The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Russ is “Cooking”, LeBron’s Year 21 Dominance, Jalen Hurts, Sharp or Square

Episode Date: November 25, 2023

Colin’s top takes of the week! He lauds Sean Payton for turning around the Broncos and Russell Wilson and why he’s making them the best versions of themselves (2:00) John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” joins Colin to debate the best draft strategy for the Bears with their future #1 overall pick(7:10).  Nick Wright, host of “First Things First” on FS1 stops by to talk about LeBron’s incredible performance in his 21st NBA season (11:20) and Jalen Hurts possibly being the greatest “face of the franchise” in NFL history(19:20). Chad Millman, Chief Content Officer of the Action Network, stops by for a round of “Sharp or Square,” to help provide Colin with the sharpest betting advice for the Week 12 NFL slate!  (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) 29:10 - Colts vs Bucs 30:45 - Cardinals vs Rams 32:20 - Saints vs Falcons 34:24 - Chargers vs Ravens 35:50 - Broncos vs Browns 38:10 - Raiders vs Chiefs 41:00 - Michigan vs Ohio State 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it'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're 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 AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The volume. This week on Prime Cuts, Chad Millman Sharper Square, Nick Wright was great on Jalen Hertz and being the best face of a franchise ever. LeBron James and Moore and my top takes of the week.

I want to start with the Denver Broncos. You know, when Sean Payton came out and took that shot, Nathaniel Hackett. Everybody freaked out. Whoa, that's over the top. Aaron Rogers stuck up for his buddy. Champagne doesn't know anything. Nathaniel Hackett and the Jets last 40 drives, one touchdown.

Meanwhile, Russell Wilson has taken Nathaniel Hackett's Russell Wilson, 84 passer rating, 16 touchdowns, 11 picks. Russell now is a 104 passer rating. It's all the same dudes. 18 touchdowns, four picks. Nathaniel Hackett is not a good football coach. Sean Payton's a great football coach. Listen to the passer ratings of Russell Wilson's career from 2018 on. 11, 106, 105, 103, 184, 104.

Try to find the Nathaniel Hackett year. The Jets offense is now the most unwatchable. offense. I'll make the argument that Zach Wilson's the least effective quarterback, starting quarterback I've seen in the NFL, and maybe in my life, Nathaniel Hackett. Sean Payton was right. What you're watching in Denver's amazing. And in Russell Wilson, they've beaten the Chiefs, maybe the best team in the league, the Bills hammered the Jets today, and the red hot, hottest team in the league in terms of winning street, Minnesota Vikings, three weeks in a row, three games in a row. It's, it's, it's, coaching. It's the same guys. Isn't it amazing? That's why, you know, it, we all know the quarterback

leads this league. That's why I never bought into Russell Wilson is washed. It's impossible. You can't go from 104, 103, 103, 103, can't play. It doesn't make any, there's no historical precedent. So Russell tonight made the throw of the night to Cortland Sutton, who also made a great play, had that really good, was it third or fourth down little lob over the linebacker, who was called interference but caught anyway by the Broncos under heavy, heavy pressure because of Brian Flores has blitz packages for the Vikings, kept dumping it off to P. Ryan in the backs and then knew some running himself. I mean, all the Russell Wilson stuff in Seattle is back, the playmaking, the good deep ball, the good decision making. Here's the thing with Russell

Wilson. Sean fixed him. Or should we say Sean got him back on the freeway, the Russell Wilson interstate. This is how he's played at college, Seahawks, and Broncos, with one exception, than Nathaniel Hackett here. I mean, go back to Wisconsin, Seattle, this Denver. It's always been the same player. Now, I don't think he looks quite as twitchy as before, not quite as twitchy, but you're seeing basically the same stuff. You know, the other thing to remember, if you go back to Russell Wilson's real prime, probably four years ago, we've got a lot of new quarterback in the league who are explosive and dynamic and big and tall and they move well. So the quality of the quarterback play in the NFL has gone up, I think, over the last five to

10 years. So this was a real team tonight. Minnesota is a real team. I mean, Josh Dobbs is a backup quarterback, you know, historically. There's a reason. Put him under pressure. He's not quite as dynamic, not as dynamic. But, you know, I look at Russell Wilson, 27 to 35, 260 yards.

He doesn't make mistakes, get you in and out of plays, moves well, playmaker. the laterals, the quick screens. But it really is. For all this stuff about, you know, Sean Payton, it was too much ego, what you are watching is great coaching. From Hackett's disaster to the first three weeks of the year where it was a bit of a mess, 0 and 3, to this now. It's fun to watch. And I know a lot of you are saying, well, Colin, you know, you like Sean Payton.

So, of course, this is what you think. No, what I like is really smart offensive coaches. That's what I like. I mean, look at the offenses right now that couldn't close out games today. Bears, defensive head coach, Jets, Mess, Seahawks, defensive head coach, Ron Rivera, Washington, swept by the Giants this year. Yikes. Pittsburgh, defensive coach.

Kenny Pickett is not getting better. In fact, I'll get into this later, but you watch Pickett and Jordan Love. One is getting better every week. Jordan Love, one's getting worse. Kenny Pickett. Look at the coaching cultures. Packers' offensive culture, Staters defensive culture. So I don't think Russell Wilson would have gotten better this year

with just anybody with Nathaniel Hackett coaching. But to be able to take Russell last year into Russell this year, the dramatic improvement, I don't think you can do that with a defensive coach. I don't. I don't think you can. I mean, look at how quickly Sean McVeigh got Baker Mayfield to be. be good, had two days of practice. Look at what Kevin O'Connell did with Josh Dobbs, who didn't get a practice. Look at what Sean Payton has done to course correct Russell Wilson. I don't think any of

this stuff is a coincidence. So as we pivot back to Justin Fields, my takeaway is they're going to have the first pick. And because they lost again, this was a winnable game, they lost, they're probably going to have the first pick and the fifth or sixth pick. Yeah. So, you know, their, Eber Fluse is done. That's done. I don't know about the GM, but Iber Fluse is done. This is not one of the richer ownership groups. Virginia McCasky's the oldest owner, one of the poorest owners. She relied on Bill Pollian to hire Iber Fluse. I think he's done. It's going to be really interesting. The idea, if you're not going to take Caleb Williams, okay, there's no question. Somebody else will take it. So you could, I mean, here's where you could say Chicago goes, okay, we're going to stick. with Justin Field. I wouldn't. I think Kayla Williams is absolutely better. I think he's more accurate. He's more natural. He's equally as athletic. He's a power thrower. And he's never been hurt. And he gets banged around by USC's crappy offensive line. So I am, I think if Andrew Luck was a 10 prospect, he's an 8.5 to a 9, Justin Fields was a 6. I would do it in a heartbeat. Plus, Fields has been in the NFL several years. He's been hurt a lot.

Like a lot. So, but my thing is, you could get for that pick if you want to keep Fields. John, you know you're getting at least two firsts. At least two firsts. But to me, it makes no sense to not start the clock over, right? Because one of the most powerful things a rookie quarterback has is the contract. Well, Fields next year will be going into year four. And, I mean, this guy's not getting some long-term contract.

So even if you got to unload them for a fourth round pick to the Atlanta, of Falcons. Who cares? Because I think you're playing with House Money with the second pick. Then who knows? We've seen some of these teams. Last year, the Lions are a good example. They went from like six to 12, picked up an extra high second round pick and got their starting tied in. So you can utilize that to gain more picks because they did screw up, you know, in my mind, trading for sweat just given, they could have just paid him that contract on the open market and used a second round pick. A second round pitch are so valuable. But with some of their maneuvering, maybe they're viewing, we could play around and gain some picks back if we use that

second round pick to move back seven spots, you know, to take an offensive line in at 12 and get an extra second round pick. So I guess I could see some logic there if that's what they end up doing. But yeah, I mean, I would be stunned. Now, I think the big picture question is going to be because it's already been out there is the Eli Manning, John Elway, are they going to demand, you know, we're not going to go there? We're a long way. I think it's a little harder to do. do when things have not gone super well for you as a player, even though it's not all your fault, but you look back at Eli Manning. It's not like Ole Miss was going 12 and 0 when he was playing there, right? But he did have the Manning name and his brother was already a superstar. John

Elway is another example. I mean, I'm pretty sure what was Stanford, like six and six when he came out to the pros. So you could argue, yeah, there's seven and five. Who cares? I mean, it's just the prospect is separate from the program, which is true. So yeah, I mean, I think Caleb Williams, the way this is played out. I thought Drake May had a pretty good shot a month ago, but holy shit, he's been a lot worse yesterday against a Clemson defense, which is really good. He just hasn't looked as good.

And that's part of evaluating the prospect is the more games you play, the more information I get on you, especially when you play better teams. Sam Hartman this year transfers to Notre Dame. My God, could this guy be like a second round pick? Because his first couple games looked incredible. They were playing nobody. Then they started playing people,

and he looked like an undrafted free agent. By the way, panics and a rainstorm made a couple of huge throws in that game. Husky's never had. Yeah, Huskies never had the ball. But Pennix, to me, Caleb's the best quarterback I've seen. Penix throws the prettiest ball. Bo Nix feels like the best leader. Drake May's got talent, but, you know, it's fallen off. So you and I both agree. We would take Caleb number one if we were the Chicago Bears. Without a, yes, right now, yes. So I was thinking leagues do better when they have, especially star-driven leagues, the English Premier League, the NBA, when they have iconic stars. I think the NBA and owners would have to sign off on this because short turn they'd make less money is that if LeBron James could win a title this year, if he had a three-game first round series, a three-game second, a five-game conference, and a seven-game finals. When you ask LeBron to have a seven-gamer and his team, it's hard to sweep even crappy.

teams. So LeBron can't give you 20 great postseason games. He could give you 11. Sure. He could give you 11. And when I watched LeBron the other night in what was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, again, still in Brooks, where he was easily the best player on the floor and virtually unstoppable. And I'm like, oh, he can still do that. He cannot do it 11. He cannot do it 21 times in the postseason is that if you pulled back and people say, well, what, what? if stars would lose? Well, stars lose in March Madness. March Madness gets exceptional ratings because their sudden death is that you went to a three game series and another three. The best players would still win. You'd start with two games,

home floor, whatever you had to do. It would ensure that your biggest stars as they age had a greater chance in singular games to be amazing. Injuries happen as you get older, lethargy. Yeah.

you lose energy. And I thought to myself, the NBA should, and I think Daryl Morey has discussed this, should share a page from March Mad. I mean, March Mad, the quality of college basketball is awful. But March Madness gets big numbers on guys that can't play at a high level because of the urgency. So my takeaway is the NBA should consider shortening the series dramatically to elevate not just the urgency, but to extend LeBron, Steph, great old players to win. And we are, there's a funny thing, so I don't dislike that idea at all. There is also a funny thing that is happening because of what LeBron's doing right now. People don't, no one is making the point what Steph and KD are doing is damn near unprecedented at their age.

because a guy so much older than them is doing what LeBron's doing. Step is 35. He might be the best he's ever been. KD is 35. He is not quite the best he's ever been, but still the most reliable best player on that team. The only reason the sons have a real chance is because he's there, obviously alongside Devin Booker,

when Booker's able to play, which is not. those guys are not it is not normal for those guys i mean michael jordan was 36 in his last game was he 36 or 35 in his last game of the chicago bulls he was but the but again like those co things people don't believe this when i say it i'm gonna i want to make sure i get it exactly right Kobe bryant and was born in august of 78 so the reason i'm saying that is this and again keep in mind the context of how old step in KDR. So he was born in August of 78. Kobe Bryant, the last playoff game he ever played, the last playoff game he ever played,

was in April of 2012. So Kobe's last playoff game ever, he was 33. Kobe, who we feel like played and was great forever, was 33 in his final playoff game. Stephen Durant are unbelievable at 35. LeBron turns 39 in 40 days and is still, there's not six guys in the league. Nick, he'd make right now, he'd make all NBA first teams here right now. That's right. Absolutely.

Absolutely. Listen, he is, there are a very select few guys who have clearly surpassed. It's Yokic has. Yonis has and indeed in the regular season has. I'd rather have 39-year-old LeBron than in the postseason. I flatly would. No, but right now, all NBA first team would be Tatum's having a great year. Sure.

Yokic. LeBron. Probably Luca. Absolutely Luca. And the other guard. Yeah, I mean, if you didn't have to do positions, I was going to say, Steph would be the other guard. And then, like, yeah, the Janus has to be on their.

as well. So maybe somebody, the point is, he's one of the guys. He's at that age, he's still one of the guys. And because he's doing it at this age, I mean, only six other guys ever played in year 21. Like the LeBron stuff is, and I tweeted about it, that Dylan Brooks night, I was like, we are just, he had back to back around 35 point games on crazy high efficiency. incredible. And I'm like, man, LeBron, if we were to be like, hey, year 20 or later, show me any player the best 30 games in NBA history. LeBron's got like 26 of them now. And last year, so last year, the oldest player in the league was Yadonis Haslam, who was a coach, who they just left on the roster. LeBron is not like, you know, almost or whatever. He's literally, now that I did Goddala retired, he's literally the oldest player in the league. The oldest player. And I understand, I think the other thing that made us maybe a little numb to it, even though it's a different sport, is what Brady did, which is totally remarkable.

And Brady is what he did. It's unimpeachable. It also feels to me different in that because he was a quarter. back, the athleticism being an old guy, if you could stay upright, is totally different. LeBron is doing fucking, pardon me, chase down blocks. He is bullying Dylan Brooks. He, like, it was a big deal that Alpern Shingoon, who's a hell of a player, muscled LeBron off the block for the game tying a shot.

And I thought, I'm like, Shingoon is a guy who is 22 who people are like, he's a future All-Star and everyone's amazed that he was able to out muscle the oldest player in the league. It's just, and I don't, I, yeah, he can get hurt and get dinged up. I, I, people, this is one of those things people will clip and mean me for and make fun of me for, but I don't care. I just don't think he'll ever be bad. I don't see what, he might, he's not always going to be this, but I don't see a scenario where he plays and he's bad. Like all the other legends, Jordan wasn't,

to be fair, Jordan was never bad. He was inefficient at the end with the Wizards, wasn't great, but he wasn't bad. Kobe at the end, rest of soul,

was bad. Dirk at the end was bad. Like most of the guys who played at the end, KG at the end was bad. Jbar was had bad posture. He was slumbering down the floor. Jabar was still really good,

almost to the end. But at the very end, was bad. Yeah. I don't, I can't, If he's this at 39 in year 21, even if he falls off by 50, like, I don't know. I think he could just keep playing.

And I don't think he'll be bad. I just don't think he'll ever be bad. When I did the hat on backwards stuff, I believed it. I like keep bringing it up because I thought it was so obnoxious and funny because we've all put our hat on backwards cleaning the garage or hitting a golf ball. Like, we've all done it. But I leaned into it. But I truly believed it that if you stand at the podium on Wednesday,

that it does matter. You have the bank behind you, City Bank for the Baltimore Ravens, what you say and how you say it matters. It's why if a CEO goes on MSNBC and looks drunk or tired, the stock price goes down. Like it matters. You're the face of the franchise. I'm going to make the argument that in the history of the league, Jalen Hertz is the single best podium quarterback I have ever seen. Go watch the tape last night. Pretty good, man. He is so insanely articulate, so succinct.

So, the words almost manicured. I mean, I've watched him. I'm like, I've never looked that good. No, that's that. And by the way, you, it's in. It's incredible. And people, people, people make, make fun of me. He is so good at the podium.

I, if I own the Eagles, I am like, that's my face of the franchise. He is so buttoned up, so on point, so giving of respectful. I've never seen, even Brady had days where he looked like a disheveled or. I've never seen. I totally agree with this. And it matters. It matters.

It matters for that position. It 100% matter. And you know, it's so, Colin, this came up actually in the commercial break of our show today. because we played sound from Hertz and we played sound from Mahomes. And during the one of the commercial breaks Wilde said, he was like, Mahomes is one of the only quarterbacks in the league that after this stretch for his team, when Mahomes was like,

I believe in these receivers, we will get it right. Where he was like, I totally believe him. Like that what Mahomes is, the Mahomes believes he will fix this. And then with Hertz, every time Hurt's talks

were like, well, that was perfect. Perfect. And you, one of your old bits that actually was used as an FS1 commercial was the quarterback face thing. That the better looking kid gets more snaps and then it leads to all these things than being the quarterback.

Him being good looking helps. It matters. Oh, there's no question. The charisma thing I was saying about the movie stars. And if people think we're overstating it, the flip side is, go watch Mac Jones at the podium. You know, oh my God. He doesn't, he, it's not that he thinks his team is good or whatever. He is questioning, am I any good? And it is, it is oozing out of him, just absolutely losing out of him. So like Jalen, I think Jalen, I didn't actually hear this take on

your show today because I didn't consume any of your show today except for the part I was on because I was in mourning from my chiefs. But I think Jalen, I don't want to say he's getting a pass this year because he's not playing poorly, so he doesn't need a pass. But Jalen, in my opinion, and maybe it's because his knee is hurt, despite the Eagles being 9 and 1, his play has taken a hit from where it was last season. And I truly believe one of the reasons in a world where we criticize everyone, especially quarterbacks, there is almost no J. Allen Mert's criticism is because everyone respects him so much and looks at him and is like, oh, I believe in him. I believe in that kid.

I saw a video of him and I tried to stay off X, but I saw a video of him with, I think, a date or a girlfriend. She was gorgeous. And I looked at him and I was like, that guy. he looked, if you told me, oh, he's running, he's a CEO, tonight is a foundation dinner, he looked so, you believe it, professional. It was a date. And I've said this, there are certain people that are just better in front of people. I, and I know I got shit for years, it matters.

that Carson Wentz, hat on backwards. Not good enough. It's not good enough. Listen, I'm glad you said the thing you said off the top, which is we say what we believe. And if we truly believe it, this is, I shouldn't speak for you, for me. I say what I believe. And if I am steadfast in that belief and it generates a reaction, I really. lean into it.

If I am if I am so in a total non, you know, totally different than the Hertz thing or the hat on backwards thing, I know my opinion on Brock Purdy irritates people, but I

believe it in the marrow of my bones. So I talk about it probably more often than I would have to because to me it threads the needle of it's topical. I deeply believe it and generate reaction. The thing, what I found so interesting about not to rehash shit from eight years ago,

however long it was, but the blowback to your backwards hat thing as you put it is every single person to varying degrees agrees with you. Not to like not on the specific. necessary trigger of a backwards hat. But the point of if you are the face of my franchise, running my company, the forward-facing guy, how you present yourself not only matters, but tells me about how much I can trust you, that is a universally accepted tenet of life. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep. That's me, Clifford Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because. of crack. I'm down to talk about crack 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. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. All right. Very good week, four and one, sharper square, Chad Millman, CCO Action Network, all odds provided by Draft Kings. Okay, this is my second favorite pick of the week. And I like the Colts minus two and a half hosting the bucks. So really smart offensive coaches off a buy. Now, I took Philly over Kansas City because both coaches offensive and Seriani's now four and O off a buy. So I thought it would. muted some of the advantage. But I get a really sharp offensive coach off a buy against the defensive coach. No buy, Todd Bulls. I thought it was one of my stronger plays. I'm going to take the Colts minus two and a half at home, rested, reasonably healthy, sharper square.

No consensus. The early reporting I've heard is that wise guys like the bucks that they've been playing better than people are giving them credit for that Baker has been keeping his team in games. A lot of times, if you look at some of these games, even last week against San Francisco, they were a player or two away from covering. You look earlier in the year, they were playing the Eagles, they were six-point dogs, they were a couple of Mike Evans drops away from covering. Like, this is a team that has consistently been hanging around. So, and that's with good teams.

So now, if they're going to be playing a meteorological, a bad team whose defense is not very good, who are still playing Gardner Minshu. It's an odd thing to be backing the Colts as a favorite with Gardner Minshu. I feel like you are leaning a little bit too much into the new coach theme and not necessarily the players on the field theme. I'm going to take Arizona minus one hosting the Rams. So it's one thing to play the Rams when Cooper Cup is hurt in the game. another thing preparing when you're not going to face him and you know it.

Puka Nacoa is a great story, but he doesn't separate. They don't have a separating receiver. He's a zone beater. In the end, Rams are still a rebuilding roster. Arizona beat Atlanta. Tough out, played really well at times against Houston. They're at home. The Rams were completely outplayed for three quarters.

Seattle just can't get stops on third down. Arizona will. I'm going to take Arizona, Kyler Murray, at home. Sharper square. So it's a little sharp. And what I mean by that is the wise guys started playing Arizona when when they were underdogs at home. They've been really impressed with Kyler Murray and the two games he's been back, especially last week. He kept them in that game. They covered that game at five and a half, which was a big number. The wise guys started betting early in the week on Kyler Murray against the Texans. So now you're looking at a game in which Kyler Murray and the Cardinals

are now favorites, right? So if you think the Cardinals are going to win, you're still going to be on the right side because you're betting the minus one. I will tell you that historically, the trend is when a team flips from being an underdog to being a favorite, the numbers work against them. So what you really need to be thinking about

is why didn't I get this number a little bit earlier? Because you would have liked it more at plus one. I get you got to like play the lines that are in front of you right now, but there's a lot of games on the board to play where you're not trying to buck some trends. I'm going to take the Saints Plus, one at the Falcons off a buy. I think they have a much better roster. I think there's a little

turmoil inside of Atlanta. I think Arthur Smith is smart, but he's outspoken, blunt. I'm not sure the team loves him. I think this is a experienced quarterback, better roster off a buy. Older team in spots getting a little healthy. Younger teams don't need that by. When they're playing well, they want to play the next week. Older teams always appreciate time off. I think I'd take the Saints as a one-point dog sharper square. It's like you're trying to pick the corner TV games. I don't know what's going on here. Well, I'm picking what I like.

Well, look, I think New Orleans is the right side. I agree. Desmond Ritter is not an NFL caliber quarterback. They have not been using Bejohn Robinson in a way that anyone thought they would. I mean, this was a guy that everyone expected to be a runaway for offensive rookie of the year. And don't you think the guys in the locker room are wondering why they're not? not using him. He's obviously a huge talent. Yes. It's, it's, you have to be thinking if you're a player in the Falcons right now. Wait a second. Arthur Smith was a genius when we were using

Corderole Patterson, but we've got a talent who might be once in a generation and we can't figure out how to get this guy in space and make him the perfect weapon for everything we want to do when we don't have a quarterback who can really throw the ball downfield. So yeah, the saints are the right side here because you're getting them off by. They're older. You know, the challenge here is that Derrick Carr has been terrible in the red zone. And the reason the Saints have gotten better in the red zone and they started to turn their season around is because of Tate's Hill. I will also tell you, Dennis Allen, the past 20 years, 140-something coaches in the NFL, he is one of the least profitable against the spread in any capacity. So this is kind of a game where if you like it, you're still playing with.

with fire. All right. Generally, I would take the hook. Chargers getting three and a half at home, but I've been saying this for two months. I think the Ravens are probably the most complete team in the league. Mark Andrews won't play. But the Chargers defense made Jordan Love look special. It's a bad defense.

I know it's the hook. There is no home field advantage for the Chargers. It does not exist. I think the Ravens could blow them out, sharper square. The Ravens have not been the side for the wise guys this week. The number opened at four and a half, got bet down to four. Now it's down to three and a half. Look, the Chargers, nobody believes in Brandon Staley. We have said it all year. We don't think he's a very good coach. The wise guys consistently bet against him when he's a favorite. When he's an underdog and they're at home, it's a different scenario. And their weapons on offense are just so good. And you talk about luck, right? What did the Packers have? last week. They also had Keenan Allen dropping a third down catch near the goal line that would have put them

in first and goal. He dropped a touchdown pass. There were a lot of sort of inconsistencies in the way games normally play out that help the Packers win that game in addition to the Chargers defense just being terrible. So the Wise guys like the Chargers here with the hook because

they're dogs and it's the only get right spot they're going to find. Okay, there's always a game. I completely miss on. The Denver Broncos game fascinates me, and I have a feeling that's it. I feel like Denver keeps kind of winning the same way where I'm not sure that the better team and then Russell makes a play. But then I look at their defense and it's really young and hyper-aggressive.

Simmons now is making instrumental plays. I already like their top corner of Patrick Sartan. Can Denver win again? Is that the dumpster dive I missed? No, the wise guys are on Cleveland in this game. The line opened two and a half. It's been bet down to one and a half. There's a difference.

And a couple weeks ago, we talked about Cleveland and Baltimore. And I think I tried to convince you that Cleveland was the side in this game. And they ended up covering in this game. And the reason why I like Cleveland in this. in that game was because their defense is offensive. And what I mean by that is they have playmakers at every single level of the defense. It's not just Miles Garrett, who might be one of the best players in the NFL right now, but it's guys like Grant Delpit who are leading that team in tackles, right?

And he is playing in the box, but he is also playing in coverage. They make plays that put the Brown's offense in a position to score. They don't always have to be getting a full. field getting a kickoff going down 75 yards or getting a punt from deep in their territory. The Brown's defense puts them in a good position. I can't say the same about the Broncos. They're better. They're holding teams to fewer points.

Their tackling is still really bad. Like we saw that against Minnesota. They could not tackle anybody. And the Browns are a heavy rush team with now and Dorian Thompson, a very mobile quarterback. So the wise guys like the Browns here. The only caveat, I would say, is that the number is moved. And so it's becoming harder and harder to bet on it. You're essentially betting on the Browns to win at this point.

Any other dumpster diving? Can I interest you in the Las Vegas Raiders as eight and a half, eight or nine, depending on where you're looking, point underdogs hosting the Kansas City Chiefs? So look, the Chiefs, they have been virtually unbeatable. And I liked the Eagles too this past week. I think we made the Eagles last week in executive decision. And the second half in games, it's almost like Andy Reid recognizes that his receivers are not playmakers. And so he's immediately playing the clock in the second half.

They scored, what, two touchdowns in the second half in the past five games. They had 17 points at halftime this past week, ended the game with 17 points. There's a lot of stuff to unpack for this team. So now you're asking in a division game for them to go on the road and beat a team in the Raiders that still has a very aggressive defense and a very good pass rush and obviously one of the best defensive ends and edge rushers and Max Crosby. So and Aiden O'Connell has shown stuff, right? Like he's throwing the ball down field. He's not afraid. He's very accurate.

He can make throws. He's not mobile, but he can make throws. He can totally make throws. So it's a big number. And Patrick Mahomes for all his success, when he's favored by three. or less, other than this past week when you and I decided to take the Eagles, generally covers. Three and a half or more, he is way under 500 against the spread. So this is a spot where you want to fade Mahomes.

Yeah, I think this is a smart pick. Also, Antonio Pierce is fighting, and that staff is fighting for seven-figure contracts. Yep. Right? Like, Mark Davis probably wants to hire this staff because he's paying Gruden and he's paying Josh McDaniels. He would love to get a coach on the cheap. So this staff knows they've got probably a 65, 35, 75, 70, 30 chance to land these jobs, just show effort. I don't even think you have to win. I think if they're consistently showing effort, I mean, they overachieve last week and

they lost. That was a good loss. For an interim coach as a big dog, that's a good loss. Think about this. How about a 2420 lost Kansas City? He may get an extension right there. Think about this. Think about the Chargers who have had Brandon Staley, who has underperformed. The defense that he is supposed to be a specialist in has been terrible. He has not gotten the best out of an unbelievably talented offense. The Chargers won't fire him. Probably because the Chargers are cheap and don't want to turn over the staff and have to pay two coaches at the same time. The flip side is you've got a Raiders team that is as consistently bad as the Chargers. But Mark, Davis is willing to turn that staff over and pay hundreds of millions of dollars in excess coaching fees to try to find the winner. That's admirable. Either way, like, you're getting losers, but at least one guy is willing to spend to try to find the formula to win. Such a good time of the year. This is, I'm not a big fan of wearing sweaters and sitting into a hot kitchen, so I don't love Thanksgiving. But I'll, but I'll say this. I think the Michigan, Ohio State game may get. 18 million viewers. I don't remember a college football regular season game that felt like this. There was a Georgia Bama game a few years ago that was close. Georgia hadn't won a title yet.

And we kind of felt like this was their team. But it's weird being on the Michigan side. Because if you're on the Michigan side, you are labeled as a cheater. And of course, I have always been morally flexible like all of us are. I just acknowledge it. Yes. So we all speed. We've all written off a glass of wine that really wasn't supposed to be on our taxes. We've all, we've all, you know, shoplifted major appliances. I mean, those kind of things. I tend to think with Harbaugh, like Pete Carroll at SC, he's always been a push-the-envelope guy. And I think college sports, Bill Self falls into this.

Remember the claims? I think Jim Beheim. I think the NFL would be far more punitive and they police you more arduously. But the NCAA is this fuzzy, nebulous bureaucracy where everybody suspects their neighbor is cheating a little. So I think it promotes push the envelope among staffs. So I don't view myself as a morally, this is not. not a morally conclusive stand that I'm backing a cheater. It is a push the envelope industry on Wall Street. You don't think guys go to lunch and share information. It's called insider trading.

You think Martha Stewart was the last one to really do it of note. And I think there are industries. I remember when I worked at ESPN and you're supposed to leave a window open for rivals to compete for contract. So if you have the NBA, you can't renegotiate that. There's a window where Fox or NBC or CBS could come in. Really think that's how it works. Really think presidents aren't going to dinner with commissioner, stopping by for cigars, some cognac. So I just think there are industries. Tech is another one. You read the Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson biography. It's day to day you're pushing stuff. It's it's poker playing. It's it's bluffs. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, a bit of a grift.

And so I think college sports almost promotes it with this fuzzy bureaucracy that gives unequal punitive punishment to certain programs. It's the old Tark joke. The NCAA was so mad at Kentucky,

they put Cleveland State on probation. So it's like, I don't think I'm back in a cheater. I think he went over the line. Instead of going 78 on the freeway, it was 94 with his middle finger out to the conference, But I'm not deeply bothered by it.

So look, Colin, we've all crushed up sleeping pills, put it in our parents' food, and then use their hand to sign the will that used to be going to your sister and now it's going to you. That's totally fine. I never understood what the big deal was with this particular scandal because the same goes. If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying. Like, we're going up in arms about sign stealing. Every single coach covers their mouth when they are putting the play into the game. You know why they do that?

Because they know somebody's watching and is going to try to steal the sign. Like, it's insane. Also, everybody changes their signs and signals for big games. You don't, Super Bowl, Playoff games, Rose Bowl, Auburn, Alabama. Those are the games you change. Ask Peyton Manning. You change the signs for those games. Now, you can use them back to back if you're hosting Rutgers in Maryland.

Those games aren't on national TV. But the reality is these big spot games, Peyton Manning isn't doing the same signals. These guys change for playoff games, division rivalry games. When you're playing the Ravens the second time after the Steelers, you're not using the same signs, same audibles. Stuff changes constantly. Helen, we've all. broken into, we've both broken into

a colleague's email to send really inappropriate comments to your boss when you're both going for the same promotion. It's totally fine. That's what people do in the game of life, in the game of professional media, and in the game of football,

you steal signs. Happy Thanksgiving. You too, brother. The volume. 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kier Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it'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're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Thank you.