The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd-HOUR 3-Tom Brady

Episode Date: August 5, 2020

Colin predicts how well Tom Brady will play this season.Guest: Rick Stroud Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

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Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversation. with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

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I've said joy and i basically thank god for brady getting traded to Tampa because in March, as you know, we had the shutdown. And as a sports host, we need games. So for the first month after that, Brady getting traded to Tampa was our story from a zillion angles. And then the draft saved us. And now we're very, very fortunate. We're back, and we've got NBA stuff and baseball stuff and UFC fights and some NASCAR golf this weekend.

There's a major, a golf major, which I'm crossing my fingers, Tiger and plays really, really well. And now we got football camp. This is to me. Now, we don't have preseason, but we have camp. I am so into this Brady thing. And the guy that broke the story, I used to work in Tampa. Rick Stroud's a great NFL reporter. He broke the story about Brady working out a month before the helicopter video.

So this is why I've said, this is a Super Bowl roster. This is not a rebuild. They were really good. They were very predictably to start last year. They were two and six, first eight, because they had a new coach, a young roster, and a new defensive coordinator. In their last eight, they were five and three, and they were a tough out. And what they needed was more efficiency at quarterback, a right tackle, and more running backs.

Check, check, check. And Rick Stroud is now joining us for the Tampa Bay Times. Great reporter. So let's just start with this. Physical appearance. You've been covering this league since the Trent Dilfer Buccaneers. Physical appearance. How does Tom look, Rick?

He looks great, Colin. I mean, you know, he's eating all that avocado ice cream, I guess. But I think the, you know, the move has suited well with him. He's been up working out with guys at 7 o'clock in the morning, every morning. And he continues to do that even now that they're in strength and conditioning. But, you know, Tom Brady didn't move here for the weather. So Giselle could be near the water. I mean, he's here because of the weapons he has around him. And he wants to win. I think those are, you know, the biggest things that he has in Tampa. Tampa for them. To construct a really good picture of Tampa, you have to go back, in my opinion, to last year what they were. So you covered them. Go to the last eight games of last year because they had a new coach and a new D.C. So it's unfair to September, October's unfair. Let's start in November. Tell the audience what this team did really well and still struggled with the last half of last year, Rick. Well, what they did well was play defense. I mean, I think if you go back and look the last half of the year, they were one of the top teams, particularly taking the football away. Vita Vaya became a real big player. You know, Devin White was injured the first part of the year. He was player rookie of the month, the last two months of the season, started making plays all over the place. Those young corners particularly grew up, you know, guys like Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy Bunting were really balling out. And I think Todd Bowles had them going. The problem was, but they didn't do well, of course, was protective football. I mean, James Winston threw 30 interceptions, and they gave up 120 points off those turnover the long call, and you just can't win. They were seven and seven, and James had a big game in Detroit.

I thought maybe he was going to be back this year, but then he essentially threw the last two games away. They missed some kicks as well. But that's when Bruce Ariens realized that he couldn't go forward with his quarterback. He knew there was a guy named Tom Brady that might be a free agent, So they started their little Operation Shoo as Joe Jackson, they called it. And if you build it, he will come. And they've built enough for him to come.

So that's why he's here. Tell me your reporting. Did Tom recruit them or did they recruit Tom? Like, what was the initial connection on this? Well, I mean, I think we'll have to probably wait until the history books are written on that one. But I think we'd all be naive to think that, you know, you know people in the organization, You know, people close to Tom Brady. He must have looked at this situation.

He said that, you know, he was realizing this would be his last year in New England in 2019. Jason Light is here. Of course, he was in New England when they drafted him. So there are some connections. And, you know, officially when they called his agent, he said, we're glad you called. You made the right decision, so on and so forth. And it didn't take very long. Brady was sort of recruiting them on the idea.

So, you know, what the real story is. is. Again, we may have to wait, but I think these guys have been sort of eyeing each other for a little bit. So I've even noticed it with the social media stuff. This was one of my concerns. Is that Boston is an intellectual, intense

sports hub, politics, academic. It's very intense. Tampa is very laid back. And I've always believed teams become their cities. And I said, I said this. I said, I know Brady can turn the governor down 10%.

But can Tampa handle Tom's obsessiveness and intensity? So talk about that because I've even watched the Buccaneer social media accounts. They're funnier, they're quicker, they're on it, they're productive. And I'm like, that feels like a Tom influence. Yeah, I think you're right. And I think, you know, this has been an organization that's been looking for a quarterback forever, right? They've had some that just didn't win while they were here. I mean, the Steve Youngs and the Doug Williams and so forth,

even Tram Doper won a Super Bowl. But there's never been anybody like Tom Brady's clearly. And so he is the culture, Colin. I mean, whether it's him or Peyton Manning, who Bruce Arion's coach, I think when a guy like that walks into the building, he gets everybody's attention. And like I said, these workouts at Berkeley prep were all his idea. He was not going to let a pandemic,

even when the NFLPA told him to stop, he wouldn't stop. And those guys kept showing up. And before long, he had the defense out there at times. So I think, you know, Brady's intensity will work in any locker room, in any town. But you're right. I think there is this sort of laid back or certainly to the bucks. And they haven't won in 12 years. I haven't been in the playoffs.

He changes all of that when he walks in the building. And we've seen it even before he walked in the building. So it's interesting. When Brady was doing all that workout stuff, nobody was wearing masks and, you know, they weren't sequestered. So Bruce Ariens has been, you know, you don't have a bubble like the NBA or the MLS. You don't. Do they, you know, Brady's going to have 10 times the media there. You know, everybody wants a piece of him.

It's not going to be the most COVID friendly environment. Like, is Bruce Ariens aware there's just going to be people glomming on this franchise this year in the middle of a pandemic. Well, I mean, look, they're going to have to take care of each other. There's no doubt about that. And to that extent, I know New Orleans has, you know, secured some floors at a hotel. The bucks have done the same thing for players that want to go there. But their first talk as a team was just about that.

You know, if one guy steps out of line, he can screw up the whole thing. And it's hard to impart that on a 23-year-old that's got time and money for the first time. But again, that's where Tom Brady comes in. And, you know, Bruce Ariens is probably one of the most susceptible coaches in the National Football League to this thing. He's taking a lot of precautions. He's a three-time cancer survivor. He's 67 years old. But they're doing everything they can possibly do as a team while they're together to try to make sure that, you know, that they're not out, that they're not breaking protocols.

I don't know what else you can ask of them, but, you know, we'll just have to see how it goes. I have my doubts about the NFL season and whether they'll have it interrupted or. or not, but it certainly looks like it's going to start on time to me. Give me the grong. You know, it's funny. It's, I would say the Bucks have the best wide receiver grouping in the league and maybe the best tight end grouping. OJ.

Howard hasn't been super productive, but he's super talented. So they bring in gronk. Is gronk just going to be a figurehead, you know, red zone blocking tight end? What do you think gronk's role is here? I think gronk would play until he drops. I think he'll play as long as he thinks he can go. Now, you know, there might be some. some wisdom in trying to manage that workload, right?

Because his body feels good again. This is a guy that had a lot of injuries, right? But Tom Brady really didn't have chemistry or know anybody on this football team. He helped orchestrate that trade for Rob Gruncowski. So at the end of the day, that's his safety valve, right? That's the guy he knows. And Grukowski's going to have a huge impact on a guy like O.J. Howard, who's talented as hell, but doesn't have a lot of instincts, you know,

struggles trying to read the rotation of defenses and things. things like that at Snap. They do have a big tight end room, though. When you had him and Cameron Bray, even Anthony O'Clair is a good blocker. But I think you see a lot of two tight end formations really, Colin, the 12 personnel that they use in New England with Aaron Hernandez and it. It wouldn't surprise me if those, you know, guys with Mike Evans and Godwin are on the field a lot. Privately, Rick, under their breath, they don't want it to make the Tampa Bay Times,

but do the people in the building believe this is a Super Bowl level team, if healthy? Oh, absolutely. I mean, you know, again, you've said this, and you're exactly right. This is a team that was 7 and 7 a year ago, despite all those turnovers. The defense grew up. They brought guys back, you know, in terms of Indomicon Sue and Jason Peter Paul and all of them. So I really think that they believe they're a Super Bowl contender. Now they've got to beat the North Orleans Saints who won this.

Division three years in a row, and they got a 41-year-old quarterback. There's a lot of words back and forth, but you don't get Tom Brady at any age, 43, or otherwise, unless you think you can win the Super Bowl. He thinks they can win. They have every reason to believe that they got the quarterback that knows how to get them there. And so, yeah, I would definitely say that they're a contender. Rick Stroud, Bucks reporter, Tampa Bay Times has a podcast due, Sports Day, Tampa Bay

Bay podcast. Rick, it's great seeing you. And say hi to my friends. We just had Kevin O'Donnell on not long. ago and if you go golfing with Dave Worth, say hi to him as well, man. All right. Rick. We'll do a great thing you, palmy. All right. Rick Stroud, Bucks reporter.

I was a young, young cub reporter back then. How old were you when you were in Tampa? Let's see. Let me think about that for a second. 20s. I was in my 20s. I was a dogged reporter. I did. I was the weekend. And you were a legit reporter.

Well, I was a weekend sportscaster. So I anchored on the weekends. And during the week, I broke countless stories of record. maybe none. But you want to know a funny story about that. So I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Yes.

And then I worked, I'd never been in humidity in my life. So I had not, I'd done some, I'd done a lot of travel, but I'd never, and I'd been to Miami or I think maybe visiting or something, but I hadn't spent any time in Florida. So I'd do my first live shot. So when you live in Tampa, it's in the Gulf of Mexico, right? So Orlando's in the middle. Miami's on the Atlantic and the Gulf is really human. So every day, as I'm doing, Bucks camp was one of my first jobs.

Yeah. You get these five o'clock lightning storms. Like every day. Yes, it rains every day. Every, in that lightning storm every day. So I go out, a big mistake. So I go out and I'm wearing a blue shirt with no undershirt under it. And I'm doing a live shot.

And I look like Albert Brooks in broadcast news. I'm pouring sweat, gigantic sweat things under my arms. And I come back to my, Daniel Webster was the news. director. How do I do? He's like, never wear a blue shirt on the air. You wear white shirts in Tampa. Yeah. I'm like, I'm a Seattle kid with a British mother. We don't do 98 degrees in humidity. I've never even been in weather like this. I had to work Dolphins training camp every year doing radio. And it's, I mean, they put these massive fans out there, but the fans just move the hot air around your face. You can't explain. Like in California, it does get warm.

But the further you go east in L.A., it's the desert. Right. So it's dry heat. Dry heat. If you've never been in August in Florida, there's nothing like it. And I would always be like I felt unprofessional wearing like shorts or like a dress to training camp, but you absolutely have to. It's so brutal. Your hair just unravels.

It gets very, it's just. It's actually why I knew I was 100% cut out for studio work because I got an assignment to go to Dolphins Training Camp and get the sound bites for the day. So, you know, they send me out in my early 20s also. I'm at training camp and I go in the media scrum, which is not going to happen anymore because of COVID. And I'm like holding my recorder. Who was it? I think it was, might have been like Cameron Wake. And one of the other reporters sweat from his chin dripped onto my arm as I'm whole.

And I have to let it go because I've got to get the sound bite, right? And I'm like, yeah, no, I'm a studio. It's a studio for me. Yeah. I can't do this. Studios 72 degrees. It's not for me. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the online.

iHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

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

you need to be. Listen to the Cliverts Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush

didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Then you're finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we, are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it

and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway

and listen now. By the way, guys, you're getting older. Feel younger. MDrive for Men.com. Start your day with MDrive, Joy Taylor with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. That must have been totally disgusting. It was absolutely a disgusting.

Old man sweat on your arm. Yes, yeah. And when you're local, you know everybody too. So it's like, All right. So before the NFL and the Players Association agreed on safety protocols for the 2020 season, Odell said that he didn't think that football should be played this year. But despite those initial concerns, he decided not to opt out this season.

And GM Andrew Barry is very confident that Odell is locked in for 2020. Having a player of Odell staff on the roster, obviously he generates a lot of attention. And, you know, Odell is very mindful that, you know, he has to be, you know, conscientious with, you know, with his words. That being said that, you know, we've had plenty of dialogue and conversation, you know, with Odell. He's returned and really been focused on working hard. He's been very engaged in, you know, everything that we've done in the classroom. And, you know, he's really focused on having a great year. Yeah, so Odell's conversation with the Wall Street Journal kind of went a little viral, but it was before everyone had agreed to the new protocols. I didn't like that by the

Wall Street Journal, which is owned by the Murdoch, so I'll tread lightly here. But they had interviewed him a month ago and he said, I don't know if we're going to have a season. And then they, then they ran it weeks later when he had already said, yeah, we got the protocols down. So it looked like Odell's like, I'm out. I didn't think it was very fair to Odell Beckett. Yeah, it wasn't fair to him. But once you read when it was, when the interview happened, it made sense that this is not,

this is not lining up. I don't think that Odell is out on the season. And from everything, all the conversations that we've had today and throughout the past couple weeks, it seems like the NFL. has done an amazing job. I talked to, I texted a player yesterday. He's like, it is buttoned up. Like they have figured out what,

they've really watched baseball. Right. They've watched baseball. Which has been an advantage to the NFL throughout the whole pandemic. That has happened during the off season for the most part. Everything that they've been able to do, they've been able to do digitally. And now they're going into camps,

having baseball already come back, not in a bubble, seeing what the other leagues are doing in the bubble. Greg Popovich talked today about why the NBA bubbles work so far. He said it's a great example for our country. Our leader had a vision and it was organized and the participants, our citizens, had discipline. Everything that we're hearing from the NFL camps is that everyone is buying into what they're saying.

People aren't pushing back. No, obviously it's a long season. There's a lot that can happen. And again, you shouldn't be striving for perfection, just progress and managing the situation. But if you buy into the safety protocols and realize that, you know, one person stepping out of line can affect everybody, then, you know, we'll be able to make it happen.

Speaking of that, UConn announced that they will not be playing football in 2020. The school was expected to play as an independent this season. Yeah. Some of the games have already been eliminated due to conference-only schedules, and they are the first FBS team to cancel the season due to the pandemic. Obviously, they're in kind of a unique situation because most of their games were traveled, and they, by the way they say, got canceled because of the non-conference schedules. But the university set members of the football team will remain enrolled in classes,

either virtually or in person. They'll have access to facilities and support. services. And by foregoing the 2020 campaign, Yukon's athletes retain their year of eligibility, which is really big for the student athletes, obviously, in a tough situation there with canceling the season. Yeah, I mean, listen, the Ivy League and Yukon are out, but that's college basketball country more than football. If the SEC starts, you know. Yeah, it's nothing to panic about. There's going to be, there's going to be programs that don't participate. And they'll be back next year when everything is hopefully at a different circumstance. Look at the macro of the situation,

how the leagues are handling it, how conferences are coming back, the protocols that they're putting place, how they're handling things on a macro level and not panic about the Marlins and Yukon. If you go to the bottom one or two or three teams in most conferences, they're not going to have fans. There's a major budget crisis for, even in the SEC, if you went to there, like a Vanderbilt, it's not, it's an academic power. You know, Vanderbilt said, listen, we can't. It doesn't work. obviously a huge factor in this, but if you're talking about budgets and looking forward to the future, like we'm going to have to cancel the entire program for the whole school or not play this year,

you got to make that decision. Finally, I thought you'd enjoy this. We talked a lot about haircuts today. Tom Brady turned 43 on Monday and poke some fun it as himself to celebrate. He tweeted out a picture of the evolution of his hairstyles during his NFL career with the caption of all the haircuts throughout the years. My favorite one is the next one. Thank you all for your birthday wishes. I hadn't really given that much thought to Tom Brady's.

haircuts over the years. I don't remember the dynamo. I don't remember the dynamo either. I remember for... I think that was maybe from... It looks like a metball look. He did the Timberlake for several years. That's the radio audience.

He's got a picture of each one. The Caveman where he looks a little scruffy and then he had the Derby special. Yeah, the Caveman was not my favorite look for him. Although I don't mind long hair and a beard. I got to be honest with you, the Timberlikes probably what he should be wearing. Because he's too, he's too fastidious and detailed. be the caveman. That's just not who he is.

Well, yeah. I mean, that's just, that's not, that's not his personality. The Florida man and the rookie are kind of similar. Yeah. Just more wrinkles, I guess. Yeah. Good. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Live News. The game is called TB or not TB. Tom Brady or not Tom Brady. What will and won't he accomplished this year? Best for last. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays and

noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we,

are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth?

Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure,

and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Do it yourself. Projects are fun, especially now. Many of us are kind of quarantined or hanging out at home more than we ever have. We don't get to go to our restaurants. Do a home project with Lowe's.

Loos.com. Show us your projects. Put it together. Transformations. Show us. Hashtag Lose Goals. Okay, so today's best for last is, you know, the old saying to be or not to be. Wasn't that Shakespeare or something?

This is TB. or not TB? What will Tom Brady accomplish in his first year or not accomplish? Joy, here we go. Tom Brady throws for 30 plus touchdown passes to TB or not to be. I think he'll start potentially slow, but it'll be TB. Okay. So he has averaged 31 in his career.

James threw 33 last year and that doesn't count the 60 through to the other team. So this is not just a good receiving group. This has been, this is now the top tight end and receiving group, an upgrade on the offensive line, and a better running back group. So, and LaShawn McCoy can catch. He had 30 catches last year. He's just got a lot of available targets. He's got a lot of people, a lot of mouse to feed, and nobody sprinkles it around quite. And by the way, the targets are also big.

Mike Evans is 6.6. Gronk is 6.6. He's got big O.J. Howard, big targets in the red zone. there's not a lot of feeling that there's like ego involved at this point. Tom Brady throws for 4,000 plus yards, TB or not TV. Okay, he's thrown TB. He's thrown for 4,000 yards in eight of nine years. I don't even know what he threw for last year,

but James threw for 5,100 yards last year. So Brady had 4,000 last year. Think about this. He had no tied end, really. They had no deep threat. Did Edelman play every gamer? He led, he had more drops than he'd ever. had. So he threw last year and they had some offensive line issues and no fullback, so no running

game. So he was often throwing third and long. And Brady got to 4,000 yards last year. This is the easiest one. He'll throw over over 4,000 yards. Bucks will have a top three offense, TB or not TV. This is an easy TB. First of all, they were number three last year, which is hard to believe, right? You're like, with all those interceptions, they've added gronk, they've added Brady, they've upgraded the right tackle. They batted Lashon McCoy. Again, this is a, to construct an opinion on Tampa, you have to go back to last year.

They were a really good team at the end of the year. They were just a turnover prone mess offensively, but their defense was better. They haven't had good special teams in forever. So that, that to me is their biggest hang up. In New England, they always had great special teams. Tampa's special teams historically

are a mess. That's the fault with a team. It's not that, but they will have a top three offense. Bucks will make the playoffs, TV or not TV? Well, that's a TV. Yeah, okay, so again, seven teams now make the playoffs. Seven, that's an extra team.

So you can look at about four or five teams. We know, Arizona is going to be a little over at skis in that division. We know that Caroline is kind of rebuilding. We know Washington is rebuilding. Joe Judge has never coached the game in the NFL. Of the 16 teams, I can take about four to five.

You talk yourself out of very quickly. and I do believe they have better personnel significantly on offense than Atlanta. So, yeah, this is a playoff team. The Bucks will win the NFC South TB or not TV. That's a not TB. First of all, the Bucks are, the Saints are favored. The Saints have won it three years in a row. And the Saints may be the best team in the NFC.

When I say that, the Saints have a better O-line than the Bucks, and it's been together longer. And frankly, I think they have a better consistent pass rush. than Tampa does. So if you give me a better O-line, D-Line, and Sean Payton, and they also added Emmanuel Sanders, so they got plenty of firepower. They will not throw the ball down the field

as well as Tampa, but they'll be incredibly efficient. And Tampa's defensive front is really good. The Bucks will reach the Super Bowl. TB or not TB? I'm going to say TB. Wild card teams can make it. Okay, so NFC, ask yourself this. The NFC's up for grabs.

Who is significantly better? Green Bay? Not really. San Francisco. Absolutely. There's no question. But they also play in the toughest division in football, and it's very possible.

Losers of Super Bowls often have a hangover a little. What if San Francisco wins 10 or 11? Tampa wins 12, New Orleans 13, and the game's in Tampa. That's interesting. Tom Brady makes the Pro Bowl. TB or not TV? No, that's not.

There's just too many good quarterbacks. I mean, just think. Russell Wilson's going to make it. I mean, you can write that down. Aaron Rogers, Jimmy Garoppolo, Jared Gough, Carson Wants, Dax going to put up good numbers. Who else? Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford.

There's just too much. I mean, Kirk Cousins, by the way, will put up good numbers. There's just too many good quarterbacks. He won't get that. You're going all in with Tampa this year, huh? I don't see. you know what it is? I think the two best teams in the NFL

are arguably in the AFC. Ravens and Chiefs. Yes. And so, and then I think San Francisco depends. Don't love their secondary. Let's see if Brandon Ayyuk, the wide receiver from Arizona

State, can play. They lost Emmanuel Sanders. Dante Pettis hasn't been what they thought. Let's see how their wide receiving corps adapts. If Kittle can stay healthy. If Garoppolo takes another step, but I think the top of the AFC is really great. I think the NFC on Fox is way better. Is it as deep?

I mean, NFC is deeper. Is it as good at times? I don't know. Like, I'll give you an example. I love Seattle. Their offensive lines am mess. Pro football focus ranks their defensive line as 32nd. Philadelphia, Carson Went, stay healthy.

A lot of new pieces on the perimeter offensively. Everybody that's good, even San Francisco. Emmanuel Sanders leaves. George Kittle can get hurt. Can they stay healthy on the weapon side? That's like a real issue for them. I just, I think that they are a playoff team. I think it's a wild card situation.

Yeah. I don't know if they can go from a wild card spot to the Super Bowl. So the athletic came out, that subscription, maybe time to cancel. So they ranked every NFL offense one to 32. Right. So they got one right, Kansas. City and they got 32 right, Washington. They called Washington football team.

Yeah. Every other spot is wrong. They have Tampa 11th. So they think Tennessee's offense is better than Tampa. Yeah, I don't agree with that. Like, does anybody in America? Oh, here's another gem. They have Cleveland's offense at 18th.

You've got to be out of your mind. Baker drives me nuts. It's a top 12 offense. They're loaded. They got two of everything. Hold on, hold on. And then they have the Patriot right behind Cleveland at 23rd. They have quarterback splitting snaps.

They have no deep receiver. Two rookie tight ends, Dante Scarnack get retired. Athletic. Get your act together. This list is bad. Who's the top three? Well, Kansas City, Baltimore Saints. I got no argument.

Yeah, that's. And I would say they have Dallas four. I got, you know, Dallas has good personnel. I got no problem with Dallas. I would have Cleveland higher. They have Seattle 5th offensively. What? No.

They've got one of the worst offensive lines in football. This is not good. I'm going to have to rethink. I'm a subscriber to the Wall Street Journal, the L.A. Times, the New York Times, Bloomberg, the Athletic. And I'm going to have to think about things after that one. Maybe make your own list. There you go.

We'll do that. Rick Stroud, Michael Rappaport, Tom Telesco, Charger, GM, and Nick Wright. Good stuff. Join I'll see tomorrow. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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