The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Trade Deadline, Joe Burrow, Chiefs WR’s, Sharp or Square

Episode Date: November 4, 2023

Colin’s best takes of the week!    Colin lauds two NFC teams for moves they made prior to the trade deadline (1:49). He explains the sharp contrast between Joe Burrow and Brock Purdy (7:57), why the Chiefs are being held back by their wide receivers (11:44), and why the Titans have found their franchise quarterback (15:30). John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out”, drops in to break down the Cowboys beatdown of the Rams (24:42) and why the Bengals are team to look out for in the second half of the season (29:17) Chad Millman, Chief Content Officer of the Action Network, stops by for a round of “Sharp or Square,” where they provide the sharpest betting advice for the Week 9 NFL slate. (32:09) Seahawks vs. Ravens (34:41) Chiefs vs. Dolphins (36:34) Bills vs. Bengals (39:12) Eagles vs. Cowboys (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates! #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

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

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume. All right, this week on Prime Cuts, Chad Milman Sharper Square, tough week. Listen closely, John Middlough on the Niners losing streak and quarterback prospects and my top takes of the week. Let me start by applauding teams I don't applaud much, the Chicago Bears.

So on the trade deadline, they went and gave up a. second round pick for a defensive end into his prime, going into his prime, Montez Sweat from the commanders. Now, Washington has a surplus of defensive linemen, so they move Chase Young, erratic injuries, a bit of an ad liber to the 49ers. But Montez Sweat is more reliable, and if you're going to pay a defensive player, who does Kansas City pay? Chris Jones, defensive lineman. Who do the Rams pay on defense? Aaron Donald, defense. lineman. If you go look at who the top GMs in the league are absolutely always willing to pay, it's a good edge rusher or elite interior defensive lineman, of which there are not many.

So the Bears get a player in Montez Sweat for a second round pick, who will be better than 90% of the players they could draft in the second round, and probably over half of the players they could draft in the first. And since the Bears are probably going to move off Justin Fields, they're not going to be paying their quarterback for four years. Now, because you do this mid-season, the player now has the leverage, right? Montez Sweat has the leverage. He knows what you gave up to get him. So the agent and the player have the leverage.

But he's a really good player. He's a top 10 sack guy. He's going into his prime. And you've got to pay for those guys. And he's better than anybody you're going to get in the second round. my guess on the defensive line. The elite edge rushers, the elite prospects, defensive linemen, those guys along with left tackles and stark quarterbacks, they're gone on the first eight to 12 picks. So I don't have a problem with it. I think Chicago fans look at the Chase Claypool move that didn't

work. Chicago gives up a second round pick for him. First, it's a lot easier to get a wide receiver out of college that's productive than an elite edge rusher in the second round. There are receivers everywhere in college football and everywhere in the draft. Look at the Rams Pooka Nakuwa fifth round. He's a star. And also, I even understood why the bears rolled the dice on Chase Claypool. They were trying to decipher if Justin Fields could play. And all they had was Mooney, a small twitchy receiver. Claypool was a big physical receiver who can block. I would struggle to give up a second for him, but you could see giving up a third. So they may have reached a little, but I got their reasoning in Chicago for doing the Chase Claypool deal. They had a tight end coal commit. They had

Mooney. They were trying to furnish fields with players to see if this is the guy. By the way, this is what Atlanta is doing. They go get Bijan Robinson running back first round, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, good old line. And they have decided Desmond Ritter is not it. They're benching him now for Taylor Heineke. So when Bejohn Robinson got picked by the Falcons, I defended it, running back in the first round. I said, they're trying to figure out if the quarterback can play. If you give him second-tier players, you'll never know. You'll have to guess. Falcons have an offensive coach good young weapons, and Desmond Miller can't score with him. Time to move off him. That's what they're doing. So Montez sweat for the bears. Yes,

you'll have to pay him. Okay. All right. The bottom line is you're going to draft another quarterback. You have the space to do it. And this dude can absolutely play going into his prime, mid to later 20s. And those guys cost money. I'm okay with the Bears doing it. All right, the 49ers giving up a third round pick for Chase Young. Well, Chase Young can be an erratic player, sort of an ad libber, and he's had some injuries. So he's never been as good as we think, but opposite Bosa, who's getting double-teamed

on every snap, it gives them another edge. Now, that doesn't mean you're going to be great. I mean, Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa are playing for the Chargers. And they're underwhelming. They also have a coach many believe should be fired. But I think what the 49ers are looking at, they got their first round pick, they got their second round pick. And you start looking at the third round pick for the 49ers in this roster.

Who could start? I mean, they don't need a receiver. They don't need a running back. They've got their quarterback. Debo and Brandon Ayup, they've got their receivers. They could use a corner and maybe a center. and they'll probably draft that with the first and second round pick. So I get what they're doing.

When you have a quarterback that you're really not paying anything too, and I mean last player picked, you're not paying Brock Purdy anything. Roll the dice. And I think they also, they look around and they see Jalen Hertz and they see DAC and they see that lion's offensive line. Remember, Dallas, Detroit, and Philadelphia in the NFC have three of the top five offensive lines in the national football. League. Now, the AFC is better than the NFC, but the NFC may have three of the top four or five

offensive lines. Eagles, Lions, Cowboys. So one pass rusher is not enough. Armstead, Bosa, now Chase Young. If those teams, Detroit with Jared Goff, Eagles, Jalen Hurts, Dallas, Dak Prescott have better quarterbacks than San Francisco, and grade O lines, how do you equalize it? You roll the dice, you give up a third round pick for Chase Young. I get it. Didn't give up a first, didn't give up a second, but by the third round, what percentage of players hit? How many people in the third round are going to be as talented as Chase Young and could immediately play for the 49ers? Even the guys they've hit on in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh round, most don't play and make an impact immediately. Brock Purdy is rare. So I get it. They're looking at the NFC. They're looking at those offensively.

lines. They're looking to those superior quarterbacks. Can Chase Young be an equalizer so Boas has not double teamed by good offensive lines on every snap? You know, I've said this before. It's one thing if your brother or sister was more successful than you and lives in another state or cross town. But if they're more successful than you, and they're your neighbor and you can see the cars and the beautiful house, it stings a little. It's one thing for Brock Purdy to struggle. But when he struggles at home on the same field with Joe Burrow, it's not. great. And Burrow was brilliant. And Kyle Shanahan watches that and knows that, you know, he lost him a Holmes and a Super Bowl. And Kyle Shanahan knows his dad won Super Bowls with Elway.

And Kyle Shanahan was a coordinator and had Matt Ryan and got beat by Tom Brady. He understands it. That he's had a Garoppolo or his dad had quarterbacks in his career in Washington that weren't up to snuff. So when you have Burrell playing brilliant today and Purdy had. had that late fumble. What's the knock on Pretty? Small hands. Small hands equal fumbles. He got hit from behind. He had a really bad red zone interception. The kind of interception you just can't make. You probably couldn't find one of those in John Elway's career or in Patrick Mahomes' career. You can't throw an interception when a guy's three feet from you. He had another interception in the game. So now, now, Purdy can make throws. He threw the ball two or three times

today, Tony Romo pointed it out to George Kittle, really big time throws. So I still think Brock Pretty has talent, but he's a seventh round guy. He's smaller, doesn't have a big arm, mobile, not fast, smaller hands. And I thought when you juxtaposed him with Joe Burrell today, same field, it really looked obvious. And by the way, I saw this all day today. Jalen Hertz with Sam Howell. Sam Howell's competent, but Sam Hal on the field with Jaylen Hertz, last couple of drives for Washington, next to last drive, Sam Howell missed on one receiver. He had to go down much more catchable ball if an elite quarterback threw it. Then he missed another guy through to the wrong guy. And that when you get a Hertz and a Howl, an organizations have to make decisions, or you get a burrow and a Purdy,

and organizations have to make decisions, it's really clearly the gap is massive. I mean, we saw Kirk Cousins, you know, out before Brock Purdy. That's one thing. You're on the road. At home, Kind of ugly. And so, you know, I, there's an argument to be made. And I don't think it's crazy. You know how years ago you're like, well, you can't draft a kicker. Well, they're often the leading score on your team. Of course you can't. Of course you can draft a kicker. You know, you can never take a running back in the first round. There's been a lot of great running backs taken in the first round and had been wildly productive. It's okay. You could probably make an argument. And Belichick did it about every second or third year that you

You should draft a quarterback every year, every year. Even if you have Tom Brady was in New England, they were still drafting a quarterback every year, every single year, almost. And I mean, Garoppolo got drafted in the second round, and Brady was winning in Super Bowls. So I just look at San Francisco and you can say, well, you know, they really missed on Tray Lance, but they hit on Brock Purdy for a seventh round talent. C.J. Bether, that was a little bit of a miss. Garoplo trade, that was a semi-hit, got to a Super Bowl. it's okay. Draft a quarterback every year.

There's an argument. There'll be some of yours. You take two quarterbacks. You take one early, second round. You take one late, six round. It's the only position in football that's worth more than a point. Think how good Jamar Chase is. He's probably worth one point a game in the NFL.

And he is sensational. How about that sideline catch dragon is put today? So I just thought when you put pretty and burrow on the same field in Santa Clara is a bad look. What to do with Kansas City's lost to Denver? Well, Patrick Mahomes was sick. I mean, most of us take a day off when we're sick. We don't play in the hardest sport in America. But I think what you saw today, you saw two things.

First of all, Denver now has a run game, and Sean Peyton has decided to play younger defensive players. They move off Randy Gregory. So they're playing with a much livelier spirit defensively, right? You know, you let the young kids drive the car. They're having fun now. They're playing a little faster than they were. month ago. And they're running the football. I thought their game plan was great. Running the ball, they've got a couple of capable backs. And what it does, it takes Mahomes out of rhythm. And Mahomes,

not that he needs rhythm to be successful, but any quarterback wants to get in a rhythm. So when you sit on the bench, it's a seven-play drive, it's a nine-play drive, you're sitting on the bench watching. It's cold. You're sick. You're on the road. It all adds up. But there were two plays in this game, and this is really what you worry about. The trade deadline is Tuesday. So they've already made one move at wide receiver, but there was the Rishi Rice drop in the first half, really bad drop over the middle of the field. That was going to be a substantial gain, bad drop. Then Sky Moore, I wrote it down here, Sky Moore had a drop for a touchdown in the end zone. This team is not a great team. It's got a great coach, a great tight end, a great quarterback,

and a great Chris Jones in the defensive front. It's not a great team because in football now, weapons matter. Cincinnati's got him. Philadelphia has got him. The top teams in this league, Detroit's got him. Dallas could use one more, but C.D. Lamb. Weapons matter. They don't have an elite wide receiver. I'd argue the chiefs not only don't have a one, they don't have a two. Rishie Rice is nice. At this point, he's a three or a four. Maybe by the end of the year, he develops into a two. So they go to the jets, they get a receiver who knows their system. He's a three to a four. So I do think it's something. I think against the Cincinnati or Baltimore, and I think right now those teams are as good,

and they just have more speed on the outside. O'Dell Beckham, T. Higgins, Jamar Chase, even Nelson Aguilar for Baltimore. These are veteran players who have been around. They can make plays. So there's a lot of things that compounded Mahomes flew today on the road, Denver's running, out of rhythm, lots of drops. But I would say the margin for air for Kansas City, is slimmer this year.

Think about it. Name the game they look great offensively. They haven't. They had a great first half, did the Chiefs, against Brandon Staley and the Chargers defense. They had a great half.

They really haven't put together a great game like what Cincinnati did today, where you really felt you were watching a Super Bowl level team beginning to end. I mean, you watched Cincinnati, interceptions, defensive plays, sacks, strips, Jamar Chase, Burrow,

long drives, quick drives. You know, when they get the interception turnaround, burrow to Jamar Chase, right side end zone, like quick strike. Like Cincinnati today, that's a master class on how to beat a really good team in the 49ers. Kansas City has not had one of those this year against the semi-quality team,

great half against the chargers, who are a bit of an undercoach mess. So I wouldn't make too much of it, but I think it's a reality of what Kansas City is. They let Tyree Kilko agreed with it for all the picks they got, But they're really young, Skymore, Rice. They're really young, wide receiver. And those guys aren't superstars.

They're developing players who potentially become really nice, complementary two and three receivers. I don't see Skymore as a one. Rice could be a really strong two. But this is Travis Kelsey's team. You know, right? Go look at the targets and the catches today. This is Travis Kelsey's offense in Mahomes and Annie Reed.

There's a saying in football that winning, is not a quarterback stat. And tonight's a great example. Kenny Pickett has significantly better wide receiving talent, a significantly better roster, at home, much more support, better defensive front to pressure, Will Levis. And Will Levis for most of the night, outplayed him

with a very Spartan, very mediocre receiving tight-end core on the road, this franchise and a rebuild with multiple offensive line injuries. Now, it's important to note because I know we have a history of, you know, Brady going in the six round and Dak Prescott going in the third or fourth round and Russell Wilson in the third round. Remember, Will Levis was a first round. He was a lottery talent in terms of armed talent. He has a huge arm. Mom went to Yale, was a four point college student. He just turned people off in the interview process, a lot of the gun show stuff, too cocky. So he was a first round talent that dropped to the top of the second. Kenny Pickett, two general managers told me, and a couple of the best guys in the league, Kenny Pickett was a top of the third to middle third talent, but he was a Pittsburgh kid and the Steelers needed a quarterback now, and it was a bad quarterback class. And so you can see when

they play. Levis has a significantly better arm, a special arm. He's bigger, stronger, thicker, plays with more confidence, easier thrower. Kenny Pickett doesn't have a lot of special. But he's got Pickens, Deontay Johnson, a couple of really good backs. I think a healthier offensive line. He's at home. Winning is not a quarterback staff, right? Now, obviously, the great quarterbacks win more than mediocre quarterbacks or certainly bad quarterbacks. But you can see special with Will Levins.

Kenny Pickett has played, I think, 21 games as a pro. And I think he's had one game with multiple touchdown passes. That is hard to do with this receiving core. Will Levis has played two games and has won multiple touchdown game. This was a big ask for him, even on the final drive. That was a big ask under pressure, not a lot to work with. He drove him down the field. Will Levis is really, really good.

And this is what I mean about Kenny Pickett. Folks, it just doesn't take long. You know, I use the analogy all the time. I listen to music. I don't know anything about it. But if you watch The Voice or you watch American Idol, can tell in 15 seconds who has talent. It doesn't take long. And none of us are music executives. I looked it up today. Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Lamar Jackson, Herbert, Dack, Mahomes, Russell

Wilson, you saw brilliance first year. Jared Goff and Tua, you saw brilliance when they finally got an offensive coach, McVeigh or Mike McDaniel. So Kenny Pickett's not going to be getting an offensive coach soon. Now, people always point to that, well, Josh Allen wasn't very good initially, but I went and looked at his rookie stance. Now, I remember him jumping over people. He was special his first year. He had 10 passing touchdowns and 18 total touchdowns. Yeah, he ran for 8, 630 yards of rushing, 7 yards of carry. There was all sorts of special from Josh Allen his first year. All sorts of special. If you don't see it as you get to thanks the second year. And that's the longest you should have to wait. Will Levis's first

starting, he had four touchdowns and no picks. Four touchdowns, no picks with that Tennessee tight end wide receiver core and that old line. So I think you already see Will Levis's talent. And again, he was a top 10 talent armwise, brain wise. People just thought he was off punting and cocky, the gun show at the combine. People just didn't like him. He interviewed very poorly. Remember he was the guy that used to eat the banana peel on, put manis in his coffee, and then a couple of teams asked him about that during the interview process. And he, you know, said, why you bring it up? Reportedly, he was kind of brusk in the interviews, blunt. And people didn't like it. Executives didn't like it. But he has first round top 10 arm talent. So it just doesn't take long. People, there's a rule to me that when you start complaining about play calling and wide. receiver drops, you have a bottom tier quarterback. You think Justin Herbert gets great play calling or Mahomes. Mahomes receivers lead the NFL and drops. At some point, you got to make plays. And again, Kenny Pickett will get the win. But I think if you're a Tennessee Titan fan,

you got your quarterback. There's no reason to play Ryan Tannihel, none. Will Levis, big, strong, smart, lets it rip, plays with confidence, thick kid. I think he got something. Now, this organization, and like New England can't get wide receiver right. They had A.J. Brown for a minute. Now he's an eagle. But I think you've got to be really happy. And I say this regularly, routinely, that I am always rooting for all quarterbacks, even Baker Mayfield, to crush it.

Because nothing's worse than watching backups. Nothing. Look at this weekend in the NFL. I mean, there's four games I want to watch. Lamar Jackson's in one of them, two against Mahomes and another one. Burrow and Josh Allen, another one, and DAC against Jalen Hertz and another one. I mean, we're only halfway through the season, and there's four games I'm really locked into. And the worst quarterback in that group is Gino Smith, who I think led the NFL in passerating last year.

So mediocre quarterback play is a bad, bad watch. I still feel the same way about Kenny Pickett. He'll win some games. It's a great organization. I mean, they just draft and develop. so well in Pittsburgh, but will lavice to me, I see special. I see juice. They got something there. 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 you're 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 Clivert Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need. to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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 was big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. 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. Three and out John Middlecock, former NFL Scout, Dallas and Dak are very good as home favorites when they're big home favorites. They play downhill. When that team gets the lead, Micah Parsons pins it back, they're a really, really good team. They don't play well from behind. If you have an elite corner and can take CD Lamb out of the game, that gets really limited. I mean, he and CD really play at a high level. That's a, it's not Burrow Jamar Chase, but it's really special. And I think Dallas is a bit of the ultimate tease.

About every third week, they just kick the you know one out of somebody. Everybody gets all worked up. Whereas Baltimore narrowly wins all the time. What they do to Detroit is rare. But in the AFC, Baltimore wins narrowly, four, three. Like today, they kind of ugly it up and win. And they just sit in the woods. Dallas, if you ask average fans, they think Dallas is up here and Baltimore's down there.

But Baltimore can win from behind with a lead. I trust Baltimore, better both sides of the ball, complete team. But Dallas does this. When they get a lead, it's very Buffalo. Buffalo's built to play with the lead. They play downhill. then you don't know if they're running or throwing, Josh Allen on play action.

So I don't feel differently. I think the Rams are a bit of fools gold. And I said on Friday on FS1, I thought this was going to be separation weekend between the e-go, you know, the pretenders and the playoff teams, and the Rams have been doing it on coaching. They have one really good player in their prime.

I mean, they need, I mean, they have a really good punter out of the draft, a left guard, a receiver. They have to hit about four more home runs in next year's draft. They have about 70 million, I think, in cap space. Rams are not an elite team. Well, two things. Dallas's blowouts all look the same.

Pick sixes, huge special teams plays. That game was over in the first quarter, which was kind of nice because there was a 75 games going on this morning. Like, I don't really need to pay attention to this one. That thing was over so fast. The other thing, you know, sometimes in college when PAC 12 teams in the non-conference play a Midwest or an East Coast team and it's that 9 a.m. kickoff. Well, the Dallas, how often do they play because of their brand, a home game at 10 a.m.

Never. So a pretty big disadvantage for the Rams. Obviously, I would imagine McVeigh in and out of the office throughout the middle of the week. But big picture for the Rams, why would you not entertain trading Aaron Donald? He's 32 years old. What would Belichick, Walsh, this is an opportunity. McVeigh's grandpa was part of that Niner team. Obviously, you know, he's one of, I guess they've obviously had some great.

offensive players, you know, with the Kurt Warner teams, but probably the best defensive player, one of them, definitely of my lifetime. If you could get a first round, obviously you'd get a first round pick, but a one and two- twos, you need to reset the franchise. I think that has to be on the table. They're not going anywhere. Now, I mean, the Niners are in second place in that division. Seattle's clearly pretty feisty. They're going to be a playoff team again. Why not, you're not even essentially blowing it up because you still have good offensive pieces. You're just getting more draft capital so you can pivot with a guy, 32, will be 33. That's great defensive players aren't usually humming at 35 years old.

Yeah, and he was dominant early in that game today. So you, I don't, to me, I feel like with Aaron Donald, because of his cost and his age, you'd get two-toes. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you get a first-in-ist. I think you could get a one just because of the bidding process. You know, it's like, it's like a home. If you're just bidding against yourself, you can kind of low ball.

Once multiple people come in and he's just too elite of a play. at such a premium position. I think that it might start that way, but so many contenders would bid like McCaffrey last year. The Rams had them for a two, a three, and a five. And then the Niners were like, we'll give you a two, three, a four and a five. So it would just drive up the price.

I do think you get a one, and maybe it would be a one and a two and a three. The fall, who knows exactly how you'd structure. I do think you'd get a lot right now. For a team that's going nowhere, he's clearly their only asset that they could trade and still net a lot back, has to be on the table.

And like you said with Dallas, you're just not going to play the Eagles like this, which is who they're going to try to beat. You're going to have to beat them in a real game, right, where you're not blocking field goals and punts and returning safety punts back for 60 yards. It's probably not going to look like that. Can you just play them straight up and out coach them and not get penalties?

And they've struggled in that situation. So this game, like the Giants game, like some of their just blowout games, to me don't look like the real games that they're always so disappointed after they lose. So my take on San Francisco Cincinnati, Maddie was that it's one thing if you're less successful than your brother and he lives across town. But if he's your neighbor and you have, you see the Maserati in the driveway and that big house, it's kind of painful. He's your neighbor, right? Purdy on the same field with Burrow, you're like, oh shit. Yeah, this is not good. I mean,

first of all, small hands, end of the game, strip ball comes out. That's the knock. That red zone interception. You've never seen Elway throw one of those. You've never seen Mahomes throw one of those for Burrough. That's a really bad interception in the red zone. I like Brock. He can throw the ball down the field. Had a couple of moves today, a couple of wiggles. I like him. He's a good athlete. But when you put him on the field with Burrell,

so Kyle's lost to Brady in a Super Bowl. His dad lost to some great quarterbacks in the Super Bowl, right? Like, everybody in the Shanahan family knows. You got to have an out way. He's lost to Mahomes in a Super Bowl with Garoppolo when they outcoct and outplayed him for three quarters. What do you do with Brock Purdy? Do you keep him in house?

I mean, what do you do here? You know, you know, when you put him on a field with Burrow, it's not the same game. Do you know what's weird in 49erland? Up until, what, Saturday when he was cleared for concussion, it was looking like Sam Darnold was going to play. And I think a lot of people were just intrigued. What was going to look like? So I was. With Kyle, this offense, I was, you were, everyone was.

I was really excited. Not disappointed when the guy cleared because, like you said, he did play well up until he started turning the ball over, left and right toward the end of the game. But this team is built. And this is why Kyle's been able to do it with middle of the road, Jimmy Garapolo. Purdy's been better than that version of Jimmy, but win at such a high rate is because their defense dominated.

And today I looked up toward the end of the game. The Bengals had close to 30 first downs. Obviously they have an elite quarterback, wide receiver duo. Higgins is healthy. Mixing looked like he was in his prime today running over 40. Niners. Their defense is not the same, and they're not built. We've seen Kyle's record on these comebacks in the fourth quarter down eight or more points. That's not how they've ever won. And so when you're getting sliced and diced, and they've handled better quarterbacks and just

kept the game close and won those games. They can't win a game where they are getting thoroughly outplayed on the missing tackles, getting run over. Bro's going to make plays. Now, when he's playing like that, to me, that's like MVP level, he looked as good as he's ever looked, just in terms of Physically, clearly the calf is long gone. His rhythm and timing in that game just got better and better as the game went on. You were surprised when he missed a pass. But the 49ers, just like last week against Kirk Cousins, if they're getting shredded on defense in the passing game and they can't get off the field,

they're just not going to win. And right now they're in shambles. Chad Millman's CCO Action Network, all odds provided by Draft Kings. So, NFC teams against Lamar. I like Gino. Don't like him trailing. Don't love him on the road. Don't think this is the best number.

But at five and a half, I can see them winning by a touchdown. Again, Gino, trailing, second half, Baltimore. I believe Baltimore, and I've said this for three weeks, is the best team in the league. I think Lamar's my MVP. It's a big number. I hate it. But it's one of those four, five numbers I'll roll with. I would take the favorite Ravens, my MVP, minus five and a half against Seattle,

Sharper Square. Dude, this is a really brutal week. If you can find consensus on any game, I will cover your entire betting table this week. And this game is the centerpiece of the conversation. There is no reason why anybody should be betting on the Ravens. We've got two top 10 defenses. We've got a quarterback in Lamar Jackson.

who is not good at all as a large favorite, more than a field goal, not good when he is a large favorite at home. We've got a coach in Pete Carroll, who's great as an underdog against the spread. We've got a really good offense, balanced offense in Seattle. And while Baltimore's defense is great, it's not that great against the run.

So there's no reason anybody should be betting on Baltimore this week. And yet, and yet, this number went up from five and a half and then went down to six. So what that tells you is that the wise guys came in on Baltimore of five and a half and they bet Seattle at plus six. So to me, this is a number game. And it's going to be about what number are you seeing. Baltimore of five and a half, Seattle at six. I will tell you this. True story.

Sunday night, I'm looking at the lines. I decide, I do the podcast of favorites with Simon Hunter. We will talk about the lines that we're going to bet the following week. First game that we discussed was this game. And we were both like, we know Seattle is the right side. To this second, I have not bet Seattle. I cannot pull the trigger on it. I haven't bet Baltimore either, but I haven't bet Seattle.

It's a weird game, dude. It's a weird game. Let me throw another one at you. Okay. Kansas City minus two and a half, awful loss, much better quarterback. I've seen, I think Kansas City's defense is the best in the Mahomes era. And I've seen Miami against really good competition and really fast, aggressive defenses. They're not the same. Now, the dolphins got there a week ahead of time. They've got a time advantage. They are closer than Kansas City. But again, three I pass, minus two and a half chiefs. I like kick. off the law, Sharper Square. Another really interesting one, Colin. You know how when you and I used to do the Collins football show on Sundays on ESPN, and I would get certain games where all of my reporting, all the numbers,

nothing would indicate a consensus, or I would be with you and we'd say, dude, I don't care what people are saying. We'd know football too. This is the right side. and we'd make an executive decision? Yes. We're making an executive decision about the chiefs. So here's a really interesting thing.

The chiefs opened his two-point favorites. It got that up to two and a half. And then all of a sudden, between Tuesday and today, 48 hours, the wise guys have been pounding the dolphins. And it could be because the chiefs are missing Nick Bolton. It could be because the dolphins got there earlier and people are skeptical. are we having a real conversation here?

Patrick Mahomes is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. Patrick Mahomes is a favorite of less than three points where you're basically saying Patrick Mahomes go in a football game. You don't think about this. You just bet Patrick Mahomes. This is a no-brainer. Okay. I'll give you another one. Okay.

Right now, since week five, Joe Burrell, minus two and a half home against the bills, is completing 78 and a half percent of his passes. Think about this. It's not a seven-on-seven drill. 78 percent. Take out September. Start in October. This is arguably the best team and the best quarterback without question.

Now, he wouldn't be my MVP because what Lamar does sort of the soul, the running, everything. And he's got a bunch of new pieces and it's all working. But again, the numbers come down. Some say it's one and a half, two, two and a half. I'm going to take Cincinnati. This is also one of those rare spots. I talked about this with Detroit on Monday night. The Lions never play Monday night football at home.

So it's Marty Grau. How many games is Cincinnati hosted that are the national TV game in Cincinnati? Not many. This is really special for them. Small market, Joe Burrow, they want to show off. I like the Bengals minus two and a half, Sharper Square. Sharp. This game was, it's really,

interesting. This game actually opened the Bengals as one and a half point underdogs. Immediately, the Wise guys started coming in on the Bengals. Sunday night, last Sunday night, it was at one and a half, then it was two, two and a half, three. Wise guys took a little bit of a taste at three, but that's the limit. As you were just saying, sometimes this is about the number, right? Everything you just said about Joe Burrow is true. This is a much better team since the bye week. he's fully healthy. Do not discount the Bengals defense. Trey Hendrickson is grading out as the second best pass rusher in the NFL right now.

He's got eight and a half sacks, one and a half behind Daniel Hunter, the league leader in the NFL. And by the way, he's got six and a half of his sacks while the Bengals have won for the past five games. This defense is starting to get into a much better rhythm. And they've been, they've played together for a long time. their defensive corner has stayed there for a long time. The other side of the ball, and we've talked about this with the bills, that makes them a scary team to bet on right now. Matt Milano, all pro-linebacker, Trudevius White, Pro Bowl-level corner, Dequan Jones,

defensive linemen. Like, they have lost guys at every level that are playmakers. Not just like, okay, we got someone who can fill in. They've lost above-average players. That's a defense that's struggling right now. Finally, I stay away from big emotional TV games. I think the number is right. Philadelphia minus three.

I think one of the reasons they played poorly last week, they knew they were playing Dallas. So I think they'll win 2723. Dax's a great home favorite. I think the last three games against Philly, he's 3 and 0, two are nonsense. You know, Gardner Minshue, one of them was a week 17 game when Philadelphia emptied the bench. Just for our audience, it does feel like the numbers right. to me. Yes.

Is there anything wise guys think? Exactly. It is split down the middle. No joke. Every single person I've spoken to.

They find reasons to like the Eagles. They find reasons to like the Cowboys. I like the Eagles. Better coach, much better coach. I think they have a better roster.

I think they are more comfortable winning, right? The Cowboys, sometimes you watch them play and they seem like a super emotional kid who, when things are going well,

they are the happiest person in the world. And when things aren't, they don't really know how to manage it. I think DAC is a little bit too boisterous for someone who has really never won anything and takes some of these things a little bit too sensitively. And I think Jalen is so even keel and so comfortable whether you're winning or losing.

The challenge is, is Jalen hurt. But I do think the eagles, as short favorites, to me, it's almost like the Chiefs. It's going to be hard for me not to take them if all I need they to do is win by a field goal. They're also a very good big game team, a big situation team. The best team right now on fourth down and third down in the league, which keeps it away from CD and DAC. I think that's a big deal. We know the best fourth down team with Tush Push.

They're now the best third down team in big situational dramatic games. a undervalued stat. Move the chains. You also got to think about A.J. Brown, right? Five straight games, 125 receiving yards or more. The Cowboys secondary has been playing better, much, much better than I think people are giving a credit for, given the fact they've had so many injuries. But A.J. Brown is a different kind of player, right?

Now he's a guy who's less than 100 yards behind Tyree Kill to lead the league in receiving yardage because of the run that he's on. A.J. Brown can make people get healthy fast. So if J.lyn Hertz is injured, throw the ball to A.J. Brown, and you're going to see how quickly this team in Philadelphia starts to play a little better and starts to feel a little bit better. All right, buddy, Chad Millman Action Network, CCO. Good to seeing you, my man.

Good luck to us all, Colin. The Volume. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite, unhumor me with Robert Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L'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.

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