← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Colin Cowherd Podcast - Wild Card Playoff Predictions: Steelers-Ravens, Broncos-Bills, Packers-Eagles
00:55:13
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- [00:01]
Colin Cowherd
Wasn't that delicious?
- [00:02]
John Middlekauff
So good.
- [00:03]
Colin Cowherd
Your bill, ladies. I got it.
- [00:04]
John Middlekauff
No, I got it.
- [00:07]
Colin Cowherd
Seriously, I insist. I insisted first.
- [00:09]
John Middlekauff
Don't be silly.
- [00:10]
Colin Cowherd
You don't be silly. People with The Wells Fargo ActiveCash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash back on purchases. Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it.
- [00:20]
John Middlekauff
Rock, paper, scissors. Shoot. No.
- [00:23]
Colin Cowherd
The Wells Fargo ActiveCash credit card.
- [00:26]
Jon Stewart
Visit Wells Fargo.comActiveCash terms apply.
- [00:30]
Colin Cowherd
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- [01:06]
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is back in the host chair at the Daily show, which means he's also back in our ears on the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Join late night legend Jon Stewart and the best news team for today's biggest headlines, exclusive extended interviews and more. Now this is a second term we can all get behind. Listen to the Daily Show Ears edition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:35]
Colin Cowherd
The volume our week 18 reaction is presented by UberEats. Get game day deals all season long on UberEats. All right, we're doing a Monday afternoon, Monday night version. This past weekend was pretty choppy and I went to Chicago to hang out with Ann and family. So I let John Middlekoff, former NFL scout, take over the control. So instead we'll do a late Monday afternoon podcast. We got a lot of stuff to talk about. There's coaches getting fired left and right. Gerard Mayo out in New England, Doug Peterson. You know, it's weird about these coaching ejections. Like Doug Peterson in Philadelphia, with a strong foundational owner and general manager, had some real success and then you put him with Trent Boelke and the Kahn family and in a shakier franchise and he takes the fall. You know, it doesn't matter if it's, I mean, Tom Coughlin, I guess, is the last coach that consistently won there. You know, of all these openings right now, I mean, we know we've got, you know, we got the jets and the Saints and the Bears, we've got the Jags in New England. Is there one that's attractive to you? If you if you were in the market to be a coach, is there one John, that's attractive to you?
- [03:01]
John Middlekauff
Well, I got to start by saying Happy birthday. Happy 50th.
- [03:04]
Colin Cowherd
Thanks. Yeah. There you go, buddy.
- [03:07]
John Middlekauff
I would say the Jags would be last on that list. I mean, that. That is the place where, let's face it, careers for coaches go to die. Yeah. And the Trent Balky situation, you know, for a guy that started at Bemidji State in the Dakotas, he's a pretty good politician. I mean, he's. He's run through a lot of coaches in his career. And that connection, you know, part of being in a front office, you get an unfair advantage during the game. When the coach is on the sideline with the players, you're usually sitting next to the owner and a Diet Coke talking crap about what their decisions. I think easily New England, when you factor in the quarterback and the longevity of the history they've proven with Bill of, you know, just letting a guy run it. Now, they said Elliot Wolf, who I don't know personally, I've met him a couple times over the years. I mean, at one point in time, he looked like the future Packer gm, but they said he's going to stay. So if Vrabel or whoever is interested in that job, do I have to work with this guy? Is he technically not the gm? He's just the head of personnel? It's a little clunky. All these jobs are pretty clunky. Colin. And I think one consistent theme we saw, these owners don't want to, you know, ideally, they don't want to go on a search, because on these searches with coaches and GMs, they're speaking Chinese while the owner's speaking Spanish. It's easy for them to hire business people. Why? They speak the same language. The coach is coming in talking offensive and defensive scheme. It'd be hard for me to follow, let alone these guys. So I think when you saw John Mora, Jim Ursay, Steven Ross, they just wanted no part of it. I really think New England just so desperate for Mike Vrabel, which I totally understand is why Gerard Mayo, they put out a statement of, I would guess easily over a thousand words, like five minutes after the game. You don't write that. I mean, that thing was written on Saturday. Colin.
- [05:02]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, you know, it's interesting. I agree with you. I think the Patriots is the best gig. You know, Chicago's so political. All the Chicago teams right now are struggling. The White Sox are historically bad. The Wilts family with blackhawks they've got a billion dollar business beyond the hockey team. But you know, Reinsdorf, the Bulls situation, The Bears, the McCaskeys, it's not a city despite being, you know, third large city. It's not a city with rich owners. It's got sort of older owners where the team is the primary business. How do you grade, how do you grade the Bears as a job? I mean, there's obviously some upside, but I consider this, and maybe this is something coaches don't think about, but Jesus, the Packers win, the Lions have everything in place. The Vikings have always been a pretty solid, well run organization with what is the hot young coach in the NFL. Do you consider that? Do you consider or do you just go get the coach? The coach doesn't think about it. I mean, Harbaugh saying, I want to take on Andy Reid, but the truth is Denver and the Raiders are kind of in wobbly franchises for most of the last seven, eight years. Are the Bears a good, is that a good job?
- [06:24]
John Middlekauff
I think it's a terrible job and I think it all gets back to ownership. You know, I think it's different. But Mike Shanahan once upon a time took over the Redskins and you just don't overcome an owner. And I think that's a consistent theme. Listen, whatever shot Khan seems like a nice guy. Whatever's going on there with leadership's bad. The Bears have now a pretty consistent history of, you know, it's a mom. I've had friends that have worked there. They discussed it being a mom and pop shop. And that was a knock on the Chargers for a long time. What did they do? They built a $300 million practice facility. They break the bank for Jim Harbaugh. Obviously they, they kind of luck into Herbert and it changes their franchise. But they had to start spending serious money. And I fully expect a random guy to be the head coach of the Bears. If I had to guess right now, it'd be like the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator. Because that's typically when you just look at the history and up until Jim Harbaugh was hired with the Chargers, that was kind of there. You know, Brandon Staley, Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn. I just think anytime you get Kevin Warren and you get Ryan Poles and you get a lot of people who do I answer to? That's tough to overcome. I mean, the same teams, Colin, basically win all the time. All the time. Listen to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they win. I mean, if, if I was Ben Johnson, do you know what I'd be hoping? Pittsburgh Steelers get Blown out, maybe Mike Tomlin. We trade them. I'd want to go there, you know, I would not. Chicago is a place where guys go to get fired really quickly. I mean, we've seen the same thing over and over.
- [07:55]
Colin Cowherd
Let me list the top of the NFL draft. Tell me if you've heard this before. Titans, Browns, Jaguars, Raiders, Jets, Panthers, Saints, Bears. I mean, it's just like. And increasingly the Giants. It's the same teams every year. And I've argued this forever, that it's the ownership. That's what it is. You can blame the players, the coach and the gm, but it's overwhelmingly upstairs. A prime example is there's only one great quarterback that didn't make the playoffs. Joe Burrow. That's it. All the other great quarterbacks made it. The Brown family is arguably the most frugal in the league. Their front office is considered dysfunctional. Nothing against the gm, but they don't make any moves. They're the opposite of the Philadelphia Eagles. They make no moves. They do nothing clever. They just. They don't do anything. They have their seven picks. They take their picks. And it's just. It's one of those things where, you know, generally, John, there are seven new playoff teams a year. This year, four. And three of those four got new quarterbacks. I think as the season is extended and quarterbacks are more valuable, it's easier to pick the NFL. I picked six of the eight divisions, right. And the two I missed on came down to the last couple of weeks. Like, I. I've said this multiple times, raising kids. The days are long, the years fly by. In the NFL, picking the winners each week is hard, but predicting the season is getting easier. And I just. I start looking around at these teams. The only way out from this abyss for Tennessee and Cleveland, New England, Jacksonville is the quarterback. I mean, to me, that feels like the only way out.
- [09:38]
John Middlekauff
Totally. Look at Cincinnati as a good example. Today, Zach Taylor fired the defensive coordinator who, like a couple years ago, everyone's like, he's one of the best defensive coordinators in the league. Well, what happened? They started letting guys walk. What has Joe Burrow been hammering home in his press conferences? You can't make a living letting good players walk out of the building. Who would not have let them walk? The Eagles, the Niners. When you get really good impact players, you let them walk. Jesse Bates walks right out. Their secondary was atrocious these last couple of years, and I think it's really hard to overcome that. And they got. They've even Joe Burrows Forced the ownership to get a little more aggressive than they're typically used to. And it feels like he's pressing their hand like I want T. Higgins and Jamar Chase and he's probably still going to lose out on that argument. But, but I hear you. I think that that number is going to the day and age of like this constant huge turnover is dead because we also see like these young quarterbacks, it's easier now to play quarterback than ever. It's definitely less physical. Like you can be a lot smaller than you could 20 years ago because you don't get hit as hard. But it is still very, very challenging. And I think when you add the extra pressures from the outside, mentally it can really break you. And we see that happen a lot. But I think we see consistent teams. Like who maybe the Steelers, if they ever make a big change at quarterback or coach, could take a step back for a year or two. But like what other teams, when you look at the playoff picture do you see having big swings moving forward? Look at Tampa. Tampa's just a well run organization now. Jason Light just knows what he's doing and Todd Bowles is solid. Not easy replacing Bruce Arians, but he's a solid coach. And they got the quarterback right. Baker Mayfield. Baker's a really good player right now. Colin.
- [11:18]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, yeah, no, I, I covered the Buccaneers when I worked down there. The Glazer family was non meddling. Jason Light was one of the best scouts in pro football for years. Now he's the gm. They've always had good players. Brady hands it off to Baker Mayfield, good quarterback play. And Todd Bowles is not, you know, he's not popular. You know, he's on that sideline. He's very quiet, doesn't have much to say. But you always know you get an excellent effort from him. I mean that team went into LA and destroyed the Chargers. I mean, moved the ball up and down the field on the number one defense in the league. So again, I, what I think you and I are getting at is I don't think you're going to, I don't think you're going to see these annual changes in the NFL. I think, I think what we have here is if you have a good young quarterback, I think Mahomes and Allen and Lamar and Herbert, I think Jared Goff still is in his prime. I don't think these teams are going anywhere. I think they're just going to consistently win year after year.
- [12:15]
John Middlekauff
Well, that's why the Colts are a good example, Jim. Or say, sticking with the guys, I love that. But what are they going to do if that quarterback, they drafted him fourth overall. He's just not going to be good enough. One, he's not accurate. Two, he can't stay healthy. Like, I mean he has legitimate health concerns. You're just screwed. And you actually get the benefit of the doubt if you're Indy because their division stinks. But they're still how could anyone pick that? I kind of liked him this year because I bet maybe Anthony Richton becomes a good player. Same Shane Steichen. It turns out I was wrong and now you definitely can't bet on it from a health standpoint. And I don't know if you saw the visual of Giam Merced getting carted out. He looked like weak in the Bernie's, you know, he could barely, I mean he's in bad shape so, and he's, you know, looks like he's 90, 65 years old. So that organization, that's one that was good for a long time. Like I'm just betting against moving forward until they figure out their quarterback situation that they haven't in almost a decade now.
- [13:08]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I, I, I've talked about this. I think the one advantage to there's a couple of things going on in the NFL if you don't have a great quarterback and there's about six great quarterbacks at any one time in the league, there's a lot of really Liam Cohen's a great example. Kevin O'Connell's another great example. There are more smart offensive coaches than the league's ever had which can a C quarterback and make him a B quarterback. There's a lot of that. So that's the upside. Secondly, there's more good quarterbacks. John, if you go Back to the 2018 class where now Darnold, Baker, Josh and Lamar all had career years that is from 2018 until this past draft class we've had three different classes that give you four star quarterbacks. So that, that, I mean it used to be the Elway Marino class we Talked about for 30 years and now it's like about every other draft. Every third draft you get four or five guys that can play. I mean this draft isn't considered a strong one. Cam Ward and Shador Sanders, But Riley Leonard McCord out of Syracuse I think will end up being, I think he'll end up being like a third round quarterback that sticks in the league for a long time. Kyle McCord is and I just think we're getting to a point. The good news is there's better quarterback coaching. You're getting a more consistent three or four first round quarterbacks that can play. But it is pretty clear there is a certain group of owners that are either irsay kind of debilitating, you know, they're in a bad state of affairs physically. McCaskeys, they're old, a little bit out of touch, or they're Jerry Jones where they have some sense of football knowledge they probably don't possess. So yeah, I tell people this all the time if I am ever, you know, going out with friends and they asked me about my business. Everybody likes the NFL and I always say there are seven great owners, seven great coaches, seven great coordinators, seven great quarterbacks. I mean, it's, it's, you know, I mean like Spags is unbelievable. I think Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson are unbelievable. Kingsbury as a coordinator is unbelievable. There is a finite number of great. Jesse Minter I think right now is great. Harbaugh is. Just look at the teams right now, John. How many of them have all three? I mean, the Chargers now have great coach, great coordinator, great quarterback. Chiefs have that, Lions have that. You know, there's, there's, there's not many. There's about five franchises that have everything dialed up. The coach, the quarterback and one great coordinator. And I think what it's doing, it's dividing the league. It's becoming more NBA where you have a very strong top, a small middle and a really soft, weak bottom.
- [15:53]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, I mean, totally. I mean, if you had to pick the NFC championship and AFC Championship right now, you would go chief Bills are the Ravens and last year was Chiefs versus the Ravens. And if you had to pick the NFC, obviously the 49ers missed, but you would pick the Lions. They have the number one seed and they just have to win one game to get there. And you'd probably pick the Eagles, who last year imploded, but the previous year were in the Super Bowl. So it's like the same teams. When I went to the combine last year for the first time in a couple of years and listen, I'm lucky I got hired by Andy Reid. So I just knew, you know the Chiefs guys, the Eagles guys, know the Niners guys, you just kind of start seeing the emblems and the way people carry themselves and the way they operate and you're just like, it was so evident at the combine and that was before free agency in the draft. It's a 10 team league. Look at the, what the Ravens got going right now. I mean, they've been Good for what, this entire century? Yeah, the best, the most competitive foe they have even though they missed the playoffs is the Bengals because of the quarterback. But it's really hard to overcome that organizational, frugal mindset. At the end of the day, the Steelers in theory should be, but they're a, I Bet it's a 10 point, you know, spread by the time that game kicks off. They have no quarterback help in sight and the offense, for whatever reason feels like it's getting worse by the year. And then the Browns, like I think everyone thinks highly is the Fansk and Andrew Barry, but you can't overcome that owner, he gave the guy $230 million and they're just complete. And today I don't know if you saw the news he now, I don't know, this is no one's fault, but he reheart his Achilles like that thing is just the Russell Wilson we've seen some of Carson Wentz, some of these big contracts. Those don't hold a candle to the financial disasters that the Browns have. And what do you do? Right, they're drafting second. So it's like, okay, let's say you take Cam Ward or Shador Sanders. You cannot have desean Watson there around that. So you just cut them and take a, you know, historic. You probably have to. And that's what the Ravens have to deal with. Meanwhile, they'll just, at worst they'll be in the second round in a tight game against the Bills and at best, maybe this is their year, they're in the super bowl, but they don't have to worry about that. Francis meanwhile, the AFC West a good example. Obviously the Raiders have a lot of question marks, but Andy's really got a try. He's got Harbaugh and Sean Payton, you know, coming after him. Two guys that know what they're doing, that have been around the block and obviously now have quarterbacks. I think Sean Payton, I saw a headline from our guy Mike Silver that said like you can't do this to other quarterback and thank God we got one and figured it out and they're just going to be a problem moving forward.
- [18:25]
Colin Cowherd
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- [20:26]
John Middlekauff
I would too. But you know their issue have been up the middle. You know, obviously the Chargers dominant pass rush is on the edges. Last year everyone picked the Browns. Now the Texans were playing better football and remember the Texans kick their ass. Now Jim Harbaugh is a different animal than Flacco and Herbert, but that's one I I think everyone's going to pick the Chargers. I could listen the Chargers playing a lot of ugly games. I could see that thing being weird. That'd be a game that I you know looking at the early slate, I'm probably going to stay away because I think every I think all the money's going to come in on the Chargers and then all of a sudden it's a tie game in the third quarter. Plus just road playoff games are difficult to win. So it's just we saw last year they won a road play or they won a Home playoff game. It's a huge advantage even for the shitty team that's the fourth seed to host that game. I mean that's to me. And the Texans are clearly comfortable playing Saturday afternoon. That's, I think they've played like eight of the last 10 years in that spot.
- [21:23]
Colin Cowherd
It's time to look at this weekend's tastiest matchup in this week's Monday night food Ball brought to you by Uber Eats. There's two games I feel strongly about. One of them is Ravens -10 at home against the Steelers. You know, I think the Steelers, their organizational superiority, they beat some Raiders and Jets earlier in the season, but down the stretches they just can't score. They can't, they can't move the ball consistently. I like the Ravens to just, I think if they played 10 times the Ravens, this current makeup of both teams, I would take the Ravens to win eight of them. You have any different feeling about that?
- [21:57]
John Middlekauff
Totally agree. I mean how could anyone pick the Steelers right now? They have what, an awful month. I mean they got boat race in that 11 day stretch and then even on was a Saturday night, they were down 19 to 7 going in the fourth quarter.
- [22:10]
Colin Cowherd
Yep, Russell against a historically bad defense.
- [22:13]
John Middlekauff
As this weather's gotten bad, he's looked a little different. Now it's not all his fault. George Pickens, you know, they've hit on Antonio Browns and the Plaxicos and the, you know, Emmanuel Sanders. They've hit on a lot of wide receivers over the years. It feels like they were hoping this guy would be that and it feels like he's melting a little bit under that pressure of being the number one guy. How do they keep going with what they're doing? I mean, just another one and done. I mean, Colin, they're a double digit underdog against their bitter division rival. It's not even close.
- [22:43]
Colin Cowherd
Every, every Steeler team looks the same to me. They're just a slight variation on the previous team. Last year they won 10 games. This year they won 10 games. So again, I think structurally, foundationally, they're so well run. They always have good defense. There's no chaos. It's a consistent organization. And since, let's be honest, since 12 teams in the league aren't, they just win those games for sure. But when you get to the upper crust, I mean They're a 10 win team. Nobody in their right mind thinks they have even. They could get several breaks and they wouldn't even get to the conference championship. Like so it's to me, Mike Tomlin, who would be a superstar on tv, I think he would knock it out of the park. I'm, you know, I always say this. The Steelers and the packers, two small market teams, one 30 years ago, said we're going to be about offense, coaches, quarterbacks. We're going to draft defense in the first round, but we're going to be about drafting and developing offense and we're never going to have battle lines. The Steelers since Chuck Noel have decided we're mostly going to be about defense. Even when they had Big Ben, they were a physical, tough team, like he was a physical, tough quarterback. And they both have like, you know, a lot of Super Bowls. But doesn't it feel over, like, doesn't it feel since Big Ben got out of his prime about like eight years ago, 10 years ago? They, they don't beat good teams. When is the last Steeler playoff win over a star quarterback? I mean, I can't think of one in a decade.
- [24:20]
John Middlekauff
Well, they haven't won a playoff game since 2016. It's 2025. To me, the fix is pretty easy. Mike Tomlin, I've been, I said this last year it looked kind of foolish halfway through the year, but it's come back to prove, right, that it's just time. Like Mike Tomlin, he'd be awesome on tv. All these openings would die to have Mike Tomlin. Why not go to the Bears? Trade them to the Bears. Unlike some of these other situations that got weird, you don't need to give a first round pick. It's like the Bears would have to give their maybe a 2 and a 3 or somehow stagger it over the course of a couple of years. Mike Tomlin gets a fresh start, he gets a young quarterback and the Steelers can use their infrastructure of their organization. Go hire Ben Johnson and be equipped to handle him. Get his idea with the quarterback changed the offense because this league, you said it forever about Belichick, the league changed. It's no longer about super. Obviously you've got to have good defense but like if that's your number one goal, like you're probably not going to win many Super Bowls. Hell, they can't win a playoff game. They can't win a playoff game. And now at one point in time they were 10 and three and now wild card weekend, they're a 10 point underdog against the Ravens that they know better than anybody.
- [25:30]
Colin Cowherd
That was this week's Monday night Food Ball brought to you by Uber Eats. As the official on demand delivery partner of the NFL, I use it Very often. Every weekend, Uber eats. Best game day deals all season long. Order now for game day. I do think it's a tough spot for the Broncos. I think their defense keeps them in it against the Bills. Usually if it's harsh weather, it helps the underdog because it muddies the game for everybody. But I do think the Bills win by about 10 points. I could see 28, 20, 30, 20. Do you see it differently?
- [26:00]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, it's hard to see a rookie quarterback. Long trip at Buffalo. I kind of. I like Buffalo. Handling them pretty well. This is a tough spot. This is raging success, right?
- [26:13]
Colin Cowherd
How about this? I want to throw something at you, so I have. Sean Payton's a friend. And, you know, one of the reasons in corporate America, it's hard to get a lot of stuff done because you have, you know, the HR person here, and there's certain things you can't say. But in pro football, you know, you can call out another employee and be caustic and abrasive. And, you know, that's why in the NFL, it's just a different ballgame. And so Sean Payton comes in, he never once says, russell Wilson and I are the future. Very early. It's like, this office is embarrassing. You can't have a personal office. He can't figure out the plays. He can't read a defense. I mean, he goes after him. There's never a moment. The whole experience is uncomfortable. It's all discomfort. You couldn't do that in corporate America. You'd have to let somebody go buy him out. You couldn't say the things he said, and it's one. You get sued. One of the things that's great about the NFL and the reason you can turn around companies like the Chargers and the Broncos overnight, is because you can be harsh and punitive and intense and caustic. And people were giving Sean Payton. Aaron Rodgers was pushing back on the Nat Hackett comment. Sean Payton was right on effing everything. He was right on everything, is that Bo Nix is better than Russell Wilson. And Nat Hackett did not know what he was doing. And it's why the NFL works. Tech's got a little bit of a feel like this. You can just rip another. You know, it's competitive. You just go after people. And the NFL allows you to be incredibly harsh, blunt, and hurtful. But you can't turn around a corporation being precious and completely thoughtful. You got to get certain people out of the building. And as I go into this game, if the Chargers, if the Broncos don't win, my takeaway Is this has been any team losing in the first round. Washington and Denver, you'd have to tip your cat and say, say, guys, well done, fantastic year.
- [28:23]
John Middlekauff
While Dan and Sean have definitely different personalities. Don't those two organizations parallel themselves? They got, I mean, Denver had a famous historic hall of Fame level owner, but was obviously really sick. His daughters were running. It was in shambles. They were in a bad spot. And Washington has one of the worst owners we've ever seen in pro sports. They both get fresh ownership with lots of money and they went out. What is the first thing that Washington does? They hire Adam Peters, who'd been the best GM prospect in five years and says, here, you run it right? What did the Walton family do after attempting the Rodgers thing? It fails. Wasn't all their fault. Like they kind of came in. Sean Payton here is 90, $100 million. You do it. And what else do you need? Open checkbook. Look at the two franchises and obviously both draft young quarterbacks that are equipped to handle that. Why? Because Adam Peters has worked for Belichick, Elway and John lynch and Dan Quinn has a lot, a lot of experience. Sean Payton's been doing this for 25, 30 years and both of them are the by far the best two spots for the guy to go into. Look at Penix. I like Pennix more than most of my scouting buddies. He goes to Atlanta, kind of a shit show. It's like you got cousins. Even though Cousins a great guy. It's a weird spot for a young quarterback. Ton of pressure. It's like everyone, Atlanta is going to win. Then cousin starts falling apart. Then they insert him in late on a prayer, which is unfair. He gets none of the reps. And then they end up missing the playoffs. Now they win eight games and hell, the last game of the season. Bryce Young looks better in Phoenix. It's like that's just not a way to operate. And some of these people have no clue what they're doing. And then you watch Washington and you watch Denver. It's like these people just know what they're doing. This league's hard enough. It's got to be one of the most competitive industries in America. I mean, it's a short list. So it's hard enough even if you know what you're doing, but to put yourself in a situation when you know what you're doing has such an advantage over all these teams that are just feel like they're kind of peeing in the wind.
- [30:20]
Colin Cowherd
Okay, my favorite bet of the weekend is the Eagles minus four and a half against Green Bay. Jordan Loves hurt. Christian Watson's out, I think. I think. And I like Jordan Love a lot. I think his inconsistency is why Matt LaFleur in this off season went and got Josh Jacobs. I think they were signaling, you know, it was a little bit of a bat signal. It was, we're going to be a power run team that I don't think Jordan Love should be throwing it 36 times a game. I think it should be closer to 28 times a game. And I think they're very effective. But I think teams tell you what you they think of their quarterbacks. And Matt LaFleur was telling you that Jordan can be erratic and a bit reckless. He's always been more far than Aaron Rodgers. I think this is a tough spot for him. I think Watson takes the lid off a defense. I think losing him makes it easier for this team to be defended. And I like Philadelphia kind of rolling Green Bay.
- [31:17]
John Middlekauff
Did you see the headline that Jalen Hurts is still in concussion protocol? I mean, we're, we're 15, 20 days removed from that concussion. That to me, is a little concerning. Now, could the Eagles at home with Kenny if they had to. And we still got six, seven days from recording this to when they play. But you got to start Kenny Pickett or Tanner McKee. Like, I'm sorry you can lose a playoff game, but like you said, the packers have not looked that good down the stretch at all. And Christian Watson, I think they became very dependent on him last year because he looked like this budding superstar, injuries. And then it looks like he's got a torn acl. It sucks to lose him. But maybe big picture, this offseason, they kind of pivot, find another guy to fill that role. If Jalen hurts, though, like this, we talk about this in the NFL. It's very coach and quarterback dependent. If your quarterback can't play in a game and you got to go to a backup, like, you could lose the packers at home. So that is something. If he clears tomorrow or the next day, feel fine, but that's something. Remember a couple years ago, was it Carson Wentz got a concussion in a playoff game? You just, these playoff games, somehow Mahomes has like, ankles like he's LeBron James. It can go the other way. And he, you know, 10 minutes later, he's back on the field. But sometimes in these playoff games, your heart drops when, when the quarterback gets injured. And hell, I, I would imagine Philadelphia, because the concussion protocol, unlike some other injuries, is a little out of your control. It's something that just, you know, that's just, I don't know. Now their roster's so good. I mean, they could just run the ball and just overwhelm you.
- [32:48]
Colin Cowherd
I thought Jalen Hurts about three weeks ago played the best game I've seen him play as a pro. I don't know where statistically it was. When Jalen Hurts is running and he's rolling and he's got the pass run option. I think they're so hard to defend because the offensive line in Barkley, they could just play football in between the tackles and never run outside. And then when they add that component and then it's AJ Brown over the top. I know everybody likes Kansas City to win another super bowl, but when Philadelphia is healthy and when the Lions are healthy, those rosters just look better than everybody. And that Philadelphia offense, again, they could just be a between the tackle power offense and be very effective when everything's working. I think the drop off from Jalen Hurts to backups is substantial. Now, again, it depends on who you're playing, but we'll keep our eye on that.
- [33:41]
John Middlekauff
I would say this, I would say health. There's five teams that can win the Super Bowl. Lions, Eagles, Chiefs, Ravens, Bills. Agreement there. I have a hard time seeing the Rams have just kind of looked, I don't even count the last game, but have not played well down the stretch. The Bucks, I just don't think have enough on a personnel standpoint. And our guy, Sam Darnold came back to earth a little bit the other night.
- [34:05]
Colin Cowherd
And now for our next segment, whiskey business brought to you by Green River Whiskey, the official whiskey of the Colin Cowherd podcast. If you want to enjoy life's simple pleasures, reach for Green River Whiskey. Whether it's rye whiskey, single barrel bourbon, you're getting over a century of craftsmanship packed into every bottle. Hop on over to greenriverwhisky.com and discover legend in a bottle today. Bucs Commanders I don't have a strong feel for I want to go to Rams at hosting Minnesota. So I like the Minnesota matchup because I think people now are selling because it was such a standalone game and had so many viewers that people saw Darnold and everybody is selling Darnold stock. When I thought it was like it felt like a playoff game, it was a precursor. It was like the reason that restaurants have soft openings is you're not quite ready for the speed of the big opening. And I don't think Sam was quite ready for at Detroit Biggest game in five decades. A better roster, a big pass rush. I think Minnesota. The Rams have really struggled to put consistent halves of football together. Offensively, they're very Puka Nukua dependent. Cooper cup now is more of a blocker. We've talked about this. If they can't engineer a running game to start, they just become. It's Stafford and Puka. That's pretty much it. I think the Vikings bounce back. I think their receiving core is a real problem for the Rams secondary. Rams will draft a quarterback, second or third pick. They'll take a corner, number one. You have a strong feeling about that game?
- [35:37]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, I mean, I. I would lean. You know, I think the. The Rams. Darnold started seeing ghosts a little bit the other night. Now, granted, they were blitzing them every single play, but it really got to him. And the Rams have better personnel than what the Lions were just rolling out. Still pretty injured, at least up front. And if you can get pressure on Sam. Here's the thing. Their left tackle towards ACL a while back, so they still have some question marks up front. Now, Sam, why? We were so high on him. He was moving around and making plays. If he can shake that and be a goldfish and forget about that game and get back to what he's been most of the season, I'm with you. I like Minnesota. But if any of that lingers, is there a player right now in the NFL which is more on the line? It felt like in this game and last game, I mean, we're talking $150 million. And you play another game like that, all of a sudden it's like, yeah, maybe we'll franchise. You, like, thinks that's the best part about the NFL, how fluid it is, how fast it moves. Yeah, they do have. At the end of the day, they do have this other quarterback sitting there. Whether we think it's crazy or not, like, he does exist on their roster. And I would imagine most people would say JJ McCarthy might be the number one pick in this draft. We've said about Drake May, but there's. He definitely would be a top five pick in this draft. You know, we'll see how it plays out. So if you have another game where you're just looking atrocious and overthrowing guys like that, that's how fast things change. Especially when I don't have any equity with you. We saw with Cousins. He had no equity. He just showed up. No, not saying they don't. You know, they really like Sam, clearly. But you. You lose a game that gets me the number one seed. Then you lose a playoff game in the first round. We all know these guys. I mean, they could, we saw how fast Sean McVeigh turned on Jared Goff and they had been working together for years. So this league, yeah, this league, when you're talking especially about the amount of money you're talking at the quarterback position, it can be pretty cutthroat if you don't produce. I, I, I feel like everyone's going to kind of overlean Minnesota. That was a one off. I don't know. I think Sean McVay, what usually plays in the playoffs, coaching, why I would take Sean over Kevin O'Connell, even though I like Kevin O'Connell and I just think that they've been there, done that. You know, there's a lot of pressure on Sam going home Monday Night Football. That's a pretty intense environment. Colin?
- [37:49]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I mean, I thought last night Sam was overwhelmed. I thought he missed on two potential touchdowns. He was high, lot of energy, a lot of juice and it kind of overwhelmed him. You know, I defended him today. I said, you know, listen, last year, week 18, he was starting, starting for the Niners. Like he went from bust to starting for the Niners to the biggest game in the history of Detroit Lions football in, in my adult life. So I, I like Minnesota, but you're not the first person Jason McIntyre really likes the Rams. This week I want to talk about Notre Dame versus Penn State and Ohio State versus Texas. So Ohio State, Texas will probably get the bigger rating because of Buckeyes, Longhorns. But I was thinking about this the other day, is that Notre Dame, I think Marcus Freeman was on my show and I'm not sure if he said it then or in the preamble before he was on my show. They haven't lost anybody to the transfer portal. And I was thinking about this, John, the advantage Notre Dame has on the rest of the country in this transfer portal. So they have a young, a recruiter in Marcus Freeman that in these days that really helps a lot of these Brian Kelly's. I was talking to a coach about Brian Kelly. I said, what's wrong with lsu? And the coach said Brian Kelly was about ready to retire in Notre Dame. He took that job for the money. He doesn't want to put the time in. Their recruiting's gone down. Brian is on the back nine. He's probably on the 17th hole. He thought he could go down there and make it work and win a natty, but the truth is he was worn out at Notre Dame and then somebody threw him a pile of money that he never thought he would make. But one of the things about this time, the transfer portal, the nil old guys like Saban or in basketball, even easier in basketball. Jay Wright, older guy, it's too much. Jim Laranega, the coach, the Miami Hurricanes basketball coach, like it's overwhelming. So if you have a young coach, a Ryan Day, a Marcus Freeman, you have a young coach with a ton of energy, huge advantage. Secondly, Notre Dame doesn't lose guys to the portal because the players that go to Notre Dame are going there for the academic experience and the football experience. So it is the one football power in the country beyond Stanford and Northwestern that consistently has bigger revenue, has a better TV package and historically has paid more for coaches. And I look at Notre Dame and Penn State and I think this could be a really interesting 10 year run for Notre Dame. If you watch the SEC this year, John, it was very clear they just didn't look as dominant. I mean it's Notre Dame matched up with Georgia and to me Ohio State looks like the most talented team in the country. And Michigan was the best team last year. And if Ohio State wins this year or Notre Dame, it's back to back northern teams winning. And the advantage Notre Dame has is they may be the one team in the transfer portal era because what is the transfer portal creating? John Lincoln, Riley and Brian Kelly know this chemistry issues. These guys, these guys don't grow up together. It's just guy Ole Miss, we'll go buy eight great players, 12 great players. Notre Dame, if Notre Dame beats Penn State. I just, I've been thinking about this. They may have a cultural edge on the rest of college football that they do recruit elite players, but they don't. You'll be able to have a more formidable cohesion and chemistry with your roster on an annual basis.
- [41:31]
John Middlekauff
Well, one thing, Notre Dame, a huge advantage they have. And we had a good family friend growing up who was a very successful businessman who had played at Notre dame in the 60s. And they get these golf tournaments together all over the country because they're not all their people, you know, like a Stanford or a usc. Go work. New York, Louisiana, Florida, they have a lot of money behind that program. You know, when Greg Byrne at Alabama comes out with a tweet begging fans for money, you know who's not going to have to do that? Notre Dame. So at the end of the day, I think nil is kind of a stupid. Like that term feels a little outdated. You're Just. You're just buying the player. I'm paying them a salary to play for me. And if Notre Dame. True. And Marcus Freeman, you win a couple playoff games, all of a sudden people are going to like that. They will not have a problem cutting huge checks. I mean, I see it here with Kenny Dillingham on the local news begging for money. It's hard. I can't even imagine being in that situation. Marcus Freeman will never have to beg for checks as long as he's winning. And I think that is a huge advantage. I think we see it with some of these Southern teams. That is a disadvantage for Alabama. That is a disadvantage for lsu. It's not, you know, Texas, Texas A and M, not a disadvantage, because they have huge, huge Arkansas, sneaky. Not a disadvantage. They just don't have the right coach. I think Notre Dame, if they can figure out how to balance the academic requirements. But Northwestern's down, Stanford's down. Who are they really competing against for that top, you know, Andrew Luck, David De Castro. There are only so many of them. Well, they got the market cornered, and to me, financially, they have an unlimited. Part of the reason I think Stanford hired Andrew Luck, obviously he kind of missed it and wanted the juice, but when Andrew Luck calls a guy worth $100 million as a Stanford alum, that guy will call him back. You know, if. If Troy Taylor, the football coach, had called him, he might not. And I think Marcus Freeman, now with the momentum going and people start getting a taste, I think they've already had the success where their budget is going to be as high as any because they have the funds. I mean, it's impossible to work, not work in business or be around. You're in Los Angeles. How many Notre Dame people do you hear of that just have unlimited amount of money and want to be part of the program? It's a really. That that university, if you went there, means a lot to these people. And I think the one thing that they will always fight against is it is hard to get certain positions in there. Like, they never really have great wide receivers, right. Or top ten corners. Sometimes academically you got to push and that's something. The more success Marcus Freeman has, he can push back. But I think they have looked defensively where Brian Kelly had good teams. This team looks much more like an sec, Ohio State, Texas speed watch like, holy shit.
- [44:10]
Colin Cowherd
When I watched Notre Dame, Georgia and I watched Notre Dame's corners, they were not getting beat down the field. I felt like Notre Dame, you could switch jerseys. I couldn't Tell I thought Notre Dame looked great. And I, I do think, you know, they're called collectives. I think kind of the issue you're finding with this stuff is that there's a chemistry problem. So you bring in players, they get paid, and then guys that are already there don't get paid as much. And I think Notre Dame's edge is you don't go to Notre Dame to get a paycheck. You go for a legacy. I mean, that's one of the reasons Duke basketball and Mike Krzyzewski beat John Calipari in Kentucky. And Calipari so predictably threw a hissy fit is that it was this one and done culture. And then Krzyzewski started selling. We're not about one and done. You're a Blue Devil for life. This is more than basketball. And they started taking some of those top players from Calipari. And Calipari is like, hey, this thing about selling for life. And it's like, John, you're a salesman. And when John Paul Calipari started saying, hey, I'm not here to win in March, it's like, bro, it's over. Like, yes, you're hard, but the point is Duke, like Notre Dame, sold. You're a Dukey for life. Our business connections for life will set you up. Kentucky's not going to sell that. LSU probably doesn't have that, but Notre Dame and Duke do.
- [45:40]
John Middlekauff
Well, think about this. I saw someone tweet. I don't know the exact number is like the amount of former NFL players, kids that are at Notre Dame now, Some of them, like Bryant Young played at Notre Dame, his son Bryce, who I would bet on number 30, the 6 foot 7 pass rusher, who's a backup right now, who's a true freshman, being a future top 10 pick in a couple years. But if you're a former player and these guys now, guys that are 50, 55 years old, a lot of their children are blue chip recruits. If you play in the NFL long enough, you see how cutthroat it can be, how fast everything can end. You actually have a different perspective of just funneling to the best college, you know, for football. Well, I want to go the best. It was a huge point of difference for Stanford for a long time. We can take you to the NFL, but we can also send you to Wall street or Silicon Valley, where you can probably end up making more money. So I think Notre Dame has that double edge. You know, I think Ohio State and Michigan have always kind of had that because they've had, you know, it's a really, really good school. And obviously they take football really seriously. But I think Marcus Freeman, the recruiting standpoint, they feel just much faster than they did under the Brian Kelly. And now you watch Brian Kelly, totally agree at lsu, you're like, maybe he doesn't have a great feel. Like one thing Saban was a lead at, he could just identify a guy, future top 10 pick. I mean, he was the best at it. And I think Kirby clearly followed Saban from that, and they're great at that. But mostly like Ohio State at this point in time, kind of recruits itself and they have. They can get anyone they want in the school. Whatever Marcus Freeman's figuring out that speed they had on defense against Georgia. These are mirror images of each other.
- [47:11]
Colin Cowherd
Yes.
- [47:12]
John Middlekauff
And that's where Brian Kelly used to get overwhelmed. Remember the speed and the physicality? It's like, yeah, this is just a different level of pace.
- [47:18]
Colin Cowherd
I also. I also think the SEC has had the best and the most NFL bodies for 20 years. I think more than any conference in college football, they're getting rated. And as you pointed out earlier, SEC teams do not have many times the level of boosters. I mean, I think the biggest Alabama booster I could be wrong is like Bear Bryant's son. I mean, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, they just have certain. Penn State have certain advantages. So I think when I watched SEC football this year, it just did not look as dominant. And I thought Notre Dame's defense and Ohio State's offense and Michigan's O line and D line last year looked better. My eye test.
- [48:00]
John Middlekauff
Well, is it shocking that Sark. I mean, what an advantage he has. Because forever was like, how's Texas going to be able to go into the sec? Well, they will because they have a huge bank account that's bigger than everyone else. Yeah. And they came right in. SEC championship. Who's going to pick next year? Sark's got to be a top one or two, you know, in terms of the preseason ranking in the SEC for the foreseeable future. He has a massive advantage, even just over Alabama and lsu. He's going to lap them.
- [48:26]
Colin Cowherd
Yep. So Ohio State faces Texas. This game, to me is fascinating. So I like Ohio State, I Texas. I could never wrap my arms around them. I struggle sometimes for them to get three straight good offensive series. I think they're hit and miss. They're very much a splash offense. They need big plays and they hit on them. I mean, against Arizona State, backed into a corner, they hit on a couple of Big plays late. Whose facing more pressure, Ryan Day or Sark? So think about this. You know, Ohio State backed up the Brinks truck. $20 million for this team. They look aesthetically like the best team and they have rebounded from that Michigan loss with two dominating wins. But again, again, if they lose to Texas, people are going to say, when's the last time you beat Michigan? That's probably the worst loss in our program in 20 years. If Sark doesn't win a Natty, it'll probably be because we feel like his roster underachieved. Because I think going into the season many felt that was the best roster. To you, who's the pressure on that? This game is fascinating. Ryan Day or Sark? Who's going to get more shit when they lose this game?
- [49:39]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, I don't even think it's close. I think it's Ryan Day. I mean, Sark, Texas was dead and they're going back to back years in the semifinals and just he has the thing on an upward trajectory. He just had him in the SEC championship year. One Ryan Day took over, you know, just a program that was rolling right, full of NFL guys and he just hasn't quite got there. Now, the way they've looked the last two weeks, I don't see how they would not win the national championship if they can play like that two more times. But I think there's still a ton of pressure on Ryan Day. Now if you're betting on this, you'd have to pick Ohio State to win it all. But I listen, Texas's roster isn't that much different than Ohio State. And unless Will Howard can just keep plunging, is he just going to keep playing like Peyton Manning in his prime? Because if he does, then they're going to beat everybody. But if he has a bad game, Texas is really good on defense. You know, it took Scatter Boo having one of the crazier halfs you've ever seen. Like eventually Ohio State is just going to play in a tighter game. I mean, they have two just back to back, absolute blowouts. What do they look like when they get in a little tighter game? Because we just saw them in a tight game against Michigan. They kind of folded and whatever Ryan Day has done and it was kind of easy, right? They had really got embarrassed. All those guys have returned. They got an extra week off and they came out and they showed out. But I do think one of these games, one of these last two games, I like Penn State against Notre Dame. I think Penn State is just a little More talented or at least equal to Notre Dame. But I like their quarterback more, at least the way, you know, from a throwing standpoint. And I think Penn State could beat him and I think Texas, you know, in theory could beat him. I'm picking Ohio State, but I. If Ohio State wins the national championship, you beat Texas, then you beat Penn State or Notre Dame, like that's, that'd be really impressive. And then haters like me wouldn't be able to say anything about riding. I always, I already think Sark, like, Sark's already kind of proven, like he's really good. Back to back semifinals, got Arch Manning, got a team just loaded with guys that aren't even draft eligible. I can't even imagine what their transfer portal class going to look like whenever the season ends. Like they're not going anywhere. I think this year was all about Ryan Day, the cash they had spent on the team he got. Chip Kelly makes two and a half, $3 million a year. I think there was a lot of pressure on this individual team.
- [51:51]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I think. And I also think Sark, if he got heat, I think he's viewed in NFL circles as capable of coaching at that league. You know, for years, Brian Kelly sniffed around at Notre Dame for the NFL. And I was told by an NFL GM that people thought he was a college coach, a really good college coach. Sark is viewed by NFL guys as like, if Stark said tomorrow he loses to Ohio State and says, I want the Chicago Bears job, he'd be a top three candidate immediately. I think the NFL, I mean, he was a coordinator in the NFL and a very good one. So I, I think, I think Sark.
- [52:26]
John Middlekauff
I think the fidget works, doesn't it? It just. Sark, Austin. It just feels like a pretty seamless fit right now.
- [52:32]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I mean, he's got a big presence and I think Sark is one of those guys. People have criticisms for him. But in any industry, if you keep getting hired by really smart people, I mean, Washington's a good program. USC is a good program. Texas is a good program. He's been the head coaching job. Nick Saban knows what he's doing. You know, like really smart people and good programs keep hiring him. You know, it's like when Andy Reid got let go by Philadelphia. 45 minutes later he was on the phone with the Hunt family. Smart p. Jim Harbaugh is always going to get work. John Harbaugh, if he was available, would get work. I think Sark's one of those guys that's imminently Hireable. I think his teams can be a little loose and lack a little bit of an identity. You know, the old thing the Patriots used to say, we're not a collection of players, we're a team. Sometimes Sark teams can feel a little bit like a collection of a handful of really good players, not a team. And it's not a. I know he's a good coach. I know he's a great recruiter. But his teams can be a little loose for my taste sometimes. Like, I think they throw too many jump balls at the sidelines. Quinn Ewers too often just throws it up for grabs. It drives me nuts. I hate that low percentage fades or corners. But I think. I think I like Ohio State and Notre Dame. But I will say about Penn State, Abdul Carter, that rush end, if he's healthy, John, if he got drafted number one, I don't think it's crazy. I think he's so good.
- [53:58]
John Middlekauff
Don't they have a big advantage with the game getting delayed? They played, you know, basically two days before Notre Dame. Notre Dame then had to travel home. I think Penn State looks really good. I like Penn State in that game for sure.
- [54:16]
Colin Cowherd
I don't think it's crazy. They've got. They've got four or five elite players. You know, James. James Franklin gets some shit because he can't beat the good teams. But, you know, I would point out to, you know, if you look at his record against top 10 teams, yeah, that was Georgia and LSU when they ruled college football, he was in Vandy and it was lsu, Alabama, Georgia. So he was struggling at Vandy and now he's struggling with Ohio State and Michigan with Harbaugh. It's like, guys, you have to contextualize James Franklin's struggles against top 10 teams. It's been Jim Harbaugh, Ryan Day, and when he was down at Vandy, he was facing, you know, LSU teams and Nick Saban teams and the beginning of Georgia's teams.
- [54:54]
John Middlekauff
If he beats no Notre Dame and Ohio State takes advantage and, you know, beats Texas. It is a pretty good opportunity given how well he knows Ohio State plays him every year. Played him, I mean, the best they've ever played him this year had a very good chance, obviously, to tie the game at the goal line. And they ran it right up the middle. Their team, physically, given their quarterback. Like, to me, the best NFL quarterback prospect playing right now is Drew Allergies. And one advantage they have is they, you know, these bowl games are not outside in frigid temperatures. And Tyler Warren has been dominant. The running back's been dominant. The question is Abdul Carter and the arm injury. You know, in college they don't really have to talk about what the status is. But if he's healthy, how good does their front seven look? I mean, they are so physical. They got DBs. They are very, very both these two teams. You could argue all four. Someone's going to get injured in these games. It's just like the NFL playoffs and if you're the winning team and one of it's one of your impact players, that could be a huge problem. Chip Kelly mentioned this at the start of the playoffs. He's like, no one's really talking about this. The attrition of guys aren't used to playing this many games and these are better teams. These are just more. It's usually just one bowl game. Maybe the final four was two. Now you're playing Ohio State would play four, Penn State would play four. Texas would play four. That's a lot of games on the bodies of 20 year olds, even if they are future top 10 top 20 picks.
- [56:25]
Colin Cowherd
John Middelkoff, former NFL Scout that was a good hour. We put together almost an hour of good stuff. We head to the playoffs. John, as always, buddy, I appreciate it.
- [56:38]
John Middlekauff
Can't wait. Happy birthday.
- [56:39]
Colin Cowherd
Thanks man. The Volume all right, let's talk about Amazon Prime. It's not just one thing. It's a collection of services that help you get the most out of whatever you're into. Whether it's a hobby, sport or getting things done fast. Prime's got you covered. Like my hobby for all things sports. You can order sports supplies, listen to content like this, podcast on Amazon music or watch content. You can do it all with Prime. Everybody loves the fast, free same day shipping, especially as we kick off the year. But what about all the content you can listen to on Amazon music? Music to podcast fast shipping. What is not to love about this membership? I'm in prime fuels your passions, makes everything easier. So whatever you're into, it's on Prime. Visit Amazon.com prime now. What's on your list of popular game day foods? Tailgate, house party, game day gatherings, whatever. Include real flavor with the original Louisiana brand hot sauce sliders, the beer cheese with that hit of Louisiana peppers. There's a rich food tradition in Louisiana bringing bold peppery flavor with just the right amount of heat. Pigs in a blanket. Pigs not in a blanket. Spinach artichoke dip. Artichoke spinach dip. Wings are wingier than ever with the original Louisiana brand wing sauce. Perfect for self appointed flavor experts. The original Louisiana brand hot sauce. The game day flavor changer Flavor Favors the Bold. Available at a store near you.
- [58:11]
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is back in the host chair at the Daily show, which means he's also back in our ears on the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Join late night legend Jon Stewart and the best news team for today's biggest headlines, exclusive extended interviews and more. Now this is a second term we can all get behind. Listen to the Daily Show Ears Edition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.