← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Chiefs Dynasty Over? Buckeyes All-Time Defense? Seahawks SCARY Good Roster, J.J. McCarthy Looks Lost
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- [00:00]
Sophie Cunningham
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John Middlekauff
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- [01:06]
Sophie Cunningham
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- [02:12]
John Middlekauff
Get almost anything you need delivered with UberEats. What do you mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A Little Escape? No. Delicious bowl of grapes? Yeah. An afternoon stroll? Sorry, no. A burrito bowl? Happily, yes. How about the clear skies? Can't deliver that, but French fries? Yeah. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region C app for details. The volume. All right. I'm a football fan for a long time, since the 70s. I don't watch football without something to eat and drink. Trust me, it's. It's a whole different ball game when you're eating right now. I got two things today from Uber Eats right now. When you buy one large extra most bestest pepperoni pizza from Little Caesars like this one, you get another one free. By the way, one of these has already been eaten by me and my wife 15 minutes ago. Yes, that's right. An extra extra most bestest pizza thrown in there. Extra cheese, extra pepperoni, all for the price of just one. And since Uber Eats is the official on demand food delivery partner of the NFL, you know all the game day deals keep coming all season long. Wings and tacos and subs and pizzas, chips and dips, whatever. Whatever it is, Uber Eats delivers right to your door. So when your team puts up the extra point, reward yourself with an extra pizza. Order Little Caesars on Uber Eats today we did terms apply. Caesar's the app for details. Pizza pizza extra extra. Something's going on here. All right, former NFL scout, you know him as John Middelkopf. His podcast is three and out. He is everywhere during the football season. And my blazing five is on a frickin heater. 4 and oh, today I couldn't get a break in September. I'm getting every break. When Shadour Sanders came in, I was like, wait, Cleveland leads 16:10. I've got the Browns plus eight and a half. Just no pick sixes. And he actually had a nice, like, final drive, little spin move, throwing the end zone. He did okay. I was, it was, it was really entertaining. So let's start. Denver 22, Kansas City 19. So the Broncos are now 9 and 2. The Chiefs are a 500 team. They're a hell of a 500 team. Kansas City's a good team. Bo Nicks 2437, 295. Again, no big mistakes. What's interesting against Spags in that defense, John, you know, Bo's really struggled, but they, for the first time in nine weeks, they scored on their opening drive. And it was as if Beau and Sean found a rhythm, certainly on enough drives to get field goals that they hadn't had. But it was one of those games when you watch Sam Darnold unravel and you watched a lot of quarterbacks today, there was some ugly quarterback play. This is where Bo Nix is really good. He doesn't take sacks. He can move the Chains with his legs. He's really good in these big fourth quarter drives. I know he drives everybody nuts. But there is something to be said about today against Mahomes. Milking that clock, making that big throw down the stretch. What was your interpretation of Knicks and what you saw today?
- [05:30]
Football Analyst Josh
Yeah, I mean that, that final drive was huge, right? He had two third downs, third and 15 when he scrambled to his right. They need to get him on the move more often, I think. I mean sometimes they've really tried to push the ball down the field. And even today some of his, A lot of his incompletions because his numbers look good are on the deep ball. He was not skipping balls like he did whatever a Thursday, a week ago, it was that deep ball. He's still overthrowing it, but he was, he's good on the move. And then the third and five that Sutton made the play and then that second and eight which essentially sealed the game. So three enormous passes. I actually thought when Kelsey scored same. I mean Travis Kelsey and Chris Jones, I mean you talk about these guys, I mean that you knew they would bring it. They both of them dominated today. I thought that that second time that when Mims on the, when returned that punt and they were in the red zone and they didn't come out of the touchdown. I'm like, I, I think they're going to look back and God, they're going to be kicking themselves on that one. And he just. They found a way. I mean their defense is both these defense. I mean these are. How about that could be the AFC champions.
- [06:33]
John Middlekauff
John, how about the late window? Cleveland's defense, Rams, Seattle, Denver, Kansas City. And Robert Sala is doing an unfrecking believable job with nobody. He's got, you know, Winter's a good player. That kid's everywhere. But no, I kind of look at this game and I think the Chiefs were 11 and 0 or 12 and O last year in one possession games and they're 0 and 5. And my takeaway on that isn't that they were 11 and oh, not just that, but why are they in so many close games? And I think you see this with Bob Buffalo, you start paying these quarterbacks $400 million. And John, you look at Buffalo's defense, it's really okay. It's just okay. It's got a couple splash players. You look at Kansas City, you know, they don't have much of a run game. Kelsey again rises to the moment. Chris Jones has not had a good year. He had a good day today. But I think it's, the reality is when, you know, when you start looking at roster, Seattle, well, they're paying Sam very, very workable wage. Indianapolis, Daniel Jones, it looks, it's unbelievable roster. So you know, some of it with Kansas City is. This is the reality. Remember when Drew Brees was in New Orleans? He took a big salary and they dipped for two years and then he took a team friendly deal at the end and they had great rosters with Sean Payton. How much credit do you give? You know, Sean Payton's funny. I think he's the best coach in football. Nobody wants to admit it's a great coach because he's a little, he can be a little bit of a smart ass. But John, they're still paying. Russell Wilson in this roster is stacked.
- [08:09]
Football Analyst Josh
Where I give them a lot of credit is remember when they gave, they had that game his first year where they played Miami and gave up 70 points and there was so much momentum and you went this Vance Joseph thing is just not going to work. And you look back a couple of years later, they have a potential all time defense. I mean they might break the sacks record. The blitz he called, you just talked about defensive coordinators. I mean the amount, if you combine the salaries of the defensive coordinators in the late window, it's a lot of money. These guys are getting paid. That blitz that he called, that sack, Patrick Mahomes, I mean that, that was, that was big time. It's. Sometimes you got to mix it up against an all time great player and kind of confuse them. I mean you're playing, I mean the coaching quarterback combination, one of if not the greatest combination of all time. So Vance Joseph to me deserves, they play the Chiefs really well now two years in a row and they're missing their best defensive player. So obviously you know, Sean and you know he's, he's been very, I would say consistent on Bo Nix. He's kept his mouth shut when he's really struggled because he doesn't want this guy to go into the tank. And they've, I think the team has just kind of, you know, stood by his back because whatever. That Thursday night game was pretty ugly. I mean that was, that was as bad as it got. And today you get a little extra time. I think Romo mentioned it that they spent a lot of time just kind of getting back to the basics. Like getting in and out of the huddle.
- [09:30]
Football Analyst Doug
Yeah.
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Football Analyst Josh
You know, I think sometimes you think it's like you get rushed. It's like getting in out of the huddle Bo Nix was saying, coach, you're getting me the plays too late. And they worked on, like, stuff that you don't even think. But that's. Sometimes you got to take a step back before you worry about, like, what's up with his accuracy. Well, if he's all rattled on all this other shit, then you're already screwed before you even started.
- [09:48]
John Middlekauff
That's what we saw with Caleb Williams. In the first three weeks, his operational stuff was a mess. Now, it's still not pretty, but that's not the problem. He may struggle, but the operational stuff, I do think with Bo Nix, he's a really tightly wound guy. He's very intense. And so I think Sean was adding to that anxiety by getting it in late. And you and I have talked about this the last couple of weeks. He played nervous. And I think now we look at it, we're like, oh, that's why he's a tightly wound guy. He's incredibly harsh on himself. I talked to somebody who knew him before the season. They're like, that kid is hard on himself. Like little. Like, Lamar Jackson just doesn't savor wins. Like, losses are crushing. And so, okay, then Sean's getting the plays in late. Sean's demanding so early in the season. And Sean's never been a great September coach anyway because he just unloads the playbook on him. But I thought today, Bo less frenetic. I thought that final drive was like. I mean, John, that was a little Jaden Daniels of last year. You're like, wow, that's a. That's a Pro bowl level drive. Like two big throws. And they just. The way Sean and Bo melt the clock. I mean, that. That. I mean, even when Romo and Nance said at the end, they're like, hey, if the Chiefs don't make a tackle here, get down at the one. And. And they didn't. Peyton and Bo had thought it out. They just took a knee. They were not going to let Kansas City control it. They took a knee and, you know, I. I don't think. I don't think Kansas City is a bad team. I just think the margins get really skinny when you pay Kelsey Jones, Mahomes. I mean, the hell they had to get rid of Joe Tunney. You know, it's just. This is the reality of having a $400 million quarterback.
- [11:31]
Football Analyst Josh
The other thing is this. When you go to five Super Bowls in six years, and I think the year you missed it, you lost in the AFC Championship game. Where are you drafting every round? You know, 29, 30, 31, 32. And that's not just the first round. We're talking the third and the fourth round. So your margin for error, you're not getting the pick of the litter each round, right. This isn't like the second round. You get to pick the four best players that are still on the board in the 30s or early 40s. You're picking at the end at 60. So the pressure on Veach in the scouting staff is really, really high. And I think that's why they were kind of hesitant to make a bold trade, because you need the picks and especially, like, let's face it, Kelsey and Chris Jones are coming down the home stretch here, right? So these guys, they're no longer 17 game elite guy. They give you however many games during the regular season, hopefully the playoff games, but like you are going to need to make some hay in the draft. But even this year, let's say they end up going 10 and 7 because they got some winnable games on their schedule. Let's just say this is the year they get bounced in the first round. There's, they're still, it's not like they're drafted seventh, they're still drafted 21st. So they are just, you know, sometimes, you know, the Ravens have had a good little stretch here of the Starks and the Wiggins and they've hit a, like, that's, there's a little dumb luck to that because a lot's out of your control, right. The guy you want, you see this year with Jihad Campbell being there for Howie some years, that guy goes pick 16 and you're just like, we don't really like any of these picks. It's why historically you get a lot of the good teams, John Schneider, Belichick, they would go back.
- [12:59]
John Middlekauff
Yes.
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Football Analyst Josh
Because like, we just don't feel comfortable here. And it just, it's very draft dependent. I watch a lot of college football. I'm like, I, I don't know how many blue chippers are in this upcoming draft. Definitely not when the, you know, a lot of these teams in the 20s are going to be drafted. So it just puts a lot of pressure. And the Chiefs put them, I think coach Reed Patrick would be the first. They put themselves into a hole. You start owing to you lose that crazy Jags game. You shouldn't be like on tilt in the middle of November on the road at a 9, 8 and 2 team. Well, right. The season shouldn't. And it's the season technically not on the line, but the division streaks over tonight The Broncos essentially won the division in Nikon. They play the Commanders next and then the Raiders.
- [13:38]
John Middlekauff
Yeah. So I had picked Denver to win this division. I picked Kansas City at finished second, Chargers third, and Raiders fourth. So I've had a good year on picks and pretty good year. I picked New England to be my shocking team and Seattle to make the playoffs. So it's been a good football and pro football year for me. But one of the things I had, I really believe about Kansas City is.
- [13:59]
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- [14:02]
John Middlekauff
When you look at the Chiefs, a lot of the reality of playing these big, intense seasons is there's a fatigue. It's more hits you end up having. I mean, I guess just kind of the way I look at Kansas City's run is like how I looked at New England is that before the season, I said, the dynasty's over. And I said, they'll make the playoffs. They'll probably win another super bowl or two. But you just can't keep doing it. You can. The eye test tells you that defense two years ago was faster than now, and Chris Jones was more dominant. When you take Chris Jones out of his prime and like Kelsey, he'll give you great games but not a great season, that defense isn't the same, John. It's like. It's like the Rams got lucky when Darnold left or when Aaron Donald left because they had drafted and hit on, like, five different defensive players in the box. So the defense about a year after he left are like, oh, hell, it's still. It's still nasty. But they hit on five defensive picks. Five of them were all even the third round. Kobe Turner was good, but when Chris Jones, the last two years, especially this year, isn't as dominant. The rest of the players are good players, and so they had to let go of Snead at corner, and they have a couple guys get dinged up, and when I watch them play today, it's still well coached, it's still good. But Seattle's defense or the Rams defense today, just turn the sound down. The Rams defense is just. There's nothing open anywhere. There's stuff open today that Bo Nix and Peyton took advantage of.
- [15:43]
Football Analyst Josh
Yeah, I mean, part of it is in Belichick and Brady, you know, in the middle of, or I guess the late 2000s, early 2010s, you got to start hitting on some. The new group of guys. Right. They got hightower, they got McCourty. Right. They got all these other players to come in. Obviously, Edelman became a consistent slot. They hit on Gronk in The second round. The Chiefs are going to have to do that over the next couple years and they kind of already have, you know, Rashee Rice, a high end player.
- [16:07]
John Middlekauff
Yeah.
- [16:08]
Football Analyst Josh
Xavier Worthy, they're going to need more out of him. Yeah, they got McDuffie and Carloftus on defense. You need to hit on a couple more guys. But listen, I, I think they've proven they know what they're doing. This is just not. Belichick and Brady had some years where they lost in the first round. Remember the Brex? Ryan beat him, the Ravens beat him. Peyton got him a couple times. Like, you're not going to go to the Super Bowl. Five and six years. I, I'd be stunned if that ever happens again. And that with the parody, the way the league's built. But the Broncos, they're going to be in a position, you know, now they're in the driver's seat to get the number one seed. Right. Because the Colts, I mean, are they just going to keep rattling off wins? I think the Broncos, you look at their schedule, it's pretty easy. I do believe if they can get home field advantage, that's going to be a very, very tough place to win. You know, for opposing teams to come in with that defense and they just need Bo Nixon to play. Like today, no turnovers. We don't need three, four touchdowns a game. You go back to some of the defenses that, you know, people like in the 80s and the 90s and the early 2000s, we don't need three touchdowns. Like, just do not turn the ball over. Maybe throw one. We'll rush for one and we will win this thing 17 to 13. No problem.
- [17:14]
John Middlekauff
Don't, don't forget Denver at home in January. It will be snowing, so that defense will be even nastier because it's going to be windy at high altitude and snowing. Seattle loses to The Rams. Rams 21, Seahawks 19. Pretty remarkable that with four Sam Darnold interceptions. Seattle, which again, I think their rosters, I think defensively they got so many dudes. First of all, these two defenses, there's just nothing. I felt bad for Sam Darnold. There's just. If a ball gets tipped in the air, it's picked. There's just very little. I mean, thank God for jsn. It's just hard to have plays. It's hard to have successive plays against the Rams defense that hit. You can hit one and then it's backwards. So. But I was thinking about this because the Rams jump out to a very quick lead. It's very impressive. And then they have to hold on. But I was, you know, they. Here's the thing that jumped out to me. The Rams defense in the red zone. Number one, if you didn't watch the game, the Rams defense in the red zone kept forcing Seattle into field goals. So that, that was the early portion of the game. The second portion was they kept intercepting Sam Darnold. But this struck during the game. If Stafford would have thrown four picks, Seattle would have blown the Rams out, would have blown their doors off. How can Seattle stay with them? And my takeaway is this. Matt Stafford, John is play call reliant. He is as good as the play call right. Sam's not. If the play breaks down, Sam can create a second play, sometimes a third with his legs. The weakness with the Rams because there is no weakness defensively their corners aren't great. But Forbes now Emmanuel Forbes in is playing really well. He's a nice corner, probably a number two corner, but he's a good corner. Their safeties are good, their pass rush. Stafford's not giving you anything off the play call. Now he can get in and out of stuff pre snap but if the play breaks down or it's just stuffed, the play's over. I feel like with Darnold, I mean when, when, when Matt Stafford is reckless and has a bad day, Rams get hammered. But Seattle doesn't because you know they dominate time of possession. Got in the second and third quarter. Seattle had the ball for 20 minutes, the Rams had it for three. I mean again there is such a value to having an athletic quarterback that can just create a second play if the first play gets snuffed. And I, that's, that's my thing. I love Stafford but with him and golf you do not get a second play within a play call. The play call is what the play call is. And I thought it was remarkable that Seattle was kicking a game winning field goal. I thought it was unbelievable.
- [20:00]
Football Analyst Josh
Yeah, if they would have. If Seattle wins this game, I don't think Sean McVeigh could have slept all week. You can't pick a guy off four times and lose that game. I mean there at one point in time it felt like the Rams were in complete control. And I looked down and Matt Stafford had thrown for like 60 yards. I'm like does something. This feels weird. He ended up only throwing for 130 yards. Sam Darnold threw for almost 300 yards. I mean for 280 yards. Mac Jones is thrown for 650 yards combined against the Rams You. Which is ironic because you can throw on them. But their. Their defensive coordinator, I think we have to have some ownage over Sam Darnold because some of those picks aren't tip balls. They're hitting guys in the numbers. So he. He rattled them in the playoff game when they had to play it in Glendale because of the fires.
- [20:46]
John Middlekauff
Yeah.
- [20:47]
Football Analyst Josh
And then he rattled them again today really bad. It was the first time. Like he's still making some explosive plays. The one play the JSN cop with one hand and obviously the running backs make some big plays. But like, if you're gonna. I mean, he did not have a touchdown today and he threw four interceptions. And I mean, I three off top of my head are hitting guys in stride. The one where he did like the Tebow jump up and he just hit the guy. It's like that can't. That looked a little Jets, Carolina Panthers. And I think Chris Shula, who was Sean McVeigh's handpicked guy, they're buddies from college, has just come. It's like a matchup thing. See this in basketball, you see sometimes in baseball with a pitcher versus a hitter. Chris Shula against Sam Darnold because it's not even a Kubiak thing because they had a different offensive coordinator last year in the playoffs was Ryan Grubb. It's something he's doing to Sam, is throwing them off with some of these looks because they do not have Jalen Ramsey and some of these guys back there in the defensive backfield. These are not like their strength is the pass rush, not the corners. Even though the guy they just traded for did make a great play. That would have been Sam Darnold. Maybe under threw him by what he 8 inches. And the guy made a great play with his fingertips. They probably saved the game because he completes that. That might have been the game.
- [21:57]
John Middlekauff
Sam's own three against the Rams the last two years, 21 and four against everybody else. So there is no question the Rams have his number. And what I wrote down today, twice that Sam saw the receiver late. His throw was late. And Sam's never had the cleanest mechanics. He's got a little bit of a little bit of a hitch. It's faster than. Yeah, it's faster than it was four years ago. But Sam has to see stuff clearly and quickly because he doesn't snap the ball out like an Aaron or even Jordan. Love just whips that thing out, man. That touchdown to Christian Watson. He got a bad snap. He saw it, let it go. It was in the air a quarter second later. That's not Sam. And two of the interceptions. Sam saw the play way late, like it wasn't even close. You know, you'd have thought he would throw into a Ram, not a Seahawk. So I think that's the reality is that this right now, I think Seattle has better speed. I think Seattle's roster is actually more complete. Like the Rams have a little bit of a secondary concern. They didn't draft a corner last year. You and I have discussed this. Probably needed to. They went and got Emmanuel Forbes a longer corner. I thought he's been pretty good for them. But. And we talked about this, John. I think the last two weeks the Rams are the cleanest team in the league. They're not. They're not the most dynamic. They don't have penalties, they don't turn the ball over, they don't throw interceptions. They're just clean. And in the end that, that wins a lot of these games.
- [23:37]
Football Analyst Josh
Well, like you said about Darnold, I think I did the math. So if you count today, he's 21 and 6 starting last year. So I mean he's been a great player. But three of those losses to the Rams and if you count the playoff game and Today he is 5. 5 interceptions and he was not good in the playoff game either. Because I'm with you, I feel like they're throwing him off, which then speeds him up, which gets them all out of rhythm.
- [24:02]
John Middlekauff
Yeah.
- [24:02]
Football Analyst Josh
Because now the three games in which he's had of those 21 wins, he has been an MVP caliber player. Yet if you take the Lions game and these last two Rams game, he looks like a rattled player. So it's, it's like clearly. And some of those wins are against really good team. So it's not like he's just beaten up on, you know, Kentucky's of the world. Right. He's doing it against real competition. So whatever Shula has put out there now and Aaron Glenn, I do wonder if more people are going to attempt to just copycat that. Yes, but it just, it's weird because I was all in the way he was playing then. I watched today. I'm like, clearly you can do something to throw him off. And you know, he's. It's one thing if you just, you know, you have bad footwork and you overthrow a guy. It's another thing to hit multiple DBs in their numbers. That to me is a really, really alarming sign. And I thought he had gotten past it the way he was playing this year. I'm like, whatever that confidence is. And then you see a moment like today and you're like, God, I, I'm picking Seattle to make the Super Bowl. And that, that kind of is going to give me some pause because there's going to be a lot of pressure on this guy in the playoffs again. Right. And down the stretch, he still got some big games left.
- [25:10]
John Middlekauff
Yeah. I've said this about Caleb Williams and Bo Nix. They don't get hurt. They don't throw picks. There is some value in that. All right, Today's show is brought to you by our new presenting sponsor, Hard Rock bet. They're a great partner on Hard Rock Bet. There's always something to bet on. If you haven't tried your first bet on Hard Rock Bet yet, there's still time for you to get 150 bucks in bonus bets. If you win, just place a $5 bet. That's it. Five bucks. If it hits you, not only get your winnings, but you get $150 in extra bonus bets. The NBA is back, which means it's time to shoot your shot on Hard Rock bet. You're home for all the hoops action all season long. If you need a little help with your first bet, check out the streaks heating up inside the Hard Rock Bet stats hub. You can find live odds to bet on all of these streaks right in the Hard Rock Bet app. Download the Hard Rock Bet app today and make your first deposit payable in bonus bets. Not a cash offer. Offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida. Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC in Alder States. Must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concern about gambling in Florida. Call-888- admit it in Indiana. If you or somebody you know has a problem, wants help, call 1-800-9 with it. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. This week's crunch time performer, brought to you by McDonald's new buffalo ranch Sauce, is Josh Allen. Best football player in the world. Second time in his career. Three passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns in one game. It's like that junior high football player that's got a mustache and nobody else does, right? No other player has ever done it once, so Josh's performance was satisfying. Just like the first bite of the Bacon Creamy Buffalo McCrispy. Always good. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. All right, let's talk holiday shopping. From now through December 8th, you can get 20% cash back when you pay in four with PayPal. No fees, no interest. This limited time offer is perfect for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals you've been eyeing. Save the offer in the app right now, so whether it's a must have merch or for that signed jersey you've been eyeing, PayPal helps you make the most of your money. This holiday. Expires December 8th. See paypal.com promoter subject to approval. Learn more at paypal.com payin4paypal inc.nmls910457 this.
- [27:45]
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- [28:38]
Football Analyst Doug
And Doug Here.
- [28:39]
John Middlekauff
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- [29:47]
John Middlekauff
Get almost anything you need delivered with UberEats. What do you mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake. That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? Very much a yes. An afternoon stroll? Sorry, no. A burrito bowl? Happily, yes. All right. Delivery is on its way. I use it regularly. How about the clear skies? Can't deliver that. But French fries? Yeah. A little escape? No. Delicious bowl of grapes. Yeah. How about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But barbecued prawns? Order it now. Get almost. Almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. Sea App for details, Let's go to Chicago. 19 Minnesota Vikings 17. Santos with the walk off. I did think Chicago. First of all, Chicago was better on third down. Much better. They dominated time of possession. Caleb had no picks.
- [30:55]
Football Analyst Josh
I thought Chicago was great with his legs too.
- [30:58]
John Middlekauff
Okay. I thought Chicago was the better team. This is not one of these in which they were lucky. I thought Chicago was the better team. Now JJ McCarthy had a couple of drops by Jordan Addison, one early, one late. So it's not all on JJ McCarthy. So let's just look at the Bears though. So last year they couldn't win games like this. And this is sort of the magic of Ben Johnson and Caleb. They're not. It's not pretty. They have a win against the Raiders due to a block field goal. They beat Washington when Jaden Daniels fumbled late in the game. Remember, nobody touched him. He just fumbled. They had a 58 yard TD against the Bengals after a near collapse. They trailed double digits in the fourth quarter to the Giants and won. And a game winning field goal as time expires today against the Vikings. Now you could say it's just luck. You know, I think Caleb Williams legs aren't luck again today. He made two or three. I mean listen, it's a cliche. Nobody doubts how dynamic he is. Guys, a fricking. He's a cleanup hitter. I mean just the legs, the power. He made a couple throws today. I mean he's just. When he unleashes it, man, it is.
- [32:04]
Football Analyst Josh
I want the one to DJ more that DJ dropped. I think it got on DJ so fast that, you know, I think he was trying to catch it but it hit his chest plate before his hands could even get there. That had to be a 110 mile an hour fastball that had to be the hardest ball today thrown, I think, in the NFL.
- [32:18]
John Middlekauff
But I think we have to be honest about this. J.J. mcCarthy had one really good drive at the end, and he deserves credit for it. But, John, this is not a highlight league. This is not the NBA. It is about sustained drives. It is about putting your team in situations to win. I got to tell you, I. I don't know what it is, but when you have Kevin o', Connell, good protection, decent run game, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison didn't. He had drops. I don't see it with J.J. mcCarthy. And I don't want to do confirmation bias. He hasn't had many starts. His arm is good enough. It's not an arm thing. He has a decent arm, but he looks nervous. He's a player that plays, I think, with confidence. And when he loses it after a second pick, he had a couple of really bad drives. So he's obviously somebody who's a bit in his head on this stuff. Don't blame him. It happens. He's young, but it's hard for me to unsee it. Like when Caleb was struggling last year, he wasn't throwing picks. He was making plays with his feet. You could not deny his athleticism. Even Greg Cosell kept saying, the tape will tell you he makes incredible throws. This JJ McCarthy thing, about four more of these and they got a problem on their hands.
- [33:34]
Football Analyst Josh
Yeah, I mean, I think they have jj. Beside, the one drive at the end was atrocious. I mean, he's a complete train wreck. I mean, balls are flying all over the map. I mean, he's just not even. Not even close. And I think Tom was in a tough position being a Michigan man, trying to not totally crush the kid. But even Tom's like, I got no clue. There was a stretch where they did some replays, something. I don't even know where he's throwing. I do want to say this, though, that if you just take the two coaches, you know, if we just did a draft from scratch, they would be two of the highest guys in the league, right? Ben Johnson, Kevin o'. Connell. I actually think they're the polar opposite, though, being offensive guys and both former quarterbacks. Now, o' Connell got drafted. Ben Johnson, I think, was a backup in North Carolina. Ben's Basically Kyle Shanahan 2.0. He will run it till the cows come home. And he. And he makes it. It's a lot easier on Caleb to be in situations where I'm not putting it all on your shoulder, because I think Caleb, when he plays like that can get a little reckless and start running around and because he naturally just plays like that anyway, which he's, he's incredible at breaking out of sacks. I mean his ability, he's like unsackable. You have to get multiple guys on him because he's breaking through. But Ben Johnson today, the majority of this game was just one score game. This wasn't like one team's up 24 to three. Kevin O' Connell just insists. And I said this last year with Sam Darnold when everyone just took a giant, you know, kind of dump on Sam Darnold's career. It's like he didn't get any help in that playoff game for his coach, like have some runs, settle the game down. Ben Johnson wants to run it basically just three times, get a first down, run it again.
- [35:10]
John Middlekauff
Yeah.
- [35:10]
Football Analyst Josh
Kevin o' Connell's calling these deep breaking routes is like, bro, this is not Sam Darnold during the regular season. It's definitely not Kirk Cousins. This guy has no clue where the ball is coming out of his hands. He threw a pick in the corner of the end zone on a go route. I don't know why you're calling go routes for this guy. He's overthrowing guys. If you're going to throw some quick stuff, okay, some quick outs, somewhat easy, even though he was missing those two. But there was one point in time during the first half that they were averaging almost five yards of carry and the Bears had like double the amount of carries. If, if it was flip flopped, Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, they would have. But they would have easily both got double the amount of touches they got. But he insists and I get it, he's got these two awesome wide receivers. But that's how he wants to coach. He wants to throw the ball vertically down the field. And that is not what this guy is capable of doing right now. Yeah, right. You know, and listen, Caleb Williams is much better player than JJ and he would be quote unquote, more capable to do that. But Ben Johnson, and they got wide receivers too, but he's not going to play like that.
- [36:12]
John Middlekauff
Yeah.
- [36:12]
Football Analyst Josh
And you got a coach. And I saw on social media, it's like, well, you got to let him sink or swim. The goal of today was trying to win the game.
- [36:19]
John Middlekauff
Yeah.
- [36:19]
Football Analyst Josh
And this was a winnable game for both teams. And Ben Johnson to me, thoroughly out coached Kevin o' Connell because yes, JJ stinks, but his coach, like in the middle of the game in a one score game can help his guy out. He's insisting on pushing the ball down the field and blowing up in his face.
- [36:35]
John Middlekauff
Yeah.
- [36:35]
Football Analyst Josh
And I'm not stunned, but it's like, it's a consistent theme now with o' Connell throwing the ball, you know, with this guy.
- [36:43]
John Middlekauff
Think about this. In the fourth quarter at the end of the game, John, when they trailed, the Bears got that huge kickoff return. So JJ McCarthy leads him to a touchdown. You're like, oh, my God, Minnesota is going to get out of this thing. Look like crap all day. They're going to win this game. San Francisco 41, Arizona 22. Brock Purdy played very well. Got started with a Sky Moore kickoff return. They were off to the races. I got to. I'm like, I'll say this, I think Shanahan and Robert Saleh. First of all, Arizona was a mess. They had 11 penalties in the first half. Harrison didn't play. But I'm going to give San Francisco credit, John. I'm not sure if any other staff in the NFL could overcome It's. I texted Salah the other day. I was like, bro, you're coaching your ass off. You have no players left. And Winter, I think, is a very good young player. But. But, I mean, my, my interpretation watching that game today was, I mean, obviously you can move a pocket much more with Brock Purdy than Mac Jones. They, you know, they're moving the pocket all over the place, and that's what Brock does very well. But they should not be beating people 41 to 22 on the road.
- [37:54]
Football Analyst Josh
I do think one, the. The Cardinals have less, like, star power, but they are as injured as the 49ers and now and the 49ers getting purdy. But Pierce all back. Their offense feels a lot different when you put Ricky Piersol with Jennings, Kittle and McCaffrey. I did think it was a delicate situation. I get it. You paid him, you know, $180 million guaranteed. But how well Mac Jones has been playing. And Kyle was steadfast and like, this is our guy. When he's ready, we're going to go. And I said this kind of weird. He's ready. What's been up with his foot? He's just going to be 100%. He looked completely normal. And Kyle, the way he handled it with Mac Jones and he gave Mac a lot of credit, too, is like, Kyle's pretty good at quarterbacks.
- [38:36]
John Middlekauff
Yes.
- [38:37]
Football Analyst Josh
They're winning a lot of games with Mac.
- [38:39]
Total Wireless Announcer
How many.
- [38:39]
Football Analyst Josh
How many coaches beside, like an Andy Reid? Could you just be like, yeah, you're just going to win 10, 11 games? I don't care what your schedule is with a banged up Purdy and Mac Jones. I'd say most teams in the NFL are winning six, seven games. Especially with Fred Warner with a cast on his foot. Nick. Nick Boson, Florida rehab and an ACL. So listen, the Cardinals aren't bad, but the 49ers beat the living. You know what out of. Think about this.
- [39:04]
John Middlekauff
Arizona had almost 5, 500 yards of offense and averaged 7 yards of play and got the you know what kicked out of them. Arizona has talent. Arizona is big time. Oh, they're just, they are Indianapolis, where you're like, they've got dudes, they just don't have the quarterback. Right? So, you know, I think there is, you know, I, we all, I, when I watched the coaching today, especially in the late window, I had Andy Reid and Sean Payton, you know, today I've got Kyle Shanahan. I don't know if John Gannon's a great coach, but Shannon is. I've got McVeigh and Mike McDonald. I got John Harbaugh and Stefanski. I like Stefanski. I, I think John, the coaching in the NFL today, I don't think there's ever been this many good young coaches. I think it's all. And I think that Jesse Minter with the Chargers will eventually get something. There'll be a college guy or two that'll pop out. Ryan Day, obviously he's done. This is the best. Ohio State, like Ohio State, for the first time in my life, it feels like they've like Bama. They've separated from people like by a touchdown or so. I think they'll, I think they'll beat Indiana significantly. I don't know. When I, when I watch Shanahan and Salah, I'm just impressed. I mean they've, they've got eight different guys defensively traded or not playing on defense.
- [40:28]
Football Analyst Josh
Well, I think when you look at a lot of the, in the 49ers have been one of the best teams over the last, what, five, six years. You go to the Bills, you know. Who's the poster child? Mahomes. Who's the poster child for the Ravens? Lamar. Right. You just go around the top teams. There's a couple though, like the Lions, you kind of think Dan Campbell first. Yeah, you definitely with the 49ers. I mean they're, they're their franchises. Kyle Shanahan, you know, I mean his, his importance and getting Robert Sala to come back. You know, I get asked a lot, do you think he'll get a head coaching job this year. I just don't think the candidates, like, he's definitely going to get some interviews probably. I mean, I think Jonathan Gannon is in major trouble.
- [41:05]
John Middlekauff
Yeah.
- [41:06]
Football Analyst Josh
Now, I'd also argue that if this was college, I would view Arizona as one of those jobs. Like, I wouldn't touch that job. Like, that's just a bad. That's a place where tough to win, especially when you factor in you're going to be Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVeigh and Mike McDonald's. Good. Good luck to you with an owner this cheap. Godspeed, guys, because that's. I don't think Jonathan Gannon's terrible, but their team's really falling apart now. They're not. They're gonna. Their record's gonna be awful. So. Yeah, I mean, I. Listen, Kyle, this year we liked them because of their schedule, but once you had all the injuries, it could have fallen off the rails fast. Oh, and deserves a lot of. I think the Mac Jones that signing and resurrecting his career because he. Listen, I, I think his value, it's like, well, would you trade them to the Minnesota Vikings? No, I need them. But, but, but my problem is what if Bertie gets hurt? Again, his value to the 49ers. I, I would for the right price, but I'm not giving to you for a third round pick. Would you give me two seconds or something? Because do you want to win or do you want to lose? Because you're going to lose with J.J. mcCarthy, right?
- [42:05]
John Middlekauff
No, I think Minnesota is the play. And I, I said it. I said it last week on the air. I said I'd get a third round pick. You're probably right. He's worth a second and a fourth or a second and a third. I think it, it's probably what Mac Jones is worth. And it's always hard to decipher. Is Mac Jones good or is it maybe just the coach? But I do think when you watched Mack make throws to a depleted receiving core, it was pretty impressive.
- [42:31]
Football Analyst Josh
I think one thing too, that, you know, last year he was injured but changed the 49ers forever, was that it was between the Rams and the Niners to get Christian McCaffrey. And it was. The Niners gave a second, a third, and they had to give that extra fourth to make sure they got him. And it changed the franchise and I would say also doubling down. You know, Kittle was getting a little older. He's a pretty dominant player. So when you watch those two guys, they are as good of a tandem as a Running back and tight end as you're going to see. I mean, they are, they are ass kickers. I mean, they are ass kickers.
- [43:01]
John Middlekauff
I think Kittle had two touchdowns today.
- [43:03]
Football Analyst Josh
Oh, and he's just, he's just so physical and he's so good in the run. And McCaffrey, even on some of his runs that aren't as sexy, he's just so physical and he's so consistent. And those guys are just, they're hall of Fame players. I mean that's, that's really what. They're just hall of Fame players. They're winning players and they're guys, you know when kind of you know what's hitting the fan and your backs are against the wall. They're guys you can lean on. And that's. The Chiefs have, have had those type guys. You just need those type guys to be in the trenches with.
- [43:29]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, that was one of my, that was my second favorite blazing five pick. I took San Francisco minus two and a half. I said, when Shanahan gets blown out, take the Niners. The next week he's a regular host of the Josh Pates College football Show. Totally tied into college football west coast to east. So years ago I worked in Portland, Oregon for a spell and Mike Bellotti was the coach, Jeff Tedford was the coordinator. They finished number two in the nation one year. They got lucky not having to face Miami. They faced Colorado and they matched up really well with Colorado and not with Miami at all. And I think Nebraska played Miami and got, you know, there was like 98% fans of the Rose bowl were Nebraska. But Miami kicked the you know what out of them. So Oregon has used two things to become a power. One was Phil Knight's creativity and money to build facilities. When there used to be the facilities war. Right. That used to be a big deal pre nil. Like there was about a 10 year period. It was an arms race for facilities and Oregon was the forefront. They've actually used three things. Ingenuity, 100 different uniforms to impress Southern Cal kids to be the cool place. USC has one uniform. Penn State's got one. Oregon had a thousand. So they used Phil Knight's ingenuity, then Phil Knight's money with facilities, and then third, Phil Knight's money with nil, where they are the big bidder on the West Coast. Most of my life when I grew up in the Northwest, you would think you were going to land the number three running back in Southern California. USC would get number one, UCLA two, you'd get three. And then at the last moment he would decide to just go to USC and be a backup. But that changed. Oregon now mostly gets as good a players as anybody in the West Coast. I think this is an awful matchup for usc. The teams that beat usc, Northwestern actually ran the ball to them. Iowa can run the ball at you, Michigan last year. I think Oregon is going to be hard to block. I think Oregon, USC's old lines young. I think Oregon's going to run on them. I think Oregon's a big play offense and USC on the back end at corners, weak. If Oregon and they're a nine and a half point favorite wins, Josh 33, 21 or wins by two touchdowns, how do you think we view. I know how we view Oregon. That's been established. That's an elite program. How are we going to view usc? Because I think it's a terrible matchup.
- [46:10]
Football Analyst Doug
The same way people have been viewing them. I largely see it your way. The one thing I would say is, you know, coming into the last week, if you and I were to have talked about Pitt, Notre Dame, you know, you could have held up a piece of paper and said, Pitt's got the number three run defense in the country. And I would have looked at you and said, okay, Notre Dame is going to run right through them. I don't really care what paper says. It's lying to me a little bit. So with this like Oregon statistically top three pass defense in the country, but I can tell you that staff up there supremely respects that Indiana had a combo of wide receivers come in there and work them a little bit. USC's got the same combo of receivers that could come in there. And if USC were to win this game and we look back, that's probably the reason why. But if, if that doesn't happen and if it goes Oregon's way, it's probably just more of the same column. It's probably. You were, you were a head coach that left the Big 12 to go to the Pac 12 that became the Big 10. And you really were never going to be a fit in the Big Ten. They hurled these accusations at Lincoln as to why he didn't take the LSU job and he was scared of this, scared of playing that kind of ball. I don't even care if there's validity to it because you didn't ask me what. What valid is. You asked me what are people going to say? What are people going to think they're going to throw around the same accusations, the same pejorative connotations and the the beauty of, like, competitive sport is you control that, but yet it is that way until you change that. So I see the matchup the same way you do. But that's. That's cool. Cause if we both see it that way and then they go up there and win stylistically, more a rock fight kind of game, then that's how you change narratives. That's the only way you change narratives.
- [47:48]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, no, there is. I mean, I was joking with Lincoln off the air the other day before we did our interview. I said, literally, you are being led by a walk on running back from Calabasas. He lied. He said. He said, only at USC you find a kid in your backyard who's almost as good as any running back you faced all year. No, they're. They're the thing I always go back to. Like, Pete Carroll takes over the Raiders and their defense is bad. That always worries me, like, you can't get your side of the ball right. Lincoln's offenses have been money and the fact that he's doing with a walk on running back. And for some of the year, one receiver Lemon's been the really good key receiver that's always been healthy. Deuce Robinson, left, went to Florida State. You know, guys have transferred out. It's kind of been a one receiver offense for a lot of the seed. They don't have supreme tight end talent. Lake McCree's okay, three star kid. He's fine. Not a pro, but it is. I will say this. USC's. I'll give Jen Cohen the ad credit. It's a really distracted market, and money gets splintered into movies and second homes and tech companies and pro sport season tickets. It's hard to galvanize Los Angeles like the Dodgers do, the Lakers do, and yet there's the Angels and the Clippers. It's just. It's hard. It's hard to say to yourself it's the biggest economy in the country and Baton Rouge isn't. But everybody knows in Baton Rouge, if you have money, if you have two nickels to rub together, you're giving them to LSU Football ls. I think it's much harder than people think in Los Angeles. It's an incredibly distracted market and more so. Remember when Pete Carroll was there, Josh, There was no NFL in the city.
- [49:42]
Football Analyst Doug
Yeah, yeah. There's no such media either, man. So, like, it's a whole new world.
- [49:47]
John Middlekauff
And the Dodgers weren't the best organization in North America. Like, Pete was there. And when Pete was there, if you won your regular season games, there was no Semifinal. Yeah. You won the Pac 12. You went to the Rose Bowl. So I don't know. I think I said today there's four or five programs in the country that have an advantage for national championships. Georgia, Ohio State, University of Florida. I don't love the governor, but probably lsu. And I mean. And I said I would say Oregon, but there's no players in the state. And then I think there are six of them. Bama, in the new nil world, they don't have a lot of money, and that changes things. They don't look like, like Oregon can go buy players from the state of Bama. Bama's gonna have a hard time getting them out of Oregon if Oregon wants them. That wasn't the case four years ago. So, I mean, I've said this to friends. They don't want to hear it. I said USC is not Ohio State in this new world. And they're not Georgia and they're not Florida. It's another thing. Josh cost $3 million minimum to buy a home in a nice neighborhood with good schools. The assistant, the linebacker Coach is making 550. He can't afford to buy a home. How do you view USC as an elite? What are your. What are your. What is your Mount Rushmore? Four best jobs, money, commitment. State with players. Donors control their history.
- [51:18]
Football Analyst Doug
Georgia has always been. They've been my number one for a while. If you were to promise me alignment at lsu, I'd put LSU right up there. Ohio State's way up there for me. Ohio State what? Whatever you think about Ohio athletes, I mean, there's like a proud tradition of high school athletes there. Ohio State has zero problem going into South Florida. I mean, zero problem whatsoever. So I put Ohio State up there. You'd have to check, like, which period of time it is, but Texas conditionally is up there.
- [51:49]
John Middlekauff
Same same.
- [51:50]
Football Analyst Doug
But. But what's changed over the past? Just like what's evolving right now in front of us is Texas A and M. Because Texas A and M has just been. It's been like this stack of wood, but it's been wet historically, meaning the. Well, post Johnny Manziel, A and M is a totally different world. If you. If you went on that campus pre Menzel and then you went back, now you don't even recognize it. So they. They leveraged one. They leveraged Manziel better than Auburn, leveraged Cam Newton, like, they leveraged him so hard, so effectively. So I'd say them as well, but with usc. So to go back to what you were talking about for a second, I re like, I remember I was way younger. I was like in school when the Pete Carroll era happens out there. And we were enamored with them. We hated them in the south, but like we were enamored with them. You remember that trip they made to Auburn and they shut Auburn out to start a season? The entire south, even people who hated Auburn in the south, they like waited for that date. They circled that date because it was going to be like a, a culture clash and the South's culture was going to rise. You can't come into Southern heat and do that. And then of course they did. But I remember thinking back then that it never made sense to me as a kid growing up in the south, immersed in college football and that being the culture, when people would say what you just said about la, I had never left the South. So to me I just assumed that all the big time college football programs and the towns cities they were in were like, Athens, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Knoxville, Tennessee. That's just the way I thought it worked. And I thought when people said, boy, there's a lot to distract you out there. There's a lot more going on in la, I thought it was excuse making. So, you know, since then I've been able to travel, I've been able to go out there and it just, it slaps you in the face when you go out there. If you. I feel the same about Miami to a certain extent when I go to Miami, when I go to la, if you just drive around for a day, be in town for 72 or 96 hours and ask yourself, you does this feel different? It feels way different. And you just ask like, how much more difficult must it be to capture this place's imagination, therefore to capture the wallet, to capture the emotional and financial investment than it must be in Baton Rouge or in College Station. And that's the, that's the challenge. Now the trade off is if you've got it, you've got it. But if you don't have it, they're not going to help you get it. So you got to go in there and you got to do it on your own. Whoever is about to take the Florida Gator job, they'll have the full weight and full support of that community. Lincoln took the LA job and it's like, this is great. We'll check back in a little while. If he's winning, we may show up. And if they're really winning, we may even give a dollar or two.
- [54:33]
John Middlekauff
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- [55:17]
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- [56:10]
Football Analyst Doug
And Doug Here.
- [56:11]
John Middlekauff
We have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Ferry Unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates Excludes.
- [56:37]
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- [57:19]
John Middlekauff
Get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do you mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake. That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? Very much a yes. An afternoon stroll? Sorry, no. A burrito bowl? Happily, yes. All right. Delivery is on its way. I use it regularly. How about the clear skies? Can't deliver that. But French fries? Yeah. A little escape. No. Delicious bowl of grapes? Yeah. How about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But barbecued prawns? Order it now. Get almost. Almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. Seattle for details. You know, it's. I talked today, I was talking to Joel Clatt about this. I said the best defenses I've ever seen in college football, the Huskies with Steve Etman in the early 90s, just bulldozed people. They ran, they brought in the four, six and nobody knew how they brought it from the Bears. And the whole college football for a year did not know how to attack Washington. I mean, they literally every game just. It was over in the box. You couldn't get downfield. And they had NFL safeties and corners. So for about a year. Then there's the USC defense was really good with Pete Carroll, where Clay Matthews didn't start at linebacker. And then it was nfa, NFC rookie of the year defensively. Couldn't start for usc. Then there was. There were a couple of. I always loved the. Was it the Rolando McClain, the linebacker for Bama? It was the one that beat Texas. I was like, man, they. They hit different. There were a couple of Saban defenses that were. And there was a Georgia defense, a couple with a Jalen Carter. So there's been about four or five that I've watched and gone. That doesn't look like that's somewhere between Saturday and Sunday football. It's not Sunday, but it's close. Ohio State has an advantage none of those had. It used to be even Nick Saban, him. You'd have a hole in your defense and you'd go to junior college and he was never quite as good as the ranking. You have the number two corner in junior college and you're like, he's probably our third best corner, but he solves a dilemma. Well, now you just go by the best corner. If you're Ohio State and you're like, you know, we need to be better at corner, we're just going to go buy the number one guy who already in the sport in crushing. And I look at this Ohio State defense and again, I want to see them play out and who they play. Josh, the windows to complete passes are Sunday windows. Like, they're. Even when, even when Knicks teams were great, you'd have a. You'd have a corner like D. Milner, who wasn't really a great corner. He was great Within Knick system, they got two players that could go top five. They have another two that could go 15 between the 15th pick in the third and the second round. What do you make? Just forget Ohio State. Just what you've seen from their defense.
- [60:25]
Football Analyst Doug
It really boggles your mind a little bit because of what conventional wisdom would have told you. Conventional wisdom. Like we all watched 2024 Ohio State in that stretch run and you know, in the back of your mind, or you think, you know, they're making this run because of all this senior veteran talent. Like, they're going to lose all these guys. Their entire defensive front is going to be gone, and we didn't even know Jim Knowles was going to be gone. But they also lose the coordinator. And so, like, just say that out loud. You had, you had anybody. I don't care who it is, Ohio State or anyone else, they are powered by their defensive front. Entire defensive fronts wiped out and coordinators gone as well. Not to mention, you're just coming off a national championship. So there's that natural propensity to get a little complacent, maybe come back to earth a little bit. Everyone's gunning for you the next year. They're. Betsy, I don't know if the team overall is better, the defense looks better. I don't know how that even happens. Matt. Patricia came in and here's one of the early warning signs. I remember when Ryan Day got elevated there, and I remember, you know, Ohio State is Ohio State, so they could do a national search if they want to. They can go land most any head coach they want. And they said, no, the guy we need is already here. And I remember some people looked at it and said, that's crazy. They're. They're cheating themselves by not doing this, not doing. And I looked at it and I said, they're not stupid. They know what they have in the building. Just because you don't know who Ryan Day is, doesn't mean they don't well, it's the same way when Ryan Day needed to fill that defensive coordinator role, there are guys who would leave really good jobs to be the D.C. at Ohio State. And he went and got Matt Patricia. That's not a name that would have been on anyone's radar. You take the biggest industry insider, give me your top 10. Matt Patricia is not on it. And Ryan goes and hires him. And you see why, like hiring. I mean, it comes down to players making plays. But if you can staff properly in college football and you have top 15 talent, let alone what they have, you're going to be really hard to beat. Now, that doesn't make him invincible. But what you're talking about is there's going to have to be a team if Ohio State gets eliminated that puts together such an airtight, like, tightrope walk. Performance, precision, poise, accuracy, no turnovers. That's what it's going to take. That's what it used to take to beat those Saban teams. It took some insane performance. Some dude just plays out of his mind and if that happens, you tip your cap to the other side. Short of that happening, Ohio State's going to win the national championship.
- [62:54]
John Middlekauff
Well, and the other thing is the way to beat Saban was Manzel or Cam. It was generally somebody that could go off script that Nick couldn't prepare for. He just. There's nothing you could do. If I. Nick knew you were in the pocket. You could go back and look at this. I'm not sure he lost three times if he knew he had to be. That's why I think Ohio State beats Indiana. Because you know where Mendoza is going to be. The way to beat Ohio State or great defense is, oh, shit, Josh Allen. I mean, never forget what Josh Allen did to Belichick. When Belichick was in New England, Bill couldn't do anything. It's the only quarterback that Bill's ever faced. Even Peyton Manning he gave some trouble to. He could do nothing with Josh Allen because Josh, especially when he was young, about 60% of his game was off script. That was Manziel, that was camp. Those are the kind of guys that just off script guys gave Saban trouble. And Mendoza is a classic big arm pocket guy. And the other thing is you could beat Nick if you got a lead in the second half and his defense had to cheat a little or guess, right, like if, if they could dictate terms, Saban squeezed you out like a towel. But if you made Nick trailed, Nick now was taking some risk defensively. I've got to get the ball back, we've got to generate pressure with extra people. I think if Ohio State leads in the second half, you're in big trouble. If you have to throw against I think you can. The way to beat great defensive teams in college, off script and you force them to take risks they normally wouldn't take because you lead late.
- [64:35]
Football Analyst Josh
Yeah.
- [64:35]
Football Analyst Doug
I think another thing that happened, like with DeSean Watson Clemson teams when they.
- [64:40]
John Middlekauff
Played Bam, it's another one. Yeah.
- [64:42]
Football Analyst Doug
It's just that was at the. I'm not saying it's the first time you ever saw any. Anyone run tempo, but it was still that early period. Like Malzahn comes into this to the picture and like guys are running tempo as the foundational aspect of their offense for the first time. So the game like the rules hadn't shortened the game yet either. With the clock rules. Clemson ran over 100 offensive plays in one of those national championship games. So I'd rarely seen Bama defense on the field for Trevor Lawrence. Yes.
- [65:10]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, so ran down the sideline against Alabama. I think it was Alabama. He ran down the side again. Trevor and desean, it was off script plays that beat Bama, not just the pocket stuff.
- [65:21]
Football Analyst Doug
That's why like that just you don't run that many plays anymore. So that's another thing that's taken out of the toolbox. See, what you're saying is why I'm really interested how Marcel Reed would play against them. Like, Marcel, we're coming off the worst half of football we'll ever see him play in his life, followed by one of the best. So that's. It's a little weird timing, but, you know, when you talk about matchups, people always misunderstand you intentionally. There was, oh, you think A and M is better than Ohio State? No one said that, dude. What I did say is out of all the matchups they could draw in the postseason, yeah, that's the one that would get my attention the most because that's the one that would probably keep them up the night at night.
- [66:00]
John Middlekauff
Longest the volume. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. All right, let's talk holiday shopping. From now through December 8th, you can get 20% cash back when you pay in four with PayPal. No fees, no interest. This limited time offer is perfect for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals you've been eyeing. Save the offer in the app right now. So whether it's a must have merch or for that signed jersey you've been eyeing, PayPal helps you make the most of your money. This holiday expires December 8th. See paypal.com promoterms subject to approval. Learn more at paypal.com payin4paypal inc.nmls910457 if.
- [66:51]
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- [67:16]
Total Wireless Announcer
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- [67:16]
Zyn Nicotine Pouches Announcer
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- [67:20]
Sophie Cunningham
This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or osa, in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snore loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at. Don't sleep on osa.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company. Amazon Five Star Theater presents real customer reviews performed by a real serious improv podcaster. Tonight's review Spatula for the Stars When I'm dead and civilization eventually collapses, this spatula will remain. It will be the only rune uncovered by some unknown species of the future upon which they base their assumptions of our existence. Eggs they will posit these extinct people like to eat their eggs and this was their primary tool for cooking them.
- [68:32]
John Middlekauff
Let us teleport and put this device.
- [68:34]
Sophie Cunningham
In the Milky Way exhibit. 5 stars Zachary Find your perfect gift this holiday on Amazon.
- [68:41]
John Middlekauff
Today's episode brought to you by a scent that's made a legendary comeback degree original cool rush the OG is back. Better than ever. Cool Rush isn't just a scent, it's a movement kind of fragrance guys remember, ask for by name and rave about online. It's bold. It's fresh all day. Sweat protection, cool, crisp vibe that made it legendary. So whether you're heading to the gym, the office, or just trying to stay fresh all day long, Cool Rush has your back. So if you haven't tried it yet, head to your local Walmart. Grab degree Cool Rush the fan favorite scent from the world's number one antiperspirant brand.
- [69:13]
Sophie Cunningham
This is an I Heart podcast.