The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Trevor Lawrence 'Love of the Game' Debate; Top QB Takes; Draft Nuggets; Alex Smith Thoughts; Mailbag

Episode Date: April 20, 2021

In this episode, John discusses the continued debate surrounding Trevor Lawrence's love of football, shares some draft nuggets he's focusing with a week until the Jags are on the clock. He also tips the cap to Alex Smith after his retirement announcement and answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag. Follow John on Twitter and SUBSCRIBE now to get all the latest content!! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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and sign-on bonuses. If you want a career that fits and adapts to your lifestyle, head to Amazon.com slash apply. Amazon is a proud, equal opportunity employer. What is going on, everybody? It's me. John Middilkoff. This is a three and out podcast. Appreciate everyone coming. Obviously, the draft right around the corner.

Thank you to the heavens above because I'm ready. And as of recording this, we have, what would it be? 10 days. We got three more days till Thursday. Yeah, I mean, so we're 10 days away. 10 freaking days away, can't wait. So we're going to do a little draft talk here. some different thoughts on the quarterbacks

some just some draft scuttle butt that I'm hearing Alex Smith retires want to just do a little hat tip and then of course the Middlecough mailbag at John Middlecough is my Instagram slide right in there and yeah shoot me a question get them answered right here on the show I got a lot of questions today

I'm going to put them I'm going to record them I'm going to put them up on my YouTube channel as well John Middlecough is just the YouTube channel and I put different three and out segments and just some other stuff up there as well and if you could leave a review on the Apple iTunes would be the easiest place to leave a review

many of you have a lot of glowing reviews I appreciate everyone being so kind and I'm glad that people like the show okay I wanted to start here with Trevor Lawrence and we talked about last week about his comments And the comments of football's not everything that he doesn't have to win a Super Bowl to justify his career that basically, I wrote it down last week, it was pretty ugly, comments like he's not a win a Super Bowl at all cost guy.

That was from his dad. His high school coach, he could walk away and be fine. And I had said, like, you probably heard this on several other places. red flagged those comments. Because in the NFL at quarterback, it's a no-balance position. I need a junkie. That's what Tom Brady was. That's what Peyton Manning is.

That's what Mahomes is. That's what Josh Allen is. That's what Lamar Jackson is. That's what Russell Wilson is. That's what just the great players are. I think Rogers doesn't get that kind of that tag. He clearly is. I don't think he's just walking into MVP seasons.

Like he might not post workout videos like Russell Wilson, he's working. He's obsessed with football. Or there's no chance at 37 years old he could be this good. It's part of the deal. Tiger Woods didn't randomly kick everyone's ass. He outworked them. He ate and breathed and slept golf. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, football is their life.

Say what you want about LeBron James. He's all in on basketball. I need my guy to have no balance if you're going to be an all-time great. It's just part for the course. It's part of the deal. That it's just the price of admission. And Trevor Lawrence has been built up to be this all-time great prospect. And I, listen, I don't pretend to have watched every Trevor Lawrence snap at Clemson.

Half their games were a joke. I think he's an incredible prospect. The size, the ability, the talent, my friends that do the SEC, clearly Clemson loves him. So I, in fairness to even people like me that were critical of the comments, like, I think it's easy to say. I judge people not by what they say, but by their actions, and his actions have football meant a lot to him. Now, one thing that jumped out to me when I talked about, I think it was last Friday when I did the topic about Trevor Lawrence was, you know, he says he doesn't watch NFL football on Sunday, which Julio Jones said the same thing. I don't care about wide receiver.

That does bother me a little bit about my quarterback. I like him to like to watch the NFL football. But it's just those are the facts. That's a reality. He can walk it back and I know he says it means a lot to him. I do believe that. Luck's kind of had a similar vibe. And like I said last week, it wasn't necessarily because, like Luck didn't leave football

because he didn't love football. Because when things were going well, he was kicking everyone's ass. He was playing really well. They were going to the playoffs. They were winning divisions. And then his injuries. When things go bad is when your love of something really get tested. Your love of your wife doesn't get tested, or at least it shouldn't, on your honeymoon.

When you're dating someone, the first couple months are usually the best. When does it get hard? I would imagine in marriage, when a kid gets in trouble, when a kid gets sick, when someone loses their job, when you have financial troubles, that's when you find out how much you love someone, right? you find out like I wouldn't want to be in the relationship with any other person. You don't learn when the times are the best. No different in business.

When everyone's making money, everything's great. What's your business partnership like when Corona hits? And you got to fight like living hell to keep your financial head above water. That's when you learn who you want to be in business with. Here's what I know about Tom Brady. When shit hits the fan, I want to be in a bunker with that guy. Peyton Manning, obviously. The guy's work ethic was under.

Metschreys, Mahomes, like these guys, you want to roll with these guys. When times are tough. I said it over Corona, they replayed the AFC championship game from 2018, the one where D-Ford jumped off sides. And part of it when you watch a game live, you're just living in it and then you react. When you rewatch a game, you can kind of take a step back, rewatching a game for a guy like Mahomes, who then had three years in the league. I remember coming on this very show and saying it was pretty clear watching that game

when Mahomes was getting peppered he wheeled his team to overtime that was an incredible performance even in a loss like you go back and you watch that game you go it was clear Mahomes had it like whatever it is just draw a huge IT on his back

because he had it if you just watch it rewatch that game and knowing what you know about Mahomes now he'd like oh I get it I see it yeah now he was the MVP of the league that year, but what I'm saying is they lost the game and you learn more from losses typically than you do wins in any walk-alive. But I think here was the thing with Trevor Lawrence, why he had no

choice but to walk it back, not because it was going to put his being the number one pick in jeopardy, but you're kind of compared as a player to your draft class. And when you look at the draft class of quarterbacks, and we'll get into Mack Jones where he's actually going to go. But let's just start with Mac Jones. Goes to Alabama when they had more. Multiple NFL quarterbacks. When he got there, Jalen Hertz was the starting quarterback. Who ended up being a second round pick? Tua was like the franchise was the next, you know what, right behind him.

In a day and age, when every fucking person known to man, the moment they don't play in basketball or football goes in that transfer portal, he didn't. He stuck it out. He let the dust settle, the chaos ensue, one guy transfers, another guy gets hurt, boom, he comes in, and now we're talking about him being like a top 10 pick. I give the kid a lot of credit. Because you can't tell me, even though the third stringer at Alabama can't transfer to some Power 5 program and start, he could have.

You look at Zach Wilson. I didn't know this, but just listening to podcasts and different people, he used to drive eight hours, and I've done it when I was scouting. Provo, Utah, Los Angeles. Good trek. Takes a while. Actually, I hate to admit this. My mom would kill me. One time I was checking my phone on the, I forget the freeway,

but it's basically this long freeway that goes from Provo, Utah. I can't remember if it goes, it goes Utah State, then Utah, then BYU, maybe, and then you work your way down to Vegas. I might have Provo and Salt Lake City mixed up, but this long drive, long stretch of highway, I looked at my phone, I vivid, I don't remember two weeks ago, but I vividly remember this, and this would have been in 2012, looking at my phone, looking back up, I was in the Honda Accord, I was in the complete other lane, oncoming traffic coming at me.

Luckily, it was a semi, was still relatively far away, but your just kind of instincts kick in, and I kind of yank it back. It just, it could have been really bad. Let's just say that. I'm not very religious, but it's just one of those things. I've had a couple moments like that in a car just over my life where you just go, Listen, I'm not trying to preach here, but someone watching over me because we could have done about, you know, seven flips on the side of the freeway and it could have been bye-bye John. But this guy used to make that drive, like the scouting community, to go see John Beck and train in the offseason during Corona just to work on the guy's skills.

So you can't convince me Zach Wilson is not an all-in football guy. You're making that drive. And then you hear these stories about he needed some money, even though I thought he came from money, he just worked door to. Maybe he's just up-and-coming entrepreneur. He's just working DoorDash while he's staying in L.A. And even when he was at BYU. I just like everything I hear about this kid. And clearly, you know, some of the immature stuff, and I've said this for a while at BYU,

their standards are higher than every other standards, right? There is no such thing as premarital sex at BYU. That's part of the code. Maybe that's not what it's called, but you sign this thing. You're not allowed to do that. Can you, I don't know about you, but in my college that was like pretty normal. normal? I mean, it's a pretty normal thing in society, especially for football players.

Newsflash. Most of them are having a lot of sex. So, like, that's something to get you, I remember Brandon Davies was a basketball player, I think on the jimmer teams. He got kicked out of school. I think his girlfriend at the time got pregnant. It's not allowed. So their standards, like, at USC at Alabama, at Texas, that's called a normal Tuesday. Like, you get in trouble for having sex, let alone drinking, their standards are super high. So when I hear some of these things, you know, he could be prickly his first two years.

Like, relative to what? You know, you have to hold, like, their institution just operates differently than most of these schools, right? And then you go to Justin Fields. I give this guy so much credit. Because in the fall, when the SEC and the ACC and the Big 12 said,

we're playing football, as they should have, The Big Ten, the academic elite said, we're not playing. And the Pac-12, the followers that they are just followed the Big Ten. And Justin Field says, and listen, the media can say whatever they want right now, they applauded that. That was applauded by the sports media. Do not play. Woo-hoo!

We cannot change history. I had a front-row seat, social media, all of them said, better safe than sorry, the Big Ten's doing the right thing. Justin Field said, screw that. He was openly advocating for playing. And he obviously had a big platform, and he was screaming as loud as everyone could hear. I give him a lot of credit.

You don't do that unless you really want to play football. Because it was not the cool thing to do. It was for the players. The players wanted to play, even though the media didn't want them to play or the presidents. It was a bizarre time. I never understood it. The SEC was already six games in.

And the Pac-12 was like, oh, guess we'll play. So it's not about science. You guys are just doing kind of, you're just picking and choosing what you do. I give Justin Fields a lot of credit on that one. And Trey Lance. I didn't know that much about Trey Lance,

smaller school guy, but the one thing you noticed if you watched a draft special was he desperately, and I guess you wouldn't notice if you didn't watch a draft special, but I noticed watching the draft special. And if you read about him,

you find out that he wanted to play quarterback at University of Minnesota. and he was a really good high school quarterback. For whatever reason, though, Minnesota would not offer him to play quarterback. They said he could play another position. He said, no, I want to play quarterback. And he was devastated when Minnesota,

the place he wanted to go, did not offer him a scholarship to play quarterback. So he had so much conviction in his own beliefs, he turned down a Power 5 to play another position, which a lot of guys do, to go play at North Dakota State. Now, in the North Dakota State bubble, that place of powerhouse.

They win national championship after national championship after national championship. And when he's drafted, and my gut says he goes to San Francisco with the number three overall pick, he will be the second North Dakota State quarterback to go in the top five in the last six years. Obviously, Carson Wentz, now him. Well, Easton Stick was drafted last year or two years ago in the fifth round from North Dakota State. He was wearing a shirt on his pro day on Monday that said quarterback you.

Like, it is a powerhouse. but it's not Minnesota's in the Big Ten. Think who they play. Wisconsin, obviously Michigan, Ohio State. He turned down that to go play quarterback, and it worked out. So you got Zach Wilson,

who drives eight hours to go see a quarterback coach in Corona. You got Justin Fields, who's fighting the media and the school presidents, calling them all idiots, saying he wants to play. You got Mack Jones, who everyone transfers to this day and age, refused to transfer, becoming a Heisman trophy candidate.

And you got Trey Lance that went to Division I, AA because his belief to play quarterback. And then you got Trevor Lawrence, the best prospect of the group being like, yeah, you know, football. You know, we'll see where it goes. Sounds like a dude from a surfer from Southern California. Like, just, you know, man, just see where the day takes me. I feel I like it, but you never know, man. It's like, Trevor, man, this is serious. And I think the people at Clemson would be like,

You guys are making too much of this. We've seen this guy work. This guy has given us everything humanly possible these last three years. And I hate, I judge people by their actions. There's nothing more hollow than words. Never more than now, too, with all these social platforms. They mean fucking nothing.

And if you just based on your actions, Trevor Lawrence has checked every box his whole career. The only question I would have, some of these guys have had to fight some adversity, right? Mac Jones had to sit. Trey Lance had to go to a little school. Zach Wilson just didn't play that well, his first guy. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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Justin Fields, they didn't even name him the starter of Georgia, had to transfer. Now, a little like Joe Burroughs, like, yeah, he had a transfer. Yeah, he went to Ohio State. So I do think Trevor Lawrence, like, smart by him to kind of backtrack. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. All of our shows at Fox SportsRadio.com. And within the IHeartRadio app, search FSR to listen live. Learning to ski, keep in mind these helpful tips.

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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. I wanted to do a little draft scuttle butt. Some things that I'm hearing, some things that I believe.

I just wrote down different things. And that I think might be possible as of recording this on Monday, April 19th, the draft's right around the corner. So I think the hardest part about this year, like listen, I like to gamble. I would not place a bet on the number three overall pick. I know multiple people that would know what the Niners are doing. They wouldn't tell me right now if I paid them.

I obviously couldn't pay them enough for the information, but this notion, I talked to multiple teams over the weekend just texting with different buddies. Everyone's guessing. People don't know. And again, I gamble. I would not place a wager, maybe $100 or whatever. substantial wager. I would not place a $1,000 bet on any of the three guys.

Mack Jones, Justin Fields, Trey Lance. My gut kind of says, Trey Lance. I had Joel Clatt on my other podcast with Guy last week. He kind of convinced me Justin Fields. I don't know what to think. I don't think it's Mac Jones, but I'm not going to be shell-shocked if it is. I don't know. It's pretty crazy. It's one of the more wild stories in recent memory that we have this crazy trade-up and no one knows what they're going to take. Makes a draft cool. I think the NFL loves it. I said over and over, I think there's going to be the highest rated NFL draft,

potentially in the history of drafts. I think it's going to be berserk. Think about the first two picks. New York's the number one media market. San Francisco, the Greater Bay Area is like top five. The Niners from a fan-based standpoint have to have, I mean, they're probably top five of actual human fans that are fans of the team. You'd probably go the New York Giants,

Packer, Steelers, I mean, those two teams. teams I've seen been to multiple games in San Francisco and Oakland. When the Steelers or Packers come, it's a home game for them. Their fan bases are stupid. The Packers fan base, it's massive. But I just think the amount of people that are going to be, Atlanta is a pretty big market. Think about some of the top teams, New England's sniffing around, Washington.

All the big markets are up to stuff. This draft's going to be huge. One thing that a buddy told me this weekend, and I've just, I've been thinking this, he said, you know, something came up in our draft room we've been discussing, and I think it's probably being discussed in a lot of draft rooms. Mac Jones. If he is not picked by the Niners,

are we sure he goes in like the top 15? Because I'll tell you this. I'm not. I don't think he's a lock. And is it one of those things that like as he's falling? Oh my God, the Mac Jones tumble. When Aaron Rogers tumbled in the draft, that was a tumble because he almost went number one.

If Mac Jones doesn't go number three overall, there's a chance he was never going to go three overall. It was just a complete fabrication by the team or teams through the sports media, who every single year get played like a fiddle during this time of year. Yet everyone believes it, everyone freaks out. It's the same thing that happens every year. So if Mac Jones does not get drafted by the Niners, If I'm the Carolina Panthers, I would rather work with Sam Darnold

than draft Mac Jones. If I'm the Denver Broncos, I'm not wasting my big bullet on a quarterback on Mac Jones. And Elway, I know he's not necessarily a decision maker anymore, but if I'm John Elway, I go to General Patton,

George Payton, and say, listen, man, we ain't taking Mac Jones. I think there's a chance. What if the Patriots don't take Mac Jones? Are we sure Mac Jones is going in the top 20? Just something to keep an eye on. Something that's out. there. Something to think about.

I think a lot of people in the league, and I saw Albert Brewer wrote about this, think that there's a very, very decent chance that Kyle Pitts goes number four to the Atlanta Falcons. And I think he's basically viewed as once upon a time that Falcons traded up for Julio Jones. It's one of the defining moments of the last couple decades for the franchise. It was an incredible move. They traded up all these picks from the 20s and drafted a Hall of Famer, a dominant player who they've had some major moments as a franchise and he's been their best player.

So, and I think this guy could be viewed as equally as good and probably more unique. I think they end up taking Kyle Pitts. Jalen Phillips, the pass rusher, he went to UCLA, he got some concussions, ends up at Miami, I think is easily viewed as the most talented pass rusher in this draft. This is not, the last couple years, there's been the Bosa, there's been Josh Allen. There have been really good pass rushers taken relatively high.

Same with interior pass rushers, right? Quinn and Williams. I'm trying to think of the top of my head, but it feels like there have been a lot of defensive linemen in the last couple years. It does not feel that's the case this year. There is no lock defensive linemen

going in the top 10, which is not normal. Usually we see several defensive linemen go in the top 10. I don't think Jalen Phillips is necessarily going to go in the top 10, but I think he's very good chance. He's the first defensive linemen off the board.

But he's very risky pick. Concussions, transfer guy, still relatively young, very, very talented. Micah Parsons, I think he's widely viewed as probably just the most complete defensive prospect. I think there are elements to him, though, a little bit, now he's a better prospect. I'm not trying to compare him to Isaiah Simmons, but I think he has this, he's a stand-up linebacker who has pass-rush ability. to me he's going to be a little dependent on the defensive coordinator. If he gets with the right defensive coordinator, the sky's the limit, and he could be a consistent pro bowler.

Now, again, I'm not comparing him to Isaiah Simmons where he does have a true position. I think Isaiah Simmons could get a little lost out there. And a lot of my friends who know what they're talking about believed he was the most overrated prospect last year in the draft. And he had moments where he couldn't even get on the field as a rookie. And I said the whole time, like Vance Joseph, check his resume, not a great fit. But I think if Michael Parsons can get with the right defensive coordinator, watch out. it could be a rap because this guy could dominate.

But I just don't see him like the Bosa brothers or Miles Garrett, right? If you could put the, me and you could be the defensive line coach or defensive coordinator if we got one of those guys, they're going to be a great player. To me, there are certain defensive linemen who are plug and play guys. I'd even say a middle linebacker, like a Luke Keekly, if I was a defensive coordinator and I got Luke Keekly, Luke Keekly still would have been Luke Keekly. But there are certain players, definitely it happens with corners,

and any linebacker to me not a middle linebacker, like again, Keechley's one of the more rare prospects probably the last couple decades. You do need to play in the right system. And system really dictates a lot of guys on defense. We're in offense, if I'm Kyle Pitts, I don't give a shit what you're running. Run me on three or four routes, no one's covering me.

Right? Running back sometimes, like, if you're a one-cut running back, the zone scheme is better than some of the power gap schemes. It just is, and some guys can't do the zone scheme. They're more kind of they dance around. So having the right scheme with certain players is really big. I've been saying this for a while. I feel pretty confident on this one.

I don't think Devante Smith will be the first wide receiver from his own team drafted. I think Devante Smith, there are going to be three skill guys taken ahead of Devante Smith and one's going to be a teammate. Kyle Pitts, Jamar Chase, and Jalen Waddle. Like, people get mad when I say this. Devante Smith, the league views him as a 4-5-0 guy, which again, he plays fast, but he weighs 170 pounds.

Now, he's still going to get drafted high because he's a great football player, and you can't make too much of how fast a guy is on Combine or whatever, even though he never ran, how much he weighs, because he's had that playing weight his whole career, and he's dominated. But it is concerning. Like, it's not nothing. It is a red flag. Now, not all red flags are created equal, right? Alden Smith just got arrested or got a worn out for his arrest.

He's a walking red flag as a human being. Certain people are just kind of red flags as players, right? Mack Jones, is he athletic enough? Like, that's a red flag. Devante Smith weighs 170 pounds. It's a red flag. Now, he's an incredible human. He's a great player.

It's just one of those things. If Devante Smith weighed 185 pounds, he'd be a locked top 10 pick. but if he does not go in the top 12 picks, it's going to be because of his weight and his speed. Like last year Henry Ruggs went to the combine and ran a 4-2-8. Henry Ruggs is an elite athlete. Think like Russell Westbrook, right? Think like the best athletes in the world.

That's Henry Ruggs. That's not necessarily Devante Smith. And so to me, if I'm going to draft a guy that's 170 pounds, 170 pounds who's not like the twitchy-eth athlete in the game? Part of why Deshawn Jackson was so great, he was one of the most explosive athletes in the history of the league. And Deshawn weighed about 168, 170 pounds. But he's the fastest motherfucker every time he put on his cleats.

His explosion, his twitchiness was stupid. That's not this guy. That's Henry Ruggs. It's really more Jalen Waddle. It's much twitchier than DeVante. And I think sometimes fans struggle with like, but he won the Heisman, he caught all these balls. The NFL doesn't care.

I think Daniel Jeremiah does a pretty good job. Sometimes he tweets out these nuggets. Like, guys, no one cares about college awards. And really college production can be very hit or miss. I remember one thing Louis Riddick taught me, I remember, is like, you've got to be very careful with just sacks with college players. Like, he had nine sacks. And you go, look, well, five of them came against a Division I-Double A team

and another team with the worst right tackle you've ever seen. Like, really, he has four sacks that would translate, right? So you've got to be careful with that. I remember Khalil Mack, his first game, his senior year against Ohio State, it was like, oh, he had three sacks against Taylor Decker, who was a first round pick. It's like, damn, this guy's probably going to be pretty good. Cleo Mac turned out to be pretty good. The Rams, they have this draft house.

They basically sponsored a house. If you haven't seen it, Google Rams Rocket Mortgage House on Malibu. They're doing their draft from this mansion on the water. It's just incredible. I don't even know what to say. You can't even make this shit up. Who even thinks of these ideas? I'll tell you, super rich people.

Like, Cronky, Kevin Demoff, Rocket Mortgage, kind of genius. Honestly, it's pretty cool. It's pretty awesome. Bama, the other thing, this is not necessarily on the draft, but Alabama, I watched some highlights from their spring game. It's incredible how much offensive talent started coming through there. If I was a college,

or I was going to be an elite white, wide receiver or a quarterback, without hesitation, I would choose Nick Sabin over everybody. His coaching now of the quarterbacks, he's going to have back-to-back guys, even if Mac Jones ends up going 18 for Matt Jones to end up in the first round of the NFL draft, if I would have told you that six months ago, you would have thought I was high. Obviously, 201-5, all these wide receivers, Noggi's going to get draft in the first round. Derek Henry is one of the best players in the NFL. If you're a college skill guy, it was forever. It's like defensive players and offensive linemen. They went to Alabama. Now it's like wide receivers and quarterbacks on top of all those

other guys. There is no other place you'd want to go. It is 100% undisputable, not arguable, the number one football factory in the country for every position. Like there is nothing they can't do. You want offensive linemen, they've been doing it for a decade. You want defensive players? they've been doing it for a decade. You want sweet wide receivers? Well, they used to get one every two years, right? Or three years. Julio, then Amari.

Now they've just stacked the deck. They're going to have four guys going the top 15 in two years. They had a guy Mechie, who's going to be awesome. They had another true freshman that I watched in their spring game that had incredible catches. Just the amount of offensive talent, because it used to be like, you know, LSU has more skill guys, Bama is just a better team.

That ain't the case anymore. Same with Georgia. you know, the AJ Greens, they get the running backs. No, the Gurleys, no, they're Bama. Bama's got that market corner, and it's all Saban. If you're an Alabama fan listening to this, and it's not like I'm telling you anything you don't know, because now he's getting up there in age.

Now he still loves it, and I watched him kind of go off on a reporter. Like, clearly football, he's talking about a junkie, that's Sabin. He is, you know, late 60s. Like this probably isn't going to last, I'd say, five years max. it could probably end any given year moving forward. I'd really enjoy these next couple years because you might win a couple more championships. Now the crazy part is he doesn't get bored winning championships,

partly because it never gets boring winning in any walk of life. So yeah, those are a couple draft scuttle butts. I just wanted to give this guy a little love because he officially retired today and I really think he's going to go down as having one of the most unique careers in NFL history he goes from the guy that the Niners chose instead of Aaron Rogers and be in a complete draft bust to resurrecting his career

and taking the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC championship game against Eli Manning and the Giants, who they ended up losing that game because Kyle Williams muffed a punt to getting Wally Pip the following year by Kaepernick who led that team to a Super Bowl, who then goes to play for Andy Reed and helps resurrect the chiefs.

with Andy and make them just a high-level playoff winning franchise to then kind of getting Wally Pips the wrong word, but replaced by, I don't know, the greatest young quarterback we've ever seen, to go to Washington, who was one of the most dysfunctional franchises ever, and before his leg got snapped, they were six and two with Alex Smith. I just don't think you see that many Alex Smith, you know, a guy who really, every adjective that you'd want to describe yourself is everything that anyone that's ever been around him would use to describe him.

Right? I mean, toughness is honestly, that sounds like a complete understatement. If you ever watch the 60 on him, he had to get a, the, you know, congressional, whatever, the White House, the, the Secretary of Defense to sign off on his ability to go to, go a place in Texas where wounded warriors go to rehab.

That's how bad his leg injury was. And a guy with nothing to prove, money is no obstacle. The thing I personally respect the most about any human being in any walk of life is when you don't do it for the money. And you're already super rich. Like when Tiger Woods won the master in 2019, after he went through back fusions, and If you ever read the right Thompson article on Tiger, when he was in his lowest point in like the 2014, 2015, 2015, 2016,

he'd hit the ground and have to cry or yell for his daughter to call for help because he couldn't get up because his back would just lock. And that is like, I mean, that's just an injury, right? But then to have your leg for them to think about amputating it like Alex. And if you watch the special, if it wasn't for his wife, He almost said, yeah, cut it off. It was that bad.

So toughness, the word grit, which Angela Duckworth said is the most defining attribute of any successful person, again, it feels like not enough, like not a strong enough word to describe this human being. Inspirational, you watch that documentary, but to me if you just followed his career with at one point in time when he played for the 49,

Candlestick chanted David Carr on a Sunday night football game to replace Alex. To go from a guy that leads the 49ers to an NFC championship game. I guess he didn't lead him, but I mean he was the quarterback of the team. To having one of the best coaches of the last 20, 30 years, Andy Reid, and I know because when I was in Philadelphia, we tried to sign him as a backup quarterback. Then Andy ended up trading him for him in Kansas City. they went from having the number one pick in the draft with Eric Fisher to the next year.

I think they won 11 or 12 games. And they were in the playoffs the very next year. And then he had that four or five years stretch in Kansas City where it was just like good football player. He was just a very, very good football player. And listen, he'll always be known as the guy that was taken instead of Aaron Rogers. And Aaron's going to go down as one of the great quarterbacks

in the history of the league. But to me, the coolest part about his conversation, before the major injury, is that he not only resurrected his career, but he gave it a lot of credibility. No, I'm a legitimate top, like, 12 quarterback in this league. Am I Aaron Rogers? Of course not.

Am I better than the majority of the quarterbacks that you guys root for? Hell yeah. Did I consistently beat those guys? I did. And to me, he's a great example of someone, he had to have the toughness. He had to have the grit.

And anyone, I mean, I just knowing a lot of the guys Nagy and Andy that worked with him in Kansas City how intelligent the guy was. Because I think the best part about the NFL is it parallels life like this. Where you start is completely irrelevant. You can be the number one overall draft pick and be washed out.

I mean, I've seen it multiple times in my own backyard. Solomon Thomas was the number three pick in the draft. Now he's on the Raiders, and he's just not any good. Alex Smith was the number one pick in the draft. he was a bust, the dust settles, he was going to go down $190 million,

several playoff victories. That's how that happened. Because he was just relentless. He never tapped out. And clearly he... One thing I think a lot of players, probably in all sports, struggle with, is truly understanding your weaknesses.

Because a lot of times when you acknowledge your weakness, it's a very vulnerable thing to do. Like, you know, my arm's actually not good enough to make that throw. People don't like acknowledging their weaknesses. You know, actually, I'm probably not the best-looking guy in this bar. I probably shouldn't be wearing this skin-type button-up shirt, right? Know who you are. The quicker in life, I believe you know who you are

and you play to your strengths, the more successful you can be. Whether you're a businessman, a salesman, a teacher, a quarterback, whatever you are, the quicker you figure that out, the more the sky is, the limit because you can just embrace what you're actually good at and master that. And what did Alex master? He never had this hose. He was not going to be able to throw deep go routes. What he could do is be extremely accurate and understand the defense that you were going to run because the prep work he put in and master his own offense, whether that was with Hardball or whether that was with Andy or even the eight games he played for Jay Gruden. His intellect,

plus his toughness were elite. His arm strength, and just his arm, was average at best. Relative to the great quarterbacks, right? Relative to the guy he got compared to, Aaron. Aaron's arm is a 10 out of 10. Alex says it's probably like a 6. But Alex made himself really like he was never going to be a 10. 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 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. Hey, everyone, it's Ryder Strong and Wilfredel from PodMeets World.

And now the PodMeets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered dance, with the stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of the show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor.

I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it? Like what was just because we? Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season from the final attempts at gameplay to the desperate pleas of finalists to a bunch of. Shia. Ha, who?

Ha, ha, ooh. Again, we are experts. So make sure to tune into Pod Meets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes. Listen to PodMeets Twirled on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you saw it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets.

And just then, we felt the plain turn in the air, so much so that the bags that were under people's seats just kind of flew into the aisle. Each week, we dive headfirst into the complex power of secrecy, how it shapes our identities and relationships, and how it ultimately can reveal to us our truest selves. My daughter, she's pretending she doesn't know, but is trying to cook and feed me and keep me alive because I wasn't eating anything. and me pretending like everything was fine. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him. Listen to season 14 of Family Secrets on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Orsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from my... fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the boozy style of Housewives show. I think it

looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, M&T, everybody's talking about. As an executive

producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. At a 10, like a Rogers or Mahomes. But he made himself into like an 8 as a quarterback, a guy that you could win 10, 11, 12 games with

and give you a chance to win playoff games. That's more than 90% of the quarterbacks in the NFL can say. And he did that because he figured out what his strengths were. Think of the people that believed in him in his career. Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, Andy Reid. Like, that's not just like a bunch of nobody's there. It's got to say something. And again, back to the documentary on his leg.

Whether you like sports, obviously if you're listening to this, you do. But you didn't need to to watch that and come away and go, That's one of the most powerful things I've ever watched in my life. I don't know if I could watch a documentary on a human being and respect them anymore when the thing ended, as you did by watching that about Alex. And just the grit, the toughness, the mental toughness.

And obviously physically he's tough. But to mentally not snap. and then to come back. Now, I never felt comfortable with his comeback. I felt really uncomfortable. The first game he came in when they were playing the Rams this year, and Aaron Donald jumped on his back. I mean, I felt like my heart kind of dropped

because I'm just an Alex fan as a human being, let alone as a player. But I don't know if we'll ever see anything quite like that again. And hopefully not. I mean, you wouldn't wish Alex, I'm sure, wouldn't wish that injury on any human being. But it's just they should rename the most improved play. or the comeback player of the year award. That should be, that's a BP fastball for Roger.

I'd have that thing changed by Draft Night. The Alex Smith Award. That, to me, is easy. Because you will never see a comeback situation quite like what Alex Smith did this year. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1,800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets

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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-arm kid carry. Looks like Dad has the best. bag's daughter is bringing up the rear.

Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Dipers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off. Ah, but looks like Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes!

Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by Nitsa and the Ad Council. Look for your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them.

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Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Okay. Let's dive into the Middilkopf mailbag at John Middlecough is my Instagram handle. Slide up into those DMs. You get your question answered here on the podcast. You say slide into your DMs, so here's my question from Kyle. I've been bombarded with every detail on these five quarterbacks that could be drafted in the first round for weeks,

with no dog in the race as a Browns fan. But all the talk between hearing you and Colin Daly has me thinking. Is it possible that the Niners actually want Zach Wilson and are trying to beef up the image of Mack Jones so they could fool a more gullible franchise like the jet, into switching and taking a worse player. I know the Jags in Urban are too smart to fall for this. Let's pump the brakes on Urban.

I hear you. But are the Jets? From all the talk, I think it's the only way. The Mac Jones hype machine makes sense. Thanks in advance. I would red flag. I like where you're going. I like where you're thinking.

We always got a question because there's a lot of weird shit going on just in general with the Mac Jones hype. here would be the problem. Robert Sala has known Kyle Shanahanham for a decade and worked with him for the last four years. They're very good friends. LeFloor, I always get Matt LaFleur or Mike LaFleur. Whatever LaFleur is not the head coach of the Packers,

his brother is the offensive coordinator with Robert Sala. The head coach of the Packers, LaFleur, the other LaFleur was Robert Sala's best man in his wedding. That guy is really tight with Kyle. LaFleur, that's the O.C with the Jets, has been on Kyle's staff for like the last seven, eight years. They know each other too well. So there is no fooling. Like, the LaFleur with the Jets knows what Kyle's doing.

Also, Mike McDaniels and LaFleur have been like this. Now, Mike McDaniels is the only guy left with Kyle. I just think there's too much institutional knowledge with the two franchises now. And Joe Douglas makes the picks. Joe Douglas came from the Eagles where he won a Super Bowl. came from the Ravens where he won a Super Bowl. Like Joe Douglas, I don't think is the village idiot here.

So I hear what you're saying, and I do think there's something there with the Mack hype from the Niners, though I don't know if it's in relation to mess with the Jets. That would be my take. When an agent helps a player sign a contract in the NFL, the bloated numbers always come out and confuse people. Does an agent get paid their percentage from the guaranteed money or from the total?

As in, if a player earned all his incentives, would the agent then make more? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes. The way I understand it, and I dealt with NFL agents representing me when I worked in Tannenbaum and some of his guys, they have priority first. They run an NFL, they represent players. They also do coaches and broadcast people now. Honestly, for me, I like Mike. It was kind of a waste of money.

Like I could have just negotiated the deal on my own. Ever since then, I've done that. But I think it's pretty necessary for a lot of players. And a lot of media don't know what they're doing in business. Not saying I did five or six years ago. Learn throughout the process. And the thing with media, a lot of these media members, you know, making a couple hundred thousand dollars.

They're paying 10%. As a player, you pay like 2%. or 3% depending on what you negotiate. I'm pretty sure a player is paid based on what they get. So regardless of what the funding numbers say, if I receive $50 million over three years, I pay the agent based on that money. And if I'm cut the next year and don't see the other $30 million

of my $80 million contract, obviously I don't owe it. But you pay on what you earn. And obviously in the NFL, it changes, right? bonuses, guaranteed money. It's kind of a, it's just up in the air. I personally for me, the agent, and I like those guys, like they were cool. I didn't mind dealing with them, but it just didn't, some of these media members have agents. And I get it.

Like, listen, I'm not a normal, I'm not trying to work at ESPN or Fox, so I guess it doesn't matter. But I think a lot of people in the media get taken to the cleaners. Maybe it makes sense for like the Collins, the Daniel Jeremiahs that are making huge cash, but a lot of guys at the lower end, I mean, 10%. Imagine signing a $100,000 contract and paying someone 10% net. That's net. So, you know, you make $100,000, you get really what? 70?

Well, you got to pay 10 out of the 70. That's the thing. Agents get net cash, right? You get taxed even as a player on, you know, you get $50 million. Let's say two years, $50 million. So $25, 25. Well, you don't receive $50 million, but you owe your agent 2% of the $50 million, whatever the percentage is, of the net money. That's a good deal, right?

It's a good deal. It's a great part about starting your own business getting revenue. Like, you control the actual gas, the gross and the net, all yours. I see where all you small business men out there, it's a good life once you get the revenue sources blowing in. Love the pod. Kind of case and point to the argument about taking an O-line first, round and having a wide receiver talent later. Thought it was an interesting post by the Steelers.

So this guy sent me a post. These Steeler draft picks worked out well. In 98, they took Alan Fanica and then they drafted Heinz Ward later. Yeah. I mean, I would just go offensive line first. It just makes sense. It really does.

Now, ideally, you just want to get good players, but, you know, it's hard to get great offensive linemen later in the draft. If you can draft a guy, David DeCastro has been good for them, you can draft staple players and get kind of, you know, skill guys. Definitely in the second and third round. I think the Steelers have had a ton of success on that, right? Juju, the little kid, Deonti Thompson, they can fly. Isn't he a third rounder?

They took James Washington, who kind of came on last year. in the second round, I think, from Oklahoma State. Steelers, I mean, they are fantastic because they just nail all these second and third round picks. My question for the mailbag is, do you think the Patriots should trade up for a quarterback this year? I'm a Patriots fan, and I want them to trade up for a quarterback

because they don't, I don't think they will ever pick as high as 15. I think if they want to get an elite quarterback prospect on a rookie deal, this is their chance to do it. Obviously, they would have to like the quarterbacks left on the board when they pick. Well, to me it'd be this. It would be they trade with Atlanta for the fourth pick. And Atlanta would have to be cool with going four to 15. Now, if you're Atlanta, new coach, new GM, you go to 15, what does it cost you to get to 15 to 4?

Well, it costs Kyle Shanahan to go from 12 to 3, 12, two other first rounders and a third rounder. Could you get bills? Could the deal be give us 15, give us next year's first rounder, and give us another second rounder? so you basically get a first and a second rounder on top of moving back, however many nine spots, or I guess it's 11 spots. But, you know, if you love Justin Fields, let's say the Niners take Trey Lance,

do you do that? Or do you love Trey Lance and the Niners take Justin Fields? If they take Mack Jones, both those guys are on the board. That's what's a cool part about this draft. I live in the Bay Area. I know multiple people in the Niners' front office. I got no fucking clue who they're taking. None. I mean, none.

So it's just, and I'm texting around the league. I don't think a lot of people have a great feel. There are educated guesses, but I don't think people know for certain. And the Niners, the last several years, I heard I was in the car this morning driving from Santa Cruz, and I heard coward going on kind of a rant that me and Guy talk about in my other podcast a lot. like the Niners do not leak with Kyle and John Lynch.

That has not been their style. That has been a hallmark staple of the Shanahan Lynch era has been very Belichickian. Now, he's not like Belichick when they do get in front of the mic. Unlike Bill, they're very candid and open. But they do not play games with the media. They realize something that a lot of teams don't realize. The media is not that important.

Like, just win games, do good shit. And, like, the media is kind of irrelevant. They can write whatever they want. And Kyle, maybe it's growing up around Mike Shanahan. And Mike used the media. Mike was famous for using the media. Kyle's not big on that. John Lynch, I don't think cares, right?

They're not really insecure. They're both rich. Like, a lot of people that use the media, I think, either or two, they play the game a little bit, which is natural. There's nothing wrong with it. Some coaches just like dealing with media people. Hell, I know a lot of meaty people. I interact with them all day, every day.

Right? There's a small handful that I like. A lot of them I despise. But, you know, I do get it. But the Niners just don't play. I just don't think Kyle Shanahan gives a shit. What's written, what's definitely what's tweeted. Like, one thing I have realized since deleting Twitter off my phone, it is irrelevant.

Like, you go out in society, I went to work out, and you just have conversations. I see a guy, this big Niner fan, he comes up, we start bullshitting. No one has any clue if you just don't look at it. It's like this own little world that's just a fake little world. And I think social media, if you're on it, it's like, oh my God, all this shit's happening. Well, the majority of humans are not on Twitter. Twitter, actually, of all the social media apps is by far the least powerful. It has the least amount of users.

And then the amount of users that actually use it, like people that actually tweet, is tiny. 80 plus percent of adults are not on it. But the media, they live on it, and they just tweet and they think it's a big deal, if I was a coach, and it's hard, they wouldn't know, they would never look at it, like from my perspective, I would tell you,

there is not a more irrelevant arena of conversation in American history than Twitter. So I wouldn't pay much attention to anything we're reading. Is it premature to say the Giants are the best team coming out of the NFC East? after free agency, I feel like we're the most complete team going this season from Dave. My question would be is Daniel Jones any good?

Because I'm with you. Their defense is going to be solid. They add some offensive weapons. They have a couple good draft picks. But what if Daniel Jones just averaged it below? You're fucked. I think the Washington football team, if Fitzpatrick can just build off last year's season

and just kind of match it, I'd probably take them. Now, if you tell me Daniel Jones has a huge step and is like, you know, top 15, you know, between like 15, 14 quarterback in the NFL, I'd be like, yeah, you guys should make the playoffs. If you tell me Daniel Jones is like the 26 best starting quarterback in the NFL, I'd say you're in trouble.

Because your offensive line isn't good enough, even if Sequin comes back fully healthy for you just to dominate on the ground. And if your quarterback's not any good, we saw it last year, like he turns the ball over too much. He fumbles it a lot. He throws a lot of picks. you know, he's talented. He's athletic.

I actually think he's got a pretty good arm. At times he's accurate, at times he makes great throws, and then there's other times he's like, is that the worst throw I've ever seen? To me, he's just, it's hard to say you're in the division kind of sucks. Let's be real. But I have a hard time with Daniel Jones. Now, maybe Daniel Jones just has a big year.

When are we going to address the elephant in the room? Tom Brady is a known cheater. I'm going to push back on that. From deflated balls to spying on. other teams. The stuff about avocado ice cream is crap. I'm not saying he doesn't work harder than anyone else, but seriously the reason he is good at 42 is that he is

cheating, taking drugs to help him stay young. Just like Lance Armstrong, who is the hardest working cyclist in the world, but good drugs to give him an extra edge. Well, here's where my pushback would be. Lance Armstrong never won a tour de France without steroids.

Then he gets to testicular cancer. Now he was a great athlete. but he gets to, and he was a good cyclist, but then he became a champion on the drugs. Tom Brady kicked the shit out of everyone in the 2000s. In 2007, when he was drinking beer and eating onion rings, he didn't start the TB12 method until like five, six, seven years ago. Now, you can say it may be as BS.

What would, he's not muscle bound. He's gotten slimmer. What would be his, like, big advantage? deflated balls, we saw him, they took the deflated balls at halftime, he beat the shit out of the Colts in the second half. I actually think the thing that aged the worst in the deflakeate was the Colts and Ryan Grigsden turning in the Patriots.

I think the Patriots has aged really well. That 100% Tom Brady, who just won another Super Bowl, deflated footballs is irrelevant. I think that was a low point for the Indianapolis Colts franchise when they turned in the Patriots. for something that was proven kind of unsubstantiated. Now, the two guys that got fired,

yeah, maybe Brady liked his balls a little softer. Who cares? I've seen him with normal balls. He dominates. He just won the Super Bowl. He didn't film anyone. That was a Belichick thing. And I got news for you.

When I got to the NFL, like the whole league was filming. It was normal protocol to film. Everyone's been filming. That was like stealing signs in baseball. Everyone did it. Uh, I just,

don't know what his, like, if he took HGH, like, does that, you don't think other people are taking steroids in football? But I just don't, like, look at Brady and think steroids are the reason he's kicking everyone's ass, assuming you're even right, even though I do believe that he is eating avocado ice cream. Look at him. He's way slimmer. The other thing is, you can't hit anyone in the NFL. Like, his arm is still looks like it did 10 years ago. He can't run away. Like, what are his physical advantages? His main advantage? He's smarter than the opponent. He's smarter in the opponent.

Just period, point, blank, end of story. For what it's worth. One fact that I have not heard discussed with Deshaun is Dabbo staying radio silent. Dabo went out of his way to praise Dishon pre-and-post draft. If he's not said one peep in defense of Dishon,

it's not a good sign. I don't know what's Dabo's supposed to say? Like, I don't fault Dabble for saying those things, called him Michael Jordan. I think his experience with Dishon Watson was A-plus, right? He won a national championship with him. He was around him every day.

He loved the guy. But, like, I'm sorry, when you leave college, it's not Dabbo, like, you can't hold your hand anymore. So I don't know really, what's he supposed to say? You know, I would imagine he is rooting for this not to be. true, but he doesn't know. I think it's a tough spot for Davo. I don't know if you can...

I don't think Davo knows anything more than me or you knows. Now maybe he's talked to DeShan, but I think he's in a tough spot. Fellow bald guy here, big fan of the podcast. This may be a dumb question, but if a coach is fired with time left on his contract, are they still owed the money remaining? Take Gruden, for example.

If he were to be fired at the end of this year, is he still owed $60 million? In theory, yes. But I think every coach's contract is probably a little bit different. I think the going rate is most coaches' contracts are fully guaranteed. Now, there might be bonuses with people get paid to do media stuff and radio hits or whatever. But I think the base of your contract is guaranteed. Now, obviously, there are languages with a contract of 10 years. it might be different than a guy of five years.

But yes, typically the way it works, if we just take Gruden, for example, if he's fired at the end of this year, and he has $60 million remaining on the contract, he will be paid $60 million over the next six years. Now, maybe they could do some sort of buyout. I don't know. Obviously in life, you can negotiate whatever.

If he were to take another job, which no one else would hire him to be the head coach, but let's just use, in theory, he takes another job, that if that team offers him, $30 million, the Raiders would only owe him $30 million. Right? You'd kind of split the baby. But it's just, I think the going,

the way, the conventional wisdom, is that even the right term? I guess the history of these contracts would say, yes, he's owed all the money. But unless you have the contract, it's hard to know. Do you think Gruden will even be fired from another Gruden question? you think Gruden will be fired from the Raiders.

Another seven years seems like a long time to be losing. Gruden's been a disaster. I mean, $100 million, the fanfare. I remember when the Raiders had the press conference in Oakland. I was not allowed to go, by the way. I was told, do not show up. I asked for a media credential. They said, nope.

I said, okay. You know, Duke can play that game. But I actually gave them a lot of credit for the hire. It's been another disaster. You know, he's just He's a terrible team builder. I mean, there's no way around it. Now, he's got Derek's career going again,

but he's drafted horribly. He did not parlay the Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, you know, trades into enough. They've signed horrible free agents. The defense has been atrocious. If they keep losing, I think there's no way he lasts 10 years. If he's able to make the playoffs,

my prediction is, if they miss the playoffs the next couple years, I think he'll just retire, you know, or step away and quit. I can't see him continue to coach and lose. Because he's already so rich. Like, John Gruden's not doing this for the money. John Gruden was worth $100 million plus dollars when he took the job. He does not need this money.

The money is just strictly ego, because his ego is fucking massive. But this is not, like, I mean, it's technically a money grab. But to me, a lot of times the money grab, you know, you kind of need the money. It's a huge step up in life. Gruden was making $10 plus million at ESPN and Corona. He gave all that up. Basically, he's like, hey, my going rate is $10 million. ESPN pays me $8.

Corona pays me true. So you want to match, Mark? This is what it costs to play ball. Mark's like, yeah, we'll do it. We're going to Vegas. Let's ride. And it has been a train wreck. Appreciate everyone listening.

And yeah, see you a little bit later this week. Three and out podcast. Go subscribe. Tell your friends. Adios, Godspeed. Have a great week. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more.

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