November 29, 2025 • 40 mins
Former NFL scout John Middlekauff is reacting LIVE immediately following the Week 13 NFL Black Friday matchup between Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears vs. Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles. John kicks off by reacting to the Bears dominating in the run game in an upset road victory over the Eagles. John praises Bears head coach Ben Johnson for turning around the franchise and leading them towards a playoff push and NFC North title. John sounds the alarm on the Eagles, who have had a 0-2 week as they head into their Week 14 matchup vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. John then dives into the NFC Playoffs outlook prior to the rest of the Week 13 games and believes the odd team out might be the Detroit Lions. John wraps up reacting to Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin's reaction to a podcaster making disparaging comments prior to Ole Miss victory over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.
04:18 - Bears-Eagles Reaction
28:09 - NFC Playoffs outlook
31:38 - Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume What is going on Everybody? John middlecoff three
and Out podcast, a little Black Friday edition obviously brought
(00:22):
to you by my friends at Zone Pouches. Here's the deal.
We're going to react. We just watched the Chicago Bears
are nine and three. They have a better record than
the Philadelphia Eagles. Ben Johnson has just solidified as candidacy
for Coach of the Year right there with Mike Vrabel.
We'll talk about that. What a game plan today, ran
it down to Fangio's throat, just physically dominated the Eagles.
(00:45):
Philly's just in a free fall. Lost two games now
in the last five days. Obviously the epic meltdown last
week and just kind of got work today so that
they got problems. We will dive into that. And if
you're listening to this on Saturday, the Lane Kiff and
Saga could be over, so I'll touch on that at
the end. But I my prediction what I'm rooting for
(01:10):
with my brain and a little differently with my heart.
But hopefully everyone had a good Thanksgiving, is having a
good Black Friday, having a great weekend, enjoying some football,
and you guys know the drill. Subscribe never miss anything
on YouTube. Subscribe to the YouTube page, subscribe to the podcast,
and we got you covered. So I appreciate all of
you guys. But before we dive in, you know, I
(01:30):
gotta tell you about my friends, my partners, and the
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tap ticket, go download the game time app today. I
didn't expect that, you know. I took the Bears reluctantly
as a touchdown underdog, and I said, coming into this game,
(02:33):
I was expecting weird. Now I didn't know what weird was,
but there weren't many outcomes that I couldn't envision. I
gave a somewhat tongue in cheek, but I was like,
I envision. I could see the Bears being up ten
to three in the first half and everyone at the
leak link booing, and that actually happened, right. And one
(02:54):
thing with the Eagles, consistently through this season, their offense
just sputters. And in the first half, you know, the
Bears ran for almost one hundred and fifty yards. It's
ten to three, and it honestly felt like twenty five
to nothing. And I think two coaches this year. You know,
sometimes in a hiring cycle, you know, you just never know.
(03:15):
And everyone felt pretty confidence, like Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel. Now,
Mike Vrabel had a resume. He turned the Tennessee Titans, who,
let's face it, are kind of a joke franchise. I mean,
it's gonna be a lot more difficult than it should
be for them to get a credible coach. That they
are not a well run operation. They stink. Yet he
(03:37):
turned them into the number one seed with Ryan Tannehill.
Look at him now he has the Patriots in position
to compete for the number one seed. But with Ben Johnson,
we have seen so many guys and for every McVeigh,
for every Kyle, for every Matt Lafleur, you just never
know that there are a lot of Pat Schirmers and
(03:59):
Ben mack cads and guys that just like this is
not gonna work. And Ben Johnson immediately had taken a
franchise that hadn't just fallen on hard times, had become
kind of a joke and has them nine and three.
They just beat the Eagles on Black Friday. They ran
for two hundred and eighty yards. The craziest stat today
(04:24):
is that they had I clicked off the box score.
Here was the first downs. They had twenty eight first
downs to day. In contrast, the Philadelphia Eagles had fourteen.
They doubled the amount of first downs. They were ten
of seventeen on third down. They were running plays today.
(04:46):
On the touchdown pass that Caleb threw to Cole Comet
in the end zone, which was just an awesome pass.
I mean, that's why it's like, yeah, he's got number
one overall physical freak, elite traits that that's a trait
that you know sometimes you wish. The crazy part about
those two quarterbacks today is like, I don't give a
shit what his stats are. He has not played well
(05:08):
this year. The offensive coordinator clearly is not doing a
good job, the offensive line has not played well, and
Jalen has just been extremely erratic. But Jalen is actually
pretty calm in the pocket, you know, for a guy
who's when you watch him, feels all over the map
as a player, he's not a frenetic player. He's actually
(05:28):
I feel like he's very very He's just very calm. Meanwhile,
Caleb can be very frenetic, and I think it leads
to some of his poor passes on what should be
for NFL standards, and a guy with his talent lay
up throws. He could be pretty inaccurate, but he can
also make plays like that. But on that play, it
(05:51):
could have been a first down. Multiple spots. He could
have dumped it to DeAndre Swift, who would have walked
for a first down. He could have screamed at DeAndre
turned round star blocking, and Caleb could have ran for
a first down. Or he had comet. Now only less
than half the league could physically make that pass running
full sprint to his left. But there were three different
(06:12):
options that were gonna work. And that's what happened all
day long, and we talked about this on this Monday
night game. Is when Dave Canalis gave his I don't
want to call him a star, but he was having
a high level season and he has had star moments
in games this year, Recal Dowdle, ric o'dowdell and he
(06:34):
was averaging in that game, like six yards of carry
and he had six carries. It's like that can't happen.
And I've had some people DM me, do you think
some of these young coaches are inclined to throw it
because they grew up playing Madden? And this guy used
an example with Kevin O'Connell and I say no, a
(06:54):
lot of Kevin O'Connell played quarterback in the NFL. Like
he was drafted into the NFL it's just in your
wiring who you are as a coach. And I think
a lot of times it's at some point in time
in your playing career or in your young coaching career,
you have a mentor that you kind of look up to,
and that's what you gravitate that you want to play like.
(07:16):
And if you look at Ben Johnson, I've been calling
him the Midwest Kyle Shanahan today is a great example. Two.
They ran it forty seven times now, a couple of
those of probably Caleb Scrambles, but his two running backs, Manunjai,
who's I didn't know much about. This guy, had twenty
two carries for one hundred and thirty yards. DeAndre Swift
had eighteen carries for one hundred and twenty five yards.
(07:37):
His two backs had forty carries for basically two hundred
and fifty yards and two touchdowns. Most of these coaches
will not do that because they won't keep calling the run.
And you're like, John, well, it was working. It works
all the time in these other games, and the coach
were like, well, we're gonna call pass now, and it's
just over and over and over. Ben Johnson dials up
(07:58):
another run play and he's one of the best run
schemers in the league. And I don't know if it's
the influence of being around Dan Campbell, if it was
in him before he ever got his opportunity to be
an offensive coordinator. But he's elite at his job, like
just as an offensive coordinator, let alone what he's doing
as a head coach and just instilling some I don't
(08:19):
know if it's confidence, belief, energy into this franchise, into
the city, but as an offensive coordinator, he was so
good in Detroit. You just never know. When a guy
goes from being the offensive coordinator to now the head
coach slash offensive coordinator, you're just dealing with so much more.
He hasn't skipped a fucking beat. And if you would
(08:39):
have told me this morning when I meeting my mash
potatoes stuffing multiple servings of turkey, it was just I
was stuffing my face. I mean, I did a pretty
good job on Thanksgiving. I melted today that Caleb Williams
would go seventeen to thirty six for four point three
yards a target and throw one touchdown and have a
(09:02):
bad pick that would help the Eagles get into the
red zone. I would have been like Eagles are gonna
win by ten. Meanwhile the Bears cruised to a victory.
And listen, Caleb had his moments where he was solid
and he does a good job getting him on the move,
like Ben Johnson is doing a good job with Caleb,
and Caleb has proven it's even an accurate passer and
(09:22):
it just doesn't matter. And obviously you're going into Philadelphia,
they're coming off this devastating loss a little bit like
it's not like the Cowboys are right behind him, but
they have enough momentum where it's like, we need to
stop the bleeding here a little bit. You know, we
got the Packers just one. Obviously the Rams are rolling
like we're still in position here to get the number
(09:43):
one seed. Like we got to take care of business.
And it's like, we're gonna come into Philadelphia on a
day that looked freezing cold, the wind is pumping, and
we're gonna run it down your throat. We are gonna
physically a team that I would say most people just
on their roster, you go. They have a very physical team.
Aj Brown, very physical player. They have a bunch of
guys on defense that you would consider very physical players.
(10:05):
Vic Fangio is an old school, tough guy defensive coordinator,
and Ben Johnson worked him up and down the field.
And I listen, every once in a while, you get
to a position where it's like with the MVP. I
remember when I was a kid, Barry Sanders and Brett
(10:25):
Favre split the MVP. I think Peyton Manning might have
done it one year with was it Steve McNair they
split the MVP. I have no problem because what these
two coaches are doing is just remarkable. I mean, the
Patriots have had become an embarrassment before Vrabel showed up,
and the Bears had been really, really bad for a
(10:46):
really long time, and they were in a position last
year right around this time they were I don't know
the butt of everyone's joke. And immediately a year later
he has them nine to three and they're in a
position that I mean, today was a great moment where listen.
Their defense has had moments where it hasn't looked good,
(11:06):
but they have created a lot of turnovers and the
Eagles are down ten three. Aj Brown, it was kind
of a crazy drive. You get a late hit which
was a clear late hit on Jalen, so they get
fifteen yards, they get to midfield. A couple of plays later,
they hit a J. Brown on just a fantastic play.
They're like, Okay, tight game, this thing's we got a
(11:27):
game here. They missed the extra point, wasn't even close.
A couple of plays later, Caleb throws the interception. You're thinking, God,
the Eagles are gonna drive, take the lead here and
maybe they'll never look back. And what happens. They fumble
a toush push and then the Bears drive the field
score and it's the ballgame. And there's something I don't
want to say magical, but when you've been this bad
(11:50):
and you start winning games like this, you kind of
start feeling that. If you would ask me a couple
of weeks ago, when I looked at the schedule Eagles, Packers, Brown, Packers,
what do you think the Bears would do during that stretch,
I'd be like, one in three. Now I'm in the
position to go. I think they could split with the Packers,
and I definitely like him against the Browns. So could
(12:15):
the Chicago Bears win this division? Hell yeah, they could do.
I think the Packers are better. Yeah, in theory, because
of the history, because of the resume because they have
guys who have been there and done that. But I'm
watching this Bears team, how well coached they are. I'm
blown away, Like you know where I stood at the
beginning of the year on Caleb Williams and still he's
(12:37):
a roller coaster ride. But Ben Johnson's done an incredible
job with him. His impact when you just watch them
on a series in series out basis the ease in
which they get first downs on like third and four,
third and five. Herbstreet said something I was like, wait,
did I hear that right? He said, the average third
down for the Eagles this year had been thirty eight.
(13:00):
Rich third down has been third and eight. No wonder
they lead the league in third three and outs, Like
they're always in third and long and they don't have
a good offense. Meanwhile, I'm watching the Bears like be
the most efficient offense in the league. It's like every
time they need something, boom, and they have a quarterback
who's like under sixty percent as a passer. So I
(13:21):
just have the utmost respect for what Ben Johnson has done.
If I'm a Bears fan, we had fallen on hard times,
our ownership had taken a lot of shit, but they
opened up the check book. They paid this guy a
lot of money. And listen, anytime you pay a coordinator
a lot of money to be your head coach. I
will continue to say this year and year out, you
never know. It's very risky. And this thing the ROI
(13:45):
on this He's been worth every penny and more. It
looks like one of the greatest hires in like the
history of the franchise. If they were to win this division,
they are clearly in position to do so, that would
be it would honestly be more impressive than what Vrabel
has done in New England, just because he only has
(14:06):
to deal with one team. I mean, they have to
deal with the Lions, and even the Vikings have a
ton of good players. You get the Jets of the Dolphins.
It's today was really really impressive. That was There was
a moment too that Greg Olsen he tweeted during the
game because on the last couple drives the Eagles are
(14:27):
throwing into the wind and Greg Olsen, the former tight
end who calls games for Fox, tweeted Phillys throwing into
the wind because Chicago won the toss and took the ball,
it's not random. Ben Johnson planned for the fourth quarter
hours ago. And whenever you hear about assistant coaches who
(14:47):
go on and they talk about their former boss or
guys that work for Nick Saban or just high level coaches,
you know, former guys that work for Belichick. They always
talk about the details and how you have meetings days
leading up to the game, about wind direction, about if
you're in college, the home, the student sections, where you
want to go into it or away from it, and
(15:09):
details really matter. And when I see Ben Johnson, I
see a detailed tough guy. And toughness isn't about like
you don't have to look like Mike Vrabel or Dan
Campbell to be a tough guy. It's a mentality in
which you play. The reason you know the Dan Lanning
video that went viral that I would imagine most people
watching or are listening to this have seen you don't
(15:34):
fake toughness. And in football, like toughness is created in
practice by the mentality and the plays in which you run.
In practice, it's hard to be to develop a tough
team when you're running four and five wide receiver sets
because the physicality in the trenches is not required. But
(15:57):
when I worked for coach Hill at Fresno State, who
had come from Belichick in Cleveland and had worked side
by side with Kirk Farendz as his assistant offensive line coach,
it was an old school mentality. Tight end or multiple
tight ends, a full back running nine on seven drills,
which is a running drill where everyone's chin strap has buckled.
(16:19):
Everyone knows you're running and you're just running between the tackles.
The d line knows that, the linebackers know what the
fullback and the running back knows it, and it sets
a tone for the team. And Dan Lanning, essentially, i'll
translate it called USC and Lincoln Riley's program a bunch
of pussies because in there in his mind, the way
(16:40):
they play and what they show on tape is soft.
He never would have said that about the Pete Carroll
teams because Pete Carroll up until this year, his mentality
was always defense and run game because that creates toughness.
Like obviously the Bearers have had some injuries up front,
but what do you think they practice against every single day?
(17:02):
Why do you think they weren't that scared of the
tush push? What do you think Ben Johnson's calling in
practice run place, so it creates a physicality and a
mentality in a mindset that when you're playing on the
road in Philly, in a cold game and in a wind,
pumping left to right like whatever. We have tough practice
with this guy, and I just think you can't fake that.
(17:26):
And Dan Lanning didn't have to fake what he said
to his team because he knew they were tougher. Why
he's a defensive guy. He comes from Kirby Smart, Lincoln
Riley's a Mike Leach guy, rip, and I respect the
shit out of Mike Leach, but Mike Leach wasn't a
tough guy. You want to score a lot of points,
you never want to run the ball. And I just
think when you watch the Bears that there's a toughness
(17:46):
to their team because of the way the coach calls plays.
Why call him the Midwest Kyle Shanahan. Like Kyle Shanahan
is not winning a fight against most people in a bar,
but his teams historically have been really, really tough because
of the way they practice. He's not calling five wide
receiver sets in practice, they don't have those plays. He's
(18:10):
putting a tight end in a full back and getting
downhill and running the ball, and that toughens up the defense.
No different than preparing for a UFC or a boxing
match when you spar and sometimes sparring against an individual
is probably a lot tougher than another individual. No different
than practicing against certain teams is harder to practice against
(18:31):
than others. I think it was the Lions this training
camp that practice against the Dolphins, and dude on the
Lions was like, Yeah, I'm just not quite sure what
they're doing over there, because what do you think the Lions.
If you've played for the Lions last couple years, what
do you used to in practice? You're going up against
Ben Campbell, You're going dan Campbell's mindset, physicality upfront, running
(18:52):
the ball. And the Bears just out tough the Eagles.
And what's the Eagles issue this year? They can't run
the ball now. Part of that is offensive line injuries,
and I think in theory it's not like they want
to do anything different than last year. But you lose Beckton,
that's a big blow. They've had other injuries up front.
Obviously Lane Johnson is out, and you just have a
(19:13):
drop off in physicality and there were a couple of
plays today. It's like they tried to run on one.
I don't know if it was like an outside zone
to the left. They give it to Saquon and there
were two dudes like literally standing right in front of
him when he got the ball, so he didn't even
have a shot. So it's hard to even judge, like
a Saquon lost his step every time they give him
the ball, there's someone in the backfield. And here's the thing,
(19:36):
a great offensive coordinator. Even if he had a worse
quarterback than Caleb, I think they would have a winning record.
He's doing that good of a job now they do have.
You know, Rome is a top ten pick. How good
he is. I mean we could debate. Lovelin is a
very talented player. Comet got a second contract. He's a
(19:57):
good tight end. DJ Moore is a guy that would
start on every team in the NFL. I mean, they
got they are good skill guys. They have obviously a
couple good running backs, Like they got good players. But
you know, you watch the Eagles and Monogai is good obviously.
Zakias is actually kind of an interesting player. I mean,
(20:19):
they got, they got, they got guys so do the Eagles.
And I think if you flip the offensive coordinator and
I'm not blaming on the offensive coordinator, I like something's
off with Jalen. And I've been saying this for a while.
If you work with someone in a close capacity, I
don't care what industry you're in, if you don't like them,
(20:40):
and that like it's like, hey, we're having success, we'll
just deal with it eventually. That I don't really like
this guy can go from I can't stand looking at
this guy. I don't respect this guy. It's hard to function.
And I do think the Eagles got to a point
with this situation with Adra. It just got weird. You know,
Johnny had two touchdowns today. I don't know. It's like
how many times can weird things be said during the week.
(21:02):
It's like, oh, everything's fine on game day, Like that
just has to carry over. That just has to impact
somewhat of the practice. Even though I defend aj Brown
because I'm watching the today like that's an elite talent.
So if I'm playing with the guy who I think
should be playing better, and I don't think he's playing
well enough, and I'm sure I'm telling the coaches They
tell me just be quiet because he's the guy making
(21:23):
fifty and I'm only making twenty five. Just keep your
mouth shut, be a team guy. Eventually I crack like
I actually support aj in this situation because I'm watching Jalen.
It's like his offensive coordinator is clearly a downgrade from
last year, but his quarterback's also not playing that well.
It's hard to call offensive plays when you have a
poor offensive line, so it's like a combination of it
all and it clearly is not working. And the defense tried.
(21:47):
It's ten three a half time. They had like two
first downs in the first half. You get to the
point like it's why there are bad teams in college
in the NFL all the time they have, like through
the first let's say sixty percent of the season, have
a high end defense. Eventually they just tap out if
(22:07):
they're playing with a bad offense because it goes, well,
what's the point is? This is not gonna happen even
if your offense is playing bad, but you're winning, like
the Broncos right throughout the last couple of years. It's like, listen,
it's worth it for us to we're going to the playoffs.
But you get to a point where we start looking
around like is this gonna work? And then eventually you
(22:29):
just let your guard down for a minute, you lose focus.
All of a sudden you're down multiple scores because the
margin forera for your offense is just so small. And
I don't know exactly who to blame, Like Siriani clearly
is not as dynamic as some of these other coaches
because he can't call offensive plays. But do I just
think he knows nothing? No? Do I think that he's
(22:53):
had a front row seat when Shane Sichin was there
and Kellen Moore was there, same with Kevin Patula. Wouldn't
they just call plays that work last year to work
again this year? You would think. But obviously, as personnel changes,
you have to adapt. And as Jalen not adapting, are
they not capable of adapting as coaches? Whatever it is,
it's not working, And I don't want to sound the
(23:14):
alarm yet, but there are It's like a higher level
version of a couple of years ago when they started
whatever was ten and one or eleven in one and
they lost every game, and then they played the Bucks
in the first round and got their ass kicked, and
then everyone got fired, like all their offensive staff and
then that was then they brought in Kellen Moore and
won the Super Bowl, and you go, they've lost two
(23:37):
straight games. They've lost you know, the Cowboy game where
they're up to twenty one nothing. They got their ass kicked today.
They could have a couple of weeks ago lost to
the Lions. They beat the Packers ten to seven and
one of the ugliest games you'll ever see. I mean,
they have not been playing well if we just look
at the offense. Ten points against the Packers, sixteen points
against the Lions, twenty one points against the Cowboys, but
(24:00):
they didn't score in the second half, and they had
fifteen points today, so it's safe to say something's way off.
I mean, I'm no math major, but they're averaging what
thirteen fourteen points over the last month. They're trending in
the wrong direction. And the defense, like when you're in
this in twenty twenty five, if you're scoring ten to
(24:23):
fifteen points a game, it's going to be very difficult.
Like no one has the eighty five Bears anymore. You
gotta score some points. And if I'm Howie and Jeffery,
it's like, well, paying aj or paying Devonte Smith or
paying god Her, paying Saquad a ton of money, Like,
we got to figure something out, and it doesn't feel
like they're able to right now. Now. The rest of
their season they got. Next week, they're playing the Chargers
(24:46):
on what looks like to be Monday night football, so
in LA it's just a long trip. Then they get
the Raiders at home, which to me has got weird
game written all over it. Then they play the Commanders,
who we think sucks, but you never know. Divisional games
at Buffalo after Christmas, which is gonna be an ugly
weather game, and then against the Commanders. So I do
(25:08):
think it'd be pretty difficult. Even if Dallas were to
run the table, they would be eleven five and one.
So the Eagles at eight and four could only win
three more games. I mean, they got three wins on
the schedule in theory, but something just feels off. I
(25:29):
don't really know what to say beside something's off, and
you can band aid it when you're winning. They did,
and now you get into a position the last couple
of weeks you're like, you can't hide it anymore. Meanwhile,
the Bears have kind of played a similar game most
of the year. Honestly, today was a much more dominant
start to finish game than they usually play. Usually they
(25:51):
have moments a little like the Eagles, where they look
a little weird and then come storming back in the
second half. Yet today it's like they put pedal to
the medal. They had their foot on their throat. They're
running five six seven yards to carry, dominating every third
and three third and four first down. Keep the chains moving.
Jalen over there in a jacket, just looking forward, not
talking to a soul. Incredible win. Today's show is brought
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New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. I also think that we
got a pretty clear outlook when it comes to the
(28:11):
NFC playoffs because a couple of weeks ago, I'm like
that seven seed more than likely is gonna be the
Bears of the forty nine ers. If the forty nine
Ers beat the Browns this weekend, I think there's a
pretty good chance the forty nine Ers and Bears are
both going to the playoffs. I mean, the Bears a
like a win or two away they are in the
playoffs if the Cowboys take out the Lions next week, like,
(28:34):
Detroit's kind of done though, because if the forty nine
Ers win, they got nine. The Bears just won, they
got nine. If Detroit loses next week, they'd be seven
and six, So the Niners and the Bears worst case scenario.
To me, it feels like they're both eleven win teams now.
The forty nine Ers gotta beat the Browns to be
an eleven win team for sure. But if they're eleven
(28:56):
win teams, Detroit's done and the seven playoff teams are
the Rams or Seattle, whoever wins the division. Obviously, the
Rams are in first place right now, the Bears and
the Packers would both be in and it would just
be determined how these next I think they play each
other twice in the next like I think the next
they play each other twice in three weeks, and the
(29:17):
Eagles more than it would take an epic collapse for
them not to win the division, but they're kind of
in a free fall. And yeah, that's your playoffs. And
then the NFC South winner, which right now is Tampa,
probably will be Tampa, but who knows, they're in a
free fall as well. But it's basically the AFC South,
the Packers, the Bears, the Rams, Seattle, the Eagles more
(29:37):
than likely, and the forty nine ers. That's your NFC playoffs,
and more than likely the Niners would be the seventh seed.
But if the Bears, like I said, I thought they
had no shot against the Packers, I will not be
shocked at all if they win one of those two games.
It's gonna be tough, and I think there's gonna be
a lot of pressure actually on the Packers. They're the
(29:59):
one that people like me have a ticket on to
go to the Super Bowl. They're the team that traded
two first round picks for Micah Parsons because they literally
thought and rightfully so, they were a player away. They're
the team when you watch yesterday like they're ceiling. To
me is higher than the Chicago Bears. Their quarterback is
just a better passer than Caleb, more consistent player. I
(30:21):
feel like when they let them slinging around, but like,
I don't know, I mean, I just the Bears feel
like one of those teams, like I'm done counting now,
I really am. I have a lot of respect for them.
I have a ton of Honestly, the teams I have
the most respect for this year. You know, the Rams,
if Stafford's healthy, they've been awesome. Seattle's been awesome. You know,
green Bay should be good. But like the Bears had
(30:42):
no business being that. It gets crazy. They're ninety three, Honestly,
the forty nine ers have no business being eight and
four have their teams on injured reserve, you know. And
I think there's so much pressure on some of these teams,
and you kind of see it with Philadelphia. It's just
natural in that organization. That's their mental But it feels
like they're cracking a little bit. And this happened a
(31:03):
couple of years ago. It kind of feels like a
carbon copy of what we witnessed the year when Brian
Johnson was the offensive coordinator, So that was I knew
it was going to be weird. I expected something out
of left field, and we kind of got it. I
did not have on my bingo car. The Chicago Bears
(31:25):
rushing for two hundred and eighty yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. Last,
but not least, We'll just get out of here on
this I saw, you know, Lane Kiffin went after one
of the local podcasters for essentially calling him a hoe
when he said you can't turn a hoe into a housewife.
Lane took offense to that, even though it's like, well, Lane,
(31:49):
it's like your history kind of speaks for yourself and
the way you've played this. Listen, it's a bizarre situation.
It's become it's kind of become real housewives. If he
does end up staying, was all this drama necessary? Does
he actually lose any equity if he ends up staying,
(32:10):
especially if he wins a couple of playoff games? Probably not.
I do think Lane kind of enjoys the hooplah and
the spectacle that is this situation. I watched a lot
of that game this morning. I'll miss if. I mean,
if quarterback overthrew a couple of plays, it could have
been fifty to twenty. I mean, that was ole miss
(32:30):
in a different universe in Mississippi State. But I do
think the Lane saga, it's pretty clear that the old
ultibatum or however you know the actual description what he
was told in that meeting a couple of weeks ago
was like, listen, Lane, you're not going to be able
to coach the playoffs if you're leaving. So we need
(32:50):
a decision. You either have to sign our extension come
Saturday or Sunday, or you have to go because we're
not going to be in a position where you're going
to coach the playoffs and also leave us. So they
clearly put him in a position where I think originally
he probably thought it could have his cake and eat
it too. And I don't blame him because I saw
(33:12):
a lot of people on the internet like ole Miss
deserves better than this. They do. They've literal I saw
Lan Kiffin say today, it's the best season the history
of the state. Missippi or Missippi State have never won
eleven games in the regular season. So I'd argue that
ole Miss didn't deserve this because they've never had it.
This is as good as it has ever been. Now,
(33:32):
I get it. Even if you OutKick your coverage and
you're dating a ten and you're a five. Once she
starts acting a little weird, it enterts your feelings, even
if you get accustomed to that lifestyle. So I totally
understand the mentality of like this this sucks. Can you
just you know, shit or get off the pot here?
And it's pretty clear that he knows he has to
(33:54):
make a decision by tomorrow. And I also thought, like,
clearly Florida is you know, realize that he's not coming there.
It shows you what a different world we're in in
college football, Like the NFL is a great example. You
can you can win anywhere, like the Jags decent chance.
Liam Cohen is going to be in the playoffs this
year and Andy Reid will not say that out loud
(34:17):
three times. Or Ben Johnson and the Bears are going
to be a playoff team and Andy Reid is not.
Like in the NFL, it's much more unpredictable. College typically
has been historically right, and now with nil and the
way it's funded, it's completely a little out of whack.
You saw today, dude staying at Missouri, Guys, you know,
(34:39):
staying at Vanderbilt. I would imagine Brent Key is going
to stay at Georgia Tech. Like coaches that would have
been lined up to try to get the Florida or
Penn State are like, yeah, let's say a Vanderbilt, but yeah,
they can pay me seven eight million dollars. We've got
a big nil budget. We'll win here. So if you
would have told someone ten years ago that loved college football,
it's like, yeah, the old Miss coach, he's deciding between
(35:01):
Old Miss and LSU, and he's not interested in Florida
at all. You'd be like, what are you on drugs?
So we're just in a different time. We have to
recalibrate a little bit how this operates, and it just listen,
there are things that I understand fan base is getting uncomfortable,
getting mad, but it's just kind of a bizarre situation.
(35:21):
You know, he didn't fire these guys at Florida or LSU.
Could he have handled it better? I guess if you're
an Old Miss fan, the only way he can handle
it well or handle it well would be like, yeah,
I'm not leaving. And if he leaves to LSU, could
you really be like he's that crazy? It's like, truly,
most people would say a top two or three job
in the country. But I do always think it's funny.
(35:45):
Coaches always downplay like it. Even Lady's been saying this.
I've been consuming a lot of content for just kind
of this coaching cycle is, you know, we isolate the noise,
We keep out the distractions, We don't let that get
into our building. And then he goes up to a
dude on like a local podcast, starts talking shit. It's like, Lane,
You're listening to everything, all these guys, and I don't
(36:07):
blame you, Like it's we're all human beings if someone's
talking about us, especially negatively. Honestly, it's easy for me
when someone's like, hey man, you know, like, do you
look at your comments? I don't, because the negative stuff
does impact you. Not that I at this point in time,
I'm going to responder or whatever, but I don't even
want to let these negative thoughts into my mind. But
(36:30):
in positions like Lane, where you got like ten handlers
constantly showing you what people are saying about you, and
I'm sure your children are also showing you, how would
it not push you off even if it's true. So
I just think part of college football your ability to
steal coaches adds a reality show element that the NFL
(36:51):
just doesn't have, because, like, if the NFL was college,
if I was the New York Giants, I'd be like, hey,
can we make a hundred million dollar offer to Ben Johnson? Like, well,
he just got the Bear's job, Like I don't give
a shit. I want him to be my coach. And
if we can't, can we try to get Kyle shanahan
Sean McVay because that's what happens in college football. Me
just saying, think how crazy that is that I just
(37:12):
said that out loud. It's like, who are the giants
top three targets? Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Ben Johnson. She'd
be like, bro, what are you talking about? Well, that's
how college works. It's like who's Penn State's number one target,
Kaylin du Boor it's like, well he's the Alabama head coach, Like, yeah,
I want Kalen, I want Kayleen. I wanted a bor
(37:33):
to be my head coach, but he's coaching Bama. Well
yeah if I can't. If I can't get him, I'll
steal someone else's coach. It's just how it works, and
that creates the chaos. Of this whole situation. It's just
it's pretty nuts just to begin with, just on the
premise of you can literally steal someone else's coach who
is in your conference. So it's one thing to like,
(37:53):
if you're Washington and you steal Fresno State's coach, it's like, well,
I'm they're in a lower division. Welcome to the big leagues, right.
There's a reason that Amazon and Target and Walmart put
the little guy out of business every once in a while.
But it's like, we're in the conference, we both play
our games on ESPN, we both are part of the
same media deal. It's again, we don't care. We think
(38:14):
we're better than you, and we're going to steal your coach.
So it's just it's just it's it's a setup for
animosity and anger and bitterness and these weird situations. So
uh yeah, man, I uh, I'm excited to see what
happens because clearly when he says I kind of believe
(38:35):
him that maybe he truly doesn't know yet, and if
he does come back, that would be that would be
pretty nuts. My guess. Would be here at at five
o'clock mountain time here in Arizona, that it will be
announced at sometime tomorrow that Lane Kiffin is going to
Louisiana State University. But my heart, that's what my brain says.
(38:59):
My heart is rooting for him to stay. I think
that would be just kind of a cool, pure just
kind of backing up what he's actually saying. Di Misissippi
changed his life everything, you know, kicked alcohol, he got
his family back together, and yeah, it'd be a feel
good story for the little guy. Even though Ole miss
(39:21):
Is has a twenty five million dollar roster and is
currently paying their head coach ten million dollars, so I
actually don't know how little they are in twenty twenty five.
But have a great day, enjoy all the college football tomorrow.
Would love to see Michigan beat Ohio State again, though
I don't think that's gonna happen, and I just want
some chaos tomorrow. Wouldn't mind. I like Klin, but I
(39:43):
do think it would be kind of funny if if
he lost, then he left to Penn State, and then
all of a sudden, Lane Kiffen would would start being like,
would he take the LSU job or commit to Ole
miss and then back out and go to Alabama? That
would truly make him the most hated man of all time,
but I'm kind of rooting for that. Have a great night,
see everybody later. Audios. The volume
The volume What is going on Everybody? John middlecoff three
and Out podcast, a little Black Friday edition obviously brought
(00:22):
to you by my friends at Zone Pouches. Here's the deal.
We're going to react. We just watched the Chicago Bears
are nine and three. They have a better record than
the Philadelphia Eagles. Ben Johnson has just solidified as candidacy
for Coach of the Year right there with Mike Vrabel.
We'll talk about that. What a game plan today, ran
it down to Fangio's throat, just physically dominated the Eagles.
(00:45):
Philly's just in a free fall. Lost two games now
in the last five days. Obviously the epic meltdown last
week and just kind of got work today so that
they got problems. We will dive into that. And if
you're listening to this on Saturday, the Lane Kiff and
Saga could be over, so I'll touch on that at
the end. But I my prediction what I'm rooting for
(01:10):
with my brain and a little differently with my heart.
But hopefully everyone had a good Thanksgiving, is having a
good Black Friday, having a great weekend, enjoying some football,
and you guys know the drill. Subscribe never miss anything
on YouTube. Subscribe to the YouTube page, subscribe to the podcast,
and we got you covered. So I appreciate all of
you guys. But before we dive in, you know, I
(01:30):
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You just go John for twenty dollars off your first purchase.
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tap ticket, go download the game time app today. I
didn't expect that, you know. I took the Bears reluctantly
as a touchdown underdog, and I said, coming into this game,
(02:33):
I was expecting weird. Now I didn't know what weird was,
but there weren't many outcomes that I couldn't envision. I
gave a somewhat tongue in cheek, but I was like,
I envision. I could see the Bears being up ten
to three in the first half and everyone at the
leak link booing, and that actually happened, right. And one
(02:54):
thing with the Eagles, consistently through this season, their offense
just sputters. And in the first half, you know, the
Bears ran for almost one hundred and fifty yards. It's
ten to three, and it honestly felt like twenty five
to nothing. And I think two coaches this year. You know,
sometimes in a hiring cycle, you know, you just never know.
(03:15):
And everyone felt pretty confidence, like Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel. Now,
Mike Vrabel had a resume. He turned the Tennessee Titans, who,
let's face it, are kind of a joke franchise. I mean,
it's gonna be a lot more difficult than it should
be for them to get a credible coach. That they
are not a well run operation. They stink. Yet he
(03:37):
turned them into the number one seed with Ryan Tannehill.
Look at him now he has the Patriots in position
to compete for the number one seed. But with Ben Johnson,
we have seen so many guys and for every McVeigh,
for every Kyle, for every Matt Lafleur, you just never
know that there are a lot of Pat Schirmers and
(03:59):
Ben mack cads and guys that just like this is
not gonna work. And Ben Johnson immediately had taken a
franchise that hadn't just fallen on hard times, had become
kind of a joke and has them nine and three.
They just beat the Eagles on Black Friday. They ran
for two hundred and eighty yards. The craziest stat today
(04:24):
is that they had I clicked off the box score.
Here was the first downs. They had twenty eight first
downs to day. In contrast, the Philadelphia Eagles had fourteen.
They doubled the amount of first downs. They were ten
of seventeen on third down. They were running plays today.
(04:46):
On the touchdown pass that Caleb threw to Cole Comet
in the end zone, which was just an awesome pass.
I mean, that's why it's like, yeah, he's got number
one overall physical freak, elite traits that that's a trait
that you know sometimes you wish. The crazy part about
those two quarterbacks today is like, I don't give a
shit what his stats are. He has not played well
(05:08):
this year. The offensive coordinator clearly is not doing a
good job, the offensive line has not played well, and
Jalen has just been extremely erratic. But Jalen is actually
pretty calm in the pocket, you know, for a guy
who's when you watch him, feels all over the map
as a player, he's not a frenetic player. He's actually
(05:28):
I feel like he's very very He's just very calm. Meanwhile,
Caleb can be very frenetic, and I think it leads
to some of his poor passes on what should be
for NFL standards, and a guy with his talent lay
up throws. He could be pretty inaccurate, but he can
also make plays like that. But on that play, it
(05:51):
could have been a first down. Multiple spots. He could
have dumped it to DeAndre Swift, who would have walked
for a first down. He could have screamed at DeAndre
turned round star blocking, and Caleb could have ran for
a first down. Or he had comet. Now only less
than half the league could physically make that pass running
full sprint to his left. But there were three different
(06:12):
options that were gonna work. And that's what happened all
day long, and we talked about this on this Monday
night game. Is when Dave Canalis gave his I don't
want to call him a star, but he was having
a high level season and he has had star moments
in games this year, Recal Dowdle, ric o'dowdell and he
(06:34):
was averaging in that game, like six yards of carry
and he had six carries. It's like that can't happen.
And I've had some people DM me, do you think
some of these young coaches are inclined to throw it
because they grew up playing Madden? And this guy used
an example with Kevin O'Connell and I say no, a
(06:54):
lot of Kevin O'Connell played quarterback in the NFL. Like
he was drafted into the NFL it's just in your
wiring who you are as a coach. And I think
a lot of times it's at some point in time
in your playing career or in your young coaching career,
you have a mentor that you kind of look up to,
and that's what you gravitate that you want to play like.
(07:16):
And if you look at Ben Johnson, I've been calling
him the Midwest Kyle Shanahan today is a great example. Two.
They ran it forty seven times now, a couple of
those of probably Caleb Scrambles, but his two running backs, Manunjai,
who's I didn't know much about. This guy, had twenty
two carries for one hundred and thirty yards. DeAndre Swift
had eighteen carries for one hundred and twenty five yards.
(07:37):
His two backs had forty carries for basically two hundred
and fifty yards and two touchdowns. Most of these coaches
will not do that because they won't keep calling the run.
And you're like, John, well, it was working. It works
all the time in these other games, and the coach
were like, well, we're gonna call pass now, and it's
just over and over and over. Ben Johnson dials up
(07:58):
another run play and he's one of the best run
schemers in the league. And I don't know if it's
the influence of being around Dan Campbell, if it was
in him before he ever got his opportunity to be
an offensive coordinator. But he's elite at his job, like
just as an offensive coordinator, let alone what he's doing
as a head coach and just instilling some I don't
(08:19):
know if it's confidence, belief, energy into this franchise, into
the city, but as an offensive coordinator, he was so
good in Detroit. You just never know. When a guy
goes from being the offensive coordinator to now the head
coach slash offensive coordinator, you're just dealing with so much more.
He hasn't skipped a fucking beat. And if you would
(08:39):
have told me this morning when I meeting my mash
potatoes stuffing multiple servings of turkey, it was just I
was stuffing my face. I mean, I did a pretty
good job on Thanksgiving. I melted today that Caleb Williams
would go seventeen to thirty six for four point three
yards a target and throw one touchdown and have a
(09:02):
bad pick that would help the Eagles get into the
red zone. I would have been like Eagles are gonna
win by ten. Meanwhile the Bears cruised to a victory.
And listen, Caleb had his moments where he was solid
and he does a good job getting him on the move,
like Ben Johnson is doing a good job with Caleb,
and Caleb has proven it's even an accurate passer and
(09:22):
it just doesn't matter. And obviously you're going into Philadelphia,
they're coming off this devastating loss a little bit like
it's not like the Cowboys are right behind him, but
they have enough momentum where it's like, we need to
stop the bleeding here a little bit. You know, we
got the Packers just one. Obviously the Rams are rolling
like we're still in position here to get the number
(09:43):
one seed. Like we got to take care of business.
And it's like, we're gonna come into Philadelphia on a
day that looked freezing cold, the wind is pumping, and
we're gonna run it down your throat. We are gonna
physically a team that I would say most people just
on their roster, you go. They have a very physical team.
Aj Brown, very physical player. They have a bunch of
guys on defense that you would consider very physical players.
(10:05):
Vic Fangio is an old school, tough guy defensive coordinator,
and Ben Johnson worked him up and down the field.
And I listen, every once in a while, you get
to a position where it's like with the MVP. I
remember when I was a kid, Barry Sanders and Brett
(10:25):
Favre split the MVP. I think Peyton Manning might have
done it one year with was it Steve McNair they
split the MVP. I have no problem because what these
two coaches are doing is just remarkable. I mean, the
Patriots have had become an embarrassment before Vrabel showed up,
and the Bears had been really, really bad for a
(10:46):
really long time, and they were in a position last
year right around this time they were I don't know
the butt of everyone's joke. And immediately a year later
he has them nine to three and they're in a
position that I mean, today was a great moment where listen.
Their defense has had moments where it hasn't looked good,
(11:06):
but they have created a lot of turnovers and the
Eagles are down ten three. Aj Brown, it was kind
of a crazy drive. You get a late hit which
was a clear late hit on Jalen, so they get
fifteen yards, they get to midfield. A couple of plays later,
they hit a J. Brown on just a fantastic play.
They're like, Okay, tight game, this thing's we got a
(11:27):
game here. They missed the extra point, wasn't even close.
A couple of plays later, Caleb throws the interception. You're thinking, God,
the Eagles are gonna drive, take the lead here and
maybe they'll never look back. And what happens. They fumble
a toush push and then the Bears drive the field
score and it's the ballgame. And there's something I don't
want to say magical, but when you've been this bad
(11:50):
and you start winning games like this, you kind of
start feeling that. If you would ask me a couple
of weeks ago, when I looked at the schedule Eagles, Packers, Brown, Packers,
what do you think the Bears would do during that stretch,
I'd be like, one in three. Now I'm in the
position to go. I think they could split with the Packers,
and I definitely like him against the Browns. So could
(12:15):
the Chicago Bears win this division? Hell yeah, they could do.
I think the Packers are better. Yeah, in theory, because
of the history, because of the resume because they have
guys who have been there and done that. But I'm
watching this Bears team, how well coached they are. I'm
blown away, Like you know where I stood at the
beginning of the year on Caleb Williams and still he's
(12:37):
a roller coaster ride. But Ben Johnson's done an incredible
job with him. His impact when you just watch them
on a series in series out basis the ease in
which they get first downs on like third and four,
third and five. Herbstreet said something I was like, wait,
did I hear that right? He said, the average third
down for the Eagles this year had been thirty eight.
(13:00):
Rich third down has been third and eight. No wonder
they lead the league in third three and outs, Like
they're always in third and long and they don't have
a good offense. Meanwhile, I'm watching the Bears like be
the most efficient offense in the league. It's like every
time they need something, boom, and they have a quarterback
who's like under sixty percent as a passer. So I
(13:21):
just have the utmost respect for what Ben Johnson has done.
If I'm a Bears fan, we had fallen on hard times,
our ownership had taken a lot of shit, but they
opened up the check book. They paid this guy a
lot of money. And listen, anytime you pay a coordinator
a lot of money to be your head coach. I
will continue to say this year and year out, you
never know. It's very risky. And this thing the ROI
(13:45):
on this He's been worth every penny and more. It
looks like one of the greatest hires in like the
history of the franchise. If they were to win this division,
they are clearly in position to do so, that would
be it would honestly be more impressive than what Vrabel
has done in New England, just because he only has
(14:06):
to deal with one team. I mean, they have to
deal with the Lions, and even the Vikings have a
ton of good players. You get the Jets of the Dolphins.
It's today was really really impressive. That was There was
a moment too that Greg Olsen he tweeted during the
game because on the last couple drives the Eagles are
(14:27):
throwing into the wind and Greg Olsen, the former tight
end who calls games for Fox, tweeted Phillys throwing into
the wind because Chicago won the toss and took the ball,
it's not random. Ben Johnson planned for the fourth quarter
hours ago. And whenever you hear about assistant coaches who
(14:47):
go on and they talk about their former boss or
guys that work for Nick Saban or just high level coaches,
you know, former guys that work for Belichick. They always
talk about the details and how you have meetings days
leading up to the game, about wind direction, about if
you're in college, the home, the student sections, where you
want to go into it or away from it, and
(15:09):
details really matter. And when I see Ben Johnson, I
see a detailed tough guy. And toughness isn't about like
you don't have to look like Mike Vrabel or Dan
Campbell to be a tough guy. It's a mentality in
which you play. The reason you know the Dan Lanning
video that went viral that I would imagine most people
watching or are listening to this have seen you don't
(15:34):
fake toughness. And in football, like toughness is created in
practice by the mentality and the plays in which you run.
In practice, it's hard to be to develop a tough
team when you're running four and five wide receiver sets
because the physicality in the trenches is not required. But
(15:57):
when I worked for coach Hill at Fresno State, who
had come from Belichick in Cleveland and had worked side
by side with Kirk Farendz as his assistant offensive line coach,
it was an old school mentality. Tight end or multiple
tight ends, a full back running nine on seven drills,
which is a running drill where everyone's chin strap has buckled.
(16:19):
Everyone knows you're running and you're just running between the tackles.
The d line knows that, the linebackers know what the
fullback and the running back knows it, and it sets
a tone for the team. And Dan Lanning, essentially, i'll
translate it called USC and Lincoln Riley's program a bunch
of pussies because in there in his mind, the way
(16:40):
they play and what they show on tape is soft.
He never would have said that about the Pete Carroll
teams because Pete Carroll up until this year, his mentality
was always defense and run game because that creates toughness.
Like obviously the Bearers have had some injuries up front,
but what do you think they practice against every single day?
(17:02):
Why do you think they weren't that scared of the
tush push? What do you think Ben Johnson's calling in
practice run place, so it creates a physicality and a
mentality in a mindset that when you're playing on the
road in Philly, in a cold game and in a wind,
pumping left to right like whatever. We have tough practice
with this guy, and I just think you can't fake that.
(17:26):
And Dan Lanning didn't have to fake what he said
to his team because he knew they were tougher. Why
he's a defensive guy. He comes from Kirby Smart, Lincoln
Riley's a Mike Leach guy, rip, and I respect the
shit out of Mike Leach, but Mike Leach wasn't a
tough guy. You want to score a lot of points,
you never want to run the ball. And I just
think when you watch the Bears that there's a toughness
(17:46):
to their team because of the way the coach calls plays.
Why call him the Midwest Kyle Shanahan. Like Kyle Shanahan
is not winning a fight against most people in a bar,
but his teams historically have been really, really tough because
of the way they practice. He's not calling five wide
receiver sets in practice, they don't have those plays. He's
(18:10):
putting a tight end in a full back and getting
downhill and running the ball, and that toughens up the defense.
No different than preparing for a UFC or a boxing
match when you spar and sometimes sparring against an individual
is probably a lot tougher than another individual. No different
than practicing against certain teams is harder to practice against
(18:31):
than others. I think it was the Lions this training
camp that practice against the Dolphins, and dude on the
Lions was like, Yeah, I'm just not quite sure what
they're doing over there, because what do you think the Lions.
If you've played for the Lions last couple years, what
do you used to in practice? You're going up against
Ben Campbell, You're going dan Campbell's mindset, physicality upfront, running
(18:52):
the ball. And the Bears just out tough the Eagles.
And what's the Eagles issue this year? They can't run
the ball now. Part of that is offensive line injuries,
and I think in theory it's not like they want
to do anything different than last year. But you lose Beckton,
that's a big blow. They've had other injuries up front.
Obviously Lane Johnson is out, and you just have a
(19:13):
drop off in physicality and there were a couple of
plays today. It's like they tried to run on one.
I don't know if it was like an outside zone
to the left. They give it to Saquon and there
were two dudes like literally standing right in front of
him when he got the ball, so he didn't even
have a shot. So it's hard to even judge, like
a Saquon lost his step every time they give him
the ball, there's someone in the backfield. And here's the thing,
(19:36):
a great offensive coordinator. Even if he had a worse
quarterback than Caleb, I think they would have a winning record.
He's doing that good of a job now they do have.
You know, Rome is a top ten pick. How good
he is. I mean we could debate. Lovelin is a
very talented player. Comet got a second contract. He's a
(19:57):
good tight end. DJ Moore is a guy that would
start on every team in the NFL. I mean, they
got they are good skill guys. They have obviously a
couple good running backs, Like they got good players. But
you know, you watch the Eagles and Monogai is good obviously.
Zakias is actually kind of an interesting player. I mean,
(20:19):
they got, they got, they got guys so do the Eagles.
And I think if you flip the offensive coordinator and
I'm not blaming on the offensive coordinator, I like something's
off with Jalen. And I've been saying this for a while.
If you work with someone in a close capacity, I
don't care what industry you're in, if you don't like them,
(20:40):
and that like it's like, hey, we're having success, we'll
just deal with it eventually. That I don't really like
this guy can go from I can't stand looking at
this guy. I don't respect this guy. It's hard to function.
And I do think the Eagles got to a point
with this situation with Adra. It just got weird. You know,
Johnny had two touchdowns today. I don't know. It's like
how many times can weird things be said during the week.
(21:02):
It's like, oh, everything's fine on game day, Like that
just has to carry over. That just has to impact
somewhat of the practice. Even though I defend aj Brown
because I'm watching the today like that's an elite talent.
So if I'm playing with the guy who I think
should be playing better, and I don't think he's playing
well enough, and I'm sure I'm telling the coaches They
tell me just be quiet because he's the guy making
(21:23):
fifty and I'm only making twenty five. Just keep your
mouth shut, be a team guy. Eventually I crack like
I actually support aj in this situation because I'm watching Jalen.
It's like his offensive coordinator is clearly a downgrade from
last year, but his quarterback's also not playing that well.
It's hard to call offensive plays when you have a
poor offensive line, so it's like a combination of it
all and it clearly is not working. And the defense tried.
(21:47):
It's ten three a half time. They had like two
first downs in the first half. You get to the
point like it's why there are bad teams in college
in the NFL all the time they have, like through
the first let's say sixty percent of the season, have
a high end defense. Eventually they just tap out if
(22:07):
they're playing with a bad offense because it goes, well,
what's the point is? This is not gonna happen even
if your offense is playing bad, but you're winning, like
the Broncos right throughout the last couple of years. It's like, listen,
it's worth it for us to we're going to the playoffs.
But you get to a point where we start looking
around like is this gonna work? And then eventually you
(22:29):
just let your guard down for a minute, you lose focus.
All of a sudden you're down multiple scores because the
margin forera for your offense is just so small. And
I don't know exactly who to blame, Like Siriani clearly
is not as dynamic as some of these other coaches
because he can't call offensive plays. But do I just
think he knows nothing? No? Do I think that he's
(22:53):
had a front row seat when Shane Sichin was there
and Kellen Moore was there, same with Kevin Patula. Wouldn't
they just call plays that work last year to work
again this year? You would think. But obviously, as personnel changes,
you have to adapt. And as Jalen not adapting, are
they not capable of adapting as coaches? Whatever it is,
it's not working, And I don't want to sound the
(23:14):
alarm yet, but there are It's like a higher level
version of a couple of years ago when they started
whatever was ten and one or eleven in one and
they lost every game, and then they played the Bucks
in the first round and got their ass kicked, and
then everyone got fired, like all their offensive staff and
then that was then they brought in Kellen Moore and
won the Super Bowl, and you go, they've lost two
(23:37):
straight games. They've lost you know, the Cowboy game where
they're up to twenty one nothing. They got their ass kicked today.
They could have a couple of weeks ago lost to
the Lions. They beat the Packers ten to seven and
one of the ugliest games you'll ever see. I mean,
they have not been playing well if we just look
at the offense. Ten points against the Packers, sixteen points
against the Lions, twenty one points against the Cowboys, but
(24:00):
they didn't score in the second half, and they had
fifteen points today, so it's safe to say something's way off.
I mean, I'm no math major, but they're averaging what
thirteen fourteen points over the last month. They're trending in
the wrong direction. And the defense, like when you're in
this in twenty twenty five, if you're scoring ten to
(24:23):
fifteen points a game, it's going to be very difficult.
Like no one has the eighty five Bears anymore. You
gotta score some points. And if I'm Howie and Jeffery,
it's like, well, paying aj or paying Devonte Smith or
paying god Her, paying Saquad a ton of money, Like,
we got to figure something out, and it doesn't feel
like they're able to right now. Now. The rest of
their season they got. Next week, they're playing the Chargers
(24:46):
on what looks like to be Monday night football, so
in LA it's just a long trip. Then they get
the Raiders at home, which to me has got weird
game written all over it. Then they play the Commanders,
who we think sucks, but you never know. Divisional games
at Buffalo after Christmas, which is gonna be an ugly
weather game, and then against the Commanders. So I do
(25:08):
think it'd be pretty difficult. Even if Dallas were to
run the table, they would be eleven five and one.
So the Eagles at eight and four could only win
three more games. I mean, they got three wins on
the schedule in theory, but something just feels off. I
(25:29):
don't really know what to say beside something's off, and
you can band aid it when you're winning. They did,
and now you get into a position the last couple
of weeks you're like, you can't hide it anymore. Meanwhile,
the Bears have kind of played a similar game most
of the year. Honestly, today was a much more dominant
start to finish game than they usually play. Usually they
(25:51):
have moments a little like the Eagles, where they look
a little weird and then come storming back in the
second half. Yet today it's like they put pedal to
the medal. They had their foot on their throat. They're
running five six seven yards to carry, dominating every third
and three third and four first down. Keep the chains moving.
Jalen over there in a jacket, just looking forward, not
talking to a soul. Incredible win. Today's show is brought
(26:20):
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New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. I also think that we
got a pretty clear outlook when it comes to the
(28:11):
NFC playoffs because a couple of weeks ago, I'm like
that seven seed more than likely is gonna be the
Bears of the forty nine ers. If the forty nine
Ers beat the Browns this weekend, I think there's a
pretty good chance the forty nine Ers and Bears are
both going to the playoffs. I mean, the Bears a
like a win or two away they are in the
playoffs if the Cowboys take out the Lions next week, like,
(28:34):
Detroit's kind of done though, because if the forty nine
Ers win, they got nine. The Bears just won, they
got nine. If Detroit loses next week, they'd be seven
and six, So the Niners and the Bears worst case scenario.
To me, it feels like they're both eleven win teams now.
The forty nine Ers gotta beat the Browns to be
an eleven win team for sure. But if they're eleven
(28:56):
win teams, Detroit's done and the seven playoff teams are
the Rams or Seattle, whoever wins the division. Obviously, the
Rams are in first place right now, the Bears and
the Packers would both be in and it would just
be determined how these next I think they play each
other twice in the next like I think the next
they play each other twice in three weeks, and the
(29:17):
Eagles more than it would take an epic collapse for
them not to win the division, but they're kind of
in a free fall. And yeah, that's your playoffs. And
then the NFC South winner, which right now is Tampa,
probably will be Tampa, but who knows, they're in a
free fall as well. But it's basically the AFC South,
the Packers, the Bears, the Rams, Seattle, the Eagles more
(29:37):
than likely, and the forty nine ers. That's your NFC playoffs,
and more than likely the Niners would be the seventh seed.
But if the Bears, like I said, I thought they
had no shot against the Packers, I will not be
shocked at all if they win one of those two games.
It's gonna be tough, and I think there's gonna be
a lot of pressure actually on the Packers. They're the
(29:59):
one that people like me have a ticket on to
go to the Super Bowl. They're the team that traded
two first round picks for Micah Parsons because they literally
thought and rightfully so, they were a player away. They're
the team when you watch yesterday like they're ceiling. To
me is higher than the Chicago Bears. Their quarterback is
just a better passer than Caleb, more consistent player. I
(30:21):
feel like when they let them slinging around, but like,
I don't know, I mean, I just the Bears feel
like one of those teams, like I'm done counting now,
I really am. I have a lot of respect for them.
I have a ton of Honestly, the teams I have
the most respect for this year. You know, the Rams,
if Stafford's healthy, they've been awesome. Seattle's been awesome. You know,
green Bay should be good. But like the Bears had
(30:42):
no business being that. It gets crazy. They're ninety three, Honestly,
the forty nine ers have no business being eight and
four have their teams on injured reserve, you know. And
I think there's so much pressure on some of these teams,
and you kind of see it with Philadelphia. It's just
natural in that organization. That's their mental But it feels
like they're cracking a little bit. And this happened a
(31:03):
couple of years ago. It kind of feels like a
carbon copy of what we witnessed the year when Brian
Johnson was the offensive coordinator, So that was I knew
it was going to be weird. I expected something out
of left field, and we kind of got it. I
did not have on my bingo car. The Chicago Bears
(31:25):
rushing for two hundred and eighty yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. Last,
but not least, We'll just get out of here on
this I saw, you know, Lane Kiffin went after one
of the local podcasters for essentially calling him a hoe
when he said you can't turn a hoe into a housewife.
Lane took offense to that, even though it's like, well, Lane,
(31:49):
it's like your history kind of speaks for yourself and
the way you've played this. Listen, it's a bizarre situation.
It's become it's kind of become real housewives. If he
does end up staying, was all this drama necessary? Does
he actually lose any equity if he ends up staying,
(32:10):
especially if he wins a couple of playoff games? Probably not.
I do think Lane kind of enjoys the hooplah and
the spectacle that is this situation. I watched a lot
of that game this morning. I'll miss if. I mean,
if quarterback overthrew a couple of plays, it could have
been fifty to twenty. I mean, that was ole miss
(32:30):
in a different universe in Mississippi State. But I do
think the Lane saga, it's pretty clear that the old
ultibatum or however you know the actual description what he
was told in that meeting a couple of weeks ago
was like, listen, Lane, you're not going to be able
to coach the playoffs if you're leaving. So we need
(32:50):
a decision. You either have to sign our extension come
Saturday or Sunday, or you have to go because we're
not going to be in a position where you're going
to coach the playoffs and also leave us. So they
clearly put him in a position where I think originally
he probably thought it could have his cake and eat
it too. And I don't blame him because I saw
(33:12):
a lot of people on the internet like ole Miss
deserves better than this. They do. They've literal I saw
Lan Kiffin say today, it's the best season the history
of the state. Missippi or Missippi State have never won
eleven games in the regular season. So I'd argue that
ole Miss didn't deserve this because they've never had it.
This is as good as it has ever been. Now,
(33:32):
I get it. Even if you OutKick your coverage and
you're dating a ten and you're a five. Once she
starts acting a little weird, it enterts your feelings, even
if you get accustomed to that lifestyle. So I totally
understand the mentality of like this this sucks. Can you
just you know, shit or get off the pot here?
And it's pretty clear that he knows he has to
(33:54):
make a decision by tomorrow. And I also thought, like,
clearly Florida is you know, realize that he's not coming there.
It shows you what a different world we're in in
college football, Like the NFL is a great example. You
can you can win anywhere, like the Jags decent chance.
Liam Cohen is going to be in the playoffs this
year and Andy Reid will not say that out loud
(34:17):
three times. Or Ben Johnson and the Bears are going
to be a playoff team and Andy Reid is not.
Like in the NFL, it's much more unpredictable. College typically
has been historically right, and now with nil and the
way it's funded, it's completely a little out of whack.
You saw today, dude staying at Missouri, Guys, you know,
(34:39):
staying at Vanderbilt. I would imagine Brent Key is going
to stay at Georgia Tech. Like coaches that would have
been lined up to try to get the Florida or
Penn State are like, yeah, let's say a Vanderbilt, but yeah,
they can pay me seven eight million dollars. We've got
a big nil budget. We'll win here. So if you
would have told someone ten years ago that loved college football,
it's like, yeah, the old Miss coach, he's deciding between
(35:01):
Old Miss and LSU, and he's not interested in Florida
at all. You'd be like, what are you on drugs?
So we're just in a different time. We have to
recalibrate a little bit how this operates, and it just listen,
there are things that I understand fan base is getting uncomfortable,
getting mad, but it's just kind of a bizarre situation.
(35:21):
You know, he didn't fire these guys at Florida or LSU.
Could he have handled it better? I guess if you're
an Old Miss fan, the only way he can handle
it well or handle it well would be like, yeah,
I'm not leaving. And if he leaves to LSU, could
you really be like he's that crazy? It's like, truly,
most people would say a top two or three job
in the country. But I do always think it's funny.
(35:45):
Coaches always downplay like it. Even Lady's been saying this.
I've been consuming a lot of content for just kind
of this coaching cycle is, you know, we isolate the noise,
We keep out the distractions, We don't let that get
into our building. And then he goes up to a
dude on like a local podcast, starts talking shit. It's like, Lane,
You're listening to everything, all these guys, and I don't
(36:07):
blame you, Like it's we're all human beings if someone's
talking about us, especially negatively. Honestly, it's easy for me
when someone's like, hey man, you know, like, do you
look at your comments? I don't, because the negative stuff
does impact you. Not that I at this point in time,
I'm going to responder or whatever, but I don't even
want to let these negative thoughts into my mind. But
(36:30):
in positions like Lane, where you got like ten handlers
constantly showing you what people are saying about you, and
I'm sure your children are also showing you, how would
it not push you off even if it's true. So
I just think part of college football your ability to
steal coaches adds a reality show element that the NFL
(36:51):
just doesn't have, because, like, if the NFL was college,
if I was the New York Giants, I'd be like, hey,
can we make a hundred million dollar offer to Ben Johnson? Like, well,
he just got the Bear's job, Like I don't give
a shit. I want him to be my coach. And
if we can't, can we try to get Kyle shanahan
Sean McVay because that's what happens in college football. Me
just saying, think how crazy that is that I just
(37:12):
said that out loud. It's like, who are the giants
top three targets? Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Ben Johnson. She'd
be like, bro, what are you talking about? Well, that's
how college works. It's like who's Penn State's number one target,
Kaylin du Boor it's like, well he's the Alabama head coach, Like, yeah,
I want Kalen, I want Kayleen. I wanted a bor
(37:33):
to be my head coach, but he's coaching Bama. Well
yeah if I can't. If I can't get him, I'll
steal someone else's coach. It's just how it works, and
that creates the chaos. Of this whole situation. It's just
it's pretty nuts just to begin with, just on the
premise of you can literally steal someone else's coach who
is in your conference. So it's one thing to like,
(37:53):
if you're Washington and you steal Fresno State's coach, it's like, well,
I'm they're in a lower division. Welcome to the big leagues, right.
There's a reason that Amazon and Target and Walmart put
the little guy out of business every once in a while.
But it's like, we're in the conference, we both play
our games on ESPN, we both are part of the
same media deal. It's again, we don't care. We think
(38:14):
we're better than you, and we're going to steal your coach.
So it's just it's just it's it's a setup for
animosity and anger and bitterness and these weird situations. So
uh yeah, man, I uh, I'm excited to see what
happens because clearly when he says I kind of believe
(38:35):
him that maybe he truly doesn't know yet, and if
he does come back, that would be that would be
pretty nuts. My guess. Would be here at at five
o'clock mountain time here in Arizona, that it will be
announced at sometime tomorrow that Lane Kiffin is going to
Louisiana State University. But my heart, that's what my brain says.
(38:59):
My heart is rooting for him to stay. I think
that would be just kind of a cool, pure just
kind of backing up what he's actually saying. Di Misissippi
changed his life everything, you know, kicked alcohol, he got
his family back together, and yeah, it'd be a feel
good story for the little guy. Even though Ole miss
(39:21):
Is has a twenty five million dollar roster and is
currently paying their head coach ten million dollars, so I
actually don't know how little they are in twenty twenty five.
But have a great day, enjoy all the college football tomorrow.
Would love to see Michigan beat Ohio State again, though
I don't think that's gonna happen, and I just want
some chaos tomorrow. Wouldn't mind. I like Klin, but I
(39:43):
do think it would be kind of funny if if
he lost, then he left to Penn State, and then
all of a sudden, Lane Kiffen would would start being like,
would he take the LSU job or commit to Ole
miss and then back out and go to Alabama? That
would truly make him the most hated man of all time,
but I'm kind of rooting for that. Have a great night,
see everybody later. Audios. The volume
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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