The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Aiyuk reports, what will Tua do, same old Jets

Episode Date: July 24, 2024

John dives into the news that Brandon Aiyuk has reported to 49ers training and if he's used all his chips after the 49ers didn't budge when he requested a trade, when will the conversations start on a contract extension for Brock Purdy, and how should the Dolphins proceed with Tua. Later, John talks about the latest issues surrounding the Jets and how they seem to never learn, and what should be expected from Jerod Mayo in his first season with the Patriots.  Later, John answers your questions in this episode's mailbag segment. 8:17 - Brandon Aiyuk reports to 49ers training camp 15:07 - The latest with Brock Purdy 18:45 - What will Tua do 23:28 - Other contract news 25:08 - Is it the same old Jets 29:31 - Mayo on the Patriots 41:22 - Mailbag 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.

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I know I did went for a long, a little hike around Lake Tahoe, only here for about 48 more hours. So I tried to enjoy this summer. and had a little lunch, and then I got back, and I saw a bunch of stuff in the NFL happened. So fired up the old machine and wanted to dive in, because obviously Brandon Ayuk showed up to camp, some questions with Tua, how he will play this out. We had some raises given out, Stafford, Namari Cooper,

Christian Derasaw, former 23rd overall pick, Viking Star Tackle, got a lot of money. I mean, got a lot of, lot of money. The Jets, we'll dive into the Jets. Jared Mayo had some comments in an 18-game schedule, which seems inevitable. So we will dive into some football as well as a mailbag. So the mailbag, I'm going to need some mailbag questions. I mean, I got some for this podcast, but make sure you fire into those DMs. At John Middlecoff is the Instagram. At John Middlecoff, Instagram. Fire in those

DMs. Very, very easy to do. So do that because I'm going to need a bunch coming through training camp. And I think this is the plan. Tomorrow, it's really my last day in Tahoe, probably no podcast, unless something, you never know in the NFL. We've got a pretty full day plan. But if something breaks, I'll be ready, and then we'll finish one with Thursday for Friday, and then we'll just get back to our normal schedule next week. I'll be back home by the end of the week. And other than, I think me and Colin are going to record something on Sunday.

So a lot of football content, obviously once really August hits. It'll be nonstop every single day because that's how we do. And subscribe to the podcast. If you listen on Collins Feed, three and out the YouTube channel, we got that covered. A lot of you guys, which I appreciate, hit me up about the Mike Commodore interview. Just a beauty. If you haven't got a chance to listen to that, he's a hockey player. He's an incredible interview.

He's just the lead storyteller. I can't recommend it enough. I mean, a lot of you guys are like, I'm not even. a hockey guy and that was all yeah it's just it's it's elite uh so go check that out from a couple weeks ago and uh have a couple ideas on some interviews too that i think would be pretty cool sometime in august and we'll get rocking and rolling but uh other than that any more updates i think that's it so no podcast probably tomorrow but we will have one on on friday and uh and yeah so let's let's dive right in but first i was on a text i'm on a group texts with a bunch of

people that I worked with at Fresno State, and one of them now is at Oklahoma. He's essentially the GM True Hill. And I've been telling him forever, I want to go to the Red Riverville rivalry, the Texas Oklahoma game. And it's my 40th birthday this year. And we've been talking, you know, should we go to an SEC game? That technically is an SEC game now because Texas and Oklahoma are joining. And I was like, maybe with my close personal friends, my partners, and the official ticketing app of this podcast, we can figure something out and go to one of the most historic rivalries in all of sports in this country. And anyone who wants to attend any game, college pro concerts,

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And anyone that saw Kyle today saw that he shaved off his mustache, I tried to trim up and do a mustache, but my mustache just does not come in full. And as Kyle said, the thing when you become a mustache guy, it just brings you respect because someone has to have an opinion, whether they like it or they don't. They look at you weird, but it creates emotion with people when they see you. I tried to pull it off, could not. But the big news out of 49er land today is that Brandon Ayuk is attending training camp.

Now, they've had this happen before with Debo Samuel. he did not practice. And I think it's pretty clear. I've been in enough negotiations in my life to know the older you get and all sorts, you know, with high level billion dollar companies and startups that you were hoping would be that turned out not to be and went under, is that anytime negotiations get shady, and for most of us, these aren't public negotiations, but anytime that you feel that shady stuff is going on, it's harder to get. a deal done. Now, in a public forum like the NFL, to me, that's the equivalent of using the media. And I understand Brandon, this is his first big contract. He's very emotional. And he used the media

several times. And the last one to request a trade. I've said this all the time. This is not the NBA. Teams don't capitulate to your demands immediately in that the 49ers don't give a shit. no one cares when you scrub your Instagram account. No one cares when you tell one of the national reporters you request to trade. It does, especially in the middle of the summer. It doesn't actually do anything. The easiest way to get a deal done. And players like Brandon Iuk are players that their team wants to get a deal done with is to play ball.

And the easiest way to play ball is good faith negotiations. And the way you do that as a player is you show up to training camp. Now, you don't have to get on the field. Look at Jordan Love. I'm not risking getting injured. For Jordan Love, that could be $150, $180, $200 million. For Brandon Ayyuk, that could be $60, $70 million guaranteed. I totally get it.

I support guys that want to hold in. But younger players, I think this is the way to go, especially when you know the team financially plans on paying you. These negotiations are tough. We're talking a lot of money. Most teams just don't hand out that type money, especially when they have a ton of other guys under contract, and it's complicated. But I promise you this, and John Lynch reiterated this today. We plan on this guy being a 49er.

We want him on the team. Of course they do. He's a winning player. They have won a ton the last couple of years with him being their number one outside option. But once you get down to in any negotiation, the final hour, I think Brandon I, you, and the 49ers have to kind of draw a line in the sand, are we going to let this deal pass over a total of $5 million? Right?

A million extra a year to bump that number from 26 and a half to 28, right, over a four-year period or whatever. Anyone that's ever bought a house or sold a house or sold a car or sold any asset, you get to a certain time in the negotiation where emotions are high. I don't care if you're selling something worth $1,000 or $2,000. or $2 million. Like you get emotional over things. And I think you see this a lot in real estate.

Are we going to let this deal go over $5,000? Are we going to let this deal go over $10,000? This is a $1.8 million transaction. And that's where I think the 49ers and Brandon and I, you are kind of looking at each other, you know, from across the negotiation table. But we're close. And we got to get this figured out.

Someone's going to blink. And I think the reality is, is that Brandon Ayyuk, through his last curveball, the trade request. And he realized those guys don't give a shit. They simply do not. That's the National Football League. If I don't want to trade you and I like you and you're emotionally charged up and you want to trade, I just, yeah, see a training camp.

And that's essentially what the 49er said. And I give him credit. He showed up because the easiest way to get this deal done is doing exactly what he did. Show up. George Kittle had a great line today that he said Richard Sherman told him. Contract negotiations are a lot like braces. They suck when they're on. Just like they suck when you're going through a negotiation.

But once they're off, once the deal is signed, you forget that you even went through it. You have a big smile on your face. And that's what's happening here. It happened last year with Nick Bosa. It happened a couple years ago with Debo Samuel. The 49ers, to me, the only. team that's truly championship or bust is the Chiefs, because they're the only team rattling

off championships. But like the 49ers, anything less than winning the NFC and being back in the Super Bowl with a chance to win it is a major, major disappointment. And I'm on a bunch of text threads with nine or people. The reality of even the potential trade is any team trading a first round pick, and let's face it, the 49ers probably going to want more. I would say at minimum they'd want like a one and a three, and then giving him $120 million contract? I don't know. I would say probably not. I think teams would be willing to acquire them, like the Tennessee Titans,

traded for, what's his name, Sneed on the Chiefs. They traded a third round pick. The New York Giants traded for Brian Burns, and then they both paid those guys a lot of money. They didn't even give a first round pick. So yeah, teams are open to making deals for good players, but at what cost? Because I know I have to pay them,

but what type draft capital do I have to use? The other thing, draft capital right now, as we sit here on July 23rd with the season upon us and in front of us, does the 49ers no good. It's actually completely irrelevant. Having that draft capital for a player that you're going to select in the spring of 2025 does nothing for you, trying to win the division,

trying to beat the Rams, the Lions, the Eagles, the Packers in the playoffs, and then probably the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Does nothing. And that's why they have no intention of trading him, just trying to get the deal worked out. And other than that in 49erland, nothing really, there was a story going around that Purdy was, obviously he was injured last year in the Eagles game, had to rehab the entire offseason. and basically that he was injured early on in the season, like he was not 100% healthy.

And this is a big year for a Purdy, right? Because if he has another successful season of throwing 30 plus touchdowns, his team wins 12 plus games, he's going to get an astronomical amount of money. And let's face it, the conversation surrounding him all stems back to where he was drafted. Because if Trey Lance had played like Brock Purdy, everyone would be calling him like John Elway.

So when you're not drafted high, people don't want to think you're good. It's just that simple, right? Listen, we can nitpick Dak Prescott all we want. He's one of the greatest fourth round picks in the history of the league. Same with Kirk Cousins. I guess Dak might have been a third round pick. Tom Brady, people forget now because it was 25 years. But for those first three or four or five seasons,

a lot of people thought Tom Brady wasn't that good. And it was the defense carrying him, and Peyton Manning was the best quarterback, even though he was rattling off Super Bowls. When you're drafted high and you play well, it's like, oh, look at this guy. Holy shit, this guy's good. That's just not what happens when you're drafted late, because fans, media, people within the league have a hard time going, yeah, I didn't see this coming either, which no one did, and that's okay.

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game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the

lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Rand. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick.

Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I think one thing that's interesting, and we'll find out more in the next couple days with the dolphins, is if Tua takes the tactic of not practicing, right? Like a lot of these other guys, right? I'm waiting to get my contract done. What if the dolphins don't plan on throwing him the contract that he thinks he's going to get? I never understand this in the NBA. The majority of these contracts that you see signed over the last several years, $150 million, $150 million, $100,000. $180 million, $200 million.

It's like, you have no shot on God's Green Earth to win a championship paying that guy that money. You don't. And it's always, well, we got to do it. You got to do it. Well, yeah, you got to pay Steph Curry. You got to pay LeBron. You got to pay Janus. You got to pay Jason Tatum.

But like, do you got to pay Bradley Biel? Do you got to do that? I see all these teams around the league paying all these young players. the Raptors. I saw yesterday. The Cavs played Evan Mobley, $250 million. Like, yeah, that's pretty risky. And then the NFL, it's always like, well, the next quarterback, he's going to get more. Is he?

Is he? Because if you sign Tua to just, oh, he just gets $205 million guaranteed, I feel no sympathy for you when you have no chance to win a Super Bowl. None. Because right now you have no chance to win a Super Bowl. Absolutely none. it's not even debatable. The Dolphins cannot win a Super Bowl

to a Tongle by low as their quarterback. But they can be really competitive and there's something to be said for that. Because for a lot of my life, that franchise, they've sucked. Why can't they just give them like $100 million? Why can't that exist? Be like, listen, we know we got no shot

to take down guys like Josh Allen, Joe Burrell, Lamar Jackson, and obviously Patrick Mahomes. But this guy can keep us competitive in the regular season. When it gets late in the year, obviously we're going to come crashing down, But listen, we're going to win 10, 11 games and be relevant in the league.

And there's something to be said for that. This is the business. And we're going to make money. And we're going to be a playoff team. Or at least be a competitive team every year with a chance to go to the playoffs. That's not $200 million. Right? To me, that's like, couldn't you give him the Daniel Jones contract?

Why can't you do that? Like, to me, that would be the offer. Hey, man, we'll give you like three years. $110 million will guarantee 80 of it. Can't do that? Well, how about no money? How about we don't give you a contract extension? Who are we bidding against?

Like, who are we bidding against? That's my question. That was the question when Daniel Jones last year. Who are you bidding against? That's what business is. Like the Minnesota Vikings just paid their star tackle a ton of money. $113 million. They gave him 77 guaranteed.

He got a ton. He's a high-end player. If that guy hit free agency, and he's still got a couple years on his contract, he would get so much money, it would feel like another quarterback. He would probably eclipse like Nick Bosa because high-end left tackles never make it. They know his value. It's really freaking high. Is Tua's value that high? It obviously isn't nothing.

He's a starting quarterback who can produce in the NFL. So immediately there's a minimum value on that. But what is it? A couple years ago, Derek Carr signed that deal with the New Orleans Saints. Why couldn't the Dolphins offering that plus a couple year inflation or whatever? Why does it always have to be, oh, this next deal is going to be $210 million? Why does it have to be that? When you know I can't beat the top five guys in my conference.

No freaking shot. I don't get it. I really don't. And I will stand by that forever. I don't get in the NBA, but not shocked. And it's why the majority of NBA teams don't have a snowball shot in hell to get past like the first round in the playoffs for their entire franchise history. Like you're just always irrelevant, right? But your payroll is really high and your expenses are high.

And it's like, good luck, buddy. Like when you give these huge contracts to quarterbacks that don't deserve it and then you lose, no one should ever have sympathy for you. Doesn't mean the guy shouldn't get any money. Doesn't mean you shouldn't give him a contract extension if you feel comfortable with him as your quarterback. quarterback, but like there's a difference between beachfront property and something in the valley, right? So if Mahomes and Josh Allen and Lamar beachfront property, who ain't? So like, I'm not paying the same price for a house 45 minutes inland. Sorry, a couple other guys that got contract changes to their contract raises Matt Stafford and Amari Cooper. And I think both

these guys are great examples of. With the Rams and the Browns in 2004, anything less than being in the playoffs is a disaster. Anytime you have Sean McVeigh and Matt Stappard who's healthy, you should win 10-11 games.

And then you're a threat immediately in the playoffs. The Cleveland Browns paid a quarterback $230 million. Any Browns fan listening, your roster is really good. Anything less than being back in the playoffs is a major, major problem. So Amari Cooper, very, very productive. It feels like Amari is one of those guys.

You're like, kind of an underachiever. Like, would have expected more. And in a weird way, you kind of would have when he was drafted in those first couple years when he was on the Raiders. But Google Amari statute, he has been extremely productive in his career. Never going to go to Hall Fame or anything, but he's going to have a fantastic NFL career.

And he's very, very important to them. Because, like I said, he produces. And Matt Stafford, as we've seen when he's not in, is the engine that drives McVeigh in that offense. So giving these guys raises, making them happy, anytime you have super important employees, you want to take care of them. Now, we're not giving you a huge contract extension,

but listen, we're headed in training camp, your key pieces to what we're doing, we want to take care of you. And that's what we did. It's funny, I've seen a lot of takes with the jets, and everything's like, oh,

same old jets, it's always something. This is not a new story. If you buy a car and the AC doesn't work, and then you're driving around in the summer, and you don't get the air conditioning fixed, and you start complaining because it's super hot in your car, that's not the person.

who sold you the car's problem. That's on you. Go fix the air conditioning. The Jets acquired a player who was outspokenly talking about needing more money. It was well documented. This was not something that came out of left field. This was something that was publicly known. So even when people say how he fleeced him, like, how would Joe Douglas not know that the guy doesn't want a contract when literally NFL fans know because they just go on the internet and they see it out there in the open. So you traded for a player. Listen, been a very productive pass rusher in the NFL. He's a good player.

Got no problem trading for him. But you know this was a guy who wanted more money. Happens all the time in the NFL. Back to Brandon Ayyuk. If you trade for Brandon Ayuk, you can't be shocked with the moment he gets there. He wants a new contract. Right. This is well established that Desson Redick wanted more money.

So when I see all these people like, same old Jeff, this goes back to three months ago when they traded for the fucking guy. So to me, this is 100% on Joe Douglas, like you traded for a guy that wanted money. Did you think like you could just talk them off the ledge? Like, hey, man, if you produce this year, we'll take care of you next year. Like, this ain't Darry and James Hardin here. So unless you plan on giving this guy a new contract, this was going to be your problem.

And it's like, well, eventually we'll find them, they'll show up. So you're trading for a player that you've never had, that you do not know, and you're just going to take on this problem and hope it works itself out without paying him. So to me, this is 100% on Joe Douglas in the front office. Can't happen. I'm all for trading for a guy that wants more money, taking care of them, and then getting him. That's part of why you don't have to pay as much in draft cabin. but he's not at training camp today.

Of course he's not at training camp today. Just like he wasn't at OTAs. He wants more money. It's why the Eagles didn't want him anymore. Now, you could argue maybe they thought they could upgrade. They signed the dude from the Jets. But the reason they did that, they got the guy on a cost-controlled contract

and they got rid of their older quote-unquote headache. I like reading. He's a good pass rusher. But this goes back to like the Miami Dolphins thing. I feel no sympathy for this situation. You inherited the problem. So you don't get to complain about the problem when you inherited it. And you're clearly doing nothing to fix it.

I just, like to me, how he's obviously fleece people before. But in this situation, it's like, hey, you want Redick? It's not like he didn't know the contract situation.

I just, now if you want to say it's always something with the Jets, I agree. There's a lot of noise there. And this is not Belichick or Tomlin or Pete Carroll or Andy Reid, one of these older veteran coaches that have seen it all. This is a bald guy who dyes his beard who's literally fighting for his head coaching life, who is proven to get a little over his head with some of these situations. We've seen it was Zach Wilson. We saw it this offseason when Aaron wanted to go to the pyramids.

He's like he doesn't always say the right things and things get weird, which is natural for young coaches who've always. accomplish nothing. So throwing this on your coach without handling this from the front office ownership level is, you know, I saw Colin call the New York Giants and Mickey Mouse. Like, this is Mickey Mouse. This is Mickey Mouse. Trading for a guy that wants a new contract and not giving me a new contract. Like what the fuck you think is going to happen?

Gerard Mayo, I saw this headline on pro football talk. He must have talked either today or yesterday called this at Family. foundation year, like laying the foundation, which is right, right? They change him from Belichick, got a lot of young players, obviously draft a quarterback really high that's probably going to redshirt, probably at minimum half the season. He's not wrong. They are not going to be any good, which he's essentially saying. Here's the problem is they haven't been good for a while. So this fans who listen, obviously very spoiled. They had one of the greatest 20 year runs in like the history of sports.

I mean, you have to go back to like the Bill Russell Celtics or something. Or John Wood and UCLA Bruins or Alabama fans these last 15 years. We're never seeing it again. But like it's football. And while you don't have to win the Super Bowl every year, it is fun to root for. And this is my thing with Tua. Like I got no problem giving them extension. not like $35 million a year, $32 million a year.

That's what I think you're value is. I like winning. It's fun to win nine to 10 games and be in the mix. Like there's value in that. The problem for Mayo is going to be is like if he has a couple losing seasons, which is very possible, and this year they win four games. Next year they win five or six. That's a lot of losing for the fan base.

And this is not like Los Angeles. People care there. And it gets ugly and it gets angry. and it gets angry. And Robert Kraft's going to take a lot of shit. He's going to take a ton. And you have to wonder when the arrows come out, because forever, win or lose,

Bill and Tom took every bullet. And then when Bill shorted Tom and he went to the bucks, it was all Bill. No one said anything about anyone else beside Phil Belichick. And rightfully so. He was the Grand Poubaugh. He called the place.

he was in charge of the coaching staff, whether he individually called the plays, you know what I mean. He obviously picked all the players. He was in complete control. He had more control over football than probably anyone will ever see ever again. But now it's like Gerard Mayo,

what's he really doing? Is he like even calling the defense? He definitely has nothing to do with the offense. It's going to be on the crafts. And when you start going after the owner, the easiest way to get them off, you know, them being the fans, and I got news for you, the fans in football have a lot of juice, because there's a lot of time between games.

So you end up reading a lot of articles, you listen to a lot of talk radio, you get a sense for it. And if that place is empty, which obviously the crafts have invested a lot into, like, is this guy getting three years to just suck? You see it with the Marrots, right? People are going to go after John Mara constantly, constantly. So this year they suck, and the Giants win five games, six games. John Marr doesn't want people just talking shit about him constantly. So the easiest thing to do, fire GM, fire the coach, and just give people hope. Because that's what hiring new people does.

Just give people hope. And I have to wonder how long this leash is going to be. And listen, I'm not acting like Gerard Mayo, you know, doesn't deserve a long leash, but it's going to be very difficult. And his quarterback's a pretty major prospect or project. Now, who knows? Maybe just like year two, he becomes a top 10 player and you're off and running. But if there's a lot of growing pains and maybe the offensive coordinators not right,

all of a sudden you go, is this guy in trouble? That's how fast it happens. Not for long. It's what the NFL stands for for coaches and executives. Because you've got to win, you've got to win fast. You're not getting some long landing strip. You see this in college football all the time. you're not allowed in the Power 5 to go like three years

and not show some serious signs. By your third year, you better be competitive like eight or nine wins. No, I'm obviously like Alabama, LSU, Georgia, USC. The standards are really high. But even like the random programs at Wisconsin, you'll see it with Rule at Nebraska. Like by your third year, we better be competing like nine. If we ain't, Sianara.

The amount of money in the NFL, in the Power 5, especially in the Big 10 in the SEC, it's not hard for me to fire you. When I was a kid, a lot of coaches got longer leashes. A huge reason was because these owners weren't flush with the cash and didn't want to pay them to go away. It's pretty clear now. They have no hesitation because it doesn't impact their pocketbook. paying a coach 20, $30 million to go away for an SEC school for a Big Ten school for an NFL team is a line item. It'd be like me making a $1,000 payment. It means nothing.

And when money becomes nothing, it happens in all of our lives at different rates. At one point in time, $10 or $20 or $100 a lot to you. Then maybe $1,000 a lot to you. Then maybe $100,000 a lot to you. Then maybe a million dollars. lot to you. It goes for businesses, right? Most startup businesses, like all the expenses matter. And then as you grow and grow, like Amazon, Apple, Walmart, the way they look at $10, $15, $50 million is a lot different than they did depending early on in their maturation as a company. No different with

football. And I think a lot of these coaches are going to find out like no one wants to watch bad football because it's fucking awful. baseball, whatever, no one watches. Every night it's on. If your team sucks, it's kind of irrelevant. In football, that one week a year is a big deal. And when you suck consistently, it's impossible to survive now.

And I just wonder, like, is this guy getting three years? This guy getting three years. I would, like, I think he would have to show some serious life by year three to survive. And I think it's going to be difficult. Belichick handed him a shitty roster. He's got a project quarterback. he's a young coach. I mean, shit, he's only been coaching for, you know, four or five years as an assistant,

maybe even less than that was like 18. Clearly an impressive guy. But the other thing is the ghost of Bill, man. It's no different with DeBoer and Saban. It's just a lot easier to inherit Alabama than it is a bad NFL roster. Last but not least, the 18 game schedule. The Washington Post reported that it's pretty clear. you're like, why are we even doing these reports?

Like, we don't need these reports. 18 games is coming. To me, the report is the NFL plans to do 18 games in 2026 or 2025 or 2028. That's the only report we need moving forward. It's inevitable. It's not like might happen. It's happening. It is 100% happening.

Why? Because that means more money for the players. And you know who never turns down more money? Employees. like it's it happened with a 17 game it happened with Thursday night football it will happen and a huge reason is the preseason now is completely irrelevant it does not matter those games are terrible now obviously the big question mark is there a line of diminishing returns you get to a point where you ever dilute football uh i've said it forever football is so far past

you could combine baseball and basketball in this country. It does not equal the NFL. But like I've lived long enough when I was a kid, other sports were on top. Football will not be on top for whatever. Do I know what's going to take it down? Who knows? Maybe just younger generations won't even like sports.

I don't know. Maybe television dynamics change. Maybe our consumer habit change. Who knows? But for the foreseeable future, I don't think there's anything that can slow down this freight chain. And I don't think 18 games impacts any of us, partly because, like, we sit there in August and check out a

preseason game. So now that these preseason games, these starters are not playing, the majority of the league plays nobody. It's unwatchable. It really is. And I love football. I love college football. So watching some of these guys that got drafted, it's just bad.

Like, it's bad. Right? And there's a reason it's bad. It's just hard to get young players. I'm not saying it's not important for those guys. but that's not what the league office looks at this for. The importance of young players. They care about the money.

They care about the regular season games, and so do the veteran players. So I would guess this thing happens sooner than later. Next year, two years. Obviously, it has to be agreed to with the union. You know what the union usually doesn't do in any industry? Turn down racist. Turn down more money.

It's not usually the way it happens. So you have an upcoming fantasy football draft? Well, then you need to check out the fantasy pros draft. When you sync your fantasy football league with draft wizard, you'll get an instant report that shows you how the rest of your league drafts. You'll see who overdrafts rookies in early rounds, who's going to be the person to take that first QB off the board, and which manager is going to always reach for that hometown player every single time. And then you take those patterns directly into the draft simulator and make your mock draft feel like the real thing.

When your real draft comes around, you're going to be ready. And the draft assistant will be there for you to give you live pick-by-pick insights and expert. recommendations of who to draft and when to draft them. You can see all of this and more at fantasypros.com slash volume today. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. 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 IHeard 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. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flunk. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, let's dive into a little thing we call the Middlecough mailbag. Very, very easy to get involved.

You just fire into my DMs. You fire into my DMs at John Middlecough is the Instagram. and get a question answered here on the show. So, yeah, it doesn't get any easier. I don't think there could be any easier way to communicate unless you don't have Instagram. You try to send me an email, and then it kind of gets lost in the shuffle.

Question for the bag. I heard you say on today's podcast, you were in on love. Who do you have more faith in? Or who are you ready to pay love or purdy? Well, I don't have to pay Purdy for a year because I wouldn't be that comfortable. I'm not comfortable paying either.

I like paying guys after a longer sample size. And Jordan Loves doesn't get any smaller, right? Half the year he wasn't even any good. After the by-week last year, Goudicin said, yeah, these 11 games are going to define our situation moving forward. And the kid answered the bell. He was freaking awesome. This is not a cop-out because love is more gifted than Purdy

I think Purdy has proven to be the ultimate Kyle Shanahan player. I feel great about both. You know why? Infrastructure. The team, the coach. Think about Kyle Shanahan, you could argue, for me, he's the second best coach in the league, but if he's in everybody's top five,

their defense is awesome, the infrastructure is there. So how would you feel bad? about Purdy with Kyle Shanahan. Just like, how can you feel bad about Jordan Love with LaFleur? LaFleur resurrected Roger's career. Then they got rid of him. After drafting this guy, like he was part of it, and then proved that he could coach him.

How are either guy going to fail? There's more question marks with love. He's just played less games. Purdy's played more. Not by that much. I mean, Purdy played what? Six, seven games, his first. year, including the playoffs, and obviously this last year, full-time starter, and three

playoff games. So that's 17, 20 games. I don't know the exact number is his rookie season because he got thrust into it when Jimmy broke his foot against the Dolphins. But Purdy's game translates because he's a good decision maker. I've seen him handle adversity. He's accurate. he's mobile

he can play with guys who can't run routes he's got like one legit receiver Debo is much more behind the line of scrimmage his coach is always going to have a really good run game where Love is much more of like an explosive playmaker I think they're both going to be really good players for a long time

I would bet on them partly because one's with the Packers and one with Kyle Shanahan and the Niners and for the last 30 plus years quarterbacks have dominated with the Packers, and as we learned last year, it doesn't look like he's going to slow down. And Kyle Shanahan now has a long history of quarterbacks do well for him,

specifically this guy who is excelling. With training camp starting, I can't think of the mood within the cowboy. I can't help but think of the mood within the Cowboys locker room. I've been watching a receiver and the Giants Hard Knocks and you get a sense that juice or good vibes contributes a lot to the level of success in the NFL. I just don't see any juice being stirred up in the Cowboys locker room

with a coach and a quarterback with expiring contracts. In your opinion, is there a connection there? If things were to go south, it would be a disaster. If they were to get off to a bad start, it would snowball. To me, there would be no overcoming it because of the contract situations. but if they're good you know, if they're doing what they've done in the last three years,

I don't think it matters at all. At all. And to me, the good vibes, like, you get good vibes when you win. No one has good vibes when you lose. The NFL sucks when you lose. In baseball, you can be a shitty team

like every day you're going to the yard, having a good time. Not a great time, but it's like, eh, I'm trying to get mine. It's not how it works in football. Coaches are miserable, miserable, players are miserable. You're getting your ass kicked every Sunday. If the Cowboys are competitive, it won't matter one iota.

Now, it will at the end of the season when it's like, do you lose in the first round of the playoffs? Do you miss the playoffs by game? Then yeah, that would factor in. But I would say until the end of September, unless you're losing, they're going to be fine. Question for the mailbag. What are some of your favorite bets for the season to gamble on? For example, Super Bowl winner, MVP, defensive player of the year. By the way, Aaron Rogers' comeback player of the year is going to print money.

That will be a project probably for the middle of August, so I have not even looked at the odds for any of that stuff. I haven't even thought about it, to be completely honest with you. To me, MVP, Joe Burrow would be in the mix for comeback player of the year too. so that'd be a little risky on Rogers. I think Josh Allen's bound to win an MVP, and if he puts up great stats, I think he's going to be right in the mix. But I haven't.

We'll do that. We will hammer, hammer that in mid to late August. Question for the bag. As a Bears fan, early in this off-season, I question the decision to keep Iberfluse. obviously Caleb's development is really the only thing that matters moving forward. So my question to you is, who is more important this season to the Bears' potential success?

Iber flus or Shane Waldron? Well, I think they go hand in hand because if Shane Waldron is good, your offense is going to be good. You're loaded, right? I mean, we've got some questions with the offensive line, but the young quarterback, the three receivers, signed a running back, you have a young tight end under contract. If your offense is good,

we know Iber Fluse and the defense has been much more competitive, you know, last year for sure, then you're going to be in close games. In close games that, like, that's the difference of winning 10 games or 7. How does he, no one has judged Iber Fluse, or at least from a national level, maybe locally you have, but when you haven't been that competitive,

No one cares when you screw up timeouts. No one cares when you screw up situations, you know, to get yourself in field goal range or punt or, you know, go for it. Those situations, as we saw with Brayn and Staley the last couple years, get put under a microscope. So if the offense is good, obviously there's a ton of pressure on the Waldron to get the offense in a different universe than it has been with fields. but if that works, that means then Iber Fluse, his game management is under a microscope. Because the difference of a couple wins in the NFL, if you're like a 7-8-win team, could just be a timeout here, a decision to go for it there. You know, the difference when an 8-win team and an 11-win team, I don't think the gap is that wide.

Now, the gap between a 10-11 win team and like a 14-win team, I think the gap's pretty wide. but you see a lot of games that are one score with five minutes left and that's where the head coach who essentially is in charge of all the game management stuff obviously has people helping him out but like it's on him to call the timeout it's on him to give the offensive coordinator the thumbs up to go for it or to punt and that could be the difference of 9 and 8 might not make the playoffs and if he would have made a more aggressive decision, could have been 10 wins.

And that's where Iber Fluse would come under. Like I said, I think they are equally, they go hand in hand. I don't think you can separate the two. Question for the summer mailbag. Is it easier for D.Bs to convert to wide receiver or vice versa? Who has the advantage in prep and film study? Curious from a former scout's perspective. I think it would be easier to take a raw athlete if he has decent hands because you can't play wide receiver if you can't catch.

And the old adage is a lot of D.Bs are just failed wide receivers. Look at Richard Sherman. Now Richard Sherman has pretty good hands and has good ball skills. But why Richard Sherman was a great defensive back, honestly were two things. One, his instincts were elite. and you can't teach instincts. I don't believe. Like, instincts as a defensive back

for good defensive backs are something you have or you don't have. And the other thing, like, do a lot of wide receivers, could they make the transition and be great tacklers? You know, Richard made the transition in Stanford and it became, you could argue, the greatest tackling, the most physical corner, or one of them, in the history of the league.

So can you tackle? You have to be able to tackle because the run game, you have to be able to tackle. You don't need to be Ray Lewis, but you have to be able to tackle. But number one is you have to be able to play the ball in the air

because you are not looking at the ball the wide receiver is. And your instincts when the ball is in the air, so I think it is much more difficult to go from wide receiver to defensive back. Because if you have no instincts, you can't play the position. where if your hands are just decent

and you can run, you're an elite athlete, like I can teach you to run routes and then we can work on your hands. Obviously if you have stone hands, you got no shot. Someone asked me once on a DM, I don't think I ever responded to it. Like, how did Namdi Assemwa fall off so badly? And I said, one, when we signed him,

it was clear right away. His athleticism was not what it used to be. so he was a diminishing athlete. He had some of the worst hands I've ever seen. I mean, there were dudes on our sideline that were scouts that had better hands. Namdi Asimwa had stone hands. But you don't need good hands to play DB. If you're long and you can deflect the ball, obviously you would like them.

Like pick guys off like Revis or Dion Sanders or whatever, champ Bailey. You don't need them, though. teams will live with PbUs all day long. I don't care if you drop every interception you've ever had as long as the ball does not get completed, but you have to play the ball in the air. And one thing with, you can get by at wide receiver

without being an elite athlete. If you're a great route runner and you can get open. It is very, very difficult in, especially if the scheme is going to ask you to play man-to-man defense to get by without being. a high-end athlete because you're just going to be on an island. And look at all the wide receivers in the NFL. Most of them are really good athletes.

So you have to be able to run. You have to be able to mirror the guy. You have to be able to change direction. You have to be able to turn and you don't know what's coming. The receiver knows what's happening. You don't. You may have a good educated guess based on film study, based on the defensive call, based on your preparation,

but you still don't actually know. It's easier for a DB to convert to wide receiver than it is for a wide receiver to convert to DB would be my professional opinion. It's hard to do either. I mean, both at the NFL level, it's hard. Can you weigh in on this? I'm a Titans fan,

and it was just reported that we turned down a fourth round pick at the deadline from the Ravens for King Henry. I go on Twitter, and fans are out. outraged. I completely understand that you knew you were going to lose him for nothing, so get anything you can. However, in my opinion, you don't trade legends for fourth-round picks. I hate the double standard of how fans want every pick during the draft and trade all your picks during the season. What's your opinion? Yeah, I mean, I think because he signed a pretty good deal, they're going to end up getting a comp pick that might be a fifth or sixth-round pick. What the

hell's the difference. Right, the Ravens were in the AFC championship game, so that picks at the end of the fourth round. It's essentially a fifth round pick. I don't think it's that big a deal. If you didn't want to trade them, to me, once you get in the second day, I'd say that's kind of gross negligence. But when you're talking a fourth round pick from the Ravens, what pick is that?

Like 140, 130, something in. that range? I don't think it's that relevant. I don't think it matters that much either way. And like you said, Rable will still get there. That was his guy. I'm fine with not trade them. Hey, John. Congrats on the engagement. Appreciate it. Question for the mailbag. I'm thinking of getting into sports betting. Any suggestions where to start? What type of vets? Who to follow, listen to for advice. Bet sizing any info. would help. Obviously gambling at any

level. I went to Harvys the other night because we went to Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant. It's called Wolf. It's actually elite. I've watched a little Van der Pump last year. By no means, do I really care that much? It's kind of entertaining. Then it got really drama-filled and I'm like, I can't even follow this. I will say this about a restaurant at Harvey's

estate line in Lake Tahoe. Restaurant is really, really good. Well, it's in the casino. So it's like, well, I've just been the last three or four times, I obviously gamble a lot on golf and during the football season. And I used to gamble a ton on Blackjack. And the older I've gotten, I like playing a roulette a little bit, but Blackjack, I have just lost so, like, when Vegas for the Super Bowl,

I lost like five grand before he could even blink. So it's like, you know, it would have been impossible in my younger days to go through a casino and play blackjack without taking out I don't know four figures and just getting aggressive but I was like you know what I'll take out a couple hundred bucks I'll play if I actually got up immediately doubled and I couldn't walk away she was looking at me like why don't you walk away I'm like yeah I don't really walk away it's why the casino usually takes my money but it didn't even matter I just I took out 250 bucks gambled it was up a little bit down a little bit it was just kind of enjoyable 30 minutes and I think you have to have when you're going to gamble. It's relative to how much money you have. To some people, a $100 bet is a lot. To some people, $100 bet is nothing. And $5,000 bet is a lot.

So you have to pick a amount you're comfortable with losing. And when you do that, just start off with not that much. Take, you know, if you can't afford it, a couple hundred bucks, and bet like $25 on a couple games. And if you win it, keep letting a ride. And if you lose it, bet the next week. Right? But just pick a number that you can afford, put a little action on it, and see how you feel.

And if you feel like I feel, it'll be a feeling that you'll keep chasing the rest of your life. If you don't like it, then don't do it. But, you know, if you're, I don't know how old you are, I do my gambling, obviously, on Draft Kings. I do it all online. It's really easy. But I would say bet something that you're comfortable with doing early on. Don't try to get crazy aggressive. And I would just, when football season starts, bet a couple games.

Put $25 bucks, put $50 on a game or two. See how you like it. If you hate it, stop. If you like it, do it more. Football's pretty easy. You just bet the point spread. That's what I would do. So minus three plus three, plus six, whatever.

Big the team you like, bet the point spread. Bet a little bit of money. Question for the mailbag. What should the Vikings do about Jordan Addison? He's clearly valuable, but reportedly the team is very frustrated with him after his incident. Well, it wasn't really an incident. Wasn't he asleep at the wheel wasted? I would say that's a little more than an incident.

This is like parents. When a young player or a young kid gets in trouble who you value a lot, obviously when you're a parent, you can't trade your kid. but in the Viking situation he's drafted him the first round and you watch him last year he's pretty freaking good he had an incident a DUI that's more than embarrassing

it's just an awful look and he's going to get suspended more than likely so when the team is frustrated or disappointed like of course they are but like they're not trading him because Jordan Addison when you're a really good wide receiver

and you're drafted in the 20s you're one of the best values in the league so listen I think you just let him know this is unacceptable like this can't happen you're rich now bro if you're super wasted get an Uber get a car like you don't need to be you don't need to be cruising

do you think the Jets front office is low-key kind of glad Rogers is stirring up controversy and skipping minicamp and the Devante Adams teaser take some of the spotlight off that clown fiesta of a front office and how truly moronic it was to trade for a player you don't want to pay what he's asking.

Which is why Howie and the Eagles let him go in the first place. Yeah, man, they can't be not thrilled. If the Cowboys, you know, the Jets are so chaotic that their headlines, people are so numb to now. It's why I don't even think it's a story.

I mean, it's obviously a story, but we've had this information for a while. I don't know what anyone expected to change if they're not going to pay them. But if Jerry had done this, if Kyle Shanahan had done this, think of some of the teams if they had done this, if Howie had been on the other side,

they would get crushed. If Belichick, when he was around, had done this, he'd be like, what are you fucking doing? I can't fathom. You don't get sympathy or anyone that doesn't call you a moron for buying something. or acquiring something that you know needs to be fixed

when you have no intention on fixing it, which it clearly feels like the Jets, like just thought that he would eventually be like, yeah, I'm cool with playing on my contract, even though all I keep saying is I'm not. Man, circus. Part of it, they need them. You know, they just lost one of their better pass rushers

last year of the Eagles. Like, he's kind of important. That's why they trade it for him. I'm curious if big contracts ever become the elephant in the room when teams are having a bad season and high paid players underperform. Do players call each other out in the locker room or coaches make comments in meetings

or is this taboo topic? I can't, you know, I never play in the NFL, so I can't pretend to know the locker room dynamics. But these are humans. So the amount of effort and time that guys put in, that to me it's one thing, if you're just playing bad, because you're banged up, totally understand.

But if you're a high-priced player and you're playing bad and it's like, yeah, I don't think he's working that hard. I think he got fat this off-season. He wasn't ready at the start of the season. Then, yeah, I would imagine that's when fight happens. Fights happen. And this is not these other leagues, man.

These coaches, the position coaches, talk shit non-stop 24-7, 365. So if you're a high-priced player and you're underperforming as an O lineman, as a D-Lyman, as a wide receiver coach as a running back, obviously depends on some position coaches are less confrontational than others. But if you have a confrontational position coaches, that guy's going to light you up like a Christmas tree.

Your coordinator, if he's confrontational and obviously the head coach, they're going to be in you 24-7, 365. This is not the NBA, where coaches just, everything's just rainbows and lollipops. You know, it's like I'm not allowed to yell at you. You get yelled at constantly, starting in high school football, through college football, through the NFL. And the moment you get paid, which is an awesome accomplishment, the expectations rise.

And when you don't perform, especially if your team's losing, it gets ugly and it gets ugly fast. And depending on who your coach is, like I said, the hierarchy, the head coach, the coordinator, the position coach, those are long days, man, and you better start performing. And part of it gets back to, are you not performing because you have a high ankle sprain and you're battling through it?

They know. Like, totally understandable. But are you not performing because you don't know the playbook or you're out of shape or you just don't care that much? That's where, when you cross that line, it's a war zone. And you deserve it.

Because I don't care what industry you're you work in, when you get paid a lot of money, expectations are high. And it's on you to give everything you have. And that's all any of us can ever do is give 100% effort, right? If you're not good enough, you're not good enough. It's pro sports. Sometimes you get beat.

Tip your hat. Right? But are you giving max effort? If you are, I think they understand. That doesn't mean they still push you. But when you start checking some of those other boxes, then you've got serious problems on your hands. And that's why you have so much turnover in the NFL.

because you don't have much time. There just aren't really scholarships in the NFL, clearly. I mean, look at some of these massive contracts in recent years that have been traded. Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, and those are quarterback contracts, which are way bigger than all these other positions. So, yeah, man, I just, it's tough. If you're playing well, you're going to get yelled at in football no matter what. I get yelled at constantly as a scout.

It's a high, contentious, a lot of testosterone, a lot of ego, a lot of money. Everyone's fucking on edge. And that's if you're doing well. You start doing poorly. Buckle up because it is a long season from everyone involved. Good questions. The volume. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Joey Dardano. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives. helping people in need with 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 me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is.

coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart, the chip. Score! I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Bowker. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines, the biggest decisions, and the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals.

Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.