John breaks down the Monday Night NFL Wild Card matchup where Matt Stafford, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams kick the living crap out of Kevin O’Connell, Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 27-9. Middlekauff kicks us off by tipping his cap to a fast and physical Los Angeles Rams defense before GOING OFF on Minnesota Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell and QB Sam Darnold for imploding towards the end of their season. Middlekauff proceeds to compare O’Connell to James Harden, saying that he always performs in the regular season and folds when it matters the most. After, John reacts to the news that Mike McCarthy will not return as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, and explains why owner Jerry Jones’ decision making over the last few weeks is confusing and unpredictable. John then goes on to wonder who could partner up with Jerry Jones and America’s team and throws out names such as Bill Belichick, Deion Sanders and Kellen Moore.
Later, John answers your questions in the episode's mailbag segment.
5:00 - MNF Reaction
28:15 - Jerry Jones and the Cowboys
43:18 - Mailbag
Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow - for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #Herd
The volume. What is going on everybody? How are we doing on this beautiful night day. I'm recording this at night. You might be listening to this in the morning. I probably not doing as well as Sean McVeigh and his college teammate Chris Shula, who absolutely slack the Minnesota Vikings twenty seven to nine. They sacked Sam Darnald seventy five times. Actually it was nine. They sacked him nine times for a loss of eighty two yards. Eighty two yards of sack yardage. What a performance. Obviously, the headlines are gonna be Sam Darnald and did he how much money did he just blow? But I think we do need to bring into question Kevin O'Connell, who called a terrible game the night and didn't learn a thing from the Detroit Lion game. And Sam Donald clearly was during the headlights again and he just kept passing the ball. Obviously, in the second half when you're down big, I get it. But at one point in time, it was ten to three in the first half and he just couldn't stop passing, and Sam Donald couldn't stop getting sacked, and the game unraveled. So we will dive into that situation. Sean McVay just wins another playoff game, and then the big news of the day none on the field, was the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy going their separate ways. I don't know if it was fired contract not renewed. That's technically what happened to me once upon a time. I just didn't get my contract renewed. Mike McCarthy is free to go interview and interview. He will aints where I'd forgotten, but he worked way back in the day. The Chicago Bears were obviously division in which he coached for a long long time. Could Mike McCarthy become the head coach of the Chicago Bears? But I think the big headline with the Cowboys is that Jerry Jones and Deon Sanders had a phone call. So we will discuss that. And if you listen on the on College Feed, make sure you subscribe to three and Out. Obviously all of our stuff's on YouTube. And let's talk some football. We do need to start with Minnesota because anytime, and I thought Troy Aikman summed it up pretty well when you have a great regular season, and Minnesota had an awesome regular season to win fourteen games with Sam Darnold as your quarterback is a great accomplishment, it really is, and it's winning you your division. I feel like if you win fourteen games, you're gonna win your division nine out of ten years, nine of the time, maybe even more than nine. So it's they They were awesome start to finish this season, but the last two weeks was pretty alarming. And everyone blamed Sam Darnold last week rightfully, so he was not good. He was missing guys constantly all game against the Detroit Lions, and I think where it was so glaring is who is Detroit rolling out on defense? I know they got Azeloni back, but it was full of a lot of random practice squad guys, you know, mixing in and they had not been playing well well tonight is a real defense with an awesome front and a well coached unit. Because the Rams had not been playing well offensively minus the Bills game, for well over a month. They have looked like a shell of themselves offensively from the version that we saw last year heading into the playoffs that were rolling. They have been carried by their defense, which has been fantastic, and they nailed their draft pick in Jared vers Fisk, his teammate from Florida State, has been awesome. They got other good players on their front. They're just a fast, physical defense. Well what do you think they were going to do coming into this game? They knew last week. Sam Darnold, when you got pressure on him, kind of crumbled like a cookie. And it was clear early on that that game had carried over the pressure of trying to and listen the talk of him getting a huge contract. I think we can throw that out the window, and honestly, it was probably up in the air even before this game started. But he's still playing that. The franchise tag for a quarterback is forty one million dollars, and in the NFL, your game tape is your resume. Look at all these teams that desperately need a quarterback. So there is still a ton of money to be made by playing good football. And you could feel the pressure getting to him, and he was hold the ball tonight. And early on in that game, the Rams came out swing, score a touchdown, immediately take a ten to nothing lead. Kevin O'Connell, who if you just listen to the media and listen, I got nothing against Kevin O'Connell seems like a nice guy, but he is treated by the football media like he's Bill Walsh meets Mike Shanahan meets Mike Holmgren. He has played in three big games in his career as a head coach. Two years ago in the playoffs, he won the division, won thirteen games. They hosted the New York Giants Daniel Jones. He lost last week to get the number one seed against the Detroit Lions. He got worked tonight as a favorite on the road. Kind of the Rams were displaced from La had to move their entire family. I've lived in Arizona for about three years now. There are a ton of Vikings fans. That was a Minnesota home game. He was a favorite, and he's calling games like you or I would on Madden. He is addicted to passing. I looked it up. Sam Donald was eighth in the NFL this year in pass attempts, a little less than twenty behind wait for it, Caleb Williams. A team who was down in every fucking game they played, so they're constantly passing chech Minnesota's record. They were winning in a ton of them. This guy can't stop passing and listen, I'm pro the forward pass, but sometimes in a game like this, when your quarterback is struggling and show signs from the previous week. Because with Kevin O'Connell in the night, it's not about what's gonna happen at the combine or during free agency, our decision on Sam Donald, it's about trying to beat the Rams and Shula mcveigh's buddy in college roommate, who is coming out and kicking your ass. Your offensive line is completely overwhelmed right now, and pressure is coming from every angle, and your quarterback looks he's holding onto the ball. Two log, call a run. It's one thing in the second half when you're down by fifty, I get it. You gotta pass. When it's ten to three, though, and you have had acres bust a big run. You have had Aaron Jones, whose resume speaks for itself, had a thirteen yard run. So you had a guy with a thirty yard run. You got with a thirteen yard run. You had busted some long plays. But a guy that loves passing like Kevin O'Connell, anytime that he calls a run and it only gains a yard or two, no, more runs that series, pass pass, punt, pass, sack, punt, Like Sam Darnold in the first half to night got sacked six times. Some of those are on the quarterback one, but it's also on the coach to see that again, he is not trying to define the guy's career and give him a contract or wipe the contract away tonight. He is literally trying to win a game which would be his first playoff victory of his career. And while the media tells me over and over he's the greatest coach since Slice Spread, meanwhile, I look and kind of see like the James Harden of coaches. Awesome during the regular season, but get putt in these big spots and like his quarterback melted down and everyone and Chris Carter once said, you gotta find a fall guy. Everyone is gonna crush Sam Darnold. Every single human is gonna shit on him. And listen, would I give him one hundred and fifty million dollars after these last couple of weeks, I'm not acting like you should break the bank for the guy. Would I even question giving him the forty one million dollar franchise tag? Yes, it's part of the job. These conversations need to be had. But to think that a coach that is addicted to passing is going to start. JJ McCarthy, who look like he weighed one hundred and eighty five pounds last week when we saw him in the Lions game, whose entire college career was predicated on handing the ball off, literally played a game last season against Penn State where he did not throw a forward pass in the second half. Kevin O'Connell's not a run game guy. He does not want to hand the ball off. He wants to call pass plays. And obviously they're missing their left tackle, but the rest of their offensive line is more than questionable, and they were getting throttled, and they were calling blitz after blitz, corner blitzes, guys coming from all angles, and he was just overwhelmed. What's the easiest way to neutralize that? Call a run play. You are literally just trying to win this game to night, but he can't because he's not wired like that. He's former quarterback, wants to pass the rock and listen, he's got two great wide receivers. Justin Jefferson could argue he's one of the most talented guys we've ever seen in the NFL. I'd want to throw on the ball too, Jordan Addison, if that's your number two, I mean, good luck trying to stop this offense. Tight ends the stud hell. Naylor's awesome, but like in this individual game, that clearly wasn't gonna work. And this is a league and Belichick said it for decades. You're either coaching it or allowing it to happen. And he's the play caller. It's not like he's Tomlin over there, mister ceo. Oh, the offense is his baby. But pass play after pass play after pass play, it's like Kevin, the score is not thirty to three. Right now, you are down a touchdown to an offense that hasn't been good in a month. Your defensive coordinator now fell apart as the game went on, has been excellent all season. Take a deep breath, slow the game down for the quarterback. That is your job. And he couldn't do it. And everyone, and I mean everyone is going to take a massive dump on Sam Darnold. And like I said, he didn't just play like Joe Montana. He got worse as the game went on. But how is the coach going to get a pass. How are we just gonna act like, yeah, the coach is doing a great job calling great plays. Meanwhile there are three free rushers coming from the left and the right. But I get it. He's got a lot of friends in the media. This was the same guy that two weeks to go before the biggest, second biggest game of his life against the Lions, the story comes out in the morning, Jay Glazer, he clearly wants a race. Don't blame him. He's probably, I would say, one of the lower paid coaches in the NFL. Given it was, I wouldn't say out of nowhere when he was hired by the Minnesota Vikings. But it's not like he had much leverage. So let's say he's making six seven million dollars and in his mind, you start rattling off multiple double digit win seasons. Time to pay me like twelve to fifteen million. And when the story comes out, which listen, I don't know that he was behind it, as agent was behind it. Maybe he had nothing to do with it. But if I did have nothing to do with it, you bet your ass. I'd want my players to know I'm not gonna get traded no matter what I'm gonna stay here. I would have released a statement through someone in the media like that's bs, that's not true, but he didn't. And if you think it's a coincidence that something like that happens, Bill Parcels used to do this shit all the time and then he quit on his team and he comes in after like I know nothing about it. Well, since that report came out, your team has looked like shit two weeks in a row. It's funny how these coaches always preach to their players team the team, the team, focus on the team, the team, don't worry about yourself, and so many of them do the same shift that players do. Worry about their money, worry about their contract. Why we're all humans. But that would have been an easy one, even if his camp leaked it to be like, that's not true. No matter what, we're being loyal. Even if it's not true, then he even might want to get traded because he thinks the Vikings are gonna low ball. And if I'm the Wolf's like, listen, he's been an excellent regular season coach, but he's discussed like he's Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay. Wake me up. When the guy wins a big game, please wake me up, I mean and listen to be like, well, who's Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold. I've seen Kyle Shanahan win games with Jimmy fucking Garoppolo. So and you know why, because you just run the ball, slow down the game. Instead, we're getting into an NFL blitz style slinging around non stop, and it's like, that's not gonna work tonight. It's evident my mother could see, like, hey, you keep calling these pass plays with your quarterback holding the ball a little long, you're gonna get throttled. And what happened? Hey, another pass whatever the long play call is, sack, call the play in another sack. It's like, what are we doing? It was coaching malpractice, it really was. And you watch every former player, everyone on the on the twitter streets, they're all gonna blame Sam Donald. No one's gonna mention to Kevin O'Connell. If you watch that game and you think it was the play calling had nothing to do with it, I don't know. We're not watching the same game. And you know, I think Sean mcvayh came into this as an underdog after his team who knows how many players were impacted by you know, the crazy fires in the Los Angeles area. They basically pack up a flight on Friday or Saturday to fly to Arizona, which obviously came in to allow them to play here. And you saw Michael Bidwell the night sitting with Roger Goodell. Because one, you just couldn't have played it in Los Angeles. Two just because the fires alone, let alone that their dome situation is not a closed true dome. It would have been smoky in there, So it's obviously the right move. But it then becomes a home game from Minnesota, so we're an underdog. Now we win the division, we got to go on the road. That neutralizes the advantage of us winning the division. You know what, we don't give a shit. We're gonna come in because I am a big game coach. I am a guy who's been winning big games now for over half a decade, and we're gonna kick the shit out of this team. And that's exactly what happened. Sean McVay is buddy Chris Hula absolutely dominated tonight. What a coaching clinic of controlling the line of scrimmage offensively and defensively, Stafford playing under control, and it's crazy. I mean I kind of got cold feet. I like the Rams last week when the schedule was kind of announced pre the fires, but once the fires happened and it was clear that they might have to displace, I just thought one, I respected the I respected the Vikings and their coaching staff, the talent on their team, and then once it comes here, it's like, that's a big advantage for Minnesota, given how many Minnesota fans are going to be there. Sean McVay did not give a shit and beat the living crap out of him because and now you see a Minnesota operation under Kevin O'Connell zero to two in the playoffs, and that's Sean McVay, like I said, eighth win, and now he gets to go on the road against Philly, another easy motivation spot. This is a team that earlier this season beat the crap out of him. No one's gonna pick the Rams. And the crazy thing about the Rams, and this is what good coaches do. His offense had not played well forever. They've been winning games like twelve to six against the forty nine Ers twenty one to seven. Again, it's an awful Saints team. I mean, they look so terrible down the stretch and tonight it's like, Oh, that's the real good Rams team Again. That's what good coaching is. Through adversity, through chaotic situations. Rally the team, get them together and coach well and put your players in situations succeed and Shula on defense had guys flying all around that. That was what a performance by the defense. I would imagine Sean McVay is gonna hand out game balls, not only to the defensive line, to the defensive coordinator, which is just the starting defense in general, because they set the tone in that game early and often. And if you're gonna keep calling pass plays when you can't block their front, it's gonna be a long night. Like I'm sorry, you can't just put nine sacks. It can't just all be on the quarterback and even on the offensive line, like the coach bears responsibility to that period, point blank. End of story. So now get our final matchup Rams at Philly to go with Detroit and Washington. But what a performance really, I mean that was that was really cool to watch and one thing the Rams have had under Sean mcvagh. All their good teams have a physical element. Their defense is so physical and they deserve so much credit that when Aaron Donald retires, you don't replace an Aaron Donald. He's one of the greatest players we've ever seen. Yet they were able to draft two guys that were teammates, and both their style resembled him a little bit. Even the two of them don't equal Aaron Donald. But Jared Verse year one Pro Bowl and you watch his power move immediately translates to the NFL. Fisk, the defensive tackle from Florida State. I remember when Derek Ray, my guy that's a GM there, described him. His playing personality is like Max Crosby of just never giving up and playing his balls off to go along with Turner and some of the other guys they have on their front. It really stands out and throughout the season when the Rams have played well, their front kicks ass and take names and defensive Backwise Witherspoon, Akila Witherspoon, once upon a time was on the forty nine ers, it's been on Seattle. I never thought he was that good, and now you watch me. He makes like a play every other game. Remember a couple years ago when they got rid of Jalen Ramsey, people are like, what are they doing. It's like, yeah, they haven't skipped a beat since. I mean they haven't even thought twice since he left. So you give this team some draft picks. And remember last year is the first first rounder that Sean McVeigh had ever had it as a head coach. Think about that, his entire career as a Rams head coach. He got the job in twenty seventeen. Jared Verse is their first pick. Now, they made some two crazy trades right for Matt Stafford and they when they got Jared Goff, they had traded up, but they also made countless trades, you know, for guys like Brandon Cooks, for Sammy Watkins, for Jalen Ramsey. I mean, they use those picks to be really, really aggressive, and now they figured out, like, you know what, maybe we should just save some of our picks. We're pretty good at drafting. So extremely impressive win and got it. I think we just need to pump the hypefest on Kevin O'Connell. And obviously I think big picture, just to put a bow on the JJ McCarthy thing. To think that You're just going to implement a guy that has never been relied on to carry the load as a passer and be able to compete for a playoff spot in two thousand and twenty five. To me, seems a little crazy. Does Sam Darnold's ceiling come into question? Now? Of course it does, But he still put you in position to go to the playoffs. Does JJ McCarthy make them a playoff team in twenty twenty five? I don't know how you could think that, especially with the way that their coach calls plays, which we're gonna rely on your arm non stop. This isn't Jim rball. We're not just gonna call runs every other play. We're gonna pass the ball a lot. We're paying Justin Jefferson one hundred million dollars. Jordan Adison's gonna want a big contract here in a couple of years. We've got Hopkinson. Let's throw that pill kid. He say, hey man, I just want my knee just hurt. I'm just trying to get it better. Can we hand it off another pass? Can we block anybody not really pass away? NFL playoffs? We're talking about the NFL playoffs, You bet we are get in on the action at DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NFL. Scoring touchdowns is a key to winning in the NFL playoffs, and the key to you u scoring big is betting on them at DraftKings, the number one place to bet touchdowns. Ready to place your first bet, Try betting on something as simple like a player to score a touchdown. Go to DraftKings Sportsbook app and make your pick. Here's another reason to watch your favorite players crush it in the playoffs. New customers bet five bucks to get two hundred in bonus bets instantly score big during the NFL playoffs with the DraftKings Sportsbook down in the DraftKings Sportsbook app, use the code John Johgen that's co John for new customers to get two hundred in bonus bets instantly when you bet just five bucks only on a Draftking sports book. The Crown is yours.
Gambling problem called one eight hundred gambler in New York called eight seven seven eight hope and why or text hope and why four six seven three six nine. In Connecticut, help is available for a problem gambling called eight eight eight seven eight nine seven to seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org. Please play responsibly on behalf of Boothill Casino when resorting Kansas twenty one. On over agent eligibility varies by jurisdiction void A one twos. BET's expire one hundred and sixty eight hours after richuins four. Additional terms and responsible gaming resources see DKNG dot co slash audio.
The other big story of the day was the Dallas Cowboys, and obviously Jerry Jones went viral a couple of weeks ago for his performance in Land Man. I watched the season finale last night at one point in time. No spoilers, but I thought Billy Bob was gonna get killed. Somehow he lived and it was fantastic season. Just your classic, just extremely entertaining. I don't even know how true half the stuff is, but you tell me. You get oilman guy driving a truck all around fields with the cartel gun, sex like a little football mixed in. I'm in and excellencies. But one thing I don't get about Jerry Jones get he likes being different and likes beaten to the to the beat of his own drum. But there are certain protocols that it just like makes it easier on everybody. The Dallas Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention a long time ago, right, It's not like they went into Week eighteen with a chance to make the playoffs if they won a game, they had been eliminated four weeks. Honestly, it was pretty clear, even when they were winning some games under McCarthy, this wasn't a playoff team that Dak Prescott was up in the booth with a seventeen iced teas. I mean, you talk about what I don't know if they pay him for the marketing of that whatever that drink is, the leaf drink. I've never had one, but when I saw, I think the last game of the season, when he had all those iced teas in front of him, it made me. Walking around Safeway, I looked at it. I thought about buying one. I'm just not a huge iced tea guy, but Dak Prescott sure likes it. If you're gonna drink five of them, you must really really value the flavor in those drinks. But why didn't Jerry Jones do this last Monday? And I'm sure we're gonna find out in depth reporting from a lot of people around the Cowboys over the next twenty four to forty eight hours. What was really being discussed, like the details of the last five, six, seven days. But how could you not have come to the conclusion at the end of the season. And I put a little of this on Mike. It's like fire me or keep me, but let's make a decision immediately. I just can't quite comprehend what was going on over these last several days. But that is the Dallas Cowboys. They literally never do anything like anyone else. Look at how they treat their massive contracts. They always wait till the last minute. They always pay the most humanly possible, even when the guy's a great player. It's like this probably didn't have to be like that. And maybe there's an element to Jerry stock Market's been ripping. He holds out as late as possible to put that money Nescrow. But the more and more I thought about it, I just do not understand the point of making this decision a week after Black Bunday, when we basically knew coming into the season this was a make or break season for the coach. Give it. He didn't have a contract, So I don't know how they're gonna try to justify it. I'm sure they will, and I put some of this on Mike. He could have drawn a line in the sand. Maybe he thought that it might be tenable and they could work this out, But it just I'd be hard pressed to understand the rationale behind this. Now, who is going to be their next head coach? They discussed, you know, Jerry Jones and Deon Sanders have talked. Obviously, If Jerry Jones offers Deon Sanders the job, Dion is as good as gone from Colorado. Seeya, I'm out. Now do we know for a fact that he's gonna offer him the job? Who knows? What are his options? A couple college coaches Dion. I think if Bill Belichick was available, they definitely would talk to him. I read the Dion's buyouts eight million dollars. We know Belichick's buyouts ten million dollars, way less crazy. If Jerry wants Dion, he just made Colorado beyond relevant. With Shador and Travis Hunter, they won nine games. If Dion left Colorado, everyone would just do cartwheels for how awesome that experience was. This year, the Belichick thing would be pretty ugly, but Belichick's done a lot of shit that's pretty cold blooded. Like I would say, Belichick's NFL career, non game day is defined by being pretty ruthless and having no heart and doing things that most people would be uncomfortable doing. So to think that if he did want the cowboy job and Jerry Jones wanted Belichick, that Bill would worry about, well, I've only been here, you know, a month, and I promised I would stay in what world watching his career? Do business thinks that he would give a flying fuck how many people he'd piss off at North Carolina? I don't. Here's the thing with Dion, though he's got a couple of things going for him. They just brought back Mike Zimmer to be their defensive coordinator, and by the end of the year, when they had a lot of guys healthy, they clearly looked a lot better on defense. Do you know who one of Dion's favorite coaches of all time was? Mike Zimmer? Go to Mike Zimmer's Wikipedia page. Who was the dB coach in the mid to late nineties. Zimmer, that's his guy. So you go, well, we can keep Zimmer, we can add Dion to be the CEO, head coach and listen, I'm not the biggest Pat Shermer guy, but Dion does have an NFL coordinator as his OC. Because if you're Jerry, the big question would be, like Dion clearly related to play. You can lead a group, you keep Zimmer, we're all on the same page, But what about the offense? Like if Dion just had some random college coordinator, I wonder if you're Jerry and those guys you feel a little uncomfortable. I can bring Pat Sherman, who has been an offensive coordinator countless places, and once upon a time in Minnesota with case keenum had one of the great coordinating seasons in recent memory. They were in the NFC Championship and lost of that Nick Foles team. So there are boxes that check for Dion. Now, I think a lot of people assume that if Dion Sanders gets this job, he would want to kick Dak to the curb and go after Shador. I actually think it'd be more likely they're drafting twelve just to keep build up the team and coach Dak Prescott. Now, if Shador fell to twelve, then yeah, I could see the Cowboys draft them. Do I think they would trade like three first round to get up to like two or three to draft shitdoor and do whatever with Dak and need one hundred million dollars in dead cap. I don't see that coming. So if there is a world where Deon Sanders is the head coach, I believe Mike Zimmer would stay as the defensive coordinator, and I also believe that Dak Prescott would stay as the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. And I don't think it's that crazy. And I think part of it is like, Jerry, you're over eighty, you go out with a bank, Let's make this the ultimate marketing machine. You talk about beyond bry Lights. Everyone talking about you. And listen, what Deon did this year was pretty impressive. Colorado was a joke before he got there. Two years later, they won nine games and honestly, we're a half away from going to the Big twelve championship game. Now. I think it turns out Arizona State was better, but like, they were pretty good this year. And the other thing is like they were pretty well coached, definitely on defense, which is Don's side of the ball. And clearly Dion can relate to young talented players I mean, they're recruiting really, really well. Now, you could argue in college football a huge part of that is because of nils, which I hate the word nil. It's just called pay to play. But it's just a salary. I'm just paying you to play. Like what are you actually And I heard Dion actually say this, Like what commercials are any of these guys on? Like what billboards are these guys on. They're just getting paid three hundred thousand dollars to play dB. They're not being paid three hundred thousand dollars to go on TV and promote sunglasses. That's not happening. But I also think the other name to keep an eye on if Dion doesn't happen, if Belichick doesn't happen, would be Kellen Moore. A couple of years ago, Jerry was well or outspoken about how highly he thought about Callen and how he viewed him as a future head coach. And the other thing with the Cowboys is they are indebted when it comes to the quarterback position for hundreds of millions of dollars, like Dak Prescott. They just gave him so much fucking money, So you almost have to double down in that situation. If you are gonna fire Mike, who made Dak look really really good, you have to be like leaning to be inclined to hire someone that is also gonna make Dak look really really good. And Kellen Moore was not only his quarterback coach, but was offensive coordinator, and clearly they have a really good relationship. And I think Jerry can also look at it like, well, who am I hurting if I hire Kellen a guy that did I view like I created and I put on the map even though he didn't Chris Peterson Boys State did. But from an NFL coaching standpoint, I hurt the Eagles, right, I mean the Eagles. Let's face, I haven't seen the line. My guess would be six seven point favorite against the Rams. I would say five and a half as the smallest. So if we assume they win that game at home, Kellen Moore will be coordinating a team in the championship game with probably a pretty decent chance to win. And if you don't think that that matters to him not only getting his guy back, but hurting one of his biggest rivals, that has to mean something. So I would say the Dion thing's clearly real like and it makes a lot of sense. But if for whatever reason it doesn't happen to me in Belichick, which I would have thought last year, or if he wasn't at North Carolina, would have been a real I don't know. I wouldn't say that he's he's going to be loyal to UNC. But the way Lombardi has openly talked about how I would say in trench they are at Chapel Hill, maybe you gotta believe him. I don't know, but I do think that Kellen Moore, I think those would be the three names, Dion Belichick, Kellen Moore. I'd be stunned if it's not one of those three guys coaching the Dallas Cowboys in twenty twenty five. Okay, let's do a little Middlecoff mail bag at John Middlecoff. At John Middlecoff is the Instagram. Fire in those dms, Fire in those dms, get your questions answered here on the show at John Middlecoff Instagram. Dms wide freaking open. See if I can find those dms. We'll start with Sean with the Packers lost to the Eagles, do you think it's time to place Lafloor on the dread and hot seat. I'm not saying fire him now, but I'm saying that this season we went one in five in the division. God, it's not great. We're a block field goal away from being zero to six, as well as zero to six against the top three teams in the conference. I'd be more okay with it if those losses were a bit closer, but we never came out of the gates and fell down two scores in every game to the Bears. I feel like we've been complacent and content with just winning ten plus games, but the ultimate goal is the super Bowl. Lafour has proven he can A minus get there and B minus get his team to show up for big games. Feels like we're in a similar boat as Pittsburgh with Tomlin, where we're winning, but our ceiling isn't high enough aka the super Bowl. Personally, I'd give him another year two max, and see if it changes. I hear what you're saying, and I understand the frustration. I think he's proven. You know, last year, you guys won a playoff game on the road. He resurrected Aaron Rodgers' career, he made I know Jordan Love's been all over the map this year. But he he took a quarterback who had never really played beside one game and turned him into a competence starter, a guy that you could make the playoffs with. Honestly, some of his work with Malik Willis was really really impressive. I think one concerning part for the Packers is like they have ten sweet wide receivers, but it doesn't feel like any of them just kind of rose above the next. Right, Christian Watson clearly now with the torn acl and let's face, he was underwhelming this year. Is the expectations were higher. Jayden Reid very talented player, but I think the expectations for him were higher than the way it played out. Let me just so, Jaden Reid had fifty five catches, Tucker Craft had fifty, Dobbs had forty six, Wis had thirty nine. I think you were kind of hoping one of those guys would be like, Okay, this guy could be a top seven eight wide receiver in the NFL, And the season ended, we're still left like, who's the best dude out of them all? And clearly, you know, Read looked like you heard his shoulder bad. Obviously, Dobbs with the head injuries already wearing the concussion cap. I haven't really been online today, but I would guess I don't know, maybe Laflor said this last night, I mean, get another concussion. So I just think that you need some of those guys to step up and defensively, you guys actually felt like you were better this year than the years past. He's got a couple more years, man. I mean the division thing would be a little concerning. To go one in one in five and like you said, easily could have lost the one Bears game, to go oh and six like that's a problem, and to lose the Eagles twice. So basically, if you take like and you said it, the Lions, Vikings, and Eagles the three best teams in the NFC record wise, you're zero and six against and then to lose to the Bears when, let's face it, you're trying to win. Question for the bag McCarthy out as Dallas coach. Should the Cowboys trade for Mike Tomlin. He needs a fresh start and the Cowboys definitely need his toughness. You know, if you look at recent memory, I guess they had Wade Phillips. I'm trying to think if there was like a consistent theme. But they had Parcels, Wade Phillips defensive guys, Jason Garrett McCarthy offensive guys. I don't know if Jerry has necessarily a consistent theme. You know, Campo was a defensive guy. But yeah, I mean, we have to see their options, and you know it's there are gonna be some stories coming out. I would imagine the next couple of days the way this plays out. But also, are the Cowboys in a position to trade for Mike Tomlin? To me, if you're gonna get Mike Tomlin, you might as well just keep Mike McCarthy. So I Albert burs said, they're basically the same guy. One just coaches offense and one just coach the defense. To me, and I talked about this earlier on the podcast portion, on the video portion. I did it on the reaction video to Monday Night Football. But you're paying Dak Prescott all this money, you're gonna hire an offensive coach, like, you're not gonna go like firing Mike McCarthy When Dak and the quarterback is kind of his baby. I have a hard time thinking they're gonna go defense. Honestly, can't see it, and I don't think it makes much sense. And we'll see, you know I besides just the initial reaction and the Jerry Jones statement thrown out there, I would imagine we'll learn a lot more over the next twenty four to forty eight hours about the details of what exactly happened, Like why didn't this happen last week? Don't quite understand that Chargers fans still recovering. I would imagine we move on from Bosa and mac is retiring. It seems Khalil Mack's retiring. Denise have I though Khalil Mack was fantastic this season. I maybe I'm just out of the loop. I'd be a little surprised if you're retired. I mean, Khalil Mackett feels like could still Garner even if they were to tell him they don't want him. I don't know why they wouldn't. I would think that the Chargers would want Khalil Mack. I mean, he's a Pro Bowl level guy this year and like legitimately earned it. He I feel like he had more than six sax played in sixteen games, six sects. This doesn't feel right. I thought I thought he had more than that. Maybe he did. I don't know. Maybe I thought a season was better. Never mind, I thought he's pretty good, but I guess the sack total wasn't as high. Everybody wants to talk about how we are gonna trade sign a big time wide receiver, but to me, Harbaugh doesn't really do that. What about acquiring Miles Garrett? You think that's in play. The discourse on Herbert is infuriating people so quick to forget how well he played against Denver that we needed him to clinch a spot. Or versus Las Vegas last week and it was the difference of the five and the seven seed O line couldn't stop a nosebleed offense as a whole was horrendous. This is not all on Herbert. I don't know that Greg Roman is the right guy. Some of his play calling baffled me. JK just carried the ball nine times. There's a reason he was out of a job for a while. The Harballs are very loyal to Greg Roman. I mean, he's worked for Jim, then he worked for John, and now he's working for Jim again. They freaking love the guy. I don't know him personally. Seems like a nice guy, but he does I would say he's not known as the greatest pass game guy. As a run game coordinator, he's good at that, but when it comes to scheming the pass, I don't think Greg Roman's the first guy you think about. No one's confusing him with O'Connell McVeigh or Andy Reid, but Jim Harbaugh loves him. I'm here on the discourse with Herbert. The thing with Miles Garrett is you'd have to trade a lot, and I have a hard time seeing them trade a lot for an older guy, even if that player is big time. I feel like the Packers or a team like that is more likely to make that move than or even I've seen the Arizona Cardinals like some desperate teams. You know, the Chargers, they were ahead of schedule this year, so I'd be stunned if you know. That's if Miles Garrett and the Chargers forgiven. I mean, this is a guy that could easily put I know he's older and he needs a contract extension, but two ones at his age would be pretty bold. But I think he would definitely garner a one in two twos. I mean, he's still an elite player. It's just his age and you have to give him another one hundred plus million dollars. Been an avid fan for a long time. I'm reaching out because I listen to your podcast last night, would call him, and I appreciated your in depth conversation about California versus other places we've long entertained heading to the Phoenix area ourselves. How has the transition transition be or Ben? Are you enjoying it? Any other insights you can share? I know you're busy, probably get a million of these. I don't even know if this was a mailbag question necessarily, maybe just wanted a personal response. I learned a long time ago. You know, I've lived in Philadelphia, I've lived in Kansas City. I've lived in Fresno, the Bay Area. You kind of do what you do once you become an adult, right, My life for the last twenty years has really Monday through Friday, you know, Monday through Sunday if you work weekends, revolves around work food. Jim Like, that's a pretty consistent theme of mine on most work days, where I just tend to work a lot. So whether I lived in Alaska or I lived in Dallas or Arizona or California, like I do the same things. I'm a pretty big creature of habit So to me, it was just about being in a place that I wanted to be, because my life today is not any different than it was three years ago or four years ago when I was living in the Bay Area. In terms of my routine, I do think bang for my buck, and from a tax perspective, it was a gigantic game changer coming from California to Arizona. And I don't just mean on your income taxes. You know, I had a condo in California, for example, that was I paid like five hundred grand for it, which most places in the country. If you don't live in California and looked at the condo I owned for the price I paid for it, you would think I was on drugs. And it was just I mean, it was going right. If you wanted to live or that area, you had no choice but my property taxes because in that area, I pay more property taxes for that condo than I do for a house that's worth I don't know, well over double of what the condo was worth. So you just save money in so many different places, which as I'm starting a family, it just it matters. So I factored all that in uh And to me, there's an element of one thing about you know, I don't live in Phoenix. I live in North Scottsdale, and it was an area when I first started coming here more consistently, like four or five years ago, I fell in love with and I like golf. And the other thing is like I grew up in the heat. Where I grew up in Davis, which is basically ten minutes away from Sack Unlike the Bay area, which can be very cold and even during the summer, it doesn't get that hot. Where I grew up, it was one hundred and five to one hundred and eight degrees for a couple months a year, so I was used to the heat. And I lived in Fresnoe for a long time. Like I like the heat. So if you don't like the heat here, it can be a problem. I mean, for a couple months stretch, it is really really hot. But in terms of cleanliness, in terms of things are new, like the one thing with the barrier, everything was old. It's paying an ultra premium for just old and shitty. And it's like why and I come here and everything's new, everything's clean. I just I love this area and I've loved it for years. It's exceeded my expectations. Obviously, you know, getting married here, so she's been a huge part of it. But overall, I would say this, your life doesn't change that much place to place once you get to be of a certain agent. And who knows, maybe you're older than me. I think you would agree. It's just about what are the benefits of leaving, you know, whether you have young children. The schools are better, obviously, the pays better in terms of what you get to take home, the bang for your buck, of what you get for what you pay for in terms of a home. The other thing is I just looked at it simply like if these were stocks. I love the Stock Mart, I would short where I was coming from. I'm like, this is not sustainable, this is not going to keep working out. They're at a breaking point. And I looked at Vegas and I looked at Arizona Scottsdale. I'm like, I would invest heavily if these were publicly traded companies. And obviously Vegas and Scottsdale are booming, and mainly because so many people from California are moving to those areas, and so you look in twenty thirty years, you buy now what it's going to become. I don't even I mean, I would die on this hill. I feel pretty confident of where things are going, and mainly like companies are going to more and more are going to start here, you know, forever. That was a huge point of difference for the Bay Area. Silicon Valley companies started there, Like, I wouldn't bet on that happening for the next thirty years, not saying it won't happen on an individual basis, but at the rate in which it was happening. So I just saw I was like, ah, I'm out, and it's probably the best thing I've ever done. First off, for the bail bag the Eagles fan, I often find myself conflicted watching Jalen. I know he does not have the arm talent of the top five guys, but I can't help but wonder while watching him this year that he is being told her coach to be overly conservative with the ball and that is making him look even worse. Clearly, everyone in the building knows that if he doesn't turn the ball over, they almost always win, and he just seems to be playing to that at times. It just makes it look so much meh. As a passer. I think if he let it rip a bit, he may have a few more picks, but he may look more like twenty twenty two Jalen. Yeah. I mean, I can't speak to what he's being told on a weekly basis about how to play, but I do think it was pretty clear as this season went on that he is less likely to just sling that pill around unless it's pretty. And I would say, yeah, maybe he's being told that, but you would think that aj Brown knows that, and it doesn't feel like he likes the vibe of this whole thing. I think as a whole, Jalen has always struggled for the guys that make a lot of money to pull the trigger. Definitely, within the pocket, he will scramble to throw. But you know, when he sits in the pocket, that's not really Listen, he's a better player than Tua, but just in terms of snap get the ball out, Tua is getting rid of that football. That's Jalen's kind of the opposite. I just think he's a bizarre player. I think that's part of it he's a bizarre player because I heard someone say, well, he wins a lot, and I think I saw the stats of his some of his NFC playoff wins against the Giants, recently against the forty nine ers, and obviously the game yesterday. It's all He's thrown for many yurs. So part of that is he benefits from being on a really good team. And we've seen him in a big moment against the Chiefs throw for a lot of yards, but it almost feels like that game was more of an outlier. Uh, he's a great runner, great runner, be strong. He's a really really good runner. He's a unique runner. Uh, He's he has a very instinctive running style and he's a good playmaker outside the pocket. But if you can keep him within the pocket, like you watch Jayden Daniels last night, Jane will sit in that pocket and throw a strike over the middle of the field. He's a little taller, maybe it's easier for him to see, but yeah, I don't know. I think Jalen has always been a pretty head scratching player. I think that's part of it. He's because he's better than so many guys. But you watch him, like how good is he? And he's clearly not in the same universe as the elite guys, but you can win a lot of games with him because how he's such a good GM and they have such a loaded roster. I'd have a hard time just saying though it's strictly because the coaches are telling him not to throw the ball. I mean, they're paying their two wide receivers, they but load of money. I think they trust me. The Eagles Jeffrey Lurry, they like throwing the football. Like you said, it might be time for Tomlin and the Steelers to part ways. How would you feel about a trade or if he was hired by the Cowboys. I don't think it's entirely on Tomlin. I think it's more of an offensive talent issue that the Cowboys don't have that much of an issue with that. When the Cowboys are good, or at least in the playoffs, that's good for the NFL, and I feel like their fans would be in the position that the Steelers are in every year. The Cowboys already have really good defensive pieces. Tomlin would have to just change the culture ps even after the shit show. My take is love takes the number five spot in the top five quarterbacks. His peak is insane, and he actually won a playoff game. Maybe this is before the game yesterday. I'm not sure what that ps was about. My thing with we talked about it earlier, is just the Dak Prescott paying him a lot of money, and you would think you'd want your head coach to be involved in that scenario. I mean, part of Mike Tomlin the number one questions like who's the OC, who's the guy calling the place? Like at least you knew when it was Jason Garrett, Kellen Moore, Kellen Moore, McCarthy. I mean, these are all offensive guys, and part of the problem with Tomlin is like, what's going on with this defense? Why does it look so atrocious? Think about this the Cowboys down the stretch as they got guys back, I felt like their defense for the most part, looked better than the Pittsburgh Steelers down the stretch. Love the podcast. It's the only break I get from studying from my board exams. Also love the new guy intern Jackson Baby great addition to the pot. How was Brow not an All Pro? He was clearly the best quarterback in the league. Plus he was better than Josh Allen in every category. I'm kind of in agreement with Colin on this. I don't get that caught up All pros, Pro Bowls, MVPs. I simply don't give a shit. And you know, in a weird way, like j Brow makes fifty five million dollars a year, fifty million dollars a year, he just threw forty five touchdowns or whatever. Clearly wasn't his fault. His team didn't make the playoffs. The defense screwed him early in the season, Like does it even matter? Like Joe Burrow is on a path to the Hall of Fame whether it was an All Pro this year or not. I do think it's difficult to make him an All Pro when the other two guys like the Bills, are very very Josh Allen reliant, Like if he his stats weren't as good as Burrows, but you take him off and you put an average quarterback, they win like three games. Same thing with the Bengals, So it's like no difference his importance. And his team was the two seed in the AFC. What are you gonna do not put Lamar on there? So I think it was more of a product of those two guys. Their teams had really good seasons and they're clearly their team's best player. I'm currently a junior in college studying accounting, but I love hearing you and Colin talk about the front office side of the NFL. I would love to get an injured ship. I can't even speak today an internship. I've been talking a lot, obviously, I mean for podcasting, but I just feel like, in general, do you have any advice for who to contact? I would say one advice I have in this modern world we live in, go to LinkedIn and find people that work for teams. You know, I mean, you're young. You should understand how to you know, use that how to search by specific teams and then search for people in their business development office and then connect with them and shoot them dms, you know, the message service. When I was in college, none of this should existed. There were no such thing as direct messages. There was no such thing as LinkedIn. I had to send handwritten letters to these teams and keep my fingers crossed. Someone responded, that was the only way I could get involved. And you have so many avenues now to some of them might not see it. Some of them might not respond. But if you LinkedIn connect with fifty people in the NFL on different teams, I'm talking total, and shoot them all a message, a couple of them will respond. That's what I would do. Lafleura for Tomlin who says no the Packers. I would not trade Laflora for Tomlin, straight up, no chance. Twenty twenty five question do you think Lamar or Josh could be top ten running backs in the league if they couldn't throw? I mean, Josh down six foot five, so I would say based on his size six five, two forty if he was just in the backfield like Derrick Henry, would he look the same as being a quarterback. I don't think he would. I do think Lamar I don't know if he'd necessarily be a running back. I think he could be like a hybrid player, assuming he could catch, and he could definitely be a star offensive player, you know, give him some end to rounds if he could run in the slot. I think Josh would probably have to play tight end, but again I would have to assume both those guys could catch. Lamar's style is more natural as a runner. To me. Part of Josh, and I would put Mahomes under this as well, Herbert too. Obviously Mahomes is the worst runner of that group. Is when you're a quarterback, you're dropping back to pass and then I decide to run. There is there's an element of that version of my running ability where you guys, half the guys are defending against the pass that when I play the run, it's just it's not apples to apples. You know, like Lamar, they do so much in the run game where it's truly a run. Look. Obviously Josh does some as well, but I clearly both are high end NFL athletes. I think Josh could be I mean, why couldn't he be like a slot tight end? And Lamar kind of be the skinnier version of like Deebo Samuel. I'm an avid listener. I was wondering how you got into scouting. I currently played Division III football, and I'm interested in working in the football space. I was wondering if it's more about connections. I get this question a lot. You're already playing college football. I think the number one thing you should do is try to get involved in college football. So you're in D three, how do you parlay that into a graduate assistant job for Division I program And now with these or these programs running like NFL style personnel departments, you can work in the scouting department for a college and be in the recruiting world. That's how I got my start. I started working in recruiting at Fresno State. Hell I did it at Cal Paul when I was an undergrad. But that's what you should try to do in all these programs. Power for and even non Power four are going to have these positions, so that that's the I would say route I would take. My question is about JJ McCarthy. Everyone this year is talking him up and how he is better than anyone in this upcoming draft, which probably is true. I don't know if they're saying he's better than anyone. They're just saying he was a better prospect coming out of college. But he was the fifth quarterback taken last year, and I could have sworn. The concern was he wasn't asked to do much at Michigan, which was wide Minnesota taking him was the ideal spot because they could develop him into a young, younger cousins. So with only bad teams looking for quarterbacks, will a trade for him actually work out. I just don't think he's getting traded. What's the incentive for the Minnesota Vikings to trade him. I'm recording this part before the game, but regardless of what happens tonight, I just don't think he's a tradable player if you're them, unless you're gonna give me a top fifteen pick. And I have a hard time seeing anyone give them a top fifteen pick for Jaj McCarthy who's already been injured and already wasted a year of his rookie contract and couldn't practice all year, so his value from when they drafted him to sitting here today is diminished. I think they put him on the trading block. I do not think they get a first round pick for him. Got a question, lifelong Steeler fan. Despite knowing how the wild Card game would go, I still found myself disappointed and frustrated. It's the way life is. Sometimes we know the outcome of a city situation, and still once it happens, we find ourselves being angry or bitter at the situation, even though we knew going into it how what the outcome would be. At this point, I want to see tom either fired or best case scenario trading. At this point, it's clear we are unable to compete with the big dogs of the AFC. Do you think it's time to blow everything up from scratch, trading away pieces like Minca, TJ, etc. For better positioning in the draft so we can secure a young franchise quarterback. My pushback to that would be because if you just, if you just had a fire sale, you would be able to get a lot of ammunition for all these guys, including Tomlin. But from a player standpoint, who in college right now do you think is some lock superstar quarterback. I'm not even talking about this draft with cam and Dion instaudeur, But who do I see next year? Like Carson Beck. I'm still baffled by Miami, who is a much worse football program than Georgia, whose defense is atrocious, giving cam Ward three or four million dollars when he has a surgically repaired and not necessarily repaired They literally just did the surgery and he has like a Barry Bonds level thing on his elbow on his throwing arm, exactly what brock Purdy had. Well, brock Purdy couldn't really do anything up until training camp, and even then they had to be very careful with him during training camp. So Carson Beck's gonna get no offseason and then come back. You're paying him three or four million. He's not a better player than cam Ward, and cam Ward carried you to ten wins. Like I think there's a chance they win like seven or eight games with Carson Beck, but that's he's returning. Let's say Quen Yours returns. We have no clue if arch Manning's any good. Ryola was terrible last year and he's not even draft eligible, So you have to think. You look around the country, like, who are these can't miss high end quarterbacks? Some will surely the cream will rise and we'll get a couple guys that excel. But as we sit here tonight and today and going into the offseason, even come the combine and free agency in the draft, you could not feel great about the next couple of years because there is a great unknown. There's no one in college with the hype of Caleb Williams or even back to like Baker Mayfield. They're just I think there's just a lot of question marks with a lot of different guys big fan of the pod, listen to multiple times per week, Big Niner Homer. That being said, how on earth can anyone justify paying Herbert fifty five per year? After this, and questioned Brock getting his Herbert is zero to two in the postseason and incredibly bad. Brock is four and one with very solid performances, including a Super Bowl appearance. Herbert finally got the right coach in talent around him. The contract is unacceptable. Can't believe there is not big question marks around this. I think a lot of people question how good Justin Herbert is. I think a lot of people do. But he played on an offense this year where his best two players was a rookie LADDI mcconkee and JK. Dobbins. So when you look at Justin Herbert this year, he through three interceptions, twenty three touchdowns and three interceptions. Brock Perdy threw two interceptions. Let's see down the stretch. He threw two picks against the Lions, one against the Dolphins, one against the Rams, all in must win spots. He was atrocious. So, yeah, like what you did a couple of years ago, awesome. I could talk to you all day about the success I had in twenty thirteen or seventeen or twenty Who cares twenty twenty five? So next year, who would you rather have? Justin Herbert or Brock Party? Every human being I know would take Justin Herbert over brock Party. I'm pretty confident that Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch would as well. Big said Brock, Perty's had success, he played on an absolutely loaded team. Jalen Hurts just won a playoff game yesterday. You'd have to do shit. You didn't have to do anything like think about this. Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels all won playoff games. Did Jalen Hurts have to do the same as the other three guys? Not even close. So when we just say playoff wins, obviously they matter, but we have to put it into context. And listen, Brock's made some big time plays in playoff games, but he's also done some questionable stuff as well. And I like, listen, I I don't like paying anyone fifty five million dollars if their name's not Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes. But if you want to play brock Purty fifty five million dollars and think you can build a team and he can carry you. Like, that's just not gonna happen. Can you win games with brock Purty win his team's good, yes? Can you build the team when his team's not good? I don't know, Or can you build the team around him win his team's average. That's why I said going into this offseason, like they're gonna pay him. I don't know what the number is gonna be, but he's gonna get money this offseason. Okay, you better hit on these first round picks. I guess you only have one first round pick. You better hit on pick eleven and pick forty three because I know you hit on the late round picks. Do it all the time. Can you go get your Micah Parsons or your Tristan Wurfs because you got pick eleven. That better be a fucking home run. And pick forty three better be an immediate starter. If it's not, they're gonna have problems because we saw brock Purty when it kind of got tough, and it's like, well all these guys were injured. Well yeah, just will be to a victory. I want to hop on your back and you carry me. You cannot throw a pick in this and half of a tight game with the season on the line, and he constantly did, and it made me concerned. I can handle losing, but it's like, why do we lose well Brock through devastating interceptions game after game after game. I can live with uninterception or an awful performance in one game. Does it happen a lot? And that's what it felt like it was happening with Rock Purty Lions game shootout. We cannot turn the ball over. Jared Goff could not afford to turn the ball over. Brock turns over twice, stares down safeties. I like the guy. I'm not anti Brock party. I like him. About thirty five million dollars? Well what about his cop? What about this?
I don't care.
He's just he's not talented enough for me ever to have him put me on his back. He's that was talented is Baker Mayfield. Baker Mayfield has a better arm and every bit that's good of a runner like Baker Mayfield, like can give me forty touchdowns? Is Brock Purty ever gonna be a forty touchdown thrower too many times this year in big spots, like his average arm strength came into play. But yeah, I mean, they'll probably give him a ton of money and then the pressure on him is gonna be immense because I can't have a year where he was twenty touchdowns and twelve interceptions and he was sixty five percent. That's the other thing, Like with brock Party skill set, I need like seventy percent. I need a much higher completion percentage because I'm never gonna get a forty touchdown season. So if you're gonna be like twenty five touchdowns and ten picks, can I get like seventy one percent completion percentage? That's part of what made Drew Brees so awesome. He was so accurate. Sometimes Brock's not that accurate, and sometimes he is, but it's just you never know what's gonna come. As a Texans fan currently watching US beat the Chargers, Slowick clearly has an awful feel for the game. Despite winning thanks to CJ's improvisation, the defense in special teams unit, the play calling is poor. What makes winning teams choose to make a coaching change? How often does this happen? Do you think Houston will make an offensive coordinator change the spring. Crazy thing is they look so bad in that game until that final drive, and honestly was the play where the ball the missnap with CJ picks it up, scrambles, makes the play and then he just he turned into twenty twenty three CJ. Stroud. I remember watching him last year though, and feeling like Bobby Slowick had a decent feel for like he was a good offensive coordinator, and this year, for whatever reason, it just it feels clunky. I'm with you to me. I think there can be several reasons that a coach an assistant coach is fired. One could be the owner, like the owner just goes like, you got to fire this guy. We're firing the coordinator, so you figure out how you want to tell him, but he's not coming back. The other could be the head coach and the assistant coach just don't see eyed, which would be a little shocking given that they've been boys now for a while. They've now won multiple playoff games together, so like they've fallen out of favor. I would say those would basically be the two options. The owner wants them or the head coach wants them gone. Yeah, I would say it's just really that simple. But there's not like a checklist. You know, we went from this statistically to this. I think you have a pretty good feel like are the players not buying in? Does your quarterback question him? Do you think that him and the quarterback have a diminishing relationship? Do you think that he wasn't as he's getting worse? So I yeah. I mean there's probably been in the history, just the modern history, the last twenty plus years of assistant coaches getting fired. You could probably find an example of literally everything. I just don't like you, The owner wants you gone, my quarterback doesn't like you. We had a blow up, and there's no you know, responding to it. You know, it's one of those situations, like a relationship, where you get into an argument and some things are said and you can just never take it back. Maybe you don't listen to me, like almost like a malcontent, Like I want you to do X, Y and Z, and you do A, B and C and so football philosophically, we're not on the same page. I think that could be. That happens a lot for sure. I mean I hear situations of that happening all the time, Like I wanted. I kept telling you to run the ball more and you passed it, or vice versa. Maybe you think you have a young, up and coming coach who's better, and basically I want to fire you to keep that guy around so he doesn't get an offensive coordinator job somewhere else. Yeah. I guess that's probably the best way I can describe, at least for my knowledge of the stories I've heard over the years of why things happened. Appreciate everyone listening. We will talk to you soon. Audios, have a great day. The volume