The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Andy Reid Interview, Kelce Retires, 18-Game Schedule, Topic Tuesday

Episode Date: March 5, 2024

John dives into the early news of the day that Jason Kelce is retiring from the NFL and talks about his career going all the way back to when he was drafted, he discusses the possibility of an 18-game season and if we could really see the league go in that direction, Mike Evans re-signing with the Bucs, and the return of Topic Tuesday. Also, John is joined by the Kansas City Chiefs head coach, Andy Reid. The guys dive into how this season was different from any of the other Super Bowl winning seasons, what impressed him the most from this year, and if he was surprised when the 49ers opted to take the ball in Overtime. Later, John answers your questions in this episode's mailbag segment. 5:26 - Jason Kelce retires 17:08 - 18-game schedule 23:25 - Bucs re-sign Mike Evans 23:45 - Draft Daily 29:12 - Topic Tuesday 35:22 - Andy Reid Interview 49:37 - 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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Russell Wilson exclusive. That's where that is. So Russell Wilson up on the YouTube channel. Let's talk some football. But first, I wanted to dive into some close friends. Do you see all those people sitting there at the combine? Do you want to go to an event? Do you want to get out of the house and do something fun?

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My second year with the Philadelphia Eagles, we drafted an undersized offensive lineman from Cincinnati named Jason Kelsey. 13 years later, he looks to be a first ballot Hall of Famer and one of the integral members of the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles that won the first Super Bowl in franchise history. and I think I this morning I saw that he was about to give a press conference I just worked out and I was going to go in the sauna so I clicked it on thinking you know last 15 20 minutes I lasted 20 minutes in the sauna the guy wasn't even half done he gave a

a very very powerful speech and he had a lot of different things that I want to touch on now and I actually think that Jason Kelsey you know represents what I love about the NFL and honestly and he mentioned this term the American dream because I think Jason mentioned this over and over. No matter what you do in life, you are going to be doubted at different times. Whether it's when you're younger, whether you're older, professionally,

when you're first breaking into an industry, as time goes on, if you try to create your own company, if you're a player, most guys are not going to be a top 10 pick. The majority of the NFL is like fourth through undrafted free agents. that means at certain times in your career, people didn't think you were good enough. People thought other people were better than you. Jason Kelsey was a walk-on at Cincinnati. He was pick 199 in the NFL draft.

Tom Brady was pick 199. So being doubted to me is something very, very healthy. It's something any competitive individual should use to drive them. and the NFL is full of, especially at the line of scrimmage with offensive linemen, at guards and centers. Guys not drafted high who become great impact players. And when Kelsey mentioned that, I was doubted multiple times in his career. He was not lying. Just like a lot of guys that when football comes back this fall on Sunday,

full of guys that people didn't believe were good enough. and everyone's path to being a starter in the NFL is not the same. A lot of guys start on practice squads. A lot of guys get cut their first training camp. And then you look back 10 years later and they've been a seven-year starter. For every guy that's drafted fifth overall and Jemar Chase and just an immediate great player, that's actually the outlier. Jason Kelsey represents much more of the quantity of players.

in the NFL. And honestly, aside, I would imagine if you polled every millionaire you could get your hands on, most of them would tell a story about when they were told no, or you're not good enough, or we don't want your product, or we don't want to do business with you. I would say that's a pretty common theme. The other thing that when you are doubted, you don't need everyone to believe in you. Most of us, right, if you got a couple of parents, if you got brothers or sisters, grandparents, family, kind of that infrastructure, those people usually have your back. Most of us have levels of family loyalty and family cohesion in terms of whether it's a brother, whether it's a sister, whether it's a cousin, like those people, because you know them when no one knows who you are.

When you're eight, nine, ten through junior high through high school, your relationship with those people is very, very unique as you get older. It just is. You've known them the longest. It's why Jason gets so choked up talking about his parents and talking about his brother. Well, as you age, like those people, unless they own the company, can only do so much for you in. I don't care what industry you work in.

You are going to need the people in whatever you want to do to believe in you. You don't need everyone to. Honestly, you don't even need that. many people to, but you're going to need a couple along the way. And as Jason said, two people, I mean, went to the mat for the guy. And I was in Philadelphia when he was drafted. Howard Mudd, who had come from Peyton Manning, where they had had a ton of success with guys you had never heard of playing guard.

Even at center. It's not like Jeff Saturday was some can't-miss prospect. Loved Kelsey. Didn't care that he was 280 pounds. and by the end of training camp, as a six-round rookie, Jason Kelsey was a starting center for the Philadelphia Eagles. And then he talked about several years later,

RIP to Howard Mudd, who got into a, I think, a motorcycle accident and didn't recover. He was an old guy, great coach, incredible stories. Peyton Manning loved him. Jason Kelsey loved him. Most people, when he believed in you, loved him, because his stamp of approval went a long way. people act like Kelsey this can't miss Hall of Famer that he is now. He wasn't always that.

The other thing he mentioned is I didn't start going to Pro Bowls and all pros till later on in my career. And the best season I ever had came after the worst season I ever had. Because Jeff Stoutland, the offensive line coach, who when Andy was fired and Howard Mudd and all those guys left and Chip Kelly came in, they hired from Alabama. And he's been the offensive line coach there now for, 11, 12 years.

Really, him and Howie are probably the longest 10-year employees not named Jeffrey Lurie or players with the Philadelphia Eagles. And Stoutland just had his back and helped him improve as a player and go on this run to become one of the great centers in the history of the league. And listen, speaking from my own experience, I've had people throughout time who have believed in me. And it changed my life. and I was lucky it was the right people,

whether it was Colin Coward, whether it was Jason Barrett once upon a time when I got my radio career started, or whether it was Andy and Howie when I got hired by the Philadelphia Eagles. If the right people believe in you changes the course of your life. But without someone outside of your family structure

believing in you, it's hard to go a long way. Because I don't care who you are. You need confidence. and confidence comes from success, but your initial confidence comes from someone telling you that has the gravitas and the experience and the pedestal to go, you can do it.

I think you're going to be pretty good. I don't care if that's selling cars, I don't care if that's making sandwiches, I don't care if that's playing center in the NFL. And Kelsey had that multiple times with two of the best offensive line coaches in the history of the NFL. The other thing that he said that really resonated with me

I was single the majority of my life throughout my 20s and my early 30s. And it allowed me, and I'm sure a lot of people listening to this, who were single and very professionally and ambitiously driven to do things, it's very easy to be selfish because all you're worried about is yourself. You just do whatever it takes. You can work long hours. You don't think about anyone, but yourself. And as time goes on, it kind of becomes a hollowly.

a way to live. You feel something's missing from your life. And then when you get someone involved in your life to share your life with, I don't even have children yet, I actually think you become a more powerful person in whatever you're doing. And Jason Kelsey mentioned this today, that after he met his wife, he went on to have the best stretch of his career. And he does not think that is by accident. And I remember early on his career when I worked in the office, Kelsey was kind of a wife. Kelsey was kind of a Wild Child. He was kind of crazy. And even he's admitted, like, the Kelsey family's a little nuts in a good way, which

they've harnessed and put toward football and become Hall of Fame level players. And Travis, while he's bounced around relationships, had the stability his entire career of Andy Reed. Where Jason, like, has gone through a ton of different coaches,

four different coaches. His general manager was once kicked to the other side of the building. He's had a million different coordinators. He's had a lot going on with the Philadelphia Eagles. And he said, once I started dating Kylie, change my life. And I'm a better man for it. And I think most people listening to this, if you get in a relationship with your high school sweetheart and you've been with someone your entire life, you know, maybe that doesn't resonate as much. But for anyone who spent a large portion maybe of their 20s, single, screwing around and being very

professionally focused, as you get a little older, you're like, God, is there more to life than this and then you realize there is. There's a lot more. And your life becomes a lot more fulfilled and you become, I would say, you know, more valuable and more, you have a greater ability to do a better job at what you thought you were really good at because your life is more complete. And I thought that was one of the more, and his passion for his family, the loyalty that he shows into his parents. I never played in the NFL, never played in college, but I know I couldn't have ever had any success in my life without the support of my parents. And like Jason, I only have one brother. I'm sure many people listening to this, brothers or sisters, that relationship is

something that you just don't get in any other walk of life. That relationship with those people that you grew up with that have known you from day one is truly special. And when they're supportive and they have your back, it's probably the most powerful thing you can have in this world is strong family support. And clearly, Jason had it. And you could tell how emotional he was discussing that. And what's just an all-time personality, truly? I mean, a great player obviously helped transcend that franchise to finally get over the hump. And then his personality has really come in the forefront. Like Travis has always had a big personality. And really, anytime you score touchdowns and you're playing on this great offense.

Sometimes when you're an offensive lineman, it's harder to become famous. And you can tell it's not like Jason's definitely not. I mean, the dude walks around in fucking sandals. He doesn't give a shit. But it's pretty cool to watch his maturation as a human being, as a player, and just overall an ambassador for the sport,

which you watch him talk, how serious he takes the fans, the responsibility that comes with being a, team captain on a good team and on a team in a city like that that cares a lot about it, it's very relatable. And I thought if you just watched him crying up there with a passion he has for football, that's all a fan ever wants, is for the people that we give all our time to watch these games to just feel like, this guy cares more than we do. And it's why he's become such a big star. It's why he's just an absolute living legend in that city. And I think he represents like a lot of

guys in the NFL that just their passion is they can't even hide it. It jumps off the screen. It's why football's kicking the shit out of every other league in this country. One other story that I saw that's kind of flying around out there is the 18

game schedule. And I think the first reaction to this by anyone that covers the NFL is always, this is crazy. Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered, pump the brakes, stop doing Stop expanding.

Isn't this good enough? And the answer is no. It's not. Because the words corporate greed get thrown out all the time. I see it in media when all these people are getting laid off left and right. It's not corporate greed

while you're getting laid off. Whatever your role is is no longer generating enough money to validate that. Writers freak out all the time like these newspapers people aren't reading them anymore, guys. They had no problem 30 years ago

expanding the staffs when newspapers had the market cornered. Times have changed. In the NFL, the reason the cap is going up to historic numbers is because we watch the game at historic rates right now. The NFL in 2024 has never been more popular.

And while the combine and free agency and all that stuff is cool, that is not what pays the bills. What pays the bills in the NFL is starting whenever that first game is, it's usually a Thursday now, till the Super Bowl are the games. And let's face it,

we used to have four preseason games. They are now a joke. They are unwatchable. I love football. I've dedicated my life to talking about it, to watching it, to being obsessed with it. Games in August are un-fucking watchable.

Half the coaches in the NFL don't even play players anymore. You're watching guys that are not even going to play come the season. Or at least used to you would know, hey, the first quarter, then you get a half. Those days are over. They do not really exist anymore. So when the league is going to expand to 18 games, the owners aren't pocketing that change. The players are revenue partners with the owners.

So more games equals more money for everyone. All I ever read is how Apple and Tim Cook have more money in cash reserves than like 99% of companies generate over like a five-year period. They have unlimited amounts of money. Couldn't they just get in the slow lane and chill? Of course they could, but they don't. What just recently happened?

They came out with like the VR goggles. They're always pushing the envelope. No matter how many phones they sell, no matter how many AirPods they sell, no matter how many iPods they sell, no matter how well Apple Music does, Apple TV. They're always going further. Why? Because the job of a corporation is to make more money. The job of these leagues is to make more money. We can always be critical.

But the way you make money in football is the game. And they're playing 20 games no matter what. It's like, are we going to make two of them not matter, or are we going to make four of them not matter? They realize making four is a waste. So they've added the game, more money. They're going to add the other game, that salary cap's going to go up and up.

You know who's going to benefit? All the good players. A lot more money. Mike Evans, over 30 years old, just got $50-plus million. And 32 guaranteed. And because he lives in Tampa, probably a lot more money, like the Niners or the Giants or one of those teams would have had to give them probably 15% on top of that if they even wanted to be in the ballpark.

But the reason these contracts are so easy to sign, the Broncos cut Russell Wilson, pay them $85 million. Who care? More money coming in, more money, more money. This is a business. This isn't Little League football. This isn't high school softball. The goal here is to make as much money as humanly possible. And if you're a player in a league where your career is very, very short, you should want the revenue to be as high as humanly possible.

Because if you get to get your hand in a cookie jar, even if it's for four or five years, you want it for more money than less money. I'll promise you that. And then if you're a great player, financially you benefit at historic amounts of money right now. So it's going to get thrown around these greedy pigs, These assholes, when is enough enough?

In business, enough is never enough. That's not the way we operate in this capitalistic society. That's not the way billion-dollar corporations operate in any industry, especially not one that's as popular and as successful currently as the NFL. Why don't you guys just chill? That sounds cute on Twitter. You'd get laughed out of a boardroom if that was your idea. Let's just relax a little bit.

Take it easy. Give me a break. So listen, I'm not acting like playing the extra game is easy. It's not. I understand the toll just from working in an office, never played in the game in the NFL. I've seen how hard of these guys work to rehab. It's difficult.

I'm not trying to diminish that. But with this comes more money. What did Don Draper once famously say, this is what the money is for. And because of gambling, because of everything added to the league in terms of revenue, it's only going to benefit the players. It's not like the players are getting screwed.

We've all been positions in a salary job. It's like, God, they're asking me to do a lot here. I'm like, I don't really see the benefit. That ain't the case. When you do more, I've been a part of some revenue shares. The more you do, the more money you make. So it's not like the players are getting royally screwed here. I guess I hit on Mike Evans a little bit.

We talked to Jason Light about that. Obviously, they couldn't let him go after how well he played last year, what he means to that franchise. He's still just a big-time player. So to me, to get a guy, an older player on a short-term deal, I think a win-win for everyone involved. Let's do a little draft daily because one topic I saw flying out there, which is understandable. This happens anytime there has changed. Like, is this the end? I talked to Florio last week.

loves, like when chaos ensues. Anytime you have leverage, like there's a reason you have it. Right. You have the advantage some way. You see it all the time. Businesses, when people say no, no, we don't need to do this.

No, don't want to do this. We've seen it in sports before. Eli Manning, I'm not going there. John Elway, I'm not going there. It happens all the time in the NBA and Major League Baseball. Like, I'm not giving you my medical information. Kiss my ass.

Well, the guy getting drafted in the second round of the NBA can't afford to do that. Just like the 10th round shortstop from LSU can't operate like the guy that's going to go number two overall in the draft. Or Sho Hay Otani, where Bryce Harper is going to have more leverage in a negotiation than some random utility infielder.

So this notion that some guys didn't do anything in the draft or at the combine is going to unravel the combine, Caleb Williams is an outlier. Jane Daniels is going to be a top five pick. So if he doesn't want to weigh in or throw, like he ain't the first and he definitely won't be the last. But if you're Bo Nicks or Michael Pennix and people have questions about your ability,

yeah, it makes sense to participate in everything. just like some of these random wide receivers, you should do all that they ask you to do to try to help earn your stock to improve. But if I'm Roma Dunzei or Marvin Harrison Jr., I'm like, yeah, I don't need to do anything. Because whether I do it or I don't do it, I'm still going to be a top 10 pick.

But in a draft of 250 to 275 guys, the guys going in the top 10 are a small, small minority of human beings. So this notion that the combine is in trouble is laughable. Those guys have always had leverage. Over the history of time,

we've seen guys refuse to go play at certain places. I actually thought Caleb Williams when he was asked about not going through the medical stuff. And he said, listen, I have no problem giving Chicago my medical information, or Washington or New England, teams that could trade up or Denver Broncos,

if Sean's like, I'll do whatever I can do to get you on my team. Yeah, totally makes sense. Why should I give that information to the Jacksonville Jaguars or the San Francisco 49ers or the L.A. Ramps? I don't want to and I don't need to and I'm not going to. Not even that crazy. I don't think it's that weird at all. Now, if he refused to give medical information to anyone, yeah, that'd be a little bit of a problem. But he said that's not the case. He says, I'll do everything with Chicago.

I also think Jane Daniels is a good example. I always thought this about Lamar Jackson, that when Lamar Jackson went to the combine, and because Pollian had made the comments about a wide receiver, he refused to run. He did not run a 40 at the Combine or the Pro Day. I always think fast guys should run. because fast guys run fast.

Last night, whenever I watched Jaden Daniels highlights, he sure look fast to me. And if Jaden Daniels is going to run in the low four-fours, he should run. Even if he doesn't measure in, which teams are going to try to get his measurements, because I want to know how much you weigh. Bryce Young, who as a scout told me last year,

waddled up to the program, full of who knows what, weighed in 200 plus pounds, He said he saw him waddle to the bathroom and was in there for a while. Puking, pooping, who knows. We all know Bryce Young's not 200 pounds. He's a 185 pound guy. We all know Jaden Daniels is skinny.

Who cares? Can you put on weight? What is your body composition? But if you run a 4-4, that changes the conversation in these draft rooms. Fair or not? I just promise you it does. And that could be the difference of you going, two or three.

So my recommendation, and listen, all signs point to these guys working out at their pro days, which I totally understand. Be around your teammates, be around your guys, be in a controlled environment that you control, not the league. It doesn't bother me at all.

What the hell is the difference between a pro day and a combine? Not much. But I think if Jaden Daniels, like, if he has any hesitation on running the 40, if he truly is a fast guy, which the guy I've seen looks pretty fast, you should run. So I think that, those stories about the draft, little overblown,

about the combine just being, what's the point of it anymore? The points to meet all these coaches and GMs. They're the ones deciding on how high you should go. And the higher you go, the more money you make. Let's do a little topic Tuesday. Not set on this name, but for right now, we'll just roll with topic Tuesday. These are just some random topics I saw throughout the internet or on television that kind of interest me.

Braylon Edwards, former Michigan, a wide receiver, played for the Browns, the Jets, was a good wide receiver when he was young. Was that like a local YMCA gym? And I don't know if he was getting dressed to go work out or was getting undressed to leave. Heard a commotion on some lockers over. And didn't think that much of it,

a couple guys kind of going back and forth. Then all of a sudden he heard like a thud, and clearly there was like a brawl going on. So he went over to look what the hell was going on. And he saw an old guy, turned out to be an 80-year-old, getting his ass kicked by a 25-year-old. The 80-year-old just wanted the 25-year-old, I think, to turn the music down. And then the 25-year-old started kicking his ass. And I think when Braylon got there, he was about to slam his head basically into the concrete. and Braylin obviously immediately

I'm sure way bigger than this young guy who is just I don't care listen some older people can piss you off with some of their demands if you're fighting an 80 year old and you're in your 20s

and it's just something in this situation the guy's not like threatening your family you're a fucking loser like a complete loser and it turns out Braylin Edwards who broke it up I think the paramedics later told him

that they thought he saved the guy's life saved the guy's life what a story LeBron James scored 40,000 points I think two things can be true first

LeBron's longevity is probably going to be unmatched in the history of the NBA how long he's played at a really high level he's still 21 years in he can score 30 points any game pretty nuts I saw Kevin Garnett

basically called him Mr. Balco, which is the kind of group person that Barry Bond used to go through. I'm not saying that. Kevin Garnett did. Like I said, very impressive what LeBron has accomplished, his longevity. Also, I just don't care. And I truly believe most people just truly do not give a shit. LeBron's career is fascinating because like 10 years ago, one of the more interesting polarizing guys in just sports. I think at this time, most people just kind of like,

well, whatever. It's just kind of indifferent. I think sometimes you play long enough, the shine of your just interest just diminishes. I mean, we're used to athletes kind of peaking 12, 15 years. 41's just too long.

I just, I can't even have an opinion. Like, I truly just do not care. No emotion. Cool. Some record. and I didn't even know exist. Good for you. Last but not least,

the Giants, San Francisco Giants, just signed a free agent, Matt Chapman, who a couple years ago was a really good player, like three years, $60 million deal. And a bunch of free agents signed like right around spring training. Manfred, baseball, Boris,

and this whole crew, everyone involved. Baseball's completely broken when it comes to free agency. You've got to figure out a way and I don't pretend to know who's at fault. Baseball players forever have said the ownership screws them. The owners constantly push back. Scott Boris thinks everyone's always getting screwed.

The only people that truly matter in terms of the interest in your sport are the fans. And it's become very, very difficult to follow baseball. In football, free agency starts, people are going to sign. In basketball, free agency starts, people are going to sign. In baseball, the hot stove, winter meetings happen. It's March 4th, and top free agents are still like negotiating their contracts. Not good. It is not good for your sport.

And clearly there's no end in sight. Scott Boris loves doing this. And listen, if I was a player, I would want Scott Boris negotiating on my behalf. But as a fan of just sports in general, it's just not good for the, it's just not healthy for the sport to be operating. like this. 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 podcast.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, Follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here with a special guest, Southern California native. You might have heard of him. The Super Bowl champion, I feel like it's almost not strong enough, given that you have three, three times Super Bowl champion. Andy Reed, how you doing, coach? I'm doing good, John. How about you? I'm doing really, really well.

I saw this video recently. it was when you got introduced in Philadelphia and how you were bringing, you know, everyone was talking about the West Coast offense and you were bringing over kind of your version that you had. And I was just thinking today, you have three Super Bowls. Bill Walsh has three Super Bowls. Your origin as a coach in the NFL, at least under Holmgren,

who was a Walsh guy, some of the symmetry there. You're a West Coast guy born and raised. Pretty cool. You play the Niners a couple times in the Super Bowl. And you got to play your former team. I mean, it's worked out pretty well as the head coach of the Chiefs. No, it has. I've been fortunate.

we're all lucky to be in the National Football League. You've been there, you know that. And then to play San Francisco where I coached to San Francisco State on one of my early jobs. And so I'm partial to that city. I mean, I'm an L.A. guy that's partial to that city. And then obviously we had such a great time in Philadelphia and great people there that I'm still very close to. My mother is very angry at me. She's a, she's from Northern California, but she is the biggest Chiefs fan you'll ever meet because of you and what you did for me. And I picked against

you guys multiple times. I like a lot of people, and I regretted it a lot. How about this Super Bowl? I mean, you were an underdog playing on the road. Yeah. Going to Buffalo, pretty historic place. Talk to me about just pretty crazy season. And you guys really hit the gas pedal at the end. That was a different. I apologize, too, for picking against you. It won't happen again. That was a different route that we took this year for sure. We'd always had home field advantage and kind of work through that.

But I was so proud of the guys. And I think that was probably a little stick out to me about this team, about sticking together, working through the highs and the lows of the season. Season was up. We had ups and downs offensively. Defense was very consistent. Offense was not. But we grew.

And nobody pointed fingers, which was a great, that was a great thing. Tribute to the guys and the coaches. So, and I love your mom. So other than that, it's great. I was talking to Veach. You know, the teams that gave San Francisco trouble throughout the year, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and the Browns, AFC North, tough division. You know, historically, you guys, early on in the Mahomes era, a little more offensive.

You guys were a defensive team. I mean, is this the best, you played with some good ones with Jim Johnson, but best tackling secondary of your career? No, they did a great job. Those were all young pups last year. And then they kind of took off once we got into the playoffs last year. And then coming into camp, I'm going, oh, these guys, this is going to be the strength of our team as this defense.

The windows were smaller. Man coverage was tighter. And they have great leadership there. So I wasn't surprised by it at all. Spags is a phenomenal coach, as are the other defense. defensive coaches. And so it didn't surprise me. I knew the offense was going to take time, and especially finding somebody opposite Kel's. Yeah. It's so important. We had Juju, we had Sammy in those positions and Pringle for a couple years. All those guys had learned

how to play opposite Kelston in space, but they all had experience. So here's where she coming in, from SMU comes in and he's a heck of a player. Good young player. Yeah. But learning all of that, learning that inside stuff and how to maneuver off linebackers, nickels, safeties, took some time. And not because of lack of effort by any means. It was just you have to do it. And then Kelsey and Pat helped him.

I thought that that was, for his maturation, that was invaluable. You know, a lot of people talk about you, offensive guy, quarterback guru. grew, you know, you're a former offensive lineman, but you've dealt with the quarterbacks going back to far, at least in the pros, is that a, is that an area that you just grow at over time, or is it something you think that just comes natural to you? Because offensive linemen quarterback, it's not like you're a former quarterback. Yeah, Jim McMahon had that, that line where he said, he came to, came to Green Bay, and I'm coaching the court. He goes, I knew it's time to retire when one of my linemen was coaching me, which is kind of true,

but there's nobody that. I guess you guys threw the ball a lot when you, you were playing in college in the YU. Yeah, and there's nobody that knows a good quarterback more than the O line. I mean, you go in and scout somebody. You want to scout a quarterback. Go talk to the O line, they'll tell you, whether he's got or doesn't have it. So it was just a matter of learning the fundamentals. Mike Holmgren was great in teaching me that.

And I worked with Steve Mariucci, John Gruden. I mean, these guys were phenomenal with that position. So I was able to learn a lot from them. And then for Farr, Doug Peterson to welcome me in to that club was also special. And we had a great relationship. And I hope I was able to teach him a little bit about three techniques. You seem pretty calm, at least when it showed you during the Super Bowl, and you guys were down a lot of that game.

Patrick also seemed very calm. You could see it in his eyes. Were you ever nervous at points in time in the game? Do you get nervous anymore in the middle of a game? Yeah. I don't know if it's nervous or anxious or I don't know what that, what term it would be. But I didn't feel that way. I felt like we saw a lot.

We didn't run a lot of plays in the first half offensively. So coming to the second half, I felt like we had a, you know, a full load that we were able to bring at them. And we'd still be okay. Got a rhythm. Yeah. It was just a matter. are getting in rhythm and we were able to do that. You think that overtime situation, I go back, I was talking with Mike Frazier, you know,

it was a point of emphasis, but you guys were part of the team that was part of the rule a couple years ago when it happened with Josh Allen, so it's like top of mind when you haven't been, because the 49ers took a lot of heat for not, it didn't quite feel like they knew. You guys had a clear plan. And is that something, do you think because you were part of that Josh Allen situation or just older coach, you've been around the block or why do you think you emphasize? that so much. Yeah, well, Mike has done that. I mean, I have him stand in front of the team and tell the guy. Kelsey said it on his podcast. Yeah, we do it during training camp. We do it during

the playoffs because it's a little different. You know, we go all the way through and knock all that stuff out. And, and then, you know, it's, I know it's different once you hit the, I will tell you this, because Shanahan is a brilliant guy. And it's not that they didn't, that was a toss-up, Really. Yeah. If you take their offense and how it rolls, this was just what we thought was best for us. Well, and their defense had to be gas. I don't think it's crazy to take the ball first.

That's right. Right. I know. And he took so much heat for it. I said in my press conference afterwards, that's a toss-up. You know, if I'm the Niners, I'm not sure I don't take the ball. So, but what we thought was best for us was if we could, you know, go play on defense and then go from there. I have an idea what you're looking at. You might gain an extra down there.

You know, more willing to go for it on fourth down and how to just need to score. So, anyways, that's what we chose. What are your thoughts? I saw Spaggs say, I think he told Peter Schrager that he hunted down Purdy's number and texted him just because he was so impressed with him. And in my neck of the woods, he's taking a lot of heat, which is crazy. He's the last pick in the draft his story. I mean, he's been around the league a long time way. Have you ever seen the last pick in the draft by a second year playing like that? What are your thoughts on Brock Purdy and the overall conversation around him?

I think he's a great player. I remember listening to his coach. Mac Campbell. Yeah, talk at Iowa State, Matt Campbell. And Matt said that this guy completely changed their program around. And I went, all right. I mean, that's pretty impressive for a kid from Arizona coming in and changing this whole program around. well you look at it and that's kind of what he did there took him to a different level

took him to a different level and you can't there's no fraud when you're in the NFL and you're either good or you're not good you're not just able to get in there and throw the passes like you were throwing them with accuracy and being composed in the huddle in the pocket and with 300 pound men trying to rip your head off i mean those things just don't happen unless you're good so he's a good player. And now it's just a matter of him continuing to build on it, which he will, because he's that kind of guy. He helped change a program around. He's not going to change that way. He's going to keep working to be the best he can be and the best in the league if he can do that. On the Super Bowl opening ceremonies, the 49ers and you guys cross paths and you grab their big left tackle and

you gave him this hug, like the one that got away, because remember you guys wanted them and you just kind of look. You guys had this big man embrace you and Trent. Yeah. So pretty decent player. He'll go down as one of the all-time greats. He's an unbelievable athlete. Good guy. What this week now going into free agency, does this ever get old to you? You feel rejuvenated, you just want another Super Bowl, the same energy?

Yeah, no, I'm good. I'm good. Retirement talk, I always poo-poo that when people ask. Yeah, no, listen, I'm good. I'm blessed to have Veitch and who you know personally. And so he brings great energy. You know, he's always going to. do his best to supply you with good players. I work for a great organization.

Clark Hunt heading that up. I work with Mark Donovan, who you know. So, I mean, we've got a lot of familiar faces there and good people and Rick Berkholder, who you know. There's a lot of guys. Cohesion. Yeah, a lot of guys that have been together a long time. So I'm in a good place. I enjoy it there. And I've got good players. We talk a lot on the show about coaches getting involved in personnel and you've done that before. But you really, I mean, Veach is the one running that entire thing. How much easier does that make your life focus on the team for six months? Obviously, he comes to you with players. When I came back to Kansas City, I wanted to focus more on football. I was done with the

personnel thing. If you're going to do it the right way, it takes too much time to get it done. I know there's always time, but I'm going to try to exhaust all of it. So if I'm watching players, I'm going to watch everybody. You know, that's how I did in Philly. If you're on the board, I'm going to have watched you in not just one game. And then, but I was done with that. I think it's probably too much to try to do both. And so in this day and age, I mean, you got this technology is crazy.

It is. But it takes time to look at it. Yeah, it does. But you've got everything. And so Brett, and then I have full trust. of Brett. I did in John Dorsey. I have it in Brett. And so that's, I was great with take it and run, man. Well, I'll get you out here on this. This combine, I'm sure you've been to a lot. It seems like a lot of coaches are not coming to this anymore. You know, you just,

you're just coaching like three weeks ago. You're here. Is this something that still means a lot to you? Do you like coming here? Do you feel like just getting to shake that player's hand? It's the first time people don't realize the coaches, the first time they're going to meet the player is right now. You haven't, you didn't even watch a lot of these guys. working during the scene. That's right. Yeah, so it's valuable for you. That's right. And for the coaches to do the interview, I don't really care about the other stuff. We can watch that on tape, but the interviews to sit in front of a guy and talk to them and see how they react to you, the questions, the coaches asking the questions. I think that that's what I get out of this.

Trent McDuffie walks and you meet him for the first time. You feel a little more comfortable. Yeah, how are you going to handle this? Sit down here, man. That's a decent draft pick, huh? Yeah, he's pretty good. Yeah. Well, Coach Reed, congratulations. And get ready for number four. You too, man. You're cooking now. You got it all here. We're ready to go. Yeah. Thanks, coach. All right, man. Appreciate you, John.

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 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, let's dive into the mailbag.

Very, very easy to get involved. At John Middlecough, Instagram, firing those DMs, 2Fs. Okay, first question for the mailbag. A lot of people are saying Russell Wilson to the Steelers. My question, why not Cousins? Well, first and foremost, money. Kirk Cousins, if he's healthy, is a very, very expensive player. He does not have a contract.

Zero. So if you want Kurt Cousin services, I mean, you're talking probably a cheapest, like two years, $80 million. More than likely, he gets like three years, $120 million. $70, $80 million guaranteed. He's an expensive asset. Russell Wilson is the opposite. He's cheap. Well, not for the Broncos.

They're paying him a lot of money to go away. But if you want his services, I don't know, league minimum is based on, like he's been in a league, however many years now, 12, 13 years, is based on service time. So his league minimum is different than some guy's league minimum.

But his league minimum is cheap. His league minimum, I'd guess, like $1.5 million, $1 million, whatever the number is. It's low. You can pay him that, and the Broncos can pay the $39 million, and you've got a $40 million quarterback. Now, I know he's not a $40 million quarterback, but my point is, you can just get Russell Wilson for nothing. I think that's a big, big reason.

My theory has been too. They are just not, like, think about the players they have. T.J. Cam Hayward. Minka Fitzpatrick. Like, it's a lot of serious cats. What's the other pass rusher? High Tower? High-Tower? Hi-Smith. High-Tower? Crazy. I'm like out of the football season loop,

and they've been out of sight of mine for a while. They got a lot of high-level dudes, man. And starts with Mike. I just, I actually think it's like, Russell, they want to take a chance on you. You know you'll be the starting quarterback because Kenny Pickett's not beating you out. I actually think it makes a lot of sense.

I don't understand how a team could give up a second or third round pick for Justin Fields. Mainly because you're not only giving up picks, but having to pick up his option and potentially pay him next season. And he's not very good. Is it just social media thinking he's worth that much or will a dumb team actually make that move? Well, all it takes is one, right? It just takes one team to value a guy slash be desperate. I said this when I reacted to Russell Wilson getting cut. The worst part of the move for the Broncos

wasn't that they traded for a quarterback. It's they traded for a quarterback when they were really, really desperate. And when you make enormous moves in life out of desperation, it's when you get in trouble. And to me, that is where they found themselves. Denver wanted Rogers. Rogers kind of played them a little bit. Maybe he was interested.

Then he stayed in Green Bay and they were like, holy shit, we're, we now have Hackett, we really need a quarterback. John Schneider had been trying to get rid of him for years. They gave up two ones, two twos, and they gave him $160 million when he was already under contract. So if you trade for Justin Fields, like, here would be my offer if I was a team. I'd give you like a fourth round pick. and I would not pick up the fifth year option. That's what I would do. I'd give you a third day, a three pick,

and I would not plan on picking up the fifth year option. And if he's unreal, it was worth it. I took a low flyer on him. We'll figure out the extension after, or franchise tag him or whatever. And if he's not good, whatever. But I could not give a pick of value for Justin Fields.

And I'm someone that loved the guy as a prospect. But part of being like, Once you watch a player, after three or four years, you kind of know. Like, his value has changed. Baker Mayfield, once upon a time, number one overall pick. Had some pretty good moments in Cleveland. Then it started going bad. Then he got cut.

Then he went to the Panthers. I'm like, ah, I do not see it. Now you watch him on the Bucks. You're like, that's a solid player. But the Bucks paid $4 million for it. Regarding Fugazi Friday. I'm in Miami, South Beach for a conference. I went out to dinner and there was a baked in 20% gratuity.

Fine, whatever. It's a big party. But then they had the audacity to ask for a tip on top of the 20%. I'm happy to tip well, but asking for extra points on top of a good tip is just too much. I thought it might be that particular restaurant, but all three nights it happened, all different places on South Beach. Fugazi, the tipping culture, man. We need to rein that bad boy in. You know the way Sabin and all the coaches are talking about the transfer portal in NIL? It's out of control.

We need to corral the situation. We need to put some parameters. Tipping culture. I did it the other day. It's like I just want to sometimes, listen, I don't overreact. Like, if you just make your own coffee, you will save a lot of money. which is kind of true, especially if you shop for coffee at Costco.

Sometimes you're in the car, you're like, I want to just Starbucks coal brew with a little vanilla cold foam, right? You'll pay the five or six bucks. But then she hands you the, if you do the drive-thru and they give you that look,

it's like, lady, I just got a $6 coffee, which I fucking literally drove my SUV here, burning gas, and you're kind of side-eye-eye-in me, then I'm not going to add a dollar on top of it. When it comes to the big, parties, I'm with you. Like if you get a big party in your, you know, your bachelor party, whatever, and you go to a nice restaurant and the bill is four figures, you're going to tip

the 20% or whatever. You're going to, you're going to take care of them. But then to ask for a tip on top of the tip, like, where are we drawing the line? I think sometimes you just, you know, they say, you give them an inch, they'll take a mile. I think that's what's happened. Everyone, most normal people are very supportive if you do a really good job. I think I had a DM or someone tell me this story. It was a DM. It was a guy that had a plumber over. Or some situation like that,

electrician. And the guy fixed his job. It was like $250 to whatever he needed. The guy handed him, right, the ability to pay on your phone now. And it said, do you want to leave a tip? Like, no, bro. I just paid $300 for 45 fucking minutes

for you to replace a couple things in my wall. I paid you for that. Do I get a tip just because Hey, middle cop, I really liked your podcast, man. Where's a tip jar? Like, not everything deserves a tip. Some of the stuff you're just paid to do.

I think we're losing our way. I'm a good tipper. Pretty cool. You led your show with my question. Is there any way I can invest in you like a stock that you know of? That kind words, no.

I would say that you can invest in the stocks I'm invested in some are doing good Uber up a lot of money And I have a lot of money into it Some are not doing so good One I'm down A lot of money

And I mean a lot of money for a rich guy And that's not me I'm just saying in general Like a rich person would be a little uncomfortable So you can't win them all You invest sometimes you hit sometimes you miss It's like you get up to the plate man You just got to take a swing

All these GMs are the comments I'm buying, look hungover as hell. Were you partying with them? I did not party with any general managers. I bet it's probably 50-50. I think years ago, even five or six years ago, a lot more coaches went, and you could see them out and about drinking.

I'm talking head coaches. I do think that's a little more hit or miss now. The head coach is in the gym. I think a lot has to do with the camera phone. Like, no one wants to be on a camera phone. I think I was out about with a lot of a lot of assistant coaches. I never, I was sick the first couple days and the second day when I was, or the last day when I was leaving, a lot of assistant coaches were out and about. And again, out and about,

you just, you've been grinded, long season, having a couple beers. Like, I don't know. A lot of stories about some pretty famous people getting in trouble at this event, uh, with the policeman, probably in the 2000s. I, I think the event has changed. a lot in terms of that. A lot of women running around, some craziness, I think it's really, really mellowed out. Relative, like, there are a lot of, if you just walked into the J.W. Marriott during the week at midnight, there are a lot of famous people standing around, but it's pretty under control. I remember going when I worked there in 10, 11, and 12, it was fucking bananas. just because you'd be out at bars, late, all-nighters.

Not saying that it doesn't happen, I think it's a little more few and far between. I think a lot of these GMs, like if you're watching the Combine, look really tired. They're working really late. A lot of meetings with agents, a lot of meetings with people. When I asked Howie, I mean, I think you sleep in three or four hours. Because you just are meeting late.

You just have meetings with like, Drew Roe. chosen house with whoever, you know, after your interviews, you might go meet the guy for a drink at midnight to discuss one of the players on your team. And then by the time you get home, maybe grab a bite to eat, spend a long day, you want to get up early before you do more meetings and get a workout in or something like 6 a.m. I just don't think they're sleeping much. I think that, not saying that they're not having a cocktail here and there, my guess would be most GMs. the drinking has really, really slowed down from what it used to be at the combine.

There's just too much on the line. These jobs are too valuable. It's hard to screw around. Question for the bag. Love the combine stuff. Introduce your podcast to my friend, and now he's sending me your podcast before I get a chance to listen to them.

My question is, why do teams come out and say, we're going to trade this guy, and if we don't get anything, we're going to cut them? if the player is going to hit the open market, why would a team give up draft capital? Because, let's just, I'm trying to think of an example. It happens a lot with older players. If I have Veteran X,

who's been to a couple of Pro Bowls, but now he's older, and I go, listen, we're going to cut this guy in a couple days. If you want to get your hands on this guy, we'll just give him to you for like a seventh round pick. And maybe that team, because the moment that guy gets cut, every team in the league has a chance to talk to him,

has a chance to bring him into their facility, has a chance to offer them a contract. Where if you have a guy that you like and you're comfortable paying what he's making, you go, well, shit, I'll just give you a six-round pick. And then I get the player on my team, and I don't have to worry about, like, maybe it's a 20% chance that I even land the guy

once he's available. So I think a lot of it's that. It's why you see a lot of guys during, training camp get traded for six and seventh round picks. That team knows the other team was going to cut the guy, but they wanted that guy. And they knew that either the waiver claim or if the guy hit the open market, they might not get the guy. So I think that's a big reason that those type things play out.

This Mike Evans contract got me thinking about Tyreeks' decision to go to Miami and Adams' decision to lead Green Bay. I think players of their pedigree should have taken a hometown discount weren't they offered similar contracts just lesser guaranteed now look at the teams they left behind that are flourishing with promising quarterbacks

and given the fact that their contracts are completely bogus and nowhere near the amount reported I think a lot of times it is much more based on respect. So if you're one of those guys and you go, wait, Miami or the Raiders would offer me a contract

that you're not prepared. Now, in fairness, Tyreek was simply about the money. The Dolphins offered them a contract that the Chiefs didn't want to match. And they gave him whatever, first and a third round pick. Devante Adams wanted out. And the only place he would go was the Raiders.

Miami does not regret it. Tyreek has been dominant for two years. I think if the Raiders had a redo, they would have just said, no, we're good. They would have declined that. Because having Devante Adams in their situation does not help them.

Clearly. It doesn't make sense. They didn't have a quarterback last year. He's a great player. A great receiver does not make sense if you have no quarterback. And they clearly have no quarterback. The only quarterback he's played with with the Raiders, they ran them out of town immediately,

and it was time with Derek. But last year, like, I don't know. I would not make one of those moves trading for a wide receiver in general. I would just draft a guy every year. I mean, how many years ago was it? Like, D.K. Metcalfe, A.J. Brown, and Debo Samuel happened in the second round.

Happens like every other year. All these good receivers, Pooka Nakua. What round he going? Can you explain why O linemen seem like the most fun guys on the team? and why they also appear to be the most relatable to the average fan, skill players get most of the attention, but seem all about Flash and their brand. Oline feel like a dad at cookout.

Well, think about most of us in life, right? We're not the star of the show. We're not treated like royalty by our employer, by our family, by anywhere we go in life, by our friends. we're just treated like a normal human being. And I would say this, most of us, whatever company we work for, are at any moment could just be told something we don't want to hear.

Offensive linemen are yelled at every single day. And their job is to literally protect the highest paid guy in the billion dollar sport. That's their job. Yet they're yelled at way more than that. the guy that they're paid to protect. Then there's the nature of they have to work as a team. They are very dependent

on the other guys right next to them, to the left and to the right. So, like most of us, we're kind of humbled, often. We're very dependent on others. And most people don't talk about us. So I think there's a relatability with, one, just

the way they operate in the under the football umbrella. Wide receiver score touchdowns. Quarterback throw touchdowns. Defenders make tackles. Offensive linemen literally just try to push a guy left or right or backwards.

And the play ends, no one even really notices. The only time they're ever noticed is when something fucks up and there's a penalty. They like to eat. I like to drink. Most of us like to eat and like to drink. They don't ever have to do these crazy diets like these position players. Most of them just tend to be relatively smart guys.

Like they're just easier to talk to. I do think it's a lot the way they're coached and the way they come up. And then ultimately, once they succeed, like make it to the NFL, it's no different than when they were in high school. They make more money, but you don't get that much more credit.

Like Jason Kelsey is an all-time grade center. And he became really famous because of what he did the Super Bowl parade, and he's got a podcast. But think how often we talk about him when we discuss the Eagles this year. Talk about the quarterback. Talk about the coaches, the head coach, the coordinators. Talk about the A.J. Brown situation. Talk about what the hell's up with James Bradbury?

Did Harry Roseman let down the team? We never talk about Jason Kelsey, the player. I'm like, yeah, he's pretty good. They're the best, man. They really are. A lot of you guys had DM me about getting pictures or whatever Or just a meetup in indie It was hard

One, I was legitimately pretty sick The first couple days I was struggling Maria sent me a little goodie bag That I was just pumping Sudafeds and Dakewills and Advils And then the last night I was there That I did go to dinner with some buddies Scouting buddies

But it was nothing too crazy Also a lot of people were like I can't wait to get your teeth take on Brandon Staley to the Niners. Whenever that story broke, I think it was, it was a Saturday night, Friday night, maybe Saturday,

really early in the morning. I woke up to the, someone, people had sent me the tweet, and all I saw is the picture of Brandon Staley. And I almost had a heart attack. I'm like, the 49ers just hired Brandon Staley to be their defense coordinator. And then you click on it, you realize,

no, he's the headliner. They hired Nick Sorensen. who is longtime Seattle assistant. He's been with the Niners for a couple years. Played defense at Virginia Tech. I think it played in the NFL for a minute, but NFL defensive guy. Kyle named him the defensive coordinator.

Now they hired Brandon Staley, and they don't even have a position for him. Listen, if they had hired him to be the defensive coordinator, I would have done an hour podcast on him. It's hard for me to get worked up when they just make up a position. He's a position coach. coach.

Like, listen, I don't think Matt Patrish is any good. When the Eagles hired him to be an assistant, like, whatever, it doesn't bother me. Now, once you make him the coordinator, now you got a problem. But like, everyone's hired as an assistant. Like, welcome to football. It doesn't mean anything to me. Now, if he ends up becoming the coordinator and Wally Pips this guy, then we got a problem. But like, I have no opinion.

I've been to a million football practices. There's a million coaches all over the place. I used to make fun of Anthony Lent, and it's a pretty consistent theme with the Chargers. Niners hired him to be a running back coach. Like, whatever. Who cares? Brandon Staley's helping out with the linebackers? It doesn't matter.

I never thought the guy was going to be unemployed. Should not have been a coordinator. And pretty clearly, the market spoke. No one was going to hire him to be a coordinator. Kyle probably thought about it. Thank God he didn't do it. But I don't know much about Sorenson. Beside the longtime Pete Carroll guy,

Ben Robert Salah, Dan Quinn. He just hires KJ Wright, the longtime Seattle linebacker to be an assistant coach. Kyle really likes that defense, and it gets back to his time with Dan Quinn. The simplicity of it, it also leaves a four-man front. Obviously, you have to change and adapt as the game has changed, but I think he likes that to be his base defense. Brandon Staley is a Vic Fangio 3-4 guy. God, thank God they didn't hire him.

I don't have the energy to do one of these crazy podcasts, but it would have been needed. I'm telling you, when I clicked on it and saw his picture, I said, you did not just do this, Kyle. The other thing is, a lot of people were making a big deal about the Niners interested in Steve Spagnola. One thing I heard, Spaggs relative, like Vic Fangio makes like $5 million. Wink Martindale last year was making like $3.5 million. Kellen Moore makes $4 million. Spaggs was making nowhere near that as a defensive coordinator. Do I think Kyle was interested in him?

100%. Do I think Spags and whoever's negotiating his contract? Let's play this up a little bit. Because one thing with the Chiefs, I don't think they're just, they pay the players, but they have historically been a relatively cheap organization when it comes to scouts and non-head coaches.

Even Andy's in a contract negotiation right now. Andy Reid, to me, is worth like $35 million. He'll end up making $15, $20 million. Whatever Andy, Andy Reid's going to be the best bargain in the league. If you told me Andy Reid got a three-year $60 million contract, I'm like, that's easily the best contract in the NFL. He deserves probably like a four-year, I don't know, $150 million deal. What's Andy Reid worth? More than any player non-quarterback.

And how many quarterbacks is Andy Reid more valuable in the NFL? Probably six, seven guys more valuable than Andy Reid? Would you take Dak Prescott or Andy Reid? We take Kirk Cousins or Andy Reid. Obviously you would take Mahomes or Lamar or some of the super high-level guys, but I think Spaggs got paid and he used the leverage to get paid,

rightfully so. Question for the show. How often have you criticized Adam Silver, fairly all at, for not prioritizing the business interests of the NBA instead of letting the players run free? Since football is over, I really miss not being able to sit down on Saturday or Sunday

and watch sports during the daytime. However, the NBA only schedules games at night. I, with exception of some of their worst teams, playing day games. Why do you think they don't capitalize on weekend daytime basketball? Doesn't it make sense to put Yokic and LeBron on midday Saturday instead of at 5 p.m.? I don't think it does. I don't pretend to be a television executive here, but football is programmed. to be played Saturday and Sunday,

we know Michigan, Ohio State might kick off 9 o'clock Pacific Standard Time. The Chiefs play the Broncos at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. Right, the Cowboys and the Eagles kick off at 1 o'clock. Niners' ramps. It's ingrained in you. In basketball, it is kind of a nighttime sport. A lot like baseball during the week. Like not as many day games unless you're the Cups.

I think there's a lot of just muscle memory. memory to that, I think the ratings would be a lot lower. If you put the Lakers and that Nuggets game instead of being at 5.30 at night, I'll give you an example. I watched the second half, because I was like, I think Yokic, as just a basketball historian of my 39 years of life, and that grew up in the 90s on a lot of bigs, I think he's one of the best players I've ever seen. And I think in his era, if someone that talks a lot of shit about the NBA, I still love like some of the elite players, and I think Yokic is one of the more fun players I've ever seen play basketball.

LeBron and Steph are clearly the two best players of the last like 15 years, not even debatable. And then I think the other guy that would be in that category would be Kevin Durant. I think you could make the argument that Yokch is a better player than Durant. And if you could get them both from scratch, like 22 years old for the next 15 years, you would rather have Yokic. I think what sucks is the league is so small now. It's a bunch of power forwards or the centers. It's a different sport than what I grew up on.

When Biggs reigns supreme, it would have been awesome to see that guy in the league against Shaq, David Robinson, Akim Elizuan, Alonzo Morning, Dekembe Matumbo, just all the centers of the 90s. And to just see what he would look like against them. He just eviscerates everybody. They don't have a shot. None. Even Draymond said on his paw. Like, I had no shot.

And he shouldn't. Draymond's like 6'5. Anthony Davis, who 611's got no shot. No one has any shot. He can go 35, 10, and 10 with his fucking eyes closed. The Lakers are big. And they got no shit. He annihilated them when he needed to.

But I don't think the day games would help. I think they would hurt. And that's why they don't do it. I miss some football sometimes. I just like to watch Michigan, Penn State, Kansas City, Buffalo, or Buffalo, Miami.

I just like a game, and you just miss it. I've been gambling a lot on golf, a lot. I've actually been winning because I've been live betting. Love your stuff, especially the perspective

on the business of the league. I'm a third generation to work in my family's insurance business. As I've gotten into management, I've always used things I've picked up from the pod in my office. Do you have any suggestions on motivating older employees? I am obsessed with everything about business, policy, wording, coverages, closing deals, but it can be impossible to get a 50-something

to buy in to the same level. Any insight would be appreciated. I heard Gary Vee say this a long time ago, and I think about this a lot. If it's your business or your family's business, you can never expect, regardless of their age, for them to have, they don't have the same skin in the game as you. So you can't expect them to work as hard as you or even be open to the ideas that you're willing to be open to because it might make you more money. Now, obviously, older people are less likely to change their ways. I think you just got to be nice to them and try to incentivize them. I've realized as I got older, I'm very incentivized. Like I said, money does not make. make me feel any different. But I am incentivized, oh, the better we do here, the more money we're

going to make. So I don't know maybe the idea, if he implements it, maybe he gets a $1,000 bonus, or I'm just throwing shit out there. Like, let's face it. Money usually incentivizes whether you're 60 years old or whether you're 20 years old. Some things, no matter how much the wackos in this world want to change society, I don't think much has changed the way we're wired. Like most of us have the same basic needs and wants, right? We always want a little more money. We always want to be paid a little more. We always want our families to be happy and safe.

And we always want, you know, enough resources to feed our family. I mean, there are some basic things that will never change. So that 50-year-old, just like a 20-year-old, will have similar basic wants and desires. Now, they're different if one person has a family, one person doesn't, one person has a mortgage, one person doesn't. I think most people like more money. So if you can find a way to add just a little more money if it's really something that means a lot to you, if it's just some basic ideas and having them change, like I would say this. I know a lot of people, a lot of friends and family that are part of small businesses,

they all complain about that. It's hard to get people to change. So you're clearly not alone. I just think psychologically, it's why so many coaches or business leaders that study psychology I think tend to be a little more successful

because I think the natural reaction, I mean, what I grew up on is you want him to do it like around my dad and the people he worked for is like you just fucking scream at him. You just yell at him. You wanted me to do my homework. You start screaming at me.

You start making threats. I actually get offended sometimes like, you know, this new age of parenting. I'm not a parent yet. Obviously, they're a lot nicer to children now. It almost says, like, the way we were parented, which was not easy, right? And, you know, I think, I don't know if beatings is the right way to put it, but you just,

you had to be careful. You would get it. And a lot of times deserved. It was like the wrong way. Like, we just grew up, really screwed up. Like, I don't think there's a right or wrong way to parent. They're obviously right things, you know, to support. your child and, you know, push them toward education and learning and, you know, being inquisitive.

And obviously there are some things that are pretty consistent. But, like, most people don't know what the hell they're doing. But, like, this notion that, like, you know, if you felt threatened by your family, like, yeah, kind of work for me. Keeps me on my toes to this day. My dad's long gone. I'm still, like, make sure I'm early. Because I know if I wasn't early back in the fucking early 90s, my ass was in trouble.

long way of saying I I think tactics have changed but I think the ultimate message will never change of what people want okay last question I have a mailback question for you involving Brandon Staley what the fuck

are the Niners doing hiring him and bringing him near that operation I think it's a huge mistake to hire this guy as the assistant head coach when he obviously has no feel at least last year for even the defensive side of the football. Knowing how highly you think of the Niners and their operation, what's your opinion on this?

I do think a lot of times titles in football are giant Fugazi. They're to get guys paid more. You see this a lot with co-coordinators. No, one guy's calling the place. Assistant head coach, what does that mean? Like Kyle's going to listen to Brandon Staley? in terms of like, hey, Kyle, with the Chargers, this is when I like to go for it.

You think Kyle's more likely to go for it? I think it's a way. Kyle's very, very close with Brandon Staley's agent, Richmond Flowers, who played with Kyle at Duke and who worked with him in Washington. Let's face it. Brandon Staley is a laughing stock.

Just like a lot of coaches have been laughing stocks throughout my life. You need people to throw you a bone. I have no problem anyone hiring Brandon Staley. Jim Tom Sulla was hired, right? A lot of guys that we've laughed at have been hired as assistant coaches.

To me, if he had been named the defensive coordinator, would have had a major problem with it. But some made up title, like, what's he doing? Who's he coaching? Would I name my assistant head coach? I would not. But I've been around long enough to know, like, what does that even mean?

It's one thing if you're a first time head coach and you hire, you know, some older coach to play that role to help you out. Like, yeah, kind of needed. Sean McVeigh, 31 gets the job, hires Wade Phillips. Kyle's not looking to Brandon Staley for advice, right? He's just like, help out the defensive staff

with some ideas. You're not calling the plays, though. If he ever calls the plays, then we've got a problem. If Kyle starts going for it in crazy fourth down situations, then we got a problem. But a title, like, who cares? The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygle 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me,

Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me.

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