Colin Cowherd Podcast - Saquon Has Transformed Eagles, Cowboys A “Bad Football Team”, Bears “A Mess”, Cardinals Best In NFC West? CFB Reaction

Colin’s joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to break down all the week 9 NFL action!

They start with Saquon Barkley’s impact on the Eagles and why he’s transformed their offense (3:00) but have reservations about the Eagles in the postseason. They move on to why the Cowboys are a “bad football team” without many good players (8:30) and try to make sense of the mess that is the Chicago Bears (14:00)

They debate whether the Cardinals are the best team in the NFC West (27:30) and if the Lions are the best team in the NFL (31:00). They break down why Tua’s absence from the Miami Dolphins showed his true value to the team (38:00) and wonder whether Matt Stafford and the Rams could be the most dangerous team that’s flying under the radar (42:15)

Finally, they discuss why Ohio State has an “identity crisis” on offense (2:45), why he believes Oregon is the best team in the country (4:30) and why USC’s inability of recruit has left them lacking “special” (8:45).

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Our Week nine reaction presented by Uber eats. Get almost
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(00:26):
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all right, John Middlecoff, it's time for our hour plus
on a Sunday. He is the former NFL scout for
the Philadelphia Eagles Three and Out podcast. Let's start with

(00:47):
a team you're near and dear to the Philadelphia Eagles.
So they did it on the ground, in the air.
They beat the Jags twenty eight to twenty three. Although
Jacksonville with a massive late game comeback, Trevor Lawrence one
got a little loose onomy threw a pick in the
end zone. You know, my takeaway on this is I'll
go back to saying this, Jalen's not making the mistakes

(01:09):
and Barkley, Saquon Barkley's absolutely. With Christian McCaffrey not playing yet,
Barkley is the best running back in the league. And
I think what Jalen hurts as they win today, My
take is they've gotten him out of the position where
I don't feel like he's ad libbing or out of
control like I thought Jordan loved today for the Packers.
Was out of control multiple times. I kind of think

(01:29):
Philadelphia's figured out kind of the way to use Jalen.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
What do you see well, I think Saquon's definitely changed
their team. I mean he's been him and Derrick Henry.
You talk about additions this offseason, those two guys. I mean,
Derek Henry was probably a Hall of Fame player before this.
Now he cemented himself. I mean, there's no one's ever
questioned Saquon's talent. I mean, what would Penn State do
to have that guy right now on their team? I mean,
they did have an offensive weapon, But to me, I mean,

(01:55):
the only reason that game was close was Sirianni and Kellen.
I'm not quite sure what was going on there with
some of the play calling. They instead of kicking a
field goals, I didn't get that, decided not to do
the tush push and they roll him out and he's
got nowhere to go, Like right now, their offense, I
mean aj Brown, which is a pretty big deal. Not
maybe in this game, but I guess they play the
Cowboys next week, so not in that game either, but

(02:17):
in two weeks against Washington. His presence for them to
beat really good teams as a must have. But when
you're playing a team like today, DeVante Smith what a
draft pick? I mean, I thought, wait, this guy's gonna
be one hundred and seventy five pounds.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
I don't think he would last in this league.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
How about his one handed to so you had Saquan
to him? I mean the guy that had the game
winning interception to Kobe Dean. I mean, they have a
lot of young defensive players. The last couple of weeks,
Nolan Smith has been all over the quarterback like I
trust Vic Fangio. To me, it just gets down to
Sirianni who if they had lost today Colin to Doug

(02:54):
Peterson and the Jags who they had fired do you
know who? I mean? Embiid would have been let off
the hook. It would have been a Siria. You cannot
lose that game and it got weird obviously the freak
Saquon fumble, But that's a little too close for comfort
given how well their top guys were playing.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Oh yeah, I mean Barkley was great, Jalen went like
eighteen to twenty four, two hundred and thirty yards. No,
you know, no interceptions there were. The receivers that were
on the field were excellent. They actually, I mean they
had four hundred and fifty plus yards of offense, six
point five yards per play. They were great on third down.
They dominate time of possession. And you look up and
you're like, you're at home, and it's twenty eight twenty three.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
It's they were up twenty two. Nothing right. It looked
like they were gonna blow him out forty to ten
or something. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
I just I just feel like I kind of feel
like this is the rare instance. And I felt this
a couple of years ago with Detroit. But I've come
to terms with Ben Johnson, the coordinator for the Lions.
I didn't trust. I really didn't trust Dan Campbell.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
I do now.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
I think I think he has grown. I think he's
a little less emotional now. I also think he realizes
he's no longer hunting. He's being hunted. They're the favorite.
I think he I think like today they got a lead,
they got real smart, they got real conservative. It was
really really smart Lions football. I think I feel like

(04:17):
Sirianni's like Dan Campbell a couple of years ago. He's
still trying to prove himself. I want to show you
guys how smart I am. And then when you make
mistakes like yelling at the crowd and get your hands
slapped by the owners, then you kind of double down
on I want to show how smart I am. And
there I just think with Dan Campbell, I've seen growth.
I do think he's a better, more mature coach today.

(04:38):
And with Siriani, I think they're going to get to
the playoffs and I think they're gonna have all these
weapons and outplay people, and I think they're gonna lose
to a really smart, efficient team.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Yeah. I think in two weeks Colin, I was looking
at the schedule this week doing podcasts, and they play
They played the Cowboys this upcoming week, so I mean
they can put a nail and it completely in their season.
Thursday night, so this upcoming Sunday and then the following
Thursday they play Washington, and I think we all agree.
I mean, Washington played the Giants today. That game wasn't

(05:07):
even a game. But the talent on the two teams,
the Eagles have a better roster. I mean we all
thought that the Chicago game, like Chicago has the better roster,
but dan Quinn, Cliff Kingsbury, they have been talk about
a tandem a head coach, offensive coordinator, tandem rookie quarterback.
All the pressure in that game in two weeks or

(05:29):
less of that ten days is on the Eagles. So
in those when they play Washington twice in Philly and
at Washington, it's one hundred percent on Philadelphia. I mean,
Washington is going to be a playoff team, but they're
playing with house money. If they were to win the division,
it would be one of the most incredible accomplishments we've
ever seen. So the pressure on Sirianni if it's a
tight game, does he do one of those things where

(05:50):
he doesn't kick a field goal and they get stuffed.
They kind of don't trust the tush push, as you know,
it didn't work a couple times in this game. Yeah,
So to me, you're paying your kicker a lot of money.
I know he missed a kick, but like he's gonna
make most of them. Like kickfield goals, they do matter
at the end of the game, like they could have
lost today because they had kind of given their way

(06:10):
to going forward on two points and not kicking field goals.
So yeah, Siriani's the biggest wild card in the league
because there's no disputing went healthy the talent on that squad.

Speaker 2 (06:20):
All right, Atlanta beats the Cowboys twenty seven to twenty one.
So if you didn't watch this game, I could sum
it up with the multiple false starts, the nine penalties
for Dallas, too many men on the field, and a
fourth down. Atlanta basically got out rushed, out passed. But
Dallas was so bad on fourth down, so many pedalties,

(06:42):
so inefficient, and Kirk Cousins just go out, goes out
nineteen to twenty four, doesn't make any big mistakes. Like
Atlanta's not physically impressive, but Atlanta's really efficient because they
brought Kirk Cousins in, who just doesn't make a lot
of mistakes. He gets you in and out of plays.
When I watched Dallan US today, Mike McCary, Mike McCarthy's

(07:02):
frustration with you. I mean, when you have Dak Prescott,
you're a veteran team, you can't have false starts, illegal motions,
Like it feels like to me that is so much
on the quarterback. Now he left and Cooper Rush came in.
But I you know, I had said before the year,
this was one of my I guess I'm actually wrong
on this. I said Dallas won't make the playoffs. It'll

(07:24):
be Philadelphia and Washington in that division. It will begin
a slight regression. John. They may be a bottom four
team in the league. And I'm dead serious. They're they're
They're better than the Raiders because of Dak uh Hell
and Cooper Rush. I think they're better than Carolina, probably
better than New Orleans now they weren't in Week two.
Dallas is a bad football team without a lot of

(07:48):
good players.

Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah, I thought coming into this week we were gonna learn, like,
are they just going to end up sucking all season
and being a five or six win team or they
gonna have a little heart and battle and you know,
at the end of the year be eight nine. But
have shown some metal throughout the year. I think they're
headed toward five or six wins now, Yeah, and today
didn't it symbolize before the game even kicked off, they
less they left Zeke back at home.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (08:11):
All I had heard from Cowboys people is listen, we
know he doesn't have as much, but the leadership, Yeah,
the camaraderie, him and Dak are close. And then these
stories about he never shows up on time, he's disgruntled.
It's like, well, then why is he on the team?
And is that a little bit I'm not putting this
all on Dak, but isn't that Dak's one of his
best friends? Like, so what do we got going on there?

(08:32):
And then as the game goes on today it was
a reflection of they don't have that much talent. Oh,
I mean how often today Jesus even on like just
random innocuous plays Bijon in space out in the flat
and three guys would whiff and he'd get eight yards.
That should have been one.

Speaker 2 (08:47):
Listen, John, on a fourth and one, they have so
little talent in the backfield. On a fourth and one,
they had to use deception on a quick on a
like a jet sweep to CD left.

Speaker 1 (08:58):
Now end around. Yeah, it worked.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
About twenty minutes later, same play, but on fourth and
one with a very strong quarterback Zach Martin, one of
the great guards ever, they had to get clever and tricky.
They have no run game. One of the easiest predictions
anybody could have made going into this season is Dallas
would have the worst running back room in the league.
I mean, we watched Zeke in New England. He can't
he's done, it's over. They made no moves, they they

(09:26):
It's remarkable. Now I'm not saying Derek Henry would be
as good as we've talked about in Dallas. As Baltimore,
you start looking at it. I've said before the season,
if Ceedee Lamb twisted an ankle, this is the worst
offense in the league. I mean, it's it's I watched
them today and I'm like, they it was just all
a cotton candy yards. I mean, Atlanta was so much smarter,

(09:48):
more efficient, good on third down.

Speaker 1 (09:52):
I was. I was playing golf the other day with
a diehard cowboy fan. This guy's been to countless games
over the last thirty years, and I asked him, do
you do you think Dak Prescott's better than Tony Romo?
And you were always one of Tony's biggest defenders. And
he said, you know, I would have told you four
or five years ago, yes, but at this point in time,
you can't watch these games. Up until Tony's back went,

(10:13):
he was a more dynamic absolutely, absolutely, And in twenty one,
twenty two, and even last year, those teams were so good.
I mean in twenty one and twenty two the Cowboys
were really good. I mean they had a home playoff game,
they were toe to toe with the Niners in the
second round, and they're I mean, Dak didn't just have
one bad play, like he was atrocious through most of

(10:34):
those games. So I think, listen, this is not his fault,
you know, in terms of the pie chart, one hundred
percent if they go six or seven or maybe five wins.
But he has kind of crumbled like he has not
been an elevator, talk about trailers and tractors. Clear where
he falls. And honestly, today was just an embarrassing day

(10:54):
for the organization. Yeah, I mean, I think Mike's hands
were on it, Jerry's hands were on it because the
Zeke thing to me symbolized is I thought that moment
I thought the Bears benching the guy for like two series, like,
this is not little league or high school. We're not
teaching life lessons. You either leave him at home, yeah,
and make him in active to show like this will
never be tolerated, or you just start him like this

(11:15):
is a business. You know, we're trying to win or lose.
I got Nope. I would have made him an active
to show everyone just like the Cowboys did. Zeke, you're
not showing up, but there's no middle ground. This isn't
high school football where it's like you're gonna sit out
the first series or two like that. That to me
is so dumb. I mean, that's that's embarrassing at the
highest level. It just that's why, you know, certain teams lose,

(11:38):
and obviously the same teams consistently win over and over.

Speaker 2 (11:41):
A game today that I thought was important and symbolic,
Arizona crushes the Bears twenty nine to nine. Kyler Murray
barely had to throw. There was a lot of I mean,
they led twenty nine, twenty one to nine and a half.
I think the bigger story is Caleb Williams was ineffective.

(12:01):
The offensive line was overwhelmed. The offensive line. I've talked
about this so many times, John defensive coaches and offensive
lines are a problem the Bears. Klob's been outplayed badly
by Kyler Murray and Jaden Daniels the last two weeks.
He's dancing around in the back getting sacked by Arizona.

(12:24):
Offensive lines gotten worse, and I watched today there was
a safety on the Bears at one point as they
lost twenty nine to nine. There wasn't a There wasn't
once we got to the second quarter. There wasn't a
minute I thought Chicago could win. I think Caleb is
clearly even though bow Knicks got rolled today, Baltimore at

(12:46):
homes a much better. That was one of the easiest
bets of the year. Taking the Ravens minus eight to nine.
Bow Knicks looks like he's got it to earned control.
I mean there's I think he really looks like for
the personnel they have, obviously Jaden.

Speaker 1 (12:59):
He actually didn't play terribly.

Speaker 2 (13:00):
No, No, he wasn't he. I mean they don't have
seven guys who would start for the Ravens. Damn Patrick Certan.
Maybe a safety, that's about it. But when I look
at Caleb Bright now they average three point four yards
of play. It is screaming to get rid of Matt Eberflus.
I mean, I just a whole game. I'm like this,
it just doesn't work. He doesn't have the right coordinator.

(13:21):
It's a mess in Chicago.

Speaker 1 (13:23):
Now, Well, if I had told you by the middle
of the season that if the Bears called up the
Washington Commanders and said before the season and said, would
you trade Jade and Daniels straight up for Caleb Williams,
and the Commanders would laugh at them and hang up
the phone, you would have said the Bears have serious issues.
Because two things can be true. Today was an embarrassing

(13:44):
day for Eberflus, but so was last week, and so
was this offseason when it was pretty clear you're putting
this guy into a lame duck situation. This is not
a McCarthy that at least listen. I know he's under
his last year, but he has a long resume of success,
and he coaches the quarterback who you're going to pay
two hundred million dollars to. This is a head coach.
A he's a good defensive coach, never won anything, and

(14:05):
you have no faith that he's going to do it,
and now you have to fire him. A year in.
But I think the bigger picture, you see it with
Trevor Lawrence. I mean, they brought in Doug and this
is just not going well for him relative to hype.
These things can snowball and get out of hand fast,
and you invested, Actually you didn't because you made the trade,
but you got this player. You chose him over these

(14:27):
other players, specifically Jayden, who again long way to go.
I mean ideally they both have fifteen year careers. Jayden
Daniels is currently one of the best players in the NFL,
no question like he's one of the best players in
the NFL.

Speaker 2 (14:39):
It looks totally under control.

Speaker 1 (14:42):
And Caleb looks like a mid round pick forced to
start because a quarterback got injured in the preseason. He
makes some place, but he misses a lot of stuff
that Listen, we saw him making college and this gets
back to people that were questioning him. He can freelance
and get a little willy nilly, and that doesn't really
work in the NFL. And you see him just get Pepper.

(15:02):
He's not comfortable in the pocket. The coaching staff's terrible.
I do think the Tyreek Stevenson benching was just a
joke and if I'm Ebraflus, I wouldn't want him in active.
I'd want to just start them. But if you're Ryan Poles,
you're not going anywhere. You want to show all these
other guys that like the standards are high. They're in
no man's land, right, they really are. And I doubt

(15:23):
they would fire I mean, that's a fireable game. I
don't expect the Bears to fire him. But like these
last two weeks, I mean they were thoroughly outplayed the
week before too, right, it was you know, I know,
the Hail Mary, but they were work that game, like
we know, before they even get to the tough stretch
of their season, Like this ain't a playoff team like
this team, I mean Arizona, that to me is like

(15:44):
a fringe wild card team. Just beat the living piss
out of them. I just can't take the Bear seriously anymore.

Speaker 2 (15:49):
No, And this was supposed to be the two game
stretch Arizona and New England next where they had a
shot right to make up some gay before they go
into Detroit, Minnesota, San Francis, go Green Bay. You know,
I think there's I've always said there's one or two
things in football that are undervalued, and yet there are
things we know are valuable. I think a great offensive

(16:12):
coordinator or great offensive coach, you're better on third down,
You're better on offensive line, you're better at drafting offensive personnel.
I mean, the Rams just figure out ways to mix
and match their offensive line. They're in a wild one
with the Seahawks today, but there's still, you know, ham
an egg in the interior of the offensive line. These

(16:33):
defensive coaches. Chicago's offensive line last year felt like an
ascending group. You had your tackles a little soft in
the middle. It is a mess with Caleb Williams mobility,
it's a mess today. So I just think you get
to a point where you I don't think people understand

(16:53):
the difference between a really smart offensive coach and an
average defensive coach. It is a touched down to ten
point difference a game.

Speaker 1 (17:03):
I do think to that moment last week on the
Hail Mary was reflective of their head coach, right, because
let's take a couple of top defensive coaches, right Tomlin
John Harbaugh especial teams guy, but he also the dB guy.
You could never envision that play with that player happening,
taunting the crowd like that that just would never happen

(17:25):
with the Ravens and Steelers in that moment. So to me,
that reflected let alone, like he's been pretty good on defense.
Today he loses his best defensive player. James Connor looked
like Walter Payton against him. I mean it was like,
you guys are that dependent on one guy. And offensively,
I always talk about like defensive guys know nothing about offense, right,

(17:45):
I mean, they know how to stop offenses, but they
don't know. They're not calling the plays, they're not in
their coaching.

Speaker 2 (17:50):
Brady Brady Brady made fun of Belichick not even understanding
the terminology of offense.

Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yeah, it's just it's so the Bears. Honestly, this goes
back to what ten months ago, eleven months ago, when
they knew and they tried to have their cake and
eat it too and keep their fingers crossed, and now
they're gonna have to fire this guy, and it sets
the whole clock off when they could have just started
at scratch. Maybe Ben Johnson would have been interested, Maybe

(18:18):
they could have hired v Abel and just had a
fresh runway. Now you derail everything because one thing you
would say is like well, Ebra flu is kind of
good on defense, so now you get a new guy.
It just, you know, upsets the Apple card, which needed
upsetting in January. I mean, and today was today was
really bad because coming off that loss, I thought two

(18:39):
teams had huge bounce. Like to me, the Ravens of
last year blow the team out, and they did today.
So it's like, okay, you know the Browns game weird
Outliar Jamis got hot, throw that away. The Ravens are
the real deal. And the Bears like, okay, if this
is gonna be a wildcard team. They come into Arizona.
Even if it's tight. Arizona's not easy. You win the game.
A lot of I live out here. I would imagine

(19:00):
that were half the stadium was Bears fans. Yeah, so
it's a big deal for them. And they got like
you said, that game was over before it even started.
They got shellacked.

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Speaker 2 (20:40):
Arizona is in first place. I've been saying this.

Speaker 1 (20:42):
For They're good, they look good.

Speaker 2 (20:44):
They look good. Now they've got the Jets. You know,
a team that you know looks good at home on
Thursday nights, but has not been a team that can
go on the road. And it feels like the Jets
only play home games, I swear. So now they go
on the road to Arizona. Between McBride, Harrison, who's and
cold Kyler their protections? Okay, I just I.

Speaker 1 (21:05):
Think is the t the tight end is fantastic player? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (21:08):
Yeah, I think Arizona is a sneaky good football team.
And I think the Jets Arizona next week is a
fantastic game. It's a great and it's I don't want
to just talk about the Bears because we've been on
this for about a month. If you don't watch Arizona
and you're you know, you're saying, who are they beaten?

Speaker 1 (21:27):
No?

Speaker 2 (21:27):
They they beat San Francisco. They got dudes. Offensively, they
are They've got to start every unit and I and
they're good enough on the offensive line. You've you've been
on Connor since last year, the running back. So this
this isn't just about Chicago. Arizona. Arizona keeps you on
your toes. They didn't even throw the ball for long
stretches today, they just moved the pocket and highly effective.

Speaker 1 (21:52):
You know, one thing, remember after they lost Super Bowl
two years ago, everyone thought Jonathan Gannon was like the
village idiot, right yeah, because he blew some coverages and
they walked right in for touchdowns. And when he got hired,
he had some of those moments that kind of went
viral that made him look like a nerd or whatever.
All my buddies with the Eagles said they loved him,
and they said, I'll promise you this. I don't know

(22:12):
if he's you know, you know Belichick or Bill Walsh schematically,
but I think he's going to be a better head
coach than he was a coordinator. And he was a
pretty good coordinator for us. He's a great leader and
you watch his teams Niner game, huge comeback, the Dolphins
win last week, I would say age better today. They
look way better with Tua, like they look like a
real football team. They were down double digits on the road.

(22:33):
Usually West Coast teams flying to the East Coast that
early kickoff historically have always looked pretty shitty in that spot.
They come storming back. And then today you're like, oh,
this could be a little letdown spot with the Bears,
little chip on their shoulder, and they came. They look
like a division. They look like a playoff team.

Speaker 2 (22:49):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
And their physicality, I mean Buddha Baker when he's healthy,
he's flying around. Their defense just well coached, makes a
bunch of tackles, and they have a physical presence their offense. Yeah.
And like you said, like I think Kyler, I know,
and Jonathan Gannon has talked about this all the time,
and I see him on a bunch of like local
TV out here as press conferences. Listen, I can't speak
to what he was like before me this him talking.

(23:11):
He has been mature, so that call of duty guy.
I do think he's been a lot better for them.
And maybe it's just a bunch of people talking crap
about him, you know, lights of fire, unders ass, but
they like him, yeah, I mean just in terms of
his work ethic relative to what it was for Cliff
and Kime. I do think. Listen, some humans just we
all mature at different ages. Some guys are Peyton Manning

(23:31):
mature at fifteen that's right. Other guys like Baker Mayfield
mature at twenty eight. Yeah, some guys are like Aaron Rodgers,
who were still not sure. You know, I think, like
I do, think we got to be open. You remember
Kyler was a young player when he came into the NFL. Yeah,
I do think he's just playing. The way he's playing
is just pretty high level, competent football and with his
skill set. Yeah, we've never really seen a player like him.

Speaker 2 (23:53):
Yeah, Okay. Detroit beats Green Bay twenty four to fourteen.
Brian Branch got ejected for the Lions in the first half, and.

Speaker 1 (24:02):
I thought, can't happen.

Speaker 2 (24:03):
I was like, oh my god, this is It didn't matter.
It was seventeen three at a half. Jordan Love had to
pick six. I thought, Jordan Love today was really sloppy. Now,
it was raining hard when it started, it got worse.
But I think you and I would agree that we
thought that was an advantage for Green Bay and goff
is like seventeen at twenty one. This is I think

(24:24):
we just have to be honest here. Detroit's the best
team in the league. Kansas City's got the trophy. Room
the team I'm watching now the way they play. I
mean green Bay had ten penalties. Jordan Love had to
pick six. I mean he missed a lot of open throws. Again,
some of it's weather. But when you watch green Bay's
youth and talent, and then you watch remember Detroit. Now,

(24:44):
those guys aren't as old as San Francisco, but the
Lions are older, more mature. They marched into Lambeau today
and it was the grown ups and the really talented kids.
Like I thought, they just put a foot on them
really early.

Speaker 1 (24:57):
You know what I wrote down is about when they
really took hold of that game in that weather, in
a driving rain storm. It reminded me of the Belichick
Brady teams when they would play a team in awful
weather and you would just look up. It's like they
are manhandling this team. And historically this is their first
outdoor game of the year, and Goff has been not

(25:17):
a very good outdoor player. But I do wonder if
you remember that night game, Aaron Rodgers' last game. He
outplayed Aaron Rodgers, I mean thoroughly outplayed in January early January. Yeah,
I wonder if he's a different part of having Dan
Campbell like a Hardbob Brother like a Tomlin uplifting you
that even that extra confidence, they look like a completely

(25:39):
different squad. Once Jordan Love through to me, I don't
want to harp too much on the Brian Branch thing.
That cannot happen. We can't be throwing players out. One
of my biggest pet peeves in the world is the
college thing. Yeah, throwing ninety nine percent of these kids
will not play in the NFL and throwing them out
in the NFL. I got no problem throwing a fifteen
yard penalty, but Brian Branch is now their best defensive
player to throw him out and it didn't even matter.

(26:01):
And that's what go back to the Pelajack Patriot thing.
It's like you could have removed players. They got you
in that moment. And the Lions indoor team, like, are
they kind of like the greatest show on turf in
the early two No, they kind of have it both.
They got that and they kind of got this Patriots.
Even Brady during the game, he's like, you know, listen,
this guy has been the most accurate stretch in three

(26:22):
games like NFL history, but in this driving rainstorm, you
never believe it. And he shows the things. He's he's
eleven for eleven. He's like, how was he doing this?
And he was just He's been the opposite his whole career.
It's been not a inclement weather guy, and today he
looked very comfortable. Obviously, Jordan Love's banged up. Yeah, I
thought they should have yanked him at halftime and gotten
to the other kid. But might it wouldn't have mattered

(26:44):
much at that point in time. Once he threw that
pick six and it's seventeen to three, didn't feel like
the game was over. I mean it was gonna be
hard to score a touchdown in general.

Speaker 2 (26:52):
Well, it's really hard, you know, when a defense can't
get traction with their feet and we have the better
offensive line. I mean, there was a moment Jamiir Gibbs
had a touchdown run to make it twenty four to three.
The size of the hole for jumior get and I'm
not joking it was wider than this desk it may
have been.

Speaker 1 (27:11):
You would have scored it was eight feet.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
Well, I mean literally, Penay Sewell had moved his guy
near the sideline. Brady's like, he's like, look at these tackles.
Their offensive line. It is it rivals, that Eagles team
when Lane Johnson was healthy and Kelsey about four years
ago when they were both the best at their position.

(27:34):
They are moving and the Packers defense been pretty good
this year. They moved it all day in the first half.

Speaker 1 (27:42):
And we've been talking a lot about Jordan Love and
you know, comparing him. Listen, it's a good thing when
Aaron Rodgers and Brett Farbes's names are coming up. But
this was a game in that weather where you cannot
turn the ball over like it cannot happen. You have
to dominate on the run, you know, running the ball,
control the clock, and play defense. And he did a
play which he's done earlier this season reckless. You cannot

(28:07):
afford to be reckless. That's why the Patriots in those
games dominated. Brady would never turn the ball over, let
alone make a play like that. And even Tom was like,
you cannot do that. He tried to lob it over.
I don't even know really what he was trying to do.
You can't barely grip the ball. He is I've said
before you asked me, I think a couple of weeks ago,

(28:27):
could they win the Super Bowl? And I said, they
do have the talents, but he is way too much
of a roller coaster. Right.

Speaker 2 (28:33):
There was a moment, there was a second and one
and Brady called him out. And Brady said, dude, it's
second one, you got third and one, fourth and one,
you're trailing, you're gonna go.

Speaker 1 (28:43):
For it, and you got a great running back.

Speaker 2 (28:45):
And he's rolling right and he's pump faking, and it's
just like Brad Brady. I don't think he wants to
be hyper critical of young quarterbacks, but it was like,
and I like Jordan a lot, but there are times
he's always been more far than Rogers where he's he's
gonna sling it. And I do think against Detroit you
may have to because Detroit's got better personnel and they're older.

(29:07):
But I kind of feel like, I kind of feel
like today's a moment that you'll look at during the
season and and we'll revisit this. I think Jordan is
gonna have another one of these games later and we'll
go back. And there was early warning sides because I
really really like him, and Reid is a remarkable young receiver. Jesus,

(29:31):
he's good, but they looked young and sloppy today.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
They really do Listen, I and I throw these names
around when we're talking about these guys, but Rogers and
Farv have a combined seven most valuable players. I mean,
I think and I am. I'm as guilty as anyone.
And Lafleur brings it up. This kid has a long
way to go. Like can you just make back to
back Pro Bowls? And you have games like today where

(29:59):
you're at home. That's a huge advantage for you, and
you take your team right out of the game. You're
not going to be able to throw three touchdowns. And
I say this all the time about the Packers. You know,
they get some of these home games and the weather
just turns to shit. I mean, I'm looking around the
league today. The weather's not that terrible most places a
little cold, it is awful there. Yeah, and you're just
not going to be able. You're probably gonna give up

(30:20):
a defense might score a touchdown, you're gonna have to
run the ball. And the Lions are just a better
version of that right now. They're just a better version
of a team that can play ugly than the Packers.
Clearly that's a rough l because I think that it'd
be stunning now that if the Lions don't win that division, right,
and all signs point to them being the number one
seed in the NFC.

Speaker 2 (30:41):
Okay, I want to talk about maybe not long, but
Buffalo thirty Miami twenty seven. And I can admit, you know,
I've always said to a small there's limitations in the
AFC in January with a guy that can't doesn't have
a big arm. But until we get to January, when
it's September, October and November and maybe early December to

(31:01):
it today, I think I wrote it down twenty five
or twenty eight, two hundred and thirty one yards now.
It was a crisp day in Buffalo, and I've been
critical of you know, you gave him the bag. He's
not winning in Baltimore, in Buffalo, in these cold weather areas.
But when I watch him play, and then I watched
Miami without him, could I make this argument He makes

(31:25):
the Dolphins really good for eighteen weeks and he may
never go on the road and win games. But look
around this league, John, half the teams are horrible at
quarterback there and I watched Tua today and I'm like, listen,
this is Miami's a good watch. You can sell tickets.

(31:45):
They can compete with anybody. I just don't trust them
in January with him on the road. But if you
ever want a division you'd play at home in Miami.
It's a different story. Is I think we know he's small,
we know he's not a great athlete, we know he
didn't have a big arm. But I think we have
to be honest. We have to be honest about this.

(32:06):
The Rams just won, by the way and a deep
ball Stafford through an absolute freaking dime to DeMarcus Robinson
for the win. We started this, folks, if you're listening
with the Rams game twenty twenty and overtimes, Hafford through
a dime into the end zone.

Speaker 1 (32:22):
Jesus, the Rams are coming. Keep an eye on them,
for they're.

Speaker 2 (32:26):
Really young defensively. But that Jared Verse Jesus. But I
want to go back to this, is that not every
quarterback when you're in the AFC. Right now, Miami's ability
to compete be exciting and fun to watch with Tua,
his value is really proven. When he didn't play, they

(32:51):
were unwatchable. I watched them today. I thought they were
gonna win the I thought they out played Buffalo for
most of it.

Speaker 1 (32:56):
Yeah. I mean you could argue Dak comes out of
the game Cooper Rush just looks just like him. Yeah,
I mean it doesn't feel like that big of a gap.
I would say this, and I said it when he
signed the contract. I understand having a player that can
make you competitive and keep you in a playoff mix
in the NFL, that's extremely valuable to so merch, But
there has to be some sort of line of delineation

(33:18):
of paying him like the top guys and just paying
him like I My whole thing with a player like
that is like, couldn't you just give him twenty eight
a year? Like it's not like he you should cut him.
But I can't be paying him fifty to fifty five
million dollars because he can't go against those guys and
be better. Then, because you watch him today and you

(33:38):
watch him the last two weeks, they become a credible
football team with no unchens is atrocious. Now, he is
a one hundred percent a starter in the NFL, and
a good one. But to me, he's always been closer
to fifteen than he is five. And I just can't
pay you like five if you're fifteenth, like James Franklin.
Clearly he's a good football coach. Yeah, but paying him
like Kirby Smart and like these other guys, Like, yeah,

(33:59):
you're all, he's gonna be disappointed, but you could do
way worse, And I think there's got to be some
middle ground. And everyone's well, these are the coaching salaries,
these are the quarterback salaries. Like, Okay, do that, and
then you're always going to be disappointed at the end
of the season. But if you if Tula was making
half of what he was making, which would still be
an astronomical amount of money, instead of signing for one
hundred and seventy guaranteed on one to sixty, let's say

(34:21):
they just give him ninety and thirty million dollars a year.
It's like, God, it's a pretty good deal for starting quarterback.
He keeps them in the mix. He's a really good player.
But where it gets controversial as you start paying these
guys more money than let's say Patrick Mahomes, You're like,
this makes no sense. This is crazy. It happens in
the NBA all the time. We just had to max
the guy out. Well, he's not a max player. You

(34:44):
want to do that, you know what your fate's gonna
be Yeah, And I think I don't quite understand why
no GM's like, just franchise, what's gonna happen? Right, And
there's always so quick to pay him that that that
money relative to the last guy that's signed, and then
they find themselves in trouble because the gap between him
and Josh two is a good player, and the gap

(35:05):
between him and Josh is as big as the gap
between two and his backups. Yeah, and the gap, that
GAP's huge.

Speaker 2 (35:11):
Yeah, Right. I do want to talk about the Rams
beat Seattle twenty six to twenty in overtime Stafford. The
difference is Geno Smith and Stafford. Both these rosters actually
have good players. I mean, Seattle's got Smith and Jigba
the receiver Lockett, DK Metcalf not there today. Kyron Williams
a pooka got ejected for throwing a punch. Cooper Cup.

(35:34):
Rams are still banged up, so it always feels like
they're missing a receiver. But first of all, the Rams
were awful in the first half. McVeigh again makes tremendous
adjustments and they're just you know, just Seattle basically beat themselves.
Gino had a pick six he had three picks hit.

(35:54):
The two were in the end zone. Cameron Kitchens, the
rookie from Miami, the Rams had a third rounder, had
two interceptions. This Rams team, and again the defense is
so young. Every two weeks I watch the Rams defense
and they're better, and they have playmakers. Jared Versus a monster.

(36:17):
That guy is just he looks different than other NFL guy.

Speaker 1 (36:21):
He's Khalil Mack. He's Khalil Mack two point zero. Just
power rolls.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
Over good tackles, just rolls over guys. And it's interesting
because I think Seattle should have taken a quarterback last year.
I thought it was a big mistake a general manager,
John Snyder. I think smart I would have moved up.
Their roster doesn't need anything. I mean, you watch them today.
They got corners, they got an edge rusher, they got
a left tackle, they got great receivers. Seattle doesn't need anything.

(36:47):
They needed a quarterback. And Gino's a big, strong kid
with an arm, but he just makes too many mistakes.
But watching Matt Stafford today, Jesus, I'm telling you, I
said this, Let's just take Lamar and Mahomes off the board.
Just take the best three players in the world off
the board, they're all different stylistically, I'm not so sure.
Matt Stafford's not number four in this league. I think

(37:10):
he's just to me, he's incredible to me.

Speaker 1 (37:13):
Yeah, I mean to me, it would be him or Herbert.
I think Herbert with the age. If you did like
one of those fake drafts, most people GMS would take it.
But remember a couple of weeks ago on that Thursday
Night game, when Stafford's ducking people in the backfield and
throwing touchdowns. You're like, at thirty six years old, to
wear and tear on this guy to still be playing.
I mean, we compare FARV to Jordan Love, Like, no,

(37:34):
that's that's like the good version of FARV. Matt Stafford's
right with the arm strength. He's a little bit of
a gun slinger. Yeah, but it had a pick drop today,
Like he will make some mistakes, but you want to
be in the trenches with that. I mean, the difference
in today's game was one quarterback. I mean, think what
Gino cost him the pick six the guy caught it
in the end zone. It's the longest touchdown or pick

(37:55):
returned in the history of the Rams franchise. One hundred
and three yards. That's a potential fourteen point swing if
they score a touchdown and then the other pick. He
lets the ball go. His guy's not looking at him.
They're in like the four or five yard line and
being held by the defense. You cannot throw that ball.
You see it all the time. What do good quarterbacks do?
Throw it at the guy's feet and just because they
know you got to live to fight another down. And

(38:17):
I don't think the rams turn that into points, but
still that costs you points, yeah, because at minimum that's
three points. And Gino you look at him against the Bills,
awful today in big spots against the raft, really good
young defense, awful forty nine ers. He hasn't beat them
in five tries. So it's like, I think they were
in a tough spot last year. You know, to mortgage

(38:38):
if John didn't love one of the quarterbacks, because the
one thing you would say is he was on Russell
Wilson right, tried to trade Russell Wilson to the Browns
for Josh Allen. He would have been right. So when
he's like these guys he's known, maybe he didn't feel
the guy he could get. I could see him loving
Drake May but would have had no chance to get
up there. You know, Penni's not really his style. Look
at Geno, like Gino is physically really gives you, So

(39:01):
I do wonder you look at some of these quarterbacks
like the cam Wards and the Shadors might be guys.
But he would have to because his team is still
gonna end up what like the fourteenth pick, Like you're
gonna have to mortgage a lot, and there's gonna be
some other teams in the quarterbacks. So it's just difficult.
But they cannot. I mean when Gino called them this
offseason wanted a contract extension and John just hung up

(39:21):
on him. That was the right move. Yeah, because it's
been one of the great bridge quarterbacks of all time.
Would you agree with that? Usually bridge quarterbacks are a disaster.
Has been more than credible.

Speaker 2 (39:31):
Listen, I wrote it down today. If you'd never seen
him play, he made four or five I put three
or four huge Geno throws. There are times he spins it.
I mean he oh you know remember thebos Remember the
NBA guy Joe Johnson and like, yeah, you look up
and you're like Joe Johnson's like one of the all
time great scorers, but was never like a winning player,

(39:53):
but he was all time get a bucket guy. Gino
is one of those guys that stands in the pocket
and if you didn't know his history and he just
said go throw a forty yard out, that ball never
dips like he's got a hose and he can run.
He just is one of those guys that I think
his judgment in crisis really regresses fast. He makes really

(40:16):
big mistakes. And I think you know I was I've
been told this by two executives that Shador Sanders is
the best quarterback in the draft. Somebody else will take
cam Ward. He's electric, he's fun. You know, he'll galvanize
some locker room somewhere.

Speaker 1 (40:33):
But it is.

Speaker 2 (40:35):
It is tough because if you're the Rams and you
look at Stafford and I mean Herbert's got a ten
year runway. I mean you watch him today, like when
they get a legitimate number one receiver, holy shit, watch
out because they're winning right now with you know that
it is patchwork at wide receiver. It's this guy. That
guy will dis lead.

Speaker 1 (40:54):
They're gonna be a team no one's gonna want to see.
In the first round of the playoffs. So because they're
good on defense and that Jim Harbaugh is their coach,
and they could beat you seventeen to fifteen in the
first round. Yeah, and that's where Seattle Gino played well,
if you would just play. But like you said, freaks
out in crisis, will wins. There's crisis against the best teams. Yeah, right,
they get up and they kind of smother some of
the shittier teams. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (41:14):
So, I mean, I think I just watched the Rams
when that thing in overtime today, and my takeaway is
take out Mahomes and Andy Reid. I would argue McVeigh
and Stafford are the best head coach quarterback combo in
the league. So I don't buy into this rebuild stuff.
I think these guys I don't think they could. I
think their defense is better than the Lions. They would

(41:35):
have to be completely healthy to beat the Lions. I
think they can beat anybody else in the NFC. I
think they can beat Washington, Philadelphia, Arizona, Minnesota already beat them.
I don't know if they can beat Detroit. All I'm
saying is the record doesn't prove it. But on the
if they're healthy, I think they may be the toughest
matchup along with the Niners for the Detroit Lions. That's

(41:58):
how much I think of McVeigh and Stafford Collins.

Speaker 1 (42:01):
For like four straight weeks they played with me and
you a wide receiver. I mean they beat the forty
nine ers with me and you a wide receiver and
two two at well. I mean, I think that win
against the forty nine ers, because it happened so early,
will be overlooked as the season goes on. But if
they end up with nine or ten wins, that win
saved their season because they easily could have been like
zero to four and the entire team was offensively was injured.

(42:24):
You can't run the ball when you have no threat.
And then once they gets these guys back you're watching,
you're like, hotly, shit, they are a problem. They look
like the version of the team we saw at the
end of the season last year. And what and the
guys they have on defense. You know, they have some
rookies playing that are obviously awesome, but they also have
second second year guys that played a ton last year.
So now their defense is young, it's fast, full of

(42:45):
a bunch of playmakers. And now they got a pass rush.
I thought it was gonna be very hard for them
to replace Donald just because I mean, he's one of
the greatest players of all time. But I do think
they're kind of doing it on quantity. I mean, they
have so many good young players that just I would say,
just from an effort standpoint, there can't be many defense
in the league. Did play harder? Just just play in

(43:06):
play out to just play harder. You know you've watched
the Ravens sometimes, like God, are they playing hard right now?
On defense?

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All right, I want to talk. Listen. Ohio State should
have put Penn State away earlier, but they're the better

(44:19):
team USC Lincoln Riley's now twelve and twelve again, they
lead late and lose Oregon. Thump's Michigan. I think we've
spent so much time looking at Texas and Georgia and
Bama and Ohio State and last year in Michigan. I
watched Oregon this weekend. I'm not sure what they're not

(44:40):
good at. Like I'm like, I'll tell you this. The
more I watch Oregon, the more I like them. The
more I watch Ohio State, the less I like them.
I feel like Ohio State offensively, John has a bit
of an identity crisis. They want to run the ball
because they've been criticis size for not running it. But

(45:01):
their best players are all wide receivers, and then combine
that with Will Howard just isn't as good as we
thought he was gonna be. I figured I watched him
at Kansas State. I thought, you know what, he's getting
all these receivers. He may win a Heisman. He's just
he's a good college quarterback. I don't see any special
And every time I watch Ohio State, I'm like, they

(45:21):
leave points on the table. They just it just doesn't
feel like I watched Oregon. Oregon is squeezing every fricking
ounce of talent out of that roster. I mean to
go on the road in college, even though Michigan's not great,
and just kick the shit out of him. I mean,
the game wasn't even as close as thirty eight to seventeen.
I just don't think we're ready to embrace this. People

(45:43):
outside of the West Coast don't understand. Oregon's dominated Southern
California recruiting in the Pac twelve for about eight years.
They just get the best players, they pay for them,
and I don't know. I think I think Oregon's the
best team I've seen.

Speaker 1 (45:57):
I want to hate Ohio State. I actually thought that
was a pretty impressive game. Yesterday because I thought they
shoved around Penn State, they made the big plays when
they had to. I mean Penn State classic just blew
in the red zone. I mean Ohio State is missing
multiple offensive linemen. I think they had a guy started
left tackle and left guard that had never even played
the position, So they're moving guys around. I'm with you
on the quarterback, but when you look, it's like, I

(46:18):
don't love George's quarterback. You know, Dylan Gabriel can throw
the ball. I have more faith in him than those guys,
but he's kind of small and against a big time defense,
could he be knocked out or whatever? But I hear yeah.
I mean I think Oregon. If you had to pick
a team to win the national Championship as we sit
here today, it would be Oregon. But if Ohio State
gets healthy, like I mean, their talent, that safety that

(46:40):
they got from Alabama, they basically just put him on
forty four. Who you know, that guy is going to
be a top fifty pick. I mean against that see,
you had like fifty catches in the game, and he
did have a great catch in that game, but for
the most part, they neutralized him a little bit and
What a What a letdown by Penn State. If I
would have told you they'd be up ten to nothing
on a pick six and they would score three points,

(47:00):
you know, with five minutes in the game, score three
points the rest of the game. That's pretty embarrassing.

Speaker 2 (47:04):
You know what I feel like with James Franklin, and
I've met him before and I do like him. And
I see this sometimes in college basketball and football. John
Kyler paris a little bit of this great recruiter, and
I feel like there's nothing else he's great at. I mean,
there's some guys like Jay Wright was great recruiting, developing,

(47:25):
building a defense, creating leaders, tight late game situations. I mean,
like Jay Wright checked every box. Krzyzewski's offense could be boring,
but Mike checked a lot of boxes. So does Bill self.
You know, Calipari's like the guy he can sell and
that he deserves credit for that. But when I watch

(47:45):
James Franklin, I feel like he's very dependent on having
a great offensive coordinator. He can recruit his defense. Front
sevens are Oh, it is really formidable. They look like
an SEC front seven. They always got a pass rush.
I just I just think he is sort of. I
just think he is what I see a lot of.
He deserves his money. It's a great program. I like

(48:07):
watching them play, but I just don't think. I don't
think I trust them in tight, big game situations.

Speaker 1 (48:15):
I don't where are their wider where are their wide receivers? Yesterday?
You know, for a guy that is a great recruiter,
and like you said, and they got NFL guys all
over that roster. I think that's why it's such a letdown.
You go, our roster is just as good as their roster.
I actually think their quarterback, who was awful last year,
it's kind of grown on me a little bit this year.
But their wide receivers make no place, and they're so

(48:37):
dependent on the tight end, who was a really good player,
but to get him in that spot. They're all bitching
and moaning because it's the morning game. They want the
night games. Like guys, it wouldn't have mattered if the
game would have been at midnight or at you know,
five in the morning. You're never beating this team. And
I just know long Penn State probably in the playoff
because you've look at their schedule. They have one loss.
But I don't take this program seriously at all relatives,

(49:00):
like competing for national championships. Are they gonna have a
ton of NFL guys. If you're a scout, you spend
five days a week there during the year, do you
need Yeah? Are they gonna win their ten eleven games
depending on how the schedule breaks. You will never pick
them against Ohio State. You will now never pick them
against Oregon. And you know, we'll see if Michigan and
USC can get their shit together over the next couple years.

(49:20):
But if those teams are good, you will pick those
teams over Penn State as well. And that's kind of
crazy because I think this was the first time. It's like,
I think Penn State's got a shot, and then they're
up ten to nothing. You're like, God, is Ohio State
about to get their butt kicked? Yeah? And then you're like, no,
they're not, because they just never make a big play
when it has to be made. Obviously, the pick at
the end of the first half was devastating. They get

(49:40):
they get that final drive, they're adding the goal line essentially,
and they can't punch it in the end zone. They
just run it right up the gut twice and then
they throw it on fourth down. It wasn't even close.
And then Ohio State with all these random offensive linemen
run it right down their throat, the strength of their team,
all these NFL guys, and in the game there's a
big win for Ryan Day and I'm I can be

(50:01):
Ohio State hater, but that was that was impressive to
go on.

Speaker 2 (50:04):
Winning on the roads hard in college, especially when you
don't have a superstar quarterback. When you have a solid
guy and Will Howard, winning on the road is hard.
It is so h let me touch on us C.
Lincoln Riley twelve and twelve.

Speaker 1 (50:16):
I'll go back to their record right now, Colin.

Speaker 2 (50:18):
I think they're four and five or three?

Speaker 1 (50:20):
And what are they? I think the four and five? Yes, yeah,
that's pretty crazy, isn't it. If I would have told
you year three they'd be four and five.

Speaker 2 (50:28):
I think one of the things that gets really disappointing
to me, Lincoln Riley said after the game, you know,
six plays and we're nine to zero, and it's like, yeah,
not really. I do think offensively they'll be better next year,
but I think I go back to something like they're
getting wiped out in the state of California, they're just
not recruiting the state. I don't think. I don't think

(50:51):
he has a love for recruiting. I think there's some
guys that really Saban loved it, he had charisma. I
think I think there's some guys that really loved to Wrook.
I think Stark, Lane, Kiffen, there's a handful of guys.
I think Ryan Day's probably hell of a recruiter. Brian Hartline,
his receiver coach, is a great recruiter. I think sometimes

(51:11):
Lincoln comes off as very prickly, very aloof, very detached,
overly protective of players. I mean he cut off media
this week, No more media at the practices. It's like,
you're four and five, we got better things to do.
I think I think sometimes he's forgetting this is not
a rural town like this is. We got We got
Sean McVay and the Lakers and the Dodgers and Herbert

(51:34):
and the Rams. You start cutting people off like it's
like I'm a I'm considered sort of pro usc But
when I watch him, I go back to something that
I think it's very clear to see they don't have
enough good football players. And you know, Rick Newheizel won
a Rose Bull Washington, they beat Purdue. I didn't think.
I didn't think new Heuiseel was a great coach. But

(51:55):
he liked recruiting. He was engaged. He really really enjoyed
the showmanship of it. And Washington's up in the rain
in the Pacific Northwest. They had Marcus tuiasa sopot quarterback.
But I always come out of it and I'm like,
you know what if you recruit at college, Charlie Weise
couldn't recruit. He was a smart guy, couldn't recruit. I

(52:15):
just look at their brand. They have literally one serviceable
offensive tackle, they have one running back. They're very pass happy.
I look at it and I think to myself, they'll
be better next year. I don't see special I don't
see the players.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
Yeah. I mean, if you would have told me this
would have taken place after they beat LSU, I wouldn't
have believed you because it was clear like LSU was
gonna be a good team. And if they beat Alabama
next week on, they're gonna be ten to two and
be a playoff team. Yeah, you know, so it's for
them to end up four and five, and like, are
we sure they're I mean six and six. They've proven

(52:54):
now they can lose to anybody. I think the craziest part,
and it hit me last night. I'm watching the game.
They're down twenty to seven, and I was like, they're
about to get rolled. I just turned on other games.
I was actually shocked when I went back to my
phone and saw that the game was close, so then
I turned it back on. But it's barely November first,
and they don't They don't matter in the college landscape

(53:15):
like you watch and you know some of their fans
watched the whole game because they're invested in the program,
But I didn't need to watch. I was paying attention
because I know we talk about it, but they don't matter.
It does if you talk about Data's football. You don't
need to watch them. No which year three paying them
one hundred and twenty million. This is an epic disaster,
Colin John.

Speaker 2 (53:35):
They don't have anything resembling a first round player. They
don't have anything. They have a center that is going
about the third round. They have a safety in about
a year I think will go in the third kind
of a third round player. They have some nice receivers,
none feel like first round players. They they have thirteen
million dollars in nil, Go buy an elite left tackle

(53:56):
for a million dollars. Go buy the best rush in
and football they don't have. I mean, Washington's in a rebuild.
I'm not sure they have more good players in Washington.
And Washington's in a rebuild. With Jed Fish in his
first year.

Speaker 1 (54:11):
I would say this. I mean, he's not going and
nothing's gonna happen. But UCLA has showed some fight this season.
Oh yeah, like they've They've at least shown some character.
And if he were to lose that game regardless, I mean,
now the record, would you agree the records kind of irrelevant?
I don't even know what bowl games mean anymore in
this college football do bowl games even still exist? But

(54:34):
that that would be it'd be hard for people around
the program and the money people to take him seriously.
I mean it is right now at four and five
into year three. Like people are on Brian Kelly. I
mean he's he has a bad half against text A
and M on the road. You know when they have
a million NFL guys like he was kicking their ass
for a half. You watch and I watch a lot
of LSU because I love watching the SEC. It's where

(54:55):
the best players are. He's doing a pretty good job.
And you talked to him. My scouting buddies are like,
it's it's an impressive operation there. When you go in there,
they're like, I would buy stock in this program moving forward. Yeah,
that is not the case. And like you said, the
reporter thing, he did that last year. He does it
like Lincoln. Why are you even worried about things that
are just completely irrelevant to can you beat Jetfish? I

(55:17):
mean Jetfish should have beat you two years in a row.
You remember they got very lucky to beat him last year.
Was that that game go to overtime? Maybe beat him
on the last play in the game? Yep, Caleb made
an incredible play in overtime. Remember he kind of scrambled.
They easily could have lost that game. They were lucky
to be seven to five last year. Because they lose
that thing. They're six and six and it looks like
they're headed towards six and six. And I would say,
you're six and six and you lose to this UCLA
team with Deshaun Foster. They're not paying one hundred and

(55:40):
twenty million dollars for that. And like you said, think
of all the top coaches, Dan Lanning, I mean loves
to recruit clearly, like you say, Ryan Day in that program,
they recruit their ass off. Kirby smart recruiter, sark huge.
So the top programs, which USC, LSU and you know
Brian Kelly puts a lot effort to it. They hired

(56:01):
you to be their equals. Well, you know, coaching right
now is not going that well. But it's like, okay,
college football is not quite the NFL. If you just
got the Jimmies and the Joe's, you could win, especially
that C what eight nine games, no doubt about you.
Then you got out coach to get to undefeated or
a one loss your Jimmy's in the Joe's. See didn't

(56:21):
they didn't play Oregon this year, did they?

Speaker 2 (56:23):
They are Ohio State. They get run out of the
stadium with those teams.

Speaker 1 (56:27):
So they got lucky with their schedule. It could be
way worse.

Speaker 2 (56:31):
Right, Listen, Clay Hilton could not recruit or develop, but
he tried. He had an effort. I mean, it's USC
fans come up mask me. I'm like, go watch the games.
They don't have any separators their receivers. They have a
kid named Lemon, runs good routes, good hands. They don't
have anybody that separates. They got a safety, a center Wood.
He marks the transfer running backs, a nice player. He's

(56:53):
probably a fourth fifth round or nice player. They don't
have a second running back in the program. They have
one tackle that can play offensively. They have no great
pass rushers. They just they just don't have any good
play They don't have enough quality. If you took the
best ten Ohio State players and the USC the best
ten Ohio State's got eight of them.

Speaker 1 (57:14):
Well, is there a chance that, like the point of
difference of Lincoln who was supposed to be this genius
offensive guy, the gap between him Jed Fish an offensive
guy who's coached with the best in the business, and
his staff has a Belichick and at Carol obviously Dan
Lanning staff is elite. You know, Ryan Day and Chip
Kelly don't suck. I mean, you look around the conference.

(57:35):
You go, you gotta beat some pretty well coached staffs.
Iowa was a well coached staff. You got some of
these teams, it's just going to be very, very difficult
for them if they are not recruiting the best. I mean,
Pete Carroll and his hey day had the best of
both worlds. Right.

Speaker 2 (57:49):
Look, go to Rivals dot Com twenty twenty five recruiting California,
an M, Texas, Oregon, Texas A and M lash there's
no ut USC's got one rush and good kid from
about thirty minutes outside of La up north. They're not
getting a the players.

Speaker 1 (58:08):
Well, think about this. If you're a kid right now,
Let's say you're seventeen years old, for your entire life,
starting at like eight nine years old, when you kind
of start really understanding sports, SE's never been relevant. So
you don't remember, like Matt Lioner thrown to Dwayne Jarrett.
You weren't even born, So it's like maybe you were born.

Speaker 2 (58:27):
No.

Speaker 1 (58:28):
Six, those teams have already they were done. So how
this notion of like momentum is a real thing, right?
I think Schefter had a report today like people are
interested in going to the commanders. Don't blame them. I
would be too. No one would have said that eight
months ago. Things change faster than ever in society. If
you're a kid, like I'd want to go to Oregon,
I'd want to go to Georgia, I'd want to go
to LSU. I'd want to go Hell, South Carolina beat

(58:49):
the crap at A and M. They look cool. You
know Ohio State. Why would you want to go to
sc What have they done over the last I would
just say ten years to be if you're a young
kid like I want to go there. We talk about
it a lot because we remember these moments. Yeah they
do not Yeah, and now with social media and stuff,
their moments are they don't even exist. So I think

(59:09):
he has a lot to overcome. And this gets to
the thing is like can he build from scratch because
that's what this need and it doesn't look like he
really can. Yeah, where Jedfish is a good example. Went
to Arizona that was a disaster. What he proved that
he was able to do and look at Arizona this
year they stink again. Yeah, it's like that. That is
really difficult to do to go to a program just
in general in college football that's down and out let

(59:31):
alone a non power program, and turn it into a
nine to ten win team. He took over Bob Stoop's team,
which he inherited. I don't know, a team full of
over under probably twenty NFL guys. Yes, start in the
league right now?

Speaker 2 (59:44):
Yeah, yeah, I mean what worries me even the guys
outside of Caleb Williams that he brought from Oklahoma to USC.
This is one of the first warning signs. He brought
about six guys from Oklahoma to USC. One could play
one one guy.

Speaker 1 (01:00:00):
And the Jordan Addison move, which obviously was a really
good move. You know, they had Kleb like, is he
getting Jordan Addison this offseason? Like the equivalent of that guy,
No chance, right?

Speaker 2 (01:00:11):
I mean one of their starters in the line is
from Wyoming. One of the starters in their own line
is from Wyoming. They're cherry picking Wyoming players in the
transfer portal like they're just not They just don't have
a good enough sales pitch. And that's college for.

Speaker 1 (01:00:24):
I think this. I think the sad thing is if
you're a big you know, LA SC booster and money guy,
you look around college football, it's not like there are
these programs that are head and shoulder like it is
very winnable right now. Yeah, I would say most of
these teams, like you said, Oregon has really got their
swag back after beating Ohio State. But I've watched Georgia
against Florida. They don't look great. I mean, it's not

(01:00:46):
like Ohio State. This is their best team in the
last twenty years. Probably woudn't've be a top five team
in the last twenty years. So you look around college football,
you go, well, Alabama's kind of meh for their standards.
LSU's got some issues. Yeah we should. Yeah, what are
we doing here? We can't. We can't even sniff those two.
We can't even be Washington. What's Washington? A seven win team?

(01:01:07):
That's that's a problem, Colin, that's a problem.

Speaker 2 (01:01:10):
John Middlecoff, former NFL Scout three and out as always, Buddy,
great talking to him.

Speaker 1 (01:01:16):
See you, Colin, fight on, baby. That's all we can
do the volume.

Speaker 2 (01:01:22):
Thanks so much for listening. If you've enjoyed the podcast,
take a moment, rate and review.