Transcript
Jackson (0:01)
The volume.
John Middlekauff (0:14)
What is going on everybody? John Middlekop three and out podcast. How are we doing? Here is the drill. Today I recorded a national championship and just college football kind of preview for tonight with Jackson intern Jackson last week. So that'll be the majority of the podcast. I'm going on or I went on. If you're listening to this with Colin after the Ravens Bills game. So I did a quick reaction after the Eagles won before that game. So I that'll open up the show. Some thoughts on Eagles Rams, which was just awesome. I mean talk about football weather, talk about Saquon Barkley, Jalen Carter, Jared Verse. Just that that was fun. I mean I was, I was pacing around the office also at the Rams plus six and a half. So sweating that bad boy out. But so we'll react to the, the Rams Eagles game. Obviously the Eagles going back to the NFC championship game and we will talk some college football and then we will be back on Tuesday with just, just a podcast. So hopefully everyone had a good weekend. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the football. We also had a reaction and a podcast and a video. So go check out the YouTube channel. Subscribe to the podcast feed. If you listen on Collins feed on Saturday night after what game was at Lions lost. I'm already like kind of figuring out, you know, you're just so in the moment. After the Lions game, some thoughts on the Chiefs game. Is Mahomes getting all the calls? We will dive into it all so make sure if you missed that, check that out as well. There's nothing better than playoff football in the snow in freezing cold temperatures. That was awesome. I mean that was the best. When the snow started coming down, it literally started falling right as Saquon was scoring his first long touchdown of the game. You could see it coming as he kind of rounded in the end zone and it didn't relent. And obviously coming out of halftime it was going to be a huge deal and it was massive, right? It was hard for guys to get their footing. It was a huge impact. But to me, you know, this game really came down to Philadelphia and the way they built this team. I mean how he had his imprint and fingertips all over this bad boy. Saquon Barkley runs for 205 yards, two massive explosive runs. They have Jalen Carter, who forced a huge fumble on Kieran Williams when it felt like the Rams were about to take over the game, had the sack on the second to last play of the game, you know, in when the Rams were basically in the red zone and felt like God they could score a touchdown and win this game. And I think you also saw Zach Bond made huge plays. Anyone could have had him. Makai Becton had a massive plays today. I mean, those two guys were projections. They were viewed like draft picks as guys that were already in the NFL. Yeah, we're going to take Zach Bond, we're going to change his position, we're going to take Makai Becton and we're going to change his position and they're going to be impact players. Obviously Bond is an all pro, Pro bowl level guy and Becton is just fantastic. But to me, this team is kind of gone all season with Saquon Barkley. And very fitting that today in a game that was decided 28, 22 in the snow, the guy runs for over 200 yards and has two touchdowns, which both of them were kind of the game early on, it felt like, God, the Rams are keeping this thing a little bit closer than you thought. Then all of a sudden Saquon hits the big run. And I love it when announcers say this and coaches do too. Well, you know, we've done a good job. At halftime he has 90 yards, but you remove the 60 yard run, he only has 30. Well, you can't remove the 60 yard run that happened. And that's points just like his other run. Like, you don't get to remove those runs. And that's the thing with Saquon Barkley. All season long, at any moment, you know, he's got a little Barry Sanders quality to him this year. It's like he's got 10 carries for 23 yards and then all of a sudden 75 yard later, it's like, Jesus. I think the stat was heading into the last game of the season. I think he had four or five runs over 60 plus yards. I mean, tonight he essentially had two. He had, yeah, he had a 62 yarder and a 78 yarder. So on two runs he had 140 yards and two touchdowns. I mean, and if it's not for the fucking kicker who is a major problem like the Eagles have two major problems right now. For a team that is absolutely loaded with talent everywhere, their kicker is not even close to reliable. And the one reason the Rams were in this game today. And listen, Stafford had his moments and there were some passes clearly he would like back. But he played a different sport from within the pocket than Jalen hurts. Obviously the game opens up with Jalen busting the long run and then he got injured as the game went on. Couldn't move as well. But like him passing from within the pocket. And listen, I give you a little bit of room for error when the snow is falling and the wind is running. But he like can't function. There is no passing game. So if it's not for sake one's 200 yards. And Colin and I, and I think he said this last week, like, they're Saquon Barkley offense. And it's true. The reason he's reading, inner excellence and trying to keep his emotions down, because he wants to get mad at the quarterback because the quarterback can't get him the ball. Now, in fairness, say Jalen did hit him on one down the sideline that he double caught and he, you know, by the time he was out of bounds, it didn't count. But like Jalen, this is a Super bowl roster. No one would argue that their quarterback passing the ball is a major question mark. Their run game is elite, their defense is pretty damn good. And obviously they got some elite defensive linemen. They got some high end DBs. You got Bond, he was a baller. Their quarterback passing from within the pocket, major red flag. Their running back Maria walked in right as he was busting a second run to the office and she was like, is he better than Christian McCaffrey? Like when Christian McCaffrey is healthy, I'm like, well, Christian catches the ball better than him, but he ain't that fast anymore. And Saquon speed is elite. He gets a little daylight, he's fucking out the gate, as the announcers say, pay dirt and it's over. And I think the other move that like gets back to Howie is the Eagles did two things when it came to Jalen Carter. One, they put their nuts on the table because it was a ballsy pick. This guy was easily the best player in the draft, universally agreed upon. No one disputed it. Best player in the draft, not even close was him. But he was a major red flag. Some teams had him off the draft board. A lot of teams were on the fence about drafting them, but didn't have the stones. And most importantly, what the Eagles has had, they had the infrastructure. So they had the balls, they had the cojones, but they also had the infrastructure. They had Fletcher Cox, a legendary defensive lineman. They had a leader in Kelsey that was, you know, go up against them every day in practice and they just have a lot of high level guys. Also they had guys like Nakobe Dean on the team and obviously they ended up drafting Nolan Smith, guys that high character, guys who played with him in college and they felt like, you know what, we can handle them. And two years later, I mean, Saquon was the best player on the field. You could argue Jared Verse or Jalen Carter is the second best player on the field. And like, he's just an unstoppable force. And that sack he had on Stafford on third down with the game in the balance, like, they hit a couple more plays, score a touchdown, the Eagles are going to lose. And it would go down. I think Eagles fans would agree. It would feel like one of the worst losses in the history of the franchise. It was like, this is fucking nuts. The Eagles are going to lose this game. They were just up 28 to 15. It's like Stafford throws a touchdown here, they're going to lose. And all of a sudden Jalen Carter right around the center, boom, sacks his ass like it's just an elite town. And I know a lot of people with the franchise, like, he's an unstoppable force. He is an unstoppable force. So you got Saquon Barkley. Anyone could have had. They gave him $27 million. They have two awesome wide receivers. They have a sweet tight end. Problem is their quarterback goes through stretches where he's not throwing the ball well. So it's like, shit, let's just hand it to 26. We arguably got the best offensive line in the league. Hand at 26, handed 26. When all else fails, he'll eventually bust a 50, 60, 70 yard run. And on defense, listen, defense is hard in the NFL. The rules are against you. There was a helmet to helmet penalty that 10 years ago would have been called a hospital ball. Jalen just threw it up there. And now it's great to be an offensive player. You just throw balls up into fucking no man's land. Where in the history of the sport, your wide receiver gets killed instead, automatic penalty. The rules are completely against you. Playing defense, the one area in which they're not line of scrimmage. You're allowed to do whatever you want. It's still very, very physical. And Jalen dominates, Dominates. So does Jared Verse. And those two guys. Like, those are elite talents and those are guys in this modern day game, quarterbacks make more money than everyone else. But these elite defensive linemen, I heard someone say the other day, like, get ready, Micah Parsons is going to ask for $40 million a year and want $150 million guaranteed. That's why when people are saying like, could they trade him? Yeah, they could, because that's his worth and someone will pay him that if the Raiders decide to nuke their franchise, I don't mean, you know, if they hire Ben Johnson, just completely start over, they could trade Max Crosby for potentially two ones. If Cleveland does the same with Miles Garrett, same thing. Because those players are the second most important guy on the field. And when you got an elite one, they're worth their weight in gold. And holy shit, Jalen is good. So I also think the two projects of Bond and Becton, I mean, this Eagle team, listen, they just came up with huge plays today. They forced a couple fumbles, obviously the Saquon runs huge benefit. And this is why winning regular season games matter. This is why the NFL is king. Because it's not just the playoffs that matter. This isn't baseball or basketball. The regular season really matters because home field is everything. This is a one game scenario and it's a huge advantage to have a home game. Obviously the weather played a major part and I give a lot of credit to the Rams. Think how much we make fun of Mike McDaniel who has this team down in Miami. They go to anywhere under 50 degrees, they got no chance. Everyone will tell you bet the fucking mortgage on them to lose. Why? Because they always lose. It's not about playing in the warmth because the Rams are a warm weather team, 75 degrees in Los Angeles right now. It's about how you build your team. And the Miami Dolphins are just consistently poorly built, right? The LA Rams build their team tough and physical. You create your culture not by a Message by Sean McVay, by the type people you put in your locker room. And that's what Jared Verse. I know Braden Fisk got injured today, but like those guys, their skill set translates to Alaska, to Miami, to Seattle to Dallas. You could. They could play on the fucking moon. And that works no different Jalen Carter. Last time I checked, Jalen Carter's from Georgia. Went to Georgia, didn't exactly play at Michigan or Oregon. He can play anywhere. Physical players translate. It's why Kyle went on the road a couple of years ago to Green Bay and freezing cold and won a game. That's why the LA Rams today went in a frigid conditions, snow. The only guy in short sleeves was Big dom. Even Sean McVay wasn't wearing some big ass puffy jacket, had on a pullover. Now he probably had a little thermal under but like showing like we're here for the cold, baby. And Stafford, who, let's face it, some question marks with, you know, his resume in cold weather. I thought given the Everything going on was pretty damn good today, you know, and gave him a chance down the stretch. So congratulations, the Eagles. Very impressive day by the Rams. I mean, it felt like this could be like one of McVeigh's finest moments if he were to win this game and they showed up to win. And you talk about a coach the way that Tomlin still talked about, like McVeigh. McVeigh is the ten year ago Tomlinson. His leadership, the way he builds his team, how tough his team is, how they can translate and play anywhere, how they can handle, you know, the most, the worst tragedy historically, like the fire down in LA and be able to pick up, take the family, move, kick ass in the game, still deal with that when they come back, go to Philly in a snowstorm, boom, be right in the game. McVeigh is so fucking good. It's crazy how good of a coach he is. It really is. I mean, man for man, we do this a lot in college football and there's obviously a college football game tomorrow. And there's a reason Notre Dame's a big underdog because Ohio State has a much better roster. And in football, the one like, if you have a much better roster than me in baseball or basketball, more than likely I'm going to lose. Doesn't matter who the manager is, doesn't matter who the basketball coach is. I'm at such a disadvantage, I'm probably screwed. In football, that's just not the case and it never will be the case because coaching is so important. And Sean McVay, I mean, think of what he did this offseason. Hiring his buddy Don Shula's grandson Chris, who I thought was fantastic today. The only mistake he made is deep in the goal line at the end of the first half, ran a blitz and they hit Saquon on a screen and he got a first down. It would have been a good spot to get the ball back. Maybe they would have got some points. But overall, I'm so impressed with the rams and Sean McVay and the operation. And they finally get a first round pick and they draft Jared Verse, who looks like Khalil Mack 2.0. Like that physicality and that power is going to translate. I know he only had four and a half sacks this year. So did Khalil Mack as a rookie. Two years later, he was the defensive player of the year. That's what you watch, you know, you watch your adverse today. You're like, this guy has defensive player of the year type upside. You know, Fisk got injured but, and listen, they missed him as the game went on, especially against the run that was, you know, Kerwin Williams going to struggle to sleep at night. That that fumble was big. I mean, and they got pretty lucky that Lane Johnson jumped off sides because probably should have scored a touchdown there. But, man, fantastic win by the Eagles today was an organizational win. That was an organizational win by Philadelphia. It really was. And how he had his. And I'm not just saying. I mean, the guy once upon a time fired me. So it's not like I'm just like in the bag for the guy. But Saquon Barkley for cheap draft. Jalen Carter when everyone else was terrified. Bond Becton, man, obviously higher Vic Fangio, who got those guys playing at a much, much higher level. You know, it's funny. Everyone is like crushing Kellen Moore. I see this a lot on the Internet and I try not to pay too much attention. I mean, you can find whatever you're looking for of people with opinions on the Internet. But when your quarterback struggles to throw from within the pocket, there are only so many passing play calls that you can make and make everyone look good. Like, he's calling plays and the guy either pats the ball, holds the ball like it's. It's not easy to call pass plays when he's playing like that at quarterback, he struggles to pull the trigger. It's just, you just, you could argue just call run plays every single time. And obviously your run game struggles because Jalen plays a part in it when he dings up his knee. But at the end of the day, you're in the NFC Championship game. You're hosting the game in Philadelphia. You have such a talent discrepancy against Washington. There is zero excuse to not be in the Super Bowl. And I'm recording this before Buffalo Ravens, but obviously you're going to be playing one of those two teams or the Chiefs. And listen, I would say the Eagles, you know, if Jalen can get healthy just because of the talent on their team, has a chance to beat anyone. We saw him play the Ravens. We obviously saw him play the Steelers. They won as well. So listen, I think the Eagles, the talent on that team, man, is just. Is truly crazy to watch as the game goes on. Just every position's got dudes. Foreign NFL playoffs. We're talking about the NFL playoffs. You bet we are. Get in on the action at DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NFL. Scoring touchdowns is a key to winning in the NFL playoffs. And the key to you scoring big is betting on them at DraftKings, the number one place to bet touchdowns. Ready to place your first bet? 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