Turnovers Sink 49ers, Lions Got Lucky, Aaron Rogers Needs Help, Raiders “A Draft Away”, Lincoln Riley On The Hotseat

0:01 The Volume. All right, the Colin Coward podcast on a Sunday presented by Bud Light. Easy to drink, easy to enjoy. Where do I start? Well, let's start with something that is near and dear to your heart. Atlanta 29, San Francisco 20. Niners mercifully get a bye week as they're all banged up. There's a lot of different takes on this.

0:30 I think this was, I think, most of the sharps, and I'm certainly not a sharp, but I loved Atlanta in this one. 15 players for the Niners came in, you know, on the injured list. Christian McCaffrey got injured in the second quarter, came back. They're throwing touchdowns to Jordan Watkins. It was reversed. And by the way, there was, you know, 2.30 left. San Francisco was driving for a win.

0:56 Purdy threw his second pick. I just... I can't really criticize Brock. It was a mash unit. So I'm going to start with San Francisco. My take was it's their first loss. It was on the road. They're falling apart. This is sort of who they are physically. Now, we've always said they're great early until they fall apart. I thought this was a bit of a buzzsaw. You saw they played a very good first half, John. And then in the second half, they sort of ran out of bodies and Atlanta pulled away.

1:25 Yeah, the turnovers killed them. I mean, Brock threw two bad picks in the second half. Kittle fumbled on that final drive. They had another fumble that was a killer when McCaffrey was banged up. I thought they came out classic Kyle Shanahan. They were up 14-3. You're like, how are they pulling this off? And then the fatigue, the wear and tear, playing Monday night, long travel. But still, I thought they were going toe-to-toe with a team that up until last week you thought was looking pretty good.

1:57 Drake London was coming in and out of this game, but B. John's one of the best players in the league. If you don't hit Pennix, you saw today, he can hit layup throws. If he is not phased in the pocket, he's a lot like a way younger version of Cousins. If you just give them time, they can deliver. If you get around them, all hell breaks loose. and they didn't get around him sometimes. Again, where's Nick Bosa? Nick Bosa said like two weeks ago he was going to come back for a Washington game, and even Kyle said this week, yeah, he got a little over skis on that one, couldn't play today. You know, even McCaffrey, first drive of the game, he looks incredible, and then all of a sudden he's on the sideline working through some stuff,

2:36 so they have to miss him throughout the game. But I thought, you know, I'm with you on the Sharps. I shorted the Sharps just because I was like, everyone thinks that. And then I felt pretty good halfway through the game. But the turnovers. I mean, Brock has been pretty flawless throughout this season.

2:52 He has.

2:52 He threw an interception to Jesse Bates, who's a pretty high-end player that should just be a throwaway. And I think he got a little greedy. Maybe he thought he was throwing it away. I haven't seen his quotes. Another pick that over the middle of the field where the guy– Guy got stretchered off the field last week. Number 53, the Oklahoma linebacker came back. So yeah, I mean, I think everyone in the league going into their bye week, week eight would sign up for six and one. But I think today stings a little bit just because they played pretty well until they started giving the ball to Atlanta.

3:25 So if you look at that, quarterback draft class where we saw Caleb and Drake May put on a show. Drake May, basically, I was at that game. He's carrying a very limited offense. I agree. Caleb's got some skill. That class included Michael Penix, who was drafted by Atlanta. Well, okay, he had Raheem Morris. You and I have always said it's harder with a defensive coach. Raheem's a great DC, not a great head coach. He gets Kevin Stefanski. With Kevin Stefanski, Michael Penix is not only 3-2, his passer rating's at 109. Nine touchdowns, one pick, and 67%. So I think Michael Penix, of all the first-round quarterbacks, looks most like I thought he would. He's a pure pocket passer.

4:08 He'll get dinged up. You're not given 17 games. But I think you and I both felt, in terms of throwing a pretty catchable, accurate ball with two beats and time to throw, I mean, listen, Drake London, Bajon Robinson, Kyle Pitts now is more productive. I think Atlanta, I think Pennix is a franchise quarterback, but I think you have to have a backup ready to go.

4:34 I totally agree. Pennix still had a pretty good quarterback life. Washington with all the weapons. And now here, even Austin Hooper, who's a Stefanski favorite. I mean, they have tall, that's the other thing, tall, long receiving options at tight end to wide receiver. And Bijan right there with Gibbs and McCaffrey is probably the best wide receiver, you know, basically a wide receiver playing running back. So, yeah, I mean, I I've been I was higher on him than my buddies.

5:01 Most people I knew in the scouting community didn't have him close to a first round quarterback. And I think it gets back to listen. You never know. Ricky Pearsall didn't miss a game in college.

5:11 Right.

5:11 And he hasn't been able to stay on the field. So there's an unknown with injuries. But anytime you're always injured, he basically had a surgery every single season in college except one that terrifies teams. And that's why, you know, his body is a little thinner. You know, it's like, you know, Caleb, like a Russell Wilson. They're built like a little tank. Yeah, this guy is not. But he listen, there's something about like a left handed baseball swing, a left handed thrower. I mean, I grew up on Steve Young.

5:37 It's pretty beautiful when it when it releases out of the arm. He throws a beautiful, he throws a very catchable ball. And, you know, I'm sure you noticed that on Thursday night. Not every, you know, Caleb has what? One of the greatest arms in the history of the league. Most guys, you know, Drake May is not a power pitcher.

5:54 He's a touch thrower. Pennix is a lot. Pennix is not the athlete, but he's a touch thrower. So if he has time, the touch ball, I mean, God, he was laying it in there. Even a touchdown today on the move to Kyle Pitts just throws a beautiful ball.

6:09 Okay, Giants 27, Houston 21, overtime. I thought this was a substantial win by the New York Giants. And two major stories. They now move to 4-2-1. First of all, Cam Scadaboo got benched by John Harbaugh. This is Harbaugh taking control of the locker room. And then he comes out today, and Scadaboo's a monster. 17 carries, 7.2 yards per carry. One, he almost knocked out a Texans defender.

6:39 another he pulled up it looked like he had a hamstring uh uh a tinge hamstring pull, so he slowed down. Let's start with Skadaboo. I don't think anybody runs like him. I think he was untackleable in college. Because he's a different player and GM sometimes, the scouting department doesn't have a consensus. When Skadaboo's in the game and has a head of steam, John, I think he's as hard just one-on-one to stop. Maybe he doesn't have Jameer Gibbs-Town or B.

7:09 John Robinson. I think he is an absolutely devastating weapon. Your thoughts on him?

7:15 I've been blown away. A couple years ago, during the draft period when he was coming out, I played golf with one of the big boosters at ASU who had played there, and obviously they love Scataboo at Arizona State. And he's like, what do you think? Do you think he can go to the league and dominate? I'm like, I wouldn't bet on him for the next 10 years, but he could have a couple of years stretch that physicality.

7:36 This is not 1996. Part of what made Mike Allstott or Lorenzo Neal, they were hitting guys like Greg Lloyd, the dad. You know, they were like 300 pounds playing middle line. It was a different level of size. Well, now look at the guys he's running over. These are smaller linebackers. Most linebackers look much closer. You've met these guys.

7:59 When you meet Louis Riddick or Todd Bowles or John Lynch, they tower over linebackers now. Those guys were safeties in the 80s and the 90s. They're all similar size. So Scadaboo, is he going to be able to maintain this level of physicality throughout his career? Probably not. But no one runs like him anymore in the NFL, really. And the guys here he's hitting are just not as big as they once were. So it's advantage. Listen, he's an extremely skilled guy. What a story. Small school in Sacramento, went to Sacramento State. Kenny Dillingham got them when Arizona State was a joke. His first year, I think they won three games. So it's not like, you know, remember when Ohio State came after Quinshawn Junkins at Ole Miss? This

8:45 wasn't that. This is truly like... You're not going to see many of these, you know, even, you know, what's his name at for the Raiders, Jenty, like all the big schools were after him his last year at Boise State. He turned down a bunch of money. This was a guy no one knew about. No one wanted because you're like, how's this going to work? But he's very, very, I would say his vision's pretty elite and he's got really good feet for a power back. He's not Mike Allstott.

9:11 I would imagine Allstott was Wade Moore. But like Allstott, who didn't get enough credit, you were around him, weren't you? Like elite feet, a high-end, quick athlete. And then when you bring that power, these guys aren't used to anymore, these running backs lowering their shoulder on contact.

9:31 Well, the other story is J.J. McCarthy, the next Sam Darnold. His first round pick goes to an organization. And it just starts poorly, never gets going. Darnold leaves. A lot of players wanted Darnold. McCarthy couldn't stay healthy, gets dinged up, lost his fastball, lost his confidence. And we think, well, Kevin O'Donnell bailed on him. Kevin O'Connell bailed on him.

9:57 He's no good. Well, Kevin O'Connell... also let Darnold go and Kirk Cousins go and both have been fine. So in the last five starts for J.J. McCarthy, he is 5-0 with 100 passer ratings. He's not going to blow you away. He's got seven total touchdowns, 66% completion percentage. But I thought last week he made one world-class throw.

10:21 I thought today, John, I thought he made two franchise quarterback throws. My question always with J.J. McCarthy was, it was fastball, no off-speed pitch. He didn't have a second or a third pitch. Velocity on everything, very little nuance, very little touch. But I'm watching him today. And between the scataboo run and a couple of his throws, I'm like, I can't bail on him because I didn't bail on Darnold. Now, I like Darnold more than J.J. McCarthy out of college.

10:58 But J.J. never really got to lead at Michigan because they didn't need him to lead. Well, now they need him. Jackson darts out. Jameis isn't trusted. Do we have a Darnold on our hands as the Giants on the road beat a Houston team that was favored by nine?

11:13 Yeah, I took him. Yeah. I would say that's the best game he's ever played. I know statistically, I was looking it up today, he had way more yards in that game. I think it was the Final Four game against TCU, the year they lost. Remember that crazy game with Harbaugh, a bunch of fumbles and picks? But in terms of... I thought he was going to become Mitch Trubisky, because like you said, all fastballs couldn't layer the throws. Today, a couple of layered throws. The other thing is.

11:44 They're all in on Malik neighbors, right? They, they drafted them really high physically. He has a chance to be the best of that three. Obviously he's better than Marvin Harrison, as you saw today, but even Rome, who's a solid player doesn't, doesn't have that in the bag. Well, if he can awake Malik neighbors and their connection immediately at a half game last week, and then today he's just feeding him the rock and their connection, it jumps off the screen. Isn't it powerful confidence? I mean, I, I, I'm a good example. You believed in me a long time ago. And like whether you're going through a tough period of time, young people, it's just easy to go in the tank. And sometimes someone kind of– listen, John Harbaugh,

12:23 Jim's like this too. I know it's not going well for Jim, but their background is uplifting people, making people believe in themselves. Oh, yeah. And to get this guy– it's pretty clear the Giants have a pretty high-level skill group. I mean, they got running backs. Malik Nabors was a top-six pick and widely considered the most talented wide receiver of that draft. Likely, as clearly, if the Ravens had a redo, they would have got rid of Mark and found a way to keep him.

12:50 Yeah, I didn't get– I like the Ravens' personnel department. I didn't get that move. I said it in the offseason. He will be a high-production player for years for the Giants.

12:59 Yeah, I mean, to me, he's got some Waller in his prime vibes. You know, Malachi Fields jumps off the screen, so you got him to go. And JJ, you'd have to give him like an A-plus today, given the circumstances. Oh, absolutely. Because remember, I guess it was a couple weeks ago now, I heard Danny Connell on a college podcast talk about this.

13:18 He's like, it's so much easier. He was talking about Dylan Rayola coming in that game against USC. No pressure, no game plan. Just go out and play. Well, once you're told you're the starter on Monday, they start building practices around you. You start coming in Monday and Tuesday with the coaches. All the reps are built around you.

13:35 And you think about it for six straight days. And it's like, that's why I took the Texans, even if their defense has, let's face it, been horrendous relative to what it was last year. And it was like, well, they played Trevor Lawrence. They played Dak. They played Josh Allen. It was easy to kind of justify it. Well, maybe their defense just isn't that good. But J.J. McCarthy took advantage of it. And this goes to Sam. We're recording this before the night game. When you can run, and this is the Shanahan family motto, run the ball helps the quarterback. Ideally, you have Patrick Mahomes and you run the ball and you're going to win all the time.

14:08 But most of the time, you're not going to have that. And if you can run for 188 yards, they had more rushing attempts than they did pass attempts. That is going to be a formula that works. But, you know, if JT is going to go 20 of 28, I don't think either of us would have predicted 20 of 28 and over nine yards in attempt. 20 of 28 would have been like, I bet he threw for 140 yards dinking and dunking. He's pushing the ball downfield, Colin.

14:31 Nagy has been, Nagy's had a really, really good year for them. I mean, they've been dealt a tough hand after that knee got snapped in half. And he ran a short yardage play to Scataboo today. I was like, that's an Andy Reid play. And they busted it out. They had like four running backs. And it was a little turnaround play. I'm like, Mahomes done that five times.

14:50 And it worked and it popped. Nagy and Greg Roman, people had too many cooks in the kitchen. I think it's working right now.

14:57 Well, and I also think the way they did the Scataboo move, they benched him. So they say, hey, listen, you're not going to fumble. Okay, they didn't bench him for weeks. They benched him for a week. And then they fed him the ball today. That's just sending a message around, guys, there's a way to do it and there's a way not to do it. And you'll be punished if you fumble the ball and you're loose with it.

15:19 You'll be punished. But we don't hold grudges. The Harbaughs don't hold grudges. We'll play the following week. And I said, you know, it's well documented now. I said the Giants were my surprise team in the NFL. I thought they'd win nine or ten games. And when Jackson Dart got hurt, I said, yeah, they can win maybe eight with Jameis. Winston, but he's kind of silly. He's never been a nice guy, not my cup of tea as a quarterback. But what if they did find J.J. McCarthy? I I'll tell you, uh, and he redeems himself with Jackson darts playing style. I would keep him at least for a year. I'd be like, I'm not letting him leave because Jackson, I don't think Jackson darts as effective if he's not moving. So to me,

16:01 what if the, the giant stumbled on Jackson dart and JJ McCarthy, two guys. So again, I, I I'll be critical when it calls for it, but I, I'm not gonna, I mean, I Baker Mayfield turned it around. Um, J.J. McCarthy today, I watched and thought, that can work. You can start in the NFL playing like that. Another game that's fascinating, Bengals 35, Ravens 13. Bengals, big lead, lose it, get beat. Tell me if you've heard that before. It's their 17th time they've blown a 10-point lead since 2020.

16:37 But what you saw in this game, first of all, the Bengals were not ready to play. They were out gained in the first half, 258 yards to 50. And time of possession, 22 minutes to seven and a half. And the Ravens averaged 6.6 yards of play. So the Ravens came in with their backup, Snoop Huntley, and a game plan and executed it. And then Cincinnati went touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown.

17:05 Burrow in the second half was 16 of 18, a perfect passer rating. So this was one of my favorite plays of the week. I did not think it would look like this. This was the classic example. And Burrow was almost like a seven on seven. He was going deep, intermediate. He was scrambling around. He was manipulating the secondary. I look at Baltimore now and you start looking at their record and they have a rookie head coach. And we respect the Ravens. But Cleveland's now in first place. Cincinnati's better.

17:38 Pittsburgh may have a low ceiling. And it may not work in the postseason. But the Steelers won again today. Is this a rookie defensive coach who was hot off the presses? But, I mean, they have now been in multiple games. They come in with a game plan, John, and the Ravens run out of gas. Atlanta run out of gas when it matters.

18:01 I'm going to give the Ravens a little bit of a pass. I mean, they don't have Lamar Jackson.

18:05 Right.

18:06 How many games are you going to win? I mean, they're up 13-0 at halftime, kicking the living you-know-what out of the Bengals. I mean, at halftime when it was 13-0. I was like, this is going to be one of the most embarrassing losses of the season when you're facing Snoop Huntley in a divisional game. Like you just, it's one thing to lose, right? If Snoop's going nuts and you lose 28 to 27, but just to get shut out.

18:27 And then Joe Burrow and his two sidekicks, because when number one and number five get cooking, there's no, they feel like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Clay Thompson, 10 years ago. It's like, good luck.

18:37 That's what the second half looked like.

18:38 Because T Higgins is so big. His ball skills are so elite. And Jamar Chase is just an unstoppable force. So I like to me, this is the Lamar Jackson question mark. You know, there's been a lot of chatter about the ankle and is he injured? Is he willing to play through it? Listen, I got no clue. I don't know anyone there. All I know is like when he was playing early this season, you went, God, this team looks for real. And I don't care how, who you get. We saw Ben Johnson. You run out of juice with your backup quarterback. There's only so much you can do. And their personnel on offense, like, I was a little late to turn on this game. It was 7-0 before two minutes into the game. I don't know what happened the first play, but the second or third

19:18 play of the game, Zay Flowers scored a 50-yard touchdown. It's 7-0 before you could even blink. You're like, damn. At home, you start thinking, okay, divisional game, the Ravens are going to show up. But they're not able to generate in the offense in the second half. And then this... I don't know what we're into. No one kicks field goals anymore. It's 14 to 13, and they go for it on fourth and two instead of kicking a field goal to take the lead. And I think it was Nance was like, hey, you know, the analytics, you can take a lead here, divisional opponent in the fourth quarter.

19:48 At the time, this wasn't a 40. 4035 shootout. This is a 1413 game. But no one wants you have a backup quarterback in and then they don't get it. Joe Burrow drives the field. And then it was just on like Donkey Kong from there. So I actually, it's crazy how football changes fast. I came away at the end going, damn, I wouldn't want to play the Bengals because they're sealing on offense. Those guys are healthy. And their defense just, at the end of the day, they gave up 13 total points. It felt bad in the first half, but they never scored again.

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21:17 Let's go to Cleveland. The Browns trading Miles Garrett to the Rams. Listen, in business, sometimes your toughest decisions are your smart ones. Miles Garrett's a superstar. Cleveland wasn't winning, however, with him. So they traded him for Jared Verse and a bunch of draft picks. They got younger, added flexibility, gave themselves options for the future. That's good business by Cleveland.

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21:51 XERO.

21:52 Terms and conditions apply. We could talk about the Steelers who moved to 5-2 with a 16-10 win in Paris over the Saints. I mean, the Saints came in with like the 32nd-ranked defense. Aaron Rodgers has nobody to throw to. Rico Dowdle and Jalen Warren. Jalen Warren was easily the best player on the field. Like, it wasn't particularly close.

22:17 It has been for them for a while.

22:18 I mean, today it was so stark. This was a bad Saints defense. And Jalen Warren was the offense. DK Metcalf had one long catch. But their second and third leading receivers were running backs. I mean, what Pittsburgh's doing will not work in the postseason. It won't translate. It's very much like the previous years. But I will tell you, watching them today against a really, really suboptimal Saints defense, and Pittsburgh's got a veteran team. You know they went over to Paris. It was a business trip. They were not distracted. There is just nothing here for Aaron. I'll tell you another thing. So the GM retires for the Steelers, the longtime general manager, they hire a guy in house.

23:06 Remember when the Steelers went 20 years, could not miss in a wide receiver. They had three, they'd find Antonio Browns. It didn't matter. They just found great receivers. I look since their GM left DK Metcalf, which I would have never made that move. John Snyder got him off the books. Um, Their young GM, who'd been working for the organization for years, got the job, overpaid for him. I'll give Aaron credit.

23:37 Pittsburgh is a water pistol offensively, and Jalen Warren is the only reason they can win games.

23:44 I don't know if you saw some of Aaron's comments after the game. He played for the Packers and didn't have an owner, and they might have been cheap with free agency, but it always felt like they were a pretty high-level organization, the way they operated. The Steelers have a team that feels like the average age is like 35.

24:01 I mean, I think legitimately they're like one of, if not the second or third oldest team in the league. They took a red eye on Thursday night. And one thing Aaron said after the game is the league should mandate you come over basically on Sunday or Monday. Well, the Roonies are historically a little cheap, a little old school.

24:17 They get in battles with contracts. They take a red-eye Thursday, so they're up all day Friday. They're basically just there two nights. The Saints have flown after the Giants game last week. They had been there the entire week. That's a pretty big advantage. That's a long trip for an older. If you or I hopped on a red eye and had to do some serious things, just talking a couple of days later, we might not be all there. Let alone play a game. We just saw it with the Rams game. So I, I stayed away. Like I, I like, I had no clue what this thing's going to look like, especially when you factored in the Steelers travel plans. But I, I've said this to you. I've said it on my podcast.

24:52 I have so much respect for the way Aaron's battled these last two years. He's not doing this for the money. I mean, he's got probably a couple hundred million dollars in the bank and He's not doing this for the legacy. If his career had ended before the Jets, he's one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Him battling out there, I mean, all season long, he's been getting hit. Like you said, I mean, one of his best skill guys is a 300-pound tight end who had a nice touchdown today in the corner of the end zone. So it's not like it's fun. It's not like, well, he's shattering records at 43 years old. You know, even Tom in his latter years, they had Godwin. They had Mike Evans. Like, they drafted Bucky. They had a bunch of skill guys.

25:26 Pittsburgh's got nothing.

25:28 I know. It's... Eric is kind of doing it for the love of the game. And let's face it at five and two, unless they got a couple of major injuries on defense, they kind of feel like a playoff lock back to back years, keeping the Steelers in the playoffs. I think that's really commendable. And the way they play, you know, you'd never know you could win a playoff game.

25:47 The one thing is, they could win the division. You know, the Browns have benefited a little bit from the schedule. You know, like today playing the Titans. Now they got, they have good players. They're not an easy out by any means, but I mean, the Steelers are right in this thing. Now, when it comes down to it against the Bengals in a big game late in the season, you know, I have to look at their skits, some of the better teams, are they going to be able to score with them? Probably not. But I think if they get to nine or 10 wins, I actually think it's a positive on the Aaron legacy chart.

26:18 Well, speaking of Cleveland, they beat Tennessee 27-24. We won't spend a ton of time on this, but it goes back to something I have said, that Todd Munkin is greatly benefiting from a great GM. Casey Concepcion, eight catches, 130 yards, rookie. Harold Fannin, huge play late, tied in from Bowling Green, 91 yards, six catches. Judkins, the Ohio State running back, couple of touchdowns, almost 100 yards. You can say what you want about Cleveland. Deshaun Watson was just okay. But they averaged 7.4 yards play today. Cleveland shipped off Miles Garrett, and people kind of freaked out.

26:59 But I'll give Andrew Barry credit. They got younger in draft picks, and Miles Garrett is yet to play. So we can say what we want about Cleveland the entire offseason. I said... John, they have drafted too well for three straight years. They remind me of a less functional Seattle. They've hit on so many draft picks. It really helps them navigate through the awful Deshaun Watson contract, which we've always said that if you can hit on five or six draft picks over the next two years, even if you have a bad dead cap contract with a quarterback, it mitigates a lot of it. I don't think Cleveland's a great team. I think their talent in this division– is almost as good as Baltimore. Do you?

27:40 I mean, it's pretty damn good. I mean, what would Aaron Rodgers do for some of those wide receivers on his team? Some of that speed. I think the other thing is Munkin deserves a lot of credit. I know I was guilty of this. I thought it was going to be a pretty embarrassing year. And then you start taking a step back. He's coordinated some pretty high-level offenses.

28:01 But you never know head coach, older, a little grumpier. I come more and more impressed watching him by the week talk, the feel he has for the offense, how good he is with the players. I mean, they clearly play hard for him. The other thing is Watson is, I mean, today statistically, he obviously has one of the best games he's ever had as a Brown. The bar's pretty low, throwing for over 300 yards. But he's been pretty solid. I mean, he's had some stretches in games where he's kind of where he crumbles. One of them, you know, they had the lead. Was it the Steeler game?

28:33 He almost gave it away. But like they're not always winning in spite of him. And Munkin deserves credit for that. You know, I mean, everyone's like, go to Shador, go to Shador. And he that was not an easy situation for him. And I'd say he handled it pretty well, where I would imagine a lot of people like this is the next Jim Tomsula. This is the next Ben McAdoo like now. And this is a situation where people go to die at coach. I mean, this ruins your career.

28:58 You become a laughingstock. It derails your career. And I would say he's earned a lot of credit around the league of like, this guy kind of knows what he's doing. You know, we all want the young, sexy coach. We all want the next Davis Webb. Sometimes a guy who's been coaching for four years, you know, knows a thing or two about football. I know, I bet you know some of the old coaches in the league. I'm even talking head coaches are kind of like, yeah, kind of like seeing an old guy, you know, who everyone laughed at.

29:24 You should have gone Davis Webb first.

29:27 Lions 20, Packers 17. Detroit got very lucky today. First, Goff should have had three picks. Green Bay dropped a couple of them. Also, the Lions went front in their own 23 on a fourth and one. The Packers end up missing that 35-yard field goal after. This game was there for the taking for Green Bay. My takeaway on this was Josh Jacobs came back. Absolutely. I mean, Detroit also fumbled to start the second half, two fumbles and three plays like Detroit did not play well. Detroit comes out of this thing and thinks we won. Green Bay dropped two interceptions. We fumbled twice. We got stopped deep in our own territory. They missed a 35 yard field goal.

30:10 This if you're a Packer fan today. Thank God for the Brewers because Green Bay walks out of this game. Detroit was handing Green Bay this game for three and a half hours. Now, Josh Jacobs, also, I'll give Green Bay credit. Their O-line isn't very good, and it's banged up. So, I mean, they were going for it on fourth down in the first half. I mean, they came in. Matt LaFleur's like, we're not winning this thing unless we're aggressive.

30:36 The disheartening part for Green Bay was Detroit played poorly, handed a half dozen opportunities to the Packers, and they just couldn't. I guarantee you, Green Bay fans today, losing is one thing. Green Bay fans today have to be disgusted.

30:58 Yeah, I think the two fumbles and not kicking it and going for it on the fourth down, I'm being conservative. That's 13 points. That's what I wrote down. So the Lions' mistakes, I mean, it could have been more. I mean, the fumble at the end of the first half, when they're at the 12-yard line, like 30 seconds, they've just driven like, you know, six, seven-minute drive, I think, down the field.

31:20 It was a 12-play, 85-yard drive in four minutes. And it's like, God, they're going to score a touchdown here. And the one problem for Green Bay is Golden is a very talented player, but God, he does not make crazy catches that hit him in the hands. He leads the league in drops. He's an extremely skilled player. I mean, the speed, because I'm thinking going into this game, The irony about this cold weather division, you know, obviously Detroit and Minnesota play in the dome, is like Green Bay and Chicago are both kind of built for domes too.

31:52 Explosive offenses, they want to throw the ball down the field. Green Bay was always kind of like that with Rodgers. It's like, thank God they didn't play in a dome because they would average like 45 points a game. And sometimes when the cold weather comes, their great assets become neutralized a little bit. Well, that's why I think they got aggressive and got Jacobs and why, you know, they were never going to get rid of them despite anything that happened off the field, which clearly looks pretty ugly.

32:14 But as long as that video doesn't get out, they're just going to keep charging ahead because they need them because the guys they were playing were like practice squad guys. And you see, I don't know what he's been doing for the last two months, but he looked pretty ready to me. You know, one touchdown, he had breaking tackles.

32:26 You're like, geez, they didn't. The backup kid from USC, I thought looks like a like a four stringer so that they were in desperate need of that but their wide receivers specifically golden just there were plays to be made today and he just didn't come down with them because no bro i i just thought like jordan love puts it on him and he keeps going it's not like he's not like rogers or brady where he's like oh you drop i'm not going because you can tell tom was a little disgusted he's like you got to catch that ball that's a drop Because I think half the people on the couch would be like, oh, great play by the DB. And Tom's like, that's a drop.

32:59 And what would Rodgers and Tom do? No more passes for you, buddy. And Jordan just keeps going at him, which I understand. I mean, he's extremely talented. But, you know, that's the difference of these two teams. Like, I think Detroit's guys feel– I mean, Amin Ra is one of the more sure-handed players in the league. What did Golden end up having today? Six catches for 40 yards. Like, to me, in this game, if I'm taking the Packers to win, you would have needed that number to be higher.

33:24 And he had 12 targets, Colin. So he had six catches and 12 targets. So it shows you Jordan Love is force-feeding zero the ball.

33:32 No, I think Kraft had a touchdown in this one. I think Micah Parsons is going to make– I thought this was going to be a shootout. I like Detroit to win. I didn't think Detroit played particularly well. Brian Branch came back. He did have a pick. But my takeaway watching this game was it was a division rivalry game, is that both teams left so much. I mean, Goff knows he didn't play particularly well. Jamison Williams was great.

34:02 He almost had a third touchdown, but he couldn't get his second foot down. I think these are two good teams that didn't play particularly well. It was an ugly division rivalry game. And if I'm Green Bay, and I don't know when Mike is coming back, I think it's like three weeks, maybe four. It was supposed to come back early October. Now it could be mid-November. But I think Green Bay has to be encouraged. I mean, the special teams are what they are. It feels like Green Bay's kicking situation has been hot and cold forever. But I think if I'm Green Bay, my take is Josh Jacobs, clearly.

34:39 I mean, there was no question today there was a physical component to the Packers I don't feel like I've had all year. That felt different.

34:47 Yeah, to me, if he's not there, I mean, he only ran for 36 yards, but the catching, you know, he caught five balls for 55 yards in the touchdown where he broke the tackle was a huge, because the other two guys, I mean, Watson and Golden combined for basically less than 100 yards. Meanwhile, St. Brown and Jamison Williams combined for almost 250 yards. And like you said, it probably should have been more. And Gibbs ran for almost 120. So, like, they're high-end players. That's why it's like, how is this game so close? It all gets back to the fumbles and the turnovers. Because I give Detroit a lot of credit. I kind of like the Packers in this game. And, you know, Detroit coming off the bye.

35:24 This is a big game for them, right? Their defense has not been great. 20-17, I think you and I would have guessed it would have been the halftime score. You know, so this was, you know, Detroit 4-2. One thing when they're at home that their offensive firepower or they're in a convenient outside environment, they're going to be tough because I mean, St. Brown, Jamison Williams, Laporta, Gibbs, Goff's been excellent really all season. You know, I threw his first pick. I don't know. Does he even have an interception this year? He's been excellent.

35:53 He isn't coming into the game.

35:54 No, he didn't have one today. So he threw for 300 yards. Like his numbers.

35:58 He was lucky. He was lucky today.

36:00 No, he was. He was. Well, as Tom said, 33. There's a reason that guy gets put on defense. He doesn't play slot receiver. You know? So, I mean, Colin, there'd be a lot more interceptions in the NFL if you put the wide receivers in those positions that the DBs are in. But, yeah, I mean, I think Green Bay still has got some issues. Like, I mean, running the ball, it was his first game back. but they're going to have to find a way to get to that 100 number to make it a little bit easier because right now they feel very Jordan drop back and throw bombs. I mean, how often does he step back and unleash that thing 30 or 40 yards in the air?

36:35 That feels like their offense right now.

36:38 Denver 30, Arizona 16. First of all, I think Denver's defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, has been the Broncos MVP this year. It's stout. They get the pass rush. it's just a really good defense. The story of the day was Denver came into the game with 11 chunk plays all year, chunk being 20-plus. Today they had five. Bo Nix had a 62-yard touchdown run. Screen pass to R.J. Harvey, third quarter was 52 yards. They had five chunk plays. And I was sitting watching this game with my producer, Josh, and I'm like, oh, okay, this is like a real offense.

37:17 Now it's Arizona, and I got to tell you, For a large majority of that game, Arizona did not have a lot of fight. You know, Jacoby Brissett, again, when you see a backup quarterback or a bridge quarterback and you get like Snoop Huntley or Jacoby Brissett and you kind of get to the mid part of the season and we've got a lot of film, they're a little dinged up, they have really bad halves. So I didn't have any strong opinion other than I thought Denver, listen, it's Mims, Harvey. I will say Coleman, the rookie running back out of Washington, he was at Arizona, transferred to the Huskies with Jed Fish. Denver picked him up. I think he's going to end up being really, really good and important for this team down the stretch. Harvey gets

38:00 a lot of the stuff out of the backfield. He feels more pass catcher than he does great elite running back. I'll still say this. I think Denver's personnel is really outstanding. I really do.

38:13 And I know this is probably difficult for Sean because, I mean, most of his career is with Drew Brees, and he tried it with the Taysom Hill, and it didn't work. I think they should run Bo Nix a little bit more.

38:22 So do I.

38:23 Yes. Obviously, that play's a little freakish. Have you ever seen a quarterback run that far with no one around him when all the wide receivers are critical? Nobody around him. Every 10 yards, you're like, when's someone going to come into the screen? It wasn't until the last– He got to the five-yard line. So, obviously, that's a freak play.

38:39 But I think they could pick up a lot of first downs that they've been struggling. He's a high-end athlete. You know, I mean, this guy is– I was watching Minnesota today. A couple times, Kyler was just like, let it rip. Just run around. Make some plays with your feet because you're– you know, you could tell early in that game, it was six, nothing, but it just, he felt that their offense still fell off. That play completely changed the game and they never look back. And I do think, and it happened a couple of times last year, he would start running around with his feet. And I think he's, and there's probably this push and pull. Cause when you watch them this year, it feels like I'm not going to run. I'm going to, I got to

39:15 do with my arm. That's what they want me to do with my arm. They want me to do with my arm. It's like, well, you're not exactly a Elway here, buddy. So let's go. And, you know, like you said, the talent gap and this, I mean, the Cardinals were just a joke, but I do think there's some signs of life, which is mobility and maybe that can spark Sean to be like, okay, we got to get back to our roots, utilize this kid.

39:35 John, when you watch, I mean, Franklin disappears and he was a fairly high draft pick out of Oregon. Mims making plays, Harvey, Coleman, Sutton, Waddle, Bowe's athletic. I haven't gotten to the tight ends. This team, I said it a couple of weeks ago, if you're not going to use Mims- You know, the Rams could use a receiver because Puka's banged up and Devontae is. Like, they've got a lot of talent. Everything costs more now. right? Groceries, travel, going out, you feel it everywhere, the pinch. I think all of us have gotten a lot more conscious about the little things financially, and we all want our money working smarter. And I don't want to get nickel and dime by unnecessary fees. That's one of the things I

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40:57 within 14 days. Terms apply. Download Cash App today. Make your money work for you. Visit our link in bio. Speaking of the Rams, it was their best half of the season. They led 28-6 at half. Stafford was unbelievable in the first half, 17-19, three touchdowns. They beat the Raiders 35-21. The tight ends awakened for the Rams. Some have been banged up. We were ready for them to be used. I will say they ran the ball. Kyron Williams got a little noisy last week. He had 99 yards.

41:34 They fed him the ball. This was sort of the half we'd been waiting for all year where they used a lot of tight ends. The running game was strong. I got to tell you, Ashton Gentry, I think the Raiders actually have some talent, but I do think they're a draft away. And I also think, did you notice today, Arizona didn't have a ton of life. The Raiders feel like These teams that are a year away, like the Raiders, and then they get dinged up. They just don't have the depth. So the Raiders, for the first two or three weeks, are like, wow, this is a real punch.

42:09 But they don't have a second or a third because they're still– I mean, like, even a good team like New England, they have 23 guys who are in their first or second year. New England's another draft away, and they just got to the Super Bowl. It was kind of a fluky year for them in the AFC. But I sort of look at the Raiders and Rams. Even though the Rams won convincingly today– it still doesn't, to me, it just doesn't feel right for the Rams. It still doesn't.

42:39 I would say big picture, there are some major question marks with their roster, with the injuries they just had this week. I mean, Devontae led the league in touchdowns last year. And even this year, he's had some massive games and massive moments for them. He's gone six to ten weeks. I'm going to lean for an older player closer to the ten. I mean, who knows? Maybe we never see it. They lost multiple defensive linemen. this week for on injured reserve, like gone.

43:02 So I Turner. So I didn't afford.

43:05 And so then you're depending much more on this guy. That's taken two years off. I was thinking today, if they lost, is Aaron Donald be like, you know, you can keep that other 12 million that you owe me for the rest of the season. I'm going back home. I get that across my mind. I wouldn't even have blamed him. Like I didn't sign up for this. There is no designation for when 95 is going to come back.

43:23 Well, there that's what happens though.

43:26 When you hit your wagon to like, He's got, there's no disputing Miles is a very talented player, but, you know, he's been with the Browns for a long time. A lot of articles about, hey, Miles, we need you to show up on time. You know, it's not like this guy eating tickets. It's not like we got this guy, you know, from this winning culture that was viewed as this all time great winner, all time great leader. I mean, this isn't exactly Reggie White you're bringing into the building, you know, and it's not like, well, he had some transgressions off the field, but he was Lawrence Taylor. He carried us to Super Bowls. So it's like it was a hired gun and it's kind of blown up in their face. So, yeah, they played the Raiders today for

44:05 the last 25 years. have had more games that look like today than the other way around. So I give them credit. Like you said, McVay back against the wall. They're an elite red zone team. You get Stafford in the red zone, McVay's going to be able to scheme guys open. His accuracy in that little short area, he's dominated this year. Their problem has been like just injuries, obviously, and they just have lapses. I mean, even today, a couple turnovers, Kieran Williams put one on the ground again.

44:35 Well, And they've got they've gotten a little I think they have a great scouting department, but they needed an offensive tackle. And, you know, there was an argument instead of Ty Simpson, go get a tackle. It was a very good first round tackle draft. And I defended because, I mean, Stafford has looked old this year. And by the way, I was I spent the weekend in Chicago with a former college quarterback. His dad's a very, very close friend of mine. And his son was a college quarterback in the Pac-12. And he went to these camps for years. And so he's known all these quarterbacks. He's been at camps with them and spoke very highly of Ty Simpson. Ty Simpson's a really good player. So I kind of defended that. But they went and had to

45:20 go get Trent McDuffie and Watson from Kansas City because the year before they should have drafted a corner. So when they went and got Miles Garrett and then drafted a quarterback that they didn't need immediately– It is easy to look in the rearview mirror and go, God, there are some needs on this team. You're getting old. But I don't want to make any harsh judgment because I want to see Myles Garrett play and be at full strength.

45:45 And Kobe Turner will be back in three to four weeks. But this was the first time all year I watched the Rams and I saw last year where it's like touchdown, touchdown, quick, tight end use, run by. I mean, everybody touched. They were a very hard matchup today. The Vikings go to 6-0. They beat the Colts 16-10. I'm not going to talk about it because they have nine offensive touchdowns all season and the Bears got eight in week one. So that's not worthy of discussion. I think there's a couple of things to talk about, John, in college football. And let's just get to the point. USC gets off a bye, humiliated by Wisconsin, a very average team. So it was a mistake-filled, sort of lifeless, offensive Saturday night in Madison.

46:33 And to make it worse, Bob Chesney is 7-0 with UCLA as they drub Michigan State. Not a lot of fans there. They've always been the basketball program in Los Angeles. But, you know, I was thinking a lot of– I want to give you my thought on this because I think Lincoln Riley, there's no coming back. I think Jen Cohen, if she could, would buy him out. She has tolerated him.

46:56 They're not close. Many people I've talked to, executives in the NFL, everybody knows that he can be defensive and a bit prickly. He's not terribly social. And he lives through the play sheet. And so I'm going to throw a theory at you. The top college coaches– Freeman, Signetti, Smart, and Saban is when they sell physicality and toughness and urgency and discipline, it's authentic. And the players know it's authentic.

47:31 You can't fool the players. Saban still lives and breathes what he preached to his football team. He preaches in his life. He eats the same thing for breakfast. He goes to bed at the same time. He's not a big drinker. Like Saban lives the life. And so players buy into it. And you can't fool the players. Well, what has USC done primarily well? Primarily not against Wisconsin.

47:56 Passing game. Because Lincoln, his belief system is that play sheet. And the players believe him and they trust him and they respect him through the play sheet. That's why USC offensively, John, is pretty consistent until Saturday night offensively. But when he preaches toughness and discipline and physicality, Lincoln does that because he knows that's winning football. But the players don't believe it.

48:26 And the reason I know that's true is so many times in games like Saturday, when they needed that second effort or second gear of physicality and toughness, it vanishes. The offense in losses rarely vanishes because the belief system of what Lincoln is preaching is authentic. Lincoln is trying to sell the team things that he knows are valuable for winning football, but the team doesn't buy it. Bob Chesney has walked in to a roster half as talented, and they're a much better defensive team.

48:58 Why?

48:59 Because what he's preaching, and I talked to the athletic director that hired him. I spent a Thursday night in Chicago with a former UCLA AD. said all you had to do was interview Bob Chesney. And there is no flash. It's 100% substance. So my takeaway is Lincoln knows what winning football is. but it's not really who he is.

49:24 It is who Kirby Smart, Saban, Signetti, Freeman, like what they're preaching is really who they are. And it comes off as the players buy into it. And I just don't think, I think under Lincoln's leadership, they're going to be a poor tackling team. It's the same team, John, for four and a half, five years. When they lose, it always looks the exact same.

49:47 Yeah, I mean, I would say end of the day, he's a Big 12 guy in a physical conference. It's just not going to work if you just cut it down to the nuts and bolts. I mean, he grew up on Mike Leach in Oklahoma. Their defenses were horrendous on loaded teams. They couldn't stop anybody. And nothing has changed.

50:05 I think the downfall financially we'll see because it's not just $ 60, $ 70 million to buy him out. You've got to buy a new coach. Who is that coach who you're replacing him with? This marriage, to me, personality matters a lot in these situations. And his personality never fit Southern California. I do think that Bob Chesney, who looks like a Hollywood movie star, who the moment he was hired, he said, anyone who wants to interview me, anyone, local television podcast, I'm going to do it all because that's what this program needs. And that's what my job is, the conduit for this program. in this day and age, needs me to be. And you had him on, what, last week or two weeks ago? He's done everything because

50:47 he knows that's important. And Lincoln is the, I was listening to Petro's talk, who's obviously not a huge fan. The alumni, the boosters, they don't like him because they don't know him because he won't talk to any of them. He hates that stuff.

50:59 Antisocial.

51:00 Well, to me, if you are going to be introverted, I think we all have I have some versions of that to me. There are certain parts of times in your job where you've got to throw that to the side and suck it up, and he refuses. And you can get away with that if you're going 11-1, going to the playoffs, going to the Final Four every year, but he's doing the opposite. And that to me buys you a longer leash. Why did they get rid of Brian Kelly so fast? Why did James Franklin get a longer leash? Clearly some people liked him, right? He had a big personality, was outspoken. Brian Kelly, everyone turned on him immediately. It feels like the same things happen with Lincoln Riley because no one likes him. And he's clearly

51:35 not a good enough coach to make up for that. And then you have this guy, I guess it would be right up the road from USC, who is the polar opposite. Defensive guy, team's immediately tough. And everyone's like, oh, great guy. He's easy to talk to. See him out. He'll talk to me. He'll just introduce himself.

51:51 Yeah.

51:51 So you're like, wait, wait, that's, and that's what USC thinks about their Pete Carroll days, Pete, big personality, defensive guy, physical. It's like, wait, how are they winning? I was like, I'll back up quarterback, bunch of skill guys. You've never heard of, uh, not hat quarter of the NIO money. Hell, I didn't have ever even heard of this guy two years ago and he's being Lincoln Riley. And let's face it.

52:12 I think anytime, and you've been a proponent and I've used this advice before. You make decisions strictly out of money. I remember talking to a buddy that worked for Lincoln in Oklahoma. He's like, he's not leaving. He just built this mansion. He's like, who the hell did he sell it to in this area? What did USC do? Lincoln, how much do you want for it? He's like, $ 4 million, which in Oklahoma would be like a $ 20 million house in LA. We'll give you $ 500, 000 over asking. They gave him so much money. They made him basically, he would have been doing his family a disservice to say no.

52:41 He had to say yes. And it's never really worked. And they have this... It's basically a college fugazi where he can just buy these high school kids because he can pay them in high school where these other states can't so he can get these guys. It's... You know, listen, Wisconsin's not bad. That's the other thing. They played Notre Dame well for half. They went toe-to-toe with UCLA. They didn't just lose to Rutgers.

53:04 That's a real team. No, that's a real defense. That's an excellent top 15 college defense.

53:09 Absolutely. Shoved them around, which is not shocking. You're like, well, who's Lincoln going to lose to typically? I heard someone– that's the worst offensive output in his 10 years as head coach. So that's an outlier situation. But the way his team looked physically getting pushed around parallels what we've seen.

53:26 Going back to like Baker Mayfield's team, that is always the– but that was Mike Leach's thing. That's kind of what the football he was– Kirby Smart was raised playing at Georgia and then coaching for Saban at LSU and Bama. Think about Cignetti. Cignetti, he comes from a family of coaches.

53:44 Right.

53:44 When Kellen Moore, what's he think? He's like offensive guy. It's you're, you're kind of bred from something for your coaching philosophy. And obviously Lincoln's just score points, score points, score points. Doesn't know any defensive coaches. I've always liked his defensive coordinator at least 15 years ago, but like, that's the best. I think people at USC, that's the best you can do. Don't you have a, don't you have a web of people you can contact?

54:05 No, John, what's happened is it's like anything. The best coordinators are not putting their career in Lincoln's hands. They may have done it, his first two years there. But remember, he got on that plane to go to USC. And you know, this is what happened with Saban. When you leave a program and you say, guys, whoever gets on the plane is on the staff. And the defensive coordinator got on the plane to LA. So you're stuck for two years because he moves his family to LA. You can't fire him after seven games. So by that time, They had one chance to get a big-time defensive coordinator.

54:41 They got the kid out of USC, Denton Lynn. And he didn't like it. And he left for Penn State. So now you're stuck because now Lincoln's in trouble and none of the top guys are coming. So if you're an offensive guy and you're going to hire a defensive coordinator, you better do it early in your tenure because you know how it is, John, in our careers. You're not going to tie yourself to somebody. You're not going to move your wife and kids cross country to a coach who's on the hot seat. So you end up with Gary Patterson, who's been, you know, he'd been out of the game. So he's not going to be a recruiter.

55:15 He doesn't know Los Angeles particularly well. It's just– 20.

55:19 Years ago, wouldn't USC– financially, things are so– I mean, you're talking $ 70 million buyouts. Wouldn't they just go buy Bob Chesney? I mean, wouldn't– But here's the thing.

55:29 I don't think Chesney fits USC. I've made this argument. The kind of coach you need, I don't think Chris Peterson– They offered him the job years and years ago. He's not attracted to it. Bob Chesney, UCLA is the underdog in town. Yeah. Like UCLA, you know.

55:51 I'm not saying Bob should leave or take it. No, I wouldn't. I want to say, but my point is, who is, let's say Lincoln's fired tomorrow. Someone strokes you. Who are they hiring? Like would Urban Meyer come out of retirement? Like who's, so who's, who are your options?

56:07 That's what I'm saying. It's one of the things I've said is who's going to write the $ 70 million check. They just spent $ 250 million on facilities. They're paying 35 million for their roster. This idea that just write the check. Now, if you get a Rick Caruso or one of these tech guys up in the Bay Area. $ 70 million to them is a bonus.

56:25 How about some sort of trade to Texas Tech? Some sort of get him back with his Campbell, the money guy. They just got embarrassed. They're clearly not as good this year. And you get them back home. That Tech, Baylor, that fits him more. He doesn't want to talk to these people. But, hey, Lincoln, at Baylor, at Texas Tech, you can't just hide– the college football now, these people cutting this money, they want access to you. You watch that Saban documentary. He has a lot more to him than I think most people realize.

56:57 And you watch it, and even his players talk about it. You're like, ah, this guy– You watch Kirby just handle a room, handle a golf tournament. Ditka, some of these clips after he passed. Part of being a footballer, and I was lucky. I've been around Andy Reid and Pat Hill. They got some shit to them, but they can also, people like them. They're big personalities. It doesn't mean every single day you have to have a great day and talk to everyone and have your door wide open and go around town. But if you don't have that pitch in the bag, I think you have no chance. You can even go to high-level high school coaching nowadays, right?

57:30 I think it's personality. And how do you blame them? They gave him $ 120 million. And I'd be like, I don't want to talk to these people. Why do I need to? All this money is guaranteed.

57:38 I'll throw you the name out. If given an out-of-the-box choice, Carson Palmer, who's at Santa Margarita High School, he doesn't need the biggest money, right? Like Carson's done well for himself. He loves the program. knowing they'd be in a bit of a financial problem. He probably cut them a break in the first couple of years of the deal, like getting paid big if they made the playoffs. He had a huge bonus. But he has become, I mean, he's built, Santa Margarita was always good. They're unbeatable now. Now, would he want to leave now because his son's the quarterback? Very, very doubtful. I'd call him. I mean, he has been pretty remarkable. I mean, again, not all guys who are quarterbacks and Stars are good coaches. Carson, not surprisingly, a

58:28 very cerebral kind of intellectual quarterback who really is probably the best quarterback with the worst landing spots in my life. Cincinnati, Raiders, Arizona. Carson's the best USC quarterback they've ever had in terms of just raw talent. I love Darnold. Carson, if you did a movie about a quarterback, you'd hire Carson Palmer.

58:51 He looked like John Wayne, if he wore a helmet and had cleats. Like, Carson, per size, he could move, tough, bright, big game player. I'd give him a call.

59:05 I don't think colleges ever turn down the opportunity to hire alumni. You know, UCN. State's all over Phillip Rivers like that that's always you know remember when Cliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech I think that that goes very very well and calms everything down now does he want that didn't Santa Martin didn't they win the whole thing last year You know, in Southern California, and I know they're good again this year, obviously he's done wonders there, but does he want that? I mean, that's kind of a different lifestyle. That's why when Phillip River is going to go, it's like, nah, does he really want to do that?

59:37 And it's a lot of– Lincoln doesn't, I mean, clearly. I mean, Lincoln's doing the job and doesn't want to do it.

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1:00:37 Terms apply. Texas 34, Ole Miss 27. Trinidad, Chambliss, because they fell behind, had to throw 52 times, three picks. Texas was unbelievable in the first half. It was classic Sark in Texas, totally uneven. 24-3 at half, hold on for dear life. In the second, their first five possessions, Texas fumble, punt, punt, punt, pick. Then they got a touchdown. Arch, you know, A couple of rushing touchdowns. I texted an NFL executive during the game, and I said, you know, Arch had some wow and some whoa. You know, it was a lot, a really bad pick. I don't know.

1:01:25 It's just, I think he's a little like Bo Nix. I don't know why they don't run him 12 times a game. I don't know why Texas doesn't run more. Do you have any strong opinions on the Texas win and Arch Manning?

1:01:37 Well, I think it was pretty clear when Sark had his comments early in the week, there was a mutiny in the wide receiver room. You're paying a lot of guys a lot of money, and the passing game was a joke. And that happens in a lot of offensive meeting rooms. You saw Garrett Wilson lighten up Geno Smith.

1:01:54 When guys aren't getting the ball, those guys are the first to get unhappy. You've talked about it forever. They're a unique bunch. You better be careful when you pay.

1:02:02 That's right.

1:02:03 And then Arch and listen, Camp Coleman has been a major. I know we got banged up in that game. He's been a major letdown. If they could redo that, they would allocate some funds different places. He dropped a touchdown pass on a bomb. But after Arch threw that pick, it was like, oh, here we go again. When he threw that pick, I'm thinking, I am going to be stunned if Texas wins. Trinidad did not play well, and I'm a huge fan. That was type NFL game where you're like, whoa, they have an NFL defense, right? They have an Alabama, Georgia, high-paid guys everywhere, and they're missing Colin Simmons. And it was hard. He looked off. The Ole Miss guys, I mean, Lacey gets KO'd. They have a bunch of NFL wide receivers. It was difficult for them.

1:02:43 That's a game, to me, that NFL evaluators are going to go over with a fine-tooth comb. But they just started running the ball. They're like, Arch isn't losing us this game. And they just started handing it to Brown.

1:02:54 And this was like what I preached last week.

1:02:56 They just run, run, run, touchdown, run, run, run, ice the game. That's what they did.

1:03:00 Listen, 13 years coaching, this Sark team runs less than any Sark team. And I said last week, I said, guys, I honestly believe, and John, I said this on the air, because his name is Manning, Sark, maybe subliminally, doesn't want to screw up his NFL projection. So he doesn't want to make him a running quarterback. He doesn't want to get him hurt. And it's like, Sark, that's what he is.

1:03:28 Lincoln Riley did this with Caleb Williams his second year in the program. Remember, they lost like Notre Dame. They went to South Bend and got their ass kicked. And the season was over. And basically, Lincoln didn't trust USC's offensive line personnel and didn't want to get Caleb hurt. And so he basically said, Caleb, you know, basically gave the offense to Caleb. He was not going to screw up Caleb Williams' future. And I kind of feel like Sark had been coaching to almost protect Arch and kind of turn him into, hey, listen, he can throw from the pocket. We're going to spend a lot of money on a wide receiver. This is going to look good.

1:04:03 That's not what Arch is at this point.

1:04:05 He's Archie.

1:04:06 He's not Eli and he's not Peyton. He's Archie Manning, who was very athletic. And I thought when I watched the Ole Miss game, I'm like, Finally, this is really what he is. He's a much better player than Tebow was, a much better pocket, and he will get drafted, probably overdrafted because of his size. Again, he's an athlete. He can make big-time throws. I never watched Tebow throw and thought, that's an NFL throw.

1:04:29 But Tebow was a better college player. Would you agree? You could run your offense around him. Arch, I don't trust him series to series. That's my— like last night when he threw that pick, I think everyone in the country, and I imagine a lot of people are watching, are thinking this thing's about to unravel. And everyone that follows football go, Sark's going to lose this game after being up 24-3 when Ole Miss was not playing well. And it did feel like it was going to– because that ball– He does these YOLO balls for no reason. You know, that's the thing, his decision-making. Eli, more than Peyton, obviously had some crazy mistakes, but Eli was a cerebral player when he was in his prime and playing well, and

1:05:07 you could trust him in big games. Arch, I feel like sometimes I'm watching, you know, just a quarterback that we would never even discuss as one that you're making fun of with your buddies over beers of the game that you just watched. And because of his name, I mean, that play could have cost them the game. I think Sarkson, we got very, that could have, and you could see it on his face. And it's like, how is this going on? And then they barely even let him throw.

1:05:33 And even on his touchdown was just a boot action because of the run game. He walked right in the end zone. But that pick to me is a microcosm of the Arch Manning experience. Second half, a game you've dominated against a team that I mean, I don't know if they're going to national championship truly aspirations, but they're thinking we're going to make a run again. You're kicking their ass. And Texas' season's on the line.

1:05:57 And I....

1:05:59 I guess I wasn't surprised. That was the thing when he threw that ball. And then it's basically, it's the guy in the hands. You're like, I don't know. I've seen him do this basically every game, especially every game that matters. That's the thing. All the big games. It's one thing to do it on the road. You can't hear yourself think, but to have these meltdowns at home that they are, I just don't think they're that good.

1:06:18 I know their personnel is good, but you go back. They are extremely fortunate. If they play that Ohio state game was saying 10 times, how many times did they win in it?

1:06:28 Oh, I think Ohio State was clearly the better team. So, I mean, they easily– I mean, they could have melted down. They just– they are not a trustworthy team with all this talent. Their season is much closer to the disaster that happened in Eugene, all this talent just unraveling, to being 5-2 and still.

1:06:44 Like, having their playoff hopes. I have no– like, well, you picked– I guess it depends on the matchup. But, like, do you expect them to go on a playoff run? I don't even think they'd win a playoff game. Oh, God, no.

1:06:55 I mean, they've– at Missouri, at LSU, at A & M. No, no, they're not. They're not built to win close games right now. They're built. They're fun. They have great halves. Even look at the games they've won. Ole Miss, Ohio State. They had horrible halves. They're just not. They're an uneven, talented team with a quarterback that's a very good athlete. They should do a little bit Denver Broncos. Just run Bo Nix more. Just run Arch Manning more. That's right now in their quarterback evolution. That's what they are, first and foremost.

1:07:32 All right, John, you can trade the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Eagles at 67% right now on Polymarket. Well, after that clunker against Green Bay, but Green Bay looked good today. Maybe the Packers are better than I give them credit for. I like Dallas here. Again, I'm getting Dak against a third string quarterback. I'm getting a team in Philadelphia, which doesn't feel like, honestly, from coaching staff down, not terribly unified. Jerry's not a fire head coach and mid-season guy with shoddy. I think Dallas is beyond desperate.

1:08:13 I think I like Dallas in this spot.

1:08:15 You know, looking here on the Polymarket app, Dallas to win by four and a half points. These divisional games get weird. And I can have zero trust for Dallas. And the one advantage Philly has is Christian Parker, their new D.C., was with Philadelphia. Vic Fangio knows them. They're pretty comfortable with what he's doing. I'm not sure I could pick Philly to win the game, but if you're saying Dallas is going to cover the 4.5, I'm going to hammer no, and that pays 50%.

1:08:40 Awesome. This podcast presented by Bud Light. Easy to drink, easy to enjoy.