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Sophie Cunningham
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Colin Coward
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Sophie Cunningham
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Colin Coward
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Colin Coward
The Volume.
John Middlekoff
What is going on everybody? John Middelkopf 3&out podcast brought to you by My friends at Zone Pouches actually just got a big delivery. I might have about thousand Zone Tens in my office right now, so we are rocking and rolling. Used a couple, popped a couple in as I watched the Patriots dominate the Giants. We will dive into that game some more. Lane Kiffin Stop talk. It just won't end. Also did a big mailbag at John Middlekopf at John Mittlekopf Is the Instagram fire in those DMs. Get your questions answered on the show. We'll do a big mailbag today, probably another big one on for Wednesday as well. So get involved. You guys know the drill. Subscribe to the podcast, subscribe to the YouTube page. Never miss a thing. We got you covered. We're just going every single day. No sleep, no rest for the weary. Just keep keep watching football and keep talking about it. Let me tell you about my friends, my partners and the official ticketing app Game Time. 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I do think we need to start with the the New England Patriots. And I would say two teams that I was hesitant to really get behind. That at this point in time, I just have to embrace as just like real contenders are the Bears in the NFC and clearly the New England Patriots. Now I do think the Bears and the Patriots are a little different. And we'll talk about Ben Johnson a little bit later. He had a comment today where he's like, we're winning despite our passing game. And I do think it gets hard in some big playoff games. The NFC's definitely a little deeper. One through seven. Your passing game has to be on a little bit to make a run in the playoffs. But you look at New England like they can win the afc. And if you win the afc, you certainly can win the Super Bowl. I think we have to embrace that the New England Patriots can win the super bowl. And I'm not trying to act. They just beat up, you know, a 2 and 10 giants team who are in complete shambles. Their star, you know, number three overall draft pick, pass rusher to get benched every week, which we'll dive into in a second. But the Patriots have a couple things going for him. One, like their quarterback is really talented and he's really come into his own this season. What they have taken, you know, everyone was really high on him last year. I, I was hesitant to kind of get behind that. Not that he couldn't be a good player, but to put much substance behind what we were watching. They were getting killed every game. Their team was so shitty. It was almost like watching a draft pick on an awful team right in, in college. And it happens sometimes. Mahomes played on bad teams. Josh Allen, who I didn't even think was a good college player, if you go way back, like Cutler at Vanderbilt, you get some of these guys that don't win a lot. You just kind of look at their physical attributes and that's kind of how you do. You had to do with Drake May this year. You watch him. You go, he throws like the most beautiful, catchable deep ball in the league, hits everyone in their hands. He's obviously a fantastic athlete. He's in complete control. His ability to, you know, layer throws his touch passes on screens. But to me, their most valuable asset is one they're led by a guy who has won in the playoffs, like Mike Vrabel has won road playoff games. Clearly he's one of the top, like, leaders of men in the league. He transformed this team. I understand they've had an easy schedule, but overnight, even if you have an easy schedule, this team had been a complete laughing stock in the NFL and boom, they're going to win 13 or 14 games. Now their season, especially for the one seed, is going to be defined these next couple weeks. They I'm pretty sure they have a buy and then they play the Bills and then they play at Baltimore and obviously you win those two games, I think they have a very, very good chance to have the number one seed. If they beat the Bills, they're clearly going to win the division. And then the Ravens game would probably determine whether they're the one or the two seed, which is a big deal in 2025, right? Most of my life, it's like, long as you got one of the top two seeds, you're on the bi week. Well, that dramatically changed once the NFL did the Monday night wild card game. They wanted the extra wild card game. They added an extra team in the playoffs and, and they want more inventory for us to watch on that first weekend of the playoffs, which I'm not going to argue with. But it does, you know, hurt a team that goes 13 and four and is the two seed. Like that kind of sucks. But this team, whether they're the two seed or the one seed, like I can envision them winning multiple playoff games. And the other thing they really have going for them, I, I, I, I just thought of this right before we hit record. I don't know what the number is, but my guess would be over under 40 ish. That Josh McDaniel playoff games. Josh Mcdaniels has called as an offensive coordinator. So they have a head coach with experience, obviously as a player, I mean, they were showing tonight. He caught multiple balls touchdowns in the super bowl as a player. He was a linebacker. I mean, I was thinking about this, his ability to relate to players. And I've heard like Taylor Luan talk about this on Bussin. His ability in front of a room is like he can look at every guy and go, I can relate to you. You're on the practice squad. I've been there. You're a backup playing on special teams. I've been there. You're a guy on a big contract. I've been there. You're the team captain. I've been there. You're an older player that's fighting for a roster spot that might be a cap casualty or traded. I've been there. There's literally not a guy on the room in the room that Mike Vrabel can't relate to. And obviously as a coach, he's pretty elite. And Josh McDaniels, there is no disputing. Like sometimes you just realize you're not, you're not a one, and there's nothing wrong with that. In the NFL, you make five, $6 million being the number two calling plays as fic. Fangio. It's a pretty good life. So their power of having Vrabel, having Josh as their number two, clearly their home field advantage, like those fans are used to winning a lot of playoff games, it's going to be a very, very tough place to win. They're going to, you know, have to rely on the run game. Clearly you saw tonight, and I get it, they're playing a shitty team. They were crushing people. The physical mentality that Mike Vrabel has given to that team is really, really impressive. I mean, that's a team that like, listen, if you just remove the quarterback and go, guy for guy New England or the, or the Denver Broncos. I like the Denver Broncos, but how can you watch the two quarterbacks play and go, well, I like Drake May a lot more than I like Bo Nix. So it wouldn't shock me at all if that's the AFC championship game. We used to see that game a lot when it was, you know, the Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or even before Mike Shanahan back in Tom Brady's younger days. But the Patriots are for real. And I think the scary part is for the AFC is like, this is a team on the come. This is a team that in next year, the following couple years is going to be way better. This was year one that, you know, you look at the Washington this year, who took a step back, that felt a little bit like obviously this offseason they got old, they extended a lot of older players. Like I watched the Patriots, like their core guys are young. Like the commanders are pretty reliant, even last year on Zach Hertz. He's a pretty important player. Bobby Wagner, like I'm watching the Patriots like Travion Henderson, Kyle Williams, Drake May, even Christian Gonzalez, who's quote unquote veteran on the team. How old is Christian Gonzalez? 27, 28 years old? Is he even that old? So I mean, the core group of their guys are young. Even Milton Williams, who's injured. But you know, what was he four years on the Eagles? It's not like he's a 32 year old veteran player. So they're going to have another draft class. Like, this is A team that's not going anywhere. But sometimes, you know, you're ready a little faster than you realized and all of a sudden and I'm not. This is not an apples to apples comparison because the Chiefs had been a consistent playoff team when Patrick came in. Chris Jones was already on the team, Travis and Tyre Kill were already on the team. But once Patrick came on the team, I think people were hoping for good things, but they were ready made and ready to go. And I think once they were able to turn Drake may into a really good player in this offense with the coaching and obviously he deserves a lot of credit. This team is way more real, real, real quick than even the most die hard Patriot fan could have, you know, imagined. If I would have told every Patriot fan at the beginning of the year, hey, you'll win 11 games and you'll be the sixth seed, that there's not a soul that wouldn't have signed up for that. But if I would have told you on December 1st that you would be the number one seed, have a guy that's, you know, him and Ben Johnson are going to be co coaches of the year, have a quarterback that's in the MVP discussion and just have young offensive players that are explosive. Stefan Diggs immediately mixes in. And just like they have a lot of cohesion. That's the one thing Washington had last year. Like this is, this isn't tennis, this isn't golf, it's a team game. You know, meanwhile, the antithesis of that is the Giants who you're like, what is going on here? It's like they're just kind of, it doesn't all flow together. Sometimes it does, but typically bad teams kind of feel like more individuals than the group as a whole. And the Patriots, it's a little bit of a throwback. Again, I'm not saying they're going to win the super bowl and I'm not saying they're as good as these teams in the early 2000s. But like there was a time when people didn't know who Mike Vrabel, Teddy Bruski and some of these guys were. And then they started winning big. And you're like, God. And if, you know, even if you're a younger Patriot fan, I'm sure you've heard these stories. But like the thing that defined those teams, especially the first super bowl team, was like when they played the Rams in that super bowl, they didn't get announced as individuals, they came out as a group, which was unheard of at the time. And I do think Mike Vray, Mike Vrabel, you know, he took those Titans teams. He's doing it again. His teams just feel very, very like arm in arm, very connected, and clearly they're well coached, they're tough, and that quarterback is extremely talented. So congrats to the Patriots. That. That was a. Hey, we're playing on Monday night. Everyone's watching. Anytime that you play a crappy team, to me it's always a little risky. Like, they get to fly under the radar a little bit, and your. Your players don't take them that seriously. They're human beings. It's their Super Bowl. The Giants had been playing pretty well, and they're up 30 to 7 at halftime. I mean, honestly, you could end the game at half. I mean, I mean, seriously, just so no one gets injured. I'm always a proponent of that, but at the same time, I'm in the content creation business, so, you know, you never know if crazy things happen in the second half. But that was. They stepped on their throat early and the game was over. It felt like in the blink of an eye. So the Patriots are for real. And on the flip side, I do think the Giants are a very interesting job. And I've been saying this for a long time now. The Steeler fans are behind me. I mean, what happened the other day. And me and Colin started our podcast on Sunday afternoon during that game, because once the. Once Josh scored, made it like 23 to 7, there wasn't a soul alive that thought like, the Steelers can't come back. So we just. We just started recording. So I didn't even see the fire. Tomlin Chance. If I am Mike Tomlin, I would try to run to the Giants job. I would imagine every coordinator worth their salt is going to want the Giants job. They have a young quarterback that clearly has a ton of talent. They have multiple young defensive pieces. They have a star talent at wide receiver who's going to come back off an ACL injury. They're going to have top draft picks. They are one of the premier franchises in the NFL in terms of brand, in terms of market size, in terms of overall fan base. They play in the marquee or one of the marquee divisions in the league. It is a job that any. Any coordinator worth their salt that's going to interview is going to want to not only interview, but want that job. You know, there's been a lot of talk, like, Robert Sala. Robert Sala would start running right now to New York City from San Jose to get that job. If I am the New York Giants. I feel a little unlucky because last year the cycle was so incredible. Mike Vrabel or Ben Johnson would take your job. That guy doesn't like. I'm not hiring Clint Kubiak, right. I'm not hiring any of these coordinators like Shula at the ramps. I've already done that song and dance and it's blown up in my face every single time. Well, one of the headline stories of this game was that Abdul Carter, for the second time, second straight game, was benched. Why? Because he's showing up late or not showing up to meetings. And the last time it happened, the reports claimed that he was sleeping. He pushed back and just said that he missed it because he was in rehab. Either way, guess what happens on bad teams? That type stuff, Guess what does not happen on well run teams? Players missing meetings, especially young players. I'll never forget a current gm, Adam Peters. I was talking to him a couple years ago at 49er practice and we were actually talking about Hufonga and he was kind of describing to me and I remember John Lynch a little later, we talked. I talked to him about this too. Is like when you go into one of these, these teams that are really bad in college and a coach gets fired at the time, like Clay Helton got fired, it's just a mess. And I've experienced this a little bit when I was scouting, right? When you go into a team that's like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, like, everyone's in a good mood. It's easy to get information. When you go into some of these programs that everyone's losing, like if you went into the University of Tennessee, that's 8 and 4 and that's, that's 8 and 4. But a 6 and 6 team. Any of these teams with high expectations or coaches getting fired, people are on edge. Everyone's negative. People just start crushing players. This guy's a loser. This guy doesn't listen. This guy's out for himself. This guy's selfish. And I remember Adam telling me about who Funga is. Like, you couldn't find a negative word said about him. And everyone in the program to a man was like, I, I'd swear by that guy. He's here early, he, he's working out late, he studies hard, he plays his ass off. He, he's everything you would want, good or bad. Regardless, you want this guy in your team. Six, seven years later, look at Talanohu Funga. Shocker. He's a stud. And you know, Abdul Carter came From Penn State, where over the last couple years they were awesome, right? Which is kind of ironic because James Franklin got run out of town in the middle of the season. Partly because of the expectations built by the Abdul Carter teams. People thought they could win the championship this year, and rightfully so. Which looking back, like losing Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren's pretty big blow. But Abdul Carter, like most programs, most people, are not leaders, right? I don't claim to be a leader. Most human beings are followers, right? There is a small, small percentage of true leaders. And most people will kind of follow the group in a business setting, in a team setting. It's a natural human instinct, right? Only so many. There's only one Moses leading you through the Red Sea, right? There's only one Vince Lombardi leading you out in the field. There's not seven Nick Sabins on a football team, there's one. And most players like kind of fit in and follow. And when you're in high functioning organizations like, like when you play for the Chiefs, when you play for the rams or the 49ers, it's like if you don't fit in, you have no shot. If you're showing up late, you'll be on the bus to the practice squad. It just, it will not work. It wouldn't even be tolerated. So you wouldn't even think, even if you might have those tendencies, it wouldn't even be allowed. Like if you put Abdul Carter this year on the Seattle Seahawks, right? Or you know, just pick the New England Patriots, this would not be happening. You know why it didn't happen in Penn State? Because that wasn't the culture. That wasn't tolerated. Well, when everyone gets fired, it's a complete shit show. You get chaos and you get situations like this. And it's pretty clear that the Giants need a grownup because guess what? This would not happen with a grownup. But you look around like, who are you hiring to be a grownup? And to me, I will hammer this home like it's time. And if I'm Mike Tomlin, that's the type job. It's a bright lights job, big market job with a lot like going for it. Now the quarterback, he's a little reckless. There is no disputing that. He reminds me a little bit when I, when I got to the Eagles and Michael Vick started it resurrected his career. Michael's greatest attribute was also kind of his downfall was his incredible athleticism slash toughness led him to getting hit a lot. And he wasn't the biggest guy and he got injured all the time because he was fearless. Well, being fearless, like in a business meeting trying to land a client, it can serve you pretty well, right? Being fearless when you're running and a guy that weighs 50 pounds more than you is running at a similar speed and hitting you, going out of bounds is not going to go well for you most of the time as a quarterback. So Jackson Dart's going to need some direction of like, we need to corral this a little bit. No one questions your toughness. I'm watching Mike Vrabel with Drake May like he's clearly corralled some of his reckless nature. This is not, and I think it's this most of my life in the NFL and even college football. But definitely the NFL quarterbacks were scared to do two things. One, take off and get hit because they would get absolutely destroyed and they could get injured. I mean, think about some of the famous hits on these quarterbacks over the years. Why Tom Brady's career happen because Drew Bledsoe was killed on the sideline against the Jets. Those hits don't even take place anymore. And you know, the NFL used to be like the freeway. Well, guess what most humans don't do. They don't try to walk across the freeway. But if you just went to a random road, you see people crossing all the time. And I do believe these quarterbacks have less fear now because they don't look at the road like a freeway because they don't think they can get hit. And even when they do, they feel protected by the referees. So to me, you need to get a guy in there. And I've had, I've brought up this name a couple times and I've had a buddy in the NFL that goes, you know, need to stop bringing up Mike McCarthy because he's like, look at what Brian Schottenheimer is doing since he left. Look at what happened to the packers once he left. Like, Jerry was right about Mike McCarthy. Like Mike McCarthy, that's pretty risky. Now, he's good with quarterbacks or whatever, but you could argue that, like might be a little overrated. The packers don't miss him. Cowboys surely don't miss him. Jerry was right. Like, Mike, I'm not paying you anymore, but I'll just go with Brian Schen Hammer and guess What? We'll win nine or 10 games with a team that's not as good as some of the teams you had. So I do think there's only one option that I see and that's a guy who Literally, as fans are chanting to fire him, the team is circling the drain. I mean, they are going nowhere fast. This feels like there couldn't be an easier transition. I do think the Giants got to be kicking themselves a little bit because they would have been an incredible landing spot for Ben Johnson, but they, they were a year late and they didn't pull the trigger last year. And who knows, like, if they would have done it. If Jackson dart on the team, no one ever knows. And if I'm a Bears fan, I feel pretty good that it all worked out that way. And same thing with the Patriots with Mike Vrabel. And I think you see the impact of those two guys. Like, those guys are star coaches. Their teams are freaking awesome. And both teams probably don't have the as. Like, they shouldn't be as good as they are. Now we're going to find out with the, you know, the Patriots have already beat the Bills. The, the Bears are lining up now against the packers twice in three weeks. We're going to learn a lot about them, but we've already learned like, they're, they're good right now. Are they like super bowl contending good? The, the NFC is clearly harder than the afc. It's going to be more difficult, but it just jumps off the screen. Meanwhile, the Giants just a rudderless ship. They got the star young pass rusher. The thing with Abdul Carter is he's got the talent to be one of the best players in the league, right? Malik Davis got the talent to be one of the best players in the league. Jackson Dart's got the talent to be a top 10 quarterback in the NFL. So anytime you got a quarterback that has the talent to be a top 10 quarterback in the NFL, you got to start pass rush, you got to start a wide receiver, get some other young pieces. You're gonna have a bunch of draft picks. It's. Listen, I, I think you could even make the argument because even if the Steelers like, yeah, we're not going to fire him, but, you know, we might, we might be willing to, you know, go our separate ways. Would you trade your second round pick for him? I'd be more inclined to do that than hire one of these coordinators or one of these retread guys that haven't won. Like, that's where I struggle with, I can do a retread guy if he's won somewhere. But it's like, I like Robert Sall a lot and he's an excellent defensive coordinator. Can he be a good head coach? I have no clue like I Arthur Smith. I mean these are some of the names that are out there that are going to be available. So this class, if I'm the Giants, I would hone in on one guy and it'd be the guy in Pittsburgh as that building clearly is on fire. And if I'm Tomlin, I'm looking around TJ Watts old in half the games. He doesn't even look like young TJ Watt. You know this DK Metcalf contract one day Robinson check the stats check one day Robinson stats and check DK Metcalf stats and holler back at me who whose are more impressive A spoiler alert. It ain't DK Metcalf. So you got these huge albatross contracts with players that aren't equaling the return on investment on those contracts. I'm sure Cam Hayward's going to retire. They have no quarterback. Again if I'm Tom and I'm getting in my car and I'm driving to the Giants. So congrats to the Patriots. Today's show is brought to you by our new presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. The Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app is the only legal sportsbook for whenever you're in Florida. It's also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois and Colorado. Coming soon to more states too. Sign up today and you could win 150 in bonus bets. Just place a five dollar bet and if it hits, you not only get your winnings, but you also get 150 in extra bonus bet bets. Plus Hard Rock bet offers new promos daily plus big legendary reward drops every single Thursday. It's like gifts under the tree. So whenever you're listening, just open the app up and check out what you've got waiting for you. 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Colin Coward
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John Middlekoff
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John Middlekoff
Couple other quick things. I've been thinking a lot about this. I think the hard thing about football, that's different than a lot of industries, I. If you get into the private sector and you get into the business, there are going to be times when you have to be a little selfish. It's just part of reality of life. You know, there are times when you have to think about yourself first. And some of our jobs in impact less people than others, right? Obviously, if you're the CEO of a company, you're. You impact a lot of individuals. If you play a role on a team or whatever, maybe you impact 10 people. If you're the head coach of an NFL team or a college football team, you're talking a lot of human beings. So when you make a quote unquote selfish decision, it impacts other people. And anytime they get impact impacted, they are going to judge your decision whether it's good for them or bad for them. So anytime. And here's the thing, the NFL actually used to have stuff like this happen when I was younger. In the late 90s, Mike Holmgren left the Green Bay packers to the Seattle Seahawks. They had Brett freaking Favre in the prime of his career. You know why? Because Seattle paid him a boatload of money. I think at the time it was like five years, $20 million average, $4 million a year. Back in the late 90s, when you factor in inflation, probably, probably a lot of coin. You know, A couple years later, Al Davis refused to give Jon Gruden a massive contract like the one that, that Mike Holmgren got. Guess what happened? He had to trade him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who were willing to pay him. And historically, a lot of these coaches in college, even in the pros, back in the day, would leave a job for money. That is no longer the case in the NFL. Let's use the Rams and the 49ers. When Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan got there, those jobs sucked. They were terrible. Both of them couldn't have been losing anymore. They were just, they were an embarrassment. And now eight, nine years later, those guys can stay in those jobs forever. And they don't need to leave to get more money to get better opportunities for players. Like you just stay no different all around. Like Andy Reid never needs to leave, right? Mike McDonald, if things go well in Seattle, you just stay there. Like you just don't jump around. So the day and age because all these teams have money, if the going rate for you is $15 million. Even Kevin O' Connell felt like, you know, he's like, they might trade for me and the Vikings just give him a bunch of money. Yet in college, typically, you left for two reasons. One, money, usually the bigger job, paid a lot more. That's no longer the case. Kirsten Eddy, in the history of the sport, whenever football was invented in the late 1800s, right, you would never stay at Indiana to not go to Penn State, ever. No human alive in the history of football up until now would ever make that decision. Yet when Kurtz Ignati made that decision, you're like, oh, they gave him $93 million. I don't even blame him. I would say, too, he's winning big, his team. If he beats Ohio State, which is going to be difficult, but if he did this Saturday in Indianapolis, he would be the number one seed in the playoffs. It would be the most remarkable thing I've ever seen. But he literally just did it. And he said, I don't need to go to Penn State. And I do think Lane Kiffin, like, the reason you went from Indiana to Penn State was two, obviously, they'd give you way more money, and. And two, it was just easier to get better players. Well, now with the portal in nil, is it. It's obviously, you can get better players at Ohio State and Texas and Oregon. Well, they're paying more money for those guys to go. Why did Lane Kiffin have many people consider one of the best rosters in the country? Last year at Ole Miss, he hasn't played that much because he's been injured. But whenever I look up at Arizona Cardinal game and you see Walter Nolan, you're like, geez Louise, guy's a monster. You know that quarterback that I'm like, yeah, I would run to that job if I'm Mike Tomlin. Oh, that was Lane Kiffin's quarterback. I think Trey Harris, the. The wide receiver, had a big catch for. For the Chargers, played at Ole Miss. I mean, so the world has really changed. And I think inherently it's hard because coaches, I've always thought it was a little fraudulent in football. Everyone's like, the team can't be selfish.
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John Middlekoff
It's the team. Yet everyone, when it comes to jobs, is kind of out for themselves. And at least in college football, we kind of acknowledge that everyone's a mercenary. Coaches, players. And I think the hoopla and the pushback is like, I think the fair question is, five years ago, no one even would have questioned. Even if Lane didn't handle It. Well, of course you're going to ole miss, to LSU. And clearly LSU's history compared to Ole Miss is not even comparable. LSU has a bigger stadium. I think those people would say it just matters more here. And many people would say it's one of the best jobs in the country. But you could argue that Lane Kiffin these last couple years has turned Ole Miss into the. One of the best jobs in the country. Now, is it because of him? Is it because of the program? We're about to find out. But I think a lot of people making these concrete stances about him being selfish, about him not handling it well. Like, we've seen this happen over and over and over. Like, if you think these college football coaches are consumed with, like, yeah, I'm leaving these guys, it sucks. But, like, I'm not going to hold the guy's hand through life.
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John Middlekoff
It's not that big a deal. I truly believe that. Like, it's. I think we have acted. And I listen, I do think Lane playing the victim card is a little outrageous. You know, they just wouldn't let me coach. I was thinking about this. Like, he wants his cake, and he wants to eat it, too. Well, what you. No one's ever got the cake and then not eaten it. So it's like, I was thinking about that statement. I'm like, am I? Is that statement kind of stupid? He wants his cake, and he wants to eat it, too. Well, who wants cake and doesn't want to eat it? Like, he wanted to coach the team, which is understandable. Ole Miss, you would be. You'd be viewed as the biggest group of loser pussies in the history of sports if you allowed him to keep coaching. They had no choice. They had to keep packing. Now, when you get everything you want, whether you're a little kid, whether you're, you know, in the business you work for, you're like a star employee, and they do everything that you want them to do. That when you finally do here, no, this is not going to be allowed. You don't react well. Right. Why? Because you've lost touch with reality. So I think when Lane's not reacting that well, of course he's not. Ole Miss has done. When Lane said jump for the last six years, they said, how high can I jump again? And for the first time, they're like, this is not going to be allowed. And he knew it, and he kind of turned into a petulant child, which he kind of can be. But like I said, you know, Sports needs. Not everyone can be a good guy. You need to have some people that piss people off. You need to have some people that move the average fan emotionally to, like, I can't stand that guy. Sometimes I miss not hating more people in sports, right? Because sometimes when you do this for a job, like, I don't like just sitting on my couch and being indifferent. Like, I kind of like rooting against people and anyone. If you're an Eagle fan, if you're a Alabama fan, if you're whoever, like, it's cool to hate the Cowboys. Like, I can't stand Jerry Jones. I can't stand Auburn and lsu, right? That's, that's good emotions in sports, right? I. The one team I truly still root against and I just hate is the Lakers. Though I hate him a little less with Luca because he's just like, he's hard to hate. He's so great. But every time I look down, they're like, 16 and 4. I'm like, God, it sucks. They're not going anywhere. I was supposed to hate the Dodgers, but it's like, what am I doing? You just kind of tip your hat. I wish I hated more people in sports. Even Ryan Day. Like, I, I, I, I, like, I gotta. He's pretty good, you know, I just got to acknowledge, like, he's just kicking everyone's ass. Like, what am I gonna hate? Just every single game, he's beaten someone by 20 or 30 points. I, I, I, I wanted to not like Matt Patricia, but I gotta respect him. He went from college or, excuse me, from the pros with Belichick forever. And then it comes to college and I get it. He goes to the best pro, he starts kicking everyone's ass. Like, I respect people's talents and their talents. I, I've been Ohio State hater, but I might just have to take a gigantic L on that one, because if I was a betting man right now, I kind of expect them to win the whole thing again. You went back to Back Natties in the NIL era. Even if you got a lot of money in your program, like, that's pretty impressive. So I. The selfish word. I think it's like, we're all a little selfish. Anyone in business is selfish. Like, welcome to life. The other thing is, Kevin Patola's house was egged. And I was thinking, like, when I was young, I used to do a lot of TPing. There was probably under five, but there were definitely some homes egged. And like, that is when you're egging someone's home. It's typically someone that you want to feel like we hate you. Like that is a double middle finger, like kind of scumbag moob from whoever's doing that. I also think it reflects nobody, and I mean Nobody in the NFL needs a bigger week of just like 35 points, three or four touchdowns, some cool plays, some explosive plays, and just like a 15 point victory than the offensive coordinator in Philly because the city's turning on them. The players feel like they're kind of on the fence on them. And at the end of the day, even if the organization and Sirianni like the guy personally, it's a production based business and if you don't get it done, these stories. You know, the one thing in Philly which I hate, the cold weather, but I really enjoyed working there because I love football and when I was working in it, it was so cool to be in a place where it just really mattered. It's why talking to people that work or associated with the sec, it literally just means more. And when you work at one of these programs, it just feels like life or death. And that's what you want when you're a competitor. When, when you're working in a sport like it's, it's a bigger deal to be associated with the Yankees or the Red Sox than it is with the Texas Rangers. Right. It just means more. And in Philly, that team means a lot. And I, I think people go, oh, you're booed. They just won the super bowl last year. Well, yeah, it's December and they can't get a first down. You want me to clap? You want me to cheer? Now, I'm not condoning egging a home. And while I be a hypocrite to say that you should never egg a home because I've done it a couple times, I actually think it'd be harder to egg homes now. I mean, I got seven cameras around my house. My brother was telling me a story over the Thanksgiving weekend that I guess there's some like, tick tock trend with like young kids, like 12, 13 to do like, you know, doorbell ditches. And he's like, in the neighborhood I live in, everyone knows each other. We all have ring cameras. The dude's ringing my doorbell. I, I work with like two of the guys. I call him. I'm like, hey, hey, James. Like your, your kid just doorbell ditched me. Here's the picture. It's like his son with his backwards hat. It's like, what do you do? Are you just an Idiot. You know, there's cameras everywhere, but Big Dom will probably be all over that. Couple of things before we get out of here. Sauce gardeners week to week. I've said this forever. I just that feeling as a gm when you make a move. The only thing, again, if a guy like Sauce was never going to be a terrible player, so you felt pretty good about what you were going to get with the guy. But when you see the person that you just give multiple first round picks laying on the ground, your heart has to just go to your stomach. And I saw Sauce say that, you know, at first it felt like he got shot and the first thing you think is like Achilles, but clearly avoided disaster. But it just shows you how fickle sports are. You know, you make this big move, which I thought was a little polarizing and controversial. But if he plays like an elite player, if Charvarius comes back, you got two elite corners. You know, you're going to need your defense to carry you, especially if Daniel Jones is limping around now. I just can't even imagine that feeling when he was laying on the ground and then has to be helped off and he could struggle to put weight on it. Chris Ballard probably had a rough 12 hours, but luckily he, you know, big picture, he's going to be okay. You know, Justin Herbert, the surgery on the hand is, you know, who knows, like you're going to throw him out there. You know, in a Rogers situation, I mean part of the reason If Rogers was 30 years old, he would not have played in that game. He would just like miss a month. Right. And come back when it was somewhat healed. But he knows like the season's not going well. This easily could be his last season. Who knows if Mike Tomlin's even going to be there next year. That's why he played with a cast on which I respected. But that wasn't normal. And I do think, and I get it, they're 8 and 4 so they got maybe a week of wiggle room. I just don't think if it's somewhat of a similar situation. You can't put a player out there even with the non throwing hand. There were a couple times when Rodgers would like hit the ground. Your natural reaction as a human being is to put the, put the wrist on the ground. And I just. You've invested way too much money into this human being. You big picture franchise hinges on him. I think you've got to be very, very careful when it comes to him. Well, we just saw one of the worst performances ever. Not Totally his fault. Probably shouldn't be starting an NFL game, but luckily J.J. mcCarthy is set to return. I do think this month, if it continues to just be as ugly as it's been. I don't. I don't know how any Vikings fan, like, you have to be a really patient individual. It's like, just give him time. Just give JJ some more reps. There's not a fan alive that's going to want to give him more reps. There's not a fan alive that's going to be okay with the off season not having someone else to come in to essentially be the starter. Now, who that guy is, I don't know. Like, Mac Jones with his eyes closed, is a better quarterback than this guy. So, listen, the best case for J.J. mcCarthy would be to come back from this concussion, not get injured again and just have some good games. Not a good series. Like a couple good games and good games. I. The bar is not that high, right? Just don't throw some of the worst interceptions we've ever seen. Don't throw balls 25ft over Justin Jefferson's head. Just throw a couple touchdowns, have some completions, just have some drives that leave the field goals. Just look like a capable NFL player. Because the NFL has never moved faster. There's more money in the line. There's more pressure because of the amount of money the owners have. They can get rid of people quicker. Plus, we just have recent examples of quarterbacks not getting long leashes. People just turn on you. Why? Because, back to the Lane Kiffin thing.
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John Middlekoff
These coaches and GMs are inherently selfish. You notice what coaches usually do when they're. They're losing games. They don't. They don't go to the owner of the gm. Like, I want to fire myself. Can I fire myself? You know what they do? I'm firing my offensive coordinator. I'm firing my DB coach. I'm firing my online coach. Never go fire me. Right?
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John Middlekoff
They. No. No one wants to fire themselves. No one wants to get. They throw everyone overboard before they get thrown overboard. So I promise you this. When it comes to Kevin OConnell, who seems like a nice guy, always upbeat, positive, optimistic, individual. They better show some signs. And I know this guy made a comment about how organizations fail quarterbacks. I. I'm not even putting this on him in terms of they made the wrong decision with the player potentially. But, like, there are some players that just aren't going to be good enough. That's. That's the thing with the NFL. It's the cream of the crop and it even separates like certain people are just not going to be good enough. It's why after training camp, basically half your team does not make the active roster. They get cut. And then a small percentage of those people get to come to the practice squad and try to, you know, claw for their career to get to become a backup. It's very, very difficult. It is. It's probably one of the more, more difficult things to do in America in terms of the private sector to make it on a field and play NFL football just to be like, hey, I had a two year NFL career, let alone be like, yeah, I started at quarterback for 10 years. Look at Marcus Mariota. Marcus Mario is one of the most heralded college players. He was a top. He was a second pick in the draft and hasn't been a starter in like seven years and is going to have a long career, right? So this thing can change on a dime. You can get derailed quick. You can just prove to the league like you're not good enough. And I think there is tangible pressure over this. I think, I would imagine The Vikings have five more games left in the season for J.J. mcCarthy to like show some serious don't get rid of me yet guys. Because if he doesn't and continues to play like he does, my prediction would be like, this thing is over before it even started.
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John Middlekoff
Banging out mailbags at John Middlekopf Instagram that this is a mailbag. If you hear people banging in the background, it's it's the roofers. It's why my fugazi. A couple weeks ago I said, you better be very careful when you buy something. You know, it's nothing like being a renter. You got an issue, you just place a call. Well, when I bought this house, it needed a new roof. Put it off for a couple years and you have historic rainfalls. You realize, yeah, I don't think I can put this off anymore. So I had to do it sooner or later. Definitely before we have a kid. So that that will be the noise. If you hear anything in the background again, mailbag at John Middlekopf at John Middelkoff is the Instagram fire in those dms. Start with Jack. I'm drinking the Kool Aid after how the Bears looked Against that, against the defense that has shut down both the Lions and the packers in the past month, I'm starting to believe the Bears can make a run no matter how many times it burnt me in the past. I think this upcoming game at Green Bay is the hardest game left on the schedule for the Bears with the game in San Francisco being the second hardest. And if they win, I can see them winning the rest of their games. My question, do you think there is a world where we can actually get the number one seed? And if they do, does the style of football they play, Strong run game, good third down pass game and a takeaway defense translate to the playoffs? How far do you think they can go if the playoffs run through Soldier Field? Well, I think the division will be like you said in the next month because this game is not must win. But if you lose this game, I do think you would have to win the next two. Obviously the Browns take care of the packers at home. And then if you go to the Niners and win, there's a chance that Lions game, Detroit's just done like they're completely out of the playoffs and that game is meaningless to them. So listen, there's going to be a lot of emphasis on this game. It's the packers, this historic rivalry which has really been one sided. But to me the game is much more about the home game against the Packers. Like if you go to Green Bay, even if you lose by 10, it's like, yeah, he went to Green Bay and lost, but can you beat him at home? And I think he can. You know, the 49er game, the 49ers defense is a shell unit because of all the injuries. Bosa, Fred Warner, Mikel Williams, I mean they're playing Cleveland Farrell, who was a practice squad level player earlier this season. Again, he's, he's done an admirable job. But the way you guys play that, that is a very winnable game. Again, they're kind of like the spider man meme. The Niners and the Bears in terms of the way they want to play. Very fascinated. These two games against the packers, you know how you guys look against their defense, you know, their strength is that pass rush, you know, is Ben Johnson is going to run it 50 times, you know, a game which I would imagine he's going to try. But your game translates to the playoffs. Anytime you, anytime you have an elite run game and you're playing playoff games, whether it's in Chicago, even if you don't win the division and the packers do you could go to Green Bay and win. Given the way you play, you could go to Seattle and win San Francisco, probably be the seven or six seed, so you wouldn't have to do that. But go to the Rams and win. Like your stuff's going to translate. So you know, your first round game, if you're the 5 seed would probably be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And if you're the one seed, would obviously you get a buy, which is pretty crazy. It's. It's honestly nuts we're even having this conversation. But I also think it's. It's kind of unneeded. We'll know a lot by the time that, that game, I guess tbd, they, they have a flex schedule ability for it. So I'm fascinated. If you win two of the next three games and you are. What's your record right now? 9 and 3. So if you are 11 and 4 going into that 49er game, assuming the 49ers would be they have a buy this week, then they play the Titans. So let's give them a win there. That would be 10 and 4 at Indy. I don't want to get too confident, but I would say Indy's in a little bit of trouble because just injury sauce. Gardner now is week to week. Obviously their quarterback is banged up. They just haven't been playing as well. So if Both teams are 11 and 4 in that game, that would be pretty nuts. So it's, it's a great time to be a Bears fan. You should be very excited. I'm happy to be wrong. Yeah. I mean, your coach is just fantastic. I'm curious as to who you think will win the super bowl this year. To my eyes, there are about 10 very good teams in the NFL. But the gap between them and, and the five, six good ones, there are 10 very good teams. Okay. And then the gap between the next five isn't that big. Like if I told you the 49ers beat the Seahawks in their last game, you wouldn't be shocked that if the Bengals won out and someone won their division, they are only two games behind. With some divisional games upcoming, no one would be shocked either. It seems that any team could beat any team on a given weekend. I totally agree. To my mind, I would just trust the people who have been to the dance before. For example, I trust Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers to at least be consistent in the playoffs. I don't know what the version of the Eagles or the Lions I would be getting in a game in the afc. If Buffalo is in, do I trust Bo Nix and the Broncos or the Jags and Trevor Lawrence or Josh Allen? Sean McDermott, while I agree, I do think health plays a pretty big role. You know, once everyone is somewhat even right. If we assume. If you look at the playoffs right now in the standings in the nfc, we know it's the Bears, the Packers, Seattle, the Rams, the Niners, Tampa and Philly. All those teams could beat each other. Now. I do think the 49ers are an example of like, their defense, it's going to be difficult. The margin for error on their offense would be slim to none. Like they couldn't overcome interception and a fumble because their defense is going to struggle to stop people right now. If you're playing the Eagles, what if their offense is terrible? Right. If you're playing the Rams and Stafford as one of his games, though he feels like he plays pretty well against the 49ers. I just think you have to look at it very matchup based and health wise. Like what the Bills just did against the Steelers on, on Sunday afternoon. Are they winning playoff games that are two starting tackles? I have a hard time thinking that, but I also watched Dion Dawkins of starting left tackle play against the Houston Texans and he could barely move. So it's like, are you better off with a guy who's fully healthy, even if he's clearly a backup, over a guy who's your starter? That's 60%. Yeah. I mean, these are the arguments. I also think momentum matters, like how you've been playing. You know, the 49ers have been winning a lot of games, right? The Bears have been really, really hot. I mean, the Bears have won five straight games. The packers now have won three straight games. They have momentum, like how you're playing going into the playoffs. The Rams last year had a lot of momentum going into the playoffs. The Broncos, they've just, they've won nine straight games. Same with the New England Patriots. Like you went nine straight games, you're playing at a really, really high level. I'm recording this before the Monday night game. The Colts, like, if they limp in as the six or seven seed, like, I don't have that much faith in them. So to me it matters how you're playing, how healthy you are. And then I totally agree, like having Kyle Shanahan, having Sean McVay, having Vrabel and Sean Payton, like there's a big advantage. Like, you know, Ben Johnson's coach a lot of playoff games. I know he hasn't been the head coach, but he's been involved in a lot of them as a coordinator. Kevin Patula, he's never called plays before in his life before this year. So what's he going to be like in a place playoff game? You know, Seattle's kind of interesting. Mike's never been a head coach for a playoff team. Kubiak never called plays for a playoff team. Like those are things to watch. You know, Matt LaFleur, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVeigh, Ben Johnson, whether as an assistant or a head coach, like they've been involved in a lot. I actually think the coaching in the NFC, you know, even Mike McDonald was the DC for the Ravens, obviously the packers, the Niners, you know, Sirianni and Fangio, Sean McVeigh, Ben Johnson, like these, these guys, they've coached a lot of games. Meanwhile you look at the afc, you got Sean Payton, who you know, super bowl winning coach, coached a lot of playoff games. You got variable and Josh McDaniels that they've been around the block. Liam Cohen would, you know, that would be a little bit of a. If they are either win the division or a wild card, you know, the Ravens would be a team that would make you a little nervous in a playoff environment. The Chargers just have so many injuries. The Colts, those guys have never coached like I guess you know, as assistant coaches they have. But Shane Steichen, since he's been there, they haven't been in the playoffs. When's the last time Chris Ballard went to the playoffs? So I'm with you on the Bills, they have a pretty big advantage. I think the Bills would be the sleeper in the afc. I've noticed. Continue, John. I've noticed continued references to Kiffin, sobriety and weight loss as evidence to his changed personality. In 12 step circles, we often consider drinking as a symptom of a person's overall overall alcoholism, self centeredness or general narcissism. Stop drinking is the starting point at which a person can begin to affect a meaningful personality shift, often through their improvement, improve treatment of others and amend for the past transgressions. Clearly Lane has not progressed to that in a level that he probably never will. To me, this reinvented image is entirely superficial. And he's just the same guy. He's been with a slightly different haircut. I do think it's pretty evident by his body that he stopped drinking. Definitely at the level in which he was. Is the man completely sober? I mean truly, only he knows that, but it's, it's clear his Lifestyle changed. But I'm with you. Just because you change a lifestyle doesn't mean it changes your mentality. I'm going to talk about this on the main podcast. I'm recording this during the day. I'll do it in after we talk about the Monday Night Football game. There is a level of selfish selfishness I think you have to have in most industries to be successful. So clearly I think we'd all agree, even in a tough situation to handle. And typically when a coach leaves a program, especially a stepping stone job, which historically Ole Miss has kind of always been for lsu, if one program is doing really well and the other program is down there is this. You're leaving us for them, even though we're better than them right now, though they've been better than us historically, there's like this little brother syndrome, so that the fans get involved in. There's always. It feels like a little shadiness with the way it's handled and people just offended the wrong word. But just, you know, emotions run really, really high. But historically, like Nick Saban's left multiple jobs. He left Michigan State for lsu, Miami for. From lsu, and then he left Miami to go coach Alabama, and he almost left Alabama to coach for the University of Texas. So I think a lot of times, like didn't Urban Meyer, Bowling Green to Utah, Utah to Florida, kind of quit on Florida and then went to Ohio State. I just think these. The profession is naturally more nomadic than what most of us do now. We love. And I know speaking for myself, like, I love football. I don't have that much in common with just like every couple of years picking up and leaving, though relative to most people I've known. I've lived all over the country, right? I've lived in California, I've lived now in Arizona. I lived in Kansas City for a little bit. I lived in Philadelphia. I've been nomadic in my pursuit of some quote unquote, professional dream. Now, I also think when you're a public figure like him, everything gets dissected. I'm totally with you, though. The E60 video that he did with ESPN, which I enjoyed, like, there was a, you know, there was a reason that was produced, right? It was basically like the bat signal to the other programs. I'm a changed man. What you know about me, because people talk is no longer the case. And the Lord, the no more booze. My family, like, these things are important to me now where they used to not be. And he wanted everyone to know. Now you can say that's Self serving. Like, that's not what. The reason why someone should get sober or gravitate toward God is to tell everyone in your profession that you've done that. But that was the only way he was going to get hired. Now I think the question mark is moving forward is, is it going to be quiet? And when I say quiet, obviously from a recruiting standpoint, from a hype standpoint, he's going to do things. But like, does he find himself in controversy in lsu? And I'm not talking like a recruiting controversy, I'm talking legitimate, like, whoa, that's not a great look. Because we've seen that with people over the years in the sec, from Petrino banging the strength coach's wife to Hugh Freeze and all the hookers and the strippers. Like, if you are not winning and you are no longer. Last year, Lane went nine and three. Five years in with the expectation of a roster that could win the national championship and they went nine and three. I was like, oh, no big deal. Cool, we'll get you more money and we'll get another team the next year. And this year, clearly they didn't think they were going to be this good, but like they were very supportive. Nine and three, I'd even say a couple of years, eight and four would not be the end of the world there. As long as you have the occasional 10 or 11 win season that he just had and everyone's, you know, jumping for joy, that that's not how it's going to be tolerated at lsu. It's just not. Look at Kalin at Alabama. Rocky season, year one, which players leave lesson left and right. I mean, a starting quarterback and his starting star safety immediately go to Ohio State. So Nick Saban retires the. The transfer portal and everything. I'm pretty sure the timing, I'm not as dialed in as some of you that follow it closer than I do. But it was after the national championship, so it was late in the cycle and he went 9 and 4, which obviously for Alabama standards might as well be a two win season. Okay, we'll give you somewhat of a pass. You get your boy Ryan Grubb back from Seattle. Anything less, less than the playoff berth this year is a disaster. And we might think about firing you. It's like, well, John, they don't have the money. Well, we'll fucking find it. And that game against Auburn, you felt like he was coaching for his job. That's year two. You'd be like, well, he's following Saban. Well, yeah, I'm at LSU, where the expectation, I'm giving you $100 million. Like the reason Brian Kelly was shoved out was obviously because he just wasn't winning in his program. Clearly wasn't close to, you know, Bama or Georgia. But like Ole Miss was in a different world. He was losing the teams. Like he simply was not as good as teams that he's expected to be better than. And he didn't make the playoffs and he didn't make it till the end of year four. Now obviously being an asshole and that type stuff, what made it an easy decision, I just think you better win. And you know, the sobriety, the, the hot yoga, the living, I guess with your ex wife like that, that is, you know, it was important to let everyone know that, but now no one cares. We're not teaching life lessons here. We're trying to win daddies, you know, and can you get us closer to that? If you can, no one will care about any of your indiscretions. If you pick back up the bottle. If you started running around your wife, no one would care. Not a soul. But if you have an eight and four year, it'll be a problem, full stop. Now you could win a national championship and then have an eight and four year and people will let up on you a little bit. But the expectations, the one thing I will say about Ryan Day, who you like middle cough, I owe him an apology. He's kicking ass and taking names. His program is elite right now. And hiring of Patricia, that was a big time. That was a big time hire. And clearly the not beating Michigan thing was a big deal. He knew it. He had to get it done and they just kicked their ass. But like, you start rattling off national championships, like if they win it this year again, you start going to Final Fours. Like his, the standard's really, really high there and he's just answering the belt year in, year out. It's like, bunch of dudes in the NFL, we're top five every year. We're competing to win the Natty. We have one of the best teams clearly in the country every single year. But that's the expectation. Like anything less than that, he would get fired. He was so good outside of Michigan for a couple of years that couldn't really stick to him. But if last year he would have lost in the first round, it would have been a much bigger problem because the expectations are just outrageous. And I, I would say you could make the argument that in 2026, the highest expectations in the country are number one, Ohio State, because they now are consistently the highest expectations. I, I even think Georgia's in a weird way have lowered because of the transfer portal. It's like, yeah, probably never going to get as good as like 22 and 23 or 21, whatever they won. Back to backs. As long as we're in the mix. Final fours and if Kirby can win another one, like their Last championship was 1980. Like I saw Mark Rick for 15 years, you know, be a top 20, 15, 10ish team. Like what Kirby's done, like he's a made man now. And as long as every year they're in the SEC title competition in the playoffs, it's all good. That's not the case with Ohio State and I don't think that's going to be the case with lsu. But also that's what I think drove Lane to go there. You know, part of, in certain industries when you're, you know, it's pretty clear Lane's pretty ambitious person. You're, you kind of are driven to the craziness. It's like I think a lot of people and listen, I, I sometimes I question what would I do? Like, why would you leave Ole Miss? You got a great gig, they're paying you a ton of money. They're very supportive and you can clearly win there because I want the highest level possible. And let's face it, and this is no shade at Ole Miss. LSU is just a slightly higher level. It used to be way higher in the pre nil. It's still higher. And I just think he wanted to test himself. No different than when Brian Kelly left from Notre Dame and he failed. But I'll always respect a guy for getting up to bat and taking a swing, even if it was ugly. And we can debate that all day long. You could argue everyone's shitting on Lane. What about lsu? It's like they don't care about their business partner Ole Miss, they don't care at all. Like they don't bear any responsibility in this. I, I think it's all just very complicated. Obviously I do not feel like Lane is the victim at all. Him playing that card is a little egregious. But, but I do think like, tough situation, it's not as black and white as everyone's making it out to be. Playing a little Monday morning quarterback. How crazy would it have been for the Lions to trade Dan Campbell and promote Ben to head coach? Obviously he would wouldn't have ever been a thought. But who do you think. But what do you think the Lions could have Gotten in return for Dan Campbell in a trade. I think it's always easy to play this game. I think they played it in New York with Sean Payton. I think they play in Dallas with Sean Payton. I think Dallas has done this before with some of the coaches they let out the door. Sean Payton, Dan Campbell. You know, look at Washington when that picture comes up of like, Kyle and Sean McVeigh. I think sometimes when you are, it's no different than your parents always look at you like their child and you. Sometimes you have to leave the nest to kind of, you know, earn your true respect. Right. There's something powerful about leaving the house at 17, 18, 19 years old and going to do your own thing and proving it to yourself, to them, to whoever. No different than someone that gives you, you know, your first internship out of college. Most people don't take their first internship and then go become the CEO, start in the mail room and work their way up. There are stories of that, but the majority of it are guys that have to go, you know, stepping stone, jump to somewhere else because they use that position to gain more leverage. And like, listen, I think Dan Campbell and I think Ben Johnson, be the first to tell you this. His leadership and his toughness, we would never have got to where we got through the mud in the 3 and 13 season and even that next season. I think he went 9, 7 that year that they beat Rogers at the end of the season and knocked him out of the playoffs without him. Like, I don't know if Ben would have been capable to do that a couple years ago. Now, if you give them both equal teams, like if I give them the Lions, I give them the Bears, I give them the packers. If all things are equal, would you take Ben Johnson like Steve Kerr, would he be equipped to take some shitty NBA team and build them up to like a 7 seed? I don't think so. Would Phil Jackson be equipped? No, but those guys can really handle stars. They're equipped to do that. Steve Kerr has been around Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan, right? Steve Kerr called for the ball from Michael in his heyday. That's. That takes some balls. He's comfortable being around like, no different Joe Torrey being around. Dude on the Yankees. Not everyone can handle being manager of the Yankees. Even if you're though the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, you can win more games a little bit easier. Less people are watching you, a little less media scrutiny, you know, a lot less people in the stands. Do you get to fly under the radar? So I think Ben Johnson. I do think I'd be stunned if he didn't admit this, that he learned a lot about leadership and just like mental toughness from watching the way Dan handled that. Now, I don't think it's really arguable. Ben is an elite schemer and if you had to have a guy scheme you a game plan on a given week, I think Ben is immediately elevated near the top of the league and that's really impressive to do. But yeah, I mean, if you could have over the next month, who would you rather have calling the plays, Ben Johnson or Dan Campbell for the Lions? You take Ben Johnson. I think you, you know, I think the New York Giants would give up a first round pick for Dan Campbell. Pretty sure. Dan Campbell, did he play for the New York Giants? Pretty sure he did. God, he had great hair. He played for the Giants for a couple years. You know, it's great here and I always notice it on tv. He's obviously, he's been, he's been good whenever I, you know, depending on how my four boxes set up. I don't always listen to him. But J.J. watts, pretty good. He has just elite hair. I'm just, I'm jealous of that flow. Someone that has no hair. No one in my family does though. My brother, I'm actually going to dinner with him Monday night before the Monday night game. He's got, he's got no hair as well. We're bald as a bat. Luckily for our kids, it's on our wives side who, both sides have hair but God, we're bald in my family.
Colin Coward
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John Middlekoff
Question I'm a Tampa fan and hated how Liam Cohen went about things, but how much do you think Jason Light maybe regrets not keeping him and moving off Todd, especially since our defense looks inept at the moment. I suppose it's easy to say it now, but we did look considerably better with Cohen on the staff. I think it's always easy to play Monday morning quarterback, right? You have your reasons and you make your decisions, you know, and this is not one of those where you dump her and then you look on Instagram three years later and she just looks like a dime and she's married to a guy who's way richer than you and her life looks way sweeter right this Is one of those situations where it's pretty hard when you're winning to fire your head coach, even if, like, you take a step back and you go, yeah, who would be the better hire for the next 10 years? I bet Jason Light would have admitted over a beer that, like, yeah, it's probably Liam Cohen, but what am I going to do? Fire Todd Bowles and up like, well, sometimes the leader, you got to make tough decisions. It literally never happens. I do not remember a situation where it's like, he got us out of the mud, got us going in the right direction, but we're going to trade Dan Campbell for Ben Johnson. Listen, I know Todd has done a just an impressive job. He has kept the ship going in the right direction. He's taken us to the playoffs, post Tom Brady, but we got to fire him and go with Liam Cohen, who has been an offensive coordinator for one season. Yes, I think if you could, you would. I just don't think it's very possible to do that. I don't think it's realistic. Aren't 95% of Division 1 college football jobs just stepping stones, not destination schools. Isn't that the real reason Ole Miss fans are so salty? Not so much that they lost their coach, but that the last couple of years they had the best feeling themselves, thinking they were Bama, LSU, GA tier program. And Kiffin leaving for LSU kind of gave them a double dose of reality that they are not a top tier destination school. I think sometimes getting humbled in life can be just a great reminder for us all. And I think it's really difficult. I think it's easy to understand. You know, in football it's like, hey, in college, historically, when a program would lee lose another coach or lose a coach to another school, it would be, well, they've doubled his salary. Like, well, what are we going to do? Like, what are we going to do? Right? Even now, if you lose a recruit, it's like, well, we offered him 400 grand. The other school offered him $900,000. It wasn't my shitty recruiting. It's like easy to justify it. And then every once in a while it's like, no, this is just kind of who you are, right? You are. This is the greatest three year stretch in the history of the school. 10 wins, 10 wins, 11 wins. I think Lane Kiffin said this 11 wins is the most regular season wins by Mississippi or Mississippi State in the history of either program. Think, I mean, Bama, think how many times Bama went undefeated. LSU is their national championship. With Joe Burrow, they were undefeated. So I think the dose of reality hurts, but I think where it hurts now, it's like, well, we could offer the same amount of money we've been giving them huge money for recruits. Like, it's literally not for the money, and it's kind of not as much this time. It's just because through his lens and he told you this through his actions, I don't give a shit what he tells Marty Smith, what he tells McAfee, what he'll ever say moving forward at a press conference. He told you with his actions, and let's face it, he'd committed to going to LSU weeks ago. You could argue he committed the moment he sent his wife and his kids to go check out Florida and Baton Rouge. And I do think, you know, they just hired Dave Caldwell, the former Jags GM at Florida from the Eagles. That Lane was never going to have a GM forced on him. He has too much leverage. So there I've been read some articles and some different people that cover their tweets. That, that. That was an area that made him uncomfortable. What you're going to. Because in the pros, it happens sometimes, right? You got to work with this gm. Lane ain't working with anybody he doesn't want to work with, right? So if he's going to work with somebody, it's going to be because he's choosing to work with that guy. And I do wonder if, like, Florida was already kind of out and Jimmy, who's no dummy as a businessman, was like, hey, send them there. Use a little leverage and we'll get more money. But the moment Lane sent his family on the fact gathering information trip, he gone. I mean, he gone. And at that moment, every Ole Miss fan kind of knew, like, we're getting played a little bit and he's such a good coach, and they beat the shit out of Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. It just. It's no different than if, you know, you're getting a divorce or, you know, you break, you're breaking up and the relationship's going to end. We've all been to that position where it's inevitable it's gonna end. But then you just have a night where you maybe go get some cocktails and then, you know, spend the night together and the sparks are flying. Maybe even again in the morning. You're like, ah, this is good. But deep down, you know it's over. And that's what I think sucks about this situation is like, it was. Everyone kind of knew it was Over a couple weeks ago. And then you played that game and Lane was smiling. But even the way that he attacked that dude that said called him. You can't make a hoe a housewife when everyone acknowledges that analogy is perfect. And I even saw that guy say that Lane called him and apologized. I think sometimes we snap back when we know what you say to us is true. Like, you know, Lane's like, I'm sober now. I'm not sleeping around, I'm back with my wife. You call me a hoe. Like that kind of struck a nerve. Even though, like he wasn't even talking about your sexual proclivities out in the town. He's talking about your ability to just jump around. You just go to a lot of places. Naturally, most coaches do, but Lane does a lot more than most. Okay, a couple more. Watching the Sunday night game has me questioning Sean Payton. He turned that franchise around, but his play calling is dreadful. He makes Andy Reid look like a run heavy coach. Except Sean doesn't have Mahomes under center. I know Coward loves him, but tell me I'm not crazy to think he's a bit overrated. Side note, these officials have been awful. Another side note, Marcus Mariota Collinsworth is awesome. I don't know why Collinsworth couldn't just call him his name that we all call him Mariota. I was actually thinking about this this morning because I nitpick Bo Nixon. But what was the Broncos record post Peyton Manning like? If you go back to just when Fangio took over to. So if we go Kubiak, the end of Kubiak, 5 and 11. And then you just start in 2018 when it was Vance Joseph. 6 and 10, 7 and 9, 5 and 11, 7 and 10, 5 and 12, 8 and 9. Peyton's first year. So think about that from Peyton Manning super bowl win the following year. 9 and 7, 5 and 11, 6 and 10, 7 and 9, 5 and 11, 7 and 10, 5 and 12. They had seen some hard times. Sean gets there 8 and 9 last year, playoffs 10 and 7 this year they're 10 and 2 with tied with the Patriots for the best record in the league. I think he's pretty good. I think he's got a, you know, the, the things a little weird with the quarterback but 10 and 2 is 10 and 2. Hear me out. I'm 25, about to be 26, played JV and varsity sports. Graduated high school, applied to, got into and graduated from college with a four year degree. Started a career in aerospace. Smart guy, got engaged Planned a wedding and got married. Got my first dog, bought my first car, lived in four, quote, four different cities, all since the Steelers have won their last playoff game. I have been waiting to see an end to Tomlin's time in Pittsburgh since I was in college. So it feels validating to hear people I respect so much like you saying it as well. Say what you want about him as a coach, but Tomlin, the staff builder, is not someone I want in charge of the future of my team moving forward. With all that said, my question is this, with the benefit of hindsight, how good of a coach is Mike Tomlin really? The Steelers defense of the past were good, but that was with Dick LeBeau, who was a legend and a coward guy. I think we're going to find out how good Mike Tomlin is when he's the coach of the New York Giants next season, when he's the coach of the Miami Dolphins in two years, when he's a coach somewhere else, it's not as easy, and it's kind of on him. Like, after a while, people question Andy in Philadelphia and they say, okay, I'll go to the Kansas City Chiefs, who have the number one overdraft overall draft pick who just had a linebacker shoot his fiance and then blow his head off in the parking lot. The franchise was in shambles. Andy gets there, brings in Dorsey, brings Veach, brings in, you know, Nagy and Doug Peterson, all those guys, Immediately they're in the playoffs. Five, six years later, they got Patrick Mahomes. They become a dynasty, and all they've done is won. And now no one can dispute, like, Andy's elite. Sean Payton took over the Saints, who are a joke, won a Super bowl, won a lot. Like, okay, got Drew Brees. Good luck, Denver. Okay, eight, nine, ten and seven. Now we're ten and two, and we got a month to be the number one seed with an elite defense. And we feel pretty good for the one seed. At minimum, we'll be in the conference championship game. So I think you really prove your worth and really earn your respect. The second place, like, it's like, how good Mike is. Mike Vrabel. Well, actually, I actually think it's more impressive what he did in Tennessee, watching Tennessee now, and what a disaster that organization is. And then you watch them go to New England, a place that had been a joke, and immediately turn them down. So I do think Mike Tomlins, kind of legend and his validation, if he goes to the Dolphins and all of a sudden they're just good every year, he's going to get a lot of respect because I do think the the stars dimmed and a lot of people question it. Rightfully so. You haven't won a playoff game in a decade. Your team now just sucks. He's definitely going to have. He's going to have a spotlight on him wherever he goes, and I think he'll be at another organization either this year or next. You know, I got to tell you about my friends at Zone Pouches. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. Underage SALE PROHIBITED if you're as competitive as I am, you're always looking for something to help you stay dialed in. And for me, that thing is Zone Nicotine Pouches. You won't catch me without a can, a citrus dragon fruit or mint. Been rocking them all. Not to mention 20 pouches per can versus the 15 the other guys offer. Choose Zone and dominate the day. Use promo code 3 and out 20 on nicokick.com for 20% off at checkout. Okay, last question. This is from Eli. After the huge win against the Rams and with all the Bryce Young love, honest opinion, hate, who knows what, what can I expect for my Panthers finishing off the season? We have the Buccaneers two more times, Seattle once and the Saints again. Our run game this past week looked great. Splitting the carries between Hubbard and Dowdle and our defense the past two weeks against the Niners and the Rams looks like a top five unit. I know we're not going to go to the super bowl, but what's your honest opinion? Well, let's, let's bring up Carolina who is, let's go conference. They are currently the 10th seed. So the Cowboys are above them, the Lions are above them and then the Niners are several games above them and beat them straight up. So if you go to Carolina, like you said, they play the Bucks twice. They get the Bucks at home this week which is a massive game. If you lose to the Bucks and you go to 7 and 7 and they go to 8 and 5, I do think you would be in major trouble given that you would have multiple losses. They beat you head up in their schedule. It's not exactly Murders row. So they the Buccaneers, I guess they play you. So the Bucks have the Saints, the Falcons at Panthers, the Dolphins and then the Panthers. What schedule was I looking at? I don't know what I did there. I don't think you're making the playoffs. I think campus schedules is too easy and if they just split with you, I think the big question mark is is Bryce Young this off season if you go 8, 9 or 9 and 8 and you miss the playoffs, is that an auto you not picking up his his 5th year option? Like is he getting his 5th year option picked up? There's my roof. I don't know. I would say right now no. But he has more games like yesterday where he's going 15 to 20 throwing a couple touchdowns. Actually I think he threw three touchdowns yesterday. What was he yesterday? Yeah, 15 to 20 for three touchdowns. It's amazing what a running game will do for for a young quarterback. It's kind of important. So if I would have told you at the beginning of the season that starting in December you would control your own destiny to make the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and have a home playoff game, you would have 100% signed up for that. So you could argue that the season has already been a win. The volume.
Colin Coward
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Sophie Cunningham
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Colin Coward
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Sophie Cunningham
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John Middlekoff
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Date: December 2, 2025
Host: John Middlekoff (with input and commentary from Colin Cowherd)
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd, iHeartPodcasts & The Volume
This episode dives deep into the aftermath of the Patriots’ dominating Monday Night Football win over the Giants, focusing on the ascent of quarterback Drake Maye, Mike Vrabel’s leadership, and New England’s newfound Super Bowl ambitions. John Middlekoff also explores the messy Giants’ situation, the culture of winning teams versus dysfunctional ones, and unpacks the shifting landscape of the NFL and college football coaching worlds—especially the Lane Kiffin/LSU saga.
Listeners’ mailbag questions are answered throughout, offering sharp takes on playoff contenders, coaching trends, and organizational management. The tone is fast, conversational, and opinionated, staying true to the show’s brand.
Timestamps: 03:26 – 18:55
Patriots as Real Contenders:
Drake Maye’s Impact:
Coaching Upgrades:
Timestamps: 18:56 – 28:35
Organizational Mayhem:
Urgent Need for Leadership:
Jackson Dart & the Reckless Quarterback:
Timestamps: 31:44 – 37:18
Lane Kiffin’s Move & NIL Era Ramifications:
Hypocrisy of ‘Team First’ Culture:
Timestamps: 52:32 – 96:00
Bears & Playoff Scenarios:
QB Frustrations in Minnesota:
Coaching Evaluation – Mike Tomlin Debate:
NFL’s Parity & Playoff Outlook:
Lane Kiffin’s Image Makeover:
Timestamps: Throughout mailbag
The conversation is brisk, candid, and irreverent, with Middlekoff mixing strong opinions, NFL insider perspective, and locker room humor. The tone is both casual and insightful, reflective of an analyst who “lives football” and is quick to call out hypocrisy—whether it’s in fans, franchises, or coaching icons.
For anyone who missed the episode, these are the big arcs and sharpest observations—a fast-moving, wide-ranging breakdown from football’s most opinionated analyst pod.