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Colin COI in twenty dollars off your first purchase. Download game tied and today last minute deals, lowest prices, guaranteed game time. All right, welcome in everybody. We'll have an hour in total and ten minutes. John Middlecoff, the former NFL scout part of the volume from Day one, Three and Out podcast, will join us. We've got about fifteen to twenty minutes just on the Eagles and the Niners. John's a former Eagle scout and for years lived at
the Bay Area. Great connections with San Francisco, so he'll have a breakdown like nobody else. Let me just spend ten minutes on the Packers whenever Kansas City. It was their game from the very beginning. And I said this during the week on FS one. It didn't matter if Green Bay won in terms of the big picture. What Jordan Love had to do with Patrick Mahomes on the other sideline is to be able to match him. And you know, we know Mahomes is the better quarterback. Can
he make throws? Can he look confident? Can he move, and I thought Jordan Love was everything and more. You know, it's interesting. For years I've said about Green Bay is I think they draft and develop as well as anybody in the NFL. Just look at their wide receiving talent. Watson, Jayden, Reid, Robo, Dobbs and Wicks four really really twitchy. Watson's a burner, They're really clever athletes, all can play. New England hasn't drafted a legitimate receiver in over a decade. Green Bay's
got four in two years. They just do it well. And it's what's interesting if you look at the Packers' history, they don't take a lot of players, offensive players in the first round, but yet they always end up with elite tackles, very good running backs, excellent receivers, better than average tight ends. It's a really offensive leading culture. Home run in the McCarthy, in the Matt Lafleur. They do offense well, Steelers do defense well. Packers do offense well.
And this of course helps Jordan Love, whereas Kenny Pickett is going to be kind of on his own. Jordan Love's got great aids to his left, to his right. He also, and we've discussed this, you know, ad nauseum. Aaron Rodgers was like, you know, a fifty year old lead singer and the band was a bunch of twenty year olds. He didn't fit all these young players as
they were rebuilding the offense. This generationally works. Jordan Love and these guys like they feel like, you know, they're going to be around four years and years together, and you know, I just think if you if you look around at the majority of the young quarterbacks who can struggle, it's often with defensive coaches. Look at what McVeigh did to Goff, Look at what Shanahan's doing to Purty, Look at what Mike McDaniel did to resurrect Tua. Yet look
what Belichick's done to Mac Jones. He gets worse every year. Now. He's just a shot fighter. So I'm not saying Jordan Love doesn't have talent, but you've watched the development in the last six weeks. He's like a different player. He was always tall and moved well. He always had a good whip. That was never a question. You could watch his YouTube highlights as you did, and I did at Utah State. He was always a big kid who moved well. How to whip that was never the issues, a little
bit erratic as a thriller. He was Tonight too. But this is just confidence development, and you can tell a lot years and years ago. I remember a story They've got confidence with Jordan Love now in the building. That's why tonight was already crucial. And you saw it a little bit against the Chargers, a lot against the Lions, and really a lot tonight is that you got to
get buy in in the building. Years ago, a long long time ago, I helped create a show at ESBN called a Sports Nation and it was offbeatn kind of quirky, and we didn't know if it was going to work because it was so different than anything on the air. But an executive said, well, if the people in the building like it, if you get buy in in the building, it doesn't matter what the ratings are, they'll support it. And I always thought that's interesting, get buy in in
the building. It's a lot like that for a quarterback. Watch the Chicago Bears play calling with Justin Fields. He has no buy in in the building. The coordinator doesn't trust him, the coach doesn't trust him. Seventy percent of the throws are behind the line, of scrimmage. He's got no buy in in the building. CJ. Stroud complete buy in. Jordan Love did not have it in the preseason and in September we kept saying, it's they're babysitting him, they're
coddling him. Let him throw it. It was just slow growth. Let's wait until we're comfortable. Let's let this thing develop. The Packers knew better now when you watch it. They just let him go. I mean, it's got a backyard field to it. Just let him go. And he's never going to be as precise as Aaron Rodgers. That's not who he is. He's got the far playmaking ability with sort of the whip of Aaron Rodgers. But he's not a precise thrower. He's not Joe Burrow. That's not what
he is. You know, he can get erratic. His mechanics are a little you know, they are what they are. It looks a little backyard football. But he's playing with a ton of confidence. He has tremendous young offensive personnel around him, and they're all getting better. Watson Dobbs Wis, those guys are all going to get better. You don't have to pay any of them for three years, So that'll let you dip in and solve any issues you have anywhere else in the roster, because right now Jordan
doesn't have a punitive contract. So you know the other thing that jumps out to me is that not only do the Packers draft and develop, well, I mean, how many quarterbacks have succeeded there? You know, a lot for the biggest three of the biggest quarterbacks in league history, you know our Packers, but the two more recent obviously
are Farvan Rodgers. And you know it's it's sometimes because they don't have an owner to call you on your you know, crap, and because it's the smallest pro sports city in America where you can't even go to the grocery store. I always call it the green Bay Packer quarterback syndrome, where like far of An Aaron Rodgers are very different people, but it kind of dissolved into the
same threatening retirement, unhappy with front office. And you know, when you think about it, that was perfect for Farvann Aaron Rodgers to start. It may have ended poorly, but you know, green Bay tends to be very supportive, very much in two development. You don't have to worry about the press breathing down your throat. I mean, the cheeseheads, Lambeau, totally supportive, thick and thin. It really is a perfect
environment for a young quarterback trying to find his footing. Now, as you get older, you make big money, you become famous and a star, it can feel you know, you know you're trapped a little bit. Not a lot to do there, But I mean they've shown us time and time again it's a great place for a young quarterback to develop. And they do a really good job drafting people rarely in the first round, but drafting people to
elevate the quarterback. So and the other thing is I think sometimes that Farv and Rogers in retrospect appreciated the Packers, but sometimes when they were there at the end, didn't appreciate the Packers. I mean, think about right now today. Green Bay is fine without Aaron Rodgers. Mike McCarthy is fine in Dallas without Aaron Rodgers. You know who's not fine? Aaron Rodgers, who's forty a bad football team, an impulsive owner,
a terrible O line, and one decent receiver. Green Bay and Mike McCarthy, Jordan Love, they're all Brian goodenkouts They're all fine without Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers isn't fine. So I think sometimes Green Bay may feel like Mayberry in small town. But if you really examine how hard it is for young quarterbacks to hit in this league, green
Bay offers a lot that other teams don't. They don't have an impulsive, erratic owner David Temper who just blows the coach out in the middle of the first year. They're not going to overspend on free agents. Free agents don't go to Green Bay the big ones. They have to draft and develop well they do. They tend to be. They don't have a loud, fire breathing press to deal with. It's more not conciliatory. The press is more more patient, right,
less clicky, less volume. A lot of those factors that you see over time if you're a star quarterback is tedious and small town are perfect for the development of a quarterback. Aaron Rodgers first year, what was he six and ten? It took him a while to click, you know, Jordan Love, you know I didn't. I didn't get it the first four or five weeks. Like he just looked erratic with no confidence, and they didn't have confidence in him. But they've turned him loose and it's fun. And also tonight,
give the Packers credit. I tho their defense played really well. I thought their pass rush was great. And if you look at green Bay schedule, it is it is w's all the way down the line. And you know this happens all the time. Remember when Tampa with Tom Brady and they had that buy in like around week twelve
and then they went in to run. I don't think this is a super Bowl winning team, but if you watch them tonight, I mean, Kansas City's defense is good, but it's good, and green Bay hit on a lot of big third downs, on a lot of big plays. Not a lot of people have done that on this Chiefs defense. Like you know, I was sitting there thinking, oh, green Bay is a better team tonight. I mean, it
wasn't a fluke. I didn't feel like I was watching like that past to Christian Watson and everybody said, oh Watson, what a catch, What a throw? That was a dime, that's our Aaron Rodgers, Brett farbthrow that wasn't luck. So you have a quarterback who is now growing in confidence, young, twitchy athletic receivers, a coaching staff that increasingly trusts Jordan Love that's obvious, and a defense that played its butt off tonight. I thought I didn't think there was any
question all night who the better team was. The officiating team was the worst on the field. That penalty on the hit on Mahomes is nonsense. That's just a nonsense call. And the lack of PI five minutes later, two minutes later is ridiculous, That's what That's probably the worst call of the year.
So just.
The officiating was it really was bad, like embarrassing bad for the league on a standalone game, those were two embarrassingly bad calls. And the Thursday night game with the Seattle in Dallas was a very, very poorly overly officiated game as well. When referees have to pick up three flags and say, yeah, those weren't fouls. Just throw a flag when you see a penalty, don't guess, don't anticipate see a penalty, throw a flag. Otherwise, get out of the way. Get out of the way. Anyway. Packers win,
and I thought it was convincing. I know Kansas City had a shot at the end that felt convincing to me. I thought they pushed the Chiefs around a lot of big plays on third down, Jordan Love, what do you know? And now for a segment called making it Look Easy, brought to you by Morgan and Morgan, America's largest injury law firm. This week, Tyreek Hill made it look easy. Five catches, two touchdowns, almost one hundred and sixty yards, his fifth game this season with one hundred and fifty
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reasonable compensation for people who have been wrong. If you're ever injured, go to Fourthepeople dot com, slash Colin or dial Pound five to two nine to check out America's largest injury law firm. Winning in the NFL is hard, but hiring Morgan and Morgan is easy. All right, Everybody, welcome in It's me former NFL scout for the Philadelphia Eagles, John Middlecoff, as we get ready for close to an
hour of breakdown of college football. Some thoughts on various coaches in the league who are on the definite hot seat. But we start John with San Francisco and Philly. There were two games this weekend that I loved. I loved the Niners and I love the Lions. So let's start with San Francisco and Philadelphia. I thought, at least in the first half, it felt like your classic matchup of great teams, playmakers, speed, strength, coaching, kind of the class
of the NFC. But I do wonder if that emotional game with a lot of snaps for the Eagles defense last week against Buffalo, and that was one of the reasons I like San Francisco at this time of the year, John, every day counts for rest, so the Niners get several days rest. The Eagles play an especially long game against Buffalo defenses on the field, and I think they looked absolutely worn down in the second half defensively. That was my take.
Yeah, I thought early on, I mean that place I've been to a lot of games. There was rocking and the quarterback was a little shaky. The Eagles came ready to play, which was shocking. I thought it'd be the other way around. The Niners had talked a lot, Like you said, they had been off since Thanksgiving. I thought by about midway through that second quarter, the Niners were really leaning on them. You could tell that defensive line was gassed. The Eagles defense isn't very good. I mean
their linebackers are decimated with injuries. They're on like their third string nickel corner. They had to trade for a safety. And the forty nine ers from Ayuk to obviously Debo, who has been running his mouth for nine months, and listen, I got no problem in an individual sport. You're Connor McGregor, you're Tiger Woods, your whatever. You run your mouth, only you have to back it up. Deebo can back it up. I was nervous some other guys on the team, you know,
the right tackle trying to block Redick. It didn't. I mean, Deebo dominated that game. Kittle was awesome, McCaffrey was flying around. They came ready to play, but most importantly, Colin in solidarity with the quarterback. How about that MVP type performance from brock Purty after starting the game oh four, where it's just he looks shaky, Yeah, nineteen of twenty three the rest of the game and just throwing dots, keeping
plays alive with his legs, keeping his eyes downfield. He's how about the run he had where he broke the tackle. I'm not saying the guy's the MVP, but if he's not in the discussion, we're all not watching football. He was brilliant today. Yeah, And I.
Think one of the things I've said, let's contextualize it. Shanahan's a brilliant, brilliant play caller, and the weapons are insane. I mean literally, Kittle will be a Hall of Famer, Trent Williams a Hall of famer, McCaffrey should be a Hall of Famer, and if Deebo stays healthy for four more years, people will talk about him as a Hall
of famer. That's just on the offense. But I do believe that there are just certain throws that c J. Stroud makes and I'm like, oh, yeah, that's a franchise quarterback that Kenny Pickett can't make, right, And so there are throws perty you'll make about three throws a game and he'll let go of that puppy before the receiver breaks and you're like, oh, yeah, that's a franchise. And for the record, I don't see Justin Fields make those. I don't see him as an anticipation thrower. So and
it's not a knock. I don't see Zach Wilson make those. A lot of this stuff is innate. And you know, years ago Bill Parcells had a rule no celebrity quarterbacks, which forget that. Now with nil they're gonna be slaighties. But I want three years of starting. And I remember when I really noticed this. I covered a Keeley Smith in Oregon and I love the way through the ball. But he was like a one year starter and he went to the NFL and he just did not have
enough reps. He just did not have enough reps. He was overwhelmed. And it wasn't because he was a good kid. He could move, he had a hell of an arm, he had a baseball arm. But he just didn't have enough starts. And you know, the NFL is impatient by year two, Like if you don't, they're not sitting around waiting for you. Everybody's gonna lose their job. I think a lot of this with perty is he came in high school college, he had like eight straight years of snaps.
He's just fun to He is just cognitively ready to play football, for sure.
But I also think he's really good. I mean, he was the Arizona High School Player of the Year, really good recruiting base. In his second year starting, he was the second team All Big twelve guy behind Jalen Hurts. For the next two years he was a first teamer. And he's come in on this team and he's clearly better than anything Jimmy brought to the table. And Jimmy was pretty good, not the version we've seen these last
couple of years. The other thing is, wouldn't you say probably the best average arm quarterback over the last probably a couple decades was like Drew Brees. Yeah, you know, and we and listen, you were right on Baker Mayfield. I personally thought he could become that. Clearly he never sniffed that. I actually think this guy has a lot of those traits in the pocket, but he also has
unlike Drew. Now, Drew was much more accomplished as a passer coming out of college, but this guy clearly is comfortable to go in into an environment like that dreary day Philly, And I get they were running out of gas and the Niners were favored for a reason, but that kid was dominant, you know, just in terms of accuracy and what's the key if you're gonna play with really good players, put it on them, because well they
got a lot of yards after the catch. Well he hits them in stride the ball to McCaffrey down the middle, a couple of balls to Debo, a couple of balls as a kiddle, and his athleticism, I think his ten yard split is pretty much the same time as Christian McCaffrey. So he's not Lamar Jackson or Cam Newton down the field as a runner. But you know, in those little bursts, he can keep plays live a lot like Jalen right, And that's an underestimated part of his game that has
taken the Niners to a whole nother level. Now, once they pulled away, it was not a fair fight because the Eagles, like you said, ran out of gas. But I also think you see, like even if the Eagles had gas, let's face it, the Niners are a little better, right fully healthy, and the Eagles just they're not getting healthy guys in the secondary, like Bradbury and Sleigh are their corners. And the way they use their number one wide receiver and Debo is not like an AJ Brown.
They don't just put them out there and say cover Darius Lay would like that with a receiver. They're moving them all around. They're using them like a running back. I used a very shifty in and out of cuts a lot like DeVante Smith. Why nobody can cover him? And then you got Kittle, who is just one of the most unique players in the league to go on top of McCaffrey. So it's just a tough situation. It's a tough matchup for Philly.
Well, and here's the utter thing. So we both kind of I think we both felt strongly, just on the extra time that this was really San Francisco's game. S You have these moments when Dallas went to San Francisco. San Francisco's kind of team. The Eagles know it and the Cowboys know it. If you don't have your shit dialed in, you're in big trouble. Yeah, they played Downhill really fast. They're like Buffalo three years ago. Without the mistakes. You get all the avalanche, you know, without the yard
sale of skis flying everywhere. They're like a streamlined avalanche, and you just can't with all these weapons. But here's the one thing about Philadelphia I worry about is that Ferguson for the Cowboys. Now Brandon Cooks are productive Ceedee Lamb's a top four receiver in the lead, big time, okay, and then you have Debo Kittle, Brandon ayus as special play awesome, even Jennings contributes. The Philly secondary is not getting better.
Awful.
They made a move at the trade deadline. It's bad. It's old. It's not getting better. Even Detroit if you watch them today, because Goff usually has time because of that offensive line, and they run the ball really well. Jamison Williams now becoming more of a threat. There's an argument to be made with Philly. Their weakness is a real problem because we both like GoF more than people know armor On Saint Brown Laportas and Williams Laporte. He's
an incredible rookie. So all of a sudden you start looking at Philly and you're like, well, they don't match up necessarily well with the top three teams in the NFC.
Well, their key is they did not have to win today after they won the last two weeks. Now they're gonna have to win this upcoming week against Dallas, right, and it's an enormous game. Their formula is gonna be. The d line has to be elite. I mean, it has to be unstoppable, and it can be. Today they
were clearly running on fumes. That's why, let's face it today through everything, I mean, McCarthy, I'm sure feed up eating a sandwich at home with a big smile on his face because he has the opportunity now at home. The Niners took care of business. The Niners now place Seattle all of a sudden. If Dallas wins and the forty nine Ers wins, the Eagles are kind of looking up. I'm with you. You gotta be able to. It's not like Abry Thomas and Leonor or Richard Sherman and Dureu
Reeves in the prime, but they're functional players. And the main difference between the Eagles and the Niners because both of them have countless D line and that every team would want. It's the linebackers. I mean, Fred Warner is a dominant player. Greenlaw who got in a fight with Dom on the sideline is probably the best number two linebacker. But even when those guys, there was a moment when when Greenlaw got tossed and Fred's shoe came off. Then
I just have two other backups who are solid. I mean, the Eagles linebackers are Kyle Shanahan was. This is why Deebo and those guys were talking so much shit all week. They don't think that all those guys have a chance to handle their speed, their physicality.
And they don't.
And once they took a deep breath and just kind of handled the crowd and just kind of the wetness and just everything that the link brings, it was a route. They just ran circles around them. And that's for sure. Now their d linemen, if they play at an elite level, can just cause so much havoc, and their offense has to be awesome. That's Goddard's got to come back. You know.
Aj Brown had some big time moments to Vonte. Their offense is really special, and that's why they've won a lot of these games, right because it's essentially been shootouts in the second half. Harder to have shootouts with the forty nine ers. I think because their defense, they're just not really going to play in a thirty eight to thirty five type game.
Yeah, the best one possession win teams over the last several years have been Philadelphia. It caught up with them today. Minnesota last year caught up with them. There was a Cowboy team and a Seahawk team over the last three or four years. Yeah, and it caught up with them. You just can't you eventually, you can't get out gained like Philly had four straight games. It just doesn't work that way. And so I kind of look at the Philadelphia and I like so, I mean, I think they'll
play very well. In a weird way, they were best served to get their butt kicked because they'll come against Dallas.
They'll play a great game.
They'll play a great game. But I do think there is a fundamental problem that they can only overcome with ball control offensively, which is their back They're back four back, seven linebackers are week. Corners aren't great. They have one good safety. The only way to overcome that is with ball control, and that's it. And now they have the components to do that.
I think they also got to be really careful and in fairness, they're players, I mean slays on the volume, high level guy, Jalen, super high level guy. Their coach can be really really yappy, right and not in a Bill Parcells like check the pelts on my wall yappy. It's like kind of annoying, and there's a level of you know, listen, Kyle Shannon's gonna scream at the rest,
but he's not gonna give the other team. He's an old school kind of Andy Reid his dad, like it's not about he doesn't want to get involved in the thing. And I do think their coaching staff. You got Siriani screaming at people pregame. He just listen. That works against the majority of opponents. It's not gonna work against the Chiefs. Maybe it works a little bit againstd Allas, but it's not gonna work against the forty nine ers. It's more just x's and no's. We're gonna hit you in the
mouth and we're gonna be relentless. So all that stuff, you know, that kind of typically feeds into Philly, like they loved when Dom got tossed, and they feed off that stuff. The Niners are they have proven that this core of guys have won so many games on the road, went in to Green Bay and one went into Dallas and one like that. They're not gonna be intimidated by difficult circuit. They easily could have won a couple of years ago against the Rams, right, you know, when Tart
dropped the ball. So they go into these environments a lot like some great like NBA players like the Curry group over the years, Like, they're not intimidated. They might need a couple series to kind of gather themselves, but they're gonna be okay. So the Eagles, it's gonna be a scheme game versus them. Can you out scheme them? Because all the other shit, like the Niners aren't gonna be phased by that crap? Can you can you outthink them?
Can you out call like Andy Reid? Can you out call plays against whatever their their looks are offensively or defensively? And you saw today it wasn't really a fair fight. Now, I, like you said, I'm gonna give them the benefit of doubt, little Gas. I think if you told me there was a rematch, I would expect a much better Philly evers. But I do think big picture, do they have like their head coach. He's not calling the plays on either side.
He's just kind of screaming on the sideline, like the forty nine ers guy is their play call, Like it's him versus you? You know, so, I yeah, that's a disadvantage for the Eagles.
You know, here's the utter thing is I I'm trying to think of a roster who fund his injury. Although painful, they can protect it with a good pass rush. I don't think there's been a roster's going to San Francisco since the Seahawks roster that won a Super Bowl but went to two straight that that roster just didn't make. That was such a good roster you're not really allowed to do that anymore. Again, Russell was on a rookie deal, aminit. He wasn't the roster wasn't good. Part. He's on a
rookie deal. But I'm trying to think of a roster. I mean, that's I remember that Seattle team was so good that they went and just rented Percy Harvin almost never used him as a toy. And then they went and got Cliff Averel said yeah, we'll bring another pass rusher, and you're like, yeah, that's a luxury of a rookie contract.
You can't do that with a veteran quarterback. But I think this roster, you know, I find myself rooting for San Francisco to win because it would be such a shame if this roster didn't at least one like that Seattle roster. John it was too damn good not to win a Super Bowl. It was just too good. That was just fundamentally too good. The Ravens roster with Dilferd there's like seven Hall of famers. I grew up with the Steelers in the seventies. There were a couple of
Raider teams. You're like, Yeah, the Cowboys Jimmy Johnson roster, they need to win a Super Bowl. There's too many good players. I kind of feel like the best roster in the league is San Francisco. I'm thinking about second. Wow. You know, with the emergence of Bland for the Cowboys at corner and ferguson the tight end, is Dallas the second best roster?
Yeah, I mean, I think they have a chance to prove it this upcoming week because they went toe to toe with them and they should have won that game. I think Philly's right there, fully healthy, but they're just missing a ton of guys, and they got some guys that aren't coming back. And the Niners the moment they lost a couple guys, they weren't the same. So this this sport. The Margins are so I mean, you saw
Jalen all of a sudden get cracked. I started thinking, because the game was already over, well what about next week? What if you can't clear that? That'd be a devastating They're not going into Dallas to win with Mariota, So yeah, right, the problem with Dallas is even if they win this upcoming game at home, like, how are you gonna pick them in a big playoff game? I've seen him lose at home to the forty nine ers couple years ago. Now, you would say that they're much the cohesion with Mike
and Dak and Dan Quinn and the group. They've been together longer, but there's just there's an element where and I picked them this year to start the season to win the division, and clearly they're damn good, right, I mean there is to me. Detroit is on the lower tier beside these three teams, right, you know, the the Niners, the Eagles, the Cowboys, and then I would put Detroit on another tier kind of by themselves. But it's just, you know, Dak is having a fantastic year, but do
you truly trust him? I mean, even that Eagles game, stepping out abound just little things. I mean, these are the little details of yeah, you'd be the number one seed, or you gotta now win this game and then take care of business the rest of the year. They were the team this year that lost a game, like, how do you lose Arizona? How do you lose Arizona? It's a Cowboy home game in Glendale, it's eighty twenty your fans, so I've all like, I like their roster, love their
coaching staff, especially on defense. You gotta give Mike credit, he's doing a great job. But I just have a hard time. And this is like you said, with the Niners. Their players have not won a championship level, but they have championship character deep in them. I've seen them in the big moments, from Debo to Kittle to Trent to Fred to Nick to Eric Armstead, like they're wired, like they might lose, but it's gonna because you beat them, not because they screw up. Or they're not good enough.
And I don't know about Dallas. They have the talent, you know, and they I think the Bland guy's an incredible story. Didn't go to the combine now setting records to pick sixes and just they do for everyone that talks about Jerry, right, he's just he's a little bit of a wild card. How good are they as a personnel team? You know, we anoint John Lynch and Howie like, Jerry's every bit there equal And I know he's not picking all like evaluating the fifth rounders, but he's technically
their GM. So he's empowering people that they build a team that goes toe to toe with these two teams. I know they lost to the forty nine ers big in the regular season, but they easily could have beat him in the playoffs last year. So yeah, I'm not gonna I think Dallas could easily win this week. Hell, I might pick him by the end of the week, but I'm still not gonna feel confident because Colin, here's
what's gonna happen. If let's say they don't win the division, They're gonna destroy the Falcons or the Bucks or whoever the hell wins that worthless division, and we're gonna be like, oh, Dallas. You know Daktus threw four touchdowns and it happened last year and then they were gone the next round. Now, it doesn't mean you can't do it. Get over the hump. I just have a hard time believing until they do. I'm not gonna pick them to do it until they do it, and I'll just be wrong.
I wrote a list today, so we'll pivot to this, and I don't know how much time we should give it. But you know, McVeigh and Shanahan still have to be considered young coaches, but we have. So let's let's say the young coaches that we don't buy. Dennis Allen of the Saints, Brandon Staley the Chargers, I think are both gonna lose their job. I'm undecided on Robert Sala and Arthur Smith. We've got a lot of good young coaches
in this league. Shane Steichen has Indy battling for a playoff that is insane in the incredible Demiko Ryan at Houston. I watched that game today, so so I mean they they just you have to earn every yard against them, every fricking yard. Sirianni McVay, Shanahan. I think Stefanski Joe Flacco was actually good today. That's insane. Kevin O'Connell Minnesota, Mike McDaniel Miami, Matt Lafleur is more than solid. Green Bay. Jordan Love has shown absolute growth. And Zach Taylor when
when Joe burrows upright wins a lot of games. We have got some really good coaches, and I was thinking about this. So I watched a lot of games today. I want to talk Rams Browns. So the Rams won this game. This was viewed as a five to six win team. The offensive line, You've had left tackles playing right guard. They've had major injuries. They lost Kyraen Williams, their excellent running back for four to five weeks. Cooper Cup's never healthy. Puka Deakua got hurt in the game.
He's a rookie. This defense is Aaron Donald and kids between Raheem Morris, a defensive coordinator, and Sean McVay. Of all these young coaches, Demiko Ryans to me, is the star defensively. I think this is mcveagh's best year. John. I watched Stafford today and I'm like, they got this kid, DeMarcus Robinson, this bounce around the league. Guy made big
plays today. Part of great coaching, and you know this is a former scout, is being able to take marginal players and make them productive, right like Brady helped do that in New England. For years, Belichick did that. He would take marginal linebackers and they would become fairly forceful. The Rams are vine for a playoff team. With Seattle sinking, we have a real chance for the Rams to make the playoffs. I mean, I think it's a McVay story.
I don't think they're vying Colin. I mean, look at the way it's all breaking. I think they're gonna make it. They're six and six. Look at their schedule. I see some giants on there. I see some Cardinals. They got the Ravens coming up. But other than that, and who knows, Niners Week seventeen might not matter. I think I might have been one of the reasons. I remember you in the offseason loved the Rams, and I thought you were nuts. Like the Rams. They're gonna be in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes.
Like you said, part of coaching is getting average guys to overachieve. His team is all average guys. It's not like he only has a couple guys. You remove Aaron Donald and Matt Stafford, it's a bunch of people no one had heard of coming into the season. I mean to be six and six. Like you watch Pete Carroll their six and six. They have high end players. Think how many guys the Niners, the Eagles, the Cowboys would love Dk Witherspoon. The tackle has been banged up, but
they would take those guys. The Seattle has impact, elite, blue chip, premium guys, Jackson Smith. You watch this Rams team like who are these guys? What is he doing? And I think one theory I've had for a long time, and I think that a lot of the young Belichick guys have consistently failed. And the number one thing you always hear is like they're just just assholes relentlessly. And I think you could do that. You know, society seventies, eighties,
nineties football individuals could handle it much more. I think you've seen a major shift college as well. Like you talk to people around Saban, He's lightened up a lot. You have to change with the people and what are a lot of these young coaches have Well, they can kind of. They're not that much older than the guys, right if your early forties, Well you're talking to a guy that's thirty, right, And I think a lot of
these Patriot guys, you know, because they've learned from Bill. Well, Tom's as old as a lot of these guys, so he could kind of handle it. Well, you're dealing now with a twenty five year old Puka Nakua. Eat them a little differently than the guy you would have treated in nineteen ninety three that played for Bill Parcells or Jimmy Johnson, Right, because you hear some of these stories you talk to these guys, it wasn't always pleasant, and
it's football. You still get yelled at and held to a high standard, and there's discipline when you walk in the building. But I think if you watch a lot of these guys conduct themselves like Sirianni acts like an idiot sometimes like to the other team, but he treats his players very well. You know, he's a very I would say optimism. I would say historically football coaches are just naturally pretty pessimistic and be kind of dark and angry,
just the nature of the job. I think that's changed a lot with some of these younger guys that tend to be more uplifters and be more optimistic and just to be fun loving is probably the wrong way to put it, but they're just an are you kind of want to be around these guys?
Well? And I think you're really hit on it. I've talked to a couple of people. Logan Ryan, the NFL player, talked about this is that Eric Mangini is one of the few Belichick guys that everybody loved being around. A lot of his guys, Patricia Joe, Judge, Bill O'Brien, they're tough guys, Charlie Weiss, they're hard on people.
Flores younger guy, but he's angry, you know, he's.
Yeah, yeah, And I think mcveigh's got Raheem Morris, Kevin O'Connell. There's a spirit like how lucky are we.
Look at Dimika and there's I mean, when you just want to hang out Dimiko, there's there's a there's an aura around him. He just he just like glows. He's been like that. I was around him as a player. He was like a team captain as a rookie. Like some guys just haven't you know. And I think he's a great example.
Let's talk about that. Let's pivot to the Houston win over Denver. So you know, Demico ryans my takeaway. You know, it's funny. There's the old stat that I the old You hear this all the time by analytic Maven's. They say winning is not a quarterback stat which is nonsense because if you put Davis Mills starting for Houston instead of C. J. Stroud, the entire roster stays the same. They're a two win team. Stroud made to throw today
under duress that he's just innately accurate. There was no He's running across his body and he flips something up and I'm like people that will never show up in the box card. People have no idea how hard it is to be in a full sprint left guys on you throw it to a receiver moving right to left. And but Demiko's demeanor on the sideline, there's no barking. He is genuinely happy when Texan players. He's not mad when they fail. You know, my wife always says you're
right or you're learning, like get out or wrong. For sure, you're figuring it out. So you know Demko when I watch Houston today because I think I think Denver's a pretty decent team. Now that win is more significant than people think. Denver was was basically bailing water all day to stay close.
I actually think him and Robert Sola are very similar guys. One just has a quarterback and the other does not. I mean that helps a lot. I mean Denver, the team that has played lately is not the team that gave up seventy points. I mean that defense was pepperingham Listen, it got weird there for a couple of years. It was really ugly with the Deshaun situation. But I wrote
down today they have a star rocket ship coach. They have a quarterback that just I don't know statistically, when it's all said and done, well, where he's gonna rank relative to all the rookies ever in the history of the league. It's gonna be up there. But the eye test, he is clearly one of the most special rookie quarterbacks we've seen.
No question.
Will Anderson a little like Aiden Hutchinson. People question like how high was the ceiling? Could he be Miles Garrett Nick pose, I don't know, but Will Anderson is the type human one you build around, and clearly he's pretty damn good. You don't go to be a team captain in Alabama for a couple of years without being a badass. So they have a coach, they have a quarterback, they
have a pass rusher. Remember a couple of years ago when they took the kid from LSU Stingley over Sauce Gardner, and everyone's like, oh, they just how are they doing this? Sauce Camp. Miss Stingley sure looks better to me than Sas Gardner. Sace won't tackle me or you. Stingley looks much. He's more of a fluid, elite athlete, like a Revus type. He looks fantastic. So they have a star corner. They
have a really good left tackle. The rookie wide receiver look like he had a bad injury, got carted off. But that kid's a stud of tank. This team today, that was listen. They've had some impressive wins, but the way it was going, Jimmy Ward's a good example. Demiko around Jimmy. You know, he no longer was a starter in San Francisco, but he was a team captain level just winning player, high level guy. When the Niners drafted
Trey Lance. They put his locker next to Jimmy Ward because they wanted him to follow him the way he acted, the way he operated. Well, what did Demiko do? That's who he brought and who made the game winning play, but who obviously I would imagine Stingley's growth. He's around that guy every day. So you get some young building blocks who are clearly high character, good guys. You have a coach that everyone's loves for fifteen years as a player, let alone as a coach. I mean that guy, his
rise as a coach. Him and Vrabel are just like rocket ships. Like they went from position coaches the head coaches before you could even blink, and then within a couple of years you're like, God, this guy probably should have been a head coach faster. You know, maybe this guy didn't need to wait. So if I'm a Texan fan, whether you win a playoff game, whether you ultimately get in or not, this year, it's oh, the future feels as bright as humanly possible, right because no state income tax.
Here's a problem with the Cowboys, right, Their salary cap is always taken because Jerry's taking. If they ever had salary cap space, everyone would want to go there. The Texans aren't going to because they got all these guys on rookie contracts. Houston's the city that players are gonna like. I mean, they are gonna have the opportunity. They have still have a draft pick coming from the Browns, who
are now have major issues because their quarterback. Right. So it's this Texans team to me, is a team, maybe not this year. I don't know if they're gonna win a playoff game, not saying it's not possible depending on the matchup, but if you like, play the Ravens in the first round right in the next couple of years, if CJ just just stays around this level, I mean, are we talking about like a Super Bowl contender.
Well, and it was funny because during the off season, you know, and when you're doing June July sports talk radio talk Junejul August, you know, and you know, after the NFL you got little draft stuff, but you're and I remember two or three times I kept coming back to it and it may have felt like filler and McIntyre was giving me crap, and I kept saying, is anybody watching what Houston's doing? They're getting all these B players. It's very parcels. You know Bill's thing. He would go
to Miami. Remember he was the GM. They went from one win to eleven wins in one year, and he filled up the bottom third of the roster, like your
second back, you're blocking tight end your center. And if you go back and you googled the Texans offseason moves, they were like Dalton Schultz got no publicity and you're like, comes from a winning culture, right, Like he's gonna feel a little abandoned by the Cowboys, so he's gonna be a little pissy with a chip on his shoulder with Houston, like you're getting rid of me, look at my production. And so he comes to Houston with something to prove.
And they did this very slowly. And then you hit on will Anderson and Stroud and your coach and by the way, John, like any well run business, it gets better over time. They're a much better team today than eight weeks ago. Sure I watched that game today and my takeaway was CJ's better than Russ, no question. And Demiko has more confidence in CJ. Stroud than Peyton has in Russell Wilson. That was my takeaway watching.
Russell had some moments I thought today where it looked a little throwback twenty twenty two. You know, he had been playing pretty well, but today was tough. And Demiko is gonna know him well because when he was a position coach and he was with Seattle like he has, he knows Russell pretty well. And Russell's not obviously athletically who actually's gotten closer to that guy than he was
last year because he lost some weight. I think when it comes to the Houston Texans, though forever in that division, it was like, well Peyton Manning, you know, for twelve years they were just gonna win it every year. Trevor Lawrence is a really good player, But I don't know, like if you factor in the contract and you just pulled gms and head coaches right, because Trevor within the year or two has to get paid, I think most
people would take DJ strout. And there's an element of Peyton that had like that just will that refuse to be denied, and there was an intensity that he's just an all time football guy. You watch Trevor's like, is he an all time football guy? He doesn't really feel Brady Hell, he doesn't feel like Jalen Hurts and pretty right, just love. He's really talented, honestly feels a little more NBA ish. God gave him a lot of gifts. You know, he's tall, he's got a good arm, he's accurate, he
can move. But it's like, is football his everything? Like I watched CJ. I just watched the Texans play. They play like all the guys on the team, starting with their head coach. It is so if you were just betting on a franchise, the division's Tennessee's got a lot of issues, right, I mean a ton the Colts. I don't even know how they're doing this. I mean it's it's pretty crazy because I bet if you texted Chris Bower right now, he's like, no one saw this coming.
And I would say, if I'm the Texans, We'll see how Anthony Richardson, Like he's gonna have to prove he can stay on the field. You feel pretty good about your chances to like run the division for some years coming up, because, let's face it, one of the Jags big moves. A couple of years ago they had the number one pick. Well, Bulky tried to hit a home run with the d lineman. If he had taken Aiden Hutchinson, I think we might look at the Jags a little different, right,
They just be a little more complete. They're just not as good on defense, a little dependent on Trevor, and Trevor can get rattled fast. I would say CJ's best characteristic pretty hard to rattle the guy. I mean it really is. I mean, unfaced, he's got that special quality of just Jalen Hurts has it today. Kacushion comes back, He's like this guy just flatliner, purty, kind of has it. It's a characteristic you kind of have to have, and he has it in spades.
Okay, let's shift to college football. We have the playoff Michigan Washington, Texas, Bama. So Michigan is a two and a half point favorite against Alabama. I would probably take Michigan to win by a field goal. I think the number is right. I think it's very very competitive. I think Bama will have the inferior quarterback. I think this is the rare instance where Bama has the second most talent. I think Michigan's got an older football team with three or four guys that could have gone to the NFL
came back. I think Michigan's got a complete chip on their shoulder. Now, Saban's been better in bowl games than Harbaugh, but Saban's lost a lot of bowl games too, So let's not kid ourselves. He's not Barry Alvarezer urban Meyer in a bowl game or Pete Carroll. He's not. I think I would take Michigan over Bama, but I think the numbers right, it's a three point game. What say you?
Well, I think Harbaugh went to sleep last night and woke up praying for Florida State, right, should just see the reaction he I mean, what would they have been a seventeen point favorite? He was praying and their team. These guys aren't dummies. So to get Sabin that there's an elephant in the room with Jim Harbaugh. He's lost a lot of big games, right, Like you said, Nicks lost some playoff games, but he's also won a few.
And he's eleven and one in the SEC Championship game like he's he owns Kirby, who had just won back to back national championships. That draw Saban as the underdog. What did he just have? Like? That's why I loved Alabama against Georgia. It's not like this Georgia team was the last two years. And Saban gets to play the underdog card. And it's not like he's playing some coach with three national championships on the wall. He's got playing
this guy that's never won a championship. And listen, Michigan's really good. I mean their guard shattered his leg. Who's an NFL player, But if you're gonna lose a position, even if he's a team captain, you'd rather lose at guard than like a quarterback or the running back. The way they play, I just see. I mean, listen, Alabama's quarterback. You gotta give it, he's improved dramatically. Oh yeah, you know,
his ability to make play just on the move. Obviously he's got a huge arm throwing it down the field. Dama's defense is pretty good, you know. And let's face it, Ohio States defense is pretty good. And it was hard for Michigan. So then you factor in Saban's better than Ryan Day, it's just gonna be difficult. I'm with you. I would tend I didn't just like take like these two underdogs. Now it does feel like Harbaugh and I'm
a huge harball guy. Been following him so closely. Honestly, I went to a game with my dad back in like six or o five when they played UC Davis and he was the head coach at San Diego. My dad's like Jim Harbaugh former quarterback team hasn't lost Josh Johnson. I mean, Jim Harbaugh dominates wherever he got, but he's never won it all. And it feels inevitable, right like with Andy Reid forever, it's like inevitably he's gonna It
does kind of feel like is this this year? But Bama, given that he could have got Florida stage, he's on like their fourth quarterback. That's a pretty big swing. Now you get them, It's not like they're playing this week. You get a month. But I do think it's gonna be pretty difficult. I do think there could be a moment because, let's face it, the last two years he got destroyed by Georgia. A couple of years now, that's aged well. That they had seventy five pros last year
was a pretty devastating loss. Right to TCU that that one did not age well. I mean that Michigan was they had the same team like, I don't know if they would have beat Georgia, but they definitely should have been able to give him. You can't lose to TCU. So I just think there's this kind of when I was a kid, you know, Steve Young, get the monkey off my back, I can finally win. Harbaugh kind of has that as a coach. That's the only thing that makes me nervous about him.
I would take Washington plus four and against Texas. They beat him in the Alamo Bowl. I think they can beat him outright now. I think Texas has the ability to lean on you a little bit if Texas plays with a lead. But Kaalin de boor his teams tend to play well early. He's that game against Oregon. They were so clever. I mean, they've played so fast. I think Washington has an outright chance to win.
Here.
Listen, I'm from that area. I looked at their roster before the season and I said, it's an eight to nine win team. They're not spectacular at tight end, running back, very good old line, quarterback, wide RECERI versus special. But the defense has one or two NFL guys, not deep, not terribly fast at linebacker, just not special but listen, if quarterback, weapons, O line and coaching means anything, and
it's about seventy percent of the game now. And because they lead, they have a good pass rush, because they have an NFL edge. I think Washington has a chance to win here.
I mean I think honestly they could win the whole thing. I think their coach. I was thinking about this last night, really over the last twenty four hours, thinking about Kaylan. If I have an offensive coach, I wanted to be like this ultimate combination of an intellectual right because you have to you're calling the plays, your scheme in the offense. But be a tough guy. It's the question we have
with Lincoln Riley, Like is his ethos tough enough. I'm not saying like they could win a fight, Like I'm not expecting you to be a tough like have to be Connor McGregor here, but like, is the ethos of you as a football coach a tough guy? And you watched him go against Oregon and Ryan grubbed his offensive coordinator who makes two million dollars, who packed twelf's dead now was the highest paid coordinator in the history of the conference. Because Saban wanted him last year. That guy's
a shooting star as well. It's been his right hand man. Those guys are tough, and they showed up to that Oregon game against Landing and Tosh, who are tough guys, right defensive coordinators, you know, SEC guys, and they shoved him around a little bit. Now their offense is predicated on the deep ball. But I watch Kaylan dou Boor and I just watch remember Tedford in his heyday at Cal. You're like, how's he doing this? Well, Kaylen's a Tedford guy.
You know, Chris Peterson, Nan Smith, They're all cut from this mold of their offensive minds. But they want to play tough minded football. And I just think, listen, Sark, I've historically been a hater. His team's really good. That talent I means. I think it's the highest payroll in all college football, and I own money and it shows. But I just I'm giving k He's one hundred and two and eleven as a head coach in his career. It's in. I know, you're a Brian Kelly guy, and
rightfully so. Right from that Division two in Michigan to Cincinnati or Central Michigan to Cincinnati Kaylin du Bor's got a similar trajectory of his career. I don't care if it's high school. I don't care if it's Anaia, I don't care if it's Present State or Washington. He's winning, and he's winning big and any I don't care who he's coaching against. He's beating you. And that's I think
the guy is. You know, if Hardball were to leave, if Ryan Day and a year gets fired, I mean, is this guy, like we talking a top two or three coach in the country.
Yeah, Washington has offered him eight and a half million dollars. He wants nine. He's gonna get nine. Yeah, no state, no state tax. Washington's got some pretty well heeled boosters. You know, think about Washington's history. Every time they get the right coach, Don James, National title, new Heizel One, Rose Bulls Peterson playoff, Kaylen de Boor playoff. Like people.
It's a great place, it's a great place to work.
The stadium's arguably the best. Again, this is a Microsoft area. There's a lot of money in Seattle. This is a sophisticated city. So they're they're gonna he's gonna wouldn't Michigan.
Wouldn't Michigan though, be very If Harball were to take the raider job or whatever, wouldn't they be like, wouldn't he be their first call? Oh?
I think Kaylen de Bor is the number one coach potentially, but I think Seattle's gonna lock him up. I think Washington's gonna completely lock him up. I mean, listen, if I was if I was a wealthy guy and I could give money to Kaylen Debor, I would I mean, that's how it's so special what he's done in the program, and the secret sauce to Washington is Chris Peterson's in the building. Now, not that Kayln need he's an advisor, but Chris is there to sort of synchronize any issues
with a program. How good would it be if Saban someday was in the program synchronizing things from behind the scenes. So it's you know, Kaylin runs the program, but Peterson. They have a new ad. Jen Cohen did a great job there. Now they have a new ad. It's a it's a grown up university without any flat.
But that's what I'm saying, Like, he's a Tedford guy. Well, Tedford started Chris Peterson. You know, they're all kind of interconnected, they're all very similar, and they're all elite at what they do. So it's sometimes remember when like Spurrier would be around or to be a guy and it would make people uncomfortable. Well, if you actually have a lot of similarities and you respect the guy, it works really well. And that's where to me, the the synchronization with the
coaching staff. That win on Friday is one of the most impressive college football wins. And I mean that Oregon team was completely rolling. Washington been out of sink and Washington showed up to kick their ass and grub and du boor against Dan Lanning, who's the apple of everybody's eye. He shoved him around a little bit. And listen, I
think Dan Lanning's awesome. That program's going nowhere. Those two teams the Big Ten get ready because you goteat Ohio State and Michigan two point zero coming in ready to roll and recruiting, especially Oregon. That's the thing, Like it's gonna be easier right for Oregon to kind of sustain it because those guys recruit so well.
All right, Finally, I don't want to give it too much time. They're throwing a tantrum in Tallahassee. But to me, it's a threefold problem for Fuller State. They're on a backup to a backup quarterback. You have to consider that this is a beauty pageant college football always has been. Secondly, the conference is weak. Louisville's an awful team. Awful how Louisville's a sixth place team in any other company.
He just lost to Kentucky the previous week and.
They got crushed by Pittsburgh. So and the other thing is, you had an opportunity. I turn that game in to see you play. If you'd won forty two to three, you'd be in.
Yeah, you blew it.
You can blame, you can throw a tizzy, you can throw a tantrum. Everybody watched that game against weak Louisville to see how you'd perform. By the way, Michigan was already going to be in and they didn't play particularly well, but they thumped Dialwa. That was never competitive. So in the end, it's backup quarterback counts. Of course it does. Listen, we've only got four spots in five conferences. They could all go undefeated. We've always known it's a beauty pageant.
You're the ugliest team left. Sorry, Bama looked good.
Yeah, I mean I think fair is the most overrated word in America, and deserved ain't far behind it. I mean, welcome to the real world. They're fourteen point underdog against Georgia. You know. The other reality is if Georgia had beat Alabama, they still wouldn't have been in Texas is three tech. They would have put a one win Texas team, and rightfully so, they would have been a fifteen to twenty
point underdog against all these teams. This is a television show, and listen, it'd be one thing if they had done it the right way and they had one weird but their starting quarterback, I would understand the argument, and I think they probably would have got in with Jordan Travis. Here's the thing with Jordan Travis. It's not like they lost CJ. Shroud or Trevor Lawrence. I mean, he's a fringe draftable player. So they were, as I texted a scouting director who went to some of their games, like
they were barely beating guys when they had him. They barely beat an eight and four Clemson team like they were holding on. Now they have NFL talent, the wide receiver's top twenty guy at the defensive end. But I have no problem. This is who wanted to watch beside Harbaugh in Michigan, nobody wanted. It wouldn't have been a fair fight. They would have got killed. I saw herb free.
All these games historically have been blowouts. Finally, we have two games that are you know, ones a two and a half point spread, the others four and a half, and they all feel is this the first time that you can remember that legitimately all four teams can win the national championship? Absolutely now that never happens. So in Florida State would not only have no chance to win the national championship, I don't think they'd have any chance to keep it within like twenty in the first half.
The quarterback yesterday got you know, give the kid credit. It's a true freshman. What are we doing? The backup was like a fourth year or fifth year senior. The dude that got knocked out in the previous week was horrendous. We can't talk about NonStop. The sport is all about quarterbacks, all about quarterbacks, all about quarterbacks. And then you lose the quarterback, and then you lose another quarterback like, oh well the resume, Well none of those guys had anything
to do with your big wins. It sucks. I mean I get it. For the players, it would be shitty. Here's the other thing, get out of the ACC. Haven't they wanted to do that for years? I think what's gotta happen is cause it's gonna get ugly next year when the Big ten and the SEC get nine of the twelve. So the bitch and a mona is not gonna stop. Why don't we all just come under like the AFC and NFC, which is inevitably what's gonna happen.
I know the television contract in the ACC is a little weird, but like next year, like how many teams are the Big twelve gonna deserve? Right? Maybe one? So this is the equality of college sports. It's never been that way. That's what makes the NCAA tournament kind of unique because it's a one off. But in college football, the SEC at really Ohio State and Michigan in my opinion, pay the bills for the sports, so yeah, they get preferential treatment.
I remember years ago I had a speech Pat Hayden at USC invited me and Tom Brady's agent, Don Yee. So Donnie and I went and it was the La Convention Center, I believe, and there were like one hundred and fifty to two hundred athletic directors and don and I were under the belief. Don's idea was privatize football. It's just separate. It pays all the bills. Privatize it, and then you have the rest of the athletic department.
Like they wouldn't go to school, or they would just be like base, Well, you.
Could go to school, but it wouldn't be under the auspices of the NCAA or the athletic You just privatize it, right. You go to your top five boosters, your top ten boosters, and it's a private enterprise, so it's not under Title nine or anything. The networks fund it, right yep, which is basically semi what they're doing now. And so an athletic director raised their hand. It was from some small school.
What about blankety blank State eight, you know, it was some small school, And I said, and it was unpopular, I imagine to a group. I said, what about it. You don't pay any of the bills, I said, if I pay for the wedding. I make up the seating, Chuck, I'm paying for the wedding. The football pays for everything. Volleyball gets an opinion, you do, you lose money. And it's like for all these conferences and all these people getting well, Fox and ESPN they pay all the bills,
March Madness. Fox and ESPN pay all the bills and football, so they're going to do the seating chart. So my takeaway is of the twelve teams in the playoff starting next year, is that you're going to have I would say four Big ten, four SEC eight of the twelve and then you can figure out where you want them. But it's better football, Like people don't understand. I think you do. Oregon and Washington will be along with Michigan, Ohio State. That's the four best programs in that conference,
with obviously the Sleeping Giant USC very viable. Penn State's also reasonable. But it'll be a sixteen. Those six teams will vie every year to get into the tournament. Two will be left out, four we'll get in, and just like the SEC, it'll be LSU, Bama, George at the top and then you'll have your Florida's you know, Oklahoma, Texas. Yeah, Texas will probably be near the top. And I'm okay with it, John, because again, they're paying all the bills,
they recruit better players, they have more NFL bodies. I don't lose any sleep over this stuff.
Well, in two or three years, you know, forever it's always been, the SEC has produced the most NFL players in every draft. What's it going to look like in twenty twenty six the amount of NFL players coming from the SEC and the Big Ten to the other conferences. It's gonna be the pendulum is gonna swing even so much. Further, look at how many guys that have transferred from smaller schools and have gone to the bigger conferences and played
well changed their life. Jane Daniels a good example. No one watched him play, his games were irrelevant as a player, went to LSU a couple years when the Heisman become a first round pick. Cam Ward's gonna fall under that. So and listen, I feel sympathy for Oregon State and Washington State because they did try, like they really tried. They're just their markets and the way everything broke, they got screwed and then they're gonna go from like thirty
five million to five million. But in the grand scheme of things, no, it's they don't really matter, like they matter to me because I've been watching the programs, but no one noticed this weekend, and no one's gonna notice next year or moving forward beside people close to that program. Listen,
I got my football started at Fresne State. My personal theory, I think a lot of the not like the Mountain West and even potentially some of these teams that aren't able as realignment continues to grow over the next five to ten years into the one kind of major conference with the two separations, I think everyone's essentially gonna become like if you're either in that or you're like Montana
UC Davis. That's what Fresno State and Oregon State because financially, no one's watching those games, no one's he can't keep up with the Joneses. I have the thought like, if you're an assistant coach like Ryan Grubb, the Washington guy, I would only take Power five jobs, and really I'd only take an SEC in a Big ten job. I would not take Fresno State or Boys. I wouldn't even mess with those programs. It's impossible nowadays.
Jonathan Smith leaving his alma Monitorn to coach Michigan State, Yeah, tells you the future of college Jonathan. I covered him, so I covered him, interviewed him as a super smart guy.
He let see how much money they paid him, Like seven and a half eight million dollars a year. You know, Oregon State was going above and beyond giving him like five. I mean, they can't. Michigan State is a program in shambles, and they're like, how much you want? We just got a situation with a ninety million dollar coach. We're trying to figure that one out. You know, the money flowing into those two conferences, the nil some of these stories I've heard, I mean, the amount of money they have,
it's it's it's only going to grow, right. So the programs the moment I want your player, even if you're a mid tier Power five program and I'm Georgia and I'm LSU and I'm Michigan Ohio State, it's it becomes baseball a little bit. The Yankees, the Dodgers, that they are at such a huge doesn't mean Tampa Bay Rays a team can't figure it out. But It's very, very difficult in football.
John Middlecoff, former Scout, NFL Philadelphia Eagles three and Out podcasts. Good stuff as always, Buddy.
Take it easy, Collin the line.
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