The following podcast is a dear media production. What's up, guys? Welcome to and welcome back to Sunday Sports Club podcast with Allison Cooch, a podcast all about sports told by a woman. Only woman.

Not totally, but- No boys allowed, Isaac.

You have to get the fuck out.

Good thing I'm a grown man, not a boy.

What's up, guys? Welcome back to the podcast, and welcome to our Thursday episode of The Huddle. We're heading into week five.

It'll be week five next week. Crazy to think there's already been four games. Also, sorry in advance, I was sick yesterday, so my voice is raspy.

Just to clarify, they're listening to this podcast on Thursday, so this is week five.

Yeah, it is week five. It's official.

And back to Isaac's little bit of fever. Isaac, that's gross.

No, but I got a fever. It's been a whole ordeal, but we're back.

I told Isaac that if he has the ability to go to an NFL practice when he has a fever, he has the ability to film this podcast.

If I had a fever, I probably wouldn't practice.

Really?

Yeah. It hasn't really happened, so we'll never know. And I'm not on a team, so unless I get signed.

I feel like you've gone to practice when you've been sick, for sure. Maybe. You're telling me you're healthy the entire football season?

Yeah. I feel like it wasn't until we got a kid, and I just haven't slept well.

Okay.

I'm just being honest. I feel like my immune system has got to choose one.

As a woman, I pride myself on if If I get a fever, I just act like I don't actually have a fever, and it goes away.

Well, I guess you're more of a woman than all of us.

I'm stronger than you are. Well, whatever. Welcome to this week's episode of The Huddle. The Huddle is where you can get your up to date Juicy Sports news. I do mean juicy because- It's a couple of juicy things that have happened. Juicy, juicy. If you're ever curious about what's happening in and around sports current time, this is the episode you should probably tune into every week. So this episode is recorded every single week, just a few days before it's released, just so we can keep it as up to date as possible. And they're released on Thursday. And then every Sunday, we have interviews here and there, which- Just interviewed Colton. Colton Underwood.

It was a big interview.

Yeah. Was he?

Well, no, it was just an interesting. I thought it was interesting. I mean, talks about being gay in a locker room. That's a hot topic. I only know one guy that I played with that was gay in a locker room. Really? Justin Jackson, yeah. But he went on to retire after four years, which was a super early retirement. We didn't know that he was gay at the time.

But how is it an early retirement if the average player's career is two and a half years?

Because he chose to be. He ended while he was actively playing.

Oh, interesting.

It's just interesting that he hadn't come out, but he knew he was gay. But I guess he might have been worried about what the perception would have been. Well, It would be a good person to interview, though. He's really smart. Went to Northwestern.

In addition to Colton, we also have two more guest interviews coming out in the next two weeks, and one of them is really juicy. So just be sure.

You want to give a little teaser? You might as well just I'll tell you what it is.

I did an interview with my sister who canceled her wedding with a professional athlete.

On wedding day. On wedding day. On game day. No pun intended.

Speaking of game day, let's jump into this week's Huddle. So what has happened over the past week? I just want to give a shout out to my bestie, the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons, because he also thinks that stats don't fucking matter.

Well, the reason he said that is because Kyle Pitz, their tight end, really has not... A similar situation as Travis Kelsi. He had zero catches last game, and immediately people are going to be critical and be like, Hey, how do you feel about your tight end? It doesn't matter.

He said stats are for losers.

Also, the Falcons, they just beat the Saints. These are big wins. That's their division. Who cares how many catches your tight end has. It doesn't matter.

I feel like a tight end isn't a big part of their position is that they can be a defender as well.

Well, a blocker.

Sure.

They can block. So a really good tight end. It can block very well. A great example is George Kittle. The thing that makes George Kittle, San Francisco's tight end, so great. He's an absolute mauler. He's a great blocker. But, Kyle Pitz, I don't know if he's as good of a blocker or even comparable to George Kittle, but it changes up your offense because they're so focused on him, defenses, that it opens up other things.

So it seems like the head coach for the Falcons is defending his players. Why is it important for a head coach to defend their player?

I mean, it matters a ton. If I'm in a locker room and my head coach is tripping, talking about the team did this, the team did that, it causes a lot of issues. I'll give you an example.

Didn't last year, the Chicago Bears, wasn't there an issue with the quarterback and the coaches?

Yeah. Basically, Justin Fields came out and was like, they were asking him about why he wasn't playing well. And he said it without saying that there were issues between him and the coaches. Ended up not being on the team anymore. Maybe that had something to do with it.

But I've played-Well, watch your mouth, Isaac. My bad.

I've played with a coach before. I won't say who it is. Yeah, he came out and said stuff after a game that was totally different than what he told of the team where he didn't take responsibility for the loss. It was a huge issue in the locker room.

Oh, gasp.

He literally would get in front of the whole team and be like, Hey, guys, that loss is on me. Then he'd go in the media and be like, Our The player's got to play better.

Do you think it's rare for a head coach to take responsibility? It depends. Because their job is on the line, just like you as a player, your job is on the line.

I'll tell you this. If you ever see a head coach come out in the media and blame his team for a loss, that should tell you a lot about how he interacts with his team. Any good coach would never come out and bash his team.

Wow.

You heard it here first. Good coach, I'm saying good personality coach. A coach that's likable, he's not going to do that.

Okay, so we can all agree, stats are for losers. But when it comes In terms of stats, why are they helpful for teams to learn about their players? Do you think stats actually do matter?

Getting paid for getting paid, it matters.

Is that the main negotiating factor?

Yeah. It's like if you're going to buy a house and you're like, I want a house with five bedrooms and three baths. How much does it cost? It's the same thing with a player.

Which is crazy because the only differentiation between an office and a bedroom is having a closet in the room. If you have any extra rooms laying around in your house and you're looking to get the value up, just add a closet.

Or add a catch.

Okay.

No, but it does. That's the only reason why it matters. But also, when defenses are evaluating an offense that we're playing, so also with the Raiders, let's say we're playing the Chiefs. If we're looking at the Chiefs and we're Hey, they're not targeting Kelsey as much or whatever, maybe we don't focus on Kelsey as much. Or we're like, Hey, Jordan Mason's having his second best running back in the NFL right now, so they're probably going to give him a lot of touches.

And he was an undrafted free agent, which is crazy because there are so many politics when it comes to, Oh, you were drafted in the seventh round. It's like he was literally undrafted, and look at him now.

Yeah. It doesn't matter.

I like rooting for the underdog.

Is that why you root for your husband? Because I'm not on a team.

Would you consider yourself an underdog?

No, I'm just slept on. But I'm not an underdog. Big difference.

So moving on to some other drama in the NFL. Tom braided and Baker Mayfield have beef.

They definitely don't have beef.

They definitely don't have beef, you guys. I really just needed that for social media. But they don't have beef. But it is interesting. So we all know Tom braided, right?

You got to give some context. Baker Mayfield.

I was given the context. Go ahead. We all know Tom braided, Daddy of the NFL. He looks so weird in a suit and tie. Can we just talk about that? Well, we don't have to talk about that because I don't think that would interest you in terms of topics. But Tom braided was the quarterback for the Patriots for a long time, and then he went on to get the Bucks of Super Bowl. We all know that. And now the current quarterback of the Bucks is Baker Mayfield. So Baker Mayfield went on a podcast and basically said that- Or he had a post game or a press conference, but whatever.

Go ahead.

Isaac, if it involves a microphone, it's a fucking podcast.

Okay, go ahead.

So essentially, He came out and said that the off or the facility was a lot more up tight, like nobody was having fun. And Tom braided responded.

Oh, did he?

Yeah.

I didn't know he responded.

On Sunday's Fox broadcast, braided made a comment back to Mayfield and said, Well, okay, let me tell you what Mayfield said. You guys understand. The building was a little bit different with Tom in here, Mayfield said. Obviously, playing-wise, Tom is different. He had everybody dialed in high, strong environment. So I think everybody was pretty stressed out. They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football for guys who weren't having as much fun. Which essentially, that's a fact. If you're having conversations in the locker room and like, Oh, wow, it wasn't like that when braided was here.

Yeah. In the Patriots organization, when braided was there between Bill Belichick and Tom braided, it was one of the hardest environments to play football in. It is known for that, for being hardest training camp. Practices are the hardest in the NFL, but they were winning. So I'm assuming Tom braided went to the Bucks and just tried to implement everything. Plus, the Bucks organization, when he got there, was probably like, Whatever you need or whatever you've done that's won, literally Really, rinse and repeat.

Don't you think there's a little bit of an issue there when a player starts acting as if he was a coach?

Depends. I mean, if you're winning championships, how can you criticize Tom braided when he won a Super Bowl?

I can still criticize his outfit choices. Tom, ditch the tie. It's not looking too good. But then, braided responded on live broadcast. I didn't know this. This is interesting. I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings, braided said during the call.

How many times do you think he said that in his head?

He knew exactly what he was going to say. He was He's reading this while Baker Mayfield's playing in the Bucks-Egals game, and he said, This wasn't daycare. If I was going to be having fun, I was going to Disneyland with my kids.

Whoa, I didn't know he said that.

But then Mayfield responded again. Jesus Christ.

So when he You're telling me this is in high school? Ali has notes. When it said they had beef, I thought it was just Baker's comment.

No. And then Baker responded again.

What do you say?

I think a lot of that had gotten taken out of context. He did it his own way, and that's why he has seven rings. I think Baker Mayfield did nothing wrong.

He didn't. I actually watched the clip, his demeanor, his tone, everything. I think braided got a little in his feelings.

You think he's a weirdo since you do?

I think he's got a fever like me. He's a little sensitive with a little fever. No, it's literally, you can tell he didn't mean anything.

Well, Baker's probably like, I'm not trying to stir up any drama.

Baker's also probably like, Bro, you got it. You have seven rings. I don't know what the competition is.

Yeah. I don't think he's trying to prove that he's a better quarterback. What is it like when a player replaces the goat, like Tom Brandy? A goat. Sorry, he's not the goat. There's multiple goats.

It's nearly impossible. I mean, even look at the Patriots organization. Their coach, Coach Mayo. Everything that's going on now, it's so hard to even come close to matching that dynasty. Baker will be fine, though. I'm excited for Baker. Also, let's not get it twisted. The Bucks, the year that they won a Super Bowl, it's not like they were just Undefeated. So Baker's doing a good job.

I think he's doing a good job.

He's doing a great job. I'm a Baker guy.

And he's a new dad.

Another candidate for the MVP.

Baker Mayfield?

I'm telling you, if they mess around and go to the playoffs to make a Ryan, it's going to be hard to not look at Baker as the comeback player of the year.

Baker's in there baking.

Let him cook.

Do you think the culture Tom braided brought into the Bucks was healthy and or helpful?

It's not a matter of... Let me start from the beginning. Tom braided bringing an intense culture can be really good or really bad. It just depends on what the organization is ready for. I think if you look at the Patriots organization throughout the years- It seems like the Bucks were all in. They were ready to do whatever. They They were ready for that, and they won a championship. Also, they had a very mature, older team. If you look at their D-line, Sue is a guy, for instance, who was there. They had a mature team that was ready for that culture. Not every team is ready for it. So whether it's good or bad, irrelevant, it's more about, can they tolerate it?

In other news, Bravens defeated the Bills.

The only thing that matters about this game is Derrick Henry.

Derrick Henry ran untouched for an 87-yard Wait, he reached 21 miles per hour, fourth fastest speed by a ball carrier this season. I guess that's not that fast.

No, it's super fast. The reason that's a huge deal is because he's my size. First time I saw Derrick Henry, I was at a visit to Florida State, and I remember looking at everybody. I'd always size everybody up, and I looked at Derek Henry, and I'm like, Man, this is a really solid-looking defensive end. This dude looks stout. He had me self-conscious as another defensive end getting recruited. Come to find out, it was Derrick Henry, a running back. I was like, This dude is not human. The fact that he looks like a well-built defensive end and he's a running back is crazy. I don't think you understand how big he is.

I don't understand how big he is. Isaac. All I have eyes for is my husband.

You know who else Ali saw in person and was like, that dude is massive? You probably remember D. K. Metcalf. He was at the Gatorade thing. Gatorade player of the Year ceremony. She doesn't remember.

I was pregnant, Isaac. I have insomnia or something.

Huge. But Derrick Henry- Abnesia.

I have Abnesia, Isaac. I don't remember any other man except you.

That's how it should be. Derrick Henry, the 87-yard run, that's great. That's great O-line, great offensive scheming. Sure. He was super fast, which is great. He had 200 rushing yards. That is absolutely insane. That's two football fields.

He ran two football fields.

I can get 200 yards easily. I feel like I can go do that for free right now. No, but 200 rushing yards in a game is insane. He's leading the NFL in rushing yards. He just came from the Titans, by the way. Titans are really struggling. They should have paid him an arm and a leg to stay.

So now, Derek Henry plays for the Ravens.

Yeah. And so the Ravens now, in my opinion, have one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL.

I mean, yeah, they have Lamar Jackson as the quarterback. They have Derek Henry. They have some...

If you look at their entire...

They have some O'Lineman.

If you look at their entire offense, they're really, in my opinion, they're really balanced.

I didn't even catch my joke, but whatever.

Wait, what did you say?

I said they have O'Lineman. So during the Ravens Bills game, Josh Allen was sacked three times, and he was strip-sacked on one of those.

Which is weird because he had such a great game the week before. He didn't get sacked. But it's not in the notes that you have, but Kyle Van Noy. These guys, like Kyle Van Noy, these guys... Kyle Van Noy is, I think he's second in the NFL with sacks. He's got six sacks. The D-line is playing very well right now. The Ravens? Yeah. Their defense is playing very well.

What is the Ravens' record?

The two and two. I mean, there's four games into the season.

But if you're balanced on the offensive front, the front In the back. If you're balanced in defense, then why are you not winning games?

No, they just have a good defense. But I feel like they're a team that's right where they need to be. If I'm their head coach, I'm like, Listen, guys, Our run game is there. The better your run game is, it's going to help you out later in the season, which I can deep dive in.

What is run game, Isaac?

How you're running back. Derek Henry having 200 rushing yards.

Is it Josh Allen's fault that he was sacked three times?

Well, I don't want to get too far ahead. I want to finish this thought.

I didn't know you were still thinking.

They're right where they need to be. They're two and two, which their record doesn't really reflect how good they are as a team. I mean, Lamar Jackson is reigning MVP, so you still have a great quarterback. In your running game, your running back that just had 200 rushing yards is prime. So teams are going to play them and they're going to be like, Okay, we got to stop the run. Derek Henry just had 200 yards. We have to stop that. And then you have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. We just talked about tight end. They have a excellent tight-end, likely. There's just a lot that they can do offensively that doesn't even- Likely is his last name, or they likely have a good tight end. Likely a good tight end. No, but likely is his last name. Okay. But they have so many things they can do with their offense outside of the running game. That's why I think they're right where they need to be. They're going to end up being a contender at the end of the year.

If you're a Ravens fan, you probably enjoyed that. If you're a fan of the other 31 teams, you probably were like, Yon. You're going to be a great broadcaster. But anyways, back to the podcast.

But it's important for people to hear so they understand. That's why we have the huddles. They're like, Oh, that's why they're going to be good.

I know, but I think you lost me a little bit. I'm sure you might have lost them a little bit. Because I was like, Okay, when is this thought going to be over?

Yeah. Now you guys are locked in.

That sounds really mean. I didn't mean it that way, but...

Whatever.

Is it Josh Allen's fault that he was sacked?

I mean, it can be- Do you think it plays into pocket presence? Because you have to look at it holistically. If you watch a guy like Caleb Williams. If he's getting sacked a lot, right off the top of my head, I'm going to be like, Caleb Williams.

He was pressured 15 of his 34 dropbacks.

So think about that. Half of the times that he dropped back to throw the ball, he had somebody in his face.

His sac rate was 8.8%..

Not great. Not great. Is it Josh Allen's fault that he got sacked four times? Absolutely not. With that many pressures, it's not great. Not a great day to be a quarterback. Also, keep in mind, some of those could have been quick throws. There's a lot that goes into that.

Last week, if we asked Josh Allen, he would probably say he was on top of the world. How do you think he's feeling after this past game?

It's the same thing. He's going back in there and he's like, Look, fellows, we lost to one of the best teams in the NFL. Even though the record doesn't show it, he's probably saying we're right where we need to be. Their O-line is probably getting blistered, probably having a tough day in the film room. But they're okay. They're right where they want to be. And he's bawling. I mean, he has great momentum to start the season. And we talked about his relationship.

In terms of Derek Henry running 21 miles an hour, why is it- How fast could I...

Okay, go ahead.

How fast can you run, Isaac?

I think the most that I've seen that I recorded in a game was 17.

That's embarrassing. Did you have a fever during then, too?

No. No excuses.

Why is it important Why is it important for a football player to be fast?

We're down to the basics, but just- Isaac.

Basics matter. No, don't give me this long thought. Why does a football player have to be fast?

In its simplest form so he can run away from people.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Exactly.

What- Okay. Yeah, so he can run away people.

If you're on defense and a player is that fast, what are you thinking? How do you feel?

I mean, the amount of times that a player running 21 miles an hour would actually affect me. It's so slim. Well, this is random. I had a dream either last night or two nights ago that I was chasing somebody down, and I tackled them. It was like, I chased down a 21-mile-an-hour runner, and I felt so good. I got up. I'm looking for affirmation. Turns out I tack with my own player. Yeah. I don't know why I had that dream and why it's so vivid, but it did happen.

If you guys can interpret dreams, then feel free.

I have reoccurring dreams where I'm doing something bad in football.

On to our next topic, Sam Darnold and the Vikings. So the Vikings are still undefeated. They beat the packers 31, 29. Darnold threw three breakdown passes. Do you think he has the potential to MVP?

People are definitely going to be talking about it.

Also- Why haven't ever heard Sam Darnold's name before this year? Who is he?

I mean, he was a high, high, high, high draft pick when he came out.

I guess Kurt Cousins was with the Vikings last year, no?

Kirk Cousins was with the Vikings, but this is also one of the best starts the Vikings have had in a while. He's a really good quarterback. I mean, I think the whole organization should be literally kissing the ground he walks on. I mean, he's a fraction of the cost that Kirk was. He's going to be healthy the whole season. Knock on wood, which is an issue with Kirk, very rarely is healthy.

Is Sam Darnold the case where you have to be with the right team to thrive?

Totally. The number of quarterbacks in the NFL, Gino Smith, Baker Mayfield, Andy Dalton, Sam Darnold. It matters.

It's funny because I was going to be like, What other stories have you seen like this? You literally just said it.

Well, you see quarterbacks just get repurposed all the time, and he's in the right place.

Speaking of repurposed quarterbacks, Joe Flacko. Joe Flacko has played for the Ravens 2008 to 2018, the Broncos in 2019, the Jets from 2020 to 2022, the Browns last year, and the Colts this year.

So what was the first thing you said, Joe Flacko is cool? Yeah. Do you know why that's- No. Why it's funny? Because he got interviewed and they were like, Hey, Richardson, the guy who's starting. They said, Do you think Richardson thinks you're cool? Because Flacko came in and replaced him when he got hurt. Flacko goes, Look, I'm eight days older than this guy's mom. I highly doubt that he thinks I'm cool. It's just funny because he's old. In the NFL, he's super old, but he's played well. Last year, he was with the Browns. Random, they signed this dude off the couch, didn't train at all, did nothing, got signed off the couch, came in, took him to the playoffs when Deshawn got hurt.

I was like, What's Deshawn doing? How much has he played? Where's Deshawn? He was the highest paid quarterback for the Browns.

Well, he had the highest guaranteed contract in NFL history.

Then I feel like he hasn't played.

Yeah, it's ridiculous.

I hope nobody sends him that clip because, bro, it's not my fault.

You're just Sunday Sports Club. But Flacko, I think he's just one of those guys where he's just like, whatever happens, happens. But he wins. I mean, he's a good player.

So this past week, the Colts' typical quarterback, Anthony Richardson, was injured. So Joe Flacko went in, and he beat the Steelers 27-24. Richardson left the game in the first quarter, possible hip injury, came back on the field limping, and the first play is a quarterback run. He gets hurt and then goes back in the locker room.

I don't like the play call with him coming back in in first place, quarterback run.

Yeah. Why would the coaching staff make a decision to do a run play when he literally was just hurt?

They could have called zone read. It may not have been a designed quarterback run, which we don't need to get into what all those are. But I'm a Richardson's guy. People have been critical of Richardson all year. They've described him as a guy who's literally either going to throw the best pass you've ever seen or Jim Kite, Good night, the worst one you've ever seen. But I'm a fan of him.

Did the Colts secretly want Richardson to get hurt so they could put Flacko in?

Oh, you're saying that's why they called the play? No, I'm telling you, I think Richardson's good. We're still early. He's played inconsistent.

Why have I never heard Richardson before? Is he a rookie?

No. No, he played last year, but he got Hurt, and so he didn't play at all last year. Sounds like he gets hurt a lot.

No, it sounds like a lot of quarterbacks have been getting hurt. Joe Flacko came in. He's 39 years old, and he threw two breakdown passes. Listen- He was signed as a free agent. I hate when people are free agents, you must suck because you're not in a team.

No, I'm telling you, last year was even crazier. He was not even... He got signed four games left in the season. Might have been a little bit more, but either way, he came off the streets.

What's the difference between a veteran presence like Flacko versus Richardson?

I mean, that's tough. That's a very tough comparison because Flacko is bringing a demeanor. He's bringing leadership. But I think what he brings More than anything is he's one, and people understand that, and they respect that. I don't know how he is as a leader because I've never seen him in a locker room. It's invaluable to have a veteran on your team who's had the career that Flacko has had. You can learn so much from him.

Well, I'm looking to learning more from you every week, Isaac.

On the huddle.

What teams are you looking at in the next few weeks? In week 5, what team are you watching?

Couple of things that I'm thinking about. One, Will Levis Just getting injured. I want to see, is Mason Rudolf going to play?

Who's Mason Rudolf?

He's a quarterback. He played for the Steelers. He's a quarterback that got hit with Miles Geared's helmet. I mean, just honestly, you're like, Oh, yeah, I know that situation.

He used to date Hannah-Ann, but now Hannah-Ann is happily married to Jake Funk. Anyways.

So he came in and they won. Keep in mind, this is the first win that the Titans have gotten all season. Coach came out and was like, Hey, we're sticking with Will Levis. If Will Levis has to miss a couple more weeks and Mason Rudolf wins a couple more weeks, I think you have a tough decision to make. The other team that I'm curious about seeing what they're going to do is the old Las Vegas Raiders because they have a ton of drama right now. The Raiders always find themselves in drama. It just is what it is.

I like it about them. I feel like me and them have that in common. They found themselves in a lot of drama last year when they cut that Isaac Cooch guy. But I feel like it's on on Raiders theme. They're ruthless when it comes to the fan base in the best way possible. Raiders fans don't come for me because I'm obsessed with you. I love the Raiders. I genuinely do love the Raiders.

I love the Raiders, too. Honestly, one of the best organizations I've ever played for.

Why are they getting the drama?

Here's what's very, very juicy. Honestly, wish I wasn't fully playing because I would totally get on TikTok and talk about this from a commentator perspective. Last week, the Raiders lost, and the coach came out and he was like, Hey, we got some guys in our locker room who are making business decisions. We have to make business decisions. Which that was a talking clip that commentators everywhere were talking about because he's basically calling his team out for saying, We have guys who aren't trying hard. This week, there's speculation this could be Devante's Adams' last game. Antonio Piers likes the post. Agreeing maybe with that. It's just you have two weeks where now we have a little bit more information. There's a really good chance that AP, the head coach, was talking about Devante last week when he made that comment. Then this week, he's liking post.

Saying that a player might not be on the team anymore?

Yeah.

Anyways, that's it for today's Huddle. I hope you guys enjoyed, and I look forward to seeing you every Thursday and Sunday, wherever you get your podcast and YouTube. Thanks for coming on. You want to say bye?

I'm like, no, you got it. Hopefully next week, I won't have a feeble.

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