The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - DeVonta Smith gets an extension, WR scouting report, holdouts, Tangent Tuesday

Episode Date: April 16, 2024

John dives into the contract extension that the Eagle gave DeVonta Smith and what it means for WR's and the position for the many players with upcoming contract negotiations. John also discusses the WR draft class and who he thinks has the highest upside to make an immediate impact at the top of the draft. Later, John talks about holdouts in the NFL and the latest "Tangent Tuesday." Lastly, John answers your questions for this episode's mailbag segment. 6:17 - DeVonta Smith gets an extension 14:41 - WR scouting report 26:39 - Holdouts 30:48 - Other NFL notes 35:19 - Tangent Tuesday 45:03 - Mailbag Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 Middle Cop 3 and Out podcast on this. beautiful Monday. A little football talk. The wide receiver market has taken some shape now that

Devante Smith got a contract extension. What that means for Brandon Ayyuk and maybe even T. Higgins? A little wide receiver scattering report and some thoughts on the top guys in the draft. Malik neighbors, Marvin Harrison, and Roma

Dunzee. We have some holdouts. Unofficial because it's only voluntary, but C.D. Lamb, Justin Jefferson. But Tuatanga Viloa says, I will be around, regardless of my contract. Listen, I got to give the young man credit. And then a little tangent Tuesday, as well as the Middilkoff mailbag at John Middlecough. At John Middlecough, that's just my name.

Fire in those DMs on Instagram and get your question answered here on the show. Running a little, I guess not running low, but fire in. I could use some more questions as we come down the. the home stretch of the draft at John Middlkoff fire into those DMs very easy to get involved also we have a uh the drafts right around the corner I think we're going to have some big draft show so get ready for that and you can find it all on on YouTube we have a YouTube page for all of our content just type in three and out go low we did some stuff on the masters yesterday and if you listen on Collins feed make sure you subscribe to the three and out feed

appreciate everyone that has But before we dive into a lot of football talk, listen, the draft's only two weeks away. We will have some big draft stuff next week on Thursday and Friday. Fun time of year. It's like a kid in the candy store, regardless of what team you are a fan of, because your team gets a bunch of new players who, at the time of the draft, could all be stars. Many of them won't be.

Some will be disasters. But come two weeks, it's going to feel pretty sweet adding a bunch of new players. but before we dive into football, you know I got to tell you about my friends, my partners, and the official ticketing app of this podcast, Game Time.

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Your first pair, save $20. Just use the promo code John, J-O-H-N. Here's the thing with contracts, whether they're contract extensions, whether a guy's a free agent and he gets a new contract, is they set the market. And everything when you're negotiating with a player is based on a comp.

It's like that way in business, right? It's like that way in any walk of life. Well, this went for that six months ago or a year ago. This is the price. Add on 5% or whatever. But when Devante Smith, who has been a really, really good player, and one thing Howie and the Eagles did several years ago, after not hitting on some draft picks,

they said, we're not going to overthink this. We're going to take the best players from the best players from the best programs. And what have they done? They've drafted a ton of guys from Alabama and Georgia. Now, some of the Georgia guys, there's going to be a lot of pressure on them,

but you cannot dispute how talented they are, especially Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. They need to step up this year. But it's like, we're not overthinking the room. The Jalen Rager days are done. And it's suited them well. They've drafted Landon Dickerson, Alabama, Devante Smith, Alabama,

all the Georgia guys, right? one, a bunch of national championships, or two, I guess, and some of them only won one, but you know what I mean? And Devante Smith just got three years, $75 million. So when you're Brandon Iuke and T. Higgins, like, I was thinking about this. In movies, for example, there is a small list of guys that are just quote unquote box office, right? Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks has been that way, Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise, a lot of guys are kind of Robbins.

They have to be the number two. It doesn't mean they're not talented. It doesn't mean you don't want them in your movie. But more than likely, you're not going to pay them $25, $30 million for a movie because the ROI is not going to be there. And I think that where all these guys fall. I wouldn't even necessarily call them Robbins.

They're probably somewhere, like, they're not the number one wide receiver. They're better than the majority of twos. They're like one and a halfs. And hell, being a one and a half gets you $75 million contract in. but I looked at some of their numbers. Devante Smith, the last two years,

176 catches, 2,200 yards, 14 touchdowns, and he's basically played in every game. He rolled his ankle the second and last game and he missed the game against the Giants. Brandon I.U., who has been very durable, also played in 33 games, but wasn't hurt week 18 last year.

The 49ers just rested people. He's got 153 balls, so that is 23 less than Devante, 2,500 yards, more, and 15 touchdowns. So one extra touchdown. T. Higgins was kind of unique because he was banged up a lot in 2023. I threw that year out. I'm like, you know what?

I'll base it on your previous two years when you were healthy. He played in 30 games. So there is some durability questions. 148 catches, basically 1,200 yards, and 13 touchdowns. I think all these guys are very comparable. So Brandon Ayuk, I never get into like Gen Z, unfollowing a bunch of people, the team,

scrubbing their social media accounts. I don't give a shit. I can't even pretend. I get why they do it. Everyone does it. It means nothing to me. Nothing is more irrelevant in an NFL front office

than that. No one cares. I get it's like the cool thing to do, but it impacts your contract zero. Zero percent. So Brandon I, you scrubbs his contract. Whatever.

I saw a report today. He's at the facility. But like, Brandon Ayuk's not getting any more money than that. He hasn't even been as productive as Devante. Now, you can say the 49ers run the ball more. His quarterback situation before Purdy was somewhat questionable. All true. I think Brandon Ayuk's really good. I think him and Devante are very, very similar players. Like, if I'm the 49ers, like, hey, we'll give you a dollar more if that makes you feel good, but like these are kind of the numbers. Now, maybe if you're the Niners, you give him an extra year

instead of doing the three-year contract extension, you give them four years, $100 million, give them a little bit more guaranteed money. But those are the numbers. There's no arguing this anymore. Where T. Higgins, I think, falls into a different category because I'm not sure that the Bengals are going to extend them. I think they are more than okay

with playing this year out on the franchise tag. They did it before with Bates, the safety, and then he left. That's what I kind of expect, partly because they have another wide receiver that is going to get paid an astronomical amount of money. Maybe well over $30 million a year. Can you have a $25 million wide receiver and a $32 million wide receiver?

Probably not. Probably not. And they're clearly going to put all their chips in the middle of the table, try to win this year with both of them, and then assess after the year. The 49ers, you see a lot of reports, the trade, would they trade them, his agent came out. I'd be stunned if they would trade him just because of the chemistry he has with Brock Purdy.

But like, I just remodeled my house. I'm not planning on selling it. Someone knocked on my door and offered me a number that I couldn't turn down. I'd sell it tomorrow. Right. If someone, if the bears were like, you know, we'll give you the ninth pick for Brandon Ayyuk. Obviously, they're not going to do that. The 49ers would have to not only entertain that, they'd probably have to do it.

DeForest Buckner once upon a time, it was like, like, listen, how can we pay all these guys on the defensive line? Obviously, Buckner's better in Armstead. And then the Colts called. They're like, hey, we'll give you number 13 overall for a guy that had never made a Pro Bowl. They're like, do you want us to drive him to Indianapolis, fly him to Indianapolis, or drive him to the airport right now? And he was traded.

So I think Iuke falls into the category of like, there's not much to negotiate anymore. The market has been set. This is your deal. Now, maybe there's an extra year on top of that. but the per year basis, the guaranteed numbers, we don't know the ballpark, we know the numbers. So there's not much to negotiate anymore. Like, what are we talking about? You haven't even been as productive as this player and he just got $51 million guaranteed.

Several years ago, when Debo carried the 49ers of the playoffs, he got $60 million guaranteed. So I think this kind of ends any discussion going back and forth. Like, there's not much to talk about anymore. kind of is what it is. No negotiating anymore. We're T. Higgins, I just expect him to play this year on the tag and then them go forward after this year without the guy because of their financial situation

where the 49ers can extend Ayuk, lower his cap hit, and then decent chance they move on from Debo next year if he doesn't have a massive, massive season. If he has another season like he has these last couple years after the contract, like they're probably not keeping him at the, the numbers in which he's making. So I like it when things just become clear. There's no arguing anymore. The Jeffersons, the Chases, the C.D. Lambs, I don't know. I mean, I would expect large, large numbers. You tell me Justin Jefferson gets $100 million guaranteed, I'd believe you.

CD Lamb right up there. Obviously, Jamar Chase right up there as well. These guys aren't swimming on that side of the pool, even though they're good swimmers. They're really talented players. but they're not. Now, you could make the argument, could they be number one? Yeah, they maybe could. But they're in great roles. They're productive.

All the teams, you know, that have these guys really like them. The Eagles really like Devonte Smith. Just like I know the 49ers really like Brandon Ayuk. So I would expect, if the 49ers are really, really serious about getting a deal done,

and Brandon Ayuk's really, really serious about getting a deal done, this deal should be done before the draft. If not, like, I think it's more than fair to speculate. Could something happen? happen. I don't think they want to do that. But if you're going to think that like you're in a different world than this other player, then we might have to because we don't want to do this crazy

negotiation. That's where the thing with the wide receivers, like, why the bears would never make that trade is because why wouldn't you just want to draft one of the three guys at a much, much lower cost controlled number? Let's look at the wide receiver scouting report for the top three guys. Obviously, there are other wide receivers and we will dive into them once they're getting drafted. But we play the hits here. Like, we're not out thinking the room. Marvin Harrison, Malik neighbors, and Romo Dunez. For me, and I say this all the time when it comes to the draft, if you're drafting really high, there is no guarantee. There just isn't. There is no such thing as a high floor. We see guys fail all the time. Great athletes, average athletes that try hard.

We've seen every type of player not live up to the billing and be quote unquote a bust or underwhelming that is drafted in the top 10. So to me, I never have a problem with someone stepping in the batters box and swinging for a home run. It's why for me, Malik Neighbors, is the best wide receiver prospect in this draft. He has the best opportunity, if everything goes right, to be a super store.

Now, there are some questions. I know a lot of teams. I don't know all the details. They're off-the-field questions, I'll put it at that. Nothing crazy, but stuff that concerns teams. The type stuff that media is like, oh, this is not fair. Bullshit. When I'm drafting a guy high and I have any question marks about the person,

it's okay to be leery. It's okay to be like, yeah, I don't feel great, right? You don't always know about this stuff, but they exist. So assuming that he's going to be okay, be a good worker, be a good guy, not getting in any trouble, to me he's the best prospect. You get a guy that's six feet tall, 200 pounds, and runs as fast as he does. But we've seen that player before, guys that run four threes and then they can't play in the NFL. This guy has elite ball skills.

This guy's ability to track the ball in the air. Just watch some of his YouTube highlights. One skill that is very underrated in the NFL as a wide receiver is shooting your hands up last second. Why? Because when you are going up against a good defensive back, the moment you start putting your hands up, he reacts. They're very instinctive that way. But if you don't break stride till the last possible second, it's what Randy Moss did at the highest level we've ever seen. And you're that fast, the DB is at a huge, huge disadvantage. And he does this at a pretty elite level. Now,

there are some physical question marks with him. Play strength. I think sometimes out the line of scrimmage, and he's going to get more press corners as he gets to the NFL, bigger, stronger guys. You know, can he get off the line? Can he sell? Separate using his power, which some people would say he doesn't have that much up. But in terms of high-end speed, route running ability, and ability to move the needle down the field, like, I mean, I don't want to say he's an A-plus, but it's really, really high-end. And there are some question marks, but I'm just talking strictly as a prospect. He easily has the highest ceiling of the sponge.

So to me, he's the number one guy. And obviously, a guy that's been near the top of any draft board since he's, played that Rose Bowl as a true freshman. Remember, Marvin Harrison did not start. They had a lavee. They had Garrett Wilson. They had Jackson Smith. Like he was the fourth or fifth wide receiver on the team. Now, granted, he was 18 years old. And until those guys opted out in the Rose Bowl and he played, I'm pretty sure he had three touchdowns in that game. In the next two years, he dominated. Now, as I've said, look, we don't have any testing numbers. We know he's 6'3, 210 pounds. The, lineage he comes from.

I mean, his dad's one of the great wide receivers the last 25 years. He is a fantastic prospect. I mean, he does everything well. He's big. He can run every route, catch the ball in traffic. I'd say the one thing is he's super dynamic

with the ball in his hands. You know, he's not exactly like Debo or Jabbar Chase, but in terms of getting open, which is the most important thing. I think it's borderline impossible. And listen, I'm going to contradict myself a little bit for this guy not to be good. because these type players translate well in the NFL.

Devante Adams, Keenan Allen. I'm not saying they're all similar players, the ability to get open whenever you have to. That matters. So to me, Marvin Harrison is the safest of these guys. We've seen him at a super high level for a long period of time and he does everything well. Usually those guys play well in the NFL.

Now, all these guys, because of their position, they are very, very dependent on two people. The quarterback and the offensive coordinator. So whoever is scheming your offense and throwing you the ball. We saw Larry Fitzgerald for a lot of years with shitty coaches and shitty quarterbacks. He's at a disadvantage. We saw Randy Moss go to Oakland.

Disaster. Traded to New England, greatest wide receiver of all time. So where you go matters. And some of these teams that were mocking them could the Cardinals get one of these guys? Kyler Murray, I think the guy would be good. Could the Chargers take one of these guys?

Justin Herbert, they would be really good. Even if the Bears are able to get one of these guys. Caleb Williams, assuming he's just solid, they should be good, especially because he's got two other wide receivers to play with. You tell me the Giants take neighbors or Harrison? I can see him having an underwhelming year, not because they're not talented, because who's fucking throwing you the football? to me the most intriguing of this group, though,

and I would have him third, after watching the three of them, would be Roma Dune's 8. But I don't think there's a big gap. I don't think there's a big gap at all. Like Harrison, he's big. 6-3-212 pounds. I remember when I was at the Combine, one of my buddies who's a wide receiver coach on a team,

who definitely would be in the mix, if they could, to take one of these guys, had just interviewed him that day in their interview room. And he fucking loved them. He's like he walks in the room. You just, you underestimate his size. Because you watch him

on film or you just watch his YouTube highlights. He's big, but he doesn't look massive. He's like, I felt like he was really, really big. And he dominated this year. He had 81 catches 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns. I mean, punked people

constantly. There's a clip of him returning a punt to the house against Cal. So I think a lot of people would say well he's not quite the athlete of these other two guys he ran a 4-4-4-5 and he has punt returned in his past his ability in contested areas

is elite I mean awesome mossing guys back-shoulder throws but he played with an NFL quarterback so you put them like I said if the Giants were to draft him it could be a struggle

now one thing with him a lot like Harrison is red zone. When you're six foot three, you have an advantage in the red zone. Because you're going to go up against some corners. Even if you're a big corner, I got you by a couple inches.

And there are going to be some corners that are 511. So if I'm a big time athlete, and this is what neighbors has while he's shorter, he jumps 42 inches. So all these guys can get high in the air. You don't have to make a perfect pass. You just put it into their vicinity. That's why tight ends are so valued.

Because their catch radius is so big because of their size. So I think Rome is a big time prospect. I do think when the dust settles, he'll end up being the third wide receiver. And there's a pretty good chance, like, I'm wrong, Marvin goes first. But like all these guys, if they go to the right spot,

should be high-end wide receivers. Should be guys, no doubt about it, get second contracts from their team. And their production at the highest level. Sometimes it scares me with a wide receiver when they're coming from, I would say, middling programs or questionable competition. Like, we have seen all these guys under the brightest lights.

LSU, think about who they play in that division. Obviously, Marvin at Ohio State. In Rome, these last two years, Washington's lost like two games. They played everybody. And, I mean, two of the better teams, obviously Michigan was the best team. He played Oregon twice this year, and he destroyed them.

I mean, destroyed them. And they always have good defensive back. So I think these three guys, this is a pretty special class. Because you're getting blue chip guys from blue chip programs that dominated for years. Like there aren't really questions. It's not like none of these guys are one year wonders. Now, Malik by far had his best year this year. He had 89 catches, 16-100 yards and 14 touchdowns.

But his quarterback was a lot better. Let's face it, one of the questions with Jaden Daniels is like, yeah, you watch them in 2022. He wasn't going to be a top 100 pick. And then he starts playing like a top five player. You're going to be better. Rome has been much better over a two-year span. And same thing with Malik Neighbors.

I mean, two years ago, Malik Navarren, or excuse me, Marvin Harrison's playing with C.J. Stroud, who's arguably a top five quarterback in the NFL. Rome's had Michael Pennix for two years. So these three guys, cream of the crop. Very, very fascinated to watch, you know, kind of how it breaks for them.

And if you were in these guys' shoes, like if you're one of their agents or kind of on their quote-unquote team, where you go matter so much in the NFL, who your offensive coordinator is, who your quarterback. And luckily, because of the way this draft is, some teams that need wide receivers high

that already have quarterbacks. We can nitpick Kyler Murray. He's way better than over half the league. Justin Herbert, argue whether he's a top five quarterback, he's a lock top eight quarterback. And with Harbaugh, I think we all agree he's going to be better. So you want to go to one of those spots badly. Or the Bears to decide to not go D-line or, I don't know what, tight end or whatever, and take you.

You want to go to Chicago, which is crazy to say you never would have said that for years. 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 what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the 4.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 point. podcast. Holdouts. And, you know, we have seen some high-end players over the last several years hold out or hold in. And I never have an issue when you are elite doing what is best for you.

But not all holdouts are equal. T.J. Watt held in. Totally understand. He's easily their best player. He's actually underpaid right now. And he's like, listen. I'm not taking a fucking real snap until we get this contract done. Nick Bosa, unlike T.J. didn't even show up. Like, guys, what are we talking about here? Chris Jones,

watched week one with the two mafiosos in Arrowhead. It's like, guys, we got to get this done. Totally understand. Were those, Aaron Donald in the past? Kaleel Mack, totally get it. Totally understand.

Then there are some players that kind of flirt with it. It's like, eh, I don't know. I remember Debo was kind of, of doing it's like Devo, you're damn good, but come on, man. And the 49ers are like Debo, you better show up. You want to get this contract, we need you here.

You're not Jerry Rice, buddy. And he ended up showing up, and they got something done. CD Lamb, Justin Jefferson, totally get it. They are worth in this new world, 30 plus a year, 85 to 100 guaranteed. I mean, that is, I don't care how rich they already are. that is how many CEOs in America sniff that type money. It's a lot of coin. Totally get it.

Tua's interesting, though. Because Tua's value to his team, he's a starting quarterback on a team that's made the playoffs the last couple years. He's solid. Like, okay, time to get paid. But paid what? And to credit to Tua Tua

he's like, I'm going to show up. I'm not skipping anything. I'm not going to make this a mess. Because one of the thing Tua hangs his hat on, is not like these superb elite traits. It's like, you really can't live without me. We can't?

Can you imagine if they start their off-season program and he's nowhere to be found a couple weeks before the draft? Listen, they're already having the conversation because that's what you do during the draft. You know, maybe we should look a little harder at Panics and Bow Nicks and some of these other cats high in the draft. Why even give them that ability to think extra about that? Show up, hang your hat on your character,

I've said forever, if I'm the Dolphins, I play this out no matter what. I do not do a contract extension this year. If he can't prove that he can be a top 10 quarterback, we have absolutely no chance to ever win this division. Zero. Because you're already playing the second best quarterback in the NFL in the prime of his career. That's not going to change. He's never going to be better than Josh Allen. We all agree to that.

But can you help elevate this team this year to a division championship? Because if you do, then listen. We'll give you whatever. More money than we want to. But if you can't, like, how can I look in the mirror and feel good about signing it? Just because you got it, that feels like an NBA contract. And let's face it, 75% of the big NBA contracts are disasters.

Teams don't really want to do it. It's like, well, we got it. We're not going to get anything back for them. How we upgrade. It's like, yeah, it's an easy thing to say. And then you're the 7th seed. You get bouncing in the first round. you have an extra $45 million player

that we all agree is not worth that because of his impact on winning. To me, you're worth as a professional athlete is like your impact on winning. Josh Allen, T.J. Watt, right? You just go around, like, these guys' impact on Aaron Donald on winning is hard to quantify

because they're the heartbeat of my squad. They're obviously one of the best players in the league, but what they mean to my team. Does Tua? Like, is he replaceable? Listen, I know the way these draft rooms work. You have these conversations.

Belichick was having this conversation about Tom Brady in 2014. You better believe they're having it. You don't want to give them any reasons for that conversation to go too far. Some other things around the NFL, the Jets, are bringing in Brock Bowers for a visit.

One thing I've heard is there's a lot of buzz in the NFL about that being the people. pick. Now, should that be the pick? I don't know. But I'd have a hard time killing them if they did that. Should they take an offensive lineman? I mean, they got two guys on one-year contract playing left and right tackle. Now, maybe he gets a little gun shy because the last time he took a tackle high. Let's face it, it was a pretty big disaster in Bechtin. But I don't know. I mean, I think they're all in. It's one of those positions where, you know, as a team and as a front office, office, if we don't win 10 plus games and get a wild card, we're all getting fired. It's over.

Let's face it, we all would have been fired last year if it wasn't for Aaron 40 years old hurting his Achilles. But if we had underwhelmed last year, it would have been a disaster. That happens again, whether he's healthy, whether he's not healthy. If we don't go above 500 and make a wild card, we're fucked. Just that simple. So does this guy give us a better chance next year and we just keep our fingers crossed that none of these offensive linemen get hurt? I wonder if they're seriously having that conversation. Now, is that the smart thing to do when all these guys have injury histories? Morgan Moses, for the most part, has been pretty durable.

I think he missed some games last year. Obviously, Tyrone Smith has been in and out of the lineup for years now. Farah Tucker, the guy they drafted high, who is a good player, has been injured a lot. You know, it's just, it's a tough decision. And these are the hard things to balance, right? It's so easy. And listen, we're all going to do it. And when the draft comes, I'm going to hammer this.

like you take the best player available, don't force a need. Sometimes, though, the best player available, if he's going to help us out way more over the course of the next five years, and I don't know I'm going to be there, changes your decision making. It just does. So I think it's going to be fascinating with the Jets do there. The other thing is the Patriots are bringing in J.J.J. McCarthy.

The betting lines now, Jaden Daniels is a pretty heavy favorite to be the number two overall pick. The Patriots, a little bit of a wildest. card because we don't know Gerard Mayo and Elliot Wolf what they will do. They've never ran a franchise. But I wonder

if they're going back and forth like, who should we take? And I do wonder if they get to the point where Drake has a much higher ceiling. You know my stance, always swing for the fences. And JJ, while a much better prospect than Mack Jones,

does have some similarities. Does have some similarities. Right? Played on the best team in college football by a mile. and there's a lot of risk there. His physical gifts are solid, not elite. Again, I'm not, I would rather have J.J. McCarthy coming out of college than Mac Jones

every day of the week and 50 times on Sunday. But he's closer to Mac Jones than he is to the high-end guys in the NFL in terms of being a prospect. And I wonder if that's where, if they do stick and take a quarterback at three, which they should, if that's who they end up picking. And then the other thing was Chris Ballard extended Buckner. No one loves extending his own guys. Now, Buckner's a really good player. He's made a bunch of Pro Bowl since they got him.

Super high character guy. The type guy that every team wants. But God, does he love extending his own guys? I mean, he lives for it. And it's all going to come down to Anthony Richardson. If he's healthy and good, they're going to be a problem. If he's banged up again, it's going to be a little more difficult. I know Joe Flacko had some magic last year, but I'd be a little stunned if Anthony

Richard got hurt. and then the Colts were just good with Joe Flacco. I wouldn't expect Flacco would have back-to-back years. Yeah, just take another team to the playoffs. Yeah, just, you know, I retired, went to my couch, driving my kids to school, got a call mid-season, went to the Browns, resurrected my career. The Browns couldn't keep me because, you know,

the shadow I would cast over to Sean Watson, the Colts called me because I know Shane Steichen, went there, kicked ass again, Anthony Richardson got hurt, won seven of 10 games after he got bounced. and, you know, we're just the six seed. I'd probably bet against that. So it all comes down to Anthony Richardson,

which is one of the great unknowns in the NFL. I have no clue, you have no clue, they have no clue. But that's what makes sports fun, like how this whole bad boy is going to play out. Okay, let's get to a little tangent Tuesday. I've been really hard on this guy because I think he's a terrible commissioner. And I think Adam Silver is a big reason

that the NBA has fallen off a cliff. He's one of the softest leaders in the history of America for any billion dollar industry. The tanking, the load management is just an embarrassment, and the consumer has disappeared. The in-season tournament, I thought, was stupid. The ratings reflected it. Nobody watched.

They claimed that ratings were up. Ethan Strauss did a breakdown. They were down over the course in the last five years, because they were just regular season games. I give them, I guess, some credit for trying something different, but no one's going to care about an in-season regular season tournament. Nobody. Beside people that covered the NBA that all said it was

sweet. I didn't watch. And I represent the majority of sports fans because we saw the television ratings. I do think the playing games, if it breaks the right way, are pretty sweet. Because a lot like an NFL playoff game or March Madness, it's like winner go home. Like winter go home in the playing game for what? A regular season game in like three more days? It's not winner go home. This is all fake. But this playing tournament, when you get the Lakers and the Warriors, is a really big deal. Because in a league that struggles to get eyeballs on a lot of random good teams,

like no one's paying attention to Minnesota or OKC. On the masses, the Lakers and the Warriors move the needle. Now, if David Stern was running the NBA, I saw Shaq said this the other day. He gave a story on his podcast, how like 25 years ago he sat down at a bar and this guy looked at him

and was like, you shouldn't sit next to me. And the guy's like, why? He's like, I'm one of the biggest sports, betters in America. Shaq's like, I don't give a shit. So Shaq started talking to him. He's like, you ever get players on the payroll? He's like, yeah, you guys make too much money. I can't. He's like, but we got all the refs. I've always said, you know, basketball historically has been pretty corrupt. In terms of that, I mean, of course, how could you not get a referee? If you make 200 grand, it's pretty easy for me to offer you 75 grand to do something. That's 40% of your income.

It's just basic, basic numbers. Just do the math. Where if a guy makes $30 million, it's hard to get that guy to risk anything. These playing games, though, are interesting when you get the right brands. Sixers are in a game, the Warriors are in a game, the Lakers are in a game. So this is the one thing I will give the guy credit on during his tenure that has mostly been a disaster. A couple other quick tangents. The Masters, which is probably, I mean, the top two or three most exclusive golf club.

not in America in the world. They allow the media to play. It's like a lottery system the day after the Masters. So today, a bunch of people in the media got to play Augusta. It's like a lottery system. You never know who's going to win.

A lot like trying to get tickets. It's all lottery. And this woman who works for one of the local stations, I think, in Georgia, won the draw. But here's the kicker. She's never ever played golf. which on most courses, whatever, go out there and have a good time. I would say, now I haven't seen what she shot,

which I would imagine she's not finishing half the holes. You should probably give your spot up. You know, if you've never ever played golf, I don't think you should take one of the lottery seats. I'd argue you should have to have like an NCGA handicap to be able to win the lottery. I don't exactly know how they do that. Maybe they don't even care that much.

if she actually ended up playing and took a spot from people that actually play golf, I don't know. I don't know about that one. And the other thing is, last but not least, is I don't know if you've seen this Malbon. It's this rich guy based in Southern California. He's got this new clothing brand, can't speak brand. Let me be the first to say, I'm not that fashionable. I just wear a pretty basic clothes.

I buy no means. I'm like some fashionista here. but Jason Day is a Malbon golfer now. He used to be Nike, went to Melbourne. Because a lot of these golf companies are like, you know, we're not giving you it. 99% of you aren't moving that many product. We're not giving you $10, $20 million a year.

So a lot of these guys, if you notice, have gone to independent brands. They started their own brands. Malbond paid this guy some money. Now, he's got a following in Australia. Not a crazy play. He played with Tiger Woods, who also has a new brand.

Sunday Red, which, I don't know, kind of stupid. I don't know at this point in time in Tiger's life if he's moving much product. I think it's probably the right move for Nike. But Jason Day wore this vest that many thought was pretty outrageous.

Isn't that kind of fashion? Isn't it like fashion trends a lot different? Like one thing for girls, anyone that has a wife or a girlfriend, do you know what is in right now? For girls? Baggy pants.

Baggy pants. I think it's kind of stupid, but that's most people's reaction when a trend starts. Now, Jason Day's vest, and he wore these really, really baggy pants that were like, they weren't joggers, but they had elastic on the bottom where you could tighten it. He didn't. But they're not like any other pants that you see out during Augusta. Most people in 2024 are wearing tighter, slimmer golf pants. His were outrageously baggy, something you would see in like the mid-90s.

But he wore this vest that was just out of left field. I thought, yeah, I guess my first reaction was like, God, that's kind of stupid. But then again, like, who am I? I don't know, fashion. You could show me a piece of artwork. It's like, yeah, that's $50,000. Like, I think that looks like crap. You just threw a bunch of shit and paint up there, and all of a sudden you're selling it.

And that happens all the time. Well, Augusta National made him take it off. There were rumors flying around, and then he confirmed it. They told him, you're not allowed to wear that. which I think is kind of stupid. Like, you should be able to wear, there should be limits, like you can't go shirtless

if you're playing in the tournament. But like, this is his brand. As he said, I just wear what they give me. That's a pretty big moment, though, for the company. Like, that's what you need to do to get mentioned. I saw this clip on Instagram about liquid death. Forever, I either thought it was an alcoholic drink or an energy drink.

And then I realized it's just water. It's just water. in that can. And I saw this Instagram clip where the guy that started the company was like, we had no marketing dollars. Zero. I had no money to market. So we were going to put this stuff on the shelf. I needed a way to move the needle. I didn't. And the only way was I couldn't name it something normal. Because I would name it something normal, no one would notice. But if I named it something outrageous, people might be half as, you know, 50% more likely to pick the thing up and then 50% more likely to like post it on social media. And I started seeing liquid death more

and more and it was kind of organically happened. And the power of marketing is real. A couple years ago, all anyone drank when it came to the shelters were white claws. You saw white claws everywhere. Do you know all I see now? Pictures on social media, people hanging out, people booze and parties. High noons. Hell, I'm more inclined. I don't really like that stuff that much. But if people are coming over, it's an easy drink to sip. High noon's the buy. What did they do? They paid Portnoy. They paid some other people. It worked. So if you're going to market, you can't just have normal clothes, right? Tigers collared shirt, Sunday Red.

Grayson, all these random companies, they all kind of look alike. Malban looks like none of them. Might not be for me, but kind of see what he's doing. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast,

The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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, let's dive into the Middle Cough mailbag. Very, very easy to get involved at John Middlecough is the Instagram. Fire in those DMs. I have a question regarding scouts and bias. When scouting a college player, how much does the setting, opposition, star players on their own team, skill, level of opposition, big game versus homecoming, ETC, play into the decision as opposed to pure technique and skill exhibited? As an example, potential third round pick, Spencer Rattler, throws a 10-yard out to a number 3 wide receiver against LSU. Makes the play. next week he throws the same route

versus Division 2, Hawaii State made that up. I was like, Hawaii State, never heard of that school. And it falls in the plea. Does the scout get wowed biased by the competition against the better opposition or do they look at holistically like he only completes 50% of his throws?

How do scouts and the GMs avoid falling into the biases? I think anytime you're scouting a player, right, let's use Spencer Rattler, for example. you would watch him against the best teams he plays. So off top of my head, I don't have South Carolina schedule. They play Georgia every year. You would throw on that game.

They play Clemson every year. You would throw on that game. They play Tennessee. You would throw on that game. If I was a GM or scouting director, I probably wouldn't even watch Hawaii State. That game doesn't matter. It's very, very easy with the top programs.

Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Oregon, Bama, whatever, because they're always going to be playing three or four really, really good teams. Now, you have to do more extensive research than just what you would watch other games in the conference, but you don't need to watch them against Hawaii State. Where I think it gets more difficult is when there is a top prospect at Fresno State or Boise State or these programs that don't play a lot of good competition. It's harder to judge it then. I remember Giants fans will remember this name.

Ramsey's Barden. Big wide receiver. Shattered Jerry Rice's records in D1A. He was at Cal Poly when I was at Cal Poly. He ended up going in the third round to the Giants. But who the hell was he playing? And he wasn't any good in the NFL. And he played in a triple option.

That's a tough evaluation. Evaluating a guy at South Carolina, is not that hard. Because I have a ton of other teams with NFL players I can watch them against. So I think it's simply you just watch them against top competition. Right. It's really easy to watch evaluate Michael Pennix and Roma Dunzee. You throw in the Oregon games, you throw on the Michigan game,

you throw in the Texas game, like you just watch them against the best teams. Throw in the Utah game. It's much harder to evaluate good players. at lower schools, non-power 5 schools. Because, like, how many NFL guys are they going up against? So that question, good question. I would say relatively easy. Got a question for the mailback.

This may seem insignificant, but doesn't it tremendously help the Rams with Jimmy G. signing? Think about it. Who knows the Niners and Shanahan game plans for the Rams better than him? wondering if the unique insight that Jimmy would have could give the Rams the icing on the cake to overcome their regular season woes

against the 49ers. I think the Rams could make it to the Super Bowl this year. That's a good question. It doesn't hurt. I mean, I would say it doesn't hurt at all. I think we overvalued that sometimes. You know, coaches historically have been asked this question when a guy they've had for a while

or even during training camps. signs with the team they're playing week one. You can only do so much. Now, there are specific things that Kyle clearly does against the Rams that gives them a lot of trouble. That has been very, very difficult for them to just neutralize. It's like whether the Niners have been as good as them or not or better that they've just dominated them consistently. Cannot hurt.

He is suspended early. so I guess it would depend when the games get scheduled because he won't be there early but good question can't hurt can't hurt I don't know if it's

the equivalent of like knowing their plays that are coming but it should benefit them for sure I'd like to hear thoughts on this I think star tight ends are proving to be a more valuable commodity amongst contending teams than star wide receivers. I think since Bill got his hands on Gronk and Hernandez, personnel folks started

to realize that the added utility of having what is basically an extra offensive lineman, that the defense has to also gain plan for a weapon that can create huge personal mismatches that your offense is able to take advantage of. Gronk is an extra offensive lineman. Hernandez was a slot receiver, but I hear what you're saying. And some of these, you know, Brock Bowers is not a blocking tight end. I was listening to the athletic podcast. They do a good job on just breaking down draft guys. And there was, I think Brock Powers on the line of scrimmage to the rest of the tight ends in the country was near the bottom. I mean, he's essentially a slot wide receiver. So the mismatches, there are only so many guys that are good players that are good blockers.

Is Leporta a big-time blocker? Like, Kittle, the Gronks, like they're pretty rare. Kelsey doesn't really block. Mark Andrew's a big blocker. What's his, Goddard gives effort. Despite this, we still see high-end wide receivers making nearly double what tight ends. Well, it's a huge market inefficiency. If you get a star tight end,

he is dramatically cheaper. Kittle, Andrews, I'm probably blanking right now because out of the loop a little bit in terms of just games going on all the time. but Kittle. I mean, these guys make so much less than star wide receivers.

So there is no disputing financially. If you get Sam Leporta and he becomes a star, he's one of the best values in the league. Star tight ends and linebackers. If you hit on a star linebacker, you don't have to pay them what a defensive end makes.

Yet he covers the tight ends and makes 15 tackles a game. Like Roquan Smith and Fred Warner gets screwed because of their position. But from a team, standpoint, it's an incredible value. So, yeah, I mean, I, do you see teams putting more of a premium on acquiring playing tight? I think everyone wants a really good tight end.

I think they can be more difficult to evaluate. And from what I've heard from my scouting buddies, this isn't a very good tight end draft. Last year's was. Remember, a bunch of tight ends went in the top like three to three rounds. Trying to think. Kincaid, obviously Leporta. Definitely missing one guy that went high. as well. I mean, I think there were like six or seven tight ends and won the top 100 picks.

Don't quote me on that, but definitely was a lot. Hey, John, I've been listening to your podcast for a couple years now and just wanted to thank you for making podcasts as I look forward to them every week. Being the student body president of a college in Canada, I have to deal with a lot of conflicting opinions as well as some harsh criticism. As a former scout, I was wondering if you had any comments on how to deal with controversy or negative criticism. Well, I think there are two types. I just deal with people talking shit on the internet. So it's very, very easy for me not to pay attention. I just don't really look at comments. Good and the bad. They don't mean that much to me. Not that I don't

appreciate people that reach out and say positive things. It's different if someone slides in your DM, but I can just tone it out really easily. Now, when you're in a office setting, as a scout, as an employee, as a corporate guy, as a student body president, and you're getting him face to face, yeah, it's a little more difficult. And it takes a lot of emotional maturity to just kind of take a deep breath. Something when I was young, I mean, it was hard. It's easy to go into a shell or feel shitty about yourself, you just, you got to, I don't know, the more you get, the better you feel out how to deal with it.

So I think there are two types of criticism in this modern day world. There's ones where you're in a work situation or a leadership situation, and you get in these, you know, controversies or whatever. And then to deal with those, the more and more experience you have dealing with them, you kind of figure out what works and what doesn't. you also got to know the people you're dealing with, right?

So the people you deal with, it's kind of like a coach. You know, certain people's, you know, makeup is different than others, right? Some people you can scream out, it's no big deal. Other people, fuck, they'll go into a shell or it'll be a disaster. I think with internet criticism, there's never been an easier criticism to deal with. Just don't pay attention. but, you know, unless you, it's hard because I don't have specific examples for you in terms of what you're dealing with, but it's much harder to deal with because that is the only ones that matter. The real people interactions with criticism.

Like, is it fair? If it's fair, then look in the mirror, figure it out. If it's not, then hell, just move on your day. Long time listener, dig your content. Like this guy. I'm from NorCal. myself in Lincoln, California. No right where that is.

I'm also a long-suffering Raiders fan. I know you like to clown on the organization since your breakup. I wouldn't call it a breakup, but I would call it more like Middlecoff, you are not allowed around the Raiders. But I hear you. Listen, some of it's

tongue-in-cheek. And quite frankly, you're not wrong. And there has been a plethora of bad decisions. I have some optimism with Pierce, though. I feel like he could be a Dan Campbell in Detroit and Tom Telesco is an experienced general manager. What are your thoughts?

Well, I would agree, like Dan, he, I always respect when high-end people believe in you. And Dan Campbell's biggest believers were Bill Parcells as a player and then as a coach and Sean Payton. So it's like a lot of people talk shit about Dan Campbell when he got the job. This is not a VC firm.

We're not running a tech company. This at the end of the day is football. You're running fucking off tackle runs. You are motivating people in the classroom on the field and in the weight room. This isn't your normal job. So it was easy to make fun of them with the bite your ankles and all that stuff. It's like, I think this guy's a little smarter than you get credit for. And then obviously he hired a really good staff.

And you get credit when your offensive coordinator is a star. Because five years ago, anyone could have hired Ben Johnson. He did. Now, it wasn't his original offensive coordinator. Anthony Lynn was. And what did he do? He fired him. And with Antonio Pierce,

Coughlin's his biggest supporter. Coughlin beat Belichick twice. Coughlin's a really high-end, just high-level guy when it comes to football. and Antonio Pierce was like a team captain, leader of the Super Bowl team. Dan Campbell had been coaching for a while in the NFL. He had been a long time assistant when he finished playing. And he even got a little bit of time. Now, obviously Antonio Pierce did too as an interim coach.

And then he had to go kind of, I would say, mentor under Sean Payton for years. And he even said when he got the job that it changed his mindset. Because at my core, I'm like Parcell's old school, very conservative, and I saw Sean Payton and I realize in modern day football you can't be like that. So the knock to me on Antonio Pierce, leadership, dealing with players, he's going to be an able, it comes natural to him. In terms of the coaching, think of the coaches he mentored under. I like the guy.

Whenever I've met him, he's cool to me. But Herman Edwards is not a good coach. It was a joke what he did at Arizona State. A joke. I mean, that's called stealing money. He gets fired from Arizona State. He goes back to ESPN. It's like, well, you've been in college football now for five years in a Power 5 conference.

Never talks about college football. I don't people that say he doesn't even know the names of his players when he's there in his own. And then, I mean, this is no fault of his own. I don't blame Antonio Pierce to go work for him. And then he goes to work for Josh McDaniels, who's also one of the worst head coaches we've ever seen, objectively. So Antonio Pierce as a player, can't question his credentials. As a coach, as an assistant coach, look who he's working. worked for. Now, he brings in Coughlin, he brings in Marvin Lewis. That should help, but I would say that

Dan Campbell was much more ready for an opportunity given he had just worked at a longer period of time for higher-end guys. I like to Lesco as well. I don't, I understand why they did it. I think the most fascinating thing about the Raiders is like, is Michael Pennock going to be on their team in a week and a half? Because a lot of people think that's going to happen. If that happens, not saying I'll be a Raider fan, but I'll definitely, I won't be anti-raiders. I like Michael Pennix. Hey John, two years on from the Russell Wilson trade, much has been made of Denver as the quote-unquote loser in the trade of the difficulties it has placed the Broncos in. What about the winner? After offloading an aging asset,

A heavy contract, gaining multiple first round picks and a capable player, is the sum of all that a 9 and 18, an unproven defensive head coach, and Gino Smith? Are the Seahawks destined to tread water for the foreseeable future? Well, as long as Gino Smith is their quarterback, they are. Gino's an incredible story. Really is. Haders wrote him off. He didn't write back.

He's got to root for. Seems like a really, really good game. I appreciate anybody who isn't handed anything and figures out a way. And he did. He just kept grinding, kept grinding, got his opportunity, and has been more than serviceable. But there is a legitimate ceiling on how good that guy is. And you don't have a snowball's chance in hell to do anything with him as your quarterback, meaningful in football. Like, you're not winning playoff games with that guy.

It's not happening. You didn't make the playoffs this year. Now, he got banged up, but we saw last year, like, the ceiling, it is what it is. If that helps you get to your next guy, I would say, I would give you credit on the win. But if they just go through the situation for a couple of years, then yeah, nothing really changes.

But you are a winner when everybody, including myself, I'm guilty, said, you're going to look really bad. Trading Russell Wilson, all these picks. It felt like they hit on 80% of the, the picks, they get rid of, let's face it, one of the biggest headaches in the league. That's what Russell Wilson is, a headache. His stardom, and the way we talk about him, far exceeds the return on investment on the field.

It's not even close. So removing that and getting that back is an immediate win. So, yeah, I would say regardless, obviously to like compete in the playout. How are they going to compete, though? I mean, their roster is actually not bad, but they're not. Mike McDonald, fantastic defensive coordinator. Being a head coach, a different animal, and he's facing two guys that have now been head coaches for like seven, eight years

that we all consider top five guys in McVeigh and Chanahan, who have good teams. It was going to be difficult. Huge fan of three and out, the content you produce, a volume, in a recent memory, before every NFL season, Coward predicts his pop team. a previously bad team that surprised to the league and fans

for the upcoming season. In your opinion, who is this year's pop team? Uh, let's talk about that after the draft. I'm not, it's not on like the forefront of my mind. I have to look back at like the standings,

the rosters. I'm kind of more in master's mode. Give me a couple weeks. After the draft, we'll hit on a team that had a good offseason, had a good draft, and could make the playoffs. I think the easy one is the Bears. You could argue, does that even count? As of we're sitting here right now, it'd be the Bears. Could they win 10 games next year?

How could you argue they couldn't? I mean, they won seven games last year with a quarterback that couldn't throw from the pocket. Now they add Keenan Allen. They have the ninth overall pick, as well as, you know, in theory, they should be upgrading a quarterback. So they're definitely the easy answer. But the pushback there is the division. The lines are excellent. Way better roster.

Offensive coordinator are back. Everyone back. The Packers, if they just keep playing like they were playing, are going to be a problem. And Minnesota has a lot of good players. It seems the 49ers this year are not going to have an elite defense. Probably not top 10. but certainly not in the top three or five. In my opinion, this means they need to have a more complimentary football team this year

and lean into what they do best. Run the ball. If I were Lynch, I would be focusing the draft on beefing up the offensive line. And at minimum, trading up to get a plug-and-play lineman. And if I were shenanhan, I would lean into the running back by committee this year versus driving CMC into the ground and probably getting them hurt. I feel like this could allow him to do more on offense, like leveraging the big man Jordan Mason on the short yardage,

Agap runs, and potentially even flexing out CMC some more as a wide receiver. Not to mention Elijah is a really solid back. He's hurt a lot. I know the Niners had a great rushing season this year, but teams substantially slowed it down in the playoffs, and it was a miracle. They got to the Super Bowl, leaning on a struggling, purdy, and shady defense.

Kyle is a talented running back room, but doesn't use it to his advantage. Do you agree? Kyle Shanahan treats Christian McCaffrey like the Lakers or Warriors will treat LeBron and Steph in these playing games. He rides him like he's the best player in the league. And you could argue there are a lot of games where he is.

I do think, given his history being injured, to sustain his greatness, because he is a great player. I mean, he is easily won non-concounter. quarterback, one of the best players in the league. It is hard the amount that is on his shoulders. It really is. And there were so many times last year, either they'd have the lead or late in games, it was unnecessary for him to keep running him up the middle and he did. So yeah, I don't agree with it. I didn't agree with it last year and I'm not going to agree with it this year, but I don't think he changes.

I think he goes, we get this guy in the prime of his career, he's under contract for the next couple years, we're going to fucking ride him. I'll never forget Pat Hill when it was clear early on Ryan Matthews junior season. Like this kid is gone. He's going to the draft. Hand him the rock. And I think you treat Christian McCaffrey. Like I understand his mindset of like this is the best player.

He gives me the best chance to win. And he doesn't, there's not a five year career guaranteed. So we might as well take advantage of it while we have him. I wouldn't do it. If I could do it. Now, I'm not claiming I know more about or better at football than Kyle Shanahan, but I do think that he overuses them for sure, especially in unnecessary spots. But I'm also realistic.

I've watched Kyle Shanahan. Every snap he's ever coached. I do not expect him to change at all. So, yeah, in a perfect world, they should. Do I expect him to do it? No. Love the pod. This is from James.

I've been watching for a while. I was a basketball player through college for the coogs at Washington State. good athlete but obviously really interested in football as well RIP the Pact 12 RIP My question is I'm a Jets fan Who lives in Minnesota

I'm excited to see Darno play I'm a Jets fan of the Loo Okay I was like I'm trying to follow this But for the Jets Why is there so much negativity from the media I get the A-Rod drama But I would argue we have a top 10 roster in the NFL

I would still take Rogers over a lot of quarterbacks at the moment I understand the dysfunction of the organization, but when it comes to football, how can people expect this team to be bad, given Rogers stays healthy? Am I too high on Sala? He coaches a consistent top five defense. Too high on Rogers, especially with the bill situation. I really think the Jets should be the favorites for the division. I think your offensive line is a major question mark. I mean, your best offensive linemen all have injury histories. And if they go down, it just derails your squad. They're older players. I think that's a legit concern.

As we're sitting here right now, I would say playmaking is a concern as well. Garrett Wilson's a really good player. Mike Williams gets injured a lot. Everyone roost for Mike Williams. He's a fun player to have on your fantasy team. He's a fun player to watch. He just tore his ACL. And he's been injured a lot before that.

So I can't keep you a top 10 roster. You do have some excellent defensive players. There is, Quentin Williams is one of the best defensive linemen in the league. Star. Sauce Gardner is a really good player. You have some really good pass rushers. Your defense is solid. Salad doesn't call the defense, though.

Jeff Oldberg does. He's not even your defense coordinator, your head coach. Now, you get credit because clearly he leans on defense. Here's the other thing. Nathaniel Hackett might stink. Most people in the NFL thinks he blows. So if he's a bottom 10 offensive coordinator,

you have a 40-year-old Rogers in a questionable offensive line, I bought the hype last year. Picked you to win the East. Thought you could compete for the Super Bowl. Obviously, the Rogers injury derailed that take. But as I watched your season play out, I think it would have been very, very difficult

for you to get to 10 wins. I really do. Rogers wasn't that good the year before, and the Packers are better than you. And they didn't make the playoffs. Packers are way better than you. So I think it can be difficult, man. I would be cautiously optimistic.

My expectations would not be to win the division. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it would be like, can we be in the wild card mix come December? That would be a huge upgrade from the last couple years, obviously. I just finished listening to your weekend reaction with Coward, this from last week.

At the very end, you mentioned how you were watching the Colt Rams game and were impressed by Anthony Richardson and forgot how good he looked. As a diehardt Colts fan, I've rewatched that game a thousand times, and I can't help but think that we got something special in Indy

with Anthony Richardson and Shane Seichen. Do you think the national media is possibly forgetting about how good AR looked and what are your thoughts on the Colts' this upcoming season? When I say watch that game, I was at the gym,

and they got the NFL network on one of the high TVs, and NFL network, they've basically scrapped all their shows and just have rerun games. And every time I looked up, he looked sweet. There was no disputing his physical gifts. He was the highest ceiling of all the quarterbacks last year. Hell, he'd be the highest ceiling of all the quarterbacks this year.

His physical gifts are elite. He has not played much football. And the injuries last year were really concerning. So I think you could argue he's one of the biggest wild cards in the league. Now, like you said, your coach is a stud. your coach is to me and McVeigh, Shanahan, LaFleur. Like, if he was a stock, I would pump a lot of cash into it. But some things are out of your control.

And when your quarterback has injury concerns, no matter how great of a scheme guy you are, and let's face it, he's not the most accurate guy. So injury concerns, accurate, like there's a lot to deal with there. But like if I were you, I would be much more excited than Jets fans. Because if it does work, like you could win 12 games.

Your ceiling is pretty high. But it's just to wait and see. And let's face it, every time, at least for a year, he gets hit, he's down on the field for an extra second or two. Your heart's going to drop. You're going to swallow really hard. You're going to hold your breath. Because that's how it is with guys that have some durability questions prove that they can be durable. see that like with Joel M. Bid.

Every time Anthony Davis, every time they go down, it's like, oh, here we go again. Until Anthony Richardson kind of shake that, it just kind of is what it is. But you almost made the playoffs last year with Gardner-Minchu. So if this guy is on the field, in theory you should be better. But he's got to stay on the field.

17 games a long time, man. Especially as an athletic, running mobile, I don't want to say run guys over, but he's big enough to. So it's going to be a fascinating case study. It really, I'm excited to watch. I am. And like I said, I would be excited if I was you. 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 Acapapest. a band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardweight with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men, and carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

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