The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Harbaugh Is Perfect For The Bills, Love “Actually Good”, Sharp Or Square

Episode Date: December 9, 2023

Colin’s best takes of the week!    He explains why Jim Harbaugh is the perfect coach to turn around the flailing Buffalo Bills if he chooses to leave Michigan (2:00) and why Jordan Love is starting to thrive because of the buy-in from the Packers organization (7:20) John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” stops by to break down the 49ers dominant win over the Eagles and why they should be hoisting the Lombardi trophy in February (16:15). Chad Millman, Chief Content Officer of the Action Network, joins from Las Vegas for a round of “Sharp or Square,” to help provide Colin with the sharpest betting advice for the Week 14 NFL slate!  (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) 30:45 - Saints vs. Panthers 32:00 - Broncos vs. Chargers 33:30 - Seahawks vs. 49ers 35:00 - Ravens vs. Rams 37:00 - Browns vs. Jags 38:30 - Chiefs vs. Bills 40:30 - Eagles vs. Cowboys 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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Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith ruling. of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. The volume. This week on Prime Cuts, Chad Milman Sharper Square, John Middlakov on the Niners dominant win over Philly and my top takes of the week. Well, hi, everybody. I think the interesting story today is Tyler Dunn, who is connected, covers the Packers and the Buffalo Bills. has a story today. It's part of a three-part series on Sean McDermott and how he has worn out as Welcome in Buffalo. And there's a lot of, you know, anonymous sourcing that I trust with Tyler Dunn on players saying he's rigid, he's a blamer. You know, he, that's why the defensive coordinator is quit. He fashions himself as a great leader, but doesn't inspire players. But the most

damning part of the article to me, and something I've talked about so often that I do worry that it's just it's fatiguing to the audience is defensive coaches do not have relationships with quarterbacks. We've seen Mack Jones and Belichick regressed terribly. Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson, really bad. Mike Zimmer and Kirk Cousins, reportedly huge fissures in that relationship. In the Tyler Dunn's story, the part that would really concern me is the quote that Sean McDermott all these years with Josh Allen doesn't really have a great relationship. Hmm. That's why Josh Allen has regressed since Brian Daybowl left. And we've talked about it on FS1. If you look at the coaches who have had to deal with backup quarterback situations this year, Shane Stike and Colts,

they're winning with Gardner Minshue. Zach Taylor, Jake Browning, just beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville. You know, I mean, Brock Purdy started his career with Shanahan as a backup. Kevin Stefansky with Joe Flacko last week, surprisingly capable. You look at defensive coaches who have to deal with backups. Belichick and Bailey Zappi, Dennis Allen, having to deal with James Winston and New Orleans. So there is a thread here. Offensive coaches consistently have better relationships, not surprisingly, with their quarterback. But when your quarterback is Josh Allen, you got to get it right.

And in that Tyler Dunn article, McDermott has no real tight relationship with a star quarterback. And listen, you just don't see very often. He's a blamer in the article. A defensive coordinator resign like Leslie Frazier or respected guy. This year they blamed Ken Dorsey. He gets fired. So Buffalo is a small market, a very small market by pro sports franchise market comps. And so I have my questions whether they'd fire him or not. But the reason I talk about, about this, it leads me to the second story, which is Jim Harbaugh is negotiating an $11.5 million a year deal with Michigan. I think the only great job available in the NFL is potentially the Buffalo Bills job. The Chargers would be a good job, but Brandon Staley hasn't been fired, and the Dean Spanos children, the boys, are upstairs in the front office, which has scared off

other coaches. It's not ideal. You won't get much of a say in personnel, which Harbaal wants. Buffalo is different. They have drafted pretty well, not great, but what they're missing is somebody to build a consistently good run game in O line. That is exactly what Jim Harbaugh has done with the Niners, with Stanford, and with Michigan. What the bills lack as a coach, vision, quarterback elevation, physicality, and a consistent run game. That's exactly what Harbaugh does. So Jim Harrod of Buffalo is a perfect fit. The defense is good enough. The roster is good enough. There are things they do well, but how many years does this defensive coach get to use alibis to explain the inability to run the ball consistently? Also struggling to run the ball consistently, defensive coach Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh. So it's a pattern. The tighter done story is eye-opening. Check it out on Bill's coach, Sean McDermott does not paint a pretty picture. And in line with that, juxtaposed with the Jim Harbaugh news,

if I was Jim Harbaugh, I would accept Michigan's offer. I don't think there's a great job out there. You get about one great job opening every three or four years. Cowboys, Mike McCarthy job. You get Dak, the O-Line, a committed franchise, good money, great city, good job. Matt Lefleur Packers, Aaron Rogers, late prime. Great job. Not many.

You can say, oh. Oh, well, look at Pete Carroll took the Seahawks. They didn't have quarterback right. Pete couldn't get the quarterback right for a couple of years. That looks like a good franchise. It wasn't when he took it over. Oh, the Houston Texans were a mess. Domingo Ryan is great, and C.J. Stroud has been shockingly good.

It's not a good job. Most of these openings, you've got an owner issue, a roster issue, or a pressure and unrealistic expectation issue like Carolina. Bills, not only a great job opening because of Josh Allen, Stanley, steady ownership, good roster, Belichick's leaving soon, Aaron Rogers' situation is still a mess, Tua, his, they haven't given him an extension, so you don't really know if the organization's all in on Tua, who has been historically injury prone. That's the only job if I'm Arbaugh. I pause on the Michigan contract offer. Other than that, I'd sign it tomorrow.

The Packers went over Kansas City. It was their game from the very beginning. And I said this during the week on FS1, it didn't matter of Green Bay won in terms of the big picture. What Jordan Love had to do with Patrick Mahomes on the other sideline is to be able to match him. And, you know, we know Mahomes is the better quarterback. Can he make throws? Can he look confident? Can he move? And I thought Jordan Love was everything and more.

You know, it's interesting for years I've said about Green Bay is I think they draft and develop as well as anybody in the NFL. Just look at their wide receiving talent. Watson, Jaden, Reed, Romeo Dobbs, and Wicks. The four really, really twitchy, Watson's a burner. They're really clever athletes. All can play. New England hasn't drafted a legitimate receiver in over a decade.

Green Bay's got four in two years. They just do it well. And it's what's interesting, if you look at the Packers' history, they don't take a lot of players, offensive players, in the first round. But yet they always end up with elite tackles, very good running backs, excellent receivers, better than average tight ends. It's a really offensive leading culture, Holmgren, into McCarthy, into Matt LaFlewer. They do offense well. Steelers do defense well.

Packers do offense well. And this, of course, helps Jordan Love. Whereas Kenny Pickett, it's going to be kind of on his own. Jordan Love's got great aides to his left, to his right. he also, and we've discussed this ad nauseum, Aaron Rogers was like a 50-year-old lead singer and the band was a bunch of 20-year-olds. He didn't fit all these young players

as they were rebuilding the offense. This generationally works, Jordan Love, and these guys, like, they feel like, you know, they're going to be around for years and years together. And, you know, I just think if you look around at the majority of the young quarterbacks who can struggle, it's often with defensive coaches. Look at what McVey did to Goff. Look at what Shanahan's doing to Purdy. Look at what Mike McDaniel did to resurrect Tua. Yet look what Belichick's done to

Mac Jones. He gets worse every year. Now he's just a shot fighter. So I'm not saying Jordan Love doesn't have talent. But you've watched the development in the last six weeks. He's like a different player. He was always tall and moved well. He always had a good whip. That was never a question. You could watch his YouTube highlights as you did, and I did at Utah State. He was always a big kid who moved well and had a whip. That was never the issues. A little bit erratic as a thrower he was tonight, too. But this is just confidence, development.

And you can tell a lot. Years and years ago, I remember a story. They've got confidence with Jordan Love now in the building. That's why tonight was really crucial. And you saw it a little bit against the Chargers, a lot against the Lions, and really a lot tonight, is that you got to get buy-in in the building. Years ago, a long, long time ago,

I helped create a show at ESPN called Sports Nation, and it was offbeat and kind of quirky. And we didn't know if it was going to work because it was so different than anything on the air. But an executive said, well, if the people in the building like it, if you get buy-in in the building, it doesn't matter what the ratings are. They'll support it.

And I always thought, that's interesting. Get buy-in in the building. It's a lot like that for a quarterback. Watch the show. Chicago Bears play calling with Justin Fields. He has no buy-in in the building. The coordinator doesn't trust him. The coach doesn't trust him. Seventy percent of the throws are behind the line of scrimmage. He's got no buy-in in the building. C.J. Stroud, complete buy-in. Jordan Love did not have it in the preseason and in September. We kept saying it's they're babysitting

him. They're coddling him. Let him throw it. It was just slow growth. Let's wait until we're comfortable. Let's let this thing develop. the Packers knew better. Now when you watch it, they just let him go. I mean, it's got a backyard feel to it. Just let him go. And he's never going to be as precise as Aaron Rogers. That's not who he is.

He's got the far playmaking ability with sort of the whip of Aaron Rogers, but he's not a precise thrower. He's not Joe Burrell. That's not what he is. You know, he can get erratic. His mechanics are a little, you know, they are what they are. It looks a little backyard football. But he's playing with a ton of confidence.

He has tremendous, young, offensive personnel around him. And they're all getting better. Watson, Dobbs, Wicks, those guys are all going to get better. You don't have to pay any of them for three years. So that'll let you dip in and solve any issues you have anywhere else in the roster. Because right now, Jordan Loves not, doesn't have a punitive contract. So, you know, the other thing that jumps out to me is that not only do the Packers draft and develop well, I mean, how many quarterbacks have succeeded there.

you know, a lot for the biggest, three of the biggest quarterbacks in league history, you know, are Packers. But the two more recent, obviously, are Farvin Rogers. And, you know, it's sometimes because they don't have an owner to call you on your, you know, crap. And because it's the smallest pro-sport city in America where you can't even go to the grocery store, I always call it the Green Bay Packer quarterback syndrome, where like Farv and Aaron Rogers are very different people, but it kind of dissolved. into the same threatening retirement, unhappy with front office.

And, you know, when you think about it, that was perfect for Farr of an Aaron Rogers to start. It may have ended poorly, but, you know, Green Bay tends to be very supportive, very much into development. You don't have to worry about the press, breathing down your throat. I mean, the cheeseheads, Lambo,

totally supportive, thick and thin. And it really is a perfect environment for a young quarterback trying to find his footing. 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 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 what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard 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 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 tauntons 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 podcasts. Former NFL scout for the Philadelphia Eagles, John Middilkoff,

as we get ready for close to an hour of breakdown of college football, some thoughts on various coaches in the league who are on the definite hot seat, but we start John with San Francisco and Philly. There were two games this weekend that I loved. I loved the Niners and I love the Lions. So let's start with San Francisco and Philadelphia. I thought, at least in the first half, it felt like your classic matchup of great teams. Playmakers, speed, strength, coaching, kind of the class of the NFC.

But I do wonder if that emotional game with a lot of snaps for the Eagles defense last week against Buffalo. and that was one of the reasons I like San Francisco. At this time of the year, John, every day counts for rest. So the Niners get several days rest. The Eagles play an especially long game against Buffalo defenses on the field. And I think they looked absolutely worn down in the second half defensively. That was my take. Yeah, I thought early on, I mean, that place I've been to a lot of games there was rocking.

And the quarterback was a little shaky. The Eagles came ready to play, which was shocking. I thought it'd be the other way around. The Niners had talked a lot. Like you said, they had been off since Thanksgiving. I thought by about midway through that second quarter, the Niners were really leaning on them. You could tell that defensive line was gassed.

The Eagles defense isn't very good. I mean, their linebackers are decimated with injuries. They're on like their third string nickel corner. They had to trade for a safety. And the 49ers, from Ayyuk to obviously Debo, who has been running his mouth for nine months. And listen, I got no problem. In an individual sport,

you're Connor McGregor, your Tiger Woods, your whatever, you run your mouth. Only you have to back it up. Debo can back it up. I was nervous. Some other guys on the team, you know, the right tackle trying to block Reddick. It didn't matter. I mean, Debo dominated that game. Kittal was awesome.

McCaffrey was flying around. They came ready to play. But most importantly, Colin, in solidarity with the quarterback, how about that MVP-type performance from Brock Purdy? After starting the game, 0 of 4, where it's just, he looked shaky. 19 of 23 the rest of the game and just throwing dots, keeping plays alive with his legs, keeping his eyes down field. How about the run he had where he broke the tackle?

I'm not saying the guy's the MVP, but if he's not in the discussion, we're all about watching football, he was brilliant today. Yeah, and I think one of the things I've said, let's contextualize it, Shanahan's a brilliant, brilliant play caller, and the weapons are insane. I mean, literally, Kittal will be a Hall of Famer, Trent Williams, a Hall of Fame. Famer, McCaffrey should be a Hall of Famer, and if Debo stays healthy for four more years, people will talk about him as a Hall of Famer. That's just on the offense. But I do believe that there are just certain throws that C.J. Stroud makes, and I'm like, oh, yeah, that's a franchise

quarterback that Kenny Pickett can't make. Right. And so there are throws, Purdy will make about three throws a game, and he'll let go of that puppy before the receiver breaks. And you're like, Oh, yeah, that's a, that's a franchise. And for the record, I don't see Justin Fields make those. I don't see him as an anticipation thrower. So, and it's not a knockout. I don't see Zach Wilson make those. A lot of this stuff is innate.

And, you know, years ago, Bill Parcells had a rule. No celebrity quarterbacks, which forget that now with NIL. They're going to be sluggies. But I want three years of starting. And I remember when I really noticed this, I covered Achilles Smith in Oregon. And I love the way through the ball. But he was like a one-year starter. and he went to the NFL and he just did not have enough reps.

He just did not have enough reps. He was overwhelmed. And it wasn't because he was a good kid. He could move. He had a hell of an arm. He had a baseball arm. But he just didn't have enough starts. And, you know, the NFL's impatient by year two.

Like if you don't, they're not sitting around waiting for you is everybody's going to lose their job. I think a lot of this with Purdy is. He came in high school college. He had like eight straight ears of snaps. He's just fun. He is just cognitively ready to play football. For sure. But I also think he's really good. I mean, he was the Arizona high school player of the year, really good recruiting base. In his second year starting, he was the second team all big 12 guy behind Jalen Hertz. For the next two years, he was a first teamer. And he's come in on this team and he's clearly better than anything Jimmy brought to the table. And Jimmy was pretty good, not the version we've seen these last couple years. The other thing is, wouldn't you say probably the best average arm quarterback over the last probably couple decades was like Drew Brow. breeze.

Yeah. You know, and we, and listen, you were right on Baker Mayfield. I personally thought he could become that. Clearly, he never sniff that. I actually think this guy has a lot of those traits in the pocket, but he also has, unlike Drew. Now, Drew was much more accomplished as a passer coming out of college, but this guy clearly is comfortable to go into an environment like that.

Dreary day, Philly, and I get they were running out of gas, and the Niners were favored for a reason. But that kid was dominant, you know, just in terms of accurate. And what's the key if you're going to play with really good players? Put it on them because it's like, well, they got a lot of yards after the catch. Well, he hits him in stride. The ball of McCaffrey down the middle, a couple balls to Debo, a couple balls to kiddle. And his athleticism, I think his 10-yard split is pretty much the same time as Christian McCaffrey. So he's not Lamar Jackson or Cam Newton down the field as a runner. But, you know, in those little bursts,

he can keep plays alive a lot like Jalen. Right. And that's an underestimated part of his game that has taken the Niners to a whole other level. Now, once they pulled away, it was not a fair fight because the Eagles, like you said, ran out of gas. But I also think you see, like, even if the Eagles had gas, let's face it, the Niners are a little better, right? Fully healthy. And the Eagles just, they're not getting healthy guys in the secondary, like Bradbury and Slay are their corners. And the way they use their number one wide receiver in Debo is not like an AJ Brown.

They don't just put them out there and say, cover it. Derry Slay would like that with a receiver. they're moving them all around. They're using them like a running back. Iyuk's a very shifty in and out of cuts, a lot like Devante Smith, why nobody can cover him. And then you got Kittle,

who is just one of the most unique players in the league to go on top of McCaffrey. So it's just a tough situation. It's a tough matchup for Philly. Well, and here's the other thing. So we both kind of, I think we both felt strongly just on the extra time, that this was really San Francisco's game.

And you have these moments when Dallas went to San Francisco. San Francisco's the kind of team. The Eagles know it and the Cowboys know it. If you don't have your shit dialed in, you're in big trouble. Yeah. They play downhill really fast. They're like Buffalo three years ago without the mistakes. You get all the avalanche, you know, without the yard sale of skis flying everywhere.

They're like a streamlined avalanche and you just can't with all these weapons. But here's the one thing about Philadelphia I worry about is that Ferguson for the Cowboys now. Brandon Cooks are productive. CD Lam's a top four receiver in the league. Big time. Okay. And then you have Debo, Kittle. Brandon and Iuk's a special player. Awesome. Even Jennings contributes. The Philly secondary is not getting better. Awful. They made a move at the trade deadline. It's bad. It's old. It's not getting better. Even Detroit, if you watch them today. Because Goff usually has time because of that offensive line. And they run the ball really well. James and Williams now becoming more of a threat. There's an argument to be made with Philly. Their weakness is a real problem because we both

like golf more than people. Now, Amarron St. Brown. LaPorta. James and Williams. Laporta. He's an incredible role. Jesus. So all of a sudden you start looking at Philly and you're like, they don't match up necessarily well with the top three teams in the NFC. Well, their key is they did not have to win today after they won the last two weeks. Now, they're going to have to win this upcoming week against Dallas, right? And it's an enormous game. Their formula is going to be, the D-line has to be elite. I mean, it has to be unstoppable.

And it can be today they were clearly running on fumes. That's why, let's face it, today through everything, I mean, McCarthy, I'm sure, feed up, eating a sandwich at home with a big smile on his face because he has the opportunity now at home. the Niners took care of business. The Niners now play Seattle. All of a sudden, if Dallas wins and the 49ers wins, the Eagles are kind of looking up. I'm with you.

You've got to be able to, it's not like Ambrie Thomas and Lenore or Richard Sherman and Dorel Revis in the prime, but they're functional players. And the main difference between the Eagles and the Niners, because both of them have countless delinemen that every team would want. It's the linebackers.

I mean, Fred Warner is a dominant player. Greenlaw, who got in a fight with Dom. on the sideline is probably the best number two linebacker. But even when those guys, there was a moment when when Greenlaw got tossed and Fred's shoe came off, then I just have two other backups who are solid. I mean, the Eagles linebackers are, Kyle Shanahan was, this is why Debo and those guys were talking so much shit all week. They don't think that all those guys have a chance to handle their speed, their

physicality. And they don't. And once they took a deep breath and just kind of handled the crowd and just kind of the wetness and just everything that the link brings, it was a route. They just ran circles around them, and that's for sure. Now, their de-lineman, if they play at an elite level, can just cause so much havoc, and their offense has to be awesome. Goddard's got to come back.

You know, AJ Brown had some big-time moments to Vante. Their offense is really special, and that's why they've won a lot of these games, right? Because it's essentially been shootouts in the second half. Harder to have shootouts with the 49ers, I think, because their defense, they're just not really going to play in a 38 to 35 type game. Yeah, the best one possession win teams over the last several years have been Philadelphia. It caught up with them today. Minnesota last year caught up with them.

There was a cowboy team and a Seahawk team over the last three or four years. Yeah. And it caught up with them. You just can't eventually you can't get out gained like Philly had four straight games. Eventually, it just doesn't work that way. And so I kind of look at Philadelphia. And I think they'll play very well. In a weird way, they were best served to get their butt kicked because they'll come

against Dallas. They'll play a great game. 100%. They'll play a great game. But I do think there is a fundamental problem that they can only overcome with ball control offensively, which is their back four, back seven. Linebackers are weak. Corners aren't great.

They have one good safety. The only way to overcome that is with ball control. And that's it. And now they have the components to do that. I think they also got to be really careful. And in fairness, their players, I mean, slays on the volume, high level guy, Jalen, super high level guy. Their coach can be really, really yappy, right?

And not in a Bill Parcell's, like, check the pelts on my wall, yappy, it's like kind of annoying. And there's a level of, you know, listen, Kyle Shannon's going to scream at the refs, but he's not going to give the other team. He's an old school kind of Andy Reid's dad. Like, it's not about, he doesn't want to get involved in the thing. And I do think they're coaching staff. You got Siriani screaming at people pregame.

He just, listen, that works against the majority of opponents. It's not going to work against the Chiefs. Maybe it works a little bit against Alice, but it's not going to work against the 49ers. It's more just X's nose. We're going to hit you in the mouth and we're going to be relentless. So all that stuff, you know, that kind of typically feeds into Philly. Like they loved when Dom got tossed and they feed off that stuff. The Niners are, they have proven this core of guys have won so many games.

on the road, went to Green Bay in one, went to Dallas and won. They're not going to be intimidated by difficult circuit. They easily could have won a couple years ago against the Rams, right, you know, when Tart dropped the ball. So they go into these environments a lot like some great, like NBA players, like the Curry group over the years, like they're not intimidated. They might need a couple series to kind of gather themselves, but they're going to be okay. So the Eagles, it's going to be a scheme game versus them.

Can you out scheme them? Because all the other shit, like the Niners aren't. going to be phased by that crap. Can you can you out think them? Can you out call, like Andy Reed, can you out call plays against whatever their their looks are, offensively or defensively? And you saw today, it wasn't really a fair fight. Now, like you said, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt, little gas. I think if you told me there was a rematch, I would expect a much better Philly effort. But I do think big picture, do they have, like, their head coach, he's not calling the plays on either side. He's just kind of screaming on the sideline. Like the 49ers guy is

their play called. Like it's him versus you. You know, so I, yeah, that's a disadvantage for the Eagles. You know, here's the other thing is I, I'm trying to think of a roster who fungus injury, although painful, they can protect it with a good pass rush. I don't think there's been a roster as good as San Francisco since the Seahawks roster that won a Super Bowl but went to two straight. That roster just didn't make, that was such a good roster. You're not really allowed to do that anymore.

Again, Russell was on a rookie deal. Yeah, Purdy. The minute he wasn't, the roster wasn't good. Purdy's on a rookie deal. But I'm trying to think of a roster. I remember that Seattle team was so good that they went and just rented Percy Harvin almost never used him as a toy. And then they went and got Cliff Averill said, yeah, we'll bring another pass rusher.

And you're like, yeah, that's a luxury of a rookie contract. You can't do that with a veteran quarterback. But I think this roster, you know, I find myself rooting for San Francisco. Francisco to win because it would be such a shame if this roster didn't at least want, like that Seattle roster, John, it was too damn good not to win a Super Bowl. It was just too good. It was just fundamentally too good. The Ravens roster with Dilfer.

There's like seven Hall of Famers. I grew up with the Steelers in the 70s. There were a couple Raider teams. You're like, yeah, the Cowboys Jimmy Johnson roster, they need to win a Super Bowl. There's too many good players. All right. Time for another edition of Sharper Square. Chad Millman's CCO Action Network, all odds provided by Draft King.

All right, let's start Sharp Square. So let's go underdogs first. I'm prone to like underdogs. Saints are all beat up. You got a new coaching staff with the Panthers trying to impress the owner who's an impulsive, impatient man. Saints have been an underachieving team all year.

I'm going to take Bryce Young plus five against the division rival, Sharper Square. Totally sharp play. This one has been moving. Colin, this line opened at six and a half on Sunday. wise guys immediately started betting it by Monday morning it's down to five, right? And look, nobody thinks the Saints are what the Saints were expected to be in the beginning of the year. James Winston, he's 8 and 19 against the spread as a favorite in his career. Dennis Allen,

one of the most unprofitable coaches against the spread in his tenure of the past 20 years. They're one in nine this year as a favorite. Meanwhile, the Panthers defense has been improving. They got J.C. Hornback last week. He is a difference maker in the backfield, defensive backfield. And the Saints just haven't been very good. Like, everyone talks about their defense. Defense is like 30th in EPA per play in the past six weeks.

So not a good spot for the Saints, and that's why the wise guys are playing them. All right. Denver plus three. last week against a really, really well-coached defense, they got turnover prone, but the previous four to five weeks, they weren't. There are limitations to the offense, but they're not a turnover heavy offense they were last week on the road. The chargers don't create turnovers.

I thought that a performance against New England was staggeringly bad, shockingly. It's as if the locker room quit, but the Patriots were so bad they still couldn't beat them. I would take the Broncos in a rivalry game here, plus three, sharper scorer, Yeah, definitely the sharp side. Nobody likes to bet the Chargers as favorites. Even last week, the wise guys were betting the Patriots. And they got, you know, unfortunately, it was basically a bad beat. It was a baseball score of six to nothing. And the line started at six and moved down a little bit. Similar here. Like, we're talking about a division underdog. Last five years, they cover 57% of the spread, 50% of the time when they are the road dog. The Broncos, last week aside, they had their moments. They had a shot to cover and win against the Texans, even playing terribly. So now they're getting a much better coach in a smash spot for the wise guys.

They're on the Broncos. Seahawks plus 10 and a half at the Niners. Philadelphia's, that win is impressive, as we've often talked about. After a great win, teams pull back. Seattle at 6 and 6.6. the Rams are coming hard, desperate. You know, I'm not a Gino Smith fan, but there's weapons here. This is a rivalry game.

It's the season for Seattle. I thought this was one of my favorite picks on the board, Sharper Square. Totally sharp. What's interesting here is this number, it's kind of stabilized. On Sunday night, opened about 12, 12 and a half, 13. Immediately that number got that down. And you do have a lot of things here. Look, it is as high as,

as high as it gets on the Niners right now, right? Their four-game win streak, when Debo and Trent Williams are playing, they are 9-0, they are beating teams by three touchdowns when that duo is on the field. Brock Purdy looks invincible when those guys are playing and he has those weapons. Here's the challenge. They are coming off that Eagles win. That's why the number opened so high. That's why the wise guys immediately bet it down to 10.5.

Again, road dogs in the division the past five years, 57% against the spread. You're playing with fire because we do have a lot of evidence how good the Niners have been, but as a professional better, you have to take the Seahawks in this spot. The precedent will tell you long term that is a value play. Okay, so I've had this theory that if you don't have a quarterback on your roster that can duplicate to some degree Lamar Jackson and you're an NFC team, You're screwed going to Baltimore. Seattle got buried.

Detroit got buried. Matt Stafford is going to get buried. The Rams have been doing it. They face some backup quarterback, some pretty lousy defenses, or they've been at home. Rough spot for an NFC traveling to a different time zone, early game. I love the line at minus seven. Don't love it as much at minus seven and a half. But Baltimore's done this time and time again as a home favorite against West Coast team.

Ravens minus seven and a half sharper square. Well, at seven and a half it's square. At seven, it's neutral. There's no huge consensus here. The Rams are getting played at seven and a half. There's a couple things that are tempting the wise guys. Seven and a half is just a huge number, right? You can easily see the Rams are down by two touchdowns.

Game is out of reach. They got two minutes left. You know Sean McVeigh is not going to take his foot off the gas. Matthew Stafford, in that small. spot can wing it, find his receivers. The Ravens are playing a little bit more lax, and they cover the back door at seven and a half because, you know, you got the hook. At seven, it's a little bit more cautious for the wise guys. There's one factor here. Lamar Jackson, as a favorite of more than three, is not very good, 21 and 31 against a spread. So, and Lamar Jackson is a favorite of more than

three at home. Not very good. John Harbaugh, historically incredibly profitable, not very good as a favorite of more than three at home. So this is not a great spot for the Ravens. However, they have been turning it around a little bit this year. That Colts game, I think, was an anomaly. We saw it with the Seahawks. We saw it with the Lions. But don't remember, don't forget, those games were under a touchdown. So you're playing with fire if you're going to take seven and a half. One of my favorite lines of the week. Now, the line's gotten a little out of hand, but Cleveland minus three and a half. So Christian Kirk's surgery out, Trevor Lawrence out, C.J.

Bethard against one of the best defenses in 10 years and the Cleveland defense, much better at home. If you watch the Browns Rams game, Joe Flacko was good, shockingly good. Offensive coaches taking backup quarterbacks this year. And I can give you six. It's worked quickly. Kevin O'Connell Dobbs worked quickly. I'm going to take the Browns to cover. I think it's a blowout.

I think they blow out a Jags team. C.J. Bethard is a borderline NFL guy, Sharper Square. Well, it's sharp, and that's why the number has moved so aggressively. It moved, obviously, when the Trevor Lawrence injury happened, and, you know, now knowing it's going to be C.J. Bethard, but don't forget, you've lost Christian Kirk. You've lost Cam Robinson. They've lost people on defense, which was already a bad. secondary. Now you're going to have a massive amount of wind and rain and a game that is going

to be very, very ugly. This defense for the Browns is different at home. 10 points per game at home, 30 points per game on the road. They are relatively healthy. Forget about Joe Flacko for a second. You're just talking about the advantages that Cleveland has of the defensive unit playing against a litany of backups for the Jags. So the wise guys have continued to play this and they're still plan on three and a half. Another damaging story comes out about Sean McDermott, how one of his coaches got a truck paid for by players. It's just bad PR.

End of last season to now with the bills. Kansas City lost to a really red hot Jordan Love. I think the Packers now are playing really good. I think there were a bad PI miss by the officials from scoring a tying touchdown. So I think we're overplaying because it was a wildly popular game and highly, highly viewed. We're overplaying the problems with the chiefs. They are favored by only one and a half against the bills who I just think going back to last year's playoff game are a bit of a mess inside the walls of that organization. I'll take Kansas City to cover Sharper Square.

Well, look, the line has moved in the bill's direction before this story that you're referring to came out. And this line opened at three, immediately got that down to two and a half, then two, then one and a half, some places one, which to me is insane. And I think it is a huge overreaction to the troubles that Kansas City has had, like you said, and also an overreaction to the bills, being competitive against the Eagles, losing a really bad game, having the week off, and now needing to win this game to get to the playoffs. Haven't the bills been desperate for like a month and it hasn't mattered? right? So why is this game going to be any different? And to your point about Patrick Mahomes, look,

I bet the Packers plus six last week on Monday night. And there is nothing that feels worse than having the team that is playing against Patrick Mahomes when Patrick Mahomes has the ball at the end of the game. And look, he made a bad pass. He got beat on that interception. But you're right. One PI away from probably get into the end zone when making that a 27-27 game. I don't want to bet against Patrick Mahomes as less than a field goal favorite in November and December when he's at home. So if you're telling me, I got to get Patrick Mahomes and he's just got to win by one point, come on. Of course we're taking the Chiefs. All right.

It's time to talk me into this one. Eagles plus three and a half, despite the fact they will have played the Cowboys and the Bills and the Niners and the Cowboys again and all these tough teams. Kansas City mixed in. There is a fatigue, right? but I do think it's being overvalued. This is a good team that had won 24 of 26, cold, leading, trailing, warm, windy, they win. Three and a half, divisional game. Cowboys may win, but the hook I'd take, why isn't everybody seeing this as an obvious Eagles play?

Part of it is scheme. The Eagles have been exposed in the middle of their defense. They just can't cover. And we saw that with the 49ers. They just destroyed the Eagles with a scheme that can be very similar to what the Cowboys are trying to do, right? Mike McCarthy all year talking about playing a style of West Coast offense that he had done with the Packers. And, you know, they're changing it up a little bit. But if you look at what Dak is doing this year, he and CDLAM are making connections.

And that ability to drive the slant route and connect on that is going to be really challenging for the Eagles, especially in the middle of the defense for them. So I think that's one reason. Also, the Eagles have not been running the ball. Lane Johnson injured. I think that's a huge tell for the wise guys. But the truth is, Colin, you look at every metric, look at number of bets, you look at an amount of money.

It's pretty split, 50-50, which is why this thing has basically stayed where it is. There was the initial push, opened at two and a half. Wise guys took the two. They took the three, and now it's a three and a half. It hasn't gone up to four because everything is basically stabilized. So I think this is where it's going to be for a little while. No consensus. I'm on the Cowboys for what it's worth. All right. Finally, dumpster diving. What's the game I missed?

Well, look, we got two options here. One, I can't believe you didn't bring up the bears getting three and a half. Now, that's an interesting one. So talk about that. To me, this is a no-brainer. And the Bears opened at five, wise guys bet it down immediately. It settled at three and a half within about 24, 48 hours. Number one, the Bears defense has been playing really, really well the past seven weeks compared to the Lions defense, which has been getting shredded. And they're missing McNeil in the middle of their defensive line. That is a huge impact that people who know football are talking a lot about. So now you're getting a team on the road playing in Chicago where weather is going to be a factor. Jared Boff in his career averaging less than 14 points,

per game when the weather is under 50 degrees against a team in Justin Field, a lot of our PO. We've seen what they've been doing when he is on the field since his injury, a lot more running. They kept this game close against the lines two weeks ago. They beat the Vikings last week. This Bears team doesn't get credit for how much more it's improved since the byweek. So the wise guys are on the Bears. One more? Well, you mentioned backup quarterbacks.

and you talked about sort of they're getting these opportunities to shine quickly. Jake Browning did not play well in his first game against the Steelers, but he played very well in his second game against the Jags. Very accurate. Look at what this Colts team has done. Who have they beaten up? The Panthers, the Patriots, very lucky against the Titans last week to get a win and continue this winning streak.

So is this a Jake Browning spot? The wise guys think so. The wise guys have been betting this game down. The Bengals opened about two, two and a half. It's now down to one. I think if you can get the Bengals as an underdog, you still take it. Chad Milman, all odds provided by Draft King, CCO Action Network. Enjoy NBA in-season tournament.

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