The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Bo Nix, Caleb Willams Shine In Preseason Debut, Aiyuk Holdout Drama, Sirianni Losing The Locker Room?

Episode Date: August 12, 2024

Colin is joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to talk NFL preseason! They start with an eye-popping debut from Bo Nix for the Denver Broncos and declare him ready to start in week 1 (6:00). Then, they break down the debut for J.J. McCarthy for the Minnesota Vikings an debate when he should take over the starting job from Sam Darnold (14:00). Next, the dive into the first start for Caleb Williams with the Bears where he flashed his incredible physical tools (26:00), and make predictions for Jayden Daniels for the newly retooled Washington Commanders (35:00).  Then, they parse the contract drama that’s been brewing between the 49ers and star WR Brandon Aiyuk after a trade failed to materialize, and debate what the path forward is from here (47:00). Finally, they discuss the potential hot-seat situation for Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and whether the Eagles coordinators will be able to overcome Sirianni’s lack of prowess with the X’s and O’s (59:00), and why Mike McCarthy has been underrated as a head coach (01:02:00). (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!  #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Gianna Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Volume. All right, John Middlecough, we're going to have a good one today. Don't go anywhere. We're going to have a really good one. Over an hour today, I hope. Bo Nix, Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy, stuff on the Niners. We are going to be packed. today. Some rumors about Philadelphia, Nick Seriani, Jalen Hertz. This is going to be a great hour. Don't go anywhere. Before we go to John Middlough, former NFL Scout, 90 seconds. Download the game time app. Put in the code, Colin, 20 bucks off your first purchase. They make tickets, getting tickets

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All right, we're ready to go, John Middlkoff, three and out, former NFL scout. There are no normal flights in America anymore. There are no normal flights. I don't do private. I want to be, I tell my wife all the time, I'm one of the people, up until the people arrive, man of the people. So I go on these just like everybody else. Last six flights, something happens. Something unravels. Lady next to me, older lady, a little eccentric, thinks she went to the bathroom nine times. At one point, she was at the window.

I was in the aisle. John, I said to her, would you like to sit in the outside seat? You know, see if she, and she said no. and what I wanted to say was I meant outside of the plane, like on the wing. You want to sit out there because I literally, my meal, nope, get up, movie, get up. After about the ninth time and we're about an hour out, I just kind of looked at her for a second. And I thought, you know, what am I going to do? What am I going to say?

I always want something crazy to happen on my plane flights, all these viral things of madness. It never really happens. I haven't really had many bad or weird interactions yet on the internet and your story. I hear and see about them all the time. I kind of want that to happen on one of my flights. Maybe not next to me, but just somewhere in the vicinity because it seems like you're stuck. I mean, Chicago to L.A., and that's not a, that's not Sacramento to, you know, disgusting.

That's a long flight, right? What is it three and a half, four hours? Yeah, and I've moved, you know, if somebody comes up. up to me unless, you know, they want me to move like, you know, enroll 38. If somebody comes up and says, hey, my wife's sitting here, like, I'm always like, yeah, go ahead, do whatever you want to do. I go online. I don't care. I watch a movie. Netflix. I don't care. You know, people have different stuff. But today I'm just like, come on, man, give me a break. What do you think she was just like? Drink too much water or something? She was drinking a lot of water. And, you know, could have been,

people have what they have. It could have been a, you know, you know, there's a lot of stuff going on right now in America. True. I'm not going to guess. So my first take was, of all the young quarterbacks, Bo Nix looked exactly like I thought Bo Nix was going to look like. And the Broncos quarterback out of Auburn and Oregon,

because he had so many college starts, you kind of know what he is. And what I think, I mean, I think the Drew Breeze comp, because of Sean Peyton feels kind of accurate, he's certainly right now more mobile than Drew Breeze was at the end of his career. But my take on Bo Nix was, that's exactly what Sean had texted me. That's exactly what I saw in college. No big surprises. You're a former scout. What did you see?

Yeah, I think him and Michael Pennix are two guys that played in college football for felt 10 years. And they played each other. It felt like, what, four or five times over the time. the last 18 months in massive games. And starting with Bo Nix, he got dinged a lot because of the offense he played in, right? Through it. Parallel to the line of scrimmage all the time. It used to happen forever with the Leach offensive guys, the spread offense, you know, Hawaii, Mike Leach, wherever he was, then Oklahoma started. You didn't need a big arm quarterback. I remember watching him in college going, I think his arm's a little bit better than the way he's getting, I would say,

kind of pigeonholed as a player, and you watch him today. Right. I don't want to say he's, you know, he's not Brett Fav or Josh Allen, but his arm strength is well above average in the NFL. And that touchdown pass he had was in and out of his hands in the corner of the end zone, hitting the guy accurately at the front of the pylon. It doesn't get any better than that. The velocity, the accuracy, how quick it is.

And then obviously you see, again, Patrick Willis isn't exactly chasing him. But clearly his athleticism moving around translates. and he's confident. That was the thing with Trey Lance when the Niners got him. His athleticism, he wasn't confident in it because he had never been chased by the caliber of player. Bo Nix has been playing the best of the best, like I said, for 10 years in college. And athleticism, movement-wise, clearly what Sean Peyton wanted to do,

and this didn't work out because he's not a quarterback, was a guy like Tassum Hill who could move around and throw. You know, Drew Brees was stagnant in the pocket. Now, he's great at it. But the modern-day football, you have to be able to move to throw. I don't need you to be Lamar Jackson, but you've got to be able to keep plays alive.

You notice all these rookie quarterbacks? They're all athletic, and they all can throw on the move. And Bo Nicks clearly can. And I know Sean, kind of old school, not naming the starter, had them down. This thing's over. I don't even know who the Broncos play week one. He's your starting quarterback week one.

You agree with that? This thing will play itself out. I think you want to make them earn it. Sean is not one of these new age, 38-year-old offensive coordinators. Yeah. But this thing played itself out today in front of everyone's eyes. Like, there's no point. It'd be one thing if they had Peyton Manning or something. This Jared Stiddle. Like, this thing's a wrap. Come on. Well, and the other thing, he looked more comfortable in the pocket, one of his backups, Zach Wilson did in any game in New York.

His feet were great. He was set. That's a lot of it. Just college starts. And the other thing is he played in the SEC. So that's the best defensive conference easily. And then when he went to, he went to. the PAC 12, that's probably the best the PAC 12's been in my lifetime. I mean, Washington was good. Oregon was good. Utah could thump. Oregon State was good. U.S.C. could score. Arizona won seven in a row and beat Oklahoma in a bowl game. The conference was really... UCLA was good on defense these last couple years. They had a top 15 pass rusher. So, I, Bo, Nicks, you know, you say, oh, we went to the PAC 12. No, this PAC 12, Arizona, the basketball school, reeled off seven straight and beat Oklahoma in a bowl game. It was a real common. Oregon State was really good at the end of the year. It's like, guys, this. And, you know, the other thing about Bo, when I watched him twice, I saw him play Washington, Oregon in person. I saw him at the 40 end zone. And then I went two weeks later, I think it was, or whatever it was. I went to the Utah game. And I got like second row seats. I called a buddy. I got right down in the field, right behind the Oregon bench because I wanted to watch he and Pennix. And he's more cut than you think. He's ripped. And he is really verbal on the sideline. Dad's a coach. And then he's,

then I met him in person for about an hour, 45-minute interview, 40-minute interview before and after the show, I was just blown away by him. And then I got a couple early texts from Sean Payton, and I was like, this kid's really working. And the other thing about him is there is something to be said about seeing the field. We've always said this was Zach Wilson and Justin Fields. They just don't see it. It just takes a beat too long. Bo sees the field. And some of this is, Not only did he play at two schools, I believe he had five different coordinators in five years. It could be four, but I think it's five. So, John, this kid has had to pick up.

We've never seen this kid have the same system back-to-back years. Well, think about this, Colin, and we've talked about this many times. All the best quarterbacks right now in the NFL have struggled at points in time early in their career. A lot of them in college. Mahomes was on a team getting their ass kicked by any good team, right? did not have any. Josh Allen begged schools like Fresno State for a scholarship. They said no thanks. Lamar got drafted 32nd and it drafted at a bunch of quarterbacks. His own team drafted another player before they drafted him.

Justin Herbert was kind of an afterthought after Joe Burrow into a Tongue by Lolo. So you look at this class, Bo Nix got beat up bad when he was in the SEC and had to transfer and clearly it changed his career. Right. So you see a lot of these guys. You know, Caleb is one guy that had a lot of success. But I think this class is full of guys that had to struggle. And he, to me, is at the top of the way. Him and Pennix, I mean, had to transfer, were not viewed as first round picks by any means at the time they transferred and really had to earn it. And both those two guys, I mean, Bo was awesome. I mean, in college, obviously statistically, he was incredible. Now, it's a little inflated the way people play. It's why that any coach will tell you, okay,

he throws a bunch, you know, parallel to the line of scrimmage. When I evaluate him, we don't watch those passes. I think Sean said that. I cut those out and we evaluate everything past the line of scrimmage, the timing, the rhythm, the accuracy. Yeah, I mean, I was pretty blown away. I mean, I was bullish on him just because of his coach, but his physical skills, that's the other thing. Him and Caleb Wright aren't super tall. And it stands out when you see him.

They're not six four, six five. Both of them are thick. Both of them are built. Russell, who's shorter than those guys, had that same thing early on. You're like, well, he looks like an NFL guy physically. Kyler, who's even shorter in that, also built. And that matters. And that's like watching Jaden very physically gifted, throws a beautiful ball, but God, he's skinny.

And Bo Nix has this innate ability because he's been a runner his whole life. And he played in the SEC. He's not playing hero ball. Get out of bounds. Get down. Like I'm getting, Caleb yesterday had a great slide. You can't be running around. J.J. McCarthy yesterday had a run.

There were two defenders. He kind of lowered his shoulders. You can't do this. And I understand John Lynch and Steve Atwater, the game has changed. But that's the only time when these defenders, they can't hit you all preseason because the starters don't play. Joint practices, there's no tackling. The regular season game for 17 of them, when you cross that line of scrimmage and you're erect, they're coming at you. And I know these guys are a little smaller, they've never been faster. So these linebackers, now they don't weigh 260, they weigh 228 or 234.

They're running 4-4s. And they will destroy, they'll break your collarbone. They'll break your leg. Well, that's what happened to Baker Mayfield that when he got his collarbone broken, he tried to size up a safety, I think it was. I ran over him. Can't do it. I remember early on a Derek Carr's career, he tried a stiff-armed Pac-Man

Jones. He's lucky he didn't break his hand. He hurt his thumb. You cannot, these guys, and I think Bo Nicks, Nick's very unique situation, wouldn't you say, to go to a coach like this, with the experience he has. But to me, the physical skills were pretty, God, I guess I didn't quite realize how strong his arm was. It jumped off the TV this morning. So the other guy you mentioned, J.J. McCarthy, you know, he, so you were a little surprised by Bo Nex's arm strength.

J.J., I always thought he moved. I thought he was a little quicker when I watched him this weekend than I thought he was in college. Not that I didn't think he was athletic. He threw a pick. It's it's sideline. It's, you know, it's Jack Jones, good player for the Raiders, quick kid, all-American, underachieved in his college career, but he's actually super talented. He gets in trouble, but he can play. Yeah, he can really play. So there's no big deal with that. But I thought, I mean, Donald will start, but I thought JJ, you know what I noticed with Jay-J McCarthy? He looked super confident. He just felt like, because I kept wondering, like, you know, he kind was a handoff guy for a lot of the big games at Michigan. He made one or two big throws every

game. He came out with a ton of confidence. And this goes to something I think we both said before the draft. Whoever Minnesota drafted a quarterback had, after maybe Caleb, the greatest chance to succeed. We all know situational football matters. I mean, if you get a McVeigh, a Peyton, it matters. When I watched him play, I watched a young quarterback who had had an offensive coach, the tall Sean McVeigh, Kevin O'Connell in his ear. He looked like, he played with more confidence and kind of bravado. With the Vikings, they did at Michigan. At Michigan, he was a little tempered.

It was almost like, hey, if we just don't turn it over, we're beating everybody. He was making plays. He was moving around for the Vikings. One thing I really try to watch, I mean, the preseason games in the second half can be unwatchable. Luckily, this group of quarterbacks, there's like six of them. you're just like, I want to see what these top 12 quarterbacks look like. Yeah. He stepped up in the pocket and was very calm, which was like, that is a trait that

every team looks for, always. There was one pass that he completed over the middle where a defender was basically unblocked and took him out and he didn't hesitate. And listen, Michigan was built. I think they had, I mean, five of their offensive line and got drafted for sure. It might have been six. Obviously, Jim Harbaugh wants to run the ball. That's going to, what he's going to do.

He's going to ask his quarterback, especially in college. college a little something different. Andrew Luck was not asked to do what he did in college in the pros, right? He started throwing it all over the place. To me, he loved that kid, though. And Jim Harbaugh doesn't love you if you're not a tough guy. So to me, like Jim knows his toughness. And that was on full display. But like you said, the movement, the accuracy. To me, the pocket presence. I think what's tough. And I'm rooting for Sam Darnold too. But if I'm, when they drafted Patrick Bohomes, Alex had some equity with the fans and the franchise. He helped Andy resurrect the team.

They were going to the playoffs. He had been solid. Obviously, they needed better. But, like, I think when you have a bridge quarterback in a situation like this, it better start fast because the fans are going to be like, what are we waiting for? Right. I would imagine Addison gets suspended a couple games. But whenever he's back, you got an offensive head coach. I mean, we got a star tackle.

Like, let's just get this thing going. I mean, and preseason's different. than regular season, the game plan. I get it. But like his physical skills, where he's coming from, like you said, his confidence, his bravado, and his pocket work. That's usually something like, hey, we got to calm this guy down. He's jittery.

It happens to a lot of backups when starters get hurt right in the regular season. You're like, this guy's overwhelmed. It didn't seem like he's scared. Think of the defense this kid's been going up against for two years. It's an NFL defense, NFL coordinator. Right. So he's comfortable, the bright lights, everything, you know, that Harbaugh brings. It's like, this guy's been at, you know, like Alabama, Georgia level for these last couple

years, just what he's feeling on an everyday basis and practice in the NFL's hard. So I think this guy's, he just looked comfortable, which to me, all this project, project, project. This guy didn't really look at a huge project to me. Yeah, I mean, I thought Darnold would be much more, not much more, but more athletic than J.J. McCarthy, a little bigger than J.J. He's his thicker kid. But I thought JJ, he looked like Sam Darnold. He looked a little quicker. Are you better off, though?

I don't think Minnesota is a playoff team. So are you better off? I'm a big believer. You learn through experience. You learn by doing. That's what we say at Harvard of the West Cal Poly. But I do think it's true. The more you do something, the more comfortable you get at it, I don't care if it's radio,

podcast, sales, or playing quarterback. You can only gain so much sitting behind a guy. And if Sam Darnold, the leash, it's a one-year deal. It's not like the Kirk Cod's. Pnex situation. So you already know the outcome in the future. I think there's a weird spot because obviously a coach, this is the NFL. Everyone's trying to win this. No one tanks early, maybe in December. But I wonder if they'll have second thoughts. Obviously, I think Sam's going to get the start immediately. But if it's a little rocky, don't you want to get this guy a lot of experience,

especially he knows the plays. He looks comfortable. Like these reps will only help him the next couple years when you try to build around his rookie contract. So I'm a Sam, I'm, I've always rooted for Sam Donald like you have a soft spot for him. But like if I was a Vikings fan, I'd be like, what the hell are we waiting for? Well, it's, listen, I, I'm in good company. Kyle Shanahan likes Darnold. Kevin O'Connell likes, um, Donald. I think at this point in the league backup. Yeah, I kind of feel like Sam's in, in the class of, do we, is he the best backup in the league now? Really, seriously. Like, that's a, that's like a real thing. Like, you're going to play.

I think my take would be you give it to Sam for a couple of weeks, but once you go to JJ, there's no going back. So I think Kevin will probably say, I was thinking as I watched him, Kevin's probably thinking, wow, they're closer than I thought. But again, some of it could be health. Like, your takeaway is what are the matchups? What's the health of the O line? But I think you're not going to go back if you start JJ. So I think you just kind of look. I think it's much closer than I thought going in.

And if last year, what's ironic is last year, they had to make a trade for Josh Dobbs, they may have two guys that can play right now. And I think Jason McIntyre said this the editor. He picked him for the playoffs. I said this. If they finish fourth, that is the best fourth place team in a decade in the league.

That team's got dudes offensively everywhere. That's a good offense. I think it would be pretty, if they may, the playoffs, that'd be an incredible, I mean, it'd be one of the better coaching jobs in a recent memory, given the division. I mean, the Lions are stacked. Right. Did you see the touchdown pass Jordan Love? Look like he hasn't missed a beat from last year. That team's going to be good. And let's face it, Caleb is such an upgrade from what they had. And they were a seven, eight-ish win team last year. So you go, they're going to be better this year. That division, like you said, you could finish fourth, win six games. We're better than every team that's kind of in our range by a one. We're better than every team that's kind of in our range by a, wide margin. Hey, are you not playing best ball at Draft Kings? My opinion, you're missing out. Draft King's best ball millionaire contest is their biggest fantasy contest ever. And that's saying something. They're taking $15 million and putting it into the prize pool. 15 million. Two millionaires, not one, two, will be crowned each week. Still not convinced. Check this out.

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games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, men, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

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And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, everyone. It's Ryder Strong and Will Ferdell from Podcasts. Pod Meets World. And now the Pod Meets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors,

and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of the show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it?

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out and they are experts at everything. Here, the Nick Dick and Poll show, we're not afraid to make mistakes. What Kugler did that I think was so unique. He's the writer-director. Who do you think he is? I don't know. You mean, like, the president? You think Canada has a president?

You think China has a president? Those law crusade. God, I love that thing. I use it all the time. I wrap it in a blanket and sing to it at night. It's like the old Polish saying, not my mother. Monkees not my circus. Yep.

It was a good one. I like that snake. It is an actual Polish saying. Yeah. It is an actual Polish name. Better version of Play Stupid Games, win stupid prizes. Yes. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift, who said that for the first time.

I actually, I thought it was. I got that wrong. Listen to the Nick Dick and Paul show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports.

And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So I want to talk about Caleb Williams of the Bears. So Jordan Palmer was on my show. I think it was Thursday. And I thought he made a really good point.

I said, you know, my criticism, if I have one of Caleb, he can be a little erratic. I talked to two GMs in the league about Caleb. They didn't need him. They have quarterbacks. And they both said, he can be a little erratic. You know, sometimes he gets a bit sloppy. Mahomes does or did early in his career. Mechanically, you know, Patrick's running around.

He just gets a little backyard footbally. And both the GMs I talked to with Caleb said, he, he's, he. He just has to get more in a rhythm, which he said, I think, in the pros, he won't run around as much. He's smart kid. He'll figure out, I don't want to get hit. The second thing is sometimes he's a little bit of a playmaker, a little bit of an ad libber. But Jordan Palmer said, listen, he got bored with college. He was the Heisman winner, right?

His first year at USC. And then USC can't stop anybody, his second year. And he's like, okay. And the alliance terrible. terrible. And he's like, we're not a national championship team. And Jordan said, when I watched him, I saw a guy that was bored out of his mind. And I think there's a lot of truth to that. So when you get bored, you lose focus. When you lose focus in any job, you get a little sloppy. I thought Caleb was a little sloppy last year. And I think sometimes Lincoln Riley, because of the offensive line, really struggled with what to call. And I heard that inside the program is like, Lincoln just didn't trust the protection. So he's like, I'm not getting Caleb Williams hurt. I'm not getting, you know, because Caleb was, he came all the way out to USC, first year, got pretty good protection, wins the highest. And I think Lincoln feels like, you know what, it's worth it. This is going to be great.

By the second year halfway through it, I think Lincoln, what I was told is Lincoln just, there's things Lincoln wouldn't call. He didn't want to get him hurt. And so I think go back to the previous year, that's the Caleb Williams you're going to see in Chicago, which is focused, runs the play, can ad-lib if he has to, but Jordan's whole point was, don't judge too much in the last five or six USC games. Team was terrible. He was bored. Ad-lib and a little bit more than he probably will in real life. So what's your thought on that? Yeah, I mean, I think if you go and watch every play that he had in that preseason game, he showed every tool in the toolbox. I mean, my mother could see that play that he made roll into his right that he threw to commit. That's as good

as it gets. I mean, that's Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, but the play that he made the little dump off to Swift, I don't think we talk enough about instincts as a quarterback. Some guys have them and some guys don't. And that means feel in the pocket. That means to know when it's not going to go well and I got rid of the ball immediately or when I can keep a play alive. And I think the new trait that every team looks for is the scramble to throw and keep plays alive. But to scramble to throw, you need a good arm. It's what Aaron Rogers built a Hall of Fame career on. He could throw outside the tackle box, ropes accurately. And that's what Caleb Williams can do in spades.

Because let's face it, all these teams in the NFL now, most teams have multiple sweet pass rushers. There aren't as many good offensive linemen in the league anymore. So you've got to be able to move. And he's accurate. And the arm strength is just elite. Like you said, he's going to have a little hero ball. But how can you not have hero ball if that's the skill that he has?

I mean, Patrick Mahomes. That's right. He had to get older and realized that we can play a little different. but early on, like I want him to bring that to the table because he's accurate throwing the ball down field if he has to move. Now there's a difference of something was open. You didn't need to do that. But like nothing was there. Your guard gets smoked.

You got to move. But he made, he did it all. He threw a sweet play, I think on like the second or third pass of the game from the pocket. He had the crazy instinctive play to Swift. He had the play on the move. The other thing, and they, I don't know if you saw Hard Knocks yet, but they kind of did this silly thing where they brought it slip and slide to teach the quarterbacks how to slide. I'm sorry that they were joking about it, but also kind of serious.

It's important. His right arm is the franchise, and he had a scramble where he slid. And he's going to have, I would say, depending on the game, anywhere from two to five, could be second and eight, could be third and eight. He can scramble for 10 yards and pick up a first down. But when you scramble and you're not by the sideline, you've got to fucking hit the ground. And you've got to slide because they can't touch you and the defenders know it. When you stay up at J.J. McCarthy did in the game, and a lot of quarterbacks do it, you're going to get clipped, and you're going to get clipped hard.

So if you're doing that, he can stay healthy because he can avoid his short area quickness is just elite. And then the arm, he doesn't need much space to get that thing off. Oh, no, very Mahomes. Like, cognitively, see, get rid of it fast. It's very Marino at USC. He sees it. It's out fast. The other thing is Kyler and Russell Wilson were always great sliders because they were baseball players.

They were great. Lamar was terrible his first two years. I mean, he's still kind of plops. He's not natural at it. He kind of jumps and sits. But he can't, but he learned how to avoid the hits. You can just get down. That's right. So I think some of that is Caleb is, it is, I mean, Russell Wilson and Kyler were just like, okay, they've slid in a second a lot. This is obviously the way they do it. Herbert was terrible his first two years. Like, dude, you're 6'5. You can't go straight on an outside linebacker. I mean, he'd go shoulder high in a guy. Josh Allen still doesn't. Yeah. So, I mean, the other thing with Caleb, and by the way, this was Jordan Love. Jordan Love had a better year the year before he came out.

And then he lost a coordinator. Remember that? He lost a coordinator. He lost a coach. He lost people. He was not very good as awful. So the Packers went to the previous year video and went, yeah, that's who he is. And so you take the best of what you saw because obviously if you lose a coach at Utah State,

you may get, if you have three coordinators at Utah State, two may stink. One may be okay. So when he had his best coaches, Green Bay looks at that and goes, okay, that's what he can be because our coaches are great offensively. So I think with Caleb, you go back a year and go, and the O line was healthy, he'd come over and Lincoln was not afraid. Remember that year, if they beat Tulane, they went 12 games. They were really, really smoking that year.

The second year, I think just, I mean, I was told this. Lincoln just, he didn't, he didn't, it was a different play calling year, a different sensibility with Caleb and it was, he just wanted to make sure he didn't get hurt. I think a lot of people in one talking point in football always is his arm strength a little overrated. And then you watch Caleb play and you watch Mahomes and you watch Josh Allen or Herbert and you just go, BS, it's just not. Now, Greg Maddox is one of the greatest pitchers of all time.

He did not throw that hard. But most of the other greats, Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, was blowing 97. You kind of got to throw hard. And, you know, Purdy can get away with it a little bit because his offensive scheme is so great and he's a good athlete he can scramble. But Peyton Manning's one of the most accurate players in the history of the sport. Armstrong matters. Yes.

And it always has. Yes. And it always will. And you see these plays and you only see it even more once the regular season starts, all these former quarterbacks talk about the kind of space in college relative to the NFL. of what's open. Things happen quick. A lot of things get screwed up and you've got to ad lib and that even puts more pressure on your arm. It ultimately can be the downfall of some of these guys that can't scramble and don't have a great arm. Like cousins and golf are good examples. When it's perfect, they can destroy you.

They can have four or five touchdowns on you. But if you can throw them off, they can't move and then they can't throw very hard on the move. So it's a major problem. You watch you watch the modern day football, the modern day football player who's having a lot of success. In the NBA, what is it? You got to shoot threes. You better be able to scramble and throw ropes because all these young coaches want to get you on the move. And even when they're not getting you on the move, because more than likely, you're going to have two or three offensive linemen that they would gladly replace if they could.

You're going to be running for your life. And a lot of these, the good ones keep their eyes up, scramble and throw. And Caleb, it's like, geez. It was to get up on Saturday morning and watch in the bill, and the final score was like 33 to six. The bills clearly didn't even care. But just to watch his physical attributes, you're like, wow, in an NFL, and they were a DJ Moore out there, they were trying. You know, they wanted to get this guy's confidence. Yes. Yep. So Jaden Daniels is a really interesting player to me. He is skinny. It's not quite the Bryce Young where he looks like, honestly, the helmet's too big for him.

It's not that. But he doesn't have the neck, the shoulders. He didn't have the wigs. He didn't have the width. So, I mean, that's kind of the reality of it. He looked, I remember watching him at Arizona State under Herm Edwards, and I'm like, he may weigh 170. Like, it just didn't look right. And then it looks like he's up to, whatever it is, two something. There's a little Lamar. He's real quick. There's a little Jordan Love where he lets it fly. I said this the other day. What I like about Washington, everybody's new. I mean, owner, GM, coach. coordinator, players. It's almost like you're part of a huge recruiting class. Like the new coach comes in, the new Lincoln Riley comes in, it's all his guys, right? But he brings in the transfers,

the recruiting class. And I feel like with Jaden, you know, nobody's got seniority. Nobody's, you know, there's nobody that's resentful of the new guys. Every single person in the building is new that matters. And I think that's important for young quarterbacks because I think sometimes what happens is a GM inherits a quarterback and is really not rooting for him. Sean Payton inherits Russell Wilson. You know, he's just looking for reasons to move on. So what this tells me is, John, and you know this is a scout, Jaden's going to get a full two years of snaps. They're not bailing on it.

They want this to work. Everybody in the building was like, let's get it. Dan Quinn, you only get a miss on one quarterback. Cliff Kingsbury, he's trying to resurrect his right now, his resume. You know, people are like a kid coach. He's not, hey, he wants a second chance at this thing. If Jaden goes rookie of the year, people are going to give Kingsbury a lot of credit, a lot of kudos. So my take is on Jaden.

It's not one of these where half the people in the building, they're almost like, you know, Justin Fields. He kind of felt like half the guys in the building just weren't into it. He didn't do himself favors. But I think Jaden's going to get two straight years, no judgment. I think it's going to work. I don't know to what. I feel like it's going to work. Well, I would say the hype train on this has been coming full steam ahead since training camp started.

You know, Caleb Williams is the headliner. If this was a concert, it'd be like Caleb Williams, the headliner, and this is the act that comes on before the headliner. But by the end of that concert, that person is a star, and they're going to be a headliner next year. That's how it's felt. I mean, they just joint practice against the Jets, and Soss Gardner says, I went up to him and told them, holy moly, you're going to be a player. And defenders don't just say that because they're trying to be friendly.

Like he's probably watching this guy pass. He throws Colin a beautiful deep best. I mean, remember Russell Wilson early on? It's like his deep ball, that's going to work. You just throw some go routes every single, you know, couple a quarter or something. Push the ball down the field. His accuracy hits it. And he's a really, really good athlete.

My question will be, one, the running around. He's never been a slide guy. And he's thin. He will get hit. You've got to learn how to do that. because they're going to run them. He had a touchdown yesterday. He just ran them in.

Now he walked in the end zone, but they're going to use these plays like Sean did with Bo Nix. Yes. You're going to scheme up run plays. And then just, can he just pick you apart against a schemed good defense? When you're playing the Cowboys, when you're playing the Eagles,

when you're playing the Giants, they all have good defensive linemen. They're coming at you. And he really, you know, in college, he had Malik Navors who, I mean, I think could be an NFL star. The other guy was drafted in the top 25. I mean, he,

Yeah. So he's used to playing with stars. Terry McLaren's good, but this is, it's not just going to be easy all the time. So I think he's going to have some ups and downs. But even Zachert said earlier this training camp, stop saying he's going to be a good player. He's good now. I don't think they're just blowing smoke. I think all these people see him.

They see he's accurate. The deep ball's awesome. And he can move. You're like, there is so much here. Well, and Brian Kelly said this. And this is what Cliff Kingsbury has said. he install something, the next day nails it. Yeah.

So, you know, if you look at some of these guys that miss, they just don't do the homework. I mean, Johnny Mansell admits it. He just didn't do the homework. Like, so athletic ability, I always believe, buys you two years in the pocket, where if you're figuring out the defense, you're not up to speed. Everything's too fast. You're going to run, you're going to move the chains. You're going to, your feet are going to get your first downs.

You're not going to be great, but it'll buy you stuff. Jared Goff didn't get that his first year, right? Like, you either figure out, you're in big trouble. They had to get him Andrew Whitworth and say, we've got to build a pocket here. And the Washington's law offensive line is not very good. It's not giant's bad, but it's not very good. So the truth is he has the advantage that for two years, he's going to move around a lot and he's going to buy some first downs. Kyler did this.

That was a shitty old line he inherited. And it's like he kind of figured out how to move the chains, seven, eight play drives because nine, ten play drives. So I think, and the other thing is, it does matter. to me every time I hear him talk, totally focused on football. It's like when Dak broke into the league. I didn't love the way he through. Every time he talked, he said the right stuff. Every time they interviewed Jay, Jordan Love did this last year. Even when he was struggling, every time they asked him, he's like, I'm going to get there. This is ugly. It's on me. John, I'm judgmental on that stuff. How do you respond to criticism? Jordan Love last year in September. He was still fantastic

with those questions. I think the league is full of those guys right now. I mean, look at this class when you just watch these guys conduct themselves. When you think about the hype, I mean, for a lot of my life, I felt like half a class, you know, with a bunch of hype, a bunch of cocky guys, a bunch of guys walking in, turning veterans off. It feels like the NFL as a whole. I mean, think about the top quarterbacks, the way they conduct themselves, the way they act,

the way they handle themselves in press conferences. So it's almost like they're numb to. at all. They're completely unfazed. And maybe it gets back to how popular college football is now, how they've been under the spotlight, even as a recruit. But you watch, you know, Jaden played at LSU. I remember I had a buddy that still works in the league tell me he was a GM for a little bit. And he said he walked in like on the first preseason game and some of his rookies were like

almost throwing up. They were so nervous. And he went over to one and the guy had played like Auburn or Georgia. He's like, for the last three years, you have played in half your games were infinitely more important and had more people watching and had more pressure than this game you're about to go playing. Just relax. And I think you watch a lot of these guys like, I played Auburn, Alabama game for three straight years.

Or I played against, you know, I played against Ohio State every year when 25 million people were watching. It felt like they were in the big leagues. And I wonder if a lot of these guys benefit with the college football has always been big, It really felt big, especially from the quarterback standpoint these last couple years. And these guys are walking in pretty seamlessly. You know, I mean, this is a pretty easy transition so far for the crew. Well, yeah, I mean, Bo Nix and Panics, those guys played all their games were sold out national TV.

So usually a Pact 12 quarterback comes out. He played in some Arizona stadiums. But Bo Nix and Panics, every time they met Husky Stadium or Eugene, has national television. Those were high stakes, high pressure games. SEC games are all big, especially at LSU. Hey, what's up, everybody? John Middilkoff here from Three and Out podcast. The NFL season is right around the corner.

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Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Cultura podcast network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I want to talk about San Francisco, the 49ers. So I think I told you, I was told by a player I trust two weeks ago, I was going to be a nineer. He's a, I wouldn't say him. I don't know what the word is. He's young. He's a kid. He's emotional. He's a receiver. And so he had told a friend of mine, I'm getting this thing done. Then something went sideways. He got pissed off. The Niners got pissed off at his. So my take was my source was probably right. and then Iyuk got pissed off, the Niners got upset, and it just blew up. Now it appears they've circled back. Is that what you're hearing? I think the Niners drew a line in the sand, said, you want to dance, let's dance.

They had two trades ready to go with contracts ready for him, and he got cold feet, slash, I don't want to play there, which I guess is his prerogative, but it's like you demand to trade, 31 teams can't trade for you. We have to get fair value. The Amari Cooper in a second round pick, that's a good deal. Amari Cooper's a pretty productive player. The Niners, like, you go to Cleveland. They have $28 million.

And then he says no. So to me, it feels like a guy who's gotten a little over his skis. Does he really want to leave San Francisco? Of course not, because you're a star with the Niners. And he's a West Coast guy. Grew up in Reno. When high school and Sack, played at Arizona State, has become a well-known name. But got so emotional by this number.

And let's face it, the Niners drive a hard bargain. They had a number and they didn't flinch. Because also, you're not a free agent. We don't have to trade you anywhere. I want to go to the Steelers. Well, yeah, they could get, in theory, I guess they could give you their first round pick. But what good does that do us week one against the Jets? That's a player that does not exist for another eight months.

First round picks, or having two of them, are incredible in February, March, and April. They do good teams no good during the season. That's why ideally you make that trade before the combine. Well, guess what? The Niners probably tried. No one was offering that at the time. Why? Great wide receiver draft.

am I going to trade you my first round pick? When I get a wide receiver is going to start at a number instead of paying a guy $28 million, I get the ideally, or in a perfect world, the similar player for four, right? Just basic economics. And I think he overplayed his hand, and the Niners are like, listen, we had these deals. They were the ones we'd accept. Those are the teams. Everyone knows you're on the block.

No one else is Colin. No one else has the money. You want to go to the Steelers. They have nothing to give us back. It takes two to tango here. There's two sides. And we don't want their draft picks. They're not giving us T.J. Watt.

So that ain't happening. Here's our number. What are you going to do? Not play? We want to give you a contract. No one feels bad for him. And he's emotional. I can't imagine being 24, 25, 26, have this money, like the number that you think you're.

His value on their team is a lot different than some of these guys making $29.30 million. They don't play like that. And I just think they're kind of at a. crossroads, but he does, I guess he has the leverage, just not practice. He can demand a trade all he wants, but if John and Kyle don't want to trade him, he's not getting traded. Ideally, I think they want to avoid this, right? They don't want this. But they're not just going to give him away because that's the easy thing to do. So he's kind of stuck. And they're pissed off. I know that obviously he's well established that he's mad. They're mad. And this is kind of a joke now.

Because at the end of the day, Bosa was going to kind of get over on him. He had a all the leverage. He's the best player. He was going to get a ton. They go, listen, you're really good, but DJ Moore's been a lot better than you for six years playing with coward and Middlough as as his quarterback. You've had productive quarterbacks, and you're never going to catch more in 80 balls here. So the R.O.I. in our investment, if we give you $30 million, is kind of doesn't make a lot of sense. And that's where I think they're kind of stuck looking at each other. I still believe he's going to end up on the Niners. But I think he might be the first player in NFL history, who signs like a four-year, $100 million deal and is mad at the dais when he gives

his press conference. Well, there's – get ready for that. Well, there's also a reality that receivers in this league not named Jefferson, Chase, Devonte Adams. This league is furnished about 30 receivers a year out of college and about 10 – are productive immediately. But every other, I mean, if you go to the last decade,

wide receivers are walking into this league out of college. Guys like Puka Nakua, Tank Dell, mid-round guys. And you're like, shit, that guy's a one. That guy's not even a two. He's a one. So the reality is the one position

that is literally expanding, you know, because there's a lot of families outside of a Texas that aren't playing as much. football. There's not as many high school football players today as 10 years ago. There's not. Moms are like a lot of moms, Southern California, L.A., forget it. You're an outcast if you let your kid play high school football, especially if you're west of the 405 freeway, like all the, you know, all the high-end,falut and, you know, coastal towns. So. Malibuay producing CD Lamb.

Yeah, Hermosa, Manhattan Beach and Brentwood, Plya, there does not. So my take is, but if you start looking at that position, there's fewer good running backs. You get about one good left tackle a year, maybe two. One star quarterback, maybe two serviceable ones. I could argue, if I went back and looked in the last decade, do we have eight receivers a year that come in here and stick? So it is hard unless you're like very top of the market. And by the way, if you're very top of the market, it's also discomforting. These guys now make $30 million. Some GMs are like... I mean, you better be able to do that on the rookie contract. You can't pay your quarterback and a receiver 30 large, like, unless he's Jamar Chase.

So I think it's one of these situations where they just, if Trent Williams was in year three in his career and they had two more years not to pay him, I think you could be willing to push it. They can't win the Super Bowl, in my opinion, without Trent Williams. That's the roadblock here, too. Yeah, I think like you hit it on the supply and demand. Brandon Ayuk was drafted the end of the first round, 27. Debo, who carried them to the NFC championship three years, was a second round pick. I watched today I had the Colts game on in the background and the kid from Texas is making plays. He's a second round pick. So like you said, every single year, obviously first rounders,

second, third, and fourth rounders are making plays all season long at that position. They cost a million dollars. If this was a real estate deal, it would have been over weeks ago. The Niners, you know, they want two million. Niners are offering 1.6. We ain't budging. You're not budging. We go our separate ways. And that's kind of what's happened, except he's stuck on their team because he's under contract. And their Trump card is, your fifth year are options this year, and we have two franchise tags. We want to make this work, but this is our number. You're not a free agent. You are not a free agent. So you can sit out to when the season, you're going to pass up $14 million. That's like, he acts, and I think his side, they think they got a bunch of leverage. There aren't a

bunch of teams with a lot to give back. There was one. The Browns. The Niners like that offer. Amari Cooper and a second round pick. Deal. And then he's like, no. Well, you can't ask for a trade. This isn't the NBA. You're not going to dictate all the terms here. And I think that's what's made him mad. And the 49ers are mad because he won't play ball. Like, we're offering you a ton of money. You're immediately going to be the highest paid player on a highly paid team. So yeah, DJ Morris, these guys make more. They do more for their team in terms of production. That's never going to Kyle Shanahan's not going to start playing like Andy Reid, right? It's not how they're going to play.

They're going to run the ball. I think in a perfect world, Purdy has like 26 past attempts a game. That's what they're shooting for. They're not trying to play like 43 times. He's like, well, I could be a star receiver. Well, on this team, we're willing to pay you, and you're going to thrive, and you can make a ton off. The 49ers are top two or three brand in the league. He makes a ton off the field.

I do wonder, because of the first round, receiver the Niners picked if they do sign IUC, who is a deep threat. That's not what Debo does. He's yak. He's yards after the catch, which Kittle is. I do wonder when they drafted two receivers, both can play the slot. They're both hurt. That's the problem. They're injured all the time. I can see this team moving off some of their guys, like a line, not Warner, but Greenlaw, I think they're getting to a point with Kittle. You know, Travis Kelsey before the playoffs, We were like, I don't know. 10 surgeries, I don't know.

Then he was great in the playoffs. But I do think Kiddell, they're going to have to move off some contracts here. And I kind of look at the Kittal thing. I look at the Debo thing because they're guys that play. And I love both. And they feel like the DNA. They're really, they feel like the Niners. But if you pay IUC, it does change things because he's a legitimate deep threat.

And I think it changes the personality your team a little bit. If you're paying him 25, John, I'm throwing the ball to him. Part of why I think the Amari Cooper, one, I think they thought it could be a plug and play transition between the two players. His contract's also up at the end of this season. So they get to reset that number. It just disappears on them. So they like the economic flexibility of that. When you, because it's not just, we talk about the year average, you put 70, 80 guaranteed to this guy.

You are in bed with him now for the next three or four years. on top of paying Purdy, on top of having to figure out your left tackle situation, Trent's getting older. If George were to fall off a cliff, you need a tight end. He's very important in this offense. Fred's got a lot of wear and tear. Greenlaw has a torn Achilles. You just got big picture question marks.

And when you go all in on a player, you go, is he a top eight wide receiver in the league? Well, if you even have to question that, should you be breaking them off a massive contract? The problem is they would trade them, but all these teams, don't want to trade for him because they don't want to meet his demands either. So that's where they're kind of stuck in this weird spot. And let's face it, Colin, I would say they have, do they have the most drama going on? I mean, they got this I yuk situation that is not figured out. Trent Williams is a holdout.

They just had to cancel their joint practices. They were supposed to with the Saints because they just have two. Kyle called Dennis Allen. He's like, we got too many injuries. Thank God it's August 11th, but they got a lot going on. No, and I said this at the end of the season. I said, I think they've peaked. That's not bad because their peak is Super Bowl.

But I do feel like the lions are a younger version of the Niners, where they've got like six guys, you know, Penae Seul, Amarong St. Bount, Gibbs, Goff, Hutchison, the center, the tight end. I kind of feel like when I'm watching the Lions, they're the Niners four years ago. And Detroit's going to have this four-year run, and they're not paying all of their guys yet. But the lions, like the Niners, are really physical. It's the Dan Campbell thing. It's a different physical, different style, but it's like they're going to punish you.

So I kind of feel like what we've seen of the Niners is you're going to start seeing guys break down. And I really do believe Philly and Detroit, but mostly Detroit feels like the next Niners with better quarterback play or at least more talented quarterback. I think where the Niners would push back go, we got a better coach than them all. And we know how important that is in the NFL. And their coaches like McVeigh,

like, I mean, they got an elite coach. So when you have that, you can overcome an injury here and there that other teams, when they got more of the Raw Raw, CEO head coach, they asked Kyle yesterday,

one of Kubiak's kids is on his staff, he let him call place. And Kyle said it was the most bored he'd ever been in a game. He's like, I didn't even know what to do move my hands. I started thinking, it's one, like obviously John Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh, Belichick for a long time have mastered the CEO approach. But some of these coaches that are just being,

they're not doing that much more than me or you on the couch or a fan. I mean, seriously. Right. Like Kyle said, I called a couple time out. I wasn't doing anything. I wasn't doing anything. And that's the thing with Philly, right? That article that came out last week, you just wonder, they have so much talent, can they get by? I think their coordinators are good, but if things get weird, if you question, people are always going to disagree with a boss,

with a coach, we're humans. When I question or I lose respect for you because I don't think you have the knowledge, I don't know if you ever come back from that in a professional setting. There's a superior and I think this guy is incapable of either helping me out or knowing what he's doing, that doesn't change because it's not a 12-year-old.

You don't all of a sudden gain that ability at 48 or 54. Like you kind of have to have it. That's why you're in that position. And when people under you, especially in highly competitive areas like Wall Street or what we do or definitely football, if Jalen Hurts questions his football acumen, can you imagine a quarterback for the top coaches questioning? I don't think Andy knows this coverage at all. Or someone with Belichick, that'd be unheard of. And that's, maybe they can overcome just because they have so much talent.

But that's something to keep in the back pocket. If things go south, if they hit a little adversity, that'll come back to Roost, won't it? Well, go to his opening press conference. He literally, he was word salad. He was terrified. It was Tom Sula 2.0. Yeah, I mean, like, Jim Tom Sula, it's the worst press conference I've ever seen Nick Sariani second. And I defended Dan Campbell's.

I said Dan was over the top, but he had a plan, and he's delivered on the plan. They bite kneecaps. I mean, remember the first two years when they weren't winning, John? They weren't winning. I mean, their defense was the worst in the league. They played so effing hard. They played a game against Baltimore. I remember watching and thinking, they don't have four guys that start for the Ravens,

and they were just back and forth. So you can say what you don't know at Campbell, and I was like, this is cheesy. But they are exactly what he promised they would be at the podium, opening presser. Like he said, we're going to be relentless. That's exactly what they are. Even with golf, who's a finesse player, they're a pretty relentless team. Siriani was just lost. Tom Sula was embarrassing. And at the end, now I have a story that comes out, multiple source from somebody I respect at ESPN says, yeah, they don't really respect him. I'm with you on that. I mean, I've been very lucky in my life. I've had good bosses.

I've had one that, you know, we had a nickname for him. You just didn't know, what he was doing. And though I liked him, I never looked at him the same way. It just, I just, if he came down the hall, good guy, let's get a coffee, wasn't somebody I respected. So to your point, and remember, Jalen Hertz has had Nick Saban and Lincoln Riley. So those, those are the voices he has heard in his life. And I don't know, was Sark, the offensive coordinator when he was at Alabama? I forget who it was, but it was somebody like that. Like Kippen or Sark, wasn't it? It would have been one of the two.

They definitely overlap. Okay. Okay. So you're talking about high and luxury offensive coordinator top. Might have been Brian Dayball was there one year, too. Okay. Okay. So now, now, now you're, okay, so let's just say we go, you know, Sarker Dable, Lincoln, Shane Steichen.

Now he's got none of them. And it's Nick Sariani. So who is he competing with? Again, it would be one thing, if he had bad coordinator. Nix Seriani would feel like a football coach. Lincoln Riley? Shane Stuyken? And now it's Sirianney's voice. So I think Jalen may be going, you start looking around in your life, my life. You have one or two great bosses. You know, you spot the guys that aren't great real quick. Yeah. I mean, when I worked in radio, Jason Barrett, who you've known for a long time, he left and we

hired a new guy and he was just a complete buffoon. And it was a disaster. And the place all almost went under, but when you don't respect someone who you have to listen to, and it's no different as a player, like a lot of people listening, that they have a boss, when you're, you're going to disagree. That's healthy. There's no growth out of little confrontation. But when I think you know nothing or at the level in which I'm accustomed to, it's hard to function. So when that part of that article that he called Wink Martindale, I think a lot of,

and my first thought was like, God, it's kind of a go-getter. And then you started thinking about, I think he just lost. He's like, who do I even talk to? I just need to talk to someone who might give me some decent advice here of some schematic help. And that's what I wonder with Siriani. And listen, the Eagles do a couple things really well. One, they just acquire good players. And two, their owner will spend a lot.

Their two coordinators are making it combined. I've heard a lot of money. I mean, Vic Fangio might be the highest pay defense coordinator in the league. And Kellyn Moore's numbers closer to $5 million than it is one. So they're paying their two coordinators, a lot of coins. but those guys, they're going to run it. Right, Siriani, even in that article, it's like, get away from Kellan and the quarterbacks.

Well, he's an offensive guy. I mean, how many offensive coaches? That's why I have so much respect for LaFleur. What he did with Rogers was impressive, but it was easy to go, well, Rogers, great players. What he did with Jordan Love is makes you, like, you're going to get contract extensions for a long time, right?

McVeigh's worked with several quarterbacks. Kyle's worked with a ton of quarterbacks. Andy, coach, any quarterback. I'm watching this guy. I thought he's an offensive guy, but the quarterback doesn't even like him. And by all accounts, he can be, clearly Jaylon's a little weird, a little quirky, but he's clearly like a good guy and wants to play and like is an all about football guy. And he thinks your weakness is, I would say, the most important thing for a coach,

schematic in the NFL, where college recruiting the Jimmy's and the Joe's scheme matters. But if I have the more talent, like I'm just going to boat race 90% of the teams I'm going to play. football Monday through Saturday in the NFL is a thinking man's sport. It's about trying to outthink, outplay, out chess maneuver you. It's why Urban Meyer, who's used to recruiting and everything, got to, it was just, it wasn't his thing. Jim Harbaugh would be the first to tell you, like, I'm very dependent on great. I can do the leadership. I can do the toughness, but scheme's not his thing, but he hires great coaches.

Because scheme in the NFL, it's just working 15, 18 hours a day, Monday through. Saturday getting ready for Sunday. And I don't know what's serious. Honestly, I don't know the answer. Like, tangibly, like you see, Dan Campbell, you see what he's doing. You feel his team. John Harbaugh, his whole career, you feel it, even if he's not calling one side of the ball.

Now I question his is like, what's going on here? They were kind of stuck because it was, because people go back to two years ago, could you fire him for Shane Stuyken? That would have been a pretty unprecedented move, right, going to the Super Bowl, firing the coach for the other guy. Clearly today they wish they could have, but that it would have been difficult. And then last year, they were definitely sniffing around, but they were kind of stuck. And this goes back to, luckily, their owners got a lot of money and willing to pay a lot for coordinators.

Listen, Tom Telesco told me when Shane Steichen was in the building with the chargers and Anthony Lynn was struggling. Like I asked him and he said, amen, that guy's a rock star. But to your point, Anthony Lynn was a nice guy. You got to give him a shot. Stuyken gets an upgrade. What you propose, I think, happens a lot where you bring in a coordinator. You don't really love the coach, but you're not ready to dump him. And you sit there for a year.

And the GM and the owner, the GM is telling the owner, the smarter coach is the coordinator. But we can't get rid of this guy. So I think what you're proposing, I think those conversations happen once a year, somewhere in this league. Well, don't this guy earn a little street cred last year? because he's taking a lot of shit, rightfully so. But Mike McCarthy, which goes, I'll take over the play calling. And obviously, the season didn't end well, but there's no disputing that the season went really well as an offensive play caller.

And clearly McCarthy's winning a bunch of games. Like, I don't know how this season is going to go. You would probably lean if you were a betting man. Mike McCarthy will not be the coach after the season just because are they going to make the NFC championship game. But he's kind of proven that he's more than capable as an offensive play caller and as a leader. Like he's he's a real NFL coach. Yeah, I mean, let's let's be honest. Cooper Rush went like five and one.

He's one. I thought he looked pretty good today. Yeah. I mean, so a Trey Lance for, I mean, Trey Lance in San Francisco didn't work. He's okay. You know, little hand on egg here. Yeah, yeah.

But I mean, in the end, you can go look at virtually every quarterback that has played with Mike McCarthy in his career, starters or backups. You know, Dalton, washed. But outside of that, everybody is, I always look at this. Everybody kind of played their, Shane Steichen, every quarterback's played their best. Well, the same thing for Mike McCarthy. He got, you know, that, he had, didn't he get 13 and 3 out of far? One of those years was,

he got the very end. Yeah, like second year as a coach. So my thing, my thing is if this, let's say they go 9 and 8 and they're the 17 and they lose a while, whatever. Is he not worth getting a job somewhere else if he is fired. I mean, look at half these coaches in the leak. Like, I actually think Mike McCarthy has more than rebuilt his equity and his name. And honestly, had pretty impressive little run here in Dallas. Well, also, the advantage McCarthy has. Let's say he wins 10 to 11.

It's certainly feasible. I think they're a 10-win team. I agree. He walks out of there. He can say, enclosed doors. Jesus, it's a shit show with the owner. And Dak is what he is. and I'm winning 12 games.

Okay, you may not be the coach on the market. You're won a seven. And again, McCarthy is, it, Mark Hartley's classic, and you see this all the time, where somebody's successful, has a ring. It can be in anything, but I mean, you know, Frank Vogel has a ring. Now, it's, it is what, he took an Indiana team with Roy Hibbert, who I love, by the way, personally. That thing didn't have any offense.

It was Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and guys. George Hill, I think, played on that team. And they gave the Healds every year problems. Those series were, I mean, LeBron struggled, put Hibbert by the tin. Frank Vogel goes to Los Angeles. I just saw Frank at dinner the other night in town. Frank Vogel's won a lot of basketball games in this league. But it's the NBA.

They all get fired if they're not called Steve Kerr, Eric Spalter, or Greg Popovich. So I think McCarthy's one of those guys where you know he can coach. he needs, there's certain things he does very, very well. He comes across, you know, a little bit like, you know, he looks outdated. He talks like he's outdated. I mean, he does. But to his credit, he is on the right side of the ball, and he wins about 11 games a year in his career. So say what you want.

He can't play. I mean, I think he's bringing a lot to the table. So why? Again, he may not be the, like Harbaugh this year was the top choice. He'll probably never be the top choice. But if he's my number three pitcher, you can do worse than Mike McCarthy. Well, if you flip-flop coaches, if I told you Siriani was the head coach of the Cowboys, and McCarthy was the head coach of the Eagles.

Every single human alive would pick the Eagles to win the division, and no one alive would pick the Cowboys to make the playoffs. Great point. That's a great point, and we'll end it there. John Middlethoff, former NFL Scout, three and out. Boy, this felt like last season. That was fun. That freaking flew.

What did we do? We did over an hour. That flew, baby. We're back. Good seeing you, man. buddy. You too, Colin. Have good week. The volume. Thanks so much for listening. If you've enjoyed the podcast, take a moment, rate, and review.

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