his timing's a little off, you know, Peyton Manning's ball, if he's a little late, is much more pickable than Cam Newton throwing a hundred mile an hour fast bowl. And you just watch two his ball kind of floats. And the charger defender was able to jump right in front of the route.

The guy was open. But when we talk about arm strength, obviously the, doesn't determine if you're going to be a great player, not. Peyton had an average arm at best. But Tua is nowhere near the guys with average arms that were great players and makes mistakes constantly. And that was 16 to 13. And then boom, three plays later. The charges are up 23 to 13. And I just think that, you know, Tua is a pretty average player, which less relative to the league, he's still better than a lot of guys. But he is not talented enough. We talk about Baker, Cleveland, can't overcome it.

Mac Jones with Belichick and that disaster the last couple years can't overcome it. Tua, this Miami thing, no chance. You put Tua on, you just gave him to Kevin O'Connell right now. I bet he'd look a lot better, right? And, you know, Kevin O'Connell said this over the offseason. Most teams fail quarterbacks. We know Tua's very limited. We've known Jared Goff's been limited since he was playing a cow.

Can't move. Guess what the lions don't ask him to do. Move. Guess what they ask him to do? Get rid of the ball fast. You know, I think sometimes Mike McDaniels is asking to it, like these deep dropbacks, push the ball down the field. Guys, he has an average arm.

And part of it now he has to carry the team. But they have all these little tiny receivers, even when Tyreek was there. It's like, I don't know if I would have built a team that way, first off. And now it's like, Waddle's an excellent player and made an awesome catch today down the sideline. But like, I would try to get bigger body. Listen, I don't know if it's going to work in Caroline or not, but I do understand the logic of we need to get this big body guy for our little quarterback.

McMillan, the wide receiver from Arizona. Why? Because it's harder for him to see, gives him a bitter catching radius. Tua's throwing to tiny little guys, and he's a tiny little quarterback. Well, yeah, Herbert can see the tiny little receiver, or Brady can see that they're six-foot-five. It's the opposite with Tua. It's just a math equation. And then when he factor in his arms weak, and I give him, like, I actually think, too, he's earned my respect of, like, being mentally tough.

Yeah. You know, he battles through, like, he doesn't tap out. I mean, he still runs around when he's got a million concussions. But the organization's embarrassment, I just think that the Tua thing, it's more, like, he turns the ball over a lot and he's got issues. But the whole organization around him is just, I mean, it's pretty low level. If you had Tua as a quarterback, you'd need a good backup quarterback. They've never had that. And you'd need a good offensive line.

It's stunk since he's been there. they've had good defensive fronts. They don't know what they're doing. Like, I think about this all the time. When I started the volume, when you start a company, you have to have an identity. What are we? What aren't we? Let's stop chasing this.

We're not this. We are this. If two is your quarterback, you have to have a good backup. You also have to have good protection, good pass pro. They've never done a good job with that. So there's two quarterbacks that won today, Baker Mayfield and Justin Herbert, who had no business winning. Both are on the road, both missing multiple starters, star players, Joe Alt, Roshan Slater, Quentin, Clinton Johnson, or Bucky Irving, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Abuka,

Baker, Mayfield, and Justin Herbert. If you wondered what the difference between the haves and the have-not quarterbacks in this league, Herbert and Baker on the road win games with almost 40% of their starters missing. And I thought when you watched Herbert, juxtaposephobic, with Tua today. Tua's throwing pick after pick and guys are bouncing off Herbert's like, folks, that's a guy that will never pull a team. Herbert and Baker are pulling. They're not, they're not trailers, they're tractors. They are pulling offenses. But Mike McDaniel said last year that players that the fine system didn't work to team meetings, right? He couldn't get guys to show up on, well, Tua, you think people that they can't find you are going to show

up to players-only meetings. Like, that's, the culture's already been established. Nothing matters, right? The standard doesn't exist. And this is what happens when you have a guy that no one respects and you bring them back. And listen, that's not a shot at Mike. It's just clearly the players do not view him like an authority figure.

And there, you can be a nice guy, right? Andy Reed is good friends and has close relationships with his players. They also view him as an authority figure of if he says something. is at 8 o'clock, there is a level of respect to show up at 7.55. No one's asking you to be Tom Cofflin and be 20 minutes earlier or you're late. But when a coach says, it's not even, it's just basic business, right? Everyone's there. We're making time. Our time is valuable. We've never had less time with all these rules show up. And they weren't showing up to the team meetings last year when that. Why do you think Vic Fangio was like, I want out of this.

Yeah, Vic Fangio's a joke. Get me out of here. It's none. Yeah. Well, Howie. Throw me a lifeline. And I think Stephen Ross, like, I don't even want to deal with this go. You know, this is, but that was a reflection of Mike and the organization. And in fairness to Mike, this has been going on, even with Flores, that no one's ever on the same page in this. Let me throw this out. Yeah, I thought about this today. Most of the great culture creators, Vrable, Mike Tomlin, Dan Campbell, I would say Sean McVeigh feels bigger than he is.

Yeah, he's an alpha. There's a physical component to them. And you could say, what about Belichick? Brady set the culture. Let's be honest about it. Like Brady ran that locker room. Like players were intimidated. If Brady, I mean, Brady outworked every player.

He was a legend. He was the goat. Brady set that culture as much as Belichick. Mike McDaniel, I mean, if you walked into Google, looks like some guy that would be, and I'm not trying to be mean-spirited, but you're walking up in front of six-foot-seven, 300-pound, 325-pound alphas. there is some, you cannot discredit the value. Have you ever stood next to Dan Campbell or Mike Vrable?

These are huge men. And Mike Tomlin's an intimidating man. So you either have to be intimidating in terms of volume or intensity. Sean Payton's intimidating. Like when you're around him, Sean's expertise and his intelligence. Andy Reid, success, volume. Like Andy's a, he's a yeller. or there's the physical component.

I said this when he first got hired. He didn't look like a guy that was going to walk up in front of a room and command respect from a bunch of 55 guys that average 6-4-220. No one thinks that, especially if you go back to like, you know, I was watching early this morning and they were doing something on Brian Schadenhammer and they were talking a lot about Marty or Bill Parcells or some of those guys, Jimmy Johnson. Obviously these guys, if they got into a physical altercation with a play,

are going to lose. But I bet if you ask a lot of those players, they'd say, I never knew when the guy might actually snap on me. And again, I knew I could beat the guy up, but, like, he had an intimidation factor. You go back, you watch some of those cowboy practices. You know, Jimmy's 50 years old screaming at Charles Haley. You know, I grew up on, you know, Bill Walsher retired George Seifert.

He was terrifying. It was like, this guy is just, no one messed with him. And I think there's an element of that. Obviously, Mike McDaniel is never going to have to fight any of these guys. But they look at him like, In what world would you? You wouldn't take that guy seriously if he was your friend's dad and he got mad at you over at his house playing video games if you were a 15 year old kid. I mean, let's be honest. There is if you think. It's football, not softball. I mean, it's part of the deal. It's just like saying, you know, taller people make more money according to every study.

For sure. Saying the physical component in life doesn't matter is laughable. If you're saying it doesn't, you're probably 5-5. It does. taller, better-looking people, more intimidating people. I mean, there's just something that John Taffer, Bar Rescue, well, he's like 6'5 and screams. It's intimidating for bar owners, right? Gordon Ramsey in a kitchen. It's intimidating. He's smart and he's loud and he's successful.

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We have some big news. What's the news, news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a 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 For 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 what's up fam it's isaiah thomas and i'm cj toledano and our podcast point game is about defying the odds like lebron heading into the playoffs without luka and austin reed and finding ways to win no matter what he's the smartest player to ever play the game his iqq is at a level that we've never seen before and he knows without lucca and austin re's i got to manipulate the game we get a play players' perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series

because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing.

That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why 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 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is.

getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 goes deep on both of those things.

The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching.

You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, I want to talk a couple more games here before we get into James Franklin, Franklin, who got fired at Penn State. Carolina beats Dallas 30 to 27. Two things to say about Dallas. First of all,

Dak Press got in his last three games, has 10 touchdowns and no picks. They can only win one day. Way, it's a track meat. They got their defense. Bryce Young ate it up. Secondly, George Pickens, for all the criticism the Cowboys get,

I mean, he's got six touchdowns in five games. He has been a steal as a third rounder. He has been unbelievable. Today, he was incredible. So we can roll our eyes at the Cowboys, but Pickens has been great. DAC has been sensational, but I was watching Bryce Young today, John, and it really came to me. Is that Carolina dominated first downs, like almost doubled the Cowboys.

And Rico Dowdell had 183 yards, you know, over six yards of carry, is that, and I said this when they traded Micah, it was going to look bad this year. But two first round picks, Dak playing this well, go get an edge rusher and go get a number two receiver, and you're going to be fine. in this league, you can get better really, really fast. Plus, they're going to have free agent money and cap room next year. But I watched Bryce Young and my takeaway, and I know nobody cares about Carolina, but my takeaway is Bryce Young can look pretty darn good against the bad defense. When I've seen him against good pass rushes, he's totally engulfed. But about half the league doesn't have a pass rush.

Most of the league isn't Denver. Right. They're not Denver. They're not the Rams. So I watched Bryce Young and I'm like, do you think Bryce Young gets an extension? Because my take is he's middle of the pack. He may be the 17th best quarterback, but against average defenses, and that coach, he's capable. Yeah, I mean, I'd probably put him in the Tua category where he probably will and everyone will fall out of their chair when he gets $150 million. Now, it has to keep going well. But like you said, the Saints are in their division. You watch them, their defense is horrendous. You know, Tampa just has to blitz all the time. I mean, they have a bunch of injuries and a lot. older players. And, you know, Atlanta, in theory, has good defense. I mean, we'll see how it translates

over the, but they're not exactly playing the 85 bears on a weekly basis. Now, again, I would probably rather have Tua than Bryce. But, I mean, today, the thing with the Cowboys, Dowdell had 183 yards. His long run was 15, Colin. I would bet in the history of 180-yard rushing attacks, on average, the long run in the game for a running back would be like 40 plus yards. Because if you ran for 130 yards, like that's, you're probably going to have a couple 20-yard runs in there. He had 30 carries. That's what they did in the 70s.

He also had a huge game. I think he had four catches for 56 yards. I mean, I think he has like 500 yards from scrimmages these last couple. He's dominating. The Cowboys defense is horrendous. It shows you how bad the Jets are because they made the Jets. Their defense actually looked pretty good against them last week. This game, my favorite bet on the board besides Seattle,

who won outright, was the over-end. this game started a little slow, but as the game went on, me, these two defenses are horrendous. They really are. Dallas is probably going to have to feel good. If you go Dallas wants to win a game, I think they have to be above 30. I don't think they have any chance to win a game against a competent team, not the Jets, if they're in the, even in the high 20s. I think they got, I mean, obviously they lost the day 30, 27. But I would say on average, they're scoring defense when the season ends. I bet it's 28, 29. It's going to be one of the worst in the league, if not the worst. Dallas's defense is a quarterback stimulus package.

Big time. Everybody looks good. No, it's funny because I was watching this today. And yeah, Rico Dowell had 30 carries. I mean, that's what Jim Brown was doing. Like, now you wouldn't even think 20 is like, yeah, 20 is almost inappropriate. But I think it does go to show that you, I think people are terrified of driving to the stadium and being bad at quarterback. Like when today, Cleveland.

That's why Cincinnati's like, let's just get Joe Flacco. We won't be terrible at quarterback. We'll be okay. And they were okay. He just threw to Jamar Chase over and over and over on the big drives, which is smart. Joe Flacco's smart. But I think the league is terrified of being horrible at quarterback.

And that's why Brock Purdy or Bryce Young is one gets paid. I think Bryce will get paid. And I will say this as Carolina won. Dack through all of them. He's just putting up unbelievable numbers. First of all, the surgery, he hasn't moved this well in six years. He's moving well. It really goes to show you.

We don't think it's an elite head coach. They don't have a number one receiver or tight end. The O line is being remade. John, in this league, if you have an A quarterback, A minus, or B++, you can win every Sunday. And that's with Dak Prescott. I mean, if CD Lamb makes a catch against Philadelphia, they win that game. Remember the opener? So it's like, I look at Dallas and I'm like, they're not a good team, but they're fun to watch.

And Dak is, I mean, there's 15 quarterbacks in this league that can spin it. And he is one of them. I'll push back a little on the head coach. Now, we're not really judging him on timeouts and his defense isn't good. So even the aggregate of the team. but he is the play caller and they have been elite on offense. And they lost C.D. Lamb early in the season, and they have not skipped the beat. So I would say most people would have been like, Brian Schadenheimer is going to call your plays?

Let's just say that. Let's say they had hired Colin Coward to be the head coach, but Schottenheimer was his play caller as the O.C. They're like, ah, you could do better than that. He's been pretty awesome at that. So I will give him that. And part of it's going to be, because I'm thinking today, you do get two first round picks. And losing this game isn't the end of the world for them if they're picking, you know, You'd rather pick 10th than 20th.

And, you know, the Packers probably going to end. That pick's going to be in the 20s, but you're going to have two picks. Pick a couple guys on defense. Dak, I just looked 32 years old. So the way football's going now, you can't touch the quarterback, why couldn't he have a couple, several more seasons playing at this level? He clearly has good chemistry with Brian. You know, maybe they resign with some of that extra money, George Pickens.

They already got C.D. Lamb under contract. finally maybe draft a running back in like the second, third, fourth round, and all of a sudden you have more of a complete team. You get some of these defensive backs healthy over the next couple years. I got a bunch of them under contract. They just need front seven players. I would draft. If you told me they used both their first round picks this year on defensive linemen,

I'd be like smart, right? I wouldn't even veer away from the front seven if I were them early in the draft. Yeah, I looked at mock drafts today, and there's a bunch of edge rushers. It's a defensive line, defensive edge. It's a very good draft. Dante Moore probably has a chance to go number one, the Oregon quarterback, although he lost this weekend, but they don't care about that. But I looked at it.

It's a lot of defensive players in the sheer draft. It's a very good defensive draft. And you know what? I've always been a little reticent to draft a receiver in the first round high because it's an ego position. Why feed into that? Yeah, there's a couple of first round cornerbacks. There's a bunch of edge and defensive linemen.

That's what I said about Micah. It's going to look bad for a year. It will. It's like when Shaq Kobe trade, Shaq goes to Miami, you were going to get beaten up for two years. But in the end, Kobe was the better,

more committed player. He was in better shape, fewer injuries. Kobe got Gasol and the Lakers won two titles. Sometimes you can't worry about winning the press conference. Right?

Like they always say that in college football. Don't win the press conference. Get the right coach. You'll win the press conference. press conference if you hire, you know, the coach leaves, James Franklin's fired, and then they'll hire, you know, the interim coach because he wins some games and everybody loves it and they're happy. Well, is that the best coach? You're winning a press conference because everybody's happy. So I look at next year, two first, and by the way, John, as you know,

they don't need a quarterback, but six teams do. They could turn those two first round picks into second and third round picks added by moving down, which they probably will do. They've also drafted a ton of offensive linemen over the last several years, so they've invested heavily in that position. You could also say, like, unless Michael was Lawrence Taylor, what difference is Micah making on this team? Like, it's not like he's turning them into some high-ed defense. Their defense is atrocious. Guys are wide open constantly. They can't cover a soul. I think if you wanted to argue about it, you should have done it before the draft, and you could have gotten more. But at the end of the day, you got multiple first round picks.

You got the money. It was a little clunky the way the process played out, but the end result, I think is probably going to work out in the Cowboys. It's long. You know, the Raiders once did this when they traded Cleo Mac. Again, that was a financial thing. They just didn't have the money to pay them. They drafted the wrong players, and that bit them in the ass. So you get these picks.

You just, if you nail, I don't know, like you said, let's say you turn two picks into four picks, right, moving back and manipulating the draft. If you hit on three out of the four of them, it's a home run because not only you're getting impact players, they're cheap impact players. All right. I think both you and I love this game. This was my second favorite bet on the board. Seattle plus one and a half. I said Friday on the herd blazing five, bet the money line. I thought Jacksonville, off an emotional win, biggest win in forever for them against Kansas City. They would come to short rest, come back down to Earth. Seattle was going to be to be going to be. play with our hair on fire in a tougher division. They'd be more desperate. I mean, you had 10 total penalties for the Jags. In the first half, they had six penalties, three sacks allowed, four punts. They were just a mess. They weren't ready to play. They hung around for a while. But, you know, I'll say this is, a classic example is Trevor Lawrence had a 54-yard touchdown pass taken off the board because of a penalty. It's so Jacksonville. I don't know how to explain this, though.

Seattle has won nine straight road games. Now remember, Seattle is geographically, you know, this is why the Vancouver Grizzlies didn't work. This is why the Mariners for years haven't done well in the free agent market. It's like a lot of players don't want those long road trips. You're up, jammed up in the Pacific Northwest. It's inconceivable that Seattle, again, in a tough division, even Arizona is a hard place to go and win, is won nine straight road games. They travel across the country. So let's start with that.

Is that just coincidence, happenstance? I mean, some of those have been with Gino. That's a lot of road wins in a row. They're 10 and 1 on the road under Mike McDonald. 10 and 1. That's insane. Again, they in theory have one of the best places to play at home. So if they can parlay, which they're going to do, because they were today, they

sacked him seven times, they were all over Trevor Lawrence. Yeah. I mean, he would scramble in the play. pocket and there would be another guy there. He was getting hit all day long. And their DBs hit too. I mean, you could tell a couple times Brian Thomas is like, I don't know if I want to catch this one over the middle. Oh, you could tell his body language. Yeah, he had that early in the season. It felt like he got over that last week and they were talking about in the broadcast, like Liam's had some talks with him. A couple times, like, no way. I never blame a player. I wouldn't want to get taken out either. But the days of like

Ronnie Lott are over. You're not going to get decleted, but still, he doesn't want to get hit. And the defense was awesome today. I mean, their physicality. When you factored in the, I heard I was in the car maybe last week, and Steve Phillips, the baseball guy, the former GM was on. And he said by far every year, Seattle, no team travels farther in baseball than Seattle. Right. Their travel is consistently the longest. Think about this game for them. I mean, what's that flight?

We just say naturally five. Is that a five and a half? Is that a six hour flight? I mean, that's just, that's a long trip. Now, I'm with you, you know, Tampa the emotional win. I respect Trevor. Like he's he's tougher than I think a lot of people want to give him credit for. He's actually shown the last two weeks.

Like he's tough. Like you can't say that he's turning it down. I just don't know how good he is. Like he's tough and he has some physical capabilities. He can scramble around. But like, Sam, to me, this is why I love the game. I'm like, I actually think Jacksonville's coaching staff is good. I think Liam's been impressive.

Their coaching staff's good. Clearly Seattle's got a good coaching staff. But the quarterback mismatch in this game, I think, I mean, Sam, coming into this game, objectively, based on stats, is like, might have been the best quarterback in the league through the first five games. Well, Jackson Smith and Jigba is a monster. He is a freaking monster, 162 yards. Sam had a throw.

It'll get no play, no highlights to Cooper Cup. And it was such a sly, clever little throw. And again, Cooper at this point doesn't run. But it was just like one of those, oh, that's a pro throw. Aaron had a couple of these. Aaron Rogers does these throws, where, you know, you throw it into the corner, and if it gets picked, somebody goes 100 yards. And it was Sam threw it, and it was quick to Cooper Cup, who doesn't separate me longer.

But I think the thing about Trevor Lawrence is why, I mean, Urban Meyer wasn't a pro coach. That's fine. I mean, Bill Pellellellellellellellell Jackson, not a college coach. That's fine. But why has Jacksonville always beat themselves? Why do they always have so many penalties? why do they always have so many big plays and touchdowns called back? That's on Trevor.

It's like you can't blame anybody else, but Caleb Williams, when the operations of the Bears' offense looks clunky. Like Drake May is a freaking robot. Like, he's AI. He's not doing that. I mean, in New England's a young team with a bunch of new players. They have penalties too. But Drake May's figured it out quickly.

I mean, Trevor's been in this league a long time. And it's just today, 10 penalties, touchdowns called back. I just always feel like they're a bit of a, they're just never buttoned up. And I think Liam Cohen's a good coach. So I don't know. I just, I look at Seattle as a team like Green Bay. They're young. They're not quite sure how to put people away.

I mean, you're watching this game and I'm watching this game. Seattle was the better team. They could have won this thing by four touchdowns. You know, young teams struggle. How do you put teams away? They just don't quite know how to do it yet. But I'll tell you, watching Seattle and watching their road record, and remember, young players, when they do get hurt, get healthier sooner. I think Seattle blew Pittsburgh out.

I think Seattle is live. I still think they can win that. I watch the Rams today. I think Seattle, I'm going to take Seattle to win the division. Yeah. I did at the beginning of the year, five to one. I'm with you. I also think, you know, part of being one of the great prospects of all time, which I

I think we all agree that was he's not. But like what goes with that at quarterback is not just physical attributes. It's bringing everything to the table. You watch some of these highlights of Peyton Manning or Troy Aikman, these former number one picks, John Elway, screaming at guys, holding them. They get to act like a coach. They're the highest paid guy in the building. They're the heartbeat of the building.

Everyone's looking at them. And that's just never going to be Trevor Lawrence's thing. So part of the penalties is like the coach can only yell at you so much. They literally do. Coaches yell at you constantly. but like when the quarterback holds you accountable, and I just don't think that they have that. I'm sure they respect them because back to the toughness thing,

he's really proven that. I always kind of question that. He's showing that this year. But I mean, yeah, they're just, they actually are a pretty talented team, but like if their most talented player, Brian Thomas, is not going to catch balls over the middle consistently because Trevor had actually had a couple nice passes

in big spots over the middle. He got dropped or he didn't want to catch it. I'm like, yeah, this is, There's just going to be something a little bit. And it goes also back to the Travis Hunter thing, very talented player. I just feel like they're a little lost with that, you know, with him kind of going both ways. You can't just go all in with him as an offensive player, which I think is probably the right move. But, yeah, I mean, I would pick the Colts to win that division right now.

And I would say, I would say Seattle is a very, very good chance. They just got to be healthy. If they're fully healthy, they're going to be very tough to deal with. By the way, I don't want to spend too much time on the Patriots 25 beating the Saints, 2519. but Drake May, they are over 300 yards, 18 and 26. They're asking him to throw it. He also had nine scrambles. He's a hit.

There is no, now again, he gets Mike Frable. They spent some money on the O and D line. But if you didn't watch this game, and it's a corner TV game, as my friend Chad Millman would say, it's that eighth blocks where Scott Hanson goes, here I am in the lower eight. Drake May is a hit. I think we can safely say that. Drake May is a hit. Is it powerful what confidence will do for young players?

You know, early, that first game against the Raiders, even I thought, I was like, whoa, whoa, something's a little, something's a little off. They get a couple wins, and then you have that moment. That could be a career-changing moment. Buffalo Sunday Night Football. It's the number one television show in America. I mean, everyone, you're playing the bills that have the defending MVP, which I would imagine in Drake May's life, he's never played in an environment quite like that. Yeah. Right. I mean, some of these teams in the ACC don't, NC State probably doesn't feel like that on a Saturday afternoon to win and play that well. You saw today, now listen, Saints got a little cowboy vibe. They are not very good on defense. They're actually a fun team to watch. They will chuck it around offensively. But he looks like a dramatically more confident player. And you could argue, is that the most underrated aspect for a young quarterback is like, does he believe in himself? Because a lot of these guys have talent.

We see guys year and year out, but when they go into the tank, look at Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold, we used to be like, guy, turns the ball over all the time. I'm watching him now. He doesn't put the ball in harm's way, really. Well, I think, remember Mike Vrabel and Camp said he's just got to believe in himself. He has to realize that being a leader means being a leader every day. That was Vrable's quote in the camp. So Vrable was telling you, he's got it in him, but he's a young guy.

I always said this is hard. to walk in at 25 years old or 24. I mean, Donald was 21 when he walked into the league in New York and then act like a leader. It's 34-year-old men in there. You're 21. And if you have self-awareness, you don't want to be a jerk. And I do think the Baker Mayfield, you know, kind of the component that, like, I believe in myself,

Baker's rare. He's an outlier. Most young people come into a room and they're, you know, they're a little, it's a little awe-inspiring. These are professional. Nobody looks like Miles Garrett in college or high school, right? Nobody else in the NFL looks like him. So I just, I think Drake, and by the way, Mike Vrable is intimidating. And so, and free agency, they spent $300 million.

So they brought in some old dudes, like old dudes making money. And I think Drake May was like Carolina football. You know, Mack Brown is very chill. You know, Mac's like the most likable guy. You know, Vrabel's a barker. Vrabble's intense. Brable's smart. Brable gets after you. So I think it's...

Same with Josh. I mean, Josh's pretty intense guy, isn't he? Yeah. So, and I like Josh, but he'll bark. So I think it, I think it's just kind of like, holy shit, this is a lot. But man, those last four games I've watched Drake May, here's the earth thing. John, when he throws well running, like when he's moving, it's no big deal. Like, he doesn't lose his accuracy.

A couple of these rolling left, rolling right. It doesn't affect him at all. Not that he throws better that way, but he throws moving is irrelevant. Some guys move and their accuracy dips. Yeah. Not at all with Drake May, from what I can tell. Well, the modern day quarterback is no longer, we've been talking about this forever, is the group of the Eli's and the Philip Rivers and the paid mannings.

It is the Jackson Darts. It's the Drake Mays, and it's led by the Mahomes, Lamar's. I mean, even Joe Burrough can move. and obviously Josh Allen. So you're just not getting Jared Goff coming into the NFL anymore. You know, I mean, if you can't move, these teams aren't going to be that interested in you in college, let alone in the pros. The best players are out or not.

I wouldn't even say Lamar's an outlier. When I say dual threat, I just mean mobility. If you don't have mobility, Mac Jones is kind of got some mobility, and he's on the low, low end, right? I mean, I would say average mobility is like Baker Mayfield, right? relative. And even he feels like lost a little weight a little quicker. But, I mean, Drake is what, six four, two, thirty? He's cut from the Herbert cloth. I mean, that's what, it's ideally what you would want. And we might look back and go, God, he went third overall. Football season's here. And if you want to go to an NFL or college football game, game time is the place for you. The game

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ticket go download the game time out today hey it's us the Jonas brothers and guess what we have some big news what's the news news 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 first people to do podcasts pretty yeah pretty wide range of podcasts starting a trend but this one's extra special so how did we 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, for 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. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. 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 exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball, like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out. real quick. Get your ass up and down the court and you're going to get the bomb. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. Getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store. had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes. In Rebel Spirit, Season 2 goes deep on both of those things.

The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean.

Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 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. Okay, let's wrap it with this. James Franklin got fired. A three and three record. They won 13 games last year, but they had lost three close games in a row. You may remember last year, even though they ended up number five in the country, they barely beat Bowling Green. They They won several close games. They lost the Notre Dame at the end and a close loss, but they won several close games last

year. This year, they're losing all their close games, but it's who they're losing to. You can't lose the Northwestern. You can't lose. You can lose to Oregon, although at home, it's rough. But you can't lose to UCLA. UCLA is not a top 40 team, although they have new coaches now, and that, you know, it looks like the head coach that left may have been getting in the way of a pretty good staff

beneath him. But he's only 53, so somebody's going to hire him. The danger in doing this, because he wasn't getting blown out. He was losing close games. The danger in doing this is, what if the interim comes in wins five of the next six weeks? And then you hire the interim because the players, you know, the players go into the 80s office. The players go on social media. The players are telling you they'll transfer. If you don't hire the interim codes, they'll transfer, they'll go into the portal. In place, in small, small towns, places like Penn State, they've often bowed to that. You see this all the time, John, the hit rate.

Look at Michigan right now on giving the popular assistant at the job. It's not very good historically. It's poor. It's about a 20% hit rate. So my take is, okay, now you put yourself, Antonio Pierce got his job that way, the popular substitute teacher. I wouldn't have fired him, would you? I think you had to.

I think it's the first time since they've been running the numbers in 30 plus years that a team has lost a back-to-back teams being a 20-plus point favorite. I mean, the team quit on them, right? They approached the Oregon game like the Super Bowl. You know what's pretty crazy is when we talk about this a lot with young quarterbacks, they basically got two years now to show. In college football, these buyouts, which I thought were going to be something impossible to overcome, I think there's so much money flow. Didn't the Big Ten just get a $2 billion investment from venture capital? Did you see online, they are speculating that Adidas bought out James Franklin? Who starts next year, because I Googled it immediately, 10 years, $300 million.

So if I'm Adidas and I'm in for 10 years, $300 million, right? For Penn State Athletics, obviously, that's Penn State football and everything else gets to piggyback off that. I need them to be really good. And I'm kind of a junkie, so I just YouTube last night some Penn State, like local podcasts. they have been losing a couple massive recruits the last couple weeks a lot of people think James Franklin especially after the UCLA game

Borderline just tapped out doesn't matter because he's got 50 million even if he's fired so they almost didn't have a choice this is not the AD that gave him that big extension that was Sandy Barber former Cal AD who's just I mean Jimmy Sexton

has there ever been a negotiation mismatch quite like Jimmy Sexton you can say the ADs but the ADs all answered to the presidents and the provosts and it's academia versus Jimmy Sexton and he is destroying them. It has been all these guys getting fired and when Mike Norvell gets fired and when the dude of Florida, they're all his clients.

He's just, he's owning them. And I just think James Franklin, they didn't have a choice. I also think James Franklin, like, don't be, he's going to like all of a sudden be the Florida State head coach or the Auburn head coach. He is by far one of the best candidates out there. I have no problem doing it. I also just wonder, this is not. 2015, where you go. Kurt Signetti, 100% leaving Indiana. I don't think he leaves Indiana.

Well, they got a bunch of money. He's making $8 million a year. He clearly can buy players. So it's like he would have had to leave 10, 7, 8 pre-NIL. Does he need to now? I don't think he does. No, I mean. Also, Indiana is his baby. I mean, it's not Joe Paterno, Penn State. It's his baby. It's a basketball school. If I'm Kurt Signetti, $8 million.

By the way, they are so appreciative. Part of college football is being appreciated. Like Oregon's owes good, but people were frustrated with Dan with Mario Cristobal. Couldn't win big road games. Oregon fans don't expect you to win national titles. But you've got to get up to 10 wins because they know Phil Knight's money and they have previous success doing that. Can't lose to Utah. Yeah, that's right.

That's right. And so Penn State, I do think Penn State kind of views themselves at a level. they're not quite, it's rural. It is a, it's not the easiest place to recruit. It's not nearly as glamorous as Columbus or Ann Arbor or USC in Los Angeles. It's not as cool as Oregon. You lose cell phone coverage out there by the nitty line in. It's so, and I'm not knocking it, but it's like James Franklin, I don't think Penn State's a top seven program. And I think they're losing. I think Oregon is. I think Michigan is. I think Ohio State is. I think Notre Dame is. Those are top seven. eight, nine programs. I think Penn State's on the outside of that. They view themselves as that. And I think you're probably right. I think he probably tapped out. And also, I think 10 to 12 years

coaching these powerhouses. If you don't win a national championship, I mean, God, Calipari won just won at Kentucky. And they ran him out. It's hard. I mean, Mark Few told me this when he was at Gonzaga. He goes, I can recruit nothing but three-star guys if I wanted to. He goes, I could win a, UCLA at the level I'm winning at Gonzaga, but I would get crushed if I was recruiting only three-star guys. Like you go to these blue blood programs, people follow that. Fans are on your ass. So Kurt Signetti, nobody's sitting around going get five-star guys. It's his baby. Also, when you're at Indiana, I mean, I think the portals changed everything, John. I think Indiana looks the part. Well, he wouldn't even have been able to do what he's doing.

it wasn't for the portal because he landed this Mendoza kid from Cal. He would have had to just recruit either a junior college quarterback or recruit a kid. You literally couldn't have done this five years ago. Now you can turn, this is why Belichick, if he does return, is going to be heavily under the microscope. You can turn this thing around immediately. Yeah. Now, he's doing it at the highest level.

He's going to go to the playoffs right back to back years. But you could win eight, nine games. You can go from two to three wins to eight nine wins really fast. And that wasn't possible, I think, unless you were at like Ohio State or something ever at one of these random schools. But I think Penn State goes, we were paying, obviously the head coach, they're paying their coordinators. Their defensive coordinator, highest paid coordinator in the league. Their offensive coordinator, the guy from Kansas, Kolenecki, makes a ton. Their roster, they had a bunch of guys return. You're cutting,

this is why I was kind of, give him credit. Arch Manning played his best game by far on Saturday against Oklahoma. He was, stats don't reflect it. He was good relative to the way he'd been playing. but I was like these boosters and whoever's paying all this money is not going to keep the money flowing if you do not win. You will get cut off. Now, I actually kind of believe the Adidas thing. Even if you were at USC or Notre Dame, who could just find $50 million? Like, even if you got five people, that means $10 million each. I mean, unless they're Bezos or whatever, you could be worth a couple hundred million dollars.

Five million dollars or $10 million. We're talking, that's a lot of, that's liquid cash. I mean, this is a lot of money. money we're talking. And that's just for the head coach. That's not going to count the staff when you blow them out. All the NIL money are paying the players. This is a lot more complicated now with the revenue streams that you need to fund football. Like, you know all these basketball coaches, basketball is actually much easier to operate economically because I just need, you know, five or six million if I want to land three or four good guys. And then I can get some transfer

portal guys from, you know, mid-major schools that cost. But my roster, I'm only going to play seven, guys. In college football, it's like, I got multiple running backs. I got multiple wide receivers. I need some of the delimbing. I also got to pay some of these, especially at a place like Penn State. Like, your high school recruits cost money now, let alone the returners. So, and then let alone the coaches, this is, has there ever been a business? I mean, obviously, like being a CEO on Wall Street, but these guys, Jimbo Fisher getting paid $77 million not to work. You know, they say the American dream. I mean, how many human beings have ever been, these guys, I mean, at the end of the day, their job, They have a whistle around their neck.

I mean, what an incredible time to be a football coach right now. Yeah, James Franklin's a good-looking guy with high energy. I think he'll go into broadcasting and probably be a great fit. He's kind of a magnetic guy. Again, I understand firing him. I think it's really dangerous to fire a coach this early. They've got some better personnel than about 90% of the teams they're playing. Good luck if they go on a winning streak because the interim coach is the substitute teacher.

are the most popular. Also, let's throw this in USC hammered Michigan, 31-13, didn't feel that close. The truth was, USC played physical football. I don't know if Michigan has the right coach. Underwood and Marsh, that receiver, are freaking great talents. But USC actually stepped up. Now, they're an eight and a half point dog at Notre Dame next week, and I don't think they can beat Notre Dame. I don't think it's a great matchup. Notre Dame's quarterback's really good. I think he'll just pick them apart. They did get their best player back on the back end of their defense, Kabari Ramsey. So I don't think USC is going to beat Notre Dame or Oregon on the road.

I don't think they're good enough to do that. But I thought it was a pretty substantial win because the knock has been, Lincoln Riley's teams are soft. And I thought in the trenches, I mean, God, with King Miller, a walk-on freshman running back, huge holes. I thought it was the kind of... He looked like Donald today. I mean, he was killing him.

I think it meant something to Lincoln Riley. It was a very... I mean, it looked like old USC. The lights, the crowd. You know, you saw the... You know, it just looked big, the night stuff. But I thought it was big for... I said this on Friday.

This was not just a typical USC game. They had to win. I thought they would win. I didn't think it would be that dominating. What was your takeaway? I looked at the borderly Saturday morning, and I thought, I don't think there's any individual head coach. It turned out it was Franklin, by assume they would win that game that had more pressure on him yesterday than Lincoln Riley. I thought it was like a fork in the road moment for his program.

He can't because he would have been 0-2. He just would have lost Illinois and lost to Michigan. And like you said, they got hard games coming up. It's like you've got to be able to be sure. This is not Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy. You've got to beat your own more and a rookie quarterback or freshman quarterback. And not only beat him, like you said, 31, 13, that felt like 45 to 7. Yeah, it was.

He threw the pick in the red zone at the end of the first half. Jay Mav. Yeah. They look offensively for the first time. And it was, I've watched, I would say, 50 to 75% of some of their games. I hadn't watched start to finish every snap. That felt a little Oklahoma-E offensively. I mean, that receiver they have Lemon, the number six is elite.

I mean, he is, he is, looks like, I don't know, Ammon Ross St. Browners. I mean, he's a dominant player. Their running game was awesome. And that was a huge part of Lincoln Riley's thing, back with Baker Mayfield and Tyler Murray and Jay, it was running the ball. So if you can run the ball and you got NFL ride receivers,

he can like you up. And listen. They were down to their third running back. That's what's impressive. That's a walkout. They didn't have Jordan. They didn't have Sanders. They didn't have their top two running backs.

Now they use Jackson. who was a third or a four stringer. He actually, I thought as a freshman last year, he's a big, he's kind of a different body composition. He's a big, strong kid. I wish they'd play him more. But he didn't, you know, they didn't have their stars in the backfield. And they're a run first team. I give them a fighting chance against Notre Dame.

You know, obviously they have no chance to win a lower scoring tough at out game. They would have to get a little bit of a shootout and try to win like, I don't know, 30 to 25 or something. but I was blown away by the efficiency on their offense. Now, you know, Wink's kind of a Feaster Famine, defensive coordinator. I mean, he's blitzed every single play. But I thought Lincoln, that was the moment where Lincoln v. Wink Martindale looked like JV versus varsity. That was a pretty special offensive performance.

I will say. And this is your whole thing about the Big Ten and the conference realignment. It's hard to watch that game and not go, that that's pretty cool. Yeah, I mean, listen, I'm a Pac-12 guy, but, you know, I'm sorry watching. Oregon Penn State and watching USC Michigan, folks, it's worth it. I mean, it's just worth it. It's nothing against Cal against Arizona, but it was a very college football is regional to begin with. Pac-12 felt super regional. And it was just like I was done with it. I had told friends five years ago, USC wants to get out of the conference. I mean, there were companies, I don't even know if it was Amazon or some company.

went to USC and offered to just pay for their games. I know Fox was interested years ago in doing it because they were getting frustrated with the PAC 12 and the leadership at the time. So I like NBC does for Notre Dame, just give them like an exclusive deal. I mean, I don't, I don't want to speak, you know, because I don't have all the information. But I went to, I went to Larry Jones, a former exec one time at Fox and I said, have you ever considered just for the night programming on Saturday night just by USC's games. And he wouldn't tell me if he was doing it or not. He smiled, kind of a sly smile.

So I thought, you know, he's a smart guy. I know Larry very well. But it's one of those things. They were complaining for years. Like, why are we treated no better than Washington State and Oregon State? What are we doing here? Like, we're the L.A. market. We don't get treated.

I mean, Alabama and Saban run the SEC. And there's other, you know, LSU and Georgia and Tennessee and Florida. There's big boy football everywhere. So it's, I, people, I understand people that love tradition. You know, they're outraged about the live tour. I get it. I'm not that guy, but it's like baseball. I'm sorry, but the Mariners Tigers played 15 and the game would have been seven hours years ago.

But with the pitch clock, you can sit and watch 15 innings of baseball and it, it's pretty compelling. It moves pretty quickly. So, I don't know. I just thought it was a huge win. Here's the thing about Lincoln Riley, two things. They beat LSU, Texas A&M last year, and should have beaten Penn State, and now they've beaten Michigan. So, like, he's beating some of the big teams. You can say, well, LSU and Texas, listen, they're on the schedule.

They're well-funded programs. I don't think they can win over Oregon or an Opson. Oregon's a bad matchup. I don't think Notre Dame. Teams with great quarterbacks will give them trouble. You can pick them apart. But the second thing about him is you can't watch USC football and not see the coaching. Jaden Maiava was at UNLV.

I watched Jaden Maiava play because I used to go to every UNLV football game when I was a sportscaster in Vegas, so I kind of follow it. Jaden Maiava was not an NFL prospect. I saw a mock draft today. They have them going in the first. That's a product of Lincoln, Riley.

That kid was so reckless and sloppy last year. That pick he had against Michigan was his first really bad pick of the year. He did that regularly last year. He had a couple of them against Notre Dame. So when you watch USC's offense. You don't have to like their toughness of our culture. Lincoln Riley's a really smart offensive coach. They squeeze every ounce out of their talent. They don't have a lot of

five-star guys, John. Lemons are really high-end receiver. They got a lot of three-star, four-star guys. The left tackle, they flip from Notre Dame, but this is not. Justin Toon, who the right tackle, Raymond, the left guard, you know, these are three-star recruits. They're not getting a lot of love. So the guy can coach. Can he build a culture? I don't know. I'd say this. He wins this weekend.

You can drop the Jim Mora playoffs because they'd be in a, they'd have a good shot. I mean, they would start feeling like a serious playoff team. All right. For Hard Rock bet, John, I like, I went four and old in my blazing five. I like Washington minus four and a half against Chicago. Number one, Chicago has not been a good road team for years. Washington, if you watch the second half against the charge, Georgia's, Jaden Daniels, looked like last year's Jaden Daniels. Terry McLaurin appears to be healthy.

I think Washington right now is a better operation. Now, Chicago was off last week. That can certainly help with your first series or two. But the bears have been good on their first series or two. I don't expect that to. That's not my issue about Chicago. It's the basic operation when you get off script. I don't think extra time necessarily helps. You can only put so many plays on script. So I like Washington at home in this spot. I think it's going to be a wild, loud environment. That may not matter in baseball.

I think it matters a lot in the NFL when you're a young quarterback and a young team going on the road. I like Washington to win and cover. I'm going to take the bears and the points because I think anytime that you have a young quarterback and a first-time head coach, they can use that dead time to kind of throw away some stuff that's not working. So I'm with you. They have looked good coming out the game. That doesn't change. But I think a huge part of like Andy Reid or Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVeigh, these guys have a lot of success off the buy week is because they can simplify stuff. They go, this isn't working. We keep

doing it. Throw it away. Throw it in the garbage. And listen, if we believe Ben Johnson is the $13 million coach and this offensive genius and just this high level guy, I think that they look a little more buttoned up because one knock on them would be even remove Caleb was like, you know, a lot of penalties, a lot of stuff going on. You have the biweek, you take a deep breath, and you just get rid of some of the complicated stuff that some of these young coaches like throwing at you.

So I like the bears and the points, especially because this has got to be a little bit, you know, the Hail Mary game. They had to be talking about this for the last two weeks. That a lot of those guys that he's going to roll out on Monday night were a part of that. I mean, that's one of the worst losses you'll ever see. John Middlakov Sunday Let's go watch some football

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