The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Russ Outduels Aaron, Chiefs Keep Winning Ugly, Lions The “Class Of The NFC”, Saquon Torches Giants, CFB Reaction

Episode Date: October 21, 2024

Colin reacts to the Russell Wilson led Steelers dominating the Jets and Aaron Rodgers! He breaks down what went wrong for the Jets, and why Russ proved to be the better option for the Steelers compared to Justin Fields (3:00). Then, Colin’s joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to break down the full week 7 slate of NFL games plus the top college football games! They start with dissecting how the Chiefs keep managing to win ugly (18:00), the problem that keeps plaguing the 49ers (22:00), and why Andy Reid has separated himself and stands alone amongst NFL head coaches (28:00). Then, they move onto a close win for the Detroit Lions and the reasons why Jared Goff doesn’t get enough credit for being the last great “true pocket passer” (45:00) and why the Lions are the team to beat in the NFC (51:00)  They discuss the discord that must be happening in the Giants organization after Saquon Barkley torched the Giants and why the Daniel Jones era is done in New York (56:00). They move on to the Packers/Texans game and break down why both teams are both “a year away” but why one of the two teams is closer to Super Bowl contention (01:04:00). Then, they move to college football and break down the marquee matchup between Texas and Georgia that was dominated by the Bulldogs (01:18:00), why Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has proven he’s not a first round draft pick (01:20:00) and why this could actually be a loss that helps Texas win a national championship (01:23:00). Finally, they try to make sense of USC’s woes on the field, and their struggles recruiting top talent from the state of California (01:30:00), and debate whether USC and head coach Lincoln Riley could be destined for a divorce (01:35:00). (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!  #Volume #Herd #3andOutSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The volume.

The NBA season's finally back. A new season means new ways to get into the action at Draft King Sportsbook an official sports betting partner of the NBA. Who's draining the threes beyond the arc? who's crashing the boards and grabbing rebounds, get behind your favorite players and the prop bets you can make on Draft Kings, the home of NBA player props. If you're ready to place your first bet, bet on something simple. Pick a team to win.

Go to Draft King Sportsbook. They have an app, download it and place your bet. First timer, new Draft King's customers. All you have to do is bet five bucks. That's it. Five bucks, you'll get 200 in bonus bets instantly. So take it to the rack with Draft King's Sportsbook. Every point counts.

Download that sportsbook app. The code is Colin C-O-L-L-L. for new customers to get $200 bucks in bonus bets, betting just five. Only on Draft Kings, the crown is yours. So we'll get to a John Middilkoff in about 12 minutes, and we're going to have a great hour with John on a variety of topics from Georgia, Texas, to Kansas City, San Francisco, Eagles, Giants. So the Steelers beat the Jets 37 to 15.

It is the most points the Steelers have scored since 2021, and the Jets have now surrendered 60 points. since Robert Sala, the best coach on their staff, was fired. So I was just thinking about this. So I wrote down how every jet's game has gone. Blown out, ugly win, dominating win, New England, worst team in the league. Ugly loss, close loss, close loss, ugly loss. There are two and five football team, and the Steelers are five and two.

And if you watch tonight, the Steelers' offense, I mean, it may have been ugly for Russell Wilson in that first quarter. It was really ugly. But second half, he was the better quarterback. So two takeaways. The Jets fired Robert Sala. The defense in the last two games, I said it at the time. You just fired the best coach in your staff. The defense has not played up to a Robert Sala standard since he was fired.

That's what change does. So now Aaron is asked to be better than he was before when Sala was the coach, because the defense isn't as good. So you got rid of the best coach on your staff. And, yeah, I mean, in the second half of that game. So I went, I was thinking about Russell Wilson because obviously I was a huge fan in Seattle. Then Denver was, the hacky ear was a disaster. And the Sean Payton year, it was fine.

And then I went and looked at the numbers for Russell Wilson in Denver. And because Sean had such disdain for him, you know, there was a sense that Russell was terrible in Denver. No, the Broncos defense last year was awful. That's why it's so surprising that the Broncos defense this year is so good. It's mostly the same players. What happened? I mean, the same guys, basically, they didn't have many draft picks, right? They gave them up to get Russell Wilson, so they went and got a kid from Utah,

defensive end. They just didn't have any picks. One got a receiver or two. So Russell, last year in Denver was Sean Payton. And they didn't connect. But he won five games in a row. the middle of the season. He finished with a 98-passer rating, 66% completion percentage, 26 touchdowns, eight picks, and elusive. Not terrible. It's above average. I mean, 98-passer

rating is a B to a B-plus quarterback, with very few interceptions and accurate. So as you were watching the second half tonight, Russell was in total control. He was more athletic than Aaron Rogers. he had two touchdowns, no interceptions. I thought he played an incredibly clean game through for about 260 plus yards. If you had told me before the night started, Russell Wilson would have outplayed Aaron Rogers. I would have said, you're out of your mind.

Guy hasn't played in forever. He's coming off a really bumpy, ugly, bad PR year in Denver. And he outplayed him. And Pittsburgh ran the ball. You know, it's the Steelers. They're just going to kind of grind it and ugly it. And they're probably going to end up winning nine to ten games. But Russell Wilson in the second half was better.

And what's becoming increasingly clear, and this is not to take a shot, but Aaron is a completely a pocket quarterback now. He's Jared Goff, but Jared Goff is much more accurate with a much better offensive line. but he doesn't move. Aaron doesn't move anymore. He has a lot of shuttle passes, a lot of quick passes. He didn't want to get hit, and he doesn't move. And just go look at how valuable Mahomes movement was today or Jordan Love's movement was today. Go look around the league. In the morning, Trevor Lawrence moving. That's winning football games. Josh Allen's move, but today. Aaron is a pocket-only quarterback with some flips, quick passes, doesn't stay in the pocket very long. Receiving Corps is okay now. Mike Williams even made a catch tonight, but Russell was the better quarterback, and now it was ugly early,

but you got to get over first impressions. This is a two-and-five football team. Thank God they play the Patriots again. They play the Jags later. So, I mean, New York's got all sorts of opportunities, but we're going to have to be totally honest here. Russell Wilson, with this defense and this culture, and this head coach, and this run game,

is going to end up having a better year than Aaron Rogers with that interim coach and that crappy culture and that bad owner and a hit and miss run game Jets couldn't run the ball tonight. You know, it's funny. Aaron and Russell Wilson, I can't speak for Russell. I don't think Russell spends a lot of time

thinking about Aaron Rogers, but Aaron has never been a fan of Russell Wilson. You know, Aaron, I don't know, spiritual. I'm not sure if he's agnostic, but he's spiritual, always kind of rolled his eyes at Russell Wilson. It was pretty understood in the league. So to lose to Russell Wilson is, you know, it's just, I would imagine, kind of digs and Aaron Rogers, but I don't think anybody could watch that game tonight and be confused. Russell was much more under control, had a better run game, had a better coach, but that's part of it. So, you know, it's funny when Russell first went to Pittsburgh, my take was, oh, it's a pretty good spot.

It won't be a heavy lift for him. He's got pickings on the outside. Got a couple of good backs. It's a good culture. And then, you know, he calf injury, loses his job to Justin Fields. You know, you're just hearing things that, you know, is he a stealer? I mean, the press, the leaks. But you're watching him tonight, man.

And I'm like, yeah, that's better than Justin Fields. He was more under control. His cadence at the line of scrimmage. he was more under control. So we've got to be fair about this stuff. What do you look like in the first quarter and what he looked like in the second half, two different things? And the Jets?

I mean, I said going into the weekend, it was one of my picks of the week. The staff here, the volumes, like, are you sure? My blazing five, two wins, two losses, and a push. But this was my second favorite moment of the week. I thought Russell hasn't played. He's coming off a calf injury. The locker room, kind of like Justin. Fields. I mean, Big Ben is like, you can't see him. There was literally nobody around the

Steeler organization outside of it that thought it was a good move. There was nobody. I mean, Big Ben, talk show hosts, I follow Pittsburgh media. Nobody liked the Russell Wilson move. And by the end of this game, you're like, of course, it felt like it was the right move. He was just, I kind of just felt like he's been in so many games and so many standalone games. It wasn't too big for him. And, you know, what a messy season for a franchise that cannot get out of its way. I mean, just think about this. Go look at the Green Bay Packers now.

Green Bay Packers are humming. They've got a young quarterback. They've got incredible chemistry in that locker room with all those receivers and tight ends for the Packers. What a fun team to be part of. And it's now, when you look at the Packers, how lucky are they to have moved on from the toxicity of Aaron? I'm being realistic. I mean, the Packers now are young, generationally. Everybody's on the same page.

They're fun. They're just a fun team to watch. They've got a really nice spirit in Green Bay. And cranky, prickly Aaron goes to New York, and it's just this divorce. You know, the Brady Belichick divorce was really ugly. But the Aaron Green Bay divorce, it's not good. It's the opposite of Brady. Brady won his divorce.

Aaron's losing his. Green Bay, young, fun, energetic winning. New York, mass, impulsive, grumpy. God, I just cannot believe what I watched tonight. Sports is crazy. I mean, over the weekend, John and I'll talk about that Georgia thund pumping of Texas. Obviously, the Niner Kansas City game. But it was dominating. Second half was dominating. It wasn't even competitive. Again, Pittsburgh Steelers 37, New York Jets, 15. The most

points the Steelers have scored since 2021. Engineered by your pilot, Captain Russell Wilson. a segment called Making It Look Easy, brought to you by Morgan and Morgan America's largest injury law firm. Today, Josh Allen made it look easy. 21 of 33, two touchdown passes, over 300 yards. Bill's blow out the Tennessee Titans. Josh even found new Bill Amari Cooper for a score. He made it look easy. Morgan and Morgan does the same to submit a claim. They have over 100 offices nationwide, more than 800 lawyers, with over $15 billion recovered for all their clients. Morgan and Morgan has a proven track record fighting to get you full and fair compensation. They've been fighting for the people for over 35 years. If you're ever injured, go to for thepeople.com

slash Colin, for the people.com slash column, or dial pound 529. Check out America's largest injury law firm. Winning in the NFL's hard, hiring Morgan and Morgan is easy. 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. Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the

biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a 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 it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big two, me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, learn the hard way with me,

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Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. Okay, a very eventful Saturday night and Sunday. Our week seven reaction is presented by Uber Eats, get almost, almost anything for game day. John Middlekoff, former NFL Scout, three and out podcast at the volume. Let's start, and we're going to spend some time on Kansas City and San Francisco. Both teams, you know, hemorrhaging wide receivers. And I thought this is the real separator between Mahomes and a good,

quarterback. Mahomes had an ugly pick. Brock had multiple picks. Brock had three. But there were three or four moments in this game. You know, the shotgun fourth and one, Mahomes running it in, the 33-yard run. And I felt in this game, it would be easy to pick on Brock Purdy because he didn't play well. But Mahomes didn't play particularly well. But there is something to be said about being resourceful, which I think Andy Reid and the chiefs have made a living on. They're still ham and egging this wide receiver court. Nobody's ever healthy. Today, Purdy had to deal with that.

Debo was sick, and Iyuk had a big drop, and Iyuk gets hurt. Listen, they're going to pay Brock Purdy. We know they're going to pay him. But in this moment, and again, it's Mahomes, but I thought there was a separation, kind of these three or four, two or three magical moments, and it felt like Mahomes had all of them. Yeah, I mean, you can't really box score scout Mahomes this year.

It's been pretty terrible. But halfway through that game when they were, you know, they didn't have a large lead, but it felt like they were in control of the game. If you just watch Mahomes always made big plays. Yes. And one thing they've done, and this is where Veach gets a ton of credit and Andy being boys with Spags and bringing him on board, they're a defensive team. Yeah.

I mean, that defense creates havoc. The pass rush. all their dbs can cover. They can lose DB after DB and they get random guys making place. So everyone's on the same page because the guy's blitzing nonstop. You've got to be able to cover.

But yeah, I mean, Mahomes just comes through they have a little magic with him and Andy in the biggest spots. Yes. And they did benefit today from Purdy and Kyle just kind of, they were a bad. I mean, it was just, it was, the Niners are awful in the red zone.

Purdy, you cannot afford. I think the question, I think there's a couple different angles to this. One, why are we always in such a rush to pay guys that you don't know for sure? Yeah. Right? Like, I got no problem paying Josh Allen after year three, paying Patrick Mahomes. Even the Ravens butted head with Lamar Jackson.

I mean, Lamar Jackson is going to go down beside like Ray Lewis, like the second greatest player in the history of the franchise. He's not a free age. He's going into his fourth year. Let's take a deep breath. If he keeps playing this shitty against good defenses, Minnesota, turn the ball over. So tonight, turn the ball over. Now, there was one might not have been his fault, but the other, like, you just need some more plays. You can't go, well, all these injuries.

Who are the Chiefs playing with? Just make a couple plays. No one's saying you're Patrick Mahomes, but this was a pretty winnable game for the 49ers, was it not? Yeah, and Tom Brady said this. He said this twice with pretty, two of the bigger pretty completions downfield. Both balls were underthrown. Well, one's a touchdown at the end of the game. Yeah.

There's 11 minutes to go and they're down, what, two points? Instead, he ends up throwing the pick and the ends the game. Yeah. And so, again, it's, I like Brock, but, you know, people struggle to contextualize things. Like, I like Sam Darnold, but this is a perfect situation. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, good run game, excellent protection, brilliant coach, top defensive coordinator. Donald is now playing better.

And he was really good today. We'll get to that in 15 minutes. But it's a perfect situation for Sam Darnold. Like he went from Adam Gase, a terrible situation, to a perfect one, and he's somewhere in between. This has always been between Shanahan, Trent Williams, Kiddell. So today, you know, to me the whole game came down to the Brandon IUC drop. And that forces a punt. McColl Hardman, big punt return.

That was the game. Like, that was the moment. Now, who knows what happens. But once again, San Francisco's special teams are a huge liability in a big game. Well, that's on the coach. Their special teams coverage have been just horrendous since Kyle has been there. He does not care. I mean, that's the only way you can sum up their special teams units.

I'm not talking about kicking and punting. I mean, they're on there, a third kicker in three weeks. But the actual coverage units, it's on the coach. Andy Reid, what does he do? Hire Dave Tobe. widely consider the best special teams coach going back to Chicago with Devin Hester. See, I go even further

because it's 21 to 12 cowing the kid from Arizona who can fly, smokes the corner who just comes in. And even Brady's like, listen, obviously you've got to hit the pass but you hit that in stride, he walks in the end zone. So then you're down, just, I mean, your field goal wins the game at that point.

There's 11 minutes to go. Instead, he has to stop. He gets tackled. A couple of plays later, he throws a pick. And he's not, Holmes or Josh Allen as a deep ball thrower. But that wasn't the hardest deep ball to throw. You've got to hit that in stride. But think of how the entire game has gone. No confidence, not playing well.

It doesn't have much cohesion with that player. It was just, I just get back to this. If you have question marks about these quarterbacks, and they have years to go on there, what's the difference between paying a guy $53 million and $58 million? It's going to cost you more. Well, I mean, I'd rather know. for sure. Like at the end of the day, the Cowboys, they know exactly who DAC is. So why didn't

you just pay them a year and a half ago if you're going to pay him? It does save you 20, 30 million. He's been in the building forever. Yeah, he's their guy. He wasn't going to go anywhere. Not that you're kicking Purdy to the curb, but I'd never understand this rush if we got questions. Let's just see this season play out because when they play good defenses now, Minnesota and Kansas city, like, you can't afford turnovers. You cannot afford turnovers. And this year, pretty the fumbles, obviously the picks in big spots, it just cannot happen.

If you can't overcome them with just incredible brilliance like Mahomes somehow was doing this year, because he's turned the ball over a lot, Colin, but it hasn't seemed to matter. Well, as Brady pointed out during the game, there was a stat that first and second down, Mahomes is getting rid of the ball quickly. On third down, he's holding it for three and a half seconds because he's trying to make big plays. But he realizes he can't do that all the time. And, you know, the other thing with Mahomes, when he missed worthy on that over-the-top

throw, he overshot him. That's okay. Like, he's not going to give you a chance to intercept the ball. But there were, I have like six different plays here. There's a flip by him. He throws against his body, Travis Kelsey for first down. I have six. I mean, I've got sheet after sheet out of sheet of note for this game.

All six are Mahomes. place. Now, I, I, that's not to say, I mean, right now Seattle's in first place in that division, but I said coming into the season, John, you can only be so old, so long. And Debo comes in sick, IU gets banged up. This, this, this nineer team, Detroit is like a younger version of the Niners and younger players, when they do get hurt, recover more quickly. And I kind of feel like the red zone issues are mostly Christian McCaffrey. But I kind of feel like watching Shanahan today, today was a moment. You're at home.

Kansas City's vulnerable. No Rishi Rice. Players go to, and they use McColl Hardman like he's a number one. And it's just, I think that you have to look at the game as a Niner fan and go, we're not beating these guys unless we got to get more special at certain places. That's how I feel about it. Yeah, and for a large portion of the game, and this gets back to when they struggle, is they couldn't run the ball.

And when Kyle can't run the ball, his passing game is built off that. He can't just drop back and throw consistently. He's not comfortable calling plays like that. And my one knock on him as he is a really good coach, and he's proven to be a brilliant play caller over the years. But I wouldn't call him the most adaptive play caller. His offense is his offense. It's very specific.

Yeah. You know, he's, it's completely different, but like Mike Leach ran what Mike Leach ran, right? Kyle runs what he runs. And if he's gashing you in the run game, the passing game runs off that. He can't just go, like, he has to keep running the ball even when it's not working, because his passing plays are all bootlegs and everything off play action. Instead of just spread it out and let pretty in college, and listen, I'm not acting. And one thing I've always pushed back against when people criticize, he's not Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes.

but relative to the majority of guys over the course of his career, he's been better than or equal to the Dax, the cousins, the goffs. But you have to rely on him sometimes, just spread it out if the run game's not working. And then you notice when they started getting back, Mason started hitting some runs. And that's when Kyle feels the most comfortable. Andy Reed is a good example. Now he's much older and much more experience. It doesn't matter.

If something's working, he can ride it. If it's not working, they can adapt. Kyle, it's very, very specific. And I just think that so dependent on the run, game. I know Pierceall came back from getting shot, so it's hard to put. But he is a first rounder. Cowing is a talented player. You got kiddle out there. Mason gets the ball. You can still throw the ball if the run games out. The Chiefs were lined up. I dare you to run the ball. We're going to stop it. And through the majority of the game, they neutralized it. I mean, think about early in the game.

So Kansas City faked a punt, stuffed. They had a pick and they couldn't get points out of it. And it's like, okay, that when you play Kansas City and you're at home and you snuff a punt and you get a pick, you got to get a touchdown. She tried to hand him the game. They tried to hand him the game early. And I thought, and I wrote those down, I'm like, pretty got no points for those. And Kansas City by the second quarter led seven to three. And it's like, okay, that is that, not the, you know, because a couple different times I put, you know, ball game. But when then Iyuk, you know, drops the ball, Hardman has the big punt return.

turn. Mahomes has that flip, that nice flip for a first down. Next play, they do a reverse, right? Eight yards, eight yards. What you're seeing is, honestly, you're seeing a separation between Andy Reed and the rest of these coaches. Because Shanahan's top five to six, this game today, and when Hardman had that big punt return, and I wrote this down, Andy immediately went into the bag of tricks. He knows your reeling. He knows guys aren't. focused. San Francisco's pissed. Oh, God, we didn't do this. And he goes, and when you're angry, you overpursue. When you're angry, you play with more emotion. And he goes to deception and tricks. He's completely manipulating San Francisco knowing off the punt return. They're reeling a little bit.

They're pissed. Now they want to make a play. And he goes against your emotion, does flips, reverse. And then I put Carson Wentz in the game at one point. Like in these high leverage. situations. I mean, this is how you win. This is Michael Jordan and the Bulls on bad nights. You'd have these high leverage possessions. Michael hits a jumper. Pippin makes a block. And a tie game

becomes a five point Bulls lead like that. And they just milk the clock for 42nd, hit free throws, and they win the game. Think about why Andy does that. Carson Wentz plays a great example. By week, they're undefeated. But they haven't played that well. But he's not some crazy a-hole.

he's going to be angry all the time like Belichick and Parcell's the way they coached. So he puts that in over the by week to kind of loosen everyone up, have a good time. Keep other people engaged. Yes. And people get to look forward to that. This is a team, Colin. The league is very, very lucky that they are banged up at wide receiver. Because I use it.

We were talking before you hopped on. Like if they just had Tyree kill, they'd be unbeatable. Well, he's been gone for a while. Let's just say Rice was healthy, Pacheco was healthy. Hollywood Brown had played. The rest of their guys were playing with Worthy. this team would go 16 and 1 with these. I mean, I don't think if they were remotely held, they'd be unbeatable because their defense is dominant.

Yeah, I mean, John, Rishi Rice, when he was healthy, he was a one. So he's become big time. Yeah, he's become a one. He's not Justin Jefferson, but he's a one. The Niners can't score in the red zone. And the chiefs in theory shouldn't be able to either, but they manipulate it and they are able to find it because of coaching. And this is, I noticed this last week in the Seattle Thursday night game. is there were a couple play or two weeks ago.

You know, Ryan Grubb, a couple of plays didn't hit, but it was like, damn, those guys were open. It was just off. If the Niners played Seattle every week because they owned Gino, they'd win 15 games. But when they play, when they play Seattle, you're like, that's the old Niners. And then they play these other teams, and they kind of look like a show of themselves. Today was weird. Obviously, guys got injured and sick. But I just can't do excuses when the Chiefs are playing that way, too.

You still got Bose out there. You still got Fred Warner, Charverius Ward. You got a lot of money worth of players. I mean, the chief, it's 28 points, but there was a late touchdown. The Chiefs had struggled to get to 20 again for the majority of the game. Yeah. You're at home. Kansas City literally has no hole.

San Francisco has a red zone hole, a special teams hole, a Brock Purdy and big spots hole. I mean, these are now established issues, the red zone. It's established, special teams, San Francisco. It's established. Rock Pretty in the red zone, can't make plays. It's established. Brady said something today about this. He's like, I mean, he's trying to be kind.

But like at one point, these linebackers, these no-name linebackers for Kansas City, now Bolton, everybody knows. But it's like, who are these guys? They got injuries. They're, they're, I mean, they just, it is a, you know, it's like, when New England was dominating, you're like, I don't really think. I don't really think they have the best roster, but they had the best offensive line coach, the best coach, the best quarterback, and the best tied in. And you started looking around and you're like, where aren't they great?

And you're like, well, they don't get a lot of sacks. And then you look up and you go, oh, there were second in the league in pressures. They were kind of a wholeness team. They weren't great everywhere. They were terrible nowhere. Kansas City, best coach, best defensive coordinator, best quarterback, best general manager. I just don't, if Rishi Rice can play, this team's winning three straight. I just don't see anybody beat.

I text someone today. You know who they feel like right now is the Alabama Sabin dynasty where players changed. Some years you'd watch them. You're like, oh, they're not as good as previous years. And then the dust settled and they're right there at the championship game. You're like, how the hell did they do this? And it was because of Sabin and the program. And Sabin and the program for the Chiefs is Andy Reed and Patrick Mahomes.

And I think Spags, they have a unique thing going because their defensive coordinator is probably never going to become a head coach. So they get this guy that now is institutional knowledge who's elite at his job. And they're all, they have this cohesion. So many teams, you got the coaches not agreeing with the GMs and the owner. It's like they're all on the same page. Andy, Veach, Mahomes, Spags, they're all speaking the same language. And they have the best quarterback in the biggest spots, even when he's not playing well. isn't he used the Michael Jordan reference

you know Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods even when they were playing their worst you still believe when it mattered the most they were going to come through and isn't that Patrick Mahomes I don't he could throw 17 picks in the game in the fourth quarter and a tie game I believe he's going to make it no there was once they trailed 7 to 3 off stuffing a block punt and getting a pick and I was like okay that was your moment that that's where that's where a Baltimore could take a 143 lead and you're like oh shit

Now Kansas City is reeling and has to bail water, but if you can't, if you can't nail those down, then that's not it. You're just not going to do it. So I, and by the way, the IUK drop early in the game is it's just, it's just bad karma holding out. He's had a lot of them calling this year. I mean, he's had five or six. Listen, I, he had a year left, and he decided I'm holding out with a year left on his contract. there's going to be some animosity.

I don't think Kyle's holding it against him. In fact, after the drop, he patted him on the sidelines. He's like, okay, we need you. But there is something to be said. We don't want the NFL to become the NBA. You'll get paid if you're great. Even running backs now, Sequin, you're going to get paid. Austin Eccler, somebody's going to want you.

I mean, running backs had a huge weekend. You're going to get paid. But you hold out a year early. I mean, look how fast Odell Beckham became a really. relevant. I mean, it takes one injury to a player in this league. They're not tackling you in pro basketball. It takes one injury, next man up, and you're just not needed. And so I think Iuke, he's needed on this team. I think cowling the fourth round picks better than Pearsall, potentially. I think he runs better. You can fly. So listen, it's, it's, you know. Niners are in trouble. Luckily, they got the cowboys coming up Sunday night football. Oh, Jesus. Might be a get right game. The Chiefs. are we looking at 14 and 3 and then the dust settles and you go how the hell did they just do that?

I kind of feel. I mean, Andy is really kind of establishing himself. I mean, we've had this argument before, but he has a couple three, four, five more years. I mean, Andy's, it's not like he plays golf. I mean, as long as he's healthy, he's coaching for the foreseeable future. I think we talk Belichick, Lombardi, Andy Reid, you know, I mean, this is, this is remarkable the stuff he's doing right now. The two great, the three best coaches in my lifetime are Bill Walsh, Bill Belichick, and Andy Reid. Now, I think there's a lot of, there's some Jimmy Johnson's, you know, young John Madden.

There's some really, really, really good coaches out there. But to me, I'm not going to count. Holmgren was pretty damn good with the back. Oh, God, he was great. Holmgren was great. He got Hasselback in that Seahawk team. Name five guys on that team. Hutchison, Sean Alexander Hasselbeck.

Can't name the defenders. Holmgren was sensational. So listen, I think it's Bill Walsh, it's Belichick, it's Andy Reid. And yeah, get right game. I think Kyle really needs to look at Andy and just see how he's adapted. I know he's much older, but you have to be willing to adapt your offensive play calling. You can't just be so beholden to one thing. You know, for a long time when Andy was young, it was just.

throw the ball, throw the ball, wouldn't run the ball. Yes. As his team has become dominant, he's much more inclined to just include, he's always thrown the ball to the running back, even when he got to Kansas City, Jamal Charles. But I would say these last five years with Pacheco, that they are just much more likely to today, he's got Kareem Hunt off the street and they're just handed him the rock. He will, he'll do whatever it takes now.

It's not about style points. And I think Kyle sometimes, like my offense or the highway, it's like, well, Kyle, your specific thing, you have to, there are so many different flavors now of offense. You have to integrate some different stuff into your packages. And I think he's very hard-headed that way. And I think that limits them sometime in the red zone. I think it's why it's hard.

In a weird way, it's easy to play quarterback for him because it's a quarterback-friendly offense when you're running the ball. But it can be difficult when things go wrong because there's only one thing to do. You know, Tom Brady, because he was drafted in the sixth round, and to some degree, because Kurt Warner wasn't drafted, those are complete Haley's comments. Those are outliers.

Brock Pretty was passed over by everybody six times, most team seven times, is that he's clearly cognitively, very sharp, accurate throw-over-the-football. But in these big spots, you can see the lower-round pick. It's like Dak Prescott's a fourth-round pick. You can see it. Kirk Cousins movement, you can see it.

And this sport, I watched Sodor Sanders again this weekend. That kid is moving, putting balls into teeny, teeny windows. There is something to be safe for first round picks, something to be said for first round picks. It's time for this week's player I thought might give almost, almost anything to redo his game, brought to you by Uber Eats. Kirk Cousins, Falcons quarterback who I love, two interceptions, a fumble today and the Falcons lost to Seattle. the last three possessions for cousins all resulted in a turnover, including a fumble that led to a 65-yard scoop and score. That was this week's Uber Eats player of the week.

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learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Okay. Detroit 31, Minnesota 29. So for years, I love the quarterback position. I talk about it. And for years, the one guy I've really supported is Jared Goff, and people have shit on him for years.

And I've said he's a much better version of Matt Ryan. And Matt Ryan was a really, really good quarterback and an MVP and got to a Super Bowl and probably should have won one. If not for one of the great catches, Julian Edelman in the history of the sport, he wins a Super Bowl. Goff was on a freaking heater the last two, three weeks. I mean, it's 22 at 25, two touchdowns, 281 yards. With this, when he had Andrew Whitworth and McVeigh and the Rams, and now he's a better version of that because he got more snaps with Detroit. John, he is all stake and no sizzle, but is a pure thrower of the football.

He's like, he is feeling it. He's a guy that's hit, he's like when, you know when Steph gets on those hit five straight threes, you're like, okay, this stuff is, he's unconscious. Goff today was just spinning it. He threw a couple of balls into coverage. Remember, this is Brian Flores, who has befuddled Purdy and J.C. Strout. I mean, literally flummoxed them. I'm looking at Jared Goff today.

We've had two years of this guy. Take out Mahomes. I'm not sure in a third down and seven. Take out my homes. I'm not sure there's another quarterback in the league I want to throw in the ball. he's that good. Yeah, I mean, I thought there were three games a day early on. You felt the intensity that felt like playoff games.

Obviously, the Niners Chiefs, the Packers and Houston, and obviously, I think the game of the day was that, the Minnesota, Detroit game. If you hit him, he can't move around. But their offense, their offensive line is fantastic. Their offensive coordinator, I don't quite understand his deal why he's kind of scared to be a head coach, what's going on there. But he is brilliant. Yeah. And their general manager. or in front of office,

they deserve a lot of credit. Because listen, Goss has been good for a long time. The guy got to a Super Bowl with McVeigh. He went through the downturn when he heard his thumb and McVeigh and him had the weird fall off. But when they got down, one thing that happens in Minnesota,

when you get down early, it's like, God, are they going to overwhelm the Lions? Because that place gets super loud. They've been up when they started the first couple games, and they just kind of boat ratio. And that didn't happen today. And I think the Lions,

like today might be one of their grittiest wins in the last couple of years. But I'm with you. I mean, I think Jared Goff, he's a throwback. I mean, there aren't many guys. I mean, he's better than cousins at this point. Is he the last pure pocket quarterback taken number one? Pure pocket.

I just don't think we see those guys ever again in college. Yeah. They just don't really exist. I mean, I think he's a throwback in the sense that that will never come up into, you know, when you just watch college football these last three or four years, when do you ever see a good player that plays like Jared Goff? even I watched the USC Penn State game because I missed a lot of it last year. That quarterback is a little bit old school, but he moves a lot better than golf, right,

Aller for Penn State. Yeah. You know, I just don't think you see the flakos, the Eli's, the Phillip Rivers. So those guys have to master getting rid of the ball, being accurate, knowing the offense. Like, you have to be perfect. You watch Jordan Love today. He's just kind of free. It doesn't matter.

You're like, yeah, I think you need to work on the fundamentals a little bit. Like Jared Goff's fundamentals have to be perfect because he, He can't move outside the little radius. And they got so many good players. They got such a great offensive scheme. And it feels when you watch him, you're like, this guy has mastered his offense. That's right. The timing of the throws, the timing of the throws.

And one thing I think he really developed, I remember he got shit on pretty hardcore that first year with Jeff Fisher. And then the divorce with Sean McVeigh was not pretty. Right. Because I kind of took Sean McVeigh's side. Same. Maybe this guy, you know. Same.

I think, I don't remember a guy coming back and going, this guy. I remember when Alex Smith resurrected his career, you're like, this guy's mentally tough. Yeah. You know, I think Jared Goff falls under that. You're like, this guy's got some mental fortitude to play for that coach, too, who, let's face it, is much more of a tough guy, rah, ra, not exactly, you know, I mean, that's kind of the style with Detroit. We're going to out tough you mentally and physically. And I think, you know, Jared Goff fits that mold perfectly. Flacco did for a long period of time with Baltimore, just a tough guy.

And I think Jared Goff, it's not even debate. I mean, he's just been fantastic. His career these last couple years in Detroit, you could argue, was more impressive than what he did in L.A. Oh, it is? Because everyone kicked him to the curb. I saw a stat today. Like, he's the first guy since like Kurt Warner back in his prime to have three straight games of 140 plus QBR. I think the other guys like Peyton Manning over the last 25 years. Yeah. I mean, the numbers over the last three weeks or eye opening, but their talent, that draft Colin, a couple years ago, where they got Gibbs, Leporta. How about Brian Branch? who had a fantastic pick today.

He had another one that was called back because the guy stepped out of bounds, but it looked like he returned a touchdown. The impact players they got in that draft to overcome the Hutchinson injury, I was tempted to bet on Detroit, but I was like, that's a pretty huge emotional letdown,

losing that guy. And then they're down 10-0. I'm like, glad I didn't do that. That team is very, very, they got a little ravens and chiefs like metal toughness to them, don't they? Yeah, and it's Sam Darnold, by the way, 22 at 27, Sam moves very well.

Sam didn't play bad. I think it's a perfect situation. I mean, Justin Jefferson just changes everything. I mean, but Sam, Sam made a couple of deep throws today. I think in the second half, he was like 13 to 14. He was brilliant in the second half. He was awesome. He hit Jordan Addison on a big play. I think Sammy's good. I don't know how far Kansas, how far Minnesota goes in the playoffs, because I really do feel like, I feel like Detroit's now become the class of the NFC. I really feel that. But I'll tell you what. I think Minnesota is pretty good, Colin. I don't say they're going to win the Super Bowl, but they're there are no one and done in the playoffs. They could beat anybody. They're tough.

They probably play on the road, so who knows, depending on the venue. But they're good. Well coached, they got firepower. Detroit's on a slightly another level, but I was impressed with Minnesota today. So I think Detroit's the best team in the NFC. And then I think there's two or three teams behind them, Green Bay, and Minnesota. But Donald made a throw to Jefferson for a touchdown. He made a throat of Jordan Addison.

The thing about Sam, you got to eat some of the reckless. You do with, hey, Alan, Mahomes, you just got to eat some of it. But Sam, he's a playmaker. And I think in the NFL, I think the highs of Minnesota may be higher than Detroit, but the lows will be lower. I kind of feel now with Detroit, John, I get the exact same game every weekend. The exact same game. Dominant O line. And you know, it's funny that you think, oh, they'll go out and they'll replace Hutchison.

And they may. Jacksonville won. Had they lost, I think they had just emptied the roster perhaps to get more picks. But when I watched that game, Detroit, Minnesota today, your takeaway had to be, these are two at the top four teams in the NFC. I think that, yeah. I think the one pitch the Lions have that no one else has, their offense top to bottom is like the Katie, you know, Warriors. I mean, they got an elite offensive line. They have a quarterback who's a proven pro-bow guy and can win playoff games. They have everything at wide receiver. They got a

possession guy who's elite. They have a speed guy who's one of the fastest guys in the league. They have, you know, when he's healthy, one of the best tight ends in the league. They have multiple dominant running backs. I mean, they got one of the more physical guys in Montgomery. And Gibbs is, I don't know, the young version of Alvin Kamara. I mean, how good is that guy? His speed, he had to run the day. He looked like Barry Sanders in the open field, making the guy miss on the touchdown. And then their play caller, because it's cohesion, usually most teams in this scenario, that guy has just become a head coach, and they've had a new name filling that spot.

And it's usually a little rocky. Well, this guy just keeps turning down head coaching jobs, and the offense keeps getting better. And in that spot today, like, it wasn't about trick plays, which they love to pull out. Today was about you got to call big third downs. We're going to need big explosive plays. And especially down early. And, yeah, I mean, I think Dan Campbell. is a guy, and rightfully so

after that press conference, he obviously speaks a little different than a lot of these intellectual offensive guys, even though ironically, Dan Campbell is an offensive guy, but he's got a little more Harbaugh to him, feels a little more offensive defensive lineman.

He, what the hell's the difference doing him and like one of the Harbaugh brothers? I mean, this is, I understand us the NFL, so every team has money, and if you draft well, you can turn around,

but that's just not the way it works. I mean, there's a reason the lions always suck. The Jags always, the same teams are always bad. He has turned the lions into a power. It would be one thing. It's like, oh, it was one year. No, this is like the same thing. And this is different this year. Everyone's gunning for them. Right. Everyone takes them seriously. They're not sneaking up on anybody. Yeah. And I think they don't have the owner of Kansas City, but I think it's hard to watch Detroit and not go. Front office out of this world. Coach, culture setter. They're, they're schematic.

guy is Ben Johnson, best offensive line in football, best run game in football behind that O line. I mean, if you told me today, I had to bet Kansas City against Detroit and the Super Bowl and the field, I may take the Chiefs and the Lions. That's how strongly I felt today. And the Chiefs would be a tough matchup for them. Or, I mean, the Lions would be a tough match for the Chiefs because it's hard for the Chiefs gets 20 points, you know. So even if the Lions play bad, they can get to 25 kind of with their eyes close. That's the thing. Now, it'd be hard to bet it the Chiefs, and honestly, they'd probably be an underdog. But that's where the Hutchinson injury, I think you feel even more confident, getting

aggressive, because like, this is, you look around the league. Like, why wouldn't you? Like, hey, Raiders, are you sure? Like, you guys are going nowhere. What do you want for Max? I mean, I said this week on FS1, Detroit is one of the only teams in the league. They don't have a need. Now that Branch is on the back end, it's like, just give up your first round pick.

Just go get the best guy. this team for about another year can withstand giving up a first. They've hit on so many picks. Yeah. I mean, even Kansas City, you'd be like, don't give away that first round pick. Go get a tackle. Go get an offensive tackle. Like at 31, there's a kid.

There's some kid offensive tackling. Arizona may have one. Go get a tackle. Detroit, they got their tackles, their receivers, a deep threat, two backs, tight end, edge rusher. They don't have needs. I would give up a first rounder for. that. And by the way, Hutch comes back, you have two edge rushers. So what? Good luck beating me next year.

All my guys are under contract. Right. Okay. I want to talk about this game third. You're a former scout of the Eagles. 28 to three winner over the New York Giants. Eagles 28 Giants three. There was a couple of things. First of all, it's going to be a bad day in the Giants facility. Bad, bad day in the Giants facility. So Daniel Jones got benched at the start of the fourth. Andrew Thomas is out. which just I should have bet this game. So J-Mack did he tried to talk me into it. You take Andrew Thomas out. This team can't move the ball.

But they bench Daniel Jones at the start of the fourth. Jalen Hertz was bad on third down, but Saquan Barkley jammed it right down the Giants' throat. And John, it's one thing if somebody comes back, a Johnny Damon comes back to haunt you. You know, if you're a Red Sox fan. And this was like the most predictable facial in the league. And I looked at that and I thought, this, it's going to be a bad day. Like it's over for Daniel Jones.

Like today when they benched them start of the fourth, that was just, it was kind of like they waved the white flag on Daniel Jones and probably the season. I know you talked to a lot of people in the NFL. I can't tell you how many people their jaw hit the floor when the, you know, the videos that came out of that hard knocks and the things they allowed.

And obviously it has to go through the GM and the head coach, but I would imagine the owner, like if the owner did not want him saying, I don't know if I can sleep. If he's on the Eagles, it wouldn't have come out. That felt some of those things that came out in that Hard Knocks made me feel like the owner wanted it out. And by the time people are listening to Joe Shane is fired, I just don't see, remember when he was asked? And he's like, yeah, I don't think the Eagles, I think he's going to go to the bear.

And listen, I understand overpaying running backs and it's difficult, but when he went to Philly, I thought the moment when I watched that in the off season, how is he going to have a bad year? They draft multiple offensive linemen every year. They have arguably the best offensive line coach who Jason Kelsey calls like his father in Jeff Stoutland. And he's rushing for 100 plus yards in all these games pretty easily. And when they're semi-healthy at wide receiver, like things are going to open up for him. Today, when it was like, I think he had like six or seven kids. carries for almost 20 yards.

And they announced, I'm like, I bet he's going to bust one soon. And then he bust that 50-yard run, and it was on. And it wasn't just Daniel Jones getting benched with 10 minutes to go. They also pulled Jalen Hertz for Kenny Pickett. So it's like, you're benching your quarterback, and they waved the white flag in Saquan Barkley's unbuckling his pads with like seven or eight minutes after he already has 100. He had 175 yards and three quarters, Colin.

Yeah. I just think that, and listen, I understand they have injuries. And like you said, without Andrew Thomas, the Eagles, who have struggled to get a pass rush. They were in the backfield on Daniel Jones every single play. They had guys coming from every angle. He had no shot. That one, the owner said it. I don't know if I could sleep. He's our most popular player. He's our best player. And now he's, I mean, that's a team that's loaded with talent. And what's Seekwan? Second or third best player on given games, he's their best player. To do that to you at home, to just embarrass you,

What is the papers, I guess it's more of the internet now, how people consume, the local talk shows there, the local television, what are they going to say tomorrow? How does Joe Shane, Ryan Davel, I actually think he's done a pretty good job. He's transitioned to the offensive coordinator. Like, guys, his quarterback is atrocious. I mean, that guy is just, he can't play. And I would imagine Drew Locke will just beat a quarterback and just see if they can give him a spark. But that's a tough one for the GM, Colin. Yeah, it's a cautionary tale. If you make a, a mistake. I see this a lot in a lot of businesses. Don't get arrogant. Don't get stubborn. Don't double down. They should never have drafted Daniel Jones sixth. Gettleman's goofball. And then, you know, I've been through a lot of these drafts. Dave, he's not the sixth best player in college football. He's probably not the 56th best player in college football. And then they double down on it. I mean, I like Dable. I think they have their left tackle. I like Malik neighbors, Dexter Lawrence, Thibodeau, there's some players here, but it doesn't matter. I mean, listen, people are getting bigger and stronger.

You watch the Chiefs and the Niners today. They're like eight players left the game. People get hurt. You have to have a difference maker at quarterback that can overcome these injuries. And Daniel Jones is the classic example. He needs everything right. The minute you take Andrew Thomas left tackle out, it's over. it's just over he can't do it and again

I watch my homes get blown out in a Super Bowl without his left tackle but I think you I think the Giants just have to start over I think they have some nice defensive pieces I think they have to start over and I think I think you just have to go I mean Daniel Jones I don't I don't think he has a market maybe a six round pick a fifth round pick does he have a market oh no with how much money he makes I think he I think he's an untradable player I think when you look a couple years ago, remember when A.J. Brown was traded to the Eagles,

and the Eagles played him like in the middle of the season, and A.J. Brown went nuts. And John Robinson, who I've known since I was at Fresno State, I think he's pretty good, got fired the next day. Got fired the next day when A.J. Brown destroyed the Titans. That's kind of what this feels like with Seekwon Barclay. Yeah. High character, great guy. Every kid, every dad buying their kids. kid of Jersey feels great about it, and he's just an elite player. I mean, you watch him on that Eagles team.

He's going to be a big reason that they're not the most cohesive operation right now with their head coach. And that guy, I mean, they're going to end up winning a 10th. The problem for the Giants is you remove a couple years ago when they made the playoffs at 9 and 8. So it's not like they made the playoffs with 11 or 12 wins. I mean, they won nine games. It was one of the great coaching jobs ever.

They have been awful since they fired Tom Coughlin. I mean, and even those last couple years of Tom, they have been really bad for a long time now. And you got Washington, who I know they played Carolina today, but that team's going to win 10 games. As long as Jane Daniels' ribs not shattered. The Giants are a fourth place team for the foreseeable future. Yeah. And I do wonder, you know, this quarterback draft, you saw yours in Carson Beck.

So if you don't have the number one pick, it's not really like you feel great about some of these quarterbacks, Colin. I asked. A lot of Daniel Jones in this group. I asked an executive, I don't want to give this away, I asked an executive with Super Bowl experience about, and he's in the next few years in the quarterback market. He said, this is the year to trade down. He goes, this is not a good quarterback market. He agreed with me. He thinks Shador Sanders has an it quality.

I think after watching. He's going to be the number one pick. I think Shadour's going to be the number one pick if the draft was tomorrow. I had a friend, a friend of mine went and watched the Arizona. His son plays for Arizona. Went and watched the Wildcats, Colorado. And he was a quarterback. He was a college quarterback, my friend.

And I asked him what he thought. And he said, you know, he goes, I've heard what you've said about him. He said, I think Shadur, he goes, Arizona's played a lot of quarterbacks and a lot of teams. He said, Shadur's easily the best quarterback. He said he made a couple of tiny window throws moving. He's like, that's a first round quarterback. He said, and Arizona's got a good quarterback. And he goes, you can look at all these quarterbacks, but he goes,

Shindor Sanders is a first round quarterback when you're watching live. And my buddies, he was a college quarterback. He knows his shit. You know, he knows football. He watches, he goes to every Arizona game. He's like, yeah, this guy's a first round pick. So, but I was talking to an executive this week, and he said, this is the year to be bad and trade down. He goes, he said, this is not a good.

group. He said, the quarterbacks are at big programs, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame. He said, they're not first round quarterbacks. Yeah. That's why, I don't know if there's breaking news, but I think the Patriots are going to be in good position if they just keep playing like they're playing, and you just trade back and accumulate some picks and try to build around Drake May because they're pretty terrible. Okay, Green Bay beats Houston 2422. And here's why this game is, support. I feel like they play at each other. Green Bay is the Houston of the NFC. Houston is the Green Bay of the AFC. I think both are a year away. I love their rosters. I love their young coaches and I love their quarterbacks. Jordan loves better than C.J. Stroud, in my opinion, moves better.

Jordan's got some real far. He'll, he's going to have bad picks, but God, he can really let it rip. I really like watching them play. But I feel like. I watched the same team is that they're close, right coach, right quarterback, right-o-line, nice weapons, not quite mature enough. There's somebody in the way, Detroit. There's somebody in the way, Kansas City. But there was an interesting moment in this game where late Houston Demico-Reyons settled for a field goal. And they didn't force Green Bay to burn.

timeouts. And I thought, well, D'Amico's a defensive coach. You just, you got to bake that in. These guys aren't going to go for it. But as I watched this game, I thought, these guys are not good enough to hoist a trophy. But if you told me over the next four years, because the quarterbacks, I think potentially with the right weapons are in that Jared Gough, Gough, or slightly above that class, Green Bay is now five and two, Houston, five and two. I felt like I'm watching two great franchises after this year, they'll both be in the Super Bowl bubble for about six straight years. I think Green Bay, if they get their shit together, could be a Super Bowl contender this year. And when I say that, I just mean they're quarterback, not throw awful interceptions.

I mean, he threw. He moves, he's like a mirror image of Aaron, the mannerisms, the way he moves, the way his arm kind of hangs. But when the ball leaves his hands, it's like 2002 Brett Farf. It could be the most incredible touchdown you see of the day, or if, could be a pick hitting the guy in stride where you go, is this guy going to go 70 yards the other way? I mean, today, he threw two picks. One got returned, I think, to the 11 yard line. They had a muffed punt that led to a fumble. Like that, I thought Green Bay, I mean, CJ Stroud even throw for 100 yards. They were not very good on offense. And two of their

touchdowns, definitely one of them came on the muff punt. Obviously, Mixing, having him back. Nico Collins, it turns out, is like they're Terrell Owens. You take him out of their offense. they kind of fall apart. But DeMico's so good as a defensive coordinator, creates pressure and just creates some havoc. They've got to settle this guy down, that being Jordan Love, in terms of even LaFleur made a comment after the game

about, like, you guys keep pushing this far of narrative. Well, yeah, he keeps throwing the ball to the other team, but he's remarkable and he's throwing three or four touchdowns every game. And in your offense, their offense, it doesn't have the name recognition of like St. Brown, Montgomery, Gibbs, La Porta. But you watch them, you're like, that receiver's good, that receiver's good. New tight ends good.

You're like, I've known Josh Jacobs is good for a while. They're offensive weaponry. And think about this, Colin, they're not going to be intimidated by Detroit. They're going to know each other really well. It's kind of like a Niners Rams from a couple years ago. So I, and honestly, I've always said this. They're actually better off not winning the division because the way they want to play on offense. Go into the don't.

Okay. Let's play a 35 to 30 game because you can't play that at Green Bay in the middle of January. There's always the downfall of Rogers teams. They have these great offenses. And then they play some of these home games. It's like no one can feel their hands. That's why the Chiefs are like, yeah, we can play a negative 20 now. We only need 18 points to win the game.

Yeah. And now I think their defense, this Halfley guy that they got from Boston College, it feels like he's kind of settling down. They look a lot better. Much the team speeds better. He's blitzing at the right times. I mean, their defense has been pretty atrocious. Over the going back to McCarthy and then early on with the Joe Barry run with LaFleur.

I'm not saying it's going to like completely turn the corner, but I feel a little more comfortable with it. today you hold CJ Stroud. He still has Takedell out there, Diggs is out there, Mixon's back, Schultz. I mean, they got enough firepower that he should be able to score, you know, pro for 150 yards. And it was a beautiful day. It wasn't like 20 degrees of Green Bay. It looked like it was 80 degrees outside.

Even the announcers like this doesn't get any better than this. No, it's, so a Jordan loved 24 or 33, three TDs, two picks. Here's what I like about it. So first of all, Dobbs had eight catches, Wicks three. craft the tight ends excellent 11 yards a catch jacobs out of the backfield had five reeds terrific player uh christian watson i mean they i mean they they and what's funny is none of these guys make a nickel i mean they're not paying any of these guys for like four years yeah i to me his interceptions are they're bad there was there was a play late in the

game when they ended up kicking the game winning field goal i think it was like less than 30 seconds left. He let it rip like 40 yards down the field. Now he overthrew the DB and the wide receiver, but it was like, what is going? Like, why are you making this throw? Right. Which he's, I'm not a Packer fan, but he keeps you on the edge of your seat when you're watching them play. Remember, that was, he threw a late pick in the Niner game. Yes. You know, to end that game. That's the thing that makes me nervous. It's not like golf can do that. Right. But right now, he's not really throwing the ball in harm's way. Well, where Jordan Love is throwing the ball in harms weigh a lot. Well, I mean, to your point, the Texans on the road average 3.4 yards of

play, terrible on third down, allowed. They got a muff punt at the 10-yard line. There was a free touchdown. I mean, the Texans threw for 55 yards today and have a chance to win that game. So to your point is love is going to keep, I mean, if you look at the box score, Texans should have been beat by three touchdowns, and they lose 24-22. And I think that's a little bit of what Jordan Love gives you. It also, Lefleur, to his credit, and I think an offensive coach is more willing to do this than D'Amico Ryan's. He lets him work his way through his mistakes.

Like, Lefleur is like, I got an artist here. I can't box him in. I got to let him do some of his stuff. You know, one of the throws that Love likes to do, and it feels like they're almost all picked are all caught is when he throws the rainbow ball when he's backing up and he holds it too long and he just throws a rainbow and I'm like he's going to work himself out of that. Those won't last and four, because he does that like four times a game. I give LeFleur so much credit because a big reason they're five and two is they won the games

with Malik Willis when he was gone and now you feel like if they can just rain this guy in a little bit and they did last year, sometimes, and listen, I'm guilty of this, this guy has not played much football, right? I mean, you look at, C.J. Stroud has been playing for two years, Ohio State comes right to the NFL. He's been starting every year for five straight years going back to high school. You look at some of these quarterbacks, the amount of snaps they've taken, Jordan Love just sat there for three years. And there gets to a point, like obviously he needed to work on his fundamentals and everything as a project.

But there gets to a point where you're just not playing at all. And then he gets thrust into it. We saw last year it took him a little while. Then he gets injured this year. So maybe by the second half of the season, they can rein him in. I think their offense is like an unnamed. I mean, the Packers fans know them, but just, you know, people that play fantasy, but they don't have like superstar name recognition yet.

Some of these guys might turn into that. By the end of the year, they might just be the same as the Lions, just in terms of their firepower. And it's actually kind of different because of his deep ball ability. I mean, that guy at any moment can fling it 50, 60 yards. Absolutely. Listen, I, you think they're ready to win a Super Bowl. I think they're here away. I really do think.

I'm not saying they're ready. I just think if they come in, they do have the pieces if their defense is good, he plays well. Because if he's playing well, they could beat any team. Do you agree with that? Oh, absolutely. No, I mean, I think they're the best team that I don't think will win the Super Bowl. Because I would, I think I would take them over Minnesota.

I don't know if I would. Listen, right now. The thing is, both those two teams have to play on the road probably, right? Minnesota, Green Bay, if they don't win, if Detroit wins a division, you're talking. To your point, Green Bay on the road, if they get a domed environment, it's perfect. Yeah. Doesn't hurt them at all. all and they're comfortable playing their divisional opponent.

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growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, I Heart Radio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. Okay, so I want to talk Georgia, Texas. So Georgia beat Texas 30 to 15. Again, Georgia couldn't do anything offensively,

and they beat Texas. So my big takeaway on this was Carson Beck is no longer a first round quarterback. Like, it's just not. You just can't draft him. Is he a second-day quarterback? I wrote down here, So he was 23 of 41.

This is with Georgia talent. No touchdown three picks. I wrote down top of third round. I mean, when I watched him, I'm like, he feels like a third round pick. Georgia actually was decent on third down, but they only had 14 first downs, go to Austin and double the longhorns. But Quinn Ewers, now, Texas couldn't run the ball at all. And they almost felt, I will say this, Georgia has been in so many of these big games over the last six years. Georgia was totally ready for the moment.

Texas has been in about three of these. Two or three was Sark. I don't think they were ready. They were atrocious on third down. They couldn't run the football. Quinn Ewers, I thought, I still think because of his arm he'll get drafted somewhere in the first round. Somebody will think they can solve him. But I kind of, I mean, Texas average, with the best offensive line,

college football. Three point four yards of play. When I watched that game, and by the way, outside, I mean, Oregon had two bad games and won. Ohio State lost, but I didn't think played poorly. Bama's had a stinker. George's had a stinker. Texas has had a stinker. This is why I have a 12 game playoff. This is, I mean, I think Ohio State to me is the most consistently good team, whereas Oregon got Ohio State at home. You ought to be careful. They look terrible against Boise State and terrible against Idaho. I kind of look at this Texas game and I think, this is just one of those games that George's been in.

I mean, it's just they've been in this game six years, probably three games a year like this. I thought it was a personality game. And I've been critical over when it comes to Sark over the years. But I've slowly come around. He's clearly an excellent play caller. I saw him live. He's brilliant at that.

I, it's clear how hard he recruits and how much passion he puts inside this program. But at the end of the day, he's a quarterback, right? That's who he is at his core. And Kirby Smart is Sabin's mentee. And he's a crazy-ass defensive guy. Like, at his core, he's a crazy defensive guy. I mean, we've seen it on the sideline, but he's a former safety. He's a tough guy.

And usually quarterbacks, like, they're just not super angry all the time. Sark's more intellectual. He's more offense. this was a game and Kirby said it after the game like we didn't come here to take pictures and do all the superstar BS. Well, what happened in that game? It was all about the line of scrimmage. Or Texas actually has, you know, supposedly a bunch of NFL guys. They had seven sacks and it felt like they had 25 pressures.

And that, can you imagine how on edge Kirby was all week with just the defensive side of the ball? And the way you can't, to me, you can't manipulate that stuff. been in these buildings, like the head coach's personnel, it is what it is. You either have the crazy, listen, Andy's not like, you know, coming with an iron fist on everybody, but he does create toughness with the way he practices. Sark, the offensive guys historically, you know, Lincoln Lane, they're just not, not doing Oklahoma drills. Like, at the moment's notice, the Sabin types, the Kirby types, will just blow a whistle, maybe not as much anymore, but that personality of a practice. You can't fake that stuff. And you could

tell from the jump, you're like, Georgia is out for blood. Yeah. This is a team. All they've heard about is everyone put in Texas who's new to the SEC, and they run it now. And Kirby looks around and goes, that is not happening on my watch. And they came, they destroyed them up front. I mean, that Walker kid, I mean, he had three sacks. He was all over the backfield. But to have seven sacks, and even Arch came in, you could tell, I was, listen, I had money on Georgia, but I then started feeling. that I was rooting for Arch and right away, I'm like, yeah, he looks a little overwhelmed.

Yeah, this is a lot. And Quinn Ewers just isn't good enough. Like, to me, Carson Beck is a third day pick. And I don't, you know, part of a quarterback is the character and stuff. I know nothing about that, but just as a player. Yeah. I just don't think he's that good. Same.

But Kirby Smart would go, I've won national championships with third day picks before. You ever heard of Stets of Bennett? I went back to backs with that guy. Yeah. So I, I'm at Sabins and him are comfortable playing with that. Or if you look at Sark, what do they have invested in their quarterback room? between the two guys. You were in Arch, $5 million?

Yeah. You know, I mean, whatever they're paying Carson Beck, Kirby's like, yeah, that's probably too much. Because he wants to run the ball and play defense. Yeah, I did think, though, because of the 12-team playoff, it was the way Texas- Mark's-Starks team's good. I don't think Texas sucks by any means. Like, I just think that was an overwhelming performance.

George's probably beating everybody in the country. And I think it's how Texas had to lose to win a national championship. because this Texas team is so pretty and so talented quarterback and so big, they win the hotel lobby. I mean, you come out at midfield, you're like, these guys don't look like a college team. I saw it live two weeks ago. They look remarkable at every position.

Yeah. And it's like, oh, no. Now, last year before the 12-team playoff, you don't want to lose like this in college football. I mean, that'll take you from one to four, and all of a sudden you get to an overtime game against, you know, some other team, and it's, But that's how the new college football, John, with a 12-team playoff, if you want to win a natty,

you need to get your butt handed to you once a year. And because these two teams, there's a better than 50% chance. They'll play again. The final four, the final, right? Right. So it's like to me, as I watched it, I thought, okay, if Texas outplayed them and lost, it would be hard to go back and say, hey, guys, you've got to play a perfect game. Texas was humiliated at home.

And I mean, I'm writing down these numbers. They were two for 15 on third down. They had 29 rushing yards. They got their butt handed to do them at home. And my take was in a weird way. We've talked about March Madness before. These Kansas teams, you know, you'll play a really good team out of conference. And it's like, no, it's okay to get your butt handed to you in December.

Because in March, you can put the tape back into your team and say, remember this team that knocked you out? But the one thing in March Madness, that's a good example. What's his name, Bennett, just retired in Virginia. And he had that historic loss in the first round. And obviously, like any great coach, if you go to tournament enough, you're going to have some awful losses. Because only one game and anything can happen. Yeah.

Well, my take is really on both these two teams. And to me, if Georgia's defense plays like that, they would be hard for anyone to beat because up front, they just smother you. But both quarterbacks, if you're playing another good team, could lose to anybody. Because yours, when he's bad, he just felt awful. Like it felt like unplayable. I mean, everyone was thinking it on their couch. Like, Sark, you got to go to the bullpen.

It was that clear to him, which could not have been an easy thing to do. Now, granted, it's a unique situation with Archie's not like your typical high recruit because it goes right back to yours. But he had no choice. Like, he was playing a losing football game. Carson Beck kind of was too. Yeah. So in these big games against other good teams, like, you could lose it. Will Howard, actually, I thought watching that game against Oregon, you know, we'll see how he could.

Yeah, I thought so too. But like, what if he has a bad game? Like all these teams will see Dylan Gabriel, who probably has the best statistics of all these guys. But like you don't have the faith like a Joe Burrow, right, or one of those level guys that like, no matter what he's going to make a play. At any moment in the final eight, the final four, these guys could have a bad game and it could cost their team. I'm not confident in any of these teams. Like, I think they're all going to be there. It's pretty clear who's going to be the last six, seven teams standing right now, right?

Who the best teams are? Oregon, obviously Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, like, and then a couple more. We could nitpick from like five or six. Tennessee, maybe, yeah. Their quarterbacks, even Tennessee, like their quarterback at any moment can throw the game. Like all these guys. Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, that is not the version of guy. Shador, I would have the most confidence, but they blew that Kansas State game.

They're probably not going to get in. And their team wouldn't be good enough. Like they'd have no chance to block Tennessee or Georgia. But like, if you put Shador, like the way he's playing on one of these teams, I would have a lot more confidence. I can't just with a straight face pick George to win the Natty. I don't trust the quarterback. Quinn Ewer is like, I don't think he's that good.

Yeah. Right? Well, Howard, we'll find out as the season goes on. Aller made some great plays against USC, but he's got to do it against Penn, you know, he's got to do it more than one time. He's only done it one time in his career. So I think that's the biggest question mark,

you know, with all the top teams in college football is like their quarterback. Do they get overwhelmed in a game, throw three or four? Both those quarterbacks could have thrown like five picks each. I mean, their balls were bouncing off the other, the other color jersey, countless times. They looked overwhelmed. They really did. Even Carson Beck, who was just, I had someone text me that he's like, I don't remember a guy. Because there was a lot of media hype, but there was a lot of NFL hype.

Yes. He was a first round. I don't remember a guy losing millions this fast. I mean, we're not even to Halloween. And everyone's like, oh, can't draft this guy high. So I want to talk USC, even though they are a losing team. they're now three and four. Because here's what is remarkable.

And I think it's worth six or seven minutes with us because, you know, people know I follow them. So Billy Edwards for Maryland is not a great college quarterback. They were two for 13 on third down. They had 56 yards rushing. And Maryland beat USC. And USC has led every game, most of them late because they are so egregiously bad on the offensive line and so young, they can't like, they can't put together like a 12

play dry to seal wins. They had Penn State beat. They had Maryland beat. They had Minnesota, they never felt like they were in control. But it's interesting about this is that I was talking to somebody very close to USC. And he said, listen, he's got a Jimbo Fisher deal. USC's not writing $70 million checks. And they're not getting rid of him. But there's been this feeling since he's been there in the administration that he has a lot more control over USC than USC has over him. In fact, they're building this big facility now, $300 million because it's in its contract. And if they don't build it, he can leave. But it is interesting.

I actually think they have some really, really good line talent. They're just all redshirting and they're young. But what's happening with USC's fascinating. They're not recruiting California. If you go look at the rivals, take rivals, for instance, or on three, these recruiting sites. And you go to the top 40 players in Southern California in this class, they're getting like three guys. like Bama, Oregon, Bama, Ohio State, Oregon, A&M, A&M, Louisville, Alabama. And there is something about college football. It's very territorial, John. You can lose. But if you're not in Ohio

state, you just have to take a three-star linebacker occasionally because he's an Ohio kid. You just have to do it. You got to take the tight end. He's a three-star. He's from a big high school program locally. There may be a three-star Florida kid, but you're going to have to to do certain things. Ohio is proud of Ohio. L.A. is very transient. Doesn't really care about that. But I'm hearing it now from two and three different people,

like he's just not connecting with L.A. coaches. And it's like, can you imagine Kirby Smart doing most of his recruiting in Texas? Like, there is something about Lincoln. There's this sense that he's aloof. He's not necessarily relatable. He can be off-putting. he, you know, he just, it's not just the losing. Once you start losing, people put a microscope on your program.

Now you have losing. He's not really going, he doesn't wow boosters, right? Like that was the undoing for Chip Kelly. You're not winning and you don't take care of the donors and boosters. Do you think today, if USC could just go, we're starting over, would they? Well, I think they'd both want a divorce. Like, to me, Lincoln Fields has always felt, and I've said this to you from the beginning, regions and where you're from matters in college football.

It does not matter in the pros. And in college football, it just does because recruiting your region, especially when it's in Southern California, when a ton of good players come from, matters. Well, who could relate? Pete Carroll. Why? He's a California guy. Right?

I mean, you look at the best coaches over the last, I don't know, several decades on the West Coast. Tedford, where's he from, California? Chris Peterson, where'd he coach? Boise State, Washington, where'd he grow up? California went to UC Davis. Mike Bellotti, where was he from? West Coast.

Chip Kelly, there are outliers. Urban went to the south. Chip Kelly, who's the northeast, came to Oregon. But I think Kirby Smart, like, why does he work in the SEC? I wonder. Nick Saban, West Virginia, to me pretty similar. Had a lot of success. You see it right now with DeBore.

He's going to get a lot of heat. He's not one of theirs. and I think the USC thing, Colin, they're one and four in the Big Ten. To be the Penn State thing, that's an awful, tough loss to take, but it's still Penn State, they're really good. When you start losing the Minnesota and Maryland, especially the way, the stat, I was going to read it to you, like you said, they've held a lead in every game they've played this year. And over the last 20 years, 200 teams have had a fourth quarter lead in all of their first seven games. only one other team during that span has had a losing record.

So they're like a statistical anomaly to lose all these games. Yesterday was insane. I mean, they're up 28 to 14 in the fourth quarter. I mean, how does that? It's just, and this gets back to like, Sark has way better talent, but you can't fake being a tough guy in football when you're not. Like Dan Campbell's a tough guy. The Harbaugh's a tough guys.

Vrabel. Tomlin's a tough guy. Vrabble's a tough guy. Belichick could manipulate it like through mind games and the type guys he surrounded himself with. I'm not saying he's going to win a fist fight, but you'd also say Belichick's pretty mentally tough, right? I mean, he's not easy to break.

And I just think I look at Lincoln and I go, I just don't see a tough guy. And they've gotten into these spots, especially on the road. These are not, you're not going to Oregon State, right, or Arizona State where it's an easy flight. These are a long, how long is the flight to Maryland? Is that a five-hour flight? Yeah.

Right? You go into Minnesota, that's probably four and a half hours. These are tough travels, and they just mentally crumble. And I never thought, one, I thought he was really good coach, so I understood why they wanted him. LSU wanted him to. They gave him $120 million. I still think he's a very clever schemer and play designer. But it's just like they need a defensive coordinator.

And it's not like he has this long list of guys because the Leach guys, think of his, the tree that he comes from. It's kind of, it's not a tree that produces many, like, tough physical football teams. That's not like his ethos is a football guy. right the Mike leach the way he wants to play he'd ideally like to win 45 to 38 that's i mean that's how he had a lot of success in oklahoma with the baker teams they were scoring a ton of points but con their their schedule's not crazy hard but you go like seven and five seven and five this is year three they have didn't him they have two they have two playable offensive tackles in the program him and brian kelly got hired the same year right year three

And we talked about this when they got in a little scuffle about him wanting to cancel the game. He ended up beating them. But what has transpired since? You watch Brian Kelly's team, like, are Zellos you going to the playoffs? Probably. I mean, they might check their schedule. And they're getting better and better. And they're both playing Nussmeyer and Miller Moss.

It's not like you've got Jaden Daniels and Caleb Williams anymore. And I don't know, man. I think you go back. Let's just look at those two guys. Brian Kelly has a long resume. You could put him anywhere and he'll figure it out. Lincoln did inherit Oklahoma, which at the time was humming. I mean, they were a lot like Chip Kelly in Oregon.

It wasn't top two every year, but they were top 18, 15 every year. You just had to take that next step. That's an easier thing to do than just, hey, here's a shit sandwich, Nick Sabin, what Brian Kelly, get me just 11 wins every year. That's really difficult. And only what Urban can do, there's a short list of guys that can do that. Even though if Lincoln's a really good coach, I just think he fits more. I don't know, like some big 12 team.

I just think that's the way he wants to play. This Big Ten has been very, very difficult on him. And it's way harder travel. They're traveling like NFL teams. Yeah. This is conference play. You're flying four hours, five hours. That never happened in the history of these programs.

Also, he's getting, it's late October. He's getting weather breaks. Minnesota was warm, little windy. Maryland weather was good. There's going to be years where it's snow. Like when you go to the, they have one. playable running back, like in a big spot, a guy you would trust with the ball. They have two playable offensive tackles.

We're three years in. Their NIL is 13 million a year. Now, it's not Oregon or Georgia or Texas, but it's in the Ohio state realm. It's about 13. I was telling somebody this weekend who's really close. I said, there's three or four positions you buy in the NIL. Quarterback, left tackle, edge rusher. You'll find receivers.

I mean, they have an okay quarterback, left tackle they're playing a freshman. They don't have an elite edge rusher. It's like, Lincoln, don't buy corners. You know, that's, that's, this is L.A. People run. You can get backs, corners, receiver. You can get those guys. You don't pay tight ends in the transfer portal.

You don't pay guards in the transfer portal. You know, they have an offensive and a defensive lineman from Wyoming and both start. It's like, what are we doing here? I know times are a lot different than, you know, the hey day of P. Carroll, but when I close my eyes and I think of those rosters and when I got to college and they started really taken off, the base of the squad, and this is what you opened up saying, was all Southern California, L.A. and San Diego, they're best players. And then, because he was such a great recruiter, he'd go get a Joe McKnight from Louisiana, this guy from New Jersey. He'd nitpick. And I get the recruiting worlds changed. But to me, how do they build the moment? in recruiting if he's not Mr. Pazaz. So that's not his thing. Their team's not as good. Oregon, Ohio State, I mean, Alabama and Oklahoma and these other programs for years have

been coming into Southern California as USC has kind of been in the middle ground. You see the numbers that Clay Hilton through his first 34 games and Lincoln Riley? He has a better record. I just think this thing is headed toward now. There's so much money in the line. I don't know why if Lincoln, like, why you would just give a divorce, but he's got to be kind of miserable. This can't be a natural fit living on the beach. He does not

feel like that guy. Pete did. I think Lane would have no problem doing it again. Like it's yeah, this is not, it does not feel when you look at Lincoln Riley, the comfortability in the colors and the clothes. And it's obviously not working because

one in four in the Big Ten. It's one thing if you had lost to Ohio State, Penn State. I mean, they are losing to awful teams. Like Maryland should never have won that game, ever. don't have just how many players. I mean, do you think that there's a divorce imminent here? No, no.

I think they have, he'll, I think Jen Cohen, the AD is going to, she's going to stay with him. But it gives her a lot of leverage. I'm not saying they fire him, but I'm saying, do you think Lincoln's happy? Like, do you think this is like, this isn't working? So is this one of these things that does he want to do this? Yeah, I think they're losing close and the team is so young offensively. I think he can rationalize the losses and say we bring everybody back except a running back and a center. And I do think they'll be better next year.

I just think I can assure you, Jen Cohn and the administration and the boosters, they didn't think they were winning a Natty. But they, this has been. Didn't think they were going seven and five either. Five and seven. Just keep your fingers crossed. John Middlekoff, former NFL Scout, three and out to his podcast. anybody. See you, Callan. The volume. Let's talk about something really, really important. If you're ever injured,

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