The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Broncos situation, QB's are more fun to talk about, Pats taking calls for number 3

Episode Date: April 23, 2024

John dives into the trade that sent Zach Wilson to the Denver Broncos and the thinking behind this move for the Broncos, and if Sean Payton is still the right guy for the job. Later, John talks about why NFL analysts and fans spend so much more time talking about the QB prospects in the draft than all other positions. Finally, John reacts to the noise surrounding the patriots and how they are taking calls for the number three pick and if that's the right decision or not. Lastly, John answers your questions for this episode's mailbag segment. 6:21 - The Denver Broncos 16:38 - QB's are more fun to talk about 24:27 - Pats are taking calls 31:50 - Other NFL storylines 40:58 - 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.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes.

Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule. of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume. The 82 game preseason is in the books, and it's finally time for the real season. Don't miss out on any of the NBA playoff action at Draft King Sportsbook, an official sports

betting partner of the NBA. From the play in tournament through the finals, Draft King Sportsbook has you covered with same game parlayes, Live betting, odds boosts, and so much more. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app and use code John. New customers bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets instantly. That's code J-O-H-N, John, only on Draft Kings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem, call 1-800 Gambler.

Or in West Virginia, visit 1-800 gambler.net. In New York, call 8778-Hope-N-Y or text Hope & Y-4-669. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-78-98-9-777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas, 21 and over, age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance.

See dkng.com slash B-Ball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, everybody, John Middlecock, three-in-out podcast? are we doing just a couple days away from the draft and we had a trade today when the zack wilson to the broncos trade initially happened i put a video up on youtube so my my initial reaction is up on there i let it marinate a little bit and i'll give some thoughts today on sean payton i mean that that quarterback draft wasn't bad it was a disaster i mean four of the five quarterbacks in the top 15 or on other teams and they went there for cheap Two of them might be third stringers.

I mean, Trey Lance is one. Zach Wilson, I mean, who knows, could be one if he doesn't win the backup job. So what a time. Well, not really for those quarterbacks. But Jonathan Kraft, I saw something in a tweet today from Diana Rusini on the inner workings of what's going on in New England. It just makes me feel pretty good about my position on that team. And then just a couple other NFL stories. There's just some, you know, some draft buzz.

Teams interested in this guy. This GM might be interested in moving up. Matt Ryan calls her quits. Made $303 million playing in the national footballie. Not a bad little run for him. One an MVP. Other than that, we will have you covered on the draft. Thursday night, I'll be live with Colin,

probably like an hour into the draft. I think right around when the Chargers pick or after they pick, we will go live, talk about what's going on. Other than that, Friday, have you covered as well. I'll have a podcast. Probably have a bunch of videos, depending on what's going on as well, up on the channel.

So if you're not subscribed to the YouTube channel, we're going to have a lot of content up there, already do. And if you listen on Collins' feed, make sure you subscribe to three and out feed. So you never miss a show. I post a little Instagram on Golopod about Scotty Sheffler just because I don't think we're going to have time

to do a golf podcast this week. But he won again. So shocker. Yeah, so fun week. A lot of football talk. Mock draft. Tomorrow. Top 10 mock draft. Top 10.

Not getting too far into the weeds, but a little top 10 mock draft. But first, you know I got to tell you about my good, close, personal friends and the official ticketing app of this podcast, Game Time. You've probably seen them around everywhere. They are dominating. Fastest-st-growing ticketing app in America because they got great deals. And they're very, very easy to use. I've been a loyal user now for about a year and a half.

You want to go to any game. We've got playoffs going on right now in hockey. And in the NBA, baseball season, full swing ahead. Just saw Aaron Boone got ejected on Monday for something a fan said. That could be you. You could be sitting right there at a Yankee game because of game time. Buy your first pair of tickets. promo code John, J-O-H-N, J-O-H-N, save $20.

I don't need a thank you. I don't need anything. Just hammer that promo code. And if you've already used it, have your friend use it, have your wife use it. go to a game, go to a concert, go to a comedy show, and enjoy yourself. Summer's almost here. You want to get out of the house, do something fun.

Do it while you save a little money. Download the game time app, pair of tickets to any event. Games, comedy shows, concerts, promo code John save $20. Obviously Tom Brady's been in the news a little bit. He said a comment, I think, last week, that he would be open if the right situation, presented itself to make a comeback. Obviously, it feels like the Raiders, his piece of the team has materialized a little bit,

and if he becomes quote-unquote an official minority owner, he wouldn't be able to play. But let's face it, Tom Brady's brand is enormous, right? Just like Michael Jordan's became and so did Tiger Woods. And the reason it became that was because they were winning. in this country with our athletes and I would say worldwide we love winners

the three biggest athletes of my life I don't even think it's close the two haven't been surpassed since I was a kid Jordan and Tiger and then obviously Tom these last 20 years

you can throw LeBron in there as well and he's won a bunch of championships if you don't win championships you might make a lot of money but as time goes on your brand diminishes when you've been become a champion, your brand never diminishes. I was with a buddy this weekend, and he was telling me,

we were having some pops, having a few cocktails, and he was telling me about the industry he works in. And he was giving me a story about this major company that is in this certain area that is run by unions, and they refuse to work with unions. And the way they are able to get around it for a specific role is they offer like 30, 35% more than the unions. And then they show these guys, hey, your take-home pay after your union dues will be a little under $4,000 a month. We will give you $6,800 a month.

For the overwhelming majority of people, taking and making decisions based on money is borderline, you know, negligent not to do. If you're making $80,000 and someone to offer you $150,000, grant, you can't say no. If you're making 50 grand and someone offers you 90 grand, like these monies for the overwhelming majority of Americans, you have to make decisions based on money. Because the increment of going up changes, you know, your life for your family, right? Whether it's just more disposable income, buy a home that you couldn't afford. Obviously, most people

fall under the umbrella of like when you get a big raise or a big offer from another company or can make more work in there, you have to take it as an at-will employee. To me, when you're really rich, your decisions when it comes to money, like if money is the number one driver, it's where you can make bad decisions. Because when you have a lot of money, you don't need to make every decision based on the money. Because you already have, your life isn't going to change. Sean Payton was filthy rich when he took the year off. Tom Brady is a good example. Tom Brady took discounts his entire career. His entire career. If he had just made what normal high-end quarterbacks had made, given how long he played, he would have made more in

NFL history than every quarterback by a wide margin. Aaron Rogers had made more than Tom Brady. Yet Tom Brady came into the league in 2000. Aaron Rogers came into the league like five years later. So when you look at Tom Brady, he made decisions knowing the Patriots for a long portion of his career were the best spot for him because his lifetime brand was all dedicated to I'm a winner, I'm a champion. And the best way for him to become a champion was taking a little less knowing that they'd invested in players. And for the most part, it worked out. Even when he went to Jason Light and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it's not like they gave him $150 million. he's a two-year $50 million deal.

Obviously the contracts were a little bit lower than they are today, five, six years ago. But still, he signed an undermarket deal to help the team. And for basically two and a half years, the team was loaded. They were spending a bunch of cash, building that bad boy up. Because he always saw the big picture. Sean Payton quit because he was burned out, and they didn't have a quarterback.

So you needed to take a deep breath. Don't blame him. any human being, no matter what you do, especially in high, intense, competitive industries, Sean Payton's mid, late 50s, whatever, gets burned out. Need to take a deep breath. Okay, totally understand. And he did it.

He went to work at Fox. And then within like halfway through his retirement or step away, I was like, God, he misses it. Understandable, right? Some people are just addicts to what they do. I would say most successful people in high, high-end industries, in competitive industries, are addicted to their profession.

A lot of people push back, that's not healthy, work-life balance. Well, yeah, there's not much work-life balance in the National Football League. And Sean Payton wanted to get back in. Understood. The Denver Broncos were a terrible situation. They really were.

They were in the midst of an ownership change. They had a quarterback that all of us knew he was not going to like that was already on a massive. massive contract, and to acquire that guy they had traded a boatload of players and picks to get Russell Wilson. So the situation that we could all see coming, like Russell Wilson is not going to be there long, and the roster wasn't great, and they're in a division with Mahomes and Andy. A year later, Harbaugh comes in. Now you get Harbaugh and Herbert.

In this situation, so he trades for Zach Wilson, which I have no problem with, totally understand. You swap six and seventh round picks. they eat half the money you're paying them less than $3 million. Totally understand. But I do think that reflects of like there's no guarantee they're going to get a quarterback high in this draft.

They don't have the assets and the way their team's built to mortgage the future to get way up and to land one of the top guys you wouldn't think. In this situation, let's face it, it's just pretty shitty.

But it also was avoidable because I don't think you can really debate. Now, Denver, Incredible place. People love living there. So that's a big draw for a lot of human beings. Peyton Manning spent the majority of his life in Indy and the South, went to Denver for like three and a half years,

kept his family there. Great place. So I get it. Sean Payton could live wherever he wants. The reason he took the job is they offered him $90 million, which totally understand. Hard to turn down. But when you're a football coach,

like the roster construct, Who's on the team, the assets, kind of should matter. Like, look at the Chargers, which is a job he wanted last year. The Spanos is a little cheap, refused to fire Staley after he blew the big lead. Okay. Wait a year. What was the rush? I never understood that.

And part of acquiring him, because of the way he stepped away from the Saints, they had to give up a pick. He took the job, in my opinion, because of money. Which, like I said, for 98% of him. human beings, those are the decisions you should make for your family. When you're as rich as a guy like Sean Payton, that should be down the list a little bit. It should be like, who's going to be my quarterback, how I'm going to acquire a quarterback, what's our cap situation, what's our roster situation, what division are we in, what conference

are we in, factor it all in. John Payton was going to get paid no matter what. Who is going to have the best football situation? It's not debatable. They did not have a good football situation. Use the Chargers this year as an example with Harbaugh. Cap situation. A mess. But they have a star young quarterback.

So it was very, very enticing. Right? That's why he desperately wanted that job. And since he's taken it, all he can talk about is Justin Herbert. That was the guy that drove him to that job. It would not have been a good job if Justin Herbert didn't exist and they had a bad cap situation and they just had no quarterbacks. or Russell Wilson was on the team.

It would not be the same. So I look at Sean Payton making a move today because I think he knows like we might get stuck. We might not be able to draft a quarterback. We might not be in position where all the quarterbacks are off the board because we can't afford a mortgage to move up. And we can't take Bo Nex in the top 15. So could we take him in the second round?

Well, what if he's gone? Because when you're not drafting really, really high, a lot is out of your control. How with the New England Patriots? they're drafting third and a lot's out of their control. What if I told you in their draft room, there was a massive drop-off after the top two quarterbacks? Now, you could easily take another position, but I think the reason you see and you've heard constantly why they're willing to talk is because there's a decent chance there's a big gap.

Even if you're intrigued with Drake May and think J.J. McCarthy is a good prospect. Like, I got to be pretty sure. So I think you look back at Sean Payton He couldn't turn down the Walmart's money And he finds himself in a very precarious Kind of ugly football situation Kind of was avoidable Like if you don't make decisions strictly on money

Maybe he's not sitting here And maybe he's in a spot with another team In a much better situation And listen I love talking about the draft Who doesn't? It's a fun time And there's a reason You know Most people are not

you know, besides people really, really granular, are breaking down like linebackers and even the offensive linemen, which is a great offensive line class. We talk quarterbacks. Why? Because they move the needle. They're what most people are interested.

And they play to the masses. It's what interests me. At my core, I'm just a sports talk fan. I don't want you to break down the fourth offensive lineman. And I worked in the NFL. Fucking bores me. Let's talk nonstop about the quarterbacks. And every year we do,

this when there are a lot of quarterbacks that are probably going to be drafted in the top like 35 picks they're fun to talk about because we've watched them throughout their college career we have these like uh hopes and beliefs that some of them are going to become stars and some of them probably eventually will but a lot of them are going to suck i mean not be any good be guys even when they're your backup be like yeah could we do better in 2021 even if that year was one of the great Fugazis in the history of drafts. The 2020 college football season

was a joke. I mean, it really was. Zach Wilson and BYU had to scrap their entire schedule and play a random schedule full of playing me and you. Trey Lance didn't even have a season. Thank God for Justin Fields and Jim

Harbaugh that told Kevin Warren, we're not canceling the season, homie. We're playing this motherfucker. So whether you like it or not, we're playing. and kind of forced their hand. Because remember, the Big Ten was canceling. The SEC's like we're playing. ACC, Big 12, like we're playing.

The Big Ten, and the Pac-12 just followed them. We're like, we're done! And Justin Fields, which I give him a lot of credit. I love Justin Fields. As a prospect, and I love that mindset. He wanted to play. But he's been a disaster. And Mack Jones, who I didn't like at the time,

as a prospect, also a disaster. But think about after Trevor Lawrence, which polarizing player, but clearly a starting quarterback. Overhyped, so far 100%, but like he's a top 20 NFL quarterback. He was billed as a top 5-6 guy, has not been that.

But half the league would have no problem taking him right now. But he needs to play better based on the hype, based on where he's picked and based on a guy that wants a big contract. So you throw him out. Zach Wilson just got traded for a 6th and a 7th pick swap. and the team had to eat half the money. This was a guy that some people were like comparing to Aaron Rogers from a skill set. Somehow, because he had never played and Jerry's just kind of a wheeler and dealer,

Trey Lance got traded for a fourth round pick. He's not even the backup quarterback. He was the third string Dallas Cowboy quarterback. Just like if he was with the 49ers, he was their third string quarterback. This is three years into his NFL career. Couldn't even win a backup job. There's no guarantee that Zach Wilson's beating out Danucci. Obviously, he's not better than Jared Stidham.

There's a chance that Zach Wilson and Trey Lance in 2024 are third string quarterbacks. Justin Fields, who I believe is going to play, and if I was a Steeler fan, I'd want him to play. But based on evidence, and I know he's had some weird shit happen to him, might not be any good. I want to see it again with a new team, but chances is a disaster too. And Mac Jones clearly is not the starting quarterback and will be a backup and if Trevor Lawrence could stay healthy for the first time in a while, won't play a snap.

Four guys, top 15 picks, all your third stringers or backups. That is the NFL draft. Now, no one can predict how it's going to play out. But the reality is when Caleb goes one, when Jaden goes two, when let's just say, JJ and Drake Meg, go three and four in some order, and panics, you know, let's say he gets drafted by the Raiders

at Pick 13. If two of those guys are starters in four years, pretty impressive. Be 40% of the class. In this class, 40% of the class are third-string quarterbacks. Fields and Mack Jones, I mean, listen, I'm betting against Russell Wilson, but there's a chance he's fine and they're just 10-win team Justin Fields doesn't play. Obviously, Mac Jones, they have no desire for him to be the starting quarterback.

That's the NFL. And that's the thing with quarterback. All these other positions, the equivalent of Mac Jones or Justin Fields. If they were defensive linemen, yeah, they'd be, quote-unquote, I don't even want to say bust, but not long-term solutions,

but they would still play. They would still rotate in. If they were a wide receiver, they'd be your third or fourth guy. They'd play on speciality. If you're a quarterback and you're not the starter, you do nothing. Do nothing. So the pressure on these teams, and listen, I love the conversation. It's fun.

I hope all these guys turn out to be good. But we know, for a fact, it's impossible. We have decades worth of evidence. That's not the way it works. And in fairness to a lot of quarterbacks over the year, lots out of your control, who your coach is, who your personnel is, who your offensive coordinator. is. There's just a pressure that goes along with being a really high pick,

or everyone's paying attention, everyone's watching you. So let 2021 be a lesson. There's like a lot of drafts in the history of the league have been a lesson. Be cautiously optimistic because it can go bad and it can go bad fast. Mac Jones got Bill Belichick fired. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch would have been in major trouble if Brock Purdy didn't exist with the Mr. relevant, which we've never ever seen in the history of the league. Robert Sala and Joe Douglas are dependent on a 40-year-old guy with torn Achilles.

If it doesn't go well, and the reason Aaron's on their team is because they miss on Zach Wilson, everyone's fired. And if Ryan Poles hadn't made an incredible trade with the Panthers and they didn't have the number one overall pick, Iber Fluse would be fired as well. So if I'm a coach, I'm drafting a quarterback high. keeping my fingers crossed and I'm having a lot of sleepless nights just out of stress and anxiety

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 great. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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 Cliverts Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need.

to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaking of someone that probably had a lot of stress and anxiety, because no one would listen to him over the years, was Jonathan Kraft, Robert's son, who is pretty clear as in full control of the organization. His dad's over 80. Feels like a little out of it, which understandable, most guys over 80 aren't sharp as a tack. And eventually, a lot of sons as their dad's age in football, take a much stronger role. Stephen Jones is a good example. That there was a report today from Diana Rusini that the New England Patriots aren't just like receiving phone calls. They're like actively open for business.

This is really serious. This isn't just Elliot Wolf putting this out there, as he said it last week. This is like maybe they're not that comfortable taking a quarterback. The quarterbacks they know are going to be there at pick three overall. And based on the history of the league, wouldn't totally blame him. If you're not comfortable with the third quarterback on your draft board, if you know the first two guys, I understand it. But the tweet didn't just say Elliot Wolf working the phone.

Totally get it. He's in charge of personnel even though he's not the GM. She added on to the tweet that Jonathan Kraft is also working essentially hand in hand and is heavily involved. I've said over and over, there is no organization, not even just this year over the next several years,

I'm going to short harder than the New England Patriots. It's been well reported and pretty obvious over the years. Bill and Robert Kraft's relationship was weird. Bill had no respect for Jonathan Kraft Didn't like him I think it's pretty clear Jonathan Kraft didn't really like him either Jonathan Kraft

has been dreaming about the day that Bill was gone because Bill did everything Pops is 80 plus just kind of hanging out kicking it with Meek Mill at some white party with Michael Rubin chasing around some 30 year old

living life that he could play GM and listen when you own the team you can do whatever you want but it's pretty clear that healthy organizations the owner

is not hand in hand with decisions you make I was thinking about if I was in his shoes where I would be the last place I would be is in the draft room before the draft

if you're paying these people and think about what Robert and Jonathan did for 25 years. They paid a guy and they let him do it. Just like most organizations, pay a GM, pay a coach, and let them cook. Now, some of them fail. And when they do, you fire them.

But you know nothing about football. Just like the overwhelming majority of human beings know very little about football. It's a very nuanced sport in terms of player acquisition, in terms of coaching. it is by far the most complicated sport. Hell, there's a gap between people that are paid to do it, like coaches, a wide gap.

The difference between like Andy Reed and the Kyle's and the McVeves and those level guys and the bottom of the league. And all these guys are head coaches or coordinators, right? Jonathan Kraft has been obsessed with being the boss, but he never was going to get to do that with Bill. And now he's there. And listen, there's one thing about being the boss.

Hey, before you make a trade check in with me and being hand in hand and heavily involved. When I had the Mayock interview a couple weeks ago, someone that I kind of loosely knew sent me a text that he really enjoyed the interview and that he was basically excited for my success or whatever. And we started DM and he was there the whole time about Gruden. And people think I talk a lot of shit about the Raiders.

A lot of it's tongue and cheek and I make fun of them. But I've always given Mark Davis credit for this. And this guy reiterated this. When Mark hired John, just like he did with Jack Doe Rio, and just like he did with Josh McDaniels, do whatever you want. Just like I know Jed York does with the 49ers, or Denver is now doing with Sean Payton, or Clark Hunt does with Andy Reed, or any of these teams that Giants do with Joe Shane and Brian Day.

You hire these guys to make the decisions. Let them make the decisions. But Jonathan Kraft has been dreaming about the day that he gets to start doing this shit. Why? No different than why a lot of presidents of NFL teams Put their hands in with the GM No one gives a shit about sweet sales And selling the naming rights and all the deals you do on the side Even though that makes your owner hundreds of millions of dollars

They don't do shows talking about that Fans do not care What we talk about what fans talk about What people that fall football talk about about are the players and the coaches. So this guy, which, listen, I've never met the guy, always kind of had him red flagged.

I think this was the most predictable thing we could have seen coming. And part of the reason I'm anti-believing in this franchise for the foreseeable future because I took an educated guess that this would happen. Now it's pretty clear, like, it's happening. And I think there is a lot of, a little bit of, I think there was a lot of jealousy over the years with Jonathan Kraft,

of Bill not treating him like an equal slash he didn't get to do anything. And now he does. He got Bill out of there. He doesn't even have, quote unquote, technically a GM because they refuse to name one. He has a head coach that, let's face it, dried male, pretty impressive guy, was a really good player, would not have been a head coach anywhere else in the NFL. So he gets to run puppet master. And any time the owner gets to run.

to run puppet master, you're fucked. You saw it happen with Dan Snyder for a long time. And unlike Jonathan Craft, who was born into the wealth, Dan Snyder made his own money. Dan Snyder came from nothing. Made all of his own...

was a billionaire by his like mid-early 30s. So, it just shows you, man, the ego, the power, when you yearn for it, and then you didn't even create it? The reason the Patriots are worth billions is because of three men.

Robert Kraft had the balls to buy the team and buy the part, if you watch the documentary, the one cool part is he bought the parking lot and everything around it and kind of had him by the balls. And then he hired Bill Belichick when no one else would have and he gave Bill full reign which led to him

drafting not only Tom Brady but then a year later basically telling Drew Bledso you're never playing not going to be a starboard anymore. Change the franchise. And for 20 plus years turned them into a dynasty and an absolute cash cow. Jonathan Kraft wants to make his mark now.

Good luck, buddy. I'm betting against you. Some NFL stories that I saw today. Matt Ryan, the Falcons put out something officially retired. I mean, he was retired last year, but I think because

I remember Florio writing about this, the way his signing bonus was, he couldn't officially retire. They could have forced him to pay some back, So it was right business move. I would have done the same thing. I look today in the history of the league. Now, obviously this will change over the next decade

as the cap keeps going up in these quarterback contracts. There are three guys in NFL history who have made more money than Matt Ryan. Matt Ryan made $303 million playing football. Aaron Rogers, highest paid player in league history. Tom Brady, you go, oh, he took discounts. Well, he played for 25 years.

So about 20 of those he was making a, you know, double-digit millions, you know, 10 to 20 plus. So it adds up over time. And then Matt Stafford, who benefited a lot like Matt Ryan from coming into the league when the contracts for rookies were really high. So you made a lot earlier and he signed some big contracts since. But Matt Ryan had a good career. He's just kind of somewhere a lot better than middle of the road, but never was to me. me, his one season turns out very Kyle Shanahan dependent.

Solid player. Also a little bit of a relic, you don't really see that type player anymore. Look at this draft. Caleb Williams can move. Jaden Daniels, really good athlete. Drake May, athlete. J.J. McCarthy athlete. Even Michael Pennix, who doesn't really play like

an athlete, ran a 4-5-5. I mean, Matt Ryan was a bad foot athlete, but came into a generation full of pocket passers. And one of the most valuable player of the year award. A little like Cam Newton. Had one defining year, some other solid years,

and both guys, I mean, Matt Ryan's is worse, but Cam 2, kind of remembered for just a disaster in the Super Bowl. I mean, most people, and I think Cam's an all-time great talent, but I bet a lot of money against them in that Super Bowl. And a lot of people don't forget that, not diving for the fumble. Matt Ryan was up 28 to 3, and they, blew that lead. And you could say, well, Kyle Shady was calling basses. Well, Matt was

fucking him up. Now, the strip, fumble sack, whatever, where he fumbled and the Patriots got it, wasn't all his fault, misblocked, but still, a guy made a lot of money, won an MVP, and for a half,

it looked like he was going to be a Super Bowl champion. So, financially, it was an incredible career. I love the stories that get kind of slowly leaked out. You don't know what to believe. So I headlined today from my guy, Jordan Ronan that said the giants are enamored with Drake May. I actually had a scout the other day because I was like, I text him my mock draft.

I said, what do you think? I was kind of screwing around, but also just see what he would say. I put Drake May at number two. He said if I was a betting man, obviously I'm not because you get in trouble for that in the NFL. I would bet that Drake May falls out of the top five. before he went number two overall. And I was just in the car because I had to go pick something up across town

and I was flipping the radio channels, my series XM that I pay 2999 for, which comes in handy. That new Bluetooth in my car, the sound quality is crappy. Maybe I need to get a better one. But the one I have, I might just toss.

But I was flipping around. I somehow ended up on NBC radio. And it was Sims and Florio talking. and Chris said something and listen you can nitpick some things Chris Sim says but he says Drake May is a fascinating guy because you could talk to five different teams and they got them all over the map

some teams don't even have them as a top four quarterback you hear some that like them a lot I do wonder falling is all relative because I even said God Drake May would fall out of the top five and my buddy's like I hate that term and I would push back a little bit

because Drake May coming into this college football season was viewed as the number two quarterback. Easily. Caleb was viewed as the number one guy, he was viewed as the number two guy. Nick Saban, he was offered $5 million from the SEC, and he turned it down. Now, he had a down year

with some clearly plays that leave you scratching your head. I just wonder, he's a fascinating guy, and this gets back to the Patriots, why I wonder if they don't feel great, J.J. McCarthy at 3, that's pretty bold, especially when your team sucks. That feels destiny. to fail. And maybe Drake May

being a project, they don't feel great about it. So, I don't know, maybe the Giants, what if the Giants could just stay at 6 and get Drake May? It's crazy as that sounds, but you have to wonder if it's on the table. I hadn't even thought it was an option, but texting around a little bit, who knows?

Like, going at 6, like, we've seen a lot of great quarterbacks go 7, 10, 12. I think we all just assume and everyone's rooting for it in the NFL that does need a quarterbacks for 4 quarterbacks for four quarterbacks to go one through four. I'm not exactly Bill Belichick as an NFL historian,

but I know enough to know that's never happened in NFL history. Now, just because something hasn't happened before doesn't mean it won't happen, but it would still be the first time for a reason, because it's pretty rare. Now, part of it is like Trent Williams or Lane Johnson or Miles Garrett or Nick Bosa isn't in this draft, because if they were, the Cardinals would just take one of the,

those players, or maybe the Patriots would as well. But it's going to be, Drake Mays, going to be an interesting one to watch. Could go three, could go six. Eagles, you know, whenever I see a story, Howie Roseman sniffing around,

like, yeah, that's what Howie does. That Howie's thinking about trading up. The one thing that there might be some merit behind this and substance, because if you're the Eagles, like, you're kind of going to go all in on this season. So if you love a corner, a player that you think can be a plug-in play starter for you week one,

and you know like, hey, we got to get up seven, eight spots, maybe this is time to do it. You got a team that's relatively loaded with talent, and you have a clear weakness. You know, Slay, not quite the same player. Bradbury was a disaster. You did draft a corner, I think, last year from Georgia, but there's no guarantee.

Just like there's no guarantee if you trade up to get a guy, but if you love a guy and you think he's the best corner in the draft and you can get him at 14 or 15, wouldn't shock me at all of how he, you know, because usually he's kind of wheeling and dealing the other way, accumulate more picks, you know, he's done it before for the future picks. What if this is the year where he puts more chips on the table?

You know what, I'm moving up eight spots. Here's two seconds. I don't exactly know what the trade would be. You'd have to know where he kind of wanted to go. But maybe a player. I don't know. I could see how he having a curveball in this draft. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm 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 what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot,

or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, time for a little thing we call the mailbag at John Middlecalf as the Instagram firing those DMs. Get your question answer here on the show. Easy to do. Start with Lane.

was listening to your latest podcast where you mentioned you listen to a lot of business podcasts. I love the All In podcast. If you've heard of them, it's one of my go-toes. All-In and the compound, I would say,

I would say All-In is kind of a hybrid business political. If you just want more business, finance, less political, I would say the Josh Brown stuff and animal spirits. Question for the mail bag. Do you think the Seahawks would be better off?

drafting a solid line player at 16 this year and then either lose their way or trade their way to a top pick for a quarterback next year or take penics this year. It's a good question. I think we might have a DM coming in later because I saw it when I was just kind of scrolling through of a guy pushing back against the Gino hate. There's no Gino hate. Gino's story is fantastic, but he kind of is what he is. I mean, he's never going to be, I just don't see him as a top 14th. quarterback. And here's the thing. You do have Pennix's OC, you know, Grub who went with due board to Alabama, then Seattle hired them to be the OC. So you can never discount them as a

sleeper moving up to do that. But sometimes I think we overvalue some of those college connections, but you never know. Here's actually the DM about Seattle. Become a big fan. I'm a Seahawks fan and not totally understand the Gino hate. Yes, there is definitely a stigma around the league about him. I don't think there's a stigma. People were just impressed with his rise.

And then we've watched him play for two years. We just kind of say, yeah, solid quarterback. But not good enough, especially in that division. Like, he's not as good as Brock Purdy, and he's definitely not as good as Matt Safford, and he's not as good as Calvin Murray. But as someone who watches every game,

he can be the guy. He can make all the throws, only a handful of guys in the league and I believe his maturity is now to be great. I think the Seahawks play calling the last couple years has been truthfully holding him back.

I don't know, man. I feel like everyone shit on Seattle's play calling for a decade. And for the last like five, six years the defense has been the problem. I don't view it as your play calling. I think Shaden Waldron is pretty good. Be my O's C any day.

So I think that's kind of a I don't want to say lazy because that's your opinion. And listen, most people, unless you're OC's like Andy Reed, how Kyle Shanahan takes shit. Sean McVeigh doesn't really because their fan base is kind of weird. But you know what I mean? I just, I have a hard time with Gino Smith, like saying that he's like some high-end guy.

He's not. He's not. And there's nothing wrong with that. He's been damn good. He's kept you guys very relevant these last couple years. and because of the way he's played made the Russell Wilson trade look even better because you guys didn't bottom out

you guys were solid and made the playoffs two years ago and were right there this year but is he like the answer? No that's my opinion maybe you're right maybe John Schneider believes that I would doubt it but who knows

draft question was talking about best player available versus need what about most likely or not likely to succeed well I mean that's whatever you're drafting again guy, you feel that, especially high, he's going to succeed. For example, if you want to draft a quarterback but have no line or wide receivers,

not everyone is transcendent talent that can overcome that. Same with a wide receiver who has no quarterback or corner with no pass rush. Does the team have the right infrastructure for success? I believe we're responsible for our own success, but some guys are put in nearly impossible situations. those teams might be better off drafting a stud defensive tackle and putting them next to a good defensive tackle and not waste, quote unquote, a high draft pick

who has such a high probability to fail given the roster. Thoughts. Totally agree. I would say most of us, if we're going to succeed, are going to find a will-in-a-way to succeed. In whatever we do, podcasting, sales, whatever. Because we can leave companies, start at our own,

We have so much control over our own destiny. Anyone listening to this right now who's struggling in a bad job? Like, this is America. You can leave at any moment. You can quit your job tomorrow, give two week notice or whatever. That's not true for professional athletes, right? So some players, now I do think for the most part, guys, true colors come out over time.

But young people confidence is a huge, I would say catalyst towards success and it's easy to destroy it. So at quarterback, I would say corner somewhat, wide receivers, I mean,

we've seen a lot of great receivers play with a lot of shitty quarterbacks and everyone knows like this guy's awesome. Like no one thinks Devante sucks just because his quarterback plays was bad last year, right? Larry Fitzgerald played half his career with crappy quarterbacks.

But a quarterback, you go, like if Drake May, who is viewed as a prod, goes to the New England Patriots where the owner's kid thinks he's a genius. The head coach has been coaching for like five years. Elliot Wolfe doesn't even have the title of GM. Like it could get weird and it'd get weird fast.

And it could derail any chances of the guy's success. It's why my take last week was like, why not just trade back and start building the team? Now the problem is the owner is like if they were to win three or four games, they're not used to getting shit on. And it's one thing to get shit on, everyone's pointing the finger of Bill.

There's no bill to be the shield now. So everyone in Boston would come after the Kraft family. Before Mayo, before Elliot Wolf, before Drake May, they're under the gun. That's why my theory is that they're going to take quarterback because it kind of takes a little pressure off them because everyone's talking about the quarterback.

Could be wrong with that theory, but we'll see. Question for the bag. It seems consensus top six quarterbacks in this draft are Caleb, Jaden, May, McCarthy, Pennix, and Nicks. Two years ago, Spencer Rattler was considered worthy of the top overall pick by some. If the Rams draft Rattler with the 83rd pick and he sits behind Stafford and then takes over, assuming Stafford retires after this year, is it crazy to think he would become one of the most successful quarterbacks of the draft class a few years from now? Well, if you tell me any quarterback gets drafted in the top 100 by the Rams,

I would say if that guy has an opportunity to play in the next 18 months, so if Stafford were to get hurt this year or that scenario you just laid out, I would bet on that guy's chances with McVeigh, the infrastructure, the young talent they have on offense, depending on where these other guys go. So so much for a young quarterback is how you land. And I also think when you're a later round pick, there's less pressure on you. Part of being Jaden Daniels or Drake May or J.J. McCarthy, if they all get drafted really high,

there's a ton of pressure that comes with that. And when you fuck up, they eat you alive. It's like when a kicker gets drafted really high in the third round, let's say. Saw it with the Niners. Remember years ago with Tampa? the moment that guy starts missing kicks in practice, it is a major story. If that guy's an undrafted free agent,

no one's even talking about it. When you're a high round pick, at any position, what you do in training camp is talked about, I don't know, 5x more. We all know this. We all follow our teams and follow the league. Those high picks are discussed at just a rate that is not comparable

to the other picks on the team. Even if other picks on the team turn out to be way better player. that's not the way it is early on in their career. Never forget, Jamar Chase's training camp, he couldn't catch a cold. It's like, this guy's a bust! Cannot catch the football!

Turned out he's pretty good. So I just think that pressure that comes along with these high picks, that's part of getting eaten alive. No one wants to wait for you. We have no patience. None of these owners financially worry about if he sucks, whatever, I can pay it off, we're gone.

The bonus is already paid. It's not that much money. See him move. on. It's why some of these mid-round picks or even second-day picks get to kind of ease into their career. Derek Carr's second-round pick.

There was less pressure on him early on. Even Jimmy Garoppolo, who was pretty famous by the time the Niners got him, even after they signed him to a big contract, but the pressure that comes along with like, God, this guy was the third pick in the draft.

That's part of Zach Wilson's downfall. It's like, wait, this guy's pick in the draft? No different for the number one overall pick. I mean, the pressure on Caleb is, I would say, I don't want to say 10x because the pressure on whoever Washington takes pretty high. But Caleb's pressure is way higher because he's been billed as the top guy for years. He was just the top recruit, the highest paid guy in college football, the no-brainer number

one overall pick. It's a lot of pressure. And if he handles it seamlessly and becomes a great player, That's impressive. It just is. Even if he has the God-given ability, which he clearly physically has the traits to play the quarterback at a high level. But if you can just handle the pressure,

I'd be impressed. I've said it all along. If he just becomes like a top 12 quarterback, bears are in good shape. He becomes a star. Obviously, it's game changer. Hope you're enjoying your weekend. Love your candid opinions. No one is putting out the quality and quantity like you.

I didn't need to read that, but he wrote it. I'm an officer in the Army, currently stationed in Germany. We appreciate your service, Benjamin. I'm a diehard Lions fan, and I'm thrilled with the trajectory. Although catching night games at one in the morning can be rough,

what are your thoughts on Holmes trading back out of the first round? Is he obligated to make a big splash on the big stage with the draft in Detroit? Appreciate it. I also lived in Davis from 2010. 10 to 2013 when my dad was stationed there. He worked as an army instructor at UC Davis in SAC State. Small world.

My dad was a UC Davis alum. So were a lot of my friends. It's been 18 years in that little town. They are not obligated by any means. One, they're drafting, what's the draft pick? 29? How does it go? Yeah, it goes lions, ravens, Niners, chiefs.

So, let's face it. When you draft that late, ideally you trade back a couple spots and go the second round. Because you're drafting a guy most of the time that's not a first round pick, but you're paying him first round money. So he is by no means obligated to do anything. They could just stay and take a player, but he's just because the drafts in your home city, they're not at the draft. They're in their war room.

So it's, I hear what you're saying. They just need to draft some couple good players. Whether it turns out to be your third and fourth round pick or whether it's your first second round pick. I don't know. I don't have your draft board. I don't know if you have all those picks. But assuming you do, you guys are a couple pieces away if Gough keeps playing well from competing for the Super Bowl. I mean, hell, you did this year.

So I wouldn't worry about the splash on draft night because it's in Detroit. Say Brock wins a Super Bowl this year. Do you think despite him winning a Super Bowl, he will still be seen as a quarterback that is something to prove? come contract time. Would it be seen as he won because of his weapons? I just think people forget, it takes a long time to shake stuff. And, you know, the perception of you,

when you're a draft pick late, becomes your reality. It took Tom Brady, like six, seven years to shake that he was like a top guy. universally everyone thought Peyton Manning was better and that Tom was carried by his defenses That's why a big, a lot of people are mad at the dynasty

Because it just skipped over two of the Super Bowl teams After they won the initial one I mean it took Tom till 2007 The year he won the MVP And they went undefeated to the Super Bowl That everyone just acknowledged Like yeah he's right that he's as good if not better than Peyton And he had won three Super Bowls

So This conversation is not going to end no matter what, how this season goes. Unless he throws 45 touchdown, Super Bowl MVP, and it's so great, no one can say anything. But if he has the same season as last year, and they win the Super Bowl, these fucking guys on TV are going to say the same shit. It's not going to stop.

And they'll just craft their argument down a different lane. I'll promise you, we are years away from settling this. I mean, we're just accepted. Considering, you know, I guess, mapping it out that he continues to play at a high level. But if he has the same season as he did last year, Pro Bowl guy, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC, very good statistical season,

Niners win 12, 13 games, and they win the Super Bowl? I don't think it changes that much. Like, really, how good's his team been? What's it going to be like once they pay them? The pressure of being paid? can he handle it? I've seen this story a million times.

Happens all the time. Now, if he had been, if Trey Lance had done what he was doing, if you just remove the name Brock Purdy and just say Trey Lance had done what Brock had done the last couple years, the conversation would be dramatically different. The power of your draft slot

stays with you for a while. Fair or not. And a lot of times it's unfair. But it does. What's up, John? It's from CJ. Longtime follower. I discovered you on top 10 NFL Twitter accounts

to follow article in the mid-2010s since deleted Twitter in 2018. Jealous. Question. Give us the next position to have a precipitous rise or fall in salary across the league, relative to other positions. You can go with number two wide receivers.

if you want. But if you do, throw a door course at the end, something people don't see coming yet. Well, it's already here, but these guys are going to continue to get paid a lot of money as these defensive tackles come in. And you could even use that position as well.

But the guards and the defensive tackles, offensive tackles have always been paid a ton like defensive ends. When quarterback, and then those two positions. Obviously, wide receivers jolted up now with them. But think of the defensive tackles that have came into this league over the last four or five years.

Last year we saw, not last year, but a couple months ago in free agency, these guards get $17, $18 million a year. I think Landon Dickerson got 19 or 20. So we're a couple years away, these premium guys, the defensive tackles making 25, 28, guards making 23, 24. That's pretty wild. you could be like, well, how's a guard make more than the high-end tight ends? It's a fair argument. But I don't see how the tight ends

catch up anytime soon. Because no matter how long someone holds out, a kiddle, maybe Leporta does it next time. I want to be paid. Let's just say at the time, the top wide receiver in three years is making $40 million.

And Leporta with his new contract is set to make $20. And he goes, I've had three seasons, shattered records. Again, this hypothetical. I've averaged 95 catches a year, average 10 touchdowns. Like, what are we talking about here? I am not signing a contract till I'm properly compensated. The teams won't do that because it's all based on your previous position that signed to that. So it just won't happen. These guards have already jolted up in the range of $20 million.

Same with defensive tackles. You just had to be done. Chris Jones, now he's the best, but still, he got, what he's got, three years, $90 million? Aaron Donald, you know, $30 plus million a year. So I think we'll see defensive tackles. You know, if Jalen Carter were to hit or a guy like that, obviously he's got a long way to go, but you know what I mean. We see these guys making $40, $50 million a year

in the next, over the next six, seven years. And a guard making $30 million. a year. Meanwhile, the tight ends are, you know, looking for scraps at 17. Longtime Packer fan from Wisconsin. I've met a lot of people from Wisconsin in, uh, in Arizona. We, we had a house down two houses actually right next to each other on the market for a lot of money, rooting for them to sell it. In one of the houses, the people stuff was, for the most part, still in there. And they had a bunch of Brett Farv jerseys in the kids' room. Wanted to know your honest take on Jordan Love in a ceiling.

The team is juiced with young talent and I feel like they could be one good draft away from being right there as an NFC champion. Do you think he had a flash in the pan? I was talking to a buddy about this in the NFL. And even he was like, if you watch a couple of the right games, me, he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. for those individual games. The difference between him and Purdy, for example,

like Purdy is really smart, and he's actually a pretty explosive playmaker, but he doesn't have a great arm. He's a pretty good athlete, actually. But from an arm strength standpoint, NFL standard is pretty average. Like, Jordan Love has a high-end arm. So if you're going to be accurate

and you can make these off-platform throws, like he has Aaron Rogers' characteristics. I just get nervous anytime a guy does it one time. I love the PGA tour. A lot of guys over the last 20 years have won one time on the PGA tour. Not many guys can be like, yeah, I have 15 wins. I got 20 wins. I'm Scottie Sheffler.

I've got 10 wins in the last two years. It's about doing it every single year. And I just don't know. It's the one thing I'll say about Brock. Now, he's put together. He did it one year. Then he got injured. Offseason came back.

Played better. He does it again. It's like, well, he's just can't even argue it. Like you said, he's a good quarterback. If Jordan Love has another year, he's just a good player. You got a long way to go, though. Long way to go. I said yesterday on the mailbag, unless I get a relatively cheap extension,

obviously last year, two years, 11 million, that wouldn't be the case now. But I would have no problem giving them $40 million if, I see the first half of this season. It's like he's a lock, pro bowl, or even MVP type candidate. But I want to see a little more. Even if I believe in the guy,

I like the guy, the teammates like the guy, he's clearly pretty talented player. He's even done it a little bit. Did it in the playoffs, on the road in Dallas. Huge fan of the pod from Australia. Love the blend of football,

expertise, deep thought, business, and humor. We just, you know, we got to make this entertaining. One for the mailback. Big Patriot fan. Tell me if you think this tradeback situation is too ambitious. This is the only way I trade out of the pick.

Otherwise, I think May is a stud, and we should unequivocally take them. Trade with Minnesota. They give us pick 11 and pick 23 this year. Jordan Addison, T.J. Hawkinson, and a second rounder next year. then at 11 we take penics and at 23 we take Keon Coleman or Mitchell What do you reckon? Do you think they should throw in the Minnesota Twins

and Anthony Edwards as well? That's a lot, man. That's a lot. That's not happening. I hear you and there's nothing wrong. I mean part of being ambitious is like, hey guys, you want this pick, here it is. I think you guys would get celebrated

if you got 11, 23, and Jordan Addison. You'd be like, wait. You just got their first round pick last year who's good and his contract was in the 20s. And you got 11 and 23? That would be pretty nuts. You could argue if they gave you 11, 23, and next year's second rounder?

I think you'd have to think about it. Now, the 49ers went from 12 to 3 And they gave up pick 12 and two other first rounders So I think that's kind of the going rate So 11 and 23 23 is better than a future first rounder Because it's now I think the only thing you could ask for is one other first rounder

And remember the bear said, hey, give us DJ more Because they viewed him as a first rounder talent, right? under contract, veteran player. So I would say 1123 in Jordan, Addison would be a fair ask. Or Hawkinson. Didn't Hawkinson tears ACL at the end of the season?

Am I, am I imagining things? I thought that happened. F.J. Hawkinson injury. Yes. I think that would be risky. I would do the deal

if I knew I'd get Pennix at 11, which there's no way to know at the time of the deal, but you probably could for 1123 in Jordan Addison. And maybe if you really wanted to kind of hold their feet to the fire, throw in like a third round pick. But that's kind of the going rate.

Which is crazy for Minnesota to do that, I would say, we saw with the 49ers, you're getting the third quarterback off the board. If anyone does that with the Patriots, Like if the Giants trade up from 6 to 3 and take a quarterback, not as crazy, you're only moving up three spots. Cost you a, you know, it won't cost you a first round pick. It'll cost you like second or third.

If you would mortgage the future, 11, 23, and another first round pick for the third quarterback, we just have evidence. The 49ers did it. And it turned out to be like Bradley Chubb, Tyree Kill, and someone else, like Micah Parsons. So you just I would not do that if I was Minnesota.

For a guy who wants to get a college degree then works in football, a degree in statistics would probably set him apart from the rest of people trying to break into the business. We had a question, I think, last week, a guy asked me what degree he should get to try to break into the football business. And my take was, I don't think it matters that much.

I just recommended like a general business degree. but statistics, I don't think that's a bad idea either. It's not easy, obviously, as a degree in communications or something like that, but with everything moving toward analytics, not a bad idea. Agree. Statistics, business, anything numbers-wise, wouldn't hurt. Long-time Rams fan. If according to the Lions coach Dan Campbell,

that golf is a better quarterback now than he was with the Rams, yet when Goff went to the Super Bowl with McVeigh, but only the NFC championship with Campbell, isn't Campbell admitting that, McVeigh is a better coach. You're like putting all the pieces together of the word scramble. Well, yes. I mean, if there was a draft, I like Dan Campbell.

I think he's better than most, and I've defended him now for a couple years. But I think we all agree. If there was a coach draft, Sean McVeigh would go off the board before Dan Campbell. I mean, honestly, there's a chance Sean McVeigh would be the second coach off the. the board. Andy Reed would be the Caleb Williams of the draft. He would go one. And then I think the conversation would be who would go to. And I think it would probably be between Kyle Shanna and

Sean McVeigh. Factoring in age, factoring in the call plays. You know, there's some owner, Sean Payton is just not easy to deal with. Uh, hoodies gone. He couldn't even get a job. I mean, who are the other playoff teams? Siriani, no. McCarthy no Harbaugh, John Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh would be up near the mix too. I mean, you talk about the Harbaugh's McVeigh, Kyle Shanahan. Like Dan Campbell's not a top-five pick.

And I like Dan Campbell. But like if I draft Dan, does Ben Johnson get to come to? But John McVeigh is a better coach. And I would agree. I think Jared got, as he should be. Like, you should be better at 31 years old than you were at 25 years old as a player.

And he is. We had some people hit me up that it's Fugazi, Fugazi sounds better next to Friday. I agree. Fugazi Friday. It just works. We're not changing it. I had a lot of, because I always say that women don't listen to the podcast. I've had some slide into the DM saying, listen, I'm a female listener.

I listen. Absolutely love your podcast. Found you through the volume. Listen every episode. Question for the bag. Lifelong Broncos fan. My nickname is Fat Elway. it's a pretty good nickname.

But given the Russell Wilson Fugazi, I've taken more interest in my local team, the Cowboys. Don't blame you. There's nothing worse than as a sports fan when your team just really sucks and is boring and is a tough watch. Like that's brutal.

We all agreed a guy hit me up last year for those of you knew. He was a Patriot fan and asked if it was okay to leave the team. And we all agreed, no. You don't get 20 years of sweetness and then a couple rough years and get to bounce. But the Broncos have been rough now

it feels like for close to a decade. Like, I mean a really, really rough watch. Because I live on the West Coast, I just see a lot of Broncos Chiefs, Broncos Raiders, Broncos Chargers, I just see a lot of Broncos games. And they are immediate channel change over the last couple of years

if there's a better game on. And part of it is in the afternoon window for me and for anybody, but for the local game, is like there's sometimes on a given week only a couple games. And I just end up seeing a lot of Bronco games, and they are rough watch. So I don't blame you for being like, hey, Sean.

When you kind of figure this out, let us all know. But right now, this is a tough consumption. Do you think there's any chance the Cowboys are hoping to let both McCarthy and Dak walk at the end of the season and then hire Deion and trapped his son Shador? If Dion Sanders is the coach of the Cowboys next year, that'd be the most fucking incredible thing of all time from an entertainment standpoint. Now, Dionne Sanders is coached one year in the Power 5.

Granted, team sucked that he took over. They won four games. How many games would Deion have to win this year to make that move, not the craziest move we've ever seen in the history of sports? If you told me he got to nine wins, including the bowl, I'd be like, yeah, clearly he knows what he's doing.

If he wins under six games, I just don't think you could make that move. You couldn't fire Mike McCarthy for that. Listen, we can get on Mike McCarthy, but he knows what he's doing. And even firing McCarthy for Dion would be a pretty big stretch. But I would sign up right now for Dion Sanders as a cowboy coach next year. That would be incredible. Probably more likely, Vrable or Belichick. but I think the I'll be pretty interested.

We have, Chador is a huge unknown, like how good he's going to play this year. But if he has an up and down season, I just don't think he'd be a first round pick. Now, if he's really good and they're good, then 100% he will be. But I think we've got to pump the brakes a little bit on his draft hype. Because last year as a season went on, it was a joke.

I mean, it was a rough watch. So I... I don't know. That's interesting. I hadn't even thought about that. I'd be on board, though. I really would. Appreciate the year-round football content.

As a young guy in his 20s, I appreciate the insight. You shed on life, career, and business. Been struggling with my career recently and wanted to hear your thoughts. I did well for myself in sales right away during right out of college. Tried to go out on my own

and start my own company. Didn't go as planned. I got sued. Now I've been going through, some sales jobs the last two years, found a good job in FinTech, pays the bills, and not too hard. 55K plus commission.

Not sure I want to say in sales. I used to be a sports management major who ended up getting an accounting degree. Unfortunately, I don't want to be an accountant. Obviously, you don't have a conventional path, but would love to hear your thoughts on what you would do now if sports media scouting wasn't in the cards.

One thing I realized as I've done this for a long time, looking back even on scouting and then what I do now, is if you can sell, you can kind of do anything. Because selling is such a big part of our world. And if you can continue to master the art of selling, I think you will be more equipped to go on your own again. because the hardest part. Now, obviously, I don't know what your company was.

If you tried to develop some product, if you got sued because you, you know, patent or who knows? I can't even begin to guess. But if you can master the art of selling, to me, you can be a successful entrepreneur. Because one thing you're going to hear in life, whether you're a sales guy for a company at fintech or whether you're a sales guy for yourself,

which you're going to be when you first start, you're going to get used to hear a nose. No one emailing you back. People slamming the door in your face. Not texting you back. You'll be unfucking faced. Unfaced. So to me,

I would just continue to master the art of selling. Because as I've gotten older, it's a huge part of my job. We have very, very good relationships with the advertisers on this show. Because I understand their importance. And I would attempt to sell ice to an Eskimo if some ice company said,

hey, we're sending you up to Alaska. You're going to meet some Eskimos. If you sell this, we will buy your show. I'd say, tell me what time I need to be at the airport. And the younger me, I remember when I interned for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007, my senior year in college,

took an unpaid internship in Kansas City. My dad had a guy he went to college with, whose son lived in Overland Park, so he basically gave me a room for free and for four months I interned in the sales department so like selling sponsorships selling all that type stuff this is when Herm Edwards was the coach and I remember thinking I never want to be a sales guy

I want to work in football and that's kind of when my love of wanting to work in the NFL really amplified and I remember a couple times I would sneak up there I made a couple relationships and I tried to help them out but the season got so ugly that, but it kind of sparked my, I would say ambition to do that.

But at the time, I remember seeing the sales guys that I worked for who were kind of hustlers, thinking like, I don't want to do that. And then as I've gotten older, like I just realized

it's a huge part of life. It really is. And what I do, I mean, my entire job is selling you the entertainment and listening to me every single day. So regardless what you do,

and there's nothing easier to sell than your own thing. product, right? That's why a lot of, I would say, entrepreneurs, unless they had some incredible idea, I would say a large percentage of them are natural sales guys. So I embrace it now, because I know it's the way for me to be successful. So you're already in it. You're already kind of, you know, mastering your craft. Every, you know, day that goes by, that's what you're doing. You're going to get better at it. I would say stick with that. And, you're already kind of, you know, mastering your craft. And, you know, you know, and figure out a way to eventually kind of do what you want to do

and figure out a way to kind of build that business around sales if that's what you're good at. Because if you can sell, you can make money. If you can design stuff, there's no guarantee. If you can create products, you still got to distribute it and sell it. If you can sell, you can figure it out. That would be my advice. Maybe some people listening to this think I'm a fucking idiot,

and that's not true. I believe that to my core. And I don't think that will ever change. So, master selling. Appreciate everyone listening. MockDraft tomorrow. 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 acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far far away, such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.