Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Joe Burrow on Damar Hamlin Impact, Ravens Wild Card, Nick Wright on Harbaugh NFL Buzz, Rodgers Future + Wild Card Weekend Bets

Colin Coward Podcast. Playoff Football is here. Joe Burrow stops by Nick Wright, stop by how good was he? Also Chad Millman, Action Network, Sharper Square. I swear the playoffs arrive and we're bringing our a game, baby, Prime Cuts. The video is now out of OBJ former Giants Browns rams receiver on an airplane that he got kicked off of. Well it's not great, but yet there's plenty of O. B. J. Stands defending him. I've come to terms with something about

celebrity in our country. It can be Justin Bieber, it can be Taylor Swift, it can be OBJ. Men are often still little boys. They're fanboys. That's my turn for them fanboys. They worship celebrities. I love having fans. I don't want any of you to worship me, nor should you. I'm completely flawed. But OBJ all over the interweb, little boys in their thirties and forties who are physically men but have no sense of self. They worship, They coddle,

They waited in line. They wear jerseys. You'll never see me wearing a jersey. I thought OBJ moved into des Bryant territory. Remember when Dez Bryant was on hard Knocks near the end of his career, and there was a piece of video of des Bryant calling out a coach and being temperamental and immature and incredibly needy. His market literally dried up. Nobody wanted des Bryant aging receivers who come off as petulant and needy. OBJ has no market,

none dover. But Obj's never had any self awareness. He's now more known for you know, the end zone, peeing the model in Paris on the boat, this video on the plane. Outside of the one handed catch, what's his next biggest catch? If my kids acted like the video of OBJ, I would write them out of the will and one of my kids is sixteen. Obj's like in

his thirties, total arrogant, entitled, lack of self awareness. But I can tell you right now, fanboys will be all over this podcast whining and defending OBJ because that's the culture. We have a celebrity culture and some guys, some men are boys fanboys, and it doesn't matter what the behavior is.

I mean, the first time I really came to terms with this was years ago with Bobby Knight, and Bobby Knight had a horrible reputation and a secret video of practice came out and I forget the name of the player, and you could see him putting his hand on his throat. And I worked with a guy in the media who was a co host for a short period of time, who loved Bobby Knight, who defended it, and I remember saying,

what if that was your kid, would you defend it? Really, it was the first time it really hit home that there are men who are really have the maturity of boys that they worship. I mean, I collected baseball cards when I was eight, and I admire great artists. I mean, I was you know, it was Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Patrick Mahomes. These guys are incredible. I don't worship And if you're still defending OBJ, he just became Dez Bryant

that video. No thanks, folks. What's the one position college football furnishes the NFL with every year with twenty new really good players wide receiver? OBJ is temperamental, brittle, expensive and emotionally needy. Hard pass. So I was talking to somebody I met the other day in regards to timing, and they were talking about the podcast industry, and we were actually talking about the subscription service called The Athletic and how it sold to the New York Times for

four hundred and fifty five hundred million dollars. And this person was saying, because of the erosion of the stock market, Dow Jones is down several thousand, and because you know the world's always changing with so many new platforms, is that it may not sell for that today, not even close to that, but it did. Then there's a moment in time for everything to sell in the media. That's what this person, who has a lot of experience we talked about, is that sometimes something that sells won't sell

in six months. You've got a hit on the time and I thought, that's what's fascinating about the New England Patriots. This was the year to get into the playoffs. The Jets were a ship show at quarterback and Tuah couldn't stay healthy. Okay, if Miami goes out and gets Derek Carr and the Jets get Garoppolo, Matt Jones is the fourth best quarterback in your division. You don't get to the playoffs with the fourth best quarterback in your division. I don't see an easy way out for New England.

I mean Tua probably inside the Dolphins executive suite. They've made a decision to move on. He's simply college and pro. Can't stay healthy. Not his fault, his reality. And the Jets are obviously going to the market. They need a left tackle and a quarterback. They have talent running back, corner, defensive line weapons. They got good players. And New England doesn't have a single receiver that separates. Davante Parker doesn't separate,

Jacobe Myers doesn't set parade. They're really average O line wide receiver, tight end. It's not a highly abundant wide receiver group in the first round, maybe by the second, but Jordan Addison maybe is a first round wide receiver Zay Jones. Maybe is there's not four or five this year like there have been in previous years. I don't know the way out. That's what's fascinating. This was the year and they wasted it by connecting Joe Judge and Matt Patricia to the offense. Go back and look at

mac jones rookie stats. They're pretty remarkable. They're really solid, be plus stuff, and he regressed. So the timing go back to timing. This was the year to get some momentum. If mac Jones played well, you'd have a greater chance to go into the free agent market and convince a DeAndre Hopkins, who reportedly Arizona is going to move. Convince a great Hopkins. Hey, I had a great rookie year followed by a great second year. Come to New England

and be the star. Well he looks at it now, d hop would look at New England and go oh, I wouldn't want to be part of that. That offends a mess. So I don't know the easy way out. And I thought it was absolutely something that Bill Belichick, when asked about the season, immediately said I'm returning for twenty twenty four. That's not your call, that's the owner's call. The fact that Belichick put it out publicly I'll be back next year Andy Reid doesn't say that it's the

owner's call. That's never the coach's call. In the NFL or the NBA. I'll be back Steve Kerr's back if Joe Lacob, who owns the Warriors, wants it back, and that's Steve Kerr. So I think Belichick knows he's kind of cornered here. The staff isn't great, doesn't have an offensive coordinator, doesn't ever tied in a receiver that separates. Didn't you think it was something that Belichick's first opinion was, I'll be back, basically cornering Bob Kraft. Bob Kraft now

is on the defensive. Oh wait, Belichick's coming back bill didn't leave it open for a meeting or a discussion or an argument or a tug of war over his future. I thought it was something I want to talk Derek Carr, so he has a no trade clause. The Raiders are now looking around for trade partners. They want to do it February fifteenth or earlier. That helps them out in the salary situation, so you can go to therapy. I've gone to therapy, but when I go to therapy, I

am seeking a change, not everybody is. I've probably had six seven different therapists in my life. I moved all over the country, as many of you know, and I have gone for a specific reason to overcome something, fight through something, work through something. But I have friends who have been therapists, and they'll tell you that change is hard. Even when you want to change, most people don't. And so I watched the New York Jets. They're trying to find a quarterback. So what do they do. They fire

their offensive coordinator, Mike Lafleur. Apparently it came from the owners. The New York Jets need therapy. They can't help themselves. They've got a breakthrough, so Derek Carr is going to seek continuity. The Jets already had a few things working against them. They have a defensive coach, they don't have a good left tackle, they have a defensive culture. One of the few things they had going for them interesting young wide receiver talent and Matt Lafleur's smart brother as

their coordinator. Now they just fired him. If you're trying to attract Derek Carr because you're not going to get Tom Brady, so it's down to Garoppolo, Tanning Hill, Derek Carr, and Derek Carr. To me's the best one on the market. He's always healthy, usually solid B B plus. You just fired your offensive coordinator, Matt Lafleur's brother is respected. It was one of the few things you had working for you. Now it looks like Miami in your same division is

the perfect landing space. Better weather, offensive coach, significantly better veteran weapons, better left tackle jets. You're like the person that goes to therapy, but you're really not looking to change. You're just going because somebody said you needed to go to therapy. Defensive coach, New York taxes, no left tackle, shaky ownership. Now you have fire or respected oc. What are you doing looking to get more out of the NFL season? Now is the perfect time to download fan Duel,

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Y for six seven three six nine in New York, tennessee Redline one hundred eight eight nine nine seven eight nine tennessee visit one eight hundred Gambler dot in West Virginia. All right, first of all, long time, no talk. A lot of people bailed on Joe Burrow, not this host. I remember that second half against Dallas, and I said, I saw it. They're gonna be fine. Um, I mean you, let's take the regular season. Take a deep breath. Um, when did you because you you want a lot of

games in a row. Now, was there a a one or a two game or one or two half moment for you, Joe that you said, Okay, boom, we're clicking, We're all good. This this is a good team. Not really, you know, we we had moments of that early in the year, and it really just came down to being more consistent as a team and as an offense. You know, I wouldn't say there was one or two games that you point tune do like that's that's the turning point.

It's just kind of progression of the season. You get better throughout the season, you have more practice time together, you have more reps accumulated, and you just getting better as the season goes. I'm not a huge fan of playing a team a third time, So why I'm not a fan of, you know, Miami Buffalo a third time Seattle San Francisco. I don't like it. I think it's hard. I mean, let's be honest, Buffalo is hard to beat once. Yeah, I mean do you look at it and think, all right,

they know my tendencies. How do you you view it? Yeah, that's why division games are always harder because you've you play each other twice a year. You know how the other unit operates, you know the guys, you know the scheme, they know what you're trying to do. You know what they're trying to do, so you you know, it's always harder in those division games, and that's why they're always so tight. Do you feel more responsibility? It's very easy for a team that just beat a team to be

flat the next week. That's the history of the league. You beat a team, then you have to rally the guys and say, yes, we got to play with our hair and fire. We can't beat them. Do you feel a little bit, Joe, like this is really where leadership comes in urgency? Go this is everything. No, because our guys know how hard of us to beat those guys last week, and they're going to be healthier, and we

know what happened earlier in the year. So you know, like I said, these division you got to take all these division games as seriously as possible, because you we know a Baltimore on the defensive side of the football, and we know that they have on the offensive side of the football. There a really, really good football team that you know wins a lot of football games, and so it's going to be a tough challenge for US.

Brian Dable, Giants coach, who's got actually a lot of rings as an assistant or a coordinator, said, playoff experience is overrated. Now I look at you last year, you didn't have any and you went on the road I think two out of three weekends. Where is it a

little overrated and where is their value in your experience? Yeah, that's that's tough to say, because really, once you get into the game, every game is the same, and I think that's that's how you have to handle it, so I obviously I would say the more reps you have accumulated of something, the better you're going to perform. But also, once you get in it's it's just another game. It

doesn't feel on the field like a playoff game to you. No, you know, the fans are, it's a little more energetic in the crowd, and the atmosphere is always better, but you know, once you're out there on the field, you're blocking all that out. Anyway, when you look at this season where you're at, I think situationally, you're a better quarterback than a year ago. That's what it feels like to me. I thought your first two years they were rare,

but you'd have an occasional meltdown the game's fast. Did you do you sense like you can sense okay this this could have been one of these moments. Do you in real time ever feel like, Man, a year ago I could have melted down there. No, I don't really feel like that. I do feel like I've I've drastically improved my play this season from from last year, just in the totality, and so I'm I'm happy with that, but there's also a lot of room to improve as well.

And so you know, I like where we're at as a team and as an offense and as defense, and honestly as as a locker room as well. We have one of the locker rooms I've ever been part of, and I really think that's ends up being the key to winning. How concerned are you with your offensive line injuries? You know, we have guys that we really believe in that have played a lot of football, Guys like Max and Hakim that you know I've stepped in these last

couple of weeks. You know, Hakim was our starting right guard for the majority of the season last year, and Max played a lot of football in this league, and so we got we got faith in both of those guys to go out and do their jobs. You know, when you're I could argue that your college team that LSU is so sort of iconic Louisiana high school football and Ohio State, that your college programs were much more

marquis than your NFL team. I think it's funny that you're considered the first or second best quarterback in this league by like people I respect, and yet Buffalo in Kansas City, I mean Philadelphia. It's like, in a weird way, it's a perfect spot. In college at Ohio State, you're a favorite every week. Yeah, LSU is a favorite. Your team just got to the super Bowl, and when I pick you number one, I have for five straight weeks. People are like, are you crazy? And I'm like, are

you watching the games? You're like twelve and four? Do you feel sometimes even as good as you guys are. I mean, you're in a division with the Steelers and the Browns and the Ravens. These franchises are like Bedrock blue Blood. Do you do you still feel a little bit like the new kid on the block? Uh? You know, maybe sometimes, but you don't. I don't really don't really

think in those in those ways. You know, we're so focused on the day to day of getting better and and interacting with each other and getting the work that we need to get done. It. Uh it honestly, we don't really talk about it too much. Your thoughts on home field being decided by a coin flip. I know why, but it's I mean, I guess the NBA lottery is a ping pong balls. I mean it's kind of odd, right, Yeah, you know, I wasn't you know, I understood it. I

understood why I did it. I just wish that we would have been offered the same opportunity for a potential second round matchup for the Bills. That we didn't end up getting to play that game, you know, through no fault of our own, and it should have been canceled. We didn't want to play after that happened either, But you know, I think that we just weren't afforded some opportunities that other people were. Take you off. I wouldn't say take me off. We'll play well whatever with with

whatever we're dealt, but it is what it is. When I go back to the Damar Hamlin moment, what really sticks out to me is the fear on the players faces. I said this on the air. I was skiing a year and a half ago, and apparently there was a crash in about forty to fifty yards from me. A helicopter flew in and they performed CPR. I did not know the person. It was forty yards away. It freaked me out. I'm like, all right, that's a rap. I'm done skiing today. And that was somebody I didn't know.

As I watched you guys watch that, I the composure you had, I mean, did Joe, you probably never seen anything like that. Did Was it totally unnerving? Yeah, it

was a scary emotional moment. What witnessing somebody that plays the same game that you do, you know, go through a crisis that is life threatening and you know that you really take a step back and look at what you do and who you do it with, and makes you appreciate that and at the same time reminds you that that's always possibility every Sunday and every every Monday and every Saturday that you walk out there. So I think a lot of discussions were had throughout the league privately,

you know, with loved ones. I know I had, I had some that you know, that moment is scary, It can happen, and you know you try to try to limit it, but there's not a lot you can do. It's a normal football play that happens just about every play of every single game, which is what's so scary about it. One of the things I said the other day is that I think the five best quarterbacks in the league. I use this term the five guys I wouldn't take a phone call on if I was a

general manager. You Alan Mahomes, Herbert and Trevor Lawrence. I love Brady and Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stafford, but they're older. I'd take a phone call if I had to. I'm not going to take a phone call on you five to watch you and Josh Allen. It was really it was pretty you know, I'm I'm in my late fifties, Joe. I love Josh Allen so much. I love everything you young guys are about. There was a real a moment between you two and here he looks like Superman. He's

he's bigger than defensive ends. He looks like Superman. He was incredibly vulnerable. Do you remember that moment when you're right next to him. Yeah, that was that was tough.

You know, me and Josh are friends and and I've known each other for a couple of years now, and you know, it was just kind of a moment of unity between you know, not just two teams, but football players, and you know, we know what each individual person means to everyone else in a locker room, and to see people going through that was you know, it was tough.

And you know, everyone in our locker room took a step back and said it could have been any one of us in that exact same situation, and so that's why it really hit everybody so hard. I thought the Cincinnati crowd was amazing. I thought nobody left utter silence. I've never seen anything like it. Even the anthem, there's always a guy in the third deck drunk, screaming the whole thing Joe. From the players, to the coaches to the fans. I've been doing this thirty years. I was

so blown away. But the Cincinnati fans like, in an instant, our guy needs help. They're a guy needs help. Did you notice any of that or were you were you already fixated on Damar. You realize that once you take a step back, you know, maybe a day or two later,

and you know, really reflect on the situation. It made me very proud to live in the community, one, be a part of the organization to play for Zach three just with, and also very proud of the medical staff and trainers, doctors you know we got unfortunately got to watch them operate and you know, they were lights out. So it just made me proud to be a part of what we have going on here. Yeah, aren't medical

people amazing? Aren't they amazing? Yeah? We had I mean, you just those kind of moments, you know, you find out what people are made of, and the people that were out there on that field are badasses. You could probably make an argument, Joe that you'll never look You'll never come into a stadium and see those medical people the same like to you do you almost view them like like like before they're part of the ensemble, they're like heroes now, like you almost look at him differently

when you enter a stadium. Yeah, I do. You know, I walked into the training room, the training room the next day, and I did look at everybody in that room a little differently. You know, I really appreciate those guys and girls. All right, my buddy Nick, right um. We haven't talked to Nick in a couple of months. He's really busy. First things first is a smash hit. It's crushing, you know, it's funny, Nick, Thank you, buddy.

You know, the show's so successful. I've really nicely decorated my house with all these you know, we get ratings bonuses, Yeah, I mean just wealth just hitting me in the face. But your producers won't let me show it off. They said I have to turn off all the lights. They said, you're you're you're shaming Colin Coward. Collin's doing this from a closet and you know, somewhere, And I assumed the Upper Valley in Los Angeles, and I've got this palatial estate.

I can't show it all. That's fine. Maybe at the end of the pod, I'll get up and so people can see what a beautiful scene I have behind me. But go ahead, Sorry, all right, I want to talk to you about There's two coaches in football that I think bother the media, but Jesus they're good. Brian Kelly has won everywhere instantly. He had a terrible incident at Notre Dame. A young man died. He is gruff, he

turns purple when he's screaming at players. And Jim does a really really crummy cagn accent out of nowhere column But go ahead, yeah. And Jim Harbaugh. And because Jim harbraw, I think he's on the spectrum and he's awkward and he doesn't really need the media. I think I get along with people. I struggle with him. People don't understand it. Harbor went forty four, nineteen and one in a division with arguably the most talented team in football in twenty

years the Seahawks. The Seahawks won six games and went to three straight NFC Championship games with Alex Man in Cap as the quarterbacks, and Cap had a nice moment. The Cap wasn't a blue Chipper. Alex Smith was considered a bust and immediately contended for championships and contended at Stanford and turned Michigan into a contender. Yeah, so I thought about this. You know, when we do a show,

I have opinions, but sometimes I'll sleep on it. Is that in college the NIL has actually helped coaches because it used to be you were felt guilty for making money because players weren't. Now a quarterback at USC can make five million. Nobody talks about coaches salaries, but a lot of these situations at Michigan you do feel like your salaries published. You're the highest paid state employee at eight million, Or you go to the NFL make eighteen

and nobody cares. Now you get fired sooner, but nobody cares. Is that? I think to myself, I wouldn't leave Michigan, but I do wonder now once the players get paid, the downside, because I'm for the players getting paid, but the downside is well, shit, if I'm gonna have my players paid and they're gonna transfer any time, I'd rather just be a pro coach and make twice the money and not deal with the NC double A and we're gonna lose a lot of these great coaches and not

have to deal with is he academically eligible? I would listen. I think some people love recruiting. I think I would hate it. I think the grind of the travel, plus there has to be an element of and I don't want to sound like an old man. And again, some coaches love it, and maybe that's why they're coaches because they love that thing. But of like trying to convince a seventeen year old to you know, date you essentially, that seems again, I don't think i'd love it. I

don't think it'd be like, what are you doing? I'm like, well, I gotta fly to Baton Rouge because this seventeen year old kid that I thought was gonna come play for me, now I think he's gonna go play for Texas. So I have to explain I have to and over him. His mom and his dad like that. So I would far prefer pro coaching where you're dealing with with grown ups. You only have to worry about the football part, and you don't have to convince twenty twenty five new guys

every single year to come play for you. What is interesting to me is it does seem like the money in certain instances college You know, I mean, you tell me if I'm wrong. Colin in certain instance seemed like the money's bigger in college football. So like did melt Tucker, who's what not one of the fifteen best coaches got ninety million dollars? Like knowing that very few NFL coaches have that. So I think for certain guys, college is

a better deal. Hardball. Here's the thing I want to say about Hardball, because I I think Hardball is a great coach, a great coach. And I made the point on your show five years ago when I was filling in for you, and then I made it again the other day that he has an argument that if the question is I need someone to coach my football team, but I won't tell you if it's college or pro, he should be the number one draft pick because you can say, well, I'll take Belichick. Well what if he's

it's Alabama, Like, well, you know what I mean. Okay, no, no no, they all take Saban. Well what if it's the Jets, Like Harball has proof of concept at both levels instantly good, So so I think he's a great coach. The one thing I think the media is getting wrong with the Hardball story is this they're like, oh, the new owners of the Broncos, they're the Walton family. They've

got seventy billion dollars. When it comes to coach salaries, the difference between seventy billion net worth and seven billion net worth is irrelevant. Well, the coach salaries, it's like, oh, they can pay him twenty million a year, so can eighty percent of the owners, Like, as long as you've got more than a billion, you can pay the coach anything. So the idea that the dit Broncos had this leg up because their owners are so rich, I think people

have it wrong. I don't think it's the three richest NFL owners have an advantage. I think it's the four NFL owners that don't have real money are a huge disadvantage.

So whether I think those teams are at a real disadvantage, but I think I think every I think eighty percent of the teams could hire a twenty million dollars a year coach on a four year deal, fire him and do that five consecutive cycles and have four hundred million of dead coach money and it doesn't affect their bottom line at all because they are multi or Decca billionaires.

I think there's a few teams, whether it's the Cardinals, the Raiders, whomever, where it's like, oh, man, do they have to keep this coach because they can't afford to pay the buyout? Finally, I love these, By the way, I always feel guilty. I tell my staff call Nick the first sign of no bail, No, no, no. I love doing it. And I hadn't been on in a while, but we'll do it, especially no, we got we can do this, Colin. I love doing it. You know that.

So I think I said this years ago when ESPN did the phone, which was a disaster, is that ESPN owed the industry to roll the dice on the phone because they had the capital to take big swings. They were making so much money eight billion annually. They owed the industry. It would have think about the industry today if it now owned the phone industry. Joran cable TV and and by the way, those big swings. I never worked for ESPN like you did, but I give them

credit anyway for things. Also created thirty for thirty that's a big, expensive swing and it was awesome and it was you know what I mean, it was awesome and like so that Yeah, the phone is like known as kind of a disaster, but yeah, but go ahead. Yeah. So I think the Amazons of the world and the Apples of the world, to elevate society artificial intelligence, have the money take big swings on things because small companies can't.

And to advance society, that's important. So one of the things I believe, you know, I've been doing this long time, a very large audience, audio whatever. I never ever believe I'm the gatekeeper of any industry. I'm not going to tell people how to broadcast skip you. It doesn't matter. Max Kellerman, Stephen A. Smith, we all have different styles. I'm a believer and lean into you. Whatever you is,

do more you. But I like occasionally and I believe in this strongly throwing out a theory that could be absurd because I don't want talk show hosts to feel they're trapped. I think I owe it in a weird way, I see myself as I'm not going to get fired for a crazy take. Who cares if anybody rips me. I have a huge army of followers behind me. So I like throwing out occasionally something that seems absurd. Okay, I like right, Like it's like I can do it. Who cares? It's I have the You have the cache,

credibility and career that you can. You're not bulletproof, but you at least have you know, you're wearing it. You got some body armor on and you can take some slugs your way. Yeah, got it? Okay. So Mike Vrabel played with Tom Brady. He is absolutely one of the smartest coaches in the league. He knows the importance of the position. And he's now in a conference where Trevor

Lawrence looks like a top five quarterback. He's in a conference with Mahomes and Allan and Burrow and Herbert and Trevor Lawrence, all the good young guys are in his way, and Bryce Young's about to be there. That's right. And Vrabel is gonna get on the phone after this season because there's no dead cap hit for Tannehill and he's gonna say, Aaron get the f down here. Oh it's Rashville. I thought you're gonna say he's gonna try to sighting Tom No, because you said he's friends with Tom Aaron.

So he's gonna say, Aaron, he's gonna play to his vanity. Mahomes, Burrow, Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, I need you. He understands quarterback Aaron's never had great defenses in green Bay. The one year he did, they want it, so green Bay simultaneously would take a hit. But because they're not paying Jordan Love even they could afford it, they can't afford to cut him, but they can trade it. They can't trade him and it doesn't

kill him. And they look at their division. Gos's not a super are Cousins has limitations, Justin Fields has a defensive coach and a dysfunctional organization, and they're like, screw it, let's give it a run. For two years, we found our two receivers. By the way, the cap hit isn't his punitive? That My hot take is Rabel's gonna get on the phone and try really hard to convince Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay's gonna say, Christ, we're walking on

eggshells for twelve years here. Oh listen, I don't think that's crazy. Further, I thought you were gonna say Brady's gonna go there, and I was only going to say that's crazy because I don't think Tom Brady's moving to Nashville. And again, I'm from Kansas City. I'm not taking a By the way, I'm not comparing myself to Apple or Amazon in this whole scenario. No, But in the no, what you are doing is you are saying people that have the ability to take big swings in any inshore

should do it. So I you in in the ecosystem of sports broadcasting. I don't know. I don't know who. If you're not Apple or Amazon, I don't know who is there. You know, whatever it is, that's fine, it's fine it we're listen. By the way, there's forty minutes into a Nick Wright Colin Coward podcast. The people are still listening. Either really love one of us, or really hate one of us, or doesn't even matter. But um so, the Rogers thing I'm gonna I hadn't thought about him

with Tennessee, here's what I do think. And Packer fans are killing me for this. But I said after they went four and eight, and Aaron had the broken thumb that they should start playing Jordan Love. And now they're like, oh, look at us now, and the answers really look at you. Now what am I looking at? Like the it'd be one thing if you were on this four game winning streak because Rogers is lightening it up. On the four game winning streak, Colin Rogers has four touchdown passes, He

has eighty seven rating. They are averaging less than two hundred passing yards per game. But on the four game winning streak because they have forced twelve turnovers in four games, they have two defensive touchdowns two. Uh, we now know was you know? I was dealing with a serious injury and melted down. They played they give me a break. I said, you've got to play love. And it's not necessarily punting on the season, but whatever, you've got to

play love. And the reason you gotta play love is the question I asked was are you still in the Super Bowl business in Green Bay? Because if you are, you're not winning it this year. And what you need to do is figure out can the kid play and if he can play a little bit. But you're like, okay, he's not ready yet. Guess what, If you're still in the super Bowl business and you're keeping Aaron Rodgers, someone

will trade your draft pick for him. You can use that to help next year's team, because this team's not good enough if he's If you're still in the super Bowl business and he is good enough, well, guess what. Then you have the conversation of do we trade Aaron? But whatever it is, they should have used this time to get information on Jordan's love. Instead, they are going to blindly pick up his fifth year option, blindly having seen him play one game against the Chiefs terribly last

year and a half a game this year. It's insane, and they're not going to be able to trade him because nobody has seen him play. They're not gonna Now, maybe they trade Aaron, like you're saying, But the risk there is that Jordan loves no good. Now. I don't think he's no good, but it's on the board just because he hasn't played, and so I don't think the Packers have handled this right. I also don't think Aaron's made it particularly easy for them, like throughout this process.

But I think the idea, you know, Mark Schlaret came on my show, and I said, no, what Naven my show. It was the day I was filling in for you. He came on your show, but I was talking to him and I set made the point that the Packers should have played Love because they have to design his fifth year option. And he said he believes they have already decided that they are picking it up. And he didn't say he was told this. I don't want to

misquote stink. He said he thinks his theory is that they're moving on from Aaron, that they've seen enough from Love that that the reason they didn't play him in this spot is because they knew this was Aaron the end. They were gonna let Aaron get his final run and see what happens. But it's an interesting situation they have found themselves in. Can I ask you one question before we go? Sure, everyone is saying the NFC's wide open, the NFC has no juggernaut. Why are the Niners not

a juggernaut? They feel like a juggernaut to me? Man, how about this? So today a buddy of mine, degenerate gambler, great guy's a fireman and Connecticut good friend. He sends me shit all the time he's a basketball scout on the East. Coachs is so great, And he said, for all those questioning brock Purdy, he goes Matt Campbell will be one of the finalists for the Michigan job if Harball leaves. He's viewed as a super sharp coach, he said.

During brock Purdy's run, in the four years as a starter at Iowa State, they were thirty and seventeen, twenty five and ten in the Big Twelve, and seven and ten record against ranked opponents. Now that's not worthy. This is Iowa State this year with Matt Campbell four and eight, one in eight in the Big twelve. Wow, oh and four against ranked opponents. Do we have Tony Romo Kurt Warner on our hands, a great player that was under evaluated,

under evaluated. Sure, under evaluated. Yeah, here's the thing. But I guess my point is, even if he's not a great player, the Niners won a game this year started by Trey Lanes. They won a bunch of games started by Jimmy Garoppolo. They're now undefeated with games started by

Rock Purty. Sometimes a team is not reliant on the quarterback, and it would seem to be a team that has Nicky Bosa, Eric Armstead, an amazing defensive coordinator, that the Hafonga who looks like he plays three positions at once,

the safety. They have the best left tackle in football, maybe the best running back in football, the second best tight end, two awesome wide receivers, team kicks ass Man, and now am I also kind of trying to speak into existence speaking of good, great friends of yours that have gambling problems. I put, I did this on my podcast, Well's right with Ni right in the preseason gambling show.

I put, I did a whole preseason show where I did my season over under Betsy, and then you can get off fan duel before the season super like you could pick an NFC winner in an AFC winner and parlay it. So just pick who's going to be in the Super Bowl. And before the year, Chiefs Niners was fifty to one, not even a winner, not Chiefs over nine Ers Niners is just the Chiefs whin the AFC Niners. When the FC is fifty to one, I put a thousand dollars on a column. So I've got that's a

live bet right now. That's a I think the Niners to me with what's going on in Philly with the injuries, are the favorites in the NFC and the Chiefs are certainly at least co favorites in the AFC, And I think the Niners. I think people are talking about the NFC like it's wide open, purely because and I get it, it's not just a rookie. It's a seventh round rookie. But the kids played great. Shanahan has proven he can win in the playoffs without great quarterback play. And I

think this roster is stacked. Stacked, so do I. And Debo's coming back, and Debo's coming back. That's the other thing to look at, which teams this time of year are getting healthier and which teams are getting more injured. Philly is the most injured it's been all year. The Chiefs nobody cares because it's Mahomes. He hasn't had his number one wide receiver for six weeks. They haven't had their number one running back who's not very good, but

for five weeks. They're both coming back. Like the teams, you gotta that's something you always got to watch. It's one of the things I worry about with your Bengals Lyle Collins, like you had that offensive line continuity all year. Lyle Collins goes down, like how that is concerning to me? One last thing involving before I go. I don't know if I believe this or not, but it is injured. I mean believe it, it's true, but I don't know

if I buy into it. The Steelers are seven and two when t J. Watt plays, seven and two when t J. Wapp plays, that's crazy. That team's got no one on offense. I know Collins were was following Alban's about Kinney Pickett. Dude's got hands smaller than your daughter and he's got six touchdown past. I don't think it's superstar, all right. Chad Millman, c CEO Action Network. All odds provided by a FanDuel. So. I ended my regular season hitting fifty four and a half percent. I had a

winning week last week. I like to get to fifty six this year. I was fifty four and a half percent. I'm okay with it. If I picked earlier in the week, I think I could go from fifty four and a half to fifty six. I'm not going to make any excuses. That's not who I am. Anyway, let me ask you a question. Last week, I said, take these teams and I feel like you'll get there. And I don't think you took those teams. I think I took one of the teams. I didn't have a problem finishing at fifty

six percent this year. Well, you're a professional gambler. Well, I'm trying to get you there. That's why I give you the answers. Yeah, that's what my mechanics says. And then I say, listen, you work at Jiffy lou fix my goddamn car. No, listen, you do that, that's what you do. That's why I bring you on. I am a slightly more refined square than your average square. But

I'm a square that said, I usually take underdogs. Let me tell you because I like two of the favorites this week, let me tell you the underdog I like. I like the Ravens. It's now at minus ten. They've given Burrow Joe Burrow issues. I do not like having to face a team back to back. Cincinnati's better, there's no question. But this series and this Baltimore culture made Brady earn every win, made Peyton earn every playoff win. There built for this stuff. The lines ten, I have

to take the Ravens. Sharper square, you have to take the Ravens. I'm sick about this. It's totally sharp. I took the Ravens at six and a half thinking Lamar Jackson might play. I took the Ravens at seven and a half when I thought that when it became clear Lamar Jackson probably wasn't going to play. I can't believe this number keeps going up, and I think you nailed a couple of things on the head. Number one, playing the team again is a challenge. Number two, Culturally, this

is a good spot for the Ravens. They don't get blown out in games three. Let's talk about the offensive line for the Bengals, which are now down two key players. And even last week, when when the Ravens were resting eight starters, they were still getting pressure on Joe Burrow. And this is an entirely different defense since Halloween, that's when Roquan Smith joined the team. Since that time, they've gone from twentieth I'll use a fancy term, fancy analytics

term that betters love. DVOA really just a stat that encompasses many different metrics to come up with all encompassing number. A lot of betters use it. They were twentieth in DVOA against the rush. After a Roquan Smith, they were third one hundred and thirty two points allowed since Smith joined second fused in the NFL. He's a tackling machine. He after start water. He's tackling machines. But here's the

other key. He joined the team and Patrick Queen, who had been underachieving which is why they traded for him, moved over and now together they are a much more athletic pass rushing dynamo that has the third most pressures of any linebacker duo since Roquan Smith joined the team. So ten is just a massive number. It's getting out of control. Yeah. Secondly, Seahawks getting nine and a half some places ten. The weather is going to be windy

and cold and wet. I know I live here. We're getting hit with what they call cyclone bombs Pineapple Express. Now southern California is just getting wet. No cows getting wind and wet. You're asking a rookie quarterback, first playoff game. Pete Carroll's been around the block. This is not his first rodeo. Do I think the Seattle Seahawks struggle to move the ball. Yeah, their offensive line. The rookie tackles have, as Greg Kosell pointed out to me this week, have

regress post Thanksgiving. Why because you go from college, you go down to Phoenix or Miami and train, you go into camp, you go to the season, and you hit a wall post Thanksgiving. All rookies do. So. The old line for Seattle is not what it was in September when Charles Cross was impenetrable but lousy weather, a completion machine and Geno Smith Brock pretty makes an early mistake.

Shanahan gets tight and restrictive. It feels like twenty four seventeen to me, ugly, wet, sloppy, one one unlucky Niner turnover early. Shanahan puts the clamps in, want to get out of town ball control. Seattle feels like the side Sharper Square Sharp Calls winner of the Week. I've referenced

Sharp Calls on the podcast multiple times this season. It's a segment we do on the Favorites me and Simon Hunter, where over the course of the week we get a lot of calls from professional betters who are listening to the podcast and they will give us their feedback on games we are talking about. This was the game they all called about. They like the Seahawks in this spot. A lot of reasons why, all of which you just mentioned.

On the field. I think the weather is certainly something that when you at a number this big, you have to take the weather in any consideration, especially unprecedented weather like this. Tons and tons of trends backing the Seahawks in this situation. So yeah, you're playing the sharp side here. Okay, I'm going to take another favorite. I love them and will not be mocked for it. Dallas off losses, has followed all of them this year with multiple wins. It

was Dak's worst performance. I have a rule, and it's one of my only betting rules. When a B to B plus quarterback, a capable quarterback a Kirk Cousins at Dak Prescott has a stinker, they read the press, they hear the press, they're pissed. They always bounce back with a solid or better than solid performance. Dallas is the better team. You take out Mike Evans against Carolina's fourth string cornerback. They can't run. They haven't been vertically successful.

There are certain realities with teams. Tampa hasn't run the football in two years. They're totally one dimensional. Brady's gonna throw forty eight times. I don't care. I'm swallowing the points. I like the Cowboys Sharper square, totally square. The line opened at three. I betted at three on Sunday night. It's been sitting around at two and a half all week. And there's a lot of signals here for the Bucks.

Number one again, short home favorite. You're telling me that I can have Tom Brady, who just finished another record setting year with his best full game of the year in Week seventeen. I don't poop poo what he did in Week seventeen against a coach in Mike McCarthy, who, let's face it, has proven to be bad in these tactical situations, high risk situations, where the season is on the line. He just has been. I mean that, going

back to Green Bay, teams underperformed in the postseason. Look at how ill prepared they were last year justin trying to get a snap off at the end of the game. Look at the Cowboys have done the past several weeks against Sam Howell, Josh Dobbs Gardner Minshew giving up twenty seven points per game the past five weeks, Dak Prescott leading the league interceptions, missing a third of the season, so he's going up against a top ten defense in

total yards, passing, yards per attempt sacks. And by the way, they've got a Keem Hicks and Vita Vea playing together again. It's only the eighth time that's happened all year. The other seven times Tampa was six and one, they gave up less than four yards per rush, less than fifteen points per game. Without both of those guys five yards per rush, twenty five points per game. So you're getting a very healthy defense that will probably play like we

expected them too well season long. Okay, Bills are now all odds provided by a fan tool like a thirteen and a half point favorite. I honestly I would take Buffalo. I think it's going to be awful. Bills by a million. This was our big balls better the week forty to fourteen. Yeah, you know, I bet the Bills at twelve and a half. I didn't have the smarts to bet him when it

was at ten. I feel like and a lot of the wise guys feel like in these wild card games, they oftentimes play to the script, and they oftentimes played to the script when it's a first time playoff quarterback playing against a veteran playoff quarterback or the past twenty years fourteen and thirty five against the spread for first time playoff quarterbacks and very small sample size, but favorites of ten or more at home in the wildcard round five and one the past six a year or so.

I am not afraid of taking the bills at a big number in the game, and the wise guys aren't either. The volume. Make sure to check out The Draymond Green Show. I brought Draymond Green into the volume because one of the more entertaining voices in sports. Unique perspective understands behind the rope, also chops up with guests like Gary Peyton, Zach Levine, Tracy McGrady. Make sure download The Draymond Green Show wherever you get your podcasts, only on the Volume podcast Network.