The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Power Of The NFL, TNF Reaction, Sharp Or Square

Episode Date: September 22, 2023

Colin Cowherd Podcast - Power Of The NFL, TNF Reaction, Sharp Or Square Colin reacts to the Thursday Night Football game between the 49ers and Giants. He talks about the reasons why the NFL is such a compelling television product, how Kyle Shanahan has been able to bring the best out of Brock Purdy, and the significance of high level quarterback play at the start of the season. Chad Millman, Chief Content Officer of the Action Network, also joins Colin for a round of “Sharp or Square”, and gives the sharpest advice on how to bet the upcoming NFL slate. Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates! #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app,

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5999 for the full season. Get it before it's gone. Hi, everybody, and welcome in. Sharp or Square with Chad Millman. A lot of games to discuss. I give him my six or seven. that interests me, then he gives me a couple I haven't thought about. And we'll get into that. You know, as I was watching the game tonight, obviously, Sequin Barclay's out, Andrew Thomas left tackle is out for the Giants. Brandon I.U. Star receiver was out for San Francisco, but, I mean, this was a 10 and a half point spread. It is interesting. And I don't want to do recency bias, right, and be a victim of that. But so this game was 10 and a half. Houston at the Jags.

Jags favored by nine and a half. Dallas at Arizona. Dallas favored by 12.5. Chicago at Kansas City. Kansas City favored by 12 and a half. Those are like college numbers. And I think there's always been double-digit spreads. But for double-digit spreads this early in a season, it shows you the gap in

quarterback play and the significance of quarterback play. You know, Trevor Lawrence against C.J. Stroud. Dak Prescott against Josh Dobbs, Justin Fields against Patrick Mahomes. So, and I think that's just where the league is. I had said this years ago, my only concern about the NFL, once they cleaned up the hitting because of the, you know, the CTE, the $900 million or so dollar check, the NFL wrote, they cleaned it up. You know, we have concussion concerns. But it's the safest the sport has been in my life.

Also, the practices there's less hitting, fewer players, star players play in the preseason. I think they're going to cut the preseason down to two games. And so, you know, if you generally look at the end of the year, the final four teams, they're overwhelmingly healthy. Very few players are lost for the season, though it happens. Trayvon Diggs for the Cowboys at practice, that's just a gutting loss for Dallas. but as a sport becomes more quarterback-centric, you're going to have these wider gaps in point spreads.

But one of the things I was thinking about this today, driving home from work, is that, you know, the NFL has certain advantages on other sports. Let's take baseball. Well, there's 162 baseball games, 17 football games. So there's always been an urgency advantage to the NFL. But as we're a more distracted country, why has the gap in baseball and football, the ratings and interest, why is it so great now?

And I think a lot of it is, and I've noticed this in terms of consumption, people tend to read headlines. They don't read entire stories. We're less patient because of our iPhones. We want things immediately. We want big headlines, big stars, big brands, and people just don't have the patience. And you have to have patience to watch baseball. And I think we're a less patient nation. But I also think the reality is the NFL is always thought of itself as a football show and a TV show.

In baseball, I'll give you an example. You know, in analytics, if you can get a 2%, 3% edge in baseball, you just do it. You don't think about how it hurts the TV product, that it takes a star pitcher out of a game. Can you imagine in the NFL if you had a 1% advantage over the course of a year in getting two more first downs per game and half a point a game over the season if it was determined that you pull your starting quarterback with five minutes to go in the third quarter. That you'd on this season average one and a half more first downs a game and half a point. You'd say to yourself, oh, you would do it.

No, you wouldn't in football. Part of the drama and the fun in football. and part of what's been lost in baseball. In baseball, you go to the bullpen. If the analytics, say, pull the starter, it doesn't matter if he's pitching well. It's six and a third. It's arm fatigue.

He's out. And in football, you just play a star quarterback even if he's struggling, right? You just do. And I think the sport of football, you know, tonight's a prime example of, you know, you had a mismatch,

giants or a lot of injuries that deal with, beat up a little bit. This was not your classic star quarterback. average quarterback. San Francisco is really the only team in the league that is a Super Bowl contender and doesn't have what's considered like a high-end quarterback. But, you know, as I was thinking about this today is, I watched this game until the very end tonight. Why? It wasn't competitive. And I think a lot of it is you play your stars. You play your starters. If they're healthy, they play. You don't pull them out because of analytics. You don't pull them out because of weather.

you don't rest people just because. You know, you watch this game tonight, and Christian McCaffrey is running that football in the fourth quarter, and you know over the course of the season, he doesn't need those extra six, seven carries, and Debo Samuel's getting hammered, and George Kiddell is getting hammered until the very end. And I think, like, the NFL,

even though this was a 10-and-a-half point spread, it really never felt in the second half like it was going to be competitive. You're just waiting to see if the 49ers hold on and cover. Right? But I think one of the great things about football is not only the urgency, but it is a great television show. And the stars play beginning, middle end. It doesn't matter how much you lead by. Kittles get in the ball. Debo's getting the ball. McCaffrey's getting the ball. Brock Purdy's going to stay in the game. And I find it to be just a really good television product. That's not to say that baseball doesn't have its moments. But you pull starting pitchers because of pitch counts, even if they're pitching well. And tonight is like the power of the NFL to me, not really competitive, 10 and a half point spread. I mean, at halftime, it felt like, I mean, the Giants could not run the football. Daniel Jones trailing without one of his better young receivers, either available or playing many snaps, no chance to win that game. But it held me, and that's the power of football. You know, I think there's not a tonne take away from a game like

this. Brock Pretty, you know, it was obvious the game plan, put some pressure on him. But, you know, what he does is what people have complained about about Justin Fields. He sees it and lets it rip. A couple of times they put like 10 guys in the box near the goal line and he just got rid of it. He didn't hold it. He sees it, lets it go. And he delivers it accurately. And that's just a big component to this game. So I think Brock Purdy, I don't think anybody watches him and thinks big arm, great athlete. But there are these systems. Miami and San Francisco are the two greatest examples. get that ball, see the field, and let it go. And if there's pressure, live for another down. Let it go. And I think Tua and Brock Purdy are very similar that way. Not big physical presence,

not big arms, not wildly mobile. But those coaches, Mike McDaniel and Kyle Shanahan, see what they are. Great distributors. You know, I was always a Chris Paul fan, the point God. I always liked distribution first, scoring second. Chris could give you 28. points. He could go on a streak, but Chris would defend, Chris would lead, Chris would set up others, a little fallaway, you know, behind the back movie does with one hand and gets that little fallaway at the free throw angle. And I think that's what Brock Purdy and Tua do. Now, both have incredible weapons. I said this last week. I'd sign up for a Dolphins 49ers Super Bowl today. I would take it to the bank. I think there's only three teams in the league right now that are really

playing great football, San Francisco, Miami, and Dallas. Everybody else, Philadelphia has got a little bit of an identity crisis. Baltimore's a little banged up. I think everybody else is just Buffalo. They've got to clean up their offense, and please, they have to establish a run game consistently. I think Kansas City is scary because they're not playing well, and they still went down to Jacksonville and hammered the Jags, and that defense is going to be the best Patrick Mooms has had as a pro. So tonight didn't take much out of it, but the fact that that game held me, I was never bored, I was totally into it. There's also the fantasy football component to it, but stars play to the end, nobody's pulling a starter. And that's what I love about this game.

We're back with another week of football, and Draft King Sportsbook is keeping us in on all the NFL action. Great offers every single game. New customers can bet $5 and get $200 instantly in bonus bets. Throw five down on any of the week's epic matchups, walk away an instant winter. Draft Kings is not stopping there. All customers take advantage of two new offers every game this September. Football's more fun when you're in and the action. No question about it.

Download the app now. Sign up code Colin. That's me, C-O-L-I-N. New customers bet just five bucks and get $200 instantly in bonus bets only on Draft King Sportsbook. An official sports betting partner of the NFL with the code Colin. The crowd is yours. 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert 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 Jett. 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 all 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. Yes. 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 Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. Time for another edition of Sharp or Square Chad Millman's C.C.O. of the Action Network, all odds provided by Draft Kings. Rocky Start. But you know what? I've had a lot of turbulent flights that land perfectly. So I don't care.

I'm not bothered by it. Colin, I said last week, you wear it well. The pressure, it doesn't get to you. You wake up in the morning and you're like, this is a day for opportunity. So my first one is Pittsburgh plus two and a half. at Vegas. Here's why. So there's a lot of elements of Pittsburgh I really like. And then there's one offensive line play. Kenny Pickett, I think he's regressed. But I do think there's a sense of urgency. Literally his coordinator, offensive coordinator for the Steelers, boot at the stadium,

ripped unmercifully. Mike Tomlin addressed it. I do think you'll get a fairly inspired effort. I do feel that facing Cleveland's defense, which is really good. good. And the Niners defense, which is spectacular, to the Raiders defense feels like a slumber party. I'm going to take the points, Pittsburgh, overall good roster. I think this is a, I think a lot of Kenny Pickett's issues. He may have faced two of the top four defenses in the league. I'm going to take Pittsburgh plus the point, sharper square. I feel like everything I say right now is fraught with tension because the stress levels are so high about turning around the blazing five. But I'm going to tell you right now. Not my stress levels. There's so much pressure

right now. I need you to be listening to me. The wise guys are all over the Raiders here, Colin. Like this line opened at Raiders plus one and a half on Sunday night and immediately. Even before the Monday night game with the Browns, the wise guys were betting this game. It's now Raiders minus two and a half. And I can give you a bunch of trends that would actually say, you know what, in this spot, at this number, you kind of would do want to back the Steelers. But here's the problem. We can all agree that the Chicago Bears right now are the biggest train wreck of a team in the NFL. The past 24, 48 hours have not been kind of the Chicago Bears. They've had three red zone trips in the first two weeks of the season.

There's one team that has made fewer red zone trips than the Chicago Bears. It is the Pittsburgh Steelers. This rush defense, going to the other side of the ball, is not very good right now. We saw it with Nick Chub before he was out. He was on his way to 100 yards in the first half. His backup broke a big run, had more than 100 yards. So I'm a little concerned about this Steelers defense right now as well. So the wise guys are on the Raiders.

I like the Chargers plus one at Minnesota for a lottery. reasons. One, I think they're a much better team, quarterback advantage. Now, between Mike McDaniel and Vrable, huge coaching edge over Brandon Staley. I don't feel it's quite that much of a disadvantage this week. I think Vrable is one of the top five coaches in the league, and I think McDaniel may be, along with Kyle Shanahan and McVeigh, Andy Reid, the smartest guy, you know, the Ivy League guy. I think this is the entire organization. This is the biggest charger game outside of a playoff game that I remember. This is a better team with a better roster. And the truth is, the Vikings run game with Cam Acres could be good. It's not now. It'll become very Kirk Cousins dependent.

I'm going to take the Chargers plus the point, Sharper Square. This is a total projo game. And what I mean by that is the higher number of bets are on the Chargers. When you have a higher number of bets, that's usually the square side, that's the public. The money, the professionals, the wise guys are on the Vikings. And so you're kind of being square here, but I will tell you, there's no model that anyone is running that says, oh yeah, there's an advantage with Minnesota. Both teams are oh and two. Both teams have shown some promise and some really bad performances. I would say that with the Vikings, Kirk Cousins has been on fire, right? He was amazing in both of his games.

His completion percentage is amongst the top three in the NFL, his total yards, his QB rating, his yards per attempt. He's having a great year. Justin Herbert might have one of the best rosters in the NFL offensively, and they cannot win. Remember last week we had a conversation? You were talking about the Chargers against the Titans, and I'm like, look, I know everything you're going to say about the Titans.

but they have Mike Rable, a better coach like you just said, and it's a coaching mismatch with Brandon Staley. I begged you to take the Titans. All of that is still true, right? Brandon Staley is just not a very good NFL head coach, and he doesn't imbue his team with confidence, and that leads to miscues. That leads to bad play calling.

So to me, I'm either playing Minnesota or I'm passing. At this point, I haven't done a bet on Minnesota, but the wise guys do not like the Chargers here. All right, Buffalo at Washington, what's the current line, all of our odds provided by draft kings, five and a half-ish? The last I saw was six. Okay, I'm going to tell you why I like Washington. I know I'm a square.

The weather that is forming, it could be a mess, a mess. Every year there is a team that we look up about week six or seven and go, they're kind of good. So Sam Howell, last three starts, 95-passer rating. Two good receivers, excellent back, defensive fronts the strength of the team. Buffalo still can't run, can struggle to protect the quarterback. Don't overview the Raider win. Raiders are pretty average team, better at home average team. I think Washington is the New York Giants of last year that you look up and go,

it's kind of a good team with some really good players. They've drafted. We think of Dan Snyder. We think hot mess. They've done a pretty good job in the draft. I think I would take Washington in really sloppy weather in the points, sharper square. Totally sharp.

Wise guys are on the commanders. The line actually at Draft Kings right now is six and a half. It's been basically in that six, six and a half range. Honestly, since before week two, that was the look ahead line was Buffalo minus six. The wise guys are on it. I think they too feel like Sam Howell. might be a player. He's made some throws.

He's stuck around. He, the game plan last week. Go ahead. Greg Kosell told me today. I said, I comped him with Baker Mayfield. He said, oh, he's more athletic. And really, when he plants and throws, has a stronger arm. Baker Mayfield was a number one pick.

Like, Sam can play a little. He's very confident, right? There was a throw last weekend where he had a checkdown right in front of him to the running back. And instead, he launched it to Terry McLaurin in the end zone. And he knew he was throwing into coverage, but he trusted his receiver. He trusted his placement. And he got the ball into the end zone.

And they ended up pointing that game. And you've also seen, like, what Eric B. enemy has done with that team, that game plan in the second half, a lot of him was throwing screens and putting Howell in a position to succeed. And then the Broncos not being able to make defensive adjustments. And so I think the wise guys are starting to, leave in Sam Howell, and I do think the weather, look, it could be, you know, tropical rain up and down the East Coast. So I do think that's playing a factor. So I am loathe to take big numbers.

I don't like to. I've never liked to. But Kansas City's defense is really good, getting better. Young defenses are prone to this. Chicago's had a noisy, messy week. We have moved to stage five of failing quarterbacks. Blame. It gets really ugly. There's coaching issues, coordinator quits, everybody's finger pointing. So Kansas City has played really two poor games as they try to get their receiving core right and could have won both and did win one over a good Jacksonville team. I hate big numbers, but if there's a game that looks like 30 to 7, like there's one every couple weeks, I think I would take the Chiefs minus 12 and a half and I know it's square, but I feel comfortable

with it, sharper square. Well, yeah, of course it's square. But I can't say it's square in that, like, I'm just checking the numbers here to make sure how to make sure of how square it really is. I can't say that it's square like, okay, the wise guys are all jumping on the bears right now. They're not. I think a lot of people are concerned about the bears, and normally they would. They would jump all over the bears at plus 12 and a half because it's such a big number. And look, throughout his career, you put Patrick Mahomes in this kind of situation. And he's, does not cover because the numbers for Patrick Mahomes as a favorite are always so big and the bigger the number, the harder it is to cover. Right now, 72% of the bets, about 60% of the money. So what I will tell you is that while not all of the money, a sort of ratio of more money than tickets on the bears, there is enough money on the bears to make me think there's some wise guy syndicates that are playing the bears because the number is so big. But you're not, you're not wrong about the bears. Like yesterday, you know, I'm from Chicago. And immediately,

when the news about the defensive coordinator, resigning came up, I was on a text chain with my buddies, even though I was in a very important business meeting. And they were, we were all sort of apoplectic about it. And then Nathan Peterman was cut. And my immediate response was, oh, my God, the bears are in such bad shape that they decided cutting Nathan Peterman would be the perfect smokescreen to distract everybody from the fact things are just terrible

for the Bears. So I can't blame you for want to bet the Chiefs here. I would not play this game. I think there's too many things that are sort of systemically wrong to feel comfortable playing, putting a bet on this game. So again, this is a week where I like some favorites. Miami minus six and a half, seven,

pass, seven and a half, I may consider Denver, but at minus six and a half a home opener for a team that has played a really talented charger team on the road and a very good defensive team in New England. Now you have a Denver team in which Greg Cosell said today, they are missing open looks. The defense has been incredibly discouraging. The O line is new. Cohesion's an issue. Russell has been awful in the second half. He's bad off script. And I had an executive in the league who I trust in personnel. And he said, Colin, I know you love Russell. He said this two weeks ago. He said, this is it. This is what he is now. You can script him up. There's no juice beyond that. And I think Miami could be the best coached team in the league, head coach to top coordinator.

I'd lay the minus six and a half. Seven probably stay away, but half a point matters. Miami's sharper square. You're being really square. I hate to say it. And listen, I hate asking you to do this when you're on the kind of streak that you're on. But this is how you fight your way back is you make hard choices. You're a very, you're a very, very successful person in every aspect of your life.

Your wife is beautiful. You're a magnet. You're a media magnate. You're a radio audio legend. Hall of Famer. Hall of Famer. You've had to make hard choices before. And I hate asking you to do this.

But this is like the biggest pros Joe's game of the week, right? You're never going to get higher inflation on Miami than you are right now. And you're never going to get more value on the Broncos than you are right now. Everything about this screams, you've got to take the Broncos. And everything you're saying about Russell Wilson is right. Look, as soon as they get to the second half and everyone else has made adjustments, he looks lost, he looks old. You could see it last week in that game against Washington.

Washington, he had that fumble. And the ball was right in front of him. And it was reminiscent of that very famous photo of Y.A. Tittle when he's on his knees and there's blood dripping down from his head and he just sort of looks like an old football player, right? That's sort of what that felt like to me. He just sort of, he wasn't there. Like he definitely is not the same player, and it's a bummer. But the Broncos have also been one of the unluckiest teams in the NFL, and I don't say that sort of as a broad generic term on Action Network, we actually have something called the Luck Rankings, which categorizes the sort of inconsistent events that can impact a game and normalizes what should have happened, right? If you take out turnovers, weird circumstances,

etc. The Broncos are the second most unluckiest team and this is sort of the biggest luck gap that we have, second biggest luck gap that we have. Also one thing I'll say, Sean Payton, after Mike Tomlin, second most profitable coach as an underdog the past 20 years. So if I am going to bet on a team in a situation in which they are 0 and 2, I'm probably going to bet on Sean Payton in this scenario. One more stat I'll give you. teams playing their first home game in week two. So we're talking about, I'm sorry, the first home game in week three.

So we're talking about the dolphins here. When they are a favorite of three or more in the last 20 years, 12, 21, and 2. So I don't like the number. I don't like the spot. I don't like the circumstances. But I don't like having to tell you to do this right now. Okay, now we do.

I ask you a game that I haven't. a strong definitive opinion, then you give me one I should bet. The one I'm fascinated with is New Orleans at Green Bay, Packers now minus one and a half. So a lot of handholding so far with Jordan Love. Yep. David Bakhtiari, Christian Watson. I think it's sort of unfair to jump to any conclusions on Jordan without Christian Watson. He is their track star. He is their deep threat. When he's on the field, it changes coverage. Boktiari is a top five pass blocking left tackle. So health, this could be a game time bet based on health, but this is our, where would you go with this bet of the week? I'm just interested in your thoughts. So I lean Saints. I was kind of

hoping that the number might float a little bit higher. Today's actually been a pivotal day for this game. It's been sitting at plus two for the Saints all week. And today, the Wise guys came in and started betting on the Saints. So now the number's about one and a half. So I kind of, I feel like I missed the window a little bit. The Saints, I think right now are probably a little bit of a better team. I've been really impressed with Jordan Left. Like he has made some throws and taken the shots that he needed to take, even when it

hasn't worked out. But this team also gave up a 12-point lead to an Atlanta Falcons team that is not a dynamic offense. As much as we love Bijon Robinson, he's not a dynamic offense. And I think the Saints defense is better than the Falcons defense. I think Derek Carr is a better quarterback than Desmond Ritter. And also, by the way,

the stat I just gave you about the dolphins playing their first game at home in week three applies to the Packers as well. So I lean Saints here. Okay, and give me a bet I miss that you really like. I'm going to guess it's Baltimore Indy. It's close. It's

Down to that or the Texans. A lot of people like Indy, but so you like the Texans plus nine and a half. O lines all beat up. I do. But apparently Laramie Tunsell's playing. So I like that. I think that C.J. Stroud of the rookie quarterbacks has actually played better than all of them.

Has on three. No interceptions. Yeah. Like no interceptions. He's making the plays that they're in front of him. Even in garbage time, like you still have to make the plays, right? So their problem has been a 17% conversion percentage in the red zone. Now, the Jags' defense isn't very good.

The Jags are also without Cam Robinson still. Their offensive line is not performing the way it should be. They've underperformed. They beat the Colts, you know, 31, 21, but I watched that whole game. It was not a good game. And they did not play their best. They got lucky in that game. And then they had a chance to beat a hobbled chief's team.

And you look at the stats on that chiefs. game, the Chiefs averaged six yards per play. They had 400 total yards. They got some bad penalties. They would have blown the Jaguars out. So I'm a little nervous about this team that is a huge, huge favorite. I think it's a bad spot for them. So the wise guys are on the Texans. Yeah. And I thought about this, but I was worried about the O-line play. It's a division game. Yeah. That nine and a half points in division is crazy. And I will say this about rookie quarterbacks. CJ Stroud, I think, has leadership qualities, and he doesn't make mistakes.

So far, there's limitations on what they can all do. But that's what gets Justin Fields into, or Kenny Pickett. It's the mistakes. Yeah. He's not making any mistakes. They play between the 30s. You're right? Like, it's between the 30s football.

So that was one I figured, I figured that. I can't go with Gardner Minshu because I think Baltimore's really good. But I do sense the dogs are heavy in the Colts this week. The Wise guys are on the Colts, and that line probably was at eight and a half for most of the week. It got down to seven and a half. And it's because the wise guys are coming in. And I think they've actually been impressed with the Colts team and they've been really well coached. And I also think you're buying the Ravens really, really high right now.

And so, but you've got to think about this. In week one, the Ravens beat the Texans. they didn't dominate the Texans. The Texans were in that game the entire time. The Red Zone is what caused problems for the Texans. And you're playing a quarterback who is a rookie. It's week one. Those are the things to be expected.

But I was all over the Texans plus 10 in that game. And I never felt like I didn't have a shot to cover in that game until it was over. And then last week, they played a team in Joe Burrow that he's clearly hobbled. So there's a lot of inflation on the Ravens. and people sort of overvaluing what they've done so far in the season. So I think that's why you're seeing a little bit of love for the cult. But I understand why you wouldn't want to play it because Minchus, you know, he can be a scary gamble. Chad Millman, he is the CCO of the Action Network.

You're the only C-C-O. I know. I know C-O. What's the second C stand for? Content. We're in the 20, what is this, the 22nd century? What year is this? 21st century.

These are the titles we get now. Content, you got to chief it. Like, you got to be in charge of it. You know what I'm saying? You know, Emma Thompson said if you call it just content, it feels like stuffing in a pillow. Could you use the word creative? I don't disagree with her.

Like, somewhere along the way, content became something that everybody feels like they can talk about and it's so commoditized. And, you know, back when you started, back when I started, nobody called it content. When I got to college and worked at Sports Illustrated, we weren't putting together the magazine thinking, okay, what's the content? We were talking about stories. We were talking about pieces. We were talking about articles. When I went to ESPN the magazine and when I was running ESPN.com, we didn't say, hey, what's our content planned for the day?

We're like, what's the best story we can tell, whether it's in video, audio, on platform, on digital, whatever it is. And then one day, I'm at the Action Network, and my boss comes in and he says, hey, congrats, you're now the Chief Content Officer. I'm like, I don't even know what that means. But now I'm in the C-Suite. Jokes on them. Head of stuffing. Head of pillow stuffing. I'm the head of pillow stuffing here at the Action Network.

Colin, we got to turn this around this week. I am so rooting for you. I want greatness for you. I don't know where you're going to go with the Blazoned 5 tomorrow. I hope I've been a positive influence. Well, the New Orleans one is interesting to me because I was sort of go either way. If they don't have Christian Watson, by the way, how about that catch by Olavé up the sideline? It won't get the one-handed OBJ. That's one of the best catches I've seen in my life. To be literally in the air and have the presence of mine to hit it with one hand, catch it, slam into the turf. I was, I sat there and I was like, the announcers aren't giving this credit.

It's one of the best catches. It was one of the best catches I've ever seen. But also, let's think about that game. Like, if Michael Thomas is really starting to play as he did a couple years ago, and he's had some moments, and Olavé is the player that he was last year. That's a receiving core. That's a receiving core, right? And so all of a sudden, it changes the scope for New Orleans.

And all of a sudden, that NFC South, between the Bucks, who, by the way, wise guys loved at five and a half, bet it down to four and a half against the Eagles, because they like what. Baker is doing with Michael Evans and Chris Godwin, and they know that the Eagle secondary is incredibly banged up and that that offensive coordinator and Jalen Hertz, they have not jelled. You can see sort of a lot of disconnection in the game. So between the bucks, the Falcons, who I just love every single week, and the Saints, all of a sudden you're talking about like a really competitive division. So then you've got to wonder, are the Panthers going to win any games at all?

because they might not beat anyone in their division. No, we thought the AFC was going to be great. The NFC's actually been really good. That's the way it always is. We thought the NFC South was pathetic. Everybody's got, you know, it looks like Atlanta, Tampa have a punch. It's the way it always works. I mean, literally, college football is predictable.

NFL outside of one or two teams is not. Helen, we don't know anything. We have a combined 8,000 years into the business, and we don't know anything. I know people like this. I get people come up to me at my gym. and the two things they say are, you're ripped. And I love Sharper Square. All right, buddy.

That was funny. See you, buddy. That was good. All right, my man. I hope your picture is good this week. Not funny. Just do it. So do I.

All right, my man. All right, brother. I'll see you later. The volume. Football is officially back. No more preseason. games, the regular season is here. Listen, we all like watching football on TV, but nothing's better. Live and in-person. And the best way to get tickets to any of these games is at game time,

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Lowest prices guaranteed. Game time. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement home. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.