Colin Cowherd Podcast - Harbaugh NFL Buzz, Rodgers Retirement Deja Vu + ‘Sharp or Square’ NFL Week 18

Welcome in to the Friday Morning Podcast. Chad Millman Sharper Square one of our last three or four editions of it. I'm at fifty on FS one, so I gotta have a winning week. I like a lot of dogs this week. First opinion today Sean McVay. There are rumors that Sean McVay is in line to be a TV analyst after this year, he's going to take a TV job and leave. Well, my first thought is he would probably because he's newly married.

I want to take something that has limited travel, so I think he would do the studio analyst work over the game broadcast right. Also, I don't think he'd want to criticize players or coaching decisions. And you have to do that on a game broadcast. So my takeaway as if Sean Payton left Fox and got a great job, I think we'd probably call Sean McVay. I don't say that with any insight, but that's what I would do. If I ran Fox, I'd bring in the local guy,

Sean McVeagh. He'd be great. He's got great energy, he's great looking. He would absolutely be very, very helpful to any network. He also has immediacy. He just won a Super Bowl, so he'd be a great studio guy. I don't think Sean McVay. When you do game broadcasts, there's an art to it. You've got to be critical sometimes of coaching decisions. And Sean is young, he's going to return eventually to coaching. I don't think he'd be comfortable

doing that. Peyton Manning. That's why they do the Manning cast on ESPN two. You know, he wants to control the broadcast. He doesn't want to be set up to criticize you know, friends, coaches, even some opponents. He wants to be well liked. So the McVay rumors, I just don't think he likes losing twice a year to his rival Kyle Shanahan and right now the Rams. It's not a total rebuild, but they're not close to San Francisco in terms of elite talent unit to unit. They just

don't have it. They've had too many high priced players. They're a little thin at different spots linebacker, offensive line, and their stars Cooper cup Stafford, Aaron Donald getting older. That's why I think they need to trade Jalen Ramsey and get a number one pick or a first round pick. So mcvada TV studio I get it, game I don't. And frankly, studio jobs don't pay that much. They pay well. Terry Bradshaw gets a lot of money, I imagine, But for a one or two year deal to be a

studio guy, I think it's an easier job. And maybe McVeigh newly married in La every Sunday, that feels like the fit for Sean mcvagh, but I think long term he's a coach. Speaking of coaches, Jim Harball released a statement, I'm a Michigan man. Harbaugh is either releasing the leaks to Carolina Minnesota last year in Denver to help him get a raise at Michigan or help him get a raise in the NFL. I will say this because both

jobs have advantages and colledge. You don't have to deal with a billionaire owner, you have great power over your personnel. In the NFL, you don't have to deal with the NCAA kids taking classes, boosters and a lot of silly nonsense. And he can make a lot of money at both.

What I've heard though, through kind of the coaching tree is that the SEC and some big twelve schools are simply willing to pay more through the NIL and some of these classic esteemed universities like Michigan and Notre Dame are not as comfortable writing million dollar checks to high schoolers, and that some of these coaches. USC, by the way, has a very weak NIL program. Caleb Williams makes a lot and almost nobody else because LA's biggest boosters they

don't want to pay off high school kids. In Alabama, car dealer, no problem, Texas Tech, some of these programs, Oklahoma, car dealers, casino owners, they don't care. They want to win football games. College football defines their entertainment dollar. It doesn't in LA. And so I wonder for Harbaugh, is Michigan a very esteemed university in a good space with nil. Some of their boosters just may not be comfortable buying high school kids or spending a fortune on a nineteen

year old high school freshman or college freshman. So I think Harbaugh is great for college football, where coaches are often the stars over their players. But sometimes a college coach is made to feel guilty for making big money. An NFL coach never is. You don't even know what NFL coaches make. So I think that's very attractive to guys like Harbaugh who've always wanted to be well compensated.

So Green Bay packer icon and quarterback Aaron Rodgers told a new newspaper in Wisconsin that he is undecided about next season. I think it's interesting how Aaron Rodgers and Brett Farve have largely in their playing careers at least become the same person. Difficult, threatening retirement, undecided, not willing to embrace new coaching styles. I mean, who did Aaron Rodgers want back when Nathaniel Hackett left for Denver, His

old seventy year old quarterback coach. Aaron doesn't want new things. He struggled with bookie receivers at the end. Farv became very stubborn, and that's sort of what Aaron Rodgers is. I didn't like Aaron Rodgers talking about retirement the previous couple of years because I thought a David Bachdiari or a Davante Adams who could on the market fetch a lot of offers or retire. Bakhtiari could retire he's had injuries.

If they don't know if you're going to play, they may just call it quits, or like Davanta Adams did leave. The pers now have their best players locked in, and they're young players. Christian Watson and Romeo Dobbs aren't going anywhere. I do believe that this draft. If you look at the setup of the Packers draft last year, they went and concentrated on some defense and offensive lineman. This draft is set up for them middle of the first or a little later if they get into the playoffs and

beat the Lions at Lambo this weekend to go. Get a Jordan Addison wide receiver at usc first round, get a tight end third round. They could use a safety also mixed in there, maybe in the edge rusher. But this draft has some really nice offensive pieces. I think they need another receiver. I think they need another tight end. I think I would go get another offensive tackle and

then safety, defensive end, edge rusher. But I think the Packers at this point are strongly considering, especially if they lose to Detroit. I think there will be strong considerations in the building to move Aaron Rodgers. Hell, they cannot make the playoffs with Jordan Love. Right. So I said this to Nick Wright a couple of days ago on this podcast, is that the dead cap hit is not as punitive if Jordan Love plays for two years, because you're not paying him anything and a lot of their

best young players have not gotten the bag yet. So if you can trade Aaron Rodgers and just get a number one pick this year, a number two pick next year, whatever you fetch. If you have two firsts and a second, that's three starters. Green Bay as a history of drafting, well, I think you go get a tight end. I think you get a white It's a very good tight end class. It's a very good wide receiver class. It's a very

good offensive tackle class. Green Bay as a history of drafting those positions fairly, Well, you hand it over to Jordan Love. I think you got yourself the best roster still in the division. If Jordan Love is a B quarterback, not a not B plus. If he's a B, if he's Ryan Tannehill or close to it, I think they're going to consider the move. I mean, you ask yourself once again, he comes out, I don't know if I want to play. Do you really think these executives are

fans of this? Do you think they like it? It's like Wall Street doesn't like the unknown, even if you have bad earnings, if Wall Street knows they're coming, the stock market doesn't go down. Executives don't like the unknown. And every time Aaron says that, it just comes off to those guys as a power play and cringey. I think it they lose to Detroit. I think the Tennessee Titans and green Bay will be on the phone within a month. I really do now. I think green Bay

is gonna win close. But something to keep your eye on. All right, let's bring in Chad Millman, c CEO Action Network. All odds provided by a fan duel didn't have a great week of picks. I'm fifty four percent on the year on my blazing five picks. I've tried to get somewhere to beIN fifty five and fifty six percent, but I do make my picks late Thursday, so that's not exactly the best day. No excuses. I need a winning week to get to fifty five percent. So here we go.

This one seems fairly obvious. Jaguars looking ahead of the playoffs, Titans in a good rivalry game get six and a half. They're beat up. But my takeaway is Vrabel teams are tough and play with great pride. Divisional game. I'm still with Jacksonville. As much as I love the story, I think the story is better than the team. I'd take Titans plus six and a half. Sharper Square. You're so sharp on this that the line has actually moved down to six because the wise guys have come in pretty

heavy on the Titans. They've been coming in heavy on the Titans all week. A couple factors here. Number One, you mentioned Vrabel. He's in amaze and coach. We've seen that over the years. The way he managed that game several years ago in the playoffs against Tom Brady. The way he's gotten this team, which is not very good, to win seven in a row this year and even being contention for the playoffs, this year without a j Brown, Ryan Tannehill taking a step back, Derrick Henry was not

at his best the entire season. So the wise guys they liked Tennessee. They had this game power rated at closer to four and a half. I think part of this is perception, right the Titans, they lost big to the Cowboys in prime time with a quarterback they had signed eight days earlier. But don't forget Mike Vrabel in that game, he purposely rested his starters. This is sort of where Mike Vrabel makes himself separates himself from other coaches.

He knows when the games matter. He wasn't thinking about that Cowboys game. He's thinking, I got guys who were banged up. Let me get them as healthy as they're going to be all year for the game that actually matters. I'm not going to get caught in the shiny object conversation about trying to win every game. Meanwhile, the Jags, they beat Zach Wilson, they beat the Cowboys on an overtime pick. Vrabel in this spot is also as a dog of three or more seventy percent over his career

thirty games. He's twenty one and nine as a dog of three or more so the lean here Colin is on the Titans all right, Rams getting six all odds provided by a fan duel against the Seahawks. So if you really look at Baker Mayfield's numbers, they've been pretty strong, the reemergence of cam Acres. Seattle's without their best linebacker, and let's be honest about Seattle home Field. I lost to Carolina here. I think it's a young team. I think mcvay's really clever, and the Rams have played their

ass off. They're not very good, but this is a lot in a rivalry game. I'm taking the six Sharper square. I love this. It's totally sharp, and I love that you're doing this because in the week's past. Last week, what did I beg you to do well? I beg you to take the Broncos at plus twelve and a half against the Chiefs, because sometimes you bet on the bad team, and you bet on the bad team that's coming off the huge, huge loss. The Brands just lost

by three touchdowns. Since twenty sixteen, teams off of a loss of three touchdowns sixty one against the spread. Teams that are eliminated in the final two weeks of the season playing teams that have a shot to make the playoffs since in the past thirty two years, they cover it a sixty two percent clip. This is all. These are basically saying the same thing. The Seahawks are overinflated. They beat the Jets last week. Jets are a team that everybody was in love with. The Rams are underinflated,

for lack of a better term. So you got a little bit of value here. Take the Rams, hold your nose and do it, I know, and then watch it. By the way, watch it, enjoy it, feel the satisfaction. I don't know if you ended up plane the Broncos or not this past week when I begged you to do it and you gave me that face, you know you get like I'm telling you, watch this game. In the first five minutes of that Broncos game, I knew

I was covering. You're gonna watch this game. You're gonna be like I love covering, I love watching covering football seasons underway. Now is the perfect time to download fan Duel, America's number one sports book. Right now, new customers get a no sweat first bet up to a thousand dollars that's free bets back if your first bet doesn't win. The promo code is always calling. Duel has tons of betting options. I like the same game, parlay, bet a little,

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seven three six nine New York, Tennessee redline eight nine eight nine Tennessee visits one eight hundred gamble dot in West Virginia. So the last week they put all these division rivalry games out. The NFL did this on purpose. They know they matter and they're you know, you don't mail it in against the division rival. So the Lions are getting four and a half at Lambeaux. So what's interesting in Green Bay's four game winning streak. Three of the teams are awful and the Vikings are the luckiest

overvalued team. And the truth is Aaron Rodgers in this four game winning streak, his quarterback rating is eighty eight, his four touchdowns and two picks. It's a rivalry game, too much firepower. I'm going to take the Lions plus four and a half sharper square to totally sharp. Love it. Here's one thing I would say to you that makes this interesting. And I love what the NFL has done with the schedule of the way they've remade it so that you do get these division rivalry games at the

end of the year that really have meaning. Did they screw up the timing of all these games so by the time the Lions play, they're going to know if they're in the playoffs or not. So they're either planing spoiler or they're playing to play, or they're playing to play in the playoffs. But like, as a better it

makes you reevaluate. I love the Lions at four and a half, gotam plan, But I do think if we know by the time this game is kicking off that the Lions are going to be a spoiler, it's very possible this line goes higher because people who don't think about this from a betting point of view might say, Okay, the Lions are out of the playoffs, they're not going to be as motivated. That's why these sort of elimination scenarios matter so much. In the last two weeks for betters,

packers line will go up. You might really get the Lions for six six and a half. All right, this is almost a pickum Dolphins one. So generally, if a team lays an egg, I like them the next week. That's my rule. Jets laid an egg. But I look at this Dolphins team at home. They've got weapons. I like them. They don't ask their quarterback to do much. Now Skyter Thompson gets a week of reps, I think I'm gonna take Miami minus one sharper square. No consensus here.

I mean, if you're going, if you're going by precedent, you take the Jets. I got a great defense. They feel like they know they blew it. Robert Sale has said as much. They feel really just frustrated. This is a chance to spoil somebody else's season of division rivals season, and then they are playing for pride, right, So there are those elements. But also we have the two things I just talked about it Jets are out of it,

Dolphins have a shot. Jets just got, you know, basted by the Seahawks in a way that they didn't expect to. You got a couple of scenarios here where they're playing to the Jets side. But I wouldn't I wouldn't make this a you know, I got to get to fifty five percent that I'll throw one at you. I fell in love with this one today, I didn't know about the Bills minus seven. Now good news with Damar Hamlin.

This is going to be uplifting for the Bills. They are now hearing that he's talking, he's got eye contact, he's going to make it, he's recovering quickly. This is a strong emotional boost. They are a significantly better team, okay now kind of because of that game cancelation, fresh and ready to go. They're a much better team than New England. I think I think i'd lay the seven sharper square. I liked the Bills here, so the line

was seven and a half. It's moved down. I don't think there's a huge consensus to be taking the Bills. If anything, the wise guys will be playing the Patriots. The Patriots still have a pretty good defense and the Bills offense has been very inconsistent. So it's not a game that's getting a lot of attention because of everything you just discussed. Emotionally, it's too hard to predict, and you also don't know at this point the Bills finished

number one, Are they getting home field? Are they taken a bye? Is it a neutral site game? How is all that going to factor into it? What is the motivation for that? Do they just want to get out of the game get into the playoffs healthy? The Patriots have more to play for. I think the line is way too big, So the lean is the Patriots all right for the first time in a long time. Broncos plus three is the side the Chargers are locked into

the playoffs. They have multiple players who have gotten healthy but have a history of getting dinged up. Bosa James the safety, and their offensive line. I think the Chargers rest a lot of starters. I think the game, this regular season game means more for the Broncos put good stuff on tape. An embarrassing year. I'm going to take Denver plus three sharper square, so the good news is you're totally sharp. This game was at three and a half.

I loved it. We talked about it on the Favorites earlier in the week on Tuesday, where like you got take this at three and a half. It's the right side forgetting all the things you said. If this was three and a half in Week fifteen, I would have taken the Bronchos because the Chargers are not a team that plays well when they're ahead. They're not a team you can count on to cover their offense has struggled,

so you would be taking the Bronchos. The problem is the line is now Chargers plus two and a half because if everything you just said, there is an expectation that the Chargers are going to be resting guys. It's another one of those games where by the time it kicks off, you know the Chargers know whether they're going to be in the playoffs or not. So if you really like, if you think the Chargers are going to need this game for some kind of playoff seating, you

take the Chargers right now. If not, you stay away from it because you already missed the value on the Broncos. Okay, all right, I always end with a game I'm willing to be talked into. I would take the Raiders plus seven and a half. It's now up to nine and a half. Odd's brought to you by a FanDuel against the Chiefs. Chiefs don't have anything ready to play for. I do worry about teams that play the Niners the following week are all beat up. But I do think

Jarrett Stidham Tape wants to look good. Josh McDaniels wants to hit into the off season positive vibes. Played the Niners well, played the Chiefs well. I would take the Raiders sharper square. Talk me into it. Oh, it's totally sharp. I'm one hundred percent. I already I think I've bet the Raiders at nine and a half. But for me, it's an auto. Played it against Patrick Mahomes anytime he's a touchdown of a favorite of more than a field goal.

Since twenty twenty in the middle of November, including playoffs nine and twenty four as a favorite of more than a field goal against the spread, right, so this year he's three and nine. We've got a very very solid sample size from which to make these kinds of decisions. And like we did it last week with the Broncos against the Chiefs. Like, I'm just not going to play Mahomes as a nine and a half point favorite on the road for that matter. Finally, a game that I

have completely missed on. I don't know why. I think it's Cowboys at Commanders. It's probably not tell me the game, Melman, I have completely whiffed on. Are you ready? Oh God, don't tell me Panther Saints. I'll throw up no, although I will tell you that it's really interesting. We talked a lot about Panther Saints on the faves, and we did our sharp Call segment where the wise guys call in and sort of give us their opinions on games that we were talking about where they think we're wrong.

They're loading up on the Saints. You know, this line got this line got up from it was at three and a half. Wise guys took the Panthers at three and a half. Then it got that bad back up to four with professional betters loving the Saints. So it's a really interesting game. They love them. Why do they love them? I think they feel like their defense is incredible and they have not like teams have just not been able to breach twenty points, fifteen points against this defense.

It's gotten better and better and better. And I think they feel like Andy Dalton is serviceable enough against a Panther's defense that is decent against the rum but not great against the past. And so I think they think there's an opportunity there. All right, but it's not the game that I want to talk about. Yeah, Cleveland Browns plus two and a half against the Pittsburgh let's just do it, man, let's be betting, buddies. Let's turn it on. Let's know that it's going to be very low scoring.

These teams score about fifteen points a game. I'm not even saying that. So you're taking the Browns because of that? You get the points. Yeah, take the Browns in these division games, they are always close. In the AFC North. The Steelers defense is amazing. The Browns have been improving with Deshaun Watson. I know it doesn't look like it, but last week he did play a lot better. He had some more accurate throws to Amari Cooper. You're also

looking at one of these elimination scenarios. The Steelers they got something to play for. The Browns don't. So you've got a team that historically in this situation is covering it a sixty percent clip. Take the Browns, oh yo yo yo YOI I guarantee you follow my advice, you'll close at fifty five percent. I saw him at fifty four point seven percent, which is I always say I'm betting on Thursday. If I bet on Monday, I'd be

at fifty six percent. I think I give myself a percentage and a half if I bet the better line on Monday. I never I never get the best of the line, don't you don't at all. You gotta make sent you gotta make some picks earlier in the week. Right. The Broncos are a perfect example, the Titans example. If it's example, like, the game was at six and a half. Now the Titans were at six and a half. Now it's at six. The Bronchos were at three and a half.

Now they're favorites because of various circumstances. The flip side is the Raiders were at seven and a half and now they're at nine and a half. All I'm saying is, go with the Browns, go with the Titans, go with the Rams, go with the lines. By the way, forty four twenty four, Georgia over TCU. I think TCU emptied the emotional bag against Michigan, used dis fact. Now it comes down to you can't reboot that. Georgia's way better, faced a much tougher schedule, and Michigan, by the way,

lost the game. As much as TCU want it, they outgained them time of possession. I think Georgia rolls them. You want to talk about luck, right, we talk about luck on this show all the time, and Michigan had some very bad luck in the first half of that game. And I don't mean luck like it was unlucky that they threw a pick six. I mean there were plays in that game that don't line up with what expectations should be and it changes the entire dynamic of the game.

And so I agree with you. I mean, look, Michigan easily could have won that game. Ohio State easily could have beaten Georgia. I think George's in a spot now where they're like, we are not taking anything for granted. We've we've seen what can happen, you know, put the pedal to the metal. Here's my question. I've been thinking about this. Do you think Ryan Day losing twice to Michigan not making great tactical decisions during the game, should be on the hot seat Ohio State. No. Do you

think remember years ago Urban Meyer I can't remember. Was he suspended for a year or whatever it was, and Luke Fickle took over that Ohio State team. No, it was between urban Meyer coming and trust. So Luke Fickle took the team over. Right, So Luke Fickle stays he's not online to get that job, Leaves go to Cincinnati, proves to be an incredible coach, taking three star talent, getting him into the NFL, turning that team into the only Nonpower five team to make it to the college

football playoffs. Now he's going to go to Wisconsin. I think it's going to be amazing. And I think in three years, Ohio State is wishing they've been smart enough to keep Luke Fickle. You with me or against me? No, I think Luke's going to crush it at Wisconsin. I also think Chip Kelly and Link and Riley are going to be a handful. UCLA is quietly crushing in the transfer portal. Usc not so quietly is crushing in the transfer portal. If hardbos stays and Luke Fickle and Lincoln

Riley and Chip Kelly, those are good coaches. Those are smart coaches. I think if you're a bad coach in the Big Ten, when those guys are there, you get exposed very quickly. He's a bad coach. Now, as I'm not saying he's a bad coach. I'm just saying, if you are a bad coach, could be anybody. That kind of sounds like you said he's a bad coach that's slipped out. That was kind of punitive there. I thought, listen, you to create a controversy. I'm down the middle guy,

I'm very controversial. You are a very controversial person. I go to bed at eight forty I'm not controversial at all. I eat pop tarts. I'm a grown man eating pop tarts. Not controversial. Listen. I can't even tell you how many things happened after I go to bed. I wake up and the Slack messages are so explosive because so much stuff has happened after nine o'clock. Yeah, I'm going to dinner to night at seven forty five, and wass Harford. I can't believe I'm going to be eating that lay.

I don't think I've ever had dinner. Oh I've probably done a corporate dinner at eight or nine, those dreadful corporate dinners. But that's how I think. Like my dinners are six fifteen to six thirty or I daft cancel. I just can't do it. I want to be hungry when I wake up in the morning. Yeah I am. I'm hungry for power. Well, I know that's why you're a mediumogul. It wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to be all over the country on every station, to dominate the

midday airwaves, to go dominate podcast too. All right, Buddy good, seeing you, all right, man, I'll see you later the volume. Make sure to check out The Draymond Green Show. I brought Draymond Green into the Volume because one of the more entertaining voices in sports, unique perspective understands behind the rope, also chops up with guests like Gary Peyton, Zach Levine,

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