The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Middlekauff: Rivers delivers; MVP race handicap; Dinosaur Mike Zimmer; Salary cap fake news; Kyler Murray MLB or NFL; Saquon already the #1 NFL RB

Episode Date: December 14, 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. Middlekauff looks at Philip Rivers huge TNF performance, handicaps the MVP race, explains why Vikings HC Mike Zimmer living in the past, why Kyler Murray should go to the NFL combine, why Saquon Barkley is already the best running back in the league, and answers listener questions from the Middlekauff Mailbag. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You know, I'd call it a classic. You know, I don't want the refs to take away my joy. So I wouldn't quite go classic, but it's way better than just a really good game. Somewhere in the middle of a really good game and a classic. The ending, the final drive was definitely a classic. Walt Anderson, I tweeted this, needs to be put out to pasture. He should not be allowed at 65, 66 years old. Wikipedia does not have an exact age to ever call an NFL game again.

but this is not going to be about the officials. The play on the field was too high level, so I'm not going to get caught up on that. But 29, 28, the game literally just ended, came right in my office, record this bad boy. What a game. A lot coming up today. Some thoughts, obviously, on this game.

The NFL and the ever-growing cap, Saquan Barclays just greatness, talking to some friends in the league. Kyler Murray situation is pretty interesting. And you know at the end, we always dive into the Middilkoff mailbag. You slide into my DMs at John Middlecough on Instagram, and I will answer your questions on the show. You just slide into my DMs. They're wide open on Instagram at John Middlecough, and I'll answer them.

But really quick, everyone knows about the risks about drunk driving. You could get in a crash. People could get hurt or killed, but that still doesn't stop everyone. You could get arrested, you could incur huge legal expenses, and you could possibly even lose your job. We all know the consequences of driving drunk, but one thing's for sure, you're wrong if you think it's no big deal. Drive sober or get pulled over, brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Administration. Wow. Where do I even begin? I think one of the most basic lessons we all learn, and it's hard to actually put this into reality, is it's not how you start, it's how you finish. and as you get older you realize that in any business you have just anything in life it's so true it's

one of the most basic things i think any parent you know teaches their kids son or daughter we all learn it in you sports but it's tough you know if you fail at something early and you believe in yourself you know it's easy to give up or you know ultimately just kind of have the loser mentality and I've always believed in this guy and I've never thought he was a loser necessarily but I did think that man he consistently makes boneheaded plays in big spots and luckily tonight and he said it after the game

and God he would make a I mean every time they win a game and they put a mic in front of Philip Rivers' face you just think Jason Whitten's lucky because if he retired right now, you better believe Monday night football would call him immediately. He's going to be a fantastic NFL analyst one day if he wants to do that. I know he wants to coach high school sports,

but those interceptions that he threw in the first half are just are unacceptable for a guy of his caliber, for a guy that, you know, is widely viewed by anyone with common sense by the entire NFL as just a stud, as one of the truly great quarterbacks, you know, the last 10 years. but his resume is lacking some things. His teams don't consistently go to the playoffs, and a lot of times it's because of his boneheaded mistakes in big games.

I won't put last year all on them, but in years past. Now, he's always battled, and this is difficult. If you work for someone and they are cheap, that can hinder your performance, because if you don't own a company, you know, if you're the quarterback of a team, you're not in full control of everything. It's not his fault that, you know,

Spanos has consistently gone cheap on coaches, but I'll give Anthony Lynn credit. He had the Stones, whether it was Rivers Call or not, to, you know, call the two-pointer at the end of the game. But Phillips' play in that fourth quarter was just, was just lights out. I mean, that throw he made down a touchdown on, what was it, fourth and 12 to Benjamin was just, was Hall of Fame level. I tweeted this out right after the game that, listen, You'd have to go back and look at every box score and every game of his 14-year career or whatever. But that has to be the biggest regular season win of his career.

And there really probably can't be a close second. To win this game on the road, down 14 points in the fourth quarter, Keenan Allen gets knocked out. Your starting running back gets knocked out. And it also shows you why you always draft best player available. Did they need Mike Williams? Probably not. could they have won this game with Mike Williams

no way in hell you know he was just fantastic but to me it starts and ends with Philip Rivers he just gets Molly Wopped play after play and again he he could have gone into the tank those first two turnovers I mean the first turnover on the first series was atrocious but the one in the end zone at the end of the half was even worse you can't have red zone

turnovers but I don't have the stats in front of me but his second half, I mean, man, he was just... He was locked and loaded. I mean, that's Montana, Brady, Aaron Rogers in his prime. It just doesn't get any better than that. Like, that's as good as it gets. Second half on the road in a freezing cold environment, without your star receiver, without your star running back,

with your offensive linemen, especially the guards just getting spun like a dreidel, and he never flinches. I mean, one of the truly... mentally tough and physically tough as OBs this league has ever seen and say what you want and again I'm watching this game

thinking God I don't really want to crush rivers but going into the halftime I'm like I mean he's going to end up with three picks and they're going to lose by a couple touchdowns it's going to be just an awful loss but again back to what I said it's not how you start it's how you finish and God he started

I mean his start was terrible but his finish was incredible and the one thing you have to give them and I was thinking this whether he got the two-pointer or not there can't be a player a quarterback over this last decade plus that you just respect more I think a lot of people in the league

and I think fans are catching on now Big Ben used to be this super tough guy and it's now like God he's just a drama queen well Rivers isn't he has a little Draymond green in him like he's always screaming at the referees but tonight I thought was a defining game of his career and I know the hyperbole and stuff gets thrown around a lot with players

but I think with this player Philip Rivers on the road against this team and he said after the game we have won 11 games in forever you know and they're they're gonna win next week they get Baltimore at home and then they go to Denver they actually don't control their own destiny the chiefs do but if the chiefs lose one of these last two games and they go to Seattle next week. The Chargers can still get the one seed. They could still get the one seed.

The Texans have four losses. The Patriots have four losses. The Chargers run the table, and the Chiefs lose one of these last two. They will get the one seed. I mean, just an incredible, I mean, incredible last, what's their, they've won 11 of the last 13 games because they lost game one to the Chiefs. And they kind of got their ass kicked. opening week in LA.

And I still consider them that San Diego Chargers. They'll always be San Diego to me. And man, I just, beside Walt Anderson, getting, throwing a flag, it felt like on every play, what a defining win for a guy that really needed it. And to me, his career is kind of defined on,

you know, this was a moment where he could have not just, not gone in the tank, but just, you know, another classic Rivers game. And even at the end, like, oh, he starts out, throws a couple picks. Then they come back, and it felt like, you know, he's going to end up a two feet short. They're not going to score a touchdown on that final drive.

Then they score the touchdown. You're like, oh, they got to go for it, and I loved going for it. Because in life, man, I'm so tired. And this is, these conservative coaches are a dying breed. They are dinosaurs. And whether that was Anthony Lynn, I know Rivers gave him credit. it looked like Rivers went right to two. Whether that was Rivers call,

Wizz and Hunt's call, I give them all credit because the momentum was on your side, let it keep rolling, don't play for overtime on the road in the craziest away environment where they got a tough quarterback, I mean, an elite young quarterback,

and you're just, you know, at the control of the coin flip, because if the coin flip doesn't go your way, there is no telling that they can go right down the field and score six points in the game end. So I loved Rivers second half. I mean, it's one of my favorite play calls in recent memory to go for two in that situation because a lot of old school guys would have one million percent kicked the field goal. I mean the PAT. And with the Chargers luck, it probably would have hit the upright. So just an incredible performance by

my man, Philip Rivers. I'll never forget my first year in the NFL. I was taking, I used to, my first year, Lewis Riddick would do the advanced reports, the advanced scattering reports, and on Monday night, I'd hand them out to every coach. You'd walk around the hallway and hand them out. He'd always kind of BS with some coaches that were in the office, some were cooler than others.

And I vividly remember we were playing the bills, and I was like, God, thank God we got the bills to, you know, one of our coaches. And he's like, hey John. they drive nice cars too. Like, they're pros too. Like, don't be saying that. And it just taught me, and we ended up losing that game.

But it just taught me, and I think sometimes as a fan, your expectations when you play bad teams, you just think you're always going to win. And you work in the league. It gave me a newfound respect for these dudes are pros, and you can lose any type game. I mean, on the highest level of any business, when guys are, I mean, the select few,

Even if, you know, the team is down. I mean, a one-win team, that one win, they're beating someone. So you always have to keep your head on a swivel, especially in the NFL. It's one thing in the NBA where gutless teams just literally quit. In baseball, they may just be pitching, you know, some dude late in August or September that deserves to be in AA. But in football, I mean, for the most part, you're going to get the team's best effort and you're playing a team of just of pros.

But when you look at the Chiefs, someone just tweeted at me and they brought up a good point. Like there's a chance if they lose one of these last two games, they end up 12 and 4. Is it one of the all-time letdown 12 and 4 teams we've ever seen? What's crazy is coming in tonight, the Chiefs were 11 and 2, and their two losses were on the road to L.A.

in that great Monday night game, 54 to 51, and the Patriots, I think they lost 41 to 44 or something. They lost by three points. They lost by a total of six points of those two teams. And then they lost by tonight, by one. They've lost three games, Patriots, Rams, and the Chargers, by a total of seven points. The margin for errors in the NFL, even for good teams, I mean, are just minuscule. They're tiny. And the Chiefs now have to win probably out to clinch the division and the one seed.

You know, in two weeks at Seattle is not going to be easy, especially with Seattle has a cupcake this week in San Francisco. Now, the Chiefs do have a longer recovery, but still, that is no easy game. I still lean Mahomes as the MVP. I've been saying all year long, I wouldn't mind a Mahomes breeze split. just give it to them both because I often look at the MVP when you think about the league on that year

who really jumps out like it's why I never had an issue with Steph Curry winning those two MVPs it's why I didn't even have an issue when Russell Westbrook averaged a triple double that year in the NBA I think the NBA does consistently pretty good job of it the NFL is a little more difficult

and it's kind of somewhat like the Heisman for the most part only quarterbacks get it. But like the one year when Adrian Peterson came back from the ACL and ran for 2,000 yards and carried Christian Pond to the playoffs, like he got it. When I think of this year, the first thing that comes to my head is Patrick Mahomes. But if Breeze wins out, like you can't dispute that.

And if I had a vote, I would give them both first place votes. But the one guy who's just had a fantastic season, coming in a night, he was 31 and 8. 31 touchdowns, eight picks. And I think, you know, if you just do the math, he's got 33 and 10 now. And if they were to get the one seed, I'd be hard pressed to not throw Philip Rivers in that mix.

But I think he saw it tonight, and Brett Beach once famously said, had the general manager of the Chiefs, it was a headline on Pro Football Talk. He's the best player I've ever seen. And that's Patrick Mahomes. Like, he's absolutely incredible. And regardless how this Chief's season finishes out,

whether they win out and they win the division, get the one seed, whether they lose out and are a wildcard team. Do you understand how bright the future is with this guy, how specially is? Like, he was making Kelvin Benjamin look good. Their defense is terrible. Like, there is no chance as time goes on. Their defense doesn't just improve. I mean, they can't get any worse.

So to me, the sky is the freaking limit with this guy. If you're a cheese fan, I get this season, especially if you get the one seed and you have home field, you want to win the Super Bowl. I'm not saying that. And you definitely want to win a playoff game. But to get to enjoy knowing that you have this guy for the foreseeable future, he's in his second year and his first year starting. Think how special that is. So this loss sucks if you're a Chiefs fan. And I mean, it's devastating. That is as bad of a loss as you can have, especially when the referees, Walt Anderson's corpse, was attempting to help you out a little bit. That's just an unbiased opinion.

This law stinks. But if you can think big picture, take a deep breath. The sun will come up tomorrow in the morning. Well, maybe, I don't know, the weather forecast in Kansas City. But if you live in California, it's coming up tomorrow. Just know that you got Patrick Mahomes on your side. And if he wins the MVP this year, I would say, I mean, how many MVP could this guy win? It feels like an NBA, LeBron James.

I mean, could this guy win like four or five? If you told me right now, Patrick Mahomes stays healthy. why couldn't he win four MVPs? Brett Farve once won three straight. Well, why is it out of the realm of possibility with Andy Reid for him just to rattle off a bunch of MVPs? I mean, we've never seen anyone look like this.

He doesn't even look human. He can do things that other humans just can't do. And his ability to run outside the pocket and throw darts is incredible. His ability just to ad lib is incredible. He's just awesome. And he makes great plays with Tyree Kill, but it doesn't even need Tyree Kill to be great.

He's throwing to Kelvin Benjamin, just random dudes. I mean, you're like, who is they playing with? So I think you just take a deep breath. Right now, my MVP conversation is Mahomes Bree's tie, but if the Chiefs were to, like, lose out and he didn't play well, I would throw Philip Rivers would, you know, go Michael Andreddy style, pass a couple people and throw his hat right in the ring. I'm not saying he should win it,

And I'm not saying he will win it because Breeze would still probably be the pole position leader, but I would have no problem with him winning it if they went out and the chief stumble down the road. Before we get into John D. Filippo being fired by Mike Zimmer. I talked about the game Monday night for Tuesday's podcast, but then he was fired on Tuesday, and obviously the podcast was already out. So I have a couple thoughts on that. But first, let me tell you about my friends at Robin Hood. This is an investing app that lets you buy and sell stocks,

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Listen, full disclosure, I've said many times. I've known Flip for a while. Really haven't talked to him that much this season, but I consider him a friend. I root for him. So I'm not being biased here. If I thought he sucked, I would admit it. It just happens, you know, most of my friends in the league,

Coach Reed, Matt Nagy, you know, Brett Beach, Harry Roseman, they're all good. You know, I don't know many crappy people with their job in the NFL. So I got a pretty good idea what's good and what's bad. And I think John D. Filippo is a good coach. I also think Mike Zimmer is an excellent coach. But I will say this. Mike Zimmer is somewhat of a dinosaur.

His style is archaic. It's not dying, it's dead. Like Mike, you're somewhat living in the 90s. I still believe defense is important. Look at the game tonight. The Chiefs blew it because they couldn't cover me or you. But you went in this league by throwing the rock. You have two star receivers.

You paid 84. million dollars for Kirk Cousins. John D. Filippo, who it felt like you kept calling out in the media. Like, hey bro, this isn't 1987. I get you're an old school tough guy, and I like that. I have a lot

of respect for those type guys. I've grown up around those guys. My dad was that type guy. Most, all his friends were those type guys. He grew up in a generation of that type guys. I feel like I've grown up around a million Mike Zimmer's. But their style has worked the

majority of my lifetime. These last like five years, especially these last couple years with the changing rules, no longer work. Like Mike, they get paid to throw the ball. You're running game. First off, Latavius Murray is a terrible short-yardage runner. He's six-foot-three. I've interviewed him before when he was with the Oakland Raiders.

I've stood right next to him. He's massive. He runs upright. He's really easy to tackle. Dalvin Cook has been consistently hurt all year. So I saw you try to force run. in that game because John D. Philippa wanted to acquiesce to your thoughts and you were getting stuffed. You paid your quarterback $30 million a year to win games by throwing the football. You have

two star wide receivers. Thielen and Diggs are both what, top 12 guys in the league? Thelan's had a top five season. Diggs is, I mean, two top 10 guys. Like you pay to, he's got to win the game with his arm. And when the game was on the line, three nothing and that Monday night game, and I talked about this on Monday. Kirk Cousins didn't get the job done. So you can blame it all you want on the offensive coordinator. We're going to run the ball more, more balance, which I get. And I'm not anti-running the ball.

But I'm sorry, Mike. Like that mindset, because I'll tell you this, in that game the night we watched, there's no chance on God's Green Earth Mike Zimmer would have thrown up two fingers. Zero. Whether his quarterback was Philip Rivers, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, or Blaine Gabbard. He's kicking the field goal every. stinking time. Why? Because he has the dinosaur old school mentality. And that was the right mentality in the 80s with Parcells, Ditka, Buddy Ryan, the Mike Zimmer's. I get it. Those aren't

the times anymore. You throw the ball. I don't care who your offensive linemen are. I got news for you. Most centers and guards in this league stink. They stink. But you win by throwing the ball. So Zimmer can puff his chest out all you want like we need to throw the ball. First off, I lost respect for Mike Zimmer. Threw his offensive coordinator under the bus three, you know, basically three times in a month. Like, hey, bro, how about keep it in-house? We get you don't like the guy for whatever reason.

And again, I swear on my life, I haven't been told this. This is all my opinion. I wouldn't even ask John D. Philippa on this. And first off, he's too high character to even speak down upon this guy. But Mike Zimmer isn't because he kept crushing him publicly. Like, that's low-level stuff.

And again, you get away with that in the 80s, 90s, the Parcell's way. In 2018, you don't act like that. You go viral. It goes on all these blogs. We all talk about on these podcasts. Like it becomes too big of a story. Like, Mike, you know the reason you're not winning is you. Maybe if you were a better offensive coach, you know nothing about offense. Like, hey, what about the game? I remember, I think it was the third week of the season. You went into LA and you got lit up like a Christmas tree. I watched your offense was fine. I didn't hear John D. Filippo the next week saying, God, our defense needs to play better. Like, you're just such a hypocrite. Some of these old school coaches, like, it's all about

the team, it's all about the team, no I, and then he starts pointing the finger. Like, I just, I have a problem with frauds and hypocrites, and I'm not saying Mike Zimmer's necessarily a fraud, but he's a hypocrite. He's 1,000% a hypocrite because you're not allowed to talk about him like that, but he sure can talk about you like that. And I'm all for unfiltered, no PC BS. And so, but say in your offensive coordinators, Colin Schindler, Colin Schinds, he plays. Like, what do you think the reaction is going to be? He said that a month ago. And then you say it again, and I get it, he fired him. But come on, bro. Like, I just, I don't have much respect for that. Like, it's just not the way to handle yourself. And here's the other thing.

I'll look at the resume. You fired an offensive coordinator this year. You had a guy two years ago quit. His name happens to be Norv Turner. Of offensive coordinators in my 34 years of life, I'm just talking to offensive coordinators. Not what you are as a head coach. Norff Turner is easily a top three offensive coordinator. Just the offensive coordinator. Like that's North Turner top three offensive coordinator. He quit.

He said, I can't take this old school nut job. So I lost a little respect for Mike Zimmer. And listen, it's his team. You do what you want. But to constantly throw the OC under the bus and then eventually fire him for throwing the ball, Andy Reid's been the best offensive coordinator in this league for 25 years, throwing the football.

You paid Kirk Cousins $84 million to throw the football. Like yo, Mike, get with the times, bro. Hey, let's get into some interesting news that came out this week about the NFL salary cap. And before I dive into it, I just want to, you know, this is a football podcast. And what I'm about to say, you're going to be like, God, in Middle Club, you must hate the NBA or Major League Baseball. I love the NBA. Watch every Warriors game.

I'm lucky enough to live in the Bay Area and watch this greatness. I grew up on Michael Jordan. I still kind of like the Kings, who actually have a sneaky good squad. I'm a big basketball guy. And I'm one of the rare guys under 50 that consumes a shitload of baseball. I watch way too much San Francisco Giants. And I just a baseball fan in general. So I'm just a sports geek.

I mean, that's really at the end of the day. So I may take some shots. those two sports here in the next couple minutes, but I love those two sports. So I am not one of those guys that's not watching it. That's actually the masses. But a story came out this week that the NFL salary cap has risen 40% since 2014 and is projected to be potentially over $190 million. Basically, if where it's going is where it's projected, it's gone up $10 million a year.

This upcoming spring will be at $6,000. straight year. Business is a booming. But a media narrative, and one thing I just try to be real on this show that has been in the forefront, I would say the last, I don't know, five, six years over that span of just crazy, crazy growth has been that not just the NFL's failing, that Roger Godell's an idiot, that people don't like football, and really the ratings are back up. But the number one thing is that business has never been better. The NFL, unlike the other two sports, don't get it twisted. Baseball doesn't pay coaches.

So the players get paid, no one else is getting paid, players and owners. In the NBA, some coaches get paid. A lot of them don't get paid that much, and there just aren't that many players. So it's making players rich, but there's only 12 a team. Well, actually, there's 15, but 12 guys that actually dress every game. In football, everyone's getting rich. The players, the coaches, the execs, the owners, the media members, everyone's making money. And one narrative that football was going to die and be overtaken by the NBA, again, I love the NBA.

Outside of the Warriors and LeBron, no one watches. The Eastern Conference rating since LeBron left are in the tank. The masses do not consume basketball. Baseball, I know everyone loves to tell me, oh, Bryce Harper is going to make. 300 million. They've never made more revenue. Well, I got some news for you. They've never had less people attend baseball games.

They've never had less younger people watch baseball games. I think baseball and again, I love the sport. I consume the sport. But there are very similar parallels to probably newspapers 15 years ago.

Like, it's clear where we're heading. And baseball, while they're making money in the short term, Big picture, they're in some trouble. Don't ever get that twisted. The youth is not consuming the sport. Here's the other thing. Wind blows fastest at the top of the mountain.

Like everyone's coming for the NFL, of course they are. They've been on top now for 10 plus years, maybe more. But they've really been on top in an economic boom of the last 10 years, of an absolute war for attention and the ability to get people's eyeballs, the NFL has lapped these other sports. And it's a combination of fantasy sports, gambling, and just an urgency that the other sports cannot duplicate.

But the most important thing is consistently the cap. Basketball, the cap hasn't risen for like the last three years. In baseball, like five teams pay players. The Oakland A's who had the lowest payroll in baseball are cutting salary in football. And it's not just the players getting paid. The coaches have never made more. The executives have never made more. And again, one issue I've always had with the media, and I'm in the media, but just the

group think in the media is they attack the NFL. And I get that's naturally the job of quote-unquote journalists. But anyone that covers the NFL has never made more money. You're watching seven-figure guys all over television, a ton of high six-figure-level reporters. The media, they're like the top 2% in America. It's why I think there's been a lot of pushback the last several years on Twitter. And I'm not just talking to the president, but just in general, from both sides, is that they're kind of, they relate more to the elites than the guy sitting at the top of the stands in any of these games.

But all I know is this. They say the game's not healthy, yet people have never made more money. The players have never made more money. The salary cap has risen 40% since 2014. It's why on more of an individual example of Khalil Mack, why it kind of crushed the Raiders. They're like, oh, you can't afford to have $220 million players. I think the casual fan and some owners love this because they don't want,

Mark Davis just might not have the money, that they couldn't afford Khalil Mack and Derek Cart. like the salary cap is $80 million. It's about to be $190 million. Now, I never advocate beside the quarterback allocating a lot of money to, you know, probably five or six guys. There are two or, I always say, there are two or three people non-quarterback worth paying. Kalil Mack just happened to be one of those people. I actually heard, who did I hear this week? I forget, and I'm not trying to steal the topic because I did not think of this myself, that eventually in the new CBA, the NFL should think about, and this would probably lower the salary cap, but benefit

other players, having the quarterback money when it comes to a second contract be off the books or be in its own separate category and not count against the cap. I want to say, I can't remember even who said it. I'm not, I did not think of that myself. I heard someone else saying it. Maybe it was someone on Bill Simmons podcast, and I like the idea. No, I, Ryan Rissillo's, I don't know. But I actually think it's a pretty good idea.

But just know this. When everyone's trying to, the NBA, the NBA! The Golden State Warriors, who are the best team in the NBA this season, will not play one. Let me repeat one meaningful regular season game. Every one of their 82 regular season games don't mean diddly poop. In baseball, the season is so damn long that you could gain 20 pounds and then lose it 20 pounds. I'm not saying baseball players, they usually gain weight, but just as human during that season. Football is the king for a reason.

They have the most eyeballs. They create the most interest. Their games. Their storylines matter, but they're not. actual games during the regular season matter the most. This Steeler Patriot game really matters. This Colts Dallas game really mattered. I sat on my couch two nights ago, watched the Warriors play the Raptors.

Warriors got their ass kick. The game didn't mean anything to the Warriors. Not a thing. The Warriors will play another game. If you're listening to this on Friday, Friday Night Against the Kings. It's one of the biggest games. It's Sacramento in 10 years. It literally means nothing,

maybe negative things, to the Golden State Warriors. So, while you have media members that will say, oh, the NFL is screwed, they're dead, I refuse to watch the NFL. Well, the NBA, especially politically, the NBA doesn't allow players to kneel. They mandate that you stand.

Major League Baseball, the youth isn't watching. The NFL, I wouldn't go as far to say it's never been healthier because they do have a problem just with somewhat of a narrative. And I say narrative because there is science behind it, but there's also other science that's questioning that people can develop CTE on their own. And listen, I'm not naive to the fact that the dispute that playing football at a young age can have and create issues. Like I'm not trying to say that at all. There are problems.

When I let my kid play high school football. Football, 100% yes. When I let him play, we'll tackle football, I don't even have children yet. But even be around when my kid's 10, like it was for me, peewees, probably not. And that's probably for the better. No one's disputing that. But don't ever get it twisted. No sport creates more money for its players, for its coaches, for minorities, for its owners.

It's the healthiest league by a country mile, and it will continue to be that for the foreseeing. seeable future. Let's get into another story that I saw broke and a bunch of people are freaking out. And my first takeaway was, of course he did. Kyler Murray, who's been really polarizing, the baseball hot stove took place this week in Las Vegas, which is where the NFL draft's going to be in 2020. That's a pretty sweet draft location. I might have to cruise there for the three and out podcast.

But Scott Boris made some bold proclamations about Amari Cooper. or I said I'm Mari Cooper. Kyler Murray 100% playing baseball. This week he changed his tune a little bit, nothing in concrete. And then it came out today, Thursday, at least the first I saw it, that Kyler Murray is throwing his name

into the underclassman evaluation NFL committee. And everyone's like, oh my God, he's going to play in the NFL. And he might. But this is common practice. And I think sometimes we all have certain just common practices in whatever field we work in that are just basic way that our industry operates. And if you have a pulse in college football as an underclassman, more than a pulse,

like are a solid player, and you are thinking or even crossed your mind what round would I get drafted, it doesn't cost you anything or takes you any time. You just ask to be evaluated. Kyler Murray would be nuts if he didn't ask what round by this NFL committee. and it's like a group of GMs and high-level execs around the league that kind of split up these players and give an initial grade on them. It's not anything like he is 100% a top 10 pick. It's, you know, it's actually pretty open-ended. This guy is a first-rounder.

This guy is a second-day pick. It's not even very specific. But he would have been crazy to not throw his hat in the ring and his name in the ring to get evaluated. And I've been talking about Kyler Murray for a while. while and this notion that, listen, the biggest difference between Major League Baseball and the NFL, if you're a quarterback and going to be a first round pick, which he might be. Now, there is a chance, and if I was advising Kyler, here's what I would say. If you do whatever, first off, I'm a big believer.

Do whatever it makes you happy. Don't listen to your dad who was about as arrogant and as egotistical as any parent I've ever seen at the Heisman deal. Don't listen to Scott Boris. Don't listen to hell Joel Siegel or Tom Condon or whoever your NFL agent would be. Do whatever makes you happy. That's, this is how I lead my life with anyone. Just do you, man. Don't listen to other people that you do other things to make other people happy. Do what you want to do. If that's baseball, it's baseball. If it's football, it's football. If it's both, attempt both. Don't let other people try to dictate your happiness. But when comes to football, the NFL Combine.

You know, for the most part, he wouldn't be an ML, like, major league camp because he's a rookie. So he would, usually those guys have to report, like, early March. Go to the Combine, Kyler. You don't even need to work out, throw, or anything. Just meet with teams, and every team would want to talk to him. Go talk to Belichick. Go talk to Tom Coughlin.

Go talk to John Gruden. You know, I laugh because it's hard not when you talk about Gruden. Pete Carroll, whoever. Just get a feel. See if that's something you're interested in doing. Just go talk. All you have to do is go through the interview process, get measured so they get a feel like, you know, if Kyler Murray's 5-9, everyone might tell him, listen, Kyler,

there's no chance I can draft you in the first round of 5-9. But maybe he measures in it, you know, 5-11. And people go, God, he's not as short as I think. But just if it's the itch that you want to scratch, do that at least. Now, if at the end of the day, you're like, I don't really want to be a third-round pick, whatever. then go play baseball. But here's what I do know,

that if people are talking about you being drafted in the first round, and me personally, if he has measured over 5-10, I think he would be a first-round pick. I've said over and over, he's a better NFL prospect than Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson went pick 32. I'd also say, Kyler, listen, fast guys should always run

because running at the combine or a pro day when you're fast only helps you. Like, Kyler, if you're going to run a 4-4-0, or 438 or 442, you will set the entire, just all you have to do is run a 40. Run 140 like Dion Sanders and then bounce. You will set the combine a buzzing. But just go down that road and talk to people. You don't even have to sign with an agent.

Just go and talk to people. And then you can find out if that's something you want to do or not do. Because here's what I do know about the Oakland A's. And the great part about baseball and on Billy Bean's side is the Oakland A's made the playoffs without Kyler Murray. They will make the playoffs, or at least contend to make the playoffs again in 2019, without Kyler Murray. In baseball, unlike in football and basketball, if your first round pick bus, it doesn't

really affect or impact that current team. It may have domino effects down the road, but the Buster Posies of the world, the Bryce Harper's, none of those guys played in the show their first year in professional baseball. They all spent time in the minor leagues. Now, Kyler, if you are questioning going to ride buses, because you will have to ride buses. You will have to learn to hit the breaking pitch.

Just entertain playing football. Now, I don't think in this day and age, and I was texting with a buddy that said, like, go Google Dion Sanders' stats in baseball. They are much better than I think the casual people think. He once led to league in triples. He was a good player for playoff-level teams. Now, it was easier back then.

The commitment, also he played corner, where it's just like show up and check the, number one wide receiver. Where in Kyler's instance, that at quarterback, the time commitment you have to make to the team is 365. And in baseball, given that his growth as a player, he would need to spend time. Like, I don't think it's necessarily plausible to do both. Now, again, back to what I originally said.

If he wanted to do both, go ahead. Now, it could, I would say the one risk would be, Kyler. If he was asking me to advise him, I would say, if you try to do both, you might limit your potential in both and end up failing in both. Well, if you went all in one and then fail, whether that's football or baseball, you can always go back to the other. So I was taught at a young age. The reason to always, even if you don't like school, just to try in school is the better your grades are, the more options you end up having. And I'm someone that hated school. I like going to school to be around my buddies and be around girls.

But I never like school, from junior high school to even college. But as I got older and older, especially even in college, I wanted to work in football. So to get a graduate assistant job, I had to have good enough grades to get into a graduate program. So I had to try. If I hadn't tried in undergrad, I might not have been able to get into college football because my grades wouldn't have been good enough to get into a graduate school. Even at a school like Fresno State. I had to have above a 3-0 just to get into the graduate program.

And again, for someone that does not care about school, that was somewhat of a challenge. And I'm not the brightest guy. But I really think that Kyler Murray, regardless what this grade comes back, and I think best case, obviously it's first round, worst case it's probably like third or fourth round. Regardless what it is, if you are even thinking about it, just go to the combine and just talk to Belichick and company. And I just mean every coach, because every team would want to talk. And just get a feel for it then.

And just see if that's something you want to do. Because it's pretty clear that Boris wants him to play baseball. Of course he does. That's how Boris would make money. He's not going to make any money if he's a starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. His dad, it feels like, wants him to at least try baseball. That's sure what it seems like to everything I've read. But let's face it, I played baseball and football growing up.

up football is just a little more fun. I can't even imagine what it's like I never played quarterback, what it's like playing quarterback. So just try it out. Just taste it. And if that's something you want to do, then do it. But go to the combine. Let's get into something interesting.

Talking to a buddy this week in the NFL, and listen, I have a football philosophy that I do not believe in taking running backs in the first round. That doesn't mean that it's, It doesn't work because it clearly does. Like Todd Gurley has been a fantastic pick, right? Christian McCaffrey has been a home run pick. There's no chance, and I'm from the Bay,

and I watch basically every game Christian McCaffrey ever played at Stanford. I would not have taken him in the first round, let alone in the top ten. I thought it was crazy. I look kind of like an idiot now. So I'm not always going to be – there are certain players that are going to make me looked up. But I never would have messed with Leonard Forenett. hell I wouldn't mess with Zeke at 4 and he's he's unreal he's a monster but I was adamant that the New York Jets

or excuse me the New York Giants were crazy for taking Sequin over Sam Donald I still believe on basically every level that you all especially because I believe in Sam Donald that you take the quarterback super high especially over running back but I was will say this. Every time I watch Sequin Barclay, I think, holy, moly, is this guy elite. Talk to my buddy in the league. He brought up a good point. I'm like, how good is Seyuan Barclay? And he said, without hesitation, he thinks he's the best running back in the NFL. And he's like, did you watch Todd Gurley the other night against the Bears? He wanted no part of that smoke in that cold, where Barclay is thriving in the cold. On a team that actually now is playing really,

really good football, when you look at Sequin Barclay, and if you just watch him, you go, oh my God, this guy is incredible. He can absolutely fly. He can run inside. He can run outside. He can catch the ball, and he can block. I don't think people realize, Sequin Barclay has 78 catches this year. 78. And it's not like they're just little dump downs. He's averaging over eight yards a catch. He also has already over 1,100 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He has 14 runs over 20 plus yards. Obviously, he has a couple, multiple long runs. The guy is a game-changing all-time great. And as my buddy reiterated, he's like, if he stays healthy, he's a Hall of Famer. And I think you have to be careful when you say that. I don't even think that's

disputable here. So if you are going to take a running back over a quarterback, again, I'm not playing Monday morning quarterback. I would not have done it. And even looking back, I still would rather have Sam Donald big picture because the quarterback is that important. But if you are going to make that move, and in fairness to Gettleman, you better draft a Hall of Famer. And he was adamant that it was like the best player he'd ever evaluated. And he was going to be a future Hall of Famer. Well, he's not wrong because Sequin Barclay simply put is already on that path. And I know Bill Simmons has said he's going to be the best running back he's ever seen. You could argue he's the best running back as a rookie since Adrian Peterson.

And Adrian Peterson is obviously headed to the Hall of Fame. Gurley a little skewed because he was injured coming in that year. Zeke, great player, but benefited that first year from having just a dominant, dominant offensive line. San Juan Barclay does not play with a good offensive line. He plays with a quarterback who's actually playing a lot better, but he's still Eli Manning. And his offensive line is not good. He is an incredible player.

And I think it's clear really just him, even Christian McCaffrey. I wouldn't put Christian McCaffrey on his level, but both those two guys, like Christian McCaffrey's having a Marshall Falk level season. Just absolutely just a dominant fantasy year. Marshall Falk LT just, I mean an elite fantasy year. And again, you. You guys know me. I'm not just coming at it from the fantasy perspective,

though I do like daily fantasy. But, like, if you produce huge fantasy numbers as a running back, you're dominating. And Christian McCaffrey's dominating, and he's playing really good. But Seekwan Barclay is on a completely different level. Like, there is not a general manager in the NFL, and I like Zeke that would take Zeke over Seek.

And that includes Jerry. If you really just handed him a drink, said, Jerry, let's be honest. Let's take the emotion out of it. And let's be honest. Sequin's a better player. Sequin's a better player than Todd Gurley. And I was someone that was somewhat down on Todd Gurley.

I thought he didn't have great vision. And his instincts were just kind of average. He was just an elite physical specimen. He's got a lot better at that. He really has. Like McVeigh and the coaching staff have created a much better player over the last 12 months. It really lasts two years. Like he's improved a lot.

But Sequan is really special. And for as much crap as I gave Dave Gettelman when he drafted him, I got to give him credit. because everything that he built this guy to be and what he thought he was, he is. He's a freak. He's the easiest offensive rookie of the year that will, you know, voting if you vote for that, you'll ever vote for. It's a no-brainer.

I mean, he might get to 100 catches and rush 1,500 yards. And the eye test, the stat test, the every test, he passes with flying colors. Okay, going to do a couple Middle-Koff men. mailbags before I get out of here on a Thursday night and as you're listening on a Friday. Don't want the podcast to go on forever. But always going to do Middlecoff mailbags every show at John Middlecough, Instagram. Slide up in those DMs, baby. Okay, here we go.

Where do you think Levion Bell will end up? Do you think he would be a good pickup for a team like the Chiefs or the Eagles? Will he be worth the contract he'll be asking for after missing a season? Start with the latter part of that question. I don't think he's worth the contract he'll be asking for. Probably like 50 million guaranteed, Warren Todd Gurley. As you saw tonight with the Chiefs, that Williams kid they have that went to LSU, God, he's pretty good.

So no, I don't think the Chiefs would. I mean, Andy's always finding guys in the later rounds. The Eagles, they have had a history of liking splashy players. It's going to be a little difficult with their cap. It's the NFL. You can always maneuver, cut guys, make room. but there are so many teams, as I talked about earlier in the podcast, the amount of teams with cap room has never been as high.

But I do think, for the most part, most general managers in the NFL are going to be hesitant when it comes to paying running backs. You don't see it very often, and when you do see it, it's with your own guy. You know, if this was 20 years ago, I'd say 100% someone's going to break them off. But these GMs, we have so much information.

It is somewhat from what I've heard, and listen, I watch a ton of college football. I don't see that many stud running backs in college coming out in this draft. Seems like a lot of the good ones are underclassmen in the sense where they're not even draft eligible. So, you know, more than the Eagles, probably like the Colts or the Jets, who are a little more desperate, it kind of feels like one of those places. If I had to guess right now, I'd say around 30. million dollars guaranteed and here's a thing to remember uh he lost he's 15 million in the hole like he lost 14 point whatever it was this season on the second franchise tag that he would have had so

that's he's in the red right now that that was a season that did not exist so if he gets 30 million it's actually like he only got an extra 15 million because he's making back what he would have made hey john what do you think about the idea of college football adding something similar to the NFL salary cap. Maybe limit the number of five-star recruits and transfers. I've never, this is kind of smart question. Basically something to help introduce a little more parity in the college game. It gets too repetitive with the same teams, always at the top, especially with Alabama's complete dominance over the last decade. Here's the one thing I would say is not every player Alabama signs is a five-star. Like the stars are a little predicated on the people running rivals or 24-7 sports

or those might even be the same now, but you know the recruiting services. I think that would be really difficult. Maybe the transfer rule can change a little bit, but right now, even if you transfer schools, if you're not a graduate, you have to sit out a year. So even if you leave school X to go to another school, like the quarterback for Washington, Eason,

he left Georgia and went to Washington. Well, he couldn't play this year. Now, granted, would you beat out Jake Browning? I mean, in theory, he probably should have, but Chris Peterson was going to play Jake Browning no matter what. So I like the rule where you have to sit out a year, and the graduate transfer rule doesn't really bother me in the sense that you only got one year to play.

Shea Patterson this year was kind of an outlier because of what happened at Ole Miss. Usually you have to sit out a year, like look at Baker Mayfield several years ago when he transferred as a walk-on. So it'd be pretty difficult. I don't know exactly how you do that. Because again, like, salary cap, there is an actual amount of money. Some people might have a guy listed as a five-star

where the other guy has them listed as a four-star. Now, that being said, Alabama, Ohio State are getting the best players right now. There's no Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia. I mean, they're by far. I mean, you just watch them on television. You're like, holy hell. The guy doesn't even look like a human. Like, who are they getting these people?

But, like, I don't know. I mean, it's, as a wise man once told me, the thing about Sabin is the players aren't choosing him. He's choosing them. For the most part, that's true. Like, Sabin chooses you. You don't choose them. But for a lot of guys, non-Alabama, the school kind, you know, they choose the school. So in theory, it's the players picking where they're going to school.

So to dictate to tell a guy, you know, if Ohio's, you know, if Ohio's, you know, they choose the school. State wants you that you can't go to Ohio State because they've already hit their limit of good players. I mean, it seems a little unfair to an 18-year-old. And the other thing is, a lot of guys transfer, just because you transfer doesn't mean you're good. I mean, a lot of guys transferred to, you know, smaller schools, and they're just never that good. I remember when I first started working at Fresnel State, we had several big-time Division I transfers. And you know what turned out a lot of times that they just weren't that good of players? I mean, they were average players at Fresno State. They definitely couldn't play for the

Miami's or the Oregon's or whatever schools they were going to. And if you can put the years out at Fresno State, you know the players I'm talking about. But they're just, it just shows you. And you see it a lot with college quarterbacks. They transfer, and they're just not that good. So the reason Alabama's so good is not obviously the talent. Same with Ohio State and same with USC, you know, with the Pete Carroll days. They have a lot of talent.

But they have the best coaching. Like Sabin is just a better coach than everyone else. So it's just, I like where your head's at, and I'm all for thinking outside the box and making college football a little more interesting. God, I love some Pac-12 teams with throw their hat in the ring. But I just don't know how that, like in theory, that kind of makes them sense, but in reality and in practice,

I don't know if it's really possible. Last question. What do you think about your boy, Flip, getting canned? I talked about that earlier, so I'll go one more question. Okay, here's one. Can you share what brand of microphone you use? We're always thinking about answering different type questions. You can ask me anything on the Middle Coff mailback.

The school where I teach is trying to set up a media room space, and I would love for us to be able to host our own podcast. I want too many podcasts out there. You've got to try to make some money here. I have the blue microphone. It's the blue USB. It just plugs into my computer, boom, I record it. It was like, not even that expensive, like $100.

Probably should get a higher level microphone. But this is a very affordable microphone that I use for multiple podcasts and anything I ever record on my computer. And it literally plugs right into my Apple. I'm a big Apple guy. Haven't been for long, but since I've been doing stuff on my own, it's the best product you use. USB cord right into my computer and boom.

It's really easy to use and you can get it like a Best Buy or hell even Amazon. I'll take a picture for you on Instagram a little later, but it's the blue USB microphone. Well, it's been a long podcast. What a day, man. What a night. That was a beside Walt Anderson, who's easily the worst referee in any sport that consistently does big games, probably in the history of sports. What a game. What a night for real.

It's pretty cool night still just for Arrowhead. Just a fantastic, fantastic ballgame. Appreciate everyone listening. See you next week. Have a good weekend. 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. and we're going straight to the source the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories,

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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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. 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... Yeah, you know these kids. This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

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