The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Middlekauff - Pat Mahomes MNF Magic; Earl Thomas/Seahawks bad blood; Josh Rosen's debut

Episode Date: October 2, 2018

Subscribe here to the 3 and Out with John Middlekauff Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/3-and-out-with-john-middlekauff/id1352730623?mt=2. 3 and Out with John Middlekauff is part of the Colin Cowherd Podcast Network. 3 and Out is an unfiltered podcast covering the biggest stories in the NFL and college football. John brings his unique perspective as a former NFL scout, NFL analyst and radio host. In this week's episode John looks at Patrick Mahomes huge MNF win over the Broncos, Earl Thomas' injury and bad blood with Seattle, Josh Rosen's NFL debut, and the past weekend's biggest college games. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

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What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season, and I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. you just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Markeep coming to, he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's going on, everybody?

John Middle Cop Three and Out podcast. Brought to you by the Colin Coward Podcast Network. Monday night. Just finish watching the Monday night football game. What an incredible game. I mean, that's really what we sign up for. That's why I do this podcast. It's why I got into football.

That's why I like watching sports. That game. I mean, that was fantastic. We'll get into that. Definitely got to dive into Patrick Mahomes. Some thoughts on Earl Thomas. We've talked a lot about Levi-on-Bell. Earl Thomas broke his leg.

I'll dive into that and flipped off his sideline. Josh Rosen made a starting debut. I watched that game this morning, and I have some thoughts on Josh Rosen. Then I'm going to dive in a little bit on college football. Also get into Middlecoff mailbag like we've been doing now. The Middlecoff mailbag is strictly through Instagram. So if you want to ask a question for the Middlecoff mailbag, hit me up in my DMs on Instagram at John Middlecoff. And I'll answer your questions.

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Like that was, I can't ask for anything more. I know the last several years, people bitched and moaned about the Monday night football games, especially ESPN has been mad. The NFL has been giving them bad games. To me, Broncos Chiefs, especially at mile high, that feels like my youth. I mean, that was a go-to-90s football game. That game just feels right. That was fantastic.

There's nothing like a night game in either Kansas City or Denver, the AFC West, that matchup is just awesome, just absolutely awesome. But the story of the game, and let's call it what it is, the story of the league right now is Patrick Mahomes. And we talked about him last week. He was kind of just taking over the league, taking it by storm. I thought he was going to have a little bit of a regression eventually. And when I say regression, I just mean a bad game.

Why? Because eventually, like when you make a little bit of a little bit. it to the big leagues and once they find out you can hit the fastball, what do they do? They throw you a curve ball. It's no different in football. Once they find out, well, this makes, he's comfortable doing this, this, this, and this. Let's see if he can handle this. Usually what that is are blitzes. They send people at you. They make you make a quick decision. Well, what happened tonight? The Broncos have a fast defense. They pressured Mahomes. It threw him off as it should. You know, he's young. This is really his first really, really tough road game. I know he played at Pittsburgh, but that was a day game.

It was really a morning game. I think it was kickoff at 1 o'clock their time, 10 o'clock my time. But they got up so fast, the crowd never really got into it. This was a different animal. They were behind from the jump. Mahomes was just off and they were bringing heat. But what did he do? Just like what you want to see all young hitters doing Major League Baseball. Can you adjust to the breaking ball at the plate? What did Patrick Mahon? homes do. He adjusted. Now, he adjusted by getting outside of the pocket. And you know who then did not adjust to his adjustment? The Broncos, they kept rushing up field. He is clearly, and I think he's far of comparisons. A lot of people think they're crazy. Listen, I get it. I never like comparing a player

to like an all-time great player, especially when he's in his third, fourth start or his first season in any sport. Just because it's unfair to the young player, no matter how much promise he has. but the man on the moon can see that this kid's doing things that other guys can't. They just cannot do this. Like what he's doing is just jumps off the television screen. And I think, and again, I say this all the time, in a day and age where we want to quantify everything, it's just black and white. You're either in the red or the black. You know, you're either a good player or not based on your stats.

There are things Patrick Mahomes can do that you cannot quantify. Like that pass that he made to Tyreek Hill with his left hand, there is an, and I'm a big believer in this in any walk of life, in any profession. There is an instinct to every profession. And in sports, it's different probably than some jobs because you can see there's a tangible instinct. But there's no difference than being in like a meeting room

and pitching something and knowing when to talk and knowing when not to talk, knowing when to interrupt someone or knowing when not to. to interrupt someone. If you're in a relationship and you're married or you have kids, there's an instinct of knowing when to say something to your child and when to kind of let him, you know, go through rough times or get mad at him or say something to your wife or know that like, yeah, it's probably not a good time to bugger about the food's not that good tonight for dinner. You know, it's no different than like, you just watch players. Some players are robots.

Some players are just natural. They have a special feel for whatever sports. they play. I live in the Bay Area. I've watched every game Steph Curry's played for like the last six years. There is a special instinctive element to his game that the box score cannot quantify. That was to me what really made Brett Farve so special as a player. He's arguably to me the most instinctive player of all time. And there is a special instinct to Pat Mahomes that is just, I don't know, you know when you see it. And there's also something special. Someone tweeted at me tonight. Like Kyle Shanahan, like why didn't Kyle like this guy? He claimed that C.J. Bethard was the best quarterback in the draft. When they drafted C.J. Bethard two years ago in the third round, they obviously took

Solomon Thomas number three overall. And Patrick Mahomes, you know, fell to, I think, what, pick 12. And I would imagine most quarterback coaches in the NFL and a lot of coordinators weren't that high on Patrick Mahomes because there is an element to his game that he plays outside of the you know of the parameters of what a coach wants well what does Andy Reid have experience on that a handful of guys in the NFL do he coached Brett Farv in his prime he did that he saw that so when he saw Patrick Mahomes coming out he could lean back on an evaluation being around a player that 99% of coaches in the league couldn't remember because it was so long ago,

slash, they never were around Farrf. So if you didn't coach Fav, it'd be hard to really quite understand how good he was and how impactful, you know, playing outside the elements of a play call is. And I think Andy appreciates that. Now, Andy also appreciated Alex Smith. He loved Alex Smith.

I think he learned. He had gone from Brett Fav, To Donovan McNabb, there were much more just pure athletes make plays than what Alex Smith became. Even Mike Vic, remember, like he was more of a freewheeler play outside the actual what the offense is asking you to do. And he doesn't mind. He's very open-minded to that stuff. A lot of coaches don't like that. They want you to play within the confines of the offense.

And that's how they look when they evaluate players. Look at the guys Kyle Shanahan likes. He had a lot of success with Matt Schaubb when he was the O.C. and quarterback coach with the Texans in the late, you know, in like 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 when they were making all those records running the ball and Matt Schaub was playing really well. Then he went to Washington and who did they have trouble and they butted heads with, RG3. Because RG3, you know, he turned out to not be very good, but his best attributes are not within an offense. They're just kind of letting him freewheel it and make play. And then who did he fall in love with moving forward? Kirk Cousins.

Why? Because Kirk Cousins is colors within lines. Obviously, so does Matt Ryan. So does, I think that's why Jimmy Garoppolo was driving Kyle a little nuts. Andy doesn't mind. He likes it. And he's letting him flourish in that environment. And it's a, sometimes there's also an element that we talk so much about when players

bust or they don't live up to potential. When you go into a draft, like when you look into a draft, like when you, leave college, for the most part, you start applying to jobs, you interview to jobs, and then if you do have a couple options, you end up picking a job. But in sports, especially pro sports, the job picks you. You are drafted. It's not in your control. So think how many quarterbacks in the history of the NFL went to places they didn't want to go to, maybe a coach that they didn't like, or maybe a coach that didn't quite understand their talents. This is the ultimate combination.

So while Mahomes is special and there's an instinctive element, there's also a huge, it's not an element of luck because Andy wanted this guy, but for Mahomes, there's an element of luck that that's the guy that wanted him. I think how lucky he is that he ended up with Andy Reed and not with a defensive head coach, not in an offense that doesn't want him to play like this. It's just the perfect match, and I can't wait to watch the Kansas City Chiefs every week they play. Let's get into Earl Thomas, because.

Because it's been a talking point all season long. He held out all training camp. Once the season got here, he showed up the week of the season. Recently the last couple weeks, he has missed practice because he just refuses to practice. They called it a sit-in. I don't know what he does. Stays in the locker room, whatever. He does not practice.

But he plays in the game. And why does he play in the game? Because he's under contract. and he's not just under any contract. He's under a contract that pays him about $9 million. So every game he's getting, you do the math, 16 divide. I think the way it played out, you can amortize the signing bonus over the life of the deal, which he's in year four of.

But, you know, according to SpotTrack, the website that kind of does the best job of breaking down all the contracts. You know, his true cash is $8.5 million this year. Well, he's not the highest paid safety in the league. He's still making a lot. You know, 7, 800 grand a game or whatever. He ain't passing up the check. So yesterday, as he breaks his leg in the game against Arizona, which sucks, which is terrible, and the Twitter freaks out and goes, this is exactly why Levion Bell holds out.

And I started thinking, first off, they're very, very separate. Levy on Bell is technically fighting for or attempting to hold out and create leverage or however you want to, you know, verbalize it. He's officially holding out, but he's really trying to take a stand against the man because he wants a long-term contract. He's never got one. He's played on his rookie contract. Earl Thomas is on a long-term contract. He was a first-round pick, and then they broke him off once he became an all-timer and paid him a boatloader. and paid him a boatload of money.

What I struggle with, and the NFL is a sport, unlike basketball and baseball, that are saddled with contracts of guys over 30 that note that the team would get rid of in a heartbeat, the fan base can't stand and is stuck with them. The NFL never is. Because even a guy like Earl Thomas, his contract eventually runs out

or the way the cap set up, you can get out of it, and you don't have to pay him any money. At the end of this season, he was set to be a free agent, and he was really mad. He wanted a contract extension, which I get. You know, he's earned it. But how many defensive players in the last 20 years

does any team feel comfortable with giving a third contract too? The Seattle Seahawks were not getting free labor out of Earl Thomas. They were not screwing Earl Thomas. They were paying a premium. for his services. I would get him being really mad if he was making $2 million. He was making $8.5 million. They were paying him a lot of money for him to play on Sundays.

And guess what? He realized that. Why? Because he played on Sundays. He didn't miss a game. Now he broke his leg. That sucks. And it's terrible.

But, you know, it's football. Guys get hurt. So when he was smiling ear to ear four years ago, when he signed the massive deal, and Pete Carroll and John Schneider are next to him and he's getting this $25 million signing bonus, happy as hell. What I don't understand about social media

and the people that think the players are always getting screwed because I think we've jumped the shark on the players getting screwed. Weren't the Seattle Seahawks just validated that they did the right thing? Imagine if they would have paid him at the beginning of the season and he just would have broke his leg. Would they feel good about that? They'd have been like, God, we knew we shouldn't have. third contract, he's already broken his leg before, we shouldn't have done it.

If anything, were they kind of validated that they were correct in not extending him? Now, I would say this, and I've crushed them before on this show. Very, very, very poor job of mismanagement of the player. Bill Belichick never would have found himself in this situation. He would have traded him this offseason. Now, if you've got to bite the bullet and take a quote-unquote sunken cost and not get as much you think back, sometimes you've got to do it. but you got to get an asset for them.

Now they're going to get nothing. But to think that Earl Thomas got completely screwed in this whole deal is just false. It's just wrong. He was being paid a lot of money to play, and he knew it and he played. The Seattle Seahawks were not getting over on him. They were paying him a lot of money. Why? Because they once upon a time extended him, and he couldn't assign that contract any faster.

So once you do that, and I hear this all the time, well, they can cut him, no ramifications. But they didn't. But they did not. They kept him. And they paid him. I think we get that a lot. But they can cut him whatever. But did they?

We say that about players all the time that do not get cut, that are being paid to play. Like Levion's like, oh, you don't care about me. Well, we care about you enough to give you $14.5 million. dollars. Earl Thomas has made, I think, I checked it yesterday, like over $55 million in his career. So yeah he lost a little money and listen, a broken

legs a lot better in a torn ACL or something. He should be able to come back and still get paid. But he made his next generation of kids who are taking care of. Like that contract has been signed. Should just the last year of any contract when a guy's good just not count and we always have to renegotiate?

No, it's part of the deal, man. It's part of the reason this league pays so much. You know what you signed up for. You signed the contract. I would have get if it would have been a poison pill contract. The first several years were paying them, you know, 10, 11 million dollars, and the last year was like $1 million. I've been like, yeah, Earl's getting screwed.

But he was getting $8.5 million this year. I'm sorry. He was not getting screwed. Was it a less than ideal situation? Sure. But Seattle was paying him to play. and playing he did because he didn't practice

he didn't show up for OTAs he was borderline insubordinate and listen full disclosure here I've been at a job I was a place I used to be at a radio station that was just a train wreck and I was borderline insubordinate

I mean I couldn't take the people I was working for seriously I get it I've been there and I had less leverage than Earl Thomas and made trust me way less money so I understand like taking a stand for what you believe in but if someone was paying me

me $8.5 million, you know, I'd probably shut up, be quiet, and just do it. And ultimately, he didn't really, I mean, he didn't go out to practice, but he showed up on game day for a reason. He's no dummy. He knew what he was doing. So I think at the end of the day, we got to start throwing, stop throwing pity parties for all these players. Because deep down fans, you don't want your team to sign these dumb contracts. You don't want your team to extend Earl Thomas and now he's hurt and now you're just, you know, if it was up to Earl Thomas, they would have gave him $50 million six months ago. Guaranteed, think how terrible that would look now.

It would be more, it's terrible business. This is a salary cap league. The Seattle Seahawks aren't the New York Yankees. They don't just have an unlimited budget. It wouldn't be good business to do that. Now, would it have been good business to trade them? Yes. Did they screw up there?

100%. But they didn't make a terrible financial investment. Because ultimately extending a, a defensive player to a third contract is just not smart. Can I tell you about my friends at LinkedIn? I'm sure a lot of you guys, business owners may work for a business and you're in charge of hiring

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That's LinkedIn.com slash John to get $50 off your first job post. LinkedIn.com slash John. Terms and conditions apply. Let's dive in really quick. I watched Josh Rosen. I wanted to spend some time because Josh was one of my favorite college prospects in recent memory,

and I just dove into his game. He played the Seattle Seahawks that let's face it are not very good, nowhere near what they were several years ago. But it was his first career start. And if you just look at the box score, again, you know, the box score scouts would be like, yeah, he wasn't very good.

15 to 27, 180 yards, and a touchdown. But watching the game, a little humble brag, you know, at the gym, threw it on my iPad, and, you know, on the elliptical, actually it was a treadmill. And I'm, you know, jogging along, you know, doing some sprints, just watching him. And he looks exactly like he did in college. The most pro-ready college quarterback to come out in recent memory. He throws an absolute gorgeous ball. When you watch Josh Rosen play football, the first thing you think is,

That guy was just born to do this. Like, that is how it's supposed to look. Now, I'm not saying he was like Joe Montana or John Elway or anything, or he's going to be that. But just when you watch a couple plays of Josh Rosen, and you watch him throw a deep ball, you watch him throw a deep post, you watch him just let the ball rip.

You go, damn, that's what it's supposed to look for. That is what I want it to look like. You know, sometimes you just, you go to a party. You meet a dude that just will never not shut up, life of the party, whatever. You're like, I bet that guy's in sales. You know, that guy's a sales guy. We all know it. You know, you go to different events or whatever and you meet a person.

You can, I mean, that guy's a salesman. Like, that guy's in sales. Like, sometimes you watch quarterbacking. I'm watching the Buffalo Bills play, and I'm going, I don't know if I see the instincts and the innate qualities to play quarterback in Josh Allen. and I know this. The Buffalo Bills at number seven picked Josh Allen,

who I didn't like coming out of college. I think on an earlier podcast this year here on three and out, I said, you know, actually he's looked pretty good in the preseason. Well, the regular season is a different animal. Now, his team's not very good, and I'm going to give him some time. He's a major project,

but he's just that a major project. Most major projects at quarterback never sniff living up to the hype. And Josh Allen's biggest problem is he's not just a natural, accurate passer. That is not his thing. Josh Rosen is extremely accurate. Now he can't move like Josh Allen. He's stuck in the pocket. But guess what? I'm watching games all Sunday. I didn't move off my couch for seven hours. Best quarterbacks in the league can't really move. You're like,

what Patrick Mahomes is doing is not normal. It's Philip Rivers. It's Tom Brady. Drew Breeze doesn't move. Matt Ryan doesn't move. Andy Dalton doesn't really move. Like, you're We pay you a lot of money if you're in management in the league to sit in the pocket and throw dives. Throw darts. Complete balls. Move the sticks. As Daniel Jeremiah's Twitter account would say. Move the sticks.

That's what you're supposed to do. And I'm watching Josh Rosen and they must have dropped. I don't have the official drop number in front of me, but it's got to be like six or seven. I mean, balls were hitting the ground. He's hitting dudes in the hand. Went damn. That's exactly what it's supposed to look like. That's what several years ago, like when they got Carson Palmer, a pocket quarterback who can just absolutely sling it.

The Cardinals are not good. They're probably going to be a 3 and 13 team. Maybe worse. I mean, they stink. But I'll say this. There is no better feeling than being a bad team when you have a young quarterback with the upside that is extremely high. And when you can throw the ball like Josh Rosen and when you're accurate like Josh Rosen, he is going to be really good. this league. I bet on him coming out. I bet on him even more now. He does have an injury history

that there are things like if he gets hurt, obviously that would scrub his growth. But if he stays healthy, he's going to be a good player in this league. If he stays healthy, he's going to be a better player in Josh Allen. I feel pretty confident on that. Because unlike Josh Allen, whose head coach is not an offensive guy, so there's going to be turnover, right? The offensive coordinator will leave or get fired if it's not working out. Josh Rosen doesn't necessarily need to be coached up on the mechanics of the dropback and how to become accurate. He already has those skills. Now, he needs stability.

He needs good play calling. I'm not saying he can operate devoid coaching, but he doesn't need the most fundamental attributes and, you know, teaching processes of the sport. He already has that. That's the package he came with. Now, if you can surround him with talent, build a good team, you are going to win with this guy. he is a good player and he was I mean he's one of my favorite

college prospects in recent memory and I look forward to watching him more because I think the Arizona Cardinals got something pretty special in their hands got a couple quick thoughts you know I spend all this time watching college football I may as well touch on some some of my thoughts

in terms of the playoffs what I saw last weekend my big takeaway from Saturday was I think Stanford's really good and Notre Dame really kind of put a stranglehold on them and kicked their ass in the second half. And to me, there's not really a take to be had about Notre Dame besides that they're really good.

That if they don't draw Bama, if they're able to run the table and they get to the playoffs in the first round, they can win a playoff game. Like to me, they could hang with a Clemson, they could hang with Ohio State, you know, they could hang with a Georgia, they could hang with an Oklahoma. Clearly, Bama's, you know, on a different level,

but this Notre Dame team, They really play defense, and they can really run the ball. And this new quarterback that Brian Kelly put in the game, you know, I guess it started as a starter. I guess it was two weeks ago. He's pretty good. This team looks just physically on a different level for the first time in a long time, and they look legit. I mean, you don't beat the crap out of Stanford like that. And let's face it, like Michigan, it turns out Michigan's okay.

Michigan's defense is dominant. Shea Patterson, tad bit overrated. I'm not the biggest Shea Patterson guy, but Michigan's a good team. I mean, at the end of the year, they're probably a 10-and-2 team. And Notre Dame kicked their ass. I know that the scoreboard said it was a one-possession game. Anyone that watched that game knows it wasn't. And clearly Stanford, they were on a completely different level.

To me, Notre Dame is a playoff team. Just from the eye test, the stat test, just watching them play, they are really, really good. You got to give credit to Ohio State. going into Penn State in that environment, a whiteout at night has got to be one of the hardest places to play in the country. They were down big in the second half. And when I say big, I mean a couple scores. For them to come back and win that game without their best player,

Joey Bose's brother, Nick at home, is really impressive. I don't care if James Franklin had a shitty play call at the end of the game, whatever. You win that game in that environment. You're the real deal. to me they're the second best team in the country even on it like you win a game on your bad night what do they always say like the thing about like ace starting pitchers

is of course like Kershaw and Bumgarder and those type guys Shurs are when they're on they're unhittable but what makes them great is when they don't have their A stuff they can still go seven and they still give up one run that's the reason they're 25 million 30 million dollars guys it's not because

when they have their A stuff going a lot most guys do what about when you have your B stuff going or C stuff going can you still get guys out. When you aren't playing your best game, can you still win? And Ohio State can. Because they didn't play very well, and they beat a team on the road that, I mean, it's so hard to win their hat-tipped

Ohio State. They're really good. I'm not a big Urban Meyer guy. I think he's a massive fraud. You know, I thought he was a fraud since he faked the heart attack at Florida. But he can really coach, and his team is stacked, and I would not want to play Ohio State. I think Ohio State, if Boas is healthy, and that's clearly a big if right

now, Joey's not, Nick's not, none of the Boza family's healthy. But if he's healthy, they have, they can win the nanny. Clemson's in trouble. You know, their quarterback, they're depending on this freshman quarterback, and I don't, I haven't read anything since he got knocked out of the game. Who knows if he's coming back, he'll be ready this week. But you do see, and that injuries happen, quarterbacks go down.

And that's the one thing that's scary about Alabama is like they're completely on a different level with Tua, but they've proven they can get to the national championship with Jalen Hearst. So it's like they got two dudes Clemson now Were they used to have two dudes Like Kelly Bryant got him to the playoffs last year Well he's gone

He transferred he bounced He's out And the moment that dude Went down in that game Against Syracuse People were like Oh my God Clemson screwed

Now they ended up overcoming it Great game in the second half Just great comeback Their defensive line took over As they should They got a ton of defensive You know Future pros

That they should dominate But they are very very dependent on this freshman quarterback. Like, they cannot even compete in the playoffs. They could get there because the ACC stinks. But if the backup had to play the rest of the season, they could win all the games because their roster's good enough.

But you could argue if there are like five undefeated teams, that you could leave them out. Because if Kelly, if Trevor Lawrence is not playing, the freshman quarterback, they have no business competing with the Ohio states, hell, the Notre Dame's, definitely the Alabama's, the Georgia's.

Like, they need Trevor. Lawrence. Now they got Trevor Lawrence, they can hang with anyone because they are stacked too. To me, them with Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State, and Alabama are just, are the cream of the crop. Now Alabama's the cream of the crop, like the top dog. But those other two, when they're playing well, watch out just because of the athletes. George is clearly really good. LSU's really good. Michigan, it's going to, I think at the end of the day, even if they do run the table up until that Ohio State game, I don't know if they're going to have it. offense. Jay Patterson is good enough to beat Ohio State, so it'll probably be the fourth

straight year that Harbaugh loses to Michigan. But right now it's clear. Bama, Clemson, as long as Trevor Lawrence can come back. If not, they're screwed. Notre Dame. I forgot Oklahoma's really good. I mean, it's college football year. It's fantastic. We have a ton of really good quarterbacks. I mean, look, Alabama's star quarterback. Oklahoma star quarterback. Clemson injured, but he's a star quarterback. Ohio State Haskins star quarterback. Notre Dame, just star program. This is great, man. You sign me up for these games.

You know, you get primetime Notre Dame, Stanford. You know, whenever LSU plays Alabama, you know, Oklahoma, Texas this weekend. I'm getting just chills even talking about it. Like, I love, there is nothing like a good college football game, especially a good college football game at night when the quarterback plays good and athletes are everywhere. This has been a fantastic college football season. Okay, let's get to my favorite part of the week, Middlecoff mailbag.

You want to ask questions. I still got a bunch. I got like 10. I'll bang out like four or five right now. I'll get to more on Friday. We're doing the podcast now, Tuesdays, Fridays. So slide up in my DMs on Instagram. At John Middlecoff.

Same thing as my Twitter handle. And just put Middlekopf mail bag and I'll answer the question. And if I haven't got to you yet, I'm working through them. I'll get to it. Okay. Alex, in New Orleans. Love the podcast. What's your assessment of Luck's shoulder through the first few weeks of the season?

Do you expect him to return to all pro form? Are we reading too much into Jacoby percent having to throw the Hail Mary? Full disclosure, I have not watched all of that overtime game where Lux stats were just stupid. I saw bits of the pieces of it through the Red Zone channel. I do know this. In the first couple weeks watching him play, and I watched him a decent amount in the first couple weeks, and I watched bits and pieces of that game too. he does not have the same zip on the ball

now he's never been like a mohomes Derek Carr you know type guy just to let it rip like that that's not really his game he's more of like a you know a better version of like Philip Rivers he's stronger arm but that that's kind of his game now he's more mobile when I just mean by the way he passes the ball very accurate

uh you know he just he just pick you apart Now, his huge separating factor, like, where he's not like, that's comps terrible, actually, because he can move way better. But you get what I'm saying. Like, he won throwing darts, lasers for completions. But they weren't like, he wasn't Andy Dalton, but he, my no means, was like Joe Flacco. This year, you can tell, it's just he doesn't have the same zip on the ball, which can be expected. I mean, he missed what, like 600 plus days of not throwing a football? he had the crazy snowboard accident where who knows would he fall down a black diamond and he hurt his

shoulder will he get back i saw a couple weeks ago steve young talk about i sure you know steve kind of saying like he was seeing the same thing and you hope he gets back but you never truly know and it's just one of those things that you never truly know but i do know this that you can function and this is probably where you get to the rivers like you can function at a really really high level when you're really smart you're really big like this that and you can play accurately and throw the ball accurately. Like if he has to turn into Phillip Rivers with some mobility where he just doesn't have a great arm, you can kick ass that way.

So I don't think he'll probably ever get his arm strength back because he had like his first couple years, just betting against, you know, the human body and the surgeries he had. But I do think that, you know, to me, the Jacoby Brissette thrown the Hail Mary a couple weeks ago is more just that that's a play where you have to go all out you know and why risk ripping his shoulder like to me that's just a smart play I don't read that much into it to me I read more into just watching and throw the ball and it's not quite the same but I love luck and I think he'll get it back eventually maybe not all the arm strength but just his ability okay question for the mailbag how would you rate the top five young quarterbacks in the league I think we've talked about it

before. It's just such a fluid situation. I mean, a couple years ago, Derek Carr was going to be the MVP. Last year, Carson Wentz was going to be the MVP. One had a broken leg. One had a torn ACL. Now Patrick Mahomes, the greatest thing since sliced bread. Last year, Deshawn Watson was tearing up the league. Now he sucks. You know, it's so hard. With young players, they fluctuate so much. Like every game, Drew Brees looks the same. For the most part, every game, Tom Brady, Aaron Rogers. you know, they play the same game. The hard part with young players are like the stock market.

They're up and they're down. They're down, they're up, they're down, they're up, they're up, they're down, up, up, they're up, they're up, up, you know, Derrick Carr was terrible in the game for the first half, good in the second half. Jimmy Garoppolo came into the year kind of up and down. I think there's just a group of guys. Mahomes, physical talent.

Obviously, Carson Wentz right there. I am still not giving up on Derrick Carr. Jared Goff right now is playing incredibly. Carson Wentz is still just a special, special talent. They got a bunch of guys banged up. A little down on Marriota, at least coming into this year, but he's just kind of finding a way. He is really mentally tough,

but his physical attributes aren't great. He's got to find a way to stay healthy. I think there's just an incredible crop of young players, and then I'm not even counting the Baker, Darnold, and Rosen looks pretty awesome. I'm not the biggest Josh Allen guy, but he's definitely a talented player. and I don't want to forget this guy

I mean there are so many young players Dak Prescott I hate watching the Cowboys I find them extremely boring and don't get me wrong I'm not like anti-cowboys I love the brand I know how good they are for the NFL and what I do for a business

you know I talk about football so I like the Cowboys being good but I gotta give Dak Prescott credit that final drive and I know it was the Lions it wasn't the 85 Bears on Sunday was really impressive I was watching it came up on the red zone he went bang bang boom game winner

I was like damn that was an impressive drive I can see why the Cowboys like Dak Press Cup because I was impressed. With Jimmy G. getting hurt, do you think the 49ers trade for a backup quarterback? With Tyrod, Bradford, and Foles being moved as the backup, same with Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Could you give a list of the best backup quarterbacks top five? I would say there is zero chance, 100% zero chance, unless CJ Bethard in the next couple of years has a bad injury that they trade for a backup quarterback. because now it's clear they can keep developing young guys, get a top pick, and then just come back next year with Jimmy. If you had to go best backup quarterbacks,

you'd have to put, to me, the way I view a backup quarterback, is not how they play if they have to start four or five games, because that's the reason they're the backup. Like Ryan Fitzpatrick cannot sustain it. But if he has to start a game or two, like if your quarterback rolls his ankle really bad and can't play a game, can you win that game with the backup? You can with Foles, you can with Fitzpatrick,

Bradford is just thrown up a white flag so I would say no on that. I think you saw with C.J. Bethard playing against the Chargers, he's not a bad backup. He's definitely not a starter, but he is by no means a bad backup. There just aren't many good backups in the NFL. You know, in a perfect world like Case Keenham is your backup.

Then when Case Keenum has to start a lot, he eventually gets exposed. And I know he played well last year, but just watch him on the Monday night game. Like, he's just a limited player. So I'd go Fitzpatrick Foles, definitely, probably one and two, because if you have to win a game, regular season or a playoff, do you even have a chance?

Chad Henney a couple years ago was playing, I guess it was Matt Moore, was the backup for the Miami Dolphins. Backups are hard because if they do have to play for an extended period of time, they're always going to look shitty. Like eventually Fitzpatrick was bound to look bad if he kept playing because he's not as good as James. But he can have a game or two, where he outplays James by a mile.

He can outplay all pro players, you know, on a given game. But that's just, they're just not easy to find. And sometimes you don't really know it until you see a guy play. So, yeah, I mean, I'd say there's probably not five good backups in the league. Hey, John, when the season started as you picked the Saints as your Dark Horse team to win the Super Bowl, why is their defense giving up so many points? Even though they added, obviously, Davenport in the first round,

is their defensive coordinator or do they just not jelling? You think after the successive last season they would be performing at the same level. I think they overachieved a little bit last year. I've never been the biggest Dennis Allen guy. I also think just in general, even when you do have good players on defense, the rules and the officiating are no longer on your side. You have to adapt. And I think as we transition, like as the season ends,

we're a long way from transitioning. But we talk college football in here. We talk the draft. I think you have to look at the draft a little bit differently. Like, would I take a corner in the top 10? Probably not. I'd be more likely if a corner and a wide receiver were even to take the wide receiver. Because the league is becoming so offensive.

It's like the Saints, yeah, their defense is struggling, but their offense is dominating. Why? Because their offense is dominant. Because there's nothing you can do to stop it. You can't hit the quarterback. You can't press the wide receivers. You can't hit the wide receivers across the middle. Drew has, they don't have to worry about running across the middle.

Drew doesn't really have to worry about getting hit that the rules have changed so dramatically that if your defense isn't the cream of the crop like a Jacksonville or Chicago, any given defense on any given week can just look terrible. The rules are just against you. You're behind the eight ball. So I think at the end of the day, the Saints offense, what they do well is so good, they're going to be right in the mix until the end. I would not give up on them by any means.

if Drew Brees stays healthy this year, I think they 100% can still compete in the NFC. Like if you told me, like, could the Saints go into L.A.? Let's just say the L.A. Feels pretty likely that they're going to have a strong, strong edge on the number one overall seed. I would, if that line was big, like the Saints were getting like six or seven points

on the road against the L.A. Rams, you know, in the second round of the playoffs after the Saints just won a wild card game, bet your ass John Middlough put a little cash on the Saints Okay, last one And then again Slide into my DMs Middlecoff mailbag

At John Middlecoff, Instagram And I still got a bunch I'll get to them later this week I've been a Titans fan Since they lost the Super Bowl to the Rams That was a really fun game I was the kid Then I'm almost 30 years old now

For a long time I told myself It was because Peyton Manning ruled the South But with Peyton removed for a few years now it seems like the entire division has been exposed for how bad it really is. Will the Titans ever become relevant in the NFL again in my lifetime? Well, one of the things to become relevant in the NFL usually need a star quarterback. And I'm with you, I'm about to be 34 years old this Saturday, actually. That when I think of the Titans, like in their heyday with Jeff Fisher, you think Steve McNair.

You know, Steve McNair and Eddie George. And you thought Marriota was going to become that guy and he just kind of hasn't grasped it. Now, right now they got that huge win this weekend. They're three and one. I went to their training camp, people that have been listening to this podcast for a while in the spring. I thought their roster was really solid. But Marriota, like, your quarterback has to play really well for you to win in 2018. And he's been very hit or miss.

Now, the one thing that he clearly showed on Sunday, and Vrable gave him a ton of credit in the postgame locker room was just like grittiness and toughness and the ability to make a play. He is a mentally tough SOB. He really is. And Harold Landry, the guy. they drafted in the second round has shown flashes of having potential to be a big-time speed rusher. Rashon Evans is going to be a good player.

Their defense is just tough-minded team. Derek Henry does not look very good to me. But if Corey Davis can make plays, if the other wide receivers can make plays, if their offensive line can protect Marriota, and their team just can find a way to win, because right now they're just finding a way to win, and you beat the Eagles at home in overtime, I don't care how it looks. That is a good win. You go three and one in a month

You're in really, really good shape You know, if you look at the NFL The season like four quarters Four four game quarters If you have two three and one months And two two two and two months You're in the playoffs Because you'll be ten and six

And they just had a three in one month So they can have their next month can be two and two Well you're five and three You're in great shape You're headed toward the playoffs Clearly division is down The Colts are They just don't have the talent

and Lux, he's not as dominant as he was when he was younger coming off the injury, so they're going to be a year away. The Texans, I mean, you start 0 and 3, you're just way behind the 8 ball. Now they still have a ton of talent that they can rattle off wins. And the Jaguars are tough, but the Titans beat them, you know? I mean, the Titans beat them. So you keep handling business inside your division. You get wins like taking care of the Eagles, the defending champs at home.

I think this would be a season, but when you say, relevant, Like be a power that the NFL network talks about that I consistently talk about. You need Marriota to be better. You need him to be just special. Like you thought he was going to be when you drafted him number two overall. And I love the guy. I talked to him when I was at the training camp. And he's the nice guy in the NFL.

You won't meet anyone that I've ever come in contact with that have been around him that has a negative thing to say about the guy. He's the type person you root for in the NFL. But from a player standpoint, he's just got to play better. he's got to be just more of a playmaker. Now, he doesn't have the physical attributes of Mahomes or Wence, but as you saw in that game Sunday, he can still do shit that other guys just can't

with his legs, keeping plays alive. He just has an instinct for playing the position. So if he can be really good and this team can somehow get to like 10 and 6 in the playoffs again, that'd be back-to-back playoff years. Like, yeah, then you become relevant. I look forward to watching Vrable, just a football guy.

And I think what's it saying, for the boys. It is exciting. I personally like watching the Titans. But for them to be relevant, it's going to be fall on Marriota shoes for sure. Appreciate everyone listening. Again, we're going two times a week.

Tuesday, Friday, moving forward all football season. We just got way too much going on. I got way too many takes on football to not get them out there. So thanks again, everyone listening, sharing this with your friends. You guys want to get in the Midloughoff mailbag. Slide up in the DMs at John Middlough on Instagram. And keep on pounding the pavement and listen to the podcast.

Three and out, John Middlecough, the Colin Coward Podcast Network. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. And every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines.

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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 acapella 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me.

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Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of the time. in my greatest playoff moments.

If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Markeep coming to him, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love.

This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.