The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - 'Virtual Draft' Thoughts; Free Agency and Draft Quarantine Risers/Fallers; Mailbag

Episode Date: April 7, 2020

In this episode, Middlekauff looks at Roger Goodell's virtual NFL Draft rules, how teams will manage it, how trades could be impacted, and the biggest NFL Draft and free agency risers and fallers due to the coronavirus quarantine eliminating pro days, workouts, and medical evaluations. 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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this is clivert taylor the fourth and on my podcast the clivert show i'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff like being an internet famous referee we're in the middle of a game this linebacker this linebacker walks up to me he goes a ref my mom wants you to wave at her what Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker.

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April 6th recording this Means we're about two and a half weeks away From a virtual NFL draft I got a bunch of thoughts on that I've texted around the league We had breaking news this morning Roger Gaddell mandated it for the entire league You know you had to have some uniformity

You couldn't have one team doing this One team doing that Not in these times When you're not some places aren't allowed to social gather I don't know in the South I don't even know if they have rules the Saints were going to do it at a brewery. No, everyone has to be at home individually, going to get complicated.

We'll dive in on that off the top. Then we got some risers and fallers that are impacted by this corona. Some draft players that I think have been impacted. Obviously, some free agents, some big picture thoughts just on the corona, just some things that have been helped during this time and may gain an advantage. And some individuals or just big picture things with the league that have been impacted because of this coronavirus. And then, of course, what we do every week and every show,

Middilkoff Mailbag at John Middlecoff is my Instagram, and direct messages wide open. You can slide in, answer any question you want, or ask any question you want, and then you get it answered here on the show. It's how we do our interacting. You know, it's like the modern-day phone calls for a radio show. I personally not a huge radio phone call guy.

Like, if I'm listening to a host, I come for them, not the callers. But again, that's maybe more of a West Coast thing and more of a new age thing. I know historically, you know, the Franceses, the Rome's taking a bunch of calls. I used to like them when I was younger. Can't stand them now. But I do like interacting with people. I just like, it's a more controlled environment this way. Plus, it's hard to do phone calls as a podcast.

It's kind of the way we do it, the way we interact here. Also, if you listen to the podcast and like the podcast, I know a lot of you guys listen through Collins' feed, but I also have a three and out. feed. So if you go there, if you can leave a review on iTunes or Apple, I'd greatly appreciate it. I know a lot of you have, and I already appreciate it, but I'd appreciate it more. For people that like the show, you hit me up on DMs or emails or tweets or whatever, please leave a review. Be greatly, we would like that. Before we dive into the virtual draft, this weekend, Trump held a phone call with all the commissioners.

of course after it comes out that he's hoping that they can get football in the fall my timeline freaks out it does feel i know colin talked about this on monday morning on his show it's kind of weird it feels like a lot of media members are rooting for the corona in a weird way not necessarily for it to you know kill people or anything but in the sense of just to shut everything down for a while listen i i don't judge anyone on words like you're the actions speak louder so to say like yeah we hope to have football in the fall to me you should be able to be able to be able to to say that. Is it going to happen? No one knows. I mean, less than a month and a half ago, I was at the combine, rubbing elbows, hugging people, and now we've been quarantined for three weeks. Here's what I know. I'm rooting for businesses, football, because if football's off, that means the economy shut down. And if the economy shut down for the next six, eight months, we're in a

great depression. That's not a hot take. That's a fact. And check out, we might want to Google what depressions and recessions do to people. Most people I know at this point, that are following the rules in quarantine are much more nervous and scared of the economic impact because they got their kids, their kids aren't leaving, they're all staying inside,

am I going to lose my job, am I going to be able to pay the rent, I have to keep making these payments, how am I going to survive, then they are of the corona. And the media, and I'm talking some of the sports media, definitely some of the political media,

is so extreme with all this stuff. We're all just trying to get by. Most people I know following the rules, trying to do the right things, thing. But you know what we all want? Business to start up again. Whether that's in a month, whether that's two months, whenever that is. That's what we should all be rooting for. And let's call it what it is. The media tends to be extreme in one way, kind of anti-business, and it feels like they like this chaos? I don't. My friends, I didn't, I don't have a journalism

major. I went to just, I have a ag business major. Most of my friends work normal jobs. This impacts them. Some of them get laid off. Some of them run small businesses and losing their ass. Like, that's not a fun time. Like, we all, do you know how America should be united right now? Routing to us to fix this, quarantine, and make this go away, so we can just start living lives again. And sometimes it feels like that's not the case, which has been baffling to me. I, I like Twitter, but Twitter has become, these last two weeks, a very, and it's always been kind of a weird place.

It's a bizarre, bizarre, uh, kind of. Echo chambers is the wrong word, but just a place where hate thrives and negativity thrives. It's baffling. It really is. I actually thought, you know, we always hear everyone comes together. And again, it's social media. It's a small percentage of people. Most people I talk to are staying upbeat as much as possible, but just want to do the right thing so this ends.

So whether football comes back, whenever, I don't know, OTA's probably gone. We all think, like the masters, they all moved all this stuff. we should be rooting for all this stuff to eventually come back. And I think that's the message. If you follow this rules, we can get everything come back. That should be the end goal here. And sometimes it feels like if you watch the wrong political show or follow the wrong person online,

it's like they want us to be shut down forever. It's kind of bizarre. But let's start with the virtual draft. And obviously Corona has forced the NFL's hand. And there were stories, I think last week was it, that the Saints were going to have a draft, not a draft party, but have their entire staff at a brewery. Then different teams were thinking about, you know, working at a hotel,

just different places. They couldn't work at their facility. Once I saw that on this weekend, just having a few pops, you know. And I was like, this is not going to work out. You can't have one team doing this, one team doing that. And then us in California are the people in New York or in some of these states or, you know, Pete Carroll in Seattle quarantined at home.

This is not an equal playing field, yet they're all supposed to follow the same rules. So Roger Goodell, and I would imagine he was pressured by certain clubs, you've got to have some uniformity here. We all should be mandated to do the same thing. So we mandated you're all doing the draft at home. And several things jump out to me. I think we've realized for a while it was going to be virtual. Like, Vegas got canceled a while back, every team.

But we didn't know, like, you have to be at home. Now you wonder, like, is everyone going to follow the rule? How do you mandate that? How can you really check? I don't know. I'm sure some people are going to break the rules. Kind of like quarantining. We're all supposed to quarantine right now.

I don't think everyone is. And here's the thing. Let's start with this. When you have a draft room and your draft information, when I was a West Coast Scout, I input that information into the Philadelphia Eagles system. I would imagine many of you, salespeople, any business you work in, right,

your company usually has its own system. So you put everything in there. Your company controls that. Well, here's the problem with this. And usually it's just you guys in the draft room, all it's a controlled environment. When you got everyone at home, it's no longer controlled. So everything's got to be over Zoom.

Now, we got the internet so you can access your, you know, whatever team you work for, if you're a Patriot Scout or you're a 49er Scout or a Cardinal Scout, whatever, you can access all that information. But then to tell your general manager, let's say you're going over Zoom, because Zoom seems to be the hot thing that everyone's using.

Here's the problem. I don't know if you've been falling in the news. Zoom has had a lot of security breaches. And I would say this. Peter King wrote that people in the league are nervous that teams will hack into other teams Zoom conferences. I actually think that would be really difficult

and you would need like some extreme IT guys to figure out how to do that. And mid-corona, you're trying to run a draft. I don't know if you're going to waste too much time doing that. But I do think there would be, quote-unquote, hackers, whether they're in America, in the world. The moment the draft's going, you know that 32 franchises are on huge Zoom conferences.

And some of those conversations might, let's say, between my head coach, my general manager, and the Area Scout. Tell me about this guy. And you'd go, well, Nick Sabin, Davos Sweeney, You know, Mario Cristobal told me this guy is a shithead. Or let's just say something like that. And someone's hacked it in and that goes viral.

If I'm a team right now, why am I comfortable going on Zoom? They're having breaches all over the place. This is proprietary information where we're talking about individuals. We're also talking about other individuals. Be like burning your sources. Can you imagine if some of these, let's say, like political stuff that's being written, the Washington Post, I had a Zoom. conference with all their political people

or the New York Times or whatever and they're talking about their sources and what they've heard and it just went viral? That wouldn't be good. So I think those concerns are legitimate. I would say this if I was a GM. How comfortable are we with, if I'm talking to Roger Goodell, that our Zoom conferences will

be 100% secure? Can they guarantee that for us? Because if they can't, I would think if I was a GM about not doing any Zoom. We would have my IT guy, set up conference calls, or some way on your iPhone where you just do like a I don't know if you can do this 10 way call 12 way call and you're just on the phone with everyone because the Zoom thing seems a little risky is one thing I recorded on my

other podcast we had Hunter Mayhan on he zoomed in boom boom record it it's easy you're seeing all these you know television shows Zoom that's easy it's all public information the draft is not a public information deal it's a lot of secretive information it's a lot of information that the the college coaches that give you, they trust you that it never gets out. And for the most part, while maybe information does get out, the source never gets out. That's where I would be very nervous if I was a team, an information about a player, maybe a player on my own team. What if I'm thinking about trading them and we're, here's the reality.

Shit gets talked. I know the way 2020, Hard Knocks, you don't see anything. Remember back Hard Knocks 20 years ago, when you got legitimate inside personnel meetings, and guys are getting blasted, that's what we like. Because the moment, if that gets out somehow it's hacked and goes viral, we're all retweeting it and we're all LOLing it. You know who it would not be good for? The players who are being talked about.

So that would be my number one thing. How can we guarantee that Zoom will be secure? Because they're having issues. I saw the CEO, I think, was on CNBC's like, we're doing everything possible to figure this out. Well, the draft's in two and a half weeks. Maybe we don't have enough time. And in fairness to Zoom, I don't think Zoom realized,

I don't know enough about their company, but the coronavirus was going to happen and America would be dependent on Zoom. Trades. A huge part of the NFL draft are trades. And a huge part of the NFL draft trades are dependent on what players are being there. Unlike free agency where at the combine,

we can go, would you be willing to trade me this player for this pick? Or would you be willing to trade me this player for this player? And you can map stuff out so you know when free agency happens, you already have trade talks that have happened and it's already in motion. It's hard to have those conversations. I looked it up. Last year in the first round, there were six trays. But here's the thing.

The first trade didn't happen until the 10th pick. And it was the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Steelers traded up for Devin Bush, the lineback from Michigan. I don't think if you're the Steelers, you're having these conversations. Like, you understand that Bush might be there. Maybe you have some initial conversations. about the 10th pick, but you have, those getting tense on draft day. Well, trade talks usually involve multiple people, your general manager, your head coach,

your salary cap guy, your college scouting director, and it's easy when you're all in the draft room. Well, if you are on Zoom or you guys are all on, you know, an iPhone on a, you know, or a, I guess no one has like landlines, and you're trying to streamline this process, it gets a little difficult. One thing you'd probably have to do is maybe starting next week by the time the board is set, you're going to have to run some fake drafts and run a draft, you know, maybe run like a three-round draft just so you can feel out this process because it is going to be really, really complicated. People, and I've said this before, I've argued for the NFL not to complain in the sense of,

listen, this is the cards you're dealt, you got to play with the hand that's in your, you know, you got what you got. In a perfect world, you'd love to get dealt, you know, pocket aces. You know, at this point in time, you got dealt a two and a four. It sucks. But this is the reality. Here, and I go back and forth on this, the one thing I always get back to, is there a company in America right now that is making some of their most important hires in the middle of Corona in April? Not one. You see what American businesses are doing? They're firing people. They're laying people off. They're furlowing people. Yet the NFL is making their most important and hires right now, or they will when the draft comes.

Financial investments of guaranteed cash to your first rounder. And for the Bengals, for example, that number one pick's pretty easy. They've probably known for months. I would say most teams in the top 10 have a pretty good idea who's going to be there. But for every team, like pick 12 and beyond, it's somewhat of a guessing game. You've got an idea three or four, but we see every year trades happen. How do you conduct these trades real time? how do you get the streamline the process of talking over the iPhone

if you're comfortable on Zoom I don't know if I would be as a general manager again that that would be a little bit on the league see if I could work with Zoom and maybe get us some special security ways to block it I don't know I don't know enough about technology I'd have to talk with my T guy but I would say there's a lot to be learned there and the other thing that kind of is highlighted is

are there going to be more busts in this draft than normally and I don't think there will be. Now there might be more guys that are cut at the final cutdown after training camp that normally would have made the team because in OTAs or rookie mini camp they got to stand out meaning by the time we got to training camp those guys were maybe instead of being with the threes or fours, we're running with the two slash the ones. It's going to be harder for those guys to make hey, especially because in training camp this year, what are you going to be without?

you're going to be without all the spring reps. So you're going to be trying to get your starters and the guys that you 100% know are going to play more reps. So how does that fifth, sixth, or seventh round pick that in past years might have ended up being a starter or might have been the number one backup? Now that guy might not get enough reps. They may only have two or three preseason games.

You may cut players that you normally would have kept. You may not have a guy back on your practice squad just because of limited reps. Some teams will think big picture and go listen. 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.

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That's where I think it'll be pretty complicated. But the reality is we won't know three or four years from now how it goes. Because what do they say? 50% of draft picks miss anyway. But to me, it's like how many did a higher percentage of third, fourth rounders not making in this draft than the previous five or six drafts. It'll be a long-term study. We won't know real time. But it's going to be wild. There are definitely going to be some highlights of this virtual draft. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with

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And the Ad Council Okay let's talk about some risers And some fallers In the post-corona world we're living in Because typically in free agency The second tier guys, you can fly to you You get your own doctors and medical staff get to work on the players. That clearly got shut down.

Then during the draft process, not only do you bring guys into your facility, but an underrated part of the draft process that got wiped out was teams sending their coaches and executives to put players through individual workouts. So if you were thinking, hey, I kind of like this guy in the second, but maybe he's a first round talent, you send your running back coach or D-Line coach, whoever, maybe an assistant director, maybe your GM goes, and you work them out. You spend the day with them.

Hell, you might take them to dinner that night, and you get a lot of time with them. That's not happening. So basically since three weeks ago, everything's been on halt, everything. And I think it's impacted some individual players and just overall situations. Let's start with my number one riser. During the season, I talked to a lot of scouts that like C.D. Lam.

And I said, where do you think he's going to go? And most people I talked to thought he was going to go in the 20s. And I kind of agreed. And I like Cady Lamb. I think he's got a chance to be like D'Andre Hopkins. But where was D'Andre Hopkins once upon a time drafted? He was not a top 10 pick. I'm pretty sure.

I'm trying to look it up right now. D'Andre Hopkins went at the end of the first round. He was picked 27. And I thought that was kind of his comp, like that type player. I'm pretty sure that C.D. Lamb, when the dust settles, is probably not making it past 13. And there's a decent chance he's the first wide receiver off the board. I would have thought that, you know, before Corona. I didn't think that necessarily leaving the combine.

I feel like that's kind of the case right now. My number one biggest loser, when I left the combine, I thought that Jordan Love was a lock. he was already a lock first round pick, but I thought he was a lock like top 12 pick. I don't know if he is anymore. I thought a huge part of Jordan Love's draft hype slash success was going to be in the thing that I mentioned when I opened this up about the workouts. When quarterback coaches and offensive coordinators and head coaches went to Jordan Love, whether he was at Utah or Miami or wherever he was post-combine, and put him through workouts, I think he would have shine.

He has the physical attributes. He has the big arm. His tape was pretty crappy this year. Though we can counter it pretty easily. New coach, weird system. They tried to mesh a couple things. It didn't work. But when you get a guy like him

who's kind of a raw product, who's kind of like this guy that you think can be something, personal workouts for guys like that really help. And I think that would have put set in stone he was going to be a top 15 pick because we've seen the power. of quarterbacks, the power of talent, teams overdraft that.

I'm not sure. I'm not saying he still might not be, but I'm pretty confident that Jordan Love has an opportunity now because of all this craziness and because of all this unknown to just fall a little bit in the draft. It won't shock me if he's drafted in the 20s. Marcus Marriota. If you would have told me that Marcus Marriota

would have been the number one backup chosen when free agency started, I don't know if I would have believed you. But the way in Corona, everything happened with you couldn't have visits, the quarterback dominoes kind of fell, the Raiders, you know, if John Gruden, who has a $20 million quarterback in Derek Carr, wouldn't have paid Marriota the $7.5 million. That's number one. He's the highest paid backup right now in the NFL. Who else was paying Marriota that much money? You know, especially at a time when Cam Newton ultimately got cut, yet James Winston became a friend. pre-agent after Tom Brady went to Tampa. You got to add some Domino's fall.

I don't know if Marietta, his market would have been as strong. Now, Marietta was God-awful last year. By no means, do I think he stinks. He just had a bad year, lost his confidence. They brought in Tanyhill. You could tell, did the coaching staff stop believing him? I don't know. He was bad.

The coaching staff was looking in another direction. It's a bad combination. But he has played at a high level in previous seasons. He was a high pick for a reason. Was he probably overdrafted looking back? For sure. Now, he wasn't necessarily overdrafted on the time of that draft, but just when you look back some of his flaws,

you know, in a perfect world, he's probably like his true NFL talent. Probably should have been like a second round pick. But I do believe that Marcus Marriota can be a starting quarterback, again, in the future. But if the corona doesn't happen and just some of the weird stuff going on in the NFL, I don't know. Now, John Gruden was going to be there no matter. matter what, but $7.5 million from Marks Merriot, I think he benefited from the Corona. One NFL quarterback that has one million percent been impacted the most, I would say no

player in the NFL has been more impacted by the coronavirus than Cam Newton. Because Cam Newton, listen, he's had an up and down career, but he's had way more ups than downs. And a couple of his ups, MVP of the league, being a Pro Bowl level guy, leading a team to a playoff several times, when he's on being able to play with anyone, he would get a job immediately if medically he could check out. But what's the big problem for Cam Newton? Your doctors, your trainers, can't get them medically right now. They're not able to interact with him. If this process, if we were just living in 2019, normal times, I just think it would be impossible for him not to have a team April 6th. I think it's absolutely impossible. James Winston, maybe he's, maybe he's

a guy like James because he's a little more polarizing, he's been in some trouble, might have to wait until after the draft. But I just, I can't see under any circumstances if Cam Newton's doctor could go, he's healthy enough to sign a team not signing him. Obviously, there are impact of like how much money does he think he's earned or, I mean, think he's worth, how much does a team think he's worth, they'd have to somewhat meet in the middle. I don't know what his number would be. It would probably be an incentive lace deal. Maybe he'd, maybe he's worth. Maybe he's worth. have to sign a one-year deal? You can't convince me, though, that NFL teams, he's can't freaking Newton.

He's had more than enough moments to get a job. And I do understand you talk to people in the NFL. We don't know how his shoulder is. There are people in the NFL right now that think his shoulder is shot. And shot might be strong, but just never going to be the same. And he's just, they wouldn't touch him. And I think that, because last year the tape was so bad and it was coming off the shoulder injury that it's freaking a lot of teams out.

And unless they can get their hands, their doctor's hands on that shoulder, he's in trouble. Big winner. I would say the biggest winner right now is the NFL. Talked about it in the opening, they've benefited a lot from the timing of corona. Their season was over. The Super Bowl had just happened. The combine had just happened. They can function.

Whether you agree with it or not, you can have free agency virtually. You can have the draft virtually. They're going to. You can't play the NBA season virtually. You can't play opening day virtually. You can't play the master's virtually. You either played or you don't. And all those got wiped out.

For the NFL, boom. Everything stopped. Free agency, here we are. Everything still stopped a month later. Boom. Draft. Here we are. And they've benefited greatly. There aren't many businesses besides, like, the beer industry, the food industry.

some of you guys working in specific industries probably add some that when I say the food industry I don't say the restaurant industry I say the food industry like Safeway and Save Martin Albertsons and those stores that are businesses booming for them because we're all eating at home nonstop but the NFL has just thrived

because they've had inventory for stuff happening that can just happen on social media where the other leagues had to shut down their product and then I would say the biggest loser is going to be the Goodell Hug forever. The NFL first round, and I got to go live to the event. It was actually Cam Newton's year. It was a great drag. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

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

And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience

in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so 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 hard way 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 walks up to me, he goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Come on. Quarterback on office, Blue, 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor.

I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with. my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice! Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally

dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is help from a hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Pulatura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Afters, Cam Newton, J.J. Watt, Julio, A.J. Green, Alden Smith, Vaughn Miller. I mean, it's actually one of the great drafts of all time, the star-studied group. Also, we've got to throw in like Blaine Gabberton.

And I think the quarterback from Washington, I'm forgetting his name. Oh, Jake Locker. but it had some stars. And it's cool. I mean, that moment when your name gets called, especially once we get past the first couple picks, you don't know who it's going to be, and then they announce,

JJ Watt, you know, DeAndre Hopkins, Deshawn Watson, Patrick Bahomes, blah, blah, blah, Tuatong of Aloha, C.D. Lamb, Jerry Judy. Their lives have been made. They got drafted into the NFL in the first round, and they come out there, they give Goodell a hug,

it is a cool moment. It is a great event. It does clearly huge ratings. This one will probably be the highest rated one. And it's going to kind of suck. It's going to be Roger announcing from his living room. The Oakland Raiders have drafted Jerry Judy, right? The Carolina Panthers have drafted Isaiah Simmons.

And again, we're going to make do the best we can because these are only options. But that's a huge moment that sucks for the kids, especially the high, the first round guys, they're going to miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity. You don't get to make that up. Maybe next year, when we're back to normal, all the first rounders can announce the pick. I don't know, maybe we can do something with them to involve them. But the draft was also going to be in Vegas. They were going to have at, was it the Blasio?

Was it the Blasio? Yeah, with the water. And they were going to have a stage on the water. Players coming out on a boat. It was going to be insane. It was going to be so cool. It was going to be one of the most outrageous things any sports league has ever done. It was like WWE meets the NFL in Vegas.

And they had to cancel it. There's no way around it. That sucks. 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. Surprise your Valentine with 1-800 flowers. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $3999 or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1,800flowers.com slash tune in.

That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. What 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. And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like Dad has the bags.

Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. 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.combe.

Slash the right seat. Brought to you by Nitzha and the Ad Council. Okay, let's go Middlecoff mailback. At John Middilcoff. Got a lot of questions. At John Middlecoff, Instagram, DMs, slide right in. Give it a follow, if you like. Post.

I can do some Insta stories. I need to start posting a little bit more, but we're all in quarantine. Like, what am I going to take pictures of? Hey, John, Pod's pretty good, sarcasm. What better time than this bleep, agree, to give us your all-time 11 on offense and defense. Maybe even throwing a kicker and punter would be cool. Cheers, from Austria. Wow.

Okay, punter, I'm going Ray Guy, just because I like him. And when he got introduced in the Hall of Fame, I saw a football life. It was just, I like that guy. kicker I'll probably go Tucker Offense I'd go My personal I mean I fell in love with football With Steve Young

But I think my favorite quarterback ever Like I love Brady I love Manning But just the guy that was like You know and I kind of hated the Packers But I love this guy was Farf I mean I Far would be just

If I just had in his peak to watch a game He's what I like to watch Running back beat Barry Sanders tight end probably be gronk but you know Kittles moving up the list I'll go Munoz Let's throw it back to a career that was cut short

Besselli Let's go Larry Allen My center Because when I was at Fresno State He spoke to the team And this guy was the baddest MFer Even at like he could barely walk He was tiny because his back was all shot

He looked like 510 Jim Otto Complete badass Let's go Steve Hutchinson Wide receiver Jerry Rice Randy Moss Let's go defense

D line we'll go Reggie White What are we going to run a Let's run a 3 4. So I get some outside back No let's run a 4 3 Let's go Reggie White Detackles I'll go a little new school

I'll go Aaron Donald I met I didn't meet him I just stood next to him At Starbucks at the Combine And I just always like this guy John Randall Badass Other defensive

end. This guy was a Super Bowl MVP. This is going to be personal. I put a lot of money on the Broncos because I just, I didn't think the Panthers is going to win and Von Miller won the Super Bowl MVP. So I'm going to put him on there. I know technically he's an outside linebacker, but he's a hybrid. We'll go Lawrence Taylor,

middle linebacker. I'm a sucker for this guy, Patrick Willis. You know, I think Peak Navarro Bowman, again, sucker for these two players. Bowman, Willis, my favorite inside linebacking duo ever. I think both of them could have played Will, Sam. Mike, you know, do whatever you ask him to do. I mean, there are probably, you could put Ray Lewis.

Younger Ray Lewis, he could really fly. Erlocker was probably a true Mike, but he was so athletic in his prime, he could do it all. Again, dating myself a little bit like Mike Singletary, I didn't really watch him play. Corner, Dion Sanders, safety, Ed Reed, Rod Woodson, other corner, Revis. I'm a sucker for Sherman. Sherman make my team. So that's offense, defense, my kickers, coach. You know, I'll go Walsh.

I'll go Walsh, just because Walsh was a badass. That's a good question. That's not bad off top of my head. Throw a little squad together. I mean, you probably could do, probably missing some guys. A slot receiver. I don't have a slot receiver.

I'd go a couple tight ends. I'd go like Gronk. And who's like a great tight end from the 2000s? Trying to think. I don't even know. You're not thinking straight during quarantine. Love your takes. Two questions.

Two questions on arm strength. Football personalities talk about arm strength all the time. But almost as if it's a static and can't improve throughout college or in the NFL. Can quarterbacks improve their arm strength or are they generally always going to have about the same range? I think for the most part, since I've really been watching this, this stuff critically, I'd say, once I got into Fresno State in 08, you really started watching guys. And I saw a lot of guys that played in college or in high school film, like Matt Barclay. I'm trying to think of some of the West Coast quarterbacks that made it to the pros.

I saw Derek Carr in college. I mean, Derek Carr's arm's been really strong since high school. Those are two guys that jumped to mind. I don't know Barclay didn't really make it, but he stayed a long time. You know, Aaron Rogers, I would say is somewhat of an outlier. His arm got dramatically stronger. I think Brady's arm improved. But think about most guys in the league like Drew Breeze's arm never got strong. He works his ass off. Pateon's never got strong. Rivers never gets strong.

I think it's a little bit like a pitcher. It'd be interesting to talk to a baseball pitcher about this, especially a good one. Can your arm strength get that much stronger? If you're like a starting pitcher, you kind of throw what you throw. Just think of the guys whoever your favorite baseball team is.

For the most part, once the guy gets to the big leagues, you really want to younger is going to be as hard as he ever throws, then it goes down. I think football players, for the most part, it doesn't improve that much. Can you break the current NFL starters into tiers of arm strength? This is the other part of the question. Stafford, Mahomes, Allen. Thanks, John.

Yeah, I would say off the top of my head, the five best arms in the league, Mahomes, Stafford jump right off the page. Josh Allen, for sure. Rogers used to have just a howitzer. don't think it's quite as strong, but it's still pretty damn good. And when he wants to let it rip, he can go. Ronsberg, Lamar, Cam, Cam used to be big, but his shoulders all messed up.

Brady, not as much. Bree's no, Dachan, no, Jimmy, no. Chargers don't have a quarterback. Gough, no. Eli's gone. Patriots don't have a quarterback. Kirk Cousins, no. Carson Wentz.

You know, Carson, Wence. Mahomes, Stafford, Rogers, Josh Allen. Rogers used to be elite. I just, you know, at 36, I don't think he quite spins it like he used to, but he's still upper echelon. Then I think there's just a group of guys like Russell Wilson. You know, it's just not in the top tier,

but he's as good as any when he needs to let it rip. You know, Brady, I still don't think when Brady has time in the pocket and sets his feet and throws a dart, he can throw it as well as that. anybody. Deshawn Watson Sneaky doesn't have that great of an arm. I mean, it's solid. You know who's underrated arm strength? Kyler Murray.

When he lets it rip, you're like, I remember watching them, like, by the end of September, my take on Kyler was, this guy's not going to suck. I don't know, you know, it's out of his control, how good his team is. I mean, Vance Joseph is their defensive coordinator. They're awful.

His coach has never coached in the NFL. It's a lot's out of his control. but just his pure talent is like, damn. I think of some of the younger guys. James, okay. Darnold, you know, okay. Josh Rosen actually was pretty solid, but he's never going to...

I mean, is Josh Rosen close to being out of the league? Baker's, okay. Lamar's solid. Lamar's actually, I'd say, gotten a little better. Derek Carr actually has a pretty good arm. It was funny. He gets kind of knocked for being a checkdown guy, but his arm strength actually is pretty good.

found you a few months back on Collins' podcast. Do you think that Bill Belichick tanks this season, drafts Lawrence, then surrounds him with weapons and turns into another 10 to 12-year reign, 10 to 20-year reign? Yeah, I mean, I think that's... They're not going to tank. Their team is too good.

Their defense is too good. Now, I've seen, I don't know if it's quite Reddit or just some internet rumors. Could Detroit... Trade... I think the Patriots have... What do they have? 22, 22, 21, 22, 23, somewhere. in the early 20s.

Would they trade all the way back to three? Let's say the Patriots like Tua. Would you trade them three for that pick Stefan Gilmore in like a second? Stefan Gilmore was a defensive player of the year, and he's under Contrae. And they're trying to win now. Just throwing out there.

I saw it, again, I wouldn't say it's a credible source. But it was enough that I was like, ah, you know, it might be something there. I really enjoy a listener's show. I go to a Minnesota State University Mancato, the school Adam Thielen went to. Oh, good little nugget.

Which is Division II school. I was wondering how much time scouts spend looking at lower division prospects. Well, most teams, besides like two in the league, they're either involved with Bresto. Shows you how long I've been out of the game. Or like a national scouting service, I forget the name of it.

And you go to a meeting, you know, and like after the draft. So usually drafts in April, usually by the end of May, and you go to this meeting for like four or five days. And they give you a book or like a pamphlet. It's like a three ring binder. Hell, now it might be on iPads, I don't know. But it used to be in Marco Island is where we went when we were in Philly.

And most teams are there. And it's badass, you're right on the water. It's like a sweet little vacation. And you go through all the players in your area that a scout that works for the service had gone through, like if you have your scout, California, let's say you got three states. California, Oregon, Washington. You go through every college. I'm talking USC to UC Davis to Division III schools. And if they got legit prospects, they ride them down. And so if there is a sweet player at that school like Adam Thielen.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action

with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo 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 of the day, 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 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 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, Brett. My mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker.

Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian.

and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, hope from a hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends

as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream

A chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrat, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coultera podcast network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You would know before the season starts. And because of stats and stuff, you're keeping an eye on that stuff in your area.

Plus, buzz just starts. You know, I think... The term like diamonds, I need to find the diamond. They used to happen a lot in the 70s and 80s in sports in general. Remember Blue Chips? The movie with Shaq and Penny Hardaway, when Nick Nolte goes to like the bayou and just Shacks in there, you know, playing on like that wood hoop.

And it's still one of my favorite movie scenes ever. Skinny Shack, just throwing alley-oops, dunking on dudes, blocking shots. I think sports used to be a lot like that. Like a scout used to find, hey, hey, coach, I got this guy. here, hey, I got this guy there in pro basketball, football, and baseball. I think that's very, very difficult now. Because the internet, scouting services now for high school athletes, has become such big

business that you're hearing about these guys at such a young age that it's hard for guys to get under the cracks. And in football, probably more than, like, in baseball, a lot of guys play in the big leagues that went to junior college. In basketball, internationally now, the world's so flat, I would say how many guys non-division-1 players get drafted in the NBA? Not very many. In football, you do get a lot of non-power-five guys

and definitely some lower divisions. Definitely Division 1-A, right? North Dakota State where he's from, I went to Cal Poly. We've produced some NFL guys, UC Davis, we have some out west, but there's a lot in the Midwest and the south. I think they play a pretty big role in the draft. Are there going to be a lot of Division 2 and Division 3 guys drafted? No.

It's just not the case. Doesn't mean they can't necessarily play, but usually they're there for a reason. Who's the best incoming offensive skill position player in your opinion? That's a hell of a question. Listen, if I know the guy can catch, and I don't know, I'd have to text around, but I love Jonathan Taylor. I think Jonathan Taylor's a stud.

I like all three wide receivers a lot. I like Jerry Judy, I like C.D. Lamb, and I like Henry Ruggs. Depending on what my team needed, if I needed an Amari Cooper, Marvin Harrison Routrunner, I'm going Judy. If I want a D. Andre Hopkins, those type guy, I'm going C.D. Lamb. Now, you could argue when you, and if I wanted a Sean Jackson speed demon, I'm going to rugs. I think the thing, if you were going to pick one of those three players,

the guys that usually translate the best, are the Hopkins type guy. the physical players, the dudes that make great contested catches. You can argue that the route runners can always get open, but sometimes, and they're hard to fail. The one thing is with the CD Lambs is they usually hit in the sense of they're just going to function. It's hard for Jerry Judy to fail because you're getting open, but they can underachieve where the rugs is probably your biggest swinging for the fences you could strike out or hit a home run.

John Ross a couple years ago was drafted 8th, he's been a royal bust. You know, Amari Cooper's an underachiever, he still averages 75 catches 1,000 yards and six touchdowns a year. So I know people at Oklahoma, they love C.D. Lamb. I think when you look at Oklahoma

under Lincoln Riley, his guys to play for him, what he asks of you, like their standards there are sneaky pretty high. How many Oklahoma guys over the last beside Baker have failed? And I wouldn't call Baker a failure yet, but I'm just saying coming in the league and played well.

Mixing, Sterling Shepard. Trying to think a couple off the top of my head. Obviously, Kyler Murray, even Baker of me starts. All the offensive linemen. Look at Mark Andrews. Goes right to Baltimore and beats out the dude drafted ahead of him. So you see these guys. Marquis Brown was hurt last year in and out,

but he's going to be a good player. These guys come into the NFL ready to play. I think C.LAM is going to be a really good player. Like I said, I think he might be the first wide receiver were drafted. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide through this fascinating world.

Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure.

And they see you. Their fearless guide through this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. If I could be you. And you could be me? For just one hour. If you could find a way...

To get inside. Each other's mind. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. We've all felt left out. And for some, that feeling lasts more than a moment. We can change that.

Learn how at belonging begins with us.org. Brought to you by the ad council. Walk a mile in the... Big Packers fan here. Do you think Devin Funches has a chance to be an impact of a free agent signing? I feel like Rogers could elevate him. Also, what wide receiver should they take in the first round? I would agree.

If you think about it, they've had some back shoulder fade guys. Like James Jones had a lot of success there. James Jones couldn't run. I talked to James Jones when I was at the Super Bowl. I love James Jones. San Jose State guy. But when you have an accurate quarterback that can just throw seeds, on the back shoulder stuff, because funches can't really run?

So can you resurrect him? I mean, when you say resurrect, if he gets 40, 50 catches, that'd be pretty good. When you look at wide receivers at the end of the first round, I think the ASU guy is really Ayuk, is how you say his name. Mims, the Baylor kid, is very, very interesting. Would a KJ Hamler, the guy that can just fly from Penn State? Would he make any sense there? Is that too high?

But I do think it's time for the Packers to start drafting some offensive players for Aaron Rogers. for the love of God. I was wondering if you would break down the pack 12 for me, hopefully this football season. Who is the worst and best? Please go over the coaching changes. That's a lot. I would say the best team in the pack 12 going into the season is going to be Oregon.

They're returning a ton of guys. They're going to have a new quarterback, but their defense is basically all returning. Their offensive skill guys should be back from injury. And if their quarterback is just solid, they're really, really good. They host Ohio State Week 2 in Eugene at Austin Stadium. That's going to be one of the biggest games probably of the non-conference in the country. They should be the team to beat.

I don't really even think there's a close second. Maybe ASU, I mean, they're going to return the quarterback who's got a chance to be really, really good. But it's going to be interesting, like in college football, you know, the offseason in college football is really big. Because unlike the NFL, you get to wear pads in practice. You do do a lot of work. the strength program for college guys, unlike the NFL. I heard Richard Sherman say this within the last month. He's like, you know, I do most of my hardcore training, like leading up to training camp.

The offseason is kind of when I relax. Now, he's an older player. But in the NFL, once you get in four or five years, you have a specific regiment that you know exactly what you're doing. When you're a 17, 18, 19 year old kid at Colorado, at Alabama, at LSU, at Washington, wherever, your growth as a human is huge. Putting on the muscle mass, going through the intense training, and they're not going to get that. I would say the worst, Cal actually might be a sleeper too.

Their defense is really good. Return to quarterback. Bill Musgrave, the offensive coordinator. I would say the worst team in the Pack 12th, probably going to be Colorado. I would expect them to be really bad. My friends don't believe Russell Wilson is a top five quarterback in the league. I'm not sure how to convince them how good he is.

Can you discuss what NFL people see in his game that the regular fan cannot? Well, if your friends don't think Russell Wilson is a top five quarterback in the NFL, I don't know what they're watching, because he's easily a top five quarterback in the NFL. He's probably a top three quarterback in the NFL. You'd argue after last year, you know, him, Lamar, and Mahomes, by far are the three best quarterbacks in the league. And the difference is Lamar Jackson can't win in the playoffs because he can't throw first downs.

So I can't put Lamar Jackson above Russell Wilson. I know we got the MVP. I had great regular season. Can you win a playoff game? Russell can. And clearly Mahomes can too. I don't know. He's just, he's incredible.

He's one of the greatest playmakers we've ever seen. He's one of the greatest scrambler and throwers we've ever seen. He's one of the great carriers of a franchise we've ever seen. He's one of the great deep ball throwers we've ever seen. He's just a bona fide superstar. I mean, to me, he's He's just your no doubt about it, I test guy. You watch a Russell Wilson game,

and you just come away going. God, that number three, that little quarterback Seattle's got, is a baller. Okay, we'll end on that. Hope everyone stay safe. Keep quarantining so we can get the hell out of this. And get out of our houses sooner and later. Keep your head up.

We just got to keep trucking. And at least we got the draft. not too far away. So about under two and a half weeks, by the time you hear the second podcast of the week by Friday, we'll be under two weeks until the NFL draft. So I guess we've got something to look forward to do and keep flattening that curve, baby.

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To order today, visit 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise. 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 Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. Space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, guys? This is Cliver Taylor the Fourth.

And on my podcast, The Cliver Show, I'm bringing you comments. 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 of 42.

Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.