Takes

The Vikings will beat the Saints in the Divisional Round

This to me is the game where everyone just forgets that the Vikings are really fucking good. I think the Vikings are really fucking good and people forget that. I'm taking the Vikings.

Case Keenum is a Kurt Warner in the making thanks to Jeff Fisher's tutelage

I think Case Keenum has proven that he's actually just really good. He's just a good quarterback. He's a Kurt Warner in making. Thanks to Jeff Fisher and his tutelage, he has evolved into an elite quarterback.

The Olympic hockey committee ruining the games by banning NHL players is a joke

It's a joke. You can't. The NHL asked if they could at least show the videos from the Olympics, which you can't do. They wanted the NHL logos on the board. They wouldn't do that. So at some point it's both sides, but it does suck for the game.

Russia is the heavy favorite to win Olympic Gold with no NHL players involved

Unfortunately, it's Russia. They're going to win and then they're going to take the flag out and they won't play an anthem. But it's going to be pretty crazy to see because they're loaded. They got all these guys over there that never, I mean, some of them couldn't play in the NHL because there's a chance of them could. They're playing in the KHL.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the best team in the NHL and my Stanley Cup pick

Yeah, they were my Cup pick. I think I picked them when I came on your show, fellas. They're nasty. They have four legit superstars. Hedman, Stamkos, Kucherov, and their goalie, Vasilevskiy. They're the best team in the NHL, for sure.

The NHL does a terrible job of marketing the league

I feel like the NHL just doesn't do a good job of marketing the league. It's so goofy. I don't understand it. You do stuff that really kind of confuses the casual fan. They haven't talked about [the All-Star Game] at all.

The Pittsburgh Penguins might miss the 2018 playoffs

That's how it looks right now [that the Penguins won't make the playoffs]. I refuse to believe it because even though they're in last or second to last in the division, they're only like five or six points out... But they look like they're in a bad place right now.

Bears fans should be excited about Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky

You should be so fucking excited just for what Mitch Trubisky's going to be able to do now. It is, like, it's really going to be, I think, a mixture of an old-school West Coast offense and a spread system. He's creative, he's smart. I think being a head coach, you have to be a really good leader. I think he's got that.

Jalen Ramsey is the best cornerback in the NFL

I think right now Jalen Ramsey's the best corner in the NFL. I mean, Calais Campbell could probably be defensive player of the year. That defense is legit, right? Just watching them, they seem like one of the best defenses I've seen in the last five, six years.

Josh Rosen is the best quarterback in the 2018 Draft

I would take Josh Rosen first. There are holes in his game, of course, and his personality is going to rub some people wrong, but I think he's the most naturally gifted of the bunch.

Josh Allen will either be great or awful in the NFL with no middle ground

He's either going to be great or he's going to be awful. I don't think there's any middle ground with him [Josh Allen].

The Browns should sign Kirk Cousins and avoid drafting a rookie quarterback

I would try to sign Kirk Cousins and not draft any of them [the 2018 QBs]. I'd be terrified.

Jake Fromm is better than any quarterback in the 2018 Draft class

I had a hot take. Jake Fromm is better than any of the quarterbacks that are in this year's draft.

Tua Tagovailoa will win four or five Super Bowls

Oh, without a doubt. First ballot Hall of Fame for Tua. College and pro. I think you've got to put him up there, four or five [Super Bowls]. He's pretty damn good, though.

LeVar Ball is an deterrent for LeBron James going to the Lakers

This is a huge problem. Dad to dad, this is actually a great piece of news for LeVar Ball because I don't think LeVar Ball has time for a small baller like LeBron in L.A. LeVar wants to make sure that L.A. is a ball town. LeVar Ball actually might do the real outbreak thing and just hover in a helicopter above LAX and not let LeBron land in town.

I am fully on board with Tua Tagovailoa

I've got Tua fever. Yeah. I am fully on board with Tua... I think it's the Hawaiian aspect. Like Hawaiian people are just cooler than everyone else. That's just a straight up fact.

Jalen Hurts has a backup job for life in the NFL

He has a backup job for life in the NFL. He proved himself to be the best backup quarterback of all time with a post-game interview. We all know that a starting quarterback and a backup quarterback are very different positions. You just basically want the backup guy to have a heartbeat and to just say, hey, I'm here to support the starter. And then you can get like 12 years.

Jalen Hurts would be the perfect Ohio State quarterback because he could just run up the middle

He would actually be the perfect Ohio State quarterback. Yeah. [Ohio State] does like [quarterbacks like] J.T. Barrett. There'd be no drop-off. Get another fifth-year guy in there who just runs up the middle over and over until you can't tackle him.

The College Football Playoff trophy is terrible and should be replaced by the old glass ball

The glass ball needs to come back. Whatever that fucking lightsaber thing is, is terrible.

Jon Gruden is probably not actually going to make Derek Carr a Hall of Fame quarterback

He's going to make Derek Carr a Hall of Fame quarterback. Probably not.

I could convince Jerry Jones to hire Adolf Hitler if I had a bottle of scotch and two days to work on him

I bet you I could convince Jerry Jones to hire Adolf Hitler if I had a bottle of scotch and two days to work on him. I could implant that in his brain.

LaVar Ball is disrupting everything as a small business owner

I love every second of it. LaVar Ball pisses off. Because it's like he's disrupting everything. He's created his own shoe company. He's going to create his own league. Like everything he does is just a small business owner just saying fuck you to the big guys. And guess what? People want to watch.

Football is like the mafia because once you're in, you're in for life

This just proves our theory that football is like the mafia. Once you're in, you're in for life. And if you just kind of like stick around long enough, your name will pop back up.

The Illuminati is not real

Here's my take. I don't think the Illuminati is real. I've actually been doing a lot of thinking about this today. If the Illuminati was real, they would be so powerful that they would eventually sue somebody who came after [them]... If they were actually real, they would shut that shit down.

Rodrigo Blankenship will be a third-round pick because he wears glasses

Rodrigo [Blankenship] understands more than most that if you just have a thing as a college athlete you skyrocket your draft appeal. So if he didn't have those glasses, he probably would be maybe a sixth, seventh round pick. He's probably going in the third round because he's the kicker with the glasses.

I wouldn't have the same impact in today's NFL

I don't think I have the same impact in today's NFL because, like I said, I needed 25 carries. I needed 30 carries... a lot of teams have gone to pass first and run the ball second, and they've kind of diminished the running back position to a degree. So certain teams I think I will still have tremendous success on, but certain teams I think I would be like James Harrison. Trade me. Get rid of me.

Ben Roethlisberger was the best quarterback I played with

I've got to say Ben Roethlisberger. No question about it... Ben had that 'it' that most players don't have. I mean, you can be a good player, but you just don't have that 'it' thing. He's had that 'it'.

NFL referees receive Super Bowl rings with the NFL logo on them

The refs actually do get rings. But they don't get a ref Super Bowl ring. It actually has the NFL logo on it.

Vontaze Burfict is a dirty but good football player

I think he is dirty, but he's a good player. That's the crazy part. He's a good football player, but he does have some antics that come with what he does... I think he's one of those players that he's a good player if he didn't come with all the things he comes with, I think he'd be an even better player and more respected.

James Harrison is persona non grata in Pittsburgh after joining the Patriots

He went to the enemy... yes, he is. He's a lot of people look at him as persona non grata. I think his former teammates will feel the same way.

Bears fans watch football to avoid being nagged, so we should call Matt Nagy 'Nagy' (with a soft A)

The debate is, how do we pronounce [Matt Nagy's] last name? It's technically Nagy, but we're going to go with Nagy... we watch football so that we don't get nagged. I mean, if you want to get nagged, there's women for that, right? ... Don't give me 'Nag-y'. Give me 'Nay-gy'.

Bill Belichick will become the commissioner of Lacrosse to take down the NFL

Bill Belichick hates the NFL, hates Roger Goodell... He's going to become the commissioner of lacrosse. He knows. He sees the writing on the wall. The NFL is going to be dead soon. Concussions. Everyone's going to stop playing... then he's going to start recruiting the best football minds to lacrosse... he goes on top as the best coach of all time [by taking down the NFL].

Herm Edwards definitely doesn't know that the Arizona State 'Sun Devil' hand sign is actually the shocker

Herm Edwards... gave the Sun Devil slogan, which is also the shocker... There's no way that Herm knows that he's giving the shocker. Absolutely. Putting two in the pink, one in the stink.

Every NFL player wants to play in Las Vegas because it's cheap and there's no state income tax

Everybody want to play in Las Vegas because it's cheap out there, for one. And the taxes is nothing like California taxes... who wouldn't want to live out there?

I pee in the sink in the middle of the night because I know I won't miss

I will pee in the sink in the middle of the night because you know that you aren't going to miss. You know what I mean? You just run the water and just pee in the sink.

Men cheat because they think there is more out there, but they usually realize they love the person they are with

Sometimes as guys, we always think it's more out there in the world for us. And we always have that one person that we really, really care about. But we really don't believe it. But that's the one for us. And we think it's more out there. And we go out there and try to explore. But then we always find ourselves going back to the one that we really love.

The young Rams will be back and this isn't the last you've heard from them

Sean Connery McVay was unable to defend the Rock. But his arrow is pointing up on this Rams team, and this won't be the last you hear from these kids.

Andy Reid is one of the best coaches in the NFL

I actually think Andy Reid's one of the best coaches in the NFL. But how long he's been coaching in the NFL, that this meltdown didn't even register on the Andy Reid meltdown scale.

Marcus Mariota is better than Jameis Winston

Marcus Mariota impressed me. That's the guy I believe in. That's the guy who I've, whenever someone says Jameis Winston versus Marcus Mariota, my answer is always Marcus Mariota.

The Rams will be really good for the next five years

I think the Rams are going to be really good for like the next five years. Really, really good.

The Jaguars defense is one of the best of the last decade

Actually, like, the Jaguars' defense is one of the best defenses I've seen in, like, the last 10 years. They are really, really good, and they've got a lot of young guys.

The AFC Championship game will be Jaguars vs. Titans

We're on a collision course right now. It's not going to happen this weekend, but we are on a collision course for the AFC Championship game to be Jags-Titans.

Sony Michel is the bell cow of the Georgia backfield

Either one of those senior running backs. I'm probably a little bit more to Sony just because I think he's got a little bit more extra. You know what I mean?

The National Championship between Alabama and Georgia will be the most physical of the playoff era

I don't know if you'll see a game of this magnitude be as physical as these two teams are going to make it. That's what they both pride themselves on.

The National Championship TV ratings are going to suck

The ratings are going to suck. There's no question the ratings are going to suck. Because outside of this quarter of the country, people just don't care.

Alabama will beat Georgia 17-13

I picked Alabama to win 17-13, and I have absolutely zero confidence in that pick. I am always wrong on these things.

Georgia is the best coaching job in America

For the last five or six years, I've said Georgia's the best job in America. And the person who convinced me of that is Nick Saban. He always thought that Georgia was the best job in America if you really got it rolling because there's so much talent in the state.

Willie Taggart will be a recruiting monster at Florida State

I will go Willie Taggart because I don't think people understand how well Willie Taggart is going to be able to recruit in the state of Florida. That dude comes in with an FSU logo on his polo shirt. There are going to be guys jumping to sign with him.

Jalen Hurts is not good enough to win the National Championship

I have a take I'm squatting on. I think Jalen Hurts sucks, and he is going to do in the Alabama... their offense actually was not good against Clemson's defense... if they play offensively like they did against Clemson, I think they lose this game.

Baker Mayfield is the best quarterback in the draft

Baker Mayfield. I take Baker Mayfield over any of them. I was the same way with Deshaun Watson last year. ... That dude, he operates as quick as the good NFL quarterbacks when you watch the guys you watch on Sunday.