The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Deion's shocking debut, John Middlekauff on NFL Week 1 must-see matchups

Episode Date: September 4, 2023

First, Colin explains why he was "shocked" by Deion Sanders' big debut at Colorado, and why the biggest story may not be Deion himself. He also discusses why it's so hard to judge powerhouses like Ohio State and Texas so early in the season. Plus, why this year's NFL's trade deadline is going to be unusually hectic. Then John Middlekauff - host of "3 & Out" - joins Colin to discuss why several college football QBs could impact the NFL before they've even been drafted, the matchups they're going to be watching closely in NFL Week 1, why the New York Giants are built better than last year, their predictions for Aaron Rodgers' first game with the New York Jets, the "huge red flag" for the Los Angeles Rams, and the biggest question facing USC superstar QB Caleb Williams. #Volume #Herd #3andOutSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We're going to have a great Sunday night. Some of you will see or hear this on Monday morning podcast, Colin Coward Podcast. I just got back from nine, ten amazing days on the coast of Rhode Island, walking on the beach. By the way, I want to give you a health tip. I read a study about a month ago where it said, if you. you take your shoes off and walk on grass or walk on the beach for 30 minutes a day, it has health benefits. So for the last six months, minimum, I've had a messed up left foot, left toe, too many dress shoes,

not enough ventilation for my feet. So I get to Rhode Island and I take my shoes off every morning and I go for a 90 minute to two hour walk on the beach five days in a row. Saltwater, Atlantic Ocean. my foot is completely healed. No soreness, no red, no scars, no issues. So the study is right. Take your shoes off, walk on the beach, walk in the yard, let those feet breathe.

It did it for me. I told my wife, it's like a revelation. I'm not going to live that long anyway. I live too long, but at least I want my feet to give me an extra year or two on the back end of my life. So I think I've found that. So let's talk some college football. The story of the weekend to me, it's too bad the Pact 12s going away because I think it's the best it's ever been. It's the only college football conference, Power 5 conference that hasn't lost a game yet, and they're completely stacked at quarterback.

First of all, I thought Dion Sanders, I said this multiple times, I thought he would give the program juice and publicity and Colorado football needs it. So therefore, I thought it was a good hire. But I didn't think they'd be very good this year because I didn't think you could bring in 75. percent of your program through the transfer portal and be anything other than a bit inefficient and chaotic and mistake prone early. I was shocked at how not well coached. Dion Sanders obviously can coach. We saw that at Jackson State. But for a first game with a 70 to 75 percent transfer portal team, this isn't the NFL. There's no preseason games. There's no inter-squad practices. These are 20-year-old kids, not 28-year-old NFL players.

They were mistake-free, penalty-free, seamless, smooth, tip of the captain Dion, and that entire coaching staff. I mean, I've watched Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, bring in 2025 transfer portal guys, and it's bumpy and rocky early. Now, TCU's not very good. They put a ton of people in the NFL, lost their starting quarterback, Max Duggan for multiple years there. So they're not very good. But they did not look buttoned up. And Colorado did. And my other takeaway on this game is that this year in the PAC 12, for people that live out

West, this is the best quarterback group we have had maybe since like the Andrew Luck year. There were a couple years there with a lot of good quarterbacks. But Cam Rising, Caleb Williams, Michael Pennix, Bo Nicks, Jane Delora at Arizona. and now Shadur Sanders, Dion's son. I text two NFL executives during that Colorado win. And I asked the question, am I nuts? Or do we have another first round quarterback in the NFL? And both executives said the same thing.

His release and his accuracy and touch were A plus plus. Dion Sanders' son is a, first round NFL quarterback. I'm almost sure of it. Six two, six two and a half. You know, with his dad, he's going to be athletic. Excellent accuracy. Tremendous poise.

Light on his feet. Intermediate. Out in the flat, deep ball. I thought Shadur Sanders. I know Dion gets the publicity. And we talk a lot about Colorado football. My takeaway was home. Oh, wait a minute.

Dion's son is a first round talent. Am I nuts? I was blown away. And again, TCU had a ton of NFL players and they weren't going to be as good this year. I still thought they would win. I mean, they were a 21 point favorite. But wow. So just think if you were an NFL fan and you're a maybe college fan, but you need a quarterback.

I think Caleb Williams, Drake May. I'm not a huge fan of Quinn Ewers at Texas. I think he's Jay Cutler, armed talent, little sloppy, unrefined. Don't love his game, but he'll go in the first round. I think Jaden Daniels at LSU has some first round traits. Riley Leonard at Duke is raw, mostly a pocket guy that we can move. He's a big-time talent. And now, Shadur Sanders.

Now, they play Nebraska. So, you know, the hype bubble may get popped. Matt Rule, they're going to go upset hunting. But I, first of all, tip of the cap to Colorado. I did not think you could come into a football game and that many transfers and be that smooth. Had they lost, it wouldn't have mattered. I was seven, eight minutes into that game. And they were running no huddle.

They were going a million miles an hour. It was really slick. So that's just tremendous coaching. And I didn't think anybody. I mean, their turnover of their roster is without comp. I've never seen anything like that. I figured they'd have skill players and Dion's son would know the offense. But to build O and D lines in that amount of time to the portal.

Now, their D line at Colorado is not very good, but their O line, pretty solid. Excellent work. My other takeaway in college football is Ohio State's offensive line and Texas offensive lines were awful, and it's not a matter of talent. I think we have to be totally honest here what's happening to college football, and we've seen it for a decade in college basketball, is that we all know, due to the transfer portal and the one and done rule in college basketball, you can't really watch Kansas or Duke or Carolina or the top programs and judge them in October and November. It's all new players. Well, in college football, we're a little bit more demanding

right out of the gate in September. But the hardest unit for any football team to attain cohesion and chemistry is the offensive line. That's high school college or pro. We all know that. You know that. I know that. Everybody knows that. Well, with a transfer portal and youth and players coming from all directions and players leaving early that even Ohio State and Texas, who are getting four and five star guys across the front, their offensive lines just aren't ready to go. Now, Texas may have been looking ahead to Alabama, but I thought the Texas O line, they couldn't initiate a run game. Ohio State's offensive line was a bit of a mess. U.S.C. was awful in week one. Better. but still some holes in week two.

And I think we just have to look at college football, a little like we look at college basketball when it comes to especially the O lines. Just can't judge them in September. Guys leave early. You end up with young guys stepping in that aren't quite ready. So you go to the transfer portal, offensive lines, even in professional football. They're not great in September. You're praying they're great post- Thanksgiving.

So I watched Ohio State and I said, they're just not good enough on the offensive line yet. It's not a lack of talent anywhere. Same with Texas. I like their roster. And I like their O line. But there's just, it's that we have to look now at O lines in college football like we do early college basketball. Just give me six weeks. I'm going to bring on John Middlekoff, former NFL scout in just a minute. I say this probably every year, but I don't remember an NFL season where it felt so clearly defined on who the good teams are and the bad teams are. And of course, this all comes back to once the NFL wrote that gigantic check, that CTE check to the players of almost a billion dollars. I think it was like $8 or $900 million. It was a quick pivot to the NFL to make the game less violent and quickly.

And that, of course, has been highly beneficial to the offensive side of the ball. So it's a very quarterback-centric lead. We've talked about this ad nauseum. But what I do think with the improved college quarterback play I watch this weekend, well, I'm not the only person watching that. I think front offices realize we're going to have five, six, or seven first round quarterbacks. And I think we're going to have the most active trade deadline. In fact, I was told this by somebody inside the league about a month ago. It's going to be the most active trade

deadline in league history because you've got two A plus plus Drake May and Caleb Williams college quarterbacks. And I think several A minus to B plus quarterbacks, you know, Michael Pennix Jr. at Washington, a little bit of an injury history. he throws an absolutely beautiful football. He is so poised. Ball snaps off his arm. He's a first round quarterback, absolutely. I'm not a huge fan of Quinn Ewers or Bo Nix as NFL prospects,

but, you know, Beau Nix put up remarkable numbers this weekend, and he's going to with Oregon with some of their playmakers. So I think of the trade deadline, teams that get off to 1 and 4, 1 and 5, 2 and 5, 2 and 6, starts, they're going to be selling off parts, soft tanks to get into the top seven or eight draft picks. So I think we're going to have a very strong top, a very clear week bottom, and those bottom teams are going to sell off parts by week seven, six. If your team is good but has holes, this is the year for you. Because we know there's some great teams and some bad

teams. It's those teams that we like. Baltimore, we like, you know, the Jets we like. Do we love those teams? Chargers, we like those kind of teams at the trade deadline, if they're aggressive, are going to have an opportunity to add significant pieces. I'm going to throw a name out. Mike Evans, Tampa, wide receiver. If they go into the tank quickly in Tampa, and I suspect they will, Mike Evans could be there for the taking for a team that needs a number one receiver. Let's bring in John Middleth, three and out, part of the volume, former NFL scout. The conference that is dying, the conference of champions, we can call it the conference of NFL quarterbacks, Colin. The Pac-12 is thriving. Well, I just spent the previous

10 minutes, a large part talking about Dion Sanders' son, he will be draft eligible. But your takeaway, because he plays with Travis Hunter and his dad's the coach, I thought he was a first round. I mean, I looked at him and I went, oh, we've got another first round quarterback talent. I mean, his accuracy, deep, crossing, underneath, flat, footwork, poised, release. I mean, it was jumped off the television set. But I don't know if he goes pro, does he? shocking Dion Sanders kid is good at football.

Who would have thought, arguably the greatest athlete of my life. It was, that was, you know what really jumped out to me, Colin? Just watching that game, I mean, just on the edge of your seat for TCU, Colorado. It felt like as big as an NFL game or whatever. That's why football is so big. It just felt enormous. These kids, I don't know, 90% of the guys. on TCU and honestly, beside a couple guys on Colorado, you're just kind of learned about it.

But prime time against this team that made this run last year, it just doesn't get any better. And then like you said, that quarterback, we've talked so much right about the 49er situation and Trey Lance and Tray Lance isn't alone. A lot of guys struggle at just lacking poise and just comfortability in the pocket because there are instincts at that position. We love like how six, five, and he can run and he's got a. strong arm, but you can kind of just watch a guy play and you're like, this guy's very comfortable. They were down late and it was like, this guy's not freaking out. He was just

playing to Jackson State. It was, that's one of the bigger. I'm not trying to overhype this, but that was, that was as good as it gets, Colin. That was fantastic. I literally text two people in the league and I'm like, am I out of my mind? He is so poised in his ability, any throw left, right, moving. His accuracy was insane. And I'm just like, you know, I didn't know. I honestly, over the last month, I went to YouTube. I'm looking up highlights. I mean, I know about the Quinn U.S.

Kayla Williams, Drake May, Bo Nix. I mean, we all know the guys that are going to get drafted. I like Jaden Daniels at LSU. I think he's always been, he was so skinny coming out at Arizona State. He didn't look like an NFL player, but I think he's a nice, he's got some real NFL traits. But, you know, I thought, you know, and this is the thing. I love college football, and I feel bummed out to the PAC 12. This may be the best quarterback class in the history of the conference.

The conference is imploding. But I will tell you, as I look at this NFL schedule, is, I said a minute ago, the trade deadline is going to be terribly, terribly busy. The top, we know who it is. The bottom, we know who it is. You get these Tampas and these Arizona's and these Houston's. If they get off to one in five starts, John, this is going to be soft tanks. I mean, these teams need quarterbacks. I think we're going to have a crazy, crazy trade deadline.

And players like a Mike Evans at Tampa, who how many teams would be like, I mean, like, if Buffalo starts struggling with Stefan Diggs and it's like, we got a roster, we got to go get a guy. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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, Clifford 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, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's start with Detroit, Kansas City. There's a sense Detroit's going to be over their skis, and they're just not ready for prime time. Is that how you feel? I think they're going to be really good.

You know, I think that they have a high level offense. I mean, that coordinator they have, they convinced them last year to not interview for jobs. Jared Gop has proven when you have a running game and a good offensive line, which he did right away when McVeigh got there, he was really, really good. Never Mahomes, Josh Allen, but you could win. I mean, they went to the Super Bowl with the guy. And I know everyone thought it was crazy for them to take that running back, but Dan Campbell saw it firsthand with Alvin Kamara, and they view him like that, kind of a hybrid player. St. Brown's a stud. Jameson Williams, got to get healthy slash stay out of trouble, but he's extremely talented. And they have a really good offensive line. So offensively,

And defensively, Aiden Hutchinson last year by the end of the season looked like this guy's got a chance to be one of the next really, really good pass rushers. I think they had another guy that they drafted in the mid rounds that had eight sacks. Secondary is going to be a problem. But most teams in the NFL don't have great secondary. I'm not going to end all be all Thursday night. You can lose that game. But I'm going to pick them to win the division.

I know you loved Minnesota last year. Obviously, Rogers has gone. I think I'm going to go out on a limb and take the Detroit Lions to win their division. No Chris Jones. So Detroit's O-lines, probably a top three to four O-line. And if no Chris Jones, that is a ball control. Jared Goff playing either with a lead or in a close game. Goff gets into trouble when the O-line deteriorates.

He's playing from behind with no run game. With no Chris Jones, it almost guarantees that Jared's going to have a reasonably clean pocket without O-line. So I again, I would take the points on the lines in the opener. I know everybody's bailing on them. This is a big spot. But there was a big spot against Green Bay to end this season at Lambo, big national TV game. And I thought they outplayed the Packers.

I think one thing that's going to really be under the microscope this year is last year, remember they started slow. So they kind of got to just let it rip toward the end of the season. And they finished hot. But this year, all of Campbell's moves, right? if they're two and two or three and one, when you go for it, when you kick a field goal, when you punt. I mean, that stuff comes under the microscope when you're good.

That's the way we talk about the Belichicks, the Andy Reid's, the Kyle Shanahan's. It's not just a great play call. It's time management, game management. You're going to be in tight games. People are no longer looking past you, even though you haven't accomplished anything. They're all taking you seriously. So I think that's the one question mark is just Dan Campbell, game management. I mean, that could be the difference between 11 and 9 wins, right?

It can cost you a division, a wildcard spot. He's got to prove it. There's two or three games that are really interesting to me. And the Packers Bears is one where I do feel the pressure is on Chicago. So Green Bay has had so much recent success. And by the way, beyond recent, 20, 25 years of success, Farvin Rogers. So, and I think Aaron's first year, he was six and ten. So I don't believe anybody thinks Jordan Love has to get him to the playoffs.

It's going to be, you can even see in the preseason, John. It's been a very cautious game plan. He's got a good old line, a nice run game. They're going to hold his hand a bit here. And I think, I think nine and eight would be, would feel like a really nice opening year. Justin Fields is five and 20. They've given him big pieces. Chicago's a major media market.

It's loud. Iberfluse has to. win. He's a defensive coach in an offensive league. I feel there's real pressure on Chicago here to win and perform. I think they will win. I do. But it really interests me because very rarely do we put a ton of pressure and consider it a huge game for a quarterback that's five and 20. But I kind of feel like, and I think he will deliver, but I kind of feel like Justin Fields has to start winning quickly. Yeah, I think the pressure is much more on him than the coach and definitely the GM.

Are you still believer in Carolina this year? I didn't love it. It hasn't looked pretty. No. Well, Chicago has their pick. So Chicago's got some firepower that if shit hits the fan this year with fields and it doesn't go well, that they have a pretty seamless, you know, transition point. Even if they don't get the number one pick, we've already talked.

There's a ton of quarterbacks in this draft. I think it's on him. right throwing the ball we know he's a Dionne Sanders level at remarkable athlete but to win in the NFL third and eight can you complete the deep out can you complete the deep in on second and 10 when you run you know when you get stuffed on first down and I think that's the major question mark but you can't always unless you're Kyle Shanahan just run like wide receiver screens you know you have to push the ball down the field uh I don't think they're going to be very good uh now I loved them coming out in the draft, but I know a lot of people, the coaching side of the scouts, like the scouts,

like Justin Fields, because of the raw ability, a lot of the coaches, you know, Kyle Shannon didn't think he saw the fields very well. You know, the, and that's what comes down to being a great player is timing, rhythm within the pocket. And that's the big question mark. But I actually think if it doesn't go well for them, if Carolina's bad and they're bad, they're going to be in great position with all these picks to take a quarterback. They got some, you know, pieces on the team and kind of transition perfectly. Philadelphia, New England interests me. So New England at home, three and a half point dog, no Shane Steichen.

So the pressure now on Siriani to pick the right coordinator. So Siriani struggled until he gave Shane Steichen the play calling. And then it was off to the races. Now he leaves. By the way, Justin Herbert was Shane Steichen. ascending player. Stuyken leaves. Joe Lombardi comes in and Justin Herbert struggles in the second half of games. These coordinators, asked Matt Ryan with Kyle Shanahan, these coordinators change everything. It matters. It matters a lot. And I think Philadelphia faces far more good quarterbacks.

They're going to pull back. I give New England a shot if their O-line can hold up to win this game. kind of your takeaway on what we'll see from Philadelphia this year. Well, I think Philly, obviously last year came really close, and they brought back a lot of the same guys, but they did add one of the biggest wild cards in recent memory of the draft, and he's so freaking good that he's going to play a lot, right, in Jalen Carter. So they felt really good about their infrastructure, but they didn't have, once they got rid of Carson Wentz,

like the last couple years, they've had a really buttoned down high-level squad. And once you get to that point and you can't quite get over the hump and they got great value, you start taking a couple swings. Like that's something, do they have to have guys holding his hand? Is he just a fit in guy? Because if he is a fit in guy and there's no issues, their talent, they let Hargrave go to the Niners. They won't miss a beat. So their defense could be even better with the pass rush standpoint, which it's hard to be,

which how good they were last year. But I'm with you. Anytime you have an offensive coordinator change, I mean, Jaylen easily could if he didn't get banged up, when's the MVP. So that's a hard standard to just maintain. And we talked about this. There's a lot of really good players that have some great seasons and then come back to Earth.

The great players, the Mannings, the Brady's, Rogers forever, do it every single year. As coach is going in, coaches going out. And I think that's what he has to prove now. And we've also talked about that they're betting on the guy. Obviously, they have a ton of their offensive lines. Awesome. AJ Brown, like, what a trade. I think Devante Smith.

could have an enormous season. They have a million running backs. So the talent's definitely there. I think my kind of wild card this year is I might pick the Cowboys to win that division, but it's not because I don't think the Eagles are good. I just think they're both, you know, 11 to 13 win teams. I feel better about the Cowboys. They're going to be probably the best defense.

Right now, I don't know when Nick Bose is going to show up. Maybe if you're listening to this, he signed, but I don't know, it doesn't feel like he's that close. So the Cowboys got everyone there. Their defense is deep. Their offense just needs to be solid. They got now Trey Lance to act like. Jalen Hertz in practice.

And the Eagles, you know, that Super Bowl hangover is real. We've seen it for decades. That team that gets so close doesn't win it kind of comes back to Earth, even though they got everyone coming back. But like you said, the coordinator change, I don't care how good you think the next guy up is. There's usually a drop off or a learning curve. Yeah.

And I remember a few years ago, Tom Telesco, the GM of the Chargers, told me he said, we have this young OC name Shane Steik. And he's like, oh, he's going to be great. This guy is. will not be able to keep him. He's going to leave. Okay, so I want to talk about the Cowboys and the Giants because I had said this before I went on vacation,

that it's become very popular to kind of bail on the Giants and to say, listen, it's Brian Daibull, there's a ceiling, it's clear with Daniel Jones, and the schedule's harder. The schedule's not as hard as people make it out to be. it's around 15th, 18th, hardest, 19th hardest in the league or some way. It's harder than average, if I recall, but it's not overwrought. It's not overbearing.

The one thing I like about the Giants is I do think it matters where you're great. And they're great at left tackle. They're great at tight end now with Waller and Sekewan Barclay. They have a potential great Russian and Kvon Thebado. They're great on the defensive front. They're great offensive coaching with Brian Daibald. And they have an athletic quarterback in his prime who finish with a higher passer rating than Aaron Rogers. Most of their players, their best players are not only in key spots.

They're all in their prime. The Rams have players in key spots all out of their prime. The Giants are young. I mean, the Cowboys have some players I like, not all in key spots. but tight end, back, left tackle, rush end, offensive coach. I'm going to go the other way on this. I don't see a free fall for the Giants. I don't think their schedules quite as daunting as people are making it out to be.

What say you? You know, it's funny, I was in the car today and, you know, like a weirdo. I'm thinking about who can the Giants win that division? Is it possible? It would be a pretty big jump, right? Because the Eagles and Cowboys just have more talent. but we just talked about coaching changes. Obviously, the Eagles had a lot.

Cowboys had a pretty big one too. I mean, is Mike calling the plays, him and Schottenheimer, get rid of Kellynmore? The Giants had zero turnover, right? Kafka, Dayball, running the offense, and Wink Martindale's one of those classic like Fangio-level guys. He's just not going to become a head coach. He's going to be there for a while, a lot like Andy now with Spagnola. He's going to be their coordinator for a while.

And even if Kafka leaves, like Dayball can run into any moment. So the consistency there, a lot of people have used this and I've said this forever. And this was the comp that I heard when he was coming out because I thought the pick, you take Daniel Jones number six overall. It's like he's a lot like Alex Smith, high intelligent guy, a little bit better arm, physically like everyone likes him, very buttoned up. And for the first several years of his career, I was kind of out because it was hard to

watch him. But then looking back, he's like, look who was coaching him. And then you get a guy a lot like Harbaugh came in. By that second year with Alex, he ended up getting hurt in the middle of the year. And that's when Kaepernick came in. But he was shooting like a rocket ship. You're like, this guy's a real player now. And what do they do?

They get Darren Waller, which when he's on the field, he's watched him in the preseason. He's a dominant player. The question can you just stay on the field? But if you get him, you get obviously Sequin, feels like he's all in. He got his contract done right away after he kind of was acting like he was going to hold out. That didn't last long.

You draft Hyatt from Tennessee. He can fly. This is a coaching league. And their coaching staff is really, really good. So are they as talented as the other top two teams in their division? no, not player for player, but like you said, key spots. And if Daniel Jones, they don't need him to go from like a six to a ten, but can he go from like a six to a seven and a half,

then are they looking at instead of being a nine win team, are they an 11 win team and much more formidable? I know they beat the Vikings, but they had no chance to probably beat the Cowboys, the Niners, or the Eagles. And now are they in, if they get to the final four in the NFC, and it's those four teams, could they beat one of those teams? And I think it's fair to say, yeah,

they might be in a position when it's all said and done to be able to at least compete with them for maybe one game. They're probably not a Super Bowl contender, but they might be much more legitimate as a squad top to bottom when it comes to January football in 2023 than they were last year. So, John, one of the things we do, you know, the history is a great guide for what's going to happen. We know, and I don't have it in front of me,

but like the last 12 teams that have been on hard knocks, like there's one playoff win. But because of Aaron Rogers, you know, it's, you know, he arrives in town and the belief is

he's this magic elixir and he'll solve everything. But this is a team that's not good at tackle that's opening with the bills in an AFC that's got past rushers everywhere. You have an older quarterback

who can be prickly when things don't go his way and no longer is a mobile quarterback, right? Like Aaron now, he gets rid of that ball quickly. he doesn't want to get hit and he's a pocket quarterback. They have one really emerging star receiver,

but Corey Davis retires. They're pretty average at tight end. They went and got Dalvin Cook, which I think helps. But I look at this team and I think to myself, young quarterbacks, Herbert Burrell Mahomes, I don't worry too much about regressing O'Limes. Old quarterbacks, Brady, Matt Stafford,

Aaron Rogers. Aaron's never had a bad O-Line in Green Bay. Do you know, Jordan Love in his first two preseason games, was not pressured a single time. So, okay, Stafford last year, bad O-Line, Brady last year, O-line injuries in Tampa, Interior. I think Buffalo wins the opener. The best part of that line, it was one and a half, now two and a half. I think it could be a little bit of it. Now, Vaughn Miller's not playing, but I think this.

Jets team, it could get really surly, really prickly, very fast. Like, I'm talking third quarter, late third quarter against the bills, your thoughts on what we'll see. Yeah, I mean, that's going to be one of the highest rated games in recent memory. I mean, there will be a lot of eyeballs, 9-11, New York, Rogers, bills. You're right. The Vaughn Miller News that I think was last week, right, that he was kind of trending. They thought now he's out four weeks, but obviously just that game specifically.

They name Mackay Beckton, which is just a major question. mark. Like, is the guy even good? It's one thing to like, hey, we got this guy. He can be a functional starter. You don't even know if he can function out there, right? Can't, is he going to get your guy kill? Or is he just going to be a solid player? You don't have to worry about him. To me, that's a major, major question mark. I would imagine Sean McDermott is just going to be bringing all sorts of stuff over there. Now, granted, that's his right side. Aaron can see he might just have to hit the ground. Randall Cobb starting at slot receiver. I mean, I kind of, I'm, I don't know, sometimes I buy into hard knocks. I always say I'm not going to watch it and then I do. And I, he's clearly in a really good headspace.

But how you start matters. Salah has some like Dion Sanders. He's just natural in front of the team. He's really good at that. But ultimately, you got to win. You got to produce. So all of a sudden, you lose that game. They play Dallas week too, right? So I mean, it's it could snowball really quick. I'm a believer just because I think this guy, we've seen him for the last couple years. You're right. They had a really good offensive line. But the easiest way to avoid question marks, run the ball. Run the ball. And that's what they did Aaron's first year when he was kind of playing shitty in Green Bay when the floor got there.

Run the ball. And then you're not getting, you don't have to carry us on your shoulders, which he ended up doing the next couple of years, which doesn't really work in the playoffs at Lambo. But just try to lead the league in rushing. That makes everything much easier. Now, one thing they got going for them, again, this is a little hard knock scouting. Their defense looks pretty incredible. I mean, they got past rushers everywhere. Quinn and Williams has a chance to be like a bigger version of Warren Sapp.

They have what could be the best, if not a top two corner. So you're locking down one side of the field. If you can be a top two or three defense and lead the league in rushing, that usually is a formula, especially with say what you want about him. He is very, very intelligent as a quarterback so he can help out the pressure of Nate Hackett and just some of those guys. And like you said, I mean, Garrett Wilson might just, we might look up and he's a 115 catch guy for like a while.

I mean, he's got a chance to be really, really special. Division's tough. I mean, who are you going to pick to finish last in that division? It's hard. You could make a case for every team, obviously even separate the bills who have owned that division, but all other three teams, winning 10, but also winning seven. So I'm going to throw this out to you.

Usually if a wife talks of a pro athlete, she's giving you the honest truth, right? It's unvarnished. Yeah. And I'm going to have two things. converge here. You and I were both blown away by the quality of the college quarterback played the last two weeks. Like it's better than we thought. And Matt Stafford's wife comes out and says publicly, yeah, like Matt doesn't connect with any of the players. They're all too young. And I had somebody

tell me, you know, during the off season, and it was validated by Matt Stafford. He came out and And even though the Rams sort of push back on this, Matt Stafford confirmed what I've been told, which is they tried to rework his deal to make it more team friendly. And he said, no, thanks. I think the Rams are going to draft a quarterback with their first pick. And here's my question. Cooper Cup now probably doesn't play in game one. The trade deadline I've been told is going to be very active because of the quality of the quarterbacks coming out of college. If Cooper Cup doesn't play in week one, they get housed or beat by the C-Hawks.

you start looking at that schedule. It's no day at the beach. I could see the Rams moving off Aaron Donald, moving off Stafford. Now, they do have some really good elements at key positions, but Cooper Cup, maybe not playing in week one to me, is a huge John Red flag up in Seattle,

Seahawks five and a half point favorites. Give me your thoughts on Stafford's wife, you know, the stories that they try to rework his deal, he got the, you know what kicked out of him in Detroit, right? He, he, last year he did. He's a weathered 35, 36 year old. Absolutely. Take away on the Rams, Cooper Cup, and what I just talked about. Well, I'm completely, I've been out on the Rams. I think they were going to be horrendous that I just don't think their roster's any good. They were too top heavy. Anytime you got to go

see a specialist a week before, week one. And it's not, you know, that's what pitchers do with their elbow. This is a hamstring. that's not good. And, you know, I don't care. Aaron Donald could have 25 sacks. If no one around him can make a tackle, you're in trouble. I don't even think the Stafford thing is that weird. I mean, there is a gigantic gap.

I think if you're 35 or over and if you're maybe 23 or younger, just technology. A kid has been on the internet from the moment he's alive. I remember getting my first cell phone in like 2001 and it did not look like this. So, I mean, they're, I do understand struggling. And listen, we're all guilty of this and I try to fight it, having your phone in front of you. But that generation is on a completely different level. That's just how they communicate with everything. I mean, they can be sitting across the hallway and be texting with the guy.

That's how they talk. So I kind of thought that was relatable from Stafford, though it's not ideal what you want to hear from your star quarterback who's your team captain that you're paying $45 plus million to. I think it's over. I mean, I think the whole run was over. I think they paid these guys, rightfully so, after they won the Super Bowl, they clearly regret it. No team pays guys enormous amounts of money and regrets it faster and more quickly than the Los Angeles ramps. They do this over and over and over again. Usually when you pay a guy, worst case scenario, maybe there's a bad injury or like, that sucks.

But they, when the guy's even playing, they're like, God, we regret that one. They've done it with like seven different players. It happened with the first iteration of their squad. Jared Goff, remember McVeigh was out on. Todd Gurley's knee gave out. Now this group, if they could have all these redo, they probably would and just tank. But, Colin, I think they're in major, major trouble. I mean, you're looking at, I don't know.

I mean, I don't think the Caleb sweepstakes is out of the realm of possibility. At least Drake May. I mean, I think they got top five draft written all over them. And like you said, Aaron Donald, would some team, I don't know, the Steelers, just throw out some great teams. Like, would you just trade your first round pick for them? And then if you're the Rams, just kind of reset it all. I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility.

Yeah, and I also think it's interesting because once you get the quarterback, now you've got all this cap availability. So if you have two firsts, you can get your quarterback and your left tackle. And that means they wouldn't have to pay no boom in one year. So that frees up more stuff. So I think the Rams are going to start out. They're going to get beat by C. And I think it could unravel quickly.

But the Stafford comments, I thought, yeah, he's an old weathered quarterback. I think it's going to get ugly fast. They don't have a two. Van Jefferson's a three, paid like a two. So they really don't have. Tyler Higby's a good tight end. Cam Acre's solid running back. But no Cooper Cup.

He's their volume receiver. They're going to be bad on both sides potentially. Well, the thing is with Stafford, no one's ever talked about him like a Rogers or a Russell Wilson where there could be a disconnect. People love them. I know people that have played with them that swear by the guy. He's like a guy's guy. So this shows you. That team has a gigantic Grand Canyon level gap of this group of all these young guys and then some of the older guys who are insanely rich now. I mean, Aaron Donald Wins all of a sudden done is going to make 200 plus million dollars. Stafford's made a ton. But I think this is the great year to you look up. You see Michael

Pennix. You see Bo Nix. Even if you don't get Drake Mayor Caleb, I think you can end up with the starting quarterback like pick six. By the way, let's let's wrap it up with this. Let's go back to college football and talk Caleb Williams and USC. So there were some, with Caleb Williams, you're seeing a lot of scouts. There were multiple scouts at the Coliseum. And scouting directors and scouts watching Caleb, they have a receiver, Dorian Singer, Monheim, an offensive lineman, a safety, Kalin Bullock. They've got, they've got some NFL guys, Mason, did not play a linebacker, but there's, USC's got, you know, half a dozen NFL players.

One of the things, a scout sent me, he said, you know, Lincoln Riley has a type. They don't have a lot of size at wide receiver. They're all twitchy. They're all fast. They're all quick. But as I watched Caleb Williams,

my takeaway was that there's a weird, and I don't know if Lincoln Riley cares. but they could have taken him out in the second quarter. But there is that sense that he is now NIL. You're marketing him. And they don't have a great backup. Miller Moss is fine. And I was sitting there watching this,

and I'm thinking to myself, their schedule gets really hard November, December, or November. And I'm like, what do you do with Caleb? I mean, quarterbacks now are throwing for four, five, Penix is throwing four and five touchdown passes, Bo Nix. How much do you play Caleb Williams? I have argued that if they got to the Pac-12 championship game, there's no reason to play if you have to play Oregon again or Washington.

Just don't, there's no reason to play him. Where are you on how much do you play Caleb this year? I heard you say that. There's no conference next year. So I'm, their offense is remarkable and he's, I mean, the easiest number one pick in a while since Trevor Lawrence. but I don't really see it yet. And that's early.

And they're playing Nevada. They're playing San Jose State. The defense, listen, it's hard to also judge Oregon. They won 87 million to zero. And Washington looked fantastic. I do think those teams are a little more physical on defense. So not that, listen, you nitpick any top player, but those games, Notre Dame, and obviously Utah, which looks really, really physical.

But those are just fantastic games. to feel really, really good about when you take the player number one overall if he lights them up and if he just goes on to be the first back-to-back Heisman trophy winner since Archie Griffin. I mean, it doesn't happen very often. He clearly, I wouldn't say he's in the driver's seat because of what happened to Colorado, but he's squarely in the mix. To me, he's just judged on, I don't know, I mean, he's kind, there's no way it feels like he can be overtaken.

So those games are just, I mean, Washington has a big time NFL pass rusher. they always have legitimate NFL secondary guys. Dan Lannning is an SEC guy. They clearly have horses on defense and Utah always pumps out guys. So I think those games, I think USC is going to lose one of those games. And I think potentially too. Like I don't necessarily, Colin, it's kind of in Lincoln's ethos defensively. Like I like my offensive coach like Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVey, they value defense.

I just think Lincoln, I just don't see it on the body type. So for them to, I guess you can get there with one loss, but I think this kind of conference is really, really good. All these teams, especially Oregon and Washington, they have NFL quarterbacks. Notre Dame looks excellent. I mean, they haven't played anybody, but they do. We know they have talent. I think it's less about Caleb just because his story's already kind of written, right?

He's going to play. He's going to put up stats. It's what happens when their defense has to make plays. Like, can they bail him? Can they help him out? Right? Does he always have to bail them out? And that's what it feels like right now when I watch them play.

Yeah, it was interesting. I sat there in the second quarter. And I kept saying, okay, let's get him out of the game. Get him out of the game. What are you doing? And then I'm thinking, no, no, the Heisman, he's front and center. Ultimately, I can't, I guess Lincoln Ronnie can't think about that. I saw Lee Corso pick USC to win the national championship.

And my takeaway is, I do think you can win it offensively. I didn't think you could win it offensively 10 years ago. I do think you can win it offensively. but Lincoln Riley is interesting, and I think you bring up a really good point, is that most almost all great offensive coaches value defense. I'm not saying Lincoln Riley doesn't, but I do wonder, with the style of play that USC plays, can you develop toughness and a great defense in practice? That's where you develop a great defense.

That was always the knock on chip, right? Their physicality when they got up against the SEC teams when he was in Oregon. Because you practice ones on once, right, when you go offense, defense. And Kyle Shanahan, what do they do? They run the ball down your throat. So what do they have? Physical defense, right? Andy just has, he's just inclined to love physical freaks on defense and defensive alignment.

So it's like, same with Sean McVeigh. It's kind of like how they've been taught. It's not even that their offense is more spread, but they like the big D alignment. By the way, Harbaugh loves to run it. Michigan's physical. Stanford got physical. The Niners with him got physical. Ryan Day, the recruiting by Brian Hartline has been so good for Ohio State at wide receiver. Urban Meyer was on my show a month ago and said, you have to get the ball to those receivers. What's happened to Ohio State? They have not run the ball effectively and consistently. They look soft. Why? Because at practice, you have to get the ball to Harrison. So it does matter. As Ohio State's become a flashy or more perimeter, program, it has affected their physicality and their punishing running style. And I think that Caleb is so spectacular. I'm talking to a scout at the USC game.

He's like, they have nine receivers and tight ends that can all catch and run. You have to showcase that. So it's not that they don't run the ball, but I do think when you're as gifted as Caleb is, or you have as greater receivers as Ohio State does, and you want to exhibit that, and that's the strength of your team, it can hurt physicality. at practice. I actually think, too, from a quarterback standpoint, because Caleb has less to really, like,

can't really earn anything. He's already kind of been anointed and he keeps backing it up. Is the other quarterbacks that get to play him just because all the eyeballs will be when Washington plays them, when Oregon plays them, when Hartman at Notre Dame plays them, it's a great opportunity for them to increase their stock because from a scouting perspective,

when you watch Manning and then Brady comes on the field, then Manning and Brady, you can see the high-level point. play, even though they're not ever on the field at the same time against each other. I think one of those guys, if not multiple of those guys that play USC, are going to jolt themselves up because so many people are going to be watching those games from an NFL standpoint. By the way, I took the last 10 days off on the East Coast and Rhode Island. And it's fascinating because Rhode Island loves its lobster and is really proud of its lobster. So you see lobster art, lobster pants,

lobster on every menu. There's just lobster logos everywhere. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. you don't see crab art and crab pants. And I was telling my wife, I just, I ate lobster every day because I've never eaten it, you know, my entire life. But I am here to tell you that because fewer NFL team, the NFL preseason is shorter and fewer starters are playing, it was great because some schools have started around the country. I'd never taken the last week of August before Labor Day off. Holy shit.

That is, I'm doing that. I don't know how I'm going to make it work. It's a live hack. I literally said that is the 10 days in America because a lot of people, fourth of July is the peak of their summer. And then by the last week of August, you've used all your vacation time at work. John, you want to go check out some lobster in the last week of August. I got a place now.

You're welcome. Welcome. I'll see you there in 2024, Rhode Island last week of August. All right, buddy, good stuff. See you, Colin. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends.

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