Takes

The Chiefs will easily cover the 9-point spread against the Titans

I got the Chiefs easily covering nine points.

The Falcons will beat the Rams in the Wild Card round

I like the Falcons... They have yet to play their best game of the season... I actually like the Falcons as well. I think the Rams are a little too banged up on defense.

Atlanta is the most interesting Wild Card team and can go the distance

The most interesting team to me right now is Atlanta... at that point, we had kind of figured it out. We'd gotten over all the post-Super Bowl stuff that goes with it and understood kind of what we had to do, but it was a little bit too late. I think if we had gotten into the playoffs at that point, we would have been a real problem for teams.

Success relaxes teams like a martini, leading to Super Bowl hangovers

Teddy Atlas always used to say success is like a martini. It relaxes you. And it's true. You think that you can go into the next season and be exactly the same as you were, and you're going to glide through those games, but everybody else has looked at you. Everybody else is playing their best against you.

The Steelers and Vikings should be in the Super Bowl

I think the Steelers should be in the Super Bowl. I think the Steelers, when you look at what they can do offensively... And I like Minnesota. Home Super Bowl.

The Bengals bringing back Marvin Lewis is a strategy to maintain relevancy through being a running joke.

The Bengals... Bringing Marvin Lewis back and continuing his contract and continuing him coaching, it's almost like a running joke they've created themselves that gives them relevancy where everyone can be like, Marvin Lewis jokes. So you at least have an identity that everyone can make fun of Marvin Lewis.

Bruce Arians will be back to coaching within two months of his retirement.

Bruce Arians, he's retired. But as we know, he's not going to know what to do with himself. He's just going to sit on his porch staring out into infinity for two months, and he'll think that's retirement, and then he'll be like, I've got to get back to coaching.

The sport of football will be unrecognizable in 20 years due to CTE and lawsuits.

I think football's in big trouble. Like, I really do... It is more about the future of the sport. And I don't know how it's going to continue when you start seeing lawsuits come to fruition, when you start seeing guys hang it up earlier than ever. I would say within 20 years, you will not recognize the sport of football.

The Browns should take Saquon Barkley with the number one pick and Baker Mayfield with the fourth pick.

If I'm the Browns, I am taking, with my number one pick, I'm taking Saquon Barkley, and with the fourth pick, I'm taking Baker Mayfield, putting those two in my backfield and saying, good luck, try to stop us.

Josh Rosen's outspoken nature makes him a red flag for NFL locker rooms and the New York media.

Rosen is outspoken. He likes to talk. He likes to have really strong opinions. But I don't know if that's going to fit into an NFL locker room... It is a red flag. Thinks too much for himself... If the Giants take him, I think it's going to be a disaster with him and the New York media going together.

Baker Mayfield has the fewest red flags among the 2018 draft's top quarterbacks.

I'm telling you, Baker Mayfield has the least red flags of all of them from what I've seen on film watching him throw.

Joe Flacco honestly sucks

Joe Flacco sucks. Yeah, he's not good. Honestly, he sucks. Yes, he hasn't been good. I was just hoping for Danny [Woodhead]... and your hair.

Joe Flacco sucks — he's not elite, he's not good, he honestly just sucks

Joe Flacco sucks. He's not good. He's elite, maybe. No, no — honestly, he sucks.

The Bills will probably lose to the Jaguars in the wildcard round

The Bills are probably going to lose to the Jaguars, especially without Shady [LeSean McCoy]. But it's almost like the way that they broke the drought, if they had just broken it by being 12-4... it wouldn't have been that exciting.

The Seahawks championship window is closed

I define the window off their defense, not off Russell Wilson. And I think their defense is closed. I think they're going to lose a lot of guys.

The Seahawks will hire Mike Pettine as their defensive coordinator

I'm thinking that they're going to bring Mike Pettine in. I'm just going to call it right now. The old coach of the Cleveland Browns because he's got a bald head and he's got a goatee and he's a defense guy.

Jon Gruden will be the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders

He's going to be the coach of the Raiders. They fired Del Rio knowing that they were getting him, and now it's just a question of working it all out. All signs are pointing to Gruden.

Matt Patricia's clown-nosed Goodell shirt may keep him from a head coaching job

He wore that clown nose shirt coming off the plane, and it pissed off the commissioner. And as of July, the commissioner was still pissed... I could see an effort by 345 Park Avenue to steer the Lions away from Patricia... That clown-nosed shirt may keep Matt Patricia at New England for years to come.

Deshaun Watson was more dominant in the NFL than he was in college

Look at what Deshaun Watson did. Deshaun Watson was more dominant at the NFL level than he was at the college level. Nobody expected that.

I need the sport of football like some people need ice cream or a drug

You know, people are going to be better at things that they love, right? I mean, you're going to work harder at it... Some people need the sport of football. I would put myself in that category. No, I do. I love it... Some people like and need ice cream. You know, they want to eat it every day. I look at football like that. I need it. I need football. It's like a drug, yeah.

Switching from quarterback to wide receiver was like discovering my true self

I got to college and, you know, there's a lot of new things... you try some new things, try new positions in college... I was out on the field, and I caught a ball. Yeah, it felt right. I wasn't wearing gloves. Skin on skin. You always remember your first ball.

The NFL playing games on Christmas Day was bullshit

I think it was actually bullshit that the NFL played on Christmas Day. No, that's an NBA day. It felt so weird. The Steelers and Texans game, that felt like the first Saturday wild card game that no one really wanted to watch. I just felt like it was a little too much. They should have just kept it to Saturday and Sunday.

The 49ers will be everyone's trendy playoff pick for next season

The 49ers are going to be our Regis Philbin team next year. The Regis Philbin Dark Horse of the Year, where Regis even picks a team as the Dark Horse, that means they're no longer a Dark Horse. Every single person in the world is going to pick the 49ers to go to the playoffs next year.

The Titans should not be allowed to make the playoffs because they are boring

I think as a country we need to have a vote and make it so the Titans cannot make the playoffs. Fuck the Titans. I don't want to see the Titans in the playoffs. No one wants to see the Titans. Just think about this. Would you rather see the boring-ass, shitty-ass Titans losing the first round or Bills fans go crazy because they clinched their first playoff berth in like a billion years.

The Panthers' defense is good enough to win a championship

It's actually the Panthers that are my make some noise team out of the NFC. I think that the Panthers' defense is good enough to win a championship. I think that they're really fucking good right now.

If the Colts don't hire Bruce Arians immediately, they are the dumbest organization ever

Bruce Arians, I think, is going to walk away. And if the Colts don't fucking hire him immediately, they're the dumbest organization ever. Because, like, why wouldn't you fire Chuck Pagano and bring in the guy who actually was a good coach for your team?

Bruce Arians will retire for a year and then come back to coaching

I think that Bruce is the kind of guy that he's in Arizona... He's going to walk away, he's going to play like a year of golf, and he's just going to be miserable the entire time... So I think Bruce is actually going to be away from the game for a year and then come back.

Pete Carroll might walk away from the Seahawks if they miss the playoffs

If they don't make the playoffs, I can see Pete Carroll being like, we're just going to walk away from each other... basically everyone on the Seahawks hates each other, which is not new, but it feels like Earl Thomas is trying to go to the Cowboys.

James Harrison is a double agent sent by the Steelers to infiltrate the Patriots

I almost think that he's a double agent, that the Steelers sent him in there... To give fake play calls... James Harrison was saying he was so pissed off at Mike Tomlin... It's like that episode of Homeland where Carrie testified that she hated the CIA and then she went to a mental institution.

Giving Sean McVay credit for the Rams is like giving 311 credit for inventing reggae; it's Jeff Fisher's squad

Giving Sean McVay credit for this team is like giving 311 credit for inventing reggae. This is Jeff Fisher's squad. This is his team. He invented this team.

The Patriots' defense is a problem because they can't rush the passer consistently

I think their defense is still a problem. They're 31st in yards per play on defense. This is not good enough. And they're going to run into a game where they have to stop a team and can they do it? I just think it's not consistent pass rush. It's every now and then, and I think you need to have more of a consistent pass rush to contend in the playoffs.

Case Keenum is the next Kurt Warner and will eventually be a Hall of Famer

Case Keenum is like Kurt Warner in 1999 when everyone was like, come on, Kurt Warner, the backup, this guy, he's no one. Case Keenum is going to end up being a Hall of Famer. I'm squatting on that one. Because I've been saying all year, like, are we really doing this with Case Keenum? And we still are doing it. And he just keeps on rolling and rolling.

NFL replay should be fixed using a 'possession arrow' system from pickup basketball

I think they should just go to a straight pick up hoops thing where no one knows who hit the ball out, so it's like we get the next one. But any, like, controversial call, it's like, all right, you get it this time, we'll get it next time. That's good. I like that. Just keep trading it all year long.

The Bears will lose to the winless Browns

The Bears are going to lose to the Browns. So John Fox [is] 0-7 as a Bears coach when they are the favorites. That's a very impressive stat. Straight up losses. And the Browns, I will contend the Browns, in terms of pure full roster, probably have more talent than the Bears.

Blake Bortles and Jimmy Garoppolo are the two best quarterbacks in the NFL

Jacksonville versus the Niners, the hot Niners. That's a huge one. I said earlier on Larry's picks, this is the as-we-all-expected game because Blake Bortles and Jimmy Garoppolo are the two best quarterbacks in the NFL right now, as we all expected.

The Falcons are going back to the Super Bowl

Falcons-Saints. This is actually a good game... I've put myself in the Falcons camp, and I say they're going back to the Super Bowl. I agree with that. I said that three weeks ago. They're a classic team where they have all the talent in the world, and they've played their worst football ever... the Falcons could be trouble for someone.

Lock of the Week: Jaguars -4.5 vs 49ers

I have the Jags. Blake Bortles. [The spread] is four and a half, by the way. Minus four and a half.

Lock of the Week: Chiefs -10 vs Dolphins

I'm going to take the Chiefs. I think the Chiefs have figured it out. Minus 10 Dolphins in Kansas City. Dolphins already won the Super Bowl. Beat the Patriots on Monday night. So this is all just gravy.

Carson Wentz could not have played through his torn ACL like Philip Rivers did

I highly doubt that Philadelphia Eagles or the team doctors proposed that to Carson Wentz... Yes, he's a young quarterback... Totally different type of quarterback. Of course, I have no idea of the associated injuries, but it has come out in the media that there was some sort of partial IT band and or meniscus that might complicate things for Carson Wentz. And, you know, you saw the instability just walking on the field where his knee jutted out... That is concerning. And also you can't risk the franchise.

Removing Alex Guerrero from the Patriots is a good thing because it lights a fire under Tom Brady

It's not a friction. It's actually a good thing. It means Belichick's lighting a fire under Brady's ass because friction causes fire. So Belichick knows he's got to push Brady's buttons if he wants him to keep playing at this level at such an old age.

I will highly suggest my kids do not play football because it is an extremely dangerous sport

Not a chance. No, no, no way, man... I'm just going to highly suggest that they don't... There's no point for you to do so... This is a, it's an extremely dangerous sport... I took all those hits. I sacrificed. I may develop CTE in my life. There's no telling.

Football will be in danger of disappearing in 50 to 60 years due to safety and science

I would say like 50, 60 years down the road [football is in danger], because if you look at the science and getting more and more clear on it, that this is a, it's an extremely dangerous sport... And the reason why we fell in love with football was because it was very violent in nature. And you love those big hits. And the science keeps coming, and the rules keep digressing.

Matt Schaub was a good quarterback whose career was ruined by a loss of confidence

Matt Schaub is definitely number one [on the Mount Rushmore of Texans QBs]... No, he was a good quarterback. He had a bad season. And I think it ruined his confidence, but he was a good quarterback when he was balling. He had a bad run.

Russell Wilson is lying when he claims God speaks to him directly

Are you saying that when Russell Wilson says that... God spoke to him as he was walking to the sidelines... you don't think that that was actually God talking to him? You're calling him a liar? [Foster]: Yeah, I am, actually. I don't think that we have an intervening divine presence in our universe at this moment... I don't believe your claim.

Jeff Fisher is the 'Rasputin' of the NFL and is guaranteed a contract extension wherever he goes

You're not giving Jeff Fisher enough credit because Jeff Fisher, he's Rasputin. Once he gets in the building, he knows how to whisper into his boss. You shoot him and he just keeps walking forward. Jeff Fisher is absolutely getting at least one contract extension, no matter where he goes. That's a fact.

The Jaguars are a for-real team and people shouldn't sleep on them

I'm pumped because I think the Jags, like, people sleep on the Jags, and I know we laugh at them because their franchise has been pretty much a comedy of errors. But they're a for-real team.

The Jaguars defense is the best in the NFL

That defense is probably the best defense in the NFL. Like, no joke. It's them, it's the Vikings, and then there's a pretty big drop-off after that.

The Seahawks' mystique and intimidation factor is officially gone

The mystique is gone from [the Seahawks]. It's just one of those things where the mystique now comes off and you don't feel as intimidated when Jared Goff goes in there and has his way and they run the ball all over him. When a team comes in and does that, it definitely feels like a little bit of the whole mystique and the aura like you can't win in Seattle is gone.

Andy Reid is on track for his annual first-round playoff loss

We're still right on track for that first-round playoff loss from Andy Reid. Really looking forward to it.

The Bengals might move Marvin Lewis to the front office and hire Hugh Jackson as head coach

Let me lay out this scenario. Marvin stays in Cincinnati, graduates to the front office where he's essentially the GM because they don't have one as it is. And then, some way, somehow, they bring back Hugh Jackson to be the coach of the team, and it's Marvin and Hugh working together in Cincinnati.