The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Prime Cuts: Rodgers Media Battles, Packers Playoffs with Tyler Dunne and Mike Silver on Flores Firing, Harbaugh NFL Return (?)

Episode Date: January 15, 2022

It's the best of The Colin Cowherd Podcast! First, it's top takes of the week (3:00), including his theory about Aaron Rodgers and Boomer Esiason's public beef, the origins of the mysterious text that started it, and reacts to the Giants firing Joe Judge after 2 seasons and why he didn't work out in NYC. Then, Tyler Dunne - founder of the Go Long Newsletter - discusses Aaron Rodgers' beef over MVP voting (12:00), and if he needs another Super Bowl to cement his legacy (14:00), if he stays in Green Bay beyond this season (17:00), and which playoff opponent could give them major problems (22:00). Next, Longtime NFL writer Mike Silver gives his insight into what really happened with the Brian Flores/Dolphins breakup (29:00) and if Jim Harbaugh would really leave Michigan to return to the NFL (34:00). Finally, The Action Network's Chad Millman tells Colin if he's a sharp or square with his Eagles/Buccaneers, Niners/Cowboys and Steelers/Chiefs Wild Card Picks (38:00).Make sure to Subscribe and follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Fandul Sportsbook app, sign up. This is Prime Cuts, the best of the Colin Coward podcast. Great NFL Insight. Packers Insider, Tyler Dunn, discussing Aaron Rogers' recent media. beefs. Mike Silver on the Brian Flores firing. He's got a new take and what Jim Harbaugh's next move could be. Chad Millman, Sharper Square first, though, my top takes of the week. You know, I saw a story last week, Boomer Asiason, former NFL quarterback. He does a morning show in New York City on WFAN, which is the most popular station, one of the first sports talk radio stations. So he does a morning

show. It's called Boomer and Geo. And about a week ago, he got a text on his phone. And he never really asserted this was true. He simply said, there's something sent to me on my phone that says that Aaron Rogers was planning to sit out the Super Bowl due to the NFL's COVID policies. And I've said this often about my show. My show is not just opinions. Sometimes it's theories, predictions. I'm not looking for 100% accuracy. I'm looking to be interesting. I listen to the entire Boomer Osison G.O. 10-minute segment. They never said it was true. They offered up the information, debated it, and discussed it. I'll throw something out here that's interesting. So the number had come from the Virginia area. And that's what really piqued my interest, not the story. Several years ago, when I was

ripping Aaron Rogers, I got a text from a Virginia number. Don't know who it was, anonymous, giving me inside information on the Packers. Some of it was pretty darn detailed, like way more than your typical fan. So I looked up the number. I looked up the address of the number and in no way did it appear to be somebody that worked for an NFL team. But there was too much information not to be an insider, things that had not been published yet. And so when I hear the Aaron Rogers story with Boomer and I go back to my story, it's the only time in my career that's happened, that I get a random anonymous text with lots of inside information claiming that Aaron Rogers, the claim was he's leaving Green Bay. It was almost like somebody was trying to set me up

to look bad. It was almost like somebody was setting up Boomer to look bad. And Boomer and I both feel like the information is a little too accurate to be, I don't know, a random fan. Is it possible that somebody in Aaron Rogers camp is trying to create, when the criticism gets hot, a little misinformation campaign? which he can use to validate the inaccuracy of the media. I mean, did anybody else notice how harsh the criticism of Boomer Osceison was from Aaron Rogers?

Ever since Aaron Rogers won a Super Bowl. Since that time, it's been playoff disappointments. It's the deception about immunization. It's the losing to Brady. And he's taken a very anti-media narrative. Now, remember, Tom Brady would not waste a second of his life worrying about the media. It's family and football. Aaron spends an inordinate about of time making sure you know the media doesn't know what they're doing.

Now he's angry with Boomer for misleading everybody about him. I just think it's really weird. Why is he beating up Boomer O'Syerson? Why would this silly story bother? room. Why did Boomer get that text from Virginia? Why did I get that text from Virginia? It's all very suspicious to me. Aaron likes control. That's why it was so damn pissed when they drafted Jordan Love and a year later leaked stories to the media to bury the Packers on draft day, regardless of what any insider in the NFL tells you. They all came out the same day with the story. Draft Day. What a

zany coincidence. I just thought the criticism of Boomer was over the top. Boomer did not report it like it was factual. I don't know, Asiason, but I listen to the story. I listen to the segment. They kind of threw it up there as a thought balloon more than anything. Sometimes the person building the most ridiculous narratives about Aaron, is it possible?

It's Aaron himself. So I got a call a day ago from, a defensive coach in the NFL that coached against the Giants. Here's the first thing he said. He goes, the first thing the Giants have to do is get rid of Joe Judge. It has been chaos, according to his buddies, inside the Giants. The second thing he said was, this is the worst offensive line by far in the NFL. And he said, here's what's interesting.

they release Kevin Zitler like a year ago. He was their second best offensive linemen at the time arguably their best. He goes to the Baltimore Ravens and signs a three-year deal worth $22.5 million. So they draft Andrew Thomas. Now he came in the pandemic year out of Georgia and he was a little overwhelmed with no preseason for the first year. But this coach said Thomas is going to be a 10-year starter. Great kid, getting better. after that, he said they have four backups joining him on the offensive line, that he felt it was a roster

full of backup offensive linemen and Andrew Thomas. So he said, regardless of who they get, Gettleman never replace Eitler, they had an injury to a center, so now they have a backup to an average offensive lineman. Whoever takes over, they've got to get the O line fixed. It is the lowest ranked O line in the league. And my coaching contact said in all his years, he'd never seen an offensive line that was less talented. Secondly, on Joe Judge, this is what I heard from somebody I trust. So years ago, I worked out east, as you know, in Connecticut.

Connecticut is overwhelmingly, half the state is Patriot fans, half the state, New York, Giant fans. So over the course of time, I made friends with a former New York giant employee who was reasonably up the food chain, still has connections to the team. So, you know, once or twice a year, we talk. So I texted him at the end of the year on Joe Judge. And his takeaway was, oh, this job is not secure. He said, just wait for a week. And I said this on the herd FS1. This is in a real murky area. Well, apparently the murky went sideways.

But Joe Judge was combative, was very much a My Way or the Highway guy, reportedly got into a fight in the last 24 hours with his offensive line coach. I can tell you, this person said that Jason Garrett was at wit's end dealing with him. So just a lot of chaos with Joe Judge. and this is another Belichick assistant that, you know, proximity to greatness doesn't equal greatness. Matt Patricia, Joe Judge, that it's another Belichick assistant that comes into an organization, very strong-willed and tries to dictate terms and simply doesn't have the respect or the resume to back it up. That was Matt Patricia, and that's what I'm hearing Joe Judge was. but regardless of who they hire, this is a horrific offensive line.

You start looking around the teams and the NFL playoffs. Find me the battle lines in the playoffs. We always pay attention to defenses and quarterbacks and coaches. Find me the awful offensive lines in the playoffs. Cincinnati's is probably the weakest. After that, most are average or above average. All right, let's bring in Tyler Dunn, founder of Go Long, the newsletter, a great source for all things Green Bay, all things NFC North, and a lot of NFL sources. So let's start with this.

That hub-archish Aaron Rogers situation, what's funny about it, Tom Brady would not have reacted to it. Russell Wilson would not have reacted to it. I don't think Patrick Mahomes would have reacted to it. I don't think Justin Herbert would have reacted to it or Lamar Jackson. Aaron not only reacted to it. He was hyper aggressive. And how did that land for you that he went right? I mean, I don't care.

I thought it was funny. It's just it's football theater to me. But how did that land? I mean, I'm sure all Packer fans supported him. But for you, how did it land? Right. I think that we all heard the comment. And it's, it kind of catches your attention when you hear somebody who's voting for MVP,

use that for reasoning. But you're, I think a lot of quarterbacks, I think Tom Brady maybe says between five to eight words and has no reaction to something like that. Right. But that's what makes Aaron Rogers different. He cares about this stuff. He cares about what people think about him, what they say about him. His antenna is up 24 or seven.

Yeah. People are telling him what's being said, what's being written. And he's going to react. He is really in effort mode. And he said it himself. He's going to react to these things. And I think that the MVP award, Colin, means a great, great deal to Aaron Rogers this season, especially, you know, to the narrative of his career. I think very much like, kind of like Kobe Bryant was so consumed with, you know, the narrative of his career and kind of scripting a movie, Kent Babb wrote a great story, I believe, of the Washington Post a few years back on this.

Some athletes, they care deeply about. that story arc and how they'll be remembered, I think this MVP award more than any other, more than maybe anything means a ton to Aaron Rogers. So yeah, when he hears that, he knows other voters might think that way and he's going to go nuclear. Yeah, you know, it's interesting. I said this the other day. I said, when I take the last two years of Aaron, which he's looked so good and so effortless, very merino-like, it's just easy.

I said, Eli Manning needed two Super Bowls, especially over Belichick and Brady, to become a Hall of Famer. Big Ben, I don't think he's better than Aaron Rogers if he had three. I don't feel like this Super Bowl for Aaron. I really don't. He's a top 10 quarterback ever. He's maybe a top five talent. There's an Elway. if Elway would have won one Super Bowl, and that's it.

I'm good. It's still one of the most remarkable. Marino never won any. And I've really come to terms with Aaron that I always liked him more than Farb. I thought he was a smarter version of what Green Bay's quarterbacks had been, Brett Farv. But I really looked today. And, you know, Aaron said after that first Super Bowl, he said, this is it. I thought it would feel bigger.

and would it be crushing to him if he didn't win it? Because I think he knows now. I think Aaron knows. Listen, I'm a top 10 guy ever. I'm going to beat the records, the regular season stuff. I mean, what if Aaron loses in the second round? Is it a crushing thing? Does it influence where he plays next year, in your opinion?

Boy, it was really interesting last year when, I mean, immediately, when they lost to Tampa Bay, what happened, Com. And it was he threw his future into the darkness instantly. Like I don't know what's going to happen. I mean, I don't know. I mean, we'll see. And he kind of changed that narrative. It wasn't one and four in the NFC championship game.

It was how could Green Bay do this to Aaron Rogers? How could they put him in this mental space where he might not want to be there this year? I remember Matt LaFlor was asked him by. He's like, dang right. I want him on this team. I want to be the quarterback. I don't really know where that's coming from. So to answer your question, I think.

if they were to lose in the NFC championship game, again, we might get something like that, right? Where I don't know what he really thinks. I don't know what he really feels. I'd be completely speculating, but I do think that if they do lose, it's going to be instantly, meticulously, it's kind of somebody else's fault. You know, at this point last year, he was doing a big story with one of his allies out there that, you know, he's not a victim. He's not a victim, right? He's in this amazing mental place where he just learned to let go. And then they lost, that game to Tampa Bay. And then what did you do for six months? He played the victim. And he drew the packers, dragged the Packers through the mud and wanted his GM fired. Didn't exactly shoot down that

report. So we have to believe that. I don't know. It could go either way, right? They win it all. He's a hero. They're building statues. They're naming streets after him. And Packer fans love him forever. If they lose, it could go that direction. Again, I think it's resolved sooner. I think he's right there It will be resolved sooner, but I do think it will probably be somebody else's fault, not his. And that being said, I think they go to the Super Bowl and maybe when did it. I don't know who really scares you in the NFC right now if you're Green Bay. For the people who cover Aaron, because my guess would be, you know, fans will always have Aaron's back, especially when he's winning. But for the people who cover Aaron, yourself included, if you took a vote anonymously,

Will he be a Packer or not? What is the vibe today? I think that, man, I think right now people would, the educated guests would be he's back in Green Bay. I think you would take him at his word that he's had these productive conversations with Brian Gutikins and Matt LaFleur and he loves Nathaniel Hackett. I mean, they're really, really close. I would think that if it's about football, then you'd, you obviously stay right with the team that's around him.

I don't know where you're going to go that's better than this. And the autonomy at the line of scrimage to do whatever the hell you want, he can do whatever he wants in Green Bay. I'm not going to get that elsewhere. So I think if you add that all up, you lean toward that, but this is somebody who changes his mind, you know? Who knows? Whatever Aaron Rogers is thinking right now,

he could change his mind with a win or a loss in the playoffs. He easily can do that. I mean, I think it's for real that up to the 11th hour, he was seriously considering retirement into this season. I mean, when he said that at the press conference, I don't think it was bluster. I mean, everything I was hearing, everything, everybody was hearing. This was real.

Like, he was okay, stepping away. That could be a possibility. Maybe he retires. So I still think, Colin, it could go in a million different directions. And it's up to him. But it's also for the team. And I think there's also a lot of money ramifications. How in the hell are you going to keep Aaron Rogers and Devante Adams?

You know, if you're going to pay Aaron Rogers what he's worth, pay Devante Adams what he's worth, I don't know if you can, those are cab gymnastics that I don't know if anybody could pull off. What worries me about Green Bay, and I've said this for several years, they're pretty. Like, if you tell me Aaron's going to be great, they're pretty, they're not great coming from behind, but they're pretty, the winter division going away, my interpretation of that is, yeah, that's what I've seen for the last 10 years. years mostly. Early in the year, I thought there was a physicality that really impressed me. And then I watched them play Cleveland and Chicago. And I'm like, they're not putting these teams away. And these teams are running the ball on them. And I thought to myself, oh, they're getting pretty again. And they are. They're the best watch. Kansas City and Green Bay are just, it's fun. You know, Buffalo's got that component. Knockouts, big plays. Do you, are you concerned at all?

that teams like the Niners or the Eagles or if Leonard Fernett comes back or Sony Michelle and Cam Makers that you can run and take Aaron out of this game because if you look at the yards per carry aloud, Tyler, it's bad. It's like 28 through below. Great point. We forget about Fournet. He was playing so well.

Right before that injury, that Colts game, it looked like the Buccaneers. We're going to run through him 30 to 40 touches. the game if they wanted to. I think it should concern Green Bay to an extent. I think that, yeah, you don't want your MVP quarterback on the sideline just neutralized over there while a team's running and running and running. But I think Green Bay can kind of play that game too. I think that's what maybe makes Green Bay dangerous is, you know, they can play the shootout style if that's what it turns into. But they can they can play that grimy game. They can win that 23 to 13 game if they have to.

They can unleash AJ Dillon and all 250 pounds of muscle on you and Aaron Jones and run the ball. I mean, their line's been been beat up all season. Now they're getting David Bacciari back. I feel like this Packers team, unlike past Packer teams, can A run the ball, you know, with a with a mashing back and bad conditions. You know, the one year that Eddie Lacey was in shape and was doing that, they had the crazy NFC championship lost to Seattle. So other than that, they haven't had them back. they had a rushing offense like this with Aaron Rogers. And defensively, they're opportunistic.

And it's always tricky to play that way, you know, to rely on turnovers. But man, Roussel Douglas, it's always somebody, Devondre Campbell, Sean Gary, somebody knew every week making a big, big play. There's a gnarly component to this defense. They just haven't seen there come January. So I feel like they can win that type of game that you're describing still. Finally, Green Bay gets a buy. Who should they be worried about as a potential first round playoff opponent or a first opponent for them?

Who would worry you? Who do you think deep down there a little skittish about? Love the question. I think it's San Francisco. And it's weird to say, this is a team that, God, I was banging the drum for Trey Lance. It's like, man, if you're going to give away all these first. for somebody just play and move on. But then you watch a game like that tonight.

And Jimmy Garoppolo threw two picks, but man, through a thumb injury. He made some big throws. He does just enough. He's got playmakers all over the place. Debo Samuel is unlike anything in the NFL with what he can do. Elijah Mitchell as a rookie back, maybe one of the more underrated players in the league. George Kittled the best tight end. They're going to get Trent Williams back.

The defense is loaded and made a ton of plays. They're not going to be afraid. I mean, they're not going to be afraid to go to Lambeau field and grime it up and force a couple turnovers and run the ball. Like you said, to keep Aaron Rogers off the field. They really should have beat Green Bay earlier in the season. They gave that one away. That scared me if I was Green Bay that they snuck in. Yeah, I agree.

And I also think you could put an occasional package in with Trey Lance, which you haven't done a ton of in the regular season. But, I mean, you're playing with house money. Green Bay struggles against the run. You put in a red zone player two, a couple of sets, a series with Trey Lance, catch the Packers off guard. The Packers, again, are going to sit out for two weeks. They'll be a little rustier. I think that's a fascinating matchup.

When you face these teams, especially if San Francisco goes into the playoffs, they just beat the Rams. They win a first round playoff series. They are a mile high playing with house money. Those are frightening teams. Tyler Dunn, great seeing you. Great 25 minutes, buddy. We'll talk soon.

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Underdog about Kurt Warner. That's fantastic. He wrote the book years ago, and what do you know? Well, it takes Hollywood a long time to do anything. Let's be honest. It does. I mean, every time you hear about a movie, it's like, oh, they pitched that thing 13 times. Everybody said no. People told Silver no for years and finally he demanded the movie get made. All right, I want to start with this. Ideally, GM, coach players all get along. But when you watch the Michael Jordan documentary, it's not a necessity. Shaq Kobe Phil Jackson. It's not a necessity. K.D. Draymond Kerr. It's not a necessity. Belichick Brady never had dinner. I don't buy that Chris Greer and Brian Flores didn't get along.

My takeaway is, it doesn't matter. He won eight of nine with Tua. Oh, by the way, so I'll throw my theory and you can shoot it down and agree. I don't care. So Brian Flores gets the job. He immediately, by the end of year one, the defense and special teams are excellent. All he needs, draft the right quarterback and give me a competent offensive line. Greer fails at both.

Stories out that Jason Lock and Forra reported, Flores wanted Herbert, and it wasn't a secret. The GM wanted Tua. I disagree with all of it. Okay. So what I'm saying is I'm defending Flores saying he doesn't have to get along with Greer. I don't care. If I wanted Herbert and the GM wanted Tua and I fixed the defense and special. teams immediately, I would be bitter.

I would agree if I believed that Flores wanted Herbert. So I'll tell you what I have come to learn. And, you know, first of all, Brian Flores is his own guy. He's not a Bill Belichick clone, but there's a lot of Bill Belichick in the way that he was trying to do it. And that works if you have Tom Brady. It works if you have a track record like Bill Belichick does. It has not gone well for the most part.

ever in any building or very rarely other than Belichick. If you can't get along with Chris Greer, by the way, I'm saying that's you. He's probably the GM in the league who's the easiest person as a person to get along with. So this is what I believe. And it's a weird organization with different power dynamics and an owner who's strong, but not always there. I think that Brian Flores did a really good coaching job, and in a league where minority hiring is shameful, it's super disheartening to see a guy who did that well be let go abruptly.

I believe that Brian Flores had the power in that building, and that if he wanted Justin Herbert, there's zero chance Justin Herbert would not be a Miami Dolphin. So I think he wanted to and got to it, which doesn't make him, I wouldn't fire Brian Flores for that. You know, people make mistakes. That's a regrettable one, obviously, if it's Brian Flores. But I think that Brian Flores wanted Deshaun Watson. And I think Brian Flores wanted toa, then wanted to Sean Watson.

And Chris Greer, for the most part, was doing for Brian Flores what he thought Brian Flores wanted. It doesn't mean Chris Greer hasn't made evaluation mistakes. but I don't think he was big-timing him. I think Flores had the power. And so, you know, a lot of times when people get let go and we don't understand it, and again, I don't want to discount the overtones on the minority hiring thing because it really stings in this case. But let's compare it to say John Dorsey is out abruptly in Kansas City.

What? Didn't he help Andy Reid build that thing? How is John Dorsey? Usually when I dig in on those things, the answer comes down to the person who got let go did a very bad job of managing his relationship with the owner. And I would say Adam Gays did that too in Miami. At some point, you don't have to be best friends with the owner. You don't have to be aligned on everything with the owner, but you have to understand what the owner is. expects and needs relationship-wise, even if there are go-betweens. And I think if you come in acting

like, hey, I'm Bill Belichick and, you know, I'm just consumed with power and I'm not going to get along to get along. I'm just going to do what I do and people can like it or not. And the only thing that matters is if I win, you can get alienated from certain owners. And that's what I believe happened. I think Brian Flores is out because he had the power and didn't manage that situation well. Still regrettable from a minority hiring standpoint because he did a very good job as a coach. So this is an interesting time of the year. Jim Harbaugh called me the other day. I love it. And his dad had watched the show and told Jimmy should call me and thank him for nice things I said. So we talk for about five minutes.

Nice. And he's got a really cool setup at Michigan. His dad lives next door. So the kids leave the house, go right next door to grandpa's. Perfect. It's like Obama and the, it's like Obama in the White House with Michelle's mom. That's brilliant. So Michigan's rolling.

It probably won't beat Ohio State next year. But he's got Cade McNamara. The recruiting's rolling. And he's got a really good young staff. If he left, Michigan's in a tight spot. The hiring cycle is done. He's got some leverage. I look at all these jobs.

They've all got major red flags. Raiders owner, Raiders GM. Denver doesn't have a quarterback, although I love their GM and I love their roster. Yeah. I think Justin Fields is good. He was bad a lot and hurt a lot. What are you hearing on Harbaugh?

This is where I lean into you. You know, Jim, you covered him. Yeah. When I talked to him for five minutes, I didn't want to ask him straight out. I just tried to listen to his tone. Boy, the Michigan situation, Mike, is good. His wife's happy. His kids are happy.

I just don't think there's the... Remember a few years ago McCarthy gets Dallas. That's a great job. LaFleur gets Green Bay. That's a great job. Brandon Staley gets Justin Herbert. That's a great job. Yeah.

I don't think any of these are A jobs. Okay. So a lot to unpack. Number one, he loves his alma mater as he should, and there is an emotional pull there, and as you said, some lifestyle things. Number two, maybe they leaned on him a little bit a year ago when they thought they had some leverage, and Jim's a competitive guy, and maybe he's just leaning back, and he'll extract his leverage revenge, which is a strong word,

and they'll give him a little more money or whatever, secure. and it'll feel different. The reason Jim Harbaugh is different from you and me, and we are people who have a strong sense of self collectively and individually. Jim Harbaugh doesn't believe any job's a bad job because his sense of self is even stronger. He's like, I don't care. I'll win.

I think he believes he could go to any job anywhere and affect change. and win. And that's whether you believe that or not as an outsider, the thing that makes Jim Harba, Jim Harbaugh is that thing. So I think in his heart, he's played in the NFL for a long time. I think most football people, if they're being honest, college is cool. There's an emotional attachment, it's not the same. It's not the highest level. The highest level of football is clearly the NFL and it's not close. And for people who are that competitive and have that kind of sense of self, deep inside, look, he went to the NFL. During a lockout year, he took a losing team and got them to the brink of the Super Bowl. Then he got them to the break of a championship. Then a

Richard Sherman tip away from another shot at it. He lost to his brother. He lost the Super Bowl, a close Super Bowl, to his brother. So knowing what I know about Jim Harbaugh, yes, all of that may be overridden by pragmatics or his love for his alma mater. It's all understandable. I just think deep inside he wants to go back to the biggest stage and finish what he almost did last time.

It's such an interesting guy. All right, I bring in my buddy, Chad Millman, sharp or square. I make my picks. He takes them and pokes and prods them. All right, I'm going to take the Eagles plus eight and a half at the Buccaneers. Now, here's the one thing that worries me. The Bucks are a great red zone offense. They get touchdowns, not field goals.

But I think the Eagles, Jalen Hertz is now healthy, are a handful to play. This is not your typical run offense. They lead the NFL in big plays, by the way, big plays being 10-yard-plus runs and 20-yard-plus passes. Tampa is beat-up. They are a beat-up football team. And the Eagles all year long, even against good defenses, have been bizarrely productive. I think Tampa wins. But an offense that was completely limited in the first round last year gave them trouble.

I think the Eagles keep it close. weather's a non-factor. The healthier team is Philadelphia. I worry about Brady getting in the red zone. He gets sevens, not threes, and that could push the line higher and push the score higher. But I would take the Eagles, sharp or square? Very sharp.

Again, another huge pros Joe's game. 63% of the bets on the bucks, 58% of the money on the Eagles. That tells you professionals are coming in on the Eagles. This line opened at 10. It got that down to eight and a half. Bookmakers saw that was sort of the hard stop for professional betters. When it got to eight and a half, it went back up to nine and then went back down to eight and a half.

One thing I will correct you on, weather is expected to be a factor. It could be very windy. There could be thunderstorms. The reason the professional betterers like this game is they do expect it to be relatively low scoring. They do expect the Eagles to be pretty conservative with Jalen Hertz in his first NFL playoff game. And they've just proven like they're going to run the ball. That's what they like to do. And I think a lot of guys are saying not only do we like the Eagles in the game, we're also going to bet the Eagles in the first half because we've seen the Eagles play a very slow tempo. A lot of

games for the Eagles, zero points, three points, seven points. So take a little taste on the Eagles in the first half, too. All right. This is the strangest one. I love the Niners all week, all week. Now, everybody loves the Niners. It's no longer an upset. So at three, I would probably take Dallas, sharper square. Square. So this was also on the radio today.

You talked about, you want to bet against Bob from Sheboygan. Yep, that's my theory. And you're using the 49ers as your example. Number one, as a Chicagoan, northern Chicago and north shore of Chicago in the suburbs, I've been to Sheboygan a million times. It's beautiful in Shiboygan. You can't get a good bowl of soup in Shiboygan, I've been told. Oh, my God.

Are you kidding me? It's like the soup capital of the Midwest. Of course you can get a good bowl of soup in Shiboygan. What are you going to do in Wisconsin other than get a good bowl of soup? My wife, when we lived in New York, we first started living in New York, I used to always say to her, I want to move back to Chicago. I want to move back to Chicago. She looks at me and she goes, listen, if I have the option between going to the Hamptons for the summer, or going to Sheboygan, why would I go back to Chicago?

Jokes on her because I moved her to Central Connecticut. Now we can't get anywhere. But Sheboygan's great. Bob Sheboygan from Sheboygan is going to be on the Cowboys. The pros are going to be on the Niners. And you know, you talked about this with CoSell, right? You talked with Greg CoSell. You talked about Greg Kittle being able to get open over the middle.

George Kittle, yeah. About George Kittle, right? You talked about that, about Debo Samuel, getting open, right? Like, this is where the 49ers will have an advantage. And then on defense, they can control the line of scrimmage because their rush defense is so good and they can make the Cowboys one dimensional, which is not great when Ezekiel Elliott has not been able to function very well as a running back. And DAC has struggled as a quarterback. So it's a coaching mitch match. I think it's a personnel mismatch.

I think the wise guys like the 49ers, what's scaring them is the very first thing you said. The wise guys don't like to be with public dogs. And the 49ers are becoming a public dog. They are the team that everybody thinks is going to cover against the cowboys or potentially beat the Cowboys. So that's giving them a little bit of pause. But they're on the Niners. Steeders plus 12 and a half at the Chiefs. I've been saying Kansas City's offense is uneven.

Pittsburgh, though, I'm not sure how they can move the ball. Mike Tomlin's a great underdog coach. But I've got to tell you. Pittsburgh is painful offensively. And I have a feeling the chiefs went in a route. I know it's square, right? It's a little bit square, but not totally square. Like, this is one where you're not going to get a consensus.

The line has moved down a little bit, went from about 13 and a half to 12.5. So you know the professionals came in on the Steelers, but everything you said is why guys are thinking. about the chiefs. And I mentioned sort of the advantage and what the metrics and the analytics say, or the stats say about underdogs in the playoffs that are of less than a touchdown. More than a touchdown, they tend to cover. The favorites tend to cover. And this is a spot where the chiefs at 12 and a half, we know it's a rah-rah Mike Tomlin situation. His defense is going to have to carry the cheerleading for this team. And I do think, like, the one thing they do really well is rush the passer. Patrick Mahomes knows how to handle the rush. This Chiefs team could score 14 points

and still cover the spread because the Steelers might not be able to score at all. Big Ben, in the last three games, he was only his average complacent went for 7.2 yards. I know. His yards per attempt were four. Like, he just looks washed. I, I, I, think like he's he's holding it together with duct tape right now go to the youtube page look up the volume sports click that red button also instagram rate review subscribe at the volume sports talk soon the volume get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with one 800 flowers from classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1800flowers.com.

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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. 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 tantons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense

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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. I mean, 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.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.