The volume. This week on Prime Cuts, Chad Millman, Sharper Square, Nick Wright on the best NFL job for Jim Harbaugh and my top takes of the week, all Right, saying it wasn't his decision. Pete Carroll classy as he stood at the podium, energized, saying there are waves to surf. Pete's at a house in Hawaii for some time. Very active guy, Manhattan Beach, Hawaii. He's a very young seventy two years old. I don't think energy, intelligence, stamina are
the questions for Pete Carroll. I think he's somebody that could interview for the charger's job. If Lincoln Riley left tomorrow, USC would talk to him. That's not the question. I do think there's a question that defensive coaches just do not want to confront. Carroll's telling me that Gino Smith is the answer. I don't know. Sean McVay moved off Goff.
Goff's a lot better than Geno Smith. Kyle Shanahan moved off Jimmy Garoppolo, who I think is better than Geno Smith, and both of those quarterbacks got to a Super Bowl. But when I hear Ron Rivera say, Sam Howe we're good at quarterback or Pete say Gino Smith, Drew Locke. Come on, guys, the culture is changing beneath your feet. Come on, guys, that's not good enough. Pete Carroll has an NCAA championship and a Super Bowl. Who are the quarterbacks?
Two elite quarterbacks, Matt Liinert as a college quarterback and Russell Wilson in his prime as an NFL quarterback. Pete's defensive philosophies, ideologies, details haven't changed. He had a lot of quarterbacks at us SEE when he had Lionert, those were his best teams. And he had a lot of quarterbacks in Seattle, right, But when he had Russell in his prime, he got to Super Bowls. So defensive coaches struggle with two things. Urgency at the position of quarterback. Listen,
Belichick's a legend, right. Tom Brady privately will tell you he has no idea about offense. None. Now, Pete maybe knows more about offense than Bill Belichick. But I think that's the number one thing, is that Pete can go to a place that has an established offensive culture. But I think it's a legitimate reasonable question about defensive coaches. I mean, when Mike Tomlin's telling me Kenny Pickett's good enough, Kenny Pickett's the fifth best quarterback in that division, Burrow Lamar,
Deshaun Flaco, Kenny Pickett. Come on. I mean, Mason Rudolph looks better than Kenny Pickett. Is he the sixth best? Come on? And when Ron Rivera, Sam Hell's good enough? Come on? So I think that's nothing against those particular quarterbacks. But that's my thing with Pete. Chargers already have a great quarterback, great young talent. Maybe that's a good fit. But I've been watching this for years. Andy Reid had Alex Smith said not good enough. Alex Smith's playoff quarterback.
He was a successful quarterback in San Francisco and Kansas City, both conferences, and he reads like we're upgrade McVay, Goff, Shanahan Garoppolo. And I just think offensive coaches have a higher standard of offense and the league rules now. I mean, even if you go look at the National Championship, three of the four teams Kalen de boor, Jim Harbass, Steve Sarksian offensive coaches. Right, Kirby Smart's a great coach. Nick Saban are a great coach One didn't make it, and
one was the fourth best team in the playoff. So I just think the world's changing. And that's what worries me about Pete. It's not his energy, it's not his intelligence, it's not his commitment, it's not his personnel decisions. That's not it. He's a good enough coach to coach somewhere else. And these defensive coaches, they see the world. Run the ball, control the clock, don't make any mistakes at quarterback, play
good defense. Well, Seattle wasn't playing good defense. And I don't like turnovers either, but el Way, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Josh Allen, Matt Stafford. They turned them ball over occasionally. They make up for it in fourteen possessions, fifteen possessions with great elevated quarterback play. So that's my concern with Pete. Everything else, he checks a lot of boxes. What's next for the Seahawks. I would look at Jim Harbaugh, Shane Waldron,
I'd look at Ben Johnson. I think dan Quinn's lateral move. Dan Quinn's success in Atlanta was tied to a great offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Before and after it never great got Kyle great almost won a Super Bowl. Maybe he should have won a super Bowl. So, I mean even Belichick when he lost Josh McDaniels and Tom Brady, Dante Scarnecki offensive line coach, the greatest coach ever, just didn't have the aptitude offensively to turn things around. Mac Jones
got worse over time, not better. Do you think if mac Jones was given McVeigh he would have gotten significantly worse over time? I don't. Jared Goff got better over time, then they moved on. Matt Stafford came in. He's gotten better over time. Brock Perdy, you think it would work if he had a d defensive coach? Do you think Kyle Shanahan has a connection. Why is Jared Goff playing so well? Ben Johnson? Why was Matt Ryan an MVP? Kyle Shanahan? So I've been on this now for two
to three years. It's not that the defensive coaches lack certain skills, abilities and talent. That's not it. The league is changing right below their feet, and so Seattle kind of felt like Pete. If you're locked in on Gino and Drew Locke, that's not gonna work for us. So I think Seattle is one of the few teams in the NFL that has the personnel and draft picks to move from their draft position into the top ten. I could see him going after bow Nicks or Michael Pennix
around ten to twelve, if they're available. Seattle doesn't have a lot of needs. They have a left tackle, they have multiple weapons, they have pass rushers, good corners, nice running backs, active linebackers. Could maybe use another safety. Maybe Seattle doesn't have needs. Quarterback is their need, and now a coach preferably offensive. Dan Quinn feels like somebody that Pete Carroll recommended, right. Pete and Dan are close, and Pete and Dan are both really, really good defensive minds.
But I think this year when you watch Seattle, their defense slipped. Their offensive line was not as good as it should have been. And if I look at the Rams and I look at the Seahawks, this is a rebuilding year for the Rams. This was not a rebuilding year for the Seahawks. They were in the playoffs last year and had another great draft. Can't let the Rams beat you twice. Rams can't make it and you can't miss can't be that way. You have the better roster.
You had the momentum. So I think it's we just have to be honest. This division, the NFC West, is going to run through shanahan and McVeigh for the foreseeable future. And if brock Perty's as good as I think he is, and I think he's good, and Matt Stafford's really good, and then Kyler Murray's terrific, Seattle's got upgrade at quarterback. Forget the NFC, forget the NFL, the division, McVeigh, Shanahan, Kyler Murray, Seattle has to upgrade at the most important position.
Maybe maybe Pete didn't want to, but I would. I would put a Gino Smith draft pick pack, maybe another player, and I'd move up five or six spots, seven or eight, nine or ten spots and go get a quarterback. That's what I would do. So I think Pete is going to coach again. I think Pete wants to coach again. I think you know, he's not an assistant, he's not an advisor. That's not who he is. But who knows. Bob Stoops retired at Oklahoma early. I didn't understand it.
Chris Peterson wanted out. But if you listen to Pete Carroll today, he sounds like he wants to coach. I mean he was selling at the podium. He was selling my Energy's great, my optimism. Let's go ride some waves. I can't wait. I'm very excited. That press conference was not only classy by Pete, but he was sending messages to all the gms and maybe all the athletic directors in college. He was sending messages. You go to the podium. Tom Brady used to do a radio hit every Monday
in Boston radio. Was he doing it because he needed the money. He would send the message for the week, right, what's the message for the week for the organization? So Pete smart, he steps to the podium and he wanted to sell energy. I'm not done, I feel great, I'm not tired. I got a bright future. I'm a young seventy two year old guy. That was the messaging, and I think Pete deserves interviews. If I was the Chargers, I would hire Harbaugh first, Rabel second, but I'd interview Pete.
I don't want another assistant, but I'd interview Pete. Hell Michigan, Pete want to coach college again? I mean Lincoln Riley in two years once out. I mean, it's a seventy two year old today, is not a seventy two year old twenty five years ago. Pete exercises, Pete moves, Pete eats better. You know, it's just a different world. It's a different world. I just turned sixty years old. I wait the same weight I waited in high school, in college, lower body fat. I work out more, I eat much better.
You know. I don't recover as quickly from a cocktail, but I feel pretty good. There you go, instant reaction. I'd go offense. Shane Wall, Ben Johnson and Seattle. That's not a rebuild roster. They're ready to win a lot of games now. Pete Carroll, good luck, You've earned it. Speaking of seventy two year old Nick Saban, Alabama head coach is officially retiring. It just happened. A little bit surprised.
Although years ago Nick Saban and I think he told his agent, Jimmy Sexton, he said, I don't want to be Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden. I don't want people dragging me out of here. I'm gonna know. I am going to know when it's time, And I think he knows it's time. I'll also tell you this. I have a theory on why he's retiring now. And I think you're going to find that he has quietly and privately negotiated a huge TV contract with somebody, and you'll know that
very quickly. You will know that very quickly. That's my guess. I'm not going to tell you why, but there could be a network that feels they have a need for a big, important personality, and I think he's going to go to TV route and make lots and lots of money sign a very very big contract. So Nick is the greatest college football coach of all time. One of the things I appreciate about Nick Saban is his ability
to adapt. Unlike a lot of defensive coaches. I mean, it was Doug nuss Meyer and Jim mcelwaine and Lane Kiffin and Sark and Bill O'Brien. He had to run through offensive coach after offensive coach and he didn't miss I mean, he really hit a lot of hires out of the park. And most defensive coaches they miss on those coordinators regularly. So Nick nailed it. Nick was willing
to evolve. I think Lane Kiffin deserves credit for that brought him in, and you know it would confront Nick like Nick, the world's changing, I can score on your defensive practice. I also think college football is a young man's game. Jay Wright, Skryzhevsky, williams Now, Nick Saban. The transfer portal is a pain in the butt. It's year round recruiting. It's really ruined it for coaches of stature and age. It's just not any fun. You don't have a life. You get maybe two weeks off a year.
NFL coaches get like five to six weeks off a year. So the college game is a young man's game. It's a Laane Kiffen world. It's a Sark world, Kaylin de Boor world. You get into the sixties and seventies, it's exhausting. And the transfer portal the nil. And I think probably a TV network walked up to Nick Saban and said, we're gonna pay it ten million bucks a year. Get over here, that's my guess, and you'll hear about it fairly soon. I think Nick will be great on TV.
But I think he's the greatest college football coach of all time. His ability to adapt, his ability to dominate the toughest conference, in the SEC. BAMA will be fine personnel wise, but there'll be no more nixt Bear, Bryant, Nick Saban. There's a lot of average coaches in between, and it's a very very tough job. You know. Whoever's going to line up, they'll there'll be a lot of people lining up. A lot of people think Dabbos Sweeny
at Clemson is going to take the job. Dabbo would be my choice if he was willing to leave Clemson. Not sure he would terrific coach. It's not a rebuild, but I do think the transfer portal and the offer from a TV network are the deciding factors. You just don't know about the offer yet from the TV network. I can guarantee you this is not just Nick just didn't wake up and have a side of eggs and a piece of burnt toast this morning and said, you know,
I just gonna see I just gotta retire. Nick's been thinking. Nick plans everything, Nick strategizes everything. Nick Saban been thinking
about this for a while. And he sees young Lane Kiffen, and here comes Sark, and here comes Brent Venables, and he, you know, he starts looking around this conference and some of these young guys and Lane Kiffen, and He's like, come on, man, I mean, in my seventies, do I want to be on the road recruiting constantly all this transfer portal nonsense where I have to recruit my own kids as much as high school kids. No thanks, I'm out. So congrats to Nick Sabe, the greatest college football coach
of all time. John Middlecoff, former NFL scout with the Philadelphia Eagles. He does the Three and Out podcast, And we just watched Michigan throttle Washington thirty four to thirteen. I was pulling, you know, for Washington for reasons because John had a lot of money on it and I am from the Pacific Northwest. But I had said with John and on FS one and Fox Sports Radio, I
thought Michigan really matched up with Washington. Well, I thought their secondary would clamp down, they'd get a pass rush. You saw it tonight. Recruiting does matter, and Michigan recruits at the higher level.
You know.
One of the limitations for Washington has always been they are geographically jammed up in the corner. Washington, Oregon, Idaho do not have a lot of Division IE players. They have to convince kids to come up to the rainy weather. Michigan more centrally located, you know, and sometimes it's a little bit easier in the region they're into recruit I mean, Oregon and Washington play at a very high level and sort of overcome some recruiting disadvantages. Nil certainly helps Oregon
because of Phil Knight and his backing. But my takeaway to start this game was that listen, Michigan felt they could Obviously they're gonna pound them a little bit on the run. Washington was aggressive defensively got burned, but I think in the end, Washington averaged four yards of play Michigan average seven point eight, and they just negated Washington's firepower. Washington has thrown the ball on everybody for two years, and Michigan's corners and pass rush just took it away.
And then you had a very limited Michael Pennix who doesn't move particularly well, and a run game that was never great all season. I just I kind of felt like I knew who was going to win this thing. About eight minutes into it. I had like a feeling like, yeah, they're just gonna lean on Washington. That was my takeaway.
Yeah, I mean it was seventeen to ten right time, but it felt more like thirty to three. I mean it was that Washington was very, very lucky, which you felt like had some momentum because they were going and a half, they were getting the ball and then he immediately comes out and throws an interception. But in that third quarter, I mean, Michigan couldn't get anything going on offense. They only gave him three points. So it was it
was twenty to ten going into the fourth quarter. But you know, Michigan is about to set the record many people believe for players drafted, and it's not super high in talent. It's fifteen to seventeen guys they're gonna get drafted. You know, a lot of guys third, fourth, fifth round. And it showed the night right Washington's talent NFL wise is all the skill guys on offense, the receivers, a dudesay,
the other two guys, and the quarterback. Well, if I tell you the quarterback, I would say has one of the worst games you've ever seen him play. That mattered, you know, not some of the Stanford of the random games against Oregon, against the big time teams they've played Texas he had, I'd give him like a C minus tonight they have no chance. And then the other thing that really stood out is Washington's offensive line, you know, won the Joe War Award, was the best they got worked.
I mean, that guard center combination was getting shoved around. The physicality you saw. Harba's team look like the good NFL teams. They're just good at every position. They tackle well. And to me that the player of the game is Harbaugh's defensive coordinator Jesse Minner, which I'm sure would go with him. He's a raven guy to the NFL. What a performance by him, I mean, shutting down one of the more explosive offenses we've seen in recent memory.
Yeah, I mean, you know, Pennis had an off game. I kind of look at it like it's it's not a random off game. He got pressure, not a lot of space to move, and people weren't open, and so he was off because he was pressured. He was off because they're just there'sn't one lot, weren't a lot of openings. I mean, you and I both thought Washington matched up really well with Texas. I thought it was like that
that matches up Texas week in the secondary. Michigan's got NFL guys in the secondary, so everywhere you know, Pennix was just throwing that ball. It was sort of jump ball situations. And I mean, Michael Penox is still going to get drafted very high. But you can see the concerns about him. He is sort of a statuesque thrower. He kind of lets it fly. Say he doesn't like to get hit. You saw a couple of times when
he had pressure. He didn't want to get popped. And in the NFL, if you go to a bad team, you're gonna get popped. So you watch a Josh Allen on Sunday or Lamar and they can throw, they can pass. Michael's going to sit in the pocket in the NFL like Tua, and he's gonna throw the football. Think he's a bigger, stronger to it, throws it up the sideline better than Tua. But that's sort of his comp He's kind of a statuesque thrower when he has time to throw.
Does it hurt his draft stock? Certainly didn't help it. You're a former scout, I mean, you know people are saying he'll drop out of the first round. I just I think there's so much desperation for a cornerback. He may go down to twenty twenty five, but it doesn't feel like he go mid second, does it.
No.
I mean maybe I'm a little biased, you know, on the West Coast and rooting for him, And maybe I got a little over excited for the Texas game because I like to ask my friends that are on teams that don't need a quarterback, so when they go into these schools, they have no agenda in evaluating the guy. And a couple of guys that are you know, scouting
directors had second round grades on the guy. And you know, a lot of people were pushing back against this top ten talk after the Texas game because they go, he's an older player, he's been banged up. Look at tonight it looked a lot like some of those Oregon games where he's getting peppered and you go, god, is he gonna be able to get up? Well, what happens when that's TJ. Watt right or Fletcher Cox or Aaron Donald, those guys leaning on them all game long. So I
understand the concerns. I'm bullish on him. I like him. Tonight is rough because the way you evaluate a player is against the best competition he plays right, So Oregon Texas defensively is not right. So tonight would be the game that if you were feeling pretty good about your
second round grade, which which I understand. Like, I understand the concerns, but I don't think you gotta be careful in scouting about overreacting to a performance like tonight because to me, he was really amped up early, he could never get into a rhythm, and he was bad. I mean, guys have bad games, right, So I wouldn't write the guy off. But tonight is definitely going to be of concern in these draft meetings for these teams. Like you said, I would be like, I don't see him falling out
of the first round. All the character stuff, the medical is going to be a concern, and when he goes to the combine, if anything red flags with the knees, you know, just to wear and tear on the body. Because you draft a guy in the first round, it is about the second contract, like can the guy be an eight to nine year player? Do we feel comfortable about giving the guy a second contract? And I do think tonight brought up some fair questions. I still like
the player. But tonight was a rough performance.
Yeah, I mean it was. As I was watching the game, I said, you have two contrasting styles. A team that would prefer to throw, a team that would prefer to run, a West Coast Pac twelve team, a big ten team. Michigan made it look like a Big ten game. Michigan made that game look like they wanted to make it look McCarthy didn't have to throw much, couple of big throws to the tight end, take a lead, physically push Washington around. As Washington, you know, now heads into the conference.
Michigan's like, Okay, this is what we do. This is sort of what the kind of brand of football. I mean, Michigan doesn't have an elite receiver, their tight ends one of their more consistent pass catchers. So I thought Michigan made it look like a big ten game. And you know, the other thing that jumped out to me and Michigan, for the record, is a very good tackling team. You pointed that out. You know, sometimes you have to watch
a moment. You know, you can speculate, and then you watch a moment and I was like, I don't I don't know. I think Harball's going to come back to Michigan. As I watched that game and I watched the way Michigan played, I'm like, yeah, this would be the perfect time to leave. Like it was. I sat there and I'm like, he beat Washington, Alabama, Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State in a row. It's your last five games at Michigan. And you see his brother and you see the family,
and I thought he's going to take his DC. All these kids are leaving. And as I watched it, it's weird, but it felt like his last game at Michigan. Does that sound crazy?
Yeah, he's gone. I mean I think he's definitely gone. And the one thing Jim Harbaugh has always done and was unfold displayed tonight is his coaching staffs are so good. I remember going to a nine of practice when he was there and it was Vic Fangio's defensive coordinator who was with him at Stanford. Feels like he has a young superstar in this Jesse Minner guy that he got from his brother. Previously he had McDonald that is now
his brother's defensive coordinator. The hardbass skills of accumulating excellent assistance is an elite skill because Jim is a CEO head coach. He's not calling the blaze. He's a motivator, he's a program guy. That team felt like an NFL team today, the way they tackle, their physicality, their relentlessness, and listen, Washington's like a really good college team that felt like, we're good at everywhere. Are really our only flaws our quarterback? How much can we rely on him?
But he's clearly has NFL potential. We can talk about him from an NFL standpoint, But you know, Harbaugh's built teams like this when he's been at his best, where he over he's a heavyweight fighter and he comes in. I mean when they have almost one hundred and eighty yards rushing in the first quarter, they hit him like Mike Tyson right in the face and it felt like it really wobbled Washington and they were never the same
after that. They were just holding on by a thread. Yeah, because Harbas's teams typically, unless they're playing crappy opponents, aren't gonna score sixty points, You're always going to be in the game. Especially they were bad on third down, but the game was never close.
All right, let's let's move to Jim Harbaughs. So one of the things I wrote this, I think in my first book two things make smart man stupid, beautiful women and sports, And I always think so. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where I was a Husky fan as a kid, but we didn't have teams that won a lot of championships. And ever since I was a kid, I've always been wanted to be a sportscaster. So I was never a fan, a true fan as a kid. You know, people know I like the Huskies or USC
but I'm not really a true fan. I love creating content. Anybody that knows me, you know me, Jimmy Horowitz, Charlie Dixon. I love to create content. That's that's my love of my life, beyond my kids and family. I love to create seven minute rants, eight minute rants, and I love the audience to rip them, enjoy them whatever.
Yep.
And this Jim Harbaugh stuff is why I, as a moderately bright guy, have a great career. Is that Jim Harbaugh has literally won everywhere. He got to a Super Bowl Kaepernick, he won an academically rigid Stanford like twelve games. He won ten games at Michigan, the first year with Brady Huak's players in the Big Ten, and for years people just kept pushing back. He's not good. And I tell people it's called Google. It's a search engine. You
can look at His brother's brilliant. His dad won a championship. His brother's brilliant. He's won everywhere. And it was the reluctance for people because Jim makes people. He's a disruptor, uncomfortable. He's uber to taxi. He just pisses people off. He's new, We've done it this way, he does it that way. The Jim Schwartz pat in the back. He's hard. He pissed Pete Carroll off. And the idea that Jim harbaught needed the Natty to be viewed as a great coach.
And I'm like Saban bombed in the NFL, Spurrier bombed. Like there's five four or five guys ever, Jimmy Johnson, Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh one with both, it's really hard. I mean Belichick, he wouldn't deal with donors, he wouldn't recruit.
He's shown no ability to understand offense that in our business, that if we allow the fans to be the jury and then you know, somebody can be the DA somebody can be the prosecuting attorney, and you and I are just the judge, and you remove emotion from most of the arguments. It is rather bizarre that how often greatness is obvious and people, because their agendas or their connections to other schools, just won't subscribe to Yeah, Jim Harbaugh's
one everywhere Immediately. I'm shocked by all the people that are like, yeah, that needed this to prove it.
They needed it to prove it.
Now listen, I will admit you know, it's not like we don't all have our own wits. I just mentioned the Yokid, so like it's not like anybody bats a thousand on this stuff. But no, no, no, I'm not saying that, by the way, was an ascending player who's a second rounder and and it just there was no precedent for it, which is part of what makes him so special when
you're unprecedented. But and also to add to your point, and I might be totally misremembering, but like a decade ago, didn't you have a really weird like thing with Harball?
Like I don't I love that?
Was it?
Right?
And but you know, but you like there was an interview or whatever where it seemed like he was giving you the hard time.
I don't remember the details of him.
Yeah, okay, so I didn't interview. It was terribly clunky. I could have easily turned on him.
But the reason, that's okay, So that's what I was That's why I was going to bring it up was I thought somewhere in my brain I thought that existed, but I couldn't quite remember it. You, nothing would have been easier than to be, like, everybody thinks this guy's a dope.
He kind of was a dick to me when I talked to him.
And it's always the safer bet to say someone sucks because it's hard to win. Yeah, because you're gonna get to be right so much more often then you're gonna get Then you're gonna ever be wrong because there's only one winner at the end of the day.
And if you can be like, well, I can't win the big game. I mean, what do you want.
Me to tell you, Like I talked to the guys, it sucks. And I watch ten percent as much college football as you, but I watch the biggest games, the biggest programs, and obviously I am very aware of what's going on.
And it was like six years ago, I'm like.
Wasn't Hardball's team with way less talent like a bad spot.
Away from beating Ohio State? Like wasn't it wasn't? Hasn't so much of this narrative of oh can't beat the best teams?
Like aren't we basing that partially on a spot we all agree was the wrong spot? In a year, he would have either been undefeated or in the title game. I don't remember all the details, but there is there's just so much data. I'll give you the and a different contemporary example, it should not have taken Patrick Mahomes for people to realize Andy Reid pretty fucking smart.
Yeah you know what?
And by the way, he would have probably never won a super Bowl. Well you know what I mean, if it would have just been Alex Smith to the next guy, because winning super Bowls are hard. But when every player, every quarterback that you have, has their best seasons under this and then it's like, oh, like it's so all the and I think, by the way, kind of a future take, I can see some of the media turning on is too strong, but starting to do this.
Topic, how good is Kyle Shanahan really if.
They don't make it, because it's like, oh, these great regular seasons, but where's the jewelry, like if they don't win the super Bowl, as opposed to being like, well, I don't know, he's taking quarterbacks that the moment they leave him are backups or benched or whatever. And win twelve games, thirteen games, one playoff games probably pretty good.
And so I do think there is that there is a a level of.
Folks that I think won't go with will only go with what they truly believe and see, yeah, up until it's like, huh, this is not in the mainstream enough anymore, I'll disagree with everybody else and so and I think that's why not to bring up the Niners again. I think that's why people have gotten so frustrated with me on brock Purty.
Yeah.
Is it's because so many of the other skeptics laid down their swords. And I don't think they were convinced. I just think they got sick of getting yelled at. And what I think folks don't know is in order to yell at me, you better see me in person, because I'm not seeing.
Any of it. I'm not reading any of it.
Like, the only people who get to yell at me have like are Bruceard Wilde's you and.
People I know, so like, I don't really it doesn't impact me.
And so the Harball thing is fascinating, and I do wonder how much of it is. They didn't like it. They just thought the guy was weird and a jerk or whatever. And I don't want to describe that to him. I don't know him, but it seemed like a lot of it is like I don't like this guy.
Yeah, I had four you know, I rely a lot because I'm older, so I know a lot of coaches and executives. I go to lunch with him, I have dinner with them. So I know four different coaches who have been on Harbass staff and they all said the same thing. Guy is different. He's the most football obsessed guy ever. He's just he's just it's insane. So a lot of times I have access you do that. Fans don't write that. They don't sure I don't have these. I mean I go to dinner probably twice a year
with Manginie. We talk about shit that I'm not putting on the air. Jed Fish is a good friend of mine. You know, different guys I've dealt with, so I do have some you know, I can call.
It part of the job. Yeah, right, this is what we do.
If you're a mortgage broker listening to me, you have access to stuff that I don't have. So but I just found the Harbaugh stuff. It's like, guys, Okay, four times, including the NFL first year, he took the Niners over.
They were excellent.
And it's like if a lot of people get jobs and they don't last. But if you get four different jobs, five different jobs, you take crap and you make it good immediately, and you're successful in all of them. I don't need championships now.
And where was he before Stanford? I don't even remember. So he was at San Diego.
It was a small university.
Yeah, yeah, and he succeeded there, and he succeeded everywhere.
They had a quarterback who was good. He made him really really good. Then he went to Stanford. Stanford was the worst program in the country with high academic and they beat as a.
Yeah, I mean I remember that vividly. I mean I remember it, and in my opinion, set the table and This is the other thing that happens sometimes to guys.
Are you pals with Chris Peterson?
Yes, like yeah, okay, So I feel like sometimes guys become victims of their own success, where they make a place so relevant or good that it stays that after they leave, and then to some folks it's not as wildly impressive of what they did when they got there. So Chris Peterson like turned Boise State into such a power that after he leaves, it's still relevant and it's
like no, no, no, that was created by him. Similar thing happened with Harball with Stanford, like Harball can leave, they have Andrew Luck and David Shaw and they're really good still, and it's like, oh, yeah, Stanford is always pretty good. It's like, no, it was not Terry that is. I mean, I understand there were times when it was, and they were involved in famous games obviously, but when he took it over, it was terrible and made it great and the Niners were.
In the wilderness and it.
Instantly turned around. It instantly turned around for them, Which is, if you were advising him, what job would you take if he had his pick of all the NFL openings?
What job would you tell him, I would say, Jim, you recruited Drake May. Do you think he's better than Justin Herbert? And if the answer is yes, you take the Washington job because Herbert for the next rest of his career is expensive. If you believe that Drake May is better than Justin Herbert, you take the Washington job. Your brother coaches Baltimore, you take Washington. Your mom and dad can move between the two of you. Cap space. Good roster Drake May now John. If you don't think
it is, then just go with the best quarterback. I mean the answer in the NFL is almost always go where the best quarterback is, or draft the best quarterback. Chicago draft Caleb Williams. It'll just work out, He'll it'll work out, of course, right, So the Chargers is the
best job unless and wherever Harbaugh goes. What's really an advantage is like Pete Carroll or Jimmy Johnson, when they're in college and they come to pro, you get about a three year window where you know all the college players, you recruited all of them.
Oh, that's a huge edge.
So the rebuild will be much easier for you. Now, the Chargers is not a rebuild, they have cap space cap issues. Washington's not a total rebuild, but a semi rebuild with tons of cap space. So Harbaugh can walk in and go, yeah, I'm gonna like Jimmy and Pete, the rebuild is much easier for me, I know all. And by the way, we will trade off some players get draft picks. I'll probably take four of my mission guys who I know can play, and I'll avoid the
ones that I know that I know can't. So, I mean, you go look at Pete Carroll's first three or four drafts out of USC. I mean it was just fifth round, sixth round. I mean he was nailing people. Jimmy Johnson walks into the league. He is just fish in a barrel. So I think Washington's very interesting, no cap issues, marginal rebuild.
You look around that division and you're like Jalen Hurts, Dak Daniel Jones off another winning week three and two, blazing five for the record thirteen to the last fifteen weeks or is it fourteen of sixteen. I was five hundred or better sixty three percent after my disastrous opening two weeks, so we had a very good season of blazing five Sharper Square, Chad Milman CEO Action Network. All
odds provided by DraftKings. You know, the game that I talked myself, you and McIntyre talked me out of was the Texans, and so you know the numbers. It did feel like a Colt's play. But one of the reasons I think that the Consumers fans had one of their best years ever because increasingly over the last two years it has gotten so quarterback centric. Last year, seven of
seven playoff teams in the NFC had offensive coaches. This year, it's eleven of fourteen was twelve of fourteen for most of the season.
And I think c J.
Stroud listening watching those who either cover him or watch him or judge his film, I think we're looking at a deep ball thrower that is one of the best in the league accuracy seeing the field. So I know the Browns have a better roster, But Joe Flacco's story has actually been better than his quarterbacking. His passer rating has been ninety. The story's great, his quarterback play has been okay. I would take c J. Stroud at home plus two and a half. Don't think they have the roster.
I know rookie quarterbacks don't do all in the playoffs. But I think we're looking at a special player. Sharper Square.
Yeah. The way you're describing it is similar to how wise guys have been describing CJ. Stroud is that he's neo from the matrix, right. There's something about him that is unicorn esque, and he defies all the expectations. He breaks all the models, he changes the rules for what we expect. We shouldn't want to bet on a rookie coach with a rookie quarterback against the best defense in the NFL in the playoffs, and yet that's what we
want to do. And if you break this game down a little bit further, the Texans were six and three at home this year, six and two playing with CJ. Stroud. One of those games he missed. It happened to be the game in which Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper had a career day against the Texans in Houston. When he was at home, c J. Stroud through for twenty five hundred yards. He threw four seven yard no nine yards
per completion, threw for seventeen touchdowns. When the Cleveland Browns defense was on the road, they gave up thirty points a game. They had eight road games nine holding games. In those eight road games, they gave up one hundred and twelve more points than they did in the nine games at home. Everything about their defense is different when they're on the road. So the wise guys are on the Texans a two and a half. This game actually opened to two, got that down to one and a half.
The public came in and wrote it back up to three. Wise guys took the three. Now it's settle to two and a half. Personally, I'm waiting hoping that it gets back to three sometime before kickoff. A lot of lines have been moving aggressively before kickoff, so I'm hoping it gets back to three. But the wise guys are with you, Colin.
Okay, we're not getting the best of the number, not even close. But the Chiefs minus four and a half, I think you know it's all bets are off zero degrees. I mean, Tua under like forty degrees has been a different quarterback. Tua in December and January is a five hundred quarterback. He's a Hawaiian kid who plays in Miami and then in Alabama. This is all just like taking a surfer and saying, here's anchorage, take your shirt off. Good luck. It's just different, So I think I think.
I also think the Chiefs rested people at home. They're used to it. It's just the weather advantage. I would take the Chiefs to cover. The number was at like one and a half at one point two, so it's not the best of the number, but I think i'd still take Chiefs sharper square.
Well, it's square at four and a half because of what you just said. Look, if it was Chiefs one and a half, it was Chiefs two to two and a half, even Chiefs three, then the wise guys were in the Chiefs. But as soon as it got to three and a half, and then all of a sudden, it's a four and four and a half. You're just playing a bad number. And long term you might win this weekend, but long term it's not the right play, right and so there's a couple of things that have
made this number run. I think one the weather people already believe the narrative that the Dolphins can't play in the cold, to the injuries that the Dolphins have suffered suffered defensively, I don't know how they're going to rush the passer. Are they only going to be able to rush the passer by blitzing? And if you blitz you don't win against Patrick Mahomes. But here's the flip side, and here's why the wise guys like the Dolphins in
this spot one. These aren't the Chiefs of years past, right, They really don't have any reliable downfield targets. So the Dolphins can bracket Travis Kelce coming off the line at tight end, double team him, and then you basically put Jalen Ramsey on fore she Rice and you've taken away all the weapons that Patrick Mahomes has. And the flip side is the Chiefs defense is better than anything Patrick Mahomes has ever played with. The Dolphins. What's their mo?
While they're a great downfield passing team, they're a really great running team. Don't forget Mike McDaniels. He's a running game coordinator, right Raheem Moster limited practice, I would expect him to play Devon h Chan brilliant out of the backfield as are running back this year. I think this will be a closer game than people think. So that's why the wise guys are taking the four and a half. Personally, I took the under forty four and a half. I'm not taking a side in this game.
Okay, Packers plus seven and a half would be the side at Dallas. Dallas is going to score points. Joe Berry's defense has been a SIV most of the year, but Green Bay is a live dog. Four different receivers. I like good tight ends, Jordan Love playing well. If Dallas went seven and a half for a green Bay team, that I mean, if I told you this twenty seven, you'd be like, yeah, I can see that. I mean, Joe Berry's defense looks good. To get Chicago, it's not good.
So I think it's a thirty three to twenty seven thirty three to twenty eight fun game to watch. Seven and a half feels way too heavy. I'll take green Bay. Sharper Square totally nailed it.
Wise, guys are all over green Bay here. It's really interesting because this number probably should be power rated at six. The line should be about six for this game. You have two defenses that you say, Joe Berry and the Packers defense isn't very good. But look, the Cowboys defense gets more credit than it deserves. If pass rushes it's pass rushes middle of the road. You've got Micah Parsons, who's, you know, an All Pro, had more sacks this year
than he's ever had. And you've got a defensive secondary with George Bland, who had more pick sixes than ever led the league in interceptions. Between those two spectrums, it's a lot of sizzle, not a lot of stak. And so this is a pass rush that is middling at best. So I wouldn't expect them to be a team that puts Jordan Love on his heels. And by the way, they play a lot of man. Jordan Love's passer rating is thirteen points higher against man that it is against zone.
And what you're doing against Jordan Love right now, don't forget Dak Prescott lea the league in touchdown passes. Jordan Love was number two. Jordan Love since November has just been lights out elite as a quarterback. And I think it speaks to a coaching advantage for the Packers. Matt Laflor just a better coach than Mike McCarthy. We've seen it. Mike McCarthy is not great in late game situations. He is not great in managing the clock. Very good chance
to pack. The Cowboys put themselves in a very bad position with bad decision making late in the game. One hundred percent agree with you.
Yeah, this is the easy one Rams plus the points three and a half at Lions was for at one point. I get a coaching advantage, a quarterback advantage, a health advantage, and I think people are forgetting just how good the Rams draft was. Their first three picks a left guard, a defensive tackle who should be the rookie of the year defensively, an outside linebacker who is relentless. And in the fifth round they got the steal of the entire draft in Puka Akua. Their special teams are dubious, so
that's what scares me. I don't think they win the Super Bowl. But it's a healthy team, coach, quarterback upgrade, and they have young players. We all know Puka, but they have nailed this draft. This is a team runs the ball, can throw it deep, can rush the passer. They're not a great team. You can They're a little like Detroit. They can score a lot. You can beat them over the top. But there's no way I'm giving
over your field goal to the Rams. The Rams could easily win this game, Rams plus three and a half sharper square totally right.
Another live dog. By the way, if you're putting together a money line parlay, you could do worse than putting together a parlay with the Rams and the Packers. Because I agree with you one hundred percent. The wise guys agree with you as well. They're going to be on the Rams at three and a half. They did bet it down from four almost immediately on Sunday night. It was the first game that the wise guys started pounding on. The wildcard games were announced, and you didn't even mention
Colin Kyen Williams. This has been a different team since Kyron Williams came back from injury. Matthew Stafford. When's the last time like Matthew Stafford wasn't sort of the focal point of the offense, didn't throw for four thousand yards this year, played in every game, but this team was accelerating towards the playoffs when Kyrin Williams came back. Great coaching season by Sean McVay. I'm curious to me that you think he's that much better of a coach than
Dan Campbell. I don't see the difference in this game being on the sidelines. To me, the real difference might end up being the fact that Sam Laporta isn't playing because he's a guy who this past season second most first down receptions on the Lions, finish the season with the most receptions ever for a tight end, tied for the most touchdown receptions. I think the books are discounting how important he is to the Lions and Jared Goff's comfort.
This is a line game. If the Eagles are minus three and a half, I probably go Bucks, But I think it's a close twenty seven to twenty four game. I'll take the Eagles minus two and a half. Much better personnel, I mean Tampa down the stretch, maybe Carolina a couple times. I think, you know, it's a little like the Joe Flacco story. The story is better than the reality. I don't think TAM's very good. They don't have really a home field advantage. Half that stadium will
be Eagles fans two and a half. The numbers, to me, Affilly number sharper square.
It's totally sharp if you play in two and a half. If it's three and a half, the wise guys are going to play the Bucks. That's it. That's that's how it's going to go. So check your local list things, figure out what you want the number to be, and play the half point on either side. The greatest advantage that the Bucks really have could be in the middle
of the field with Kate Atton. If you want to be taking a player prop you might want to think about playing his over reception yards keep it under say twenty three twenty four, if you can find that. But the other advantage has been Baker mayfield to Mike Evans this year. You know, Mike Evans tied for the league
lead in touchdown receptions. But if it's going to be terrible weather and there's going to be weather all up and down throughout the country, then and it might be torrential rain there, that's going to limit Baker's ability to get the ball downfield to Mike Evans. So it's a really, really tricky game to bet. If you have to pick a side, you got to play the number.
And finally, the Bills game could be moved. There's so much snow. Buffalo's a much better team. TJ watch not playing I Mike Tomlin getting ten in crappy weather. It's like that's a stayaway game for me. Talk me into the side the wise guys like.
Well, look, the wise guys are sort of thinking the same thing as you. Right, don't forget this game opened at seven and a half, it lasted for about thirty seconds, and got that up immediately to nine and a half ten. I, unfortunately, am the sucker who looked at it on Tuesday and was like, yes, screw it, I don't care what the number is. The Bills are going to destroy this team.
I betted at minus ten, and then forty eight hours later, I'm getting reports of the winter apocalypse coming into western New York, so that scares me quite a bit. But if not for the weather, I would tell you, yeah, you take the freaking Bills and you eat the number and you don't care. Because the Steelers forget about the fact that they're going to have a first playoff game quarterback in Mason Rudolph, which is never a good scenario. CJ.
Stroud accepted, accepted. Without TJ. Watt, this is just a different team in terms of they're a bad team. So you cannot bet on the Steelers if they're not gonna have TJ. Watt. The problem is the weather, which is such a mystery and X factor right now. If you haven't bet it yet, don't.
Bet it good, See anybody, anybody. The volume