The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Brady Decision Factors; CBA Showdown; Browns Ivy League Makeover; 2019 Season Inventory; Mailbag

Episode Date: February 7, 2020

In this episode, Middlekauff on the why changing teams doesn't make sense for Tom Brady, the biggest sticking points in the upcoming CBA negotiation between the NFL and players, why the Browns new Ivy league brain trust isn't guaranteed to produce on-field results, and takes inventory on what we learned from the 2019 season. He also answers listener questions in Middlekauff's Mailbag. Follow John on twitter @JohnMiddlekauff and go to theherdnow.com to find the latest content. Subscribe now! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

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Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played. with and just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to listen to learn

the hard way on the iha radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast what's up guys this is clivert taylor the fourth and on my podcast the clivert show i'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff like being an internet famous referee we're in the middle of a game this linebacker this linebacker walks up to me he goes a ref my mom wants you to wave at her what Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with what.

1 800 flowers.com. Right now, get the 18th stem enchanted rose medley for 3999 or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. What is going on? Three and out podcast Friday the 7th. Recording this on a Thursday. NBA trade line just, deadline just ended.

and we're talking football. Football, football and more football. We got a lot going on. Tom Brady, Instagram something I found interesting. The Browns watched their general managers press conference. Article Schaefter tweeted out on the new CBA agreement. Of course they're going to figure something out. Everyone's getting too damn rich.

I did a little thing where I took some inventory of some stories in 2019, things we learned like Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Kyle Shanahan. just some situations and how they may look in 2020. And then we'll get to the Middlecoff mailbag, like always, at John Middlecoff is my Instagram handle, slide right in those DMs, and I'll answer your questions here.

And maybe we'll touch on a couple other subjects, just depending on how long we're going. But I want to start with this. If he does truly test-free agency, and that'd be Tom Brady, Thomas Brady, as Matt Slater calls him, Thomas, it would be the craziest thing since Peyton Manning tested free agency. But I've been thinking a lot about it.

He did like an Instagram Q&A and one of the questions was, what team are you going to play for next year? And he just went silent. Now he didn't say anything one way or the other, but he's played it up a little bit, and he's earned the right to do whatever the hell he wants. But I've been thinking a lot about it. Just if you were Tom Brady,

who your legacy is cemented, You have six Lombardis, six rings. You've won MVP's. You're the goat. You are universally considered the greatest quarterback of all time by old heads and young heads. Like it's pretty well established, set in stone. What would you consider? Like most of us, if we were taking a new job,

the first thing you think about a lot of times is your family slash money. Well, one, money means nothing to them. It clearly never has. Not that he doesn't care about money, but he's always been willing to take discounts. You know, ask yourself how many times you've taken discounts. Now, I think he gets a tad bit too much credit for taking discounts. He definitely could have got more money,

but he did it with a big picture view of knowing it would help his team. And basically, let's call what it is, when you're a football player of his level, you're kind of a partner in the operation, especially when you start winning big. you're going to be a major, and that's the only team you've ever played for, you're going to be a major part of that organization the rest of your life. Robert Kraft, whenever he passes, Jonathan Kraft, they will fly him back.

He will be, have Tom Brady Day once a year, kind of like colleges have homecoming. He will profit immensely from his brand as a New England Patriot. So then let's factor that in. The brand, he is so famous that if he was an NBA player, let's say he would, he'd be the equivalent of LeBron, he would leave. He's done all he can do. He would want to expand the brand. That's something NBA players love doing.

Expanding, building the brand. How about you just take a book from Michael Jordan. Win and your brand will be enormous. Tom Brady's proved it. He is by far, in my opinion, the most famous NFL player ever. Part of it is the controversies with New England, but the main part is the winning. So to me, if he was an NBA player, he'd go to Vegas or he'd go to L.A.

But when it comes to football, which like Michael Jordan, like Kobe Bryant, like just the greatest players, Tiger Woods winning, is by far the most important thing to him. It's not even debatable at this point. It's why whether you love them, and I think most kids, casual NFL fans respect the hell out of them. I understand if you're a Jets fan, if you're a Steeler fan, you're a Chiefs fan, whatever, you football hate him. I get it, but we all respect him.

We really do. Because at the end of the day, we all want our star player on the team that we root for to be consumed with the game and winning as much as Tom. Because I do think it's very fair to say that in the history of the league, no player has ever been more consumed by winning. He changed his entire life to keep winning and keep playing at a high level. In my lifetime, I would say only Michael,

you can put Kobe up there too. And there are probably other players, but would dedicate their entire life to winning. And probably even more than Michael, because it's not like Michael stopped drinking when he was playing. Like, Tom doesn't drink. Tom changed his diet to be able to maintain this level.

So when you factor all this stuff in, it just makes no sense for him to leave New England. And for the first time, though, I do think leverage is key. I've had it kind of one time in my life. Like true leverage to get myself more money. Now, I've had it on deals. I've bluffed a lot of times to get more money. And sometimes it hasn't worked.

But when you truly have leverage, and as a public figure, especially a player, you can use it pretty easily to your, all Tom would have to do is take a meeting with the Raiders. And there's no doubt that, would scare Robert Kraft. But I think his leverage now is he can sit with Bill

and have a true one-on-one meeting of... Listen, coach, you know what I bring to the table. I just have a couple ideas for personnel. I'm not dictating who we draft or anything. But Tom Brady clearly, like Peyton Manning, watches as much film as a coach. He watches just an unlimited amount of film. There's no way you get that good mentally.

He even talks about it. He tweeted about something the other day. So when you watch that much film, it's not just scheme stuff, you are watching other players. I think he would have some idea of what type guys, given the list of free agents, maybe go coach. Give me a list of free agents this year, and give me a list of some offensive trade potential guys,

and let me just have a conversation. And I get, Belichick would never do that, but this might be the first time Tom can use his leverage to go, listen, I think we should go get player acts, or I like this guy. Now, obviously there's more to it. There's financial implications, how much the guy costs. But it happens all the time in the NBA.

It rarely happens in the NFL. I think this is the time that Tom can flex his muscles. Now, if we get to a point in a month that Tom is, when we leave the combine at like basically March 1st, and we're getting reports, he plans on meeting with the Raiders and the Chargers, then I'll start to change my tune. But I think at this point, when you factor in winning, best chances in New England. When you factor in money and family, he's lived there for 20 years and loves it. And the money, maybe he wants a little more out of respect, but it's clearly never been a big deal.

Like he ain't some money grab guy because he checks his bank account and his wife's made hundreds of millions of dollars. Tom Brady, even off the field has probably made $100 million on top of the $250 million he's made on the field. And it's pretty clear when Tom Brady retires, he'll have the world by the balls. Everyone will want to do business with him. People will pay him an astronomical amount to speak. I mean, he'll get like president-type money to speak. He'll be fine. Like, an extra $2 million or $5 million in a contract

is not changing his life, literally one iota. So I think you can throw that out the window. I just think he wants some input, maybe, and this is a theory on, on some players that they should be aggressive on. And I think he's earned that right. He's definitely earned the right to have an opinion given that he's watched every single player in the league, right?

Or definitely over the last 10 or 12 years, there's probably not a player in the league that he hasn't seen on Crossville. Definitely not a defensive player, and just when you're watching film, if you're not watching your own team and just watching other teams, you watch a lot of other offenses too. So given the amount of tape that he watches,

he knows the entire league. That's the one thing him and Belichick have. Combined, they've been together 20 years. They've seen the entire league. Now Belichick watches it probably a little more thoroughly, just given that he can isolate a play. I don't know if Tom's necessarily doing that, but maybe he did it this offseason. And I think at 43 years old, you know, when you get that far left, you know, the equivalent of what he is as someone would be like in my profession, I get it by talk for a living and talk till the day you die.

But like most people retire in their mid-60s, he'd be the equivalent of being like 62 years old. I don't think you want to do. Just put yourself in that situation of a job and put yourself in your... Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost the time. It's mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsLice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kier Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with social. So many incredible guests.

I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at?

Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationship. Can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected.

We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Mid-60s, would you want to do a dramatic career change? Now, I get it would be in the same industry, but changing franchise is a massive change to Tom Brady's life. When he's had it pretty damn good in New England, they have kicked everyone's ass for pretty consistently 20 years, and he knows he has the best coach in the league. Now, they definitely need help, and that's where I think that Tom Brady may be able to flex his muscles in the next month

and get with Bill and target some players to help them out and get back right there with the Chiefs competing to win the AFC next year. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1,800 Flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1800flowers.com for exclusive offers and great values. To order today, visit 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune in.

And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like Dad has the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Dipers and toys are everywhere.

Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off. Ah, but looks like mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes. Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat.

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Okay, let's dive into Adam Schaefter reported or tweeted out. I don't even know if you wrote it, but there's been a lot of buzz for the CBA and the desire to get this thing done before the league year starts. So players can benefit from knowing the languages in their contract to get them more money. I mean, it makes complete sense. In a perfect world, you want to get it done before the league year starts. So this cycle of players, free agents, guys that are going to get extensions, can benefit. And it makes a lot of sense.

I was my first year in the NFL. I was a part of the lockout. It was weird. It was just a bizarre time. Locked them out. I don't know. I don't remember the exact day, but it went through OTAs. Obviously, it went through the draft.

I got sent to the draft. The players, I think, could show up for a day and then they immediately had to leave. It obviously went through training camp for maybe like a week. It was just a weird time. And when business is going really well and business has never been better in NFL history, right, these last five or six years have been the most lucrative years in the history of sports, the amount of people that are watching the game, the amount of money they're making. Obviously, it's all relative.

but these guys, it made people that had no wealth. And when I say no wealth, they owned a big business. But like the Browns were not billionaires. They're now a billionaire. Mike Brown and the Cincinnati Bengals are a billionaire. Mark Davis, the average millionaire down the street for me in like Alamo or 30 minutes away in Silicon Valley had so much more money than Mark Davis cash. It's not the case anymore.

He now, especially with the move, I mean, he has a franchise worth billions of dollars. So when you have an asset, it's like you own a home, I want a condo. It's gone up 110 grand in a three-year period. I'm technically 110 grand richer. You know, obviously you have to take money out against it, but if Mark Davis or Mike Brown need it, they can do it. Then obviously guys, the smart guys, the juries, the crafts have really benefited. Here's the other thing.

The good players in the NFL have really benefited. A lot of them have gotten filthy rich. And a lot of players right now are making a ton of money. I know we love to act like NFL players are getting screwed, and maybe the lowest level guys do relative to the NBA, but there are way more players in the NFL. The NBA roster is 12 of the guys. Even baseball is 25.

And technically they're quote unquote 40 man. There's 53 guys on an NFL roster. And obviously the other 10 guys on the practice squad. So there are more people to pay. But the top end guys are making money and they always have and they're going to continue to make money. So it's pretty clear where this is. is headed. Now here are some things that really stood out to me in this article that I think

that I'm just going to give my opinion on. One thing the NFL is going to do in this new deal is in the previous deal, which was very, very owner friendly and team friendly. But here was the thing. The players fought for things that didn't matter. They were adamant against double days. They were adamant about mandatory days off during the week. The owners are like, cool, fine, see you double days, Adios practice, we don't give a shit, we want our revenue.

So the players lost out on some potential revenue because they were adamant about practice time. Now the coaches care about practice time but the owners don't and the owners are the ones doing the deal. So this deal, according to Schaefter

in this article, is going to go from a 47% revenue share to the players to 48.5. And over the life of the 10-year deal, so from 2021 to 2013 would be an additional $5 billion for the players.

That's pretty good. Here's where I think it gets dicey. I am anti the 17 game schedule. Now, I understand, in terms of business, you're either growing or you're dying. So the NFL looks at it. The most important thing to their business are the games. Unlike basketball,

where it's like all the talk and the Twitter talk and the hypotheticals in football, Sundays, Monday nights, Sunday nights, Thursday nights pay the bills. The games pay for everything. So adding an additional game, I get why they want to do that. I don't think they need to.

16 games goes over the light. Hell, you could even extend the season and add an extra buy if you want to do. And just cycle in, you know, and just stagger the games. I do that before I added an extra game. I would not add an extra game. Even if that meant two buys. I might add two buys with a 16 game schedule. I think then you're really fired.

in a slippery slope. Because the one thing the players are adamant about still, which I don't quite understand, like one thing in this article was like they want less hitting in practice. Guys, I hit more at Davis Senior High School in 2002. Like I go to 49er practice. I've been to these Raider practices and these new, like, post-CBA. There's not much hitting going on.

These practices are not physical. The days of the Junction Boys and Bill Parcells and practicing all year in paths, those days are dead. Long gone, they're over. to me fight like your practices don't get any easier relative to your sport and part of the sport is you have to practice like practice is part of football this is not you can get away with it in basketball and even baseball like take a little batting practice in football you have to practice i mean just think about the the structure of the sport because you don't play

many games you play 16 times a year i'm not even counting the other four preseason games which are relevant and i would imagine i didn't read anything about it but i would imagine that gets cut in half or maybe at least take one of the games out. But I would stop fighting for practice things. Your practice is already pretty easy. They mandatory have to give you the one day off now. And I think during your bi-week, they've got to give you four or five days off.

So you have to fight, like, instead of 48.45%, I'd be tooth-nail for like 49.2%. Because clearly a percentage or half a percentage when you're talking about billions of dollars, Hell, I've tried to, one thing I read this in this financial book, and I've just tried to do it myself. Every check I get, I pay myself 10%. So if I get a $1,000 check, boom, I put $100 away. Get a $10,000 check, put $1,000 away.

$500 check, $50 away. I've been doing it pretty consistently. And boom, all of a sudden you look, you're like, oh, I got $12,000, $20,000, $30,000. It's easy to put money away if you just do that consistently. You basically, I operate like myself, like I'm my own agent. Boom, give myself. and just got a savings account, and then I got some cash to mess with anything I want.

Not even necessarily a savings account, just a cash account that I can attack on something. Want to buy a stock, want to buy a car. I mean, car's not a good investment, but you know what I'm saying. And I think players need to worry more about percentages for money because they already have it pretty nice. And again, if I was the owners,

I would avoid the 17-game thing because you got a pretty good deal going with the expansion of gambling. Like to me, 16 games satiates our palate right now. Here's the one thing that I think they need to do. Right now, the funding escrow deal that you have to put, if I'm going to guarantee you $50, $60, $80 million, I have to put that in escrow account.

Given how much money everyone's making, you don't need to do that anymore. They don't do that in baseball. They don't do that in basketball. They do not need to do that in the NFL. I understand when this rule was written, you know, it was an archaic rule because at the time it mattered. Right, a lot of owners did not have that much money in the 60s and 70s.

Now, if you did, now everyone has money. Even the poor guys are rich. So I would get rid of that because it has become a little bit of a problem and hurt the players. Like the reason Khalil Mack, now he ended up getting his money anyway, but he would have just stayed with the Raiders is because of the escrow stuff. You get rid of the escrow stuff. You don't even have to worry about it. And there will be more money for the players because it's easy for me to sign you to a deal. Okay, I'll guarantee you $100 million.

I'll give you a $500 million deal. Well, the escrow account deal, I have to have the $100 million within two weeks of signing. in the NBA I just pay you well I pay you 20 million this year pay 20 million next year and you just pay them over the life of the deal to me that has to change at the end of the day this league is too lucrative and don't let the you remember four or five years ago the media freaked clearly the media doesn't always I mean I don't know they didn't like the NFL because capitalism the CTE thing which there have been some studies that came out that the guy that will Smith played in that movie like was stretching a lot of truths it was not factual by any means. Clearly, the NFL has been proactive with CTE, with concussions. I'd even argue the league gets a little too soft at times, though I understand it. But I think the players, the number one thing I would fight for before I sign that deal, would that 48.5, I would like tooth and nail to try to get it to 49.

And stop worrying so much about contact in August when, let's face it. I mean, I've been to these practices for the last 10 years, and it just doesn't really exist. Oklahoma drill is dead. Bear Bryant, not allowing guys to get a drink of water, are dead. Fight for the money. That's what the baseball union does such a good job. They fight for the money. The NBA players fight for the money.

Coaches, once you become a highly paid asset, they're not going to practice you that hard in the sense of physicality because they can't risk you getting hurt. My piece of advice, and you should learn from the last time when the owners kind of took you this yet, fight for the cash. Okay, let's get into the club. Cleveland Browns. I spent about 15 minutes and I watched the Andrew Barry, the new general managers introductory press conference. Once upon a time I sat next to him at a game.

This would have been like, I don't even know, 2011 when I was a pro scout and I used to go on the road for advance reports. He was a nice guy. I mean, it was, didn't talk that much during the game, but I remember pregame, bullshitted with them for a little bit, was impressed. And then you kind of Google him, you find out Harvard guy, super smart. I understood it. The Browns now are run by three Ivy League guys. Stafansky, Paul D. Podesta, and Andrew Berry. And if you subscribe, and I think maybe this is a Colin theory, that you just always bet on smart guys.

And in general, I agree with that. Like, the Warriors hired Bob Myers once upon a time, who was an agent, who has now become one of the best GMs in the league. Bob Myers went to UCLA. But really what Bob Myers has an innate skill, He's got two things going for. One, elite people skills. Two, he's a born deal maker.

You know, I've worked with smart guys. I've worked with Howie Roseman. Really, really smart. One thing Howie was good at was, I think when you see a guy like Howie just read his resume, you go, well, he's not a football guy. Howie used to spend a boatload of time watching tape. Always talking players. That was his favorite aspect of the job.

Watching tape, talking players, reading reports. talking about the reports. And I think he went to the University of Florida. But so to me, I'm not even necessarily judging them on where they went to school. I just do believe that in football, Coach Reed, Veach, Vech went to Delaware. Andy went to BYU. Like, where you went to school, like, their football IQ is through the roof. Where'd Doug Peterson go to school?

Like, Louisiana Tech or something? Like, football IQ. I need high football IQ guys. Pete Carroll went to. to Pacific. Kyle Shanahan went to Texas because he was a walk on. John Lynch really smart. But I'd say John Lynch, when you meet him,

doesn't come off like your typical. Well, actually, Stanford guys. I've always thought Stanford little different than the Ivy League guys. Now, granted, like, to me, Kyle, use check for the Niners, reminds me of a Stanford type guy. Kind of just pretty normal

would excel in any situation. Like Richard, like a lot of the guys. Like, I'd actually say luck is on the geekier dorky side. Most Stanford football players you met are relatively normal, especially during the Harbaugh and even the Shah run. But I think it can be overrated. We want these super, super smart guys.

You have to know football. That final play, not the final play, I guess, the play that changed the Super Bowl, third and 15, where they're in, you know, they're basically in zone coverage. The safety, both corners have a third of the field, cover three.

and the way they designed the play, Mosley kind of screwed up, I think, but depending on how they teach that defense, their pattern matching concepts, I don't know, it's really confusing. Now, the Niners really more of a traditional zone defense, but I can watch it, and I've been around football at a pretty high level now,

and including at Fresno State, for over 12 years, and I had to text some coaches to even figure out, and I'm still not exactly sure what happened. Football is very, very confusing. There is also like, let's use Vich as an example. He has now been about, and he's on the younger side in his early 40s. He has been evaluating players, evaluating players out in the draft for 15 plus years.

How he's been evaluating players in the draft for 20 plus years. Think about Belichick, who's been doing it for 45. There's a level of experience that I do think these guys, Andrew Barry, first time general manager, Stefansky, first time play caller last year. And I was actually really impressed what he did with Kirk Cousins. And Paul D. Podesta, I get he played Ivy League college football, but he went into baseball. So his natural instincts of, oh yeah, back in the 06 draft or back what happened in 2012, his instinct might be, oh yeah, that's when Matt Cain got drafted.

Oh, yeah, that's where, you know, Mike Trout went. Now, I get it, you can do all the studying you want, but there is just, when I talk football or I talk sports at a bar or at the gym or with someone I don't know, it's pretty easy for me. But if the guy, if I meet some stockbroker and he tries to have a conversation about, I don't know, the history of like Wells Fargo doing deals, I'm going to be lost.

And I like business and it's really grown on me in the last, as I've adulted. But I don't know as much. But if you want to talk early 2000, Shaq and Kobe, I'm gay. I lived it. Literally, figuratively, it's, my life, or the 49ers franchise, or Belichick and Brady, whatever. And it's no different. It's why when I talk to my friends in the league or when I meet someone new in the NFL,

I can carry on a pretty strong conversation. I got to meet a guy when I was in Miami, Tampa Bay Ray Scout. I can just talk baseball for a long period of time, pretty comfortably. Now, I understand it's all encompassing sports, but I can't rattle off guys. They're going to be in a very, very tough situation. couple for a couple reasons. One, anytime you're a first time GM in a pretty toxic environment, and I'm not even trying to like shit on the Browns,

but just call a spade a spade. It's a toxic place because of the owner, because of the state. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo.

Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to SportsSlic on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so rapid. up in the chase, that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing, and we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes

about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about All healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys?

This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42.

Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Where's she at? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility.

of connection. This mental health awareness month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity,

peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually actually, meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land

while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. It's been set by the guy that cuts the check. It's a disaster.

First time, GM, that's not easy. I get the guy's work there before, so he has a little comfort with the way the guy thinks, but still, that's pretty nice. Then as a coach, first time you've ever been, you've only commanded the room as a coordinator for one year. Now, you could argue there's been studies done that being a coordinator can be a little overrated. I think when Andy Reid was hired, you've never been a coordinator. I'd say that's a pretty unique situation.

Andy was destined to be a coordinator. He'd be a good one. He basically became one when he was a head coach. For the most part, like being a court, even Harbaugh, a little bit of an outlier. I think the Harbaugh family, kind of a unique family. Most guys that have success just around the league, Pete Carroll's been in D.C., Kyle Shanahan's been an OC. Sean McVey had called plays. Matt and Aggie had learned under Andy Reed. Like Doug Peterson had played in the league for a long time.

I just think there's a huge element of inexperience there. What happens if Odell Beckham doesn't buy in? Because you can't just trade him. What happens? Here's the other part. Okay, let's say the team, because usually in OTAs, everything's positive, even in training camp. What happens if you start two and four? When there's already this toxicity about people think you're going to

lose anyway. Then the owner gets edgy and they're like, they always love to say, well, big picture, they gave me a long-term contract. He says that every time. I understand the guy's really smart. How football's smart? I don't know. I met him one time and it was brief. Stafansky, you know, why did it take him so long to become a coordinator? And Paul D. Podesta, it's like he's the grand Poubaugh, the guy doesn't even live in Cleveland. I don't know, man. I would bet against this situation. Just too much inexperience. I don't care how book smart all these guys are. In football, it's about football IQ.

And let's call it what it is. Experience, look at the last two guys that won the Super Bowl. Sean McVeigh, 32 last year. Kyle Shanahan just turned 40 this year. The two old guys beat him. Obviously, Belichick kicked McVeigh's butt. Kyle, you know, definitely held his own against Andy, but he lost the game. You know, experience in this league in games matters, running organization matters.

Like the one thing why Kyle had a chance to succeed. when he got the Niners job. He'd been coordinating plays for over a decade. He'd been around football with his dad since he could walk. There are videos from the Elway Super Bowls with him on the sideline. This is going to be very, very difficult

for these two guys to get this team to where the owner's going to want it next year just giving their talent level and that's competing for the playoffs. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree.

They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide through this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest.

It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org.

Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. If I could be you. And you could be me for just one hour. If you could find a way to get inside. Each other's mind. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes.

We've all felt left out. And for some, that feeling lasts more than a moment. We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with us.org. Brought to you by the ad council. Okay, let's take some 2019 inventory. Here's what I did. I wrote down six things that stood out this year, good or bad,

and how we think is going to change. change in 2020, and if I think it's going to change, and what needs to change? So I just called it the 2019 inventory. Start with one. The biggest winner this year was Lamar Jackson, when the MVP of the league, even if you were a big Lamar Jackson fan, I don't think, besides maybe like Lamar's parents, anyone thought he would win the most valuable player this season. It was remarkable.

He dominated. He was incredible on the ground. He improved a lot in the air. Here's the problem. There's been back-to-back years now as a starting quarterback. The Ravens have hosted a playoff game, and he hasn't been good. And at the end of the day, I like him. And I was someone that wouldn't have drafted him,

but I love everything he stands for. I love how the victimhood and social media that sometimes carries over to players he refuses to touch. I find myself rooting for him. That doesn't mean I love them as a player because it's fun in games during the regular season when you can run around. In the playoffs, it's about doing one thing. When it's 3rd and 15 and you're down 10. I get as Patrick Mahomes, but those are the situations you were in.

Jimmy was in those situations. It was 3rd and 10 with down 4 in the Super Bowl. Three minutes left, two minutes left. You overthrew them. You have to complete passes. You got to win when you are a quarterback with your arm. So Lamar Jackson is as dynamic. and remarkable of an athlete to watch run

as we've probably ever seen at quarterback, besides Michael Vick. Mints that, it's just jaw-dropping. It is fun. If I still played Madden, I would be the Ravens, I'd run around. I used to do that. When I was in high school,

I'd pick the 2001-alanta Falcons, 2002, and I would pick Michael Vick, and I would just run around, and you couldn't catch me. That's what I'd be doing with the Ravens, running that pistol and the options, and it'd be sweet. But he's at the point now

where he's going to be judged on the playoffs, and he's going to have to really improve. And to me, their offense, and they did this with Kaepernick, and it screwed them up. They tried to modernize their passing attack because they know, yeah, well, what if you stuff the run in the playoffs? We have to be able to go four and five wide

and just rely on this guy's arm. To me, that's the next step. Now, it'll be a little difficult for them, especially if the ground game is working. They can win 11 and 12 games just running it down to people's throats. The problem is we know in the playoffs, you can't consistently do that.

So can he improve enough to be a factor? Because let's assume the Chiefs are going to be back. The Patriots will reload. Can they hang with them? Because they will be able to during the regular season, but as we've learned the last couple years, like Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are a little bit like the Rockets. Really cool it in the regular season,

and then once you get to the postseason, kind of a flame out. So all they're going to be judged on next year winning playoff games. Baker Mayfield. It's probably Colin Coward's greatest take. And I thought he was a little nuts for it because I thought Baker was going to be such a good player.

But he was right. Immaturity, the organization, he was got off. He was a bad football player last year. Probably a bottom two or three starter in the NFL. And I was talking with someone at the Super Bowl and an NFL exec. He agreed.

He brought up this point and I'd said it before. If Baker Mayfield's an inaccurate quarterback, he's a bust. Plain and simple. He's a midget. He can't run. His game has to be like Drew Breeze. He's not going to scramble.

It's about throwing the football accurately. Now, he's got a new coach who helped Kirk Cousins have his best statistical year this year. Can they implement that? They have good running backs, so you can have the zone running scheme, the play action stuff. That should benefit Baker. One thing I saw at the Super Bowl, though, that bothered me a little bit. When Baker went on Get Up and said, you know, I got a change, and everyone gave him this huge applause.

I kind of called BS. I don't judge people on their words. Words mean little to me. Maybe once I have children, I'll listen to their words, but adults, I judge you on your actions. And there was a picture that came out two days before he went on GetUp. And it was a picture in the Caribbean with his shirt off. He was fat and pudgy.

It's like, Baker, you've had a month now, and you're screwing around, you look out of shape. I get sent these texts sometimes by NFL people when he Instagram pictures of just how chubby he looks. He doesn't have a great body either. I can relate. But if you're the number one overall pick and everyone's coming for you bones and arrows, it's easy to say I'm going to do the right thing,

I'm going to keep my mouth shut and all that BS. I'm looking at you. Why is your body so bad? Why aren't you going in the lab, eating the right foods, and working out? It doesn't matter what you say. It's about your work ethic, which I think kind of fell off a cliff last year. and when an accurate quarterback loses accuracy, is a guy not staying honed in on his craft?

Like, if you're a great iron player on the PGA tour, then all of a sudden you can't hit irons anymore, it's like, are you still working at your game? Is something off? Now, again, we all have slumps, we all have bad days, whether you're an NFL quarterback or whether you're a sales guy or whether you're a teacher. But you had an awful season.

It got worse and worse and worse and worse. So yeah, you can keep your mouth shut, and maybe that'll help. But if your play sucks, it doesn't matter if you're smiling every day. You've got to play better. It starts with your body. It starts with you changing your life around.

You are not some genetic freak. You're actually genetically much more like me and everyone listening to this podcast, an average guy. There's nothing wrong with that. You're actually a great story. You went number one overall. But you have to put an extra time. Extra time.

Or you're going to be a bust. Number three, what the Rams do with Todd Gurley. There have been some rumors, like would they cut them? Everything's on the table. his his dead cap number is greater or is like $13 million. His cap number is like $17 million. You're telling me they're going to cut them with that type dead cap number?

I can't see it. I think it's maybe it's a little, maybe it's a little over 12, but it's really, really high. Well, if it's 10, think about this, a $10 million dead cap on a 200 million cap. So if you cut a guy,

that's 5% of your cap. So if the number's about 12, we're talking 6% of your cap on a cap that they're already kind of up against it with golf, with cooks, with Donald, and Jalen Ramsey. Like, they need to kind of just play this out. But if he is just an average guy and they have them, they're paying him $17 million a year, they're screwed. I don't blame them. They signed the deal. I wouldn't take a pay cut or restructure at all either. Like, you guys signed it.

I'm going to play it out. Great example. Don't pay running backs. I think the Rams are in a very... Tough predicament there because there's not really an outcome. You're just kind of stuck. Who plays quarterback for the Steelers? In 2019, they basically until the last week were in the playoff mix.

And it was mainly because of their defense. Their defense was awesome. They started 0 and 3. They trade for Minka. Maybe they traded for them after week two, which I thought was nuts. And then I clearly came around on it and I admire their franchise. And their defense was badass.

Minka, T.J. Watt, Bush, the kid from Michigan, just how consistent they were all season. And even their offensive weapons, James Connor, Juju, Deontay Thompson, Vance McDonald, the offensive line. They played well. Their quarterback situation was bad. Now, obviously, Mason Rudolph is just a guy. Like, he's just, he's nothing. Duck Hodges is the same. Like, those two guys are not good enough. They are marginal backups. Rathusberger's coming back at 38 years old off a torn elbow.

And as Carson Palmer told me, if you listen to the podcast three or four months ago, you know, it's one thing when you get injured in your 20s. It's another thing when it happens to you at 36, 37, 38. Everything takes longer. Your body hurts more. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending.

Opinions are flying. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so rapidly. up in the chase, that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you

hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about. All healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway.

Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me.

He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. and recently I've become quite the helper myself.

And on my new podcast, hope from a hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of

the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too skinny. Carrie. Cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream.

Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura podcast network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. There is no guarantee he's coming back, Fulgo. I mean, we'll know maybe more at OTAs,

but I think the Steelers have to be in the court. They are a solid starting quarter. quarterback from being a playoff team. Their defense is good. They have offensive weapons. They have a good coaching staff. But if Rothesberger is just shot, the other guy stink. Like, they're in a predicament. What is Dak Prescott worth? As we learned in 2019, he's a solid player. Like, he's a, he's a really just solid starter. He can have moments where he looks like a top seven or eight guy. And he can have moments where he looks like, you know, somewhere between 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. He was like, But at the end of the day, he probably falls somewhere between 10 and 15.

And I think Jared Goff's kind of there too. Now, I'd rather have Dak than Goff just because there's a mobile element to him. But you see with guys like, the one thing with Wence was a little bit of overpay given that he was always hurt, but his physical tools are undeniable. And when he's on, beside Mahomes, the young quarterback, no one has his physical tools. Not a soul. Not Deshawn Watson, not Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppela. or none of these guys.

Jared Goff, Mariotta, James, you name them. All the guys have been drafted last four or five years. I don't know what I can pay Dak. I'd feel comfortable paying him like Garoppolo money, what Derek Carr got. You know, five years, 70 million guaranteed, like 23 to 26 million average a year. But clearly that's not the way the world works.

And he's going to want 35 plus million dollars. Now, I just have a hard time doing that. I don't know what my other options are. Do I franchise them? But then the problem is you're just always kind of in quarterback limbo. You're just in a more harmonious Kirk Cous Cousins-Washington situation. But, man, I don't know what you do. I can't stomach paying him $15 million guaranteed.

I can't do it. As Mike Singletary would say, I can't do it. I can win with him as a $20 million quarterback. I can't win with him as a $38 million quarterback. And then last but not least, Kyle Schiarder, I think this year was, you know, as big coming out party as a head coach. We knew how good he was as a coordinator, but he hadn't been winning his first couple years. It's pretty clear that when he's on, like he's a more dynamic play caller than Sean McVeigh.

And I like Sean McVe. So I'm not trying to diminish what he's accomplished. I think Sean McVeigh is a really, really good young coach. I'd rather have Kyle Shanahan. I said it when Kyle Shanahan wasn't winning, and it was easy to argue with me. Because the number spoke for themselves. Kyle wasn't as successful as Sean. on. But now the key is with Kyle, and I believe he's going to do it.

But here's the key. You come off a season like that. Next year, you've got to make the playoffs. Just make the playoffs. Just establish you're a consistent playoff coach. Like an Andy Reid, a Sean Peyton, a Pete Carroll. You're not going to win the Super Bowl every year. Well, obviously they didn't win it. But you're not going to go to the Super Bowl every year. You're not even going to go to the NFC championship game every year. But if you're a worst year, like a Doug Peterson, you're getting bouncing in the first round. It's okay. Like look at Doug. Won the Super Bowl. Next year wins a road playoff game the following year

loses a tight game in the first round when Wents gets knocked out. I think we have all gained a ton of respect for Doug Peterson. Now it's time for Kyle like you don't even need to get back to the Super Bowl. Though, depending on how the team looks, it's going to be a lot of pressure on him to make another Super Bowl run. But if you can go 11, 12 wins again

and just be a playoff team, you'll be like, yeah, this is the dude. This is the young guy, this is the Lincoln Riley of the NFL, which I think everyone kind of feels, but the great part about the NFL, it's a win and lost league. It's a black and white league. There's no like, ah, you know, just a couple things happen.

No, there's none of that. It's about winning. And the good coaches, Pete Carroll, Sean Payton, Andy Reid, obviously Belichick, but even like Zimmer. Zimmer wins every year. Now, not wins big, but wins every year. And I think that's kind of Kyle's time now is just start rattling off double-digit win seasons. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic,

enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinnuity host of the new podcast Navigating Adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit Adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Act Council. What grows in the forest? Trees. Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too.

Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Okay, let's go Middlekopf Mailbag. at John Middlecoff is my Instagram handle and you just fire in the DMs and we answer them here. Packer fan here.

Do you think Green Bay needs to trade up for Rogers to get a legit receiver? Currently they have the 30th pick in the third round. First I was like, how do they? Oh yeah, they were in the NFC championship. My personal draft crush at the position is Justin Jefferson of LSU

reminds me a Randall Cobb. Could be a guy like him fall to 30 or do you see him going earlier. Love the show. Keep doing what you're doing. Appreciate it. talk to a buddy with the Chiefs that thought he was a tad bit overrated you know the dude on that team is the other guy Chase

who's a sophomore but just relative to the class I think this class is really really good CD Lamb the Bama guys Levischka the Colorado wide receiver who was unreal two years ago now he's banged up with injuries who am I missing Clemson's got a guy

I'd have to write it out but this is a really Arizona State has a guy. Really, really good wide receiver draft. Now, the good thing is there's a ton of other good players too. Some good offensive linemen. There's some couple good running backs. There's a bunch of quarterbacks. There are some good DBs.

There are some good pass rushers. So I think you could sit there at 30 and just take a guy. Now, say this for Goudicans, he's been active. He traded up, he's traded back. I kind of like Gudecans. I think he's a wheeler and a dealer. it's clear to me they got to do two things. They got to be aggressive to sign a guy this offseason.

Like sign a wide receiver. Whether that's, I'd have to look at the free agent market. But let's say the chiefs cut Sammy Watkins. His market would be strong, but the Packer should be all over that. And then also draft a guy. You don't even need to draft necessarily a guy in the first round.

Like look at the Niners. They draft the Debo Samuel. Look at the Tennessee Titans. A.J. Brown. Look at the Seattle Seahawks. D.K. Metcap. A lot of good wide receivers go in. in the second round.

Now, the Packers, I'm assuming they have their second round pick. If you draft 30th, that means you're dead last right at 30. So, yeah, it's a little bit of a problem. Huge fan of the show. Keep up the Great War. Do you think the bolts draft Justin Herbert? Will they be able to elevate the team to a similar level to Mahomes and the Chiefs? That's a strong one.

Also, if they manage to turn it around, do they have a chance to succeed in L.A.? I don't know. I just, I think that they draft Herbert. or two guys. One of those two guys. They trade up to like three or four, and they draft a guy. I think they're at six now. In a perfect world, they do a New York Jets move.

You trade up. Remember Acosta Jets? I think I talked about this on the last podcast. Acosta Jets is three second round picks. So that's a lot. But you want Herbert or do you not want a quarterback? If you want a quarterback, I mean, we have a blueprint. That's what it costs to get Sam Darnold.

And you could argue Justin Herbert more talented than Sam Darnold. Now I think Sam Darnel is probably a better player. This is a big year for Sam Darnold. but yeah, he's not Mahomes. So, no, I don't think he's Mahomes. But I do think he could be a really good NFL player. I think he could do a better version of what Josh Allen's doing with the bills. And they have more weapons.

Like Keenan, it's easier to play with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. They have huge catching radius. You get him a running back. They have a good defense. Boom. The Chargers, the hard part about being the Chargers is, one, it's a Laker town. And with LeBron and AD and the death of Kobe, the Lakers are number one story, 365.

The Dodgers, as I'm recording this, I just saw on Twitter, that Mookie Betts trade. It's going to be a little problem, but it's probably going to finish. The Dodgers are number two. And then you'd say with the Rams, they've just been winning, are more important. And plus, they've been in L.A. before. And with the Raiders in Vegas, it's going to be hard for the Chargers. To me, if you want to be a big deal, you've got to win big. Big.

What is the value of Josh Rosen? Everyone was high on him in the draft, and then he has gone on two, years, two terrible locations, so it's hard to know if he's really a bust or not. To me, he seems like a great low-end investment to train in the wings if you are a team like the Packers, Patriots, or even the Lions. You think we'll see him move somewhere to become a part of a long-term succession plan? Isn't that why the Miami Dolphins got him? Honestly, I don't even have an opinion on Josh Rosen. Liked him out of the draft, but at this point in time, I've red flagged him. You know, the Arizona situation was not his fault.

As I think many people have said, it was one of the worst offensive lines in NFL history. But the Miami thing, I do judge a little bit. Listen, Ryan Fitzpatrick's a solid NFL player. But it didn't feel like it was even close. Like Josh Rosen couldn't hold Ryan Fitzpatrick's jock. They didn't even think twice once they kind of made the move early on. It was just, yeah, Ryan Fitzpatrick's are starting quarterback. Can you imagine that happening with Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson,

you know, Carson Wentz, some of these guys, no chance. Like, how can he not show enough in practice? Now, you could argue it's just the dolphins, but I thought the dolphins played pretty well, and he couldn't clearly stay on that level. You can argue all day you want, like they're dysfunctional or whatever, but they won a bunch of games with his, Patrick. So I would start to lean no. I don't know if he's really a long-term answer.

And this is coming from someone that loved him out of the draft. What will be the second full season under his, with the second full season under his belt, do you see Jimmy G progressing next year under Shanahan? Or do you think we have a clear picture of his ceiling right now? He's a unique player because he's 28 years old, but he's only started one full season. Right? I mean, he started before, but this is the first time in his career. He started to start to finish the season.

He can clearly, he can get better because he can do two things. One, he can become a better decision maker. Some of his picks are just atrocious. And part of being a better decision maker is I think he can learn to see the field better. The more you play, the better you see the field. Some guys like Mahomes just naturally have it. Luck naturally have it. I don't think it comes quite naturally to do.

Jimmy, but I do think he has the physical attributes. He definitely has the toughness. He has the right coach. They need to get him a better wide receiver opposite Debo. You got Kittle. You got a run game. You got a solid offensive line. You got a really good defense. I think we see this year, I think it was 27 and 13. To me next year, the standard for Jimmy to have a good year would be like 34 and 10. I think he has that type season in him with his coach. Look at the second year. And now Matt Ryan's a better player than Jimmy. But Matt Ryan's second season under Kyle, he won the MVP. Now, is Matt Ryan a more natural quarterback and just seeing the field? Probably. But you could argue Jimmy's physical tools are better.

So I'd expect a big, big bounceback season. Eagles fan here. Wondering your thoughts on what the Eagles will do with their wide receiver court. Trades, free agents, draft, Aulshun coming back, also go Fresno State. Love it, go dogs. Well, let's see. Alshan's gone. gone Nelson Aguilar

Free Agent gone Who do they have? They got Ertz They got Gutter They need some wide receivers So Greg Ward Jr He's gonna be in the mix He's solid

But he's like your third You're gonna need a one and a two I think they draft a guy In the first round And I think they aggressively shop If Amari Cooper hits free agency Sammy Watkins were to get cut You know guys of that ilk

Do they It's gonna sound crazy But Antonio Brown right now now is on an apology tour. If he goes all in on this apology tour and you feel like he's changed his life, do you think about it? I'd at least bring him in.

I mean, the Eagles have been pretty open-minded about giving guys second chances over the years. So, and I know how he loves that talent. And I don't blame him. Antonio Brown's one of the best players we've ever seen for a six-year stretch. Now, he jumped the shark and became a nut job. But he's going on the apology tour right now.

Pretty heavy. Did you entertain giving him a chance? I don't, I would lean no. I wouldn't trust them. But I do get bringing them in for an interview. This is, this is, this is, this is, this is, this is, this is, this is, this is, this is, this is, we need good players. And they, they need some wide receivers.

Now, they got two really good tight ends and they got young running back in Miles Sanders, but they, they, they like their wide receivers in Philly, especially Howie, you know, Deshawn over the years, Macklin, they drafted Nelson Aguilar in the first round, not an ideal first round pick, but then they got Al Sean. They re-signed Deshawn this year. Remember, I know he only played one game, but that one game he had two touchdowns, like 150 yards. So they love speed.

I would imagine they draft a speed wide receiver and just try to sign like a solid veteran guy, like the equivalent of last year, Golden Tate, like a Golden Tate, Sammy Watkins. Just get a legitimate player. They'll definitely be active when it comes to wide receivers. You could argue maybe even draft two wide receivers. Appreciate everyone listening.

Have a great weekend. And enjoy the first week. weekend without, I guess we got the XFL. The XFL's back. So get ready for the XFL. I'm not sure how much I'll watch, but, but yeah, hope you enjoyed the pod, and I'll see you next week. Adios, see you.

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