The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Caleb Williams not playing in the Hall of Fame game, Brock Purdy needs to get more credit, top 5 NFL venues

Episode Date: July 31, 2024

John dives into the news out of Chicago where it was announced that Caleb Williams was not going to play in the Hall of Fame game. Should starters be playing in pre-season games, do those games even matter or should the NFL stop pre-season games and let teams have more joint practices. John also talks about what a future contract for Brock Purdy could look like, the importance for NFL GM's taking risks in the draft especially when it comes to the QB position, who will be the starter in Denver, and what are John's top 5 NFL venues. Later, John answers your questions during this episode's mailbag segment. 7:23 - Caleb Williams not playing in pre-season 15:23 - What's next for Brock Purdy 27:26 - Taking risks in the draft 35:35 - The starter in Denver 37:41 - Top 5 NFL venues 51:05 - 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 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, Clifford 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 conversations with athletes,

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What is going on, everybody? John Middlecock threw in out podcast. Simone Biles takes down another gold. She is, as some people would say, the goat, but this is obviously a football podcast. But I got the Olympics on television. And God, she can get high. She's married, dating, fiancé, a football player. So there's football ties there. But we're going to talk a lot of quarterbacks today because the preseason, we, we, We have a game. If you're listening to this on Wednesday, there's a game Thursday night, the Hall of Fame game that features Caleb Williams, who is not going to be playing. So some thoughts on the preseason, Purdy, John Elway on Josh Allen,

Bo Nix, signs pointing to him to be the starter. I thought I'd list my top five NFL atmospheres because we talk a lot about college atmospheres, right, like Penn State, LSU, Oklahoma, whatever. I mean, all the college atmospheres of the good teams are sweet. Oregon. We don't do that enough or a lot,

and rightfully so in the NFL, because a lot of them are just whatever. But I thought I'd list my top five atmospheres, because it's different in the stadiums. The sweetest stadium is so five, but no one would put that atmosphere very high, partly because depending on what teams there, you get away fans.

And other than that, we'll do a little mailbag at John Middlecalf is the Instagram fire in those DMs. And we'll just keep the pods flowing, baby, because football is in the air. We're going to have a football game. And pads are coming on around the league, basically every team it looks like. And we're off and running. So subscribe to the podcast if you listen on Collins' feed. Check out the YouTube, a lot of stuff. Got a cool guest coming on a little later this week to talk NFL contracts.

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Download the GameTime app today. Last-minute tickets, lowest prices guarantee. When I first got to the NFL in 2010, It was before, I would say, the game-changing CBA agreement and the television money really spiked is players all around the NFL played in the preseason, including star quarterbacks. I mean, one vivid memory from, I think I was in college, was when Michael Vick broke his leg during a preseason game. And obviously, over the years, there were a lot of injuries in the 90s and the 2000s to starters in the preseason. because they played.

Well, those days are over. Now, Andy Reed, who played his starters back then, still does to this day, but he's an outlier. I would say Sean McVeigh, and his mindset when it comes to games in August, has been copied by basically everyone. And star players, most of them don't play at all. And it was announced Caleb Williams,

who had said he's down to play, is not going to take any snaps in the Hall of Fame game. Aaron Rogers, who hasn't played in the preseason in a long time, is not going to play a preseason game. We know Matt Stafford. Go around the league.

Most of these guys will not play any snaps in the preseason. And it's really not that complicated. It's simply money. And with the explosion of paying guards $20 million, paying some of these wide receivers, $30 million, guys like Nick Bosa.

Hell, Nick Bosa, practices like every other day when the pads come on. So you are scared in practice now, let alone in these meaningless preseason games, to lose an asset who you are paying a lot of money to. And I don't blame any coach for not playing these guys. And I'll never forget when my first year in Philly, they had just traded Donovan McNabb. And Kevin Cobb was going to be the starting quarterback. And still to this day, Andy plays players in the preseason.

and early on, I think the first preseason game, it was not going well. The offense looked terrible. And they kind of kept rolling them out. And there were four preseason games at the time. That third preseason game, most starters, I mean, everyone on the Eagles, and all around the league not only played the first half of the game, a lot of them went into halftime and got a series after halftime. Those days are dead.

Those days are gone. And I think the league knows it. This is why they've been pushing desperately for, 18 games, and they're going to make the preseason two games. Now, that's going to have ramifications on younger players, and that sucks. But ultimately, the owners and the people running the league don't really care, which sucks for GMs and coaches trying to evaluate these guys. And that's why I think you've seen a change.

And let's face it, most industries as they grow change, and they adapt. And that's kind of what the NFL has done. most of these people running the teams, the coaches and the GMs, understand that. We're not going to play any of these guys. So what do they do? A ton of teams throughout the league joint practice multiple times. And coaches during their press conferences, and I watch probably an unhealthy amount of press conferences, say, I think the work we get in those situations,

because not only can we contain it, we can set it up, we can run any situation we want against an uncommon opponent. is better than the actual preseason game. And that's where we're at. So when Caleb's not playing, think about if you're the Bears. You get a gift from the heavens of the trade with the Panthers

that leads to the number one pick, which leads to this great quarterback prospect. We'll see if he's a great player. And you've never really had a good quarterback in the history of my life, let alone most people listening to this. In the first preseason game, the Hall of Fame game,

it's I mean like August 1st you're playing with a bunch of guys trying to prove themselves taking their first ever NFL action you can't risk it now you could make the argument that some of these guys

should get reps in the second or third preseason game but if you tell me they don't throw them out in any of these situations I'd go I completely understand it and personally if I was in charge I would take the McVeigh route

with any veteran player or with any young player that I was just nervous could get injured in the game. And let's face it, any player in football can get injured at any moment. So to risk an injury to a player that your franchise hinges on in a preseason game to have that guy go down, I don't think you would shake that. And part of it is the way that the world is with social media, the shit you would take. and you don't have any equity. So if you're Iberfluse and let's face it, you're kind of coaching for your job this year,

you can't risk it. Like Aaron Rogers not playing in the preseason, of course he's not. He hasn't played the preseason in a long time. Preseason is useless for him. That's why a lot of these guys, and Brady talked about it years ago, like thought the OTAs and the offseason was worthless.

Well, once you get to a certain level, the impact it has on you proving your worth and repping is not as important. And one thing Brady used to do, he's like, let's get rid of OTAs. Meanwhile, he's flying dudes out to the Yellowstone Club and reping for weeks when no one's paying attention. Like, it was kind of cooking the books. Smart. I mean, advantage, Tom.

But I think we just have to acknowledge, because you get so excited. And when I was doing the post game for the Raiders, Derek Carr's rookie year, the fourth preseason game. At the time, it looked like Matt Schaub was going to be the start. and Matt sat the fourth preseason game. And Derek got the start. And they were playing Seattle Seahawks. And this was in the peak of Legion of Boom. I think they had been to back-to-back Super Bowls.

Their team was incredible. Those guys started. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Cam Chancellor, Michael Bennett, Bobby Wagner. If I remember correctly, they played two series, and Derek scored touchdowns on both of lead two touchdown drives. and after that game, he was named the starter. I mean, those moments will not even exist anymore.

And we are, whether the 18 game schedule happens next year, the next couple of years, we're going to be down to two preseason games pretty fast. And I go back to college, they have no preseason games. They have no joint practices. They just start playing week one. And I think in a perfect world, you would almost get rid of the preseason, right? And listen, these preseason games will get millions of people to watch because we're sick, you know, crack addicts for football. But I think we have to acknowledge, and I thought this when I worked in football, I thought this when I did post-game shows for preseason games.

And I think this now that I make my living, I'm just watching football. Preseason really sucks. I mean, it is a very, very difficult watch. And I think the faster we can get rid of it because the majority of coaches don't take this shit seriously anymore. Pete Carroll, who did, gone. Bill Belichick, who played starters, gone. Bruce Ariens did the same, not coached anymore. Andy is a complete outlier in 2024,

so I don't blame any of these teams for not doing it. Obviously, Andy has a rhyme and reason, and it works, but he at this point in time easily has more equity than any other coach and can pull that shit off. And if someone does knock on wood get injured in one of those situations, like he can handle the bullets flying out of him. A lot of coaches could not. Because I think we would just come back to, that was not worth it.

Speaking of a guy who I think has become the most polarizing player in the NFL, that would be Brock Purdy, which is kind of crazy because there is no other way to sum up Brock Purdy than like he's good and he's gotten better since he started playing. Like he's a really good player. Now, I think you have to put it into context. If you're comparing him to he's not as good as Patrick Holmes. He's not as good as Josh Allen. He's not as physically gifted as Lamar Jackson or Justin Herbert.

So, like, physically he does not have what kind of that group has. But he doesn't have to play those guys. Those guys play in the AFC. I looked up today. Obviously, it's only started the last six games two years ago and full last year, beside week 18 when they had already locked up the number one seed and didn't play anybody. And Sam Darnold started. He has a 3 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio.

He is 68.7% completion percentage. So you can round up to 69%. Now, you can say 68, 69 is like the old 64 when guys could get lit up. But he's very, very accurate. Here's the other thing he has going for him. he plays at a conference where two of the best quarterbacks are Kirk Cousins and Dak Prescott. I'm sorry he's better than those guys because he can put up the same regular season stats and we've seen him in the playoffs obviously doesn't crumble like a cookie like those two.

Jared Gop, who is like the best of that version because like those guys can put up good regular season stats and has had success in the playoffs. Well, Brock Purdy's equally as good as him. And you could argue Jared's bigger might have a better arm, but he can't move. And Brock can't. So part of this conversation this year is like, oh, we're really going to pay them? Well, look at the guys that got paid. Tua Tonga by Loa just got paid.

The 49ers wouldn't trade Brock Purdy for Tua if you put a gun to Kyle's head. Zero chance. And the dolphins would be better with Purdy. Why? Because Purdy's better than Tua. And that's the thing with the NFL. One guy was drafted fifth, the other guy was drafted, the last pick in the draft. None of that stuff matters once you actually start playing.

But one thing Purdy has going for him is the conference he plays in. Now, the wild card is Jalen Hertz and the Eagles. Well-run operation, really talented team. But the thing Jalen doesn't have going for him that Brock does is as long as Purdy's with the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan is going to be with the 49ers. He's a guy that calls the plays. So pretty success. Like, well, Kyle Shanahan, well, yeah, they go together.

They're a team. They're not breaking up. Let's say the Eagles have some success this year. Guess who immediately starts interviewing for head coaching jobs? Kellyn Moore. Let's say the Eagles win 11, 12 games, and Kellyn Moore gets a head coaching job next year. What does that mean for Jaylen? They need a new offensive coordinator.

And we've seen before, like, he's had success with a good one, and clearly it didn't go well last year. when they fired the dude after the season. And listen, you know where I stand on the Eagles? I think they're going to be good this year. I think the coordinators, big upgrade, following the Eagles camp from just texting people and online and watching Siriani.

Like, I think Jalen's looked good, should. I mean, they got two star wide receivers. But like, that's who you're dealing with. You're not dealing with Burrow and Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. You play those guys beside the Super Bowl once every four years. Matt Stafford, who obviously is a special talent, if you would have put Matt Stafford, I've heard a lot of conversations like,

and I think this goes for probably a lot of different industries or businesses or jobs, if you go to a bad situation, regardless how talented you are, it is going to be hard to hit your ceiling in that environment. especially for younger people. If you put younger people that are talented in a place that can be successful,

the sky's the limit. Patrick Mahomes goes to Andy Reed. Obviously Patrick Mahomes probably would have been good no matter where he went. But if I put Patrick Mahomes on the Jags or on the dolphins or on just some of the, on the Cardinals, it does not look like it's looked. So where you go matters. and Purdy obviously benefited a lot from going to the Niners, a really talented team.

Now, big picture, and this goes for all these quarterbacks, once you pay a guy, even with the cap going up, now I can't follow, and I don't blame anyone if they don't even know what's going on. This Sunday ticket lawsuit could cost the league billions, could impact the cap, so maybe the cap doesn't keep flying up the next couple of years if every team in the league has to make a big payment.

I will cross that bridge once we know the facts. there's still a lot in limbo. It's a very fluid situation. But if the cap keeps going up and you make a lot of money, you're not going to be as limited as I think historically the way we talk. Now, you still make a large percentage of the cap sooner than later, and you are going to be tasked doing more or less. That's on you, but it's also on your organization.

Then it's on your organization to draft well. what did the Kansas Chiefs do when they traded Tyree kills damn they traded Tyree Kill well then they hit on two first round picks one they got arguably the best DB in the league in McDuffey and Carlowski so their offense isn't as highly

powered as it once was but their defense is freaking awesome and Patrick Mahomes in his high level version just has to manage the situation they ain't scoring 35 points anymore and they're winning Super Bowls so like it's a lot's on your organization This is what we talked about yesterday with Mahomes' money.

When you're one of these great quarterbacks, a lot of it is out of your control. How they build the team, who they sign, who they draft, who your play caller is. So when you have cohesion there, like I got news for you. Purdy's going to be really good again. So are the 49ers. And everyone's going to have, oh, he's overrated, oh, he's not worth it. Let's face it. This is clear, and this will be a theme that will never die.

when you're drafted really high and you're successful, statistically and as a team, we anoint you. If the Bears win 10 games this year and Caleb throws 28 touchdowns, we know it. The hype is real. But when you're like, Dak Prescott, who was drafted in the fourth round, or Kirk Cousin who was drafted in the middle round, or obviously Purdy at the end of the seventh round, it's like, this can't be real. No chance.

He can't be that good. No, actually he is. because after a couple years where you're drafted is completely irrelevant. Everyone listening to this right now, whoever your favorite team is, some of the best players on your team aren't just top 10 picks. Some of them are mid-round guys. Some of them are 6th-7th round guys. Probably have some undrafted free agents that start.

This is not basketball, where you look at Team USA, and basically everyone who's sweet got drafted really high. That's not the way football works. And the cream usually rises. And the better your coaches, it's easier to sustain. So buckle up because the negativity, because of how much money is coming down the pike with Purdy, he's going to be, continue to be one of the main conversations in the NFL. And I just don't get it.

I mean, at this point, based on what we've seen, he's really, really good. Christian McCaffrey, I thought he was on local radio in the bay on K&BR. and called him a cold-blooded killer. Like, how would he not? His experience with the guy, all they've done is kick-ass and take names. And a large reason for that is him. Listen, I'm critical of DAC or cousins,

but, like, we can't debate they're good players. Now, how much and how good they're on the playoffs, and, like, they're just good players. Jared Goff, really good player. And that's the crew of the NFC with Jalen Hertz. And then you got this wild card with Kyler, Murray, but I don't think his team's good enough. This is not Murderers Row.

Marino, Elway, and Jim Kelly ain't walking through that door. That's not who you're playing. So I think a huge part of this, forever it was like that in basketball. One conference was dramatically better than the other. For most of my life, at least my adult life,

the Eastern Conference sucked. LeBron really benefited from this. Right? You know, he had some weird Cleveland teams, and it didn't matter. Because he didn't have to go through the best. part of the conference. Now you could argue the east better. That's a big deal. Like your conference is who you end up playing the majority of games against. Also, your division, obviously you played twice. So it just, I don't get it. You rarely see like a top 10 list with him in there, even though the players,

I'm not that big on the top 100, but it does reflect what the players think about you. And he was picked 28 because anyone that plays them, I think comes away, goes, that guy, really good. Like, that guy's really good. No one's calling him Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Anyone with a fucking brain isn't comparing him to Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes.

But, like, relative to the other 85%, like, let's face it. He's every bit as good, if not better. 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 where 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. 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 blow your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Elway. I think drafting and evaluating quarterbacks changed pretty dramatically

after like the 16, 17, 18 kind of stretch once Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen became the two best quarterbacks in the NFL. And John was on with Big Cat and PFT because he plays in the American Century in Tahoe. I don't know why I did the head flick, but I guess I still thought I was in Tahoe and that would have been the other side of the lake.

But said his biggest regret as a GM. One thing that I kind of, I watched a lot of those for like three straight years in the peak of their powers, and I went to the Super Bowl when they won. Elway built an incredible team. He did a really, really good job. I don't think he gets enough credit

for how well he built the team. And let's face it, he was a big reason that Peyton Manning signed in Denver. Like, he drafted Malik Jackson. He drafted Derek Wolfe. He drafted a keep... I guess he signed a keep to leave. He drafted Bradley Robey.

I don't remember if Chris Harris was an undrafted free agent or a late pick, but that was his guy. I mean, their defense, Brandon Marshall was Danny Trevathan. That defense for like a three-year stretch wasn't that much different in Seattle in terms of watching them live. Their physicality, their speed drafted a bunch of good offensive lineman, C.J. Anderson, who Adam Peters was his right-hand guy. Like, that team was really, he built a really good team. Now, it ended pretty poorly, right?

Vic Fangio's not a head coach. But, like, I don't totally. blame him for passing on Josh Allen because it's always easy to do the hindsight. And let's face it, most guys historically that have these physical skills but aren't accurate, don't have any success, don't really turn into great players. A lot like Andy Reid in the preseason in 2024, Josh Allen is an all-time NFL outweiler. He really is. And he's, I think he's one of the more talented players I've ever seen in any sport.

I mean, he's a freak show. and I would bet on the bills one day to win a Super Bowl. I actually think they're going to be a lot better this year. But other teams have tried to follow that, and it hasn't quite worked. Just because you have the physical gifts doesn't mean it's going to translate to being a really good player. The 49ers tried to do that with Trey Lance.

He didn't even make it to year three. The Bears did that with Justin Fields. He was on a new team going into, whatever, year five. I mean, or I guess this is year four. So just because you have physical gifts, but I think it has forced teams to be aggressive and go, are we sure we want to pass on the risk of this guy becoming a top 10 quarterback? And I was asked yesterday is Dion's kid overrated? I just pulled up his box score.

If you would have said, what was Shador Sanders numbers last year? I would have been like 30 touchdowns, 12 interceptions. he threw three picks last year. Now, as the season went on, the team looked weird, he got sacked a bunch, but there is no disputing. One, he's more than big enough.

You can never go off just the heightened weight on online, but just looking at him when you watch him on TV, looks like 6-2, 210 pounds. He's not his dad athletic, but he's more than athletic enough to scramble around like Mahomes or something. And maybe he's faster than I thought,

I remember one time watching him run last year going, yeah, he's definitely not Dion, but he's more than athletic enough to play NFL quarterback, and he's got a really good arm. So statistically, if he keeps putting up, here's the thing. When you evaluate college quarterbacks, winning and losing, I got news for you, isn't that important. It's just not. I mean, John Elway played on a team that was like struggling to win six games. Patrick Mahomes was never winning 10 games in college. I have no clue how many games Josh Allen was.

but it wasn't that many. Look at Jordan Love is a good example. Now, historically, guys like that, these physical projects, used to go late first round, early second round. Now they go top 10, top five. And I just think Shador, now part of Josh Allen and Mahom's success

for as great as their physical attributes are and they're elite, it's the guy. It's the teammate. It's the focus. It's how well they're received in their locker room. It's how coachable they are. It's how hard they work.

365. It's the intangible stuff. Which, let's face it, separates a lot of people in this world. Right? Some of the most talented people aren't always the most successful people. How bad do you want it?

How much are you willing to do it? Every single day. I don't care who you are. Tom Brady, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Bill Belichick. There are days when you're just not feeling it. But like, a lot of humans be like, I'll take, I'll just tap out today. I'm not going to do it. I'm just going to go through the motions today. And the best of the best just don't. Or at least have the least

amount of time when they just kind of mail it in. I'm talking year round. Because anyone can get up for a big meeting, for obviously an NFL football game, for a potential deal that's going to change your business's life. What about the days where there's not much going on? You're like, I can just chill, do nothing. And that's not the way these guys are wired. Because when you're a high-level NFL quarterback, you've got to be a freak addict. And that was a huge knock on Kyler. Right?

It's like playing video games. And listen, people play video games. No one cares. It's like, this guy, I don't think he's even looking at film. I mean, it's one of the most famous stories of all times, you Marcus Russell. Back before iPads and the internet world we kind of live in now, the way that you had guys watch film on their own was give him a DVD. And they gave him a blank DVD.

And instead he watched it. And there was clearly nothing on there. And obviously that guy's life has spiraled out of control since, but he didn't work hard. So was he talented enough? We'll never quite know. But his work ethic was a zero out of ten. And I don't care. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, if those guys didn't work hard, they never would have been successful.

So the thing with Shador, the talent and the physical attributes, like, that is not going to be the big question with him. Because you watch him, like, he has physical attributes to be a high NFL pick. People are going to have to do a lot of digging on the guy, the team, and it's going to be a challenge, right? Because if I go into a random program, Texas or Bama or Georgia or wherever, I can find someone who, like, will kind of give me the skinny, give me the real. That's the number one job.

You kind of act like a detective. I'm not a huge murder show guy. Maria's addicted to him. It's like, do we have to watch another person kill seven people and them hunt this guy down for six months? The FBI and the sheriff's, like, but sometimes like, even when I'm like, I don't really want this in my head. You start watching it. You kind of become glued. It's kind of a job of the scouting community is to find the information, especially with the talented guys.

Like, there is no hiding the top end guys, especially a guy with this hype. But you're going to have to find out what makes him tick the person. And it could be a little bit of a challenge because if there's a lot. are any question marks. Is anyone going to be willing to say that in a program or the dude's dad's the head coach and fucking idolizes his son? So it's going to, he's going to be a fascinating just scout for the week because I think the off the field stuff, and I'm not even saying there's anything there besides stuff. Listen, people have questions. You already saw him and his, dad's part of it. Talking crap to the dude that used to play at Colorado all over social media.

That's not ideally what you want out of the guy. but I don't even blame him. If his dad's doing it, why wouldn't he do it too? His dad's one of the greatest players of all time. It's going to be fascinating to watch. Last but not least, there was some early offseason buzz about Zach Wilson,

potentially being the starter in Denver. And I think I saw on Tuesday that he, they had basically once camp started, been rotating the three guys. Jared Sidham, Zach Wilson, and Bo Nix. Well, today, Zach Wilson got booted. So it was just Stidham and Bo Nix, taking all the reps.

And Sean Payton, like any coach, would do, try to poo-poo it. Like, oh, no big deal. Just classic rotation. No, it's pretty clear. Like, Zach Wilson was never starting. And I think the other thing is pretty clear. Week one, you can put it in Sharpie. Bo Nix is going to be the starting quarterback.

Bo Nix, to me, feels like a 100% lock to start week one. So basically the rookie quarterbacks they're going to start. That are locks are Caleb Williams, who is starting, Jaden Daniels, who I would have a hard time seeing him not start. Drake May no, Michael Pennix, no, J.J. McCarthy, no, and Bo Nix is going to start. So three out of the six are starting, which if you draft like a six-year senior who's 23, 24 years old,

there is no reason to leave him on the bench. That was my big issue with, Atlanta. It's not investing in the quarterback position. Of course you invest in that position. You'd be crazy not to. But if you take a project like Jordan Love behind Aaron Rogers,

there's no rush. But when you take Michael Pennix, who is ready-made, now that doesn't mean he's going to be good, but he doesn't need to sit. Dude's been playing since like 2012. Like he's an NFL ready to go. Find out if he's good

or not. He just sits on the bench for a couple years? It's pretty bizarre. Drake May, J.J. McCarthy. Ideal sit. Sit them, work on them, improve projects. Michael Pennix is not. Bo Nix is not. That's why you start them in week one. Okay, top five NFL venues. I'm fascinated by this because I think college, the NFL gets the bad rap of the, the atmospheres aren't that great relative to Saturdays, and it's true because there's nothing like LSU at night. There's nothing like Penn State at night. There's nothing like 110,000 people at Michigan, you know, when Bama's rocking, Texas and Oklahoma, Oregon at Autism Stadium. The NFL doesn't have that. It's a communal experience. But I've been to a lot of NFL games.

They're fun, but some are better than others. And when you look at the top venues, like SoFi Stadium, never been to a stadium even remotely close to that. And I've been to Dallas, That was always kind of the Cream de la Crem, but I think SoFi has laughed it. Obviously, it's brand, it's just, it's spectacular when you're inside. But it's no one would ever say like, God, LSU at night,

SoFi Stadium at night. Clearly, you're not saying that. The Vegas Stadium, awesome. Atmospheres, a bunch of random people flying in all over the place. But the NFL does have some sweet atmospheres. So I just ranked my top five NFL atmospheres. And I left a couple out. part of it is this team sucked for a while,

but I think Denver historically has been pretty sweet, mile high, great football town. Seattle had a stretch there with the 12s, which was as good as it gets. I remember the Saints played a Monday night game there, and like Drew Breeze couldn't even hear, couldn't even function, and the Saints, I think they got beat pretty bad.

This might have been late in Breeze's tenure. It might have been like 15, 16 range. But I think Seattle's come back to Earth a little bit. The game two years ago with Russell coming back with Denver was pretty awesome. But if they ever got good again, that place is going to rock. Starting in five. I remember watching a game there last year when the Niners played them and thinking, there is something special, and I've talked about this before,

like the Coliseum where the Raiders used to play in Oakland, Candlestick, just these old decrepit stadiums that are just kind of football. And when you go there, it's really just about drinking beer, getting loud, maybe eating some crappy hot dog. But it's about football and football only. And I think Cleveland still kind of has that. And part of the reason I put them, they're good now. The team's competitive. But there's nothing like hearing the fans hit like the, I don't even know if it's 10 or something, but it echoes throughout.

That place week one against the Cowboys is going to be nothing. I was listening to Rable, who was on with the part of my take guys, and he said his dad took him to a game in the dog pound. I don't know. He was like junior high, and he was like, that's the first time I'd ever seen weed. And people just getting blasted. And there's just something special about football in Ohio. That stadium, not great. They're clearly probably going to build the new one.

I saw Andrew Barry wants to build a dome. I got to push back on that one. I understand why he would, analytical guy, numbers geek, you can control a lot better if there's a dome. When I think Cleveland, when I think Baltimore,

when I think Cincinnati, like Kansas, I think outdoor cold. I hope, if they ever do it, they do not do a dome, but who knows? So I go Cleveland at 5. This is my only new stadium.

But I think this place, the best opening in the NFL is when everyone's doing school. That place freaking rocks. And that stadium, I've never been there, but it looks awesome on television. It pops on TV, day or night. And my buddies that works for the Eagles

that went there for the Super Bowl said the place is a badass. That atmosphere in Minnesota, and it's always been good, but I think for a newer stadium that can't be cheap to go to is pretty sweet. It has like a Big Ten vibe to it. It has a Collegian vibe to it. And I think a lot of times you've seen it with Vegas,

you've seen it with the Niners, you've seen it with SoFi, seen it with the Cowboys. You kind of lose that with the glitz and the glamour, which is understandable, because you price out the diehard guy that's really going to yell. I got news for you. When I go to a game and I pay a lot of money for tickets,

It's like, I'm not standing up all the time. I'm just kind of sit there enjoying it. And listen, I'm not proud to say that, but there is something about people that used to be able to afford pretty good seats. It just makes the place louder. The faster you get to a wine and cheese crowd, the less likely you are to have a crazy atmosphere. It's why these top three stadium atmospheres all have something in common.

They feel old school. And number three is the bills. I think the Bills Mafia, the games in November, December, and January, the snow games, it just feels pretty special. It feels like something that in 10 years, all these places have new stadiums, including the bills, with club seats, with boxes. And I'm not saying this place. I went there once, the team was pretty crappy. And so it wasn't, the atmosphere wasn't like what you would get with the Josh Allen Bulls or the Jim Kelly Bulls. bills, I mean, it's just the last of a dying breed.

There's just something unique about a small town city that has this NFL team, who's now good, the snow. I just think that it's just awesome. I mean, it pops on television. You just find yourself rooting for those people who the bills mean so much to. It's one of those franchises that you think of Chris Berman. if you're my age and growing up watching, you know, his breakdowns on ESPN on Sundays. But there's just no one circles the wagons like the Buffalo B.

Number two, and you could have gone 1A and 1B. I think Kansas City and Arrowhead. I've been to a bunch of games of Arrowhead. I was going when they weren't as good in the late 2000s. But I think a little like Buffalo, and we'll see if they get a new stadium. It's just an old school stadium. It ain't that nice, and when you get there, it's just about football. And now these people are going to the games.

It's in the middle of the dynasty. I was listening to Edelman's podcast, part two with Ernie Adams. And they claimed the best game atmosphere on the road they had played in over the dynasty was the 2018 NFC championship game against Patrick Mahoms. It's first year starting. He was the MVP, and they beat him in overtime. And they both said that was just, that was the coolest, environment as a road team that we had ever experienced.

And this was a team that had done it all. And this is Ernie Adams, who is known Bill for 50 years and was on all the Patriot teams as a right-hand man. So they're not just saying this. It's a special environment. And I do believe that it has something to do. You just naturally lose it when you upgrade the stadium because it prices people out. Even though to get to a Chiefs game now, even in the older stadium, is

more expensive than it would have been pre-Andy Reed. But still, it's going to be way less affordable when you start adding all these incredible club seats, you quadruple the amount of suites. It just changes. I saw it with Candlestick and Levi Stadium. It ain't the same. It doesn't mean it's not fun. It doesn't mean it's not cool to go to a big game there.

But it's never going to be this good. So Buffalo and Kansas City, two places that obviously are desperate to upgrade their stadiums, enjoy it while you can. I mean, truly. I saw it with the Warriors. When I started going to Warriors games early on in the Steph Clay era at Oracle,

which is right next to the Coliseum, I would argue one of the shittiest areas in all of America. I would put that stretch, 66 in Hagenberger, up against any in America, of just, if you blew it up tomorrow, not only would no one care,

no one would notice, and it would look very similar. But those games at Oracle, place freaking rocked man it was and it's not the same at the new stadium how can it be it's not the same crowd so kansas city and buffalo and it's why this there are certain places fenway park is this rigley field is this uh obviously lambo is this that we'll just battle through the test of time and even as the world changes even as the economics stadiums change.

It doesn't feel like it matters at all. And in the next 10, 15 years, Kansas City, Buffalo, Cleveland, we'll have some sweet new stadium more than likely. Look like Minnesota or Dallas or SOFi, you know, their versions. And it'll be like, remember what Arrowhead was like? Remember those games at Orchard Park in that old crappy stadium? Remember those games?

I mean, listen, most people in my life growing up are 9-1-3, people. And a lot of their memories are a candlestick. Remember those games with Joe Montana and Steve Young and Jerry Rice and even Jim Harbaugh at candlestick. There's something nostalgic about that. So I've never been there. I think I was supposed to advance. I ended up going to another city and someone else went. But they've been good for 30 plus years. The stadium is so historic. And it's just an awesome place. It's just, it pops on television. Everyone knows. when you say the word Lambo exactly what you mean. Whenever you see someone on social media or whatever,

I got the chance to go to Lambo field and just go to, I'm not even a Packer fan and just went to the game. Obviously, the Lambo leap is something that just is very special in all football at any level. And it's just really, really cool. And the Packers, because of their success, I've been to a lot of games against them on the road. I've seen them sell out against the Raiders.

I've seen them sell out against the 49ers. A lot of you that if you've been to a game that your team's played the Packers, a lot of Packer fans. And this is a team that plays kind of in the middle of nowhere. And it's not some big metropolis urban major city. And they feel like one of the stalwarts of the NFL. And I think obviously a big reason is because of the quarterbacks, because of the success.

but you could also argue it's because of the staple in Lambeau Field. 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. 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.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Tontons and Wampas on the Ice Planet Hot. or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, let's do a little thing we call the Middlecough mailbag. At John Middlecough is the Instagram. Fire into those DMs at John Middlecough.

It's just my name, firing those DMs. I just saw DJ Moore got a large extension, four years, 110 million. million dollars, over 80 guaranteed. He's really good. Think about this with the Bears. They traded with the Panthers and ended up with DJ Moore and Caleb Williams. Just that alone.

If you just said, hey, you're going to end up with Caleb Williams and DJ Moore. That's... Obviously, they ended up getting more because they picked the tackle with the ninth pick two years ago in a weird way because they were still crappy

it led them to roam even though that wasn't the Panthers pick so spirits are high I text a buddy in the league I said who would you take Iyuk or DJ he thought it was a coin flip little different player Iyuk more of a route runner

DJ a little more physical after the catch but if you look at DJ's stat sheet he has been on a lot of shitty teams with a lot of bad quarterback play and he has produced. I like DJ Moore a lot. I actually think he's kind of a hybrid of like does some of the stuff Iyuk does

with some of the stuff Debo. He's a unique player. Easy deal. This is third contract. He got his rookie contract. He got a second contract. And now this is his third extension. DJ Moore is going to bank a lot of money in his career

if he can stay healthy. So you have to wonder if the 49ers will just copy and paste this deal and offer to Brennan Ayyuk. For the mailback. We'll start with Patrick. Add John Middlecoff, Instagram, firing those DMs.

Can you describe what happens when the team has a locker room cancer? Can you give specific examples from your time in the front office? Karris speculate on how the IUC situation may spoil the locker room as IUC is shown to be extremely bitter and may want a stat pad

in preparation for his contract year. How would that affect Debo and speculate? Well, they're not going to be. get to the contract year because for him to play on the Niners this year, he will have to have a new contract. I think there are certain, when I was with the Eagles, I don't think we had a couple situations. The one that jumps out to me was Deshawn Jackson really wanted a new contract. I typically didn't always go out to practice, but for whatever reason, our special teams coach or something needed help, and I went out to a practice, and Deshawn.

it was getting kind of contentious and he was mad, he wanted some money. And during practice hadn't even started and they were like doing some punts. And it was like Macklin and Deshawn Jackson back returning punts. And Macklin would go jog up a little bit, hand the ball back.

Deshawn got the ball kicked to him. And then he punted the ball out of the practice area. Like it went over the fence onto the street and do staley who's out there they started screaming at each other if I remember correctly I think DeShanga kicked out of practice

and I think got suspended for a game I think those type things over money it just gets difficult right and not everyone handles it the same way I think there's a big difference in a locker room cancer of just having issues with money that's something very relatable I think that happens obviously

if you play in the NFL, if you have a contract that you want more money, you're talking a lot of money. But it's no different the guy bitching and moaning in the cubicle that's making 90 that thinks he should make in 150. Or the dude making 150 thinks he should make him 275. I mean, money's all relative. I think the bigger issues, which I don't remember as much, are when guys are really negative and they're good players. I saw today a headline that Matt Judon wasn't there today. well, if you have this guy sulking around over money

and bringing down others and when they're your best player, you got to figure that out and you've got to figure that out fast. I don't think it's, you know, Iukes in the position where it's awkward, but I don't think it's far enough along. I also think you've got to take everything with a grain of salt, what you see on social media,

and no one talks the way they talk on social media to people in real life. it's not real life. So the way he operate a little bit, I would say it's not how he's going to operate in front of Kyle, John, Debo, Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, right? But I think the worst locker room cancers

are when a guy is just, I don't know, going nuts, right? Like Antonio Brown or what happened with Chandler Jones and the Raiders, it's like those situations can be difficult when one of your best players starts just, going off the reservation. And it gets, because you kind of like, can we figure this out? When you have good players that want new contracts,

some guys handle a better than others, but that's the NFL. That's pro sports. That's the world. That's the life. I think when you get guys that are under contract making money and just start acting crazy, Terrell Owens had some of those issues,

that those become so public. There's no going back. So I think most of them, them contract related. It just, yeah, it's tough. I don't really know what else to say. I've gotten a lot of this. I got a text, Commodore.

Love the commie interview. My Commodore interview, if you missed it, go back and check it out. If you're not a hockey person, highly recommend it. He's an all-time guest. Why do you think the sport, meaning hockey, isn't as popular in the U.S. like football, basketball, or baseball?

It's a high-speed game with hitting and plenty of violence. Is it because people from certain regions of the country never ice-cated or don't regularly and cannot relate as well to it? I feel like people will always say I went to a hockey game and loved it, but they never become full-time fans. I think this one's pretty easy. I'll just use myself as an example. I played baseball as a kid, little league, up until like early junior high.

I played basketball as a kid up until like eighth grade. And I played football in high school. So what I want, like I played all the sports. And I think I speak for a lot of people in America that even if you don't play in high school, maybe you played in junior high or little league or some, hell, I like a lot of kids, I played soccer when I was like six, seven, eight years old. Never. I actually played a little roller hockey.

But I think most people throughout America, never play hockey. And the reason more people if you think about it just based on numbers over the last 30 years have played football in high school

than any other sport. So it's just a numbers game. Even if you don't play in the game, like you're on the team, you're at practice, like you put on pads, you played football. Most people I know

have played, even not in a high school situation. I've played recreational basketball, pick up basketball, shop baskets with their friends. It's why I'm high on golf. I think more people now than ever are playing golf. And the more people that play your sport

are just more likely to watch that sport. I really think it's that simple. So the reason hockey is so big in Canada, because a lot of people grow up playing. Even if you're terrible, can't skate a lick. You try to play hockey when you're 10 or 12 or 8, right? That's not the case here. you're much more inclined to try to play basketball,

try to play football. And, you know, back in the day, I knew a lot like my dad, who has he got older, my dad never really liked playing golf. He was more into tennis. And back, you know, in the 70s and 80s, tennis was really, really popular. And a lot of people tried to play. And now, you know, the fat guy's tennis is pickleball,

which I'd be lying. I tend to be a little anti-pickleball. I've never played, and everyone I know that plays loves it. I never meet people that say they play pickleball that don't rave about it. It's just one of those things. Everyone hangs the left. Sometimes I hang it right. I'm out on pickleball.

Maybe one day I will try it. I'm just a hater. I mean, I'll acknowledge that. But the more and more people that play pickleball, like maybe pickleball on television one day will be big. Because the more people that play your sport, the more people that watch. I know this comes up every year, but could this year's NFC North be,

be one of the best divisions in NFL history. Before I keep going on your question, I think it's impossible to do those statements slash questions because we do it a lot before season starts. I just think we can't do that. You have to let the season play out because we've done that so many times. Didn't we do it a couple years ago? Was it with the AFC West?

And it turned out it wasn't nearly as good as we thought. Detroit is obviously good. If love can be 80% of his last eight games, how is Green Bay not in the playoffs? I feel like Minnesota has too many weapons and too well coached to suck, and the bears are loaded with a ton of hype. Could we see the first time an entire division make the playoffs?

I think it's impossible for an entire division to make the playoffs, even with the 7th team just given in both conferences because just look around, right? So how would the fourth team, I don't think nine wins is getting in in the NFC. Because if you just go, how many double-digit win teams are going to be? Let's just say the Lions, let's say the Niners, let's say the Eagles, and let's pick the Falcons, even though I'm not going to pick them, but it feels like a lot of people are picking them.

Let's just pick the Falcons. So that's four. Well, more than likely, right, the Rams are good. Tampa made the playoffs last year. Dallas has made the playoffs three straight years and McCarthy's pretty credible coach and then even some of the shitty teams in those divisions, right? You'd have to look at all the schedules,

but like the Cardinals could beat you on a random week. The commanders who I think are a little overhyped, like I bet they're better, obviously they're going to be better next year than they are this year. But like, let's say they have an underwhelming year at six wins. A couple of those wins are going to come against like, some playoff teams. The Saints are frisky.

I mean, they went nine games last year. So I think it's just very, very difficult to get to the spot where all four teams are that good. I think was it three years ago, the Niners, the Rams, and the Cardinals all made the playoffs. So three is an incredible season for a division. I think four, maybe I'm speaking out of turn. I think it's impossible. You would need terrible. seasons from the other teams in the division.

Terrible. Good question. Question for the mailbag. I'm a Hawks fan, and I can't help but hate where the team is. Gino isn't the answer, and he actually makes a situation worse. He's good enough to keep us from having a shot at a top quarterback in the draft, but is it good enough for us to compete in the playoffs? With higher echelon, quarterbacks like Herbert Allen, obviously Mahomes never becoming available, let alone make it into free agency.

How do you see us solving this issue? Do we cut trade Gino or do we bottom out with Sam HAL? Well, bottoming out is not going to be an option. That's not what John Schneider and your new coach from Baltimore. That's just, they're not going to do that. The only way Howell plays is if a Gino gets hurt. Now he's gotten hurt before. I mean, last year, Drew Locke came in and you guys won games.

This is going to sound crazy, but maybe he's got to get lucky again in the draft. Like, not every guy, you know, you use, Josh Allen was the seventh pick, right? And Buffalo traded up to get him. Patrick Mahomes was the 10th pick or 12th pick. I get him and Deshaun mixed up. One was 10, one was 12. But both those guys, the other teams, traded up to select.

So you can get a guy in the teens and trade up and select. Or you can strike oil past the first round. Right? It happened with you guys with Russell Wilson. It happened with the Cowboys with Dak Prescott. It happened with the Eagles and Jalen Hertz. It happened with the 49ers and Brock Purdy. It doesn't have to be, you know,

C.J. Stroud, second overall pick. Caleb Williams' first overall pick. There are a lot of other guys having a lot of success that were not number one overall picks. The shitty part about that is you never know. Beside TPC Scottsdale, is there another course you'll play in the area? Yeah, I live at Greyhawk,

so I bought this little summer pass. I played there a couple times. cool course. Trune, many people think that that's one of the better courses, public courses on the West Coast. It's tough.

Weikapaw, which is a very, very popular 36-hole track. It's got a casino out there on an Indian reservation. I played it. I've only played it once

when I came here on Memorial Day, probably 2020, but it was sweet. That's the only time in my life I've been drunk, teeing off, because we played 36 holes, started drinking hole one.

By the time we got to 18, had a little delay, went in more cocktails, I could barely stand for the last nine holes. And I was playing good. I was like, from hole nine to 27, I think I was like one over.

The stretch in the middle, and then by the whole like, the last couple holes, I mean, I was falling over. But Wicapah, great experience there. If you want to go a little cheaper, but solid tracks,

like Whirlwind, Raven, good public tracks. Silverado, probably low, but it's right in Paradise Valley, close to downtown. I've played it.

I didn't mind it. A lot of places, it'd be like a $20 course here. Probably in the summer, it's probably like 60-70. I don't think you can really have a bad experience around here playing golf. Mailback question.

I'm a Nashville native and could be overly optimistic of a completely rebuilt Titans team. But I think, think on paper we match up nicely with anyone. If Levis can be the 16th best quarterback, in the league I think we can be competitive. After listening to what Callahan, Holtz, and DeNard Wilson have planned for our team, I can't help but think they will elevate the star power we have acquired.

Indy and Houston are scary, but I'll take us over the Jags any day of the week. If you're ever back in Nashville, let me know. I can get you on a private 36-hole track, and I work 25 minutes north of Nissan. I might take you up. I'll be there in late August. A little food tasting. I'm excited.

Fat guys, and who's going to turn down food tasting? Not me. One of the guys you listed, I know someone with the Titans pretty well, one of the coaches on the staff. And I haven't talked to him since training camp started, but he was pretty optimistic. in the spring.

I'm not trying to overhype Will Levis, but they were excited. Now, most people get excited during the spring when you get a guy with physical talents who's a good guy, working hard, and they were like going out to dinners with the quarterbacks. I mean, people were having a good, spring's great. I mean, it's why I never understand

skipping the spring to work out on your own. You literally just go, work out what you're doing anyway, have paid for dinners by the, organization sending you to hockey and NBA games. Your coaches take you out to sweet dinners on the organization. It's a very, very chill time. But they do have some talent on the team. I think the question mark is going to be you add Calvin Ridley,

you sign Pollard. I saw a clip going viral of Jeffrey Simmons, who obviously is an awesome player, screaming at this radio host today that looked like the radio station that host the Titans games. One of the dudes on there had tweeted something and he's calling him a pussy and it's just screaming back and forth. It's very entertaining to watch.

I don't, I'm not up to the in on the loop of what's going on, what was said, but I love those interactions. A lot of people are commenting that Simmons is kind of crazy. I honestly know nothing about him besides he's a good player. Yeah, listen, every year, there's a team. I had someone DM me, I think, about the Giants. If Daniel Jones plays like Alex Smith,

the Giants can win 9, 10 games. It's just a simple fact. Like the Alex Smith version that Andy Reid had. But he has to be better than he was two years ago. Because two years ago, it was made up for it was Sequin Barclay. So they're going to, like, they can't compete to make the playoffs

with him throwing 15 touchdowns. Even if their defense, their defense line should be pretty good. Right? your defensive line should be pretty good too. And offensively, you have some weapons. You draft an offensive line in early. You get Callahan's dad,

who's one of the best offensive line coaches. So it all hinges on, like, is Levis just solid? And does he have games where he throws three or four touchdowns and has some down games, whatever, but it's high in? Or is he just a bottom five quarterback? Because obviously if he's a bottom five quarterback,

your team's going to suck. He's one of the great unknowns in the NFL. You get an offensive coach, you get his dad's the O line coach. There's a lot of emphasis in that organization on offense. Don't know how far your connections go, but Big Saints fan and wondering what your sources are saying about Spencer Rattler. It's funny is maybe I'll start doing it next week. I really haven't texted anyone I know in the NFL like how their teams looking.

I actually did it for the first time because a buddy had reached out to me. So I haven't really been keeping tabs beside what I see on the internet just because it's so early. I did see a clip on Spencer Rattler today. Hainer, who they drafted last year, who I know, Fresnel State guy, is suspended. So Spencer Rattler is going to be the backup quarterback to start the season.

They clearly like him a lot. Yeah, I mean, I like Hainer too, but I think Spencer Rattler, when it's all said and done, especially if he has a good camp because Hainer suspended is probably going to be the backup. Also curious about Derek Carr's contract and how long he is tied to us. If he underwhelms, Rattler shines, how punitive it would be for us to move on. If you guys don't make the playoffs this year, Dennis Allen will be fired,

and Derek Carr will no longer be the quarterback. So this is, they're one of those teams where, like, we can speculate. Like, is Brian Dayball really on the hot seat? I only say that because John Marrow's recent history is like he'll fire guys. But would it shock me if they kind of underwere, and he gets another year, yeah, for sure. It's pretty clear. If the Saints do not make the playoffs this year,

they don't win the division, but they got to be on the wild card, they got to be in the playoffs. Their coach and their quarterback are done. That's not an opinion. I mean, that's pretty clear. I mean, that's, and you as a Saints fan, I'm sure, know that as well. So I would say Derek Carr,

is a massive year for his career. Question for the pod. Steve Young got traded to the Niners in 1986. to replace an injured Joe Montana. Montana recovered and remained the starter in San Francisco until 1991. So Young ended up starting in 1987. How many Super Bowls does Young win? And where does he end up on the all-time list?

For context, Montana won two Super Bowls from 87 to 91. I think it's fair to say he definitely has a lot. another one. Now, I read, aka, listened to Steve Young's book. You know, after like year three, they started asking Walsh, like, what is going on? Like, we need, you need to let us go. Completely different times. Steve Young was a little bit of a project, though, when they got him. And part of the story, he thought Joe's back was shot. He would only be there for a year. It's the first practice they go out and Joe looks fantastic. Joe still got banged up a little bit, I think, over that.

time. But yeah, I don't know. Steve would, like, when was Steve truly ready to kick ass? Because by the time they get rid of Joe, Steve's winning an MVP immediately. And those teams, you know, in the late 80s with Charles Haley, with Ronnie Lott, obviously with Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, I think wins a couple. So he wins his in 94 and wins another one in the late 80s. but it's hard to just say for a fact that if Steve was the quarterback

and Joe wasn't the quarterback, they win for sure. Because Steve, especially if you're my age, Steve got better as he played more, but maybe that's because he didn't really get to, he did get to play. If you go to his,

it's one of the crazier stories in NFL history that for four years, their backup quarterback, who they traded for was Steve Young. who's an NFL Hall of Famer. So he started, because Joe did get banged up. So in 87, he started three games. That might have been the strike year.

88 started three games. 89 started three games. 1990 only started the one. In 91, he started 10 games and went 5 in 5. 17 touchdowns, 8 picks. And then his first year starting, it was off to the races. 25 and 7. the Niners

went 14 and 2 By 94 he won the MVP 35 and 10 and they won the Super Bowl So I think it's fair to say with Walsh as a coach But didn't Seifert I think Seafurt took over

They win in 88 And then he takes over in 89 Because people act like Walsh has three Super Bowls Seapert had two Seafurt won a Super Bowl with Montana and then won another one with Steve Young That's a good question

you know and I say this all the time about legit sports arguments you can read a book or you can watch YouTube's if you don't live something it's hard to know I can give you completely borderline uneducated guesses because I didn't experience it if you ask some 50 year old

who lived through it and was a diehard fan they would have a hard take I don't have a hard take it's like who was better Jack Nicholas or Arnold Palmer in their prime. I don't know. Joe Namath or Terry Bradshaw? No clue.

We can look at stats all we want, but it's like, who was better? Aaron Rogers or Brett Farb? I feel pretty good arguing that one. Who was better? Steph Curry or Kobe Bryant. Like, whenever you watch people yourself, it's just so much easier to, like, feel very, very good about the take.

I can't have strong argument. about 1980s NFL. I've met enough people that have talked about, like, the Dan Marino ball was different than any, how awesome Elway was as an athlete, how just under control Montana was. But it's like, watching the YouTube videos is not the same. If you want to talk about Josh Allen and Peyton Manning

and Aaron Rogers and Ruffisberger and Cam Newton and Eli Manning, like I can do it until I'm blue in the face. And give you, if there was scenarios like, that give you them perfectly. But it's hard. I guess I would guess he would win another one because the team's so good, but it's hard to know. I know this, until my dad's dying days, those Montana truthers, they like Steve as a guy

and a personality, and obviously he was a good player, but they never forgave getting rid of Joe. It's just, it's hard. It's no different. It's different with the Patriots because they didn't have anyone to replace. place them with. But when you replace a Joe Montana and you do it for a guy, if they would have, you know, the Jimmy Garapolo for Tom Brady had actually worked out, it's very, very difficult because you've just been through so much with the one guy and won so many championships and

you've just seen as greatness. It's just, you never truly embrace that other person. You really don't. They almost feel like, I don't know, the stripper girl. friend. You know, it's just never quite the same. The love that you had with your, uh, your wife and the mother of your children. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

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

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild... It was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.