3 & Out - Mailbag

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Episode 3 & Out - Mailbag

Release Date: December 28, 2024
Host: Colin Cowherd (iHeartPodcasts and The Volume)
Description: The Herd with Colin Cowherd delves into the day's top sports stories with Colin's signature thought-provoking and opinionated style. In the episode titled "3 & Out - Mailbag," Colin addresses listener questions, offering insights into various NFL teams and broader sports topics.

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Introduction

[03:07] Colin Cowherd kicks off the episode with holiday greetings, hoping listeners enjoyed Christmas and Hanukkah. He briefly recounts his personal holiday activities, including missing a football game due to a late-night incident with his dog. Colin sets the stage for the episode by mentioning the upcoming football games and his anticipation for the 49ers' potential showdown against the Lions.

Mailbag Q&A

The core of the episode revolves around listener-submitted questions, primarily focusing on NFL team strategies, coaching decisions, and player performances. Colin provides detailed analyses, often intertwining his opinions with listener sentiments.

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**1. Steelers vs. Bears: Team Management and Coaching Decisions

Listener Questions:

• A lifelong Steelers fan expresses frustration over the team's performance, particularly under Coach Mike Tomlin, and questions whether the Steelers should part ways with him.
• Concerns are raised about quarterback Caleb's performance and the overall direction of the team.

Colin's Insights:

• Leadership and Talent: Colin emphasizes the importance of leadership in a head coach, stating, "the number one hire slash draft pick slash free agent signing you'll ever make as a GM if you get tasked with the ability to pull the trigger would be the head coach."

• Mike McCarthy and Mike Vrabel: Highlighting coaches like Mike McCarthy and Mike Vrabel, Colin notes their ability to handle complex organizational structures and lead teams effectively, attributing their success to strong leadership and organizational management.

• Future of the Steelers: Colin suggests that unless there's a significant change in the front office, the Steelers may continue to struggle, pointing out the difficulty in overhauling a team's direction without cohesive leadership.

Notable Quote:

"It's impossible to be a good GM without a good head coach."
— Colin Cowherd [07:23]

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**2. Chicago Bears: Rebuilding and Front Office Challenges

Listener Concerns:

• The Bears' poor performance record (4-11) fuels frustration among fans.
• Questions revolve around the team's front office decisions, quarterback Caleb’s struggles, and the potential need for a significant overhaul.

Colin's Analysis:

• Leadership Issues: Colin draws parallels between the Bears and other franchises struggling with leadership, emphasizing the critical role of the front office in shaping a team's future.

• Caleb’s Performance: Acknowledges Caleb as the franchise's future but underscores the necessity of proper coaching to harness his potential.

• 10-Loss Streak: Highlights the extremity of the Bears' losing streak, attributing it to both bad luck and inherent team weaknesses.

Notable Quote:

"It's a huge sports city, but they're really down and out."
— Colin Cowherd [07:27]

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**3. Player Comparisons and Potential Matchups

Listener Discussions:

• Debates about hypothetical matchups, such as whether Islam Makhachev could defeat Miles Garrett in a street fight.

Colin's Response:

• Physical Disparities: Colin points out significant size and weight differences, illustrating the impracticality of such matchups in real sports scenarios.

• Realism in Sports: Emphasizes the importance of realistic assessments over hypothetical and often unrealistic fan debates.

Notable Quote:

"There's a reason they do weight classes."
— Colin Cowherd [21:57]

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**4. Patriots' Coaching and Organizational Attractiveness

Listener Inquiry:

• Whether the Patriots' coaching position would be attractive to top candidates like Mike Vrabel or Ben Johnson if Bill Belichick were to leave.

Colin's Perspective:

• Ownership Dynamics: Compares the Patriots' ownership structure to other franchises, noting that the involvement of the Kraft family might deter some candidates.

• Vrabel and Johnson's Interest: Suggests that while coaching legends like Vrabel might be interested, organizational constraints and ownership interference could pose challenges.

Notable Quote:

"The difference with the Bears is... the owners have opinions."
— Colin Cowherd [32:33]

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**5. Emerging Quarterbacks and Team Prospects

Listener Queries:

• Speculation about the next breakout quarterbacks following trends like Geno Smith and Sam Darnold.

Colin's Thoughts:

• Potential Candidates: Colin discusses various quarterbacks, highlighting the unpredictability of player development and the rarity of consistent breakthroughs.

• Team Dependencies: Points out that even with a promising quarterback, team dynamics and coaching play pivotal roles in achieving success.

Notable Quote:

"Could we get back there with Bo under center?"
— Colin Cowherd [32:36]

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**6. Academic and Small-Town Influences on Team Cohesion

Listener Anecdotes:

• Comparisons between Ohio State’s team cohesion to a tightly-knit community like Army West Point’s lacrosse team.

Colin's Analysis:

• Cohesion through Adversity: Emphasizes that teams like Ohio State benefit from strong internal bonds formed through shared challenges and limited distractions, similar to military academies.

• Impact on Performance: Suggests that such cohesion can lead to superior performance, making teams more resilient and united.

Notable Quote:

"It's not a small town because you can't get into trouble."
— Colin Cowherd [45:04]

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**7. Coaching Styles and Player Development

Listener Discussions:

• Evaluations of coaches like Sean Payton and their impact on player performance and team success.

Colin's Insights:

• Sean Payton’s Legacy: Recognizes Payton’s ability to develop offensive weapons and build competitive teams, noting his influence on current team dynamics.

• Player Growth: Highlights how coaching styles can either foster player development or hinder it, depending on the coach’s adaptability and strategic acumen.

Notable Quote:

"Sean Payton was always great at getting weapons, finding guys all over the draft."
— Colin Cowherd [32:36]

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Conclusion

[59:27] Colin Cowherd wraps up the episode by reflecting on the dynamic nature of football seasons and the constant evolution of teams and players. He reiterates the importance of leadership, both from coaches and front office personnel, in shaping successful franchises. Colin anticipates more exciting discussions in the upcoming episodes, especially with the abundance of NFL games lined up.

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership is Paramount: Successful teams rely heavily on strong leadership from head coaches and effective management from the front office.

• Player Development: The potential of individual players, particularly quarterbacks, is crucial but must be nurtured within a supportive team environment.

• Team Cohesion: Internal team dynamics and cohesion, often influenced by shared experiences and challenges, significantly impact performance.

• Realistic Analysis: While fan debates can be entertaining, grounding discussions in realistic assessments is essential for meaningful insights.

Notable Closing Quote:

"Have a great Saturday. I will talk to you guys Sunday because we got a bunch of NFL games on so we will talk soon."
— Colin Cowherd [59:27]

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Note: This summary intentionally omits advertisement segments and focuses solely on the substantive content of the episode, ensuring a seamless and informative overview for those who haven't listened.

Transcript

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[Doug Gottlieb]

It's Lavar Arrington here from up on Game and I need you to listen for a moment, all right? And get serious. The hate in this country is getting out of control. It's at an all time high. It's going to take all of us to stop it. I mean think about it. We're we're all on the same team in this country, right? Let's take a break from hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a timeout against hate. Visit Stand up to all hate.org to help and join me in calling for a timeout against hate by following.

[Colin Cowherd]

Or.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Posting the Blue Square Emoji.

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[Chase Freedom]

The volume.

[Colin Cowherd]

What is going on, everybody? How are we doing? Hopefully everyone had a great Christmas.

[John Middlekauff]

Hopefully everyone's currently having a great Hanukkah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Getting ready for a little thing we call the New Year right around the corner.

[John Middlekauff]

2025.

[Colin Cowherd]

The world is flying by. That is. That's crazy to even say that out loud. It's like it's normal just saying 2025. They're gonna be people in like 20, 2098 that are going to go, God, those people in 2025 are so old. Because that's what I would have been doing about people in the 20s, in the 1920s. But we're rocking and rolling. New Year's right around the corner. I did not watch. I think I saw probably less snaps of the Bears Seattle than any primetime game since I've been doing three. I mean, I didn't really watch the game. We were out family, friends, dinner. Then kind of hit the bars or just some of the neighboring restaurants for more cocktails and your boy still got it. And then we got a little phone call. The dog got in a tussle, so we came back a day early because some bites of the year the other, you know, hopefully she gave more than she took, but missing a tooth and there's blood and it was. She had to go to the vet. So you never know with little lollies. She look at her funny, she's down to brawl. But yeah, that's kind of sums up my last 24 hours on about three, four hours sleep. Not even that, I guess, if you count the plane. But now we got football on Saturday, we got more football on Sunday and we will cap it off as everyone back where I just was was not very excited for. But 49ers could get curb stomp Monday night against the Lions, which is in theory a great Monday night game when they set the schedule and it turns out to not be a very good one. So we'll talk a little ball, answer some of your questions. We'll go rapid fire again. Hopefully everyone enjoyed their family and had a good time whatever the heck you guys did. Question for the mailbag. I'm a Steeler fan and I want to be grateful for never having been in the shoes of teams like the jets, the Giants, the Raiders, the Jags, the Bears or Browns. Fans, shoes. If you were a GM for a franchise, what characteristics are you looking for? In a coach. And who would you hire for your team? You know, that's a good question. I think it's a combination of a lot. I think the leadership standpoint and people push back. What does leader of men mean? It clearly means something, right? Like Dan Campbell to Andy Reid to Sean McVay, Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh. D'Amico's a great. Like, you have to have leadership ability, but you also have to have talent. Talent's probably the wrong way to describe it, but I do think it is a talent that you acquire the more and more reps you get. When you are the top of the org chart, adversity is hitting you non stop. So like, how can you handle when shit is hitting the fan? And that is something that you just aren't quite prepared for as a position coach to the level of being a coordinator. And then as a coordinator, it's a different world as the head coach because you don't have to worry about the other side of the ball. And when someone gets injured, it's not your call. And you're usually not that involved with who comes in. Obviously the more and more you work for somebody and develop, like Ben Johnson. I'm sure they ask him questions if for player acquisition. But most coordinators don't just have final say on personnel, so. And then I've always said this, like when a guy on defense, if you're Ben Johnson gets a dui, it's just not your problem. Like that's for Dan to deal with. Honestly, even Jameson Williams, when all this stuff's going on with him and just getting penalties and pissing people off, like that's Dan's thing that's on Dan. And honestly, it's probably on more Randall, Antoine, Randall L than it is on Ben Johnson. I'm just using him as an example that like, how could I possibly know like what he can do?

[John Middlekauff]

It's like if Mike McCarthy's available, if.

[Colin Cowherd]

I was a GM, I'd go, God. I mean, I know he can handle.

[John Middlekauff]

A lot of shit.

[Colin Cowherd]

I've seen him deal with Rogers for a decade now. I've seen him deal with Jerry, right? I say the same thing about Vrabel. Like I've seen him lead a team, handle offense and defense, and I don't mean like play calling, I just mean like dealing with coordinators. So I think that ability to handle the entire org chart is really, really important. And I think most of the best guys do that. You know, obviously Andy is a master at it from a leadership standpoint. To his team and his coaches. Saban was really good at that. I just don't know how I've never been in a head coaching interview but how he could prove that he has that. And obviously most of these head coaches come from a coordinator position but it's just or like a high level position coach. It's got to be like an educated guess. So I don't have a great answer. But the number one hire slash draft pick slash free agent signing you'll ever make as a GM if you get the tasked with the ability to pull the trigger would be the head coach. Because it's impossible to be a good GM without a good head coach. It's impossible and you can become a legend if your head coach is good and you get the right guy. Obviously picking quarterback and picking players is really important, but those guys typically look a lot better when you have good coaches and good coaching staffs. Huge fan of the pod. Just had to come here and ask a question about my sorry ass Chicago Bears. I wanted to pull up while he asked this question just I don't know if he's even going to reference it. But the box score. I haven't even looked at the box score for this game. I've been a die hard fan living in Wisconsin, seeing my girlfriend's family are all die hard packers fan and I absolutely envy their continuous success. It keeps me up at night to be honest while my team falls to the pits. One of the biggest jokes of a franchise in the league. I'm only 22 and the only real success I've seen is 18. You guys are pretty good in 18. I mean the defense was elite. What do the Bears need to do to get back to dominance? I know it's easy to say sell the team but that simply isn't going to happen. I don't like the order of command in the front office and this seems like a big problem from a guy like Ben Johnson. Where do Bears goes next? Thanks John. I also don't think Caleb is the problem and he is without a doubt the future. He just needs to be coached up all the talent. Is there one more thing as well? We're 4 and 11 technically now 4 and 12. It's cold the day after Christmas and the Chicago fan base damn near sold out the stadium all to have three points. Does George McCaskey even care though? So Caleb went 16 to 28 for 122 yards and less than four and a half yards attempt and a nice little pick. That number jumps out. He was sacked seven Times, Jesus. Yeah, I'm with you. The sell the team thing is it's a fun thing for fans to say. It's not. It's not a realistic thing to say or it's not a realistic thing to happen. It's a great chant. Listen, it's, it's, it's a great fan base. It's an incredible sports city, but they're really down and out. And I could throw a guess. Hey, hire Mike Vrabel. Hey, hire Ben Johnson. Who knows? Who knows? Because as long as the front office is kind of weird, it could be really, really difficult. Right? I saw the one clip I did see. We were at a bar and I looked up and they were showing polls. Polls get chosen in all these games. If I was polls, I'd be like, I do not want the camera on me when we're losing. What feels like, I mean, how many games? The Bears are 4 and 12. And they started, they had four wins. I mean, they haven't won a game. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. They've lost 10 straight games. And their last game of the season is against the Green Bay packers. They've lost 10 straight games. That's pretty wild. I mean, that's. And as we see, to lose 10 straight games, you do have to get a little unlucky. You do have to have like random wild stuff happen. But when you become so bad, you start going, wasn't even that wild and random. Is this kind of who they are? So, yeah, I mean, I, I have no clue. The more and more I think about the Bears, I think a lot of people are circling it, hoping they get in and kind of take over. And I don't think Kevin Warren is going to allow that. So if you're Ben Johnson watching this, I guess there's two ways to look at it. Are you going to risk your, you know, your coaching stardom of all the options on this when you've kind of had a front row seat in that division of seeing how shitty they are, or you can look at it on the flip side and go, well, if you do take it over and within a couple years they're in the playoffs, you're getting talked about like your Kyle or McVeigh. So I feel your pain, bro. Huge fan. I don't know if you saw the last hurt hierarchy, but some people found it questionable. He had the packers ahead of the Lions and Vikings. Also, I got in an argument with some of my friends and they thought it was crazy. This guy went hung a left and he hung a right that they thought I was crazy. When I says Miles Garrett could beat Islam Maccacheve's. I'm definitely screwing up that name in a UFC fight. Your thoughts? Actually more of a street fight, not ufc. Well, let me just look up this guy. Islam Makachevis. Oh, I know who you're talking about. I know, I know this guy. I mean I know what he looks like. This guy weighs 154 pounds. He weighs. Listen, I mean complete. Don't. I'm not like trying to diminish him being a complete badass. 158 pounds. Miles Garrett's like 6, 5, 2, 80. They're just one thing with fighting. There is a reason they do weight classes. It's like when I see, I'm sure a lot of you guys over beers with like cousins or friends, Conor McGregor, Jake Paul comes up and you go, jake Paul weighs like 230 pounds. Jake Paul is big. Like he's not. Conor McGregor was fighting Chad Mendez con. He's six foot one. How much does he weigh? Two hundred and thirty pounds. Conor McGregor weight, I mean kind of weighs 170. Like that's, that's a pretty big difference. So I think sometimes could Islam beat Miles? Like obviously I think if he connected he could knock him down. But I do think it would be like Miles has. And I'm not diminishing like how great. Like you don't. You can't just compare fighters to non fighters. But there is a massive, massive size advantage there. And obviously it's not like now I don't know Miles fighting ability. But I'm just saying, if you take me, a guy from the NFL with miles physical characteristics, 6, 4, 6, 5, 280. Just elite strength, speed. And you tell me he's like a tough guy. Like he's just tough. I do think it would be tough. The disadvantage the small guy would be. Am I not to think the Steelers can still win a playoff game or dare I say 2? I know it looks dire, but they played three of the best and most physical teams in less than two weeks. Pair this with their own physical practice habits and how Tomlin and his teams notoriously are bad on short rest. With the mini by they now need normal rest moving forward. I think they can turn the season around. There just no way the defense regressed that much that fast. The offense still put drives together. They just sputter in the red zone. I think the main problem here is if they are the six seed, they are going to draw the Ravens and do you like them against the Ravens? Like, I just think that's a terrible matchup. So do I think Pittsburgh, you know, the Chargers play like the Patriots and the Raiders. Maybe the Chargers season. The Chargers, yeah. Patriots, Raiders. So I think there's a decent chance. We can't assume the Chargers are going to be 11 and 6. The Steelers have one more game and it's against the Bengals in Cincinnati. Now, it doesn't mean they're not going to win it, but if I was betting right now, I would guess the Chargers are the five and the Steelers are the six. And we know that the, you know, the Bills, they are. I mean, they're going to be the two, and obviously the Ravens are going to be the three. Texans basically locked in at the four. So could they win too? I think they could have if they. If they played the Texans. Yeah. But let's say they played the Texans and the Ravens and the Bills won. So they would be playing in the second round. The Steelers would play the Chiefs at Arrowhead. They just lost 29 to 10 at home when the Chiefs had four days rest too. What were they going to do off a buy question for the mailbag? Lifelong Steeler fan and my friends constantly give me shit for saying the Steelers. The Steelers should part ways with Mike. When it comes to facing elite coaches, it is night and day difference in the scheming and execution. It happens against Brady and Belichick for years and now it seems to be happening against Mahomes and Reed. Tomlin reminds me of Pete Carroll. They both won a Super bowl early, got to another and lost. And they just have been riding that super bowl ever since and have been average at best. Am I nuts for thinking they should part ways or does Tomlin deserve another three or four years for having a winning record and being one and done in the playoffs? Also with how many turnovers Russ has the last few weeks. Should we look at Fields? Isn't he hurt? I mean, I think two weeks ago I didn't look at the inactives. Was Fields the backup for the Chiefs game? I know he was injured, you know, the couple days before. Also with how many turnovers Russ had? The whole point of Russ was he was going to be more efficient on offense, but he's averaged two turnovers three or four weeks in a row now. I think the Tomlin conversation's difficult because I think they're staring, you know, I know the last question was could they win a couple of games? I think they're staring at the same fate. They've had for like six straight years, get to the playoffs, win 10 games, head home. It's like, what? What are we doing? And part of it, you know, was the end of Roethlisberger's run and they haven't had a quarterback since. And obviously Russ is pretty meh. And you just have to wonder like, you know, Tomlin, could he have an Andy Reid moment, right, Go somewhere and take his career to another level? Now the difference is like Andy calls place. Mike is really, you know, the super bowl champion version of Dan Campbell. I don't know. I mean, I'm done saying they should part ways or when I say part ways, like a mutual divorce and then Tomlin gets hired immediately. But if you're Mike Tomlin, like, are you better off just coaching the Steelers and doing this year after year after year and it's part of your fame is like you're the head coach of the Steelers or do you want to go somewhere where you have a better chance to win and use and have a quarterback? Because, like, what's their quarterback situation going to be and how does it improve? I was listening to your podcast post Christmas about Green Bay's team is so close knit because there's nothing else to do. You are spot on. My son is a lacrosse player at Army West Point. So there isn't a ton to do outside of classwork, lacrosse practice, and hanging out with the guy at the fen their lacrosse center. Army doesn't always get the most talented players, but because they play for each other and truly care for each other, they made it to number one in Division 1 college lacrosse last year for a couple of weeks. Family, toughness and tradition is their team auto and they live it. So many parallels with the Packers. It's funny, someone I saw like a YouTube comment when a guy was like, you can tell middle cops never lived in a small town. You know, it's just because it's a small town doesn't mean there's not stuff to get into. Actually, yeah, guys, I grew up in one and so I grew up in a small town and I've lived in several from Fresno to obviously Davis for almost 18 years. My point wasn't that like you can't get in trouble. Like, obviously you could still get, you know, have issues if you're an idiot. But there's not as much to do relative to Scottsdale or Vegas or Miami or Dallas or, I don't know, just Minnesota. Just go around the bigger cities and it's clear, I mean, that they have a pretty special cohesion It's a huge point of difference for the franchise, which is obviously led by their ability to pick quarterbacks, which is the most important one. I don't think Ben Johnson's trick fumble play against the Bears was about him auditioning. It just seemed like a divisional opponent preying upon a weak and clearly inferior team. The media would have you believe he'd run the play against some team that is well coached. What's your take on why he ran it there? This was yesterday. Well, they came out with the. The clip, I think it was. It's been a long couple days, but I'm pretty sure it was Jordan Love. So part of when you game plan, right, with Ben Johnson or any offensive or defensive coordinators getting ready for an opponent, especially a divisional opponent, you have so much cross tape of watching the packers and Lions on offense and Minnesota against them. I guess he's on the Lions, so it would be. It'd be the packers and it'd be Minnesota against that defense. So he watches a ton of Jordan Love and Sam Darnold and Kevin O'Connell in the floor against them. And there was a play, I think, where Jordan Love basically fell, either tripped.

[John Middlekauff]

Or just dropped the ball as he.

[Colin Cowherd]

Was going back to like, do a play action. And then everyone stopped and he picked it back up and he threw a touchdown. So they basically just copied it. And Jared Goff said that Ben Johnson came to him because he saw it on cross tape. He's like, this would work because they all stopped and he went to him and said, do you think we could run a play where you intentionally fumble? I think. I think he texted to him maybe like Monday or Tuesday, and Jared Goff said, no, I don't think that's a good idea. So they made it the fake fumble, but I just think he ran it because he literally saw that defense screw up against the fumble. I mean, it's. It's fun to, you know, give our different opinions, you know, moments after the game, but as the more information come out, like, it's pretty black and white. He saw it on tape, it worked. And they kind of. They manipulated their version of an organic moment. For the packers.

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[Doug Gottlieb]

Lavar Arrington here from up on Game and listen, I want to talk to you about something very serious for a minute, all right? Something personal to me and right now something that should be personal to you as well. In our country, the hate is at an all time high and it's like we're going backward. The hate is winning. We can't allow that. All right? It's out of control. So many different people, so many different groups are facing too much hate. And it's enough. It's time for it to stop. We need to stop, regroup, change the momentum as a team, because that's what we are. Everyone in this country is on the same team, so let's act like it. And when a team can't get it together, what do you do? You call a timeout. And that's what we need to do. Call a time out against hate. Let's think about what we say and do. And when we see hate, when we see someone doing or saying those things we know are wrong and hateful, we need to call it out. Imma call it out. You need to do the same thing. Visit Stand up to all hate.org to help and join me in calling for a timeout against hate by following at what's up with Hate or posting the blue square emoji.

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[John Middlekauff]

Picture this. You're in the garage, your favorite room in the house, and you're tuning up your engine with parts you found on ebay. Every piece is just locking perfectly into place. You step back to admire your work, hands covered in grease. And because you're committed to driving that thing further than the odometer can even handle, you start thinking to yourself, you know what? I could probably use? Some new brakes, some shocks and struts. This baby deserves a new air filter. So you head right back to ebay. You can find any part you need. It's unreal. From wipers and headlights to cold air intakes, exhaust systems, and even that turbo you've had on your mind. Ebay is that stock garage of your dreams, and you've got ebay guaranteed fit. Because eBay knows DIY fixes can be major and mods are also intense. So you need to know those parts are guaranteed to fit every time before you dive in. Wrench first, and in the off chance you order a part and it doesn't fit, send it back.

[Colin Cowherd]

Simple as that.

[John Middlekauff]

You know what you love more than the car itself is driving it. You're serious when it comes to engine.

[Colin Cowherd]

Maintenance and locked in when you're headed into a build.

[John Middlekauff]

And that's exactly why you start with ebay. Minor fix or complete overhaul. You want to get your ride back on the road. And you've got ebay guaranteed fit. So ebay created my garage where all you had to do is add your ride's info to get exact parts that fit. When you see that green check, you're a click away from that part, clicking perfectly into place. So now that you know all that, imagine standing at that open garage door looking at the car you love more than anything, knowing that anything is possible, whether it's keeping it on the road forever or turning it into something that's never been on the road before. Because with ebay, your garage just got a whole lot bigger. Get all the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time. Ebay, Things people love.

[Colin Cowherd]

I want to ask you a question about the Patriots. This is Josh from New Zealand. Specifically whether you think it would be an attractive job if Mayo were to get fired. Unfortunately, I think Kraft will keep Mayo for at least one more year. But on the off chance he gets fired, do you think the Pats is an attractive job? Drake may have shown an absolute that he absolutely has franchise quarterback potential. They are projected to have the most cap space in the NFL during the offseason. Are probably going to have a really high pick. Do you think guys like Vrabel or Ben Johnson would be interested? And do you think that Jonathan Kraft meddling is off put? Sorry if there are some grammar spelling mistakes. Hey, listen, preaching the choir here, homie. I'm not sober and I'm struggling a little. You guys have been boozing, but you're the man. Okay, Appreciate the question. I think that the Kraft family and this is the difference with the Bears, like, okay, Jonathan Kraft has opinions. Let's say Steven Jones has opinions. Let's say all these kids differently. They are the family of the team, of the people that own the team. So like I'm sure many of you listening work for companies that are family run. And it's like, yeah, maybe the dad is the guy that is the ultimate decision maker but if he's not around as much or maybe he's a little hands off, like the kids have some pull and even if they have to go through the dad on big time things, you still know the kids. His name is on that check whether you like it or not. And I think I have less of an issue with the owner kid. And obviously the difference between, like Woody's kids or teenagers, which I understand as a human being, you're like, I really got to listen to this Jonathan Kraft. You know, it's. He's no. He's going to own the team. So it's a little less crazy if you feel like you have a good relationship with him. And I think that Mike Vrabel makes a lot. I mean, he's just got put in the ring of honor. He obviously was a legendary piece of their championship. The start of the dynasty. Three championships, a starter, just a stud. I think he makes a lot of sense there. And I also think if you're Ben Johnson, you'd be pretty interested there too, because there's a little less. You know, the one thing with Caleb, fair or not, because now he played into it. I mean, when his agents were asking for equity in the franchise, even if it didn't get very far, like, if you throw that out there, that stays with you for a while. Especially when things are shitty. It's one thing. It's like, hey, do you know who Peyton Manning in 1998 asked Jim Irsay for 1%. Everyone would have crushed him in 98 by 2005. You're like, yeah, this guy should ask for 10, right? So he just puts added pressure on you. And it's like he's like this lightning rod individual player.

[John Middlekauff]

A little like Russell Wilson because of.

[Colin Cowherd]

Kind of their style. Honestly, his style is a little like Russell Wilson back in the day. He's got a stronger arm. Russell, I think, was more of a natural runner, but both of them could be a little herky jerky. And it was just a roller coaster ride with Russell right now. Russell was good, you know, Caleb, just to be half as good as Russell's bad days in the mid 2010s, he's got a long way to go, but there's a lot that comes with that. And I just wonder if the Pats job was available. If you were Ben Johnson. It's kind of just an easier route. Could be wrong. Created this just to write you, bud. Seems like each year recently we have a quarterback who seemed dead in the water, but has a career resurgence. Like Geno last year and Sam Darnold this year. Who is the next quarterback that will follow this trend? I would throw Baker in there as well, I think Sam Darnold. We have seen Genos before. An older guy late in his career just go on to be solid. Now some guy, you know, Rich Gannon is the Best example, he was a guy that had obviously won an mvp, took a team to Super Bowl. Gino's not going to do that. But at 32, 33, 34, you get your shot. We have seen a lot of guys and happens a lot that are drafted high, that change teams and become solid players, and we've also seen a lot of them just suck. But I think when you look at the standings, like, who's really. I mean, tua. I mean, could. Would Rogers get credit if next year? The jets won nine games, they had a new coach, and he was our starting quarterback, and he threw 30 touchdowns. Will Levis. No chance. I don't know if there really is a guy. Kyler. Every time I watch Kyler these last couple weeks, he kind of looks like shit. He's just. He feels like throw nine picks, feels like he's throwing like 15. It's a good question. I don't know if there's a Sam Darnold Baker right now. And part of that is those guys, you know, we're just drafted high and bouncing around. Like, who's drafted high right now and bouncing around. You know, it ain't Mac Jones, it ain't Kenny Pickett, ain't anyone from that draft class. They're just. Those guys just aren't good enough. Even Fields, a lifelong Bronco fan from Oakland, California. The rivalry with all my Raider friends growing up was awesome. First off, heard you looking for a synonym for astronomical. One of my favorites is one metric fuck ton. I like that. As in Jesus, Trevor Lawrence makes one metric fuck ton of money for a guy who's never thrown 30 touchdowns. Feel free to use that one. I like it. Second, you know, I gotta ask you about Bo. We've seen that he can lead an offense in Sean Payton's system, but how high do you think his ceiling truly is? Ever since Manning retired, a Super bowl has seemed so far out of reach. But do you think we can get back there with Bo under center? I think, and I get it, like, that's all that matters, trying to win a championship. I think if he can lead you to the playoffs these next couple of years, you're in pretty good shape. And if by his third year, once you kind of free yourself of the Russell Wilson situation, that you can be aggressive his third and fourth year, then you could be a Super bowl contender because your defense is good, your head coach is good. Obviously. You know, Sean Payton was always great at getting weapons, finding guys all over the draft. I mean, they're literally doing it right now on the team, you know, this year, even if you lose in the first round of the playoffs by 15 points, it wasn't to make the playoffs. What an incredible year. I think they'll be viewed as a 9, 10, 11, playoff level team again next year depending on what happens the off season. And then I think that third and four, fourth year, like his years for broke when they can kind of build up the team because they're going to have way more money to spend, just more flexibility. So one thing you got to be careful though. And it's different because Sean Payton, we just know he's good. Bobby Slowik has kind of come back to earth. Sometimes young players can have down years after a good year, you know, to be a really good player. Like that's what makes Josh Allen, Lamar Mahomes, like they just do it every single year. T.J. watt, you know, Fred Warner, just go around Lane Johnson, go around all the best players. It's like every year they're going to be good. Every year they're going to be good. And sometimes with a young player they bounce onto the scene like, oh, good player like Justin Jefferson bounce on the scene, he's awesome. And then he just like, I do it again, I do it again, I do it again. You're like, yeah, this guy's got to be an all time great. And some guys bounce on the scene then their second year like what's going on here? And sometimes it's coaching, sometimes it's maybe they're sneaky, injured. I think next year is huge for them because there's going to be tangible pressure. There's no denying you have to sneak up on some people. Early on in the season. No one thought the Broncos are going to be that good. I mean, shit, you're over under. It was like five games and now you're going to win probably 10. This is another Bronco question. Huge Bronco fan, in your opinion, what should be the team's top priority this offseason? It seems to me that we have a lot of good across the board, but only two or three great players. What position groups should we hit the hardest in the draft? Well, your offensive line is good and your quarterback obviously is a stable guy. They just drafted him. Your secondary is excellent. Now your pass rusher with Bonito looks like a guy who's going to compete for defensive player of the year. I'm trying to look at, I love Javante Williams in college and obviously he got injured and it's just not quite the same. If you could give this team it's kind of crazy that they are. You guys are 9 and 6 going to end up. My guess would be 10 and 7 and you're not going to have a running back with probably over 600 yards. You know, Sean Payton, if he could get a star running back, I would guess they draft a running back this off season. The other thing is, you know, Sutton's a really good player, but your second leading receiver is Javante Williams. So actually, I'll give Javante, you know, he's. He's productive in the passing game, but he averages less than 3.7 yards of carry, does have four touchdowns, but he has 47 catches. I think you need a little more juice in the passing game. Tony Franklin drops the ball. Mims is kind of sweet when he's in space. Mims kind of grown on me. Boomer sooner. I think it's more offense because, I mean, are most of your defensive guys under contract? You never have enough pass rusher. So to me early, I bet you guys drafted running back high. If you guys are. I would say if you guys are drafting, let's say you're one and done in the playoffs and drafting like 19, 20. Now, I don't know if he'll be there, but Warren, the tight end, like, I think you'd be in the mix. The Penn State kid. Remember Sean Payton had. What's his name from Miami, Jimmy Graham, tall tight end, pretty quarterback, friendly player. Now that the Pats have the second pick in the draft, who do you think it's possible they would purposely drop the next two games to attempt to secure the number one pick? I don't even think they have to. I mean, next week 18, they're playing the Bills. Who do the Patriots play this week? The Patriots play the Chargers. I mean, you're just going to lose. I think if you get the number two overall pick. I think I would just draft Travis Hunter, assuming, like the quarterback goes one. If the Giants were to take Shador Sanders, which we can talk all we want about the Giants being a bad franchise, you think the Sander family is going to turn down New York City? I think they would go. If I'm the Patriots, I don't even think I would get cute. I think I just draft Travis Hunter and I get Travis Hunter to go with the Oregon corner, Gonzalez, he can play wide receiver. I just, I get so much excitement with my fan base. I think it's. I'm not overthinking that one now. Who knows, like, who's our coach, who's her gm they even have a GM right now. Here's a good one. Are you and Colin that fucking stupid question mark? Good lord. They just give anyone a microphone to talk about sports. Actually you just go to Best Buy and purchase them. They don't give you it. You gotta. You gotta buy them. They're not. There's not like a microphone score store where they just hand them out for free. So you have to purchase credit card, debit card, cash, check. Hey John. Love the pot. Few questions. As a Charger fan, when Jim Harbaugh was hired, I read heard that it was going to be three or four three to five year run with him because his act wears people out. What exactly does that mean? Is it the association with players or the front office? Does he have full control of the franchise like Belichick? What is the extent of his quote unquote power? Also, given the immediate impact he's had, do you see him being the coach for the chargers the next 10 plus years? That narrative is based on the Niners and the Niners, but it had some players, the front office, they wanted to kill each other and him and the owner were. It was not pretty at the end. But he just coached at Michigan from. I mean the Niners essentially fired him in 2014 and he coached there up until January of 2024. So now it's college. Obviously he coached for a long time before the transfer portal, but you have guys three or four years and they're gone. He does not. I mean he's very. Obviously he has a lot of juice when you're picking a player. But they have a GM which is his guy or his brother's guy from the Ravens. Ortiz, Joe Ortiz, bald guy. I also think Jim has part of the thing with Jim with 49ers and he was like this at Stanford. I think he had one of the biggest chips on his shoulder in the history of sports. Player or coach. And he was a former player. He was this intimidating presence. He's a weird cat. So I think he can really just. And he's just a football. I mean he's just a complete addict. So it's. When you're kind of weird and you're like that, I think it can be hard on some guys. But I think we got to put that thing to bed. I think we put that thing to bed. Based on Michigan and just based on the way he carries himself now, he's a. I think he's just dramatically lighter person. I think he's a lot lighter. He was really intense with the Niners. And I was going to a lot of those games in his practices. He, not the coaches aren't intense, but I just mean he's, he feels like a different human being to me. So I think that had a lot of substance behind it at Stanford and the Niners piss a lot of people off. Players included a lot of players. You know, some of them liked them, some of them didn't. And I think it's kind of mellowed out over time. And look at now his staff. You know, Navarro, Bowman's on the staff. Goldson, the former safety's on the staff. I think a lot's changed. I love the pod. Listen to every episode. I decided to put together a middle cough dictionary of phrases you say often and always make me laugh. Mollywop smash, destroy, annihilate, curb stomp. See Mollywop money talk. Shit walks. Money speaks louder than words. One, two, three. Cancun. They've checked out and given up. Sisters of the poor at School of the Blind. A weak schedule of opponents. Couldn't hit water sitting in a boat. Highly inaccurate Pastor buy a country mile wide margin every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Easy decision that you make without hesitation. Circle jerk or slurp. Thank you. I appreciate that.

[Lavar Arrington]

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[John Middlekauff]

Forget your number one fan you. So what's a gift you could use? Maybe go to more home games or even travel to some away games while rocking a new away team jersey. Well, they've got something for you. Discover automatically doubles all the cash back you've earned on your credit card at the end of your first year with cash back match with Discover, you could turn 150 cash back to 300. That'll help with the swanky away jersey it pays to discover. See [e-mail] credit card hey, this is.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Lavar Arrington here from up on Game and listen, I want to talk to you about something very serious for a minute, all right? Something personal to me and right now something that should be personal to you as well. In our country, the hate is at an all time high and it's like we're going backward. The hate is winning. We can't allow that. All right? It's out of control. So many different people, so many different groups are facing too much hate and it's enough. It's time for it to stop. We need to stop, regroup, change the momentum as a team because that's what we are. Everyone in this country is on the same team. So let's act like it. And when a team can't get it together, what do you do? You call a timeout. And that's what we need to do. Call a timeout against hate. Let's think about what we say and do. And when we see hate, when we see someone doing or saying those things we know are wrong and hateful, we need to call it out. Imma call it out. You need to do the same thing. Visit stand up to all hate.org to help and join me in calling for a timeout against hate by following at what's up with Hate or posting the blue square emoji.

[Argenics]

You've almost certainly been prescribed a medication before, but did you understand how it worked? The way your medication works in your body shouldn't be a mystery. Learn how Vivgart Hytrulo, Fgartigamod Alpha and Hyaluronidase QVFC works by visiting vivgart.com moa that's V-Y-V-G-Art.com moa brought to you by Argenics Picture this.

[John Middlekauff]

You're in the garage, your favorite room in the house, and you're tuning up your engine with parts you found on ebay. Every piece is just locking perfectly into place. You step back to admire your work, hands covered in grease. And because you're committed to driving that thing further than the odometer can even handle, you start thinking to yourself, you know what? I could probably use some new brakes, some shocks and struts. This baby deserves a new air filter. So you head right back to ebay. You can find any part you need. It's unreal. From wipers and headlights to cold air intakes, exhaust systems, and even that turbo you've had on your mind. Ebay is that stock garage of your dreams, and you've got ebay guaranteed fit. Because eBay knows DIY fixes can be major. And mods are also intense, so you need to know those parts are guaranteed to fit every time before you dive in. Wrench first and in the off Chance. You order a part and it doesn't fit, send it back.

[Colin Cowherd]

Simple as that.

[John Middlekauff]

You know what you love more than the car itself is driving it. You're serious when it comes to engine.

[Colin Cowherd]

Maintenance and locked in when you're headed into a build.

[John Middlekauff]

And that's exactly why you start with ebay. Minor fix or complete overhaul. You want to get your ride back on the road and you've got ebay guaranteed fit. So ebay created my garage where all you had to do is add your ride's info to get exact parts that fit. When you see that green check, you're a click away from that part, clicking perfectly into place. So now that you know all that, imagine standing at that open garage door looking at the car you love more than anything, knowing that anything is possible. Whether it's keeping it on the road forever or turning it into something that's never been on the road before. Because with ebay, your garage just got a whole lot bigger. Get all the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time. Ebay, things people love.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, couple more questions. A few of my buddies having a couple beers and the buzzed up debate became if all three of us were on the field for every play, three extra players. I think we got this one. Something similar like this before, what effect would it have on a team over the course of a year? Thought you'd be the guy to ask. Assuming we know the plays and didn't get holding offsides or other penalties, could three 35 year old, five 10 to 6 foot guys add a win to a team's record? Side note, don't have to read aloud. We decided at best we'd get in the way to help prevent block field goals on the edge or in a Hail Mary scenario. I would say this because we've got a similar question before you guys would get hurt, I guess you guys would all be injured. So if you're on defense, yeah, the Hail Mary thing, even that, I don't know if you're bringing much to the table there. Field goal, like what would you really be doing on the field goal? Because there's guys on the edges coming off the edge and you don't have the strength or the size up the middle. So I wouldn't even want you in any of those positions on the edge or up the middle. And if I just put three extra guys on defense, I just like, what if, you know, Derrick Henry broke a run, was running right at you, he could injure you. What if Trent Williams came loose and was blocking you and threw you into the water cooler because he would lift you up and toss you. You wouldn't be, you know, unlike a, if I'm like a DB for the Lions or whatever in the sweet offensive tackles coming after me, I'm still athletic enough where I can avoid them. I can dip under him. Hell, I can even just run away from him. You're not able to do any of that. So these, if any of these offensive linemen get their hands on you, you're just in major, major trouble. And like I think we underestimate these guys when they get thrown to the ground. The muscle body armor they have on them. I'm not talking about the pads, I'm talking about their own muscle. So I don't think you would have a long shelf life. I think I'd be shocked if you just started week one. Assuming we're talking NFL, not college, I think you'd all be on injured reserve by, I don't know, early October. The other thing is do you practice? Like do you lift with the team? So are you getting sore? You know, these guys bodies. I just, I don't think you would last long. Do you think the Seahawks have an ownership problem or is it just a coaching problem? They have lost all the primetime games this year in games that are must win for playoff selection. Well, they just won one. This question was asked before Thursday night game. I don't think they have any problem. I just think they're not quite as good as a lot of these other teams and it's still pretty solid. I mean you're looking at a team that is going to have a winning record for the third straight year. I think they went 9 and 8, 9 and 8 last couple of years and they're about to 9 7. They get a pretty big advantage playing I guess the Rams play Saturday night in regards to quarterback contracts like Watson and Cousins Russell last year. Why don't we see teams offer to take on the contract for a draft pick compensation similar to Osweiler. Example. The Patriots have 132 million in cap space in 2025. The Browns send Watson and a second and fourth round pick to the Patriots to take on that contract? Well, I don't think so. You essentially you're buying the contract. Why would the Patriots, you know to take on a hideous contract, let's say Russell last year and obviously desean's way worse. I think you have to include multiple ones and if you're the Browns, you need those ones to try to get the hell out of the situation. Because you're not going to have any cap space. And even, or I mean, you know, trading it, it accelerates the dead cap. So even if the cap space changed a little bit, all the guaranteed money accelerates and it, it makes it a problem. I think legally, obviously it's been, it's, it happened with the Osweiler trade. You're not supposed to be able to essentially buy picks, you know, in the NBA you could just buy a second round pick, which I have no problem with. Honestly, I'd be interested to hear like not Goodell, but maybe some owners or even GMs why they think the logic behind just not allowing, hey, we don't want our fourth round pick. We'll give you a million bucks, right? You want my second round pick, give me $10 million. I guess the NFL probably wouldn't want these guys. Don't need the money. And I don't know why anyone would sell a relatively high pick. Gotta do one more. I appreciate your football takes however you love to crap on Ryan Day. Feels like you should give him a lot of props, Tennessee for what he did to Tennessee. I did, I did. That wasn't ass kicking. And let's face it, he beats the crap out of Tennessee and then he beats Oregon.

[John Middlekauff]

He's in pretty good shape.

[Colin Cowherd]

If Ohio State is to win the national championship, which is obviously right in front of him, it'd be hard to say anything negative about Ryan Day. I mean, you beat Tennessee at home, you beat Oregon, a team that has not lost and already beat you this season, more than likely, then you play Texas and then you probably play like Notre Dame, Penn State or Georgia. It would be, I mean it'd be unprecedented because we've never seen a team play in a.4 extra games in the playoffs. I mean, the max we've seen is two. So you get two extra games and they beat good opponents. I don't know, I feel bad for Oregon that they get this draw, but I almost feel in a weird way sometimes, you know, the, when you're in a bye week, people forget about you. If your opponent's coming in off a big win and you get to fly under the radar a little bit, I think Oregon's pretty good and obviously Ohio State is too. I mean, clearly. But they do have a flaw. I mean they're missing offensive lineman, they can't run the ball. If Will Howard is going to throw it on you with those sweet wide receivers, you're going to put them in one on one coverage like, good luck. There'd be a lot of NFL corners that couldn't cover that kid. One on one, I would imagine Oregon, who is run by Dan Lanning, who learned from Kirby Smart, is going to have a pretty good game plan. And I think a lot of people you watch the closer this game gets, are going to pick Ohio State. And this is. You know, I picked Tennessee. I was. I was hating on Ohio State. I'm. I'm not hating. I mean, obviously, listen, they are as talented as any team in the country, but I think everyone's going to pick Ohio State based on that last performance and based on people just. Oregon didn't play, even though I saw them the week before or week and two weeks before against Penn State running wild and their quarterback look like two of the Alabama version. Big game. Because one of those coaches, it'd be a. It'd be a big L for Dan Lanning, too. I mean, you talk about a guy, he hasn't won that many big games either. I mean, these are two of the biggest ones of his short career. Ohio State in the regular season and Penn State in the championship game. He beats Ohio State again. People forget about those losses to Washington. DeBoer really quick. But I do think I like Oregon in that game because I just think people are going to overreact to what we witnessed. A team that had just gotten their ass kicked by. And I saw Saban say this. He's like, people at Ohio State are so obsessed with Michigan. See, I think he would struggle with that because he tried to. Like, every game mattered. The process of it all mattered. Obviously, Auburn's a huge game, but so is lsu. So is Ole Miss. So every team they're playing. He wasn't a guy like, I don't think he would have coached at Ohio State what he became, because he would have struggled with everyone putting all the chips in the middle table on Michigan. And he even said, like, their fans are obsessed with Michigan. Well, yeah, it's kind of a big deal. Duke and North Carolina are obsessed with each other, right? I say ucla, usc, but it's just not true. You Yankees, Red Sox forever, right? Raven, Steelers forever. It's a really big deal to the fan base. And you saw it with Michigan this year. They had a awful season. I mean, a terrible year. And once they won that game, it.

[John Middlekauff]

Doesn'T feel that terrible.

[Colin Cowherd]

It actually felt like they made progress. Now, part of it is that that game's at the end because if they had the same season, and obviously the game's always at the end, but let's just say it was week one and they had beat Ohio State and they had the crappy season. It would be much harder to stomach, but I like Oregon. Have a great Saturday. I will talk to you guys Sunday because we got a bunch of NFL games on so we will talk soon.

[Chase Freedom]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Chase Freedom]

We'Ve all got a thing, an obsession. For some of us, it's vintage fashion. Our cars, anything we can collect, they all live under one. EBay. It's where closets get filled with statement pieces and vintage finds, where must have sneakers wait for you and designer handbags are the real deal on ebay. Doors open to stacks of the rarest trading cards and a garage stocked with all the car parts you need for any DIY job. EBay's home to whatever thing you're into that keeps you up at night. EBay things people love.

[Argenics]

You've almost certainly been prescribed a medication before, but did you understand how it worked? The way your medication works in your body shouldn't be a mystery. Learn how Vivgarditrulo Fgartigamide Alpha and Hyaluronidase QVFC works by visiting vivgart.com MOA that's V Y V G-A-T.com MOA brought to you by Argenics this is Doug Gottlieb.

[Doug Gottlieb]

From All Ball with Doug Gottlieb. Listen, I'm gonna get serious for a minute. The hate in our country is getting out of control. In fact, it's sadly at an all time high. But it's gonna take all of us to stop it. I mean, we're all on the same team in this country. So let's take a break from our hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a timeout against hate. Visit stand uptoallhate.org to help and join me in calling for timeout against hate by following ot'supwithhate or posting the blue.

[John Middlekauff]

Square emoji this holiday season. Don't forget your number one fan you so what's a gift you could use? Maybe go to more home games or even travel to some away games while rocking a new away team jersey. Well, they've got something for you. Discover automatically doubles all the cash back you've earned on your credit card at the end of your first year. With cash back match with Discover, you could turn 150 cash back to 300. That'll help with the swanky away jersey it pays to Discover. See [e-mail] credit card.