3 and Out - Crazy NFL Coordinator Money; Joe Judge/Matt Rhule Hirings; Rooney Rule Fail; Divisional Round Previews; Mailbag

In this episode, Middlekauff looks at the insane amount of money being paid to NFL assistants, why it reflects the NFL's booming business, gives his take on the hirings of Matt Rhule in Carolina and Joe Judge with the Giants, He also previews the divisional round games and answers listener questions in Middlekauff's Mailbag. Follow John on twitter @JohnMiddlekauff and go to theherdnow.com to find the latest content. Subscribe now!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Get right to the romance and find the way to
wow this Valentine's with one hundred Flowers dot com. From
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(00:21):
four red roses for ten dollars more. Go to one
hundred flowers dot com. Slash tune in. That's one eight
hundred flowers dot com. Slash tune in. What's going on everybody?
John Middlecoff Fleeing Out podcast? That's me, that's the show.

(00:46):
It is recording this actually on Thursday morning. So as
of right now, the Cleveland Brown's the only team in
the league that doesn't have a coach. We'll dive into
the something that it really hit me this week just
talking to people in the league and the wealth that
is being distributed not just to head coaches, but two
assistant coaches in the NFL's the New Wall Street. You

(01:09):
know they say kids play baseball. You know that's something
on social media. Tell your kids to play baseball. Whenever
Garrett Cole gets a three hundred million dollar contract, the
reality is one of those gets given out a year
and the majority of baseball players wash out before they
ever sniffed the big leagues. I got one for you
if if you want to tweet something, kids, become an
offensive coordinator because that's where the money is. Some thoughts

(01:32):
on the Joe Judge Matt rule, you know, Hirings. The
Joe Judge one definitely came out of left field. I
watched McCarthy's Prescott Force yesterday. You know, most guys and listen.
You know my way can fluctuate. You know, sources say
about two years ago, I was about two hundred and
fifteen pounds, you know, five ten. That's not a great
body type for me. You know, I've worked, I've changed

(01:55):
my diet back into the one eighties. But McCarthy typically
when you take a year off, you lose some LB's.
But he's gotten a little bigger. H But again, I
come from a big family. I'm not judging, but he
looks he looks ready to roll. J Jerry's a beauty.
And then the weekend games, the divisional round, the final

(02:15):
eight as they call it in a college basketball right
the elite eighth got some really good games, some really
good teams, some really good quarterbacks. We'll dive into that,
and then the Middlecoff mail Bag at John Middlecoff is
my Instagram handle, also on my Twitter handle, also on
my YouTube channel. I'm gonna start doing some YouTube's. But

(02:36):
Instagram is where you get a hold of me for
this show. It's how we interact with the people or
the common man. Show easiest guy. I'm actually much easier
to get a hold of through Twitter or Instagram dms
than I am. If you call me, I probably won't
pick up unless you're someone important. So yeah, Instagram DM
me and I will read your question here on the show.
Do it all the time, and uh okay, let's start here. Listen.

(03:03):
There's been a lot of talk about the Rooney Rule
and everything that's going on. It's pretty simple. It's it's
a screwed up situation right now. And I think not
just for African American guys. I think for defensive coaches
or fighting an uphill battle. If Robert Sala, if Wink
Martindale had been offensive coordinators, they would have got jobs

(03:25):
or they would have had a much better chance. Now
as I'm recording this, one of those guys mayambo the
Browns coach. I don't know. It kind of feels like
Josh McDaniels. But you can never depend on Josh McDaniels
because at any moment he can pull out. So I'm
just a white guy. I'm not gonna go on some
speel here. No one really wants to hear it, but
it's it's clear. I know Ron Rivera. I also think

(03:45):
this there were five openings right there was the Cowboys,
the Panthers, Cleveland Browns still unopened, the Giants, and the
Dallas Cowboys. Well, two of those were filled with quote
unquote retreads, guys that were getting a second opportunity. Now,
one of those guys was a Latino in Ron Rivera.

(04:06):
But I think the last couple of years we've seen
a lot of new guys get jobs. Last year it
was every you know, thirty six year old bro that
had met Sean McVeigh. So I get why everyone was
mad last year because last year was a joke. This year,
I think, for the most part, beside Joe Judge, like
Matt Rule, was getting a job, whether he was black,
whether he was white, whether he was purple like Matt Rule,

(04:28):
was the top candidate on the market. If he wanted
to go to Cleveland, round said Cleveland, I'm in. They
would have taken him. If he would have told the
giants I want in from the jump, which he didn't,
he would have got the job. So he was just
the number one candidate, right or wrong. I don't know
much about the guy, just in terms of as a coach.
People keep asking me, like, what does he hang his
hat on? And we'll get into Matt Rule a little

(04:49):
bit later. I don't know. I mean, he's an offensive guy,
but he's coach defense before he's a program builder. My
buddies that have gone through Temple and Baylor loved the guy.
If you watched this press conference yesterday, it was freaking awesome.
I was like, God, I love this guy. He had
a great tan. I guess he had just been at Cobo.
But yeah, well but start with this, and I think

(05:12):
there's a lot of like this. Guys aren't getting opportunities,
not even race wise, but just coordinators. It's hard. Here's
what I know. When I was growing up. If you
wanted to make big money and listen, I'm from a
small town, Davis by Sacramento. My dad was a farmer.
It's not like we were thinking about going to Wall Street.
But it was pretty clear if you wanted to become
like a millionaire, and it definitely once I got to college,

(05:35):
most people talked about you had to go into finance,
you had to go into real estate. You know, to
make five hundred grand, to make eight hundred grand, that
was big time money. I mean it still is. I mean,
if you're making five hundred girl a year, you're doing
really well in this country. You're what we call the
one percenters. Well, here's what I know, and I texted

(05:56):
around because the explosion of football has led to CEO
money for coaches, and the good coaches Belichick, Andy Reid,
Pete Carroll are worth every penny. Have no problem paying
the guy leading my franchise ten to fifteen million dollars
when my franchise is worth several billion dollars and we're

(06:18):
winning in printing cash. They you could argue they're underpaid,
Like what is Andy Reid worth to the Chiefs? Because
I know this. Before he got there, they were a joke.
No one cared about them. Since he's been there, they
go to the playoffs every year, they're on primetime games.
The Hunt family has probably doubled their revenue over the
last five years. So I'd argue Andy Reid's underpaid. I'd

(06:41):
argue right now what Kyle Shanahan's doing for Jed York
And I haven't exactly got his number. I think it's
right high sixes, low seventies underpaid what he's the money
he's generating. But regardless, you make five to fifteen million dollars,
you're a one percent of the one percenters. So we
understand that. But I think the most undervalued and just

(07:04):
under talked about an underappreciated amount of wealth being distributed,
because no this like the San Francco Giants in my backyard.
Just hire Gabe Kapler. I would imagine the Giants are
paying Gabe Kapler high six figures. He's not even making
a million dollars. I would imagine most coaches on his staff,
hitting coach, first base coach, some of them might be

(07:26):
making five figures, like ninety thousand dollars. They're getting nothing
in the NBA. I bet there are five total assistants
that make over a million dollars, maybe a couple more
than that, but not many. The wealth is not being
distributed that way in the NFL. Texting around, do you
know that every defensive coordinator in the NFL in twenty

(07:47):
nineteen made made over a million dollars? Every single one
made over a million dollars according to my sources, thirty
of the thirty two offensive coordinators. And think about this,
just close your eyes. Think about the NFL. How many
head coaches are now offensive coordinators. So the quote unquote
offensive coordinator is not even calling plays. So a good

(08:09):
majority of offensive coordinators who are not calling plays made
over a million dollars. And then those couple of guys
that did not make over a million dollars are eight
to nine hundred thousand dollars. Again, think how many people
in your life, business owners, real estate, whoever, you know,
the richest people make a million dollars and are not

(08:30):
even the boss. The amount of wealth that is being
given out in the NFL right now is Wall Street level.
It is stupid. As someone told me earlier this year,
or like a week ago, that was in charge of
coaching hirings and firings, He's like, in two thousand and five,
we paid our coach less than two million dollars. Our
head coach. He's now a coordinator in the league and

(08:53):
he makes more than that. So the explosion of money
for coaches and assistant coaches specifically has never been better.
So when you see tweets, tell your kids to play baseball, No,
tell your kids to coach offense. Tell your kids to
learn coverages because right now the NFL, the NFL coaching
community is the new Wall Street. That type money is outrageous.

(09:18):
And I also think when you read about these organizations
that butt heads internally, think about whatever your offices, and
most of our offices are much less money than the
amount of money that's going on in the NFL. But
if you're a guy, let's say that makes seventy thousand
dollars and you're working with, not for a guy that

(09:41):
makes three hundred thousand dollars, and you think that guy
is an idiot or not very good at his job,
think how much and you're forced to work with him
on a day to day basis, Think how much? Just
animosity and anger, jealousy, all the emotions that are created
by money, Because that is I would say the biggest

(10:01):
creator of highs and lows emotionally in this country that
we live in are just how much people make. You
compare yourself to your friends, your co workers. That's just
human nature, right. It's what you your wife, your friends.
It's what we all talk about. How much money everyone makes.
It's like, are the number one gossip topic? Hell, I
do it for a living with NFL people, But I'm

(10:23):
just saying we deal with our friends and family. So
in the NFL gms, the majority of them all makes
seven figures, but their right hand guy, like the player
personnel guy, definitely college directors, those guys are making anywhere
from two to five hundred thousand dollars. So there is
a huge discrepancy of money between like the GM's right

(10:44):
hand guy and the offensive coordinator. So when you see
these teams that are struggling, and you go, I think
our offensive coordinator is terrible, and you know, he's making
one point six million dollars and you're making four hundred
thousand dollars, and you're going, you know what, I'm providing
him with really good players and we're four and nine.
What is going on? That's where a lot of this

(11:06):
animosity gets created. They can say it's over tension and overpower.
It's over money. It's over the jealousy of how much
money these guys get paid. And I have no like
I wouldn't be jealous if my coaches eighty read or
Kyle Shanahan, or my defensive line coaches like the guy
the forty nine ers have, or my You know, you
just go around. When you have good coaches, you don't

(11:28):
even think about it doesn't bother you. But when you don't,
and let's call us Bata's baide, Like in any business,
the majority of coaches are gonna be way less qualified
than the top end. That's just the way life works, right.
You have in any industry, Let's say you have a
hundred people. Ten of those guys are just dramatically better

(11:49):
than the than the fifty guys in below, and then
from like fifty one to eighty nine, those guys are solid,
but there is a huge difference between the ninety fifth
guy and the guy. It's like the size of the
Grand Canyon. It's no different in the NFL. It's no
different in the insurance business. It's like that in any business.
So I think when you look at the NFL and

(12:11):
the amount of money that's given out. It's why that's
created so much animosity between front offices, between coaches. But
I also struggle when we hear about you know, this
guy is just not getting an opportunity. Well, you find
me a job in America. And don't ever get it
twisted that the NFL, unlike the NBA in baseball, has

(12:33):
created way more millionaires than any one of those two sports.
And it ain't even close now, big factors. They got
way more players, but that means way more people are
getting paid, and the other side of the coin is
their coaches are also getting paid, which is not happening
in basketball. Think about remember Phil Jackson when he coached
the Lakers. I think was making like ten to twelve

(12:55):
million dollars on like the latter half, when like the
Kobe paalgasaw, those days are over. That will never happen.
You know that NBA gms are so jealous of Major
League Baseball, where they're paying their guys seven hundred and
fifty thousand dollars to be the manager of the New
York Mets or whatever. That's what they desire to do
in the NBA, and that'll happen one day. The more

(13:17):
and more Darryl Morris and analytical people run basketball that
they want to have middle management coaching their team because
it's all just based on the spreadsheet. That will never
happen in football, because coaching is just way too important.
It's a scheme based game, just like players are really important.
But it's the combination of it both and both of
them are getting filthy rich. Obviously, the players are getting
more rich. I mean, besides, like the head coaches, but

(13:40):
these coordinators. So if you become a defensive coordinator, let's
say for the Dallas Cowboys, like Mike Nolan looks like
he's gonna become the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys, he'll
probably sign a deal between one point eight and two
point two million a year. And he's already a millionaire
he's been making I mean, he made a million way
back in the day with the forty nine ers or
whatever when he was the head coach. So he'll sign

(14:02):
let's say a three to four year deal. Let's average
it at about two million dollars a year. Let's say
it's two point five million dollars a year to be
the defensive coordinator. Like turn on CNBC right now or
Google how much some executives make because he's not the CEO,
he's not the head coach, he's not the general manager.
Like if you put him in a hierarchy chart in

(14:25):
any other business, he's like the tenth most important guy
in the building. And he's clearing. He's signed a guaranteed
contract probably of like eight million dollars if he signs
a four year deal, and we're like, these guys just
don't get the up these got. Everyone's getting filthy rich,
every single person. It's something that's kind of wearing on me,
like I'm tired of like these coordinators. Man, now they're

(14:48):
not getting screwed. They are cashing in. They are changing
the direction of their family. And I just I think
I don't even have an end all, y'all to this
ultimate take. Just know this, when you see your coordinator,
if he's good, applaud him. You're like, God, he's worth
every penny. But if he's not, the animosity in that

(15:08):
building is probably running high. Because where I come from,
we got a lot of guys stealing cash. Get right
to the romance and find the way to wow this
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thirty nine ninety nine or upgrade to twenty four red
roses for ten dollars more. Go to one hundred flowers
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dot com. Slash tune in. Look to your children's eyes
to see the true magic of a forest. It's a
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(16:16):
children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest.
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and they see you there, fearless guide. Is this fascinating world.

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Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discover
the Forest dot org. Brought to you by the United
States Forest Service and the ad Council. Okay, let's dive
into the Giants and the Carolina Panthers, and let's start
with this. The New York Football Giants are the bigger
of the two teams in the city of New York.

(17:01):
They have made I would say, over the last twenty years,
while the sport has economically, you know, really really grown.
You know it was it was really big before that,
but economically took off into another stratosphere, into a league
of its own right now. And teams like the Cowboys
the Patriots benefit of the most. But the Giants, I

(17:24):
would say, have are on the list of a top
five franchise over that period of time up until this day.
As I keep talking of just printing this thing that
we like to call cash and John Mara for a
long period of time, he looks the part right like
that's what an elite rich, dignitary leader, looks like tall,

(17:45):
skinny shirt tucked in, just looks like some guy that
would be in charge of the board of directors at
his local country club. And then he started thinking, John Mara,
this guy wasn't like elected to the position. He wasn't
He didn't buy the team. His grandpa bought the team
in nineteen twenty five. So he's not a rich kid.

(18:09):
He's a rich kid's kid. And while he's had success
on his watch, he won two Super Bowls in the
last fifteen years, what did he really do? Because when
you look back on it, they had two teams that
were wildcard teams that got hot and Eli carried them

(18:29):
to Super Bowl championships. Did he like, give Eli high
fives after the game? Good job, Coach Coughlin. Now has he,
you know, kept the image of the New York Giants
at an all time high previous to these last four
or five years, for sure? But I heard a stat
I think yesterday somewhere on the internet might have been

(18:50):
I think I heard Mike Lombardi something got retweeted into
my timeline that no team has lost more games over
the last five years than New York Giants. So this
notion that John More does he have much in common
with Dave Tepper, a self made billionaire who bought into
the NFL at peak at a peak price, Like it

(19:12):
can't get any more expensive than two plus billion dollars
for a franchise. Think about this. Mara's grandpa, not Wellington,
was Mara's dad. I think mars grandpa might have been Tim.
Sorry if I'm screening up my Giants history in nineteen
twenty five paid five hundred dollars, not with inflation, five
hundred dollars probably a lot of money in nineteen twenty five,
but an eighty two billion dollars. So Dave Tepper and

(19:33):
John Mara, besides just being rich, guys don't have much
in common. One guy started from nothing, made it all
on his own. The other guy inherited a team that
his dad inherited. So this notion that John Mara has
much in common with a Robert Kraft Jerry Jones, again
self made guys that bought the team themselves. He doesn't,

(19:54):
but I think he's kind of viewed that way. And
if you look, he fired Macadoo at the end of
two seventeen. I can't remember the exact day, but there
were still games left. Might have been one, might have
been more. Then he hired Pat Shermer early in twenty eighteen.
So from late twenty seventeen to where we are in
early twenty twenty, it's about two years and maybe a month.

(20:18):
He said, three head coaches. Three head coaches. He gave
Pat Shermer, one of the most overhyped. I mean, no
one wanted him as their head coach, literally nobody. Yet
he did gave him five year deal, so he still
owes him three million dollars. But money doesn't mean anything
of these guys because they have an unlimited amount, literally
an unlimited amount. They will get a check in twenty

(20:39):
twenty from the league. I think the last year's check
was like two hundred and seventy million dollars. I would
expect that number to be around three hundred million dollars
from the league. That doesn't even count the sweet sales,
the merchant the saquon sales, the ticket sales, the parking
lot sales, everything that you also generate money on. Did
he get to Pucket and John Mara, who needed a

(21:02):
head coach, has one of the major franchises, not just
in the NFL, but in American sports, you could argue
worldwide sports, his fan base is massive. And this is
not an indictment on Joe Judge. I've talked to countless people,
people that have worked with Joe Judge, people in the
league that have just heard about Joe Judge. I have

(21:24):
not heard a negative thing. But Joe Judge was a
thirty seven thirty eight year old special teams coach for
Bill Belichick, which is impressive. Special teams is something that
means a lot to Bill Belichick and for whatever reason,
like the franchise with the Giants is not the problem,
but when you keep Old Man River aka total clown

(21:45):
show aka Dave Gettleman on as your general manager, your
franchise immediately becomes toxic. Let me repeat that again, your
franchise is toxic. As long as you have Dave Gettleman.
There no one wants to touch that guy with a
ten foot pull except a guy like Joe Judge, which
I would imagine in twenty nineteen for the New England

(22:05):
Patriots was making somewhere between seven and nine hundred thousand dollars.
I've been told through a good source his number with
the Giants will be well over six million dollars a year. Now,
he might have taken the Mississippi State job. But if
you're the giants, you're like, you're gonna take the Missisippi
State job over our job. And a Mississippi State job
is gonna pay you six million dollars. No chance. But

(22:27):
Jimmy Sexon really good agent. He can drive a price.
The other thing is we talk a lot about these owners.
Do you know who controls the hiring process? Trace Armstrong
number one coaching agent Jimmy Sexton number two. I mean,
they're both the most important coaching agents, those two guys.
They control the hiring process that they're the ones feeding
the clients that they are they're the most undervalued part

(22:51):
of this whole equation. They're in control. This is Jimmy
Sexon and Trace Armstrong show. They're placing coaches, they're creating demand,
they're creating the stories that you read on Twitter. It's
all from them. There are the puppet masters. Don't get
that twisted, because that's a fact, that's not an opinion.
And I don't blame them. I'm a capitalist. I would
generate the money too. I would want my client to

(23:13):
go for making eight hundred thousand dollars to six point
five million dollars a year, two one million percent. You
know why because if you're the coaching agent, you make
a lot more money off that guy. No different than
a player. But Dave gettlman has ruined the Giants franchise.
Not talent wise, I mean he's drafted, you know, sa
Quon Barkley. Again, my mom could have picked a running

(23:35):
back number two overall. That's I don't give you credit
for that, Danny Dimes. The jury is out traded. Odell
Beckham got a defensive tackle back for him and a
box safety. So we can argue all we want about
the ability of his to evaluate, but there is he's
telling people in these interviews, I'm picking the players like
that's who John, This is Nazzie Newsome. This isn't Sean

(23:58):
mcvay's grandpa. This is Dave Gettle. Who you talk to
anyone in the NFL, they go, did you watch his
press conference? Is this guy lost his mind? And then
you have Matt Rule, who was clearly the number one
candidate on the market over any assistant and any college coach.
I would say even above Lincoln Riley. Beside like McCarthy

(24:20):
and Rivera were wild cards because they were quote unquote retreads,
but both retrads that have had a lot of success.
McCarthy's won ten playoff games Super Bowl. Rivera has been
in the playoffs countless times, been to a Super Bowl.
They were really good candidates too, But Matt Rule was
getting a job. And Matt Rule was a New Jersey
guy had worked for the Giants, but under no circumstances

(24:42):
was he going to be the New York Giants head
coach with as long as Dave Gettleman was there. And
I saw Robert Klemco tweet I think he works for
MMQB still, and he wrote that people in the league
are mad that a first time head coach got so
much as much money as Matt Rule got, and he
got a seven year deal or sixty million dollars. You
do the math, you know it's like eight plus million

(25:05):
dollars a year. But here's a thing, as someone in
the league told me, Matt Rule, unlike Joe Judge, was
not making eight hundred thousand dollars last year. He was
making over seven million dollars in a state that does
not have income tax. So when you make seven millions.
I think it was like seven point two million dollars

(25:27):
at Baylor, which, when you say it out loud, that
is freaking insane. I think that the money college sports
are generating. If Baylor can pay a coach seven point
two million dollars, now he's worth it. But you and
all these owners are mad. How could you pay a
coach that much money? Well, you idiots? You how do
you think the world works? You think he was gonna
take a pay cut to leave his job. No, And

(25:48):
if he was gonna leave his job, he need a
couple of things. One security and usually when you're gonna
leave a really good job, you're gonna need a pay increase.
So yeah, Dave Tepper was gonna have to pay him
more money than he was making a Texas Here's the
other thing. I don't know much about Charlotte, but I'd
imagine it's a lot cheaper to live in Waco, Texas
than it is Charlotte. So there's a constant living aspect,
there's moving the family aspect, there's a I got all

(26:10):
the damn power. I'm in control. I'm the one that
everyone wants, and Matt rule would not have been bad
for the Maras and they could have afforded that, and
I've crushed them for being cheap. But the money I'm
here they're paying Joe Judge, they're not cheap. They're paying
him huge money. Now we could argue if he's worth
that much cash or not. No one knows. And this

(26:31):
is not about who's gonna be. There's a chance that
Joe Judge is a much better coach than Matt Rule.
That is very, very plausible as we sit here today,
But that's not the point of this conversation. It's simply
that you didn't even have a chance at Matt Rule
because you have Dave Gettlman, a guy that every owner
worth their salt would have got rid of. But of

(26:53):
course they don't want to get rid of them because
they're living in the past. They're holding onto things they're
comfortable with. They don't want a general manager that they
don't know, because they are a general manager first organization.
Even though now in twenty twenty, Dave Gettleman ain't making
six plus million dollars. The head coach makes a lot
more money than the general manager. But the general manager,
who watches games, typically with the NFL owners, just has

(27:14):
a unique insight of kind of speaking their language. Now,
I hope Dave Gettleman isn't speaking the owners language. But
in theory, that's the way it works around the league.
But this notion that Dave Gettleman, or that Dave Tepper again,
a self made billionaire, a lifetime closer, a guy that
has been known as the number one guy on Wall
Street for a couple decades, a guy that bought into

(27:37):
the NFL, you know, at peak prices years ago to
get in with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who then paid a
premium four a franchise in a smaller market, was going
to get a high level coach, and the going rate
for Matt Rule was not you know, five years thirty
million dollars, given how much he was making. If you

(28:00):
want to get Lincoln Riley whenever Lincoln Riley's gonna get paid,
might cost you one hundred million dollars. He lives in Norman, Oklahoma.
He makes anywhere between six and eight million dollars, and
everywhere he goes, everything he does. I would imagine the
local school gives him free tuition. I would imagine the
tahoe he drives and his wife drives, and the Mercedes

(28:22):
are free from the local dealership. Everything he does is
free on top of all the money he's making, which
he is just banking in a town that costs nothing
to live. So yeah, when Lincoln Riley, if he eventually
makes the jump, and you see, oh my god, so
and so team gave Lincoln Riley six years eighty million dollars. Well, yeah,

(28:43):
that's if I'm making right now two hundred thousand dollars.
I'm just gonna throw out a random number if you
want to get my services, and right now, I work
for myself, I have complete control. What do you think
it would cost me to then come work for you?
It ain't two hundred thousand dollars. Given my happiness and

(29:04):
my control, I'd argue you'd have to double it to
get me to even think. Because if you're happy and
contents the wrong word, but you're in a very good spot,
let's use the number seventy five thousand. If you're making
seventy five thousand dollars in a job and you're very
happy and your kids are healthy and everything's going well,
and you like the people you work with, You're not

(29:25):
gonna just take some other random job for seventy thousand
dollars or even eighty thousand dollars. Wouldn't it cost you
probably one hundred and twenty thousand dollars to make a move.
This is just basic business. So I give Dave Tepper
a standing ovation in finding the guy that he wanted,
in doing what he had to do organizational league to

(29:46):
get that guy interested, and then cutting a check, because
while the giants cut a check, they might have cut
a check to a guy that has limited experience. And
the main reason that they had to hire a guy
like Joe Judge was because of their fusile to fire
the most toxic general manager in recent memory. If you
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brought to you by the US Department of Health and
Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and the ad Council.
What grows in the forest trees, Sure no one else

(31:10):
grows in the forest. Our imagination, our sense of wonder,
and our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect
from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other.
The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest
near you and start exploring. I Discover the Forest dot org,

(31:32):
brought to you by the United States Forest Service and
the ad Council. Okay, let's dive into the weekend games
because it's the playoffs and second rout of the playoffs,
the best teams are now playing the one and two
seeds in the Ravens, the Chiefs, the Niners in Seattle.
And what I did is, I'll just go in the

(31:53):
order of the games. So we will start with the
Vikings at Levi Stadium taking on the San Franco forty ers.
Yours truly will be in attendance. And uh, it wasn't cheap,
you know, because I sit with the fans, not not
a media, not a media guy, even though I am
a media guy. Kind of I'm a hybrid, but but

(32:13):
I like sitting with the people. And the problem sitting
with the people in this area is it's so much money.
Now I'm going with some wealthy friends. I'm kind of
keeping my fingers crossed. They're just like, yeah, you're good,
I got you. But I don't know, you know, I
think I'm gonna get an asked for a venmo here
on Saturday. But let's playoff football. I haven't been to

(32:33):
a playoff football game. I guess I went to the
Super Bowl four or five years ago, but that that
was free to I mean, these playoff tickets, geez, Louise,
they are they are expensive. They are really really expensive,
but you get to see really good football. Vikings getting
seven points as of recording this against the Niners. Uh,

(32:55):
we'll start with the Vikings. They the huge upset against
the Saints. They're formula is very, very easy. I wrote
about it. I just kind of a breakdown talking to
people in the league on their personnel. Their personnel is excellent.
They have blue chip players at every level on offense
and defense, from the two pass rushers, to Kendricks, to
Harrison Smith, to Mike Zimmer, to the play caller and

(33:17):
the head coach you know, to Dalvin Cook and feeling
and digs. Their formula is simple, run the ball, dictate
you on defense. If they run the ball, control the clock,
they can dictate their defense when they are behind, they can't.
And at talking to people in the league, when you

(33:38):
look at the Saints game, they got to control the clock.
They were up early, and Zimmer got to dictate the
game because when he gets you in second and third
and long, he has Everson and Griffin. Everson Griffin and
Daniel Danelle Hunter, who according to my friends in the
NFL and just when you look around, is the best
pass rushing duo right now in the league. So when

(34:00):
they are up and those guys get to pin their
ears back. It's game over. There's nothing you can do,
and they dominated. Let me repeat dominated. Drew Brees those
two guys and Sean Payton the pass rush. Zimmer mix
up his coverages, but they have some weaknesses on defense.
Xavier Rose can't cover anybody at this point. He's a

(34:23):
shell of himself, yet he carries himself like he's still
an elite player. Trey Waynes can run, not great ball skills, McKenzie,
Alexander decent, Nichol their safeties at Harrison Smith's good as
a buddy in the league. Told me, Harrison Smith verse
George Kittle, that's like Lebron verse Kawhi. That is blue
Chipper on blue Chipper. You know that's big time. That's

(34:44):
a big boy matchup. Now, no one I don't think
can cover George Kittle, But if anyone's gonna have a chance,
it's gonna be a guy like Harrison Smith. So ultimately,
Kyle Shanahan verse Mike Zimmer, that's as good of a
schematical matchup as you'll see. The a gap freshers and
mixing up the coverages the players verse. Kyle his scheme
his players, which are really good, big moment for Jimmy.

(35:07):
I think that's, you know, close to a wash. I
think the Niners will score on him. I think Zimmer
will make some plays. I think that's pretty even. Where
I don't think it's even is on offense, on the
Vikings offense versus forty nine Ers defense. When they can
run Dalvin Cook, they can win any game when they
run and they kind of dominate the ground, meaning they

(35:27):
don't allow their quarterback to throw. When I say don't
allow him to throw, I mean all of this throws
then are off play action. And when you dictate that
he has to drop back on first, second, and third
down because he's down let's say ten points in the
second half, that's where Kirk Cousins is just screwed. He
can't carry you that way. But if he gets to

(35:48):
be in rhythm off play action because it's second and
five and hitting Diggs Diva Diggs and feeling which I
guess he cut himself at practice, he has stitches. That's
something to keep an eye on. Because he made basically
the game winning catch when he tracked the ball down
the seam against the Saints. But you look at the
forty nine Ers defensive line. You got d Ford coming back,

(36:08):
Nick bosas the defensive rookie of the Year. It's not official,
but it is official because he will be. You got
Buckner in Armstead kicking ass and taking names against a
pretty shitty unit. Their right tackle O'Neil is a good player,
as I was told by a guy in the league.
Their center Garrett Bradberry, their first round pick. He just
a guy. Their guards are average, and Riley Reefs kind

(36:29):
of just a guy too, so you can get after
their ass. But the zone scheme, and Kyle does a
good job with this too with San Francisco is you
don't need molars, so you can get by with average
offensive line because it's really just a positional blocking situation.
You don't have to like back when Jim Harbaugh ran
the forty nine ers, they ran the power scheme where
you needed guards and tackles to kind of shove you around,

(36:52):
especially your guards. That's not what the Vikings depend on,
so you have to just hit him right in the mouth.
And the best way to come bat a zone scheme
is be really physical upfront, and that's what the forty
nine ers are. So unless Dalvin Cook to me, runs
for one hundred and twenty plus yards. I think the
Niners win this game pretty convincingly. Now, if the Vikings

(37:13):
get an early lead like they did against the Saints,
then they get to dictate the game. And at the
end of the day, for a guy Kirk Cousins, which
you know, he's a solid player. I think he's so
highly criticized because he makes so much money, but we
know who he is. If he if he has the
run game going, he can pick you apart because they
got weapons and they got a top five roster in

(37:33):
the league. If he's behind, they're in trouble. He's not
going to carry them on the road against a team
like the Niners. Yeah, he played well against the New
Orleans Saints, but he did not carry them. Cook did
and the defense did, and that that is their formula,
and I don't think that formula is going to work
against the Niners team. Speed on defense is too good.
They're just too physical. They love running that kind of

(37:56):
sweep toss play. Well, here's the thing. All the Niners
dbs hit. They're all physical. You can't run it to
Richard Sherman because he will just take people out. And
then Fred Warner can run sideline to sideline and then
even the other side of Kella Weatherspoon will throw his
body around. They got Quasky Tart coming back, and Jimmy
Ward and even their backup safety Harris, they all lay Wood.

(38:18):
There is not one soft guy in their secondary. So
when your secondary hits and you have one of the
more physical, fast defensive lines and then you have you know,
tackling machines at linebacker, it's just hard to run the
ball against them, I think, given the way that the
Vikings want to run the ball. Plus another thing to
keep an eye on in this game, both teams defenses
are used to looking at the scheme they're about to see,

(38:40):
the zone running stretch play action, the boots, the nakeds,
and the nudes, as Tom Coughlin once called it. So
it's I like the Niners, but I will not dispute
the Vikings talent, their ability, and even their head coach.
While he may be old and krusty, the guy can
coach defense. So I would I'm not gonna gamble on
this game because I can't go. And if Niners win

(39:00):
and they don't cover, and I take the Niners minus seven,
I would be angry, but I would take the Niners,
though I think the Vikings if their formula is able
to work, they are a valiant foe. Titans versus the
Ravens Tennessee plus nine and a half. Mark Ingram's injured.
You know that calf injury. I guess he reinjured it

(39:21):
as the last couple of days he hasn't been at practice.
That's a big deal because he's a stud. Like he's
really really good. Now. Lamar's the engine that makes the
thing go. But mark Ingram's a really good player. Their
coaching staff with Wink Martindale on defense, their defense has
been unreal. I mean they traded for Marcus Peters. He's
been a playmaker for him. Their front has been great.

(39:42):
Baltimore has just been in top to start to finish,
best team in the league. Here's what I wonder and
I am pro Lamar. I didn't like Lamar coming out.
I still don't really love the running quarterback big picture,
but clearly I saw it with Kaepernick, You're seeing it
with Lamar. Even saw the one year with RG three.
You can win with him in the present, like for
a couple of years now, Eventually, Lamar, you have to

(40:03):
become a drop back passer because you just can't afford
to take hits. You'll end up getting injured. That's just
that's not an opinion, that's a fact. But usually in
the playoffs you get put in situations where it's second
and long, third and long, assuming that they can catch Lamar,
which they might not be able to. Though. The Titans,
when you watch that game against the Patriots, they have

(40:23):
a lot of team speed in their front seven. Evans
the middle linebacker. The dude from Bama fifty four was
all over the place last weekend. The kid they drafted,
Jeffrey Simmons and from Mississippi State that had the torn
acl coming out of the draft is a monster. Rabel's
understanding just being around Belichick all those years as a player,
knowing when you face an elite player, whether it's Marshall Falk,

(40:45):
whether it's Terrell Owens, whether whoever it is in a
big playoff game. You know the Peyton Manning years, take
that guy out, so you would imagine his mind. It's
easier said than done, but him and Dean P's are
just gonna try to take Lamar Jackson out as a
runner because if you can do that, then you force
him to pass. Now, last year against the Chargers, he
was he's a much better player now they forced him

(41:06):
to do that and he couldn't do that. I do
think you'll have a chance if you can just neutralize
him on the ground, hold him probably like under fifty
and force him to pass. And in situations where its
second and third and long and he's got to pick
you apart, and he may be able to. He's made
just that good of a player now and if he's
able to do that, then guy like me will say, yeah,
I think this guy's gonna be a good player in
this league for a long time. I mean, he's a

(41:28):
good player now, but be able to sustain it, And
that's what I wonder. Now, it's pretty clear what the
Titans game plan is going to be. A lot like
the Vikings have Henry run for like one hundred fifty yards,
control the clock on the ground and just dominate the
ground with that guy and then occasionally throw the ball
to a J. Brown. That's gonna be the formula for
the Titans. I would I'm gonna take the Ravens if

(41:50):
I was. If I'm gonna gamble on this game, I'd
probably take the Titans plus nine and a half and
it's more just a little unknown with Lamar. Maybe it's unfair,
but last year in the playoff game, Bill, I think
he's a lot better. It's just at the nine and
a halfs a lot of points for the Titans that
just beat the Patriots. Now the Patriots are flawed, but
the Titans are just good. Chiefs at the at the
excuse me, the Texans at the Chiefs arrowhead. This game

(42:13):
is gonna be bonkers. I think no team over the
last month is playing better than the Chiefs. Their defense
had that stretch I think in December where they average
like ten points a game. They didn't allow one any
opponent to go over twenty points. Their defense has been
lights out. Now, they did lose their rookie safety Thornhill,
that was playing next to Honey Badger and who'd been baling.
That's a big loss, but Honey Badger, their front four

(42:37):
spags is kind of they're all kind of coming together.
I actually trust the Chiefs defense in this situation. And
anytime that I can bet on Mahomes or have my
Homes in my quarterback, I feel good. There is pressure
on coach ree that just these win playoff games. I mean,
anytimes the playoffs starts and you have all these playoff victories,
you have all this success just to win the Super Bowl.

(42:58):
I've been on record and I'm pretty confident Andy Reid's
gonna win a Super Bowl. Whether it's this year, whether
it's next year, whether or the next couple of years,
it's gonna happen. I do think this year, the way
it's shaped up, is as good a chance as any.
They've already beat the Ravens, so if they get by
the Texans, they're really just sixty minutes away. Assuming the
Ravens win that they have the formula that took Lamar

(43:19):
Jackson out early in the season. Now granted that was
like the end of September, early October, but it still happened.
Now and if somehow the Titans upset the Ravens, the Chiefs,
if they win this game, which they would know going
into it, they'll be hosting the AFC Championship game. Here's
the problem with just having one confidence the Chiefs are
gonna win. Watson's a pretty special player, just I mean,

(43:42):
a borderline legend already. What he did in college, what
he's doing now, carrying a team that I don't even
think it's that good. They have one legit wide receiver
and if Fuller plays, which you can never count on
because that hamstring can pull at any moment. If he plays,
their defense is really good. But this game outside early
January in Kansas City is gonna be cold. They're a
little more potent in the Dome. I like the Chiefs.

(44:06):
I wouldn't say handily in this game, but pretty convincingly.
A little like last year when they play the Colts,
they just kind of dominated. They get no coach in
the league's better off a bye than Andy Reid. The
Chiefs are just poised to make a run, like this
is the year, this is the year to make a run.
You got no Brady, you got no Belichick. You just
gotta go through Lamara, a guy you've already beat, and

(44:28):
take out Bill O'Brien, which is not a great coach.
I've come full circle. I used to I guess, I
guess I did a one eighty. I used to think
he was really good. Now really watching him tight this year,
I just think he's kind of a guy and their team,
their talent is just not that good. But anytime you
have an elite quarterback, you can't discount them Chiefs. I'm
gonna go like twenty eight thirteen. Then the final game

(44:50):
of the weekend Seattle, like green Bay. Every Seattle game
looks the same. The scorers just change and I'm done
picking them to lose. Now, I'm not necessarily gonna pick
him to win this week, but I think the line
is reflective of a team that isn't that good, you know, not.
They should be like plus ten and their plus four
and a half because you just can't discount Pete Carroll

(45:13):
and Russell Wilson in playoff games. They're just too potent.
It's more Russell. But green Bay, who I think we
all agree, is one of the worst two seeds we've
ever seen. Now, Rogers statistically had a worst season than
last year. The last time we saw him two weeks
ago against the Alliance, he was not good, overthrowing guys

(45:34):
left and right. I don't really trust Matt Lafleur, mainly
just because what has he done to earn my trust. Yeah,
they went thirteen and three, but I don't really know
what he did. Their defense is really good, and that's
where I think the difference in this game could be
Zadarius Smith has been a borderline defensive Player of the Year.
Kenny Clark's really good presence is amiss solid, Their corners

(45:56):
are solid. They're just Mike Petton's one of the better
defensive coordin hitters in the NFL. I think when you
look at this game, you've got to take dk metcalf away.
That's kind of been their guy, that's really their potent
weapon down the field. He was a huge difference in
that Philadelphia Eagles game just because he can't just run.
His ball skills are really really good. So Russell Wilson,

(46:17):
who's one of the best deep throwers, probably in my lifetime,
the best deep throw I've ever seen. Just throw it
up to the guy, let him, let him go, go
make a play. And I don't know. I mean, I'm very,
very tempted to take Seattle outright to win this game.
I definitely would take Seattle plus four and a half.
It's just I still view Aaron Rodgers like an elite player,
even if the film tells me he's not. Some games,

(46:39):
and it's statistically he's not quite as potent as he
was five six years ago. It's just green Bay at
home Lambeau. It's got a little bit of a collegiate
feel to it. It's just like it's hard to bet
against Alabama at Alabama, right. It's hard to bet against
Ohio State at Ohio State, even when their teams aren't
as good. It's hard to bet against Green Bay in
the playoffs at Green Bay. I would easily bet against

(47:01):
them if they got to play the Niners in the
NFC Championship game. But Seattle has maximized their talent this year.
This is nowhere near Pete Carroll's best teams of like twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen,
But they just find a way, man, And I think
a big reason for it is Russell Wilson. He is just,
you know, just one of the most special players we've

(47:23):
ever seen. Can the running backs carry the Packers? They
did earlier in the season, scored a bunch of touchdowns,
you know, the Packers can. Can they control the game
on the ground. One problem for them under the McCarthy
years when they had the really good teams, their defense
wasn't as good as I said earlier with Mike Petton.
That's a that's a kind of a different element that
they're bringing to the table now, So I'm gonna go.

(47:46):
I God, I'm tempted to go to the upset, but
I'll go Green Bay twenty eight, Seattle twenty seven. Maybe
a walk off Crosby field goal. What grows in the forest, cheese?
Sure no one else grows from the forest. Our imagination,
our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too,
because when we disconnect from this and connect with this,

(48:12):
we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than
you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring.
I Discover the forest dot org brought to you by
the United States Forest Service and the AD Council. If
I could be you and you could be me for
just one hour, if you could find a way to
get inside each other's mind, walk a mile in my shoes.

(48:35):
Welcome mile in my shoes. Shoes. We've all felt left out,
and for some that feeling lasts more than a moment.
We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with us.
Dot org brought to you by the AD Council. Welcome
out in machines. And we're live here outside the Perez

(48:58):
family home, just waiting for that. And there they go
almost on time. This morning, Mom is coming out the
front door strong with a double armed kid carry. Looks
like dad has the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh,
but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Diapers and toys are everywhere. Ooh,
but mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle

(49:20):
for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who looks
to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in
the booster seat. Dad zips the bag clothes and they're off. Ah,
but looks like Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is
still on the roof of the car and there it goes. Oh,
that's a shame that mug was a fan favorite. Don't

(49:40):
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the Right Seat brought to you by NITZA and the
Ad Council. Okay, let's let's dive into the Middlecoff nail bag. John.
Middlecoff is my Instagram handle. That's where that's where the

(50:04):
people send me questions. I'm gonna start with Ben. If
Belichick wants to move on from Brady, who would he
bring in. I've actually had a decent amount of people
asked me this, Who would Brady's or who would Belichick's
quarterback be without Brady? And unlike a lot of coaches

(50:24):
that you know, like coach Reid has been coaching now
twenty years, has had so many different quarterbacks, you kind
of have a feel like, you know, an athletic, big
arm guy, but he's also at alex but he's had
an eclectic group. Belichick's had one starter for twenty years
and it's been Tom. Now he's drafted, you know, from
Howyer to Castle. Maybe Lawyer was an undrafted free agent,

(50:46):
but you know the kid this year, Stidham, Jimmy g.
You know, I don't know, like I would he be
interested in like Philip Rivers? Would he want like an
Andy Dalton to go with Stidham? Would if Derek r
was cut? What do you want? Car? Your guests is
as good as mine. I honestly have no feel I

(51:06):
would imagine that the Josh if he's still the offensive coordinator,
and as of Thursday mid morning, he still is of
recording this. You know he would have a lot of input.
But I think your guest as good as mine. We
can list about five guys that are going to be
hit the open market, non Brady, maybe some trade candidates,

(51:26):
but you could convince me that he would like He
would clearly want a smart guy, like He's not gonna
do an idiot. But you know Dalton smart, Rivers is smart.
Will they change their offense? I don't know, honestly, it's
one of those that you know me, you typically have
an opinion. I don't know. I wouldn't be shocked with
just about anything like Cam. I'd be a little surprised,

(51:49):
but why not. Maybe Belichick wants to more of a
running offense. I don't know. I'm a senior at Kansas
State and curios about your opinion on our new hire.
If you follow, do you think Chris Kleman is going
to be an elite coach and be able to overcome
Snyder's legacy. He has been off to a hot recruiting start,
but seems to choke easy games West Virginia, Navy, Texas

(52:13):
clock management issues. Yeah, I'll be honest, didn't watch that
much k State football isn't he the guy from North
Dakota State, the coach Carson Wentz. He clearly is a
pretty high level guy. I think Kansas State is, you know,
it's a unique job, like in California, like Fresno State,

(52:33):
like when I lived in Philly Temple. Obviously, those are
mid majors. In Kansas State's you know, a Power five conference,
but it's you know, it's Manhattan, Kansas. It doesn't pay
as much as the other schools, but you can win
there and you can get you can get a specific
type of player, a tough, a tough, you know, not

(52:56):
highly recruited kid, and that's kind of what they hung
their hat on over the years. With some JC transfers,
I would say they're comp probably on the West coast,
not for us. It'd be like Oregon State, where you
can nail a couple undervalued recruits and get some transfers
and if you've got a good coach, you can win.
And so I yeah, I think the guy. I can't
break down his game management. I'm not I'm not watching,

(53:18):
even though I actually bet on Kansas State one game
this seed against Texas and they covered. They ended up
losing the game, but so yeah, I like the guy.
Who do you think will have a bigger impact on
the forty nine ers defense, Kwon, Alexander or d Ford.
I think it'll be d Ford just because that they
needed another edge rusher right now, they've only had Bosa

(53:38):
with d Ford out. Solomon Thomas is a run player.
Buckinger and Armstead are inside players, they're linebackers. Dre Greenlaw
was making plays for the last two months. I mean,
without Dre Greenlaw they would be the fifth seed they held.
They might have got beat in Philly. Who knows. I
think they would have beat Philly. But you know what
I'm saying. They their need for d Ford is infinitely

(54:02):
higher than their need for Kwan and their need for
Kuan solid just because you always want good players on
the field. But to me, d Ford is a game
changer because the other thing is they don't ask de
Ford to do much. They just asked him to that.
They just asked him to pass rush. He doesn't play.

(54:23):
He won't play on bass downs against the Vikings, who
are going to run the football. He'll come in on
third and eight. Middlecoff mail back. This might be late
by the time the next podcast comes out, but I
was curious, do you think Jason Garrett would be a
good fit for New York Giants. He will have a
young Daniel Jones who's showing potential, a young se Kwon
Barclay who's definitely looked really good in a pretty average
receiving corps. If I don't want to see young talent

(54:45):
wasted by poor coach and good fit bad fit waste
their talent, well, I don't think they could have hired
Jason Garrett. They would have. It was already and obviously
you asked me this before you knew Joe Judge was
the coach. I think Joe Judge should be interested in
Jason Garrett to be a play caller, Like that's the
type guy a coach like Joe Judge should want around him. Now.
I don't know if they know each other. I would

(55:06):
imagine they don't really, but it wouldn't shock me to
see Jason Garrett on his staff. I've been told Joe
Judge will not call place, so he's gonna need a
play caller. Now you'd also go, well, when's the last
time Jason Garrett's called place? It's been a while. Lenahan,
Kellen Moore, Cowboy fans would have to educate me on this.
What has it been like five years, so he hasn't

(55:27):
called plays in a long time. But once upon a time,
Jason Garrett was this hot offensive coaching candidate, you know,
like he was like a Kyle Shanahan, a Sean McVeigh,
a Matt Naggie, a Doug Peterson as a as a
play caller. Those days are long since passed. But one
thing Joe Judge is gonna need is a guy with
experience being a head coach on his staff. And clearly

(55:50):
the Giants like Jason Garrett. You know, he's buttoned up,
Ivy League guy, cleanly shaved, looks the part. The Giants
loved that BS So I would imagine that Jason, it
might be on a staff. I know you were asking
about the head coach, but they couldn't make him the
head coach. They couldn't do that. What's your opinion on
the Bills touchdown on the kick that was overturned because

(56:10):
the receiver gave himself up. Uh, well, you can't. You
can't call a fumble on that play like it's it's
clear the guy gave himself up, like it's it's completely obvious.
You know, they're the letter of the law. Like the
guy was giving himself up. He wasn't gonna run the
ball out. He caught it with like two yards away
from the out of bounds line behind him. So to me,

(56:32):
that one's is black and white of a subjective call
as you're gonna have because if you like it's, we
know what it looks like. I get the catches. But
that's a that's an easy one. He didn't fumble the ball.
He was He wasn't throwing it just to the ground,
he was throwing it to the referee. So I have
no issue with them overturning that call. They got it right.

(56:54):
What do you think about Cam Newton, Well, he's never
really been my guy, you know, an inaccurate, uh you know,
kind of emotional roller coaster who now has injuries. So
he's just not my type player. But I've never disputed
his just elite talent and when he's on his ability
to dominate. But he is too hot and cold for me.

(57:17):
You know, you have to build the offense around his
running ability, and rightfully so that's always been what he's
hung his hat on. I think his MVP year he
has ten rushing touchdowns that used to run quarterback power.
But because he's so big, he takes on defenders and
his body's given up on him. So maybe maybe he
can have a bounce back. But I think there's a
chance that he's just never the same guy. So again,
he's not really my type guy. I'm not. I'm I'm

(57:41):
a little like Colin with that with my quarterbacks, the
flash and all the bullshit. I don't care. I like,
I like a guy that's even keel. You know, that's
pretty just. It's just because at quarterback, you're gonna have lows,
you're gonna have highs. You just you gotta be kind
of like Belichick as a coach. Now, I'm not saying
he can't celebrate and stuff though, like always doing his

(58:01):
first down. Things used to be. And I'm not trying
to be old man River. That's thirty five. That sounds
like a seventy, But it's like, come on, bro', you're
a pro bowler. Just act like you've been there before.
The Friday Show makes the long commute home enjoyable. So
let's say you're the GM of the Miami Dolphins. Do
you trade up to draft TWA or do you sit
back and hope he's there at five. The idea of

(58:22):
trading up for Sam Bradford two point I was making
me nauseous. And if I'm trading back and accumulating more
picks for twenty twenty one in hopes of landing Football
Jesus or Justin Fields, I think it is difficult to
ever play the long game with a quarterback, as you
saw this year with Brian Flores. So, like, if you're
thinking about can we get Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields, Well,

(58:42):
if your team's gonna be better, you have three draft
picks this year, and you're gonna sign some guys in
free agency, Brian Flores proof, Like, you're probably not going
to be a two or three win team. More than
likely next year you'll win like six or seven games,
so you won't be in the Trevor Lawrence sweepskates. And
whoever's bad enough to draft Trevor Lawrence, they're just gonna
take him. So I think you have to be focused

(59:02):
this year. I agree there are legitimate question marks about
to his health. I mean, it's just it's obvious, right,
He's got a broken hip, He's had multiple ankle injuries.
He's never finished the season, even the season that he
quote unquote finished in two last year, two eighteen, when
Jalen Hurtz came in for him because he got hurt

(59:24):
in the Georgia game, in the SEC championship game. So
I think it's a difficult discussion. I would just take
a quarterback this year. I would roll the dice on
to or take Justin Herbert. My problem is, I think
to us so much better than Justin Herbert. I would
just I'd take the chance for Sam Brad for two
point erh just because if he is able to stay
on the field, he's just dramatically better. I've always wondered

(59:47):
how sick days work in NFL for players and coaches.
Is it like a normal job where you call your
supervisor or are you required, especially as a player, to
come in and see a doctor. Is this negotiable? Well,
I remember I got sick a couple of times when
I was a scout and I would just go to
Howe's office and be like, bro, I'm about to throw up,
and He's like, go home now. Granted I didn't dictate

(01:00:09):
a game plan or anything that week. With a player,
it's pretty easy. You just send him home because you
don't want your team to get sick. So either you know,
if it's if it's a higher character guy you trust,
Like if Matt Slater calls Bill Belichick and it's like
I've been throwing up all morning, He's like, stay home,
we'll send a doctor to you. If it's like a
questionable rookie, you're like, is he just hung over? Is

(01:00:30):
he lying with a coach? It's hard, you know, the
head coach can't just go home. Maybe he could go
home a little early that night. So yeah, it's complicated. Luckily,
unlike a lot of jobs, you have the access to
the doctors and the trainers and the drugs to help
you out right in your facility. So it's it's kind
of a unique situation. It's not it's you don't get

(01:00:54):
like sick days or anything like that. It's just send
a guy home, or you know, if a coach is
puke and whatever, someone else carries his load that week.
Even though I don't I don't remember in my time
in college or the pros that many coaches getting sick.
They're just like machines, at least not in season. You
just mentally aren't allowed to get sick, but with players,
it's like any normal person. You just send them home.

(01:01:17):
But the difference is there there are no sick days,
like if it's legitimately like you got the flu or whatever.
That's a pretty good question though. Could you see Belichick
taking a punt on Josh Rosen assuming assuming he stays
and Brady leaves or is it just over for the kid?
That's a good question. It kind of feels over now.
Would he just acquire Josh Rosen for nothing? Sure, but

(01:01:40):
if you're the Miami Dolphins, you did trade a second
round pick for him, so are you just gonna give
him away for nothing? The problem is his value right
now is probably like a sixth round pick. I think
it's kind of a complicated situation. But I if Belichick
liked him, which I think is a big if, it
would Yeah. I could see that your takes on the

(01:02:01):
NFL current events is not only informative but are so funny.
I really enjoy listening. Thanks. Unrelated to football, I'm starting
a personal finance podcast geared toward twenty somethings I'm releasing
pretty soon, but I'm wondering if you could quickly touch
on some high level advice for someone getting their podcasts
off the ground. Listen. I think, like anything, I go
back to my cal Poli days, you know, just state

(01:02:21):
school kid. The motto at cal Poly was learned by doing.
And you can plan and you can think about stuff,
and you can go to YouTube and study, you know,
type in whatever you want right, how to create a podcast,
how to financially build become a millionaire. And you can
buy books, and you can listen to audio books, and
you can watch movies about it until you actually do it.

(01:02:43):
Like I'm thinking back to when I just first started
doing this podcast. How much smoother and better it is
now you you just gotta do it. And you know,
I'm lucky both of poll On podcast my other podcast,
I had a built in audience because I had a
radio show in the Bay Area for five years or
four years, and then this I have Colin Coward distributing it.

(01:03:06):
So I have advantages given my podect. I didn't just
start it from scratch in the sense where I didn't
have anyone know who's who I am. So it is
a challenge to get people to listen. There is competition.
We're all fighting for attention. Now this you come into
my space. I'm trying to get that listener to come
to me first. Now, granted you said personal finance, I
think you just my advice. Now with Instagram and Twitter

(01:03:30):
promote their promote on Facebook, you know, just do a
lot of grassroots marketing. You gotta be active, you gotta
be you know, as much as I social media pisses
me off, Twitter more than I love Instagram. It's really
a huge part of your job in this business. It's
you know, they say like recruiting is a lifeblood of

(01:03:51):
college sports. I think social media is kind of the
lifeblood of my job. Just attention seeking, trying to get
people's attention and then trying to drive people to my
whatever I do, so good luck, just start doing it
and then just figure out what works what doesn't. And
the difficult part is getting people to listen. But if
you're good, people eventually find you. I am a big

(01:04:12):
believer that cream always rises. I really enjoy your podcast.
I'm a Colts fan who had high hosts for the
season prior to the Luck retirement. Going forward, what do
you think is a likelihood we trade up in the
draft and snack a quarterback? You see us sticking with
Brissette or dipping into the free agent quarterback market. I
would assume they would go free agent quarterback, you know,

(01:04:33):
Philip rivers, a cam Adalton, someone to push Brissette more
than leverage their pick to try to get a quarterback. Now,
if a quarterback falls to them, I can see them
doing that. But the way Chris Ballard's history would go,
he plays it a little safer now and he got
time a guy that's played it saferever. Sometimes a guy
takes a big swing, so that can never be discounted.

(01:04:53):
My guests would be he goes the free agent quarterback
market and tries to push Brissette that way. Tampa Bay
is a sneaky good spot for Tom Brady if he
leaves New England. Receiving corps and tight ends are great.
Arians should have Brady's respect and his offensive minor coach
defense has potential at the secondary can be bolstered. Yeah,
it's not that's not crazy at all. I mean, they
got Mike Evans, they have Chris Godwin, they have a

(01:05:16):
running back in Rojoe, they got the couple tight ends.
Bruce Arians a great offensive coach. Like you said, they
got Todd Bowles and defense the division. The Saints, while
they were good regular season game, they're not. Yeah, they
look kind of flawed. The Panthers are going through a
rebuild and a new coach, and the Falcons you just
never know with them. So yeah, I think the only

(01:05:39):
counter that would be how often you know it's Tom
Brady gonna play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now no
state income tax could they pay? Instead of franchising Jamis?
Why not just give Tom Brady thirty million dollars? Yeah,
I mean I would I rather have Tom Brady than
Jameis Winston. Yeah, you bet your ass I would. But
would Tom Brady go to Tampa? That? That one's kind

(01:05:59):
of hard to see. Why does Sean Payton damn it?
Why does Sean Payton keep getting love as some sort
of genius. He's routinely talked about as a top three
or five coach, but chokes in the playoffs year after year. Meanwhile,
guys like Peterson gets someone ignored. But Peyton couldn't get
the Saints to beat Primetime Kirk. They shouldn't beat them.
They should have beat the Vikings both years, and the
Rams team that won last year wasn't some world beater.

(01:06:22):
The Saints get routinely talked about a scarier or a
team no one would want to play. Yet that happens
when the lights are on. They struggle against a Philly
team starting fools or lose to Kirk Cousins. What gives
a Sean Payton a little overrated at this point? Am
I missing something? Well? I think it's really hard to
win in the playoffs. It's just let's just state that
as a fact. It is very, very, very difficult to win.

(01:06:43):
In January. Mike Zimmer is Belichick Fangio top three defensive mind.
So it's hard to beat Zimmer in the playoffs. Sean McVay,
you could argue the ref screwed them. They should have
won that game. Also, when you win a Super Bowl
or a national championship early, you're a made man. Bob
Stoops won a national championship in a second year, was

(01:07:05):
a coach for the next fifteen years, and just you know,
gotta pass a lot of the time. So yeah, you
get up when you win the Super Bowl, especially with
a franchise like the Saints, you get a I mean
a borderline lifetime pass. The other thing is they did
go thirteen and three, but I say it all the time.
With the NBA, we're at the point now football we
still care about the regular season because the regular season

(01:07:26):
is really important. You do have to get it done
in the playoffs. And you're right, he just hasn't got
done in the playoffs. Just simply not good enough. It's
just point period, point blank, end of story. So yeah,
I wouldn't say he's overrated because you talk to people
in the coaching fraternity. They still think he's one of
the best in the business. But yeah, he's left something

(01:07:47):
to be desired over the last you know, five six years.
It's just you gotta win in the playoffs. Remember there
was a Niner game that he lost to Alex Smith
in twenty eleven, the year before bounty Gate happened and
he got suspended, which was a bad loss. Wanted to
pop in and say I'm a fan of your show
and how you keep shit real. Appreciate you. Usually when
it's the other guys on a podcast, I turn it off.
You're one of the dudes I'll listen to keep it real, man.

(01:08:09):
I guess I wasn't a question, just a little compliment
for me. Thanks. We try to we hang our hat on,
no frauds. So we just I talk like I talk
twenty four seven, three sixty five. This is no different
than how I'd be talking if I was sitting next
to you at a game or drinking a beer at
a bar. I'm just I am me. My mom's like,
why do you swear like? Mom? I just talk like
I talk. Now. I don't swear here out of respect

(01:08:33):
as much as some of my other places, but I
just talk like I talk. It's not you know, I'm
educated guy. My mom's like, you're sounding so uneducated. Yeah, mom,
I got multiple degrees here. You're the one that dropped
out of college. But I'm not taking a shot at
my mom. But it's just like that that generation is like, yeah,
it's just a swear word, you know. I know Colin
gave up swearing. I'm not, mainly because I don't have

(01:08:54):
that many words. To go to big Colts fan and
wanted to get your opinion of Tom bradyer Cam Newton
coming to Indie. I feel like it's unlikely either actually signed,
but with a great offensive line and Frank Reich. Frank Reich, Yeah,
do you think I always scrip that name? I used
call him? Frank Reich. It's Frank Reich. Do you think
that Indie would be a better team and Tom Brady,

(01:09:15):
they would probably be the favorites in the AFC South.
But I keep getting back to is it was led
by Ryan Grigson, but the Colts brand was all over it.
They embarrassed Tom Brady. You embarrassed the goat. I was
offended for Tom Brady, as most people in football should
be with the deflate gate like that was that was
a joke, Like it really was, like you guys got

(01:09:36):
your ass kicked and you're like pointing the finger at
Tom Brady. But new regime, Chris Ballard, like you said,
new head coach. I just I have a hard time
seeing Tom Brady played for the Colts, the team that
ultimately led the charge to get him suspended. Though from
a football standpoint it makes sense. But if you're Tom
Brady and again different humans, but that the horseshoe was

(01:10:00):
the reason that you missed four games and they tried
to ruin your reputation, led by Mortenson and some of
the guys on television, that that was an embarrassing stretch.
I mean, even Colts fans like to take a step back,
Tom Brady kicked the shit out out of everyone for
the next several years after the quote unquote deflator was
changing the balls. That wasn't why you got your ass kick,
get your asking because your team wasn't good enough. But

(01:10:21):
if you had Tom, I don't think you messed with
Cam Newton. If you had Tom Brady, I think you
could win the Super Bowl. But I just I don't
think he's going there. I really don't. Thanks everyone for listening.
Enjoy the divisional round and yeah, have a great have
a great weekend, and football, man, this is we only

(01:10:41):
got well, we got four games, so we got these
four games. We got the National Championship on Monday. That's five.
Then we got two more playoff games in the AFC
and NFC Championship game. That's seven. In the Super Bowl,
we have eight legit football games left. Think about that.
Enjoy it, Enjoy it while it's here, because it won't
be here that much longer. Audios. If you love to

(01:11:25):
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