The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Weekend Mailbag

Episode Date: January 27, 2024

John answers your questions in a special weekend mailbag podcast. 5:27 - What should the Bears do with their second pick 7:18 - Who will be the second QB off the board 10:09 - What changes should the Chargers make 21:54 - Should Golf start to cater towards betting 29:06 - What would you do as the Giants GM 32:57 - Stop putting Josh Allen ahead of Patrick and Lamar 36:02 - Should the Broncos trade for a QB or draft one Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule. of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume.

Draft King Sportsbook, an official betting partner of the NFL playoffs, is bringing you an offer to help make the playoffs electrifying. New customers can bet five bucks on any game and get 200 instantly in bonus bets. Download the draft king sports book now and use code John. New customers can bet $500 instantly in bonus bets Only on Drafking Sportsbook with code J-O-H-N John The crown is yours Gambling problem call 1-800 gambler or visit www. www.1-800 gambler.net in New York call 877

Hope NY or text HopeNY 467369 in Connecticut Help is available for problem gambling call 888-78-89-77 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 plus age varies by jurisdiction, void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.com slash football for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources.

What is going on, everybody? John Middlecoff, three and out podcast. Hopefully we are doing well on a Saturday. I thought I'd do a little weekend Middlecough mailbag because I have so many questions. So this is going to be a mailbag question only. At John Middlecoff is the Instagram, firing those DMs, get your question answered here on the show.

It's Friday, early on in the morning. I was like, I was begging out now. I just went for a walk. ran into a guy wearing a Bill's hat here in Scottsdale. I just gave him therapy for about 10 minutes. We started BSing. He just talked me through it. He's a season ticket holder.

And he was at the game. I was like, God, it looked cold. He's like, yeah, it wasn't even that bad. You're from the Northeast. You're just unfazed by freezing weather. But he was in a good spot, relatively speaking, I would say. Obviously, likes his quarterback. Didn't love some play calls.

But it's tough, man. When you're a fan of a team, it just is really good. good, but gets really, really close and you have a star player, it's, I could feel it on him. But he wore that hat with pride, so it's the American pastime. Whenever I see someone wearing some NFL gear or even college gear, walk by another guy with Michigan, just talk ball. It binds us. So I don't know why I just went on that rant, but let's dive into the mailbag.

You listen on Collins' feed. Make sure you subscribe to three and out. We have a YouTube channel as well. Everything is video. So everything we do here, we also put on the YouTube channel. And yeah, thevolume.com. We have merch, thevolume.com. I just saw on Schefter's feed that the Green Bay Packers are interviewing Brandon Staley.

Either the Packers, the Dolphins, or the Rams, someone's going to end up with Brandon Staley, and their fan base is not going to be happy. Before I dive into a couple DMs, you guys know the drill official ticketing app of this podcast game time. Go download it now. You want to go to any game. You want to go to any concert. I heard that Taylor Swift has a world tour, I think, in Asia, around the Super Bowl. So, you know, if the Chiefs were to win, who knows what she would do? I would imagine

she would find a way to be at that game. I think it's guaranteed she'd be at that game. It's kind of the elephant in the room. Does the NFL want Taylor Swift? Are they going to, like, rig it for the Chiefs? Might have to because they got Patrick Mahomes. But you guys know the deal. Download the GameTime app, promo code John, $20 off any pair of tickets. It's very easy to use. It gives you great sight lines, gives you the ability to see the different price points at the different arenas and stadiums, concerts, comedy shows. Promocode John. always saw you on Collins' feed, decided to give you a try. Love it. Great content.

Anyways, I'm a Bears fan. I think it's a lock we take Caleb with the first pick. But our second pick in the first round, I could see us trading. Do you think we'd get enough value to be worth it if we keep? Who would we draft? Well, here'd be my take, because I'm in agreement you are going to trade Justin Fields and draft Caleb Williams with the number one overall pick. You have the ninth pick, right?

That's where you pick in the draft. Unless, I haven't looked in a week or two, but that's, in my mind, it's the ninth pick. So if you have that pick, and several quarterbacks are going to be taken after Caleb, the Washington commanders are going to take a quarterback. The New England Patriots, I think it's fair to say, are more than likely, like, 95% going to take a quarterback.

So starting at pick four, a position player hasn't even been taken. I also think it's fair to assume that some other team will trade into the top 10 and draft a guy. So there is a chance that one of the top five position players on your board, non-quarterback, you get as well. If I told any team going into a draft, before you even new picks, you're going to get the number one quarterback

or the quarterback you want. I mean, who knows? Maybe they take Drake Man. The quarterback you want in a top five position player in a good draft. Like, this is a very talented draft. receivers you guys could use one with DJ more defensive players corners

a tight end I guess you got Komet but why couldn't you have two I think that I would just keep and take the sweetest player on my board an offensive defense you know a great defensive lineman just a great defensive player I don't think you can ever go wrong that way

always love your show I like this guy already question statement would you take as a quarterback in the draft, who would you take after Caleb? I'm a Patriot fan, and I see the back and forth takes on Drake May and Jaden Daniels. Constantly looks like May is the second off the board,

so likely not a chance to get him. But if there was a choice, I'm curious on your scouting perspective. Well, I had texted a lot of people about Drake May as the buzz grew throughout the season, and there was a stretch of like three games. The first one I watched was on the CW. They might have been playing North Carolina State. They lost.

They had been undefeated at the time. and I thought he did not look good. And then I watched him the next couple weeks, and I just wasn't that impressed. Now, part of evaluating a guy in the draft is also factoring in physical skill set, intangibles, sometimes coaches are idiots in college, right? If you just valued production and how sweet you were in college,

Josh Allen never would have been the seventh overall pick. Right? Now, some guys, I think we overthinking, Lamar Jackson, even Jalen hurts, right? But to me, I didn't watch enough LSU football. And I'm biased because when I watched Jaden Daniels at LSU and even watched him last year, I was like, I don't see it. I don't see it.

But I'm not ignorant, naive, like, stubborn enough to acknowledge. Like, I've done that with other quarterbacks in the past. Especially athletic guys. Jalen Hertz. Now, he didn't have a great season this year, but he's still a solid player relative to the rest of the league. So I think you just got to, I'm just going to have to have to. to peek at a little more of him at LSU.

I just didn't watch them enough. Once they lost a couple games, once they lost the old miss, they were out of it, I just kind of stopped paying attention to him. And I know he was putting up great stats, but I don't have a great take on him. Though, I think it's pretty clear, successful athletic quarterbacks who can throw and run at a really high level, which he did, you know, you've got to be very careful to kind of bet against them. And he was a better college player than, say, Jalen Hurst.

Right. Now, he was a late bloomer, right? He didn't pop immediately. Transferring doesn't bother me anymore. Everyone transfers. But one issue I had just, he does look very thin. He just looks thin. And I think it's very hard to be a skinny guy. Now, I don't want to see how tall he is, how much he weighs. I do value, like, part of what Caleb brings the table, he's a thick, thick, physical presence. I mean, I would guess he weighs 220 pounds. Drake May's big, right? Think of some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. They're big. Like, even Mahomes, he's thick. So that would be, that would be my original take that I just didn't watch much LSU football. Do you expect Kellyn Moore to remain as the OC for the Chargers as Jim Harbaugh

is the new head coach? I do not. I do not at all. I think Jim Harbaugh has proven. Jim Harbaugh several years ago when it was rocky at Michigan. Again, Rocky at Michigan, relative to the rest of the country, is going well. But for Michigan, when you're a top 5-6 program, the standards are really high. Like, Kalin-Dubour is not allowed to go 9-3, 9-3.

Brian Kelly goes 9-3 again. They got problems. At Michigan, you're expected 10 wins minimum and beating Ohio State. And he wasn't doing it at the time. The 10 wins, he was winning double-digit game sometimes, but he wasn't beating Ohio State. And he went to the spread offense. Josh Gattis, who I think was the wide receiver coach at Alabama. and he brought him and it just he didn't like it and philosophically it wasn't his style like let's face it

whatever you do in any business you have especially the older you get right like when you're young you're kind of shaping your views and learning and like taking what different mentors or people you look up to and kind of molding it in your own way to view football and once you hit a certain point like you have some non-negotiables but whenever you're failing like you're like okay I got to look in the mirror I got to try some different things He tried it and he hated it. And he went immediately back. Sharon Moore, who's an offensive line coach.

Like, that's his style. Think about his offensive coordinators that he's had success with. David Shaw, old school, run the ball, physical football. Greg Roman, old school, run the ball, physical football. Sharon Moore, old school, run the ball, physical football. Kellen Moore is Boise State spread it out, trick plays. It's not really Jim's Cup of Tea. So I would expect, I don't know who his OC is going to be,

but I would be floored. if Kellen Moore is the O.C. I think he's gone. From a scouts point of view, why do you think the legend and mystique around guys like Josh Rosen, Jamarcus Russell, and Trey Lance builds so much?

When it's clear, it hasn't worked out. The player didn't pick himself, GMs can't see the future, and the coach, I imagine, needs to pivot as soon as possible to win. It seems like once they leave, everyone suddenly gained some common sense and stops talking about them.

Is it just the media gravy train? Well, the hype machine's real around draft time. It just is. Jamarcus Russell and Josh Rosen played at big programs. Jamarcus Russell was playing at LSU. Josh Rosen was a three-year starter at UCLA. So they had tangible skills. Jamarcus was big.

I mean, he was a decent athlete, obviously enormous arm. Josh Rosen 6'4, prototypical pocket quarterback. Like a better arm, Jared Gough. I think that's what people thought. Trey Lance was a COVID Fugazi That's what that was It was a COVID Fugazi And a team was desperate to draft a guy

Now one thing he was that the other guys You know the other guys had some question marks Trey Lance's character intelligence All that stuff was really good So sometimes you can overlook like God He played at a small school God he only only got one year starter God who the hell did he play To like oh we love all the intangibles

Well ultimately this is a production based business And you got to be able to play Now, one thing pretty clear, Josh Rosen was traded in a year because they could get Kyler Murray, who's obviously way better. Trey Lance, they kind of gave him a little time, and he's just not good enough. Like, they get Sam Darnold in there, and they're like, clearly Sam Darnold's way better player. And listen, we can argue till we're blue in the face, is Sam Darnel good or not, he's better than Trey Lance. And they were immediately validated because they traded him, and he is a third string quarterback.

Think about that. Do it was drafted number three overall, traded three first round picks. He didn't even make it to the team. year three, week one, and he's on another team with a hat on. Technically dresses out because of the new rules. But Jamarcus obviously just had, you know, he was lazy and had drug issues. So I think history doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme. But every human being, like these are not businesses, right?

These are not widgets. These are people. And every person's wired a little different. We're all one-of-ones. So every, you know, Trey Lance just doesn't. have any touch. Here's the other problem with Tray Lance. He's an average athlete. Part of the reason they drafted

him, they thought he was this dual threat. Like a Josh Allen. He's not even close. Purdy's plays faster. Jamarcus didn't even try. Rosen just turns out not good. We're drafting human beings. This is very, very difficult. It's so easy to say after the fact, well, of course.

Look at that draft. It was billed as like this great quarterback draft. Trevor Lawrence, bulky just said the other day, Yeah, we're going to have a heart to heart with them. Basically, like, we ain't paying in this offseason. Zach Wilson, all-time bust. Trey Lance didn't even make the team the third year. Justin Fields is about to get traded,

and Mack Jones just isn't any good. So this is difficult. Think of all the people that drafted them. Some of these teams were pretty good. I guess not really, but besides the Niners. I'm a Bears fan, and I'm wondering what you think of Waldron hire as an OC. Do you think part of the reason they brought someone like him, someone with the OC experience from the McVeigh tree,

is to become the head coach if Iber Fluse fails? I don't even think it's that deep. I just think that this offense now is proven, that it is quarterback friendly, right? It's easier to find offensive linemen in the zone running scheme. Once you know the zone running scheme, it's easy to call run plays when you know what you're doing from a Kyle LaFleur, McVeigh, Mike McDaniels,

like it's inner, you know, ingrained into their mind to call run plays. And they're natural at it. And then from there, a lot of the play action passes are viewed relative to NFL as layup throws. Someone told me a while ago when they interviewed Sala and he was bringing LaFleur, who ended up failing, part of the big reason he failed was because Zach Wilson, was the logic behind it was, this is how they sell the offense. We want to run the ball.

Let's say there are, let's say there are, let's pick a number, 60 plays in a game. Let's say we have 60 offensive plays. We want 30 to 35 of those to be runs, and we want 25 of those to be passes. And of those 25 passes, hopefully 10 to 15, are schemed through the play action, you know, out of the half to start the game that are relatively easy. and then we're going to need the quarterback to make, especially once we build up a team and we're competitive, when we're shitty, obviously this goes out the window. But once we get, we have a team that can compete for, you know,

double-digit wins, we're only asking him to make ten-ish throws. Like, that's the logic behind the offense. So it's very quarterback-friendly. I just think it's that simple. So whether you got Caleb Williams or whether you got me or you, it's just, it works. Like, it works. And you can do so much stuff off the office.

offense, right? It's not just, this is the only thing we do. You can window dressing. Who did I hear to say this the other day? Who was talking about this? I forget a defensive coach, maybe a player, is you can run the same, like Kyle, oh, it's Schlereth. He's like, I was doing one of Kyle's games, and he literally ran the same, like, outside zone play with nine different looks, which essentially means nine different ways to block the point of attack. One times the tight end gets them inside. One time the tight end gets them outside. One time they double team the guy.

One time they use check comes. The other time they motion a guy. The other time they motion the other guy the other way. It's the same play. But you have so much stuff going all around and the player doesn't know which side the blocking scheme is coming from. It throws you off. So it's just a very, very, I would say,

coreback friendly thing. I hear Colin compare Josh Allen to Cam Newton and Ben a lot, and he predicts that Alan's style of play probably won't age well. Do you think that Alan will be able to adapt when his athleticism declines? If not, I don't see when he will ever win a Super Bowl. Well, I would disagree, like Josh Allen to me, I know he hasn't won an MVP, but over the course of his career, like he's a more consistent player than Cam.

But I think he plays more like Cam, with a touch of Ben, than he does Ben with a touch of camp. Because a huge part of his game isn't just running, it's power running. Now, Ben scrambled around and took a lot of hits, but they weren't running him on like quarterback sweeps, unless my memory is not serving, like, not working anymore. Like, Josh is running over people. And you just, like, I was watching that game against Gaines Chiefs going,

he could not do this for the next 10 years. I don't care how big and strong he is. So there's going to have to be some sort of balance. But I do think he's a pretty special player. And right now for the next, I would say half decade, you got a chance to win a Super Bowl. Right? And it's not on him anymore.

Obviously, he needs to play well in these big spots. But I mean, it's on the organization. Better guys on defense. You know, there's obviously injury luck. Better guys on offense. A consistent running game. Keep Joe Brady. Do you know what I find really stupid about the NFL rules?

I totally understand the new rule, and I totally understand these new rules on coordinators interviewing minority candidates because guys that are quarterback coaches slash coordinators are 50 times more likely to become head coaches. Of course they are. That's, you know, the highest paid guy on the team is the quarterback. But when I have Joe Brady as my offensive coordinator,

I fire, what's his name, Ken Dorsey during the middle of the season, and I have Joe Brady. and I want to keep him as my offensive coordinator. I'm not hiring him from the outside. I'm not just running a search where I'm already in tunnel vision. If I want to keep Joe Brady, I shouldn't have to interview anyone else, if that's who I want to hire.

That is the optics sometimes in society. Like, that's stupid. If I want to hire Joe Brady, totally understand you're hiring outside, like the Raiders or the Bears or whoever. If you're just doing an offensive coordinator, the Eagles, an offensive, defensive coordinator search for sure. but if the guy's already on my fucking staff

and I want to elevate them and I know what am I doing? I've always thought that about like listen, when you're hiring these coordinators totally understand it. If I want Jim Harbaugh if I want Bill Belichick if Mike Tomlin were to get fired and I want him Mike Tomlin if I want Pete Carroll

I should have to fucking interview anyone else. I remember when the Raiders got in trouble for hiring John Gruden. It's like what are we doing here? Like there should be a level of tenure if you've won a Super Bowl. I don't need to interview anyone else if that's the guy I want. It happens in business all the time, right? Think about in business. Like, I want this guy. I want that number two from Apple to run my company.

I don't know fucking waste time interviewing anyone else. I've already known. I've been following her career or his career for a decade. I've already known the person for, you know, seven years. They're who I want. Can we just put some common sense in all of this? Like that one, if the guy's on your staff and you want to keep them, because this notion of like, well, they didn't know about Mike Tom and well yeah they were doing an open search like I that's not the way these coordinator like Josh Allen wants Joe Brady as he should love the golf betting content I agree that it's a great sport to bet on but where I get frustrated is the coverage unless you have money on someone in contention it feels impossible to see how your player is performing do you think golf

is leaving a lot of potential on the table by not providing a good way for bettors to watch players they want to watch. I love betting on the Ryder Cup, but even that is hard. I think the hard part about golf relative to, let's just say, baseball, basketball, and football, in those other sports,

or even tennis, right? The Australian Open's going on right now. It's all going on in one place. Right? If you're watching Roger Federer play Jokevich, they're playing on the same court. Like, you don't need to, like, go back and forth between course. The Chiefs and Bill's game is literally just

the Chiefs and Bill's game. In golf, like, there's one event and everyone's on a different hole. So I do find it difficult. Now, I do think in the future, could you find a way to get a camera on every person? Here's the problem. NBC is, they had to spend so much money for golf. Golf doesn't make them that much money. If this was football, they would find a way.

They wouldn't have this problem, but you know what I mean. In golf, it's like, are we really going to go above and beyond with our costs? when we don't get the money back. Like, I'm in agreement with you. If I have money and I have a lot of money on several guys this weekend at Tori Pines, I want to be able to see, like, what's Ludwig doing right now? I got a top 20 bet on him. Is he moving up?

Min Wu Lee, where's he at? But it is difficult. I do give them not even the benefit of the doubt. The reality of covering the sport and a cost standpoint, is it really worth it? Like, you got to, I always look at, stuff from a business perspective, right? I saw, like anyone my age or older, you grew up on Sports Illustrated, right? Sports Illustrated was a huge, huge part of your youth. I even remember if I

close my eyes, the library at Pioneer Elementary, where I went to elementary school, used to have Sports Illustrated for kids, and you would go there and read Sports Illustrated for kids. This is in the mid-90s. It was an enormous deal. I remember the 49ers won the Super Bowl, and I got one of those Sports Illustrated sweatshirts, the hoodless ones. The reaction of Sports Illustrated going under from all the journalists, I thought was pretty laughable. Like, guys, Sports Illustrated didn't die last week. It died like a decade ago. Magazines are fucked.

Is there any industry that is more emotional about failed businesses than the media? Like, I understand if it just was humming and it just went under, people would be like, what the hell? no one's reading it anymore. Society changed. I am a great example of someone that read Sports illustrated his entire life. I haven't read the thing in a decade plus. I don't even think it existed. I actually saw it probably five or six years ago. It was thinner than like three pieces of paper. I'm like what why do you guys mad about? The consumer. It's like the corporate greed. No, we are not, the consumer is not reading. The consumer is not consuming.

Follow the consumer. Like, where is that guy? I'll tell you where he is. Podcasts, YouTube's, blogs. I mean, the world's changed. It's actually, whenever I see, and I don't mean to go on this rant, but I got to get off my chest

because I see it a lot on the X channel. The complaining by it, this is so unfair what's happened to journalism. It's actually, I'd argue it's never been easier to be a quote-unquote media person. There's a million outlets. Substack, YouTube, fucking start a podcast. But I was hard out of it.

Just fucking start it. Figure it out. I'll promise it. It works. The writing for a magazine no longer works. That's over. It's why I defended Peacock. Like, guys, this is where it's going. The Scorsese movie. This 18 hours long, the killer of Flower Moon. Wasn't that in theater like two weeks ago?

Yesterday or earlier this week, clicked on Apple TV. There it was. Cool for me. Pro consumer. Bring me the movie. I don't want to go to the theater anymore and I was someone that loved movie theaters I don't go to movie theaters anymore why I got 280 plus inch TVs and I paid $30,000 to smart tech my entire house

so I got speakers everywhere I got all sorts of shit in every room so this notion that like oh my God I can't believe it went under you can't what are we talking about it's like

I'm not anti like feeling like you got a raw deal when I've been fired. But like if you get fired because the business is failing and it's been clear for a long time, like I feel little to no sympathy for you. I actually kind of call you an idiot. Like it's pretty clear people that are having success in your industry are not doing what you're doing. So if you want to succeed financially, pivot. I'm like no industry. And I have friends in the beer business, family in the farming industry, construction industry. Most of my friends are not people in the media

And I see this group complain Over and over about this like I bet everyone listening If you get nostalgic about things in your industry And listen, we all are humans We don't necessarily want things to change But when it's pretty clear You either change with the times

Or you're going to get laid off fired or not survive Your business is going to go under Welcome to capitalism Hey John used to listen to you back When y'all were on 957 the game A long time ago just started listening again for the past month and have always enjoyed your takes

Colin has said that the Raiders likely will hire Cliff Kingsbury for offensive coordinator and was wondering if you think that it would be a good fit I personally would like Zach Robinson I'm also curious of your take on what the Raiders should do with Josh Jacobs I think the running back situation is always tough

because would I give Josh Jacobs like two years basically what, I forget the exact number of Jonathan Taylor's contract, but I would just try to give him that contract. But if he thinks he's getting like $50 million, like, hey, man, hit the open market. He's a good player. I like Josh Jacobs. He's also battled a lot of injuries. I have no clue what they're going to do with offensive coordinator.

None. I couldn't even begin to guess. I personally would not hire Cliff Kingsbury. Like I would hire, like I said, what the Bears did. hire someone from, you know, the crew. McVeigh, Shanahan, now McDaniels. Like, hire those guys. Listen, it's not guaranteed to work.

The Bears hired Getzzi and everyone hated him immediately. I'm not like some pro-Getsy guy, but I will defend him. It's not like he was playing with Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson. He's playing with a guy that can't throw from within the pocket. Kyle Shanahan and John McVeigh might have looked bad. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two.

Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. As a long-time Giants fan, I've been blessed to see two Super Bowls, but the Giants have been a colossal failure since 2011. It's a shame, and Marr should be embarrassed by his hiring, seemingly constantly meddling, and the insistence on sticking with a below-average quarterback in Jones. His only qualification is being Wellington's son. Assume you are the GM of the Giants. What are the first few moves? being a head coach is difficult

and people are going to disagree, right? Being a leader, people aren't always going to be, you know, believe in you. I saw a clip today on YouTube, the algorithm of when John Harbaugh was hired, Ed Reed was like, I hated half the things he was saying. He used to piss me off. He's like, at first, I did not think this was going to work. So you're going to rub some people the wrong way, right? There's no growth without a little confrontation.

But like a couple years in, everyone hating Brian Dayball to me is not an ideal situation. So I would look long and hard like, what's this guy's deal? What's our problem here? And I would think about hire Bill Belichick. You tell me if the New York Giants hired Bill Belichick tomorrow, you guys wouldn't be excited? That's what I'd do.

Maybe demote Brian Day will, like tight ends coach. That would be my first call. You know, bring the Wiz kid home. Do you think coaches get a courtesy call to let them know that they aren't selected for the position? Or do you see Schefters tweet and think to themselves, dude, what the fuck? I killed that interview.

That's a good question. You know, I've never been in a situation to interview for, you know, a GM or head coaching job. Obviously, it's a very, very, very public position. If I had to take an educated guess, I would say the owner and the GM who's hiring a coach, or vice versa, even the GM, they know that this information is going to get out really fast.

once they call. So I would guess that before you call, let's say I'm offering, let's pick a guy who just got hired. Rahim Mors. Before I hire Rahim Morses, I call three or four guys and tell them they did not.

You know, the final, if there was a final two or final four, I call them and say they did not get the job before I hire the guy. That's the most logical way to make sure that doesn't happen. Now, does that always happen that way? Probably not.

I bet there's a, it's 100% happened where people find out they're in the running for a job. They didn't get the job through Twitter. If Debo Samuel doesn't end up playing Sunday, how do you think Detroit's defense, mainly in the linebackers, stack up against Christian McCaffrey and Kittle? I got a text yesterday from a buddy who covers the Niners, who was at practice. He's like, Debo's playing. Obviously, Debo practiced on Thursday, and he was moving his shoulder around, dancing before Debo's playing. I feel like everyone rags on the secondary, for a good reason,

but I feel like between the pass rush and rattling Purdy, things can get evenly matched. You hit quarterbacks, whether it's Tom Brady, whether it's Joe Montana, or whether it's Brock Purdy, like, you got a chance. We saw the Giants win two Super Bowls by peppering Tom Brady. If you can hit a quarterback, I don't care if you're playing the best quarterback ever

or a Joe Schmoe average backup quarterback. You can beat anybody. you can beat anybody. If you don't touch a quarterback, you can make average guys look good, and good guys look great, and great guys unstoppable. Football has always been pretty simple that way.

It's like, you hit the quarterback, you got a chance. Now, relentlessly hit him. Like one sack, you get one sack and it feels big, and then you don't pressure him the rest of the game, or are you constantly in his ass? You always mention Josh Allen's name first is so exhausting. Lamar is about to be a two-time MVP. Joe Burrow has made it to the Super Bowl

and has actually beat Mahomes in the playoffs Patrick is a two-time champion two-time MVP Josh Allen has only made it to the divisional round of the playoffs with no noteworthy accomplishments Yeah I mean I'm sorry Mahomes and if Lamar beats Mahomes Lamar then

Burrell's been injured like listen there's four guys that are clearly better than everybody and there's one guy who's better even if Mahomes loses Sunday like Mahomes is the king and then there's a group of three guys. I personally would take Josh Allen over the other three. Like football is not, this isn't one-on-one basketball. Like, Lamar's team is good.

Like, fucking fantastic. Obviously, he is too. But let's face it, he was not having some... Look at his numbers, the last three or four weeks, inflated it a lot. And again, like, part of the reason Purdy was in the MVP conversation, it was an atrocious MVP here. So this notion that, like,

Josh Allen doesn't belong in the conversation to me. It's like, are we watching the same guys play fucking football? His defense is fucking awful. He was playing with guys off the street. I feel like I'm going to defend Josh Allen. I mean, what do we... Anyone who's watched football long enough and watch that guy's play and doesn't go, God, that guy is a remarkable player.

Joe Burroughs in a sling. My question is about how much defensive scheme impacts the pressure defensive linemen generate. I've seen two lines in the Niners, and Eagles with big names generate little to no pressure in their playoff games this year. Bosa specifically stands out as a player is having an extremely down year compared to with Domingo Ryan. I think the scheme definitely helps, right, any player.

But I do think sometimes as a defensive lineman, it's like it's a three-two count. You either can hit the outside fastball or you can't. You either can get a shot one-on-one against a good defender in the playoffs or you can't. Eventually, if I'm a pass rusher and I'm going one-on-one with a tackle or I'm an interior pass rusher and I'm getting chipped, I either can get penetration or I can't. And for whatever reason, I think it's easy to blame the defensive coordinators, but like, sometimes you've got to make plays, you know? Like I watch Aaron Donnell a lot over the years.

It's like, he just finds there's a will, there's a way. Like, T.J. Watt, you just watch T.J. Watt. Like, is it the scheme or is it just like, this guy's just getting home? So I typically when it comes to defensive linemen, like corners. Corners can greatly benefit from a scheme. Most corners are very scheme dependent. To me, good defensive linemen, highly paid $20, $30 million defensive lineman, got to win.

You're one-on-one with a guard 15 times during a game in past rest situations. Like, can you get five pressures? Do you think that Broncos should draft a quarterback and build around him? Or should they just trade up for someone like that? like Tua. That's a good question. Who's really Tua in this draft? I guess it would be Pinnix.

His combine's going to be huge. You know, his knees, the medical with him. So I would say, I would just imagine they draft a quarterback, but I don't know when. Wouldn't totally shock me if they keep building up the team and they just play next year with Stidim. You said, do you listen to financial podcasts? What would you recommend? I get asked this question a lot.

I think I've said it like 10 times. You know, the compound, Josh Brown, he's my go-to. Love the show, and I listen every day while I'm running my route. I'm a big Panther fan and wanted to get your thoughts on Canales as a head coach. Most fans on X think it's just Dan Morgan's buddy. Well, I don't know the guy. I honestly don't know that much about him. Obviously, he's a longtime position coach for Pete Carroll in Seattle.

And as a coordinator this year was good. I mean, resurrected Baker's career. He looks, I mean, you see that guy? I always wonder if coaches the hours they work, like, how does he stay so skinny? Does he just not have a sweet tooth? Does he not snacking? Looks fantastic.

Let's be real about this. The Panthers organization is beyond a shit show, simply because of the owner, who has unlimited money, who thinks he tells coaches what plays to run and drills to run in practice, and who to draft and who to sign. Most people did not want that job.

I'm not taking anything away from this guy, but Dave Canales, who was a one-year coordinator, kind of out of nowhere, signs a six-year contract, that tells you everything you need to know. Dan Morgan was just in the building the last several years,

and he becomes the GM? And listen, I've always liked Dan Morgan. I met him a couple times. I just think that organization is... Talk about a problem. New listener, the last couple of months, to your podcast. I listen to almost everyone now. The way you translate real life to sporting scenarios is next to nothing. Colin does it well, but he's on a bigger scale, doesn't have time for

listeners to go on and on. Learn a lot from yourself in life and how to operate as a young man. God, influencing the youth here. And the way you should conduct yourself. I don't know if I'd go that far, but I appreciate it. Hey, John, love the pod. I'm not a Bill's fan, but I think it's a good idea they could do to fix their team is to move on from digs. I think they need to trade him and try to get Jefferson or someone else that's in the class of wide receivers. How do you do that? That's one of the great trades of all time that was a win-win was the Vikings trading digs

of the bills for pick whatever it was 22 in taking Justin Jefferson. So if you are going to trade digs, you're not going to get a first round pick at this time. And then you've got to keep your fingers crossed. you get like Debo Samuel, D.K. Metcalf or Devante Adams in the second round? Assuming you get a second round pick for him. I don't normally watch much of the late rounds of the draft, but a few years ago, a kid who had watched play in high school had declared for the draft.

For the last several rounds, he was listed as one of the best players available. He wasn't drafted, probably because of injuries, but signed as a free agent and played briefly in the National Football League. Is it better to be drafted and be saddled with the tag of Mr. Irrelevant? or be listed on the draft board as the best player still on the board when the draft ends? Well, who's board, right? If you're on the team's board,

it's like, hey, we want you as an undrafted free agent, we had you as a fifth round pick, but we didn't have any picks. Yeah, that's good. But if you're on Mel Kuiper or Daniel Jeremiah's board, that doesn't matter. It's irrelevant. And listen, I love DJ,

and Mel Kiper is like anyone my age, dude, it's a badass, but their boards do not matter for the league. So you would always want to be drafted, in my opinion, because that means the team, there are people invested in you. As an undrafted free agent, I do think it's a little harder, even though in the NFL, it's definitely possible, right? And we see it all the time. Guys become legit players. But you are fighting an uphill battle, and you're going to need injuries.

So if things don't break your way, it can be difficult. And, yeah, that's all I would say. I'd rather be a six-round pick than an undrafted free agent. And just be like when the draft ends, I'm the best undrafted player on Mel Kuyper's board. I would much rather be picked 202. I mean, look at Brock Purdy. Part of the reason, like, they not only, they drafted them,

when they call them, like, we like you. The 49ers put it out a couple months ago, like of the draft call of Kyle going, people in this building like you. You always want supporters. I say it all the time. You want people in your professional life as a young person who believe in you.

It has to happen. Whether you're Jeff Bezos or me or you. If you start at a company doing whatever you're going to do in your early to mid-20s, you need a support system of someone that goes, I believe in this kid.

If you don't have that, this fucking cutthroat world, man. The private sector will eat you up and spit you alive. I don't care what you're doing, especially playing in football. So sometimes undragic, free agent like we just need a body and we lie to them.

If I draft you, 100% people like you in the building. Position coach, a coordinator, the owner, the GM, the assistant GM, somebody likes you. Now that's true sometimes too as undrafted free agents, but it's one million percent true when I use a draft pick on you as a player. So I would always rather be drafted.

The volume. Another podcast from some SNL, late night comments. comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot,

or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.