The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Jags SNAP Broncos Streak, College Football Playoff, Bears STUN Packers In OT, Steelers Win In WILD Finish

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

Colin Cowherd and '3 & Out' host John Middlekauff react to Week 16 in the NFL. They start with Steelers-Lions, where Pittsburgh and Aaron Rodgers were able to hold off Jared Goff. Do the Pittsburgh Steelers have a chance in the playoffs? Next they discuss the Los Angeles Chargers win over the Dallas Cowboys and what makes Justin Herbert’s Chargers a real threat. Next they discuss Jacksonville Jaguars beating the Denver Broncos. Is this loss a concern for Bo Nix and Sean Payton? Next they discuss the Minnesota Vikings win over Jaxson Dart’s New York Giants. Is it time for the New York Giants to let Jaxson Dart go to draft Fernando Mendoza? Next they discuss how Jalen Hurts looked like vintage Jalen Hurts in the Eagles win over the Washington Commanders. Are the Philadelphia Eagles back or was this just a win over a weak Commanders team? Next they discuss Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears win over the Green Bay Packers. Are the Green Bay Packers no longer contenders? Can Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson take the Bears to the Super Bowl? Next they discuss the Los Angeles Rams and the potential issues that surround Puka Nacua. Finally they react to JMU-Oregon, Alabama-Oklahoma, Tulane-Ole Miss, and Miami-Texas A&M. Finally, they predict 49ers-Colts.  Timeline: 03:15 Steelers-Lions 10:30 Chargers-Cowboys 25:30 Jags-Broncos 31:00 Vikings-Giants 38:30 Eagles-Commanders  41:15 Packers-Bears 59:30 Rams-Seahawks 1:04:00 College Football Playoff Reaction 1:16:00 49ers-Colts (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!  #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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All right, before we dive into this week's breakdown, I watched a lot of football this weekend. I get hungry. And let's face it, watching football is better when you get to eat and drink. And that's just the truth. So luckily, on Uber Eats, you can score a free turkey pro bonoan subs.

which I have right here from Jersey Mikes when you spend $15.00 at Jersey Mikes all season long. There you go, footlong. This is my dinner. I can assure you when I'm done reading the spot, I'm going to eat it. It's an absolute beauty from Jersey Mikes. My favorite subplace has been forever. So you don't have to leave the house. And I used Uber Eats. This will be the second time today I used Uber Eats. I used it about six hours ago to get some Greek food. So it doesn't matter. Whatever you want to eat during the football season. Order of Jersey mics on Uber Eats. Satisfy that football craving. Terms apply. See the app for details. Bon Appetit. Uber Eats. All right. Welcome in wild finish in Detroit, 2924. The Steelers, who dominated much of the game. It got close in the last

several minutes. A lot of people will complain about the call. It's a great call. Amaran St. Brown. pushed Jalen Ramsey, caught the ball then outside the end zone, flipped a goff, who ran it in for a touchdown, but it was a PI, therefore it eliminates the play. They don't redo it. And Pittsburgh holds on for the win. Listen, I kept watching this game in the second half, and you kept saying, God, is Detroit going to give, when is Detroit going to click and make this competitive because after that second Jalen Warren run, you're like, God, they had no energy. I just kept waiting for Detroit to do something in it. They did it too late. I thought that they got the call right. It was confusing in the end, but they got the call right. If you would have told me

to going into this game 29, 24, I would have put an uncomfortable amount of money on the lines. Hitchworth Steelers, of course, 29 points. They're not going to win and shoot it. And I would have said, I bet it was 29 to, you know, somewhere in the teens late and the Steelers got like a backdoor touchdown. So to win a game, in Detroit, they score points, right? And, you know, the other thing is, if I would also say, hey, Jared Goff is going to have 360 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions in this game. You would have liked the Lions. He'd be like, oh, he's probably carving them up. Their wide receivers are going nuts.

You know what the problem was, though, Colin? Is the Steelers ran for 230 yards on them. And they got those two explosive runs. So, yeah, you know, D.K. Metcalf is swinging at fans. They're passing game. One of their best receivers is a 300-yard tied-in. Third Stringer from the Eagles, Gainwell, who actually looks fantastic. But they have to kind of manipulate stuff.

The last couple of years, when they're playing well, it's like T.J. Watt, right? Create a fumble. Some crazy happen on defense. Maybe special teams. You do something stupid. That's not really the case right now because T.J. Watts got to collapse long after dry needling. and Gainwell and Warren, those two guys,

because D.K. Metcalfe, for every great game he has, like, he can just, I don't know. I mean, today he was four for 42. Like, you watch the Lions guys, James and Williams now, Ammon Ross St. Brown. Those guys are dependable week in, week out. I know they can come through. You watch a lot of these, I don't know what I'm getting,

DK. He's kind of, he's closer to George Pickens than he is the top guys. Yeah, he can have games where he goes 10 for 100, but he can also have games like today where you're like, but the running backs really came through. And I do think that Aaron Rogers, his mind is as powerful as anything they have this year. And they've really lacked that.

You know, that's not really the way Ben played. But once he left, I mean, their quarterback situation has been such an embarrassing. His mind just slows everything down. They've had talent. The Steelers haven't had an offensive leader in seven years. They've had talent. I mean, they've had, you know, all sorts of players. they don't have a leader.

This has been a tone-deaf offense for years, even the last year of Big Ben. Like when you watch them today, this is the most impressed I've been with the Steelers in terms of focus coming into the game, big road game. They're now nine and six. Lions are eight and seven, still have a chance. Not much of one, I believe. They need like Green Bay to start losing. Both games.

Yeah. But I will say about Pittsburgh. is you don't have to be great on offense. In fact, I was listening to Mike Sando talk about this on the House of Strauss. Like the quarterbacks that went Super Bowls, Aaron's only had one great defense in his career with Green Bay. That's the year he won a Super Bowl.

Dak hasn't had good enough defenses. He's been good enough to get there. So in the end, we talk about quarterback play, but let's be honest, when Spags comes over in Kansas City, the last three years, Kansas City's been getting to Super Bowls, except this year, an average in like 23 points a game. So that's why like this year, Josh Allen, and have good enough defense, probably gets in the way of hoisting a Lombardi trophy.

So I just, I look at Pittsburgh and I look at Aaron Rogers, and he's exactly what they needed. I didn't think it was a good move for him because I think the steedars are offensive quicksand. But again, his intellect, the way he picks apart a defense, he's very old school. He's very, you know, pre-snap, he gets you out of trouble. He also doesn't, Aaron's never thrown a lot of interceptions. He's, you know, I mean, if anything, I would argue, he can be a bit cautious at times, throws underneath a little more than I'd like, but I'll defend him here. He doesn't have much to work with. It's a tight end running back offense and D.K. Metcalf, who is emotionally, you don't know what you're getting from D.K. Sunday to Sunday.

Well, they get Cleveland coming up, so let's give them a win there. If they beat the Ravens, they will have gone 11 and 6. I would say midway through the season. I did not see that in the cards. And more than likely, they're going to match up with the Chargers in that first. playoff game, which is clearly not an easy team to play. But, you know, somewhat some similarities, toughness, physicality, it's going to be cold. You just try to win that game like 19 to 17 or something. Make it ugly. And that's how the Chargers more than likely are going to have to win playoff games as well. How about this, though? What if T.J. Watt, who at times this season would disappear, older player, as long as internally he's healthy, what if getting his, you know, three weeks off with his legs,

he comes back fresher because today there were a couple times some of the other guys were rushing like, God, they have some team speed coming around on Jared Gop. You bring him back fresh off a couple weeks. You know, it's not like he injured a lower extremity physically as long as his lungs okay and all signs point to him coming back here eventually. That could be a pretty big addition. All of a sudden, you know, it wouldn't stun me if they beat the Chargers in a playoff game at home. Would it stun you?

No. No. Be easy. It won't be easy. I mean, it'll be test Aaron Rogers, their offense. That defense is really good. I mean, that'd be a really just solid first round playoff game. This could very much be your typical Steeler team over the last eight years. They have a winning record. They can sneak into the playoffs, but they don't have enough offensive juice to do it in the postseason. The Chargers now have a much better receiving core. Chargers have Hampton back. You have Jim Harbaugh as a coach. Herbert's the better quarterback. So in the regular season and the postseason, you know this. The intensity is different. The defense is different. It's just like baseball. You're getting all the best pitching staffs, all the best bullpens, all the best managers, all the best power hitters. So playoff football is different. But Pittsburgh deserves a ton of credit for what they've done. You know, until the end today when they, you know, listen, it's hard. You take a lead. You're on the road. You don't play as aggressively. And all of a sudden, you know, Gibbs rattles off a big touchdown. You get now all of a sudden you're like, okay, your play calling gets more conservative. It's hard to go on the road and hold these leads. seven-point dog coming into this game. They were a huge underdog. They were up 29-17. They got Aaron

Rogers. The casual guy on his couch might not realize. This was not supposed to be a coin-flip game. Chargers 34 Dallas 17th. Dallas had no interest, by the way, in Ben Johnson, but gobbled up Matt Eberfluse and Brian Schottinheimer got the contract. The Chargers are a great example of coaching in season. So when we looked at this season, John, We looked at the Chargers and we thought, man, that wide receiving group is slim. Now you have Ladd McConkey, who's a star in the slot. Trey Harris has emerged as a real player. Quentin Johnson, two years ago, he thought he was a bust.

He's not a bust. Keenan Allen remains one of the great third down pass catchers in the history of the NFL. And Will Disley, who's a tied-in. But this is in season coaching. Like 15 weeks ago, you looked at this and thought they don't have a enough weapons. Their issue now is online. Their weapons are fine. Hampton's back. We've never seen Naji Harris. It hasn't really mattered. And I, Justin Herbert didn't get sacked today, which is like a revelation. I just look at this team. They've won seven of eight. They're 11 and four. They don't

blow you away. They grind out wins. I mean, obviously Dallas's defense didn't put up much of a fight. But I don't know. I just watched them today and I'm like, I don't think there's a lot of coaches that could get this offensive line to 11 and 4. Yeah, I mean, it's one of the great Jim Harbaugh coaching jobs. You know, in those three years when he was winning a lot in San Francisco, they were pretty healthy and pretty loaded. That is not the case right now. And he eats alive.

I mean, teams in Dallas's situation, nothing to play for. Flawed team, not a physical team. Harbaugh's like the guy that beat up Jake Paul getting in the ring with the Cowboys today. He was going to pound on him. And, you know, it hit me today watching them. you know, Houston didn't play that well today, and neither did Buffalo. But those are going to be three really hard wildcard teams. And to me, Buffalo doesn't have much in common with the Chargers and the Texans because

toughness translates in the playoffs. Houston, or I mean, the Chargers and Jim Harbaugh has been singing, like, there was a sliding door moment. I was thinking about when the news got announced earlier this week about Tua getting benched. Think about how that changed the history of the NFL. I think Jim Harbaugh, not this year more than likely, but is going to win if his offensive line can stay healthy a Super Bowl or get the Chargers to a Super Bowl. He would not be the Chargers coach if they didn't have Justin Herbert. And looking back, it is kind of crazy.

I get he played at Alabama, but Tua hurt his hip in college. So he didn't even finish that season, remember Mac Jones did. Justin Herbert's almost six foot six, 230 plus pounds. He was essentially a four-year starter, not at UC Davis at Cal or at Oregon. I mean, they weren't the best. And he's still like, I will take Tua over him. Now, the dolphins weren't alone, right? A lot of people, I think even did Tolesco, a lot of people like Tula.

Yeah. But looking back, it's like, did we really overthink that one? Because that's pretty crazy. And the way he played the day, and really he's played the last couple weeks, has been pretty remarkable. And like you said, their weapons, their toughness on defense. I mean, Jesse Minter, the Harbaugh brothers, with Minter and Mike McDonald over the last four or five years.

I mean, they have nailed. Look, Vic Fangio was a household name for him a long time ago, right? But when you land these young guys, I mean, he is a dominant, dominant defensive coordinator. And let's face it, I mean, Derwin James and Cleo Mack are like Hall of Fame level players. Right. You know, a lot of random guys there, too. I mean, they're not exactly, you know. They got fifth round corners making big time plays.

For sure. So I watch the Chargers. It's just classic Jim Harbaugh. Well coached, tough. But he's never in. had a quarterback that's this good at passing, right? You know, Kaepernick was an explosive passer, pretty inaccurate, great runner, but Herbert can run too.

You know, McCarthy, you know, let's face it, just kind of rode shotgun for the squad. And those are probably, and definitely Alex was nowhere near as talented as Justin Herbert. So you get a guy, you really watch Justin Herbert, you go, this guy is, you can count on one hand and not get too far, how many quarterbacks are better than him right now. And he's doing it with like Rogers. You know, Rogers is winning his arm so great. But it's pretty, like his mind is at such, it's almost like manning those last couple years or Brady.

He's mastered this sport, right? Yeah. So Herbert is getting so much better mentally, but physically he is just, I mean, besides Josh Allen, just in terms of size, strength, and speed, those guys are like historic outliers in the history of the league. I mean, he was 23 at 29, 300 yards, 133.3. passer rating. And again, this is, he didn't get sacked. So Dallas now, zero NFC championship games in 30 years, longest streak in the NFC, Jerry acknowledging that the management has been part of the

problem. And I, it's just to me, it's amazing is that Jerry and everybody, you've got it, I've got it, we've all got a hole in life. Jerry just doesn't respect coaching. And I mean, Mike McCarthy walks away from this job because he knew eventually he would get fired. and Mike McCarthy now looks really, really smart and is now one of the leading candidates for jobs out there. I just look at Dallas and it's like, listen, back is good enough to get to a Super Bowl. The O line is young, but it's pretty good run blocking line. They'll use their first two picks probably on defensive players, a Caleb Downs and an edge rusher. Their defense will be fine.

Quinn and Williams out today. Injured. They could be a lot. I do think they could be a lot. a lot better next year. You know, if they make a couple good moves on defense, at least, you know, in terms of the roster now, the coaching when you see Iber Flusen and Schottnheimer, throughout the entire season, I mean, are they good enough to get you 10 to 12 wins?

I think Schenheimer as a play call, I think Dax looked, watching that game, like the first half, you go, there aren't seven or eight better quarterbacks than this guy this year and this, in this league. But I think in the end, when you look at elite, you know, Mike Rable and Josh McDaniel or Shula and McFeynolds. or Sala, you know, and Shanahan, there's a level of six or seven Spags, Andy Reid, staffs, Jesse Mentor, Jim Harbaugh, and Dallas just doesn't want to pay that. They don't want to pay $17 million for a head coach and four and a half to five for a

coordinator. And it's like, Jerry, you're worth like $40 billion. Just, just pay, you're getting a $500 million check annually. You pay no state tax. You know, I don't know what the corporate tax is, but Jerry, you got plenty of. of money. I just feel like, you know, they were eliminated from the playoffs before the game, but they played a pretty decent first half. But it's just interesting to me that Jerry will pay for things. Clearly, he's said in his life, whenever you pay for a bargain, that's what you get a bargain.

And it's kind of a bargain basement staff. Look over since the Eagles once, you know, Chip left and how he got back control, Jeffrey, the checkbook that he not only pays the team, but they're willing to paid coaches. Right, Seriani's got floss. What do they do? They make Vic Fangio the highest paid coordinator in the league. They have constantly bought, you know, the last couple of years, offensive coordinators, right?

This was the first year that kind of went in-house and look what happened. Well, guess what? If the Eagles get bounced, what will they do? They'll fire Kevin Petula and they will hire a guy that is not cheap. So that's your going up against Jerry. Like the Giants and the commanders, one thing's pretty clear. Those organizations in any given year can disappear. Even when the Eagles are in kind of shambles, and this year for them,

is like not up to par. What are they still going to win, 11, 12 games? So that's who you're going up against Jerry. You know, it's not just like the Cowboys, ironically, have played well against the Eagles in one-on-one matchups. But that's two of 70 games, right? So over the course of the season, Jeffrey Lurie's margins are higher because he's spending so much more because he's like, this is all funny money now, right?

And, you know, it goes back to that documentary on Netflix. I think you go back to the mid-90s when finances were obviously dramatically different than they are. Now, Jerry couldn't stand not only paying the guy a lot, but that guy getting a lot of credits. I actually think it's two-fold because it's not just paying the guy, but once you pay a Shanahan and McVeigh, they're as much of the poster child for your franchise as the player, right? So at least Jerry now, it's like, okay, we got Dak or star Micah Parsons as our star players, but I'm right next to him, right? There's not, even Mike McCarthy wasn't near Jerry's level.

And, you know, if he had hired, let's say Ben Johnson this offseason. And let's say the Cowboys were competing to make the play or 10-win team. Ben would be, I mean, a rock star. He'd be talked about as much as he is now, if not more. Right. Right. So, and Jerry, let's face it, doesn't want that. Because even if the Cowboys next year make the playoffs, Brian Schottenheimer's not outshining, you know, Jerry Jones.

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it's clear that all is not well in the pews. Written and directed by Ryan Johnson, critics calling it the sharpest Knives Out movie yet. Watch Wake Up Dead Man. A Knives Out mystery now, select theaters, and on Netflix rated PG-13. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy, but I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong on what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success.

Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life. That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior. And that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social. and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole,

this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Ardano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor, I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, ho from a hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian.

I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice, known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken soup. Hey, 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 Coutura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. This is my best friend Janet.

Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later. We're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey with all the snacks and drink. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo. Well, then you got it.

Do you want a white collar or something here? Just take it. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a wrap? I would buy it. Cut through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic.

You're lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. Okay, the one team that hammered the chargers this year completely physically dominated them was the Jaguars who dominate Denver in Denver today, 34 to 20. So Trevor Lawrence has become the quarterback we all thought he would become, seven and one in his last eight with a passer

rating of 122 total touchdowns. So that's the most of the Broncos defense has surrendered this year. Denver's defense has a pass rush. It's not a great defense. It's a playmaking defense. It times. But I thought today, and it was 17-17, R.J. Harvey had a great run. He's that second round back. People thought Peyton kind of reached on him. From that point forward, the Jags dominated. Now, I will give, I said all week on FS1, I kept saying, I have this feeling. Denver's played so many close, big games in a row after the Green Bay game. I think they're going to be flat. And they weren't. They played a competitive first half. But the Jaguars really have a chip on their shoulder. They're the only good.

team in the league that nobody discusses, nobody wants in the playoffs. And it's another example. When you get Caleb Williams-Benzhen, when you get Trevor Lawrence, Liam Cohen. This is the guy, I mean, Baker Mayfield doesn't feel nearly like the same quarterback this year. I mean, he got outplayed today by Bryce Young. So Liam Cohen left. Sometimes it takes, a lot of the times, it takes this special coordinator to unlock these talents. I watched Trevor Lawrence today. he is in the last six or seven weeks, no, he's not getting lured into, he always had bad fumbles and bad throws. He's not doing that anymore. They've simplified the offense.

They've simplified his reeds. I don't know. I just, to go to Denver and drop 30 for him, I do think Denver was a little distracted and a little flat. That went over the Packers was a huge win. You buy the Jags? Well, I would disagree a little bit because Denver, I mean, the number one seed is, coming into this game, like, they could really lock it down, right? You win all of a sudden the Pats lose tonight to the Ravens.

This thing's a rat. You knock out the Jags. Like, everything's coming through Denver. You can kind of chill these last couple weeks. You're playing the Chiefs in a couple days who are just obviously running on empty at this point in time. I was blown away by the Jags. It's one thing to do what they did last week to the Jets. I mean, every time you look up, the Jets.

That franchise. I mean, even the Raiders today had some fight. I mean, that was bad. I think it's twofold. One, Trevor Lawrence has taken a lot of crap, rightfully so, because he was anointed the next luck, the Peyton Manning, one of the great prospects of all time. My mom could tell the first couple years, like, what?

This is so he looked fantastic today. I mean, some of those passes in the red zone, his running, I think he's accounted. I mean, he had six touchdowns last week. I think he had four today because he threw three and ran for one. He had ten touchdowns in two weeks. And here's the other thing. Part of the reason we don't talk about him, this franchise has kind of been a laughing stock for a while.

And that means you get to draft a lot of players. I mean, they got the kid, do they drafted a couple years ago, Tram Balke from Georgia, the pass rusher. I mean, he's all over the – like, they got good players on defense. Yeah. Right. And they're doing this without Travis Hunter. Parker Washington's been a revelation for that. He dominated a day.

I mean, they ran the same play over and over, and he's making the DB miss every time. And he's just B-Lined down. E-TN, I mean, is a big-time player. So I think Trevor Lawrence, I always thought he was a little overhyped relative to like comparing him. Sure. I didn't see Andrew Luckett. But the way he's played right now, like he looks like a guy that you would draft number one and have a franchise quarterback. Yeah.

They have a bunch of guys on offense. And the other thing is because Vrable and Ben Johnson take up so much oxygen, but specifically on offense, Ben Johnson. I mean, he resurrected the Chicago Bears. So it's like you resurrect part of Nick Sabin's fame is like he resurrected Alabama. The Jags are a small market. They're not, what are they, the fourth biggest team in their own state and other three are college teams. Yeah. So it comes with the territory.

Liam Cohen is a star. I mean, the staff he put together. I mean, Baker Mayfield was good two years ago. He took him to another level. It felt like when he was the office coordinator. And this year, Baker's not the same quarterback outplayed today. And you watch what he's doing. And part of being a head coach is more than just calling plays.

The defensive coordinator he hired, this Italian guy from the Packer staff has been fantastic. They just look like a well. I mean, today, they dominated that game. Physically, dominated the game. Offensively, they could not be stopped. The thing is with Denver, I'm in agreement. They're not like the 85 Bears defense,

but it's pretty rare to just see every play they're calling. It's just first down, first down, guy open, mistackle. It felt like they didn't know what was coming. And their head coach is the play caller. I mean, I'm not saying he should get coach of the year like Ben Johnson because there's just more pressure in Chicago. But what he's doing in Jacksonville, one takeaway I had, like by the, six touchdown they scored today.

Could they win the Super Bowl? I mean, it's not out of the realm possibility, is it? They definitely have the talent and the quarterback who's playing well. One of the best teams is New England. They're not even done with their rebuild. I mean, they're not. New England's O-line needs another couple of players. Like, New England's a great story.

They're not a great team. They're not a great roster. It's well-coached, excellent young quarterback. Secondary's got playmakers. Actually, their receivers are a little better than they get credit for. But yeah, I mean, this is the year. This is the year. Last time we saw Jacksonville, they had Blake Bordles.

I think they went to the AFC championship. This team feels like it's much livelier offensively, much more, it's clever. Let's move into this game. I thought it was interesting. So Minnesota beats the Giants 16 to 13. Giants could have had two defensive touchdowns, but Abdul Carter lined up off sides. He has been so erratic, such a talent, so erratic. So J.J. McCarthy got hurt. He looked a lot better than Jackson Dart. Then they brought in Max Brosner. It was interesting with Jackson Dart. He finished 7 for 13 for 33 yards. No touchdowns in a pick. They just wouldn't let him throw. Like they clearly did Brian Flores either as a defensive coordinator or head coach of Miami has faced the Giants in 12 quarters. They've never scored a touchdown against Brian Flores. So Mike Kofka can.

came in today is like, for 95% of the first half, Jackson Dart didn't have a completion. And so I said it this week, if you had the number one pick and you're the Giants and you could get Fernando Mendoza, a much bigger quarterback with, I mean, it's what he's doing at Indiana is like, what? Doesn't even make sense. I would take Mendoza and just get a haul for Jackson Dard. But and people said, that's outrageous. That's crazy. Well, courage sometimes looks crazy before something works. But it's interesting with Jackson Dart today. They literally coached him not to throw. They did not want him throwing. They've been running the ball well of late. But what did you make of sort of the Jackson Dart performance, which was just, I mean,

here's your moment against the good DC, and it was a whiff. Well, I think you've got to ask yourself a couple questions. Through the middle of the season, he looked pretty good. And then the coach firing obviously happened. You know, they fire. a defensive coordinator. It's pretty chaotic. You know, for an organization that, I mean, when I was working for the Eagles was kind of one of the gold standards of just high level operation, winning Super Bowl's beating Belichick, they feel like a mess from coaching fires. Obviously, this thing's unraveling a little bit. They're a tough watch.

I mean, New York sports fans feel for them. I think it's going to come down to, you know, he's an erratic player when it comes to physical play of not understanding. No, quite. Bro, what are you doing here? Watch Caleb Williams play, his understanding of like getting down, not taking big hits. And he's bigger, faster. I mean, Jackson Darts, I think, been to the tent. I saw a stat like last week, like six times in however many games he started this year.

And obviously. He lacks a little self-awareness on the field. Yeah. And when he said, like, this is football. This isn't basketball. This is, you know, the way I've always played. It's like, brother, this is the NFL. These guys will kill you.

They will knock you out. The other thing is in your position, the entire building, if you become good, is determined on your success, right? They need you. So I do think the Mendoza thing will all come down to, who's the new coach, you know, the GM will he go, well, that was Dayball's guy, it wasn't even my guy. I think the Giants are just in complete disarray and you just never know. Everything would be on the table, right? And the other thing is Jackson Dart was not like the second overall pick. He was drafted in the 20s. So his contract is actually pretty tasty for a lot of teams if they wanted to do that. They're terrible right now. I mean, they're really, really bad. And I'd say on the flip side.

Yeah, it's hard to get a judge on him because everything around him, they're swimming in chaos. I think there are some. Now, Jared Goff, you knew exactly what he was coming out of Cal. But you've talked about this all the time. That moment in L.A., that first year, it's like, I would have said this guy's going to be out of the league in a couple years. You never know, just because the situation around you is, like, it's crazy to say. Like, when he was with Lane the last couple years, Ole Miss was a pretty stable operation. I've never lost in my life like this. You know, Fernando Mendoza, we'll see.

I think these next, I think we'll probably talk about it, but I think Bama's a pretty tasty dog in that game. So we'll just, you know, again, I think Fernando Mendoz is going to go up, be the number one overall pick. But I don't think the gap was like when you took Josh Rosen and then he took Kyler Murray, I think you could easily justify, keep rolling, you know, with Jackson,

would Jackson Dard trade the pick? It's not one of those. It's a discussion. You would obviously listen because who knows how many picks you could get or what the options are. I would say with the Giants, everything should always be on the table when you've been this bad for this long. Yeah, and I talked to Chris Peterson this past week on Fox. And I asked him about Mendoza. He goes, I watched them a lot at Cal.

And he said, he wasn't this good. He said, so he's grown. So he's not one of these guys like Caleb Williams, when you gave him his first snap at Oklahoma. And you're like, holy shit, what are we watching this? It's not one of the, or Trevor Lawrence wins the Natty as a freshman. He's not transformational like that. He's not a great athlete. He's a good athlete.

But I do think it's something you have to consider. It's just hard to get a judgment on Jackson Dart. He's better than we thought. Anytime you lose a coach, it's like Caleb last year. Look at Caleb this year to last year. Same guy. I mean, the only similarity is he still doesn't throw a lot of picks. He didn't throw, you know, he only had six last year.

He doesn't throw many this year. But Caleb's been transformed. He's much more confident. The operations are clean. he doesn't get sacked. He's tremendous late in games. So it is hard to get a read on Jackson Dart. All I'm saying is Jackson Dart is an erratic player.

Mendoza. And again, if Mendoza struggles, but what if Mendoza has his next three games, he is great. Yeah, wins the national championship. Now all of a sudden it's like, okay, because these are going to be the three most watched games of his life. And we know what happens in the NFL when a game is a standalone game in the the NFL. Jesus, we all overreact. He's a bum. He's the best ever. Okay, these are going to be huge TV numbers for Indiana. If he crushes in those games, there is going to be an avalanche of support for, you know, sell whatever furniture you have in the house to get the number one pick.

I think the bigger moment in that game was the play that JJ was heard on. Remember in the preseason when Anthony Richardson dislocated his finger or hand on a blitz that he didn't see? and they're like, hey, three years into the league, you kind of got to notice that. Yes. This is second year in, the guy, listen, it might have been a screw up, but it also could have been like, you know this guy's unblocked, you've got to get rid of the ball fast. Maybe it's a bad call.

But, you know, JJ McCarthy, say what you want. The guy's just injured all the time, you know, and this is a guy that had some positive momentum coming into this game. Now, granted, it was against two bad teams, but you went, okay, throw some touchdowns. They can justify, you know, going into the offseason with you, starting you, but now you're injured again. I think at this point in time, with his limited sample size of success,

how could you trust going into the offseason? This guy's my starter. It feels like every other game he's injured. I mean, look at the course of his short career, how many games he would have been available for. We'll see what happens if he's available the rest of the season. I think they play on Christmas. So, I mean, I would imagine his availability is very up in the air.

So that's probably another game missed for the guy. And this is tough. I mean, it goes back to the Herm Edwards thing, the best abilities, the availability. People make fun of it. But if you're just not able to play, you're not that valuable to me. You know, I mean, you're just really not. And now for our next segment, whiskey business. Yes, Whiskey Business brought to you by Green River Whiskey, the official whiskey of the Colin Coward podcast.

Okay, I don't want to make too much of this. Philadelphia 29, Washington 18. Commander's defense is atrocious. But Jalen hurts. That looked like 2024, Jalen. He ran. He didn't throw an interception. He was hit and miss a little bit, but A.J. Brown, nine catches. Devante Smith six. Sequin Barclay, 132 yards rushing. That's the best Philadelphia's offenses look all year. Again, 385 yards, over 200 rushing. Okay, 26 first downs. It is Washington. And like Dallas, they just, they just make you look really comfortable. Should I take anything from that? that run game, Saquan Barclay and Hertz, or is it just the commanders? Yeah, I would say it's just the commanders because offensive line-wise,

it still feels they're hesitant on the tush-push where it used to dominate. It's nowhere near as good. I think they showed the stature in the game that the tush push this year is less effective than just the conventional quarterback sneak. It's like well under 70%. At the end of the day, they still have elite players. I mean, AJ Brown, Devante Smith, Saquan Barkley, and I don't know where Godder ranks, but he's much higher than he's lower.

So offensively, they have a ton of issues throughout the course of the season, but, and their quarterback, he can have individual drives where you go, that's as good as any quarterback in the league. Oh, he has individual throws. So it's, he had the one throw to Goddard for the touchdown in the corner of the end zone that I think Greg Olson was like, that's as good of a throws you'll see all week. Right. So defensively, they're going to be good. You know, if Jalen Carter comes back, they got Vic Fangio. I said this last night when I, uh, record a podcast. However this is going to go, whether they win in the first round or, you know, win a couple games or losing it. It's going to be weird. And it's not going to look great. It's not going to be like last year in a couple of playoff games where they just rolled. If they draw in the first round, the Rams, Seattle, the Niners, expect a game if you're an Eagle fan on the edge of your seat with three or four minutes to go and stretches in the game where your offense doesn't do anything. Because that happened yesterday, Colin. They had seven points up on the board through the first half. They're playing the worst defense in the league.

League? The NFC is so much better. Seattle's so much better. The Rams are better. And Rams were good last year. San Francisco is shockingly good. The Bears are excellent. So, I mean, the NFC is clearly the better conference this year.

I don't think you can even, you can't. Oh, it's not even close. Not even close. When you want to enjoy life's simpler pleasures, reach for Green River whiskey. Whether it's rye whiskey or single barrel bourbon. You're getting over a century of craftsmanship packed into every bottle. Hop on over to greenriverwiskey.com and discover a legend in a bottle today. All right, another game.

We've got to spend some time on this. Chicago 22, Green Bay 16 and overtime. Cairo Santos, by the way, I didn't know he had a great leg. 43, 46, 51-yard kick in the wind in Chicago. I'm like, you know, my first takeaway is Malik Willis and Matt LaFle-Flor. Malik Willis qualifies as maybe the best backup in the league. He is electric. I don't know what Jordan Love, where he's at with his injury.

You can win games with Malik Willis and this defense. You can win games. They were excellent on third down. They dominate time of possession. Now Green Bay is on a two-game losing streak. So let's first, before we get to Chicago, address Green Bay. They're not a Super Bowl team with all their losses. But I thought they control, you know, 90% of the game.

and I think you can win games with Malik Willis the next two weeks. I think there have been the three most devastating losses of the year for good teams, and the Packers R1, have been the two Rams losses, the one to Seattle a couple days ago, to Mack Jones earlier this season, and that Packer won. The difference for McVeigh is he's like, we're like three plays away from being undefeated. We're going to the playoffs. Hell, we still might be the one or two seed when it's all said and done. The Packers are literally fighting for their playoff lives now.

I don't know how you get back up off the mat after that because I thought mid-game when they're up. I mean, technically they were up 10 points with two minutes to go. But the Bears got the ball back with five minutes. They're up 10. It felt borderline unless they busted a big play on offense. Statistically, they just weren't going to win that game. And I was thinking, is there a franchise in the NFL? And I started thinking all of sports that has a higher floor than the Packers? Like their floor is even the Chiefs this year, right? They've had to go to backup quarterback. and kind of fell apart. They went to Malik Willis, who I would say was universally, when they traded for the seventh round pick for him,

whether it was personnel people, whether it's people like me and you that talk about, who fans are like, what are the Packers doing? By the second, last year he won games, but he got to prepare Monday through Saturday to get ready for Sunday. That's a game late in the season. He's taking no reps,

gets thrown in on the road. Were you in Chicago yesterday? As windy, it was cold, it was not a day to play football. No, and it also had an atmosphere like LSU or Alabama or, you know, Ohio State, Michigan. It felt like one of the best atmospheres of the year. He gets thrown in. He looks fantastic. Jordan Love wouldn't have played any better when you factor in the legs and the arm through a beautiful touchdown pass.

And listen, LaFleur coming into the season, coaching for his contract extension, he's a brilliant offensive quarterback developer, what he's done with love. And obviously this guy, I was blown away. On third down, they were so good on third down. I think the Packers, I don't know how anyone on that coaching staff or the players, I mean, Jeff Halfley, up until the last couple of minutes, they had corrowned Caleb.

He wasn't doing his broken plays, making crazy plays. They weren't gassing him in the run game. They had six points on the board with a couple minutes to go with, the guy that's considered the hottest offensive coordinator of the season, and then you shake your head and they've lost. I mean, it's, that was, I mean, we, I love watching this stuff. That was as surprising and crazy of an, the Seattle game, we've seen team blow double digit, you know, leads.

That's not, what, what's the likelihood of an onsite kick? I know they say it's 8%. It feels closer to 1%. I mean, it's absolutely stunning when an onside kick works. And it hit Romeo, dogs, one of the game, what was on the side kick. line. Yeah, so they trailed 16 to 6 and scored the game's last 16 points. They got that Green Bay Fumble, that right, the fumble recovery, that bounce around guy, the former J.C. guy, Oregon State guy, bounce around the league guy. So classic NFL. He's had a great year. He's going to get paid.

He's had like seven interceptions. He's incredible. You know, it's the thing about Caleb and I, and I've said this, I think I said it's a couple weeks ago. He's like a little bit Josh Allen-ish, much shorter, obviously. I don't get too tied up. He's improved everything. I went Friday on the show. He's improved in every statistic offensively, except accuracy. And I think he does. I think he does frustrate Ben Johnson. But you know what, man, DJ Moore and him have clicked in big spots. Their running game is outstanding. I think we have to give, I didn't know much about their, I mean, I knew who their Ryan Poles was her GM. He missed on Chase Claypool. He made the great DJ Moore trade. But I got to give him credit here. Almost all these offensive guys. I don't care if it's Tuny.

I don't care if it's Drew Dalman. I don't care if it's Loveland. I don't care if it's Luther Burden. The seventh round running back from Rutgers, D'Andre Swift. Listen, you got to give him credit. Montez Sweat. You got to give him credit, man. This roster, some of them have been quiet moves.

I'll say it again. I think Chicago's got good players. I think they've got really good, they have dynamic players, Caleb, without saying. But they're a handful. They can score quickly. They can score, I mean, they win the turnover battle. You know, Chicago's one of the rare teams. I could see them losing the first round of the playoffs, or I could see them winning three straight games.

I honestly could. I could see both things happening. That's how I feel about it. Well, I mean, you could just never count them out. I mean, now they feel a little bit Washington last year, almost like a team of Destiny. you win a game like that, like the team Washington. Remember Washington beating the Bears last year in the Hail Mary. Typically, when that goes your way, it feels like something special is going to happen.

I'd be stunned if they didn't win a playoff game, honestly, because they're never out of it. The thing that's blown me away with Caleb, and it was hard to tell in college. I mean, the one year at USC's first year they were good. The second year, they were just an abomination. They were like, what were they, seven, five, and the defense was horrendous. Last year, it was impossible to even judge him, the franchise, the Iber flus. It was just such a joke. You never know about a human being,

and I would say probably in any walk of life, like mental toughness and going through adversity. And when you're an athlete at the highest level, I mean, Caleb, number one recruit, everyone would have taken him, goes to Oklahoma. I mean, consensus number one overall pick. I mean, last year probably was the first time he ever saw, because even the 7 and 5 USC team,

he's still throwing a bunch of touchdowns, things are going well. It had to be like, and a lot of people, and even early this season, I was like, what the hell is going on? He is dramatically better. But to be so under control in these cold games when he's running around, to me that shows clearly he's in great shape, which you don't maintain your shape as a quarterback without doing extra stuff cardio-wise.

And his ability to focus down the stretch. Like he missed. When that ball left his hand on the game tying touchdown, he had airmailed the previous two throws. The one in the corner and Brady's like, I don't think the mechanics were great there. And the other one when he got blitzed, it was just, I mean, Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't have caught it. When that ball left his hand, I thought, I think that's over, you know.

You could see the guy in the back of the end zone, but I just assumed he airmailed it. And it kind of was, you know, Joe Montana, Dwight Clark, he just put it, but there wasn't a defender in sight. And then the throw, I mean, his physical attributes on the, on the game winning drive run around. I mean, all season long, he didn't have to do it as much last night because Jeff Halfley is, I would say, a pretty, league coach. What he's done with the Green Bay defense. He is fantastic. But that final drive that tied it to me was more impressive. Like Caleb's going to throw bombs like that, the game winner. He's going to do that his whole career. Like Aaron Rogers, like John Elway, like Josh Allen. He can do that with his eye. He's been doing that probably since he was seven years old.

But the instinctive plays of like, okay, shit, I got to go. And then he picks up 17 yards with his feet. Or now he's hitting the right guy. The DJ Moore pass over the middle of the field. It was like the game winning drive by Sam Darnold. It was like, okay, he had a crappy game, but mentally held it together, hits Cooper Cup. Like, that's really hard to do because I don't care whether you're 25 or you're 55. If things are going really bad, it's easy to kind of lose focus, getting a bad mindset. I've been blown away by his like mental, toughness is probably even the wrong word, but like focus. Yeah, just, just unwillingness to be phased by, because they've had a lot of stretches a little like, like we know Jalen gets

a lot of credit for this, right? Jaylen could have the worst games ever. All of a sudden, he has a great couple drives at the end of the game. It's like, Eagles win. And you're like, well, because Jaylin's just kind of unfaced. Even yesterday, like barely even high fives after touchdown. Caleb's much more, there's much more energy and just you kind of feel them more. But that final drive to tie it, I thought that was brilliant. I know they were gifted the onside kick, but you still got to take advantage of it. No, I think, and I think, I've said this for the last several weeks, is I just have a hard time getting worked up. I mean, Tom Brady had no dynamic explosive run plays.

He completed 64% of his throws. Like, I would hope Caleb gets to 61. But they're just talking, he and Josh Allen, it's just a different horsepower. Like, Lamar Jackson put on weight. Jalen hurts is stocky. But Jalen's been banged up a lot in his career. And now Lamar Jackson's been banged up in his career. Josh Allen doesn't get hurt much today.

one of the few times he looked like running around, he got banged up a little bit. The two things about Caleb Williams, the three things. First of all, durable as hell, doesn't throw interceptions. And college high schooler pro, he's just got the ability in big moments. There's this sensory feel for the moment. I saw him do it against Oregon State when he hit Jordan Addison down the sideline of that game where they were outplayed. he had a terrible first two, three quarters at Oregon State. He was kind of moody on the sidelines.

Then he makes an unbelievable throw. He and Lincoln Riley are like making it up on the sideline. He's just had that ability forever. He's, you know, it's funny, John. It's almost like a golfer. Tiger Woods had this ability. Tiger Woods never lost a lead. Tiger Woods, you never saw him nervous.

Well, Greg Norman's got confidence. We saw him fall apart. Mickelson. They're just certain, they're just certain athletes. that they're just, there's something in crisis where they elevate, MJ. And Caleb's got that, whatever that is. He just doesn't get nervous. In fact, I would argue when he struggles, is on a wide open pass in the flat,

when he's got too much time. He kind of likes the pressure. He likes the intensity of the moment. I think in my lifetime, Peyton and Phil were great examples of guys that always collapsed, and then they had a moment where they figured it out and they never look back. some guys, because I think those guys are two good examples of like overthinkers, I think Caleb is more of just like, he's just a more, Josh Allen's a lot, just let him play some backyard football.

And I think it's been very difficult for Ben Johnson. I'd argue you should run, some of the plays they ran from Malik Willis, I would have some design runs for Caleb if your offense is sputtering. He's, his instincts, a lot like Jalen Hertz, he's not Jackson Dart. He's not going to take hits. He's very comfortable in the open field. Jalen Hertz could transition to be a running back and run for 80 yards in the game, no problem, right? Just because their feel for the space.

Some guys have it, some guys don't. And at quarterback, it's less rare than running backs. But like Caleb as a runner, I just don't ever remember him getting hit because he knows when to go down. But he's an underrated athlete. I don't think people quite grasp how athletic he is. I mean, the explosive runs. He gets from the line of scrimmage down 10 yards past the first down marcher in these big spots, like in the blink of it. Yeah, he's when you're next to him, thick. And I always say this, like, what are your traits?

He is just trunky and thick and big head and big shoulders and big hands. And he's only six feet tall. He feels much bigger. Sam Darnold's like that. Sam's like six three. You're around Sam. Sam. Sam, big head, hair, shoulders, but Caleb has just got, I mean, you'd have to really hit him to knock him off his feet. This product contains nicotine. That's an addictive chemical. What are you reaching for if you're a smoker or dipper? You're reaching for nicotine satisfaction and all the problems that come with smoking or dipping. But you could be reaching for Zin nicotine pouches.

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We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. but this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name

Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey Jonas, and then I wrote down on my little notepad Hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy. but I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong on what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success.

Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. this is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of. connection. This mental health awareness month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher

consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually need to be a lot of people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a

and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone,

let it ring twice. one ring is too scary. Cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream, 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 IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the Hipsons High School. Absolutely.

a redacted amount of years later. We're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drink. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer?

They had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Do you want a white color or something here? Just take it. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album? Oh, I would.

Come on. How did you imagine? I would buy it. Cut through the defense like a hot night. through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic.

You're lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. One more NFL thought before we get to college football. Random.

on Pooka NICUA. He didn't make NIL money. Fifth round pick, not making anything now, been banged up multiple times in his career. I texted somebody who's pretty close with the Rams organization and he said he's in the last year, there's a lot of ego. He's a lot more maintenance. Rams don't want that outside the building, obviously. But this Pukkahua situation is, interesting because if he gets hurt again, John, he's been banged up a lot. He's a physical, physical player. He kind of likes contact. He didn't make NIL money. He hasn't been paid here. I would not be shocked if this continues on ripping. I mean, good God, like you know he's been told multiple times. Get it together. And he just hasn't. So I think that's something come draft time

in April. They have two first, a second, a third. If the run, Rams went and used one of those on a receiver, not a position of need. I think it's a signal. But McVeigh, I mean, he just fired his special teams coach. He's not going to put up with that shit. He is very, he'll get rid of you now because Devonte has emerged. They have so many tight ends. I'm telling you, this Puka Nakua situation is keep your eye on it over the next six months.

Well, one thing we've learned is you can never discount. Like some guys are just natural divas, and we know it from when they're young in college, it can come and crop up at any moment. I mean, you are a reflection, especially, you know, once you become a star player of who you're kind of running with. Like, Puka, who are you hanging out with? Stop hanging out with these losers.

Like, can you go hang out with Devante Adams and his family? Can you, you're hanging out with these guys, and I saw McVeigh, his press conference on Friday, the day after the game. Like, you need to be smart about putting yourself in situations around people that, like, they don't care. and your situation is a little bit different. But like, look at Brandon Ayuk's situation.

He's taking videos going 100 miles an hour down. It's like these guys, I think sometimes decision-making. It's always receivers. But I would say this about Pookka. Like Puka goes, you can't win without me. Right? So he kind of knows he's really young. He starts realizing his value of like, we, I just had 12 for 225.

I know you need me. I'm making nothing relative to these guys making $25, $30 million. And maybe it's just something in the water in the wide receiver meeting rooms around the league because he's definitely not the first and the last. I didn't see this coming. He's hanging out with who? And I'm with McVeigh. Some of these controversy,

I couldn't point these streamers out of the lineup if you paid me. I feel like I'm like my dad or something. I don't even know what is going on. But I know this. I know Sean McVeigh. I know less need. I know the coaching staff. Like, why are you running with this guy?

Like, what are you doing? What? And clearly, like, he's, spending a lot of time with people that, you know, just can kind of derail you. And we've seen it happen over and over more than any to this position. And he is, he's like a tight end meets Calvin Johnson. I don't ever remember a player quite like him, you know, truly. So he is very, very special, you know, as a talent.

But we have seen other special guy. Antonio Brown was one of the greatest wide receivers we've ever seen. And he just started thinking a lot more of himself than he did about anything. else around him and it derailed and it derailed fast. So he better be careful. Yeah. They're not given because the price at that position, especially for a guy of his production, what would his contract be like four years, $150 million? Maybe more, you know, four times, I don't know, four times, four 160, it's an astronomical

amount of money. So it's like, do I want to invest in you? Do I want to invest in Devante Adams? Don't even think twice. Do I want to invest in Jared Verst? He doesn't even think twice. Aaron Donald all those years. You get asked enough times in these press conferences and you've got to issue apologies. I'm out. That's what John McBay will do. We'll just find it. We found you in the third or fourth round.

We'll find another one. Maybe not as good as you, but I am not dealing with questions about some streamer. What are we even talking about? Yeah. He did some gesture to what was anti-Semitic. He's ripping rafts. It's like, bro, get it under control. Okay, college football.

Bama beats Oklahoma. after trailing 17-0, people said Bama shouldn't be in this tournament. Miami beats A&M, and I mean that defense for the hurricanes now, is a freaking handful. It is fast and physical. These are road wins.

These are hard games to win for college players. You just, I mean, I, I, now I liked Miami to beat Texas A&M. I watched Texas A&M play four times this year. You were never high on them. Didn't like him. I watched them beat Notre Dame 4,140.

Notre Dame at 500 yards. And I was just like, and then I watched Miami play Notre Dame. I'm like, Notre Dame can't even move the ball. So I watched them play Texas and loose. I watched them play South Carolina and come back furiously and win. They got their ass kick for the first half. I don't buy A&M. I think they're a good team.

But I picked Miami in this game. Four and a half, I thought it was stealing money down by three, maybe not as much. But that was to me a really good underdog bet. But it also goes to prove that Miami. and Alabama were absolutely worthy of making this tournament so it quiets Notre Dame up. That said, I'd rather have Notre Dame in than James Madison or Tulane. The Cinderella teams are 0 and 4, losing by 23 points a game. You know, whenever I hear, you know, college football is better than the pros.

I would just say, you can't get your playoff system right. So stop. I don't, you know, listen, I don't want to spend too much time on, we knew Ole Miss and Oregon would win. and it's just the way it is. I think college football, the committee, they're worried about getting sued if they don't let these smaller teams in, whatever. They're not going to win.

They get $8 million once they get in. It's a lot of money that's on the line for Tulane. But I do think it's interesting. I do think the committee, I said this when they put out the 12-team playoff, aside from James Madison and Tulane. I thought they got it right. Texas had too many close games.

Notre Dame just had to beat either A&M or Miami, just beat one because the rest of your schedule was mostly garbage and they couldn't. So I thought that the college football committee and I know it's just, it's easier to rip everybody, but Bama and Miami winning was good for the committee in my opinion. Yeah, I mean, I just think it gets back to the little guys taking the spots. You know, it got so, it pinned, you know, Notre Dame against Alabama and Miami. Meanwhile, JMU that probably doesn't have one player that would start for Notre Dame. and, you know, like the Sacramento Rivercats

just because they have a good season, the PCL don't get to play the Dodgers and the playoffs. I mean, that was pretty embarrassing, honestly, those two. Luckily, they were NFL games on. I'm like, I don't even need to watch this. You know, Tulane had already played Ole Miss. I think, listen, I got, I'm a small school guy. You went to Eastern Washington.

Like Montana was playing Montana State. I think where they want to keep their hand kind of in the cookie jar here is because they know if we get our own non-power-5 playoffs, no one will talk about it and no one will care. It'll be no different than the D1AA playoffs. Maybe some more people watch Boise State play Tulane, but they know it's nothing compared with the big dogs you're playing at the same time. And I think that it's pretty clear inevitably where we're headed.

And I think, you know, the networks have to get together. And if I'm Notre Dame and I'm in these schools, like we need to separate these little schools because they should not be allowed. It's not a fair fight on the basis of the 12 games that we play, even if you play in the whatever quote-unquote the crappiest conferences, let's say the ACC, playing Florida State and playing, you know, Clemson, back-to-back weeks is way different than anything Tulane or JMU is doing in their conference. So it's not even an apples-to-apples situation.

So I think that it was an embarrassment, and we've seen it back-to-back years now. They pivoted fast last year on the buys, but I think this year, and the ACC kind of screwed them because Duke ends up winning and Miami's not in the game. game. I just think there's so much subjectivity. College sports, specifically football, there's just so many, it feels a little like government, like everyone wants to, everyone has an idea, but there's no one making a decision and then no one can blame anybody. In the NFL, it's very black and white. This is what happens is how much money we're making. You're in the playoffs, you're out of the playoffs. The lines are out. These two teams are in. There's not really much

controversy ever with like how the money gets dibbyed up, who gets to play in what games, You know, on a yearly basis, we rotate with these divisions. In college, they're all kind of working together now, but they're all kind of at odds, too. And it's difficult. And then you have people within the conference, I don't blame Ohio State or Michigan knowing, like, I'm not listening to Rutgers. But that's the difference in the NFL. Like, ultimately, Jerry Jones works with Shod Khan, and they both profit from it.

Yeah. So I think at this point going forward, it's a really good tournament. I mean, Texas Tech at Oregon. That's a great game. Indiana, Alabama, Georgia Ole Miss. You know, I think going forward now, I look at it and I think, okay, these are really, really good games. You know, Ohio State Miami.

Now, I think Ohio State's going to win, probably low scoring. I think the first round of this is kind of junkie. But now at this point going forward, I do believe these are the best teams. I do believe Miami, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oregon, Indiana. Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, those are the best teams in the country. Those are the eight best teams in the country. Well, I would say we got the billionaire bowl, right, Texas Tech versus Oregon. That's the big money bowl.

You have, you know, Indiana versus Alabama's, I don't know, Alabama ranks top one to three somewhere. It's like the most historic program of all time against historically the worst program of all time. I think Indiana is going to win that game. See, I say Bama's a feisty dog because at the end of the day, obviously they weren't playing well. they kind of got their swag back in that game. John Mateer has not been the same since he broke his hand. But that defense was real, and they started moving the ball. They started making plays.

At the end of the day, Bama's got a lot of five-star and four-star guys on that roster. Yeah, I saw Feldman tweeted out. Kalen's 7-1 against top 10 teams. He is not afraid to win big games. Now, Indiana is no joke. They've been excellent this season. That win against Ohio State is one of the most impressive wins I've ever seen. But did you see in the post-game celebration, one of their strong.

star defensive lineman broke his leg jumping up. He led the team in TFLs. They had that wide receiver that had the game winning catch Cooper against Ohio against Penn State. He got injured in that game. We'll have to see his status. You know, it's just, it's, this is not the typical number one seed. Like, we're just rolling to the championship. It's going to be difficult. Kalin Du Boer. I'm not, I'm not diminishing Indiana by any means, but that was impressive by Alabama. I think we kind of forgot. Like the head coach is the real deal. And they got some players on their team.

They're also a team built to play from behind because they can't run the ball. They had one good run against Oklahoma. They can't run the ball. So they looked like shit in the first half. I mean, you're just like, God, they're getting just run out of the stadium. They are one of those teams that is strangely built to trail because they really don't want to run the ball. So if they have to throw 16 straight times, that's what Alabama is built to do. They have a great offensive schemer.

the quarterback is, you know, I think it'll be an average NFL prospect, but he's a good college quarterback. They have three receivers I like, a good tight end. So Bama's built for second halves. It's almost like we've said with Buffalo this year. You know, with Josh Allen, once he gets off the script and plays, it's like, all right, bro, just do your thing. Same with Caleb. All right, just kind of get off the script, do your thing. Alabama's built to play in second halves. I think Indiana's got more balance. Miami, Ohio State's going to be very low scoring to me. I think, I will say this, Mario Cristobal's taking a lot of heat through the years as a great recruiter, but not a great schemer. He's got a pretty good staff because if you go look at what they've done over the last four or five weeks, they have gotten significantly better.

To go in and win in that, and that's one of the toughest places to win in the country. I think 120,000 people or something. And they didn't fold. They didn't fold. They just made every big play. Their tackling was good. I don't know. I love, I think Miami, Ohio State's a very competitive game.

Their high-end physicality is like probably more old school. Mario resurrected his career with Nick Saban as his recruiting coordinator. And they got NFL, I mean, their defensive linemen are big time. Now, you know, part of the reason I liked A&M in that spot because Elko, one of the best defensive coaches in the league against Carson Beck. And it was. I mean, it was, he couldn't score any points. Well, I would say kind of similar here, Patricia and that defense against Carson

Beck, it's like, how are you going to win games like 13 to 10? It is difficult to play like that because if something weird happens, you fumble, you throw a pick, you know, it just can get away from you. Your margin for error just doesn't exist. It's just, it's asking a lot for college guys to go on the road to A&M and then play Ohio State. That's a big ask. That's really hard for 19, 20 year old kids. So I think, I think the tank could be on empty in the second half of that game. I could see Miami in the second half just kind of running out of fuel. But hell of a win for them. And again, I think, and this is nothing against Notre Dame, but Bama and Miami proved that, I mean, Miami's defense and Alabama's passing game,

they're playoff worthy. And I don't want to beat up on, you know, the two lanes and the James Madison's. I just think the first round of the college football playoff through two years is kind of ugly. You're going to have a couple of teams. Listen, we always, was think about March Madness in the great first weekend. There's a lot of bad games. There's a lot of mid-afternoon games where, you know, like a 15-seed, blast the number two seed by 38. So it's college, there's a certain mythology about March Madness. There are awful games that first weekend. A lot of them. And then after, then you get to the next weekend and it's like, oh my God, this is really, these are NBA players. You know, it's Yukon against Kansas. It's, you know, Gonzaga against, you know, Arizona. You're

like, okay, these are big time games. So I do think going forward, the next eight teams, this is the best eight teams in the country, in my opinion. Yeah, I mean, I think Texas Tech Oregon is pretty fascinating because if one of those two teams, you know, let's say either one wins by 10, that team's a pretty interesting team to win the whole thing. You know, I thought Oregon, I wouldn't even pay attention to the second half and they were killing them.

I said, listen, last year they were the number one seed and they get blasted by Ohio state at the Rose Bowl. I was like, I bet Dan Lannings going to be like, this is not going to happen again. We're going to have momentum coming in. We're going to treat this game, even though we're playing a team that we would play week one and, you know, no one would even pay attention very, very seriously and they did. Now, what happened at the end, who cares? I mean, they're just, they were up 35 points in the third quarter. I do think they are going to come into this game with like, I mean, Texas Tech never really been here. Now, you could argue now with the transfer portal, I don't even know what that means anymore, you know, some of these guys. I mean, they,

They got guys on their roster that Ohio State, the Texas, that Oregon would have gladly taken. So Miami, I mean, they got some big-time players. I'm fascinated to watch them in this environment against Oregon. Because I think Oregon is going to be pretty dialed, like thinking we can win this thing. And Texas Tech has the talents. Offensively, I think they could be a little hit or miss, but defensively, I mean, they are, they have a high price. Did you see the clip of Kenny Dealingham begging for $20 million? And people are making fun of them.

He's basically just saying someone has. help me with my roster in 2006. That's what, the 20 million isn't for like the program over the decade. It's for next year one roster just to try to compete against Texas Tech. He's basically on his knees begging because he's being honest. If we don't get this money,

we have no chance. He's talking about that program specifically that if they had success, they're going to cut more checks. Like Texas Tech is not going away. Yep. All right. Our hard rock bet Monday night football pick. I've had a good year, blazing five.

These Monday night picks, I've struggled. So one of my blazing five picks, I like it better at four, four and a half. It's five. Niners, minus five. I have taken them over the cults. And my takeaway on it is, you know, Philip Rivers was a great story. But his passer meeting was 73. He didn't throw the ball down the field much. And I think now you can kind of see on film, Salick, see, and go, okay, this is what he can do, this is what he can't do.

I think right now Brock Purdy in that offense, Brock is healthy. It's humming. It's a really, really healthy, clever offense. I think it's a really good game. But I think one of the stories of the year, because we're paying so much attention to Seattle and L.A. on the West Coast is what the Niners have done. Brock Purdy last week for the first time looked completely healthy, moving really, really well. I'm going to take the Niners to win by a touchdown. What say you? down drives because I think Robert Sala, unlike Seattle, who plays a lot of man defense, they don't change personnel, they let him dink and dunk. I think the 49ers, every single guy is going to be at the line of scrimmage. You're not going to run the ball, or if you are, there are going to be 10 guys standing right here, and you're not going to throw wheel routes in a little out route so the cows come home. If you're going to hit a go route on me, Philip, we will tip our hat. It's almost like Andre Aguadala hitting a three-pointer.

Clay and Steph aren't going to do it. So I think the 49ers are going to make it a little more difficult on Philip to just eat a round the line of scrimmage, which he did a lot of commendable what happened. But I think the 49ers offensively are going to score a lot of points, and it's going to be a little more difficult for Philip, I think week to score touchdowns. John Middlecough, all sorts of fun, three and out, his podcast, the former NFL scout. Good chopping up, bud. See you, Colin.

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

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

We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest. surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got.

Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to IHart Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worse that you must not quit.

Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. IHeart Radio. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. From IHeart Podcast, Saigon. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?

One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. They're pouring patric all over here. Freedom for Vietnam! There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian.

I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite Wednesdays on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.