With new co-host Jason Smith of “NFL Fantasy Live” in mix, the re-birth of “The Cover Two Podcast” hits some hot topics with the perfect person to address them: outspoken free-agent RB Clinton Portis.

The “Cover Two Podcast” delivers a lot of football talk by football people with weekly guests from around the NFL. We flipped things this week and were joined by hip-hop legend Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor of the iconic group A Tribe Called Quest.

We know that Texans LB Connor Barwin is a bad man, but so bad that the Jaguars fired coach Jack Del Rio and then owner Wayne Weaver sold the team, all after Barwin recorded four sacks against two quarterbacks in a 20-13 Texans win in Jacksonville on Sunday?

Since it’s Thanksgiving week, we decided to do some home cooking on the “Cover Two Podcast”, and NFL Network’s Charles Davis and NFL.com fantasy guru Michael Fabiano stopped through to eat.

Eagles OT Todd Herremans was a guest on Tuesday’s “Cover Two Podcast,” shedding some light on what’s gone wrong in Philadelphia while providing a teammate’s perspective on the benching of WR DeSean Jackson.

In conjunction with NFL.com’s midseason awards and projections this week, the podcast looked heavily at what teams have a realistic shot at the playoffs — like Chicago — and what teams are on greased skids to start getting heavily into draft preparation.

Texans linebacker Brian Cushing is playing better than just about any defender in the NFL and is the driving force behind Houston’s vastly improved defense. He joined the Cover Two Podcast to discuss his strong start.

We all know that free agent WR Terrell Owens tore the ACL in his left knee and that he’s recovered to the point where he held a public workout this week so teams at least have video of his progress — although none attended in person. How he suffered the injury wasn’t widely known — until now.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis joined this week’s Cover Two Podcast and said the team’s 4-1 start stems from a lack of individualism and an understanding that they’re far from a finished product.

Packers wide receiver Donald Driver, 36, said he plans to play until he’s 40 and that unbeaten Green Bay will “let everybody chase us while we chase something greater.”

People love ‘em and people hate ‘em, but when you play quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, you’re one of the most scrutinized players in the NFL. Tony Romo has been picked apart for years, but right now the pickings are good.

Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris joined the “Cover Two Podcast” on Tuesday and made a few things clear: He intends to win the NFC South, LeGarrette Blount deserves to get the ball as much as possible and that his dubbing of his team as “Youngry” stemmed from a mistake.

If the season started today, and your only guide to which quarterback you would take was based on preseason play, who ya got: Michael Vick, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford or Drew Brees?

Seattle wide receiver Mike Williams made one of the more remarkable comebacks to the NFL last year, grabbing 65 catches after being out of football for two seasons. His maturation and recognition of what nearly cost him his career are among the subjects he speaks to on the Cover Two Podcast this week.

Panthers first-overall pick Cam Newton made his first start of the preseason Friday and even though he didn’t exactly light it up against the Dolphins, it’s his job to lose. At least according to Bucky Brooks and me on our latest Cover Two Podcast.