3 & Out - It's the Lions time, What are the Cowboys doing, Can't miss NFL prospects

John dives into the Detroit Lions and how this is their time to shine. Last season they showed that they belong with the big boys, but now they need to prove that they can actually win the big game, especially because they could be losing a lot of the coaching staff to become head coaches around the league. Next, John talks about Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys, and what they are doing with their coaching search. Will they ultimately realize they made the wrong decision to get rid of McCarthy? Later, John talks about the difference between college basketball and college football's "can't miss prospects" at the pro level and how there is no such thing as a "can't miss" in college football.

Lastly, John answers your questions in this episode's mailbag segment.

3:50 - The Lions time

10:43 - Jerry Jones and the Coyboys

28:16 - NCAAB vs. NCAAF prospects

37:04 - Mailbag

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume, what is going on everybody. Hopefully everyone is
having a great day, a great morning, and life is good.

(00:22):
We're gonna talk a little football today because I think
there's a lot of pressure on the Lions to take
advantage of their situation, given their two coordinators are probably
gonna bounce aka get head coaching jobs. So they're the
one seed Dan Campbell. They had an opportunity last year,
they got playoff experience, and I think all the pressure

(00:45):
points at them in the NFCED. If not now, then
when given that they're gonna have so much staff turnover.
You know, I've pushed back against some of the criticism
for Jerry Jones. I think it's pretty undeniable now and
even I need to acknowledge, like he's the problem. Story
about Jason Witten as the Aaron McCarthy, And then just

(01:05):
some quick draft thoughts how it relates to the quarterbacks
coming up this weekend, how they were all basically high picks.
I mean, Jalen was the latest and he was a
second rounder, several number one and two overall picks at quarterback,
and just why this thing is so hard, but why
quarterback inflation is not going to go anywhere, as well
as Middlecoff Mailbag at John Middlecoff Fire in those dms,

(01:27):
get your questions answered on the show, we will have
a mail bag and other than that, yeah, subscribe to
the podcast. If you listen on Collins and subscribe to
the YouTube channel, all of our content is up there
as well, So go check that out and let's roll.
I did want to start with the Lions and when

(01:49):
they blew the NFC Championship game, Dan Campbell said after
the game what he told the team was listen, guys,
I love you guys, and this team was awesome, but
there is no guarantee that we'll ever make it back here.
And it was very real. I remember watching the press
conference going, damn man, and they had a chance. Obviously,

(02:09):
they kicked the field goal to take a three score
lead in the second half, and the forty nine ers
wouldn't have just been on the ropes. It would have
felt like borderline impossible for them to come back, and
the Lions melted down and the forty nine Ers end
up winning that game. But I give the Lions a
lot of credit that they've not only answered the bell
in twenty twenty four, they dealt with an insane amount

(02:30):
of adversity when it comes to the guys injured on
their team and have the best season in the history
of their franchise, are the number one seed and everyone
has to come through Detroit, and let's face it, the
NFC relative even last year, doesn't feel quite as good.
You know, I think clearly the Eagles are the second
best team, but they got some major question marks with

(02:51):
when their quarterback plays just not a great game like
they can be beat. You just have to find a
way to score a couple times on them because they
struggled to score, especially early in games. And aj Brown's
reading that book for a reason. You know, he doesn't
want to attack his quarterback. He wants the rock and
the quarterback can't get him the ball. But there is
a decent chance, I would say. Read a report this

(03:14):
morning from my guy Vic Tafer that the in Florio
has been all over this, the tampering of Tom Brady
and the Lions. He's calling the game this weekend. I
never would have thought this a couple weeks ago, but
signs and momentum is starting to lend itself to Ben
Johnson ending up with the Raiders, and a big reason
for that is because the Raiders are the only job.

(03:38):
He's not interested in the Jets job. But when it
comes to the Francis, like the Bears or the Jacks,
those teams have general managers and this was a big
reason Mark Davis fired to Lesco's you get a clean slate,
and if you're interested in getting a guy like Ben Johnson,
and Brady's clearly pushing for that, he can bring along
his personnel guy, which signs point to that being Adam
Peters right hand guy, his assistant GM, who came from

(04:00):
the Lions, so they know each other pretty well. And
I watched Aaron Glenn give a press conference today. I
just thought it was fantastic. He kind of pushed back
on the notion that he's a defensive coach and he's like,
I'm a football coach. If you're hiring me, you're not
getting a defensive coordinator, getting a football coach. I will
talk to the offense as much as I talk to

(04:20):
the defense. And clearly Aaron Glenn is not just an
impressive football guy. I mean, he had an unreal career
as a player. His now career as a coordinator has
been fantastic, and that job he did against Minnesota the
other night was honestly the blueprint for McVeigh and Chris
Shula that kick the shit out of Kevin O'Connell. So
Aaron Glenn from a schematic standpoint, is obviously really impressive,

(04:42):
and you watch him talk, you're like, this guy's awesome.
And Ben Johnson mentioned today he's like, I've never been
around a guy more prepared to be a head coach,
and this guy this isn't a head coach. And obviously
these guys have at a front row seat learning from
Dan Campbell, who clearly is a complete ass kicker. The
Lions are going to be good next year. They have
a a ton of good players under contract in the
prime of their career. But anytime, you know, assuming that

(05:06):
they lose their offensive coordinator and their defensive coordinator, like
those are pretty big shoes to fill, and there is
no guarantee that they're gonna be as good on either
unit when you lose the guy calling the place. So
when you look at the Lions, like what they did
bouncing back in that scenario was impressive, and we have
seen teams losing the championship game and bounce back the

(05:28):
following year, the forty nine ers did a like three
straight years. But to me, this is the year to
go for Broke to make the super Bowl, because if
you don't make the super Bowl with these two guys,
it's gonna be much more difficult. When these guys are
going and it all lines up. You have the number
one seed, you got a week of rest, you get
a team coming off that, let's face it, no one

(05:49):
thought would be in the second round. I looked earlier. Today,
they're a nine and a half point favorite. They will
be favored assuming they win this game against obviously the
Rams and even the Eagles. While the spread would be
bigger against the Rams, they would be a field goal
favored against the Eagles at home, and it's a massive
advantage given how loud that place is. So listen, I'm

(06:12):
rooting for the Lions. I think it would be an
awesome story for the NFL. They have been an awesome
story for the NFL the last two years. But now
it's real, like this is not the Ravens and the Bills,
where it's like, can we take down Patrick Mahomes? Can
we do this right? And the answer might be no,
you can't, and we might learn over the next two weeks.
Whoever wins that Bill's Ravens game. Like you're dealing with

(06:33):
Michael fucking Jordan here, you're dealing with Tom Brady, You're
dealing with Tiger Woods. You're never beating them, And you
know what, that's okay. That doesn't diminish who you are.
You're still a great player, great team, your hall of
fame both Lamar and Josh Allen. But they might never
beat that guy. It might just never happen. That ain't
the case here. I saw the Eagles get their breaks

(06:55):
beat off by the Bucks last year. I just watched
them struggle against the Green Bay Packers. Now I liked
the Eagles. I think if their passing game is working,
they're going to be tough to beat. But the opportunities
there for the Lions, and I think Dan Campbell knows it,
like it doesn't get any better in this especially when
you have the cohesion of the coaching staff. So I
do think I'm recording this on a Wednesday. I think

(07:16):
these next ten plus days are kind of gonna define
this era of Lions football. And if they go to
the Super Bowl, even if they were to lose to
one of those AFC teams. Obviously the Chiefs, but even
if one of the other listen, you took the Detroit
Lions and the Super Bowl, it's one of the greatest
accomplishments I've ever seen in my entire life. But you
can have one of those moments where you got really

(07:37):
close and you didn't get over the hump, because next
year is going to be a lot more difficult. I've
always defended Jerry Jones. I've always just kind of liked them.
I like guys that kind of beat to their own drum.
They don't just get in line. Those are the type
of guys that I'm drawn to. That's what you know.
I admire that quality in human beings. But there is

(07:59):
a point in time where it's like, what are you doing?
And I thought, with the McCarthy situation, like why not
just fire the guy on Black Monday so you can
move on. Even if it's like, well, they missed their
window to interview this guy and that guy, it's even
less about that and more just what a wasted time.
Looking back, the last four or five days have been
with them talking when clearly they both knew this was

(08:21):
probably inevitable. I'm a huge believer. The older I get
of like not wasting time, and it's literally the most
valuable thing we have right beside like our children or
our parents. Like I'm talking like physical beings. But I'm
just saying in life, our job, any money we have,
and our time right and it can end. Obviously, we
all can die at any given moment, so there is

(08:44):
no guaranteed time past right now or tomorrow or the
next day. None of it's guaranteed. So the older you get,
being efficient with your time is really important. And it
does feel like the Cowboys just completely wasted a week
when they had to have known before the season ended,
like Mike was probably gone, even though most of us
after the week before the story broke just assume McCarthy

(09:07):
was gonna stay, because how would they not keep him
after they've just been hanging out for the week talking football.
But this is Jerry Jones, and I was thinking about
I do get where Cowboys fans go is like as
long as Jerry's there were screwed. And I always thought, like,
I don't know, man, just hire the right guy. I
do think it's basically impossible when you look around the
league if your owner is the star because I've said

(09:30):
this about like when the Rams and Niners play, the
two poster people of the game are not any players.
It's mcveahan shanahan. But that's fine. The poster child, or
the poster player, or the poster person for your franchise
can be a coach and not a player. That's okay.
I would argue with the Detroit Lions, who you'd put

(09:52):
on the poster. I would put Dan Campbell. Now you
get the AFC teams, it would probably be mahomes Lamar
and Joe Allen obviously, but I don't think anyone would
argue if you put Andy Reid up on the poster.
You know it was Belichick and Brady forever. As long
as it's either your quarterback or your coach, you're in
pretty good shape. And when you look at the NFL,

(10:15):
like hell, I'd even argue the Eagles, you could argue
it's like Howie Roseman right now, more than likely it'd
be like AJ Brown or something. But Jalen Hurts. But regardless,
it's not the owner. And when you look at the
best teams left in the final whatever eight of the playoffs,
their owners know where to be found. I mean absolutely

(10:37):
when you think about the AFC teams, the three AFC teams,
which I would say right now feel like the best
three teams in the league. Maybe the Lions want to
see other defense if they can answer the bell again.
But when do you ever hear from Steve Bushatti unless
you're reading like raven article after Raven article. But if
you're just like casually watching football fall it really closely

(10:58):
and definitely follow the best teams. I never see him around.
The only thing I ever see about the Hunt family
is his daughter, who's all over Instagram. When you look
at the bills like the Polygolas, I never hear see
from them. The Lions the only time that I think
of the Ford family or like my friends that drive
F one fifties. My brother just got a new one.

(11:20):
It's pretty sweet, actually, so to me, when your owner
is obsessed in which is his right. He was the
guy with the enormous balls that risked it all back
in the late a's and about the Cowboys, which is easy,
and every loser says like, oh, what an easy purchase.
Easy to say thirty years later. At the time, it

(11:43):
was pretty crazy, But I do think and I heard
Jane Slater who has covered the Cowboys forever, say that,
you know, Jerry's not that big on paying assistant coaches
and having a big coaching staff and paying scouts a
lot of money. So while Jerry has enormous khonas and
big balls to buy the Cowboys and obviously it fed

(12:04):
his ego and it turned him into this star and
famous person, he still has some of the wiring of
the guy that bought the team that didn't have the cash.
So when I read that, like yay, he doesn't love
certain things when it comes to money, like that's a problem.
So it's like you're gonna be the superstar but then

(12:26):
also pinch pennies on little things. It's kind of embarrassing.
And at this point he's eighty plus years old. He's
not changing. He is what he is. He acknowledged this
year like I'm always gonna be the GM essentially till
I die or physically can't do it anymore. Cowboys are screwed.
As long as he's around, it will not change. And
it's taken me longer and I'm not in it. Like

(12:48):
some of you that are big fans, or even some
of you if you're an Eagle fan or you're a
Giants fan or a Washington fan that play them all
the time and feel really close to the Cowboys. We
obviously on this show don't just talk about the Cowboys
to talk about the Cowboys, like definitely some television shows do.
But it's just not gonna work. And we have a

(13:08):
long line of evidence. But I think these last six
seven days were pretty embarrassing for the franchise, and if
I was a fan, I feel like, yeah, John, this
is we always do this dumb shit. We did it
with Jason Garrett. And one thing he's clearly obsessed with,
which I understand, is to like have a homegrown guy

(13:31):
and make him your head coach because he looks back
and Sean Payton was once working for the Cowboys, and
Sean Payton got away and went to New Orleans and
became a star. Dan Campbell was a former Cowboy player
who was Bill Parcell's guy and now is a coaching star.
He literally tried to do that with Jason Garrett, thinking

(13:54):
Jason Garrett was like his Shanahan, his McVeigh, his Campbell,
like that was his guy homegrown, and it didn't work.
Why because Jason Garrett's is not that good. He's actually
a sneaky, cocky, arrogant guy for a very very average coach.
And he's like this highly educated Ivy League guy who

(14:17):
when you watched his teams, did not feel that innovative
or that much smarter than the opponent. I forget the
school Belichick went to, like Wesleyan, but when you watch
Belichick you always felt like, is he the smartest guy
in the NFL. It's why Rabel became a coaching store.
He's just Ohio State meadhead who's clearly pretty fucking smart.

(14:38):
Do you know who never tells me how smart they are?
Mike Vrabel? And I think what Bob Kraft just did
with Mike Vrabel felt very organic. Right he was available.
He tried to do it with Mayo like they're very
desperate to have their own guy. Because I understand this,
if put yourself in their shoes, if you're worth billions
of dollars, it's very hard to trust. And I think

(15:03):
you see so many teams hire the wrong coach who
then you fall out of favor with he's not good enough,
and it just gets really really ugly fast. But when
you know the guy, it's much easier to deal with them, right,
And that's what Jerry had their relationship with Jason Garrett.
It just turned out Jason Garrett wasn't even nearly as
good as Mike McCarthy. But now when I read a
story that Jerry wanted to have Jason Witten on Mike

(15:27):
McCarthy's staff so he could be the heir apparent, you
need these things to be organic, right, Like when you
look at the Great Washington staff that gets anytime any
one of these guys play each other, it always gets
thrown up on television. Right. Mike Shanahan hired Kyle Shanahan,
who then hired Lafleur McDaniel McVeigh, like all these cats, right,

(15:51):
and it just becomes like a huge deal, Like, look
at what you had under your umbrella as a franchise.
But it naturally happened. It wasn't one of those that
like I knew all these guys were gonna become a
head coach, because no one would have said that in
twenty twelve or twenty thirteen. Just like honestly, when the
forty nine ers in twenty eighteen were awful and headed

(16:15):
to draft Nick Bosa, I wouldn't have been like you
know who's got a bunch of future head coaches the
forty nine ers. Turns out they did, from Mike McDaniel
to Demiico Ryans to obviously Robert Sala had a ton
of guys underneath. But no one thinks that at the time,
but it organically happens. Like there was a time when
I bet people thought Sean Payton was impressive, but no

(16:37):
one thought he would become what he became in New Orleans.
I bet everyone around the Philadelphia Eagles in nineteen ninety
seven thought John Gruden was a young, ascending coach, but
didn't know twenty five years later he would be the
most famous coach you know in the profession. Right. Obviously
a lot of that has to do with off the field,

(16:58):
but he was the Monday night football guy for ten
plus years. I don't even think hiring Jason Witten to
be on the staff is crazy. I remember when Jason
Witten was on television. It's like, this is not the
right profession for him. He's not an entertainer. Drew Brees
same thing, Like, true, you're not an entertainer. You're a
football guy. You belong in football. If you don't want

(17:20):
to put in the hours as a coach, totally understand.
Be like a team president, be a football czar, Go
run the Saints. I think that about Tom Brady. I
think Tom Brady is destined to do what John Elway
was for the Broncos. It's just in his blood. He's
not good on television. Pains me to say that. I
like Tom Brady, always been a huge fan. He's terrible

(17:43):
on TV. I will die on that hill. Honestly, he's awful.
He's unlistenable, which is sad, but honestly not that shocking.
This is not a skill that everyone has. Some guys
are like, listen, say what you want about Gruden the coach,
and listen. It's more than up for debate. Is he
that good or not. He's just a natural entertainer. It

(18:03):
comes very natural to him. Even Tony Romo is very,
very relatable, and you know he went through a rough
stretch right that he got a little cheesy, but he's
an easy listen. Tom is not. And I don't think
that's necessarily gonna change it. Whenever I hear anyone say
like he's gotten a lot better, bullshit. I've tried. It's
not good. But you know what, Tom Brady's gonna inevitably
be He's gonna run the Raiders, and you know what,

(18:25):
that's the right move. That's what he should be doing.
That's his skill set. And Jason Witten, when you watch
them on TV, you're like, this is not for you, buddy,
this is not working. And now he's a high school
coach and if he likes coaching, like he could be
a coach. But like Dan Campbell is a good example.
Dan Campbell had to be assistant coach for a long
time before he became an assistant head coach, before he

(18:47):
became a head coach. You can't just all of a
sudden become the heir and the heir apparent. We've seen
that try to happen with like Drod Mao and Antonio Pierce,
former players, former high level players, super Bowl champs. They
were completely over their head. It's like, yeah, this is
not gonna work. So I think some of this stuff
from Jerry, I think his heart's in the right place.

(19:08):
I think he's trying to do the right thing, but
he's You can't force this stuff. It has to organically happen.
And right now, nothing around the Cowboys feels natural, organic
and I think it starts and ends with him, and
a lot of you guys have been saying that forever,
and it's clear, it's very it's very evident right now

(19:29):
that he's a he's the problem, which which is usually
how it ends for these old rich guys because it
gets they usually don't become more open minded. They don't
usually don't and rightfully, so why why would he? I mean,
he's printing cash. I mean when the reports come out.
As part of the reason I saw Coward say this
that Matt Mosley told him that. You know, one of

(19:51):
the reasons Jerry like was cool with getting rid of
McCarthy is he felt like the fans were turning on
them and there were empty seats, which I Jerry, empty seats,
full seats. Who gives a shit? Worry about winning? The
only thing that met the seats, Like, you don't even
make that much money on your seats. You've already sold
the PSLs, right If there's a couple empty seats, like,

(20:13):
that's a football problem because your football team sucks. But like,
if you win, people will show up. And let's face it,
you make the majority of your money from the television
revenue anyway, So I just think Jerry is like living
in the eighties, but he's got this modern day money,
and he's clearly, you know, obsessed with power and ego,
and he's eighty two years old, and usually that's a

(20:35):
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Speaker 1 (22:16):
I want to end on this because I was watching
TGL golf, which is entertaining for about twenty minutes, then
it becomes kind of boring. But so I just had
the television on ESPN, and then it ended Tiger's team
got demolished and the Duke game came on and it
had already started, so when they changed the game was

(22:38):
already a couple of minutes in and beside like Instagram highlights,
I have never watched this Cooper flag guy play. I
was actually in the car yesterday and I was flipping
around the radio and I turned it to on serious
like college it's essentially college football radio, and Rick Neuheisel
and a couple other guys were hosting a show and
they had this one of the AC network guys call

(23:01):
in and they were talking football. But then this guy
I think actually was calling the game last night for
ACC Radio maybe or I don't know, and he started
talking about Colin Cooper Flagg's games and how he's this
guy's been around the ACC Durham for decades and say,
I think he's one of the best freshmen I've ever seen.
He said he was the best ACC freshman he'd ever

(23:21):
seen non center. And I was watching him, like, this
guy's fucking incredible, and he's like, listen, people are gonna
think I'm nuts, but he can he throw out I
think he's like Larry Bird. And you're watching him and
you go, it's gonna be impossible for this guy not
to be a good NBA player, Like it's absol. The
only way he could not be a good NBA player
if he gets injured, Like the only way Zion was
gonna fail is the way he's failed. He gets injured

(23:45):
and he gets fat and lazy, right, but it's not
his talent his ability. If he's healthy and just in shape,
he scores twenty five to thirty points, no problem. And
like you watch Zion in college, it was like this,
it's gonna be impossible for him to fail in football.
That does not happen, right, because if it did, Trevor
Lawrence would be a top ten quarterback. There are so

(24:07):
many other variables that you know, the one just the
level of competition you have in college, to who's going
to be your coach, who's going to be the play caller,
what's your organization, who's your roster. It's why when I
saw the headline that seven of the eight of these
quarterbacks are first rounders, and obviously Goff and Stafford are

(24:30):
number one overall picks, Jaden and cj Or number two
overall picks. Mahomes was ten, Josh Allen was seven. Lamar
had this like crazy drop and he still was a
first rounder. To me, Jalen was the craziest draft pick
of them all because I thought when Howie did, I
thought it was insane. To me, Jalen was like a
fifth round pick. Honestly, I thought he was a running
back coming out of college. But good move by Howie

(24:54):
saved the franchise. They were able to get rid of
of Carson Wentz because of it. But I think it
shows you and this is why the pressure whenever I say,
you know, quarterback inflation's gonna end, No, it's not. It's
really not, because no one knows. You have absolutely no clue.
It's so easy. Like Patrick Mahomes, it felt like two

(25:17):
teams really liked him when he was coming out of college.
Andy Reid, Sean Payton, half the Leak thought he was
like the most overrated prospect of all time. Honestly, I
thought Jade and Daniels, I'm like, I don't know, man,
and you watch them, You're like, this guy's incredible. And
I think universally around the league, if you did a
redraft most there's no way you could take Caleb Williams

(25:38):
over Jayden Daniels. Doesn't mean he's gonna be better forever.
But Bryce Young incredible comeback story. No one would take
him over c J. S Roy. So the power of
a quarterback, it changes your franchise. A coach and a
quarterback change your franchise. But when it comes to Shador,
when it comes to cam Ward, when it comes to
the next crop of quarterbacks over the next several years

(25:59):
we have I have absolutely no clue none. I mean
I always thought not he's way worse than I thought
he'd be. But I did think Trevor Lawrence like being
compared to Andrew Luck. I remember thinking that was pretty crazy.
But I remember two of my close buddies in the
NFL to do that area like, couldn't have loved him anymore.

(26:22):
So I'm like, yeah, I just I'll come along with it. Awesome,
this guy's gonna be. This guy's gonna be an elite player.
And you watch him, You're like, I don't know, man.
Hell even Doug Peterson last year at the Combine, I
remember bullshit with him and Doug loved him. Looks like,
this guy's a player. Man, Listen, say what you want
about Doug the coach. Doug played quarterback in the league

(26:43):
for over a decade, was around Dan fucking Marino and
Brett Farf, Like that's who he backed up, Dan Marino,
Brett Farf. So I would say Doug Peterson has a
pretty good idea and he took Nick Foles, who outdueled
Tom Brady in a Super Bowl. Pretty good idea. What
quarterback play looks like? You could be fooled at any moment.
At any moment. We're in basketball, it's like, no Cooper flag.

(27:05):
As long as he doesn't eat himself out of the
NBA or tear some knee up, is going to be
an All Star. That is a one hundred percent lock
where if you tell me right now, cam Ward goes
number one overall. I could be like, he could make
four Pro Bowls or he could not get his fifth
year option picked up and be out of the league

(27:26):
in five years. We just saw Zach Wilson, who Chris
Sims and a bunch of people are like, he's got
an Aaron Rodgers level skill set. Joe Douglas, who was
making six million dollars a year to be a GM
who had won multiple Super Bowls with the Ravens and
the Eagles, been to Super Bowls and won them as
an executive picked them number two overall. I mean he's

(27:51):
going to be He'll be on his I don't know,
third team and five years next year, assuming the Broncos
don't bring him back as the backup where he was
not the backup this year. Thirder. I just think it's
fascinating and it's never gonna change. It is by far
the hardest position to scout, even some of the other positions.
Like I think Austin Genty should be a several time

(28:12):
Pro bowler. Would it shock me if he's actually kind
of overrated? Yeah, potentially, I mean wouldn't. I wouldn't be
floored if you tell me, you know what, gent's just
okay in the NFL, because I could see the argument
three years in it's like, well, you know, he played
in the Mountain West. It just doesn't quite translate. You know,
the SEC schedule was a little different. The guy from

(28:33):
Iowa turned out to be way better. No one has
any clue. No one does. Like Abdul Carter, I would say,
I have a hard time seeing that guy not be good.
But like, what if he's got shoulder proms? What if
it just never works? I don't know. And that's the
hard part of football is, like injuries are such a
big part of it. It's just fascinating, man, And I

(28:53):
love the draft and I love talking about this stuff.
But every years, like these guys can't miss like, yeah,
I think Tyler Warren, this guy's awesome tight end prospect.
How fast is he? Is he gonna be able to
get open on people NonStop? Or is it not gonna
matter because he's six foot six? Can you just play
basketball literally over every dB in linebacker's head? Maybe or
maybe that speed. I don't know, And I like all

(29:17):
these guys. I'm listening off, but I've liked a lot
of players, Like a lot of people watch them in
college and they get to the NFL. It's like, yeah,
guy kind of sucks, and this guy no one thought
was gonna be good ends up becoming like makes a
hundred million dollars in the NFL. No one's talking about
Pooka Nakula, and now you watch Pooka Nakoula, You're like,
he's one of the best players in the NFL. That's
how fast it happens. Jared Verse. Everyone last year it's like, yeah,

(29:40):
I don't know, he's just a power guy from Albany.
Now it's like, shit, Jared Verse, how good? How high
is this guy ceiling? This guy have a chance to
be like a Hall of Famer. That's how fast it changes.

(30:04):
Here's the game plan, little Middlecoff mail bag at John Middlecoff,
At John Middlecoff, that'd be my name. Two f's firing
those dms. It's just my Instagram account. Fire in my
Instagram account and get your question answered. Here on the show,
we will start with santy question for the bag. As
a Bears fan, I was hoping that we'd hire Ben Johnson.

(30:26):
I think the fact that Brady is calling the Lions
game is a much bigger story that it's being made
out to be. Is it an overreaction or do you,
as I do, look at Brady's history of being willing
to do anything to win as a big red flag.
I think he means a red flag for the Bears.
Getting Ben Johnson, Well, this is a massive story. Mike

(30:49):
Florio has been righting about this left and right, and
I think, big picture, this has got to be something
that if you're an NFL team like this Brady conflict
of interest, if they end up landing Ben Johnson, he
is gonna become a bigger and bigger story. And it's
why I think all signs I don't know what year
it happens. I mean, by all accounts, it's not gonna happen, right,

(31:11):
now but lead to the inevitability of Tom Brady becoming
the version of John Elway was at Denver and then
just continuing to purchase Vegas stock as Mark Davis ages
and just becomes like, I don't know the Jerry Jones
of the Raiders. But you know there was a report
by Vic Tafer, who I've known forever, who covers the Raiders,

(31:34):
that said, you know this started I think it was
week eight or nine Brady called one of the Lions
games and that's when he first met him, and that
they talked and ironically about this matchup is you know,
one advantage the Raiders have they don't have a GM.
You guys have a GM who's not getting fired, right,
and all these other teams have gms that have coaching openings.

(31:56):
I guess the Jets don't, but he doesn't want the
get job. Well. The assistant GM to Adam Peters of Washington,
who is playing the Lions. He is a guy that
spent like two decades with the Lions, and I guess
is close with Ben Johnson. I forget the guy's name,
but he's Adam peters right hand guy with the Commanders.

(32:19):
So it's like, is Brady talking to him too, And
this is the thing where it gets weird, you know.
And I think if Ben Johnson ultimately goes to the Raiders,
which I wouldn't have told you would have been a
possibility four or five days ago. But reading the report
today from Tafer on the Athletic on the Raiders, how
this is going to gain steam and Tom Brady is

(32:40):
going to be the guy that closes the deal and
their big advantages. He can bring a GM that's a
buddy of his and they can just kind of do
it from scratch, and that's not the case with the Bears.
I mean, that is one thing that hinders the Bears.
I would say, sitting here Wednesday, January fifteenth, I think
Mike McCarthy is a very very realistic higher for you guys.

(33:01):
I'd say Mike McCarthy Aaron Glenn. I would say the
difference of like Mike McCarthy and Aaron Glenn. I think
Aaron Glenn's really impressive. If I'm the Bears, I would
want someone with someone experience like I would want someone
who's been a head coach before. I think the Jets
kind of want that too, though, I mean, can they
do better than Aaron Glenn. I guess they could hire
Pete Carroll, but he's already been the coach there years ago,

(33:24):
so I think that's a big, big factor. Right If
Ben Johnson ends up with the Raiders, man be a
nice little coop from Mark Davis. Big fan for the
next mailback. This from Brian, longtime Giants fan. Since the
Eli Manning days, many would say the good old days,
it's been tough. Does Brian Daboll survive another season if

(33:47):
we draft Travis Hunter and convert him to wide receiver
to pair with Neighbors and go three and fourteen and
try to trade up for Arch, Yeah, I don't. I
think these guys need to win. And John Marri's press
conference it looked like in the bubble, I don't even
know if it was a press conference, but he obviously
shot the shit with some of the reporters a couple
of days after it was reported. Maybe it was the

(34:09):
day after that those guys were returning and said like,
he's trying to have patience, but he's running out. I
think there was a ton of ton of pressure on
the Giants, and I just don't know what they do
at quarterback honestly help finding a mentor. Been a big fan,
best analyst in the game. I like this guy. I'm

(34:32):
currently working for something in Tennessee and love it, but
media and podcasts is the dream. One of my goals
in this new year is to find a mentor to
help and or provide wisdom. You're definitely at the top
of the list, but with the business and all, I'm
sure you're way too busy. So I wanted to ask
if you know anyone else in the industry that maybe

(34:54):
open to helping out a kid with passion. I would
just give you some big picture advice. I think you know.
I think when you're young and hungry and you have dreams,
it is hard and specific industries like it. If you
wanted to be a head coach in college football, like
it'd be very easy to just find people on that

(35:15):
specific path, Like go meet some coaches and ask them
like how they did it and what path you should take,
because it hasn't really changed. But I would say, like
a mentor and advice in like this profession, there is
not a direct path, and you could talk to fifteen
different people and they'd all give you a different route.

(35:37):
I think the key is just the faster you get involved.
If you want to work in the industry, get your
foot in the door and then just figure it out
from there. Obviously, once your foot's in the door and
once you kind of figure out what you like, that
is a way to attack. But like I think a generality,
like I want to get in the podcast business, like
do you want to host a podcast? Do you want
to run a podcast company? Do you want to produce

(35:58):
a podcast? Do you like what do you specifically want
to do? And you might not even know until you
start doing it and kind of figure it out. So
we had a saying at the Harvard of the West,
I don't even I feel like that's not even the
right thing to say anymore. Let's say, Michigan of the
West cal Poly we learned by doing, And I think

(36:19):
that's the quickest way of a fluid business like this
media slash podcasting is. There's so like it could be
dramatically different. Three years we're coaching in football. I'm just
using that as an example, like there's gonna be a
head coach, there's gonna be like, it's not gonna change.
I got no clue where this is headed. And I
will just adapt and change on the fly. So like,

(36:39):
there's no human being I could go to for advice
right now in what I'm doing Beside, like I guess
people that run big podcasts, but even they'd be the
first to tell you, like, I bet you get Joe
Rogan on the horn, like what do you think podcasts
are gonna look like in five years? I don't think
he'd know the answer. He might have some ideas, but
so I think the fastest thing you need to try

(37:00):
to do, you know, is either if you want a
host to start doing some stuff, if you want to produce,
like start reaching out to people and just try to
get your foot in the door. But I think that's
a huge key is just you got to start messing
around and figure out what you like. Big fan from Australia,
I love listening you talking about football. As a Chargers fan,
It's infuriating listening to people in the media talk about Herbert.

(37:23):
The stuff that gets said exposes people that don't see
Herbert elevate guys like Quinn Johnson and Will Disley every week,
only for them to completely shit the bed in the
biggest spot. The one that pissed me off was listening
to Nick Wright this week say Herbert was bad in
the Raiders Week eighteen game in twenty twenty one, when

(37:45):
in reality he was automatic for the whole second half
and had to overcome that genius Brandon Staley. I wonder
how many of these people on TV actually watch all
the games or they are just spewing garbage when it
comes to small teams like the Chargers. I can't speak
to who's watching and who's not watching. I can't speak

(38:07):
to when you have an opinion in this business, you
want to be right and when you lean a certain
way in terms of I think this guy's a good player.
I think this guy's a good bad player. When you
get moments that validate your take, you're going to double
down on it. And if you say that, if you're
one of those people, and a lot of people have

(38:28):
done this, that justin Herbert's really overrated. That when that
moment happens in the playoff game, that is a fucking
party for your take. I mean that that is, you know,
like when they ring the bell at the New York
Stock Exchange, or that that first makeout you have with
a girlfriend. I mean that that is that is doesn't

(38:52):
get any better than that. Honestly, makeouts understated. A moment
like that, if you're justin Herbert is like incredible sex.
I mean that that is food to the soul. Baby.
So you get to come on podcast, host, TV whatever
you do and just annihilate him and say, see, I
told you this guy sucks. He's got the physical gifts.

(39:13):
He throws some touchdowns in games in October and November,
but he's got two playoff games and he shipped the
bed in the second half three years ago. Yeah, he
had one of the worst head coaches we've ever seen,
you know, like a more articulate Jim Tomsula. And then
through four touchdown or four interceptions or five interceptions or whatever,
the total turnout to be picked six and could have

(39:35):
been multiple pick sixes. Honestly, it was kind of shocked
Stingley got tackled on the one felt like he was
I don't want to say he was lollygagging, but I
think he thought he could make it. And then who
was it? That was it? JK. Dobbins. Someone caught him.
At one moment, I was gonna score. But that's the
way the business works, you know, I personally don't care.
Like if I thought, like I think Herbert's good, I'm

(39:58):
not going to change because he has one game. I
think brock Perty is a good player. But I also
have reservations of how much I gotta pay the guy.
I think a lot of people you know that are
in this business understand the game. I mean, it's part
of the gig. But I'm with you, Like I remember
watching that game against the Raiders where the Raiders won.

(40:19):
It's like, I thought Herbert was pretty good in that game.
I remember them being some big drops. That was a moment.
It's like, this guy's fucking awesome again. Also, who are
we comparing him to? Like, is he Patrick Mahomes? Of
course not. Would you take him over Lamar Jackson or
Josh Allen? No, he's good. I got a question. Should
the Steelers really consider signing Sam Darnold or at least

(40:43):
taking a flyer on JJ McCarthy They literally never make
it to a top ten draft pick. In second part,
should the forty nine Ers consider drafting Ashton genty to
be behind CMC and have a deadly duo like the
Detroit Lions. Everybody was confused with the Lions when they
drafted Gibbs and now he's easily a top five back.

(41:05):
Beside Najie Harris, every running back that was drafted in
the first round these past five years has been awful.
I don't think JJ McCarthy's gonna be available. I think
there's probably a fifty to fifty chance that they just
let Sam Donald walk. Who knows might be highering that
after those two games. I think the Steelers would be
high on drugs if they didn't entertain signing Sam Donald.

(41:28):
Sam Donald just threw thirty five touchdowns and like, made
some huge plays in games. Right now, he struggled down
the stretch, So I think that limits how much you
could get get him for. But can you get him
for like Gino Smith money? Can you get him for
Baker Mayfield money? I think you would have to entertain
it now. I also think you should. You know, you
should definitely question it and have long conversations about it.

(41:49):
But what are your options? That's my question with the Steelers.
What are their options? They're not resigning Russell Wilson, no chance.
They clearly don't like Justin Fields as a thrower. They're
not drafting very high in this quarterback class. Does not
look great. You can't sign Kirk Cousins. He can't move
and playing him in the cold does not seem like

(42:10):
a good idea. Aaron Rodgers, but what's that? I mean
the ultimate band aid? That could be a disaster. Their
options are pretty limited, and I would say on the
forty nine ers one hundred percent they cannot draft Ashton
genty one. Kyle Shanahan gets running backs injured. By the
time week eighteen, they were on like their seventh running

(42:30):
back of the season, Mason Hurt, Isaac Garnde hurt, McCaffrey hurt.
Now was that Kyle's fault? Maybe not directly, but indirectly.
Kyle Shanahan wouldn't take him out of games last year?
Every running back Kyle Shanahan has ever had, they always
get injured. Always he runs him into the ground. So
I would draft the offensive or defensive lineman high, and

(42:52):
with my second round pick, I would draft an offensive
defensive lineman. My first two picks eleven and pick forty three,
I'm taking an A lineman. I'm taking a D lineman,
or I'm taking a D lineman. Then I'm taking an
old lineman. I'm not taking a running back. Forty nine
Ers should not take a running back. Honestly, the only
skilled position I would take would be a tied end
and Tyler Warren that'd be the only one I would entertain.

(43:14):
I completely agreed with your analysis on the pedestrian drunk
Madden play calling from the Vikings didn't help Darnold out
at all. My question what forty nine ers free agents
outside of Purty and green Law are the most important
for them to bring back. Well, it's funny we talk
about brock Perty's contract. He is not a free agent.

(43:35):
Brock Perdy has another year under contract and obviously at
his position, if worst case, he would get franchised, So
there is zero free agency in sight for Brock Purty.
Drake Greenlaw is complicated because he tore his achilles and
he tried to come back and back to back games
he got injured. So I would bring him back, but

(43:59):
it's a shitty part of it out the NFL. Sometimes
your body goes and it just never comes back. Tyler
Noah Hufunga the USC kind of hybrid linebacker safety. He
plays safety for the Niners, but I think coming out
people thought he was a linebacker's wife fell he's it's
those three guys, but again it's not three because Perty's

(44:19):
not a free agent. I'm not sure where all the
doom and glooms surrounding Jordan Love has come from. I
get it he was atrocious against the Eagles, but Farvin
Rodgers both had some terrible playoff games. Is it fair
to say some Packer fans need to pump the breaks
on the hate. Despite the injuries and the quote quote
unquote bad play, Love still had the fifth highest QBR

(44:41):
in the league two years in a row, making the
playoffs with the youngest team in the NFL. Not sure
how many Packer why Packer fans have turned on the guy. Well,
I mean far urned equity really really fast. It was clear,
it was awesome. You guys went to the super Bowl,
won it. He was winning MVPs. I think Aaron Rodgers
proved really fast. He was awesome. I mean the moment

(45:02):
he kind of begins starting, he was kind of good,
and then really quick won a super Bowl. I think
people were so high on him and everyone gave him
the benefit of doubt, and then when he got injured
and it was just all over the map. But I
hear you to me, the number one key for Jordan
Love in twenty twenty five, it's just be healthy. Like
look at Jared Goff, which is healthy all season, played well.

(45:22):
Sam Darnold healthy all season, played well. You know, when
you get banged up, it can kind of derail you.
And he got injured Week one, and honestly, it just
the whole season got off kilter. I think anytime you
lose in the playoffs and expectations were high, people get emotional.
Sports gets the Packers. I get it. It doesn't necessarily

(45:44):
matter because he's not like he's going anywhere from Jeff,
thank you for rocking with us through the flu. That
shit is hard. I hear a lot of people that
are just sick right now. Whatever the thing is going around.
The Josh Allen Herbert conversation has me thinking, who are
the best? I had the ten quarterback arms, you've seen
prime high end power. Forget the picks for me, based

(46:06):
off what I've seen in my twenty years of watching
the league, I'd go Mahomes, Allen, Farv Rogers, Vic Stafford, Marino, Herbert,
Jamis Luck. I would say Josh I would take I
would put Josh Allen above Mahomes. I would tend to
put Farv one. Anyone that played against Marino had him

(46:27):
really really high. I think Marino in l way had
special arm talent. I think far Of is kind of
viewed as like the Nolan Ryan of throwers. I think
Rogers had a pretty special arm. I mean, I think
Rogers could really really sling it. I think Mike Vick
had a strong arm. He had an incredible deep ball,

(46:49):
and the power in which he could throw the ball
sixty seventy yards was pretty unreal. So I would say
last twenty years, Farv Rogers, mahomes Alan, I'm not going
to any specific order. You know, Vic was pretty special.
Stafford's a pretty good one. Mahomes Herbert. I wouldn't put

(47:12):
Luck or Jamis on their level. Kaepernick, he hurt his
thumb and his arm was never quite the same after
a couple of years. But he didn't know where it
was going and he didn't have any touch. But his fastball.
He made a throw one time in Tampa Bay where
he threw it like sixty yards on the run to

(47:35):
Vernon Davis like scrambling. It's like one of the best
passes I've ever seen. Kaepernick underrated, absolute fucking hose watching
since you started, and I'm fine with waiting a year
on Brock Purty makes no sense to pay him early.
But why does the media and you included want to
lick the sweat off Kyle Shanahan's balls. His passing game sucks,

(47:56):
his O line is horrible, he has no depth because
he wanted Trey Lance this year. He takes a kicker
in the third round who sucks, but yeah, all Perty's fault.
Yeah I'm not Kyle Shanahan in an awful year, no
disputing it, and his passing game has to change. Starts
with his offensive lineman. He doesn't care about offensive lineman
because he thinks they don't matter in the passing game

(48:17):
because he wants to avoid it by running the ball. Ok,
We've talked about this over and over. But like Purty,
success is also tied to Kyle. So like when Perty's good,
Kyle's good, and most people think that if Perty left Kyle,
he wouldn't be nearly as good and people wouldn't want him.
So it's like they're kind of directly correlated. But I've
also seen Kyle win a bunch of games with Jimmy

(48:38):
Garoppolo turns out as the average as the day is long.
On his good day question on Kellen Moore, A few
reporters seem to have him pegged as the future head coach.
Everything I've seen, he seems to run the most average
offenses wherever he goes. Cowboys weren't great with him, Chargers
were terrible, and Philly has decided to ignore the receiving room.

(49:01):
As good as Barkley is seems to be overworked. Well,
I think that's more of a reflection if you want
to crush him on the Herbert situation, Herbert in the
offense was not good. I don't see Aj Brown blaming
Kellen Moore. I see AJ Brown reading that novel. So
he doesn't throw a football at Jalen's face, like Jalen's

(49:23):
not an easy guy to coach. He's just not why
because he's not a great pocket passer, so your passing
game it's difficult to run. They have a great offensive
line and elite running back and a running quarterback, So
I think he's done a good job in Philly. Quarterback
is not easy to deal with. The Cowboy thing. They
got better with Mike and the Charger thing, but I

(49:45):
to me, Philly, he's done a good job. I think
a huge thing with Kellen is like Jerry likes him.
Jerry thought he was his guy, and I think if
you were a betting man, the safest pick would be
Kellen Moore, the next head coach of the Cowboys. Have
a mailbag question for you. I keep hearing the media

(50:06):
talk about Fields and Russ in the same context, like
the Steelers don't have a viable quarterback, but why not
run it back with Fields next year? He watched Russ
manage the offense for the majority of the year, and
he obviously has way more potential in upside if he improves.
I don't see any point in thinking they will draft

(50:27):
a quarterback in this year's draft. It feels as bad great.
They will have a better shot at drafting the guy
next year, but if he's good, they can save time
instead of messing around, can't I hear you? They had
him all season long and down the stretch of their season.
Their offense was a disaster, and Russell for the most

(50:50):
part beside. I feel like the last month of the season,
probably less than twenty passes was not good. Why would
they have not if they thought this guy could play
put him in the game. They don't think he's good.
Like I don't care. I'm with you. I would have
liked to see him as like Russell was not giving
them any juice to put Justin in. They refused, Mike refused,

(51:15):
and Mike's the guy. Remember when he made Russell Wilson
the starter. People thought he was kind of crazy. I
thought he was crazy. So Mike Tomlin does not think
Fields is that good. I think that's pretty clear. Whether
he's right or not. I would say it's hard to
say he's wrong. As a Patriots fan, I've grown up
seeing a lot of success with Tom and Bill. Yes

(51:37):
you have. However, the last two years obviously sucked. My
friends say the Patriots are a poorly run franchise, while
you have teams like the Jets, Bears, and Raiders who
are complete circuses and have been for essentially my whole life.
My question to you how well run are the Patriots
in general compared to the rest of the NFL. I

(52:01):
saw Dan Campbell at a good quote he said, the
circus is about to start, and it's our time to perform.
I would say we are gonna find out because for
twenty years you had a head coach who did everything.
He was the general manager. He basically ran your salary cap.

(52:22):
He just handled it all. And I don't think we'll
ever see another coach like Bill who is that involved
with everything. He essentially operates like these college coaches do.
And you saw this year clearly everything fell apart. Gerrod
was over his head. But I think the Patriots weren't
as equipped to handle like Bill could do it all, right.

(52:42):
He could help out any coach, He could help out
any position. He was the personnel director in the sense
of like there was no player on the team or
cut from the team or traded to the team, or
signed to the team or drafted the team that wasn't
under his watch. And I think once you start splitting
those things up, it's like, then Jonathan Kraft tries to
get involved. Now you get a real coach, We'll see.

(53:05):
I don't know, because like, what did Robert Kraft really do?
He gets credit for hiring Bill, but then he hired
a guy who could do everything, and then they drafted
the greatest quarterback of all time. So basically Tom and
Bill could handle it all. I guess it's a long
winded way of saying I don't really know, I would

(53:27):
assume that you guys are going to be well run
moving forward. But what if your owners are just kookie
and Bill had so much juice because he won the
three super Bowls so fast, he don't have to listen
to any of them. What if they're like all, what
if they got a bunch of opinions for Rabel and
Vrabel hates. I wouldn't. I would guess that's not gonna happen.
But who knows? A question for the pod? Do you
think that with all the focus on how bad Darnold

(53:49):
was in the game, people glossed over how good Stafford was.
I hear some media people trying to act like he's
not that great, and I just don't know how you
could have that opinion. I know he slowed down after
they got up, but early in the game he looked awesome.
It was almost like how not to handle pressure as
a quarterback video watching him, or how to and how

(54:10):
not to him versus darn it. I know the Rams
offense hasn't been great since the Bills game, but Stafford
when he's hot, feels like the only quarterback in the
NFC that could win a shootout with these AFC guys.
To me, I love Stafford in the Dome, Big Game.
McVeigh Stafford Dome. It's gonna be pretty interesting this week.
I haven't checked the weather in Philly, but I would

(54:31):
imagine it's not gonna be warm a little different. If
he could win this game and get back to the
Dome against the Lions, and then you get a Dome
in the super Bowl, you would like his chances. I
would say Stafford is the one guy that if he's on,
can just have a game where he's every bit as
good as like Mahomes. He obviously doesn't run like Lamar
or Josh, but just who can just dominate like an

(54:52):
elite player. Happens fewer now than it did a couple
of years ago because he's older and a little more
banged up. But and again he he was just in
complete control of that game. I mean, he's an all
time great talent. He's an all time great talent who
didn't really get the chance to maximize his career till
his mid thirties. And now, I mean, who knows, like

(55:13):
it's it's hard for him to just string together good
games just because it's thirty. I was thirty six years
old I mean crazy thing about Stafford. I'm pretty sure
he came in the league at like twenty. Stafford is shit.
I mean, he's close to my age. He will be,
I mean he'll be thirty seven here in less than

(55:36):
a month. But yeah, still a dude. In fairness to Stafford,
like there aren't any questions to be answered. I think
part of the reason Sam Darnold takes up all the
oxygen is like Staffords already won a Super Bowl, He's
already been to how many Pro Bowls? Stafford's only a

(55:57):
two time Pro Bowler seems a little crazy, but we
all view him as like one of the best players
or one of the better players of his generation, made
all the money one playoff games. I don't think he
has anything left to prove. That game was all about
Sam Dormand it's just whether you're in the media, whether

(56:18):
you're talking with your buddies, like that's, whether you do
a podcast whatever, like that's that was the story of
the game, and I think it's fair. Would you trade
the number three overall pick for JJ McCarthy considering the
lack of top end quarterback talent this year, No, I

(56:40):
would not. Assuming quarterbacks go one and two, I'd rather
have Travis Hunter. This notion that JJ McCarthy and he
might be hardball. Loved him, but it's just gonna be
some top ten quarterback. I mean, we got a lot
of unknown never had to pass that much in college.
Carried by a defense in a run game obviously has
a ability, but we have no clue. He never had

(57:02):
to do it in college. We have no clue if
you can do in the NFL. Poor his knee, had
to have another knee surgery, lost a bunch of weight.
If he is the starter next year, there is going
to be It would have been easier if he was healthy,
just for him to start this year because the expectations
were low. Next year, If he becomes the starter and
they let Darnald walk, it's like, hey man, betterly, it's
the playoffs. Anything less than the playoffs your the vikings

(57:23):
would be a massive, massive failure. You don't need to
win thirteen games, fourteen games, but like, can we win
ten games and be the seventh seed? That would be
minimum or it would be a problem. So the pressure
on the guy's on the kid is going to be massive.
Over the last two years, I've seen David Shaw's name
come up in head coaching interviews these past two cycles.

(57:45):
Given your ties to the Bay Area, curious your opinion
of him as not only a head coaching candidate, but
maybe as an OC in the future. Uh I had
whenever I would talk with him, he was always really
cool to me. I like the guy lot. I think
toward the end of Stanford the last couple of years,
it just looked it was really really ugly and specifically offensively,

(58:10):
and it just felt like a guy that was lost.
And I think sometimes in coaching he won one hundred percent,
could have been an NFL coach. I don't know, less
than ten years ago. I'm gonna pull up his wiki.
He had a stretch at Stanford where they were so
good after hardball. So basically he takes over for Jim

(58:32):
in twenty eleven and goes eleven and two, twelve and two,
eleven and three, eight and five, twelve and two. So
that twelve and two season when they win the Rose Bowl.
Pretty sure that's Christian McCaffrey's year. In twenty fifteen where
they destroy Iowa. He probably should have jumped at the chance,

(58:54):
because then after seventeen and eighteen were still good nine
and five, nine and four. His last five years or
four years at Stanford were rough. Four and eight, twenty
doesn't even count three and nine, three and nine. I
mean they finished in basically dead last in the fact
twelve in two thousand and twenty two. And then he

(59:19):
doesn't coach in twenty three or twenty four, and now
he just kind of helps out the Broncos, so his
star diminished, and then he's just kind of been out
of the loop. I think you'd be hard pressed to
hire him to be your offensive coordinator. I think some
Stanford fans would say, I mean, which I appreciate, and

(59:39):
there are elements at this level of football or this
type of football that I love at the highest levels,
very old school offensive game plans. I mean, you think
hardball runs an old school offense. I think David Shaw's
even more old school than that. And I think his
last year at Stanford, I forget the name of the guy,

(01:00:00):
but he hired an offensive coordinator I think from Wake
Forest and they tried to like implement the spread. I
just think he was lost and it really backfired. So
I think he's really smart. He's just a high level cat.
But I'd be hard pressed. I don't think he's gonna
get a head coaching job, and as an OC like,

(01:00:21):
I think the game has changed a lot. Like in
his heyday ten years ago, when Stanford was kicking everyone's ass,
it was essentially posting Andrew locked the run game and defense.
And the difference of him at Harbaugh is Harbaugh never
really stopped winning. Harbor didn't have back to back three
nine seasons like you do that in your old school,
it can just fall apart. But in an interview setting,

(01:00:44):
I mean, he's fucking smart, like you talk to him.
I've always said this about Stanford guys and always said this,
like when I was scouting at Stanford, and listen, I
grew up and went to some camps as a kid,
Like I went to a basketball camp, and I think
I went to a golf camp at Stanford when I
was like ten eleven years old, even though my dad
was a big cow guy, because that's where his dad,

(01:01:06):
you know, talk growing up. Stanford is a badass place,
and it's got to have the most unique ability to
find like the elite athletes at all the sports, I
mean basketball, football and basketball are down right now, but
when they're rolling that are just really really high level dudes.
I mean I just remember walking around the campus. You

(01:01:28):
just feel the intellectual energy. But like at the time
when I was scouting, I mean they were dominating. They
would go into the Rose Bowl and producing NFL guy
after NFL guy. Then you go to the cafeteria and
it'd be like Michael Phelps junior, and like the star
soccer player and like the next Tiger Woods. Like this
place is sweet with like, oh yeah, that guy he
runs a three hundred million dollar company and that's the

(01:01:50):
head of this company in Silicon Valley's coming to meet
with some dude here. It's just a it's a powerful place.
Stanford is cool as shit. Golf they got their own
golf course, all their facilities. They're better now than they
were then. But you know, back in the day, the
Super Bowl in the Bay Area used to be hosted there.

(01:02:11):
I think the forty nine ers in the eighties won
a Super Bowl at Stanford Stadium. Big fan of show question.
Pretty contract discourse is really frustrating to me, not because
quote unquote does he deserve it. He's getting paid, So
that point is moved. The most frustrating part of the
discussion to me has been the complete lack of nuance
in the narrative surrounding the quarterback contracts. The media perpetuates

(01:02:35):
the idea that all those quote unquote fifty million dollar
quarterback contracts are the same. Jalen and Dak are both
fifty million dollar quarterbacks, but Hert's cap hit is twenty
one million dollars and Dak's is eighty nine point nine.
The forty nine ers are carrying over fifty million in
cap space for twenty five most in the National Football League.

(01:02:59):
Most projections, Perty's cap hit at a round or under
fifteen million dollars, so in the first year of the extension,
putting him beneath Baker Mayfield and Gino Smith at eighteen.
So the idea that they extend him with a market
rate contract see my conversation. I hear what you're saying,

(01:03:20):
and I the forty nine ers could give him one
hundred million dollars or eight hundred million dollars or five
hundred million. I don't give a shit how much any
of these guys make all I celebrate guys getting cash
in every walk of life. This is a pro celebration
of success in any industry. You're in but in football,

(01:03:40):
how you build the team matters. And initially I hear
what you're saying. Right now, Perty's contract is the best
benefit in the NFL because's like a one million dollar cap.
So even if he gets an extension, he goes to
fifteen million dollars. True, but over the next several years,
if they give him, let's say one hundred and eighty
million dollars guaranteed, that number does rise, as you see
with these other quarterbacks, and it puts pressure on him

(01:04:03):
to be a high end guy. So yeah, next year, really,
the next couple of years, not a crazy impact, but
eventually and it just you know, the signing bonus that's
Jed York's money, which is not even his money comes
from the league. It's all monopoly money. It doesn't matter anyway,
So I hear you. I don't question it. I don't
care about any of that shit. I go, well, if

(01:04:24):
you do give this guy a ton of money over
the course of this contract, he better be a Pro
Bowl guy in like three or four years, and can
you put the franchise on his back? Could he have
played quarterback for the Chargers this year? And could they
have won eleven games? Could they have been in the playoffs?
Is he good enough? Because there will be a time

(01:04:44):
when that will be what your team looks like because
of his contract, Patrick Mahomes Like they had a trade
Tyreek Hill, then they hit on some draft picks. But offensively,
their offensive line this year is pretty questionable. Their running
back broke his leg, They've gone through a ton of
receivers with injuries and a lot of injuries, and Travis

(01:05:06):
for a large portion of the season kind of looked
old and just old. He's gotten looks a little younger lately,
but like, can you carry me like that? And listen,
we all know perty's not Mahomes, But once you start
paying these contracts, like the Eagles eventually are gonna have
to make a couple cap decisions because of Jalen's contract,
that's always the conversation. So if I'm maxing out a quarterback,

(01:05:29):
whether it's Jalen, whether it's GoF, like, can this guy
one day carre at me? And maybe answer for ninety
percent of them is no, But you don't have a choice.
I'm a Bengals fan. After watching the absolute mid off
wild guard weekend in the AFC, it's hard not to
think about Burro, Chase and t could have done in
the first round. The defense improved down the stretch due

(01:05:50):
to younger players getting to start, specifically the D line.
Do you think the Bengals could have threatened the Ravens, Bills,
and Texans. The pure meltdown of the Steelers, Chargers and
Broncos embarrassing. I don't think they would have beat the Ravens.
I think the Ravens in Baltimore beating Cincinnati, even though
I know you guys had some great games this year,
I'm taking Baltimore in that spot. Uh, they one could

(01:06:13):
have beaten Houston, you know, in a coin flip game,
and who's the other team? Buffalo more likely to beat
Buffalo because we're gonna find out how good their defense
is this year. I still think Buffalo probably beat you.
I think the one team you could have beat is Houston.
The problem is you weren't gonna be the five seed.
I think part of your problem is this is a

(01:06:34):
big offseason. You know, do they sign or make any
big trades. Who's their defensive coordinator? Like, I hear what
you're saying, but you guys kind of put yourself in
that position, just like the Steelers. Like the other reason
they were the wild card and didn't win the division
is because like they blew the Cleveland game and they
let Dak Prescott drive down the field and have a

(01:06:54):
walk off touchdown. Was that Sunday or Monday night football?
Is that Thursday night football? I forget? But you win
one of those games, like you win the division, you
host the game. Now I think Baltimore goes into Pittsburgh
and wins. But still Steeler fan, how come? Literally no

(01:07:22):
one is talking about this is Sam Donald and Pittsburgh.
I know it's a bit boom doom and gloom at
the moment, but we had Donald, Pickens, Warren and Nausey
and brought in Ben Johnson at a discount version of
the current Lions. Najia Harrison not gonna be on the
team next year, and I mean we talked about Sam

(01:07:42):
earlier to Pittsburgh. I definitely think will be on the table.
One major question mark you guys have is your star
wide receiver is not a star, but he kind of
carries himself like that thinks he is. And it's very
very hard to win in a scenario where you're wide
receiver just is a massive diva, but he doesn't produce.

(01:08:05):
I can live with Antonio Brown or Torell Owens if
they're getting me one hundred and ten catches in twelve touchdowns.
I just can't live with the way Pickens played down
the stretch. He's not a reliable player. And listen, you
drafted Najie Harrison the first round. He he's just not
good enough. And I thought this year he ran hard.
But we know what good running backs and average running

(01:08:26):
backs look like, and that's he's pretty average. So I
think you guys are not even remotely close to the Lions. Uh,
first time writing you from Toledo, Ohio. Let's see the
Lions lost to the Vikings and got the five seed
instead of the one. Do you believe the Lions would
have gone on to beat the Rams or would they
have gotten a similar ass kicking keep up the good work? Uh?

(01:08:53):
I don't know if they would have been a lock
to beat the Rams, but their offense would not have
looked like sam dermal than that because one advantage. You know,
the Lions offensive line is elite like it is a
high end offensive line. The Minnesota Vikings is not their
best player towards acl earlier in the season they lost

(01:09:15):
O'Neill in that game that they were just a turnstyle. Well,
when you have a good offensive line, you can neutralize
the pass rush, like Pina Sewel's not getting run over
by Jared Verse every play. So I think that I
think the Lions would beat the Rams, though I definitely
would give the Rams a shot. But I don't you

(01:09:37):
know part of it. You know, Donald holding onto the ball,
Jared Goff doesn't hold on the ball like that. It's
not that the Lions don't play like that. It would
have looked a lot different even if the Rams won.
They last question my Raider fan here. This is Dion
not Deon Sanders question for the mailbag. As a Raider fan,

(01:09:58):
I felt like we were in hell with an average
quarterback in car and I actually think Gruden got the
best out of them. How important in today's league is
the coach quarterback? Conbo I seriously think it's the most
important aspect to be successful in a loaded division with
Sean Payton, bow Knicks, Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Herbert
and Harball. What chance do the Raiders have for success

(01:10:19):
in the next five to ten years? I would say
if you got Ben Johnson, and it turns out Ben
Johnson is just some version of like the Shanahan McVeigh
tree guys, you know, Kevin, O'Connell, McVeigh, Kyle lafloor, McDaniel
kind of just he's just a good play calling head coach.
And we can debate all these guys, right. McVeigh is

(01:10:41):
probably the most you know, I saw I watched a
John Gotti show recently, more teflon down than them all,
because he's got a Super Bowl, he just won a
playoff game, O'Connell lost a playoff game, McDaniel's team doesn't
show up to meetings on time, Kyle's team won six games,
and Lafloor's quarterback just fell apart down the stretch. But

(01:11:02):
all those guys, I mean, i'd put McDaniel last, But
the other guy's proven trackberry calling good good play callers.
Even McDaniel like he's he's called some good plays in
this day. If Ben Johnson is that, then I just
think you got a couple of years to like figure
out how you find a quarterback. Let's face it, most
of these quarterbacks who'd I see recently say this was it.

(01:11:23):
Verbel I thought it was a coach. Say, let's face it,
most quarterbacks come in the draft. Oh, maybe it was
John Lynch on a radio interview talking to defending party, like,
the only way to get these guys is a draft pick.
Look at all the top quarterbacks in the NFL, in
no particular order. Mahomes drafted, Alan drafted, Lamar drafted, Burrow drafted,

(01:11:46):
Herbert drafted, Stafford and Goff. Kind of unique situations, right,
they were traded for each other. Stafford spent whatever a
long time with Detroit, same with Goff, Hurts drafted. Just
look at the quarterback CJ. Stroud drafted, Jayden Daniels drafted.
You just most of these guys, you're just gonna have

(01:12:08):
to draft. Colts were good forever with Manning drafted, Rogers
Packers drafted. So you just, how do the Raiders draft
a quarterback? You guys have drafted one decent quarterback. Feels
like in my life because I wasn't alive for Ken Stabler,
but Rich Gannon for the little Gruden run in the

(01:12:29):
late nineties early two thousands was a free agent signing,
and then for the next two decades minus car, you
did not draft quarterback so it's like, can Ben Johnson
draft a quarterback? I don't know, And there's an element
a lot to it also in a weird way. Typically
you have to suck or at least be relatively high
in the draft to have a shot, right like how

(01:12:52):
the Ravens get Flacco or the Steelers got Ben Roethlisberger.
So even if you're not drafting number one, like you
still probably got to hit a pick top fifteen, or
you could just hope and pray that you find like
a Russell Wilson in the third round, Dak Prescott in
the fourth round. I mean, Purty's the all time outlier.
Just find a starting quarterback in the seventh round. It's

(01:13:13):
mainly first round picks. He's got a draft a guy
in the first round. Even Derek was pick thirty six
or something like, he was really really high in that
he was Khalil's draft. So Khalil was the fifth fifth
overall pick and Derek was your second round pick thirty six,
thirty seven something like that. Yeah, I mean, it's it's
it's your future. If you hire Ben Johnson, at least

(01:13:36):
you got a shot. He might suck. But if you
hire Ben Johnson, That's that's impressive. Like that was damn
the Raiders landing Ben Johnson the guy that everyone wants.
That's a that's a great start. So I would just
start there and then just see what transpires from there.
That's I would just take a breast, see what transpires. Uh.

(01:13:58):
Who's the Lions back quarterback? Isn't he? Uh? I feel
like your backup was the guy that towards the acl
Hendon Hooker. Maybe could you trade for Hndon Hooker? Maybe
Ben Johnson likes him a little older than I thought.
I mean, he was the offensive SEC Player of the

(01:14:18):
Year in twenty two through twenty seven touchdowns two picks
Tennessee in twenty twenty two. Maybe Ben Johnson likes him
and just like, hey, trade you like a fourth round
pick for him and just see what he's got. I
don't know if the Lions would even trade him, but
they drafted him in what round in the third and
twenty three, so he has two years left on his
rookie contract. Maybe he just do that. Maybe just trade

(01:14:42):
like a fourth round pick for Hendon Hooker and just
get a quarterback that you know, like knows his system
and you feel comfortable with That's what I would do
if I hire Ben Johnson, assuming Ben Johnson likes the
guy a lot. He's played a little bit this year
in blowouts. I think he's healthy right now. I don't
know why you guys got Teddy Bridgewe on the team.

(01:15:02):
Maybe dang Amble and those guys just like him. Hendon
Hooker next quarterback of the writers audios, have a great day.
We will talk soon. The volume