The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Aaron Rodgers Final Season? Cowboys Crippled, Rookie Franchise Quarterbacks, Betting NFL Week 7!

Episode Date: October 19, 2024

Colin’s top takes of the week! Colin reacts to the Bills narrowly beating the Jets and he predicts this will be Aaron Rodgers final season with the beating he’s taking on the field (3:00) Then, John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” stops by to talk about the abject disaster the Jacksonville Jaguars have become (18:30) and why Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni continues to prove he’s not up for the job (22:00) Then, Colin is joined by Danny Parkins, host of “Breakfast Ball” on FS1 to talk about how rookies Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix all have the look of franchise quarterbacks (36:30), why the Cowboys won’t be in Super Bowl contention for at least 5 years (48:00) and they contrast and compare the differences between college and NFL football… and explain why BOTH are great! Finally, Chad Millman, Chief Content Officer of the Action Network, joins Colin for a round of “Sharp or Square,” to help provide Colin with the sharpest betting advice for week 7 of the NFL! 01:02:30- Jaguars vs. Pats 01:05:15- Vikings vs. Lions 01:08:15 - Rams vs. Raiders 01:10:30- Seahawks vs. Falcons 01:13:30 - Jets vs. Steelers 01:15:45 - Bucs vs. Ravens 01:19:00 - Texans vs. Packers 01:21:15 - Chiefs vs. 49ers 01:23:30 - Browns vs. Bengals (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!  #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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 homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart 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, 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 I Heart 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor?

It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The volume. Football seasons here, there's only one place to go for tickets, and that is Game Time. You know I love Game Time. They have a new feature called Game Time Picks. Makes getting tickets for your favorite live events easier.

It filters out the fluff to show you. you only incredible deals on great seats, so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets. You want to go to a football game or a concert. Just click on the event. You want to attend, and game time gives you a seat preview and offers you the super deal. So I get the best bang for my buck, and that's what I'm looking for. Game time also has the lowest price guarantee, or they'll credit you 110% of the difference. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time, right? Download the GameTime app. Doesn't take long. Create an account. Use my code, the Redeem Code, Colin, C-O-L-I-N-P. for $20 off your first purchase. C-O-L-I-N. Terms apply. Download game time today. What time is it?

Game time. So third week in a row, Aaron Rogers had the ball late with a chance to win, Denver, Minnesota, and now Buffalo, and could not get it done. You know, I've said this for years. The strangest stat about Aaron Rogers is how few come from behind wins he has, considering how many big, close games he's been in. The Jets lead the NFL and penalty yards are second and total penalties. Twenty-two total penalties between the two teams tonight. Did not love the officiating. I thought there were two calls that really bothered me. The one, when Aaron Rogers tucked it, got hit, fumble would have been huge for Buffalo. They called it an incomplete pass. Didn't like that call at all. Also, a Jets pass interference wiped out with an unnecessary roughness against Buffalo.

Did not like that call at all. I don't complain. about officiating. All right, I don't. That's what you do. Your fans, I get it. I don't. But I thought I didn't like either of those calls. And again, this game came down. So I had predicted before the year, Buffalo will win this division for what, the fifth straight year, mostly because of Josh Allen. And then the Jets, New England will stink. They'll be fourth. And the Jets, Miami will go down to the end of the season battling for the playoffs, the final weekend. And I said, I don't know if I had either one of them in the playoffs. I don't think I had the Jets in the playoffs.

And I may have had Miami, but I think they'll go down to the final week. And I think if Tua comes back here and plays the rest of the season, Miami will heat up. So the Jets are now two and four. Bills are four and two. So it's working out. The Jets are fine, though. Don't overreact. They've got Justin Fields coming up.

They've got Drake May around the corner. They got Anthony Richardson coming up. They've got a stretch of really weak quarterbacks. And Aaron's playing pretty well. as the Bills won tonight, 2320, there were opportunities for both teams. But when you get into these games like tonight, these big division games, it doesn't matter if it's Cincinnati playing Baltimore. Lamar Jackson was the difference.

You know, when you watch these big divisional games, it's the quarterback making a play. And two plays at the end of this game by the Bills, and they made the two big plays in the game. Actually, three. The Rapp, the safety for the Bills Rapp, who went to the University of Washington, good player, bounced around, had some injuries in his career. Physical, physical safety broke up what appeared to be a potential catch by the Jets. Huge, huge, huge play-by-rap. Then Taran Johnson, with one of the best interceptions I've ever seen, it felt like Ed Reed. I hope everybody understands

how great of a play that was by Taran Johnson of Buffalo. He literally had to do a U-turn, turn around. Mike Williams slipped on one of his only targets tonight, and Johnson held on to the ball. That is an all-time play. That's Ed Reed. That is incredible. So those two plays by the defense, then Josh Allen running for the first down. And again, it's very Lamar Jackson. It's very Mahomes. It's just an ad-libbed play where a supreme athlete outrun somebody else to the sticks, and that's the ballgame. There's not a lot of blame to go around. I mean, obviously, the Jets got rid of Nat Hackett, and the offense looked better. That's what Robert Sala wanted to do and got fired. Robert Sala, the best coach on the staff, got fired. He's a defensive guy,

and I don't think the Jet defensive play was as good tonight. It wasn't as tight. So if Sala would have remained the coach and been allowed to demote Nat Hackett, that could have been the ballgame. I think Saul is the best coach on the staff. But Bill Belichick took a shot at Woody Johnson, and Belichick's had a much greater career than Woody Johnson, certainly in football. And he was talking to Eli and Peyton Manning on the Manning cast, and he said, you know, ready, fire aim, which is kind of an old line used around the NFL for disorganized and impulsive owners. And that's really what the jets are.

Robert Saw it to me should not have been fired. It makes everybody feel good when you fire the coach. He's the best coach on that staff. The defense was not as tight tonight. You know, listen, I got reams and notes here. You know, I mean, it's 2320. Let's be honest. Let's be fair here.

The Hail Mary, you get about one of those every four years as a quarterback. That Hail Mary makes it 2017 at half, or it's 2010 bills at half. So that's a bit of a break. I felt like the bills earned the win more than the Jets earn keeping it close. It's a Hail Mary. It's called that for a reason. But also, you know, the fumble that wasn't a fumble on the Aaron Rogers passing, tucking it back, didn't love that.

It's not like there weren't any calls that didn't go, you know, against the Jets tonight. But, you know, Josh Allen, you know, in the second quarter of that scrambling play to Matt Hollins. I mean, that was just an incredible touchdown pass to him to put the bills up 1310. But the scramble play and throw to Davis earlier, it's just so unique. Josh is such a unique all-time talent. Also, you know, the Jets miss two field goals tonight. So this thing's just, you know, I feel really feel like watching Aaron Rogers struggle in late game situations, the owner being impulsive, the field goal kicker missing two kicks tonight. And Aaron, the last couple of weeks, he's gotten a crap hit out of him.

He's taking shots. This feels like Aaron Rogers last season. I just don't know. It's a circus. He's going to get blamed for this. We have to be honest. You can blame whoever you want. It's now Aaron's team.

And Denver, Minnesota, and the bills tonight. He was the second best quarterback on the field in long stretches against the Vikings in the first half, certainly. And he was the second best quarterback on the field tonight. And I do think Aaron is playing for his age at a really pretty high level. But he's taking hits. They've already had to demote his offensive coordinator. They fired his coach. You're looking around.

And remember, Aaron was in Green Bay. Well, they just don't do any of that stuff. They don't do any of that stuff. So he goes from a really shrewd, patient, winning culture in Green Bay. I mean, he's now, he's been injured. They fired his coach. They demote his buddy. He's getting wrong.

rocked. I just don't see him coming back. I don't. It just everything, you just, it's the drip, drip, drip effect. It just wears on Aaron, who's not terribly patient anyway, who, and by the way, I don't think any of us are. I think as I've gotten older, I'm less patient than I was years ago. You get to a certain standard. You want things done a certain way. I'm probably much less patient than I was in my 20s or 30s. So, you know, Aaron's eye rolls. I mean, he was frustrated on that bench. You got a kick her missing two kicks. In the biggest game for the Jets who are now two and four, I think they'll be fine. I think they're going to finish.

I said I thought they'd be like a 9 and 8, 10 and 7 team. That's about where they're going to finish. And Buffalo's going to end up with probably 11 to 12 wins. And not only did the Hail Mary make this game closer than it would have been, but the Jets wins this year are against Will Levis and the Titans and Jacoby Brissette and the Patriots. and teams that start two and four have only an 11% chance to make the playoffs. So the Hail Mary, you know, you trail 20 to 10 at half.

It may never cinch up. Buffalo is the better team. Buffalo's got the better quarterback. Buffalo made the three big plays at the end of the game. Buffalo keeps winning this division. If you start four and two, that's the bills. You make the playoffs. 64% of the time, and they will.

You know, they didn't have their best running back tonight, James Cook. So, and to go on the road, have a couple of calls go against him and just make the three biggest plays of the game, Buffalo made all of them. Rap, Tayron Johnson, Josh Allen. Boom, boom, boom. Three biggest plays of the game, in order, late. And that's why the bills are going to win the division again. A hell of a football game for Monday night.

I mean, the officiating drove me nuts, but that was a, we've been very lucky this year. We've had, you know, Atlanta a couple weeks ago, overtime win. We've had really, really good standalone games, really good standalone games. And I will say this about the officiating. I think about this sometimes. In standalone games, sometimes I feel like the officials are trying to make a point. They know everybody's watching. And so on that roughing, unnecessary,

roughness against Buffalo that wiped out the pass interference on the Jets. Would that be called in the one o'clock window? Maybe, maybe not. But I felt like it was one of those things, the leagues watching, we're not going to tolerate the extra sauce. We're just not going to tolerate it. I feel like sometimes in standalone games, I feel like the NFL does that in the preseason, like they will over, they will over-call a new rule just to make it very clear to the players. we're not going to allow this or tolerate this. I felt like tonight a couple of times. They were trying to make a point.

The Buffalo Bills. So right now in the AFC, Josh Allen leads his division, Lamar Jackson leads his division. Lamar would be my MVP. C.J. Stroud leads his division. Mahomes leads his. Easy to predict.

Four for four. I'm sure you probably did the same thing. Best quarterback's leader of division. I think the NFC isn't quite as good at the top, and so it'll work itself out. Now, San Francisco now, I think, feels like it's kind of separating from the rest of the NFC West. The Rams off a buy are getting a little healthier, but it may be a little late. I mean, they'd have to go on a five or a six game winning streak to get back at the top of that division.

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 Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball. 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to

bowl your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite

therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now.

You know, Doug Peterson had a reputation. So I was totally wrong. I thought he was a perfect fit. Kind of a casual guy, I thought it was going to work. But, you know, when he went to Philadelphia at work because Lori and Howie are so intense, and so they're hovering over the franchise, right? Like, you know that. I mean, everybody in Philly, we know their security guy.

And the talk radio is on you if you have one bad situational series. Philadelphia holds its coaches responsible. You go down to Jacksonville, nobody's paying attention, and it's like the worst of Doug Peterson's come out. They're loose. They're not good on details. That was the knock when he went to Philly. It's like, you know, Andy's calling the plays. You know, he loves to give guys ice cream.

He's always rewarding him. He's like the step that everybody loves. You can't do that in Philadelphia. You'll get your ass rung out by WIP radio, the fan. I mean, Philadelphia is one of those cities. they hold you accountable. Jacksonville doesn't. And I think the team just feels loose and inefficient.

I don't disagree with anyone that makes the argument by the time. If someone's listened to this Monday morning at breakfast, he might get relieved of his duties. I do think, though, watching Trevor Lawrence, like separate from coaching just to make basic passes. There were times today where his guys, it's the NFL, had some bad drops. So I'm not acting like this guy's Jim Marcus Russell here or Joey Harrington.

but for someone they got $200 million, based on, I would say limited production and success, it did feel a little bit like what bad NBA teams do, like the Washington Wizards when they gave Bradley Beale $250 million. And I don't know if this is going to work in that operation. That's right. And listen,

I think at this point in time, I don't think it's really debatable that his career has been a borderline. I mean, for him not really. He's made a bunch of money. but as a player, the hype, was very similar to Andrew Locke. And you watched the guy play. He's not even in the same. It wasn't even on the same level as Caleb Williams that a lot of people were making

fun of like three weeks previously. Oh, Caleb was, you know, there's sometimes John something happens where there's a convergence of things, either good or bad. So you have sort of casual, not tied on the details, Doug Peterson, a quarterback who reportedly likes the game doesn't live for it, a media that. it's toothless. And a market nobody pays attention to. So if you have a bad series,

nobody calls you out. And they've all joined together. And it's what happens. It's why Nick Saban and guys like Nick Saban, after wins, call good press, you know, rat poison, is that everybody acts the same way when they lose, they're pissed.

But when you win, do you get sloppy and lazy? and Jacksonville feels like a sloppy franchise to me. All these things converge, a quarterback that likes the game, but that was the knock very early in his career. Like, he doesn't live for it. He's not obsessed by it. And Breeze was obsessed. Manning was a...

Mahomes is obsessed. And I just think all these things are adding up to a big soft pillow of a team. Yeah, to me, just the record speaks for itself, since the cons have owned the family, just Google where they've drafted every single year. I mean, the majority, he's not the top 10, it's the top five. I mean, that's, it's, that's hard to do. All right. He's a former scout for the Eagles. Philadelphia 20, Cleveland 16, DeJohn Watson,

we could go on. I mean, he's playing because the owner wants him to play. And Kevin's Tafansky's taking the sword for the organization. Deshaun just can't play. But it is interesting about Philly. So they were an eight and a half point favorite today. And J. Mack was all over this. And I'm like, I'm not taking an eight and a half point favorite because Philadelphia, Philadelphia, it's weird. So if I just, if you didn't watch the game, and I said J. J.L. Hertz was 16 to 25, 14 rushes, 264, 2 TDs, AJ Brown, Devante Smith had touchdowns.

You would think, Jesus, they look great. When I watch them, I'll get to Siriani in a second. But when I watch Philadelphia, I feel like they leave so much on the floor, so much on the table, is that, first of all, they're not the same team without AJ Brown. He's clearly a difference maker. Very rarely. Does a receiver have that kind of impact?

I mean, you could, Brandon Ayuk didn't do squat for weeks. San Francisco could still score points. C.D. Lamb, you take him out. Dallas can't score. I mean, and A.J. Brown is really, I mean, I've never seen a coach when he loses a player. Act like Mike Vrable did when they lost A.J. Brown. Like, Vrable was like, okay, I can't. Remember that press conference?

It's like, I can't win here. Like, it's over. And Vrable's not somebody who loves, you know, outspoken receiver. That's not his game. But 2016, I just, I look at Philadelphia and I think, the coach is screaming at fans. I feel, I don't know, I feel like the roster's closer to an A and the performance always feels like a B. Am I wrong? Yeah, to me, the quarterback, like you said, we can get into Syriani here in a minute.

If we just use Jalen in a vacuum, well, three of the plays, he hit A.J. Brown twice on big go routes. and then he hit Devante Adams or Devante Smith on a big play. So what does that account for? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, those guys have between the two 175 yards. Yeah. So to me, he's a go-ball thrower, which when all you do is throw a go-ball, this isn't

college or high school, that those don't hit often in the pros and kind of a scramble run-around guy. He cannot pick you apart in the pocket. There was one point in time today in the game where I think Vilma was like, I don't know why these fans are booing. you don't know why. It's 13 to 10 against the Browns. They can't move the ball. And Jaylen's the ball's flying all over the place.

There is no rhythm to their offense. It looks very similar as it did last year. And at one point in time, I looked down at the box score. I'm like, I'd have to find a way to get the ball to Sequin even more. Yeah. And I think sometimes coaches, you know, he had, when I looked down, he was like 15 rushes, and he was averaging a little less than three yards of carry. Yeah.

So most coaches freak out and go, this isn't working. Well, you don't have. Peyton Manning or Tom Brady slinging the pill around. So just keep the Kyle Shanahan's McVey back when he had Todd Gurley, they will stick with it. Because when you ever you have Derek Henry, eventually the guy might break a play for 30 yards, slows down the game,

makes it easier on your quarterback. And I think they have been way too quick to get away from Sequin because really the only passes they're hitting are these kind of bombs down the field. It's why when you remove AJ, they look even worse. I mean, if AJ obviously had been hurt like he had previous weeks, I think they lose today.

Let me give you a comp. If their defense was the Legion of Boom in Seattle, they could win a Super Bowl. Because when you go back and look at Russell Wilson's career, what we know now happened late in Seattle, Denver and Pittsburgh. He was great with a rainbow throws over the top. Or when he was moving, he had a great running back. But if you ask Russell to sit in the pocket, Pete Carolyn John Snyder and Peyton were like, it doesn't work. So Philadelphia has not had a great defense, especially in the back end. So they give up points.

But for years and years, I said this Friday on the show is, I was fooled. I thought Russ was engineering stuff. Let Russ cook. I bought into it. And then all of a sudden, you're like, boy, when you take away that defense and Marshawn, you're like, I don't know, he can't go toe to toe with the big guys from the pocket. If you can contain him, bring the rush ends in and just box him in, there Russell's a very ineffective player.

Two is a better pocket guy than Russell Wilson. And I look at Jalen Hurts and I see a little Russell. Wilson where over the top, yes, surround it with the, I mean, good God, he had the best center in a decade, Lane Johnson, A.J. Brown. It's easy to look like it's you. But to your point, in the pocket, I don't trust him. Well, that's the thing watching Washington play today, Jaden is such a better thrower standing there within the tackle box. If not really even clubs. Well, he's got a better arm. He's more naturally accurate. Most people thought, you know, whenever you text people in the league when Jalen hurts is struggling,

they all go, yeah, it kind of reminds me Oklahoma again. Kind of reminds me of the guy that everyone scouted and thought, when he got drafted second round, the Eagles didn't just get questioned because they drafted a quarterback in the second round when they had Wentz. It was they took him that high. He was like, damn. And sometimes it comes out like he's not a great thrower of the football.

Obviously, he throws a good go bowl, but just a good thrower of the football in the pocket. We just talked about Kirk Cousins. I had Jay Gruden on the pod like a month ago. He's like, if you don't touch him, he might be the best seven on seven player in the league, right? Just throwing, he's a good thrower of the football. Jalen, I don't know if he's not comfortable. It's not natural.

He doesn't have great velocity on just sitting in the pocket throws, which is weird for a guy that does have a powerful arm on the loop throw. You know, Russell had a better ball in his prime than Jalen, just throwing like an outrout or whatever. He just wasn't that comfortable throwing it over the middle from the pocket because he couldn't see. Jalen's a little shorter. He's taller than Russell, but shorter than average quarterback. So maybe it's just not as comfortable seeing stuff because he clearly when he moves is better outside the tackles making plays. But you can't run a consistent offense playing that way. Yeah. Yeah.

It's very, very difficult. So now it's going to be another coach or a coordinator's fault. Maybe he's just the player. Yeah. Let me ask you. So, Siriani, knowing he's on the hot seat, knowing that his sort of demeanor has been dubbed juvenile, comes in, shaves his head, at one point yelling at fans.

Like, to me, it's just, bro, you're the head football coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Like, he just feels like he doesn't have a self-awareness. You know, it's almost like Baker's first couple years in the league. You knew he was talented, but you're like, dude, you're starting fires at the podium on Wednesday. They just don't, you don't have to win and be the snarkiest, funniest guy at the podium. Just let other people win. And now Baker's mature, but I feel like Nick sometimes doesn't get it. Yeah, to me, I don't know if there's a wager you can place with our friends at Draft Kings,

but I think he's a borderline lock to not be the head coach for the Eagles in 2025. Yeah. And that's not making a prediction. They're missing the playoffs, making the playoffs, like, he will not be the coach next year. Like this thing, him screaming at the fans is just, in what world in a game that you barely just beat, what many consider is one of the worst transactions, not in football,

in like sports history with Deshaun Watson, the quarterback, who was pretty bad today again. And you are struggling to win the game and you're screaming at the fans. It'd be one thing if he was kicking ass and they're still chanting fire Siriani. I would get it.

It's like, bro, let's, let's, you know, cool our jets here. Now, I saw Jalen Hertz said after the game, is one thing that the players talked to Nick about during the biweek was to get back to his crazy ways, get back to his roots of being emotional. He had been too, I don't know, stoic,

I guess, for their taste over the beginning of this season. But if that, what you're trying to get back to, like, what are we doing? I see, under no scenario,

I don't, this team's not win the Super Bowl. So I just don't see how Sirianni knows what's going on. Like the head shave, What did that symbolize to you? A guy searching? A guy, maybe you got a bad haircut. Remember when Robert Sala came in with a black beard, like darkened his beard, and it's just like, bro, you're on camera, like 12 minutes on national TV on an NFL game every week.

It did feel like you were trying to make some sort of statement. And I mean, I think we know now that Sala, Adam Schaefter reported that he was affected by the noise. I think Sariani's affected. I think Philadelphia is probably the loudest NFL city because talk radio is so powerful in that city. In the media, there's multiple newspapers. It's a kind of a working class for a big sophisticated city. It's, you know it, it's loud.

And if you're, Andy Reid could shut it out. But I think it affected, I think it affects Siriani. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me.

Cliver Taylor the first. 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the

Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap 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 Jay. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day but just so y'all know I mean at this point

Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see that there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now so Thank you finishing that sentence I don't think there's a more important

year for black people Really? Yeah for me It's one of the most important years for black people in American history Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts

or wherever you get your podcast Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app.

Search learn the hard way and listen now. Said it today, I think, and I had a music producer text me today that I know off this comment I made, he liked this comment. I think two things you see within five to six games of a new franchise quarterback. Clear red flags and excellent traits. So I always use the example of the voice or of American has talent. or American Idol. I don't know much about music other than I enjoy it. But I can see within three to four notes, you know, I mean, literally 12 seconds, hack and great.

Figuring out lounge singer to successful lounge singer, good is hard. Justin Fields could be good, but good is very hard to decipher because the difference between good and great is consistency. You got very few bad games from Mahomes, whereas Russell Wilson now is at the point where, oh, that's pretty good. Oh, that's awful. Same with Justin Field. So I think good is hard to decipher. I think awful and great are pretty easy. You can see a draft pick in the NBA.

You're like, yeah, that's like James Wiseman. I'm watching with the Warriors, like second year. I'm like, he's never going to be a star in this. It is an aunt. First year, All-Star break. You're like, yeah, that's going to work. Jason Tatum. Jason Tatum, even rookie year

Jason Tatum, you're like, yeah, that's going to work. He's going to get better. So I look at Caleb and Jaden Daniels and to a lesser degree, Bo Nix. And I'm like, yep,

those are franchise guys. Whereas Justin Fields was one step forward, two back, Caleb just keeps getting better, clearly takes to go. Jaden Daniels. He's Lamar Jackson, but better in the pocket as a rookie. Bo Nix has a lower ceiling, less of an arm,

reads the field, more mobile than anybody that didn't watch. much Oregon Duck Games really realizes. He's actually really mobile. Barks right back at Sean Payton, not a follower, total leader, confrontational. And I feel very, now, now, Bo has the less talent. He's in a division with Harbaugh and Andy Reid. Like, it's a tough draw. But my take is Caleb, Jaden, Bo. These are franchise quarterbacks. I have no fear saying, yeah, this is what it looks like. So I want to ask you, two quick questions before I give you my like full response to it.

One, or I guess this would be a small response. Do you think the NBA, I don't think the NBA comparison is fair because in the NBA, it is so purely a talent sport that like talent can over overcome situation. Like John Morant goes to Memphis. Doesn't matter like the franchise. Anthony Edwards goes to Minnesota. It doesn't matter the franchise. Like your talent will always win out in the NBA.

You might not win big if you don't have a good organization. but you can be a 10-time All-Star on a bad franchise and make an impact in the NBA. In football, I do think situation, coaching, offensive line, talent around you, it is so situational that I find it much easier to make a snap judgment in basketball than I do in football. And then I guess the quick question I'd get back to you is, what did you say about our G3? Because his rookie year was historic. So that's good.

So by injury, sure. But I feel like we could have said a lot of the things we said about Jaden about RG3. Okay. So I said during RG3's rookie year, I said luck's the better quarterback. But RG3 is more fun to watch. And voters are suckers for art, artistry, NBA voters, Westbrook, Westbrook, he can't, has bad handles and can't shoot. Derek Rose couldn't shoot, spindly, ended up getting hurt a lot.

So I think RG3 pleased the eye, but I didn't think it was. was nearly a sustainable. I thought Andrew Luck was bigger, stronger. I mean, Jesus, the kid went to Stanford. He memorized a playbook, according to Kobe Fleener, who also went to Stanford, in two days. Like, it's like, yeah, it's so I never bought into the- Crazy, but, but RG3 was rookie of the year.

Right, I didn't buy it. So you didn't buy it and you buy something, Jaden, that you did not buy with RG3. Oh, I think, I think, Jay, you know, I said with RG3, I think he's talented. but he was thin. I said Andrew Luck's the better player. So Jaden is better in the pocket than RG3.

I think they're both equally twitchy. But here's was a real sell for me on Jaden Daniels. And this almost never happens. Almost as a rule, when you have a rookie quarterback, the coaching staff says, hey, be patient. This is a process. Literally, Dan Quinn. a defensive coach was like, I've never seen anything like this.

I mean, they literally in camp couldn't. Brian Kelly's like, the kid's magic. Brian Kelly runs through quarterbacks at Notre Dame. I think he had six at one point in like five years. So part of it was I watched a lot of his games. Second, the people I trusted, Cliff Kingsbury, Steve Kime, who hired him as a friend. He was like, no, calling this kid. Cliff can't even like it's Kyler with more maturity.

better in the pocket. And I like Kyler. So I've had good sourcing on Jaden and I totally buy it. Okay. So Jaden to me is incredibly impressive. I was not as sold. I certainly was not as sourced on him as you were. It was hard for me with how slender he was and how much talent was around him to say for sure that it would translate. Like I loved Drake May coming out of college. I had him actually above Jaden. Some of the games I watched, I was like, this guy. guys doing more with less, tough as hell, crazy athlete, youngest brother, comes from a family of athletes, like overachieved his situation. And Jaden Daniels has blown me away. I think every piece of hype that he's gotten has been totally, totally valid. I do think there is an element of some of his production is based on running the football. And that works, obviously. Lamar Jackson's

got a couple of MVP's, but it's not the type of thing that ages particularly well. Like, we haven't seen that quarterback in their 30s. Like, it's a depreciating asset. At some point, you need to just be great from the pocket. And he's been great from the pocket. So I'm not saying he can't be that. But if his comp is Lamar Jackson and Caleb Williams' comp is Aaron Rogers, if we did a redraft tomorrow, I would still take Caleb Williams over,

Jaden Daniels. Yeah. I think the skill set is actually more sustainable and allows for a higher ceiling. Yeah. So I would too. Absolutely. Yeah. But I don't think that's a majority opinion anymore.

Yeah. No, I think Caleb, I use this word a lot. People think it's weird. Caleb's thicker and trunquier. He's a big, thick athlete. If you're standing around him, you're like ass, legs, shoulders. Like, he's just big. Jaden is more spindly that always worry.

me. But saying I would take Caleb over Jaden is like saying I would take vanilla ice cream over chocolate or whatever. Like I like them both. And if I don't care, I don't care. And I it's possible. At the beginning, people wanted to make this because Caleb had a bad couple of games

and Shane Waldron had an awful adjustment to Chicago. People were immediately running to it. It's like people have the memory of one day, one minutes. It has to be C.J. Stroud Bryce Young. I'm like, are you guys crazy? that is so stupid. It's very possible that this draft ends up being by the way.

Eli Manning, Ben Rothlisburg, or Philip Rivers. How about this? All three awesome quarterbacks, all three franchises and fan bases are thrilled with their guy. Danny, you don't have to go back that far. Herbert, Burrow, Hertz, Tua. Right. That was just like four or five years ago.

We had an incredible draft. Yeah. And so I think that that is certainly what is in play here because Bo Nix and Jaden have far exceeded what my expectations were for them coming into the draft. And I'll be honest, it was one game. I thought Drake May was going to get killed last Sunday. Yeah. With six offensive line combinations in six games, no offensive weapons to speak of defensive head coach.

They were sitting him for a reason. Then it felt going up against Houston's pass rush, which led the Patriots led the league in pressures allowed. and the Texans led the league and pressure percentage generated. I was like, this is a terrible matchup. Why are they doing this? And he acquitted himself beautifully, I thought, in the game. One of the stories of the season to me is how these quarterbacks, rookie quarterbacks are playing so well.

But also, if you just look at completion percentage in the NFL right now, 15th in the NFL, 15th is Will Levis, who's completing 66% of his head. It's not that long ago that that was top three in the NFL or even something that would lead the league. Yeah. So I think what has happened, and this is a much better podcast topic than TV show topic, I think that analytics and the smart people in football have figured out that conservative passing is so valuable. It's an extension of the run game and young quarterbacks can do it. And young quarterbacks are cheap quarterbacks.

And we know that's where the market inefficiency is. So it's never been easier to be successful as a young quarterback because the passing game is now more left and right than vertical. And in baseball and basketball, the analytics revolution has. has rewarded the high variance plays, go for a home run, shoot a three-pointer. So analytics in those sports has actually injected like the more difficult skill set, whereas analytics in football, don't take risks. Don't throw the ball down the field. Don't force it.

Just matriculate. We'll go for it on fourth down. Three yards, four yards, five yards is fine. And just get the ball out quick. don't take hits, execute the easy pass. And so you're seeing, I mean, Jaden Daniels is completing 75% of his passes. Yeah. That is, he deserves credit and he does have some big plays to him.

So he's not just thinking and dunking. But that number makes no sense. Seven years ago, we would have been like, that's not going to happen. And so I just, I think that coaches have gotten so much smarter at cultivating an office. offense where young guys can have a high floor early, then it makes it more difficult for me to evaluate their ceiling because I think the floor has been raised so significantly. Yeah, this is what I have said about the Cowboys and the Lakers, very insular franchises with a lot of buses and friends of buses and the Lakers and a lot of Joneses and friends of Joneses

inside the Cowboys. As the league's gotten sharper, shrewder, and more analytical, the Lakers and the Cowboys have gotten more of the corner grocery store in a supermarket world, is that football's gotten so smart, and you look at the Cowboys right now, and they're overpaying for a quarterback. That's a B-plus quarterback. Like, that is the number one mistake in the league.

Pay for Mahomes or a rookie quarterback. Those are the only two. You can have Garapolo and golf early in their career and get to a Super Bowl. You can have Garapolo and get to a Super Bowl before you pay them big. you can't. If you get McVeigh, if you get Shanahan, if you get one of those guys, and obviously those guys don't count against your salary cap. That's right.

So do anything you can to hire one of those guys. So people, it's remarkable to me that the Cowboys and the market struggles with this. I think Dallas fans have finally figured it out. The Athletic did a poll and like 75% of Cowboy fans are like, we have no chance to win the Super Bowl for five years. So they get it. Cowboy fans get it. But these people that think it's an anti-DEC

conversation. No, it's an anti-paying a B-plus quarterback A-plus money. It is so, it's like the most obvious analytic. Some we can argue about in baseball. Some are clear that the ground ball is a death penalty. A strikeout's not. That's pretty obvious if you don't follow too much analytics. In football, just don't pay a good quarterback great money. If you don't know anything else, that's clear. And the cowboys are doing it. It's funny. It's, I get why teams do it. Even, even, that because in Dallas's situation, let's say they decided not to pay DAC and just let him leave for nothing. That's also bad team building. He finished second in the league in MVP last year. He's won 12 games three years in a row. They led the league in scoring last year. I hate when teams just let stars

walk for nothing. You have to get something for your asset, even if it's 60 cents on the dollar. You have to get something. And so Dallas was going to be too good to draft Drake May or to draft Bo Nicks or to draft Jada Daniels. And so then they would be more, maybe they wouldn't be paying big money to go get a good quarterback, but they would be trading multiple first round picks to move up and get a good quarterback. And do you trust that Jerry Jones is going to hire the right coach to develop the young quarterback? because, yeah, if you could say I'd rather have Jaden Daniels at his money, than Dak Prescott at his, like, of course, obviously.

But Atlanta was like, we can't have another year of Desmond Ritter. Like, we will give Kirk Cousins $180 million at 35 coming off of an Achilles and draft Michael Pennix so that we never have to go through a season like that again. Like there aren't 32 good quarterbacks in the world. that can do this job. And there's 32 teams. Yeah, I also think something I touched on last week is quarterbacks come in more ready to play,

but owners are more ready to fire them. So you've got this convergence of wealthier, wealthier owners, more impulsive, quarterback's more talented, we're not giving you two full years. I mean, the fact that Daniel Jones got an extension and was basically a C-minus quarterback, It's just that doesn't, that doesn't happen anymore.

Yeah, no, that, that, that was a terrible one. That, that one made, made no sense. And the thing about these rookies, like, I kept saying when I was still doing radio in Chicago, I was like, we need to hold Caleb Williams to a really high standard. Yeah. And people were like, why do you keep saying C.J. Stroud? That's an outlier. I was like, no, it wasn't.

The outlier for Stroud was that he didn't throw intercept. He only had five interceptions. But Dak had four. Like we had as a rookie. We have seen it before. The guy had 23 touchdowns. He had a little over 4,000 yards. It was a very, very, very impressive season because no one saw it coming.

Houston was terrible. He turned him around. He won a playoff game. But I mean, he beat the Browns. He beat Joe Flacco in a playoff game. And again, this is not to knock CJ Stroud. But my point is it is easy, easy, to be good as a rookie.

Because back in the day, you'd be playing in like the Big 12 in a spread offense, and they'd be like, come into the NFL and be under center and take seven step drops and throw post routes. And now they're like,

everything's out of the shotgun. You can have a wristband. We're going to call the play in on a number. And we're going to give you a run pass option, just like you had in college. So it's just so much easy. easier to be good early that I hope that we get smarter when Shador Sanders or whoever comes

into the NFL next year. And then everyone's like, pump the brakes on expectations. No, man. Like build your organization from coaches, from investment in the offensive line, wide receivers, build your organization to take advantage of the first four years of these guys when they're crazy cheap because that's the easiest time it should ever be for you. to win a Super Bowl if you have a great quarterback. And I do think that Washington and Chicago, at least I'll say it on those guys, you're farther ahead on Bo next than I am. But those teams should be making hyper aggressive moves the next three years to win a Super Bowl,

because that's what you can do if you've got a quarterback who's that good, who's that cheap. There are certain things that the media does. They don't irritate me, but they're so predictable. One of them is early in the season when there are injuries, people are like, I don't think I've ever seen this many NFL injuries. Yes, you have 12 months earlier. And in the end, almost without exception, you get to a Super Bowl and each team is missing like one starter and teams are overwhelmingly healthy. Players get healthier. Players are they hit less in practice.

They hit less in games. doctors are better. Fitness. Fitness is better. They're fine. So here's the other one that just cracks me up. After a great weekend in college football, man, college football is so much better than the NFL.

No, they're both great and they're different. The NFL is a higher level of coaching and playing. You get guaranteed like five to seven great games a weekend, even though there's only 32 teams. in college football, you have 130 teams, and you may get four great games and a great weekend. I mean, like last weekend was great, and we all knew it was great.

But you'll have weekends going into a college football weekend where there's like one game between ranked teams. And you can get a nice Kansas State TCU game, but I went out with my wife. I'm not watching it. So here's how I look at the NFL in college. The NFL is a successful brother in the family. He always has a nice car.

He's got a nice fund with his broker, a little boring at times and predictable, but you kind of know what you get. College football is the brother and the family that twice a year you have a big party you invite him over, and he'll take all his clothes off, go naked, jump into a pool, kind of drunk. People laugh, but it's kind of inappropriate. You're not happy with him. But you do wake up the next morning and say, you know, he really gets the most out of life. You know, we have a nicer, our kids go to better schools. We have a nicer life. But, you know, Tim, he really has a good time in life.

And that's how I feel college football is. At its best, it's wild. Fans are pouring on the field. The officiating can be abjectly horrid. These are 21. The kickers are soccer players who may or may not know what they're doing. Special teams are an S show. Yeah.

But, but, But like Tim, who got naked and jumped into a pool, there is something memorable and ecstatic about it. And I thought Oregon, Ohio State was that. It's like, Jesus. But my point being, if I circle back, is they're both great. They're much more unique. One's corporate. One's on a campus.

And I think that's the beauty of them. Well, it's funny, though, I mean, some of your finest work, Colin. And what are your finest analogies? We got to work on Tim's name. I feel like Tim's name should be like, like, Madison or like Bucky or Eugene, like a college player. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

So we got to work on Tim's name, but otherwise 9.8 out of 10 on the colon analogy scale. And I was just judging myself because I like the NFL so much more than college. And I'm like, I'm the boring corporate suburban guy with like the healthy stock portfolio. You kind of are. Yeah, I know. I'm washed up.

I got a wife and two kids and I just love like a sushi dinner and a bottle of red and a nice early bedtime. But, but yeah, it is, it's true. College at its best, it's just, you're like, this is crazy. I don't understand what's happening here. This is random. A team that's a 30 point underdog can win a game. Like, you know, the NFL, it's like, oh, the biggest threat on the board is six and a half. Right.

Like, it's parody by design. There's a salary cap. There's a salary floor. Free agents are just as likely to choose Dallas as they are Buffalo and Green Bay because they just follow the money. Like, it's, I think the NFL is the perfect viewing product. I think it's perfect. Every game matters. Every team before the season doesn't think they can win a Super Bowl.

But like, worse to firsts happen every single year, rookie quarterback can change a franchise on a dime. Like basically every franchise has some reason to believe. leave at least within three years, right? Like Jacksonville three years ago absolutely thought that it was on the board that they had a future Hall of Fame quarterback. So I think the NFL is a perfect viewing product. And college is just a little tougher for me to like follow and be fully invested in, week in and week out.

But college at its best is just awesome. And it's because it means like an irrational amount. to the people in the building. Not that pro fans don't fight and pro fans aren't passionate. They obviously are, but it's just like the tribalism of like, this is the most important thing

in the entire state of Alabama. Right. I'm a fifth generation badger. Like, there's just something about like the college football pageantry that I'll never be able to quit. 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-Hart 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'll say it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, And the next we'll talk about life, 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun,

thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your part. podcast. 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 for 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 Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. and we're still chasing it

and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way.

Open your free, iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. All right. I predicted last week the league would have a separation. Best quarterbacks would win week six going forward in most cases. And the best quarterbacks last week went 14 and 0. I went three and one on my picks. I had the Jets with the points, but the bill's winning.

I just needed the Jets to make an occasional field goal. Is that too much to ask? The Action Network CCO, Chad Millman, my friend, all odds provided by draft kings. Yeah, I always feel like defensive players get hurt statistically more often than offensive players. That's where more of the violence is. Defenses get weaker over time.

Quarterbacks pull away from the league. And once a guy, I think this is the second strongest week I think I've seen so far this year. So I'm excited about this. I think there's clear distinction in some of these games. And as you know, I don't have to like a team to like them. for a week. I don't like the Jaguars, but I think the staff is fighting for its life. It's also number five. You know I'm into number five. I'm sorry. I know seven's the lucky number. Five is

mine. A team that regularly plays in London, a New England team that's limited, and actually Trevor Lawrence has not played poorly the last couple of weeks. If it's five, I take the favorite last week, four and five, the Packers was my favorite bet. The game was over eight minutes in. probably not sharp, but I love it, sharp or square. I feel like you're playing some kind of game of numerology and astrology. And like, I don't like bad quarterbacks. I like good quarterbacks. I like the number five.

I don't like the number seven. When the zodiac sign says Mercury is in retrograde, I'm definitely going with the team from Jacksonville if they're playing in London. Yes, this actually is the sharp side. And it's because some of what you said, but it's also the Jags have been in London, favorites historically, 35 and 10 in London. I mean, just winning outright, 35 and 10 in London. Something like 30 and 15 against the spread.

It's like it's the right side. It's the nominally better team in a more desperate situation. So, yes, I mean, most wise guys are like, I'm not really planning on having been watching this game. I'm going to sleep in. But if they're going to bet, they're going to bet the Jaguars. You just mentioned the Jets, and it made me think of a funny story because that game was so disgusting. The night before the game, if you were betting the Giants, a plus three and a half, was also terrible because they were winning. They had won that game.

Like, they were the better team. They had stymied Joe Burrow. They missed field goals. At the end of the game, it was clear they were going to lose. because something funky was going to happen. The Bengals weren't just going to lay down at 10-7. They were going to do something that sort of knee-capped the Giants. I'm watching this game, and I feel like you'll appreciate this.

It's 11 o'clock at night. I'm watching the game in bed. My wife is semi-sleeping next to me, and she says something to me. And I'm like, I can't understand what you're saying. What are you saying? And she starts talking to me about something that has nothing to do with anything that is a total non-sequitur to the day, the week, weekend, everything. And I go, can we just not talk about this right now? Like, we don't need to have

this conversation this second. She goes, that's fine. I understand. My feeling right now is, you're probably going to lose this game and you're going to wake up in the morning and people are on Twitter are just going to tell you you're stupid. And then she rolled over and she went back to bed. That's what they do, by the way. She was right. I know. I felt like you would appreciate every single element to that. So that was one of my Blazing Five picks. And for the first or second time in my career, I pulled it off the Blazing Five

when Malik Neighbors was not available. I pulled it out. I almost inserted the Bears. My staff knew I loved that game I didn't, so I finished three and one. Here's my favorite pick of the week, and again, I have a rule. When a good team plays a perfect game,

and it's the game of the week, and it's flawless, pro or college. you don't duplicate that. We've seen that multiple times this year. Minnesota, off a buy, Detroit off the perfect football game. No thank you. I'll lay the points. Vikings now minus one and a half, sharper square.

So it's square. What's really interesting here is, and you know, me and my co-host, Simon Hunter, talked about this on the favorites. He's a professional better, and a lot of times what professional betters do, they will manipulate the market. So this game was at Minnesota minus one, minus one and a half early in the week. It went up to two. It went up to two and a half. And then as soon as it got to two and a half, the professional betters started betting Detroit again. It went back down to two.

It went back down to one and a half. So there's a philosophy. There's a theory right now that the professional betters early in the week were betting small amounts of money to bet this game up a little bit. So they could come in later in the week when the books take bigger dollar amount. and bet the Detroit Lions much, much heavier, right? The Lions, to me, are the right side. I think there's a difference between teams that are playing perfect games and teams that are fundamentally as close to perfect as you can get.

And I like to bet looking inside out. I like to bet offensive line first. And the offensive line for the Detroit Lions is just dominant. They are. And I think the past few weeks, and we talked about this last week, with the lions and the cowboys, they have figured out how to play physical, violent football. They have gotten out of the way of sort of trying to figure out,

is Jared Goff going to win us the game? No, the offensive line is going to win us the game. Running the ball is going to win us the game. Jared Goff will then perform off of those situations that we have set up for him. So offensively, I think this is a much better team. And I do think Jared Goff and Ben Johnson will know how to scheme against Brian Flores,

whose defense has been great. offensive line will protect against the pass rush, the Flores has been great at generating. The worst unit on this field is going to be the Vikings offense. So if there is any diminished performance from the Lions because of Aidan Hutchinson, I do think it's somewhat mitigated by the fact they're not playing a lights out offense. And we're all looking to sell the Vikings. We're trying to figure it out, right? When are we going to sell the Vikings?

A lot of wise guys think this is the week. Okay, I, on Monday on the herd, on FS1 and IHeart Radio, I said, I'm taking the Rams at five. The line will move up dramatically. It's the rare mistake by Vegas. McVeigh-Stafford off a buy. They're getting healthier. The Raiders made a truce trade for getting rid of Devante Adams, so it makes it even tastier. But I think Devonte Adams leaving sends a real message.

The Max Crosby rumors don't help. They're saying he won't be traded. but it's not a great locker room right now. And the Raiders are not a team that needs to win because they're not going to. It's a distracted team with bad mojo. The Rams now need to go on a street. They're healthier, better coach, better quarterback.

In fact, it's the biggest coach quarterback mismatch on the board this week. I have it at minus five sharper square. If you have it at five, that is incredible and it's sharp, and you should hold on to that, like it's a cuddly teddy bear because that line does not exist. Like it's at six and a half in most places. So if you can get a five or if you have a five,

if you can book a five, take the five. At six and a half, it's not a number that I would want to really lean into for the Rams. The truth is, if at six and a half I might even lean Raiders. I agree with you about Stafford and McVeigh, nobody really trusts Aidan O'Connell. but the line bumped up for two reasons. One, expectation that Cooper Cup might come back. They did think he could come back in week seven.

And because the Raiders got blown out by the Steelers, but if you look at that box score, that game was close. It was 7.6 at the end of the first half. It was 12-7 when, and then three consecutive series, fluky things happened to give the Steelers a huge lead. And even then, the Raiders had opportunities to come back and they were called back for penalties. They fumbled on the one-yard line

after they had scored a touchdown that was called back. So the game was closer than the score appears, so I think six and a half is too much. Seattle plus a field goal at Atlanta is interesting. The Seahawks are getting healthy. I know you have a luck rating, and the Saints were called unlucky. I do think Atlanta's had a few breaks go their way,

and they're a tad overvalued. I think they win their division. But I actually think even the game against Tampa Bay that they won an overtime, I kind of felt most of the game Tampa was better and has a higher ceiling. I kind of like Seattle in this spot. They've been a funky mess defensively, and you think they're not very good. No, they're finally getting their best defenders back.

And Gino Smith, Atlanta has no pass rush. They have really good receivers. I like Seattle in the points, Sharper Square. ish at two and a half the wise guys are playing the falcons at three they might play seattle they won't play atlanta they were kind of hoping it would get to three and a half so they could play atlanta if they like seattle it's because of everything you just said they're getting a little bit healthier atlanta can't generate a pass rush um they are that the falcons could just as easily be oh and six right now right and we talked about

this last week, the games they have won, three games that they won, they had a 5% chance to win those games, sometimes with less than 30 seconds left, and they still won those games. So there has been a lot of sort of luck involved in their season so far. So that is due. They are due for regression there. Even last week against the Panthers, like until Andy Dalton threw that pick into his territory, and then the Falcons went on an 84-yard drive, the Panthers were running all over them, and they had a chance to be very close in that game if not win it out right. So it's a, it's a, this is a number play entirely. Two and a half Atlanta, three or more, Seattle. Okay. One of my favorite bets of the week, and it was before

Devontey Adams, I'll take the Jets minus one and a half. The Steelers are a mess. They don't even know who their quarterback is. I think the Jets were an excellent two and four team. If they could kick field goals, think about this. If it wasn't for Taylor Rap, making two remarkable plays at safety, jarring the ball loose. And if it wasn't for Terran Johnson making, honestly, an Ed Reed-level interception, like one of the great plays of the year, Jets win that game. Aaron played well. They ran the ball.

They had 72% motion, 25% would Nat-Hack at the week before. I think the Jets are a really, really undervalued 2-14. They're high-profile. The game is stand-alone. you think they're no good. They really should have beaten the bills. Sharp or square? Totally sharp.

They like it for everything you just said. The reason they really like it is because the indications are Russell Wilson will be the starting quarterback. And you can't find anybody who really understands the logic in that call unless it's just Mike Tomlin living up to a promise that he gave to Russell Wilson

that he would be a starting quarterback. He really shouldn't be. And now you're getting, Russell Wilson at a time where they've already lost their right guard, James Daniels, who was graded as the best guard in the NFL before his Achilles was injured. And then last week they lost Zach Frazier, who was greater as the fourth best center, according to pro football focus in the NFL, which is one of the reasons why their running game had been so powerful and they could get away with Justin Fields, not being very good.

So now you're getting rid of two of the best offensive linemen in the NFL that is the strength of your team, and you're putting in a quarterback who is not, nearly as mobile, yet he's going to have more pressure because the strength of the Jets' defense is the interior of their defensive line. So forget about Aaron Rogers. Forget about Devante Adams. The reason why professional betterers are leaning the Jets is because of those interior factors. And again, those are the things that don't get as discussed in sort of the larger platforms, but that's what the betters are looking at. It's what's happening at the center of the Steelers line and who the quarterback is going to be much more than Devante Adams. And you've seen this number go up,

even though the majority of the bets have actually come in on the Steelers, but the money, the professionals, have come in on the Jets. So I never bet against Lamar Jackson in the NFC, but at three and a half points, I do like Tampa at home. I think Tampa may be the most underrated team in the league. I mean, Baker Mayfield, he'll give you a little wiggle, 14 of his 15 touchdowns from the pocket. He and Chris Godwin are humming. They have a three-pronged run game. Tucker,

Bucky Irving, White, like three legitimate running backs. And that is a team that, even in games they've lost, you look up and think, oh, this is probably the better team. If I get the hook, I'm taking Tampa here.

Also, Ravens have been in back-to-back, very emotional game, I think, you know, they always beat the NFC, but sharp or square, I'd go the hook in Tampa. 100% sharp. And this was, this line opened at four and a half. What's really interesting is you talked about sort of the performance of the public last week by saying betting on the better quarterback, right? Last week, the public went 10, 3, and 1.

The public in the five weeks prior had had the worst start to the season it had ever had. And just for clarity, when I talk about the public, I mean, amateur betters who tend to bet favorites and tend to bet the favorites to cover, right? So you're talking about teams like the Ravens or the Chiefs or, you know, in this case last week, the Lions. Normally, the public does not win. So the public is all over the Ravens this week. And when that happens, bookmakers, when the public really cashes in, bookmakers know amateur betters are fat and happy. they're going to take the money they won the week before,

they're going to go to the sports book, they're going to bet the favorites again because, hey, I just won, how hard can this be? I just won betting the Ravens to win by a touchdown against the commanders, and they did it. So now they're going to come back, and you can see, like, the Bucks game, it opened at four and a half,

it immediately got that down to three and a half. That's because the wise guys came in on the box, and they still like the Bucks. Baker's the key here. What Baker can do, throwing across the middle to Godwin, and Mike Evans, hopefully, because he did have a little bit of a soft tissue injury. And so there is some concern he might not play. But assuming he will, what Baker can do across the field,

middle of the field against a coverage unit in the Ravens that is bottom third in the league and a past defense that is giving up the second most passing yards per game in the NFL. The only team worse is the Jaguars. This is a recipe for Baker to keep this game close. Or, Colin, it's a rest of. for Baker to break our hurt with interception when the team is down by 10 and we need him to score a touchdown to cover the back door. Yeah, he's done both. Let's talk about something really, really important. If you're ever injured, check out Morgan and Morgan to America's largest

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Morgan and Morgan has a proven track record of fighting for you to get a full and fair compensation if there's an unexpected accident in your life. This is a paid advertisement. There's always a game I want your, I feel mildly interested, but I want your conviction and your insight. The only time the Texans have really played awful this year was when they traveled north and faced Minnesota, and it was a lot of Brian Flores and C.J. Stroud acknowledging, I don't even know what I saw.

I like Green Bay. I've never loved their defense. Texans getting three. I've got Joe Mixing back, a run component. I want your opinion on this. It's telling me to bet Texans, but I think Jordan Love is such a special player, but Demico Ryans could do a Brian Flores to Jordan Love, like Flores did to C.J. Stroud. Tell me that Texans is the right side. It's not. This is one of those number plays. There's plenty of places where you can get the Packers at minus two and a half.

And the Wise guys are betting the Packers at two and a half. And what really tells you the Wise guys are betting the Packers at two and a half is the way the money is split. But again, public is all over the Texas. You can see that the money is coming in on the Packers, and that's what's fascinating here. So it's a really hard game. And there's been a huge debate in the professional betting community about which is the right side. But if you're getting the Packers at two and a half, people want to make that bet. The professionals want to make that bet. What's the game I'm missing?

It's usually egregiously uncomfortable to watch. It's a corner of a corner TV game. What is it? Well, I'm a little surprised we didn't talk about the chiefs and the Niners. Well, I will not bet against Andy Reid off a buy. My heart tells me the Niners are eventually going to win one of these games. Brock Purdy is actually today playing better than Mahomes. So my gut is the Niners are the side.

But betting against Andy Reid off a buy is like these days betting against Otani with men on base. I'm not interested. Yeah, not only that, betting against Patrick Mahomes as an underdog. I mean, he's like 10 and 3 or something. Yeah, it's, it's ridiculous. So I'm glad, I'm glad because the answer would be there is no answer. And it's what you just said. It's a heart and a head game.

In your head, it's like the Super Bowl last year. In your head, the Niners have the better roster. The Niners should win this game outright. But Patrick Mahomes, like, you make your own luck, right? even this year, they've been lucky in so many spots. And you have to say to yourself, of course this is going to end. It can't continue to be this way. But it's Patrick Mahomes who finds a way to get out of the pocket, find Travis Kelsey in his zone

when Travis Kelsey hasn't caught two passes the entire game, all of a sudden the last drive, they need a field goal. They're driving down the field. They get the field goal. Quirky things happen. So it's a really hard game. Like people don't want to really invest in this game. I mean, I almost like, I'm sick to my stomach telling you this, but the wise guys are all over the Browns.

The Browns? Yeah, plus five and a half against the Bengals. Oh. I know. I know. Oh, gross. I mean, they just traded Amari Cooper. Well, look, so what happened was this line was at five and a half.

And the wise guys were already trending towards the Brown. Now, this is at Cleveland, getting five and a half against Cincinnati and Burrell. Yes. And so when Marri Cooper was traded Tuesday afternoon, this line immediately shot up to six and a half. Do you know who's not worth a point against the point spread? Amari Cooper. Do you know who else isn't worth a point against the point spread? Aidan Hutchinson.

There is nobody in the NFL who is worth a point against this point spread unless it's quarterback. Anyone else is a half a point. That's it. Amari Cooper, the Browns should get points back for trading Amari Cooper. That's how the wise guys look at this. So they bought the Browns at six and a half. They bought the Browns again at six. It's back down to five and a half. There's a lot of stuff that they like about betting the Browns. The Browns have not had an offensive line that was healthy this entire year. This weekend, they should be getting Jack Conn's. Jack Conklin back, that's huge for their offensive line. Nick Chubb should be back.

I'm not saying Nick Chubb makes them a much more superior team, but it does give them an opportunity to start playing a little bit more like Kevin Stefanski wants to play these games and take the ball out of Deshawn Watson's hands. At the very least, maybe Deshaun Watson won't be staring at the pass rush because he won't be so afraid because Jack Conklin is playing again. So I do like that that is happening. There's some good health things on the offensive side of the ball.

and their defense is getting healthier too. And you got a top five pass rush defense. You got Miles Garrett in a divisional game in this situation with the Bengals team that still isn't that good. Right. They shouldn't be a five and a half point favorite. It's terrible. You don't want to bet the bad quarterback against one of the best quarterbacks. I'm not asking you to do it.

I'm just telling you what the professionals are doing. So are you saying the wise guys like Kansas City plus one and a half against San Francisco? Completely split. It is like you have the guys who are just like you who refuse to bet against Patrick Mahomes. In fact, they would rather take their shot and bet on Patrick Mahomes. They don't want to be watching the end of the game and seeing Patrick Mahomes have the ball and know they should have bet on him and have not bet on him. But what's been interesting is the chief.

are a very public road underdog. That is not a great situation to be on the side of if you're a professional, if you're a better, right? You want to be against the public in most situations. This number has been kind of staying at one and a half, which tells you that the wise guys have been coming in on the Niners. So if they're closing their eyes, looking at rosters, looking at data, they're betting the Niners.

if they're eyes wide open, seeing who's on the field, they're betting the Chiefs. Chad Millman, Sharper Square, CCO Action Network, all odds provided by Draft Kings. As always, my friend, thank you. Great to see you, buddy. The volume. Thanks so much for listening. If you've enjoyed the podcast, take a moment, rate and review. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite.

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