The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Pro Bowl Can't Match NBA ASG; Burrow, Tua, Herbert Negatives; Weekend Headlines; Mailbag

Episode Date: February 18, 2020

In this episode, Middlekauff explains why the Pro Bowl can never be as compelling as the NBA All-Star Game, looks at pros and cons on Burrow, Tua and Herbert, and looks at the top weekend headlines from around the NFL. 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.

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That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune in. What is going on, everybody, John Middlecop? Three and Out podcast back at it again. Happy Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday, whenever you're listening to this. Happy day. Hope your day is treating you well. Hope you had a good weekend. Valentine's Day.

Hopefully you try to be appropriate here. Hopefully it went well. Hopefully it went well. Let's see. We got a lot going on. The NBA All-Star game had this change by setting it at a certain number. They played to it in the fourth quarter. If you didn't watch, it just was really intense.

It was really good. And I've gotten a lot of people asking me how we can do that with the Pro Bowl. I'll have some thoughts on that. The Tua Borough Herbert debates kind of heating up. I'll dive into that. I wrote down a bunch of stories. There's just a lot of little stuff going on. I just jotted it down.

And we'll just kind of fire through, fly through some topics. Rapid speed, give my takes. thoughts on just each story or maybe just something that jumped out to me. And then I got just a ton of Middlecoff DMs at John Middlecoff, my Instagram. You can slide in those GMs. And some of you said, I'm actually sliding into your DMs or just DM me. I guess sliding has a different connotation. People often tell me that.

Yeah, just enter my direct messages and ask a football question or any sort of question. And we answer it here. I got a ton and I'm going to try to bang a bunch out. because a lot of them as we get the combines right around the corner I think I'm gonna go it's still a little up in the air but it's next week I know if you if you're new to the show I went a couple years ago I hope we can go back still working on that and may have some interviews and talk to some people there but that's that's when a lot of stories come fast and

furious and good meaty stuff too I mean now some of it's lie like this is lying season but we'll dive into it all so you you can just fire into my direct messages and ask me a question. But let's start with this. The NBA All-Star game was really, really intense in the fourth quarter. I turned it off in the first quarter, then I checked Twitter, and everyone was raving about it, so I flipped it on and it was sweet. It was really, really intense.

And that's something the NBA has really lacked is intensity, urgency. Their regular season is not important. Guys, the players don't try. Hell, arguably the best player in the sport, Kauai Leonard, plays like twice a month. The majority of their guys rest all the time, and they don't feel bad doing it, and I think there's some economic influences, they're so rich, they've become so powerful, they can do whatever they want, and it's hurt the product. Now, the playoffs are still intense because there's legacies on the line, like any sport.

The playoffs are always going to be good. Baseball, basketball, football, golf majors, watching... Jokovic play Federer in the finals, any big pro-level athletic match that's either a playoff, a major, whatever, is always going to be good if both guys are elite and trying hard, and they're always going to try hard. The hard part is, and this is where football benefits,

and I say it all the time, the setup of the sport, they only play once a week. But one of the reasons, and if you didn't watch the All-Star game, they basically, after the end of the third quarter, I might be a little wrong on this, but I think whoever's in the lead, they add 24 points in honor of Kobe to your score. So it was like 195, let's just giving you a random number.

And they would add 24 to the 100. And so whoever gets to 124 wins the game. So down the stretch, it turns into a pickup game, right? You're just playing to a number. But it happens to be with the best players in the world. And the thing you see in the NBA All-Star game is the best athletes in the world play in the National Basketball Association. Like, there is not an athlete on LeBron's level in the NFL.

He's 6.8 and a half, 6.9. One time I went to a Warriors game, like 4 or 5, like longer in that, when he was on the heat and the heat trainer, who I don't think was supposed to tell me this, but he did tell me this, that LeBron's weight at the time was like 287. Like, there's not a guy 6-9, 287 in the NFL that moves like that. Now there are 6-3-287, but that extra height is a big freaking deal. A guy moves like a gazelle and he's the height of an offensive tackle.

So these guys are extreme outliers and when they play hard, it's amazing to watch. But the one thing with basketball, and I don't know how many of you guys listening, I'm sure if you're listening to this, you've played sports, you played hoops. Even if it's just pickup hoops. It's an easy sport to play. You just grab 10 guys and you just start playing. And unlike the sport of football, there's not a huge injury risk when you play basketball. you can get injured,

but you don't go into a basketball game worrying about getting hurt. And in the NBA, and I just know this because I followed it closely when I was in radio and we had the Warriors and I just followed the Warriors closely, they don't practice in the NBA. A lot of times it's hit or miss,

depending on what level your team is, veteran or not, if you even have this thing they call shoot-around on the day of the game. And that's technically a practice. Like LeBron James notoriously, no shoot-arounds. They do film study and stuff, but it's not a big practice. play. Now the playoffs are different, but in the regular season, you just play. And even in a pickup

game like the All-Star game, you can just play. In baseball, if any of you have ever gone to a major league baseball game a couple hours early, you'll watch them take BP. Well, what is BP? It's a coach throwing about 60 miles an hour and a guy just hitting balls all over the yard. And you can take infield, which is just another coach hitting fungos to you at about a quarter speed. And you're just flicking it over to the first basement. It doesn't really simulate the regular game, but you don't really need to practice to play a baseball game. It's why basketball, like baseball, their all-star game, when the players actually try, look just like a high-level game even better because it's the best players. The thing with, think about football. On a Monday and Tuesday in the

sport of football coaches in college and the pros, well, college is Sunday and Monday and pros Monday and Tuesday. They dive into the film on whatever opponent they're playing, and they construct a game plan. They spend basically probably about 16 to 18 hours on those two days constructing a game plan. So when the players come in on Wednesday, they have a game plan. Strengths and weaknesses on every player, the game plan of how they're going to attack their schemes, what they need to adjust their schemes to get better.

What, in those Monday and Tuesday, as we've heard players talk countless times, any player worth their salt isn't taking Monday and Tuesday off. Now, depending if you win or lose, you've got to come into the facility on Monday and Tuesday. Sometimes when you win, you get Monday and Tuesday off. But every good player is still doing their own film study. They usually watch back the game they just played on Sunday, make some corrections, see what they did well, see what they did poorly, and maybe talk with their position codes through text, or maybe even go in.

But definitely then, look at the upcoming opponent and their specific matchup, like if you're a corner, what wide receiver are going to face, if you're running back, what their front looks like. If you're a quarterback, what they do with coverages, it's a very intense process. And we're not even to Wednesday yet. Well, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, in the sport of football,

unlike baseball, where you just play every day, and basketball, where you don't even practice, you just show up in hoop. In football, by the time you get to Wednesday, you do an intense install from Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. And when I say install, on day one, it's just installing the basic game plan

of how you're going to attack them on first down. By the time you get to Thursday, you might be doing short yardage in red zone. By the time you get to Friday, you might be doing third down in certain situations. It's a very long, intense process. And then by Saturday, you're doing more mental reps, but it's still a walkthrough, maybe traveling to the place.

Then you stay in a hotel, whether you're on the road or at home, and you're still doing all that stuff. And by Sunday, anyone, if you've just played high school football, you know game day in the sport of football is intense. It's much different than basketball or baseball. just because you don't play that many games. So when people go, well, how can they improve the pro ball to get it like the NBA All-Star game last night? I say it's basically impossible.

One, just because the effort that it would take if they were really into it for a game that just doesn't matter is not worth it. And two, and this is probably the main reason, there is an injury level of football that does not parallel the other two major sports. They have nothing in common. on every play in football a guy's career can end. Now, it can, in theory, happen in the other sports, but it does not. We see it consistently in major college and definitely in the pros, major injuries, because guys are moving so fast, the collisions are so strong. Also, the thing with football, unlike basketball,

where I can just kind of learn on the fly with my teammates, I can't just learn on the fly of just a one-off game of playing in an all-star game of what plays to run. It's just, we're all coming from different schemes. is basically impossible. So I guess it's a long-winded way of saying the Pro Bowl, even if they did try it, there's not much they can do.

The sport, the installation process from the coaching staff is just too intense. One, two, your players have to be so locked in and so just laser-focused on the intensity of that week to then take it seriously. And then three, if they really are playing hard, which I think would be difficult just because we know the injury level.

You don't want to get other guys hurt in a game that doesn't make. matter. We're in basketball. I could go, if I'm a high level player, get another high level and we could play a one-on-one game that is just super high level, and neither of us think about getting injured. I can simulate, even if I'm a batter coming back off injury, and I go to the cage and I do a simulated game, you know, I take four or five A-Bs off a certain individual. Well, I can get one of the guys out of the bullpen throwing extremely hard, and it, even though if it's in the cage, it's still simulating what I would see when I do come back.

You can't really do that in football. You know, unless you're going to go all in, it's just basically impossible. It's not worth it. If anything, I was thinking today, maybe you scrap the game altogether and you just do other activities, whether it's skill challenge, whether it's panels and them just talking. I don't even know. But I think we're getting closer to that game not even existing because you can play a half-ass NBA game. You can even play a baseball game where you're kind of into it. It's basically

impossible to do that in the NFL. 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,

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This is Clever 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 walks up to me, he goes, Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What?

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So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips.

Wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. with all the snacks and drinks. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? They had a bogo. Well, then you got it.

Do you want a white collar or something here? Just hit it. Oh, what are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album? Oh, I would. Come on. Can you move?

I would buy it. Cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug addict. You are. I'm not an alcoholic. You are.

You are. I'm not a killer. I love this team. And I'm really. trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And just in football in general. You're either all in or you're all out. You can't, you can't

kind of go half speed. I've been to countless practices and when coaches go 75%, it's actually closer to 100%. To me, there's like 90% plus and there's like, 40% below. There's really not much in between. Now, you can not tackle guys of the ground, but guys are still moving it at warp speed. So I guess this is a long way of saying. I don't know if there's much to do to save the Pro Bowl. 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.

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for Children and Families and the Ad Council. Okay, let's dive into the quarterbacks and we're going to hear a lot about these three guys. And when I say the quarterbacks, I mean the top three, which is Joe Burrow, Tua, Tawa, and Justin Herbert. And depending on who you read who you talk to, you get a different order. I think the consensus is bro's the top guy, question on Tua's hip, and Herbert's kind of the biggest wild card, but also might be the most talented raw prospect of the group. We're going to find a lot more out, I think about all three guys physically, the buzz after the end of next week at the combine, which I imagine all three guys are going to be front and center at, which is a good thing. And I just want to, what a pet peeve of mine during

draft time is especially when media members go, when anonymous scouts and anonymous takes come out, put your name on it. No, you idiots, they can't put their name on it. They're not allowed to. And guess what? There's a reason the media always asked them for their opinions. And when I was working for a team for a couple articles, I gave my opinions on guys on the West Coast. We're not allowed to put our names on it.

That's not okay. there's a reason the media asks us for our opinions when you ask the scouts because they give good stuff now you might be getting lied to you might not i always say yeah the general manager might be lying to you i don't think the the regional scout gives a crap he's not thinking about that he's just giving you his opinion on the player the general manager is trying to create narratives through the public through other teams but the regional scouts in my experience don't even think about that stuff. That is not their job. So when you get anonymous quotes,

that's what the guy thinks. And everyone on Twitter always think they're smarter in the scout. We get it, but you're not. But here's the deal. When you get top prospects, you need to nitpick them. Because when you draft a guy in the top five,

I'd have to see what the top five guy is making this year, but I guess, give or take, around $30 million if you're take fifth, if you go number one overall, I think the number this year is over $35 million. Fully guaranteed. You're giving a quarterback

or a pass rusher or whoever in the top five over $30 million guaranteed. That is not counting the fifth year option. So if he's just solid, you'll probably going to pick that thing up and he's going to end up making 55, maybe 60. So you are investing. Think of it like a business.

In the first round, you are guaranteeing whoever you pick four years. of a fully guaranteed salary every year. It obviously kind of goes up incrementally as, you know, from the first year to the fourth year, you make a little more every year. But you're making a ton of money. A ton of money. Kyler Murray got a $9 million signing bonus with the A's two years ago as the ninth overall

pick. He got over $30 million. I think it was like $33 million last year to be the number one overall pick of the Arizona Cardinals. And unlike the A's, he didn't have to ride in a bus. he didn't have to go play in low A ball in front of seven people. He didn't have to take batting practice. He got to go right to the show, baby, started 16 games, never looked back, and cashed huge checks.

And it looks like he's going to be a really good player. But last year, I would say for the most part, I don't know how much we really nitpick Kyle Murray. The one huge question mark was his size. But his size was his size. Like there's nothing, what are you really nitpicking? He's short. Like, we all knew it.

There's not much to say. He had been durable. I guess there's one question. He had been a one-year starter. I would say the elephant in the room was, if this doesn't go well, and this was actually the elephant in the room with Kyler, would you leave for baseball? And he eventually kind of opened up and became adamant.

No, I'm all in on football. And it's pretty clear now he's all in a football. He's going to be a good player and he should have some success. But I think when you look at the three guys, and I know Bucky Brooks wrote an article, he thought Tua was the number one overall guy. I talked to a lot of people in the league that just Joe Burroughs film this year. I mean, guys, and maybe ladies too, listening.

He threw 60 touchdowns this year. 60 touchdowns. Well, let's start with Joe Burrow. I'm going to start on the negatives. I'm going to nitpick them. We'll get to the positives a ton over these next couple months. But I'm going to focus on, in a draft room, if you're the Bengals, if you're the Chargers,

if you're the Dolphins, and you're just talking about potentially acquiring him, what are my concerns with the guy? My number one concern with Joe Burrow is why did this happen out of nowhere? Why couldn't he beat out other guys at Ohio State? Why this first year at LSU with the same wide receivers and the same offensive skill guys was he so bad? Why did his accuracy go from 56% to 76%? It's one thing to bump up in a year from like 60 to 65 or 58 to 63 or 63 to 6. It's another thing to go up 20 percentage points.

Now, we all know what we saw, because if you're listening to this, you probably watch a decent amount of LSU. He was remarkable. He looked like football Jesus throwing the ball. He could not miss. Again, 60 touchdowns, six picks, dominated all year long national championship. Heisman trophy. Kicked everyone's ass up and down the field. And I would be at the point in a draft room where I go, listen, it was a one-year wonder,

but his one year was so dominant. I don't know what to say, coach, or, you know, Howie or whoever the GM is. Like, it's just, it was what it was. And I think that he's going to maintain this level. And I think what GMs are going to say is, how can we keep him on this track? And the other knock is going to be, he has a first round wide receiver, Jefferson that's going to come out this year. The Chase guy is going to be a top 10 wide receiver.

So he was throwing to elite guys. But when he was throwing it to him, he was hitting him in their hands. And especially on the move. The other big question mark to me on Burrow was going to be, if you're Cincinnati, it wouldn't affect the Chargers or the Miami Dolphins as much because they're warm weather clients, but he has a good arm, not a great arm.

So if you're Cincinnati, by the time you get to November 1st, it's freezing cold to Cincinnati, you play the Browns, you play the Steelers, and you play the Ravens. Well, if you're playing those games outdoors, I don't know who the hell's calling me, it's going to be freezing cold, and you need a little zip on the ball to get through.

and Carson Palmer had that back in the day. Andy Dalton did not, and as talking to someone in the league, it kind of limited Andy Dalton sometimes his career late in the season. He was much better earlier in the season. Now, the one year when he was having the career year, he did hurt his thumb. But I would say arm strength is going to be a question mark. And there is some of this, which I don't think is a bad thing,

but there's a balance to it. He's pretty cocky. Now, we've seen cocky guys crush it. Aaron Roder's pretty cocky. He walked into the Packers and was like, talk his shit to far. And he's become an all-time great. Baker-Mayfield's pretty cocky and it feels like he's falling off a cliff. So there is, there's just an unknown with that.

Now, there is a confidence that you have to have in any profession that's, there's a lot of money on the line. Let alone professional athletes, when your physical attributes, you're trying to out, you know, they matter a lot. So your deep belief in yourself, like everyone at the highest level is cocky. but his, you know, you just hear some things where you just, it's going to be interesting to see what the vibe is coming out of some of these meeting rooms. But his one singular season is literally the greatest single season in the history of college sports. So it was so good that I think it kind of wipes out the previous question marks. To me, it's going to be the arm strength.

And just, I just think the attitude just get ready. It's coming up. I don't know them. I don't even know anyone at LSU. You just hear some rum. Just keep an eye on that. Tua. There was, in Albert Breer's article today, he talked to Saban.

And one of the things Sabin says is he reminds him a lot of Drew Brees. And just talking to him for a brief moment at the Super Bowl, his character is pristine. He is a very, very mature guy. And when I say like the cocky vibe, he just comes off pretty normal. Now, I'm not talking about like in between the huddle, like being. in fire. I'm just saying he's a pretty even keel individual, but Sabin loves him. He's easily

the best quarterback Sabin's hat of the dynasty, and ain't even close. He dominated the SEC, but he was hurt multiple times. He had reoccurring ankle injuries, and he dislocated a hip. And that to me, like, I think at the end of the day, if you're so good, you overlook khaki. The end of the day, if you're so good,

you even overlook arm strength. It sometimes gets difficult. The injuries do you go, were these, one-offs, I stood next to him and walked with him for about 10 seconds, you know, 20 seconds or whatever. He's not the tallest guy, but he's definitely tall enough. And the other thing that stood out to me about Tua is physically he's pretty thick. Like he's not just some small, thin-boned guy. Like, he's got some girth to him.

I was actually impressed with his size. But the injuries, and this is where it gets tough for a GM, you depend on your medical doctors. I went to Cal Poly. Got a master's degree from Fresno State. If I was a GM, I don't know anything about dislocated hips, anything about broken ankles, anything about Tommy John surgeries. You just depend on your medical people for this.

That's the reason they went to school for 10 years or whatever the hell it takes to get your medical degrees and become a surgeon and know all this stuff. They're smarter than us when it comes to the body. So you depend on that guy to say, he's going to look in the eye and go, I think he's going to be okay. Or I think I read flagged this.

Now, it doesn't mean they're always, he's right. The Miami Dolphins once upon a time did that with Drew Breeze, and they were wrong. Remember there were people like, is Peyton Manning ever going to be okay? He was fine. Sometimes, we do that though, and is this guy ever going to be all right? And he's never okay.

Can't think of a specific incident off the top of my head, but it happens countless time. Like Kevin Durant. Is Kevin Durant going to be 100% okay? Hope so. But who knows? Maybe is Achilles injury, given his body type? He's never the same. I don't know. There's just a huge unknown. So I think you're looking at injuries as by far the number one question with Tua.

Because when he was on the field, he kicked the crap out of just about every team. He was, he was elite. He's probably got the best deep ball we've seen in college football, I mean, in my lifetime, which is beautiful. Now, and like, in fairness, the other night, if I'm going to knock Burrow on playing with elite guys, he did play with just elite wide receivers. Jerry Judy, top 10 pick, top 15 pick. Ruggs, top 20 pick.

Devante Smith, he went back to school, elite player. He's playing with NFL running backs, NFL offensive linemen. So I think both Borough and Tua, you just ask yourself, if I don't have the, like if I'm the Miami Dolphids, who's he throwing to? Who's running the ball? Like if you're the charges, you go, well, let's roll, baby. We got Mike Williams, Keenan Allen.

If we re-sign Hunter Henry and Draster, Austin Echler and draft a running back, let's kick ass, take names. If you're the Bengals, you go, well, we got Joe Mixing. Uh, probably not AJ Green. You know, just, you start asking, how's he going to look? That's part of on the organization to then kind of incorporate those guys around them. Justin Herbert, I actually think, is the biggest wild guard.

Because just physically, he's the best of the three. Got news for you it? Not that close. He's bigger in both of them. He's, Burroughs pretty good athlete, but he's probably, I guess we'll see when they run the 40. I would guess Herbert's faster in Burrow. His arm strength is much.

superior than these two guys. He's a much more accomplished Josh Allen coming out of Oregon. But he won a lot. And especially this senior season, he was really good. 66%, 32 touchdown, six picks.

I think the knock is going to be, and this was the knock last year, if he would have came out, he would have been a top five pick. But there were some people question, like, is he mentally ready? And when I say mentally ready, like he kind of had the Mariotta

vibe to him, where he's not Mr. Loud. Mr. Like, that's, get back to Burrow. Like, he's cocky. He's outspoken. He's the guy. Follow me to freedom. So is Tua.

Like, Tua talk, people listen. Now, it's a little different than Burrow, but both those guys are assertive leaders. This is from information talking to people in the league. I don't make it shit up. This is verified information for people that have been in the schools. The knock on Herbert has been, and I'm talking coming into the season when he's just a little quieter. Remember with Marriota and everyone freaked out like, is Marriota? as good of a leader is James.

Now, we can question James the leader, but Marriota's assertiveness and is just his just level of intensity in terms of talking and leadership, it affected him. Now, you could say the reason it mainly affected him, he's just not good enough, right? His personality is not his biggest downfall. It's his physical attributes. He's not a good passer of the football.

Don't ever forget how good the media tried to tell you Marcus Mariotta was. Justin Herbert is in a completely different stratosphere as a pro prospect than Marcus Marriota. And I like Marcus Marriota coming out, but people acting like he was going to be Steve Young or something. It was insane. Good college player has kind of been exposed in the NFL. Arm strength average, not an accurate passer. That's the thing with Justin Herbert. He's pretty accurate.

66%. He ain't thrown to NFL wide receivers. He's throwing to just kind of some random guys. They actually, they're running game this year. this is Jonathan Stewart and Ontario Smith and Kenyon Barner and La Michael James and a bus but he was a good college player ain't walking through that door his talent on offense by far was the worst out of these two guys

he didn't have a rugs he didn't have a chase he didn't have these star wide receivers he had some random guys and running running backs that were below average for Oregon standards Oregon was really a defensive lead team but Herbert to me as the season went on, played a lot better, and then, especially in that Rose Bowl,

just willed his team to a victory. I don't think it's insanity. If you told me right now, the Cincinnati Bengals took Justin Herbert number one on February 17. Now, it would be crazy, just given Borough season, how hype Tua was.

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 SportsSlice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic 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, suit 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 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. Kier Gains 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 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, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Where's he at?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramers sending on to Ernie Stewart the chip. I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Bo.

On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals

or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. But as a prospect, just physical gifts, they're there. Now, the personality stuff, it does matter. And the media always gets so offended by this.

Like, why are we talking about their personalities? I don't know. Carson Palmer told me, you know what he misses most about being an NFL quarterback? Walking into that building every day and having the weight of the franchise on his shoulders. You know who doesn't have that? The wide receiver, the defensive end, the safety, the running back, the guard, the quarterback does. It's the reason the quarterback gets all the money.

It's the reason the quarterback gets all the girls. It's also the reason the quarterback gets all the shit when things don't go right. That's why Jimmy G has taken all these bullets since they lost the Super Bowl. Now, obviously, other guys on the team get the girls too, but the quarterback gets the most. He's the most famous. It'll always be like that. He's the NBA star of football. And it's because he's more important.

But when you just talk about physical attributes, and if you're Cincinnati Bengals and you're playing outside in the cold, I think Herbert is a little more intriguing for them than you get the hype. Now, you're going to have to get to know the person. And I think that's going to be the big question mark. He also went to the Senior Bowl and answered a lot of questions, was around a lot of guys. And from what I've heard, it went really well.

And ultimately, his physical attributes are so superior that even if you're like, you know, he's a little quiet, you'll just talk yourself into, we'll make him louder. We'll make him more comfortable. And unlike LSU and Alabama, they're covered like NFL teams, Eugene Oregon doesn't exactly a major media market. So there is going to be, if he just goes to,

now obviously the Miami Dolphins and even the Chargers aren't covered like that, but still, you'd be in L.A. or you'd be in the Miami Dolphins playing the New England Patriots, playing the New York Jets. It'd be a completely different war. world that you're going to have to be comfortable with, yeah, he'll be able to handle that. And I'm fascinated to see this way, the way it shakes out.

I think all three are, I mean, are close to just big time prospects. And I think that Justin Herbert actually is being a little undervalued at this point. 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. 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. 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 bag's daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed.

Diapers 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 fan 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. Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by Nitsa and the Ad Council. Okay, let's dive into some stories just that came around this weekend.

We'll just fly through them. Kind of like what we do in the same. season with games, but just stories. Start with the XFL. Full disclosure, unlike the first weekend where I watched a decent amount, you know, probably 30% of the XFL in opening weekend. I watched 0% of the XFL in Week 2. Zero. Not one snap besides something on social media.

The McLean clip, Matt McLean threw a pick six. I didn't watch any games. I was out and about. I was just doing other stuff. But I wasn't going to watch it. They've kind of lost my interest. But one thing I think they're doing a good job of, and I give them a lot of credit, is they go viral after every game. Whoever wins the game is shotgunning beers or slamming beers in the locker room.

That looks fun. That looks cool. Kudos to the XFL. Embrace what just people like doing. Having fun. Slamming beers in the locker room. You don't see that in the NFL. I got the Daytona 500 on the background.

Dude just flipped over like 50 times. Wow. Geez. It's a crazy-ass crash. but yeah the XFL keep doing that Darius Slay on the block talking to a buddy in the league I said why would the Lions trade Darius Slay

and his response was they're morons and I think that's fair the lions are poorly run right now with Matt Patricia and I don't want to call him Dan Bob Quinn the general manager not doing a good job just that simple they traded away a safety last year to Seattle and he became their best defense back

that they don't evaluate personnel very well well. They're in shambles. They've been terrible. They're drafting third overall this year for a reason. They're just not well run. Now, I'll be honest. I don't know that much about Darius Slay as a player. You know, I know he's really good, but just the level of him as a player, I had to text around. And everyone that I texted, he's an elite player. Why would you get rid of an elite player? How about you just pay elite players? you know now I guess he did Patricia and Quinn could argue well he's been an elite player for us and look at what it gets us nothing I'd say that's probably on you I would not get rid of him Tom Brady will get offered

$60 million by the Oakland Raiders is every day that goes by that we don't have a contract with New England I'm starting to believe he may leave now is he going to go to the Raiders I don't know but $60 million dollars $60 million you could argue for Tom Brady for him to say yes to the Raiders,

that number would have to be about $75, $80 million. If I'm Tom Brady and I'm going to go to the Raiders, I'd probably need two years $80 million. Your defense is atrocious. You got a bunch of young players on offense, unproven guys. I know the tight end last year, Waller had a really good year and even Josh Jacobs,

but it's just, it's not like I'm inherent in Barry Sanders and Rob Growsky here. You know, unless I'd act like John Gruden has really been just dominating. the coaching ranks for the last decade. He's had two years, Ben Rocky, to say the least. So it would take me a little more money than $60 million, especially when countless quarterbacks are getting paid more than $30 million a year.

It's basically Jimmy Garoppolo money. I'm Tom Brady. I'm going to come to the Raiders. I'm going to need some cash. Now, you could counter me and go, well, who's really offering them a lot of money? That is a good question. But if I'm Tom, I'm using some of my leverage of just being Tom freaking Brady. Brett Bilema, interviewing for Colorado.

One thing I've heard over and over that the Colorado AD wants is he's kind of old school. You know how a lot of these programs now look for, spread it around, throw up a lot of points. He actually wants old school smash mouth. That's why he hired Mel Tucker, who is a Nick Saban guy. He wants to play defense and he wants to run the ball down your throat. So Brett Bilema interviewing with Colorado actually makes a lot of sense. We forget, Brett Bilema, relative to what Arkansas, was before and after him was pretty damn good there and obviously it was constant he had a lot of success

i think bret belement would be a home run higher for colorado now as he been humbled a little bit these last couple years out of football working for bellichick as a defensive line coach now i think he's a pass rush specialist for the giants i don't know if they could do much better than bret belema seriously his resume's long he's won a lot of games he's coached in multiple power five conferences the two biggest ones, the Big Ten, and the SEC. And he had a little bit of success at Arkansas relative to the talent they get and into the teams they play. He wasn't just some joke.

Produced a lot of NFL players. I actually think it would be a pretty good hire. I think it would be a solid addition for the Pac-12 getting Brett Beelma in there. You could argue that Brett Beelma, well, he is, more accomplished than Mel Tucker, probably be a better head coach than Mel Tucker. The Bucks.

I guess Bruce Ariens was at. last week, if anything's changed with his quarterback thinking and with James getting the LASIC and he basically just said no, because we have no clue who's going to be available in trade, who's going to get cut, who's going to leave teams. I think he's just leaving it open. If we can do better than James, he's gone. The other major variable with James Winston, how much you think James Winston's going to cost? You think he's just going to be like a $20 million quarterback?

James Winston is crazy as it sounds, he's going to want $30 million a year. He's going to want an enormous contract. I promise you he will. And that's right now the most under kind of appreciated thing about James is like everyone's making fun of him. He throws a lot of picks. He's a free agent. He'll franchise him maybe, but what if he doesn't franchise him?

Don't franchise him. See how much money he's going to ask for. Because he's more accomplished in Teddy Bridgewater, and there was a story out today that Teddy Bridgewater is going to cost $30 million. Now, I don't believe that. but if Teddy Bridgewater is getting $30 million, James Winston is getting $30 million. I promise you that. Free agency is weird.

Guys get overpaid. But I think that if James does hit free agency or just cost the bucks because they don't want to franchise them, it's going to be a lot higher number than just the casual fan would go, whoa! James got what? James got $75 million guaranteed. Just brace yourself. Get ready for it because it's coming. Okay, let's dive into the middle-off mailback.

Dive in a couple questions here. Okay, also, we talk about the Niners retaining free agents, but what do the Patriots Super Bowl teams look like the following year with turnover? Other than franchising and trading Armstead, should we be retaining anyone? And what about taking a chance on Thomas' Solomon Thomas' fifth-year option like they did with Armstead? Start with Solomon Thomas.

I would say no chance. They're not picking that up. Armstead was 6-7 and was just a... 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, 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 Slic 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, Tript 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, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever 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 whops up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Come on out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramedipausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast.

How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess. happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that Ness was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats,

Fupa's, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. That's what? Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into

it unfiltered and unbothered and Ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Superior athlete. The Patriots look different every year, but they do keep their core together. And I expect the 49ers to extend Kittle, extend Buckner.

And I think that it's going to be a tough decision when it comes to when it comes to Armstead. You could either franchise them and keep them. You could try to pay them and keep them with Bosa and Buckner and just have a dominant defensive line. Or maybe best case, franchise and trade. Look what they did with Clowney,

with Frank Clark, with D. Ford. Now, Clowny's the worst example, but you do it in the offseason. And this is where the Niners, Perragg, John, Kyle, are good. You franchise and you trade immediately. So that would be my move. Hey, John, love the pod. Got two questions for the mailback.

First question. We are not giving Tyreek Hill enough credit for the Super Bowl win the Chief's hat. Hill was virtually uncoverable, as always. Draws double coverage every snap. That gives KC other players big advantages against their matchups the entire game. Secondly, who are the top five non-quarterback players based on importance to their team's success? I personally would include Hill in that conversation. P.S., come to NC and let's play some golf.

I would love to come to North Carolina and play some. some golf to be honest with you. I would say, yeah, I mean, Hill's performance was, when you're that fast, even if you don't have that many catches in the game, you impact every game. Deshawn Jackson, Odell Beckham, you create and change the coverage. So his impact, and he's such an elite player, is huge. Off the top of my head, top five non-quarterbacks in the league, Aaron Donald, George Kittle, T.J. Watt was an ass kicker this year.

Mike Evans, Julio Jones, pretty damn good. Hopkins is elite. You know, Ramsey got traded. I wouldn't quite include him anymore. Who's like the best middle linebacker? I'd have to do some thinking. It's hard to do off the top of my head. But yeah, I mean, he'll's right up there.

When do you think the Dallas Cowboys should start to draft offensive linemen to replace the older players on their line. You know, I think you could never draft enough offensive linemen. I would try to draft an offensive lineman every year. And if you're the Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy, he's an old school guy. I would imagine they're drafting guards and centers in the middle. It's easy because you can draft, you can find starters, definitely guys that make your team

in the sixth and seventh round at garden center. So I would recommend drafting guys every year. The Jets did it. The Jets did not do it and look where it got them. They were in shambles last year. They couldn't protect Donald. You have to draft offensive linemen. I love the pod, very insightful.

I know you mentioned that you are not a big fantasy football guy, but I recently traded for the first overall pick in my dynasty rookie draft. I know it all depends where they actually get drafted in April, but I need a top wide receiver. Who do you think has the best skills that will translate to the NFL from college? Jerry Judy or C.D. Lamb, any insight would be greatly appreciated. I would typically lean the more physical wide receiver and that C.D. Lamb,

but I've watched enough Matthew Barry shows to know you can be a great wide receiver. If you're with a bad quarterback, you're in trouble. You know, if Jerry Judy goes to, I'm trying to think of it, the New York Giants and gets with Daniel Jones, and C.D. Lamb goes to Aaron Rogers and the Packers. It's just, or vice versa.

Or one guy goes to, you know, just a team with a good quarterback. If one of these guys gets a rookie quarterback or a second year quarterback, I got to know the quarterback because you see it every year. Like once A.J. Brown got with Ryan Taneyhill, AJ Brown was kicking ass and taking names, right? When you get with a good quarterback who can feed you the ball, you can put up huge numbers.

So to me, the key on that has to be the quarterback. 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. 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. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? 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. Cheese fan from Germany. Out of curiosity, if the chiefs were to trade Mahomes, I know they never will. How many picks other players could they acquire in that auction-type scenario? I think the scenario is kind of stupid just in the sense that they literally, he's the most untradable player. I mean, I'm not going to overreact saying NFL history, but do you think you could say in NFL history? And you could say it with a straight face. Five first rounders, you gave me five number ones if they, like, they hated him and wanted to get rid of him like he was a bad guy. five first rounders probably would be my guess

we all know Mike Brown is one of the poorest owners in the NFL and therefore the Bengals are never active in free agency and depend mostly entirely on the draft to build their team assuming the Bengals take Joe Burrow number one overall how would you proceed throughout the rest of the draft and building a supporting cast around him so he can succeed

the Bengals once drafted Cendrick Abogaday I can't say that name and Jake Fisher in rounds one and two in 2015 to eventually become starters but they were both bused with that history is drafting for need the way to go, offensive line, or do you just draft BPA regardless of position? I think the key is when you draft a young quarterback

or sign a young quarterback, like the Niners did with Jimmy Garoppel. You have to surround them with players. Offensive linemen and skill guys. I'd have to text around to get the lay of the land on the Bengals offensive line. I know they have Joe Mixing. Well, A.J. Green's going to be gone.

And A.J. Green didn't play all seasons. So you're going to need a number one wide receiver. So with the number two overall pick, or the number one overall pick in the second round, like the Niners this year, they got Debo Samuel. And he's their best wide receiver. They got aggressive. They got Jimmy Garoplo. They drafted McGlinchy.

They drafted Debo. They traded for Emmanuel Sanders. You know, how he drafts Carson Wentz. He goes and gets Alshon Jeffrey. He signs Deshawn. He drafts Goddert. He gets Miles Sanders. He trades for JHA.

He always draft an offensive lineman. You got to surround your guy and give him a shot. That to me is the key. Hell, they got Russell Wilson. They traded for Jimmy Graham. They traded for Percy Harvin. Always tried to get them weapons. Always drafting running backs.

Always trading for weapons. I think you can never have enough weapons for your young quarterback. Now, you could also never have enough guys that can block for him too. That clearly, like you said, is a little more difficult to figure out. Because if you miss on an offensive lineman, at least you can still throw the ball to the wide receiver in theory. like the offensive linemen can't block is going to get the guy killed.

Just saw the Rams and the Broncos won't be sending any assistant coaches or coordinators to the Combine. Also, the head coaches will only be go to fulfill media obligations. Is the Combine so well televised that coaches don't need to go anymore or do they think they already have enough

college film to create their draft boards? I would think they'd at least want to use the time to interview potential future players. What do you think their reasoning could be? I don't really know what their reasoning could be. I saw Benjamin Albright tweeted that he thought it was because guys, assistant coaches like to talk and you give a lot of secret information out. Well, I think you could say the same for GM and head coaches.

Like, people just talk at the combine. To me, the bigger issue is that I don't know if the assistant coaches have to go. I got no problem with it. The head coach, general manager, and contract negotiator, one million percent need to be there. Because the way business is done in the NFL is at the combine, you're talking about free agency, even more than the draft.

Talking about what it's going to cost to retain the players that you want to retain, what it's going to toss to go get free agents, what potential trades are out there because you're meeting with general managers, you're all in the same place. I run another podcast, Hayrim Middle Coff, the business aspect of it.

And I do all the business off email. And I don't really need to see people in person. I've just done all of our business can be done with texts and email, through ad agencies, even through companies. I've done businesses through companies without ever talking to anyone on the phone. but I'm not worried about like competition.

Like if you don't show up, the other 31 teams are your competition. So if you are not present, they may be gaining an edge. And part of gaining an edge also is just getting to know an agent better, getting some inside information from another general manager. You got to have boots on the ground. Sources say that my boots should be on the ground.

Since I think I mentioned something at the beginning of this, we've got some more information. I think I'm going to be there next week just for a couple days. But yeah, I do think it's important. to go. And is it important for the assistant coaches to go? That doesn't matter as much. I don't know why. I'll try to find out when I'm there. I honestly haven't really heard much about it. It's kind of weird. I'm an Eagles fan and would love the podcast. Appreciate it. What do you think about James getting LASIC surgery?

Arian said his vision was so bad that he couldn't even read the scoreboard. Is it possible that all the picks were just because he was completely blind and now he will just be awesome. Well, I have pretty good eyesight. My brother doesn't. My dad did not at all. I have dated girls with bad eyesight. It clearly impacts your life. And near-sighted, far-sided, whatever

it is, it's hard to see certain things. Now, he's been good enough where you go, I do think he can see, but I've seen enough pictures go viral on the internet of him squinting. So clearly there are times when he struggles to see. And if you think about the pace of how fast everyone is running relative when he's throwing picks, right? Or it's multiple guys running four-fours, the DB and the wide receiver. Maybe it'll help.

Now, is he going to go from being 30-30 guy to all of a sudden 45-10 guy? Probably not. Could he be better? For sure. Simply put, I have no clue. I would lean we don't see that much difference. Like Steph Curry, I think got LASIC like his third year. Not his third year in the league, but like his third year once he started kicking everyone's ass,

and I think it helped. But he had already been kicking everyone's ass without LASIC. So I struggle to put that much, you know, credence or just belief that it's going to be some game-changing thing. Can you explain what it means to restructure a contract and what Dead Cap is? Asking for it as a Niners fan and reading about the team, possibly getting Jimmy G&D Ford to restructure things. Well, when I give a guy a $100 million, if I give a guy a five-year $100 million deal, or a four-year $100 million deal, let's say,

and I guarantee $70 million of it, that $70 million bonus is put into escrow. And typically it's paid within the first two weeks of the deal signing, and you were paid that enormous amount of money within the first year of you signing the contract. Well, I don't put 70 million on the books year one. I amortize that and spread it out throughout the life of the deal. And I can do it incrementally.

So it's why when you see a guy like Khalil Mack signed for $90 million, his first couple years of his deal are enormous, the dead cap, because the bonus money goes into the dead cap. Your cap money, I'm pretty sure you can spread out any way you want, and that's the actual money you're paying them on a given basis. So typically the dead cap on a huge deal like Matt Ryan, Khalil Mack, O'Dell Beckham, Julio Jones, whoever, a guy that's signing for 50 million plus in guaranteed money,

the first couple years of that deal, the dead cap is dramatically higher than the cap number. It's why if I cut you, your cap number goes away. But if you have a dead cap of 30 or 40 million dollars because I've paid you this enormous lump sum of money, that stays on my cap. So if I keep you on my team, it's actually cheaper to keep you around. Like the term cheaper to keeper, it's cheaper to keep you.

You know, that's why people don't get divorced, because divorces get really expensive. You can, you know, figure out situations because it gets really complicated. It's why a lot of guys don't get cut that probably should. Because it's actually cheaper to keep him on your team, even if you don't really want him on your team. Like, it's cheaper for the Jacksonville Jaguars to keep Nick Fold. then it will be to trade them or cut them. And that's just the nature of signing huge deals. And it's not like, unlike in basketball and baseball,

where I can just trade your salary away, it doesn't work like that because of the structure of contracts in the NFL. I've already paid you the money. So someone else doesn't owe you that huge bonus. It's already been paid by me. That's why last year people made such a big deal about Odell Beckham getting traded because they'd already paid the money. The Giants had already given them the cash.

So that's just a little cliff note version. Appreciate everyone listening. Thanks a lot. Adios, Godspeed. And have a great week, and I'll talk to you a little later. See you. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800 Flowers.com

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That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlic 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.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite on humor. me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L'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. What's up, guys? This is Clever 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? Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHart Podcasts So I'm Leanne. This is my best friend, Janet. And we have been joined at the hips since high school.

Absolutely. A redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo.

Well, then you got them. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.