November 27, 2018 • 43 mins
Colin thinks Aaron Rodgers is slowly turning into Brett Favre and that isn't the best way to end his career. He thinks Baker Mayfield is showing his immaturity which is exactly why he didn't think Baker would be a long term franchise QB. Plus, Cowboys rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch talks with Colin about his journey from a town of 400 people to riding in Jerry Jones' helicopter as a member of the Cowboys. Presented by Perky Jerky.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of Herd podcast. Be
sure to catch us live every weekday from twelve to
three eastern, nine to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
and FS one. Find your local station for The Herd
at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. This
is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowhern on
Fox Sports Radio. Ah. Here we go into Tuesday. This
(00:24):
is the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you
may be, listening live from Los Angeles iHeartRadio, Fox Sports
Radio and FS one. One hour from now, our top
ten NFL teams heard Hierarchy Layton Vanderesh the Dallas Cowboys
is going to join US Pacific Northwest. Kid from Idaho
who's hit at big. He's a star linebacker for the
(00:45):
Dallas Cowboys. Joey Taylor. I didn't say the city. I
was an undisclosed location. Miss yesterday's show got snowed in.
I think it's it. I was in Kansas City, all
right with our own the family for Thanksgiving and Sunday
we were heads at the airport and it decided to
drop six inches of snow from the guy. There you
go by the way, it looks like you're wearing a
ski sweater, so you look. I've been affected by the boods.
(01:07):
I haven't seen snow like that a long time. It's
very pretty, just not on the right day. All right,
Great to have you backs, Great to have you back.
So I'm watched him last night to Shaun Watson, who
I said when he came out in the draft, not
miss Rubisky. I said, I'd take to Shaun Watson as
the first quarterback. I didn't think he was as gifted,
maybe as an Andrew Luck, not as not as physically
gifted as a cam. But I said, that's the best
quarterback I've seen in college. He should have beatn Nick
(01:30):
Saban twice. Saban had six weeks. He's great, and I'm
watching him last night and he just had another terrific night.
They've won eight straight. I know. We fall in love
with two game winning streaks for Baker Mayfield. A lot
of average guys have had two game winning streaks. He's
on an eight gamer, terrific player, nineteen to twenty four,
A couple of touchdowns, can move, had a running game,
and I'm really happy for him because he's also I've
been told a great kid. But I was thinking about this.
(01:52):
The NFL football is so much bigger than anything else
in America. It's four times as popular as college football.
I mean in regular sea and games get nine to
ten times what an NBA game does, fifteen times what
a baseball game does. It's the biggest sport in the country.
And there's one position that matters more than any quarterback.
And we know that these are three billion dollar teams,
five billion dollar teams, Cowboys maybe a ten billion dollar team.
(02:14):
So think about that. This is the biggest sport in
America by a mile. Quarterback is the number one position
by a mile. And all these experts and all these
college teams and all these scouts, how many teams in
the NFL drive to work, how many owners, how many coaches,
(02:35):
how many gms drive to work in the entire NFL.
And think, for the next decade we have a star quarterback.
I think you'd be shocked to see how lucky Houston is.
Now think about this. Let's eliminate five guys right off
the top. They're all great, but they're not going to
be here in a decade. Brady Brees, Rogers Ben Philip Rivers,
(03:00):
they're great. Let's take those five out. They're not going
to be here in ten years. All those teams outside
of maybe Green Bay are all thinking a draft in
a quarterback next year. In Green Bay, Aaron's gonna be
thirty five in December, they're gonna be drafting a quarterback
in three years. So take those five out there on here,
let's take out the next five, all the rookie quarterbacks.
So let's take out Mayfield, Darnold Rose, and Alan Jackson.
(03:21):
Don't freak out Baker Mayfield fans. RG three had a
great rookie year. Vince Young had a great rookie year.
You don't know because you beat at Lanta in Cincinnati,
you don't know. Let's take out the rookies. You don't know.
Based on eight nine NFL games, Let's take out another
five guys who, let's just be honest, they're incredibly limited. Bordles, Dalton, Keenham,
(03:42):
Elion Tannehill. They could win games. Eli's got some Super Bowls.
They are now very limited quarterbacks. So we've taken out fifteen.
Let's take out these are the hard guys to take out.
These are guys that are talented, but there's limitations. Stafford Flacco,
Alex Smith, Dak Kirk, Derek Carr, Mariota, Jamis Winston. Come on,
(04:02):
Mariota fans. He had three passes over ten yards. He
runs too much, He's hurt often. Now. I like Derek
Carr a lot, but he may get traded in a year.
Oakland doesn't love him as much as I do. And
you know what you're left with. Now, think about this again.
This is the biggest sport, the most important position, the
number what people give up six seven picks to get
(04:24):
the quarterback right. And here's what you are left with.
In the NFL. You are left with ten quarterbacks, just
a third of the league. That every owner, gm and
coach drives to work knowing we've got our guy for
ten years. Jared Goff, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Deshaun Watson,
Patrick Mahomes, Carson Wentz, Jimmy ge Matt Ryan, cam Newton,
(04:48):
and Trubisky. Now. I like Car more than Trubisky, but
I think people in Chicago are all in on Trubisky.
I don't think people in Oakland are all in on
Derek Car, though I prefer him. Jess when I'm watching
last night, I'm watching Deshaun Watson. I'm thinking, man, Houston,
(05:08):
you are in much more rarefied air than you realize.
Only ten teams in this league that for the next
decade have their guy at the most important position, and
they think we can win a super Bowl. And outside
of Trabisky, who I put in the good but limited
and car who I would put in the franchise quarterback
(05:31):
next ten years? That's it. I could maybe add Derek Carr.
It is you want to know why teams give up
seven picks Deshaun Watson? How good do you feel in Houston?
Eight game winning street? By the way, what makes these
guys special? And Jimmy G? What about Jimmy G. You
want to know what Kyle Shanahan is in San Francisco
(05:53):
without Jimmy G. Two and seventeen got a winning record
with Jimmy G. Hold off your cynicism, Okay, it is
I was just happy for Houston. I was happy for
to Sean because the NFL is better when I know,
ten years check, I got my guy. It's remarkable how
few do let me shift to this. We all want
(06:16):
to be I'm not gonna speak for joy but I
think she probably thinks the same way. We all want
to be not our parents, right. We all want to
be a little smarter than our parents, a little cooler
than our parents, a little more successful than our parents,
little hipper than our parents. Sometimes we get around at
kids and we kind of like roll our eyes at
our parents. We love them, but we look at our
parents and we're like, oh, I'm not going to become dad.
Oh I'm not gonna become mom. We don't want to
(06:37):
become our parents, right. But then all these years later,
I look at myself and I'm like, man, I got
a lot of my dad's qualities. I got a lot
of my mom's qualities. We all become our parents. And
Aaron Rodgers yesterday was talking about mortality, and I'm thinking
about this. Aaron Rodgers would never want to be compared
to Farve Far, Southern Guy, Rigid Stuthorn through all those picks.
(06:58):
I'm a lot smarter than bread Far and Far never
thought Aaron Rodgers was as equal. Guy went to junior college, California. Guy,
I think he's better than everybody. They're becoming one another. Yesterday,
Aaron Rodgers talked about something that Brett Farv used to
all the time on the back nine of his career,
(07:19):
his mortality. Here's Aaron obviously got a I'm more gray
in the beard than I did a few years ago,
so I know that football mortality catches up to everybody.
And he never want to lose a season. Now we're
gonna battle the next next five weeks and put ourselves
in a position to to be in the conversation. Man.
(07:41):
Hopefully it'll be enough. And like, I've always got to
get in more talent in these five see what happens. Yeah,
but he talks about mortality. It was one of my
knocks with far of late in his career. I'm like, dude,
you're like thirty six years old, stop being stubborn. And Richard,
you're not at Grandpa learned a new offense. He didn't
want to learn a new offense. And I think it's
interesting Aaron's talking about graying beard. I'm on the back nine.
(08:04):
They've become one another. Think about this. Let's go to
farves first ten years in the league as a Packer
and let's go to Arran's first ten years as a Packer.
Both have a Super Bowl multiple MVPs. Nine out of
ten winning seasons and six Pro Bowls. Both have iconic
arms commercials, beloved by the fawning media. First ten years,
(08:25):
same guy, maybe once from the South, once from the West,
the same guy. But remember how Brett Farve's career ended,
And couldn't I make an argument this is sort of
how Errands will end. How did farves last five seasons
go barely a five hundred road quarterback, three teams, multiple
(08:47):
Pro Bowls, couple division titles, never got back to a
Super Bowl, and oh, by the way, kind of flaky.
Remember far I'm gonna retire. I'm not going to retire.
I'm gonna retire. I'm not going to retire. Kind of
held the team hostage, and oh, by the way, there
were a couple of quarterbacks emerging, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady
who looked better when I look at when I look
(09:07):
at Aaron Rodgers down the stretch, I think he's gonna
make Pro Bowls. I think he's gonna win a couple
of division titles. I'm not sure he's gonna get back
to the Super Bowl. And he's becoming a little like Farve.
Whereas your fault, your fault, your fault, your fault, coach
out Ty Montgomery out defense problem. We never want to
become our parents. We all do. Aaron Rodgers first ten
(09:32):
years are identical to Farves will his last seven b
I will say this. People always say their big difference
is Far through a lot of picks. Aaron doesn't. But
even that's linked. Far never got hurt because he got
rid of the ball early, thus creating often interceptions. Aaron's
(09:54):
hurt a lot because he holds onto the ball too
long because he doesn't want to throw interceptions. Even on that,
they're linked. And just never forget how it ended for
Brett Farve. Brett Farve goes back to pass, he pumps,
now he fires over the middle, intercepted. I can't believe
(10:16):
what I'm seeing right now. It was intercepted by Tracy
Porter near side of the forty and John Sullivan runs
him down at the forty seven yard line. You've got
to be kidding me. I can't believe what I just saw.
Why do you even ponder passing? I mean, you can
take a knee and try a fifty six yard field goal.
This is not Detroit, man, this is a Super Bowl.
(10:37):
Paul Allen, my favorite radio call ever. It is interesting
though what we try to avoid we often become farvan rogers.
To me, first ten years identical will the last seven
or eight For Aaron, it does appear he'll have a
new coach and a new start in about four months.
(11:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays
in noon Easter nine a Empacific. So you know how
I felt about Baker Mayfield. I said it over and
over and over. He's not going to be a bust,
said that from day one, sent in a thousand times.
He's too accurate a thrower to be a bust. I
think he's going to be a better version of case Keenum.
Now a lot of you will go WHOA. Last two
weeks case Keenum has beaten Philip Rivers and Big Ben.
(11:23):
Just just let that soak in. Put the pom bombs down.
Last two weeks, case Keenum has beaten Big Ben and
Philip Rivers. I think Baker Mayfield is not Breeze or Wilson.
I think he's much closer to case Keenum. Give him
a running game, a good defense. He can win games
in this league. He's not a bust. But my concern
(11:44):
has always been in the nonsense in the immaturity. So yesterday,
two days ago, he fired off at Hugh Jackson, didn't
need too nonsense. Luck wouldn't have done it, Wilson wouldn't
have done it, Breeze wouldn't have done it, Matt Ryan
would have done it, Brady wouldn't have done it. Stupid
fires at Hugh Jackson. And then yesterday Damian Woody, one
of my best friends at ESPN who I still call regularly.
(12:04):
I talked to him last week. Said went to Twitter
and said, Damien said, hey, Baker, didn't you transferred to
a rival? Aren't you being a little bit of a hypocrite.
You're mad at Hugh Jackson for getting fired and saying, well,
I'm gonna go to a team that offered me a contract.
Baker went to social media and fired back at Damian Woody.
He goes, not even comparable. I didn't lose thirty plus games.
(12:26):
Be fake and do that. I wasn't going to have
a scholarship. Good try, though, Why go there now? Right now?
The media, which just falls in love with a shiny
new toy, and fans, which short for fanatic, I get it,
are in love with Baker Mayfield. Two things to remember
RG three, Vince Young and Mark Sanchez had great rookie years,
(12:51):
so did Dak. But let me concentrate on those three
because they all eventually flamed out for the same reason.
RG three immature, Vince Young, immature, Mark Sanchez, more playboy
than playbook, didn't work hard enough out. They all had
way better years than this year. For Baker, Baker's year
(13:13):
hasn't even finished, not even start the year. We're not
close to He's still a month and more left in
the year. So I know you're just going crazy. It's
a big star. It's the first thing to remember, I've
seen I've been watching this league for four decades. I've
seen guys like Vince Young, hell of a lot more
talent than Baker, Mark Sanchez RG three have great rookie
(13:34):
years and Dak. And then an hour later you're like, oh, oh,
that's kind of a perfect storm there, everything kind of
worked out. Here's the second thing. So maturity or lack thereof,
always unravels quarterbacks. Jeff George, Vince Young, Sanchez, RG three,
the amount of talent you yard at that position. Immaturity,
(13:55):
Johnny Manziel will unravel regardless of your talent. Here's the
second thing. He's won two straight games, two straight. You
do realize the guys I like have gone on like
long streaks to Shaun Watson's won eighth straight. Carson Wentz
(14:15):
last year won nine straight, Andrew Lux and a five gamer.
Jared Goff had an eight gamer. Mahomes has had a
five and a four gamer. Congratulations on back to back
wins over Oh. I don't know Cincinnati Atlanta's defense, which
are awful. It should be noted that he's had a
nice three game stretch Kansas City, Atlanta, Cincinnati. I put
(14:37):
their defensive rankings in the NFL on the board last
twenty eight Jared Goff to see what he did in
Kansas City fifty four points, and that's without Todd Gurley
having a touchdown. In fact, against Cincinnati and Atlanta, Baker
didn't come close to picking up the average yards those
(14:57):
teams give up. Atlanta gives up two hundred and seventy
five yards a game Baker through for two fifteen. Cincinnati
gives up three hundred yards in the air a game
he got two fifty. Maturity still an issue. I've seen
better quarterbacks rookies unravel because of lack of maturity. And secondly,
he's won two straight games over terrible defenses. Who cares?
(15:20):
I mean, Sam Darnold looked great on Monday Night Football.
Where's he at now? They're rookies. You can't take one
in two game capsules, three game capsules. Who they play
when they play him? So I think this is what
I always worried about Baker Mayfield. It's not the accuracy.
He's a gamer. He's gonna complete sixty nine percent of
his throws in this league, seventy percent with a new role,
(15:41):
he won't be a bust. But this maturity stuff. Instagram,
social media fire in it. I'm telling you I've watched
it unravel a lot more talented quarterbacks. One more Herd.
The Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven days
a week within the iHeart Radio app. Search her to
listen live or on demand whenever you like. Tom Brady
(16:04):
says something yesterday, and it's pretty funny. Tom Brady was
asked about, you know, all these flashy offenses throwing the
ball down the field, and here's New England once again, choppin'wood, choppin'wood, boring, boring, boring,
thousand cuts. It's four yards six yards, and Brady talked
about taking more risk and throwing the ball down the
field more. Maybe part of my promise i've gotten older
(16:24):
is you know, I want to make so few mistakes.
You know, maybe there's there's not as much aggressiveness as
I would like, because you know, with aggressiveness comes a
little more risk. And you know, we have like a
ninety five percent chance of winning when we don't turn
the ball over, you know, And I think that's always
in the back of my minds Now, for the record,
he's right, New England is one hundred and twenty five
(16:46):
and fifteen when Tom Brady and the Patriots don't ever
turn over. So what he's saying is, basically, we have
a template here and it all starts with one stat
don't turn it over. They're a hundred and twenty five
and fifteen. That is unbelievable. There is no greater stat
in the National Football League than that New England's one
hundred and twenty five and fifteen when they don't turn
(17:07):
it over. So Tom saying, yeah, I'm a little with
our template the way we do business, but I want
you to think about this. So I watched New England Sunday,
watched every snap and we're all fall in love with
the Rams and the Saints and the Steelers and the
Chiefs and the Texans. And I love me some Andrew Luck.
But ask yourself, what are the five staples that New
(17:30):
England every year in every one of these Super Bowls?
There's five things they do every year, And ask yourself,
aren't they doing all of them this year? Number one
is they have the best head coach in football. That's
not arguable. There's not a single fan out there watching
me that thinks, oh, we've played New England this week,
We've got the better coach. I like Sean Payton, I
(17:52):
like Andy Reid, I like Sean McVeigh. They still the
best coach in the league that matters situationally Layton games.
We've seen it a million times. Number two, say what
you want about Brady. He is the best pre snap
quarterback in the NFL, not just audibl ing to better plays.
Does anybody in league history audible out of more trouble
than him? He audibles out of sacks. He audibles out
(18:14):
of losses and blitzes. They still have that. Number three
is bend, don't break defense. Do you know where they're
ranked right now in points eleventh, and if you look
at their remaining schedule, they'll probably end up eighth, ninth, tenth.
That's exactly where they've ended up points allowed in their
(18:37):
last four Super Bowl trips. Number four, they don't beat
themselves right now, fewest penalty yards in the NFL New England.
And number five they're really good in January at home,
and they're the number two seed right now, and they
(18:58):
have the tiebreaker against the number one team. The five
Super Bowl staples, best coach, best pre snap quarterback, ben
don't break defense, don't beat themselves, tremendous at home. They're
still all of those. And I know they're not a
(19:19):
Tesla and they're not a tech stock, and they're not
the Chiefs, and they're not the Rams, and they're not
the Chargers. They're not the Saints. That's the thing about
New England. You know what they are? What is something
that every Sunday delivers sixty minutes for thirty years. It's
never the coolest show. It's never the newest show. It's
never got the youngest actors, it's never the hippest show.
(19:41):
Nobody talks about it on social media. They're sixty minutes.
Every Sunday, they deliver. They deliver a number, a win
for their network every Sunday. Not flashy, not cool, kind
of old, getting tired of it. But this is what
they are every single Sunday. So when I look at
(20:04):
all these new offenses, I'm sitting to myself wondering, am
I falling for it again? Am I once again fallen
for all? Because by the way we have I try
not to do this, and I don't think I do
it a lot, but I think I've done it before.
I pushed back on new flashy stuff. I pushed back
on Derrick Rows, I pushed back on Westbrook, I pushed
(20:26):
back on Jannis fifteen years later. Bro, it's still a
Lebron league. You keep trying to sell me all the
mahomes and the golf and the flash and the fun.
You know what's gonna get a rating of Sunday? Jim
Nance and Tony Romo gonna be doing a game for CBS,
and they're gonna go coming up after the game tonight
sixty minutes, and you know what else is gonna happen Sunday?
(20:48):
Who won Sunday? The New England Patriots Yeah, So you
gotta be careful about falling for the new cool stuff
because there are certain things, by the way, in a
major I like Federer Sunday Night. I like the Patriots
in sixty minutes. NBA, it's still Lebron's league. What's up, everybody?
This John Middlekop from the Three and Out podcast on
(21:10):
Colin Coward's podcast network. You like Colin show'll definitely like mine.
I talk a ton of football. Got a lot going
on this week. JJ Watt Texans They're for real, Aaron
Rodgers major issues, Baker Mayfield, Hugh Jackson, Jalen Ramsey, won't
shut up. We got a lot to discuss. Again. Subscribe
(21:32):
to the Three and Out Podcast with me. John Middlecop
heard Hierarchy has the top ten NFL teams according to
College Number ten Dallas Cowboys. Listen, they're third and scoring defense.
I think their front seven is excellent. They've got all
sorts of range and athleticism and length and speed in
(21:55):
their front seven. I like their left tackle. They're running
back and Amari Cooper too. Here's the downside to Dallas.
They can only win a certain way. They're five and
one when Ezekiel Elliott has over one hundred yards. They're
one and four when he's under one hundred rushing yards.
So that's going to give really elite teams in the
playoffs a game plan stack the box. Now Amari Cooper helps,
(22:17):
but I think this is a team that has to
win a certain way. Now they can win because they're
really talented in certain spots. Cowboys at ten, number nine.
This is the team I kind of fell in love
with about three or four weeks ago. I love what
they're doing in Indianapolis. Again, outside of Darius Leonard and
maybe Kenny Moore, I don't love their defensive personnel and
(22:37):
they are limited, but they have won five straight. They're
averaging thirty four and a half points since Week six.
This is a great story. I mean, they've got guys
who you've never heard of, Darius Leonard, and guys who
were busts, Eric Ebroun, and they got a coach, you know,
Frank Reich that wasn't even their first hire. But Andrew
(22:58):
luck is carrying a built offensive line. I love this story.
They're the first team I watch every Week's the first
game I put on the Colts. I got him at nine,
number eight, LA Chargers. You know we're gonna pay attention
to Philip Rivers, and I get it, but six of
their last seven games in twenty eighteen, they're surrendering less
fewer than twenty points. This is really a defensive story.
(23:20):
I know we've fallen over their receivers in Philip Rivers,
but in this era of football, to hold people under
twenty points is pretty remarkable, and they've done it in
six of their last seven games. Chargers at eight number seven.
I moved to Houston Texans ahead of them. They've won
eighth straight. I really liked this team, and the difference
I think is Deshaun Watson's mobility and their emerging running game.
(23:44):
Now it should be noted I love Deshaun Watson, but
he's thrown for fewer than two hundred and fifty yards
in six straight games. So the staff in Houston's figured
it out. We're not asking him to throw forty times,
but his mobility throw at twenty four times. They've got
their running game, and by the way, they're six in
sacks so they can get after the quarterback. Texans at seven,
(24:05):
number six, here's another team that all the things they
always do, they're doing again. The Patriots have won seven
of eight games. Here's the downside why I don't have
them in my top echelon thirtieth in sacks. Now, there
have been years where they're inconsistent getting to the quarterback.
Last year is one of those years. I think they
(24:26):
need to play at home doing in the playoffs. I
do like their running game. Rex Burkhead has been activated,
Sony Michelle the rookie's terrific, James White's an unbelievable receiver.
So I think they're running backs are the best they've
been in years. But when I get no pass rush
and they're inconsistent over the top and Gronk is a
fifty fifty coin flot to be healthy, I put them
(24:47):
only at six number five Chicago Bears. I was wrong
on them. I whipped on them. It's the NFL team.
I just didn't see it coming. I watched Trubisky as
rookie year and I don't get it. I still don't
love Trubisky. They've won five st eight there again, their
best eight players, according to Pro Football Focus, are all
on defense, number two in scoring defense. Their third down
(25:09):
defense is fantastic. They get you off the field, and
I just think this is a two pronged story. Great defense,
great head coach, marginal quarterback being elevated magnificently by that coach.
Bears A five number four. I picked the Steelers win
the Super Bowl, and my final four teams, usually in
the Hurt hierarchy, are to me the teams that should
(25:31):
end up in your championship games. I think Pittsburgh here's
my issue though, and here's always my issue. In their
last two games seven turnovers? Good hell, could they finally
button things up? There's so much I like about them?
But do you trust them? Even against New England? Do
you trust them? I just don't know what to do
(25:53):
with them. But they're offensive personnel. They are also also,
it should be noted the Pittsburg Steelers lead the NFL
in sacks. That's why I give them the edge. They
make the other quarterback uncomfortable. Steelers four number three LA
rams questions about their defense, but Todd Gurley basically leads
football in every rushing category, and they've scored thirty plus
(26:17):
points in eight of their ten games. I do think
Aaron Donald is amazing defensively, but I think in domin Coin,
Sue sort of goes to his own drummer. I think
Marcus Peter sometimes is playing ISO defensive football hero ball.
I do not trust their defense in big spots. They've
got big name, big stars, but also big egos. There's
not I see this a lot with the Rams. They're
(26:40):
a firework show, but they have to score thirty to
beat the Seahawks. I have him at three, number two
Kansas City. Here's what's amazing about the hurt hierarchy this week.
I think there's nine good teams and then there's my
number one team. Here's my problem with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Last in past defense, most penalties and penalty yards in
(27:01):
the NFL. Does that sound like a super Bowl winning team?
I get so much flash, there's so many things I
like about it. That's the worst past defense in the
league and the most penalized team in the league. And
so my number one team, And this is what I
think we have in the NFL this year. I think
we have one great team and nine really good ones.
My number one team, number one, the Saints. What are
(27:23):
they not doing well? And nobody in this league's going
to New Orleans and winning a playoff game, no chance.
The fewest giveaways, the fewest sacks allowed, they don't get penalized.
You can't run on them. They can run, I mean
outside of their secondary, which even that's gotten better than
the last two weeks. I feel like the Saints are
at one level even number two Kansas City. Awful pass defense,
(27:47):
most penalties, young quarterback. I don't see them going to
Foxborough and winning a playoff game or going to Pittsburgh
hurt hierarchy. One great team, the Saints and everybody else
This week to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
in noun Easter nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeart Radio app. Tonight's to college
(28:08):
football playoff rankings. Right, I've watched all the games, all
the big teams. I'm just gonna give you the six
best teams I've watched in order. Bama's the best team
I've seen, Clemson second best, Oklahoma's third best, George's fourth best.
I dropped Notre Dame after this weekend. I just questioned
their perimeter speed. I had two NFL executives text me
during the Notre Dame game and say, Oh, they're gonna
(28:31):
get boat raced by Clemson. They can't run with them.
An Ohio State will probably be you know, I put
them six. They had one great game and a bunch
of average ones. The big argument is going to come
down to this because Notre Dame is gonna get in
because they're not gonna lose Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame or
getting in. George is gonna lose. It's gonna come down
to Ohio State Oklahoma. I am firmly ensconced in the
(28:54):
Oklahoma group. And here's why. Two reasons. First reason O
their defense time out. Was their defense great two years
ago because they beat Auburn. Was their defense great? Last year?
Because I saw him going to double overtime and should
have beaten Georgia. Was their defense great four years ago
when they beat Alabama. I've seen Oklahoma against the SEC. Okay,
(29:18):
I've seen them against the SEC. They're really good. Beat Nick.
They didn't have a great defense that year. Beat Auburn.
Good Auburn team. They have a great defense that year.
Last year, they should have beaten Georgia double overtime hadn't
lost it. They didn't have a great defense last year.
Oklahoma's got what the SEC can't solve. Great offensive coach,
(29:39):
mobile quarterback ton of playmakers and NFL bodies on the
offensive line. I know they can go toe to toe
with all these SEC teams. Now, I'm not saying they're
gonna win all of them. But here's the second reason,
and this is the biggiey I choose Oklaholmer of Ohio State.
Everybody always talks about wins, wins, wins, wins, wins. Folks,
college football average teams, pertn Due has some good wins,
(30:01):
Arizona State's got a couple of good wins. Iowa State's
got impressive wins. Crappy and average college football teams have
impressive wins, often more than one. Purdue West Iowa State.
But here's what Teams that won a national championship never
have a twenty nine point loss to Purdue. Oklahoma's I
(30:24):
don't look at your wins. I look at your loss.
That's what I look at. Oklahoma's loss is a last
second field goal to their arch rival on a neutral field,
which they will avenge this weekend, so they will have
beaten every team they've played when they beat Texas this weekend. Okay,
(30:44):
you can't have a twenty nine point loss to Purdue
and get into the Final four in the last twenty
eight years. Here's the worst losses ever by a team
that won a title, and it ain't that bad. Ohio
State lost by fourteen to a good Virginia Tech team.
Alabama lost to Auburn, their rival, a team full of
(31:06):
thirteen football players, and LSU lost to a great Florida
team or a good Florida team in two thousand and three.
In twenty eight years, nobody that's won a title has
had a twenty nine point loss to a team like Purdue,
which lost to Eastern Michigan and got beat by Missouri
in Minnesota. Purdue is average. I don't want to just
(31:29):
stack up wins. Because I watch college football every weekend.
I see all the time. I see average teams get
upset wins. So of course Oklahoma's got good wins. Of
course Ohio State has good wins. Of course they do.
I always go to your loss. If you deserve to
be a Final four team, you can't lose by twenty
(31:50):
nine to Purdue. Can't not allowing you in there. So
to me, Bama, Clemson, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame are the teams.
Further d I think George is better than Notre Dame
and even after they lose this weekend. I think George
is better than Notre Dame. But I don't think it's
fair that Alabama would have to play Georgia twice. I
(32:16):
don't think that's fair. I don't think that's fair that,
you know, Bama beats them by two touchdowns and a
month later they have to play them again. I think
that's totally unfair. Be one thing, if they you know,
they faced off in week three, I don't like that.
You know, in the next month you gotta play the
same team. But when the Ohio State Oklahoma thing is
real simple to me. I got a track record to
Oklahoma giving great sec defenses fits and number two, I
(32:41):
can stomach their loss. I can't stomach a twenty nine
point loss to per don't be sure to catch live
editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Easter nine am Pacific. Well,
I've been I'm waiting for this all day. I grew
up in the Pacific Northwest. I went to a small school.
I've spent a lot of time in Idaho, which is
an amazing play sand Spokane, which is by his hometown
(33:03):
of Riggan's, Idaho, population four hundred. He's a high school
football star, and now he is emerging as one of
the great young players offensive or defense in the National
Football League. Via the Coward Global Satellite Network, Layton vander
esh Okay, I gotta start with some Pacific Northwest love.
So Idaho is stunning. You're a lucky guy to have
(33:25):
grown up in Idaho. The fishing, the hunting, the landscape,
there's a lot of space out there. When you were
playing high school football, Layton, did you even think about
the NFL? Or was it just like I like my life.
I'm a really good eight man football player. Did you
Was the NFL something you talked about or thought about? Absolutely?
(33:47):
I think I was thinking about it all the time,
and in the back of my head I always wanted
to play in the NFL every style was a little boy.
That was my biggest dream was to play pro ball
and and to now get a chance to do that
in the antelou live out my dream and play for
the Cowboys. This pretty sweek now. Idaho tends to be
Seattle Seahawk territory. There's a lot of Seahawk fans in Idaho.
(34:09):
Were US Seahawk fan? Did you have a favorite team? No,
everybody was split like between Denver and Seattle from where
I grew up, but I never really I never really
had a favorite team, but I watched the Cowboys all
the time, so that was kind of the ironic part
of it all. And then ended up ended up being
here and where this is where I wanted to be
(34:31):
throughout the whole entire draft process. So it worked out
just fine and couldn't be more thankful for it. Now,
college football recruiters don't spend a lot of time at
eight man football games, right They're going to the big
Seattle games and the Denver high school games in the
LA games. Was there ever a concern like, for instance,
you went to Boise State, did anybody else recruit you? Did?
(34:55):
You have to go to camps? Tell me the story
about how you ended up because I gotta tell your
riggins Idah, it's not a hot bed for college football talent. No. No,
We've had a few guys come out there and play.
We had we had a guy came and play for
Uvy and the guy for Carol, another guy for College Idaho. Um,
but I mean, we never really had anybody come out
(35:17):
with d one offers. And even I, like I walked
on at Boys State, So uh yeah, I mean I was.
I was in class one day and I got called
to the office. And at first I was confused, as
I I don't know why I'm getting called to the office.
But I stepped out in the hallway. We have one
single hall at the high school and and avelo. So
our defensive coordinator at Boys you stay right now. He
(35:40):
was a linebacker coach at the time. He was standing
down there with all the Boys State stuff and I
went and talked to him and he said, uh. He
introduced himself and I was like, man, I don't know
very much about you. We don't know very much about you,
but everybody's been talking about you down the valley down
Boys and saying we should be interested. So he invited
me to their summer camp. And that's kind of where
it all started. When did linebacker drills, quarterback drills, tight
(36:04):
end drills with with all the different coaches and got
on film for them a little bit, and then they
offered me a walk on spot after my senior year
of football. Wow. So you go to Boise State and
then you know, then you start hearing about you and
you When was the first moment at Boise State, when
you thought to yourself, Hey, I'm I'm gonna play in
(36:27):
the NFL. I'm gonna get drafted. Was there a moment
a game and epiphany, a moment um. It was probably
the start of my junior year at Boise. I always
I always thought in the back of my head though
at Boise, like if I did what I needed to
do and and what I wanted to do and accomplished
that Boisi State, that I was gonna hand take a
(36:49):
chance or I was gonna have a chance to make
it on to the next level in the NFL and
get that chance. Um, but you really started hit me
those first few games at Boise my junior year, just
tearing it up and blanking plays on the field. I
knew that if I just continue to do that and
be consistent every single week in Boise and make plays
and just be myself, that I was gonna have a
(37:10):
pretty dangod chance at it. Jerry Jones, The Star, the Stadium,
the Cowboys. You get drafted by Dallas when you when
you step onto their practice field and when did it
hit you? Oh my lord, I'm not just playing in
the NFL. I'm playing for the Dallas Cowboys. Was there
a moment when it was like, really it really hits
(37:31):
you that, Wow, this is not just an NFL job,
this is as good as it gets. I think it
was the day after getting drafted, getting in the getting
the fly in the helicopter and land on the practice
field here at the Star the next morning, and having
everybody be there, all the reporters. There was probably like
(37:52):
seventy different reporters with cameras out there when we landed
on the helicopter and stepped out on the ont of
the field and then took took the tour of the
Star and one around and saw a bunch of the coaches,
got my iPad, notebook, all that stuff. So uh, it
kind of hit me right there when I stepped out
of the helicopter like I just really got a ride
on the helicon Gary's helicopter to the Star. Yeah, my
(38:13):
new home. And even even then, like even getting drafted
the night before in eighteen T Stadium, that was like
that was an experience in itself as you can as
you can imagine being there and they're not having to
travel anywhere, just being able to stay, being able to
stay in Dallas and then get to find the helicopter
(38:34):
the like ten fifteen minutes from downtown to the Star.
So yeah, that was that was absolutely incredible, and I'm
gonna remember that for the rest of my life. I mean,
I don't know your parents, obviously, but then must be
I know, I know when I got my first job,
my mom would still call me and say, do you
need a raise? Or do you need cookies? Do you
need me to send stuff? So now you're from this
(38:56):
small town, your parents are watching you. You're a Dallas Cowboy.
I mean, I don't even know how you're ever gonna
go back to Riggin's, Idaho. You're gonna be They're gonna
have parades for you. But it is interesting when I
kind of look at you, I find that a lot
of people like your story, the eight man football thing.
Now you're in this big city. Now you're a star
(39:19):
for the Cowboys. Like, are you ready to be a leader?
You're obviously a good player, But if I told you
next ten years you're the defensive captain of the team,
is that a big leap for you? Would you embrace that? Oh?
I would embrace it absolutely. Uh. I mean I've always
I've always thought of myself as a leader and just
being a guy that that my teammates and people around
(39:42):
my coaches can trust on the field, on in off,
knowing that there's that that I'm a guy that they
can come to and know that he's gonna get the
job done and he's going to be pay his butt
off to go do on the field and be there
for the guy to his left and his right. Um.
And I mean, I'm just I'm I love playing football
and I love being successful, and I love the guys
(40:04):
around me being successful, and I that's that's the ultimate goal. Um.
When when I mean any part of the team that
that I want to be a part of it or
that I'm on So, uh, we got big things to
accomplish here in Dallas. I know where We're far from done, um,
but just take things take things slow, take things one
one day at a time, one practice at a time,
when we get a time in, one game at a time,
(40:25):
and just go have that mindset that that we're gonna
be there every single every single step of the way. Uh.
And and if I'm if I'm a guy that they
can trust to be a leader, and I know I am,
I'm gonna I'm gonna go do that. Eleven people in
his high school graduating class eight man football played quarterback
and linebacker. Now, you're a good looking kid, You're certainly
(40:47):
big enough to be a quarterback. You could. It looks
like to me you could have played quarterback at some
point you made a decision or somebody made it for you.
Maybe you could be the Cowboys quarterback. Who knew you
were a order back and a linebacker. What coach told you, hey, kid,
you're gonna play a linebacker? That was avelos. That was
(41:07):
definitely ablos. Uh. There was a bunch of a bunch
of colleges that were a bunch of smaller colleges that
were recruiting me out of high school wanted me to
play linebacker and quarterback and basketball too. So uh but
Avlos is like, dude, the way you run around the field,
you're gonna you're gonna be a heck of a linebacker.
And I mean I trusted him, and he gave me
(41:28):
the chance to go play at boys you State where
I always wanted to play. And yeah, I didn't get
a scholarship by off the bat, but that's where I
wanted to play from day one, and he gave me
that chance and got my name in the door, and
then it was like, all right, I'm gonna go. I'm
gonna go make the most of this. I'm gonna I'm
gonna prove everybody wrong, which I feel like I've been
trying to do my whole entire life, outing what I
can do um and then just taking it from there,
(41:51):
just trusting, trusting my ability, trusting my instincts, my preparation,
and knowing how hard I'm going to work to make
sure I'm successful. Layton van Rush One more question. I
asked this to rookies. So you watch games on TV
and then you get into games, who was the first
great player that you tackled and you thought to yourself,
Oh my god, I just I just tackled Julio Jones.
(42:13):
I just tackled it was there. What was your first
play in the NFL where you're like, after you get
up from the pile, you're like, oh, yeah, I just
tackled a guy I watched on TV for years. Probably
Adrian Peterson. He I grew up. He was probably my
favorite player for for years and years. And I know
we played we Boys. You State played him in the
(42:34):
NFS Bowl and back in two thousand and seven and
watching them, watching him all throughout in NFL and seeing
how he played, the stylid play he plays with is awesome.
It's hard for the game, and then actually getting to
play against him, it was like, this is crazy and
this is awesome. Well, Layton, you're a great kid, wonderful story.
(42:57):
You were the let's see right here, Week ten NFC
Defensive Player of the Week thirteen tackles. Yeah, you were
great against the Eagles. We wish you continued success in
joy Dallas, and congrats to Idaho you and your family.
Thank you, Thank you so much.
Thanks for listening to the Best of Herd podcast. Be
sure to catch us live every weekday from twelve to
three eastern, nine to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
and FS one. Find your local station for The Herd
at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. This
is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowhern on
Fox Sports Radio. Ah. Here we go into Tuesday. This
(00:24):
is the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you
may be, listening live from Los Angeles iHeartRadio, Fox Sports
Radio and FS one. One hour from now, our top
ten NFL teams heard Hierarchy Layton Vanderesh the Dallas Cowboys
is going to join US Pacific Northwest. Kid from Idaho
who's hit at big. He's a star linebacker for the
(00:45):
Dallas Cowboys. Joey Taylor. I didn't say the city. I
was an undisclosed location. Miss yesterday's show got snowed in.
I think it's it. I was in Kansas City, all
right with our own the family for Thanksgiving and Sunday
we were heads at the airport and it decided to
drop six inches of snow from the guy. There you
go by the way, it looks like you're wearing a
ski sweater, so you look. I've been affected by the boods.
(01:07):
I haven't seen snow like that a long time. It's
very pretty, just not on the right day. All right,
Great to have you backs, Great to have you back.
So I'm watched him last night to Shaun Watson, who
I said when he came out in the draft, not
miss Rubisky. I said, I'd take to Shaun Watson as
the first quarterback. I didn't think he was as gifted,
maybe as an Andrew Luck, not as not as physically
gifted as a cam. But I said, that's the best
quarterback I've seen in college. He should have beatn Nick
(01:30):
Saban twice. Saban had six weeks. He's great, and I'm
watching him last night and he just had another terrific night.
They've won eight straight. I know. We fall in love
with two game winning streaks for Baker Mayfield. A lot
of average guys have had two game winning streaks. He's
on an eight gamer, terrific player, nineteen to twenty four,
A couple of touchdowns, can move, had a running game,
and I'm really happy for him because he's also I've
been told a great kid. But I was thinking about this.
(01:52):
The NFL football is so much bigger than anything else
in America. It's four times as popular as college football.
I mean in regular sea and games get nine to
ten times what an NBA game does, fifteen times what
a baseball game does. It's the biggest sport in the country.
And there's one position that matters more than any quarterback.
And we know that these are three billion dollar teams,
five billion dollar teams, Cowboys maybe a ten billion dollar team.
(02:14):
So think about that. This is the biggest sport in
America by a mile. Quarterback is the number one position
by a mile. And all these experts and all these
college teams and all these scouts, how many teams in
the NFL drive to work, how many owners, how many coaches,
(02:35):
how many gms drive to work in the entire NFL.
And think, for the next decade we have a star quarterback.
I think you'd be shocked to see how lucky Houston is.
Now think about this. Let's eliminate five guys right off
the top. They're all great, but they're not going to
be here in a decade. Brady Brees, Rogers Ben Philip Rivers,
(03:00):
they're great. Let's take those five out. They're not going
to be here in ten years. All those teams outside
of maybe Green Bay are all thinking a draft in
a quarterback next year. In Green Bay, Aaron's gonna be
thirty five in December, they're gonna be drafting a quarterback
in three years. So take those five out there on here,
let's take out the next five, all the rookie quarterbacks.
So let's take out Mayfield, Darnold Rose, and Alan Jackson.
(03:21):
Don't freak out Baker Mayfield fans. RG three had a
great rookie year. Vince Young had a great rookie year.
You don't know because you beat at Lanta in Cincinnati,
you don't know. Let's take out the rookies. You don't know.
Based on eight nine NFL games, Let's take out another
five guys who, let's just be honest, they're incredibly limited. Bordles, Dalton, Keenham,
(03:42):
Elion Tannehill. They could win games. Eli's got some Super Bowls.
They are now very limited quarterbacks. So we've taken out fifteen.
Let's take out these are the hard guys to take out.
These are guys that are talented, but there's limitations. Stafford Flacco,
Alex Smith, Dak Kirk, Derek Carr, Mariota, Jamis Winston. Come on,
(04:02):
Mariota fans. He had three passes over ten yards. He
runs too much, He's hurt often. Now. I like Derek
Carr a lot, but he may get traded in a year.
Oakland doesn't love him as much as I do. And
you know what you're left with. Now, think about this again.
This is the biggest sport, the most important position, the
number what people give up six seven picks to get
(04:24):
the quarterback right. And here's what you are left with.
In the NFL. You are left with ten quarterbacks, just
a third of the league. That every owner, gm and
coach drives to work knowing we've got our guy for
ten years. Jared Goff, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Deshaun Watson,
Patrick Mahomes, Carson Wentz, Jimmy ge Matt Ryan, cam Newton,
(04:48):
and Trubisky. Now. I like Car more than Trubisky, but
I think people in Chicago are all in on Trubisky.
I don't think people in Oakland are all in on
Derek Car, though I prefer him. Jess when I'm watching
last night, I'm watching Deshaun Watson. I'm thinking, man, Houston,
(05:08):
you are in much more rarefied air than you realize.
Only ten teams in this league that for the next
decade have their guy at the most important position, and
they think we can win a super Bowl. And outside
of Trabisky, who I put in the good but limited
and car who I would put in the franchise quarterback
(05:31):
next ten years? That's it. I could maybe add Derek Carr.
It is you want to know why teams give up
seven picks Deshaun Watson? How good do you feel in Houston?
Eight game winning street? By the way, what makes these
guys special? And Jimmy G? What about Jimmy G. You
want to know what Kyle Shanahan is in San Francisco
(05:53):
without Jimmy G. Two and seventeen got a winning record
with Jimmy G. Hold off your cynicism, Okay, it is
I was just happy for Houston. I was happy for
to Sean because the NFL is better when I know,
ten years check, I got my guy. It's remarkable how
few do let me shift to this. We all want
(06:16):
to be I'm not gonna speak for joy but I
think she probably thinks the same way. We all want
to be not our parents, right. We all want to
be a little smarter than our parents, a little cooler
than our parents, a little more successful than our parents,
little hipper than our parents. Sometimes we get around at
kids and we kind of like roll our eyes at
our parents. We love them, but we look at our
parents and we're like, oh, I'm not going to become dad.
Oh I'm not gonna become mom. We don't want to
(06:37):
become our parents, right. But then all these years later,
I look at myself and I'm like, man, I got
a lot of my dad's qualities. I got a lot
of my mom's qualities. We all become our parents. And
Aaron Rodgers yesterday was talking about mortality, and I'm thinking
about this. Aaron Rodgers would never want to be compared
to Farve Far, Southern Guy, Rigid Stuthorn through all those picks.
(06:58):
I'm a lot smarter than bread Far and Far never
thought Aaron Rodgers was as equal. Guy went to junior college, California. Guy,
I think he's better than everybody. They're becoming one another. Yesterday,
Aaron Rodgers talked about something that Brett Farv used to
all the time on the back nine of his career,
(07:19):
his mortality. Here's Aaron obviously got a I'm more gray
in the beard than I did a few years ago,
so I know that football mortality catches up to everybody.
And he never want to lose a season. Now we're
gonna battle the next next five weeks and put ourselves
in a position to to be in the conversation. Man.
(07:41):
Hopefully it'll be enough. And like, I've always got to
get in more talent in these five see what happens. Yeah,
but he talks about mortality. It was one of my
knocks with far of late in his career. I'm like, dude,
you're like thirty six years old, stop being stubborn. And Richard,
you're not at Grandpa learned a new offense. He didn't
want to learn a new offense. And I think it's
interesting Aaron's talking about graying beard. I'm on the back nine.
(08:04):
They've become one another. Think about this. Let's go to
farves first ten years in the league as a Packer
and let's go to Arran's first ten years as a Packer.
Both have a Super Bowl multiple MVPs. Nine out of
ten winning seasons and six Pro Bowls. Both have iconic
arms commercials, beloved by the fawning media. First ten years,
(08:25):
same guy, maybe once from the South, once from the West,
the same guy. But remember how Brett Farve's career ended,
And couldn't I make an argument this is sort of
how Errands will end. How did farves last five seasons
go barely a five hundred road quarterback, three teams, multiple
(08:47):
Pro Bowls, couple division titles, never got back to a
Super Bowl, and oh, by the way, kind of flaky.
Remember far I'm gonna retire. I'm not going to retire.
I'm gonna retire. I'm not going to retire. Kind of
held the team hostage, and oh, by the way, there
were a couple of quarterbacks emerging, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady
who looked better when I look at when I look
(09:07):
at Aaron Rodgers down the stretch, I think he's gonna
make Pro Bowls. I think he's gonna win a couple
of division titles. I'm not sure he's gonna get back
to the Super Bowl. And he's becoming a little like Farve.
Whereas your fault, your fault, your fault, your fault, coach
out Ty Montgomery out defense problem. We never want to
become our parents. We all do. Aaron Rodgers first ten
(09:32):
years are identical to Farves will his last seven b
I will say this. People always say their big difference
is Far through a lot of picks. Aaron doesn't. But
even that's linked. Far never got hurt because he got
rid of the ball early, thus creating often interceptions. Aaron's
(09:54):
hurt a lot because he holds onto the ball too
long because he doesn't want to throw interceptions. Even on that,
they're linked. And just never forget how it ended for
Brett Farve. Brett Farve goes back to pass, he pumps,
now he fires over the middle, intercepted. I can't believe
(10:16):
what I'm seeing right now. It was intercepted by Tracy
Porter near side of the forty and John Sullivan runs
him down at the forty seven yard line. You've got
to be kidding me. I can't believe what I just saw.
Why do you even ponder passing? I mean, you can
take a knee and try a fifty six yard field goal.
This is not Detroit, man, this is a Super Bowl.
(10:37):
Paul Allen, my favorite radio call ever. It is interesting
though what we try to avoid we often become farvan rogers.
To me, first ten years identical will the last seven
or eight For Aaron, it does appear he'll have a
new coach and a new start in about four months.
(11:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays
in noon Easter nine a Empacific. So you know how
I felt about Baker Mayfield. I said it over and
over and over. He's not going to be a bust,
said that from day one, sent in a thousand times.
He's too accurate a thrower to be a bust. I
think he's going to be a better version of case Keenum.
Now a lot of you will go WHOA. Last two
weeks case Keenum has beaten Philip Rivers and Big Ben.
(11:23):
Just just let that soak in. Put the pom bombs down.
Last two weeks, case Keenum has beaten Big Ben and
Philip Rivers. I think Baker Mayfield is not Breeze or Wilson.
I think he's much closer to case Keenum. Give him
a running game, a good defense. He can win games
in this league. He's not a bust. But my concern
(11:44):
has always been in the nonsense in the immaturity. So yesterday,
two days ago, he fired off at Hugh Jackson, didn't
need too nonsense. Luck wouldn't have done it, Wilson wouldn't
have done it, Breeze wouldn't have done it, Matt Ryan
would have done it, Brady wouldn't have done it. Stupid
fires at Hugh Jackson. And then yesterday Damian Woody, one
of my best friends at ESPN who I still call regularly.
(12:04):
I talked to him last week. Said went to Twitter
and said, Damien said, hey, Baker, didn't you transferred to
a rival? Aren't you being a little bit of a hypocrite.
You're mad at Hugh Jackson for getting fired and saying, well,
I'm gonna go to a team that offered me a contract.
Baker went to social media and fired back at Damian Woody.
He goes, not even comparable. I didn't lose thirty plus games.
(12:26):
Be fake and do that. I wasn't going to have
a scholarship. Good try, though, Why go there now? Right now?
The media, which just falls in love with a shiny
new toy, and fans, which short for fanatic, I get it,
are in love with Baker Mayfield. Two things to remember
RG three, Vince Young and Mark Sanchez had great rookie years,
(12:51):
so did Dak. But let me concentrate on those three
because they all eventually flamed out for the same reason.
RG three immature, Vince Young, immature, Mark Sanchez, more playboy
than playbook, didn't work hard enough out. They all had
way better years than this year. For Baker, Baker's year
(13:13):
hasn't even finished, not even start the year. We're not
close to He's still a month and more left in
the year. So I know you're just going crazy. It's
a big star. It's the first thing to remember, I've
seen I've been watching this league for four decades. I've
seen guys like Vince Young, hell of a lot more
talent than Baker, Mark Sanchez RG three have great rookie
(13:34):
years and Dak. And then an hour later you're like, oh, oh,
that's kind of a perfect storm there, everything kind of
worked out. Here's the second thing. So maturity or lack thereof,
always unravels quarterbacks. Jeff George, Vince Young, Sanchez, RG three,
the amount of talent you yard at that position. Immaturity,
(13:55):
Johnny Manziel will unravel regardless of your talent. Here's the
second thing. He's won two straight games, two straight. You
do realize the guys I like have gone on like
long streaks to Shaun Watson's won eighth straight. Carson Wentz
(14:15):
last year won nine straight, Andrew Lux and a five gamer.
Jared Goff had an eight gamer. Mahomes has had a
five and a four gamer. Congratulations on back to back
wins over Oh. I don't know Cincinnati Atlanta's defense, which
are awful. It should be noted that he's had a
nice three game stretch Kansas City, Atlanta, Cincinnati. I put
(14:37):
their defensive rankings in the NFL on the board last
twenty eight Jared Goff to see what he did in
Kansas City fifty four points, and that's without Todd Gurley
having a touchdown. In fact, against Cincinnati and Atlanta, Baker
didn't come close to picking up the average yards those
(14:57):
teams give up. Atlanta gives up two hundred and seventy
five yards a game Baker through for two fifteen. Cincinnati
gives up three hundred yards in the air a game
he got two fifty. Maturity still an issue. I've seen
better quarterbacks rookies unravel because of lack of maturity. And secondly,
he's won two straight games over terrible defenses. Who cares?
(15:20):
I mean, Sam Darnold looked great on Monday Night Football.
Where's he at now? They're rookies. You can't take one
in two game capsules, three game capsules. Who they play
when they play him? So I think this is what
I always worried about Baker Mayfield. It's not the accuracy.
He's a gamer. He's gonna complete sixty nine percent of
his throws in this league, seventy percent with a new role,
(15:41):
he won't be a bust. But this maturity stuff. Instagram,
social media fire in it. I'm telling you I've watched
it unravel a lot more talented quarterbacks. One more Herd.
The Herd streams twenty four hours a day, seven days
a week within the iHeart Radio app. Search her to
listen live or on demand whenever you like. Tom Brady
(16:04):
says something yesterday, and it's pretty funny. Tom Brady was
asked about, you know, all these flashy offenses throwing the
ball down the field, and here's New England once again, choppin'wood, choppin'wood, boring, boring, boring,
thousand cuts. It's four yards six yards, and Brady talked
about taking more risk and throwing the ball down the
field more. Maybe part of my promise i've gotten older
(16:24):
is you know, I want to make so few mistakes.
You know, maybe there's there's not as much aggressiveness as
I would like, because you know, with aggressiveness comes a
little more risk. And you know, we have like a
ninety five percent chance of winning when we don't turn
the ball over, you know, And I think that's always
in the back of my minds Now, for the record,
he's right, New England is one hundred and twenty five
(16:46):
and fifteen when Tom Brady and the Patriots don't ever
turn over. So what he's saying is, basically, we have
a template here and it all starts with one stat
don't turn it over. They're a hundred and twenty five
and fifteen. That is unbelievable. There is no greater stat
in the National Football League than that New England's one
hundred and twenty five and fifteen when they don't turn
(17:07):
it over. So Tom saying, yeah, I'm a little with
our template the way we do business, but I want
you to think about this. So I watched New England Sunday,
watched every snap and we're all fall in love with
the Rams and the Saints and the Steelers and the
Chiefs and the Texans. And I love me some Andrew Luck.
But ask yourself, what are the five staples that New
(17:30):
England every year in every one of these Super Bowls?
There's five things they do every year, And ask yourself,
aren't they doing all of them this year? Number one
is they have the best head coach in football. That's
not arguable. There's not a single fan out there watching
me that thinks, oh, we've played New England this week,
We've got the better coach. I like Sean Payton, I
(17:52):
like Andy Reid, I like Sean McVeigh. They still the
best coach in the league that matters situationally Layton games.
We've seen it a million times. Number two, say what
you want about Brady. He is the best pre snap
quarterback in the NFL, not just audibl ing to better plays.
Does anybody in league history audible out of more trouble
than him? He audibles out of sacks. He audibles out
(18:14):
of losses and blitzes. They still have that. Number three
is bend, don't break defense. Do you know where they're
ranked right now in points eleventh, and if you look
at their remaining schedule, they'll probably end up eighth, ninth, tenth.
That's exactly where they've ended up points allowed in their
(18:37):
last four Super Bowl trips. Number four, they don't beat
themselves right now, fewest penalty yards in the NFL New England.
And number five they're really good in January at home,
and they're the number two seed right now, and they
(18:58):
have the tiebreaker against the number one team. The five
Super Bowl staples, best coach, best pre snap quarterback, ben
don't break defense, don't beat themselves, tremendous at home. They're
still all of those. And I know they're not a
(19:19):
Tesla and they're not a tech stock, and they're not
the Chiefs, and they're not the Rams, and they're not
the Chargers. They're not the Saints. That's the thing about
New England. You know what they are? What is something
that every Sunday delivers sixty minutes for thirty years. It's
never the coolest show. It's never the newest show. It's
never got the youngest actors, it's never the hippest show.
(19:41):
Nobody talks about it on social media. They're sixty minutes.
Every Sunday, they deliver. They deliver a number, a win
for their network every Sunday. Not flashy, not cool, kind
of old, getting tired of it. But this is what
they are every single Sunday. So when I look at
(20:04):
all these new offenses, I'm sitting to myself wondering, am
I falling for it again? Am I once again fallen
for all? Because by the way we have I try
not to do this, and I don't think I do
it a lot, but I think I've done it before.
I pushed back on new flashy stuff. I pushed back
on Derrick Rows, I pushed back on Westbrook, I pushed
(20:26):
back on Jannis fifteen years later. Bro, it's still a
Lebron league. You keep trying to sell me all the
mahomes and the golf and the flash and the fun.
You know what's gonna get a rating of Sunday? Jim
Nance and Tony Romo gonna be doing a game for CBS,
and they're gonna go coming up after the game tonight
sixty minutes, and you know what else is gonna happen Sunday?
(20:48):
Who won Sunday? The New England Patriots Yeah, So you
gotta be careful about falling for the new cool stuff
because there are certain things, by the way, in a
major I like Federer Sunday Night. I like the Patriots
in sixty minutes. NBA, it's still Lebron's league. What's up, everybody?
This John Middlekop from the Three and Out podcast on
(21:10):
Colin Coward's podcast network. You like Colin show'll definitely like mine.
I talk a ton of football. Got a lot going
on this week. JJ Watt Texans They're for real, Aaron
Rodgers major issues, Baker Mayfield, Hugh Jackson, Jalen Ramsey, won't
shut up. We got a lot to discuss. Again. Subscribe
(21:32):
to the Three and Out Podcast with me. John Middlecop
heard Hierarchy has the top ten NFL teams according to
College Number ten Dallas Cowboys. Listen, they're third and scoring defense.
I think their front seven is excellent. They've got all
sorts of range and athleticism and length and speed in
(21:55):
their front seven. I like their left tackle. They're running
back and Amari Cooper too. Here's the downside to Dallas.
They can only win a certain way. They're five and
one when Ezekiel Elliott has over one hundred yards. They're
one and four when he's under one hundred rushing yards.
So that's going to give really elite teams in the
playoffs a game plan stack the box. Now Amari Cooper helps,
(22:17):
but I think this is a team that has to
win a certain way. Now they can win because they're
really talented in certain spots. Cowboys at ten, number nine.
This is the team I kind of fell in love
with about three or four weeks ago. I love what
they're doing in Indianapolis. Again, outside of Darius Leonard and
maybe Kenny Moore, I don't love their defensive personnel and
(22:37):
they are limited, but they have won five straight. They're
averaging thirty four and a half points since Week six.
This is a great story. I mean, they've got guys
who you've never heard of, Darius Leonard, and guys who
were busts, Eric Ebroun, and they got a coach, you know,
Frank Reich that wasn't even their first hire. But Andrew
(22:58):
luck is carrying a built offensive line. I love this story.
They're the first team I watch every Week's the first
game I put on the Colts. I got him at nine,
number eight, LA Chargers. You know we're gonna pay attention
to Philip Rivers, and I get it, but six of
their last seven games in twenty eighteen, they're surrendering less
fewer than twenty points. This is really a defensive story.
(23:20):
I know we've fallen over their receivers in Philip Rivers,
but in this era of football, to hold people under
twenty points is pretty remarkable, and they've done it in
six of their last seven games. Chargers at eight number seven.
I moved to Houston Texans ahead of them. They've won
eighth straight. I really liked this team, and the difference
I think is Deshaun Watson's mobility and their emerging running game.
(23:44):
Now it should be noted I love Deshaun Watson, but
he's thrown for fewer than two hundred and fifty yards
in six straight games. So the staff in Houston's figured
it out. We're not asking him to throw forty times,
but his mobility throw at twenty four times. They've got
their running game, and by the way, they're six in
sacks so they can get after the quarterback. Texans at seven,
(24:05):
number six, here's another team that all the things they
always do, they're doing again. The Patriots have won seven
of eight games. Here's the downside why I don't have
them in my top echelon thirtieth in sacks. Now, there
have been years where they're inconsistent getting to the quarterback.
Last year is one of those years. I think they
(24:26):
need to play at home doing in the playoffs. I
do like their running game. Rex Burkhead has been activated,
Sony Michelle the rookie's terrific, James White's an unbelievable receiver.
So I think they're running backs are the best they've
been in years. But when I get no pass rush
and they're inconsistent over the top and Gronk is a
fifty fifty coin flot to be healthy, I put them
(24:47):
only at six number five Chicago Bears. I was wrong
on them. I whipped on them. It's the NFL team.
I just didn't see it coming. I watched Trubisky as
rookie year and I don't get it. I still don't
love Trubisky. They've won five st eight there again, their
best eight players, according to Pro Football Focus, are all
on defense, number two in scoring defense. Their third down
(25:09):
defense is fantastic. They get you off the field, and
I just think this is a two pronged story. Great defense,
great head coach, marginal quarterback being elevated magnificently by that coach.
Bears A five number four. I picked the Steelers win
the Super Bowl, and my final four teams, usually in
the Hurt hierarchy, are to me the teams that should
(25:31):
end up in your championship games. I think Pittsburgh here's
my issue though, and here's always my issue. In their
last two games seven turnovers? Good hell, could they finally
button things up? There's so much I like about them?
But do you trust them? Even against New England? Do
you trust them? I just don't know what to do
(25:53):
with them. But they're offensive personnel. They are also also,
it should be noted the Pittsburg Steelers lead the NFL
in sacks. That's why I give them the edge. They
make the other quarterback uncomfortable. Steelers four number three LA
rams questions about their defense, but Todd Gurley basically leads
football in every rushing category, and they've scored thirty plus
(26:17):
points in eight of their ten games. I do think
Aaron Donald is amazing defensively, but I think in domin Coin,
Sue sort of goes to his own drummer. I think
Marcus Peter sometimes is playing ISO defensive football hero ball.
I do not trust their defense in big spots. They've
got big name, big stars, but also big egos. There's
not I see this a lot with the Rams. They're
(26:40):
a firework show, but they have to score thirty to
beat the Seahawks. I have him at three, number two
Kansas City. Here's what's amazing about the hurt hierarchy this week.
I think there's nine good teams and then there's my
number one team. Here's my problem with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Last in past defense, most penalties and penalty yards in
(27:01):
the NFL. Does that sound like a super Bowl winning team?
I get so much flash, there's so many things I
like about it. That's the worst past defense in the
league and the most penalized team in the league. And
so my number one team, And this is what I
think we have in the NFL this year. I think
we have one great team and nine really good ones.
My number one team, number one, the Saints. What are
(27:23):
they not doing well? And nobody in this league's going
to New Orleans and winning a playoff game, no chance.
The fewest giveaways, the fewest sacks allowed, they don't get penalized.
You can't run on them. They can run, I mean
outside of their secondary, which even that's gotten better than
the last two weeks. I feel like the Saints are
at one level even number two Kansas City. Awful pass defense,
(27:47):
most penalties, young quarterback. I don't see them going to
Foxborough and winning a playoff game or going to Pittsburgh
hurt hierarchy. One great team, the Saints and everybody else
This week to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
in noun Easter nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeart Radio app. Tonight's to college
(28:08):
football playoff rankings. Right, I've watched all the games, all
the big teams. I'm just gonna give you the six
best teams I've watched in order. Bama's the best team
I've seen, Clemson second best, Oklahoma's third best, George's fourth best.
I dropped Notre Dame after this weekend. I just questioned
their perimeter speed. I had two NFL executives text me
during the Notre Dame game and say, Oh, they're gonna
(28:31):
get boat raced by Clemson. They can't run with them.
An Ohio State will probably be you know, I put
them six. They had one great game and a bunch
of average ones. The big argument is going to come
down to this because Notre Dame is gonna get in
because they're not gonna lose Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame or
getting in. George is gonna lose. It's gonna come down
to Ohio State Oklahoma. I am firmly ensconced in the
(28:54):
Oklahoma group. And here's why. Two reasons. First reason O
their defense time out. Was their defense great two years
ago because they beat Auburn. Was their defense great? Last year?
Because I saw him going to double overtime and should
have beaten Georgia. Was their defense great four years ago
when they beat Alabama. I've seen Oklahoma against the SEC. Okay,
(29:18):
I've seen them against the SEC. They're really good. Beat Nick.
They didn't have a great defense that year. Beat Auburn.
Good Auburn team. They have a great defense that year.
Last year, they should have beaten Georgia double overtime hadn't
lost it. They didn't have a great defense last year.
Oklahoma's got what the SEC can't solve. Great offensive coach,
(29:39):
mobile quarterback ton of playmakers and NFL bodies on the
offensive line. I know they can go toe to toe
with all these SEC teams. Now, I'm not saying they're
gonna win all of them. But here's the second reason,
and this is the biggiey I choose Oklaholmer of Ohio State.
Everybody always talks about wins, wins, wins, wins, wins. Folks,
college football average teams, pertn Due has some good wins,
(30:01):
Arizona State's got a couple of good wins. Iowa State's
got impressive wins. Crappy and average college football teams have
impressive wins, often more than one. Purdue West Iowa State.
But here's what Teams that won a national championship never
have a twenty nine point loss to Purdue. Oklahoma's I
(30:24):
don't look at your wins. I look at your loss.
That's what I look at. Oklahoma's loss is a last
second field goal to their arch rival on a neutral field,
which they will avenge this weekend, so they will have
beaten every team they've played when they beat Texas this weekend. Okay,
(30:44):
you can't have a twenty nine point loss to Purdue
and get into the Final four in the last twenty
eight years. Here's the worst losses ever by a team
that won a title, and it ain't that bad. Ohio
State lost by fourteen to a good Virginia Tech team.
Alabama lost to Auburn, their rival, a team full of
(31:06):
thirteen football players, and LSU lost to a great Florida
team or a good Florida team in two thousand and three.
In twenty eight years, nobody that's won a title has
had a twenty nine point loss to a team like Purdue,
which lost to Eastern Michigan and got beat by Missouri
in Minnesota. Purdue is average. I don't want to just
(31:29):
stack up wins. Because I watch college football every weekend.
I see all the time. I see average teams get
upset wins. So of course Oklahoma's got good wins. Of
course Ohio State has good wins. Of course they do.
I always go to your loss. If you deserve to
be a Final four team, you can't lose by twenty
(31:50):
nine to Purdue. Can't not allowing you in there. So
to me, Bama, Clemson, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame are the teams.
Further d I think George is better than Notre Dame
and even after they lose this weekend. I think George
is better than Notre Dame. But I don't think it's
fair that Alabama would have to play Georgia twice. I
(32:16):
don't think that's fair. I don't think that's fair that,
you know, Bama beats them by two touchdowns and a
month later they have to play them again. I think
that's totally unfair. Be one thing, if they you know,
they faced off in week three, I don't like that.
You know, in the next month you gotta play the
same team. But when the Ohio State Oklahoma thing is
real simple to me. I got a track record to
Oklahoma giving great sec defenses fits and number two, I
(32:41):
can stomach their loss. I can't stomach a twenty nine
point loss to per don't be sure to catch live
editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Easter nine am Pacific. Well,
I've been I'm waiting for this all day. I grew
up in the Pacific Northwest. I went to a small school.
I've spent a lot of time in Idaho, which is
an amazing play sand Spokane, which is by his hometown
(33:03):
of Riggan's, Idaho, population four hundred. He's a high school
football star, and now he is emerging as one of
the great young players offensive or defense in the National
Football League. Via the Coward Global Satellite Network, Layton vander
esh Okay, I gotta start with some Pacific Northwest love.
So Idaho is stunning. You're a lucky guy to have
(33:25):
grown up in Idaho. The fishing, the hunting, the landscape,
there's a lot of space out there. When you were
playing high school football, Layton, did you even think about
the NFL? Or was it just like I like my life.
I'm a really good eight man football player. Did you
Was the NFL something you talked about or thought about? Absolutely?
(33:47):
I think I was thinking about it all the time,
and in the back of my head I always wanted
to play in the NFL every style was a little boy.
That was my biggest dream was to play pro ball
and and to now get a chance to do that
in the antelou live out my dream and play for
the Cowboys. This pretty sweek now. Idaho tends to be
Seattle Seahawk territory. There's a lot of Seahawk fans in Idaho.
(34:09):
Were US Seahawk fan? Did you have a favorite team? No,
everybody was split like between Denver and Seattle from where
I grew up, but I never really I never really
had a favorite team, but I watched the Cowboys all
the time, so that was kind of the ironic part
of it all. And then ended up ended up being
here and where this is where I wanted to be
(34:31):
throughout the whole entire draft process. So it worked out
just fine and couldn't be more thankful for it. Now,
college football recruiters don't spend a lot of time at
eight man football games, right They're going to the big
Seattle games and the Denver high school games in the
LA games. Was there ever a concern like, for instance,
you went to Boise State, did anybody else recruit you? Did?
(34:55):
You have to go to camps? Tell me the story
about how you ended up because I gotta tell your
riggins Idah, it's not a hot bed for college football talent. No. No,
We've had a few guys come out there and play.
We had we had a guy came and play for
Uvy and the guy for Carol, another guy for College Idaho. Um,
but I mean, we never really had anybody come out
(35:17):
with d one offers. And even I, like I walked
on at Boys State, So uh yeah, I mean I was.
I was in class one day and I got called
to the office. And at first I was confused, as
I I don't know why I'm getting called to the office.
But I stepped out in the hallway. We have one
single hall at the high school and and avelo. So
our defensive coordinator at Boys you stay right now. He
(35:40):
was a linebacker coach at the time. He was standing
down there with all the Boys State stuff and I
went and talked to him and he said, uh. He
introduced himself and I was like, man, I don't know
very much about you. We don't know very much about you,
but everybody's been talking about you down the valley down
Boys and saying we should be interested. So he invited
me to their summer camp. And that's kind of where
it all started. When did linebacker drills, quarterback drills, tight
(36:04):
end drills with with all the different coaches and got
on film for them a little bit, and then they
offered me a walk on spot after my senior year
of football. Wow. So you go to Boise State and
then you know, then you start hearing about you and
you When was the first moment at Boise State, when
you thought to yourself, Hey, I'm I'm gonna play in
(36:27):
the NFL. I'm gonna get drafted. Was there a moment
a game and epiphany, a moment um. It was probably
the start of my junior year at Boise. I always
I always thought in the back of my head though
at Boise, like if I did what I needed to
do and and what I wanted to do and accomplished
that Boisi State, that I was gonna hand take a
(36:49):
chance or I was gonna have a chance to make
it on to the next level in the NFL and
get that chance. Um, but you really started hit me
those first few games at Boise my junior year, just
tearing it up and blanking plays on the field. I
knew that if I just continue to do that and
be consistent every single week in Boise and make plays
and just be myself, that I was gonna have a
(37:10):
pretty dangod chance at it. Jerry Jones, The Star, the Stadium,
the Cowboys. You get drafted by Dallas when you when
you step onto their practice field and when did it
hit you? Oh my lord, I'm not just playing in
the NFL. I'm playing for the Dallas Cowboys. Was there
a moment when it was like, really it really hits
(37:31):
you that, Wow, this is not just an NFL job,
this is as good as it gets. I think it
was the day after getting drafted, getting in the getting
the fly in the helicopter and land on the practice
field here at the Star the next morning, and having
everybody be there, all the reporters. There was probably like
(37:52):
seventy different reporters with cameras out there when we landed
on the helicopter and stepped out on the ont of
the field and then took took the tour of the
Star and one around and saw a bunch of the coaches,
got my iPad, notebook, all that stuff. So uh, it
kind of hit me right there when I stepped out
of the helicopter like I just really got a ride
on the helicon Gary's helicopter to the Star. Yeah, my
(38:13):
new home. And even even then, like even getting drafted
the night before in eighteen T Stadium, that was like
that was an experience in itself as you can as
you can imagine being there and they're not having to
travel anywhere, just being able to stay, being able to
stay in Dallas and then get to find the helicopter
(38:34):
the like ten fifteen minutes from downtown to the Star.
So yeah, that was that was absolutely incredible, and I'm
gonna remember that for the rest of my life. I mean,
I don't know your parents, obviously, but then must be
I know, I know when I got my first job,
my mom would still call me and say, do you
need a raise? Or do you need cookies? Do you
need me to send stuff? So now you're from this
(38:56):
small town, your parents are watching you. You're a Dallas Cowboy.
I mean, I don't even know how you're ever gonna
go back to Riggin's, Idaho. You're gonna be They're gonna
have parades for you. But it is interesting when I
kind of look at you, I find that a lot
of people like your story, the eight man football thing.
Now you're in this big city. Now you're a star
(39:19):
for the Cowboys. Like, are you ready to be a leader?
You're obviously a good player, But if I told you
next ten years you're the defensive captain of the team,
is that a big leap for you? Would you embrace that? Oh?
I would embrace it absolutely. Uh. I mean I've always
I've always thought of myself as a leader and just
being a guy that that my teammates and people around
(39:42):
my coaches can trust on the field, on in off,
knowing that there's that that I'm a guy that they
can come to and know that he's gonna get the
job done and he's going to be pay his butt
off to go do on the field and be there
for the guy to his left and his right. Um.
And I mean, I'm just I'm I love playing football
and I love being successful, and I love the guys
(40:04):
around me being successful, and I that's that's the ultimate goal. Um.
When when I mean any part of the team that
that I want to be a part of it or
that I'm on So, uh, we got big things to
accomplish here in Dallas. I know where We're far from done, um,
but just take things take things slow, take things one
one day at a time, one practice at a time,
when we get a time in, one game at a time,
(40:25):
and just go have that mindset that that we're gonna
be there every single every single step of the way. Uh.
And and if I'm if I'm a guy that they
can trust to be a leader, and I know I am,
I'm gonna I'm gonna go do that. Eleven people in
his high school graduating class eight man football played quarterback
and linebacker. Now, you're a good looking kid, You're certainly
(40:47):
big enough to be a quarterback. You could. It looks
like to me you could have played quarterback at some
point you made a decision or somebody made it for you.
Maybe you could be the Cowboys quarterback. Who knew you
were a order back and a linebacker. What coach told you, hey, kid,
you're gonna play a linebacker? That was avelos. That was
(41:07):
definitely ablos. Uh. There was a bunch of a bunch
of colleges that were a bunch of smaller colleges that
were recruiting me out of high school wanted me to
play linebacker and quarterback and basketball too. So uh but
Avlos is like, dude, the way you run around the field,
you're gonna you're gonna be a heck of a linebacker.
And I mean I trusted him, and he gave me
(41:28):
the chance to go play at boys you State where
I always wanted to play. And yeah, I didn't get
a scholarship by off the bat, but that's where I
wanted to play from day one, and he gave me
that chance and got my name in the door, and
then it was like, all right, I'm gonna go. I'm
gonna go make the most of this. I'm gonna I'm
gonna prove everybody wrong, which I feel like I've been
trying to do my whole entire life, outing what I
can do um and then just taking it from there,
(41:51):
just trusting, trusting my ability, trusting my instincts, my preparation,
and knowing how hard I'm going to work to make
sure I'm successful. Layton van Rush One more question. I
asked this to rookies. So you watch games on TV
and then you get into games, who was the first
great player that you tackled and you thought to yourself,
Oh my god, I just I just tackled Julio Jones.
(42:13):
I just tackled it was there. What was your first
play in the NFL where you're like, after you get
up from the pile, you're like, oh, yeah, I just
tackled a guy I watched on TV for years. Probably
Adrian Peterson. He I grew up. He was probably my
favorite player for for years and years. And I know
we played we Boys. You State played him in the
(42:34):
NFS Bowl and back in two thousand and seven and
watching them, watching him all throughout in NFL and seeing
how he played, the stylid play he plays with is awesome.
It's hard for the game, and then actually getting to
play against him, it was like, this is crazy and
this is awesome. Well, Layton, you're a great kid, wonderful story.
(42:57):
You were the let's see right here, Week ten NFC
Defensive Player of the Week thirteen tackles. Yeah, you were
great against the Eagles. We wish you continued success in
joy Dallas, and congrats to Idaho you and your family.
Thank you, Thank you so much.
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Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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