The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - NFL's Camp Media Crackdown; Tempering Rookie Hype; Missing CFB Breakout Prospects; Gronk Born Again; Mailbag

Episode Date: August 21, 2020

In this episode, John discusses the trend of NFL teams limiting media access during training camp, why rookie hype during limited training camp won't necessarily translate to Week 1, why the cancellation of college football will it harder than ever to scout next year's draft prospects, and why Gronk's year off has him rejuvenated for his first season in Tampa. He also answers listener questions in the Middlekauff 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. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.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 1800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. What is up, everybody? It's me, your boy, from just a dude in Northern California. Place is on fire, but I'm okay. John Middlecopf, 3 and out podcast. How's everyone doing?

But hopefully everyone's getting ready for the weekend. If you're listening to this, it might be the weekend. I'm just sitting here chilling, watching a little golf on in the background, taking some NFL notes, putting together a little podcast, and, you know, I think we're ready to roll. We got, I'm going to touch on some things that I've seen in camp and just some early on buzz, and not to be a Debbie Downer or anything, but just we've got to be realistic about some of this stuff.

some thoughts on some of these college conferences canceling football and the impact that it's going to have on the draft. I've heard different people talk about it and it kind of just sometimes my mind gets racing and then I was watching an interview Gronk did on the NFL network and he looks like a pretty happy guy. It's amazing when certain individuals

when you've been beaten down and you've been in the ultimate grind sometimes a year off can really do wonders for any human, right? I mean, we're huge on when anyone works to take some time off, whether it's a couple weeks just to clear your head. But I think him, when you factor in the injuries and the grind that comes in New England and just his level of fame, I wonder if we actually might see a really good Rob Grunkowski. And then, of course, Middilkoff Mailbag at John Middilkoff is my Instagram handle. and it's the easiest way to get a hold of me

and it's how we interact with people of the show. So fire my DMs wide open at John Middilcoff and leave a question. Also, I know a lot of you guys have done this and I greatly appreciate it. If you could leave a review, five stars on the Three and Out podcast on Apple iTunes. And yeah, it's very easy.

If you could just take a little time out of your day and do it, I'd be very, very grateful. But let's start with this. Because this year is a weird time for training camp, I'm not attending training camp. And I haven't missed a training camp, hell, college or pro, in over a decade. It's a little weird, but at the same time, I'm not complaining.

Because if you're listening to this on Friday, I'm probably on the golf course. It's been, I have no complaints. I've seen enough football in my life to take a training camp off if it's going to be a little different and not battle the limited amount of media credential. is not the end of the world. But there is limited access.

And if you've seen reports, there is a lot of these teams are limiting what the reporters can tweet and the videos that typically go viral. And we've been talking about now this for a couple weeks is the way, when I worked as a pro scout, your market is the leak. So you have, you get assigned a certain amount of teams,

let's say anywhere between 5 to 10, You know, if you're a director or a high-level scout, they might put a lot more on your plate. When I first got in the league, I think I had three or four. And by my second year, I think I had seven or eight. And it's just your workload doubles. It's an intense time of year. But a lot of your time, once the preseason game start,

are evaluating the bubble guys. But another huge part of training camp are, you know, for any individual and every individual team is just scouring Twitter the athletic, whatever the local papers are, Roto World, information on your teams, good and bad, and just jotting it all down. Information is power in the NFL, just like it is in any business.

I got friends in the construction world. If you're bidding a job, you like to know, give or take, you know, where you should be for the bid, high or low. No different. If you're going to waste time, you know, evaluating certain players, you're not going to waste.

waste too much time with a guy that's locked to make a team during training camp during the preseason. Now this year, there's no training camp, there's no tape to watch. I text some of my buddies that are pro scouts like, they don't actually have that much to do besides evaluating their own team. The amount of time, by August 20th, the preseason tape you'd watch as a pro scout would be of the pie chart of your work would be 85 to 90% of your job. Just tape after tape after tape guy after guy after guy undrafted free agent late round pick maybe even up to fourth round picks usually the first through third you don't waste any time watching them and veteran players that may be getting you know uh wally pipped is the wrong word but basically their job taken from a younger

player you'd watch those guys too how they're looking then your cap guys would dive into you know are these guys potential cap cuts you know guys going into the season well none of that's taking place and right now I am I would say loosely following the entire league I tend to go to it's easier for me to go to Rotor World than Twitter to kind of take everything in

I'm a big believer Rotor World is kind of Twitter before Twitter but I can just I can basically just look at it the NFL click on the NFL and get headline after headline after headline and the majority of headlines I'm reading on draft picks

especially the first round are very very positive which is a good thing, but it's also coming from either the team or the beat reporters that are there. And here's the one thing I'd always push back on. I'd just seen it firsthand because like anyone or any fan, when I worked for the team and we'd see a guy that we just drafted make a couple plays in a practice, you get excited. No different than if you're a fan and you're a Bronco fan and you see Jerry Judy had a big day,

I'd be excited too or see that Tua looks good or see that Burrow looks good or see that any of these guys that were just drafted high, rugs, you name it. We know that C.D. Lamb, all these names. It was a star-studded draft and a lot of hype about these guys. Well, here's the thing. Typically, in training camp, clearly you're just going up against the same guys every day. So if you go up against the same guy every day, not to say that you get comfortable, but you do gain a huge advantage of understanding what the defense or the offense is doing

and what that player, whether you're a tackle going up against a defensive end, whether you're a wide receiver going up against a corner, whether you're a safety covering a running back or a tied in. You know what their strengths and weaknesses are. Because you go at them every day in individual drills, or I guess not individual deals, but group drills, team drills, just drills, right? You are lined up against that guy. So you are going to gain just some confidence of understanding what he likes to do.

and what the coach wants him to do. Well, that's why preseason games, we can poo-poo them and kind of talk shit about them all we want. And listen, once they actually happen, they're not as fun to watch. You know, we get a quarter or two in. We're like, God, this is pretty boring, because it is hard to watch.

The offensive line play is typically terrible. Sometimes the quarterbacks can look, you know, JV. It can be a tough watch. Trust me, when I worked in the league, I hated it. and now that I do this, I turn off the TV a lot of times in the second half. I'm not watching guys that are going to be selling insurance. There's nothing wrong with selling insurance.

It's a good business. Guaranteed revenue every month. But they're not NFL players. They were probably good college players, but there's a big difference. And you usually see in the preseason games, you don't have a comfort level with your opponent. And a lot of times,

you aren't comfortable with the scheme they're running. So you're either going to make plays or be a good player and jump out on film or you're not. And that kind of separates guys. And then even if you went from having good days in practice to having good days in preseason games, and as a first rounder and even a second rounder

and probably a third rounder, it doesn't necessarily matter because you're on scholarship. You're not going to get cut. But it does matter in terms of can the coach trust you? Does he believe in you? Do I think you can be a starter?

Are you ready to contribute for week one? And it just, these are the things being talked about in the building, but for the other later round guys, which we've talked a lot about, that are going to have a hard time making the team right now because they're not going to get the reps, you get to find, like, wow, this guy wasn't just not intimidated by the bright lights or a game situation, he excelled. And then you get to the regular season where it jumps tenfold because it's a double whammy. It's an uncommon opponent one, and it's a game-planned opponent. So you not only don't know what they're doing, they have game planned against you,

right? If you are Jerry Judy, they have studied you in college, they know your strengths and weaknesses, and they are going to devise coverages for you. I'm just using him as an example, Joe Burrow, Tua, whoever it is, all these offensive tackles, they were drafted. If you start at left tackle, week one, they're going to study you, which they just did in the draft, but specifically for a game plan situation, and find out what you don't do well. And then try to exploit it and then to see how players react. And there's just a huge unknown variable right now that we're not going to get to see till the regular season.

So I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer and I'm not trying to be a negative Nancy because most of these guys that I'm reading about, whether it's Justin Jefferson, whether it's C.D. Lamb, whether it's Chase Young, you know, whoever. The majority of these first round names that all I see are positive things, I liked all these guys in college. The first round of the draft, there weren't many players that I was down on. I mean, I'm watching an unhealthy amount of college football, basically, you know, have no life in the fall on Saturdays. And I enjoyed, this draft was fun because a lot of these guys have been stalwarts at their programs for several years. And it was a skill-heavy group on top

of the tackles who were awesome. I'm excited to watch them play. But I'm not taking away much. and I say this all the time. Last year, in the Bay Area, a lot of people were tweeting at me, can Kittle be the next Grunk? Maybe this was two years ago. And when I get posed situations like that, and listen, we all like George Kittle,

it's probably two years ago. And I just said, let's just pump the brakes. Like, Grunk's going to the Hall of Fame. Now, two years later, it looks like Kittle has the chance to become a Hall of Fame player too. But he's had to earn it, right? He had to chatter records,

then he had to dominate and be the best player on a team that went to the Super Bowl. ball like it's clear but he's done it over several years and i think sometimes with rookie rookies just in general the hype machine in general which i'm i'm guilty of i play a part of it i love jerry judy you know i like jesus and jefferson i love joe burrow and tuah and i'm even a herbert guy like i want to see all these guys make plays that you got to do it on the field and we won't really know and it's not even just about one game because remember last year daniel jones first game he was awesome against Tampa. I think he threw, was it four touchdowns, maybe five, but he made some

incredible plays. It was just, it popped. And then as the season went on, and it's not all of his fault, like, didn't he lead the league in fumbles? He was just kind of in shambles on most games when I was watching. It's really difficult to play in the NFL, because the more tape I get on you, the more you're just going to end up playing Vic Fangio or Bill Belichick or Sean Payton or Kyle Shanahan. And then they try to exploit you. These coaches, is make seven, eight, nine, Andy Reed, 10 million, Mike Zimmer,

millions of dollars, Sean McVeigh, to try to find your weakness and then exploit it. And that's on Monday and Tuesday before the players show back up and then you practice and then you even figure out

what might work or not work even better. So just while you read these, it's human nature, and I do it too, get excited. It's fun. But we see it all the time. The games in the National Football League

are a completely different animal. There's nothing like it. Now, this year, it's going to be weird because they're not going to be fans there. And maybe there's a little less pressure. I think we saw it on the PGA championship with golf. Like a major championship in golf, the pressure is just beyond immense. But without the fans, and listen, I like Colin Marikawa, from Cal, it looks like a future star. I don't know if that was a normal major championship.

Not that the field wasn't really hard, not that the course wasn't playing really hard, and you had to hit great shots. it's a little bit different when there's 50,000 people in the venue, right? It just is. It's a little different as a rookie if you're playing Seattle or Kansas City week one on the road with 70,000 people screaming, especially if you're a offensive player and you can't hear anything. It's hard, and there are going to be things this year that little subtle things

that we won't be able to experience. But the hardest thing is that if you're a first round corner and you have to line up against Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, Devante Adams. There's not really anything in practice that can get you ready for that. Or even film study. You eventually just have to do it. And more than likely the first time, it's just going to be difficult. And listen, I went to Cal Poly.

Our school motto was learned by doing. I'm a big believer. The more you do something, the better you get. I talk about Gronk a little bit later. He mentioned, you know, the first couple practices, he was swimming a little bit. He hadn't been in a live team atmosphere in over a year and a half. Iron sharpens iron. So you get better as you play.

But I do think there's a part of training camp. For veterans, they just get to maintain and lock in. For rookies, I think there's a cap on how good you can be in the sense of there's a huge part of these preseason games and then you get to come back to Earth and then coach them up on the coaching points. Where I can only coach you so much based on practice stuff. There is a huge element in the pros on game situations and game stuff, even in the preseason, and that's just going to be lacking.

So the first time these guys are going to get thrown out to the fire, and some of them that are going to go on to be great players might just look terrible the first month. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm actually expecting that. If you tell me a couple of the wide receivers who turn out to be pro bowlers in 2023 and four and five, look like they're swimming the first month of the season, I think that's going to be very normal. And honestly, we shouldn't,

I'm not going to overreact much to September. You know, Belichick's big thing is never overreacts to September. He gains information on his team. He kind of gains information on the league. And then he kind of puts the pedal of the medal early October. Once he kind of fuels out his own squad, every team in the league's going to have to do that. Obviously, no joint practices,

something that's become very, very popular in the NFL. and like I said, they know games, especially if you're going to keep some of these teams just are going to like their fifth or six round players and they're going to make the team. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross

double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jette. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way 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. Trip 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, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app.

Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. And in certain situations, that guy might be forced to start. And it might just be based on need. Maybe there's an injury. Can you imagine being like a six or seventh round player? It's hard enough when you've like legitimately earned the spot to start, but to be thrown out there a week one.

And if you're like the starting right guard and you're like playing the ramps, it's like, here, kid, Aaron Donald, good luck to you. Godspeed. It's going to be tough. I'm excited to watch it, but I'm just doing a little PSA here. We all got to pump the brakes a little bit. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.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 1-800flowers.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. 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. 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. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinwiddie 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 Ad Council. Okay, let's dive into, you know, one of the most polarizing topic right now in sports. is college and the Big Ten and the Pact 12. One thing we know for 100% certainty, the Pact 12 is done. There's obviously been a lot of pushback in the Big Ten

from Ohio State, Nebraska, Iowa, some of these schools, they feel that it was kind of janky the way it all played out and that they're like pushing to play. Though it doesn't feel like it's a little too late, but you never know. I think that it's pretty clear the Big Ten is also not. going to play football. I mean, they aren't playing football right now. There's some pushback Justin Fields, but I don't think anything's going to happen. From an NFL perspective and a draft

perspective, that's a pretty big curveball. People often ask me like, what was it like to be a college scout? And on the most basic level is it was really, really difficult. I had the West Coast, I drove all over the place. I had from Arizona up to Seattle, basically over to Colorado, including Montana and New Mexico all the way to like El Paso. So my area, you know, just in terms of just land mass, was easily the biggest. And I drove everywhere.

Just John Middlokov and his Honda Accord firing around, listen to, you know, Sirius XM radio, some tunes as I'm driving around eating some beef jerky. It was difficult. The cool part was, is I got to go to all these schools that I'd never been to, like in their football building. It was awesome.

all the Pack 12 schools, but even like going to see Montana. It was badass. Boise State. I had been to play Boise State when I was a GA at Fresno State, but just being in their football offices, and they were like in the peak of their powers. And I was a big Chris Peterson guy. It was awesome.

And just to go inside all the Pack 12 schools for a West Coast guy, it was really cool. I mean, that part was really cool. The other hard part is just a lot of pressure on you to evaluate players. right but part of and I was new to the West Coast in the sense of I hadn't it was just my first year doing it but I followed the Pack 12 really closely and like most college scouts that stay in a region for a while you build up a Rolodex right you keep tabs on guys I remember when I went into Oregon Dion Jordan was the

big player but you went who are these two six foot eight guys it was de Forrest Bruckner and Eric Armstead everyone in the league that went through was keeping tabs on those guys for the next three or four years. Obviously they both became first round picks, now they make a lot of money. But there are that example at every school. Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, LSU, even more at the top schools, right? Because young players pop. It's like, whoa, I'll never forget being in the office watching tape Alabama, be like, who is this number? I don't think he was nine at the time, but whatever Amari Cooper's number was as a true freshman, it was Amari Cooper. Marquis Lee once upon a time at USC. Each number changed.

Forget what number, was he number one? Forget what number Marquis Lee was in college, but as a true freshman he popped. And you just keep eyes on these guys. But for every one of those, like a DeForest Buckner or an Amari Cooper that's playing really early or Tua, there are a lot of guys that develop later, right? Even if they play as time goes on, they really improve. Some guys never really play. Kyler Murray, because of baseball, it was just a one-year wonder, basically, right? Now, part of that, he was sitting behind Baker Mayfield,

but he became the number one overall pick in the draft with one season starting at Oklahoma. And I know he played a little bit of Texas A&M, but he wasn't some draftable guy. Like that first game started Oklahoma. By the middle of the year, it was clear, whether you thought he was too small or whatever, that he was a baller.

And there was something there. and Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, those guys were mid-round picks going into their senior year. I guess Joe Burrow technically an underclassman, but Baker Mayfield was a fifth year senior. And I'm fascinated to know at Ohio State and in the pack, or I mean, I say Ohio State,

they just speak for the Big Ten. But as a scouting staff and as a team, I don't know how you're going to quantify these guys. Now, Penae Soule, who is the, the left tackle at Oregon. He's like a can't miss left tackle. It won't impact him at all. Whether he played a snap this year or didn't,

he was going to be a top five pick. Like, he's fine. But most guys aren't that. A lot of guys improve their draft stock, their draft year, whether they're a senior or like a sophomore going to their junior year. C.D. Lamb, I don't think, would have been a top 20 pick

if his season, if he had just not had a junior season. Just think about the draft last year. Justin Jefferson, would he have gone that high to the Minnesota Vikings? Brandon Ayuk. I didn't even know who Brandon Ayuk was. Javon Kinlaw went 14th in the draft. So these individuals, and I understand some of those guys are at schools that are actually playing this year, and that's the, if you're at Alabama or you're in the SEC or you're in the Big 12 or you're in the ACC,

you have a huge advantage over some of these guys. I don't know how as a GM or as a scout. I could feel confident about a guy if he looks like a fifth round or fourth round player on tape as a sophomore or as a junior and then he declares after the season and he did not play if I'd be comfortable like saying about the player

you would just be able to go off what you saw and I would imagine some of these guys the coach would say I'm telling you if this player had played he was going to have a big year early in spring we could tell this guy was about to break out And it's like, you can believe them, you cannot believe them, but it's not really quantifiable.

At least when a coach is telling you something, whether you want to believe them or not, during the football season in the fall, and sometimes if the team's going wrong, they can be negative, if the team's going good, they can be too positive, but at least you have the tape to go off of. So you go, listen, regardless of what the offensive coordinator

tells me about the guy, I'm watching the guy on tape, and he's kicking the shit out of people, or he's getting worked if they love them. So I can just make a determination as a scout, as a front office, based on the guys on the field. Well, I'm not even going to have that this year. So they're surely a guy in Utah as a school like this every year, where they have a bunch of guys on a list, and you're like, oh, they're late-round picks,

and then all of a sudden you look up on the second day of the draft, and Utah has three or four guys drafted. Because typically their team, kind of like a Boise State, takes guys that are like two and three stars, and then they develop, and they develop because they got really good coaches. And then all of a sudden those guys get drafted by the Saints or by the Steelers or by whoever, and they're starting year one. And they're a third round pick. Marcus Williams is starting safety for the Saints.

Remember he missed the tackle on Diggs? These type guys, they are not like coming into the season viewed as like a Honey Badger or a Patrick Peterson or just, you know, some of these blue, the Julio, the hype on those guys, they're always going to be those. But the majority of the draft is not that player, is not Chase Young. or Nick Bosa. It's guys like Javan Kinlaw. And all these guys, they exist at Michigan at Utah, at Washington, at USC, at Iowa. We see it every year.

And listen, I was listening to Ryan Rissillo's podcast. He had Todd McShay. They were talking hopefully about doing some sort of special combine, you know, where they actually play some football, maybe a two-week senior ball. And all that stuff is great. And that will, I'm sure they'll have some additions like that. But there's a reason why every year during the Combine, during the Senior Bowl, during the draft prep, every GM and every coach. And some of this is bullshit a little bit.

But I think we all agree it is the most important. The tape, the tape, the tape. How do he play in the games? What did he do in the games? How do he play in the SEC championship? How do he play in the Big Ten championship? How do he play against, you know, Wisconsin's defense? How do he play against Oregon's offense?

And it's not going to exist. and you could go off two years ago, but think about this. When you are that age, in the NFL, for the most part, once you establish who you are, like you're three or four years in, that's kind of who you are. In college, guys dramatically change, right? Because you're 19, you're 20, you're 21. Maybe it clicks for you mentally.

Maybe you mature. Maybe you get a little more focused. Maybe you realize, you know, I'm not going to play if I don't step it up. Whatever. We all have different motivations. We all have different reasons why it clicks and why it doesn't click. But the bottom line is every draft, I'd say a large majority of players that get drafted, there are some guys that go the other way.

There's definitely some guys that go the other way that have great, you know, sophomore junior seasons, and then the year they declare they do not play as well. That definitely happens. But I think it happens way more to guys that just jump off the screen. They're like, whoa, this guy is a different player. and then he goes on to have a really good NFL career. I think Vanderech was a one-year starter. Boise State's, the Mountain West is not playing this year.

Vandreche wouldn't even exist. He was a first-round pick. What do you do with Vandrech? There is no Vandrech this year. I don't have answers. I don't have solutions. I think the NFL doesn't even quite know. The only thing I do know is it is going to dramatically impact

the way this draft happens the way you know where guys go and we talk all the time about this training camp right there are going to be a lot of late round picks that are cut that go on to be really good players and I don't think it's going to be that weird like whoever your team is that does that you can't even get that mad but I think there are going to be a ton of guys this year in the draft in 2021 in April or whenever the draft is this upcoming year that a guy might go in like the undrafted that I mean I'm, it's going to sound crazy. It might have been a first round pick.

Just think about Van derrash. Not, no chance. I mean, never played. Wouldn't have been drafted. And now he's starting middle lineback for the Cowboys. Right? I mean, if anything, he'd be like, oh, neck issues, small school. And I mean, he still has neck issues, but at least when he's played,

just clear Van der Weh is a baller. Right? And there's just, I don't know, man. Crazy times. Okay, let's dive into a guy who goes by the name of Robert Grinkowski, aka Gronk. In my lifetime, probably when he was at the peak of his powers,

the most dominant, well-rounded tight end I've ever seen. Say Tony Gonzalez, you know, Shannon Sharp, Antonio Gates, there's a group of them, but when I think those guys, I think more past-catching, right? They are receivers, great receivers. Tony Gonzalez, greatest receiving tight-end. ever. But when I think Gronk, I think

a well-rounded ass-kicking machine. Obviously, playing for the Patriots, being part of that dynasty, being one of their best players and playing with Tom, took him to another level and then his personality. But last year he took, he retired. Right? And two years ago, he thought about retiring when

Belichick traded him or was going to trade him to the Detroit Lions. Smartest thing he's ever done. I would never play for Matt Patricia or the Detroit Lions. if I didn't have to, and I had leverage like him, and didn't necessarily need the job or the money. So I commend him on that decision. Basically stuck the middle finger at Belichick in the line and said,

I'm not doing this. And remember that pissed off Brady, and it was, you know, some drama. And then the next year he'd clearly already been thinking about it, and he retired. And sometimes, and I know this for me personally, my job now is not physically taxing. I mean, the only physically taxing thing I may do is go on a jog

or ride the elliptical or my new spin bike that I had delivered just because I needed to get the cardio going. But like most people that have office jobs, it can be mentally exhausting. And I saw this year with the coronavirus and everyone kind of thinking that everything was going to be canceled. Like I was at a breaking point. And I needed to just take a couple weeks to just take a step back.

Now, I kept doing this podcast. It's not ultimately that hard of labor. But you hear people, CEOs and I saw it when I worked in the NFL, like summer break was a really big deal. People just unplugged and got away. And it's hard for high achievers to unplug. I imagine many people listening, even when you go on vacation, if you play a big role at your company, if you run your company, if you're a manager, it's hard to just not

think about what you're doing. I know this. I feel guilty in a weird way. And I've gotten a little better at this when I'm older if I'm like screwing around for a week. Like if I just go play golf for the day, whatever. But if I'm trying to detach for a week, it's one thing in the summer, but like even in the fall, like last year, my mom wanted to go to Hawaii for Thanksgiving. I mean, I took all my stuff, recorded like three podcasts there. It's just difficult, but it is very healthy. And oftentimes, certain people really, really need

a year away. And I think the year away for Grunkowski is going to be the best thing that ever happened to him. Because physically, he was a shell of himself. And that's the thing with pro sports. Like most jobs, even if you are quote unquote burned out, it's mentally. And listen, I know when I get burned out mentally, you become a miserable SOB. It really wears on you. I can't imagine being burned out mentally and being physically just beat to hell. And that's what Gronk was, that last season in 2018, where he had 47 catches and three

touchdowns. And we all watched him. He wasn't moving. He looked terrible. Now, he had what turned out to be the game-winning catch in the Super Bowl, but he was basically at that season more of a glorified blocker. Where the previous season, he had 70 catches and eight touchdowns. Like, he was still a really, really good player,

and then he kind of fell off a cliff. And I watched him talk on the NFL network. There's a smile, there's a glow to the guy. Take the year off, you get to take a deep breath, you get to take a step away, and then you get to come back reinvigorated with a new coach. with a new vibe in South Florida, with a bunch of other skill guys.

Here's the other thing in New England. He had to carry the load, right? I mean, he was their red zone target. He was, now, you could argue Julian Edelman, they're given games and given seasons where he was their most productive guy, but Gronk was the number one guy you game planned against of all the skill guys.

They never had a dominant running back. Like, he was by far their number one weapon. And even on their best teams, like he was their number one weapon. And I think he kind of changed the game where you truly look at tight ends like that's the number one wide receiver, even though he's a tight end.

And I know the 49ers are like that. Like they don't have a number one wide receiver. The number one target is George Kittle. He's the number one guy at defensive coordinator game plans against. And I think that can just, when you're a physical player, if you do it for a long period of time

and you've had a bunch of injuries, it can drive you down. Like Tom, Tom wasn't beat up physically. He doesn't get touched. Tom was just mentally drained of dealing with Belichick. He just wanted a fresh start. But physically, I watch all these videos.

He's always been spry, moving around fine. Tom just needed to get away from Bill. Gronk needed to get away from football. He wasn't moving right. And when you're asked, think about this as a tight end. You don't make what top offensive tackles are, what they make. You don't make what top wide receivers make. yet you are, when you're his type player, you're dependent,

you are asked to produce at their level in the passing game, especially when it comes to touchdowns and in the red zone. And you're also asked to do what left tackles do in the running game when it comes to blocking, I don't know, the most expensive players on the other team, the defensive ends and the outside linebackers, the pass rushers. It's a tough, demanding job. And watching this interview with Brian Billick and MJD, now, Gronk's always a, you know, a positive guy,

he's always smiling, he's always happy, He's always got that kind of goofball vibe to him. But I saw a guy that just like a new human being. And I can't imagine what that feels like to be like, I feel fresh. I feel great about my body because I'm still bigger than everyone else. I didn't forget how to catch, right? I just need to. And as he said, the first couple practices were really hard.

I hadn't practiced against a starting defense in a long time. Iron sharpens iron, right? but when you're a player of that caliber, you get back in the mix pretty fast, especially when you know the quarterback. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. Oh, and everyone on that team has kind of depended on him in terms of the other skill guys picking his brain about Tom. I would not be shocked. Now, I don't think we're going to see some historic 15 touchdown season from Gronk.

There's way too many players. but I think he will look much more closely to the guy that he resembled in 2017 when he got eight touchdowns, caught 70 balls, but just that, like he has that production left in him, then the guy we saw in 2018, that we just watched move and went, is this the Rob Grinkowski that I know and love? Is this the Rob Grimkowski that will one day be in the Hall of Fame

that's moving not very well, that can't run routes, that can't get open, that can't run away from safeties? Because I don't like watching this Rob. I like the star rob. Now, he'll never be what he was, 2011, 12, 13 early before his knees got all messed up and his elbows.

But I would not be shocked with how excited Tom's going to be, with how much juice Bruce Ariens is going to be, which how much is extra juice he's going to get when he looks to the left of him and he see Mike Evans, when he looks to the right of him and he sees Chris Godwin, and then he looks across the line of scrimmage or across his own offensive line

and sees O.J. Howard or Cameron Brayt on the other side. He goes, you know what? I don't have to carry this offense. Like an NBA player. You know, like what LeBron has to do every year for his team is not, or James Harden or, you know, star players on their team is difficult, right?

You have to carry the load. You are not allowed to have down games. For the Patriots to be good, like Gronk had to be good. He had to dominate in the run game and he had to dominate in the passing game, which for the most part he always did. And I think this year he can just

not be on cruise control, but just be a member of the team. And if he's just a member of your team and he's healthy and he's spry and he still has the gigantic frame, I actually think that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might have one of the great curveballs in recent memory in this offseason retirement trade edition, obviously of Tom Brady, but of Rob Grunkowski. 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.

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Okay, let's dive into the Middlekopf mailbag. At John Middlecoff is the Instagram. You guys know the deal. slide up in those DMs and ask any question you want. Let's start with Justin. Do you think the NFL will do the same thing as the NBA with the social phrases on the jerseys and the Black Lives Matter printed across the fields?

I have a feeling if they did that, they would lose a shit ton of consumers. I like the NBA, but it's hard to watch with all that shoved in your face. It's literally everywhere. I'm not against like what it's meant to be as far as police brutality against minorities, and I really don't think anybody is. but you add that on top of the kneeling for the flag, it's just going to tank, in my opinion. Love the pod, by the way.

Thanks. I would say there is zero chance. I'll not say zero. It's 2020. I just saw the Chiefs, you're not allowed to wear face paint if it's painted like an Indian into the stadium. And I don't even know if they're having fans.

Are the Chiefs having fans? Yeah, I think they're actually having 22% fans. I did see that someone's like, I wonder if the chief's name next. You know, to me, chief, like, chief to me is, like, a positive. Again, I'm not the Native American lingo. I understand the Washington Redskins, you know, getting rid of that. The chiefs, to me is like, being a chief is, isn't that a positive thing in the, just in life, let alone the Indian community could be wrong.

So I don't think the name's in jeopardy. But I agree with you in the sense of, I'm with you. I'm not, I love the NBA. Love would be strong. I still really like the NBA. I'm watching, I like the playoffs. I love the playoffs. And I love seeing the Lakers lose.

But it is a lot for a lot of the consumers. When you got 40 million people unemployed to have, and listen, I know people get uncomfortable with this, but when you have really rich people, you know, if you subscribe to the athletic, Ethan Strauss wrote a great article on this. It's just hard to get lectured nonstop by super rich people. And, like, their message isn't wrong. I understand it. And I'm not offended by any of this stuff.

The stuff on the back of your jersey, you can do whatever you want. Like, I get it. And I'm for it. Like, everyone should be treated equal in this world. Right? I despise, like, ignorant losers. But, like, I do understand people that the flag thing I totally get.

Like, people are offended by the flag. I don't care, but people do. Right? and like the Black Lives Matter thing like it's just I get why the league did it because the the players were putting a lot of pressure that they refused to come to the bubble because they thought it would take away from everything

that was going on in society so the league had to capitulate to them like they understand this it's not great for business and I saw a quote from Adam Silver that like some things are bigger in basketball and he's even uncomfortable talking about it but he knows I mean the ratings speak for themselves now they've been down

but the NBA is much more open to stuff like that because they're a player-run league and listen I understand Black Lives Matter in terms of what it means to me it obviously to some people it's become very politicized and it just can become

these conversations go out the rail so fast and that's where what sucks about the NBA in the sense of like everything they're actually talking about is the right thing to be talking about. Just sometimes the messengers, like part of the, part of the elephant in the room with the NBA is like they're in bed with China. Google what China has been doing like the last six months.

It's pretty ugly what's going on. So it's like the NBA is lecturing America also kind of a false sense of importance because they struggle to get two million people to watch. Like the NFL is dramatically more impactful in America right now, just based on way more people watch. And I think they saw last time with the, kneeling, though four years later, the kneeling, I think, is going to land a lot different this time.

I was thinking the other day, and listen, I've said over and over, I don't care if you kneel. Clearly, some people do. I was thinking, I just wouldn't even show it. Like, I would not put it on television. I would just avoid it. And you could say some things are bigger in football. This is a business. Their business is to try to get people to watch football.

They are not trying to change policies. The NBA believes of themselves as they're going to change policy. I saw a headline today. LeBron James going to campaign with Joe Biden. Steph Curry recorded a video to speak at the Democratic Convention. The NBA believes they're social change or leaders in that. The NFL is just trying to play football. And they really want to avoid all this stuff.

And you can say, well, politics and sports. The reason all these sports have all this money are fans. Are fans. Without fans watching these games, there is no money. The fans are the bank. because the reason they get these huge media deals is because there are a lot of fans that watch the game. The media companies would not buy football

if 500 people watched. Just like Spotify would not have given Joe Rogan $100 million if he had 1,000 people that listened to every episode. But he has millions of people. So the reason these leagues make a lot of money is because they have millions of people and the NFL has millions more than the other sports. And they don't want to lose those people.

Why? Because they run a business. They are not like, they talk and Roger Goodell talked about that stuff just because he doesn't like he wants everyone to be on the same page but it's hard in this day and age because politics has become such a powder keg of emotion which listen I think my own personal opinion on just politics in general right now is it's become so black and white like Joe Biden's gonna save the world like listen Donald Trump is nuts

but if Joe Biden like what's really going to change. Nothing. I mean, as crazy as that sounds, like, yeah, social media won't be as explosive. Like, we've seen it. Republicans come in, Democrats come in. Same shit happens. Like, I live in California. Poor people, we have historic poverty. You can't find an apartment in a big city for like under 20, we have a housing crisis. So it's like, and we're the most liberal state by a mile. Uber just, or Lyft just quit. They just said, no more in California. Why? Because we created a stupid law. about part-time employees, and it literally,

like a million people out of work right now. I mean, it's like, my point always with politics, we act like one side's going to save the world and the other side's evil. And then when, if Joe Biden wins, it'll flip and it'll be the opposite.

It's like this is a constant cycle. It always happens. But back to these sports, like the NBA feels like once Donald leaves, the world will be saved. The NFL is just consumed with making money. That's the only thing they,

they don't even pretend to care. And that's the problem with the NBA. is they pretend about social change, but they love China. I mean, they wouldn't give up China if you paid them. Well, you'd have to pay them a lot because in their mind, China gives them a lot, because they're losing a lot of the domestic customers. In America, their consumer is all domestic. And I hope everything in America eventually gets solved.

I want racism to end, right? I want everybody to be treated equally. I want everyone, and I'm as socially liberal as you'll ever meet. I don't care. Whatever you do in your home, I want you to be happy and be able to do it in your home. Or out in public or wherever. I want you to be comfortable being you. But it's just, it's not the way it really works.

Like Colin always says. Barack Obama was anti-gay marriage like seven years ago. I mean, things change fast. So it's just a crazy world we live in. So my overall take is I don't think we will see Black Lives Matter like that big. I don't think we'll see it on an NFL field, to be honestly. The decals, I don't know, maybe the decals, but I don't think we will see, I doubt we would see on their names. I mean, hell, LeBron James didn't change his name, left his name up.

Question for the pot. We've already seen teams announce that there will either be no fans in the stadium or they will have a certain capacity of fans inside the stadium. 15 to 20,000. Is the NFL going to step in and say no one is allowed to have fans in their stadium similar to how they handled the NFL draft telling everyone they had to work from home instead of their facilities. My only issue with this is not so much a competitive advantage of having only 15,000 fans

inside the stadium. But this is going to be a financial advantage for some teams who are allowed to generate revenue with having fans while others can't. What are your thoughts on how this is going to look? Thank you in advance for answering the question. Yeah, I mean, to me, there are already massive financial advantages.

Like, Jerry Jones has a financial advantage over the Bengals or the Browns, right? and certain owners have more money. To me, the financial advantage, the league gives you so much money from media rights, you have the ability to pay coaches and players whatever you want. So I don't, to me it's more about, like, how could you allow fans inside the stands

in some places and not others for a competitive advantage, just for noise? Now, 15,000 people in a 70,000 people venue, how loud would that even get? Like, if there's 20,000 people at the chiefs, home opener. Is that even that loud? I don't know. To me, that's kind of weird. Like, me personally, my move would be

not allowing any fans in. Because there are going to be certain states that, like, California, the California teams won't have fans. The Raiders aren't having fans this year. Seattle's not going to have fans. The New York teams aren't going to have fans. I just wouldn't allow fans. And that way,

everyone has the same competitive advantage slash disadvantage, and every team financially is, in the same. Like, I wouldn't pick and choose allow some teams doing this and some teams doing that. To me, I thought what they did with the draft, I commend them. Equal playing field. I would do that with the fans. Everyone, same thing.

Love the show. Big Cowboys fan and was marketing intern during the 17 training camp in Oxnard. Being there in person had me drinking the Kool-Aid when in reality we ended the season 9 and 7 and no playoffs. This year, with both sides of the ball having personnel, we do. I think it's a tangible goal to make a deep run in the playoffs wanted to hear your take thanks have a great weekend going to play some golf this weekend as well i can't wait i'm playing tomorrow friday played yesterday shot 39 you know

should have been about 37 but can't chip i'm actually fix my irons i'm pretty deep off the tee but my my wedges i am a shitty wedge player and i got five hundred dollars worth of wedges and i can't hit any of them my god wedges are hard i would say the cowboys they are loaded on offense. Adding C.D. Lamb to go with Gallup and Amari and Dack and Zeke is pretty damn good. You can't ask for anything more as a unit. And your offensive line is going to be solid. Defensively, if Vanderex is healthy to go with Jalen. Rumors are Alden Smith looks fantastic. Obviously, what's his name, Lawrence, a kid from Boise State, who's a good player. They lose Jones to Miami, but their DB should be okay. If you have a good pass rush,

you can get by with average dbs. Not a huge Mike Nolan guy, defensive coordinator, but I do like Mike McCarthy. I think he's a proven head coach. I'm with you, that they should be a double-digit win team. I think it's hard when you go to training camp and the teams that are your 17 team, when you do have a lot of talent on the team,

you know, like the difference between being a 9-win team and an 11-win team could be like three or four plays. Right? I bet if we really dove into the 17th season, they're probably two games where they all fucked up in the fourth quarter. So the difference, hell, a nine-win team and a 12-win team might be a series here and a series there.

So, you know, like the Cowboys have been really good, talent-wise, to me, for the last three or four years. Jason Garrett just was awful, and their coaching staff, but, I mean, Jason just wasn't good enough. Now we'll see with Mike. I mean, there's definitely pressure on them. It's tough to be a first-year head coach, though. You haven't worked with these players.

You get a short training camp. You get no preseason games. I'm with you. The pressure is high, but man, it's not going to be easy. Love the pod, U.S. Army working out of the United Kingdom, so provide my weekly football fix, and we appreciate your service here on the 3-N-out podcast. Go America.

For the Seahawks player who was caught and cut last week for trying to sneak a girl into his room dressed as a player, reminds me of hard knocks when Jeff Fisher cut some linebacker who brought a girl into his room overnight. What's your most outlandish reason for a player being cut from camp that you encountered while working in the league? I don't remember anything crazy. I mean, we had some good players getting trouble at training camp, but they weren't getting cut. I think it's something simple, like pulling your phone out in a meeting room, showing up late to a meeting,

because you were not good enough, looking at a coach a weird way and the coach hating him and just saying, I want to get rid of this guy. to me a lot of things you don't need to sneak a chick into your room to get tossed out of camp it can be as subtle as the position coach just hate you and you're not good right

you just the GM is tired of your like I think we had some at practice guys just not practicing hard an undraft of free agent not putting in high effort see ya you're gone I never was a part of like dude smuggling in weed or you know doing

something kind of funny slash shady slash newsworthy that I remember but it's also my short-term memory and long-term memory are just kind of crappy right now any sport but mostly football I figure being a mostly being a former scout you look at talent more than anything but you

who's some players that made you fall in love with football and sports in general okay oh some of your favorite players from when you were growing up gotcha I'd say Steve Young Jerry Rice. You know, I grew up in Northern California. The Niners were the shit. So I

love those guys. Obviously, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are probably my two favorite athletes by far. I loved Barry Bonds. I know some of you may hate him, but when he plays for your team, you know, he's my guy. So I go Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods,

Steve Young, Jerry Rice. I'd say, I'd say, who else? I love Caldard. Ripkin, I love Ken Griffey Jr. Like when I was a kid in the early 90s, baseball stars were huge. I loved, and I mean loved Ken Griffey Jr. But I mean, what kid didn't? So I'd say kind of the early 90s star players, Michael Jordan, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, probably my crew. I mean, I like Shaq. I was a big Shaq guy. That'd probably be the names that jump out to me.

pretty solid little list There's a lot of buzz out of Dallas That there could be three legitimate thousand yard receivers This year in Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb How realistically How realistic do you personally think that is I think it's borderline impossible I think anytime you can get 2,000 yard receivers

You have an incredible offense I remember the Raiders did it a couple years ago With Crabtree and Cooper It was a year I think they went They won 12 games It's hard to do man three receivers, especially when one is a rookie, I'd be stunned.

If they had 3,000-yard receivers, I'd say they have the best offense in the league. Because they also give the ball to the running back a lot. Now, McCarthy historically, I'd have to go back and really dive into the numbers, but I remember one of the knocks on him for a couple years there is he, like, didn't run the ball. Now, when you have Zeke and they're paying him all that money

and he's just a bruising guy, especially if you have leads late in the game, I don't think it's happening. Though I do think CD is going to be a stud And their offense should be really good I'm actually really excited to watch the Cowboys Remember last year I kind of hated the Cowboys Now I kind of like the Cowboys again

I found your podcast be a Collins podcast feed I love it man Appreciate it What's your take on Big Ben this season returning from injury He's supposedly hungrier than ever According to the media But that always the case for the pro athletes agree Like I said early in the podcast

I think we have to be a little careful with just the over hype on how excited and skinny and explosive every single guy in the league is. But, I'm with you, Ben does look skinny. However, Rathsburger is very prone to midgame injuries and returning in the fourth to pull off the win. If he's too fragile for that now,

is it time for the Steelers to look for a serious replacement? I don't think Rudolph is the move. Do you? I don't. I don't want another wasted season in Pittsburgh. The problem is, what do they do? all their chips were in the middle of the table and Rothesberger playing this season. If Rathesberger can just be a solid, functional starting quarterback,

the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to the playoffs. If he gets hurt again, they're screwed. Because last year, I thought they were way more screwed than they actually were, but their defense was awesome because they got Watt's brother who's a stud, they traded for Minka, their defense was fantastic. Their quarterback situation was atrocious. So if Rathusberger can just come back and they can figure out how to run the ball, like the Steelers could be a 12-win team.

But at 38 years old, I don't know, man, I just would bet against it. I just can't feel confident based on the information we have, a Rathusberger not getting hurt during the season. I can't do it. Now, I don't know what the injury will be. That's the part of getting old. I remember Carson Palmer told me. He's like, once you get older, you just get hurt more and it's harder to rehab.

He's like, the Rathusberger, when he was younger, you know, say what you want, to his drama queen or whatever. He could always battle back from injuries. I don't know if I see that in the cards this year. I think it's going to be very, very difficult for him to stay on the field, which sucks because I want to watch Steelers and I would love for them to be good, but they are just so dependent on that individual. They have no chance to me to make their playoffs unless he gives them, I don't know,

12 starts at least. And then even if he gives them 12 starts, they probably got to win, you know, nine or 10 of those games. Because it's hard for them to win the games without him. I think Mason Rudolph stinks. Duck Hodges, give me a break. especially if the Browns are better this year. I mean, it's just, it's going to be difficult.

Appreciate everyone listening. Have a great weekend. Stay safe. And just, and be happy. That's how I'll end you on that. Be happy. And I'll talk to you soon. Peace.

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Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it, with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

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Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast. The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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